"No, here; in China perhaps."
Such an idea had never entered my mind. The fact of impending war in China had not been presented to me; all seemed peaceful.
"Who is going to fight?" I asked.
"Perhaps no one. But ye saw that Jap there?"
"Yes; a nice fellow I thought, sir."
"Well, he has made me an offer, and if my suspicions are correct we'll make a little haul of cash. English cash—pounds—not this miserable, crawling, centipede kind of stuff which wouldn't buy a scarecrow a meal for Sunday. No, bedad, Jule, my boy, we're in luck."
"I hope so, sir. How?"
"Don't ye know I told ye about some business when we started that had reference to a mandarin chap, one of the Company's customers, for whom I had advices. Now, mind ye, this Jap has shown a hand—only a finger, I may say, but a finger points somewhere; and it just indicates the very direction in which I was going later. D'ye take me?"
"Yes, sir. It seems that the John Chinaman and the Jap have their heads in the same direction."
"Exactly. Jack and Jap is the business entirely. I have business both in Japan and China. I know the seas about here, and they both know I know them. So my friend has 'offered' me for the steamer. What d'ye think of that? But he desires secrecy—a private cruise."