A STOWAWAY
Mr. Kit-ze had left the pony in town and now came on at a rapid
dog-trot. He was covered with dust and perspiration, and his hair, which
had been shaken from its knot, was now partly hanging in much disorder
down his back. When he had first rushed away, it had been with the
thought that the _miriok_ had been left at home, that it had in all
probability dropped from his clothing as he slept. But as a rigid search
failed to reveal it, he at length came to the conclusion that he had
dropped it in or near the river while helping to load the sampan. He had
stooped over many times, he knew. Why hadn't he thought of that ere
coming away? Yes, the first search ought, by all means, to have been
made in and around the sampan. But then he had been so excited over his
loss he hadn't taken the time to reason about it at all. Now he would
hasten back to the boat and resume there the search for the _miriok_.
Oh, he must find it, or failing, secure another like it. He could not
think of going on the journey without his _miriok_, for would not
disaster be sure to befall him if he did? But where was such another as
this _miriok_ to be had? As he recalled with what difficulty this one
had been secured, Mr. Kit-ze grew more and more excited over his loss.
Oh, he must return to the river at once! as there was a chance that he
had dropped the _miriok_ there.
Thus Mr. Kit-ze, coming in sight of the sampan, saw Clarence standing in
the water and holding something at arm's length over which all were
exclaiming. It took only a steady glance to show him what it was. The
next moment, with a ringing cry, he endeavored to increase his pace,
lost his footing, and went rolling down the slope, stopping just at the
water's edge. It was Helen who reached him as he regained his feet. She
had taken the _miriok_ from Clarence, and was holding it toward Mr.
Kit-ze, saying in her softest, gentlest tones:
"Here, Mr. Kit-ze, is something of yours that Clarence has found in the
river. We were so sorry when we knew you had lost it, and are glad now
that it can be returned to you."
With a little cry of delight he took the _miriok_ from her, clasped it
against his breast, prostrating himself before her almost to the ground.
This he did the second and even the third time.
The sudden coming of Mr. Kit-ze, his mishap, and the scene that followed
between him and Helen on the river bank had formed considerable of a
diversion for a part of the crowd. Even the excitement of Mr. Chefoo's
still unsatisfactory interviews with the polemen had, for a time, paled
before this newer and greater one. Ere she could extricate herself Helen
was surrounded by quite a rabble. Many faces were pressing up about her,
but there was one that attracted her attention in such a way that it
startled her. It was a somewhat worn and haggard face, with restless,
piercing eyes, and a nervous twitching of the lips that impressed itself
upon Helen the moment she saw it. She noticed that its owner's gaze soon
left her face and fixed itself in the direction of Mr. Kit-ze. The eyes
had now a startled look. They were fastened upon the _miriok_ that Mr.
Kit-ze was still holding against his breast, but in such a way that it
showed plainly. Helen noted this riveted gaze, as she also saw his lips
moving. By this time her position had become very unpleasant. She felt
too, a little chill of fear as she looked at this man. Was his mind
upset? However, Mr. Kit-ze, having recovered his senses along with his
_miriok_, was equal to the emergency. He safely conducted her out of the
surging crowd and to the sampan.
Mr. Reid and Mr. Wilburn, with Mr. Chefoo, being informed of the return
of Mr. Kit-ze, joined them as rapidly as they could in view of the crowd
that bore them company at the sampan. Considerable satisfaction was
expressed at the finding of the _miriok_, though the two missionaries
some hours later expressed themselves quite vigorously to each other on
the subject.
Mr. Kit-ze, who had by this time profusely apologized for his sudden
departure, was as anxious as the others to be off. There was no need to
delay another moment, he assured them. He motioned to Mr. Chefoo to take
his place in the stern, while he, grasping his long pole, took a similar
position in the bow.
"Hurrah!" cried Joyce, "we are off at last."
He stood up in his delight, clapping his hands and, as the boat was
given a sudden turn at that moment, he assuredly would have tumbled over
the side into the river had not Mallard caught him.
"Better keep your eye on the polemen hereafter," Clarence advised him,
"ere you try any acrobatic performances on a sampan."
They found some difficulty in getting away from the crowd, many of whom
followed the sampan for some distance into the water. These Mallard
finally turned back by the happy thought carried into execution of
tossing a handful of "cash" toward the shore. The last they saw of the
village was the scrambling forms in the water, and the line of low
hovels, built of mud-smeared wattle, with no vestige of windows and with
their black smokeholes plainly defined.
Yes, they were off at last, really afloat on the glorious Han, _the_
river of Korea, which, in two branches, sweeps almost across the
peninsula, forming two great waterways, navigable for flat-bottomed
craft for more than two hundred miles.
They found the river teeming with moving life. In addition to the
flatboats there were many junks passing back and forth, for the Han is
the great artery of commerce for the eastern provinces. Those going into
the city were laden with produce, pottery, bundles of faggots for
firewood, and the like, while those coming out held cargoes of
merchandise, both home and foreign, and salt from the seacoast.
Some of these junks were very old. They carried prodigious sails,
despite their rotten timbers, and looked as though they might turn over
at any moment. The most of them creaked horribly, and when our friends
in the sampan heard one for the first time, they thought for a moment it
was some great beast in terrible pain. When they found out their mistake
a hearty laugh went around.
Though the sun was now quite high, and its rays very warm, yet Mr.
