"One boat--two boat come behind."
We glanced back, and there, sure enough, were the sailing craft, which
had been hanging about in front and aft, coming steadily along in our
wake. A moment or two later Ching spoke again--
"Look over boat side, see jolly sailor boy."
"Never mind those boats," said Mr Brooke impatiently.
"Steady, my lads, hold hard now; that's right," he continued, as the
oars were held, and checked the boat's progress. "Now, Mr Herrick,
take a good look at them. Do you think we should know them again if you
saw them coming down the river?"
"Yes, sir," I said; "the stern of this one and bows of the other would
be unmistakable. I don't think I could make a blunder."
"No; almost impossible; pull starboard, back water, port side. Now,
we'll just turn and row gently back. I don't see any men on board."
"All lie down flat," said Ching sharply. "Plenty men aboard."
"Ah, well, it does not matter. I'm not going to run risks by attacking
the savages. Lift your gun and look about, Herrick. Let them keep in
the same mind."
I stood up in the boat at this, and noted how rapidly the tide was
running up as Mr Brooke gave the word to pull again.
The movement of the boat brought me in full view of the two sampans
which had followed us, each with a man and boy aboard; and now, as I
looked, I was surprised to see a yellow head raised and begin watching
us. Then another; and Ching said quickly--"Lot men in both boats."
I don't know how they had stowed themselves, but now, to our intense
astonishment, head after head appeared, till Mr Brooke exclaimed--
"Why, the boats are packed full of men."
"Yes, and the junks too," I whispered hastily; for their decks, which a
few moments before had appeared to be bare, were now crowded.
"Trapped, Herrick!" said Mr Brooke through his set teeth. "Is this a
trick on the part of Mr Ching?"
The men were looking hard at us, and they did not have long to wait.
"Arms ready, my lads?"
"Ay, ay, sir."
"That's right. Now then, lay your backs to it, and row with all your
might."
"Ay, ay, sir."
"What are you going to do?" I said huskily.
"Run for it. The junks can't follow against this tide. We must row out
into the river. Keep your fire till I give orders. They may not try to
stop us. If they do, I shall try and ram one. We have four barrels for
the other, without troubling the men."
"You don't think it's a false alarm?"
"No," he said sternly; "the falsity lies somewhere else."
"He means Ching," I said, but there was no time for much thought, not
even to see a great deal. The men grasped the situation as soon as the
boat's head was straight, and Mr Brooke took the tiller in his left
hand, his gun in his right, and cocked it, while I followed suit.
Then I felt disposed to laugh as Ching made a dive down, and began to
crawl under the thwarts among the men's legs, but the laugh changed to a
serious grin as Mr Brooke steered to pass between the two boats, when
the course of one was changed so as to throw her right athwart our way,
and quite a dozen men rose up in each, armed with clumsy swords, yelling
at us, and dancing about as they gesticulated and seemed to be trying to
frighten us back.
"Very well, if you will have it," said Mr Brooke between his teeth.
"Be ready, my lads. Cutlasses, if they try to board."
A sound like the exhaustion of a heavy breath escaped from the men, and
Mr Brooke roared at them to pull, while I sat with my finger on the
first trigger and the gun lowered a little, gazing wildly at the savage
crew before us.
Those moments were like long minutes, but I could make out that, instead
of frightening us, the men in the boat which crossed us were now
frightened themselves, and they made an effort to give us room.
But there were too many of them--they got in each other's way. Then
there was a wild shriek, a crash, and the head of our fast cutter
crashed into them, driving their bows round, partly forcing them under
water, and the flimsily-built boat began rapidly to fill.
The second party held a little aloof, too much startled by the boldness
of our manoeuvre to attempt to help their companions, so that we had
only the first boat to tackle, as such of the men as could trampled over
one another in their struggle to get on board us.
But the moment the crash had come our lads sprang up with a cheer, and,
forgetting their proper weapons, let go at the enemy with their oars,
using them as spears and two-handed swords, and with such effect that in
less than a minute the wretches were driven back or beaten into the
water, to swim to and cling to their half-sunken boat, whose light
bamboos refused to go right down.
"Now pull--down with you--pull!" roared Mr Brooke, and, thanks to Mr
Reardon's grand "dishipline," every man dropped into his place, and the
boat, which had come to a standstill, now began to move forward, while
the tide carried the enemy towards their junks, from whence came now as
savage a yelling as that from the boats.
"Without firing a shot," cried Mr Brooke exultantly. "Pull, boys.
Now, a cheer! they can't follow us against this tide."
The men sent up a triumphant shout, and, as we swept round the next
bend, we lost sight of the junks, and directly after of the two boats,
the last I saw of them being that the crew of the second were dragging
their companions of the first out of the water, and loading their own
down to the gunwale edge.
