In an instant such a din had arisen as he would once have believed could come only from the infernal regions.

From all four sides at once came the angry yells of thousands of men, mingled with thousands of detonations. The crashing racket of numberless gongs made the night still more hideous. The storm of noise was ear-splitting, nerve-racking.

Believing the south wall to be the place most in danger, Dave rushed across the compound in that direction.

CHAPTER XI-A SURPRISE PARTY FOR THE GOVERNOR

"It's Chinese war-_real_ Chinese war!" roared Danny Grin in his chum's ear, as he pointed down at the packed throng in the open beyond the compound. "The heathen are beating gongs, ringing cowbells, shooting off firecrackers and yelling like wild-cats-just as the Chinese did in battle a thousand years ago. They're trying to scare us to death with their racket."

"It's awful to turn a machine gun loose on a tightly packed crowd like that," shivered Dave, "but you've got to do it. Turn it loose, Dan, and keep it going. I leave you in charge at this point."

Dave ran around the rampart to the western side. As he hastened he grinned at the Chinese idea that noise can play any big part in winning a battle. Yet even Darrin admitted that the din was abominable enough to shake the strongest nerves.

At the western wall he gave his orders, then rushed onward to the north wall, which included the main gate.

As he ran, he noted again a low, stone building which he had several times pa.s.sed in the compound. The roof was not high, and suggested that it covered merely a cellar underneath.

Dan believed that, if the fanaticism of the approaching mult.i.tudes were to last a few minutes longer, the rabble would be able, despite the most desperate resistance by the Americans, to sweep up over the walls and ma.s.sacre every white man and woman in the yamen.

"Why didn't I think of that before?" Darrin asked himself, looking down at the low-arched stone building. "That must be the governor's magazine. I wonder if it holds any ammunition?"

Descending at a run, Dave strode over to a place where, under a separate fringe of lighted lanterns, sat the governor of Nu-ping. At one side, eyes downcast, Sin Foo and "Burnt-face" sat.

"Mr. Sin Foo," Dave began, "that is a magazine over there, isn't it?"

Not glancing up, the under secretary addressed the governor in humble tones.

"Yes, it is a magazine," answered the under secretary, at last.

"Is there any powder stored there?"

Again Sin Foo addressed the governor.

"His excellency is not certain whether there is powder there or not,"

replied the interpreter.

"Hand me the key," commanded Dave. "I will look for myself."

At this there was more prolonged conversation between Sin Foo and his august though at present dejected chief.

"Hand me the key," Ensign Darrin insisted brusquely, "or I shall take other measures."

Only a few words pa.s.sed in Chinese this time. Even that had to be shouted, for the clamor beyond the walls was indescribable, and the roar of machine guns and the rattle of navy rifles was all but deafening. Sin Foo, fumbling under his own long robes, produced a ma.s.sive bronze key.

"Good enough," said Dave, "provided this be the right key." Then, turning to one of the sailors, who had come down into the compound on an errand Dave asked:

"You have an electric searchlight with you, haven't you?"

"Aye, aye, sir."

"Then come with me, on the jump."

Both hastened over to the low building that Dave had imagined to be the magazine. The key fitted, the lock yielded easily. Officer and man stepped inside.

"Powder!" gasped the sailorman. "Looks like two hundred kegs of it here, sir."

"Hand me the light and force open one of the barrels," Dave directed.

In a few moments the head of one of the barrels had been sprung. Taking a handful of powder outside, Dave placed it on a sheet of paper from one of his pockets, and touched a lighted match to one corner of the paper. When the traveling flame reached the powder there was a bright flash, accompanied by a puff of smoke.

"That powder is excellent," remarked Darrin.

"Aye, aye, sir," a.s.sented the seaman. "Are you thinking, sir, of using any of this stuff to plant among the heathen outside?"

"Only in case they succeed in getting into the compound," the young ensign replied, coolly. "I am going to ask the ladies if they prefer to group themselves around this building. Then, at the last moment, if all our forces are driven away from the ramparts, we can fall back on this magazine. When we see that the Chinese are bound to overwhelm us, a match dropped in a powder train here will save all of the women from Chinese torture. What do you think of the idea, Sampson?"

"All in the day's work for men of the Navy, and the best thing, I reckon, sir, for the ladies under the circ.u.mstances," answered the seaman.

"I believe that will be the general opinion," answered Dave. "Sampson, you know how to stack this thing so that a flash of light in a powder train will set off the whole magazine?"

"Aye, aye, sir."

"May I leave you here and depend upon you to fix the mine so that it will go up in the air at my order?"

"You may, sir."

"Thank you, Sampson," replied Dave Darrin, gripping the sailor's hand hard. "You're the right shade of blue, and a real man of the Navy."

"The same to yourself, sir, thank you," rejoined Sampson, taking back his electric lamp and going inside the magazine.

Dave ran over to the spot where the women had gathered.

"Ladies," he announced, gazing straight at each in turn, "I have an unpleasant announcement to make. From the look of things our men are presently going to be driven back from the ramparts. Then the yellow hordes will swarm over into this compound. If we are vanquished, have you any idea of the horrors of Chinese torture that will be inflicted upon you by the yellow fiends?"

Some of the older missionary women shuddered, turning their eyes heavenward, as though in agitated prayer.

"My wife is among you," Dave went on, speaking as softly as he could and make himself heard above the din of combat. "What I am going to offer you is the best, under the circ.u.mstances, that I can wish for her. That is-at the instant when hope must be finally abandoned-instant death. In the magazine there is a heavy stock of powder. One of my men is now laying a powder train which, when touched off, will explode the magazine. In my opinion, when all hope has gone, the wisest thing for all of you is to be near enough to die in the big upheaval of the exploding magazine. Do you agree with me that this will be the best step to take when there is no other hope of escaping from the Chinese furies?"

"Under such circ.u.mstances I will trust you to know what is best to be done," said Belle Darrin, resting a hand on her young husband's arm.

"Come, then," begged Dave. He led the way. By twos and threes the other women followed, though some of them faltered. The few men non-combatants removed the wounded to places near the magazine.

"Now," commanded Dave, turning to the marine who had just brought up the quaking Pembroke, "leave your prisoner here, and you and Sampson go and bring the governor and his attendants here."