A Chinese Command: A Story of Adventure in Eastern Seas

by Harry Collingwood

  CHAPTER FIVE.

  ON THE RIVER.

  When Frobisher recovered consciousness he became aware of mostexcruciating pains in his head and his left side, and so extreme was hissuffering that he could scarcely restrain a groan. To add to hisdiscomfort he was in complete darkness, and furthermore he was beingjolted and shaken about in a most agonising manner.

  Sick and faint with pain, it was several minutes before he was able torecall what had happened to him; and then he remembered the last sceneof the fight, when, in the hope of destroying as many of his foes aspossible, he had discharged his revolver into the heap of ammunition.There must, he recollected, have been some hundreds of rounds ofcartridges lying loose within a very few feet of him, and it wasdoubtless a bullet from one of those that had struck him in the sideand, he felt pretty sure, shattered one or more of his ribs. As for thepain in his head, that was of course accounted for by the stroke whichhe had received across his forehead early in the fight.

  He put up his hand to his aching brow, and discovered to his surprisethat it had been carefully bandaged, and that the wound had evidentlybeen cleansed, for his hair was still damp, and there was no clottedblood adhering to it. Also he found, upon further investigation, thathis jacket had been removed, and that his body had been strapped up withrough wrappings. It appeared probable, therefore, that his captors hadreceived orders to capture him alive, if possible; otherwise, knowing ashe did the usual methods adopted by the Chinese and Koreans toward theirwounded prisoners, he felt tolerably certain that he would have beenbarbarously destroyed while still unconscious--particularly as he hadbeen the direct means of bringing a dreadful death upon so many of hisassailants. As he thought of this he could only come to oneconclusion--he had been kept alive in order that, upon his arrival athead-quarters, he might be examined, by torture if necessary, as to theextent of his knowledge of the plot against the Government, and as tothe existence of any other schemes for bringing arms into the country.

  Now, he had no intention of being submitted to the diabolicallyingenious torments practised by the Korean executioners; the importantthing, therefore, was to contrive, if possible, to escape while therewas yet time. But before thinking about escape it was absolutelynecessary that he should discover his own whereabouts, and the number ofmen by whom he was at present guarded. He was now entirely unarmed,having no doubt dropped his cutlass and one of his revolvers at the timewhen he had been struck down; while the second revolver, which had beenin the side pocket of his coat, had probably been discovered and seizedwhen the jacket was stripped off him by the individual who had attendedto the wound in his side.

  With a great effort and a wrench that caused him to bite his lips tobleeding-point, to keep back his groans, Frobisher contrived to raisehimself to a sitting posture, and he then discovered that he was in aclosed litter of some sort, or palanquin, which, he could tell by itsshort, jerky motion, was being borne over very rough ground.

  Feeling cautiously around him, in the faint hope that his jacket mighthave been thrown into the palanquin, and with it, perhaps, the revolverstill in the pocket, Frobisher's fingers encountered one of thecurtains, and gradually gathering it up, he was presently able to pullit aside sufficiently to enable him to see out.

  It was still dark, but the stars were shining brightly, and a thin sliceof moon had risen just clear of the treetops that bordered the jungle,so that the young Englishman was able to make out his surroundings withcomparative ease. Marching alongside the palanquin, on each side, at adistance of a few feet only, so narrow was the jungle path, was a lineof Government troops, their weapons, consisting of flint-locks,match-locks, halberds, old muzzle-loaders, and, in a few cases, modernbreechloaders, sloped over their shoulders; while close beside thelitter, but a little in advance, so that Frobisher was unable to see theman's face, walked an officer with a drawn two-handed Chinese sword inhis hand. He was evidently quite prepared to cut the prisoner downwithout parley, should he make the slightest attempt at escape.

  Beside him walked another man, whom Frobisher had no difficulty inrecognising as Ling; and he was by no means grieved to observe that theKorean had also suffered damage; for Ling's head was roughly bandaged,and his right arm hung down limp and useless, while he walked with alimp that proved he had received an injury to his leg as well. Acautious glance rearward through the open curtains disclosed the factthat the caravan of carts was coming along in the rear, escorted by afew files of troops; but there was nothing to be seen of the unfortunateSam-riek drivers, and Frobisher was forced to the conclusion that,rather than encumber themselves with other prisoners, the soldiers hadsimply shot down and butchered the few who might have remained aliveafter the capture of the encampment.

