Adventure Magazine Cover — page 28: what you’re looking at

Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.

18 in the corner where she sat; and her color and features were of the almost Caucasian type that belongs to certain of the Manchu aristocracy—the descendants of the steel- capped men of the north who ruled China in person for hundreds of years, and who rule it, by the dead hand of tradition, to- day, republic though it is. The hand which clasped mine was slen- der and short-nailed; her feet, one of which peeped from under the edge of her skirt, unbound. As the match burned my fingers and went out, I realized that though pure Chinese, she must have been educated out- side of the old régime—probably in one of the convent schools for the daughters of wealthy merchants. And then Burns broke in again with his bellowing whisper. ‘‘Any one there?” he asked. “Yes,” I told him, dazedly. -“Then I’m coming through,” he said, driving his boot viciously against the sides of the opening. “Show us a light.” The new match flared up just as his as- tounded eyes reached a position from which they could see May-sing and myself holding hands across a green-slimed puddle, and looking at each other. He grunted and groaned as he came through the enlarged opening—we had to separate to let him in— and stood leaning against the wooden wall looking down at us. The match went out and his voice came down through the darkness. “You’re a swift worker, all right, Bill,” he remarked. “But don’t you think we’d bet- ter be getting down to business? Does your friend speak English?” “Ves,” I told him. 3 He slid into a squatting position beside me. ; “T don’t know your name—”’ he began. ““May-sing,”’ said the small voice, ‘“‘daugh- ter of Hop-see-Long.”’ ‘Thanks,’ said Burns, in an embarrassed tone. “I’m Harry Burns, second officer of the steamship Khan-Do, and this is Mr. Carter, third officer. It’s pretty abrupt, and all that, but we seem all to be in the same boat. Do you know where we are?” ‘‘We are in the dungeon near the secret passage—under the city walls,” said the - small voice. As unobtrusively as possible I moved over until I could reach out once more for the little hand. It closed again on mine with a reassuring touch. Adventure ‘“‘What secret passage?” asked Burns. ‘“‘The passage that leads into the city from the ruins of the palace of Kien-lung,”’ said May-sing, ‘‘the passage where the traitor Campbell led the emperor’s troops to take Nanking, long ago.” “Campbell?” I cried. ‘TI thought he was the treasurer of the Tae-pings when they oc- cupied Nanking?”’ ‘‘He was—and only he and my _ grand- father, Hung-sew-Tseuen, the leader, knew of this passage. But Campbell let in the troops of the emperor, so that he could steai the gold of the treasury. Now the passage is bricked up, and only the Te-ping Tong know that there is a way inton. It is very sad.” ‘“‘Then we are in the hands of the Tae- pings,” said Burns, heavily, ‘“‘and buried under the city walls.” “Whyfor?” asked May-sing. . Burns merely groaned. I drew breath to explain as much as was possible of our cir- cumstances, but I found that my moral courage wasn’t up to the task of telling this girl—evidently a co-hater with me of that grinning yellow devil in San Francisco, that I was an emissary of the traitor, caught in the attempt to get him back his loot. ‘‘Why are you here?” I countered. Her self-control, in that hellish place, was wonderful, but at the question, I felt her shudder. “My father,” she said, “is only son of Hung-sew-Tseuen, an’ therefore head of Tae-ping Tong; but for five years, since re- public come, he live in hills and lead Tong no more. Tong was to put Christian em- peror on throne instead of heathen, but my father he say republic better than both. Now, since he is away, a bad man—half white man—come and gather Tong around him—try make himself leader.” She choked on a little sob. “That’s our friend, Carter,’’ snapped Burns. ‘But how does this bring you here, little lady?” ‘“‘They send to my father, won’t he please » come speak with Tong again—they have great meeting tonight. He come down - river in his ship, yesterday, and bring me for see Nanking.” Here she actually did break down. The horror of the place and of her situation at last proved too much for her; and sinking her head on my shoulder she burst into tears. GOMIIGoOO S (©