"Are protected by Heaven till we rescue them from the hands of the villain Li," said Nicholas, and they proceeded on their journey.
CHAPTER XXXVI.
ONCE MORE PRISONERS, BUT WITH FRIENDS—THE GUIDE'S MISTAKE.
With sorrowful hearts the two boys took leave of the houseless family, and proceeded along the ridges of the mountains till they came to the entrance of a great wood. Chow had custody of the guide, whom he held by the rope, and pressed forward or jerked backward, as his sense of indignation at the loss of his mother arose or subsided. At times he would so slacken the rope that the man could scarcely feel his thraldom; then again, when he thought of the hopelessness of again recovering his mother, he would clench his teeth and pull it so violently, that the miserable guide would fall backward; whereupon Chow would say, "Get thee upon thy bamboo legs, thou rogue, or I will drag thee like a bale of demon's goods, as thou art;" and the fat body of the coward would shake like a blanc-mange, rise upon its legs, and commence a trot, when, after a little while, Chow would give another tug at the rope, saying, as the man tottered backward, "O, thou wouldst escape, wouldst thou, thou mouse of fat measure, who hath stolen the cream of our lives?"
"Truly thy servant has been unfortunate, O noble youth, yet if his body is shaken like a jelly of cold soup, he cannot guide thee through this city of trees."
"The rogue's words are good, Chow, we cannot find our way through these trees without his aid," said Nicholas; adding, "Fasten the rope around thy arm, so that he cannot slip from thy hands."
"Truly the advice of my master is good," said Chow; and as they were then passing through a thick copse, he fastened the rope around his own body, saying, "Now, thou rat, honesty will for once reverse things, and take its place behind roguery, for surely I hear footsteps, and should they be those of thieves, thy thick head may serve to blunt the points of their arrows."
The sounds were unmistakable, and the guide fell backward, trembling so violently that he could not walk, till, taking hold of his shoulders, Chow pushed him forward, saying, "On, thou coward, on;" and so they went along the narrow path, till the sounds became more distinct. Then a voice shouted to them, "stop!" when, trembling more than ever, the guide threw one shoulder backward, and one foot forward, in order to prop himself against the propelling Chow, at the same time exclaiming, "Stay, O generous youth,—for the love of Fo, stay!—or the body of thy servant will become a cushion for arrow-heads."
"Silence, thou dog," said Nicholas; adding in a whisper to Chow, "Let us remain quiet, for doubtless it is some thief."