Chatterbox, 1905 Part 135

I soon got back, and a relief party was at once sent in the ice-yacht to fetch Tom away in triumph.

[Ill.u.s.tration: "As we cleared the water we could hear the wolves close behind."]

[Ill.u.s.tration: The treasure at last.]

AFLOAT ON THE DOGGER BANK.

A Story of Adventure on the North Sea and in China.

(_Concluded from page 403._)

CHAPTER XXV.

'Now's our time to get the treasure,' Charlie said. 'The fighting is nearly at an end, and the sailors won't want our help now.'

'Come along, then,' Fred answered; 'and I hope that we shall do better this time than last.'

Much to their surprise they found that the gate was open.

'Chin Choo has fled,' Ping w.a.n.g declared, on seeing that the gate was unprotected, and they heard later in the day that the rascally mandarin, after making a very warlike speech to his countrymen, had sneaked out of the town, and was on his way to Peking.

As Charlie, Fred, and Ping w.a.n.g entered Chin Choo's enclosure they were more excited than ever they had been during the siege of Su-ching, or the storming of Kw.a.n.g-ngan; for they knew that in a few minutes they would discover whether or not their journey to China had been a fruitless one. Several of Chin Choo's servants, their pockets and arms loaded with loot, hurried out at the back of the house as Charlie, Fred, and Ping w.a.n.g approached it. They did not interfere with the thieves, but the thought that they had, perhaps, already taken away the idol occurred to each of them. They quickened their speed, and ran up the verandah steps together.

'There is the idol!' Ping w.a.n.g exclaimed, excitedly; and Charlie and Fred saw a bra.s.s image standing in the corner of a room which opened from the verandah.

Ping w.a.n.g went down on his knees, and grasping the right forearm of the image, tugged at it. To the amazement of Charlie and Fred, he pulled the idol's arm forward from its body until it was in an almost horizontal position. Then, placing his fingers on the spot where the idol's hand had lain, he pushed to the right its crossed legs, and showed to Charlie and Fred that the bra.s.s pedestal on which the figure sat was practically a jewel-box.

'Marvellous!' Charlie muttered; but his and Fred's delight was greater still when Ping w.a.n.g took out of it a little piece of cloth, and, unrolling it, exhibited an immense ruby.

'There are at least thirty as good as this one,' Ping w.a.n.g declared, joyfully; but, as he spoke, a noise was heard in Chin Choo's enclosure.

'Shut it up quickly,' Charlie said; and just as Ping w.a.n.g had done so a middy rushed into the room, accompanied by four sailors.

'Hallo!' he exclaimed, on recognising them as friends of Williams. 'What are you doing here?'

'Oh, we captured the place some ten minutes ago,' Charlie declared, cheerfully.

'Then why don't you guard what you have captured?' the youngster asked, sharply. 'There is no one posted at the gate, and the place could have been recaptured easily.'

Having said this the lad departed with his men in search of some more exciting experience.

'He was quite right,' Fred declared. 'The Boxers might have come upon us suddenly, as he did. I will go to the gate; you two stay here and guard the image.'

Fred's period of sentry-go was a short one, for he had not been at the gate more than ten minutes when he saw Williams advancing, with a portion of his force, towards him.

'Well, have you found it?' Williams asked, after he had acknowledged Fred's salute.

'Yes,' replied Fred.

'That's very good news. I was half afraid that you had come out here on a wild-goose chase.'

Williams said nothing more on that subject just then, for he had much more important business needing his attention.

Such Boxers as had not been put out of action, and had been unable to seek safety in flight, had cast away their yellow badges, and pa.s.sed themselves off as peaceful citizens. Williams knew very well that the people were not so well disposed towards the Anglo-j.a.panese force as they pretended, and ordered a sharp look-out to be kept. It was an anxious time, and it was not until ten o'clock at night that, satisfied he had taken every possible precaution, Williams returned to Chin Choo's house, which he had made his headquarters, for an hour or two's rest.

