The Three Admirals Part 25

"There's a light ahead," he cried out; "it must be on the walls, or else a house in the suburbs."

"If it was on the walls, it would appear higher," answered Archie, "What do you think, Tom?" he asked.

No reply came from Tom, and on looking round Roy discovered that both Tom and Billy were nowhere to be seen.

"We must wait for them," cried Archie; "we cannot leave them behind."

Before, however, he or his companions could pull up, a loud challenge was heard, and several shots came whizzing past them.

"If we stop or attempt to gallop back to look for them, we shall have another volley," said Roy. "I will ride forward slowly. That must be a piquet of the Indian regiment stationed outside the town. They mistake us for the enemy, and they may aim better the next time they fire."

Without waiting for his companions' reply, Roy rode forward, shouting, "Friends, friends! English, English!" At length he came in sight of a party of men drawn across the road, and the English officer, advancing, inquired who he was. He explained that they were pursued by a body of cavalry, whom they supposed to be Tae-pings, and that he very much feared two of their companions had fallen into their hands.

The officer on this ordered his men to advance, but to be careful not to fire until he gave the word. Roy, riding forward, quickly overtook Archie and Gerald. On either side was a bank covered with shrubs, which would afford concealment in the dusk to the whole of the party. On seeing this, the officer told Roy to go a little distance further on and then to halt, and immediately he should hear the rebels advancing, to gallop back towards the town.

"You may, I hope, meet your friends, but if not, and they should have fallen into the hands of the rebels, we shall have a good chance of rescuing them."

"I understand, and will carry out your direction," said Roy, and the three midshipmen rode slowly back, hoping every instant to fall in with Tom and Billy. Their disappointment was bitter when they were nowhere to be seen. They had not, however, gone far, when they saw the Tae-ping hors.e.m.e.n moving rapidly towards them, but neither Tom nor his companions were visible. On this they immediately turned their horses' heads and galloped back, as they had been told to do, in the direction of the town, feeling dreadfully anxious as to the fate of their friends. They had got some little distance beyond the ambush when a rapid succession of shots told them that the Indian soldiers had opened their fire on the enemy. They at once pulled up, feeling sure that the Tae-pings would not venture to advance further. In this they were right, for as they returned they saw them in rapid flight, the soldiers still firing after them.

"You have saved our lives, I believe, sir," said Roy, addressing the officer, who had advanced to meet him. "What can have become of our companions?"

"I am afraid that the Tae-pings must have overtaken them, and too probably, immediately have cut them down, for they certainly were not with the party we got under our fire. My men tell me that they saw no English uniforms."

"If they were killed, they must be lying on the road," said Desmond, his heart sinking within him as he spoke. "We must go and look for them."

To this the officer made no objection, and sent forward five men with a sergeant. They proceeded even beyond where Tom and Billy had last been seen. Although they came on the dead bodies of several Tae-pings, who had been shot by the soldiers, they could discover no trace of their friends.

"Then they must have been carried off prisoners," observed Desmond.

"However, that is better than had they been killed, as we may possibly recover them."

Any further search was useless; indeed, the officer was anxious to send back to the town to give notice that the Tae-pings were in the neighbourhood, and that a cavalry force had advanced so far without infantry to support them. The whole party accordingly returned to the house where the outpost was stationed. Gerald and Archie were so much cut up at the thought of Tom's loss--though, if the truth was known, they did not care so much about poor Billy,--that they felt scarcely able to ride back, and were glad to accept the lieutenant's offer of refreshment before they returned to the city.

"They'll be after cutting off the poor fellows' heads," cried Gerald.

"How did we come to miss them? I would not have gone on if I hadn't thought they were close at our heels."

"Nor would I," said Archie; "it's some blundering of that fellow Billy Blueblazes. He must have tumbled off his horse, and Tom wouldn't leave him."

The lieutenant could give them very little consolation. The Tae-pings, from the reports received, committed the most horrible cruelties in the places they had taken, and when they captured Pow-shun they put to death indiscriminately men, women, and children; the defeated Imperialist troops having joined them and a.s.sisted in plundering the place.

"Our horses must be rested; it is time for us to be going back," said Roy at last.

Thanking the lieutenant, they again mounted. Just as they got outside the house they heard the sound of homes' hoofs.

"Don't fire!" cried the officer to his men. "These must be friends."

In another moment two hors.e.m.e.n were seen coming along the road, and Gerald, dashing forward, shouted out, "Hurrah! Why, it's Tom Rogers and Billy Blueblazes!"

Gerald was not mistaken, although their friends could scarcely be distinguished from the ma.s.ses of mud which covered them and their steeds. Tom and Billy having received the congratulations of the party, and being introduced to the lieutenant, explained that finding the Tae-pings gaining upon them, they had leaped over a ditch bordered by trees, which concealed them from the view of their pursuers, and that they had then galloped along over the soft ground, having to scramble through a number of ditches, which were too wide to leap, until they, once more catching sight of the lights in the village, made their way back to the road.

As Tom and Billy were wet through, they declined to do more than stop and take a cup of hot tea, and the whole party then galloped on, as fast as their tired steeds could go, to the town, and managed to find their way back to the stable from which they had hired the horses.

The old man examined them with his lantern, exhibiting a rueful countenance, and shaking his head, muttering as he did so, "No good, no good!"

