A Chinese Command Part 18

"By Jove! then I remember when I met him last, Drake," exclaimed Frobisher. "It was when I went with my friend the admiral to the Council meeting at the Navy Building, when I received my commission in the Chinese Navy. Wong-lih mentioned then, that his name was Prince Hsi; and I recollect how very unpleasantly he impressed me then. It appears also that he is a bit of a scoundrel; for in Wong-lih's absence in Korea the fellow had the audacity to send the _Chih' Yuen_, the ship I was to be appointed to, to Wei-hai-wei to have her 9.4's replaced by 12-inch guns, intending to sell the smaller weapons, subst.i.tute old, out-of-date twelves, and pocket the difference. But, luckily, Wong-lih met her on the way there, screwed the information out of her captain, and stopped Hsi's little game. He hates Wong-lih, therefore; and, as I am a friend of the admiral's, he has honoured me also with a share of his dislike."

"The low-down, ruffianly swab!" Drake burst out. "But there! that's just the sort of beast he looks. Well, Mr Frobisher, if, as you say, he dislikes you--and from the way he looked at you I should say that 'hate' was the more correct word--I would advise you to keep your weather eye lifting. That sort of man hesitates at very little, and he seems to have the power, as well as the will, to do you a bad turn; so watch out!"

"I will, Drake," replied Frobisher; "you can rely on that. But here we are at last, I think; this is the place where the sentry said we should find Wong-lih, isn't it?"

"Ordnance Wharf, third shed along, first door on the far side of the sheer-legs before you come to the fifty-ton crane, he said," replied Drake; "so I reckon that this is the door. And, by Jiminy! there is the admiral himself, walking beside the other officer in gold lace--a flag-captain, I should say, by his aiguillettes."

"That's him, right enough," agreed Frobisher, and together the two men set off in pursuit, keeping a little in the rear until the two officers should have finished their conversation.

Presently the captain saluted and went off about his own business, and Wong-lih, turning, caught sight of Drake and Frobisher. As his eyes fell upon the latter, he stood stock-still, his jaw dropped, his eyebrows went up, and he looked as though he had seen a ghost.

"Why, Captain Frobisher," he exclaimed at last, coming forward and holding out his hand, "is it then really you? My dear boy, I am glad to see you again, safe and sound, too, by all appearances. I have been mourning you as dead these three months and more, ever since I got back from the south and learnt of the disaster to the _Su-chen_ on the Hoang-ho. I never expected to see you alive again when I heard that you had fallen into the clutches of the pirates; and I was more grieved than I can tell you--as Captain Drake here can testify--not to be able to send a rescue party after you to try to save, or at least avenge, you.

But it was absolutely impossible; I had neither ships nor men to spare.

The imminence of our war with j.a.pan, which has been threatening daily for months past, and which is now an all-but-acknowledged fact, would not allow of it. Much as I regretted you, my country naturally was my first consideration."

"Of course, sir," agreed Frobisher heartily; "I quite understand. I, too, am delighted to see you once more; indeed, I came down here to the yard on purpose to find you and report myself ready for duty. I hope, sir, that you can still employ me."

"Employ you?" e.j.a.c.u.l.a.t.ed the admiral. "I should rather say we can!

Why, I could use hundreds of men like you, if only they existed in China. But come along to my office; we can talk more comfortably there.

And you too, Captain Drake, if you will so far honour my poor quarters."

"With pleasure, with pleasure, my lord--your maj---er--Sir, I mean,"

Drake almost shouted, in his confusion, quite "flabbergasted", as he himself would have called it, at the Chinaman's stately, old-world courtesy. And a few minutes later they found themselves in Wong-lih's comfortably-furnished office, in the ordnance department of the dockyard. Arrived there, and having seated themselves, the admiral ordered refreshments, and immediately plunged into the matter always nearest his heart, now more so than ever.

"Since you have reported, Captain Frobisher," he commenced, "I take it that you are ready for service at any moment."

"This instant, if you wish it, sir," answered Frobisher.

"Thank you, Captain!" said Wong-lih. "That is practically what it amounts to. Your ship, the _Chih' Yuen_, is here now; and I would like you to take command of her at the earliest possible moment. She is in readiness to go to sea, with stores, ammunition, and men aboard--would be at sea now, as a matter of fact, had we had an officer to whom we dared trust her. And you, sir," turning to Drake, "are you willing to accept service under my Emperor? If so, I can offer you a berth."

"Certainly I am, your Highness," replied Drake heartily. "Only, if I may be so bold as to say so, I should like to be on the same ship as my fr--as Captain Frobisher here."

"Say 'friend', Drake," broke in Frobisher. "It was on the tip of your tongue, and it is the truth. If a man who saves another's life is not a friend, I do not know what else you would call him."

"Quite right, Captain Frobisher," said Wong-lih. "I like to hear you say that. And as for you, Mr Drake, I can satisfy your wish very easily, as it happens. The acting first lieutenant of Mr Frobisher's ship is not fitted for the post, but he was the best we had at the time.

Now, if you choose, you shall replace him as first lieutenant of the _Chih' Yuen_, and I will have your commission made out immediately."

