We had not travelled very far when the first stop was made. Armed men on the shore called for the boat to stop, which we did, and sent a little boat to shore to speak to them. Seeing that their own men were with us and receiving the assurance that the money had been paid over they said it was all right and we started on again. We had not gone far, however, when again we were halted. I heard the shouting and peered out between the canvas ant saw armed men standing on the river bank, waving their hands and shouting for the launch to stop. The launch blew her whistle in answer and immediately slowed down, turned round and came up to where the men were standing. We did not pull in to shore, but stopped in the centre of the stream and untied the little boat ready for the boatmen to go ashore. The robber representative was about to get into the boat when the first shots were fired. I was at the side of the launch brushing my teeth, in full view of the robbers, when the shooting began, but did not have the least idea that they would shoot to kill, but thought they were simply firing to intimidate the crew and make them willing to hand over extra money. I therefore continued& to brush away, but when the bullets began to crash through the sides of the boat,-I joined in the stampede and rushed inside to my wife and then lay flat on the floor with the others while the bullets whistled: overhead The boatmen seeing that there was to be no opportunity for consultation with the robbers quickly pulled back to the launch which started her engines and turned round and ran for safety. The bullets came thick and fast after us. It, was only a few minutes, how. ever, before we got out of range of the shooting and I thought no harm had been done. I arose first and tried! to pick my way among the prostrate passengers to the front of the boat when I saw we had been hit badly. The a corner with a bullet hole launch captain was cromer ing: in through his leg from which the blood was flowing freely; two others were lying prostrate on their backs, their faces covered with blood, and with little pools of blood by their side into which they were unconsciously rolling. One of the men had been shot in the back of the head and the bullet had come out of his mouth. The other man had been shot behind the ear and the bullet had gone crashing through his left eye, while a fourth.man had been struck on the nose.
I had some bandages and a few disinfectants with me and so, with the help of others, dressed the wounds and tried to make the wounded more comfortable. One of tham died, however, in a few hours.
There were still other places of danger further down the river so most of the passengers and crew sought shelter among the cargo at the bottom of the boat. Men and women huddled together and trembled at every fresh sign of danger. Others remained on top but sought protection behind the bags of rice and rolls of cow-hides that formed the cargo.
The remainder of -the journey was made in safety, but since then very few of the launches have attempted to make the run.
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.