THE PRICE OF A MOUSTACHE
A man in a rage cannot think clearly; and Burroughs was in such a heat
of indignation with Reinhardt that it was some time before he was able
to devote himself calmly to the still unsolved problem. The solution
came to him presently in a flash: he must save Errington himself. He
could not leave his friend to an unknown fate; something must be done;
he alone could do it. His flying boat was the fastest craft on the
river. He must fly up to Meichow, get Errington out of the yamen by hook
or crook, and bring him back. If he were discovered and pursued, his
speed, whether on the water or in the air, would give him at least a
good chance of escape.
He sent for his comprador.
"I'm going up to Meichow, Sing Wen," he said. "You'll be in charge
during my absence. If any one inquires for me, tell nothing."
"Hai galaw! No can do!" cried the astonished Chinaman. "Fly boatee
velly good: no can get inside plison; China fellas look-see Yinkelis[#]
man; makee plenty bobbely, catchee all-same."
[#] English.
"Could you make me look like a Chinaman?"
"Plaps can do," said the comprador, doubtfully. "Yinkelis man no can
talkee Chinee all-same; he no smart inside."
"That's true. I wish I could talk Chinese like Reinhardt. But look
here: why shouldn't I go as a German? Mr. Errington's firm is German;
and if there is any hanky-panky between the Germans and the rebels I
shall be all right in Meichow; at any rate I can bluff it out."
"My no aglee all same."
"I don't want you to agree; you've nothing to do with it."
"Supposey you catchee tlouble, what my tellum boss Shanghai side? He
say my no do plopa pidgin let you go wailo."
"I'll leave a note saying that I went against your advice, so that in
case anything happens to me my father won't hold you responsible. You
needn't say any more: it's fixed. You must make me look as much like a
German as you can; darken my eyebrows, crop my hair. I can't grow a
moustache, worse luck."
Feeling that an awkward situation might arise if he made any change in
his appearance at Sui-Fu, he decided to run up to the creek below
Pa-tang, and do on board the boat what little was possible to disguise
himself. He set off when the Europeans were taking their midday meal,
accompanied by Sing Wen, who would leave him at Pa-tang, and by Chin Tai
and Lo San, the latter because he had already visited Meichow, and knew
something of the conditions there.
Very reluctantly the comprador proceeded to carry out his master's
instructions. An hour's work with burnt cork and scissors changed the
Englishman's appearance passably to that of a young German.
While Sing Wen was putting the finishing touches to his work, Burroughs
saw Reinhardt's launch pass the mouth of the creek in the direction of
Pa-tang.
"Not after me?" he said. "He's probably going for his smoke; don't you
think so?"
"Yes, sah: Massa Leinhadt velly fond smokee."
"Well, I only wish I had his moustache. I'd give a hundred dollars down
for one like it."
He felt that all that was wanted to complete his transformation was a
thick moustache like the one that Reinhardt brushed and tended with such
affectionate care.
"It's a pity he has come, though," he went on. "I mustn't start before
dark, in case he sees the boat, or hears it. And I ought to keep that
opium fellow's mouth shut. Sing Wen, you'd better go and tell your
disreputable relative that it'll pay him to say nothing about me."
"Velly good, sah," said the comprador. "Hai! My fo'get one ting. No
hab got no chow-chow.[#]"
[#] Food.
"Well, bring some back with you. Make your brother's brother-in-law
understand clearly."
The comprador went ashore. He was absent much longer than Burroughs
anticipated. When he at length returned, his usually inexpressive face
wore a look of smug satisfaction hardly to be accounted for by his
purchases of food.
"What a time you have been!" said Burroughs. "Have you made it all
right with your brother's brother-in-law?"
"Yes, sah, allo lightee," replied the man, with a gleam of suppressed
amusement.
He laid his bundles in the boat, then approached his master, fumbled in
the little bag he wore at his waist, and drew from it a small packet
done up in rice paper, which he handed to Burroughs.
"Allo lightee, sah," he repeated.
Burroughs opened the packet with a mild curiosity, and started. There
lay a thick brown moustache, brushed up and waxed at each end, and
neatly attached to a strip of light flexible gauze.
"Where on earth did you get this?" he asked, fingering the stiff hair.
"Pa-tang, sah. My catchee he fo' hundled dolla."
"I hadn't any idea you could buy such things here. Where did you buy
it?"
The comprador smiled an enigmatical smile.
"My makee allo plopa Toitsche,[#]" he said, and, taking from his pouch a
small bottle of gum, he proceeded to fix the moustache upon his master's
upper lip. When this was done to his satisfaction, he produced a small
cracked mirror which he had obtained in the town, and held it before
Burroughs' face.
[#] German.
"By George! It's almost exactly like Reinhardt's," he said; "a shade
darker, perhaps. It's the very thing, Sing Wen; you shall have the
money when I get back. I could almost venture to start now, but I
suppose I had better wait until night."
There being three or four hours to spare, he decided to employ part of
the time in thoroughly overhauling the engine. His Chinese engineer was
supposed to have seen that everything was in order, but Burroughs always
examined things for himself, and had only omitted to do so in the hurry
of starting. The engineer had been left behind as an unnecessary
encumbrance. All the parts had been well cleaned; there was plenty of
petrol; but Burroughs saw to his annoyance that the lubricating oil was
low. Luckily there was still time to supply the deficiency. He sent
Chin Tai into the town to buy some castor oil, warning him not to talk,
and to be very careful not to bring any one upon his track.
