afraid of being thrown overboard by this Government, which sought popularity with the nationalistic mob, with its hoarse yell: »Crucify! Crucify! »
I had another communication from Mr YUNG to the effect that the native customs in Tientsin were insistant in their demand to be allowed to open our packing-cases. It was as if we were held back by a thousand small paws, armed with the sharpest of claws. If the claws were withdrawn in one place they immediately flashed out in another. I longed to get away from this hornet's nest — to be coping instead with clean winds, sandstorms and wide desert spaces. My opponents seemed to be bent on killing me with pin-pricks, slowly and cruelly. I had not the stomach to read all the base articles that were written in »The North China Standard » and the rest of the Chinese press. The newspaper mentioned printed an article with the heading »ANDREWS TOO », in which the writer tried to make out that ANDREWS was just as dangerous for Chinese research as I. The nationalistic scientists were implacable. Some went so far as to assert that it was quite indifferent what the Europeans aimed at, they were in any case noxious and must be driven out of the country. Others were more conciliatory and suggested that one might at least listen to my offers and proposals. The feeling that Chinese science had not yet reached the same high level as European science only made them more sensitive and thin-skinned. In reality, Chinese research was unable, either scientifically or practically, to organize a completely modern expedition. Moreover, in a country where officials had to wait for months or even longer periods for their salaries, such expeditions simply could not be financed. As has already been mentioned, The Geological Survey of China was a shining exception among the scientific institutions. If the nationalists should succeed in crippling ANDREWS and myself they would be serving neither the cause of international scientific research nor that of their own country. But their one thought was to thwart us, the loss of our research work and its results was of no importance.
Within Government circles there was evidence of a certain uneasiness lest, in spite of everything, we should take matters into our own hands and simply walk out of this invisible prison in which we chafed so intolerably. Mr YUNG paid us another visit with prayers from WANG YIN-T'AI that we should wait until the storm had blown over; and WELLINGTON Koo sent the same request to me through Sweden's chargé d'a f f aires. It would be cheaper for us to stay in Peking than to be forced, after a »flight » to Pao-t'ou, to return in any case. Warnings to this effect were also brought to me from Wu CHIN, the marshal's vice-minister for Foreign Affairs. The marshal was apparently afraid of the opposition, and his Government in North China was so weak that it was forced to pay attention to a scientific clique. I wrote to Wu CHIN to tell him that on March 22nd I intended to send the whole expedition to Pao-t'ou, and asked him to communicate this resolve of mine to WELLINGTON Koo and WANG YIN-T'AI.
Some of the diplomats with whom I had discussed our situation had tried to
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