The Mystery of the Fire Dragon

by Carolyn G. Keene

  Mr. Soong said it probably would be hours before there would be any police report on the suspicious farmer and the man who had taken away the heavy boxes.

  When Nancy told this to Ned, he said, “In the meantime, how about our having some fun? We’ll do a little sight-seeing with Bess and George and your father.”

  “I’d love it.” Nancy twinkled. “Is it some place special?”

  Ned nodded. “I thought we’d take in the Chinese opera for a while, then go on to eat at a houseboat restaurant out near the little village of Aberdeen. You will be amazed at that place,” he added. “I shan’t tell you any more about it.”

  Nancy smiled. “You know the only way you could get me to stop working on one mystery is to intrigue me with another. Now I can’t wait to see Aberdeen.”

  Mr. Drew, Bess, and George had not returned, so Nancy and Ned left a note explaining their plan. Then the couple set off by ferry for Hong Kong to attend the Chinese opera.

  “It goes on for hours and hours,” Ned told his companion. “Whole families attend, even with their small babies. It is like an indoor picnic, so far as the audience goes.”

  Later, as they entered the very large ornate theater, Nancy knew what Ned meant. Small children and adults were moving up and down the aisles. Food vendors seemed to be everywhere and many people were eating picnic suppers. Infants lay asleep in a mother’s or grandmother’s arms, while the older people and the teen-age group tried to concentrate on the show.

  In contrast to the plain dress and noisiness of the audience, the production was most dignified and elaborate. Nancy stared in fascination at the exquisitely embroidered silk and satin costumes and the lofty headdresses worn by the players.

  Each actor moved about the stage slowly and a bit woodenly. But there was grace and charm to the performance.

  “It seems to me,” Nancy whispered to Ned, “that the audience isn’t paying too much attention. Why?”

  Ned explained that the Chinese like to see the same plays over and over. Many of them practically knew the scores by heart.

  “Even though they don’t keep their eyes on the stage every minute, and can even converse or move about, they still know everything that is going on,” Ned told her.

  Half an hour later, he said, “Let’s go now.”

  It was growing dark as Ned hailed a taxi to take them to Aberdeen. “It’s the oldest village of the fishermen of Hong Kong Island,” he explained. “Families live on the junks and even in the small sampans.”

  When they reached the water front of Aberdeen, Nancy stared in wonder. “Why, it’s almost a city of boats—of all sizes!” she cried.

  “Yes,” Ned said, adding that the residents jumped from craft to craft when they wanted to go ashore.

  “But they spend most of their time on the water,” he added. “The junks go out for deep-sea fishing, but the sampans stay around here. The women and children remain on them while the men are at work. The women are good oarsmen, and take their boats everywhere. Out there in the harbor are a floating church and a floating school.”

  “How fascinating!” Nancy exclaimed.

  “We’ll hire one of the sampans,” Ned said. “It’s the only way to reach the floating restaurant.” He pointed off in the distance where they could see a long boat brilliantly lighted.

  “There are several others, but I think we’ll go to the Sea Palace,” Ned added.

  Several women were already calling to the couple, offering to take them. Ned finally signaled a mother and daughter with whom he had ridden before. They smiled as Nancy and Ned stepped down into the sampan and walked into the arched open-front cabin at the rear.

  As they left the dock, Nancy was amazed at the strength of the two women propelling their boat. Both were short and very slight, probably weighing not more than ninety pounds. Yet they seemed to have muscles of steel as they stood so straight and rotated their heavy oars through the water.

  Upon reaching the Sea Palace, Nancy and Ned climbed a stairway to the deck. They walked around to the far side where a group of people were leaning over the rail and pointing below.

  “See those boats down there?” Ned asked.

  Nancy had never seen anything like them. They had compartments of water in which live fish and shellfish were swimming around.

  “You pick your dinner alive,” the young man said, laughing.

  Fishermen below were recommending the various native fish. Nancy sighed. “I wouldn’t know one fish from another,” she confessed. “I shall leave the entire dinner to your judgment, Ned.”

