"¶" "Hey boy." "Mr. Paladin." "What does that mean?" "No wanna get mix up with those person." "Well, I can't really tell until I have this translated." "What does this mean?" "You brave man, mr." "Paladin." "But this evil tong, when they put fingers on you..." "I am waiting for a translation, not a eulogy." "Now, what does this mean?" "Oh, it says, uh," ""proclamation."" "I understand that it's a proclamation." ""the sum of $1,000 american" ""is hereby offered as a reward" "Upon the death of..."" "And this is the ideograph I do not understand." "What does it mean?" "Detective." "That's what it says." ""the life of detective joe tsin."" ""dishonorable traitor to his own people." ""this reward is offered sincerely" ""and sealed by us." ""loo sam, association for gentle brotherhood." "The day of your death is surely upon us."" "And this is detective inspector clarence magruder," "San francisco police department." "I don't believe we've met, inspector." "What happened to brophy?" "Oh, started getting a bit greedy." "Now he's back pounding a beat on the waterfront." "And how does this proclamation concern you?" "Detective joe tsin." "One of the best." "The only expert we have on crime in chinatown." "Naturally the tong boys aren't too pleased." "If they can get rid of him," "They'll be right back having things their own way." "Well, surely the san francisco police department" "Can protect one of its own members." "You, uh, know much about orientals?" "A little." "Well, then you know that they ain't like you and me." "I'm not at all sure that I know that." "I don't mean to run them down." "I mean they have customs, traditions, pride." "Joe wouldn't let us protect him from his own people." "Even if we could." "Of course, I guess joe feels" "That if he can't handle this himself," "It's a black mark against all of them." "But if he doesn't get some first-class protection at once," "He's gonna die." "We thought that maybe a stranger, a man like yourself..." "Joe wouldn't be so apt to catch on." "And if he does?" "He'd lose face." "You can see that." "Ad then heaven knows what lengths he'd go to" "Just to redeem himself." "And where do I find him?" "Chinatown." "Anywhere." "That boy's idea of a normal workday is 24 hours." "You might ask his father." "Old hoo yee is quite a prominent man in chinatown." "Not one of the tongs?" "No." "Chinese young men's christian association." "All the police department can pay you is $20 a day." "And, of course, a grand civic funeral" "If one of them highbinders parts your hair with a hatchet." "Well, thank you very much." "I'll be happy to contribute my fee" "To the police widow's pension fund" "If you can guarantee that not one cent of it will go for graft." "Mr. Paladin, you can't expect us to reform" "The entire municipal administration overnight." "No, I suppose not." "I'll do my best." "Thank you." "Detective joe is cousin of my father's cousin." "But I think you are, please forgive," "A fool to get mix up in such fatal business." "Hey boy, you know what lao tze says:" ""a man who knows he is a fool, is not a great fool."" "True." "But those highbinder all the same rattlesnakes." "When you hear warning, it is too late." "Will you take me to joe tsin's father?" "Now?" "In the dark of night?" "Now, in the dark of night." "I'm bad oriental." "Rather lose face than die." "But for you, all right." "Hey boy, I thank you for your sacrifice." "I'll join you here." "Your police let unprincipled chinese" "Traffic in slaves, opium," "And other such notorious enterprises." "But when your people is angered and blames all of us" "And commits outrages against the innocent," "They turn their back." "The men who attack your people are just as hateful to us." "But what has this to do with your son?" "Your police, they say, help us destroy the tongs." "Then we can protect you." "Very well." "My son joins police department." "In consequence," "One of the tongs most evil chieftains, loo sam," "Is deeply angry with my son." "He says he will not live longer than this week." "And your son will not accept the protection" "Of the san francisco police force." "Do you know what kind of individuals" "Will be competing for that generous reward money?" "The bai-hai doys." "What your police call the highbinders." "Scientific executioners." "Men, who with their hatchet, have done more destruction" "To the human organism of their enemy" "Than the san francisco police department with all their guns." "Should my son lower himself to ask protection" "From men too cowardly or heartless to intervene" "When a chinese laundryman has red pepper thrown in his eyes" "Or is hung to a lamppost by his queue?" "I don't suppose your son would consider" "Leaving town for a while." "My son is a proud man." "He feels the reputation of all our people is involved." "If he ran away," "Even his future bride would despise him." "Well, it's difficult enough to protect a coward or a fool." "But a proud man..." "Who asked you to protect him?" "The san francisco police force." "I warn you not to disgrace him publicly." "And if I see him in danger of losing his life," "You still wish me" "Not to intercede?" "I know it is difficult" "For you occidentals to understand" "The meaning of restraint." "I know how fond you are of the discharge of explosive weapons." "But my son has only one life." "When a shot is fired, a hundred may follow." "Felling the innocent with the guilty." "Then the rage against my people would be terrible." "Well..." "I will do my best to act with restraint." "Just a minute there, fellow." "Well, you're joe tsin." "What were you doing in that house?" "Ask your father." "Don't get sporty with