part of the second cargo of the first boat, which had by this time
returned to the wreck; and she was soon on her way back to the shore,
with a small party of seamen as well as the weapons.
Frobisher was on the point of going below again, to endeavour to rescue
a few more articles likely to be of use to people in their position,
when Drake suddenly shouted:
"Look out, sir; look out, men! Jump for your lives; the ship is sinking
under us!"
And indeed, even as the words left Drake's lips, with a terrible
grinding sound of rending iron and timber the _Chih' Yuen_ began to
slide backward off the sharp pinnacle of rock that supported her bows.
Some of the men followed Drake's advice and leaped overboard, others
seized anything handy that would serve to support them, while one small
body of seamen made herculean efforts to launch the half-completed raft.
But these last were too late; the structure had been made of large
dimensions on purpose to sustain the weight of a considerable number of
men, and it was too heavy to be moved unless all hands had applied
themselves to the task. It refused to budge, and while the men were
still struggling with it, the cruiser slid clear of the last ridge of
rock into the sea in a terrific swirl of foaming water, rolled
sluggishly once or twice, with the water up to the level of her gun
casemates, and then slowly capsized and sank, throwing all the men who
were fortunate enough to have been above-deck into the water, where a
terrible scene of struggling among the drowning at once ensued.
Quite a large proportion of the Chinese were unable to swim, and those
of them who possessed no spar or piece of plank to cling to either
strove to save themselves by clutching at the nearest swimmer, or fought
to tear their more fortunate companions from their supports and seize
them for themselves. There were many exhibitions of mad brutality,
selfishness, and cowardice, as there too frequently are on such
occasions; but these were redeemed by the heroic deeds of others who
retained their senses and their manhood.
The raft had, of course, floated clear when the ship sank; and Frobisher
and Drake, after being submerged so long by the suction of the sinking
craft as to be almost suffocated, were lucky enough to come to the
surface close alongside it. Having gained the raft, they at once set to
work to haul on board everybody within reach, and then, with the
assistance of a few oars which had floated free of the broken boats
remaining on the cruiser, the occupants managed to propel the raft,
despite the heavy sea still running, to a large grating, to which half a
dozen men were clinging, submerged to their chins.
By this time, however, the raft was as heavily weighted as it could
safely be--the water, indeed, was sweeping over it at times in such
volume as to bury the men almost to their waists; and it was fortunate
for its occupants that the other two boats now returned and, getting
alongside, proceeded to relieve it of some of its living burden,
otherwise a great number would inevitably have soon been swept away to
death.
There were still a few men either swimming or clinging to pieces of
wreckage, and when these had been taken on board the boats, the mournful
harvest was completed. Save for spars, gratings, and fragments of
wreckage, the sea was clear of every trace of the once-proud cruiser.
All the survivors of the catastrophe were either ashore, on the raft, or
divided between the two boats; and after another careful scrutiny in
every direction, Frobisher recognised that there were no more to be
saved, and ordered the boats to pass lines aboard the raft and tow it to
the shore.
The landing was effected in safety, except for the loss of one man, who
was snapped up by a shark as he sprang out of one of the boats to help
to run her up the beach. The great fish swooped up with a rush, turned
on its side in the shallow water, and dragged the man away before a hand
could be lifted to rescue him. His despairing shriek rang in the ears
of everybody for many a day afterwards; yet his fate was a lucky one
compared to that in store for some of those who stood shivering and wet
upon that sandy beach in the chill air of early morning.
Once safely ashore, Frobisher proceeded to count the survivors; and out
of the crew of three hundred and thirty men who were on board the _Chih'
Yuen_ when she left Wei-hai-wei, he found only a hundred and forty
remaining. Of the others, some had been washed overboard during the
typhoon, more had been swept away when the ship first struck, and the
rest had gone down when she sank, either between her decks or sucked
down and drowned in the vortex caused by the sinking hull.
This was no time for repining, however; they were not yet by any means
out of the wood, and there was a good deal of work to be done at once.
