:->«-^«<=^< The Best Authority— the Accepted Usage of the Best Writers ! WORCESTEIR'S Unabridged Qvarto DICTIONARY With or without Denison's Patent Index. Enlarged by the Addition of A NEW PRONOUNCING BIOGRAPHICAL DICTIONARY of nearly 1:^,000 personat^es, and A NEW PRONOUNCING GAZETTEER OF THE WORLD, noting and locating over 20,000 places. Containing also Over 12,500 New Words, recently added, together with a Table of 5000 Words in General Use, Avith their Synonyines. ILLUSTRATED WITH WOOD-CUTS AND FULL-PAGE PLATES. The National Standard of American Literature. Evei-j" edition of Longfellow, Holmes, JJiyant, Irving, Wliittier, and other eminent American authoru, follows Worcester. "It presents the usage of all great English writers." It is the authority of the leading magazines and newspapers of the country and of the National Departments at Washington. 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LIPPINCOTT COMPANY, Publishers, 715 and 717 MarJcet Street, PliUadelphia, "A LIBRARY IN ITSELF." / >^ I HAMBERS'S |§NCYCLOP^DIA. A DICTIONARY OP UNIVERSAL KNOWLEDGE FOR THE PEOPLE. H0|/\Di Ctl^MBti^'^HfllVIBtR\QH^MBEf^''CHAMBtR' CriftMBtP' C^ itiBU^W!^ t iVOL.VlMVOL.VHi^QL.VlHjypL. i^-Ml.t A,-BEL.BE,^,Hl■^HV-tU'tu-GON'!^00.-L^B LAB-NUM ^:M.rPD£ Ht.SOO ^SQuh/I^ ^YW| HOUS£IIOI.D EDITION. In Ten Large Octavo Volumes, containing Eight Thousand Three Hundred and Twenty Pages. Illustrated with about Four Thousand Engravings, printed on good paper. Price per set, in Cloth, $15.00; Library Sheep, $20.00; Half Morocco, $25.00. The Publishers invite the attention of The General Keader, The Teacher, Schools, and Librarians to this the Latest Eevised Edition of " Chambers's Encyclopaedia," which is offered at so low a price that this val- uable and popular "Dictionary of Universal Knowledge" is brought within the means of everj' reader. The "Encyclopaedia" is not a mere collection of elaborate treatises in alphabetical order, but a work to be readily consulted as a DfcTiONARY on every subject on which people generally require some distinct information. This edition, embraced in. ten volumes, forms the most comprehensive and cheapest Eyicyclopsedia ever issued in the English language. FOR SALE BY ALL BOOKSELLERS. J. B. I^IPMXCOXX COMPANY, PublislierSt .«71S and 717 Market Street, Philadelphia. THE "VYAE TIGEE OB. A.D VENTURES AND WONDERFUL FORTUNES or THX YOUNG SEA CHIEF AND HIS LAD CHOW I A TALE OF THE CONQUEST OP CHINA BT WILLIAM DALTOiq', AUTUOB or THK " WHITB BLEPHAHT," «Ta PHILADELPHIA: J. B. LIPPINCOTT COMPANY. liNiV* OF GAUF. LIBRARY. LOS ANGELES \'hCC, PREFACE. As free use is made in the following story of tha names of personages who played important parts in and during the last Tartar Conquest of China, the Author believes that a slight sketch of that turbulent epoch may not be uninteresting to his readers. Twenty-two dynasties have given some two hun- dred and forty Emperors to the Celestial Kingdom ; of these, two were Tartars, who obtained the throne by conquest and bloodshed. In the course of time, however, the first Tartar famUy, with the whole of their race, were either massacred or driven from the land by a Chinese leader, who, by mounting the throne, founded the celebrated family of the Mings. The last of the Ming Emperors, Wey-t-song, had n )t been many years upon the throne, when, from a wise and energetic man, he became so indolent, and regardless of all but his pleasures, that the people be- came oppressed by the magistrates ; indeed, to use a Chinese phrase, to such an extent did the " big fish eat all the little ones," that a famine grew in the land, rf-v ^ «-T\r^,OvQ/l 4: PREFACE. which caused the starving people to arise in rebellion throughout the empire. Taking advantage of this disorder, several ambi- tious lords collected together bands of vagabonds, set themselves up as petty kings, and plundered and oppressed the innocent people, till the land grew damp with their tears. At the same time, the chief, or king, of the Mant- chou Tartars, learning that China was like a house divided against itself, rode with a large anny upon the frontier of Pe-tche-Lee, the capital province. The appearance, however, of this great enemy aroused what little nationality remained, and three great lords came to the Emperor's assistance. The first was "Woo-san-Kwei, who, at the head of an army, kept the Tartars at bay ; the other two, Li- Kong and Chang, were sent into different provinces, where, although bad men, being good generals, they succeeded in crushing aU other rogues but them- selves. The last-named generals, however, on their return, becoming enraged at the Emperor's ingrati- tude, took up arms against him, and, finding no great difficulty in subduing a people who preferred any other Chinese to their Emperor, seized upon two of the richest provinces, and established themselves as independent royalets, or petty kings. PREFACE. Now, as in the great revolutions of England, Amer- ica, and France, so in China, anarchy brought forth ita great men ; but- foremost among them all stood Chin- Chi-Loong — a kind of Paul Jones, a pirate in the eyes of his enemies, a patriot in those of his friends. Foimd starving when a boy, by the Portuguese priests at Macao, they took him under their care, taught him Christianity, and baptized him by the name of Nicholas Gaspard. While quite a youth, he took service on board a trading ship, in which hum- ble position, the strength of his intellect and will so soon exhibited itself, that at an early age he be- came second in command, and his captain dying soon after, left him sole owner and commander of the ves- sel and its rich cargfo. Then it was that his true character began to devel- op itself; he sought to accumulate great wealth ; for tliis purpose he traded with Japan, Siam, and the Europeans, so assiduously, that at the outbreak of the rebellion, he had become the richest merchant in an empire of rich merchants ; but what to him was of far greater importance, a po^verful sea-chief — for he then commanded and owned the greatest fleet that ever sailed in the Chinese seas, and as he had taken care to arm every ship, he became the terror of the three great contending parties; namely, the Em- 6 PREFACE. peror, the rebels, and the Tartars, who, all in turn, at times, offered great rewards for his head, and at others, for his services. Remarkable, however, as were the fortunes of this sea-chief, they were less so than those of his distin- guished son, the hero of this story. The Author will only add, that, although many of the adventures here set down may not be found in the pages of Chinese history, if, entwining informa- tion with amusement, they bring vividly before the mind's eye of his young reader, the manners, laws, legends, superstitions, history, or character of that great, though quaint people in whom more than a thousand years have failed to make any material change, his satisfaction will be the greater that he has again deserved well of those to whom his grati- tude is due for the kind, thorough, and hearty re- ception they gave to the Adventures of "Thk WoLP-BoY OF China." WILLIAM DALTON. CONTENTS Obafrb tl«l L — ^The Young Sea Chief. — His Mission, . .11 n.— The Demon Ship.— The Boy Chow, . 19 m. — Adventures at Sea. — Rescue, . . ,29 rV. — The Innkeeper. — ^Alarming News, . . 38 V. — ^Adventure in a Buddhist Monastery.— Chow's Encounter with a Bonze, ... 48 VI. — Thrashing the Gods. — The Boys taken Pris- oners, 66 Vil. — ^Treachery of the Bonzes. — Nicholas sent to Prison as a Traitor, 61 Vin. — Chow sets out to discover some Thieves, . 69 IX. — Chow outwits a great Mandarin, and sets out to rescue his Master, T6 X. — Escape of Nicholas from Prison, • . .81 XL— Pursued by the Yah-yu.— The Boat Wreck, 87 XII. — Nicholas again taken Prisoner, . . ,94 Xm. — Pagodas, their Antiquity and Uses, . . 103 XIV. — A dangerous Descent, 109 XV. — Nicholas discovers a Conspiracy, and makes an unpleasant Entry into Pekin, . . .114 XVL— The Boys again in Trouble, . . .126 IVn. — Nicholas resolves upon a dangerous Adventure, 136 8 CONTENTS. OnAPTBB Faoh XVIIL — The Imperial Gardens, .... 146 Xiy — The Princess of the Mings, and the Lady Can- dida, 150 XX — Danger of the Princess. — Her Rescue by Nicholas, IS'l XXI. — ^Assembly of the great Princes of the Empire, 163 XXII.— The Boy Prince and the Rival Generals, . 170 XXIII. — Audience with the Son of Heaven. — Nicholas accuses a great Prince of Treason, . . 178 XXrV. — Nicholas unveils a Rebel Chief, . . .189 XXV. — Nicholas and the Prince have an Adventrire, and save the Life of Chow, . . . 197 •x); VI. — Nicholas receives an important Command, . 210 XXVn. — The Rebels attack Pekin. — ^Treachery of a General, and the Fight, .... 214 y X V ITT. — Attack on the Palace. — Suicide of the Em- peror, the Princess wounded, . . . 221 XXIX. — ^The Secret Cavern. — The Princess saved by the Boys, 230 XXX. — A large Stock of Ladies, two taels per sack, . 237 XXXI . — Chow makes a Discovery, and Nicholas a Sur- prise, 242 XXXTT. — ^Nicholas punishes an ungrateful Innkeeper, and escapes from his treachery, . . . 25C XXXni. — An Overland Journey. — Attacked by "Wolves, and stopped by a Serpent, .... 259 XXXIV. — Saved by a Musk Deer. — Stories of wonderful Mountains, 264 XXXV. — Treachery of the Guide. — The Princess seized by Robbers, 27' XXXVL — Once more Prisoners, but with Friends. — The Guide's Mistake, 279 COjSTTENTS. » Chaptkb Pa«« XXXYII. — Interview with the General. — Nicholas causes Soldiers to be sent in search of the Princess, 285 XXXVIIL— Cruel Death of the aged Woo.— A Battle.— Bravery of the Boys. — Chow taken by the Enemy, 203 YYYTT. — The Rebels beaten. — Artfulness of the Tartar King. — Chagrin and Disappointment of Nicholas, 300 XL. — The Great Boy Emperor. — Nicholas meets with a fearful Surprise, 305 XLI. — Nicholas has an Interview with his Father, and leaves Pekin forever, 309 XLIL — ^The Rival Sea Chiefs. — Reappearance of an old Friend. — A comical Battle with the Tartars, 314 XLIIL — Chow discovers his Mother and the Princess. — Rescues them from the Tartars, and relates his Adventures, 320 XLTV. — A Sea Voyage. — The Colao relates the Adven- tures of the Princess, . . . .329 XLY. — ^They reach the Palace of the Sea Chief Koah- inga, 333 ILVL — ^The King and Queen of Formosa. — Happy Ter- mination of the Story, .... 