He called me back, and said in half a whisper, with a catch in his
throat; "She may think I died fighting--on--your--side. Don't let her
know."
I squeezed his two hands. I could not say a word, for my lips were
quivering. I left him there.
The sailors seized me roughly, covered me from head to foot in the blue
cloth, and began running. I could hear Hi Ling panting at my side.
In a little while they stopped, I felt the breeze and the smell of the
sea, and they jolted me into a boat and began pulling from the shore.
They unwound the cloth which still covered me, and I saw that we were
making straight for one of the Patagonian destroyers. We bumped
alongside, and I scrambled painfully up. The Chinamen on deck
gesticulated savagely, and one or two spat at me; but I was so utterly
miserable, that I did not seem to care what happened, or even to be
frightened.
They cast off almost immediately, keeping close inshore till they came
near the entrance, and then had to shoot out into the harbour.
The destroyer must then have come into view from One Gun Hill, for a
huge shell fell with a splash in the water a hundred yards astern,
ricocheted against the cliffs, and burst with a roar, the frightened
crew throwing themselves flat on the deck or rushing down below.
I jumped to my feet and yelled with delight. It was our 12-inch Krupp,
and the Commander and his men were still holding out on the top of the
hill. Oh, the relief and the joy of it!
I looked upwards, but could not see the top of the hill on account of
the smoke from the gun and from the still burning bushes.
We were now slipping past the ledge on which the Commander, Jones, and I
had lain two days ago, and the cruiser at the foot of it was burning
furiously quite close to where we had sunk the dinghy.
"Mista Hamilton belong all same dead man." I turned round. It was Hi
Ling, rubbing his thin hands sadly and then pointing to the wreck.
"Shell he come and makee blow up--vely blave man--plenty numbly one
fightee man. All belong vely bad joss," he added mournfully.
"The lame Englishman dead?" I asked.
The Chinaman nodded his head.
Then we ran past the place where we had knocked over the two sentries,
passed between the landing-stages, and between the two forts, lined with
men gaping down at us, twisted round a corner, and dashed into the full
force of the gale and the huge seas on our starboard beam. No wonder
that the crew would not take me out under two thousand dollars.
I could see the _Laird_ right ahead, five miles out to sea, and the
Chinamen hoisted a great white flag at the masthead, which flew as stiff
as mill-board to leeward, and made straight for her.
They had to ease down immediately, as seas were coming right over us,
and we were hardly clear of the rocks near the entrance before Mr. Lang
in "No. 2" sighted us, and came racing along to cut us off, tumbling and
lurching through the following seas.
One of the crew came running aft, jabbered to Hi Ling, and pointed to
me.
"Captain he wantchee you go topsides all same blidge," said Hi Ling.
Up I went, and they made me understand that I had to make myself
conspicuous, so that Mr. Lang could see me.
I waved my handkerchief--I don't know what had become of my cap--and
shouted in my excitement, though, of course, that was silly; and then a
wave flopped on the bridge and drenched me from head to foot, and as the
salt water soaked through my clothes, those places on my chest and leg
began to smart again.
Mr. Lang had seen our white flag, and came staggering up with a signal
flying at the yard-arm--"Heave to" and "Send a boat".
A boat could not live for a moment in that sea--at any rate, no boat
that we had--so I jammed myself against the bridge rails and semaphored
with my arms, "Midshipman Glover on board--a prisoner--being taken back
to _Laird_".
I could see the stir this signal made, everybody trying to see me. Then
Mr. Lang spotted me and waved his arms. His signalman semaphored,
"Remain where you are; will communicate with _Laird_".
I explained to Hi Ling, and he to the captain--a great, gaunt,
honest-looking Tartar--who grunted a reply.
Off went Mr. Lang to the _Laird_, and in twenty minutes back he came and
semaphored, "Will follow you to lee of island and send a boat".
I told Hi Ling, but the captain shook his head decisively after
chattering to some of the others. "No can do," said Hi Ling, "Mista
Hopkins he wantchee leceipt flom numbly one ship," and he pointed to the
_Laird_. "No can do," and he pointed to "No. 2".
I signalled across, "Have orders to transfer me to _Laird_--refuse to
put me aboard you--no fear of treachery--have no torpedoes in tubes" (I
had noticed this previously). Mr. Lang waved his hand, and "No. 2"
thrashed back to the _Laird_.
We had already drifted half a mile past the entrance, and presently saw
the _Laird_ steaming away towards the north of the island, and we
followed her, even before Mr. Lang could get back or make a signal, and
soon began to get shelter in the lee of the land.
The _Laird_ came grandly down, her masts swaying in a stately,
deliberate manner as she rolled from side to side, till she, too, ran
into smoother water and lowered a cutter.
Five minutes later it came alongside, with Toddles in command. I jumped
in, followed by the captain and Hi Ling, and we shoved off back to the
_Laird_. She gave us a lee, and I caught a rope and scrambled up,
followed by the captain, as agile as a monkey, though Hi Ling could not
face it, and remained terror-struck in the boat as she went up and down,
and the crew kept her from stoving in her side against the ship.
It was Captain Helston who hauled me through the gangway, and I
hurriedly explained that the big Chinaman wanted a receipt for my safe
return. He was given it, swung himself down the side without deigning a
word or a look, and the boat took him back to the destroyer, after we
had hauled Hi Ling on board with a bow-line under his arm-pits.
"What news, Glover? Quick!" said Captain Helston.
I told him all I knew. It was a painful story and a long one, and I
finished it in his cabin. He was fearfully agitated, and paced
backwards and forwards, clutching his empty sleeve.
Dr. Fox, too, who was standing over me, was scarcely less alarmed. I
had never seen him show the least feeling before.
"What are we to do, Fox? What are we to do?" Captain Helston kept
saying. "It is impossible to land another man, even if I could spare
one, and we've only three hours of daylight left. They'll all be
murdered."
A midshipman--it was Dumpling--came down. "They've fired that gun
again, sir," he said, grinned at me, and disappeared.
"They are still holding out, Doc. What can we do?"
"This is a matter of life or death, not only of strategy and tactics,"
said Dr. Fox suddenly. "One thing must be done--done at once, too--and
you know what that is."
"Yes, yes. I must draw off their attention from Cummins by attacking
those forts; a terrible risk, but it must be taken." His face became
quite calm and happy again, and he rang the sentry bell.
"Send the First Lieutenant to me."
The First Lieutenant came running down.
"I am going to attack those forts at once. Signal to the _Strong Arm_
to support me, and to Parker and Lang to close and await orders."
"Very good, sir," said the First Lieutenant and vanished with a joyful
smile.
Picking up his telescope, the Captain went on deck, and Dr. Fox began
taking off what was left of my monkey-jacket and examining my body. I
heard the buglers sounding out for General Quarters, and heard the
stamping of the men as they rushed cheering to their stations.
"Look at yourself, boy," said Dr. Fox, standing me on a chair, and I saw
myself in the sideboard glass. I had no cap, my face was scratched all
over, my flannel shirt was all covered with blood and was almost torn in
half, one trouser leg had a great tear in it, and there was more blood
on that, but the sea on board the destroyer had washed most of it away.
I was sopping wet, and one boot had gone too.
"You don't look worth much; hardly worth sending you back, was it?"