CHAPTER TWELVE.
"I WISH YOU WERE A DOG."
While one of the soldiers teased and brutally ill-used the monkey, whichfought savagely with its aggressor, ending by getting hold of thespear-shaft with teeth and all four hands, and displaying an amount ofstrength that was wonderful in so small a creature, the other two lookedon and laughed till their comrade was tired and merely held on to hisspear. Then they condescended to turn their attention to their newprisoner, examining and giving him credit for the empty rice-pot; andafter a glance at the other pot, which was half-full of water, one ofthem, watching for an opportunity, threw its contents all over themonkey, with the result that the poor brute uttered a shriek, loosenedits hold of the spear-shaft, and contented itself with dodging thethrusts made at it by its aggressor.
He too now turned to Stan, and made a thrust at him with the spear-butt,and then stared with astonishment at the result.
For Stan's temper boiled over at once.
"You insolent hound!" he roared, striking the bamboo aside, as he sprangat the man. "How dare you!"
Stan's aspect was tragic, for, in spite of the disproportion between himand his enemy, the man started back, and the scene became a farce.
The great cowardly brute fell against one of his comrades, who respondedby giving him a heavy thrust which sent him against the third, whoraised his knee so suddenly that Stan's assailant cannoned off and fellheavily against the cage-like partition.
"Hergh!" he growled savagely as he began to gather himself up slowly,glowering at Stan the while and muttering threats. But the next minutehe uttered a yell and sprang to his feet, but only to fall back, withhis head giving a heavy, resounding rap against the bamboo uprights,where Stan saw that it was held tightly, while his big, round face,turned towards the spectators of his trouble, was wrinkled up intodistortions caused by fear and pain.
For the moment Stan was puzzled, and the more so at seeing the other twobegin roaring with laughter as their companion continued to yell forhelp, while they stamped about the prison, thumping the butts of theirspears upon the open floor.
"Why doesn't he get up?" thought Stan.
A strange, snarling, growling noise gave the explanation. It was justsuch a sound as would be given out by a hound worrying a fox, and now itwas that Stan grasped what had happened. For the enraged monkey hadseen its opportunity when its tormentor had fallen and the back of hishead struck the partition; it had darted its long, sinewy hand and armthrough, and snatched them back, drawing soldier's pigtail into the den.Then, with a snarl of triumph, a grab was made with the other hand andfeet, the steel-trap-like jaws closed upon the thickest part of theplait, and holding on with bulldog-like tenacity, and more than doublethat animal's strength, the fierce little creature growled and worriedand tore away till Stan's rage evaporated in something very much likeenjoyment of the victim's discomfiture.
"Well done, monkey!" he said to himself, and then waited to see thetermination of the encounter.
One thing was very evident, and that was the impossibility of the manfreeing himself, for at every struggle to draw the tail from the littleanimal's grasp, and any increase of the distance between the imprisonedhead and the bars, there was a fierce, worrying noise, and the monkeymade a bound back which drew the head against the bars with a heavythump, to the increase of the man's agony, as it forced from him freshyells for help and more laughter from his companions.
This went on and on, the sufferer running up and down a whole gamut ofappeals, cries that were doubtless Chinese oaths hurled at his friends,threats of what he would do to the monkey, and orders to Stan--at leastthey seemed to be, for he stared furiously at the lad as he shouted, andat last so piteously in the midst of a savage worrying, which sounded asif the monkey was beginning to tear at the sufferer's head, that Stan'scompassion was moved, and he went forward to try and get the man free.
But the others dashed at him at once, and holding their spearshorizontally, thrust him back, growling out what evidently meant "No,no, no!" and completely debarring the lad from giving any aid.
At last, not from good fellowship, but from growing tired of the sport,the two soldiers began to lend an ear to their comrade's appeals; andafter a little banter from one, and a few shouts from the other to themonkey, which seemed to Stan to be incitements to the animal to go onworrying, a word or two passed between them, resulting in one picking upthe water-pot, putting his spear in a corner, and stepping out into whatseemed to be a passage.
