Under the Chinese Dragon: A Tale of Mongolia

  CHAPTER XVII

  A Chapter of Adventures

  Snowflakes were whirling through the air on the morning after thearrival of the Professor's party in the neighbourhood of the half-buriedMongolian ruins which they had come to inspect. When David emerged fromthe tent and looked into the open, an icy blast made him shiver, whilehe smiled at seeing Alphonse, still in his shirt sleeves, dancing aboutto warm his toes, and snapping his fingers to bring the circulation tothem.

  '_Parbleu!_ but we may expect cold weather now, Monsieur David,' hecalled out. 'The winter is on us, and I say that it will be well for usall when the excavations have been begun.'

  'And why? How will that help us?'

  'How! Ah, it is clear that you have not been on such an expeditionbefore, monsieur, nor experienced a Chinese winter. It can freeze herealmost as it does in the Arctic regions, while the winds come sweepingacross these plains unbroken, and with a bite that searches every joint,and finds every crevice in the dwellings. Who knows? It may even be thatthe brave fellows who lodged amongst these ruins years ago were driventhence by the cold and exposure. But I was saying----'

  'You were going to tell me why it will be a good thing for the partywhen excavations are begun, Alphonse.'

  '_Vraiment!_ Then this is why. A rabbit loves to burrow below ground,where he can defy the weather. Just so, we can also smile at the worstwinds and the most violent snow-storms, once we have dug a hollow. Youfollow, monsieur? We shall have a shelter which nothing can break down,whereas a tent, what is it? What protection does it offer?'

  There was no doubt that the Professor with all his experience was alsoof the same opinion; for no sooner was the camp completely pitched--asthey had arrived late on the previous evening they had not been able tocomplete the matter--than he set Ho Hung and his comrades to work.

  'I imagine we must be very adjacent to the site chosen by your father,David,' he said. 'The prevailing wind is from the north-east, as one cantell at once by inspecting the cant of the few trees there are. Also,all the sand-dunes, of which there are so many, are heaped with theirsteep sides to leeward, and present a smooth, evenly-rounded surface tothe prevailing wind. As you can see for yourself, we have the ruinsbetween us and the wind, and so have shelter. Also, there is a streamnear at hand. But this snow is not to be ignored. Ho Hung and hisfellows will dig us a chamber somewhere in the ruins, where we can hideaway and be warm. Once it is finished and furnished, and all othermatters are seen to, we will set about getting helpers, for even smallexcavations demand a large amount of labour.'

  That day and the three which followed were, indeed, very busy ones, somuch so that few of the party wore their coats, strenuous effort beingnecessary, and even in that cold blast a coat was a hindrance. David andDick themselves went in search of fire-wood, and with the help of axescut down a number of fair-sized trees. These were lopped of theirbranches, placed side by side with the branches on them, and faggots ontop all, then the whole was hauled close to the ruins by a team ofponies harnessed to ropes. That done, the trunks and branches were sawnin shorter lengths, and the big pieces split with wedges and a bigmallet.

  'We shall want every log you can cut,' said the Professor, looking hisapproval, 'and it is essential to make the most of the open weather. Youhave seen for yourselves that snow has been threatening. We shall get itany time now, and then there will be little moving around.'

  Meanwhile, Ho Hung and his comrades had delved deeply. They had hit upona spot where close investigation proved that others had been at work,though the fierce winds, which had blown since, had covered up almostall traces. Yet it was certain that a considerable amount of debris hadbeen removed; and thanks to that fact the base of the actual ruins weresoon reached.

  'Might have been your father who had his men working at this spot,' saidthe Professor thoughtfully. 'On the other hand, it may have been a bandof nomads wintering here. It is a wild district, very sparselyinhabited, and droves of men do ride here and there, not always with thebest intentions I fear. However, with the half-dozen soldiers Twang Chunwas good enough to lend us, we should be secure, for he has seen thatthe men are really trained, and I think we can rely upon their courage.'