33C THE WAR TIGER. CHAPTER I. THE YOUNG SEA CHIEF. — HIS AnSSION, Nearly midway between Formosa and the most southern point of the Chinese province of Fokien are the Pescadores, a cluster of small islands, which are so barren that their few inhabitants are put to the trouble of procui-ing food, and even fuel, from the main land. These islands, however, have a value of their own in the shape of a capacious harbor and safe anchorage, that was readily seen by the Dutch, the first civilized people who estabhshed themselves upon the neigh- boring island of Formosa, which, although a beautiful and fertile land, has not a sufficient depth of water for vessels of great draught. It was in this harbor that a large fleet of trading vessels, laden with pearls, red copper, sabre-bkides, fan-paper, porcelain, and many other articles of com- merce purchased at Japan, and on its way to the large trading cities further south, sought shelter from ong of the violent tempests so common to the China seas. One of these vessels was anchored in the direction 12 THE WAK TIQEK. of Formosa, some distance in advance. Larger than the others, she was also of European buikl, and mounted with ten guns. A horde of wild half-naked men swarmed about the rigging, and decks, inter- spersed here and there with an officer garbed in the wide-sleeved robe common to the Chinese prior to the Mantchou Tartar conquest. The aflerpart of the deck was taken up with a tent formed of poles and matting of bamboo, the interior of which was luxuriously fitted with chairs, tables, and sofas, tastefully wrought from the wood of rosea or, as it is termed in this country, rose- wood. The walls, highly painted and glittering with japan, were hung with Chinese pictures in gilded and japanned frames. Between these were long strips of satin up on which, imprinted in colors and gold, wei*e some of the choicest moral maxims from the books of the philosopher Confucius. The panes of the windows, four in number, were formed of stained transparent paper. In the piers between, supported by glittering branches, were paint- ed lanterns, and from the ceiling, which shone with colors and carvings of celestial blue and burnished gold, was suspended a gong of pure silver. So far there could be no doubt that it was the floating hab- tation of a wealthy Chinese, but then, curiously, there was a total absence of those idols, altars, and burning incense, which to this day are to be found in all Chinese vessels. The truth was, that although a Chinese, the owner was a Christian, as was evinced by a niche at one end of the room, in which stood a THE YOUNG SEA CHIEF. 13 handsome Prie Dieu, surmounted by a fine painting of Christ iipon the cross. At this altar, with liis hands clasped, knelt a boy of seventeen, whose high cheek bones, dark eyes, and long black hair, declared his Chinese origin. His head and neck were bare, and his ample robe of green silk, which reached nearly to his close fitting leather boots, was confined in the middle by a crimson girdle, fastened by a clasp of agate stone. From the girdle hung a short straight sword. Although a Chinese, the youth was a Christian ; one, indeed, of those whose faith had been gathered from the teach- ings of the early European missionaries, whose inde- fatigable exertions and untiring patience amidst much persecution, contumely, and even martyrdom, will forever keep their names green in the memories of the Chinese. As the youth arose from his kneeling position, the report of a gun rang through the air, so snatching up his cap of sable, he went on deck to welcome the arrival of his father, who ascended the side of the vessel followed by some half-dozen ofiicers, attired hke himself in loose robes of thick brown silk, oiled to withstand the weather and without one warlike vestment, except the short swords which hung from their girdles. Standing with his head bent foward and his arma straight by his sides, the attitude of respect, the youth waited for his father to salute him, after which he followed him through the rank of officers to the cabin, when observing the gloomy aspect of the chiern 14 THE WAR TIGER. countenance, he said "Has my honored father, the great chief, not prospered with the barbarian Hollan- ders?" " To the full, my son, for like the greedy wolves they have purchased the whole of my merchandise, and I have more than sufficient wealth to destroy the vermin enemies who are turning the children of the Son of Heaven from those habits of peace which have so long rendered them the greatest and most prosperous of the world's people." " Of what enemies does my honorable father speak? Surely there are none but the savage Tartars." "Of three, my son, — the Tartars, who are now within a few leagues of the palace of Ten Thousand Years himself; the European savages, who under pre- tence of commerce have obtained a footing, that, if not soon rooted out, will last forever ; and worse, by far worse, — ^for internal rebellion is as destructive to an empire as to an household, — the rebel mandarins who are now at open war with their holy sovereign." "Is this treble sore fresh, that it should now so rankle the heart and cloud the brow of my venerable parent ?" " Truly so, my son, for although long festering it has but now reached a head," replied the chief, add- ing, " To the days of my great-grandsire the empire had been free from the profane feet of barbarians. Tlien the different governments passed into the hands of cowardly mandarins, whose weakness be- came the advantage of the pirate Li-Lao, who ravag- ed the whole coast with fire and sword, and to get THE YOUNG BEA CHIEF. 15 rid of whom the puny officials sought the aid of the Portugals, who traded at one of the outer ports These barbarians, however, were brave ; they sought, fought, and killed the pirate, and destroyed his ships and, as a reward, were permitted to settle at Macao." " Surely, my father should be grateful to these Por- tugals, whose priests first shed upon his eyes and heart the light of Christianity," said the boy bowing reverently. " They taught me for their own ends, and I would not trust the rats." " But the red-haired barbarians of Formosa, from whom my father has just returned, are they of the same race ?" " Not so, my son, these Dutch dogs are from a dis- tant country called Holland, where the people are so miserably poor they cannot afibrd even a king." "Then why, O my father, were such pauper barbarians permitted to place the soles of their feet on the land of Formosa ?" " By fraud and artifice the rogues obtained their hold. During a tempest one of their vessels was driven upon the coast : the crew finding the island to be well situated to their wants, partly by presents, partly by force, persuaded the simple mhabitants to give them only as much land as could be encompassed by the hide of an ox, when the rogues cut the hide into thousands of narrow slips, tied them end to end and therewith measured the earth, to the great sur- prise and indignation of the inhabitants, who, howev- er, were too powerless to ofier resistance. In a short 16 THE Yv"AR -TIGER. time they were joined by multitudes of their country menand erected yonder fort, which they call the Castle of Zealand." "Surely the fleet of my father can exterminate these wasps?" said the boy, whom I shall for the fu- ture call by his Christian name of Nicholas. But as at that moment an officer entered the cabin and reported the approach of a strange ship, father and son went on deck, prepared to give either a salute to a friend or a broadside to a foe. The vessel proving to be a war junk and carrying the dragon flag of the Emperor, they fired a salute of respect, when a gignal was made from the junk that she had on board the Mandarin, or Deputy- Governor of Amoy, with a secret communication for the illustrious merchant Chiu-chi-Loong, where- upon the chief bowed respectfully at the name of so great a personage, and prepared to receive him with all the customary tedious formalities. This visit from so important a personage very much puzzled Nicholas, who stood the whole time the mandarin was closeted with his father, leaning against a gun, in deep thought. When the man- darin had finished and the official had taken his departure, Nicholas returned to the cabin, where he found the chief sitting thoughtfully with hia hand upon the satin wrapper of a letter, which from the great seals affixed and the characters Hong Fong (guarded and sealed), he knew must be of great importance and from some high personage. "My information is truthful," said the chief; THE YOUNG SEA CHIEF. 17 " there is treason among the lords of the court, and the dogs believing Chin-Chi-Loong to be as vile as themselves, have offered him the title of king and the island of Formosa, if he will aid them with his ships, wealth, and men." " What answer made my honorable father ?" said Nicholas. " A promise to consent, that the traitors may be caught like rats in a trap." " Surely this is not well, for why need the brave stoop to such villainy ?" replied the youth boldly. Not noticing this reply, the chief became pensive for a few minutes, then exclaimed, "Would that I could place a letter in the hands of the Son of Heaven himself!" Surely that cannot be a difficulty," said Nicholas. " Alas ! my son, Wey-t-song is so resigned to his pleasures and the company of the vile bonzes, that the audience-denying tablet is for ever suspended at the gates of the inner palace." " Truly it is a maxim that nothing is impossible to the brave. Let my father place the letter in the hands of his son, and it shall reach the imperial eyes !" For a minute the chief gazed proudly at the boy, then passing his hand across his eyes, as if to chase away some sad thought, said, " It shall be so, but for nofhmg less than the safety of his Emperor would Chin-Clii-Loong risk the life of his only son ; but haste, and assume the dress of a traveling mer^ chant, while I prepare these important characters." 2 IS THE WAR TIGER. Without another word Nicholas left the cabin, re turning, however, shortly afterward, dressed in a plain robe of coarse brown silk, with a girdle of the same color, a couple of short swords beneath his garment, and thick staff of bamboo. " This promptness is good and bespeaks success," said the chief, laying his hand on a letter which was enclosed in three wrappers of satin, the outer being sealed in many places, adding, " Secure this packet beneath thy inner robe, for upon its safety may de- pend the fate of the empire. I know not by what means thou mayest reach the Emperor, therefore, when in Pekm it would be well to seek the merchant Yang, in the great square, who will aid the son of the great merchant of the south." Then taking another letter from the table, he added, " As you pass through the city of Hang-tcheou, seek out Father Adam, the chief priest of the Christians, and place this in his hands ; but guard it well, for the contents are such that were they to meet the eye- balls of the bonzes it might prove thy destruction." Then placing a valuable ring on the boy's finger and telling him to take what silver he might require, till he reached the merchant of Pekin, who would r»apply him with more, he bid farewell to Nicholas, who, signalling one of the consort ships, went on board, and was soon landed at the port of Amoy. THE DEMON SHIP. 19 CHAPTER n. THE DEMON SHIP. — THE EOT ITHOW. Taking a passage in a merchant junk bound to the port of Ning-Po, Nicholas continued his journey for some days without meeting with any event of importance. The voyage was, hoWever, rendered very tedious by the idolatry of the sailors, who spent a great portion of their time in offering up presents to a dirty little wooden god stuck behind a small oil lamp, the odor from which was any thing but agreeable. They would moreover fre- quently stop the ship to offer meat and incense to the images of the sea goddess Ma-tsoo-po, which are perched upon almost every promontory upon the Chinese coast. They had been at sea, or rather along the coast, for these sailors never venture far from land, six days, when tne murky atmosphere, the heavy swell of the waves as they rolled inward, and the flutter- ng flight of the sea-fowl, betokened a coming