They came to the end of the reach. Turning the corner, they suddenly caught sight of the smoke of a steamer ahead of them, coming up-stream. Their feeling at the moment was that they were caught between two fires, though an instant's reflection showed them the scant probability of the approaching vessel belonging to the rebels. They were tense with excitement, anxiety, hope. The nose of the gunboat behind came into view, only to disappear again as the flying boat rounded a slight curve. The vessel ahead was not as yet visible; merely its smoke could be seen over the right bank. In another minute both vessels came into sight simultaneously, at almost equal intervals from the smaller craft drifting downstream. But the gunboat was with the current; the vessel approaching, which appeared to be a gunboat also, against it. The former opened fire again; shots churned up the water around the flying boat; one carried away the elevator, another shivered the air tractor into a thousand fragments; and all on board expected every moment that the little vessel would be sunk or shattered--when suddenly the firing ceased. The Englishmen looked round eagerly. Their pursuer was swinging round.
"Hai yah! He wailo!" cried Lo San, springing up and clapping his hands frantically.
The chase was over.
Quivering with relief from the strain, Errington steered into the bank, and lay to until the gunboat came up. She carried no colours, but there were several figures in the bows whose aspect and costume marked them out unmistakably as Germans. The vessel hove to, and one of the officers, catching sight of Burroughs, gave a salute and called to him in German. Burroughs grinned.
"I am an Englishman," he said.
"English!" cried the officer; "but you look not so. You very like a compatriot. Vat happen?"
Burroughs in his downright way was about to answer, but Errington caught him by the sleeve, saying--
"Hold hard, old chap."
His quicker mind saw that the Germans would be glad of a pretext for intervention, and though he had no love for the rebels, he loved the Germans and their methods less.
"You have been attack by ze pirates?" the officer continued. "If zat is so, and you give me note demanding assistance, I go up to Meichow, and land men; zey shall learn----"