"Oh no, sir. One of his friends sent him an important letter this morning by the vegetable boat." "Eh? letter?" said Mr Reardon, beginning to grow interested. "Yes, sir. This friend is a kind of a merchant or something; and he has news of two big junks--piratical junks--lying in this very river." "The dickens he has! Here, Herrick, come down to my cabin." He took my arm and marched me quickly to the ladder and down to his cabin. On the way I caught sight of Barkins and Smith watching us, and I gave them a nod. "Now, my lad, sit down," cried Mr Reardon excitedly. "Let's hear." I sat down, and he walked to and fro--two steps and turn. "There's very little more to tell you, sir," I said; "but there are two very large junks assuming to be merchantmen. They are anchored close by here somewhere." "You don't know which two?" "No, sir; but we shall know them by their sailing at once, and I should say by boats coming off to them with extra men directly after." "Yes, that's good, Herrick--very good. But you have no other information about them?" "Only, sir, that they are just off on a cruise, and if we could catch them--" "We will catch them, my lad. But is that all?" "Yes, sir, that's all; I thought it rather big news." "So it is, Herrick--very big news. Just what we wanted. It's time we made another capture. And to Ching has a friend on shore who sent this information?" "Yes, sir." "Not a trap, is it--to get us away?" "Oh no, sir; Ching is as honest as the day." "Humph, yes," said Mr Reardon, with his fingers to his lips. "I think he is, for he seems to have taken to us and to be working hard in our service. But he may have been deceived. He is cunning enough; but so are his countrymen, and they would glory in tricking the man who has taken up with the English. I don't know what to say to it, Herrick." "But suppose we see two big junks setting sail, watch them with a boat, sir, and find that they take others on board, there could be no mistake then." "Oh yes, there could, my boy. We might follow these junks, seize them, and spend a long time in their capture and bringing back into port. Then we should apply to the authorities, and find that we had got into sad trouble, for we had seized two vessels which the occupants could prove were intended for peaceable pursuits. We could not contradict them possibly, and all the time the scoundrels we wanted to take had sailed off upon a piratical expedition, consequent upon our absence. Now, sir, what do you say to that?" I shook my head. "I think Ching ought to know best," I said. "Perhaps so," he replied. "We shall see. Come on now to the captain." He opened the door, and I followed. I had forgotten all about Barkins and Smith for the time, but now all that had passed occurred to my mind, and I felt certain that they would be waiting somewhere to meet me and make sport of the tremendous setting-down which I had had.