CHAPTER XII--HOW MEN-CHING ESCAPED
Ling led the way to one of the many warehouses which were situated alongthe wharf--which in China are called "go-downs." On attempting to openthe door and finding it locked, with one wrench the Chinaman tore thehinges from the jamb and, casting the door aside, dragged Frank into agreat darkened chamber that smelt of grease or some kind of oil. Therehe struck a match.
One of the first objects that attracted his attention was a candle stuckin the neck of a bottle, and this he at once lighted so that the placewas dimly illumined.
The "go-down" was filled with all manner of packing-cases, casks,barrels and bales. Picking these up, one after another, as though eachweighed but a few pounds, the great Honanese--who might have been in atowering rage--threw them right and left, breaking many open, andcreating such a disturbance that Frank was surprised that the whole townwas not awakened.
After a while, by means of such brutal violence, he had make a way forhimself to the farther end of the warehouse. Thither he ordered Frankto bring the candle, and then proceeded to ascend a step-ladder that ledthrough a trap-door, such as one usually finds over stables, to an upperstory.
The boy, following his captor, found himself in a kind of loft,containing all manner of things--rope, sails, fishing-nets, straw andsacks of millet. Here Ling, holding the candle well above his head,carefully examined the roof.
He very soon found what he was looking for, and, laughing aloud, orderedFrank to come to him. Laying one of his enormous hands upon the boy'sshoulder, he suddenly burst forth into the following eulogy upon his ownabilities and prowess.
"The mighty Ling," he declared, "is the favoured child of the gods;swift as the kite, wise as the tortoise, strong as the tigers of Amoy.There are few things within the attainment of mortal man that Lingcannot accomplish. Scholar, poet, robber, soldier, merchant,mandarin--all these am I, and more. But there is one thing, I declareto you, that is beyond me. Guess, my little junk rat, what it is?"
Fortunately Ling did not appear to expect an answer, for he ran on,without giving the boy time to reply:
"Do you see that man-hole in the roof?" he asked, pointing upward."Well, the sages themselves could not devise a method by which themighty Ling could pass through there. But you can, my monkey, andthither you go, whether you want to or not."
"What am I to do when I get there?" asked Frank, who could think of noway of escaping from this truculent, swaggering monster.
"Know you nothing," roared Ling, "of the sayings of the seers? How itis written truly that 'Patience filleth the stomach, whereas he thathurries to the feast falleth by the way'? Hearken unto me and ask noquestions."
He placed the candle upon the ground and seated himself straddle-leggedacross a sack, with his great legs sprawled out before him. Frankregarded the man's face in the candlelight, and thought that he hadnever seen anyone of appearance more formidable and sinister.
His huge countenance was like a mask of some weird and evil Eastern god.There were deep lines scored about his forehead, mouth and eyes--linesof wrath; so that even in moments of rest he appeared to be in thethroes of an uncontrollable passion. And this expression of fiercenessand of anger was intensified by his black, glittering eyes, which seemedto pierce whatsoever he regarded. In addition to this, Frank wasimpressed by the gigantic proportions of the Honanese: his great sinewyhands, the muscles in his neck, his thighs, each as thick as the waistof a smaller man.
"Listen," said he. "Listen to the description of the man who goes bythe name of Men-Ching, who is a fool who believed in his blindness thathe and his cur-dog friends could cheat the mighty Ling."
It was as if Frank Armitage had been struck. He was so astonished atthe sudden mention of Men-Ching's name that he caught his breath in akind of gasp. Fortunately Ling was not looking at him at the moment.The man had drawn a long knife of Malay design from his belt, and wasexamining it fondly, feeling the sharpness of the blade with his thumb.
"This man," said Ling, "is over sixty years of age--old in crime, but ababe in matters of intelligence. He has a long thin beard upon his chinand his grey queue is no larger than the tail of a rat. He wears afaded scarlet coat, and limps with his left foot when he walks. Also, herubs his hands together as if he were always pleased. Pleased!" roaredLing. "When he sets eyes upon me, the pleasure will go out of him as acandle is blown out in the draught. But, tell me, you have listened andwill remember?"
Frank answered that he had paid strict attention. He did not think itincumbent upon him to advise the "mighty Ling" that he already knewMen-Ching perfectly well. He was both amazed by the coincidence andutterly bewildered as regards the business which these two could have incommon. He did not dream for a moment that Ling was as dangerous tohimself as the redoubtable Cheong-Chau: that he now found himself in thepresence of the man who would soon hold in his great hands the trumpcards in this colossal game of Death.
Ling picked up the candle, and rose to his full height.
"If I lift you up by the feet," said he, "you should be able to reachthat rafter. Thence, without difficulty, you should be able to gain theman-hole, and so to the roof. From the roof you will obtain anexcellent view of the harbour. The moonlight should be sufficient toenable you to see anyone who approaches. Keep your eyes open, and themoment you see the man whom I have described let me know. I will remainhere."
Frank had no alternative but to obey the instructions of thisextraordinary ruffian. Indeed, he was powerless as a mouse in the jawsof a cat. He was ordered to straighten himself, to remain in a positionperfectly upright and rigid, and then he was lifted high above the man'shead until he was within easy reach of one of the rafters. Swinginghimself on to this, he gained the man-hole which had been pointed out tohim, and a moment after he found himself upon the roof.
