laughing fiendishly, and then, to Frobisher's amazement, left him
untouched, and returned to the huts.
Here they uttered a peculiar kind of cry, and presently could be heard
sounds as of a number of people approaching through the jungle. A few
others appeared sleepily at the doors of some of the huts, and crawled
out, yawning and blinking, into the fire-light. Here they remained,
talking in their harsh, unmusical tongue, and chuckling at some
suggestion put forward by the tall man, until the arrival of a party of
men, all armed with spears and krises and, in some instances, bows and
arrows, or blowpipes, who had evidently been out hunting to procure
breakfast for the tribe; for they carried with them a number of small
animals somewhat resembling hares, and a few splendidly-plumaged birds,
all intended for the pot. On hearing what the tall man was saying,
however, their burdens were contemptuously cast on one side, and they
eyed the prisoners with an expression that told Frobisher more plainly
than words that he had fallen into the clutches of cannibals, and the
discarding of the spoils of their night's hunt proved only too clearly
what their intentions were.
How Frobisher prayed and prayed again that the Japanese troops might
pass that way in time! It would, of course, mean the exchanging of one
prison for another, he knew. But the Japanese were civilised, and their
officers gentlemen; and no indignity or other hardship would be
inflicted upon their captives beyond temporary confinement; and the
Englishman felt that he would almost be willing to undergo lifelong
captivity if he might, by so doing, save his comrades and himself from
the dreadful fate that, only too plainly, was in store for them.
The chief having now concluded his harangue, his audience, with shouts
and chuckles of anticipation and ferocity, dived back into their huts,
to reappear a few seconds later with a number of wooden shovels, and
stakes sharpened to a point and hardened in the fire, these being
evidently intended for the breaking up of hard earth for the shovels to
deal with more easily. Then the whole of them, with the exception of a
couple of spearmen left to guard the prisoners, trooped off into the
bush, stopping a little distance away and proceeding to dig eagerly, as
Frobisher could tell by their shouts, and the sounds of shovels and
picks being driven into the ground.
Ah, if only it were possible for either Drake or himself to loosen their
bonds while the savages were away! A few seconds would suffice to
dispose of the guard; a few seconds more would liberate the rest of the
prisoners, most of whom were now showing signs of returning
consciousness; and they could all be away in the depths of the forest
before those others could reach the spot. Once free, it would be
strange indeed if they could not reach the protection of the Japanese
troops, who would by this time surely be disembarking, possibly only a
short mile away, if they should have elected to land at the spot where
the _Chih' Yuen's_ boats had been left.
"Phew!--the boats!" thought Frobisher to himself. If the troops should
land where he expected they would, the officers could not avoid seeing
them; and, seeing them, they would naturally at once endeavour to
discover whose they were. The name of the ship was on each boat--if the
Jap officers could understand Chinese characters--and surely, surely
they would try to locate the people who had landed from the vessel, if
only to attack and drive them from the island. If the disembarkation
had begun at dawn, a strong force might even now be in the vicinity
searching--perhaps within earshot. At this very moment a concentrated
shout on the part of Drake and himself might reach the ears of the
troops and bring them to the spot in time to save all hands from a
horrible death!
But the risk was too great. A shout would inevitably bring back the
savages, even if the guards did not punish the outcry with a
spear-thrust; and then all would be over. No, the only thing to do was
to wait, and pray fervently that the preparations of the Formosans might
take them some considerable time, thus giving the Japanese more
opportunity to find the prisoners before it was too late, if they were
coming at all. It seemed strange to Frobisher that the savages had not
also heard the steamer's syren; but he attributed the circumstance to
the fact that perhaps his own ears and Drake's were more sensitive to
such a sound, in the presence of imminent death, than those of the
Formosans. Besides, he and the lieutenant knew that the arrival of the
Japanese was expected, whereas the Formosans had no reason to suspect
anything of the kind.
