Chinese were present in hundreds, observant and curious, and in the mass adding a fringe of blue to the angely interesting crowd as seen from a distance.
Towards eight o'clock, the Bund was alive with people, arriving on foot and in carriages and motor cara On the river round about the Customs jetty, scores of steam Inunches and small native boats, some of them gaily decorated and most of them fying the red ensign, were in readiness to accompany the Alexandra on the down-river journey. They were dominated by the Italian men-of-war lying in mid-stream, their crews of course taking no part in the display extensely interested.
as jabectstors obviously in-
And So Good Luck, As for the volunteers themselves, they were least prominent, little being seen of them until the Alexandre moved off promptly to time and disclosed them crowded on her decks, and standing and sitting on the awnings, cheering and waving flags in response to rounds of cheers from the crowd. Steam-launch whistles "'whooped" ud shrieked for a full five minutes, there was furious firing of heavy "cracker" ammunition, continuous rounds of cheers, and then a sudden calm and a quick dispersal of the crowd. In a twinkling, the men were away—to action. And their well-wishers?
Doubtless to think and prepare for eventualities.
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.