“The governor will not see you, sir,” Sin Foo insisted.
“You’re wrong there, too,” Dave crisped out. “It was my wish to be courteous. But now I have the honor to tell you that the governor will come to the doorway to speak with me, and he’ll come very promptly, or else I shall march a force of men into the house and find him. It will be much pleasanter for his excellency if he promptly decides to come here. Mr. Sin Foo, you have my permission to go and tell him just what I have said.”
For perhaps thirty seconds the under secretary stood gazing at the ensign. On his face was a look of absolute horror. During the pause Dave eyed him sternly.
“I mean business, Mr. Sin Foo!”
“Ensign Darrin, though it be at the cost of my head, which I can ill afford to spare,” murmured Sin Foo brokenly, “I shall undertake to bear to his excellency’s shocked ears your most outrageous message.”
Turning to his sailors, who were grinning discreetly, Dave Darrin observed softly:
“I think that will put motion into the governor’s feet, if anything will.”
Looking frequently at his watch, Ensign Dave waited a full two minutes.
“Come on, men,” he ordered, “we’ll start through the premises. This isn’t the time even to wait for governors.”
Some ten yards down the corridor Darrin had led his handful of men when Sin Foo’s shocked voice rang out: