<h2 id="c7"><span class="small">CHAPTER VII</span> <br/>A “Spirited” Box</h2>
<p>The native boy raced across the open compound toward
the group of low buildings where the servants
slept. Jack and Biff ran side by side, ten feet behind
the boy.</p>
<p>“What is it, Chuba? What is it?” Jack called. But
the boy didn’t answer until he reached the door of
one of the small white cabins. There he stopped,
gasping for breath, and turned to Jack and Biff. His
face was contorted with fear; his eyes were opened
wide and filled with terror.</p>
<p>“Now get hold of yourself, Chuba. Steady. We’re
right here. What’s inside your cabin that’s so frightening?”</p>
<p>Chuba’s voice trembled as he spoke. “The evil ones.
They come. They come to punish Chuba and the
father of Chuba.”</p>
<div class="pagenum" id="Page_50">50</div>
<p>“The evil ones? What are you talking about?”
Jack’s voice was firm, but his tone was kind. He had
to quiet this boy’s fears.</p>
<p>“It has been spoken,” Chuba said, his voice trembling.
“Many, many years ago, the gods spoke to the
ancestors of my father. They said”—and here the
boy’s voice almost broke—“they said that evil will
befall any member of the House of Chin Fu who
leaves his land to become a slave of the white man.”</p>
<p>Biff watched the boy. He felt sympathy toward
him, yet it was hard for Biff to believe that such superstitious
beliefs could still cast their spell in these
modern days.</p>
<p>“That’s nonsense, Chuba. You and your father are
not slaves. You are honorable workers. Without your
help, we could not live here. You are well paid, and
you hold positions of responsibility and dignity.
Enough of this. Just what is inside your cabin?”</p>
<p>“Chuba not know. But is bad. Very bad. It is voices
of the evil ones, casting spell on Chuba and his honorable
father.”</p>
<p>“All right. Come on and show us what it is.”</p>
<p>“Please, Sahib Jack. You to go first.”</p>
<p>“Okay. Come on, Biff.”</p>
<p>Jack and Biff entered the one-room cabin. It was
small, but comfortably furnished. Beds stood against
the walls on either side of the room. At the rear there
was a small, compact kitchen. Biff and Jack inspected
the room quickly. They saw nothing unusual.</p>
<p>Chuba stood behind them, standing on tiptoes.</p>
<div class="pagenum" id="Page_51">51</div>
<p>“There!” he said. “Watch, and you shall hear evil
spirits.” He pointed to a small box on the floor by
one of the beds.</p>
<p>As they watched, a low growl came from the box.
The growl grew louder. It became a wail. Then it
turned into the high, piercing scream of a siren. It
held this chilling, blood-curdling pitch for about ten
seconds. Then the lid of the box slowly raised. A
yellowish hand emerged. It bent over the front of the
box. One finger touched a small button. The high
scream dropped down to a wail, then to a growl, then
stopped. The hand withdrew into the box. The lid
closed. All was silent again.</p>
<p>Biff put a restraining hand on Chuba, keeping the
boy from fleeing in terror. On Biff’s face a slow grin
was spreading. He wanted to laugh, but one glance at
Chuba’s stricken face stopped him. This was a serious
thing to Chuba. Chuba would feel Biff was laughing
at him, insulting him.</p>
<p>Jack stared at the box in amazement. “Now just
what on earth is that thing?” He scratched his head.
Biff started across the room toward the box.</p>
<p>“Hold it, Biff. We don’t know what that gadget
might be. Might be a bomb.”</p>
<p>Now Biff did laugh. Even Jack was concerned.
Not terror-stricken like Chuba, but the weird performance
of the box had undoubtedly alarmed Jack.</p>
<p>Biff reached for the box, bent over, and picked it
up. Chuba cowered behind Jack. But the native boy’s
curiosity got the better of him. He watched Biff’s
every move, his eyes wide.</p>
<div class="pagenum" id="Page_52">52</div>
<p>“It’s only a toy, Jack,” Biff said. “My kid brother
got one last Christmas. It was the newest thing out.
