place, for I had narrowly escaped capture by
pirates upon several previous occasions in a
similar manner. The junks, their position, the
secrecy of the attack, and the sudden crash
alongside, all told me plainly enough the nature
of the cunning and successful stratagem.
Instead of continuing the stern chase in their
heavy ti-mungs, the enemy had transferred their
men to the trading junks, leisurely sailed after
us, and passed ahead when we had cleared the
river without exciting my mate's suspicion.
Their course was then easy: they had waited
until the flood tide made us anchor, had then
moved right ahead, and, connecting themselves
together by a strong rope, had dropped silently
down upon us with the current, steering, using
their long sweeps, or hauling on the line as
required until it caught across our cable, when
the strong tide instantly sheered them alongside.

"When I reached the top step of the
companion-ladder, by the glare of the lanterns and
torches carried by the swarming boarders, I saw
Jack Ikey fighting desperately in their midst, and
striving to cut his way aft. A tall figure, with
lifted sword, stole up behind him. I recognised
the false pilot, the mandarin commanding the
squadron by which we had been attacked; and
it was at this moment that I again saw upon his
repulsive countenance the frightful expression
to which I referred when describing the look
he gave poor Jack after being turned out of the
lorcha when he boarded us at the entrance of
the river. All this took place during the second
or two I stood concealed in the cabin hatchway,
gazing at the scene on deck. I lifted my
revolver to shoot the wretch, but my wife
snatched it out my hand, and concealed it under
her own clothes, whispering,

"'Do not fight now; it is too late. Our
only chance is to submit quietly, and then watch
for an opportunity to escape. Perhaps they
will not kill us at once.'

"In a second the sword had fallen upon my
unfortunate young mate and he sank upon the
deck. We retreated to our cabin, and in less than
two minutes were bound hand and foot. We
had bidden each other a last farewell, every
moment expecting to be slaughtered. But it
seemed that we were not to be killed yet. The
villanous-looking mandarin—the murderer of
poor Jack—ordered away his blood-stained
men, directing them to get out of the hold and
take ashore what cargo and opium we had,
whilst, with his principal officers—the captains
of the other ti-mungs, I concluded he
proceeded to make merry over my wine, brandy,
and other stores.

"They were talking about us, the wretches!
and I understood Chinese well enough to know
what they were saying.

"'Sar?' (cut) said one, significantly sawing
the air sideways with his hand, whilst making
the laconic inquiry.

"'No,' replied his chief. 'We will take
them alive to his excellency Yeh. The
Fankwei ('foreign devil') we shall be able to pass
off as an officer, and so obtain the offered reward,
as well as have the gratification of seeing him
treated—as all his barbarian countrymen should
be—to the ling-chy' (i.e. the horrible torture
of 'cutting into ten thousand pieces'). 'As for
the woman, she has inflicted a disgrace upon the
"children of Han" (the Chinese), so the Imperial
commissioner will no doubt think proper to
make an example of her, in order to deter our
countrywomen from contracting such alliances
with the "outer barbarians."'

"After gulping down large quantities of my
brandy, the four rascals went on deck to look
after the opium and other articles that their
men were carrying off and stowing away on
board the junks.

"Scarcely had they vanished up the
companion-way when a slight tap came against the
bulkhead across the fore part of the cabin, and
I heard the voice of my father-in-law, the
lowder.

"'Captin Mellen,' said he, 'mi no have die.
Twelve piecee man have makee hide down fore
side. 'Spose by-em-by some mandarin man
makee go shore, 'spose you talkee makee fight
can do, can catchee lorcha back again.'

"'All right, A-choong,' said I. 'Keep close
where you are. They are getting out the
opium and things; I think some of them are
likely to go ashore with the plunder; if they
do, knock down the bulkhead when I tell you,
get these ropes off my hands and feet, then we
will soon have the lorcha under our own charge
again. Have the men kept their arms?'

"I now understood that twelve of my men
were battened down in the forecastle, whilst my
lowder had hidden himself in the hold, and,
after having communicated with the men on the
other side of the foremost bulkhead, had come
aft to that dividing the cabin from the hold,
through which he had spoken to me.

"My heart thrilled at the thought of escape;
but how could it be possible.

"'Oh, Ma-le! Ma-le!' I cried to my wife,
when we were left alone, 'why did you prevent
me shooting the mandarin? We should then
have been killed at once; but now!'

"'Wait, my husband. Remember I am
armed. I have your revolver and my dagger.
We have yet a chance. I heard the mandarin
sending those men away with the junks and the
plunder. When they have gone, there will not
be many soldiers left on board; then I will
slip my hands out, cut the ropes with which
you are bound, and we shall be able to make a
last effort. If we fail, then it will be a quick
death. But our poor little child!'

"My wife was interrupted by the return of
the mandarin, and at the same time we heard
the junks casting off from alongside.

"Our captor was accompanied by one attendant,
who carried writing materials. Seating
himself at the cabin-table, he wrote a letter
and gave it to the man, saying:

"' Be off, now, and take this to the officer in
charge of the ti-mungs. You can remain on
board, and assist in bringing them here. Take
half the men with you; leave me the other twenty-