CHAPTER XIV

THE YELLOW PERIL

In spite of all their efforts not much injury was done to the stockade; but in loud tones the leader of the mutiny urged on his followers to yet another attempt to destroy the barrier. Scores of strong hands seized and wrenched at it, until the structure seemed on the point of parting from its stout bolts, and a fiendish cry of satisfaction arose. Several shots were also fired at the crew, but no one was hurt. Mr. Sennit became alarmed, yet, although the protection seemed about to collapse, Captain Thorne would not permit a shot to be discharged.

'We must wait a little longer,' he said. 'I think there is some sign of exhaustion, and they may become weary of the foolish struggle.'

'They'll have the bars about our ears directly,' the mate replied. 'You are too lenient.'

'Perhaps. I do not wish to give an order that will prove disastrous to them,' was the calm reply.

It was not long before even his cool judgment was compelled to acknowledge that further forbearance be taken by the foe as a sign of weakness, or, perhaps, cowardice, and they were becoming bolder.

At last the order to fire was given.

The result proved serious, but a corresponding volley from the enemy inflicted no injuries among the sailors, since the Chinamen had slight knowledge of their weapons, and either could not or would not face the European fire, and all their bullets, being discharged over the heads of those in front, flew high among the after spars and canvas.

The tottering stockade was almost torn down. The leader of the mutiny yelled his delight, and forcing his way aft he called for a final assault. His burly form rose head and shoulders above all others. The moment he appeared, however, several rifles took steady aim, but it was the man Walker, who had given the proof of marksmanship when lying at the Malay island, that got in the first shot. In an instant the instigator of all the trouble lay a lifeless mass among the feet of his misguided followers.

A terrible cry of mingled regret, vengeance, and savage lust of blood followed the death of the Chinaman, and the pressure on the stockade immediately ceased. Bereft of their leader, the mutineers became less formidable, and as darkness quickly succeeded the disappearance of the sun, their efforts to gain the upper hand diminished. The numbers of dead and wounded had reached serious proportions.

The 'cease fire' was called, and Captain Thorne promptly offered assistance to those who needed it, also offering to end the fight; yet the infuriated survivors stubbornly refused to submit, or even allow one of their wounded to be touched by white hands.

The heavy loss of life was deeply regretted by the skipper, but he knew that by no other means could the safety of the vessel and the lives of his men have been secured.

The stolid, unheeding Chinamen made no attempt to leave the deck. In the deepening gloom half their numbers seemed to have fallen, but they still remained facing the stockade, and only awaited the cheering voice of some new leader before making a final attempt to reach their opponents. Such a move was, however, not immediately undertaken. They seemed quite aware that any advance would certainly add to the heap of bodies lying across the front of the barrier.

Those abaft the latter paced from side to side of the deck, ready to fire on the slightest provocation, and eager to avenge the deaths of their unfortunate comrades surprised in the forecastle. Indeed, had it not been for the watchful anxiety of the captain, not one Chinaman would have survived that terrible mutiny.

It was not long before a serious disagreement arose among the remaining emigrants. Many of them, possibly alarmed by the result of their late action, separated from their companions, and after what appeared a long and highly-excited discussion they suddenly set to work removing the dead and wounded, but treated all alike. Within a few minutes scarcely a trace of what had happened in front of the stockade remained. Then the deck was washed down, and all returned to the bow.

Captain Thorne immediately took steps to secure the almost useless stockade, and during that operation one hand at a time went to the cabin for refreshment.

Now, almost from the beginning of the desperate struggle a light breeze, unnoticed by anyone save the skipper, had set in, and Jack Clewlin was sent to the wheel. From that position he had breathlessly followed the progress of the mutiny, and he was pleased to see that none of his shipmates, save Clark, received any injury. Of course, the wounded sailor received prompt attention, and soon recovered his usual health. Nearly two watches, eight hours, had passed since the trouble began. All that while the 'Alert' had been slipping along before a nice fair wind. The loss of nearly half the crew necessitated an alteration of the course, and Captain Thorne now determined to steer directly toward the nearest of the Sandwich Islands, where assistance might be obtained. The ill-fated barque, however, never reached any port.

The dead sailors in the forecastle were buried quietly that night.

Another heated argument among the mutineers presently arose, and about half of them again came aft, and thrusting their arms between the bars of the stockade begged for some food.

'Not a morsel till you surrender,' the skipper sternly replied.

'We no wanchee fight,' a man replied. 'Noder Chinaman him no good. Plenty shoot. Savvee?'

