Dick and David Turn the Tables
'Dick, it's time we were moving. Come along out of this hole, and give
me a hand to get us out of the city.'
David had thrown back the bolts of the cell next to the one into which
he had so boldly descended, and stood in the doorway holding a huge
paper lantern before him. He had taken it but a minute before from the
roof of the passage, the operation being easy for the simple reason that
there was a pulley and tackle, whereby the man who saw to the
replenishing of the lanterns could gain access to them. Now he was
staring into the cell, his eyes fixed on the figure of his old comrade.
'Come along, lad,' he called again softly, seeing that Dick did not move
from his position on the basket, where he sat somewhat disconsolately.
'Time we were moving.'
It made him laugh to see the prisoner rise slowly to his feet and rub
his eyes as if he could not believe what they were telling him. Then he
had occasion to speak sharply. For it appeared that Dick had fallen
asleep while seated, and imagining that he had heard David's voice in a
dream, and not when possessed of all his senses, he took it for granted
that the figure at the door was actually that of the Tartar. He dashed
forward swiftly, evidently with the intention of attacking.
'Stop!' cried David sharply. 'Don't be a fool. Shake yourself, and then
you'll see who I really am. Quick! We've no time to waste. We've heaps
of work before us.'
'Well, I never! You take my breath away. What next will you appear as?'
gasped Dick, recovering his senses, and stepping forward to wring
David's hand. 'What next? A Tartar under-officer now, and I suppose you
had to steal to get the clothing. To-morrow you'll be stalking about as
the deputy-governor.'
'No, I shall not; but you will.'
'I! Disguised as the deputy-governor! Look here, David, are you silly,
or have I gone clean staring mad? I as Tsu-Hi, indeed! The rascal's
safely tucked in bed at this moment.'
'He is; agreed,' admitted David curtly, a grin on his lips.
'As safe as houses in his gilded palace,' said Dick bitterly.
'Wrong! He's not in his gilded palace. He's tucked safely in bed along
with that pompous Tartar under-officer. He's tied up as if he were a
dangerous hyena.'
Dick scratched his head energetically, and rubbed his eyes again. He was
seriously anxious about his old friend, who had so suddenly come to
visit him. The stubborn look on his face, his evident determination,
and the curtness of his answer roused an awful suspicion in his mind.
Was David mad, driven out of his mind by this sudden trouble? Then he
shook his head.
'It's I who am a fool,' he whispered. 'Here he is in Tartar uniform.
That shows he's been moving. But this business of Tsu-Hi beats me
altogether; it knocks the stuffing entirely out of yours truly.'
'It'll knock the stuffing out of someone else I know of.'
David blurted out the words gruffly, while a frown crossed his forehead.
'Sit down for a moment,' he said shortly. 'I'll tell you what's been
passing. Don't ask a heap of questions. We're still in a beastly hole,
and unless everything is in readiness we shall be too late to slip out
of the city. Sit down; for goodness sake don't interrupt.'
He sate himself down beside his friend, and told him as swiftly as
possible of Chang's visit, of his own escape, and of what had followed.
'And now you're going to be Tsu-Hi,' he said abruptly. 'No use in my
changing these clothes. You can do the work as well as I can. Let's get
along into the other room, and then you can strip off your things and
dress in Tsu-Hi's gorgeous raiment.'
'And then?' asked Dick, beginning to grin and bubble over, for the
adventure amused him vastly. 'And then, my noble sir, what do I do? Go
to the palace and command the foreign devils to be brought before me.
Sign their death warrants, and see them executed. Oh, Lor'! I see it
all. Here's a splendid ending. We put this Tartar beggar into your
clothes, and Tsu-Hi into mine, and let Chang behead 'em as if they were
actually foreign devils.'
He would have roared with laughing, had not David stopped him angrily.
'Utter rot you do talk, Dick,' he said severely, though he was bound to
smile at the reckless jollity of his comrade. 'You become the
deputy-governor, and in due course you will go to the palace, and I with
you. For the moment, you've got to dress. Come along--no more jawing.'
They crept along the passage to the cell in which Tsu-Hi and the Tartar
lay together, where Dick quickly arrayed himself in the finery of the
fallen governor.
'How do I look, old chap?' he asked, posing beneath the lantern, and
before the eyes of the man he was representing. 'A bit of a sport, I
think. What? Ain't I handsome?'
