CHAPTER IV

THE PIRATE TAO CHING Almost to the moment when the sun sank to rest behind the seemingly boundless expanse of paddy-fields, Li Fan stole cautiously from his official residence. He was enveloped in a long loose cloak, while a broad-brimmed straw hat was drawn well down over his eyes. He carried a large bamboo stick shod with iron--a weapon sported by the coolie class against aggression--while hidden in a sash was a modern automatic. By the time the Deputy-Governor arrived at the rendezvous--the tea-house of Fi Tu-…