The Mystery of the Fire Dragon - Carolyn Keene [42]
The young people said good-by to Lieutenant Commander Rawling and thanked him profusely. Nancy and Ned then walked to the airport building, where Nancy washed her face and hands, combed her hair, and rested for a short time. Then she told Ned she was ready to go on to Kam Tin.
The young man shook his head in astonishment. “You can certainly take it!” he said admiringly.
Ned found that the Chinese helicopter pilot, Jimmy Ching, was still available. Soon Nancy and Ned were air-borne, heading for Kam Tin.
It was not a long ride and soon the helicopter was hovering over the walled city. It looked like a toy city surrounded by a moat. Beyond lay a vast expanse of fields with a farmhouse here and there.
The whirlybird came down on a field and the occupants alighted. As the visitors began walking through the ancient city, the inhabitants stared at them expressionlessly.
The three proceeded up one alley and down another. They could easily look into the houses, which were all open to the roadways and had bamboo curtains. These were now raised, but the pilot said they were lowered at night. Nancy and her fellow searchers saw nothing to indicate any smuggling activities, or that Chi Che Soong was being held prisoner in Kam Tin.
Nancy observed, as they walked along, that the walled city was crowded and unsanitary. Nevertheless, she was intrigued by an artistic religious custom of the inhabitants. On walls, both inside and outside the homes, were brackets holding candles, flowers, and incense. The candles were lighted and the incense gave off a fragrant aroma.
“I don’t think the people of Kam Tin have anything to do with the mystery of the fire dragon,” Ned whispered to Nancy presently. “The paper Mrs. Truesdale showed Mr. Lung might refer to some farmhouse in the area instead of a place in town.”
Nancy nodded. The trio went through the city gate and set off down the main road toward the nearest farmhouse. As they approached it, the three could hear rhythmic hammering. The sound was not noisy; on the contrary, it was muffled and pleasant.
“That hammering reminds me of goldbeaters,” Ned remarked.
As Nancy and her companions drew closer to the farmhouse, they suddenly noticed a car coming in the opposite direction. It turned abruptly into a lane which led to the house. “Let’s hide and see if we can find out what’s going on here,” Nancy suggested.
They managed to conceal themselves behind a shed a few feet from the house. The driver of the car was talking to a Chinese farmer.
Ned translated, “Is the shipment ready?”
The farmer replied, “Yes.”
The driver then asked, “You kept enough to pay for the work?”
The farmer replied angrily, “I cannot use this. I want Hong Kong dollars.”
The argument went on. The farmer threatened to expose the caller to the authorities if he were not paid at once. Finally the driver pulled out a wad of bills and handed it to the farmer.
The farmer pocketed the money, then called to someone inside the house. Several Chinese men, carrying two heavy chests, came outside and put them in the car. The caller drove off.
“I’m sure we have a clue to the smuggling!” Nancy whispered. “We’d better get back to the airport as fast as we can!”
Her companions agreed. As soon as they reached Kai Tak, the girl detective telephoned Mr. Lee Soong and told him of the Kam Tin trip, giving the car’s license number and a description of the driver.
“I will arrange to have the police find this driver and trail him,” Mr. Soong said. “And the farmhouse at Kam Tin will be searched.”
Nancy thanked him. “I can hardly wait to find out what happens,” she told Mr. Soong excitedly.
CHAPTER XVIII
A New Assignment
THE ex-police chief, Mr. Lee Soong, chuckled. “Impatience,” he said, “is like a goat butting its head aimlessly on the wall. All he does is mar the wall and wear himself out.”
Nancy laughed. “How true that is!” she replied. “I will try to be patient, but I shall have my mind on the case every minute until I