William Dalton

“ Nicholas was dreaming of the rebel Li-Kong, the Emperor, the princess, the soldiers, and his father's fleet. A sudden grip upon his arm made him set bolt upright upon his sleeping mat, and there stood Chow, in a state of great excitement, holding in his arms his master's habiliments and accoutrements, as if the place had been on fire, or he had suddenly turned thief, and was about commencing business upon his master's clothes.
"Awake, O my master, we are caught like rats in a trap; the rebels are upon us!" ”

“ The next morning Nicholas visited the princess, and to his surprise and delight found that she had recovered her strength. "This is indeed joy, O my princess!" said he, kneeling; when, taking him by the hand, the royal lady said, "Kneel not before her whom thou hast so much befriended, O noble youth; for it is naught but the poor fatherless girl La-Loo who is before thee, and would indeed be thy sister."
"This is not possible; the daughter of the Ming can never be less in the world than its princess—first in beauty as in rank," said Nicholas. ”

“ Suddenly the boat began to rock.
"To your pole, Chow," cried Nicholas. No sooner had he complied, than they found they had entered upon a rapid, for the little craft shot forth almost with the velocity of an arrow. Then came the first faint streaks of daybreak, and they trembled, for they saw that they had entered a narrow creek. "Steady, for our lives, there is hope yet, for yonder vessel may see us," said Nicholas. The vessel to which he alluded was a large junk, so skilfully handled that she seemed to be stemming the torrent. ”

“ Can it be that one so brave on land should be so great a coward upon water?" said Nicholas.
"Truly it is a maxim, my master that, 'all are cowards who can't help themselves.' Chow in the waters would be less than the least of little fishes, for he cannot swim," was the gloomy reply.
"It is also a maxim, 'that the gods forsake those who forsake themselves,'" said Nicholas, adding, "But it is fatigue, my poor Chow, that destroys thy courage; get thee, therefore, into the cabin and rest for a time, while I keep watch." ”

“ We dare not, O noble Nicholas," said Chow! "for the wolves are upon us."
"Onward, my brother, for there are sounds of more terrible beasts than wolves. Let us trust ourselves in the hands of Providence," said the princess.
Seeing the knees of the guide knocking together with fear, Nicholas said, "Get thee to the rear, and follow the mule, thou coward;" then, dismounting, he caught hold of the reins in the nostrils of the camels and averting his eyes from the chasm beneath, led the sure-footed beast along the platform. ”

“ As for Nicholas, he stared with astonishment, grasped the hilt of his sword—the sight was indeed extraordinary. A Mantchou prince and his train of Tartars, those most dreaded enemies of the empire, within the very palace of the barbarian-subduing general, not in chains, but as a friend, received with honor.
Indignant at the sight, Nicholas rudely grasped the arm of a soldier, saying, "Can my brother tell a stranger how it is that such barbarian thieves are within these walls? Surely the kid does not invite the wolf to its own bosom!" ”

“ Then bitter were the feelings of Nicholas—for himself? no! for he felt it his duty to die; but for his father, for the princess—still there was a chance of escape. Should he comply? surely a promise to traitors would not be valid. He considered for a moment—it was but for a moment—and even the bold sea-boy had not courage enough to—tell a lie.
Perceiving his hesitation, the countenance of Kin brightened. "The noble youth is reasonable; he consents," said he.
"No, thou false rogue." ”

“ The prince is too honest and brave to be much in favor just now. Wouldst thou be safe, youth, thou must seek the Prince Li-Kong."
"The vile traitor," muttered Nicholas at the name.
"Hist, hist! thou wilt assuredly lose thy head, boy," said Yang, placing his finger upon his lips.
"Let the friend of the merchant of the south open his lips to a purpose. Can, or can he not, aid me to gain admittance within the palace? for it is my father's command that I should seek the Emperor or the Prince Woo-san-Kwei, and at the peril of my life he must be obeyed," said Nicholas firmly. ”

