Hong Kong and Points East
The party moved swiftly through the night. The grandson never hesitated.
He knew every bend and turn in the path. Suddenly he stopped.
“We must rest a few minutes,” he said. “Honorable grandfather is old. He
cannot stand this pace.”
“But we’ve got to keep going,” Biff insisted. “I saw four men leave the
fire and come after us.”
“Fear not, my friend. I think I know who they are. But stay here, I’ll
go back down the path and make certain,” the “cook” said.
The grandson vanished in the night. Biff felt sure that any moment the
party would be jumped by pursuing guards. Then he heard voices. The
grandson came back, followed by four men.
“My brothers and cousins,” the grandson said. “They are more grandsons
of the Old Lord. One of them is brother to your friend Ling Tang.”
Muscles stepped into the group. “Sure, I know these guys. They’re okay.
These are real members of the House of Kwang. I made that double-crosser
Chan Li take me to them. We worked out the whole escape. This fellow,”
Muscles pointed to the grandson-servant, “he started the whole thing.
Set the kitchen on fire. Then he grabbed the keys, and led me to your
room. The others stayed back to watch the guards. Held some of them back
all right. Must have been more than twenty on duty.”
“We can go on now,” the grandson said quietly. “The Ancient One has
rested.”
Two grandsons came to the side of the old man. Each placed a supporting
arm around his waist. The party continued on its way.
Except for short, regular rest periods, they kept going all night. As
dawn broke, the party stopped for a lengthier rest. All were near
exhaustion from the excitement and the steady pace they had kept up. The
Old One slept like a baby, held in the arms of one of his grandsons.
They rested most of the morning. It was far safer to travel at night. On
the second day, as they reached a safer distance from Jaraminka, they
continued toward the plateau where Jack Hudson was to pick them up. In
turn, the grandsons went ahead to make certain no one was lying in wait
for them.
“Biff, are we anywhere near the spot where you saw all that
construction?” Uncle Charlie asked.
“We should be,” Biff replied. “We should be nearing the valley soon.
What do you think, Chuba? And you, Muscles?”
“Chuba think we reach it right over next hill.”
“I’ll trust Chuba’s judgment,” Muscles chimed in.
Chuba was right. The valley was over the next hill. They had reached it
at a point below where it rose steeply to the metal fence.
“The rest of you wait here,” Charles Keene ordered. “I’ll make a quick
trip for a fast look-see.”
“And _I’m_ with you,” Biff said quickly. His uncle gave him a look,
hesitated for a moment, but apparently decided not to protest.
“But Charlie—” Muscles started to say.
“No buts about it. Come on, Biff.”
Uncle and nephew climbed the slope. Biff found the opening in the fence.
They crawled underneath and reached the rim of the huge amphitheater.
Uncle Charlie stared down at the activity for minutes. He took in every
detail, storing the information in his mind. A nodded signal told Biff
they were going back.
Once down on the floor of the valley, Biff asked his uncle what he
thought the construction was.
“I’m almost certain, Biff, that they’re building a rocket launching
site.”
“Like Cape Canaveral?”
His uncle nodded his head. “I was at Canaveral at its beginning. Saw the
place grow. That work back up there is much the same type of
construction. Still in its earliest stages, somewhat crude. Be a long
time before they can try a moon shot, or any other kind.”
“Is knowing about this important?”
“Important. You just bet it is. News of this development is vital. It’s
the biggest, most important information Uncle Sam has had out of China
in years. You really found something, Biff.”
Shortly after noon of the second day since their escape, the party
reached the plateau where Muscles had been landed by Jack Hudson.
“This is it,” Muscles said. “If Jack gets my signal, we’ll be away and
winging by dark. Here, Chuba, take the end of this wire and scamper up
that tree. Attach it to the highest limb you can reach.”
The antenna was connected to the portable transmitter. The tree’s height
increased the distance of transmission possible. Ground transmission
would have limited the signal.
“All is okay, Muscles,” Chuba called down. Muscles picked up the hand
mike. He snapped on a button. A slight hum could be heard.
Muscles turned to the anxiously waiting group. “Let’s hope I get
through. I can’t repeat my signal more than once. It may be picked up by
the enemy.” He grinned at them. “Well, here goes.” Muscles held the mike
close to his mouth. “There’s gold in these hyar hills....” He waited ten
seconds. “Repeating.... There’s gold in these hyar hills.”
[Illustration: _The plane winged in on the prayers of the group_]
He snapped off the transmitter. “That was our pre-arranged signal. It
tells Jack Hudson that I’ve found you and that we’re all set to come
out. If he got my signal, he’s on his way to the plane right now, I
hope, I hope, I hope. It’s been on the runway, warmed up around the
clock, ever since he got back.”
“Well, we’ll know in about two hours,” Uncle Charlie said.
Jack did get the signal. Almost exactly two hours after Muscles’ signal,
the faint hum of a plane was heard. It grew louder, and then came into
sight. It winged in on the prayers of the whole group, the most welcome
sight Biff had ever seen.
