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My laoban could say in English, or pidgin English, chow, number one, no good, go ashore, sit down, by-and-by, to-morrow, match, lamp, alright, one piecee, and goddam. This last named exotic he had been led to consider as synonymous with "very good." It was not the first time I had known the words to be misapplied.
"Master, I thinkee you makee catch two piecee men makee carry. This b'long no proper road. P'raps you makee bad feet come." And truly my feet were shamefully blistered. One had to step from stone to stone with considerable agility.
I propose to stay on here it may be for a very long time. I have no power to make you go if you wish to remain, but I don't see why you should." "Catchee one piecee wife," remarked Wang unemotionally, and marched off, turning his back on the wharf and the great world beyond, represented by the steamer waiting for her boats.
"Me no flightened," protested Wang raucously, throwing up his head which gave to his throat a more strained, anxious appearance than ever. "Me no likee," he added in a quieter tone. "Me velly sick." He put his hand over the region under the breast-bone. "That," said Heyst, serenely positive, "belong one piecee lie. That isn't proper man-talk at all. And after stealing my revolver, too!"
Plenty plize-money; plenty tea, lice, silk; plenty evelyting. Come and see." The Teaser was moored, and a couple of boats manned with well-armed crews, Ching looking on the while and cunningly shaking his head. "No wantee big piecee sword gun. Pilate all lun away and hide." "Never mind," said Mr Reardon, who was going in command of the expedition; "we may find somebody there disposed to fight."
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 his eyes, as I could see, being close by, having been attracted by the row as most of us were, had altered their expression, now flashing with a peculiar glare as the Chinaman, with a more abject bow than before to the captain, asked him deferentially: "And dis one manee you tellee Ching Wang cocky-fightee one piecee hi?"
"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.
Ned pulled a handful of money out of his pocket, at the sight of which the old chap's little eyes glistened and he smiled more genially; but, he shook his head. "No one piecee take can do," he said sorrowfully, as if it went to his heart to refuse it. "Talkee, talkee no bono, mi takee Pekin chop chop, Yang-kei-tze catchee one piecee by by."
"Makee tummy tummy number one piecee!" I could not swallow much of the liquid; but the drop or two that I took did me good; for, after Ching Wang had gone away I fell asleep, not waking till the afternoon, when, the ship being steadier, I managed to scramble out of my bunk and made a late appearance on deck, feeling decidedly weak but considerably better than in the morning.
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