even in these prosaic days of palatial passenger steamers, running upon lines from port to port almost as definite as railway metals, and keeping time with far more regularity than some railway trains that it would be easy to name, there are many eddies and backwaters of commerce still remaining where the romance of sea-traffic retains all the old pre-eminence, and events occur daily that are stranger than any fiction.
notably is this the case on the chinese coast, in whose innumerable creeks and bays there is a never-ceasing ebb and flow of queer craft, manned by a still queerer assortment of eastern seafarers. and if it were not for that strange lingua franca of the far east, to which our marvellous language lends itself with that ready adaptability which makes it one of the most widely-spoken in the world, the difficulties awaiting the white man who is called upon to rule over one of those motley crews would be well-nigh insuperable. as it is, men of our race who spend any length of time “knocking about” in eastern seas always acquire an amazing mélange of tongues, which they themselves are totally unable to assign to their several sources of origin, even if they ever were to seriously undertake such a task. needless, perhaps, to say that they have always something more important on hand than that. at least i had when, after a much longer spell ashore in bangkok than i cared for, i one day prevailed upon a sturdy german skipper to ship me as mate of the little barque he commanded. she flew the siamese flag, and belonged, as far as i was ever able to ascertain, to a chinese firm in the humid siamese capital, a sedate, taciturn trio of celestials, who found it well worth their while to have europeans in charge of her, even though they had to pay a long price for their services. my predecessor had been a “towny” of the skipper’s, a norddeutscher from rostock, who, with the second mate, a huge dane, had been with the skipper in the same vessel for over two years. on the last voyage, however, during his watch on deck, while off the paracels, he had silently disappeared, nor was the faintest inkling of his fate obtainable. when the skipper told me this in guttural german-english, i fancied he looked as if his air of indifference was slightly overdone, but the fancy did not linger—i was too busy surmising by what one of the many possible avenues that hapless mate had strolled out of existence. i was glad, if the suggestion of gladness over such a grim business be admissible, to have even this scanty information, since any temptation to taking my position at all carelessly was thereby effectually removed. before coming on board i invested a large portion of my advance in two beautiful six-shooters and a good supply of ammunition, asking no questions of the joss-like chinaman i bought them from as to how he became possessed of two u. s. navy weapons and cartridges to match. i had, besides, a frightfully dangerous looking little kris, only about nine inches long altogether, but inlaid with gold, and tempered so that it would almost stab into iron. i picked it up on the beach at hai-phong six months before, but had only thought of it as a handsome curio until now.
thus armed, but with all my weapons well out of sight, i got aboard, determined to take no more chances than i could help, and to grow eyes in the back of my head if possible. the old man received me as cordially as he was able—which isn’t saying very much—introduced me to mr. boyesen, the second mate, and proposed a glass of schnapps and a cheroot while we talked over business. i was by no means averse to this, for i wanted to be on good terms with my skipper, and i also had a strong desire upon me to know more about the kind of trade we were likely to be engaged in, for i didn’t even know what the cargo was, or what port she was bound to—the only information the skipper gave me when i shipped being that she was going “up the coast,” and this state of complete ignorance was not at all comfortable. i hate mystery, especially aboard ship—it takes away my appetite; and when a sailor’s off his feed he isn’t much good at his work. but my expectations were cruelly dashed, for, instead of becoming confidential, captain klenck gave me very clearly to understand that no one on board the phrabayat—“der frau” he called her—but himself ever knew what was the nature238 of the trade she was engaged in or what port she was bound to. more than that, he told me very plainly that he alone kept the reckoning; the second mate and myself had only to carry out his instructions as to courses, etc., and that so long as we kept her going through our respective watches as he desired, he was prepared to take all the risk. and all the time he was unloading this stupefying intelligence upon me, he kept his beady eyes on mine as if he would read through my skull the nature of my thoughts. had he been able so to do, they would have afforded him little satisfaction, for they were in such a ferment that i “wanted out,” as the scotch say, to cool down a bit. i wanted badly to get away from bangkok, but i would have given all i had to be ashore there again and well clear of the berth i had thought myself so lucky to get a day or two ago. but that was out of the question. the old man helped himself to another bosun’s nip of square-face, and, rising as he shipped it, said—
“ve ked her onder vay mit vonce, meesder fawn, und mindt ju keeb dose verdammt schwein coin shtrong. dey vants so mooch boot as dey can get, der schelm.”
