Blue Jackets Part 52

"Oh, all right. Where's the restaurant?"

"Nex' stleet," said Ching; and after a few minutes he turned into a showy-looking eating-house, where his blue silk gown and long nails seemed to command the most profound respect from the attendants; and where, after laying down the law very stringently to Ching, that we were to have neither dog, cat, nor rat, we resigned ourselves to our fate, and ate birds'-nest soup, shark-fin, and a variety of what Barkins called messes, with midshipmen appet.i.tes.

Ching smiled, and seemed to be very proud of our performance.

"You all eat dlink velly much," he said, as we gave up, defeated. "You all velly quite full?" he said, rubbing his hands carefully, so as not to injure his long nails.

"Yes, full up, and the hatches battened down," cried Barkins. "Now then, ask for the bill. How much apiece?"

Ching smiled and nodded his head.

"You come have bleakfast 'long o' Ching. Ching velly glad to see you; Ching pay."

"What? nonsense!" cried Smith, while we others stared.

"Yes; Ching plenty money. Captain gave Ching plenty plize-money; make him velly happy to see young offlicer to bleakfast."

"Oh, but we can't let him pay for us, Smithy," cried Barkins.

"No, of course not," we chorussed.

"Ching velly much hurt you want to pay," he said, with dignity.

"But--" I cried.

"You ask Ching bleakfast like Chinese genelman another time, make Ching velly glad. Come along, makee haste, see gland show."

"But the bill isn't paid," I cried.

"Ching pay long time 'go," he said, rising; and there was nothing for it but to follow him out and along three or four streets to where there was a dense crowd in front of a gateway in a high mud wall.

There were some soldiers there too, and Ching walked up full of importance, showed them some kind of paper, when one, who appeared to be their officer, spoke to those under him, and they cleared a way for us to pa.s.s to the gate.

Here Ching knocked loudly, and the gate was opened by another soldier; the paper was shown; and an important-looking official came up, looked at us, and made way for us to enter.

"It's all right," said Smith. "Ching knows the manager. It will be a private box."

The official pointed to our left, and Ching led the way behind a kind of barricade where there were seats erected, and, selecting a place, he smilingly made us sit down.

"Ching know gleat mandalin," he said. "Askee let come see gland show."

"But what's it going to be?" I asked, as I looked curiously round the square enclosure surrounded by a high wall, and with seats and pens on three sides. "I thought we were coming to a theatre!"

"No," said Ching, smiling. "Velly gland show; wait."

We waited, and saw that the s.p.a.ce in front of us was neatly sanded, that posts stood up here and there. In other places there were cross bars, and in two there were ropes hanging.

"I know!" cried Barkins; "he needn't make such a jolly mystery of it.

It's Chinese athletic sports. Look, there's the band coming."

He pointed to a military-looking party marching in with drums, gongs, and divers other instruments; and almost at the same time quite a crowd of well-dressed people entered, and began to take the different places reserved behind the barriers.

Then a body of soldiers, with clumsy spears and shields, marched in and formed up opposite the band, the place filling up till only the best places, which were exactly opposite to us, remained empty.

"You're right, Tanner," said Smith just then; "but they're military athletic sports. I say, here come the grandees."

For in procession about twenty gorgeously-arrayed officials came marching in, and the next moment I gave Barkins a dig in the ribs.

"Look," I said.

"All right; I see. Well, we needn't mind. But I say, what a game if we hadn't got leave!"

"I say," whispered Smith, "look over there. The skipper and old Dishy!

This was where they were coming, then; they'll see us directly."

"Let 'em," said Barkins, as the party settled themselves. "Now then, we're all here. All in to begin. We ought to have a programme. Here, Ching, what's the first thing they do?"

"Ching no quite sure; p'laps lichi."

"Lichi?" I said.

"You don't know? You see velly gland--velly ploper for bad, bad man."

He turned away to speak to a Chinese officer close at hand, while we began to feel wondering and suspicious, and gazed at each other with the same question on our lips.

Ching turned to us again, and I being nearest whispered--

"I say, what place is this? What are they going to do?"

"Bring out allee wicked men. Choppee off head."

CHAPTER TWENTY FIVE.

THE ENTERTAINMENT.

I felt as it were a sudden jar run through me when I heard Ching's words. It was as if I had been awakened by a sudden revelation. This, then, was the grand show he had contrived for us as a treat! It was all clear enough: our officers had been invited to the execution of the pirates we had taken, and conceiving, with all a Chinaman's indifference to death, that we three lads, who had been present at their capture, would consider it as a great treat to be witnesses of the punishment awarded by the Government, Ching had contrived to get permission for us to be present.

I glanced at the Tanner, who had grasped the situation, and was s.c.r.e.w.i.n.g his face up so as to look perfectly unconcerned; but it was a dismal failure, for I could see a peculiar twitching going on at the corners of his eyes, and he pa.s.sed his tongue rapidly over his lips and went through the action of swallowing as if his mouth and throat were dry.

I next looked at Smithy, whose eyes showed more white than usual, and whose complexion was of a sickly-green, just as I had seen it during some very rough weather we had going down the Channel on first starting for this voyage.

How I looked I have only Barkins' word for, and he told me afterwards that I seemed as if I was waiting for my turn to suffer with the pirates.

After the sharp glance I gave at my fellows neither of us stirred, but sat there as if petrified. I was horror-stricken, and there was a strong impulse upon me to jump up and run out, but shame and the dread of being considered cowardly kept me in my place. In fact, as after-confessions made clear, we were absolutely stunned, and I don't think we could have stirred had we made up our minds to go.

Then I felt dizzy, and the brilliant group of officials and military magnates and judges opposite to where we sat grew blurred and strange-looking in the bright sunshine.