“We believed,” continued Emmons, “that the man was only a robber, until we saw this ring and heard your story, but now there can be no doubt that the would-be assassin was the viceroy’s interpreter, Ta-Ling himself.”
“Is it likely,” Phil asked incredulously, “that if the man was Ta-Ling, he would give me this ring?”
“He didn’t give you the ring, you can be sure of that,” Emmons replied decidedly; “it slipped off his finger when he thanked you. Afterward when he missed it, he doubtless thought he had lost it in the river.”
“Do you suppose he has recognized me as the one who pulled him out of the river?” Phil asked suddenly, grasping at the hope that the Chinaman might befriend him; but Emmons quickly dashed this hope to the ground.
“The night was dark, and besides, after his experience in the river, for he cannot swim, I doubt if he remembers much of what happened. According to the old law of China he would not dare for his soul’s peace to take your life if he knew you had saved him, but Ta-Ling is a progressive Chinaman, and considers his self-preservation in this world of more importance than the peace of his spirit hereafter. If this attempt on the life of a trusted general of the emperor were known, Ta-Ling could not be saved by even the viceroy. The penalty is death by a terrible torture.”
“Will the general report this occurrence to the viceroy?” Phil asked excitedly, his hopes again rising that the interpreter might be disposed of and Langdon and the rest of the hostages liberated to return to the safety of their ships.
“The general believes that the time has not come to expose him,” Emmons answered, lowering his voice to almost a whisper. “Ta-Ling is now the master of the viceroy’s yamen and if we failed to break his authority he would make certain of your destruction, reporting to the viceroy that you all had committed suicide for shame at your misdeeds.”
Both midshipmen’s faces broke into smiles in spite of the serious situation. Emmons, seeing the merriment caused by his words, hastened to explain.
“I know that such an idea is entirely foreign to the American mind, but not so with the Chinese. If a man knows he has committed some deed which his fellows condemn, he is ashamed, or as we say in China, ‘loses face,’ and he is very likely to commit suicide to regain his good name. And again, a Chinaman held prisoner may take his own life for revenge against his captors.”
“They needn’t fear that from us,” Phil replied. “We’ll cling to life as long as we are able.”