THE STORY OF THE DAVIDIA 281 



my eleven years' travel in China. The military 

 authorities were suspicious of me from the commence- 

 ment, and toward the end it reached my ears that I 

 was regarded as a spy and a captain in the English 

 army, disguised. As a broad hint to quit I received an 

 enlistment notice ! Those were the days of the ' ' Drey- 

 fus retrial" and of the "Fashoda incident" and before 

 the " Entente cordiale" — days when a native of "per- 

 fidious Albion" was the opposite of a welcome guest in 

 a French colony where military rule was dominant. 



During the first few days of exile further details of 

 the Mengtsze outrage reached Laokai and of course 

 rumor enlarged upon the whole situation. A party 

 of Frenchmen surveying for the railway came in from 

 Yunnan, talked of serious trouble, and departed for 

 down river. On the 19th of July the Commandante 

 sent a note informing me that the route to Mengtsze 

 was then considered safe and this cheered me greatly. 

 I began enquiries for a servant since it was impossible 

 to travel alone, but the news of the riot had done its 

 work and no one could be tempted. This state of 

 affairs lasted for a month. On the 18th of August the 

 following letter was brought to me : 



"My Dear Sir, 



Before I have wish to do a interpreter with you, 

 because I am very sick cannot to going, at now I 



