Part 2 (1/2)
The captain came on deck after a tiive no hints to the Malays as to the passengers, and then an anchor-watch was set, and all hands turned in for the night
VOLUME ONE, CHAPTER THREE
THE SAMPAN
Towards six bells in the an to pale into those shades of green and grey which note the departure of night, the bright twinkling stars that had up to then lit up the fir one by one as day broke Then, rapidly, streaks of warm, salmon-tinted clouds rose across the eastern horizon, shot with bright golden glealow as if with life, and lighting up the distant house-tops and paGodas of Canton that could be seen far away from Jardyne Point; and then, up danced the sun froher in the heavens each et his day's work done early, so as to get a siesta in the afternoon!
With the rising of the sun, all is bustle and excite in had told Mr Scuppers that they were to sail at daybreak
”Whee--eo! Whee--eo! Whee--ee!” The boatswain's shrill whistle was heard piercing through every nook and cranny of the shi+p
”Tumble up, there! Tumble up! All hands up anchor!” shouted out Bill Martens in stentorian tones that supplears, show a leg, will you? All hands on deck, and up anchor Here, look alive, serang! Man the capstan-bars, and be sharp with it Cheerily, men; cheerily ho! Walk her up to her anchor
Now she rides--heave, men, with a will Belay!”
The shi+p by this tiht up, with all the slack of the cable in; and the chief mate now lends his voice to add to the bustle and movement of the scene
”'Way aloft there, , heave with a will! heave with a will! Now it's free; heave away, my hearties!” and the anchor was run up to the boith a will, and secured with tackles; when, the shi+p's head being now loosed froan to pay off, with her bows dancing up and down, as if she were bidding a polite adieu to the Celestial Es
”Man the topsail halliards; up with the jib; loosen those courses; set the spanker sharp, will you? Hurrah! there she fills!” The sails bellied out and drew; and the shi+p bore round to her course, and began to move, at first slowly, and then more swiftly, down the river, south and west, on her way towards England--hoular staunch clipper is she--the good shi+p _Hankow Lin_; one of the best of the old-fashi+oned tea-traders that as yet spurned the modern innovation of the Suez Canal, and despised, in the ency of steaed vessel of 1200 tons register, and classed A1 at Lloyd's for an indefinite nu, with a jovial red face, and crisp, wiry grey hair, and mutton-chop whiskers that projected on either side as if electrified--was standing on the poop to ard, with the firstup aloft at the ni acre to acre to the sail-surface of the shi+p, and plu her snowy pinions with a pull here and a shake there Mr Sprott, the second mate, was to leeward of the helmsman; the boatswain on the forecastle, monarch of all he surveyed in that department; and little Jack Harper, the middy--a special favourite both with the officers and sailors--looking on a away at halliards, and slackening sheets, and curling ropes, in a ular jack tars are wont
Jack Harper called out to the serang Kifong to make him rouse up his men, but he was nowhere to be seen Presently, he perceived hi over the side amidshi+ps, partly concealed by the shrouds, and apparently talking to so as up, Jack cautiously approached hi observed, and peered over the side too
His face brightened up with excite in Chinese rapidly, and then he listened with rapt attention for arapidly round, saw hi which he could not catch, a sampan, or native boat, quickly sheered off from the vessel, and, i, with a look of unconsciousness at Jack, sauntering back to his gang, as if he were only doing thein the world
The captain perceived the sampan the moment it left the shi+p's side, and hailed Jack
”Hullo! What was that boat doing alongside?”
”Can't say, sir,” said Jack, touching his cap ”I suppose soood-bye!”
”That so?” said the captain ”It isn't discipline, but I suppose we can't help it;” and he resuer and Mr Scuppers
By and by, when the serang and his gang had gone forward again, to unbit the cable chain and cat and fish the anchor, Jack went up on the poop to the captain
”Beg your pardon, Cap'en Morton,” he said, ”but I think that Malay chap is up to so; can I speak to you privately?”