  “Good!” he said, and guided her inside the restaurant.

  The headwaiter told them there were no small tables left. “Do you mind sitting at a larger one?” he inquired. Ned said they would not, and they were escorted to one near a window.

  “First we’ll have bacon and cucumber soup,” Ned told the waiter. “Then some stewed shrimp.” He looked up at Nancy to see if she approved. When she nodded, he went on, “A little sweet-and-sour pork, beef fried in oyster sauce, bamboo shoots, rice, and almond tea.”

  Nancy laughed. “This sounds like a Chinese Thanksgiving dinner. I’m not sure I can eat so much.” Ned assured her that the portions would not be large.

  The couple finished the delectable soup and were busy with the stewed shrimp when Nancy happened to look toward the entrance door.

  “Ned!” she said tensely. “Here comes Mrs. Truesdale with a Chinese escort! He’s not Mr. Lung, though.”

  Ned turned to look. The headwaiter led the newcomers to a table some distance up the long room. Mrs. Truesdale did not notice Nancy and her companion.

  Ned suddenly grinned. “Mrs. Truesdale’s shadows are right behind her!”

  Nancy’s eyes widened. Bess and George, looking extremely weary, entered the room. As they began to follow Mrs. Truesdale, Nancy quickly got out of her chair and went after the girls.

  “You!” Bess exclaimed.

  “Come join us and enjoy yourselves for a while,” Nancy invited. “I can see you’ve really been on the job.”

  “Have we!” George laughed. “That Truesdale woman has nine lives when it comes to energy. We’ve been shopping everywhere with her today, and we decided to keep trailing her this evening.”

  The two girls dropped exhausted into seats at the table with Nancy and Ned. They had hardly had time to put napkins in their laps when a nice-looking Chinese man hurried up to them. He paused a moment to whisper to George:

  “I’ll take over. Get some rest.” He went on, and without waiting to be seated, pulled out a chair at the table next to Mrs. Truesdale. From this vantage point, the others knew, he could overhear every word of her conversation.

  “Who is he?” Ned asked George.

  “I don’t know, but he trailed us all afternoon.”

  Nancy said he must be one of the detectives whom Mr. Soong had retained to follow the girls. “If he isn’t, the real sleuth will doubtless be following him, so in any case I think you girls can relax.”

  “Thank goodness!” said Bess. “My feet hurt and I’m absolutely starved.”

  The others laughed. Then Ned repeated the menu he had ordered for himself and Nancy. “Would you girls like the same?”

  Bess and George agreed to try the exotic dishes. As Nancy and her friends ate the delicious meal, the group exchanged stories. George reported that Mrs. Truesdale had neither said nor done anything the least bit suspicious.

  Bess declared, “I don’t see how she can be connected with the mystery.”

  “Of course I have nothing to go on except what happened in Mr. Lung’s shop,” Nancy remarked.

  Bess and George were completely astounded to hear of Nancy’s capture, of her rescue, of her trip to Kam Tin with Ned, and of its results.

  “You had enough adventure today to do me for a lifetime,” Bess complained. “And this mystery is far from solved. Goodness only knows what’ll happen next.”

  Bess’s worries did not seem to affect her appetite a
nd she was able to eat every crumb of the food brought to her. George and Nancy declined dessert, but Bess and Ned ate custard pudding dotted with almonds.

  When they finished, George said to Nancy, “Do you think we should stay until Mrs. Truesdale leaves, so we can follow her?”

  “No,” Nancy replied. “I’m sure the police will trail her. We had all better get a good night’s sleep.”

  When they reached the hotel, Nancy found a message that she was to telephone Mr. Lee Soong as soon as she came in. Nancy called him at once. Mr. Soong said he had several things to report to the young sleuth.

  “First, the police were not able to locate the man who left the farmhouse with the heavy boxes. We think someone saw you and Mr. Nickerson leaving the place and warned him to disappear.

