"Thoroughly," he answered, "I schooled them myself! There will be no bungling, you may rest a.s.sured. Matheson is in command, and he has never failed us yet."
"In what capacities did they ship?"
"Matheson as a missionary bound for Shanghai, Calderman as a tourist for Nagasaki, Burns as a tea merchant for Fu-Chow, Alderney as a newspaper correspondent to the East generally, Braham as an American mill owner travelling home via Yokohama and San Francisco, Balder as an Indian civilian on furlough visiting j.a.pan."
"Very good. And your instructions to them?"
"Will be rigidly carried out. As they come up with the yacht, after seeing our signal of distress, Matheson and Balder will make an excuse and get upon the bridge; once there they will cover the officer of the watch with their revolvers, and do the same for the skipper if he is there, or directly he comes on deck. They will then compel him to heave to. Burns by this time will have taken his station at the first saloon companion ladder, Alderney doing the same at the second; Calderman will be at the engine-room door, and Braham at the fo"c"s"le; then we shall send a boat and take off our man."
"That will do, Mr. Walworth. You have arranged it admirably, and I am sincerely obliged to you."
A flush of pleasure rose on the man"s usually sallow cheek. He did not answer, however, only bowed and went on deck. Then Alie turned to me.
"Dr. De Normanville," she said, "I have not yet thanked you for your help in this last adventure; without your a.s.sistance I don"t know whether I could possibly have brought it to such a successful issue."
"You must not thank me," I answered. "Is it possible that you can imagine I would have let that scoundrel betray you? Alie, you know how much I----But there, I have given you my promise, so I must not say what I want to do."
She took my hand and looked into my face with a sweet smile that was very different to the one she had worn when she talked to Ebbington.
"Not yet," she said very softly. "Some day you shall say it as often as you please. In the meantime we must get to business. Will you come on deck and see this comedy played out, or would you rather remain down here?"
"I should like to go on deck with you," I answered, and we accordingly went up the companion ladder together. When we emerged from the hatch, what a change was there! I looked, and could hardly believe my eyes.
Aloft, where only an hour before the two well-stayed masts had reared their graceful heads, now hung a raffle of broken timber and disordered cordage. Forrard of the foremast the port bulwark was completely broken down, or appeared to be, while over the side from it hung another display of broken gear. In spite of the gay awning aft, and the R.C.Y.S. burgee at the gaff end, the _Lone Star_ presented the appearance of a complete wreck. But the meaning of it all was what puzzled me. However, I had not very long to wait before I received enlightenment.
Alie had gone aft, and was now leaning against the port bulwark watching, with a gla.s.s, the movements of a large steamer fast rising on the horizon. I strolled up just in time to hear her say to Walworth and the officer of the watch, who were both watching it:
"She is steering directly for us. Run up the English ensign to half-mast, Mr. Patterson, and, when you think she"s near enough, throw out more urgent signals for a.s.sistance."
Her orders were carefully obeyed, and before very long the vessel was near enough for us to distinguish her answering pennant. The wind had completely dropped by this time, and the sea was as smooth as gla.s.s.
When the vessel was scarcely more than two miles distant, Alie turned to her chief officer, and said:
"I think she"s close enough now. Tell her that we"re going to send a boat."
While she was speaking a string of flags had broken out upon the mail boat.
Walworth read them through the gla.s.s he held in his hand.
"She wants to know our name."
"Reply, "Yacht _Sagittarius_, owner Lord Melkard, from Rangoon to Nagasaki." He is one of the directors of the company, and that will induce them to give us their immediate attention, or I shall be very much surprised."
She was quite right, for no sooner had the message been deciphered than another went up.
Again Walworth reported. This time it ran:
"Send your boat."
"Despatch the boat," said Alie.
Instantly Walworth and the tall man with the scar on his face, whose name I have said was Patterson, went forrard, and within three minutes Alie"s own gig was manned and overboard. Walworth, I noticed, was in command of her, so I took up the gla.s.s he had left upon the skylight, and brought it to bear upon the mail boat, now less than a mile distant. She presented a handsome picture as she lay there, her great bulk riding upon the smooth water as securely as if it would be possible for her to defy the elements, whatever storm might rage.
With the aid of the strong gla.s.s I was using I could plainly distinguish her, and from the scarcity of pa.s.sengers on her decks it was evident that something unusual was occurring on board. Presently our boat got alongside and the gangway was lowered. A consultation seemed to be going on upon the bridge, and after a few moments a man was seen to ascend and descend the steps leading to it. Five minutes later two men pa.s.sed down the gangway, and once more our boat put off to us.
