CHAPTER IV
RIVER PIRATES
One day Errington had occasion to go some sixty or seventy miles upriver, to look after a consignment of goods which had been wrecked inone of the native junks. He had some reason to suspect that the wreckhad not been merely an accident. There was a good deal of unrest inthat part of the country. Various cases of piracy had been reportedboth up and down the river, and in Reinhardt's absence Errington thoughthe had better run up himself, see that the cargo was safe, and make afew inquiries into the state of affairs generally.
Burroughs and he had devoted much of their spare time to their flyingboat, which they were determined should thoroughly deserve the name bythe time they visited Shanghai again. The journey offered anopportunity of testing it over a longer distance and in deeper waterthan hitherto, so Burroughs was nothing loath to accept his friend'sinvitation to accompany him, and took a day off for the purpose. Theyemployed the vessel as a hydroplane on the way up, being reluctant torun any risks until Errington's business had been attended to.
On arriving at the scene of the wreck, Errington found that to allappearance this had been purely accidental. He arranged for the salvageof the goods, and the forwarding of them in another junk, and then setoff in the early afternoon on the return journey.
It was a brilliant day, with very little wind; and having no furtheranxieties on the score of business, they felt free to experiment withthe vessel in the air. They had no doubt of the power of the motor togenerate sufficient speed to lift the hydroplane from the surface; theironly concern was the stability of it when flying. Opening out theplanes, which lay folded close to the vessel, like the wings of adragonfly, when not required for aerial use, they fixed the collapsiblestays and switched their motor on to the air tractor at the bows. Thevessel was already planing under the stern propeller; she now rose fromthe water and sailed along for some time within a few feet of thesurface. Then, tempted by the apparently favourable conditions, theyrose gradually to a greater height, and felt very well pleased withtheir success.
Unluckily, however, they came suddenly upon an air pocket, caused nodoubt by the difference between the temperature of the air above thebanks and that of the cooler air above the river. The machine droppedwith a rapidity that took them both by surprise, for as yet they werenot very expert airmen. It plunged heavily into the water. They hadprovided themselves with air-bags, so that the immersion lasted only afew seconds; but the ignition of the engine was stopped, and they foundthemselves in the unfortunate position of being unable to use the vesselnow even as a hydroplane.
With some difficulty they managed, with the help of their Chineseengineer, to get the machine to the bank. Recognizing the awkwardnessof their situation if they should find themselves overtaken by night sofar from home, they set to work energetically to overhaul the engine.It was a long time before they could make it work again. Meanwhile duskwas drawing on, and they were at least fifty miles from Sui-Fu. When atlast they were satisfied that the engine would work well enough topropel them through the water, they knew that it would be quite darkbefore they reached home.
They pressed on with all the speed of which the engine was capable,keeping well out in the broad river in order to avoid the masses ofreeds that fringed the banks. The sky grew darker and darker, thoughthere was a little more light on the water than over the surroundingcountry. Suddenly their attention was attracted by a continuouswhistling, evidently from the siren of a steamer some distance downstream. They felt some curiosity as to the reason of so prolonged anoise; but they had already learnt that in China people do suchinconceivable things at such unusual times, looked at from the Westernstandpoint, that their interest was not seriously engaged.
"Some old buffer of a Chinaman amusing himself, I suppose," saidErrington. "They seem to like to hear how much row they can kick up."
They were travelling at the rate of about twenty-five knots, and thewhistling grew louder moment by moment. As they steered somewhat nearerto the bank, to take a short cut round a bend, they suddenly came insight of a small steamer about three hundred yards ahead of them. Itwas now so nearly dark that the vessel was not very clearlydistinguishable.
Almost as soon as they caught sight of it, the scream of the sirensuddenly ceased; but immediately they became aware of a shrill babel ofvoices--cries and shouts in the high tones that Chinamen invariablyemploy. And as they drew swiftly nearer, they perceived that the vesselwas surrounded by a number of sampans, the low punt-like boats used bythe lightermen of the ports, and also by the pirates who infested theriver.
A moment later they recognized the steamer. There were few vessels ofthe kind in these high reaches of the Yang-tse-kiang, and they had livedlong enough at Sui-Fu to be able easily to distinguish them.
"It's Ting's vessel," said Errington.
Scarcely had he spoken when two or three pistol shots rang out. Therewas not a doubt that the steamer was being attacked. Burroughs, at thewheel, steered straight for it. Errington snatched up his revolver, butan uneasy suspicion suggesting itself to him, he snapped it, and foundthat its immersion had rendered it useless.
Only a few seconds had passed since they had first caught sight of thesteamer. Unarmed as they were, they meant to take a hand in behalf ofMr. Ting. Each seized a heavy spanner from their tool chest, andBurroughs, telling the engineer to tie the machine to the steamer'sstern rail, shut off the engine and drove the hydroplane among thesampans, sinking two of them by the impact.
