Monday found nearly all the Christian students most. reasonable and they promised to attend on the following Sunday. On Tuesd: morning, the Principal took his classes and had no ground of complaint against any student. But that afternoon the boys were summoned to attend a meeting held at the offices of the Agricultural Union (the strongest and most communistic of all the unions recently set up) Other unions—labour, the "Kuomintang" ete, were represented. The boys were given a document with six demands which they were there and then made to sign. First, all Christian worship, Bible lessons ete., were to be given up. (2) and (3) (Lam not ste about the consecutive order). Sun Wen's literature wai to be studied and, to give time for purpose, less English. (4) The Vice-Principal and a Christian teacher to be dismissed. Their successors only to be appointed after the approval of the boys' union. (5) No boy to be dismissed without the consent of the boys' union. (6) The boys to be given fully liberty to join any communistic club they pleased Jand the school to be run on definitely communistic lines.
Of course, an English schoolmaster} would only' give one reply to such demands: the schoo} must close down for the time being. Such an answer was throwing the fat into the fire.
Probably the majority of the boys would have preferred to go straight home and only a small minority really made any sort of pretence at approving the things they had demanded." Three managed to get home, but the rest were stoutly forbidden to leave the school.
Communist Mob Breaks in On the Wednesday, the two "dismissed" teachers crossed the river to the hill side on which the mission-houses stand. (It is intended te build new schools on this compound). As they were returning they saw a large mob preparing to cross the river. The two men wisely made good their own escape. For a couple of hours, the mob of communistic students, agriculturists, labour representatives and including at Jeatt two' soldiers, one of whom made "suth vee of his rifle as he the compound entrance doing their best to control the situation, the mob entered the houses "in which they found, at the time, only two lady missionaries, the wife of the Superintendent, with her 17 months baby and a new lady worker who only arrived in China last February. The Indy doctor and the nurse were bath. at the Hospital in the city. The two ladies were treated very rudely, bedevilled and be-dogged, ordered to Produce the two teachers, The ser-ants were also "Iarnt to be toads." It was useless to tell the truth that the teachers had gone. The houses were searched room after room, of course in vai The approach of evening happily took the swarm of rough rascals back over the river.
Mr, Beale on returning sent the sion Magistrate an account of what had happened and asked him plainly whether he were able and willing to protect either the property or the Persons of the missionaries and offering to interview him at any Place and hour he would fix. To this appeal there was no reply whatever, either written or verbal, Slaves of the Reds On the Friday a meeting of Union Representatives was held when it was decided that the missionaries should be treated in the same way fas we shall presently. seo the two preachers were treated on. Sunday; they were to be brought to the city temple and publicly examined, a preliminary public march through the streets being a part of the programme. Mr. Tan, the city preacher and the best friend of t} jionaries, urged them to leave Liuyang at once. So three boats were called and preparations made for the river journey to Changsha. It was late on Saturday afternoon before the start could be made and a little below. the point of embarkation, where the principal ferry crosses from the city (wi lies on the west, ie., "yang" or "bright" side of the " Liu, hence the name Liuyang). The captains of the three" boats went ashore, but Mr, Beale Insisted on the boats re-atarting. The men, however, would not go much farther down. Then. it Jeaked out that the boats were under orders to stop near the city for the night and on Sunday morning to take the missionaries back to Lin-yang and hand them over to the "powers" not that were supposed to be in charge of the government ut the city either civil or military, but the powers of the communistic organizations, Threats, bribery, cajolery—ail seemed to' be alike to the poor terrified boatmen.
They might rightly be called the "slaves" of the Communists. However, for a little while they became the slaves of the foreigners and very unwillingly started down river in the dark.
They had not gone far when x number of lights appeared on thy opposite bank a1 rowd of roughs ordered the poor slaves to change masters and turn back. There wis no time to hesitate: the missionaries decided to land where and as they were. With merely what they were wearing and hastily stuffed attach ceases, they scrambled ashore, One boatman vias good enough to guide them on to a road some short distance away and putting on the best pace they could, they fled, Five miles down they came to small townlet where they happily discovered a boatman willing to take them on board at a price. The price was paid and they all clambered on boar: without a scrap of bedding or suitable food. The bare boat boards were helped out with two poor Chinese bed quilts; for meals the fare was the Spartan diet of the boatmen. They heard that their start was made slone too soon. Some of the roughs had been following on and arrived just too late to stop the new voyage. was a crowd. of the "blessed" according to Luke's stark, bs relieved version of the Beatitudes, who suddenly fell like a bomb shell '20 our astonished mission compound fat Changsha: "poor," "hungry," "hated." Tt was late in the evening and, as luck would have not a serap left over from the last meal. But "AL Sauce" was. altogether. eclipsed by the much better one the guests had picked up those last two days and the "hungry" declared they were "filled."
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.