CHAPTER IV
BOUND TO CHINA--THE VOYAGE AND MY EXPERIENCES--_CASH_ IN HONGKONG--RUMOUR OF WAR
"I've been thinking about ye," said the skipper, two days later, whenmy head and legs became more easy, and obedient to my will. "When wereach Gib ye must make yer choice--and I think ye'd better stay withme."
"Yes, sir," I replied doubtfully; "I suppose I must."
"There's no must in it, youngster. I'm bound for Hong Kong and Canton,and, further, I don't keep any idlers on board. If ye go with me yemust look lively. Yer mate, Tim, yonder, is already worth his salt.He tells me ye're a cadet."
"I wanted to be; my eyes were wrong, the doctor said."
"Then ye're fond of the sea? Now, here's my idea: I'll keep ye, if yelike, aboard, and, please Goodness, bring ye home. If not, ye musttelegraph home from Gib, and I must send ye back in some liner,somehow. Make up yer mind, it can't take long."
"I suppose you think me a fool?" I exclaimed testily.
"I do _not_," he replied, with the emphasis of the native Irishman;"but maybe I will when I hear yer opinion."
"Then, I'll stay," I replied, feeling rather undecided nevertheless."But what will they think at home? My mother will fret."
"Well, I'm sorry for yer mother, but I think she'll survive. I knowsomething about ye from the boy forward. Now, tell me the truth aboutyerself. Who are ye, anyhow?"
I told him the truth. He listened quietly, nodding at intervals, andfinally said--
"All right. Now, my lad, listen to me. I'll be the making of ye, andyer mother won't know ye when ye go back, eh?"
I hardly fancied that this would be an advantage for my parents, but Isaid nothing, and the captain continued--
"I'll make a man of ye, so I will. I'll just wire to yer daddy, andtell him I've got ye safe and sound, and will bring ye back. I'llclothe and feed ye and teach ye something, and maybe ye'll come back asecond mate for the Company--the Shanghai and Hong Kong Tea Company."
"Thanks," I said briefly, rising as I spoke.
"Hold on a minute, there's one lesson first. When ye speak to thecaptain, say sir; d'ye mind?"
"Yes, sir," I replied, blushing furiously as I stood before the master.
"Very well, that's the first thing. Now, what can ye do? Can ye hand,reef, or steer? Speak up!"
"I can't furl a sail, sir. I can reef a fore and aft sail, and cansteer a little."
"Very well. Look here, now, I'll keep ye, and put ye under my man;he'll trim ye a bit, and Mr. Rose, the mate, will set yer lessons. Bythe time we reach the China Sea I expect ye'll know the ropes. Ye mustwork for your living here,--no skulking, now!"
"No, sir," I answered respectfully.
"That'll do; I'll take the responsibility of ye, and bedad ye'll haveto mind me! But I understand ye are a gentleman; so'm I, and ye'll betaken care of. Ye'll be a man before your mother yet."
This I believed highly probable, and nearly said so, but the looks ofthe captain deterred me. He proceeded--
"Just keep quiet till we make Gib; then I'll see ye fix'd up, and putto work. My steward will berth ye and feed ye. Ye needn't go amongstthe crew, mind; and needn't keep watch--unless ye like--at first. Now,are ye satisfied?"
"Yes, sir, I am; and am very grateful to you for all your kindness."
"That's bully, now," he exclaimed. "Here's my hand on the bargain.Ye'll do, when ye get the starch out of yer collar. We don't want anyairs here, mind ye. What's yer name? Jule, is it?--what?"
"Julius, sir," I replied, feeling terribly small.
"Julius Caesar? No, it can't be that, I suppose. Never mind, we'llcall ye Julius until ye become a mate. In my country they'd say if yewasn't the _mate_ ye'd be the boy to _serve it_! D'ye mind that? Comeup now, and get a breath of the wind, young Caesar."
I laughed, and thus I became a sailor. But how different was theintroduction from that I had anticipated! I was rigged out as acabin-boy in the steamer, and carried away to the Far East, instead ofbeing trained on the _Britannia_ and serving in a man-of-war. Many anight I lay half-crying in my bunk, thinking of the change in myprospects, but the days passed quickly, letters came from home, and Ihad plenty of money afterwards, but the first step counted very much inmy career, and I grew fast at sea. I said so once to the captain.
