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 CHARLES WILLIAM WASON 
 COLLECTION 
 
 CHINA AND THE CHEESE 
 
 THE GIFT OF 
 CHARLES WILLIAM WASON 
 CLASS OF 1876 
 1918 
 

 Date Due 
 
 
 MOV^ 1 ^' 
 
 548 Jl 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 Cornell University Library 
 DS 710.D15 
 
 An Irishwoman in China / 
 
 3 1924 023 236 999 
 
Cornell University 
 Library 
 
 The original of tliis book is in 
 tlie Cornell University Library. 
 
 There are no known copyright restrictions in 
 the United States on the use of the text. 
 
 http://www.archive.org/details/cu31924023236999 
 
AN IRISHWOMAN IN CHINA 
 
 /2. 
 
LAURIE'S STANDARD LIBRARY 
 
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 All fully Illustrated 
 
 MY CHILDHOOD 
 
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 THE GREAT UNMARRIED 
 
 By WALTER M. GALLICHAN, 
 author of " Women under Polygamy." 
 Demy 8vo, 7s. 6d net. 
 
A CITY STREET. 
 
AN IRISHWOMAN 
 IN CHINA 
 
 BY 
 
 MRS DE BURGH DALY 
 
 ILLUSTRATED 
 
 LONDON 
 T. WERNER LAURIE, LTD. 
 
 8 ESSEX STREET, STRAND 
 

 \\^'\5\ 
 
To 
 THE BROTHER AND SISTER 
 
 TO WHOSE SYMPATHY AND ENCOURAGEMENT THIS BOOK 
 OWES ITS EXISTENCE 
 
 E. L. DE B. D. 
 
CONTENTS 
 
 CHAP. 
 
 PROLOGUE 
 
 I. A VOYAGE IN THE 'EIGHTIES - 
 
 II. FIRST IMPRESSIONS OF THE EAST 
 
 III. IN FAR CATHAY 
 
 IV. A TYPICAL CHINESE CITY 
 V. THE CHINESE AT HOME 
 
 VI. THE HIGHLANDS OF MID-CHINA 
 VII. FOREIGN SETTLEMENTS 
 VIII. A COASTING VOYAGE - 
 IX. NEWCHWANG, MANCHURIA - 
 X. CHINESE-JAPANESE WAR 
 XI. THE STIRRING OF THE GIANT 
 XII. THE MANCHUS, MOUKDEN 
 
 XIII. THE RUSSIAN ADVANCE 
 
 XIV. THE BOXER OUTBREAK 
 XV. "via CANADA" 
 
 XVI. AFTERMATH 
 
 XVII. RUSSO-JAPANESE WAR 
 
 XVIII. AROUND PEKING 
 
 vii 
 
 PAGB 
 
 xi 
 
 I 
 
 as 
 
 38 
 50 
 64 
 76 
 
 91 
 104 
 
 119 
 
 137 
 148 
 161 
 
 174 
 1S6 
 
 201 
 
 217 
 
 23a 
 
Contents 
 
 CHAP. PASe 
 
 XIX. PEACEFUL DAYS . . - . 247 
 
 XX. "via SIBERIA" . - - - 262 
 
 XXI. THE GREAT WINTER PLAGUE - - - 275 
 
 XXII. HOME ------ 283 
 
 Vlll 
 
LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS 
 
 A city street .... 
 
 A favourite pastime. Taming bird . 
 
 Some favourite dishes .... 
 
 The Chinese bellows .... 
 
 Mail-boat on inland waters 
 
 Going on a visit .... 
 
 Temple at Ningpo. Pillars beautifully carved 
 
 Teaching is an honoured profession in China 
 
 The bedside manner . 
 
 Motherly advice 
 
 In Ningpo everything is carved 
 
 Fishing with cormorants 
 
 Pedlar of flowers and ornaments. Note rattle 
 which announces his approach . 
 
 Flageolet seller 
 
 Punishment of thieves. The wooden collar 
 worn day and night 
 
 A wonderful catch 
 
 Grinding corn .... 
 
 Head of colossal Buddha, Haich^ng, Man- 
 churia .... 
 
 A cheerful deity 
 
 Gorge in the highlands of Mid-China . 
 
 Bamboo bridge erected as work of merit 
 
 Buying dumplings. A choice meal . 
 
 Selling crockery 
 
 Domestic scenes and family worship . 
 
 Our garden and rose-walk 
 
 The River Liao in summer. Newchwang 
 harbour . , . . . 
 
 ix 
 
 . Frontispiece 
 
 To face page 28 
 
 34 
 
 34 
 38 
 38 
 40 
 42 
 46 
 46 
 50 
 50 
 
 54 
 54 
 
 60 
 64 
 64 
 
 68 
 68 
 72 
 72 
 90 
 90 
 102 
 106 
 
 108 
 
LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS 
 
 Main street, Newohwang. Covered cart and 
 
 handsome shop signs • To face page \i^ 
 
 The River Liao freezes to a depth of three 
 
 feet . „ 114 
 Chinese soldiers, old style. Bamboo pikes 
 versus modern rifles. Chinese-Japanese 
 
 War, 1894. . . . „ 122 
 
 The well-equipped Japanese soldier. Chinese- 
 Japanese War, 1894. Contrast this with 
 
 picture on previous page . . • ,, 124 
 
 Stitching earthenware jar . . . „ 144 
 
 Making tubs ...... 144 
 
 North Tomb, Moukden, where lies the founder 
 
 of the Manchu Dynasty . • ,. 148 
 Courtyard, North Tomb. Great stone figures 
 
 of animals ...... 148 
 
 Dragon Throne, Moukden. Over all is written 
 
 "Ichabod" . . . . „ 156 
 
 An apparition . • n 170 
 
 Offering food to spirits . . • d 170 
 
 Our house. Summer and winter . • » I74 
 
 The cure-all plaster . . . • 1, 234 
 
 A friendly call ...... 234 
 
 Country scenes . . . ■ » 238 
 
 A Mandarin in court dress • n 240 
 
 The real Pekinese . . . • n 244 
 
 A blind musician . ■ n 254 
 
 Buying medicine . . • „ 256 
 
 Baby's first shave. Pride of grandfather . „ 270 
 Great Pneumonic Plague, Manchuria, 19 10. 
 
 Examining rats . . . • „ 280 
 Old Chinese doctor, who took no precautions, 
 
 and proved immune to infection . „ 280 
 
PROLOGUE 
 
 Many books have been published about China during 
 the last twenty-five years : books of absorbing inter- 
 est dealing with the Chinese nation, its literature, 
 customs, religions,, and characteristics. But most of 
 these books have been written by experts in one line 
 or another, scholars, politicians, experienced mission- 
 aries, or well-known travellers ; therefore my friends 
 assure me there is still room for this simple record of 
 the life of ordinary European residents in China, who 
 were interested in the people aniongst whom they 
 lived, and very friendly with them. 
 
 So I send out my little volume, hoping that it may 
 interest ordinary people like myself, and may possibly 
 give some amusement to the Olympians ! 
 
 I offer my sincere thanks to Prof. H. A. Giles of 
 Cambridge for his kind permission to use three of his 
 " Strange Stories from a Chinese Studio," and for the 
 two charming little nursery rhymes which he trans- 
 lated; to the Rev. F. E. Bland of the H.C.M.S. 
 for his very kind help ; and to Mr Percy French for 
 his invaluable criticisms and hints with regard to 
 style and matter. 
 
 E. L. DE B. D., 
 Dublin. 
 
 xi 
 
AN IRISHWOMAN IN CHINA 
 
 CHAPTER I 
 
 " Pearly are the skies in the country of my fathers, 
 Purple are thy mountains, home of my heart. 
 
 Keep me in remembrance, long leagues apart." 
 
 — Stephen Gwynne. 
 
 In the year 1888 I first left home for the Far East, 
 bound for Ningpo, in the Chekiang Province, Mid- 
 China, where I was to take charge of a small hospital 
 for Chinese women which had been started by Mrs 
 Hoare. Mr Hoare, a son of the well-known Canon 
 Hoare of Tunbridge Wells, was then Principal of 
 Ningpo College, and afterwards Bishop of Hong- 
 kong. 
 
 It's a far cry from the beech-groves and grass- 
 lands of Roscommon to the tea-plantations and rice- 
 fields of Mid-China, farther still to the frozen plains 
 of Manchuria ; but people do not think much of long 
 journeys in Ireland, where practically every family 
 has some members Empire-building overseas, or 
 spreading the knowledge of Christianity and civilisa- 
 tion amongst alien races, and where a simple country 
 girl, who has hardly ever left her own townland, will 
 start for U.S.A., Australia, or New Zealand,' without 
 any fuss, on recejpit of a letter from her "mother's 
 
AN IRISHWOMAN IN CHINA 
 
 sister's son," sending her passage-money, and assur- 
 ing her that "great wages she'll be gittin' in that 
 land beyond the say." 
 
 Moreover, some of my people were intimately 
 acquainted with the family of Mr Hoare, and Ros- 
 common men had already made a name for them- 
 selves in North China. 
 
 It had been arranged that I was to live for a time 
 with Mr and Mrs Hoare, and begin work at the 
 hospital as soon as possible, having had some train- 
 ing in such work in the Mildmay Hospital, Bethnal 
 Green — training which stood me in good stead during 
 all the years spent in China. 
 
 Some of my family could not be prevailed upon to 
 look at this enterprise of mine in a serious light. 
 One brother, lately returned from India, dwelt 
 constantly on the fun I should have on board ship ; 
 On the ease wherewith one rendered operatic music 
 in the atmosphere of the Mediterranean, and on the 
 frequent flirtations between lady passengers and 
 ships' officers. He solemnly warned me never to 
 pull out my deck-chair hastily on a dark evening, 
 for on one occasion he had done so and marvelled 
 at its unusual weight, when he discovered that he 
 was gaily dragging it over the deck to the tune of 
 " Golden Love," with two enamoured ones seated 
 upon it. A soldier cousin, in spite of my protesta- 
 tions that I was going out intent on serious work, 
 sat on one of my boxes puffing his pipe, and chanting 
 at intervals : " Meet me on the hupper deck at arf 
 parst noine. Ain't you going to have the time of 
 your life ! " 
 
 But these were the frivolous ones, who kept up the 
 tradition that Erin has ever the smile as well as the 
 
AN IRISHWOMAN IN CHINA 
 
 tear in her eye. Others speeded me on my way in 
 very different fashion, and at last I was off, and fare- 
 wells over ; from all a longer farewell than any of us 
 contemplated, from some a final one on this plane. 
 
 By request, my very own folk refrained from seeing 
 me off at the London Docks. Anything more nerve- 
 racking than the departure of a big ship I do not 
 know. First one hawser is let go, then another; 
 more farewells are shouted, more last messages, 
 increasing in inanity each time : " Don't forget to 
 write to Suez." " Send a line by the pilot." " Have 
 you got your keys ? " — a long-drawn ordeal. This 
 I was spared ; but to prevent my feeling forlorn, two 
 good friends gave me a kindly send-off, and the same 
 two welcomed me at Prince's Landing Stage on my 
 return twelve years later. 
 
 In those days the voyage to China took longer than 
 it does now; our ship was not a fast one, although 
 comfortable and well found. She belonged to the 
 Glen line of steamers, which then carried passengers 
 on the outward voyage, loading up with tea on the 
 homeward one. The cabins were roomy and airy, 
 her high poop deck made a pleasant lounge, and in 
 hot weather the punkahs went by day and night, 
 being worked from the engine-room. The lighting 
 was poor, just oil lamps and candles. 
 
 Officers mixed with passengers, sharing their 
 amusements. We had a concert, of course, quite 
 a nice one ; the captain had a really good voice, and 
 gave us " True Till Death," a favourite ballad at that 
 time. 
 
 How funny some of these concerts are! I re- 
 member one on a P. & O. ship, at which a passenger 
 offered to perform but refused to rehearse. He 
 
 3 
 
AN IRISHWOMAN IN CHINA 
 
 chose to sing " Oh, Dry Those Tears." There was 
 a fresh breeze, the concert was held on deck, and 
 naturally ropes creaked and awnings flapped, so that 
 when he began to sing we heard nothing but the 
 accompaniment. He opened his mouth and moved 
 his lips; the piano waxed louder and louder, while 
 our tears of laughter flowed. On the same night a 
 famous baritone, travelling incognito, was breezily 
 invited to sing a comic song. ' You look as if you 
 could give us a really good one, old fellow," said our 
 concert promoter heartily, and wondered at the cold- 
 ness with which the compliment was received ! 
 
 The first-class cabins were full. I shared mine 
 with two other ladies, one of whom, an experienced 
 traveller, helped me at those distracted moments 
 when all my hairpins disappeared, and hair wreathed 
 itself around arms and refused to be " done " in any 
 fashion, or when shoes and other essential garments 
 hid themselves far under the berths and grinned at 
 my fruitless efforts to hook them out with a parasol. 
 She possessed a tea-basket, and first taught me how 
 refreshing China tea with a slice of lemon can be, 
 especially when one is a trifle upset. There was no 
 library on the ship, but this resourceful person seemed 
 to possess all the latest Tauchnitz editions, truly " a 
 boon and a blessing." How quickly the cabin, which 
 at first seems so tiny, expands into a cosy bedroom 
 when one has found out all the little conveniences 
 it contains! But on this boat looking-glasses were 
 placed so high I could only see the top of my head, 
 so had to rely on this kind friend or on hasty peeps 
 in the saloon mirrors, to see if all were correct in my 
 attire. 
 
 Amongst our passengers we had some extremely 
 
AN IRISHWOMAN IN CHINA 
 
 pleasant people, some oddities, and a few, but really 
 very few, disagreeable folk. 
 
 There were a good many children, notably twin 
 boys, four years old, never sick or sorry in their 
 lives, but a trifle too adventurous and restless for the 
 general comfort. They thought of such odd things 
 to do, which their mother, who had them under 
 excellent control, did not realise should be forbidden. 
 
 In the Red Sea they turned on all the water taps 
 in our cabins while we were at dinner, carefully leav- 
 ing the plugs in the basins so as to make "lubly, 
 bubbly waterfalls " on to the floor. 
 
 In the Indian Ocean they opened the hencoop to 
 release the fowls because the poor things needed 
 exercise, and wept bitterly when they beheld the un- 
 fortunate birds left far behind flapping feebly over 
 the waves. They climbed and fell about in a most 
 alarming manner. 
 
 A taciturn Scotch engineer, bound for the Straits 
 Settlement, aroused from his usual calm by ear- 
 splitting shrieks from the twins, who were impersona- 
 ting engines in colHsion, remarked to me : " Soon 
 after I came on board this ship I was afraid these 
 children would fall overboard ; now I am afraid they 
 won't." 
 
 But the twins were such jolly, affectionate little 
 souls, full of the joie de vivre, one forgave them 
 much, and their parents were charming. 
 
 In the Bay of Biscay we experienced bad weather, 
 and found that our ship could roll ; in fact for many 
 hours she rolled continually and with determination, 
 presently developing a considerable list. 
 
 Part of our cargo consisted of big guns for Hong- 
 kong, one of which shifted, and the consequences 
 
 5 
 
AN IRISHWOMAN IN CHINA 
 
 might have been very serious had this not been 
 speedily rectified. All I knew about it at the time 
 was the aforesaid list, and when I clambered on deck 
 that afternoon amongst the few survivors of the bad 
 weather, it was reassuring to hear the second officer 
 gaily warbling: 
 
 " Rule Britannia, Britannia rule the waves." 
 
 " If Britannia does rule the waves, young man," 
 growled a crusty passenger from the U.S.A., " I wish 
 she would do some ruling right here ! " 
 
 Afterwards the Bay showed us how truly charming 
 it can be. The sun shone down upon sparkling 
 waves, lighted up the glorious peaks of the Sierra 
 Nevada in all their snowy beauty, and the air was 
 fresh and exhilarating in the extreme. Never again 
 have I seen these mountains look so splendid; they 
 were like a glimpse of Fairyland, reminding one of 
 Scott's lines: 
 
 " And mountains that like giants stand, 
 To sentinel Enchanted Land." 
 
 We passed Gibraltar at night, so it was not until a 
 later voyage that I saw that most impressive rock, 
 with the clearly defined Lion's Head brooding over 
 the Straits. It seems like the spirit of the British 
 Empire, grave, quiet, indomitable; guarding her 
 children as they pass and repass to her dominions 
 overseas. 
 
 The ancient city of Algiers, which I had always 
 associated with piracy, slavery, and all kinds of 
 wickedness, we also passed at night; but there was 
 a brilliant moon which turned the white houses, with 
 their Moorish architecture, into fairy palaces, dis- 
 
 6 
 
AN IRISHWOMAN IN CHINA 
 
 guising all squalor and decay, and transforming the 
 sinister old town into a vision of calm and peaceful 
 beauty. 
 
 At Port Said we went ashore and did the usual 
 things, smelling and seeing the East for the first 
 time, buying tinsel scarves, Turkish delight, and 
 filling our cabins with fruit until, as one of my room 
 mates remarked, it smelt like a harvest festival. 
 Then came the slow passage of the Canal. 
 
 Only two years previously, vessels had not been 
 allowed to pass through the Suez Canal at night, 
 but after 1886 search-lights were supplied to those 
 ships which did not possess them. This light was 
 placed right forward, illuminating the waters for 
 hundreds of feet ahead. Out of the velvety darkness 
 into this radiance came silently floating the pictur- 
 esque Arab dhows, with their quaint lateen sails, 
 looking like ghostly ships floating into space. 
 
 Before I left my Irish home one of our workmen, 
 who had made the voyage to Australia, remarked to 
 me : " Shure, it's the quare bastes of prey ye'U be 
 seein' in the Suez Canal, miss." So I was disap- 
 pointed, for nothing more alarming was to be seen 
 than strings of camels, which do not appear to have 
 lovable dispositions, but can scarcely be described 
 as " bastes of prey ! " Moreover, they suit the land- 
 scape. There is something essentially Eastern and 
 Biblical in their appearance, pad, pad, padding 
 through the sand of the desert, with their dark-faced, 
 white-robed riders silhouetted against the hard, blue 
 horizon. 
 
 It is interesting to recall the fact that thousands of 
 years ago an Egyptian monarch realised the need 
 of a canal in that place, and actually had one 
 
 7 
 
AN IRISHWOMAN IN CHINA 
 
 constructed; also that Napoleon the Great was the 
 first powerful modern to take up the idea. 
 
 What a grand day it was for France when after 
 years of patient toil and indomitable perseverance, 
 M. de Lesseps saw his splendid work completed, and 
 the first procession of ships pass through the Canal, 
 with the lovely Empress Eugenie on board the lead- 
 ing vessel. That was in 1869. One wonders if any 
 presentiment of what 1870 was to bring France 
 marred the pride and glory of that day ! 
 
 More beauty awaited us in the GuLf of Suez, with 
 its glorious sunsets and wonderful lights and shadows 
 playing over the mountains. But I missed some of 
 it, being seated in my cabin cutting the lining out of 
 frocks, which an untravelled dressmaker had insisted 
 upon lining stoutly and boning with firmness. I have 
 since come across many travellers who were similarly 
 occupied at the same stage of their journey. How- 
 ever, I saw all that was really interesting, including 
 the Peak of Mount Sinai, or what I was told was 
 that peak. 
 
 Nothing of interest occurred in the Red Sea. 
 Fortunately there was a head wind, without which 
 the heat is almost unbearable. 
 
 We touched at Ferim, having run short of coal, 
 and went ashore early in the morning on this most 
 desolate island, almost the dreariest place I have ever 
 seen — I say almost, because some of the lonely spots 
 we passed through in plague-stricken Manchuria 
 during the winter of 191 1 ran it very close. But that, 
 as Kipling would say, is " another story." 
 
 Perim was bad enough. The sun beat down piti- 
 lessly upon the barren soil. We were warned not to 
 attempt to bathe in the blue waters of the little cqral- 
 
 8 
 
AN IRISHWOMAN IN CHINA 
 
 strewn coves because of ground sharks ; we searched 
 for vegetation and found it not, except one plant, off 
 which I gathered a little bunch to give to a sick 
 fellow-passenger, and was bitterly reproached by my 
 companions for taking away the only green thing 
 growing on that volcanic rock ! 
 
 Perim is important strategically because of its 
 position in the Straits of Bal-el-Mandeb at the 
 southern entrance to the Red Sea, and it is extremely 
 useful as a coaling station, although the harbour is 
 a difficult one to enter (two wrecked vessels were 
 pointed out to us quite close to it). This does not 
 seem to prevent ships touching there ; the Port doctor 
 told us our ship was the thirteenth to call in that day. 
 
 Apparently the island has no aboriginal inhabi- 
 tants; coolies, servants, and boatmen come over 
 from the Arabian Coast, from the Straits, India, or 
 even China. One felt sorry for the Europeans living 
 there, especially the women; we were told there 
 were four, only one of whom was British. As we 
 approached the little settlement — ^which already (at 
 about seven-thirty) looked white and staring, without 
 a particle of shade from tree or rock — a young 
 Frenchwoman passed us, a bride who had arrived 
 that morning. So daintily fresh she looked, we all 
 admired her, and hoped she was an optimist; she 
 would need to be, poor dear ! 
 
 Near the ice factory stood a bungalow, which re- 
 minded one of Mrs Beecher Stowe's description of 
 the abode of Legree. An utterly neglected com- 
 pound surrounded it, and all about were strewn 
 bottles and bottles, and yet again bottles — "dead 
 marines," as the sailors call them; but in this case 
 the de^d told tales. 
 
 9 
 
AN IRISHWOMAN IN CHINA 
 
 From this depressing region, hot and steamy even 
 in November, we were glad to return to the ship, 
 although coal dust still pervaded her; cabins and 
 saloon smelt of coal, and everything one touched 
 was gritty. 
 
 Of course we had been told the stories of " The 
 Taking of Perim," and " The Contented Subaltern." 
 I insert them here with apologies to my Anglo-Indian 
 friends ; I really do not think it necessary to apolo- 
 gise to China hands, because quite an intelligent 
 one has just told me he passed Perim five times but 
 never heard either of these tales, which I trust are 
 not " Mock Pearls of History." 
 
 The Taking of Perim 
 
 When France occupied Egypt in 1799, a British 
 garrison was placed upon Perim ; but the island was 
 not annexed until 1857. The mode of annexation 
 was, according to the story, as follows: 
 
 One day a French frigate put into Aden, where 
 her officers were duly entertained by the British 
 Governor with the lavish hospitality of those times. 
 
 No one knew the destination of this mysterious 
 vessel, not even her own officers; only the captain 
 held that secret safely locked in his manly breast. 
 But perhaps he had dined not wisely but too well, 
 perhaps thought it mattered little if " ces Anglais " 
 learnt his purpose when they could not possibly 
 prevent it. However that may be, he, to quote the 
 clever author of " The Lays of Ind," 
 
 " Raised for a moment a bit of the curtain," 
 10 
 
AN IRISHWOMAN IN CHINA 
 
 and mentioned airily, that of course only bent on 
 scientific investigation, 
 
 " He intended to order his master to steer him, 
 En passant, quite close to the Island of Perim." 
 
 " Perim ! " The Governor pricked up his ears. 
 Already the Suez Canal project was in the air ; had 
 France also designs upon that desolate, though 
 strategically important place ? 
 
 Like that famous Irish member of the House, this 
 British Governor " smelt a rat, saw it floating in the 
 air, nipped it in the bud ! " 
 
 About twenty minutes later he whispered a few 
 words to one of his aides-de-camp, who left the room 
 very quietly, but was no sooner outside than he 
 sprinted for the harbour, where he boarded a gunboat 
 and gave a private message to the Commander which 
 seemed to afford them both much amusement. Soon 
 the little ship, the aide still on board, was under 
 way, and when the French frigate sighted Perim 
 her captain beheld the Union Jack floating from a 
 flagstaff hastily erected upon the summit of the 
 island, and 
 
 " Astride on a rock, in an umbrella's shade. 
 Like the sprite of the scene, our acquaintance, the 
 aide! " 
 
 The Contented Subaltern 
 
 When "perfide Albion" annexed Perim in the 
 manner described, the island was placed under the 
 Aden Residency, and was garrisoned by fifty sepoys 
 and a solitary British officer. But so lonely, dull, and 
 
 n 
 
AN IRISHWOMAN IN CHINA 
 
 monotonous was the life, no subaltern could stand it, 
 and the Governor, a kindly man, was at his wits' end. 
 
 " The Gov'nor of Aden he raved and he stormed. 
 His mind with perplexity laden, 
 ' A duty's a duty and must be performed, 
 But how? ' cried the Gov'nor of Aden." 
 
 Various plans were tried, such as sending two at a 
 time, but all failed, until at last a truly contented 
 and well-balanced young sub. was discovered, who 
 astonished his superiors by requesting to be left at 
 Perim when his time was up. 
 
 " And they wondered the more when a letter from Mac 
 Informed that, so far from' disliking 
 The post, he'd at present no wish to come back. 
 And considered the scenery striking." 
 
 The Governor concluded the youth possessed 
 unusual resources in himself, and thanked his stars for 
 such a treasure. But when two years had passed and 
 still the subaltern remained contented, he feared for 
 his reason, and dispatched a medical board to 
 examine him and report on his condition. 
 
 " To Perim the cargo of doctors soon ran, 
 Bdt they found not a trace of the sub.; 
 He'd been living, that very contented young man. 
 At home, for two years at his club! " 
 
 — From " Lays of Ind " by Aliph Cheem. 
 
 l^ 
 
CHAPTER II 
 
 ".What should they know of England, who only England 
 know?" —Kipling. 
 
 It may well occur to some readers of these remin- 
 iscences, that the Irishwoman is taking a long time to 
 get to China. 
 
 Have patience a little longer, oh travelled ones ! 
 and if this chapter bore you, skip on to the next ; my 
 reasons for this leisurely procedure are twofold. 
 
 First there is a tendency, now that other and 
 quicker routes to the Far East are available, to 
 neglect " via Suez " with all its advantages and 
 charms. This is quite natural in those who have 
 frequently used it; but for the new hand the old 
 route is full of interest and gives a gradual intro- 
 duction to things Eastern impossible to obtain on 
 the Siberian or Canadian ones. Therefore I heartily 
 recommend it to all fresh travellers, provided 
 (important detail) that they are good sailors. 
 
 Again, this journey shows one in a vivid light the 
 power and dignity of the Empire to which we belong, 
 and the courage, patience, and far-seeing wisdom 
 needed by our pioneers; for from Gibraltar to 
 Hongkong, aye, farther — ^to Wei-hai-wei in North 
 China — our flag is waving, our influence dominant. 
 Whatever mistakes we have made, and they have 
 been many and great, the British name still stands for 
 justice, probity, and freedom. 
 
 13 
 
AN IRISHWOMAN IN CHINA 
 
 One or two illustrations of this will suffice. 
 
 When Germany leased the port of Tsingtao, which 
 has so lately been lost to her, and proceeded to 
 transform that uninteresting Chinese town into a bit 
 of " Fatherland," we expected to hear of German 
 merchants flocking from under the Union Jack or 
 Dragon Flag to take up their occupations beneath 
 the German Eagle. 
 
 Not a bit of it! They knew their " heavy Father- 
 land " too well, with its many restrictions on action 
 and speech, extending even into domestic life, and 
 dealing with such matters as shaking a duster out of 
 a window, or eating green gooseberries. They also 
 knew that under British rule freedom was assured 
 to them both in business and pleasure, and they 
 remained where they were. 
 
 When Russia procured Port Arthur it was just the 
 same. " Are you not going to Port Arthur now that 
 Russia is in control there ? " we asked a Russian 
 friend. " Dear me ! no," was the reply ; " too many 
 admirals and generals there for my taste." 
 
 In the Straits Settlements and in Hongkong it is 
 extraordinary to see the number of wealthy Chinese 
 who have become naturalised British subjects. 
 More astonishing still to remember that during the 
 Boxer Rising a Chinese regiment, raised at Wei-hai- 
 wei, drilled by British officers, remained absolutely 
 faithful to them, and fought bravely against their 
 own countrymen in defence of the alien. 
 
 But this is an interlude. We must continue our 
 voyage, now at the pleasant stage of the Indian 
 Ocean, where we had glorious weather and still a 
 head wind. Almost everyone had got over any 
 tendency to sea-sickness, except one poor girl, who 
 
AN IRISHWOMAN IN CHINA 
 
 suffered so much that she kept assuring me she would 
 never return to Europe unless she could travel by 
 land, little realising that in the years to come the 
 Siberian railway would enable her to do so. 
 
 Some passengers, athirst for information, pestered 
 the officers with questions about the many islands 
 we passed, shimmering like sapphires in the blue 
 midday haze. Our genial captain actually produced 
 books of reference and replied to these curious ones 
 with indomitable patience and courtesy. 
 
 These same islands always remind me of another 
 taciturn Scotchman, a ship's officer this time, who, 
 wearied by a lady passenger asking him the name of 
 each one, replied solemnly : " That, Mrs R., is 
 Cockatoo Island." 
 
 " Oh ! Thank you so much ; and that distant 
 one.?" 
 
 "Cockatoo Island No. 2." 
 
 " Indeed ; and that curious one with the high 
 peak?" 
 
 " Cockatoo Island No. 3. They are all called 
 Cockatoo Island," and he bolted for the engine- 
 room. 
 
 One lovely morning we passed Colombo and were 
 positive we scented the " spicy breezes " blowing 
 " soft o'er Ceylon's Isle." Later I saw that beautiful 
 place under excellent conditions. 
 
 It was the month of May and the monsoon had 
 broken, an ominous fact the full force of which I did 
 not appreciate until we put to sea again. 
 
 Great clouds of spray rose over the breakwater, 
 and huge, white-tipped waves rolled into the grounds 
 of the Galle Face Hotel, where a cool, refreshing 
 breeze kept the atmosphere pleasant. In the after- 
 
 15 
 
AN IRISHWOMAN IN CHINA 
 
 noon we drove through the cinnamon gardens to 
 Mount Lavinia. Great acacias, the " glory of the 
 forest," were in full bloom ; the tropical verdure, red 
 earth, solemn palm groves; and walking along the 
 road, the gaily dressed Cingalese women with their 
 graceful carriage all fulfilled what one had heard and 
 read of the gorgeous East. 
 
 The hotel at Mount Lavinia stands high on a cliff 
 overlooking the sea, and is surrounded by a pleasant 
 garden and cocoa-nut groves. Here we had tea 
 and were amused by the elegant, glossy little crows, 
 so different from our clumsy big ones, and so tame 
 that they will carry off your cakes before your eyes, 
 and are adepts at catching scraps thrown high in 
 the air. 
 
 The environment was, as the Chinese would say, 
 " quite proper." As we entered the harbour diving 
 boys appeared, queer catamarans with their extra- 
 ordinary rig to take us ashore ; and on the hotel 
 verandas were the lace and curio sellers, snake- 
 charmer with his cobra, and conjurer doing the 
 basket trick, or making a little tree grow from seed 
 in the course of a minute. 
 
 We were sorry to leave it all, and still more so 
 when we found what the breaking of the monsoon 
 meant when once at sea, for during the next twenty- 
 four hours a life on the ocean wave was not a happy 
 one. 
 
 At Singapore my sister met me. She had come 
 
 from Rangoon with her husband (then in the Bengal 
 
 Civil Service) and her children. We had not met 
 
 for five years, and friends who had seen her assured 
 
 me she was little changed, in spite of the damp heat 
 
 of Burma; but for me the distinguished, rather 
 
 i6 
 
AN IRISHWOMAN IN CHINA 
 
 fatigued-looking lady whom my fellow-passengers 
 thought so handsome was not the bonny, lively sister 
 I had lost, "whose cheek was like the Catherine 
 pear, the side that's next the sun." 
 
 Soon, however, all her old wit and jollity showed 
 itself, and we had a lovely time together. How we 
 talked, telling each other all sorts of news, reviving 
 family jokes and reminiscences; both speaking to- 
 gether most of the time, amidst the chuckles of the 
 " Burra Sahib," who corrected so many of our sup- 
 posed misstatements that we had at last to inform 
 him, " accuracy was too fatiguing a virtue to practise 
 in the tropics." 
 
 On my referring to an old friend well known for 
 her good works, my sister's comment was : " Ah yes ! 
 dear, excellent woman, but she always reminded me 
 of a statue of Neuralgia." 
 
 When told that our old cook, who had always been 
 called Mrs McCausland, was revealed by the census 
 to have only brevet rank as a matron : " Dear me ! 
 The Virgin and the Scales! " bringing to the mind's 
 eye a vision of the fat, jolly dame plodding down a 
 long passage in our old " Grey Home in the West," 
 scales and weights in her hands, and " The wake's 
 tay, ma'am ; the wake's sugar, ma'am," on her lips. 
 
 The captain left me ashore as long as possible, so 
 I had two days in which to enjoy my sister's company 
 and get my first peep at Anglo-Eastern life. 
 
 The shout for boy or ayah when you wanted 
 anything, my sister's manner of carrying her baby 
 on the hip, picked up from the Burmese women, the 
 great airy rooms without fireplaces, the mosquitoes, 
 the large lizard walking along the back of my chair — 
 all were novel and interesting. 
 
 17 s 
 
AN IRISHWOMAN IN CHINA 
 
 Some hints of hers on how to dress and what food 
 to take in hot weather were very useful, and some of 
 her remarks struck me as pathetic, showing how little 
 we at home had realised her craving for news. 
 
 " Home letters are often so disappointing," she 
 said. " Not enough details, and subjects left un- 
 finished. How often a letter ends with : ' So-and-so 
 has just come in. I will tell you all about them next 
 mail.' But when the following letter is eagerly 
 opened, those friends about whom I was longing for 
 news are not mentioned. Or : ' Things have altered 
 very much in such a place ; will give you details next 
 week.' But the subject is never again referred to." 
 
 At Singapore it rains every day ; the vegetation is 
 beautiful, and the well-laid-out public gardens, full 
 of tropical and semi-tropical plants, are most attrac- 
 tive. The place is very healthy and free from 
 malarial fever, rather an amazing fact in view of the 
 overflowing creeks and myriads of mosquitoes. I 
 thought the heat excessive, but my sister assured me 
 it was pleasantly cool compared to Burma. The 
 roads are smooth and wide ; bordered by fine trees, 
 and standing back in well-kept gardens are hand- 
 some houses, many of which belong to wealthy 
 Chinese, who, as I have said, are often naturalised 
 British subjects and flourish exceedingly in the 
 Colony. 
 
 We had touched at Penang, and a beautiful 
 
 island it is, but oh! so hot and steamy. By the 
 
 time one has climbed to the waterfall one is quite 
 
 worn out, and any pleasure I experienced from the 
 
 lovely gardens, which possess so much more natural 
 
 beauty than those at Singapore, was marred by the 
 
 sight of the European children playing there. The 
 
 i8 
 
AN IRISHWOMAN IN CHINA 
 
 poor little things were so white and languid, like wax 
 dolls, and almost as inanimate. 
 
 A very handsome woman came on board in the 
 afternoon, and the captain invited me to meet her at 
 tea. As she was leaving, I remarked to the doctor 
 how lovely she would be if she were not so pale. 
 " Why," he replied, " we brought her out three 
 months ago, and she then had briUiant colouring." 
 There was not a vestige of it left. 
 
 Since then hill stations have been started in 
 Penang which are quite healthy. I have met 
 children from there who were rosy and sturdy; 
 indeed one young person was a perfect terror, never 
 quiet for a moment, and when Maggie appeared on 
 deck with the light of battle in her eye it was wise 
 to keep other children out of her way. Dropping 
 things down ventilators or throwing toys overboard 
 were favourite pastimes of hers, and she could 
 yell! 
 
 Outside Hongkong the weather was bad, and all 
 our portholes were closed, many of the ladies sleep- 
 ing on mattresses in the saloon, under the punkahs, 
 and accommodating their children on tables. In the 
 middle of the night our captain suddenly appeared in 
 the saloon, as he had been informed that the piano 
 had " broken loose." This was actually the fact, and 
 a mercy it was they found it out before some horrible 
 accident had occurred. A heavy, iron-bound piano 
 breaking loose amongst a crowd of sleeping women 
 and children might easily cause a tragedy. 
 
 We had shipped a great number of coolies at 
 Singapore — ^weird-looking folk of various nation- 
 alities, and probably many of them pirates. The 
 captain went about armed at night in case of a row, 
 
 19 
 
AN IRISHWOMAN IN CHINA 
 
 and looked very fierce when he came amongst us so 
 unexpectedly. 
 
 We got rid of these gentry at Hongkong, and 
 many of our saloon passengers also left us there, 
 amongst them the usual bride whom we had brought 
 out. There was a pretty wedding in the Cathedral, 
 at which most of us were present, and all went off 
 smoothly and happily. There are true tales of 
 brides who come out to marry some trustful youth 
 waiting for them, but change their mind en route 
 and become engaged to someone else. Three such 
 cases have come under my own observation ; so 
 beware, expectant bridegrooms, do not keep your 
 fair ladies waiting too long, lest ye be left lamenting! 
 
 Hongkong was at its best. The weather charm- 
 ing, like a fine home summer, the Peak clear of mist, 
 all was fresh and beautiful. The Peak tram-line had 
 not then been laid down ; the flower-sellers sat in the 
 streets as they do now ; the shops were full of pretty 
 things, handsome embroideries, silver ware, and 
 delightful cane chairs and tables of all shapes and 
 sizes. The gardens were a disappointment. So stiff 
 and artificial they seemed, full of pots sunk in the 
 ground or placed in rows. I was afterwards told that 
 the soil is principally disintegrated granite, and few 
 flowers grow in it, although ferns and shrubs abound. 
 
 Here, as I have said, many of our passengers left 
 us, some to remain there, some to go to Japan. Of 
 these passengers the greater number were mission- 
 aries, and there had been the usual jokes about sky- 
 pilots, and the bad weather sure to follow them ; but 
 in our case this did not hold good, as our voyage 
 was a prosperous and comfortable one with very httle 
 stormy weather and practically no fog. The clergy 
 
 20 
 
AN IRISHWOMAN IN CHINA 
 
 on board belonged to the Church of England and 
 held service every Sunday, which was well attended. 
 
 We spent a Sunday in Hongkong and went to the 
 Cathedral, where the chaplain officiated ; the Bishop 
 was on furlough. This reminds me of a funny little 
 incident, showing how unwittingly chaplains may 
 offend. 
 
 A certain naval commander arrived in Hongkong, 
 having brought out from home a new gunboat of the 
 sloop variety. He had gone through perils manifold, 
 and encountered very bad weather with which his 
 ship was quite unfitted to contend, being at that time 
 far too heavily sparred. 
 
 The commander attended service at the Cathedral, 
 where the chaplain offered prayers for the safety of 
 the Bishop, then on the high seas. This upset my 
 naval friend terribly. 
 
 " Just like those parsons," he exclaimed. " They 
 spend their time praying for a bishop coming out at 
 the best time of year in a big mail-boat ; and if he 
 were drowned he would go ' topside ' all right any- 
 how. But never a word about us poor devils, in 
 peril of our lives, and the greatest discomfort for 
 days and days. Pray for the Bishop indeed! It's 
 enough to make a man give up going to church ! " 
 
 He was a regular attendant at church, so had more 
 right to criticise the chaplain's procedure than those 
 captious ones who go there once a year or so, and 
 are extremely outraged if all is not done according 
 to their views. 
 
 The chaplain in the Far East needs to be a 
 man of infinite tact, patience, and sympathy; he 
 must be a proper man, and have some wisdom 
 and learning too. It is no easy task, for even where 
 
 '21 
 
AN IRISHWOMAN IN CHINA 
 
 congregations are very small, they consist of educated 
 people of various creeds and nationalities ; sometimes 
 very intelligent and critical, sometimes that type of 
 fool whom a parson must learn to " suffer gladly." 
 It may be we expect too much, and if Gabriel himself 
 came to be our chaplain, we would find him too 
 sometMng ; possibly too angelic ! 
 
 Our last two days out were anxious ones ; the 
 doctor was very ill with infective ophthalmia con- 
 tracted in Hongkong. The captain gave up his 
 deck cabin to the patient, and we did all we could 
 to alleviate his pain, but he suffered badly; some 
 remedy he needed was not in the ship's medicine- 
 chest, and had we been out a day longer, he would 
 have lost the sight of one eye. 
 
 Before closing this record of a voyage in the 
 'eighties, I should like to pay a small tribute of respect 
 and appreciation to the British Mercantile Marine, 
 with whom I have travelled under many and varied 
 conditions, and of whom I have nothing but good to 
 say, nothing but kindness to chronicle, in this first 
 voyage, as in many succeeding ones. 
 
 The captain was a real friend, whose kindly 
 interest in our welfare did not cease with the voyage. 
 He realised how interested we were in matters which 
 were mere commonplaces to him, and would point 
 out a big shark, lazily turning from side to side in 
 the Red Sea, the pretty flying fish, or a school of 
 porpoises, who always seem to have such a jolly 
 time ; and he did not assert, as an annoying fellow- 
 passenger did to me, that these same happy-looking 
 creatures were probably flying from an unseen 
 enemy ! 
 
 He called me up to the bridge, and drew my 
 
 22 
 
AN IRISHWOMAN IN CHINA 
 
 attention to the curious contrast, so clearly defined, 
 between the blue waters of the China Sea and the 
 tawny waves of the Yellow Sea, explaining that 
 this was caused by the muddy waters of the great 
 River Yangtze which rushes into the ocean at that 
 point. The banks of most Chinese rivers consist of 
 soft soil which silts into the river and mingles 
 with it. 
 
