"THE STRANGER WITHIN THY GATES."
"Yer--Kroojer! Kroojer. Go'n get yer whiskers shyved."
"Ere, chaps. 'Ere's old Kroojer!"
And the section of the crowd among whom originated these remarks closed
up around the object thereof.
The latter, though clad in the frock-coat of European civilisation, was
obviously an Oriental. He was a man of fine presence, tall and
dignified, handsome in the aquiline-featured type, and wearing a full
beard just turning grey. Hence it will be seen that his resemblance to
the world-famed President was so striking as to commend itself at once
to the understanding of his molesters.
It was night, and the flare of the street lamps, together with a few
impromptu illuminations, lit up the surging, tossing, roaring multitude,
which filled to packing point the whole space in front of the Mansion
House, each unit of the same bent on shouting himself or herself hoarse;
for the tidings of the relief of Mafeking had just been received, and
the inauguration of the public delirium was already in full swing. Hats
and caps flew in the air by showers, the wearers of silk hats not
hesitating to hurl on high their normally cherished and protected
headgear, those who did so hesitate being speedily relieved of all
responsibility on that point by their obliging neighbours, to the
accompaniment of such shouts as "Ooroar for B.P. Good old B.P.," while
the strains of "Soldiers of the Queen" rose in leathern-lunged rivalry
with those of "The Absent-minded Beggar"--save when, in staccato
volleyings of varied timelessness and tunelessness, those of "Rule
Britannia" availed to swamp both. Thus the multitude rejoiced,
characteristically, therefore, for the most part, roughly.
"Wot cher, myte?" drawled an evil rough, shouldering against the
Oriental. "You ortn't to be 'ere. You ort to be in the Trawnsvawl, you
ort. Why you're Kroojer, you are."
"I sy, Bill!" shrilled a girl to her swain. "Let's shyve 'is whiskers,
shall we?"
The pair had exchanged hats, and while the speaker's oily fringe was
set-off by a bowler, wide and curly of brim, the ugly face of the other
leered red and beery from beneath a vast structure of nodding ostrich
plumes.
"Rawther. Come on, cheps. Let's shyve old Kroojer's whiskers!" And
reaching over, as a preliminary to that process, he snatched the
Oriental's high, semi-conical black cap--the only article of un-European
wear about him--from his head, and flung it high in the air, emitting a
raucous yell.
At this assault, delivered from behind, the stranger turned, his eyes
flashing with resentment and hate. As he did so a violent push, again
from behind, sent him staggering, would have brought him to the ground
indeed but that the crowd was too dense, and its only effect was to
bring him right against the rough who had snatched off his cap. In a
moment the long, brown sinewy fingers had shot out and closed round the
bull throat of the cad, while with the snarl of a wild beast, the
Oriental flashed forth something from his breast pocket. A roar of
warning broke from the bystanders, likewise of rage, for these lovers of
fair play were virtuously indignant that one well-nigh defenceless man,
and a stranger, should protect himself as best he might when set upon by
numbers. In a second the weapon was knocked from his hand, and he was
violently wrenched back from the man whose throat he had gripped; and
well indeed for the latter that such was the case. Then he was hustled
and punched and kicked, his beard pulled out in wisps--the virago who
had first instigated the assault, and who fortunately was separated from
him by the crowd, struggling and screaming in the language of the slums
to be allowed to get at him--only just once.
"Let him alone, cawn't yer?" cried a voice, that of another woman. "He
ain't Kroojer! 'E's a bloomin' Ingin. Any fool could see that."
"'E's a blanked furriner--it's all the syme. And didn't 'e try to knife
my Bill," retorted the other, making renewed efforts to reach him--and
the vocabulary of this young person earned the delighted appreciation of
even the toughest of her audience. Then a diversion occurred.
"Myke wy? Oo are you tellin' of to myke wy?" rose a voice, in angry and
jeering expostulation, followed immediately by the sound of a scuffle.
The attention of the crowd was diverted to this new quarter, which
circumstance enabled the luckless Oriental to gain his feet, and he
stood staggering, glaring about him in a frenzy of wrath and
bewilderment. Then he was knocked flat again, this time by the pressure
of those around.
What followed was worth seeing. Straight through the mass of roughs
came upwards of a dozen and a half of another species, in strong and
compact order, hitting out on either side of them, scrupulously
observing the Donnybrook principle, "When you see a head hit it"--only
in the present instance it was a face. Most of these were members of an
athletic club, who had been dining generously and had caught the
prevailing excitement. They had seen the predicament of the Oriental
from afar, and promptly recognised that to effect his rescue would
furnish them with just the fun and fight for which they were spoiling.
"Make way, you blackguards. Call yourselves Englishmen, all packing on
to one man? What? You won't? That'll settle you."
"That" being a "knock-out" neatly delivered, the recipient, he who had
begun the assault. Still crowned with his female companion's headgear
the abominable rough sank to the ground, permanently disabled.
"Here--you, sir--get up. Hope you're not much the worse," cried the
foremost, dragging the stranger to his feet.
