Guy Boothby

“ The man approached a few paces, and it was easily seen that he was afraid. Then for nearly a minute Nikola gazed fixedly at him, and I cannot remember ever to have seen those terrible eyes look so fierce and cruel. If you can imagine a rabbit gazing into the eyes of a serpent you will have some idea of how the man faced his persecutor. Slowly, inch by inch, Nikola raised his right hand until it pointed to the wall a little above the other's head. ”

“ You cannot move unless I bid you do so.”
“I cannot move,” echoed the man almost unconsciously.
“Try how you will, you cannot stand upright,” said Nikola.
“I cannot stand upright,” repeated the man in the same monotonous voice, and as he spoke I saw large drops of perspiration fall from his face upon the floor. You may be sure every eye in that large hall was riveted upon them, and even the chief priest was craning forward in his chair in order that he might not lose a word. ”

“ At last our period of waiting was at an end. We heard the tapping of the chief priest's stick upon the flagged floor, and presently he ascended the platform again. Laoyeh followed behind him. Reaching his chair the old man signed for silence, and when he had obtained it said—
“I have examined this man, and the conclusion I have come to is that the charge this fellow has brought against him is absolutely without truth in every particular. That man is no more a foreign devil than I am.”
Then facing Nikola he continued—
“The rogue yonder is now your property to do with as you will.” ”

“ Having passed the sentry you will proceed into the town, find Yoo Laoyeh, and let him know the fix we are in. You may promise him the sum of £100 cash down if he falls in with your suggestions, and you must bring him back with you, willy nilly, as fast as you can travel. I will meet you at the southern gate. Knock four times, and as you knock, cough, that shall be the signal, and as soon as I hear it I will open the gate. All that must be guarded against inside this place shall be my care. Everything outside must be yours. ”

“ I must get you out of this place within a quarter of an hour, by hook or crook, and even if you have to steal a horse to do it you must be in Pekin before half-past one. Once there you will find the house of Yoo Laoyeh, which is situated in the street at the rear of Legation Street, near the chief gate of the Tartar city.”
“But how am I going to get into the city at all?” I asked, amazed that he should have forgotten what struck me as such a hopeless barrier—the wall. “The gates are closed at sundown and not opened again till sunrise.”
“You'll have to climb the wall,” he answered. ”

“ Leaving the great centre gate we turned to our left hand, as I have said, and followed the wall we desired to surmount until we arrived at a large tree whose branches more than overspread it.
“This is the very place, for our purpose,” said Nikola coming to a halt. “You will have to climb the tree and crawl along the branches till you get on to the wall, then you must let yourself down on the other side and be off to the city as hard as you can go. ”

“ To my certain knowledge three men have been in the habit of climbing that portion of the ramparts for the last three years, between midnight and sunrise, smuggling in goods to the city in order to avoid paying the octroi duty, which, as you know, is levied during daylight. When you have got over you will find a sentry posted on the other side ”

“ But it was of course not to be thought of, so I turned on my heel and made my way as quickly as possible through a by-lane into the street where the house was situated that I had been sent to find. It was not a big place, and at first glance it did not strike me in a favourable manner. But the style of building did not matter if I found there the man I wanted. I knocked upon the door—which I discovered was heavily barred—but for some minutes got no response ”

“ It has cost me many years' labour, to say nothing of some thousands of pounds, to get as far as I have in this business, and come what may I am determined not to turn back.”
“But what way is there out of the difficulty?” ”