Blue Jackets Part 21

"Not if we can help it, my lad. But, as you say, it does sound horrid, and rather cowardly; but what would you do with a poisonous snake? You would not give it a chance to strike at you first, if you met it and had a loaded gun in your hands?"

"Of course not, sir," I said quickly.

"Well, these wretches are as dangerous as venomous serpents, and, after what you saw on board that barque, you do not think we need be squeamish about ridding the earth of such monsters?"

"No, sir, not a bit," I said quickly.

"Neither do I, Herrick. I should like to aim the gun that sends a shot through them between wind and water."

"Light on the port bow!" announced the look-out forward; and, upon using his night-gla.s.s, Mr Brooke made out the vessel, which showed the light to be a large junk, with her enormous matting-sails spread, and gliding along faster than we were, and in the same direction.

As we watched the light, it gradually grew fainter, and finally disappeared, while all through our watch the screw kept on its slow motion, just sending the gunboat onward.

Toward what? I asked myself several times; and, in spite of my determination to acquit myself manfully if we did go into action, I could not help hoping that the next night would find us all as safe as we were then. But all the same the thoughts of our preparations were well in my mind, and never once did I hope that we should not encounter the enemy.

All the same, though, when my watch was at an end and I went below, perhaps it was owing to its being so hot, as Ching said, for it was a long time before I could get off to sleep.

CHAPTER TEN.

THE ENEMY.

"Oh, I say, do wake up and come on deck. It's such a lark."

"What is?" I said, rolling out of the berth, with my head feeling all confused and strange, to stare at Barkins.

"Why, everything. You never saw such a miserable old rag-bag of a s.h.i.+p in your life."

I hurriedly dressed and went on deck, to find the preparations complete, and I could not help thinking that, if the pirates mistook the _Teaser_ for a man-of-war now, they must be clever indeed.

For on the previous day I had only seen the alterations in bits, so to speak, but now everything was done, even to having a quant.i.ty of coal on deck, and the clean white planks besmirched with the same black fuel.

The paint-pots had altered everything; the figure-head was hidden with tarpaulin; the rigging, instead of being all ataunto, was what Smith called "nine bobble square," and one sail had been taken down and replaced by an old one very much tattered, so that up aloft we looked as if we had been having a taste of one of the typhoons which visit the Chinese seas. These preparations, with the men's clothes hanging to dry, the boats badly hauled up to the davits, and the fish hanging over the stern (after the fas.h.i.+on practised in west-country fis.h.i.+ng-boats), completely altered the aspect of everything. Then I found that the officers were all in tweeds, with yachting or shooting caps; the bulk of the crew below, and my twenty men and lads all carefully got up with painted heads and pigtails complete, under the charge of Ching, who was bustling about importantly, and he came to me at once and began whispering--

"Captain say, Ching takee care allee men, and show himself evelywhere."

"Yes, of course," I said. "Yes. You wanted to say something?"

"Yes, Ching want say something."

"Well, what is it? Quick, I must go."

"Ching want you tell sailor boy be velly careful. Take care of Ching when pilate come."

"All right," I said; "but they haven't come yet."

"Think big junk pilate."

"Which one? where?" I said.

He pointed forward to where, about five miles off the lee-bow, a great junk was slowly sailing in the same direction as we were.

"Is that the one which pa.s.sed us in the night?" I said.

"Yes."

"Why do you think she is a pirate?"

"Ching tink why she no sail light away and not stop while man-o'-war clawl along velly slow. You tellee captain."

I nodded, and found that there was no need, for the captain was carefully observing the junk from where he was hidden by a pile of casks, and Mr Reardon was with him.

"Here, Mr Herrick," he cried, "your eyes are young. Have a look at that junk. Take your uniform cap off, my lad, and, as soon as you have done, take off your jacket and put on a coloured suit."

I had a good look through the gla.s.s at the junk, and made my report.

"I think it's only a big trader, sir," I said. "Looks like the boats we saw at Amoy, and as if she were going up to w.a.n.ghai."

"Yes, that's it, I think," said Captain Thwaites to Mr Reardon. Then he sharply turned to me and gave me a dry look. "Well, Mr Herrick, you see I have taken your advice, and put my s.h.i.+p in this disgraceful state."

"Yes, sir," I said eagerly; "and I hope it will prove successful."

"So do I," he said drily. "That will do, Herrick. Now, Mr Reardon, I think we will keep on just as we are, just about four knots an hour. It gives the idea of our being in trouble; and if we keep on close outside the islands, it may draw the scoundrels--that is, if they are there."

"Yes, sir, if they are there," said the lieutenant.

"How long do you reckon it will take us to get abreast of the reef where that barque lay?"

"We ought to be there by noon, sir, I should say."

"That will do. We shall seem to be making for w.a.n.ghai."

I heard no more, but went below, and directly after breakfast reappeared in white flannels and a cricketing cap, a transformation which satisfied the first lieutenant, but displeased Barkins and Smith, who had orders to keep below in uniform.

"I hate so much favouritism," grumbled Barkins. "Who are you, Gnat?

You're our junior; and here are we kept below, and my lord you parading about the deck, and seeing everything."

"Why, you're in the reserve," I said banteringly, "and will have all the fighting to do."

"Who wants all the fighting to do?" cried Smith. "I don't. I suppose if we do take a lot of pirate junks, you'll be promoted, and we shan't get a word."

"Stuff!" I said. "How can I get promoted?"

"But I want to know why you're to be picked out," cried Barkins.

"Go and ask the skipper," I said. "Now, look here both of you; if you're not civil, I won't come and report everything. If you are, I'll come down as often as I can to tell you all that is going on."

"Oh then, I suppose we must be civil, Smithy," said Barkins sourly, "but we'll serve the beggar out afterwards."