under estimating kongming

Part 18 - The Long River

The approaching rider was a skinny man with a round face, a bushy beard and dragon scale armour. Wang Bang had found us!

We ran back into the shed, to warn Denny. Lu Bu grabbed the brake lever and Licia, Miguel and I went back outside just as Wang Bang slid off his horse and fell on to his knees with a clatter of weaponry. He gasped painfully as he levered himself back onto his feet and snarled something at Licia.

'He called us ugly barbarian brats,' Licia translated. 'He's demanding we tell him where old Ko-za-keh is. He claims Kozak is his slave and he wants money.'

'Tell him Tiger General Zhang Fei will arrive at any moment,' I suggested.

Wang Bang didn't seem impressed. He strode ponderously toward us shouting. We backed around the shed as he grabbed Licia's arm, pulled out one of his knives and backed up toward the waterwheel, which was rotating as the cable unreeled.

Licia said, 'He won't believe Kozak is not here. He's threatening to cut my neck.'

'Good grief!' Miguel gasped with admiration. 'Is that a genuine Master Gong ghost blade?' Licia relayed the question.

'He says, yes, it is. They are a family heirloom.'

'Cool,!' Miguel exclaimed 'Could he show me how he juggles them so cleverly?'

Licia translated and Wang Bang rummaged in his backpack and, without thinking, released her. Miguel and I charged into him and he staggered backwards until the grapnel, sticking out of his backpack, hooked onto a bamboo strut on the slowly rotating waterwheel. He was hoisted into the air by the heavy, descending drill bit. His arms flailed as he tried to grab onto something but, as he neared the top of the wheel, he knocked the pivoting spout which directed the waterfall onto the waterwheel.

He screeched with shock as a jet of freezing cold water hit him in the face. The waterwheel stopped and he hung there cursing. The waterfall kept pouring over him until the waterwheel buckets filled and the weight of water counter-balanced the weight of the drill bit. Wang Bang slowly descended and we watched in gleeful anticipation as his dagger axe, sticking out of his backpack, turned the water spout away from the buckets. He stopped again with his feet still a metre off the ground and, as the water drained out of his clothing, he was again hoisted back up to the waterfall and his dagger axe turned the spout to the on position.

Denny and Lu Bu came out of the shed. 'Whose messing about with my waterwheel? he demanded as Licia interpreted. 'The drill's going up and down like a Chinese Yo-Yo.' Lu Bu looked up at Wang Bang. Licia was howling with laughter as Lu Bu turned to us, hiding a grin with one hand. Licia controlled herself long enough to tell us that Lu Bu suggested we leave while he figured out how to get Wang Bang down.

Grandpa Chen brought our carriage over and Miguel tied the reins of Wang Bang's horse to the back. Denny grabbed his tool belt and said goodbye to Lu Bu.

'Thank you very much Mr Big Bang,' Miguel laughed as we moved off. 'And have a great day.' We looked back as we rounded the hill and the last we saw of Wang Bang he was still going up and down on the water wheel. Lu Bu was waving us goodbye.

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In the afternoon, Grandpa Chen fitted the heavy rudder and he, Miguel, Denny and I went for a test sail. Licia and Chen Ling were designated cooks as Denny spoke sufficient Mandarin to converse with Grandpa Chen. Denny and Miguel were experienced sailors but they had to learn how to control the fully battened lug sail.