d, and turning his eyes from
side to side of the busy water thoroughfare.

"She has shifted her moorings," he said at last.

"Has she, sir?" I replied, as I recalled how the furnace fires were
going and the _Teaser_ was getting up steam when we started.

"Yes; how tiresome!" he muttered. "Just, too, when we want to
communicate at once."

"But you can see her, sir?"

"No, my lad, no," he cried. "How can I see her if she is not here?"

"But I thought you said she had shifted her moorings, sir?"

"Yes, and gone down the river somewhere. Hang it all, she can't have
sailed without us."

"They wouldn't do that, sir," I cried, feeling quite startled at the
idea of the ship leaving us with our small boat in the midst of
strangers. "Why, she must have had news of some other junks, sir, and
gone in pursuit, or is it a mistake? We can't have come far enough.
No; this is the spot."

The men were looking at me inquiringly, just as men accustomed to be led
lean on their superiors for orders, even if one of those superiors be a
mere boy, while I, acting in precisely the same spirit, looked up to Mr
Brooke, and listened excitedly for what he would say next.

It seemed to be a long time before he spoke, and then it was between his
teeth and with angry vehemence, as he dropped down into his seat.

"After all this hard struggle to get back with our news," he muttered,
in so low a tone that I only heard his words, while the men sat with
their oars balanced gazing forward to see if they could make out the
_Teaser's_ funnel and tall spars. "They ought not to have stirred; it's
playing at dog and the shadow. Here have we brought the substance, and
they are snapping at the reflection."

"Mr Brooke!" I said in a whisper.

"All right, my boy; don't be down-hearted. It's the fortune of sea
life. Here we are, tired, hungry, and hot, with a badly leaking boat,
and a far from friendly place to land in and get her repaired."

"But they can't have gone far," I said.

"I don't know, my lad. Had some news of pirates, perhaps. All I know
now is that they've left us in the lurch."

CHAPTER THIRTY THREE.

AN EXCHANGE.

"Now then," said Mr Brooke, after a few minutes' pause, "what's the
first thing, Herrick? We can't keep watch for the junks in this boat."

"The first thing is to get her mended, sir."

"Yes; but how?"

"Let's ask Ching."

"Ching!" said Mr Brooke angrily.

"You wantee Ching?" came in the famili