CHAPTER FIFTEEN.
A DISAPPOINTMENT.
"Very jolly for you," said Barkins, as we cast anchor off Tsin-Tsin acouple of mornings later. "You'll be going ashore and enjoyingyourself, while I'm condemned to hobble on deck with a stick."
"I say, don't grumble," I cried. "Look how beautiful the place seems inthe sunshine."
"Oh yes, it looks right enough; but wait till you go along the narrowstreets, and get some of the smells."
"Hear that, Smithy?" I said to our comrade, who was lying in his berth."Grumbles because he can't go ashore, and then begins making out howbad it is. How about the fox and the grapes?"
"If you call me fox, my lad, I'll give you sour grapes when I getbetter. Where's your glass?"
I took down my telescope, adjusted it for him, and pushed his seatnearer to the open window, so that he could examine the bright-lookingcity, with the blue plum-bloom tinted mountains behind covered withdense forest, and at the shipping of all nations lying at the mouth ofthe river.
"S'pose that tower's made of crockery, isn't it?" said Barkins, whoseeye was at the end of the telescope.
I looked at the beautiful object, with its pagoda-like terraces andhanging bells, and then at the various temples nestling high up on thesides of the hills beyond.
"I say," said Smith, "can't you tell Mr Reardon--no, get the doctor totell him--that I ought to be taken ashore for a bit to do me good?"
"I'll ask him to let you go," I said; but Smith shook his head, and thenscrewed up his white face with a horrible look of disgust.
"Oh, what a shame!" he cried. "He gets all the luck;" for a messagecame for me to be ready directly to go ashore with the captain in thelongboat.
It meant best uniform, for the weather was fine, and I knew that hewould be going to pay a visit to some grand mandarin.
I was quite right; for, when I reached the deck a few minutes later,there was Mr Brooke with the boat's crew, all picked men, and a strongguard of marines in full plumage for his escort.
The captain came out of his cabin soon after, with cocked hat and goldlace glistening, and away we went for the shore soon after; the lastthings I saw on the _Teaser_ being the two disconsolate faces of mymessmates at the cabin window, and Ching perched up on the hammock-railwatching our departure.
I anticipated plenty of excitement that day, but was doomed todisappointment. I thought I should go with the escort to the mandarin'spalace, but Mr Brooke was considered to be more attractive, I suppose,and I had the mortification of seeing the captain and his escort ofmarines and Jacks land, while I had to stay with the boat-keepers tobroil in the sunshine and make the best of it, watching the busy trafficon the great river.
Distance lends enchantment to the view of a Chinese city undoubtedly,and before long we were quite satiated with the narrow limits of ourclose-in view, as well as with the near presence of the crowd ofrough-looking fellows who hung about and stared, as I thought, rathercontemptuously at the junior officer in Her Majesty's service, who wasfeeling the thwarts of the boat and the hilt of his dirk mostuncomfortably hot.
"Like me to go ashore, sir, to that Chinesy sweetstuff shop, to get youone o' their sweet cool drinks, sir?" said one of the men, after we hadsat there roasting for some time.
"No, thank you, Tom Jecks," I said, in as sarcastic a tone as I couldassume. "Mr Barkins says you are such a forgetful fellow, and youmightn't come back before the captain."
There was a low chuckling laugh at this, and then came a loud rap.
"What's that?" I said sharply.
"This here, sir," said another of the men. "Some 'un's been kind enoughto send it. Shall I give it him back?"
"No, no!" I cried, looking uneasily shoreward; and at that moment astone, as large as the one previously sent, struck me a sharp blow onthe leg.
"They're a-making cockshies of us, sir," said Tom Jecks; "better let twoof us go ashore and chivvy 'em off."
"Sit still, man, and--"
_Whop_!
"Oh, scissors!" cried a sailor; "who's to sit still, sir, when he gets asquad on the back like that? Why, I shall have a bruise as big as ahen's egg."
"Oars! push off!" I said shortly, as half-a-dozen stones came rattlinginto the boat; and as we began to move away from the wharf quite a burstof triumphant yells accompanied a shower of stones and refuse.
"That's their way o' showing how werry much obliged they are to us forsinking the pirates," growled Tom Jecks. "Oh, don't I wish we hadorders to bombard this blessed town! Go it! That didn't hit you, didit, sir?"
