The War Tiger Part 11

"It is a vile practice, O Yang," said Nicholas with disgust.

"It is a common one," replied the merchant; adding, "but what brings the son of the great merchant to Pekin? he is young to be entrusted so great a journey."

"Are then the special secrets of my n.o.ble parent of so little value that they may be wafted about the very air of this vile city of Pekin?" said Nicholas.

"Pardon thy servant, O n.o.ble youth, who seeks to know thy affairs that he may help to render them prosperous."

"The worthy Yang must forgive the haste of a boy who so far forgets his duty to his elder," said Nicholas.

That night the boys slept at Yang's house.

CHAPTER XVII.

NICHOLAS RESOLVES UPON A DANGEROUS ADVENTURE.

The following morning when Nicholas saw the merchant, he said, "Yesterday the worthy Yang would have learned the object of my visit to Pekin. I would gain admittance to the imperial palace. Will he aid me?"

"Alas! my nephew, nothing can be more difficult, for it is crowded with bonzes, and I fear worse--rebels, who swarm around the royal person like hornets; but whom seekest thou within the outer palaces?"

"Even the Son of Heaven himself, at the feet of whose throne I would kneel."

"Is the youth bereft of his senses? does he not know that it is certain death to pa.s.s the prohibited wall of the inner palace?"

"May then the ill.u.s.trious Prince Woo-san-Kwei be found within the palace?" asked Nicholas.

"Nay, even if thou couldst boast the friendship of the great Woo-san-Kwei thou wouldst not be safe. The prince is too honest and brave to be much in favor just now. Wouldst thou be safe, youth, thou must seek the Prince Li-Kong."

"The vile traitor," muttered Nicholas at the name.

"Hist, hist! thou wilt a.s.suredly lose thy head, boy," said Yang, placing his finger upon his lips.

"Let the friend of the merchant of the south open his lips to a purpose.

Can, or can he not, aid me to gain admittance within the palace? for it is my father's command that I should seek the Emperor or the Prince Woo-san-Kwei, and at the peril of my life he must be obeyed," said Nicholas firmly.

"Since thou art determined, take this," said Yang placing a ring on the boy's finger; adding, "It will pa.s.s thee through the guards of the outer palaces and courts as far as the prohibited wall, and then proceed no further, as you value your life, but await the approach of one of the officers of the guard, to whom you must show that ring, and tell him that you have business with the red-girdled Prince Woo-san-Kwei; further, be prudent, or thou wilt seek thy death."

"The worthy Yang has indeed filled me with grat.i.tude," said Nicholas, who then sent Chow for a chair. When the boy returned he asked his master to what part of the city he would be carried.

"To the palace."

"By the five social relations the n.o.ble Nicholas is tired of this world, for he has no sooner escaped one death than he seeks another," said Chow.

"Wag not thy foolish tongue, O Chow, but if thy heart fails thee stay behind."

"And leave the n.o.ble Nicholas to go to the world of spirits alone? that would indeed be base. No, no; Chow will follow; but my n.o.ble master has forgotten his sword, he may require it," said the boy.

"I am sufficiently armed," replied Nicholas showing the hilt of a small dagger beneath his robe, adding, "Now let us proceed."

They then pa.s.sed through the streets, which swarmed with people who were as busy as bees in a hive, some making purchases of itinerant tradespeople, viewing the wonderful feats of jugglers, mountebanks, or players, listening to the marvelous narratives of _viva voce_ novelists, or testing their fates with cheating fortune-tellers. As they approached the palace, they found crowds of people gazing at the great observatory, upon the top of which the astronomers of the court, in full dress, were engaged in watching the heavens. When they arrived at the wall which confined the city of buildings that made up the imperial residence, Nicholas dismissed the chairman, and they pa.s.sed into the first court, which was as large and full of houses as a small country town. It took half an hour to walk through; and as they had to traverse seven more of these courts, which took them three hours, you may imagine the great extent of the whole palace. The last but one was surrounded with the palaces of the princes of the red girdle, or those more distant in blood from the throne. This court was crowded with mandarins, officers, eunuchs, and soldiers of the Emperor, who were earnestly peering through telescopes at the sun, which from a deep blood red became yellow and dim, and gradually more and more opaque, till the whole world seemed to be enveloped in darkness, and darkness blacker than midnight, for there was no moon.

When the earth's light became extinguished, the mandarins fell flat upon their faces, moaning aloud, while the noise from thousands of drums shook the very walls.

