Chapter 16 Summary

Dirk is waiting at the village of Aberdeen for the arrival of Wu Kwok and the men. China Cloud is off the coast on full alert for any trouble. They have orders to come ashore, armed, if Dirk's lanterns are extinguished. He also has men on the beach. He had returned to Hong Kong and is pleased at all that Robb and Culum have accomplished. The house in Happy Valley had been built and May-may and the two children are living there safely in quarters that are separate from Dirk's. The news of May-may's presence makes the rounds of the Europeans. They hadn't seen May-may but they know that she and the children are in Dirk's house.

Dirk knows that the season's trade will make him and the other traders very wealthy and that it doesn't matter which ship reaches England first. He...