CHAPTER XI
REINHARDT SHOWS HIS COLOURS
Early next morning, Burroughs, lying awake, thinking about getting up,and worrying about Errington, heard sounds of a violent altercation inthe compound outside his windows. He recognized the voice of his boyChin Tai, raised to an indignant squeal, mingled with tones less shrillindeed, but quite as angry. The disputants were raging at each other inChinese, the words following one upon another like the magnifiedtwittering of birds, or, as Burroughs thought with mild amusement, likethe click of typewriters.
Knowing no Chinese, he was unable to follow the furious dialogue, andlistened drowsily, expecting that the noise would soon subside. Butpresently he heard the sound of blows; the war of words had led toactive hostilities. Springing out of bed, he went to the window, andsaw Chin Tai wrestling with a Chinaman of most disreputableappearance--some beggar, perhaps, who had proved too importunate.
A moment afterwards Chin Tai flung his opponent to the ground, kneltupon him, and clasping his hands about the man's throat was proceedingto knock his head against the ground, when Burroughs called sharply fromthe window.
"Get up!" he said. "What for you makee all this bobbely?"
Chin Tai rose at once, trembling with rage, and for the moment unable toexpress himself. Released from his clutches, the other man staggered tohis feet as soon as he had regained his breath; and Burroughs recognizedhim, with a start of amazement, as Lo San, Errington's boy.
"He come this side makee bobbely, sah," shouted Chin Tai. "He habcatchee plenty muck, no plopa come look-see massa so-fashion."
"Get out of it," cried Burroughs. "Where did you come from, Lo San?Where's Mr. Errington?"
"Massa Ellington he Meichow side, sah. He belongey plison Su Fing. Mycome this side tellum massa; Chin Tai he belongey too-muchee sassy[#];he say no can see massa; my come long long wailo nightey-time, vellysick inside. What time my stlong, my smash Chin Tai he ugly facee."
[#] Saucy.
"That'll do. I'll be down in a minute. Stay where you are."
Burroughs made a hasty toilet, ran down into the compound, and eagerlyquestioned the man, who he could see was half dead with fatigue andhunger. He shouted a peremptory order to Chin Tai to bring some food,which the boy obeyed with a very bad grace. Lo San told his story, andproduced the pack of cards, now bent, torn and indescribably dirty.
His news gave Burroughs a great shock. He had half convinced himselfthat Errington had escaped from Chia-ling Fu at the first alarm, andprobably made his way down stream with the idea of taking refuge onReinhardt's launch, which had been seen off Pa-tang. There was just achance that he had shown fight, and been overpowered; but the fact thatthe other Europeans had suffered no ill-treatment reassured Burroughs asto Errington's ultimate safety. The knowledge that he had beendeliberately captured by Su Fing's orders and carried to the rebel'shead-quarters was alarming. It seemed that Su Fing's personal grudgeagainst the Englishman had prevailed over his wish to avoid any act thatwould call for intervention by a European Power.
Burroughs at once sent for his comprador, Sing Wen. He wished that hecould have consulted Mr. Ting, but the merchant had gone down-stream tourge on preparations for an expedition to recapture Chia-ling Fu. A fewhundred soldiers had come into Sui-Fu on the previous day, and a smallChinese gunboat was expected to arrive shortly; but it was generallyknown that two or three weeks must elapse before it was possible tobring up a force large enough to cope with the insurgents. Meanwhilewhat was to become of Errington? Lo San had reported the wood-seller'sboast that Su Fing would "slice" his prisoner; and though it wasincredible to Burroughs that the rebel chief should dare to commit somonstrous a crime, he felt very uneasy: there were many indignitiesshort of actual torture or death that his old friend might suffer byChinese ingenuity. It was important, if anything was to be done forErrington, that it should be done at once.
Having put all this to his comprador, Burroughs asked for his advice.Sing Wen was a solid, hard-headed man of forty, who had many connectionsof a business kind up the river. But he had to confess that in thisemergency he was at a loss. Burroughs suggested the bribing of theguards at Su Fing's yamen before Su Fing himself returned; but Sing Wen,while admitting that money would work wonders sometimes, pointed outthat the present case was exceptional. The rebel chief's underlingswould scarcely be persuaded to connive at the prisoner's escape, knowingthat on Su Fing's return they would certainly be put to the torture.Sing Wen quoted the maxim of the famous bandit Ah Lum
"Virtue is best: hold Knavery in dread; A Thief gains nothing if he lose his Head."
