The Key West Citizen

THE ROAD TO SHANILON
by Rita Monson Thompson

YESTERDAY: Lynn Britton's forced journey to Shani Lun to marry the Prince of that Mongolian land has been a succession of captures and escapes, each more dangerous than the last. Now she has once more escaped Temu Darin, the Prince's incorruptible friend, and finds herself free, but in a revolution-ridden city about which she knows nothing.

Chapter 22
Strange Meeting

The sentry hastened down to join the keeper at the wrought iron gate fencing off the dock from a wide stone-stepped street that led down to the river swarming with water carriers.

Lynn saw a woman dressed in European clothes and carrying a frilly red umbrella emerge from the mob of watermen. She spoke to the gate-keeper and pointed to the junk displaying the flag of Shani Lun. After a moment he admitted her, and the sentry turned to conduct her to the quay.

"She must be a friend of Temu's," thought Lynn. "And she must be extremely familiar with the place to be coming alone like this." She remembered Temu had just told her that all respectable white women were leaving Lanfou on the air transport.

For a moment Lynn clung to the wall in unexpected weakness. She had thought of Temu as one above ordinary men and as her own particular discovery. He might flirt across a dinner table with an art student in Paris or with a college girl in America but Lynn had never dreamed that a flirt with a frilly, red parasol would come tripping down the quay looking for him in Lanfou.

As their footsteps approached Lynn stiffened and moved out into the open. The sentry stopped and stared open-mouthed as if he were seeing an apparition. The girl behind him came forward. At the sight of Lynn she screamed.

"Lynn Britton!"

"Well, Peggy!" said Lynn on a full breath, "I didn't recognize you in this get-up."

"I became lost and the planes went off without me," Peggy said plaintively. "So I raised a red parasol to protect me from the communists and came looking for Mr. Temu Darin. The planes got away just in time. Fighting has broken out in the Mohammedan quarters and I hear an army of revolutionists is approaching from the south. But you, Lynn! How did you escape from the pirates?

"I thought they had taken you up the river."

"I broke away and swam back," fibbed Lynn.

Peggy was so busy planning a foundation for her own position here that she swallowed the absurd statement without question.

They turned at the sound of a powerful motor boat as it shot up the river and headed in towards the wharf where they stood.

Lynn recognized its pilot as Bula, the pock-marked Mongol who seemed to be equally skillful with a gasoline engine or a camel.

Surprise for Temu

Temu stood up before the boat came to a stop, and at sight of the girls, almost lost his balance with surprise and consternation.

Joy bubbled up within Lynn.

He jumped to the wharf and came forward. "How did you get out here?" he asked, and before receiving a reply, demanded of Peggy. "What became of you?

We searched everywhere and had to send the planes on without you."

"I went for a walk and got lost," said Peggy. "Did Sam go on without me?"

Temu gave her a sharp glance.

"Your husband did not believe you were lost." And without waiting for her comment, he turned to Lynn. "How did this happen?"

Peggy answered for her:

"Lynn escaped and swam back down the river."

"Well!" he murmured. He gazed at Lynn, at her high color and mischievous blue eyes. He saw in her acquiescence that there was a secret between them, a loyalty like the understanding between members in a family quarrel.

"We'll have to make plans for getting out of here," he said, and ushered the girls into the shed, explaining to Peggy that the warehouse, a property of the Prince of Shani Lun, contained an apartment in which the girls would be safe, he hoped, until he could make arrangements to take them away from Lanfou.

He observed the screen cut from the ventilator and the unlocked door.

Chan had reappeared and followed them in, his usually inexpressive face alive with consternation. He had undoubtedly thought Temu's battle with the girl was won and it would be safe to leave the keys in their accustomed place.

Peggy looked around. "How cunning and mysterious!" she said. They went into the living-room and Temu asked her to sit down. He spoke bluntly

"Your husband believed you intended to miss the plane. He said you had quarreled with him."

Peggy waved a hand airily

"What of it? He deserved to be quarreled with and left. I thought I'd stay in Lanfou and watch the fun. I've never been in a revolution before."

"How did you think you'd be taken care of?"

She took off her wide-brimmed hat. "You're here, a representative of the powerful Prince of Shani Lun. You wouldn't let the revolutionists stand me up against a wall and shoot me, would you?"