"Mind ye don't grow fast ashore," he said. "Cut yer wisdom teeth firsthere."
I could not get much "change" out of the skipper.
But I am anticipating. I was still a cabin lad, and under orders. Iwas taught many things, such as knots and splices, heaving the lead,the names of the ropes, and was sent aloft when I had become accustomedto the vessel. We didn't sail much, but at times we hoisted a topsail,jib, and spencer (or mainsail) when the wind was on the quarter, andtime was pressing. We steamed through the Mediterranean, and had Itime I could tell you my experiences and pleasure in seeing the placeswhich as a lad I had read about.
What lad of fifteen would not have been delighted, as I was, by seeingCapes St. Vincent and Trafalgar? The steward, the captain's man, mychief, so to say, told me many anecdotes about them, and the battles,the prizes, Nelson, and other heroes. Gibraltar, Naples, Malta, thecanal, where we saw mirages in the sand, Suez, the Red Sea, Colombo,and away to Hong Kong, whence we proceeded to Canton. All theseexperiences were delightful. I almost forgot home in the new andcharming scenes of the East, though I found some drawbacks in theChinese people and the climate.
We voyaged and traded between India and China for eighteen months,until I became, as the captain had declared, a mate under him, andthough acting, I could act fairly well! I was then a grown lad, nearlyseventeen, and full of energy.
We were at Hong Kong in the year 1894, a place I always liked, and thefirst visit to Victoria I never shall forget. It was in the end of theyear after leaving home. Hong Kong in my mind had been alwaysassociated with a song which we used to sing in the bedroom at my firstschool about a "gay cavalier" who, having been disappointed by the ladyhe loved, declared, lyrically, that she "might go to Hong Kong" forhim! This fine and interesting ditty, as we then thought it, came intomy head that day when the _Feng Shui_ steamed into the harbour.
What a beautiful scene! Perhaps you think that because I am young and(a little) verdant I exaggerate the beauties of the panorama. Well,ask your friends. Let them tell you of the blue sky and sea, with thenumerous vessels sailing and at anchor, the men-of-war with flags andpennants of all nations, the sampans, the junks, the hundreds ofstrange rigs and faces (and languages as of Babel all around you)floating on the beautiful water, from behind which rises "the Peak,"the highest point of the mountain chain which dominates the town ofVictoria, which is built along the slopes.
And, indeed, upon a steep slope it rests, in an apparently insecurebasis, inasmuch as the houses appear to be tending to the sea, as ifthrust by those behind; so that one almost expects, when one returnsafter an absence, to find a row missing, and the larger houses lowerdown on the hill. Above them are the woods or thickets of themountains, and, at times, the low clouds upon the Peak. Opposite isChina, bare and rugged.
When you land in Hong Kong--at least this was my youthfulexperience--you are inundated by coolies who will carry your baggage,for a few _cask_, upon a bamboo pole, resting upon the shoulders of two"porters." A single porter may be employed, but in this case your(light) load will be balanced by him at the end of the pole andsustained by a weight at the other, in the weighing-machine method.These fellows trot up the hills with the burden which sways upon thepole, and though you may wonder why the man does not walk quietly, youwill soon discover that the flexible bamboo is most easily borne at ajogtrot when laden, because it adapts itself to the pace, or the paceto it, as it swings. Try it, my young friends, and you will agree withme that a swinging trot is the easiest mode of progression under thecircumstances.
"Cash" in Hong Kong, and in China generally, is of course insignification the same as in Europe, but in China it is specific,definit
e. The _cash_ is a bronze coin, in value about the tenth of apenny, with a square hole punched in it, so that the purse-bearer canstring hundreds of them over his shoulder like a bandolier ofcartridges. The _cash_ is usually slipped upon a cord, knotted in thecentre, and the money passed on over both ends. When a hundred _cash_has been strung on each end a knot is tied, and two other hundreds areadded as before, up to usually one thousand _cash_, which thenrepresent a dollar. Three shillings and ninepence at most, if goodmoney, but frequently it is mixed. In some ports eleven hundred _cash_equal a dollar.[1]
[1] _Cash_ is very ancient, it dates to 2300 B.C. The "sword cash" wasin use about 221 B.C.; the circular, with square cut, is of David'stime in Israel. Value, 1800 _cash_ = 1 oz. silver.
