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Under the Chinese Dragon
A Tale of Mongolia
BY CAPTAIN F. S. BRERETON
Author of "The Hero of Panama" "Tom Stapleton, the Boy Scout" "The GreatAeroplane" "Indian and Scout" &c.
_ILLUSTRATED BY CHARLES M. SHELDON_
BLACKIE AND SON LIMITED LONDON GLASGOW AND BOMBAY
1912
"THE BRUTE SPRANG FULL AT DAVID"]
Contents
Chap. Page
I. EBENEZER SPEAKS HIS MIND 9
II. THE ROAD TO LONDON 28
III. WANTED A JOB 47
IV. A RESPONSIBLE POSITION 66
V. LONDON'S ALIEN CRIMINALS 84
VI. THE PROFESSOR MAKES A SUGGESTION 101
VII. AT SEA ON A CHINESE JUNK 121
VIII. IN A TIGHT CORNER 138
IX. A GAME OF LONG BOWLS 157
X. EBENEZER CLAYHILL'S INSPIRATION 176
XI. DAVID GOES ON A JOURNEY 194
XII. CHANG ANNOUNCES HIS ERRAND 211
XIII. IN A CHINESE PRISON 230
XIV. TSU-HI IS ASTONISHED 247
XV. DICK AND DAVID TURN THE TABLES 265
XVI. FREEDOM AGAIN 282
XVII. A CHAPTER OF ADVENTURES 299
XVIII. TERRORS OF THE MONGOLIAN DESERT 317
XIX. A FIGHT TO A FINISH 336
XX. THE SECRET OF THE RUINS 352
Illustrations
Page
"THE BRUTE SPRANG FULL AT DAVID" _Frontispiece_ 316
BURGLARS AT THE STORE 82
"A FLAME SUDDENLY ILLUMINATED THE 'TWEEN DECKS" 130
"A ROAR OF APPLAUSE GREETED THE FIFTH SHOT" 172
"IN A SECOND DAVID WAS ON HIM" 252
STORMING THE BARRICADE 346
UNDER THE CHINESE DRAGON
CHAPTER I
Ebenezer speaks his Mind
Mr. Ebenezer Clayhill was a man who impressed his personality upon one,so that those who had once obtained but a passing glimpse of him couldnot fail but recognise him, however long afterwards.
'Fust it's his nose what strikes yer,' had declared old Isaac Webster,when ensconced with his bosom friends of an evening down in the snugparlour of the 'Three Pigeons.' 'It's just the most almighty one as everI seed, and I've seed a power of noses, I have, Mr. Jarney.'
He sniffed and looked across at that individual, as if he challenged himto disprove the statement, or even to doubt it; for Jarney was across-grained fellow, an old weather-beaten boatman, into whosecomposition quite a considerable quantity of salt seemed to have beenabsorbed. The man was short in stature and in manner. There was anacidity about his voice which made him the reverse of popular, thoughwhen he held forth in the cosy parlour of the public-house there werefew who failed to listen; for Jarney had travelled. Unlike IsaacWebster, he had not been a stay-at-home all his days, but had seenthings and people which were strange for the most part to the oldcronies who gathered together of an evening. No one dare disputeJarney's statements, for to do so was to lay oneself open to a course ofscathing, biting sarcasm, in which Jarney excelled.
Isaac coughed, finding that Jarney had failed to answer. 'I've seed apower of noses, I have, Mr. Jarney,' he repeated in his most solemntones.
The boatman, comfortably quartered in a huge arm-chair in the centre ofthe circle about the blazing fire, twisted his eyes round till they werefixed on the speaker. He pulled the short clay which he was smoking outof his mouth with a hand bearing many a tar stain, and contemplated itwith much interest. His lips curled back in what was meant to be aderisive smile, then back went the pipe between his toothless gums.
'You've seed a sight of noses, you have, Mr. Webster,' he growled.'Well, so has we all. There's noses all round us most of the day. Icould yarn to yer about a nigger man 'way out in the Caroline Islandswho'd a nose that you couldn't pass in a day's walk, it war that big andattractive. But you was talkin' of this here Ebenezer Clayhill.'
'Him as ain't long come to these parts,' interposed another of the mengathered about the fire. 'Him as you're acting gardener to, Mr.Webster.'