“ Nay, O princess, for as it was the duty of my father, the great minister, so is it mine, at the risk of death, to speak the truth. Until within the last moon, the greater part of the empire was in the hands of robbers and assassins, justice was openly sold by the mandarins to the highest bidder, the husbandmen of the hills and fields and the tradesmen in the streets were dying by thousands of starvation, while the Son of Heaven was shut up in his palaces intent upon nothing but his pleasures and the society of the bonzes. ”

“ Enwrapped as the mind of Nicholas had been in the delicious scene around him, no sooner did he reach the ground than a bitter feeling arose that his beloved Emperor should be content to repose in such soft and costly indolence, while millions of his subjects were being plundered by rapacious nobles. In deep thought he reached the far-famed mulberry orchard, where, for a time, he stood contemplating the industry of the marvelous little worms whose number and color cast a sickly hue over the broad green foliage of the trees, then in full leaf. ”

“ When the boatman, who, although slow, were sure, brought them beneath the huge rocks which form the sea-walls of Leao-tong, Chow looked up with amazement. "Surely," said he, "Yen-Vang must have built these great rocks to prevent the province from falling upon the heads of the people in his watery dominions;" adding, as he saw some little birds, like swallows, flying about the rocks, "Truly, if my eyeballs are straight, those little creatures promise us some of the soup of life." ”

“ No sooner, however, had he passed the unhappy men than the son of the Emperor, with tears in his eyes, said, "How unhappy is the lot of a prince, to witness such a sight as that!"
"Surely, my prince, the rogues deserve their punishment, the law awards, and the safety of the state demands it," said Nicholas.
"Truly, I weep not, my brother, at the punishment of these men, for without rewards and punishments the good are not encouraged, and the wicked are not restrained; moreover, chastisement is as necessary to the government of a kingdom, as bread is for the sustenance of the people. ”

“ Has he no respect for his parents, who will assuredly be punished for their neglect?"
"Is the worthy innkeeper of barbarian parents, that he would refuse to lodge a youth, who, tired and weary, has but just arrived from a long journey, and is willing to pay handsomely?" said Nicholas, showing him about an ounce of silver.
"Truly the vision of thy servant must have been dull, that he could not before perceive that the youth before him was nobly allied and of great respectability," said the man, now that he greedily eyed the precious metal. ”

“ When the innkeeper had finished, the clanging of the watchman's bamboo rattle in the streets reminded Nicholas of the lateness of the hour, and he said, "But, even now, the worthy innkeeper has not informed his younger brothers where they may find a lodging for the night.
"Thy servant, noble youth, must have been born in an unfortunate hour, that he cannot offer the advantages of his inn, but the truth has been spoken, none but the servants and officers of the great Ching-Ti can rest here to-night."
"Surely taels of silver are not so plentiful in this city that all will refuse," said Chow. ”

“ Before she could reply, Chow ran up to the door; the woman opened it, let him in, and shut it again in the face of the old gentleman, whose stomach, being of extreme protuberance and what his countrymen call full measure, received such a blow that, what with loss of breath and fullness of indignation, his big body toppled over his short legs, and he lay upon the ground with his little head turned upward, like a turtle gasping at falling heat drops.
"Truly we are lost, for the old rat is the physician," said Chow.
"Can the worthy woman aid us?" said Nicholas, fairly baffled. ”

“ What should he do? His sword—yes—he drew it; but then he dared not leave the camel's head, and he called to Chow, little thinking that he was in a more terrible position than himself.
"Let fly thy arrow, my brother; should you miss, here is my bow," said the princess, leaning forward.
Still Nicholas would not move. The situation was fearful; the wolves on one side, the deadly serpent on the other; indeed words are wanting to paint the dread anxiety and terror of all, even the animals who stood transfixed, with their hearts beating against their sides in the agony of fear. ”

“ When the ladies withdrew toward the inner palace the eunuchs led Nicholas through the small gate into a spacious court, which was crowded with soldiers, bonzes and servants, in attendance upon the great lords, who were then in council with the Emperor. Passing through the crowd they entered a magnificent archway of veined marble into a vast court, across which ran a canal of water, so pellucid that shoals of gold and silver fish could be seen playing around the stems of the white-leaved lien-hoa at the bottom. ”

