Yates Stirling

“ Three hundred yards ahead four pieces of modern artillery were battering away at the concrete wall of the mission, while dusky figures, believing their foe had been silenced, swarmed boldly over the grassy slopes behind and on either side of the guns. So noiselessly did Phil’s men advance that the enemy were even now ignorant of the presence of a foe so near at hand.
“When we charge,” Langdon whispered breathlessly, “order the men to yell; the Chinese are as much afraid of noise as they are of bullets.” ”

“ The Americans were on the point of congratulating themselves upon having passed the forts in safety, when a flash of flame sprang from the darkness of the hill forts and the screech of a shell sounded menacingly in their ears.
With the anxiety of one who is being fired upon without the opportunity to return the fire, those on the launch stuck manfully at their posts. Sydney’s blood raced rapidly through his veins, and his hopes seemed on the point of being cast to the very depths of despair. ”

“ Phil saw the faces of the crowd darken with a superstitious loathing; he seemed to read in their cruel eyes an awakening to the knowledge of their power, and the helpless plight of the despised “foreign devils”. The multitude pressed ever closer; reaching out their claw-like talons to touch the gold-embroidered uniforms of the naval officers. The lad cast a swift glance at Langdon next him; he felt confident he would read in his face the extent of the danger threatening them. The pilot was shouting unintelligible words to his chair coolies ”

“ If the box remained there the enemy might yet succeed in exploding its contents against the gate.
With his body pressed close to the torpedo, and in its deeper shadow, his ear detected a sound near him in the grass at the edge of the road. Suddenly a figure darted forward across the archway and stopped on the other side of the box, fumbling with its top, as if to relight the fuse. Phil held his breath as he reached forth his hand and clutched the wrist of the intruder. Drawing the surprised man, with all his force, across the box, he threw him to the ground. ”

“ Approaching the city wall, Phil saw that there was great commotion at the gate; soldiers ran hither and thither, and before the flag of truce had arrived near the stagnant water of the moat, there was a noisy clanking of rusty chain, the drawbridge was suddenly raised, and the ponderous gates tightly shut.
The midshipmen, in spite of the precariousness of their position, could scarcely suppress [107] a smile of gratification: this act alone spoke volumes; what must these Asiatics think of the prowess of the foreigners if they feared an attack from a dozen men? ”

“ If he succeeds in making the country over which he rules dangerous and unprofitable to foreigners without doing more than kill a few missionaries and ruining foreign trade, Peking will apologize for the deaths and pay an indemnity to the families of those killed and then to sustain him in the eyes of his people decorate him with the Order of the Dragon. But if he goes too far, then Peking, in order to save herself from an invasion of foreign soldiers, will disgrace the viceroy in one of the many ways known best to the Chinese. ”

“ The Chinese, occupied in their attack on the mission, had never dreamed that the small body of men believed to have crossed the bridge would dare attack a position as impregnable as theirs. Then out of the night, without warning, what seemed to their superstitious minds a thousand yelling demons came as lightning towards them. If these were the foreigners that had crossed the bridge a miracle had been wrought and their number increased a hundredfold; their simple minds were ready to believe that the despised foreign devils had taken wings and flown across the unbridged ditch. ”

“ Toward evening a great tub filled with millet was brought in by the keepers and this the prisoners devoured ravenously. Luckily for the lads, they had satisfied their appetite from the viceroy’s table, for they would have stood but scant chance among that hungry rabble.
The cell was now entirely dark, save for a swinging light which streamed through the barred doors. The midshipmen scarcely closed their eyes during the long hours of the night, and when the first streaks of day shone into their foul cell, they were sitting open-eyed on their bench. ”

“ Sydney [183] returned calmly; “it’s their life or ours. If we are caught now nothing can save us.”
To make more sure of their prisoners, the arms of each were bound to their sides, so that upon regaining consciousness they could not work their gags off their mouths and give the alarm to the yamen.
“I hope they’ll be found before they starve to death,” Phil said anxiously. “I fear the jailer will feel that we are ungrateful for his aid. I don’t dare liberate him; he may in fear betray us into the hands of the guard.” ”

“ The men moved slowly along the wall of the compound, while Langdon’s keen eyes peered into the night to discover the best location to leave the mission. They had traversed nearly half of the wall and were at the far end of the compound before the pilot seemed satisfied that the way was clear. He put out his hand and touched Phil on the shoulder.
“We’ll leave from here,” he whispered; “the Chinese, if they are about, are all in the front. See; the land is clearer; there are not so many graves as in the front to conceal an enemy.” ”

“ With all the men not at gun stations behind the thick armor of the small river battle-ships, the “Monterey” gracefully turned around close to the fleet of anchored gunboats. Phil’s nerves were atingle as he heard the admiring cheers of the allies float to them across the water. Then the “Monterey,” her huge turret guns loaded and ready to open the battle, and followed closely by her consort, steamed swiftly toward the hostile forts. ”