Caused a sensation.”</p>
<p>“Let me take a look at it,” Jack said, and Biff
handed it to him.</p>
<p>A great feeling of relief had come over Biff. When
Chuba had come rushing in, crying out in a voice
filled with fright, Biff had figured that another in the
series of strange happenings had taken place. To discover
that all the excitement was only about a toy
relaxed Biff completely for the first time since he had
arrived in the Orient.</p>
<p>Jack inspected the toy somewhat gingerly. “How
does it work?”</p>
<p>Biff took the box back. “Look. I’ll show you.” He
raised the lid of the box, and as he did so, Chuba took
a step back. He was taking no chances with evil
spirits even if the Americans did. Jack’s and Biff’s
heads were together inspecting the box. This was too
much for Chuba. He had to see, too. He cautiously
poked his head forward for a closer look.</p>
<p>“See this small siren? That’s where the noises come
from. The toy has two small batteries, like the ones
used in a transistor radio. They power this small
motor, and it does the rest. Raises the lid and makes
this hand snake out.”</p>
<p>Biff looked at Chuba and smiled. A shy, friendly
grin lit up the native boy’s face. “Want to see it work
with the lid open?”</p>
<p>Chuba nodded his head rapidly.</p>
<div class="pagenum" id="Page_53">53</div>
<p>Biff set the toy in motion. The siren reached its
high pitch. The hand, attached to the end of a small
iron rod, snaked out, flopped over the front side of
the box, and touched the cut-off button.</p>
<p>“That’s all there is to it. Some gadget, isn’t it?”</p>
<p>Jack laughed. “I can see how it must have been the
toy sensation of last Christmas. I can also see why it
scared the daylights out of Chuba. It would scare me,
too, if it woke me from a sound sleep.”</p>
<p>“That’s what happen, Sahib Jack. I sleep deep.
This thing start screaming. Chuba jump, run fast,
plenty scared, for help.”</p>
<p>“I suppose once it’s turned on, it keeps operating
until the batteries run out.”</p>
<p>“That’s right,” Biff said. “Its action is set so it goes
off once about every three minutes. You turn it off
here.” Biff pointed to a switch on the bottom of the
box.</p>
<p>“But how it get in my father’s house this morning?”
Chuba demanded.</p>
<p>“I can answer that one.” Jack’s shoulders started
shaking with laughter. Biff started laughing, too,
partly from relief, and partly because when Jack
laughed everyone joined in. Chuba, his eyes darting
from Jack to Biff, decided his worries had passed. He
giggled shyly at first, then added his high laugh to the
chorus. The little white cabin shook with their hilarity.</p>
<p>“The ‘evil’ one, Chuba,” Jack said, “is a certain red-headed
maintenance mechanic called Muscles.”</p>
<div class="pagenum" id="Page_54">54</div>
<p>“Muscles! Him play another joke on Chuba. He
much cool fellow. Him way in.”</p>
<p>“What’s this?” Biff thought. “Jive talk from a native
boy? This kid’s all right.”</p>
<p>“You mean this Muscles is real cool; he’s way out,
don’t you, Chuba?” Biff asked.</p>
<p>“That’s what Chuba say. He here, man, here.”</p>
<p>Biff slapped his thighs and doubled up again with
glee. Chuba’s mixed-up talk was so far “gone,” it had
come back to “here.”</p>
<p>“How old are you, Chuba?” Jack asked.</p>
<p>Chuba drew himself fully erect. He puffed out his
chest. “Chuba soon be sixteen.”</p>
<p>“Aren’t you about the same, Biff?” Biff nodded his
head. “Chuba, shake hands with Biff Brewster. Biff’s
Sahib Charlie’s nephew.”</p>
<p>The boys shook hands. There was no doubt but
that they took to one another right off.</p>
<p>“Chuba, you show Biff around. I’ve got to get back
and see if Mike’s been able to—”</p>
<p>“I get it, Jack,” Biff said.</p>
<p>The two boys watched Jack stride back to Headquarters
House.</p>
<p>“Come, Sahib Biff, I show you many things.”</p>
<p>Biff didn’t reply at once. A plan was beginning to
shape up in his head. It would work, too, with the
help of Chuba.</p>
<p>“Okay, Chuba. But first off—cut out that sahib
stuff. To you, I’m just plain Biff.”</p>
<div class="pagenum" id="Page_55">55</div>
<div style="break-after:column;"></div><br />