I felt as it were a sudden jar run through me when I heard Ching's
words. It was as if I had been awakened by a sudden revelation. This,
then, was the grand show he had contrived for us as a treat! It was all
clear enough: our officers had been invited to the execution of the
pirates we had taken, and conceiving, with all a Chinaman's indifference
to death, that we three lads, who had been present at their capture,
would consider it as a great treat to be witnesses of the punishment
awarded by the Government, Ching had contrived to get permission for us
to be present.
I glanced at the Tanner, who had grasped the situation, and was screwing
his face up so as to look perfectly unconcerned; but it was a dismal
failure, for I could see a peculiar twitching going on at the corners of
his eyes, and he passed his tongue rapidly over his lips and went
through the action of swallowing as if his mouth and throat were dry.
I next looked at Smithy, whose eyes showed more white than usual, and
whose complexion was of a sickly-green, just as I had seen it during
some very rough weather we had going down the Channel on first starting
for this voyage.
How I looked I have only Barkins' word for, and he told me afterwards
that I seemed as if I was waiting for my turn to suffer with the
pirates.
After the sharp glance I gave at my fellows neither of us stirred, but
sat there as if petrified. I was horror-stricken, and there was a
strong impulse upon me to jump up and run out, but shame and the dread
of being considered cowardly kept me in my place. In fact, as
after-confessions made clear, we were absolutely stunned, and I don't
think we could have stirred had we made up our minds to go.
Then I felt dizzy, and the brilliant group of officials and military
magnates and judges opposite to where we sat grew blurred and
strange-looking in the bright sunshine.
At last I felt as if I must argue out the question, and with my teeth
set firm, and my eyes fixed upon the sandy ground of the enclosure, some
such thoughts as these ran through my brain--"It is only just that these
men should suffer for their horrible crimes, for they are more dangerous
than venomous serpents, and I suppose that Captain Thwaites and
Lieutenant Reardon are obliged to come as a kind of duty; but we three
came under the idea that we were to see some kind of exhibition, and old
Ching did it out of kindness, not knowing of what kind of stuff we were
made. I shan't stop."
There I paused to fight with other ideas.
"Tanner and Blacksmith will laugh at me and think I am a coward. Well,
let them," I said to myself at last. "It isn't cowardice not to wish to
see such a horror as this. I didn't feel cowardly when they were
shooting at us down in the creek, and it would be far more cowardly to
sit here against my will without speaking. I will tell them I want to
go."
I should think that every lad of the age I then was, will pretty well
understand my feelings, and what a bitter thing it was to turn and
confess what they would jeer at and call "funk." It was hard work
indeed.
"I don't care," I muttered. "I know they'll protest and say they don't
want to come, but be very glad to come away all the time. I will
speak."
Just then that horrible Chinaman turned to me with his round fat face,
all smiling and delighted.
"You velly glad you come?" he said. "You feel velly happy?"
My mind was made up at this, and I spoke out.
"No," I said in a husky whisper. "I didn't know we had come to see
this. I shall go."
"What?" said Barkins, with a forced laugh. "Look here, Blacksmith, he's
showing the white feather."
"Ho! ho!" laughed Smith. "Come, Gnat, I thought you had a little more
spirit in you. Serve the beggars right."
"Yes, I know that," I said firmly enough now, as I looked at their
faces, which, in spite of the masks they had assumed, looked ghastly;
"and I daresay I haven't pluck enough to sit it out. But I don't care
for your grins; I'm not ashamed to say that I shall go."
"Oh, well, if you feel that it would upset you," said Barkins, in a tone
of voice full of protest, "I suppose that we had better see you off, and
go somewhere else."
"Poof!" ejaculated Smith in a low tone. "Look at him, Gnat; he's in
just as much of a stew as you are. Well, it's too bad of you both, but
if you must go, why, I suppose we must."
"You beggar!" snarled Barkins angrily. "Why, you're worse than I am.
Look at him, Gnat! There, I will own it. I felt sick as soon as I knew
what was going to happen, but I won't be such a bumptious, bragging
sneak as he is. Look at his face. It's green and yellow. He wants to
go worse than we do."
