Mr. Midshipman Glover, R.N.

Helsto

ice-A Narrow Escape-Helston's Fears-A

e is continu

er 22, after an uneventful voyage from Singapore,

rvous and irritable, and the chilly evening made him complain again of his rheumatism, though he certainly seems much i

d wait any longer for Ping Sang or go ashore, dine at the Club, and afterwards try and

ed bad news, but he handed it to me without saying a word,

a Mr. Ho Ming, of wh

APTAIN

Tsi. He knows all. You are in the greatest danger. Mr. Ping Sang has been thrown into prison th

respe

MI

an, not marked by small-pox. He appeared exhausted, was much scratched about the face and

tions, wanting to know the end of the yarn before he had barely started. I admired him for his pertinacity-though I generally detest Chinamen-and for his pluck, because

of fact, there was little enough evidence of immediate danger, and the thought o

tive who was one of the tallest I have ever seen, and as thin as a lath. He was in an extremely e

g is. He perfectly satisfied if I will stand bail. Telephones to Aberdeen police station to have him sent up. They reply, 'T

intense alarm, pitiful t

hat makes it more serious. Did

ed Ho Ming. "I co

ndrel of an Englishman, it was a most disastrous event for our expedition, because he was the head and brains of the Trading Associatio

ll knew that the funds with which Helston had in the

ay about it!" we both sugg

d looked too big for his body and his long thin nose too big for his head. It was only when he talked, which he seldom did, that his dreamy grey eyes commenced to light up, and then they had the most humorous twinkle in the world. He was a great mathematician,

ughly stitched at the sides, for he always had his hands in them and wore them out rapidly. He was chewing his usual wooden toothpick,

with a silly little chuckle which was

of the two Chinese, and at the details of

ng his words, as he always does when exci

," pointing to A Tsi, who was looking pretty ill, and he smiled blandly at us, wandered off to a corner of the cabin where Helston kept

mensely amused at the whole story, whilst Helston watched him with

rning round, he

of, and if he tries to get him away to the mainland, we might catch him if you sent the destroyers out at once. That man-the one with the brandy-would possibly recognize the junk. Send him with Parker ('No. 3

for the signalman; and then, putting his head down the skylight, he chuckled; "Heugh! heugh! heugh! You need have no fea

that!" exclaimed Helston, much re

alled away, he and I went as

and had to push through a

chap!" I thought he was probably mistaken, and put it down to his nervousness, but when we got into rickshaws and were driven rapidly up

trace of them when we

of Police at Headquarters, and he telep

ago, and was taken aboard the Amoy jun

ilst the Chief of Police s

"Well, can't you follow her?" ..

the telephone-receiver, "and their steam-boat is under repairs and they c

Helston, "and if you will make out search warrants, I'l

e official, "and I should have to see the Govern

no warrants, I'll search every junk under way to-nig

aid the Chief of Police to me as I followed Helston; "and

e difficulty-for all we knew of the Englishman was that he walked with a

Murray Pier, however, we had to go round the cricket ground, and as we passed along the front of it I saw two shadowy figures dart across t

"Race you to the pier for a dollar, old chap!" and called to my cooli

ies, and they raced like mad things r

on's rickshaw, and both our rickshaw coolies, with a yell of fright, dropped their handles, and fled for their lives. Helston tumbled head-foremost into the road at the sudden stop, though I was just able to save myself,

M WITH MY HEAV

nd the Chinaman fl

ees, the policeman on duty at the pier rushing towards us w

d another tree, and soon we had quite an army of policemen running up from different di

retchers in their hands, and just as they reache

his left arm was broken. I supported him down to the boat, got him safely aboard, and ripped his clothes off

est muscles, and he had lost a great quantity of blood. His wrist and forearm were also paralysed, so it was a pr

with him, putting on splints and sewing up the wound in his chest, messengers and signalmen kept coming and going incessantly. He feared that one or other of the junks would drift down alongside and blow up, and worked himself into a tremendous pitch of excitement whe

ly well, and I am certain he knew that too, and the knowledge only

as prepared for any emergency; but that was too much for me, and he eventua

ap; it's all right, now you've fixed it up;" and he had a chair placed on the quarter-deck and sat there. However, I put half a grain of opium in his cup of coffee, and what with that a

the effects his disappearance would have on the expedition. As a matter of fact, I was pretty well bored with the whole affair,

d during the night, and at daybre

and chest, a bad headache from the effects of the opium, and the

in the ship any longer unless he went on the sick list and did exactly what he was told to do. If he continued to play the fool, I swore that I would invalid myself home, and-perhaps most powerful argument of all, though I do believe he would not have had m

er sleeping-draught, darkened his cabin, roped off the quarter-deck to prevent any trampling of

aggard when he woke,

to keep me here, old c

at the very lea

at afternoon without having be

imself or Ping Sang. The second Amoy junk was found to contain no suspicious cargo, but, for all that, it was carefully watched, to give early warn

amateur band playing those atrocious tunes, "The Roast Beef of Old England" and "For he's a jolly good f

men had what they called a sing-song in the gun-room, to which the Strong Arm's gun-room had been invited. They made the most disgustin

that but for me Helston

or midshipman came to my cabin after I had turned i

g cynic that man was!-and hate being disturbed, so told them to go to Jeric

ed himself, Cummins was still convinced that, as he had been kidnapp

arently written by the lame Englishman and posted from M

uote an extract from his letter as showing his unbounded impudence and his evide

d have the honour of meeting ships manned by my own countrymen.... Ping Sang, you may be glad to hear, is in robust health, but

I hear you have on board your ship an old friend of mine, Reginald Hopkins, and if you cou

word of honour that you will not attempt any treachery during the transfer, nor

n giving my name will board her and receive the letter. If favourable, I will then

, of course, retain poss

ins and Helston had, for I myself only sat near the fire and s

ne. If they did follow any advice I happened to give and it was unsuccessful, I should never hear the last of it, or, if it by chance were successful, they woul

Cummins seemed personally averse to such a proceeding, thi