CHAPTER EIGHTEEN.
IN A TRAP.
"Ever feel at all uncomfortable about--that--Chinaman, Morris?" I saidone day, after we had been coasting along the shore southward for abouta week. I had not encountered that marine sentry alone since theterrible scene in the place where the prisoners were confined; and now,as soon as I saw him, the whole affair came back with all its shudderinghorrors, and I felt quite a morbid desire to talk to him about it.
"What, bayoneting him, sir?" said the man quietly. "Well, no, sir, it'svery odd, but I never have much. I was so excited when I see him withhis knife ashining by the light o' the corporal's lantern, that all thebayonet practice come to me quite natural like, and, as you know, I givepoint from the guard, and he jumped right on it, and I held him downafter as you would a savage kind of tiger thing, and felt quite pleasedlike at having saved the first luff's life. After you'd gone all thelads got talking about it, and I felt as proud as a peacock with tentails. And I got wondering, too, about what Mr Reardon would do, forhe said he would see me again. It was all very well then, but thatnight when I turned in I felt quite sick, and I couldn't sleep a wink.The more I turned about in my hammock, the hotter and worser I got.There it all was before me, I could see myself holding that pirate chappinned down, and there was his eyes rolling and his teeth snapping as hetwisted about. Ugh! it was horrid, sir; and I felt as I was in for it,and began to understand what one has read about chaps as commits murderalways being haunted like with thoughts of what they've done, and neverbeing happy no more. Then it got worse and worse, and I says to myself,`If it was as bad as that for just doing your duty, and saving yourofficer's life, what must it be when you kills a man out o' sheerwickedness to get his money?'"
The man stopped then, and looked round to see if any one was withinhearing, but we were quite alone, and he went on quietly--
"You won't laugh at me, sir, will you?"
"Laugh?" I cried wonderingly. "It's too horrible to laugh about."
"Yes, sir; but I meant, feel ready to chaff about it, and tell the otheryoung gentlemen, and get thinking me soft."
"Of course not, Morris."
"No, sir, you ain't that sort. You've got a mother, too, ain't you?"
"Yes; but I shouldn't have liked her to see all we saw that day."
"No, sir, you wouldn't. I haven't got no mother now, sir, but I didhave one once."
I felt ready to smile, but I kept my countenance.
"Seems rum of a big ugly fellow like me talking about his mother, sir;but, Lor' bless you! all us chaps has got a bit of a soft spot somewhereinsides us for our old woman, even them as never talks about it; and doyou know, sir, that night just when I felt worst as I rolled about in myhammock, and was going to get out and find the bucket of water for adrink, I got thinking about my old mother, and how she used to come andtuck me up in bed of a night, and kiss me and say, Gawd bless me, andthen of how she used to talk to me and tell me always to do what wasright, and, no matter what happened, I should feel at rest. And then Igot thinking as I must have done very wrong in killing that Chinee, tofeel as bad as I did. And I got arguing it over first one way and thenthe other for a minute or two, and the next thing I remember is it beingtumble-up time, and till you spoke to me about it just now, I've neverhardly thought about it since. It was doing my duty, sir, of course;now, warn't it?"
"Of course, Morris," I said importantly; and the man nodded, lookedsatisfied, and then glanced to right and left again before unbuttoninghis jacket and cautiously pulling out an old-fashioned gold watch.
"Why, hallo, Morris!" I cried.
"Hush, sir; keep it quiet. Mr Reardon give it to me the day aforeyesterday, and said I wasn't to talk about it, for it was just betweenourselves."
"It's a fine old watch," I said, feeling glad that the man we ladslooked upon as such a stem tyrant could show so warm and generous a sideto his nature.
"Said, sir, he gave it to me for attending so well to dishipline, as hecalled it, for he said if I had not attended well to my drill, therewould have been no first lieutenant to give me a watch out of gratitudefor saving his life."
"You must take care of that, Morris," I said.
"Yes, sir," he said dolefully. "That's the worst of it. Gold watch isan orkard thing for a marine, but I mean to try."
