CHAPTER XXV.
NICHOLAS AND THE PRINCE HAVE AN ADVENTURE AND SAVE THE LIFE OF CHOW.
The morning after the audience Nicholas wrote to his father a detailedaccount of his adventures, and the disgrace and danger of the greatChristian father, who, he assured him, would be destroyed, if proofs ofhis innocence were not speedily produced. When he had placed the letterin the hands of the flying-horse, or court messenger, who was about tostart with the imperial cang-ho, he went in search of Chow, and, to hissurprise, found the boy had been released under an order signed byLi-Kong, immediately before his abrupt departure. This, however, butpuzzled him the more, for surely had the boy been released he would havesought out his master and friend. Then he began to fear that Chow hadbeen decoyed away by some of the many designing traitors he more thansuspected to be hovering about the palace, for the purpose of findingfrom the servant the history of the master. He sat for some timepondering what to do, and at length resolved upon searching through thewhole city. With this determination he arose to depart, when he heardthe trampling of footsteps, and the chief officer of the imperial princeentered the apartment, followed by four men, carrying a litter, whichthey placed upon the ground.
"The son of the great Emperor (may he live ten thousand years) sends thenoble youth a royal robe, and arms, in token of his amity andbrotherhood," said the officer, bowing to the ground.
At the name of the prince, Nicholas performed the ko-tow, and ordered anincense table to be brought, that he might receive the royal messagewith befitting respect. The officer, however, added, "Further, O noblestranger, that all men may know his gratitude for the safety of hisbeloved sister, the great prince commands that the ceremony of theincense may be dispensed with, for the son of the Son of Heaven holdsthe noble youth as his brother in love as well as arms. Moreover, thathe may prove his sincerity, the prince will wave his illustrious rankand visit the preserver of the princess his sister." So saying theeunuch withdrew.
The present consisted of a complete military equipment befitting his newrank:--the war cap or helmet, a robe, embossed with plates of gold, bothfor ornament and protection, boots of rich costly leather, sword,shield, bow, and quiver of arrows, each of which bore the imperialcrest, the five-clawed dragon. Delighted more with the gift than itscostliness, Nicholas did not stay to examine the present, for fear theprince might speedily arrive; and he was right, for he had scarcelyfinished attiring himself in his new uniform before Yong-Li,unannounced, entered the room.
In an instant Nicholas threw himself at his feet, and began to pourforth his gratitude, but, taking his hand, the prince said, "Arise,these are not times for ceremonies between brothers, banded together inso holy a cause; the sacred books themselves intended them alone fortimes of peace and luxury."
"May those times soon return, O my prince," said Nicholas.
"May my brother's wish be realised; but to obtain peace we must earn itby the sword," replied the prince; adding, gloomily, "I come from theboard of generals and doctors of war."
"Upon what has their wisdom determined, O prince?"
"Nothing--they are dogs, traitors all; each general of a sectiondeclared the walls to be impassable by an enemy, and that the troopswere numerous, well exercised, and prepared for a sudden attack," saidthe prince.
"These are the words of indolent cowards or designing traitors, but yourroyal father the Emperor----"
"Was present," said the prince; "but, alas! so loves his ease and thecounsel of his bonzes, that he gave a ready ear to their reports, nay,promoted them all one step for their vigilance."
"Surely my prince lifted his voice in council?" said Nicholas.
"My brother, yes; but it was as the sound of a zephyr amidst theroarings of a hurricane; that of a youth among the aged and did butcause his majesty to forbid my seeking the rebel Li-Kong in the field."
"Then, my prince, our farther-seeing eye balls must be used for thebenefit of the blind," said Nicholas.
"Thus it is that I seek thy companionship in a journey round the walls,when, if I find them as I expect, woe be to the indolent cowards whodare deceive their Emperor," said the prince.
Nicholas then followed them to the courtyard, where they found awaitingthem a squadron of the body guard with two richly caparisoned horses,one of which Yong-Li presented to Nicholas, and they proceeded upontheir journey amidst the lavish adorations of thousands, who bowed tothe earth as they rode through the streets.
"If my prince would truly see the manner in which the officers andsoldiers perform their duties, would it not be wise for him to proceedin a chair and with the attendants only of a mandarin of the thirdorder?" said Nicholas.
"Thy words are good," replied the prince, ordering the soldiers to stopat the house of a mandarin, who, having formerly been his militarytutor, he knew would keep his rank concealed. Shortly afterward theywere met by some soldiers who were conveying several malefactors to theplace of execution. Seeing the prince, the soldiers and prisoners kneltwith their faces to the ground till he had passed. No sooner, however,had he passed the unhappy men than the son of the Emperor, with tears inhis eyes, said, "How unhappy is the lot of a prince, to witness such asight as that!"
"Surely, my prince, the rogues deserve their punishment, the law awards,and the safety of the state demands it," said Nicholas.
"Truly, I weep not, my brother, at the punishment of these men, forwithout rewards and punishments the good are not encouraged, and thewicked are not restrained; moreover, chastisement is as necessary to thegovernment of a kingdom, as bread is for the sustenance of the people.But I weep because my time is not so happy as that of old when thevirtues of the prince served as a bridle to the people, and his examplewas sufficient to restrain the vices of his subjects without otherchastisement."
