CHAPTER XIV.
A DANGEROUS DESCENT.
When Nicholas opened his eyes, he found Chow awake and on the look-outat the aperture by which he had entered the previous evening. He calledto him, but the boy's whole attention was evidently too much engaged forhim to reply. Surely, thought Nicholas, the enemy must be in closepursuit, and in an instant, he was upon his legs and by the side ofChow, who exclaimed, "The rascals have discovered our retreat, and weare lost after all!"
"Surely thy fears deceive thy eyeballs," said Nicholas; but, looking forhimself, he saw coming through the tombs in the direction of the pagoda,not only the soldier and the treacherous boatman, but the captain of thejunk.
"The rogues will arouse the bonzes at the monastery," said Chow.
"Truly the rats are not so senseless. They know we are unarmed, and hopeto take us without letting the bonzes share the reward; but let usascend, it is our only chance," said Nicholas, leading the way up asteep staircase to the next story; but, hearing voices beneath, headded, "Let us clamber to the top and lie quiet, when they may perhapsgive up the search." So they ascended the next staircase, but when theycame to the third story they were vexed to find the stairs fallen socompletely to ruin that they could proceed no higher. Fortune, however,favored them, for looking around they saw a ladder, which had probablybeen left by the bonze, whose business it was to exhibit the ancientruin for the convenience of visitors. To ascend was the work of aminute, but before they had reached the uppermost round of the ladderthey heard their pursuers enter the lower apartment, when, quickeningtheir movements, they soon reached the seventh story. Now, as like apyramid, the building diminished in bulk as it increased in height, thetop was so small that they could but just pass through the smallaperture into the little room, which, fortunately, was in such adilapidated state, that the roof near the central pole or spire, whichran up the interior from the base to the apex, and was surmounted by akind of large button, was nearly off.
Once in this room, they set about fortifying their position, by pullingup a few of the loose flooring-boards and throwing them over the wellhole by which they had entered. It was a happy thought, for as they werelaying the last board over the hole, they saw the soldier upon the firstround of the top ladder. In a moment they squatted down with their wholeweight upon the boards, and as the aperture was so small that but oneman could ever attempt to pass through at a time, they were secure.
For at least two hours they remained in that position, which provedsuch a formidable obstacle to the entrance of the man, that tired out,he determined to consult with his companions as to some other means ofdestroying the boys. Then, leaving Chow upon the boards watching througha hole for the man's next attempt to force their position, Nicholasascended through a hole in the crumbling roof, looked around for somefew minutes, then descending, said, "We will escape from the roof."
"Where are our wings, O, my master? for without them we shall becomevery small pieces of broken china by the time we reach the bottom," saidthe astonished Chow.
"In our garments," said Nicholas, taking off his robes and tearing theinner one into narrow slips, which being sufficient explanation forChow, he followed his master's example, and by plaiting them togetherthey managed to form a long rope with loops for hand holes at intervals.
The manufacture of this rope took them some hours, during which timethey expected every minute that the enemy would attempt to force theentrance with a great log of wood or bar iron; fortunately, however,little dreaming that there was the most remote possibility of escape forthe boys, the enemy had resolved to starve them into a surrender.
It was near dusk when they had completed their labor. Nothing could bebetter, for if they could escape now they would reach the town beforethe closing of the gates; therefore, resolving upon the attempt, theypulled aside one of the boards and listened again. Fortune was in theirfavor, for, by the conversation that was going on among the men, theyheard, that, tired of waiting, the soldier was gone in search of someheavy instrument that would force an entrance. Then Nicholas longed fora couple of big bamboos, that they might fight their way through them;not, however, being able to command the use of such weapons, theydetermined to make use of the rope the minute the men returned.
Having arrived at this determination, Nicholas reascended the roof andwatched until he saw the soldier coming toward the pagoda, carrying ahuge block of wood, when throwing the rope around the centre column orspire, so that they could pull it after them, leaving no trace of theirmeans of escape, he signaled to Chow to follow. He swung on to the rope,keeping both ends in his hands, and lowered himself on to the projectingcanopy or fringe of the second story, and by a swing of the body reachedthe terrace, where he waited for Chow, whose legs he guided in hisdescent, after which they pulled down the rope, and by performing thesame feat at each story, reached the ground at the portion of thebuilding opposite to the door, and as he had calculated, where therewere no openings by which they could be seen from within.
Once upon the ground, Chow gave a caper of joy, and proposed to scamperoff immediately. Nicholas, however, having effected the escape, like awise general, wished to protect his retreat from pursuit. To do this,they entered the lower apartment of the pagoda, which, as they hadexpected, they found empty; then ascending the next story, they couldsee the enemy above them in consultation. It was the story with theloose ladder. So removing their only means of descent, they carried itwith them some distance from the pagoda, and hastened toward the town,heartily rejoicing at the success of their scheme, and laughing merrilyat the plight of their pursuers, who, when found in the pagoda, would bepunished as thieves, or if they dared to explain the cause of theirpresence in the pagoda, would be severely bambooed for not informing thenearest mandarin of the escape of such an important prisoner as therunaway Christian.
As they reached the city just before the closing of the gates, theyfound so many persons hastening to their homes, that they passed throughwithout being noticed, and speedily procured a lodging at the nearestinn.
The War Tiger Page 16
