An interesting feature about our military ard was the fact that occasionally we found ourselves being escorted by some of the very men who, last year, fought against the besieged foreigners in Tientsii Peking. "They spoke of their experi a very matter-of-fact way, even to the selling of cops across Legation defences during interludes in their ring, "ad running away when the relieving forces got too uncomfortably close.
"The Desperate Boxers."
Any one acquainted with the real results last year's Boxer episode knows that the desperate characters, who then obtained a free hand, spared neither heathen nor Christian. Some would even assert that what the Christians suffered was not a tithe of what the heathen themselves suffered at the hands of the organisation they had fostered. Of this fact we received striking illustration at one point in our journey. The river is not noted for its scenery, but one afternoon we were just remarking that a certain bend which our boats were approaching was really beautiful, when a row of human heads suspended on les by the river side loomed in sight. A jarge, new Ancestral Hall stood among the trees not many yards away. A little enquiry elicited the story. Last year, when the for-igners were being besieged in Tientsin, some wealthy families of Chinese the to withdraw for a time from the vicinity their fighting friends, the Boxers. They engaged three boats. loaded upon them one hundred and eight men, women and children, together with as many of their valuables as possible, and started toward Honan. One evening their boats anchored for the night at the river bend which I have mentioned. Soon a small party of Boxers appeared and stated that it was necessary to search the boats for fugitive Christians. All must submit to be bound while the search took place. If no Christians were found the whole party should be permitted to proceed in peace. If any thr'stians were discovered they should be killed at once, and the others allowed to continue their journey. Assurances that all were friends of the Boxers were useless;
That precaution was taken only as an evidence of good faith, and assuredly no one would be harmed or his goods touched unless Christians were discovered. So the binding process was carried out on the river bank, and then every man, woman, and child was murdered' in cold blood, and their goods appropriated by these "good friends" of the Peking Reaction. The row of heads and the new Ancestral Hall were evidences of some later attempts atonement for this awful crime.
Our Reception by the Magistrates in Honan was, outwardly at least, all that we could ask. District-magistrate Heiung, who last year proved a friend in need to several fugitive missionaries who passed through Shen-ch'iuhsien in South Honan, was present in person to welcome us upon our landing at Ch'uwang. 'A special stopping- place had been prepared for us, and elaborate f-asts, which we evaded as mu possible. became the order of the d Afwer a day spent in examining the ruins at Chtuwang, official carts and a special force of mounted and foot soldiers w provided for one day journey to Changtéfu. The authorities chose to make our return to Changte an occasion for atone in some measure for ight of last year, and also for showing to Feople that wwe came back under official protection. Consequently the bugle loudly heralded us in every town and village, and a special and unnecessary round-about of two or three miles was made in order to take us publicly through the main streets of the city before proceeding to" our compound outside the North Cite. The people were out in imnltitudes. 'They seemed neither cowed nor obsequious—just convinced that our presence waz unavoidable, and that was necessary to treat us more respect fully than in' former times. In our journeys, by houseboat, cart and railway, aggregating over 1,200 miles during the past three months, this has seemed to be the almost uniform attitude of the people. Not once in all that time have we heard the old offensive epithets shouted after us.
agtéta all important magistrates jotai and downward paid us their respect The inevitable feasting had also to be endured fora time, though we dis bensel with that and returned official calls just a3 soon 23 possible, in order to settle down to business.
Mission Property at Changtéfu has, for the most part, suffered only minor injuries such as can be repaired without rebuilding from the foundation. However, many doors and windows have been destroyed, and the buildings generally are in just such a filthy condition as one might expect after a few hundreds of Chinese soldiers had occupied them for months. At Ch'uw.g station the foreign dwellings, if again ased, will have to be entirely rebuilt, but the chapel and dispensary can be repaired. The Men's Hospital and the Women's Hospital are built in Chinese style and can be put into shape again. Practically no personal property belonging to the four families of this -tation has been recovered. At Hsinchénstation almost every vestige of mission property was destroyed, though several hundreds of dollars' worth of personal effects have been returned from different quarters. In the protection of Bos fared better than the other stations. personal as well as mission property Changte
Without discus-sing motives, we anay give the yamens credit for taking charge of and Teturning to us almost all the books and large furniture belonging to the station. 'A considerable amount of clothing came back also, so that probably fully one half of our personal property has been recovered.
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.