Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1930-10-05

night and at about daybreak the following
morning a wind sprang up, accompanied by
cold rain. BY this time the captain and were
in pitiable state We had had no food and no
sleep-were scantily clothed, and our feet were
in such a condition that it was only with agony
that we could get along at all. Our route led
mostly over rice fields of soft, Shiny mud, which
did not help our lacerated feet.
We were a sorry pair indeed when, on the
fifth night after our capture, reached q
small round house set hill Here we man.
aged to get some sleep; we were also given
bowls Of Chinese food.
But we were not allowed to rest for long.
Suddenly, in the middle of the night we were
hurriedly aroused and prodded out again into
the midst of terrific downpour. From snatcheS
Of convers alton among the pirates we gathered
that our hiding place had been discovered by
soldiers in the service of the magistrate of the
district. and that we were being pursued.
learned later that, Immediately after our cap
ture, the pirates, through sources unrevealed,
had demanded reward of five hundred thou
sand dollars for our return alive That meant
that they would take five thousand dollars and
be content and the agents for our company In
Shanghai were willing to pay this amount, but
had no way to get in touch with them.
The "unrevealed source" through which the
offer came was subsequently traced to our erst-
while pilot, whereunon 1 fully understood his
run aground. He was dishonorabIy discharged
from the service but that is another story
We stumbled out of the house in the binding
rain but hadn't taken many steps when
there came burst of firing from directly ahead.
to which the pirates Immediately responded.
They then turned us back the other way, but
in the darkness lost sight of the captain.
When I last saw him he had been in the
control of dozen or more pirates, but was
In such a bad way that they could do little
with him. Prodding with bayonetS and thump-
ing with the butts of rifles were now out of
the question for he was completely exhausted
and knew that If we had to run he would
drop by the wayside, in which case dreaded
to think what the ruffians might do to him.
Suddenly heard Capt. Haarland shout to
me, and promptly turned around. Through
the darkness could family see him, and
noticed that one of his guards was trying
to throttle him to prevent the sound of his
voice giving away our position Again the
captain shouted, and I was moving toward
him when 1 was met by bayonet that was
showed far enough into my arm to Craze the
bone and cause a steady flow of blood.
turned to take final look at him, and
him on the ground, apparently wrestling
with one of his guards. Then the firing came
closer, and I literally carried away by the
pirates, who crowded around me. That was
the last I saw of the captain for many
long day, and need hardly say that was
very anxious concerning his fate.
1t was not until I finally got back to
Shanghai after my rescue that I learned he
was SAFE He was so utterly exhausted, he told
me, that he fell to the ground, preferring to
risk death rather than continue that night
mare march with the pirates. Finding it inn
possible to move him, the rufians crashed
rock down upon his head and left him lying
there with fractured skull. But he counted
himself lucky, for pursuing soldiers found him
lying unconscious and conveyed him to hos
pital
AS for me, things looked pretty black.
did my best to delay the party, but try as