IV
Many hours passed before Ling, now more downcast in mind than the mostunsuccessful student in Canton, returned to his room and sought hiscouch of dried rushes. All his efforts to have his distinguishedappointment set aside had been without avail, and he had been ordered toreach Si-chow within a week. As he passed through the streets, elegantprocessions in honour of the winners met him at every corner, and drovehim into the outskirts for the object of quietness. There he remaineduntil the beating of paper drums and the sound of exulting voices couldbe heard no more; but even when he returned lanterns shone in manydwellings, for two hundred persons were composing verses, setting forththeir renown and undoubted accomplishments, ready to affix to theirdoors and send to friends on the next day. Not giving any portion ofhis mind to this desirable act of behaviour, Ling flung himself upon thefloor, and, finding sleep unattainable, plunged himself into profoundmeditation of a very uninviting order. "Without doubt," he exclaimed,"evil can only arise from evil, and as this person has alwaysendeavoured to lead a life in which his devotions have been equallydivided between the sacred Emperor, his illustrious parents, and hisvenerable ancestors, the fault cannot lie with him. Of the excellence ofhis parents he has full knowledge; regarding the Emperor, it mightnot be safe to conjecture. It is therefore probable that some of hisancestors were persons of abandoned manner and inelegant habits, toworship whom results in evil rather than good. Otherwise, how could itbe that one whose chief delight lies in the passive contemplation of theFour Books and the Five Classics, should be selected by destiny to filla position calling for great personal courage and an aggressive nature?Assuredly it can only end in a mean and insignificant death, perhaps noteven followed by burial."
In this manner of thought he fell asleep, and after certain very baseand impressive dreams, from which good omens were altogether absent, heawoke, and rose to begin his preparations for leaving the city. Aftertwo days spent chiefly in obtaining certain safeguards against treacheryand the bullets of foemen, purchasing opium and other gifts withwhich to propitiate the soldiers under his charge, and in consultingwell-disposed witches and readers of the future, he set out, and bytravelling in extreme discomfort, reached Si-chow within five days.During his journey he learned that the entire Province was engaged insecret rebellion, several towns, indeed, having declared againstthe Imperial army without reserve. Those persons to whom Ling spokedescribed the rebels, with respectful admiration, as fierce andunnaturally skilful in all methods of fighting, revengeful and mercilesstowards their enemies, very numerous and above the ordinary height ofhuman beings, and endowed with qualities which made their skin capableof turning aside every kind of weapon. Furthermore, he was assured thata large band of the most abandoned and best trained was at that momentin the immediate neighbourhood of Si-chow.
Ling was not destined long to remain in any doubt concerning the truthof these matters, for as he made his way through a dark cypress wood,a few li from the houses of Si-chow, the sounds of a confused outcryreached his ears, and on stepping aside to a hidden glade some distancefrom the path, he beheld a young and elegant maiden of incomparablebeauty being carried away by two persons of most repulsive andundignified appearance, whose dress and manner clearly betrayed them tobe rebels of the lowest and worst-paid type. At this sight Ling becamepossessed of feelings of a savage yet agreeable order, which untilthat time he had not conjectured to have any place within his mind, andwithout even pausing to consider whether the planets were in favourablepositions for the enterprise to be undertaken at that time, he drew hissword, and ran forward with loud cries. Unsettled in their intentionsat this unexpected action, the two persons turned and advanced upon Lingwith whirling daggers, discussing among themselves whether it would bebetter to kill him at the first blow or to take him alive, and, whenthe day had become sufficiently cool for the full enjoyment of thespectacle, submit him to various objectionable tortures of so degraded anature that they were rarely used in the army of the Emperor except uponthe persons of barbarians. Observing that the maiden was not bound, Lingcried out to her to escape and seek protection within the town, adding,with a magnanimous absence of vanity:
"Should this person chance to fall, the repose which the presence ofso lovely and graceful a being would undoubtedly bring to his departingspirit would be out-balanced by the unendurable thought that hiscommonplace efforts had not been sufficient to save her from the twoevilly-disposed individuals who are, as he perceives, at this moment,neglecting no means within their power to accomplish his destruction."Accepting the discernment of these words, the maiden fled, firstbestowing a look upon Ling which clearly indicated an honourable regardfor himself, a high-minded desire that the affair might end profitablyon his account, and an amiable hope that they should meet again, whenthese subjects could be expressed more clearly between them.