'Or rather, him as has gone and married the lady as you've been gardenerto this three years past,' ventured a third. 'Mrs. Harbor that was; nowMrs. Ebenezer Clayhill.'
Webster nodded at the circle. It was true enough that he was gardener at'The Haven,' the house occupied by Mrs. Clayhill, and it was also trueenough that that lady had recently married; for but a few months beforeshe had been known as Mrs. Harbor. The folks at Effington, a littlefishing hamlet along the Hampshire coast, were sufficiently acquaintedwith the lady already; for in a small place there is not much news, andwhat there is quickly becomes common property. But Mr. Clayhill was arecent importation, of whom the villagers were as yet almost ignorant,so that Isaac Webster, who, naturally enough, had better opportunitiesof knowing him than the others at Effington, had been called upon togive his opinion on his new master.
'Well, as I was sayin', when I was interrupted,' Isaac began again,glaring across at the old salt lounging in his chair, 'I was sayin' thatthe fust thing you notice is his nose, it's that big and red. I'd swearto it in a court of law without a quiver. Then there's his eyes; ain'tthey sharp, just! For the rest of him, I don't know as there's much tosay. He seems a pleasant-spoken gentleman, though I ain't so sure as hedon't want already to cut down wages.'
The announcement, short as it was, provided food for conversation forthe rest of that evening, and we may be sure that Mr. Ebenezer was asfrankly and as completely discussed in the parlour of the 'ThreePigeons' as he had ever been in his life before. But we were saying thathe was a man who impressed his personality upon every one, and Isaacwas not by any means wrong when he stated that Ebenezer's nose was thechief characteristic. It arrested one's attention at the first instant,till one realised that further scrutiny would be a rudeness, andpromptly fixed one's gaze on some other part of his person. Elsewherethere was not much that was favourable; for the gentleman who had sorecently married Mrs. Harbor was some fifty years of age, and had adecidedly shifty air. His eyes were placed closer together than iscustomary, while his jowly cheeks, his pendulous eyelids, and the linesand seams about his face seemed all to accentuate the immediateimpression of distrust which he inspired. For the rest, he wasmoderately tall, stout and broad-shouldered, and very bald.
Three months after his marriage, when he had settled down at 'TheHaven,' Mr. Ebenezer Clayhill was engaged one day within his study. Themorning post had brought him a number of bulky documents, and these layspread out before him. One in particular seemed to occupy his attention,for he perused its contents for the third time at least, and satregarding the lines thoughtfully. Slowly, as he took in the meaning ofthe document, his fat hands came together and he rubbed them over oneanother, as if he wer
e particularly pleased. His small pig-like eyes litup ever so little, while the lines across forehead and face smoothedthemselves out a trifle.
'We have pleasure in informing you that this matter is now satisfactorily concluded,' he read, again beginning to go through the document. 'As we have advised you from time to time the question of Mr. Harbor's fate was one for the courts to deal with, and delay was inevitable. But we are now able to report that the Judge in chambers gave us leave to presume Mr. Harbor's death, on the evidence provided, and which, we may say, seemed to us to be absolutely conclusive. This being so, there is now no reason why Mrs. Harbor, as the executrix of the will of the late Mr. Harbor, should not at once proceed to obtain probate on it. For this purpose we shall hold ourselves at your disposal, and beg to remain.--Faithfully yours,
JONES & JONES,
_Solicitors_.
_P.S._--We are in error in saying that Mrs. Harbor as executrix, etc. Of course, it should have been Mrs. Ebenezer Clayhill. We beg to apologise.'
The reader may wonder why such a short and apparently unimportant lettershould occupy Mr. Ebenezer so greatly, and we hasten at once to supplythat necessary information which will enable him to understand matterscompletely. After all, with every fact before him, the reader can hardlyfail to comprehend Ebenezer's pleasure, for the letter before himpractically relieved him of all further worry as to the wants of thislife. A needy fellow till three months ago, Ebenezer, with thatcommunication before him, felt that he had no longer any need to scheme,no cause to lay crafty plans and carry them out with much guile andcunning; for his wife would benefit under the will mentioned, and withher, as a natural consequence, Ebenezer himself.
But still Mr. Clayhill was not quite satisfied in his own mind as tothis fortune upon which he could now almost put his hand; and for somethree hours he paced his study, occupying himself sometimes in alistless, harassed manner with the documents on the table, while heawaited the coming of a member of the firm of solicitors who had writtento him.