  Having thus discovered all that was possible at the moment, Frobisherclosed the curtains again and threw himself back in the litter, a triflerelieved by his few breaths of fresh air, and determined to sleep, if hecould, so that he might the sooner recover his strength, and be fit toattempt his escape should the chance occur. As he painfully twisted hisbody round so as to lie on his back, and thus take as much weight aspossible off his broken ribs, he became aware of something hard in hiship-pocket, and thrusting in his hand, he brought out the littletravelling-flask of brandy which he had used to revive Ling that verymorning.

  How little he had thought when he did so, that the next occasion onwhich he was to use it would find him a prisoner in the hands of abarbarous soldiery, on his way--he had not a shadow of doubt--toimprisonment and, only too probably, a revolting, lingering death at theend of all!

  However, as he told himself, he was not dead yet--very far from itindeed; and while there was life there was always hope. So he took agood long pull at the flask, and felt so much benefited and restoredthereby that a very few minutes afterward he fell into a doze which,although not exactly amounting to complete unconsciousness, yet servedto mitigate to a considerable extent the pain from which he wassuffering, and mercifully prevented his mind from dwelling unduly uponthe horrid possibilities of the future before him. Finally, he fellinto a deep and refreshing sleep.

  When he awoke it was broad daylight, and the atmosphere was perceptiblycooler. This, together with the fact that the palanquin was frequentlytilted to a considerable angle, and that the bearers seemed to befinding some difficulty in retaining their footing, convinced him thatthey must be descending the other side of the range of hills which heknew he would have had to cross if he had been allowed to continue hisjourney to Yong-wol. But he felt pretty certain that Yong-wol was notthe objective of the party. Since they had been informed of thepresence of the caravan, they must naturally also have been told that arebel force awaited its arrival there; and they would, of course, takeparticular care to avoid an encounter, especially if it were known thatthe rebels were there in force.

  It was just noon by Frobisher's watch--which he had been allowed toretain, or which had escaped the notice of his captors--when theyregained level ground; and half an hour or so later the company came toa halt, the litter was set down, and all hands, as Frobisher could seeby looking through the curtains, prepared to make a meal.

  He was by this time beginning to suffer very severely from thirst, andhad about made up his mind to call for Ling and order him to bring somewater, when that individual softly pulled the curtains aside and stoodlooking down at the prisoner with an expression on his face thatFrobisher found difficult to fathom. Then, seeing that the Englishmanwas conscious, Ling remarked:

  "Me glad see mastel open eyes again. Me thinkee once that mastel killeddead."

  "It is no fault of yours that I was not, you treacherous rascal!"returned Frobisher, so savagely that the Korean involuntarily steppedbackward a pace. "If ever I get out of this and can get my hands onyou, I'll make you sorry for your betrayal of me!"

  "Ah, mastel," exclaimed Ling, glancing apprehensively over his shoulder;"no speak so loud. Listen. When you save my life this molning, me wishvelly much that me could wain you, but me dale no
t then--it too late.But Ling nevel folget kindness of mastel; and me tly to savee you, ifcan. But to do that me must pletend me velly glad you caught; pletendme velly angly against you. Allee same, me not so leally; and me doallee can fol you on q.t."

  Despite his anger and pain Frobisher could scarcely refrain from smilingat the quaint "pidgin" English, especially the phrase "q.t.", which theman had evidently picked up from some Englishman, and of which he seemedquite proud. But he sternly repressed the inclination, and lookedkeenly at Ling, to ascertain, if he could, whether the man were reallyin earnest in saying that he would help him if he could. The Korean nowbore the scrutiny boldly, and did not lower his eyes; and from theexpression of his face Frobisher felt almost convinced that Ling meantwhat he said. If the fellow could be relied upon implicitly, he wouldbe simply invaluable, and might be the means of getting Frobisher out ofthe clutches of the Koreans; whereas, without assistance, escape seemedalmost beyond the bounds of possibility. It was therefore in a gentlervoice that the Englishman said:

  "Very well, Ling; I'll believe you. And, what's more, if you proveyourself true to me, and help me to effect my escape, I'll see that youare given a reward such as you have never before dreamed of. But if youwant to prove that you are in earnest, for goodness' sake bring mewater, and plenty of it; I am nearly dying of thirst."

  After another anxious glance round, as though he feared that, even atthat distance, his and Frobisher's conversation might have beenoverheard, Ling turned away with a heavy scowl on his face--presumablyto give the correct colour to his proposed part--and with an admirableassumption of indifference went toward the place where the soldiers werealready partaking of their simple meal of boiled rice and a thin kind ofsoup, washed down by copious draughts of raki, a strong, pungent spiritdistilled from rice.

