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Yet he still continued his lessons with Jim, and in this way, perhaps, although quite unpremeditatedly, enlisted a humble ally. A week passed in which he had not alluded to her, when one morning, as he was returning from a row, Jim met him mysteriously on the beach. "S'pose him come slow, slow," said Jim gravely, airing his newly acquired English; "make no noise plenty catchee Indian maiden."
Meantime the children had reached the goal and stood before the opening of one of the tunnels. Then these four heroes who had looked with cheerful levity on the deadly peril of their descent became suddenly frightened at the mysterious darkness of the cavern and turned pale at its threshold. "Mebbee a wicked Joss backside holee, He catchee Pilats," said Wan Lee, gravely.
But if you say, "You go me catchee bring one piecee glass water; savey," and his tawny face beams intelligence as he obeys the order. In the phrase, "pigeon-English," the word pigeon means "business," and the expression would be more intelligible if it were "business-English."
But where was "the bearer"? How was the letter delivered? I summoned hastily the foreman, printers, and office-boy, but without eliciting any thing. No one had seen the letter delivered, nor knew any thing of the bearer. A few days later, I had a visit from my laundry-man, Ah Ri. "You wantee debbil? All lightee: me catchee him."
"No, no," said the clerk, with a laugh. "I was only thinking five hundred dollars would represent the washing of a good many shirts." "No leplesent washee shirts at all! Catchee gold-dust when washee tailings. Shabbee?" The clerk DID "shabbee," and lifted his eyebrows. The next Saturday See Yup appeared with another package, worth about four hundred dollars, directed to the same consignee.
To sing out is to cry loudly, to call out, or merely to speak. Sing-sing is a song. The native Christian does not think of God calling for Adam in the Garden of Eden; in the native's mind, God sings out for Adam. Savvee or catchee are practically the only words which have been introduced straight from pigeon English. Of course, pickaninny has happened along, but some of its uses are delicious.
Except for the women, this would really be great larks." Then, as a shadow flitted past the orange grove, he roused himself to hail: "Ah Pat! Go catchee four piecee coolie-man!" "Can do." The shadow passed, and after a time returned with four other shadows. They stood waiting, till Heywood raised his head from the dust.
It would be a difficult matter for a stranger to tell the difference between the two natives. "What d'ye mean, you black scoundrel, by putting a rat into my traps?" demanded Laxdale. "No did put, sah; him lib for come one time," expostulated Laxdale's servant. "Me play, 'Come to cook-house door, den him catchee." Producing a small native flute Mutton Chop began to play a soft air.
"Chinaman one piecee catchee Yang-kei-tze, mi takee Pekin." "And what will be done with us there?" The old scoundrel answered this question in the same mode as before; his action being if possible even more expressive.
The cake of Indian opium was submitted to the same careful scrutiny as that which the balls of Turkish had already undergone, but the Patna opium proved to be unadulterated. Reaching over the counter Sin Sin Wa produced a pair of scales, and, watched keenly by George, weighed the leaf and then the cake. "Ten-six Smyrna; one 'leben Patna," muttered Sin Sin Wa. "You catchee eighty jimmies."
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