glad of any chance of action to divert my mind, i answered cheerily, “ay, ay, sir!” and, striding out of the cabin, i shouted, “man the windlass!” forgetting for the moment that i was not on board one of my own country’s ships, free from mysteries of any kind. my mistake was soon rectified, and for the next hour or so i kept as busy as i knew how, getting the anchor239 and making sail. the black, olive, and yellow sailors worked splendidly, being bossed by a “serang” or “bosun” of herculean build and undiscoverable nationality. i think he must have been a dyak. now, it has always been my practice in dealing with natives of any tropical country to treat them as men, and not, as too many europeans do to their loss, behave towards them as if they were unreasoning animals. i have always found a cheery word and a smile go a long way, especially with negroes, wherever they hail from—and, goodness knows, unless you are liverish, it is just as easy to look pleasant as glum. at any rate, whether that was the cause or not, the work went on greased wheels that forenoon, and i felt that if they were all the colours the human race can show, i couldn’t wish for a smarter or more willing crowd. when she was fairly under way and slipping down to the bar at a good rate, i went aft for instructions, finding the old man looking but sourly as he conned her down stream. before i had time to say anything he opened up with—
“bei gott, meesder fawn, ju haf to do diffrunt mit dese crout ef ju vaunts to keep my schip coin. i tondt vant ter begin ter find fault, but i ain’t coin to haf no nicker-cottlin abordt de frau. ju dake id from me.”
this riled me badly, for i knew no men could have worked smarter or more willingly than ours had, so i replied quietly, “every man knows his work and does it, cap’n klenck. i know mine, and i’ll do it, but i must do it my own way, or not at all. if you’ve got any fault to find, find it, but don’t expect me to spoil a decent crew and chance getting a kris between my brisket bones in the bargain.”
he gave me one look, and his eyes were like those of a dead fish. then he walked away, leaving me standing simmering with rage. but no more was said, and at dinner he seemed as if he had forgotten the circumstance. and i, like a fool, thought he had, for the wish was ever father to the thought with me, especially in a case of this kind, where what little comfort i hoped to enjoy was entirely dependent upon the skipper. he, astuteness itself, gave no sign of his feelings towards me, being as civil as he was able in all our business relations; but beyond those he erected a barrier between us, all the more impassable because indefinite. thrown thus upon my own resources, i tried to cultivate an acquaintance with mr. boyesen; but here again i was baffled, for he was the greatest enigma of all. i never knew a man possessing the power of speech who was able to get along with less use of that essentially human faculty. he was more like a machine than a man, seeming to be incapable of exhibiting any of the passions or affections of humanity. i have seen him grasp a siamese sailor by the belt and hurl him along the deck as if he were a mere bundle of rags; but for any expression of anger in his pale blue eyes or flush upon his broad face, he might as well have been a figure-head. so that after a brief struggle with his immobility i gave up the attempt to make a companion of him, coming to the conclusion that he was in some way mentally deficient.
thus i was perforce driven to study my crew more than i perhaps should have done, particularly the neat-handed, velvet-footed chinese steward, ah toy, who, although at ordinary times quite as expressionless as the majority of his countrymen, generally developed a quaint contortion of his yellow visage for me, which, if not a smile, was undoubtedly meant for one. we were the best of friends; so great, indeed, that whenever i heard the old man beating him—that is, about once a day—i felt the greatest difficulty in restraining myself from interference. i was comforted, however, by noticing that ah toy seemed to heed these whackings no more than as if he had been made of rubber; he never uttered a cry or did anything but go on with his work as if nothing had happened. i had eight men in my watch: two chinese, four siamese, one tagal, and a malay; a queer medley enough, but all very willing and apparently contented. for some little time i was hard put to it to gain their confidence, their attitude being that of men prepared to meet with ill-treatment and to take the earliest opportunity of resenting it (although they accepted hearty blows from the serang’s colt with the greatest good nature). but gradually this sullen, watchful demeanour wore off, and they became as cheerful a lot of fellows as i could wish, ready to anticipate my wishes if they could, and as anxious to understand me as i certainly was them. this state of things was so far satisfactory that the time, which had at first hung very heavily, now began to pass pleasantly and quickly, although i slept, as the saying is, with one eye open, for fear of some development of hostility on the skipper’s part. because, in spite of my belief that he meant me no ill, having, indeed, no reason to do so as far as i knew, i could not rid myself of an uneasy feeling in my mind that all was not as it should be with him.
