From the canvas wrapping George took out and tossed on the counter a
square packet wrapped in grease-paper.
"H'm," murmured Sin Sin Wa, "Patna. Where you catchee?"
"Off of a lascar," growled the man.
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."
"Eh?" roared George. "Eighty quid! Eighty quid! Flamin' blind o'
Riley! D'you think I'm up the pole? Eighty quid? You're barmy!"
"Eighty-ten," murmured Sin Sin Wa. "Eighty jimmies opium; ten bob
lead."
"I give more'n that for it!" cried the seaman. "An' I damn near hit a
police boat comin' in, too!"
Sir Lucien spoke a few words rapidly in Chinese. Sin Sin Wa performed
his curious oriental shrug, and taking a fat leather wallet from his
hip-pocket, counted out the sum of eighty-five pounds upon the
counter.
"You catchee eighty-five," he murmured. "Too muchee price."
The man grabbed the money and pocketed it without a word of
acknowledgment.
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