When she had overcome about half the distance I chanced to look forrard. To my surprise the raffle, which a few moments before had been disfiguring the side, was gone, and even the bulwark itself had recovered its proper shape and comeliness. Moreover, the tarpaulin which had hitherto covered the centre of the deck was being removed, and by the time the boat had completed three parts of the distance that separated us from the steamer, a funnel had been uncovered and erected. The chief officer came aft.
"Is everything prepared, Mr. Patterson?" inquired Alie.
"Everything, madam," replied the officer, looking at the boat.
"Steam up?"
"It has been for the last five minutes."
"Very well then, pipe all hands to quarters, and stand by to receive the boat when she comes alongside."
As she finished speaking the officer blew a whistle, and immediately the crew, who had hitherto been ordered to remain below, appeared on deck and placed themselves at their respective posts. Against the foremast I noticed a curious mechanical contrivance, the use of which at any other time I should have inquired. Now, however, there was a look upon Alie"s face that warned me not to be too inquisitive.
At last the boat came alongside, the gangway was lowered, and a moment later Walworth, accompanied by a big, clumsily built man with a heavy sensual face, small ferretty eyes, a curled moustache, and dark hair, appeared up the side. He seemed to wonder what was required of him, and it was evident that so far he had no idea into whose hands he had fallen. I glanced at Alie, as he appeared on deck, to discover that she was regarding him out of half-closed eyes, just as she had looked at Kwong Fung before she had ordered him off to execution, and at Ebbington in the cabin half an hour before.
"Will you let me say that I am more than pleased to see you, Mr.
Barkmansworth?" she said in her silkiest tone as he gained the deck.
"It was only last month I heard that you were coming to China to take up your residence among us. It is my desire to offer you a warm welcome to the East, hence this reception in mid-ocean. Mr. Walworth, will you be good enough to bring Mr. Ebbington to me?"
Walworth went below, and presently returned with the prisoner.
"Mr. Ebbington," said Alie, as the man she addressed took his place beside the newly erected funnel, "I have sent for you in order that you may see for yourself how I show my appreciation of those whom the world, to my thinking, does not properly reward. Mr. Barkmansworth, in case you may not know in whose presence you now stand, let me inform you that I am the woman you have so often expressed a desire to meet.
I am she whom you boasted in Sydney, a year ago, you would flog when she fell into your hands, as you flogged those unfortunate South Sea Islanders. In other words, Mr. Barkmansworth, I am the Beautiful White Devil."
Though he must have realised his position long before she had finished speaking, the unfortunate man now, for the first time, showed signs of fear. Indeed, it is my opinion he would have fallen to the ground had not Walworth upheld him on one side, the c.o.xswain of the boat which had brought him doing the same upon the other. Alie continued in the same quiet voice:
"Tell me, you sir, have you anything to say why I should not treat you as you deserve? So far you have craftily managed to escape punishment from your own authorities, but you must see that cunning will not avail you here. If you have anything to say, say it quickly, for I cannot keep your boat waiting."
The wretched man took a step forward, and, the eyes of all on board being upon him, tried to carry the matter off with a high hand.
"What business is it of yours what I do?" he asked.
"It is my business," Alie replied, "because you have threatened what you would do to me when you caught me, and also because no one else will see justice done to you."
"You dare not punish me," he cried. "You shall not! I warn you I am in high authority, and I"ll exterminate you as I would a rat, if you dare to lay a hand upon me."
"So you try to bl.u.s.ter, do you?" said Alie quietly. "Very good. In that case I need have no scruples at all in carrying out my plan. You flogged those poor women in Yakilavi, and that man at Tuarani, to death. I will be more merciful. But flogged you shall be. Men, do your duty!"
The words were hardly out of her mouth before four of her crew, who had evidently been instructed in the parts they were to play, sprang forward, seized him by his arms and legs, and bore him swiftly from the gangway to the object whose use I had been wondering. Once there his feet were firmly secured, the upper part of his body was stripped to the skin, while, at a signal, a powerful native stepped forward from the crowd, carrying a cat-o"-nine-tails in his hand.
"Lay on twelve lashes," said Alie sternly.
The man had a broad white back, and the first cut raised its mark, the second put another alongside it, and by the time the twelve strokes had been administered the blood had begun to flow. After the first cut the wretched culprit no longer attempted to comport himself like a man; he struggled, whined, and finally bellowed outright. When the number was completed, the native paused and looked at Alie. Her face was turned away, but it was as hard as iron.