CHAPTER XV
I looked up, and saw leaning toward me Wallace Carmichel, the British Consul-General in Seoul, an efficient man whom I had not met for five years, when he was in the Embassy at Pekin. At once there flashed through my mind Mr. Hemster’s desire that I should not mention our plight to the Consuls of either his country or my own, so I resolved on the instant to keep to myself, if possible, the mission that had brought me to the capital. Indeed within the last few minutes the whole situation had changed. I had no desire to return to Seoul, and only retreated because I was compelled to do so; but now the way was perfectly clear between me and Chemulpo on turning my horse around. Yet Carmichel would think it exceedingly strange if I could not give some excuse for marching up to the gate of Seoul and marching down again, like the historical general on the hill. I wished he had remained at his Consulate, yet there he was, beaming down upon me, so I took momentary refuge in airy persiflage.
“Hullo, Carmichel, how goes it? Has the early-closing movement been adopted in Seoul? It isn’t Saturday afternoon, is it?”
“No, it isn’t,” he replied, “and if you’ll take the advice of an old friend, you’ll turn your horse’s head, and make straight back for Chemulpo. I think we’re in for a rather nasty time here, if you ask me.”
“I do ask you. What’s wrong?”
I was anxious to learn whether he knew anything of the escape of our party in the early morning; but even if he had been told about it, the Coreans are such unmitigated liars that it is not likely he would have believed them if he had not himself seen the procession, and I very much doubted if he had done so, for Carmichel was never afflicted with the early-rising habit. I was, however, wholly unprepared for his amazing reply.
“The Empress of Corea was assassinated last night,” he said. “I imagine they don’t want the news to spread. The Palace is closed, and all the gates of the city were shut before I was up this morning. The Court entourage is trying to pretend that the Empress died a natural death, but I have it on as good authority as anything can be had in this mendacious place that the Empress was literally cut to pieces.”
“Good God!” I cried. “Can that be true?”
“Anything may be true in this forsaken hole. I heard you had left the service. Came into a fortune, eh? Lucky devil! I wish I were in your shoes! This is worse than China, and that was bad enough. I suppose you are here on private business. Well, take a friend’s advice and get back. Nothing can be done here for a while, any how.”