Then the captain ordered the chief officer to go down below to the guard deck to see what all the! trouble was about. No sooner had. the Chief reached the guard deck than he was surrounded by six the gang all armed with - Mauser pistols, who prodded him with the muzzles of their pistols. He was absolutely at their merey and unable to do anything at all until he the stant compradore, whom he called over to interpret. All the rest of the gang had by now climbed aboard over the guard! all and were spreading all over the ship.
Finally discovering that the gang, wanted to. make some sort of, earch, he led the two leaders, the gang's interpreter and the 2nd compradore to the bridge. Here the leader of the gang explained that he had orders from the Kiangsu Government to' detain the vessel and search it for two bad characters who were reported to be aboard, as well as for a quantity of ammunition, He gave his name Chu Yulin, of the 2nd subcompany. of the 6th company of the 2nd section of the Kiangsu Water Public Safety Force, and declared that he was going to search the ship.
The Captain'saw that he was} hopelessly outnumbered and there was nothing to do but submit, Guards were posted all over the ship at strategic positions, with fingers ready on the triggers their pistols and rifles, Removal of Evidence Daring "the discussion on the bridge the chief officer went below with medical supplies to help the second officer, Mr. W. T. Rochester, with the wounded quartermaster, had been shot when a bullet used through the wooden door of his cabin and went through a lon; as he stood leaning up against HBunk inside: this door was the only section of the long length of cabin wall that was not of metal.
Just as the chief officer had commenced to help with the bandaging this was some ten minutes after the hold-up—another fusillade of shots occurred, this time from the shore. The chief officer had to duck below the guard rail and tried to et round to the other side of the ship, as bullets were whizzing _unpleasantly close to his head. At the stern, however, he met one of the gang, who puta rifle to. his shoulder and was on the point of shooting the officer, when he turned round and went back, this time at upright double instead of a The firing then ceased, as another of the gang had shouted from the] bridge to the party ashore, saying that they would com they had completed ud explain affairs, With no more shots coming over the second officer found it possible £0 remove the wounded quartermaster to a stateroom, despite the opposition of one or two of the band. It was later found that the Chinese passenger with the wound in his neck, who had) been seen to fall by a young cook's boy, was missing, and there no doubt but that he was thrown, overboard by the part the jest. way of avoiding incriminate ing evidence. Further, itis practic ally certain that the quartermaster would have been thrown overboard 'a8 well if the officers had not come assistance so rapidly.
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.