Stan Lynn Part 16

"On sh.o.r.e?"

"Tly go down livah get away. Pilate come too fa.s.s. Lun to side and go light away."

"But what will become of the boat?" asked Stan.

"Pilate send man. Take allee good thing. Set fi'."

"Mr Blunt would not like that."

"No. Velly angly. Kick up big low and say Wing gleat fool."

"And what would you say?" asked Stan. "Say velly solly. Gleat pity lose nice topside boat b'long Blunt."

"Of course."

"But much gleat pity let pilate man choppee off Wing head and all men head. Can makee nicee boat again; can'tee makee velly good boatman."

Stan agreed that this was a perfectly sound argument, and during the rest of the little voyage up the river he always felt greatly relieved when his guide was able to announce that the boats they pa.s.sed were men of peace and not men-o'-war.

But as day succeeded day in lovely weather, and the journey continued through a glorious country, the bugbear pirates died out of the lad's thoughts; and on the last evening, when Wing announced that they would land at a big city in the morning, and leave the boat to go back to the _hong_, Stan was ready to believe that his guide had been playing alarmist a great deal more than was necessary, and told him so. But Wing shook his head. "No," he said; "pilate velly bad sometime."

"But we shall find the land journey no worse--there will be no discharged soldiers wandering about ready to interfere with us?"

"Wing hope allee gone, but can'tee tell. Plenty fliend people heah.

Tell Wing when soljee come. Young Lynn and Wing lun away."

CHAPTER NINE.

"A FIERCE STRUGGLE ENSUED."

Stan altered his opinion the next day when they reached a busy city built on both sides of the river, for Wing gave him a quiet hint to look, and upon turning, the lad found that they were gliding by a towering junk whose deck swarmed with villainous-looking men all well armed, while at intervals they pa.s.sed four more.

"Allee bad," whispered Wing. "No lookee; pletend can't see pilate s.h.i.+p."

Five more were pa.s.sed, all of which were given a bad character; but their occupants were lying about, smoking and sleeping, eating and drinking; and being close up to the quays and warehouses of the teeming city, the men were upon their best behaviour, and not disposed to seize and plunder such small fry as the little boat from the _hong_.

Hence it was that Stan's _sampan_ remained untouched, and reached the disembarking place in safety.

Here, evidently so as not to draw attention to his young chief, Wing slung a few necessaries, scale fas.h.i.+on, at either end of a bamboo, balanced his load across his left shoulder, and after giving the boatmen a few instructions which led to their setting off at once on the return journey, he led Stan away from the riverside, right into the busy part of the city, where no notice was taken of them. A short time after the lad found himself at the house of one of the Chinese merchants, who gave him a warm welcome, and talked with him in pidgin-English about his father and uncle.

Stan noticed that he exhibited no little inquisitiveness about his further proceedings, shaking his head and looking very solemn as he hinted that the country was in a very disturbed state.

"But Mr Wing will know how to take care," he said. "He will know, too, that the farther you keep from the river the less likely you are to meet with pirates or wandering bands of soldiers. You must take care."

Wing evidently meant to take care, for that evening, after dark, he laid his hand upon Stan's shoulder and drew him away from the window.

"Too many bad man," he said, directing the lad's attention to the rough-looking armed people lounging about the street. "See young Lynn and say, 'Foleign devil. What want heah?' No look out window. Go to bed. Sleep."

Stan laughed at the ultra-precautions taken, but obeyed, and for want of something to occupy himself, lay down quite early, to listen to the shuffling of feet and the loud conversation going on below his window, thinking the while that he would most likely lie awake all night. But before he could make an effort to combat the drowsiness that had seized upon him he was fast asleep, and the next thing he knew was that Wing was shaking his arm.

"What is it?" he cried. "Coming to bed?"

"Get-up time," replied the Chinaman. "Mollow molning. Come 'long."

"But,"--began Stan. He said no more, his mouth stretching wide in a portentous yawn; and, still half-asleep, he suffered himself to be led out of the house and along a dark, uneven street, the air of which felt chilly, as if the morning was close at hand.

Twice over he began to question Wing, but received a hurried whisper to be silent, and by degrees it dawned upon him that their land journey had commenced, and that Wing was nervously anxious lest their departure should become known.

"Soljees," he whispered, and put his hand to his lips.

"Why, there's not a soul about," said Stan to himself, feeling sleepy, and out of temper to a degree that made him ready to quarrel with his guide for taking such unnecessary precautions.

But he remained silent, and trudged on close behind his companion, stumbling every now and then in the darkness, and longing the while for the coming of broad daylight, so that he could avoid the rough stones and mud-holes which seemed to be always in his way.

He was surprised, too, at the extent of the city, for no sooner was one devious street pa.s.sed than they plunged into another, their wanderings lasting for what must have been close upon half-an-hour, before they plunged into a narrower pa.s.sage than ever--one where the overhanging eaves on either side seemed to nearly touch--while right in front a huge wall towered up, looking jetty black, all but a square patch on a level with their feet.

"Why, this must be a big house into which we are going," he thought.

But the idea had no sooner crossed his mind than he felt his arm gripped, and Wing checked him so suddenly that he came heavily against his guide's chest.

"What's the matter?" whispered Stan.

"St! Big gate. Plentee soljee fa.s.s sleepee," whispered Wing. "Now come 'long, quick, quick."

He slipped his hand down to the lad's waist as he spoke, and drew him along past where Stan dimly made out a group of men sitting and lying upon a big bench beneath a great shadowy house.

There was no time to see more before they were out on the other side, with the great building reared up in the gloom behind them, and a feeling of freedom as of an open s.p.a.ce in front.

So great a sense of relief came over the lad that he felt bound to speak; but certain sounds behind checked him once more, and he turned cold at the proximity of the danger they had escaped.

For a deep, gruff voice growled out something he could not interpret, and this was replied to by another voice, evidently that of a man newly aroused from sleep.

The brief conversation was carried on angrily, and interrupted again and again as if the speakers kept listening.

This was proved to Stan by the firm pressure of Wing's hand, and the twitches it kept on giving as he stood otherwise quite motionless.

Stan's heart beat till a feeling of suffocation began to oppress him, while with straining eyes he tried to penetrate the dark shadows behind.

At last, however, the talking ceased, and he felt the hand which Wing had at liberty pressing upon the top of his head as if to make him stoop down. Grasping his guide's wishes, he bent low, and immediately felt himself drawn onward, the pair stealing along softly in the darkness as silently as possible, and as quickly, for before they had gone many yards Stan was conscious of the fact that there was a long, pale line of light right ahead, and that it was not so dark; for on glancing over his shoulder he could dimly see the gate through which they had come, a huge structure with curving roof and vast eaves, dominating a high wall which went off into the darkness right and left.

"Velly neah ketchee ketchee," said Wing, with a sigh of relief.

"But suppose they had caught us," said Stan; "I am an English subject, and you are my attendant. They dared not have kept us."

Wing uttered a funny little squeak.

"Eh?" he cried. "Wheah Englis' sailoh? No Englis' man-o'-wha, and big gun go bang two time. Chinaman velly much aflaid when Englis' soljee-- sailoh heah. Not heah now; Chinaman laugh; say, 'Don't ca'e mandalin b.u.t.ton.' Chinese soljee ketchee young Lynn--Wing. Say, 'Don't ca'e n.o.body.' Puttee in plison. P'l'aps nevah come out again. Velly bad."