by G. A. Henty
CHAPTER VIII
A PERILOUS ADVENTURE
As he went along Rex saw a Chinaman sitting down, weeping bitterly.
“Hillo!” he said, “what is the matter with you?”
The man stood up.
“I only got in at twilight this morning, sir,” he said. “I came inby the north bridge. I managed to make my way there and lay downunderneath it. Just as it was getting light I made a run to come in.Many shots were fired at me, but I was not hit.”
“Then what are you crying about?”
“I am crying, sir, for those I left behind me. There were twelve of usaltogether, and we had been lying hidden since the people first rose.We were in a cellar. The house was burnt over us, but the cellars werein the back–yard, and though the houses were destroyed, and we werenearly smothered, we managed to live through it. A part of a wall fellacross the entrance, and that saved us. There was some food storedin the cellar and we have lived upon it up to now, but it was nearlyall gone when I left. We have known nothing that was passing outside.Yesterday we cleared away some of the bricks and I crawled out. Wecould hear the firing going on continuously, and knew that the peoplein the Legations must be fighting the Boxers, and it was agreed thatI should try to make my way here and ask them to send out a rescueparty. Now I find that the Legations are so surrounded, and attacked sofiercely, that it is impossible for them to save my comrades. I havebeen speaking to one of your chief officers, and he tells me that it isquite impossible for them to do so, and all my friends must perish. Ihave an old father and mother there, and a wife, and three sisters, andthe rest are all friends.”
“How far are they away?”
“More than a mile, sir.”
“I will think it over,” Rex said. “I am afraid nothing can be done, butI will see. If you are here at seven o?clock this evening I will tellyou.”
As usual Ah Lo was not far off, and Rex went to him and told him whathe had heard.
“It is bad,” Ah Lo said, “but what can be done, master? Many have beenmassacred; it is but twelve more.”
“Yes, but we could do nothing for the others. Indeed, most of them weremassacred before we got in here. I mean to save these people if I can.”
“But how can it be done, master?”
“That is what I am thinking about, and I want you to think too, Ah Lo.”
“I am ready to die with you, master; and if you tell me to, I will tryto get out and do all I can for these people, if you will but remainhere.”
“No, Ah Lo, that I cannot hear of. You know we have done well togetherbefore, and it must be easier to get people out of a cellar than it wasout of a governor?s yamen.”
“It might not be so difficult to get them out, master; the question ishow to get them away.”
“I quite see that.”
“Of course they are Christians, and people can know Christians directlyby their dress and other things, though it is not so much by the dressas by something in their manner. Everyone can tell a Christian.”
“Well I must say I don?t see anything different between the peopleworking here and those we meet everywhere else. I will take your wordfor it, however, and if there is anything different they must do theirbest to change it. It seems to me that if we get them out we must hidethem in some empty house, near one of the gates if possible, so that itwill be handy for the wall. There are not likely to be guards on thewall at the other side of the town, and we might at night get them upthere and lower them into the ditch; I believe at most places there isno water in it. Then we must get them round this side and haul them upthat part of the wall we hold, and where we could, of course, make ourway out.”
“It doesn?t seem to me that there is anything very difficult aboutit,” said Ah Lo. “Of course we should put on Boxer clothes. The otherday we got hold of lots of the cord they wear. Several Boxers havefallen near the north bridge, and lie there still; so we can take theircoats. We can carry swords and pistols, but no rifles. If we should bediscovered, the swords, of course, would be no good; we only want themto make us look like Boxers. Well, I don?t see why we shouldn?t be ableto do it. Of course there is some risk in it, but if we could manage inthe way you say, it ought not to be very great. Of course we must takewith us the man who brought the news in, to show us the place, and wemay as well get a Boxer coat and sword for him too. In fact if we canget half a dozen we will take them; the more we can dress as Boxers thebetter.”
Rex went to his room and wrote some letters, which he gave to Sandwichwhen they met at six o?clock.
“Look here, Sandwich,” he said, “I want you to take care of theseletters. I have heard of a party who are shut up in a cellar in thecity. There are twelve of them, I believe, and they have exhaustedtheir provisions, and must come out if not relieved in the course of aday or so. I mean to go out and try to bring them in here.”
“Eh? what? are you out of your mind, Bateman?”
“No, I don?t think there is much risk in it. I shall get the Americansto let me down over the part of the wall they hold, and of course Imyself and Ah Lo, who will go with me, will dress in Boxer clothes. Ishall go round the wall and get in again by one of the gates at theother end. I don?t suppose any guard will be posted there. At any rateif there is a guard they won?t interfere with me. Then I shall go andget these people out, and shall either let them down over the wall atonce, or hide them till to–morrow night in some empty house close toit; all will depend on the time. It really seems a very simple thing.”
