228 DETENTION AND ANNOYANCE. 



Our situation was most embarrassing ; we were 

 surrounded by a crowd of impudent soldiers, who 

 took all sorts of liberties with us ; and to add 

 to our difficulties, one of our Cossacks was taken 

 ill and was unable to move. Towards evening it 

 began to rain; but we could not find shelter any- 

 where and were obliged to pass the night under the 

 open sky, there being no room to pitch our tent in 

 the narrow yard, already inconveniently crowded 

 with our ten camels. We therefore submitted to 

 circumstances, and after clearing a small space we 

 lay down on some felting. Fortunately the rain 

 soon ceased and the night was clear ; the soldiers 

 took it in turns to keep watch at the gates of the 

 yard. 



The next day we waited till midday, and were 

 told that the mandarin was still asleep. I wished to 

 satisfy myself on this point, but the soldiers would 

 not let me pass into the town. In the meanwhile the 

 mandarin kept sending envoys asking me to present 

 him with all the articles he had taken from me, my 

 Lancaster rifle among the number. I peremptorily 

 declined, saying that I was not rich enough to give 

 every Chinese general I saw, a gun which cost 

 several hundred rubles. 



In the afternoon they sent to tell me that the 

 general had risen, and they brought the box with 

 the rifle, but the powder-flask and box of caps were 

 gone. ' Your commander has stolen two articles 

 from this case,' I remarked to the official who brought 

 it. and I sent my interpreter to explain this. I did 



