Day of Rebellion by Johnny O'Brien Read Free Book Online Page B

you come to be here? Haven’t you heard? The whole Taiping rebel army is marching on Shanghai and the city is evacuating…”
    The boys didn’t have the breath to respond.
    “Climb over that section there and get yourselves undercover, we’re expecting the rest of this horde any minute… and I warn you – they’re a hideous lot.”
    As they clambered over the barricade they discovered that a number of troops had taken up position behind and actually inside it. Most wore uniforms similar to Captain Fleming’s. There were British but also some Sikh soldiers from India, as well as one or two Chinese. Jack noticed two machine-gun posts built into the barricade. It was odd but, just like some of the things they had seen in the shop, the guns looked quite modern.
    Captain Fleming was standing high up on the barricade.
    “Here they come!” he bellowed.
    Looking through a gap in the barricade Jack could see that the Taiping cavalry charge had started. In seconds, the Taiping were racing straight at them in a maelstrom of thundering hooves, dust and metal.
    “Hold your fire…” Fleming shouted, his voice steady, but a single shot rang out from a panicked soldier behind the barricade.
    “Hold your damned fire!” Fleming raged.
    Jack could see the eyes of the horsemen and feel the vibration of hooves through the ground. They were only a few metres away now. He closed his eyes and tried to dig himself deeper into the barricade.
    “Fire!” Fleming boomed.
    The whole place erupted. There was a cacophony of rifle and machine-gun fire; Jack thought his eardrums might burst.
    “Cease fire!” Fleming bellowed.
    The gunfire stopped and Jack looked out onto the street. The Taiping cavalry charge had been halted in its tracks and all that was left was a mass of dead and dying men and horses lying in the dust.
    “Jones, Sutcliffe – get out there and finish ’em off. Rest of you – reload – there’re more… don’t you worry about that. These Taiping – there’s no end to the blighters.”
    Fleming jumped down from his position on top of the barricade.
    “Sorry about that gentlemen… looks like you’ve got yourself caught up in the middle of a pitched battle. ’Fraid we’re not going to be able to hold out here much longer. We’ll have to retreat back to the main defence line.” Fleming looked at them with a beady eye as he reloaded his pistol. “Anyway, what’s your story?”
    “We got separated from our family, er, our father is a… trader… er… we’re heading to the waterfront.” Jack tried to sound convincing.
    “You’re from the British concession? Well, you’re in the wrong part of town. It’s lucky you bumped into us. We’ve got ammunition to fight off one more attack and then we need to regroup. I’ll give it two or three more days before Shanghai is completely overrun. The Taiping rebels have got limitless men, it seems…. and they’re well armed… got some modern weapons too… though sometimes they like to do things the old-fashioned way,” he cast his eye out on to the street at the heaped corpses of men and horses. “Such a waste, but I’m not complaining – it’s us or them.”
    The captain was interrupted by one of his men, yelling down from the top of the barricade. “Cap’n – they’re coming again – even more!”
    “Gawd. Already?” Captain Fleming’s face was set in grim determination. “They’re gluttons for punishment, this lot. Fanatics. You gents keep down here. We’ll fight then off and then we’ll be retreating… we’ll get you to safety, don’t worry about that.”
    But as Fleming stepped back to the barricade, a violent explosion came from behind them, and a powerful shockwave hit them like an express train. Jack was propelled backwards and landed awkwardly amid a cloud of dust. He spluttered and raised his head, peering through the swirling dust. The line of shops on the opposite side of the street had completely collapsed. They were now just a