we had wonderfully fine weather, it being the n.e. monsoon, but made very slow progress, the vessel being not only a dull sailer at the best of times, but much hindered by the head wind. this tried my patience on account of my anxiety to get some inkling of our position, which the old man kept as profound a secret as if millions depended upon no one knowing it but himself. and although we sighted land occasionally, i was not sufficiently well up in china coast navigation to do more than guess at the position of the ship. at last, when we had been a fortnight out, i was awakened suddenly in my watch below one night by the sound of strange voices alongside. i sprang out of my bunk in the dark, striking my head against the door, which i always left open, but which was now closed and locked. i felt as i should imagine a rat feels in a trap. but the first thrill of fear soon gave place to indignation at my treatment, and, after striking a light, i set my back against the door and strove with all my might to burst it open. failing in the attempt, i remembered my little bag of tools, and in a few seconds had a screw-driver at work, which not only released me, but spoiled the lock for any future use. of course, my revolvers were about me; i always carried them. still hot with anger, i marched on deck to find the ship hove-to, a couple of junks243 alongside, the hatches off, and a rapid exchange of cargo going on. silence and haste were evidently the mots d’ordre, but, besides, the workers were the smartest i had ever seen; they handled the stuff, cases, bags, and bales of all sorts and sizes, with a celerity that was almost magical. i stood looking on like a fool for quite two or three minutes, in which every detail of the strange scene became indelibly stamped upon my brain. the brilliant flood of moonlight paling all the adjacent stars, the wide silvern path of the moon on the dark water broken by a glistening sand-bank over which the sullen swell broke with an occasional hollow moan, every item in the arrangement of the sails, and the gliding figures on deck; all helped to make a marvellous picture. the brief spell was broken by a hand upon my shoulder that made me leap three feet forward. it was the skipper, and in that moment i felt how helpless i was if this man desired to do me hurt. we stood facing each other silently for a breath or two, when he said quietly—
“meesder fawn, i tondt vant my offcers to keeb only dere own vatch. i nefer make dem vork oferdime. ven ids your vatch an deg yu vill be gall as ushal. goot nacht,” and he stood aside to let me pass.
“but, captain klenck,” i blurted out, “why did you lock me in my berth?”
“ey good man, du bist nod vell, or ellas you bin hafin a—vat you call im—night-pig, ain’d it?” then, suddenly changing his tone, he made a step towards me, and said, “go below mid vonce, er i’m tamt ef ju see daylight any more dis foyge!”
to tell the truth, i didn’t quite see my way to defying him. i felt like a beastly cur, and i knew there was some devilish business going on, but the whole thing had come on me so suddenly that i was undecided how to act, and indecision in such a predicament spells defeat. so i just inclined my head and sauntered off to my cabin in a pretty fine state of mind. needless to say, i got no more sleep. a thousand theories ran riot in my brain as to the nature of the business we were doing, and i worried myself almost into a fever wondering whether boyesen was in it. by the time eight bells (four a.m.) was struck i was almost crazy, a vile taste in my mouth, and my head throbbing like a piston. the quiet appearance of ah toy at my door murmuring “eight bell” gave me relief, for i took it as a sign that i might reappear, and i wasted no time getting on deck. i found the watch trimming the yards under the skipper’s direction, but no sign of the second mate. all trace of the junks had vanished. i went for’ard to trim the yards on the fore by way of slipping into my groove, and being in that curious mental state when in the presence of overwhelmingly serious problems the most trivial details demand attention, some small object that i kicked away in the darkness insisted upon being found before i did anything else. it only lay a yard or two in front of me, a key of barbarous make with intricate wards on either side. mechanically i picked it up and dropped it in my pocket, imagining for the moment that it must belong to one of the seamen, who each had some sort of a box which they kept carefully245 locked. then i went on with my work, getting everything shipshape and returning to the poop. the skipper greeted me as if nothing had happened, giving me a n.n.e. course if she would lay it, and, bidding me call him at once in the event of any change taking place, went below.
