“He’s made a dead set at you, Raxworthy,” observed the doctor. “Evidently he thinks you’re no end of a swell! I suppose they’ll be content with a mere thousand dollars for me; but I don’t think they’ll get it. Hang it all! why can’t they free my wrists and let me attend to this bullet wound in my arm? It’s bleeding too much to be pleasant!”
As if in answer to his words, another Chinaman came up with a bowl of water and some linen. First he gave the three now conscious Englishmen a drink in turn; then, setting the bowl on the deck, he cast loose the doctor’s bonds that secured his wrists and proceeded with a certain degree of tenderness to wash and bind up the wound. The bullet had passed completely through the doctor’s arm, fortunately missing the bones and arteries. Having done this, the pirate refastened the doctor’s arms, but this time across his chest, so that the injured limb obtained some manner of support.
Then Raxworthy’s arms were freed and the pirate stood by while the midshipman bathed the ugly-looking bruise on his head. After that the third officer’s wounds were attended to.
All this time the captured Ah-Foo had been steaming dead slow on an easterly course. No doubt the pirates had compelled the engine-room staff to carry on.
She now stopped. Raxworthy caught sight of the towering stern of a large junk—probably the one he had seen some hours previously, before the surprise attack took place—as she came alongside.
The junk was secured fore and aft and her abnormally large crew assisted the other pirates to tranship the cargo to her from the Ah-Foo. And not only the cargo; they commenced to strip the ship of everything of value.
And how hard they worked! In spite of the broiling sun they toiled, heaving bulky goods from one deck to another, and only employing the ship’s derricks when the weight to be shifted was beyond human muscles.
This went on until about an hour before sunset, by which time the Ah-Foo was almost gutted. Her lightened freeboard rose above that of the now deeply laden junk.
Meanwhile, men on the steamship’s bridge kept a sharp look-out for any strange sail. But none hove in sight, for a very good reason: by taking the Ah-Foo close inshore they had gone well to the east’ard of the regular steamship track for vessels bound to and from Chinese coastal ports.
The pirate captain then came up to where the prisoners were lying. Without a word to them he gave orders to some of the men.