'Shut it up quickly,' Charlie said; and just as Ping Wang had done so a middy rushed into the room, accompanied by four sailors.
'Hallo!' he exclaimed, on recognising them as friends of Williams. 'What are you doing here?'
'Oh, we captured the place some ten minutes ago,' Charlie declared, cheerfully.
'Then why don't you guard what you have captured?' the youngster asked, sharply. 'There is no one posted at the gate, and the place could have been recaptured easily.'
Having said this the lad departed with his men in search of some more exciting experience.
'He was quite right,' Fred declared. 'The Boxers might have come upon us suddenly, as he did. I will go to the gate; you two stay here and guard the image.'
Fred's period of sentry-go was a short one, for he had not been at the gate more than ten minutes when he saw Williams advancing, with a portion of his force, towards him.
'Well, have you found it?' Williams asked, after he had acknowledged Fred's salute.
'Yes,' replied Fred.
'That's very good news. I was half afraid that you had come out here on a wild-goose chase.'