and the ceiling. As he set to work moving the upper boxes he muttered:
'They are uncommonly heavy; the fellows must have stuffed them with stones!'
When he had made sufficient room for the four of them, he heard Ma Joong come back.
'I have drilled a couple of holes in the other junk,' he said contentedly. 'By the time they notice that their hold is flooded, they won't find those holes so easily!' He helped Chiao Tai to hoist Mao Loo on top of the boxes. He had regained his senses and was wildly rolling his eyes. 'Don't suffocate, please!' Chiao Tai said. 'Remember that our magistrate wants to question you before you die!'
When they had deposited Mao Loo between two boxes, Ma Joong crawled over to the first row and stretched out his hands.
'Come up here!' he said to Moon Fairy. 'I'll help you.'
But the girl didn't respond; she was thinking, biting her lips. Suddenly she asked:
'How many men does the crew of such a junk consist of?'
'Six or seven,' Ma Joong replied impatiently. 'Get a move on!'
'I'll stay where I am!' the girl announced. Wrinkling her nose, she added: 'I am not dreaming of crawling on those dirty boxes!'
Ma Joong cursed roundly.
'If you don't-' he began.
Suddenly heavy footsteps resounded up on deck; orders were shouted. Moon Fairy pushed open the hatch in the stern and looked outside. She stepped up to the pile of boxes and whispered:
'About forty armed men are boarding the junk behind us!'
'Come up here at once, I tell you!' Ma Joong hissed.
She laughed mockingly. She took off her jacket. With bare torso she started to wash the pans.
'Magnificent figure!' Ma Joong whispered to Chiao Tai. 'But what in the name of Heaven does that bit of skirt think she's doing?'
Heavy ropes thudded down on the deck; the junk started to move. The sailors who poled it along began to sing a monotonous song.
Suddenly the ladder creaked. A hefty fellow remained standing halfway down, and stared openmouthed at the half-naked woman. She gave him a saucy look, then asked casually:
'Are you coming to help me?'
'I… I must inspect the cargo,' the man brought out. His eyes were glued to the girl's round bosom.
'Well,' Moon Fairy said with a sniff, 'if you prefer the company of those dirty boxes, just suit yourself! I can manage very well alone!'
'Not on your life!' the man exclaimed. He quickly went down and up to the girl. 'Aren't you a looker!' he said with a broad grin.
'I don't think you are so bad either,' Moon Fairy said. She let him fondle her a moment, then pushed him away and said: 'Pleasure comes after work! Get me a bucket of water!'
'Where are you, Liu?' a hoarse voice called down through the trap door.
'Busy inspecting the cargo!' the man shouted back. 'I'll come up by and by! You look whether the sail is ready!'
'For how many fellows must I cook rice?' the girl asked. 'Do we have soldiers on board?'
'No, those are on the junk behind us,' the man called Liu replied as he handed her the bucket. 'You just cook something nice for me, dearie; I am the mate and the boss here, you see! The helmsman and the four sailors can eat what's left over!'
A clatter of arms sounded on deck.
'Didn't you say we have no soldiers on board?' Moon Fairy asked.
'Those are the guards of our last outpost,' Liu replied. 'They come to search the ship before she goes out on the river.'
'I like soldiers!' the girl said. 'Get them down here!'
The man quickly climbed up the ladder again. He pushed his head through the trap door and called out:
'I have just searched the entire hold, men! It's hot as Hell down here!' There was some altercation; then he came down with a satisfied leer. 'I got rid of those!' he said. 'I have been a soldier too, dear; I'll do my best!' He put his arm round her waist and started fumbling with the cord of her trousers.
'Not here!' Moon Fairy said. 'I am a decent woman. You go and look on top of those boxes there; maybe there's a little cozy corner up there for us!'
Liu hurriedly went to the pile of boxes, and hoisted himself up. Ma Joong grabbed him by his throat, pulled him on top and tightened his grip till the man was unconscious. Then he jumped down into the kitchen. Moon Fairy quickly closed the hatch and put on her jacket again.
'That was a pretty piece of work, my wench!' Ma Joong whispered excitedly. Then he ducked behind the ladder. Two heavy boots came down through the trap door. 'What in Hell are you at, Liu!' an angry voice asked.
Ma Joong jerked the man's legs backward. He tumbled down; his head hit the floor with a dull crash. He didn't move. Chiao Tai stuck out his hands from above, and together they got the unconscious man up on the boxes.
'Truss him up and come down here, brother Chiao!' Ma Joong whispered. 'I'll climb on deck through the hatch. Be ready to receive the other bastards that I'll send down to you here!'
He climbed through the hatch, pulled himself up along tie outside of the hull by the anchor rope, and stepped noiselessly on deck. When he had made certain that no one had seen him, he sauntered up to the helmsman, who was holding the heavy rudder beam with both hands, and remarked:
'It became too hot for me down in the hold!' He saw they were in the middle of the river now. The second junk was behind them. He stretched himself out on his back on the deck.
The helmsman gave him a startled look, then whistled. Three sturdy sailors came running aft.
'Who the devil are you?' the first asked.
Ma Joong folded his hands under his head. He yawned prodigiously and said:
'I am the guard, supposed to watch the cargo. I just finished checking the boxes with old Liu.'
'The mate never tells us a thing!' the sailor muttered with disgust. 'Thinks the world of himself, he does! I'll just go and ask how much sail he wants put on.' He went toward the trap door. Ma Joong scrambled up and followed him together with the two others.
When the man stood over the trap door, Ma Joong suddenly gave him a kick that sent him tumbling down the ladder. He turned round quick as lightning and gave the sailor that came for him a blow under his jaw that made him stagger backward against the railing. Ma Joong followed up with a thrust in his heart region that sent him over the railing into the river. The third sailor lunged out at Ma Joong with a long knife. Ma Joong ducked; the knife passed over his back as he butted his head into his attacker's midriff. The man fell gasping over Ma Joong's back. Ma Joong righted himself and heaved the knife wielder over the railing.
'All good fish fodder!' he called out to the helmsman. 'Just keep to your steering job, my friend, else you'll join them!' He peered at the second junk, which had now fallen far behind. It had developed a heavy list to starboard; a crowd of people was running in confusion over the tilting deck. 'Those men will never keep their shirts dry!' he remarked cheerfully. Then he went to adjust the large reed sail.
Chiao Tai stuck his head through the trap door.
'You sent me only one,' he said. 'Where are the others?'
Ma Joong pointed down to the water; he was intent on getting the sail right. Chiao Tai came on deck and said: 'Mrs. Djang is making our noon rice.'
There was a strong breeze; the junk made good speed. Chiao Tai searched the two distant banks. He asked the helmsman:
'When'll we arrive at a military post?'
'In a couple of hours,' the man replied with a sullen face.
'Where were you bound for, bastard?' Chiao Tai asked again.
'For Liu-chiang, four hours downstream. There friends of ours are going to do a bit of fighting.'
'You are lucky, fellow!' Chiao Tai remarked. 'You won't have to join the fray!'
As they were sitting in the shadow of the sail eating their noon rice, Ma Joong related to Mrs. Djang the
