“The one who attempted to drown him in the river is sitting opposite you in the person of General Hang-Ki,” Emmons answered, smiling at the lads’ astonished faces. “Knowing that the general would not lend himself to the intrigues against the lives of foreigners, Ta-Ling decided to put the general out of the way. The night you saved the secretary from the river and, as you supposed, received this priceless royal jade ring as a reward, his Excellency was spending the night with me on my house-boat. The general, if possible, always sleeps in the open air, and this aided the would-be murderer in his design. I had been asleep for some hours when I was aroused by cries, and hurrying to where I had left the general sleeping, I saw him hurl the body of a man overboard; but the assassin had nearly accomplished his purpose as the knife thrust over the general’s heart will show.” Emmons turned his tongue to the Chinese language, and the general baring his chest, the lads gazed in horror at the terrible wound. “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.”