CHAPTER THREE.
CUTTING IT CLOSE.
My messmate uttered these words close to my ears in a despairing tone aswe dashed on, and now I saw Ching strike to his right, while I made acut or two at my left, as men started from the sides and tried to tripus up.
I was growing faint with the heat down in that narrow, breathlessstreet, my clothes stuck to me, and Barkins' heavy telescope bangedheavily against my side, making me feel ready to unfasten the strap andlet it fall. But I kept on for another fifty yards or so with ourenemies yelling in the rear, and the waterside seeming to grow nonearer.
"Keep together, lads," cried Barkins excitedly. "It can't be far now.We'll seize the first boat we come to, and the tide will soon take usout of their reach."
But these words came in a broken, spasmodic way, for, poor fellow, hewas as out of breath as any of us.
"Hoolay! Velly lit' way now," cried Ching; and then he finished with ahowl of rage, for half-a-dozen armed men suddenly appeared from agateway below us, and we saw at a glance that they were about to takesides with the rest.
"Lun--lun," yelled Ching, and, flourishing his sword, he led us right atthe newcomers, who, startled and astounded by our apparent boldness,gave way, and we panted on, utterly exhausted, for another fifty yards,till Ching suddenly stopped in an angle of the street formed by aprojecting house.
"No lun. No, no!" he panted. "Fight--kill."
Following his example, we faced round, and our bold front checked themiserable gang of wretches, who stopped short a dozen yards from us,their numbers swelled by the new party, and waited yelling and howlingbehind the swordsmen, who stood drawing up their sleeves, andbrandishing their heavy weapons, working themselves up for the finalrush, in which I knew we should be hacked to pieces.
"Good-bye, old chap," whispered Barkins in a piteous tone, his voicecoming in sobs of exhaustion. "Give point when they come on: don'tstrike. Try and kill one of the cowardly beggars before they finishus."
"Yes," I gasped.
"Chuck that spyglass down," cried Smith; "it's in your way."
Gladly enough I swung the great telescope round, slipped the strap overmy head, and as I did so I saw a sudden movement in the crowd.
In an instant the experience we had had upon the river flashed across mybrain. I recalled how the crew of the great tea-boat had dropped awayfrom her high stern when Barkins had used the glass, and for the firsttime I grasped why this had been.
My next actions were in a mad fit of desperate mischief more thananything else. For, recalling that I had a few flaming fusees in myjacket pocket, I snatched out the box, secured one; then, taking off thecap, which hung by a strap, I pulled the brass and leather telescope outto its full extent, presented the large end at the mob, uttered assavage a yell as I could and struck a fusee, which went off with acrack, and flashed and sparkled with plenty of blaze.
The effect was instantaneous. Mistaking the big glass, which had been aburden to me all day, for some terrible new form of gun, the swordsmenuttered a wild yell of horror, and turned and fled, driving the unarmedmob before them, all adding their savage cries of dread.
"Hoor-rah," shouted Barkins. "Now, boys, a Yankee tiger. Waggle theglass well, Gnat. All together. Hurrah--rah--rah--rah--rah!"
We produced as good an imitation of the American cheer as we could, andChing supplemented it with a hideous crack-voiced yell, while I raisedand lowered the glass and struck another match.
As we looked up the street we could see part of the mob still runninghard, but the swordsmen had taken refuge to right and left, in doorways,angles, and in side shops, and were peering round at us, watching everymovement.
"No' laugh!" said Ching anxiously. "Big fool. Think um bleech-loader.Now, come 'long, walkee walkee blackward. I go first."
It was good advice, and we began our retreat, having the street toourselves for the first minute. My messmates supported me on eitherside, and we walked backward with military precision.
"Well done, gun carriage," panted Barkins to me. "I say, Blacksmith,who says the old glass isn't worth a hundred pounds now?"
"Worth a thousand," cried Smith excitedly. "But look out, they'recoming out of their holes again."
I made the object-glass end describe a circle in the air as we slowlybacked, and the swordsmen darted away to the shelters they had quittedto follow us as they saw us in retreat. But as there was no report, andthey saw us escaping, they began to shout one to the other, and ran toand fro, zig-zagging down the street after us, each man darting acrossto a fresh place of shelter. And as the retreat went on, and no reportwith a rush of bullets tore up the street, the men gained courage; themob high up began to gather again. Then there was distant yelling andshouting, and the danger seemed to thicken.
"Is it much farther, Ching?" cried Barkins.
"Yes, velly long way," he replied. "No' got no levolvers?"
"No, I wish I had."
"Fine levolver bull-dog in fancee shop, and plenty cahtlidge. Walkeefast."
We were walking backwards as fast as we could, and the danger increased.In place of running right across now from shelter to shelter, the bigswordsmen stopped from time to time on their way to flourish theirweapons, yell, indulge in a kind of war-dance, and shout out words wedid not understand.
"What do they say, Ching?" asked Smith.
"Say chop all in lit' small piece dilectly."
"Look here," cried Barkins, as the demonstrations increased, and thewretches now began to gather on each side of the street as ifthreatening a rush, "let's stop and have a shot at 'em."
"No, no," cried Ching, "won't go off blang."
"Never mind, we'll pretend it will. Halt!"
We stopped, so did our enemies, and, in imitation of the big gunpractice on board ship, Barkins shouted out order after order, endingwith, Fire!
