CHAPTER XXXII.
NICHOLAS PUNISHES AN UNGRATEFUL INNKEEPER, AND ESCAPES FROM HISTREACHERY.
Rejoiced that the tedious sea-voyage was at an end and that the princesswould, in all probability, by a few day's rest, gain health and strengthsufficient for the long land journey before them, you may guess thevexation of Nicholas, on arriving at the inn, to find a crowd of personsaround the door enjoying the following scene. The innkeeper was kneelingbefore the chair of a tax-gathering mandarin, surrounded by his bamboosticks in waiting, who seemed to have in their charge three beggars.
_Mandarin._--"Thrice hath the dog's hide been corrected, and yet histribute is not ready."
_Innkeeper._--"Is it not true, O tribute-collecting lord, that butlittle may be gleaned from an empty purse?"
_Mandarin._--"Therein is thy crime, slave, that having thrice receivedour paternal correction, thy vile purse should still remain empty. Know,thou mean dog, that the purse of the subject should be ever at theservice of the Emperor."
_Innkeeper, giving his empty purse._--"The laws of the empire must beobeyed, there is thy servant's purse."
_Mandarin, angrily._--"Would the vile innkeeper laugh in our face?"
_Innkeeper._--"Surely, O great mandarin, the owner of an empty pursehath but little cause for laughing!"
_Mandarin._--"Thou incorrigible dog, where hath been thy industry, thatthou hast not sufficient even to pay thy taxes?"
_Innkeeper._--"Truly the wars and the robbers have driven from theprovince its trade, and thy servant hath not rice sufficient to sustainlife in the mean bodies of himself and family."
_Mandarin._--"If these are straight words, the dog's life cannot be ofvalue to him; let him, therefore, pay the debt he owes to the Emperor,by humbly begging of the Tartar-subduing General, Woo-san-Kwei to lethim offer his carcass of full measure to the barbarians, that he mayshield the life of a better man."
_Innkeeper._--"Truly, O fountain of wisdom the officers of therebel-subduing general have already stolen from thy servant his foursons."
_Mandarin._--"Stolen, thou vile rat! Let the rogue receive twenty blowsfor this word of disrespect, and fifty for half the debt he owes to theEmperor."
In an instant the innkeeper was thrown upon his face, and while one manheld his head, and another his feet, a third belabored the poor fellowtill he roared again. When the punishment was concluded, and theinnkeeper had, according to custom, thanked the official for hiskindness, the mandarin said, "Such is the punishment of rogues who willnot pay their taxes;" adding, "But that the cheating innkeeper may notescape too easily, let him provide food and lodging for these three poorpeople till his debt be paid."
"May thy servant inquire the amount of this innkeeper's debt; for it isfitting that the taxes should be paid?" said Nicholas, coming forward tothe astonishment of the official, who said, sternly, "The sum, boldstranger, is one ounce of silver."
"Then, may thy servant be permitted to pay this silver; for he wouldengage for himself and sister the man's house, which cannot be largeenough for these poor people also?"
"Truly it may not be refused," replied the mandarin, taking the money,and rescinding his order for the accommodation of the poor people; butadding, as he left the spot, "It is a maxim that people should settletheir own debts before paying those of others."
"Where is the justice now, my master; for although he has received thedebt in full, that rat of the taxes hath not taken back the blows fromthis poor man's hide?" said Chow, fortunately for himself in such softtones that he could not be heard by the mandarin. More pleased thanotherwise at the scene which they had considered good fun, the crowddispersed; when, silencing the noisy gratitude of the innkeeper, who,after all, had been more frightened than hurt with the blows which hadbeen dealt out to him, as much as a matter of form as a punishment,Nicholas and his party entered the inn, and having secured the two bestrooms, one for the princess and her attendant, the other for himself andChow, he gave the bird's nests to the wife of the innkeeper for the useof the ladies.
As for themselves, the boys made a good meal, and then whiled the timeaway in conversation till it became dark, when they both sought theirbeds; which, queer as it may seem to you--being nothing but piles ofbricks shaped to the human form, and heated from beneath with charcoal,the flame and heat of which are dispersed by pipes joined to an uprighttube, which carries the smoke through the roof--they greatly enjoyedafter their long journey.
The next morning Nicholas visited the princess, and to his surprise anddelight found that she had recovered her strength. "This is indeed joy,O my princess!" said he, kneeling; when, taking him by the hand, theroyal lady said, "Kneel not before her whom thou hast so muchbefriended, O noble youth; for it is naught but the poor fatherless girlLa-Loo who is before thee, and would indeed be thy sister."
"This is not possible; the daughter of the Ming can never be less in theworld than its princess--first in beauty as in rank," said Nicholas.
"The daughter of the Ming, or the girl La-Loo, be she whom she may,noble youth, will travel alone through this dreary province in search ofher brother, if she can not journey as thy sister."
"Then be it so, for thy servant dares not disobey, O beautiful La-Loo!"said Nicholas; adding, "Is it the will of the princess, to proceed uponher journey?"