"Nothing would please me better, my lord," replied Drake, with the utmost enthusiasm; "and I a.s.sure you that you--"

"Very well, then," interrupted the admiral, who was plainly hard pressed for time; "that's agreed. You shall receive your commission to-night.

And now, gentlemen both, although I am so busy that I scarcely know what to do first, I must spare the time to give you a short account of the state of affairs as it stands at present, since it is necessary that you should have the fullest information to enable you--you in particular, Captain Frobisher--to understand exactly how things are with China, and how extremely critical the situation is. When you have heard what I am about to tell you, you will be able to form your own ideas and plans, and so be in a position to work intelligently with your brother captains, and under the admiral who is going to command the northern fleet, to which you will be attached. I may mention that I am to be in command of the southern division, while Admiral Ting will be your chief.

"You remember, of course, Captain Frobisher, that when the rebellion in Korea became so serious that the Government could not deal with it, the Korean Minister asked our a.s.sistance, and we gave it, as you saw, at Asan. I also informed you then that j.a.pan had thereupon thought fit to manifest a somewhat unfriendly att.i.tude by sending an unnecessarily strong guard to her Minister at Seoul, coupled with an intimation that she would feel obliged to send a much larger force if the rebellion was not immediately crushed. That, in itself, as we fully realised, amounted very nearly to a threat of war against China, and showed us that j.a.pan was only awaiting her opportunity. We therefore sent a very strongly worded protest against such action to Tokio; and the j.a.panese thereupon agreed to defer action until it could be seen what turn events in Korea were going to take.

"That was the situation when you were sent in the _Su-chen_ up the Hoang-ho; and those of us who had eyes to see and ears to hear were fully awake to the fact that this concession on the part of j.a.pan was merely a postponement of the evil day. Perhaps she found she was not as fully prepared for war as she had imagined. I know we were not. My colleagues and I, and those of us who had our country's interests at heart, took warning, therefore, and hurried forward our preparations for war as rapidly as we could.

"Then things remained fairly quiescent until a few days ago. We had practically quelled the Korean rebellion, and matters were resuming their normal status in Korea, the only thing that remained being to inst.i.tute the reforms which were undoubtedly necessary in that country.

The proposals for these were offered to, and accepted by, the Korean Government; and the proposed modifications of policy began to take shape at once. One would therefore have thought that our little campaign in Korea might be said to have terminated satisfactorily, and that Korea might be left to carry out the course of action to which she had pledged herself. In fact, we actually commenced the withdrawal of our troops.

"Then, suddenly, j.a.pan sprang her mine. Our Minister at Seoul was informed by the j.a.panese representative that j.a.pan did not consider Korea competent to carry out her promises, and that therefore j.a.pan would unite with China to carry out the reforms between them. This, of course, was tantamount to j.a.pan claiming the right to share China's suzerainty over Korea, a most audacious and--I may almost call it-- infamous proposition. It was one to which j.a.pan, of course, knew we would never agree, and we told her so in very plain terms.

"The next thing we heard was that j.a.pan had landed no fewer that five thousand men in Korea, and that they were marching on Seoul; and on the same day the j.a.panese Minister there forced the situation by tendering two ultimatums--one to Korea, and one to us. The Korean ultimatum required that, within twenty-four hours, Korea should disclaim Chinese suzerainty and pledge herself to allow j.a.pan alone to carry out the reforms in question. The alternative was that, if Korea would not agree, she was to be treated as an enemy to j.a.pan. The ultimatum addressed to us was to the effect that we should, also within the same time, surrender our suzerainty to j.a.pan and relinquish all claims over Korea--the alternative in our case being war!

"Of course we could not possibly send a reply within the time stipulated; and even if we could, we should have refused the proposal with scorn. Our Minister at Seoul did all that man could do to gain time, and sent the news to us immediately. As soon as we heard of j.a.pan's action we knew that the antic.i.p.ated moment had come, and that war had become inevitable; we therefore hurried eight thousand men on board transports, and dispatched them at once to Asan. And now comes a circ.u.mstance it almost breaks my heart to tell.

"War had not yet been actually declared, you understand, and j.a.pan was still officially awaiting our decision; yet the j.a.panese fleet, in its full strength, lay in wait for our transports and the convoying men-of-war, and attacked them, sinking the transport _Kowshing_, with over a thousand men on board, and one of our cruisers. The other transports and cruisers escaped and got safely to Asan, where the troops were landed, the ships sheltering under the guns of the fortress. The messenger who brought the news of this treacherous attack informed us that the five thousand j.a.panese troops which I mentioned just now, having reached Seoul, had been dispatched again immediately, under General Oshima, to Asan to attack the garrison there. They met a small force of our soldiers four days later, at Song-hwan, and, I am sorry to say, defeated them; and the only silver lining to our cloud lies in the surprise those j.a.panese will receive when they find themselves met at Asan by seven thousand of our men, instead of only the small garrison of the place; for it is not very likely that Oshima's force, being on the march, will have heard either of the naval battle, or of our successful landing of the majority of our men at Asan.