The dollar and cent are the money values in China,--copper _cash_ andpaper notes. A five cent piece represents about twopence farthing.Provided with _cash_, and even sometimes with a purse-bearer, one can"shop" in China if you are careful to give about one-third of the valueof the article demanded. Let me now resume my story in 1894.
* * * * *
"Jule," said the skipper to me one day, "take the belt and come withme. I want to make a few purchases and to do a little bit of business.I think we shall make money."
I accordingly procured sufficient _cash_, and we were passing the clubof Hong Kong, which, by the bye, contains a nice library, when agentleman accosted the captain. The stranger looked like a Japanese.He was short, intelligent, quiet, but decided in his manner, and spokeEnglish fairly well.
"Captain Goldheugh, I believe?" he said, raising his hat in salute. Itwas not the salute of an inferior, though; there was no servility inthe man's manner.
"Yes, sir," replied the captain, responding in kind.
"Can you favour me with five minutes conversation?" asked the youngman. "Perfectly private matter."
"Certainly," was the reply; "shall I accompany you? We may talk here."They drew aside within the shelter of the house, and appeared to be inearnest conversation, which continued for some minutes. Meantime Istrolled back and forwards watching the mixed assortment of people, ofwhom there are specimens from India and Arabia and other lands inabundance--negroes, Europeans, Parsees, Chinese, British, Portuguese,and French, coolies, and some--very few--Japanese; so the gentleman whohad accosted my skipper was rather remarkable, perhaps.
When the pair had finished their chat, the skipper came back to me, andsaid--
"Jule, my lad, ye need not carry the _cash_ to-day. Unless I ammistaken we are in for a fine deal. Mind now, keep your mouth shut. Ithink we'll make a profitable business of this."
"What is it?" I asked, as we returned to the waterside.
"Well I'm going to trust ye now, as a gentleman. What d'ye think of awar?" he asked.
"A war!" I exclaimed. "Where? In Europe do you mean, against us?"
"No, here; in China perhaps."
Such an idea had never entered my mind. The fact of impending war inChina had not been presented to me; all seemed peaceful.
"Who is going to fight?" I asked.
"Perhaps no one. But ye saw that Jap there?"
"Yes; a nice fellow I thought, sir."
"Well, he has made me an offer, and if my suspicions are correct we'llmake a little haul of cash. English cash--pounds--not this miserable,crawling, centipede kind of stuff which wouldn't buy a scarecrow a mealfor Sunday. No, bedad, Jule, my boy, we're in luck."
"I hope so, sir. How?"
"Don't ye know I told ye about some business when we started that hadreference to a mandarin chap, one of the Company's customers, for whomI had advices. Now, mind ye, this Jap has shown a hand--only a finger,I may say, but a finger points somewhere; and it just indicates thevery direction in which I was going later. D'ye take me?"
"Yes, sir. It seems that the John Chinaman and the Jap have theirheads in the same direction."
"Exactly. Jack and Jap is the business entirely. I have business bothin Japan and China. I know the seas about here, and they both know Iknow them. So my friend has 'offered' me for the steamer. What d'yethink of that? But he desires secrecy--a private cruise."
"The Japanese man you mean?"
"Ay, the Jap. But I was going to-day to the Mandarin Johnny to hear_his_ business, and if he means the same, I smell _war_, my lad!"
"But how will that benefit you, sir?"
"It will benefit the Company if the Government takes up any transports,and makes a contract with the _Feng Shui_. See? Now let us go onboard, dress, and see the mandarin later."
We went off in a sampan to the steamer, which was lying off a little,awaiting orders. The captain took me ashore, dressed in a neatuniform, and I rather fancied myself in it. We landed, chartered two"rickshas," or jinrickshas, a Japanese importation, and were trottedout to the bamboo-shaded house, amid the scent of lovely flowers of allcolours and perfumes--frangipanni, jessamine, roses--which the nativesarrange in tasteful bouquets in the streets.