"The will of her adopted brother is the will of La-Loo," replied theprincess, and Nicholas left the room; but pushing the door before him,imagine his surprise to find the innkeeper at the threshhold with hislittle head upward, his short arms stretched forward from his greatbody, and his legs in the hands of Chow, who appeared to be pulling himfrom the door.
"Release thy mean servant from the hands of this vile person, O nobleyouth, or his legs will be pulled as easily from his body as those of acrab," said the man, piteously looking in the face of Nicholas.
"The rascal, the rogue, the elephant in size, but mouse in honesty, waslistening to thy conversation, O my master," said Chow.
"Let the mean rat rise upon his bamboo legs," said Nicholas; adding,"What has the dog learned of his guests' affairs?"
"Truly so grand a mien could belong to none but the son of a king, andso beautiful a lady, could be none other than a princess," said the man.
"Thou rascal," said Nicholas; but adding, more prudently, "Canst thou behonest, and serve us?"
"For ever, O noble youth," replied the innkeeper.
"Trust not so small a mouse," said Chow.
"The innkeeper shall be rewarded according to his merits. Let himconduct his guest to the merchants of the town, and he shall receivesome silver," said Nicholas, quitting the house with the man, who ledhim to the various dealers and merchants, from whom he purchased acamel, a mule, a tent, provision, and in short all things necessary fora long journey overland.
When he had made these purchases, he whispered some secret instructionin the ear of Chow, and sent him with the animals and articles back tothe inn; after which he said, "Will the worthy innkeeper open his lipsin a temple, and promise to keep to himself the secret he hasdiscovered?"
"Truly the noble youth does not doubt that the words of his servant arestraight?" replied the man, evasively.
"The worthy innkeeper must do this, or forfeit these two ounces ofsilver," replied Nicholas, exhibiting the money, which had the desiredeffect.
"There is but one temple for this poor town, and that is upon themountain without the walls."
"To that we will proceed, if the worthy innkeeper will show the way."
The man obeyed; they passed through the gates of the town into a narrowroad, which led them to the foot of a high mountain, near the summit ofwhich stood a small temple.
"It would be better to seek an altar within the inner apartments of thyservant's inn, the gods would be equally as attentive to his promise,and the noble youth would be saved the necessity of climbing so steep ahill."
"Truly this temple can not be used often, or some easier means of ascentwould be made," said Nicholas.
"
The words of the noble youth are wise, for truly this temple is butused on the festivals of the first of the month."
"When is the next festival, O worthy innkeeper?"
"To-morrow."
"Then ascend."
Obeying, the innkeeper commenced climbing the narrow and slippery stairscut in the hill side; when they reached the top and stood in the templebefore a huge wooden god, who seemed to form part of the back wall ofthe temple, out of which he had been cut, Nicholas, pointing to one ofthe arms of the idol, said, "Truly, the god hath been neglected andrequires painting." Turning his back to Nicholas to examine the idol,the man gave a shriek of alarm. Nicholas had taken a cord from his vest,thrown it over his arms, and made him as harmless as if he had been in astraight jacket.
"What means the youth; is he a robber?"
"Silence thou ungrateful hog," said Nicholas, pulling him toward theidol, to which he secured his body, legs and arms.
"Now, thou dog, open thy lips, and say what fell into thine ears whilstthou wast listening at the door of the ladies' apartments."
"Truly, thy mean servant could not hear much, for little was said by theprincess."
"Then how, thou trembling rogue, couldst thou know it was a princess whospoke?"
"Thy servant divined that the lady must be of exalted rank; for in thefirst place, had she not been a great lady escaping from the province ofPekin, she would not have crossed the gulf in such weather, neitherwould so noble a youth as thyself have treated a sister with suchexalted respect."
"Thou art a cunning dog, whose words are dust; and if thou dost notadmit that thy vile ears were at that door before the time when thouwert caught, I will slay thee," said Nicholas, drawing his short sword,and holding it threateningly.
"Pardon, O noble youth; but as iron can not resist the lode-stone,neither can the ears of thy servant resist a secret: he did--didlisten," said the man trembling with fear.
"What didst thou hear, dog?" the sword was now at his throat.
"That the Emperor Wey-t-song was slain, and that the Emperor Li hadoffered a great reward for the Princess of the Mings."
"Should I kill thee, thou mean rat, thou wouldst but meet thy merits."
"The magnanimous youth would not soil his sword with the blood of somean a person."
"No; but thou shalt remain here till we are beyond the reach of harmfrom thy vile tongue."
"Surely the noble youth would not starve so ill-conditioned a person,"said the man in a whining tone. "Thou art now safe, thou rogue, and Iwill pay thee the two taels I promised; but if even when released fromthy bondage when the temple is visited to-morrow, thou speak but thename of the lady you have seen, I will return and punish thee, if it isyears to come." So saying Nicholas threw the silver upon the floor,closed the door of the temple, descended the mountain, and made as muchhaste as possible back to the inn.