"Yes," I replied, smiling in spite of myself. "But I don't see what good it is going to do."
"Well, you shall see," said Marmaduke. So then he glided gracefully on the "outside edge" over to the chief, and made signs that he was hungry.
The chief, now in the best of humor, nodded, laughed, and gave some orders to an attendant. In a few minutes some hot rice and other food (chickens, I think) was brought, and we sat down to our first meal in Corea. But previously Marmaduke made signs to the chief to send the crowd away, by pointing to the door and pushing at the crowd.
The chief smiled again, cleared the room, and contented himself with posting two strong spearmen at the door.
As we ate our meal Marmaduke conversed with the chief, and by patient endeavors at last made him understand that he, the chief, could also learn this wonderful art. Then the joy of the old barbarian was unbounded, and he wished to begin at once. But Marmaduke pointed to the dinner, looked imploringly at the chief, and thus obtained a postponement until the meal was done.
But no sooner was the table—or mat—cleared, than the chief held out his feet for the skates.
"He will break his royal neck, sure!" I said nervously, thinking what our fate would be in case of such a happening.
"Oh, I think not," said Marmaduke cheerfully; "but we have to take some risks in every business. This is a sort of speculation."
"But his feet will go out from under him at the first step," I insisted.
"We must support him," said Marmaduke. "Put on your skates, and remember that if 'Jack falls down and breaks his crown,'—we 're ruined!"
