He leaned back in his chair, knitting his eyebrows. Sergeant Hoong curiously examined the laquer box.

"Judging by its size and shape," he said, "I would think that it was used for keeping documents in."

Judge Dee nodded.

"Well," he said with a sigh, "it's better than nothing. The dead magistrate must have put some important papers in it, more important than those he kept in the drawer of his desk. Where did the girl keep it, Chiao Tai?"

"In her cabin, in the space between her bed and the wall," Chiao Tai answered promptly.

Judge Dee gave him a shrewd look. "I see," he said dryly.

"She assured me," Chiao Tai went on quickly, to cover his embarrassment, "that she had never talked about it or shown it to anybody. But she added that when she was away the other girls used her cabin, and the servants and the guests went in and out there freely."

"That means," the judge said, "that even if your girl told the truth, practically anybody could have got at the package! Another dead end." He thought for a while, then shrugged his shoulders and went on. "Well, when I went over the books in the magistrate's library, I found a notebook. Have a look whether you can make anything of it."

He opened his drawer and gave the notebook to Ma Joong. He leafed it through, Chiao Tai looking over his shoulder. The tall fellow shook his head and gave it back to the judge.

"Couldn't we arrest some violent rogue for you, magistrate?" he asked hopefully. "My friend and me aren't too good at brain work, but we know all about the rough stuff."

"I must first identify the criminal before I can have him arrested," the judge replied with a bleak smile. "But don't worry, I have some special work for you, this very night.

"For certain reasons I must examine the back hall of the White Cloud Temple, without anybody knowing about it. Have a look again at this map, and tell me how it can be done."

Ma Joong and Chiao Tai put their heads together over the map. Pointing with his forefinger, judge Dee said, "You see that the temple lies east of the city, on the opposite bank of the creek and south of the Korean quarter. Tang told me that the back hall of the temple is right under the wall. The hill behind it is covered by a dense forest."

"Walls can be scaled," Ma Joong remarked. "The point is, how to get behind the temple without attracting attention. There can't be many people on the road this time of the night; the guards at the east gate won't be able to keep their mouths shut when they have seen us about there so late."

Chiao Tai looked up from the map and said, "We could rent a boat behind that restaurant where we met Po Kai. Ma Joong is a good boatman, he could row us through the canal, through the gap in the watergate and then across the creek. From there on we must trust to our luck."

"That sounds like a good idea," Judge Dee said. "I'll just put on my hunting dress, then we'll go."

The four men left the tribunal by the side gate, and walked south along a main street. The weather had improved, a brilliant moon was in the sky. They found a boat moored behind the restaurant and rented it, paying a deposit.

Ma Joong proved indeed a skilled boatman. He sculled the small craft expertly to the watergate. He found the loose section in the trellis. After they had passed through, he made for the floating brothels, and brought up alongside the last boat of the row. Then he suddenly turned east, and quickly rowed across.

He selected a spot on the opposite bank where there was thick undergrowth. When the judge and Sergeant Hoong had stepped out, Ma Joong and Chiao Tai pulled the boat on land and pushed it under the shrubbery.

"We'd better leave old Hoong here, magistrate," Ma Joong said. "We can't leave the boat unattended, and there may be rough going ahead."

Judge Dee nodded and followed Ma Joong and Chiao Tai, who crept through the undergrowth. Arrived at the roadside, Ma Joong held up his hand. Parting the branches, he pointed to the thickly wooded mountain slope on the opposite side of the road. On the left they saw in the distance the marble gatehouse of the White Cloud Temple.

"I don't see anyone around," Ma Joong said. "Let's run across." Under the trees on the other side it was pitch dark. Ma Joong took judge Dee's hand, and helped him to get through the dense undergrowth. Chiao Tai was already ahead of them, higher up among the trees; he made hardly any noise. It was a stiff climb. From time to time judge Dee's guides utilized steep, narrow trails, then again pushed their way through the trees. Soon the judge had lost all sense of direction, but the two men were past masters in woodcraft and they went steadily ahead.

Suddenly Judge Dee found Chiao Tai by his side. He whispered, "We are being followed."

"I heard it too," Ma Joong said softly.

The three men stood close together, motionless. Now the judge heard also the faint, swishing sounds, and a low grunting. It seemed to come from somewhere down below on his left.

Ma Joong tugged at judge Dee's sleeve, and lay down flat on his belly. The judge and Chiao Tai followed his example. They crept up on a low ridge. Ma Joong carefully parted the branches a little. He started to curse under his breath.

Judge Dee looked down into the shallow ravine below them. In the moonlight he saw a dark shape loping through the high sword grass.

"That must be the tiger!" Ma Joong whispered excitedly. "Pity we haven't got a crossbow. Don't worry, he won't attack three people."

"Shut up," Chiao Tai said through his teeth. He peered intently at the dark shape that moved swiftly through the grass. It jumped on a rock, then slid away under the trees.

"That isn't an ordinary beast!" Chiao Tai hissed. "When he jumped, I caught a glimpse of a white, clawlike hand. It's a weretiger!"

A long, uncanny howl tore the silence. Its nearly human sound sent a cold shiver down judge Dee's spine.

"He has smelled us," Chiao Tai said hoarsely. "Let's run for the temple; it must be right down this slope!"

He sprang to his feet, grabbing judge Dee's arm. The two men made their way down the slope as quickly as they could, dragging the judge with them. His brain was numbed, that awful howl still resounded in his ears. He fell over a root, was pulled up again and stumbled further, the branches tearing his robes. A wild panic took hold of him; any moment he expected to feel a crushing weight falling on his back and sharp claws tearing at his throat.

Suddenly the two men let go of him and hurried ahead. When the judge had scrambled through the undergrowth, he saw a brick wall about ten feet high in front of him. Chiao Tai was already crouching against it. Ma Joong leapt lightly on his shoulders, reached for the top of the wall and pulled himself up. When he sat straddling it he bent forward and motioned to judge Dee. Chiao T'ai helped him. The judge grabbed Ma Joong's hands and he was pulled up. "Jump down!" Ma Joong snapped.

Judge Dee swung himself over the wall till he hung by his arms, then let himself go. He fell on a heap of rubbish. When he was getting up, Ma Joong and Chiao Tai jumped down by his side. In the forest beyond the wall they again heard the long drawn-out howl. Then all was silent.

They were in a small garden. Facing them was a high hall, built on a broad brick terrace, raised about four feet above the ground. "Well, magistrate, there's your back hall!" Ma Joong said gruffly. His heavy face was haggard in the moonlight. Chiao Tai silently inspected some tears in his robe.

Judge Dee was panting heavily; sweat poured down his face and body. With an effort he controlled his voice and said, "We'll get up on that terrace, and walk round to the entrance of the hall."

Arrived on the front side, they saw the temple complex across a large, square courtyard, paved with marble slabs. Everything was quiet as the grave.