'Shan't feel quite sure till I've had a talk with this fellow,' he toldhimself, screwing his eyes up, while a deep line grooved his brow, whichadded not at all to his attractiveness. Indeed, at such moments Ebenezerlooked more like a malefactor than a peaceful country gentleman. 'Shan'tfeel comfortable or safe till I've had a chat, and not then till themoney is in the bank. Ah, there's David. A hulking big lout to be sure!Seems to me the time has arrived when he should do something for hisliving.'
The ugly frown was accentuated as Mr. Ebenezer looked out of his window.The latter faced the wide, gravelled drive of 'The Haven,' and gave anuninterrupted view down it as far as the gate, and beyond to the edge ofthe village. And following his gaze one saw a lad mounted on a finehorse, riding towards the house. He was some fifty yards distant, sothat a clear view of him was to be obtained, and though Ebenezer hadventured to term the youth hulking, there were few who would have agreedwith him; for David Harbor was slim, if anything, and, as well as it ispossible to judge of a youth when mounted, of a good height. One thingwas very certain; he sat his horse splendidly, as if accustomed to thesaddle, and though the animal was without doubt spirited, as he provednow that he was on the gravelled drive by curvetting and prancing, Davidmanaged him with hand and knee and voice as only an accomplishedhorseman can do. For the rest, the youth seemed to be some eighteenyears of age, was decidedly fair, and by no means ill-looking. Even asEbenezer regarded him with a scowl David wore a sunny smile, unconsciousof the unfriendly eyes that were scrutinising him. But a second later hecaught a view of Mr. Ebenezer, and at once the young face became seriousand thoughtful, while David returned the scrutiny with an honest glancethat caused the other to turn hastily away.
'A hulking lout is what I call him, and Sarah agrees,' mutteredEbenezer. 'That is a comfort. When I married her I had fears that thisstepson of hers might create trouble between us. But I was wrong; Sarahthinks as little of him as I do. We'll soon send him about his business;then there'll be no riding of fine horses, or idling the hours away if Iknow it. David shall work for his living, as I had to. He shall learnwhat it is to be pinched, and then, if he does not behave himself, he'llbe thrown completely on his own resources. What luck that old Harborleft things as he did!'
'Looks as if he'd like to eat me,' was the remark David made to himselfas he rode round to the stables. 'I've seen a row coming these past twoweeks since he and mother came back home. He doesn't like me any betterthan--but there, I'll not say it. Only I've a feeling that I'm notwanted here. I'm in the way; I'm expensive. My living costs money;that's what I'm being rapidly made to feel.'
He slid from his saddle, unbuckled the girths, and having placed it on awooden horse outside the harness room, led the beast into the stable.Within five minutes of his disappearance there a cab drove up to thedoor, and Mr. Edwin Jones, the solicitor, was announced. At once he wasushered into Mr. Ebenezer's room, and was presently seated in anarm-chair. From that point of vantage he surreptitiously scrutinised Mr.Ebenezer.
'Queer old boy,' he told himself. 'Lor', what a nose! And I don't likehis looks altogether. But then, he's a client; that's sufficient for me.Ahem!'
Mr. Ebenezer picked up the letter which had attracted so much of hisattention.
'I wanted to ask some questions,' he said. 'There is now, I presume, nofurther doubt as to this matter. Mrs. Clayhill is entitled to proceedwith the will left in your possession by Mr. Harbor?'
'Ahem! that is so,' admitted the solicitor. 'As mentioned in our letter,and carrying out your instructions, we applied to the courts, and thejudge before whom the matter came has gone into the evidence fully, andhas given leave to presume Mr. Harbor's death. That being so, the way isclear to prove the will and obtain probate. There can be no hitch,unless, of course, ahem!--unless another later will is forthcoming.'
'Quite so, quite so,' exclaimed Mr. Ebenezer, hurriedly, 'But there isno other will. Mr. Harbor left England three years ago for China. Youare aware that he was fond of unearthing old matters dealing withbuildings and _objets d'art_. He was attacked by Boxers and killed. Heexecuted this will two years previously, on his marriage to Mrs.Clayhill, and, undoubtedly, he saw no reason to alter it.'
