upon the traitor, dropping sword and revolver as he did so. This was a
case for the use of bare hands alone, man to man; the discharge of a
pistol might only complete Hsi's work for him, and Frobisher did not
feel that he could cut the man down from behind, in cold blood, richly
as he deserved it, and as the man himself would undoubtedly have done,
had the positions been reversed. He gripped the sacred person of the
Prince round the body, and endeavoured to hurl him to the floor and so
stun him; but Hsi was a powerful man, and although taken at a
disadvantage, managed to twist himself so that Frobisher's superior
strength expended itself in vain.
Then, with a mighty effort, he wrenched one arm free and seized the
Englishman by the throat, sinking in his fingers with a fury that
testified all too plainly to the intensity of his hatred.
Do what he might, Frobisher could not wrench the traitor's fingers away;
and although with his left hand he managed to prevent Hsi from drawing
the knife suspended from his belt, he knew that unless he could release
himself from that bulldog grip, he must very soon lose consciousness,
for already his eyes were beginning to protrude, the dim light of the
magazine seemed full of flashing stars and blazing fireworks, and the
blood drummed horribly in his ears. Besides, good heavens! there was
that deadly spark hissing and sputtering its way along the fuse, and
unless it was quenched within a minute, the _Ting Yuen_ and her crew
would be flying skyward, a cloud of splintered steel and dismembered
human bodies.
This last thought gave Frobisher back his strength for a moment, and
with a herculean effort he wrenched his throat from Hsi's grip; then,
recovering himself quickly, before the Chinaman had his knife more than
half-way out of its sheath, he drew back his arm and struck Hsi a mighty
blow full on the point of the chin.
The Prince's neck clicked like a breaking stick, and he was dashed
senseless against the steel walls of the magazine, falling in a tumbled
heap upon the floor. Without looking to see whether the man was
unconscious or not, Frobisher dashed at the fuse and trampled it
fiercely underfoot until the smouldering spark was entirely
extinguished; then, with a sob of relief, he withdrew its other end from
a pile of explosives and tossed it out of the door.
Then he lifted Hsi on his shoulders, carried him out of the magazine,
closing the door after him, and took him to his own cabin, where he
deposited the senseless body in its bunk, afterwards securing the
Prince's wrists and ankles firmly with some lengths of rope which he
procured from one of the men. This done, he locked the door, put the
key in his pocket, and went in search of the admiral, whom he fully
expected to find dead. At the same moment he heard the _Ting Yuen's_
guns again opening overhead, as her temporary commander brought her into
action once more, and he smiled grimly as he thought that, if Hsi had
had his way, the shells from those very weapons would at this minute
have been crashing their way through Chinese hulls, instead of being
directed, as they were, against the Japanese ships.
Frobisher found Admiral Ting lying on the floor of his cabin, his hands
lashed behind him, and senseless from a severe cutlass or sword cut
across the forehead. He had evidently been cut down while in the
conning-tower, and had been brought to the cabin and there secured and
flung down; for the Englishman had noticed a trail of bloodstains on the
deck on his way to Ting's quarters.
In a very short time he had cut the old gentleman adrift, and after a
few drops of brandy had been forced down his throat, Ting quickly
revived, and gave Frobisher an account of what had occurred.
It was short, but to the point. Hsi had entered the conning-tower with
a drawn sword in his hand, and before the admiral could open his mouth
the Prince had ruthlessly cut him down. After that the admiral knew no
more until he awoke to find Frobisher pouring spirit and water down his
throat.
He was profuse in his thanks to the young Englishman, and, when he had
learned from the latter all that had happened, promised that he would
never forget the brave deed by which he had been rescued from eternal
shame and dishonour. Then, despite his wound, which Frobisher roughly
bandaged, the plucky old fellow insisted upon going on deck again and
taking charge.
But when the two men regained the open, what a sight met their horrified
eyes! The _Kau-ling_, which, although dismantled, had been fighting
bravely when Frobisher led his boarders away, had disappeared, and the
_Tung-yen_, the engines of which had broken down, had been surrounded by
five Japanese ships, and was even then sinking. The _Yung-chau_, which
had taken fire early in the fight, was now but an abandoned, charred
wreck; and even the gallant _Shan-si_ and _Chen Yuen_, which had done
great deeds ever since the beginning, were now terribly damaged.