"And be very careful to wind it up regularly every night."
He looked at me with his face all wrinkled up.
"Would you, sir--would you wind it up?"
"Why, of course; what's a watch for?"
"Well, that depends, sir. It's all right for a gentleman, but don'tseem no good to me. We allus knows how many bells it is, and thesergeants takes good care that we're in time for everything. It'srather in my way, too. Look here, sir; s'pose you took care of it forme to the end of the voyage?"
"Oh no, Morris. You'll soon get used to having a watch," I said. "Takecare of it yourself."
He shook his head.
"I don't know as I can, sir," he said. "If it had been a silliver one,I shouldn't so much have minded. I was thinking of sewing it up in thepadding of my jacket."
"No, no; keep it in your pocket and never part with it," I said. "It'sa watch to be proud of, for it was earned in a noble way."
"Thankye, sir," he cried, as I stood wondering at my own words; "that'sdone me good;" and he buttoned his jacket up with an intense look ofsatisfaction.
"I'm beginning to think the doctor was right, Gnat," said Barkins onemorning.
"What about?" I said.
"My wound; I don't think the knife was poisoned."
"Why, of course it wasn't; you fancied it all."
"Well, I couldn't help that, could I? You wait till you get your wound,and then see how you'll begin to fancy all sorts of things. I say,though, Smithy's getting right pretty quick. The doctor's pitched himover. I should have sent him back to his duty before, if I'd been oldPhysic. He was all right yesterday."
"How do you know?"
"Because he was so nasty tempered. Nothing was good enough for him."
"Oh, come, I like that," cried Smith, who overheard him. "Why, I was aspatient as could be; I appeal to the Poet. Did I ever go fussing abouttelling people I was wounded by a poisoned knife?"
"No," I said; "you were both magnificent specimens of brave youngmidshipmen, and behaved splendidly."
"Oh, did we?" cried Barkins. "Look here, Blacksmith, we'll rememberthis, and as soon as we're strong enough we'll punch his head."
"Agreed. He's been growing as cocky as a bantam since we've been ill.We must take him down."
"Why, what for?" I cried.
"Making game of your betters. Sarce, as Tom Jecks calls it."
We had something else to think of three days later, and in theexcitement both my messmates forgot their wounds, save when some quickmovement gave them a reminder that even the healing of a clean cut inhealthy flesh takes time.
For we overhauled a suspicious-looking, fast-sailing junk, which paid noheed to our signals, but was brought to after a long chase, and everyman on board was chuckling and thinking about prize-money.
But when she was boarded, with Ching duly established as interpreter,and all notion of returning to the "fancee shop" put aside for thepresent, the junk turned out to be a peaceful trader trying to make herescape from the pursuit of pirates, as we were considered to be.
Ching soon learned the cause of the captain's alarm. The day before hehad come upon a junk similar to his own, with the crew lying murdered onboard, and, judging from appearances, the wretches who had plundered hercould not have gone long.
Mr Brooke was the officer in charge of the boat, and he told Ching toask the master of the junk whether he had seen any signs of the pirates.
The man eagerly replied that he had seen three fast boats entering theAyshong river, some thirty miles north of where we then were, and assoon as he found that we really were the boat's crew of a ship workingfor the protection of the shipping trade, his j
oy and excitement werewithout bounds, and showed itself in presents,--a chest of tea for thecrew, and pieces of silk for Mr Brooke and myself; parting with usafterwards in the most friendly way, and, as Ching afterwards told me,saying that we were the nicest foreign devils he ever met.
Our news when we went on board made the captain change our course. Wewere bound for a river a hundred miles lower down, but it was deemedadvisable to go back and proceed as far up the Ayshong, as a fresh nestof the desperadoes might be discovered there.
By night we were off the muddy stream, one which appeared to be of nogreat width, but a vast body of water rushed out from between the rockygates, and from the desolate, uninhabited look of the shores it seemedprobable that we might find those we sought up there.
