Ma Joong now recognized the small house he had visited the night before with The Hunter. He knocked on the door.

"Come in!", a voice shouted from inside.

Ma Joong opened the door. He stood stock still.

A tall, spare man was standing with his back against the wall opposite. Ma Joong kept his eyes riveted on the long, evil-looking knife that rested on the palm of the man's right hand. It was poised for the throw.

After a tense moment the man said:

"So it is you, Yoong Bao! Sit down!"

He put the knife back in a leather sheath and sat down on one of the low footstools. Ma Joong followed his example.

"Last night", Ma Joong began, "The Hunter directed me to come here, and…"

"Shut up!", the other interrupted, "if I had not known all about you, you would be dead now. I never miss when I throw my knife!"

Ma Joong thought to himself that that was probably very true. The Uigur spoke excellent Chinese, Ma Joong took him for a minor chieftain.

Ma Joong smiled ingratiatingly.

"I was told that you, Sir, could help me to a job with a little money in it!"

"You are a traitor", the other said disdainfully, "and traitors think only of money. Yet you may be useful. But before I give you my instructions I want to make one point very clear. It will be good for your health to avoid even a semblance of double-dealing. At the slightest sign you will find a knife in your back!"

"Certainly, Sir!", Ma Joong said hurriedly. "You know my situation. I…".

"Enough!", the other said imperiously, "Listen carefully, I never repeat my instructions.

Three tribes are assembling in the plains over the river. Tomorrow, at midnight, they will occupy this city. We could have taken this town any time we liked, but we want to avoid excessive bloodshed. Your Chinese authorities are self-satisfied and lazy, and this is a distant outpost. If the fall of this town does not create too much interest in the capital, the authorities will not be in too much of a hurry to send an army here. Fortunately for us the route to the west no longer passes through this town. So the central authorities need not worry that we shall interfere with the tribute caravans from the western tributary kingdoms. By the time they decide to take action we shall have established our kingdom here and be in a position to ward off any attack.

The point is that we want to take this town by surprise. Everything has been prepared for taking over the tribunal and killing the magistrate and his men. But we need a few more Chinese to dispose of the guards on the gates."

"Ha!", Ma Joong exclaimed, "that is very fortunate! It so happens that I have a friend here who is the very man for you. He was a sergeant in our regular army who had to desert and hide himself because he got into trouble with the new magistrate here. That fellow Dee is a nasty man!"

"You Chinese are always afraid of those magistrates!", the Uigur said with a sneer. "I am not afraid of any of them! A couple of years ago I slit the throat of one with my own hands!"

Ma Joong gave his host an admiring look.

"Well", he said, "you had better contact my friend. He is a firstclass swordsman and knows all about the passwords and military routine."

"Where is he?", the other asked eagerly.

"Not far from here, Sir!", Ma Joong replied. "We found a perfect hiding place for him. He only goes out at night, during the daytime he sleeps on the third floor of the Drum Tower."

The Uigur laughed.

"That is not a bad idea!", he said. "Nobody would look for him there! Go and bring him here!"

Ma Joong looked doubtful. He said with a frown:

"As I just remarked, Sir, he cannot risk going out by daylight. Could not we go there ourselves? It is quite near! "

The Uigur shot Ma Joong a suspicious look. He thought for a while. Then he rose, transferring his knife from his girdle to his sleeve.

"I hope for you, my friend", he said, "that you are not planning some trick. You walk ahead. At the first suspicious move I shall throw my knife in your back and nobody will even guess where it came from!"

Ma Joong shrugged his shoulders.

"There is no need for all those warnings", he remarked. "Don't you know that we are entirely in your hands? One word to the tribunal and my friend and I are lost!"

"So long as you don't forget that, my friend!", the other said.

They went out into the street, the Uigur following Ma Joong at some distance.

As Ma Joong entered the market place he saw Chiao Tai standing with his back to a stone memorial tablet. His arms folded in his sleeves, he leisurely surveyed the crowd. His pointed cap, his brown robe with the black sash together with his air of authority clearly marked him as an officer of the tribunal.

Ma Joong halted in his steps.

This was where Ma Joong had to take his chance. Every moment the expected to feel the knife of the Uigur landing in his back.

Yet he could not move too quickly for he had to make sure that Chiao Tai saw him. With cold sweat on his brow Ma Joong carefully played his role.

He made as if he hesitated for a moment. When Chiao Tai lifted his hand and slowly smoothed his moustache, Ma Joong turned round and made a detour behind the stone tablet.

As soon as he was safely under the dark arch of the Drum Tower the Uigur joined him.

"Did you see that bastard leaning against the stone tablet?", Ma Joong whispered excitedly. "That is an officer of the tribunal!"

"So I saw", the other said dryly. "Hurry up!"

Ma Joong climbed the stairway to the second floor. He waited till the Uigur had come up too. Pointing to the broken seal on the gate Ma Joong said:

"Look! That is where my friend went up!"

The Uigur pulled his knife from the sheath. He ran his thumb along its hair-sharp blade.

"Climb up!", he ordered.

Ma Joong shrugged his shoulders resignedly. Slowly he ascended the narrow ladder, the Uigur following behind.

As Ma Joong had his shoulders through the floor opening he exclaimed:

"Well, well! The lazy dog is sleeping!"

So speaking he quickly went up the last steps. Pointing at the drum he said:

"Look at the fellow!"

The Uigur came up quickly.

When his head was on a level with the floor Ma Joong suddenly gave him a fearful kick right in the face.

With a gasp the Uigur fell down the steep ladder.

Ma Joong let himself slide down as fast as he could. At the bottom of the step ladder he could just dodge a vicious knife thrust. The Uigur was lying on the floor leaning on his left arm. Apparently he had broken a leg, and blood gushed from a nasty gash on his shaven head. But his eyes shone with a green light and he held his knife in a firm grip.

Ma Joong decided there was no time, for the finer points. He quickly stepped behind the other. Before the Uigur could scramble round, Ma Joong had placed a kick. The Uigur's head crashed against the side of the ladder. The knife clattered to the floor. He lay quite still.

Ma Joong picked the knife up and put it in his girdle. Then he bound the Uigur's hands behind his back. He felt the other's leg; it seemed broken in more than one place.

Ma Joong went down. He left the tower and strolled nonchalantly out into the market place, heading for the stone tablet.

As he was about to pass in front of the tablet Chiao Tai stepped forward.

"Halt!", he shouted and gripped Ma Joong's arm.

Ma Joong shook his arm free and gave Chiao Tai a sullen look.

"Keep your dirty hands off me, you dogshead!", he barked.

"I am an officer of the tribunal", Chiao Tai said curtly. "I am sure that His Excellency the Judge would like to ask you a few questions, my man!"

"Me?", Ma Joong exclaimed indignantly, "I am an honest citizen, Constable!"

A crowd of idlers had gathered round them, eagerly following this incident.