Still, it would be something to open up communications with theinsurgents; and Sing Wen in the last resort mentioned his brother'sbrother-in-law, the keeper of the opium den at Pa-tang, who had anextensive acquaintance among Chinamen of doubtful reputation, and couldlearn, better than any other man he knew, what were the possibilities ofbringing influence to bear at Meichow.
Pa-tang was not quite half-way between Sui-Fu and Chia-ling Fu. It waslikely to escape annoyance by the rebels because it contained the onlywell-equipped opium establishment in the district, and would be visitedindifferently by insurgents and Government troops as neutral ground.Burroughs decided to run up there with the comprador in his hydroplane.Sing Wen pointed out that caution would be necessary, because the riverbetween Pa-tang and Chia-ling Fu would certainly be well patrolled bythe rebels, and there was some risk of being snapped up if the vesselwere discovered out of bounds, so to speak. Burroughs, however, madelight of this. His machine was in perfect order, and he was confidentof being able to escape danger from anything less than a shot from agunboat.
They started before noon, and ran into the little harbour of Pa-tangwithout attracting much attention. Burroughs remained on the boat whileSing Wen visited his brother's brother-in-law. The comprador returnedin the course of an hour, and reported that, as he had expected, hisbrother's brother-in-law knew one of Su Fing's most trusted retainers.He was ready to go up river himself and see what could be done toarrange the escape of the prisoner.
Sing Wen, however, looked so downcast that Burroughs asked him what wasthe inside matter.
"My no likee pidgin so-fashion," replied the man. "My velly 'spectablefella, catchee bad namee supposey fellas see my walkee inside smokeehouso."
Burroughs agreed, but pointed out that an Englishman's life was at leastas valuable as a Chinaman's good name. Since, however, he wished to seethe brother's brother-in-law himself, it was arranged that the threeshould meet at a little inn at the head of a creek below the town, intowhich the hydroplane could be run.
Thither the comprador brought his relative, a man of perfectlyrespectable appearance. Burroughs told him to offer five hundreddollars down to his friend at Pa-tang, and promise a further twothousand, to be paid in Shanghai, if the prisoner was permitted toescape. For his work as honest broker the opium-house keeper shouldreceive five hundred dollars. This arrangement having been made,Burroughs returned to Sui-Fu, promising to run up to the inn from timeto time to meet the man on his return, the date of which would depend oncircumstances.
Burroughs found it difficult to control his impatience. During the nextthree days he ran to Pa-tang and back several times--more often than hiscomprador thought wise. On the afternoon of the fourth day thenegotiator returned, only to report failure. The man he had hoped tobribe was, if not too faithful, at least too fearful to undertake thejob: Su Fing had shown himself swift and terrible in his punishments.Endeavours to open up negotiations in other directions had almost endedin discovery, and the emissary had received from his friend a hint thathe was in imminent danger. He flatly refused to venture a second timewithin the lion's jaws.
While they were speaking at the door of the inn, they heard the sound ofa launch coming down the river. The inn stood on a slight eminence,from which the river could be seen for some distance in each direction.Sing Wen closely scanne
d the approaching vessel, and in a few momentsrecognized it as Reinhardt's launch. It drew to the side and enteredthe harbour. A European was seen to land.
"That massa Leinhadt," said the brother's brother-in-law. "My savvy hecome my shop. He velly good customer. My belongey go chop-chop, no cankeep he waitin'. He no likee pipe got leady 'nother fella. Velly solly,sah; no good this time."
He went away, and Burroughs was left to digest the loss of five hundreddollars, and to face the problem over again. It seemed quite hopeless.If two thousand dollars would not tempt the rebel, nothing would. Tomost Chinamen up-country, such a sum represented affluence beyond theirwildest dreams. But Burroughs was one of those men who never let go.At school he had been a plodder; all his successes had been won bydogged perseverance; and he returned to Sui-Fu determined to find somemeans or other of securing the safety of his friend.