It was too near night to do much, so the captain contented himself withgetting close in after the boat sent to take soundings, and at dark wewere anchored right in the mouth, with the watch doubled and a boat outas well to patrol the river from side to side, to make sure that theenemy, if within, did not pass us in the darkness.
All lights were out and perfect silence was maintained, while, excitedby the prospect of another encounter, not a man displayed the slightestdisposition to go to his hammock.
It was one of those soft, warm, moist nights suggestive of a comingstorm, the possibility of which was soon shown by the faint quivering ofthe lightning in the distance.
"Storm before morning," whispered Barkins.
"Yes," said Smith; "storm of the wrong sort. I want to hear our gunsgoing, not thunder."
From time to time the boat which was on the patrol duty came alongsideto report itself, but there was no news; in fact, none was expected, forsuch a dark night was not one that would be chosen by vessels wishing toput to sea.
I had been disposed to ask for permission to go in the boat, but MrReardon's countenance looked rather stormy, so I had given up the idea,and contented myself with stopping on board with my two messmates, towatch the dark mouth of the river.
It soon grew very monotonous, having nothing to see but the shapes ofthe distant clouds, which stood out now and then like dimly-seenmountains high up above the land. But by degrees the distant flickeringof the lightning grew nearer, and went on slowly growing brighter, tillfrom time to time, as we leaned over the bulwarks, listening to thefaint rushing sound of the river, sweeping past the chain cable, anddividing again upon our sharp bows, we obtained a glimpse of the shoreon either side. Then it glimmered on the black, dirty-looking stream,and left us in greater darkness than ever.
Once we made out our boat quite plainly, and at last there came so vivida flash that we saw the river upward for quite a mile, and I made outthe low shores, but could see no sign of house or vessel moored anywherenear where we lay.
Another hour must have passed, during which we made out that the countryon either side was flat and marshy, but we could see no sign of humanhabitation. As far as could be made out, the river was about threehundred yards broad, and about this time we became aware that it must bevery nearly low tide, for the stream which passed us was growing moreand more sluggish, till at last it ceased ebbing, and the _Teaser_ beganto swing slowly round, a sufficient indication that the tide had turned.
We had swung to our anchor till we were right across the stream, whenfrom higher up a shot was fired, and, as if caused by the report, adazzling flash cut right across the heavens, lighting up the river withits muddy sides, and there, not five hundred yards away, we made out twolarge junks that had come down with the tide, which had now failed them,just as they were close to the mouth.
All had been perfectly silent so far, but as the intense darknesssucceeded the brilliant flash, there was a loud gabbling and shoutingfrom the direction of the junks, then came the splashing of great oars,followed by their regular beating, and, as we swung further round withthe men hurrying to their quarters, the boat came alongside, and washoisted.
"Well, Mr Brooke?"
"Two large junks, sir; come down with the tide; they've put about, sir,and are going back."
"Sure?"
"Yes, sir, certain. Hark!"
The hissing sound of the tide had recommenced, and above it we couldhear the splash, splash of great sweeps, sounding hurried and irregular,as if the men at them were making all the haste they could. Every nowand then, too, came a curious creaking sound, as wood was strainedagainst wood.
"Tide's setting in very hard, sir," said Mr Brooke.
"Yes," said the captain. "Come on board; ha!"
There was another vivid flash, and we distinctly saw the greatmatting-sails of two junks for a moment, and again all was black.
"Come on board, Mr Brooke; they could not sweep those great craft outagainst such a tide as this, and there is no wind to help them even ifthey wished."
Then the falls were hooked on, after the coxswain had with somedifficulty drawn the cutter up to where the light of a lantern wasthrown down for his guidance, the men stamped along the deck, and thecutter rose to the davits for the men to spring on board.
Daylight found us lying head to sea, with the tide rushing up, abeautifully verdant country spreading out on either side, but nohabitation in sight, and our men in great glee, for it was prettyevident that unless the junks should prove to be merchantmen, we hadcome upon a little-known river, up which we had trapped the pirates, whohad been to land plunder at their nest, and were about to make their wayagain to sea.