'I think you might let them through the gate, sir,' Mr. Sennit said. 'They seem to have had enough of it.'

'Not so fast, man,' the captain sang out. 'This may be some dodge to seize all hands. Let us find out what is meant.'

The applicants were suddenly assailed by the still mutinous portion of their countrymen, and a desperate encounter ensued. Captain Thorne would not interfere, but after a prolonged struggle the attackers were finally defeated and driven to the 'tween deck. Then hastening to the stockade those left on deck again asked for help, and promised to behave well in future.

'I now believe they are sincere,' the captain said. 'Let them pass through, Sennit.'

When grouped at the stern and supplied with biscuit and water the men expressed their gratitude. Some of them made extraordinary signs, apparently directed toward those down below, and the surrender proved genuine.

The men numbered thirty-eight all told, and seemed surprised by the kindness bestowed. They continued to direct attention to the 'tween deck, and had the captain correctly understood what was intended, much subsequent trouble might have been avoided. He could not be expected to waste more time over such considerations, and no one took any notice of the well-intentioned warnings.

Armed sentinels were placed over each of the hatchways. Then the remaining hands set to work clearing up the forecastle, where everything movable had been knocked about and the sea-chests ransacked, and it even appeared that some attempt had been made to set the place on fire.

All that while no sound of voice or footstep could be heard in the 'tween deck, and it was surmised that all the men there had gone to sleep. The silence, when subsequently recalled, proved beyond doubt that the mutinous Chinamen were quite differently engaged.

The forecastle having been set straight, Mr. Sennit turned his attention to setting up another galley; and when that had been arranged, one of the hands helped the steward to get the fire lit and some coffee served out.

At last Jack Clewlin's long spell at the wheel ended, and in the cabin he found Captain Thorne who commended his conduct, and ordered a substantial supper.

For some time nothing of importance was noted, but just after four o'clock that morning a strong smell of smoke became noticeable fore and aft, and instantly aroused much alarm among the crew.

'They are firing the barque!' Captain Thorne exclaimed, in great anxiety. 'Arm yourselves, all hands, and follow me!'

As he and Mr. Sennit stepped on the main 'tween-deck ladder it gave way under the strain, and both men were precipitated into the midst of a howling mob below.

By the use of their revolvers, however, both men succeeded in keeping the enemy at bay, while without hesitation the crew leaped after their leaders, and with cutlass and rifle speedily cleared a space round the endangered officers.

By that time the smoke in the hold had become so dense that it was impossible to follow the mutineers, but by repeated volleys the latter became so cowed that no further annoyance came from that quarter. The crew promptly endeavoured to discover the seat of the fire. That it had originated somewhere in the bow there was no doubt; yet to reach that place became almost impossible, so thick were the volumes of smoke filling the 'tween deck, and all hands were consequently compelled to return to the open.

The main hatch ladder, which had been cut from its fastenings by the mutineers, was speedily reshipped in its place, and such of the emigrants as could be found were dragged on deck, while the fore hatch grating was removed. The head pump was rigged and its hose attached, and then lowered into the 'tween deck.

Both mates, with large oakum respirators fastened over their mouths and nostrils, descended into the hold, and presently reported that the outbreak had been started in the bo's'n's locker, immediately beneath the forecastle, which was stocked with bales of rope, oakum, spun-yarn, old canvas, and other highly-inflammable gear.

As though such material was not considered sufficiently dangerous, the desperate-minded Chinamen had removed all the light wood from their own bunks, and forcing the bulkhead had thrown the pieces on the fire.

Without delay a copious stream of water was directed on the flames. The conflagration had now become very dangerous. The smoke was so suffocating, that in spite of all their gallantry both officers were compelled to retire, and when hauled on deck fell exhausted. Their places were, however, immediately filled by others, while every available emigrant was also pressed into the service, and by means of buckets an endless stream of water was added to that pouring through the hose.

To give them their due, the Chinamen, knowing full well that by their extra labour the vessel could alone be saved, and that if anything happened to her their chances of reaching San Francisco would be slight, worked splendidly, and did everything in their power to carry out the orders of the captain.

Hour after hour, without a moment's cessation; all hands struggled desperately to subdue the flames, many men being constantly overcome by heat and smoke; yet no sooner had they recovered the effects of semi-suffocation and exhaustion than each again tackled the outbreak with determination.

In spite of their heroism, however, it was no easy matter to cope with such an outbreak. Under ordinary conditions the locker was not readily reached, and for many hours it seemed that all the water poured on the fire had no effect, while everyone felt that such a serious attack on the bow of the barque would render it difficult to resist the outward pressure of water.

