"One big smokee go long.

Me see three piecee bamboo walkee, chop chop!" I rose up in the stern-sheets equally excited; and there, to my joy, I saw right ahead and crossing our beam, a small three-masted vessel, showing the white ensign and blood cross of Saint George, the most beautiful flag in the world, I thought.
It was the gunboat, without doubt.
She had sighted us long before we noticed her; and seeing from our altering our course now that we desired to speak her, she downed her helm and was soon alongside the sampan.
Breathless, I clambered on board, a smart blue-jacket with "HMS Blazer" printed in gold letters on the ribbon of his straw hat, handing me the sidelines of the accommodation ladder, which reached far enough down for me to step on to it from the gunwale of the sampan; and when the lieutenant in command of the gunboat, a handsome fellow like Mr Mackay, addressed me, I could not at first speak from emotion.
But my mission was too important to be delayed, and I soon found my voice; a very few words being sufficient to explain all the circumstances of the case to the lieutenant.
"Full speed ahead!" he called out to the officer on the bridge, as soon as he had heard me out, directing also the blue-jacket who had received me at the entry port to pass the word down that he wanted to speak to the gunner; while Ching Wang was invited to come on board and the sampan veered astern by its painter and taken in tow.
The lieutenant turned to me when these orders had been given, although he did not keep me half a minute waiting; and, calling me by my name, which I had told him, said, "We shall be up to the pirates before nightfall, Mr Graham, for the old Blazer can go ten knots on an emergency like this.

I've no doubt we'll be in plenty of time to rescue your shipmates before they have another brush with the pirates." He then invited me to go below and have some refreshment; but I was too anxious about those on board the poor Silver Queen to care about eating then.

However, I took a nice long drink of some delicious lemonade with pleasure, for I was so thirsty that my tongue had swollen to the roof of my mouth; while Ching Wang, who had recovered his usual placid and imperturbable demeanour, accepted the hospitalities of the crew with great complacency, his emotion not affecting his appetite at any rate.
If I did not care about eating, though, I was highly interested in the preparation of the Blazer presently for action, her five-inch breech- loaders being loaded with Palliser shell and the hoppers of her machine- guns filled; while the crew with rifles in their hands and cutlasses by their side mustered at quarters.
"I think, Mr Graham," said the lieutenant, noticing my admiring gaze, "we'll be able to teach your Malay friends something of a lesson--eh ?" "I hope so, sir," I replied.

"I don't think there's much thinking about it, though.