storm; and the crew, trembling with fear, thought of little else but making offerings to the dirty little god, praying of him to stop the storm. A sailor and a Christian from his childhood, Nicholas was no less disgusted with their cowardice than their foolish su- 20 THE WAR TIGER. perstition, and really fearing that the ship would he dashed to pieces upon a rock, he earnestly entreated them to exert themselves. His efforts, however, were useless, for their faith was firm in the power of their gods, whose protection they sought to pur- chase in the following curious manner : — Taking a quantity of gilt paper, kept on board for the purpose, they cut it into the shape of copper tchen, the only coin in the empire, and threw them into the sea as a bribe to the goddess Ma-tsoo-po ; but finding that the marine lady's favor was not to be bought so cheaply, the whole crew began to busy themselves in building a paper ship, which, by the way, was so ingeniously constructed thai it formed an exact model of their own junk, being complete with masts, ropes, sails, flags, compass, rudder, a crew, victuals, and even a book of accounts. "When this redoubtable vessel was finished they let it into the sea with great ceremony, and amidst the deafening clatter of drums and instruments, and their own shoutings to the goddess, to wreak her vengeance upon the toy instead of her adorers' ship. Nevertheless the hard-hearted goddess was not to be caught with tinsel, for the storm raged with Buch terrible violence that the frail bark would speedily have been dashed to atoms but for Nicho- las, who, after persuading a few of the least obstinate jf the men to help him, set to work and managed to ieep her head so straight that they passed through the channel without touching the rocks by which it THE DEMON SHIP. 21 was bounded on either side. So fearful was the hurricane of circular winds that the shiverinc: crew could see trees torn up by the roots as easily as corks out of bottles by corkscrews. At length, however, the storm subsided, and the sailors believing that nothing less than a deity could have enabled their vessel to live in such a storm, fell upon their knees before Nicholas and thanked him for quelling the fury of the elements. " Let my brothers toss their stupid idol into the sea, and offer up thanks to the One true God of heaven, who alone has saved them," said the boy. Enraged at this insult to their god, the sailors gave full vent to their disapprobation, and would have tossed the bold youth into the sea but for a sudden cry from the look-out man. " The wasps of the ocean ! the wasps of the ocean are upon us !" At this cry the crew took alarm, and ran to differ- ent parts of the vessel, and armed themselves with pikes, swords, or any weapon upon which they could place their hands. Taking the glass from the trembling hands of the ook-out man, Nicholas endeavored to make out the cause of the alarm. It was a large floating object at a great distance, and bore some resemblance to a ship, still, notwithstanding the track it left behind in the water, he was doubtful ; but before he could make up his mind the captain snatched the glass from his hands, glanced through it, declared hia opinion that it was a wasp of the ocean, or pirate, 22 THE WAR TIGER. and ordered his vessel to be put back, with the hope of outrunning her. Then the first officer took the glass, and after gazing for some time, said, "Truly, my brothers, this is no ship, but a frightful demon that the in- sulted Ma-tsoo-po has sent from the bottom of the sea to devour us for carrying this impious youth." This was sufficient for the superstitious fear of the the crew, who, clustering toward Nicholas, with one voice cried, "Over the side with the irrehgious dog." Seeing no other chance, the boy ran to the stern of the vessel, and, keeping them at a distance with his sword, said, "Let my brothers open their ears. Their servant has brought this calamity upon them, but will yet save them from the anger of the demon by seeking him before he reaches the vessel, for surely the demon will be satisfied with one victim." " The boy's words are good, and if he wiU pay for the boat it shall be so, otherwise it is not well that we should lose its value," said the artful captain, fearing he should lose any money Nicholas might have about his person. "Back, rat!" said he to the advancing captain, keeping him ofi" with his sword and springing side- ward on to the edge of the junk, adding, " Lower the boat, with provisions, and I will give you silver ; refuse, and I will leap into the sea." Fearing he would keep his word, the crew placed some rice cakes and a small water cask in the boat THE DEMON SHIP. 23 and lowered it; and when Nicholas saw it fairly afloat, and held but by one cord, he scrambled down the side like a cat, drew his sword across the rope, threw a handful of silver upon the deck, and pulled so hard at the oars that in a very short time he was far out of the cowards' reach and on his way to the float- ing demon ; which, however he had no sooner caught full sight of than he laughed till he could handle the oars no longer, for the terrible demon who had scared the wits of the saUors proved to be neither more nor less than a great tree which the circular winds had wrested from the earth with such violence that the root had dragged with it a mass of earth and pebbles sufficient to keep it afloat in a perfectly upright position, when, with its spreading branches and lower boughs, it bore in the distance no bad re- semblance to a weU-rigged vessel. Rowing cautiously, for fear the tree might topple over and upset his boat, he heard a faint cry. Sure- ly it could not be human ; he hstened ; again he heard it ; and looking upward you may imagine his astonishment at seeing a boy sitting across one of the upper branches. " "Who cries for help ?" said Nicholas. " It is the miserable Chow, who must die if the benevolent stranger will not aid him," was the reply. " Canst thou swim, O Chow ? K so, drop into he water, for I dare not come nearer," said Nicho- « ; but scarcely had he spoken when a strong gust of wind toppled the tree over with its great arms 24 THE WAR TIGER. stretched out as if to save itself from falling. For- tunately it fell in an opposite direction to the boat. In the fall the boy was dashed so violently upon the water, that becoming instantly senseless he would have sunk but for Nicholas, who, getting hold of the long hair of his head, managed to drag him into the boat. Upon recovering his senses he said, " Alas ! then, Yen-Vang has poor Chow after all." " Thou art far away from the king of the lower regions, my poor Chow," said Nicholas. " By the social relations, I am alive and on earth — no, on water — and ungrateful to the benevolent stranger," said the boy, holding his head with both hands, as if the better to comprehend his situ ation. " Satisfy thy hunger and say how it happened that Chow came to be perched like -a wild goose on a masthead," said Nicholas, giving the boy some of the rice cakes, which he devoured as ravenously as if he had not tasted food for a week. The lad, who had so imexpectedly made the ac- quaintance of Nicholas, was a taU, bony youth of about sixteen, with a broad forehead, sparkling black eyes, and covered with a coarse robe, so torn and tattered, that he might have passed for a beggar of the lowest class. When he had satisfied his hunger, Chow clasped the knees of his new friend, and with tears of grati tude flowing down his cheek, said, " Chow wiU be thy slave, O generous stranger, for truly it could be for no other purpose that the gods have saved his life." THE DEMON SUIP. 25 *' Tush ! talk not of slavery or gods, Chow, but say what is thy name, surname, and the rank of thy family," said Nicholas. " Truly, the story of Chow is as miserable as his own mean person. I am from Tun-Hien, in Ching- Foo, in the province of Tche-Kiang. My father was a mandarin of the fifth rank, who having taken a good degree, held office under the governor of the fort, till one moon since, when the terrible rebel, Li- Kong, took possession of the city in defiance of the Son of Heaven himself, and massacred all who would not submit ; my father being one of the first to ac- knowledge the traitor, became the first to be pun- ished for his disloyalty to our holy Emperor, which hajjpened as thy servant will relate. " One day, my mother, who was accounted very handsome, so far forgot the social regulations laid down for women, as to stand gazing from a window white a body of soldiers passed through the street. For that unbecoming act, both my venerable father and myself suffered, for the officer clattered at the door, when the servants not daring to refuse so powerful a personage, admitted him to the house, when he ran into the inner apartment of my mother, who was so alarmed at such barbarian behavior, that she rose to leave, when the villain would have carried her away but for thy insignificant servant, who clutched his throat and so gashed his cheek that the waters even of the yellow stream will never wash them out. "Hearing the struggle, the soldiers came to 26 THE WAR TIGER, the rogue's help, and would have killed poot Chow, but for my father, who, returning at th« moment, compelled -the officer, bad and bold as he was, to make his escape ; but, alas ! no sooner had the rogue left, than instead of being grateful, my father burst into loud lamentations, crying, 'Alas, alas ! that ever so mean a person was born, for thou hast insiilted the chief favorite of the prince, who will assuredly be revenged;' and so it proved, for the next day we were all taken before the prince, who ordered the whole family to be exterminated, and our house burnt to the ground ; but what was worse, alas ! my father was not even strangled, but disgraced by being sent to the yellow stream incomplete, for he was beheaded on the spot, and the villain officer beg- ged his wife as a slave, to which, in her misery, my mother offered to consent if they would but spare the life of thy miserable servant, her son. To this the prince consented, but the officer was so enraged at the wound in his cheek, that he ordered me to be dressed in beggar's rags, and beaten out of the town toward the sea. Accordingly the wretches beat me till I could not stand, and left me to starve and die or the sea-shore. '•For days and days I wandered in the hope that Borae fisherman would take compassion upon me ; but alas ! none dared to encourage so treasonous a youtli for fear of suffering similar pimishment ; then, but foi the hope that retaining my miserable existence would some fortunate day enable me to punish the villain, I should have thrown myself into the sea, although THE DEMON SHIP. 27 even that consolation I could not seek without impi- ously forgetting my duty to my father, for has it not been wisely said that we should not live beneath the same heaven with the destroyer of our parents ?" " It is a pagan doctrine, Chow ; but how came you upon yonder perch ?" said Nicholas. " Without hope, tired, and sad, I wandered along the coast till the great storm sent the terrified wild animals in all directions ; to escape from them I clunb- ed a tree upon the very verge of the sea, when shortly afterward the wind-demon blew one great gust which