Although the 'well' was constantly sounded, no great quantity of water had as yet leaked through the sides, showing that they were still sound.

The immense volumes of smoke rolling from the hold seemed to become less dense; but Captain Thorne, wishing to be prepared for any emergency, ordered Readyman, Jack Clewlin, and the steward to clear away and provision both quarter boats.

All that morning, and throughout the rest of the day, the desperate battle continued without cessation. Somewhere about five o'clock in the evening unmistakable proof that the fire had been subdued sent a thrill of joyous satisfaction fore and aft.

'We've succeeded, sir,' Mr. Sennit exclaimed on coming from below, his beard scorched and face and hands blackened; 'but I'm much afraid that the injury to the bow is almost irreparable. In fact, captain, it seems to have been nearly burned through.'

'I am not surprised,' the old man replied; 'if we can only succeed in getting her ashore on the nearest island, we may consider ourselves more than fortunate. Could any repairs be done so that she might remain afloat even for a few days?'

'Well, at present, sir,' the mate returned, 'I should not like to touch a single rib or timber, they seem so badly burned; yet if we can manage to lay some gear against them, so as to resist the outward pressure, she might just succeed in getting on the coral.'

'Let go the royal and top-gallant halyards fore and aft,' the skipper ordered. 'Lay aloft there, men, and stow the canvas. That will at least lessen the strain.'

When that work was completed the men tackled the pumps, and soon discovered that the barque was beginning to leak badly, since the fierce heat of the fire had melted all the pitch in the bow seams, and probably also destroyed most of the oakum caulking.

The available Chinamen were immediately divided into two watches, and in regular relief took their share of work at the pumps, and the crew were allowed some hours of repose after their late arduous labour.

So, under her topsails, fore and maincourses, spanker and head canvas, the 'Alert' stood away for the nearest island, which was only one hundred and fifty miles off. Most fortunately the breeze held fairly strong and steady, but without her upper canvas or even studding-sails to help the rate of sailing was slow, and never exceeded four knots an hour.

Captain Thorne was very anxious throughout those trying times, yet as soon as the hands had had some sleep and good meals, they promptly set to work getting the long-boat over the side. Although at first she leaked even worse than the barque, a few hours in the water closed the seams, and she subsequently proved of considerable use.

The quarter-boats were also ready for lowering at a moment's notice, and as the pumps still managed to keep down the flow of the sea into the hold everyone believed that the badly-damaged barque would continue to remain afloat.

With the disappearance of the smoke from the 'tween deck some of the hands were sent there, to discover what had become of the Chinamen who made such a dastardly attempt to kill the captain and Mr. Sennit, and in a heap right aft all of them were found suffocated.

Fifteen of them thus suffered death for participation in the mutiny, and from what their countrymen stated there could be no doubt that they were the murderers of the whites in the forecastle, and the chief instigators of the whole lamentable affair.

During that first night under reduced sail the 'Alert' leaked so badly that even a constant working of the pumps could not abate the rise of water in the well, and much anxiety was consequently aroused.

'I think it is owing to the stronger breeze,' the old man sang out. 'Haul up and stow the mainsail.'

That was speedily accomplished, and, sure enough, the inflow immediately decreased.

'At daylight we must endeavour to strengthen the bow either inside or out,' the captain added. 'Otherwise I don't see how we can reach any island.'

Throughout that night matters remained somewhat hopeful, and as the vessel sailed very slowly the water below was kept under control.

An inspection of the damaged bow next morning disclosed such serious defects that Captain Thorne could not conceal his anxiety.

'It is worse than I had supposed,' he exclaimed. 'The entire bow seems almost gone. Clewlin!' he added, 'run on deck and tell Mr. Statten to haul down and stow the whole of the head canvas. We must use the utmost caution.'

In several places the planking had been three parts eaten away, some of the ribs were burned right through, the forecastle deck overhead was gone, and but for the outer copper sheathing it was certain that the 'Alert' could not have remained two hours above water.

'I would abandon her now,' the skipper said, 'had it not been my desire to save all the stores. The island we are shaping for is, I believe, uninhabited, and how long we may be compelled to remain there before assistance arrives depends on luck! There are the Chinamen to feed, and so we must endeavour to put her on the coral.'

'A thrummed sail secured outside the bow might stop the leak, sir,' Mr. Sennit observed.

'Yes, that may be tried,' the old man replied; 'but the bow is so seriously injured that I'm afraid nothing can be of much use.'