The warlike nature and education of Nicholas not permitting him tosympathize with the kind-hearted Yong-Li, he maintained a respectfulsilence, not however, without a fear for the fate of a prince whoseamiable nature was so unfitted for such turbulent times. When theyreached the house of the mandarin, the prince dismissed his guard, and,having borrowed from that officer his robe, cap, and chair of state, anda garment of plain green silk for Nicholas, the two youths entered thechair and proceeded on their journey with the usual attendants, one ofwhom went before, as a kind of _avant-garde_, and with a whip to beatthem a passage through the crowded streets. At the first guard-house theprince stepped out of the sedan, made himself known to the sentries, andpassed in; when, instead of finding the troops engaged in exercising,or in any of the many games permitted by the board of war, some weregambling, some goading crickets with their chopsticks till the insectskilled each other, some were singing profane songs, and disporting inthe most riotous and unseemly manner, while many who had been drinkingdeeply, and still held the spirit cups in their hands were reeling aboutthe pavement, but most remarkable of all, no officers except those ofthe most subordinate grade were to be seen.
"These, then, are the vile dogs to whom the defence of the Imperial Cityis entrusted. These are the rogues whom the traitor generals commended,"said the prince, indignantly; adding, "Truly the royal house is punishedfor its sins, for this looketh indeed like the decadence of a dynasty."
"These are but the hands, O my prince for whose acts the heads must bemade accountable," said Nicholas.
"Nevertheless the dogs shall be punished, my brother; but let usreturn," said the prince, going to the gate, where the sentry,recognizing the prince, fell at his feet. "Rise, dog, and as thouwouldst save thy miserable head, say who is the general of thissection," said Yong-Li.
"The noble Leang, O Grandson of Heaven," replied the trembling soldier.
"Cans't thou be honest and silent as to my visit?"
"Both, as thy slave values his miserable life," replied the soldier.
"I will trust thee, man, and if I find you so, only till the rising ofto-morrow's sun, thou shalt be promoted," said the prince; adding, "Thisrogue Leang must be degraded, and thou, O noble Nicholas,
take hiscommand." Thus they visited some half-dozen of the chief and mostimportant points of the fortified walls with similar results. With theworks themselves he was satisfied, as was also Nicholas, who, young ashe was, had often examined the fortifications of the southern province;and, indeed, the whole line of coast between Siam and Japan.
"Nought, my prince, but the treachery of the defenders, or thedeath-dealing cannon of the red-haired barbarians from the West, couldeffect an entrance into the city," said he.
"Has my brave brother then seen in use those terrible instruments of warthat can crumble the strongest towers of stone to the dust, from beyondthe reach of bow-shot?" said the prince.
"Such has been thy servant's fortune, O my prince; it could not beotherwise, for they are used on board the war-ships of my noble father."
"By the tombs of my ancestors, thou art a bold boy," replied the prince;adding, with vehemence,
"As I hope to continue the circle of succession, I would forfeit tenyears of life to be in possession of a few, that we might sweep theserebels and Tartars from the face of the earth."
At that moment there arose a great clamor of voices, and, looking out ofthe chair, the prince saw a great crowd assembled upon one of the canalbridges, when, having ordered the attendant with the whip to beat apassage through the people, they witnessed the following extraordinarysight:--
Upon a high platform, near the edge of the bridge, stood a large tub,the top of which was covered with some flimsy material, like silk orcotton, through which something, that in the distance bore a resemblanceto a human head, bobbed up and down like a jack-in-the-box. Upon theplatform, around the tub, stood six priests.
"How lowly must the dynasty of the great Tait-sou have fallen, thatthese miserable bonzes are permitted thus shamefully to extort moneyfrom the people," said the prince.
"If thy servant's eyeballs play him not false, O my prince, yonderpriests are preparing to sacrifice a human life to their wretched gods,"said Nicholas.
Not waiting to hear more, the prince leaped from the chair, and,followed by Nicholas forced a way through the crowd till they reachedthe platform.
All, however, that could be seen of the victim was the forehead, nose,and eyes; the latter rolled so convulsively and glared so terribly,that, notwithstanding the crowd, Nicholas would have attempted a rescue,had not the prince caught hold of his arm, saying, "Stay, my brother, itis the duty of a prince to see justice done;" then addressing the chiefbonze, he said, "What crime can this man have committed, O miserablepriest, that he should be thus tortured without the presence of theofficers of the tribunal of justice?"
"Great has been his crime, O noble youth, and self sought hispunishment," replied the bonze, taken aback by the bold tone of theprince; adding, as he pointed to the head, which bobbed suddenly as hespoke, "He admits my words."
"Open thy lips to the purpose, priest, and as you value your wretchedlife, let us hear his crime," replied the indignant prince.
"The youth must be a stranger to the capital, indeed, if he has notheard the order of the Son of Heaven, which commands that the villainChristians, who have taken advantage of the great Emperor's kindness toraise and nourish a rebellion throughout the land, should be destroyed."
"Such an order has reached thy servant's ears," said the prince, bowinglowly at the name of his father.
