“What’s that ahead, sir?” O’Neil exclaimed suddenly; “It’s a launch, I’m sure.”
The lads strained their eyes in the direction indicated, but could see nothing; then a light shot into the air, followed by a shower of sparks and a bright flame, and again all was darkness.
“What does it mean?” Phil gasped in sudden alarm. “It’s a launch, that’s sure. She’s carrying no lights, and the flame from her smoke-stack shows she has seen us and is making haste to escape.”
“She’s going faster than we are, too,” O’Neil exclaimed, his keen eyes detecting what the midshipmen had failed to see.
“Do you smell smoke?” Sydney questioned anxiously.
A moment later there was no longer doubt of the presence of smoke; a light breeze from the direction of the island carried the pungent odor of burning brush down the wind to the nostrils of the surprised Americans.
“There’s a fire on the island!” O’Neil suddenly exclaimed.
CHAPTER XIX
THE SECRET CHANNEL
After the Americans had departed, leaving Ta-Ling tightly bound and gagged on the cell floor, the Chinaman remained quietly bemoaning his cruel destiny. He knew from the silence throughout the yamen that it would be futile for him to waste his strength in useless struggling at the bonds that bound him. His Oriental mind counseled self-destruction. There was no alternative to wipe out the dishonor of being defeated and humiliated by his despised enemies. The loss of his sacred cue was a bitter misfortune. How could he appear before his brother mandarins with this necessary appendage missing? The more he revolved the situation over in his mind, the calmer he became. His Western teaching, with its more worldly and less devious ways of thought, came to his aid, driving away all ideas of self-destruction, and he resolved that he would fight according to the methods taught by his new learning so long as life remained him.
It seemed to the helpless man that many hours must have passed while he remained motionless on the damp earth. He had during this time thought over and over again of all that had been said by the Americans. While he lay to all appearances insensible, he had heard the wording of the cipher message to the American commander. He had been upon the point of sending the cablegrams to the American ship, but now they were in the hands of the midshipmen and he had heard them say that they would not give them to their captain. So much of the plan of his ally, Commander Ignacio, was a failure.