368 ALL ABOARD FOR SUNRISE LANDS.

Tt was Uncle Nat bawling, but Rick no more heard him than the
hum of a fly a mile distant.

1?

“Chop-chop!” went Rick in unconscious response to the distant
fly-hum.

Faster.

“ Chop-chop ! ”

They were now turning a street corner, when, suddenly —was it an
elephant, a man-of-war, or a clap of thunder, that Rick’s bearers
had struck? They had abruptly come to a halt, and some others
in the opposite direction had concluded as suddenly to stop, and
there. was a good deal of Chinese jargon in the air. In the midst
‘of all this babel appeared a stout, red-faced old gentleman, bobbing
out of a sedan-chair and proclaiming in very vigorous and very in:
telligible English: “Somebody is a fool ! z

Added to this was the childish voice of Rick piping in high tones,
as he leaned forward: “I beg pardon, sir! My men didn’t know
you were in the way.”

“Your men,” replied the old gentleman ; “if a man had been inside
that concern of yours, this collision wouldn’t have happened.”

There now appeared on the scene Uncle Nat, who had been bawling
himself hoarse as he shouted “ man-man!” to Rick’s enterprising team.

“Rick, what are you up to? Oh, Mr. Wadham, is this you?” he
continued, addressing the old gentleman whose chair had been run
into. “We were going up to your house.”

“Well, sir, a few minutes ago I didn’t know as I should ever “see
home again. But who—who—” here the old gentleman rubbed
his eyes. “Bless me, who is this? Why, Capt. Stevens, how are

32

you? Come right up to my house;” and the old gentleman grabbing
Uncle Nat’s hand,-began to work it up and down as if a pune tends

and he were trying to fetch water.