Part 42 (1/2)
”He is. .h.i.t,” thought Alick, and it went to his heart that he could not go back to help him; but duty pointed the way to the top of the hill, while the glance over his shoulder had shown him his old schoolfellow rolling down it. Terence, who was a little to the right, also saw what had occurred.
”Oh, we must go and help him,” he cried out; but at that instant up jumped Jack again, and began to scramble up the hill with such energy that he was very soon abreast of his friends.
”I am all to rights,” he shouted out. ”I put my foot on a rolling stone, and over I went.”
Terrific was the noise, the shouting and shrieking, loud above all which arose the British hurrahs, as they clashed up the steep ascent. The Chinese happily could not sufficiently depress their guns, or a shower of grape would have made sad havoc in the ranks of the a.s.sailants. Now the marines and bluejackets were near the top. A huge Chinaman stood there, pointing his matchlock at Jack. Murray fired his pistol at him, but missed him. The matchlock hung fire, so he dashed it at Alick's head, and then hurled at them a couple of heavy shot. Terence was springing on, when the Chinaman seized a long spear, and was hurling it at him with an accuracy which might have been fatal, when Jack leaped to his friend's aid, and with his pistol shot their enemy dead. The rest of the defenders of the fort, seeing the death of their brave, grinned horribly, and, whisking round their tails, walked leisurely down the opposite side of the hill. More than one volley from the marines was required to make them run. They were braves selected for this post of honour and of danger. Perhaps they had suspicions that their heads might be cut off when they got back to their friends. The English flag was hoisted on the fort, and some of the guns turned down on the fleet of junks below, with whom not very injurious shots were exchanged. The marines occupied it, while the greater part of the bluejackets descended to their boats, the three mids.h.i.+pmen being among the number.
On screwed the steamers, and on dashed the boats. They were soon up with the seventy junks, which began firing away, most furiously, round shot and grape and langrage; the latter, sc.r.a.ps of old iron, they were fond of using, and terrible are the wounds caused by it. The steamers and the boats returned the compliment. Faster and more furious grew the fire from the twelve guns on board each of those seventy big junks; but one, larger than the rest, lay across the channel: the mids.h.i.+pmen dashed at her; a terrific fire of grape saluted them, but they were already close under the guns when they went off, and the shower of missiles pa.s.sed over their heads. As the Chinamen were looking out, expecting to see their mangled limbs and the fragments of their boats scattered far and wide, the jolly tars, unharmed, were climbing up the side of the junk, and a few pokes with their cutla.s.ses soon sent every mandarin and seaman leaping overboard. Scarcely had the victors time to look about them, than the prize was found to be on fire, fore and aft. ”To the boats! to the boats!” was the cry. The seamen had barely time to obey the order and to shove off than up went the junk into the air with a loud roar, and very soon afterwards down came her fragments rattling around the boats, very nearly swamping them, and wounding several poor fellows among their crews. As the boats emerged from the smoke, the rest of the junks were seen in full flight in different directions, but a great number were overtaken, and as the British got alongside the crews deserted them. In many of them the flames immediately burst forth, and one after the other as they drifted on the sh.o.r.e, they blew up. Some were deserted by their crews before they had time to set them on fire. Several, however, escaped, and vanished up some of the unknown creeks to the left. Meantime, the steamers grounded, and at length the boats alone, with the gallant commodore leading, dashed away up the river in hot chase of the fugitives.
Numbers of junks were pa.s.sed, deserted or stranded. For four miles they pulled on till they reached a fort on an island in the middle of the stream. There was a pa.s.sage on each side, but so narrow that two boats could not pa.s.s abreast. Above it appeared a fleet of junks. Again the shot came rattling furiously among them. Several boats were struck.
Many fine fellows, officers and men, were killed. The commodore's boat sank under him, and barely had he time with his crew to leap out of her, than away she drifted with the body of his c.o.xswain, who had been killed, and a favourite dog who would come with him towards the enemy.
Several times was the pa.s.sage attempted, till at length the boats retreated. Their gongs began to sound, and trumpets to bray forth notes of victory; but the Chinese braves were rather premature in their rejoicings. The boats' crews went to dinner, and while thus pleasantly engaged, notice was given that the enemy's junks were getting afloat.
The crews sprang to their oars. ”On, lads, on!” shouted their gallant leader. Fierce was the fire they had to pa.s.s through, more men were killed, and another boat sank. Still enough remained with which to follow the enemy. The narrow pa.s.sage was pa.s.sed, and away in hot pursuit after the still flying junks, manned by a hundred rowers, they go. The junks move swiftly, but the shot and sh.e.l.l go faster. One after the other the junks were deserted, but five were still seen ahead.
”We must have them all, lads,” shouted the commodore. On they went.
Suddenly they found themselves with the junks ahead in the centre of a large town with a vast population. ”We must get the junks,” again shouted the commodore. The crews cheered in response to his appeal.
Their shot find out the junks, and they follow. The wise Chinamen leap overboard and swim on to sh.o.r.e. There were plenty of spectators, many thousands looking out of windows, and doors, and balconies, and thinking that those outer barbarians had become rather bold and impudent. But there was a general in the city, and for his military credit he turned out his army to annihilate the invaders. Seeing this, the commodore landed his marines, whose steady fire on the braves sent them to the right about, and made them march back again in double-quick time. The five junks were then taken in tow, and, very much to the enlightenment of the minds of the citizens, were carried away in triumph down the river. Altogether, upwards of eighty war-junks were destroyed or captured, though for each junk thus disposed of the British lost a man killed or wounded.
The three friends met again in the evening. Greatly to their mutual satisfaction none of them had been hit.
”We have had a pretty sharp day's work,” exclaimed Jack; ”but there's one thing I hope we shall get for it--our promotions.”
”And good luck to the wish,” cried Adair, who had just filled a gla.s.s with wine. ”It's little else I have got to look to to keep me in food and clothing. The last letter I got from my dear friends at home gave me the pleasant information that all the family estates have been knocked down, and that it would be rather worse than useless for me to draw any bills in future on my agents. What the knocking down means, I don't quite know; but the matter of the not drawing bills sufficiently elucidates the subject to my mind.”
”Oh, that is a trifle,” answered Rogers and Murray in a breath. ”We are over well supplied, and so you can't want, you know; and then the chances are that, before long, we pick up a good store of prize-money.”