Chapter 3

Waving his knife to answer an insult, he rides into Jianghu alone.
Fleeing out of chains and into the hills, he encounters a host of disasters.

Jiang Xiaohe stood up and clasped his fist, saying, “Brother, I come from Zhenba!” But then he regretted it. He thought to himself that though he had crossed the mountains and left the province, he still wasn’t far from Zhenba. If this man was acquainted with old master Bao or the Long brothers and sent notice to them on a fast horse, they would catch him for sure, and then all would be over! Thus, he added, “That is, I’m from Xi’an, and after traveling five days, I arrived in Zhenba. I stayed there last night and then came here today.”

Hearing that the times in his travelogue didn’t sound quite right, the man couldn’t help but smirk, and followed it up with a question, “Little brother, what is your honorable name?” Jiang Xiaohe clasped his fist again and said, “I am not so worthy! I am surnamed Jiang, and my given name is Xiaohe. I am called...” He thought, Everyone in Jianghu has a designation, so I have to have one too, a powerful one. Thus, he gave his mind a quick turn and said, “I am called the Three-headed Tiger!” The man laughed loudly and rubbed Jiang Xiaohe’s head, saying, “Look, everybody! This little brother here calls himself the Three-headed Tiger! Ha ha ha!” The entire place erupted in laughter.

Jiang Xiaohe glowered and grabbed onto the man with his hand, asking, “Now that you’re done asking me, it’s my turn! What’s your surname? And your given name? What are you called?” The man grinned and said, “Oh, I couldn’t possibly say. I can’t compare to you; I have only one head!” Jiang Xiaohe knew perfectly well that this man was making fun of him, so he held up his fists to challenge him. The man smirked and said, “What is it, little brother? You really want to see how you measure up against m—” Before he could finish, Jiang Xiaohe popped him in the chest with his fist. The man cried out and fell backward onto another person. All the patrons sitting around were taken aback, some of which cheered on boisterously, while others rolled up their sleeves to come challenge Xiaohe.

Jiang Xiaohe haughtily slashed the air with his knife and lifted one of his feet onto the bench. He smacked the table with his hand and stared defiantly, saying, “How dare you insult me? I, the respectable young Jiang, have traveled upon Jianghu for over ten years. I defeated Bao Kunlun in Zhenba, and this knife has stabbed the Long brothers of Ziyang. Now I’ve come to Northern Sichuan to meet the Xia of Langzhong. How dare you guys bully me!” He had truly stunned them with his words; the ones who had stood up sat back down. The man who was punched in the chest was so angry his face had become ashen, but he dared not approach again.

Jiang Xiaohe was thrilled and stuck the knife into the table. He poured his wine and drank uninhibitedly, but had only finished a couple small cups when he heard the sound of stomping as two people rushed up the stairs, each with a saber in their hand. Jiang Xiaohe looked over and saw that it was Lu Zhizhong and Chen Zhijun. Lu Zhizhong pointed at Jiang Xiaohe and said, “There you are, child! You’re coming with us.” When he said this, he signaled to Jiang Xiaohe with his eyes, as Chen Zhijun advanced to try to catch Xiaohe. Holding the knife in his hand, Xiaohe dodge around the table and glared, saying, “Let’s see who’s brave enough to face me!” After he said this, he caught sight of another person coming up the stairs. It was Long Zhiqi the Mountain-moving Tiger, with a big, dark face inlayed with two fireballs for eyes, carrying his big saber as he rushed forward.

Jiang Xiaohe was so frightened, he hurried to the window and heaved it open; he was very distressed. Long Zhiqi’s saber sliced downward and missed Jiang Xiaohe’s body by only a foot. Jiang Xiaohe took a leap, right out of the inn and down into the street. There rose a commotion from the people in the inn, as Jiang Xiaohe severed the rope tied to the horse. He jumped up onto it, and fled off on it, scaring people and causing them to part to the two sides of the street in succession. Jiang Xiaohe slapped urgently at the horse’s hip, galloping for his life straight out of the south gate along the main road. It wasn’t until he went quite a while that he reined the horse and looked back, seeing a dust cloud rising up far in the distance. Jiang Xiaohe knew that they were after him, so not wanting to be careless, he rode away as quickly as he could. The horse he was on felt like a flying dragon, its four hooves seeming never to touch the ground, and in one breath, he had gone over 60 miles.

