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Directly after there was the babble of several other voices, and a discussion went on in Chinese, not a word of which could I understand. Then, to my utter wonder, the voices which had come over the top as if speaking close by me, suddenly ceased, and I could hear the pad pad of bare feet on the sands. "Velly neally catchee catchee, and choppee off head," said Ching softly.
We had just time to hide behind some rocks, when a party of about twenty Chinamen came cautiously and slowly down on to the sands, and Ching whispered as he peeped between the fragments of rock "Not allee pilate dlowned. Come along look at junk; take care; choppee off allee head; must hide."
Later it was discovered that a serious Chinaman, cutting wood before the cabin, had witnessed part of the quarrel. But John was stolid, indifferent, and reticent. "Me choppee wood, me no fightee," was his serene response to all anxious queries. "But what did they SAY, John?" John did not sabe.
That big junk blow all to pieces, and allee bad pilate man dlowned. No go choppee off poor sailor head now. No 'teal silk, tea, allee good thing, and burnee ship. Velly good job indeed; velly bad lot." "You think it was the junk which cheated us?" "Yes, velly muchee same. Look, allee paint, lacquee, gold. Allee same junk; no use go find um now.
"Why not make lit' fire and bu'n junk, killee allee same?" "He has me there, Herrick," said Mr Brooke. "Takee plisoner to mandalin. Mandalin man put on heavy chain, kick flow in boat, put in plison, no give to eat, and then choppee off allee head. Makee hurt gleat deal mo'. Velly solly for plisoner. Bette' make big fi' and bu'n allee now." Mr Brooke smiled and looked at me, and I laughed.
The man shouted out some words angrily, and Ching interpreted them in my ear, his explanation being in company with a strange surging noise "Say he come back and killee him if he choppee off head. Oh, he velly bad man."
He turned away to speak to a Chinese officer close at hand, while we began to feel wondering and suspicious, and gazed at each other with the same question on our lips. Ching turned to us again, and I being nearest whispered "I say, what place is this? What are they going to do?" "Bring out allee wicked men. Choppee off head."
"Lun away, all come catchee and choppee off head. Go 'long stlaight and flighten 'em. Englis' sailor foleign debil, 'flaid o' nobody." "There's something in that," said Barkins. "Right. Show a bold front, lads. Let's go straight by them, and if they attack, then out with your swords and let's make a fight for it."
"Say, please no choppee off head. Velly bad men, killee lot always; velly bad." And now I felt that the time had come to close my eyes, but they remained fixed. I could not avert my gaze from a scene which was made more horrible by a struggle which took place between the first pirate of the long row in which they stood and the executioner.
"Ah, I see," remarked the officer. "You effected an exchange of ships `choppee for changee a black dog for a blue monkey, eh? And now you want us to get your own ship back for you?" "Not exactly," answered George with a laugh; "I have already forced her to surrender; that is the craft the barque immediately under my lee.
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