'Licious!" I had a little bit of the white meat and brown gravy, which I had separated from a tiny bone with the chopsticks, and was congratulating myself on my cleverness, when it dropped back into my saucer, for Ching, with his mouth full, said quietly-- "No, not lit' bird--lat." "What's lat ?" said Barkins suspiciously.
"No lat," said Ching smiling; "lat." "Well, I said lat.

What is lat ?" Smith put down his chopsticks.

I had already laid down mine.
"What's the matter ?" said Barkins, who kept on suspiciously turning over the contents of his saucer.
"He means rat," whispered Smith in an awful tone.
"What!" cried Barkins, pushing himself back with a comical look of disgust upon his face.
"Yes, lat," said Ching.

"Velly good fat lat." Our faces were a study.

At least I know that my companions' were; and we were perfectly silent while our guide kept on making a sound with his mouth as he supped up the rich gravy.
"Here, hold hard a minute," said Smith.