 That day also I saw a waterspout for the first time, 
 hanging between sky and sea like a great balloon. 
 When night fell and the many lights of the China 
 coast shone out, he told me of the old days, how 
 ships dropped anchor and remained stationary all 
 night when near these perilous shores. 
 
 One old sea-dog who had sailed the China seas 
 for many years, thoroughly annoyed by these new- 
 fangled aids to navigation, was heard muttering to 
 himself, "Another flashlight! By gum! they'll pro- 
 vide us with a handrail next ! " 
 
 Our second officer, a member of the Royal Naval 
 Reserve, possessed a medal for bravery, won when 
 quite a boy. He refused to leave a sinking ship 
 when all hope of saving her was gone, because the 
 captain could not be taken off, as he had been terribly 
 injured. There the lad remained for hours, with the 
 ship gradually sinking under him, having watched 
 the boats, in which he might have gone safely away, 
 slowly disappear. Happily they were sighted and 
 brought back help, so both he and the captain were 
 saved. 
 
 In after years I often experienced help and kind- 
 ness from sailors : in many a tedious coasting journey, 
 in the sore anxiety of the Boxer Rising, and on my 
 last voyage home, when I was so ill that many 
 
 23 
 
AN IRISHWOMAN IN CHINA 
 
 thought I should never again see the green hills of 
 Ireland. 
 
 Gallant, patient, kindly men ! I hope to speak of 
 them again as opportunity arises ; but here, at the 
 beginning of these reminiscences, I make my " chin- 
 chins," as I cannot take off my hat, to the British 
 Mercantile Marine. 
 
 24 
 
CHAPTER III 
 
 " O'er desert sands, o'er gulf and bay, 
 To flowery regions of Cathay." 
 
 — Longfellow. 
 
 Real wintry weather awaited us in Shanghai where 
 the deck of the Uttle " sampan," or native boat, in 
 which I went ashore, was covered with hoar frost. 
 Fortunately friends in Hongkong had told me what to 
 expect, so I was prepared with warm clothes which 
 emerged from their boxes very wrinkled and crushed. 
 An obliging stewardess soon put that all right. 
 
 As a rule I have found stewards and stewardesses 
 most civil and helpful, but one fat old dame on an 
 ancient P. & O. steamer refused to let me have a 
 smoothing iron, cheerfully remarking, "Your skirts 
 will come all right, ma'am; I mostly sits on them 
 myself! " and indeed hers looked like it. 
 
 Archdeacon Moule and his son met me at Shanghai 
 where I spent a few days, which the kindness of the 
 Moule family and some friends I had met on the 
 voyage made very pleasant. 
 
 I left for Ningpo in a comfortable steamer one 
 December afternoon, arriving there early the next 
 morning. 
 
 Ningpo, the " city that gives peace to the waves," 
 as the name signifies, is situated twelve miles from 
 the mouth of the River Yung, the entrance to which 
 
 35 
 
AN IRISHWOMAN IN CHINA 
 
 is picturesque, having on one side a rocky island 
 crowned by an ancient monastery, on the other side 
 the small walled town of Chinhai. 
 
 There is a curious legend connected with this 
 island. The Chinese believe that an old water fairy 
 of a very malevolent disposition has her abode there, 
 who, unless propitiated in some way, works grievous 
 harm to seafaring folk. 
 
 Apparently the old lady has a sweet tooth, and is 
 inordinately fond of sugar, so every junk laden with 
 sugar heaves overboard a small bag of it for the fairy. 
 During our stay in Ningpo a British ship went ashore 
 on this very island, and became a total wreck, doubt- 
 less because this precaution had been neglected. As 
 she had tons of sugar on board, the fairy must have 
 thoroughly enjoyed her food for a long time after- 
 wards. 
 
 On the river-banks are many icehouses, where 
 great quantities of ice are stored for the benefit of the 
 big fishing fleet which plies its trade in the Chusan 
 Archipelago. This ice is collected from artificially 
 flooded fields very early in the morning during the 
 short winter; consequently ice was cheap and easily 
 obtained, a great boon to the housekeeper in summer. 
 The fish is excellent, particularly a kind of sea- 
 trout known as samli which is much enjoyed by 
 Europeans. 
 
 The foreign settlement stood on a peninsula 
 
 between two reaches of the river. At one end an 
 
 old pontoon bridge crosses the second reach; it is 
 
 formed by hulks of boats linked together with chains, 
 
 and can be opened to admit of the passage of large 
 
 junks. 
 
 It, too, has its tradition. In time of severe 
 
 26 
 
AN IRISHWOMAN IN CHINA 
 
 drought, if a man will throw himself from the bridge 
 with his umbrella open in his hand, and allow himself 
 to drown in the turgid "chow-chow" water under- 
 neath, the gods will send rain. Some years ago 
 when the rice crop was threatened with destruction 
 from continued drought, a man did so immolate him- 
 self. The results were immediate and most bene- 
 ficial, refreshing rain fell, and the harvest was 
 saved ! 
 
 I have never forgotten the dismalness of my own 
 first arrival at Ningpo. It had been arranged that 
 I was to live for a while with Mr and Mrs Hoare at 
 their house in the College Compound inside Ningpo 
 City, of which College Mr Hoare was then Principal. 
 I was to take charge of a little hospital for Chinese 
 women, having had some training, as I have already 
 mentioned. 
 
 We made fast at the Ningpo Bund about seven 
 o'clock. It was pouring rain, and hardly any Euro- 
 peans were to be seen. 
 
 A large, scantily clad and very wet coolie, pre- 
 sented me with a kind but extremely damp note from 
 Mrs Hoare, explaining why she could not come to 
 meet me, and introducing the bearer as her chair 
 coolie, who would look after me and my belongings. 
 
 He smiled blandly, but could speak no English, 
 and I no Chinese. Fortunately one of the passengers 
 who knew the place explained matters, pointed out 
 my luggage to the coolie, showed me how to get into 
 the sedan-chair with its dripping curtains and long 
 poles, which was borne upon the shoulders of the 
 coolies in quite unexpected fashion, and told me to 
 sit tight until I reached the College, even when we 
 came to a ferry, as the coolies would carry me in my 
 
AN IRISHWOMAN IN CHINA 
 
 geance ! Graves newly made, graves in ruins, graves 
 behind and before, with not infrequently a wooden 
 coffin just resting on the earth awaiting a propitious 
 moment for burial. The Chinese heap earth over the 
 coffins and do not make trenches after our method. 
 
 At last we got through them and reached the 
 College gate, the usual covered forte-cochere, 
 through which we passed into a pretty garden, still 
 green in December. At one end was the College, 
 and close to it Mr Hoare's house, where I was kindly 
 welcomed and cared for by Mrs Hoare ; her husband 
 was in the country visiting out-stations. 
 
 Mrs Hoare had engaged a teacher, a woman with 
 a very clear pronunciation, who carefully initiated 
 me into the sounds of the Ningpo dialect. 
 
 Some of these sounds are harsh and unmusical, so 
 that I was not surprised at the remark of a little girl 
 who had heard her father practising them. On see- 
 ing a large flock of ducks and duckHngs rushing into 
 a pond with loud quacks, the little one turned to her 
 mother and said " Oh, mummy, the ducks talk Ningpo 
 all the same daddy ! " 
 
 However, the dialect is not a difficult one, and I 
 soon knew enough to make myself useful in the 
 hospital ; but unfortunately the area over which it is 
 spoken is not large, so that when we went up north 
 this knowledge was of little use to me. 
 
 My teacher, my servants, the matron of the 
 hospital, soon got to understand me, and treated my 
 crude efforts with the greatest courtesy, never laugh- 
 ing at mistakes, and helping others to understand me 
 also, although some of these mistakes were absurd 
 enough. 
 
 One day I wanted some persimmons — those one 
 
 29 
 
AN IRISHWOMAN IN CHINA 
 
 bought in Ningpo were a small, very red, and deli- 
 cious variety — so I ordered a dish of them for dinner. 
 What I really ordered was a dish of lions, though 
 the cook never revealed this fact to me, but received 
 the order gravely and produced the fruit. Again I 
 wanted the fire made up, but told the coolie to bring 
 in the canal ; and yet again I never could distinguish 
 between a cupboard and a devil, so constantly gave 
 orders to have the devil locked up carefully. 
 
 After some months spent in the College Com- 
 pound, I went to live in a large house near the 
 hospital, of which I only occupied three rooms. The 
 servants' quarters were quite separate, and it was a 
 bit eerie and lonely after dark. Some of the rooms 
 had furniture stored in them belonging to people 
 who were home on furlough. The house had been 
 occupied by a bishop, before the bishopric had been 
 removed to a more central position, and at times I 
 could have sworn that the departed bishop held 
 visitations in those deserted rooms and sat down 
 heavily on creaking cane chairs. 
 
 Later on I had a companion in this big house ; one 
 of the ladies who taught in the Mission school next 
 door came to live with me, and we were very con- 
 tented and happy together. She spoke Chinese 
 well, and was much amused at some of my peculiar 
 remarks. 
 
 She became engaged to be married to a charming 
 man in the Church Missionary Society. We felt we 
 could not possibly conform to Chinese etiquette 
 during her engagement,^ so it was decided that I 
 
 ' In China, as in most Eastern countries, the betrothed 
 couple are kept apart, and do not see each other until 
 their marriage day. 
 
 30 
 
AN IRISHWOMAN IN CHINA 
 
 was to explain to the matron of the hospital and to 
 another senior woman amongst the Chinese workers 
 what our customs were. 
 
 They were invited to call formally on us, and 
 having carefully rehearsed my remarks beforehand, 
 I told them that Miss H. was betrothed to the 
 missionary in question. 
 
 " Very good indeed," they said ; " we are delighted 
 to hear such good news." 
 
 " Please tell the other women," I went on, " and 
 also inform them that, following our customs in such 
 matters, Miss H.'s fiance will dine with us twice a 
 week, and take her for a walk every day." 
 
 " Excellent ! " they cried. " They will then become 
 so well acquainted with each other ; how much better 
 than our custom of marrying total strangers ! " 
 
 We then offered them tea, the signal for a guest to 
 depart, and with many injunctions on our part to " go 
 slowly, slowly," or, as the Ningpo idiom has it, to 
 " go sitting," they left us ; looking so neat and nice in 
 their best silk jackets of plum colour or blue, black 
 pleated skirts, and wide blue or maroon-coloured 
 trousers, just showing underneath. Their hair was 
 neatly coiled, and adorned with silver and enamel 
 hairpins, they wore a black bandeau over the fore- 
 head with a pretty ornament in the centre. These 
 women had bound feet, but not extremely small ones. 
 
 Miss H. seemed amused at something, and when 
 I asked her whether I had not explained matters 
 clearly, she replied: "Oh yes, very nicely indeed! 
 But you were so emphatic that they are now con- 
 vinced I must take a walk with my betrothed every 
 day, if not it will be a dreadful breach of our 
 etiquette. And remember the rainy season is near ! " 
 
 31 
 
AN IRISHWOMAN IN CHINA 
 
 The climate of Chekiang Province is a trying one, 
 although better than that of Hongkong or Kwantung. 
 The winter is short and wet. April is a charming 
 month for up-country expeditions, as the hills are 
 covere'd with azalias in full bloom, and the tender 
 green of bamboo groves and young rice crops is 
 most refreshing. 
 
 May and June are steamy and hot. It rains every 
 day; shoes are covered with mildew, matches have 
 to be dried in the oven before they will strike, pianos 
 are kept dry by charcoal braziers lighted near them, 
 making the rest of the room unbearably hot, and 
 everything is, as Mr Mantalini would have said, 
 " dem'd moist and unpleasant." 
 
 From the end of February until the real hot 
 weather sets in, Mid-China is indeed a flowery land, 
 roses, lilies, quantities of violets, which are not in 
 the least modest, but grow on long stems, forming 
 a lovely crown of sweet-scented bloom above the 
 leaves; fruit blossoms of many kinds, honeysuckle, 
 magnolias, and other flowering shrubs, amongst them 
 a very handsome hibiscus with great bunches of 
 pink and white flowers. 
 
 This the practical Chinese call the "vu yuong 
 hwa," or " useless flower," because it withers imme- 
 diately when picked ; and the lovely amaryllis they 
 dubbed the " cockroach flower." I cannot think why, 
 unless they thought its shape resembled those un- 
 pleasant creatures. Their favourites are the kwe- 
 hwa,^ so often seen painted on porcelain or in 
 pictures, and, of course, the narcissus, chrysan- 
 themum, and lotus flower. 
 
 Space would fail me to tell of the beautiful shrubs 
 ' Peach or plum blossom. 
 
 32 
 
AN IRISHWOMAN IN CHINA 
 
 and creepers, bougainvillaea, wistaria, and literally 
 yards of stag-horned moss flung over the hill-sides, 
 with myriads of ferns, the great Osmunda amongst 
 them, adding to the loveliness. Great fields of red 
 or white poppies grew in the plains, off which two 
 crops of opium were obtained each year. 
 
 But there was plenty of animal as well as vegetable 
 life to consider. In April the voice of the mosquito 
 is heard in the land, and centipedes are to be found 
 in sponges, loofas, and, oddly enough, quite fre- 
 quently inside the piano. They were about three 
 inches long, and half an inch wide, of a dull red 
 colour, and their bite was very painful. 
 
 One night I dreamt I had burnt my hand, and on 
 awaking, found, to my astonishment, a long blister 
 exactly like a burn on one finger, which I was after- 
 wards told was due to a centipede having walked 
 across my hand as I slept, and stuck his poisonous 
 feet into the skin. 
 
 A story is told of a missionary bishop, to the effect 
 that when at his prayers one evening he felt a centi- 
 pede crawling up his leg.« He crossed one leg over 
 the other and continued his devotions. On rising 
 he shook out the centipede, which had not bitten him ! 
 Personally I do not believe he could have attended 
 properly to his prayers while that horrible " scrawny " 
 creature was walking up his leg. 
 
 In the garden were hairy caterpillars which left 
 their tawny brisdes sticking in your skin, causing 
 much irritation. There were a good many snakes, 
 too, mostly harmless ones, though very large and 
 uncanny. Occasionally one heard of a rattlesnake 
 or cobra, but they were rare. 
 In July and August the temperature rose to 90, 
 
 33 c 
 
AN IRISHWOMAN IN CHINA 
 
 95, 98, and sometimes over 100° F. Often this 
 culminated in a thunderstorm, with a drop of about 
 20°, after which the same performance commenced 
 again. 
 
 The grass was parched and dry, all the lovely 
 flowers wilted, and the cicadas sang, or rather 
 screamed, by day and night. 
 
 Punkahs were put up even in church, and it seemed 
 odd, when paying a visit, to be offered a fan if you 
 did not carry one yourself, which one soon did just 
 as naturally as a pocket-handkerchief. 
 
 September was a cooler, but a very unhealthy 
 month ; cholera and kindred troubles often appeared 
 then. But the late autumn was perfect — no rain to 
 speak of, crisp, beautiful air, heavy dews keeping 
 down dust, and the country gorgeous in red and gold. 
 Golden rice crops, crimson persimmon and tallow 
 trees, great heads of silvery pampas grass, and the 
 famous tree from which the Ningpo varnish is taken, 
 whose beauty is a trap to the unwary, for the sap is 
 extremely poisonous. If it gets into a cut or abrasion 
 of the skin it may cause high fever and other 
 symptoms resembling erysipelas. 
 
 Autumn is lovely all over China, but nowhere more 
 so than in the hinterland of Ningpo. 
 
 The hospital in which I worked was a small one, 
 furnished entirely in native fashion. The beds con- 
 sisted of mattresses of bamboo fibre stretched upon 
 wooden frames, and resting on trestles; they were 
 very cool, clean, and easily washed and disinfected. 
 
 We had no nurses; if a patient needed constant 
 attention a relation, or in some cases a servant, came 
 with her. 
 
 The rooms were all on the ground floor, built 
 
 34 
 
AN IRISHWOMAN IN CHINA 
 
 round a small compound, and quite separate from 
 the men's hospital, a much larger building near my 
 dwelling-house. 
 
 In the centre was a guest-room, neatly furnished 
 with the handsome carved and varnished chairs and 
 tables made in Ningpo ; the floor was covered with 
 matting, and pretty red and gold scrolls adorned the 
 walls. 
 
 Occasionally we received presents of furniture or 
 other necessities from well-to-do patients. One of 
 these, Mrs Tong, the wife of one of the principal 
 merchants in the city, had lately provided our guest- 
 room with new furniture. The same lady invited 
 me to visit her in her country home about fourteen 
 miles away. 
 
 The hospital matron and I set off one evening in a 
 native houseboat, and arrived next morning at a neat 
 landing-place near the house, which was situated at 
 the foot of some hills. 
 
 It was an immense place. We passed through 
 courtyard after courtyard and room after room, 
 finally reaching the lady's private sitting-room, which 
 was furnished much as I have described our guest- 
 room, but a trifle more elaborately. 
 
 The house was bitterly cold, as there were no 
 fireplaces or stoves in the rooms, only little braziers 
 filled with charcoal on which one rested one's feet. 
 
 At the evening meal various delicacies were 
 supplied, which Mrs Hoare was said to enjoy. One 
 of these (poached eggs daintily flavoured) was most 
 excellent; wine was served hot in teapots, and 
 besides the inevitable rice there were many little 
 dishes containing roast-beef, pork, chicken, or duck, 
 cut up into small pieces, dried ginger, dried fish, etc. 
 
 35 
 
AN IRISHWOMAN IN CHINA 
 
 It is a poor Chinaman indeed who has only rice at his 
 meal; this would be equivalent to our having only 
 bread; and while I cannot positively say Chinese 
 never eat (^ogs or rats, I have never come across any 
 who did, or seen such meat exposed for sale. They 
 are excellent cooks, second only to the French, and 
 we owe many of our sauces and relishes to them. 
 
 The Chinese never drink "raw" water; they 
 consider this an uncivilised habit and like the beasts. 
 Weak tea is the principal beverage, and their wine 
 is not potent. They make a strong spirit called 
 samshu, which is distilled from rice, but are very 
 abstemious in using it. 
 
 My hostess was so hurt when I suggested a return 
 to the houseboat that I consented to stay the night 
 at her house, where I was lodged in a room on the 
 upper story containing a handsome carved bedstead, 
 with pretty silken hangings and coverlet, very fresh 
 and clean. 
 
 All round the room stood bright red cupboards 
 with brass locks and ornaments ; on top were big 
 pewter jars, very finely engraved, most bright and 
 decorative, containing wine or preserves. Mrs Tong 
 often gave me boxes of sweets, dried ginger, or 
 pulling candy with melon seeds, called there " cow- 
 hide sugar." A few chairs and stools highly var- 
 nished and a table or two, on one of which stood a 
 small mirror, completed the furniture ; the mirror, a 
 very poor one, was carefully covered with a beautiful 
 piece of embroidery. 
 
 The cupboards were probably part of the lady's 
 dowry, and were full of handsome garments, quilts, 
 embroidered pillow-ends, etc. 
 
 I felt rather lonely and isolated when the big 
 
 36 
 
AN IRISHWOMAN IN CHINA 
 
 compound gates closed with a bang, leaving me the 
 only European within those walls, or indeed in all 
 that district; but after a quiet night's rest morning 
 dawned bright and fresh, although still cold. 
 
 We remained to the midday meal and received a 
 short visit from the master of the house — not nearly 
 so attractive a person as his gentle-mannered wife. 
 He did not have his meals with us, but would do 
 so with his family were no female guests present. 
 They had several daughters, one of whom was soon 
 to be married, and Mrs Tong was very busy prepar- 
 ing her trousseau. There was one son, a pretty but 
 spoilt youth of about ten years, the apple of his 
 father's eye, for on him would devolve the duty of 
 ancestral worship, whereby he would secure the 
 future welfare of his parents. 
 
 Mrs Tong was a thoughtful woman, much more 
 progressive than her husband ; she would listen for 
 hours to our hospital matron, who was an excellent 
 exponent of Christian doctrine, and expressed herself 
 admirably, as most Chinese do. But they are inclined 
 to be verbose ; as Mr Hoare used to say, they like 
 to begin with Genesis and end with Revelation at 
 one sitting. 
 
 I got back to Ningpo next day and to work in the 
 hospital, having been much interested by this little 
 peep into Chinese home life. 
 
 37 
 
AN IRISHWOMAN IN CHINA 
 
 lady, the blinds were carefully closed. Sometimes 
 a very gorgeous one came swinging along, bear- 
 ing an official handsomely dressed, accompanied by 
 many servants, and preceded by an outrider or two ; 
 sometimes a still more gorgeous red chair carrying a 
 bride to her new home. In the poor streets border- 
 ing the canals houses were small, often squalid, 
 children and dogs abounded, and odours were varied 
 and as a rule unpleasant. 
 
 The residential quarter of a Chinese city is 
 dull and unattractive to the passer-by. High walls 
 surround the compounds, and even when the large 
 gates are opened the view is impeded by a short wall 
 or screen which secures privacy and is also a pro- 
 tection against evil spirits, who do not like graceful 
 curves and object to going round corners, apparently 
 preferring a straight road. There is also a curious 
 idea that evil influences come from the north. A high 
 artificial mound is erected in certain sacred places, 
 which prevents their access from that point of the 
 compass. 
 
 The courtyards of the well-to-do are pleasant. 
 Ancient trees grow there, oleanders, and other flower- 
 ing shrubs in tubs ; sometimes the centre is occupied 
 by a pond containing goldfish and lotus flowers, and 
 surrounded by a low, pierced wall. Rooms are built 
 round this courtyard, and under their projecting roofs 
 women sit nursing their children, making beautiful 
 embroidery, preparing food, or having a comfortable 
 gossip and smoke. 
 
 Sometimes one passed a school from which, if it 
 happened to be the hour of preparation, a most sur- 
 prising noise proceeded; no subdued hum, but a 
 roar of voices. Chinese pupils learn all their lessons 
 
 39 
 
AN IRISHWOMAN IN CHINA 
 
 aloud, each one yelling his task at the top of his 
 voice in order to drown that of his neighbour ; it is a 
 perfect pandemonium. I have never forgotten my 
 astonishment when I first heard Mr Hoare's pupils 
 at " prep." 
 
 The boys were absent for the Christmas holidays 
 when I first arrived, and no one had told me what 
 to expect on their return. One morning as I was 
 ouieliy seated with my teacher, a most appalling 
 noise arose ; it seemed as if a fire must have broken 
 out, or a riot amongst the students. For a moment I 
 was quite alarmed, until my teacher explained that 
 it was only the Chinese boys preparing their lessons. 
 The Europeans living in the compound had become 
 accustomed to it, and apparently made no objection ; 
 the boys could learn quite as well when compelled to 
 do so in silence, for this experiment has been tried 
 with success. 
 
 Chinese have the highest respect for literary 
 attainments and for the written character ; foreigners 
 may often give great offence by treating the latter 
 roughly. Structures are provided in towns where 
 scraps of written matter can be burnt, so that it may 
 not be defiled or trodden in the mud. 
 
 Until quite lately success at the triennial examina- 
 tions was considered the only honour worth coveting. 
 If a boy showed special aptitude for learning, not only 
 his relatives, but the inhabitants of his village en- 
 couraged him and helped to pay his expenses if 
 he were poor. In spite of the fatigue attending an 
 examination lasting for nine days, during which time 
 the candidates were shut up in cells from which they 
 could not emerge for air or exercise, very old men 
 have competed in them. Dr Arthur Smith mentions 
 
 40 
 
AN IRISHWOMAN IN CHINA 
 
 that in the province of Anhui in the year 1889 
 eighteen of the candidates were over ninety years 
 of age. The senior classic was indeed a king 
 amongst men, and covered his remotest connections 
 with glory. Unfortunately those who attain to such 
 heights are few. In the majority of cases, Chinese 
 schoolboys waste their time and excellent abilities in 
 learning portions of the classics by rote without 
 understanding in the least what they commit to 
 memory. 
 
 Ningpo possesses many temples, in one of which, 
 the temple of the Fukien Guild, there are most 
 beautiful carved pillars. From the drum tower, 
 situated in the middle of the town, a fine view is to 
 be obtained, but I avoided it after discovering that 
 the Chinese were in the habit of taking patients 
 recovering from smallpox and other infectious dis- 
 eases up there to be " aired." 
 
 Buddhist temples, with their bamboo groves, the 
 red walls surrounding their compounds, and fantastic 
 tiled roofs, are extremely picturesque. In some of 
 these temples there are special days upon which 
 women attend in large numbers to pray for the gift of 
 sons to Kuanyin, the goddess of mercy, and Dr 
 Martin mentions one in which he noticed crowds of 
 women praying that they might be born again as men. 
 Poor things, no wonder! Chinese Buddhists hold 
 that a woman can only be born again as a man after 
 living a life of superlative goodness during seven 
 incarnations, and even then she will only be a 
 beggar-man in the eighth. 
 
 There are many processions in honour of divinities 
 or of popular heroes. One of these is held in 
 remembrance of a man who, on finding a certain well 
 
 41 
 
AN IRISHWOMAN IN CHINA 
 
 of drill, and wore peculiar green turbans which 
 earned for them the nickname of "Green Heads." 
 Until quite lately the profession of arms was 
 much despised in China. Soldiers were undis- 
 ciplined, untaught, and often much dreaded by the 
 peaceful population. 
 
 One day, when passing through the graveyard 
 described in the last chapter, I met a number of these 
 soldiers, who had been practising shooting upon the 
 city wall. I was in my sedan-chair, peacefully enjoy- 
 ing a lovely spring morning, having become accus- 
 tomed to the graves, by that time covered with grass 
 and flowers. 
 
 One of the soldiers, thinking it would be good fun 
 to frighten the foreign woman, raised his gun, 
 pointed it full at me, and pretended he was about to 
 shoot. 
 
 Any Chinese I knew at once fled from my memory, 
 and I called out sharply in English : " Put down that 
 gun." The man grinned and obeyed. Probably he 
 had only meant to frighten me, but the quick order, 
 given in English, was effective, also the fact that I 
 showed no fear, in spite of certain uneasy qualms, 
 knowing the bad reputation of these men. 
 
 In my rooms at the College I had a photograph 
 of one of my brothers, taken in uniform. One day 
 Mrs Hoare brought some Chinese ladies to pay me 
 a visit; they at once noticed this photograph, and 
 asked what the dress meant. Mrs Hoare replied 
 that it was a picture of my brother, who was a soldier. 
 
 " A soldier ! " cried the dainty little ladies in 
 horrified tones. " Is then- this lady's family not a 
 respectable one .'' " 
 
 Mrs Hoare tried to explain that my brother was a 
 
 43 
 
AN IRISHWOMAN IN CHINA 
 
 "military mandarin," also the very different status 
 the British Army holds to that of the Chinese ; but I 
 fear I lost caste badly in their eyes, as the soldier, 
 the chair coolie, and the Buddhist priest were then 
 classed together in the social scale. 
 
 Mr Hoare had a factotum called David Wong, 
 who, as a little lad, had been adopted by a certain 
 Sergeant Armstrong, a member of Gordon's army. 
 The boy's parents were killed in the Taiping re- 
 bellion, and this kindly British soldier took charge 
 of him, brought him to England, and had him 
 educated there. 
 
 David returned to Ningpo when grown up, and 
 was immediately recognised by an old woman living 
 in the city; but when he tried to get hold of some 
 property belonging to his parents she utterly refused 
 to identify him. 
 
 He was extremely intelligent, a good accountant, 
 and spoke English better than Chinese, so was very 
 useful in all sorts of ways, and saved Mr and Mrs 
 Hoare many a weary tramp with important or impor- 
 tunate globe-trotters, who frequently arrived with 
 introductions to them, and who seemed to think 
 these busy people could spend hours answering their 
 questions and " personally conducting "them around 
 the sights of Ningpo. 
 
 David was absolutely honest and trustworthy; so 
 much so that the Chinese, astonished at his refusal 
 to " squeeze," that is, exact, a certain toll for him- 
 self in all money transactions, dubbed him " the 
 foreigner." I have sometimes wondered whether he 
 were equally conscientious in the stories and explana- 
 tions he gave to these travellers, some of whom 
 are as full of " satiable curosity " as Kipling's 
 
 44 
 
AN IRISHWOMAN IN CHINA 
 
 " Elephant's Child," and quickly wear out the 
 patience of European residents. But the Oriental in 
 David may have borne the strain. 
 
 Mr and Mrs Hoare were devoted to their work, 
 and the latter spoke the Ningpo dialect with the 
 utmost facility. They were very well off but 
 allowed themselves few luxuries except that of giving, 
 in which they rejoiced. 
 
 Mr Hoare was a broad-minded clever man, who 
 did excellent work amongst students in the College 
 and Chinese generally. For many years results 
 were slow in appearing, but latterly he and his wife 
 were greatly cheered by a marked increase in the 
 number of Christians, due largely to the interest 
 awakened amongst hospital patients. Mr Hoare 
 was on friendly terms with all the foreign community, 
 and he and his colleagues served the little settle- 
 ment church. He excelled in outdoor sports — tennis, 
 rowing, riding — and kept in robust health by living 
 a regular life and taking plenty of exercise. He 
 encouraged his students to do the same, but found 
 that while the younger ones enjoyed gymnastics, 
 cricket and tennis, once they became monitors or 
 masters they could not be persuaded to join in such 
 sports; it would be too undignified and they would 
 " lose face," a terrible misfortune which a Chinaman 
 will avoid at all costs and in some ludicrous ways. 
 
 For instance: a cook who had lived with us for 
 five years announced one day he would leave unless 
 I provided him with a "makee learn," or assistant 
 cook. This I refused, so he made up his accounts 
 and departed. The head boy was told to get a 
 temporary cook, and in about an hour's time an- 
 nounced that he had procured one. When I went 
 
 45 
 
AN IRISHWOMAN IN CHINA 
 
 Societies were working there, and an extremely 
 friendly feeling prevailed amongst them all. Modes 
 of thought and work differed widely, but they re- 
 spected each other's motives and convictions, and 
 where they could not work together, avoided clashing 
 by arranging to occupy different districts. 
 
 They did quiet but excellent work amongst the 
 Chinese, educational as well as evangelistic, and 
 were well liked and respected. 
 
 The medical work which Dr Daly had initiated 
 undoubtedly helped greatly to encourage this good 
 feeling. People who had mistrusted and disliked 
 the foreigner and all his ways, speedily became 
 friendly when pain was relieved, sight restored, or 
 broken limbs set. 
 
 The Chinese have a certain knowledge of drugs, 
 and feel sixteen pulses ; but many of their remedies 
 are fantastic or frankly disgusting, and they have no 
 knowledge of surgery. Consequently, such an opera- 
 tion as the removal of cataract filled them with 
 admiration and delight. A person went into hospital 
 blind and came out seeing! " Hai-yah! These 
 yiang-kne-tze (foreign devils) do know a thing or 
 two ! " And here I may mention that the use of this 
 epithet is not so offensive as it appears. They often 
 use it without any very strong feeling, although of 
 course it is not complimentary, and the Chinese also 
 call all foreigners "red-haired," or refer to them as 
 " kidnappers," the former expression merely mean- 
 ing " foreign," as they will speak of a " red-haired " 
 bottle or chair. The latter is used as we use " bogy- 
 man." 
 
 I remember hearing a girl of about ten screaming 
 to her little brother as I approached : " Run, run, here 
 
 47 
 
AN IRISHWOMAN IN CHINA 
 
 comes the kidnapper to catch you ! " The boy scooted 
 into his home, and the young lady followed quite 
 calmly. As I came up to her I said : " Why did you 
 say that to the child ; I don't want to kidnap him." 
 " Oh no ! " she said cheerfully, " I know that, but he 
 would not go in to have his hair combed ! " 
 
 In those days one of the most important benefits 
 conferred by the hospitals was the opportunity given 
 to victims of the opium habit to overcome this 
 craving. One ward was specially set apart for such 
 cases. It needed great courage, perseverance and 
 patience on their part to endure the sufferings of the 
 first days of abstinence from the drug. Some could 
 not endure it. One man, maddened by the craving, 
 made a parachute of his umbrella and thus descended 
 from the upper story in which the ward was situated, 
 went home and back to his opium. 
 
 One moonlight night I heard a noise in the hospital 
 compound adjoining my house, and looking out saw 
 a couple of native assistants dragging a man up and 
 down the paved pathway. He kept saying in doleful 
 tones, " Peh ngo zo, peh ngo zo ! " (" Let me sit down, 
 let me sit down! "). He had taken opium in order to 
 poison himself, longed to sink into the peaceful sleep 
 from which he would never awaken^ and was not in 
 the least grateful for being walked back to life. 
 
 In other cases, where people had taken opium in a 
 fit of rage, jealousy or fear, they were glad to be 
 saved from the results of their folly. It was strange 
 that these cases so often occurred rapidly one after 
 the other, like an epidemic, after which none were 
 heard of for a long time, when again several would 
 be brought in. 
 
 In China anyone can set up as a doctor without 
 
 48 
 
AN IRISHWOMAN IN CHINA 
 
 troubling about degrees or diplomas, and native 
 doctors are not supposed to charge a fee ; but a stated 
 sum is paid to them for " horse money," which, in the 
 case of a man of repute amounts to a good deal. As 
 I have said, the Chinese possess herbal remedies 
 which are often excellent. There was a nice old 
 lady living near Ningpo who enjoyed widespread 
 fame as a baby doctor, her treatment was simple and 
 very successful. Native books on medicine are 
 numerous but absolutely useless. An amusing story 
 is told by Professor Giles, in his " China and the 
 Chinese," of a doctor who realised this. 
 
 He had undertaken a case which was beyond 
 his powers, and the relatives of his patient were 
 very indignant having already paid him highly 
 and obtained no return for their expenditure. They 
 seized the doctor and tied him up, intending to 
 administer drastic punishment. In the night he man- 
 aged to free himself, and escaped by swimming 
 across a river. On his return home, he found his 
 son studying medicine and gave him this remarkable 
 advice : " Do not be in a hurry with your books ; the 
 first and most important thing for a doctor is to learn 
 to swim! " 
 
 49 
 
AN IRISHWOMAN IN CHINA 
 
 massive building, and usually asked how much they 
 cost. 
 
 Soon after my arrival in China we took a walk one 
 fine afternoon along the bank of the River Yung, 
 and lingered to admire a glorious sunset gilding the 
 waters and lighting up the hoary city wall. Pres- 
 ently a Chinese gentleman paused near us. 
 
 "He will want to know what we are looking at," 
 said Mrs Hoare. 
 
 Sure enough, after observing us for a while, he 
 inquired politely what the ladies were looking at with 
 so much interest. On our pointing out the glory of 
 the sky he smiled indulgently and passed on, prob- 
 ably thinking that we did not wish to tell him what 
 really, fixed our attention, so made this foolish reply. 
 
 The Chinese are not attracted by what we consider 
 beautiful in personal appearance, but they admire 
 fair, plump children. Tall, thin women they think 
 very ugly, and object to our manner of walking, 
 saying it is like a man. The type of dress in vogue 
 when I first went out, with its trim waists and square 
 shoulders, seemed to them positively indecent. The 
 only garments in my possession which they thought 
 pretty were loose, easy-fitting ones, especially a dust- 
 cloak of soft, silver-grey material, which they con- 
 sidered really nice and " convenable." Veils are only 
 worn by brides upon their wedding-day ; if a lady is 
 seen in one they think she has some blemish on her 
 face which she wishes to conceal. 
 
 But in sopie cases foreign women are admired by 
 the Chinese. 
 
 A very clever worker in wood from Ningpo 
 attended the Paris Exhibition of 1889, and made a 
 great deal of money by the sale of his handsome 
 
 51 
 
AN IRISHWOMAN IN CHINA 
 
 wares. He spent all his gains, some seventy thou- 
 sand Mexican dollars, on having a good time and 
 seeing the world. Afterwards he loved to tell foreign 
 customers his experiences, dilating on sights seen, 
 hotels stayed in, and prices paid. But he had one 
 regret — ^that our stupid European laws forbade him 
 to bring back a French wife. Evidently the charm 
 and elegance of the Parisienne appealed to him, for 
 he found his own good lady very plain on his return. 
 
 When I understood more of the language my 
 attention was drawn to the fact that conversation 
 heard in the street is always about food, money, or 
 the weather. The usual form of greeting is, " Have 
 you eaten your rice ? " When travelling by chair or 
 boat, passers-by will call out to your coolies, " How 
 much are you getting for that job? " expressing their 
 approval or otherwise of the pay given ; while if you 
 stop for a time, a small crowd soon collects who want 
 to know your destination, where you live, income, 
 number of your family, and honourable age. When 
 still in the thirties I have been asked how much 
 over seventy I was; this was a great compliment. 
 All this questioning is no breach of good manners, 
 Chinese consider they have a perfect right to know 
 all about you and your affairs. 
 
 The lot of Chinese women, although happier than 
 that of their Indian sisters, is far from enviable. 
 They are usually married very young, about sixteen, 
 sometimes to boys younger still. The bride is taken 
 to live with her husband's family, where she is com- 
 pletely under the control of her mother-in-law, who 
 has power to make her life happy or miserable. In 
 poor famihes the young wife is the drudge of the 
 household until she, in her turn, becomes a mother 
 
 52 
 
AN IRISHWOMAN IN CHINA 
 
 of sons. In Ningpo she was even called by the name 
 of her eldest son, and I was amused when visiting a 
 Chinese lady to hear myself announced as "the 
 mother of Ulick " (my eldest boy). 
 
 Girls in the upper classes know nothing of the 
 person to whom they are betrothed; everything is 
 arranged by a go-between who is usually in receipt 
 of pay. The Chinese version of our saying that 
 marriages are made in heaven is " marriages are 
 made in the moon," where an old man is supposed 
 to live who arranges the matrimonial affairs of 
 mortals. Since Chinese women have become more 
 educated they have realised their right to be con- 
 sulted and have free choice in such matters. Of late 
 years a number of progressive young women formed 
 a club, the members of which were pledged to commit 
 suicide rather than marry a man of whom they knew 
 nothing. About one hundred young women actually 
 fulfilled this pledge. 
 
 A Chinese girl's marriage-day is usually the most 
 miserable in her life. For days beforehand she 
 has been in the hands of the song nyrang-ts (the 
 dressers of the bride), who soaked her face in 
 very hot water, and then tweaked out any super- 
 fluous hair, applied powder and rouge, dressed her 
 hair elaborately, and early on the wedding morning 
 arrayed her in heavy satin robes, richly embroidered, 
 placing a heavy crown and tinsel veil upon her head. 
 The thermometer might be well up in the nineties, 
 no difference was made in her attire. 
 
 On her wedding morning the bridegroom comes to 
 fetch her; she enters the handsome " flowery chair," 
 and is borne to her husband's house, where many 
 guests are assembled and much feasting going on. 
 
 53 
 
AN IRISHWOMAN IN CHINA 
 
 Chinese women hold many superstitions and live 
 in constant fear that evil spirits may take away their 
 children or do them harm. They will speak of them 
 as rats or puppies, or of the boys as girls, so that 
 they may not be thought to value them too highly. 
 Dr Ross, the pioneer of the Scotch Mission in 
 Manchuria, told me he always recognised a Christian 
 woman by her expression ; she had lost the anxious 
 look which belief in hostile forces always surrounding 
 you naturally gives. I think his opinion is valuable, 
 not only because of his long experience, but because 
 he understood Chinese women and was in sympathy 
 with them. 
 
 I was present at a service at which he preached 
 one hot Sunday in June. We were all rather 
 languid and inattentive until he got up to speak. 
 At once a wave of interest passed over the women ; 
 they listened attentively to what seemed to me a 
 very long sermon, because the preacher was in 
 touch with them and knew how to interest them. 
 
 Women of the upper classes are often highly 
 educated, some have been celebrated as poets and 
 historians. There is now a great demand for educa- 
 tion on modern lines amongst Chinese of all classes 
 and both sexes ; but formerly working women were 
 not educated at all, except in Mission schools, as they 
 could not afford time to study the difficult written 
 character. In Ningpo and also in other parts of 
 China a number of religious and educational books 
 have been published in romanised character. I 
 believe Dr Martin first tried this method, which has 
 been an immense boon to busy women, as they can 
 learn to read and write very quickly by means of it ; 
 but although such books widen personal knowledge, 
 
 55 
 
AN IRISHWOMAN IN CHINA 
 
 they are despised by learned Chinese and only useful 
 locally, whereas the native character is understood by 
 the educated all over China, Corea, and Japan. 
 
 While speaking of Chinese women I must not 
 omit to mention the custom of binding the feet, 
 which prevailed amongst all classes in Mid-China 
 except slaves. It was extraordinary to see how 
 active the working women were in spite of this 
 horrible practice, which we consider so injurious to 
 health. This opinion was sometimes disputed. At 
 a debating society in Ningpo a native student of 
 Western medicine spoke strongly against foot- 
 binding, mentioning many ills resulting from it. In 
 the discussion which followed a young native clergy- 
 man modestly remarked that although doubtless the 
 learned doctor was right, he would like just to 
 mention that his mother, wife, " his sisters, his 
 cousins and his aunts," all bound their feet, and yet 
 they enjoyed excellent health. Moreover, he did not 
 consider the custom nearly so objectionable as the 
 European one of compressing the figure by means 
 of corsets. So much for the point of view ! 
 
