The Chase
German Swiss International School , Li , Mohan - 10
T
Shanghai 1901
homas Jameson had deserted the army and had been a fugitive on the run for quite a few years , now he was nearly in his destination , Shanghai . He remembered back in the 1890s when the hammer of fear had hit him during the Boer War and he just ran , leaving behind him the Ndebele Tribesmen and his own comrades . He had been pursued on land and sea but he hoped it would nearly be impossible for the British to find him in a bustling trade port in the Far East . He had seen a few wanted posters so he disguised himself , with a long patterned black robe covering his lanky build , silk pants and a wide straw hat covering his cropped fair hair .
All he had to do now was to cross the city ’ s great walls then he would be in Shanghai . He took a long moment to breathe and observed his surroundings . The buildings were an incredible mix of European and Asian , from cathedrals jutting out into the air like trees in a jungle to traditional Chinese buildings with curved roofs and shining characters . No wonder Shanghai was called The Pearl of the Orient . As he gazed in awe , somebody bumped into him and knocked his hat off . Thomas had no time to think before two men in masks raced towards him , waving flintlock pistols .
Thomas dashed off , knocking into vegetable carts and narrowly avoiding noodle stands as he left angry people shouting behind him . Bullets whizzed past him as he suddenly realised the path stopped at a dead end . Just as the men were closing in , Thomas was smacked across the forehead with an idea as he saw the water gate . He sucked in a huge gulp of air and dived in the water , swimming across the moat , surprising fishermen and Wall Guards alike as he was pulled under the bridge by the rolling tide . He blacked out as his head smashed into something hard .
Thomas woke up in a small village and felt a hard , wooden bed under him . He still had a tremendous headache from his daring escape , and it felt as if a blacksmith was hammering on his scalp . He stood up drowsily , careful not to break anything and then walked out of the room , eager to discover where he was but only to find another room . In there Thomas was greeted by a small rotund Asian man with a thin mustache and a small sharp nose .
“ Hello , my name is Ke Jin and I found you half drowned near the water storage .” He said in perfect English .
“ Err … thank you . My name is Thomas ,” he replied , not knowing how to express his gratitude .
“ You can stay at my house until I find you a hotel . I need to go to the market . You can stay here but try not to touch the steaming “ Xiao Long Baos ” in the bamboo containers on the table because they could burn your hands ,” and with that he left .
Thomas sat down on a bamboo chair to rest , only to be interrupted by the scraping sound of steel . Thomas leapt out of the chair , only to be confronted by two men with daggers . He realised he probably was still being hunted by the British .
“ Leave me alone ,” replied an enraged Thomas . He had only arrived in Shanghai and was being hassled by assassins . He searched for a weapon but could see none . Then he remembered what Ke told him . He gripped the steaming Xiao Long Baos in his hand ignoring the excruciating pain and threw them one by one at his attackers . The boiling soup burst from their pastry sacks and scalded their eyes . They fell to the floor screaming in agony and clutching their eyes . Just then , Ke arrived .