First of all, the provisions and water-casks were left on the beach
under a guard, while two parties, headed by Frobisher and Drake
respectively, armed themselves from the stock of weapons brought ashore,
and went off in different directions, in search, first, of a water
supply, and secondly, of a spot in its immediate neighbourhood where
they might construct some sort of a defence to protect themselves from
any attack until rescued.
That there was urgent need for such a structure was very soon
demonstrated, for scarcely had Frobisher and his party penetrated a
quarter of a mile into the jungle, when they were saluted by a shower of
spears and arrows that stretched no less than thirteen of their number
dead on the ground, and wounded several others. Frobisher immediately
threw his men roughly into a square formation, and fired a volley into
the surrounding bush, in the midst of which naked brown forms could be
seen flitting hither and thither; and by the volume of shrieks, groans,
and cries that arose immediately after the discharge, it seemed that he
had taught the savage natives a sharp and wholesome lesson. At any
rate, they retreated in confusion; and soon afterward Frobisher was
fortunate enough to discover a spot that would serve admirably as a site
for a sort of blockhouse or fort. There was a spring of good water
sufficient in quantity to supply the needs of his whole force, an open
space of ground on which the structure could be built, and an abundance
of small timber that could easily be worked up into palisading with the
assistance of the tools from the carpenter's chest--one of the first
things that Frobisher had thought of sending ashore, after the arms and
ammunition.
The party was therefore divided, one half remaining to defend the chosen
site, if necessary, while the other half was dispatched to inform Drake
of their success, and to bring up the beach party with the provisions
and water-casks, arms, and boxes of cartridge. The boats, Frobisher
ordered, were to be hauled as far up the beach as possible, together
with the raft, and all of them were to be well secured. It was not
considered very likely that the savages would attempt to seize the
boats, for they would not know how to handle them; but if they did,
Frobisher was determined that the task should be made as difficult for
them as possible. That they might break them up for the sake of the
nails was a contingency that would have to be faced, as he dared not
leave a small guard to protect them, and had not men enough to be able
to leave a large one.
When Drake arrived with his exploring party, he informed Frobisher that
he, too, had been attacked by a party of the natives, although there had
apparently not been so many of them in his case as in that of the
captain, and a few shots fired into the jungle had been sufficient to
clear the road for them. These two incidents served to convince
Frobisher that there had been no exaggeration in the tales concerning
the dangerous character of the Formosan savages; and he realised that
the sooner a stockade and fort of some description could be erected, the
better it would be for all of them.
The carpenter's chest was therefore at once opened, and the available
tools divided among as many as the supply would allow; and while four
men with axes started to cut down small trees of a size suitable to make
posts for the stockade, others set to work with their cutlasses--for
want of better instruments--to mow down and root up the scrub with which
the site of the proposed fort was covered, putting it on one side for
use afterward as a protective hedge. Others, again, using the saws,
proceeded to cut the trees into suitable lengths as soon as they were
felled by the axemen; a fourth party, using their cutlasses as spades,
undertook to dig holes for the reception of the finished posts; and the
remainder were employed in the task of guarding the labourers, with
rifle and drawn cutlass, from the chance of attack by the savages.
By midday, when all hands sat down to a hasty meal, the actual erection
of the stockade had been commenced, and by the time that darkness had
fallen the first line of posts was completed, in the form of a square
some thirty feet by thirty, all but a length of about twelve feet, which
perforce had to be left open for that night, since the men could not
work in the dark--a guard being posted there to prevent any unauthorised
persons from entering.
Fires were lighted all round the outside of the stockade, so that no
savages could approach without being seen; while light of every
description in the interior of the enclosure was strictly forbidden by
Frobisher, in order that the advantage should be all on the side of the
defenders, in the event of attack.