“It may seem a very simple thing, Bateman, but it strikes me as beinga mightily dangerous one. Still, if I spoke Chinese as you do, I wouldvolunteer to go with you.”
“It would be of no advantage, Sandwich. If we are detected it will makeno difference whether there are twelve of us or a hundred and twenty;we should certainly be killed. It is simply a question of being foundout, and therefore the fewer of us there are the better. Of courseif only a solitary man detected us, we should cut him down withoutany hesitation, but at that time of night it is not likely that therewill be anyone about to see us. They are so busy all day that I fancyall who are not engaged in worrying us at night would be glad enoughto sleep. A good many dead Boxers are lying near the north gate, andI was thinking of sending my man to get the clothes of some of them.Now I think of it I remember that the Americans and Germans, when theycaptured the wall yesterday, threw the bodies of the men that they hadkilled over the parapet into the moat, so we can get the things when wego out, without running any risk.
“I should not have said anything about this to you, only I have writtenletters to my cousins and my father and mother, so that you can handthe one to the girls in two or three days if I do not get back, andsend the other down to my father after you are relieved. I do it asa measure of precaution, but I really do not think that there is anygreat chance of my coming to grief. Of course if the worst comes tothe worst, and we are surprised, I shall bolt for it with Ah Lo. I amready to run some risk to get these poor people out, but I don?t meanto throw away my life, and, as I say, shall make a bolt for it if weare found out. In those deserted streets, with no end of empty houses,I fancy we could soon throw them off our scent, and should then be ableto find our way back again quietly to the foot of the walls.”
“Well, I hope you will do so, Bateman. I tell you fairly that I thinkyou are running a very foolish risk. Still, it is a noble thing toattempt.”
“Oh, bosh!” said Rex, “it seems to me a very simple affair, and it iscertainly well worth running certain risks to save the lives of thosepoor people.”
“When do you start?”
“As soon as it gets dark enough for us to move along near the wallwithout being seen. I want to go as soon as I can, because I shouldlike to pass out through the gate of the China town before my doing sowould excite any attention. I don?t think it is likely that they willhave guards there. If we find that there are, and I see that they arewatchful, I will hide up till the morning, when people are sure to goout to cultivate the fi
elds.”
Rex now found Ah Lo and told him that he need not go out to get theBoxer clothes as there were plenty to be had in the moat outside thewall.
“That will certainly be better, master.”
As it was getting dusk they started with the Chinaman who had broughtin the report, made their way through the Russian Legation into theAmerican, then climbed the wall. Rex was well known to the officer whocommanded the party there.
“Good–evening, Mr. Bateman!” the officer said, “have you any messagefor us?”
“No, I am going out on my own account. This Chinaman with me is one ofa party who have been hidden in a cellar since the massacre. They knewnothing of what had been going on, and he came to ask if a party wouldgo out to their assistance. That, of course, is impossible, but itseems to me that there will be no difficulty in me and my man managingit. We have got ropes for letting ourselves down from the wall here,and at the other side of the town, where the fugitives are hidden. Ihope to arrive at the foot of the wall here not later than to–morrownight.”
“It seems a very wild scheme, Bateman.”
“I don?t think so. When we get down to the wall we are going to dressup in the clothes of those Boxers you threw over after your recentfight, and I shall take four or five extra suits for the use of thefugitives. In that way we are likely to pass along without beingquestioned. The streets will probably be nearly deserted by eleven ortwelve o?clock, and if we have luck we shall be able to get them overthe wall without much loss of time. If there is no guard at the gateof the China wall we may possibly be here before daylight to–morrowmorning.”
“Well, I wish you luck, but I can?t help thinking that you are actingvery rashly.”
“You must remember that I and my man have already travelled somehundred miles in disguise, and by this means have already got in heretwice, and out of Tientsin once. I really don?t see that there is anyappreciable risk in the thing whatever. If it is after daylight when wearrive here, you and your men will be able to keep the people in theChinese town from attacking us while we are coming up.”
“I think we can promise to do that,” the officer said; “we never see asoul pass along this road.”
“Very well, we shall be here in an hour?s time.”
Rex went to the storekeeper and obtained from him a length of ropesufficient for climbing the wall, and then with Ah Lo and the Chinamanhe set out. It was dark when they got to the wall again, and they werewithout delay lowered down one after the other by the American marines.
“We shall keep a sharp look–out for you towards morning,” the officersaid; “do you want to take this rope away with you?”
“No, I have another length with me.”
