CHAPTER XLII.

THE RIVAL SEA CHIEFS.--RE-APPEARANCE OF AN OLD FRIEND.--A COMICAL BATTLE WITH THE TARTARS.

Once masters of Pekin, which being so near their native wilds, enabled them to introduce hordes of their fellow-countrymen, the Tartars conquered province by province, till they obtained possession of the whole empire. The most difficult, however, to subdue, were the southern districts, which edged the sea, and chiefly for this reason: that not long after they succeeded in entrapping Chin-Chi-Loong, to their surprise, there appeared another and a greater sea chief, whose fleet was so large, and his successes so great in destroying the Tartar settlements upon the coasts, and even the great towns up the Yang-tse-Kiang, that the greater part of the Chinese, who had any spirit or patriotism remaining, flocked to his standard, and swelled his fleet and army to such a size, that the Tartar government, trembling with fear for the capital itself, offered immense rewards for his head; and finding that of no use, offered to give him the command of the seas, and even a kingdom, if he would acknowledge their rule; but all this was of no use: the terrible patriot TCHING-TCHING-KONG, (or Koshinga, as the Portuguese did, and I shall for the future, name him,) would listen to no other terms but their departure from the country, to which, but for the sudden appearance on the coast of another formidable sea-chief, named Yuen, they would in all probability have been compelled to yield.

Now the difference between these two chiefs was, that while Koshinga protected the Chinese against the invaders, the chief Yuen was a mere pirate, and, if booty were to be gained, destroyed both peoples alike.

Moreover, the latter seemed to have a great hatred for Koshinga; for, although he dared not meet him in fair fight, if by chance he ever fell in with a solitary ship of his fleet, he would wantonly sink it with all its crew; and so terrible had the name of this Yuen become, that the people upon the coast named him the Black Sea-dragon. Neither was it possible to make out the object of this pirate. It could not have been the desire of mere wealth, for the Tartar government, thinking him a very desirable antagonist to Koshinga, offered him wealth, and the same rank they had offered to his rival, provided he succeeded in destroying the latter; but still, although Yuen hated the patriot sea chief, his dislike to the Tartars was no less, for, like Koshinga, he destroyed their houses and ma.s.sacred their people at every opportunity. So at length, giving up all hope of conquering either of his amphibious enemies, Chun-ti issued an order that all the houses, cities, towns, and villages, within ten miles of the sea, should be destroyed, chiefly, I believe, to prevent the people from supplying them with provisions.

Well, one day, shortly after this order had been received, and the inhabitants of a small town on the coast of Fokien were in high bustle packing up their goods and chattels ready for departure, some by means of carts, others, and the greater part, by junks and barges, a large merchant junk stood in from the sea, entered the narrow creek into which the river emptied itself, anch.o.r.ed, and would have remained unnoticed by the soldiers, who were inspecting the carrying out of the Emperor's orders, but for the appearance of a young man, who, stepping on sh.o.r.e, was immediately seized by the order of the officer. "Who is the vile slave, that he dares disobey the commands of the great Emperor?" said the latter.

"Surely thy servant, who has but just entered the town, can be guilty of no crime?"

"Are the words of the Emperor dirt, that they should have escaped the ears of so small a dog?" said the officer.

"Truly these holy words have not fallen into the ears of thy mean servant, O magnificent commander," returned the other.

"Then let the dog's ears be opened, and he shall hear," said the officer, directing a soldier to proclaim the royal command, which was to the effect that the long hair of every Chinese should be shaven from his head, and the growth of a Tartar tail encouraged, in order that there should be no difference between the two races.

When the stranger, however, heard the order, his eyes flashed, and his lips quivered with rage, at the great badge of slavery the Tartars were thrusting upon his countrymen; and he placed his hand beneath his robe, as if clutching the hilt of a sword; but then, looking at the Tartar troops, who had by this time surrounded him, and perceiving the folly of resistance, he said, "Truly the ears of thy servant have not heard this order."

