A Chinese Command | Page 5

Here, says I to myself, is a seaman,
sure enough--I could tell that at the first glance--a Navy man, too, by
the way he carries himself, and no longer in the Service by the
general--er--um--not on active duty at the moment, I mean to say,' he
ended, rather lamely, with an apologetic cough.
"I felt myself going red round the ears, Dick, and might have been
inclined to be angry had anyone else spoken thus. But there was
something about my little pirate that assured me he did not in the least
intend to be offensive, so I only laughed, rather ruefully. If my
`out-of-work' condition was so apparent as to be noted by even a
common seaman, it was no wonder, I told myself, that I so often came
out of private offices with the words, `Nothing to suit you, I'm afraid,
Mr Frobisher', ringing in my ears.
"`Well,' I said, `granted that I am an ex-naval officer looking for a job,
what bearing has that upon your business with me? For I suppose you
must have some idea that you and I can do business together, since you
started the conversation.'
"`What bearing?' he repeated. `Well, I'll just tell you. As it happens, I'm
looking at this moment for exactly such a man as you appear to be. My
name's Drake--Captain John Drake, of the tramp steamer Quernmore,
two thousand five hundred and sixty tons register, to be exact--and,
from what you've just said, I think I could make a pretty good shot at
your tally. Should I be very far wrong if I said that you were
ex-lieutenant Murray Frobisher?'
"`On the contrary,' I answered, `you would have hit the bull's-eye dead
in the centre.'
"`I was certain of it,' he smiled; `and again I say, more emphatically
than ever, that you're the very man I'm looking for. If you'll take that
chair and pull up to the fire, I'll take the other and we'll have a bit of a

palaver.'
"Having seated ourselves comfortably, Drake at once proceeded:--
"`I may tell you, Mr Frobisher, that for the past twenty years I have
been captain of this same steamer, trading between eastern ports all the
while; and as this is the first time I have been back to old England
during the whole of that period, I don't think I'm very far wrong in
saying that I know as much about the East as any man living--perhaps a
good deal more. And there's not very much going on out there that I
don't know about. Sometimes, even, I get to know about things before
they begin to happen, and am able to make my plans and put a little
money in my pocket thereby.
"`This is one of the occasions upon which I have managed to get wind
of something in advance, and in this case also I can see my way to
making quite a nice little pile of money. First of all, however, I must
ask you to pledge your word that, if after I have told you my plans you
don't feel inclined to come in with me, you'll do nothing to upset those
plans in any way whatever.'
"I gave him the required promise, perhaps just a little too readily, and
Drake resumed his story.
"`It so happens that my last port of call was--well--a small seaport in
Korea; and, while there, I heard some news that made me sit up and
take notice, as the Yankees say. It seems that, for some time past, the
Government of Korea has been playing some very hanky-panky games:
taxing the people until the burden has become unbearable; punishing
the smallest offences with death by torture; confiscating the goods and
money of every man who dared to allow himself a few more luxuries
than his neighbours; and, in short, playing the very mischief all round.
Naturally, even the mildest-mannered worm will turn under too much
of that kind of thing, and the average Korean is anything but
mild-mannered; so that, a little while ago, a party of officials decided
that they had had quite enough of it, and proceeded quietly and
methodically to foment a rebellion against the Government.

"`When I left Korea, things were very nearly ripe for the outbreak; but
it would have been suicidal folly for the rebels to have attempted
anything of the kind without proper arms to back it up, for the Korean
soldiery are naturally on the side from which they draw their pay--that
is to say, the side of the Government--and they also happen to be
particularly well armed just now. It was therefore necessary for the
would-be rebels to procure weapons before any successful revolt could
be undertaken, and one day I was interviewed by one of the officials on