CHAPTER VIII.
CHOW SETS OUT TO DISCOVER SOME THIEVES.
It was with no little distress of mind that Chow, who now loved Nicholasas a brother, parted with him at the gates of the prison. He tore hishair, beat his breast, and roared and capered as if in bodily as well asmental agony. Never should he see his noble master again; the wickedviceroy would kill him. O that he had not been a Christian, or so unwiseas to admit it! These, and many other foolish things, passed through hismind, till he became wearied and fatigued. When more calm, he began toupbraid himself with folly and cowardice, for giving way to uselessgrief instead of setting his wits to work to aid him.
Like most Chinese, Chow believed, or at least followed, the mongrelcreed of the country, and he proposed to himself to seek the aid of thegods; although even his faith in their powers had become weakened by theexhibition of the morning; at length, however, it occurred to him toseek the innkeeper, who being well to do, and an old inhabitant ofHang-tcheou, could if willing, give material assistance; if not willing,thought Chow, he must be the most ungrateful of human beings. So he wentoff to Sing, who was not only glad to see him, but invited him to liveat the inn until they could hit upon some good scheme to rescueNicholas; and so, that night, they talked and talked the matter over,till, becoming tired, they went to bed to sleep on it.
The next morning they compared notes as to their sleeping thoughts. Theresult of Chow's was to get a mob together to burst open the prisongates; at which very wise suggestion Sing laughed loudly, greatly to thedisgust of Chow, who became very angry, as he fancied the innkeeperdoubted his courage; but when Sing explained a little plan of his own hecapered about joyfully, and begged that they might commence immediately.
"Let us first ask the gods for a fortunate day," said Sing.
"Then will not the worthy Sing seek a temple at once?" said Chow.
This being agreed to, they started off to the suburbs, where, in aretired spot, near the great lake, they found a divining temple.
These temples, which are sprinkled through the country, are always openfor the convenience of the people, who enter upon nothing of importance,whether it be marrying, burying, buying, selling, house-building,party-giving, or setting out upon a journey, without first seeking todiscover in the cup of destiny a fortunate day or hour for the proposedundertaking.
Upon the altar stood a large wooden cup, filled with small sticks,marked with certain mystic characters, representing both good and illluck. Taking up this cup, Sing began to give it sharp quick jerks,while Chow, taking hold of a book that was hanging to the wall, searchedfor marks to correspond with those upon the sticks which might be thrownto the ground by Sing's jerking. With serious countenances they wentthrough this performance, Sing believing that by a peculiar scientifictwist of his wrist he could jerk out a few sticks of luck. For sometime, however, the sticks were obstinate, and would not move; then asharper jerk and one jumped out, then another, and another, three inall; and Chow, having examined the luck spots very earnestly, groanedwith despair, for neither bore the required mark. Then, to propitiatethe god of wood, paint, and gold leaf, they burned incense and tinselpaper, and, by way of reaching the cupidity of the deity, for it isdifficult to made a Chinese believe that even a god will "do somethingfor nothing," they placed some copper coins upon the altar, enough, Isuppose, to satisfy his greedy godship; for when, at the risk ofspraining his wrist, Sing gave the next jerk, out jumped two of thelucky spotted sticks, and the oblique eyes of Chow began to smile sosatisfactorily that there really appeared to be some danger of theirmeeting across his nose and melting into one big orb in the middle ofhis forehead. Holding the sticks above his head, the boy capered aboutwith delight, crying, "Thanks to Tien, the day will be fortunate, forthe god has promised, and there is no rogue of a bonze present topersuade him from his good intentions."
As for Sing, he was no less pleased, for, notwithstanding his previousexperience, his faith was entire in the cup of destiny, as it was,indeed, in the gods.
Chow's delight was almost as great as if his master had been alreadyrescued. However, as soon as the first ebullition had subsided he beganto think how he should commence operations, and so, puzzling his brains,he walked by the side of Sing, who was also quietly endeavoring to thinkout some grand plan of proceeding. Thus they proceeded till they camenear the walls of the city, when their attention was aroused by aterrible discord. Not a dozen yards from them was a small house (likeall Chinese habitations, one story high), before which stood the wall ofrespect, so called, because like a brick curtain it hides the domicilefrom the gaze of strangers. Near the doorway stood an elderly man withtwo pieces of metal, which he kept clanging against each other, stoppingonly at intervals to fulminate at the very compass of his voice, manyfearful curses and maledictions against thieves who had plundered hishouse, fully believing that by the agency of the gods these curses wouldreach and crush the thieves, wherever they might be.
