oung Ku
Nai-nai as she lay asleep.'

An Ching did not much like this, but she said nothing.

Chang continued: 'It was easy to follow you and put up at the same inn
at night, especially as Hung Li did not know us. We rode after you this
morning, and when we saw that the mule had fallen we left ours with an
old man in a hut over there,' pointing beyond the bushes, 'and began to
walk towards you. Little Yi saw us coming, and here we are.'

CHAPTER XIII

THE ROAD TO PEKING

'Now what are you going to do?' asked An Ching.

'We shall follow you to Peking or wherever Hung Li takes you, and then
go at once and tell the English gentleman where you are. You have no
need to fear now,' turning to Nelly, 'that you will not get home.'

'And can't An Ching come with us?'

'I dare not take her,' said Chang, 'but perhaps your father can arrange
something. Now I will go and ask Chi Fu what we had best do.'

Chi Fu thought that all they could do for the present was to keep the
party well in sight and put up at the same inn that night. Chang
returned and told An Ching this, and said they would go and get their
mules. He cautioned all three not to appear to know either of them, even
if they came and spoke to Hung Li.

After Chang and Chi Fu went away it seemed a very long time before Hung
Li returned with another mule. He was accompanied by a man who brought a
cart and took away the dead animal. Hung Li told An Ching that he had
only been able to get a mule to take them as far as the next village,
and they must put up there. He had brought some food, and they prepared
another meal by the roadside. The children ate sitting in the cart. As
soon as they had finished, Hung harnessed the mule and then set off once
more.

This was a good strong beast and took them along briskly to the next
village, but as so much time had already been wasted it was late in the
afternoon when they arrived.

Hung Li was now obliged to go in search of another mule and return the
one he had to its owner. By the time this was done, it was too late to
start again that day.

The inn was about a hundred yards from the main road. It stood in an
open space and was reached by a narrow winding path. All round and
between the inn and the road was short grass and stubble. But on the
opposite side of the road, a short distance on the way they had come,
there was a hillock with a clump of trees at one side. The room which
had been engaged for An Ching ha