Seeing this, a wild idea crossed Stan's mind that now would be histime--that is, to seize the spear and make a dash for liberty.
But he made no attempt, for he felt that a better chance must come, andhe waited, to see the man step back directly with the heavy pot brimfull. This he bore towards the sufferer, who yelled at him savagely,words which Stan felt certain were a bullying, insulting order to makehaste, for he saw the Chinese Aquarius exchange a malicious grin withhis comrade, who stood leaning on his spear; and then the whole of thecontents of the pot were discharged full at the partition, but with somischievous an aim that the imprisoned head received a larger share thanthe monkey on the other side.
But the result was freedom.
Once more the monkey uttered a shriek at the unexpected bath, and dartedaway, while its victim scrambled up, feeling at his tail, which wasragged and torn frightfully about six inches or a foot from his head.
As the gallant warrior felt how terribly the noble appendage had beendamaged, he burst forth into a piteous howl, and then literallyblubbered with misery like a great, fat-headed booby of a boy.
"Oh, how-w!" he cried--"oh, how-w!" and once more his comrades stampedabout and thumped the floor with their spear-ends in the exuberance oftheir delight.
"I wish I thoroughly understood Chinese," said Stan to himself as, quiteforgetting his own troubles, he listened to the crying soldier's stringof reproach poured out upon his comrades, till, after wiping the waterfrom his head and clothes, and feeling his tail again from end to end,the pause he made over the gnawed and tattered portion was too much forhim.
Uttering a howl of rage, he dashed at his spear, seized it from where itleaned, made for the partition, and thrust the sharp point through.
The monkey took this for a challenge, and uttered a chattering yell ofdefiance, while Stan saw it advance bravely to meet the fresh assault.
This could only have had one result, but the poor beast found anunexpected ally in Stan, who stepped forward just in time.
The spear was half its length through the bars, and on a level with themonkey's broad breast, as the soldier made his thrust, one which musthave spitted the little, dwarfish creature through had not Stan made athrust at the same moment, diverting the man's aim. The result was thatthe spear met with no opposition, and the fierce energy with which thestroke at the monkey was made carried the soldier crash against thepartition and within reach of the animal's hands, which passed throughthe bars, caught him by the ears, and held on for a moment or two--notmore.
For the man threw himself back with a yell of dismay, escaped, and, nowmore enraged than ever, turned upon Stan with his spear.
It would have gone hard with the lad, for the soldier was furious, buthis comrades interfered with angry word and action, dragged the spearfrom him, and bundled him out of the place, before refilling thewater-pot and half-filling the other vessel with cold boiled rice.
While these proceedings were taking place Stan attacked the two soldiersverbally with the best Chinese he could command, assuring them that theyhad made a great mistake in arresting him, an Englishman, bidding themfind out what had become of Wing, and ordering them to go straight tothe merchant's house at the other side of the town to tell him of whathad happened, and then inform the mandarin of the city, so that thespeaker might be released at once.
All of this the prisoner emphasised with great volubility. The twosoldiers smiled and listened and nodded their heads, before going outand fastening the door after them, leaving poor
Stan with thedetermination upon him to wait patiently until the messages weredelivered, but all the time with his heart sinking and his common-sensetelling him that his present jailers had not grasped a word he said.
"Oh dear!" he cried bitterly; "they didn't understand a word. Oh, dear!why didn't the Doctor teach me Chinese instead of all that Latin andGreek? They would have understood me then; while now I'm perfectlyhelpless, the brutes treating me just as if I were some newly discoveredwild beast. Whatever shall I do?
"I know," thought the lad at last: "wait till it's dark. These bars areonly bamboo, and it will be strange if I can't get through as soon as Iset to work. And what then? Why, the river! I must be able to findsome boat or another. Pooh! I'm not going to despair.
"No," he added gloomily after a few moments' thought; "I can't go alone,and leave poor old Wing in the lurch. He wouldn't leave me, I know. Iwill make for the farm. Perhaps Wing is over there after all, and foraught I know he may be following me up, and is perhaps hunting for meeven now. There, I'm not going to be heart-sick and despairing. Ishall get away back to the _hong_ after all."
