The Tomahawk. [volume] (White Earth, Becker County, Minn.) 1903-192?, 1925-11-05
LITTLE
'TANG-U-
THE RAT
BY LAWRENCE E. ADAMS
60 by Short Story Pub. Coz

l. - naval OHcer, Drought IrOm the
Orient was a curious portrait,
evidently the work of native artist,
painted in brilliant colors on a panel
Of foreign wood. More striking than
the workmanship of the portrait, how
ever. was its subject a small Chinese
boy, apparently not more than ten or
twelve years of age, but wearing the
uniform Of high Japanese naval Of
ficer, and adorned with a whole string
Of jeweled decorations:
Here Is the history Of the portrait:
When the japanese flagship steamed
cut Of the harbor Of Canton on the
day that war was formally declared
between Japan and China, 1t carried
one human being whose name was not
on the ships rolls-and he belonged
to the enemy. He became passenger
under the following circumstances:
Just before the ship weighed anchor a
small steam launch was sent back for
the commander and superior officers,
who had been detained until late.
Among these officers were three Amer
leans, all graduates of the Annapolis
academy, who had been engaged by
the Japanese government as advisers
during the coming hostilltles. AS the
little launch wormed it's way through
the maze of picturesque craft and
sampans-the curious little Chinese
ouseboats-which crowded the bay,
the eyes Of the American officers were
riveted by curious sight. To the top
Of wooden stake to which sampan
was moored little Chinese boy chung,
swaying to and fro, cycling delightedly
the steam launch as 1t shot through
the water. In his anxiety to see the
fun, however, he had disregarded the
weakness Of this reedlike support,
which, when a passing sampan col
lided with 1t, suddenly broke off short,
plunging the little chap into the water.
At first the launch's passengers paid
slight attention to the accident, know
ing that these little natives are as
much at home in the water as on
shore. Indifference, however, gave
way to concern when the child's shrill
cry for help rang through the air, fol-
lowed by the mad efforts of every
sampan man within sight to get away
from the drowning boy, instead of to
him. 1t was now evident that the
little fellow had become entangled in
floating coil Of rope, and that his
drowning was a matter of few Sec
onds; yet not one Of the Chinese boat
men but watched from a distance and
In silence the small hero's frantic
struggles for life. Indeed, the little
Mongolian was already disappearing
In the waters Of the bay when the
steam launch, at the signal of the COM
mander, veered in its course, and a
strong arm snatched the little body
from the waves. As for the sampan
men, they watched the rescue with
cries Of amazement. This was because
Of the curious law existing in certain
provinces Of China that whatsoever
! saves life, the rescued one may law
fully look to the rescuer for support
forever after. It is plain that this
barbaric edict virtually puts a pre-
MUM on death; but the explanation
lies in the fatalistic religion, which
holds that whenever a man falls into
peril It Is by the express wish and
will Of the gods, and that to rescue
him is to obstruct their just DEGREES.
Meantime the officers, who had ar
rived on shipboard with their protege
before It had occurred to them to plan
for his disposal, were examining their
find as though he had been a new and
curious toy. To send him back to
shore was impossible, as they were al
ready steaming out Of the harbor. The
only course, then, was to keep him on
board, at least during the voyage to
Japan, plan rendered all the easier
by the fact that the little heather
was, according to his broken japanese,
both homeless and friendless.
But II the boy had seemed a nui-
sance In prospect, he was anything but
that in reality. Shrewd as any Bow
cry ragamuffin, the little fellows alert
ways and quick wits were the unfail-
ing delight Of the three American off,
GERS. More initiative, even, than the
japanese, he picked up their language
and customs with such incredible ease
that in few days he was more Japa-
nese than any subject Of the mikado.
Indeed, before many weeks had
passed, the entire crew was accus-
toned to the curious spectacle of one
Of the enemy enjoying the most
marked attention and hospitality that
the ship could afford.
But besides his imitativeness and
shrewdness, the little Monaghan had
one accomplishment that gained the
awe-struck admiration of his oriental
friends. That was the power Of dis
covering objects at Incredible dis
tances as easily by night as by day, a
power due partly to Inheritance, and
partly to his profession. The lad was
an interesting specimen Of the oriental
class of beings known az. rat catchers.
This means more than the word i'm
plies. They are not rat catchers by
q