CHAPTER SEVENTEEN.
WE LOSE OUR PRISONERS.
"Here he is," cried Barkins, who was resting his leg; while Smith wassitting by the open window so as to catch all the air he could. "Gotyour promotion?"
"Got my what?" I cried.
"Promotion. I never saw such favouritism. Always being sent for to theskipper's cabin. I wonder Reardon stands it."
"Don't talk nonsense," I cried. "Phew, isn't it hot?"
"Yes, for us. Regular prisoners, while you have all the fun--"
"Of being roasted, and then stoned by the Chinese."
"That's right," said Smith sulkily, "make as little as you can of it.Did the skipper consult you about our next movement?"
"He gave me a good bullying for not having the boat ready when he wantedto come on board."
"Was that why you went in the cabin?" cried Barkins.
"Of course."
"Oh then, if that's the case, we'll let you off. Eh, Blacksmith?"
"Well, I suppose so."
"Let me off what?"
"We had been discussing the matter," said Barkins, "Smithy and I, andcome to the conclusion that as you were such a swell you were too goodfor us, and we were going to expel you; but, under the circumstances, Ithink we'll let you off this time. Oh!"
"What's the matter?"
"My leg! There's that horrible tingling and aching again. I'm surethat knife was poisoned."
"Hi! look here," cried Smith just then; "here are two big row-boatscoming out to us."
We both made for the window, and there, in the bright sunshine, were twolarge barges, gay with gilding and showy ensigns, coming pretty swiftlyin our direction, while, as they drew nearer, we could see that theiroccupants were in brilliant costumes and fully-armed, swords and spearsflashing, and gold and silver embroidery lending their glow to thegeneral effect.
"Why, those must be all the big pots of the city," said Barkins--"thesein the first boat."
"And the second is full of soldiers."
"I know," I cried; "they're coming to fetch the prisoners. I must go ondeck."
"And we shall see nothing of the fun again," cried Barkins.
"Why not?" I said; "I'll help you on deck."
"Come on, then," cried Barkins eagerly. "Oh, hang this wound!"
He caught hold of my shoulder, and with a little pulling and hauling Igot him on deck, hurting him a good deal, I'm afraid, but he bore itlike a martyr, till I had him seated upon a place near the starboardgangway.
I then turned to go and help up Smith, but found he had called in theaid of a couple of the sailors, and the next minute he too was seated byBarkins.
Meanwhile the drum had called the men to quarters, the officers were ondeck in uniform, and the marines drawn-up to form a guard of honour,sufficiently smart and warlike, with the white-ducked Jacks, and bigguns bright as hands could make them, to impress the barbaric partycoming on board.
The boats were rowing very near now, and the captain came on deck, tostand under the awning which had been stretched out since the _Teaser_had been restored to order. Then the gangway was opened, the steps werelowered, and half-a-dozen Jacks descended to help the visitors to mount,while the marines stood at attention.
The boatmen managed to fall foul of the side, and nearly upset thebarge, but our lads saved them from that disaster; and the mandarin andhis suite, who had come off, soon mounted to the deck, to standhaughtily returning the salutes of the officers.
Then there was an awkward pause, for our officers only knew a few wordsof Chinese, while the mandarin's party, although they had had Englishmenin their city for nearly a hundred years, could not speak a word of ourtongue, and they had brought no interpreter.
There was an awkward pause, broken by a high-pitched voice just outsidethe gorgeous-looking throng.
"You wantee Ching?"
"Yes," cried the captain; "tell these gentlemen that they are heartilywelcome on board Her Majesty's ship."
Ching nodded, and, bowing down humbly, gazed at the white deck, andsqueaked out a long speech to the contemptuous-looking Chinese official,who stood in front of his attendants, each in his long, stiff,embroidered silk dressing-gown; and what seemed the most comicallyeffeminate was that the gorgeous officers, with rat-tail moustachios andarmed with monstrous swords, each carried a fan, which he usedconstantly.
"He's putting an awful lot of fat in the captain's speech," whisperedBarkins, who was just behind me.
Then the chief of the party said a few words, without condescending tonotice the interpreter, and Ching backed away, to turn to the captain.
"His most noble excellency the big-buttoned mandalin has come on boardthe gleat fine ship with his genelals, and blavest of the blave, tofetch the most wicked and double-bad plisoners whom the gleat seacaptain of the foleign devils--"
"Eh! what?" said Captain Thwaites. "Did he say that?"
"Yes. Come fetch allee bad bad plisoners velly much all together."
"Very well," said the captain; "tell him he can have them, and welcome."
Ching approached the mandarin again, in his former humble form, and madeanother long speech; after which the great official turned to one of hisattendants and said something; this gorgeous being turned and spoke toanother; and he went to the gangway and stood fanning himself as hesqueaked out something to the soldiers in the second boat.
Then an order was given, and in a curious shambling way about fortysoldiers came up the steps, and ranged themselves in a double row,something after the fashion of our drilling.
I was watching these men with their heavy swords and clumsy spears, whenthere was a clanking sound, and a dozen more men came on deck with quitea load of heavy chains, which at a word of command they banged down witha crash upon the deck, and then stood waiting.
At the same moment the captain gave an order, and our marine officermarched off with a strong detachment of his men right forward; and aftera pause, during which Englishmen and Chinamen stood staring at eachother and the grandees used their fans, the first prisoner was broughtforward by a couple of marines, strolling along in a heavy, careless waytill he was abreast of his fellow-countrymen.