In the meantime Ling had become at a disadvantage, for the time occupiedin speaking and in making the necessary number of bows in reply toher entrancing glance had given the other persons an opportunityof arranging their charms and sacred written sentences to greateradvantage, and of occupying the most favourable ground for theencounter. Nevertheless, so great was the force of the new emotion whichhad entered into Ling's nature that, without waiting to consider thedangers or the best method of attack, he rushed upon them, waving hissword with such force that he appeared as though surrounded by a circleof very brilliant fire. In this way he reached the rebels, who both fellunexpectedly at one blow, they, indeed, being under the impression thatthe encounter had not commenced in reality, and that Ling was merelymenacing them in order to inspire their minds with terror and raise hisown spirits. However much he regretted this act of the incident whichhe had been compelled to take, Ling could not avoid being filled withintellectual joy at finding that his own charms and omens were moredistinguished than those possessed by the rebels, none of whom, as henow plainly understood, he need fear.
Examining these things within his mind, and reflecting on the eventsof the past few days, by which he had been thrown into a class ofcircumstances greatly differing from anything which he had ever sought,Ling continued his journey, and soon found himself before the southerngate of Si-chow. Entering the town, he at once formed the resolution ofgoing before the Mandarin for Warlike Deeds and Arrangements, so that hemight present, without delay, the papers and seals which he had broughtwith him from Canton.
"The noble Mandarin Li Keen?" replied the first person to whom Lingaddressed himself. "It would indeed be a difficult and hazardousconjecture to make concerning his sacred person. By chance he is in thestrongest and best-concealed cellar in Si-chow, unless the sumptuousattractions of the deepest dry well have induced him to make a shortjourney"; and, with a look of great unfriendliness at Ling's dress andweapons, this person passed on.
"Doubtless he is fighting single-handed against the armed men by whomthe place is surrounded," said another; "or perhaps he is constructingan underground road from the Yamen to Peking, so that we may all escapewhen the town is taken. All that can be said with certainty is that theHeaven-sent and valorous Mandarin has not been seen outside the walls ofhis well-fortified residence since the trouble arose; but, as you carrya sword of conspicuous excellence, you will doubtless be welcome."
Upon making a third attempt Ling was more successful, for he inquiredof an aged woman, who had neither a reputation for keen and polishedsentences to maintain, nor any interest in the acts of the Mandarinor of the rebels. From her he learned how to reach the Yamen, andaccordingly turned his footsteps in that direction. When at lengthhe arrived at the gate, Ling desired his tablets to be carried to theMandarin with many expressions of an impressive and engaging nature,nor did he neglect to reward the porter. It was therefore with theexpression of a misunderstanding mind that he received a reply settingforth that Li Keen was unable to receive him. In great doubt heprevailed upon the porter, by means of a still larger reward, again tocarry in his message, and on this occasion an answer in this detail wasplaced before hi
m.
"Li Keen," he was informed, "is indeed awaiting the arrival of one Ling,a noble and valiant Commander of Bowmen. He is given to understand,it is true, that a certain person claiming the same honoured name isstanding in somewhat undignified attitudes at the gate, but he is unablein any way to make these two individuals meet within his intellect. Hewould further remind all persons that the refined observances laid downby the wise and exalted Board of Rites and Ceremonies have a marked andirreproachable significance when the country is in a state of disorder,the town surrounded by rebels, and every breathing-space of time of morethan ordinary value."
