Blue Jackets Part 76

"You likee me buy blead and fish, and plenty good to eat?" said Ching in rather a shrinking way.

"Yes," said Mr Brooke, turning upon the Celestial sharply. "Where shall we land you?"

"There," said Ching, pointing to the sh.o.r.e about a mile up from where we lay.

"But it's going back, and we shall lose sight of the junks, Ching," I said.

"Plenty blead there. Ching know the way."

"But one moment, Mr Brooke," I said; "are we sure that those are the right junks?"

"I feel sure," he said. "What do you say, my lads?"

"Ay, ay, sir, them's right," chorussed the men.

"Yes, Ching velly sure those pilate junk."

"I know one on 'em, sir," said Jecks, "by her great yard. I never see a junk with such a big un afore. Talk about the cut of a jib--I says, look at the cut of her mainsail."

"Well, we must have food and water, if we are going out of the mouth of the river," said Mr Brooke, and he turned the boat's head sh.o.r.eward.

"No makee haste," said Ching deprecatingly. "Too soon, evelybody fas'

asleep."

Mr Brooke gave an impatient stamp on the frail bamboo half-deck, but said no more for a few moments.

"We must wait if we are too soon, for it would be madness to go without food and water."

He was silent for a time, during which the men watched the distant junks, and as they stood out more and more boldly in the morning light, we compared notes, and made comments upon them, all growing more and more satisfied that these were the two of which we were in search.

"Yes, they must be," said Mr Brooke at last, after listening for some time to the men's conversation. "The very fact of their sailing in company is suggestive. Seems odd, though, doesn't it, Herrick?" he half whispered.

"What? their getting by us, sir, in the dark?"

"No; I mean, after making up my mind that this fellow Ching was a traitor, and that I would have no more to do with him, to find myself forced at every turn to rest upon him for help. Lesson for you, lad."

"In what way, sir?"

"Not to have too much faith in yourself. I am beginning to hope that I have been deceived about him, but we shall soon have proof."

"I feel sure you are misjudging him, sir," I said eagerly.

"Yes, with a boy's readiness to trust."

"But I feel sure he is honest, sir."

"Well, we shall soon see."

I looked at him for an explanation, and he smiled.

"I am going to give him some money, and send him ash.o.r.e to buy provisions. If he is dishonest he will not come back."

"But he will come back," I said confidently.

"We shall see, my lad," he replied; and once more he was silent, after handing the tiller to me, and looking back longingly at the two junks, which were apparently making no way, for the wind was blowing dead now into the mouth of the river.

Early as it was, there were people stirring as we approached the landing-place Ching had pointed out, and he nodded with satisfaction.

"Allee light," he said, smiling. "Get plenty blead, meat. You fillee big tub with water;" and he pointed to a large rough vessel, and another which was a great earthenware jar.

"But where are we to get the water?" I said.

"Out o' liver. Plenty water in liver."

"We can't drink that peasoup," I said, as I looked over the side in disgust at the yellow solution of mud.

"Velly good water. Allee salt gone now. Plenty clear by and by."

"We must make the best of it, Herrick," said my companion; and then turning to Ching, he said rather sternly--

"Here are eight dollars: buy as much bread and cooked meat as you can, and get back as quickly as possible, when we set you ash.o.r.e."

Ching nodded and smiled.

"Be velly quick," he said; "and you take boat lit' way out, and stop till come back."

"Of course; trust us for that, my man."

Ten minutes later we ran alongside some rough bamboo piles, to which about half-a-dozen Chinamen hurried, to stand staring at us. But Ching paid no attention to them. He only made a leap from the boat when we were a couple of yards from the platform, landed safely but with tail flying, and his blue cotton garment inflating balloon-like with the wind. Then he walked away among the houses, and one of our men pushed the boat off again, evidently to the intense wonder of the people, who stared hard to see a British sailor managing a native vessel; while two others, in a costume perfectly new to them, sat looking on.

Then our men were packed out of sight, some in the little cabin, others hidden at the bottom of the boat, beneath a matting-sail.

When we were about a hundred yards from the sh.o.r.e, a clumsy wooden grapnel, to which a heavy stone was bound with a twisted rope of bamboo, was dropped overboard, and then we lay in the swift tide, with the boat tugging at the line as if eager to be off on the chase the stern necessity concerning food kept us from carrying on at once.

"How these people do seem to detest us, Herrick!" said Mr Brooke, after we had been waiting patiently for about a quarter of an hour, impatiently another, but not quite in idleness, for, after tasting the river water to find that it was very slightly brackish now, the tub and the jar were both filled and left to settle.

"Yes, they're not very fond of us," I replied, as I noted how the numbers were increasing, and that now there was a good deal of talking going on, and this was accompanied by gesticulations, we evidently being the objects of their interest. "They can't have much to do."

Mr Brooke made no reply, but moment by moment he grew more uneasy, as he alternately scanned the people ash.o.r.e and the junks in the offing.

"Oh," I said at last, "if we could only see the _Teaser_ coming up the river!"

"I'd be content, Herrick," said Mr Brooke bitterly, "if we could only see the messenger coming back with our stores."

"Yes," I said uneasily, for I had been fidgeting a good deal; "he is a long time."

"Yes," said Mr Brooke, looking at me very fixedly, till I avoided his gaze, for I knew he was thinking of my defence of Ching.