Kit-ze knew the stream so well that he could keep near to the bank. Thus
for much of the way they had the shade from the trees and from the
overhanging bluffs. They found their curtains too, much protection.
Their little sitting room was very cozy and comfortable. Helen had
brought some oilcloth matting for the floor of the sampan, and a little
oil stove that they could light when the air was damp and disagreeable.
Here too were cushions, one or two folding chairs, and the bedding which
the girls were to use at night, together with the oilskin cases in which
they kept their clothing, a small supply of books, writing materials,
etc. In the next compartment forward Mr. Reid and Mr. Wilburn had stored
their effects, as they were to occupy it jointly at night. Here all
would dine when they were afloat; here too, the service of morning and
evening prayer would be held. The three boys slept and kept their
effects in the compartment just behind that of the girls. The straw roof
along the ridgepole extended over all, even for a part of the way over
the small, boxlike quarters of the two boatmen. In addition our party
was provided with oilcloths for the better protection of the stores, and
with mosquito netting.
"This is fine, even finer than sailing on the Hudson at home!" declared
Dorothy, her eyes sparkling with enthusiasm.
"Or the noble Mississippi, down in our Southland," added Helen. "How
pleasant this is! Oh, I had no idea it could be so delightful!"
"You just wait, my sister, until you strike some of the rapids,"
admonished Clarence, his face taking on a very solemn expression, "and
begin to roll about like loose apples in a cart, or find your feet
hanging where your head ought to be. Then I'm no prophet if you don't
completely change your form of expression."
"Oh, for shame!" cried both girls in a breath.
"I think it is real mean of you," declared Helen, "to try to spoil our
enjoyment of the present by introducing into it the suggestion of those
terrible things that await us. As for myself, I believe in enjoying what
is sweet and good while we have it, without borrowing trouble with
reference to what is in the future."
"A philosophy in which I heartily agree," said Dorothy.
There was indeed much to make the trip delightful, for the beauties of
the spring were all around them, in the sky, in the water, in the green
knolls overhanging the river. The stream continued to be quite shallow.
At some places it gurgled over the rocks only a foot or so below the
sampan. They came now and then to where the cattle waded knee deep in
the lush grasses. These turned to view them in mild-eyed astonishment as
they passed by chatting and laughing, then went on with their grazing.
Flocks of mandarin ducks and wild geese flew by; some of the latter even
swam close to the sampan. There were too, numbers of the imperial crane,
and once in a while a pink ibis wading along the edge of a rice field.
Clarence took his gun to shoot one of these, but Helen and Dorothy began
to beg for its life. "We don't want to eat it, so why destroy it?" asked
Helen.
"Oh, wouldn't you girls like a wing each for your hats?" asked Clarence
a little mischievously.
"Oh, no indeed," declared Dorothy. "No bird wing for me! You know that
well enough, Master Clarence," and she looked at him reprovingly.
"Well, the truth is," confessed Clarence, "I want it for my cabinet. I
know a young Japanese in Seoul who has promised to show me how to stuff
all I bring back. In the meantime he has taught me how to preserve them
while on the trip."
"If you must do it then in--in the cause of science," and here Helen
looked at him quizzingly, "wait until we can't see you commit the
murder, won't you?"
"All right," assented Clarence cheerfully. "But see here, sister," with
earnest protest, "don't call it murder."
"Well, the cruelty of sport then," corrected Helen.
At that moment a shout from Joyce attracted their attention. "Oh, look
at the pheasants!" he cried. "Quick! Clarence, I know you can shoot one
or more of them if you try."
Sure enough, there were the pheasants right along the edge of the rice
field, fine, fat fellows, and many of them.
"Be careful," warned Mr. Reid. "Examine the surroundings well before you
fire. There might be some one near."
Assured that there was not, Clarence raised his gun. "Beg pardon,
girls," he said slyly, as he adjusted it to his shoulder. "Pheasants are
_so_ good to eat."
They gave a little exclamation, then quickly covered both eyes and ears.
The next moment a report rang out, followed instantly by another. When
the smoke cleared away five of the birds were seen in their last
flutterings.
"Now, how are we to get them?" asked Mallard.
"Why, sure enough, I didn't think of that!" exclaimed Clarence in
dismay. "We can't carry the sampan close enough, that's certain."
Mr. Chefoo was now seen throwing off his sandals and rolling up his
pantaloons, while Mr. Kit-ze, holding the sampan steady by means of his
long pole, was giving him some directions. The next moment Mr. Chefoo
sprang over the side of the sampan and into the water. He slipped once
or twice as he was trying to make headway over the rocks, and two or
three times also, he was seen to mire; but notwithstanding these
difficulties he reached the birds all right, and was soon returning with
them. As he came again to the side of the sampan it was toward the
compartment occupied by the boys, the one in the rear of that in which
all had been sitting since the boat left Han-Kang. He placed his hand
upon the side of the boat to vault upward, but as he did so a quick
exclamation escaped him, which the next moment changed to a decided
whoop as Mr. Chefoo landed full in the compartment. A second or so later
what was the astonishment of all when he dragged into view by the neck
of his blouse a man, and began to shake him vigorously. To Helen was
given something more than astonishment. Her heart leaped up, then almost
ceased to beat. For the face exposed to view by Mr. Chefoo was the same
she had seen on the river bank at Han-Kang with the glittering eyes
fixed upon the red _miriok_ Mr. Kit-ze held.
[Illustration: "HE BEGAN TO SHAKE HIM VIGOROUSLY."]