The officer then left the ship, and telephoned for a posse of police, who arrived at the same time as the British captain with his inter-prefer. The Chinese officer reiterated his complaint, but agreed to overlook the matter, if the quartermaster would come up to the police station and apologize. This, the captain, being an old China hand, flatly refused, knowing that, if he were to allow his quartermaster to leave the ship, the latter would sail without the quartermaster. However, he offered to produce him on deck, and to get him to express regret for anything wrong he had done. This proposition did not appear acceptable, and the conference terminated by the police leaving in disgust. The last that was seen of the officer was a dejected form standing on the wharf "piping his eye.' because of the alleged "face" he was supposed to have lost by thie captain's refusal to allow the quartermaster to call at the police station.
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.