carried it into the sea, where its great spread- ing root and the earth around kept it floating till the benevolent stranger came to my rescue." " Thou shalt be revenged upon this villain officer, my poor Chow, and upon the greater rogue, Li- Kong," said Nicholas. " How, — what words are these ? surely the benev- olent stranger cannot be in his senses to speak thus of men so powerful," replied the astonished Chow. " What would Chow do to obtain the punishment of his enemies ? Would he faithfully serve the stran- ger who has saved his life ?" " If these are the words of truth, — and who is thy mean servant that he should doubt ? — O wonderful stranger. Chow will be thy slave till he goes to meet his ancestors." "Then, surely as I have spoken, it shaU be so. But how wouldst thou know this vile rogue again ?" " Is it possible for a son to forget the slayer of his parent, even if the wound in his face would not be* 28 THE WAR TIGER. tray him ?" said Chow, who gazing earnestly m the face of Nicholas, added, " Art thou really a boy or a man of short measure ?" " Truly, like thyself, a hoy of long measure and ample fullness, whose mean surname is Nicholas,' said the other laughing. " No, no, noble Nicholas, not like Chow ; for if a boy, thou art like him who became the Emperor Tait-sou, a little great man-boy," said Chow. ADVENTUEES AT SEA. 29 CHAPTER m. ADVENTURES AT SEA. — KESCUE. Havtn^g recovered his strength, Chow took a turn at the oars, and for an hour pulled lustily, to get as far from the coast as possible, for fear of being observed by any straggling party of the rebels who might pursue them, when, if they searched Nicho- las and discovered the letter, farewell to the sea chiefs schemes. This fear, however, soon became absorbed in a greater; night came on, and brave sailor as he was, Nicholas did not fancy being upon that stormy sea in such a fragile boat. Then Nicholas took the oars, and had not been pulling long, when he perceived the glimmering of a light in the distance. He rested for a moment ; the light grew larger and nearer : this was hopeful ; it might be the lantern of a trading ship ; yet fearful, for it might be a pirate. The suspense was temble, 'and like a gallant fellow he determined to end it as soon as possible ; for this purpose he pulled heartily, and was rewarded at length by getting near enough to the stranger to distinguish voices, then a few long pulls, and strong pulls, and he reached the ship, when by the Ught from her lanterns perceiA-ing some ropes hanging out, he clambered up her side, telling ^0 THE WAR TIGER. Chow to follow. In another second they both stood upon the deck, but also in the arms of men, who would have stabbed them with their knives but for the i^resence of mind of our hero, who exclaimed, " Fear not, brothers of the sea, we are not pirates." The men, however, not being so easily appeased, bound the arms of the boys with ropes and took them into the presence of the captain, much to the disgust of Chow, who said, " Truly it is a maxim that a servant should follow his master, but our career will be one of short measure by this strange froHc, O noble Nicholas." "Silence, Chow, let not thy heart leap between thy lips at the first threat of danger," said Nicholas angrily. The bravest war tiger would become a mouse with his body packed as closely as a cotton ball," said Chow surlily. The captain, however, no sooner saw Nicholas, than with a start of surprise he ordered the sailora to leave the cabin, and took up a large knife from the cabin table, when the terrified Chow cried, " Take the worthless life of thy mean slave, O noble commander, but in the name of thy ancestors spare my noble master." Chow's fear became surprise in no small degree when the captain, without noticing his prayer, not only cut the cords from the arm^ of Nicholas, but made him a respectful bow. "Thanks, worthy commander," said Nicholas, taking the knife and releasing Chow. ADVENTURES AT SEA. 81 "Truly the heavens have tumbled do^vii a sur- prise," said Chow, with a caper, adding, "Is the noble man-boy a good demon, that he can trans- form enemies into friends with a glance of his eye ?" Without, however, satisfying Chow, Nicholas asked the captain to give the boy a sleeping mat in another cabin, after which he said, "It is well, O Yung, that you chanced to be at sea this night, or my noble parent would have had to mourn his son." But Httle more passed, for Nicholas was glad to seek a long rest, and possession of the sleeping mat which the captain resigned to him. The reason of this civility is easily explained — the vessel itself belonged to the sea chief, and its commander was one of his officers in charge ou a voyage to Ning-Po, which port they reached the following day. Having landed, the boys took leave of the captain, and sought a lodging at one of the largest inns, where, after resting for a few days, Nicholas began to prepare for his journey inland. His first care was to furnish Chow with a be- coming robe of stout silk, a cap, trousers, and thick- soled leather boots. As soon as the boy had put them on he began to caper about, crying, "My master is generous, and the gods will reward him for making a poor boy decent enough to pay duo reverence to the tombs of his ancestors, for truly he could not worthily sweep the dust from their resting-place in such mibecoming tatters; foi 32 THE WAR TIGER. altlioagh Chow is poor, lie is of worthy descent and honorable relations." " Truly, Chow, thou art now fit to take a degree at the next examination at Pekin, if we ever arrive there," said Nicholas. "It is not reasonable that the noble Nicholas should laugh at his mean servant, for at the ex- amination of his Hien he passed so creditably through the first two sacred books, that he would have obtained a government promotion but for the villain who destroyed his house. May his soul pass into the body of a rat /" said Chow gloomily. "Pardon, O disappointed scholar. It was vil- lainous to laugh, for it is a wise saying, ' that the well to do should sympathize with the unfortunate,' " said Nicholas, adding, as he took his cap, " But let us now seek for a passage-boat, for it is also wisely said, ' that the loiterer about the business of another is ia capable of conducting his own afiairs.' " When they reached the river, they engaged a passage to Ilang-tcheou, and having waited for a favorable tide, the barge was soon out of the river into a canal, upon which for days they proceeded, at times being pushed along by poles thrust into the water, at others, being drawn along by coohes, or porters, an employment that afibrds a means of existence to a vast portion of the population of China. Tche-Kiang, through which they so leisurely traveled, is, perhaps, the most fertile and beautiful of the eighteen provinces of China, and large ADVENTURES AT SEA. SS enough to contain the whole of Scotland and its adjacent islands. Besides rivers, it is watered by some sixty canals, which serve not only as an easy method of transit, but so to irrigate the great plains around that they yield crops of rice, pulse, and cotton, twice and sometimes thrice a year. It was pleasant to watch these canals pouring fbrth their sparkling hmpid streams to lave the feet of the neighboring hills and mountains, which for many miles presented an aspect of singular beauty ; some, like carved and nature painted pyramids, being wrought into terraces, which shot one out of the other, teeming with the yellow grain, cotton, 'or tea- trees, whUe others were thickly sprinkled with shady trees, which waved over sloping cemeteries of quaint- ly shaped tombs and temples. It was a charming picture — nature dressed to the verge of foppery — moi'e, it was a glorious land, and smiling as if in pride at its power of blessing the himian race — and more again, that its owners knew its worth and in- dustriously stretched its blessings to the utmost. Then the boat came to a dike, or sluice, and they were about to enter another canal at least fifteen fee beneath their level. To pass this, the barge waf hoisted by Coohes up an inclmed plain of freestone by means of ropes upon capstans and sheer strength of muscle, then gently let down a slope upon the other side into the water, a mode adopted to the present day to mOve even the largest vessels from canal to canal. Thus pleasantly the young travelers were wafted 3 34 WAR TIGER. through the province, now through vast plains of rice, then by the sides of great hills clustering with the tea-plant, on again through vast orchards of mul- berry-trees and the useful and curious tallow-plant ; then again through plantations of bamboo, that in- separable companion of the Chinaman from the cradle to the grave — for it receives the infant, cor- rects the boy, is the means of Uving for the man, and entwines the corpse. Then again they passed through towns and cities, swarming with busy workers at the silk-loom and multifarious handicrafts, and toiling children, women, and men in the fields, till they passed another dike, and then they were upon the beautiful lake Tsao-hou, about the naming of which the following pretty story is told : — "Many years ago there lived a priest of the Taouist religion, who had obtained a reputation for his skill in magic. At the festival of the feast of dragon boats, the priest went to sport in the river in honor of his gods, but by some mischance he was drowned, and his body no where to be found. His dutiful daughter, Tsao-hou, a girl fourteen years of age, felt her father's loss so deeply that she wandered along the banks of the river for seventeen days and nights, weeping and wailing over her loss. At last she threw a large melon into the river, putting up the prayer, ' May this melon sink wherever the body of my father lieth.' With anxious eyes she watched the gourd as it floated on the surface of the stream, until it stopped at a certain spot where it sank. The poor damsel, frantic with grief, rushed to the place ADVENTURES AT SEA. 35 and plunged after it. She too was drowned, but five days afterward her lifeless trunk rose to the sur- face with her father's body in her embrace. Both were buried on the river bank, and in commemora- tion of that incident the name of the girl was given to the lake and a magnificent temple erected to her name." On the sixth day they came to Chao-hing, the Venice of China, where the canals are so numei'ous that any portion of the city may be reached by boats. Imagine a city with, in place of streets, one large network of water-roads, intersected with bridges, so light and fanciful that one could imagine them to have been blown together by the breath of fairies, and you will have some notion of Chao-hing. This city is celebrated alike for its silk-worms and book-Worms. So great is the reputation of the scho- lars of Chao-hing that they are sought for by tho viceroys of provinces to fill government ofiices. Near to this city and not far from the mountain of Asses (so called from its being shaped in the form of that animal) is the sepulchre of the great Emperor Yu, the model sovereign of China. This prince obtained the throne by having saved the empire from the deluge of water which in his time covered the lands ; indeed, he must have been no common engineer, for in thirteen years, by un- wearied