  Here he picked up an empty cooking-pot, washed it out in the littlebrook by the side of which they were encamped, filled it with water, andthen sauntered back to Frobisher with it, dashing it down on the groundso violently that at least half the contents were spilt. This did notgreatly matter, however, since there was still sufficient left for theEnglishman's requirements, and the effect of the action was good. Ifthere was one man among them who appeared to hate and despise theEnglishman more thoroughly than the others, that man was Ling; andFrobisher could scarcely bring himself to believe, even after Ling'sassurance, that the feeling was not genuine, so excellent was the man'sacting--if acting it were.

  Much refreshed by the water, Frobisher was able to swallow a little ofthe rice which the Korean officer brought to him on a fibre mat, andimmediately felt benefited by it. With the cessation of the jarringmovement of the litter, too, the pain of his wounds became considerablyless acute, and altogether he was soon feeling much stronger and better.All the same, he decided that it would be wise policy on his part tofeign a continuance of extreme weakness and pain for some time longer,in order to throw the enemy off their guard. Naturally, they would notbe likely to watch him so closely if they believed him to be too feebleand too seriously injured to be capable of making any attempt at escape;and perhaps before long a favourable opportunity might present itself.

  The soldiers did not linger very long over their meal, and the caravanwas soon in motion again; but Frobisher observed that this time theircourse was almost parallel with the hills, instead of leaving themdirectly behind. It was therefore now certain that they were going toavoid Yong-wol, and consequently there would be little or no chance ofrescue by the rebels.

  Frobisher hoped that by keeping his ears open he might be able to gainsome idea as to the place which they were making for; and a littlelater, by hearing the constant repetition of a certain name, he came tothe conclusion that they were bound for some place called Chhung-ju--though where it was situated, and even whether it was really the name ofa place, he could not be at all certain.

  Shortly after nightfall of the third day after crossing the hills, theyentered a walled town of some size, situated on a river; and Lingcontrived an opportunity to inform Frobisher that the name of the placewas indeed Chhungju, and that the river was a branch or tributary of theriver Han. He also stated that news had been brought by a Governmentspy that the rebels at Yong-wol had somehow obtained knowledge of thecapture of the caravan, and that they had rapidly collected their forceswith the object of starting in pursuit of the party for the purpose ofrecovering the arms and ammunition before they could be delivered to theauthorities in Seoul. The rebels, reported Ling, were only sometwenty-four hours' journey behind; and, as it would be quite possiblefor them to cut off the troops by making direct for the capital, thecommander of the present force had determined to remain but a few hoursin Chhung-ju, in order to rest his men, and then to transfer the wholeparty, cargo and all, to boats or barges, and so proceed down the riverHan as far as Yo-ju. There the river would be left, and they wouldproceed by road to Su-won, and so to the port of Asan, where there wereenough Korean troops to enable the two parties combined to keep therebels at bay until reinforcements could arrive from Seoul.

  Accordingly Frobisher was not at all surprised when, at midnight, thepalanquin bearers arrived at the house where he had been confined underguard, and made signs for him to step into the litter. He did so,affecting great debility and pain, and was soon being carried at a rapidrate through the narrow, evil-smelling streets, strewn with garbage andthe putrefying carcasses of dogs, cats, and rats, down to the bamboowharf where the force was to embark. Several barges, equipped withlarge, square sails made of matting, could be dimly made out by thestarlight riding in mid-stream, and in these the cargo had been placed,while two large flat-bottomed boats were moored alongside the landing,ready for the conveyance of the men.

  Great haste was displayed in getting the troops on board, which rathersurprised Frobisher, until, under cover of the shadow cast by one of thesails, Ling found time to whisper that the rebels had made a forcedmarch, and were even then close to the town. Another spy in the serviceof the Government had brought the news an hour previously, and no timehad been lost in arranging to beat an immediate retreat. The northerngates had been shut and barricaded, so as to delay the pursuit as longas possible; and the commander of the force had already begun to sinkthe remainder of the craft lying in the river, that they might not beused by the rebels.

  Frobisher was watching the process of sinking one of these, whensuddenly he became aware of a commotion in the distance, graduallybecoming louder and more insistent until he recognised it for what itwas--the clatter and tramp and shouting of a large body of men.