Frobisher's own ship, a short distance away, under Drake's able
seamanship was still giving a splendid account of herself, but even she,
Frobisher's experienced eye could tell, was very badly mauled.
In short, of the ten ships which China had possessed that morning four
were destroyed, one had crept away too seriously damaged to remain in
action, one had gone as convoy to the transports, and the remaining four
were all badly damaged. As for the torpedo-boats, the Japanese
destroyers and smaller cruisers had made short work of them. Of the
seven, three were sunk, one had been captured, two had fled toward
Wei-hai-wei hotly pursued by a big Japanese destroyer, and only one
remained with the remnant of the Chinese fleet.
The Japanese had lost only three small cruisers and a destroyer, so that
their fleet was even now almost as numerous as China's had been at the
beginning of the battle. True, the _Yoshino_ and the _Fuji_ were little
better than wrecks, and the other ships had one and all received a very
severe drubbing; but they were still afloat and more or less under
control, while their undamaged guns now outnumbered those of the Chinese
by about six to one.
The odds were too heavy. To keep on fighting with the four remaining
ships against the still powerful Japanese fleet would be simply throwing
those four ships away to no purpose, and shedding China's best blood
without avail. If those two battleships and two cruisers could still be
retained for China, they would live to fight another day, for with the
addition of the southern squadron, still intact and undamaged, they
would once more make up a powerful fleet; but if they were lost or
captured now, that would be the end of them, and possibly the end of
China also.
Ting realised all this at a glance, and with a bitter groan ordered the
signal to retire to be hoisted--the enemy to be held at bay, if
possible, while the evolution was being carried out.
As it was manifestly impossible for Frobisher to rejoin his own ship,
owing to lack of boats, he took charge as captain of the _Ting Yuen_ in
place of the traitor prince, confined below, and, in company with the
other battleship, the _Chen Yuen_, endeavoured to beat off the Japanese
craft that were manoeuvring to surround the two remaining Chinese
cruisers. And so bold a front--or rather, rear--did the four ships
present that the Japanese before long relinquished the pursuit, not
caring, in view of the success already obtained, to risk losing any more
of their already sadly-battered ships by exposing them to the
now-concentrated fire of the big Chinese ships' eighty-ton guns, the
projectiles from which had already done so much damage.
They accordingly drew off and gave up the half-hearted chase, employing
the short time still remaining before darkness fell in effecting some
very necessary repairs to their ships; while the broken remnant of
China's northern squadron pursued its halting way toward Wei-hai-wei,
the small torpedo-boat still remaining to them acting as scout in
advance, on the look-out for the Japanese destroyer which, earlier in
the day, had left the action in pursuit of a couple of damaged Chinese
torpedo-boats.
In the late twilight they fell in with the destroyer on her return from
her unsuccessful pursuit, the two small craft having succeeded in
effecting their escape. She had evidently anticipated a complete
victory for her own side, and seeing lights in the distance, had made
for them, thinking that, by this time, every ship would be in Japanese
hands; and she did not discover her mistake until she was under the
Chinese guns. Then she attempted to cut and run; but she was too late.
There was a rattle of machine-gun fire which drove her men from the deck
torpedo-tubes, and a few seconds later one of the _Chen Yuen's_ big guns
plumped a shell right into her, crumpling her up like cardboard and
sending her to the bottom within a few seconds. Some--a very few--of
her men were rescued and made prisoners by the Chinese torpedo-boat, but
the majority, dead or disabled from the effects of the bursting shell,
went to feed the sharks.
Early the following morning, just after daybreak, the four ships
overtook the _San-chau_ and the transport fleet, which circumstance
rejoiced Admiral Ting exceedingly, as he had been extremely anxious lest
they might perhaps have fallen in with some prowling Japanese cruisers
and been snapped up. Then the war-ships and the transports kept company
until they reached Wei-hai-wei, where they found the little _Hat-yen_,
but recently arrived in a sinking condition, so that it had been
necessary to beach her immediately to save her from sinking at her
anchors.
