Even as the pilot spoke, the room filled with soldiers, who disarmed the Americans, binding their hands behind them and attaching heavy chains to their ankles. Langdon began to caution the sailors to submit without resistance, but before he could give the advice a stalwart sailor had picked up a heavy chair and floored the nearest of the Chinese soldiers.
The sailors were quickly taken away, and after their work was completed the guards withdrew, leaving the midshipmen and the pilot bound upon the hard floor. The tight cords on their wrists cut cruelly into the flesh.
Phil gave himself over to despair; he could see no way out of their terrible predicament. Langdon, breathing heavily beside him, was silent, while Sydney was speechless with anger and mortification.
After several minutes the interpreter entered their prison; his sallow face betrayed not a spark of sympathy as he told Langdon to be prepared to receive the sentence of punishment at the hands of the viceroy.
The pilot growled an answer in Chinese which caused the interpreter’s face to show a shade of annoyance; then he answered in English, glancing fiercely at his captives.
“We respect a flag of truce, but those who land on friendly soil and attack innocent villagers are not entitled to its protection.”
Phil would have denied the Chinaman’s assertions, but the next second he was roughly dragged to his feet, and with his companions, led into the private apartments of the viceroy.
There the mandarin was seated comfortably in his chair of state, enjoying hugely the discomfiture of the foreigners. One by one the Americans were forced down upon their knees before the viceroy; the guards zealously pulling the hair of the helpless ones as a caution to obey quietly.
While Chang-Li-Hun spoke to Langdon in a low voice, the midshipmen were held down on their knees, their heads bent forward, and as each moved to ease his cramped limbs, the cruel hands of the soldiers would inflict some new and painful torture to keep them motionless. The strain was well-nigh unbearable; the body bending forward brought a heavy and increasing strain on the wrist bindings.
“Your two companions being officers of a foreign navy under arms on China’s soil, I have the right to hold them for punishment and execution, if I so desire. You being but a civilian, if you will apologize publicly I will set you free at once,” the viceroy said in a conciliatory voice.