Brown of Moukden: A Story of the Russo-Japanese War

by Herbert Strang

  *CHAPTER X*

  *The Hired Man*

  Gratitude--On Humanity--A Broken Thread--The Hill Country--NearingMoukden--The Compradore--News at Last--Sowinski's Address--BurntOfferings--A Little Black Box--Toitshe!--Pidgin--Excellence--HerrSchwab--Photographabbaratus

  After the rescue of Ah Fu, Jack stood in a new relationship to Ah Lum.The boy was the apple of the chief's eye; nothing was too good for hisdeliverer. When the party reached camp after the memorable adventure,Ah Lum paraded his whole band, and, his voice broken by unwontedemotion, proclaimed the Englishman his friend. In all such moments ofceremony the literary man, the university graduate, appeared through thebrigand chief. After reciting the heroic deed in the flowery language ascholarly Chinaman always has at command, he continued:

  "Forgetfulness of a favour received is a sure sign of a bad heart. Letme speak in a similitude. A man is on a long journey; his money is allspent; he is destitute, far from home, without friends, and perishingfrom want. To him comes a stranger whose goodness of heart leads him topresent the wanderer with a few hundred cash, thereby preserving hislife. Should he afterwards see this man, his benefactor, ought he notto make some expression of gratitude? It is a common saying, if wereceive from others a favour like a drop of water, the return should beas an overflowing fountain. How much more when a man snatches fromdeath a male child! Does not the Sage say: 'The three greatestmisfortunes in life are: in youth to bury one's father; at the middleage to lose one's wife; and, being old, to have no son'? Heaven hasalready afflicted me with the first and the second of thesetribulations; the honourable foreigner by his magnanimous courage hasspared me the last. It is a true saying, 'The brave act like tigers,not like mice'. Some of you, to the shame of your ancestors, acted likemice; the Ingoua leapt forth like a tiger and saved my pearl from thesnout. He is my friend; whosoever does him a service does a greaterservice to me. As the Poet says:

  "'The Spring that feeds the Mountain Rill Helps the great River to grow greater still'."

  Making allowances for the chief's surcharged emotion, Jack felt thatthere could be no longer any obstacle to his departure. Ah Lum, indeed,was torn between two impulses. He wished to keep by his side the youthwho had shown that he could not only teach English poetry, but displaycourage and readiness in a moment of danger. He wished also to show hisgratitude practically, and knew that he could do so in no moreacceptable way than by furthering Jack's search for his father. After anight of indecision his generosity prevailed; he called Jack into histent, and promised, if he still wished to go, to do all that he could tohelp him. But he pointed out that it would be very dangerous for him toventure into Moukden. There were both the Chinese and the Russians toreckon with. As for the former, he could furnish Jack with a pass whichwould probably secure him from molestation; but if it were found uponhim by the Russians, it would in itself be sufficient to hang him.Jack, however, felt that there was little chance of tracing his fatherexcept by beginning at Moukden and working along the railway, and heonce more expressed his unalterable determination to face whatever risksthis course might involve.

  Ah Lum then settled down to a serious discussion of ways and means. Heagreed that Jack's best plan would be to try his luck again as aChinaman; but not this time as a Cantonese; there were too manyCantonese about. It would be better to pass as a native of one of theinterior provinces, such as Sz-chuen. The dialect was not likely to beknown to anyone in Moukden, so that the matter of speech would not be adifficulty. He might be supposed to have come down the Yang-tse-kiangon river boats, and to have drifted to Manchuria with an Ingoua; theIngoua, as every Chinaman knew, were great travellers; this wouldexplain his knowledge of pidgin English.

  The chief spoke with great simplicity and earnestness; evidently he wassincerely anxious on Jack's behalf. It was only at the end of theconversation that he reverted to his academic manner.

  "Prudence," he reminded Jack, "is what is most necessary to becultivated by the young. Your path will be beset with perils; a chanceword may be your undoing. When you converse in the road, remember thereare men in the grass. For myself, I am old enough to be your father;this and my affection must be my excuse for offering words of advice.What says the proverb? 'In a melon-patch, do not stoop down to arrangeyour shoes; under a plum-tree, do not lift your hand to adjust yourcap.'"

