ately surrounded by
an eager, gesticulating crowd, who pointed to Frobisher and handled
their blades in sanguinary anticipation. But, holding up his hand for
silence, Ah-fu said a few words to his followers which produced an
immediate and remarkable effect. Sheathing their weapons, they broke
out into shouts of laughter, and began to discuss with one another the
details of what they evidently considered an excellent joke; and
Frobisher, knowing something of the Chinese pirates' idea of amusement,
felt that he would infinitely have preferred being killed on the spot to
being kept alive to provide sport for these barbarians. Quen-lung had
certainly been right when he had prophesied disaster as the result of
attacking the "Unconquerable"--as Frobisher afterwards found was indeed
the name of the sect to which the pirates belonged--although what reason
the man had had for being so sure, the young Englishman was utterly
unable to guess.

The matter having evidently been settled entirely to the pirates'
satisfaction, Frobisher's legs were unbound, so that he could walk, and,
closely guarded by two men carrying long, broad-bladed knives, he was
led down the sloping gangway to the wharf, followed by the rest of the
crowd talking and laughing hilariously. Thence he was taken up the
hill, a distance of a quarter of a mile, to the fort.

On reaching his destination he was amazed to note the enormous strength
of the building, and the consequently small amount of damage that had
been done by the fire of the gunboat. With the exception of the hole in
the tower, and a few splintered and starred "splashings" where the
missiles had struck, very little actual injury seemed to have been
inflicted, notwithstanding the excellent practice of the _Su-chen's_
gunners. The walls, he decided, must be enormously thick, thicker even
than those of the fortress of Asan, which were stout enough to withstand
anything less than heavy gun fire.

He was not permitted to examine the appearance of the building very
closely, for, observing his hesitation, the two guards prodded him
vindictively with the points of their knives, and pushed him before them
through the massive stone gateway, which was protected by a strong
portcullis at either end, as well as an iron double door between, strong
enough to turn rifle bullets. Frobisher now realised that even if he
had succeeded in sinking all the junks and reaching the gate of the fort
his difficulties w