Cruel Treatment Followed by Thrilling Escape of Missionary bers were well armed and organized.
They appeared to be about one hundred in number.
But with that hasty glance I saw Ware For many months the territory in which we were working in South China had been in a state of unrest. Civil war had swept over the country, and in its wake robber bands had sprang up that operated in various districts. These bands had their hiding places away back among the distant mountains, bat periodically they swooped down upon the helpes people living in the towns and villages. Homes were Burned, men murdered, women ravished, and then with the booty which they had secured, and with captives to be held for ransom, the robbers would retreat to the distant hills, Here for a time they would revel in their ill-gotten gains, oF torture their prisoners until' the desired ransom money was paid, and then sally forth again to loot' and miteder ax before.
If the robbers were not too daring, the authorities often made Tittle effort to apprehend them, and at other times it appeared that the authorities and outlaws were on too friendly terms.
These were the conditions when one day I received a teleyeram eatlinse me to headquarters to attend an Executive Committee meeting, Cat once gathered a few things together and started on the journey. We were travelling by Iannch and 1 was the only white man on bourd, but there were a large number of Chinese passengers. The travelling was far from comfortable. There were two tiny enbins for the well-to-do, and a Targer room the full width of the Bent. for the rank and file of the people. This room afforded but box ear accommodation. Into it the passengeér's packed ike savidines. Men, women and children with their bundles, bedding and baskets, each tried to find enough space on the bare floor to sit upon or tie down. "This room yesemibled the bar them of a low-class country hotel. We had searcely started! on our journey when the floor was strewn with fruit peelings, tobacco stubs, spittle and spilled tea, The air was filled with tobacco smoke, opium fumes and the dou of a mars of perspiring and unwashed humanity which compelled the passengers to endure a wide variety of the alleged 1 smells Known to the Empire, When travelling in this style it fs never conv' to undress, night cornies on, all that is necessary ig to take off yon shoes, hang up your hat, roll up in your blanket Anil, if you can, £0 to sleep, If the noise fom gambling, combined with more than robbers. I noticed that from pleasant.
However, thinking: that the atmosphere of the town was not conducive to good health, we quickly posted the card and forthwith returned again to the I launch.
We had not travelled more than five les, however, when we were attacked from the shore by a robber dand.
"The robbers had chosen a place where the stream was broken nto narrow channels, and where navigation was doth ' difficult and dangerot As soon as they began to fire on the launch the steersman, seeing he could not run the gauntlet, attempted to turn around and escape that way.
But in the confusion and excitement the Yaunch yan into shallow water and stuck fast in the sand, Immediately a number of the crew. jumped into the water on the, sheltered side of the launch, and for] fall the berths on the Munch were empts—all, save the one that I was before each berth ing, twenty minutes before, when the firing began, each berth had its occupants. But now all were empty, and all the passengers were lying je~ sswise on the floor covered up with their padded quilts. The reason for these tactics was not hard to. find. The Chinese had been more accustomed to robbery than I was, and so when the first shots were fired the passengers in the upper berths had jumped quickly down on the floor and with the other! passengers lay crosswise of the! Taunch, packed like sardines can. This scheme exposed but Jsmallest part of their bodies to the firing, while I in my ignorance was. lying stretched out fall length, five feet, nine inches and a half—a splendid target for robber bullets, With bullets 4 it was a wende a half dozen times. But it did not take me long to learn the obvious lesson. In that hour of peril I did not need anyone to point out to me the danger of remaining longer in my berth, As the bullets began to crash into the Munch more thickly than before, I sprang from my berth to the floor and began to squeeze between a fat man and a thin one. I wished they both were fat for it did seem that the fat man afforded a little more protection than the boney individual on the other side, But there was no time to pick or choose, so I hurriedly wormed my way into my narrow quarters. As I was squeezing in three bullets came crashing through my berth. Two of the bullets would have penetrated my body had I still been lying there, while-the third bullet went sereech-
1 tints worked heroically enleavouring to push the launch out into ing through my pillow. It tore holes my clothing, cut in two three pieces of sugar cane that were lying' underneath, and splintered the board. that was at my head. Had I remain. ed in my berth another moment, sudden death would have been my lot.
Aeper "waters "White: the crew deeper, water.
While the cree S ike Land mas carte for moon fusillade ut bullets into the side of e@Used me to move the nick of tala Ths ty life wav spared. The Crushing belle as they whistd by Bullets few everywhere. Some threw of and splinter. over came crashing: through the windows scattering brok over thi Frightened passenger Othe bullet Jeame screaming through the sides fof the Munch making splinters fly all direct still others made a terrific noise as they went sereechinge through empty kerosene the Standard Oil Ca. were sending down the river to be refilled. face and aroused in my heart a sense lof God's nearness. They alto argod me, if possible, 99 squeeze a Tittle farther into my narrow quarters.
