Page:Frank Owen - Rare Earth, 1931.djvu/238

 cause it to reflect forever in his eyes. Of all Oriental medicants I am the greatest."

Hung Long Tom shrugged his shoulders. He believed that he was being victimized but nevertheless he caused the jewels to be brought and bestowed upon his guest. At once Pau Dah tucked them away in his cassock.

"Tonight," he said, "when moonlight flows like the waves of the Yellow Sea through this garden, I will cast my spell. Until then I must rest and ponder. My mind must glide through devious paths. Perhaps you have food which I may consume, a room in which I may sleep, a pipe that I may inhale briefly."

And Hung Long Tom ordered that Pau Dah be accommodated with all his requests. He more than half divined that Pau Dah was not as poor as he would have folks believe. The torn cassock was but a costume worn in a drama. He was an accomplished actor. Still his fame was limitless. That at least was genuine. It was said that he talked with foxes and understood the language of birds from whom he gathered many of his secrets.