On one occasion there was rather a rush on board to quench thirsts; but that was only natural.
The Hong-Kong was a large target; but our interest was so much centred on firing good shots, and in watching the boats amid the smoke ahead of us, that, while the firing was hottest, we all felt quite excited, and redoubled our efforts. I enjoyed planting the rockets into them: you can make excellent practice when your craft is still.
CHAPTER XIV
MORE PIRATE HUNTING
After Fatshan actual war operations were more or less over; but we had a deal of pirate hunting. All the trading-junks were more or less pirates if occasion offered: the whole country was demoralised.
One day, lying at anchor in the Hong-Kong, we saw on the other side of the river, two or three miles away, a piratical junk chasing two others laden with salt. In less than no time Keppel ordered me to man a cutter of twelve men and go after him. The pirate did not show fight when I got near. He ran his craft on to a mud bank; the whole crew bolted up through a paddy field, and sat down, unconcerned, on a low hill, watching me trying to set fire to the junk. We had pot shots at them; but I could not get the junk to catch fire. To climb on board was impossible (the mud was soft, and had we tried we should have gone over our necks: the tide was falling fast): so the only thing I could do was to smash in the side under water with axes. We set him on fire next day.
On another occasion the Hong-Kong was despatched up one of the many rivers that run into the Canton main stream, in search of piratical junks and “fast boats,” which were supposed to be marauding some little distance inland. Boats of the Esk also were sent to cut them off up another creek, in case of our missing them. Fast boats were beautiful models, generally propelled by six-and-twenty oars, and armed with jingalls on swivels: they could command all-round fire.
We started early, but saw nothing until about two o’clock in the afternoon, when we discovered three of the fast boats, which, I imagine, had caught sight of our funnel. As we rounded a bend in the river we saw them pulling for all they were worth to escape from us. Going at full speed, we gained somewhat, and got nicely within long-gun range; but unfortunately took the ground, the tide being low, and stuck in the soft mud. Nothing daunted, Goodenough manned and armed the only two small boats we had; taking command of one himself, and giving me charge of the other. Our boats held ten men, besides us two officers. His boat was a wretched 4-oared gig; mine a “sandpan” (shaped like a canoe), which we had bagged from a junk on some previous occasion; it was propelled by six paddles, and I was steering with a paddle. I could beat the 4-oar, if only I could keep my boat’s head straight; but herein a difficulty lay, for I was firing my muzzle-loading Minié rifle as hard as I could all the while when within range. I fancy the fast boats’ crews were hesitating as to whether they would await our approach and show fight, because, to our delight, we found ourselves gaining a trifle: perhaps they were getting a bit done up after the Hong-Kong chase. Be that as it may, we gradually wore them down; and, when within 300 yards or so, they suddenly put their boats’ noses to the bank, forsook their crafts, and bolted into the paddy fields.
We had had enough of it, having pulled a long distance; and we sate ourselves down when we came up with our capture, got into shade, and filled our pipes, hoping that the Hong-Kong would rejoin us shortly.