He had visited the inn close to which—in the town of Haiatiea—the assault lad taken place, had scared the testimony of the inn= keeper as to the exact facts of the case, and had Jater confirmed it by the independent testimony of eye-witnesses. The circumstantial account told how the medical member of the party had beea first pulled off his bicycle; his friend went to his assistance but was also seized and held. They were On that same day, at three of the clock, 8 g men rode into the compound, not only uninjured, but reporting that their trip had been without incident of any kind, and that it was not until they began to meet the couriers on the rond home that they knew that any anxiety was felt on their account, Once more messengers and the telegraph were set at work to endeavour to overtake the lie, but it was only slowly that it was cornered and hunted down.
The anxiety of the case was gone, but the situation was still interesting. With one accord the Erhfu, the Taotai, and most of "Il Tung Fu-hsiang himself, whose lambs had been thus baselessly maligned, rose to enquire, with marked interest' an fervour, who started the lie? and why? and who can show good cause why the culprits should not be made to suffer till they became a spectacle and warning to city and country like? The next fow days were devoted by them to trying to ferret out the hidden animus of the whole affair. But
for lying for its owa sake, refused to be dis-the, "animus," beyond crazy fondues covered. No one could say how, when, or through whom, the rumour had arisen in the city. "All that could be said with certainty was that there was atime when it was not, and suddenly, behold! it was.
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.