“I’m afraid so. Looks as if we’d be with Li Chang by morning.”
“But we don’t want to go to China, Frank!”
“We may never get to China, Joe. Didn’t you hear what they said? For all we know, that rascally Chinaman, whoever he is, may heave us overboard when he gets well out in the ocean.”
“You fellows shut up,” growled Malloy. “Shut up, I tell you, or I’ll make it hot for you,” and he tapped his revolver suggestively.
After that an ominous silence fell between the prisoners. Frank and Joe were downhearted. It looked as if their fate were sealed.
CHAPTER XXI
Quick Work
The Hardy boys glanced over at their father on the cot.
To their surprise they saw that he was smiling. Frank was on the point of asking him what he found in the situation to smile at when he caught a warning glance. He looked over at the guard.
Malloy was not bothering with the prisoners. He was not even looking in their direction. Instead, his head was already beginning to nod, as though he were going to sleep.