"Tchack!"
As Stan talked to himself he was gazing at the prison door, but thissound brought him round in the other direction, to see a pair of brightbrown eyes watching him, and the fierce Chinese mountain monkey with itslong, thin arm stretched through the bars.
"Hullo, savage!" cried Stan aloud. "I'd forgotten you. Nice game this,making me your companion. What do the contemptible brutes mean? Tosend us both to their wretched Zoological Gardens in Peking? I shouldlike to catch them at it! Well, you're not handsome, but, my word, youare a plucky little chap! Think of your tackling that great hulkingJohn Chinaman as you did! I say, though, it was nearly all over withyou with that spear."
"_Tchack_!" said the monkey coolly.
"Say Jack, if that's your name," said Stan, smiling.
"_Tchack_!"
"Oh, very well! Tchack! I say, though, who'd ever think that there wasso much strength in that skinny arm? What do you want? You can't behungry. Want to shake hands?"
"_Tchack_!" said the monkey quietly, and it strained out its fingers asfar as it could, while its fellow-prisoner could see that it wasclinging to the upright bar with the hand-like feet.
"Want to shake hands?" said Stan. "Now, I wonder whether monkeys havesense enough to know the difference between friends and enemies. Dogsdo, of course, but you look a risky one. I've no tail for you to grab,but you might get hold of me and give me an uncomfortable grip. Youmight drag my hand through and bite and tear it horribly. Perhaps,though, I'm as strong as you are, if it came to a tussle. Yet I don'tknow; you are wonderfully powerful for such a little chap."
"_Tchack_!"
"Does that mean shake hands? Well, I'm just in the humour to risk it.Perhaps you do know I'm friendly, after all, for you don't look sofierce as you did."
Stan took a step or two nearer, bringing himself so close that he hadonly to raise his hand to take that of the fierce-looking little animal;while it was now light enough for him to see every twitch and wrinklingof its restless forehead as its eyes searched his keenly. Then hewaited, occupying the time in calculating his chances.
"If I do let him grip my hand," he said to himself, "and he tries todrag it between the bars, I have only to plant a foot against the barsand hold back. He can't get at me to bite unless I let him drag my handright through, and I'm not going to be such a coward as to shrink. I'vebeen kind to the little brute, and fed him. All animals are ready to befriends with those who feed them, so here goes."
But here did not go, for another thought struck the lad, and he gaveutterance to it.
"What nonsense!" he said. "I'd better think of making my escape insteadof trying experiments with monkeys. I might give him a little more toeat, though. Perhaps that's what he wants after all."
Stan stood blinking his eyes at the monkey, and the monkey blinked itseyes at him.
"Hungry?" he said aloud.
"_Tchack_!" was the reply.
"Not much of a conversationalist for a fellow-prisoner," said Stan,laughing; and stooping quickly, he caught up the two chopsticks, dug aportion of the rice from the pot, and held it out. "Here you are," hesaid.
The twitching of the animal's face was wonderfully quick, and its eyestwinkled as it stared at its new companion, but for a few minutes itmade no offer to take the rice.
"Aren't you hungry?" cried Stan.
"_Tchack_!" was the reply, as the hand moved delicately, a couple offingers pinching off a few grains, which were raised to the animal'snostrils, snuffed at, and then crumbled so that they fell to the floor,while the hand remained outstretched.
"Not hungry? What does it mean, then--a trap?"
There was no reply, and after pitching back the chopsticks into the pot,Stan looked the animal full in the eyes, stood well on the alert, quiteready to plant his right foot against one of the bamboo bars, and thenvery slowly let his hand go down till it lay in the long, narrow,outstretched palm.
It was the crucial moment then, and hard work to keep from snatching itaway, for the long, thin fingers closed over it gently but tightly. Butthat was all. The animal breathed heavily--it sounded like a sigh--butthere was no sharp flashing of the keen brown eyes, only a softened lookas they blinked gently; and the fierce little beast just held on as ifit enjoyed having company and being talked to, for, perhaps oddlyenough, the satisfied feeling began to be mutual, and in what followedthe English lad seemed as if he were taking his fellow-prisoner into hisconfidence in an apologetic way.
