Capture of Yen Sing

Southland Times, Issue 22728, 2 November 1935, Page 18

Capture of Yen Sing

THE SECOND ESCAPE. Chapter IX. At these words the four players looked up with a start and without wasting a second, flew for their lives (as they imagined), but not so with Yen Sing. Seeing this, Bob entered, trusting that his disguise would not be penetrated. When he came in Yen Sing said with a slight lift of his eyebrows, “Why did you frighten away my friends?” “So he knows it was me,” thought Bob to himself as he searched for a reply. “Oh them. Just so I could enjoy the dreams of opium and your company,” responded Bob airily. For a moment there was silence in the room. Then noticing that Yen Sing offered no further speech, Bob slipped into one of the bunks. For a while he pretended to draw contentedly from his pipe, but then he became aware that Yen Sing was regarding him steadily. With a shiver he prayed that Yen Sing would not find him out. Suddenly, to his dismay, as he rubbed his face with his hands he found that his disguise was coming off. The heat of the den had probably caused it. Now it would be only a matter of time before Yen Sing found out, so he determined to try and capture him now.

Sliding from his bunk he sat on the edge and covered his face with his hands. Then through the cracks of his fingers he saw that Yen Sing was not looking, so he jumped.

Uttering a grunt of pain and surprise as Bob landed on him, Yen Sing was borne back by the impetus of the jump. However, he soon recovered and with a crash the two met and began fighting and rolling round on the floor. Soon the room was strewn with clothes and other things as the two fought on. At length, Bob got the upper hand and held Yen Sing on the floor on his back. “Now,” he thought as he brought all his strength into play, “I have Yen Sing and he shan’t escape this time.”

But he spoke too soon. “Ouch,” Bob gasped as Yen Sing brought his leg up into Bob’s stomach with a cowardly blow. Unable to stand the pain, Bob released his grip and taking advantage of this, Yen Sing jumped to his feet and ran swiftly out the front door. Recovering, Bob wasted no time and immediately went in pursuit of the cut-throat. Yen Sing ran swiftly away

from the neighbourhood of the town, casting hasty glances behind him. Still they ran on, neither gaining much ground. Then ahead of Yen Sing Bob saw a river, but this was not what interested him. It was the fact that there was a boat at the river’s edge. If Yen Sing reached there it would be more than likely that the pirate would have an excellent chance of escaping. Desperately, he strained every muscle for that race to the boat. Yet still the gap between the two had not lessened very much. Now his head was beginning to drum and his legs were like lead. (To be Continued). —Cousin Desmond Stone (14), Morton road.