I don’t know how it was that I said those words. They came to my lips and I uttered them, making Mr Brooke turn round upon me sharply, in the grey light of dawn.
“What do you mean by that, boy?” he said.
“Mean? I don’t—I—that is,”—I stammered; “I wouldn’t give up yet, sir.”
“What would you do? wait for them to come back?” he said bitterly.
“No,” I cried, gaining courage; “go after them, sir.”
“And attack and take them with this boat, Herrick?” he said, smiling at me rather contemptuously.
“Of course we couldn’t do that, sir,” I said, “but we might follow and keep them in sight. We should know where they went.”
“Yes,” he said, after a moment’s thought; “but we may be away for days, and we must have provisions. What is to be done?”
“You likee me buy blead and fish, and plenty good to eat?” said Ching in rather a shrinking way.
“Yes,” said Mr Brooke, turning upon the Celestial sharply. “Where shall we land you?”