It was nearly dark before the man returned. Then he ran up in great
excitement.
"My hab catchee plenty muchee fun, sah," he said breathlessly. "My go
longside opium houso. Hai! boss he come outside chop-chop; bang! Knock
my velly hard, makee my spill plenty oil. Whitey man he come bust 'long
after boss, catchee he, catchee pigtail, whack, whack, velly hard. He
say all time: 'What fo' you steal my moustachee? What fo' you piecee
devil steal my moustachee?' Boss he makee plenty bobbely; he call
p'liceman; two piecee p'liceman he come, catchee boss, catchee whitey
man all same, makee he belongey chop-chop inside yamen. My belongey
inside too--What fo' you pinch my?" he cried, suddenly turning on the
comprador, who had sidled up to him.
[Illustration: REINHARDT AVENGES HIS LOSS]
"You talkee plenty too muchee all same," said Sing Wen, indignantly.
"Massa no wantchee listen foolo talkee."
"Let him alone," said Burroughs. "Go on, Chin Tai."
"My go inside yamen," the boy continued, while the comprador sidled
away, gained the gangway unobserved, and presently slipped ashore.
"Plenty men inside. White man he say he go sleep inside houso little
time, wake up, no can find moustachee. He velly angly; he say mandalin
makee opium boss smart. Mandalin say boss muss find moustachee. Boss
say no can do. He say: 'Hon'ble fan-kwei[#] he belongey plenty big
moustachee what time he come inside houso; no belongey what time he go
wailo. Two piecee man inside all same; he look-see fan-kwei sleep; my
look-see other side; hai! he shave moustachee, fan-kwei no savvy all
same. My no savvy nuffin."
[#] Foreign devil.
"Mandalin he say, 'You plenty bad fella: you pay hundled dolla.' Boss
he cly he velly poor man; mandalin say he catchee plenty big stick: boss
he pay all same. Massa Leinhadt----"
"Sing Wen!" called Burroughs.
But the comprador had disappeared.
Burroughs was at once amused and concerned at the story. He could
hardly return the moustache; he guessed that Reinhardt would hardly be
pleased if he did. The trick was one of which he would not have
believed his staid comprador capable; but he could only admire the
dexterity with which the stolen moustache had been mounted by some
ingenious Chinese barber. He felt rather sorry for the brother's
brother-in-law, who had had to disgorge the hundred dollars he had
earned at the expense of Reinhardt's future patronage. Considering the
matter seriously, he felt that he had better use the ornament that so
materially improved his disguise. Perhaps he might regard it as a
set-off against the loan of the hydroplane. And Reinhardt could not
expect much sympathy after his callous refusal to aid the man whom he
had helped to ruin.
The rage into which Reinhardt had been thrown by the loss of his
cherished moustache made it the more necessary not to start up the river
until late. Burroughs filled the interval by carefully coaching the two
servants in the parts they were to play. The story he concocted did
some credit to his ingenuity. He was the younger brother of Reinhardt,
and had just come from Kiauchou to find his brother, and hand over to
him the hydroplane and a sum of money, to be placed at the service of Su
Fing, of course secretly. Having missed his brother somewhere on the
river, he had pushed on rather than wait and delay the gifts of his
government. In order to relieve the German authorities from the
suspicion of acting in concert with the rebels, Burroughs would suggest
that these latter should arrest him, and place him in the same prison as
the Englishman whom they had already captured. By meting out the same
treatment to a supposed German, they would certainly avert suspicion.
Naturally the imprisonment would be only a pretence: he must be allowed
freedom to come and go; but the pretence must be kept up with a
reasonable show of determination.
Such was the story with which Burroughs primed Chin Tai and Lo San. He
warned them that difficulties might arise; he could not foresee events
at Meichow; but they must employ all their wits to support the fiction,
and above all things they were to remember that he was Lieutenant Eitel
Reinhardt of the German gunboat _Kaiser Wilhelm_, which, as Burroughs
was aware, was then in Chinese waters.
"And there's one thing more," he said sternly in conclusion. "If you
two boys squabble, I shall first knock your heads together, and then put
you ashore and leave you. Mr. Errington's life may depend on us; when
we know that he is safe you can black each other's eyes if you like, so
long as you don't make a row."
The Chinamen both protested that they loved each other like brothers,
scowling all the time.
Having purchased the silence of the inn-keeper, Burroughs borrowed a
sampan from him; and as soon as darkness fell over the river, the two
servants towed the hydroplane down the creek and for some distance up
stream. Reinhardt's launch still lay off the town: the German was
apparently spending the night on board. Burroughs guessed that he would
shrink from facing his friends in Sui-Fu and the ordeal of their
interrogations. But of course the story of the moustache would be all
over the district in a day or two, and Burroughs was somewhat anxious
lest it should penetrate to Meichow, and give rise to suspicion.
The hydroplane was thus towed up until the port had been left some
distance behind. Then, when there was no danger of the throb of the
engine being heard and provoking awkward inquiries, the sampan was
hoisted on board, the engine was started, and the light craft skimmed up
the river at the rate of twenty-five knots against the current.