“China,” rejoined Lieutenant Warden tersely.
The Englishman’s face changed expression.
“Not—” he stammered. “Not the—”
“For the Nung-kiang River,” replied the executive officer.
Dave Darrin and Dan Dalzell were the only ones present who caught the strange, fleeting look that passed over the face of Pembroke.
“Why can this Englishman object to our going to the Nung-kiang River?” Ensign Darrin wondered. “What interest can he take in any mission of ours there?”
[CHAPTER IV—THE LANDING PARTY AT NU-PING]
“That ought to hold the pirates for a little while,” declared Danny Grin, his good-natured face looking unusually grim.
“I think it will,” replied Dave, halting before his cabin door. “Dan Dalzell, if my face is as dirty as yours I shouldn’t care to walk up Main Street in my native town.”
“Go in and look at yourself,” scoffed Dalzell.