Blue Jackets Part 73

"You wantee Ching?"

"Yes; where is there a boat-builder's where they will mend the boat directly?"

"No," he said; "takee velly long time. Boat-builder same slow fellow.

No piecee work along. Take boatee out water, mend him to-mollow, next week."

"Then what are we to do?" I cried. "We want to watch the junks."

"Why no takee other fellow big boatee? Plenty big boatee evelywhere.

Get in big sampan junk, pilate man no sabby jolly sailor boy come along.

Think other piecee fellow go catch fish."

"Here, Mr Brooke," I cried excitedly; "Ching says we had better take one of these boats lying moored out here, and the pirates won't think of it being us. Isn't it capital?"

Mr Brooke gazed sharply at us both for a few moments, and then directed the boat's head as if going up the river again.

"Where is there a suitable boat?" he said hoa.r.s.ely, and speaking evidently under great excitement, as he saw a means of saving the chance after all.

"Velly nice big boat over 'long there," said Ching, pointing to a native craft about double the size of our cutter, lying moored about a hundred yards from the sh.o.r.e, and evidently without any one in her.

"Yes, that will do," cried Mr Brooke. "Anything fits a man who has no clothes. Pull, my lads--give way!"

The men dragged at the oars, and I saw that since Ching had left off baling the water was gaining fast, and that if more power was not put on it would not be long before the boat was waterlogged or sunk.

In a minute we were alongside the boat, one of a superior cla.s.s, possibly belonging to some man of consequence, and Mr Brooke had run the cutter along her on the side farthest from the sh.o.r.e, so that our proceedings were not noticed, as we made fast.

"Now then, tumble in, my lads," he cried; "take the oars and everything movable. Throw them in, our game and all. Here, Herrick, take both guns."

Everything was transferred in a very short time; and this done, Mr Brooke stepped aboard the little junk-like craft, gave his orders, and a line was attached to a grating, the other end to one of the ring-bolts.

Then the craft's anchor-line was unfastened, and our painter hitched on to it instead. Next the grating was tossed overboard, with plenty of line to float it as a buoy and show where the boat had sunk, as it was pretty certain to do before long; and we, in our tiny junk, began to glide away with the tide, furnished with a serviceable boat, boasting of sails, even if they were not of a kind our men were accustomed to manage.

"Why, it is grand, Herrick!" cried Mr Brooke excitedly. "We shall get them after all."

"And all Ching's doing, sir," I said quietly.

"Ah, yes, perhaps; he is repentant now he has been found out. But we shall see--"

"That he is quite innocent, sir," I said.

"I hope so, my lad. Now, let's make sail, and beat about here, to and fro. We must keep a good watch for our two friends, and if they come down we can follow till we see the _Teaser_ in the offing. We may, I say, capture them yet."

A sail was hoisted, and in a few minutes we found that the craft went along easily and well, answering to her helm admirably. Her high bulwarks gave plenty of shelter, and would, I saw, well conceal our men, so that we had only to put Ching prominently in sight to pa.s.s unnoticed, or as a Chinese fishing or pleasure boat.

Just then I turned and found him close behind me, rubbing his hands.

"You ask Mr Blooke he likee Ching sit where pilate see him 'gain?" he said.

"I am sure he would," I replied.

He looked sad again directly, and just touched the sleeve of my Norfolk jacket with the long nail of his forefinger.

"Ching velly solly," he said.

"What about?"

"Mr Blooke think Ching fliends with pilates. Velly shocking; Ching hate pilates dleadfully; hollid men."

"Yes, I am sure you do," I said.

The Celestial's face lit up again directly, and he rubbed his hands.

"Ching velly--"

"Yes?" I said, for Mr Brooke called to me from the little cabin contrived for shelter in the after part of the vessel.

"Look here," he said, as I joined him, "we can keep below here, and command the river too, without being seen. Why, Herrick, my lad, this is capital; they will never suspect this Chinese boat to be manned by a crew of Her Majesty's Jacks."

"Then everything has turned out for the best," I cried eagerly.

"Humph! that remains to be proved, my lad. We've got to return and face Mr Reardon and the captain, and the first question asked of an officer who has been entrusted with one of Her Majesty's boats, and who returns without it, is--What have you done with the boat or ship? We--yes, you are in the mess, sir--have to go back and say that we have lost it."

"Why, the captain owned to Pat that a thing couldn't be lost when you knew where it was."

"I don't understand you, my lad," said Mr Brooke.

"Don't you remember about the captain's tea-kettle, sir, that Pat dropped overboard? It was not lost, because Pat knew where it was--at the bottom of the sea."

"Oh yes, I remember; but I'm afraid Captain Thwaites will not take that excuse."

"Why, she has gone down already, sir," I said, as I looked over the side for the boat we had left.

"Yes; but I can see the grating floating. The c.o.xswain took his jacket out of the hole."

He pointed to the stout piece of woodwork which we had turned into a buoy, but I could not make it out, and I thought it did not much matter, for something else had begun to trouble me a great deal just then, and I waited very anxiously for my officer to make some proposal.

But it did not come at once, for Mr Brooke was planning about the watch setting, so as to guard against the junks coming down the river and pa.s.sing us on their way out to sea.

But at last all was to his satisfaction, one man keeping a look-out up the river for the descending junks, the other downward to the mouth for the return of the _Teaser_, whose coming was longed for most intensely.

Then, with just a sc.r.a.p of sail raised, the rest acting as a screen dividing the boat, we tacked about the river, keeping as near as was convenient to the spot where the _Teaser_ had anch.o.r.ed, and at last Mr Brooke said to me, just in the grey of the evening--

"I'm afraid the lads must be getting hungry."

"I know one who is, sir," I said, laughing.

He smiled.

"Well, I have been too busy and anxious to think about eating and drinking," he said; "but I suppose I am very hungry too. Here, my lad, pa.s.s that basket along, and serve out the provisions."