Half a dozen men were told off to take the first spell at guarding the
twelve-foot gap in the palisading, and two more were stationed at
loopholes which had been formed in each of the other three sides, to
prevent a surprise from either of those directions. Then, rifles and
revolvers having been reloaded and piled in different parts of the
enclosure, ready to hand, and cutlasses resharpened on the grindstone
belonging to the tool-chest and placed close to their owners' hands, the
remainder of the little company stretched themselves out on beds of
bracken, which had been cut during the day, and in a few minutes were
fast asleep, completely worn out by the fatigue and excitement of a very
long and arduous day.
Frobisher, however, though extremely tired, would not permit himself to
sleep, feeling to the full the responsibility resting on his shoulders
for the safety of his men; but he insisted that Drake should do so, for
he had been awake most of the previous night while Frobisher was
resting. To keep himself awake, the captain periodically perambulated
round the stockade, constantly replenishing the watch fires, which had
been placed at a considerable distance from the fort, and seeing that
the men told off for sentry duty were keeping awake and on the alert.
But strive as he might against the temptation to close his eyes, if only
for a moment, he found himself continually nodding, even as he walked;
and once or twice he awakened to the realisation that he had, for a few
seconds, actually been walking in his sleep. The unfortunate watchmen,
too, were constantly needing to be roused; and before long Frobisher
found that, each time he made the rounds, it was necessary to reawaken
them, all of them being found sleeping, leaning on their rifles or
against the stockade.
All the while he, too, was becoming more and more drowsy; and at last,
shortly after midnight, he determined to rouse the second lieutenant and
a dozen of the sleepers to take the place of those who had been doing
the first spell. Accordingly he reeled in through the opening in the
stockade, scarcely noticing that the men who were supposed to be
guarding the gap were all so nearly asleep that they were quite useless
as sentries.
It took him some little time, in the darkness, to find the spot where
the second lieutenant was lying; and he was just shaking the man gently
by the shoulder to rouse him when the still night air was rent by a most
heart-shaking yell, instantly followed by several shrill screams of
agony in quick succession. As Frobisher started to his feet in horror
he saw the somnolent sentries at the gap in the very act of falling
under the flashing blades of a horde of yelling, shouting, ferocious
savages who, at the first wild rush, had broken into the fort, and were
now spearing the hapless Chinese seamen, who, scarcely half-awake, were
blindly searching for their rifles and cutlasses.
Himself armed, Frobisher desperately strove to break through and get to
the front, so that he might in some degree stem the rush until his men
could recover their wits; but it could not be done. The Chinese were
being driven backward and jammed together by sheer weight of numbers,
until they could move neither hand nor foot, and were being slaughtered
like sheep. The last thing that Frobisher was conscious of was that he
was shouting frenziedly for Drake; then something flashed before his
eyes, a thousand sparks danced through his brain, and he knew no more.
CHAPTER TWENTY TWO.
JAPANESE TROOPS TO THE RESCUE.
The next thing of which Frobisher became aware was that he was in an
extremely uncomfortable position, and that he was suffering a very
considerable amount of pain. It also appeared to him that he was
experiencing an altogether unpleasant degree of warmth; while he seemed
to hear, ringing in his ears like the echo of something listened to ages
ago, the sound of what very strongly resembled a steamer's syren. Added
to this, he was conscious that there were many people quite close to
him, groaning in varying degrees of agony; and finally, as his faculties
resumed their normal condition, he began to realise that he was in a
very disagreeable predicament.
Refraining from opening his eyes, he waited patiently until the feeling
of sickness and dizziness with which he was oppressed had slightly worn
off, striving meanwhile to remember how it came about that he was
wounded in the head, and firmly lashed, with his arms behind him, to the
trunk of a tree, in unpleasant proximity to a large fire. Little by
little his memory returned, and he remembered clearly everything that
had taken place, up to the time when the enclosure had been rushed by
the Formosan savages, and he himself had fallen unconscious from the
blow of a spear haft across his head. What, he wondered, had become of
poor Drake? He had not set eyes on him during the whole of that brief
scuffle, and he began to fear the worst for his friend.
