“Why not?” I said; “I’ll help you on deck.”
“Come on, then,” cried Barkins eagerly. “Oh, hang this wound!”
He caught hold of my shoulder, and with a little pulling and hauling I got him on deck, hurting him a good deal, I’m afraid, but he bore it like a martyr, till I had him seated upon a place near the starboard gangway.
I then turned to go and help up Smith, but found he had called in the aid of a couple of the sailors, and the next minute he too was seated by Barkins.
Meanwhile the drum had called the men to quarters, the officers were on deck in uniform, and the marines drawn-up to form a guard of honour, sufficiently smart and warlike, with the white-ducked Jacks, and big guns bright as hands could make them, to impress the barbaric party coming on board.
The boats were rowing very near now, and the captain came on deck, to stand under the awning which had been stretched out since the Teaser had been restored to order. Then the gangway was opened, the steps were lowered, and half-a-dozen Jacks descended to help the visitors to mount, while the marines stood at attention.
The boatmen managed to fall foul of the side, and nearly upset the barge, but our lads saved them from that disaster; and the mandarin and his suite, who had come off, soon mounted to the deck, to stand haughtily returning the salutes of the officers.
Then there was an awkward pause, for our officers only knew a few words of Chinese, while the mandarin’s party, although they had had Englishmen in their city for nearly a hundred years, could not speak a word of our tongue, and they had brought no interpreter.
There was an awkward pause, broken by a high-pitched voice just outside the gorgeous-looking throng.
“You wantee Ching?”