"The sea fight occurred a week ago, but we only received news of the land battle to-day; and although we have been taken unawares by j.a.pan's treachery in striking before the declaration of war, we have managed to prepare ourselves pretty well, thanks to the warnings we had that this was coming. Mark me!--j.a.pan shall find to her cost that she cannot insult and ride rough-shod over my country without being called to very strict account. War, Mr Frobisher, will be declared by China against j.a.pan tomorrow, the 1st of August; and I rely upon you, as well as upon all the rest of my officers, to do your utmost to keep command of the sea. The country which secures that will have the other at her mercy; and we ought to be able to secure it, as our Navy is, if anything, a little more powerful than that of j.a.pan, seeing that we have two battleships, as well as cruisers, whereas j.a.pan has only cruisers. That is the situation, gentlemen; and you are now as fully posted as I am with regard to the state of affairs; so strike hard and often for China, when you get the opportunity."

"We will, sir," replied both men enthusiastically.

"But," continued Frobisher, "I trust that our ammunition will prove very different from that supplied me on the _Su-chen_. You probably heard that the expedition failed for no other reason than that more than half our sh.e.l.ls were filled with charcoal instead of gunpowder?"

"Alas! alas! I did," replied Wong-lih; "and I wish I could promise you that such monstrous iniquities should never occur again. But I cannot.

I am doing, and have always done, my best to prevent this shameful tampering with Government property; but what can one man do, amongst so many? You will remember that I told you the mandarins were filling their pockets at the expense of their country; and there is no telling how far their peculations may have extended. I have examined as much ammunition as I have had time for, and I am bound to say that it looks all right; but beyond that I cannot go, for it is impossible to know for certain without opening every cartridge, and at a crisis like this, that would be an impossibility. You must do as I do, and trust that your powder will prove what it pretends to be."

"Very well, sir," returned Frobisher, bowing. "It does not seem a very satisfactory state of affairs; but I shall do my best, I a.s.sure you."

"I am certain of it," returned Wong-lih. "And now, one last word.

Sorry as I am to have to acknowledge it, there are traitors everywhere about us, so trust no one but yourself and your admiral. News must have been conveyed to j.a.pan by one of my countrymen to have enabled her fleet to know when the transports sailed, and where to meet them. That man, whoever he is, has j.a.panese gold in his pocket, and the blood of a thousand of his countrymen on his head."

Drake and Frobisher exchanged glances involuntarily. The same suspicion had evidently crossed the mind of each simultaneously.

"Do you suspect anyone in particular, sir?" enquired Frobisher. "If so, perhaps you will kindly warn me in which direction to exercise the most care."

"I am sorry to say that I do suspect someone most strongly," was Wong-lih's reply, after a somewhat lengthy pause. "But, unfortunately, he is so highly placed that even I dare not mention his name. If the man so much as guessed that I suspected his treachery, I should be a.s.sa.s.sinated within twenty-four hours; so, for my country's sake, I must refrain from telling you something I would give a good deal to be able to do."

"Someone very highly placed?" repeated Frobisher, drawing his chair a little closer to Wong-lih's, and lowering his voice. "Should I be very wide of the mark in guessing him to be a prince of the blood royal?"

Wong-lih turned pale, and glanced uneasily round him. "You would be, on the contrary, very near the truth, if my suspicions are correct," he replied. "That man has played many a scurvy trick in his time; but his other delinquencies are light compared with treachery to his country; and I fear to breathe his name in connection with so horrible a crime.

But tell me, how came you to suspect also? Have you any grounds?"

"None," replied Frobisher. "But I have met the man twice, and on each occasion he has impressed me most unfavourably. I suppose one should take no notice of intuitions; but he certainly looks a thorough scoundrel, to my mind. I shall watch him as carefully as I can."

"Do," said the admiral. "You say you have met him twice; I recollect the first time, but do not recall a second. When was it?"

"Not an hour ago, sir," returned Frobisher. "I met him, with his retinue, just leaving the dockyard. He honoured me so far as to treat me to a very impertinent scrutiny as he pa.s.sed."

"Leaving the dockyard!" echoed Wong-lih. "I did not see him about here.

He ought to be on board his ship, the _Ting Yuen_, by rights, for she is quite ready for sea; and I know Admiral Ting is only too eager to take his fleet out to look for the enemy. Indeed, as soon as you are aboard the _Chih' Yuen_ and have hoisted your flag, he is likely to make the signal to proceed to sea. No; that man had no business here. I wonder what he was doing."

Acting upon Wong-lih's hint that the interview had better terminate, Frobisher and Drake took their leave of the kindly admiral, and went back into the city to transact some necessary business before going on board. This included securing uniforms, and suits of mufti, toilet articles, and, in fact, personal requisites of every kind, of which both men had been dest.i.tute for several months past. This business having been transacted, their new possessions were packed and sent to the ship, and Frobisher and Drake followed immediately afterward. Arrived on board, the former had his commission read by the interpreter (for it was, of course, written in Chinese script), and at last, after many strange vicissitudes, found himself standing on his own quarterdeck, captain of the Chinese cruiser _Chih' Yuen_.

CHAPTER SEVENTEEN.

PRINCE--AND TRAITOR?