Guy Boothby

“ I gave him my left hand, pulling up my sleeve as I did so, that he might have a better view of it. Half way across, but a little above the wrist bone, was a long white scar. Nikola gazed at it attentively.
“This is serious,” he said. “You will have to be very careful or that man will suspect something, and then we shall be nicely caught. For the future make it your habit to walk with your hands folded beneath your sleeves, and take care who you let come up beside you.” ”

“ For the rest of that day we amused ourselves perambulating the building, walking slowly with dejected bearings whenever we met anybody, greeting the various shrines with deepest reverences, prostrating ourselves at the different altars, and in every way, so far as lay in our power, creating the impression that for good religionists we were without our equal. At five o'clock we participated in the usual evening service held in the great hall, and for the first time saw the mass of monks assembled together. ”

“ I went back to my pony, and when I was in the saddle we slowly filed out of the gate way, down the crowded street and through the gates towards the Yung-Ho-Kung, or the great Llama temple. This enormous building, which has the reputation of being one of the most inaccessible places in China to Europeans, is situated on the outskirts of the city, nearly five miles from the quarter in which Edgehill's house was situated. It can be seen for miles, and is as dangerous a place as it well can be. ”

“ He will of course go direct to the high priest and reveal his discovery, then that worthy will come to me. I shall be compelled to produce you. You will be found to be an Englishman disguised, and as soon as that is discovered we'll see the gleaming of the knives. This has come at a most unfortunate time, for by to-morrow morning, if all had gone well, I should have got the information I wanted, been told the word, that would admit us to the monastery in the mountains, and we could have left this place and been off to it. ”

“ I followed him into an adjoining room, which was rather larger than that in which we had hitherto sat and even more sparsely furnished. Here a number of dresses lay about on chairs, and from these Nikola chose two.
“The first thing to be considered,” he said as he seated himself on a chair and looked at me, “is that we have to change the form of our disguises in almost every particular. I have been thinking the matter most carefully out, and, as I said just now, we are going to be entirely different men. I shall be the priest of Hankow, you will be his secretary. ”

“ From this terrace, if one may so call it, we passed on to another, the approach to which was guarded by two magnificent bronze lions. Then through temple after temple, each decorated with Chinese hangings, ornaments in gold, silver, ivory, bronze and enamel, we made our way. In the last of these we were requested to wait while our guide, who was evidently a person in authority, went off to find the high priest.
For nearly twenty minutes we were left alone together. The place was eerie in the extreme, A soft wind entered and rustled the long silk hangings ”

“ I answered, and as I spoke the great gongs, calling up the monks to the last service of the day, boomed out from the courtyard below. Being determined not to show ourselves lacking in religious zeal we descended to the large hall, which was already filled with worshippers. Nikola, by virtue of his sanctity, took up his place in a prominent part, hard by where sat the high priest himself. ”

“ Without waiting for further instructions the man collected the little band of servants and, placing himself at their head, rode off. Then turning to the monk who was still waiting, Nikola said, pointing to me—
“This is my secretary. He is necessary to my well-being, so I beg that he may be allowed to enter with me.” The monk nodded, and then the gate being opened wide we passed through! it. Having done so we ascended, by means of a long flight of stone steps, to a large courtyard, round which were a number of small stone rooms not unlike cells. ”

“ Have no fear; if the man be all thou sayest my servant shall surely pay the penalty.”
Having said this he bowed himself before Nikola and then departed from the room. As soon as the sound of his footsteps had ceased upon the stone stairs Nikola crossed the room and came in to me. ”