  Jack knew from experience that, being fairly mounted on his hobby, thechief could not easily be stopped, and settled himself to listen inpatience.

  "There are three things mainly to strive for: filial piety, that is themost important; integrity; and humanity. Let us take the last first.Humanity is among the greatest of the virtues. If a man wish to attainthe excellence of superior beings, let him cultivate the attributes ofhumanity. They include benevolence, charity, clemency----"

  At this moment a voice was heard at the entrance: "The august decree isfulfilled."

  The curtain was parted, and there entered the chief's second in command,a big ferocious-looking fellow, holding up to Jack's horrified gaze twoghastly blood-stained human heads. Ah Lum looked at the hideous objectswith unmoved countenance.

  "That is well," he said. "Affix them on poles, and set them in thecentre of the camp, with this scroll in large characters from the poetP'an T'ang-she'n:

  "'Virtue is best; hold Knavery in dread; A Thief gains nothing if he lose his Head.'"

  The incident interrupted the chief's homily before his first heading wasdeveloped. The flow of his ideas seemed broken, for on the departure ofhis lieutenant he turned the conversation into another channel.

  Jack afterwards learnt that the unfortunate wretches decapitated weretwo members of the band who had stolen fowls from a farmer. Sincerobbery was a principal reason of the Chunchuses' existence, Jack wasamazed at such an offence meeting with so terrible a punishment, untilhe heard that the farmer thus robbed had purchased immunity from Ah Lumby a gift of fodder, and the chief was inexorably merciless to any whowere guilty, or who made him appear guilty, of a breach of faith. Jackwas now convinced, if he had not been before, that Ah Lum was no merespectacled pedant.

  One fine morning Jack set off on his long journey to Moukden. Hisappearance was indistinguishable from that of a well-to-do Manchu.Every detail of his costume was correct, from the round black hat andglossy pigtail to the cloth boots with white felt soles. He was mountedon a good pony, and accompanied by a trusty Chunchuse. Ah Fu shed tearsat parting; Ah Lum and Wang Shih were undisguisedly sorry to lose him,and the former indeed declared his willingness at any time to welcomehim back, and even to give him a command in his band. Jack thanked himwarmly, pressed his closed fists to his breast in Chinese salutation,and rode away.

  It was nearly a thousand li--more than 300 miles--from the camp toMoukden; not as the crow flies, for in that country of forest, mountain,and river a straight course is impossible. The traveller has to proceedby pack roads, to ford streams deep and swift, to ascend and descendrugged forest-clad slopes; and if his journey is timed in the rainyseason he suffers inconveniences and perils without number. It wasfortunate for Jack that the rains were not so persistent and continuousthis year as is sometimes the case. He was delayed at one or two stagesof his journey by thunder-storms and swollen rivers; but, thanks to hisguide, who knew the country perfectly, he was able to cover an averageof about twenty-five miles a day. At another time nothing would havedelighted him more than to take things easily, for he passed throughsome of the most magnificent scenery in the world, a country teemingwith game of all kinds, and dotted at out-of-the-way spots withinteresting monuments. But, determined to reach Moukden as soon aspossible, he was not to be allured by the cry of pheasants or the trailsof the tiger and the deer.

  Furthermore, unequipped for such travelling as attracts theglobe-trotter, he found the inevitable discomforts of the route somewhattrying to his patience. On fine days he was plagued for hours at a timeby myriads of midges, which
swarmed about his head, biting with fiendishferocity. But his own sufferings were slight in comparison with hispony's. From sunrise to sunset huge gadflies infested the poor animal,settling upon its tough hide, and piercing it till the beast wasstreaming with blood. Jack spent the greater part of the day insmashing the terrible insects with his whip, slaying hundreds and stillleaving hundreds unslain. The nights also were times of torment.Putting up at some inn, he had to pass the hours in a crowded room,sealed up to prevent the ingress of midges, filled with smoke and thesickening odours of stewed pork and rancid vegetables. He slept on thek'ang, sometimes wedged in among a crowd of natives by no means tooclean, never knowing but that he might have the dangerous company of anadder before the morning. He had to put up with such food as the innafforded, mostly Chinese pork and salted eggs, with an occasional bonnebouche in the way of a trout when there happened to be Korean fishermenin the neighbourhood. But night by night he rejoiced in the completionof another good stage of his journey; and, thanks to his prudence andthe clever management of his guide, he aroused no suspicions, and wasaccepted as a native, morose and uncompanionable indeed, but excused asbeing a wanderer from a distant province.