  In a moment the air was vibrant with shouted orders, warnings, andinstructions. The men who had been told off to sink the river boatswere instantly recalled; and the little fleet hastily pushed off and gotunder way at the precise moment that the rebels reached the northerngate and, finding it shut, proceeded to attempt to batter it down.Frobisher, lying in his palanquin, listened to the tumult with feelingsof the utmost joy and relief. There were plenty of boats stilluninjured and afloat in the stream; and if the pursuers could but breakdown the gate quickly enough, secure the remaining craft, and come inpursuit, it was quite on the cards that he would be rescued, and thusavoid making acquaintance with that torture chamber, the idea of whichpersistently haunted him.

  The Korean officer was clearly a man of considerable courage andresource, for in the face of this sudden new danger he remainedperfectly cool, giving his orders clearly and concisely; and before afavouring slant of wind the little fleet drew away in good order fromthe shore, and began to glide quickly downstream before wind andcurrent.

  Looking behind--for he was placed in the high stern of one of the boats,where his view was unimpeded--Frobisher saw a glimmer of light spring upfrom the direction of the gate, which presently brightened to a luridglare as the wind fanned the flames. Unable to batter down the stoutgate as quickly as they desired, their pursuers had evidently collecteda quantity of combustibles, and had started to burn it down; and a fewminutes later their yells of tri
umph, floating down the wind, indicatedthat they had succeeded in the attempt, and that they had entered thetown. It would therefore be now only a matter of minutes before theydiscovered that their prey had escaped them by the skin of his teeth;and unless the rebels were content to leave matters at this juncture,they would soon secure possession of the remaining boats and start downthe river in pursuit.

  The officer in command of the Government troops was evidently fullyalive to the danger of the situation, for he continually shouted ordersand exhortations for speed to the various boats comprising the littlesquadron. And presently Frobisher observed that, finding their progressunsatisfactory, the crews had got out the long oars customarily used forforcing the craft upstream against the current, and were employing themas sweeps. With this additional power the boats began to slide throughthe water more rapidly, and Frobisher began to fear that, unless thepursuers were very quick indeed, they would fail to overtake them, evennow.

  By this time, however, he could plainly perceive the flicker of torchesmoving about the wharves and piers of Chhung-ju, and presently a few ofthose same lights appeared on the bosom of the river. The rebels hadevidently rowed out in small boats, and were towing the barges leftanchored in mid-stream to the shore. A moment before a sharp bend inthe river shut off his view of the town, the Englishman saw, to hisgreat satisfaction, the dark loom of matting sails, as the pursuingforce drew away from the banks.

  It was now a race of Korean against Korean; and it remained to see whichparty would win it. The troops, with their prisoner and the capturedarms and ammunition, had managed to secure nearly an hour's start, andwhat with wind, current, and sweeps, were making downstream toward themain channel of the river at a speed of about four knots an hour; and ofcourse, as soon as the main stream of the Han was entered, the currentwould become stronger and would sweep them along still more rapidly.Also, the fleet arriving first in the river would obtain the advantageof the increased rapidity, and might very easily be out of sight beforethe pursuers arrived there; and, if that happened, it was not unlikelythat the latter might abandon the chase as hopeless.

  It soon became evident, however, that the rebels were not going to bethrown off so easily; for, as the fleet emerged upon the broad bosom ofthe Han and began to turn westward, Frobisher perceived that thepursuing squadron was not a very long distance behind, and wasundoubtedly overhauling them rapidly. He was at first at a loss tounderstand how this could be, but a few minutes later his quick earcaught a certain sound floating down the breeze--a steady, monotonous,throbbing sound, something like--Ah, he had it now! Could it bepossible?

  Yes, undoubtedly it was the throbbing of machinery and the quick,muffled puffing of exhaust-steam. Evidently the rebels had discoveredsomething that the troops had overlooked--a small steamer, or pinnace;had promptly raised steam in her, probably by firing up with plenty ofoil and wood so as to obtain power quickly; and were utilising the craftto tow their squadron downstream, which, when once the boats had beenput in motion, would be a much quicker method of progression than theuse of sails and sweeps alone.

  In any case, the rebels were quickly overhauling them; and beforeanother hour had passed, Frobisher, continuing to watch the race withabsorbed interest, saw a streak of flame cut the rearward darkness, andalmost immediately he heard a vicious hum close above his head, followedshortly afterwards by the whiplike crack of a distant report. They werewell within range, then; and it was clear that the pursuers must bearmed with modern rifles, for a smooth-bore would not have sent a bulletnearly so far.

