It's a peninsula jutting out from the mainland of China. However, it's a
part of the British Crown Colony of Hong Kong. We'll get to the island
itself, and to Victoria, which is the main city, by ferry-boat or
walla-walla."

"What's that?" Rick asked curiously.

"Local name for a water taxi," Zircon explained.

The taxi was leaving the airport now, but there was nothing in sight at
the moment to show that this was the Orient. The modern buildings were
of stone, brick, and concrete, and the streets were wide and clean. As
they got closer to downtown Kowloon, however, Chinese predominated, with
only a sprinkling of what were evidently Englishmen. In a short time
they pulled up in front of the Peninsular, one of the world's famous
hotels. It was an imposing structure, the lobby as vast as an auditorium
but broken up by numerous pillars, potted plants, and dusty-looking
furniture. They registered and were shown to a very large and
comfortable room with a window that opened on a fire escape.

As Zircon tipped the Chinese bearers, Rick asked them, "What time is
it?"

The chief "boy" answered, "Maybe thlee time, sor," and closed the door.

"About three?" Rick looked at Zircon and Scotty. "It's early. Let's get
started right away. I'd like to find out where and what the Golden Mouse
is."

"Good idea," Zircon agreed. He tossed a suitcase on one of the three
beds in the big room. "Let's clean up and change quickly. We'll have
time to see the consul this afternoon, too. I doubt that the consulate
closes before five o'clock."

In less than a half-hour the three of them were walking from the hotel
toward the water front. Zircon led the way. "We'll take the ferry," he
said. "It's very fast."

The ferry slip was less than a three-minute walk from the hotel, but
when they started to get tickets, they remembered that changing money
had completely slipped their minds. A scholarly looking Chinese
gentleman saw their plight and spoke to Zircon in faultless English with
a distinct Oxford accent.

"Perhaps I can be of service, sir? If you have an American dollar bill,
I can change it for you. You will need only a little money for tickets,
and there is a bank close by the ferry slip on the other side."

"You're very kind," Zircon said. "We'll accept your offer, sir. I do
have a dollar bill, I believe."

He found it and handed it to the Chinese, who counted out six Hong Kong
dollars and a few tiny paper bills that represented ch