  At length, on the fourteenth day after leaving the Chunchuse camp, thetwo travellers reached a village some twelve miles from Moukden. Theywere squatting at dinner in an inn when a detachment of Cossacks rodeup, in the course of a foraging expedition. Jack felt a little anxiousas they entered, but to them he was a mere Chinaman like the rest; heescaped notice, yet was relieved when they rode off in the direction ofMoukden. When they were well on their way he suggested to his guidethat it would be good policy to follow hard on their heels; entering thecity in their wake he might hope to pass without attracting specialattention.

  It was late in the day, near the time for the closing of the gates, whenthe Cossacks approached the city. To Jack's disappointment, instead ofentering they rode off to the north-west, in the direction of therailway. He thought it advisable to put up in a little hamlet some twomiles from the walls and wait till morning. There was sure to be aconsiderable crowd of country people awaiting the opening of the gates,and in the crush he was likely to pass unrecognized. Early in themorning, therefore, he took leave of the Chunchuse and turned his pony'shead towards Moukden. Though outwardly calm, he had many an inwardtremor as he joined the crowd of people--labourers, farmers with cartsloaded with beans, drovers with black pigs, women with fowls and geeseslung round their necks--a miscellaneous throng, all too intent on theirbusiness, however, to give more than a passing glance to a rider hardlydistinguishable from themselves.

  The gates were thrown open, and Jack passed through with the rest,feeling tolerably secure now that he was at last within the walls.Turning off from the main road, he made his way by narrow and tortuousalleys to the street where the compradore lived in his cottage at thefoot of Mr. Brown's garden. The man was smoking at the door, and hisson Hi Lo was playing at knuckle-stones on the ground near him. Jackreined up and dismounted, saying nothing at first in order to test theefficacy of his disguise. The compradore looked up, but did notrecognize him. The boy was quicker. At the first glance he jumped up,ran to his father, and whispered in his ear. The man started, kowtowed,then, looking hurriedly and anxiously around and up and down the street,invited Jack to enter. When the door was shut he expressed his delightat seeing his young master once more. He had heard from his brother atHarbin of the successful stratagem by which Jack had managed to startfor Vladivostok, but, knowing what risks the journey involved, he hadever since been fearful lest some harm should have befallen him.

  "I have had some narrow escapes," said Jack, "but here I am, you see,safe and sound. I'll tell you all about it by and by; but first tellme, Mr. Hi, have you discovered anything about my father?"

  The compradore's face fell as he related the result of his enquiries. AChinaman once in Mr. Brown's employment had been working at therailway-station at Shuang-miao-tzue, about half-way between Moukden andHarbin, when, on a siding in an open truck, among a crowd of malefactorsin chains, he had been amazed to recognize his former master. The truckhad remained there for two days; the man had tried to get speech withMr. Brown, but in vain. By questioning and comparing notes Jack came tothe conclusion that this was the very truck he had seen from the windowof the train on his way to Harbin. His blood boiled at the recollectionof the miserable wretches and the thought that his father was amongthem; he felt an insane desire to rush off at once and confront GeneralBekovitch with the discovery; but he knew how fatal such a step wouldbe; and after an explosion of wrath which he could not control, and atwhich Hi An looked on with every mark of sympathy, he regained hiscomposure, and, recognizing that there was no hope save in patience,settled down to discuss his future course of action. He knew full wellthat an unlucky accident might at any time put an end to his quest andperhaps his life, and resolved that so far as in him lay he would notfail through lack of caution.

