FLIGHT THROUGH CHINA.

Grey River Argus, 12 April 1912, Page 7

FLIGHT THROUGH CHINA.

-•— \ MISSIONARY'S THRILLING f Journey.

I WIFE AND CHILD'S PERIL. L Thrilling details of the adventures r of British missionaries and their f amiI lies in remote districts of. China sinct L the revolurion began in. October rea veal magnificient heroism on the pan » of those who rescued them. . ■ The Rev. Ernest F. Borst-Smith ; r who has just arrived in London from F China, with his wife and infant child, t tells the story of his anxieties for two months after the outbreak of-the■'■re-volution, and the hazardous journey of the family, under the escort of tho small relief expedition led by Mr. A. de C. Sowerby/ to .' the ..-railway- at Honanfu is in Shcnsi Province, his neai lof the Baptist Mission , and has been stationed six years at Yennanfu, where his child w r as born last April. Yen^ nanfu is Shensi Province, and his near est European neighbour was at SuiTe, five days' journey. ' "From the very beginning of the revolution,"' he said, ''wewere in extreme danger. One of my three' servant 1 ? bolted at once. The other two were faithful, and one of them Hsiao, stayed with tis right to- Pekin. it 1 was bitterly cold, with the temperature often below zero, and ihe river before my house was so. frozen that carts used it as a road." ♦ "The .military commander gave me a guard of two men, but a few days after thai; the troops revolted, and the guard went away. He never knew then from day to day, what might happen. I had a Winchester repeating rifle, .and many nights 1 paraded- wiih it while my wife and .ch:ld slept. 1 1 very rarely dared to sleep long my-^ seTf. From October 22 ■to December 16.. we bore things as best we could. 1 had very little money. Food was scarce. From friendly Chinese I was able to buy bread and .sometimes a? lean chicken, costing threepence. 1 had two cows,, which gave us milk, and we could buy eggs now and then at two a penny, instead of four a penny, the usual price." "Money has greater purchasingpower here, and a farmer supports himself and family on 6s, to 7s, a month. "Very many peope went r.:.u hid' in the mountains. The military commander was forced to flee and 1 hid his lieutenant in one of. my rooms that was previously occupied by my w-fe"s sew-ing-maid. These officers .were themselves revolutionary, and Chinese, not Manchu, but they stood for government, and anarchy took possession of the people." ■.-;..•