A THEFT
Yes, Mr. Chefoo had broken his arm. It was too bad! for aside from the
pain and discomfort that it gave him, how were they to get on with the
sampan without him? It is true, it was not a very severe fracture, only
one of the smaller bones having been broken; but it would be at least
two weeks ere he could use it again. In the meantime, what was to be
done? Mr. Kit-ze could not manage the sampan alone. Some one must help
him pole as well as keep the boat within the proper channel. It would be
a very one-sided and unsatisfactory progress if the sampan were
propelled from only one end.
Mr. Ko thought of a half-dozen men who were at hand, but none were
reliable. It would be better without them than with them, especially as
there were rapids to be passed. Mr. Ko was very much disturbed over the
accident to Mr. Chefoo, because of its having occurred at his place. He
was sure a demon had caused it. It was the demon in the well, he finally
decided, since Mr. Chefoo had been at the well ere proceeding down the
path where the accident occurred. The demon must be appeased, he
declared, and forthwith proceeded to throw rice into the well. Now Mr.
Chefoo's arm would rapidly mend, he asserted.
Monday morning had come, and still there seemed no prospect of resuming
the journey to Yo Ju.
"We must get on," said Mr. Reid, "our time is limited. We must make some
arrangement for an assistant for Mr. Kit-ze."
Mr. Chefoo had now a high fever and was unable to sit up. It had been
decided to leave him with Mr. Ko until their return, which would be in
about three days, as they were not going much beyond Yo Ju.
In the midst of their perplexity Mr. Ko came to them with a beaming
face. He knew the very thing! Why had he not thought of it before? They
could take Mr. Choi-So. Now that his honorable guests were about to
depart, he, Mr. Ko, would not need his cook. Mr. Choi-So himself was
anxious to go along with them. He had approached Mr. Ko on the subject.
He was an excellent poleman, quick and careful. He had several times
assisted in carrying sampans up and down the river, twice for Mr. Ko
himself. Besides, he bore an excellent character. Mr. Ko knew him. He
had known his father too.
"I see no reason why we shouldn't take him," said Mr. Reid.
[Illustration: "HE FORTHWITH ... PROCEEDED TO THROW RICE INTO THE
WELL."]
But Mr. Wilburn opposed this. He had not liked the man's concealment of
himself in the sampan, neither had he been favorably impressed by his
appearance on that occasion. His sullen, hang-dog look had betokened
anything but innocence. He could have been after no good. Mr. Wilburn's
suspicions had been strengthened by the presence of Choi-So at Mr. Ko's.
Neither Mr. Reid nor Mr. Wilburn had learned the story of the red
_miriok_, or image of Buddha, as it ought more properly to be
designated. The young people, after consulting among themselves, had
decided to tell no one, at least not until they could agree on some
plan. Mr. Choi-So had given them his confidence. He evidently trusted
them and believed that they could help him. If he wanted the others to
know too, then he would tell them. He showed plainly that he feared Mr.
Wilburn and was not at ease with Mr. Reid. Helen and Clarence both felt
that they wanted their father to know, but they respected Mr. Choi-So's
feelings. Perhaps he would himself tell the missionary.
Things were in this unsatisfactory state when Mr. Choi-So's offer to
attend them as poleman was made known. The young people were pleased. It
was the very thing, they thought. It would give them more time to decide
upon some action, for the desire was now keen with each one to secure
the _miriok_ from Mr. Kit-ze and return it to Mr. Choi-So.
"The poor fellow will go demented if we do not," declared Clarence. "He
is half crazy on the subject, anyhow. We can at least try to give him
peace of mind."
"I wish we could give him something else," added Helen wistfully.
"But we can't," asserted Clarence; "at least not now. His mind is too
upset about the _miriok_. Besides, Mr. Kit-ze has really treated him
dishonestly. He ought to be made to give the image back to him. The poor
fellow has pinched and saved until he has the amount Mr. Kit-ze paid, so
he told us."
"Oh," said Helen, "if only I could talk to this poor Choi-So so that it
would go to his mind and then to his heart, how happy I should be! If
only I could show him that this image for which he is willing to
sacrifice life itself is only a wretched little piece of metal!"
"But he ought to carry it back," said Clarence.
"And run the chance of being thrown into a dungeon, fed on bread and
water, and kept there perhaps for years without ever hearing of a single
one of the sweet and precious things Jesus wants to do for him? Oh, it
is dreadful! He had better lose the _miriok_."
"And lose his mind with it? No, my sister, believe me that is not the
right way for poor Choi-So. Let us get the _miriok_ for him--that is, if
we can--and perhaps afterward we may induce him to return it by
messenger and listen to us."
