Page:Leaves from my Chinese Scrapbook - Balfour, 1887.djvu/225

 ?" "To be sure it is!" cried everybody. "Then its owner cannot be far off." So the man continued to pry about near the wall, and before he had gone far he uttered an exclamation of horror; for there, sure enough, was Mr. Chang—or all that could be seen of him—with his head stuck hard and fast in a dung-pit!

Yes, there he was; recognisable only by his clothes, as his face was invisible, and his legs pointing upwards to the sky. The labourers rushed forward; and, in spite of the horrible stench, pulled the body out of the hole, and washed it in the nearest ditch. The two old gentlemen, recognising in the bad man's fate the just retribution of Heaven, went home, and the others quietly dispersed. Meanwhile the news had reached Chang's family, and they prepared a coffin and a shroud, and consigned the dishonoured corpse to its last resting-place. By this time the villain Pa had died of the wound in his head, and such was the end of these two wicked men.

Next morning the magistrate, who had recovered from his sickness, took his seat upon the bench, and prepared to go on with the case. But the first thing he heard was, that the accuser was no more; and then all the facts of the occurrence were made known to him by the officers of the court. The magistrate was overwhelmed with astonishment, and could hardly believe his ears; but the story was confirmed by the two old gentlemen and over a hundred of the neighbours, who all came to bear their testimony. Then the magistrate was delighted to think that he had been prevented from applying torture to an innocent man, and, sending for old Tsiu, he told him he was free. He also posted a proclamation outside the garden- gate, warning everybody against daring