David goes on a Journey
'And now to investigate the secrets of the ruined city wherein dwelled
Tsin the mighty, Tsin, the ruler of a tiny principality, who years and
years ago set himself one of the biggest tasks man has ever undertaken.'
They were seated in their tent in the light shed by a candle lamp, and
the Professor lolled back on the tiny camp-bed which was to be his own
special property. Indeed, a glance round the camp showed clearly that
the expedition was organised thoroughly, and promised by the equipment
it carried to give comfort to every one. For first, there was the large
tent for the use of the Professor, David, and Dick, with its three
narrow beds, its collapsible table and chairs, and its waterproof
flooring. Then, a little distance away was a smaller, bell tent, in
which Alphonse was to repose, and beside it, within easy reach, a field
kitchen, while further still was a third tent, similar to that occupied
by Alphonse, for the accommodation of the four Chinese.
'Of course, those whom we employ to help us with the digging will have
to find their own quarters,' said the Professor at the very beginning of
their forming camp. 'There happens to be a village some two miles away,
and no doubt the inn there will take them in. But there are also one or
two old buildings still standing in this ruined place, and they will
probably elect to settle there.'
That, in fact, was what the dozen coolies whom he had hired had decided
on. Already they had secured the basement of what had been a two-storied
house, though now the upper part had gone, while to effect an entrance
into that below needed quite a lot of excavation. For the rest, the camp
was pitched on a grassy knoll some hundred yards from the ruins and
within three miles of the huge Chinese wall, which, not so perfect
now-a-days as it was wont to be, is still a marvel of human ingenuity
and perseverance, stretching as it does for fourteen hundred miles over
hill and valley, cutting the northern provinces of China from the rest
of the world.
'As I was saying,' began the Professor again, 'we are about to
investigate the ruins of the city--quite a small place, I imagine--in
which dwelt Tsin, the one-time ruler of a small province in this
neighbourhood. You must understand that he was one of many kings
controlling the numerous provinces into which China was divided some two
thousand years ago, a somewhat different condition to that now ruling,
for there are only some fifteen provinces now-a-days. Tsin, like all the
rest of these little kings, was for ever squabbling with his neighbours,
so that there were frequent little wars, and as a natural consequence
many additions were made to, or territory taken from, the various lands
belonging to these kings. However, Tsin seems to have been fortunate,
for he made additions. In fact, he ate up his neighbours, and with more
wealth and more men increased wonderfully in power. He ended by
conquering every part of China, and becoming Emperor of the Celestial
Empire.'
'And richly deserved his reward, no doubt,' ventured David. 'I should
imagine that the people were all the happier for having one ruler only.
Trade and other matters must have gone more smoothly.'
'I agree with you; things probably were more fortunate. But Tsin was not
without his troubles; his kingdom was for ever being invaded by
Mongolian nomads from the north, nomads who were as elusive as they were
warlike. They devastated portions of his kingdom, and when armies were
sent in pursuit they melted away, taken in ambush, or lost hopelessly in
the desert. It was to check those nomads that Tsin started the Great
Wall of China beside which we lie, and no doubt, once completed, it
fulfilled its purpose. It will repay a visit one of these days.'
Dick and David had, as a matter of fact, already visited the huge wall,
and had marvelled at its vastness. For this Great Wall of China is not
merely an erection two bricks thick; it is a huge earth wall, faced with
masonry, buttressed and supported everywhere, and freely supplied with
fortified gates and quarters for its garrison. Fourteen hundred miles of
it, stretching across the kingdom! Think of the enormous labour, think
of the host required to guard its length. And to-day it is deserted, or
almost so. The broad track on its summit, constructed of such a width
that three carts could conveniently be driven side by side, is now no
longer of service. Mongolia has ceased to send in her nomads. Perhaps
the very presence of the wall has prevented them, or maybe they have
become less warlike. There the wall lies, a work to rouse the admiration
of modern-day people.
'And now to speak of these ruins. They are small, as I have said
already,' the Professor told them, 'and since I do not expect to
discover much of interest, I have decided to send you two lads forward.
