The War Tiger Part 10

"Much, O magnificent judge, for thy slave's father was destroyed by the chief officer of the rebel Li-Kong, whom this worthy war-tiger unfortunately resembles, both in the wound on the cheek, and the length of his hair."

"If thy words are not false, then thou art a worthy but unfortunate servant of the holy lord our Emperor," said the mandarin; "but who will a.s.sure us of this?'

"Truly will I, O learned judge," cried out Nicholas.

"Who is this dog, that speaks without prostrating his mean person at the feet of justice?" said the mandarin.

"A thief and a rascal, who is awaiting to be tried," cried the porter who had accused Nicholas.

"By the beard of Confucius, this is daring; give the dog a dozen strokes," said the mandarin.

"Stay thy command, O running fountain of justice; let not thy celestial ears be profanely filled by the tongues of dogs," shrieked Chow with fear, as soon as he saw that his master was a prisoner.

The mandarin would have visited this daring interruption with a heavy punishment, but for some words whispered in his ears by the merchant Yang, and which caused him to smile and say, "The honorable merchant Yang has answered for thy truth boy; but that for the future you may not be liable to such mistakes, we will give thee a fatherly correction."

The mandarin then pulled fifty reeds from the case, and threw them upon the floor, whereupon two of the footmen caught hold of Chow, took off his robe, and held him on the floor, while another administered fifty blows, after which Chow got upon his legs, made a very wry face, and twisted and writhed about like an eel making an effort to walk upon the tip of his tail.

"Leave off twisting and twirling thyself out of nature, thou dog, and return thanks to his high justiceship for his kindness in correcting so miserable an affair as thy mean self," said one of the footmen.

With one eye glaring upon the footman, and the other smiling upon the mandarin, Chow held his hands behind his back to a.s.suage the pain, and made two or three attempts to bend his back, but failing, dropped suddenly on his knees, and bowing his head to the ground, said, but with a twist of his back or grimace between every word, "Thy correction--O father--and mother--of justice, is beneficial, but like physic would be----"

"What, boy?" said the mandarin, laughing.

"More agreeable if it were tasteless, yet thy mean servant thanks thee, n.o.ble judge, for this care of his mind;" and Chow hopped among the bystanders.

When Chow had been disposed of, the porter formerly charged Nicholas with entering the mansion at night for the purpose of robbery.

"Who art thou boy; thy name, surname, and from what province?" said the mandarin kindly.

"The mean name of thy unworthy servant is Nicholas, of the province of Fokien, from whence he has traveled on special affairs to a worthy merchant of Pekin, named Yang."

"So far thy words are truth," said the mandarin, to the astonishment of Nicholas; "but what answer can the youth make to the charge of this man?"

"That it is vile and false, and that the dog is a traitor in league with rebels, who happening to meet with thy servant last night at the same house, are fearful that he may have discovered their plots, and so hope to destroy him."

At that moment there arose a great bustle in the court, and a cry of "Make way for the ill.u.s.trious deputy-general of the nine gates," and a military mandarin, with a tiger painted on his breast, a gold b.u.t.ton and a peac.o.c.k's feather in his cap, both of which bespoke his high rank, entered the tribunal, and testified to the guilt of Nicholas, who recognizing in him the man who had been addressed the previous night by the t.i.tle of general, exclaimed, "Behold, O Mandarin, one of the traitors."

Great was the effect of the new comer upon the judge, for, not paying the least attention to the exclamation of Nicholas, he said, "Truly falsehood will not flow from the lips of the Heaven-appointed deputy-general. As for thee (turning to Nicholas,) vile dog, as thy guilt is now clear, thou shalt receive one hundred blows, and be banished for life."

Now, while the mandarin was speaking, Chow happening to get a full view of the general's face, rushed through the crowd, crying, "It is the villain, it is the destroyer of my parents,' and in another moment he had clutched the general by the throat, thrown him upon the ground, and would have strangled him, but for the help of the footmen, who speedily seized him, bound his arms, and carried him with Nicholas to the prison.

"This fancy, that every officer you meet is the destroyer of your parents, will prove thy destruction, my poor Chow," said Nicholas, as soon as they were alone in the prison.

"There can be no doubt it is the villain, for saw you not the wound upon his cheek? but, alas! my trouble is the greater that I slew him not before we were shut up in a cage like two dogs for fattening."

"Thy liberty at least was secure, but for thy foolish attack upon the mandarin of war."