Their first step was to strip the garments from nine of the deadBoxers. Three of these they put on, and the rest they fastened in abundle, which the Chinaman took. For a quarter of a mile they followedthe road by the moat, and then turned into the town. They saw but fewlights, and went without attracting any observation through the gate.As Rex had expected, this was unguarded. They crossed the moat beyondit, and then walked on quickly. An hour?s brisk walking took them tothe gate in the Tartar wall. This was open and they passed throughunquestioned. Then they dived into a lane, and in a quarter of an hourreached a space covered with ruins. Through these the Chinaman led theway, and presently stopped by the side of a fallen wall.
“This is the place,” he said, and, advancing, he cleared away somebricks, and suddenly disappeared into the bowels of the earth.
“It is I,” he said, “and a white officer and his servant have come outto rescue you.”
An exclamation of thankfulness followed his words, and Rex descendedwith Ah Lo at his heels. Striking a light, he saw seven men and fivewomen. The people gave a cry of terror as they saw the Boxer garments.
“Do not be afraid,” Rex said, “these are only disguises. We havebrought some more with us, which the men must put on.”
He struck match after match while this was being done.
“Now,” he said, “you women must make some little changes in your dress,so as to resemble ordinary native women, and then we will sally out.”
Five minutes later they started. They had gone but fifty yards beyondthe burnt area when three men came from a house and accosted them.
“Who are you?” they said.
“We are your brethren,” Ah Lo answered.
“Give us the sign, that we may know you are Boxers,” one of the mensaid.
“Give us the sign,” Ah Lo replied.
“We called for it first,” the man said.
“Very well, this is the only sign that you will get from us,” and Ah Lostruck him a tremendous blow with his sword.
Rex cut down another, and the third took to his heels, shouting.
“This way,” the Chinaman said, running down a narrow alley. “We can getout at the other end, where there is a net–work of lanes.”
They hurried at full speed down the lane, then turned again, and infive minutes were a quarter of a mile from the scene of the fray.
“Now,” Rex said, “let us make for the wall. That man may have given thealarm, and it will not be safe to try the gate.”
They kept on until the wall rose before them, then they followed ittill they came to steps leading to the top. When they reached thesummit, Ah Lo unwound a rope from his waist.
“Now,” he said to one of the men, “you go down first. If you find thatthe water is too deep to wade across, stop where you are.”
One by one the men and women were lowered down by Ah Lo, and Rex wasthe last to descend. Just as he reached the water, steps were heardrunning along the wall.
“Keep quiet,” Rex said, “let them go by before we try to cross. Theywon?t notice the rope in the dark.”
Some fifty men ran along the top of the wall, leaving one here andthere to watch. One was halted immediately above Rex and his companions.
“Now,” Rex asked in a whisper, “how many of you can swim?”
Three of the men said they could do so.
“Very well,” said Rex, “we must carry across those who cannot; thewomen first. Swim as noiselessly as you can; that fellow above willhear the least noise.”
The first party crossed without noise, but as the second lot were beingtaken over one of the Chinamen made a splash. There was an immediateshout from above, and a man leaning over the parapet fired a musket.The swimmers and their burdens, however, reached the other side of themoat without mishap.
THEY WERE LOWERED DOWN ONE AFTER THE OTHER.]
“It will be five minutes before they gather again here,” said Rex, “andthen they will have to get to the gate, which must take them nearly tenminutes. Let us get well out into the country, and then make for theChina town. Let each man help a woman along.”
Fortunately all the women had, on becoming Christians, given up theabsurd practice of deforming their feet, and were now able to walkwith comparative freedom. Nevertheless, they would have made but slowprogress but for the assistance of the men. After a time they changedtheir course, but, hearing a number of men running and shouting, theytook refuge in some high grain until they had passed. When theirpursuers were well out of sight and hearing, they continued till theyreached the gate in the Chinese wall. Here they waited for a quarter ofan hour, and then Ah Lo approached the gate.
“I see no guard has been placed here since we passed out, so we canenter without fear.”
Passing through, they turned at once to the right, and kept withoutinterruption along the bank of the canal at the foot of the Tartarwall. The women were, for the most part, drooping now. They had been onshort rations for many days, and were no doubt worn out by anxiety andterror. Progress, therefore, became much slower and more difficult, butluckily there was no further alarm, and before dawn they succeeded inreaching that part of the wall held by the Americans.
“We are here, Captain,” Rex called. “We have got them all. Please letdown the rope and haul them up.”
/> “Bravo!” the officer said. “I hardly expected to see you again. We willsoon have them all up.”
Half a minute later the rope fell beside them, and one by one the womenwere hoisted to the top of the wall. The men were next taken up, andfinally Ah Lo and Rex.
“So you got through safely,” the officer said, shaking Rex by the hand.“Did you meet with any trouble?”