  There was instantly an outburst of excitement among the soldiers;muskets and rifles were hastily unslung and loaded, and a sharp fire wasopened over the sterns of the various craft. But apparently only veryfew of the weapons employed were equal to the range, for Frobisher coulddistinctly see that the missiles were falling short, by the littlespirts of foam which shone white in the moonlight where the bulletsstruck the water and ricochetted off. A moment later a much biggerflash burst from the bow of the little steamer, which could now beplainly made out as a small craft driven by a screw, and had theappearance of a launch that might have at one time belonged to abattleship; and the next moment a perfect storm of bullets came hurtlingclose overhead.

  Things were beginning to get rather too warm for the prisoner where hewas, he felt; especially as certain screams and cries from those abouthim indicated that the volley had been excellently directed. Hetherefore determined to seek shelter without further delay--for he hadno wish to be killed by his own party--and hastily dragged himself intothe shelter of the lighter's low bulwark.

  The soldiers, encouraged by their officer, responded gamely to theattack upon them, and opened a well-sustained fire on their opponents,who by now had drawn within range, even of the muskets. From his newposition Frobisher could see the splinters flying aboard several of thepursuing boats, while an occasional yell or scream showed that some atleast of the Korean bullets were finding their billets; but severalstark, motionless forms lying about the deck of the lighter showed thesuperior marksmanship and weapons of the rebels.

  The latter were now beginning to steal up alongside, though about ahundred yards still separated the combatants, and the firing becamegeneral on both sides. Indeed, so determined and persistent was thefusillade, that there was a continuous roar and rattle of sound; whilethe silvery sheen of the moonlit night was reddened by the glare of therifle-flashes.

  Before coming to the East, Frobisher had believed, in common with manyother people, that the Koreans were a cowardly and effeminate race,always more eager to avoid than to engage in a conflict--a race whichbrought about its ends by cunning and treachery rather than by force ofarms. But, whatever the characteristics of the nation as a whole mightbe, he could not fail to admire the vigour and energy with which bothsides were conducting this already sanguinary little battle on thewaters of the Han.

  To ensure that there should be no lack of ammunition the soldiers hadadopted the same expedient as Frobisher's at the camp. They had openedup several of the captured cases of ammunition, and had thrown theircontents into one big heap in the middle of the lighter's deck, so thatevery man might the more easily help himself; and the prisonercongratulated himself that he was at some distance from the pile, for hehad no desire to repeat his experience of a few days previously.

  The two squadrons were soon running downstream level with each other,the steam pinnace having reduced speed so that she might not pass theKoreans; and both fleets were gradually edging closer and still closertogether. As they did so, the volleys of musketry became ever fiercerand fiercer, until the air fairly vibrated with the sound, threaded withthe shrieks and groans of the wounded and dying.

  Scattered everywhere about the decks could be seen the forms of men whohad been struck down; and the splintered, chipped decks were alreadydeeply stained with blood. And although the action was generalthroughout the two fleets, it appeared as though the hottest part of thefire was being directed against the particular boat in which the youngEnglishman lay a prisoner.

  Frobisher soon found that, at such close range, his position under thelee of the low bulwark was anything but secure, since thenickel-jacketed bullets which the rebels were using were alreadydrilling holes clean through the thick planking and passing out throughthe opposite bulwark. He therefore again painfully removed himself,taking up a new position with his back against the stout mast of thebarge, with it between himself and the point from which the volleys werecoming. From this new position he made a fresh survey of hissurroundings, and assured himself that if matters went on like this muchlonger, there would be none left alive on board to defend the craft, andher capture would be certain. He rubbed his hands with satisfaction atthe thought that, perhaps, another hour might see him safely aboard therebel squadron.

  But where, meanwhile, he wondered, was Ling? If he were really sincerein his desire to show his gratitude, the time was at hand for him to doso. The number of able-bodied men on board was growing l
ess everymoment; and if Ling could only be persuaded to bring the Englishman histwo revolvers, loaded, he and the Korean might be able to obtainpossession of the craft, and steer her over to the shelter of the othersquadron. But alas! Frobisher had not far to look in order to discoverthe whereabouts of the man he was thinking of.

  Ling was close at hand, reclining in a half-sitting posture with hisback against the bulwark. His hands were spread open on the deck, hismusket having fallen from the nerveless fingers; his head was tiltedback until his high, conical hat had fallen off; and there, plainlyvisible in the moonshine, was a great patch of coagulating blood on histhroat, showing where a bullet had drilled him clean through the neck.Ling would never speak again in this world, and his career, whether forgood or for evil, was closed for ever.

