They carried on, making a thorough examination of the hold, which contained a fair amount of stuff that had obviously been looted from merchant ships.
Then Raxworthy returned on deck and reported the attempt on the part of the pirate to blow up the junk rather than surrender.
“Nice-mannered gentlemen, aren’t they?” commented Lieutenant Cotterdell. “I’ve been told that they generally keep one or two barrels of black gunpowder against such emergencies. All right, Raxworthy; we’ll have the stuff ditched in case of accidents.”
Not until the barrels of powder were carefully whipped on deck and thrown overboard did the work of lowering the unconscious pirates into the hold begin. Each Chinaman was searched and deprived of his arms before being placed in his temporary prison below the water-line.
Meanwhile others of the boarding party had lowered the cumbersome mat sails and were making preparations for being taken in tow.
The destroyer then ran alongside, since the sea was calm.
Cotterdell made his report, laying stress upon Raxworthy’s gallantry and resource in preventing the destruction of the junk and the loss of a large proportion of Buster’s ship’s company.
“Did he, by Jove?” exclaimed Maynebrace. “It’s lucky for some of us that we hiked him out of the ditch. Where is he?”
“Securing hatches, sir.”
“Ask him to come on deck, please.”