CIRCUMVENTING THE FOREIGNERS.

Lake County Press, Issue 982, 3 October 1901, Page 2

CIRCUMVENTING THE FOREIGNERS.

due of the constables in the Clyde Marine Division, whose son is serving on board H.M.S. Pigmy in the China Seas, received recentlv a printed bit of poetry by one of the lieutenants aboard, which describes vividly and in terse language an incident that, recalls to our minds the "good old days, the brave old days, when Nelson ruled tlu sea !" The story is extremely interesting. After the fall of Pekin it was thought necessary by the Allies that the seven forts of Shan-i-Kwan should be reduced and occupied. A huge expedition was prepared, but the day before it was to start H.M.S. Pigmy, of 700 tons, commanded by Lieutenant-commander John Green, quietly weighed anchor and disappeared over the horizon as ;f proceeding on one of her usual trips to Cheefoo, Instead the captain sailed to Shan-i-Kwan. where he landed under a

flag of trace, and held a- “ pow-wow " with the mandarin in command. Such was the diplomacy .if Captain Green that the mandarin said he would give up the forts to the British, but to no one else. The magnificent armed forts with their thousands of soldiers were evacuated during that night, and Captain Green occupied each in turn with three men and a boy—hoisted the Union Jack, and shut the gates. He then sailed for Baku in the Pigmy with his news and what- men he had left. There was naturally much annoyance among the foreigners, especially the Russians. The following verse describes the feelings of the foreigners when they heard the story; They cursed him in eating, they cursed him in drinking, The,'- cursed him in floating, in sailing, in sinking. They cursed him in Froggy, in Japper thev swore. And in Slav, till the -words dislocated their jaw; Never was heard such a terrible babel, But gallant John Green, Both calm and serene, Was observed once more to be “shortening bis cable."