as long as we could see him, the Chinese soldierswere kicking and cuffing him, some pulling his hair, and others hisears, as they dragged him along. Two days afterwards we received avisit from a dozen soldiers at least. They stopped for a moment whenthe door was opened, and then rushing in seized the midshipman, andpinioning his arms, dragged him out of the cell.
"Good-bye, Jack?" he shouted out. "I suppose they are going to cut myhead off. It is reputed to be a dignified way of making an exit, and ifI cannot escape, I must grin and bear it."
Even at that moment, Dicky could not help having a joke. I felt verysad when I was left alone, for it seemed too likely that our cruelcaptors would kill us all. At length my turn came, but I was onlyhonoured by six soldiers, who appeared to think that they could manageme without much difficulty. I tried to sing, and appeared as merry aspossible, even when they came round me, knowing that kicking andscratching would do no good. Still, I own I had an uncomfortablefeeling about my throat, fully believing that before long I was to havemy head cut off. One of them, however, clapped an iron collar round myneck, from which a chain extended to my feet. On my ankles irons werealso fixed, so that, had I been a very Samson, I could scarcely haveescaped. In this state the soldiers dragged me along, and passingthrough several courts, I was carried into a house, where, seated at atable, I found several dignified-looking personages, with scribes ateither side of them, pen in hand, ready to make notes. They began byasking me all sorts of questions, to which, of course, not knowing aword they said, I could make no answers. At this, several personsrushing forward, one gave me an unpleasant kicking behind my knees,while another pressed me down, a third seizing my head and banging mynose on the ground. This process did not make me speak Chinese a bitbetter than at first. I guessed it was what my companions in captivityhad had to go through, and I fully expected to be led off and treated asI supposed they had been. Instead of this, after I had received aconsiderable number of blows and kicks, the mandarins, finding that theycould make nothing of me, ordered me back to my cell. For some hoursafterwards I kept constantly feeling my neck--not quite certain whetheror not it had been cut through with a fine-edged sabre, and almostexpecting every now and then to find my head roll off on to the ground.
CHAPTER TEN.
LIBERTY AGAIN.
Days and weeks passed away. I was kept in a solitary cell. Even Josswas not allowed to visit me. I feared, indeed, that he must have beenkilled. Of what had become of my companions I could gain no tidings."They have not killed me, perhaps they have let them live." Thisreasoning was the only thing that gave me hopes. I must confess,however, it was a hard matter to keep up my spirits. The iron chains onmy neck and arms weighed me down. I was now moved into a cell in whichwere two dozen or more prisoners. In it was a bench, to which I waschained, but in such a way as to allow me to sit, if not with ease, atall events without pain. My youth might, perhaps, have excited thecompassion of my fellow-prisoners, for savage as some of them looked,they treated me with kindness. Had I been sure that my friends wereeven no worse off than I was, I should have been contented. Many of thepoor prisoners were suffering from all sorts of complaints, and severalof them were led out from time to time, when we could hear their criesand shrieks, and when they came back their legs and arms and bodies boresigns of the fearful treatment they had received. Twice a day myfellow-prisoners and I were unchained and allowed to go into thecourtyard for air and exercise. Sometimes we were allowed to remainthere longer than at other times. On one occasion we were hurried backand quickly chained up again, when we found that it was in consequenceof the unexpected visit of a mandarin to the prison. In vain I tried tofind out whether Dicky Plumb or Ned Rawlings were alive. At last itstruck me that if they were within hearing they might answer if I wereto sing a song; so, to the astonishment of my fellow-prisoners, Isuddenly struck up "Rule Britannia?" walking about the yard, andshouting louder and louder. They, I believe, thought I was mad. Istopped and listened. I thought I heard a faint response from anotherpart of the building, but I was not certain. Several days passed by,when, as I sat on the bench, chained as usual, I heard a voice in thecourtyard below humming the very air I had sung, but whether it was thevoice of Dicky Plumb or Ned Rawlings I could not tell; indeed, it seemedto me to be that of a stranger. I had lost all account of the time Ihad been in prison, when one day I remarked that there was aconsiderable excitement exhibited by my companions. That something ofimportance was taking place I was certain. Suddenly, at the time wewere usually taken into the yard in the morning, the sound of musketryreached my ears. Faint at first, it grew louder and louder. Then therecame the roar of big guns. Oh, how I longed to be with Dicky Plumb orNed Rawlings! There could be no doubt that the English were attackingthe place. It did not occur to me that in revenge the Chinese might cutoff our heads. The noise grew louder and louder. Presently I couldhear shouts and cries, and bullets seemed pattering against some of thebuildings in the neighbourhood. The city was attacked--of that therecould be no doubt. I could not help shouting out again "RuleBritannia!" The Chinese looked at me with great awe; they must havefancied it an incantation. The hubbub increased; there was evidentlysome desperate fighting close at hand. Suddenly two of the gaolersrushed into the cell, and came up to me. I could not help fancying thatmy last moment had come. Instead of that, greatly to my satisfaction,they undid my fetters, then made a sign to me to follow them. I did sogladly enough, and in the courtyard whom should I see but Dicky Plumbhimself! We cordially shook hands.
