The next moment, though, I grasped his meaning, and saw plainly enough what must have happened, for from where we stood to the open stern windows there were long parallel streaks, and I knew that, though they were partially trampled out by naked feet, as if they had been pa.s.sed over dozens of times since, the savage wretches must have dragged their victims to the stern windows and thrust them out; any doubt thereon being cleared away by the state of the lockers and the sills of the lights.

Just then a peculiar hissing sound came to my ears, and I faced round quickly, as did Mr Brooke, for I felt startled.

For there behind me was one of our men--a fine handsome Yorkshire lad of three or four and twenty--standing glaring and showing his set teeth, and his eyes with the white slightly visible round the iris. His left fist was firmly clenched, and in his right was his bare cutla.s.s, with the blade quivering in his strong hand.

"Put up your cutla.s.s, my lad," said Mr Brooke sternly; and the man started and thrust it back. "Wait a bit--but I don't know how I am to ask you to give quarter to the fiends who did all this. No wonder the place is so silent, Herrick," he added bitterly. "Come away."

He led us out, but not before we had seen that the cabins had been completely stripped.

We did not stay much longer, but our time was long enough to show us that everything of value had been taken, and nothing left in the way of log or papers to tell how the barque had fallen in with the wretches.

The crew had probably been surprised, and after a desperate resistance, when driven back into the cabin, fought to the last with the results we had seen.

"But surely they must have killed or wounded some of the pirates?" I said.

"Possibly," replied Mr Brooke; "but there has been rain since; perhaps a heavy sea, too, has washed over the deck and swept away all traces here. Let's hope they made some of them pay dearly for their work."

A short inspection below showed that the barque's planking was crushed in, and that she was hopelessly damaged, even if she could have been got off, so soon after Mr Brooke gave the word to return to the boat.

"I shall not touch the fire," he said. "If the captain has any wishes the boat can return. For my part I should say, let her burn."

The captain listened with his brow contracted to Mr Brooke's recital, when we were back on board; I being close at hand, ready to answer a few questions as well.

"Yes, let her burn," said the captain; and then he turned his back to us, but seemed to recollect himself directly, for he turned again.

"Thank you, Mr Brooke," he said. "Very clear and concise. You could not have done better."

Then turning to the first lieutenant, he said in a low voice--

"Reardon, I'm at my wit's end. The wretches are too cunning for us.

What are we to do?"

CHAPTER SEVEN.

BEING PRIMED.

There was a consultation in the cabin that evening, as we lay there about four miles from the stranded barque. It had fallen calm, and, as there was no urgency, the captain preferred to spare the coals, and we waited for a breeze.

I heard afterwards from Mr Brooke all that took place during the discussion, during which the captain heard the princ.i.p.al officers'

opinions, and then decided what he would do.

There had been doubts before as to whether we were on the right track for the pirates, who might be carrying on their murderous business elsewhere, but the day's discovery had cleared away the last doubt; it was plain that the information which had sent us up in the neighbourhood of Amoy was perfectly correct, that the wretches were there, and that our presence had kept them quiet till now.

The great difficulty, it was decided, lay in the manner of dealing with people who without doubt had plenty of spies out in native craft, who were pa.s.sed unnoticed by us, and thus every movement was carefully conveyed to the enemy. As, then, the appearance of the gunboat was sufficient to keep them in hiding, and also as the moment we were out of sight the pirates issued from their lair, only two ways of dealing with the fiends remained to us, and these means, after due consultation, were to be adopted--one or both.

Then it had been arranged that the next morning at daybreak a couple of boats were to be despatched to the Scotch barque, for a more thorough investigation as to whether, in Mr Brooke's rather hurried visit, he had pa.s.sed over any cargo worthy of salvage, and to collect material for a full report for the authorities and the owners.

This had just been decided upon, when there was a shout from one of the look-out men. It was quite unnecessary, for nearly every one on deck saw the cause of the cry.

We three companions had been watching the wreck with its spiral of smoke, which in the calm air rose up like the trunk of a tall tree, and then all at once spread out nearly flat to right and left, giving it quite the appearance of a gigantic cedar. Then, as one of the witnesses of the horrors on board, I had had to repeat my story again; and, while matters were being discussed below, we in a low tone had our debate on the question, and saw too how the men gathered in knots, and talked in whispers and watched the barque. And to us all one thing was evident, that could our lads only get a chance at the pigtailed, ruffianly sc.u.m of the east coast, it would go pretty hard with them.

"I'll bet many of 'em wouldn't go pirating again in a hurry," Barkins said; and we agreed.

Then we fell to wondering how many poor creatures had been murdered by them in their bloodthirsty career, and why it was that there should be such indifference to death, and so horrible a love of cruelty and torture, in the Chinese character. All at once came the shout, and we were gazing at the cause.

For a bright, clear burst of flame suddenly rose from the direction of the ship--not an explosion, but a fierce blaze--and it was evident that the parts around the little fire had grown more and more heated and dry, and that the smouldering had gone on till some part of the cargo beneath, of an inflammable nature, had caught at last, and was burning furiously.

We expected that orders would be given for boats to be lowered, but we had drifted in the current so far away that there was a risky row amongst shoals, so no orders were given, the men gathering on deck to watch the light glow which lit up the cloud of smoke hovering overhead.

We three watched it in silence for some time, with the other officers near, and at last Smith said--

"I don't think I'm a cruel sort of fellow, but I feel as if I should like to kill some one now."

He did not say a Chinese pirate, but he meant it; and I must confess to feeling something of the kind, for I thought how satisfactory it would be to aim one of our big guns at a pirate junk taken in some cruel act, and to send a shot between wind and water that would sink her and rid the seas of some of the fiends.

I quite started the next moment, for Barkins said, in a low, thoughtful voice--

"How do you feel about it, Gnat? Shouldn't you like to kill some of 'em?"

The question was so direct, and appealed to my feelings so strongly, that for some moments I was silent.

"Not he," said Smith; "old Gnat wouldn't stick a pin in a c.o.c.kroach."

"Of course I wouldn't," I said stoutly, "but I'd crush it under my foot if I found one in the cabin."

"One for you, Blacksmith," said Barkins. "Look here, Gnat, you would like to kill some of the piratical beggars, wouldn't you?"

I remained silent again.

"There," said Smith, "I told you so. If we caught a lot, Gnat would give them a lecture, and tell them they had been very naughty, and that they mustn't do so any more or he would be very angry with them indeed."

"Punch his head, Gnat."

I made no reply to their flippant remarks, for just then I felt very solemn and thoughtful. I hope I was not priggish. No, I am sure I was not; every word I uttered was too sincere, though they chaffed me afterwards, and I have thought since that they felt more seriously than they spoke.

"You chaps didn't go on board that barque," I said quietly; "I did."

"Yes; old Dishy's making a regular favourite of you, Gnat," said Barkins.

But I went on without heeding, my eyes fixed on the burning vessel whose flames shone brightly in the clear air.

"And when I saw the splintered wood and chopped doorway, and the smears and marks of blood, it all seemed to come to me just as it must have been when the poor fellows shut themselves up in the cabin."

"Did they?" said Smith eagerly.

"Yes, that was plain enough," I said; "and they must have fought it out there till the pirates got the upper hand."

"I bet tuppence the beggars pitched stinkpots down through the cabin skylight, and half-smothered them," said Barkins excitedly.