  After the first moment of relief and happiness at seeing Jack again, thecompradore showed himself seriously concerned for his young master'ssafety. If he were detected by the Russians he ran the risk of beingshot as a spy. His disguise was perfect; Moukden was probably the lastplace where his enemies would expect to find him; but while the Russianswere in possession there would always be found Chinamen ready to curryfavour with them, and earn a little cash. After some discussion it wasarranged that the compradore should give out that Jack was a distantrelative from Sz-chuen, and Hi An himself suggested that he should feignillness for a time until his future movements could be carefully thoughtout.

  "I shall want a name," said Jack with a smile. "What can you call me?"

  "Sin Foo, master. I had a nephew of that name; he is dead, poor boy; itis a good name."

  "Very well. Now we must make further enquiries along the line to seewhat has become of that truck. I have plenty of money; the flour weexpected came safely to Vladivostok, and I sold it. You have friendsyou can employ?"

  "Yes. But it will take a long time."

  "Of course. I wish I could go up the line myself. Is it impossible?"

  "You must not think of it, master. If it were known that questions werebeing asked about an Englishman arrested by the Russians, suspicionwould be awakened, and what could you say if you were caught? No, leaveit to my countrymen; they will know exactly how to enquire, withoutseeming too curious. As for you, it is best to remain in Moukden, andwait until we get more news."

  "I'm afraid you are right. Well, let it be so for the present. Tellme, is Sowinski in the city?"

  "Yes, he is living in your father's house."

  At that Jack fired up again. Red with anger he strode up and down theroom, itching to do something, yet feeling all the time hishelplessness. Then he checked himself with a laugh.

  "I'll never do for a Chinaman," he said, "if I show temper so easily.You must teach me to fix my face, Mr. Hi."

  "Yes, master," said the compradore seriously. "I will buy a littleimage of Buddha, and put it in a corner of the room. If you look at itfor two hours every day your face will be as calm as a still pool."

  The compradore's house was very small, and before a week was out Jackwas terribly sick of being cooped up in it from morning till night.Only after dark, when the quarter was quiet--and that was at a very latehour, for when Chinamen start playing fan-tan it becomes a trial ofendurance--only then did the compradore think it safe for his guest toissue forth for a breath of air. The proximity of Sowinski was itself adanger. Moreover, his acquaintances, among them Sowinski's Chineseservants, were becoming curious. It was impossible to harbour astranger long in secret; for a couple of days the story of a sick cousinpassed muster, but the compradore had omitted to state the nature of theillness, and his friends began to enquire whether they might not beallowed to see the sick man and join Hi An himself in the charms andexorcisms proper to cure him. Thus pushed into a corner, the worthy mandrank in their sight the ashes of burnt yellow paper, a
nd whispered thathe feared his relative was sickening for a fever; it would not be safeto admit visitors. He was about to sacrifice to the divinities on thesick man's behalf; and, taking his courage in both hands, he invited anumber of his friends to accompany him.

  Jack rolled with laughter when he afterwards learnt what had happened.His amusement was all the greater because the compradore was soobviously ill at ease lest he should have incurred the displeasure ofthe divinities by sacrificing for a man who was not ill. Professing tobe not quite sure of the disease, he had gone first to the roadsideshrine of his Excellency the Small-Pox and burnt incense there; then tothe Honourable Divinity the Plague; finally, to make short work of itand cover all imaginable complaints, he had proceeded to the deity knownas Mr. Imperfect-In-Every-Part-Of-His-Body, a hideous idol with soreeyes, hare-lip, and ulcerated legs. Convinced now that the travelledrelative must be in a desperately bad state, the inquisitive neighboursgave a wide berth to Hi An, and no longer desired to cross histhreshold.

