We came to anchor a little after ten the next night. Mr. Hemster was
naturally very impatient, and wished to proceed at once to the capital,
but the customs authorities refused to let us land until daylight.
Cammerford talked very valiantly of forcing our way ashore and going to
Seoul in the darkness in spite of all opposition, and indeed the old
gentleman was rather in favour of such a course; but I pointed out that
our mission might be one of great delicacy, and that it was as well not
to use force unless we were compelled to do so.
“Even in New York,” said I, “we should not be allowed to proceed up the
harbour after sunset, no matter how anxious we might be to land.”
This was not thought to be a parallel case, but the old gentleman
suggested that, as he wished no undue publicity, it would be better to
wait until daylight and make our landing with as little ostentation
as possible. I tried bribery, but for once it was ineffective, and
in spite of the fact that I incurred the contempt of the energetic
Cammerford, I counselled less hurry and more speed, though there was
nothing to do but turn in and get a night’s sleep in preparation for
the toilsome journey in the morning.
I was on deck at daylight and found my Japs had all disappeared except
their leader. He explained to me that he thought it best to get them
ashore during the night unobtrusively in sampans. They would be waiting
for us, he said, two or three miles beyond the port on the Seoul road.
Now our Excellencies might disembark, he added, without attracting any
attention. I complimented the little man on his forethought, and, sure
enough, we found our company just where he said we would.
The next surprise was that Cammerford also had disappeared. I went down
to his stateroom, but found his bed had not been slept in. The Japs had
seen nothing of him, neither had any of the crew, so our unbidden guest
had departed as he came.
Hilda was evidently most reluctant to take the journey. She told me she
had seen enough of Seoul to last her a lifetime, but as she found that
Mr. Hemster was most anxious for her to accompany us, she did what she
always had done, and sacrificed her own inclinations in deference to
the wishes of others.
We had got nearly half way to Seoul when I saw with alarm a large
party, apparently of Corean soldiers, marching westward. They were
easily ten to one as compared with our escort, yet I had not the
slightest doubt our Japs would put them all to flight if they attempted
to bar our way. Taking two of the Japs with me, I galloped on ahead to
learn the intentions of the cavalcade in front. They paused in their
march on seeing us coming up, and their leader galloped forward to meet
me. To my surprise I saw it was the Prime Minister himself.
“Well, you old scoundrel,” I cried, “your head is still on your
shoulders unfortunately. What’s the meaning of this movement of troops.
Do you think you’re going to stop us?”
“Oh, no, Excellency, no. I have come to greet you, and offer you the
profound regard of the Emperor himself.”
“Now, just try to speak the truth for once; it won’t hurt you. You know
very well that you had no word of our coming.”
“Pardon, most Gracious Excellency, but your white ambassador arrived as
soon as the gates were open this morning.”
“Our white ambassador! Oh, that’s Cammerford, very likely. So he has
reached the capital, has he?”
“Yes, Excellency, and has received the honour due.”
“That ought to be a gorgeous reception. And did he send you to meet us?”
“No, Excellency, it was the white Princess.”
“Ah, you villain, you did kidnap her after all. Now if any harm has
come to her, off goes your head, and down goes your pasteboard city.”
“Ah, Excellency,” said the Prime Minister with a wail of woe, “it was
indeed depths of wickedness, but what was I to do? If I did not bring
her to Seoul, not only was my head lost, but the heads of all my kin;
and now, alas, the Emperor says that if she goes not willingly away he
will yet execute me, and all my family as well. Excellency, it was an
unlucky day when the white Princess came to the Palace. The Emperor is
in fear of his life, and terror reigns in every corner. Yet she would
not go until the King, her father, brought his warship to Chemulpo, and
she demanded to be escorted by the whole court with the honours of an
Empress from the capital to the sea. She was going to make the Emperor
himself come, but he bowed his forehead in the dust, a thing unknown
these ten thousand years in Corea, and so she laughed at him and
allowed him to remain in the Palace. She has made a mock of his Majesty
and his ancestors.”
“Serves him jolly well right,” said I, beginning to get an inkling of
how the case stood. “Her ancestors fought for liberty, and it is not
likely she is going to be deprived of hers by any tan-bark monarch who
foolishly undertakes the job. Is the lady still at the Palace, Hun Woe?”
“No, Excellency, she is on her way hither, escorted by the Court,
and riding proudly with her white ambassador. Indeed,” he continued,
looking over his shoulder, “I can see them now, coming over the brow
of that hill. She was so anxious to meet her father that she would not
await your coming.”
“All right, Hun Woe, you line up your troops on each side of the road,
and see that they bow low when the Princess passes. I shall return and
acquaint the King, her father, with the state of the poll.”
So saying I wheeled my horse, galloped back, and informed the old
gentleman that everything was all right. He heaved a deep sigh of
relief, and I fancied his eyes twinkled somewhat as I related what
particulars I had gathered of the reign of terror in Seoul since his
daughter’s enforced arrival.