 The origin of footbinding is obscure. Some 
 Chinese authorities say it dates from between a.d. 
 300 and 500; others that twelve centuries ago a 
 noble lady so fascinated the Emperor Ming-huang 
 by her tiny feet, which were compressed into the 
 shape of a half-moon, that she advised others to 
 imitate her. The custom spread and became so 
 extraordinarily popular that even the great Emperor 
 Kang-hsi could not abolish it. This Emperor was 
 a Manchu, and had never seen the women of his race 
 hobble themselves in this manner. He issued an 
 edict forbidding the practice, but was obliged tq 
 
 56 
 
AN IRISHWOMAN IN CHINA 
 
 withdraw it in three years. Even appeals to Con- 
 fucius, who maintains that " filial piety requires you 
 to preserve your bodily members entire," were of no 
 avail. In Mission schools where footbinding is for- 
 bidden, girls were so ashamed of large feet that they 
 would make their shoes much too small, and even 
 sleep in them in order to compress the offending 
 members, they so dreaded the ridicule of their 
 relatives and knew they were at a disadvantage from 
 a matrimonial point of view. 
 
 There is now a strong movement against foot- 
 binding amongst progressive Chinese both men and 
 women. A Chinese gentleman, Mr Tong Kai Sun, 
 told me he had promised his wife a bicycle if she 
 would unbind her feet ; this she consented to, and as 
 soon as she had got over the inevitable pain and 
 discomfort attending the expansion of those cramped 
 members, gaily mounted her wheel. 
 
 Mrs Archibald Little, author of the " Land of the 
 Blue Robe," and other books on China, started with 
 enthusiasm " The Guild of the Heavenly or Natural 
 Foot." This lady was so enthusiastic that we were 
 all a little frightened when we heard of her proximity. 
 One day our Consul told me Mrs Little was in the 
 offing and had her eye on me as a local secretary of 
 the Tien tsu Hui. In vain I protested that the 
 Consul's wife was far more suited for such a post; 
 also that in Manchuria, where we lived at the time, 
 few women bound their feet. I soon received a 
 polite letter from the head office in Shanghai, saying 
 I had been unanimously elected secretary for a new 
 branch to be formed in Newchwang, and that litera- 
 ture would follow! It did, stacks of it, which I could 
 not read ; but fortunately Mr Tong Kai Sun came to 
 
 57 
 
AN IRISHWOMAN IN CHINA 
 
 my aid, translated books and pamphlets, and ad- 
 vised me which were suitable for distribution. With 
 his able assistance, I obtained a most undeserved 
 reputation for successful work, and at the next 
 general meeting of the society our branch was held 
 up to others as a noble example. Alas ! our success 
 was short-lived. By the following year Mr Tong 
 Kai Sun was a political fugitive living in Britain's 
 Cave of AduUam — Hongkong. Without his aid 
 interest in the Guild dwindled quickly, and we 
 became an awful example of too rapid growth. 
 
 Elsewhere the Guild prospered exceedingly, 
 obtained many adherents, and the movement has 
 now become so strong that one has great hope that 
 the time is not far distant when Chinese women will 
 no longer be the victims of this cruel custom. Mrs 
 Little has returned to England, the Guild is now 
 entirely managed by Chinese, but it must gratify that 
 lady greatly to hear of its progress and success, the 
 excellent result of her own hard work. 
 
 Chinese women's dress, apart from their footgear, 
 is suited to the climate, modest and pretty. Hand- 
 somer clothes are worn when visiting than when 
 receiving at home. One day my daughter and I 
 called on the wife of our Tao-tai, or Governor, and 
 found the lady very plainly dressed in serge of an 
 ugly shade of brown, wearing no jewels, flowers, or 
 rouge. It was a time of mourning for the Emperor, 
 which partly accounted for this, as usually silk 
 is worn when receiving, although it is plain and 
 of sober colour. A few weeks later I received a 
 message announcing that Madame Yuan was coming 
 to call. Presently a charming lady, beautifully 
 dressed in soft harmonious colours, wearing hand-' 
 
 58 
 
AN IRISHWOMAN IN CHINA 
 
 some jewellery, and elaborately rouged and coiffee, 
 came into the room with the correct golden lily gait. 
 She was a very pleasant, dignified woman, and 
 enjoyed comparing notes with us on customs, 
 manners and dress. It is impolite to visit a lady of 
 position in plain garments, and in winter one could 
 not call on such a person in any fur less valuable 
 than squirrel. 
 
 It will be a great pity if Chinese ladies adopt 
 European dress, for their native costume suits them 
 and their climate ; it is comfortable and pretty, and it 
 will be a long time before they understand how to 
 dress tastefully in any other. Some time ago the 
 wife of a high official in Moukden attended a dinner- 
 party given by a European. Over her handsome 
 silk robe she draped a common black woollen shawl, 
 arid on her head, instead of enamel or silver hairpins 
 and pearl ornaments, wore a silk jockey cap! 
 
 Chinese women are no dolls, but possess strong 
 characters, are intelligent and capable. They sew 
 and embroider extremely well, and often have 
 good business capacity. Amongst shopkeepers the 
 wife has charge of the cashbox, while the mandarin 
 commits that most precious possession — his seal of 
 office — to the care of his T'ai-Ta'i. 
 
 Old residents in China all agree that women 
 possess much influence in domestic, commercial, and 
 even pohtical life. The immense power wielded by 
 the late Empress Dowager is a case in point, and 
 amongst humble folk very shrewd old ladies are to 
 be found. 
 
 Some young men of my acquaintance frequently 
 consulted their old Chinese nurse as to investments, 
 and made large sums of money by following her 
 
 59 
 
AN IRISHWOMAN IN CHINA 
 
 advice. She understood the bewildering fluctuation 
 in exchange, considered the money market carefully, 
 and took the keenest interest in their fortunes. 
 Chinese women obtain influence and power by 
 sheer strength of character, with Uttle help from 
 their environment ; when that is improved they will 
 become a power in the land which must be very 
 seriously considered. 
 
 One very terrible indictment is made against the 
 Chinese which I cannot pass by in silence, although 
 so much has been written on the subject that I do 
 not mean to dwell upon it. I refer to the crime of 
 infanticide. While one cannot deny that this crime 
 is committed in China, the extent to which it is 
 practised has been much exaggerated. 
 
 In Ningpo there are certain square brick towers 
 outside the city wall known as Baby Towers, about 
 which very erroneous ideas are held by many 
 foreign visitors, who are persuaded that live girl- 
 babies are thrown into these towers by their un- 
 natural parents ! As a matter of fact, they are built 
 by charitable people, so that the bodies of the chil- 
 dren of the very poor (who cannot afford coffins) 
 may be placed in them, and thus saved from prowling 
 dogs, pigs, and carrion birds. Once or twice a year, 
 at a time considered propitious by the necromancers, 
 these towers are cleared out and the remains cre- 
 mated. 
 
 Some time ago I was astonished to read an article 
 written by a clever lady of my acquaintance, which 
 really would lead the home reader to understand that 
 all Chinese women had bound feet, that nearly all 
 were killed in infancy, and the remainder committed 
 suicide! How the writer reconciled this with the 
 
 60 
 
it 
 
 
 PDNISHMENT OF THIEVES : THE WOODEN COLLAR WORN DAY AND NIGHT. 
 
AN IRISHWOMAN IN CHINA 
 
 extreme virility of the Chinese race, and their fond- 
 ness for children, I do not know; and she is an 
 admirable and intelligent woman too. 
 
 One explanation of these exaggerated statements 
 is, I think, that so many people come to the East 
 with preconceived ideas about the people and 
 country, and but little realisation of the fact that in 
 such an immense area there will naturally be an 
 equally immense variety in climate, scenery, customs 
 and conditions of life. As someone has wittily 
 remarked : " You cannot tell the truth about China 
 without telling a few lies ! " 
 
 Some people's ideas are very hazy indeed. One 
 friend told me she had heard many speeches and 
 lectures about China, but only two impressions re- 
 mained with her — that the Chinese were extremely 
 numerous, and their women bound their feet. An- 
 other, a young German bride, who had come to 
 Manchuria via Siberia at about the worst time of 
 year (early spring), when dust flew in clouds over 
 the wide plains, and not a green thing was to be seen, 
 told us dolefully she had imagined China to be " all 
 one palm tree." 
 
 My own impression was that in China I should 
 find a teeming population ; that the landscape would 
 resemble the design of a willow-pattern plate; the 
 people would be small, sallow, clever, deceitful, 
 unfriendly, and cruel, entertaining a great dislike to, 
 and contempt for, all foreigners, and absolutely 
 wedded to their own customs and ideas. 
 
 All these impressions were true, but not the 
 whole truth. For instance, Chinese are extremely 
 numerous, but there are certain parts of the country 
 which are sparsely populated. 
 
 6i 
 
AN IRISHWOMAN IN CHINA 
 
 In South China, and also in Peking itself, the 
 willow-pattern type of scenery is very usual ; but not 
 in Manchuria, which is a country as large as France 
 and Germany put together. Southern Chinese 
 are small, sallow, clever and artistic. In the north 
 they are big, fresh-coloured, rather clumsy and 
 powerful. 
 
 In Canton the people dislike and suspect 
 foreigners, whereas in Ningpo, as I have shown, they 
 are quite friendly. 
 
 Very often the foreigner has himself to blame if 
 he gets into trouble through carelessness, thought- 
 lessness or ignorance. How many ladies know that 
 if they step over the yoke of their sedan-chair they 
 will bring ill-luck to the bearers ; or that to reprove 
 a senior servant before his junior will cause the 
 former to lose face terribly ? 
 
 Even in peaceful Ningpo the foolish action of a 
 young foreigner nearly caused a riot. He saw a 
 large snake cross the path, not a poisonous variety, 
 and picking it up with his stick threw it over a 
 neighbouring wall, which happened to be that of a 
 courtyard. The snake fell into a basket quite close 
 to a woman who was sitting in the courtyard. 
 Naturally she was very much frightened. Her hus- 
 band rushed out and began to abuse the young man, 
 who lost his temper, retaliated, and was with diffi- 
 culty rescued from a howling mob. 
 
 The assumption of official rank by Roman Catholic 
 
 missionaries, and their refusal to allow inspection of 
 
 convents, orphanages and schools, also the high 
 
 walls erected around these institutions, awakened 
 
 much suspicion in the Chinese mind, and led to awful 
 
 consequences in Tientsin in 1870, when not only the 
 
 62 
 
AN IRISHWOMAN IN CHINA 
 
 Mission, but the whole French community, were 
 massacred without mercy. 
 
 As to Chinese Conservatism, this is certainly a 
 strong trait in their character, but they are too 
 practical to allow it to interfere with either profit or 
 comfort. If they find a new method saves them time 
 or money, they are always ready to make use of it. 
 
 I travelled on a new railway line the very first 
 day upon which passenger tickets were issued. At 
 every stopping-place crowds of Chinese were waiting, 
 with their bundles and baskets, to take advantage of 
 this rapid mode of transit. As to the telephone, our 
 servants, far from being nervous about using it, had 
 to be restrained from indulging in long conversations 
 with their friends. 
 
 So that after all one trait balances another. 
 Human nature is pretty much the same all the world 
 over, and whether he be born in East or West, " a 
 man's a man for a' that," and so is a woman ! 
 
 No doubt this is rather a bewildering statement, 
 but intelligent readers (I am sure all mine are 
 intelligent) will understand it. 
 
CHAPTER VI 
 
 " Here with a loaf of bread beneath the bough, 
 A flask of wine, a book of verse — and thou." 
 
 — Omar Khayydm. 
 
 NiNGPO stands upon a fertile plain, yielding , two 
 crops of rice and other cereals every year. Within 
 easy distance by boat, there are many beautiful spots, 
 some of which are much frequented by holiday- 
 makers from Shanghai, especially sportsmen, who 
 find "the Lakes" an ideal happy hunting-ground. 
 
 These are great reservoirs of water, partly arti- 
 ficially made, surrounded by hills, which, in spring, 
 are ablaze with azalias, crowned by feathery bamboo, 
 and terraced with the tender green of young rice, 
 or the dark glossy leaves and white flowers of the 
 tea-plant. 
 
 Leaving the plain at night, you awaken in the 
 morning to find your houseboat moored under one 
 of these hills, clear, cool water lapping gently against 
 the sides, mellow horns sounding to summon pas- 
 sengers from the numerous villages to the hong, 
 or public boats, plying between the city and Lakes, 
 and far up in the fresh, pure air, the great Bromley 
 kites wheeling and soaring continuously. 
 
 The entrance to the Lakes is rather exciting, as 
 the canal by which they are approached is on a lower 
 level, and there are no locks. A dam about ten feet 
 high divides the two. Over this, boats are hauled by 
 
 64 
 
5 
 
 u 
 
 a 
 
 a 
 
 15 
 
 i 
 
 la 
 
 t-H 
 
 n 
 t-i 
 
AN IRISHWOMAN IN CHINA 
 
 means of a great rope placed underneath, which is 
 attached to a windlass worked by five or six strong 
 coolies. Up and up the boat goes, poises a moment, 
 and then glides down the dam, making fine waves as 
 she strikes the water. 
 
 A very nervous, fussy lady once accompanied us 
 on this expedition, and was so alarmed at the thought 
 of the "haul-over," that she lay down on her berth 
 before we began to mount it; but unfortunately did 
 so the wrong way, so took the descent head foremost, 
 and thought me most hard-hearted when I laughed 
 at her doleful description of the experience. 
 
 The Lakes are a veritable sportsman's paradise. 
 Wild geese, duck of all kinds, snipe, pheasant and 
 partridge abound, and there are quantities of fish ; 
 but I have been solemnly assured over and over again 
 that no foreigner has ever succeeded in catching one. 
 Chinese fish with lines and nets, not silently as we 
 do, but with weird cries and beating of gongs they 
 drive the fish into the latter. They also use tame 
 cormorants to catch fish. A number of these birds 
 are taken out by their master and seem perfectly 
 obedient to him. They are perched in a row along 
 each side of his boat, and trained to plunge into the 
 water, capture a fish, and return with it to the boat. 
 They may eat the little fish, but a ring around the 
 neck prevents their swallowing the larger ones. A 
 still more peculiar method is that of men diving after 
 the fish, disturbing the water as much as possible, 
 and when they are dazed and terrified, catching them 
 in the hands. 
 
 Many groves of trees grow by the water surround- 
 ing ancient stone graves built in horseshoe form, 
 partly overgrown with moss and ferns, and extremely 
 
 65 E 
 
AN IRISHWOMAN IN CHINA 
 
 picturesque. We sometimes spent two or three days 
 on the Lakes. My husband would start off early in 
 the little punt with gun and ammunition, arranging 
 to meet me at a really nice grave at tiffin-time. We 
 returned to the houseboat for dinner, which consisted 
 of four or five appetising courses, prepared on an old 
 kerosine oil tin, with holes punched in the top, and 
 charcoal burning inside. The seryants produced 
 our meals at the usual hour, and served them in the 
 usual manner: early coffee, hot scones for breakfast, 
 cakes for tea, snipe served piping hot in the pan in 
 which they were grilled. I think Boy took special 
 pride in having everything "allee plop-a," when we 
 were supposed to be on a picnic. 
 
 Sportsmen need to keep a sharp look-out lest they 
 shoot a farmer engaged in weeding his crops or 
 gathering tea leaves. On one occasion a friend of 
 ours peppered a Chinaman in the leg with snipe shot. 
 Dr Daly immediately extracted the shot, bidding 
 our friend give the man two dollars, one to hold in 
 each hand during the operation. This proved an 
 excellent anaesthetic; the victim was quite consoled. 
 Later the same friend wrote that in the Yang-tze 
 Valley natives were evidently much cheaper, for he 
 shot one there who was easily propitiated by a gift of 
 seventy-five cents (about one and sixpence). 
 
 A sailor friend went with me on one of these 
 expeditions, whose style of shooting, I had been 
 warned, was spmewhat erratic. To make quite 
 certain that he should see me, I arrayed myself in a 
 light blue skirt, scarlet cape and white hat. 
 
 A wisp of snipe whirled up from behind a grave, 
 wheeled after their custom, and our erratic friend, 
 quite forgetting my proximity, wheeled also, but 
 
 66 
 
AN IRISHWOMAN IN CHINA 
 
 fortunately fired at such a distance that the shot fell 
 around me harmlessly. 
 
 The pheasants were extremely handsome birds, 
 with their beautiful plumage and white necklaces. 
 Snipe and duck are plump and excellent eating ; but 
 in that respect the Manchurian pheasant excels, which 
 we thought due to their feeding on millet and berries, 
 not on rice. 
 
 From the Lakes we sometimes went to Tiendong, 
 where there is a very fine temple. It was a journey 
 by canal of about ten miles. If there had been heavy 
 rains and the canals, were very full, it was difficult 
 to pass under the low flat stone bridges ; native house- 
 boats are built with a removable roof, but ours was a 
 fixture. One night we bumped against a bridge, 
 and had to sink the boat lower in the water by means 
 of heavy stones. It was a weird sensation to feel 
 her sinking under one ; and the weirdness increased 
 when a little Chinese girl came out of a cottage near 
 and danced about in the bright moonlight, chanting 
 cheerfully, " Come and see, come and see ; the boat 
 of the foreign devils has bumped against the bridge, 
 the boat of the foreign devils has bumped against the 
 bridge-— (da capo, da capo)," the chorus swelling as 
 more children joined her. 
 
 The great temple of Tiendong stands at one end 
 of a beautiful and fertile valley, and at the foot of a 
 semicircle of hills clothed in trees of many varieties. 
 In the centre of this valley rise two graceful memorial 
 arches, which give the Eastern touch to an ideal 
 harvest scene when the rich crops are being reaped. 
 An avenue of fine elm trees, about two miles long, 
 leads to the temple, and here and there peep out 
 little grey rest-houses, built for the benefit of weary 
 
 67 
 
AN IRISHWOMAN IN CHINA 
 
 pilgrims or coolies. In front of the temple is a very 
 large clear pond, reflecting the building, with its 
 quaint roof ornamented by animals carved in stone, 
 and many bells. Inside are most enormous images 
 of Buddha, Kuanyin, and other divinities, which are 
 said to be the largest in China. The Buddha is 
 about thirty feet high, and they are richly moulded 
 and painted. Before them stands an altar draped 
 in handsome embroidery, bearing incense burners, 
 stands for joss sticks, pewter candlesticks with red 
 candles, offerings of rice, and the sacred lamp. 
 
 The monks treated us very kindly, offering hot 
 water in little red basins wherein to bathe face and 
 hands, and tea in pretty cups. As a rule these monks 
 are lazy, ignorant, immoral and of very low social 
 standing, their clumsy, stolid bearing the heavy, 
 vacant expressions correspond to this character; but 
 amongst them are some exceptions, men of genuine 
 religious feeling and ascetic life, who are honoured, 
 consulted and held in good repute. 
 
 We once spent ten days at an old temple in the 
 mountains, where the Abbot was of this type. He 
 had the face of a visionary, and seemed absorbed in 
 worship or contemplation, never taking any notice 
 of our presence ; whereas the other monks talked to 
 us, asked us questions, and loved to pose before the 
 camera. Services were held constantly at all hours. 
 At two a.m. the sonorous boom of the great fish- 
 shaped gong would resound through the courts. 
 Then followed the shuffling of many feet and the 
 priests' monotonous chant, or still more monotonous 
 repetition of the name of Buddha — Omitofu, Omitofu, 
 Omitofu — over and over again, perhaps a thousand 
 
 times. This exercise is considered to have a bene- 
 
 68 
 
AN IRISHWOMAN IN CHINA 
 
 ficial effect in withdrawing the mind from worldly 
 thought, but seems rather to deaden and hypnotise 
 the mind and make it incapable of any serious thought 
 whatever. 
 
 This temple of Shihdoza, or " Snowy Valley," 
 stood a thousand feet above sea-level, amidst 
 exquisite scenery. Near by thundered a great water- 
 fall, five or six hundred feet high, where, as in the 
 River Yung, people have been known to immolate 
 themselves in order to procure rain. Amongst the 
 hills were many other falls. But charming as this 
 region is, it is difficult to explore, for almost all the 
 paths are paved with round cobble-stones, most try- 
 ing to walk upon, and my chair-bearers were men of 
 the plains, who did not understand the pecuHar gait 
 needed for hill-climbing. Moreover, there was no 
 Guild of chair coolies anywhere near, and ordinary 
 men lose face by doing this work. 
 
 At last some were found who consented to carry 
 me if the T'ai-T'ai would sit in a large rice basket 
 slung from a single pole ; she could then be con- 
 sidered as a burden, not a person, and thus their face 
 was saved. It was far from ideal, but if the men 
 walked slowly it was not so bad. My husband lined 
 the basket with rugs and cushions and assured me 
 I was most comfortable, and there was nothing to 
 complain of, even when the bearers ran and the 
 basket swayed violently from side to side like an 
 excited pendulum. One day I persuaded him to try 
 my " chair." He may have remained in it five 
 seconds, not more. The men set off at a brisk trot 
 down hill, and he soon tumbled out, saying " things " 
 as he did so ! 
 
 I think it was at Shihdoza we first read Jerome K. 
 
 69 
 
AN IRISHWOMAN IN CHINA 
 
 Jerome's " Three Men in a Boat." How we enjoyed 
 it! There were no relics of Queen EHzabeth or 
 Henry VHI. to admire, but the Httle touches about 
 tin-openers, tents, and tarpaulins appealed irresis- 
 tibly to us. For instance, my husband had a red 
 umbrella, which was supposed to form a tent around 
 him in which to develop photographs ; but it would 
 collapse at the crucial moment, and he and it became 
 inextricably mixed. One day we were preparing our 
 tiffin seated at the edge of a very steep hill, and were 
 as usual extremely hungry. A tin of corned beef 
 absolutely refused to be opened ; it was banged and 
 hammered until it, too, might have had its picture 
 taken like that in the book. Suddenly, inspired by 
 some demon and by a particularly strenuous bang, 
 the beef rushed out of the tin and flew in one solid 
 mass down the mountain-side into the valley hun- 
 dreds of feet below, followed by our hungry eyes and 
 many lamentations, and leaving us to quarrel over 
 the number of scones each consumed, and the fair 
 division of a succulent Amoy pomelo, an excellent 
 fruit like an enormous orange, which I have never 
 seen at home. 
 
 When writing of these up-country expeditions I 
 must not omit Da-Laen-Saen, as a description of my 
 first visit to that pleasant mountain resort will give 
 an idea of many others. 
 
 Da-Laen-Saen, the great white mountain, lies 
 about thirty miles from Ningpo. Bungalows have 
 been built at an altitude of two thousand five 
 hundred feet, most of which belong to different 
 Missionary Societies, a few to Ningpo residents. 
 
 I left Ningpo one August evening in a houseboat, 
 
 and was supposed to arrive at a large village called 
 
 70 
 
AN IRISHWOMAN IN CHINA 
 
 Ning-Kong-Gyiao very early next morning, where it 
 is necessary to change into the small flat boats or 
 rafts which are used in the mountain rivers for 
 ascending rapids. 
 
 The boatmen took advantage of my inexperience, 
 and delayed their start until about nine o'clock, con- 
 sequently this journey was undertaken in the heat of 
 the day, and was most exhausting. My chair was 
 placed upon a little platform made of short bamboo 
 poles lashed together, and then fixed firmly upon a 
 long bamboo raft. I could not stir off this platform, 
 because when one walked about the raft it sank 
 several inches under water. The chair had a green 
 oilskin canopy, over which I put my cloak, first 
 soaking it in the stream, and with a sunhat, inside 
 which I had placed a damp sponge, blue spectacles, 
 and the coolest dress I possessed, prepared to face 
 the six hours' journey up the rapids. 
 
 It was hot! The sun beat down upon the water 
 between the great grey cliffs, which rose on each 
 side of a rapid river, reminding me of the Dove in 
 Derbyshire, and sometimes of the Dargle in Wick- 
 low. Many ferns and wild flowers grew in the 
 crevices, and trees wherever they could get foothold. 
 Sometimes we glided into deep pools of clear water, 
 sometimes past lovely glades and lawns. 
 
 The rapids were numerous, and th6 rush of water 
 very strong. Often two of the boatmen got out on 
 the bank and towed or " tracked " the raft, while the 
 others poled. It was very hard work even for those 
 strong, hardy coolies. 
 
 At the end of our river journey we reached a large 
 Chinese village, and were immediately boarded by a 
 horde of yelling coolies, who seized me, my chair, and 
 
 71 
 
AN IRISHWOMAN IN CHINA 
 
 luggage, and rushed away with me up the mountain. 
 Fortunately I had been warned about this and told 
 the men were perfectly harmless, only anxious to 
 secure a job, and that there was a regular tariff 
 of payment. The path wound round the mountain- 
 side, frequently crossing the torrent — sometimes by 
 stepping-stones, or by a suspension-bridge formed of 
 bamboo poles which swing in an alarming manner. 
 When turning corners, my chair hung over the edge 
 of the precipice ; but this was not really dangerous as 
 the bearers are so surefooted. It is the rarest thing 
 for them to slip or stumble. 
 
 On one occasion I had a narrow escape when 
 descending that mountain. We had just passed be- 
 neath a high cliff when I heard a rush of water, and 
 looking back, saw a mountain torrent leap over the 
 edge, cross the path, and rush down the precipice to 
 join the river below. Had it come a moment sooner 
 we should certainly have been carried away. It was 
 a most beautiful sight when viewed from a safe 
 distance. 
 
 I enjoyed walking along the lovely path when the 
 coolies stopped at one of the little rest-houses which 
 are found at short intervals along frequented routes. 
 These are built by pious people as an act of merit, the 
 repairing of roads and building of bridges being also 
 considered meritorious actions by the Chinese. I 
 presently discovered that the chair coolies thought 
 walking an excellent habit, and to encourage me in it, 
 began to groan and say how heavy the foreign lady 
 was, that doubtless she ate much mutton, that they 
 were terribly weary and were indeed "eating bitter 
 money " carrying her up the mountain on such a hot 
 day ; they must really have extra pay. 
 
 72 
 
GORGE IN THE HIGHLANDS OF MID-CHINA. 
 
 BAMBOO BRIDGE ERECTED AS WORK OF MERIT. 
 
AN IRISHWOMAN IN CHINA 
 
 I felt quite sorry for them and walked as much as 
 possible, until at last, tired out, I seated myself firmly 
 in the chair, and told them to cease talking and carry 
 me up the mountain. We had just come to an 
 exceptionally steep part, but my bearers breasted it 
 gaily without any signs of exhaustion, and speedily 
 brought me at a swinging trot to my host's bungalow. 
 He laughed heartily when I related my experiences, 
 payed the men the correct sum and no more, and told 
 me that in my place a fat Chinaman weighing a good 
 eighteen stone, probably with a child on his knee, 
 would never have budged during the whole journey, 
 nor would the chair coolies have expected him to 
 do so. 
 
 It was cool and pleasant on that high table-land, 
 and we made many pleasant expeditions. 
 
 . A favourite one is to the Valley of Z. Ling, where 
 the path suddenly descends through charming 
 woods by a flight of some five hundred steps to a 
 ravine, through which runs a rapid river spanned by 
 a graceful arched bridge. Far above on the other 
 side of this ravine cotages cling to the rocks, and 
 tiny white kids play about at giddy heights. Less 
 attractive was a big, sullen water-buffalo, which was 
 crossing the bridge as we approached, with a wee 
 boy perched on his back. On seeing him we hid 
 behind rocks, as these creatures love not the alien 
 and are often dangerous. It is most humiliating to 
 see one sniffing you out from quite a distance, and 
 to have to hide from or avoid him, whereas a brown, 
 naked mite of six, playing a little flute, will sit con- 
 tentedly on his broad back and guide the powerful 
 brute with a word or touch. 
 
 In autumn these hills look specially lovely, with 
 
 73 
 
AN IRISHWOMAN IN CHINA 
 
 the gorgeous leaves of the persimmon and tallow 
 trees, sombre pines, and feathery bamboo groves, 
 which should be seen from above to fully appreciate 
 their light and graceful beauty. 
 
 One year some German friends lent us their 
 bungalow at Da-Laen-Saen. It was furnished most 
 suitably with cane chairs of every shape and size, 
 Chinese tables, all the same height, which could be 
 put together if a long one were needed, plenty of 
 enamel ware, no fripperies of any kind ; but when we 
 went over the list of furniture quantities of things 
 were missing. 
 
 The caretaker shook his head gravely, and mur- 
 mured, " Da fong, da fong," solemnly assuring us 
 that anything not forthcoming had been blown away 
 by a typhoon which had lately raged amongst those 
 hills. We traced the course of that most intelligent 
 storm, and found it had blown chairs, basins, and 
 blankets into the caretaker's house. He did not seem 
 in the least put out when we retrieved them, and 
 I have no doubt that after our departure another 
 typhoon or landslip restored them to him. 
 
 We entertained guests in our bungalow that year, 
 amongst them a fellow of the Linnean Society known 
 to his intimates as " Bug W." He was a keen 
 naturalist, and extremely well-informed, but " bugs " 
 were his speciality. With a bottle of chloroform in 
 one pocket wherewith to quiet his specimens, a bottle 
 of ammonia in another wherewith to cure stings or 
 bites, he fared forth in quest of beetles and beasties. 
 
 " You will find such and such a beetle under that 
 stone," he would remark, pointing to an apparently 
 very ordinary one, and he was invariably right. He 
 was greatly interested to find sea-water crabs at such 
 
 74 
 
AN IRISHWOMAN IN CHINA 
 
 an elevation, saying their family tree must date back 
 to the time when those mountains were under the sea. 
 
 On leaving, he shook hands heartily with me, 
 saying he had enjoyed himself immensely, and had 
 discovered, sixty new specimens of bugs during his 
 stay in our house ! 
 
 My first visit to Da-Laen-Saen came to an abrupt 
 and tragic ending. I returned hastily to the Port to 
 receive my friend mentioned in a previous chapter, 
 whom I had left a happy bride, but who now came 
 back to me a widow. Mr Harvey, her husband, had 
 worked for some years in Portsmouth, and was one 
 of the most charming men I have ever known; he 
 lingered too long over his work in the native city, 
 and started on his wedding journey very much run 
 down. Five days after his marriage he died of 
 cholera on the French Mail Boat. Handsome, 
 cultured, a fine musician, and full of zeal and sym- 
 pathy, native and foreigner joined in regretting his 
 death. The poor young widow lived with me imtil 
 my marriage when she went home, and within the 
 year she too, as the Chinese say, " crossed over " to 
 the other side, where — "perhaps we'll play together 
 — later on." 
 
 75 
 
CHAPTER VII 
 
 " Still to ourselves in any place consigned. 
 Our own felicity we make or find." 
 
 — Oliver Goldsmith. 
 
 A FEW months after Mr Harvey's death I was married 
 in the settlement church at Ningpo, very quietly, 
 for the memory of that tragedy overshadowed our 
 happiness, and the young widow was still with me. 
 
 Bishop Moule (brother of the Archdeacon of 
 Shanghai mentioned before, and also of the well- 
 known Bishop Handley Moule) performed the cere- 
 mony, assisted by his nephew, and the matrimonial 
 knot was further tightened by our friend Mr Giles 
 at the British Consulate. 
 
 The Moule connection is a very large one, and 
 they reminded me of the characters in Miss Younge's 
 books, with their refined cultivated minds, and fer- 
 vent religious feeling. 
 
 My husband, Dr C. C. de Burgh Daly, was then 
 Port doctor at Ningpo, but finding the care of a small 
 community did not afford nearly enough scope for 
 his energies, he ran the Church Missionary Society's 
 hospital also, and in this way came into contact with 
 the Chinese to a much greater extent than most non- 
 missionary doctors working in Treaty Ports, and 
 was a great favourite with them. David Wong was 
 anxious to call one of his children after Dr Daly, 
 
 but was much upset by the (to him) heathenish 
 
 76 
 
AN IRISHWOMAN IN CHINA 
 
 sound of my husband's names, so fell back on Mr 
 Hoare, as his name — ^Joseph — presented no such 
 difficulties. 
 
 Our community was small but by no means unin- 
 teresting. The British Consul, Mr H. A. Giles, 
 now Professor of Chinese at Cambridge, was the 
 author of many interesting books, and the compiler 
 of the standard Chinese-English dictionary now 
 in use. 
 
 This dictionary was in proof that year. Mr and 
 Mrs Giles (who is also an author of several books 
 dealing with very varied subjects) were busy proof- 
 correcting. There was a good deal of unrest in 
 China then; on the Yangtze anti-foreign riots had 
 occurred, and we used to plan the rescue of those 
 proofs should trouble arise in Ningpo. 
 
 The controversy as to the rescue of Baby, or Sistine 
 Madonna had not then arisen. Had there been 
 any choice between saving Consul or dictionary, Mr 
 Giles would certainly have effaced himself in favour 
 of the latter, over which he had spent fifteen years 
 of his life. 
 
 Many nationalities, creeds, and occupations were 
 represented amongst us. Some of my best and 
 kindest friends were Germans, people of real kultur, 
 not the spurious type now so loudly asserting them- 
 selves. I have met some exponents of that type to 
 whom I shall refer later, when they showed them- 
 selves in their true light after the Kaiser's savage 
 command to them to behave as Huns. 
 
 During the summer we played tennis or croquet 
 when it was very hot, and enjoyed sailing in a cat- 
 rigged, centre-board boat, sixteen feet long, and 
 very fast. We amused ourselves racing with the 
 
 77 
 
AN IRISHWOMAN IN CHINA 
 
 owners of other boats, and had many a pleasant sail 
 in her. 
 
 In winter there were dinner-parties, an occasional 
 concert or entertainment, and a very occasional dance 
 if a gunboat were in port. 
 
 It was a quiet little place, its principal advantages 
 being the proximity of good shooting and lovely 
 scenery, and the good steamer service. 
 
 In summer the sun went down suddenly about 
 seven o'clock with what Kipling calls an "undig- 
 nified bob," putting a stop to all our amusements. I 
 remember finishing an exciting croquet contest by the 
 light of Chinese lanterns held over the hoops. Once 
 darkness fell the mosquitoes became rampant and 
 voracious ; under the dining-room table was one of 
 their favourite haunts. Some people put their feet 
 in pillow-cases. I sometimes thought how funny it 
 would be if an alarm of fire arose when we were thus 
 protected, and we all started on a sack race out of 
 the house. 
 
 My husband could not leave the Port until after 
 September, as that is an unhealthy month; and the 
 long, hot summer was trying, in spite of ice, punkahs, 
 and thin clothing. Children, and sometimes grown 
 people, suffered from prickly heat, lost colour and 
 appetite ; I used to roam about the veranda at night 
 with my baby's cradle, trying to find a cool spot for 
 his repose. We often sat out until very late on a 
 large pontoon wharf near our house, finding it a 
 degree or two cooler, or dined on the houseboat 
 anchored in mid-stream. 
 
 As a rule our little community was very friendly, 
 but we had our social typhoons. One unprincipled 
 person will set a whole settlement ablaze with " gossip 
 
 78 
 
AN IRISHWOMAN IN CHINA 
 
 and scandal and spite," and one such we had amongst 
 us for a time, who could even descend to the depths 
 of anonymous letters to a newly-married wife, accus- 
 ing her husband of breaking the entire decalogue. 
 Happily, in this case the people attacked were im- 
 pervious; but it does not always happen so, and I 
 have known of untold mischief being done, not only 
 through deliberate malice, but through idleness and 
 careless gossip. 
 
 Conditions of life in the East are so different from 
 home. Girls come out from ordinary middle-class 
 homes in England, where they have probably lived 
 very simply, and done much of their own house- 
 work. Suddenly they find themselves provided 
 with a household of servants, many unaccustomed 
 luxuries, and ample leisure. Often they have no 
 idea how to manage servants — are harsh and incon- 
 siderate one day, too familiar the next. 
 
 The first summer in the East is very trying to a 
 young wife. Her husband is probably occupied 
 during a great part of the day ; she misses her own 
 people, her young companions, feels the heat and 
 discomfort, and unless she has a strong character, is 
 adaptable and unselfish, and takes some intelligent 
 interest in her new surroundings, is apt to degenerate 
 into the bored, vapid person, who spends all her 
 time paying calls, dressing, supervising her tailor, 
 or flirting (harmlessly enough at first) with that 
 " Tertian Quid " at whose door lies the blame of 
 many a domestic catastrophe. 
 
 In after years she presents the melancholy spec- 
 tacle of the butterfly grown elderly (which is against 
 Nature, who has provided that those lovely creatures 
 die young), or she may become the capable, bossing 
 
 79 
 
AN IRISHWOMAN IN CHINA 
 
 woman who gossips with her amah, knows what 
 everyone has for dinner, and frequently interferes 
 with her neighbours' arrangements. This type is 
 full of jealousy, and will get up an intense rivalry 
 with other women. If Mrs P. has six courses for 
 dinner, she will have seven. Poignancy was added 
 to one of these contests by the fact that the rivals 
 were mother and daughter. One felt so sorry for 
 girls who came out without warning as to these 
 pitfalls, or any knowledge of the difficulties awaiting 
 them. Some are not easy to warn. 
 
 On one occasion when living at home, a very 
 clever and interesting friend wrote asking me to 
 visit his fiancee, who was soon going out, and give 
 her any hints I could as to outfit, etc., and also try 
 to describe what her surroundings would be in a 
 very lonely station where almost the only British 
 residents were missionaries. 
 
 I found a really lovely girl, so beautifully dressed 
 I hardly ventured to give any advice about clothes ; 
 but the poor dear had no imagination, very little 
 education, and thought she was going to a life full 
 of luxury, amusement, and general jollity. She was 
 just a beautiful nonentity, and the sequel was as I 
 had feared. She could not adapt herself in the 
 least, became discontented and miserable, and finally 
 returned home for an indefinite period, her husband 
 rejoining a bachelors' mess. 
 
 There are heaps of women living normal and 
 natural lives in the Treaty Ports and big settlements, 
 looking after household and children, centres of 
 pleasant, rational, social life, helping lame dogs over 
 stiles, unobtrusively charitable — read good women. 
 Still more admirable are those in lonely out-stations, 
 
 80 
 
AN IRISHWOMAN IN CHINA 
 
 who keep up their refinement, culture, and high 
 ideals, with very little assistance from their environ- 
 ment. 
 
 A charming woman, with whom it was impossible 
 to quarrel, was stationed in a small port where there 
 were only two other European ladies, who would not 
 speak to each other, but often called on my gentle 
 friend, arriving together, and conducting a triangular 
 conversation, talking at each other through her. I 
 think it is small wonder that she had frequent attacks 
 of malarial fever in that port, during which she was 
 unable to see visitors. 
 
 Want of occupation and outside interests are 
 often at the root of these petty squabbles. We were 
 fortunate, as most of our friends had hobbies of some 
 kind, took an interest in the hospital, or in helping to 
 educate European children. One started a Kinder- 
 garten, and studied hard in order to run it effec- 
 tively; others collected porcelain, silver, or varied 
 curios. One lady I know has eighty pendants of 
 all sorts and descriptions — a peculiar interest, but it 
 is an interest — a very real one to her — and she 
 contrives to make other people enjoy it too. Others 
 are always ready to help in times of sickness, and 
 never happier than when wielding a thermometer 
 or preparing drastic mustard-plasters. In the small 
 communities where trained nurses cannot be ob- 
 tained, their help is most valuable, always provided 
 they do not imagine they know more than the doctor. 
 
 Friends with whom I have stayed in the large 
 settlements, such as Shanghai and Tientsin, have 
 found it necessary to make hard and fast rules that 
 they would only go out to dinner so many nights a 
 week, or entertain so often a month. But these were 
 
 8j W 
 
AN IRISHWOMAN IN CHINA 
 
 established people; it is extremely difficult for 
 new-comers not to have all their time taken up in 
 returning calls, or entertaining and being enter- 
 tained, and also to realise necessary social distinc- 
 tions and their reasons. 
 
 In these Eastern communities there is no aris- 
 tocracy of rank, ancient family, or distinction; so 
 one has been formed of officials in various services, 
 professional people, heads of large business firms, 
 and banking companies, all of whom have their 
 acknowledged status. It is well that this should be 
 so if people reaHse that social rules and distinctions 
 are not divine commands, and that they admit of 
 modifications; for if this is forgotten such rules 
 become unbearable tyrannies. 
 
 One strange peculiarity about Ningpo was that it 
 seemed to be such a very dangerous place for first 
 wives. Almost everyone had had two, several 
 three, and one six wives. To verify this statement 
 you have but to go to the pretty little cemetery 
 where this much-married gentleman reposes; four 
 of his wives lie beside him, one in Chefoo, and one 
 in the States. Those who designed his tombstone 
 were wanting in a sense of humour, for amongst other 
 eulogistic remarks this inscription is found there- 
 upon : " Temperate in all things " ! 
 
 Chinese servants deserve more than cursory 
 mention; those hailing from Ningpo are known all 
 over the China coast for their capability and resource- 
 fulness, adaptability to foreign ways, and general 
 cleverness. The head boy is major-domo and often 
 engages other servants, to whom he explains the 
 character and fads of his employers. Chinese read 
 character very quickly, and are fond of giving nick- 
 
 83 
 
AN IRISHWOMAN IN CHINA 
 
 names which show their opinion of people in a 
 word. 
 
 A pilot, who was an extremely energetic man, was 
 called by them "the Flashlight," while a very de- 
 liberate, rather hesitating person was known as 
 "Begin and never finish." It is very difficult to 
 persuade them to reveal these names, but I am sure 
 we all had them, and in hotels the table-boys have 
 nicknames for each guest, accurately describing his 
 peculiarities. 
 