  “We did raid the farmhouse and found that the owner and his workmen have been beating gold objects of all kinds into small flat pieces. We believe that these have been smuggled out of the country inside various containers.”

  “Mah-jongg sets!” Nancy exclaimed.

  “Possibly,” Mr. Soong agreed. “Every one of the goldbeaters insisted he was innocent of any wrongdoing. They finally admitted they thought something illegal was being done with the gold, but did not know what.”

  Mr. Soong went on to say that a police guard had been placed at the farmhouse to seize any suspicious callers. “No one has come there yet,” he said, “but the police uncovered a great many gold objects, which probably were stolen from shops and homes and brought there to be beaten into small pieces.”

  The Chinese now changed the subject and invited Nancy and her friends to attend a big garden party to be given by a relative of his. “The party will be held tomorrow evening. Special fireworks will be displayed and I’m sure you will enjoy them. You have probably guessed that I am about to ask you to do a little detective work while there.”

  “I will be glad to,” said Nancy eagerly.

  Mr. Soong said that at his request his friend had invited several special guests. “They may or may not be involved in the mystery we are all trying to solve. You know two of them—Mrs. Truesdale and Mr. Lung.”

  Nancy could hear the ex-police chief give a sigh of hope. “Anyhow, it is just possible my twin brother’s wish will be realized during the party. But the police require the help of you and your friends. Will Miss George Fayne please come looking as much like my niece as possible?”

  “I am sure she will be happy to,” Nancy responded.

  “That is very fine,” Mr. Soong said. “I will meet you at the hotel as darkness falls.”

  Nancy would have liked to hear more, but Mr. Soong divulged nothing further. She thanked him for the invitation and accepted it with alacrity.

  CHAPTER XIX

  Symbolic Fireworks

  MR. DREW came in so late during the evening that Nancy did not see him until the following morning at breakfast. At her request the meal was served in the living room of their suite. After the waiter had left, the girls brought the lawyer up to date on the happenings of the day before.

  He looked at Nancy intently. “Thank goodness you’re safe, my dear. I suppose there is no use asking you to give up work on this case, now that it seems so near a solution.”

  Nancy smiled. “Of course you know the answer would be no.” Then she told him about the invitation to the party that evening and how Mr. Lee Soong hoped there would be another break in the mystery. “Will you be able to go with us?” she asked.

  The lawyer shook his head. “My assignment here has proved to be a tough one, and tonight I must confer with the disagreeing heirs. But I too hope to get a break in the case by tomorrow.”

  “I suppose there won’t be any detective work for us today, Nancy?” Ned asked.

  “I can’t think of any before tonight.” Nancy smiled.

  “Then let’s all do some sight-seeing. First thing I know,” the young man said ruefully, “your father and you will wind up your cases and fly back to New York without having seen half the interesting things around here.”

  George asked Ned what he had in mind. “You most certainly should take the tramway up Victoria Peak. Then we’ll drive out to Chung Chi College. I want you to meet some of the fellows. We’ll have lunch with them and then go to the international volleyball game between the United States and Japan against Free China and India.”

  “It sounds very exciting,” Nancy answered.

  Bess smiled, her dimples deep. She did not say what the others thought she was going to; that the date sounded entrancing. Instead, she asked, “Ned, I wish you could straighten me out on something. I’ve been so busy sleuthing since I reached this place, I haven’t figured out the political setup.”

  Ned laughed. “There are plenty of people who have lived here a long time and still don’t understand it,” he said. “But actually it is quite simple. The whole area is a British crown colony.

  “Hong Kong Island was ceded to the British when the Treaty of Nanking was signed in 1842. Then, in 1860, through the Convention of Peking, a tip of Kowloon Peninsula was added, as well as small Stonecutters’ Island.

  “In 1898 more land was added to the colony. It was leased for ninety-nine years and became known as the New Territories. It includes the rest of Kowloon Peninsula and the hundred and ninety-eight islands in adjacent waters.”

  “Thank you, Professor Nickerson.” Bess leaned back in her chair. “I’ll try to remember all that!”