“We were only stopped by three Boxers, and as we could not give theirpass–word they tried to arrest us. My man cut down one, and I polishedoff another, but the third bolted and gave the alarm. We had nodifficulty, however, in eluding them, and making our way to the wall.The fellows came along above us, and, as we had to carry the women overthe moat, they heard us. But we got well away before they could comeout through the gate, and we hid up till they had passed us in thedark. We had no difficulty in coming through the Chinese town.”
“Well, I congratulate you upon your exploit, which has been the meansof saving twelve of these poor beggars.”
“Now I shall be going on at once,” Rex said. “We are all drenched tothe skin, and though we have dried a bit on the way, I for one shallbe glad to get into fresh clothes. I will thank you to give me those Ileft here before starting. I must put them on now, otherwise I shouldnever get through the Russian Legation.”
He rapidly changed his clothes, and then they went with his companionsdown the steps from the wall, passed through the American Legation, andentered that of the Russians. Here the sentry stopped Rex, and refusedto let him pass until an officer came out with a lantern and questionedhim. This officer, however, recognized Rex at once, and allowed himand his party to proceed. Rex then went on through the houses thatseparated the Legation from the British quarters. Here they were againquestioned by two marines, but having satisfied these men, they enteredthe British Legation.
“Now you are safe,” Rex said to his friends. “You must lie down andsleep here to–night. To–morrow I will see that you have clothes andrations.”
The Chinese had scarcely spoken a word since they started, but now, aswith one accord, they fell on their knees and showered blessings andthanks upon Rex for saving them from a terrible death.
“It is all right,” he said. “I am very pleased to have been the meansof saving you and myself. Thank God that I have been able to do so! Ihad expected to meet with many difficulties, but everything has turnedout well. Now I must go, but I will see that you get an allowance offood in the morning.”
Then he went over to his quarters. Sandwich and two or three of hiscompanions were still sitting up, and they gave a shout of satisfactionas they saw Rex enter.
“I am heartily glad to see you back, Bateman,” one of them said. “Youfound it, of course, impossible, and have had to give it up. I feltsure that you would have to do so, and we waited up to see you.”
“What time is it now?” asked Rex.
“About one o?clock.”
“Well, I am back sooner than I expected, and am happy to say thatI have succeeded without any difficulty. On the way back with therefugees we had one encounter, and had to kill a couple of Boxers. Therest was easy.”
“You don?t say so, Bateman! Well, I congratulate you most heartily. Youhave indeed done a good night?s work; tell us all about it.”
Rex gave them a short account of his adventure.
“I thought,” he said, “that there would be no great difficulty aboutit, and I am sorry that it was not accomplished without bloodshed, butwe could not help ourselves in that respect. I am glad indeed that Ibrought the poor creatures in. The women were desperately done up bythe time we got within the lines, which is not to be wondered at afterall they had gone through. Well, I will lie down now, for I have hada very long day, and I must be up early to–morrow to see that thesepeople get rations, for I fancy they are pretty nearly starved.”
In a few minutes all were asleep. Rex was up before six o?clock in themorning, and at once ran down to the gentleman whose duty it was to seeto the provisioning of the native Christians.
“I want you to put down thirteen more names,” he said.
“How is that, Mr. Bateman?”
“One of a party came in yesterday afternoon, and told me that therewere twelve of them in hiding in a cellar near the burnt area, so Iwent out with my man last night and brought them in.”
“You did, Mr. Bateman? You astonish me! And you did it withoutopposition?”
“Without any opposition to speak of, sir. We had to kill a couple ofBoxers, and we were pursued hotly. After we got over the wall one ofthe men made a splash in the water, and the sentry heard it. But, withthose two slight exceptions, everything went off well.”
“But how on earth did you get in here?”
“We got over the wall close by the Americans, and were hauled up bythem on our return.”
“Well, sir, you must at once report what you have done.”
“Oh, I would rather say nothing about it at all!” Rex said. “I shallonly be questioned about it, and have all sorts of bother.”
“Nevertheless it must be reported, Mr. Bateman. I shall have to accountfor the issue of thirteen more rations than before, and shall have toexplain in my report that these are people who were brought in by youduring the night.”
“Well, I only hope that nobody will take the trouble to read yourreport, sir. I hate being talked about, and as likely as not I shouldbe blown up for going out without orders.”
“Perhaps something will be said about that, Mr. Bateman, but certainlyyou will get more praise than blame.”
Rex shrugged his shoulders.
“I would much rather get neither, sir. The affair was a very simpleand straightforward one, and there is no occasion that I can see foranything to be said about it one way or another.”
Nevertheless, to his disgust, he saw, an hour later, a notice stuckup among those in the tower, that Mr. Bateman, with his man, had goneout and succeeded in bringing in thirteen native Christians from ahiding–place among the ruins.