as close as he
could to the low, muddy shore on which the rising tide was beginning now
to flow again, regardless of any ill consequences to himself or his
ship; albeit he was supposed to be a neutral, the Government of the
United States not having taken sides with us in the war. "Blood's
thicker than water, boys! Let us lend them a hand. Thunder, they are
brother sailors and white men like ourselves!"

CHAPTER TWENTY EIGHT.

THE HARVEST OF DEATH!

Nor did the sympathy of the American commodore cease here; for the boats
of the _Toeywan_ helped to pick up many of our wounded fellows who were
struggling in the water, while a lot of his men, coming alongside one of
the gunboats, which had redoubled their fire in order to cover the
landing of the assaulting party, climbed on board and "lent a hand" to
man the gun.

The stalwart "down easters," when called to order by their officer later
on, when leaving this vessel to regain their own ship, excusing
themselves for having taken so unneutral a part in the action, on the
plea that seeing we were short-handed and in a tight place, they had
done it "for fellowship sake!"

Most of our fellows were in the attacking column, though neither I nor
Larkyns, nor, indeed, any of the other youngsters, were permitted to
accompany them, but I can tell of my own knowledge with what wistful
eyes we watched their progress from the deck of the little spitfire of a
vessel that I was only on board of on sufferance, I having smuggled
myself in with Larkyns, who was on duty as midshipman of the launch; for
the gunboat had now returned to the barriers further up the river and
began hammering again at the batteries, in order to divert their
attention from our field column, after assisting to bring up a quota of
the force and waiting till they disembarked from the boats.

Gallantly the little band, a compact mass of six hundred men, pursued
their way through the treacherous mud, night closing in as they
struggled onward, and the darkness only lit by the flashes of our guns
firing over the head of the column at the fortifications in their front;
the Chinese only replying to our cannonade in a half-hearted fashion, as
if they had got weary of the job, leading us thus to believe that the
"forlorn hope" had an easy task before it!

But, Larkyns and myself were both deceived, this sudden quiet on the
part of the enemy being really a ruse; for, hardly had the column
reached firm ground than