The Boy Fortune Hunters in China by L. Frank Baum

"It's all right, Sam," said Archie, vigorously shaking me. "Sit up, old man."

I obeyed, opening my eyes to gaze fearfully around me. The lamp on the taboret still burned steadily and crouching motionless upon the mangled remains of Mai Lo was the form of the giant ape. Joe and Archie supported me to my feet, peering into my face anxiously.

"Is -- is he dead? " I asked in a faint voice.

"Dead as nails! " declared Archie, with a laugh. "Old Fo-Chu has saved us a lot of trouble, while the governor kindly saved us from the beast by giving Fo-Chu his quietus. It couldn't have been better if we had planned it; but my! wasn't it a jolly fight?"

"It was awful, boys! " I exclaimed.

Joe nodded.

"The horror of it nearly got me, too," he admitted. "But, as Archie says, it was a fortunate thing for us, take it all in all."

Feeling somewhat restored in strength I stooped down and picked up the scimitar, which lay where the ape had dropped it. The blade was reeking with warm blood, and I hastily wiped it clean with the rich tapestry that hung upon the wall of the room.

"The seven kings must have fought for the scimitar that time," I observed. "It was a fearful blow."

Together we rolled the great body of the dead ape over, with the idea of getting together the remains of Mai Lo. But the nauseating heap of flesh, mingled with shreds of the broidered robes that had enveloped it, was so repulsive that we decided not to touch it.

"Leave him with the ancestors of Kai," advised Joe. "We'll be away from here before long."

"I'll never enter this place again! " I declared, with a shudder, for my nerves were still on edge.

"Nor I," said Joe, hastily.

"Then let's get all we want now," suggested Archie.

We did. Without fear of further interruption we explored such alcoves as we had not previously visited and appropriated the best of the treasure they contained. We were all fairly well loaded when at last we returned to the scene of the recent tragedy, where we added the heap of jewels that Mai Lo had been examining. There was no time to assort them, so we took them all.

Archie seized the scimitar and hacked away a section of the tapestry, and while I wondered what he was going to do he picked up the severed head of Mai Lo by its queue and dropped it into the cloth, gathering up the corners to form a bag.

"What is that for? " I asked, wonderingly.

"Why, it's proof that the governor is extinct," he said, with a grin. "No one is allowed to enter this place, so we must establish the demise of our dearly detested enemy in the upper world. Are you fellows ready?"

"Come on," I said, picking up my burdens.

We returned to the alcove of the first Kai and for the last time crept behind the tapestry and emerged into the tunnel through the steel door.