"Now," cried Mr Brooke, "who's hurt?"
There was no answer for a moment or two. Then one of the men said, with
a grin--
"I arn't drownded, sir; but I shall ketch cold if something arn't done--
my feet's wet."
"Yes, so velly wet," cried a plaintive voice, and Ching struggled up
from the bottom of the boat, and stood up, showing his blue cotton
garments to be drenched with water.
"What, have we sprung a leak?" cried Mr Brooke.
"Yes, sir," said Tom Jecks, "she's got a hole in her skin here forrard;
but if I might be so bold, sir, if you was to send Mr Ching to lean up
agin it, we shouldn't hurt much."
"Pull--pull steady," cried Mr Brooke. "Here, take the tiller, Mr
Herrick."
He laid his gun behind us and handed me the rudder, before going right
forward to the coxswain, while I sat envying the men their coolness as
they sat pulling away nonchalantly enough, though the water was rising
fast and nearly covered their bare feet and ankles, while it soon
invaded the grating upon which my own boot-covered feet were placed.
"Much injured, sir?" I shouted; and Mr Brooke gave me back poor
Mercutio's answer to his friend, in _Romeo and Juliet_--
"'Tis not so deep as a well, nor so wide as a church door: but 'tis
enough; 'twill serve."
"Here, my lads, one of you; I must have a frock."
"Right, sir, mine'll do," said the coxswain, unfastening and dragging
his white duck garment over his head.
This was soaked and wrung out to make it softer, and then thrust into
the hole in our bows.
"There, you must sit forward here, and plant both feet against it, my
lad," said Mr Brooke.
"Ay, ay, sir. Men never knows what he may come to. Fancy my toots
being used to caulk a leak!"
He, laughing, sat down on the forward thwart, and pressed his feet
against the jacket.
"Now then, a man to bale," cried Mr Brooke, and the coxswain fished the
tin baler out of the locker forward. "No; pass it here," continued our
leader. "Pull away, my lads, and Mr Herrick and I will take it in
turns to bale. We must get out of this narrow creek as soon as we can."
"Me balee water out," squeaked Ching, who looked very wet and miserable.
"No, thank you," said Mr Brooke coldly.
"Beg pardon, sir; I've got nothin' to do but sit here like a himage,"
said the coxswain; "I can reach down and bale."
"Without shifting your feet?"
"Yes, sir; look here."
The man took the baler, and began to send the water, which still came in
but slowly, over the side; while, after satisfying myself that we should
not be obliged to run our boat ashore and tramp back to the city, I kept
on directing anxious glances backward to see if we were pursued.
"We shan't sink, Herrick," said Mr Brooke, returning to my side; while,
after glancing at my very serious, and at the young lieutenant's stern
countenance, Ching crept forward under the oars to where the coxswain
was baling, and, getting a second tin from the locker, he seated
himself, tucked his loose things out of the way, and began meekly to
toss out the water as fast as he could scoop it up.
"That fellow's a traitor," said Mr Brooke to me in a low voice, after a
glance back by Ching.
"Oh no, I hope not, sir," I said.
"I wish I could hope so too, my lad. There's a deal of cunning in his
plans, and he tried hard to make it seem that he was all the time
working upon our side; but I feel as if he has led us into a trap, and
we were very nearly coming to our end in it without a man left to tell
the tale."
"But why, sir? What object could he have?"
"Plunder, for one thing; our boat, and weapons such as they cannot get.
Yes, I believe that he is in league with those pirates."
"Oh, I can't think it, Mr Brooke," I cried. "He has served us so
well."
"Yes, to gain his own ends."
"But surely he wouldn't do such a base thing for the sake of getting a
paltry share in these rifles and cutlasses?"
"He would have the satisfaction of seeing us massacred."
"But what satisfaction could that be, sir?" I cried. "We have always
been his friends."
"The Chinese hate the outer barbarians and foreign devils, as they call
us, my lad. They are obliged to tolerate our presence, but the common
people, as you know well, would feel an intense pleasure in murdering
every European they came across."
"All the same, sir," I said, "I don't believe poor old Ching would do
anything that was against us."
"Well, we shall see. But what an escape, my lad! What a trap we were
in!"
"And how capital to get out of it without having a man hurt."
"It's splendid, my lad. The captain will be delighted at that, and
forgive me about the boat."
"But we had to run away, sir," I said.
"Rather strange running away to charge that boat as we did! But don't
you take it into your head, my lad, that it is cowardly to retreat at
the proper time. It is madness to go throwing away the lives of your
men when you can do no good by fighting. It might sound very grand and
heroic for us to have fought both those boats, and then tried to capture
the junks; but we must have been cut to pieces in the attempt, and what
then--"
"We should have been able to say that we did not turn tail upon our
enemies."
