CHAPTER NINE.
"A FIERCE STRUGGLE ENSUED."
Stan altered his opinion the next day when they reached a busy citybuilt on both sides of the river, for Wing gave him a quiet hint tolook, and upon turning, the lad found that they were gliding by atowering junk whose deck swarmed with villainous-looking men all wellarmed, while at intervals they passed four more.
"Allee bad," whispered Wing. "No lookee; pletend can't see pilateship."
Five more were passed, all of which were given a bad character; buttheir occupants were lying about, smoking and sleeping, eating anddrinking; and being close up to the quays and warehouses of the teemingcity, the men were upon their best behaviour, and not disposed to seizeand plunder such small fry as the little boat from the _hong_.
Hence it was that Stan's _sampan_ remained untouched, and reached thedisembarking place in safety.
Here, evidently so as not to draw attention to his young chief, Wingslung a few necessaries, scale fashion, at either end of a bamboo,balanced his load across his left shoulder, and after giving the boatmena few instructions which led to their setting off at once on the returnjourney, he led Stan away from the riverside, right into the busy partof the city, where no notice was taken of them. A short time after thelad found himself at the house of one of the Chinese merchants, who gavehim a warm welcome, and talked with him in pidgin-English about hisfather and uncle.
Stan noticed that he exhibited no little inquisitiveness about hisfurther proceedings, shaking his head and looking very solemn as hehinted that the country was in a very disturbed state.
"But Mr Wing will know how to take care," he said. "He will know, too,that the farther you keep from the river the less likely you are to meetwith pirates or wandering bands of soldiers. You must take care."
Wing evidently meant to take care, for that evening, after dark, he laidhis hand upon Stan's shoulder and drew him away from the window.
"Too many bad man," he said, directing the lad's attention to therough-looking armed people lounging about the street. "See young Lynnand say, `Foleign devil. What want heah?' No look out window. Go tobed. Sleep."
Stan laughed at the ultra-precautions taken, but obeyed, and for want ofsomething to occupy himself, lay down quite early, to listen to theshuffling of feet and the loud conversation going on below his window,thinking the while that he would most likely lie awake all night. Butbefore he could make an effort to combat the drowsiness that had seizedupon him he was fast asleep, and the next thing he knew was that Wingwas shaking his arm.
"What is it?" he cried. "Coming to bed?"
"Get-up time," replied the Chinaman. "Mollow molning. Come 'long."
"But,"--began Stan. He said no more, his mouth stretching wide in aportentous yawn; and, still half-asleep, he suffered himself to be ledout of the house and along a dark, uneven street, the air of which feltchilly, as if the morning was close at hand.
Twice over he began to question Wing, but received a hurried whisper tobe silent, and by degrees it dawned upon him that their land journey hadcommenced, and that Wing was nervously anxious lest their departureshould become known.
"Soljees," he whispered, and put his hand to his lips.
"Why, there's not a soul about," said Stan to himself, feeling sleepy,and out of temper to a degree that made him ready to quarrel with hisguide for taking such unnecessary precautions.
But he remained silent, and trudged on close behind his companion,stumbling every now and then in the darkness, and longing the while forthe coming of broad daylight, so that he could avoid the rough stonesand mud-holes which seemed to be always in his way.
He was surprised, too, at the extent of the city, for no sooner was onedevious street passed than they plunged into another, their wanderingslasting for what must have been close upon half-an-hour, before theyplunged into a narrower passage than ever--one where the overhangingeaves on either side seemed to nearly touch--while right in front a hugewall towered up, looking jetty black, all but a square patch on a levelwith their feet.
"Why, this must be a big house into which we are going," he thought.
But the idea had no sooner crossed his mind than he felt his armgripped, and Wing checked him so suddenly that he came heavily againsthis guide's chest.
"What's the matter?" whispered Stan.
"St! Big gate. Plentee soljee fass sleepee," whispered Wing. "Nowcome 'long, quick, quick."
He slipped his hand down to the lad's waist as he spoke, and drew himalong past where Stan dimly made out a group of men sitting and lyingupon a big bench beneath a great shadowy house.
There was no time to see more before they were out on the other side,with the great building reared up in the gloom behind them, and afeeling of freedom as of an open space in front.
So great a sense of relief came over the lad that he felt bound tospeak; but certain sounds behind checked him once more, and he turnedcold at the proximity of the danger they had escaped.
For a deep, gruff voice growled out something he could not interpret,and this was replied to by another voice, evidently that of a man newlyaroused from sleep.
The brief conversation was carried on angrily, and interrupted again andagain as if the speakers kept listening.
This was proved to Stan by the firm pressure of Wing's hand, and thetwitches it kept on giving as he stood otherwise quite motionless.
Stan's heart beat till a feeling of suffocation began to oppress him,while with straining eyes he tried to penetrate the dark shadows behind.At last, however, the talking ceased, and he felt the hand which Winghad at liberty pressing upon the top of his head as if to make him stoopdown. Grasping his guide's wishes, he bent low, and immediately felthimself drawn onward, the pair stealing along softly in the darkness assilently as possible, and as quickly, for before they had gone manyyards Stan was conscious of the fact that there was a long, pale line oflight right ahead, and that it was not so dark; for on glancing over hisshoulder he could dimly see the gate through which they had come, a hugestructure with curving roof and vast eaves, dominating a high wall whichwent off into the darkness right and left.
