CHAPTER XII
THE PRICE OF A MOUSTACHE
A man in a rage cannot think clearly; and Burroughs was in such a heatof indignation with Reinhardt that it was some time before he was ableto devote himself calmly to the still unsolved problem. The solutioncame to him presently in a flash: he must save Errington himself. Hecould not leave his friend to an unknown fate; something must be done;he alone could do it. His flying boat was the fastest craft on theriver. He must fly up to Meichow, get Errington out of the yamen by hookor crook, and bring him back. If he were discovered and pursued, hisspeed, whether on the water or in the air, would give him at least agood chance of escape.
He sent for his comprador.
"I'm going up to Meichow, Sing Wen," he said. "You'll be in chargeduring my absence. If any one inquires for me, tell nothing."
"Hai galaw! No can do!" cried the astonished Chinaman. "Fly boateevelly good: no can get inside plison; China fellas look-see Yinkelis[#]man; makee plenty bobbely, catchee all-same."
[#] English.
"Could you make me look like a Chinaman?"
"Plaps can do," said the comprador, doubtfully. "Yinkelis man no cantalkee Chinee all-same; he no smart inside."
"That's true. I wish I could talk Chinese like Reinhardt. But lookhere: why shouldn't I go as a German? Mr. Errington's firm is German;and if there is any hanky-panky between the Germans and the rebels Ishall be all right in Meichow; at any rate I can bluff it out."
"My no aglee all same."
"I don't want you to agree; you've nothing to do with it."
"Supposey you catchee tlouble, what my tellum boss Shanghai side? Hesay my no do plopa pidgin let you go wailo."
"I'll leave a note saying that I went against your advice, so that incase anything happens to me my father won't hold you responsible. Youneedn't say any more: it's fixed. You must make me look as much like aGerman as you can; darken my eyebrows, crop my hair. I can't grow amoustache, worse luck."
Feeling that an awkward situation might arise if he made any change inhis appearance at Sui-Fu, he decided to run up to the creek belowPa-tang, and do on board the boat what little was possible to disguisehimself. He set off when the Europeans were taking their midday meal,accompanied by Sing Wen, who would leave him at Pa-tang, and by Chin Taiand Lo San, the latter because he had already visited Meichow, and knewsomething of the conditions there.
Very reluctantly the comprador proceeded to carry out his master'sinstructions. An hour's work with burnt cork and scissors changed theEnglishman's appearance passably to that of a young German.
While Sing Wen was putting the finishing touches to his work, Burroughssaw Reinhardt's launch pass the mouth of the creek in the direction ofPa-tang.
"Not after me?" he said. "He's probably going for his smoke; don't youthink so?"
"Yes, sah: Massa Leinhadt velly fond smokee."
"Well, I only wish I had his moustache. I'd give a hundred dollars downfor one like it."
He felt that all that was wanted to complete his transformation was athick moustache like the one that Reinhardt brushed and tended with suchaffectionate care.
"It's a pity he has come, though," he went on. "I mustn't start beforedark, in case he sees the boat, or hears it. And I ought to keep thatopium fellow's mouth shut. Sing Wen, you'd better go and tell yourdisreputable relative that it'll pay him to say nothing about me."
"Velly good, sah," said the comprador. "Hai! My fo'get one ting. Nohab got no chow-chow.[#]"
[#] Food.
"Well, bring some back with you. Make your brother's brother-in-lawunderstand clearly."
The comprador went ashore. He was absent much longer than Burroughsanticipated. When he at length returned, his usually inexpressive facewore a look of smug satisfaction hardly to be accounted for by hispurchases of food.
"What a time you have been!" said Burroughs. "Have you made it allright with your brother's brother-in-law?"
"Yes, sah, allo lightee," replied the man, with a gleam of suppressedamusement.
He laid his bundles in the boat, then approached his master, fumbled inthe little bag he wore at his waist, and drew from it a small packetdone up in rice paper, which he handed to Burroughs.
"Allo lightee, sah," he repeated.
Burroughs opened the packet with a mild curiosity, and started. Therelay a thick brown moustache, brushed up and waxed at each end, andneatly attached to a strip of light flexible gauze.
"Where on earth did you get this?" he asked, fingering the stiff hair.
"Pa-tang, sah. My catchee he fo' hundled dolla."
"I hadn't any idea you could buy such things here. Where did you buyit?"
The comprador smiled an enigmatical smile.
"My makee allo plopa Toitsche,[#]" he said, and, taking from his pouch asmall bottle of gum, he proceeded to fix the moustache upon his master'supper lip. When this was done to his satisfaction, he produced a smallcracked mirror which he had obtained in the town, and held it beforeBurroughs' face.
[#] German.
"By George! It's almost exactly like Reinhardt's," he said; "a shadedarker, perhaps. It's the very thing, Sing Wen; you shall have themoney when I get back. I could almost venture to start now, but Isuppose I had better wait until night."
There being three or four hours to spare, he decided to employ part ofthe time in thoroughly overhauling the engine. His Chinese engineer wassupposed to have seen that everything was in order, but Burroughs alwaysexamined things for himself, and had only omitted to do so in the hurryof starting. The engineer had been left behind as an unnecessaryencumbrance. All the parts had been well cleaned; there was plenty ofpetrol; but Burroughs saw to his annoyance that the lubricating oil waslow. Luckily there was still time to supply the deficiency. He sentChin Tai into the town to buy some castor oil, warning him not to talk,and to be very careful not to bring any one upon his track.