While he was debating the matter in his mind he heard the noise of the
savages crashing through the bush on their return, and knew that, unless
assistance came within the next five minutes, it would arrive too late
for all of them.
Presently the cannibals reappeared in the clearing, laughing and joking
among themselves; and, having thrown their shovels and picks down by the
side of one of the huts, they picked up their spears and advanced
expectantly toward the circle of bound men, baring their gums, showing
their teeth, and exhibiting every symptom of pleased anticipation.
Then the tall chief, who had been the last to return, dived into his
hut, while the others stood around, leaning on their spears or running
their thumbs along the edges of their _parongs_, waiting impatiently for
him to reappear.
It was at this moment that Frobisher, who was staring hard at Drake,
trying to attract his attention, thought he caught the distant echo of a
voice; and by the sudden start that the lieutenant was unable to repress
it was evident that he, too, had become aware of something. He
immediately glanced across at his captain, raising his eyebrows and
nodding his head in the direction of the sound; and Frobisher nodded in
return, at the same time glancing warningly at the Formosans, and
forming the word "Wait" with his lips as distinctly as he could. Drake
understood, and flashed his comprehension at the moment that the savage
chief reappeared in the doorway of his hut.
He had dressed himself, in celebration of the occasion, in a splendid
tiger-skin cloak, and wore the skull of a tiger on his head as a kind of
helmet. A necklace made of the teeth and claws of that beast was
suspended round his neck, supporting a huge unset emerald, which was
fastened by a piece of gold wire run through a hole which had been
drilled through an angle of the stone. He also wore a pair of white
cotton trousers, terminating just below the calf, and kept in position
by a belt made of silver medallions, connected by pieces of deer-hide;
while from this belt depended a very handsome silver-hilted kris in a
wooden scabbard, very richly ornamented, which had undoubtedly been
stolen at some time from a rich Malay trader. Gold bracelets encircled
his arms nearly from wrist to elbow, and his ankles were ornamented by
soft gold bands which could be clasped on or taken off as their owner
desired. He made a fine figure of a man, and was evidently quite aware
of the fact, for he stood still for a few moments, sunning himself in
the admiration of his followers, until Frobisher trembled lest the
voices should again make themselves heard and be detected by the waiting
cannibals. In fact, as he strained his ears, the Englishman could now
distinctly hear the distant crackling of undergrowth, announcing the
passage of a number of men through the bush. It was as yet very faint
indeed, and would have passed unnoticed but for the strained condition
of his nerves; but it was to him quite perceptible, and approaching
closer and closer every second.
To his unbounded delight, the cannibals now formed a circle and began to
sing, slowly parading round the doomed men and clashing the hafts of
their spears, thus effectually drowning any sounds the approaching
troops might make, and at the same time notifying their presence to the
Japanese. It was broad daylight by this time, and Frobisher kept his
eyes glued in the direction from which the sounds had proceeded, hoping
every second that they would be gladdened by the glitter of approaching
bayonets.
In the midst of the singing the chief, suddenly whipping out his kris,
paused a few seconds on the edge of the circle, looking for a victim,
then sprang like a tiger at one of the Chinese seamen. The man saw him
coming and shrieked pitifully; but he could scarcely have felt his
death, poor fellow, for the next second his severed head fell to the
ground.
Waving the kris above his head, and laughing madly, the chief looked
round for the next victim, and his eyes fell upon Frobisher. The
Englishman breathed a prayer and prepared to meet his death bravely,
keeping his eyes fixed undauntedly on the chief's face. And as he
looked, the fellow suddenly dropped the streaming weapon and, falling
upon his knees, collapsed in a heap, simultaneously with the crack of a
revolver, which was immediately followed by a quick succession of rifle
shots, as hidden marksmen picked out their victims.
Taken completely by surprise, the cannibals were shot down like sheep;
and Frobisher scarcely realised what was happening until he saw the last
savage throw up his hands and fall. Then he felt his bonds slacken, and
he staggered weakly forward, to find himself supported by the arms of a
Japanese officer, while, standing about in groups at the edge of the
jungle, could be seen the figures of the soldiers, leaning upon their
still-smoking rifles.