Then at a word from an officer four soldiers seized the unfortunatewretch and threw him heavily down upon his face; two knelt upon him, andin a trice heavy chains were fitted to his legs and wrists, the latterbeing dragged behind his back. Then, by one consent, the four Chinamenleaped up, and waited for the prisoner to follow their example, but helay still.
"If he has any gumption he won't move," whispered Barkins, who likemyself was an interested spectator.
Mr Reardon walked to us.
"Silence, young gentlemen," he said sternly. "Let us show thesebarbarians what dishipline is.--Brute!"
This last applied to one of the Chinamen, who said something to theprisoner, who merely wagged his tail, and then received a tremendouskick in the ribs.
He sprang up then like a wild-beast, but he was seized by as many ascould get a grip of him, bundled to the gangway, and almost thrown downinto the barge, where other men seized him and dragged him forward towhere some spearmen stood ready on guard.
By this time another had been thrown down and chained. He made noscruple about rising and walking to the side to be bundled down.
Another followed, and another, the grandees hardly glancing at what wasgoing on, but standing coolly indifferent and fanning away, now and thenmaking some remark about the ship, the guns, or the crew.
Seven had been chained, and the eighth was brought forward by twomarines, seized, thrown down, and fettered. Then, instead of allowinghimself to be bundled into the boat as apathetically as the others, hegazed fiercely to right and left, and I saw that something was coming.
So did the indifferent-looking Chinese, for one of the most gorgeouslydressed of the party whipped out a heavy curved sword, whose blade wasbroader at the end than near the hilt, and made for him; but, active asa cat, and in spite of the weight of his chains, t
he man made a seriesof bounds, knocked over two of the soldiers, and leaped at the gangwaybehind them, reached the top, and fell more than jumped over, to go downinto the water with a heavy splash.
Half-a-dozen of the men leaped on to the rail, and stood looking down,before the captain could give an order; while a few words were shoutedfrom the barge below.
The officer returned his sword, and began fanning himself again; thesoldiers seized the next prisoner and began chaining him, but no onestirred to save the man overboard, and we all grasped the reason why,--twenty pounds of iron fetters took him to the bottom like a stone.
I saw the captain frown as he said something to Mr Reardon, who merelyshook his head.
"Ain't they going to lower a boat, sir?" I whispered to Mr Brooke.
"We could do no good," he said. "There are twenty fathoms of water outthere, Herrick, and the man could not rise."
The incident did not seem to discompose the Chinese, who disposed of thenext prisoner. And then I saw that the marines had charge of another,who suddenly made an attempt to escape, and our men only having onehand, at liberty, the other holding a rifle, he would have succeeded,had not six or seven of the soldiers rushed at and seized him, dragginghim to the lessening heap of chains, when he suddenly threw up his handsand dropped upon his knees, throwing them off their guard by makingbelieve to resign himself to his fate.
But before the first fetter could be dragged to where he knelt, hesprang up with the fire of fury in his eyes, and made a rush at themandarin, seized him, and it would have gone ill with his gaudy costume,had not a couple of the officers dragged out their swords.
What followed took only a moment or two. I saw the blades flash, hearda sickening sound, and saw the prisoner stagger away, while the secondof the two officers followed him, delivering chop after chop with hisheavy blade, till the unfortunate wretch dropped upon the deck, where hewas at once seized and pitched overboard without the slightestcompunction.
"Here, interpreter, tell the chief I cannot have my deck turned into abutcher's shamble like this," cried the captain angrily.
Ching shuffled forward, and advanced towards the mandarin, spoke atlength; the mandarin replied with a haughty smile, and Ching backed awayagain.
"Gleat big-button mandalin say he velly much 'blige captain big fineship, and he allee light, no hurtee 'tall by killee badee bad men."
"Bah!" ejaculated the captain, turning angrily away; and I saw MrReardon's face grow fixed, as if carved in wood, in his efforts to keepfrom smiling.
The last of the prisoners had been brought out of confinement, throwndown, chained, and bundled into the barge, half the soldiers followed,orders were given, and the second barge pushed off, when the captainonce more had recourse to Ching's help.
"Ask the mandarin if he will come into the cabin and take a glass ofwine."
But this was declined, and Ching communicated the fact that the greatman "would not eatee dlinkee, but wantee velly much see ship."
He was taken round, the whole following keeping at his heels, and hisofficers and soldiers scowling fiercely, or looking about with supremecontempt, as they made a great display of their weapons, and actedgenerally as if they were condescending to look round, so as to be civilto the Western barbarians.
At last they went over the side, and the gorgeous barge was rowed away.
"Thank goodness, Reardon," I heard the captain say; and directly after,as I was passing, Tom Jecks' voice was heard in the midst of a group ofthe Jacks.
"Say, messmate," he said, "fancy, stripped and fists only, how manyChinese could you polish off?"
"Dunno," said a voice, which I knew to be that of Billy Wakes, a bigmanly-looking young Plymouth fellow. "'Course I could do one, and Ithink I could doctor two on 'em; I'd have a try at three; and I'm blestif I'd run away from four. That is about as fair as I can put it,messmate."
I was helping Barkins to the companion-way, and Smith was walking veryslowly by us. But as we heard this we stopped to laugh, just as MrBrooke came up and asked what amused us. We told him, and he laughedtoo.
"That means one of our fellows would try at four Chinamen. He's toomodest. Four to one, lads! why, if it came to real righting, ten ofthem would follow me against a hundred of the enemy. Ten to one.--Newsfor you."
"News, sir; what?" I said.
"We sail again directly. There is another gang at work south, and wehave a hint of the whereabouts of their nest."