When he saw the two fish lying there his eyes nearly started out of his head. He jabbered something in his native tongue and then looked around wildly, first to one side of the kitchen and then the other. Then he looked toward the door leading to the dining room and then he came to the door leading to the yard.
“Duck!” was all Andy said, and he and the others lost no time in getting out of sight.
Hop Lung looked carefully around the yard and then came slowly back into the kitchen. He walked again to the stove to see that nothing was burning, and finally came back to the cabinet and picked up the two fish gingerly. Meanwhile, the boys tiptoed their way back to their original positions at the windows.
“He’ll begin to think the cabinet is haunted,” whispered Jack.
“Either that, or else he’ll think he’s bewitched,” answered Gif.
And both were about right, for the poor Chinaman looked all around the cabinet and even behind and under it, and then he looked under the table and the chairs. Finally, still bewildered, he walked into the pantry with the fish, which he carried before him at arm’s length, as if afraid it might bite him.
“Better give him a shower now, Andy,” whispered his brother, and thereupon Andy gave the string a strong pull which sent all the remaining fish tumbling down on the cabinet and the floor. The noise reached Hop Lung in the pantry, and he came forth on a run.
When he saw the quantity of fish that had appeared so miraculously he was nearly dumbfounded. With eyes and mouth wide open and hands up-raised he uttered a sudden yell of fright and dove through the doorway leading to the dining room and the living room beyond.
In the living room Mrs. Rover and Mrs. Powell were sitting doing some sewing. The sudden appearance of the Chinaman caused them to look up in astonishment.
“What is the matter, Hop Lung?” demanded Mrs. Powell, as she sprang to her feet.