CHAPTER XXXVI.

ONCE MORE PRISONERS, BUT WITH FRIENDS--THE GUIDE'S MISTAKE.

With sorrowful hearts the two boys took leave of the houseless family, and proceeded along the ridges of the mountains till they came to the entrance of a great wood. Chow had custody of the guide, whom he held by the rope, and pressed forward or jerked backward, as his sense of indignation at the loss of his mother arose or subsided. At times he would so slacken the rope that the man could scarcely feel his thraldom; then again, when he thought of the hopelessness of again recovering his mother, he would clench his teeth and pull it so violently, that the miserable guide would fall backward; whereupon Chow would say, "Get thee upon thy bamboo legs, thou rogue, or I will drag thee like a bale of demon's goods, as thou art;" and the fat body of the coward would shake like a blanc-mange, rise upon its legs, and commence a trot, when, after a little while, Chow would give another tug at the rope, saying, as the man tottered backward, "O, thou wouldst escape, wouldst thou, thou mouse of fat measure, who hath stolen the cream of our lives?"

"Truly thy servant has been unfortunate, O noble youth, yet if his body is shaken like a jelly of cold soup, he cannot guide thee through this city of trees."

"The rogue's words are good, Chow, we cannot find our way through these trees without his aid," said Nicholas; adding, "Fasten the rope around thy arm, so that he cannot slip from thy hands."

"Truly the advice of my master is good," said Chow; and as they were then passing through a thick copse, he fastened the rope around his own body, saying, "Now, thou rat, honesty will for once reverse things, and take its place behind roguery, for surely I hear footsteps, and should they be those of thieves, thy thick head may serve to blunt the points of their arrows."

The sounds were unmistakable, and the guide fell backward, trembling so violently that he could not walk, till, taking hold of his shoulders, Chow pushed him forward, saying, "On, thou coward, on;" and so they went along the narrow path, till the sounds became more distinct. Then a voice shouted to them, "stop!" when, trembling more than ever, the guide threw one shoulder backward, and one foot forward, in order to prop himself against the propelling Chow, at the same time exclaiming, "Stay, O generous youth,--for the love of Fo, stay!--or the body of thy servant will become a cushion for arrow-heads."

"Silence, thou dog," said Nicholas; adding in a whisper to Chow, "Let us remain quiet, for doubtless it is some thief."

Then came the twang of a bow, and an arrow flew by, in its flight clipping the ear of the miserable guide, who, now fairly frightened out of his senses, twisted round like a teetotum, and fell upon the ground, carrying Chow with him, exclaiming, "These are the thieves, these are the thieves, O honorable war tiger."

And before Chow had disengaged himself from the rogue, they were all three dragged into an open glade, where they found themselves surrounded by a party of cavalry, the guide upon the ground trembling, and Nicholas and Chow with their arms folded defiantly.

"Who are the dogs? what their names, surnames, and rank?" said the officer.

"Travelers who have no fear of rebel rogues," replied Nicholas dauntlessly, believing them to be troops of Li-Kong.

"Take my life, but save that of my venerable mother," said Chow, in a similar belief.

"These rogues are robbers, who would take a faithful and valiant subject of the great Emperor Li-Kong a prisoner to the town of the thief Woo-san-Kwei," said the guide, jumping upon his feet, with a most warlike mien, knowing that if with the soldiers of Li-Kong he was with friends.

"What means the slave? Who art thou, thou empty rice tub?" said the officer.

"It may please the fierce tiger of war to be amused at the person of his servant; but if he be a rice-tub, he can serve the Emperor."

"Emperor!--what Emperor, thou ox?" said the officer.

"The great Li,--may he live ten thousand years."

"Thy name, surname, and rank?" said the officer.

"The mean name of thy insignificant servant is Leang, and he is the unworthy nephew of Ling, the innkeeper, of Kin-Chow," replied the guide, not doubting that he was in the hands of rebel troopers.

"Then truly, Leang, the unworthy nephew of Ling, is a dangerous though a comical rogue."

"The noble tiger of war is pleased----"

"To have thee strangled with thine own girdle for being a follower of the great thief Li-Kong," said the officer; adding, as he turned to his soldiers, "Let this be done."

At this unexpected result, the terribly mistaken guide's face became paler and longer, and falling upon his knees, he said, "Let the magnificent commander be generous to an insignificant and withered mouse, who is nothing but a poor and faithful guide, as these noble youths, whom he hath conducted all the way from Kin-Chow to the town of the great Woo-san-Kwei, can testify."

"Bend thy neck at the name of the great prince, thou rogue," said the officer, striking him on the back with his sword, and the guide fell flat--that is, as nearly so as his protuberant stomach would permit--when the officer added laughingly, "Truly the animal is fat enough to kill at once; yet, as the rebels may cause us a siege so long that we may be short of provender for our horses, let him be kept in a strong cage till that time arrives;" then beckoning to a soldier, the latter seized the horrified guide and tied him before him on his saddle.

Then turning to Nicholas and Chow, who, notwithstanding their serious position, had been laughing heartily at the merited misery of the guide, the officer said, "Are the rogue's words truth? Do my brothers seek the presence of the great Woo-san-Kwei?" Then when Nicholas had related to the officer the whole of their adventures from Kin, Chow alone prudentially keeping back the fact that the lady of high rank was the princess, he said, "What were the numbers of these rogues?"

"There could have been no less than twenty, O noble commander," said Nicholas.

Then turning to his second-in-command, the officer said, "Let the rogue of a guide be kept tied before thee on thy saddle, O Ching; take fifty horsemen, and return not to the camp till thou bringest these ladies with thee. If the rogue of a guide directs thee so that thou art successful, he shall be rewarded; if not, strangled."

"Will not the noble commander let these horsemen be placed under the charge of his younger brother, who truly hath the greater right to bring these rogues to punishment?" said Nicholas, imploringly.

"This may not be, my brother; for, although I doubt not thy honesty, it would be at the risk of my life that I let thee pass from my sight till thou hadst been taken before the prince."

Although vexed that the chance of rescuing the princess, and punishing the soldiers who had made her prisoner, had been denied to him, Nicholas felt too well pleased at the slightest possibility of her being rescued, to complain; and, therefore, without another word, the boys followed the troops upon their march to Lao-yang, not by any means regretting that they had fallen into the hands of this foraging party of Woo-san-Kwei's army.