An idea occurred to him later in the day. Reinhardt had been coming downthe river, from the direction of Chia-ling Fu. That fact suggested thathe was at any rate on good terms with the rebels; indeed, it reawakenedBurroughs' suspicion that, behind the scenes, the German was taking somepart in the insurrection. He wondered whether Reinhardt knew ofErrington's capture and imprisonment, and decided that it wasimpossible, for the German, if he had any influence with the rebels,would certainly have taken immediate steps to liberate a servant of hisown firm, and one who had been so closely associated with himself.Burroughs caught at the idea that Reinhardt, as soon as he knew ofErrington's plight, would at once communicate with the rebels on hisbehalf.
Reinhardt was at Pa-tang. Burroughs considered whether he should gothere and call upon him. But reflecting that he would find him at theopium-shop, he came to the conclusion that it would be imprudent andpossibly useless to open the matter to him there. He was thinking ofsending him a note when, from his window, he saw the motor launch comingdown-stream, and steering towards the town. Reinhardt must have paidonly a passing call at Pa-tang, he thought.
He sent Chin Tai down to the harbour to discover if the German landedfrom the vessel. In twenty minutes the man returned with the news thatReinhardt had gone to his own bungalow. Instantly putting on his hat,Burroughs hurried to see the German.
"Ah, Mr. Burroughs, zis is an honour," said Reinhardt, as his visitorwas shown in. "It is ze first time you visit my little house; I hope itwill not be ze last."
"Thanks, I'm sure," said Burroughs. "I've come on a private matter ofimportance, Mr. Reinhardt. You've heard about Errington?"
"What! Has he apsconded?"
"Absconded! What on earth do you mean? He's shut up in Su Fing's yamenat Meichow."
"Indeed! Zat surprise me. Zat is a little awkward for your friend."
"Your friend too, Mr. Reinhardt," said Burroughs bluntly. "I am gladyou didn't know it. I came to ask if you would use your influence withSu Fing to get the poor chap released."
"My influence! Wiz Su Fing! Himmel, do you not know zat Su Fing is zeleader, ze motor spirit, of zis insurrection? Zat he violates law andorder? And you speak of me, a German, having influence wiz him? My dearboy," he went on, laying his hand on Burroughs' arm, "you are young, wiznot much experience; zerefore I forgive ze insult."
Burroughs drew his arm away, and was on the point of blurting out thecommon talk of the place; but his habit of self-restraint came to hisaid.
"I didn't intend any insult," he said. "If you take it so, I apologize.But anyhow, Mr. Reinhardt, don't you think that strong representationson your part, on behalf of Ehrlich Soehne, might prove very effectual?Even Su Fing has a wholesome respect for the Kaiser, you may be sure."
"Wizout doubt, but zat enters not into ze business. It is not a matterzat concerns Ehrlich Soehne: your friend no longer is in zeir employ."
"What?"
"I am sorry," said the German, with a shrug; "but it must be. He was sovery irregular, you know; let ze business go all to pieces; piled updebts--I beg your pardon?"
In his honest indignation Burroughs had let fall a word, but pulledhimself up in time: it was not his cue at present to quarrel with theGerman.
"Ze firm could not stand no more," Reinhardt went on, "so zey havedismissed him: I have ze cheque for his zree munce salary."
"It's an unfortunate affair," said Burroughs, as calmly as he could."Still, even though he is no longer a servant of your firm, you haveyourself been so thick with him that I'm sure you will do all you can,as a merely personal matter."
"So zick! Yes; and what is ze consequence? He is in my debt; he bleedme, sir: he owe me five hundred dollars and more. He promised to pay mewizin a week; ze week is past: he did not pay; and now he is a prisoner:I never see my money. You say, do somezink for him; what has he done forme? You ask me to spend my money, risk my life, for a young fool wiz noprinciple, no backbone, as you say--for a fellow zat sponge on me, andzen cheat me----"
The German was working up to a fine heat of spurious indignation; but hewas suddenly checked by an abrupt movement on Burroughs' part. Whitewith anger the young Englishman had clenched his fist and raised his armto strike. But he curbed himself as Reinhardt shrank back.
"This is your house," he said, in a fierce low tone, "and for the momentI am your guest. You may think yourself lucky. If I hear of yourrepeating any of the lies you have just uttered, I swear I'll thrash youwithin an inch of your life--you mean hound!"
He could not help catching the man by the collar and shaking him. Then,flinging him off, he hurried out of the house.