Admiral Ting lost no time in docking such of his ships as there was room
for; the others were run alongside the wharves, to have their guns
replaced and their upper-works repaired, after which they would, one by
one, go into dock as their repaired sisters came out. The admiral then
dispatched to Tien-tsin the _San-chau_, the only undamaged war-ship,
with an account of the battle; while the torpedo-boat, after a few minor
repairs, was dispatched south with a similar message to Admiral
Wong-lih, suggesting that he should bring up the southern fleet, so
that, together, the united squadrons might seek the Japanese fleet and
once more give battle, in an attempt to recover the mastery of the sea,
which was of paramount importance to China.
CHAPTER TWENTY.
ON SPECIAL SERVICE.
For the first few days after the return of the fleet to Wei-hai-wei
everybody was very fully employed, including even the admiral himself,
who, despite his deep and painful wound, insisted on being about the
dockyard, his head tied up in a bandage, superintending the refitting of
the shattered ships. Nothing was mentioned with regard to Prince Hsi.
That arch-villain had not even been seen; and Frobisher supposed it was
Ting's intention to send him, as soon as he could spare an escort, to
Tien-tsin to stand his trial--a procedure which the Englishman was
inclined to think very likely to end in a farce, since, once among the
circle of his rich and powerful relatives and acquaintance, the man was
wily and cunning enough to be able to extricate himself even out of such
a predicament as that in which he was now plunged.
Frobisher had, however, forgotten a certain promise which Ting had made
at Wi-ju, at the mouth of the Yalu, when Prince Hsi had been so very
nearly discovered in communication with one of the enemy's destroyers--
the promise that, if he actually caught the Prince red-handed, so that
there could be no possible doubt about the matter, not all the influence
or powerful relations in China should save him from the fate he would so
richly deserve.
There could be little doubt that it was due to the signals sent that
night by the Prince to the destroyer that the Japanese had learned the
strength of the Chinese squadron and its destination, and had thus been
enabled to come up in full force, as they had done, and practically
annihilate the northern squadron. This was not the first nor the second
time that Hsi had played the traitor, although until now there had been
no actual proof of his treachery; he was strongly suspected, for
instance, of having brought about the disaster to the transport
_Kowshing_, when she had been sunk by the Japanese cruiser _Naniwa_,
with over a thousand Chinese troops on board.
Admiral Ting had not allowed his oath to slip his memory, and the old
fellow, gentle, kindly, and courteous though he was to his friends,
could be very vindictive when it came to dealing with evil-doers,
especially criminals of the hardened, remorseless type which Prince Hsi
had proved himself to be. He was only biding his time, as events were
very soon to prove.
One evening Frobisher received a polite message from the admiral that
his presence would be required on board the flagship at ten o'clock on
the following morning, and so did the other captains and first
lieutenants. Consequently, at the hour named, Captains Foster, James,
Frobisher, and Quen-lung, of the _Chen Yuen, Shan-si, Chih' Yuen_, and
_Hat-yen_ respectively, together with their first officers, found
themselves assembled in Admiral Ting's cabin on board the flagship, each
of them attired in full-dress uniform and wearing their side-arms. The
admiral himself was also present, dressed in the fullest of full dress,
and wearing all his various Chinese orders and decorations; while the
cabin door was guarded on each side by a Chinese sailor with drawn
cutlass.
The room had been cleared of most of its usual furnishings, and a plain,
long and narrow oak table had been placed in the centre, with chairs
sufficient to accommodate the little party of officers assembled. At a
short distance from the table there was placed another chair, standing
by itself, the use of which was to be discovered presently.
As soon as the last officer had arrived, Admiral Ting explained that
they were met together to sit in judgment on the person of Prince Hsi, a
member of the royal house of China, and lately captain of the battleship
_Ting Yuen_, the said officer being accused of treachery to his country,
mutiny, and desertion to the enemy during the time of battle. The
accuser was, for official purposes, the first lieutenant of the _Ting
Yuen_, an officer of high birth and proved integrity, who had also been
struck down and confined below by Prince Hsi's mutinous sailors.