"Let the dog obey, or he shall be strangled," was the only reply.

Then, with a look half tragic, half comic, and, taking his long flowing locks in his hand, he said, "Surely the magnificent commander will give his servant a few hours to prepare his head for so serious a farewell?"

The next minute, however, one of the barbers who accompanied the troops for the purpose of performing the first operation upon the conquered people, made his appearance, and, setting down his apparatus, began to prepare his scissors and large knife, when, like a half-secured animal whose dim instinct had just been aroused to the fact of the coming slaughter, the stranger struck out with both fists, sending barber and officer rolling one over the other, and darted off, followed by at least a dozen arrows from the bows of the soldiers, who, however had been too much surprised to aim properly.

Now, weak and effeminate as the Chinese had shown themselves in allowing the empire to become so easily conquered by the Tartars, this insult was always deeply felt even by those who had been compelled to submit, so in a few minutes they gathered about the Tartars in great numbers, and being inspired by the stranger's pluck, from hard words came to such hard blows, that the bully Tartars were very glad to beat a retreat, only promising to themselves a great revenge hereafter.

As for the stranger, he ran with such speed and blind terror, at the notion of losing his beautiful hair, that he tumbled headlong over an old sow into a litter of pigs, which were among the goods about to be taken away; and, comical as was this scene, it might have been serious, for the animal, seeing her family attacked by so formidable an enemy, would have made it a personal matter, but for a mob of people who came to the rescue of the stranger, at whose spirit in resisting the hateful order they were so delighted, that they lifted him upon their shoulders; when the youth, in his excitement, mistaking them for Tartars, put both his hands to his locks, exclaiming, "You dogs, I will rather lose my head than prove such a coward."

"A patriot! a hero! down with the Tartar thieves!" said the mob.

When the stranger, recovering from his fright, said, "Pardon, O my brothers, for believing you to be such dogs."

Then the crowd gave more cheers, and asked where he would be taken to.

"Know any of you the residence of the colao Ki?" was the reply.

"To the house of the good Ki," exclaimed the mob, and in a few minutes more they had deposited him at the gates of a great house not far distant from the sea.

"What rogue is this who dares disturb the quiet of the n.o.ble Ki?" said the servant who opened the gate.

"Let me pa.s.s, thou mean fellow," said the apparently mad-headed stranger, rushing through halls and courts till he reached the door of the women's apartments, which, to the horror of the servant, who now called for a.s.sistance, he burst open, and, seeing two ladies, fell at the feet of one of them, sobbing aloud, "Then my information is true, and I have found thee again, my venerable and beloved parent." Need I tell you that the stranger was no other than Chow?

"The G.o.ds punish me with a false vision, my eyeb.a.l.l.s must be old, or it is indeed my beloved son Chow," said the lady, throwing her arms around her son's neck.

"The faithful friend of the n.o.ble Nicholas! Surely this is not possible," said the princess, hysterically, so forgetting her rank in her delighted surprise, that she embraced him as a brother, not a little, I a.s.sure you, to the wonder and horror of the servants, and the colao himself, who had hastened to the apartment to secure the daring robber, as the frightened servant had reported, and which Ki believed Chow to be, feeling certain that none but a thief would be guilty of so profane an act as entering the sacred apartments of the ladies.

CHAPTER XLIII.

CHOW DISCOVERS HIS MOTHER AND THE PRINCESS.--RESCUES THEM FROM THE TARTARS AND RELATES HIS ADVENTURES.

When the surprise had a little subsided upon both sides, Chow looked around, listened anxiously for a moment, and then said, "This is a fortunate day; the surprise, the joy is great, but, alas! it will be short-lived, for the barbarians can neither forget nor forgive," and he related his adventure with the soldiers; when, taking him by the hand, the princess said, "Fear not, friend of my brother; the barbarians dare not enter the house of Ki; for the usurper, barbarian as he is, has bestowed honor upon the n.o.ble colao for his services to his late Emperor, and as a consolation for his misfortunes; and in the house of one upon whom Chun-ti has bestowed the honored t.i.tle of 'Faithful to his Prince,' no person dares enter unasked."