John Jong shall go with you, while the naval officer who spoke such
excellent English has provided me with passports. It seems that his
father is a mandarin, and commands the district a hundred and fifty
miles north, where are located the Mongolian ruins I am so anxious to
investigate. Will you go?'
Would they go? David and Dick were as eager as the Professor himself to
dip into the past by investigating the ruins of the city in which Tsin
had dwelled so many hundreds of years before. But a journey through
China offered superior attractions; and besides, there was another city
to be visited, or rather the ruins of one that had formerly existed.
'Go, sir? Of course!' declared David, with marked enthusiasm. 'Nothing I
should like better.'
'Quite a little experience for us, sir,' declared Dick. 'Do we march or
ride?'
'The latter. You will go in state; that is, you must create a good
impression wherever you travel, for that will appeal to the natives. I
don't think that there should be any difficulty, nor any danger. The
passports I have and the letter you will carry to Twang Chun should
command attention, for it seems that he is a very important official.
More than that, like his son, he is westernised, speaks English and
French, and longs for the day when his country will be less bigoted and
cramped. Of course you will take arms with you, and since it is always
as well to keep on the right side of the natives and attract little
attention, you will travel in native costume. Jong will see to that part
for you.'
There was jubilation in the faces of our hero and his friend. They
glanced at one another as the Professor ceased speaking, and then
grinned openly.
'Ripping!' exclaimed the latter. 'Swells we shall be. Jong will be too
big after such a journey to speak to his countrymen. But how about
putting up for the night, sir?'
'As far as possible you will avoid staying in a village, and in case it
should happen that you find yourselves a long way from a town of any
importance, you will camp in the open. I brought three _tentes d'abris_
with me, and those will accommodate you very nicely. Of course you might
go to the native rest-house or inn; but I don't advise it. There is, as
a rule, only one guest-chamber, with one long _kang_ or couch on which
to lie, and since the Chinese are none too clean in their persons you
would find such quarters most unpleasant, besides laying yourselves open
to robbery. In the big towns you will at once ask for the residence of
the mandarin, and this letter which I shall entrust to you will
certainly obtain a lodging under a fine roof and with comfortable
surroundings, unless, of course, the mandarin happens to be bigoted,
and hates all foreign devils. There are few, I imagine, who will care to
displease Twang Chun, the Governor of the province. Now, as practice in
such matters is excellent for all people, I leave it to you two to
organise your own expedition. Get out a list of the things you imagine
you will want. You will each have a Tartar pony for riding purposes, and
can take three more besides the one Jong will ride, making roughly a
spare horse apiece for your baggage. Let me see the list when
completed.'
It may be thought that such a task as was now given to the two young
fellows would take but a little while to complete. But when they came to
make the list of which the Professor had spoken they discovered that
they were often in doubt. For instance, with regard to the question of
ammunition.
'Twelve rounds apiece for magazine pistols, ditto for rifles,' said
Dick, as if he had been at this sort of work a long while.
'More!' exclaimed David, with a knowing wag of his head. 'There might be
a ruction; we might be attacked.'
'Pooh! Never did come across such a firebrand,' laughed Dick. 'Always
imagining that we are going to run our heads up against some sort of
trouble. Still, if you think so, we'll carry more. Say forty rounds
each. How's that?'
'Right; far more sensible. Now for grub. My word, we mustn't run short
of that!'
David was always a good man at his trencher. The open-air life they were
now leading, the novelty of his surroundings, and the exercise he
enjoyed had given him an appetite there was no denying.
'Of course we might shoot something,' he said, 'though we haven't seen
much so far that would be worth the while. Besides, in this queer
country one hardly knows what it would be proper to kill and what not.
The Professor says one has to be careful not to touch other people's
belongings, and the latter are often straying about. Vote we make our
list of stores a handsome one.'
In the end they took sufficient tinned meats to last them for two weeks,
having reckoned that the journey would not take longer than eight days.
A small bottle of brandy was included in their stores, rice for Jong, a
bag of biscuit, and a box of dried apples.
'Makes a splendid sweet,' declared David. 'Soak 'em over night in water,
or milk if you can get it. Same with the rice you mean to use. Then put
the two into a cloth, tie up the top and pop the whole into a kettle.
