CHAPTER VIII--THE SWARM OF NIGHT FURIES
Late in the afternoon another meal was prepared.
Though the yamen was surrounded on all sides, and "sniping" was engagedin from time to time, the Chinese besiegers made no attempt to rush thecompound.
Toward the end of the afternoon Dave carried on some vigorous signaltalk with his commanding officer aboard the "Castoga."
"It does not look safe for you to risk bringing party through toriver," came the message from the gunboat. "Do you think you can holdthe yamen through the night?"
"Think I can hold yamen through the night," Dave signaled back, "if yousanction my using extreme measures at need. I may have to put theChinese soldiers on the other side of the gate before dark comes on."
"Do so, if absolutely necessary," came the part approval. "If you wish,I will try to get thirty more men through to you. Cannot spare morewithout crippling ship."
"I believe so small a force as thirty men would be massacred in thestreets before reaching here," Dave signaled back. "Would adviseagainst your trying to send small reinforcements."
"Am trying by wireless," signaled the gunboat, "to pick up other navalvessel along the coast. If I establish such communication, willendeavor to have at least one hundred additional men sent up, even ifthey have to ascend river in motor launches. Think, if you can hold onuntil to-morrow, I can send substantial reinforcements."
"Will hold out through the night, if we have to keep shooting everyminute," Darrin signaled his commanding officer.
"Have you plenty of ammunition?" came the query.
"Yes," Dick signaled back. "Have been firing cautiously."
Just before dark came on the gunboat signaled:
"Good luck through the night."
"Thank you," Ensign Dave caused to be signaled back.
After a conference with Dan and Bishop Whitlock, Dave decided upon boldmeasures. Toward every party of Chinese soldiers, on the ramparts or inthe compound, went, all at once, small parties of sailors. In atwinkling, and almost without protest, the sailors seized the rifles ofthe yellow soldiery.
"Form the governor's troops in the compound," was the order that Darrinsuddenly bawled forth.
"What are you about to do?" demanded Sin Foo, from the rampart.
"We are about to gag you, Mr. Sin Foo, if you open your mouth again,"came the young ensign's stern answer.
Quickly the native troops were formed below. Dan, in the meantime,massed a strong force and two machine guns on the rampart over the maingate. At a signal the gates were thrown open. The blinking,unresponsive yellow soldiers were driven forth, and the gate shut faston them. Dan's precautions overhead had been taken in case the armedmultitude beyond should attempt a rush when the gate was opened. ButDave put through the whole maneuver successfully.
Leaving a guard of only seven men on a side, and massing his fifty-sixother fighting men, Dave marched up to the governor's yamen.
"The move that I am going to take may bring down a torrent of officialabuse upon my head," thought the young ensign.
First he called out a summons to open the door of the governor'sdwelling. There being no answer, he directed several sailors, with apole on their shoulders, as a battering ram, to smash in the door. Oncethe door was down, Dave led his party inside, and began searching fromroom to room.
At last he came upon the governor, surrounded by the same score ofsoldiers. In addition were "Burnt-face" and some dozen attendants.
"Disarm the soldiers," came Darrin's instant order, as he marched hiscommand into the spacious, handsome, richly furnished room in which thegovernor had taken refuge. "Do it without fuss, if you can, but takethe guns away."
Three of the soldiers attempted to resist, and were promptly knockeddown by the sailors; after that, all submitted to disarming.
"March these yellow soldiers outside and give them the gate," smiledEnsign Dave. "Leave 'Burnt-face' and this servant with the governor,and put the rest of the attendants outside too. Forward, march!"
That audacious move was carried out without a hitch.
"Pass the word for Mr. Sin Foo," Dave ordered. Then, when the indignantunder secretary appeared, Dave went on:
"Mr. Sin Foo, kindly assure his excellency that we have acted in theonly way possible, and that we mean no harm to him, unless he shouldmake such action necessary. Tell the governor that we have put hispeople outside because we do not intend to have any nonsense hereto-night."
Sin Foo started to speak.
"Pardon me, Mr. Darrin," interposed a missionary, "but the undersecretary is not interpreting correctly. He is abusing you to thegovernor."
"Look here, my friend," warned Dave, placing a heavy hand on Sin Foo'sshoulder, "either you play fairly, or you will find yourself in moretrouble than one poor under secretary can be expected to handle easily.Tell his excellency just what I said."
Governor Tai-pu listened in silence. Nor did he offer any comment whenSin Foo had ceased speaking.
"Does his excellency understand?" Dave asked.
"He does," replied Sin Foo.
"Yes," nodded the missionary who had interposed.
"His excellency will be required to remain in the open with usto-night," Darrin continued. "We must have him where we can easily keepboth eyes on him."
