witnessed, that he sat motionless and so utterly oblivious to his
surroundings that he never heard the grating of the key in the lock of
his cell door, never heard that door open and close, and never knew that
he was not still alone until he happened to glance wearily up, and
beheld the Governor gazing down at him with a sardonic smile; while two
other men, with masks over their faces, stood at attention but a few
paces from him. One of them held a coil of stout rope in his hand, and
Frobisher stared at it apprehensively. It was then too late to put into
practice his resolves of the night before. The sword with which he had
meant to do so much execution was out of reach; and he knew that the
slightest movement to secure possession of it would mean a disabling
wound from a bullet of the revolver which the Governor held suggestively
in his hand. And he could not afford to take the risk, since with such
a wound all chance of escape would be at an end; although, as
appearances went, chances of escape appeared to be singularly scanty
just now. The prisoner felt instinctively that a momentous crisis was
at hand.
"Well, Mr Frobisher," presently exclaimed the Governor, speaking in his
perfect English, "have you seen fit to change your mind since I last had
the pleasure of seeing you? You will of course be aware by this time
that you cannot hope for help from your friends outside--they have been
very effectually wiped out, to the last man--and I really think you
would be well advised to fall in with my suggestions."
"Sir," returned Frobisher, "I have already stated my final decision; and
no amount of argument you can bring to bear will make me alter my
resolution. You may do whatever you please, since you have the power,
but I assure you that you will draw no information out of me."
"Very well," retorted the Chinaman; "you have spoken, and we shall soon
see to what lengths your determination will carry you. I have known
many men who, at the outset, seemed to be quite as resolute as yourself;
but it has invariably happened that, after receiving the attentions of
these assistants of mine,"--here he indicated the masked men in the
background--"they have come to their senses with marvellous swiftness.
As I really need the information I have asked you for in all courtesy, I
have no option but to obtain it by the only other means available,
therefore--"
He uttered a few rapid sentences in Chinese, indicating certain machines
and instruments by pointing at them. Frobisher shrewdly guessed, from
the man's actions, that he was instructing his assistants to apply some
form of torture to the prisoner; and the young Englishman braced himself
for the struggle which now seemed inevitable. The chamber was but dimly
illumined by a single lantern, which his unwelcome visitors had brought
with them, and by the flickering light of the dying flames from outside;
and of this uncertain light he sought to take advantage, hoping that he
might succeed in securing possession of a weapon of some sort before his
enemies could divine his intentions.
Availing himself of the fact that the attention of the two assistants
was momentarily diverted from himself to the Governor while the latter
issued his instructions, Frobisher cautiously edged his way toward the
spot where lay the sword which he had already fixed upon as a
particularly suitable weapon, should he need one for purposes of
self-defence; but just as he was in the very act of reaching for the
weapon, the Governor happened to glance toward him, evidently guessed
what his prisoner contemplated, and promptly levelled his revolver. As
the muzzle came up it spouted flame, and Frobisher heard the bullet sing
past his ear, to flatten itself against the massive stone wall. Again
the vicious little weapon was fired; but at the precise instant that the
Chinaman's finger pressed the trigger, Frobisher leaned over and grasped
the hilt of the sword; and again the bullet missed. A third time the
revolver spoke in as many seconds, and Frobisher's arm tingled to the
elbow as the bullet struck the blade and glanced off the steel, luckily
away from instead of toward his body; and at the same instant the two
assistants, recovering from their momentary paralysis, hurled themselves
upon him.
Standing where he now was, close to the pile which he had reared against
the wall to serve as a platform, the prisoner raised his weapon and
quickly swung it over his shoulder, intending to make a sweeping cut at
his assailants as they came on; but the blade came into violent contact
with the erection behind him and baulked his blow. Nevertheless he was
able to bring the weapon into a position which afforded him the
opportunity to receive the most eager of his adversaries upon its point.
With a smothered groan the man dropped writhing to the ground, while
Frobisher, hitting out with his left fist, caught the second man fair on
the point of the jaw. The man went reeling backwards against the
Governor at the precise moment when that individual again pulled
trigger. The result was another miss, which so utterly exasperated the
Chinaman that he hurled the revolver at Frobisher's head and
incontinently turned and fled, locking the cell door behind him.
