The War Tiger Part 18

Such was his employment till intelligence arrived that the rebel Li-Kong was on his march to besiege Pekin with a large army, when, seeking an audience of the Emperor, he threw himself at the foot of the throne, and prayed to be sent with a party of flying horse to make observations, and drive the people of the neighboring towns and villages into the capital for protection. His zeal, however, was useless; for, placing his whole faith in the bonzes and intriguing n.o.bles around him, who laughed to scorn the idea of so improbable an event as the invasion of so great a capital by a mere rebel, Wey-t-song angrily commanded Nicholas to keep to his posts upon the walls, where he remained, till wearied with inaction he longed to return to his father's fleet. Wait a little Nicholas, and there will be action enough.

More than once during the reign of Wey-t-song had famine stalked through the land, but then he had struggled to stem the torrent by opening his purse and granaries. Now, however, that nature withheld her ordinary supplies, a rebel army crowded the approaches to the capital, so that provision could not be brought in, and the dearth of food grew so great, that a pound of rice could not be purchased for less than its weight in silver, and the flesh of horses, rats, dogs, cats, and mice had become so rare, that even rotten skins were bought for human food. The Emperor wickedly kept close within the luxurious apartments of his inner palace, caring but little for the starving people, so that he and the great mandarins could revel in their luxurious ease and pleasures.

Now, as indolence will spread as fast as nettles, the officers of the army, instead of attending to their duties, spend the greater part of their night-watches in gambling and drinking so hard, that had the enemy come upon them suddenly they must have surrendered. Yet the imperial troops were so numerous and the defences so strong, that with anything like a good show of fighting the rebels could have been beaten back, if not indeed entirely destroyed. As, however, these officers must have been fully aware of all this, it is only reasonable to suppose they were playing another little game of their own, that we shall soon see.

Thus weeks pa.s.sed away, without more than mere rumors of the movements of the rebel Li-Kong, who, it was said, was fast approaching the capital, and sacking towns or destroying the people on his march. There one day came a number of men to the eastern gate, reporting themselves to be fugitives, who had been driven to seek protection in the capital from Li, who was on his march by the eastern suburbs; and as also they brought the joyful intelligence that a vast quant.i.ty of rice was on the road from the southern provinces, under the charge of a body of merchants, who had managed to evade the rebels by taking a different route, they were received with open arms and treated handsomely.

Then, as the General Kin feared that the starving people would set upon the wagons as they entered the city, he came out on the day of their arrival with a large body of soldiers to escort the food to the storehouse, where it could be fairly distributed. But so eager was the general to secure the grain from a sudden rush of the hungry people, that he encompa.s.sed the procession with his troops so perfectly, that neither wagons nor the fugitive tradesmen who accompanied them could be seen by the crowd. Moreover Kin kept close the wagons till they were safe within the fore-court of the storehouses. After performing his duty, the general astonished Nicholas by carrying his indefatigability so far as to personally inspect the walls, post the sentries, and examine the flints of their matchlocks, all of which was very puzzling, for not only was there no enemy to be seen, but the deserters and fugitives reported that the attack, if made at all, would be upon the opposite walls of the city, whither, in fact, Kin had sent already a great part of the soldiers who had hitherto been posted upon that side.

CHAPTER XXVII.

THE REBELS ATTACK PEKIN.--TREACHERY OF A GENERAL, AND THE FIGHT.

It was the middle of the third watch; Nicholas was dreaming of the rebel Li-Kong, the Emperor, the princess, the soldiers, and his father's fleet. A sudden grip upon his arm made him set bolt upright upon his sleeping mat, and there stood Chow, in a state of great excitement, holding in his arms his master's habiliments and accoutrements, as if the place had been on fire, or he had suddenly turned thief, and was about commencing business upon his master's clothes.

"Awake, O my master, we are caught like rats in a trap; the rebels are upon us!"

"What words are these, Chow?" said Nicholas, leaping off the mat, taking the clothes and attiring himself.

"The General Kin means harm; let us escape, my master;" and Chow pointed to the open window.

"Thou art a coward, Chow, draw thy sword, and follow," said Nicholas, rus.h.i.+ng with his own weapon in his hand to the walls, where, to his dismay, he found the sentries helplessly intoxicated and lying in all directions; but worse, there, against the walls, leaned a ladder, by which means a body of troops were about to ascend.

"Softly, Chow," said Nicholas; and like cats they crept toward the ladder upon their knees. Another minute, and a soldier stood upon the uppermost round with a lighted torch in his hand.

"See, the rat makes a signal that all is right," said Nicholas, and in another instant a blow from his fist sent the torch-bearer spinning through the air over the heads of his fellows; then with a yell of rage the man's next comrade jumped upon the parapet, and being received with a violent blow in the stomach from Chow's fist, followed his companion in arms. Another made the same attempt, but picking up the torch which had fallen upon the ramparts, Chow dashed the burning brand in his face, when with a wild howl of pain, the soldier fell backward, sweeping the scaling party off the ladder as clean as if he had been a thirty-two pound cannon ball. Then, making the most of their advantage, the boys caught hold of the ladder and threw it over upon the discomfited rebels, who lay sprawling at the foot of the walls.