"I am so glad, Jack!" he exclaimed. "To this moment I did not knowwhether you were alive or dead."
"Nor I you," I answered. Directly afterwards we were joined by NedRawlings, who seemed well pleased to see us both again, while littleJoss, who soon afterwards appeared, exhibited the greatest possiblesatisfaction. Directly afterwards the gates were thrown open, theChinese scampered off and hid themselves, and in rushed a body of bluejackets, among whom I recognised several of the crew of the _Fawn_.Supposing that we had long been dead, they did not know us; indeed, paleand thin and dirty as we were, this was not surprising. The whole placewas, in a short time, in the power of the British. The Tartar soldiersfought desperately, and when they found they could no longer defendtheir houses, they deliberately killed their wives and children, andthen destroyed themselves. Several of the superior officers, ratherthan be taken, threw themselves upon their swords. Others, however, whohad heard that the English treated their prisoners with humanity, ifthey could not run away, more wisely lived "to fight another day."
When the battle was over we were taken on board the _Fawn_, which laysome way down the river. Although we had gone through many hardships,we had reason to be thankful, for we found that we were the only personson board the junk who had escaped with life. I often shudder, even now,as I think of what we had to go through. A considerable number ofEnglish and Lascars were, about this time, seized by the Chinese, andwere put to death, after being cruelly ill-treated for several months.The Emperor of China finding that, in spite of the boasting of hisgenerals, the barbarians managed to beat his troops on every occasion,signed a treaty of peace. The squadron, therefore, once more returnedto Hong Kong. Although the war was over, we were not to be idle. Wehad just time to pay our friends a visit on board the _Roarer_, when wewere ordered off in search of pirates, large numbers of which gentryinfested the China seas. Mr. Ormsby appointed me to attend him in thecabin. Little Joss had, from the first, attached himself to me, and Mr.Ormsby, seeing this, allowed him to help me in the cabin. He lookedupon me as an old friend, from our having been fellow-sufferers, and toshow his regard, endeavoured to teach me Chinese. I must, however,confess, that he learned English far more rapidly than I did Chinese.We had another mate and midshipman from the ship, instead of those lost,and they, with Mr. Plumb, all messed together with the lieutenant, aswell as the second master and the assistant-surgeon. Mr. Ormsby, beinga very particular person, had a supply of plate, which he put under m
ycharge. It was kept in a chest with a number of other articles which hehad picked up in China, and valued highly. We had been away some weekswithout meeting with any suspicious craft when one night we saw a brightlight burning ahead.
"A ship on fire!" sung out Mr. Mason, the officer of the watch.
Mr. Ormsby at once came on deck, and ordered all sail to be made to getup with her. The wind was light; the flames appeared to be risinghigher and higher; we were afraid that we should be too late to renderassistance to the poor people on board. Every stitch of canvas theschooner could carry was set.
"I would give a good round sum to be up with that vessel," exclaimedDicky Plumb. "A dreadful thing for them to be burnt alive or drowned."
Several remarks of a similar nature were made; and certainly, if wishingor whistling would have brought us up to the vessel, we