'You're an idiot!' declared David crossly, though he was bound to laugh.
'Tsu-Hi looks as if beheading wouldn't be enough for you. But let's get
to business. Tie your own clothing into a bundle. Now, let me have it.'
Gripping the rope which dangled from the window-frame, and holding the
bundle between his teeth, David swarmed up till he was able to get a
grip of the edge above. He straddled it at once, and then whistled
softly. At once Jong's figure shot from the shadow. The Chinaman crept
into the centre of the road.
'Catch!' called David, tossing the bundle; 'and pick up the one I threw
before. 'Listen to this, Jong. Mr. Dick and I have captured Tsu-Hi.
We'll be coming out in a moment, when we shall go direct to the palace.
Once there, you'll have to bring out the ponies without delay, and get
our goods packed on them. I shall want a cart also.'
He waved to the man, and slid into the room again, slipping down the
rope as if he were a sailor.
'Where'd it come from?' asked Dick, nodding to the dangling cord. 'Who
fixed it?'
'I did. Jong is outside; he threw it up to me.'
'Then you could have slipped down then and there, and got clear away?
Ain't that it?'
'I suppose so,' admitted David grudgingly.
'My uncle! Then why didn't you?'
Dick turned sharply upon him, his face serious, a flush on his cheeks.
'Why didn't you?' he demanded fiercely.
'Because--oh, look here,' said David lamely, 'we're wasting time. What's
the good of jawing?'
'Why didn't you?' demanded Dick again, his manner resolute, ignoring his
comrade's efforts to change the conversation; then, finding that David
did not answer, he clapped a hand on his shoulder.
'All right,' he said, with a curtness which matched that of the lad who
had released him. 'I know well enough. It's one up for you, anyway.
Could have escaped, but wouldn't, simply because there was a wretched
beggar owning to the name of Dick still left in the building. Right, my
boy, I'm not going to forget it. Now, what orders?'
'Glad you've returned to business,' exclaimed David. 'What orders?'
'Yes. You give 'em. This is your own little affair. What are they? Call
up the garrison, march to Chang's quarters, and then set fire to the
city? Eh? What are they?'
The merry fellow was bubbling over again at the thought of his own
impertinence. He smacked his thigh loudly, as he considered what a
reversal of fortune the night had shown to the various parties. It made
him giggle hugely to see Tsu-Hi, trussed indeed, glaring from over the
top of the greasy bandage with which David had had the temerity to
secure the gag that silenced him. In fact, Dick was ready for any piece
of mischief that David cared to invent, and, if he were backward, this
young fellow was ready himself to supply the want, and urge a plan which
for recklessness would easily have matched that of his comrade. But then
he was a merry, light-hearted youngster. He wanted the depth and
stability that David enjoyed. The latter put a stop to his chatter with
a sudden movement.
'Don't imagine we're out of the wood yet,' he said. 'I've got my plans,
but whether we can carry them out is another matter. First and foremost,
we have to collar Chang. I've seen him already in a room on a higher
level than this, located on the other side of the building. You're game,
I suppose?'
Dick led the way to the door, his eyes flashing. 'Game for anything,' he
cried. 'But I'll be silent and cautious. You can trust me.'
'Then come along; bring the lantern with you. If we meet any one don't
utter a word. Pass them in silence. Recollect that you are
deputy-governor, the chief official of the city, to whom all will give
obedience. And one thing more. This Chang is expecting a call from you.
When we reach the room pass in boldly. I shall make a jump at him.'
Picking up the lantern Dick fell in beside David, and the two passed
into the passage, having first, however, inspected their prisoners. The
Tartar under-officer was breathing stertorously, and was still evidently
unconscious. As for Tsu-Hi, he was as helpless as a baby. All he could
do was to glare at the foreign devils; for his eyes were the only parts
that the unfortunate governor could completely control. They pulled the
door shut after them, and shot the bolts. Then they hastened past the
cell in which Dick had been imprisoned, closing the door as they did so,
and proceeded up the flight of stone steps which led from the far end of
the passage. Nor had they much difficulty in calculating where Chang was
in residence. For David had a fair bump of locality, and his meanderings
on the roof of the prison had given him invaluable information. He came
to a halt opposite a narrow door, and motioned to Dick to move along
farther. Then he slid to the floor, and applied his eye to the crevice
which existed beneath the woodwork. A moment later he was on his feet,
his face beaming.