By now Jiang Xiaohe had almost exhausted his energy and had nearly fallen off the horse several times, but he wasn’t able to stop the horse, as it kept on running like it had gone crazy. The people on the road all opened their hands in surprise, but none of them dared to try to stop the horse. Trying to get out of a dangerous situation, Jiang Xiaohe took both of his feet out of the stirrups and placed one of them on the back of the horse. Then, using the last of his strength, he pushed away from the saddle, and his body fell from the horse at a tilt. Jiang Xiaohe ended facedown on the ground. When he lifted his head, his nose was bleeding profusely and he had no idea where the horse had gotten off to.

Xiaohe sat on the ground and tore a couple tufts of cotton out of his jacket, plugging them into his nose. He gasped for air and stood up, finding that his knife was also gone. Someone nearby came and asked him, “Did you fall?” Another commended him, saying, “A boy like you knows how to ride a horse. It’s a good thing you jumped off the horse at an angle and suffered at most a few scrapes on your face. If the horse had thrown you and given you a couple of its hooves, it would’ve been over!” As the man said this, Xiaohe saw that someone ahead of them had turned the horse around and sent it still flying like a dragon back his way. It was then that Jiang Xiaohe realized it wasn’t that white horse of his, but instead a very sturdily-built black horse with a charcoal body, a high head, and a full mane. Jiang Xiaohe was especially pleased with this, and with the help of the people at the side of the road, he was able to stop the horse.

As Jiang Xiaohe led it by its reins, it continued to kick and stomp the ground. Jiang Xiaohe pulled as hard as he could with both hands while throwing his body backwards, and after grabbing hold of the its restraining rope, he tied it tightly to a big tree next to the road. At first the horse continued to kick, digging a couple of deep holes in the dirt below, but then it gradually became more compliant as it exhaled a white breath into the air.

Jiang Xiaohe sat down on the ground and caught his breath. The cotton that he’d stuck up his nose had fallen out, and fresh blood gushed from his nose. Jiang Xiaohe took off his jacket with irritation and cursed, “Damn it!” He plucked out a couple more tufts of cotton and stuffed them up his nostrils. Sweat continued to run down his bared back, and it itched as if bugs were crawling on it. He looked back at that black horse and saw that it was sweating as well, as if it had just been rinsed down. By this time, all the travelers at the side of the road had dispersed, leaving Jiang Xiaohe here by himself. He thought about the dangerous situation he’d just been in, about how he’d been throwing his weight around at the inn, about how Lu Zhizhong and Chen Zhijun showed up at first, which, if it had just been those two, he could have handled it, but then that Long Zhiqi came up the stairs. Could I have killed the wrong person last night? Someone who wasn’t surnamed Long? Then he thought about how he’d jumped from the top floor of the inn, taken a horse in haste, and rode off on it. He couldn’t help feeling both happy and a bit angry. He was even more afraid of Long Zhiqi and the others riding this way in pursuit.

Subsequently, Jiang Xiaohe dared not rest here any longer and stood up slowly. After walking a couple steps, he felt a pain in his right leg, but he didn’t know if it was from leaping out of the inn or from jumping off of the horse. He cussed to himself as he picked up his jacket and put it on. He tilted his head to look at the horse; besides reins and a saddle, there was nothing else on it. He’d left all of his five taels at the inn and had no weapon with him. How was he supposed to roam Jianghu like this? Thus, he stood staring into space for a while and considered selling the horse and getting some money to buy a blade, obtain some clothes, and use for travel expenses. However, after giving it a second look, he seemed to recognize this horse as the one that Long Zhiqi rode to Bao Village, and thought that it would be a pity to sell what must be a great horse. He walked over to it and patted the horse on the head. Then he flipped onto it and rode off with a sliver of a smile on his face.

After going about two miles, he suddenly heard the sound of suona, being played beautifully. The sound drew nearer and nearer and in a moment’s time a small musical procession approached from the front with a floral palanquin behind it carrying a new bride. Jiang Xiaohe forgot about the alarm he had felt before and stopped his horse. He looked on happily as the few groomsmen and the floral palanquin passed beside him.