  It was useless, therefore, for Frobisher to look for help in thatdirection; so if he were to escape at all he had only himself to relyupon. Unfortunately he was still much too weak from the effects of hiswound to be able to deal with the situation singlehanded; and therewere, as yet, quite enough of the barge's men remaining alive tooverpower and murder him in a moment if he were foolish enough toattempt any such thing.

  At this instant there occurred a fresh outburst of firing from theKorean boats, followed, a second later, by a loud booming report in thedirection of the rebel squadron that caused the very atmosphere tovibrate and the barge to quiver as though she had struck a rock.Frobisher painfully hauled himself to his feet and staggered to thebulwarks to ascertain what had happened, and a sufficientlydisheartening spectacle met his eyes. Several shots from the lastvolley had evidently penetrated the plating of the steam launch'sboiler, causing it to explode, blowing the frail sides of the littlecraft asunder and killing nearly every man of her crew. The Englishmanwas just in time to see her disappear below the surface of the river ina great cloud of steam, and to hear the shrieks of her wounded and dyingpeople as the engulfing waters swirled about them, the cries ofexecration from the rebels, and the exultant shouts of the Koreans; andhe realised that his last hope of escape was slipping away from him.

  Thrown into confusion by the loss of the steamer, the entire rebel fleetcame to a standstill, involuntarily brought to an anchor by the sunkenlaunch, which rested on the river bottom, still attached to the hawserby which the squadron was being towed. And as the hawser happened toconsist of chain cable instead of rope, and as it had been made fastwith a complicated system of hitches, that it might not slip, it waslikely to be some time before it could be cast off and the boats setfree to pursue once more.

  But the troops were not to escape without further punishment, after all.Maddened by this sudden wreckage of their hopes, the rebels againseized their rifles and poured a concentrated fire into the nearestvessel of the enemy, which chanced to be the boat containing Frobisherand his fortunes, she being last in the line; and that parting volleydid more damage than had been sustained during the whole of the fight.The aim was good, and the bullets swept the decks of the barge like atempest of hail, sending every man who was not under cover intoeternity. Once again, also, the folly of leaving loose piles ofammunition exposed was demonstrated; for, penetrating the thin bulwarksas though they were so much paper, several of the shots ploughed intothe heap of cartridges, exploding it and scattering death and mutilationall round.

  When the smoke of the explosion cleared away, it was seen that therewere scarcely half a dozen men left alive; and if the boat next in linehad not very promptly responded to the frenzied hails of the survivors,and at once put back to take them on board, with their prisoner, everyman would have been lost; for they had scarcely transferred themselvesto the deck of the other craft before Frobisher's barge, with a largehole blown in her bottom by the explosion, heeled over and sank, takingher dead and wounded to the bottom with her.

  The fight was now virtually over, and only a few more long-distanceshots were exchanged before the Korean fleet was out of range, leavingthe rebel squadron behind them in a state of hopeless confusion. Latethat same afternoon the town of Yo-ju was reached, and the men and cargowere disembarked without any signs of the reappearance of the rebels.In fact, the latter had given up the chase, thoroughly disheartened,after the destruction of the steamer, and had reconciled themselves tothe loss of the arms.

  Fortunately for them, the Englishman, Drake, had not been paid inadvance, and the money was therefore still intact and available for thepurchase of another consignment; so, with true Oriental submission tofate, they retraced their steps to Yong-wol, and subsequently sent amessenger to Drake, informing him that the convoy had been attacked andoverpowered, the whole of the cargo captured, and the young white man incommand either slain or made prisoner.

  Frobisher, very much alive, but still weak from his wounds, arrived indue time at Asan, closely guarded by a file of soldiery, and was carrieddirect to the fort at the mouth of the river.

  Here he was immediately haled before the officer in command of thegarrison and closely questioned, through an interpreter, as to hisconnection with the matter of bringing arms to the rebels. But he hadalready foreseen that this would happen, and had decided upon his lineof conduct; so he steadfastly refused to supply the requiredinformation, even when threatened with the naked sword which theofficial, in a towering rage, drew and flashed before his eyes.

  Seeing that this demonstration produced no effect upon the intrepidyoung Englishman, Sung-wan--for so the officer was named--gave a fewcurt orders to the men who were guarding him, and Frobisher was hurriedfrom the room, conducted down several long, gloomy corridors, andfinally thrust into a large cell. This, as soon as his eyes becameaccustomed to the semi-darkness, he could see was furnished with severalinstruments of a horribly suggestive character; and it did not take aman of his intelligence long to realise that he had at last made theacquaintance of that supremely diabolic institution--a Koreantorture-chamber.