A remarkable sight revealed itself to his wondering gaze when he at
length opened his eyes. Instead of being bound to the trunk of a tree,
as he had previously supposed, he found that he was secured to a stout
post driven into the ground, his arms, behind him, encircling the post,
with the wrists lashed together by what felt like rough ropes of native
fibre. Glancing downward, he saw that his ankles had been placed one on
each side of the stake, and secured there by several lengths of rattan;
and it was to this that his uncomfortable and cramped position was due,
as his whole weight was thus thrust forward until it was supported
almost entirely by the wrists.
Looking round him, he saw that a number of similar stakes had been
erected in the form of a circle, in the centre of which was a roaring
fire, the heat from which he had become unpleasantly aware of on his
return to consciousness; and to each post was secured the body of a man,
supported in the same manner as himself. Many of them appeared,
Frobisher noticed, to be in a state of entire, or nearly entire,
unconsciousness. These men were, of course, the Chinese seamen who had
escaped death at the first onslaught of the savages, and had survived,
he very greatly feared, only to meet a far more sinister fate than that
of sudden death.
His gaze diligently searched the circle for Drake, and he was beginning
to fear that his old friend must be numbered with the slain, when one of
the figures raised its head slowly and painfully, as though just
returning to consciousness, and revealed the blood-stained, haggard
features of the first lieutenant. At the same time Drake turned his
eyes in Frobisher's direction, stared blankly at him for a second, and
then smiled a glad but painful smile--painful because of the slash which
he had received across the face; but he refrained from calling a
greeting, and Frobisher instantly recognised that the other must have
some good reason for remaining silent--a circumstance very much opposed
to his usual nature.
That reason soon became apparent as Frobisher managed to twist his head
round, with considerable difficulty, and look behind him; for he then
saw that he and the survivors of his crew were tied up in front of a
native Formosan village; the spot where they were standing being
evidently the open space which is to be found in some portion of every
savage town. It was still night-time, but the glare of the great fire
shone redly on the low, reed-thatched huts, with their two-foot-high
doors, covered with fibre mats, through which the occupants were obliged
to crawl on all-fours; and the reason of Drake's silence became apparent
in the bronze shapes of several of the savages themselves, either
lounging against the walls of the huts, or seated on low stools before
the doors. All of them, without exception, were nursing evil-looking,
long-hafted, broad-bladed spears, and carried, belted to their waists,
long-bladed knives, with wavy blades, somewhat similar to the Malay
_parong_, or kris; and these they were evidently very ready and willing
to use on the least provocation.
The natives had all the appearance of people who were waiting
impatiently for some pleasurable happening to take place; and Frobisher
realised how very much it was to the advantage of all of them to feign
unconsciousness as long as possible. The "exhibition", in which the
prisoners were undoubtedly to become the principal actors, could hardly
take place while the prisoners were still insensible, and therefore not
in a fit condition to furnish "sport"; but there was no doubt that,
directly any of them showed signs of being in a condition to feel pain,
the savage revels would begin. What form these would take Frobisher did
not, of course, know; but he could shrewdly guess, by what he remembered
to have been told about these folk, that it would be something very
horrible, and he shuddered involuntarily.
At this moment there thrilled through the still night air that same
deep, throbbing note that he believed he had heard at the moment when he
had been struck down. His sub-consciousness had then attributed the
sound to the result of the blow, and he had since thought no more of it;
but now that he heard it again he had no doubt as to what it really was.
It was the deep-toned vibration of a steamer's syren, not so very far
away; and he cast a quick glance in Drake's direction. If there were a
steamer so close at hand, there might yet be a chance of being rescued
if communication could possibly be established with her people.
The lieutenant had also heard it; and directly his chief's eyes met his,
his lips slowly but very distinctly formed one silent word: "Japanese."
