CHAPTER XI--A SURPRISE PARTY FOR THE GOVERNOR
"It's Chinese war--_real_ Chinese war!" roared Danny Grin in his chum'sear, as he pointed down at the packed throng in the open beyond thecompound. "The heathen are beating gongs, ringing cowbells, shootingoff firecrackers and yelling like wild-cats--just as the Chinese did inbattle a thousand years ago. They're trying to scare us to death withtheir racket."
"It's awful to turn a machine gun loose on a tightly packed crowd likethat," shivered Dave, "but you've got to do it. Turn it loose, Dan, andkeep it going. I leave you in charge at this point."
Dave ran around the rampart to the western side. As he hastened hegrinned at the Chinese idea that noise can play any big part in winninga battle. Yet even Darrin admitted that the din was abominable enoughto shake the strongest nerves.
At the western wall he gave his orders, then rushed onward to the northwall, which included the main gate.
As he ran, he noted again a low, stone building which he had severaltimes passed in the compound. The roof was not high, and suggested thatit covered merely a cellar underneath.
Dan believed that, if the fanaticism of the approaching multitudes wereto last a few minutes longer, the rabble would be able, despite themost desperate resistance by the Americans, to sweep up over the wallsand massacre every white man and woman in the yamen.
"Why didn't I think of that before?" Darrin asked himself, looking downat the low-arched stone building. "That must be the governor'smagazine. I wonder if it holds any ammunition?"
Descending at a run, Dave strode over to a place where, under aseparate fringe of lighted lanterns, sat the governor of Nu-ping. Atone side, eyes downcast, Sin Foo and "Burnt-face" sat.
"Mr. Sin Foo," Dave began, "that is a magazine over there, isn't it?"
Not glancing up, the under secretary addressed the governor in humbletones.
"Yes, it is a magazine," answered the under secretary, at last.
"Is there any powder stored there?"
Again Sin Foo addressed the governor.
"His excellency is not certain whether there is powder there or not,"replied the interpreter.
"Hand me the key," commanded Dave. "I will look for myself."
At this there was more prolonged conversation between Sin Foo and hisaugust though at present dejected chief.
"Hand me the key," Ensign Darrin insisted brusquely, "or I shall takeother measures."
Only a few words passed in Chinese this time. Even that had to beshouted, for the clamor beyond the walls was indescribable, and theroar of machine guns and the rattle of navy rifles was all butdeafening. Sin Foo, fumbling under his own long robes, produced amassive bronze key.
"Good enough," said Dave, "provided this be the right key." Then,turning to one of the sailors, who had come down into the compound onan errand Dave asked:
"You have an electric searchlight with you, haven't you?"
"Aye, aye, sir."
"Then come with me, on the jump."
Both hastened over to the low building that Dave had imagined to be themagazine. The key fitted, the lock yielded easily. Officer and manstepped inside.
"Powder!" gasped the sailorman. "Looks like two hundred kegs of ithere, sir."
"Hand me the light and force open one of the barrels," Dave directed.
In a few moments the head of one of the barrels had been sprung. Takinga handful of powder outside, Dave placed it on a sheet of paper fromone of his pockets, and touched a lighted match to one corner of thepaper. When the traveling flame reached the powder there was a brightflash, accompanied by a puff of smoke.
"That powder is excellent," remarked Darrin.
"Aye, aye, sir," assented the seaman. "Are you thinking, sir, of usingany of this stuff to plant among the heathen outside?"
"Only in case they succeed in getting into the compound," the youngensign replied, coolly. "I am going to ask the ladies if they prefer togroup themselves around this building. Then, at the last moment, if allour forces are driven away from the ramparts, we can fall back on thismagazine. When we see that the Chinese are bound to overwhelm us, amatch dropped in a powder train here will save all of the women fromChinese torture. What do you think of the idea, Sampson?"
"All in the day's work for men of the Navy, and the best thing, Ireckon, sir, for the ladies under the circumstances," answered theseaman.
"I believe that will be the general opinion," answered Dave. "Sampson,you know how to stack this thing so that a flash of light in a powdertrain will set off the whole magazine?"
"Aye, aye, sir."
"May I leave you here and depend upon you to fix the mine so that itwill go up in the air at my order?"
"You may, sir."
"Thank you, Sampson," replied Dave Darrin, gripping the sailor's handhard. "You're the right shade of blue, and a real man of the Navy."