Admiral Ting himself intended to act as Judge Advocate; and the other
captains and officers made up the court, their opinions as to the guilt
or innocence of the accused to be taken after the hearing of the case,
beginning with the man of lowest rank present, the idea of this being to
prevent the younger and less experienced officers from being influenced
by the decisions of their superiors.
On the table, with its point directed toward the Judge Advocate's seat,
lay Prince Hsi's sword, which had been taken from him at the time of his
arrest.
The officers having taken their seats in the order of seniority, Admiral
Ting declared the court open, and directed the prisoner to be brought
in. A few seconds later the door opened and Prince Hsi entered, guarded
by two sailors with drawn swords, and himself wearing his full-dress
uniform, with all his orders displayed across his breast. He looked,
Frobisher thought, a trifle pale, but was otherwise cool and collected,
and his face wore its usual expression of cold and haughty resentment.
With him entered another officer belonging to Admiral Ting's staff,
whose duty it would be to act as the prisoner's "friend", a position
something similar to that of counsel for the defence at a civilian
trial.
Having bowed to the assembled court, the Prince, in view of his rank,
was permitted to seat himself in the chair provided, and the trial
commenced. From the first it was quite evident that Hsi believed his
judges would never dare to proceed to extremities, for his replies were
always careless, and often flippant; but Frobisher could see that the
court was very much in earnest, and that the Prince was deceiving
himself very badly.
It began to dawn on the prisoner, after a time, that his accusers were
making out a very serious case against him--as, indeed, they could not
help doing, in face of the evidence they possessed; and he made
desperate efforts to justify his conduct and to excuse his actions,
though, in face of the facts, he was attempting an utter impossibility.
At the expiration of an hour the accusation and defence had been heard,
and the Prince was ordered to be removed. Admiral Ting then summed up,
and asked the verdict of the court, commencing with the youngest
lieutenant present, and working up until the last pronouncement rested
with the captain of the _Chen Yuen_.
Every officer gave it as his conscientious conviction that the Prince
was guilty, and Hsi was then recalled. He started violently as he saw
that his sword had been reversed and that its point was now toward,
instead of away from, him; for he knew by that token that he had been
found guilty, and that all that now remained for him was to hear his
sentence, which even yet, it was clear, he did not believe would be at
all severe.
It was, however, the most severe that could be passed. The sentence ran
that Prince Hsi, having been found guilty by a court composed of his
fellow officers of the charges preferred against him, should be stripped
of his decorations and have the insignia of his rank torn from his
uniform in presence of the assembled officers and crews of the Chinese
fleet, and that thereafter he should be shot upon the quarter-deck of
the flagship _Ting Yuen_.
When this terrible sentence was pronounced Prince Hsi was observed to
stagger and turn deathly pale. Such ignominy as this he had never
dreamed of; and to lose his life into the bargain--
With a lightning-like movement, and before his guards could prevent him,
Hsi placed the back of his hand to his mouth, held it there a second,
and then, with a groan of deepest agony, reeled backward and fell upon
the cabin floor.
When they picked him up he was quite dead, and the cause of his death
was revealed by the large ring which he wore on the third finger of his
left hand. It had been made hollow, with a tiny hinged cover, and
concealed in the hollow there had evidently been a minute dose of an
extremely powerful poison which, from the odour of almonds that filled
the cabin directly afterward, Frobisher recognised as being prussic
acid, one of the quickest and most deadly poisons known to science.
With a solemn, courteous gesture Ting dismissed his officers, and they
trooped silently out of the cabin, leaving the admiral alone with the
dead. A little later in the day the body was enclosed in a coffin and
placed on board a ship bound for Tien-tsin, with directions that it
should be delivered to the Prince's relations.
Thus perished a man who bad used his high position to attain his own
base ends at the expense of his country and the lives of his countrymen.
Nemesis had overtaken him at last, as it sometimes does evil-doers; and
the high-born Prince Hsi died miserably, a condemned criminal.