"Thy servant feared less for himself than for his beloved mother and the ill.u.s.trious princess, whom he is commanded by the n.o.ble Nicholas to rescue from the degenerate soil of China, till it again owns its native princess," said Chow; adding, "From the hour that the vile guide betrayed the ill.u.s.trious princess into the hands of the rogues, the n.o.ble Nicholas has left no stone unturned to discover thy fate." Then, repeating the history of their adventures to the time of his being taken prisoner by Li-Kong, he added, "So enraged was the villain mandarin, that, instead of killing me on the spot, he reserved me for a cruel death upon our reaching Pekin; then, however, being driven from the capital, he took me with him to Chen-si, where I was kept loaded with chains in a damp hole for many months, till indeed the great rebel was himself driven out of Chen-si, when, so ill that I could not walk, I was taken from the prison and conveyed to the house of the physician, who had been ordered to take charge of the sick and wounded, and unfortunately I remained senseless so long, that when I recovered, I discovered that not only had the great Woo-san-Kwei been the general who had punished Li, but that my beloved master had been with him. Bitterly regretting the misfortune that had caused me to miss him so narrowly, I resolved on seeking him in the capital; and so without money or food, but what I could beg on the road, I traveled, being compelled to rest many days upon my journey.

"At length, however, I reached Pekin, when, to my great rage, not only did I find that the Tartar prince had seized the throne, but that my n.o.ble master had left the city in horror at the great treason of his ill.u.s.trious parent Chin-Chi-Loong. Then, weary of a world which contained so much vileness and misfortune, I should have myself sought the yellow stream, had it not occurred to me, that it would be villainous to desert the beloved parent whom I had resolved to discover; but, moreover, my master had taught me that it was a great crime; and, trembling that I had ever contemplated such a thing, I rushed down to the ca.n.a.l and engaged myself as a Coolie, for I thought the employment would drive away my sorrow, and, perhaps, throw some lucky chance in my way, and so it happened; for one day, carrying some goods for a traveling merchant, the good man took a fancy to me, and offered to take me with him into the province of Fokien. The offer gave me joy, for I knew that if ever I found my master it would be near the sea, which he loves as if he were a fish, and so it chanced; for one day, after many months' traveling, we lodged at the town of Ho-a, when a few days afterward the Chinese inhabitants became very joyful, and the Tartar soldiers were greatly terrified at a report that the terrible Koshinga, whose name just about that time had become famous, would land. Well, the report proved true, for the sea chief appeared with a great fleet, and drove the Tartars inland; when, feeling weary of my servitude, and longing to fight against the usurping barbarians, I offered my services to one of the commanders, and no sooner had I put in force that virtuous resolution, than my fortunes began to mend, for in one of the ships I found the n.o.ble Nicholas.

"Well, I will only tell the ill.u.s.trious princess how that I kept by the side of the n.o.ble Nicholas in all battles that have been fought by the great Koshinga; but in the midst of our adventures and successes, both the n.o.ble Nicholas and his servant were unhappy, for they pined to learn the fate of the daughter of the Mings, whom the heavens had once entrusted to their care. At every town upon the coast, from every man who joined the fleet, did we endeavor to trace some clue, not omitting to offer great rewards; it was all, however, useless, till one day a Tartar prisoner was taken and brought to our ship, and as he had with him a copy of the _Pekin Gazette_, which contains the officers of the empire and the decrees of the Emperor, the n.o.ble Nicholas eagerly read it to find out the movements of the barbarians, when, much to his surprise, he saw that the n.o.ble Ki had been restored to his rank and fortunes, and, moreover, was permitted to reside unmolested at his native palace in Fokien. 'Thus, then, O Chow, we have a fortunate day; here is a clue to the princess--for should she have escaped the villain rebels, this old and faithful servant of her royal father will surely know,' said the n.o.ble Nicholas."

