inside godown this time, ch'hoy! he makee big bobbely."

"Never mind about that. I'll pay the fine."

"No can do, no can do so-fashion. Massa pay squeeze; all-same, my
catchee plenty bobbely, makee my too muchee sick."

"I'll take care you don't suffer. Come along: there's no time to
lose."

"This time Sunday, look-see, massa. No workee Sunday, no fear; that
joss-pidgin day."

"I can't waste time talking." Smith whispered in his ear. "Yes; Mr.
Smith will give you ten shillings for yourself if you hurry up."

"Ch'hoy!" cried the other man. "Massa numpa one genelum; my go long
too, Ching-Fu. No can catchee ten bob evely day."

Ching-Fu suffered himself to be persuaded. He beat up three or four of
his neighbours, and proceeded with them to the godown, the Englishmen
following to ensure that no time was lost. In half-an-hour the
necessary supplies of petrol and lubricating oil were being wheeled up
on trucks towards Mr. Martin's house. On the way Smith noticed a
number of reddish lights at irregular intervals, moving in the same
direction, and there were more people in the streets than when he had
come down, all hurrying one way.

"By Jingo!" said Mr. Martin, "the news has spread, and it looks
uncommonly like a torchlight procession. Hullo, Jenkins, what's the
matter?"

"That you, Martin?" replied the man addressed. "Everybody's talking
about an aeroplane that's come down somewhere near Mackenzie's shed,
and I'm off to see if it's true. Haven't you heard about it?"

"I did hear something of the sort. I'll be up there, too, by-and-by."

Smith was a little annoyed at the possibility of being delayed by a
crowd of spectators, but there was evidently no help for it. He
returned to Mr. Martin's house, being assured by his host that he need
have no anxiety about the safe delivery of the petrol.

Meanwhile Rodier, on Smith's departure, had, as usual, set to work to
clean the engine. He was tired and sleepy, and he would have been more
than human if he had not thought that his employer had rather the best
of the arrangement. But any private soreness he might have felt did
not affect the speed or the thoroughness of his work. He first of all
examined the wires: there was nothing wrong with them. Then he
unscrewed the plugs and laid them on top of the engine, pulled the
engine over, and finding that there was a poor spark, concluded that
it was rather sooty. After cleaning the parts thoroughly with petrol,
he again sta