'What I am going to tell you,' Ping Wang began, 'is purely a family
matter. It is the reason why I left China. My father was the mandarin of
Kwang-ngan, and although he did not become a Christian, he was very
friendly with the English missionaries, and when I was quite a little
boy he asked them to teach me all the things which English boys were
taught. When I was ten years old I was sent to a school at Hongkong,
kept by an Englishman, and I remained there until I was eighteen. That,
of course, accounts for my speaking English fairly well. When I was
eighteen my father sent for me. But I found Chinese manners and customs
were not pleasing to me after so many years among English people.
Therefore I asked my father to permit me to return to Hongkong and
become a merchant. He was considering the matter, and I believe that he
would have given his consent, when he was seized by Chin Choo's orders
and executed. He was unpopular with the authorities at Peking. The
mandarin of every town has to squeeze as much money as he possibly can
out of his people and send it to the authorities. My father was a
kind-hearted man, and as he did not squeeze his people so much as most
mandarins, he did not send so much money to the Imperial coffers as the
authorities wished. Twice they reprimanded him, and Chin Choo, who lived
at Kwang-ngan, hearing of this, went to Peking and asserted that my
father retained for his own use the greater part of the money which he
had squeezed out of the people. The high officials believed this false
tale, and, having received bribes from Chin Choo, empowered him to have
my father executed and succeed him as mandarin. My mother and brother
were also killed, and our house burnt to the ground. Fortunately for me
I was not in the town at the time, and hearing what had taken place I
started off at once for Hongkong. Of course, it was useless for me to
attempt to get Chin Choo punished, for such events are of frequent
occurrence in parts of my poor country. So, having a little money, which
I obtained by selling some jewellery which I possessed, I took a passage
to England. What has happened to me since I have already told you.'
'It is a very sad story,' Charlie declared, feelingly; 'and I am
exceedingly sorry for you. But what surprises me is, that after having
suffered so much in your native land you should think of returning to
it.'
'I will tell you my reason. Chin Choo confiscated all our property, but
I hope to be able to recover a very valuable portion of it. Before our
house was burnt to the ground, everything that it contained was removed
to Chin Choo's residence. Among those things was a large brass image of
Buddha. If I can recover that I shall be a rich man!'
'But brass images of Buddha are not very valuable.'
'That one is, because it was my father's safe--a receptacle for his very
precious rubies. He made the idol himself, and no one but he and I knew
how to open it. Chin Choo will never discover the secret, or guess that
the idol contains anything. Therefore I wish to return to my native
place in disguise, and obtain that idol by some means or other. If I
succeed in obtaining it, I shall be a rich man.'
'I should like to go with you,' Charlie exclaimed.
'I wish you could,' Ping Wang answered, eagerly. 'I can read character
well enough to know that you are not what you pretend to be. You have
come to sea for novelty or curiosity, but not for necessity. If you
accompany me to my native place, I promise you that if I recover my
father's idol I will repay you all the expense to which you have been
put, and give you some of the precious stones.'
'I wasn't thinking of the stones, but of the adventure and experience.
If my father raises no objection, and will supply me with the necessary
money, I will go with you gladly.'
Ping Wang was delighted, and Charlie added to his high spirits by
confiding to him the reason of his being aboard the _Sparrow-hawk_.
'So your father is the man whom the skipper hopes to swindle!' Ping Wang
exclaimed, and went off into a fit of laughter.
'Stop that row!' the skipper shouted, coming aft. 'Can't you find any
work to do? I'll have no loafers aboard my boat. Here, you Chinee, you
get for'ard, and trim the lamps.'
Ping Wang rose to obey.
'Hurry up!' the skipper growled, and kicked him.
In a moment Charlie was on his feet. 'You wretched little bully!' he
said to the skipper. 'If you ill-treat that man again, I will knock you
down.'
'You dare to threaten me on my own ship!' the skipper shouted, white
with rage. 'I'm the skipper, and I'll let you know it. I'll clap you in
irons if you give me any of your back answers.'
'Why not try kicking me instead?'
'I'll give you in charge for mutiny when we get back to Grimsby.'
'I shouldn't be in a hurry to enter a police-court, if I were you.
Prosecutors are sometimes asked unpleasant questions.'
The chief engineer at that moment came up from the engine-room.
'Skipper, I want a word with you,' he said.
'Right you are,' the skipper replied, and walked over to him, well
pleased to bring his argument with Charlie to an end. Charlie was not
really a very formidable opponent for a grown man, but Skipper Drummond,
like many bullies, was a great coward.
Charles, left alone, resumed his seat on the ropes and, forgetting for a
time the skipper's existence, spent a pleasant half-hour in thinking
over the story which Ping Wang had related to him.
About three hours after the quarrel, the _Sparrow-hawk_ arrived at the
'Dogger,' a submarine bank, the nearest point of which is about sixty
miles from England. It is one hundred and seventy miles long and seventy
miles broad.
'We shall shoot in an hour's time,' the mate said to Charlie, 'and you
must give us a hand.'
'Whom are you going to shoot?' Charlie inquired, jokingly.
'I know whom you would like to shoot--the skipper. He has taken a
dislike to you, and tells me that you are the biggest scoundrel he ever
had aboard.'
The mate smiled as he spoke, and added, after a few moments' interval:
'The skipper is a queer customer, and, if you take my advice, you will
do all you can to please him. Anyhow, he says that you are to give a
hand when we shoot and when we haul the trawl.'
'I am to be fisherman as well as cook. Is he going to pay me double
wages?'
'You had better ask him. Got a mug of tea handy?'
