| Show r CAPTURED CAPTURED BY BANDITS J By HARVEY J. J HOWARD M. M D. D Copyright by United Feature Syndicate Syndicate Syn Syn- Inc All rights reserved syn-I syn Reproduction prohibited i CHAPTER 19 J I PEKING Feb 16 The The moment firing began the Chinese captives threw thre themselves on the muddy floor taking shelter behind the stone walls I was as about to spring of off the sleeping platform a dash ash for liberty when the messen messenger messenger mes mes- sen er Chung who wa was sitting be beside beside beside be- be side me gave me a push and I rolled over ovel against the wall at the back of the kang He lIe yelled for forme forme forme me to stay there as he dove dov in behind me and snuggled up against my back The bullers s whistled and sang over the hut and the crash and roar of rifles and the shrieks of men sounded bounded and ana nearer It could not have been more than thana a minute after the first shot rang I out when I heard heart the tire sound of man many fe feet tJ Several men yelling like lunatics and with guns in their hands dashed madly into the hut It a was too late The other bandits bandits bandits ban ban- had evidently overwhelmed my captors and in a moment or two I would be the captive capture of another gang l The man in the lead darted forward forward forward for for- ward with his long Mauser pistol pointed towards us He was dressed dressea tike like a soldier but many hung wore military uniforms His face was tense his eyes bulged and his big dirty teeth gleamed through his wide open mouth as he spied me and shouted Are you the American Ameri Amen can my bristling red led beard I could readily be mistaken for the original hung so I Instantly Instant Instant- ly replied that I was the American Doctor Howard We Ve soldiers are dont don't fear he cried as he Jumped upon the kang Then grasping grasping- me by the arm aim he looked intently into me face Get up up he said and he quickly led me down from the sleeping platform plat plat- form Another man dressed as an officer officer pushed through the crowd We Weare Weare Weare are soldiers and have rescued you ou he laughed as I looked dumbfounded dumbfound dumbfound- ed and unbelieving at him and the others standing around He then pulled a photograph from his pocket et and asked Is that you At that another man handed me a letter from my friend Roger S. S Greene director of the China medical board of ot the Rockefeller Rockefeller Rockefeller Rocke Rocke- feller foundation But I could not open pen it Events had happened too fast and my joy was t too o over over- whelming I shook with emotion It was the first time I had broken down And this was the first word from my friends In sixty seven days In a few moments I was able to control myself and open the letter letter let let- ter Mr lr Green told of or his efforts in my behalf for nearly two months and that he be was being compelled on account of Important business to return to Pel Peking Captain S S. S V V. Constant assistant military to the American all legation and Dr S S. S T. T Wang Vang assistant nt superintendent superintend superIntend- ent of the hospital of the Peking Union Medical college were in Fu- Fu chin and would thereafter be In charge of my Interests l I MF Mr Greene suggested that if possible I send ba back k a reply In my own handwriting ing by the man who delivered the letter I heard no more firing after the soldiers entered the hut They told me three of the bandits had been killed and the rest had fled tIed None of the soldiers was hit They brought me a horse to ride and said It was only ten miles to tile the headquarters of ot the generals There were two captains In charge of the soldiers One of or th thim m remained with his men mento mento mento to follow tollow the bandits The other ac accompanied accompanied accompanied ac- ac companied me and the Chinese captives captives captives cap cap- tives to headquarters I rode along like Uke a man in a dream Only a few minutes before I nad and been a captIve cap- cap hive tIve now I was free tree Half a mile from headquarters we we met a calva- calva cade of generals and their staffs staff I Including Major General K K Y Li Major General C C. C S S. S Peng leng Brigadier Brigadier Brigadier Briga Briga- dier Generals Gene T T. T C. C Cho and C C. C P P. Lu and several officers of lower rank Jank The feast that was prepared for forme forme forme me will never ne b be forgotten The astonishment of the generals at the size of or my appetite an aria and my own at atthe atthe atthe the dishes empty empt before me finally restrained me from eating more 1 had eaten eafen a whole chicken several se bowls of rice a dozen or more potatoes potatoes po po- po- po a loaf of bread and had al already already already al- al ready made away with a pound or two or pork when I stopped not satisfied and looked longingly at what was still before me nie If a coolie had not at a signal from General Peng quickly removed the remaining dishes I would probably have weakened and continued my eating For five days this in intense ense hunger lasted during which time I lost the sensation of l knowing when I had eaten enough I had lost fi fifty pounds At da daybreak break the next morning we started for Hua Chuan a small city on the river ri forty miles away In every direction as far as asI I could see were d detachments of infantry and cavalry all headed for that pace place There were two thousand thousand thousand thou thou- sand of them General Li said And the poor farmers were even more glad to see them go For two months these helpless men their wi wives ves and their children nad had been slaves to these soldiers They had to house and feed not feed not only the themen themen men but their horses During that interval their crops had been al almost almost al- al most if not wholly neglected We Ve passed many farmhouses on the wa way and their occupants were al always always always al- al ways waiting by the roadside to see seethe seethe seethe the American over whom so much fuss had been made We passed that day directly by bythe bythe bythe the farmhouse where the bandits had battled with the soldiers more than five weeks before I recognized recognized recognized the place at once It made me shudder to recall the night and the day that followed that battle That was vas the day upon which the unfOrtunate unfortunate unfortunate Mr Chu paid the penalty for weariness At half past five in the evening we rode through the streets of Hua Chuan and dismounted dismounted dismounted dis dis- dis- dis mounted In front of ot the chamber of commerce building A hoUda holiday had been declared in honor of or my re release re- re lease Flags were fl flying and the streets were lined with shouting people as I rode through with my escort of generals Within an hour I was talking over the telephone with my friends Captain CaptaIn Captain Cap Cap- tain Const Constant nt and Doctor Wang Yang who were still at nearly miles m les away Three days later Captain Constant Constant Con Con- stant and Doctor Wang Vang arrived In Ina Ina ina a little chugging side gunboat gunboat gunboat gun gun- boat which carried an old Hotchkiss Hotch- Hotch kIss gun and a couple of machine I guns To me she loo looked ea as grand grandas I as the Leviathan as she came up the river and an anchored opposite us Within ten minutes we were aboard the gunboat which after atter giving salutes salutes salutes sa- sa lutes to the generals on shore start start- ed ot off on its day fhe Journey to Harbin Before leaving Harbin Morgan Palmers Palmer's mother and his brother Franklin who has just arrived from America came in to see me I tp told them of the last hour that Morgan and I were together and how ho hohe he had died in an an endeavor to bring SUc succor or to his helpless tenants I delivered Mrs Palmer the keys kc's which the bandits had taken from her sons Ions pocket and later given to me I had carried ried them for tor sev sev- seven enty-seven days They and my glasses were the only things I had left except my clothes The trip of two da days s 's to Peking was soon over My IY wi wie came to to meet mo me tt t the station In Peking were my daughters Peggie Peggie Peggie Peg Peg- gie and Martha and In background background back background ground my son Jim whom I had last seen hanging onto the the back backseat backseat backseat seat of the motor car as as' as asit It sped aped away from the cornfield eUI END |