labor, he leveled high mountains, embanked and confined great rivers within their channels, drained lakes and marshes, enclosed rapid torrents with banks, and divided rivers into canals, which not 36 THE WAR TIGER. only gained a great extent of country, but rendered the whole more fertile. It was the great genius and wonderful energy of Yu that caused the reigning Emperor to choose him for his successor in prefer- ence to either of the four pi-inces, his sons. Among other remarkable things told of this Em peror, it is said that he first taught the people to cul tivate, sow, and manure lands, and divided his do- minions into nine provinces, causing as many great brazen vessels to be made, on each of which a map of a i^rovince Avas engraved. In succeeding times these vessels became very precious, for it was believed that the safety of the state depended on their security, and that whoever obtained them would also obtain the crown. A qualification rare amongst kings was possessed by this useful prince. He hated flatterers, and the only way to gain his favor was to tell him of his faults. Moreover, Yu thought no employment so becoming a sovereign as doing justice to the people ; thus he gave access to his subjects at all hours, and that no obstacle might be thrown in their way, he had afiixed to his palace gates a bell, a drum, and three tables, one of iron, one of stone, and another of lead, upon either of which people who wanted an audience were to strike. The bell was to distinguish civil affairs, the drum for matters relating to law or rehgion, the leaden table for the ministers, the tablet of stone to denote a complaint of Avrong done by some magistrate, and lastly the iron tablet was to denote any very ADVENTUEES AT SEA. S7 serious trouble. So rigorously did Yu adhere to this rule, that it is said that he arose from table twice in one day, and another day came three times out of his bath at the sound of the bell. Another story is, that when wine, which was first invented in his reign, was shown to him, he expressed great regret, "for," said he, "this liquor will cause the greatest trouble to the empire." But wise and powerful as he was, Yu could not conquer sensuality ; for in China, as in most other countries, the love for Btrong liquors is potent. 38 THE WAR TIGER. CHAPTER IV. THE INNKEEPER. ALARMING NEWS. For six more days the boys sailed along this canal ull they came to Hang-tcheou-Fou, the terrestrial jiaradise of China, of which, in conjunction with an- other great city, the people have a saying, " Heaven is above, but Hang-tcheou and Foo-tcheou are be- low." As a combination of work and pleasure, a great manufacturing city, and a fashionable and healthful watering-place, this spot has not its equal in the world ; for as the iDroviuce of Tche-Kiang is the most celebrated in the empire for its growth of mul- berry-trees and the finest silk-worms, so is its capital, Hang-tcheou, celebrated for its looms and the qual- ity and quantity of those rare silks, satins, and tafietas, which no less gladdened the eyes of the moderns than they surprised and delighted the wealthy Ro- mans, who, not knowing from whence they came, believed them to be the handiwork of "furthest lud." Not alone the Manchester, but the Bath or Chel- tenham of China, this city is also famous for its schol- ars, and as being the residence of the fashionables, if such a term may be used to a people who are pro- verbial for having kept in manners, customs, laws, THE INNKEEPER. 8S religion, and dress, and even ideas, with little excep- tion, to the pattern men and women, fashioned and shaped by their early Emperors, Yaou and Yu, some four thousand years ago ; for the latter perhaps Hang- tcheou is chiefly indebted to its vicinage to the cele- brated lake See-ho. The waters are so clear that the smallest pebbles may be seen shining like crystals from the bottom. In the middle are two islands adorned with temj)les and houses, wherein water parties, after taking their pleasure upon the lake, resort for rest and refreshment. Upon piles driven into the bed of the lake are large stone walks or pathways for pedestrians, which stretch from the banks to the islands, with openings for boats, across which are thrown fancifully wrought bridges. The banks are studded with temples, mansions, monasteries, for the bonzes or priests of Buddah, as also a small but beautilul palace for the use of the Emperor, when he makes a tour through his southern provinces. Near to this lake, and reposing in a valley beneath the foot of a mountain, upon the summit of which, as if in guard over the dead for the past forty cen- turies, the huge Lui-fung-ta, or tower of thundering Avinds, is the great cemetery, or vale of tombs, a city in size, which is kept reverentially clean, and strewn at stated periods with fresh flowers, over which forests of willows weep for the departed. One of the chief beauties of this famous lake I had almost forgotten to m.ention. Its sides, where the water is shallow, are covered with the clustering and rare flowers, Lien-hoa, a plant so choice that it is 40 THE WAR TIGER. fostered iu the innermost recesses of the ho ases of the great and wealthy. Not unlike our own tulips, the Lien-hoa has a little ball supported by a small fila- ment siinilar to that formed in lilies ; its color varies, being at times violet, white, or a mixture of red and Avhite ; it emits a fragrant odor ; the fruit is as big as a small nut, and the kernel is white and of good taste. The physicians esteem it, and prescribe it for weak patients. The leaves are long, and swim upon the water, communicating with the root by long strings. The dense population, which has ren- dered it necessary to turn every atom to account, has led the busy-bee genius of the people to make every particle of this plant useful. The before-mentioned strings are used by the gardeners to wrap round their goods, and the white and pulj^y root is eaten in summer for its cooling properties. Although mid-day when they arrived at this city, you will not wonder that it was nearly dark by the time they reached the gates, when I tell you that the river was one vast floating town of vessels, the greater part of which were arranged into streets, crowded with passing mandarin junks laden with pleasure parties, and decorated with japan, gilding, silk streamers, and that emblem of rank, the um- brella ; government junks, some of war, and others freighted with rice, silks, and other matters, which had been given by the different townspeople as taxes in lieu of money ; then numerous junks laden with salt and other commodities, to say nothing of the many thousands of San-jjans or egg-house boat«, m THE INNKEEPER. 41 whicli a vast portion of the poorer section of the Chinese reside, never being permitted to come ashore without especial permission from the governor ; then again, the floating islands of trees, with their hnta formed of poles and matting of bamboo. Indeed just such a scene is a picture of the every-day life presented on the canals and rivers of this country ; but particularly in the southern provinces, which so swarm with human beings, that thousands are compelled from want of room on laud to take refuge on the water, where they not only live, but carry on their various avocations. Notwithstanding the haste of the boys to enter the city, as they passed through the gates the great bell above them began to sound the first of the five watches or divisions into which the night is divided, and the crowds who thronged the narrow streets be- gan to scamper in every direction to their homes, for the law of China very wisely holds " that the day- light is for labor and the night for repose." Greatly fatigued, the young travelers sought the first inn where they regaled themselves with a plentifid meal, foolishly forgetting the passing time : indeed, before they had finished, they heard the sound of the second watch, when the landlord made his appearance and begged of his honorable guests to take their d^iar- ture, much to the surprise of Nicholas, who had re- solved to go no further that night. " Surely," said he, "the perfection of innkeepers would not turn away travelers who are willing to ])iiy for their enter tainment and lodging." 4:2 THE WAR TIGER. "From what distart province can the honorable youth have journeyed, that he knows not that the inns are full of the servants and officers of the illus- trious Ching-Ti, who has this day arrived, to fill with bis form of full measure the governor's sedan, and judgment seat?" said the innkeeper. " Truly the worthy innkeeper will pardon his younger brother for observmg that the name of the Mandarin of Hang-tcheou is Yang-ti, or the eyeballs of his humble guest have become twisted, for Yaug- ti is the name upon this chop," replied Chow, producing a kind of passport which had been given to him at the custom-house before entering the city. " Where have been the ears of my honorable guest that he has not heard that the noble Yang has completed the measure of his joys and sorrows in this world ?" " Surely the noble governor cannot have passed so suddenly to the yellow stream or the shadow kingdom of Yen-Van g," said Chow. " There can be no doubt that it is a sad history, for greatly was the good Yang loved, not only in this his last province, but in all those over which he had ruled, never having retired from a government without receiving the boots of honor," replied the innkeeper. It may be as well to explain to you, that when the governor of a city removes to another province, the people exhibit their approbation of his wisdom and iustice by paying him great honor. When he com- THE IN]N KEEPER. 43 mences his journey he finds, for a considerable dis- tance along the road, tables covered with silk placed at certain intervals, upon some of which are laid burnt perfumes, candlesticks, waxlights, meats, pulse, and fruits ; and upon others, wine, and tea, ready for use. As soon as the popular mandarin appears, the people fall upon their knees, bow their heads and weep, oifer him the things upon the tables, and pre- sent him with a pair of new boots ; they then pull off his old ones, and preserve them as reUcs in a small cage, which they hang over the gates of the city through which he passed. " Will the worthy innkeeper relate the ill-doings that could have brought this good magistrate to misfortune?" said Nicholas, guessing at the inn- keeper's meaning. " Truly it was no less than a fondness for the reli- gion of the Fan-Kwi." " Surely that could be no crime under our good Emperor, who has befriended the Christians, even to perirdtting the members of his family to be- come followers of the Lord of Heaven," said Nicholas. " It is true that the information may be incorrect, but such has fallen into thy servant's ears ; moreover it is said that the great Yang's conduct has offended the bonzes at Pekin, who are all-powerful in the palace of the Son of Heaven, whom they persuaded to send the Christian-exterminating Lord Ching-Ti, with an order signed by the vermilion pencil, to put Yang to death." 