Blue Jackets Part 85

Mr Brooke hesitated for a few moments, and then reached up, took the tiller, and we lay-to again for quite an hour.

"Only make them suspicious if we are seen following, Herrick. Let them get well away; I daresay we can pick them up again at daybreak."

But all the same he manipulated the boat so as not to be too far away, and arranged matters so well that when at last the dawn began to show in the east, there lay the two junks about six miles away, and nothing but the heavy sails visible from where we stood.

We all had an anxious look round for the _Teaser_, but there were no tell-tale wreaths of smoke showing that our vessel was on her way back, and there seemed to be nothing for us to do but slowly follow on along sh.o.r.e, at such a distance from the junks as would not draw attention to the fact of their being followed, till we could catch sight of our own s.h.i.+p and warn our people of the vessels; or, failing that, lie in on the way to warn the junk which Ching believed would sail from the river before long.

Mr Brooke reckoned upon our being provisioned for two days, and as soon as it was light he divided the little crew into two watches, one of which, self included, was ordered to lie down at once and have a long sleep.

I did not want to lie down then, for the drowsy sensations had all pa.s.sed away; but of course I obeyed, and, to my surprise, I seemed to find that after closing my eyes for two minutes it was evening; and, upon looking round, there lay the land upon our right, while the two junks were about five miles away, and the boat turned from them.

"Have you given up the chase, Mr Brooke?" I said.

"Yes, for the present; look yonder."

He pointed towards the north-west, and there, some three miles distant, and sailing towards us, was another junk coming down with the wind.

"Another pirate?" I cried.

"No, my lad; evidently the junk of which Ching told us."

"And you are going to warn her of the danger, sir?"

"Exactly; we can't attack, so we must scheme another way of saving the sheep from the wolves."

As we sailed on we could see that the fresh junk was a fine-looking vessel, apparently heavily laden; and, after partaking of my share of the provisions, which Ching eagerly brought for me out of the little cabin, I sat watching her coming along, with the ruddy orange rays of the setting sun lighting up her sides and rigging, and brightening the showy paint and gilding with which she was decorated, so that they had quite a metallic sheen.

"Take a look back now," said Mr Brooke. "What do you make of the pirate junks?"

"They seem to be lying-to, sir," I said.

"Then they have seen their plunder, and the sooner we give warning the better. She must turn and run back at once, or they will be after and capture her before she can reach port again."

Just then I saw him stand up and give a sharp look round, his face wearing rather an anxious expression.

"You can't see the _Teaser_, sir?" I said.

"No, my lad; I was looking at the weather. I fear it is going to blow a hurricane. The sky looks rather wild."

I had been thinking that it looked very beautiful, but I did not say so.

Certainly, though, the wind had risen a little, and I noticed that Tom Jecks kept on glowering about him in a very keen way.

Just then Mr Brooke shook out the little Union Jack which we had brought from our sinking boat, and held it ready to signal the coming junk, which was now only about a mile away, and came swiftly along, till our leader stood right forward, holding on by a stay, and waved the little flag.

"Three cheers for the red, white, and blue!" muttered Tom Jecks. "Look at that now. We in this here little c.o.c.k-boat just shows our colours, and that theer great bamboo mountain of a thing goes down on her marrow-bones to us, metty-phizickly. See that, Mr Herrick, sir?"

"Yes, Tom," I said excitedly; "and it's something to be proud of too."

For, in obedience to our signals, I saw one of the many Chinamen on board wave his hands as he seemed to be shouting, and the great vessel slowly and c.u.mbrously rounded to, so that in a few minutes we were able to run close alongside.

"Tell them to heave us a rope, Ching," said Mr Brooke, and the interpreter shouted through his hands, with the result that a heavy coil came cras.h.i.+ng down, and was caught by Tom Jecks, who was nearly knocked overboard.

"We said a rope, not a hawser," growled the man, hauling in the rope.

"Better shy a few anchors down too, you bladder-headed lubbers!"

"Now, say I want to speak to the captain," said Mr Brooke.

A showily-dressed Chinaman leaned over the side of the huge tower of a p.o.o.p, and smiled down on us.

"Are you the captain?" cried Mr Brooke, and Ching interpreted.

"Say he the captain," said Ching; "and you please walkee up top sidee big junk."

"Yes, it will be better," cried Mr Brooke. "Come with me, Herrick.

You too, Ching, of course. There, keep her off a bit, Jecks, or you'll have the boat swamped."

He seized the right moment, and began to climb up the junk's side. I followed, and Ching was close at my heels, the clumsy vessel giving plenty of foothold; and we soon stood upon the deck, where some dozen or so Chinese sailors pointed aft to where the captain stood, bowing and smiling.

We had a rough set of bamboo steps to mount to the clumsy p.o.o.p-deck, and there found the captain and half-a-dozen more of his men waiting.

"Now, Ching, forward," I said. But he hung back and looked strange.

"Don't be so jolly modest," I whispered; "we can't get on without you to interpret."

At that moment there came a loud hail from our boat, invisible to us from where we stood, and there was a tremendous splash.

"What's the matter?" cried Mr Brooke, making for the side; but in an instant the att.i.tude of the Chinaman changed. One moment the captain was smiling at us smoothly; the next there was an ugly, look in his eyes, as he shouted something to his men, and, thrusting one hand into his long blue coat, he made a quick movement to stop Mr Brooke from going to the side.

The various incidents took place so quickly that they almost seemed to be simultaneous. One moment all was peace; the next it was all war, and the warnings I heard came together.

"Pilate! pilate!" shouted Ching.

"Look out for yourself, my lad! Over with you!" roared Mr Brooke, as I saw him dash at the Chinese captain, and, with his left fist extended, leap at the scoundrel, sending him rolling over on the deck.

"Now!" cried Mr Brooke again, "jump!"

"Jlump! jlump!" yelled Ching; and with a bound I was on the great carven gangway, just avoiding three men who made a rush for me, and the next moment I had leaped right away from the tower-like stern of the huge junk, and appeared to be going down and down for long enough through the glowing air before striking the water with a heavy splash, and continuing my descent right into the darkness, from which it seemed to me that I should never be able to rise again.

At last my head popped out of the dark thundering water, and, blinking my eyes as I struck out, I was saluted with a savage yelling; the water splashed about me, and I heard shots; but for a few moments, as I looked excitedly round, I did not realise that I was being pelted with pieces of chain, and fired at as a mark for bullets.

But in those brief moments I saw what I wanted: Mr Brook and Ching safe and swimming towards me, and the boat not many yards behind them, with two of our men at the oars, and the others opening fire upon the people who crowded the side of the junk, and yelled at us and uttered the most savage throats.

"This way, Herrick, my lad," panted Mr Brooke, as he reached me. "Ah!

did that hit you?"

"No, sir, only splashed up the water; I'm all right!" I cried; "the bullet didn't touch."

"Swim boat! swim boat!" cried Ching excitedly.