With two of his foes _hors de combat_ and the other fled, the Englishman
felt himself to be master of the situation.
Keeping his eyes warily upon his prostrate foe lest he should be
shamming and should strive to take him unawares, the young Englishman
now seized the lighted lantern and proceeded to hunt for the Governor's
revolver, which he presently found and thrust into his belt, after
satisfying himself that it still contained two live cartridges. Next he
picked up the coil of rope and bound the prostrate man.
Hardly had he accomplished this business when he thought he detected the
sounds of voices--that of the Governor and some other--and footsteps
approaching outside his prison door. The next instant he was sure of
it. The voice of the stranger was raised as though in anger or
altercation, while that of the Governor was pitched lower, in tones that
seemed to convey the idea of expostulation, entreaty, and apology.
There seemed to be a further altercation outside, the stranger speaking
in an angry, authoritative voice; then the lock grated harshly as a key
was inserted and turned, the door flew open, and a man entered, dressed
in Chinese naval uniform, or what passed for uniform in those days,
closely followed by the Governor, whose countenance betrayed a curious
mingling of ferocity, apprehension, and anger.
CHAPTER EIGHT.
FROBISHER'S COMMISSION.
The Chinese naval officer--who, Frobisher decided, was undoubtedly a man
of high rank and very considerable distinction--looked keenly about him
for several minutes, evidently taking in and forming his own opinion as
to the details of the scene which met his gaze. Then he stared long and
appraisingly at the young Englishman, who thought he detected the ghost
of a smile hovering about the new-comer's mouth as he again glanced at
the forms of the two assistants. Turning to the Governor, the navy-man
sharply addressed what seemed to be a series of questions to him. The
Governor replied, making what Frobisher guessed to be a long and
elaborate explanation. Finally, with a gesture expressive of anger and
impatience, excited apparently by the unsatisfactory character of the
Governor's explanation, the stranger cut him short and turned to
Frobisher.
"Sir," he exclaimed, touching his cap as he stepped forward, and
speaking almost as excellent English as the Governor's own, "permit me
to introduce myself. I am Admiral Wong-lih, of the Imperial Chinese
Navy; and I deeply regret that it should have become my duty to offer
apologies, on behalf of my illustrious master, to an Englishman who has
been unfortunate enough to undergo such treatment as you have suffered
at the hands of a countryman of mine." Here he turned and glowered at
the Governor, who bowed deeply, probably to hide the chagrin and
annoyance that showed themselves only too plainly in his yellow face.
"My name," returned the Englishman, "is Murray Frobisher; and I was,
some time ago, a lieutenant in the British Navy. I came out here for
the purpose of delivering a cargo of arms and ammunition to the Korean
rebels at a certain Korean town. Owing to the treachery of a native in
my employ, I was betrayed into the hands of the Korean regular troops,
and brought here a prisoner. The situation in which you found me was
the result of his Excellency's desire to obtain further information
respecting the rebels and their arrangements. Of such information, I
may tell you, sir, I possess very little, and under any circumstances I
should not have felt myself at liberty to divulge even that little. I
should like to add that I by no means range myself on the side of the
rebels, for, as a matter of fact, I know too little of the circumstances
of the case to judge between them and the Government, although, from
what I have already seen, my sympathies, such as they are, are on the
side of the insurgents. I am in no way connected with the insurgent
forces; and when captured I was merely acting the part of agent of
another private individual in convoying that caravan across country.
But of course, when an attempt was made to take that property out of my
hands, I had no option but to try to defend it. That, sir, is the full
truth of the matter; and I desire to place myself under your protection
as an officer of the Chinese Navy, that I may not again be subjected to
the kind of treatment which I have suffered since my arrival here."
