One evening Jack said to his companion, "I think it's nearly all over
now, Percy. The last two days we have made longer journeys, and have not
stopped at any of the smaller villages we passed through. I fancy our
guards must see that we can't last much longer, and are taking us down
to some town to hand us over to the authorities and get their reward for
us."
"I hope it is so, Jack; the sooner the better. Not that it makes much
difference now to me, for I do not think I can stand many more days of
it."
"I am afraid I am tougher than you, Percy, and shall take longer to
kill, so I hope with all my heart that I may be right, and that they may
be going to give us up to the authorities."
The next evening they stopped at a large place, and were subjected to
the usual persecution; this, however, was now less prolonged than during
the early days of their captivity, for they had now no longer strength
or spirits to resent their treatment, and as no fun was to be obtained
from passive victims, even the village boys soon ceased to find any
amusement in tormenting them.
When most of their visitors had left them, an elderly Chinaman
approached the side of the cage. He spoke to their guards and looked at
them attentively for some minutes, then he said in pigeon English, "You
officer men?"
"Yes!" Jack exclaimed, starting at the sound of the English words, the
first they had heard spoken since their captivity. "Yes, we are officers
of the _Perseus_."
"Me speeke English velly well," the Chinaman said; "me pilot-man many
years on Canton river. How you get here?"
"We were attacking some piratical junks, and landed to destroy the
village where the people were firing on us. We entered a place full of
pirates, and were knocked down and taken prisoners, and carried away up
the country; that is three weeks ago, and you see what we are now."
"Pirate men velly bad," the Chinaman said; "plunder many junk on river
and kill crew. Me muchee hate them."
"Can you do anything for us?" Jack asked. "You will be well rewarded if
you could manage to get us free."
The man shook his head.
"Me no see what can do, me stranger here; come to stay with wifey;
people no do what me ask them. English ships attack Canton, much fight
and take town, people all hate English. Bad country dis. People in one
village fight against another. Velly bad men here."
"How far is Canton away?" Jack asked. "Could you not send down to tell
the English we are here?"
"Fourteen days' journey off," the man said; "no see how can do
anything."
"Well," Jack said, "when you get back again to Canton let our people
know what has been the end of us; we shall not last much longer."
"All light," the man said, "will see what me can do. Muchee think
to-night!" And after saying a few words to the guards, who had been
regarding this conversation with an air of surprise, the Chinaman
retired.
The guards had for some time abandoned the precaution of sitting up at
night by the cage, convinced that their captives had no longer strength
to attempt to break through its fastenings or to drag themselves many
yards away if they could do so. They therefore left it standing in the
open, and, wrapping themselves in their thickly-wadded coats, for the
nights were cold, lay down by the side of the cage.
The coolness of the nights had, indeed, assisted to keep the two
prisoners alive. During the day the sun was terribly hot, and the crowd
of visitors round the cage impeded the circulation of the air and added
to their sufferings. It was true that the cold at night frequently
prevented them from sleeping, but it acted as a tonic and braced them
up.