"I thank you, gentlemen," said the latter, in excellent English. "No,
not much, I think."
"That's right," cried the foremost of his rescuers, admiring his pluck.
For undoubtedly the stranger was considerably the worse for what he had
gone through. His cheek bones were swollen, and one eye was bunged up,
and his now tattered beard was matted with blood flowing from a cut on
the lip; and as he stood, with somewhat unsteady gait, the forced smile
wherewith he had greeted his deliverers changed to a hideous snarl of
hate, as his glance wandered to the repulsive and threatening
countenances of his late assailants. Here, obviously, was no shrinking,
effeminate representative of the East, rather a scion of one of its fine
and warrior races, for there was a mingled look of wistfulness and
aroused savagery in his eyes as instinctively he clenched and unclenched
his defenceless fingers as though they ought to be grasping a weapon.
But the moral effect of the first decisive rush having worn off, the
rough element of the crowd, roughest of all just here, began to rally.
After all, though they had science, the number of these new arrivals
constituted a mere mouthful, so puny was it. Yells, and hoots, and
catcalls arose as the surging rabble pressed upon the gallant few, now
standing literally at bay. Those in the forefront were pushed forward
by the weight of numbers behind, and the pressure was so great that
there was hardly room to make free play with those fine, swinging
out-from-the-shoulder hits--yet they managed partially to clear a way--
and for a few moments, fists, feet, sticks, everything, Teere going in
the liveliest sort of free fight imaginable. The while, over the
remainder of the packed space, shrill cheers and patriotic songs, and
the firing off of squibs and crackers were bearing their own part in
making night hideous, independently of the savage rout, here at the top
of King William Street.
"Kroojer! Kroojer! 'Ere's Kroojer!" yelled the mob, and, attracted by
its vociferations, others turned their attention that way. And while
his deliverers had their hands very full indeed, a villainous-looking
rough reached forward and swung up what looked like a slender, harmless
roll of brown paper above the Oriental's head. Well was it for the
latter that this move was seen by one man, and that just in time to
interpose a thick malacca cane between his skull and the descending gas
pipe filled with lead, which staff, travelling down to the wrist of him
who wielded the deadly weapon, caused the murderous cad to drop the
same, with a howl, and weird language.
"A good `Penang lawyer' is tough enough for most things," muttered the
dealer of this deft stroke. "Here, brother, take this," he went on, in
an Eastern tongue, thrusting the stick into the stranger's hand.
The effect was wondrous. The consciousness of grasping even this much
of a weapon seemed to transform the Oriental completely. His tall form
seemed to tower, his frame to dilate, as, whirling the tough stick
aloft, he shrilled forth a wild, fierce Mohammedan war-cry, bounding,
leaping, in a very demoniacal possession, charging those nearest to him
as though the stick were a long-bladed, keen-edged tulwar. Whirling it
in the air he brought it down with incredible swiftness, striking here
and there on head and face, while looking around for more to smite. And
then the rabble of assailants began to give way, or try to. "Cops" was
the cry that now went up, and immediately thereupon a strong posse of
the splendid men of the City Police had forced their way to the scene of
disturbance--or very nearly.
Crushed, borne along by the swaying crowd, the man who had so
effectually aided the distressed Oriental had become separated from his
friends. For his foes he cared nothing, and, indeed, these had all they
could think of to effect their own retreat, the motive being not so much
fear of immediate consequences as the consciousness with many of them
that they were desperately wanted by the police in connection with other
matters, which would infallibly assert their claims once identity was
established. At last, to his relief, he found himself in a side street
and outside the crowd.
"You're better 'ere, sir," said a gruff voice, whose owner was
contemplating him curiously.
"Yes, rather. I've been in a bit of a breeze yonder."
"So I should say, sir," answered the policeman, significantly.
"Thank'ee, sir. Much obliged."
"They were mobbing a stranger, and I and some others went to help him."
"Was it a Hindian gent, sir, with a high black sort of 'at? I seen him
go by here not long since."
"Yes. That was the man. Well, I suppose he's all right by now.
Good-night, policeman."
"Good-night, sir, and thank'ee, sir."
------------------------------------------------------------------------
An hour and a half later one corner of the supper-room in the Peculiar
Club was in a state of unwonted liveliness, even for that by no means
dull institution, where upwards of a dozen more or less damaged members
were consuming devilled bones and champagne.
Damaged, in that bunged up eyes and swelled noses--and here and there a
cut lip--were in evidence; but all were in the last stage of
cheerfulness.
"Why isn't Raynier here, I wonder?" was asked.
"He? Oh, I expect he went on taking care of that Indian Johnny. He
likes those chaps, you know, has to do with them out there. He'll turn
up all right--never fear."
"Don't know. Don't like losing sight of him," said another.
"Oh, he'll turn up all right. He knows jolly well how to take care of
himself."
But as the night became morning, and the frantic howling of patriotism
gone mad rent the otherwise still hours, Raynier did not turn up. Then
the revellers and quondam combatants became uneasy--such of them, that
is, as were still capable of reflection in any form.