Boil it, my boy, till the rice is done to a turn, and serve it with a
sprinkling of sugar. That reminds me--tea's wanted, sugar too, and don't
forget a kettle, a frying-pan, and a saucepan.'
'Besides tin mugs, a teapot, spoons, forks and knives.'
'And a filter to pass the water through. Can't be too careful,' said
David. 'Water supplies in this country are not often too reliable, and
though one can be quite secure by drinking boiled water, yet one hasn't
always the time, nor the fuel, so we'll take a filter.'
Having completed their list to their entire satisfaction, they consulted
Jong, and with his help packed their stores into three lots, which were
so arranged as to be easily secured on the pack saddles which the
Professor had purchased. Then they took their list to the latter and
asked for his approval.
'Very complete,' he agreed. 'All that I can suggest now is cash. You
will want an abundance of the small coins on which the Chinese coolie
places such value. A little scattered now and again will gain friends
for you. A handful will buy you a sack of rice when your store is
exhausted; I shall hand over a sufficiency, while for funds on your
arrival, should you need money, this letter will obtain the same from
Twang Chun. And now, the sooner you get away the better; let us say
to-morrow. You had best be up early so that Jong can complete your
toilets. Don't forget that it is necessary that your appearance should
be correct in every particular, just as if you were endeavouring to
disguise yourselves.'
On the following morning, before the sun had risen, and while still a
grey mist hung over the cold land, David and Dick turned out of the
tent, took a dip in a lake close at hand, and then submitted themselves
to Jong's attentions.
'Allee lightee,' he lisped, grinning as they came to him. 'Soon makee
Excellencies same as one Chinaman. Allee same, so that mother not be
able to knowee dem. Jong shavee de head now. Den put on de pigtail. Not
eber wear him before, Misser Davie? Den you soon see. Fine, Misser
Davie. You one great big swell, wid a tail reachin' lightee down to de
middle ob you. Now boil de kettle, get de soap, sharpen de razor.'
He set about his work humming a Chinese refrain devoid of all tune,
while Alphonse emerged from his tent in his shirt sleeves, and using a
native bellows soon had his fire going. It made the lads laugh to watch
him hopping quickly about, and to see the extraordinary costume which he
still adhered to. For if David and his friends out there in China were
still, in spite of their local surroundings, in spite of essentially
Celestial environment, undoubtedly Englishmen, Alphonse was as decidedly
a Frenchman. His peaky little beard, and the way he carried himself, as
well as the quickness of his movements, told one that. It was not
necessary to regard his extremely loud shirt, his appalling cap, nor the
pointed boots which he found comfort in wearing.
'_Bien!_ You depart to-day. _Bon voyage, messieurs_,' he said, as he
brought them each a steaming cup of tea. 'Let Alphonse tell you that you
will find native costume comfortable, as comfortable as is mine, for he
has tried it. _Oui, messieurs_, he has tried it. He owed his life to the
disguise once.'
David could not imagine how any disguise could cloak this very obvious
Frenchman. He smiled a little dubiously.
'Ah, you do not believe. Then I will tell you. It was on our last
journey, the Professor's and mine. The people were angry with us; we
were foreign devils who had caused the rain to fall for a month in
succession. They surrounded the house; guns were fired; there was a
great commotion.'
'What happened then?' asked Dick, eagerly.
'They dragged us out, the Professor and myself. They put us into wooden
cages and carried us in them to their mandarin. But he, though he did
not love foreign devils, was afraid to harm us. He took us into his
house, saying to the mob that he would hand us over in the morning. Then
he dressed us like natives, and passed us out through a back door very
secretly. _Bien, messieurs_, we strolled through the mob. They would
have torn us to pieces had they known that we were the foreign devils
they had captured. We passed through them and got right away. It was
what you call a narrow shave.'
'And the mandarin, how did he explain your flight?' asked David, curious
to hear how such a matter would be arranged in this country of
surprises, of ignorance and bigotry.
'I will tell you. He barred the door and the window. He burned our
clothes. In the morning he took the ringleaders of the mob to the room
and announced that they were free to kill us. Then he feigned as great
surprise as they. He pointed to the charred remains of our clothing, and
suggested that we had vanished into the air, perhaps to stop the rain,
for as luck would have it, the downpour ceased that very evening. I tell
you, for us it was a close shave.'