Farewells were short. The moment the plane touched down, the Ancient One
was put aboard. The others followed fast.
The last Biff saw of the Ancient One’s grandsons was a picture he would
keep in his heart and mind forever. The five grandsons stood in a line,
facing in the direction of the departing plane. All were bowing deeply
to show their gratitude.
No one really relaxed until the plane crossed the border, but they
reached Unhao with no trouble. Jack Hudson taxied the plane to a neat
stop and whistled in relief, “Whew-uw!” Then briskly he turned to the
group. “We’re going to refuel and take right off again,” he announced.
“What’s the hurry, Jack?” Charlie asked. “How’s about letting me have a
bath?”
“Man, do you know how hot you and Biff have become since you went
inside? There have been spies all over the camp. You and Biff aren’t
even to get out of this plane. Biff’s things and yours are all packed.
I’ve got ’em in the luggage compartment. Soon as this crate is refueled,
it’s off for Hong Kong. You can dunk the body there.”
“But what about you, Jack?”
“Oh, they don’t want me. It’s you two got the information they want to
keep from getting out. I don’t know what you know, and I don’t want to.
They don’t know I’ve crossed into the big ‘C.’”
Biff looked at Chuba. Unashamed tears filled the native boy’s eyes. Biff
choked up. “Don’t worry, Chuba, we’ll meet again,” he said, and meant
it.
Muscles ruffled Chuba’s dark hair and said, “Chum, next year you and I
go Stateside, and we’ll visit this character.” Muscles gave Biff an
affectionate punch on the chin. “See you soon,” he said, as he and Chuba
left the plane.
They made Hong Kong safely. Biff and his uncle found a U.S. military
policeman, who took them to the consulate. There they reported their
discovery to an amazed official.
“You have performed a great service for your country,” the embassy
official said solemnly, and added with a faint smile, “although you
should have your passports taken away for such a foolhardy venture.”
“I know you’re right, sir,” Charles Keene said, “but I would like to ask
a favor of you. Can you get us out of Hong Kong?”
“So fast it will make your head swim. Diplomatically speaking, we don’t
want you around here. There’s a jet bomber taking off for Honolulu in an
hour. You’ll be on it. From there, you’re on your own.”
Two hours later, Biff and his uncle were winging over the blue Pacific,
homeward bound—and sound asleep.
_A Biff Brewster Mystery Adventure_
MYSTERY OF THE CHINESE RING
By ANDY ADAMS
Burma! Biff Brewster can hardly believe he’ll soon be flying to Burma to
visit his Uncle Charlie. Not even when a green jade ring comes hurtling
through his bedroom window is he fully aware of the excitement and
danger awaiting him.
Is the ring a good-luck charm or a bad omen? Biff suspects that Uncle
Charlie’s sudden departure from Cape Canaveral to Burma might well have
international implications, and that the ring is a warning.
But even with a warning, Biff is still a boy alone in a strange country.
As he disembarks at Rangoon, the young adventurer walks straight into an
attempted kidnaping. Using his wits, Biff escapes from his captors only
to learn that his uncle is somewhere in the heart of Red China, perhaps
in serious trouble.
Horrified at the news, Biff persuades Chuba, a Burmese boy, to lead him
through the jungle swamplands and across the Chinese border. Once in
forbidden enemy territory, Biff uncovers the strange meaning of the jade
ring, learns of the secret mission which has brought his uncle to Red
China, and discovers a startling project of vital importance to the
United States.
Join Biff Brewster in more thrilling, world-wide adventure stories, now
available at your local booksellers.
_NEW!_ BIFF BREWSTER
Mystery Adventures
By ANDY ADAMS
[Illustration: Biff Brewster]
Biff Brewster, sixteen, is a tall, strongly built blond youth who lives
in Indianapolis, Indiana, with his parents and the eleven-year-old
twins, Ted and Monica. Because his mother and father believe that travel
is as important to education as formal schooling, Biff is encouraged to
travel to various countries during the vacation months. His experiences
in these lands, and the young people he meets there, form the basis of a
new series for adventure-loving readers. In every journey there is a
strong element of mystery, usually a direct result of conditions
peculiar to the region in which he is traveling. Thus, in addition to
adventure, these books impart carefully researched information about
foreign countries.
_Start reading one today_—
(1) BRAZILIAN GOLD MINE MYSTERY
(2) MYSTERY OF THE CHINESE RING
(3) HAWAIIAN SEA HUNT MYSTERY
(4) MYSTERY OF THE MEXICAN TREASURE
(5) AFRICAN IVORY MYSTERY
(6) ALASKA GHOST GLACIER MYSTERY
GROSSET & DUNLAP, Inc. Publisher
New York 10, N. Y.
[Illustration: Endpapers]
Transcriber’s Notes
--Copyright notice provided as in the original—this e-text is public
domain in the country of publication.
--Silently corrected palpable typos; left non-standard spellings and
dialect unchanged.
--In the text versions, delimited italics text in _underscores_ (the
HTML version reproduces the font form of the printed book.)
End of Project Gutenberg's Mystery of the Chinese Ring, by Andy Adams