'There's a light in there,' he whispered, 'and I'm sure I saw his legs.
Half a minute while I make another inspection.'
This second time he was sure that he could see the feet of some
individual, though whether it were Chang or some one else there was no
saying. It was a man. That was sufficient.
'I'll give a knock,' he whispered. 'When he calls I'll push the door
open and announce Tsu-Hi. Enter at once without hesitation. But first,
pull that cap well down over your eyes. That'll do. Walk straight across
the room. He's nearly certain to follow. Then I'll jump on his back. Got
it?'
Dick grinned. He had got the plan securely. The effort he was about to
make was just the one to delight him. It appealed to his merry mind, for
the idea was so bold that there was huge excitement in the attempt to
carry it out. How he longed to bring about the discomfiture of this
rascal, for David had told him enough to allow him to gather what had
happened, though it was hard to believe that the man who had married his
friend's stepmother could from England, so far away, control the action
of an accomplice in China. Chang was an out and out ruffian, he told
himself, but nothing in comparison with Ebenezer Clayhill.
'Righto!' he smiled. 'I'm ready. You bet, I'll be his haughtiness
himself.'
'Enter,' came a sharp summons from inside, as David knocked. 'Enter, and
welcome.'
'I don't think,' muttered Dick, with a grin. 'Open it, David, my boy.'
It would have done the Professor's jovial heart a world of good could he
have seen how the young fellow carried himself. It seemed that Dick was
a born actor. He waited tranquilly for David to push the door open, and
then, with hands tucked well within his sleeves, and his magazine pistol
secured within one of them, he advanced pompously and slowly, casting a
single glance at the individual who had summoned him to enter. It was
Chang without a doubt. He had risen from the table pen in hand--for he
had been writing--and stood aside to allow free passage to his
Excellency, kow-towing deeply.
'His Excellency, Tsu-Hi,' announced David, mimicking as well as he was
able the voice of the Tartar he represented.
'Enter, and welcome to His Highness.'
Chang kow-towed even more deeply, turning as Dick passed him. A second
later he was sprawling on the floor, for David had leaped upon him,
gripping him by the neck with both hands and capsizing him completely.
As for Dick, he turned instantly, raced to the door and closed it, and
then very coolly presented his weapon at the head of the individual to
whom he had made a visit.
'Just one word,' he whispered, in execrable Chinese, 'and there won't be
a Chang left to worry us. Just one little word, my friend.'
'Get up!' commanded David, for Chang had become of a sudden but a limp
heap of terrified humanity. 'Don't worry him with your Chinese, dear
boy. He understands and speaks English as well almost as we do. But
listen to this, you rascal. If you stir an inch or make a sound you'll
be shot without mercy. Now, stand there. No humbug, mind you.'
Leaving Dick still with his weapon at Chang's head David went to the
door and completely closed it, having first of all peeped out into the
passage. Then he returned, and sat himself down in the seat which the
rascal had but lately vacated. There was an ornamental ink-pot within
reach, while the pen which Chang had been using lay on the floor where
he had dropped it. And just in front of David was a sheet of Chinese
paper, on which the rascal had been writing. It is not the sort of thing
that a decent Englishman does to read correspondence meant for other
people. But here there was more than sufficient excuse. Chang might have
been putting down some orders respecting his prisoners. David picked up
the paper and held it closer. Then he started violently; for the
Chinaman was using English, and the letter was addressed to Ebenezer
Clayhill.
'SIR--This is to inform you that David Harbor, he of whom you spoke
to me, has come by a misfortune at Hatsu, a walled city in northern
China. He was accused with another of bringing plague to the
people, and though the Governor attempted to protect him, the mob
seized him during his Excellency's absence. He was beheaded this
morning. Such news entitles your servant to the payment of one
thousand pounds. Be so good as to mail it to the firm of Kung Kow,
at Shanghai. Within I send you an official notice of the death
vouched for by the British Consul.
CHANG.'
David gasped. The words made him tingle all over. He glared at the
prisoner as if he could eat him. And then he laughed. He rocked to and
fro on the low Chinese stool, stifling his merriment as well as he was
able.
