called out to the archer, 'Let's have a little joke with the beard, brother! Let him take his sword, I'll cut him up a bit to teach that brush-wielder a lesson!'
The other gave the magistrate a thoughtful look.
'There's no time for jokes!' he said sharply to his companion. 'Let's take the horses and be gone.'
'Just as I thought,' Magistrate Dee said contemptuously. 'Big words but small hearts!'
The large man cursed violently. He stepped up to Hoong's horse, grabbed the sword the graybeard was carrying and threw it to the magistrate, who caught it and quickly took off his traveling robe. He parted his long beard and knotted the two strands together behind his neck. Drawing his sword, he said to the ruffian, 'Whatever happens you'll let the old man go free!'
The other nodded, then at once attacked with a quick thrust at the magistrate's breast. He easily parried it, then followed up with a few swift feints that made the ruffian fall back with a gasp. The man now attacked with greater caution, and the sword duel began in earnest, Hoong and the archer looking on. As they exchanged blow for blow the magistrate noticed that his opponent had apparently learned the art by actual practice; his fencing lacked the finer points of the schooled swordsman. But he was a man of formidable strength, and showed himself a clever tactician by enticing Dee repeatedly to the rough ground by the roadside, where the magistrate had to pay much attention to his footwork. This was the magistrate's first real fight outside the training hall, and he thoroughly enjoyed it. He thought that before long he would get a chance to disable his opponent. But the other's common sword could not stand up so long against the tempered blade of Rain Dragon. When the ruffian parried a sharp blow, his sword suddenly snapped in two.
A SWORD DUEL ON THE HIGHWAY
As the man stood there looking dumbfounded at the stump in his hand, Magistrate Dee turned to the other.
'Your turn!' he barked.
The archer jumped from his horse. He took off his riding jacket and tucked the slips of his robe under his belt. He had seen that the magistrate was a first-class fencer. But after a swift exchange of thrusts and counterthrusts the magistrate also knew that this was a dangerous opponent, a schooled sword fighter, with whom one could take no chances. The magistrate felt thrilled. The first fight had loosened his limbs; now he felt in perfect condition. The sword Rain Dragon felt like a part of his own body. He went for his opponent with a complicated combination of feints and hits. The other sidestepped-he was surprisingly light on his feet for a man of his bulk-and counterattacked with a succession of quick cuts. But the sword Rain Dragon swished through the air; it parried each of the thrusts, then shot out in a long stab that missed the other's throat by the fraction of an inch. The man didn't flinch; he quickly made a few feints preparatory to a new attack.
Suddenly there was a loud clang of arms. A group of twenty horsemen came round the bend and quickly surrounded the four men. They were heavily armed with crossbows, swords and pikes.
'What is going on here?' their leader shouted. The short mail jacket and the spiked helmet proclaimed him a captain of the mounted military police.
Annoyed at this interruption of his first real sword duel, the magistrate replied curtly, 'I am Dee Jen-djieh, newly appointed magistrate of Peng-lai. These three men are my assistants. We had a long ride, and are engaging in a friendly bout of fencing to stretch our stiff legs.'
The captain gave them a dubious look.
'I'll trouble you for your papers, magistrate,' he said in a clipped voice.
Magistrate Dee pulled an envelope from his boot and gave it to the captain. He quickly glanced through the documents inside, then gave them back and saluted.
'I regret to have bothered you, sir,' he said politely. 'We got a report that there are highwaymen about here, so I have to be careful. Good luck!'
He barked a command at his men, and they galloped away. When they had disappeared from sight, the magistrate raised his sword.
'We go on!' he said, and aimed a long thrust at his opponent's breast. The other parried the blow, then held up his sword, and put it back in its scabbard.
'Ride on to your destination, magistrate,' he said gruffly. 'I am glad there are still officials like you in our empire.'
He gave a sign to the other. They jumped on their horses. Magistrate Dee gave his sword to Hoong, and started to put on his robe again.
'I take my words back,' he said curtly. 'You are indeed highwaymen. But if you go on like this, you'll end up on the scaffold like common thieves. Whatever your grudge is, forget it. There's news about heavy fighting with the barbarians up north. Our army needs men like you.'
The archer shot him a quick look.
'And my advice to you, magistrate,' he said calmly, 'is that you carry your sword yourself, else you'll be caught unawares again.' He turned his horse round, and the two disappeared among the trees.
As Magistrate Dee took his sword from Hoong and hung it over his own back, the old man said contentedly, 'You gave them a good lesson, sir. What kind of people would those two have been?'
'Usually,' the magistrate replied, 'it is men with some real or imagined grudge who choose to become outlaws. But their code is to rob only officials and wealthy people; they often help people in distress, and they have a reputation for courage and chivalry. They call themselves 'brothers of the green woods.' '''ell, Hoong, it was a good fight, but we have lost time. Let's hurry on.'
They entered Yen-chow at dusk, and were directed by the guards at the gate to the large hostel for traveling officials in the center of the town. Magistrate Dee took a room on the second floor, and ordered the waiter to bring them a good meal, for he felt hungry after the long journey.
When they had finished their meal, Hoong poured out a cup of hot tea for his master. Dee sat down near the window and looked out on the place below, in front of the hostel, where there was a busy coming and going of lance-knights and footmen. The light of torches shone on their iron helmets and breastplates.
Suddenly there came a knock on the door. Turning round, the magistrate saw two tall men enter the room.
'August heaven!' he exclaimed, astonished. 'Here we have our two brothers of the green woods!'
The two bowed awkwardly. They still wore their patched riding jackets, but now they had hunting caps on their heads. The burly fellow who had attacked them first spoke. 'Sir, this afternoon on the road you told that captain that we were your assistants. I talked this over with my friend, sir, and we agreed that we wouldn't like to make you a liar, you being a magistrate. If you'll take us on, we'll serve you loyally.'
The magistrate raised his eyebrows. The other man said hurriedly, 'We know nothing of the work in a tribunal, sir, but we know how to obey orders, and we thought we could perhaps make ourselves useful by doing the rough work for you.'
'Take a seat,' Magistrate Dee said curtly. 'I'll hear your stories.' The two sat down on footstools. The first laid his big fists on his knees, cleared his throat and began.
'My name is Ma Joong, I am a native of Kiangsu Province. My father owned a cargo junk, and I helped him as mate. But since I was a strong boy who liked fighting, my father sent me to a wellknown boxing master, and had him teach me also some reading and writing, so as to qualify for becoming an officer in the army. Then my father died unexpectedly. Since there were many debts, I had to sell our boat, and entered the service of the local magisstrate, as his bodyguard. I soon found out that he was a cruel and corrupt