 They are excellent mimics also. I remember 
 coming home one afternoon to find my children in 
 roars of laughter over an impersonation given them 
 by Boy of a Russian lady and gentleman with whom 
 he had lived. He described how the lady played 
 brilliantly upon the piano, smoking vigorously all the 
 time, while her husband sat in a huge chair, also 
 smoking, with the samovar steaming near, and fre- 
 quently ejaculated, " Hurasho, bis, bis!" ("Good, 
 again, again ! "). He must really have acted the 
 scene very well, for the children's reproduction was 
 so life-like that / roared with laughter also. 
 
 In resourcefulness it would be difficult to beat 
 them. Say that a guest arrives suddenly just at 
 tiffin-time. Perhaps you have ordered a very small 
 meal, your husband may be away, no one expected. 
 But you remain tranquil, for the servants will not 
 allow you to lose face ; and after a little delay an 
 excellent tiffin is served. I have mentioned the 
 elaborate dinners prepared in a houseboat, without 
 apparent means. 
 
 On board ship one very rough night a resourceful 
 boy saved me from what might have been a real 
 catastrophe. It was a small coasting vessel; my 
 
 83 
 
AN IRISHWOMAN IN CHINA 
 
 cabin was off the saloon, and there was no other 
 near it. I went into the saloon in the middle of the 
 night to prepare some food for my baby. The 
 heating apparatus upset, the methylated spirit caught 
 fire and rapidly spread. I rushed into the pantry 
 where the night-boy slept, shook him violently, and 
 told him to come. Looking sleepily at the burning 
 mass, he seized an enormous dish-cover and put it 
 over the flames, which subsided at once. 
 
 One day at tiffin my husband remarked that he 
 might stay the night at the College, where we were 
 dining, as he would probably be called out to a 
 patient near. On going upstairs I found his bag 
 packed ready, so remarked to Boy: " I never told 
 you to pack master's bag." 
 
 "What for teUee?" said Boy loftily. "My 
 savee." 
 
 Chinese cooks are excellent, second only to the 
 Firench, but they are fond of employing a " makee 
 learn," to whom they will leave everything on or- 
 dinary occasions if not carefully watched, and will 
 themselves probably run another kitchen elsewhere. 
 They are sometimes very bad-tempered too. I had 
 one who was a perfect treasure, and really could, as 
 he asserted, " cook English fashion, French fashion, 
 German fashion, any fashion missee wantchee." 
 But he tried to murder Boy one day for some fancied 
 insult, and the latter came to me (my husband was 
 attending a patient very seriously ill), with a ghastly 
 face, to complain that cook had attacked him with a 
 knife and he dared not face him. 
 
 " Send for coolie," I said. 
 
 " Coolie too muchee fear." 
 
 " Oh ! nonsense-talk. Boy ; call the chair-bearers," 
 
 84 
 
AN IRISHWOMAN IN CHINA 
 
 " Chair coolie too muchee fear, all too muchee 
 fear; that cook got very large heart, my heart too 
 muchee small." 
 
 So I told him to summon the entire household, 
 and the redoubtable cook appeared, white with 
 rage, and said Boy had called him a Shanghai 
 buffalo, and only blood could wipe out such an 
 insult. 
 
 I harangued the company, said none of them had 
 any face to make such a bobbery when master was 
 out and could not come back, that they were all to 
 make peace at once, or else I should send them to be 
 dealt with by Mr Giles at the Consulate ; also that I 
 was hungry and needed dinner in a quarter of an 
 hour. 
 
 The dinner came up and all was peace ; but my 
 husband thought that jewel of a cook too dangerous, 
 and sent him away. Alas! I never had his equal; 
 my mouth waters now when I remember his ice- 
 creams, souffles, and omelets. 
 
 We found Chinese servants very honest from their 
 own point of view. A respectable servant never 
 steals, but they squeeze, that is, exact a certain toll 
 for themselves in all money transactions; and this 
 they consider legitimate. It is graduated according 
 to the income of the employer. 
 
 Amahs or nurses are as a rule very faithful, fond 
 of their charges, and extremely patient in illness. 
 They spoil children by giving in to them too much, 
 and sometimes make favourites. I have known of 
 one case where a little girl was very cruelly treated 
 by an amah, but only one. Where would you find a 
 European nurse who would take out three different 
 coats of varied weights lest a sudden drop in the 
 
 85 
 
AN IRISHWOMAN IN CHINA 
 
 temperature cause baby to catch cold? They be- 
 lieve firmly in their own capabilities if they are 
 experienced, and dislike interference by young 
 parents or doctors. Once my husband gave Amah 
 some directions about baby's health. She came to 
 me in high dudgeon. " What for master tellee me 
 that .'' " she said. " Master savee doctor pidgin ; my 
 savee baby ! " 
 
 During the Boxer outbreak our servants kept 
 watch at night of their own accord, and had made 
 arrangements to convey our children to a place of 
 safety, if necessary; they considered we could look 
 after ourselves. 
 
 In many ways Chinese and Irish servants are 
 alike. They will rise to an emergency, are very 
 good-natured and obliging, but lack many of the 
 solid virtues of the English domestic. 
 
 Bachelors' servants usually do not like to remain 
 with their masters once the latter marry. 
 
 A story is told of a Shanghai resident who, after 
 ten or twelve years of bachelor life, during which time 
 he employed the same boy, took unto himself a wife. 
 A few weeks passed, and Boy inquired one day: 
 " Master, missee have come to stop ? " 
 
 " Of course, Boy." 
 
 " Master, missee have come to stop — my no 
 can!" 
 
 History does not relate what decision the master 
 came to. 
 
 Boys are very particular that table-appointments 
 should be up to date and correct, and they do not 
 hesitate to borrow anything needed. 
 
 A young vice-Consul gave a tea-party to which I 
 was invited, and asked me to pour out tea. The 
 
 86 
 
AN IRISHWOMAN IN CHINA 
 
 teapot had a familiar appearance, and my boy told 
 me afterwards that the host's boy had borrowed ours, 
 because it would not be proper for his master to give 
 guests tea out of a china one. 
 
 If a bachelor brings a guest to dinner and the 
 food provided is insuflficient. Boy sends to the 
 guest's house for his dinner in order to supple- 
 ment it. 
 
 A friend of mine who lived in a terrace in Shanghai 
 bought an ice-cream freezer. Her boy reproached 
 her for extravagance : " What for missee buy that — 
 spend plenty doUah. No. 12 missee have got." My 
 friend was not acquainted with the lady at No. 12, 
 but Boy knew No. 12 boy! 
 
 Some boys decorate tables very tastefully. At 
 Shanghai flower-shows prizes are given for artisti- 
 cally arranged tables; house boys often compete for 
 these, and frequently win them. I have seen a 
 harmony in autumn leaves which would be very hard 
 to equal, arranged by one of these boys. 
 
 Chair-bearers are a class apart, of which fact I once 
 had a curious illustration. 
 
 One of our bearers, a very respectable man, asked 
 me to employ him in the house, producing a fine 
 stalwart nephew to take his place as chair coolie. 
 All one winter I bore with his clumsiness, but at last 
 told him he had better return to his former occupa- 
 tion, at which he received higher wages, and to which 
 he was much more suited. To my dismay he said 
 he must leave our service, as the family of his be- 
 trothed would on no account allow her to marry a 
 chair coolie, and had only consented to the engage- 
 ment on his promotion to housework. 
 
 Wages were very moderate; I only paid that 
 
 87 
 
AN IRISHWOMAN IN CHINA 
 
 paragon of a cook twelve pounds a year, and he pro- 
 vided his own food, supplemented, I doubt not, from 
 my stores. 
 
 In foreign communities servants usually speak 
 "pidgin," or business English to their employers; 
 and servants from different parts of China will use 
 this weird language in speaking to each other. The 
 formation of the sentence is the same as Chinese, 
 and it is an unholy mixture of English, Portuguese, 
 French, and Chinese. Most quaint and amusing 
 some of the phrases are. 
 
 A bishop is called " No. i , top side joss pidgin 
 man," " top side " standing for heaven, " joss," dios, 
 "pidgin," business. 
 
 Mr Holcombe tells a story of two gentlemen who 
 came to call upon the King of Siam when he was 
 staying in Shanghai. They entered the hotel and 
 asked the proprietor, a courteous American, if His 
 Majesty were at home. 
 
 " Boy," called the proprietor, " one piecee King 
 have got ? " 
 
 " Have got, sir," replied the boy cheerfully. 
 
 " His Majesty is at home, gentlemen," translated 
 the proprietor. 
 
 One day a large party assembled on a steamer to 
 bid farewell to homeward-bound friends. Wishing 
 to make certain that the steamer should not carry us 
 off, the steward was informed in excellent Mardarin 
 that he was to come and warn us of her departure. 
 He stared blankly. Someone tried Ningpo dialect 
 — no use; Shanghai — still a blank stare. At last 
 my husband called out, " Boy ! " 
 
 " Yessir." 
 
 " Wantchee walkee can come talkee ! Savee ? " 
 
 88 
 
AN IRISHWOMAN IN CHINA 
 
 " All right, sir ; my savee." 
 
 The Chinaman's description of a motor-car is worth 
 remembering: " Hai yah! What thing? No 
 pushee, no puUee, go like hellee!" Equally vivid 
 is their description of tobogganing : " Swissh — ^walk 
 back two miles ! " 
 
 Servants quickly find out our likes and dislikes in 
 food, and act accordingly. A friend of mine was 
 fond of snipe, and often ordered them for dinner. 
 One evening an unexpected guest arrived; my 
 friend told Boy there were not enough snipe, but 
 she would not eat one. Presently Boy nudged her, 
 and remarked in a loud whisper : " Missee can have 
 snipe ; one piecee man no chow ! " 
 
 Much has been said about the Christian servant, 
 usually in his disfavour. One of the best and most 
 trustworthy servants I ever had was a Christian. 
 Often those rascally ones are impostors, or have been 
 dismissed from some Mission for misconduct. A 
 curious testimony in favour of Christians was given 
 by a man who had no sympathy with Mission work, 
 but always employed Christian servants because he 
 said he could trust them ; and truly he had cause to. 
 One of his children fell ill of smallpox. The miser- 
 able parents fled, leaving their little one to the care 
 of one of these Christian servants, who called in the 
 Mission doctor, and nursed the child back to health 
 with unfailing kindness and devotion. 
 
 European children brought up in China are very 
 fond of Chinese food; a special dainty is a kind of 
 dumpling filled with fresh meat, minced very small, 
 and flavoured with garlic. One schoolboy at home 
 when visited by his parents had forgotten nearly 
 every word of Chinese, until his father mentioned 
 
 89 
 
CHAPTER VIII 
 
 " He travels and expatiates as the bee from flower to 
 flower, 
 So he from land to land." — Cowper. 
 
 In 1893 Dr Daly decided to apply for the post of 
 Port doctor at Newchwang in Manchuria. We 
 were truly sorry to leave Ningpo, where we had so 
 many good friends, interesting work, and had spent 
 many happy days; but the climate was trying, 
 financial prospects poor, and we all needed change. 
 
 Mr Hoare deeply regretted my husband's depar- 
 ture. From the first they had been friends, had 
 many tastes in common, and during the eight years 
 of Dr Daly's residence in Ningpo, had worked or 
 taken recreation together almost every day. We met 
 again some years later in Hongkong, after Mr Hoare 
 became Bishop. He was just the same vigorous, 
 able, kindly man, and we little thought it was the last 
 time we should see him alive. In igo6 he lost his 
 life while visiting some villages near Hongkong in 
 his houseboat. A typhoon suddenly burst upon the 
 town and harbour, so suddenly that there was no 
 time for the usual storm signals to be hoisted, and 
 the Bishop with several of his native helpers were 
 drowned. Quite lately I stood beneath the fine 
 tablet erected to him in Tonbridge School Chapel. 
 It was good to realise how green his memory is there 
 
 91 
 
AN IRISHWOMAN IN CHINA 
 
 still, a Christian warrior of the best type ; it seems as 
 if many could have been more easily spared than he. 
 
 We left Ningpo towards the end of May, and after 
 spending a few days with friends in Shanghai, sailed 
 for Newchwang, the most northern of Chinese Treaty 
 Ports. 
 
 Our friends gave us a very kindly send-off, and 
 many pretty mementoes, while everything possible 
 was done to lighten the fatigue of packing and 
 removal for me, as I was not then very strong. For 
 the last week we stayed at the British Consulate. 
 Professor and Mrs Giles had gone home, but equally 
 kind friends occupied it, who invited many of our 
 intimates to a farewell dinner the night before our 
 departure, which happened to be the 24th of May. 
 Our German friends laughingly remarked that the 
 Dalys and Queen Victoria divided the honours that 
 evening. This amused them hugely; certainly no 
 private individuals would be allowed to share the 
 Kaiser's birthday celebrations in a German Con- 
 sulate ! 
 
 Excellent steamers ply between Ningpo and 
 Shanghai, and at that time there was an amusing 
 rivalry between two big steamer companies, which 
 was shared by officers and men, and in which the 
 residents in that quiet httle place also took an 
 interest. 
 
 Some of these boats were of the ancient but very 
 comfortable type seen on the great American rivers. 
 Their captains were often on the same run for years 
 and were well known to residents in the ports. One 
 gallant old American used to invite me to sit on the 
 bridge in fine weather, and always supplied his lady 
 passengers with a sumptuous rug of woven silk. 
 
 92 
 
AN IRISHWOMAN IN CHINA 
 
 Another was full of information of all kinds, but told 
 me that on one occasion he had as a passenger a 
 well-known lady traveller who was writing a book 
 on China. She worried him so with questions that, 
 as he expressed it, " I told her all I knew, and then 
 I told her what I didn't know. She seemed equally 
 interested, took it all down, and reproduced it care- 
 fully in her book. I said she might make any use 
 of my information she pleased." 
 
 Many of us preferred these boats to the more 
 powerful modern steamers, because of their spacious 
 saloons and deck, and roomy cabins, without upper 
 berths. In fine weather they were ideal, but rough 
 seas were often encountered in the Hangchow Bay, 
 and then indeed one suffered. The others were 
 much faster, especially the Kowshing, a fine ocean- 
 going ship. 
 
 One afternoon we left Ningpo in a river-boat, and 
 were passed by the Kowshing after some hours, 
 although she had started much later. As we pounded 
 along in her wake, her third officer came to the stern 
 and played loudly on a penny whistle, " The Girl I 
 Left Behind Me." This was indeed insulting, but 
 we were to see her again that voyage. 
 
 It was a foggy night, our prudent captain anchored 
 outside Woosung, at the entrance to the Shanghai 
 River, and about two a.m. we were awakened by a 
 violent ringing of bells, whistling, hooting of fog- 
 horns, also much language (in fact we might have 
 signed ourselves, like Augustus Moddle, "Amidst 
 the tempestuous howling of the sailors ! "). 
 
 Dr Daly rushed on deck, and stood just outside 
 my window with one of the officers. Suddenly the 
 latter disappeared, but returned in a few seconds, 
 
 m 
 
AN IRISHWOMAN IN CHINA 
 
 remarking cheerfully, " I lost everything in my 
 last collision, so I thought I'd save my watch this 
 time," 
 
 It was a near shave; a big ship passed as close 
 as she could without touching — the Kowshing once 
 more. She had gone round us in the fog, not having 
 anchored, as her reputation for speed had to be 
 maintained ; off she went, hooting dismally, no insult- 
 ing melodies this time. 
 
 A ship always seems to me to be, in a way, a 
 sentient thing; I can well understand the affection 
 she often inspires. Both these steamers now lie 
 many fathoms deep. Of the Kowshing we shall hear 
 later ; her end is a matter of history. That particular 
 river-boat was piled up on the Garden Bund in 
 Shanghai while trying to avoid a collision with a 
 Chinese man-of-war. 
 
 It is amusing to an onlooker like myself to hear 
 the criticisms of merchant seamen on naval officers, 
 of civil engineers on the royal engineers, of volunteers 
 on regulars. 
 
 One old salt told us his invariable rule was, if he 
 met an English man-of-war in narrow waters, to give 
 her as wide berth as possible ; if a foreigner he turned 
 and went with her, if a Chinese he piled his ship up 
 on the shore ! 
 
 Of another ship (the same which provided the 
 Ningpo water fairy with sugar) a pathetic tale is told. 
 The chief engineer, who had sailed in her for years, 
 was dreadfully upset when she ran aground. The 
 ship was fast upon rocks, some of which were stick- 
 ing up in her hold ; but the weather was calm and 
 she broke up slowly. Every day the chief went to 
 the engine-room and carefully polished his beloved 
 
 94 
 
AN IRISHWOMAN IN CHINA 
 
 engines as far as the waterline, until they too dis- 
 appeared in the depths below. 
 
 One autumn I started for Shanghai in stormy 
 weather, with baby, Amah, and Boy, whom my 
 husband had sent to help me, as the skies looked so 
 threatening. Presently the dinner-gong sounded, 
 and I sent for Boy, Amah having already succumbed. 
 The steward announced, " Missee, Boy makee He 
 down, no can get up " ; and we were not yet out of 
 the river! 
 
 A delightfully clean, chubby child of about twelve 
 now appeared, a " makee learn " steward, to whom I 
 confided baby ; they beamed at each other, and the 
 small steward began at once the pretty Chinese 
 nursery rhyme about birds flying, illustrating it so 
 gracefully with his well-shaped hands. 
 
 After dinner the captain came into my cabin to 
 make fast baby's cradle; this seemed to me a bit 
 ominous, but it was quite necessary. Baby had a 
 delightful native cradle, given him by Mrs Hoare; 
 it resembled an enormous basinette, but was much 
 broader and higher. It had a bamboo mattress, 
 over which an ordinary one was placed, and when 
 the young man travelled, he carried his extra raiment 
 in the space beneath him. Truly we were rocked in 
 the cradle of the deep that night; baby seemed to 
 like it, but I felt quite worn out with violent exercise 
 when two apologetic servants came to my relief on 
 reaching the calm of the Shanghai River. 
 
 The little steward had appeared very early to 
 help me. Chinese boys of that age are so attractive 
 it is a pity they ever grow up ; and younger still, the 
 tiny brown people are equally pleasing, who tumble 
 about in hot weather dressed simply but sufficiently 
 
 95 
 
AN IRISHWOMAN IN CHINA 
 
 in a silver necklet, from which a charm in the shape 
 of a silver padlock depends (to guard against evil 
 spirits). Baby roared when parted from this " makee 
 learn," clung tighdy to his long queue, and would 
 only release it when he was placed in what was to 
 him a novel conveyance — an open carriage drawn by 
 a sturdy Mongolian pony. 
 
 Coming as I did from a country where the cult of 
 the horse is so important, these ponies struck me as 
 the shaggiest, queerest little creatures. In those 
 days people did not trouble to groom them carefully, 
 and you often saw a very smart brougham, with 
 mafoo (groom or coachman) immaculately dressed, 
 drawn by an unkempt, rough pony. When the big 
 Australian horses and the handsome Russian ones 
 appeared in Shanghai, it is no wonder that they are 
 said to have addressed these ponies as " Mongolian 
 microbes " ! But to return. 
 
 We left the " City of the Peaceful Wave," and 
 started on the first stage of our journey in one of the 
 river-boats, which bore us past the Chusan Archi- 
 pelago, where innumerable fishing-boats tack and 
 retack, crossing the steamers' bows continually, as 
 they consider the oftener they do so the more hope 
 of a lucky catch. 
 
 These boats, with their flat sails, fine lines, and 
 general appearance of power and ease, give an 
 indescribable effect of life and energy. 
 
 Chinese are splendid seamen, and never look 
 better than when steering a boat in a fresh breeze, 
 and keeping a wary eye on sail, a careful hand on 
 tiller and sheet. This habit of crossing a steamer's 
 bow is not a pleasant one for the man at the wheel. 
 Sometimes it is impossible to avoid a daring boat 
 
 96 
 
AN IRISHWOMAN IN CHINA 
 
 which crosses once too often. I have seen one cut 
 in two in spite of slow progress and the most careful 
 steering. The crash of her timbers, and sight of half 
 her hull with a few men clinging to it, are not 
 pleasant memories. Those men were rescued ; but 
 I fear the rest never came to the surface. 
 
 Many of these innocent-looking fishermen are 
 really pirates who in former days were a menace 
 even to foreigners passing through the islands, but 
 who now confine their attentions to native craft. 
 
 Chusan, the island which gives its name to this 
 archipelago, possesses historic interest to the British 
 traveller; for in 1841 it was held by Great Britain 
 until after the Treaty of Nanking was signed two 
 years later, during what was known as the " Opium 
 War," a misleading name, as the student of history 
 will find. Great Britain had many other reasons for 
 declaring war against China, apart from commercial 
 interests. Our statesmen had been extremely patient 
 and long-suffering, and the Chinese Government 
 was largely to blame for the distrust and odium in 
 which foreigners were then held, as it encouraged the 
 horrible allegations brought against them. It is a 
 pity that we should be considered to have gone to 
 war solely on the opium question, whereas it was 
 only one of many casus belli, and an unworthy 
 one at that. The island is large, fertile, and was 
 then considered of great strategic value, as it com- 
 mands a portion of the coast on which lie many great 
 cities; but our Government showed their wisdom 
 when they exchanged it for Hongkong, which now 
 holds the proud position of third amongst British 
 ports — only London and Liverpool being her 
 superiors. 
 
 S7 e 
 
AN IRISHWOMAN IN CHINA 
 
 On the island there is a little British cemetery, 
 where lie the remains of those who fell in that 
 forgotten conflict, whose graves are tended still 
 by members of an American Mission working 
 there. 
 
 It is strange and moving to realise how all over 
 the world we have left these relics of our gallant 
 pioneers — there in Mid-China, far away in tropical 
 islands, or amongst the snows and fogs of the 
 Behring Sea, where Russians will tell you of other 
 British graves at beautiful Petropavlosk, still cared 
 for by kindly hands, the traces of another forgotten 
 battle. 
 
 Well might Felicia Remans (is she, too, for- 
 gotten ?) sing of " England's Dead " : 
 
 " Son of the Ocean Isle! 
 
 Where sleep your mighty Dead? 
 Show me what high and stately pile 
 Is raised o'er Glory's bed. 
 
 The warlike of the isles, 
 
 The men of field and wave! 
 Are not the rocks their funeral piles. 
 
 The seas and shores their grave? 
 
 Go, stranger! track the deep — 
 Free, free the white sail spread! 
 
 Wave may not foam, nor wild wind sweep, 
 Where rest not England's Dead." 
 
 But to return to the Chusan Archipelago. An- 
 other of its islands, called Poo-too, was considered 
 very sacred. Only monks lived there, and no native 
 woman was allowed to set foot upon the shore. 
 Curiously enough, no objection was made to visits 
 
 98 
 
AN IRISHWOMAN IN CHINA 
 
 from foreign women, and it is a favourite resort of 
 excursionists from Shanghai. In the centre rises a 
 very fine peak about two thousand feet high, called 
 "The Head of Buddha," and on the island are 
 many monasteries and temples, one containing a 
 handsome hall, the roof of which is upheld by fine 
 carved pillars, said to be five hundred years old or 
 more. 
 
 The journey from Shanghai to Newchwang was 
 uneventful and very slow, as we had to go out of our 
 way to stand by a steamer belonging to the same 
 company which had come to grief on the Shantung 
 promontory. It was very dull waiting beside her 
 while cargo was shifted and repairs made. On 
 another voyage we stood by the Sobraon when 
 she ran on an island near Formosa. That was much 
 more entertaining. It was a beautiful place, and the 
 ship was in such an extraordinary position, she seemed 
 to be trying to walk up a hill ; but this one was just 
 dropping things out of her hold and bucketing about 
 in the sea. Unfortunately, some of the things she 
 dropped were wedding presents for great friends of 
 mine. I did not know that at the time, and was 
 only extremely bored by the delay. 
 
 We put in at Chefoo, then a favourite summer 
 resort for Shanghai and Tientsin residents, most of 
 whom now go to Japan or Pei-tai-ho. It is a very 
 pretty place ; the foreign settlement is built on a steep 
 hill overlooking the bay. Across the harbour rises 
 another picturesque hill, where stands the famous 
 temple in which Li Hung Chang signed the Treaty 
 of Peace in 1895 — a treaty across which Admiral 
 Alexieff laid his sword, thus preventing Japan reap- 
 ing full benefit from her strife with China, and 
 
 99 
 
AN IRISHWOMAN IN CHINA 
 
 sowing the seeds of bitter retribution for Russia and 
 for himself. 
 
 Chefoo is in Shantung Province, not far from 
 Wei-hai-wei, where the Chinese fleet then lay, and 
 also within easy distance of Tsingtao, then a little- 
 known Chinese town. 
 
 The people of Shantung are very poor in spite of 
 their skill as gardeners, and their trade in the well- 
 known Shantung silk. I have stayed in Chefoo 
 several times, and have always been struck by the 
 number of beggars and wretched, ragged-looking 
 people one saw in the native city, so different from 
 the prosperous, well-fed natives of Chekiang Pro- 
 vince. It is strange that this should be so ; for 
 besides the silk industry, a very pretty lace is made 
 there, which would gain a ready sale if known at 
 home ; and Shantung is a fine fruit-growing country. 
 Chefoo pears, plums, and grapes are celebrated. 
 
 Dr Nevius, an American missionary, introduced 
 the William pear, various good apples, and other 
 fruits, and instructed the people in fruit cultivation, 
 with excellent results. He was a most energetic 
 and devoted man, and his charming wife was equally 
 wonderful ; she learnt to play the violin when well 
 over sixty years of age, in order to lead her choir 
 with the instrument when she could no longer sing. 
 
 After her husband's death she made her home in 
 Chefoo, and now lies amongst the people she taught 
 and lo^^ed. It has been wittily remarked that Dr 
 Nevius should have as his epitaph, " By his fruits ye 
 shall know him " ; and indeed this is true in every 
 sense of both these line people. 
 
 " China's Sorrow," the Yellow River (Hwarig-Ho), 
 is largely responsible for the poverty of Shantung, as 
 
 100 
 
AN IRISHWOMAN IN CHINA 
 
 it frequently changes its course, flooding one area, 
 leaving another waterless and parched, in the most 
 unexpected and disconcerting manner. 
 
 Farther north there is the port of Tung-Chow-Fu, 
 a very interesting old place, possessing an anci^t 
 storm-harbour for junks, surrounded by a high, 
 crenelated wall, above which, perched on a lofty cliff, 
 stands a fine temple. 
 
 Over the courtyard walls peeped pomegranate 
 trees laden with brilliant red or yellow flowers, and 
 we mounted by many stairs through courts innumer- 
 able, until we reached a broad terrace running along 
 the top of the cliff. At one end stood a small light- 
 house, and at the other, let into the wall, was a most 
 curious stone, which our guide assured us was a 
 magic stone and absolutely unique. It was certainly 
 unlike any I had ever seen, except a small, polished 
 piece of the Rock of Gibraltar, which my father used 
 as a letter-weight ; but that was not nearly so brilliant 
 in colour. This stone was about two feet across, 
 almost completely round, a handsome red colour, 
 and so highly polished that it reflected the ships in 
 harbour as in a mirror. The monks declared it had 
 been found when the temple was in building, brilliant 
 as we saw it ; that no one had polished it ; but that 
 when found it was immediately placed in this con- 
 spicuous position and never moved. 
 
 Another of their treasures was a beautiful porcelain 
 vase, said to be a thousand years old. It stood in 
 the middle of a small room on an ebony stand, quite 
 by itself, surrounded by a strong wooden railing. 
 As well as I remember, it was of the beaker shape 
 and in the five colours ; but I was not then interested 
 in porcelain, so cannot trust my memory. That it 
 
 lOI 
 
AN IRISHWOMAN IN CHINA 
 
 was lovely I do remember, and also that its beauty 
 was sadly marred by a sheaf of hideous artificial 
 flowers which had been thrust into it. 
 
 From this terrace there was a.charming view across 
 the blue waters and golden sands of the harbour, 
 to the white cottages nestling amongst trees on the 
 farther shore, with blue hills rising beyond them. I 
 hope these cottages were as nice as they looked, for 
 the streets of the town were unusually clean ; but in 
 many cases I fear the Chinese written character for 
 family — a pig under shelter — ^would describe them 
 only too accurately. Mrs Archibald Little's descrip- 
 tion of the Chinese as a people of " clean clothes and 
 dirty habits," is also very apt. 
 
 A number of rooms opening off the terrace were 
 reserved for visitors, as this temple is a favourite 
 summer-resort for wealthy Chinese, who leave the 
 interior during the great heat, bring their families 
 and many servants with them, and enjoy the fresh sea 
 breezes for weeks together at a very moderate 
 cost. 
 
 At the entrance to the Gulf of Pechili stands a 
 strange, forbidding-looking rock, known as Iron 
 Island, which is said to possess such strong magnetic 
 attraction that it affects the compasses of passing 
 ships. Port Arthur, now so well known, was then 
 from the British standpoint an obscure Chinese 
 fortress, although Russia and Japan had realised its 
 strategic importance. 
 
 Early one morning we lay outside the Newchwang 
 Bar, waiting for the tide, and presently steamed up 
 the broad River Liao to behold our future home at its 
 very worst. No rain had fallen for weeks, a strong 
 south wind blew, and everything was enveloped in 
 
 102 
 
AN IRISHWOMAN IN CHINA 
 
 clouds of dust, through which the Dragon flag loomed 
 eerily, as it floated from the Customs flagstaff, almost 
 torn from its place by the force of the wind. It was 
 truly a dismal contrast to the green and flowery 
 regions we had left. 
 
 103 
 
CHAPTER IX 
 
 " A garden is a lovesome thing, 
 God wot." 
 
 — Thomas Brown. 
 
 Conditions of life in Manchuria are in many ways 
 different to tfiose in tfie south. Although our first 
 impressions were unpleasant, we soon found that it 
 was a better place to live in than Mid-China, and it 
 rapidly became vastly more interesting. 
 
 A day or two after our arrival heavy rain fell ; the 
 air was fresh and pleasant, the coolness delightful, 
 also the comparatively long duration of daylight. We 
 found ourselves going out to dinner in the twilight, 
 which seemed very homelike, and so did the big 
 bushes of lilac, hawthorn, and spirea which grew in 
 all the gardens. 
 
 But the mud ! It really was unspeakable ! There 
 were no roads, only broad cart-tracks deep in dust 
 or mud according to the weather, with a few narrow 
 brick paths bordering them. At the end of our 
 garden ran one of these tracks, punctuated by deep 
 holes, in one of which a mule had been drowned, and 
 this in spite of the fact that every cart which entered 
 the town paid a small tax for the upkeep of roads. 
 This must have amounted to a very large sum, for 
 tens of thousands of carts, laden with up-country 
 produce, passed through each year. Where the 
 money went to no one knew, but many guessed. 
 
 104 
 
AN IRISHWOMAN IN CHINA 
 
 Official corruption is as usual in China as commercial 
 honesty, the reverse being the case in Japan. 
 
 Our house was a roomy and comfortable bungalow, 
 standing in a large garden which was laid out in stiff, 
 uninteresting fashion, very like a cemetery — straight 
 walks, small flower-beds bordered with stones or 
 tiles. 
 
 The flowers were interesting and curious. Our 
 predecessor was fond of experimental gardening. 
 He would get cartloads of earth from the hills, dump 
 them down in his garden, and await results. Some 
 of these were very attractive — yellow foxglove, 
 blue campanula, the splendid Manchurian larkspur, 
 and the white peony. A quantity of little dog-violets 
 grew amongst the tiles which bordered our walks, 
 and a pretty little blue iris. 
 
 It interested me very much to find a pretty yellow 
 rose and a dwarf lilac, both of which were familiar, 
 as they grew in our old garden in Roscommon and 
 were always called by us Siberian shrubs. I have 
 often wondered since how they got there. An 
 expert in horticulture who visited our Manchurian 
 garden was really quite annoyed when I said they 
 were old friends, and could not imagine how I 
 knew them. These roses were like a Scotch rose, 
 but somewhat larger. In after years we had a rose 
 walk, which was a very lovely sight in blossom time. 
 
 Another charming tree to be found in North China 
 is the pink mimosa. The leaves are like the ordinary 
 mimosa, but the rose-pink flowers growing along the 
 branches in small bunches, like very soft roses, are 
 really — as one flower-lover said — like fairy blooms. 
 The castor plants, with their handsome copper-green 
 leaves, grew to a height of from eight to twelve feet, 
 
 105 
 
AN IRISHWOMAN IN CHINA 
 
 and made a fine background for every kind of sun- 
 flower or the lovely, delicate cosmos. The green 
 variety bore heaps of berries full of that horror of 
 our childhood, castor-oil. 
 
 The gardeners had many devices for dwarfing 
 chrysanthemums and securing large blooms : some- 
 times they bent the stems round the pot while they 
 were still pHable, sometimes cut them back at regular 
 periods; but I always begged them to leave some to 
 nature, as I loved the great bunches of soft flowers. 
 The same expert did me a good turn when he pointed 
 out a queer fibrous plant of an orange-red colour 
 growing in one of our borders. He assured me it 
 would choke up a bed (say two feet by four) in the 
 course of an afternoon, and that it was known as the 
 devil plant in some parts of China. True enough. It 
 was about four inches high when I saw it first; we 
 went into lunch and I forgot about it until the after- 
 noon, when the horrible thing was beginning to 
 appear above my young Cape gooseberries and form 
 a kind of network over them. The gardener needed 
 no urging, but quickly rooted it up and burnt it. He 
 seemed to think it had been brought into the garden 
 with some pots of flowers from the south, and I never 
 saw it so rampant again. 
 
 Many lilies grow in Manchuria — tiger-lilies, 
 orange-lilies, and the sweet-scented lemon variety. 
 The gorgeous Canna lily made a splendid show, like 
 monster gladioli with big bronze or vivid green 
 leaves. In the park which surrounds the Imperial 
 Tombs at Moukden, lily of the valley is to be found. 
 In Korea it is very plentiful ; there is an island which 
 one passes en route to Seoul which I have always 
 longed to see, as I am told it is covered with this 
 
 io6 
 
OUR GARDEN AND ROSE WALK. 
 
AN IRISHWOMAN IN CHINA 
 
 lovely flower. But in Manchuria, as in Siberia, all 
 this beauty is short-lived, and often want of rain 
 made our gardens a sad disappointment. 
 
 We had no very large trees, but groups of elm, 
 willow, and acacia made a pleasant shade. The 
 garden shown in the photographs surrounded a bun- 
 galow which my husband built close to the hospital. 
 There were no trees in the compound at first; but 
 our gardener went up-country and brought down 
 hundreds of willows and elms. The latter were 
 planted in the usual way, but the willows were simply 
 thick poles about twelve feet long, which he planted 
 in spring in deep holes filled with water. On top of 
 these he put horrible caps of rags to keep down the 
 sap, and left them to grow! I was much teased 
 about them. Imagine a double row of bare poles, 
 about two hundred of them, all round our garden. 
 People asked if they were intended to hang the 
 washing on, or to make wire entanglements. One 
 morning a young friend rushed in to me shouting, 
 " Mrs Daly, Mrs Daly, your trees are budding ! " 
 And so they were, every one. Two planted at each 
 side of our principal walk turned out to be weeping- 
 willows, as graceful as any bamboo. The gardener 
 declared he obtained this effect by turning the trees 
 upside down ! 
 
 A certain large, brown, furry caterpillar frequented 
 the elm trees, and looked so exactly like the bark 
 that it was most difficult to distinguish them. They 
 would lie along the trunk in ridges, hundreds of 
 them close together in a compact mass about two 
 feet wide, a most interesting case of protective 
 mimicry. Another pest was the la-la-goo. I be- 
 lieve it is a mole cricket, which burrowed under- 
 
 107 
 
AN IRISHWOMAN IN CHINA 
 
 ground a little way, and with its strong pincers 
 nipped a flourishing nasturtium or snap-dragon 
 plant, which immediately withered and died. 
 
 The gardener laid traps, and tried various ex- 
 pedients, amongst them this curious one : in front of a 
 row of precious plants he put in dozens of castor 
 seeds, and when the castor plants had grown up 
 about a foot, removed them, saying they had served 
 their purpose in keeping off the la-la-goos. Later 
 these creatures develop wings and flop about 
 with loud thuds on the floor, or cling to mosquito 
 screens. 
 
 The Treaty Port of Newchwang, where for several 
 years Dr Daly was the only European doctor, is a 
 very busy place. At that time it was the only port 
 of any importance in Manchuria. The fine River 
 Liao, upon which it is built, taps the hinterland for 
 many miles. Fleets of boats laden with the soy 
 bean and other products of the soil arrive there 
 constantly, and are anchored in rows twenty or thirty 
 deep along the river-bank. 
 
 It is a port of call for steamers of all nations, and 
 for the picturesque junks from the south, with their 
 gaily decorated poop-decks and enormous painted 
 eyes. The Chinese say, " Boat no got eyes, how 
 can see ? " so all are provided with them. 
 
 There is a very strong tide, running from three 
 to five knots. The river is about three-quarters of 
 a mile wide, and presents a most animated appear- 
 ance in summer. Our little cat-rigged boat was too 
 small for such waters, so my husband bought a yawl 
 from a departing resident; she was half-decked, 
 two and a half tons, very safe and comfortable, and 
 we had many a good sail in her. In winter the Liao 
 
 1 08 
 
AN IRISHWOMAN IN CHINA 
 
 froze to a depth of three feet, and the ice piled up 
 on the banks in great hummocks, sometimes ten feet 
 high. The tidal action often caused dangerous 
 cracks to appear in spring near shore long before the 
 river broke up. 
 
 No ship could penetrate the ice, and during the 
 Russian occupation it was suggested that the Port 
 could be kept open by means of ice-breakers. 
 These vessels are built with an enormously strong 
 bow sloping downwards, so that they glide on to 
 the ice and use their weight to break it; but they 
 cannot disperse or sink the ice, so the project was 
 abandoned. 
 
 All native craft left the river, or were drawn up 
 on the banks and covered over, about the middle of 
 November; foreign steamers disappeared a little 
 later, sometimes very hurriedly if severe weather set 
 in and the sharp new ice formed in the water, while 
 spray froze on the decks. They reappeared in 
 spring about the end of March, when one would rush 
 out at the sound of the first signal (an extremely 
 cracked bell) to enjoy the sight of five or six ships 
 steaming slowly through the ice, and once more 
 connecting us with the outside world, after four 
 months' seclusion. 
 
 If the river broke up during a calm, the ice floated 
 quickly out to sea, and was seen no more; but if 
 during a strong southern gale, the floes and hum- 
 mocks were blown up the river and drifted back and 
 forth with the tide, grinding along the side of ships, 
 mounting their anchor chains, until they were obliged 
 to steam back to an anchorage just outside the bar 
 and await a favourable moment to return. Some- 
 times steamers have been detained for days and even 
 
 109 
 
AN IRISHWOMAN IN CHINA 
 
 weeks in this way. It is terribly trying for those on 
 board who are not prepared for such weather; often 
 these ships built for southern runs have no steam- 
 heating apparatus, and are extremely cold. 
 
 To the pilots, waiting in their boat to conduct ships 
 into harbour, autumn and spring, with their sudden 
 storms and bitter cold, bring great hardship. There 
 was a company of eight pilots who pooled their gains ; 
 the boat had been designed and built by one of their 
 number, a fine old Scandinavian, who irresistibly 
 reminded one of pictures of the Vikings, with his 
 long, fair beard, strong build, and grave, courteous 
 manner. 
 
 The Newchwang community was about the same 
 size as that of Ningpo when we arrived ; but many 
 more ships put in at Newchwang, and most of them 
 were officered by Europeans. As this port is a ter- 
 minus, they often remained for several days, and the 
 officers would then join in cricket matches or other 
 amusements. 
 
 Our tennis-courts were made of a mixture of mud, 
 sand, cinders, and lime; and excellent courts they 
 were, faster than grass, not so fast and hard as 
 asphalt. My husband took to cricket again ; he had 
 not had any opportunity of playing in Ningpo, and 
 soon got back his form. Matches were arranged 
 between residents and shipping, or elevens from some 
 gunboat. In one of the former he succeeded in 
 making over a century, and was naturally much 
 "bucked," as our boys would say now; but when 
 he examined the score to see how many threes and 
 fours he had accomplished, found, to his amusement, 
 that the scorer (a ship's captain lately promoted) had 
 entered each run singly, like bales of cargo, so that 
 
 no 
 
AN IRISHWOMAN IN CHINA 
 
 his record consisted of one hundred and fifty-three 
 singles ! 
 
 Some people kept ponies, and enjoyed riding on 
 the plain outside the town ; but in summer this plain 
 was so covered with crops, especially millet, which 
 grows to a height of twelve or fourteen feet, that 
 their course was spoilt. Sometimes wolves used to 
 hide in this millet and frighten so the little coolie 
 boys who picked up our tennis balls, that they 
 would not go home to their villages without escort. 
 Some of our local sports tried to shoot these wolves, 
 but did not get many; it was very difficult in such 
 close cover. 
 
 One great beauty of that northern clime was the 
 sunset. More glorious ones I have never seen even 
 in the Indian Ocean or on our own Western shores, 
 than those which delighted our eyes on summer 
 evenings, gilding the murky waters of the Liao until 
 they shone like burnished gold, and glorifying all the 
 uninteresting country around. 
 