  David never knew whether to admire the huge expanse of ruins, to whichthey had come, more when a wintry sun poured down upon them, or when themoon's cold beams swept softly over them. In any case, there wassomething fascinating and awe-inspiring about this lonely place.Standing on a huge sand-dune a few hundred yards from the edge of whathad once been a big city, he would allow his mind free play at times,trying to imagine the place as it was when tenanted, when its broadstreets hummed with human activity, when its battlemented walls frowneddown upon all would-be intruders, and when its dwellings shelteredthousands of families long since gone and forgotten. And always his eyeswould wander to the relics of a tower, once a stately edifice no doubt,which even now, thousands of years after the chimneys of the city hadgrown cold and the streets had reverberated for the last time to thetread of inhabitants, was decidedly impressive. It seemed to beckon tohim, to attract him strangely, as perhaps it had done his father. Once,since his arrival there, he had found his way across the ruins to thattower; for the feat was not impossible. Clambering up what appeared tobe a breach in the rotting outer walls of the city--and who could say,since no history existed to tell of the doings in this part so long ago,that very breach might have been the undoing of the city? It may havegiven entry to a besieging army, and have resulted in the sacking anddesolation of the place. David clambered over the sand swept into thebreach and toiled over a sandy waste now piled into high pinnacles, andthen drooping suddenly in a long line, where, no doubt, a street ran.Finding a way across this and others he at length arrived at a pointwithin hailing distance of the tower. But to approach closer wasimpossible. A deep ditch surrounded it, with steeply sloping walls ofsoft sand, while on the far side a battlemented wall arose, tottering inparts, but strong and defiant in other directions.

  'Just the place I should go for,' he declared when discussing the matterwith the Professor. 'Should think it was the palace, and if it was, thenone would imagine relics to be more abundant in such a place.'

  'Precisely! And it is for that tower that I shall aim,' answered theleader of the party. 'But observe, the approach from any point outsideis most difficult. To dig our way there, is almost out of the question,seeing that we have only a few months to spare in the effort. So that wemust win our way by other methods, which you will see and understandwhen we begin to work seriously. And now, David, I have a task for you.Take two of the soldiers and Jong, and investigate the country north ofus. I wish you to locate the nearest village, and make arrangements fora supply of labourers, also to discover the nearest point at which wecan buy supplies, for that is more necessary even than to arrange forlabour. If you take a couple of tents with you and two spare ponies youshould be able to fare comfortably, and I needn't say that the sooneryou are back with us the better.'

  David seized upon the opportunity of a private expedition with avidity,for he had found something particularly attractive about a journey inthis wild country. Carefully selecting sufficient stores and weapons,since one never knew what might happen, he set out with Jong and two ofthe Chinese soldiers, each of whom led a pony laden with a tent andabundance of warm coverings. Hastily swallowing his breakfast he wasaway almost before the sun was up, and at once rode off in a northerlydirection.

  'We'll do as we did before, Jong,' he said, speaking in Chinese, for itwas good practice; besides he was becoming daily more proficient, somuch so that he could now make himself understood with ease, while to dohim justice, his rendering of the language was almost as good as Jong'smastery of English. By common consent, therefore, he spoke the nativelanguage, while the faithful servant with him adhered to English,probably with a view to showing himself superior to his two countrymen.

  'We'll take turn and turn about to watch, both day and night. Every twohours the man on duty will be relieved, so that we sha
ll have six hoursfree between our watches.'

  'Dat good, mister Davie,' said Jong, with emphasis. 'Me not knowee dispart, but de soldiers been near before. Chu-li--de big man wid de ticklip and showing teeth--him say dere sometimes danger. Huan Hu--de fellowwho look as if him sick and solly allee de while--him tell me dat himhab row once wid brigand. So Jong say watchee alee de while. Not sleepeetoo much, elsee perhaps sleep for good, and not want dat yet. No, Jongvelly velly comfolable, tank you, sar.'

  Plodding along at a slow walk--for the ground was too soft for a fasterpace to be set--evening was approaching before the first sign of ahabitation was discovered. It proved to be a small village, where Davidwas received, if not with a friendly greeting, at least with civility.The sight of the two soldiers wearing the governor's own uniform, whichwas distinctive, and a letter from that august official obtainingquarters for the little party and an offer of fresh provisions. On thefollowing morning our hero called the chief man to him and discussed thequestion of labourers.

  'We will gladly come,' said the man, 'for here in the winter monthsthere is little to do and still less to be earned. If, as you say, therequired work is merely the digging away of sand which has covered theruins, we can undertake that, though why any man with wisdom in his mindshould desire to see what is hidden passes my comprehension. We willwillingly engage, though had you asked us to excavate where ourancestors lie, we should have refused.'

  An hour or more was then spent in haggling over terms, for the Chinamenof the north,--the natives in this part, who were of Mongolian aspectand descent,--were no different from the wily individuals who labour inthe south of China. The head man of the village asked what was to him afabulous wage. David promptly offered a quarter, and afterexpostulations on the part of the head man, and a heated statement tothe effect that such a wage meant starvation, the cunning fellow atlength acquiesced to one-half of what he had demanded, smiling affablyas David agreed.

