In the Yellow Sea Read online

  Produced by Al Haines

  Cover art]

  [Frontispiece: "I ALSO DROPPED IN THE BLUE SEA BEHIND HIM." _See page_121.]

  In The Yellow Sea

  HENRY FRITH

  LONDON

  HENRY FROWDE,

  HODDER & STOUGHTON

  Title page]

  PREFACE

  Perhaps a few words of explanation as regards this volume may bepermitted. The following extract from a letter, from a relative whoaddresses me as "Uncle Harry," will suffice at first. His letter isdated "Shanghai, November 1897":--

  "Here are all the papers, with manuscript. Some of the latter istranslated by a friend, and some is newspaper work. But I daresay youwill be able to work up the matter. Do it as you like best; but don'tgive me away, please. You will find some additional information inVladmir's work, and in the _Mail_, etc. etc. But I am only sending youmy experiences and adventures. Call them what you like.

  "JULIUS."

  Here then is the narrative, in which the writer does not spare himself.He certainly has had adventures by land and sea, between China andJapan--"'twixt Jack and Jap"--during the late war. I have used hispapers and extracts in the compilation of the story; with gleaningsfrom _Heroic Japan_ and newspapers, which I have examined, withhistory, for my own benefit, and to verify my "nephew's" account of hisadventures during that stirring time in the Far East.

  HENRY FRITH.

  UPPER TOOTING, S.W., _March_ 1898.

  CONTENTS

  CHAP.

  I. A DISAPPOINTMENT--I ESCAPE MY FORETOLD DESTINY--THE _OSPREY_--THE STORM II. A TERRIBLE POSITION--A PROPHETIC VISION--SINKING! III. THE STEAMER _FENG SHUI_, FOR CHINA--CAPTAIN GOLDHEUGH--DISCIPLINE AND A ROPE'S END! IV. BOUND TO CHINA--THE VOYAGE AND MY EXPERIENCES--_CASH_ IN HONG KONG--RUMOUR OF WAR V. A SECRET MISSION--KIDNAPPED!--THE SCHOONER--THE ASSASSIN VI. SHANGHAI: ITS IMPRESSIONS--MURDER!--A RESCUE, AND A HAPPY ENCOUNTER VII. THE _FENG SHUI_ CHANGES HER NAME FOR LUCK--THE TRANSPORT--THE JAPANESE MAN-OF-WAR--SURRENDER OF THE _KOWSHING_ VIII. THE END OF THE _FENG SHUI_--CAPTURED AND PRESSED! IX. THE BATTLE IN THE YELLOW SEA--THE EVIL GENIUS OF "FENG SHUI" X. A TRANSFORMATION SCENE--I BECOME A "CHINESE" XI. CHINESE LANGUAGE--"HELD UP"--BETRAYED! XII. ABANDONED!--I FALL AMONG THIEVES, BUT FIND SOME "GOOD SAMARITANS" XIII. KINCHOW--ARRESTED BY CHINESE SOLDIERS--CAPTURE OF THE CITY XIV. THE SACK OF KINCHOW--RELEASED--"CASTLED"--A CHECK XV. AN ADVENTURE ON THE HILLS--THE VALLEY OF THE SHADOW OF DEATH--TALIEN-WAN XVI. PORT ARTHUR--THE MASSACRE IN THE TOWN--RELEASE XVII. EXPLANATIONS--ON BOARD THE _NANIWA_ AGAIN--THE BLOCKADE OF WEI-HAI-WEI--ON SERVICE XVIII. ON BOARD THE TORPEDO-BOAT--BREAKING OF THE BOOM--CAPTURE OF WEI-HAI-WEI--CONCLUSION

  LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS

  I ALSO DROPPED IN THE BLUE SEA BEHIND HIM (_see p._ 121) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . _Frontispiece_

  "THE RAIN'S A-COMIN' THICK"

  WE PROCEEDED TO THE CONSULATE

  I SAW THE UNLUCKY _FENG SHUI_ PLUNGE DOWN BY THE STERN SUDDENLY

  ONE CHINESE VESSEL WAS MOST FEARFULLY PUNISHED

  THEY LAUGHED AT THE STONES I THREW AT THEM

  THE CHINESE WERE LYING ANYHOW

  THE DEED WAS DONE! TORPEDO-BOAT NO. 6 SPED AWAY

  IN THE YELLOW SEA