Patrick O’Brian 3-Book Adventure Collection: The Road to Samarcand, The Golden Ocean, The Unknown Shore. Patrick O’Brian
have picked up in the Philippines, by the way – and by telling him that of all the military men I had ever met in China he was by far the most swollen guy. It gratified him very much.’
‘I’m sure it did, sir,’ said Derrick, taking his tea. ‘How did you get here, Li Han?’
‘During arbitrary arrest of worthy sage,’ said Li Han, bowing towards the Professor. ‘I imitated humble but cautious earthworm in nook, or cranny, of temple wall, and subsequently pursued brutal and licentious soldiery at discreet distance for more than twenty li. On perceiving honourable welcome accorded by Tu-chun when all was understood, ventured to insinuate self into tent and proclaim humble presence.’
Hsien Lu hurried into the tent; he was so moved that he could hardly complete the long drawn-out ceremonial greetings before he said, ‘Shun Chi has taken Ross and Sullivan. They were ambushed on the way to Liao-Meng. I must go and give orders. If you have any charms, Ayrton lao-yeh, use them now.’ He hurried away.
There was a profound silence.
‘What do you think will happen, sir?’ asked Derrick, at last.
‘I hesitate to think,’ replied the Professor, seriously. ‘This Shun Chi hates all foreigners, except for the Russian agitators who are egging him on to clear China of all Europeans and Americans. It is just possible that he will hold them to ransom, but …’ his voice tailed away uncertainly.
‘Will Hsien Lu be able to smash Shun Chi’s army?’
‘No. That is the worst aspect of the whole affair. Shun Chi has already driven Hsien Lu out of Liao-Meng. Formerly Hsien Lu could cope with him, but recently Shun Chi has received modern arms from the Russians, together with military advisers and experts in the use of the new weapons; whereas Hsien Lu has to rely on old-fashioned rifles and the usual Chinese tactics of wearing hideous masks in battle and letting off crackers. He cannot possibly face Shun Chi’s machine-guns. And now they say that Shun Chi has three tanks, and that he is advancing with them to bring matters to a decisive close.’
‘I suppose they took us for Russians when they captured us.’
‘Yes. That was why they were so unpleasant. Hsien Lu has captured one – he is going to cut off his head this afternoon.’
‘Couldn’t you beg him off?’
‘I doubt it. And after all, the man has asked for it. It seems to me a very wicked thing to bring modern arms into this part of the world to enable this rascal Shun Chi to slaughter anyone who opposes his ambitions. Before these Russians came the Tu-chun and the rebels were comparatively harmless: they more or less played at war, and very rarely killed anybody. The armies used to take the field with umbrellas and tea-pots, and they would stop the battle if it came on to rain. But now it is all different: there is really savage warfare breaking out, and thousands of innocent people are going to be murdered.’
‘Why do they do it?’
‘They have ends of their own to serve. I have a mind to question this prisoner: he might give us some useful information. If the Tu-chun will promise me his life I may be able to get something out of him. A man will do a lot for his life.’
‘But do you speak Russian, Professor?’
‘Yes, indeed. I studied for many years in St Petersburg before the revolution, and I have a White Russian colleague at the university with whom I always speak in that language. I dare say that I could pass for a Russian myself, if the need arose.’
After a short consultation with Hsien Lu they went to the tent where the prisoner lay. He was a tall, fair man, dressed in the Mongolian style, with high boots and a sheepskin jerkin. For a long while the Professor spoke to him, but the man only replied in monosyllables.
‘I shall have to try something else,’ said the Professor, leaving the tent. He walked up and down, thinking. Then he said, ‘We shall go back now. When I turn to you and say something that you do not understand, you must reply “Da, da.” Then a little later I will tell you to do something and you must say “Ochen chorosho, tovarich” and leave the tent. Repeat that several times, will you?’
When Derrick was word-perfect they went back to the tent. The Professor spoke in a low, urgent voice to the prisoner: the man seemed to come alive; he answered many times – long, whispered sentences that sounded like questions. The Professor appeared to be reassuring him; he turned to Derrick and said something, looking at him with hidden meaning. ‘Da, da,’ said Derrick. And then, a little later, the Professor turned to him and said something that sounded like an order. Derrick said, ‘Ochen chorosho, tovarich,’ and hurried out.
He had a long time to wait. He paced up and down until the sun was high up in the sky. At last the Professor came out, with a triumphant look on his face.
‘Is it all right?’ asked Derrick.
‘Hush, boy,’ whispered the Professor, leading him out of earshot. ‘Yes, I have got the information I wanted. But I am afraid I was obliged to resort to a most distasteful form of deception to get it. However, perhaps its importance will justify the deceit.’
‘What did you tell him, sir?’ asked Derrick.
‘I told him that I was a secret agent working on his side – that I had been sent to Hsien Lu to deceive and entrap him. At length, when it appeared that you too understood Russian he believed me, and he told me that he was the man who was entrusted with the care of the new consignment of machine-guns and bombs that had been sent to Shun Chi for his final attack on Hsien Lu. He was supposed to join the four other Russians in the rebels’ camp in order to supervise the operation of these weapons.’
‘Then without him they won’t be able to use them?’
‘No. I am afraid that is not the case. The other men know enough about these guns and bombs to manage without him. It is a very bad business, Derrick: the day after tomorrow Shun Chi will attack Hsien Lu. He has lorries and tanks, and with these he can bring up his forces more rapidly than the Tu-chun can retreat. And once he attacks, with these new mortar-bombs and the tanks, I think that it will be all up with Hsien Lu, and as for the fate of your uncle and Mr Ross …’ he stopped, and shook his head.
For a long while neither of them spoke. Then Derrick said, ‘I have an idea, sir. It may seem a feeble one, but it is an idea.’
‘Tell me. I have been racking my brains, but I can think of nothing that is not obviously foolish.’
‘Well, couldn’t you go and say that you are this Russian? You could take his papers, and you could manage the language all right.’
‘Yes, and then?’
‘Why, then you could throw a spanner in the works somehow.’
‘But how? That is the point. The first part would not be too difficult. Petrovitch – that is the prisoner – has never seen the other Russians who are with Shun Chi, and we are much the same size and build, though he is younger than I am. Yes, I think they might take me at my face value. But what could I do then?’ The Professor wiped his spectacles: he was deeply distressed.
‘Perhaps you could get Shun Chi to let you talk to Uncle Terry and Mr Ross. You could pretend to question them, and they might give you some better idea; they are very good that way.’
‘Yes, I am sure they are. Yes. That is undoubtedly the best course of action: at all events it is better than waiting here impotently doing nothing. I am obliged to you for the suggestion.’ He sat down with his head between his hands. ‘There are difficulties,’ he said, after some thought, ‘many of them. I hardly know one end of a machine-gun from another. And the same applies to a bomb. They have so far come so very little into my life, you see. In the last war they kept me at home all the time for liaison work in unusual languages, you see, and I never saw a shot fired. Dear me, this is a singular position for an elderly archaeologist. But, as you say, we must do something. And apart from anything else, I should like to hamper this fellow Shun Chi if it is at all possible. Hsien Lu is a very good fellow in his own rough way, and he has a due respect