As the bullets were w T remembered stories I had" how the lives of soldiers on the field of battle had eceasiomally been saved by something they had in their pockets; a knife, a razor, or a hook, which by diverting a bullet saved the confusion and smells, keeps yo awake no one is to blame hat your own fastidious self.
This general room haul also some narrow wooden berths, like shrives, fastened to the wall, on which certain number of passengers could sleep. was fortunate in seruting tone of these upper shelves and eon gratulated myself on being a few feet from the seething humanity lying on the floor, and a little Further away from the various kinds of vermin that often roam about at night.
On account of the dangers of travel the Iaunch ran only by day light. For the first two days of the Journey all went well, and on the vening of the second day anchored near a market town. In order to let Mrs, Oldfield know that all was well I wrote a post eard, and in company with a Chinese friend went ashore Lo port it, When we entered the town we noticed there was an abnormally Jarge number of idle men loitering, around the streets. Their general appearance did not inspire' eonfidence, and I laughingly said to my Chinese companion,."'I would rather meet these men in daylight than after dark." Little did I think when said those words, that not many hours would elapse before 1 sheld meet there same men, and in circumstances that were to be far 1 lying on the side of the h from which the bullets were: coming.
There was no place to find to hide, and as the missiles of death wei pouring in from every angle it seemed humanly being killed or my hack pray and whether my ud come, quick as a flash my mind ran back over the rity years of ser 1 remembered fellow missionaries of earlier days with whom I had laboured who had laid down th have after a few years of service, and T rejoiced that my life had been spared so long.
Now if Tavere to meet my end thi tragic manner, still Thad no regrets that in answer to joo's call T had gone forth to the field.
Twas stilt meditating when, bang! two bullets came crashing through my berth. One bullet passed just above: my knee and the other just below. Fortunat T wax lying down perfectly. tint, otherwise T Bauld have been wounded.
Presently there came a lull in the shooting, and in order to sce what /was takin place I sat up and peered out through the canvas sides of the Tanneh, With that peep-all hope of escape rapidly vanished: A. large! hand of robbers was standing on shore.
Some were reloading their rifles, while others were aiming their gums in our dircetfon and preparing their tives. I therefore quickly reached for my scrip containing general articles and drew it to my head, and then lay down flat again ax before.
The shooting continued until four hundred shots had been fired. Then he boatmen, seeing they could not work the Munch out into deeper water and-escape, firtally gave up in despair and offered to surrender. Then only did the firing cease.
The launch had grounded on the farther side of the river and in order to reach us the robbers had to secure boats. There were two small fishing. boats lying nearby, and at the point of a gun che roblers forced the fishermen to bring them across. I could see that the robbers would soon Teach us, and. although expect ing to lose all the clothing I had in suitcase or basket, still I hoped, to be able to save that which T was wearing. So hastily I arose "and put on a few extra garments. Taise hid my silver watch in an inside west pocket, and then covering myself with my blanket, but leaving a small Lneep hole in one corn." from whic T could watch operations, 4 jay down again with the others, and awaited developments.
We hiad an armed guard on board; soldiers in uniform, well armed and paid by the company to protect the launch in its journeys, but during the attack this gastd had renamed returned a single. shot. They certainly were economical with their ammunition and could not be accused wasting bullets. There " was evidently such a friendly feeling between themselves and the robbers that they did not want to oppose their "Brethren."
'Now, however, that the crew had surrendered, this guard threw down their arnis, took off their uniforms, and quietly awaited the robbers' arrival, I bad not long to wait. The robbers came across, wild with rage because we had not surrendered jsooncr, and threatening vengeance on all and sundry who had dared to hold out against them. We could see we were in for trouble, und as soon asthe robbers reached the launch, confusion reigned supreme. For a time, hell was let loose, as the robbers began to ill-treat and kill the passengers. The angry curses lof the robbers mingled with the yells the women, as some of them wire murdered, struck terror to our While these scenes of bloodshed ]were taking place on the front of the Munch we were lying on the floor in the general room listening to the sounds of slaughter that was occurring just a few feet away. We could hear the awful yells and screams, and in fancy could visualize how the passenger: were meeting their doom, and wondered what our fate might be when the robbers came into our room. The suspense wa awful! I nave passed through many trying experiences in China, but have always found that the pain endured was always easier to bear than the few minutes of suspense that preceded it. In the case of actual suffering, the confusion and excitement which accompanies it, for the moment, makes one almost unconscious of pain, but the suspense of the few minutes of uncertainty which precedes the suffering is almost unbearable. There was nothing {to do, however, but commit our way junto the Lord, and be prepared to take, at the robbers' hands, whatever the Lord permitted.
(To be continued next week.)
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.