Tom and Desmond, in return for the information they had received, had a still longer yarn to spin of the adventures they had gone through.
Billy occasionally put in a word.
"The worst part of the business was when we were nearly starving and had to live on rotten yams and train oil. How would you fellows have liked that?" he asked.
"Not very pleasant," observed Charley Roy. "But you, Billy, don"t appear to have suffered much from the fare you describe."
"I have had time to pick up again," answered Billy; "but I a.s.sure you that for many weeks afterwards I was as thin as a whipping-post."
CHAPTER SEVEN.
A VISIT TO THE TAILOR"S, AND A WALK ROUND VICTORIA--TRICKS OF THE COOLIES--A CHINESE FESTIVAL--SAIL FOR SHANGHAI--AN UNEXPECTED MEETING-- ADVENTURES OF THE DRAGON"S CREW--A WALK THROUGH SHANGHAI--THE MIDSHIPMEN"S RIDE INTO THE COUNTRY--THEIR PLEASURE DISAGREEABLY INTERRUPTED--A RIDE FOR LIFE, AND A NARROW ESCAPE--BRING NEWS OF THE APPROACH OF THE REBELS--REGAIN THEIR HOTEL--AROUSED BY THE SOUND OF FIRING--SHANGHAI ATTACKED BY THE REBELS--THE BLUE JACKETS TAKE PART IN THE DEFENCE--TREACHERY DEFEATED--JERRY SAVES TOM"S LIFE--THE REBELS DEFEATED--RETURN ON BOARD THE EMPRESS--THE ORION, CAPTAIN ADAIR, ARRIVES FROM ENGLAND--ADAIR COMES ON BOARD THE EMPRESS--GERALD"S ANXIETY--AN ASTOUNDING REQUEST--CAPTAIN ADAIR COMMUNICATES SOME INTERESTING INFORMATION TO DESMOND--THE FLEET a.s.sEMBLES, AND THE ARMY LANDS ON THE Sh.o.r.eS OF CHINA.
The fleet lay in readiness to proceed to Pe-chili, where it was expected that they would find work to do, as the Taku Forts had to be captured before the troops, now a.s.sembling in strong force, could march on Pekin.
In the mean time Captain Rogers took the midshipmen on sh.o.r.e to obtain an outfit for them, which they much required. With this object they repaired to the shop of Tung-Cheong, the Buckmaster, of Victoria.
Mr Tung-Cheong came forward with a smiling countenance, guessing, as he surveyed the tattered uniforms of the three midshipmen, what they required.
"Me thinkee greatest tailor in the world. Thinkee nothing to make coat"ees for three gentlemans," he observed, as he pointed to the uniforms of every possible description hanging up in the shop. He at once produced a midshipman"s uniform, which he kept as a specimen to show of what he was capable, and having taken their measures, he promised that all three should be ready the following evening, together with every other article they might please to order. They, of course, wanted shirts, socks, caps, and shoes, swords and belts, all of which, to their surprise, he had in stock--indeed, he showed, like most of his countrymen, that he had a keen eye for business, and would undertake to fit out a ship"s company, from an admiral down to a powder-monkey.
Leaving the town, they climbed to the top of Victoria Peak, from whence they could look down on the harbour, which had the appearance of a picturesque lake, dotted over with vessels of every rig, while they obtained a good view of the town itself which extended along the sh.o.r.e for nearly four miles. Below on one side was the Kowloon Peninsula, now covered with military tents, while on the south side were seen numberless islands, with the wide expanse of the China Sea beyond.
"Now let us pay a visit to the Happy Valley," said Tom, as they descended the heights.
"It must be a pleasant place to live in. I should like to take up my abode there," observed Billy.
"Wait until you reach it before you form an opinion; it has a good many inhabitants already," observed Tom, who had heard all about the w.a.n.g-ne-chung from Charley Roy.
Billy changed his opinion when they got to the place, which is the burial ground of Hong-kong. On entering the Protestant cemetery, they saw a column erected to the memory of the officers and men of the 59th Regiment, which regiment, in the course of nine years, lost 644 persons, including a number of women and upwards of 100 children; the greater number cut down not by the weapons of the enemy, but by the pestiferous climate.
On their way to the town they met a soldier, holding a Chinaman by his pigtail, which he had twisted two or three times round his hand. On asking the Englishman what he was about to do with his prisoner, his reply was--
"Why, sir, this here chap is a coolie recruit; he has received his pay in advance, and was bolting, when I clapped eyes on him, and am taking him back to the barracks."
The coolie corps had just been raised to act as carriers to the regiments going to Pekin. Not being over troubled with honesty, the men took every opportunity of escaping as soon as they had received an advance, intending in many instances again to enlist.
On returning to the ship, Charley Roy told them of an incident, which had occurred just before. A number of coolies had been embarked on board a troop-ship, when one of them, who had purchased a quant.i.ty of pepper, started up and threw it into the eyes of the sentry placed over him, then dashing past the guard, leaped overboard, swam to a boat which was in waiting, and succeeded in making his escape.