"By the vermillion pencil itself, Chow cares not for liberty, if they ruin his n.o.ble master."

Then Nicholas began to think upon his miserable position,--sentenced to be beaten with the bamboo to him worse than death, for, being born upon the coast, unlike most Chinese, he had never been subjected to such a degradation; and then to be banished for life, at the very commencement of his career,--it was horrible. Greater, however, was his anxiety for the safety of his father's letters. Could he but send a message to the merchant Yang,--alas! that was impossible. Should he give it to Chow?

No; for he knew not what punishment awaited the boy for a.s.saulting so great an officer. He was indeed at his wit's end, and he prayed to the Almighty for aid.

"Let not the n.o.ble Nicholas be so sad, for truly the G.o.ds can never desert the innocent and unfortunate," said Chow, while tears of affection wetted his cheeks; adding, "I will pray of them to take my worthless life in exchange for thy liberty."

"I can not, do not doubt thy affection, my good Chow, but place not my faith in these foolish deities; there is but One true G.o.d, whose Son died on the cross to save mankind, and in Him I trust in my hour of difficulty."

"My master is of the religion of the Fan-Kwi (foreign devils.) Will their G.o.d aid him in the hour of his troubles?" replied Chow, despondingly.

"Thou wilt see Chow," replied Nicholas, angrily.

"Truly, but in the mean time the bamboo will cut us into strips like an umbrella in a storm," said Chow, making such queer contortions and grimaces, that in spite of his troubles Nicholas could not help laughing. "Then," he added, "thy servant has a scheme that will save thee, my generous master."

"Open thy lips, O wise and prudent youth," said Nicholas.

"The n.o.ble Nicholas has a father?"

"Truly, a n.o.ble one."

"Then, as Chow has neither father, mother, nor aught else, but hatred for his father's slayer and grat.i.tude to the preserver of his life----"

"What words are these?" said Nicholas, impatiently.

"The good Nicholas has money; let him give it to Chow, and he will bribe the mandarin to slit him into ribbons in thy stead," said Chow, seriously.

"Silence, Chow! this scheme of thine is offensive," said Nicholas, not without a tear at the boys devotion.

"Alas! of what use is a friend if he will not be serviceable in the hour of need?" said Chow.

Their conversation was interrupted by the opening of the door.

"It is the ill.u.s.trious Yang himself, who spoke good words to the boy-correcting mandarin; may he be turned into a bamboo himself in the next world," exclaimed Chow with a writhe of remembrance.

"Thou art the son of the good merchant, my correspondent?" said Yang.

"The face of the worthy merchant, is welcome in the hour of difficulty,"

said Nicholas.

"That difficulty is past, for thou art released," replied Yang, leading him to a covered vehicle, into which Chow followed, and all three proceeded to the merchant's house, where they found a substantial meal awaiting them, a portion of which Chow carried with him to another apartment.

"Will the venerable Yang say by what fortunate chance he was enabled to confer upon the son of his correspondent such an everlasting debt of grat.i.tude!" said Nicholas.

"Know then, my nephew, for my nephew thou art, being the son of my adopted brother, that when the comical ape Chow brought thy message, I watched for thy coming till evening, when knowing that you could not pa.s.s through the gates that night, I lodged Chow in my house. This morning I went to meet you, telling Chow to follow close behind my chair. Pa.s.sing through the great square we met with the military officer whose affair took us to the tribunal, where by means of a small present secretly conveyed to the mandarin, I succeeded in getting the foolish fellow off with a mere fatherly correction, which the dispenser of justice was compelled to give him for form's sake. This affair being settled, judge my horror at finding you charged with so fearful a crime.

However, I was prepared; for Chow, while listening to his own accuser, had seen you in the custody of the yah-yu, to whom I went, and by means of a bribe made them tell me the reason of your being in that plight.

When I had learned the particulars, I whispered to the mandarin that I would present him with a handsome sum in silver if he would treat you leniently. But when the favorite general of the Prince Li-Kong appeared, the affair took another turn, and for fear of losing his own head, the mandarin was compelled to condemn you. Yet, sad as this was, it was to be managed with money. So by giving a handsome sum to an already condemned criminal, the poor wretch agreed to suffer in your place."

"How! what rascality is this? Surely the innocent shall not suffer. The mandarin must be sought," said Nicholas.

"Hist, hist, my good nephew! it is all over; for, foreseeing your objection, the money was handed over to the man's family and he himself dispatched at once to the penal settlement for condemned criminals."