The War Tiger Part 25

"The roads are dangerous, and may be filled with rebels," said the innkeeper.

"Then must we fight our way through the vermin," said Nicholas.

"This rogue shall go before and get the first sword in his wretched body," said Chow, jerking the rope by which he held the guide, whose teeth chattered together with terror at the notion.

Then telling the innkeeper where to find the dead boar, Nicholas bade him and his family farewell.

"May the great Tien aid thee!" said the woman.

"Leave us thy name, O n.o.ble youth, that it may be marked on the memories of our descendants," said the innkeeper.

Nicholas took the man aside, and whispered in his ear.

"It is a terrible name," said the man, bowing his head to the ground.

"It is a good one, and the son will restore thee thy village, O worthy man, if the rebels take not his life," said Nicholas.

"The princess, the princess, and my beloved mother," exclaimed Chow.

"Are protected by Heaven till we rescue them from the hands of the villain Li," said Nicholas, and they proceeded on their journey.

CHAPTER x.x.xVI.

ONCE MORE PRISONERS, BUT WITH FRIENDS--THE GUIDE'S MISTAKE.

With sorrowful hearts the two boys took leave of the houseless family, and proceeded along the ridges of the mountains till they came to the entrance of a great wood. Chow had custody of the guide, whom he held by the rope, and pressed forward or jerked backward, as his sense of indignation at the loss of his mother arose or subsided. At times he would so slacken the rope that the man could scarcely feel his thraldom; then again, when he thought of the hopelessness of again recovering his mother, he would clench his teeth and pull it so violently, that the miserable guide would fall backward; whereupon Chow would say, "Get thee upon thy bamboo legs, thou rogue, or I will drag thee like a bale of demon's goods, as thou art;" and the fat body of the coward would shake like a blanc-mange, rise upon its legs, and commence a trot, when, after a little while, Chow would give another tug at the rope, saying, as the man tottered backward, "O, thou wouldst escape, wouldst thou, thou mouse of fat measure, who hath stolen the cream of our lives?"

"Truly thy servant has been unfortunate, O n.o.ble youth, yet if his body is shaken like a jelly of cold soup, he cannot guide thee through this city of trees."

"The rogue's words are good, Chow, we cannot find our way through these trees without his aid," said Nicholas; adding, "Fasten the rope around thy arm, so that he cannot slip from thy hands."

"Truly the advice of my master is good," said Chow; and as they were then pa.s.sing through a thick copse, he fastened the rope around his own body, saying, "Now, thou rat, honesty will for once reverse things, and take its place behind roguery, for surely I hear footsteps, and should they be those of thieves, thy thick head may serve to blunt the points of their arrows."

The sounds were unmistakable, and the guide fell backward, trembling so violently that he could not walk, till, taking hold of his shoulders, Chow pushed him forward, saying, "On, thou coward, on;" and so they went along the narrow path, till the sounds became more distinct. Then a voice shouted to them, "stop!" when, trembling more than ever, the guide threw one shoulder backward, and one foot forward, in order to prop himself against the propelling Chow, at the same time exclaiming, "Stay, O generous youth,--for the love of Fo, stay!--or the body of thy servant will become a cushion for arrow-heads."

"Silence, thou dog," said Nicholas; adding in a whisper to Chow, "Let us remain quiet, for doubtless it is some thief."

Then came the tw.a.n.g of a bow, and an arrow flew by, in its flight clipping the ear of the miserable guide, who, now fairly frightened out of his senses, twisted round like a teetotum, and fell upon the ground, carrying Chow with him, exclaiming, "These are the thieves, these are the thieves, O honorable war tiger."

And before Chow had disengaged himself from the rogue, they were all three dragged into an open glade, where they found themselves surrounded by a party of cavalry, the guide upon the ground trembling, and Nicholas and Chow with their arms folded defiantly.

[Ill.u.s.tration: Nicholas and Chow taken Prisoners.]

"Who are the dogs? what their names, surnames, and rank?" said the officer.

"Travelers who have no fear of rebel rogues," replied Nicholas dauntlessly, believing them to be troops of Li-Kong.

"Take my life, but save that of my venerable mother," said Chow, in a similar belief.

"These rogues are robbers, who would take a faithful and valiant subject of the great Emperor Li-Kong a prisoner to the town of the thief Woo-san-Kwei," said the guide, jumping upon his feet, with a most warlike mien, knowing that if with the soldiers of Li-Kong he was with friends.

"What means the slave? Who art thou, thou empty rice tub?" said the officer.

"It may please the fierce tiger of war to be amused at the person of his servant; but if he be a rice-tub, he can serve the Emperor."

"Emperor!--what Emperor, thou ox?" said the officer.

