THE WRECKING OF THE HOWITZER.
For fully five minutes the situation remained unchanged, and during
that time we took the opportunity to reload the empty weapons and bring
out several others that had been hidden in a secret closet of the cabin.
It must not be supposed that I had forgotten my money belt and the
documents belonging to our firm. I had thought of them several times,
but, as yet, had not dared to go below to see if they were safe.
Now, however, both Dan and I hurried to the stateroom which we had
occupied. The door was closed, but not locked, and we entered, to find
all pitch-dark, the port-hole having become covered with mud.
Striking a match, we lit a lantern and proceeded to make an
investigation. Trunks and lockers had been broken open, and clothing
and other things lay around in confusion.
“Not a money belt in sight!” I groaned, after a search. “And the
documents are gone, too!”
“We haven’t looked everywhere, yet,” answered Dan. “Turn over the bed
mattresses.”
“How could they get into the beds?” I asked. “If those rascally
Tagals----”
A shout from the deck interrupted me, and dropping everything I flew
through the cabin and up the companion-way stairs, with Dan behind me.
“The second boat is coming on again!” announced Watt Brown. “Watch the
woods, for there may be some understanding between the two attacking
parties.”
“Sure an’ thim rascals are coming on, too!” burst in Matt Gory. “Down,
all of yez!” and he dropped flat on the deck.
We did the same, and just then a volley of rifle shots rang out, and
one of the bullets tore its way through the top of Dan’s straw hat,
while all came alarmingly close.
“On and at them!” shouted Captain Kenny, forgetful, no doubt, that the
Celestials could not understand a word. And he led the way in a rush
for the ship.
By this time the second small boat was less than two hundred feet
off and coming forward with all the speed that the eight sturdy
oarsmen could command. The officer in the bow was at the small cannon
mentioned, and at what he deemed a favorable moment touched off the
piece.
His aim was certainly a good one, for the ball hit the howitzer and
sent it flying from its carriage and rolling over the deck to port. A
portion of the block was splintered, and a bit of woodwork flew up and
hit Watt Brown in the breast, inflicting an ugly and dangerous wound.
“Brown is killed!” burst out Dan in horror, and knelt down at his side.
“Never mind--m--e,” came in a gasp from the second mate. “Repel
boarders, or w--we are--lo--lost!” and then he fainted dead away.
He spoke the truth, for now the second boat was almost alongside, while
Captain Kenny and his command were less than fifty feet away.
“Gory, cover the boat!” I yelled. “Dan, fire with me at the captain’s
crowd!” and I blazed away, and had the satisfaction of seeing another
Celestial go down.
Dan followed my command and succeeded in hitting Captain Kenny in the
leg. It was not a serious wound, but it made the rascal drop on his
breast, uttering loud cries of pain and terror. “Don’t hit me again!
Don’t!” he screamed, and crawled over the sands to where there was a
rock, behind which he hid himself, muttering bitter imprecations at
what he termed his hard luck.
The fall of their leader disconcerted the Chinamen, and again they
halted. In the meantime Matt Gory had picked out the officer in the
second boat and laid him low with a bullet through the chest.
“Hurrah fer Uncle Sam!” roared the Irish sailor enthusiastically.
“Hurrah fer another Dewey victory!” and he discharged an additional
musket and a second Celestial fell over among his companions.
But now the fighting became general and to go into all of the details
would be impossible. I fired three shots and then saw three Chinamen
coming up over the stern of the _Dart_, where those from shore and
those from the second small boat had joined forces.
“They are coming aboard!” cried Dan. “Fire at them! Give it to them
hot!” and he blazed away, and one of the Celestials fell back among his
friends.
But now five of the enemy came up, firing several rounds as they
advanced, and the deck became filled with smoke. Soon it was a
hand-to-hand encounter, and we found ourselves gradually forced back to
the companion way.
“We can’t stand up against ’em!” panted Matt Gory, as he shouldered
up to me with the blood streaming from a cut in his cheek. “They are
afther bein’ too many for us, bad cess to ’em!”
“Let us take a final stand in the cabin,” I answered. “Remember,
possession is nine points of the law.”
Matt Gory was willing and tumbled down the companion way, followed by
Dan and myself. As we burst into the cabin we shut the door behind us
and locked it.
The Celestials were now baffled for the moment and we heard them
running around the deck, speculating upon what they had best do next.
We used this time to barricade the door and to reload our pistols, our
guns having been left behind us.
Soon came a hammering and a demand in Chinese, probably to open the
door. For an answer, Matt Gory stepped close, and before we could stop
him, fired a shot through a panel. A yell of pain followed, and we
heard the staggering footsteps of the wounded man as he hurried on deck
again.
“That was a bad move, Matt,” I said. “They’ll do something awful in
revenge; you see if they don’t!”
“I couldn’t hilp it, the ould Nick take ’em!” was the reply. “If thim
haythins oncet gain--hark, phat’s that!”
A loud booming of a big cannon over the waters had reached all of our
ears. We listened intently and presently another report followed.
“It is a shot from a man-o’-war!” I burst out.
“If it’s an American ship we are saved!”
“Perhaps it is the _Concord_!” came from Dan. “Don’t you remember what
Watt Brown said?”
“Yes; but could she come in here?”
“There would be no need. She has that Chinese junk at her mercy.”
“Sure an’ if it’s wan of our warships we must be afther flyin’ a signal
of distress!” exclaimed Matt Gory.
“That is true, Matt; but how can we do it?”
“Here is a flag,” answered Dan, hauling it from the case in the closet.
“If we can get that up----”
“Oi’ll put it up!” cried the Irishman, who was too excited to even
think of the danger. “Here goes!” and he hurried to a passageway
leading through to the forecastle.
I could not resist the temptation to follow him, and Dan did the
same. We entered the forecastle to find it as much disordered as our
stateroom had been, for the Tagals had used it as a shelter during
their brief stay on the _Dart_.
“Now to get up the mast unobserved!” whispered the Irish sailor, and
moving cautiously out upon the forward deck, he started to carry out
his design, the flag under his arm.
He had taken less than a dozen steps when there came a Chinese yell and
the crack of a rifle, and poor Gory pitched headlong. A rush to the
forecastle followed.
“Back, Dan, it’s our only chance,” I cried. “They won’t grant us any
mercy if they catch us!” and we flew back into the passageway and to
the cabin, locking the second door and barricading it like the first.
The Chinamen followed us along the passage and we heard them pounding
on the doors for several seconds. But then came a call from the deck
and the dull booming of the cannon we had before heard.
“That shooting means something,” said Dan. “Oh if only the _Concord_
has arrived!”
“With Tom Dawson and the rest of our friends on board!” I added.
The rush of footsteps on the deck continued, and we heard several
Celestials in earnest consultation.
“They are up to something,” whispered Dan. “Poor Brown! I wonder if he
and Matt Gory are dead?”
“Captain Kenny will have much to answer for,” I answered. “He is
responsible for the whole muss.”
We waited for a few minutes more. Then came another rush of footsteps
and we heard the Chinamen leaving the _Dart_ by the side nearest to
shore.
“They are going to take to the woods!” yelled Dan. “Hurrah! the battle
is ours!” And he started to unlock the cabin door leading to the
companion way.