Poets and Murder

Of the old gate only the two posts were left. Letting the light of his lantern shine into the greystone trough at the base of the left post, he saw there a pile of fresh fruit, and a rough earthenware bowl of cooked rice, half-covered with green leaves. These offerings proved that this was indeed the gate to the wasteland.

Judge Dee quickly parted the branches of the tangled under­growth that barred the narrow pathway. After the first bend, he tucked the slips of his gown under the sash round his waist, and rolled up his long sleeves. Poking about in the brushwood he found a strong stick for pushing thorny branches out of the way, and continued along the winding path.

It was curiously still in this wilderness; he didn't even hear the cries of nightbirds. The only sound was the persistent drone of cicadas, and now and then a faint rustling in the thick undergrowth. 'The dancer is a plucky girl,' he muttered. 'Even in broad daylight this must be a dismal place!’

Suddenly he halted and tightened his grip on the stick. From the dark brush just ahead came a spitting sound. Two greenish eyes were glaring at him, about two feet above the ground. He quickly picked up a stone and threw it. The eyes disappeared. There was a commotion among the leaves, then everything was quiet again. So there were indeed foxes about. But they would never attack a man. Then, however, he was struck by a disturbing thought. He remembered having heard that rabies is of frequent occurrence among wild foxes and stray dogs. And a mad fox would attack anything in sight. Pushing his skull-cap back, he reflected ruefully that he had perhaps acted a bit rashly by setting out on this trip un­armed. A sword or better still a short pike might have proved useful. But his leggings were thick, and the stick felt very serviceable, so he decided to go on anyway.

Soon the path broadened. Through the sparse trees he saw an extensive stretch of wasteland, bleak in the moonlight. A gentle slope, covered with tall grass and strewn with boulders overgrown with weeds, led up to the black bulk of a ruined temple. The outer wall had crumbled in several places, and the top-heavy curved roof of the single building inside was sagging badly. About half-way up the slope a dark shape jumped lithely on to a boulder, and sat down on its haunches. The judge saw clearly its pointed ears and long, plumed tail. The beast seemed unusually tall.

He peered for a while at the dark ruin, but could see no light or any other sign of life. With a sigh he went up the winding path marked by irregularly shaped stones. When he came near the fox, he raised his stick. The animal jumped down gracefully and streaked off into the darkness. The waving of the grass indicated that there were more foxes about there.