“Who is that officer?” he asked.
“Lieut. Dutac of ‘The Valorous,’ just returned from Cochin China.”
Light broke upon Daniel’s mind; it was a painful light.
“When did ‘The Valorous’ come in?” he asked again.
“Six days ago she made the harbor of Brest.”
The other man went on,—
“And thus, you see, we left a goodly portion of our crew out there. That is a campaign! As to my own notions, this is what I think,—a nasty country, a wretched climate, a people fit for the gallows.”
“Certainly,” said the young man in citizen’s dress, “things are not pleasant in Cochin China.”
“Ah, but still”—
“What if you were ordered back?”