In the town we were strongly urged to stay over for the night, as we were told that our chief accountant, who was ahead of us with funds in another launch, had been fired upon and had fired in reply at some real or supposed robbers only two nights before. One such local pirate had recently been captured, they added, and was being sent down to the next Hsien city for punishment, which of course means execution, the magistrate of his home town wishing to avoid any responsibility or a difference of opinion with his family or friends. It was strongly against the wishes of our pilot and. engineer that we pushed off, and evidently they concerted a, plan of action for our discomfiture, and acted on it with great rapidity, for we were hardly more than a mile up stream, and the masts of the junks at anchor were still in sight, when we ran bump on to a remarkably solid sand bank in midstream. Back off we apparently could not, try as we would, so the anchor was let slip in the muddy water, and we lay still on the swiftly running tide, whilst around us at a safe distance swam some agitated. ducks, unfortunately too long a shot for the doctor to attempt with his Winchester pump gun. arranged to keep night watches, The crew, somewhat disturbed, while we sat down to a_ belated supper of fried chicken and eels, and the orchestra, consisting of a thief scaring gong in the hands of a night watchman, played most melancholy music on the shore.
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.