"'Suppose one man much had--how bad he be, One not'her bad man may be flaid of he.'" "Those will do," Fred answered, "and here is Longfellow's famous poem 'Excelsior,' which every schoolboy knows, or ought to know. It was done into pidgin English by somebody who lived in the country and evidently knew what he was about: "'TOP-SIDE GALAH! [Illustration] "'T'hat nightee teem he come chop-chop One young man walkee, no can stop; Maskee snow, maskee ice; He cally flag wit'h chop so nice-- Top-side Galah! "'He muchee solly; one piecee eye Lookee sharp--so fashion--my: He talkee large, he talkee stlong, Too muchee culio; allee same gong-- Top-side Galah! "'Insidee house he can see light, And evly loom got fire all light; He lookee plenty ice more high, Insidee mout'h he plenty cly-- Top-side Galah! "'Olo man talkee, "No can walk, Bimeby lain come, velly dark; Have got water, velly wide!" Maskee, my must go top-side-- Top-side Galah! [Illustration] "'"Man-man," one girlee talkee he: "What for you go top-side look-see?" And one teem more he plenty cly, But alla teem walk plenty high-- Top-side Galah! [Illustration] '"Take care t'hat spilum tlee, young man, Take care t'hat ice, must go man-man." One coolie chin-chin he good night; He talkee, "My can go all light"-- Top-side Galah! [Illustration] "'T'hat young man die: one large dog see Too muchee bobbly findee he. He hand b'long coldee, all same like ice, He holdee flag, wit'h chop so nice-- Top-side Galah!'" "But does every Chinese who goes to a foreign country understand how to talk pidgin English?" Frank asked of Doctor Bronson. "Not by any means," was the reply; "thousands of them are not able to speak a word when they go abroad, but they gradually pick up the language of the country to which they go. Not all of them go to America or other English-speaking lands; many have gone to Cuba, Peru, and Brazil, where there was no need of a knowledge of English. Spanish and Portuguese are the only tongues in use there, and many an emigrant never took the trouble to learn a word of them." Their old acquaintance "the Mystery" had joined the party while the conversation just recorded was going on. When the Doctor made allusion to the emigration to Cuba and Peru, "the Mystery" opened his eyes a little wider than was his custom, and said he was well aware that many had gone to those countries who knew nothing but Chinese, and never learned a word of any other language. As the boys showed a desire to hear more on the subject, he proposed to tell them something about the coolie-trade; and it was arranged that they should assemble in the smoking-saloon after dinner, where they could talk at their leisure.