A, 8. Bickmore—Journey through China. 9 
I feared they would block up the street in front of me and 
stop me completely, but they seemed to have a suspicious re- 
gard for the barbarian and concluded to allow me to pass on. 
When we came to the chief gate and were entering the city, 
some officials stopped my chair and drew me up into their of- 
fice out of the press of the crowd, while they were instructing 
my coolies to go round the city and not through it. One of 
my chair bearers took this opportunity to run away and it 
seemed an age before another could be found; but finally I 
continued on between the city wall and the river until we came. — 
to a great rock, round which we were carried in a boat, and 
thus we were at last freed from our tormentors. It gave me a 
the beautiful view before me a villager chanced to pass by and 
notice my open compass, so I shut it up and went back to rest 
for fear he might think I was like some of their own people—a 
geomancer, Later in the evening the whole neighborhood be- 
gan to resound with a heavy beating of gongs, and soon a la 
crowd gathered in front of the inn, shouting out in the most 
fiendish tones, “ Kill him! Kill him! Kill the white devil!” 
I plainly saw that they had come with the determination to 
rob me and then kill me. I realized the danger of my position 
and I feared the worst, for how could one man defend himself 
against such an infuriated mob. ; ‘ 
ut my policemen proved firm, and at once showed the ring- 
leaders my pass from their own Mandarin and assured them 
that if they injured me in the least their Mandarin would take 
every one of their heads off and completely destroy their vil- 
lage. Then their wrath took another channel and they cursed, 
the Mandarin, and finally, after much angry disputing, they 
offered to go away on the condition that I should leave their 
village as soon as daylight appeared. My servant ass 
them that they need have no fear that I should remain there 
long, and that I certainly should not have stopped short of the 
next vil if my coolies and policemen had not refused to 
travel any farther that night. The only crime alleged against 
