Then he turned slightly
towards his companion.
"The man Immelan is a coward," he declared. "It is he whom I have just
visited."
Nigel shrugged his shoulders.
"So many men are brave enough in a fight," he remarked, "who lose their
nerve on a sick bed."
"Bravery in battle," Prince Shan pronounced, "is the lowest form of
courage. The blood is stirred by the excitement of slaughter as by
alcohol. With Immelan I shall have no more dealings."
"Speaking politically as well as personally?" Nigel enquired.
The other smiled.
"I think I might go so far as to agree," he acquiesced, "but in a sense,
there are conditions. You shall hear what they are. I will speak before
you to the Prime Minister. See, up above is the sign of my departure."
Out of a little bank of white, fleecy clouds which hung down, here and
there, from the blue sky, came the _Black Dragon_, her engines purring
softly, her movements slow and graceful. Both men watched her for a
moment in silence.
"At six o'clock to-morrow morning I start," Prince Shan announced. "My
pilot tells me that the weather conditions are wonderful, all the way
from here to Pekin. We shall be there on Wednesday."
"You travel alone?" Nigel enquired.
"I have passengers," was the quiet reply. "I am taking the English
chaplain to your Church in Pekin."
The eyes of the two men met.
"It is an ingenious idea," Nigel admitted dryly.
"I wish to be prepared," his companion answered.
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