"It was made by the great Tait-sou, and leads to an unfrequented suburb of the city; by this means he could leave the palace alone, and by mixing among the people judge for himself how the mandarins were respected by them," said the princess. "Surely they will follow us here," said Nicholas. "Not so, noble youth; for the secret is known but to few. It was the sole vile act of the great Tait-sou's reign that he caused this passage to be made by condemned prisoners, whom he afterward slew, that they might not divulge the secret," said the princess, adding, "Let us trace its course." Then, helping the wounded girl to walk, they proceeded down the passage for a considerable distance, till their progress was arrested by a door; pushing this, however, they found themselves in a small cavern, lighted, like the one at which they had entered, by a small grating from above. "How is it possible, O noble Nicholas, that we can pass through the roaring rebels, who are, doubtless, without?" said Chow. "It is a reasonable question, O noble youth; truly we had better remain here till night," said the princess. But, having considered for a minute, Nicholas said, "Not so, great princess; remain thou here with Chow, and thy servant will find some means of deliverance;" whereupon he borrowed from Chow his less conspicuous cap, robe, and boots, then felt his way up a flight of narrow steps, till his head struck against a trap-door; lifting this gently, he found himself in a small stone room, the door of which stood open; passing this, he came into an oblong court, and saw at once that the place had been erected as a tomb, and, moreover, that he was at the most remote end of a valley of tombs. So far he believed the princess to be in a place of safety, for none, even in those rebellious days, would dare to enter the ancestral tomb of another. Crossing this valley of sepulchres with inverted face, as if in deep contemplation after visiting the tomb of his ancestors, he came into the open road, where a vast crowd were floating onward into the city, mad with excitement, and shouting, "Many years' life to the heaven-sent Emperor!" he mixed with them, and so, safely passed onward to the house of the merchant Yang, who no sooner saw him than he ordered an incense table, and returned thanks to Fo for his safety. "For," said he, "thy servant made but little doubt that the son of the great Chin-Chi-Loong had been slain." "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?"