Had Nicholas entrusted his name, or that of the princess, to the officer, there can be no doubt that the general would have granted him an immediate interview; as it was, he had to wait till the following day. Previously, however, to seeking the audience, he went to the great square, where, to his surprise, he saw a large body of troops drawn out under arms, with their banners and wind instruments, as if to receive some important personage, and officers were galloping to and fro between the palace and the great gates. The meaning of all this puzzled him. Truly it would be unfortunate if Woo-san-Kwei should be about to take his departure upon some expedition. The riddle, was, however, soon explained; for, even while he was pondering, the general's own bodyguard passed to the gate; when, drawing themselves up on either side, a noble-looking horseman, followed by a train of some twenty others, rode into the city, and was escorted to the palace; but, great as this personage evidently was, the Chinese soldiers kept a dread and sullen silence, making no movement except to involuntarily clutch the triggers of their pieces, or the strings of their bows. As for Nicholas, he stared with astonishment, grasped the hilt of his sword--the sight was indeed extraordinary. A Mantchou prince and his train of Tartars, those most dreaded enemies of the empire, within the very palace of the barbarian-subduing general, not in chains, but as a friend, received with honor. Indignant at the sight, Nicholas rudely grasped the arm of a soldier, saying, "Can my brother tell a stranger how it is that such barbarian thieves are within these walls? Surely the kid does not invite the wolf to its own bosom!" "Would my brother keep his head upon his shoulders and not be thrown from the walls like a dead rat, he will not seek to know the barbarian-exterminating general's secrets," said the surly soldier; adding, however, directly afterward, "The Tartar dogs may have come to offer their submission." Whatever might have been the business of the Tartar prince with the Chinese general, it did not last an hour, for in less than that time he left the city, and shortly after the officer who had brought Nicholas into the town conducted him to the presence of the general, who, in full military costume, surrounded by a great number of officers, was standing (a rare thing for a Chinese grandee) at a table, busily engaged in examining some papers. Having performed the same ceremony of running up the middle of the apartment, and bowing to the ground, as at an audience of the Emperor, he awaited the command of the prince to rise, which being given, Woo-san-Kwei no sooner saw his features than he said, "This is indeed a fortunate day, that brings to us the son of Chin-Chi-Loong. Thy presence, bold youth, is welcome; yet," he added sternly, "so brave a servant should have died defending his imperial master."