 In winter we amused ourselves by skating on a 
 large pond, sleigh-rides on the river, and many small 
 social functions in our assembly-rooms or in private 
 houses. In those days there were no railways in 
 North China, and no roads. After the closing of the 
 Port our mails came overland, and news was fairly 
 ancient by the time it reached us. 
 
 I missed our up-country expeditions very much at 
 first. After the railways were made I was able to 
 travel about more, and sometimes took short trips 
 by sea also. 
 
 We were fortunate in our residents, many of whom 
 were musical, or talented in other ways. The fancy- 
 dress dance, which was held once a year, brought out 
 
 III 
 
AN IRISHWOMAN IN CHINA 
 
 much latent originality. One engineer appeared as 
 " Red Riding Hood while the wolf was eating her," 
 his nether limbs clad in wolf-skin, while from the 
 waist up he represented a small girl with the tradi- 
 tional red cloak and hood. 
 
 Another youth appeared as a " primeval man," 
 clothed in goat-skins, bearing in one hand a terrible 
 spiked club, in the other a large bone, which he 
 declared was all that was left of a man who said he 
 (the bearer) " was no gentleman " ! 
 
 At first we found the tone of the place extremely 
 conservative. "As it had been, so it should be" 
 was the prevailing idea; and one lady was quite 
 annoyed when we began to receive letters and news- 
 papers every day. She, like the immortal " Toddie," 
 " didn't want to be boddered with lots of fings." But 
 soon we had to march with the changing times \ there 
 was no choice. 
 
 The climate of Manchuria is healthy, very like that 
 of Canada. During the short summer our gardens 
 were gay with many flowers, and up-country the crops 
 were abundant as a rule. The thermometer never 
 rose above go° in the shade in our house, and if we 
 had enough rain it was an enjoyable season. In the 
 winter it was bitterly cold. Temperature drops to 
 zero, io° below, i6°, 20°; 23° below is the lowest I 
 have experienced. Not a green thing is to be seen 
 from the end of November until the end of March ; 
 the ground is frozen to a depth of three feet, and the 
 sting of the north wind absolutely painful. In the 
 middle of the day the bright sunshine, crisp air, and 
 blue skies alleviate the cold ; if there is snow on the 
 ground it is very dazzling, and one's skin is sunburnt 
 
 as in summer. 
 
 112 
 
AN IRISHWOMAN IN CHINA 
 
 Sometimes the temperature drops very suddenly. 
 One year we were still enjoying pleasant autumn 
 weather on the 8th of November. I had been out 
 on a shopping expedition, and came in about six 
 o'clock, noticing as I did so a big thundercloud and 
 frequent flashes of lightning to the north. But it 
 seemed as if the storm were a long way off, and it 
 was still quite mild, with the wind in the south. 
 Suddenly it whipped round to the north, and in five 
 minutes we were in the midst of a tremendous storm. 
 
 Mr Geary Gardiner of the Hongkong and Shang- 
 hai Bank, who was staying with us at the time, came 
 to tell me he could not shut his window which faced 
 liorth and had blown open; so the united forces of 
 the family went to his aid, and managed to shut it, 
 but not before a small snowdrift had formed on his 
 floor. As he remarked, it was like a storm on the 
 stage, lightning and thunder were continuous; the 
 latter came in a long roll, not in claps, and the vel- 
 ocity of the wind must have been very great. This 
 extreme violence only lasted about an hour, but 
 unfortunately the native boats were still in the river 
 and had not time to run for shelter. Many of them 
 foundered. The banks were strewn with wreckage 
 next day, and about four hundred lives were lost in 
 the welter of water, wind, and blinding snow. 
 
 The deep, strong tidal river which meant so much 
 to the trade of Newchwang exacted its toll of lives 
 year by year, not only when sudden storms arose, but 
 at the breaking up of the ice, and when it formed in 
 autumn. The former time I dreaded, for Dr Daly 
 had patients living on the north side of the river, 
 and might be called over there at any moment. Two 
 of his experiences will illustrate the danger. 
 
 113 H 
 
AN IRISHWOMAN IN CHINA 
 
 One dark night he started across the ice on his 
 bicycle to attend an urgent case. About half-way 
 over the bicycle skidded ; he was thrown but not in- 
 jured. When he rose he found his lamp was broken, 
 his bag of instruments had disappeared, and he was 
 alone on that frozen waste, knowing that near the 
 landing-place there was a big crack where the ice 
 had fallen away from the side with the ebb of the 
 tide. He managed to recover his bag, and went on, 
 pushing the bicycle before him. When the front 
 wheel splashed into water, he tried another place, 
 and at last got safely over. 
 
 Another day he was crossing in a " sampan " with a 
 number of natives. The ice had broken, but was 
 drifting about the river in floes and blocks. Their 
 boat and another with only Chinese in her, were 
 caught between two floes, and gradually forced out 
 to sea. My husband knew that if they drifted round 
 a certain bend nothing could save them, so persuaded 
 the men to help him, not only to row, but in getting 
 out on the ice and pushing the boat, rocking her 
 violently to prevent fresh ice forming — anything they 
 could think of to keep her from drifting out to sea 
 with the tide. After two and a half hours of this 
 work, they got near enough to the shore for ropes 
 to be thrown them, and thus partly on and partly 
 through the ice they were dragged in. 
 
 The other boat was not so fortunate ; it drifted past 
 the bend, and was never again heard of. But even 
 that was better than the tragic fate of a boat's crew, 
 who, for several days, drifted in and out of the 
 harbour between floes of ice, and for whom we could 
 do nothing. I saw them from the bund on the first 
 
 day; I heard of them afterwards. The boat was 
 
 114 
 
-MAIN STREET, NEWCHWANG : COVERED CARX AND HANDSOME SHOP SIGNS. 
 
 
 THE RIVER LIAO FREEZES TO A DEPTH OF THREE FEET. 
 
AN IRISHWOMAN IN CHINA 
 
 right in the middle of the river ; many attempts were 
 made to reach her, but without avail. 
 
 Another day we watched nine men leaping from 
 floe to floe. How eagerly we counted them each 
 time, and what a sigh of relief went out when the 
 nine scrambled up the bank safe and sound. 
 
 The ice on the river is usually rough and hum- 
 mocky. The Chinese make paths for the passage 
 of their pai-tze, or sleighs, which are propelled from 
 behind, and shoot along very fast. Sometimes a 
 mile or two of the river will freeze smoothly and allow 
 of ice-boating, an exciting sport, when much tacking 
 is needed. 
 
 The foreign community consisted principally of 
 British subjects ; there were a few Germans, French, 
 and American. The British Consul, Mr Bullock, 
 afterwards Chinese Professor at Oxford, looked after 
 French interests, and a British merchant acted as 
 German, Norwegian, Swedish, Japanese, and United 
 States Consul. When war broke out between Japan 
 and China, this gentleman solemnly notified all whom 
 it might concern that he had transferred his Japanese 
 papers from himself as Japanese Consul to himself as 
 United States Consul. 
 
 Several large business houses had agents at New- 
 chwang, and there was the usual customs staff. We 
 were provided with a chaplain by Bishop Corfe of 
 Korea, but at that time we had no church, service 
 being held in the court-rooms of the British Con- 
 sulate. Our chaplain was a young man, an excellent 
 preacher and good musician, very popular with 
 everyone. 
 
 The only Missions working in Manchuria were 
 the French Mission Apostolique, and the Presby- 
 
 "5 
 
AN IRISHWOMAN IN CHINA 
 
 terian (Scotch and Irish), of whom I shall have more 
 to say later, as we became very friendly with these 
 fine workers, who have well earned the title given 
 them by Putnam Weale of " The Manly Missionary 
 of Manchuria." 
 
 We were also on excellent terms with the members 
 of the French Mission. The " Sisters of Provi- 
 dence " often visited me, and we exchanged cuttings 
 from favourite plants, or shared in the care of sick 
 people. I found a knowledge of French most useful 
 during my life in the East, and looked back with 
 gratitude to the " Mademoiselle " whom I used to 
 think so unnecessarily assiduous in her instructions. 
 
 One day I found the Mother Superior in a great 
 bustle ; she told me with a twinkle in her eye she had 
 just arranged sixteen marriages for her orphan girls ! 
 She was so bright and cheery, and had a great sense 
 of humour. I apologised for bringing in a male 
 friend who wanted some sewing done by the girls. 
 " Ne vous excusez pas, Madame ; j'aime. bien les 
 Messieurs ! " was her response. Alas ! this good 
 Sister died of a most painful disease while still com- 
 paratively young, and towards her end refused all 
 opiates, believing that she had been called upon to 
 endure the full measure of suffering. One could not 
 but admire such fortitude, however mistaken one may 
 feel it is to refuse the alleviations a merciful Creator 
 has provided. 
 
 These Sisters came out for life, but they never lost 
 their love of country, and simply hungered for news 
 in any special time of interest (such as the Fashoda 
 incident), for they are not allowed any newspapers. 
 
 One day a French lady who had come to New- 
 
 chwang called on them. " Une Frangaise, une 
 
 ii6 
 
AN IRISHWOMAN IN CHINA 
 
 Frangaise," cried the Sister who admitted her, and 
 immediately sounded the great bell to summon all 
 her colleagues to share the treat of her company. 
 The Sisters lived very simply, and were not allowed 
 looking-glasses in their rooms. In fact so ascetic 
 was their mode of life that a Cantonese gentleman 
 once told me (in pidgin-English, for he did not under- 
 stand our dialect) that " If God Almighty tell me, if 
 I live all same that French Sister, by and by I go 
 topside, I tell Him I no can!" He was absolutely 
 in earnest, and meant no irreverence by this remark. 
 
 They took in all sorts of people, and refused none, 
 however wretched or ill. True, they could not 
 always manage the bad cases, and, like the Sisters 
 in Ningpo, would call Dr Daly to their help. One 
 bitter winter evening about six o'clock, I was walking 
 home from a friend's house, accompanied by a coolie 
 carrying a lantern. As we passed an archway, we 
 heard someone groaning, and discovered a very poor- 
 looking man lying on the ground, apparently in great 
 pain. Plague was raging ir. the place at the time, 
 and I felt almost sure he was stricken with it, so 
 could not bring him to our hospital, and it would 
 have taken a long time to notify the authorities; so 
 I dispatched the coolie to the French Sisters for aid. 
 They at once sent a litter, took the man to one of their 
 outhouses, and had him attended to. He died next 
 day from exhaustion and exposure, not plague. It 
 was a relief to feel the poor creature spent his last 
 hours in warmth and comfort. 
 
 At that time Newchwang did not possess a hospital, 
 and although the place afforded more opportunities 
 for work than Ningpo, Dr Daly had more leisure than 
 he cared for, so offered to run a hospital either for 
 
 117 
 
AN IRISHWOMAN IN CHINA 
 
 the Presbyterian or Church Mission. But neither of 
 them could build one at the time. However, some 
 of the Chinese merchants said they would gladly do 
 so if my husband would run it for them on Western 
 lines. This he consented to do, and the work of 
 collecting funds was begun, the Chinese realising 
 their need. But neither they nor we had any con- 
 ception of how great that need would be in a few 
 months' time, when Newchwang became what a naval 
 doctor appalled me by calling a " Paradise of Sur- 
 gery." Good heavens! Imagine such a conception 
 of paradise, where, let us hope, the surgeon may 
 turn his knife into a spade or chisel when the warrior 
 turns his sword into a ploughshare ! 
 
 ii8 
 
CHAPTER X 
 
 " The tumult of each sacked and burning village, 
 The shout which every cry for mercy drowns, 
 The soldier's revels in the midst of pillage, 
 The wail of famine in beleaguered towns." 
 
 — Longfellow. 
 
 In ancient times the three provinces of Manchuria, 
 most northern of Chinese dominions, were frequently 
 the theatre of war, while during the last twenty years 
 the war cloud has brooded over them constantly, 
 with very short intervals of the sunshine of peace. 
 
 In the summer of 1894 war broke out between 
 Japan and China, the cause of war being that the 
 former objected to China's action in sending troops 
 to quell a rebellion in Korea, over which country 
 Japan considered herself to have dual control. 
 Japan had long coveted Korea as an outlet for her 
 surplus population ; she warned China that if troops 
 were sent there it would be considered a cause of 
 war, but China thought she was quite strong enough 
 to cope with Japan. One sad result of the war is 
 that poor, beautiful Korea, the " Hermit Kingdom," 
 the " Land of the Morning Calm," was so ruffled 
 and disturbed that her charming name is no longer 
 an appropriate one, for that calm has never since 
 been restored. 
 
 The Japanese dislike living in their own northern 
 island, with its heavy snowfall and frequent fogs, 
 
 119 
 
AN IRISHWOMAN IN CHINA 
 
 Tracts of land have been offered by the Government 
 to those who would colonise there, as well as grants 
 of money and facilities for farming ; but without avail. 
 Korea, where the climate is not unlike their own, 
 Manchuria, with its bright sunshine and crisp air, 
 appeal much more to them, in spite of the cold of the 
 latter in winter. 
 
 For months, probably years, previous to the war, 
 Manchuria was overrun by Japanese spies disguised 
 as Chinese, and their Secret Service department 
 knew the country by heart. Every soldier, and even 
 the sturdy coolie who pushed the laden hand-cart, was 
 supplied with an excellent map. It is very easy for 
 Japanese, if they speak Chinese well, to pass them- 
 selves off as Cantonese or other natives of South 
 China. There were four hundred Japanese thus 
 disguised working on the fortifications of Port 
 Arthur, where the Russians were in occupation of 
 Southern Manchuria. 
 
 Japan, hearing that the KowsM.ng (the large 
 steamer I mentioned in a previous chapter), which 
 was owned and officered by British, had been char- 
 tered by the Chinese Government to carry troops to 
 Korea, sent a cruiser to intercept her. On board 
 this ship were, amongst others, about a thousand 
 men, the pick of the Chinese Army, trained and 
 commanded by Major von Hanneken, a German 
 officer. 
 
 The Japanese stopped the Kowshing, announcing 
 that they would take her and all the soldiers to Japan 
 and retain them there as prisoners of war; but the 
 Chinese general in command absolutely refused to 
 surrender, and consequently the Japanese sank the 
 ship. All the Chinese soldiers were drowned, but 
 
 120 
 
AN IRISHWOMAN IN CHINA 
 
 Major von Hanneken, who was a powerful swimmer, 
 escaped, and so did most of the ship's officers — but 
 not all. 
 
 A pathetic story is told of the wife of one of them, 
 a young woman lately married, who was staying at 
 Chefoo (where a young German lady. Major von 
 Hanneken's fiancee, was also staying at the time). 
 One after another the foreign survivors from the 
 Kowshing, who were thought to be dead, were 
 brought to Chefoo by friendly Chinese junkmen, 
 and as they appeared hope revived, and she could 
 not believe that her husband also had not been 
 saved. Day after day she climbed the hill to the 
 signalling post to see what steamers came in; day 
 after day she inquired who had arrived either in 
 them or the junks; day after day she was dis- 
 appointed ; until at last nerves and health gave way, 
 and her friends persuaded her to return home. 
 
 This was a sad case enough, but what of the wives 
 and families of those men drowned in Korean waters 
 without having had the chance to strike one blow for 
 their country? Undoubtedly, according to Chinese 
 custom, they were all married men. For those 
 desolate ones there was no " Bureau of Information," 
 no " Soldiers and Sailors' Families Associations " ; 
 nothing but the misery of hope deferred — the bitter- 
 ness of bereavement. 
 
 Fighting commenced in Korea, and early in 
 September of that year (1894) one Japanese army 
 rapidly approached the eastern boundary of Man- 
 churia, while another army landed in the south of 
 that country and attacked the fortress of Port Arthur. 
 
 Here the Japanese soldiers found the mutilated 
 bodies of some of their civilian fellow-countrymen, 
 
 121 
 
AN IRISHWOMAN IN CHINA 
 
 and, maddened by the sight, they wreaked an awful 
 revenge. 
 
 They massacred all the inhabitants of the town 
 without mercy, and without regard to class, age, or 
 sex. As a Japanese gentleman who showed me over 
 the place later on remarked quite calmly and simply : 
 " When we took Port Arthur in 1 894 this river (a 
 pretty stream running through the town) ran red, for 
 we killed a//." 
 
 To those poor people^as to how many in Belgium 
 and France to-day? — the fact that their homes 
 were within a war zone meant not only ruin but 
 annihilation. 
 
 The Japanese made short work of the Chinese 
 fleet at Wei-hai-wei, and their two armies, as winter 
 closed in, rapidly overran Manchuria, where the 
 Chinese also massed their forces. During that 
 autumn regiments of Chinese soldiers, sometimes 
 about two thousand strong, passed constantly 
 through ouf little foreign settlement at Newchwang. 
 
 It was a pathetic sight — fine, strong, well-built 
 men, many quite six feet in height, good-humoured 
 and full of hope, not in the least realising what they 
 were going to oppose. They carried quantities of 
 gay flags, and blew blasts on ancient trumpets of 
 great length, probably of the same design as those 
 used outside the walls of Jericho. And their arms! 
 Amongst them were good modern weapons, obsolete 
 breech-loading guns, modern guns with the wrong 
 ammunition, their own ancient jingalls (an unwieldy 
 weapon needing two or three men to carry and fire it 
 off) ; some Chinese soldiers simply carried bamboo 
 pikes ! 
 
 As food for Japanese powder they went, badly 
 
 122 
 
AN IRISHWOMAN IN CHINA 
 
 equipped and organised, badly fed and paid ; without 
 ambulance, commissariat, proper training, or leader- 
 ship. Their uniform was about the worst possible 
 for the field. On a dark ground each man wore a 
 kind of white target, embroidered with some Chinese 
 characters both on the front and back of their 
 jackets ; and, being winter, their clothes were inter- 
 lined with cotton-wool, which was carried through 
 with the bullets into the wounds, causing endless 
 trouble. 
 
 Contrast with this description the foe against 
 whom they advanced so confidently — ^well-armed 
 and disciplined, courageous yet cautious. No " thin 
 line of 'eroes," but a solid phalanx of determined 
 men, looking for victory yet taking no chances. 
 
 In commissariat and clothing the Japanese made 
 some serious mistakes, which they rectified before 
 the next war. For instance, the soldiers were well 
 and suitably clad to resist the rigours of a Man- 
 churian winter — ^good, serviceable clothes, warm 
 underclothing, comfortable, fur-lined coats, with 
 hoods not unlike the Russian bashileek; warm, 
 loose gloves fastened to the coat-sleeve in such a 
 manner that they could be easily slipped on or off; 
 but very poor footgear — shoddy leather boots or even 
 shoes, and the coolies often had only straw sandals, 
 with the result that great numbers suffered from 
 severe frostbite both amongst soldiers and coolies. 
 
 Their Red Cross Society was well organised ; 
 
 many of the doctors had been trained in Germany 
 
 and were quite up-to-date. . Another advantage they 
 
 possessed was their mode of transport. Very few 
 
 horses were employed. Strong jinricksha men and 
 
 other coolies (some very savage-looking creatures 
 
 123 
 
AN IRISHWOMAN IN CHINA 
 
 from the Loo-choo Islands) took their place, and 
 were much easier to forage and arrange for than 
 beasts of burden would have been. 
 
 Severe fighting went on in our immediate neigh- 
 bourhood all that winter; but in spite of all their 
 disadvantages, the Chinese soldiers fought valiantly 
 in battle after battle until outnumbered ; and proved 
 then, as later at Wei-hai-wei, and the other day in 
 the Revolution, that they are by no means to be 
 despised as fighting material. Their leader was old 
 General Sung Ching, a veteran over seventy years 
 of age, whom the Japanese greatly respected for his 
 courage, although he had no knowledge of military 
 tactics. 
 
 Our community consisted of about a hundred and 
 fifty all told, mostly British, but some French, 
 German, and a few Americans. Once the river froze 
 we were completely cut off from the outer world for 
 four months in the year. There were no railways, 
 no roads, and travelling was difficult and wearisome. 
 Our mails usually arrived once a week, but at the 
 close and before the opening of the river there were 
 often long delays. 
 
 As the armies approached nearer and nearer it 
 was decided that we should apply for protection. 
 The United States Government sent up their gun- 
 boat, the Petrel, which was docked for the winter 
 close to the setdement; but this was not considered 
 sufficient, as, should the Chinese soldiers, smarting 
 under defeat, fall back upon Newchwang, the con- 
 sequences to us " aliens," as we were, might be very 
 serious. 
 
 After much consideration the British Government 
 
 sent us the Firebrand, an obsolete gunboat affec- 
 
 124 
 
THE WELL-EQUIPPED JAPANESE SOLDIER, CHINESE-JAPANESE WAR, if 
 CONTRAST THIS WITH PICTURE ON PREVIOUS PAGE. 
 
AN IRISHWOMAN IN CHINA 
 
 tionately known as the " Terror of the East," with 
 about eighty souls on board all told, and so slow that 
 when she offered to convoy a large merchant vessel 
 taking her last voyage to Newchwang for that season, 
 the latter arrived two days before her convoy, having 
 lost sight of her during the first night out, as the 
 " Terror " could not manage more than five knots an 
 hour. I may mention incidentally that for a long 
 time during that war we had an army of forty-five 
 thousand Chinese encamped outside the south wall, 
 about a mile or so from our houses ; but, as we say 
 in China, " Maskee " ("No matter"), we had the 
 Petrel, and the Firebrand, and the day that absurdly 
 inadequate " warship " was docked, exchange went 
 up in the native city, showing the confidence of the 
 Chinese in Great Britain, her probity and protection. 
 
 The Firebrand officers and men did indeed " play 
 the game." All through that trying winter they 
 joined heartily in our mild amusements, made our 
 church services cheery and bright, appreciated our 
 restricted hospitality, and in every way helped us then 
 to " carry on," as we are all trying to do now. The 
 first lieutenant, Mr Carey, started a drum and fife 
 band. He was not a bit musical, but succeeded in 
 producing most inspiriting strains on church parade ; 
 also when he took a firing party with a machine gun 
 out for practice on the plain, preceded (when he 
 could be prevailed upon to precede) by a pretty little 
 brown Manchurian bear, the pet and mascot of the 
 ship's company. 
 
 Other notable additions to our community were 
 the British missionaries summoned from the interior 
 by our Consul after the murder of one of their 
 colleagues by Chinese soldiers. Amongst them were 
 
 125 
 
AN IRISHWOMAN IN CHINA 
 
 medical men and others, both men and women, 
 experienced in nursing and relief work, all of whom 
 were immensely helpful, and cheerfully endured 
 overcrowding and hardships of many kinds. 
 
 It was an unhealthy time. Typhoid, influenza, 
 and scarlet fever broke out amongst us. There were 
 no nurses to be had, but the well nursed the sick, 
 and all, regardless of creed, nationality, or position, 
 lent a helping hand. 
 
 We were so busy with our sick that we scarcely 
 realised how near the fighting was coming, until on 
 returning from a walk one sifternoon I found all my 
 household outside the front gate listening to the long 
 boom of the big guns at Kang-wang-tsai fourteen 
 miles away, where a Battle was raging. 
 
 Long before this our walks had been restricted to 
 a tiny square in the settlement, round and round 
 which on calm days we diligently plodded ; but even 
 that walk was shortened if the north wind blew, to 
 a kind of deck promenade up and down the south 
 side of the square, or beside a large skating pond. 
 
 Along the south walk ran the public road (a mere 
 wide frozen track) into the native town, and down 
 this road flowed a continuous stream of refugees 
 driven in from the surrounding country by the tide 
 of battle. 
 
 The foreign settlement was already full to over- 
 flowing of British refugees; missionaries and their 
 families ; but tk^ese were natives, and in much worse 
 case, many of them ill, old, destitute, having hastily 
 left their homes burning behind them, or to be 
 dismantled and ruined. 
 
 On they came day after day, hour after hour ; 
 
 some in carts covered or open, some in rough sedan- 
 
 126 
 
AN IRISHWOMAN IN CHINA 
 
 chairs, or riding the pretty little Chinese donkeys, 
 but the majority patiently tramping through snow or 
 dust as the case might be, carrying little ones, and 
 perhaps some of their houseliold goods also. Every- 
 one took in some of these refugees. You asked no 
 questions if you found people sleeping in your out- 
 houses or greenhouse. We had about thirty in our 
 compound; others had many more, and the French 
 Mission accommodated a very large number. But 
 even with this help the native town speedily became 
 a " congested district " with a vengeance, and the 
 last outgoing steamers were a sight, crowded to the 
 very funnels with people fleeing south, and thf holds 
 packed Hke the old slave ships for the " middle 
 passage" with human cargo. 
 
 The line of battle in some of the great conflicts in 
 Manchuria in 1904-5 stretched for seventy or eighty 
 miles, and the guns carried eight or ten miles. You 
 can imagine how many people were rendered home- 
 less and destitute in that area. As I write, the line of 
 battle in France, Belgium, and Poland extends for 
 hundreds of miles through a much more populous 
 country, while the guns carry from twelve to sixteen 
 miles. Comment I think is needless, but try to 
 realise what this means, apart even from cruelty and 
 rapine, to the non-combatant, the women, the aged, 
 the children. 
 
 Soon we could see the movements of the com- 
 batants and the bursting shells from the tops of our 
 houses, and the boom of cannon drew nearer and 
 nearer. We noticed the curious effect made by the 
 turning of the shell in the air; it looked as if they 
 paused to consider where to drop before descending. 
 
 127 
 
AN IRISHWOMAN IN CHINA 
 
 Another procession wended its weary way past the 
 Httle square, sadder, more ghastly than that of the 
 refugees^the procession of the wounded, the sick, 
 and the dying. I can see them now, as we saw them 
 then, in rough, jolting carts, carried on men's backs, 
 in great bean baskets or coal baskets, wounded, sick, 
 and dying ; in every case where they had been obliged 
 to lie for any time on the frozen ground, frostbitten. 
 
 It was a bitter winter. The temperature fell to 
 zero, 5° below, io° below, and eventually to 20° 
 below zero, that is to say 50° of frost. This is the 
 cold which kills ; no one can remain out of doors for 
 the night with impunity. 
 
 One terribly cold day (it was Sunday evening, I 
 remember, and we were all muffled up in furs while 
 attending service) we heard to our horror that about 
 two hundred wounded men, not knowing they could 
 be cared for in Newchwang, had been sent off in 
 open carts to Tientsin, a distance of four hundred 
 miles. How many reached there alive we never 
 knew. 
 
 For the first time in the history of China a Red 
 Cross organisation was started in Shanghai, and 
 many Chinese ladies helped in it, notably Mrs Ander- 
 sen, a daughter of the great Chinese house of Lysoon. 
 In Newchwang Dr Daly organised a branch of the 
 society, with the hearty co-operation of naval and 
 missionary doctors. 
 
 Once the River Liao was frozen we could no longer 
 
 obtain supplies from Shanghai, and well was it for us 
 
 that medical stores had reached the Port for those 
 
 doctors who had come from the interior, as otherwise 
 
 both medicine and anaesthetics must have run out. 
 
 I think you can now clearly realise what our posi- 
 
 12S 
 
AN IRISHWOMAN IN CHINA 
 
 tion was, in a community of about one hundred and 
 fifty civilians, say a hundred and sixty officers and 
 men on the two gunboats, severe fighting going on 
 around us, refugees and wounded pouring into the 
 town. Added to this, the constant dread of attack by 
 Chinese soldiery should they get out of hand, infec- 
 tious sickness in our midst, and no possibility of 
 leaving except by cart or on horseback through a 
 disturbed country and in bitterly cold weather, our 
 nearest refuge being Tientsin, four hundred miles 
 away. And yet I feel I can honestly say we could 
 all have joined in the cheery shout which our soldiers 
 raise so often now: " Were we downhearted? — No! " 
 
 There was never any panic amongst us, and 
 mighty little grumbling. I don't for a moment say I 
 was never afraid; I was horribly afraid more than 
 once during our various experiences, and I am 
 sure other women were afraid too. But we kept our 
 fears to ourselves, trusted in God, and took all 
 sensible precautions ; in fact I think we all acted on 
 much the same lines as good old Pere Caubriere, one 
 of the French Mission, who, when warned by Dr 
 Paul, the Times correspondent, that he was running 
 into danger, said : " I put my trust in God, mais j'ai 
 aussi mon pistolet ! " unconsciously paraphrasing 
 Cromwell's famous advice to his Ironsides. And, 
 after all, my own countrymen will understand me 
 when I say it is not worth while to be alive if one 
 is so desperately afraid of being dead ! 
 
 One anxious night I will describe — a battle had 
 
 been fought not far off, and Dr Daly had gone to sec 
 
 about the wounded being brought into shelter as 
 
 quickly as possible. It was quite late, he had not 
 
 returned, the children and Amah were asleep, and 
 
 129 I 
 
AN IRISHWOMAN IN CHINA 
 
 the men-servants had gone to their quarters. Sud- 
 denly I heard three guns fired quite near. Now our 
 defenders had arranged that if need arose for women 
 and children to take refuge on the gunboats, the 
 signal would consist of three guns with an interval 
 of fifteen seconds between each gun, after which a 
 red lamp would be hoisted at the different Consular 
 flagstaffs, and the masthead of the gunboats. 
 
 For the life of me I could not tell from what direc- 
 tion those guns sounded — ^whether from the gunboats 
 to the north of the house, or from the Chinese army 
 to the south ; nor could I count the interval. So I 
 ran into the dining-room, from which, fortunately, the 
 flagstaff of the British Consulate could be seen. All 
 was in darkness. I returned to my room, but took 
 a look at the hold-all which I had prepared to take 
 with me, and hastily put in another bottle of Mellin's 
 food for the baby. About twenty minutes after three 
 more guns boomed, and I went through the same 
 performance, except that I did not add to baby's 
 supplies ; and all through the night at short intervals 
 the firing continued, until about two a.m. it ceased. 
 Dr Daly came in, and told me what had happened. 
 
 The retreating Chinese soldiers had tried to fall 
 back upon Newchwang, and every time the city 
 gate to the south of our settlement was opened to 
 let in wounded men, a disorderly rabble of soldiers 
 clamoured for admission. The Chinese General was 
 moving about, and constantly being saluted, and his 
 salute consisted of three guns! 
 
 Had it not been for the prompt action of a fine old 
 mandarin, a certain Mr Ma, the General could not 
 have saved us from an ugly rush of retreating gnd 
 demoralized troops. 
 
 130 
 
AN IRISHWOMAN IN CHINA 
 
 This mandarin stood at the city gate, a loaded 
 revolver in each hand, and threatened to shoot the 
 first man who entered without his permission, thus 
 keeping out the soldiers, and ensuring our safety. 
 
 But the wounded poured in that night in such 
 numbers that our accommodation was quite inade- 
 quate, while it was necessary to get them into shelter 
 and warmth as quickly as possible. Already some 
 were frozen to death. 
 
 Dr Daly sent a message to Mr Webster of the 
 Scotch Mission, a man well known and liked by the 
 Chinese, asking him to procure an inn as quickly as 
 possible for the wounded men. 
 
 Away went Mr Webster, full of zeal and energy, 
 and, marching into the first inn he passed, announced 
 in stentorian tones to the astonished landlord : " In 
 the name of the Emperor I demand this inn for his 
 wounded soldiers ; turn out your guests ! " — and they 
 actually obeyed him ! 
 
 An hour or so passed, and again the message came, 
 " Find me an inn." Off he went again, made the 
 same announcement, and procured another inn. 
 
 Four times that night Mr Webster received the 
 message, " Find me an inn " ; four times he made the 
 same announcement, " In the name of the Emperor 
 I demand. this inn for his wounded soldiers ; turn out 
 your guests," and four inns were duly procured, 
 although, I must allow, with increasing difficulty, for 
 amongst those guests were naturally some wHo dfd 
 not see why their comfort should be so lightly set 
 aside. 
 
 One of these was a mandarin, who came down from 
 the country that afternoon with all his entourage. 
 Thoroughly disgusted and worn out by repeated 
 
 131 
 
AN IRISHWOMAN IN CHINA 
 
 ejections into the icy streets, he at last turned upon 
 Mr Webster, and insisted on his going with him 
 before the Governor of the town, to whom he de- 
 nounced that enthusiastic and kindly missionary as a 
 " hung-hu-tze," or brigand of the deepest dye. For- 
 tunately the Governor knew Mr Webster, and had 
 himself been helping in Red Cross work, so he 
 explained matters; but personally I have some 
 sympathy with that harassed mandarin ! 
 
 As you can well imagine, surgical dressings, ban- 
 dages, etc., began to run short, and many hands were 
 needed to prepare them. Our house was turned into 
 a kind of factory, and all who could helped. We 
 employed some of our refugees, who speedily became 
 very skilful at the work. Although we set aside two 
 rooms for it, the house seemed to be all over ban- 
 dages, lint, and cotton-wool, in various stages of 
 preparation, all day; and every evening four great 
 canvas bags were sent up to be filled for the hospitals, 
 which had to be supplied with bandages and other 
 dressings, according to the list of requirements sent 
 by each doctor. 
 
 The accommodation in these temporary hospitals 
 was of the roughest, the surroundings far from ideal, 
 but to the Chinese soldier they were (as Dr Christie 
 says in his most interesting book ^) " heaven." For 
 the first time in history, Chinese wounded received 
 skilled attention and kindly care, were warmed and 
 fed, and to them it was heaven. 
 
 As I said before, we had no nurses, but doctors, 
 clergy, sailors, and officers, customs assistants, and 
 men, business men, pilots — in fact all who could 
 
 '"Thirty Years in Moukden." 
 132 
 
AN IRISHWOMAN IN CHINA 
 
 helped ; and excellent were the results. The Chinese 
 have great recuperative powers, and many a life was 
 saved, many a sorely wounded man cured. 
 
 Our helpers are worthy of a few words of 
 description. 
 
 Working with my husband were seven other 
 doctors, two of them naval men, five medical mission- 
 aries. There was Dr Christie, handsome, courteous, 
 Highland gentleman, of whom we will hear again 
 later — ^with him were trained Chinese workers, who 
 did excellent service; Dr Penny of the Firebrand, 
 full of zeal, energy, and cheerfulness ; Dr Arnold of 
 the Petrel, clever, kindly, and full of a slightly sar- 
 donic humour. To the bluejackets every Chinaman 
 was " John," while Dr Arnold generally accosted them 
 as " My — Christian — relation," and informed them 
 that according to all laws of hygiene, medicine, and 
 surgery, they ought to die ; but as they did not under- 
 stand a word he said, they simply profited by his skill, 
 and lived to fight another day. Mr Macintyre, one 
 of the patriarchs of the Scotch Mission, interpreted 
 for the doctors, comforted the patients in fluent 
 Chinese, and nursed them with such devotion, that 
 one man was known as " Macintyre's Resurrection 
 Case." He even supplied certain cases with a little 
 opium when he thought it advisable, a proceeding 
 which would, I imagine, be viewed with horror by the 
 " unco guid." 
 
 In view of recent experiences at home, it may 
 interest you to know how the war affected our house- 
 keeping. Every year (until the railways were built) 
 we were isolated for four months by the freezing of 
 the river, so well before that occurred, which was 
 usually in November, we laid in groceries, vege- 
 
 133 
 
AN IRISHWOMAN IN CHINA 
 
 tables, potatoes, and even fruit, which, in the long, 
 dry winter, was almost a necessity. There were two 
 Chinese shops from which one could obtain stores, 
 but they were not very reliable; their prices had 
 greatly increased, and also there was a run upon 
 them, owing to the presence of so many refugees. 
 So the housekeeper needed to look ahead and provide 
 well ; and glad I was that flour was included in my 
 list, as the Chinese baker got a damaged lot that 
 year, or else stored it next to his oil, and most people 
 had to eat bread richly flavoured with parafin. 
 
 As the campaign progressed, the Japanese found 
 that rice alone was a very unsuitable kind of food 
 for an army in the field, and they bought up all the 
 European stores they could get, as well as meat, 
 fowl, fuel, and furs. In fact, on looking back after 
 four experiences of life in a war zone; I find that 
 household expenses increased on each occasion, and 
 never returned to their original standard; conse- 
 quently, the Treaty Port of Newchwang, instead of 
 being the cheapest place on the Chinese coast, 
 became the dearest. The cost of living had quad- 
 rupled. 
 
 So the winter passed, with constant fighting 
 going on, and (except in one mountain pass where 
 they were held in check by a bandit chief and his 
 followers) a steady advance towards Newchwang of 
 the two Japanese armies now united. We asked 
 ourselves anxiously what was going to happen, as 
 Sung Ching's army, forty-five thousand strong, lay 
 outside our gates, and we were bound to have a very 
 hot time indeed if he gave battle there. On the 4th 
 of March old Newchwang, thirty miles to the north 
 of us, fell into the hands of the Japanese, after a 
 
 134 
 
AN IRISHWOMAN IN CHINA 
 
 severe and bloody battle, and the next day, to our 
 great relief, Sung Ching withdrew his army ten miles, 
 to Tien-chwang-tai, and concentrated there. 
 
 On the 5th the people were greatly excited and 
 alarmed, knowing the Japanese were approaching. 
 Many of the wounded and sick fled from the hospitals, 
 not understanding the protection of the Red Cross. 
 The doctors tried hard to reassure and keep them, 
 but in a great many cases without avail. 
 
 On the morning of the 6th, the Japanese quietly 
 entered Newchwang; there was a little fighting in 
 the streets, after which we thought all was over, but 
 in the afternoon a sudden cannonade began quite 
 near us. The Chinese fort, less than two miles off, 
 had opened fire, and as their shells were directed in 
 a very erratic manner, the town and settlement were 
 in quite as much danger as the Japanese. My hus- 
 band went off to the hospitals to see to his patients, 
 and two of the non-combatant officers of the gunboat 
 came to look after me, our children, and two other 
 ladies who were with us. Our house was very near 
 the gunboats, but we thought it best not to take 
 refuge on board, lest our doing so should cause panic 
 amongst servants and refugees. 
 
 So again we watched the shells poising and burst- 
 ing in their peculiarly intelligent manner, and waited 
 anxiously for the end of the duel. It only lasted a 
 few hours, when some ground mines exploded, killing 
 a few Japanese, and the little garrison retired across 
 the river after spiking their guns. 
 
 Next day we saw the Japanese army, horse, foot, 
 and artillery, moving up the great white road of the 
 frozen River Liao to Tien-chwang-tai, where the last 
 stand of the Chinese army was made. 
 
 135 
 
AN IRISHWOMAN IN CHINA 
 
 Early on the 8th, cannonading began, and con- 
 tinued all that day and part of the next. Hour after 
 hour we listened to it, until there was a sudden 
 violent explosion which shook our house — and then 
 silence — that sinister silence after the boom of 
 cannon, the scream of shells, the sharp crack of rifle- 
 firing, is not good to listen to. 
 
 136 
 
CHAPTER XI 
 
 "There lies a giant asleep." 
 
 — Napoleon the Great (om China). 
 
 The town of Tien-chwang-tai, a busy place of some 
 ten thousand inhabitants, was burnt to the ground 
 by the Japanese, and the large fleet of river-boats 
 docked there for the winter was also destroyed. 
 Some of our Red Cross helpers went there at once, 
 and a few days later a party of doctors, who found 
 only one house left standing, and the streets full of 
 dead bodies, both soldiers and civilians. A very 
 few wounded crept out from the ruins, and were 
 brought back to Newchwang. 
 
 They saw also what to me was one of the greatest 
 horrors of war, the half -wild, ghoulish dogs which 
 infested the battle-fields, often feeding on the dead. 
 I longed for the ice on the river to break, so that they 
 could not avail themselves of that road to come 
 prowling round our homes. Some Manchurian dogs 
 are very handsome and have magnificent coats. In 
 some parts there are dog farms where these fine 
 animals are bred, and it is interesting to know that 
 one of the Arctic expeditions (I think the Peary one) 
 obtained their sleigh dogs from Manchuria. 
 
 But those dogs which go about the villages and 
 towns in gangs of a dozen or so, are a mongrel type, 
 often very like wolves, and most unpleasant to meet 
 at night. In the summer they collect in some waste 
 
 137 
 
AN IRISHWOMAN IN CHINA 
 
 spot and make night hideous with their barking and 
 howHng. What added greatly to my disHke to them 
 was that North China is one of the worst places 
 in the world for hydrophobia. I think it is a great 
 mistake to keep foreign dogs there; the climate is 
 very dry, not a green thing to be had for so long in 
 winter, and the water in Newchwang impregnated 
 with salt to such an extent that even when boiled 
 and filtered it is not free from it. Dogs become cross 
 and snappish. One fine St Bernard developed a 
 very bad temper, and it was no wonder, poor dear, 
 for he came from Australia, and on his first arrival 
 mistook the seasons and shed his warm coat in 
 winter. Afterwards he adapted himself better to the 
 climate, but was never happy. 
 
 One year there were so many cases of hydrophobia 
 in Shanghai that the British Volunteer Force took 
 the law into their own hands and shot masterless dogs 
 in great numbers. 
 
 One of our intimate friends, truly a " very gallant 
 gentleman," died of this dread disease, facing his 
 doom with a courage and Christian resignation 
 worthy of all praise ; for such as he truly " the shadow 
 of death " (and what a death !) " is turned into the 
 morning." 
 
 The Japanese occupied the Port and strictly for- 
 bade egress from the town, which was placed under 
 military rule. Some of our residents then began to 
 feel a strong desire to walk upon the frozen and 
 wind-swept plain outside the walls, and were greatly 
 insulted by the curtailing of their liberty. The 
 British Consul, with the Commanders of the Fire- 
 brand and Petrel, all three impressive-looking men, 
 announced that th^y certainly could pass out, and, 
 
 138 
 
AN IRISHWOMAN IN CHINA 
 
 arrayed in all their glory, attempted to do so. But 
 the little brown-coated sentry silently placed his 
 musket across the gate, and back they came — fuming. 
 
