The New York herald. [volume] (New York, N.Y.) 1920-1924, 1922-09-10

can read the riddle OF the Sphinx. The
lower part of his face Is working. The
man is actually talking: "Missa Clot
no can do home. Mebbe clom one
hour, mebbe clom tifiin. No can do
now"
Indefinite Return the
Substance of Message
That meant, in involved pidgin Eng
fish, that Croft was out. that he might
come in an hour, that no might not
be back before lunch. Sorrow sat
heavy upon me. Was / 10 DO thwarted
by the itinerant wandeiings OF an
aviator? l had only the day. My
boat sailed at 10 o'clock tomorrow
morning from Hongkong. l rose heav-
lily. II l failed in this IL would be
the first self-imposed assignment
had fallen down on. l went toward
the steps uncertainty. In the offing
saw two men approaching, one of
them, by his carefree steps, though
! could not see his wings" undoubt-
eddy an aviator. My star was rising.
! approached the pair and said, as
nonchalantly as possible, though my
pulse was pounding: DO either one
Of you happen to be Mr.. Croft?" The
one ! had spotted responded, as had
hoped: Yes, my names Croft. What
can / do for your"
outlined my desire, but / saw he
was frowning: Nothing doing. Doc
tor" he said in good old United States.
Il cannot trade upon my friendship
with Sun Vat Sen to introduce re-
porters to him, as those are the people
he distinctly does not want TO see"
was Just preparing to unmasS my
batteries of "the power OF the press, .
&c, when Croft's friend. who had been
introduced as Mr.. Benton c. Byrd,
spoke up and said: But see here,
Croft. we are all New Workers! You're
a Brooklyn man and I'm Manhattan
ite and DR.. Carter has lived in both
boroughs. We can't let a fellow New
Yorker down In this way"
Blessings on thee, Mr.. Byrd You
are bird" sure. / just listened to
what "a little bird was saying" and
II seemed to tell me l was going to
see Sun Vat Sen after all. / just let
them have 1t out, and finally Croft
said: Why. you go ahead. Byrd.
You've done more for DR.. Sun than
any other foreigner here. He'll listen
TO you even more quickly than 70 me.
Go on, take DR.. Carter out yourself"
And 50 it was arranged OF course
we didn't know IL we could get past
the guards. or course we didn't know
whether Dr.. sun would see me, If we
did. or course we didn't know but the
nervous guards might shoot us by
mistake. but we were willing to take
the risk, and 30 Mr.. Byrd got his
launch, Communicated his right hand
man and interpreter from his Office
got Chinaman to go along who knew
the necessary signals--so we wouldn't
get shot-and or we went.
l am not necessarily a nervous man.
have been face 10 face with death in
the Near East as we'll as the Far East.
| have had many narrow squeaks
with the Great Adventure" as Froh-
man called II, yet. confess. was
'Jumpy" as we went out over that
quarter mile stretch OF water What
IL We struck a floating mine OF his
barrage? For he must have some kind
Of a barrage for protection. What If
the lookout didn't like our looks and
took pot shot at us. or opened up a
broadside? What IL his own enemies,
who were undoubtedly watching all
around, should fire on us thinking we
were taking aid 70 the enemy?
Guards, BHstling With
Weapons, Guarded President
All these were possibilities. but we
finally got there with many calls, com