CHAPTER VI--HOW CHEONG-CHAU STATED HIS TERMS
The situation in which the judge and his companions found themselves wascertainly not of the pleasantest. It so happened that Sir Thomas knewnothing of the reputation of the redoubtable Cheong-Chau. However, theman's character was made evident upon every feature of his face.
Standing in the centre of the hall, gesticulating wildly, he haranguedhis audience for the better part of twenty minutes without once pausingfor breath. Sir Thomas was sufficiently acquainted with the Cantoneselanguage to follow the drift of the man's speech, whereas Frank was ableto understand every word. Mr Waldron, of course, comprehended nothing.
The American was under the impression that he was about to be put todeath. He regarded, with a kind of timorous curiosity, the murderousweapons of the bandits and the villainous facial contortions ofCheong-Chau. The man held forth in the flowery language of the Chineseof the southern provinces. He talked a great deal about his own powerand cruelty. He did not seem to care in the least whether or not anyonelistened to him. He boasted in regard to his past crimes; he spoke ofhis courage and audacity; he uttered innumerable threats. And in theend the captives were led away into one of the smaller rooms that gaveupon the great hall of the temple.
There they remained until late the following evening, when the wholeparty--with the exception of Yung How, who returned to Canton--set outacross the mountains, traversing the narrow pass from above which FrankArmitage had first beheld the brigands. They entered, at dead of night,the bleak, desolate valley extending towards the north. Cheong-Chauhimself led the way, following a path, carrying in his hand a largeChinese lantern suspended from a pole about six feet long.
Daylight found them still upon the line-of-march. They had by thenascended to a high altitude, where the atmosphere was both cold anddamp. The crests of the mountains were wreathed in a thin white mist,similar to that which is found in Scotland, which drenched them to theskin.
They were brought to a halt at the mouth of a certain cave, in a verydesolate, inhospitable region--a country of sheer barren slopes, ruggedpeaks and turbulent mountain streams that descended thousands of feet inseries of roaring cataracts. They had been conducted to a spot upon theglobe's surface where, in all probability, no white man had ever beenbefore.
The entrance to the cave was hidden behind an enormous boulder, almostas big as a fair-sized house, which balanced itself upon the very brinkof a steep slope that descended at an angle of about forty-five degrees.Upon these slopes a few withered shrubs were growing: leafless, twistedthings, tortured by the bitter east winds that swept those cheerlessvalleys.
Inside, the cave was comparatively comfortable. In the centre a woodfire was burning brightly, and though this filled the place with smoke,it served to introduce both light and warmth into that gloomy prison;for indeed the cave was destined, for many days to come, to play thepart of a prison. For all that, some attempt had been made to give thisplace a homely aspect. Several Chinese mats were spread upon the floor,and there were wooden shelves loaded with provisions: dried fish, rice,and bags of green China tea.
To give so redoubtable a rogue as Cheong-Chau the little justice hedeserves, it must be stated that his captives were treated with everyconsideration. They were well fed, on simple Chinese food, which musthave been carried miles across the desolate mountains upon the backs ofcoolies. They were given straw mattresses upon which to sleep, and wereallowed to warm themselves by the fire. Mr Waldron--as the only memberof the party who was a stranger to the country--expressed the greatestanxiety in regard to their fate. His mind was filled with vague fearsto the effect that their lives were being preserved in order that theymight eventually be tortured. He had interested himself in all mannerof gruesome subjects; he had heard of the "death by a thousand cuts,"the Chinese "corkscrew," and the wholesale manner in which Cantoneseexecutions were usually carried out. None the less, he was not afraid.He was a man who had led a hard life, who had faced danger more thanonce, and who had learnt--in spite of his riches--to regard his ownexistence as by no means an essential part of the great scheme ofuniversal things. He speculated in regard to his destiny after themanner of a man who backs horses without knowing anything whatsoeverabout what--for some reason or other--has been called "the sport ofkings."
"Say, Judge," said he, "I don't cotton to this notion of a thousandcuts. Guess one cut's enough for me. If they're going to kill us, whydon't they do it and have done with it, instead of stuffing us full ofrice and rotten fish?"
Sir Thomas shook his head.
"There is every reason to suppose," he answered, "that this is a case ofransom. If this rascal had meant to murder us he would have done sobefore emptying our pockets of all the money, watches and valuables inour possession. You may be sure, Mr Waldron, he has brought us here fora purpose. That is not troubling me in the least."
"It troubles me," said the American. "I left Paradise City with theidea of seeing the world; but I guess, Judge, this is one side of humanexperience that it was not my original intention to investigate. Wish Iwas back in Nevada."
