Stan Lynn Part 28

"Very, sir," replied Blunt rather sarcastically.

"If we escape in boats we shall save all our lives."

"Perhaps," said Blunt bitterly. "Likely enough, though, we shall be pursued by half-a-dozen junks or so, and shot down or sunk before we could reach the banks; while if we took refuge ash.o.r.e--"

"Pilate lun afteh evelybody, choppee head off."

"Most probably," said the manager, smiling.--"Now, Mr Lynn, you hear the state of affairs."

"Yes," said Stan, speaking with a slight quiver in his voice; "but I don't like to give my opinion. There was, as you know, an attack made upon our place, and my father and uncle fought hard to save it, even when the enemy set it on fire. They held out--"

"They? Didn't you help them, sir?"

"Yes, a little," replied Stan; "and the enemy were kept off till help came from the city. If we defend this place for a time, is it likely that help will come?"

"Not a bit," said the manager. "There is no help to be got here for above a week."

"But I don't think my father and uncle would wish these people here to run such a fearful risk as to fight for the place against terrible odds."

"Sooner lose about ten thousand pounds' worth of tea, dyewoods, and silk that I have been hard at work collecting with the help of Mr Wing here?"

"Yes," said the Chinaman, nodding his head like an image. "Velly much money. Velly dleadful let pilate man come and buln. Aha, ha, ha!

Ayah, ayah, ayah!"

Stan stared. It seemed as if the poor fellow had suddenly gone mad; for after uttering a series of piercing yells, evidently intended for a war-whoop, he clapped his hands together as hard as he could, and then made a run at a big, half-nude coolie, whom he caught by the waist, twining his arms round him, and, to the astonishment of all present, lifted him from the floor and tried to throw him.

But Wing had reckoned without his host. He was a plump, soft man, unaccustomed to hard work, while the adversary he sought to overthrow was tough-muscled and hard, besides proving to be an adept at wrestling.

Instead of falling, he came cleverly down upon his feet, attacked in turn, and before any one had time to interfere in poor Wing's favour, there was defeat, the latter being hurled staggering backward; while with a yell the man who had freed himself made a dash, vaulted through the window, ran across the wharf, jumped down into a boat, cut the rope which held it swinging in the river, and thrust it forth into the stream, where he seized a long oar and began to paddle the boat along.

As Wing recovered himself he shouted to the coolies to follow, and made for the door.

"No; stop!" said the manager sternly. "The fellow would have got too long a start before we could get a boat off. Let him go. Why, it's that new man I took on a few days ago."

"Yes," said Wing, shaking his fists in the air. "Baddee man, got blue malk on aim. Come spy, see how muchee tea, silk in go-down. Lun away now tell pilate. Misteh Blunt no askee Wing whetheh new man good man.

Wing su'e spy pilate come to see."

"Yes; I made a mistake there," said Blunt bitterly; and as Stan watched the escaped man and saw him lay down his oar and hoist a matting sail, which filled at once and sent the boat gliding away up-stream, he suddenly became aware of the fact that Blunt had disappeared.

But the next minute he was back with a rifle in his hand, busily thrusting in a cartridge.

"Are you going to shoot him?" said Stan huskily as he saw the manager drop on one knee, lay the rifle-barrel across the window-sill, and take aim.

"If I can," said the manager gruffly. "Why not?"

"It seems so cold-blooded: an unarmed man."

"It may mean our lives or his, sir."

"Yes, but--"

"Very well," said the manager roughly; "but we needn't argue the point.

Look there at the man's artfulness. Or rather, don't look, for you can't. I shouldn't hit him if I tried. It takes a good shot to hit so small a mark as a hand in a fast-sailing boat--eh?"

"Yes," said Stan, with a feeling of relief, for he felt a horror of seeing the poor wretch flying for his life shot down.

"An Englishman wouldn't have thought of that," continued Blunt as he rose from his knee and let the b.u.t.t of his rifle rest upon the floor, while all watched the cunning of the escaped spy, who was now lying down in the boat, holding the sheet of the sail with his left hand, and the steering-oar with his right, nothing of him being visible but the fingers which grasped the oar.

"Now then," said Blunt sternly, "we have settled nothing. What is it to be, Mr Lynn? You are the governor's son: is it to be run for our lives like cowards and, if we escape, face the princ.i.p.als with the best tale we can tell, or fight?"

"If we defend the place and are not able to beat them off, I suppose they will burn the _hong_ and us in it?"

"Most likely," said Blunt savagely; "but some of them will not live to see the flames rising. I'm afraid you don't want to fight, Mr Lynn."

"I don't," said Stan frankly. "The idea of shedding a fellow-creature's blood is horrible."

"Yes, of course," said Blunt, with something like a sneer. "You ought to jump into one of the boats yonder and run down-stream as hard as you can to fetch help if the warehouse is to be saved."

Yes, that would be grand. I could have a boat?

"Oh yes, you can have a boat."

"Wing get boat, Wing hoise sail, stee' boat beautifully."

"I could bring back a lot of armed men to your a.s.sistance," said Stan eagerly.

"To be sure," said Blunt coolly. "Only you'll have to be pretty sharp about it."

He turned his back upon the lad and took a step towards the excited group of men, who were talking hurriedly in whispers.

"Now, my lads," he said, "we can't give up this place to a mob of savages without making a bold defence for the sake of our employers.

Some of you will, I hope, stick to me, but others will like to get out of the scrimmage. So those of you who have no stomach for a fight had better join Mr Lynn here, who is going off to Hai-Hai to fetch help."

"No, I am not," said Stan quietly.

"What! Why, you said you were."

"I said I should like to," said Stan, "but I said so without thinking of the distance. I see now that it would be impossible to get help in time."

"Quite, sir," said the manager, staring at the lad. "Well, at all events you are going off in the boat with Wing."

"Indeed I am not," said Stan, speaking slowly and thoughtfully. "It seems to me that we must make as brave a defence as we can. We may be able to beat off the enemy."

"Then you mean to stay?" cried the manager, his eyes lighting up.

"Of course."

"And fight?"

"As well as I can," said Stan rather sadly; "but I don't think I shall--"