Wang the Ninth Part 13

He was sent for water for one of the wounded soldiers; and when he came back he was just in time to see a foreign doctor make a neat cut in the wounded man's arm, and to the sound of tremendous foreign curses pull out a thin slip of a bullet with a pair of forceps--a bullet which was pa.s.sed from hand to hand and examined as closely as though it were a jewel.

This facility of curing a wound delighted him. He went round telling his compatriots that so long as they did not go through your head, these vaunted bullets were not so terrible after all, as the foreign doctors could pull them out at will.

But about midnight a big gun started booming and woke him up instantly.

He was too frightened by the noise to do more than to lie listening. He wondered whether the sh.e.l.ls when they fell were more terrible than the bullets.

It continued in this way until he lost all his earlier sensations. He even managed to summon up a certain contempt for the cannon which were old-fashioned and could do little more than frighten people, he was told. He almost enjoyed the strange life since there were many exciting moments and many people to talk to. He was constantly used to carry messages from point to point and whenever any of his compatriots asked for information he would boldly answer: "I will tell you exactly how things are. Many thousands are engaged in firing their rifles at us, but my master says it cannot get any worse and presently a foreign army will certainly arrive."

The sound of rifle-fire ceased to attract any attention even among the women and children, save when it rose to a great roar at night. Once there was great alarm about a fire. As the wind was blowing and it was very dry and hot, some thought the whole area might be consumed. But the fire burnt out and that also was forgotten.

w.a.n.g the Ninth was no longer allowed any longer to go to the barricades--in spite of his privileged position, because it was too dangerous. Once being anxious to see the outer aspect of things he crept up the towering city wall where there were many foreign soldiers; but one gave him a cuff over the ear and told him to get down. But he managed to get back in a few minutes by the simple method of volunteering to carry up a sack of provisions for some other soldiers.

The soldier who had cuffed him was greatly amused to see him back in such a capacity. This time, instead of hitting at him, he slapped him on the shoulder as if he were a friend and gave him a black cigarette to smoke. When his cigarette was finished, as repayment he commenced singing in a shrill falsetto a singing girl's song which made him the hero of the hour as he pretended to be a small-footed woman who was bashful and who tottered in shame at the mere presence of so many men.

These amenities were suddenly arrested by a succession of sharp sounds in the air which he knew too well. All the soldiers ran for their rifles and lay down behind the barricade. Presently they began firing; and the boy, crawling right up to them on his stomach, asked permission in the sign language to look through a loophole. This was duly given him; and rapidly he thrust a sharp eye up to a crack, with a loose brick in his hand to mask his face as he saw the soldiers do.

For a long time he could see very little and he wondered at whom so many shots had been fired. Then, slowly, he became aware that just as they had barricades so had the others. Only the enemy had made his very low, and had taken such advantage of the shrubbery that only at rare intervals was it possible to see some vague movement or the flash of a firearm.

After an hour or so this ceased to be exciting and he abandoned his loophole. The soldiers were all lying on their backs again and talking to one another, save for a look-out who knelt unmoving, peering fixedly for signs of further activity. The bullets hissing over-head sped over so far away. Sometimes they raised little powder-puffs as they struck brickwork or soil hundreds of yards beyond their mark, but more often they disappeared into the unknown. Nevertheless the soldiers would not let him go down from the city wall. He gathered from their signs that if he did so he might be seen and draw the enemy's fire. He would have to wait until dark, they said, pointing to the sun.

That night, however, he never moved either. For after he had a.s.sisted the men lighting little fires on which they boiled their kettles, one soldier took him aside, and drew out a big black bottle from his pack and poured out a cup-full of strong spirits. He had one drink himself and then offered the next to the boy, who to show his familiarity with foreign things swigged it down quickly although it nearly choked him.

After that he became so sleepy that he lay down.

When he woke he found that a lot of foreigners who were not soldiers had come up on the wall. They were scanning the southern horizon with telescopes and field-gla.s.ses. When they could see no signals in the night they drifted away and gradually it became silent and peaceful and he was left to himself.

CHAPTER XVII

Some time later he was sitting with some newly-made friends, who had come in for protection because they had received foreign religion. They had built a sort of rude hut which he found enchanting because it was under a big tree and contained all the _disjectamembra_ of a disrupted household and he was just in the middle of a long conversation, when a messenger ran him to earth.

"The master is looking for you," he was told.

The summons was so urgent that he made his way off without a word. He was certainly going to be taken to task for the shiftless life into which he had fallen, sleeping wherever he might be and having his food with any one who was good enough to offer him a bowl. He tried to think of a good, plausible way of describing what he was doing; but for some reason his excuses did not seem to him very good. His stained blue cotton coat, his muddy trousers and his torn shoes made him look a veritable ragam.u.f.fin; and when he arrived at his destination and found a number of foreign gentlemen sitting together at a table his awkwardness redoubled. He wracked his brains in a vain effort to discover what was going to happen to him.