The "ricksha," pulled rapidly by the coolies, passed along the hillythoroughfares under the hot and stifling sunlight. It was not a verybad day either, and yet in our cool white suits, and under wideumbrellas, the heat was quite sufficient that afternoon, and we werecompelled to change on our return from our "pidgin" with the "NumberOne Johnny"--the high-class mandarin, to wit.
This mandarin lived in a bungalow, and affected certain tastes indeference to his neighbours--the English. He spoke the language well,and though he was dressed in Chinese fashion, and was a perfectChinaman in appearance, he had risen above his people in many ways. Weentered the house, which was almost destitute of all the attributes ofBritish houses, no curtains, nor carpets, nor rugs, nor anything to_heat_ one to look at; on the contrary, all things were cool--bamboochairs, high casements, wide windows, stained floor, fans and punkahswaving automatically, it seemed, but, of course, pulled outside.
We were ushered in by a Chinese "boy," and into the presence of the"Number One man." He was dressed in the usual well-known fashion--aloose robe, with trousers, long sleeves to his garment, stuff shoes,and of course a fan. His keen eyes were shaded by spectacles. Hisshaven head and pendant pigtail and queer eyes betokened the trueChinaman.
After salutations, by rubbing his hands over each other, he asked inwhat he had deserved the tremendous honour which my captain had donehim in visiting his most miserable hut.
The captain in reply mentioned certain instructions he had justreceived, and suggested that the "Number One man" knew something of hiserrand. What did the mandarin think of the steamer _Feng Shui_?
"It is a solid vessel, and can carry soldiers?" he asked quickly, aftersome other remarks had passed. The Chinaman dispensed with anycompliments just then; he offered us tea, but did not taste it then.
"Yes," replied the captain with deference, "she will suit for atransport. _The Japanese wish for her_."
The spectacles flashed at us, the fan waved, but no irritation wasotherwise expressed.
"Has the Japan Government purchased the 'inside' steamer?" (screw).
"No, highness; I declined the offer. I am awaiting yours."
"Your terms for the steamship for three months, if we wish to send itwith your crew to Corea?"
The captain paused a while, then he named a sum which made me look outof the window, I nearly smiled. I did not know the value of steamtransports fitted for service; it meant hundreds a day! Hundreds forthat small steamer and crew--and, of course, officers.
At length the transaction was completed. The tea was drunk then, notbefore. We bowed ourselves out, and regained the _Feng Shui_, wherethe mate was in charge.
"Well," said the first officer, "what's happened?"
The captain told him our experiences, and mentioned the conclusions atwhich he had arrived.
"Look here," he said in a low tone, "mark ye this, there's going to bea fuss between these two countries. They are both trying to get aheadof the other, and I understand that Corea has
a finger in the pie.That Japanese I told ye of--the man I pointed out to ye," he continued,addressing the mate--"ye know."
"Ay, ay; but he's not a Jap!"
"Not a Jap! What d'ye mean?" exclaimed the captain angrily.
"What I say, captain; _he's_ no Jap! He and his pal are Coreans. _I_can see that. Look at his sleepy face under that 'bowler' hat--adisguise! He isn't a Jap; and he wants a secret passage, you say.Things are getting mixed all round. He's up to no good."
"Well, maybe ye're right, Rose," replied the captain. "But why do yethink the Corean men are cutting in against us?"
"I only know what I have seen; I've seen two Coreans searching for avessel to-day--and on the sly, I hear. They are up to something; andit's all round queer, because they have a Chinese and a Japanese withthem. Four together, and only the Jap looks honest."
"They can't hurt us, so no matter. I'd like to know what they arescheming, by the same token. There's war in it, and the Company'sagent knows it. I'll fix it, and we may have to steam for Shanghai onsight. We'll get steam up, Mr. Rose; pass the word for Jenkins."
Mr. Jenkins was the "chief engineer," and he came to confer with thecaptain in due course.
I obtained leave for the evening. Fancying that I could clear up themystery of the Japs and Coreans, I took a sampan, and went out onsearch through the harbour for the hired, secret vessel.