"Velly neah ketchee ketchee," said Wing, with a sigh of relief.
"But suppose they had caught us," said Stan; "I am an English subject,and you are my attendant. They dared not have kept us."
Wing uttered a funny little squeak.
"Eh?" he cried. "Wheah Englis' sailoh? No Englis' man-o'-wha, and biggun go bang two time. Chinaman velly much aflaid when Englis' soljee--sailoh heah. Not heah now; Chinaman laugh; say, `Don't ca'e mandalinbutton.' Chinese soljee ketchee young Lynn--Wing. Say, `Don't ca'enobody.' Puttee in plison. P'l'aps nevah come out again. Velly bad."
"Ah, well! they didn't see us," said Stan, "so let's go on faster."
"Yes; go fastee now. Go long way, have bleakfast. Don'tee want seesoljee. Plentee don't ca'e lobbah. Steal dollah. Takee young Lynngold watch. Velly bad, wicked man."
"We shan't meet any of them now, I suppose?" said Stan as he gave anuneasy look round at the fast-broadening dawn.
"Wing no know. Velly likely bad soljee come. Velly likely no badsoljee come. Allee same pilate on livah. Don't know quite safe tillget home. Wing velly glad get home to _hong_. S'pose get home and noyoung Lynn. Misteh Blunt say, `Where young Lynn?' and Wing say beengone lose young Lynn. Misteh Blunt call Wing dleadful name. Nea'lykill Wing."
"Then you must not lose me, Wing."
"No; no must lose young Lynn. Takee gleat ca'e young Lynn."
He nodded and smiled as he hurried his companion along, till the greatgateway began to grow small in the distance, and the glazed tiles of theroof glittered and flashed and grew confused; while in the distance, fardown the rough track, a temple seemed to rise out of a clump of trees,at whose edge a few humble-looking houses appeared beyond where theregularity of the enclosures told of cultivation.
A short time later Wing's next words sent a thrill of satisfactionthrough Stan, for he l
aughed, chuckled, and rubbed his hands.
"Good bleakfast," he said. "Plenty eat, plenty tea. Wing know alleepeople."
Before they had gone much farther Stan was in possession of theinformation that the place they were approaching was a large tea-farm,with its warehouses, and sheds where tea-chests were made; and that fora long time past the produce of this farm had been sent down regularlyto the _hong_ by one or other of the trading-junks that bore theup-country produce to the stores of the foreign merchants.
This was interesting enough, and suggestive of the journey now becomingperfectly peaceful. But Stan's main ideas at this time were inconnection with the expected meal, so that plenty of energy was broughtto bear to get over the intervening distance; while, to make mattersbetter, it soon became evident that they were seen. People came out tostand in the sunshine, shading their eyes and watching the comingvisitors. Wing's signals were answered, and a couple of young men camerunning and recognised the guide, when the visitors were eagerlywelcomed to join the morning meal that had been prepared.
The troubles of the early morning were soon forgotten, while, but forthe strangeness of his surroundings, there were moments when Stan couldhave fancied that he was enjoying the hospitality of some farmer'sfamily thousands of miles away in old Devon. But the satisfaction wasonly short-lived, for the meal was hardly at an end before the door andwindows were darkened prior to being thrown open by a crowd ofrough-looking men bearing clumsy weapons.
Wing was seated with his back to the door, and at first saw nothing, forStan, who had the fresh-comers in full view, felt that the best planwould be to sit perfectly calm and unconcerned.
And this he did till Wing, startled by the darkening of the window,looked quickly round and sprang to his feet.
"Lun! lun!" he whispered sharply to his young charge; and catching athis wrist, he tried to drag him towards the door in the back of theplace.
He was too late.
A rush was made by the rough-looking soldiers, several of whom literallypounced upon Stan, hurling him down to the floor; and as he, naturallyenough, made a brave dash for liberty, a fierce struggle ensued, inwhich the lad had ample proof of the futility of a half-grown boy tryingto resist the united efforts of half-a-dozen heavily built men.
Of course, the struggle did not last many minutes before Stan foundhimself upon the earthen floor of the Chinese house, with four menseated upon him, leaving him hard work to get his breath, as he staredwildly round to see how his companion had fared.
But he looked in vain, for in the noise and confusion Wing had managedto get behind some of the people of the house, who willingly helped himto pass outside, leaving Stan to his fate.
"A coward!" muttered the boy as soon as he had satisfied himself thatWing had gone.
"No," he added after a few moments' thought; "he couldn't help it, poorfellow! I know: he has escaped. He'll go down the river to warn MrBlunt, and he'll get help from the port. They'll send men up from oneof the ships to get me set at liberty. For these people will not dareto hurt me. I'll be bound to say that Mr Blunt will soon get to know,and if these scoundrels are not punished severely for this it is strangeto me."