More determined than ever to go to Sungpu, it was time to stop this nonsense.
We therefore requested Li Taotai, according to agreement, to arrange for the escort so that an immediate start might be made. To our immense astonishment, he told us that it was not his business todo so. If we wished to go to Sungpu under escort we must apply to the district magistrate of Huangkang, and see what he would say. He, Li Taotai, was simply our friend, and he had no instructions to assist us in any way, nor was it his province to do so.' We then asked him why he had brought us to Huangchow only to tell us that, and what had, been the meaning of all the statements that he, Li Taotai, was commissioned to do all that was necessary for the success of cur mission, under which we had been indueedto come. He said the Viceroyhad given him instructions; those I referred to only came from Tung Liao-yeh, the deputy of' the Hankow Taotai, who had made them on his own responsibility, and had no authority for so doing. Wo asked him if Capt. Yang and his ten soldiers had not been appointed at Hankow to form part of our escort to Sungpu, and he said No, Capt. Yang was under his orders and could not go to Sung-with us. This we put to the Captain unself who was present and he declared that it was even so.
IN A FIX, Well, here was a fix. We had been brought from Hankow on the most definite and assured understanding that we were going to Sungpu where the bodies were, and where they would remain till instructions were sent forward with regard to them by Li Taotai—this he admitted. Now we v told that unless we would go to another place, and spend five days waiting till the bodies were. brought to us, they, the responsible officials, washed' their hands of us, and left us to our own resources, knowing well that we were far less able to do anything for ourselves in Huangehow than we were in Hankow. Our first idea was that Li Tnotai must be lying, and that he had received instructions fo assist us, although for some reason of his own he chose to deny it. To show, however, that this was not so he produced his letter of instructions from the Viceroy for the inspection of our writer, and true enough there was not a word about us in
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.