ey once pitched in one of their terrible fire balls or "stink-pots" of
fulminating stuff to asphyxiate us with its beastly smell; but Tim
Rooney, taking hold of it and plunging the obnoxious thing in a bucket
of water, rid us at once of the poisonous fumes.

In the evening, when it was growing dark, a tapping was heard at one of
the ports in the captain's cabin; and both Tim and I were just on the
point of firing, when, to our great surprise Ching Wang's well-known
voice was heard.

"Chin, chin lilly pijjin! Comee one chop quick, me wantee talkee
talkee. Lis'en me, an' you lickee kyfong number one go!"

"I thought he'd never turn traitor," cried Captain Gillespie
emphatically; Tim Rooney adding with equal warmth, "Nor I, sorr. I've
allers found the Chinee chap a good Oirishman ivery day he's bin'
aboord!"

The upshot of Ching Wang's communication was, that the pirates were
anxious to get all they could out of the ship and clear off; and,
believing that he had joined them, they had sent him to negotiate terms
with the captain, the pirate chief saying that he would spare all our
lives if we would let him have what dollars there was on board and a
ransom for the ship, on account, of course, of their not being able to
get at the cargo.

Before Captain Gillespie could indignantly refuse making any terms with
the rascals, Ching Wang proceeded to say that he had overheard the
pirates saying that the reason for their violent hurry was that an
English gunboat had been seen in the distance cruising off the mouth of
the Canton river.

"Me gottee sampan," continued Ching Wang, declaring now his real motive.
"Lilly pijjin squeezee one port, me go along findee gunboat an' catchee
kyfong chop chop!"

"First rate," cried Mr Mackay, who acted as general interpreter,
knowing the Chinaman's lingo well, explaining that the reason why Ching
Wang had not gone off by himself in the sampan was that he did not know
the right course to steer for the Canton river in the first place; and,
secondly, he was afraid that the officers of the gunboat might not
believe his story about the Silver Queen being assailed by pirates
unless some European belonging to her accompanied him. "Nothing could
have been more sensible, you see, cap'en; and Ching Wang's got his head
screwed on straight."

"And where is this boat ye're going in?"

"Sampan, go long now," returned Ching Wang, motioning with his hand to
the water below the stern. "Go long ch