Book 3. Murga's thugs kidnap me yet again but this time Triple Oh and Kozak plan to trap Murga without telling me I'm the bait. When Murga doesn't show up, the thugs handcuff me inside a helicopter which the pilots abandon over Hong Kong leaving T...
Early the next morning, Dr Zhang was arguing with Kongming who wanted to load his whole library onto our cart, leaving no room for us. Kongming reluctantly compromised but, by the time he had finished sorting his scrolls, it was afternoon. Dr Zhang, Licia, and Ming Ruo squeezed onto the front of the cart while Miguel and I climbed on top of the scrolls and waved goodbye to Yu Ging.
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Our cart bumped and jerked as Ming Ruo tried to keep up with Kongming's light carriage. Eventually, after Kongming had come back three times to make sure his scrolls were undamaged, Dr Zhang told him to go on ahead. We would catch up with him in Xinye.
We meandered through dry deserted hills for hours. Some of them were so steep we had to get off and push the cart. Even without our weight, our valiant little horse had difficulty hauling the load of scrolls. Dr Zhang grumbled about ditching Kongming's library but he didn't.
For a late lunch, we ate sticky rice and soft buns, filled with sweet red bean sauce, while Dr Zhang entertained us with a lecture about paper armour. It was made by pleating many layers of paper and silk cloth and by covering it with paint to preserve it in wet weather. It was lighter and more comfortable than iron armour, especially in hot weather, and it didn't get rusty.
He was interrupted by the honking of a gaggle of geese flying over our heads.
'If those are Canada geese, they are seriously lost,' I said.
'Do you think Dunc is up there looking for us?' Miguel laughed.
'Is there is a washroom around here anywhere?' Licia asked.
'Affirmative, Licia.' Miguel jerked a thumb. 'The Chinese call it a ditch. Be careful. Don't fall in.' He handed her the roll of toilet paper. 'Don't forget the paperwork.'
Licia walked into the bushes and there was silence until she screamed, 'Ai-yah!'
'What is it?' Dr Zhang called.
'The ladies' washroom was full of rabbits,' Licia called. 'But, it's okay. They've all gone.'
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It was nearly dark by the time we reached Xinye, a small town near a steep, rocky hill. We drove through a gate in the crumbling city wall, along a wide straight street to a walled government compound - the yamen - where we found Kongming.
'Where under heaven have you been?' Kongming asked Dr Zhang irritably. 'I was about to send out a party to search for my scrolls.'
'Ah-um,' Dr Zhang muttered darkly. 'I was very tempted to throw your library in the ditch. We had to walk most of the way because our horse was labouring with the burden of your scrolls. They're all there. Count them.'