Jiang Xiaohe didn’t see the bride inside of the palanquin, but the musicians and the porters all stared over at him. Jiang Xiaohe couldn’t help getting mad and thinking, What are you looking at? Is it because you think I’m poor? Because I don’t look like I have a wife? Hmf, I am also engaged! My bride is Aluan, and after I finish learning martial arts, gain a fortune roaming Jianghu, and get my revenge, I’ll go back home and have a great wedding... When his thoughts reached this point, something sad suddenly flashed before his eyes. It was the evening not long ago when a palanquin came to the gate of the Ma smithy, but there had been no musicians. His mother was wearing red satin garments, and before stepping into the palanquin, she had peered his way with tears in her eyes. She had gotten married to Eldest Dong from the wool shop.

Thinking of this, Jiang Xiaohe felt a wave of sorrow, and tears sprung forth, mingling with the blood from his nose before dripping down onto his chest. He wiped his eyes with his sleeves, clenched his jaw, and urged the horse forward, riding straight until dusk arrived. He passed by a dozen villages and towns, but since he didn’t have any money, he wasn’t able to get anything to eat or visit any shops. He could only ride forward in the last of the golden red sunlight under the darkening night sky with the horse’s hooves clop-clopping.

As the night wind began to blow, the tree branches rustled and his stomach growled. There was a hazy darkness in front of him, and he couldn’t tell if there were mountains, rivers, trees or farmhouses anywhere around. Jiang Xiaohe couldn’t help but sigh, cursing to himself, “What can I do? If I go for a few days without eating like this, won’t I just starve to death? Everything will amount to nothing if I die!” Then he thought, I hear though that people who travel upon Jianghu don’t carry any money around with them. Everywhere is home to them, and they can eat anywhere. As for thievery, I, Jiang Xiaohe, will not participate in it, but there’s no shame in performing martial arts on the street. As a result, he decided that starting tomorrow, he would find a bit of space in a city or town and throw a few punches for show. He would rely on the few bits of the hand technique that Ma Zhixian had taught him to not only catch acclaim from the uninitiated, but also to receive approving nods from knowing experts. Consequently, he cheered up again. After a short distance, he saw a ruined temple, its walls toppled and its halls collapsed. There wasn’t a sliver of light inside. When he came near to it, he gave the inside a careful inspection under the curtain of dusk and heard no other people there. He looked up at the sky and seeing that the heavenly bodies were many, he thought, It probably won’t rain tonight, so who cares if there are leaks in the temple roof? I just need a place to hide from the elements. Otherwise, if I ride the horse like this for the entire night, when I encounter people, they’ll think I’m a robber for sure!

Therefore, he led the horse into the temple grounds, feeling that the floor was quite patchy. Under one of his feet was something soft, and under the other something hard. The soft thing was probably human excrement, while the hard thing was probably a brick. Jiang Xiaohe tied the horse up as it raised its neck, let out a long neigh, and knocked its hooves on the floor. Jiang Xiaohe said, “You’re hungry, but there’s nothing I can do about it. I haven’t eaten either! When it gets bright again, I’ll go perform and earn some money. Then, I’ll buy you some hay.” Murmuring to himself, he fumbled his way into the broken hall of the temple, and then looked up at the sky full of blinking stars. He felt around for the brickwork altar and lifted himself onto it, and then groped at the idol. That central earthen idol had already lost its head. He thought to himself, Poor, poor thing! He sighed as he laid down on the altar and rubbed his eyes. However, even though his jacket was cushioning him, his two legs were still very cold. He was about to get back up, but his body felt extremely exhausted, as he yawned a few times successively, so he pulled himself into a ball. Lying huddled atop the hard, icy altar with the stars and the moon stroking his face and the night wind chilling the blood at his nose, he drifted into a deep sleep.

He didn’t know how long he’d slept, but he was abruptly awakened by the neighing of a horse. Jiang Xiaohe shivered as he rubbed his eyes, and then he heard the thud of hooves going further and further away. Jiang Xiaohe cursed, “Must be some thief if he thinks he’s going to take my horse!” He jumped down from the altar with a whoosh and dashed outside in pursuit. A moment of inattention sent him stumbling with a crash over a brick and onto the ground, but he quickly got back up and ran out of the temple. Hearing the hooves clopping their way south, Jiang Xiaohe gave chase as quickly as he could after it.