"No, it only brushed my cap," I said, as the stones began to come morethickly, and the shouting told of the keen delight the mob enjoyed inmaking the English retreat. "Pull away, my lads, and throw the grapnelover as soon as we are out of reach."
"But we don't want to pull away, sir. They thinks we're fear'd on 'em.There's about a hundred on 'em--dirty yaller-faced beggars, and there'sfour o' us, without counting you. Just you give the word, sir, andwe'll row back in spite o' their stones, and make the whole gang on 'emrun. Eh, mates?"
"Ay, ay!" said the others, lying on their oars.
"Pull!" I cried sharply, and they began rowing again; for though Ishould have liked to give the word, I knew that it would not only havebeen madness, but disobedience of orders. My duty was to take care ofthe boat, and this I was doing by having it rowed out beyondstone-throwing reach, with the Union Jack waving astern; and as soon asthe stones fell short, and only splashed the water yards away, I had thegrapnel dropped overboard, and we swung to it, waiting for the captain'sreturn.
The men sat chewing their tobacco, lolling in the sun, and I lay backwatching the crowd at the edge of the water, wondering how long thecaptain and his escort would be, and whether the prisoners would begiven up.
"Hope none o' them pigtailed varmint won't shy mud at the skipper," saidone of the men, yawning.
"I hope they will," said Tom Jecks.
"Why, mate?"
"'Cause he'll order the jollies to fix bayonets and feel some o' theirbacks with the p'ints."
The conversation interested me, and I forgot my dignity as an officer,and joined in.
"Bayonets make bad wounds, Jecks," I said.
"Yes, sir, they do; nasty three-side wounds, as is bad to get healed upagain. They aren't half such a nice honest weapon as a cutlash. But Ishould like to see them beggars get a prod or two."
"It might mean trouble, Jecks, and a big rising of the people againstthe English merchants and residents."
"Well, sir, that would be unpleasant for the time, but look at the goodit would do! The British consul would send off to the _Teaser_, theskipper would land a lot on us--Jacks and jollies; we should give thesewarmint a good sharp dressing-down; and they'd know as we wouldn't standany of their nonsense, and leave off chucking stones and mud at us.Now, what had we done that we couldn't be 'lowed to lie alongside o' thewharf yonder? We didn't say nothing to them. Fact is, sir, they hatesthe British, and thinks they're a sooperior kind o' people altogether.Do you hear, mates?--sooperior kind o' people; and there ain't one ascould use a knife and fork like a Chrishtian."
"And goes birds'-nestin' when they wants soup," said another.
"Well, I don't fall foul o' that, matey," said Jecks; "'cause wherethere's nests there's eggs, and a good noo-laid egg ain't bad meat.It's the nastiness o' their natur' that comes in there, and makes 'emeat the nest as well. What I do holler at, is their cooking dog."
"And cat," said another.
"And rat," cried the third.
"Yes, all on 'em," said Jecks; "and I don't want to use strong languageafore one's orficer, who's a young gent as is allers thoughtful abouthis men, and who's beginning to think now, that with the sun so precioushot he'll be obliged to order us ashore soon for a drop o' suthin' todrink."
I laughed, and Tom Jecks chuckled.
"But what I do say about their eatin' and cookin' is this, and I standsby what I says, it's beastly, that's what it is-
-it's beastly!"
"Ay, ay," was chorussed, "so it is;" and then there was silence, whilewe all sat uneasily in the broiling sun.
"Wish I was a gal," growled one of the men at last.
"Ain't good-looking enough, matey," said Jecks. "Why?"
"'Cause then I s'ould have a sunshade to put up."
"Ay, 'tis warm--brylin', as you may say. Any on you know whether theChinese is cannibals? You know, sir?"
"I have heard that they cook very strange things now and then," I said,laughing.
"Then they is," said Jecks; "and that being so, they'll have a finechance to-day. Hadn't you better send word to some on 'em to lay thecloth, sir?"
"What for?"
"'Cause I'm nearly done, sir; and Billy Wakes looks quite. Billy oughtto eat nice and joocy, messmates."
"And old Tom Jecks tough as leather," cried Wakes.
