And then I saw that the marines had charge of another, who suddenly made an attempt to escape, and our men only having one hand, at liberty, the other holding a rifle, he would have succeeded, had not six or seven of the soldiers rushed at and seized him, dragging him to the lessening heap of chains, when he suddenly threw up his hands and dropped upon his knees, throwing them off their guard by making believe to resign himself to his fate.
But before the first fetter could be dragged to where he knelt, he sprang up with the fire of fury in his eyes, and made a rush at the mandarin, seized him, and it would have gone ill with his gaudy costume, had not a couple of the officers dragged out their swords.
What followed took only a moment or two.

I saw the blades flash, heard a sickening sound, and saw the prisoner stagger away, while the second of the two officers followed him, delivering chop after chop with his heavy blade, till the unfortunate wretch dropped upon the deck, where he was at once seized and pitched overboard without the slightest compunction.
"Here, interpreter, tell the chief I cannot have my deck turned into a butcher's shamble like this," cried the captain angrily.
Ching shuffled forward, and advanced towards the mandarin, spoke at length; the mandarin replied with a haughty smile, and Ching backed away again.
"Gleat big-button mandalin say he velly much 'blige captain big fine ship, and he allee light, no hurtee 'tall by killee badee bad men." "Bah!" ejaculated the captain, turning angrily away; and I saw Mr Reardon's face grow fixed, as if carved in wood, in his efforts to keep from smiling.
The last of the prisoners had been brought out of confinement, thrown down, chained, and bundled into the barge, half the soldiers followed, orders were given, and the second barge pushed off, when the captain once more had recourse to Ching's help.
"Ask the mandarin if he will come into the cabin and take a glass of wine." But this was declined, and Ching communicated the fact that the great man "would not eatee dlinkee, but wantee velly much see ship." He was taken round, the whole following keeping at his heels, and his officers and soldiers scowling fiercely, or looking about with supreme contempt, as they made a great display of their weapons, and acted generally as if they were condescending to look round, so as to be civil to the Western barbarians.
At last they went over the side, and the gorgeous barge was rowed away.
"Thank goodness, Reardon," I heard the captain say; and directly after, as I was passing, Tom Jecks' voice was heard in the midst of a group of the Jacks.
"Say, messmate," he said, "fancy, stripped and fists only, how many Chinese could you polish off ?" "Dunno," said a voice, which I knew to be that of Billy Wakes, a big manly-looking young Plymouth fellow.

"'Course I could do one, and I think I could doctor two on 'em; I'd have a try at three; and I'm blest if I'd run away from four.

That is about as fair as I can put it, messmate." I was helping Barkins to the companion-way, and Smith was walking very slowly by us.

But as we heard this we stopped to laugh, just as Mr Brooke came up and asked what amused us.