“ When the stranger, however, heard the order, his eyes flashed, and his lips quivered with rage, at the great badge of slavery the Tartars were thrusting upon his countrymen; and he placed his hand beneath his robe, as if clutching the hilt of a sword; but then, looking at the Tartar troops, who had by this time surrounded him, and perceiving the folly of resistance, he said, "Truly the ears of thy servant have not heard this order."
"Let the dog obey, or he shall be strangled," was the only reply. ”

“ Chow in the hands of the Bonzes.
"Nevertheless, the wretch shall be saved," said the prince; adding, aloud, "Let the deluded rascal open his lips, or he shall be left to his fate."
At this, the head gave another and stronger jerk upward, but without rising further through the silk, and the eyes rolled and glared more terribly than ever. At which the bonze said, "Cannot the heavenly eyes of the great prince see that the poor creature is suffering from such violent language? See, he is almost distracted and will assuredly expire with grief at so much profanity." ”

“ How know we that he is not as great a traitor as the prince he denounces, for surely by commerce alone he could not have obtained this wealth of ships, men, and money, which, like a king, he so insolently offers to his sovereign and master?"
"Truly, O great Emperor, if my illustrious parent were a traitor, he would not have placed the life of his only son, thy mean servant, in so great a danger," said Nicholas.
"The words of the youth, O prince, are as true as his deeds are brave," said Woo; adding, "Let then thy slave pray that the sunshine of the Emperor's favor may fall upon his race ”

“ Surely, thought Nicholas, the enemy must be in close pursuit, and in an instant, he was upon his legs and by the side of Chow, who exclaimed, "The rascals have discovered our retreat, and we are lost after all!"
"Surely thy fears deceive thy eyeballs," said Nicholas; but, looking for himself, he saw coming through the tombs in the direction of the pagoda, not only the soldier and the treacherous boatman, but the captain of the junk.
"The rogues will arouse the bonzes at the monastery," said Chow.
"Truly the rats are not so senseless. ”

“ While Nicholas released the innkeeper, Chow performed a like office for the women, when they all fell upon the guide, thumping him with their fists, kicking him with their feet, and exclaiming, "Thou rat, thou snake, thou shalt be strangled." As for the miserable fellow, with his limbs bound and his mouth gagged, he could do nothing but roll his eyes at them. Then being released by Nicholas, he would have got upon his legs but for Chow, who threw him upon his back, and, stamping his foot upon his breast, cried, "Lie there, thou dog, for thou art the villain." ”

“ During the recital, the general listened attentively, at intervals giving vent to exclamations of surprise, rage, or approval. When, however, Nicholas related the escape of the princess, he said, warmly, "Noble youth, thy wisdom, like thy bravery, is beyond thy years; and when these rebel dogs have been swept from the earth, thou shalt have the kingdom that thy father seeketh." Then, when the enthusiasm of the moment had passed, bethinking himself, he said, "But truly the servant of the Mings forgets his duty to the daughter of his murdered Emperor; lead me to her, O youth." ”

“ Is the Emperor a slave that thou darest so far?' But, despot and even cruel as he was, the age and daring of the old noble had excited in the eyes of the surrounding courtiers such unmistakable gleams of satisfaction, that, really afraid of proceeding to extremities, he fell back upon his throne, saying, "Arise, noble Woo, and that in the licence of thy office thou hast uttered words of wind against thy Emperor, the rebel-subduing General Li-Kong will testify." ”

“ The princess is in the power of the rebel Li-Kong."
So like a thunder-clap did these words fall upon the mind of the Woo-san-Kwei, that for a moment he was speechless, but recovering himself, he said, "Thou dog, if these words are true thou shalt die;" but becoming calmer, he commanded Nicholas to finish his story, and when the youth had brought it up to the moment of the audience, the general said, "Thou art, indeed, a brave youth; but this rogue Leang, knows he the road the woman thieves took?" ”