Mr. Wilburn was finally induced, through Mr. Reid's clear and forceful
way of presenting the matter to him, to withdraw his opposition to
Choi-So's accompanying them as poleman; but not so Mr. Kit-ze. He had
been the last one to discover Choi-So's presence at Mr. Ko's, and this
had been only a short time before the stowaway's offer to take Mr.
Chefoo's place. The old boatman made quick and stormy objections. He
would not, he declared, permit such an idiot to handle a pole of his
sampan, for he was one who had no sense for moving his hands two ways at
once. If ever he had had any sense it was under his arm, for it
certainly had never been put into his head for the lack of room there.
But after a time Mr. Kit-ze grew cooler and seemed, to some extent, to
be ashamed of his outburst, especially as Helen had now drawn near to
him and taking his hand, was gazing at him reproachfully.
"Don't say that, Mr. Kit-ze," she said. "You don't really know that he
can't help you with the sampan, do you?" regarding him steadily. "Only
try him, won't you? Think what it means to us to be delayed here. Oh, we
must go on, and you must help us, Mr. Kit-ze, by your consent. Perhaps
it will only be to Yo Ju, as we may find another poleman there to suit
us."
Thus Helen pleaded, and little by little Mr. Kit-ze's heart relented,
his opposition relaxed, till he at length agreed to Choi-So's
accompanying them as far as Yo Ju. But the stipulations were that he was
not to move from his end of the sampan, and at night he was to leave
them.
"Mr. Kit-ze is afraid of him," commented Mr. Wilburn. "He can read the
rascal in him as plainly as I can."
"I hope it will be proved ere we part from our poleman, that both you
and Mr. Kit-ze are mistaken," said Mr. Reid earnestly. "I can't believe
that there is anything vicious in the man. He hasn't at all that
appearance to me. To my eye it is more an anxiety to get up the river
than anything else I can detect."
Mr. Ko was pleased that they had finally decided to take Mr. Choi-So.
"You won't regret it," he asserted. "He'll take you over the rapids
better than any one I know; and," he concluded, looking at Mr. Reid a
little peculiarly, "it's my opinion you won't dismiss him at Yo Ju. At
any rate, I'll have you a good poleman by the time you come back."
By ten o'clock they were ready to be off, having bidden good-bye to poor
Mr. Chefoo after having spoken all the consoling words to him they
could.
In honor of their departure, Mr. Ko had donned a spotless suit of white.
He had also sought to enhance his appearance by adding an immense pair
of spectacles, which he had purchased at considerable outlay, from an
old scholar. It mattered not that one lens was entirely lacking and the
other was so badly cracked that it was a question as to whether Mr. Ko
could use the vision of that eye with any satisfactory effect. All the
same, he stood upon the bank waving his fan majestically, his little
black eye gleaming from out the great round space where the lens ought
to have been, and all the time shouting out to them in Korean, "Come
back again to-morrow!" That meant, "Return as soon as you can."
Mr. Choi-So soon proved his right to all the good things Mr. Ko had
spoken of him. He was an excellent poleman, both alert and careful. He
helped engineer the boat safely through the rapids in a manner that
called forth grunts of approval from even Mr. Kit-ze.
About four o'clock in the afternoon they came in sight of Yo Ju. Besides
being a city of considerable size, it was noted as the birthplace of the
queen, and the king had caused two or three public structures to be
erected in her honor.
There were many sampans, junks, and other rude craft at anchor in front
of the city, and they had much difficulty in making their way through
them. But at length they reached the shore safely. They had not more
than tied up when an immense crowd began to gather about the sampan,
even wading out into the water. The crowd was not only curious, but
annoying. They handled the clothes and hair of our friends, and even
tried to run their hands over their faces. But to this not only protest
but resistance was offered.
Soon after reaching the bank, Mallard had climbed out on an end of the
sampan and steadied his camera for a snap of the city. He thought it a
splendid opportunity, as the sun was falling full upon the great gateway
and the queer looking buildings grouped near to it. He at once attracted
the attention of the crowd. Great curiosity was aroused as to his
intention, and soon men, women, and children were rushing toward him.
They clambered up the side of the sampan. They pressed about him until
there wasn't space to hold another foot. They poked fingers into eyes
and ears and nose; they shouted in glee as they caught the flash of the
lens in the instrument, and tried to pull it out. In consternation
Mallard endeavored first to protect himself, then his camera, and was
finally pushed into the water, saving the latter from both a smashing
and a wetting by the narrowest margin.