The starlight from the horizon was gradually obscured by the white that was already coming out of the east. By the time Jiang Xiaohe had run down the main road for four or five miles, he no longer heard the sound of horse’s hooves. As the dawn’s light rose in the east, Xiaohe suddenly spotted a man lying facedown at the bottom of a wall next to the road. Xiaohe quickly jumped back in alarm and after giving the man on the ground a fixed stare, he saw that the man wasn’t moving at all. Xiaohe thought, What, is this guy dead? Was he killed by robbers? He approached and gave the man a small kick, yet the man still didn’t move. After stooping down to look, he saw the man’s head stained in blood. This man was dead after all. He was wearing a short-sleeved shirt and pants that were covered in dirt. It looked as if this person had rolled along the ground for quite a distance before dying. Turning his head for another look, Xiaohe spotted something laying about a dozen paces behind the dead man’s feet. He walked over to it and saw that it was a saddle.

Jiang Xiaohe became immediately mad, saying, “Heh! So it was you who took my horse, but it threw you off and kicked you to death. How could you think to steal a horse with your limited abilities?” Thus, he picked up the saddle and ran to the south in pursuit of the horse. After running twenty-some paces, something suddenly came to him and he hurried back to the corpse. He bent down and felt about, pulling a pouch of silver pieces from the body’s breast area. He weighed it in his hand and figured it must be at least ten taels. This delighted him as he thought, What a thief! Your greed really knows no bounds. You had so much silver on you, but you still wanted to steal my horse. You deserved to die, you really did! Then, seeing faintly two mule-drawn carts approaching from the north, Jiang Xiaohe jumped up in fright and hurriedly ran south, holding the silvers in his hand and clutching the saddle under his arm. After another three or four miles, the sky was already bright with daylight and the road filled with quite a few carts and travelers.

Jiang Xiaohe went another ten miles or so south and spotted a thriving town ahead, not terribly unlike his own Zhenba City. Jiang Xiaohe was tired from walking and thought to himself, The horse has probably gone far away by now, and there’s no way to find it anymore, but I got some silver out of it. It’s not much more than ten taels though, and to have sold that good horse for so little, what an injustice! He fumed inside as he entered the town clasping the saddle and thought, I’ll go get something to eat first! He found a pub and went in, buying himself a meal and drinking two jugs of wine. After eating and drinking his fill, he asked the waiter for a bowl of water and washed the dirt and blood off of his face. After resting for a moment, he settled his bill and left. He thought, I’ll never find the horse now, so what am I doing carrying this saddle around with me? I might as well sell it and get maybe ten or twenty taels out of it. I’ll buy myself some clean clothes and get myself a blade. Then I’ll actually look like someone who travels upon Jianghu.

Therefore, he went out into the street carrying the saddle and shouted, “Who wants to buy my saddle? It’s a bargain!” After shouting his way down the street, he received only laughs from the people watching him, but no offers to buy. Jiang Xiaohe thought, I should yell out the price. When they hear how inexpensive it is, there’ll be plenty of people wanting it. Thus, he shouted, “Who wants to buy it? I’m selling it for cheap! This great felt saddle is going for only fifteen taels! If anyone can cover my traveling expenses, I’ll sell it to them...” This is as far as he got before he was suddenly grabbed from behind. Jiang Xiaohe was surprised and hurriedly looked back, only to see a government officer wearing the garb of his occupation. He became angry and waved his arm around, yelling, “What are you grabbing me for?” Two more officers approached from the side, one of which snatched the saddle away and the other pulled out a chain and wrapped them around Xiaohe’s neck with a clank.

Xiaohe tugged at the chains and kicked at the officers with his feet, yelling, “I haven’t broken any laws! What are you locking me up for!?” One of the taller officers slapped Xiaohe across the mouth. The part of his face that was hit stung, but he still struggled and shouted. One of the other officers snapped a restraint around his neck and scoffed, “Kid, stop making a fuss. Come with us to the yamen obediently and I guarantee you won’t suffer much.” Xiaohe jumped and yelled, “What am I going to the yamen for? I didn’t break any laws. Why are you arresting a good person?” The three officers didn’t bother listening to his explanations as they made their way noisily toward the west, one carrying the saddle, one pulling him along with the chain, and the other pushing him from behind. A big crowd of people followed from behind and someone said, “They’ve arrested a young thief.” Another laughed and said, “What a ferocious little rascal!” Xiaohe was angry and frustrated, and curses continued to spew from his mouth as he kicked at the three officers.

