I grabbed up a couple of potatoes that had somehow spilled when we carried them over, and heaved one at the first Jap. I hit him, too, so that he grunted and stopped a little. Maybe it was enough to help. Then I threw the other at The Man Who Will Come, but he just moved his head, and I could see him grin, for all he was running so hard.
Now Motu was at the very edge of the bridge, with the Japs not a dozen feet behind.
From the balcony I heard Mark yell, “T-throw Binney on the b-bridge and jump.”
Quick as a wink Motu did as he was told, and then Mark Tidd’s drawbridge showed what it was made for. The instant the two boys were on the bridge Mark pushed over the iron weight that was to help lift it. But this was no time for slow lifting, so what did Mark do but grab that rope just above the weight and jump right off the balcony. Down he came, ker-slam! and up went the bridge with Motu and Binney on it. Up it went, with the first Japanese so close it almost caught him under the nose. He couldn’t stop, and went right under the lift into the water.
Motu and Binney came rolling and bumping down the bridge to our side. The Japs stopped sudden, and one of them hauled out the man who had fallen in.
“They—can’t—swim,” panted Motu.
So, for a while at least, we were safe. There wasn’t a boat on that side, they couldn’t come anywhere near jumping across, and they couldn’t do anything till they had figured out some scheme to cross the water.
By this time Mark Tidd was down-stairs, working over Binney. He knew all about first aid, and, by pumping and working Binney’s arms and one thing and another, it wasn’t long before Binney showed signs that he was alive. In half an hour he was able to sit up and move around sort of feeble. It was the first second we had had time to breathe.
Mark Tidd stood up and walked over to Motu with his hand out.
“Motu,” says he, “there ain’t any t-thanks that will do for a thing like you did. It’s somethin’ that can’t ever be paid for by words, or even by doin’ things. But I want to t-t-tell you, Motu, that—that none of those Samurai in your country have got you beat. You’re as good as the best of ’em, and some b-better. And one thing you can depend on, and that is that this crowd’ll stick to you, and work for you, and f-f-fight for you till they p-p-petrify.”