"No, we should not, my boy, because there would not have been a soul
left to tell the story. There, my lad, don't indulge in romance. He is
the best commander who gains victories at the smallest cost of blood to
his country.--Ha, at last! how much longer the creek seems coming back
than it did going up."
"Running against the tide, too," I cried; and the next minute we glided
out into the big stream, crossed the river, and settled down to a quiet,
steady row on the far side, where the eddy enabled us to make a very
fine rate of speed.
But our rate did not satisfy Mr Brooke, who kept on looking at his
watch as the time went on, and we found that the swift tide had carried
us much farther than we thought for.
"We shall never get back at this rate," said Mr Brooke, "and it can't
be very long before the tide turns, and then those scoundrels will come
sailing down, perhaps pass us before we can get to the _Teaser_."
"Hardly," I ventured to observe.
"Well, no; you are right," he said. "I am too impatient. We have a
good start, and must get to the gunboat long before they can."
Meanwhile Tom Jecks sat fast, pressing his feet against the jacket
placed over the hole, and kept baling, while Ching took his time from
him, and used his baler with enough skill to help get rid of a great
deal of water, so that the boat was freed to an extent which set aside
all danger of our sinking; but with all their efforts they never got
beyond a certain point, for the water oozed in pretty constantly through
and round the extempore plug.
At last, faint with heat and nearly exhausted, we came in sight of the
first straggling houses, then they grew more close together, and fields
and gardens gave place to the closely-packed habitations. For we had
reached the town, though even then we had quite a long row before we
could reach the _Teaser_.
The final stretch came at last--just about a quarter of a mile to
traverse, and then we should be alongside.
"Thank goodness!" said Mr Brooke, drawing a deep breath; "I don't know
when I have felt so anxious. Now, my lads, only another five minutes--a
long pull and a strong pull, and all together."
The men cheered and pulled, sending the boat merrily along now, for the
tide was close upon its highest point, and for some little time it grew
more and more sluggish before the coxswain cried out--
"She's swung round, sir; tide's with us."
"Ha!" ejaculated Mr Brooke. "Then we shall get to the _Teaser_ in
time. They couldn't start from the creek with those light junks till
now."
"How much farther is it, sir?" I said, as he stood up and shaded his
eyes with his hand.
"It can't be many hundred yards," he replied. "It must be just beyond
that head where the boats lie so thick. Yes, off that temple there up
on the hill."
The men gave a cheer, and the boat sped on fast now, feeling the push
given by the falling tide, and the short distance that lay between us;
and the spot where we had lain at anchor so many days was soon
traversed--the latter part in perfect silence, with Mr Brooke standing
in the stern-sheets gazing straight ahead, and turning his eyes from
side to side of the busy water thoroughfare.
"She has shifted her moorings," he said at last.
"Has she, sir?" I replied, as I recalled how the furnace fires were
going and the _Teaser_ was getting up steam when we started.
"Yes; how tiresome!" he muttered. "Just, too, when we want to
communicate at once."
"But you can see her, sir?"
"No, my lad, no," he cried. "How can I see her if she is not here?"
"But I thought you said she had shifted her moorings, sir?"
"Yes, and gone down the river somewhere. Hang it all, she can't have
sailed without us."
"They wouldn't do that, sir," I cried, feeling quite startled at the
idea of the ship leaving us with our small boat in the midst of
strangers. "Why, she must have had news of some other junks, sir, and
gone in pursuit, or is it a mistake? We can't have come far enough.
No; this is the spot."
The men were looking at me inquiringly, just as men accustomed to be led
lean on their superiors for orders, even if one of those superiors be a
mere boy, while I, acting in precisely the same spirit, looked up to Mr
Brooke, and listened excitedly for what he would say next.
It seemed to be a long time before he spoke, and then it was between his
teeth and with angry vehemence, as he dropped down into his seat.
"After all this hard struggle to get back with our news," he muttered,
in so low a tone that I only heard his words, while the men sat with
their oars balanced gazing forward to see if they could make out the
_Teaser's_ funnel and tall spars. "They ought not to have stirred; it's
playing at dog and the shadow. Here have we brought the substance, and
they are snapping at the reflection."
"Mr Brooke!" I said in a whisper.
"All right, my boy; don't be down-hearted. It's the fortune of sea
life. Here we are, tired, hungry, and hot, with a badly leaking boat,
and a far from friendly place to land in and get her repaired."
"But they can't have gone far," I said.
"I don't know, my lad. Had some news of pirates, perhaps. All I know
now is that they've left us in the lurch."