"Truly the great Father of heaven hath directed, this even," said the princess.

"Then, O my princess, the heart of thy servant leaped for joy; for he knew that the clue to the ill.u.s.trious daughter of the Mings would lead to the discovery of his beloved mother, so upon his knees he begged his n.o.ble master to let him search the coast of Fokien, a request he would have granted, had not the whole fleet been ordered by the chief Koshinga to attack and drive the barbarian Hollanders from the great island of Formosa on that day. Then for nearly four moons was the fleet before the castle of Zealand, which protects the island; and so well did the barbarians fight, that we had no other hope but to starve them out; at length, however, they were joined by the numerous ships of the traitorous black dragon Yuen, and for the first time Koshinga was near being defeated, till at length destiny led him to fill seven of his ships with oil and inflammable materials, when, taking advantage of the first north-easterly wind, he set them on fire, and sent them among the ships of Yuen, the greater part of which being destroyed, the crews with the black dragon sought the sh.o.r.es in their boats. Thus having got rid of the fleet, the great Koshinga landed his troops, and after a great battle killed the greater portion of the pirates, made the remainder prisoners, and took possession of the country."

"Truly this Koshinga is a great war dragon," said the princess.

"And n.o.ble as he is brave; for although he punished the traitor pirates with death, as enemies to their true Emperor, he permitted the miserable Hollanders, who, being barbarians, could know no better, to pile up their household goods in one of their ships and depart."

"Thou hast not said aught of the n.o.ble Nicholas during this terrible fight," said the princess.

"Truly, O ill.u.s.trious lady, he fought like the brave war tiger that he is, and performed the greatest act of the fight; for with his own hands he slew the villain Yuen."

"Then great was his destiny, for he has rendered the whole empire grateful," exclaimed Ki.

"They owe the n.o.ble Nicholas more grat.i.tude than the rebel Li-Kong, of whose place of refuge, or fate, none have been able to imagine, since the taking of Chen-si by the great Woo-san-Kwei."

"G.o.d is indeed great; thus may treason be for ever punished," said the princess.

"But greater to thy servant was the capturing of the villain mandarin, who killed his venerable parent. I had struck the rogue down with my sword, and rejoicing that I had at last the opportunity of destroying so great a villain, was about to kill him, when he saved his life by uttering a few words."

"Is it under heaven that thou couldst save the life of the slayer of thy parent?" exclaimed Chow's mother.

"Truly, my n.o.ble mother, for those words were 'Thy mother and the princess.' Like magic they kept my sword suspended midway, and I said, 'What words are these, thou dog?' And the mean rogue said, 'If the n.o.ble captain will save the life of his slave, he shall be restored to his parent.' Need a son tell his mother that he promised when the rascal said, 'That it had been known for a long time to him that the princess was living in disguise in the house of the retired colao in Fokien, and that had Li-Kong been successful in defeating Koshinga, it was the rogue's intention to sail for the coast and seize the ill.u.s.trious lady?"

"Truly Heaven is merciful in having destroyed such a villain," said the princess.

"Then," added Chow, "delighted with the discovery, my enmity to the rogue became lost in my anxiety to again see my parent; so I besought of the n.o.ble Nicholas to send me in search of those lost pearls of our existence, which he did with these words: 'Tell the ill.u.s.trious princess that the Tartar rogues will seize her if she does not seek the protection of Koshinga, the friend of China and the Mings, of whose favor her adopted brother Nicholas will a.s.sure her.' Thus commissioned, I obtained one of the smallest junks of the fleet, had it repainted and disguised to resemble a trading vessel, set sail from the island, and landed this morning, when I so nearly fell into the hands of the rats of Tartars. Such is the history of thy servant, and such his mission. It is for the great wisdom of the princess alone, to consider whether the daughter of the Mings may long remain in safety and undiscovered beneath the dominion of the butchers of her race."

"Heaven is beneficent and thy words wise, O Chow," said the princess.