All bemired and dishevelled, Jack sprang to his feet. The Chinaman kowtowed, uttering an incoherent welcome; then led the way to the farmhouse.
"That's the most ticklish half-hour I ever spent in my life," said Jack, when he was seated opposite to Wang Shih on the k'ang in the living-room. "And I'm pretty hungry. I've had nothing but rice-cakes and monkey-nuts since morning. Have you got anything to eat?"
"Plenty, sir; it is water we are in straits for. I will get you something."
In a few minutes a hot dish of boiled chicken and rice, with a couple of clean chop-sticks, lay before Jack. He ate the meal with keen relish, while Wang Shih at his request gave a rapid narrative of the events that had led to his present predicament. With a small force he was beating up recruits in the district when he suddenly came upon a troop of Cossacks outnumbering him by two to one. Knowing the country so well, he could easily have got away, but unluckily he was sighted by a second troop, which cut across his line of retreat so rapidly that he had only time to throw himself and his handful of men into the farm before the two hostile bands united and closed upon him. He had kept them off for three days; there was food enough to last another week, but his ammunition was running short, and, worst of all, the water supply had almost given out. His men had been put upon the smallest possible allowance, but in spite of their care and self-denial there was barely enough left to last for another twenty-four hours, and the horses were already suffering terribly. He had been hoping that Ah Lum would send a force to relieve him; but the chief was moving northward when he last saw him, and he doubted whether the man he had sent could reach him in time. In default of relief, his only course when the water failed would be to make a sortie by night; but the odds against him were so heavy that very few of his men could possibly escape.
"That is why I am here," said Jack. "I was on my way to join Mr. Ah—the reason I will tell you presently—when I heard of your plight, in the village yonder. I came to see for myself how you were placed; your danger had not been exaggerated; and I was on the point of going off in despair when I had a sudden idea; it was suggested by something I saw in the enemy's camp. I think there is a bare chance of escape if you will act on my plan."
There was a look of mingled eagerness and anxiety on Wang Shih's face as he begged Jack to tell him what he had in mind.
"I am not alone," continued Jack. "I came up with a guide given me by Mr. Ah's agent Me Hong in Moukden, and Hi Lo, our compradore's son, you remember. They are waiting on the hill less than a mile away. When I was looking out over the country I saw the Russians light fires for cooking their supper, and at first wondered why their kitchen was so far away from the farm. But I saw the reason. As you know, there's a strong north-easter blowing; the smoke from their fires floated this way, towards the farm. They had been prudent in selecting a spot away from the fields, for a spark in the long grass might start a blaze, and, spreading through the kowliang, it would destroy their cover and make them easy targets for your marksmen. What would happen if the grass chanced to burn in the night, eh?"
The Chinaman's expression changed; his chest heaved.
"We have tried to fire the grass more than once, but they always stamped it out. Go on, sir," he said.
"Well, you see, if a match were put to the grass to windward of the farm, in several places, and if the wind held, the flames would sweep upon the Russians in a very few minutes. Their horses would stampede; the men would be so startled that probably they would be quite unable to think of anything but their own safety; and while they were scattered and disorganized, you could sally out of the gate and get so good a start that, even if they caught their horses, you would be out of harm's way before they could pursue."