 Before very long Mr Sanomiya, a highly placed 
 official at the Court of the Japanese Emperor, took 
 over charge at Newchwang, and established a Civil 
 Administration. He was a cultured man who under- 
 stood how to deal with Europeans, and the adminis- 
 trators in the other large towns seem on the whole 
 to have dealt justly with the people during that 
 occupation, although at first many excesses were 
 committed and injustices done. Japanese officials 
 compare very favourably with the Chinese ; but their 
 commercial men, on the other hand, have neither the 
 business capacity nor the character for upright dealing 
 possessed by the latter. Japanese, like the Russians, 
 are not good colonists ; they prefer their own country 
 to any other, consequently those who emigrate are 
 usually an inferior type most difficult to deal with; 
 especially when added to the ordinary emigrant, you 
 get the heterogeneous crowd which follow an army 
 and are under practically no control or discipline. 
 However, in time these people returned to Japan, or 
 drifted south, and we saw no more of them for the 
 moment. They made little lasting mark upon the 
 country at that time; but the fact that Japanese, 
 following Western methods of warfare, had so easily 
 defeated the imperial forces, opened the eyes of 
 thoughtful Chinese to the backward condition of the 
 Flowery Kingdom, and had far-reaching results. 
 
 The Japanese Red Cross hospitals were well 
 managed, but suffered from the effects of " red tape," 
 just as so many of our own institutions do. 
 
 My husband took me to visit a Japanese hospital, 
 
 139 
 
AN IRISHWOMAN IN CHINA 
 
 which we found in excellent order under Dr Kato, 
 who had been trained in Germany. The day was 
 frightfully cold and very windy ; it was all I could do 
 with the help of a stout stick and my husband's arm 
 to walk against the wind. Poor Dr Kato was in 
 despair, for he had received orders to remove his 
 patients the next day to the headquarters of the 
 Brigade, some eight miles away, and he was obliged 
 to obey no matter what the weather might be. 
 
 Next morning our chaplain saw the wounded and 
 sick being transported on litters and hand-carts to 
 this place in the midst of a blizzard; before they 
 left the town they were covered with snow, and he 
 thought the Japanese must be removing their dead! 
 
 I think the fact that the Japanese refused to employ 
 pilots must also have been due to red tape of some 
 kind, for it led to much unnecessary loss and danger. 
 
 One day we had all assembled on the bund to 
 watch the little Firebrand coming out of dock. 
 There was a very strong tide running and a half-gale 
 blew from the south. Presently a Japanese trans- 
 port came into harbour laden with troops, and having 
 also on board the Korean Minister and his follow- 
 ing, and a French newspaper correspondent. She 
 anchored close to a Japanese man-of-war, and, mis- 
 calculating the strength of wind and tide, drifted 
 on to the ram of the latter ship, colliding against it 
 with such force that a great hole was made in her 
 side. The transport was a fine vessel, captured from 
 the Chinese, who beamed with satisfaction when they 
 saw her making for the north shore, rapidly sinking 
 as she went. 
 
 Many boats surrounded her and took off crew and 
 passengers ; one boat from the Firebrand, under the 
 
 140 
 
AN IRISHWOMAN IN CHINA 
 
 command of our friend Mr Carey, received the 
 Frenchman, and the officer was greatly embarrassed 
 by the latter's fervent gratitude and frequent ejacula- 
 tions of " Mon sauveur! mon sauveur! " 
 
 A fortnight later the pilots again had the laugh on 
 their side, for the ship in which the Japanese Ad- 
 ministrator left was stuck on the bar, and two more 
 of their vessels adorned the muddy banks of the 
 Liao, one on either side. 
 
 Peace was signed on the 8th of May. 
 
 Already the terms of this peace were rendered 
 much more favourable to China than they would 
 otherwise have been by the foolish action of a 
 Japanese student, who attacked Li Hung Chang, 
 and inflicted a bullet wound upon the aged states- 
 man, when he visited Japan as Chinese Pleni- 
 potentiary. Later Russia, France, and Germany 
 stepped in and prevented Japan reaping the full 
 benefit of her victory by insisting upon the retroces- 
 sion of Port Arthur and the Liaotung Peninsula. 
 She was obliged to content herself with the large and 
 fertile island of Formosa, a great portion of which 
 neither Japan or China has ever really conquered. 
 
 For many months the country districts of Man- 
 churia were a prey to bandits and in a most unsettled 
 condition. Alarming rumours reached Shanghai as 
 to the state of Newchwang and the safety of 
 foreigners there. Early in spring the British cruiser 
 Edgar was sent up, but could not enter the river 
 because of the ice ; some of her officer^ penetrated 
 half-way up in a steam-launch, they then landed, and 
 tramped through mud and sluSh to the settlement, 
 bearing six heavy bags of mail with them. How 
 
 welcome they and these bags were you can well 
 
 141 
 
AN IRISHWOMAN IN CHINA 
 
 imagine ; we had had no letters or papers for about 
 a month. Soon another British ship, the Porpoise, 
 appeared, and, having heard we were in evil case, 
 actually loaded up with provisions, flour, fowl, and 
 even sheep! We were right glad to get them too, 
 although we still had food; luxuries were non- 
 existant, and comforts very expensive. 
 
 All that winter we had had a European patient or 
 two in our spare room, which was a large and sunny 
 apartment; but many of our refugee friends had so 
 little furniture that we lent them what we could spare, 
 and this room was soon furnished as a " prophet's 
 chamber," with " table, bed, stool, and candlestick," 
 the only extra being a bath. 
 
 Dr Paul, the Times correspondent, who met with 
 an accident at Tien-chwang-tai, occupied it for some 
 weeks, and was amused at the gradual disappear- 
 ance of all superfluous articles. In after years we 
 had a small ward set aside in the Chinese hospital 
 for European patients, and people of many nation- 
 alities were treated there. 
 
 At the close of the war Dr Daly was given the 
 Order of the Double Dragon, third grade, which 
 carries with it a certain official Chinese rank. He 
 was also presented with a very handsome wooden 
 tablet, which hangs in our hall. 
 
 Mrs Percy French says I am to describe this tablet ; 
 that what I have said conveys nothing to her mind 
 (and she is most intelligent), so perhaps I had better 
 try to make a clearer picture of it. 
 
 The Chinese often present scrolls, satin hangings, 
 on these large wooden tablets, as signs of apprecia- 
 tion of work done for them, or on special occasions 
 
 such as a wedding. This particular one is about ten 
 
 142 
 
AN IRISHWOMAN IN CHINA 
 
 feet by five, of a very soft, dark blue colour, with a 
 quotation from the classics in large gold characters 
 inscribed upon it, and (also in gold) the names of the 
 six Chinese generals who presented it, amongst them 
 General Sung Ching, who was Commander-in-Chief 
 of the Chinese forces in Manchuria at that time. It 
 has a very handsome red and blue carved frame, 
 and is the nicest thing of the kind I have ever seen ; 
 many of them are very crude in colouring. It was 
 brought to our house with a flourish of trumpets and 
 much beating of gongs and clashing of cymbals, and 
 hung in our dining-room for years. When returning 
 home we decided to bring it with us, and it is an 
 object of much interest to our friends as well as an 
 interesting memento for ourselves. 
 
 The doctors who worked with Dr Daly were also 
 given the Double Dragon; and the Chinese Red 
 Cross Society voted some surplus money which 
 remained after the war to certain hospitals. 
 
 Our share enabled us to build the hospital which 
 had been previously planned ; the Chinese merchants 
 again came forward to help with it, and one of our 
 first European contributors was the late Mrs Bird- 
 Bishop, the well-known traveller and author. 
 
 That clever and charming lady had come over from 
 Korea on the outbreak of war ; we met her several 
 times and greatly enjoyed doing so. She was a 
 genuine traveller and observer ; not of the type who 
 could be taken in by practical jokers, or who over- 
 power one with endless questions. She was really 
 interested in the country and people, and wherever 
 she went encouraged and supported medical work. 
 
 She had a beautiful speaking voice, an admirable 
 vocabulary, and a dignified presence. But she was 
 
 143 
 
AN IRISHWOMAN IN CHINA 
 
 terribly energetic ! In spite of her sixty-three years 
 and extremely delicate health, she would spend hours 
 writing, travelling, or taking photographs, and would 
 sometimes be so fatigued that there was nothing for 
 it but complete rest in bed. 
 
 One day we took her out saiUng. As it happened, 
 we had to tack frequently, and every time we went 
 about Mrs Bishop insisted upon changing her seat 
 in order to trim the boat, and thought me very lazy 
 not to do so. In vain I protested that it was not 
 necessary, and that we had taken her out for a restful 
 afternoon on the water. She sailed her own boat 
 on a Highland lake, and would have none of my 
 indolent methods. I took her back to the British 
 Consulate after about two hours of this exercise quite 
 tired out, but after a short rest she was delighting us 
 again with her interesting talk. She was quite in- 
 different to food, and, her Chinese servant said, often 
 made a meal of little flour cakes made of exactly the 
 same mixture as the paste she used for putting in 
 her photographs! Her description of Newchwang 
 was " this dustiest and friendliest of ports.". 
 
 The attitude of the ordinary Chinese towards the 
 war was curiously indifferent; they said it was no 
 concern of theirs, and thought of it only as a rebellion 
 which would be quickly quelled by the Emperor and 
 his troops. Many people in remote regions never 
 heard of the war at all; but it had an awakening 
 effect on some of the more progressive, who were 
 bitterly humiliated by their defeat at the hands of the 
 "dwarfs." One funny excuse the soldiers gave for 
 bad shooting was that they had been trained to fire 
 at full-grown men, consequently their bullets went 
 over the heads of the Japanese! 
 
 144 
 
AN IRISHWOMAN IN CHINA 
 
 A Chinese gentleman (the same who was so im- 
 pressed by the simplicity of the French Sisters' mode 
 of life) said to us a few years later, " Our country is 
 asleep, our Emperor is asleep ; the war with Japan 
 disturbed them, but now," he added (yawning in a 
 most realistic manner), "they have fallen asleep 
 again." 
 
 It certainly looked like it to the ordinary observer. 
 The people returned to their villages, rebuilt their 
 houses, re-sowed and tilled their fields; business 
 again became brisk in spite of the disturbed state of 
 the country. 
 
 But underneath this appearance of forgetfulness 
 and indifference, the tide of change and progress 
 rose higher and higher. 
 
 Foreign methods and education, even the foreign 
 religion became for a time the fashion. Missionaries 
 were obliged to look closely into the motives of those 
 who wished to enter the Christian Church ; not that 
 they were " rice Christians," but because they thought 
 Western religion, like Western science, must be an 
 advantageous study, for were not the nations who 
 professed it far more powerful than the followers of 
 Buddha or Confucius ? 
 
 The Emperor himself was studying the Bible and 
 other Christian books, as well as modern scientific 
 works and histories. He was extremely friendly with 
 the Reform party, and sanctioned the building of 
 railways, and of a university to be conducted on 
 Western lines in Peking. It seemed as if radical and 
 greatly needed reforms would be peacefully accom- 
 plished. 
 
 Perhaps he was in too great a hurry, and that the 
 effort he contemplated to free himself from the 
 
 145 K 
 
AN IRISHWOMAN IN CHINA 
 
 dominion of the Empress Dowager, and to wrest 
 the power from her, would have resulted in disaster 
 to his people ; who can tell ? 
 
 That astute and ruthless woman had ostensibly 
 resigned control of the Empire to her nephew in 1 889, 
 after her long Regency; but the Emperor Kuang 
 Hsii never really shook himself free from her power- 
 ful influence, although up to the time of China's war 
 with Japan, he and his aunt seem to have been on 
 excellent terms. For the defeat and humiliation of 
 the Manchu dynasty in this war, she blamed him 
 bitterly, though she had never advised him against 
 it, and knew well that the money intended for naval 
 reform had been expended on the Summer Palace 
 at the instigation of her favourite eunuch, Li Lien 
 Ying. 
 
 The Emperor still fulfilled all his ceremonial 
 duties towards the Empress Dowager. Li, who 
 hated him — ^why, it is not easy to find out — delighted 
 in making them as difficult and humiliating as 
 possible. For instance, we are told in " China under 
 the Empress Dowager " ^ that when the Emperor 
 visited the Summer Palace, he was obliged to kneel 
 at the inner gate until admitted by this eunuch, who 
 sometimes kept him waiting for half an hour before 
 allowing him to enter. 
 
 In 1898 the Empress Dowager made her great 
 coup d'etat, and once more seated herself upon the 
 Dragon throne, compelling the Emperor to issue 
 an edict in which he stated that she did so at his 
 request. Six of the principal Reformers were exe- 
 cuted, others exiled, a reactionary policy was vigor- 
 
 * Bland and Backhouse. 
 146 
 
AN IRISHWOMAN IN CHINA 
 
 ously pursued, and progress and reform retarded for 
 another decade. 
 
 The poor Emperor found his St Helena on an 
 exquisite island within the Forbidden City, from 
 which he never again issued except to fulfil the man- 
 dates of the Empress Dowager, and the now empty 
 ceremonials which she dared not allow him to forgo. 
 
 He had undoubtedly been genuine in his efforts at 
 reform for his country and emancipation for himself, 
 but he had failed. 
 
 Once more the Giant's sleep was disturbed — ^never 
 afterwards were his slumbers so profound as in the 
 past. 
 
 147 
 
CHAPTER XII 
 
 "The palace that to heaven his pillars threw, 
 
 I saw the solitary ringdove there ; 
 And coo coo coo, she cried, and coo coo coo ! " 
 
 — Omar Khayydm. 
 
 Twenty years ago dwellers in Great Britain knew 
 little about Manchuria. When we first went there, I 
 received a doleful letter from one of my sisters com- 
 plaining that I had been far enough away in Mid- 
 China, but now seemed to have "gone into space." 
 Missionaries home on furlough, when called upon 
 to address meetings, were obliged to " begin at the 
 beginning," as children say: explain where their 
 sphere of work was, and describe climate and con- 
 ditions ; while when the war broke out, even well- 
 informed people, editors of responsible papers and 
 periodicals at home, were extremely hazy about the 
 whole thing. 
 
 A telegram appeared in the Times one day, which 
 amused us very much : " Confidence has been restored 
 in Newchwang by the arrival of H.M.S. Esk at 
 Ichang." Personally, we failed to feel much safer 
 because that minute vessel had arrived at a port a 
 few thousand miles away! The general idea of the 
 cause of war was that it had " something to do with 
 Korea," and few people had grasped the importance 
 of this war, not only to the Far East, but to Europe. 
 
 148 
 
NORTH TOMB, MOUKDEN, WHERE LIES THE FOUNDER OF THE MANCHU 
 
 DYNASTY. 
 
 COURTYARD, NORTH TOMB : GREAT STONE FIGURES OF ANIMALS. 
 
AN IRISHWOMAN IN CHINA 
 
 My readers will, I hope, forgive this digression, 
 and also the little description I am about to give them 
 of Manchuria and its people, as my reason for inflict- 
 ing it upon them is that I may make clear why Man- 
 churia has been the scene of war in modern times as 
 in the centuries gone by, and what fatal attraction she 
 possesses for her neighbours in the north and the 
 east. 
 
 The population of Manchuria is reckoned at about 
 twenty millions, but it is always increasing through 
 the arrival of emigrants from Shantung and other 
 poor or congested southern districts. Only about 
 two and a half millions are really of Manchu ancestry, 
 but at the time I write of in this chapter, they were 
 still powerful. Those Chinese who came from the 
 south perhaps a hundred years ago, still do not 
 consider themselves Manchus, although they have 
 adopted the customs and dress of that people. 
 
 The Manchu dynasty came into power in 1644, 
 when the last representative of the great Ming 
 dynasty called upon the Manchus to help him to 
 quell a serious rebellion. They were at that time a 
 hardy and warlike people, inured to hardship, excel- 
 lent horsemen, and possessing a well-disciplined army 
 trained in the use of the bow. They responded at 
 once, marched to Peking, and easily quelled the 
 rebellion ; but when requested to return to their own 
 country, flatly refused to do so, and the wretched 
 Ming Emperor, Chung Chen, found, to his dismay, 
 that the Manchus had come to stay. They calmly 
 proceeded to conquer the rest of the Flowery King- 
 dom, and established garrisons known as " Tartar " 
 garrisons in every province. By degrees they lost 
 their warlike attributes, and became so assimilated 
 
 149 
 
AN IRISHWOMAN IN CHINA 
 
 to the commercial and peace-loving Chinese, that to 
 the ordinary observer it is difficult to differentiate 
 between them. 
 
 In the northern and central provinces there are 
 splendid waterways, notably the Amur and its tribu- 
 taries, and the country is rich in gold and other 
 minerals, as yet very little exploited ; while the virgin 
 forests contain most valuable timber and all sorts of 
 game, from the great Manchurian tiger, said to be 
 the finest in the world, to the little tarabagon or 
 musquash, beloved of motoring ladies. 
 
 When we first went north, furs were very cheap ; 
 we bought squirrel, racoon, even sables, and a friend 
 of mine, the wife of a well-known missionary, pos- 
 sessed a magnificent sable stole, having bought the 
 skins for about eight or ten shillings each, prob- 
 ably less. When on furlough with her husband, she 
 innocently wore this beautiful stole on the platform of 
 a missionary meeting, and was considered a most 
 extravagant and worldly woman, who must ruin her 
 husband by her indulgence in expensive furs! She 
 was obhged to hide away her stole all the time they 
 were at home. 
 
 The richest and most fertile part of Manchuria is 
 the great plain extending from the hinterland of 
 Newchwang right up to Harbin. Some parts of 
 Manchuria are very beautiful ; Kirin I have heard 
 described as one of the most picturesque cities in 
 the world, and the district of the Chien Shan (or 
 thousand peaks) is very lovely also. 
 
 In the fertile regions almost any kind of crop will 
 flourish, but the staple products of the country are 
 beans and millet. To the dwellers in North China, 
 millet affords food, fuel, fodder, and is extraordin- 
 
 150 
 
AN IRISHWOMAN IN CHINA 
 
 arily productive. Bean cake, bean oil, and beans 
 pour into the Port by boat in the summer, by cart 
 in the winter ; in fact, when there has been a harvest 
 of what the natives call " twelve tenths," Manchuria 
 is prepared to " give beans " to all the world ! 
 
 In 1895 the fish take in Japan failed, and the 
 Japanese sent to Manchuria for bean cake to use as 
 a fertiliser. On finding what an excellent one it is, 
 they substituted it for rotten fish, which they had 
 previously used, as I knew to my cost; for when I 
 visited Japan in 1889 the odour of that charming 
 country was something too terrible, and quite spoiled 
 my pleasure in many a walk and ride. 
 
 The carts which brought in all this produce were 
 drawn by teams of ponies or mules, sometimes a 
 mixture of both; sturdy, shaggy animals, well fed, 
 and very hardy. They are never housed at night, 
 no matter how cold it may be, and are not allowed to 
 lie down, but tied by short halters to a post or staples 
 driven into a wall, and sleep standing. 
 
 The courtyards of native inns are full of these 
 animals at night. Generally the carters arrive about 
 four or five o'clock in winter, and start off again 
 before dawn. 
 
 Some of these mules and ponies are vicious and 
 will bite and kick ; one knows the biters by a kind of 
 basket-muzzle with which they are provided. They 
 are well fed and not often beaten — but I can hardly 
 say kindly treated, for one often saw them straining 
 to get heavy loads out of some awful mud-hole, 
 whips cracking, carters shouting and swearing; but 
 it apparently never dawned upon the men to lighten 
 the load, and many of the poor beasts were blind on 
 the off-side from the long lash of the whip. The 
 
 151 
 
AN IRISHWOMAN IN CHINA 
 
 mules are tall, handsome animals, but nervous and 
 tricky. 
 
 They are very much afraid of foreigners, and a 
 little English girl I knew used to have the loveliest 
 time after she discovered this fact. She passed every 
 day along the broad track I have mentioned to the 
 convent school, and in winter she would stand in the 
 middle of the road, a sturdy little mite of about six, 
 and wave her little muff by its cord at the mules, who 
 would swerve to one side and gallop away in terror, 
 while her terrified amah expostulated vainly from the 
 footpath. 
 
 Once a fine young British sailor, not knowing how 
 nervous these creatures are, seized the leader of a 
 team by the bridle, was dragged along the frozen 
 road by the frightened animals, and finally trampled 
 upon and killed. Poor lad! he had just been pro- 
 moted and was full of life and energy. He could 
 not speak any Chinese, and was trying to stop this 
 carter and bring him to the assistance of another 
 whose cart had overturned. 
 
 In spring and autumn excellent shooting was to 
 be obtained. Flocks of wild duck, geese, and swan 
 flew constantly over the settlement towards the south 
 or north according to the season. The swan were 
 beautiful objects when seen in the sunlight; they 
 then seemed to be of a soft pink colour. When 
 sitting quietly by the fire at night one heard the 
 " honk honk" of the geese, and the peculiar, melan- 
 choly call of the swan, like lost souls crying in the 
 dark. All these fly in the wedge formation. Millions 
 of teal also passed over, flying in the ever-changing 
 cobweb formation, and sometimes cranes were seen. 
 Lovely birds, amongst them the golden oriole, 
 
 152 
 
AN IRISHWOMAN IN CHINA 
 
 hoopoo, handsome larks, and the butcher bird, visited 
 us in spring. They only remained a short time as a 
 rule ; but one summer a pair of golden orioles stayed 
 for several months. 
 
 Magpies were a great nuisance in winter when 
 flocks of them frequented our compounds and sat 
 down heavily on the upper branches of cherished 
 trees, breaking off twigs, and pecking at the bark, 
 so that frost nipped the branches, which quickly 
 withered and died. These magpies are large, 
 powerful birds with glossy plumage and strong beaks. 
 They used to play a weird game of " catch who 
 catch can," with an old cat. belonging to a friend 
 of mine. It was a most curious sight. The cat 
 would lie apparently asleep in the middle of the 
 tennis-court, and the magpies formed a ring round 
 her. Presently she would pounce, but the bird she 
 aimed at always eluded her, and flew off with trium- 
 phant squawks. The ring closed up, and the game 
 recommenced and went on for a considerable time, 
 until perhaps puss looked a bit too dangerous, and 
 all the magpies flew away to safety. 
 
 Our gardener was fond of birds, and could easily 
 catch sparrows or tomtits in his hands without any 
 net or trap. The Chinese used incubators long 
 before we did ; in fact, probably at a date when our 
 ancestors ran about in woad or goatskin. Quantities 
 of tiny chicks are hawked about in very large, 
 shallow, covered baskets at the proper season, and 
 up-country snipe, pheasant, sand grouse, and the 
 wild turkey or great bustard were very plentiful. 
 
 My husband usually went up-country in winter 
 with a friend for two or three weeks' shooting. He 
 would return laden with game and extremely fit, 
 
 153 
 
AN IRISHWOMAN IN CHINA 
 
 having greatly enjoyed tramping over the hills in the 
 clear, cold air and dazzling sunshine. At night they 
 stayed in Chinese inns and slept on the brick-stove 
 beds which are built along one side of the room, and 
 have a flue running underneath. They slept like 
 tops, and were always extremely hungry and ready 
 for the thick soup, or " Irish eschew," which Boy 
 provided for them. One year the region they went 
 to was infested by hung-hu-tze, or bandits. But they 
 engaged one of these gentry as their guide, philoso- 
 pher, and friend at good wages; he remained per- 
 fectly faithful, and allowed no one to molest them. 
 Dr Daly preferred this mode of amusing himself to 
 the curious idea of sport affected by some of our 
 community, who would sit for hours beside the frozen 
 river on a block of ice waiting for the geese to fly 
 over. 
 
 On one occasion I accompanied him to Moukden 
 in the winter, and stayed there with our friends 
 Dr and Mrs Christie while he went on short visits 
 to shooting-grounds in the neighbourhood. 
 
 It was a very severe winter. The Christies' 
 house was new, and had been built by a young Scotch 
 architect who thought he knew all about the require- 
 ments of a Manchurian winter. He built a very 
 pretty house indeed, but had the weirdest ideas as to 
 heating and ventilation. Our most hospitable and 
 kindly hosts must have spent dollars and dollars on 
 keeping us warm, and Mrs Christie warned me to 
 stand clear of the ventilator (a little door in the 
 chimney) when the fire was blazing brightly, as it 
 sometimes flew out! This it actually did twice, and 
 once caught an unwary lady, giving her a sharp rap 
 on the head. 
 
 154 
 
AN IRISHWOMAN IN CHINA 
 
 The same youth built a hospital for women, in 
 which all the windows were placed so high that the 
 two lady doctors (who were small) could see nothing 
 but the sky out of them. But he lived and learnt how 
 to build houses in " intemperate " climates ; young 
 experts sent out from home for such purposes are 
 one of the trials Missions have to put up with ! 
 
 One bitter day a Russian friend came to visit me, 
 and said I must not leave Moukden without seeing 
 the North Tomb. I begged earnestly to be spared 
 this chilly expedition, saying if he would take me to 
 a South Tomb I would go with pleasure, but I felt a 
 North Tomb would be the last straw, and I should 
 leave my frozen bones there. 
 
 However, he insisted on my going. Mrs Christie 
 backed him up, and the next day a comfortable 
 droshky, drawn by powerful Russian horses, came 
 for Mrs Christie and me. The rest of the party rode, 
 and on a brilliant winter day I saw the Peh-Ling 
 (North Tomb) for the first time, promptly fell in love 
 with the beautiful place, and heartily thanked Mr 
 Momanoff for taking me there in spite of my protests. 
 Dr Christie has given so excellent a description of 
 the Peh-Ling that I will only insert a very brief one 
 here. 
 
 In the midst of a large park wherein grow many 
 flowering trees, lovely even in winter with their 
 delicate tracery of branches covered with sparkling 
 frost, numerous red berries, and great bunches of 
 amber and scarlet mistletoe, one arrives suddenly at 
 a splendid marble gateway, the entrance to an en- 
 closure through which stretches a broad, paved road 
 with great stone animals on each side. 
 
 To the east and west there are less imposing 
 
 155 
 
AN IRISHWOMAN IN CHINA 
 
 entrances, from which paved pathways lead through 
 avenues of solemn pines to the broad road. A 
 brilliant red wall surrounds the enclosure. Follow- 
 ing the wide path one reaches a square courtyard 
 surrounded by a broad, crenelated wall with towers 
 at each corner. Beyond this again is the Tomb of 
 Tai Tsing, son of Nurhachu, the founder of the 
 Manchu dynasty. The grave itself is simply a high 
 mound of grass, guarded from the evil, influences of 
 the north by an artificial hill. It seemed to me 
 ominous that the first person who showed me this 
 ancient resting-place should be a son of the north, 
 who entered by the gate supposed only to be used 
 by the Emperor's representative (when he offered 
 sacrifice to this ancestor of the dynasty), and allowed 
 his coachman to drive over the sacred marble bridge 
 without protest. 
 
 Another day we lunched with Mr Momanoff and 
 visited the Imperial Palace, passing through court- 
 yard after courtyard, and hall after hall, once hand- 
 some, cared for, and full of life. Now weeds grow 
 through the cracks in the pavement, pigeons coo 
 under the lofty, carved roofs, the Dragon throne 
 itself is covered with dust; over all is written 
 " Ichabod " (" The glory is departed ") ! 
 
 Presently we were shown great quantities of cups, 
 bowls, and plates, all in the imperial yellow, and 
 without a flaw, for they were intended for use should 
 the Son of Heaven visit Moukden. No emperor 
 had done so for two hundred years, but the Celestial 
 has long patience, and all these articles were in 
 readiness. 
 
 Afterwards we visited the museum, where beauti- 
 ful vases of all shapes and colours, splendid jade 
 
 156 
 
DRAGON THRONE, MOUKDEN : OVER ALL IS WRITTEN " ICHABOD." 
 
AN IRISHWOMAN IN CHINA 
 
 sceptres, carved jade plaques, lacquer plaques, won- 
 derful painted scrolls, and many odier treasures were 
 taken out of their cupboards for a few minutes and 
 displayed to us. 
 
 I asked the probable date of a vase. 
 
 " It was made during the reign of Chien Lung," 
 was the reply. 
 
 "And this gorgeous jewelled sword-hilt.'"' 
 
 " Chien Lung." 
 
 " This splendid robe with a great dragon worked 
 in seed pearls ? " 
 
 " Chien Lung." 
 
 At last I whispered to Dr Christie : " This is 
 getting on my nerves. If they ask my honourable 
 age I shall say I also am Chien Lung. Did nobody 
 make anything under any other monarch ? " 
 
 Dr Christie, who is extremely careful about 
 etiquette and politeness, hastily asked them to show 
 me an ancient bronze dating from the time of Moses, 
 and so saved the situation. I must say it " gives 
 one furiously to think" when one sees genuine 
 articles of such extreme age which have survived the 
 changes and chances of so many mortal lives, still 
 intact and unchanged, testifying to the artistic skill 
 and patience of those ancient craftsmen, and the 
 durability of their work. 
 
 The city of Moukden is just as busy and bustling 
 a place as Ningpo, or Shanghai native town, added 
 to which it is the ancient capital, and an important 
 official centre. The streets are broad, to admit of 
 cart-traffic. It lies four square, with an ancient grey 
 wall enclosing the original city, pierced by eight 
 gateways, over each of which a tower is built. Out- 
 side this wall are large suburbs. In one, by the side 
 
 157 
 
AN IRISHWOMAN IN CHINA 
 
 of a small river, stood several foreign houses, the 
 homes of the Presbyterian missionaries, also their 
 hospitals and schools; the church was in a more 
 central position. 
 
 My husband found that Dr Christie's name acted 
 as an Open Sesame wherever he went ; he had but 
 to say that he was a friend of " SSu Taifoo," and had 
 come from his house, to be greeted with broad 
 smiles, and to have every facility given him for sport. 
 
 There are those who say the Chinese are ungrate- 
 ful; but this has not been our experience. During 
 the Boxer outbreak, a rumour spread in Moukden 
 after the massacre of the French missionaries that 
 Dr Christie was in hiding at the North Tomb. A 
 former patient (a man of bad reputation as a poacher) 
 disguised himself as a seller of cakes and other food, 
 and went out to the park to search for and succour 
 the doctor at the risk of his own life. 
 
 My husband wished to go on board a ship one day, 
 and found his own boatmen were absent at their 
 midday meal, so hired a " sampan." On offering the 
 usual fee, the boatman declined it, saying he would 
 take none from a person who did so much for sick 
 people. This man had never been a patient of Dr 
 Daly's, but he knew many who had, and wished to 
 show his appreciation of the work done. In every 
 visit I paid to Moukden I saw changes and develop- 
 ments, but even the awful experience of the Boxer 
 time, or of the Russo-Japanese War, seemed only to 
 increase the devotion of the missionaries working 
 there, and to endear them more to those amongst 
 whom they laboured. 
 
 I have mentioned the lady doctors. There were 
 other ladies stationed at Moukden engaged in educa- 
 
 158 
 
AN IRISHWOMAN IN CHINA 
 
 tional and evangelistic work who were just as keen 
 and successful in their own line. At certain seasons 
 of the year they travelled about to villages and towns 
 where no missionary was stationed. This was often 
 arduous work, and they became experts in arranging 
 their carts so as to avoid too much bumping and 
 jolting. One had adopted this ingenious device. 
 She cut die legs off a small armchair with strong 
 springs, put it inside the covered cart, fixed it firmly, 
 and behold, a carriage with springs! Sometimes 
 farmers from the country sent in a big cart to bring 
 one of the doctors to attend an urgent case many 
 miles off. I met Dr Stamer one day on her way to 
 such a case. She looked like a very small pea in a 
 very large pod, sitting on an island of cushions in the 
 middle of the big cart. 
 
 I also spent a very interesting morning in her 
 consulting-room, listening to her as she dealt with 
 the varied cases brought in. Usually crowds of 
 relatives come with the patient, who all give their 
 opinion as to what is the matter, which has to be 
 courteously listened to. Often the cases are very 
 bad, all sorts of remedies having been resorted to 
 before the foreign doctor is tried. One brought in 
 that day was suffering from what the Chinese con- 
 sider demoniacal possession ; the poor girl was really 
 an epileptic, and had probably been treated with great 
 harshness, for she looked terrified and distraught. 
 The gentle kindness shown her by the doctor and her 
 assistants soon quieted her, and she went willingly to 
 receive treatment. 
 
 I became very friendly with these assistants, who 
 deserve a word of notice. They were particularly 
 refined, nice-looking young women, some of good 
 
 159 
 
AN IRISHWOMAN IN CHINA 
 
 family, and all very intelligent. Chinese women 
 make excellent nurses, dispensers, and surgical 
 dressers. They are very deft, gentle, clean, and 
 have beautiful hands. My husband used to admire 
 the wife of one of our assistants at Newchwang as 
 she went about her duties there ; she had been 
 trained by one of the up-country lady doctors, and 
 was most efficient. I referred before to Mr Putman 
 Weale's tribute to the " Manly Missionary of Man- 
 churia," but he quite ignores the women, so I feel 
 it is time they, too, received a word of appreciation. 
 Both native and foreign workers thoroughly deserve 
 it, and I felt real regret in parting from those 
 Moukden girls when they accompanied me to their 
 compound gate that day, with words of courteous 
 farewell and many cordial invitations to return and 
 visit them again. 
 
 1 60 
 
CHAPTER XIII 
 
 "In the North look! 'mid the vapours, 
 Something rises — what? " 
 
 — Leannontof. 
 
 Prior to the Chinese- Japanese War, Russian sub- 
 jects rarely visited Southern Manchuria. Once a 
 year a Russian ship put in at Newchwang, laden with 
 seaweed to be used for fertihzing purposes, preserved 
 cranberries, excellent dried salmon, and perhaps 
 some caviare — a delicacy which I considered very 
 overrated until I tasted it absolutely fresh. After 
 she left, we never saw another Russian face until her 
 return, a year later, and most of us knew little of 
 the steady advance Russia was making in the regions 
 north of the Amur, or that for centuries Manchuria 
 had been the El Dorado of adventurous Russian 
 spirits ; the wildest rumours as to her potential riches 
 being current amongst them. 
 
 The story of Russian advance and adventure 
 in Northern Asia is a fascinating one. How, ever 
 since 1587, when they first crossed the Urals under 
 the great Cossack leader, Yermak, they steadily 
 advanced through six thousand miles of difficult 
 country, enduring untold hardships, facing manifold 
 dangers, until about 1638 they reached Okhotsk, on 
 the shores of the Northern Pacific, and found, to their 
 unspeakable disappointment, that after all their perils 
 
 161 L 
 
AN IRISHWOMAN IN CHINA 
 
 and sufferings, they had only arrived at another 
 frozen sea. 
 
 Having heard of fertile regions to the south, of 
 great rivers, grain-growing districts, and gold to be 
 had at the expense of very little exertion, and above 
 all, of warm water ports free from ice all the year 
 round, their imagination was fired with the desire 
 to exploit so rich a country, and Russia continued 
 her advance during the reigns of Peter the Great, 
 Catherine the Second, and other rulers. 
 
 It is interesting to find our old friend Robinson 
 Crusoe remarking that " If the Czar of Muscovy (then 
 Peter the Great) would cease fighting with the 
 Swedes and turn his attention to the Far East^ he 
 could easily make himself Emperor of China." 
 
 In 1857 a great forward movement took place 
 under General Muravieff, resulting three years later 
 in a readjustment of boundaries beween Russia and 
 China, which shut China off from access to the Sea 
 of Japan; after which for many years no apparent 
 progress was made, although Cossack settlements 
 gradually extended nearer to the coveted territory. 
 
 The action of Russia in 1895 already referred to, 
 when she took advantage of the weakness of Japan 
 after the war with China, to insist upon the retro- 
 cession of Port Arthur, first openly showed her 
 designs upon Manchuria ; in the following year came 
 the Cassini negotiations, and the Russo-Chinese 
 bank agreement. Through these Russia obtained 
 permission to conduct her Siberian railway in a direct 
 line to Vladivostock, across the northern province 
 of Manchuria, China also agreeing to the leasing of 
 Port Arthur and Ta-lien-wan, afterwards known as 
 Dalny, to the Russians for a period of thirty years ; 
 
 162 
 
AN IRISHWOMAN IN CHINA 
 
 and the building of a railway from Harbin, stretching 
 south, right through Manchuria to those ports. A 
 branch line was begun at Newchwang, which joined 
 the main line of the so-called " Chinese Eastern 
 Railway " at Ta-Shih-Chiao, about twelve miles 
 from the Port. 
 
 There was little of Chinese about this railway, 
 except the coolies who laboured to construct it. 
 Russian engineers planned, Russian money financed, 
 and it was policed by armed Cossacks, who were 
 described as railway guards, but were quite indis- 
 tinguishable from soldiers. 
 
 An amusing description of these men appeared in 
 the Daily Graphic about that time, in which it was 
 explained that they were not soldiers, but peaceful, 
 retired military men, who wore quite a different 
 badge from the genuine soldier. Whoever was 
 responsible for that statement would have been a 
 little surprised had they met these lamblike folk (as 
 we soon did every day) always clad in the now well- 
 known grey uniform, and always fully armed, some 
 of them wild, uncouth-looking men, very Mongolian 
 in appearance, others handsome, fair, and tall, all 
 splendid riders, and extremely fond of their horses. 
 
 They were under strict discipline. I remember 
 one tall, fine-looking Cossack sergeant who had met 
 with an accident, in which he sustained a fracture of 
 the ankle bone. He was taken to our hospital, duly 
 attended to, and left for the night. The next morn- 
 ing Dr Daly was informed that the Cossack could 
 not be found. Presently we were told that he was 
 at the Russian barracks, some half a mile away. 
 When asked why he had gone there he simply 
 answered : " My officer sent for me, so of course I 
 
 163 
 
AN IRISHWOMAN IN CHINA 
 
 went." Someone had blundered, but orders must 
 be obeyed, so, leaning on his sword, he hobbled pain- 
 fully over the hard road to the barracks. 
 
 We often had Russian patients in hospital during 
 those years, and found their own description of the 
 Cossack as " a babe in time of peace, and a fiend in 
 time of war," not far from the truth. Simple, good- 
 natured men they were, very grateful for any kind- 
 ness shown to them — in their own way extremely 
 religious. Some of them were very intelligent ; where 
 any education has been given them they profit 
 greatly by it. One day I asked a man what he was 
 reading. " The Psalter," he replied, and then, in 
 order to explain better, " The songs of the Czar 
 David ! " He knew a little French ; another could 
 talk some German. Dr Shinderokofski, one of their 
 medical officers, was amused to find us trying to trace 
 our army in South Africa with the aid of a map and 
 explanations in five languages! 
 
 As more Russians came to live in Manchuria it 
 seemed to me that no family, certainly no official 
 family, was complete without a few Cossacks. They 
 cooked the dinners and minded the babies, answered 
 the telephone, acted as coachmen or outriders, when 
 they would tear along in front of their employer's 
 carriage, clearing the way for it, no matter how 
 crowded the road might be ; then rein up across the 
 road, and stand like equestrian statues until the 
 carriage came near, when off they would rush again. 
 
 Russian coachmen don't worry about roads; if 
 there is a road they make use of it, if not, nichivo (no 
 matter), they make straight for their destination as 
 the crow flies, and I must say I thoroughly enjoyed 
 these wild drives when Russian friends have taken 
 
 164 
 
AN IRISHWOMAN IN CHINA 
 
 me out with them. At night the outriders look most 
 picturesque, as they carry flaming torches fastened 
 to a long lance reaching down to the stirrup. 
 
 Ojie day I was caught in a sudden dust storm 
 while out with two of my children, one of whom was 
 so small he could not struggle against the wind and 
 dust ; so I took him in my arms, and told the other 
 to walk behind me, when, to my relief, I saw a 
 Cossack. " Cossaque ! " I gasped, " ocheen veeatno 
 — rebenok ocheen bolshoee ! " (" It is very windy — 
 the baby is very big ! ") He grasped the situation at 
 once, took both children up in his strong arms, and 
 carried them home. 
 
 It was interesting to notice the difference between 
 Russian and British methods on the two railways 
 which at that period were being constructed at either 
 side of the River Liao : the " Chinese Eastern 
 Railway," with its cumbersome machinery of guards, 
 interpreters, clerks, foreign engineers needing com- 
 fortable quarters, and enormous expenses ; the 
 " Imperial Railway of North China," in which there 
 were many British shareholders, and where British 
 engineers were in control, where the engineers 
 picked up a working knowledge of Chinese, became 
 friendly with the natives, lived in any kind of native 
 house they could make fairly comfortable, and the 
 work progressed rapidly and on the most economical 
 lines. It is true that young men ought not to be 
 sent to isolated places amongst natives only; it is 
 too big a strain, and in cases of sickness sometimes 
 results in tragedy. One such case I have never 
 forgotten. 
 