'Of course not, of course not,' came from the solicitor. 'Only, there isthe son. This will leaves a small sum for his maintenance and schoolingup to the age of twenty-one. Afterwards he comes in for two thousandpounds. Not much, Mr. Clayhill, for an only child, when the estate is solarge, roughly eighty thousand pounds.'
The gentleman who was seated in the arm-chair coughed deprecatingly, andglanced swiftly across at Mr. Ebenezer. He did not like the ugly frownwhich showed on his client's face, as he surveyed him.
'Glad I'm not David,' he told himself. 'And from what I have learned Ican't help feeling that Mr. Harbor must have executed a later will. Butthere you are; it is not to be found. We have no information about it,while our late client is undoubtedly dead, killed out in China. It's badluck for David; I like the boy.'
'Perhaps,' he said, a moment later, 'you will obtain Mrs. Clayhill'ssignatures to these documents, when we can at once set about proving thewill. As I am nominated as co-executor with Mrs. Clayhill, I cancomplete them when I return to the office. I shall of course leave thepayment of David's allowance to Mrs. Clayhill.'
Mr. Ebenezer beamed when at length his visitor had gone. He rubbed hishands together craftily, and then blew his enormous nose violently.
'Well, Sarah, what do you think of that?' he asked, looking across atMrs. Clayhill, who had joined him in his room. 'The matter ispractically finished. The will is to be proved in the course of a fewweeks, and then we can settle down. There will be no questions to ask,and none to answer.'
'And so far as I am concerned, no answers forthcoming,' replied hiswife. 'After all, it is true that Edward wrote to me from China justbefore his death, saying that he was settling his affairs again, inother words that he was making a new will. But what is
the good ofmentioning that? If he did as he intimated, no new will has been found.Besides, I have reason to know that any alteration would not have beento my benefit. Edward had of late been a worry to me.'
At the back of her mind Mrs. Clayhill remembered how she had come tomarry Edward Harbor. He was then forty years of age, and possessed ofone boy, David. His wife had died some years before, and there was nodoubt that Edward in selecting his second wife had chosen one whom heimagined would willingly travel with him. But, after a year or more oflife in England, Mrs. Clayhill had resolutely refused to stir a foot outof the country. Edward, to his great sorrow, had to go alone, leavingDavid in his wife's charge. Moreover, there was little doubt but thatonce her husband was out of sight, Mrs. Clayhill had endeavoured toforget him, and that with some success, so that Edward received only themost fragmentary letters, with long intervals between. Taking all thecircumstances into consideration, it was but natural that Edward Harbor,smarting under the treatment meeted out to him by a wife, to whom at thetime of their marriage he had willed almost all his possessions, shouldhave made drastic alterations. Let us say at once that he had made a newwill, only the latter, owing to his untimely death, had never reachedthe hands of his solicitors. Nor was there any record of it in China.Mrs. Clayhill, it seemed, was the only one who knew that a change hadbeen made, and she had craftily not uttered a word on the subject. So ithappened that David was to be robbed of his father's possessions, whilehis stepmother, who had disliked the lad from the beginning, with Mr.Clayhill, the husband she had acquired after the death of Mr. Harbor,were to come in for all the money, knowing all the while that, thoughsuch a step was legal, it did not represent Edward Harbor's wishes.
'And the boy--what of him?' asked Mrs. Clayhill tartly.
Ebenezer grinned; matters were going splendidly for him. 'Oh, David,' hesaid. 'He's got to learn what it is to work; I'll send him up to a cityfirm. No more idling or riding blood horses for him, my dear.'
It was a heartless arrangement, and one is bound to admit, from theacquaintance we have already of Mr. Ebenezer, it was to be expected ofhim. As for Mrs. Clayhill, though boasting some attractions, she wasnot, as the reader will have guessed, a fascinating woman. Where Davidwas concerned she could be a dragon, and we are stating but the truthwhen we say that, for the past three years, the lad had been glad toreturn to school to escape from a home which was that only in name tohim.
'Ah, there he is,' suddenly exclaimed Mr. Ebenezer, as a heavy foot washeard in the hall, while, within a second, the door of the room wasflung unceremoniously open, and David entered.
'Helloo!' he cried, cheerily. 'I'm after a book. Disturbed you, eh?Sorry.'