"Seems stupid to make friends with a savage monkey," he said slowly; andas he spoke he began to softly manipulate the long, thin fingers. "Idon't see why. A fellow would not be long in taking up with a strangedog if he were locked up alone as I am. He'd be precious glad of thechance, and you seem ever so much more intelligent than a dog. Likethat?"
"That" was a gentle pressure of the hand; but there was no reply, soStan went on talking gently:
"I wish you were a dog, old chap--our dog, so that I could write a note,tie it to your collar, and send you off with it to the _hong_. As amonkey, you must have more gumption than a dog; but if I did tear a leafout of my pocket-book, write a message on it, and then tie it to yourneck, do you know what you'd do?--No, you don't.--Well, I'll tell you.You'd take it and pick it all into little pieces, and perhaps chew themup. That's about what you'd do; but I dare say I could teach you intime.
"Well," continued Stan after a short pause, "I don't believe you mean tobite. Let's see if I can't make you feel that you can trust me."
It was venturesome, and Stan half-expected to see the hand snatchedaway, for he did see the eyes open more widely and begin to flash; buthe went on with what he purposed doing, slowly and quietly raising hisleft hand, noticing that he was carefully watched, till it was justbeneath the one he held. Then he supported it with his left hand, andbegan to stroke it gently with his right, smoothing the long, hairyfingers; and as this went on there was another soft, long-drawn sigh,and the animal's eyes nearly closed.
"There!" said Stan suddenly; "that's lesson the first. Now I'm going tosee if there is a way out of this horrible dog-hole."
He released the hand, and walked quickly away along the front bars,peering through into the yard, but seeing nothing but blank wall, andthen crossed to the door, to stand listening.
But he had not been there many seconds before the monkey uttered anuneasy whine, bounded up the bars of the partition, sprang across tothose at right angles, bounded back again higher up, and then, withwonderful activity, lowered itself down, clung fast, and thrust a handthrough again.
"Oh, but I can't keep on with that game!" said Stan cheerily. "Here,I'll take hold again for a minute. Then I must sit down and think. No;I'll try if I can eat some of that horrible rice."
He went boldly up to the partition this time, and without hesitationtook hold of the monkey's hand, saw that it was supporting its
elf byclutching the bars with its feet, and the next moment two hands werethrust through, ready to be patted and held, a long-drawn sigh ofsatisfaction being uttered; and as Stan gazed in the intelligent browneyes, he was ready to declare that the animal smiled.
"Well, it hasn't taken long to get to be friends with you, old chap," hesaid. "There! that will do. I'm going to have my breakfast now."
Dropping the two hands, he stepped back to the two pots; and as soon ashis fellow-prisoner was released it began to bound about the great cagewith marvellous agility, snuffling, panting, and snorting, and ending byleaping at the partition, clutching the bars, and holding on, while itwatched in perfect silence as Stan took a hearty draught of the waterand then sat down with the rice-pot between his knees and began to eatthe tasteless, unsatisfactory mess.
A few minutes later, when the prisoner looked up, his wild companion inadversity was out of sight--but not out of hearing, for from somewhere,apparently at the top, a peculiar tearing and crackling sound began.Sometimes it was a mere gnawing such as might have been made by a rat;then there would be a pause, followed by a sharp crack as a piece ofcane was being ripped off. But Stan could see nothing, and coming tothe conclusion that the monkey was amusing itself by tearing at somepiece of board, he went on with his wretched breakfast, paying no heedtill a couple of loud cracks came in succession, followed by quickfootsteps and the unfastening of the door.
At the first sound of steps the noise ceased; and as the door was flungopen and a couple of soldiers stepped hurriedly in, the prisoner lookedup from his mess of rice to find that they were looking at himcuriously, then round the place, till, apparently satisfied by seeinghow peacefully their charge was employed, they drew back and shut thedoor, when silence once more reigned.
Stan Lynn: A Boy's Adventures in China Page 12
