Held by Chinese Brigands

ed shipping, the mass of junks and river-boats that thronged the entrance to the creek. Her prow cutting the water in a long, arrow-shaped, feathery wave, the launch gained the fairway of the main ri

duced his spectacles and, opening a book, settled himself to read. His nephew, with his co

were fixed upon the northern bank of the river, where the houses of the city were so close-packed that a man standin

chin, and a queue that was white and short and thin as a monkey's tail. He stood motionless, shading his eyes with the palm of a hand and looking out across the

ngrossed in his reading. Moreover, he observed Yung How, who slowly r

e on the western side of the Temple of the Gods. Here a coolie was standing, holding the bridle of a thick-necked, short-legged Mongolian pon

off like the wind, riding due north, leavin

uring which time Mr Waldron had inspected the Five-Story Pagoda, the Water Clock, the temples of the Five Genii and the

um den in the vicinity of the Mohammedan mosque--the opium den of Ah Wu. Thither

Thomas Armitage. "Master," said

n China. He knew that Chinese servants alwa

day's leave, Yun

away to-night, after dinner-tim

man leave. Yung How was sadly addicted to opium; in Hong-Kong he often appeared in the morning with the pupils of his eyes no bigger than pinhead

g How," said he

n a majestic manner from the dining-room of the Sham

majority of whom were of the coolie class and wore little or no clothes. The shops and booths were ablaze. Everyone was shouting at once, swearing, wrangling, bargaining till they were hoarse

f-naked, gesticulating coolies, and thrusting children aside, he came presently upon a great sow, sleeping in the middle of the street. Since there was no roo

opeans call "West Street," he entered a dark thoroughfare, a blind alley, at th

lked straight in and found hi

, fat man, with a round, smiling, cherubic countenance--except that there was nothing c

o Canton! Ah Wu bids you welcome. If he eats rice under the roof-tree of Ah Wu

of these things

ich man as Chinamen went, who paid for his nigh

to speak with you upon a matter which is private.

rubbed his hands together

kind of balcony. All around the walls, both upstairs and downstairs, were couches, and by the side of each couch was a small lacquer table. Upon every table was an opium pipe, a small bowl containing a substance that resem

il they frizzled in the heat. Some were lying flat upon their backs, with their arms folded behind their heads, staring with eyes wide op

nufacture burned upon a table. Ah Wu offered his guest a chair and seated himself on the opposite side of the table. He produced a matchbox from the sle

smoke?"

He snatched up the little skewer and div

h I have to tell you, Ah Wu, is of some importance. It may be very profita

cupboard, from which he produced his own opium pipe. Then he seated himself again at the table, and with their heads very close

sway over the whole of the Far East, from Shanghai to Bombay, they discussed in l

"do you ever see anything o

t smoker. He smokes opium by day and walks abroad by night. He will not show himself in

How--avoiding, after the manner

he will be led to his execution, to the Potter's Yard, where t

n has he?" a

ugged his

is always here. He is one of my oldest patrons." Ah Wu nodded his head towards t

her emotion, upon the features of his face. Yung How's countenance remained expressionless.

man is this Men-

randfather. He wears a small grey be

ss the table and whi

am not sure which. I have not yet discovered their destination. They are rich me

ly, he rolled another opium pill a

ing to his feet. "I will fetch Men-C

s sleeping upon one of the couches. This was an old man with a small grey be

oduced to Yung How, and a Chinese introduction is a serious and ceremonious occasion. For the better part of five minutes the two men paid each other compliments, which were neither the tru

share of the plunder. They tried to estimate the illimitable wealth of Mr Hennessy K. Waldron. Perhaps Ah Wu had visions of retiring

-even whilst they were closeted together--had entered the opium den, who was without doubt the greatest villain in all the thirteen provin

He thrust aside the embroidered curtains so roughly that several of the wooden rings that secured them at the top were broken. Once insid

m beneath the stairs, and there found himself confronted by Men-Ching, whom he

rding the three men. Then he l

ox, Ah Wu--one of Cheong-Chau's paid assassins, and a smooth-faced Hong-Kong 'boy'! Vulgar men, all three, who breathe from their throats, a

e is incapable of expression. The case was overstated, for all three of them, the moment they set eyes upon this self-confident int

ow like those of a human skull. At the same time, he had enormous features: a great hooked nose; a square, massive chin; a mouth that almost reached to his ears when he grinned. He had coal-black eyebrows which met upon the bridge of his nose, and slanted slightly upwards. Upon his upper lip wa

ssing the rice

" roar

e with such force that the opium bowls jum

is a human affair and concerns me as much as you. Were it a question of divine

seized Yung How by the scruff of his neck

in his Hong-Kong jargon why he holds conference with one of Cheong-Chau's bandits, and one who has grown so

t gentleman's countenance. Indeed, he looked terribly frightened--but not more so than Ah Wu himself, who now came f

tly satisfied with the appearance of it, proceeded t

s, to dream. I smoke to fight, to

n vest of the finest Chifu silk. Around his waist was a belt, attached to which wa