CHAPTER TWENTY FOUR.
"DUTCH COURAGE."
It was the report of a rifle in the clear morning air, fired from thewarehouse gable occupied by the two lookout men.
"The pilates!" shouted Wing exultantly.
"It's our breakfast knocked over, Lynn," cried Blunt. "Come along,lad."
He led the way out at the double, and the next minute was hailing themen on the roof.
"See them coming?" he shouted, with his hand to the side of his mouth.
"Yes, sir; half-a-dozen big junks yonder, right across the land there,in the second great bend of the river, I think."
"Miles away, then?"
"Yes, sir; four or five."
"Then the wind will be sometimes with them, sometimes against. That'sgood news, Lynn; we shall be able to have our breakfast in peace, anddigest it in war. Come along in."
"Oh, I couldn't eat now!" cried Stan excitedly, for his heart was givingbig thumps as he gazed right away overland towards where the rivercurved round the end of a mountain-spur.
"I thought you meant to help us to beat the enemy off."
"Of course I do," cried Stan.
"Well, a steam-engine won't work without coal, and a human being can'tfight unless you feed him. Come! no nonsense. All our preparationswere made yesterday, so we've nothing to do but man our works."
"So as to be ready?" panted Stan, whose breath came short fromexcitement.
"We don't want to be ready two hours too soon, and tire the men out withanxious watching before the enemy come near. We're going to have aregular good hearty meal to put strength and courage into us."
"Dutch courage," said Stan rather contemptuously.
"Can't be Dutch courage, because we are all English who are not Chinese.But that's a stupid old expression, my lad, meaning, of course, thatthe Dutch are cowardly. Now, I don't know much about history, butwhenever I've read anything about the Dutch in war, it has gone to provethat the Hollanders are a thoroughly sturdy, brave, and obstinate set ofmen. There! don't get in a nervous state of flurry; it will spoil yourshooting, and I shall want you to fire steadily and well. Why, youdon't want to go into action with your veins jumping and your nerves allof a slack quiver."
"Of course not," said Stan huskily.
"That's right. You want every string screwed up tight and in the bestof tune, so that you can play an air that will make the savagescoundrels dance a figure that is quite new to them. Eh?"
"Yes, that's what I want to do," said Stan; "but--"
"Never mind the butting; leave that to the pirates. Let them come andbutt their heads against our wharf. Here, I'm captain of the good shipLynn Brothers, and you're only lieutenant, so obey orders.--It's allright, gentlemen," he continued coolly and pleasantly the next moment tothe little crowd of his people who had hurried out and were waiting fortheir orders; "the enemy are coming, just when it seemed as if, afterall our preparations, they had got wind of what was waiting for them andhad made up their minds to disappoint us."
He was interrupted here by a loud cheer, in which the Chinese employeesjoined with a peculiar yell, which did not improve the heartiness of thecheer, but gave it a fierce, rasping, savage tone.
But it evidently meant business, all the same, and altogether seemed tothrill Stan from top to toe and make him feel, as he put it to himself,in better heart.
"That sounds right," said Blunt as the cheers died out into what was aseries of vocal Chinese exclamations. "Now listen; we've got a sharpfight before us, in which we are going to show those savage scoundrelsthat they have made the greatest mistake they ever made in their lives."
There was another cheer at this, one in which Stan found himself joiningand waving his cap, just as if it were at home and the cheering hadsomething to do with a football victory.
"Now," continued Blunt, "I reckon that we have two hours of waiting todo before the music begins to play, so we'll spend part of the time inenjoying the breakfast I have ordered to be ready for every one here.In the name, then, of our employers' son and nephew, I ask you to comeand breakfast with him--all but you two gentlemen up yonder. You muststay and continue your lookout, but my Chinese servants will bring youup all you want."
There was another cheer at this--one that threatened to be terriblyprolonged--but Blunt held up his hand.
"That will do for the present; keep the rest of the shouts till we havedriven off the enemy. Now then, pile arms and file in to breakfast. Noceremony; we must all be equal over this meal, as we shall be when weare fighting the enemy."
"Yes, sir! Yes, sir!" came in chorus, and the men began to flock in.
"Stop a minute," cried Stan excitedly, catching at his captain's arm.
"What is it?"
"The men on the roof want to say something."
"Do they?--Ahoy, there! What is it?"
"Can't we have a big bamboo up here, sir?" said the clerk who had beenwaiting to speak.
"A big bamboo?" cried Blunt. "Do you want to bastinado your comrade?"
"No, no, sir. One of the biggest down yonder in the yard. If you sentus up a rope, sir, we could haul the great pole up and lash it to thischimney-stack. We feel as if we ought to have a Union-jack hoisted uphere."
"Why, of course," cried Stan excitedly.
"Yes--of course," cried Blunt. "I'm glad you mentioned it. I neverthought of that. But there's plenty of time. Breakfast first, and theflag afterwards. Come along, Lynn."
"Oh, don't--pray don't take things so coolly," whispered Stan as theyclimbed in over the tea-chest wall.
"Why not? We must be cool, my lad, if we wish to win."
"Yes; I suppose so. But hadn't we better get the flag up first, andthen it will be done?"
"No," said Blunt shortly. "I'm not going to do anything till all ourmen have had a good meal. I'm not going to drive my team till everyhorse has had his corn, so in with you."
"I suppose he's right," thought Stan; "but I couldn't take matters likethat with the enemy coming slowly and surely on."
Right or wrong, Blunt took the head of the table, and made ready forStan to sit on his right. Directly after the rattle of knives and forksbegan, the Chinese servants placed great steaming mugs of coffee atevery man's side, and the thick slices of bread-and-butter which keptcoming in relays seemed to melt off the dishes as if they were aconfection of ice, while the tall coffee-urns ran more and more dry,till there was a general falling-off in the demands for more, and themanager's stores had shrunk to the lowest ebb.