Charlie had, and he gave it to him.
'We shall want tea again after shooting,' the mate said to Charlie as he
replaced the mug on the hook.
Leaving the big kettle on the stove, Charlie went out to witness the
preparations for beginning fishing, and was just in time to see the men
anchor a small buoy, fitted with a light and a flag. This was anchored
so that the _Sparrow-hawk_, by keeping it in sight, should not wander
away from the fishing-ground. They were in about twenty-six fathoms of
water, and, if they lost sight of the buoy, they would probably steam
into deeper water, and the net would then be unable to reach the bottom.
By day the fishermen keep within sight of the buoy-flag; by night they
watch the buoy-light. In fishing fleets, when some twenty or thirty
steam trawlers belong to one firm, an old smack called a 'mark-ship' is
anchored on the fishing-ground. It can be seen for many miles in
daylight, and by night its whereabouts is made known by rockets fired
from it. But 'single boaters,' such as the _Sparrow-hawk_, have to rely
upon their own little flag and light-buoys.
When the _Sparrow-hawk_ had anchored her buoy she steamed off, and,
punctually at five o'clock, 'shot her gear,' or, in plainer language,
lowered her big triangular fishing-net. This having been done without a
hitch, the men had their tea. Charlie took his in the galley, having
determined to spend as little time as possible in the foc's'le. He had
discovered that the crew of the _Sparrow-hawk_ was composed of the black
sheep of Grimsby and Hull. They were men whom no decent North Sea
skipper would have had on his boat. On nearly all the trawlers working
out of Yarmouth, Grimsby, and Hull, the men are fine, manly,
thoroughbred Englishmen, facing danger fearlessly and uncomplainingly
year in and year out. Drunkenness is almost unknown among them, and bad
language is rarely heard. If Charlie had been on almost any other boat
than the _Sparrow-hawk_ he would have thoroughly enjoyed sitting at the
foc's'le table, having a chat with the men. But to save a few pounds the
skipper had engaged, at low wages, men who were known to be bad
characters, and who could not, therefore, get a job on any other
trawler. Skipper Drummond had himself been discharged for drunkenness by
the owners of a fleet in whose employ he had been for some years. Where
he got the money from to purchase a trawler was a mystery to most
people, although it was discovered later that a betting-man was in
partnership with him.
Charlie, being satisfied that the skipper intended to make an attempt to
swindle his father, was anxious to get back to Lincoln as speedily as
possible to make known what he had discovered. He had forgotten to ask
the bow-legged cook how long the _Sparrow-hawk_ would remain at sea, and
could, therefore, form no idea of when he would get home.
(_Continued on page 218._)
[Illustration: "The skipper cruelly kicked the Chinaman."]
[Illustration: "'Can he do this?' Charlie asked."]
AFLOAT ON THE DOGGER BANK.
A Story of Adventure on the North Sea and in China.
(_Continued from page 215._)
While Charlie was regretting his ignorance of trawlers' movements, Ping
Wang appeared at the galley-door.
'Well,' Charlie said, 'has the skipper said anything more to you?'
'No,' Ping Wang answered, smilingly; 'I believe you have frightened him.
But he will pay you out somehow or other.'
'I hope, for his own sake, that he won't attempt to, for I hate the
little fellow already, and if he interferes with me unnecessarily I will
give him a sound thrashing.'
'He is very strong,' Ping Wang remarked, warningly.
'Can he do this?' Charlie asked, catching hold of a bucket full of water
and holding it easily at arm's-length straight from the shoulder.
Ping Wang made no reply but gazed at Charlie in astonishment. Charlie
was slightly built, and Ping Wang had no idea that he was so strong. But
he had gone in for a course of physical development exercises before
coming to Grimsby, and was in fine condition.
'If the skipper thinks, as I did, that you are not very strong,' he said
at last, 'he will be very surprised.'
'Well,' Charlie said, rather pleased at the astonishment he had caused,
'let us forget him for a time. When do we return to Grimsby?'
'In three or four days.'
'So soon? I thought we were out for three weeks, at the least. I had an
idea that steam trawlers always remained out for three weeks.'
'Boats belonging to the fleets do. A steam carrier collects the boxes of
fish from them every morning, and carries them off to London. But single
boaters have to take in their own fish to Grimsby, and therefore they
have to run in every few days, or else the fish wouldn't be fresh.'
'Then I shan't have to endure the skipper for as long as I expected.'
'You'll have to endure him for seven or eight weeks, I'm afraid. When we
run in just to land fish we are not allowed to quit the ship. After
unloading we sail as soon as possible.'
'But do you mean to say that he can prevent my leaving the ship at
Grimsby?'
'I believe he can. You see, if men were allowed to leave whenever they
liked, the fishing industry would soon be upset.'
'I didn't think of that. However, I will get a substitute if possible.
There will be no objection to that, I suppose?'
'I don't know. The skipper is a curious kind of fellow, and he may
refuse to let you go, so that he may have the pleasure of bullying you.
Why don't you pretend that you are ill? He would put you ashore very
soon then.'
'I don't like the idea of getting out of an unpleasant position in that
way. By-the-bye, how do you pass the time away before hauling the
trawl?'
'Some of the men turn in, and others play cards or draughts. Do you care
about draughts?'
'Oh, yes, but I won't go down in the foc's'le to play.'
'I will bring the board up here if it is not being used.'
Ping Wang hurried away, and returned in a minute or two with the
draughts.
'They are having a sing-song in the foc's'le,' he said. 'The skipper is
there, and is a little bit the worse for drink.'