Then, holding the torch above his head, as a signal for a.s.sistance, Nicholas indeed saw that treachery was in high quarters, for the whole line of walls appeared to be deserted. As for Chow, he had no sooner succeeded in arousing the men from their stupor, and placed some at the great guns, and others along the walls, so that another scaling party would come within range of their matchlocks, than, perceiving a body of the enemy moving to the front he pointed one of the cannons and applied the torch to the touch-hole; a flash--a roar followed; but the only effect it had upon the rebels was to cause them to send forth loud shouts of exultation. Well they might exult, for the guns were harmless.

"The villain Kin has had the b.a.l.l.s withdrawn," exclaimed Chow.

"Our matchlocks are useless, they have been robbed of their flints,"

said the soldiers, who had attempted to fire them at the same time as Chow had fired the cannon.

"Then back, and brain the dogs with them as they mount the walls," said Nicholas, as the enemy was about attempting another escalade; adding, "Haste thee, O Chow, to the Prince Yong-Li, and pray of him to send a.s.sistance to his brother, who dares not quit his post with life;" when, as without a word Chow disappeared from the rampart, Nicholas s.n.a.t.c.hed up a matchlock, and so placed himself and men beneath the breastwork that the arrows might pa.s.s over their heads, and many were the sealers who reached the uppermost round of the ladder to be dashed headlong among their comrades by the brave youth and his little band; and so they would have held out for some time, but for a shower of bullets from the matchlocks of a body of soldiers who made their appearance upon the walls, headed by the General Kin himself.

"Seize the dog!" said the traitor, pointing to Nicholas.

"Thou great rogue,"--before, however, Nicholas could say more he was gagged, his arms bound with cords, and taken by the soldiers to his own room, amid the shoutings of the rebels, who now seemed to be entering the city from all sides.

But why had they not killed him at once? for what reason had they brought him there?

He was not left long in suspense, for no sooner had Kin secured the entrance of his brother rebels into the city than he entered the room, and first examining the cords that bound the boy's arms, to see that there was no possibility of his getting free, he ordered the soldiers from the room, and said, merrily, "The young war tiger is brave, but he is no match for the fire-eater Kin."

"Let the dog without a heart unbind the arms of his prisoner, and he shall discover," was the fierce reply.

"What shall thy servant discover, O brave youth?"

"His villain body hurled out of the window."

"Knows not the youth that I can slay him as if he were a venomous rat?"

"Do this, and I will thank thee for not letting me outlive such hateful treason, thou villain."

"But the youth is young, brave, and should live in honor and high promotion."

"He would be more honored in dying for his Emperor."

"That Emperor is the chosen of Tien, the great Li-Kong, who would have the young war tiger live to serve him."

"These are snake's words, the rogue Li-Kong is as false as his coward slave Kin, who fears to trust himself with an unbound youth."

"Thou rat, thou pirate, I will slay thee," said the enraged general, drawing his sword.

"Do this, and my vision will be for ever shut out from so much villainy," was the calm reply.

"Now let the young war tiger open his ears, and if he is reasonable he shall be free," said the general, getting the better of his rage.

"Then unbind his arms, thou dog."

"Truly, if thou wilt promise to serve the great Emperor Li-Kong."

"Even if so much treason existed in my heart, how could so mean a person serve so great a prince?"

"Is he not the son of the great merchant of the south, who rules the four seas?"

"If the dull rogue hath discovered his prisoner's birth, how is this that he dares to think that when free he would let so great a traitor live, after such an execrable proposition?"

Greatly perplexed at this rebuff, Kin could make no reply. Suddenly, the booming of cannon, the roar of millions of voices, and the clash of arms, sounded through the night air, and he said, "Hear you that cannon, boy? It is the terrible mouthpiece of the fugitive tradespeople, who accompanied the rice wagons."

"O thou miserable rogue," exclaimed Nicholas, as it now flashed across his mind that the rice wagons and the fugitive tradespeople had been the ruse by which Li-Kong had obtained an entrance into the city for his troops. "O that he was free, for there were guards enough yet to save the imperial family."

"It is a maxim, that it is no use repining for the past, O youth. By his tyranny and oppression Wey-t-song has forfeited the throne to the heaven-selected Li-Kong, whose troops now fill the streets, and who will confer upon the young war tiger high rank, and upon his parent, the great sea chief, a kingdom, if he will submissively rule the seas as a tributary. See the success of the great Li," he added, as the room, nay, the whole sky became illuminated, "the palace is in flames--let the young war tiger give his answer."

"If it is adverse?" asked Nicholas.

"The head of the son will be sent to the father."

Then bitter were the feelings of Nicholas--for himself? no! for he felt it his duty to die; but for his father, for the princess--still there was a chance of escape. Should he comply? surely a promise to traitors would not be valid. He considered for a moment--it was but for a moment--and even the bold sea-boy had not courage enough to--tell a lie.

Perceiving his hesitation, the countenance of Kin brightened. "The n.o.ble youth is reasonable; he consents," said he.

"No, thou false rogue."

"Then he dies a miserable death," said the enraged Kin, calling to his guard. There was no reply, but a scuffle in the pa.s.sage, and the sound of angry voices, when, pale with fear, the general opened the door, and the next minute was--in the arms of Chow, who held him till the soldiers of the prince, who accompanied him, had bound the traitor as tightly as a mummy.