 A fine young engineer spent a few days with us 
 before going up-country on construction work, and 
 
 165 
 
AN IRISHWOMAN IN CHINA 
 
 left us full of energy and boyish good spirits. We 
 sent him as far as Tien-chwang-tai in the Albatross, 
 our sailing-boat, and supplied him with some books, 
 plum cake, and other home luxuries. A few months 
 later this message came to my husband by courier: 
 " For God's sake come to me, Daly, I'm dying." 
 What were we to do? Plague was rampant in the 
 Port, and my husband was the only European doctor 
 there. We decided to send medicines and stores by 
 one of the engineers who lived at Newchwang, and 
 who offered to ride from the railhead to his station ; 
 but it would take forty-eight hours to get there, 
 and we did not know what was the matter, except 
 that the courier told us his master was in high fever 
 and suffering much pain. Suddenly we remembered 
 that Dr Livingston Learmonth, of the Presbyterian 
 Mission, could get to the sick man faster, so wired 
 to him. 
 
 Dr Learmonth was in time — but only just in time 
 to save the young man's life. He had a long and 
 weary illness, and would certainly never have re- 
 covered had it not been for Dr Learmonth's treat- 
 ment, and the kind care given him at the nearest 
 Mission station when he was removed there from his 
 own wretched quarters. Even so, recovery was 
 partial ; he never was the same again. 
 
 We were very proud of these British engineers : of 
 the confidence with which they inspired the Chinese, 
 and of the excellent account they gave of themselves 
 during the disturbances which broke out later. 
 
 All these changes and developments naturally 
 made Manchuria much better known, and travellers, 
 some of them important and distinguished people, 
 began to appear; amongst them, in 1898, Lord 
 
 166 
 
AN IRISHWOMAN IN CHINA 
 
 Charles Beresford, who was then travelling in the 
 Far East as the apostle of the open door. 
 
 He was entertained by the agent of the Hongkong 
 and Shanghai Bank, and his travelling companions 
 stayed at various houses. Dr Morrison, then Times 
 correspondent at Peking, came to us. 
 
 Lord Charles was, of course, feted by the 
 Russians, and taken to see their railway works. 
 The engineer in charge provided a cavalry escort, 
 and Lord Charles was mounted by his host. He, 
 like most Irishmen, is never happier than when 
 astride a good horse. Cross-country riding in Man- 
 churia is very dangerous on account of the sharp 
 stalks of millet, very like those of a sunflower, still 
 protruding from the ground after the grain has been 
 cut ; but Lord Charles rode straight for his goal, the 
 Cossacks following at full gallop. Fortune favours 
 the brave, none of them came to any harm ; and it 
 was an amusing and interesting sight, the Russians 
 acknowledging that this British sailor was quite as 
 good a rider as the Cossacks, famous as they are for 
 their horsemanship. On his departure the Customs 
 guard of forty men, drilled by an ex-British soldier, 
 made a brave show. These men, affectionately 
 known as " the forty thieves," were a feature of our 
 isolated port. They were extremely faithful, and 
 on one occasion prevented what might have been a 
 serious riot, when some Chinese soldiers excited the 
 mob against the foreigners. 
 
 One day Lord Charles came to tiffin with us and 
 inspected the hospital. I happened to mention how 
 disappointed our little boy had been because a naval 
 officer who had lately stayed with us had never taken 
 part in a battle. " Send the lad to me," said the 
 
 167 
 
AN IRISHWOMAN IN CHINA 
 
 genial admiral, " I'll tell him stories." So for a long 
 time the boy sat enthralled while Lord Charles enter- 
 tained him with thrilling tales. 
 
 Our business men soon found that Lord Charles 
 quickly grasped a situation, and that beneath his 
 genial personality he is a shrewd observer, and 
 realised the importance of Russia's attitude towards 
 China from a commercial and diplomatic point of 
 view. 
 
 Dr Morrison, too, is extremely far-seeing and ob- 
 servant. He has great sympathy with the Chinese, 
 and understands their character and outlook on 
 life as very few foreigners have ever done, which 
 is the more remarkable as his knowledge of their 
 language is small. He was one of the few who 
 realised the importance to the world in general of 
 China's war with Japan, and who understood Russian 
 feeling with regard to both these countries. In 
 speech he is deliberate, perhaps a trifle pedantic, 
 and seems to weigh his sentences before pro- 
 nouncing them; in fact, he speaks exactly as 
 he writes. 
 
 As the stirring years rolled on we had many 
 interesting visitors; but when any crisis impended 
 Dr Morrison generally turned up, having watched 
 the trend of events and prepared himself accordingly. 
 
 In 1899 plague broke out in Newchwang for the 
 first time. Some years previously it had appeared 
 in epidemic form in Hongkong, and it seems pretty 
 certain that sporadic cases occur in China and 
 Eastern Siberia every year, and have done so for a 
 very long time. Every possible precaution had been 
 taken in Shanghai, Chef 00, and Tientsin to prevent 
 the disease spreading north ; but from the history of 
 
 168 
 
AN IRISHWOMAN IN CHINA 
 
 the first case it seems quite clear that infection was 
 brought to Newchwang in a ship which arrived at our 
 Port direct from Hongkong, not having put in any- 
 where en route. 
 
 My husband had just finished his hospital work for 
 the day and was leaving the compound, when two 
 men were brought in who seemed extremely ill. He 
 stopped to examine them, and on hearing their 
 histories was convinced that they had plague, the 
 dreaded black death which devastated London in 
 1665. 
 
 These men came from a village just outside the 
 city wall about two miles from the hospital. One of 
 the family had arrived from Hongkong in the afore- 
 mentioned ship very ill, others were infected, and 
 altogether ten people had died in their compound 
 within a few d^ys. They were greatly alarmed, and 
 on their own initiative had cremated the bodies, and 
 brought these men to the foreign doctor to see what 
 he could do. 
 
 Dr Daly immediately consulted the Tao-tai 
 (Governor of the town) and the consular body, as to 
 what measures could be taken to prevent the plague 
 spreading, and suggested that a cordon should be 
 drawn around the infected village, suspects segre- 
 gated, if necessary, houses destroyed — of course 
 compensating the owners. But the Tao-tai would 
 not hear of this being done, and one or two of the 
 Consuls were sceptical as to whether the disease 
 which had broken out was really plague, as no 
 bacteriological proof was available. 
 
 Other proofs came quickly enough; the plague 
 
 spread rapidly, every variety of it — bubonic, septi- 
 
 caemic, and the fatal pneumonic type which struck 
 
 169 
 
AN IRISHWOMAN IN CHINA 
 
 terror even into Chinese hearts in the great winter 
 plague of 1910-11. Soon the long-drawn wail of 
 funeral music sounded in our ears every day, almost 
 all day long. Domestic animals were affected, and 
 of course the rats. Rewards were offered for the 
 destruction of rats, but only for a stated period, lest 
 the Chinese should take to breeding them. 
 
 Experts in bacteriology and in the treatment of 
 plague began to arrive — Dr Noguchi, since so 
 famous in that line, from Japan; Dr Mesny, a 
 French expert from Tientsin ; Dr Yassinski and Dr 
 Padelevski, from amongst the Russians. My hus- 
 band fitted up a small laboratory, and became greatly 
 interested in watching the antics of the " peste bug " ; 
 he also made various arrangements as to what we 
 were to do in case he himself took ill with plague. 
 These arrangements were very altruistic ; he wished, 
 so far as I could make out, to be isolated in a tent 
 and left to get well if he could ! But he quite forgot 
 that I might not like to leave him to his fate! 
 However, I listened to his plan, and then Dr 
 Padelevski and I decided to adopt it with varia- 
 tions. Thank God, we did not need tc» follow out 
 the instructions, as Dr Daly kept quite free from 
 infection. 
 
 Dr Padelevski is an enthusiastic bacteriologist. 
 
 Later he carried off specimens in glass tubes to 
 
 Europe, and wrote to me en route to say he was 
 
 hurrying home lest any accident should happen 
 
 to " mes bacilles bien-aimees " ! Dr Noguchi had 
 
 some bacilli in a glass case outside the private door 
 
 of the hospital ; these he watched carefully to see the 
 
 affect of the temperature on them. 
 
 When a sudden cold snap came in autumn the 
 
 170 
 

 *^t5 
 
AN IRISHWOMAN IN CHINA 
 
 number of cases rapidly decreased; but at the 
 height of the epidemic we knew of one hundred and 
 fifty deaths a day, and most likely there were many 
 more which the natives did not report. The cold 
 scotched but did not kill the plague demon; every 
 year after that some cases occurred, and we had 
 several outbreaks, notably one in 1905. But this, 
 our first experience, was quite the worst we had in 
 Newchwang — how bad it was very few people knew 
 outside Manchuria. 
 
 In addition to the trouble and anxiety caused by 
 all this sickness in our midst, 1 899, the year in which 
 war broke out in South Africa, was a most trying 
 time for loyal subjects of the British Empire living 
 amongst aliens, many of whom were inimical to us, 
 and openly rejoiced in our defeats and disasters. 
 My husband arranged that Renter's telegrams should 
 be sent to him from Tientsin. After we had read them 
 they were forwarded to the British missionaries at 
 Moukden, who sent the news to their colleagues in 
 other stations. Under these circumstances you can 
 imagine the gloom of the black week in December, 
 1899, the eager looking for tidings, the bitter dis- 
 appointment when wire after wire only contained 
 news of retreats, defeats, mistakes, disasters. 
 
 One day there was a heavy fall of snow, and our 
 telegrams did not come. Dr Daly plodded down 
 to the telegraph-office in the native town (a walk of 
 about two mile^) to procure them. " England no 
 can," said the Chinese telegraph clerk contemptu- 
 ously as he handed him the wires, meaning that 
 England was evidently beaten and could do 
 nothing. 
 
 Another day a Russian had been " rubbing it in " to 
 
 171 
 
AN IRISHWOMAN IN CHINA 
 
 me about Paardeberg, where Cronje was still holding 
 out, and I went into the little reading-room of the 
 Customs Library feeling very depressed, and sat 
 there with a few British ladies turning over illustrated 
 papers six weeks old, and trying to cheer each 
 other up. Suddenly my husband put in his head. 
 " Cronje had surrendered ! " he shouted, and dis- 
 appeared to tell his friends at the club. 
 
 We hurled away the newspapers and commenced 
 to cheer lustily, much to the amusement of a friendly 
 Dane, the only other occupant of the room. Then 
 we decided we must celebrate in some way, so 
 marched off to the British Consulate, where we found 
 the Consul's wife ill with influenza. One of our 
 number performed a noiseless saraband in the hall 
 with the Consul, and we went on to the Parsonage. 
 Here Mr Turner (afterwards Bishop of Korea) 
 received our information with enthusiasm, and we 
 celebrated the occasion with him for about an hour 
 in a most satisfactory manner. 
 
 Russians and Germans were much against our 
 action in that war; the latter were often insulting, 
 but even then we did not realise their animus against 
 everything English — ^we thought it was their political 
 point of view, and that they had a perfect right to 
 their own opinion, just as the Russians had. But 
 they were able to look at our side also, and many 
 of them even congratulated us after the relief of 
 Ladysmith, knowing what the strain of that long 
 anxiety had been. 
 
 Right proud we were of the sons of Erin in that 
 war. My brother Percy voiced our feelings in his 
 " Queen Victoria's After Dinner Speech " (as re- 
 ported by Jamsey Murphy, deputy assistant waiter 
 
 172 
 
CHAPTER XIV 
 
 " There was madness on the earth below, 
 And anger in the sky." 
 
 — Aytoun. 
 
 So absorbed had we been in all these important 
 happenings, that the increasing unrest in China, 
 which terminated in the fantastic madness of the 
 Boxer outbreak, had not as yet begun to cause us 
 much anxiety. 
 
 There had so often been anti-foreign riots and 
 demonstrations, which were quickly quelled (al- 
 though not until some blood had been shed on both 
 sides and much material damage done), that if the 
 disturbed state of the country were referred to, most 
 people refused to regard it seriously and considered 
 it merely as one of these periodical outbreaks ; even 
 responsible people spoke of this " coolie rising " 
 with indifference, and our Minister in Peking, the 
 Consuls in the different ports, and most of the 
 foreigners shared their indifference. This was the 
 more strange as they were not without warning. 
 The local Press did all it could to open their eyes, 
 missionaries and travellers of repute added their 
 evidence as to the strength and danger of the new 
 anti-foreign movement, but without avail ; and when 
 trouble did break out most of the foreign residents 
 in China were quite unprepared for it. 
 
 Many people at home considered that this anti- 
 
 174 
 
AN IRISHWOMAN IN CHINA 
 
 foreign feeling was aroused by the missionaries, who 
 with their converts were the principal sufferers; but 
 this was not the case. It is true that much animus 
 was shown against the followers of the Christian 
 religion ; that the desire to look into it shown by the 
 Progressives seemed to have disappeared; but that 
 was simply because it is taught largely by foreigners 
 and looked upon as a foreign cult. Other causes 
 were at work also. The deep humiliation felt by 
 educated Chinese because of their defeat at the hands 
 of the Japanese ; the alarm engendered by the leasing 
 of Port Arthur to Russia, Tsingtao to Germany, and 
 Wei-hai-wei to Great Britain; the failure of the 
 Reform Movement of 1898, with the reactionary 
 policy which followed — all these things had their 
 share in bringing about the final upheaval. 
 
 General Sung Ching, who had baen so friendly to 
 foreigners in 1894, now became markedly anti- 
 foreign. He felt bitterly having to give up the 
 fortress of Port Arthur to Russia without being 
 allowed to strike a blow in its defence. Shantung, 
 the sacred province, the home of Confucius, was 
 overrun by Germans. Foreigners openly spoke of 
 China being divided amongst various powers, and 
 patriotic Chinese became genuinely alarmed for the 
 future of their country. The Empress Dowager, 
 while speaking of the Boxers as rebels, really en- 
 couraged them, for in spite of her cleverness she 
 was too ignorant to understand the real strength of 
 foreign nations, and believed that her subjects could 
 " drive all foreigners into the sea." 
 
 The absurd term " Boxer " originated in this 
 manner. There was an ancient secret society known 
 as the " Guild of Righteous Harmony Fists," whose 
 
 175 
 
AN IRISHWOMAN IN CHINA 
 
 members practised a kind of occult drill consisting 
 of mesmeric passes, glaring of the eyes, and curious 
 contortions, which were supposed to render those 
 who practised them invulnerable. 
 
 As the summer approached, all the horrible accu- 
 sations formerly brought against foreigners were 
 revived ; it was said that they kidnapped children, 
 killed them, used their eyes and hearts for medicine, 
 and that twenty little ones had been " sacrificed to 
 the foundations " of Lu Han railway alone. 
 
 Anti-foreign placards were posted up in the native 
 city; our servants began to bring in weird tales of 
 people who could handle fire without harming them- 
 selves, of invulnerable soldiers, and others, who, if 
 killed, would immediately revive again or be replaced 
 by spiritual soldiers. Leaflets on the same lines as 
 those placards were given to people in foreign 
 employ ; one given to our servants stated : " That 
 in consequence of the foreigners and their religion, 
 rain had ceased, and many misfortunes had come 
 upon the land. ' It therefore behoved all patriots to 
 help in their extermination, and an enormous number 
 of spiritual soldiers would come to the assistance of 
 the faithful in this heroic work. Moreover, anyone 
 who assisted the Boxer propaganda by giving away 
 these placards, would be immune from molestation 
 when actual fighting began." 
 
 In spite of all this we failed to realise the immi- 
 nence of danger, and had even planned that I should, 
 go south for a little trip. Our eldest boy, Ulick, was 
 staying up the line with Mr and Mrs Dunn (Mr 
 Dunn was engaged in constructive work on the Im- 
 perial Railway). We were enjoying life, as it was 
 the pleasant early summer-time; the harbour was 
 
 176 
 
AN IRISHWOMAN IN CHINA 
 
 crowded with ships and boats, our gardens gay with 
 flowers. 
 
 One morning Mrs Dunn brought Ulick home, as 
 she thought the constant rumours of trouble and the 
 general excitement bad for the child, and also felt 
 the care of him too great a responsibility. I was 
 delighted to see her, and she stayed with us some 
 days. We were told that Boxers were drilling near, 
 and were still so far from dreading them, that she and 
 I planned to go and see the exercises gone through 
 by the exponents of this curious cult ! Fortunately I 
 told my husband what we proposed, and he at once 
 said we must not do anything of the kind, as he had 
 heard that these fanatics were more dangerous than 
 we supposed, and he also advised me to pack a small 
 box with necessaries in case we had to leave hurriedly. 
 I scoffed rather at this, saying I had packed one in 
 the Yangtze riots and in the war, but would do it on 
 the principal of carrying an umbrella to keep off rain. 
 
 Mrs Dunn wished to return to her home a few 
 days later ; things seemed fairly quiet, and we started 
 for the railway station at the north side of the Liao 
 River, but met a telegraph messenger on our way, 
 who gave me this message from Mr Dunn : " Keep 
 the patient until all danger is over." We had no 
 foreign patient in our charge at the time, and con- 
 cluding this referred to Mrs Dunn, brought her back 
 to our house. She was the daintiest, freshest little 
 lady, of French parentage, always mise a quatres 
 epingles. I used to call her " my show refugee," 
 she was so well provided with up-to-date garments. 
 
 Another day we proposed to go out sailing, and 
 I warned Amah that if any hint of trouble were 
 heard, she was to take the children at once to the 
 
 177 M 
 
AN IRISHWOMAN IN CHINA 
 
 Commissioner's house near the river. She laughed 
 at this, and told me that would be a very bad plan, 
 because the Boxers would certainly intercept her, and 
 that the servants had long ago arranged amongst 
 themselves what to do in such a case. For many 
 nights they had been keeping watch. Amah had 
 Chinese clothes ready for baby, to whom she was 
 devoted; Boy was to take Ulick, who was a very 
 strong child, and help him to run away; while the 
 gardener, a hefty Shantung man, was to carry our 
 little girl. All three were to be hidden away in some 
 houses belonging to Amah outside the settlement. 
 This elaborate preparation on the servants' part 
 alarmed me, and we decided not to separate even 
 for a few hours. 
 
 Added to this the Roman Catholic and Protestant 
 Missions were again threatened. 
 
 A friend of mine told me that a Chinese servant 
 had spoken to her secretly, and begged of her to 
 withdraw her children from the Convent school, 
 because if trouble arose that would certainly be the 
 first place attacked. I went to see the Mother 
 Superior, and told her what I had heard, adding that 
 I felt I must ask her to give my children holidays 
 also, as I should be so anxious if we were separ- 
 ated for several hours during the day. At first she 
 thought me nervous and fussy, but presently agreed 
 that it was better for the nuns to be relieved of re- 
 sponsibility for the safety of the children. On leaving 
 the French Mission I met one of the Fathers, and 
 told him what I had done. He laughed, and said: 
 " Si, Madame a peur ; sans doute ! Mais ne vous 
 inquietez pas, il n'y en a pas de quoi ! " After we 
 
 were at peace again Mfere Supferiure reminded me of 
 
 178 
 
AN IRISHWOMAN IN CHINA 
 
 this episode, and said with her irrepressible humour : 
 " II riait jaune apres, Madame, n'est-ce pas?" The 
 sinister fact that all tenants of houses belonging to the 
 French Mission disappeared in one night, added to 
 my anxiety, and we took the children away. 
 
 We did not understand the magnitude of the 
 danger even when some travellers arrived from Tient- 
 sin, who had had difficulty in getting through, part 
 of the railway having been broken up. They had 
 also seen the sad plight of the Belgian refugees from 
 the Lu Han Railway, engineers with their families, 
 who had literally fought their way from Pao-Ting-Fu 
 to Tientsin, losing en route four killed (including one 
 lady) and three missing; they actually shot one of 
 their own comrades who was mortally wounded, to 
 prevent his falling into the hands of the Boxers. 
 Pao-Ting-Fu, in the province of ChiH, was shortly 
 afterwards the scene of a terrible massacre of mission- 
 aries and their converts. 
 
 Still the trouble seemed far away, and we con- 
 sidered ourselves safe in Newchwang. Mrs Dunn 
 and I went out to pay some calls on ladies who had 
 visited her, in proper calling array, our chair coolies 
 in their neatest garb, our card-cases in our hands. 
 But we soon returned, and set to work to prepare 
 beds and order in food; for before we reached the 
 first house on her list, we met family after family of 
 refugees (European this time) pouring into the haven 
 of refuge they considered Newchwang to be — en- 
 gineers' families from the railway, missionaries from 
 the interior, wives and families of the Russian rail- 
 way guards and Cossacks, many destitute ; some ill, 
 all looking for accommodation, rest, and food. 
 
 Some of these had had no easy task to get to the 
 
 179 
 
AN IRISHWOMAN IN CHINA 
 
 Port. Had it not been for the help of faithful 
 servants or converts, some would never have reached 
 it. In the case of the missionaries, no one would 
 drive carts or carry sedan-chairs for them except their 
 own people. One poor sick lady was stranded fifteen 
 miles from the railway. She was resci^ed by six 
 members of her husband's congregation, men of good 
 position, who volunteered to carry her chair, a task 
 to which they were, of course, quite unaccustomed, 
 and which is not only laborious, but considered very 
 derogatory. 
 
 The arrival of these refugees seemed to excite the 
 Chinese, who began to gather together in groups, 
 talking of all that was happening, and saying, " The 
 foreign devils are running away." Everyone opened 
 their houses even more widely than in 1 894 ; the 
 assembly-rooms were turned into lodgings, and some 
 empty wards in the hospital also. 
 
 Mr Dunn and his colleague, Mr Gibson, came to 
 us, having escaped on the last engine which came 
 through, leaving their houses burning behind them. 
 
 Presently we heard that Mr Turner, our chaplain, 
 was crowded out with refugees, so Mrs Dunn and I 
 went round to the Parsonage, and found amongst 
 them Mrs Westwater, wife of Dr Westwater of Liao- 
 yang, and her two little boys. She was a great friend 
 of mine, and we brought her and the little lads back 
 with us, and arranged beds for them in the private 
 ward, which was fortunately empty. They were abso- 
 lutely tired out. Mrs Westwater told me they had 
 slept the previous night in the Cossack's quarters at 
 Liaoyang Station, and that it was the first good sleep 
 she had had for weeks, as there she felt safe. Pre- 
 vious to that, they had suffered constant alarms and 
 
 180 
 
AN IRISHWOMAN IN CHINA 
 
 threats of attack upon their Mission. Dr Westwater 
 would not leave his post, as the Consul had not sent 
 for him, but later some of his colleagues wired to 
 him to come down to the Port. 
 
 News of fighting, disaster, massacre, now kept 
 coming in ; our menfolk became very anxious about 
 the safety of their families, and appealed to the 
 Consul to apply for a British gunboat; but he de- 
 layed too long, none were available, all had gone 
 to the Taku forts, on the way to Peking. A volun- 
 teer force of all nationalities was formed, numbering 
 seventy-two. There were thirty Cossacks guarding the 
 Russo-Chinese Bank, and a little Russian gunboat 
 was in harbour, the Otvajny. At the terminus of 
 the " Chinese Eastern Railway " two miles off, there 
 was a Russian railway guard of about a hundred and 
 fifty men. 
 
 The Russian Consul came to see me, and said 
 that should an attack be made upon the settlement 
 it had been decided that all European women and 
 children, whose homes, like ours, were situated out- 
 side the barricades, should go to the Commissioner's 
 house, which was in a good position for defence, and 
 close to the river, in case we had to fly for safety to 
 the ships. Also, that the signal for us to take refuge 
 there would be a rocket sent up from the Russian 
 Consulate. 
 
 On the night of the 23rd of June, the day that 
 Mrs Westwater came to us, my husband came in 
 rather late from a meeting of the volunteers. Our 
 weary guests had gone to bed, and I remember 
 standing by the wide-open windows, for it was a 
 hot evening, and wondering whether wire-gauze fly- 
 screens would keep out even a spent bullet. Soon I, 
 
 181 
 
AN IRISHWOMAN IN CHINA 
 
 too, went along the veranda to my room, and as I 
 did so, heard the whiz and explosion of a rocket. 
 
 I ran back to my husband and told him I had 
 heard the signal ; but he thought me mistaken, said 
 that all day there had been mutterings of thunder, 
 much coming and going, and I was tired out and 
 nervous. However, even the best of husbands are 
 not always in the right! I returned to my room 
 feeling sure something was about to happen, and for 
 a few minutes, I frankly confess, felt very much 
 frightened ; but, as I said before, that feeling soon 
 passes for those who "trust in God and keep their 
 powder dry." 
 
 I made a few simple preparations, and had 
 hardly completed them when the summons came. 
 Some volunteers had come to warn us and add to 
 our escort. Guests and children were aroused. Mr 
 Gibson routed up Ulick who slept in his room ; the 
 boy was extremely sleepy, and merely turned over, 
 saying, " Not much, old fellow, it is quite dark, Fm 
 not getting up yet ! " However, he was soon pre- 
 vailed upon to rise and dress. I found my little girl 
 crying on her bed, not knowing what all the fuss was 
 about. Amah was out of the house with baby in a 
 few minutes, but he was a boy ! My husband brought 
 in Mrs Westwater and her two tired, sleepy little 
 lads from the hospital; they kept asking me why 
 they had to get up when they were so tired, as I 
 helped a Russian volunteer to put on their socks. 
 
 Then we started for the Commissioner's house, 
 stumbling over the rough road, no lights being 
 allowed us ; but just before we reached it the search- 
 light from the Otvajny shone out, much to the 
 
 children's joy. 
 
 182 
 
AN IRISHWOMAN IN CHINA 
 
 Mr Bowra was then in charge at Newchwang. 
 On our arrival we found about sixty women and 
 children assembled, not a pleasant surprise-party for 
 Mrs Bowra, who brought her two little boys into a 
 corner of her big drawing-room, and gave up the 
 bedrooms to those who were ill or weary with long 
 travelling. 
 
 One poor sick lady was already in the house, 
 having been taken ill while on a visit to Mrs Bowra. 
 We found her sitting in an armchair in a most extra- 
 ordinary costume. She had been advised to dress 
 by her harassed hostess, who could not help her at 
 the moment, so she dragged herself up and put on 
 the first garments she found. Her attire consisted 
 of a very smart red tailor-made coat and skirt, white 
 silk stockings and shoes, an opera cloak, and a 
 sailor hat! 
 
 Our menfolk went off to man the barricades, and 
 we prepared to sit up and await events. An ancient 
 field piece was mounted in the front garden, and 
 Ulick, then eight years old, begged to be allowed to 
 " stand by " there with a Customs officer, who was 
 in charge of it, and whom he liked immensely. I 
 allowed him to go (as he was quite as safe there as 
 anywhere else) and got my small daughter to sleep 
 on a congested bed area. 
 
 So the long night wore on. We lent each other 
 hairpins and pocket-handkerchiefs, made tea on 
 spirit-lamps, heated milk for the babies, tried to be 
 as cheerful and optimistic as possible, waiting and 
 listening all the time for an attack which did not 
 come, until at about five o'clock Dr Daly came to 
 say we could go home, that the enemy had not 
 
 appeared, it was a false alarm ! 
 
 183 
 
AN IRISHWOMAN IN CHINA 
 
 We trailed wearily back to our houses, and tried 
 to get some sleep. 
 
 About eight o'clock my husband went out, but 
 returned at ten with the news that Seymour had 
 failed to reach Peking, that Tientsin was invested, 
 and that about five hundred well-armed Chinese 
 soldiers were stationed in the fort a mile and a half 
 from our house, who would undoubtedly join the 
 Boxers on the first opportunity. Added to this, the 
 place was full of refugees, and he, as well as many 
 other residents, thought it advisable for all women 
 and children who could do so to leave. 
 
 There was a Japanese mail-boat in the river, on 
 which we took our passages for Kobe, and we de- 
 cided that I had better take the children straight 
 home, via Canada. Soon a Russian officer came to 
 ask us to be on board by one o'clock, as the authori- 
 ties were very anxious to place non-combatants in 
 safety as soon as possible. That was a hurried 
 packing and leave-taking. But even under such cir- 
 cumstances, the combination of Scotch, French, and 
 Irish in our house unavoidably brought out the 
 humorous element. 
 
 Mrs Dunn never turned a hair, was perfectly calm 
 all the time, and we could not help laughing when 
 she and I remarked simultaneously that the poet who 
 preferred to " dwell in the midst of alarms " rather 
 than reign in solitude had probably never experienced 
 many alarms. Mr Gibson helped splendidly in my 
 packing, but being a canny Scotchman, was much 
 exercised by my leaving behind certain hatpins (quite 
 ordinary ones) in my pincushion. In vain I pro- 
 tested that I did not need them. I found them in an 
 extra hat-box when I arrived in Dublin! He was 
 
 184 
 
AN IRISHWOMAN IN CHINA 
 
 most thoughtful for our comfort, and at the last 
 moment brought me an armful of books, which were 
 a welcome distraction when we got out to sea. 
 
 We sent for Amah and asked her if she would 
 accompany me. She was an old woman who had 
 never been away from North China in her life, but 
 she hardly hesitated before replying: "All right, I 
 go with missee take care my baby, if missee take me 
 see my old missee in London." Of course I gladly 
 promised to do so, and in three hours we were on 
 board the Sendai Maru, Mrs Dunn and Mrs West- 
 water also ; but just as we were weighing anchor 
 Dr Westwater came into harbour in a Chinese boat. 
 His wife and children returned to our house, and 
 stayed for another fortnight there. I little thought 
 I should never see her again. That fortnight was 
 one of constant alarms, villages burning all round, 
 no one knowing what would happen. Later they 
 had a stormy journey across to Japan on a dreadfully 
 crowded ship, and she could bear no more, but died 
 at Kobe, thoroughly worn out in nerves and body. 
 Another friend of mine died of heart failure at 
 Vladivostock. Undoubtedly there were many other 
 sad aftermaths of that time t)f anxiety and terror, 
 known only to those whose relatives and friends were 
 the victims. 
 
 185 
 
CHAPTER XV 
 
 " And the high gods took in hand 
 Fire and the falling of tears." 
 
 — Swinburne. 
 
 In a previous chapter I spoke of the discomforts 
 endured by those Chinese refugees who fied south 
 during the Chinese-Japanese War. It was now our 
 turn to experience something of the same kind. 
 
 The Sendai Maru, in which we left so hurriedly 
 for Japan, had a few comfortable cabins and a fairly 
 good saloon, but every cabin was soon overflowing. 
 My daughter and I, with several ladies and children, 
 slept on the settee at the end of the saloon, the small 
 boys were accommodated on the lockers above us, 
 and several people simply used their long chairs as 
 beds; bicycles and other extras were piled near us. 
 The ship rolled a good deal, and sometimes I would 
 hear a melancholy wail from my little girl in the 
 middle of the night : " Mummy, I have fallen off ! " 
 when I would hurriedly retrieve my daughter from 
 amongst the bicycles, and try to tuck her in firmly. 
 
 The Japanese captain and officers did all they 
 could. Ulick spent hours in the captain's cabin, 
 where he was entertained by weird drawings of 
 animals and ships. Sometimes he played with the 
 carpenter, who made little boats for the children, and 
 even allowed them to do some carpentry themselves. 
 
 Fortunately we are all good sailors ; but many on 
 
 board suffered badly. It was warm even at sea, the 
 
 1 86 
 
AN IRISHWOMAN IN CHINA 
 
 cabins very crowded, and some were ill before they 
 started, or upset by our hurried departure. Meals 
 were hurried to admit of relays of people being fed. 
 Altogether I think Mrs Dunn was justified in a 
 message she sent to a friend in Newchwang with 
 whom, a few days before we left, she had been having 
 a discussion. " Tell Mr B.," she said, " that we now 
 know where purgatory is, and exactly how long it 
 lasts ! " Poor Amah went to help a passenger who 
 was extremely ill, after which she succumbed, and I 
 was very anxious about the children, as the upper 
 deck was so unprotected. 
 
 One or two funny incidents occurred. A young 
 lady, after long seclusion in her cabin, came on 
 deck and walked about a little. Presently the breeze 
 freshened, the ship began to roll, and she turned 
 pale. To my astonishment, 1 saw a Japanese sailor 
 go up to her and slap her violently between the 
 shoulders with his open hand. " Oh ! " I cried to the 
 captain, who was standing beside me, "what a 
 shame ! Why did he do that ? " 
 
 " I am so sorry," said the poor captain in a small, 
 meek voice ; " I told him to do it ; we think it is such 
 a good cure for sea-sickness ! " 
 
 I think it did cure her, for she was so indignant 
 that she forgot her uneasy feelings, scolded the man 
 roundly, and felt much better 
 
 On our arrival at Kobe we found that the Empress 
 boat, in which we were to continue our journey, 
 would not arrive for a few days, so rested a little and 
 wrote many letters. That night Prince Matsukoff, 
 a Russian naval officer who had been recalled from 
 leave, came to see me, and offered to take letters to 
 Newchwang for us; he had been stationed there 
 
 187 
 
AN IRISHWOMAN IN CHINA 
 
 shortly before the outbreak. But we could get no 
 news from there. Mrs Dunn and most of the other 
 ladies decided to remain in Japan, and after a time 
 they got news, but I never succeeded in obtaining 
 any until after my return home. 
 
 The journey across the Northern Pacific is very 
 monotonous — grey waters and grey sky ; we did not 
 sight a single ship until just outside Puget Sound, and 
 she signalled us for news from China! My small 
 son gave a fairly accurate description of that region, 
 when, much to the amusement of his teacher, he said, 
 while taking a geography lesson: " I don't want to 
 learn about that stupid old Northern Pacific ; I ve 
 been there, and there is nothing in it but a few old 
 whales! " 
 
 Again I experienced the kindness of officers and 
 passengers to women and children in such circum- 
 stances as ours, both on ihe Empress of India, in 
 that long and weary train journey from Vancouver to 
 Montreal, and again crossing the Atlantic. People 
 were most kind and thoughtful. Even the negro 
 attendant on the train, seeing how tired I was, told 
 me the drawing-room car was empty, and that I could 
 sit there whenever I liked. One little steward on 
 the Dominion steamer used to play with the children 
 half the day. A magic painting-book I had bought for 
 them was the joy of his heart ; he thought himself a 
 real artist, and displayed the pictures with immense 
 pride. The steward in charge of the nursery cabin, 
 where the children had their meals, was devoted to 
 baby, who would rush into his arms calling, " Boy! 
 Boy ! " The steward said to me one day : " He's a 
 bonny child, ma'am, I shall be real sorry to part 
 from him ; but I wish he would call me a man ! " 
 
 1 88 
 
AN IRISHWOMAN IN CHINA 
 
 At Vancouver I tried in vain to get a wire through 
 to China, and at Montreal, where we stopped a few 
 days, I besieged telegraph and newspaper offices, 
 and finally the Russian Consulate, with no better 
 result ; everyone tried to help me, but the wires were 
 cut, postal arrangements disorganised — they could 
 do nothing, while rumours of horrors unspeakable 
 were the only news published in the papers. 
 
 The journey, which under other circumstances 
 would have been so enjoyable, was only a long trial 
 of endurance. Three lovely things I remember: 
 the islands of the Inland Sea of Japan lighted up 
 at night for some festival, shining like jewels on 
 the water, with innumerable fairy-lights gleaming 
 amongst the trees and on the little boats ; the wonder- 
 ful vision of Fusiyama clear of mists and clouds, 
 which was vouchsafed to us as we left Yokohama; 
 and the glorious Rockies who so well deserve their 
 name, verdant green clothing their sides up to an 
 immense height, where suddenly the great grey crags 
 rise in lonely majesty : 
 
 " Titanic sentinels who all the night 
 Look at their kindred sentinels — ^the stars." 
 
 I almost cried as we left them and glided, oh, so 
 quickly, into the vast prairie-lands of Alberta. 
 
 In Victoria the interviewers began to get upon our 
 
 scent. Amah was a big, remarkable-looking Chinese 
 
 woman, and gave us away badly. At one station (I 
 
 think it was Medicine Hat) one of them insisted on 
 
 interviewing me for five minutes. I often wondered 
 
 what his article was like; to judge by one which 
 
 I saw at Montreal, it must have been extremely 
 
 funny. 
 
 1S9 
 
AN IRISHWOMAN IN CHINA 
 
 In this case I had refused to tell the interviewers 
 anything, having promised an article to the Star. 
 The journalist was very disappointed, and lingered 
 in the hotel lounge. Presently Amah appeared and 
 called to my little girl to come up " topside chop chop, 
 makee wash hands, catchee tiffin." " Can your 
 children speak Chinese } " he asked me. " Oh yes," 
 I said, " but that jargon is not Chinese." He then 
 asked whether I had experienced any difficulty in 
 escaping from China. " None, thank you," I replied, 
 and departed upstairs. 
 
 From this meagre material that enterprising person 
 evolved several columns of the most extraordinary 
 rubbish, ending with this beautiful piece of jour- 
 nalese : " Mrs de Burgh Daly, although still young, 
 has spent several years in the Far East, and her 
 children are conversant with the languages of the 
 Orient " ! Shades of Chinese sinologues defend us ! 
 
 We had a calm passage across the Atlantic, but 
 in the English Channel it was very stormy ; no one 
 was allowed on deck, and we were right glad to get 
 into Liverpool. The pilot brought a newspaper on 
 board containing the news that fourteen thousand 
 Boxers were marching on Newchwang, and still I 
 could not get a wire through, so my anxiety about 
 Dr Daly was very great. This report was true; a 
 very large force did advance towards Newchwang, 
 but for some unknown reason turned off at Haicheng, 
 forty miles away. Probably the preparations for 
 defence made by the foreigners had been magni- 
 fied by rumour, and they feared to attack the 
 place. 
 
 At Liverpool the same good friends who had seen 
 me off so many years before awaited the arrival of our 
 
 190 
 
AN IRISHWOMAN IN CHINA 
 
 ship, and took us to their home, where my brother, 
 Major French (who had rejoined his regiment and 
 was quartered at Lichfield) came to meet us. 
 
 We left for Ireland that night, and in the morning, 
 when we arrived in the Liffey, Amah, who was 
 accustomed to Chinese rivers, came to me in great 
 alarm. " Oh, missee ! " she said. " I too muchee 
 fear; this river belong so small that ship no can 
 turn round, have got too much other ship, you 
 look see ! " What she expected me to do I cannot 
 imagine, but she was much relieved when we were 
 safely moored. 
 
 It was good to be home, although the iiome-coming 
 was so different from what I had hoped for. We 
 went first to my father-in-law's house where, after 
 about a week, we received a wire from my husband 
 saying that the Boxer attack was over and he was 
 quite safe. 
 
 After a short visit to my husband's people, we went 
 to my former home in Roscommon, where it was a 
 joy to see so many of the old familiar faces, although 
 there could not fail to be some blanks, and the 
 longing for " the touch of a vanished hand and the 
 sound of a voice that is still " was hard to bear at 
 times. 
 
 Amah was greatly struck with the big trees, horses, 
 cows, and sheep. I was really pleased to see that 
 our cows did not like her any more than Chinese 
 buffaloes liked me, but manifested much uneasi- 
 ness when she appeared, and would certainly have 
 attacked her had she come too near them. The 
 country people were so nice to her; although they 
 thought her the most extraordinary person they had 
 ever seen, they treated her with the utmost courtesy, 
 
 191 
 
AN IRISHWOMAN IN CHINA 
 
 and still ask me for her when I go there. She was 
 delighted, too, with the great open spaces and 
 profusion of flowers, and insisted that Dr Daly must 
 buy an exactly similar place on his return for "her 
 baby " to play in. After a few rnonths I took her to 
 London to see her " old missee," and she returned to 
 China with another family, travelling, to her joy, by 
 the same steamer we had come home in and receiv- 
 ing the same kindness from stewards and attendants. 
 
 Meanwhile, those left in China went through 
 exciting experiences; our anxiety about them was 
 far from causeless. The Boxers swept through 
 North China and Manchuria, killing, torturing, burn- 
 ing, and destroying. In Newchwang their attack 
 was repelled, but from there to Kirin in the far north 
 not one stone was left upon another of all the Mission 
 buildings — Roman Catholic or Protestant — ^which 
 had been erected in Manchuria. Churches, hospi- 
 tals, schools, dwelling-houses — all were destroyed. 
 When the allied troops entered one town in North 
 China where a terrible massacre had taken place, a 
 pathetic diary was found, written by a very young 
 woman, a newly married wife and expectant mother, 
 in which she recorded day by day the long-drawn 
 ordeal she had gone through. The last entry on the 
 day of the massacre, as well as I remember, was: 
 " It is coming very near now ; I think God will give 
 me my little baby in heaven ! " 
 
 Almost equally pathetic were the letters received 
 
 by the Mother Superior in Newchwang from Sister 
 
 St Croix, one of the Sisters who was killed in 
 
 Moukden. They too knew there was no hope of 
 
 escape and that " it was coming very near." Sister 
 
 St Croix used to throw her sad little letters over the 
 
 192 
 
AN IRISHWOMAN IN CHINA 
 
 wall, and some of the Christians managed to send 
 them later to Newchwang. She was well known to 
 us all in the Port, as she ran the little school for 
 foreign children there for several years, and was 
 very capable and an excellent teacher. 
 
 Dr Christie had been warned by a friendly official 
 that the command had gone out to kill all foreigners. 
 He and the other members of his Mission sent their 
 families away, and warned the French Bishop. A 
 few days later, at the request of the converts (who felt 
 that the presence of the missionaries only increased 
 their danger), the few remaining Protestant mission- 
 aries left, only just in time, for soon the railway was 
 impassable, bridges were blown up, and the track 
 destroyed. Dr and Mrs Christie went to our house 
 in Newchwang, where after a few days they received 
 a telegram announcing the burning of church, hospi- 
 tal, and houses, with all their contents; how many 
 Christians were killed was not known. 
 
