Part 45 (1/2)

”Try, then; go first, Mr Grey,” cried the first lieutenant; and, ordering his boat's crew to lie on their oars, he waited till we had pa.s.sed, and then followed.

”Ching going showee way,” whispered the Chinaman to me.

”But how do you know there is a place up there?” I said. ”Have you ever been?”

Ching shook his head till his black tail quivered, and closed his eyes in a tight smile.

”Ching interpleter,” he said, with a cunning look. ”Ching know evelyting 'bout Chinaman. Talkee Chinee--talkee Inglis--velly nicee.”

”But talking English velly nicee doesn't make you understand about the pirates.”

”Yes; know velly much allee 'bout pilate,” he said. ”Velly bad men-- velly stupid, allee same. Pilate get big junk, swordee, gun, plenty powder; go killee evelybody, and hide tea, silk, lice up liver. One pilate--twenty pilate--allee do same. Hide up liver.”

”Perhaps he's right,” said Mr Grey, who sat back with the tiller in his hand, listening. ”They do imitate one another. What one gang does, another does. They're stupid enough to have no fresh plans of their own.”

By this time we were in the creek, which was just wide enough for the men to dip their oars from time to time, and the tide being still running up we glided along between the muddy banks and under the overhanging trees, which were thick enough to shade as from the hot sun.

The ride was very interesting, and made me long to get ash.o.r.e and watch the birds and b.u.t.terflies, and collect the novel kinds of flowers blooming here and there in the more open parts, the lilies close in to the side being beautiful.

But we had sterner business on hand, besides having the first lieutenant in the following boat, so I contented myself with looking straight ahead as far as I could for the maze-like wanderings of the creek, and I was just thinking how easily we could run into an ambuscade, and be shot at from the dense shrubby growth on the bank, when Mr Reardon called to us from his boat.

”Let your marines be ready, Mr Grey,” he said, ”in case of a trap. If the enemy shows and attacks, on sh.o.r.e at once and charge them. Don't wait to give more than one volley.”

”Ay, ay, sir,” said the boatswain; and the marines seized their pieces, and I looked forward more sharply than ever.

But Ching shook his head.

”No pilate,” he whispered to me. ”Allee too velly much flighten, and lun away from foleign devil sailor and maline.”

”But they might have come down to their place here,” I said.

Ching smiled contemptuously.

”Pilate velly blave man, fight gleat deal when allee one side, and know sailor can't fightee. When plenty sailor can fightee, pilate lun away velly fast, and no come back.”

”Can you understand him, Mr Grey?” I said.

”Oh yes, I understand him, and I daresay he's right, but there's no harm in being on the look-out;” and, to show his intention of following out his words, the boatswain took his revolver from its case, and laid it ready upon his knees.

”How much farther is this village, or whatever it is?” said Mr Reardon from behind.

”Do you hear, Ching?” I said.

”Ching hear; Ching don'tee know; not velly far,” was the unsatisfactory reply.

”I'm afraid we've come on a c.o.c.k-and-bull hunt,” said the boatswain, looking to right and left as he stood up in the boat, for the creek now grew so narrow that the men had to lay in their oars, and the c.o.xswain also stood up and drew the boat onward by hooking the overhanging boughs.

”Do you think they do come up here, Ching?” I said.

He nodded, and looked sharply about him.

”There can be no big traffic up here, Mr Grey,” said the lieutenant.