4:4: THE WAR TIGER. " Has the vile deed been performed ?" said Nicho- las hastily. " Hush !" said the host in a low tone. " Surely such language will bring a heavy punishment upon thy head." "Has the noble mandarin suffered, O worthy man?" said Nicholas, whose rising indignation outweighed his prudence. " It has been wisely said, that it is of Uttle use to repine at Avhat can't be recalled," replied the inn- keeper, adding, " The soul of the great Yang is now in search of a better habitation, but he left this world with dignity, for the Son of Heaven, may he C07itinue the circle of succession^ remembering his servant's good deeds, mercifully permitted hjm to be his own executioner, and, moreover, gave him the choice either of the silken cord, the gold leaf, or his own state necklace." " Truly if the great lords esteem these things as favors, thanks be to Tien that thy servant is but a small weasel of a personage," said Chow, making some very remarkable grimaces. " When the noble Yang received the message, ho called for the incense table, burned perfume in honor of his royal master, chose the silken cord, and having held it high above his head in token of his wilUng- ness to obey the royal will, immediately strangled himself," said tbe innkeeper, without noticing Chow'a interruption. That the boys did not shudder at this recital, may surprise you who are not perhaps aware that thia THE INNKEEPER. 45 is a common method of sliowing the royal gratitude for past services in the middle kingdom. Not only- are these three methods used as punishments, but as a means of suicide, which in China, as in most un- christianized countries, is esteemed a meritorious means of slipping through a difficulty. The gold leaf being taken in the form of a pill, is washed down with water, which is supposed so to expand the leaf and extend the stomach that life soon be- comes extinct. The death by the necklace is more uncommon. There is a bird of the crane kind, on the crown of whose head is a scarlet tuft of down or velvet skin, to which the Chinese believe the poison of the serpents which it eats determines. This crest is frequently formed into a bead which is concealed in the ornamental necklaces worn by the high officers of the empire, for the express purpose of sur- mounting worldly difficulties, for let this venom but touch the lip, and death instantaneously en- sues. There is a legend that the life of this bird extends to one thousand years, that it is in its prime at sixty, when it can sing regularly and beautifully eveiy hour of the day, but that it cannot mount trees till it reaches its thousandth year. When the innkeeper had finished, the clanging of the watchman's bamboo rattle in the streets re- minded 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. 46 THE WAR riGER. " Thy servant, noble youth, must have been born in an unfortunate hour, that he cannot offer the ad- vantages 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 reftise," said Chow. "Truly for less than an ounce of silver two travelers might find a lodging in the house of the bonzes." " The priests of Fo are rogues," said Nicholas , giving utterance to an opinion that has been popular in China from all time. " The noble youth possesses a tongue that will place him in the cangue, or procure him a branded cheek by this hour to-morrow, if he rules it no better," said the innkeeper ; but before the boy could reply, the man's wife ran into the room, cry- ing and beating her breast, and implored of her hus- band to follow her to the bedside of their dying daughter. Shocked that they had been the means of keeping the man from so holy a duty, Nicholas apologized, and was about leaving the house, when with an hysterical laugh, the man said, " See, O honorable youths, this woman has but little faith in the power of the holy bonzes, who have been offering sacrifices to Fo, to save the life of this pearl of my existence." " By what means, O fooHsh man, can these bonzes save thy child's life? Are not the physicians of TTnnff-tclieou famous for their skill ?" THE INNKEEPER. 47 " Truly tbey are less than mice ; thoy could not save my child, and I have dismissed them for a holy bonze, whose influence over the god wlio protects the lives of the young, has made him promise that my pearl shall not become dissolved in death." " She is passmg from us now, O my husband," said the unhappy wife. "It cannot be, woman ; the god is but chastising you with a terrible fear, for your want of faith ; for how is it possible he can refuse so trifling a favor as the life of a young girl, when I have daily ofiered sacrifices of animals, and money, and burned incense at his altar ?" Shocked at the man's superstitious belief in the power of Fo, and his brother idols, Nicholas made one other effort to shake it ; findmg, however, that it was useless, he paid the bill, purchased a lan- tern for himself and another for Chow, and they went on their way to the Buddhist monastery, the only house wherein he could find shelter for tliat night. 48 THE WAR TIGER. CHAPTER V. ADVENTUEK IK A BUDDHIST MONASTERY.— ^CHOw's ENCOUNTER WITH A BONZE. To Londoners who find it an easy matter to pass, at any time of the night, from one end of the metrop- olis to the other, it may appear that Nicholas and Chow had no very difficult task before them. Such however, was not the case, for in the first place, in- stead of open thoroughfares, the great streets of the cities of China are barricaded at the ends with chains, and the smaller ones with wicket-gates, at each of which is placed a watchman, whose business it is to question every pedestrian, and through the night to keep clanging a piece of hard wood against a hollow bamboo cane, for the purpose of showing his watch- fulness. As the boys, by aid of their lanterns picked their way through the streets, they found them deserted ; with the exception of a few stragglers, each of whom carried a lantern, upon which was ostentatiously em- blazoned his name and rank. Imagine aU the gas lamps in London extinguished, and their places sup- plied by a few dancing will-o'-the-wisp kind of lan- terns, and you will have a tolerable notion of the appearance of the great cities of China by night. Dismal, truly, but perhaps not more so than were the A BUDDHIST MONASTERY. 49 Streets of London not many years since, when they were lighted by flickering oil lamps. Again, as were those of London at the very period when these ad- ventures happened, the streets are so narrow tliat a good-sized carriage or wagon cannot pass through without danger to the people, but then the narrow ncss of the streets was less pardonable in Londoners of that age, than in the Chinese of the present, whose great people ride in sedan-chairs, and Avhose little people walk, and convey their goods to and fro in narrow carts, Uke barrows; with one centre wheel. The Celestials are at least consistent in fitting their vehicles to their streets, which is more than could be said of old London, with its gutter streets and heavy lumbering coaches, types of which may be seen every day in the London of the present time. The street in which the inn was situated was one of the principal, and, therefore, of great length, and along the pavement, which was in the middle of the road, the boys trudged onward, passing every now and then beneath one of the numerous Pai-ho, or arches, which are erected to the memory of good magistrates and virtuous women, till they came to a lattice-gate which led into a smaller street, when their progress was arrested, for the watchman was not at his post. They waited for some time, till becoming impatient. Chow kicked the gate, when there arose such a queer hissing noise, that the boy fell upon his face, exclaiming, " My master, my mas- ter, the demons of Yen- Vang have swallowed the watchman, and are guarding the gate in his stead." 4 50 THE WAR TIGER. "Thou art a foolish coward," said Nicholas, who clambered up the gate, and after looking through the wicket for a minute let go his hold and laughed im- moderately. " O Chow, Chow, thou idiot ! not to know a demon from one of thine own kind ; surely these demons are nothing but geese ;" and as the watch- man opened the wicket Chow saw that the noise which had alarmed him had been caused by a coujile of those birds, which the watchman had trained to cackle and hiss at the shghtest noise, so that he might take a comfortable nap, with the certainty of being aroused when wanted by the hissing. " Truly they must be barbarian geese, for I should have understood them had they cackled in Chinese," said Chow. To get the gate open was one thing, to pass through another, for perceiving neither name nor rank upon the lanterns, the watchman determined to detain the boys as suspicious characters, and for that purpose began to clang upon his bamboo for assis- tance, when a personage came up to the wicket, and both the watchman and Chow bent their heads res- pectfully. From the yellow robe, the string of beads around his neck, and his shaven head, Nicholas saw that he was a bonze, or priest of Fo. As this rever- end gentleman came through the gate he ran his fin- gers up and down the beads, and muttered, " O JMi to-fo," and so wotild have passed, but for Chow, who said, " Will the man of prayer pardon an insignifi- cant mouse for interrupting his holy meditations ?" " The dogs are vagabonds, perhaps robbers, who A BUDDHIST MONASTERY. 51 have no name, surname, or profession on their Ian terns, O holy bonze," said the polite watchman. " What would the nameless night prowlers with the priest of Buddha ?" said the bonze. "Truly notliing but a guide to the monastery, where they seek a lodging for which they pray of the holy father to accept alms." At the word alms the eyes of the bonze sparkled with delight, and having lifted his lantern so as to get a fuU view of Nicholas, he said to the watchman, " Thou rascal ! thy dog's head hath less brains than these geese, and thine eyeballs are of lead, or thou wouldst have seen that so well-looking a youth must be of honorable descent ; moreover, where was thy charity, that thou wouldst not aid a traveler ?" " Surely the man would be wanting in sense who should suppose that he had the wisdom and divining power of a holy bonze," replied the trembling guar- dian of the nio^ht. Not deigning, however to notice this obsexwation, the bonze conducted the boys along several streets, till they reached a building surrounded by a higi wall, through which, by means of a small gate, they passed to an avenue of magnificent trees, paved with marble, and which led to a large gateway, guarded upon each side by a very ugly stone god. Passing tli rough the gateway, they entered a small room lighted from the centre by one large lantern, deco- rated with portraits of the god Fo, in every variety of chaiacter. This god, as you may probably know, is represented by almost every kind of aixunal, 52 THE WAR TIGER. biped and quadruped, into which during the lapse of centuries his soul is supposed to have passed. Around this room, which was for every day use, were small idols of gUt copper, with ghos-sticks burning before them ; on the table, iu the centre of the room, stood a time measure, that must remind you of the period of our own King Alfred. It ia termed the hourly incense-stick, and is notched at equal distances, and as from notch to notch the stick takes exactly one hour to burn, it accurately marks the passing time. This ghos-stick, so named from its being burned as incense in the ghos-houses or temples of China, is compounded of sawdust mixed with glue and scent, and evenly rolled into thin rods of two or three feet in length ; in fact, the very same brown stick adopted by smokers in this country for its pleasant perfume, and continuing to burn till re- duced to ashes. Having introduced the boys to this room the bonze withdrew, and shortly after- ward sent a servant with blankets and sleeping mats, upon which they stretched themselves, not a little pleased at the opj^ortunity of getting a good sleep after their day's fatigue. Long before morning, however, Nicholas was suddenly aroused from his slumbers, and to his surjsrise saw the bonze upon the floor, with Chow pmumeling him with his fists, and crying, "I have thee, I have thee, thou slayer of people's pax'ents." • Not knowing what to make of this strange scene. A BUDDHIST MONASTERY. 