Overpowered with becoming shame at having been connected with sounseemly a breach of civility, for which his great haste had in realitybeen accountable, Ling hastened back into the town, and spent many hoursendeavouring to obtain a chair of the requisite colour in which tovisit the Mandarin. In this he was unsuccessful, until it was at lengthsuggested to him that an ordinary chair, such as stood for hire in thestreets of Si-chow, would be acceptable if covered with blue paper.Still in some doubt as to what the nature of his reception would be,Ling had no choice but to take this course, and accordingly he againreached the Yamen in such a manner, carried by two persons whom he hadobtained for the purpose. While yet hardly at the residence a salute wassuddenly fired; all the gates and doors were, without delay, thrown openwith embarrassing and hospitable profusion, and the Mandarin himselfpassed out, and would have assisted Ling to step down from his chairhad not that person, clearly perceiving that such a course would betoo great an honour, evaded him by an unobtrusive display of versatiledexterity. So numerous and profound were the graceful remarks which eachmade concerning the habits and accomplishments of the other that morethan the space of an hour was passed in traversing the small enclosedground which led up to the principal door of the Yamen. There an almostgreater time was agreeably spent, both Ling and the Mandarin havingdetermined that the other should enter first. Undoubtedly Ling, whowas the more powerful of the two, would have conferred this courteousdistinction upon Li Keen had not that person summoned to his sidecertain attendants who succeeded in frustrating Ling in his high-mindedintentions, and in forcing him through the doorway in spite of hisconscientious protests against the unsurmountable obligation under whichthe circumstance placed him.
Conversing in this intellectual and dignified manner, the strokes ofthe gong passed unheeded; tea had been brought into their presence manytimes, and night had fallen before the Mandarin allowed Ling to referto the matter which had brought him to the place, and to present hiswritten papers and seals.
"It is a valuable privilege to have so intelligent a person as theillustrious Ling occupying this position," remarked the Mandarin, as hereturned the papers; "and not less so on account of the one whopreceded him proving himself to be a person of feeble attainments and anunendurable deficiency of resource."
"To one with the all-knowing Li Keen's mental acquisitions, such aperson must indeed have become excessively offensive," replied Lingdelicately; "for, as it is truly said, 'Although there exist manythousand subjects for elegant conversation, there are persons who cannotmeet a cripple without talking about feet.'"
"He to whom I have referred was such a one," said Li Keen, appreciatingwith an expression of countenance the fitness of Ling's proverb. "He wastotally inadequate to the requirements of his position; for he possessedno military knowledge, and was placed in command by those at Peking asa result of his taking a high place at one of the examinations. But morethan this, although his three years of service were almost completed,I was quite unsuccessful in convincing him that an unseemly degradationprobably awaited him unless he could furnish me with the means withwhich to propitiate the persons in authority at Peking. This heneglected to do with obstinate pertinacity, which compelled this personto inquire within himself whether one of so little discernment could betrusted with an important and arduous office. After much deliberation,this person came to the decision that the Commander in question was nota fit person, and he therefore reported him to the Imperial Boardof Punishment at Peking as one subject to frequent and periodicaleccentricities, and possessed of less than ordinary intellect. Inconsequence of this act of justice, the Commander was degraded to therank of common bowman, and compelled to pay a heavy fine in addition."
"It was a just and enlightened conclusion of the affair," said Ling, inspite of a deep feeling of no enthusiasm, "and one which surprisinglybore out your own prophecy in the matter."
"It was an inspired warning to persons who should chance to be in a likeposition at any time," replied Li Keen. "So grasping and corrupt arethose who control affairs in Peking that I have no doubt they wouldscarcely hesitate in debasing even one so immaculate as the exceptionalLing, and placing him in some laborious and ill-paid civil departmentshould he not accede to their extortionate demands."
This suggestion did not carry with it the unpleasurable emotions whichthe Mandarin anticipated it would. The fierce instincts which had beenaroused within Ling by the incident in the cypress wood had died out,while his lamentable ignorance of military affairs was ever before hismind. These circumstances, together with his naturally gentle habits,made him regard such a degradation rather favourably than otherwise.He was meditating within himself whether he could arrange such a coursewithout delay when the Mandarin continued:
"That, however, is a possibility which is remote to the extent of atleast two or three years; do not, therefore, let so unpleasing a thoughtcast darkness upon your brows or remove the unparalleled splendour ofso refined an occasion... Doubtless the accomplished Ling is a master ofthe art of chess-play, for many of our most thoughtful philosophers havedeclared war to be nothing but such a game; let this slow-witted andcumbersome person have an opportunity, therefore, of polishing hisdeclining facilities by a pleasant and dignified encounter."