Smith did not seem to be listening, for his starting eyes were fixed
upon the far right-hand gate, over which there was a kind of pagoda, and
he rose from his seat.
"Come on at once," he whispered, "they're going to begin."
"Confessed!" whispered Barkins, pinching my knee. "Come on then quick,
Gnat, old man; it's too horrid."
We all rose together, and were in the act of turning when a low hoarse
murmur rose from behind, and we saw that a crowd of angry faces were
gazing at us, and that they were nearly all armed men.
But before we had recovered from our surprise, Ching had caught my arm
and pressed me to my seat.
"No go now," he whispered, with a look of alarm in his face, and he
leaned over me and dragged my companions down in turn. "No can go now.
Allee gate fasten. Makee blave velly angly and dlaw sword; fightee
fightee. Ching velly solly. Must stop now."
There was a low hissing noise all about us, and threatening looks, while
a fierce man in embroidered silk said something in his own tongue to
Ching, who answered humbly, and then tamed to us and whispered--
"Small-button mandalin say make big-button peacock-feather mandalin
velly angly. You no sit still. Sh! sh!"
"We must sit it out, boys," I said, with a shudder; "but we need not
look."
My words were quite correct to a certain extent, but as my companions,
who now looked more ghastly than ever, sank back in their seats, I felt
compelled to gaze across to where I could now see a red table exactly
facing me. Then a movement to the right caught my attention, and
through the far gateway, and lowering it a little as he passed under the
archway, rode an officer with a yellow silk banner, upon which were
large black Chinese characters. Behind him came some more
showily-dressed officials; and then, in a kind of sedan chair, one whom
I at once saw to be the chief mandarin, for whom we had been waiting.
He was carried across to the front, where he alighted and walked slowly
across to the red table, followed by sword, spear, and matchlock men,
who, as he took his place at the table, ranged themselves on either side
facing us, and completing a spectacle that, seen there in the bright
light, strongly suggested the opening of some grand pantomime.
I remember thinking this, and then shuddering at the horrible thought,
and at the same time I began wondering at the intense interest I could
not help taking in what was going on.
Two more grandees in chairs of state followed, and then there was a
pause. I could see that our officers were politely saluted, and that
care was taken that no one should be in front of them. And now came the
more exciting part of the terrible exhibition.
Suddenly there was the loud booming of a gong, and the head of an escort
of spearmen marched through the gateway, followed by a group of men in
twos, each pair bearing a long bamboo pole, from which, hanging in each
case like a scale, was a large basket, and heavily chained in each
basket was a man, whom we knew at once to be one of the pirates we had
captured, without Ching whispering to us--
"Velly bad men, killee evelybody. They killee now."
My eyes would not close. They were fascinated by the horrible
procession; and I now saw, just in front of the bearers, a tall-looking
bare-headed man carrying a large bright sword, curved in the fashion we
see in old pictures of the Turkish scimitar, a blade which increases in
width from the hilt nearly to the end, where it is suddenly cut off
diagonally to form a sharp point.
Behind this man marched five more, the procession moving right to the
front between us and the brilliant party whose centre was the principal
mandarin.
I now saw, too, that every one of the miserable culprits was ticketed or
labelled, a bamboo upon which a piece of paper was stuck being attached
to his neck and head.
A low murmur ran round among the spectators, as, at a signal from the
man with the great sword, who I saw now must be the executioner, the
bearers stopped, and with a jerk threw the poles off their shoulders
into their hands, bumped the baskets heavily down upon the ground, and
shot the malefactors out as unceremoniously as if they had been so much
earth.
I heard Barkins draw a deep breath, and saw Smith leaning forward and
gazing wildly at the scene, while I felt my heart go _throb throb_
heavily, and found myself wishing that I had not shared in the capture
of the wretched men.
The chief mandarin then turned to the officer on horseback, who carried
the imperial yellow flag, said a few words in a low tone, and he in turn
pushed his horse a little forward to where the executioner was waiting,
and evidently conveyed the mandarin's orders.
Then suddenly the pirates, as if moved by one consent, struggled to
their feet and began shouting.