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We reached Tien-Hó late in the afternoon. The red sun was setting. Black walls rose beside a rushing stream. On a distant hill, I saw a large white building. It was a Catholic mission. Further away, the mountains of Mongolia were visible.
We stayed in a building called the Inn of Earthly Consolation. My room opened onto a wooden gallery. Paper dragons hung from the ceiling. In the wind, they moved and made a dry rustling sound. They looked like strange creatures that had come alive.
Before nightfall, I went to see the town with Sá-Tó. The bad smell in the streets made me return quickly. To my eyes, everything looked black and dirty. I also despised the poor people who lived there. At the inn, Mongolian drivers and children stared at me. 'All these people seem suspicious to me,' I said. Sá-Tó agreed and called them worthless people.
Sá-Tó said that he had killed a black cockerel. He believed that the goddess Kaonine would protect us. Then he brought me tea, and we discussed my plan. The next morning, I would look for Ti-Chin-Fú's supposed widow. I would tell her that I was giving her the millions held in Peking. Afterwards, I wanted to distribute plenty of rice among the people. At night, there would be lights and public dancing. Sá-Tó praised my wisdom. But we had not yet found any family.
I was tired and went to bed early. I made the sign of the cross and fell asleep. I was thinking about Vladimira's white arms and green eyes.
Near midnight, I woke to a slow noise. The sound surrounded the whole inn. Moonlight entered through the gallery. In that light, the paper dragons looked like monsters. Sá-Tó entered the room, deeply frightened. He said that a rumour had spread through the town. People said that a 'foreign devil' had arrived with treasure. Sá-Tó had already seen people circling the building. So he had ordered the carts to be placed before the door. Now, a large crowd surrounded the inn. Sá-Tó feared that Kaonine had not accepted the cockerel. He had also seen a black goat recoil beside a temple and feared that omen. I asked him what we should do. He could not answer.
I went to the gallery and looked down. In the shadows, I saw people gathered together and spearheads. Some figures approached the carts and drew back. 'What do you want, you rabble?' I shouted in Portuguese. A stone tore through the paper of a window beside me. Soon afterwards, an arrow lodged in a beam. The arrow passed over my head.
I went down to the inn's kitchen. The porters were trembling with fear. The two Cossacks waited with their sabres drawn. The people from the inn had disappeared. Only an old man remained, collapsed from opium. I remembered a poor old woman in the courtyard. I had seen her flying a paper kite.
I told Sá-Tó to find the governor. I was Camilloff's friend and knew Prince Tong. I hoped that those names would bring protection. But Sá-Tó suspected the governor himself. According to him, the governor might be directing the attack. The rumour of my gold might have aroused many desires. Sá-Tó advised me to surrender part of the baggage. I did not want to be left without clothes, money and food. At last, I agreed to offer coins in exchange for peace.
Sá-Tó went up to the gallery and spoke to the crowd. I opened a case full of coins threaded on strings. I handed several bags to Sá-Tó. He threw handfuls of coins down below. Each shower of coins provoked a fight among the people. Then the crowd fell silent and waited for more. 'More, Your Honour,' Sá-Tó pleaded.
I gave him all the coins that remained. The case was empty, but the crowd wanted more. Suddenly, an enormous shout rang out. The crowd rushed at the carts. The carts fell and the entrance was left open. Axes broke the crates, and knives cut open the cases. The Cossacks fought beneath the blades. More people arrived through the streets with torches and sickles.
I heard the crowd enter the ground floor. I thought that they were looking for me because of the treasure. Filled with terror, I broke a bamboo lattice. I jumped into the courtyard and found my pony. The animal neighed and pulled at the rope. I climbed onto the pony and gripped its mane. At that moment, an armed group entered the courtyard.
The pony took fright and began to run. An arrow flew past me. Bricks struck my shoulder and back. Another brick injured the pony. A larger brick tore my ear open. With my ear bleeding, I raced along a dark street. The town gate was closed before me.
I heard the crowd approaching behind me. With no human help, I felt a need for God. I cried out to God to save me. I tried to remember parts of old prayers. Then I saw an opening in the wall. I went through it and we galloped across the plain.
Suddenly, the pony and I fell into a pond. Dirty water entered my mouth. My feet became caught in the plants' roots. When I stood up, the pony was already running far away.
I continued alone across muddy, thorny ground. Blood from my ear dripped onto my shoulder. My wet clothes chilled my body. In the darkness, I thought I saw animals' eyes.
At last, I reached a field with yellow coffins. They were abandoned coffins containing decaying bodies. I fell onto one of them, too weak to go on. There was a terrible smell in the air. Liquid was seeping through gaps in the wood. I tried to escape, but my knees would not obey me. Everything began to spin before my eyes. Then I lost consciousness.
When I woke, I was on a stone bench. I was in the courtyard of a building like a convent. Two Lazarist priests were washing my ear. The air was cool and the place was quiet. I heard the well pulley creak and the bell ring.
I raised my eyes towards a white façade. There was a cross at the top of the building. To me, that Catholic peace felt like a corner of Portugal. I felt that I had shelter and comfort. Two silent tears fell from my eyes.