“ The severe pain at his wrists spurred Langdon on to picture blackly the doom awaiting the self-satisfied and treacherous official.
“If you hold these officers captive, the American commander will not rest until he has set them at liberty. If you harm a hair of their heads he will raze your city to the ground and every shell will be directed at this yamen. The inside of the wall will be as desolate as that of your great city of Nanking after the Taiping rebels had sacked it.” ”

“ After the rescued Chinaman had been resuscitated, and Phil had recovered from his terrible exertions, he ordered the coxswain to land at the foreign concession. The Chinaman lay on the deck of the launch, fully alive but not showing by word or sign his gratitude to the midshipman who had saved his life at the risk of his own.
As the boat stopped at the stone steps of the jetty, the Chinaman arose unsteadily to his feet, grasping the boy’s hand in both of his, then without a word stepped quickly out of the launch and was lost in the night. ”

“ Phil and Langdon anxiously watched the captain’s face as if to read the next move on the international chess-board, which Commander Hughes, as the senior among the foreign captains, was called upon to make.
“Gentlemen, the news you bring me is so terrible in its possibilities,” the captain finally began, “that I am quite at a loss how to act. Our force is too small to resist an attack; we must resort to diplomacy with this rascally viceroy. And yet we don’t know how far-reaching the movement may be. ”

“ Phil saluted and then glanced at the clock on the cabin bulkhead. He saw its hands pointed to twenty minutes of one. In but a few hours all would be decided. Either Commander Hughes would win and his act of suppressing the cablegram be condoned, or else the gunboats would be utterly defeated, maybe destroyed by the fire of the forts and his hated enemy Ignacio raised to power as the leader of the dissenters. The possibilities were so terrifying that he looked about him for some object upon which to concentrate his mind. ”

“ Commander Hughes exclaimed, the lines in his face growing deeper from anxiety. “We’ve scattered the outlaws here with heavy loss,” the dead bodies almost filling the deep trenches speaking eloquently that fact, “but we must push forward at once to relieve our mission. I cannot sleep another night until those innocent non-combatants have been rescued. My men are even secondary,” he added forcefully; “it is their duty and privilege to die in the cause of humanity.” ”

“ Sydney Monroe, Phil’s friend and classmate, said in a tone of inquiry. “It doesn’t seem as if the foreigners were much in fear of the dangers of Chinese violence. Look!” he exclaimed; “there are [11] European women and even children walking along the streets.”
“That’s the danger in China,” Langdon returned in a troubled voice. “Living in this country is like being on top of a presumably extinct volcano. No one knows when it will break out. Sometimes it comes without the usual rumblings.” ”

“ Further speculation upon this perplexing situation was cut short by Commander Hughes’ forceful talk to the allies. All listened intently; the well-modulated, clear voice of the American held his listeners spellbound with attention, but many of the foreigners showed in their faces only too plainly that they already feared the displeasure of their governments for having followed the lead of this strenuous American commander. Was it not an American mission, guarded by American sailors? Then why should not the Americans rescue their own people? ”

“ His startled gaze traveled over the gloomy expanse of surrounding country outside of the high wall: the shadowy mounds, graves of departed Chinese, dotting the grassy slopes about the compound might be now concealing an armed force of attacking fanatics; beyond the graves it rested for a moment on the low mud walls of abandoned houses, believed by their owners to be forever polluted by the close presence of the despised foreigners. Down on a lower level the high walled city lay sleeping ”

“ Phil, throwing discretion to the winds, was upon his feet before the interpreter had finished his threatening sentences.
“Commander Ignacio,” he exclaimed, beside himself with anger and mortification, “can you not see what you have done? The viceroy offers you your freedom; you must at once insist that we are under the sacred protection of a flag of truce and that he has not the right to detain us.” ”

“ Phil bowed his willingness, and the foreign officer beckoning the quartermaster to follow with his lantern, the two disappeared within the cabin.
The disguised midshipman saw the launch crawl slowly ahead, and a moment afterward his straining ear caught the indistinct sound of a body being lowered into the whale-boat tied at the boom of the gunboat. ”

“ Langdon promptly translated Commander Hughes’ words to the viceroy, sitting craftily observing the incensed foreigners.
Chang-Li-Hun was too clever a diplomat to show his hand was against the foreigners; he must appear to aid them in their endeavors to protect their countrymen, and by the art understood best by the Oriental he would make these naval men “lose face” in the Chinese eyes, and thereby show his people that the vainglorious boasting foreigners were but human, and could suffer and die as easily as those of their own race. ”

“ Phil glanced admiringly at his captain; the latter was strikingly cool in face of the stubborn resistance with which he had not reckoned; he had believed that the rebels were but an unorganized mob and could [94] easily be intimidated by the allied forces; but instead he now saw that the enemy was in force and well intrenched, while the screech of shell and explosion of shrapnel above the sailors’ heads bore witness that these Chinese outlaws were well supplied with modern ordnance. ”