The door opened, and a small wizened Chinaman appeared in the aperture. Taking cue from Philipson I bowed low to him, and we exchanged compliments in the official dialect of Peking, which he spoke with a musical perfection. He drew my companion through into the inner room, closing the door behind them; and there I heard the pair in an agitated mutter of conversation for the best part of twenty minutes. Whatever it was Philipson wanted, he had apparently prevailed upon the rat-like little fellow to give him, for when he came out he was carrying under his arm something wrapped in cloth, angular, the size of a largish attaché case, and apparently heavy. We took an elaborate ceremonial leave, got downstairs and regained our chairs, and within half an hour were harking back across the river, again taking advantage of every floating thing that could screen us from the bank. Ah Sing was standing watch at the yard when we arrived, peeping through the holes in a curtain of old tarpaulins he had rigged up. Philipson ordered me to join Poyning in the inn and get breakfast while he overhauled the launch, promising to follow as soon as he had finished. We were still at the meal when Philipson came in. 'All's well,' he cried cheerfully. 'She is tight now--tighter, in fact, than she was before!' Poyning didn't appear to share the exultation of our chief. He was rolling his eye round the bare room of the inn with an expression of boredom. 'A simple, homely interior,' he said 'but already I find its charm beginning to pall. When do we tempt the deep again, Philipson?' 'Dusk to-night,' replied the leader briskly. 'I had not intended to leave this place by daylight in any case, less still now that I know our enemies have reached Hankow.' 'You've seen them?'