"Let us fall upon our faces, O my master, and pray to the terrible dragon," exclaimed Chow, suiting the action to the word, and endeavoring to drag Nicholas with him. As, however, Nicholas was averse to this superst.i.tion, he refused to comply, and stood looking upon the people as if they had been performing for his especial and solitary benefit.

Whatever was the superst.i.tion, it laid firm hold of Chow, who, long after the light had returned to the heavens and the other people to their feet, continued to moan, kick his legs, and knock the earth with his forehead. At length, after repeatedly calling to him in vain, Nicholas turned him upon his back, when, opening his eyes and finding the light had returned, he jumped upon his feet, and, as the sweat of fear rolled from his brow, said, "Thank the G.o.ds, the greedy monster of a dragon has not swallowed the sun and moon. O master, what would become of us all; what would become of day and night without the sun and moon?"

"Art thou foolish, O Chow, to believe that this eclipse was caused by the effort of a monster dragon to swallow the heavenly luminaries?"

"Who is thy servant, O n.o.ble Nicholas, that he should doubt, when learned mandarins believe?" said Chow.

"Know, O Chow, that the mandarins believe in it no more than thy master, but perform a ceremony handed down to them by their ancestors."

When the people who had been praying of the dragon not to swallow the poor sun and moon began to disperse, the boys continued their journey till they came to the outer or prohibited wall of the inner palace, when, pointing to a soldier who stood at the gate with a naked sabre in his hand, Chow said. "Look, my master, to pa.s.s yon tiger of war will be to seek Yen-Vang in the other world," and at the same moment the soldier said, "Are the slaves tired of their lives that they approach the prohibited wall without bowing to the earth?"

Having performed the required ceremony, Nicholas presented the merchant's ring to the soldier, saying, "Let the eyes of the war tiger rest upon this token, for by its means his servant would seek the ill.u.s.trious yellow girdle, Woo-san-Kwei."

"The power of the token may not be doubted, for it bears the character of the prince; yet may the n.o.ble youth not see the barbarian-subduing prince, for he is in council with the colaos," said the soldier.

"Then, by the toe of the Emperor, (may he live ten thousand years,) we are as good as in our coffins; for know, O my master, it is death to sleep within the walls of the palace," said the trembling Chow.

"Surely," said Nicholas, placing a piece of silver in the soldier's hand, "the brave warrior can secure lodging within the walls for a youth whose duty compels him to risk his life rather than leave the palace without speaking with the great Woo-san-Kwei."

"Truly it will be hazardous," but before the soldier could finish his reply, the officer of the night came up with the relief guard.

"Who are these vile dogs that are so openly seeking their death?" said he.

"This youth, O n.o.ble commander, bears the ring of the great Woo-san-Kwei, whose presence he seeks; but as the patriot prince cannot be seen, with the n.o.ble commander's permission the youth shall lodge with me this night."

"The n.o.ble and unfortunate Ki utters judicious words, and shall command in this thing," replied the officer, to the surprise of Nicholas, who could not comprehend an officer of the guard being so politely submissive to a man so much his inferior.

The permission, however, did not extend to Chow, whom the officer undertook to convey back again out of the palace.

"Then slit me into bamboo slips, thou Captain of war tigers, for the servant dare not leave his master," said Chow, who refused so obstinately that the soldiers had to carry him away.

As Ki led the way through the streets and pa.s.sages on the way to his quarters, Nicholas was not a little surprised to find that he was respectfully saluted by all whom they pa.s.sed. Again, instead of the common room appropriated to soldiers of his humble station, his quarters consisted of a house by itself. Neither could Nicholas get rid of his puzzle, till Ki said, "Has the name of the colao Ki ever fallen into the ears of the honorable youth?"

"Truly so; for whose ears could be so dull as not to have drunk in his fame as a wise minister of state?"

"Yet such is the viscissitude of fortune, that the colao is now before thee, O youth, plucked of the peac.o.c.k feather, and the golden ball torn from his cap."

"The great and good colao degraded to a mean soldier! Are such things possible? O unfortunate man!" said Nicholas, bowing respectfully to the fallen n.o.ble.

"The purest sky is sometimes shaded by the blackest cloud. The cloud over the head of Ki is the Prince Li-Kong, to whom every thing is now possible; but open thy lips, youth, and send forth thy wishes with the Prince Woo-san-Kwei. If it be to ask promotion to some office, know that he has none to give, for the shadow of Li-Kong stands between him and the Majesty of China."

"Thy servant seeketh nothing for himself, O n.o.ble Ki, but to serve the Emperor, to whom through the great Woo-san-Kwei, he would present a pet.i.tion."