"I beg your pardon, Mr. Darrin," said one of the missionaries,approaching. "Do you think it will be prudent to have lights in thecompound to-night?"
"It will be much better to have them," Dave replied, "provided that noglow from them is reflected toward the ramparts. Any light behind ourmen, that showed them more distinctly to the enemy, would imperil oursafety. But lights in one point at least in the grounds would beadvantageous, as such illumination would tend to make the women lessafraid. It's human nature, you know, sir, to be more afraid in thedark, and we must give every possible thought to the feelings of thewomen on such a trying night as I fear this is going to be."
Thanking him, the missionary hurried away, beckoning to three other mento follow him. These soon returned, bearing armfuls of Chinese paperlanterns. Cords were tied from tree to tree in the center of thecompound, and from these lighted paper lanterns were soon dangling. Inand out of the lighted area passed the women and other non-combatants,strolling about.
"That looks like a glimpse out of a pretty picture," said Dave, to hisbrother officer, as the two stood on the river side of the ramparts.
"Especially with the glow that the lanterns cast on a background ofpicturesque Chinese buildings," Danny Grin agreed. Then he turned togaze into the darkness beyond, adding:
"David, little giant, we shall have very little to do with prettypictures to-night. The nightmares of war will claim the greater part ofour attention."
One group of women there was that did not appear. They comprised thewomen of the governor's family, who, with the children of the yamen,had taken refuge in one of the larger buildings. They were not requiredto come out into the open.
"Sir, I think I see figures advancing," whispered a sailor, gliding upto Ensign Darrin.
In an instant Dave threw up his night glass.
"You're right," he answered, in a low tone. "Pass the word to the menat the machine gun to be ready."
Stepping quickly down the little line on the river side of the wallDave gave whispered instructions to the men to lie low and to await theorder to fire.
Then, motionless as a tree, Darrin stood for fully two minutes, withthe glass at his eyes.
"Ready!" he called, at last, in a low, but penetrating voice. "Aim!Fire!"
As the volley crashed out, Danny Grin raced around to the west rampart,to look for signs of a Chinese advance against that side.
Hundreds of Mongols had stolen forward on the river side. Instead ofchecking these, the brisk American fire brought thousands of othersswarming from the streets and buildings.
"Keep that machine gun going," shouted Darrin in the ear of the machinegun captain. "Make it hot, my men! We want to get as many of the yellowfie
nds this time as possible. The more bloody they find this charge themore careful they will be through the rest of the night."
To add to the din Danny Grin had ordered the machine gun on the westside to fire, directing also his riflemen to fire only assharpshooters.
Rightly judging that the attack on two sides might be only a feint todraw attention away from the biggest movement of all on the southernside, Darrin darted around to that point, traveling on the rampart.
Nor had he been there two minutes before the howls of thousands ofinfuriated yellow men sounded on the open ground before the wall.
"Pump that machine gun," Dave ordered sharply to the men at the gun."Riflemen! Fire at will, and shoot as straight as you know how!"
This latter order he repeated as he darted along the line.
"Here, my friend, you get down! Lie behind the parapet; don't exposeyourself in that fashion," Dave ordered, pushing down a sailor who hadknelt on the parapet instead of lying behind it.
"I wanted to get a better aim, sir," replied the young sailorman,upturning a face full of enthusiasm.
"And you want to show your sand, too," nodded Dave appreciatively."None doubts your courage, my man, but the fighting man who exposeshimself needlessly draws just that much more fire toward comrades closeto him. Remember that, and keep down."
Plunk! plunk! Dave was just in time to see the tops of two laddersplanted against the stone ramparts by yellow men under the walls.
"Look out, men!" he yelled. "The Chinks are trying to plant ladders andscale the walls! Beat 'em back, or we are gone!"
A yellow face appeared at the top of one of the ladders. Like a flashEnsign Darrin bounded forward, bringing down his sword on the leftshoulder of the yellow man.
Then, without a moment's further thought, Darrin seized the top of theladder, giving it a mighty push that sent it toppling to the groundbelow. In a moment he had sent the second ladder, with three men on itsrungs, after the first.
Drawing his revolver, and throwing himself across the parapet, EnsignDave emptied ten shots into a mass of yellow humanity at the foot ofthe wall. Some of the sailors followed his example.
But now it seemed as though nothing would daunt the desperate, rat-likecourage of the Mongols.
All along the four sides of the rampart, light bamboo ladders were setup. Hundreds of yellow assailants rushed up these ladders.
"Prepare to repel boarders!" lustily howled one sailorman, as he sprangforward, clubbing three Chinese in succession over the head.
But it looked as if the American force must be overwhelmed, for withfiendish fury the yellow swarms toiled up and fought at the edge of theparapets.