Frobisher returned to his own ship from the court of justice saddened
and disheartened. True, the Prince had richly deserved his fate, and
China could never have known safety while he remained alive; but it
seemed a dreadful thing that a young man like Prince Hsi, with all
life's infinite possibilities to one of his standing before him, should
deliberately imperil and finally forfeit those possibilities for the
equivalent of a few thousand English pounds, in order to be able to
practise vices which had originated in the first place simply through
the possession of so much money that he felt he had to get rid of it
somehow, and so adopted the quickest means available.
But the young English captain had very little time in which to moralise
over Hsi's miserable end; for shortly after his return to the _Chih'
Yuen_, while he was changing into his undress uniform, a messenger came
aboard with a request that he would wait upon the admiral again
immediately.
Wondering what was now in the wind, Frobisher went across to the _Ting
Yuen_, to find the admiral anxiously pacing the deck awaiting him; and
he soon learnt what it was that his superior required him for.
It appeared that a ship had come in but a short time previously,
bringing important news, which her captain had just communicated to
Ting, to the effect that the Japanese had resolved upon the seizure of
the Chinese island of Taiwan, or Formosa, and that they intended to
dispatch an expedition thither under General Oki, in two transports,
each conveying twelve hundred men; and as the intended invasion of the
island was believed by the Japanese to be a dead secret, it was proposed
to send only one gunboat or small cruiser to convoy the transports.
They evidently considered that, the Chinese northern fleet being still
under repair at Wei-hai-wei, and the southern fleet away in southern
Chinese waters, they had little or nothing to fear, and that a very
small measure of protection, or even none at all, would suffice. How
the man had obtained his information he declined to say; but he solemnly
declared that the news was genuine, and spoke so convincingly that he
quite satisfied the admiral of the need for taking immediate action.
Ting therefore asked Frobisher whether it was true that the repairs to
his ship were all but completed; and on being informed that another
day's work would suffice to render the _Chih' Yuen_ ready for sea, if
her services were urgently required, he ordered the young Englishman to
expedite matters as much as possible, get his stores and ammunition on
board, and sail at the earliest moment for Kilung, at the north end of
the island of Formosa, at which spot it was reported that the Japanese
intended to disembark their troops. This disembarkation, said Ting,
must be prevented, if possible, and the gunboat and transports were to
be destroyed, or captured, as circumstances should decide. This ought,
he added, to be an easy task for the _Chih' Yuen_; and it would prove a
very adequate reprisal for the sinking of the transport _Kowshing_ and
some of her attendant ships by the Japanese squadron some weeks
previously.
This was just the kind of commission that appealed to Frobisher, who had
still a great deal of the boy left in him; there was nothing that he
liked better than to be able to get away on special service. He
therefore assured Ting that he would return on board, hurry his
preparations forward, and get away at the very earliest moment.
The morning but one following, therefore, found him steaming out of the
harbour of Wei-hai-wei, with Drake, almost as eager as himself, standing
on the bridge beside him. There had been very little prospect of active
service for either of them until Wong-lih could join forces with the
northern fleet, and that might possibly not be for some time; therefore
both men were in the highest spirits at the thought of getting to
hand-grips with the enemy again so quickly, and it was with a light
heart indeed that the young captain ordered the admiral's salute to be
fired as the _Chih' Yuen_ swept seaward out of the harbour.
The distance from Wei-hai-wei to Kilung, at the north end of Formosa, is
close upon a thousand miles, and Frobisher reckoned that it would take
him some seventy hours to do the trip. On the other hand, the distance
from the nearest Japanese port, Nagasaki, to the same spot was only
about seven hundred miles; therefore if the proposed invading expedition
sailed at the time when the _Chih' Yuen_ left Wei-hai-wei, the
probability was that the Japanese would be there first, in which case
his task would be exceedingly difficult, if not impossible. Once let
the soldiers get ashore, and he, with his small force, would be quite
unable to turn them out. It was only by meeting the transports and
gunboats at sea that he could hope for success; and he did not spare
coal, or his engineers' and stokers' feelings, in his eagerness to reach
the scene first. Of course, there was always the possibility that,
believing their plan a secret, the enemy would not greatly hurry to get
to Kilung; but Frobisher was not taking any chances, and he drove his
ship through the short, choppy seas at the full power of her engines.