They went west out of the town and a big river appeared in front of them, a countless number of boats moored at the docks. There was a city across the expansive river. When Jiang Xiaohe was led here by the officers, a commotion rose up at the docks. He was like a captured tiger cub, baring his teeth, swinging his claws and growling nonstop. But no matter how he struggled, he was unable to stop the three officers from pulling and pushing him into a small boat. Once its rope was undone, the small boat sped its way to the opposite shore, rocking back and forth. Jiang Xiaohe sat on a board with two of the officers holding him down. One of them smiled and said, “Little brother, don’t cause us any trouble. Taking you to Xuanhan County on the opposite shore is official business. If you have something to say, do so when you see the county magistrate. Our magistrate is surnamed Bao, and he’s very fair, especially since you’re a child. He won’t come down hard on you!” [Note: This is a different surname Bao 包 than that of Bao Zhenfei 鮑)]

Jiang Xiaohe breathed loudly through his nose and asked, “I’m not afraid of meeting the county official! But you guys have to tell me what I’ve done wrong!” The officer smiled and said, “That’s enough! Little brother, you don’t have to play dumb with us. We’re not going to interrogate you. Save it for the magistrate’s questions when you get to the court of law.” Jiang Xiaohe shouted angrily still that he’d done nothing wrong.

In a little bit, after they crossed the river, they got off of the boat. There were quite a few people on this shore who also came to see the commotion. By now, Xiaohe had yelled until his throat was shot, but he knew that resisting was useless, so he struggled no more. He entered Xuanhan City with the three officers and after walking a short distance, they arrived at the yamen. The three officers brought him to a small, dark room to frisk him. When Jiang Xiaohe saw the pouch of silvers tucked at his breast in the hands of one of the officers, he wanted to step forward and take them back. He glared at them and said, “Hey! What do you mean by taking my silver!?” The officer replied, “We’re not taking yours, just keeping it for you. When the county magistrate releases you, I’ll give it all back.” After this was said, the three officers left the room and locked it up with a clang.

Jiang Xiaohe cursed softly, “What bad luck! My horse is gone and I’ve been wrongly taken to court!” After standing and waiting for a while, he looked through the crack in the door and saw officers continuously walking back and forth outside, but not one of them paid any attention to him. Jiang Xiaohe pounded on the door with his fist, and yelled out, “Hey! Open the door! Open the door! If you’re going to question me, then hurry up and do it! I’ve got to go, after I’ve been to court, so stop wasting my time with this!” None of the people passing by outside bothered even to look at him. Jiang Xiaohe knocked and kicked at the door and cursed loudly until his voice was gone and his strength was exhausted, but the people outside ignored him still. Defeated, Jiang Xiaohe sat on the ground and fumed, but there was nothing else he could do.

It wasn’t until after a while that he heard the lock turn. When the door opened, the light of the setting sun came in from outside and four officers entered. Jiang Xiaohe looked up as he was sitting on the ground, asking, “What’s going on?” The four officers said nothing as they pulled Jiang Xiaohe up and dragged him to the great hall. Two officers holding flogging planks stood at either side of the room, and in the middle sat the short and skinny county magistrate. The officers at both sides used their planks to knock on the ground, saying, “Kneel down! Kneel down!” Jiang Xiaohe sneered at the officers, saying, “Sure I’ll kneel down, but I haven’t done anything wrong.” He then kneeled down.

The county official spoke with a southern accent, asking, “What’s your surname? What are you called?” Xiaohe said as if announcing himself, “I am Jiang Xiaohe.” The county official asked, “Where do you live? Where are you from?” Xiaohe shifted his eyes and said, “I am a man of Xi’an. I come from Zhenba County.” The county official then asked, “For what purpose have you come to Northern Sichuan?” Jiang Xiaohe said, “To roam Jianghu!” The county official pounded his judge’s block once and said, “Nonsense! How can a child like you roam Jianghu? I think that even though you’re young, you’ve done quite a few bad things. I ask you, how did you go about killing someone east of the river, stealing a horse and other goods? Tell the truth, or else you’ll receive a beating from those planks!” Jiang Xiaohe was so mad he began to get up, but as soon as he moved, he was pressed back down to his knees by two officers.