"Now then," he cried suddenly, rising and beating the side of hiscoffee-mug with a spoon, "there's plenty of time, so file off quietly;but every man will now take his place. All of you remember this,however--that Mr Lynn and I want prudence, not rashness. When thefiring begins every man is to make as much use as he can of his shelter.Some of us must be hit, but the fewer the better."
There was a cheer at this.
"No more cheering," cried Blunt firmly. "This is business, notpleasure. Now, one more thing I want you all to remember. When you aimat a man and draw trigger, it is not for the sake of making a noise, butfor every one to prove his marksmanship and get rid of one enemy. Thatis all; now in silence, please, every man to his appointed station."
The men, Europeans and Asiatics, filed out quietly, each man taking hisrifle from where he had leaned it against the wall, and Stan turned toBlunt's chief servant.
"Have you taken breakfast to Mr Wing?" he said.
The man smiled and nodded.
"Did he eat it?"
"Yes; eat and dlink muchee," replied the man, with a broad smile, justas Blunt turned to the lad.
"I've got a flag about as big as a moderate tablecloth," he said."We'll send that up to the roof by one of the stoutest Chinamen, alongwith a rope. Come and let us make two of the others pick out a largebamboo."
This was all quickly done. The rope was lowered from where the twosentries and the sturdy picked Chinaman were standing by thechimney-stack, and direct
ly after a stout twenty-foot pole was madefast, hauled up, and the flag secured to the end; and as there were nohalyards attached, it was raised against the chimney-stack and securedby the big Chinaman, the rope having been cut in half so as to lash thebamboo in two places, and wedges driven in afterwards to tighten therope to the greatest extent.
Another cheer which arose was not checked, for it was when the lightmorning breeze made the folds open out to float well over the centre ofthe big building, even Blunt and Stan joining in the salute of the flagwhose united crosses seemed to promise victory for the brave defendersof the solitary _hong_.
"That's a good job done, Lynn," said Blunt; "and I'm very glad it wassuggested. The men will fight all the better for it. I almost feel asif I shall."
"Yes; it seems to put courage and confidence into one," said the ladwarmly; and then he coloured a little, for it seemed to him just then,as he met his leader's eye, that Blunt was watching in a curiouslyinquiring way, looking, Stan thought, as if he felt a good deal of doubtas to how the lad was going to behave.
And all this time the great junks came slowly and steadily on, growingmore and more distinct from the defences, but still seeming as if theywere sailing right through the waving fields of growing grain.
Blunt had his glass in hand now where he stood in the little bale-madebastion, and after a good look he handed it to his companion.
"Have a good squint, my lad," he said. "I make it that it will be quitehalf-an-hour before the leading junk comes round the bend into thestraight part of the river, and even then it will take another half-hourbefore they have run down to us."
"Yes; I can see the matting sails very clearly now," said Stan after agood look, "but the hulls are quite hidden by the fields."
"Yes, and will be till they reach the straight reach of the river. ButI expect they are all crammed with men. How many junks can you makeout?"
"Six," said Stan.
"Yes, that is what I saw. Now let us have a quiet walk round amongstthe men and see if anything is needed to better the defence."
Stan followed his leader, whose first examination was of the twodoorways through which the defenders must pass when they gave up or weredriven from their fragile wall.
Everything was as it should be; the doors were wide-open, but ready forclosing, and half-a-dozen short, stout pieces of plank were standing insight, waiting for placing and securing inside the door after it wasclosed. Even the holes were made ready for the insertion of big screwsinstead of nails, and all was in charge of two Chinese carpenters, withassistants ready to hold the plank while it was being screwed tightly tothe door-posts.
Both doors were in the same state of preparation, and Blunt nodded hissatisfaction.
"Capital," he cried.
"If the men are not scared away by a rush of the enemy," said Stanthoughtfully.
"That we must chance," said Blunt. "But I do not think we shall betroubled that way, for the men who are retiring from the wall must keepthe enemy in check. I propose being at the farther door: do you feel asif you could stand your ground with some of the men to hold this doortill all is safe?"
"I haven't much confidence in myself," said Stan rather excitedly, "butI will try my best."
"You can't do better," replied Blunt quietly.
"You see, I am not a man," added Stan.
"No, not in years; but you can try to act like one."
"Yes, I'll do that," said Stan.
"And here's a bit of encouragement for you. I shall have four of ourbest fellows at each of the windows over these two doors. They'll keepup such a rifle-rattle as is bound to check the Chinamen for a bit,besides which the men with you will keep on shooting till the last boardis in its place."
"And what about fire?"
"Ah! that's the weak spot, my lad," said Blunt, with a sigh. "They maynot think of burning us out, but if they do--well, we have our supply ofwater and the buckets all ready. We can do no more. If they do start ablaze we must put it out. That is all that need be said: _must_ put itout; and we will."
A look round on the first floor showed everything ready for the defencethat could be devised, and after inspecting this, with the open windowsand breastworks ready for firing over, Blunt descended with his younglieutenant to inspect the cartridge supplies, one of the most trustedclerks being in charge of these. And then, to Stan's intensesatisfaction, for he had long been all of a fret, Blunt led the way outto the wharf, where the lad started in wonder, if not in alarm, to seethe progress the junks had made: for there they were, six in all, wellin the strait, and sailing steadily down like gigantic, great-eyedwater-dragons making for the victims it was their mission to destroy.
For clearly enough now, as they were seen end-on by the watchers, eachdisplayed on either bow a huge, grotesque, but cleverly painted eye,giving them the aspect of fabled monsters of the deep which had risen tothe surface in search of prey, and were now leering with malicioussatisfaction as they glided on.