While the midshipmen were at Hong-kong the great Chinese festival was going on; and as they had leave to go on sh.o.r.e, they had an opportunity of witnessing the proceedings.
One day they met a procession, consisting of some 3000 or 4000 people, many of them merchants and tradesmen, dressed in their gaudiest attire, extending upwards of a mile in length. There were bands of music and groups of figures, either carried on men"s shoulders or wheeled along on platforms, representing various somewhat incomprehensible characters, but the chief attractions were three enormous dragons, each a hundred feet in length, which required thirty men to carry them.
In the evening an entertainment was given, open to all, without charge.
It was in an enormous building erected for the purpose, composed of bamboo frame-work covered with matting. The interior was elegantly fitted up, and lighted by large numbers of gla.s.s chandeliers; the sides were richly decorated, and here were soon altars overhung with gorgeous drapery, and conservatories full of flowering plants, while concerts of vocal and instrumental music were going on in several parts of the building. There were also rooms where light refreshments, such as tea, coffee, and fruit, could be obtained without charge. Those who required more substantial fare could procure it at booths outside the large building, on very moderate payment. The midshipmen enjoyed themselves, and voted the Chinese very amusing, hospitable fellows.
At length the ships of war were ordered to the northward. The _Empress_ was to call at Shanghai, at the southern entrance of the great river Yang-tse-kiang. Shanghai consists of a large English settlement and a Chinese city of considerable size. Soon after the _Empress_ had come to anchor, a sh.o.r.e boat, pulled by Chinese, was seen approaching.
"She has English officers on board. Who can they be?" exclaimed Gerald, who was on the look-out at the gangway, to Tom. "I do believe! Can it be possible? Yes, I am nearly certain! There"s Archie Gordon, Mr Joy, and there is Commander Rawson himself. Then the old _Dragon_ must have escaped after all."
Tom sprang to the gangway, and waved his cap. This salute was replied to by those in the boat, which in another minute was alongside, and Commander Rawson, with the lieutenant and Archie, came on deck.
"We had given you up for lost," said Tom, as he shook hands with his brother midshipman.
"And we, to say the truth, had very little expectation of seeing you again," answered Archie. "How did you escape?"
"How did you find your way here?" asked Tom, without answering the question.
Before Archie could reply, Captain Rogers came on deck and welcomed the party. After exchanging a few words, the commander and lieutenant accompanied him into the cabin, while Archie was led off by his old shipmates into their berth. Before, however, he would give them an account of his adventures, he insisted on hearing about theirs, which of course occupied some time.
"And now," said Tom, "we want to hear your yarn. Was the _Dragon_ lost?
was it her we saw on the rocks, or was that some other unfortunate vessel?"
"She was the _Dragon_, there can be no doubt," answered Archie. "You remember the day at the Bonins when the hurricane suddenly sprang up.
We had just got on board and were looking out for you, when the commander, considering that we should to a certainty be driven on sh.o.r.e if we remained where we were, ordered the steam to be got up, intending to run round and take you on board. We had not got far, however, when one of our boilers burst, killing half a dozen men and committing other damage. We had now to depend upon our canvas, while the hurricane was every instant increasing in strength. The ship, however, behaved very well. We ran on before the gale for four and twenty hours, when a lull coming on, the commander, wishing to get back to the Bonins, hauled the ship up. We had not, however, stood on long under close-reefed topsails, when a furious blast suddenly struck her, and in one fell swoop carried away all our masts. We managed, however, to get before the wind again by hoisting a sail on the stump of our foremast, and ran on, hoping to get under the lee of some island by the time the gale was over, where we might rig jury masts.
"Night came on; the hurricane was over. We were anxiously looking for daylight. Our belief was that we were a considerable distance from any island, when suddenly a loud crash was heard, and we had too sure evidence that the ship was on sh.o.r.e. Happily the sea had gone down, and although she struck heavily several times, we had hopes that she would hold together until we had made our escape. The commander, who was as cool as a cuc.u.mber, told us that although he could not get the ship off, seeing that already she had two or three holes in her bottom, our lives might all be preserved if we maintained discipline and exerted ourselves. When daylight came we found ourselves in sight of a small island, but it looked barren and inhospitable, with intervening reefs, over which the sea was breaking, so that we could have but little hope of reaching it. Outside, however, it was much calmer, but as the boats could not carry us all, the commander determined to build two or more rafts or catamarans which might convey all who could not go in the boats, and carry provisions and water.
