Blue Jackets | Page 3

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. Bother this glass, though! I wish I hadn't brought it."
"Why?" said Smith; "we shall have some good views from up yonder,
when we get to the hills at the back of the town."
"Ain't got there yet. It's so heavy and clumsy, and the sun's going to be
a scorcher."
"I'll carry it, Tanner," I said.
"You shall, my boy," he cried, as he closed it up, and rapidly slipped
the strap off his shoulder again. "Catch hold. Mind, if you lose it, I
value it at a hundred pounds."

"Say five while you're about it, Tanner," cried Smith. "Why, it isn't
worth twopence--I mean I wouldn't give you a dollar for it. But I say,
my lads, look here, what are we going to do first?" continued Smith,
who was in a high state of excitement, though I was as bad. "Start off at
once for a walk through the city?"
"Shouldn't we be mobbed?" I said, as I slung the heavy glass over my
shoulder.
"They'd better mob us!" cried Smith. "If they give me any of their
nonsense, I'll take tails instead of scalps. My! what fools they do look,
with their thick-soled shoes, long blue gowns, and shaven heads!"
"That fellow in the boat is grinning at us, and thinks we look fools, I
said."
"Let him!" said Barkins. "We know better."
"But what are we going to do?" I said. "I hate being in a crowd."
"Oh, they won't crowd us," said Barkins contemptuously. "Here, hi!
you sir; mind where you're going. There, I thought you'd do it!"
This was to a young Chinaman, in a boat something like a Venetian
gondola, which he was propelling by one oar as he stood up in the
bows watching us, and was rowing one moment, the next performing a
somersault in the air before plunging into the water between the port
oars of our boat with a tremendous splash.
I did not say anything, thinking that it was a case of running up against
a man, and then crying, "Where are you shoving to?" but leaned over
the side, and caught at the first thing I saw, which happened to be the
long black plaited pigtail, and, hauling upon it, the yellow, frightened
face appeared, two wet hands clutched my arm, and, amidst a
tremendous outburst of shouting in a highly-pitched tone, boats
crowded round us, and the man was restored to his sampan, which was
very little damaged by the blow inflicted by our stem.

"Give way, my lads," cried Barkins, and we rowed on towards the
landing-place, followed by a furious yelling; men shaking their fists,
and making signs suggestive of how they would like to serve us if they
had us there.
"I'm sorry you knocked him over," I said.
"Who knocked him over, stupid?" cried Barkins. "Why, he ran right
across our bows. Oh, never mind him! I daresay he wanted washing. I
don't care. Of course, I shouldn't have liked it if he had been drowned."
Ten minutes later we were close in to the wharf, and Smith exclaimed--
"I say, why don't we get that interpreter chap to take us all round the
place?"
"Don't know where he lives," said Barkins, "or it wouldn't be a bad
plan."
"I know," I cried.
"How do you know?"
"He showed me when he was on board, through the little glass he
wanted to sell you."
"Why, you couldn't see through that cheap thing, could you?"
"Yes, quite plain. It's just there, close to the warehouses, with a
signboard out."
"So it is," cried Smith, shading his eyes; and he read aloud from a red
board with gilt letters thereon--
Ching Englis' spoken Interpret Fancee shop
Just then the boat glided up against the wood piles; we sprang out on
to the wharf, ordered the men back, and stood for two minutes
watching them well on their return for fear of any evasions, and then

found ourselves in the midst of a dense crowd of the lower-class
Chinese, in their blue cotton blouses and trousers, thick white-soled
shoes, and every man with his long black pigtail hanging down between
his shoulders.
These men seemed to look upon us as a kind of exhibition, as they
pressed upon us in a semicircle; and I was beginning to think that we
should end by being thrust