He bustled off to his camp kitchen, leaving the lads wondering greatly.
To them the tale seemed impossible. But then they did not know China
very well. They had no idea of the crass ignorance and superstition
which even to-day sways the mass of the people. Had they had more
knowledge, they would instantly have realised that such a sequel was
possible, and that in the Celestial Empire one can encounter hopeless
ignorance on one hand, and a depth of cunning adjacent to it. But Jong
had his pot of water boiling now, and had put a fine edge on to the
wedge-shaped native razor which he intended to use. He quickly lathered
the hair over the temples and round the crown of each lad's head, and
rapidly removed those portions. Then he produced two wonderful pigtails,
and having snipped the hair left on the crown as short as possible, he
heated the base of the pigtails, thus melting the adhesive already
there, and applied them. A touch with a stick of charcoal to their
eyebrows made a vast effect, while a line drawn outside the eyes gave a
distinctly Celestial expression. After that it took but little time to
don the native costume, and before Alphonse announced breakfast both
David and Dick were dressed for their journey.
'You look at least forty,' declared the latter, surveying his friend,
and bursting into a merry peal of laughter, 'and as wise as any judge.'
'While you should be at least the governor of a province,' grinned
David, delighted at his friend's appearance. 'Now for the Professor.'
'Excellent!' declared the latter, walking all round them. 'I can find no
fault; Jong has turned you out wonderfully well. But you mustn't stride
along like that, David--nor walk with such an elastic step, Dick, my
lad. Recollect that a Chinese gentleman, as you are supposed to be, has
little if any call to show energy. He is essentially a tranquil person.
His face is as impassive as that of a Red Indian's, while he seldom
smiles. And above all he is deeply imbued with his own dignity. So,
however youthful and merry you may feel when by yourselves, remember to
look austere when in the company of strangers. And now to discuss the
route. I have a map here, and as I have been over the ground before I
have been able to put down all the chief towns you will pass. Of course
there are thousands of completely walled cities in China, particularly
up in this direction, where Mongolian incursions are always likely. You
will pass several, and will, no doubt, sleep the night in more than one.
Now, I have looked over your list of stores, and have suddenly
remembered drugs. Alphonse has packed a box containing useful tabloids
and other medicines, besides a supply of bandages and dressings. Ah!
breakfast's ready; come along.'
An hour later the little cavalcade was ready to set out, and once more
the Professor inspected the lads and their mounts. To speak the truth,
even a native of the country would easily have been deceived, for David
and his friend looked exactly what they were meant to look, namely, two
Chinese gentlemen of some importance travelling through the country with
their servant.
'Of course you are not bent on commerce,' said the Professor. 'No
Chinaman of any importance would soil his hands with trade. You are two
officials going through to see Twang Chun. Good-bye! Look for me in a
month's time.'
'Gee-up!' shouted Dick, shaking his reins. 'Good-bye, Professor!'
They headed at once for the road that stretched across the country
adjacent to the camp, and which perhaps had even borne Tsin, the mighty
ruler of the Celestial Empire in those far-off days. Then they settled
down to their long journey, David and Dick alongside one another,
chatting and laughing, and Jong behind, his bare toes in the
stirrups,--for the cold weather was not yet on them,--his reins knotted
on his pony's neck, and leads from the other three animals attached to
the bow of his native saddle.
'I rather fancy it will be as well to have some sort of regulations for
marching,' said David, when they had accomplished some ten miles, and
the camp was only a memory to them. 'You see we are foreigners, though
we don't look it, and something might turn up when we least expect it.'
Dick laughed loudly. David vastly amused him, and, if he had only made a
clear confession, interested him also. For the lad displayed so many
sides to his character. At one moment he was as dashing and plucky as
one could wish. A regular fire-eater he had shown himself in the affair
in the gulf of Pechili. And at other times he was as cautious as any old
woman.