Smith held the flaming fusees now, and at the word struck one with aloud crackle, just as we were beginning to doubt the efficacy of ourruse, for the enemy were watching us keenly; and, though some of themmoved uneasily and threatened to run for shelter, the greater part stoodfirm.
But at the loud crackle and flash of the fusee, and Smith's gesture tolay it close to the eye-piece, they turned and fled yelling once moreinto the houses on either side, from which now came an addition to thenoise, in the shrill howls and shrieks of women, who were evidentlyresenting the invasion of all these men.
"Now, walkee far," cried Ching. "No good no mo'. Allee fun lun out.No be big fool any longer."
We felt that he was right, and retreated as fast as we could, but stillbackward, mine being the duty to keep the mouth of our sham cannon tobear upon them as well as the blundering backward through the mudholesof the dirty street would allow.
That street seemed to be endless to us in our excitement, and thefeeling that our guide must be taking us wrong began to grow upon me,for I made no allowances for the long distance we had gone over in themorning, while now it grew more and more plain, by the actions of ourpursuers, that they were to be cheated no more. The dummy had done itsduty, and I felt that I might just as well throw it away and leavemyself free, as expect the glass to scare the enemy away again.
"We shall have to make a rush for it," said Barkins at last; "but it ishard now we have got so near to safety. Shall I try the telescopeagain, Ching?"
"No, no good," said our guide gloomily. "Hi, quick all along here."
He made a dash for the front of a house, which seemed to offer somelittle refuge for us in the shape of a low fencing, behind which wecould protect ourselves; for all at once there was a new development ofthe attack, the mob having grown during the last few minutes moredaring, and now began to throw mud and stones.
Ching's sudden dash had its effect upon them, for when he ran they setup a howl of triumph, and as we dashed after our guide they suddenlyaltered their tactics, ceased stone-throwing, and, led by the swordsmen,charged down upon us furiously.
"It's all over," groaned Smi
th, as we leaped over the low fence andfaced round.
And so it seemed to be, for the next minute we were stopping and dodgingthe blows aimed at us. It was all one wild confusion to me, in which Isaw through a mist the gleaming eyes and savage faces of the mob. Then,above their howlings, and just as I was staggering back from a heavyblow which I received from a great sword, which was swept round with twohands and caught me with a loud jar on the side, I heard a familiarcheer, and saw the man who had struck me go down backwards, driven overas it were by a broad-bladed spear. As I struggled to my knees, I sawthe savage mob in full flight, chased by a dozen blue-jackets, whohalted and ran back to where we were, in obedience to a shrill whistle.Then--it was all more misty to me--two strong arms were passed undermine; I saw Smith treated in the same way; and, pursued by the crowdhowling like demons, we were trotted at the double down the street tothe wharf, which was after all close at hand, and swung down into theboat.
"Push off!" shouted a familiar voice, and the wharf and the crowd beganto grow distant, but stones flew after us till the officer in commandfired shot after shot from his revolver over the heads of the crowd,which then took to flight.
"What are we to do with the prisoner, sir--chuck him overboard?"
"Prisoner?" cried the officer in charge of the boat.
"Yes, sir, we got him, sword and all. He's the chap as come aboardyesterday."
"Yes," I panted as I sat up, breathing painfully, "it's Ching. He's ourfriend."
"Yes, flend, evelibody fiend," cried Ching. "Wantee go shore. Fanceeshop."
"Go ashore?" said the officer.
"Yes, walkee shore."
"But if I set you ashore amongst that howling mob, they'll cut you topieces."
"Ching 'flaid so. Allee bad man. Wantee kill young offlicer."
"And he fought for us, Mr Brown, like a brick," said Barkins.
"Then we must take him aboard for the present."
"Yes, go 'board, please," said Ching plaintively. "Not my sword--b'longmandalin man."
"Let's see where you're wounded," said the officer, as the men rowedsteadily back towards the _Teaser_.
"I--I don't think I'm wounded," I panted, "but it hurts me rather tobreathe."
"Why, I saw one of the brutes cut you down with his big sword," criedSmith.
"Yes," I said, "I felt it, but, but--yes, of course: it hit me here."
"Oh, murder!" cried Smith. "Look here, Tanner. Your glass has got itand no mistake."
It had "got it" and no mistake, for the blow from the keen sword hadstruck it at a sharp angle, and cut three parts of the way through thethick metal tube, which had been driven with tremendous force against myribs.
"Oh, Gnat!" cried Barkins, as he saw the mischief, "it's quite spoilt.What a jolly shame!"
"But it saved his life," said Smith, giving him a meaning nod. "Iwouldn't have given much for his chance, if he hadn't had that telescopeunder his arm. I say, Mr Brown, why was the gun fired?"
"To bring you all on board. Captain's got some information. Look,we've weighed anchor, and we're off directly--somewhere."
"But what about Ching?" I said to Barkins.
"Ching! Well, he'll be safe on board and unsafe ashore. I don'tsuppose we shall be away above a day. I say, Ching, you'll have tostop."
"Me don't mind. Velly hungly once more. Wantee pipe and go sleepee.Velly tire. Too much fightee."
We glided alongside of the gunboat the next minute, where Mr Reardonwas waiting for us impatiently.
"Come, young gentlemen," he cried, "you've kept us waiting two hours.Up with you. Good gracious, what a state you're in! Nice addition to awell-dishiplined ship! and--here, what's the meaning of this?" he cried,as the boat rose to the davits. "Who is this Chinese boy?"
"Velly glad get 'board," said the man, smiling at the important officer."All along big fight. Me Ching."