The surprise effeoed by the Japanese landing at Chapoo gave an unpleasant experience to a party of Shahghailanders (four Chinese and a foreigner) motoring from Shanghai to Sungkiang on Saturday morning. Just before they reached the creek at which a ferry usually crosses the Whangpoo they found that their routine dodging of aeroplanes—bombers and pursuit planes had kept them on the alert—had to be varied by attention "to machine-gun and rifle fire from the other side of the ver. They observed a motor-car which had already come ito a standstill on the bridge crossing the creek.
They took shelter in a farmhouse, but when they thought the fire had ceased they emerged but again had to run to seek cover under the bridge. The fire clearly came from Japanese soldiers who had hoisted a Japanese flag. Curiously enough the four Chinese in the party seemed te escape attention although the Chinese in the other motor-car were so seriously attacked that they were upset with their car into the Creek, some being badly wounded.
Foreigner Marked The foreigner happened to be wearing a blue overcoat and plus fours. This seemed to be a clear mark for the Japanese fire and the wearer had a narrow shave. He frst rolled into the Creek, then waded across 4 it and later took shelter under the bridge. Then in realizing the impossibility of continuing the journey io Sungkiang, he managed to get into a rice field and, by dodging from stack to stack, he and his Chinese friends (including two ladies) got out of range.
Meanwhile the chauffeur of the car had cleverly backed and brought it round under cover so that the party were able to get in and make good their return to Shanghai.
Except for mud and bruises they were none the worse for the adventure.—They saw four cars which had been put out of action. One was a postal lorry laden with mails and derelict.
No Chinese Soldiers No Chinese soldiers were in sight of the river, but the party met a number to whom they gave the news. There was an immediate alarm given with the result that a detachment moved off with considerable alacrity io engage the Japanese, who were estimated at about twenty strong, no doubt the advance party of one of the units landed near Chapoo of "which the party had not heard since they had left Shanghai, On return to Shanghai, the manager of the Chinese garage from which the car had been hired—payment in advance with recognition of no responsibility on the garage's part for any failure to complete" the journey—at once expressed his regrets that his clients had been fired on by the Japanese and spontaneously refunded the money. The chauffeur was anxious to have a certificate that he had ceted correctly so that his employer would not be dissatisfied with him. His resourcefulness and courage was duly appreciated and the certificate gladly given.
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.