  “One interesting thing I’ve learned,” said Ned, “is that the word Kowloon means ‘nine dragons.’ It is named for the range of hills behind the city. In fact, it separates the city from the New Territories.”

  George grinned. “We can’t get away from the dragons! Any more interesting stories?”

  Ned laughed. “After that crack, I’m not sure I should tell you. But here is one. Out in the harbor there is an island called Lantao. On it live barking deer.”

  The others broke into laughter and accused Ned of spoofing. But the young man insisted he was not. “If you’ll stay long enough, I’ll take you over there and you can hear them.”

  Later, the girls and Ned started their ride up Victoria Peak on the tramway. They found it an exciting experience. The cable car stopped at stations on various levels, to let local residents get on or alight.

  Streets stretched out in all directions on the steep mountainside, and houses nestled firmly among the rocks. The view from the top was magnificent and the girls could take in at a glance the enormous and bustling population on both land and water.

  When they descended to the foot of the peak, the sight-seers returned by ferry to the Peninsula Hotel and drove to Ned’s college. The girls were greatly impressed. All the buildings were new and stood on top of a hill. In a valley to one side were the very large athletic fields.

  When they pulled into the parking area, two young Chinese came to meet them. Ned introduced the handsome boys as friends of his. “Charlie Tsang, and this is Philip Ming.”

  The two young men bowed low, then said they had arranged to eat luncheon with them in a private dining room usually reserved for faculty members. During the meal there was a constant flow of amusing banter among the young people. The Chinese students spoke excellent English and seemed to understand American slang and humor.

  But finally the conversation took a serious turn when Charlie asked, “Ned, I do not wish to pry into your private affairs, but what have you been doing in Hong Kong recently?”

  Ned grinned. “Just look at my companions and see for yourself,” he said.

  “This is no joke,” Philip Ming spoke up. “Charlie and I were called from class to the president’s office yesterday afternoon. He told us two men had been here inquiring about you, Ned. They thought you should be ordered back to the college immediately because you were a menace in town.”

  The Americans were astonished. “A menace!” Nancy cried out. “What do they mean?”

  “I cannot imagine,” Charlie replied. “These same people also sa
id that Ned’s mixed up in a smuggling racket, and that he’s being misled by unscrupulous persons. However, the individuals do not want to prefer any charges against you, Ned, but requested that the president insist you be made to remain here at college and not go into town.”

  Ned and the girls were more astounded than ever. They now told the two Chinese young men a little about the case on which they had been working.

  Nancy expressed the opinion that the two visitors to the college were part of the smuggling ring. “Naturally they’d feel Ned is becoming a‘menace’ to them, and want him out of their way.”

  Ned suddenly laughed upon hearing this. “So I’m that important, am I?” he asked.

  “I’ll say you are!” George spoke up. “Nancy needs a bodyguard. In fact, I’d say she needs more than one.”

  At once Charlie and Philip offered to help. When Ned insisted he could do the job alone, the two boys turned to Bess and George. “Do you not need protection, too?” Charlie asked. “This evening perhaps? We would like to take you sight-seeing.”

  Both Bess and George said they thought it would be fun but that they had promised to meet Mr. Soong. “Could we make it tomorrow evening ?” George suggested.

  “Tomorrow evening it is,” Philip agreed and Charlie nodded.

  The young people next attended the volleyball game. They followed the contest with increasing excitement as first one side, then the other, went ahead in score. In the end the United States and Japan won over Free China and India.

  As the visitors were ready to leave in Ned’s car, Bess declared, “This has been a lucky day!”

  “And we hope the luck will continue,” Philip Ming said as he and Charlie bowed.

  “Thank you.” Bess smiled. She was thinking, “Oh, I hope we will be lucky this evening and solve the mystery of Chi Che Soong!”

  When Ned dropped Nancy and her friends at the hotel, saying he would see them later, the girls went at once to one of the shops there to pick out a Chinese costume for George. As soon as dinner was over, they changed into their party clothes. Nancy and Bess helped George disguise herself as Chi Che.