CHAPTER TWENTY THREE.
FROBISHER CAPTURES THE "SATSUMA."
Several months had passed since the moment when Frobisher stood staring
in the face of death in the Formosan clearing, to be saved in the very
nick of time by a well-directed shot from a Japanese officer's revolver.
Now he, together with Drake and all that remained of the crew of the
_Chih' Yuen_--twenty-three seamen only, out of her complement of over
three hundred--were crawling slowly and carefully, on hands and knees,
down a steep jungle path, not half a mile from the scene of the rescue,
on their way to the beach. How they come to be in this position,
creeping along and keeping cautiously within the shadow cast by the
moon, can soon be told.
Immediately the cannibals had been slain by the Japanese volleys, and
the officer and his men had cast loose the cramped and stiffened forms
of the prisoners, the wounded Formosans--of whom there were very few--
had been executed by the orders of the Japanese captain, who said that
he could not afford to take any savage prisoners. But he courteously
informed Frobisher that, although he was delighted and honoured at
having been the means of succouring the "honourable captain" and his men
in their extremity, he would be obliged, as the two countries were still
at war, to make him and all his men prisoners until such time as they
could be exchanged. If, however, Frobisher would give his parole for
himself and his crew, he would be very glad to give them all a passage
to Japan when the transports returned thither; otherwise, he should be
obliged to keep them with him on the island until he was relieved or the
Japanese garrison withdrawn.
Frobisher and Drake, after consulting, decided that they would not give
their parole. They were both eager to get away from Formosa and back to
their duty as soon as possible, and they believed they might be able to
form a plan by which to bring this about, if they were not sent to
Japan.
He therefore informed General Oki of his decision. That officer
shrugged his shoulders, and ordered the two Englishmen and the
twenty-three Chinese to be closely guarded until a building could be
erected as a prison for them. This was soon run up, and the twenty-five
men placed therein, with sentries stationed at the doors night and day.
They were well treated, but very strictly guarded; and it was a long
time before even a glimmering of an opportunity to escape occurred. The
gunboat had convoyed the transports back to Nagasaki; and as escape was
impossible without the assistance of a ship, it became necessary to wait
until another returned, as she was expected to do, in about three
months' time, with stores.
It was longer than that, however, before she appeared, and provisions
were becoming exceedingly scarce when one day everybody awoke to find
one of the latest and finest Japanese torpedo-boat destroyers lying off
the beach, and with her an old tramp steamer laden with stores. It was
then that Frobisher and Drake decided to attempt putting into execution
the scheme matured by them months previously, and which had been
simmering in their brains ever since the departure of the gunboat and
transports.
This scheme was nothing less than the capture of the war-vessel which
would certainly accompany the storeship; but the question now was, How
was the scheme to be carried out with so small a number of men?
Twenty-five to a hundred and ten--which would be about the complement
carried by the destroyer--was very long odds; but Frobisher and Drake
between them evolved a plan that they thought might meet with success.
They had observed--at the time when the Japanese were first landing
their stores, after the troops had been disembarked--that the crews of
transports and war-ship had been allowed to come ashore in detachments
to stretch their legs after the voyage, being permitted also to go into
the woods at the back of the cliffs with rifles, after tigers and other
game, provided always that they went in large parties, so as to avoid
any danger of being cut off by the cannibals. They had also made a note
of the fact that, when the gunboat's crew had taken their turn at shore
leave, fully three-quarters of the men had arranged to do so at the same
time, so that a _battue_ on a large scale might take place, leaving only
a few men behind to look after the ship. This _battue_ had proved such
a tremendous success that the crews of the two transports had followed
the example of their Service comrades, and had likewise had excellent
sport.
