THE HALLS OF HIS ANCESTORS.
I’m afraid we looked rather foolish at this suggestion. Archie was
open-mouthed and wide-eyed; Joe’s sensitive face took on a frown, and I
felt myself flushing red.
“You see, Prince,” I said at last, shifting uneasily in my seat, “we’ve
been adventurers, but not buccaneers, and to _rob_——”
“Nonsense!” cried Kai, laughing at us again; “the word ‘rob’ does not
mean to steal, even in your bungling English. And I used it
figuratively. To rob my ancestral halls would not be a sin, for you
would deprive no living person of what is his at present or might be his
in the future. As for the dead, my opinion is that my ancestors are very
dead; and, in case their bodies resurrect at the end of the world, they
won’t mind whether they are wealthy or not. I tell you, Sam, I can
imagine no more foolish idea than to bury treasure with the dead, and
had I lived to return to China it was my firm intention to rob the
ancestral halls myself. In that case no one would ever know it, and
there would be no danger. Why, as I said before, I abstracted certain
jewels from the tombs years ago, and spent the proceeds in high living.
So, if I was willing to rob the ancestral halls myself, and approve of
your robbing them in my place, now that I am prevented, you need have no
scruples on the plea of morality. Listen, friends: I present to you
three—to Sam and Joe and Archie—all of the treasure contained in my
ancestral halls. It is yours—I give it freely—but you must go and secure
it, and that will be a dangerous expedition.”
“Why so?” asked Archie.
“Because you won’t have me to assist you,” he replied. “Because you must
oppose the ancestral devotion, amounting to a religion, of the entire
Chinese nation. Because my own followers and servants would cut you down
in an instant if your errand were discovered, and——”
He hesitated.
“Any more interesting reasons?” I asked.
“The strongest of all,” said he. “Because I am convinced that Mai Lo
means to get the treasure himself.”
Joe gave a low whistle, and Archie looked especially thoughtful.
“Is it worth while, then, for us to undertake the adventure?” I
questioned.
“For centuries past one-half of the wealth of one of the richest
families in China has been placed in the vaults which I call my
ancestral halls,” he returned. “This wealth consists of jade, precious
stones—especially rubies—pearls and stores of gold and silver. There is
enough to ransom a kingdom, and as I cannot use it myself I should like
you to get it—if you can. Your task would be difficult in any event, for
to rob any ancestral hall is a great crime in China. Even the graves of
the poor, which are stone or mud vaults with roofs of bamboo and palm
leaves, are respected by all. Yet your greatest danger is from Mai Lo.
If he cannot rob my ancestral halls himself he will try to prevent
anyone else from doing so.”
“Well, then,” said Archie; “let’s toss him overboard, while we have the
chance. He’s only a Chinaman.” The next instant, seeing the amused smile
on the Prince’s face, he realized what he had said and began to
apologize. “It’s so hard, sir,” he added, “to think of you except as one
of ourselves.”
Perhaps the naive compliment pleased the Prince, for he laughed and
said:
“It might be a _wise_ thing to cast Mai Lo into the sea. But I do not
think you will undertake murder, even to secure my treasure. So I will
do what I can to enable you to outwit the mandarin. Can you find me a
piece of paper and a small brush?”
Joe got them from his cabin in a few moments, and while he was absent we
all sat in silence.
I spread the piece of paper upon the coverlet in front of the Prince,
and dipped the brush in ink for him. His left arm was broken and
useless, but fortunately he could use his right arm and hand, though
with difficulty. At once he began writing in Chinese characters upon the
paper, and presently he finished and held out the brush for me to take.
“You cannot read my signature, Sam,” said he, “but it is there, and will
be recognized. It is an order to all my dependents to recognize you and
your companions as my guests for one year, and to serve you as
faithfully as they would myself. I have added that my spirit will watch
to see if I am obeyed and to take vengeance if I am not. That is, of
course, nonsense to us; but it ought to be effective with my people.
Take the paper, Sam, and guard it carefully. Stay! call in Mai Lo for a
moment.”
I did so, and the Prince said to his attendant in an easy tone:
“Witness this order, Mai Lo.”
The mandarin glanced at the document, but though I watched him carefully
I could detect no sign of emotion in his glassy eyes, or even surprise
or interest upon his putty-like features. He took the brush from my hand
and obediently added his signature to that of the Prince. Then, at his
master’s command, he again retired.
I took the paper, folded it carefully, and placed it in my wallet.
“Then you are decided to undertake the adventure?” asked the Prince, in
a pleased voice.
I looked at Archie and Joe, and they both nodded. So I answered:
“We will seek for the treasure, your Highness.”
“Good!” said he. “Now take the signet ring from my finger.”
I obeyed. It was a heavy gold band, curiously engraved and set with a
huge ruby. The stone had an upper flat surface, on which were cut three
strange characters.
“Do not display this ring except in case of necessity,” warned Kai Lun
Pu. “When you do, it will command obedience of every man in my province.
