The Flying Boat

mpressions of their early years had not been obliterated, but were only overlaid by the later impressions received in England.

silks and porcelain, ornaments and bronzes, and a thousand other varieties of merchandise more or less costly; the numerous tea-shops and dining-rooms, more frequent even than public-houses in the east end of London; the immense variety of smells, in which

ily. Somewhat to Errington's surprise, he saw little of Mr. Ting. The Chinaman had met him at the quay on the boat's arrival, but after inquiring about the voyage, and promising to give him any assistance he needed, he left

ington never alluded to him, and Burroughs felt that he had perhaps been a little over-hasty in misjudging a mere shipboard acquaintance. His uneasiness returned, however, when, during a visit of a fortnight in Shanghai, Reinhardt invited Errington to several card-parties, from

in the street as if by chance

on nicely

ton, with a laugh: he had pi

are a delight in plospelity, and a stay in advessity. Bad flends--bu

id Errington, nettled at o

nd play cards with flends, at home; but the men you pla

dt: you seem to know it; have you got anything to say against it? Is he a card-sharper? Has he

me, or any one else

ons when I was a kid at school; but I'm no longer a schoolboy, and I tell you flatly I won't be watched

Chinaman quietly. "I was your father's f

tburst, and Mr. Ting's dignified recepti

aid. "I was always a hot-

arted on the

rip of their work, the former came home from the office one evening, and s

n. They're going to raise my s

dt?" asked Bur

great deal, and though there's a capable comprador, they seem to t

t's a lift for you,

dy made up his mind to go with Errington if possible; scarcely confessing it even to himself, he wanted to keep an eye on his friend when he came directl

e rest had retired, he w

said Mr. Burroughs, loo

ou can manage it, Dad," replied th

othing else at dinner--or hardly anything, and it's all done so pleasa

een together, and ... Dad, why

reason why I cannot tell.' Some say he's got a brute of a temper behind his pleasant ma

idge to know what I mean, dad, so I'm not giving him away. He's a jolly good sort, the best of pals, wouldn't do

think he wants

t is a bad egg, and Pidge finds it out, he'll never look at him again--if he doesn't give him a kicking by way of good-bye. If I

objection. It won't do you any harm to be in charge of a branch, and with Sing Wen there--a cap

gree. Pidge will be glad: he sa

resent the

He's very touchy, and I learnt a l

ry a revolver with you up there, but never use it except as a last resort. Th

d, and would have taken some trouble to prevent it if he could have urged anything definite against the character of Reinhardt. But he was a very discreet person. He had reasons of his own for maintaining cordial relations with Err

navy as a condemned vessel; but some people remarked that if the Germans could afford to condemn vessels of this kind, their navy must be even more "tip-top" than was supposed. As the boys

but adapted it to work two propellers, one at the stern, below the water-line, for driving the vessel through the water; the other raised some feet above the forepart, for driving it through the air. To the sides they fitted floats, and large planes, capable of being folded back when the vessel was to be used as a hydroplane, and adjustable at various angles. By means of differential gea

er for a short distance, but then fell, not always gently, and sometimes with anything but pleasant consequences to themselves and the machine. More than once they had diverted the spectators on the bank by having to swim for it, and

ches of swamp choked with reed-beds, beyond which the country for miles presented an unbroken vista of forest, or of luxuriant crops. Here clustered a village almost at the edge of the stream, the quaint pagoda-like houses raised several feet above the level, behind stone or brick embankments, necessary in time of flood. At another place the houses were perched on a cliff, nestling picturesquely among trees and shrubs. Between Ichang and Chung-king they entered a region of rock-strewn rapids, which, however, we

towards Burroughs was if anything even more conciliatory and gracious than to other people. On the day of their departure, when they met at the quayside, he greeted him with the effusiveness of an old friend; and after their arrival

compound and outbuildings for their native servants. In addition to a cook and a man-of-all-work, they had each a personal servant. The two Chinamen soon cordially hated each other, as is the rule in such cases; but neither had any dislike for the other's master. Lo San, Errington's man, was just as attentive and respectful to Burroughs as his own man, Chin Tai. The Englishmen more than once had to i

nd other high officials, and had a very large personal correspondence, which apparently had no relationship to the business of his firm. The result was that a great deal of the routine work of the office was left to Errington, who in a short time had practically as much responsibility as Burroughs. The two branches were in a sense competitors--that

oughs and a cotton-grower, Reinhardt remarked dryly to Errington th

her work together, or definitely work against each other. If we are

er from my soughts. You do very well;

ess deals from time to time without Burroughs' knowledge. Vague as the hint was, it disgusted Errington, and he felt a dawning distrust of Reinhardt; but the German, quick to read him, laughed it off as a joke, sayin

as thrown on the matter by Burroughs' comprador, who told his master one day that he had a brother whose brother-in-law kept an opium den at a small town a few miles up the river. Opium-smoking was forbidden in China, but, like gambling and lotteries and other prohibited things, it was winked at by the local mandarins in many parts of the country, in consideration