The reports of these successes, Frobisher felt sure, would be
communicated to the crews of the ships which were to bring the next
consignment of stores; and it was upon the possibility of the major
portion of the destroyer's men coming ashore together, leaving the ship
very indifferently manned, that the Englishmen had built their plan. If
the Japanese did not follow their predecessors' example, then another
plan would have to be thought out after the ship's arrival, when it
could be seen what arrangements were actually in force.
But, fortunately for the success of Frobisher's scheme, everything had
fallen out as he had hoped. The storeship's crew came on shore first,
and met with splendid success; and, as the destroyer and her consort
were making but a brief stay, the war-ship's crew had arranged to hold
their _battue_ the following day. Frobisher had therefore warned his
men, directly he became aware of what was intended; and it was with
mingled feelings of delight and apprehension that he saw and heard the
laughing Japanese tars making their way into the bush, as twilight fell,
to take up their posts for the moonlight "shoot."
The prison had been built at some distance from the storehouse and the
barracks, close to the edge of the jungle, and not far from the strip of
beach where the _Chih' Yuen's_ boats had landed. The other two
buildings just referred to were more than half a mile away, at the top
of the cliff, where a signal-station had also been established. On the
night selected for the attempt, the crew of the store-ship happened to
be holding a "sing-song", to which the officers on shore and a number of
men from the barracks had been invited; and it seemed as though fortune
herself were on the side of the conspirators.
Frobisher gave the hunters half an hour in which to make a good
"offing", as he phrased it, and then, when the shades of evening had
well set in, passed the word to his men to be ready.
There were two sentinels on guard, night and day, over the prisoners,
and these had been changed half an hour before the time the attempt was
to be made. Frobisher could hear them pacing slowly up and down
outside; and he whispered to one of the sailors, who could speak
Japanese, that the moment had arrived.
The fellow immediately shouted, at the top of his voice:
"Help! help! I have been bitten by a snake!" and, acting on Frobisher's
instructions, the remainder of the men began to raise a tremendous
hubbub, as though trying to find the reptile to kill it, while the
"bitten" man, altering the tones of his voice, called wildly to the
sentries to bring their rifles to shoot the thing.
The plan worked to perfection. The prisoners had always been quiet and
well-behaved, and had never made any attempt to escape, so no suspicions
now suggested themselves to the guards. They hastily unlocked the doors
and dashed in, with rifles held ready to shoot--and the next moment they
were on the floor, with half a dozen men on the top of each of them, and
their rifles in the hands of Frobisher and Drake respectively.
They were bound and gagged in less time than it takes to tell; and five
minutes later the little band were in the situation in which they were
discovered at the beginning of this chapter, crawling cautiously along
the jungle path toward the beach.
Once there, in the shadow of the cliffs, they hastened to the spot where
the arms and stores from the _Chih' Yuen_ had been concealed when they
first landed, some of which had been left there when they went to build
the fort. If the Japanese had not discovered them, they should be there
still; and there they were soon found.
Frobisher distributed a rifle and cutlass to each man, saw that the
rifles were loaded and that the remaining cartridges were distributed as
far as they would go, then gave Drake a cutlass and revolver, and took
one of each himself. Then the little band crept quietly along toward
the place where the Japanese boats had been pulled up.
Nothing of this kind having been anticipated, it had not been deemed
necessary to leave a guard over the boats, and the fugitives had things
all their own way. Oars were muffled with pieces of the men's clothing,
and the boat was carried bodily down to the water's edge and placed
carefully in the water to avoid the noise created by running her down
the beach. There might be sentries on the destroyer and the store-ship
(although in the case of the latter this was not very probable, owing to
the concert proceeding on board); but if anyone should be watching on
the destroyer Frobisher hoped that his crew would be taken for a party
of the hunters, returned early for some reason, until it would be too
late to offer resistance. If there were no sentinels on guard--well,
attention to the fugitives would not be attracted by any undue
disturbance.
Quietly but quickly the men slid into the boat, and were soon on their
way toward the destroyer, lying about half a mile from the store-ship.
They were within a few yards of her when, to their astonishment and
momentary dismay, they were challenged--there was a sentry on watch,
after all!
