"The son of the merchant of the south lives to avenge the death of his Emperor," said Nicholas.
"Hist! hist!" said the merchant, pale with fear, lest some servant might hear the words; adding, "Truly Wey-t-song but merited his fate."
"Art thou also a traitor, O Yang?" exclaimed Nicholas, indignantly.
"The rich need be cautious, for is it not a maxim, that a successful rebel is more to be feared than a dead Emperor, O noble Nicholas?"
Indignant as he was at this disloyalty, Nicholas, remembering the necessity of the princess, dissembled his anger, and said, "Is the worthy Yang under sufficient obligation to Chin-Chi-Loong to serve his son?"
"Even to the extent of his life and fortune."
"Then I will trust thee," said Nicholas, dropping the usual formality of speech, and telling him the whole of his adventure of the morning.
"Truly, O youth, this is a dangerous affair; but Yang dares not break faith with the great chief who may some day be master of us all," said the merchant, trembling with fear.
"This, then, is just; I would have the head-dress and mourning garb of a widow, and the coarse robes of two Coolies."
"This is a cautious method of proceeding, and shall be done," said Yang, who left the room, leaving the impatient youth walking to and fro with great anxiety. The articles, however, not being very difficult to obtain in that part of the city, the merchant soon returned with them packed up in a small bale; then, hastily thanking Yang, Nicholas took the bale with him some little distance from the house, and paid two Coolies to carry him in their sedan to the gate of the valley of tombs; having arrived there, he jumped out of the chair, and paid the Coolies handsomely, telling them to leave it near the gate, and to fetch him again in two hours' time; when, not in the least doubting the honesty of so generous a customer, the Coolies went off to spend their earnings at a wine-shop, and Nicholas proceeded cautiously to the cavern.