left alone upon the small poop with the vessel calmly gliding through the placid sea, and the steadfast stars eyeing me solemnly, i felt soothed and uplifted. i reviewed the situation from every possible point of view i could take of it, until, sick and weary of the vain occupation, i unslung a bucket and went to the lee-side with the intention of drawing some water to cool my aching head. as i leaned over the side i saw a sampan hanging alongside, and a figure just in the act of coming aboard. by this time i was almost proof against surprises of any kind, so i quietly waited until the visitor stepped over the rail, and saluted me as if boarding a vessel in the dark while she was working her way up the china sea was the most ordinary occurrence in the world. he was a gigantic chinaman, standing, i should think, fully 6ft. 6in. or 6ft. 7in., and built in proportion. in excellent english he informed me that he had business with captain klenck, who was expecting him, and without further preliminary walked aft and disappeared down the cabin-companion quietly as if he had been an apparition. in fact, some such idea flitted across my mind, and i stepped back to the rail and peered down into the darkness alongside to see if the sampan was a reality. it was no longer there. like one in a dream246 i walked aft to where one of the siamese stood at the wheel, and after a casual glance into the compass, from sheer force of habit, i asked the man if he had seen the visitor. he answered, “yes,” in a tone of surprise, as if wondering at the question. satisfied that at least i was not the victim of some disorder of the brain, i went for’ard again, noting with a sense of utmost relief the paling of the eastern horizon foretelling the coming of the day.
no one realizes more than a sailor what a blessing daylight is. in a gale of wind the rising sun seems to lighten anxiety, and the prayer of ajax trembles more frequently upon the lips of seafarers than any other. i watched the miracle of dawn with fervent thanksgiving, feeling that the hateful web of mystery that was hourly increasing in complexity around me would be less stifling with the sun upon it. and in the homely duties of washing decks, “sweating-up,” etc., i almost forgot that i was not in an orderly, commonplace english ship, engaged in honest traffic. the time passed swiftly until eight bells, when a double portion of horror came upon me at the sight of captain klenck coming on deck to relieve me. before i knew what i was saying i had blurted out, “where’s mr. boyesen?” the cold, expressionless eyes of the skipper rested full upon me as he replied slowly—
“ju tondt seem to learn mooch, meesder fawn. i dells ju one dime more, undt only one dime, dat ju nodings to do mit der peezness auf dis scheep. verdammt englescher schweinhund, de nexd dime ju inderferes247 mit mein affaires will pe der lasd dime ju efer do anythings in dees vorl’. co pelow!”
again i had to own myself beaten, and the thought was just maddening. to be trampled on like a coolie, abused like a dog. great heavens! how low had i fallen. i never seemed to be ready or able to keep end up when that man chose to put forth his will against mine. but, unknown even to myself, i was being educated up to the work that was before me, and the training was just what was necessary for me. i ate my breakfast alone, ah toy waiting on me with almost affectionate care. several times i caught his eye, and fancied that there was a new light therein. once i opened my mouth to speak to him, but his finger flew to his lips, and his look turned swiftly towards the skipper’s berth, that closely-shut room of which i had never seen the inside. as soon as my meal was over i retreated to my cabin, closed the door, and busied myself devising some means of fastening it on the inside. for now i felt sure that for some reason or other boyesen had been made away with, and in all probability my turn was fast approaching. is it necessary to say that i felt no want of sleep? perhaps not; at any rate, i spent the greater part of my watch below in such preparations as i could make for self-defence. my two revolvers now seemed precious beyond all computation as i carefully examined them in every detail, and made sure they were ready for immediate use.