'Of all the bits of cheek that I ever met, this really beats
everything,' he declared. 'Here, read it, Dick; I'll put my pistol to
this rascal's head willingly.'
He rose from his seat, and with the practice he had already had with the
Governor of Hatsu, contrived to apply his revolver in a manner which
made the trembling Chang squirm. Indeed, utter ruffian as Chang had
proved himself to be, not alone by his recent interview with our hero,
but by reason of the words which he had written, it was not surprising
that such an one should turn out to be a coward of the worst
description. Cruelty and courage do not often go together. The man who
loves to browbeat others, and thrust his fellows into unpleasant places,
likes least of all retaliation. Chang squirmed beneath the touch of the
cold muzzle. He whined for mercy, and then sank in a dead faint on the
floor. Meanwhile Dick had slowly read the letter, and from what his
friend had already told him was quick to gather its meaning. One might
have expected the merry fellow to roar as David had done, to see the
funny point in this amazing writing; but there were some things which
Dick resented, and this cold-blooded announcement of David's death,
before that ceremony had taken place, rendered him furious.
'Of all the cold-blooded diabolical plots I ever heard or read of this
is the worst,' he said. 'David, you will pocket that letter.'
'Why?'
'So as to prove the guilt of this Ebenezer Clayhill.'
'No, thank you,' declared our hero, slowly, 'There's been enough
stirring of mud in our family. I don't want the world to know that I've
such a connection.'
'Perhaps not. There's no need; the possession of this will make that
ruffian retire from the position he has taken up with regard to you. He
will no longer contend that his wife comes in for Edward Harbor's
possessions. Anyway, I'll pocket the letter. We can discuss the matter
later on. Now? What next. We kill this fellow.'
He was as cool as possible as he made the request. There was an angry
iciness about Dick to which David was entirely a stranger. But he
realised some of the thoughts passing through his friend's mind, and
appreciated his attitude.
'Kill him,' he answered. 'Certainly not. For the moment it is necessary
that he and I should change places.'
'What! More disguises? Why?'
'Because Chang, the friend of Tsu-Hi, your own noble self, is a far more
important being than is the humble individual I at present represent.
Let's take him along to the place where we've left our prisoners. I'll
do the changing there. By the way, bring some paper and that pot of ink.
Now, blow the light out. I'll see to this ruffian.'
'He went out of the door, dragging the senseless body of Chang after
him, and with Dick to help him soon arrived at the cell where Tsu-Hi lay
glaring. Then David clambered to the window, and looking out, called to
Jong. The faithful fellow popped out of the shadow instantly.
'Come over to the door. I want to speak to you,' called David, and
promptly slid back into the prison. 'Now,' he said, when at last Jong
was before him, just within the passage. 'We've captured a man called
Chang, who was the cause of this attack, and also Tsu-Hi, the
deputy-governor. Our aim and object is to get securely outside the city.
Are you afraid to return to the palace with an order written by the
governor himself? It needs courage, but the scheme should not fail. This
is what his Excellency will write:--
"Hand over to the bearer of this letter the six ponies and the
possessions of the foreign devils. Send also a cart with a strong animal
between the shafts, and three men to help with the loading. Despatch a
man to the northern gate of the city, and warn the guard that his
Excellency comes with two in his service. There must be no challenge. He
must be passed through in silence, for he bears important prisoners."
Now, Jong, are you afraid?'
The Chinaman giggled. Perhaps he had caught some of David's own
enthusiasm, or some of Dick's reckless jollity.
'Likee dat,' he said. 'Me go sure. Not know Jong 't 'all at de palace.
Wait here for the letter?'
'Yes. Then go quickly. Make no noise when you return, but wait outside
till I fetch you. Then do as I order. I will be with you in a few
minutes.'
The lad's busy brain had been exceedingly active, while he had mapped
out a course of action likely enough to stagger the placid folks of
Hatsu city, and one, moreover, which would probably defeat the
deputy-governor and the rascal who had aided and, indeed, instigated the
attack made upon our hero and his comrades. David slipped back to join
Dick, only to find Chang still semi-conscious. As for the others, the
Tartar snored stertorously, not having yet shaken off the effects of the
blow he had received, while the deputy-governor, wriggling in his bonds,
looked the quintessence of rascality.
