It was in the environs of Wusih that they nearly came to grief, hav-Ing suffered no little discomfort, as they said, by the offlefousness of the gendarmerie, Unfamiliar with the roads, they cruised round the city, apparently" retracing their tracks several times, when finally, they were hailed by a soldier or policeman—they aid not know which—and asked him for the. proper road' to Soochow. He jumped on the running board and directed them along certain road. This apparent courtesy appealed to them but suddenly he ordered them to stop at a military station, In a gruff manner, he attempted to force the passenger' from the coupe, Dut fortunately the door was locked from the inside and he could not work the door handle, The soldier grasped the passenger vigorously and {rled to pull him through the wi dow, but without success, Alterea~ tion ensued, neither group being able to understand the other. Fifteen minutes passed and an offteer came Up. The foreigners could not make themselves understood, either English or in their Latin languages, Eventually the officer spoke some English, But he did not offer any explanation why they were being stopped or prevented -from continuing their Journey toward Shanghai, 'A relief wagon from Messrs, Bille Motors (there had been an accident) came on the scene and the foreigners Fequested directions to Soochow. The affair was. seitled—the police apparently being appeased-—and the chauffeur obtained a coolie and gave him directions regarding the Soochow road, Arriving In Soochow the tourists gave the colle cumshaw and pald his return bus fare to Wusih, along the highways and produced material proof in the form of friendly letters sent to him here in Shanghai.
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.