By the time I had finished my recital the cavalcade to the rear had
passed between the lines of prostrate soldiers. The old gentleman moved
forward to meet his daughter, and she came galloping on her pony and
greeted him with an affectionate abandon that was delightful to see,
although when she flung her arms round his neck she nearly unhorsed
him. Her reception of the rest of us was like that of a school-girl
out on a lark. She seemed to regard her abduction as the greatest fun
that ever was, and was bubbling with laughter and glee. She kissed the
sedate Hilda as if she were an only sister, reproaching herself that
even for a moment she had preferred that little beast of a Countess, as
she called her, to so noble a treasure as Miss Stretton. To me she was
as gracious as if I were her dearest friend.
“And now, Poppa,” she cried, “shall I make this circus come with us to
Chemulpo? I can do what I please with them; they belong to me.”
“I don’t think we want that crowd tagging after us, Gertie,” said her
father without enthusiasm.
“Then, Mr. Tremorne,” she said, “will you order them home again, and
tell ’em to be good for ever after. And oh! I want you to ask the Prime
Minister if I didn’t make that old Emperor kow-tow to me.”
“He has already admitted that you did, Miss Hemster.”
“Then that’s all right: I thought they’d try to deny it.”
I bade an affectionate farewell to Hun Woe, who was as glad to be quit
of me as I was to be rid of him, and we have never seen each other
since.
I don’t remember ever taking part in a jollier excursion than that
which now set forth towards Chemulpo, which place we reached before
sunset.
Miss Hemster related her adventures with a gusto and enjoyment that
I never saw equalled. Even her father smiled now and then at the
exuberant humour of her declamation. It seemed that the Countess was in
the pay of the Corean Government, probably as a spy. The Prime Minister
had telegraphed her to win the confidence of Miss Hemster if she could,
and so the Countess had made application to the American Consul and
succeeded even beyond her fondest hopes. There had been no intention
of going to the House of the Million Blossoms, but she had proposed
instead to Miss Hemster a round of visits among the nobility of Japan,
or at least whatever section of them lived near Nagasaki. As this round
was to take some time, and as the Countess proclaimed that it must
be done in strict secrecy, she outlined the writing of the different
letters which her caretaker at the villa would hand to whoever called,
if an investigation was made, as the wily Countess thought was highly
probable, and this scheme proved peculiarly attractive to Miss Hemster
and was accordingly carried out, and the young lady laughed till tears
came into her eyes when I told her how I had been deceived by the
receipt of my letter.
After landing from the yacht the Countess took Miss Hemster and her
maid to a tea house situated on the shore of the bay, and from the
moment they drank tea there, Miss Hemster and her maid remembered
nothing more until they found themselves on board the Chinese steamer.
“Did you know about the attempted sinking of the yacht?” I asked.
“I wasn’t sure,” she said. “I was in a sort of daze: I seemed to have
awakened when they began to take up the anchor, but I was stupid and
headachy. Then there came a crash, and I screamed fit to kill, but
those Chinese brutes put us into the cabin, and after that of course
there was no escape. We did not land at Chemulpo, but somewhere along
the coast. It was a fearful ride into Seoul, but after that I had my
revenge; I made the old Emperor and his Court stand around, I tell you,
for I had a revolver and plenty of cartridges in my trunk, and once I
got them the situation belonged to me.”
“And where are your trunks, Gertie?” asked her practical father.
“Oh, they’re stored in Chemulpo. The Emperor wanted me to leave, but
I wouldn’t until you came and I was provided with a proper escort. He
wanted me to go back on the same old Chinese tub, but I told him I’d a
steamer of my own coming.”
We got the trunks and set sail for Nagasaki once more. The voyage was
a dream of delight. Never did I see Miss Gertrude Hemster, or any
one else for that matter, so admirably charming and considerate of
everyone around her. Mr. Cammerford proved a most devoted cavalier,
and this gave Hilda and me opportunity for converse which we did not
neglect. Gertrude Hemster cheered her father’s heart by telling him
that she was tired of king-hunting and wanted to get back to Chicago.
When we arrived at Nagasaki I made arrangements for our marriage at
the American Consulate. Miss Hemster was most fascinatingly sweet to
Hilda when she heard the news. We all went together to the consulate,
Cammerford asking permission to join our party. When we arrived,
Cammerford, who seemed to be taking a great deal upon himself, said
politely to the Consul:
“I should think a real American wedding takes precedence over an
international affair, but at any rate I bespoke your services first.”
The Consul smiled and said such was indeed the case; then, to the
amazement of Hilda and myself, Gertrude, with a laugh, took the
outstretched hand of John C. Cammerford and stood before the official,
who married them according to the laws of the land to which they
belonged.
“What do you think of this combine, Mr. Hemster?” said Cammerford
with his most engaging smile, holding out his hand to his newly made
father-in-law.
The old man took it and said quietly:
“Whoever makes Gertie happy makes me content.”
Next came the turn of Hilda and myself.
THE END
Transcriber’s Notes
Punctuation, hyphenation, and spelling were made consistent when a
predominant preference was found in this book; otherwise they were not
changed.
Some simple typographical errors were silently corrected.
Ambiguous hyphens at the ends of lines were retained.
Page 52: “became acquainted” was printed that way.
Page 71: “brutal insistance” was printed that way.
Page 77: “I can thrown” was printed that way.
Page 182: “a sweeping curtesy” was printed that way.
Page 258: “hairbrained” was printed that way.