The sun., 1888-10-21

Remarkable Adventure. 4, China.

| ~
any Chnaman he may happen to meet In this
country. John" is generally looked upon as
duffer and is held In more or less contempt
on that account. Just one thing makes Chi
naman seem to be coward when living anon q
U.S. He has positive terror OF the law. and he
! understands SO little OF the English language
that he must be hard pressed to go into court.
Public opinion first and now the law makes
him an interloper. His employment is always
menial. He is an outcast among mon. He has
no hackers and few friends. Therefore IL is
policy In MIN tU put up with sights, insults and
abuse, and seem to be q coward.
II. however. you take him on his own native
heath. you will discover that the average
Chinaman Is as brave as the average man Of
any other nation. He will resent IN insult Just
as quickly, and he will fight with all the ferocity
OF tiger. The Cbinaman and the Russian are
especially alike in some things. You can't
move thom in their religion. They are as alb
ject az slaves to their suporiors. They are
abusive and tyrannical among their equals. A
Chinese desperado, who will defy mob and
defend himself to the last will. when taken out
for execution under sentence OF a court or off,
cial. follow tho executioner as quietly as lamb.
and will kneel and bare his neck without
thought OF resistance.
As one OF the agents Of an English tea syndi-
cate, spent nearly four years In the most pop
| uous districts OF the Celestial Empire and l
! had every opportunity to study them. They
may make oil the treaties they care to. and
the Emperor may issue new manifesto every
week In the year. but the true Chinaman will
continue to hate foreigner, and to wish him
the worst OF luck All white mon are barbar-
GUS In the eyes OF q Chinaman. You may be
ever so learned and great, and you may place
them under ever SO many obligations. but you
still continue to DO the scum OF the earth in
their eyes. Nine out OF ten would regard II as
q religious duty to stick knife into your ribs,
and the only reason they don't do 1t is fear OF
creating trouble for Government officials. The
| masses know that treaties exist, and that the
murder OF foreigner would 10 made state
matter. and they obey the supposed wishes Of
their own Government rather than the provl
sions and clauses of treaties.
One thing always struck me as very curious.
No Chinaman ever sets out to despoil a for
elgner without calculating TO take his life also.
In cases where they could rob and escape with
their booty. they refuse to accept the privilege.
| but wait to add murder to tho crime. While |
| say no Chinaman. l mean, OF course, none OF
the criminal class. / have slept in hundreds
| of Chinese houses, and given the families
every opportunity to plunder and kill. but my
safety was not even plotted against. Several
attempts were however. made by members OF
the criminal class. and some of them may in
terest the reader.
While at Ping Shan. on the Ynngtse- KianG
River, made shooting and fishing excursion
on the river in company with French civil
! engineer and an English tourist. We had boat
about thirty feet long, provided with both sail
and oars, and cabin aft which would hold six
or eight people. AS we were to be gone four
I or five days, we had bunks rigGed UP in the
cabin, and we took along all Our firearms and q
| plentiful supply OF ammunition. We chartered
the boat and its crew OF six men, together with
/ our keep. for sixty cents per day. We sailed
and rowed to the east. and were presently in
there was not even a village oi 200 inhahiants
along he stream to the east for $50 miles the
| very heavy Such thing danger from the
natives never entered our heads
at anchor ina in bend Of the "y Stream, can van and the The
hour was 5 O'Clock in the afternoon. when there
Ts sudden f abSaT Tss s
| man was forward. and the Engishman had
gone of with ono of the men in canoe to in
and turned Just us our crew. ono after another.
plunged, overheard and struck out for, the
native. who had come off in his canoe from tie
! other bank. The firearms were in the cabin.
tho native cut the Frenchmans head almost
clear of by, a blow from short. heavy sword
d T M the hna
treated 10 the cabin to arm myself. The native
made Il rush. and shut and hooked the door.
from little side window l fired upon him with
a revolver. and wounded him in the side, lie
his station in such manner that he could cut
me down II Iat,sempted Cd to come out The up
n@roached @ in the canoe. He lad gone of Off
without Teapons;hr hr,a and now he dared not
nda~ Ga 'fs rcpaed one S%1 sss
matters. matte sA1 The fellow holding tie desS
singe-handed TO rob u.s., but, must also have
our lives, He was entirely alone and propa-
was explaining matters | lashed revolver
and some ammInition to board used as
It iloated down. the EnGlishman secured it.
The robbers canoe was alongside. and | in;
so y e eT 10 II
growing as he discovered what was GS9ins on.
os havnn a ND the wound R
fcted hnd worked him up to a furious degree
little better than a thatch. 4ftor the canoe
, had been taken taken, away I @ took up Sn one OF the
bullet into the barrel. and then crent around
the cabin TO discover the villain s outside loca-
mnues but by "a and f' BY heard him move oS and
mutter. Then brought the gun to bear, so as
to pepper his legs and bazcd away. He fell
s ts f fsp Out The charGe
had taken him in the right leg at the knee. and
it WAS n fatal wound. but he pulled
himself up and, came, at me hon;
ping on one leg. while the blood
literally flooded the dock behind him. saw
that must finish him md i didn't hesitate 10
do II. When our crew of natives returned
most Of them recognized tho man. He was u
robber and had seyerni limos been imprisoned
and they clung 10 it that his sole idea in com
Ing aboard was to dcspoil us. In his idea
murder went with robbery. 1t was neces-
sary adjunct. II he wis. as they claimed, only
a second lass desperate. one of the first class
would probably have the assurance to attack a
merchant ship single handed.
My second adventure was ut town called
kwei-L Ling. had been there a MONTH and my
business and social relations had been eX-
iremoly pleasant. l went one night to sup with
and spend the night at the house Of tho Mayor
who Was also our local agent. He lived ont in
tho suburbs. with very line garden about his
house, and tho room assigned me was on tho
ground floor. front. IT had two windows. and.
while not over eight feet wide. was fully
twenty;four feet long, Lying In, my. bed.
] could see the whole length OF tho
room. and. as the night was very hot
and close. | left the lower sash un. ! had my