"I thank you," returned the officer, "for your voluntary explanation
with regard to your connection with the rebel forces; which explanation,
I may mention, differs very considerably from the statement made to me
by his Excellency here. At the time that that statement was made it
struck me as being somewhat faulty, and therefore I determined to
investigate matters for myself--a course which I am now very glad I
adopted. I was informed by his Excellency, when I enquired whether any
prisoners were confined here, that there was but one, yourself; and that
you were merely undergoing temporary imprisonment as a result of your
being captured in arms, so to speak, against the Korean Government; and
it was not until I entered this chamber and saw--what I saw--that I
dreamed of the occurrence of any such atrocity as has been practised on
you. Again I offer you my most heartfelt apologies."
"Which I most cordially accept, in the spirit in which they are
offered," said Frobisher, extending his hand, which Wong-lih grasped and
pressed in a friendly fashion.
Then, turning to the Governor, the admiral icily remarked, still in
English:
"I will detain you no longer, your Excellency. I desire to have a
little private conversation with this gentleman; and when I require your
attendance again I will send for you. Pray leave us."
"Your Highness's commands shall be obeyed," replied the Governor,
bowing; and with a sullen scowl on his brow the man turned and left the
room, giving the impression that he would gladly have slammed the door
behind him, had he dared.
"Highness!" thought Frobisher to himself, during the short pause that
ensued. "I seem to be suddenly getting among very important
personages--with a big `P', too. This particular prince must be quite a
celebrity in his own country, I should judge, by his behaviour. The
Governor seemed to be a man of considerable importance, I thought; but
even he has to curl up and eat humble pie when this man speaks to him."
"Now, Mr Frobisher," continued the admiral, "I trust that you will
excuse my claiming your attention for a few minutes longer, for I should
like to have a little conversation with you, and this appears to be the
only room in the fortress where we can talk without being overheard.
You informed me, just now, that you are an ex-naval officer. Would you
object to informing me of the reason why you are no longer in the
Service?"
"Not at all," replied Frobisher. And thereupon he proceeded to give the
admiral a circumstantial account of the accident which led to his
dismissal from the Navy. When Frobisher had finished his recital,
Wong-lih pulled his long moustache thoughtfully for a few moments
without speaking; then he said:
"Well, Mr Frobisher, I am bound to admit that I think you have been
very harshly treated. I do not consider that the fault lay with you at
all, but with the men who ought to have been on the look-out aboard the
steamer which ran you down. There was never any question, I presume, as
to your efficiency as a seaman?"
Frobisher flushed slightly. "None whatever, sir," he answered. "I have
always been considered a quite capable officer, I believe; and, previous
to the accident of which I have spoken, my skill as a seaman was never
once called in question."
"I am glad to hear that," was the admiral's reply, "for I have a
suggestion to make which I trust may meet with your approval. I suppose
I may take it for granted that you are open to an offer of employment in
your own vocation?"
"Well," returned Frobisher, hesitatingly. "I scarcely know how to
answer that question. You see I signed on under--under--"
"You may safely continue, Mr Frobisher," smiled the admiral.
"Everything you may say to me here shall be considered as absolutely
private."
"Under Captain Drake, of the _Quernmore_, then," Frobisher continued;
"and although I did my best to carry out his orders, I failed, and he
will consequently be a very heavy loser. My failure cannot, I think, be
considered my fault; and, as I only signed on for the voyage out here, I
suppose I may now consider myself a free agent, especially as I have not
yet drawn any pay for my services. But I feel that it is perhaps my
duty to go back to Sam-riek, to see Captain Drake and explain matters;
for he may be waiting there for me, expecting my return."
"Of course I do not know Captain Drake, or how he would be likely to act
under the circumstances," rejoined Wong-lih; "but I feel sure that by
this time he will have learnt of the capture of the consignment--news
travels fast out here, you know; and knowing that you had fallen into
the clutches of the Korean troops, he will, to put it bluntly, expect
never to see you alive again. Nor would he ever have done so, but for
the fortunate circumstance of the arrival of my squadron here on this
particular day. This being so, it occurs to me that Captain Drake would
not be at all likely to risk a long stay at Sam-riek in the very forlorn
hope of your returning, but would get away from the place as quickly as
possible. I should not be at all surprised if his vessel were to be
found in Chemulpo harbour within the next few days. In any case, if you
really wish to communicate with him you can write him a letter, and I
will engage to get it delivered to him, if his ship is still in these
waters. How would that suit you, Mr Frobisher?"