The Japanese-speaking seaman replied to the challenge with a statement
that they had "returned early, as the sport had turned out to be poor";
and before the sentry could make up his mind whether or not he
recognised the voice, the boat's crew were on deck, and he had no
opportunity to rectify his mistake. He was silently overcome, gagged,
and bound in a trice, and in less than ten minutes the remainder of the
destroyer's men--most of them captured while enjoying a well-earned
nap--were in irons and confined, with a sentry over them, in their own
vessel's forecastle, the scuttles of which were closed and screwed home
with a spanner, so that no outcry of theirs could reach the other ship.
The fires were banked and the steam pressure was low, but by an
extravagant use of oil a working pressure was soon raised. Frobisher
wisely waited until he had a full head of steam before slipping his
cable, lest he might be chased by the store-ship before he had power for
full speed; but at the expiration of an hour all was in readiness. The
word was given, the cable slipped through the hawse-pipe with a roar,
the screw revolved, and the _Satsuma_ swung round in a circle and headed
northward for Wei-hai-wei.
The sound of the cable running out alarmed the crew of the store-ship,
and the concert ceased abruptly. But that craft might as well have
hoped to catch a streak of lightning as the _Satsuma_, when once she was
well into her stride; and two days later the destroyer, now flying the
Chinese flag, steamed proudly into Wei-hai-wei.
But, alas! pride soon had a fall, for the harbour was full of Japanese
war-ships! Matters had been progressing while Frobisher was a prisoner
in Formosa, battles had been fought on land and sea, and China had been
humbled in the dust. Her men, both in the Navy and the Army, had fought
like heroes; but, alas! it was always the same tale. Victory, dearly
bought, but still victory, would have been theirs in nearly every case
but for the peculation of the mandarins and other high officials, who
supplied everything of the poorest to the unfortunate men whose duty it
was to do the fighting. Poor weapons, poor food, cheap boots and
clothing, faulty ammunition were the cause of China's downfall--nothing
else.
The remnant of her fleet, under Admiral Ting, had fought another
bravely-contested naval action, and had been destroyed, with the
exception of one ship, the _Chen Yuen_, which had been captured. Her
southern fleet had been bottled up by another Japanese squadron, and
Admiral Wong-lih had gone to Tien-tsin to see whether he could be of use
there. The army in Korea had been crushed by an enemy superior in
numbers and in everything else but bravery; and at the moment of
Frobisher's return the peace envoys were in the act of concluding the
treaty of Shimonoseki.
The higher Chinese naval officers, broken-hearted at disgrace which was
none of their own fault, had one and all committed suicide, and the
Dragon's teeth were drawn, his claws pared.
Would he ever rise again, Frobisher wondered, under men worthy of the
heroes who were only too willing to fight his battles? Time alone would
show.
There is little more to add to the present history of Captain Murray
Frobisher.
The captured destroyer was, of course, claimed by Japan, and Frobisher
himself remained a prisoner for one day, until the treaty was signed.
Then, being free, he sought Admiral Wong-lih, who had refused to follow
his comrades' example and destroy himself. The Englishman obtained from
him the loan of an old gunboat, armed and manned her at his own expense,
went up the Hoang-ho, and settled an outstanding account with certain
pirates and an individual by the name of Ah-fu.
Then Drake and he revisited the ruined palace, and brought away Genghiz
Khan's hoard, which the two men shared and brought to England, where
they arrived about Christmas time.
Frobisher was now an immensely wealthy man, and a famous one, too, for
he found that the account of his services with the Chinese Navy had
reached home, and that his name was in everybody's mouth.
He was surprised, on the day following his arrival, to receive a visit
from Dick Penryn, who, after the first warm greetings had passed, handed
him a document intimating that the former sentence of the court martial
had been reversed; that Frobisher had been reinstated in the British
Navy, with the rank of captain; and that a ship was waiting for him as
soon as he cared to take command.