"The same to yourself, sir, thank you," rejoined Sampson, taking backhis electric lamp and going inside the magazine.
Dave ran over to the spot where the women had gathered.
"Ladies," he announced, gazing straight at each in turn, "I have anunpleasant announcement to make. From the look of things our men arepresently going to be driven back from the ramparts. Then the yellowhordes will swarm over into this compound. If we are vanquished, haveyou any idea of the horrors of Chinese torture that will be inflictedupon you by the yellow fiends?"
Some of the older missionary women shuddered, turning their eyesheavenward, as though in agitated prayer.
"My wife is among you," Dave went on, speaking as softly as he couldand make himself heard above the din of combat. "What I am going tooffer you is the best, under the circumstances, that I can wish forher. That is--at the instant when hope must be finally abandoned--instantdeath. In the magazine there is a heavy stock of powder. One of my menis now laying a powder train which, when touched off, will explode themagazine. In my opinion, when all hope has gone, the wisest thing forall of you is to be near enough to die in the big upheaval of theexploding magazine. Do you agree with me that this will be the beststep to take when there is no other hope of escaping from the Chinesefuries?"
"Under such circumstances I will trust you to know what is best to bedone," said Belle Darrin, resting a hand on her young husband's arm.
"Come, then," begged Dave. He led the way. By twos and threes the otherwomen followed, though some of them faltered. The few mennon-combatants removed the wounded to places near the magazine.
"Now," commanded Dave, turning to the marine who had just brought upthe quaking Pembroke, "leave your prisoner here, and you and Sampson goand bring the governor and his attendants here."
When the governor and his little suite were brought to the magazinetheir faces betrayed unspeakable terror.
"May I ask what insane project is now being considered?" quaked SinFoo.
"Certainly," Dave answered blithely in his ear. "When all other hope isgone, my fighting men will fall back to this spot. When we are alltogether, and your countrymen are about to conquer, we intend touchingoff the train of powder that shall blow us all free from Chinesevengeance."
Sin Foo turned several shades of frightened green, one after the other.
"Then you must liberate his excellency and his suite at once," criedthe under secretary, falling forward upon his knees. "You cannot, youhave no right to risk the governor of Nu-ping in such a fearfultragedy. Order your men to turn us free at once, that we may pass outthrough the gate!"
"Oh, no!" Ensign Dave Darrin retorted, with ironical cheeriness. "Yourgovernor and his advisers are wholly responsible for the awful positionin which we found our countrymen. For that reason His Excellency theAugust Governor of Nu-ping shall have the post of honor. He shall siton top of the magazine, his suite with him!"
At a sign from Dave the governor was swiftly seized and boosted up onto the top of the arching stone roof. It was the first time that hisexcellency had been handled with anything like roughness. After hisexcellency Sin Foo and "Burnt-face"
were almost tossed up after him.
The Governor Was Swiftly Seized.]
"Let us down!" screamed Sin Foo piteously. "This is inhuman. Killyourselves if you will, but you have no right to destroy us with you."
"If we go up in the air on the wave of a powder explosion, then yourcrowd goes, too," Dave roared back at him. "You shall have ample tasteof the cake you have stirred for us all!"
Though his excellency, the governor understood no English, he appearedto have only too clear an idea of what was now going on. Howling, andnearly collapsing with terror, he endeavored to slip down from the roofof the magazine, but ready American hands thrust him back.
Sin Foo, too, made desperate efforts to slip down. As for "Burnt-face,"that yellow scoundrel had fainted, and now lay prone on the roof.
"This outrage shall not be!" screamed Sin Foo.
"You'll soon know all about that," retorted Sampson gruffly, hurlingthe under secretary on his back on top of the magazine.
From the south rampart now came furious sounds of hand-to-handconflict. Looking up, Dave Darrin saw that his own fighting men wereall but surrounded by yellow fiends who had gained the rampart by meansof ladders.
Pausing only a second to kiss his wife, Dave darted toward the neareststeps to that rampart, bounding up, sword in one hand, revolver in theother.
In the fleeting instant of turning after kissing his wife farewell,Darrin had shouted to Seaman Sampson:
"My man, I trust to your sand and judgment. Don't wait for my order,but fire the magazine trail the instant you think it is the only courseleft."
And after Dave had floated the sailor's cool, resolute:
"Aye, aye, sir."