Miss Darroch and Miss Sharp, of the China Inland Mission who were taken from Sihwa, Honan, by a brigand band. under_ the Shantung leader, Fan Ming Hsin, and who were in their custody for five weeks, tell the following story.
"We had gone to.bed at the usual time on Saturday night, September 22, anticipating only the ordinary duties of the morning. About five o'clock on Sunday morning we were' awakened by rifle fire which we thought at first were fire-crackers. Our women soon undeceived us, however, for they Hesought us to hurry and dress in warm clothing and plenty of it for brigands had surprised the town and were even then not fax from the Mission compound.
"Tt was as they reported. The Shantung band which had come over from Anhui and had been ravaging the intervening country had come as far as Sihwa and had caught the Magistrate napping. The city guard was insufficient but some of the soldiers fought well until either their rifles faille ed. them or they themselves were wounded or killed. Once the entrance to the city was gained the robbers proceeded to lot to their heart's content. The shots we thought were crackers were the bullets of their guns shooting over our home and the neighbouring houses.
"We hastened to comply with the advice of our women and put on @ brave front assuring the women that they would not hurt us. To engage the servant's -attention and to assist towards the feeling of bravery we asked them to prepare our breakfast though we did not feel like eating. We forced ourselves to take food and urged the servants to do so to. Thus it was that, when the first, of the many bards that beset the house through the day entered the year gate of the compound, we were in the dining-room.
"As they entered the courtyard we could hear them exclaiming that the house was enipty. They continued their investigation and we maintained silence till they found us in the dining-room seated at the meal as if it was the most ordinary thing in the world to be visited by bandits for breakfast. Immediately their guns went to their shoulders and they demanded our guns. Being assured that, we had no fire arms they proceeded toa systematic search of the house for any vaiuables we might have. All drawers in the diming-room-cupboard were pulled out by some of the men, while others went upstairs and hauled over everything there, throwing what they did not want in heaps on the floor.
"The second in command of the brigand army, a man called Chang, had been in touch with Christianity in Suchow, Kiangsu, and as he wag in charge of first band that entered our place, he comforted us by assuring us that they would protect the Fuh-in-t'any (Gospel Hall), and that we had nothing to fear in a personal way. Notwithstanding this assurance he took care to leave a guard over us when he temporarily left the premises—not to protect us but to prevent our escape. During the day we had several talks with Chang and with others of the band spout the Gospel message and though they assented to the claims of Christ they declared that it was impossible at present to give up their way of life.
"Tt was still early in the morning, and all day until after five o'clock we were troutiled by numerous bands each intent on getting loot."
One of the brigands pointed his revolver at Miss Darroch and threatened to shoot her if she did not produce ten thousand dollars; she assured him that if that was his final word he would have to shoot as she had no money to give him.
One of the bandit's captives had taken an eiderdown belonging to one of the ladies and was making a saddle of it; she seeing this, and not knowing that he was acting ab the bidding of a bandit remonstrated with him, whereupon the bandit fired his gun hitting the house and maintained a threatening attitude. Fearing that harm would come to the ladies one of the Chinese Christians who was present calmed him by assuring him that the foreigner did not understand the etiquette of the situation, and urged him to take the eiderdown away for his horse or any other use he might have for it.
Still another band came along. in the afternoon wanting guns, watches and money. They were assured that as many of" their, companions had een in the House before them there was little like-li hood of anything of value being left. "Is there anything: upstairs," asked one fellow, '"Hardly likely after your friends have Weeti satisfied," said the ladies.
He went up to see and came down holding. up an umbrella and with an air of the utmost good fellowship exclaimed that he had sal: vaged something at least." By these
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.