while thus employed a sudden appalling uproar on deck sent my blood surging back to my heart, and,248 after about a second’s doubt, i flung wide the door and rushed on deck, flinging off ah toy, who caught at me as i passed his pantry door. springing out of the cabin, i saw the colossal chinaman who had boarded us on the previous night standing calmly looking on, while the crew fought among themselves with a savagery awful to witness. i did not see the skipper at first, but, glancing down, i caught sight of his face distorted beyond recognition by the foot of the huge celestial, which was planted on his throat. in that moment all my detestation of him vanished. he was a white man at the mercy of mongols, and drawing my revolvers, i sprang towards his foe. click went the trigger, but there was no flash or report. both were alike useless, and my brain working quietly enough now, i realized that the man i would have saved had rendered my weapons useless while i slept, to his own bitter cost. flinging them from me, i snatched at a hand-spike that lay at my feet; but before i could grasp it the combatants divided, half a dozen of my watch flung themselves upon me, and in a minute i was overpowered. of course i was somewhat roughly handled, but there was no anger against me in the faces of my assailants. as for the giant, he might as well have been carved in stone for all the notice he appeared to take of what was going on.
two siamese carefully lashed me so that i could not move, then carried me, not at all roughly, aft to the cabin door, and sat me on the grating, where they left me and returned to the fight, which seemed to be a life and death struggle between two parties into which249 the crew were divided. i have no taste for horrors, and do not propose serving up a dish of them here, although the temptation to describe the wild beast fury of those yellow and black men is very great. but it must suffice to say that those who were apparently friendly to me were the victors, and having disposed of the dead by summarily flinging them overboard, they busied themselves of their own accord in trimming sail so as to run the vessel in towards the coast.
meanwhile, the gigantic chinaman, whose advent had so strangely disturbed the business of our skipper, quietly lifted that unhappy german as if he had been a child, and carried him into the cabin. ah toy, doubtless ordered by some one in authority, came and set me free, his face fairly beaming upon me as he told me that it was entirely owing to my humane treatment of the fellows that my life had been spared. to my eager questionings as to what was going to be done with the skipper and the ship, he returned me but the shibboleth of the east, “no shabee him; no b’long my pidgin.”
i went on with the work of the ship as usual, finding the survivors quite as amenable to my orders as they had ever been, and contenting myself with keeping her on the course she was then making until some way of taking the initiative should present itself. i had given up studying the various problems that had so recently made me feel as if i had gone suddenly mad, and went about in a dull, animalized state, too bewildered to think, and prepared for any further freak of fate. while thus moodily slouching about, ah250 toy came on deck and informed me that the huge chinaman was anxious to see me in the cabin. instinctively i felt that whatever, whoever he was, i could not afford to offend him, so i went on the instant, finding him sitting in the main cabin contemplating the lifeless body of captain klenck, which lay on the deck by his side. although prepared for anything, as i thought, i could not repress a shudder of horror at this spectacle, which did not pass unnoticed by the giant. turning a grave look upon me, he said, in easy, polished diction—
“this piece of carrion at my feet had been my paid servant for the last two years. he was necessary to me, but not indispensable, and he fell into the fatal error of supposing that not only could i not do without him, but that, in spite of the enormous salary i paid him, he could rob me with impunity. i am the senior partner in the bangkok firm owning this vessel, and also a fleet of piratical junks that range these seas from singapore to hong kong, and prey upon other junks mostly, although wherever it is possible they have no scruples in attacking european vessels. it is a lucrative business, but a good deal of business acumen is needed in order to dispose of the plunder realized. in this the late captain klenck was a very useful man, and, knowing this, we paid him so well that he might very soon have realized a fortune from his salary alone. now my men, who, as you have seen, without any assistance from me, have easily disposed of the gang klenck had engaged to further his ends, tell me that they are very fond of you. they say that251 you have treated them like men, of your own free will, and i am prepared to offer you the command of the phrabayat at the same salary as klenck enjoyed. what do you say?”
for a moment i was stunned at the story told me, and, besides, very much annoyed because i hadn’t seen it all before. it looked so simple now. but one thing dominated all the rest—who or what was this suave, english educated celestial, who trafficked in piracy and yet spoke as if imbued with all the culture of the west? he actually seemed as if he read my thoughts, for with something approaching a smile he said—
“i see you are wondering at my english. i am a graduate of cambridge university, and was at one time rather lionized in certain fashionable circles in london. but circumstances made it necessary for me to go into this business, which pleases me very well. you have not yet answered my question, though.”