  'And no doubt they will be coining money,' thought our hero, 'for thoughI don't know a great deal about this country, yet I do know that wagesare miserably small. However, that's arranged. There are thirty in thevillage, and they will pack up and march to the ruins in a couple ofdays, taking their women and children with them. Now for supplies.'

  Having completed a portion of his task in a most satisfactory manner, herode on with his little party, intent on visiting a colony of nomadsliving some twenty miles farther north, and since the whole distancecould not be accomplished that afternoon, they halted and camped under asand dune as the light was fading.

  'Shouldn't like to be lost in a bleak country such as this is,' thoughtDavid, as he surveyed his surroundings. 'One part is so much likeanother that one would soon lose all bearings, and if one were short ofprovisions or water it would mean disaster. Going to snow I think.'

  Flakes were blowing about when he rose on the following morning, andcontinued to do so as they progressed.

  'Tink we have a lot, Misser Davie,' said Jong, looking, for the firsttime since our hero had known him, a little anxious. 'Not like it tosnow when we out here. Cold bitee oh so velly muchee. Not like de snow.Look as if wind comee wid him.'

  They had just finished a mid-day meal when a gust of cold wind sweptpast them, causing David to look up. The sky was black in one direction,while the sand all around was distinctly disturbed. The flakes of snowwere also more frequent, so that Jong's prophecy of more was likely tocome about.

  'Tink we better get along quick, sar,' he said, nervously. 'Not do to becaughtee out here in de open. Dat bad for us and de animals.'

  By the time they had packed the few odds and ends that they had takenfrom their saddle-bags for the meal, it was snowing heavily, while thegusts of wind had increased in frequency and violence. Sand was whirlingeverywhere, while the falling snow had drawn a species of curtain acrossthe landscape, blotting out all surroundings.

  'We're in for a scrape, I fear,' cried David, as he jumped into hissaddle. 'I don't like things at all, and as we must have shelter I shallmake over there to the left where I caught sight of some hilly ground.In this open part a tent would never stand, and consequently we shouldsoon be frozen.'

  In less than ten minutes the threatening storm had burst, and David,with his experience of England, could hardly believe that snow couldfall so heavily. It came whirling everywhere in thick flakes, that soonpowdered the ground white, and then began to pile in ridges. He and hiscomrades were smothered in less time than it takes to record that fact,while the force of the wind was so great that the ponies could not faceit. It was fortunate, therefore, that the hilly ground which David hadlocated was in the opposite direction.

  'Tell the men to ride in close to us, Jong,' he ordered. 'The snow is sothick that though they are only a few paces to one side I can scarcelysee them. A man might easily stray away without himself or his comradesbeing the wiser.'

  For a quarter of an hour the party plodded along, their heads down, andcollars drawn up close to their caps. By then they could not see morethan a dozen feet before them, and for all they knew might have beentravelling in a circle.

  'Wouldn't be difficult to do that,' thought David. 'But the wind helps;when we face it one can scarcely breathe. If we keep it astern all thewhile we must be going in the right direction.'

  He was already deadly cold and frozen almost to the marrow before ashout from Chu-Li announced that he had made a discovery. He pointed tothe front, and peering between the snowflakes David saw a mass of whitebarring their progress.

  'Must be the hilly ground,' he shouted, for the wind was now so fierceand the noise so great that the ordinary voice was drowned. 'Swing tothe left; we have evidently got a little out of our course and havestruck the place beyond the end.'

  A biting wind swept them, as they turned to force their way along thefoot of the hilly ground. So keen was it that David found himselfgasping for breath, and knew that unless he and his comrades coulddiscover some sheltered spot swiftly, they would be overcome by coldand exposure. Pressing to the front he led the small party, encouraginghis sturdy little pony at every stride. He gave a shout of joy when thewhite wall on his left suddenly fell away, and was lost in the obscurityof the falling snow. And what a relief it was to be able to swing again,and turn his back to the wind! None who have not experienced such an icyblast can judge of its fierceness. But even with their backs turned thedanger was great, and to halt there was to court disaster. Stiffened inevery limb as he was, David urged on his following, shouting toencourage them while he spurred his pony to still further effort. Atlast they had some reward. They rounded the tail end of the hilly groundand gained the sheltered side, where the full force of the wind couldnot play upon them. But even here shelter was absolutely necessary.

  'Keep a sharp look-out for a gap in the rocks,' he called out. 'If wedon't find a place soon we never shall, for we shall be dead men. What'sthat, Jong?'