"Know, then, that this wretch was long the slave and follower of one ofthese Christian dogs--see, he admits it, (and the head bobbed up again;)but, fortunately, the gods changing his heart in time, sent him to ourpagoda repentantly declaring his villainy and demanding his punishment(here the head gave another bob of acquiescence) from the priests of Fo,who, consulting the gods, obtained permission for him to choose his ownchastisement: his choice was to leap from this platform into the canal."
"But the canal is deep, and the man will drown, priest," said theprince, sternly.
"Surely the youth is strangely ignorant that such a feat is a happinessthousands would willingly seek. We have but given him the preference butfor his zeal and virtue. (Here the head again gave an acquiescent bob.)Again, at the bottom of the canal he will be met by charitable spirits,who will not only welcome him with honor, but conduct him to the yellowstream." So saying, the bonzes commenced preparations for the final actof the tragedy.
The prince, however, unable any longer to restrain his rage, drew hissword, exclaiming, "Desist, thou murdering rogue; release thy victimimmediately."
This violence to their priests so aroused the anger of the pagan crowd,that they would probably have torn Yong-Li to pieces, but for Nicholas,who, beating them backward, cried, "Back, slaves! would you molest theson of your Emperor, the good prince Yong-Li?" and the terrified slavesinstantly fell upon their faces. The bonze, though no less dismayed atthe presence of the prince, was quicker witted, and said, "Surely themagnificent son of the Son of Heaven would not arrest the flight of ahappy soul, impatient to be on its way to the yellow stream."
"Let the miserable wretch speak for himself," said the prince.
"He dares not so anger the gods, who would not only condemn him, butdestroy the whole city in their wrath," replied the bonze, giving a slysignal to his brethren to surround the tub, in the event of a rescuebeing attempted.
Chow in the hands of the Bonzes.]
"Nevertheless, the wretch shall be saved," said the prince; adding,aloud, "Let the deluded rascal open his lips, or he shall be left to hisfate."
At this, the head gave another and stronger jerk upward, but withoutrising further through the silk, and the eyes rolled and glared moreterribly than ever. At which the bonze said, "Cannot the heavenly eyesof the great prince see that the poor creature is suffering from suchviolent language? See, he is almost distracted and will assuredly expirewith grief at so much profanity."
"This is some foul trick, my prince," said Nicholas, who leaped upon theplatform so quickly, that, striking one of the priests, he fell againstfour others, and all were sent flying into the midst of the crowd, who,in their turn, began to pummel them severely for falling so heavily upontheir heads and shoulders.
Once upon the platform, Nicholas lost no time in cutting asunder thesilk covering of the tub, when, lo! the victim shot up with the rapidityof a rocket, dragging with him, by the hair of his head, a small bonze,in whose hand was the dagger which he had been from time to timeplunging into the victim's calves in order to make him utter theresponses.
But what was the surprise of the prince when the hands of the intendedvictim were unbound and the gag removed from his mouth, to see him fallat the feet of Nicholas, clasp his legs, and exclaim, "My noble, noble,master, this is indeed a joyful meeting. Nought but the God of theChristians could have saved Chow's life."
The wretched face, the bleeding legs of the poor boy, so filled theheart of Nicholas with indignation and sorrow, that while tears felldown his cheeks, all he could say was, "My poor, poor friend Chow, thisis indeed a fortunate day."
"Then the sacrifice was not thine own seeking, my poor fellow?" said theprince.
"My own seeking, O mighty son of Ming? Look at thy slave's legs, whichthe rascals have punctured into lace-work. Surely, had Chow sought theyellow stream, he would have chosen to go in a perfect and decentmanner." Then the boy would have fallen, but for Nicholas, who held himin his arms, when he said, "I demand justice on the rogues, O greatprince, for I am the servant of the noble Nicholas, thy friend, and waswith him a prisoner in the Palace Royal, till the night of the audience,when a eunuch came to me and said the Emperor had signified his graciouswish that poor Chow was to be chopped into ten thousand pieces, but thata great lord taking compassion on me would save my life, and give megreat promotion, if I would watch and note down the words and actions ofmy noble master."
"Didst thou hear the name, surname, and title of the villain lord, OChow?" said the prince.
"Thy slave was not so fortunate, great prince."
"What answer didst thou make, O Chow?" said Nicholas.
"That t
hey might not only cut thy servant into as many pieces as theychose, but never bury them in the tombs of his ancestors, before hewould comply. Whereupon, they gave poor Chow over to these rascalbonzes, who intended to torture him with a dagger in that tub, tillagony caused him to leap into the canal."
"Sad must have been thy sufferings, my poor Chow," said the prince; whothen ordered his attendants to convey the boy to the palace, in orderthat the imperial doctors might attend him. Then sending for a body ofyah-yu, he ordered them to take the bonze and his assistants to thegreat prison, to await a trial; after which they returned to the palace.
"Thanks be to Tien, my brother, we have saved thy friend from those vilebonzes," said the prince.
"Would O prince, that we could as easily save the servants of the trueGod of heaven from their villainies," replied Nicholas, thinking of thesufferings of the Christian fathers.