Thence--as Ling had predicted--he was able to look down upon thenumerous wharves and jetties along the bank of the river. The moon wassinking low, but it was so magnified by refraction on account of themoisture in the atmosphere that the boy was able to see quite clearly,not only the various junks, _wupans_ and _sampans_ that lay anchoredalong the shore, but also the whole extent of the _bund_ itself.
A party of coolies was already at work, and in several places there weresigns of life on board the ships. Frank, looking down through theman-hole through which he had passed, could see the mighty Ling, who hadtaken a book from his pocket and was reading aloud by means of thecandlelight. He was reading the _Analects of Confucius_, a volume thatis admitted to contain some of the purest ethical reasoning in theworld. The man read aloud in a deep voice that sounded to Frank like aroll of far distant thunder. He was obviously fully conscious of theliterary and philosophic beauty of the famous maxims.
As for Frank, his thoughts were purely material. He could not think whythis singular and terrible man should be so anxious to find Men-Ching.He knew, however, that it was essential that he himself should get intotouch with Cheong-Chau's second-in-command. Personally, he was not inthe least inclined to render assistance to Ling. But he could not denythe fact, even to himself, that he feared the man more than he had everfeared anyone before--even the giants and ogres of which, as a child, hehad been wont to dream. He knew that his life was at stake, that Lingwould not hesitate to kill him if, through any fault of his, Men-Chingmanaged to escape.
There could be no doubt that Men-Ching was at that moment in the town,probably in one of the numerous opium dens which are to be found inevery Chinese city. Frank had gleaned that information, and somehow orother Ling was equally well informed. It was also certain that sometime that morning Men-Ching would embark and proceed upon his journey toCanton. Frank, therefore, kept a sharp look-out for the man, but it wasonly fear of Ling that impelled him to do so.
About half-an-hour before sunrise, when the first signs of daybreak werevisible in the east, Men-Ching and his companion were among the firstpeople to arrive upon the wharf. They went straight to a _wupan_ thatwas moo
red at a distance of about two hundred yards from the door whichLing had broken from its hinges. There Men-Ching called out in a loudvoice in order to awaken the owner of the boat, who was asleep under theawning. Frank had no doubt that he had found the right man, for herecognised his voice, and besides the light was sufficient to enable himto identify the old man's scarlet coat.
The boy looked down through the man-hole into the great loft below. Lingwas still reading, though the candle had almost burned out.
"He is on the wharf," cried Frank. "He is about to go on board. Thefisherman is preparing to hoist his sail."
On the instant, Ling closed his book and, springing to his feet,hastened to the head of the step-ladder that led to the room below. Hedid not trouble himself in the least about Frank, who was left upon theroof. By no means content to remain an inactive spectator of what wasto follow, the boy descended rapidly to the rafter, and thence droppedto the floor, stinging his feet severely. A few seconds later he wasswarming down the ladder, hastening after Ling, who had already gainedthe _bund_.
Men-Ching had just boarded the boat, when for the first time he caughtsight of the mighty Ling, who charged down upon him like an infuriatedtiger. Frank was in time to see the expression of absolute horror anddismay which was stamped upon every feature of the old man's face. Atthe sight of Ling, Men-Ching's jaw dropped and his eyes opened wide, andseemed in danger of springing from his head.
"Make haste!" he shrieked. "If I fall into that man's hands, everythingis lost!"
With feverish hands the old man uncoiled the rope that secured the bowsof the _wupan_ to a wooden bollard. He succeeded in doing this in thenick of time, for when he was in the very act of pushing the boat clearof the wharf by means of a long boathook, Ling gained the shore andsnatched the boathook from his hand.
"LING SNATCHED THE BOATHOOK FROM HIS HAND."]
In the meantime Men-Ching's companion, who had accompanied himthroughout his journey from the cave, had seized an oar, with which hepropelled the boat clear of the clustered shipping. By that time thefisherman who owned the _wupan_ had hoisted his sail, which, fillingimmediately with the strong west wind, carried the boat down-stream at aconsiderable velocity.
Ling was like a raging beast. Stamping with his feet, he filled the airwith the most terrible Chinese oaths--and there is no language in theworld richer in expletives than the dialect of Southern China. Theman's rage lasted no more than a moment. Determined not to allowMen-Ching to get out of sight, he looked about him for some method offollowing in pursuit. His eyes fell immediately upon a small sailing_sampan_, with a long oar fastened to the stern which did duty as arudder.
"That will serve my purpose," he exclaimed, and then, lifting his greatvoice to the full extent of his lungs, he shouted after the _wupan_.
"Men-Ching," he cried, "you can never hope to evade me. Go north tobeyond the Great Wall, or south to Singapore, and the mighty Ling shallfollow."
Then, turning, he beheld Frank Armitage at his elbow.
"And you shall come with me," he roared. "There must be two of us tomanage the boat."
He bundled the boy, neck and crop, into the _sampan_, and a few minuteslater they were flying down-stream in pursuit of the _wupan_, upon thebroad waters of the great West River that flows through the mammoth cityof Canton.