"The great Li,--may he live ten thousand years."

"Thy name, surname, and rank?" said the officer.

"The mean name of thy insignificant servant is Leang, and he is the unworthy nephew of Ling, the innkeeper, of Kin-Chow," replied the guide, not doubting that he was in the hands of rebel troopers.

"Then truly, Leang, the unworthy nephew of Ling, is a dangerous though a comical rogue."

"The n.o.ble tiger of war is pleased----"

"To have thee strangled with thine own girdle for being a follower of the great thief Li-Kong," said the officer; adding, as he turned to his soldiers, "Let this be done."

At this unexpected result, the terribly mistaken guide's face became paler and longer, and falling upon his knees, he said, "Let the magnificent commander be generous to an insignificant and withered mouse, who is nothing but a poor and faithful guide, as these n.o.ble youths, whom he hath conducted all the way from Kin-Chow to the town of the great Woo-san-Kwei, can testify."

"Bend thy neck at the name of the great prince, thou rogue," said the officer, striking him on the back with his sword, and the guide fell flat--that is, as nearly so as his protuberant stomach would permit--when the officer added laughingly, "Truly the animal is fat enough to kill at once; yet, as the rebels may cause us a siege so long that we may be short of provender for our horses, let him be kept in a strong cage till that time arrives;" then beckoning to a soldier, the latter seized the horrified guide and tied him before him on his saddle.

Then turning to Nicholas and Chow, who, notwithstanding their serious position, had been laughing heartily at the merited misery of the guide, the officer said, "Are the rogue's words truth? Do my brothers seek the presence of the great Woo-san-Kwei?" Then when Nicholas had related to the officer the whole of their adventures from Kin, Chow alone prudentially keeping back the fact that the lady of high rank was the princess, he said, "What were the numbers of these rogues?"

"There could have been no less than twenty, O n.o.ble commander," said Nicholas.

Then turning to his second-in-command, the officer said, "Let the rogue of a guide be kept tied before thee on thy saddle, O Ching; take fifty hors.e.m.e.n, and return not to the camp till thou bringest these ladies with thee. If the rogue of a guide directs thee so that thou art successful, he shall be rewarded; if not, strangled."

"Will not the n.o.ble commander let these hors.e.m.e.n be placed under the charge of his younger brother, who truly hath the greater right to bring these rogues to punishment?" said Nicholas, imploringly.

"This may not be, my brother; for, although I doubt not thy honesty, it would be at the risk of my life that I let thee pa.s.s from my sight till thou hadst been taken before the prince."

Although vexed that the chance of rescuing the princess, and punishing the soldiers who had made her prisoner, had been denied to him, Nicholas felt too well pleased at the slightest possibility of her being rescued, to complain; and, therefore, without another word, the boys followed the troops upon their march to Lao-yang, not by any means regretting that they had fallen into the hands of this foraging party of Woo-san-Kwei's army.

CHAPTER x.x.xVII.

INTERVIEW WITH THE GENERAL.--NICHOLAS CAUSES SOLDIERS TO BE SENT IN SEARCH OF THE PRINCESS.

Unlike any place Nicholas had seen since he left his father's fleet, Lao-yang exhibited sure signs of the determination and energy of its commanders. Surrounded by a deep ditch of great width, its formidable walls were manned at every point with the picked and most disciplined men from the northern provinces--soldiers who had been fighting for many years against the invading Tartars--and armed to the teeth with swords, cross-bows, shields, helmets, and breast and back plates. At short distances were planted small bra.s.s cannon, or bombards, which, although they had been set aside for so many years that the art of using them had become forgotten, Woo-san-Kwei had not only brought again into use, but taught his troops to serve effectually. Then, again, although the matchlock men were fewer than upon the walls of Pekin, they had been so well exercised in the use of that weapon that they could handle it nearly as well as bows and arrows,--a great matter at that period, as you will understand when I tell you that some few years previously, when matchlocks were first introduced, to defend a frontier town against the Tartars, the latter were so much astonished at a weapon which possessed the magic power of slaying them at so great a distance, that they fled in dismay, when, making a sortie, or onset, the Chinese destroyed many thousands. The next a.s.sault, however, the Tartars provided their front ranks with shields of wood, so large and thick, that they were as safe from bullets, as they would have been behind walls, consequently the fire of the Chinese proved useless; moreover, before they could reload, the second rank of the Tartars scaled the walls and fell upon them so quickly, that even those who had time to load handled their pieces so clumsily and nervously that the rebound knocked them over, and the whole garrison were killed. This affair so disgusted the Chinese with the matchlock, that henceforward they kept it more as a matter of show, or to use when there was no chance of coming to close quarters, than as a regular weapon of war.