“i am aware that i run considerable risk at present by so doing,” i replied; “but, in spite of that, i must give you an unqualified refusal. i am rather surprised at your offer!”
a look of genuine astonishment came over his face as he said, “why? surely you are not so well off that you can afford to play fast and loose with such a prospect as i hold out to you?”
then, as if it had suddenly dawned upon him, he shrugged his shoulders and murmured, “i suppose you have some more scruples. well, i do not understand them, but for the sake of my foolish men i suppose i must respect them. there is one other point,252 however, upon which i think you can enlighten me or help me. this carrion here,” and he kicked contemptuously at the skipper’s dead body, “has secreted quite a treasure in pearls and gold, and i cannot now compel him to tell me where. did you enjoy his confidence at all?”
i hastened to assure my questioner that nothing could well be farther from the late skipper’s thoughts than to place any confidence in me; but, as i was speaking, i suddenly remembered the odd-looking key i had picked up, and diving into my pocket i produced it, saying, “this may open some secret locker of his. i found it on deck last night, just after the transhipment of cargo in the middle watch.”
his eyes gave one flash of recognition, and he said quietly, “i know that key. come, let us see what we can find by its aid.”
then, for the first time, i saw the inside of the skipper’s state-room. no wonder he kept it fast closed. it was honeycombed with lockers of every shape and size; but, strangest of all, there were three rings in the deck as if to lift up level-fitting hatches. these took my eye at once, and, upon my pointing them out, the chinaman stooped and essayed to lift one. he had hardly taken hold of the ring, though, when he saw a keyhole at one edge, and muttering, “i didn’t know of this, though,” he tried my key in it. it fitted, unlocking the hatch at once. but neither he nor i was prepared for what we found. there, in a space not more than four feet square and five feet deep, was a white man, a stranger to me. the giant253 at my side reached down and lifted the prisoner out of his hole as if he had been a child, and, placing him gently on a settee, regarded him with incurious eyes. he was just alive, and moaning softly. i called ah toy, who evinced no surprise at seeing the stranger; but, after he had brought some water at my order, and given the sufferer some drink, he told me that this was the missing mate. ah toy assisted me to get the unfortunate man into my berth, where i left him to the ministrations of the steward, while i hurried back to the skipper’s state-room. when i reached it the calm searcher had laid bare almost all its secrets.
boyesen, the second mate, was there, looking like a man just awaking from a furious debauch, and blinking at the light like a bat. and around him on the deck were heaped treasures beyond all my powers of assessment. but their glitter had no effect upon me; i suppose i must have been saturated with surprises, so that my clogged brain would absorb no more. i turned to boyesen and offered him my hand, which he took, and, by assistance, crawled out of that infernal den, leaving the chinaman to sort out his wealth.
i tried hard to get some explanation of the second mate’s strange disappearance from him, but, in addition to his habitual taciturnity, he was in no condition to talk; so, after a few minutes’ ineffectual effort, i left him and returned on deck. ah, how delightful was the pure air. i drew in great draughts of it, as if to dispel the foulness of that place below; i looked up at the bright sky and down at the glittering sea,254 over which the phrabayat was bounding at the rate of six or seven knots an hour, and blessed god that i was still alive, and for the moment forgot how great was the danger still remaining.
far ahead i could see the loom of the china coast. by my reckoning she would be in touch with the land before nightfall if the present fresh breeze held—and what then? a sudden resolve came upon me to ask the evident master of my destinies; for, although i felt quite sure that any compunction for whatever sufferings we white men might endure would be impossible to him, there would be a certain amount of satisfaction in knowing his intentions. i turned to go and seek him, but he was standing by my side. without waiting for me to speak to him, he said gravely—
“in a few hours i hope to reach the creek where my agents are waiting to tranship the cargo. what then will happen depends largely upon yourself. should you persist in refusing to take command of this vessel it may be the easiest plan to cut your throat, as you would be greatly in the way. of course, your two companions would be disposed of in the same manner. but for the present, if you will have the goodness to call the hands aft, there are some precautions to be taken with reference to the valuables you have seen, which represent the loot that captain klenck anticipated making off with presently. that reminds me——” and, disappearing from my side, he slid rather than walked below. i called the hands aft, walking to the break of the poop as i did so. as i stood looking down on to the main deck, my late255 companion appeared with the skipper’s body in his arms, which he cast over the lee-rail as if it had been a bundle of rags.
