Part 26 (1/2)
”I wonder where those fellows can have co for the gate we rode out of yesterday,” observed Too and assist, though they appear to be Chinese, and are not likely to make much of a stand,”
observed the lieutenant
The seaate, which was in front of the round, rushed back the way they had coate
”There is some treachery at work here,” exclai hismass
Before the rebels could recover from the confusion into which the unexpected shower of bullets had thrown the the theate This put a stop to the further progress of those still outside, and the seaht their way up to the gate Here a desperate struggle ensued A big Tae-ping was on the point of cutting down To with a blow on the head to the ground, and Tom saw his old shi+pnised, slashi+ng away right and left by his side The rebels at length having been forced out, the lieutenant ordered the gates to be shut This was no easy matter, with the space on either side covered with the dead and wounded, but the sea the bodies out of the way, at last succeeded
One party reate, the other made prisoners of many as they could catch of those who had treacherously opened it Tom, with Jerry Bird and three other ers of what had occurred, that he ates to prevent the saood service just now,” said To Tae-ping He would have cut et it”
”Lor' bless you, sir, I'm as well pleased as you are; I wouldn't have had you killed, no, not to be made port admiral, and I hope, if ever there comes another occasion, I may do the sarateful whether it was a pleasure to you or not,” said Tom
There was not much time for conversation, however As they hurried on, they had to keep a look-out, lest they ht be attacked by any of the traitors within the walls, ould have liked to have revenged themselves on those who had defeated their treacherous object Several suspicious-looking characters approached, but dreading the cutlasses of the British seamen, they retired to a respectful distance Tom and his party quickly ers and his e On receiving it, Jack immediately despatched some of thein the neighbourhood of the other gates, that they ainst any intended treachery
The rebels, supposing that their friends had got inside the city, continued to arrison e that the place would in a short ti the whole line, as far as the eye could reach on either side appeared a rapid series of flames of fire, both from the summits of the walls and froed fire
The assault continued until daylight breaking exposed the rebelsthat they had no prospect of success, ceased firing along their whole line, and began rapidly to retreat The officer in co this, sent a considerable body of ate, and pursued the them a lesson it was not likely they would wish to have repeated
The Chinese soldiers cut off the heads of those they took The English sailors contented theenerally giving them a probe in the back before they applied the final stroke The whole ground for some distance was streith the dead, while under the walls they lay still ht, and the hot fire poured down upon theers with his men remained on shore until it was ascertained that the rebels had retreated to Pow-shun, twenty miles off, and there appeared no probability of their returning Infor the provinces in every direction,every possible species of cruelty An English regiarrison, when there was no longer the slightest fear that the rebels would succeed in taking the place
Captain Rogers and his men had just returned on board the _E in for the anchorage She nal _Orion_
”Why, that's the shi+p to which your uncle Adair is said to be appointed,” observed Archie to Gerald
”I hope he has got her I shall be very glad to see him, for a better fellow does not exist, and I shall then know all about the o hoht up a short distance from the _Empress_ In less than half an hour a boat put off from her
”There's no doubt about it; that's lass ”He's co to have a proposal made to her I only hope now he has co me home”
In a short ti been received with due honour, he was heartily welcoers, whom he accompanied, after he had shaken hands with his nephew, into the cabin
”I'm not much wiser than I was before,” observed Gerald; ”but I suppose he will send for me soon”
Gerald, however, had to endure his suspense soer Tom had faithfully kept the secret hich he was entrusted, so that Gerald had only a faint idea that soood fortune was in store for him
While the two captains were in conference, a handsome Chinese boat came off, and a mandarin of rank stepped on deck He ”chin-chinned” as the way to do hi of his arrival, caain ”chin-chinned” to theht with him, he stated that ”he had come to make a request which he hoped would not be denied”
Captain Rogers answered ”that he should be happy to render any service that was in his power”
The h he should consider the favour a great one, the trouble to him would not be so”