It will even be powerful with the Emperor. So keep it safely.”
I thanked him and stowed the ring in my pocket.
“And now,” said the Prince, “there is but one more thing I can do for
you, but that ought to prove of great assistance in your venture. Listen
carefully, all of you, for the secret I am about to confide to your ears
may not be written down in any way, and the memory alone must guard it.
Heretofore it has been handed down in my family from generation to
generation by confiding the knowledge to the eldest son, who alone
inherits. My ancestors would have died sooner than allow a stranger or
an alien to know this family secret; but I—I am different. In me the
shackles of tradition and foolish custom have been broken by a liberal
education and a knowledge of the great world whose existence many of my
countrymen do not even suspect.”
He paused a moment, as if in thought, and then continued as follows,
speaking slowly and distinctly but in a lowered voice:
“It will be easy for you to locate the ancestral halls of the family of
Kai. It is near to my own palace, and you will first see a quaint but
beautiful house of polished bamboo, with an entrance on each of its four
sides. Each entrance is guarded by a god, and it will be wise for you to
pretend to propitiate these gods by offerings. Burn prayers for my
spirit’s welfare before them. You must not enter this house, for it is
sacred; but I will describe it to you.
“In the center is a stone walled pit, with steps leading downward. In
the center of the pit is a bronze tablet, which, when lifted, discloses
a passageway. This passage forms a long tunnel slanting into the earth,
and if you could follow it, it would lead you to the underground vault,
or chih, where my noble ancestors lie buried. This vault is cut from the
solid rock, and is a big domed chamber ornamented with the best art of
the ages that have elapsed since its construction. The tapestries are
said to be the best and most valuable in the whole Empire. Around the
sides of this chamber are the niches where repose the burial caskets of
my respected ancestors, and beside each casket are placed the chests,
urns and taborets containing one-half the wealth this ancestor died
possessed of. Do you understand this description?”
“I can picture it perfectly,” said I.
“That is well. But now for the secret.” Again he lowered his voice, with
an uneasy glance toward the door, behind which he knew Mai Lo was
stationed. Then he continued:
“There is a second, or secret, entrance to the burial chamber, which no
one outside of the heir of our house has ever suspected. It was built
seven centuries ago by Kai Tai, a pious man who wished to worship in
secret at the tombs of his ancestors without the formal ceremony
required when entering the ancestral hall publicly. This private
entrance is also a tunnel, and leads from my palace itself. Now, my
friends, pay strict attention. There is, in the palace, a set of rooms
called the Suite of the Horned Fish, from its mode of decoration. These
are the apartments always occupied by the royal prince of our line, and
so they will be vacant when you arrive at the palace. The main doorway
to the Suite of the Horned Fish will doubtless be guarded night and day,
and it will not be wise for you to try to force an entrance therein. But
in the bend of the passageway just beyond the entrance is a tapestry
representing the Earth Dragon embracing a woman, and behind this
tapestry you will find a small ball or knob of bronze. Pull this ball
toward you, outward, and a private door will open leading directly into
my sleeping chamber. Once there, you are not liable to interruption.
“In one corner of this chamber is a great statue of the first Kai in
armor. It is a dreadful thing, and used to frighten me when a boy; but
in its carving the statue shows great artistic skill. By pushing the
left foot sideways—it will require a strong pressure—a panel in the wall
back of the statue will be released. It is the entrance to the secret
passage and once you have found it the rest is easy. It leads to one of
the niches in the vault of my ancestors, the tapestries cleverly
concealing the doorway. By means of this passage you may convey all or a
part of the treasure to my chamber in the palace, and from there I must
leave you to your own ingenious devices to transport it safely to
Shanghai or aboard your ship. Have I made this quite plain to you, my
friends?”
“Quite plain,” we all answered, pleased to have the adventure so easily
arranged for us; and I added:
“How can we thank you, Prince Kai?”
He smiled.
“I am well repaid in believing you will outwit old Mai Lo, and secure
the treasure he means to steal,” was his reply. “If I possess spirit I
shall try to watch you and enjoy the fun.”
“Oh, don’t do that!” exclaimed Archie with a shudder.
“But you won’t know it, and I haven’t much faith in a spiritual
existence,” he replied.
“What have you faith in?” I asked, shocked to hear him speak so lightly
on his death-bed.
“We Shintoists believe in our ancestors,” said the Prince mockingly, I
thought; “and that has always made us more sensible than our Buddhist
neighbors. Also I have studied Christianity, Mohammedanism and
Theosophy, and they have led me to admire Confucius more. So I get back
to Shintoism in the end. I shall die in the faith of my ancestors, but
not hampered by their narrow prejudices, I hope.”
He sighed with this, and I thought his cheeks looked more sunken and his
skin more pallid than I had yet noticed them. So I said:
“This has been a trying interview, your Highness, and you need rest.
Shall we retire?”
He hesitated, and then nodded with a return of his old brightness:
“Send in the doctor,” said he, “it’s time for more morphine.”