then, turning to the waiting crew, he gave a few quiet orders, and at once they began preparing the two boats for lowering. some of them dived below and brought up armfuls of small boxes, bags, and mats, within which coarse coverings i knew were concealed that mass of wealth lately exposed upon the deck of the state-room below.
quite at a loss what to do, i stood listlessly watching the busy scene, until i suddenly remembered the two white men below, who had been so strangely rescued from an awful death. and as i was clearly not wanted on deck i went into the cabin, finding, with the first thrall of satisfaction i had felt for a long time, that they were both rapidly mending. it is hardly necessary to say that i soon found the stranger to be my predecessor, whose mysterious disappearance had worried me not a little. neither he nor boyesen were able to talk much, had they been willing; but i learned that they had both incurred the wrath of the skipper from having obtained too much knowledge of his proceedings, that they had both been drugged (at least, only in that way could they account for his being able to deal with them as he had done), and they had suffered all the torments of the lost until the yellow giant had let in the blessed daylight upon them again. but neither they nor i could understand why the skipper had not killed them offhand. that was a puzzle never likely to be unravelled now.256 neither of them appeared to take a great deal of interest in the present state of affairs, certainly not enough to assist me in concerting my plans for our safety. i was quite satisfied that we were in no immediate danger, so that i was content, having established a bond of good-fellowship between us, to wait until they were more fit for active service.
we sat quietly smoking and dropping an occasional word, when a sudden hurried pattering of bare feet overhead startled me. i rushed on deck, roused at last into something like vigorous interest, to find that all hands were quitting the ship. we were now some twenty miles (by my estimate) from the land, and what this sudden manœuvre could mean was beyond me until, looking astern, i saw a long smoke-wreath lying like a soft pencil smudge along a low mass of cumulous cloud. not one of the departing heathen took the slightest notice of me as they shoved off, so i darted out, snatched up the glasses, and focused them on the approaching steamer. i could not make her out, but i felt sure it was her advent that had rid us of our parti-coloured masters. down i went and told the invalids what had happened, begging them, if they could, to come on deck and lend a hand to get her hove-to, so that the steamer might the more rapidly overhaul us. boyesen managed to make a start, but the late mate was too feeble. and ah toy, to my surprise, also showed up. i had no time to ask him why he had not gone with the rest, but together we hurried on deck, finding that a thick column of smoke was rising from the main hatch—those animals had set257 her on fire! there were, of course, no boats, and unless that vessel astern got in some pretty good speed we stood no bad chance of being roasted alive. however, we rigged up an impromptu raft, after letting go all the halyards so that her way might be deadened—we knew better than to waste time trying to put out such a fire as was raging below.
why enlarge upon the alternations of hope and fear until the ly-ee-moon, chinese gunboat, overhauled us? she did do so, but not until we were cowering on the taffrail watching the hungry flames licking up the mizen-rigging. and when rescued i would not have given a dozen “cash” for our lives, but that the gunboat had an englishman in command, to whom i was able to tell my story. he put the coping-stone upon my experiences when he told me that he had been watching for the phrabayat for the past six months, having received much information as to her doings. and he used language that made the air smell brimstone when he realized that, after all, his prize had escaped him. i told him all i could—it was not much—of the disappearance of the crew, but he was indifferent. he “didn’t expect to clap eyes on ’em any more,” he said. nor did he. where they landed, or whether they sank, no one but themselves knew. and we three unfortunate wretches were landed in hong kong three weeks afterwards almost as bare of belongings as when we began the world. ah toy fell on his feet, for he shipped in the gunboat as the commander’s servant upon my recommendation.
i had all the experience of the china coast i wanted, and shipped before the mast in a “blue-funnelled” boat for home two days after, glad to get away on any terms. the two danes went their way, and i saw them no more.