"That's so, matey," growled Jecks, who began to pass his tongue over hislips, and to make a smacking sound with his mouth.
"My hye, matey, you do seem hungry," said one of the others. "Look out,Billy, or he won't leave John Chinaman a taste."
"Get out!" growled Jecks; "that don't mean hungry, messmate--that meansdry. Beg pardon, sir, we won't none on us try to slope off; but a gooddrink o' suthin', if it was on'y water, would be a blessin' in disguisejust now."
"Yes, Jecks, I'm thirsty too," I said.
"Then why not let us pull ashore, sir, and get a drink at one o' themChinee imitation grog-shops yonder?"
"Because it would be a breach of discipline, my man," I said, trying tospeak very sternly. "I should look nice if the captain came back andfound me with the boat and no men."
"Hark at that now!" cried Jecks. "Just as if we'd be the chaps to get agood-natured kind young orficer into a scrape. Look here, sir, putBilly Wakes ashore to go and fetch some drink. My hye, what we wouldgive for half-a-gallon o' real good cool solid old English beer."
"Ha!" came in a deep sigh, and I could not help feeling that a glassjust then would be very nice.
"Will you give the order, sir?" said Jecks insinuatingly. "Billy Wakesis a werry trustworthy sort of chap."
"Yes," I said; "but he'd forget to come back, and then I should have tosend you to find him, and then the others to find you. I know. There,you can light your pipes if you like."
"And werry thankful for small mussies," said the old sailor, taking outhis pipe. "You won't want no matches, lads. Fill up and hold the bowlsin the sun."
They lit up, and began smoking, while I watched the long narrow streetdown which the captain and his escort must come.
"Think we shall have to land the prisoners, sir?" said Jecks, after asmoky silence.
"I suppose so," I replied. "I expect that is what the captain has goneashore about."
"Don't seem much good, that, sir. We takes 'em, and they'll let 'em go,to start a fresh lot o' plundering junks."
"Thundering junks, matey?" said Billy Wakes.
"I said plundering, Billy, and meant it. Your eddication ain't what itoughter be."
"No, Jecks," I said; "if the pirates are given up, they'll be executedfor certain."
"Who says so, sir?"
"First lieutenant," I said.
"Well, he ought to know, sir. Been on the Chinee station afore. P'rapsit's best, but I don't want 'em to be hung."
"Don't hang 'em here, Tommy," growled one of the two silent men.
"What do they do, then, old know-all?"
"Chops their heads off, I've heerd."
"Oh, well, I don't want 'em to have their heads chopped off. How shouldwe like it if we was took prisoners?"
"Oh, but we arn't Chinees," growled Billy Wakes.
"Nor arn't likely to be, mate; but we've got heads all the same. I knowhow I should like to be executed if it was to-day."
The others looked up, and I could not help turning my head at thestrangely-expressed desire.
"I'll tell yer," said Jecks, looking hard at me. "I should like it tobe same as they did that young chap as we reads of in history. Theydrowned him in a big tub o' wine."
"Grog would do for me," said Billy Wakes.
"Or beer," cried the others.
"Ask the captain to let you have some tea," I cried, "Quick, haul up thegrapnel! Here they come!"
Pipes were knocked out on the instant, the grapnel hauled up, and oarsseized; but, in spite of urging on the men, I saw to my vexation thatthe captain had reached the landing-place first, and I kept him waitingnearly five minutes in the broiling sun.
He did not say anything, only glared at me as he stepped in, followed byhis escort. The oars were dropped, and, as we began to row back to the_Teaser_, I saw that his face was scarlet with the heat, and he lookedin a regular temper.
"I shall catch it," I thought to myself; but the very next moment myattention was taken to the shore, where a yell of derision arose fromthe crowd gathered to see the officers embark.
"Brutes!" muttered the captain; and then he sprang up in a rage, for ashower of stones came pattering into the boat, and splashing up thewater all round.
He was so enraged by the insult, that he ordered the marines to load,and a volley of twelve rifles was fired over the people's heads.
The result was that they all ran helter-skelter, tumbling over eachother, and by the time they returned and began throwing again we wereout of their reach, but they kept on hurling stones and refuse all thesame, and shouting "Foreign devils!" in their own tongue.