Jiang Xiaohe resisted as he shouted, “I’ve been wronged! I didn’t kill anyone, and I didn’t steal any horses. I spent last night in a broken down temple to the north. In the middle of the night, a thief stole my horse away...” When he got to here, the county official pounded his judge’s block several times and furiously rebuked, “Are you trying to tell me someone like you had a horse? I suppose you won’t talk without being beaten. Come, hold him down and give him twenty planks!” Jiang Xiaohe shook his head and shouted, “What for!? I’ve done nothing wrong!” However, the officers didn’t wait for an explanation. They pressed him down, and gave him twenty cracks with their planks. The twenty blows weren’t heavy, but the pain Jiang Xiaohe felt in his buttocks was still hard to bear. Jiang Xiaohe couldn’t help but cry, thinking, This is no good. If they break my bottom, I won’t be able to walk anymore. So, he yelled out, “Stop hitting me! I’ll tell the truth!” The officers pulled him up and pushed him to kneel in front of the big table in the middle of the room.

The county official pounded his judge’s block again and chided angrily, “Tell the truth. If you don’t, you’ll get more beatings!”

Jiang Xiaohe took a deep breath and said, “I’m telling the truth; I really didn’t kill anyone! I’m the son of Jiang Zhisheng from Zhenba County. My father was murdered two years ago, and my mother’s remarried. I found out the names of my enemies, so I left the province to find a master and learn martial arts in order to take my revenge. When I left Zhenba, I took a horse from the house of Bao Kunlun and went to Wanyuan County. Who knew that just as I was drinking some wine at an inn, Bao Kunlun had sent people after me. I would have died immediately if they caught me, so I jumped out of the inn, took a horse and ran. Who would have imagined that I took the wrong horse? It was a black horse that belonged to one of my enemies, and its temperament was terrible. On the road, I almost fell to my death when the horse threw me. That night, since I didn’t have any money for lodging, I stayed in a broken down temple. I didn’t think that while I was sleeping, a thief would come and steal my horse. I was awakened and hurriedly chased after them. I was unable to catch up to the horse, but flung at the side of the road, I spotted my saddle and a dead body. I think that body must have been the person that tried to steal my horse. He couldn’t control that horse and was thrown to his death. I took a bundle of silver pieces from the body, picked up that saddle, and made my way into town. I’d have never thought that officers would come and arrest me!”

When the county official heard this much, he ordered the officers to lock Jiang Xiaohe back up.

Two officers pushed Jiang Xiaohe along towards a jail cell. One of them advised him, “Child, be good and I guarantee you won’t have to suffer any hardships. Just look at how lightly those twenty planks were given to you. It was because you’re young and they felt sorry for you!” Jiang Xiaohe sighed and said, “What horrible luck! I lost my horse and I was taken to court!” When they brought him to a jail cell, they undid the chains around his neck, but snapped shackles around his legs. There were twenty to thirty prisoners in this cell. They were all dressed in rags, with disheveled hair and grimy faces; they were more hideous than ghouls. In the middle of the room was a bucket of urine giving off an offensive smell.

After being shoved into the cell, Jiang Xiaohe stood up next to the cold stone wall. Many of the prisoners crowded toward him and bared their teeth like hungry ghosts, asking him what he’d been arrested for and what crimes he’d committed. Jiang Xiaohe was annoyed and said, “Don’t ask! I’ve been falsely brought to court. I didn’t commit any crimes, and they brought me here and gave me twenty planks before I could give an explanation. The county official is no more than a damned fool. Just wait until I, the honorable young Jiang, learn martial arts! We’ll settle things then!” When he finished, he pushed through the group of people and found himself a portion of straw mat upon which he sat and fretted. When it was late, the prison guards brought over jail food not fit to feed dogs, but he didn’t eat any of it. He sighed to himself that Jianghu was a tough world in which to travel. The people of the world did all sorts of things that made no sense. He thought, Why is everyone picking on me? It must be because I’m young and I haven’t completed my study of martial arts. Damn it! I have to get out of here, so I can find a master and learn martial arts!

His head was lowered as he felt the shackles at his feet. Suddenly, he was taken aback. It turned out that these shackles were made for an adult. With his skinny ankles, all he had to do was take off his shoes and stretch his feet out and he was immediately able to slip the shackles off. He was elated! He thought to himself, No more worries; I can get away now. Thus, he slid the shackles back on and laid down on the straw mat. He obediently slept through the night.