Argosy All-Story Weekly, 4 February 1922 — page 108: what you’re looking at

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

418 strength as well as weakness, and adapting, not adopting, what is best for her own progress. “But we, a divided people, are bound with prejudice. In the interior the people resent Occidental influence. The peasants Tepresent the bulk of the population. Yet we are not barbarians. Our civilization was old when Britain went half-naked. Our trouble is that we live along the lines of age-old tradition. The liberty of the indi- vidual is yet unknown. Our governments have always been paternal, and must be until education awakens individual ambi- tion, and danger of absolute conquest arouses us to meet modern conditions. It will come; it is coming. But the leaven is scarce and the mass large and stolid. “T’ang Seng is of the old régime. He lives in his own little kingdom far up the Yangtze River, in the province of Sze- Chuen, not far from the borders of Tibet, in the manner of medieval times, despotic, all-powerful, his people serfs. He fiercely resents any movement that will strip him of his privileges and restrain the sources of his enormous wealth. About him rally those of his own class, and with them are the priests. They are interwoven with secret societies and their scope is wide and far. To T’ang Seng the Blood of Buddha means more than a ruby. In the hands of his party it would be a mighty symbol, a powerful fetish, strong as the lost Banner of Genghis Khan or the Coffin of Mo- hammed. “Its possession would cement his follow- ing and increase it, while depleting ours. That is why he has been so eager to obtain it, and how his plans were so ably laid, only to fail at the last. “ That is why we are so glad to aid you restore the stone to its owner. Our repub- lic is new, it is only .a toddling child, but it is in power. If we can discredit T’ang Seng, keeping from him this talisman, find- ing out something of his methods and his agents, perhaps achieving his punishment, we can thwart the power of his party, in- _ imical to the interests which we uphold and believe best for the development of China ARGOSY-ALLSTORY WEEKLY. - thas sent hef sons abroad and admitted for- - eigners, learning from them, weighing their before it falls too far behind in the race for a place in the sun.” I suppose I looked puzzled. I could see how they might, by helping me, keep T’ang Seng from getting hold of the ruby, now guarded by the Chinese hamadryad of Li Yuen’s willow tree, but I could not under- stand how he could be discredited so easily. Li Yuen went on patiently. “China must awaken now. The Chi- nese are brave, but their courage does not naturally find expression in war. The em- pire was organized for peace; our arts of war have been well-nigh forgotten; under our philosophy and ethics soldiers have become the most despised of all classes. We must obtain recognition in a pact. Germany, organized for war, has been crushed. America and her ally, Great Brit- ain, fighting for the downfall of offensive militarism, are and must be our _ best friends. Through them we must gain our national identity and preservation. Our present government knows this. Friend- ship with them will set us firmly in place to carry out our reforms. “The Zuleika was wrecked on the coast of North Borneo, owned by the British . North Borneo Company, a territory under British protection, in so far as its foreign relations are concerned. “Raymond Dean is an American. There is every reason to believe that T’ang Seng’s far-reaching plot to obtain the Blood of Buddha was furthered in Manila, an American city, by an agent of T’ang Seng. Both the British and the American govern- ments are likely to resent an act of piracy committed against a well-known American citizen on British territory and planned in America. Particularly since murder has accompanied the piracy. Especially if a strong appeal is made by Dean or his heirs. Our government will be forced to clear its skirts by the punishment of T’ang Seng. We need something of the sort to bolster up our Officials to such a decisive and neces- sary step. I propose to furnish the evi- dence that will convict T’ang Seng, at the same time aiding you to restore the ruby.” And En Sue, presenting that evidence, would be persona grata with the Reform government. I could see that clearly. My - cComichboo ‘S (ECO) >