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For a few minutes the struggle was intensely critical; for while they still slacked out the tightened line in one direction, and still plied their oars in another, the contending strain threatened to take them under. But it was only a few feet advance they sought to gain.
Give way!" shouted Mr Griffiths; "if the worst comes we must fight for it, and try to save our lives, but I want, if we can, to avoid fighting." The men bent to their oars; the wind was ahead, so that it was useless to hoist the sail. The savages on shore howled and shrieked as they saw us getting off, and hurled stones at us. The big double canoes came round the point, two more appearing astern.
"Yes, no one knows the real truth . . ." thought Laevsky, looking wearily at the dark, restless sea. "It flings the boat back," he thought; "she makes two steps forward and one step back; but the boatmen are stubborn, they work the oars unceasingly, and are not afraid of the high waves. The boat goes on and on.
"Don't let him hurt these chaps your grandfather I mean." Jack threw up his head and pointed to the boys. "Only get Mike licked. We'd all of us like that." "What?" cried Joel over his shoulder, stopping his busy oars. "Why, when you tell him how mean we used you, don't let him get those chaps into trouble, 'cause " "When I tell him!" cried Joel. "What do you mean?"
An ugly brute of a modern man-of-war lay just without the reef, now quite inert, now giving a flap or two with her propeller. Nearer hand, and just within, a big white boat came skimming to the stroke of many oars, her ensign blowing at the stern. "One word more," said Wicks, after he had taken in the scene. "Mac, you've been in China ports? All right; then you can speak for yourself.
Some tried to run alongside and board, others dashed in among the oars and impeded the work of the rowers, while from the walls of the town showers of missiles were poured down upon her. But the tide was gaining every moment in strength, and partly drifting, partly rowing, the Dragon, like a bull attacked by a pack of dogs, made her way down the river.
The sounds were now more tangible. Occasionally there were a few raps with a hammer, but the most of them were the orders of the person in charge. "I don't believe there are more than a dozen men there," whispered Flint. "More than that, I should say; but even if there are two dozen, it is all the same. Take off the mufflers from the oars, Beeks," continued Christy.
"My!" said Rollo; "see how fast the stones are going!" "The stones!" exclaimed Gerald, starting up, and seizing an oar. "It's the boat! We are going under the bridge, as sure as fate! Put out your oar, Rollo, and pull for your life! Pull!" Both Rollo and the Swiss boy immediately put out their oars and pulled; but Gerald soon found that the current was too strong for them.
On one of those sweltering mornings in which the eastern seas appear to have a tendency to boil under the influence of the sun, three piratical junks might have been seen approaching a small island which lay on the sea as if on a mirror. They were propelled by oars. The largest of these junks was under command of our red-jacketed acquaintance, Pungarin.
"Ah," said he, sinking back with a sigh, "we have then reached the goal at last. Bayswater, we approach you. Shall the brougham be bottle-green or coffee-colored?" "A brougham!" cried Violet; "no a barge of white and gold, with crimson satin sails, and oars of bronze, towed by a company of snow-white swans " "Or mergansers"
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