"It is only old Hoang, the retired innkeeper," said Sing cooly, as ifnot at all regretting the misfortunes of his successful rival. He couldnot, however, have possessed any such paltry feeling, for he added,"Will the venerable Hoang permit his younger brother to assist him indiscovering these rogues?"
"The offer of the worthy Sing is good and grateful to his mean brother,but alas! nothing can avail old Hoang, for the Fong-Choui is his enemy,and will not be satisfied till his house is destroyed," was the reply.
To explain what I must tell you, that it is one of the most remarkableand foolish beliefs of the Celestials, that, apart from sanitaryreasons, the situation of a house may effect the happiness and fortunesnot only of its owner, but his descendants for several generations. Thedemon who exercises this baneful influence is the Fong-Choui, or windand water. Thus, if a neighbor (it had been Hoang's case) builds hishouse in a contrary direction and so that one of its corners is placedopposite your own, your destiny is fixed, your only remedy being to haveit immediately pulled down. To obtain the removal of the house inquestion, Hoang had applied to the mandarin, but as that officer hadreceived a larger bribe from the neighbor than he could afford, theofficial recommended the old man to pull down his own house; but as thiswould have ruined him, he had had recourse to the only other remedy,which was, to erect upon the roof of his house a monster with a dragon'shead and a large forked tongue, so pointed at the unfortunate cornerthat it would frighten away the Fong-Choui. That wind and waterypersonage, however, was not so easily frightened, for the next day somethieves entered his house and effected a very clever robbery.
By the aid of a mysterious engine (known, I suppose, only to the thievesof China), which will burn great holes in the thickest wood withoutcausing either scent or flame, the rogues had entered Hoang's dwellingin the night so quietly that when the old gentleman awoke in the morninghe found his bed without curtains or coverlid, and the room withoutfurniture, all of which, besides other things of value, had been takenfrom the house.
"Surely thy dogs of servants must have been accomplices," said Chow.
"Not so, youth, for although I slept deep into the day, when I arose theservants were all in such a deep slumber that I believed them in thesleep of death."
"Surely my elder brother will seek the mandarin, and have the dogs'heads searched for," said Sing.
"Alas! O worthy Sing, thy unhappy servant is under the baneful influenceof the Fong-Choui, and the mandarin dares not interfere."
Feeling deeply for the poor man, and not liking the idea of the thievesescaping so easily, Chow asked, "Has the worthy and honorable Hoangsought the mandarin?"
"It would be useless youth, without, indeed, a stranger would interfere,and break the charm of the Fong-Choui."
"With the will of the venerable Hoang, his younger brother will seek thetribunal of police," said Chow.
Delighted with the offer, Hoang led them through the rooms of his house,which Chow examined with the talent of a detective police officer, andafter pacing about for some time he stumbled. Looking to see the
cause,he saw it was a small square box. "See," he said, "the robbers in theirflight have dropped some of their plunder."
"Surely that box must belong to the villains, for it has never beforedarkened my eyes," said Hoang.
"Then by the toe of the Son of Heaven we have some clue to the way inwhich the robbery was effected," said Chow, as he opened the box andtook out a little pyramid, resembling our own pastiles. Placing one tohis nose he said, "It is the baneful drug of Setchuen. Light but one andplace it near the nostrils of a sleeper, and it will be many hoursbefore he can be awakened. In this manner, O venerable friend, has thehouse been robbed,--its inmates were under the influence of the drug."
"Thy discovery is great, and may lead to the capture of the thieves.Would that so poor a man could reward such a benafactor."
However, as time was an object to Chow for the success of some plan,which from the cunning brightness that flitted through his eye seemedjust then to have crossed his mind, he stopped the garrulous gratitudeof the old gentleman by begging the box of pastiles as his reward. Thisbeing granted, he took a very formal leave, promising not to rest tillhe had seen the mandarin himself.