COL. ANSTRUTHER THOMSON 287 



Parkes. They told me he was still in the Board of 

 Punishments, but I could learn nothing more. I 

 began to sing ' Pestal ' one day, thinking Parkes 

 might be within hearing, but it sounded so melan- 

 choly hearing my own voice, and the prisoners all 

 looked so astonished, I could not go on. 



" Thus the days passed drearily on, until one 

 morning, by signs and a few words that I had learnt, 

 they told me that my chains were to be taken off, 

 but for what purpose whether for my final release 

 I could not learn. About four in the afternoon I 

 was taken into a side room that opened from the 

 yard, and was visited by Hangki, one of the com- 

 missioners, and a mandarin whom Parkes had known 

 formerly at Canton. He pretended indignation at 

 seeing me in chains, although he had been one of 

 those concerned in our capture. He ordered them 

 to be taken off. Before taking me away, I went 

 round to the prisoners and bid them good-bye in the 

 Chinese way, with my hands clasped, and as I had 

 seen the few prisoners who had been released while 

 I had been in prison do before leaving. Hangki led 

 me by the hand through various courtyards into a 

 small room, where I was joined in a few minutes by 

 Parkes. Our delight at seeing each other was great. 

 Parkes could not, however, tell what was to be done 

 with us. He only knew we were very far from a 

 final release, and that the only change at present was 

 we were to be better treated. We had hardly been 

 five minutes together when the arrangements for our 

 departure were completed, and we were put into 