Then seizing the stern rail, the two lads drew themselves up, andvaulted on deck. There was no one at the wheel, but a crowd ofstruggling forms was to be seen scrambling up the narrow gangways to thebridge, where there or four men were striving desperately to force theassailants back. At a glance Errington saw that the men on the bridgewere the officers and crew of the vessel, and shouting to Burroughs totake the port gangway, he himself made a dash towards the starboard one,and fell upon the rear of the crowd.
The darkness, the excitement, the noise of the fight, had prevented theattackers from discovering the approach of the hydroplane, so that thesudden onslaught of the two white men, wielding heavy iron tools withthe vigour of sturdy youth, took them completely by surprise. BothErrington and Burroughs were very "fit" through much exercise, and threeor four of the crowd at each gangway had gone down under their vigorousblows before those in front became aware of their danger. When theyturned and found that their new opponents numbered only two, they rushedupon them with yells of rage. But they had now to reckon with the men onthe bridge, who instantly took advantage of the diversion, and springingdown the gangways, threw themselves upon what was now the rear of theirassailants.
But for this rapid movement, the fight would have gone badly for theEnglishmen. One or two pistols were snapped at them, and they hadalready received several gashes from the ugly knives of the pirates.But it was evident from what happened now that the men on the bridge hadbeen husbanding their ammunition. Shots fell thick among the pirateshuddled on the gangways and the deck adjacent. One slightly builtChinaman, his pigtail streaming behind him, flung himself down from thebridge towards the spot where Burroughs, half stunned by a blow from aburly ruffian, had been beaten to the deck. This little man carried aknife in each hand, and used these weapons with such demoniacal furythat in a second or two he cleared the space between him and the fallenEnglishman.
The sudden turning of the tables took all the spirit out of the pirates,who, though they were still three to one, sprang overboard on both sidesof the vessel, and swimming to their sampans, scuttled away like ratsshoreward.
"A velly good fight," said Mr. Ting, wiping his knives and raisingBurroughs from the deck. "No bones bloken?"
"It's nothing," said Burroughs. "I got a whack over the head that mademe see stars. Jolly glad you came to the rescue, sir, or there wouldn'thave been much left of me."
"Hai! I think it is all vice vessa. Without you a
nd Pierce, whereshould I be? You got a whack, Pierce?"
"Oh, a baker's dozen or so, but I've had worse at rugger," saidErrington coming up. "No: hang it! they've cut me, I see; we don't useknives in our scrums. What's it all about, Mr. Ting?"
"As you see, these pilate hogs attacked me. I was going back afterdoing a little business--plomised myself I would dine with you. But letus see who these pigs are."
A BRUSH WITH RIVER PIRATES]
His crew had already thrown overboard two dead bodies, and collectedseveral wounded at the foot of the gangway. A lamp was lighted, and oneof the prisoners, whose head bore plain marks of contact withErrington's spanner, was recognized by Mr. Ting's engineer as anotorious bandit and pirate named Su Fing.
"The blessings of Heaven descend upon the just," murmured Mr. Ting."This man is the worst water-lat of the liver. He is plotected by oneof the seclet societies that are the cuss of this countly, and all themandalins and plefects and likin[#] officers are aflaid of him, and hatehim as much. Suppose we take him to the yamen and accuse him befo' themandalin, he would be aflaid to pass sentence upon him. Why? Because hewould be killed dead by the assassins of the seclet society. No: wewill take him to the Consular Court at Sui-Fu; there we shall havejustice. Of course his punishment will not be so heavy as if he wascondemned by a mandalin. Then he would have his head cut off, or standin the cage, after a beating with the bamboo or the leather. Theconsuls do not punish thus. But when you cannot get the moon, a cheeseis velly acceptable: that is what we will do."
[#] Customs house.
The pirate captain and his wounded men were conveyed on the steamer toSui-Fu, and Mr. Ting accompanied the boys to the consul's court to seethe matter through. The consul declared, however, that since the crimehad been committed against a Chinaman, he as an Englishman had nojurisdiction, and the prisoners had to be brought before the localmandarin. The result was as Mr. Ting had foreseen. The evidence was soclear that it was impossible, even for a Chinese magistrate, to decidein favour of the pirates. He condemned them all to be beaten on thecheeks with the leather, and then to stand tiptoe in the cage, withtheir heads held up at the top so that they could get no ease from theintolerable pain. But the administrators of the beating laid theirstrokes on very lightly, and the custodians of the cages left thefastenings conveniently loose, so that within a few hours the men wereat large. They remained quiet for a few weeks, while their woundshealed: then it was evident, from reports brought down the river, thatthey were at their old trade again.
"A nice country this is," said Errington in disgust. "We'll take carein future, old man, to keep our revolvers dry."