"They wouldn't waste ammunition that way," interrupted Lynn. "They burn you alive. At least that's been the custom in the past."

Peggy shivered. "Oh, how terrible!" Then she regarded Lynn.

"Nothing bad ever happens to you. You have the weirdest experiences and always come out alive."

Temu smiled.

"You mustn't base your activity on Lynn's, Your destiny is different."

Peggy sat forward in her chair. "Tell me more about my destiny."

"Right now, I'll try to get a message through to your husband that you're safe."

Peggy shrugged.

He went to the writing desk, wrote a chit, and gave it to Chan to deliver. Then he turned to Peggy. "Do you happen to be qualified to pilot an airplane?"

"I think I am," interrupted Lynn.

"Not I," said Peggy. "Why?"

She was sauntering around the room looking at the pictures on the walls.

"Thought I might get you started off at once for Nanking. I have a plane there."

"I wouldn't think of leaving with Lynn as pilot," Peggy added.

"Why

"I wouldn't think of sending her with you as a pilot," Temu retorted

Chan came in with a message.

Revolutionists had captured three of the forts above the city as well as the airport. Uprisings and massacres were continuing in villages to the north. River traffic had been held up farther downstream.

Temu made his decision. "I had no papers to fly in here and I have none to fly out. The quicker we leave the better. If we can not make Watch Tower Wells before it is too late to land this evening, we shall have to stay in the air all night."

"Why not go straight to De-lun?" asked Lynn in a dancing tone. "I'm sure Peggy would love to meet the Prince."

New Flight

Temu shook his head. "I'm sure Mrs. Telford would be bored.

Some other time, perhaps, when the Prince is not on his honeymoon."

"Is the Prince recently married, too?" Peggy inquired.

"He soon will be married."

Lynn didn't like the way Temu said it. She knew he was getting back at her for making the suggestion, but a chill of foreboding gripped her heart. He did not want her to have the protection of the presence of another American girl.

Temu went on speaking to Peggy. "Did you bring any clothing except that you have on?"

"Not a thing. I saw how miraculously Lynn was fitted out from scratch."

"Scratch is right." Lynn shuddered. "Mr. Wallace and I ate lunch that day in an inn that was full of fleas."

"You can be thankful it wasn't worse," Temu observed with amusement. He looked her over.

"Change into your heaviest dress. You'd better give the Russian fur coat to Mrs. Telford. There's a Mongol coat of mine that you may wear."

Peggy stared. "He talks to you like a father."

"Or a jailer," Lynn suggested dangerously.

Temu apologized. "You must excuse my brevity. I'm an army man. Be ready in ten minutes."

He went out.

Peggy followed Lynn into the bedroom and watched her dig into the bag that had been brought from Watch Tower Wells.

"Where did those clothes come from?" she demanded

"Perhaps the gentleman keeps them around for his lady friends," Lynn suggested flippantly.

"That dress fits you awfully well," said Peggy slowly. "You may be his lady friend. I thought you went into his arms last night as if you'd been there before.

And the way he looked at you

Lynn thought fast. "Don't let your imagination run away with you," she advised crisply. "These are my clothes, I'll admit. You heard last night that Temu Darin was trying to persuade me to continue the journey to Shani Lun.

He is the Prince's friend, not mine. you can depend on that."

She spoke with a heated sincerity and turned as a rap sounded at the open door.

Temu Darin's eyes held hers for a moment with that elusive spark of amusement and understanding and something else that had a power to flutter her pulses.

Between them, they had Peggy completely bewildered. "But what really has become of your brother?" she asked Lynn.

Lynn surmised that Sam had told Peggy his doubts of Dick's integrity. "Dick seems to know how to take care of himself," she said coldly.

"If you'll come now." Temu turned and they made their way through several divisions of the warehouse until they came to a covered waterway in which floated the silver and red low-wing cabin plane.

He took the control himself, the Mongol at his side. The plane roared out on the smooth, deep-flowing expanse of water and soared into the blue followed by a few surprised and futile cannon balls from the nearest fort.

When they had lifted to a level with the northern hills they felt a jolt of the plane as it struck rough air and saw wild, black storm clouds boiling up on the northeast rim of the world