By this time the boat was hauled up over the grapnel, and I shrank away in despair, feeling bitterly disappointed at Ching's non-appearance, but full of confidence in him--faith the stronger for an intense desire to make up to the man for misjudging him before. Then the grapnel was out of the mud, and hauled over the side; the boat began to yield to the tide; and Mr Brooke stepped to the mast himself, being unwilling to call the men in the cabin into the people's sight. "Come and take a hand at the rope here, coxswain," said Mr Brooke. "Mr Herrick, take the tiller." But at the first grasp of our intention, as they saw the preparation for hoisting the sail, there was a fierce yell from the shore, and the people scattered to right and left. "What does that mean?" I said to myself. But the next instant I knew, for they were making for different boats, into which they jumped, and rapidly began to unmoor. "Humph! time we were off," said Mr Brooke. "Hoist away, man, I cannot do it alone." "I am a-hysting, sir, but the tackle's got foul somehow. It's this here rough rope. The yard won't move." "Tut tut--try, man, try." "All right, sir, I'll swarm up the the mast, and set it free." "But there is no time, my man. Haul--haul." The man did haul, but it was like pulling at a fixed rope, and the sail obstinately refused to move, while to my horror there were no less than six boats pushing off, and I foresaw capture, a Chinese prison, and severe punishment--if we could not get help--for stealing a boat. "All hands on deck," cried Mr Brooke, making use of the familiar aboard-ship order, and just as the first two boats were coming rapidly on, and were within a dozen yards, our Jacks sprang up armed and ready. The effect was magical. Evidently taken by surprise, the Chinamen stopped short, and the boats all went on drifting slowly down the stream. But at the end of a minute, as we made no attack, but all stood awaiting orders, they recovered their confidence, uttered a shout to encourage one another, and came on. "I don't want to injure them," Mr Brooke muttered, but he was forced to act. "Give them the butts of your pieces, my lads, if they try to lay hold of the boat. Mind, they must be kept off." He had no time to say more, but seized the fowling-piece as the first boat was rowed alongside, and amidst a fierce burst of objurgations, in a tongue we could not understand, a couple of men seized the gunwale of the boat, while two more jumped aboard. The men who caught hold let go again directly, for the butts of the men's rifles and the gunwale were both hard for fingers, and the Chinese yelled, and the two who leaped aboard shrieked as they were seized and shot out of the boat again. But by this time another craft of about our own size had come alongside, and was hanging on to us, while four more were trying to get in, and others were pushing off from the shore.