It was very evident that the control of the Central Government on their soldiery at the extreme confines to be very tenuous. Loaded up and on the way back we were held up at this narrow place (I had decided to do without escort but the officer put a sergeant and batman on board). I refused to pay anything, but the sergeant gave (he said) $25 for me. We spent all day on the desolate waste of waters, and in a blood-red sunset on blood-red water were only one mile from the western bank and free China, when the sergeant (our "prorector") commanded the boats to land on a mud bank.
We were powerless, but I refused io accede to his demand for my watch and $60, even although he said ihat it was his custom to squeeze all boats here before they landed. T said that I didn't care what he did io merchants; but none of the goods l carried were mine, they were all for medical relief and missionary work; anyway I hadn't the money. He sat adamant on the mudbank until he was colder than I, when to avoid a swim to land and a possible ullet in my head, I gave him $30 io repay him for what he had given the previous bandit plus $5 as cumshaw.
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.