"What fuss? This murder?"
"Bosh!" exclaimed the captain. "The war! The Chinese and Japs are already at loggerheads about Corea. This murder business will cause the Japs to interfere. China has already sent soldiers to Corea, and the Japs have the right to do the same. Now ye'll see sparks fly!"
"I'm afraid I do not quite understand it."
"Well, well! Can't ye understand the difference between Conservatives and Progressives? Yes! Then Japan is progressive, and the Chinese the other way. The Johnnies objected to Corea being made progressive, as the Japanese tried to make it, because Japan is advancing to European perfections. That very fellow who was killed two days ago was an adherent of Japanese advance, and the old Coreans' style opposed him. Some years ago (in 1882) the Japanese had to fly out of Corea; they sent troops to punish the natives, the Chinese did the same, for the sake of making peace. But the Corean Progressives attacked the Corean Conservatives, who retaliated, and drove the Progressive party out in 1884.
"Then it was arranged that both China and Japan, the Conservative and Progressive motive-powers, should each send troops to Corea if the other did, and the treaty between Li Hung Chang and Count Ito lasted for nine years, till now—1894. And now," concluded the skipper, "Mr. Oh Sing, or Kim, has again thrown the fat into the fire. He's been killed,—he was a 'Progressive,' ye understand,—and the consuls, or one of them, has caused the murderer to be sent by the Chinese to Corea to the king, free and unpunished! Bedad, my lad, we'll see more sparks out o' these flints yet!"
"Then the Conservative Corean has killed the Progressive Corean?"
"Just so; and the Chinese, being Conservative, have saved the murderer, and sent him home in a man-of-war! In a Government ship! Sent him home with honours! Sure the Japs won't stand that."
"I suppose it was a planned thing?"
"Certainly; a plot,—a decoy. You, somehow, came in the vessel, and, I hear, got into trouble almost. If the King of Corea instructed the man Lung, or Hung, and if he goes back unpunished, then ye'll see some 'fun,' as people call it."
"And the Chinese expect something?" I asked.