He turned on his heel, and prepared to leave, for he could see that thetwo who were now responsible for him were discussing some matter.'Having another jaw,' he told himself. 'That's what they're always afternow-a-days. Something to do with money, I suppose. Or it's me; shouldn'twonder. They ain't over fond of David Harbor.'
It was not his fault that he did not speak or think more respectfully ofhis parents. After all, though only related to him by the accident ofmarriage, they were his lawful guardians, and had they been kind, Davidwould have been only too glad to behave as a son to them. Goodness knew,the lad sometimes ached for a happy home.
'David!' The word came in peremptory tones from Ebenezer. He perchedhimself in the centre of the hearth rug and blew his nose violently.Mrs. Clayhill sank languidly back in her chair, and regarded her stepsonas if he bored her greatly. 'Come back, David.'
'Well? What is it?' David swung into the room again, and stood holdingto the handle of the door.
'Shut the door. Now, I want to speak to you. You're eighteen?'
'No, seventeen and five months. They tell me I look eighteen.'
'Humph! In any case you're old enough to understand. You realise, ofcourse, that I cannot be responsible for your upkeep.'
David staggered. He knew very little of monetary matters, but had alwaysunderstood that his father was a rich man and had made ample provisionfor his family. 'I don't understand,' he replied.
'Let me put it plainly. Your father is dead; he has left a small sumwith which to defray your expenses. That must be sufficient; you mustnow fend for yourself.'
'But,' gasped David, hardly able to gather the drift of theconversation, 'he has left a great deal more than that for the upkeep ofthe family. I am one of the family.'
'True,' admitted Ebenezer, ruefully, 'you are one of the family, butthat does not give you leave to enjoy yourself and be idle. Your fatherspecified only a sum for your expenses. The remainder of his possessionsare left to your stepmother to do with as she likes. She does not intendthat you should stay here longer and have a good time. You are to workfor your living. You are to go to an office in London, where yoursuccess will depend on yourself entirely.'
'But--.' David was thunderstruck. He had no intention of idling. As amatter of fact he hoped soon to enter an engineering school, wherethere would be plenty of work for a keen young fellow. What staggeredhim most was Ebenezer's iciness and his statements with regard to thepossessions left by Edward Harbor. 'But,' he gasped again, 'there issurely some error. I don't count on money left me by father. I will workfor my living, and show that I can earn it the same as others. But hemade a will in China. He wrote to me about it. Everything was left tome, with a handsome allowance to mother.'
The words came as a shock to the two conspiring to do our hero out ofhis patrimony. Till that moment Mrs. Clayhill had imagined that she wasthe only person to whom Edward Harbor had written. But she forgot David,or put him out of her calculations because of his youth; whereas, as amatter of fact, Edward had been more than open with his son.
'It is no use mincing matters, boy,' he had written. 'Money is more orless useless to me, for I love the wilds, the parts forsaken by manthese many centuries. Still, I have, by the chance of birth, largepossessions to dispose of, and in the ordinary course they would go, ingreat part, to your stepmother. But you are old enough to understandmatters. We cannot agree. She will not bear exile even for a few months,for my sake, and, to make short work of an unpleasant matter, I fear Imust admit that I was mistaken in marrying her. As it is, I havereconsidered my affairs, and have recently remade my will. At the firstopportunity I shall hand it into safe keeping. But here it must resttill I go down country. Needless to say, I have arranged that myproperty shall descend to you, with certain payments for yourstepmother.'
'But--gracious me! Hear him!' cried Mrs. Clayhill, in a high falsetto.
'That is a lie,' declared Ebenezer, flatly, his eyes narrow, his browfurrowed, a particularly unpleasant look on his face. David flushed tothe roots of his hair. He had never been called a liar, save once, by aboy bigger than himself, and him he had soundly thrashed. He steppedforward a pace, while his eyes flashed. Then he pulled himself together,and closed his lips firmly. A second later he was holding to the handleof the door again.
'It is the truth,' he said, firmly. 'I have the letter to prove it. Hewrote telling me that he was sending the same information to mystepmother.'
This was a bomb in the heart of the enemy's camp with a vengeance. Mrs.Clayhill's face flushed furiously; she appeared to be on the verge of anattack of violent hysteria. Ebenezer, on the contrary, became as whiteas his own handkerchief. He glowered on David, and stuttered as heattempted to speak. It was, in fact, a very sordid affair altogether.
