National Institute of Informatics - Digital Silk Road Project
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In Tibet and Chinese Turkestan : vol.1 |
ATTACK ON MISSIONARIES. 303
went at once to the rescue, accompanied by a few un- armed men, while M. Petrovsky despatched his Secretary with a few Cossacks. The damage actually inflicted was not very great, but the nature of this disturbance, got up
by officials who professed to be well disposed to the missionaries, but unable to control the dislike of the
populace, illustrates the methods of the Chinese. The
missionaries' wives, Mrs. Högberg and Mrs. Raquette, found shelter for a time in the Russian consulate ; but M. Petrovsky took no effective steps to secure the im-
munity of the missionaries from such attacks in the future, at least as far as I could ascertain.
At length, on April 25th, the caravan began its journey and I had the satisfaction of seeing my own section and
that hired from Niaz Akun file out of Yarkand before ten
o'clock in the morning. Then, that all my proceedings might be in perfect order, I went with Niaz Akun to the
Yamen to bid farewell to Liu Ta-jin, the Chow-Kuan. Niaz
Akun had many misgivings about this visit and showed both surprise and fear when I insisted on his accompanying me ;
but a few words sufficed to quiet his alarm. I wished the
Chow-Kuan to have some personal knowledge of him and to be fully informed of the contract between us, so that
there should be no appearance of concealment or mystery.
The Chow-Kuan requested hint to give security for his good behaviour by depositing a sum of money, or to
produce some near relation who might be seized and punished in case Niaz Akun deserted me. These Chinese methods did not enter into my purpose, for, if security
were given, it would probably never be returned, and if I were deserted there would be little justice in punishing
any one but the actual offender. I therefore suggested a compromise : that the Chow-Kuan should refuse Niaz Akun a passport for Ladak until he produced one of my visiting-cards, signed and sealed by me, as evidence that
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