Blue Jackets | Page 2

the day. Not by my wish, I can assure you."
"No, sir," said Smith, and he received a furious look.
"Was that meant for impertinence, sir?"
"I beg pardon, sir; no, sir."
"Oh, I'm very glad it was not. I was saying it was not by my wish that you are going ashore, for I think you would be all better employed in your cabin studying navigation."
"Haven't had a holiday for months, sir," said Barkins, in a tone of remonstrance.
"Well, sir, what of that? Neither have I. Do you suppose that the discipline of Her Majesty's ships is to be kept up by officers thinking of nothing else but holidays? Now, listen to me--As you are going-- recollect that you are officers and gentlemen, and that it is your duty to bear yourselves so as to secure respect from the Chinese inhabitants of the town."
"Yes, sir," we said in chorus.
"You will be very careful not to get into any scrapes."
"Of course, sir."
"And you will bear in mind that you are only barbarians--"
"And foreign devils, sir."
"Thank you, Mr Smith," said the lieutenant sarcastically. "You need not take the words out of my mouth. I was going to say foreign devils--"
"I beg pardon, sir."
"--In the eyes of these self-satisfied, almond-eyed Celestials. They would only be too glad of an excuse to mob you or to declare that you had insulted them, so be careful."
"Certainly, sir."
"Perhaps you had better not visit their temples."
Smith kicked me.
"Or their public buildings."
Barkins trod on my toe.
"In short, I should be extremely guarded; and I think, on further consideration, I will go to the captain and suggest that you have half-a-dozen marines with you."
"Captain's ashore, sir."
"Thank you, Mr Herrick. You need not be so fond of correcting me."
I made a deprecatory gesture.
"I should have remembered directly that Captain Thwaites was ashore."
"Beg pardon, sir," said Barkins, touching his cap. "Well, Mr Barkins."
"I hope you will not send any marines with us."
"And pray why, sir?"
"We should have to be looking after them, sir, as much as they would be looking after us."
"Mr Barkins, allow me to assure you, sir, that the dishipline of the marines on board this ship is above reproach."
"Yes, sir. Of course, sir. I only thought that, after being on board the ship so long, sir, they might be tempted, sir."
"I hope that the men of Her Majesty's gunboat Teaser are above all temptations, Mr Barkins," said the lieutenant harshly. "There, upon second thoughts, I will not send a guard. You can go."
The oars dropped with a splash on either side, and away we went among the hundreds of native boats of all kinds going up and down the river, and onward toward the crowded city, with its pagodas, towers, and ornamental gateways glittering in the morning sunshine, and looking wonderfully attractive to us prisoners, out for the day.
"Don't speak aloud," I whispered to Smith, who was gathering himself up for an oration respecting the first lieutenant's tyranny.
"Why not?"
"Because the men are listening, and one of 'em may report what you say."
"He'd better," said Smith defiantly. "I'm not afraid to speak. It was all out of his niggling meddlesomeness, so as to show off before the men." But all the same he spoke in a low voice that could only be heard by our companion who held the lines.
"There, never mind all that bother," cried Barkins. "I say, how would you like to live in one of those house-boats?"
"I call it pretty good cheek of the pigtailed humbugs to set up house-boats," cried Smith. "They imitate us in everything."
"And we don't imitate them in anything, eh?" said Barkins. "Hi! look out, old Chin-chin, or we shall run you down," he shouted to a man in a sampan.
"My! what a hat!" cried Smith. "Why, it would do for an umbrella. Port, Barkins."
"All right; I won't sink him. Pull away, my lads."
"I say," I cried, as we rowed by an enormous junk, with high poop and stern painted with scarlet and gold dragons, whose eyes served for hawseholes; "think she's a pirate?"
"No," said Barkins, giving a look up at the clumsy rig, with the huge matting-sails; "it's a tea-boat."
As she glided away from us, with her crew collected astern, to climb up and watch us, grinning and making derisive gestures, Barkins suddenly swung round the telescope, slipped the strap over his head, adjusted it to the proper focus, as marked by a line scratched with the point of a penknife, and raised it to his eye, when, to my astonishment, I saw all the Chinamen drop down out of sight.
"Yes, she's a tea-boat," said Double B decisively, "and heavily laden. I wish she had pirates on board."
"Why?" cried Smith. "They'd kill all the crew."
"And then we should kill them, make a prize of the junk, and have a lot of tin to share.