'Prop him up,' commanded David. 'Now show him your pistol.'
Dick did it with a vengeance. He demonstrated his power to the exceeding
discomfort of Tsu-Hi, not to mention the damaging of his dignity.
'Now loose his hands, and put the pen and ink and paper before him.
That's right; I'm going to stir Chang into sensibility.'
There was a jar of water in the cell, and David liberally sprinkled the
countenance of Chang with it. In a little while he had the fellow seated
on the edge of the kang.
'Listen to this,' he commanded sternly; 'you will tell the Governor what
to write, and will see that he puts down what I dictate. If there is a
mistake, if there is a secret warning in his letter, then----'
Dick jerked his head on one side in an expressive manner. 'You've pretty
well guessed what'll happen,' he laughed drily. 'Just you don't be
foxy.'
Nor did Chang attempt such boldness. The man was in the depths of
terror, and thinking perhaps to lighten his own punishment, eagerly
dictated David's words to the Governor. As for the latter, the revolver
tickling the nape of his neck was such strong persuasion that he wrote
with a swiftness there was no gainsaying.
'Tie him up again,' commanded our hero, when the note was finished.
'Now, Dick, shoot this beggar if he dares to move while I'm absent. I am
merely going to the door. Let him get ready to make an exchange of
clothing.'
He went at once into the passage, and handed the note to Jong, who
scanned it eagerly. 'Me lead samee as you, misser Davie,' he said. 'Dis
allee lightee. No one tink dat dat not come from Tsu-Hi. Ebely one leady
to obey.'
He went off at a run down the moon-lit street, careless if he were
observed, now that he had that important letter. David watched him
depart, and then strolled back to the cell. He began to feel that the
worst part of their troubles were over, as if safety lay before them.
The lines left his forehead as he thought of the success which had
already attended their efforts, while he smiled a meaning smile as he
began to pull off his clothing.
'Strip yours,' he commanded Chang. 'Quick with it.'
'And am I to dress in those of the Tartar, Excellency?' asked the
wretch.
'Just as you like. In any case I'm going to provide you with another
covering. I don't fancy there'll be any chance of your getting cold.'
'But, Excellency----' whined the man.
'You be slippy and don't waste time talking,' cried Dick, beginning to
fathom his chum's meaning. 'Going to provide him with another covering,
eh?' he grinned. 'You don't mean that you're----'
'Here, help me with these boots. I thought I should never be able to get
into them. Now I'm a bit doubtful that I'll be successful in pulling
them off. Ah, thanks. Chang, your shoes are far more comfortable. Don't
you trouble to put these boots on. You won't want 'em. You ain't going
to walk.'
'Because, you see,' added Dick, enjoying the discomfiture of the rascal
immensely, 'you'll be carried--carried, Chang. Got it?'
It was evident that the wretch had, for he shivered and whined as he sat
on the edge of the _kang_. But David took no more notice of him for the
moment. He coolly dressed himself in the clothes this secret enemy had
been wearing, and then walked out of the cell. A quarter of an hour
later, when Jong arrived on the scene, and the scrunch of wheels was
heard outside on the road, two men stood ready to accompany the party.
'Carry out the baskets,' whispered one, who seemed to be none other than
the man who had come to warn the inhabitants of Hatsu of the foreign
devils. 'You will give all orders till we are out of the city.'
It took but five minutes to load those two heavy baskets on the cart,
and then the party set forward, Chang, and to all who peeped at him, the
noble deputy-governor following closely. David, as he stepped along the
white, moon-lit road in the garments lately worn by Chang, could hardly
believe that the fortunes of his little party had been so utterly
changed. It was hard to credit the fact that the pompous individual
beside him, at whose nod men cringed, was indeed, and in fact none other
than, his chum Dick, while it brought a broad smile to a face, which he
struggled hard to keep impassive, when he thought of the contents of the
baskets. Could it actually be that those long, creaking shapes hid in
their depths the mighty Tsu-Hi, deputy-governor of the walled city of
Hatsu, and Chang, conspirator, villain, the hired ruffian of Ebenezer
Clayhill?
But the gates of the city were yet before them. A challenge there, a
shriek from the burdens the cart carried, the smallest untoward event
would change their fortunes, and might yet land himself and Dick back in
the prison, there to await the execution which had been promised.