  'Tink I see a hole ober dere, sar. Not sure, but tink.'

  His voice was almost completely muffled behind the mass of material hehad wound round his neck, but the hand he held forward stiffly wassufficient. David halted the party.

  'Wait here while I go and see!' he shouted. 'Call out now and again sothat I can find you again. Don't move from where you are.'

  He spurred his pony towards the face of the hill, and uttered a cry ofdelight when he discovered that Jong had made no error. At once hecalled the men.

  'There's what looks like a cave here,' he said. 'Dismount and bring theponies right in. Then we'll get a lamp alight, and take a look round.'

  The lamp showed that they had gained the shelter of a large hollow, theopening to which was so large that, had the wind been in the oppositedirection, snow would certainly long since have filled the place. As itwas, it was already drifting in, carried by back eddies. The floor wascovered with fine sand, blackened in one part where a fire had once beenlit, while drift wood, blown from the outside plateau, filled allcorners and crannies. David surveyed the whole place closely, then
gavehis orders without hesitation.

  'Pitch the two tents at the entrance,' he said. 'They'll fill the gapand keep the snow out. Then we'll get a fire going, and with that andthe heat from our ponies we ought soon to become a little less frozen.Lucky thing we happened upon this hole.'

  It was, indeed, a fortunate thing for all concerned, for as they droppedfrom their saddles not one of the party could walk easily. Their limbswere stiffened, while even the ponies moved slowly, their heads down,their shaggy necks stretched out. However, movement would help theprocess of unfreezing, and at once David set the men an example. Hehelped to unpack the tents, and with the aid of the others soon had themerected in the very entrance of the cave. By then, too, Jong had a finefire blazing, so that when the party had finished their labours, therewas an air of comfort about the place.

  'May just as well get something cooking,' said David, for the smallexperience he had had of travelling in the wilds had taught him thatwhen men are in difficulties, and the position is still uncertain, ahearty meal, with warmth and comfort attached, go a great way to easetheir minds, and make them look at possible danger lightly. 'Get akettle on, Jong, and let us have a brew of tea. I'm beginning tounfreeze already, though a good hot drink would help matterswonderfully.'

  The grinning Jong, who shivered violently between his grins, soon had akettle unstrapped from one of the ponies, and a dash outside providedhim with sufficient snow with which to fill it. In half an hour thewater was boiling merrily, causing the kettle to sing a tuneful air,that attracted the eyes of all. Moreover, the Chinese soldiers provedmost jovial comrades. Chu-Li, he with the prominent teeth and big lips,as Jong had made free to describe him, was a bit of a wag in his ownway, and his remarks kept all smiling. In fact, the quartet settled downround the fire like boon companions, due respect, however, being paid tohis Excellency, the young white leader of the party. Huge enamelled mugsheld the steaming tea that Jong provided, while he had hardly poured itout when there was a mess of rice for the men, for they habituallysteeped their rations for the following day over night, and sometimeshalf-boiled them, so that no great length of time was required to makethe food fit for consumption. For the carniverous David there was oneof those tins of delicious ready-cooked ration, consisting of beef andpotatoes, with carrots and other vegetables, a regular Irish stew, infact, for the preparation of which all that was required was to open thetin, and plunge it into a pannikin containing boiling water. Within aquarter of an hour there arose a savoury odour that set David's mouthwatering.

  'And now we may as well settle down for the night,' he said, when he hadbeen to the entrance, only to find that the snow was falling as heavilyas ever. 'I will take the first watch, and you others can arrange yourturns. We'd better melt some snow in a couple of kettles and wash outthe mouths of our ponies. That will put them on till morning, when weought to be able to get away and find water. Fortunately we have feedswith us, so they won't go hungry.'

  Before the night had fallen things inside the hollow wore a ship-shapeappearance. Packs were stored not far from the opening, while a hugepile of brushwood was banked near the fire, so that it might be easilyreplenished. Then the Chinamen threw themselves down on the floor, andwrapped in their blankets were soon snoring.

  'Where I shall not be sorry to be,' thought David, as he watched theirfigures near the fire. 'I could never believe that a snowstorm could besuch a severe affair. That wind absolutely wearied me, so that I feeldownright tired. However, a good sleep will make me fresh and fit again.Wonder how things are going outside.'

  He went to the opening, and pushed back the edge of one of the tents.Flakes were still falling, but the wind seemed to have dropped with asmuch suddenness as it had arisen. More than that, the sky was clear, andwas filled with thousands of bright, twinkling stars.