It was nearly dark before the man returned. Then he ran up in greatexcitement.
"My hab catchee plenty muchee fun, sah," he said breathlessly. "My golongside opium houso. Hai! boss he come outside chop-chop; bang! Knockmy velly hard, makee my spill plenty oil. Whitey man he come bust 'longafter boss, catchee he, catchee pigtail, whack, whack, velly hard. Hesay all time: 'What fo' you steal my moustachee? What fo' you pieceedevil steal my moustachee?' Boss he makee plenty bobbely; he callp'liceman; two piecee p'liceman he come, catchee boss, catchee whiteyman all same, makee he belongey chop-chop inside yamen. My belongeyinside too--What fo' you pinch my?" he cried, suddenly turning on thecomprador, who had sidled up to him.
REINHARDT AVENGES HIS LOSS]
"You talkee plenty too muchee all same," said Sing Wen, indignantly."Massa no wantchee listen foolo talkee."
"Let him alone," said Burroughs. "Go on, Chin Tai."
"My go inside yamen," the boy continued, while the comprador sidledaway, gained the gangway unobserved, and presently slipped ashore."Plenty men inside. White man he say he go sleep inside houso littletime, wake up, no can find moustachee. He velly angly; he say mandalinmakee opium boss smart. Mandalin say boss muss find moustachee. Bosssay no can do. He say: 'Hon'ble fan-kwei[#] he belongey plenty bigmoustachee what time he come inside houso; no belongey what time he gowailo. Two piecee man inside all same; he look-see fan-kwei sleep; mylook-see other side; hai! he shave moustachee, fan-kwei no savvy allsame. My no savvy nuffin."
[#] Foreign devil.
"Mandalin he say, 'You plenty bad fella: you pay hundled dolla.' Bosshe cly he velly poor man; mandalin say he catchee plenty big stick: bosshe pay all same. Massa Leinhadt----"
"Sing Wen!" called Burroughs.
But the comprador had disappeared.
Burroughs was at once amused and concerned at the story. He couldhardly return the moustache; he guessed that Reinhardt would hardly bepleased if he did. The trick was one of which he would not havebelieved his staid comprador capable; bu
t he could only admire thedexterity with which the stolen moustache had been mounted by someingenious Chinese barber. He felt rather sorry for the brother'sbrother-in-law, who had had to disgorge the hundred dollars he hadearned at the expense of Reinhardt's future patronage. Considering thematter seriously, he felt that he had better use the ornament that somaterially improved his disguise. Perhaps he might regard it as aset-off against the loan of the hydroplane. And Reinhardt could notexpect much sympathy after his callous refusal to aid the man whom hehad helped to ruin.
The rage into which Reinhardt had been thrown by the loss of hischerished moustache made it the more necessary not to start up the riveruntil late. Burroughs filled the interval by carefully coaching the twoservants in the parts they were to play. The story he concocted didsome credit to his ingenuity. He was the younger brother of Reinhardt,and had just come from Kiauchou to find his brother, and hand over tohim the hydroplane and a sum of money, to be placed at the service of SuFing, of course secretly. Having missed his brother somewhere on theriver, he had pushed on rather than wait and delay the gifts of hisgovernment. In order to relieve the German authorities from thesuspicion of acting in concert with the rebels, Burroughs would suggestthat these latter should arrest him, and place him in the same prison asthe Englishman whom they had already captured. By meting out the sametreatment to a supposed German, they would certainly avert suspicion.Naturally the imprisonment would be only a pretence: he must be allowedfreedom to come and go; but the pretence must be kept up with areasonable show of determination.
Such was the story with which Burroughs primed Chin Tai and Lo San. Hewarned them that difficulties might arise; he could not foresee eventsat Meichow; but they must employ all their wits to support the fiction,and above all things they were to remember that he was Lieutenant EitelReinhardt of the German gunboat _Kaiser Wilhelm_, which, as Burroughswas aware, was then in Chinese waters.
"And there's one thing more," he said sternly in conclusion. "If youtwo boys squabble, I shall first knock your heads together, and then putyou ashore and leave you. Mr. Errington's life may depend on us; whenwe know that he is safe you can black each other's eyes if you like, solong as you don't make a row."
The Chinamen both protested that they loved each other like brothers,scowling all the time.
Having purchased the silence of the inn-keeper, Burroughs borrowed asampan from him; and as soon as darkness fell over the river, the twoservants towed the hydroplane down the creek and for some distance upstream. Reinhardt's launch still lay off the town: the German wasapparently spending the night on board. Burroughs guessed that he wouldshrink from facing his friends in Sui-Fu and the ordeal of theirinterrogations. But of course the story of the moustache would be allover the district in a day or two, and Burroughs was somewhat anxiouslest it should penetrate to Meichow, and give rise to suspicion.
The hydroplane was thus towed up until the port had been left somedistance behind. Then, when there was no danger of the throb of theengine being heard and provoking awkward inquiries, the sampan washoisted on board, the engine was started, and the light craft skimmed upthe river at the rate of twenty-five knots against the current.
The Flying Boat: A Story of Adventure and Misadventure Page 12