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Updated: May 3, 2025
And then once more the slow, careful steering was kept up, Mr Brooke's hand guiding mine from time to time, while now for the most part we steered to follow the distant whishing sound made by the wind in the junk's great matting-sails. All at once, when a strange, drowsy feeling was creeping over me, I was startled back into wakefulness by Mr Brooke, who said in an angry whisper "Who's that?"
"I say," I cried, as we rowed by an enormous junk, with high poop and stern painted with scarlet and gold dragons, whose eyes served for hawseholes; "think she's a pirate?" "No," said Barkins, giving a look up at the clumsy rig, with the huge matting-sails; "it's a tea-boat."
Every now and then, too, came a curious creaking sound, as wood was strained against wood. "Tide's setting in very hard, sir," said Mr Brooke. "Yes," said the captain. "Come on board; ha!" There was another vivid flash, and we distinctly saw the great matting-sails of two junks for a moment, and again all was black.
"Hurrah!" came from the deck as the rest of the crew set up a tremendous cheer, for the smoke had suddenly grown less dense; and the junks gradually grew visible as it floated away; while even in the bright sunlight the flames were visible, and I could now make out that they were two floating furnaces with the great tongues of fire licking the broad matting-sails: and, best news of all, there, quite plainly, were our four boats, with the men just visible above their sides.
The last of the four, with her great matting-sails hauled up to the fullest extent, was sailing away toward the nearest island, and on either side they had sweeps over with two or three men to each, tugging away with all their might to help their vessel along. "The brutes!"
"Light on the port bow!" announced the look-out forward; and, upon using his night-glass, Mr Brooke made out the vessel, which showed the light to be a large junk, with her enormous matting-sails spread, and gliding along faster than we were, and in the same direction.
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