The same curiosity followed them as they went up into a gate tower for a
view of the city. The crowd pressed about them so they could barely
enter. Even after they began to ascend the stairs the curious throng
crowded about them so that the entire space was filled. When they
attempted to come down again, to their consternation they found they
could not. They had finally to make their way back from the outside, a
rough and somewhat dangerous undertaking. Fortunately neither was Joyce
nor were the two girls with them.
"This will never do," said Mr. Reid. "We must get away from this
terribly curious crowd, for the annoyance they give us will become more
than a burden after a while. Mr. Kit-ze, is there no place, not so far
away, where we can tie up without the prospect of having such curiosity
as this to endure?"
"Yes, honorable teacher, not so far away is the temple of the great
Dragon. There are overhanging trees, a quiet river bed, and not many
people who will come to gaze."
"Then let us go there by all means. To-morrow morning we'll find our
chance to enter the city."
They made their way out through the forest of river craft and up the
stream again. The great temple stood directly on the banks of the Han,
some little distance from the city. It was a beautiful spot,
picturesquely so, for in addition to the brick and stone pagodas that
gleamed through the trees, there was a number of small islands clustered
about, covered with low-growing verdure and spangled with the blossoms
of the pink and white azalea.
The temple in itself had much with which they could occupy their time.
Among other things was a quaint bell, in a perfect network of dragons,
said to be more than five hundred years old. But as the sun was near to
its setting as they came to anchor in a quiet spot along the banks, they
decided to do no exploring for that afternoon.
Mr. Kit-ze had spoken truly, "there were not many who came to gaze."
Though it was a kind of outlying village and had several hundred
inhabitants, yet only a few of them appeared on the arrival of the
sampan. Most seemed closely occupied with their pursuits. However, a
little group of women and children pressed near to the sampan, but no
one proved offensive except a mutang (sorceress), who, in the end, gave
them considerable trouble. She contended that she must be given two
_yen_ so as to decide for them whether or not the Dragon would be
pleased at their stay in the front of the temple. She finally fell to
one _yen_, then to six hundred "cash," but still our travelers paid no
attention to her.
She had an evil eye, Dorothy asserted, and further declared that she
knew she could not sleep that night for thinking of her.
Mr. Kit-ze showed even more impatience with her than the others. They
didn't need her divinations, he told her, for they had that with them
that could overcome any evil from the dragon. Then he injudiciously gave
her a view of the red _miriok_. How her keen little black eyes glowed as
she caught sight of it! and the sudden look she cast upon Mr. Kit-ze
made Helen, who was closely watching the scene, feel uneasy despite
herself.
Helen had been earnestly regarding Mr. Kit-ze through a large part of
that afternoon. There was that in his manner that at times disturbed
her, but again it seemed as though hope were creeping into her heart. He
had been absent-minded and dejected for much of the way, but now and
then he had aroused himself. At such times he had turned with keen
glances in the direction of Choi-So, studying every lineament of the
young man's face, it seemed to Helen. Always these searching looks were
bestowed upon Choi-So when he was not in turn regarding Mr. Kit-ze.
Helen was sure that better feelings were stirring at the heart of Mr.
Kit-ze on these occasions, for she could see how his eyes softened and
his lips moved nervously as he continued to gaze.
According to agreement Choi-So had been dismissed as night approached;
but Helen, who had been very observant, was sure he was not far away.
Indeed, while walking on the bank for exercise, she had caught sight of
his face from a small clump of bushes only a few steps from where she
was. She decided at once that she would not call attention to him. Her
heart was tender for him. She did not believe that he would do harm.
Soon silence settled down around the sampan, for its inmates had retired
to rest. Several hours of the night passed away. All were supposed to be
asleep except Mr. Kit-ze, whose watch it was. But, after a while, Mr.
Kit-ze too yielded to slumber.
Suddenly Helen awoke. It was with a strange, restless feeling. It seemed
to her that there had been an uneasy consciousness even in the midst of
her slumber. She tried to go sleep again, but could not.
"I think the air in here must be a little too close," Helen thought
after a few moments. She raised herself and leaned toward the heavy
curtain of straw. Then she rolled it partly upward, secured it to the
fastenings, and looked out. She was sleeping at the side of the sampan
next to the shore. All was quiet. She could see no one. Then she let her
eyes glance toward the bow of the boat. Mr. Kit-ze was huddled down in
his little boxlike apartment sound asleep.
"Oh," said Helen, "this will never do! I must call my father to awaken
him."
But even as she started to move toward her father's apartment, she
stopped again, almost transfixed. A hand had cautiously made its way up
the side of the sampan, and was now directing itself toward Mr. Kit-ze's
breast.