CHAPTER XXI
Leaving the Club, the _ricksha_ coolie proceeded in the oppositedirection to that which Browne had followed, when in search of thegentleman to whom he had presented the letter of introduction. Atfirst, and while he remained in the Queen's Road, there was but littledifference to be observed; the thoroughfare was a fine one, broad andcommodious. After one or two turnings, however, matters changedsomewhat, and he found himself in a labyrinth of narrow, tortuousstreets, the shops on either side of which were small and mean, thenames over the doors being for the most part in the Celestialcharacters. The confusion that existed in the streets wasindescribable. Here the Mongolian was to be seen in all his glory.But, in addition to the Chinamen, almost every nationality known to theAsiatic world was represented; while through it all, towering head andshoulders above the crowd, stalked the stately Sikhs on patrol duty.At last, after a drive that had occupied perhaps a quarter of an hour,the coolie drew up, before what was probably the largest shop Brownehad yet seen in the neighbourhood. It was built in the Chinesefashion, and, in order that West and East may meet on an equal footing,had two names over the door, one in Chinese writing, the other plainlyprinted in English characters: "Johann Schmidt." Browne alighted, and,having told his coolie to wait, entered the shop. He was greeted onthe threshold by a stout Chinaman, who was plainly in charge.
"What for you piecee look see?" inquired the latter.
Browne, not being adept at pidgin-English, replied to the effect thathe desired to see and speak with Herr Schmidt. Whether the mancomprehended or not he could not tell; at any rate he left him alone inthe shop, while he disappeared behind a curtain at the farther end.When he returned, a few seconds later, he was accompanied by a portlyindividual, whose nationality the veriest tyro could not mistake. Asif to make it doubly sure, he carried in his hand an enormous pipefashioned after the pattern of the Fatherland. His face was large andalmost spherical; his hair was close-cropped, as was his beard; he wasattired in white trousers, a flannel shirt, which would have been nonethe worse for a wash, and a black alpaca coat. The Teutonic stoliditywas certainly well developed in him. On seeing Browne he stopped andsucked contentedly at his pipe, but said nothing. The younger man wasthe first to speak.
"You are Herr Schmidt, I believe?" said Browne, in English. The othernodded his head, but still did not venture upon speech. "I bring aletter of introduction to you," said Browne, dropping his voice alittle, as though he were afraid of being overheard. "It is from acertain Herr Otto Sauber, whom I met in Paris about two months ago. Hetold me that you would do all you could for me in a certain matter."
"Herr Sauber?" inquired the German. "I cannot dink that I am mit himacquainted."
Browne's disappointment was plainly discernible on his face. He hadfully expected that, immediately he presented the letter Sauber hadgiven him, this mysterious Johann Schmidt would understand and arrangeeverything. This, however, did not appear to be the case. The manbefore him sucked stolidly at his pipe, and watched him with eyes thathad no expression in them. The position was embarrassing, to say theleast of it. Was it possible that his mission was going to provefutile after all, and that, for the good he was to get out of it, hemight just as well not have wasted his time by calling at Hong-kong atall? For upwards of thirty most uncomfortable seconds the two menstood watching each other. Then Browne spoke.
"You are quite sure, I suppose," he asked, "that you do not know thegentleman in question? I certainly understood from him that you hadbeen acquainted with each other for many years."
The German shook his head. Then he said slowly, "Perhaps, mein frien,if you would mit me come, I will talk mit you ubon the madder. So manymen do say dot they know Johann Schmidt. But Johann do not know dem.If you to mine office would come, we will talk mit each other dere."
Browne accordingly followed him behind the curtain to which I havealluded. There he found, to his surprise, a most comfortable and, Imight almost add, luxurious apartment. The walls were hung withpictures of considerable merit, interspersed with innumerable curios,collected from almost every country in the Farther East. In any otherplace the room might have ranked as a fairly noteworthy apartment; buthere, surrounded by so much that was sordid--nay, almost barbaric--itwas little short of unique. Pointing to a long bamboo chair whichfitted a corner beneath an enormous Cantonese dragon, used for burningpastilles, the German bade Browne seat himself. Before the latter didso, however, he handed the German the letter with which Herr Sauber hadfurnished him. The other took it, cut the flap of the envelope with ajade paper-knife, and, drawing forth the contents, placed an enormouspair of spectacles upon his nose, and read them thoroughly. Upwards offive minutes had elapsed between the time Browne had given him theletter until he spoke again. These long delays were having a badeffect upon the young man's temper; they strained his nerves tobreaking-pitch. He felt that this phlegmatic individual would nothurry himself, even if another's existence depended upon it. To allintents and purposes he had united in his person the apathy of theAsiatic with the stolidity of the Teuton.
"Now dat I look ubon it, I do remember Herr Sauber," the other replied."It was once dat we very good friends were, but it is many years dat Iheard of him." The old fellow wagged his head solemnly until hisglasses shook upon his nose. The recollection of the incident,whatever it was, seemed to afford him considerable satisfaction, thoughwhy it should have done so was by no means apparent to Browne.
