"The fools were so busy picking up everything they could find lying
about, they hadn't time to search for the real stuff," said Blood.
"Didn't know of it."
"Well," said Ginnell, "stick the ould truck back in the bags with the
insthruments; we'll sort it out when we get aboard and fling the
rubbish over and keep what's worth keepin'."
Helped by the coolies, they refilled the bags and left them in position
for carrying off, and then, led by Ginnell, they made round the stern
of the wreck to the port side.
Now, on the sea side the _Yan-Shan_ presented a bad enough picture of
desolation and destruction, but here on the land side the sight was
terrific.
The great yellow funnel had crashed over on to the rocks and lay with
lengths of the guys still adhering to it; a quarter boat with bottom
half out had gone the way of the funnel; crabs were crawling over all
sorts of raffle, broken spars, canvas from the bridge screen and
woodwork of the chart-house, whilst all forward of amidships the
plates, beaten and twisted and ripped apart, showed cargo, held, or in
the act of escaping. One big packing case, free of the ship, had
resolved itself into staves round its once contents, a piano that
appeared perfectly uninjured.
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