'David! How can you?' came from Mrs. Clayhill. 'I never had a letter.Your father made no change in his depositions.'
'In fact,' declared Ebenezer, bringing his hands together, andendeavouring to display an air of placidity, 'he left but one will, andthat in favour of your stepmother. His death has been presumed by thecourts, and now the will I speak of shall be administered. You are apauper, more or less. You are dependent on a small allowance, payable byus, and on your own wits. You will employ the latter from this moment. Ihave accepted a post for you in a shipping office. You will live inrooms in Londo
n, and your hours of work will extend from eight-thirty inthe morning to six at night. You begin immediately.'
To say that David was flabbergasted was to express his condition mildly.It had been his intention from an early age to become an engineer, andhis father had encouraged his ambition. Suddenly he suspected that thiswork in London was only a plot to get him out of the way, and that hisstepmother had received the letter of which he had spoken. It angeredhim to have his future ordered by a man almost a stranger to him, andone, moreover, who had taken no pains to hide his ill-feeling. Besides,David was proud and quick-tempered.
'I'll do nothing of the sort,' he exclaimed quickly.
'You disobey me, then?' demanded Ebenezer angrily.
'I decline to go into an office.'
'Then you leave the house to-morrow. Your allowance shall be paid to youregularly. You can fend for yourself.'
For a moment the two conspirators glared at David, while the latter heldto the door. Even now he was loth to think evil of his stepmother,though there had never been any affection between them; for Mrs.Clayhill was essentially a worldly woman. Had she not been so she couldnot have sat there and seen this youth cheated of rights which she knewwere his. She could not have allowed her second husband to proceed withthe proving of a will which she knew thoroughly well did not representher late husband's wishes. But she was a grasping woman, and had longsince determined to oust David. Also she had in Ebenezer a cold-heartedscoundrel who backed her up completely.
'You will do as you are ordered or forfeit everything,' she cried, inshrill tones, that were a little frightened.
'Which means that you are not wanted very particularly here, and hadbetter go,' added Ebenezer sourly. 'Take this post or leave it. It makeslittle difference to me; but idle and enjoy yourself here any longer,you shall not.'
David took in a deep breath; the situation was only beginning to dawnupon him. It was the climax that he had more than half expected, butwhich, boy-like, he had put out of mind. But here it was, naked andextremely sordid. He was not wanted; these people had no interest inEdward Harbor or in his son. In fact, that son stood in their way. Moneywas the cause of all the trouble. The two before him were conspiring torob him, David, of the possessions intended for him by his father.Straightway David formed a resolution.
'You wish me to leave,' he said, as quietly as he could. 'I will go atonce. You tell me that I am a pauper. Very well, I will work for myself;but I give you notice. I will search this matter out; it is not yetabsolutely proved that father was killed. He might have been made aprisoner; his death has only been presumed. But I will make sure of itone way or the other. I will hunt for that will of which he wrote to meand to my stepmother. And when I find him or it I will return; tillthen, remember that I ask no help from either of you. I will fend formyself.'
He turned on his heel, closing the door noiselessly after him. Promptlyhe went to his room, packed his few valuables and a spare suit in avalise, not forgetting underclothing. Then he crossed to the stables andemerged a few moments later with his bicycle. A somewhat scared coupleof conspirators watched him, as he pedalled down the drive and outthrough the gate.
'Pooh! Let him go. A good riddance!' blustered Ebenezer, blowing hisnose.
'I'm afraid of him; he was always like that,' exclaimed Mrs. Clayhilltearfully. 'David is a most determined boy; he will search this matterto the bottom.'
'Which happens to be particularly deep,' ventured her husband. 'Come,Sarah, threatened people live long. Before he is anywhere near China weshall have the will proved, and the money will be ours. We can afford tolaugh at the young idiot.'
They saw David swing out into the road and disappear past the village.From that moment for many a week, he was a dead letter to them. Butdistance did not help them. The fact that they were committing a wrongpreyed on the newly wedded couple. In the course of a little while thememory of David had become to Ebenezer and his wife even more tryingthan his actual presence. The proving of the will, the free use of themoney could not end the matter. Conscience spoke sternly and unceasinglyto Mr. and Mrs. Clayhill.
Under the Chinese Dragon: A Tale of Mongolia Page 1