Men were dispatched by the officials to "courteously invite (chin)" the effendi headman to come into the ci and explain matters, who thereupon assailed the messenger after the manner of Shimei the son of Gerstion, demanding to know ift was credible in the eyes of the officials that he would go in to Ningyuanfu and have his head cut off to be made a present of to the foreigner! "Nay," replied. the tea shop proprietor, "give me your head, and I will send that in, but you will never get mine," and so he flouted the emissaries of the law. One rather admires that chap—at a safe distance of course! Ultimately as no satisfaction was forthcoming, the case was left to be adjusted by higher authorities. Probably the root reason for such a causeless and useless "\bobbery" is to be found in the well known character of the Fum charge of that district. Anti-foreign and giv dealings that do not stand scrutiny, the short" as the people call him, model official to foreigners at least, to be hoped that M. Bonin may be able to extract satisfaction from the Chinese for the assault and so teach in that remote region a lesson of respect for travellers who commit themselves to the fair words and pledged good faith of Chinese officials.
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.