He looked down at her, startled... the pallor in the quiet face seemed passed to his own.
Hastily he laid down the still figure and ran to the entrance of the grove.... At the edge of the path he paused and looked up and motioned—gesticulating swiftly to a single figure on the plateau above.
From his post above Kou Ying started. He leaned forward and lifted his hand in a swift gesture.
He gave a harsh call.
The men behind him leaped to their feet and ran from the trees. There was confusion and hurry and a swift chatter of voices, as they seized the empty sedan chairs and slung them to their shoulders, and moved forward toward the winding path that led from the hill.
From the edge of the hill before he descended Kou Ying looked down again.
The valley below was still. No one moved among the trees.
From the mountain opposite, the quiet face of the Buddha looked across to the plain.