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Roy Glashan's Library
Non sibi sed omnibus
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RGL e-Book Cover
Based on an image created with Microsoft Bing software
AT the end of the seventeenth century there dwelt in Ningting—within an arrow's flight of the spot where the Great Wall sweeps up towards Lingchow—one Chung, a sardonic and very fat bandit chief who called himself Lord of the Hills and Bringer of Swift and Sudden Death, whose spears ravaged the countryside.
He was of the weight of 30 stone and the expanse of his stomach awed all beholders. His rat-tailed moustachios dressed with olive oil and the perfume of musk trailed down to the ground.
This Chung desired, above all things, to be the most ferocious—and richest—bandit in all China.
He desired also to capture and to put to death his hated rival Tok-Hi, whose spears swept the country on the other side of the Valley of Stones, and whose son Ling-Tok, a deadly archer, took pleasure in shooting arrows through Chung's outpost sentries.
On a summer's evening, gasping a little from heat and because of a large meal of hot spiced dog's fat and sweet herbs, Chung sat beneath a silk canopy. Towards him, came his daughter, Twinkling Emerald, whose beauty made men catch their breath.
"Oh lord of the stars, esteemed parent of this most grateful child, hear the prayer of your entirely unworthy daughter," she said.
"Speak on, my daughter," replied Chung, wheezing a little, "remembering always that the moderate demand of the obedient child is as the burble of fresh, flowing water to the thirsty parent."
The eyes of Twinkling Emerald were cast down upon the ground.
"Celestial parent," she murmured, "let my presumption be forgiven by my angelic father. But my heart is of lead. Each day I sigh for love and each night weep because I desire to be the wife of Ling-Tok, the son of Tok-Hi."
The wrath of Chung rumbled within him like a volcano.
"May yellow dogs defile the tombs of my ancestors," he wheezed. "May the sacred grave of my great-grandfather become the receptacle for bad fruit! Am I struck with the palsy or is this truly the voice of my daughter which I hear speaking words so bitter that my ears are turned sour?
"How does the hitherto obedient daughter dare to present such a petition to the formerly-too-yielding parent? What devil gives her courage to speak such words?"
"Oh, my father," said Twinkling Emerald. "Hear me. But yester eve I walked beyond the lily garden into the Valley of Pools. There in a hut lives a great sorcerer who hath but lately come hither. This seer, called Tsao, has a message from the spirits which says that you shall give a chain of rubies and that I shall be the wife of Ling-Tok whom I love."
Chung rose with difficulty.
"Go in peace, my daughter,'' he said. "Put out these evil thoughts from your mind. I will talk to this sorceror—this Tsao."
CHUNG stood outside the hut of Tsao, the sorcerer, with eight spearmen.
Against the far wall, in the half-darkness sat Tsao, whose bent form was covered with a dirty yellow robe, and whose eyes shone through great, black-glassed spectacles.
"Accursed relative of badly-disposed rock snakes," said Chung, "before consigning you to the hands of my well-trained torturers tell me what madness came upon you that you should advise my daughter, Twinkling Emerald, that I shall give you a chain of rubies and that she shall be the bride of Ling-Tok."
Tsao's voice was thin and old.
"Lord of the Earth," he piped. "Everything is not what that thing seems. Do I not know that your supremely beautiful daughter has, each evening, met and talked to Ling-Tok in the Valley of Stones?
"Therefore I sent her to you, knowing that you would come to me, and so that I could suggest to you that tomorrow when she goes to meet Ling-Tok, in the evening, six of your spearmen shall follow her and seize him, so that you may hold him for a great ransom."
Now Chung laughed so loudly that his stomach trembled.
"By the tomb of my great-uncle," he said. "This is good talk. For this I will give you the rubies."
When the shadows of the next evening fell Chung waited beneath his canopy. Soon, his eyes saw, toiling towards him, one of his spearmen clutching a wound.
"Father of the moon," wailed this man. "You are betrayed. We were surprised in ambush by thirty spearmen of Tok-Hi, your enemy. And they have taken your daughter."
Chung arose from his seat.
"Bring me hot irons," he rumbled. "And two yellow snakes in a sack. This sorcerer Tsao shall take three days to die.
With eight spearmen and four torturers, Chung stood outside the hut of Tsao.
"Come on, oh striped carrion dog," he roared. "Bring out the chain of rubies which I gave to you and pray for sweet death to release you from the exquisite and quite amazing tortures to which I shall now put you."
Tsao came out of the hut.
Then he threw off the dirty yellow robe and the black-glassed spectacles and Chung gazed in amazement, for before him stood Ling-Tok.
He was dressed in a robe of green silk and upon his left wrist was the chain of rubies. In his right hand was a jewelled dagger.
"Oh, father-in-law-to-be," he said. "Most gracious of men. "This plot was made by your daughter, Twinkling Emerald, and my unworthy self. It was I who sent word to my father Tok-Hi to capture your daughter and, in his yamen, at this moment, she speaks the same words to him as I speak to you.
"He cannot demand a ransom for her because I am here your prisoner. You cannot demand a ransom for me because he holds her.
"There, lord of the stars, send word to my father Tok-Hi. Tell him that to-morrow evening you will send me with an escort of six spearmen to the Valley of Stones.
"Tell him also that you will send with me a helmet filled with precious stones as ransom for your daughter.
"Tell him to send to meet us, Twinkling Emerald, with a like escort and a helmet filled with jewels as a ransom for me.
"Then with the jewels as dowry Twinkling Emerald and my unworthy self will, accompanied by the twelve spearmen, journey to the hills above Yulin, where, blessed—we hope—by our respective father's prayers, I propose to set up for myself—as a bandit chief.
"But, esteemed parent-in-law, if you do not agree to this then will I drive this dagger into my heart, and Twinking Emerald—who hath a dagger in her sleeve will do the same, after which neither you nor my own honourable father will ever again have face, for your names will be a laughing stock in every bazaar in China, and yellow dogs will yawn when they set eyes upon you both."
ON the next evening Chung sat beneath his canopy of purple
silk and laughed until his great stomach trembled. And away on
the rocky road towards Yulin rode Ling-Tok with his arm about
Twinkling Emerald. Behind them, carrying two helmets filled with
jewels were twelve spearmen. And Ling-Tok sang a song of love and
of the devotion of unworthy children to their honourable
parents.
Roy Glashan's Library
Non sibi sed omnibus
Go to Home Page
This work is out of copyright in countries with a copyright
period of 70 years or less, after the year of the author's death.
If it is under copyright in your country of residence,
do not download or redistribute this file.
Original content added by RGL (e.g., introductions, notes,
RGL covers) is proprietary and protected by copyright.