Presently his master, who was inside a house came out with a large sheet of paper in his hand. Then he saw all the foreigners put their heads together and talk for a long time arguing so earnestly that he began to realize that it was a matter of great moment. More paper was requisitioned, and several began writing while the others talked.

He watched them intently, trying to pick up what it was all about by their manner and their gestures since he could not understand a word.

Through the open window, behind the group, he could see in the room of the house a piece of embroidery spread on a chair which had a golden dragon on it. A ray of sunlight, striking in through the window, lit up the dragon in an amazing way and made it flash and gleam, as if it lived and moved. It amused him to study it. All these fine things would speedily disappear, he mused, if the foreigners decided to go away--everything would be stripped in a flash. He himself would like to own that fine dragon....

A general movement of chairs snapped the thread of his thoughts. The foreigners seemed to have made up their minds. For n.o.body spoke any more, and his master had folded up his papers. Now they all looked at him and made remarks in undertones.

The boy forgot about the dragon and shifted uneasily from one foot to the other.

"w.a.n.g the Ninth," said his master at last in the vernacular, addressing him in the familiar local way and looking at his soiled figure very earnestly. "We have a very important request to make to you."

"Yes, your Honour," he replied at once.

The language used was so peculiar that he was fl.u.s.tered. It was the first time in his life that any one had "requested him." Hitherto he had always been summarily ordered. What did it mean?

"There is no question of obeying or not obeying," continued the master.

"It is a matter for your free choice. If you accept and are successful you will be given as much money as you like--a great deal of money. In fact you may claim what you like. Do you understand?"

"Money is unimportant," rejoined the boy stolidly, dealing with the only point that was intelligible to him. "If I can perform the task it shall be freely done."

He stood with his face very tense waiting to hear what was the ordeal.

This was indeed very different from what he had first imagined.

The master said a few words to the other gentlemen in an undertone. Then he resumed the vernacular, using the short clipped sentences of the people, which are very emphatic and precise.

"Listen. It is time that you knew the truth. Already many days have gone by with this battle raging round us, and with all communication cut off.

Two weeks ago, according to messages received by us, the foreign army should have arrived. Why has it not come--who is arresting its progress?

We must know how long we have to wait. An answer is imperative. Counting all who are here, those who were in residence originally, and those who have come for protection, there are more than three thousand mouths to feed. Already food is insufficient and many are suffering. Our condition must be made known to those who are delaying their advance--otherwise it may be too late. Do you understand?"

The boy nodded, a queer light coming into his eyes. Now his lips remain parted expectantly.

"Yes, your Honour," he said mechanically.

"Well," said the master, "we have cast about for a suitable person to carry a message and I told these gentlemen of you."

"I am to go--that is your wish!" exclaimed the boy, clasping his hands.

"Yes," said the master gravely.

"Then I will start," he said roughly. "Being of the soil it may be that I can pa.s.s through. If not--"

He unclasped his hands and made a rude gesture. Now he stood stockstill entirely absorbed with this new idea that he was to go out from this place which had been a home for so long--go out alone into the unknown.

His master, instead of answering, turned and said three words in English which the boy always remembered by their sound.

"_He will go_," said the master gravely. The gentlemen turned to one another and repeated the words several times. "_He will go_," they said.

"I offered your services," resumed his master in the vernacular, speaking very deliberately, "because I knew that you had courage and were accustomed to every kind of life. Most of our people here have lived only in the city--they would be helpless on such a journey. I told these gentlemen how you came to me in the winter from afar and waited at my door. But this is different. It is no small business. Three hundred _li_ by road must you travel and three hundred _li_ back. A man, with everything helping him, may make the journey in ten days and less. But now that the road is infested with soldiers and that fighting is general, we should count ourselves lucky if you made the journey in twenty days. We can wait twenty days, even thirty. But forty days would be too long. Do you understand?"

"Yes, your Honour," said the boy simply. "I shall make inquiries from others who know the road and then it will be easy."

"No inquiries must be made," interrupted the master. "You must remain here until you start tonight. There may be spies in our midst. Silence is necessary. Otherwise all may prove useless. Everything will be explained to you here."

He began showing him on a map the chief places on the road and taught him the names. He drilled him as to his line of conduct in every eventuality that he could think of. And at last, when he had exhausted all this catechizing, he heaved a sigh and stopped abruptly.

"Now for the message," he said.

One of the other gentlemen handed him a tiny piece of tissue paper with writing on it. He showed the boy how it could be rolled up into a ball or into a spiral or folded flat--just as he liked.

The boy took the little sc.r.a.p in his hand, tested it quickly with an adroit hand to see what he could do with it.