"The arrangement will suit me admirably, sir," replied Frobisher,
"though I cannot quite see why I should not endeavour to rejoin Captain
Drake. You mentioned, however, I remember, something as to my being
open to accept other employment. Possibly that may have some bearing
upon the matter."
"It has everything to do with it," said the admiral, "as I will
endeavour to show you presently. But, first of all, I must ask you to
listen to me for a few minutes while I try to give you an insight into
the trend of recent events out here; for unless I do so, you will be
unable to understand what I am `driving at', as I believe you English
call it."
"Pray proceed, sir," was Frobisher's reply.
"Very well then. You are of course aware that rebellion has been rife
in Korea for some months past, hence the endeavour of the insurgents to
procure arms; while the Korean Government has been making every effort
to put down the rebellion without the necessity of asking for outside
assistance or intervention. The attempt, however, has not been a
success, for the rebels are making headway all over the country; to such
an extent, indeed, that the Korean Government has at last been obliged
to apply to my Imperial master, the Emperor, for assistance. That
application arrived some weeks ago; but it was only a few days ago that
the necessary arrangements could be completed for armed intervention on
our part. It was necessary to get together troops, transports, and so
on, and to recall some of our men-of-war to act as convoy; and all this
naturally took time.
"The preparations were finally completed, however, and four days ago I
embarked the troops and left Wei-hai-wei for the port of Asan, where we
now are, and which was reported to me as being a centre of disaffection,
a hotbed of rebellion. But I most certainly never anticipated, when I
left, that I should have the pleasure of rescuing a fellow sailor from a
most serious predicament. However, to continue. By the convention of
1884 at Tien-tsin, between China and Japan, it was agreed that, should
either country have occasion to send an armed force into Korea, the
sender should inform the other country of the circumstance, giving full
particulars of the reason, the strength of the force sent, and any other
information deemed necessary. This was done by cable, before I left
Wei-hai-wei, and the Japanese reply arrived by cable, also before I
left. It was curt in tone to a degree, and intimated briefly that Japan
intended to send a guard to Seoul for the protection of her ambassador--
as though we ourselves could not afford him the necessary protection--
and hinted very strongly that she might consider it advisable to send an
armed force of her own--to see that we do not run away with the country,
presumably.
"Little enough, you will say, to cause misgiving on our part; but the
fact remains that relations between China and Japan have been very
strained for some time past, and our Council feels that this action on
our part will bring matters to a head, especially in view of the veiled
threat that Japan may perhaps find it necessary to land an armed force
herself. Matters look very ominous, Mr Frobisher, in the opinion of
nearly all our leading men, so we are naturally eager so to order things
that, if trouble should arise between the two countries--as I, for one,
feel certain it will--we shall not be entirely unprepared. It is most
unfortunate, however, that we are at present extremely short of naval
officers; indeed, if war were to break out to-morrow it is an absolute
certainty that several of our men-of-war would be unable to put to sea,
for want of capable officers to man them. Crews sufficient we have, but
officers--"
"Surely you are not serious, sir?" exclaimed Frobisher.
"But I am, indeed, sir," replied Wong-lih. "And now you will see
whither this long story of mine is leading, and why I asked you if you
would be ready to accept employment. Stated very briefly, the situation
is this. If you will agree to my proposal, I can secure for you the
position of captain on board a very fine new cruiser of ours, which, at
present, we cannot send to sea for the reason I have just mentioned. I
cannot actually make the appointment myself, but I can give you passage
to Wei-hai-wei, whence you can easily reach Tien-tsin, where the Council
is now sitting; and on my recommendation there would be no hesitation on
its part about giving you the post--quite the reverse, indeed. There
would be no unpleasant conditions imposed upon you; you would not be
required to become a Chinese subject, or to do anything, in short, that
would affect your allegiance to your own glorious Queen--whom may Buddha
in his mercy preserve! All that would be required of you would be an
oath to serve faithfully and to the best of your ability while in the
Chinese service. Now, I have said my say; let me have your opinion and
decision, for I have already spent more time in this fortress than I
should have."
