Aug. 22.—At about, 2 p.m. we set out and walk west, The roads are exceptionally muddy, sometimes knee-deep in water. ' At about 5 pin. we arrive at a village where we are told the ransom is to. Drought, The. bandits" say the village is only 10 miles from Pen.
and that the men should to-morrow.
24.—Still at the farm await lenge. In the afternoon a riger atives and we learn that the ransom is coming to-morrow or out, and what a glorious being wel shall have our first night in Shang. hai. The bandits tell us. several times to stop talking and go. to sleep but we just carry on until tone of them comes over with a stick and—well, that's different—and we do try to sleep. Tt seems incredible to us, and even now Johnson ig rather pessimistic.
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.