me, mister." "I will have an answer." "What are you up to?" "Some kind of shakedown maybe?" "Am I under arrest?" "I'll decide that when I'm ready." "On what charges?" "You hoodlums think you can walk all over us, don't you?" "I'm a police officer, not a laundryman." "When I ask a question, I will have an answer." "Why don't we just go on to the police station" "And straighten this thing out." "That's exactly what we're gonna do." "All right." "Let's go." "All right." "Let's go." "Mr. Paladin." "Thank you for saving my son's life." "Did my father hire you to protect me?" "He did not." "Someone did." "Would you rather be dead now?" "I'm grateful to you for saving my life," "But not to those who showed so little faith in me." "What if these people had killed you?" "I would have died with honor." "There is no honor in a wasted death." "Perhaps 2,000 years from now," "Your civilization will have learned to understand ours." "You have made him lose face." "Well, he could have lost his head." "He must do something to prove he is more brave than you." "Oh?" "To whom must he prove this?" "To his father." "To me." "To all these people." "But most of all, to himself." "It's going to be rather difficult" "To protect him after what's happened." "It's too late." "No one can protect him from what he must do now." "What does that mean?" "Come." "I will show you." "This is what I've been looking for." "It is a chun-ho." "A challenge from joe." "to whom?" "To loo sam, the head of the tong." "The association for gentle brotherhood." "That sounds fair enough." "Or any representative he may appoint." "Well, that's not so good." "To meet him in armed combat here tonight at 12:00." "Now, what shall we do?" "Is there any chance" "That loo sam will accept this challenge himself?" "No." "He pays many thousand dollars a year to his bai-hai doys," "His fighting men, experts, scientific killers," "Who eat the flesh of wild cats to give them cunning." "Those men who attacked you in the streets just now," "They were children compared to those fighting men who work for loo sam." "And he will simply choose the most deadly of them all," "His bodyguard, sing chuck." "His name means, "his feet are swift to shed blood."" "Is there no way I can help joe?" "You've done all you could." "Well, if I hadn't provoked joe into handcuffing us," "He probably could have handled that street fight himself." "But since I am responsible for this..." "Please." "You must not even think of helping joe." "He is not afraid of death." "But to be disgraced by you a second time..." "He can still feel that way" "Knowing he wouldn't have a chance in such a fight?" "Between an honorable man and a scoundrel," "The contest must always be uneven." "Perhaps we can do something to make it a little more even." "How?" "Where can I find this famous killer" "Whose feet are swift to shed blood?" "There is a gambling house on sacramento street owned by loo sam." "But I have never heard of a stranger" "Who valued his life so little as to venture inside." "Will you take me there?" "Why not?" "The police." "They hired you to save a life, not to throw away your own." "Well, perhaps you're right." "Perhaps I can't expect to hurdle 2,000 years in one night." "That one?" "You know what they do to me if they find out I tell you?" "I don't have to wait?" "No." "Send a bottle of chablis up to my room." "If I don't come out of there, use it to toast my memory." "I send for rice wine." "French wine make me ill." "You are in the wrong place, perhaps?" "The wrong place for you." "And what is the right place for me?" "San quentin prison." "If you are a troublemaker from the police," "You had better remember the chief inspector" "Is my very dear friend." "What does he want?" "More money?" "I am in no way connected with the police." "If you will excuse me, I just came here to enjoy myself." "Now, gentlemen, what are the rules here?" "And you needn't think I'm going to show you my bankroll" "Until I know with what I am playing." "Sing chuck." "There's a stranger in the other room." "Go wash his body." "I want to see the color of his blood." "My bodyguard is a very busy man." "He has a duel to fight for me this night." "But I think he will enjoy this task:" "To wash your body in blood." "Well, I just came here looking for a little action," "But if this is the only kind of action you care to provide," "There's not very much I can do about it, is there?" "Ah!" "I should have shot you." "But you've got an appointment tonight in person with joe tsin." "Now, let your enemies and your friends see" "How bravely you fight your own battles." "Well, it's getting late." "I warn you, this is my fight and no one else's." "I wouldn't change places with you for anything." "It's midnight." "He has not accepted my challenge." "From this night, he and his association" "Will be the mockery of all chinatown." "But I don't understand it." "His hatchet man could have beaten me easily." "Well, perhaps you underestimate yourself." "I have a suspicion you had a hand in this somehow." "Joe, you've been trying so hard to be a 200% american," "That you haven't understood what really makes this country." "What makes this country is not its great men standing alone" "Trying to do the impossible." "It's men of all kinds, large and small," "Trying to do a job together." "Not for their personal honor," "But for the honor of their country." "Am I forgiven?" "¶ "have gun, will travel" reads the card of a man ¶" "¶ a knight without armor in a savage land ¶" "¶ his fast gun-for-hire heeds the calling wind ¶" "¶ a soldier of fortune is the man called ¶" "¶ paladin ¶" "¶ paladin, paladin where do you roam ¶"