"But with regard to what he says in the letter?" the young man at lastexclaimed in desperation. "Will you be able to help me, do you think?"
"Ah! I know noddings about dat," answered Schmidt. "I do notunderstand what dis business is. If it is Chinese silk, or curios, orgondiments of any kind, den I know what you want. Dere is no one ondis island can subbly you so goot as Johann Schmidt."
Browne did not know what to say. For his own sake he knew that itwould not be safe to broach such a delicate subject to a man, like theone seated before him, whose only idea in life seemed to be to crossone fat leg over the other and to fill and smoke his pipe until theroom was one large tobacco-cloud, unless he was quite certain of thatperson's identity with the individual, to whom he had been directed toapply.
"To put the matter in a nutshell," said Browne, lowering his voice alittle in order that it should not carry farther than the man seatedbefore him, "I understood from Herr Sauber that if any one happened tohave a friend, who had the misfortune to be compelled to stay ratherlonger in a certain place, than was quite conducive to his health orpeace of mind, by applying to you an arrangement might possibly bemade, whereby his release might be effected."
Herr Schmidt for the first time took the pipe out of his mouth andlooked at him. "Bardon, mein frien, but I do not understand what ismeant by dat speech," he replied. "If de place, where dat frien ofyours is living, is not to his health suited, why does not he elsewherego?"
Though Browne felt morally certain that the man understood what hemeant, he did not feel justified in speaking more plainly at themoment. He had to feel his way before he definitely committed himself.However, a little reflection was sufficient to show him, that it wouldbe impossible to make any progress at all unless he spoke out, and thateven in the event of his doing so, he would not be placing himself inany way in the other's power. He accordingly resolved upon a line ofaction.
"The truth of the matter is, Herr Schmidt," he began, leaning a littleforward, and speaking with all the emphasis of which he was master, "Ihappen to have a friend who is at the present time confined on acertain island. He is in delicate health, and his friends are anxiousto get him away. Now, I have been informed that, if suitable terms canbe arranged, it would be possible for you to effect this escape. Isthis so?"
"Mine goot frien," returned the German, "let me tell you dat you speaktoo plain. The words dat you talk mit me would make trouble mit myfriens de police. Besides, dere is no esgaping from der jail ubon disisland."
"I did not say an
ything about the jail upon this island," retortedBrowne; "the place I mean is a very long way from here."
"Well then, Noumea, perhaps?"
"No, not Noumea," answered Browne. "If I am to enter into moreexplanations, I might say that my friend is a Russian, and that he isalso a political prisoner." He stopped and watched Herr Schmidt's faceanxiously. The latter was sitting bolt upright in his chair, with afat hand resting on either knee; his spectacles were pushed on to thetop of his head, and his long pipe was still in his mouth. Not a signescaped him to show that he understood.
"I dink dat mein old comrade, Herr Sauber, must have been drunken mittoo much schnapps when he talk mit you. What should Johann Schmidthave to do mit Russian bolitical brisoners? His piziness is mit decurios of China, mit silk, rice, ginger, but not mit de tings you dospeak to him about."
"Then I am to understand that you can do nothing to help me?" saidBrowne, rising from his chair as if to take leave.
"For mineself it is not possible," returned the other, with greatdeliberation. "But since you are a frien of mein old comrade Sauber,den I tink over tings and gause inquiries to be made. Dis a verystrange work is, and dere are many men in it. I do not tell you dat itgannot be done, but it will be difficult. Perhaps dere may be a man tobe found who will gommunicate mit your friend."
The meaning of this speech was perfectly clear to him. In plainEnglish, it, of course, meant that, while Herr Schmidt was not going tocommit himself, he would find some one else who would.
"I should be under a life-long obligation if you would do so," answeredBrowne. "And what is more, I may as well say now I am not afraid topay handsomely for the service rendered."
This time there was a twinkle to be seen in the German's eye. "I knownoddings at all about what you speak; you will remember dot," continuedhe. "But I will do de best I can. If you write me now on a paper dename of your frien, and de place where he is--what shall we say?--nowstaying, I will let you know what de price would be, and when der workcan be done. It will be--how you call it?--a ready-money transaction."
"I desire it to be so," replied Browne a little shortly.
There was silence between them for a few moments. Then Schmidtinquired where Browne's yacht was anchored. Browne informed him; andas he did so, it struck him that this was a rather curious remark uponhis companion's part, if, as he had led him to believe at the beginningof the interview, he knew nothing whatever about his coming toHong-kong. However, he did not comment upon it.
"Dat is goot, den," said Schmidt. "If I find a man who will run derisk, den I will gommunicate mit you before den o'clock to-night."
Browne thanked him; and, feeling that they had reached the end of theinterview, bade him good-bye and passed through the shop out into thestreet once more. His coolie was still seated on the shafts of his_ricksha_; and, when Browne had mounted, they returned at a smart trot,by the way they had come, to the Club. Here he found his friendsawaiting him. They had done the sights of the city, and were now eagerto get back to the yacht once more.