53 JSTicholas caught Chow by the arm and endeavored to pull him away ; this, however, served but to ex- cite him the more, for he pummeled at the bonze harder than ever. The behavior of the priest was still more surprising, for instead of showing any in- dignation at this strange treatment, all he said was, " Harm the youth not my son ; he is possessed with a demon ; he sleeps, poor boy, and mistakes me for some terrible enemy." This explanation Nicholas soon found to be cor- rect, for poor Chow had been battling in his sleep ; but how the bonze came into the boy's clutches was a mystery, and one that, worn out as he was with fatigue, he did not just then care about solving, so that he could get Chow to his mat again, which after considerable trouble he managed, by telling him that he was an officer of justice and would see that his enemy should be punished. After which Nicholas threw himself upon his mat, fell into a sound sleep, and slept till he was awakened by the deep tones of the monastery bell. During the morning meal he related the adventure to the much-puzzled Chow, who could remember nothing but that he had dreamed that the slayer of his father suddenly entered the room, and after prowling about for some time, first searched the robe of Nicholas, and then came to his bed, when, thuik- ing he was going to kill him, he attacked him in self- defence ; though how his enemy should have become transformed into the bonze, who certainly had no 54 THE WAR TIGER. business in tlie room, was a puzzle that Ke could not make out. The explanation of the bonze was, that he had entered his visitors' apartment to see that they had been properly attended to by the servant — an ex- planation not at aU satisfactory to Chow, who as soon as the priest left the room said, " Is my mas- ter's girdle safe? for these holy fathers are great rogues." Alarmed for the safety of his letters, Nicholas examined his girdle ; they were safe ; when shocked at his insinuation, the repentant Chow exclaimed, " Truly, my master, Chow is less than the least of little dogs, and must crave the good father's forgiveness," — which he took the first opportmiity of doing, by falling upon all fours before the priest and knocking his forehead to the grotmd, till the latter in pity lifted the boy upon his legs again. THRASHING THE GODS. 55 CHAPTER VI. FHRASHING THE GODS. — THE BOYS TAKEN PEISONKRS. Ajstxious to deliver Ms father's letter to the Chris- tian priest, yet fearful of making inquiries where he was to be found, now he had heard of the governor's enmity to Christianity, Nicholas determined to make the effort alone, and having thanked the bonze for his hospitality and jDresented him with half an ounce of silver, he was about proceeding in his search, when the latter solicited hini to join in the morning pray- ers of the monastery ; a soHcitation he was too prudent to refuse, for fear of awakening the suspicions of the bonzes, whom he knew to be the main persecutors of his religion. As for Chow,' like the majority of his countrymen he was of no religion in particular, but a little of each of the sects into which the Chinese are divided; Confucian, Buddhist, and Taouist ; he, therefore, wil- hngly followed Nicholas, who, with somethmg lilie a feeling of disgust, entered a spacious hall, the ceiling of which shone with gold and japan. In the centre were placed three colossal representative gods of the past, present, and future — the liuddha who Is, and the Buddha who will be — with a vase of in- cense and a lamp of burnmg tea oU before each. At the sound of a small bell, a number of yellow-robed 56 THE WAR TIGER. priests, with heads shaven, clean and oily as bladders of lard, made their appearance and commenced the ceremony ; one rang a bell violently, while another clattered like a watchman upon a hollow bamboo cane. This clamor was for the purpose of arousing the attention of the gods, which, after a few minutes, being supposed to be accomplished, the whole society of priests knocked their heads upon the ground re- peatedly ; and when tired, they began to chant hymns and create a fearful din by playing rough music upon much rougher instruments ; after which they marched out of the hall regularly and in double file. Not a little pleased at the conclusion of the ceremony, Nicholas followed, taking care, however, on leaving the building, to choose an opposite direction to the bonzes. The boys had not walked more than a hundred yards, when they came to the foot of a small hillock, which served as a base or pedestal for a shrine, in which, upon a raised platform, like a small boy upon a tall stool, sat an ugly httle god with a dragon's head, so glittering, however, with gold and gaudy colors, that they knew it to be a private idol that some foolish devotee had decorated at his own cost, with a view to obtain some especial service from heaven. When wuthin earshot of this deity, they observed two bonzes come from behind the shrine, attended by a servant, who, having prepared the in- cense table commenced to bow thek heads to the ground and mutter their prayers. Not wishing either to join in, or interrupi the THRASHING THE GODS. 57 priests' devotions, the boys took up their position be- hind the trunk of a large tree, where they witnessed the following scene : — Scarcely had the bonzes commenced their head knockings when a mob of the lower class of people, with sticks and hammers in their hands, came clamoring toward the shrine. They were led by a man, who had no sooner reached the astute and kneeling priests, than with one kick he sent them rolling over each other, saymg at the same time, " Get thee hence, thou rogues of bonzes, and let us deal with this villainous god." The bonzes, seeing so many persons, arose and scampered off to their monastery for help, when the leader^ whom Nicho- las now recognized as his friend, the innkeeper, approached the idol, saying, " How now, thou dog of a spirit ! Have I not fed thee, lodged thee hand- somely, and offered incense each day at the cost of half my hard earnings, that thou shouldst save tho life of my daughter, who, notwithstanding, has been carried to the yellow stream ? Let us punish him, my friends, that he may deceive no other father." As he uttered the last words, he struck off the arm of the god with such force that it struck a bonze, who was at that moment coming toward the idol in advance of some twenty of his brethren ; at which the people cried, " This is indeed a just retribution upon the vile bonze." "Do not the people fear the vengeance of the gods, that they behave thus?" said the stricken priest, calmly, and dissembling his rage. 58 THE WAR TIGER. " Truly the gods may render us unfoi'tunate," said one cowardly fellow, and the superstitious crowd hesitated. Perceiving his advantage, the bonze fol- lowed it up. " Surely," said he, " the iDeojjle are not unreasonable, like this man, who is ungrateful to the gods for taking his daughter, as if, forsooth, his child were better than the children of his ceigh- bors." " This is true. Why should one complain that he is not more fortunate than the rest ?" said the cowardly voice. " As for the worthy Sing, the gods may pardon him, in consideration of his great grief; but then he must desist from this profanity," said the bonze. " The bonze is generous, and his words are reason- able," said another. " Are my friends imjust that they will not listen to an injured man, whose injuries may be their own to-morrow ?" said the innkeeper. " This is reasonable also ; let us hear Sing," cried several voices. At that moment, Nicholas, who feared lest the artful bonzes should get the better of the dispute, came forward, and said, "Why should the worthy Sing waste words? surely he has been sufficiently injured; the measure of his grief is full, for he will leave no descendant to fulfil the necessary offices at his tomb." " The words of the honorable youth are wise,'' said the fickle ci'owd; and Nicholas continued, THRASHING THE GODS. 59 "That there has been robbery, there can be no doubt, my friends; for, notwithstanding the god promised to cure the daughter of this worthy man, she has passed to the yellow stream, and, therefore, he -S unworthy of his quality of godship, and should be punished; therefore, in justice to the worthy Sing, let this temple be pulled down, and the stupid idol pay the penalty in his own person," To which the priest endeavored to reply, but the people would not hsten to him, and acting upon the suggestion of Nicholas, threw a cord roimd the god's neck, pulled him to the ground, and belabored him with sticks and hammers. During the proceeding the priests, who were too wise to lose their tempers, addressed a knot of lookers-on, vehemently threatening them with ter- rible misfortunes, but at the same time declaring, that if Sing would come to some agreement, the god, who was of a short temper, would do what was reasonable on his part and prevent future evils. This had the desired effect upon all but Sing and some of his friends, who continued to belabor the idol till the converts to the bonze's opinion drove them away, when, becoming broken into antagonistic parties, they threw aside their weapons and fought each other with their fists, tiU a body of yah-yu, or city police, entered upon the ground, and seizing Sing, the principal bonze, and the two boys, as the chief rioters, hurried them off to the police tribunal. As for the mob, no sooner had the prisoners been removed, than mortified at the profanity into which 60 THE WAR TIGER. they had been hurried, they gathered together the fragments of the deity, stuck them together as well as possible, washed him, and fell at his feet, exclaim- uig, " In truth we have been a little too hasty, but then your godship has been a little too slow in per- forming your promises, and thus brought the beating upon yourself. But still it is a good saying, that 'what has been done can't be undone.' Let us, therefore, think no more of this matter, and if you will forget what has passed we will repair thy temple and gild you over again." For fear that my reader may think this episode exaggerated, I must assure him that similar scenes are even now of frequent occurrence — and why not ? For although idolaters, the Chinese are neither en- thusiasts nor fanatics. With the greater part, the worship of idols is an inheritance which it would be impossible to reject; — it is custom they worship. Moreover, like ourselves, they are a business-like people, and will have money's worth for money; therefore, if they pay an idol for a certain quantity of work, and he does not complete his contract, they give him a sound thrashing — and the principle ia not a bad one after all. TREACHERY OF THE BONZES. 