  But when a week had passed, Jack, finding his inactivity intolerable,came to the conclusion that it would really be safer if he moved about alittle. The neighbourhood would expect to be invited either to hisfuneral or to a feast in celebration of his recovery, and the talk thatwould ensue when neither event happened might develop danger both forhimself and for his host. One evening the compradore, on returninghome, chanced to mention that during the day he had been asked by aforeign war-correspondent if he could recommend a servant. The strangeralready had a capable mafoo, or groom, but this man had absolutelyrefused to carry or have anything to do with a little black box on whichhis master set great store, and the foreigner had met with the samerefusal from every native to whom he applied. Hi An himself wassomewhat amused at the situation. Having served Mr. Brown for so manyyears, and in so many different places, including the southern treatyports, he was well aware that the black box was a harmless photographiccamera: had not Master Jack himself possessed one in Shanghai? But theMoukden natives, not yet accustomed to the kodak of the globe-trotter,were convinced that the mysterious box was choke-full of little blackdevils impatiently waiting for any confiding Chinaman simple enough tobe lured within their influence. The correspondent, being somewhatstout and far from active, was loth to carry the camera himself, and hadalmost resigned himself to the dead-lock.

  "Poor fellow!" said Jack, laughing. "How did you come across him, Mr.Hi?"

  The compradore explained that the correspondent appeared to be abusiness connection of Mr. Brown's, for he had tried to find themerchant when he arrived in Moukden some weeks before, and was greatlydisappointed and distressed when he learnt what had happened.

  "How should I suit?" said Jack, as an idea struck him.

  "Ch'hoy!" exclaimed the compradore. "Master a servant?"

  "Why not? I should be able to move about then; as the servant of aEuropean I should run less risk of being suspected either by Russians orChinese than if I were a masterless man; and I might--the chance issmall, but still it is a chance--I might come upon some trace of myfather if attached to a foreign correspondent, whose duties will surelytake him from place to place."

  "But, master, a servant! And to a foreigner; not even a Yinkelis or aMelican man, but a Toitsche! Ch'hoy!"

  There was a world of contempt in the Chinaman's tone. To the averageChinaman all "foreign devils" are alike; only those whose businessbrings them into relations with Europeans recognize degrees.

  "I know you don't like the Germans; but what does it matter, Mr. Hi? AGerman is less likely to see through my disguise than an Englishman.Besides, of a hundred virtues, filial piety is the best. You know themaxim?"

  The compradore scratched his head. He found these ideas difficult toreconcile. But after some further talk he yielded, and promised to goto the correspondent early next morning and offer the services of SinFoo, a young man whose honesty and industry he could guarantee.

  A little before noon next day he returned. The correspondent wasdelighted with the prospect of engaging a suitable man, but must see thecandidate first. He was living with a number of other correspondents atthe Green Dragon Hotel, and wished to see Sin Foo at once.

  "Is Monsieur Brin there?" asked Jack instantly.

  "No, master. He went to Harbin a week ago. He was very sad."

  "Lucky for me! Then we'll go at once, Mr. Hi."

  The neighbours had already been prepared to see Hi An's relativeout-of-doors at last; the application to Mr.Imperfect-In-Every-Part-Of-His-Body had been abundantly successful.Most of them were engaged in their usual occupations at that time ofday, and Jack attracted little notice as he walked through the streetsat Hi An's side. At the hotel he was presented to a short, corpulentGerman, wearing gold spectacles and a battered wide-awake, and smoking ahuge pipe.

  "He belongey Sin Foo," said Hi An.

  Jack made the kowtow in the most approved style. The German looked himup and down.

  "So!" he said. "You been servant before?"

  "Suttingly," replied Jack, remembering his fagging days at school.

  "So! You strong?"

  "My plenty stlong, masta!"

  "Not afraid of little box?"

  "No fea'! My cally littee box this-side, that-side, allo-side,all-same."

  "Goot! You are shust ze man I seek. Now to fix ze so imbortantbusiness of vages. Business are business. Vat you say to ten yen--ach!I zink still I am in Japan: vat say you to ten dollar per mensem--zemonce?"

  "Allo-lightee--" began Jack, but the compradore interposed.

  "Ch'hoy! Ten piecee dollar! Ph'ho! My hab catchee Sin Foo--one pieceefirst-chop man; he numpa one boy; my fetchee he this-side; no can makeepidgin so-fashion for littee bittee cash. Sin Foo, come wailochop-chop; folin genelum no savvy pidgin China-side fashion."

