the
commandant, who with a few other officers and a secretary sat prepared
to investigate the peculiar circumstances which had brought a Fan
Quei, or foreign devil, amongst them. The secretary knew English very
indifferently--so indifferently that I am doubtful if he understood my
story rightly. He asked me if I was acquainted with German, and gave
me to understand that he knew more of that language than of English;
however, I did not know ten words of it. The examination was long,
and, from the difficulty of understanding one another, confused
enough. I gathered that I was, or had been, under suspicion of being a
Japanese spy in the minds of those before whom I had been brought, and
they rigorously questioned the men whom I had first seen as to the
circumstances attending my landing. These, I consoled myself by
reflecting, could not be deemed consistent with the supposition that I
was an agent of the enemy. I was asked if there was any one in the
town who could witness to my having been there previously under the
circumstances I alleged. I replied that probably the people at the inn
would remember me.

Finally the Chinamen held a lengthened consultation amongst
themselves, at the end of which I was told that I would be taken
forthwith before the higher authorities on the other side of the port.
I hinted to the secretary that I had had nothing to eat that day and
felt decidedly hungry. I was accordingly served before my departure
with a meal of fish and boiled bread, with a cup of rice wine, a
decoction which tasted like thin, sour claret. This done, I was placed
in charge of my former escort, who struck across country from the rear
of the Man-tse-ying, passed two or three other forts and numerous
entrenchments and redoubts, and finally reached the water on the inner
side of the long arm of land enclosing the West Port. Here, close by a
torpedo store, I was put on board a sampan, a long, narrow boat, sharp
at both extremities, with an awning. In this I was conveyed to the
East Port and taken through the dockyards to the military
head-quarters near the great drill and parade ground at the entrance
to the town. It was late in the evening when we arrived there, and I
was not brought up for examination until the next day. Here, to my
great satisfaction, I found I had to deal with somebody who knew
English well--a military aide-de-camp, who spoke the language with
both fluency and correctness. To him I told my story plainly