Tom tried to explain that if they had not ridden hard, he would never again have seen his horses; but probably the midshipman's explanations were not understood, as the owner of the animals still kept muttering, "No good, no good!"

"Well, as it was partly our fault for delaying so long, I propose that we pay the old fellow something more," said Tom.

All agreed, and: Mr Kay Chung's countenance brightened greatly when they handed him some more coin. On their way back they met several of the English inhabitants, to whom they reported that a force of Tae-pings was in the neighbourhood. Their news created no small amount of stir in the place. Information had already been received at head-quarters from the outposts, and immediately active preparations were made for the defence of the town, lest the enemy should advance during the night.

Pretty well tired out, the midshipmen at last got back to the hotel where they settled to remain for the night, as it was too late by that time to return on board. Tom and Billy were not sorry to turn in, while a Chinese waiter undertook to get their jackets and trousers cleaned and polished up by the next morning.

Tom had been sleeping for several hours, when Gerald, followed by Roy, who had a different room, rushed in, exclaiming, "Rouse up, old fellows; something serious is going on. There's been tremendously heavy firing for the last ten minutes in the direction of the Chinese town, and there can be no doubt but that the Tae-pings are attacking the place. We are starting off to see the fun."

"Fun, do you call it!" said Archie, who had been awakened by Gerald's first exclamation. "It will be no fun if the rebels take Shanghai, and there is but a small garrison for its defence. As likely as not the Chinese will run away, or more probably fraternise with the Tae-pings."

"The marines and that Indian regiment are sufficient to drive back the enemy, and we shall have our own blue-jackets on sh.o.r.e, depend upon it, when Captain Rogers hears what is going forward," said Roy.

"Come, Tom, are you going with us? I suppose nothing will induce Billy to turn out, if he can help it."

"But my clothes, my clothes! that Chinese waiter Fau-ti has got them. I have nothing to put on."

"I will unearth him, and make him bring them to you," said Desmond; "and Billy's also, for he won't like to be left behind."

While Desmond went off to find the waiter, Billy, who was sitting up in bed, rubbing his eyes, asked what the row was about. On being told, he answered--

"Let them fight it out by themselves; I don't see why we should interfere," and lying down, he was about again to compose himself to sleep, when Roy and Archie, seizing the clothes, effectually roused him up. The firing was now heard closer than before, apparently extending over a considerable s.p.a.ce. Billy, as much as he was disinclined to leave his bed, did not like to be left behind, and forgetting that his clothes had been taken away, began hunting for them.

"If you cannot find them, you must come as you are. Wrap yourself up in a sheet; you will help to scare the enemy, at all events," said Roy.

Desmond at last returned, followed by the waiter bringing the midshipmen's uniforms. Although they were not long dressing, some time had been spent, but it was not yet daylight. There was a general commotion going forward in the house, the other inmates calling to each other, and inquiring what was happening.

When the midshipmen got to the door of the house they found a large party collected, most of them with arms in hand and full of fight. For what they could tell to the contrary, however, the Tae-pings might already have scaled the walls. Just as they were setting off, the tramp of a large body of men was heard approaching. The midshipmen recognised Captain Rogers with the blue-jackets and marines of his ship, and several officers. Tom at once joined his brother, and confessed what they had been about, and how narrowly they had escaped being caught by the rebels.

"You were the means, however, of putting the garrison on the alert, for the messenger who came off with a request for me to land my men informed me that a party of midshipmen had brought in the intelligence of the approach of the enemy."

Tom was well pleased to hear this, as he hoped that he and his companions would escape the reprimand they expected to receive for having gone so far from the city. The sound of heavy guns was now heard, and a shot occasionally pitched into the ground at no great distance in front of them, showing that the enemy could not be far off outside the walls.

"They have not yet got inside, and we shall be in time to help drive them off before they succeed," said Jack.

A Chinese officer had been sent to guide the seamen to a part of the walls where the defenders most required support. Just as they arrived the guns pointed in that direction had ceased firing, and large bodies of men were seen through the gloom approaching with scaling ladders.

"We shall soon tumble those fellows over if they make the attempt to escalade the walls," said Tom.

The rebels, however, showed no want of pluck. In another instant the ladders were placed against the walls, and numbers of pig-tailed fellows, with broad hats, holding their shields above their heads, began to climb up, in spite of the hot fire which the marines and blue jackets poured down upon them. They had evidently not expected to meet with such a reception, supposing that the place was defended only by their own countrymen armed with matchlocks and spears. Along the whole line of the wall, at different points, the same scene was being enacted.

Thousands of men were crowding forward, expecting by their numbers to overcome the limited garrison, but in every place they were met by the most determined courage, the civilians vying with the soldiers in repelling the foe.

Captain Rogers had ordered another party of seamen to join him under the second lieutenant as soon as the boats could bring them on sh.o.r.e, and finding the determined way in which the rebels were attacking the part of the walls he had been directed to defend, he sent back Tom and Desmond to hurry them forward. The midshipmen met the party about half-way, and Tom delivered the message. Under the belief that he knew the road, he led them through several narrow streets, when suddenly he discovered that he had made a mistake, but whether he ought to have kept more to the left or right, he could not tell.

Sharp firing, however, being heard to the right, he concluded that was the direction he ought to have taken. The party moved forward again at the double. The walls soon rose up before them, and the shot, which came down like hail, showed that the enemy were firing away as hard as ever. Just then, at the end of a short street they caught sight of a large body of men moving away from them.