"We hoped to reach the Loo-choo Islands, should we miss Grampus Island, half-way to them. The weather coming on perfectly fine, we were able to get three rafts rigged and the boats prepared for sea. The boats were to take the rafts in tow and keep within hailing distance, steering as the commander might direct. With a light wind from the eastward we shoved off from the wreck, without leaving a man behind. We made but slow progress, as the wind was light and the rafts towed somewhat heavily, still, we were all in good spirits, except that we regretted the loss of the ship and could not help thinking what had become of you fellows. We ran on for three days and then began to look out for Grampus Island, when the weather became threatening. As the barometer fell, so did our spirits. Had we all been in the boats, we might by this time have reached the sh.o.r.e, but of course they would not desert the rafts. The second lieutenant had charge of one raft, Josling another, and I volunteered to command the third. Even should a gale spring up, we did not altogether despair of navigating our rafts, so that we might run before it and lash ourselves down to escape being washed off.
"The wind blew stronger and stronger; the sea got up, and as night approached, matters were looking very disagreeable. The commander came round and spoke to those on the rafts, telling us what to do, and promising that the boats should remain by us should the worst come to the worst. The night was dark and squally. The catamarans rode over the sea better than was expected, although at times we scarcely expected to see another sunrise. When day at length broke, we were still in sight of each other, but there was no abatement in the gale, nor could land anywhere be discerned.
"Though we had weathered one night, from the experience we had had we earnestly hoped that we might not be exposed to a still severer gale, and yet there seemed every likelihood of the wind increasing. For my part, I began to think it was a pity those in the boats should expose themselves to greater danger by remaining by us, and was considering that we ought to urge the commander to leave us to make the best of our way, when a sail appeared in sight to the southward. As she stood towards us we made her out to be an American whaler. On coming up to us she hove to, when our commander went on board. We were, it may be supposed, not a little anxious to know what arrangements he would make with the master of the whaler. He was not long in settling matters. In a short time he made a signal for the other boats to come alongside, which they quickly did. The stores and the people not required for pulling were at once taken on board. The boats then came off to the rafts, when we all got into them and towed the rafts up to the ship.
The stores were at once hoisted up, when the rafts were cast adrift, while our larger boats were allowed to tow astern, as they could not be taken on board. The American captain, who was bound to the coast of j.a.pan in search of whales, agreed to land us at Yokohama.
"The voyage, however, was much longer than we expected. We were first of all caught in a heavy gale which came on that night, and were compelled to heave to, when we lost the boats towing astern. A day or two after this several whales were seen, which the captain was naturally anxious to catch. As he had plenty of hands on board, he put off with all his boats, and no less than three fish were killed. Then we had to cut them up and stow them away, which occupied the best part of a week.
Scarcely was the operation concluded when two more whales were seen and taken, the American captain acknowledging that it was owing much to our a.s.sistance that he was able to secure such prizes.
"After this we had calms and light or contrary winds, so that our voyage was a protracted one. We had brought provisions and water, though they were nearly exhausted. What with so many men being on board, and the dirty condition of the whaler, it was a wonder that sickness did not break out among us so the doctor said, and so it would have done had not the people lived as much as possible on deck.
"The American captain fulfilled his promise, and landed us at Yokohama.
We were detained there a considerable time before we could get across to this place. As soon as we arrived we sent word to Hong-kong of our safety, but I suppose the news had not reached that place before you sailed."
"Well, I am very glad, old fellow, that you and the rest have escaped,"
said Tom, "and I hope that we three shall be as fortunate as were my brother Jack and his two friends, when they were midshipmen."
The three newly re-united friends at once got leave to go on sh.o.r.e together with a few other midshipmen.
They first walked through the European settlement, which is handsomely laid out in streets running at right angles to each other. Many of the houses were well built, and stood in compounds like those in India.
Strong wooden barriers had been put up at the beads of all the main streets, with loopholes in them, so that the place could be defended should the rebels succeed in capturing the native town beyond. This town is a short distance to the south of the European settlement. It was surrounded by a brick wall of about twenty-five feet in height, with an earthen embankment inside, forming a rampart six to ten feet wide.
The parapet was two feet thick and seven high, containing embrasures for large gingalls three or four feet only apart. Between each gingall was a small hole in the parapet which held an earthen vessel filled with slaked lime, ready to be flung in the faces of an enemy attempting to escalade the walls. A considerable number of Chinese troops were stationed on the ramparts, with gay-coloured flags of various devices flying above their heads. It seemed curious that while the English were at war with the emperor, they should be in alliance with some part of his troops engaged in defending one of his towns against his rebel subjects.
"This is mighty dull work," exclaimed Gerald, after they had been wandering about the native town some time. "I vote that we get horses and take a gallop into the country. We shall have the fun of a ride, at all events, and perhaps see something curious."
"But suppose we fall in with the Tae-pings--that would not be pleasant; they would cut off our heads before we could explain who we were,"
observed Archie, who always took the cautious side.
"They look upon the English as friends, I believe," remarked Charley Roy. "They might, to be sure, take us prisoners and hold us as hostages; however, we must take care not to get near them, and by the last reports they were at Pow-shun, twenty miles off at least."