'You do make me smile,' declared Dick, searching for a handkerchief, a
luxury which neither had yet abandoned, but for which, nevertheless, it
was somewhat difficult to find a handy place in the strange garments
they were wearing. ''Pon my word, you make a chap roar. Always imagining
danger's coming; always taking precautions; always getting ready; and
then, no sooner does something spring up, all unforeseen, as it were,
than you chuck all precautions, venture out into the open, and
practically invite people to shoot you. Look at the ship--helped to get
the party away from what was an ugly trap, and then, when all were safe,
walked peacefully back in search of an axe. You do really take it.'
'Shut up!' growled David, crossly. 'I'm serious.'
'So am I.'
'Look here,' declared our hero, with some warmth, 'I'll not stand any
more of--oh, I say, let's be serious,' he laughed, for who could be
angry with Dick--Dick the merriest and most light-hearted of the party?
For if ever contrasts were asked for, a better example could not be
brought forward than David and his companion. The one, as Dick had said,
a strange mixture of dash and daring, and of shrewd, almost nervous
caution; and the other, Dick Cartwell, as jolly as the day was long, the
most thoughtless individual breathing, an inconsequent, harmless sort of
fellow, who made friends of all and sundry with an ease which was
astonishing. Caution! Dick threw it to the winds.
'Don't get looking round for trouble till trouble troubles you, old
boy,' he had said on more than one occasion when twitting David. Dick
followed the proverb strictly. He made no effort to look into the
future, to prepare for squabbles, even in a country not altogether
friendly. Left in command of the Professor's party, he would have been
soundly asleep when the pirates so stealthily slipped aboard the vessel
and slid along the decks towards the cabin. But once the danger was
present, once he was with his back against a wall, there was no better
nor more reliable fellow. Dick fought with as light a heart as he
possessed when eating his dinner. Light-heartedness was his one fault,
in fact, if one could actually declare it a fault; for on the march and
under everyday conditions it cheered his companions and helped
wonderfully to keep every one going.
'Well, let's hear all about this matter,' he asked, smiling at our hero,
and urging his steed beside him with a kick from his heel. 'You are
anticipating trouble.'
'Nothing of the sort. I do declare you are an aggravating fellow. I say
that we are in a country where foreign devils are not too popular, and
though we don't appear to be foreigners, yet people might discover our
nationality. In fact, they are sure to when we put up in the towns. Very
well, then. We must take it turn and turn about to watch, Jong doing his
share with us. Of course I'm speaking of the time when we are out on the
road, or in camp, should we settle down outside a village or town. In
the house of a mandarin we should be free from interference. Now, what
do you say to the plan?'
'A beastly bother, but necessary perhaps. I agree. When do we start?'
'Right away; nothing like getting settled down to our duties. We'll have
a chat with Jong.'
They pulled their ponies round and edged them up alongside the single
store pony trotting at the Chinaman's left hand.
'We're going to take it in turns to watch when on the road,' said David.
'I'll start now, and continue till noon; then Dick till late in the
afternoon; then you'll come on duty. We'll share the night out evenly
when we're in the open.'
Jong took a few minutes to absorb his meaning. Not that the man was
dense; it was simply because he had not a very abundant command of
English.
'Allee lightee; savvey,' he exclaimed at last, with a curious little
lisp which rather became him. 'Jong say dat allee lightee. Watch, den no
easy to be cut to piecee. Neber know who or what comin' along. P'laps
dere robbers. Dey make mincemeat of de lot of us before you have time to
breathe. Jong watch like a dog. Him savvey!'
'Then I start right off; let's get back to our places.'
The two young fellows kicked their lazy little ponies into a canter, and
pulled them in again when they were some fifty yards ahead of the
Chinaman. And until the hour of noon David kept a careful eye all about
him. Then they halted for a spell, Jong quickly getting a kettle over a
fire and the water boiling. A cup of tea and a slice from a tin of meat
put all in a good temper, and made them ready to proceed. That evening,
as the shades were lengthening, they slid through the gates of a walled
city. Dick's hours for duty were almost ended. In a little while they
would be under a roof and, they hoped, in hospitable quarters. But
neither Dick nor David nor the talkative Jong saw that figure trailing
along behind them on the main road. Not one had observed a man creep
from a ditch a mile from the gates of the city, and slink cunningly
after the party. For it was Chang, and his object so far was to remain
in the background, undiscovered till the hour for action had arrived.