Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1889-12-07
your servants, but they will find no such msn

your servants. but they will find no such man
on board my ship"
The search party went all over the shin di.
rected by the crew, and after probing into cor
ners and peering in amongst the bales of silk
ana boxes OF tea, no stranger was found. This
was reported to the viceroy, who said, ''You
nave not searched this cabin; do so." l was
Wild with excitement and alarm but my relief
was intense when my furtve glances
showed me that the search party did not dare
10 ask their master to move from in front of
the door. This relief was of short duration, for
ne again asked if they had searched everywhere.
Everywhere except in that apartment behind
your exceilency's chair. We will look there
too: where is the key?" l now became thor
oughly frightened, and, fumbling for some
loophole to escape, / told the viceroy that
that was a locker where kept my wines, and
was ashamed to confess it to SO high ruler
under the son Of Heaven'-that l sometimes
md opium and other contraband articles there.
would his excellency forgive me if l begged
that that place be left unopened, as my
peccadllloes, if discovered, would cost me my
post as captain. In that case" said the
vIceroy, Il will save you from trouble by in
speeding myself-the key?"
doubtful whether to confess my completely
or to brave 1t through thought of the mys-
ferrous nature of the whole affair, and hoped
that the strange passenger might in some mys-
ferrous manner. have escaped This straw of
nope that drowning desperation chung to saved
the day. / reached in my pocket and with
trembling fingers pulled out the key.
The viceroy unlocked the door, opened it and
closed it hastily behind him.
My nerves were then so wrought upon that
could almost have heard the dew fall and l
fancied l heard word within spoken very low.
Then the door opened again, there was rustic
OF silk robes. the door closed, and the viceroy
said in Chinese: No one there"
felt my heart throb with one great bound
and things seemed to reel around me. When
recovered my composure enough to look up
with pleased and grateful eyes / saw an express
sion thought recognized. and in an instant
i knew what my own unstrunS nerves and the
regal robes had before concealed-the miser-
able cooie Of the night before was none other
than the yiceroy Of the Province of Fuh-kied
the absolute ruler OF twenty-five millions of
people l had no longer a doubt that my
mysterious passenger and the royal fugitive
were the same, and that the viceroy himself
was connlvlng ut his escape.
The ship sailed on time and Prince Ichang
was landed safely in Hong Kong, where he
lived under English protection until a severe
illness let him have that privilege most mortals
enjoy-of dying with his head on.
Subsequent developments pointed to the fact
that the viceroy was influenced not only by
personal friendship but by an enormous bride
with which the rich prince bought his own
head, and that. fearing the treachery of any OF
his subordinates, he had planned and executed
the escape entirely alone. OF my betraying
INN he had no fear, as the word of a '.foreigu
devil' would then weigh nothing IN Chinese
court.
Two years afterward | received from the
Vlceroy OF Kwang lung gorgeous pair of vases
and some magnificent emDroideries, in graft
tude for past hospitalitIes;" and found that
my cooEe friend had been promoted to the
government OF one OF the largest provinces OF
the empire. ERNEST WILKINSON, U.S.N.,
Naval Academy, Annapolis, Md