'I congratulate you heartily,' Williams said, when Ping w.a.n.g showed him the treasure. 'And now the best thing you three can do is to get out of the country as quickly as possible. As long as you are in China you will run great risks of being robbed. I advise you to return to Su-ching early to-morrow morning, and make your way back to England. My instructions are to hold this town until I am reinforced, but it is quite possible that the Boxers will try to recover it before the reinforcements arrive. Therefore, the sooner you quit this place the more likely you will be to get away unhurt.'

'I don't much like leaving you at a time like this,' Charlie replied; 'but I suppose we ought to. The question is, how are we to carry our treasure?'

'The best way,' Ping w.a.n.g declared, 'will be for us to divide it into three packages, and each take charge of one.'

The packing being finished, the four friends sat down to have a chat. Of course they spoke chiefly of the Boxer rising, but they discussed also the latest news from the outside world, and finally talked of home.

'Now,' Williams said, when they had chatted for about an hour, 'you had better turn in, for you must start as soon after daybreak as possible. I should advise you to draw some of those rugs together, and sleep here.

That's what I'm going to do.'

The friends soon made up, on the floor, four comfortable beds. Williams was sound asleep a few minutes after lying down; but Charlie, Fred, and Ping w.a.n.g lay awake for fully an hour, so excited were they at having obtained the treasure for which they had come so far. However, they fell asleep eventually, but only, as it seemed to them, to be aroused almost immediately by Williams.

'Your breakfast is ready,' he declared, cheerfully, 'and your carriages are awaiting you. I have hired a palanquin and coolies for each of you, and some extra coolies to carry the idol, as Ping w.a.n.g wants that too.'

'I say, that will be travelling in style. How long have you been up?'

Charlie said.

'I went out four hours ago, and have just returned.'

Then the palanquins were brought to the foot of the verandah stairs.

'Good-bye, and G.o.d bless you, all three!' Williams said, and shook hands heartily with his friends.

'G.o.d bless you, old fellow!' Charlie said; 'and don't forget to look us up when you return to England.'

The procession of palanquins pa.s.sed out through the streets and along the road to Su-ching. The bearers were hard-working fellows, and shuffled along, half-running and half-walking, at a pace which made the distance from Kw.a.n.g-ngan appear very short to the travellers. On entering Su-ching, Ping w.a.n.g directed the bearers to carry them to the mission, but, on arriving there, a j.a.panese officer told them that Barton and his friends had started for Tien-tsin the afternoon before.

After remaining at Kw.a.n.g-ngan for about an hour Ping w.a.n.g hired fresh palanquins, and they resumed their journey. It was a very uneventful one, for the Boxers had been cleared out of that part of the country; the only exciting moment being when some Russian or j.a.panese sentry barred their progress. The arrival of an interpreter on the scene always resulted in the travellers being allowed to continue their journey.

On arriving at the river, they soon found a boatman to take them down to Tien-tsin, and thence they went straight to Hong-kong, where they remained four days as the guest of their former host. In Hong-kong they procured new clothes, and when they went aboard the homeward-bound steamer they felt, for the first time for many weeks, that they need not be ashamed of their appearance.

Fine weather and very agreeable fellow-pa.s.sengers made the voyage to England an enjoyable one, but, nevertheless, the Pages and Ping w.a.n.g were delighted when, at last, the ship reached London. Mr. Page was waiting for his sons on the landing-stage, and was so pleased at seeing them back safe and sound that he almost forgot at first to ask them about their adventures. He was, naturally, delighted with their news.

As soon as possible the jewels were valued by a London diamond merchant, who looked at them very carefully, and, after some thought, offered a price which startled the Pages and Ping w.a.n.g. They gladly accepted the offer, and returned home in high spirits to Lincoln, where they enjoyed themselves thoroughly, in spite of being called upon several times a day to relate to various friends their adventures among the Boxers. After a week's holiday Fred went back to London to continue his medical studies, and Mr. Page then began to think what to do with Charlie.

'I have had enough trawling to last me for a life-time,' Charlie declared: so the idea of putting him into a steam-trawler company was dismissed for good.

'Let us two start business together as merchants,' Ping w.a.n.g suggested.