  The compradore's intervention showed Jack that he must needs exerciseevery care if he was to play his part properly. To have accepted theGerman's first offer without bargaining would have betrayed him to anytravelled man. After an hour's discussion an arrangement was concludedbetween the stranger and Hi An. Sin Foo was to have nothing else to dobut to take charge of the photographic apparatus. The terms agreed uponwere so high that the German declared that he must dismiss his mafoo andengage a cheaper man. Whereupon the compradore suggested Hi Lo to fillthe place, and Jack regarded the opportunity as almost a specialprovidence, for he had been dreading the discomforts and dangers thatmight arise from enforced companionship with a Chinese mafoo. With HiLo for a fellow-servant, however, he need fear neither danger nordiscomfort, and he was pleased when the German accepted the boy, but atridiculously low wages.

  Jack was to enter upon his duties at once. As soon as the compradorehad gone to fetch Hi Lo, the German took the opportunity to explain whoand what he was.

  "I cannot shpeak your bidgin talk," he said. "You understan' blainEnglish, boy?"

  "My savvy littee bit Yinkelis; my tly understan' masta--he talkeeYinkelis first-chop."

  "Ver' vell. Now you call me Excellenz; you can say zat?"

  "No, not a bit of it."

  The phrase slipped out before Jack could check it. Luckily the Germanwas not aware of the _lapsus linguae_.

  "Zat is not bolite English; you should say, 'No, sir, I am sorry, or Iregret, zat I cannot say Excellenz.' Vell, can you call me 'meinHerr-r-r'?"

  "He no belongey lightee China-side. My no can talkee so-fashion. Chinaboy tly; he say 'mine hell'."

  "Ach!" grunted the German. "Zat vill nefer do, not at all. But Icannot vaste ze time to egsblain. You must zen call me--master. Ver'vell. Now, my name is Schwab--Hildebrand Schwab." Jack suddenlyremembered the letter his father had shown him on the day before thearrest; this, then, was the representative of Schlagintwert & Co. andcorrespondent of the _Illustrirte Vaterland und Colonien_. "Andremember zis," continued Schwab. "If you meet any man vat vantBirmingham screw, Manchester soft goots, Viltshire bacon, or hair-oil,superfine, you vill let me know at vunce--at vunce. Ve
n ze var is oferI shall do goot business in all zose zinks--ja, and many more. It isonly in var zat I am gorresbondent; in beace I rebresent ze solid firmaSchlagintwert Gombany of Duesseldorf. You understan'?"

  "Allo lightee, Herr."

  "Ver' goot, ver' goot inteed. You say it not so bad. Now I tell youozer zink. I haf come at great egsbense from San Francisco to takephotographs of ze scenes of var. I am already some veeks here, vaiting,vaiting, for bermission to go to ze front. You understan'? At last itcome. I haf it now in my pockett. How do I get it? Ach! it vas qvitesimble. Ven I am tired of vaiting, I go to Herr Oberst Pesteech,bresscensor, and I say: 'Your servant, noble sir; Hildebrand Schwab.Entweder you give me ze bermission to see zis var business, or I vire toour Kaiser who is in Berlin. At Berlin, and viz ze Kaiser, business arebusiness.' Zat is ze vay I shpeak. So I return to my hotel: siehe da!ze bermission is already zere. Zat vere business. Ver' vell. Now Itell you vat ve do. To-morrow ve go to ze front, vere ze var is. Youvill haf ze camera; you vill assist me to make my photographs. I villlearn you how. And give notice, boy, zat I am not bermitted tophotograph ze bositions of ze Russian army; nor Russian troops on zemarch; nor Russian troops in action, egzept I get anozer bermission fromze Russian general. Vat is zat for a kind of bermission I do not say.Zerefore you vill take photographs ven I tell you, and no ozer time.You understan'?"

  "Savvy allo masta talkee; my tinkey velly nice."

  "So; come zen viz me; I vill learn you ze--ze--ze control of zephotographabbaratus."