It was quite possible at that short distance, and in that strong light,
to read from one another's lips, provided the motions were slow and very
distinct, and the two men at once entered into a silent conversation
relating to the situation in which they found themselves. Drake all the
time kept a wary eye on the guards, and feigned unconsciousness--a
course immediately followed by Frobisher--immediately there seemed the
least likelihood of one of them turning his head in the prisoners'
direction.
There could be no question as to the identity of the stranger--or
strangers. The steamer undoubtedly was either one of the transports, or
the gunboat sent by the Japanese to take possession of the island--part
of the very expedition that Frobisher would now have been engaged in
fighting, had it not been for the terrible catastrophe of the _Chih'
Yuen_ being cast away.
The questions then arose--how soon would it be before the troops were
landed? would they be likely to come that way in their search for a spot
on which to erect fort and barracks? and if they did so, would they
arrive in time? They would scarcely begin the disembarkation before
dawn, Frobisher conjectured; but dawn must surely be not very far off
now. He found himself praying fervently that his Chinese seamen might
remain insensible as long as possible; for the first that recovered his
senses would be almost certain, in his astonishment and alarm, to betray
the fact; and he could not but believe that when once the
"entertainment" commenced, the savages would not trouble to discriminate
between insensible and conscious victims, but would butcher the entire
company to satisfy their lust for blood.
He had been carrying on a silent conversation with Drake for nearly an
hour, during which time neither prisoners nor captors had moved; and the
first streaks of dawn were appearing to the eastward when the lieutenant
suddenly dropped his chin on his chest, as though shot; and so naturally
was the performance carried out that for a few seconds Frobisher
believed his friend had fainted. He was wise enough, however, to follow
the example instantly, and presently, through his half-closed eyelids,
he saw a couple of the savages rise to their feet and stroll toward the
circle of prisoners.
Drake himself was one of the first at whom they stopped. They looked
keenly at the down-hung head, and even prodded him in the ribs with a
spear-haft; but although the blow must have been exceedingly painful,
Drake retained sufficient self-possession not to utter a sound or
exhibit a single sign of consciousness, and after a pause the two men
strolled along to the next prisoner. This was the Chinese quartermaster
of the _Chih' Yuen_; and directly they touched him Frobisher realised
that the man was dead--fortunately, perhaps. There could be no
mistaking the inert manner in which the body responded to the shaking of
the taller of the two Formosans; and with an animal cry of disappointed
rage the fellow reversed his spear and drove the broad blade again and
again into the insensate figure. The sight was a sickening one, and
Frobisher's only consolation was that the object of the barbarity was
beyond the reach of cruelty for ever.
Then the men passed on to another figure, another, and still another,
always without result, until Frobisher became aware that his turn was
coming next. Drake's eye was on him, he knew, watching anxiously, and
he braced himself to bear in silence whatever barbarity the savages
might feel inclined to inflict.
He knew, of course, when they stopped opposite him, although he had now
closed his eyes tightly; but he could scarcely repress a start when he
felt a heavy hand fall upon his shoulder, for he did not know what next
to expect. The temptation to open his eyes was almost irresistible, but
with a strong effort he managed to keep them closed, and it was indeed
well for him that he did so. Drake, who was watching, told him
afterward that when he saw the horribly suggestive gestures that
followed upon the man placing his hand on Frobisher's shoulder he almost
fainted from very horror, and was scarcely able to draw his breath
until, after a few seconds' hesitation, the men decided to postpone
their barbarous idea until the victim was in a state to anticipate and
to feel, and passed on. Frobisher heard them depart, but forbore to
open his eyes for a few seconds, lest they should be playing him some
trick, and so he did not see what happened to the man on his left; but
Drake did, and not with all his iron nerve could he repress a muffled
cry of horror.
Immediately the men wheeled, but luckily, having their backs turned at
the time, were unable to locate the sound accurately. They fancied that
it was uttered by one of the seamen who, unhappily for him, had just
regained consciousness and was gazing about him in blank amazement and
terror; and with a shout of exultation the two inhuman wretches left the
cruelly mangled form of their victim and passed on to the sailor.