To The West Part 36

"No; but it would be wise to get your boxes as far up the country as you can, and that can only be by means of the Indians and one of their canoes."

"But you would have to pay them."

"Of course."

"And would it be safe to trust them?"

"We shall see, my lad. But patience. They ought to have called this place New England. What a country and a climate for a man who could be content to settle down to a ranch and farm. There," he continued, "I dare say you two want to have a chat. I shall be aft there if you wish to say anything to me."

He was quite right. Esau was waiting to come up and talk, pointing out distant mountains, the islands we were pa.s.sing, and the appearance of the land we were approaching, a place all mystery and interest to us now.

"I say," he cried, "I've been talking to one of the men aboard here, and he says it will be easy enough to find Fort Elk; that we've only got to keep to the side of the river, and we shall be sure to get there some time."

"Some time?" I said rather dismally. "When is that?"

"Oh, there's no hurry," cried Esau, enthusiastically. "It will be rare good fun going along by the river, and through the woods, with no one to interfere with you, and order you to copy this or write out that. But let's get away from old Gunson as soon as we can."

"You want boy?" said a mild, insinuating voice, and the little fellow in blue stood by us with his head on one side, and his black, currant-like eyes twinkling in his yellow face. The black close cap which he had seemed to wear had disappeared, for it had only been his curled-up pigtail, which now hung down his back nearly to his heels. "You want boy?" he said again.

He was so close to us now that I could see, in spite of his being only about the stature of a lad of thirteen, that he must be a man of thirty at least, and in spite of his quaint aspect, there was something pleasant and good-humoured about his countenance that was attractive.

"Want a boy?" said Esau, rather roughly. "He's got one. Can't you see him? Me!"

The Chinaman nodded and smiled at Esau, as if he admired his fresh-coloured smooth face and curly fair hair. Then showing his teeth a little, he went on--

"Me speak ploper Inglis allee same Melican man. Velly stlong. Washee.

Cally big pack allee over countly. Cookee. Velly good cookee. Make nicee blead. Hot fire, plenty tea."

"No," I said, smiling at his earnestness. "We don't want a servant."

"Yes; want boy. Quong. Me Quong, talk ploper Inglis. No talkee pidgin."

"Get out!" cried Esau. "Who ever heard of talking pigeon! You mean a parrot."

"Hey? Pallot. Yes, talkee pallot--pletty polly what o'clock?"

"Yes, that's right!" cried Esau.

"Quong talk ploper Inglis. Allee same Melican man. No talkee pidgin, no talkee pallot. Quong come along cally big pack. Cookee. Washee clean do."

"But we don't want you," I said.

"No wantee Quong? Hey?"

"No."

"Ah."

He nodded as good-humouredly as if we had engaged him to cook and wash for us, and as we stood there leaning over the side of the puffing little steamer, we saw him go from one to another, and amongst them to Gunson. But he was everywhere received with a shake of the head, and at last, apparently in no wise discouraged, he sat down forward on the deck, took his little bundle on his knees, and curled up his tail again.

They were a curious lot of people on board, and I was dividing my time between watching the panorama of hills and mountains that seemed to rise up out of the sea, and trying to make out what the people might be by whom I was surrounded, thinking that one or two must be Englishmen, others Americans, and some people who had settled down in the country to which we were going, when a big, roughly-bearded fellow, who was very loud and noisy in his conversation, suddenly burst into a roar of laughter, and gave his leg a slap, while some of the men about him joined in his mirth.

For some minutes I could not make out what was the object which attracted them, but Esau was quicker, and gave me a nudge with his elbow.

"They're going to play some games," he said; and I grasped directly what it meant, for the big fellow went quietly up behind the little Chinaman, and with a clever twitch unfastened the pin, or whatever it was which held up the coil, and the long tail untwisted and rolled down on the deck amidst a roar of laughter--one which increased as the Chinaman turned to see who had played the trick, but only to find the man standing near with his back toward him, apparently talking thoughtfully.

"You pullee?" said the Chinaman good-humouredly.

"What?" came back in a voice of thunder.

"You pullee tail?"

The man gave him a furious scowl, and uttered a low growl like that of some savage beast, while the little Chinaman slunk toward the bulwark, and began to coil up his _queue_ once more, after which he bent forward over his bundle, his eyes half closed, and evidently thinking so deeply, that he was quite ignorant of what was pa.s.sing around. Perhaps he was wondering where he would be able to sleep that night, perhaps of how he was to obtain work. At any rate he was too much occupied with his thoughts to notice that the big fellow was slowly edging his way toward him.

"They are going to play some trick, Esau," I said softly. "What a shame it seems."

"Yes; look. That other chap's going to help him."

"But it's too bad."

"Yes; lots of things are too bad; but it ain't our business, and if we interfere we shall get into trouble."

I heard my companion's words, but they did not make any impression on me, for I was too deeply intent upon what was taking place before me.

There was the little Chinaman bent forward, blinking and apparently half asleep, and there on either side were the men, evidently about to disturb him in some way or another.

All at once, after exchanging glances with the others, I saw the big fellow place his foot just under the Chinaman, and give him a lift which sent him up against the other man, who roared out angrily.

"Where are you coming to, you yellow-eyed, waggle-headed mandarin?" he cried; and he gave the poor fellow two or three cuffs and a rude push, which sent him staggering against his first disturber, who turned upon him furiously in turn, and cuffed him back to the other.

"Why, it's like playing shuttlec.o.c.k and battledore," said Esau grimly.

"If they served me so I should kick."

But the little Chinaman did not resist in the slightest degree; he only bore the buffeting patiently till such time as he could rescue his bundle, and escape to the other side of the deck, where, as if he were accustomed to such treatment, he shook himself, pulled down his blouse, and, amidst the roars of laughter that had arisen, he placed his bundle on the bulwark, and folding his arms upon it, leaned there gazing out to sea.

"I do hate to see big chaps bullying little ones," said Esau in a whisper, as I stood hoping that the horse-play was at an end, for I shared Esau's dislike to that kind of tyranny; and though the little Celestial was nothing to me whatever, I felt hot and angry at what had been going on, and wondered why Gunson, a strong, a powerful man, had stood there smoking without interfering in the least.

But my hope of the horse-play being at an end was not gratified, for a few minutes after I saw the two men whisper together, and the big fellow took out his knife and tried the edge.

"Hullo!" whispered Esau, "he ain't going to cut his head off, is he?"

I did not answer, though I seemed to divine what was about to take place, and the blood flushed into my cheeks with the annoyance I felt.

My ideas were quite correct, for directly after the second of the two men lounged up quietly behind the Chinaman, and before he was aware of it, he too cleverly undid the tail, but kept hold of it and drew it away tight.

"Hallo!" he shouted, so as to be heard above the roars of laughter which arose, "why what's all this ere?"

The little fellow put up his hands to his head, and bent down, calling out piteously, while the big pa.s.senger took a step or two forward with the open knife hidden in his hand. Then clapping his left on the Chinaman's head, he thrust it forward, so that the tail was held out tightly, and in another moment it would have been cut off close to the head, if in my excitement I had not suddenly made a leap forward, planting my hands on the man's chest, and with such good effect consequent upon my weight being entirely unexpected, that he staggered back some yards, and then came down heavily in a sitting position on the deck.