Frank Armitage laughed aloud. It was the first time he had done sosince the calamity had befallen them. Sir Thomas sat cross-legged bythe fire, stirring the embers with a stick, his brows set in a frown.
"Even now," said he, in a quiet voice, "even now I can't realise thatYung How is the unmitigated villain he is."
Frank bit his lip. "If I ever get the chance," said he, "I'll be evenwith that scoundrel."
"He has been in my service," continued Sir Thomas, "for nearly sevenyears. During the whole of that period he has never once given me causeto suspect or to mistrust him. That shows you very clearly, Mr Waldron,what a subtle rascal a Chinaman can be. For seven years he has beenobedient, faithful, and even honest; and yet--it is now apparent--allthat time he was but waiting his chance."
Mr Waldron made a wry face.
"Guess he might have waited another seven years," said he, "or at leasttill I was clear of Hong-Kong. Why his chance should have come themoment I arrive in the colony is a mystery to me."
"I am sorry to say, Mr Waldron," said Sir Thomas, "I can't regard thatcoincidence in the light of a mystery. I have a very shrewd suspicionthat your wealth is the sole cause of all our trouble."
"Not the first time," added Mr Waldron, "by a long chalk, that money hasled to disaster. I tell you frankly, I was a happier man in the olddays--when I lived on fifteen dollars a week--than after I had made mypile."
"I can very well believe it," said Sir Thomas. "That, however, doesn'talter the situation in the least. Mark my words, very soon Cheong-Chauwill show his hand."
It is clear that the judge had correctly estimated both thecircumstances of the case and the character of Cheong-Chau; for scarcelyhad the last words left his lips when the brigand chieftain himselfentered the cave, accompanied by Men-Ching, his second-in-command.
Cheong-Chau seated himself cross-legged upon the ground, and for a fewmoments warmed his hands by the fire, without uttering a word. Then hespoke in the Cantonese language, addressing himself to the judge:
"Those who fall into the hands of Cheong-Chau," said he, "must purchasetheir freedom in silver _taels_ or in blood."
The judge did not reply. After a pause Cheong-Chau continued. Thoughhe was a little man, his voice was both deep and guttural. He spokeslowly and with great deliberation, as if particularly desirous that hiswords should not be misunderstood.
"I make you a fair offer," said he. "It is not my habit to mincematters. I hold you captive. You are my prisoner. I can do with youwhat I like. No one will ever find you here. Neither can you escape;day and night there are sentries at the mouth of the cave. They tell methat you have the reputation of being a wise man. If that is so, youcannot fail to see that you and your companions are in my power--birdscaught in the fowler's net."
He paused again and looked at the judge, who merely nodded his head.
"This is my o
ffer," he continued. "After I have explained matters Ishall give you ten minutes in which to make up your mind. You are towrite a letter to the Governor of Hong-Kong, or to anyone else you maychoose. In that letter you are to say that your life, and the lives ofthose who are with you, are in the hands of Cheong-Chau, and thatCheong-Chau demands, as the price of your freedom, the sum of twentythousand Hong-Kong dollars, to be paid in cash before the new moon."
Having laid down his conditions, the man remained silent whilst thejudge explained the meaning of his words to Mr Waldron.
"It is as I told you," said Sir Thomas. "Twenty thousand dollars. Therascal certainly cannot be accused of being modest."
Mr Waldron snapped his fingers.
"So far as I am concerned," said he, "he can have it. Don't let themoney worry you, Judge. I've paid that for a picture."
The judge turned to Cheong-Chau and asked him to continue. The mangrinned--an unholy grin of fiendish satisfaction. To him and hiscut-throats the sum was more than a fortune; it would serve to keep thewhole gang of them in luxury for the rest of their lives.
"The matter," said he, "is quite simple to arrange. Write your letter,and I will undertake to have it conveyed to Hong-Kong. The moon is butthree days old. We have therefore twenty-five days. Together with yourletter I will send one of my own, in which I propose to demand that themoney be left hidden in a certain place upon the Sang River, not farfrom Canton. If the whole of this sum is safely deposited in the properplace before the conclusion of the waning of the moon, you and yourfriends shall be set at liberty. If, however, for any reason, theransom is not paid, I swear by the Five Sacred Books that all three ofyou will be put to death. Concerning the manner of your death," headded, "I say nothing--beyond a warning that those who die by order ofCheong-Chau die neither easily nor swiftly."
The man got to his feet.
"And now," said he, "you have ten minutes in which to discuss thequestion with your friends, in which to make up your mind. Say that youagree, and my messenger leaves for Hong-Kong within an hour. Refuse, andyou die before another sun has risen."
With that Cheong-Chau turned upon his heel and, followed by Men-Ching,shuffled from the cave.