For some moments Frobisher remained in deep thought. Undoubtedly, this
offer of Wong-lih's opened up a most rosy vista of the future. Captain
of a fine new cruiser, with the prospect of a naval war in the near
future--what more could any Navy man ask for? There would be chances in
plenty to win honour, fame, renown; and his name might even go down in
history if he had any luck! It was a tempting bait, indeed, that
Wong-lih held out; and, being at a loose end, the Englishman would have
been more--or less--than human if he had not jumped at it. Besides, why
should not he? His own country had rejected his services; another
country, apparently, had need of them: so why should he not sell his
sword to that country? There was no reason at all, so far as he could
see; and his mind was made up in less than a minute.
Turning to Wong-lih, he held out his hand with the simple words, "I
accept"; and by so doing, altered the whole course of his existence, and
opened up for himself a vista of such dazzling brilliance that, could he
but have glanced into the future, even his steady, somewhat unemotional
brain might have been very nearly turned. But before this could be
realised he was to pass through scenes and experiences which were to
leave their mark indelibly upon him.
The admiral returned Frobisher's grip with great heartiness.
"I am rejoiced to learn your decision, Mr Frobisher," he said, bowing
courteously; "and I feel sure you will never have cause to regret it.
For such a man as yourself, the Chinese Naval service, at the present
moment, offers almost unlimited scope; and there is no reason at all why
you should not, in the course of a few years, rise to the highest
position in it. We urgently need good men just now, for I am sorry to
say that bribery, corruption, and treachery are frightfully prevalent in
both the Army and the Navy; and my heart sometimes misgives me when I
think of the revelations that are bound to be made when we come to
hand-grips with Japan--as I feel confident we soon shall.
"But I must not continue in this strain, or you will be refusing the job
with thanks. I suppose there is nothing to keep you here? I mean, you
will be able to accompany me back to my ship and make the voyage to
Wei-hai-wei with me? I return almost immediately, for my duties
consisted simply in convoying the transports here, and looking into
matters at Asan sufficiently to enable me to make a report on my return;
and that I have already done; so that I am prepared to weigh as soon as
it is daybreak. I shall be honoured, also, if you will consider
yourself my guest while on board the _Hai-yen_, my flagship."
Frobisher bowed his thanks. "The honour is mine," he said, "and I shall
have great pleasure in accepting your kind invitation. Also, as I have
absolutely nothing but what I stand up in, my preparations are not
likely to occupy much time," and he laughed. "But," he continued, as
Wong-lih turned toward the door, "there is one thing which I think we
have both forgotten, and which may prove an insuperable objection to my
joining the Chinese Navy."
"And that is?" enquired the admiral, raising his eyebrows.
"That I have practically no knowledge of the Chinese language," replied
Frobisher. "To be of any real use as captain of a cruiser it seems to
me that a thorough acquaintance with Chinese is an absolute necessity."
"If that is your only objection," exclaimed Wong-lih in a tone of
relief, "you may dismiss it at once. I had not overlooked the fact that
you might be ignorant of Chinese; but we shall do for you exactly what
we are doing in the case of Captain Foster of the battleship
_Chen-yuen_, who is also an Englishman. We shall provide you with an
efficient interpreter, whose sole duty it will be to remain constantly
at your side and translate your wishes and commands into Chinese; so,
you see, there will be no difficulty at all on that score. Now, if you
are quite ready, shall we go? I have no time to spare, and, moreover,
the atmosphere of this place is anything but agreeable."
As he spoke, the admiral opened the heavy door and, courteously signing
to the Englishman to precede him, allowed Frobisher to pass out into the
stone-flagged corridor. Thence they followed the route by which the
Englishman had been brought on the previous day, until they came to the
room in which he had been cross-examined by the commandant of the fort;
and there they found the latter, with the Governor and several other
officials, all of whom respectfully rose to their feet upon the
admiral's entrance.
With a somewhat curt gesture Wong-lih directed them to be seated; and
then ensued a rather lengthy conversation in Chinese, the principal part
of which was borne by the admiral, who seemed to be asking questions and
issuing instructions. Then, rising to his feet, he dismissed the little
group and requested Frobisher to follow him.