Chap. XIX. 



MANDARIN RETURNS MY VISIT. 



389 



be able to give me some information regarding 

 tlie recovery of my property. 



When we reached my boat, the officer who 

 accompanied me made a minute examination of the 

 mode in which the thieves had effected an entrance. 

 I now observed what I was not aware of before, 

 that a portion of the boat under the window was 

 made to Hft out ; the thieves, no doubt well aware 

 of this, had only to lift out the window, undo the 

 fastenings inside, and take out a board larger than 

 the window itself, and quite large enough to admit 

 a man or to remove any of my boxes. After 

 examining these matters, and taking down on 

 paper a list of all the articles taken away, those 

 returned to me, and the missing dollars, the 

 officer took his leave in order to prosecute his 

 inquiries. 



The news of the robbery by this time had spread 

 over all the town. Hundreds of people came to 

 look at the boat, and to make inquiries as to the 

 truth of what they had heard. 



In the afternoon the mandarin whom I had 

 visited in the morning came to return my visit, 

 and to inform me the police had caught one of the 

 thieves. On inquiring if they had recovered the 

 money an evasive answer was given, which I did 

 not much like ; so I repeated the question. He 

 then told me that the money would be forthcoming 

 in due time, but that it would be necessary to beat 

 the man with the bamboo that night, and that I 

 should be informed in the morning what success 



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