252 WITH BOAT AND GUN IN THE YANGTZE VALLEY. 



I interfered and got pretty well dusted for my pains. The crowd then began to stone the 

 boats and succeeded in smashing two of Phipps' windows. Two against such a crowd as 

 confronted us had no chance so we made tracks for Kintang. But we had not gone a couple 

 of // before we discovered a bridge across the creek, and that bridge literally black with 

 the angry crowd. Mindful of the fate of my boat on an earlier occasion I suggested a 

 return to Tasijow where we sent to interview the Tipao. He was a genial old fellow, 

 ordered a couple of official poles and lanterns to be placed in each boat and sent a couple 

 of officials with us. As we neared the bridge the crowd was still waiting to give us a 

 warm reception, but as soon as they saw the official insignia they quickly vanished into 

 thin air. We entertained our protectors royally and each took a couple of bottles of beer 

 away with him : this quite independent of the quantity they had stowed away en voyage. 

 When we had gone above lo // further and were quite clear of the rowdy element they left 

 us and embarked on a native gunboat. 



The cause of all the trouble was simple enough. Phipps' cook had gone to the town 

 marketing in the dinghy, and because he refused to give a few loafers of the good things 

 he had purchased a rush was made and the dinghy overturned in the creek. The cook was 

 not a man to take such an insult lying down and one or two of the loafers were sorry that 

 they had ever met him. But a crowd soon gathered on hearing their tale of woe, and this was 

 the crowd I found battering Phipps and the boats. By no earthly ingenuity could one 

 have avoided this ugly little business. It was fortunate that we did not lose our tempers, 

 for we were bound to come off second best in a scuffle, though Phipps was a power to be 



reckoned with in a " scrap." 



* » * » 



Twice, and twice only in a long course of years, have I been "held up" by natives, 

 and on neither of those occasions had I done anything to merit detention. 



One instance occurred quite close to Shanghai. I was up at Lokopan one week end 

 with Mr. E. W. Rice, " Ned " as he was to all who know him well. It was in the autumn of 

 1884, but hot enough to induce my companion to stick to his boat. I however sauntered 

 forth with my gun, though really there was nothing to shoot, and happening to see an oriole 

 sitting on the telegraph wires thought it would be an acceptable addition to the museum. 

 So I shot it and it fell into the paddy. While I was looking for the bird at least half a 

 dozen angry natives came up and insisted that I was irretrievably damaging their crop. I 

 knew, of course, that I had done no damage, nevertheless I felt inclined to humour them 

 and instinctively put my hand into my pocket to give them a little douceur. As luck would 

 have it I hadn't a cash about me, so they, possibly thinking that I was foxing, quickly 

 surrounded me and took away my gun, nor could I persuade them to give it me back. They 

 forced me to follow them into a yard hedged round with a wattled fence, and suggested 

 that I should send to the boat for a ransom. My idea was that fifty cents would have 

 squared this circle, and I sent my dog coolie to my boat to get the money, but when Rice 

 took in the situation, with a liberality quite uncalled for, he gave the coolie a couple of 

 dollars. I can still see the eyes of my custodians glitter as they caught sight of the big 

 bright coins. I was not only at once released but my captors insisted on coming down to 

 the boat and giving me a regular good send off. And well they might, for it was the best 

 paid hour's work that they had ever done. 