6i CHAPTER Vn. TEEACHERT OF THE BONZES. — ^NICHOLAS SElfT TO PKISON AS A TKAITOE. "With the proverbial rudeness of most small offi- cials, the yah-yu threw cords around the arms of the prisoners and dragged them along the streets, amid the jeers and laughter of the populace, who, enjoyed the prospect of the probahle pimishment of so serious an oflence as rioting, namely, being led about the streets with the cangue, a wooden collar as large as a small table, around their necks ; but in this the Chinese crowd was not worse than others in Europe, for, with shame be it said, a tendency to indulge in the minor miseries of their fellows is the cruel pro- pensity of most masses. When they came to the tribunal they found it crowded with people, who were standing upon either side of the haU, so as to form a lane by which to approach the mandarin, who was sitting at a table, ujDon which stood a box of bamboo reeds, tipped with yellow; upon his left side sat the secretary, and upon his right stood three men witn ominous-looking bamboo canes in their hands, The first case heard was that of a youth whose pro- pensity for gaming had- led him to squander a large 62 THE WAR TIGER. eum of money lent to bim by his father for the pur- pose of commencing business. I must tell you hoAvever, that before bringing the boy before a tribunal, the father had fruitlessly ti'ied every method of kmd- ness. Having listened patiently, the mandarin severly reprimanded the youth, then taking fifty of the yellow- tipped reeds threw them on the ground as a signal for the men with canes to give him fifty blows. Be- fore, however, they could obey, his mother, with tears in her eyes, threw herself at the mandarin's feet, begging of him to pardon her son. Being a kind-hearted man the magistrate complied, but or- dering to be brought to him a volume written by one of the emperors for the instruction of his subjects, and opening it at a particular part, said, " Promise O youth, to renounce gambling and to listen to your father's directions, and I will pardon you this time ; but that you may not forget, go and kneel in the gallery of the hall of audience and learn by heart this chapter on filial obedience, which till you repeat and solemnly promise to observe obedience, you shall not depart from this tribunal." The youth being deUghted at this lenient sentence bowed his forehead to the earth, and, moreover, I must tell you, kept his promise, although he was three days learning the task. Such being the spirit of the laws, and the paternal mildness with which they are for the most part carried out, excepting only in cases of high treason, we need not won- der that this great population has submitted to their rule for four thousand years. TKEA.OHERY OF THE BONZES. 63 When tliis case was over the chief of the yah-ju bowed to the ground and charged his prisoners gen- erally with rioting to the disturbance of the pubUc peace. " "What has the priest of Fo to say to this disgrace- ful charge ? let hiin open his lips," said the mandarin. "Whereupon the bonze fell upon his knees and accus- ed the innkeeper of attacking the idol and leading a mob to destroy the monastery. " What sayest the innkeeper ? for surely the offence is serious," said the mandarin. Then, bowing to the ground, the innkeeper related the morning's adventure, stating that but for the assistance of Nicholas and Chow, the bonze would have killed him, adding, " Truly, O jewel of justice, thy mean servant demands the punishment of this rascal bonze and his trumpery god, who, notwith- standing the sums paid to them, have permitted his only child to be carried from this life." Having listened patiently to both sides, the man- darin said, " It is true that two ofi'ences have been committed, the one against the public peace, and the other against a private person. The former, being the most heinous, must be first dealt with; and, as without the bonze and the innkeeper, there could have been no such disturbance, let both be corrected with twenty blows. As for the two youths, who were drawn into this disturbance, let them pay half a tael each to some poor person to receive ten blows for them." The sentence having gone forth, the men with tne 64: THE WAR TIGER. bamboos caught bold of the culprits, threw them upon the floor, and they received a similar piinish- ment to that dealt out by a schoolmaster upon a re- fractory pupil ; after which, the delinquents, smarting with pain, humbly returned thanks for this benevo lent and fatherly correction. " As for the second oiFence said the mandarin, " it IS clear that the bonze is either a rogue or no good judge of the powers of the different gods, and knew not to which to apply for this particular favor, an ignorance that has caused the innkeeper to lose his goods ; and, in either case, is unfit for his ofiice ; therefore, if he is found within the city walls after this night, he shall be placed in the cangue for three moons. As for the god himself, who is the principal party concerned, let him be plucked down from his seat as a useless and malicious deity." Thus compelled, by custom, to recognize the foolish superstition of Fo, although he no more believed in it than you do, the mandarin humorously punished the bonze. The wily priest, however, had not quite played out his game, so, dissembling his rage at the result of the trial, he fell upon his knees, saying, "Pardon, ever-flowing stream of justice, but the meanest and most insignificant servant of Fo, dares claim a reward for a great act." " What words are these, thou dog of a bonze ?' said the angry ofiicial. " If the eyeballs of thy contemptible servant are straight in their sockets, he has seen placards bearing TREACHERY OF IIIE BONZES. 66 the character of Vna illustrious tsong-tou (viceroy) of the provinc-s, ,y omisiug twenty taels for any fol- lower of the 0» fistian priests, whose houses of prayer ha-', e boen so wisely de&troyed. " What useless words are these, for where in this city is such a dog to be found, since they were hunted doAvn by the illustrious governor? may he live a thousand years/' replied the mandarin. " This was a terrible surprise to Nicholas, for not only did it convince hi:n that the persecution of the Christians had commenced, but that his own mission had somehow been discovered by the priest ; nor was he disappointed, whtn the latter said, " Truly, O grand canal of justice, that turbulent youth is even now on a treasonable errand to the Christian priest, Adam, who has so traitorously fled the city." " These are dog's words, thou rogue of a bonze," said the boy. Not regarding the interruption, the priest added, as he placed a paper in the hand of the mandarin, " The dragon vision of the lord of justice will dis- cover to him that his servant's words are pearls of truth." Having glanced at the paper, the mandarin said Riernly to Nicholas, "Thou art young to be con- cerned in treason, and yet these characters warn the priest, Adam, against the great Ching-Ti, whom the anonymous writer tells him is about to arrive at Hang-tcheou, specially charged by the Son of Heaven to root out the Christian priests." " As this is the first time, O mandarin, that thy 5 66 THE WAR TIGER. servant's ears drink in this intollisrence \e must have been innocent of the contents of that pa iket," replied Nicholas. " The youth is young ; but, like the body of a snake, his words are twirling and slippery. It is true, those characters may not have reached his eyes, but it is equally true that he was the bearer, for the cover is even now in his girdle," said the priest. " Thy servant, O mandarin, cannot deny that he bore the letter, but it was in ignorance that it was a crime," said Nicholas, taking the envelope from his vest, now fully convinced that the bonze had picked his girdle. "Although it is certain that the writer is a traitor, it is not equally so that this youth is an accomplice," said the mandarin, after examining the envelojje. " The dog is a Christian, O lord of justice ; and in the name of the Son of Heaven, I claim the twenty taels," said the bonze, forgetting the submission due to a magistrate, in his rage and fear that Nicholas might escape. "Thy words are dirt, thou tm-bulent rogue, for it is not clear that the youth is a Christian," said the angry mandarin, adding kindly to Nicholas, "Let the youth deny this charge and he shall bo believed, for his words are sti'aight as the flying arrow." Here was a chance, for it was evident the man darin was his friend. Still, notwithstanding that TEEACHERY OF THE BONZES. 67 imprisonment for life, if not speedy death, stared him in the face, Nicholas was too brave to forswear his Saviom-, and he replied, "K to be a Christian, O mandarin, is to merit death, then am I ready to die." Then the good-natured, but disappointed magis- trate said sorrowfully, " The youth is as brave as he is honest, and deserves a better fate ; yet must the commands of the great tsong-tou be obseiwed, there- fore let the youth be conveyed to the great prison to await his sentence. "Without a word or the move- ment of a muscle, the boy permitted the attendants to bind his arms. This was too much for Chow, who, with a leap like that of a wounded hare, cried, " The priest, O great lord, is a midnight thief." But such a demon- stration being against the rules of decency, the officers seized and silenced the boy by clapping a gag in his mouth. Then the mandarin ordered twenty taels to be given to the bonze, and the latter having made the customary bow was about to depart, when the magistrate said, " Now priest, relate by what means that letter came into thy possession, for it is a maxim that justice should be equally balanced." Then the bonze related how he met the boys, and took them to the monastery, adding that as they were passing through a passage the letter having fallen from the youth's girdle, he picked it up, and divining that its contents were treasonous, retained the document for examination. " These are dog's words," exclaimed Chow, from 68 THE WAR TIGER. whose mouth the gag had been taken by the man- darm's order ; " the priest is a rogue and a rat, for he stole the paper at night while my noble master slept, and although for hours thy servant believed it was a dream, and mistook the bonze for an enemy, he now remembers that after filching the letter from the girdle, the rogue opened the envelope, stole the contents, and then by some mysterious means of his own closed it again." The bonze being about to reply, the mandarin in- terrupted him, saying, " Truly has it been said that although eggs are close things, the chicks will out, for the rogue forgot to explain how the letter could leave the pocket of its owner without the envelope. The theft is clear, and it is but justice to the state that the thief should receive fifty blows, and pay twenty taels of silver." This sentence was speedily executed upon the roaring coward, whose back was etill sore with the first beating, and so he left the tri- bunal consi