  'Promising well for to-morrow,' he thought, 'though it won't be veryeasy travelling with this heavy fall on the ground. Perhaps we shallhave to wait a little.'

  As it turned out, the snow continued to sprinkle the ground all thatnight, and well on towards the following evening, so that David's littleparty remained in their snug quarters all day, save for a shortexcursion when they took the ponies out by couples and walked them upand down, allowing them to thrust their noses through the soft snow, andso obtain a few blades of grass.

  'Fleezing hard now, sar,' said Jong, as the dusk fell. 'Dat be good forus, 'cos it harden de snow and let us get along easy. Not able to walkeemuch when de snow soft. It stick to de feet, and makee balls at debottom of the ponies' hoofs. Fleeze to-night, den get away easyto-mollow.'

  As it turned out, however, the movements of the party were not to be sostraightforward a matter as Jong anticipated; for though it froze veryhard that evening, as it can freeze in the north of China, the nightbrought more than intense cold with it. David's was the middle watch,and he was standing near the fire, struggling to keep himself fullyawake, when of a sudden a distant sound fell on his ear. He listenedintently, and then went to the opening. At once a faint whimpering soundcame from a point some little way distant. He fancied he heard somethingremarkably like a loud snarling, while as he watched he was almost surethat he caught sight of several sneaking forms passing to and frooutside, like black shadows crossing the snow.

  'Come and look out into the open,' he asked of Jong, whose turn it wasto take the next watch. 'There is something there, but what I am notsure. Come and listen.'

  They pushed the flaps of the tent back cautiously and stared out. Jonginstantly gave vent to an expression of astonishment, not unmixed withalarm, and darting into the hollow waked the two soldiers.

  'Come out and tell us what you hear and see,' he demanded anxiously.'His Excellency heard sounds, and is sure he saw figures passing acrossthe snow. The news is disquieting.'

  There was a decided expression of fear written on Chu-Li's not toohandsome features as he withdrew into the hollow.

  'Excellency,' he said gravely, 'those are wolves who prowl aboutoutside. In Mongolia they can be very dangerous, though I hardlyexpected to find them here, or would have warned you. But there isforest land to the north, and it may happen that the cold has been verysevere there for a little while, causing these beasts to travel fortheir food. If they are hungry, then they become very dangerous. Theirferocity is extraordinary.'

  David learned the news with a distinct qualm. He had fought againsthuman beings already, and had displayed a fair amount of courage; butagainst savage beasts was an altogether different matter.

  'Why,' he exclaimed, taken aback at the announcement, 'I had no ideathat such beasts were to be found in these parts. And you think they maybe dangerous, Chu-Li? What has attracted them?'

  'The ponies, Excellency; they would smell the animals a long way off,and if there were none they would scent us. Their powers of detectingfood are extraordinary.'

  There could be no doubt, in fact, that the presence of David's littleparty had been the attracting cause that had brought the wolves in theirdirection, while all doubt as to the animals themselves was cleared upwithin a few minutes. Standing at the exit of the hollow or cave inwhich he and his men had taken refuge from the storm, our hero soon sawthe wolves distinctly. They crept hither and thither past the hollow,their eyes always directed on it. Sometimes there was a whimper from oneof the brutes, but for the most part they went to and fro silently likeghosts, making those within the hollow almost shiver.

  'I suppose they are waiting till they can screw their pluck up for arush,' thought David, surveying the new-arrivals with disgust. 'From thefact that they haven't attacked yet I should imagine that they are notover hungry.'

  But Chu-Li shook his head promptly and with emphasis. 'Not good to thinkthat, Excellency. They are hungry, else they would not have travelled tothese parts. They merely await a leader. When one can rouse his courageto gallop forward, or when they are sure that the time for attack hascome they will dash at us. It would be well to make preparations. Let usput more on the fire, and place stakes with their points
to the centre.A blazing brand is a fine weapon I have heard. To shoot when they arerunning, and hit the brutes, is no easy matter.'

  Ten minutes later it was evident to all that they would have to defendthemselves against the wolves, of whom there must have been at least ahundred. Had David's party but known it, it was the flapping canvaswalls at the entrance which scared the animals, and which so far hadbeen sufficient to keep them from attacking. But hardly had the firebeen built up, and brands laid in it, while all their packs were hastilybundled, so as to form a wall across the entrance, when a long, stealthyform crept beneath one of the tents, and suddenly became visible to all.For a moment or two it stood, its tongue depending from its mouth, itswicked eyes shining in the fire light. Then, as the frightened poniesneighed and stamped, the brute leapt the barrier with a bound and sprangfull at David.