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unless he has a troop of people about him, while to attempt to get at him in
his own town would only be to bring a mob of howling devils round our ears
and ruin the whole enterprise beyond redemption. I immediately placed myself
in communication with ChungYein, who fortunately was in Hankow at the time.
It was through his agency we discovered that the priestwho, as you know, has
resigned his office in the templewas in the act of setting out upon a long
journey.
Dr. Nikola Returns
Chapter VIII. How Prendergast Succeeded
61
"'As soon as I learned this I instructed ChungYein to endeavour to elicit the
route. He did so, and informed me that the man proposed travelling by way of
HangChu and FonChing to TsanChu, thence up the Grand
Canal by way of TsingHai to Tientsin, whence it was said he was going to make
his way on to Pekin. I
examined a chart of the country very carefully, and also conferred with Mr.
Williams and Mr. Eastover, who both agreed with me that any action which
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might be necessary should be contrived and carried out at
TsanChu, which, as you know, is a town a little below the point where the
canal, running to NansShing, joins the YunLiangHo river.
"'This settled, the next thing to be done was to endeavour to discover how
the abduction of the priest could be effected. To suit your purposes we saw
that it must be arranged in such a fashion that no scandal could possibly
ensue. He would have to be abducted in such a manner that his followers would
suppose he had left them of his own accord. But how to do this was a problem
very difficult to work out. The man is old and exceedingly suspicious. He has
a reputation for trusting nobody, and he invariably acts up to it. Unless,
therefore, we could invent some really plausible excuse he would be almost
impossible to catch, and foreseeing this I again called in ChungYein to my
assistance. At any cost, I told him, he must manage to get into the priest's
service, and once there to begin to ingratiate himself with his master to the
very best of his ability. The time was so short that we dared not wait to
cultivate an opportunity, but had to work in our chances, as they rose, to
suit ourselves.
"'At great risk ChungYein managed to get himself appointed a member of the
priest's travelling party. Once this was done his peculiar abilities soon
brought him under his master's notice, and that end having been achieved the
rest was easy.
"'Within three days of his arrival the household was broken up, and the
priest, with a numerous retinue, commenced his journey. By the time they had
travelled a hundred miles ChungYein was on very familiar terms with him; he
discovered many means of adding to the priest's comfort, and during the march
he was so assiduous in his attentions that his master began to place more and
more trust in him. When they reached
FonChing he was advanced to the post of secretary, and then the plot which I
had arranged was ready to be put into execution.
"'Little by little ChungYein dropped into his master's willing ears the news
of a fortune which he assured him might be obtained with very little risk.
The avaricious old man swallowed the bait only too readily, and when he had
digested the letters which the astute Chung read him from time to time, and
which were supposed to have been written by his cousin QuongTa, from TsanChu,
he was as good as caught.
"'After eight days of continuous travelling the company arrived at the
entrance to the canal. Eastovcr and I
had left Tientsin by this time, and had travelled post haste down to meet
them. Once they were fairly installed at the principal inn ChungYein came to
see me. He had arranged everything most carefully, it appeared, even to the
extent of having it circulated among his fellowservants that after leaving
TsanChu the high priest intended dispensing with their services and going on
alone. It now only remained for us to arrange a meeting with him, and to have
some means prepared whereby we might convey him across country, over the
forty odd miles that separated TsanChu from ChiKauHo, to where a junk was
already waiting to receive him While Eastover undertook the arrangement of
this part of the business I drew up the plan which was to give us possession
of the priest's person.
"'ChungYein was to represent to him that he was the unhappy possessor of a
cousin who was a noted robber. By virtue of his evil habits he had
accumulated great riches, but finding himself now likely to come within reach
of the fingertips of the law he was most anxious to purchase a friend who
would stand by him in case of evil happening.
Dr. Nikola Returns
Chapter VIII. How Prendergast Succeeded
62
"'The greedy old priest, intending to ask a large share of the plunder for
the favour accorded, consented to bestow his patronage upon the youth, and
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when he was brought to understand that his share of the transaction would
amount to something like six thousand taels, his anxiety to obtain possession
of the coin became more and more intense. He discussed the matter with
ChungYein times out of number, and finally it was decided that that night
they should proceed together to a certain house in the village, where he
should interview the culprit and also receive his share of the gains.
"'As soon as I was made conversant with what had been arranged I pushed
forward my plans, arranged with one of my own men to impersonate the cousin,
and by the time dusk had fallen had everything in readiness.
Relays of ponies were stationed at intervals along the road to the coast, and
the skipper of the junk only waited to have his passenger aboard to weigh
anchor and be off.
"'At eight o'clock, almost to the minute, the priest, disguised, and
accompanied by ChungYein, appeared at the door.
"'They were admitted by the counterfeit cousin, who conducted them forthwith
to the back of the house. Once in the room, negotiations were commenced, and
the priest lost no time in severely reprimanding the young man for the evil
life he had hitherto been leading. Then, that he might the better be able to
understand what a nefarious career it had been, he demanded a glimpse of the [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]