 The French missionaries refused to leave. They 
 and their converts assembled behind the high walls 
 of the Mission compound, and repelled three attacks 
 made upon them. The Boxers then succeeded in 
 setting the place on fire. Bishop Guyon, seeing the 
 situation was hopeless, invited his people to enter 
 the cathedral, went quietly into his vestry, robed 
 himself, and administered the last Sacrament to those 
 present; after which the end came quickly. They 
 were killed while the ceremony was going on; the 
 Bishop's body was afterwards found beside the altar. 
 
 A number of Catholics were helped to escape 
 from Tiehling, a large northern town, by some 
 Russian engineers and an Irish Protestant mis- 
 sionary. Amongst this party were two Sisters who 
 
 193 
 
AN IRISHWOMAN IN CHINA 
 
 had lately been sent from the convent in Newch- 
 wang. Afterwards they returned to the Port, and 
 one day I met the missionary, Mr O'Neill, who 
 requested me to go with him to the convent to visit 
 these ladies. What a welcome they gave him, and 
 how eagerly they told me all he had done for them ! 
 Suddenly Sister Geraldine exclaimed : " Mais, ma 
 soeur, son chapeau! c'est vraiment son chapeau! 
 Madame! regardez done le chapeau de monsieur! " 
 I looked and beheld rather an ancient sun-helmet, 
 exactly like any other sun-helmet. Why was I called 
 upon to take this vivid interest in "le chapeau de 
 monsieur".'' But the Sisters explained that in it 
 Mr O'Neill had brought them water when they were 
 quite exhausted by heat and thirst, and could have 
 gone no farther without refreshment. 
 
 The Russians assisted all the northern missionaries 
 to escape, and another interesting incident occurred 
 to the party I have spoken of. A number of Chinese 
 women and children who were with them were ex- 
 periencing great difficulty, and retarding the progress 
 of all. Presently they met a band of Cossacks 
 having with them carts laden with loot. I think it 
 was sycee (silver in bulk). Mr O'Neill appealed to 
 them on behalf of the exhausted women and children ; 
 the soldiers threw away their loot, took the refugees 
 into the carts, and conveyed them to safety. 
 
 In Newchwang frequent alarms had occurred, and 
 the Russians increased their forces greatly. 
 
 On 6th August Dr Daly wrote me an account of 
 the Boxer attack on that place, which I insert here. 
 He said : 
 
 " On Saturday morning Boy woke me up with the 
 
 194 
 
AN IRISHWOMAN IN CHINA 
 
 news : ' The Boxers are coming.* I jumped out of 
 bed, hurriedly dressed, called Dunn, seized my 
 Mauser and cartridges, and rushed off to meet them. 
 On turning the corner of the hospital wall I saw 
 about one hundred and fifty Boxers, dressed in yellow 
 and red garments, with swords and flags, advancing 
 along the wall towards the south gate, so went there 
 and waited with some Russian soldiers for them to 
 come on. We opened fire at a distance of about 
 two hundred yards. It was a strange sight to see 
 them come swaggering slowly on, waving swords 
 and flags, making passes, and going through various 
 strange antics to impress us and frighten us away; 
 but when they found this had no effect and we opened 
 fire, they quickly retreated, pulling off their gay 
 clothes and distinctive marks as they ran. 
 
 " Meanwhile, another one hundred and fifty ad- 
 vanced along the North Street and were met at a 
 barricade near the bund by four volunteers, who 
 promptly shot down seven, and captured one who 
 was afterwards shot. This man was the Boxer 
 leader; he advanced wearing a sword and making 
 passes, and was easily taken prisoner. It was con- 
 sidered necessary to execute him publicly in order to 
 convince his followers that he really was dead. 
 
 " Boy had never been disillusioned of the idea 
 that these people were invulnerable, so after this man 
 had been tied to a great stone in the vacant plot near 
 the temple, and the volunteers fired a volley, killing 
 him instantly, I sent for Boy, and pointing to the 
 Boxer leader, said : ' Belong dead ; no belong 
 dead ? ' Boy examined him carefully and replied : 
 ' My thinkee belong dead ! ' At last he was con- 
 vinced ! 
 
 195 
 
AN IRISHWOMAN IN CHINA 
 
 "The volunteers saved the situation for the 
 moment. 
 
 " The Boxers were picturesquely dressed with 
 red sashes, yellow facings to their blue coats, and 
 their hair tied up with many-coloured ribbons. 
 Some of them were mere boys and some unarmed. 
 I did not feel the least scruple in shooting at and, if 
 possible, killing these fanatics, as they have caused 
 and will cause the death of thousands, aye, even tens 
 of thousands of innocent people. 
 
 " The Boxer attack was followed by one from the 
 Chinese soldiers, who sent the bullets flying plenti- 
 fully about the south gate, the hospital, and our 
 house. It was very funny to see the attitude of 
 
 various people under fire. Mr kept bobbing 
 
 up and down at every bullet ; but most of the volun- 
 teers soon got used to the noise, and all behaved very 
 well. Some of them, you know, are quite boys, about 
 sixteen years of age, but they did extremely well. 
 There was not much danger, as most of the bullets 
 flew too high. Firing continued all the morning and 
 afternoon, and at three o'clock the gunboat Otvajny 
 commenced to bombard the town from opposite 
 Butterfield and Swire's godowns. Soon a house 
 near there was on fire. But strange to say very few 
 people were killed in the town; they had all taken 
 cover behind walls. 
 
 " While this was going on, troops from the 
 Russian settlement began to pour in and surround 
 the town on the south and east sides ; the Artillery 
 also arrived. The Russian General took up his 
 position on the roof of Mr Bowra's (the Commis- 
 sioner's) house, where we also were in the afternoon, 
 
 and at about four o'clock the Chinese soldiers and 
 
 196 
 
AN IRISHWOMAN IN CHINA 
 
 Boxers who were in the town, followed by hundreds 
 of civilians, fled to the plains outside, only to meet 
 the Russians in every direction. The Cossacks 
 swept over the plain, killing as they came ; even at 
 a distance it was an awful sight. 
 
 " One of our Russian residents asked the General 
 what he proposed to do with the native town, and 
 was horrified to find he intended to allow indes- 
 criminate slaughter and loot. I went to Mr Alexan- 
 droffski, the head of the Russian Red Cross, and 
 asked him in the name of the Russian civilians and 
 ours to appeal for mercy. This appeal the General 
 acceded to, on condition that the Chinese officials 
 came to surrender the place. 
 
 " We immediately sent two plucky Chinese down 
 town, and later on four Europeans also went, and 
 managed to find one small official (the Tao-tai had 
 escaped to Tien-chwang-tai) who with some mer- 
 chants came up to interview the General. He 
 ordered them to bring up all arms by seven o'clock 
 that evening — an impossible task! After much 
 trouble he gave them until seven o'clock next morn- 
 ing. Knowing they could not collect the arms, we 
 went to see the Russian Consul and the General, to 
 protest against further slaughter, and undertook 
 that the volunteers should go down with sufficient 
 soldiers to occupy the town quietly. This we did 
 about eleven o'clock, and found the streets deserted 
 and much looting of houses going on. 
 
 " We were with the Russian officer appointed to 
 
 receive the arms. It was a funny sight. Three 
 
 Chinese carts were drawn up, laden with every kind 
 
 of ancient arm from the times of the patriarchs to 
 
 about thirty years ago! At first the officer was 
 
 197 
 
AN IRISHWOMAN IN CHINA 
 
 inclined to be angry, but we persuaded him to accept 
 these curios as really it was impossible to get the 
 others. Our friends amongst the Russian civilians 
 stood out boldly for mercy. 
 
 " Now the town is quietly occupied ; the Russian 
 naval flag flies from the Customs flagstaff. We are 
 all safe and well, and our property is not injured. I 
 found two little boys standing by a wounded Boxer, 
 making passes and incantations to cure him. With 
 great difficulty I persuaded them to leave him, and I 
 then got them safely away and gave them into the 
 charge of some Chinese I knew. 
 
 " Admiral Alexieff arrived yesterday, and intends 
 forming a Provisional Government." 
 
 Some time after the children and I left Newchwang 
 Chancellor Alexandroffski, of the Russian Red 
 Cross, called for volunteers to go to the relief of 
 some members of the Basle Mission, said to be held 
 up by Boxers eighty miles away. 
 
 About half a dozen Britishers (two of them 
 
 missionaries) and twenty Cossacks were amongst 
 
 the relief party. Mr Dunn was also one of them, 
 
 and Mrs Dunn told me afterwards that when she 
 
 questioned fresh arrivals from China as to the names 
 
 of those who had gone on this perilous expedition 
 
 no one could ever remember who the sixth Britisher 
 
 was! After a weary and dangerous journey, they 
 
 arrived at the station to find empty houses ; the 
 
 missionaries had escaped to Port Arthur. Mr 
 
 Charlesworth, of the Korean Mission, was one of the 
 
 relief force. He was a small, delicate man of so 
 
 gentle a disposition that I am sure he would never 
 
 have shot anyone ; but he was full of pluck, an 
 
 198 
 
AN 1K1SHWUMA>J IJSJ CHINA 
 
 excellent horseman, and insisted on carrying a heavy 
 rifle just as the others did. His cheerful courage, 
 and the fact that he always said his prayers every 
 night, no matter how rough or crowded their quar- 
 ters might be, made a great impression on that mixed 
 company. 
 
 So much interest was centred upon Peking and 
 the perilous condition of the foreign legations there, 
 that events which otherwise would have occasioned 
 much comment passed unnoticed by the world in 
 general. For instance, the short, sharp siege of Tient- 
 sin, where for a time the fate of all European resi- 
 dents hung in the balance ; the gallant defence of the 
 railway station there by a Russian regiment who, 
 when very hard pressed, applied for reinforcements, 
 but were informed none were available, and that they 
 must hold the position. They did so, but at what a 
 cost we are told by the long " roll of honour " in- 
 scribed upon the fine monument to their memory 
 which stands in the Russian settlement there. 
 
 Yuan-Shih-Kai, the present ruler of China, was 
 at that time Governor of Shantung, where the 
 Boxer movement originated. From the first he was 
 against it, and when one of its instigators came to 
 him telling of the occult powers possessed by these 
 fanatics, he invited him to put his followers to the 
 test by allowing Yuan's foreign-drilled soldiers to 
 fire on them with modern rifles. This the Boxer 
 leader agreed to. Yuan-Shih-Kai assembled the 
 inhabitants of the capital of Shantung ; many Boxers 
 were drawn up in a line, the soldiers fired, and killed 
 them all. Yuan then pointed the moral, and made 
 the people convince themselves that these men were 
 really dead and their supposed powers non-existent. 
 
 199 
 
AN IRISHWOMAN IN CHINA 
 
 He seems to have been successful, and waged 
 bitter war against the Boxers, killing thousands of 
 them. Dr Christie tells us that the Governor- 
 General in Moukden tried a somewhat similar plan 
 but without the same success. 
 
 Dr and Mrs Christie were in our house at New- 
 chwang when they received the news that all their 
 private possessions in Moukden, as well as the 
 hospital with all its contents, had been destroyed. 
 They were most plucky over it, as were all the 
 missionaries, and " took joyfully the spoiling of their 
 goods " ; but it was impossible to remember all they 
 had lost, and years afterwards Mrs Christie would 
 remark, when preparing for some extra guests, " We 
 will use such and such a thing to-day," and would 
 suddenly recall the fact that she no longer possessed 
 it. Once Mrs Carson, of the Irish Presbyterian 
 Mission, showed me a large bunch of keys; it was 
 all that was left of a certain flourishing missionary 
 home and school, and had been put into her hands 
 by the owners when going on furlough before the 
 outbreak, which they had never anticipated. Some- 
 how that big bunch of keys appeared to me strangely 
 pathetic, as I knew the owners — careful, busy people, 
 who had, I am sure, left everything in perfect order 
 behind their locked doors, and who came back to — 
 ruins ! 
 
 300 
 
CHAPTER XVI 
 
 "lis chantent — ils payeront! " 
 
 — Cardinal Mazarin. 
 
 China had thrown down the gauntlet to the world ; 
 the nations had accepted her challenge, and in the 
 ensuing conflict China had been defeated. Now she 
 must pay the price of her rashness. 
 
 News began to filter through to Manchuria, news 
 of Boxer defeats, the advance on Peking of the 
 Allied forces, of the ignominious flight of the Empress 
 Dowager, the Emperor, and their court. How 
 bitterly poor Kuang Hsii must have felt his humilia- 
 tion! One wonders if he dared to retaliate in any 
 way upon his autocratic aunt for her reproaches after 
 China's defeat in 1894. Apparently his spirit was 
 quite broken, and the " old Buddha " retained her 
 fierce and revengeful temper even in her hurried 
 preparations for flight, as before leaving the capital 
 she gave orders that the Emperor's secondary wife, 
 to whom he was greatly attached, and who had dared 
 to intercede for him in 1898 (when the Empress made 
 her coup d'Stai) should be thrown down a well. This 
 was done, and another burden of sorrow added to 
 the Emperor's heavy load. 
 
 The Allies entered Peking, and occupied it and 
 other large towns. At the taking of the Taku forts, 
 an incident occurred so characteristic of the British 
 naval officer that I cannot pass it over. Captain 
 
 201 
 
AN IRISHWOMAN IN CHINA 
 
 Keys, now Commodore in command of a flotilla of 
 destroyers and submarines which are doing fine work 
 in the North Sea, was then a Ueutenant in command 
 of a small flotilla of four destroyers serving under 
 Admiral Seymour. Some sixteen miles inland there 
 was a large Chinese fort, against which Captain 
 Keys advanced with a small force landed from the 
 destroyers. He succeeded in taking the fort with- 
 out any casualties, and hoisted the British flag over 
 it. On his return he duly reported the capture of 
 this fort, and when questioned as to his dispositions, 
 remarked airily that it was all right, he and his force 
 were quite safe ; he had left four men guarding com- 
 munications over the sixteen miles which separated 
 him from his flotilla ! 
 
 The Russians now began to repair the damage 
 done to their railway, and they occupied many Man- 
 churian towns, Moukden of course (they were in full 
 force there when I paid that visit to the old city 
 spoken of in a previous chapter). Haicheng and 
 Liaoyang, the home of Dr and Mrs Westwater, were 
 also occupied. Liaoyang is a large and busy place, 
 standing in a fertile plain, and with beautiful hills 
 not far off; the soil is very rich and the gardens full 
 of flowers. Dr Westwater accompanied the Russian 
 forces, and endeavoured to prevent reprisals being 
 made upon the people of Liaoyang, by acting as an 
 intermediary between them and the Russians. The 
 duplex character of the latter was very plainly shown 
 at the taking of this place. 
 
 The General in command was the same who had 
 treated Newchwang in such a drastic manner, and 
 who, had it not been for the intervention of some of 
 his own nationals and the volunteers, would have 
 
 202 
 
AN IRISHWOMAN IN CHINA 
 
 allowed indiscriminate slaughter there. He was a 
 very tall, rather stout man of heavy build. On 
 entering the city he was thrown from his horse, which 
 was frightened by the sight of a burning house ; he 
 sustained some injuries, and was taken to a temple 
 near. The General sent for Dr Westwater (who 
 thought he wished him to treat his wounds or make 
 some arrangements for his comfort) and said, " You 
 speak Chinese, Dr Westwater, I want ypu to send 
 down to the shallow river outside the city gate. 
 Just before I met with this accident I noticed a cart 
 overturned there, and a little Chinese child was in it ; 
 please see that he is taken from that dangerous 
 position and properly cared for." 
 
 I have mentioned other cases of kindness on the 
 part of Russian soldiers, and amongst civilians I 
 found very humane and charitable people. The 
 Chinese used to say that of all the foreign soldiers 
 who then came to China the British, American, and 
 Japanese behaved the best, the Russians were cruel 
 when excited, the Germans were cruel in cold 
 blood. 
 
 It was at that time, fourteen years before the out- 
 break of the Great War of 19 14, that Count Walder- 
 see and his troops were sent to China by the Kaiser 
 with this awful commission : " Make the name of the 
 Germans to be feared as the Huns were feared 
 of old." 
 
 They fulfilled this ruthless command to the full, 
 
 and showed no pity. An eye-witness of their 
 
 methods, who, like Dr Westwater, did his best to 
 
 prevent reprisals, told me that when the Germans 
 
 entered a village which they wished to occupy, they 
 
 drove all the inhabitants out of their houses regard- 
 
 203 
 
AN IRISHWOMAN IN CHINA 
 
 less of age, sex, or state of health. These poor 
 people would hide amongst the high millet crops, and 
 perhaps steal back to their homes in the dusk to 
 try and procure some food. The Huns would then 
 deliberately pot at them, and shoot them in cold 
 blood. 
 
 Many of these victims were perfectly innocent 
 people, who had nothing to do with the Boxers. 
 
 Gradually the Russians tightened their hold upon 
 Manchuria; this rising had given them an excellent 
 opportunity of doing so. The country was still very 
 disturbed, the people groaning under heavy taxation 
 inflicted on them by their own Government in order 
 to obtain money to pay the indemnity claimed by 
 foreign Governments. 
 
 The missionaries began to return to their stations 
 and gather their people around them once more, 
 living in little Chinese houses, or, as the Christies 
 did, in the gatehouse of their former home, carrying 
 on hospital work in temples or very inadequate 
 houses. The congregations were sadly reduced, for 
 many had been killed in this, the greatest massacre of 
 Christians since the time of Nero. Many had fled ; 
 some, but comparatively few, recanted. In dealing 
 with these poor people the missionaries showed much 
 wisdom, for, realising the magnitude of their tempta- 
 tions (in many cases they had been brutally tortured) 
 they did not quench the smoking flax or break 
 the bruised reed, but only administered a very 
 mild discipline before receiving them again into full 
 Cornmunion. When it comes to red-hot irons and 
 other tortures, how many of us would remain stead- 
 fast I wonder.'' 
 
 The year had been a sad one in England ; the war 
 
 204 
 
AN IRISHWOMAN IN CHINA 
 
 still dragged on, and " Victoria the Good " had gone 
 to her long home. 
 
 I remember that when the news reached Dublin 
 I happened to be just at the end of Grafton Street 
 looking for a cab. As I stepped into one, I heard 
 the newsboys shouting something, and asked the 
 driver what it was. " She's gone, ma'am," he said, 
 adding as he reverently raised his hat, " She was a 
 good woman, God rest her soul." A little newsboy 
 who was spreading out the placard on the pavement, 
 seeing what it contained, rushed off and spent one 
 of his scanty pennies on a bunch of violets, which 
 he laid on the sheet, having heard they were her 
 favourite flower. And these are the people whom 
 agitators .and demagogues will not allow to be loyal ! 
 
 I was in London with Mr and Mrs Percy French 
 on the day of the Queen's funeral. We started off 
 that morning, not having made any special arrange- 
 ments, to see the procession, and after various adven- 
 tures found ourselves in Upper Berkeley Street, very 
 near the Edgeware Road. It seemed that we could 
 not get any coign of vantage, even on a rickety stage 
 a carpenter was hastily putting up; and I began to 
 lament that I had come all the way from China and 
 now could see nothing. 
 
 " Chin-chin Chinaman," said a friendly navvy. 
 '"Ere y'are, mum! The lidy in there says you can 
 sit on her roof for 'arf a crown ! " And sit on the roof 
 we did, where we had quite a good view of the pro- 
 cession. Fortunately for us, it was a still, calm day. 
 Certain things stand out vividly in my recollec- 
 tions of that solemn pageant : the extreme smallness 
 of the casket in which the " little great lady " lay ; 
 the imposing effect made by King Edward and the 
 
 ^05 
 
AN IRISHWOMAN IN CHINA 
 
 Kaiser as they rode behind it — ^the Kaiser, with his 
 usual instinct for what is striking, rode a beautiful 
 white charger, but King Edward's simple dignity 
 was quite as effective — and the curious murmur, 
 almost a subdued roar, which greeted " Bobs." 
 
 No body of men looked so fine, it seemed to us, as 
 our own splendid Dublin Metropolitan Police; as 
 they passed we could hardly help cheering them. 
 
 In March, 1901, I returned to China, taking my 
 youngest boy with me. My husband and I had a 
 quaint telegraphic correspondence ; we had purchased 
 a very useful little code called the " Unicode," and 
 by its means I wired when I should arrive and name 
 of ship (a P. & O. intermediate steamer). Presently 
 my mother was amazed by receiving this wire : " In- 
 termediate-hot-slow-come-mail." She was greatly 
 puzzled ; what was an " intermediate " (the word in 
 Ireland is associated with a school curriculum), and 
 why hot-slow? At last it dawned on her that the 
 wire was for me. I found a beautiful sentence in 
 the code-book all under one word, " Rhoda " — " Tele- 
 gram received, do not agree with contents," so I 
 firmly wired that, and again the name of the 
 ship. 
 
 A very funny article might be written on tele- 
 grams and their results. On one occasion before my 
 marriage, I was returning sooner than I had expected 
 to Shanghai from Japan, and a friend wired for me 
 to another in Shanghai at his business address — ^the 
 name of my ship, and my name, as I had told him to 
 do; but he reversed the order, and the telegram 
 read — " French, Tokio Maru." It caused much 
 excitement in Shanghai, because a little while before 
 
 one of the Marus had been in collision with the 
 
 206 
 
AN IRISHWOMAN IN CHINA 
 
 French mail, and they supposed this wire announced 
 another accident. But quite the funniest travelling 
 telegram any of us have received was sent by a 
 cousin, who became inextricably mixed up in cross- 
 country Irish railway lines, and finally wired, "Am 
 lost — returning! " 
 
 The voyage was a very prosperous one, but cer- 
 tainly slow. We touched at Malta, and remained 
 there all one day, so drove about and saw a good 
 deal. Even in April it was hot and staring ; the long 
 white roads without shade, and the ugly square houses 
 like children's toy ones, were not attractive. 
 
 Valleta was interesting, with its steep streets and 
 pretty girls going about in that extraordinary hood 
 or hood-cape, which, unless you are pretty, makes 
 you look perfectly hideous. 
 
 We visited the Cathedral of St John, with its 
 famous silver gates, and the palace where Napoleon 
 had stayed, where the orange-groves were a refresh- 
 ment to eyes wearied by glare and dust. 
 
 I believe the ugly cape is not now worn. According 
 to one legend, some crusty old Pope inflicted it on the 
 women of Malta as a mortification because he con- 
 sidered them vain ! They were to use it for a hundred 
 years, and they actually obeyed. When we were in 
 Malta the hundred years were almost up, but still 
 nearly everybody wore it, in spite of the fact that it 
 is purposely arranged so as to hang crookedly and 
 destroy the grace of the figure. Certainly if this 
 be true, Maltese women must be extremely dutiful 
 daughters of the Church ! I have never seen so many 
 priests in any other place. One constantly met 
 schools of young priests clad in long black robes with 
 
 a purple sash; they were rather sullen-looking as a 
 
 207 
 
AN IRISHWOMAN IN CHINA 
 
 rule, I thought, although some had fine, intelligent 
 faces. 
 
 At Port Said I did not go ashore, as we were 
 only there a few hours, and were kept in the outer 
 anchorage, having loaded up with lyddite at Graves- 
 end, a cargo about which I think passengers ought 
 to be consulted before they risk travelling with it. 
 
 At Penang it was very hot, so I did not leave the 
 ship until we got to Singapore, where our friend, 
 Dr Paul (who was Times correspondent in 1894-5), 
 was then living. He took us to his home amongst 
 the palm-groves, and introduced us to his wife and 
 daughter. 
 
 At Hongkong we spent a few days with Bishop and 
 Mrs Hoare, and there we parted from a soldier 
 family who had come out with us. There were nine 
 of them, ranging from fourteen to six weeks in age, 
 and one of the little boys used to play a great deal 
 with my little son. One day he asked me whether I 
 had a nurse with me for Charlie. " No," I said, " I 
 wish I had. I do miss my nice old Amah." He 
 looked at me solemnly and remarked, " But Charlie 
 is only one little boy ; what would you do if you had 
 our lot .'' " I made no reply, for I really did not know 
 what I should do under those circumstances. 
 
 My husband met us at Shanghai, and so did old 
 Amah, but alas, "her baby" was no longer a baby, 
 and had forgotten her! It is really pathetic to 
 realise the devotion amahs and ayahs pour out upon 
 European children, who so often do not return this 
 affection when they are no longer tiny mites. I felt 
 quite sorry for the poor old thing ; but she came back 
 with me, and stayed quite a long time, afterwards 
 going to a Russian family, with whom she still lives. 
 
 208 
 
AN IRISHWOMAN IN CHINA 
 
 On our arrival in Newchwang we found many 
 changes. Russian flags flew from various flagstaffs, 
 the Russian Eagle spread its wings over the Admin- 
 istration buildings, and on all sides one met Russians, 
 soldiers and civilians. 
 
 Dr Daly had been appointed Health Officer under 
 the Russian Administration ; later he was decorated 
 with the Russian Red Cross for his treatment of their 
 soldiers during the Boxer outbreak ; and later still 
 the Administrator, on behalf of the Czar, presented 
 him with a handsome silver cup of antique Russian 
 design, as a memento of his work during the plague 
 epidemic. 
 
 The General made his headquarters at a temple 
 in the middle of the foreign settlement, and temporary 
 barracks were soon erected. When the weather 
 became mild the military chaplain held evening 
 service on a kind of plinth outside these barracks 
 every night at nine o'clock, and we cdl enjoyed 
 hearing the beautiful Russian evening hymn, the 
 sonorous chanting, and their fine national anthem. 
 When service was over the men were played back to 
 barracks with a lively march, often the " Double 
 Eagle." The moment they got in the music stopped 
 short, no matter if it were the middle of a bar, which 
 used to aggravate me so that I had to finish it on the 
 piano, or fly from the sound before that march began. 
 
 The Russians are extremely musical, and their 
 soldiers generally sang on the march — sometimes in 
 unison, but often in harmony. 
 
 Once during the war time I was coming home late 
 
 in the evening, guided by a coolie with a small 
 
 lantern. It was very dark, the road was not lighted, 
 
 and as I followed my lantern-bearer on the narrow 
 
 209 o 
 
AN IRISHWOMAN IN CHINA 
 
 path, I heard the steady tramp of a large body of 
 men in the road beneath us, and an occasional word 
 of command, but it was so dark that I could see 
 nothing. I heard afterwards that these were soldiers 
 returning from a long march, thoroughly tired out; 
 they were not singing as usual, and the effect was 
 most strange and weird, reminding me of Kipling's 
 story of the " Lost Legion." 
 
 Members of a regimental band were not chosen 
 because of special musical talent. A man was simply 
 told to belong to the band, and what instrument he 
 was to learn, and then he just learnt it without any 
 demur. Soon the band was a feature of the place; 
 a little bandstand was erected near the river, and 
 several times a week the soldiers played there while 
 we took our constitutional on summer evenings. 
 Many of the soldiers* songs were very sad and 
 pathetic, but sometimes troupes came up from Port 
 Arthur (which was rapidly becoming a residential 
 place as well as a fortress) who gave us the charming 
 boat-songs of the Volga, or played the balalaika 
 (Russian guitar). 
 
 Russians are very sociable people, and frequently 
 entertained us in their houses, or got up dances 
 etc., in our little assembly-rooms. Wherever any 
 number of them gathered together, there was the 
 band; and all their entertainments are characterised 
 by an ^lan, a spirit of enjoyment eminently delightful. 
 They certainly do not take their pleasures sadly. 
 Some of the officers and Russian residents were very 
 fine musicians ; one, a nephew of Tschaikovsky, had 
 much of the family talent. He would sit and play all 
 the evening, roaming from composer to composer, or 
 would give us some descriptive music, rendering it 
 
 2IO 
 
AN IRISHWOMAN IN CHINA 
 
 in such a manner that we actually saw what he meant 
 us to see as he played. 
 
 One of these pieces described a legend something 
 like that of Leonora — how the devil ran away with a 
 lovely lady, who was rescued by a gallant knight; 
 how the devil pursued the couple, sending after them 
 floods, storms, and even earthquakes ; and how they 
 finally escaped in a lovely little chromatic scale to 
 the regions of the blessed. 
 
 Another Russian friend was a perfect magician on 
 the violin, while yet a third was the most sympathetic 
 accompanist I have ever come across. 
 
 Our little community became very lively, as 
 besides the influx of Russians, military and civil, 
 British gunboats frequently came in ; one was docked 
 every winter, and soon the United States followed 
 suit, so that we often had British, American, and 
 Russian men-of-war in port at the same time. 
 Sometimes a French or German boat would put in 
 for a few days, just to keep their flag waving ; and 
 of course the Japanese were frequent visitors. Our 
 community became more and more cosmopolitan, 
 and sometimes the babel of tongues was truly 
 remarkable. 
 
 It was inevitable that some little friction should 
 arise from time to time between the crews of these 
 ships, but no serious trouble ever occurred. One 
 winter evening some of our men were returning to 
 their ship, which was docked outside the city walls, 
 and a burly A.B., who had had a little more than was 
 good for him, suddenly taking offence at the sight of 
 a Cossack on guard at the city gate, squared up to 
 him, shouting as he did so : " My ancestors fought 
 your ancestors in the battle of the Crimea, so take 
 
 an 
 
AN IRISHWOMAN IN CHINA 
 
 that ! " The astonished Russian, knowing only that 
 he was being attacked, retahated with his bayonet, 
 and the sailors rapidly made off. Relations were a 
 bit strained for a few days, but soon all were friendly 
 again. 
 
 Most of our sailors were steady and well-behaved 
 men ; sometimes we had one or two as patients in our 
 little foreign ward, and it was amusing to hear the 
 Cockney tongue again, and their quaint comments 
 on things in general. One man to whom I had lent 
 some magazines told me what he enjoyed most were 
 the " continued tiles." After some consideration I 
 realized that he was referring to serial stories. 
 
 Another described an interview he had had with a 
 Chinese who had wandered on board the ship in a 
 casual manner, and whom he wished to get rid of. 
 " So ' 'Op it ! ' says Oi, an' he never budged. ' 'Op-p 
 Pdt,' says Oi — not a move out of 'im ; then I hups 
 with a balayin' pin I does. ' Opp hit ! ' says Oi ; an' 
 'fe 'opped it ! " 
 
 The Commander of one of our gunboats boasted 
 to me that his men were most regular in attendance 
 at church, although they were quite free in the matter 
 and need not go unless they wished. 
 
 "Oh! Captain W.," I cried, "how can you say 
 that, when you turn round in your seat and glare at 
 every man who enters to see that all are present ? " 
 
 " Of course I do," he replied, " and they know well 
 that if they did not attend I should give them a fine 
 long service on board; but there is absolutely no 
 compulsion ! " 
 
 Not being Irish, he could not understand why I 
 laughed. 
 
 Amongst Russians, military, naval, and civilian. 
 
 212 
 
AN IRISHWOMAN IN CHINA 
 
 we had many friends. Here again I found a work- 
 ing knowledge of French very useful to me, German 
 also, when one met with people from the Baltic 
 provinces. Presently I had some Russian pupils, 
 who were supposed to interchange languages with 
 me ; but they usually got on much faster than I did, 
 although the little Russian I learnt I did not forget, 
 and found it useful afterwards when crossing Siberia. 
 
 Russian ladies are charming — so pretty, so full of 
 fun, and often very talented. One with whom I 
 became very intimate soon spoke and read English 
 quite easily, and thoroughly enjoyed a good English 
 story. For instance, she was charmed with " Cran- 
 ford," an illustrated edition of which I sent her after 
 she left Newchwang, and told me she and her friends 
 were reading it together. 
 
 Of the doctors I have already spoken. The 
 Russian General who was in charge of communi- 
 cations during the Boxer rising we also knew well, 
 and we found many of the naval men very friendly. 
 
 Admiral Alexieff was installed at Port Arthur with 
 the high-sounding title of " Viceroy of the Far East." 
 In appearance he is very typically Russian — a hand- 
 some man of medium height and very strong build, 
 wearing a short beard, very courteous and pleasant 
 in manner. My husband had various dealings with 
 him, as Dr Daly was appointed Health Officer to 
 the Port. He always found the Admiral just and 
 kindly. Captain Eberhardt, afterwards an Admiral 
 serving in the Baltic, was appointed Administrator 
 at Newchwang, and shortly afterwards Captain 
 Crown was sent up in command of the Bobr, and 
 remained all winter in dock. 
 
 Captain Crown was a descendant of a British 
 
 213 
 
AN IRISHWOMAN IN CHINA 
 
 Admiral, and his father and grandfather had been 
 Admirals in the Russian Navy. The family, like 
 many others, had fled to Russia during the Jacobite 
 troubles. Soon after the present war broke out one 
 of our illustrated papers contained pictures of dis- 
 tinguished Russian soldiers and others who are of 
 Scottish descent. The poet Learmantoff is another 
 instance ; his family name was originally Learmonth, 
 like the doctor to whom I have referred. 
 
 The two captains were intimate friends, had been 
 together in the Naval College, and had much in 
 common. Afterwards Captain Vassilieff arrived in 
 command of the M and jour ; he was another of their 
 cronies, and it was delightful to hear them chaff each 
 other and recall old times together. 
 
 Admiral Eberhardt is an unmarried man, very shy 
 with women as a rule. He used to tell me he meant 
 to remain a bachelor until he was sixty-five, that then 
 he would marry my daughter, whom he had never 
 seen, and die with great promptness, leaving his wife 
 a fine pension, as he did not wish the Government 
 only to profit by money he had earned ! 
 
 One day there was some trouble between Chinese 
 and Cossacks in a village outside the gates where 
 the cows were kept which supplied us with milk, so 
 we, and what was much more serious, our babies, 
 could not get milk. I told Captain Crown, who 
 came to tea, to tell the Administrator that if the cows 
 were not allowed to come and be milked as usual 
 (they are driven into the compounds and milked 
 under supervision) a deputation of British mothers 
 would wait uppn him early next morning to know 
 the reason why. " No threat could be more effec- 
 tual ! " he cried. " Eberhardt will be terrified. I 
 
 214 
 
AN IRISHWOMAN IN CHINA 
 
 will tell him at once." Apparently he did tell him, 
 for the cows duly arrived that evening! 
 
 All these officers spoke many languages. Captain 
 Crown's English was faultless, and his children were 
 learning it with an English governess. A letter 
 written in English by his little son of seven years old, 
 which he showed me with much pride, has a pathetic 
 interest in the light of after events. In it the child 
 asked : " Are you soon coming home, and are you 
 very dull without me.'' I am very dull without 
 you ! " Poor little lad ! I wonder if he is now fighting 
 for his country, as certainly his elder brother, then in 
 the Guards, will be. 
 
 These three friends delighted in telling us stories 
 of cadet and midshipman days : how on one occasion 
 they were on the Russian Admiral's ship in Grecian 
 waters, when an International Demonstration was 
 made there. As they spoke English they were fre- 
 quently sent to the British ships, and would gravely 
 deliver their message, first in Russian. The 
 officer on duty would shake his head ; then young 
 Eberhardt would try modern Greek and Turkish. 
 Vassilieff would follow with Finnish, German, and 
 French, and when the British officer was thoroughly 
 bamboozled, young Crown would give the message 
 in perfect English; all three clicked their heels 
 together, and bowed in courteous farewell, leaving 
 the British officer with his mouth wide open, but no 
 words proceeding from it fit to be reproduced here. 
 
 Russians are very fond of children, and Captain 
 Eberhardt kept open house for the youngsters of 
 the Port, who dropped in to tea with him quite sans 
 ceremonie. One often met him driving out to the 
 Bobr dock or the Russian settlement with his droshky 
 
 215 
 
AN IRISHWOMAN IN CHINA 
 
 so crammed with children that he reminded one of 
 the famous old woman who lived in a shoe. 
 
 At Christmas they entertained the little ones right 
 royally ; but the last Christmas party I attended on a 
 Russian ship was marred by the feeling that " peace 
 on earth " would soon be a thing of the past for all 
 of us. Once again the war cloud brooded over 
 Manchuria, and only a few weeks later it burst. 
 
 216 
 
CHAPTER XVII 
 
 " The bursting shell, the gateway rent asunder, 
 The nattling musketry — the clashing blade! " 
 
 — Longfellow. 
 
 During the next five years the " Russianising " of 
 Manchuria went on apace ; but Japan steadily pre- 
 pared, for she knew well that she must eventually 
 fight the great northern power, and must fight to 
 win. If she were beaten in that conflict all hope of 
 expansion in Manchuria and Korea — in fact, all hope 
 of ever becoming a really great power — ^would be 
 lost to her. 
 
 According to a convention agreed upon between 
 Russia and China, which was signed in 1902, Russia 
 undertook to evacuate the country by 8th October, 
 1903; but she failed to fulfil her promise. China 
 could not force her to do so, and Russia did not 
 realise how offensive this failure was to England, 
 the United States, and notably Japan. Another 
 cause of offence to the little island empire was that 
 Russia had established lumber camps on the Korean 
 side of the River Yalu. To protect her lumbermen 
 (from the fierce Koreans!) she also sent soldiers 
 there, and for the benefit of these soldiers she began 
 to erect barracks, and even forts. So strongly did 
 the Japanese feel on the matter that this action of 
 Russia may be considered as one of the principal 
 causes of the war. 
 
 217 
 
AN IRISHWOMAN IN CHINA 
 
 Apparently there were very few Japanese in 
 Manchuria at that time; but their Secret Service 
 people were very active, even more so than in 1894, 
 and their spies were everywhere. I have already 
 spoken of those who worked as coolies upon the 
 fortifications at Port Arthur ; others posed as Chinese 
 barbers, servants, etc. — some may even have made 
 their way into Alexieff' s entourage. 
 
 The Russians could not bring themselves to 
 believe that Japan would really challenge them to 
 fight. One officer remarked to me: "They can 
 imitate Western methods, and have done so very 
 successfully, so of course their army is far superior 
 to the Chinese; but when they are pitted against 
 Europeans, and have to show initiative and skill in 
 tactics, it will be a very different story." 
 
 Russians did not take the idea of evacuation at all 
 seriously, but used to joke about it; and one day 
 when some large sheets of corrugated-iron roofing 
 were being dragged through the streets, I asked what 
 that appalling noise was ? A Russian officer immedi- 
 ately replied : " Oh ! that is the Russian evacuation, of 
 course. What else could it be ? " 
 
 When we were all assured that war was in- 
 evitable, many Russians still pooh-poohed the idea. 
 Anxiously we watched the papers to see where our 
 friends were, and if the Mandjour, now commanded 
 by Captain Crown, had been recalled to Port Arthur 
 from Shanghai, the Variag and Korietz from Korea. 
 Captain Eberhardt had gone to Port Arthur, where 
 he was acting as Chief of Staff to Admiral Stark. 
 Vainly he implored that infatuated man to recall 
 those ships and refuse all leave to his officers. Stark 
 
 overruled Captain Eberhardt's proposals, with the 
 
 21S 
 
AN IRISHWOMAN IN CHINA 
 
 result that the first torpedo attack made by the 
 Japanese on Port Arthur was completely successful ; 
 no one was prepared for it. 
 
 One war correspondent gave a dramatic account 
 of that first attack. He was on board a British 
 merchant vessel lying in Port Arthur harbour on the 
 night of 4th February, 1904. It was a calm and 
 beautiful evening, the great battleships lay at 
 anchor ; from the heights above the harbour rose the 
 walls of splendid forts. At nine o'clock from every 
 fort and every ship came softly the melody of the 
 Russian evening hymn, then the sound of prayers 
 solemnly intoned, and the stirring music of their 
 beautiful national anthem. As he looked and lis- 
 tened he said to himself : " Port Arthur will never be 
 taken ! " Two hours later a sudden alarm ! Soon 
 peace changed into confusion. Admiral Togo's 
 torpedo-boats entered unperceived and made a 
 daring attack upon the Russian battleships, disabling 
 three of them. In Korea the Variag and Korietz 
 put up a valiant but hopeless fight, and the Mand- 
 jour was interned in Shanghai, where poor Captain 
 Crown was eating his heart out in hopeless inactivity. 
 
 After this attack on Port Arthur, the Russian 
 women and children were hastily sent away from that 
 place without proper food or clothing, some even 
 travelling in open trucks, through the bitter bitter 
 cold of a Manchurian winter, to Siberia. On all 
 sides we again saw the results of unpreparedness and 
 ignorance of the strength of an enemy. 
 
 That the Russians were brave no one will deny. 
 
 The men who fought for forty-eight days from 
 
 chamber to chamber of General Kondrachenko's fort 
 
 at Port Arthur, until the soldiers themselves insisted 
 
 219 
 
AN IRISHWOMAN IN CHINA 
 
 on a truce and shared drinks and cigarettes with the 
 enemy ; those six thousand who fought to the death 
 on 203 Metre Hill; and the brave defenders of the 
 foreign settlement at Tientsin in the Boxer time — all 
 proved what the Russian soldier can do; but they 
 also proved that fine physique, dogged endurance, 
 and courage are of no avail without proper training 
 and good leadership. 
 
 Some months after the termination of that war I 
 stood in a hollow near the interesting old pagoda at 
 Liaoyang, and Dr Westwater described to me how 
 from the shelter of the city wall he had watched the 
 Russian soldiers stationed in that hollow, while hour 
 after hour they fought at a fatal disadvantage as to 
 position, arms, and skill. 
 
 A Japanese battery placed on high ground not far 
 off poured a deadly fire upon them, killing officers, 
 mowing down men ; but the latter held the position 
 doggedly, carrying off their wounded and dead, re- 
 placing them with more food for powder, because 
 they had received no orders to change their position. 
 
 What a contrast there was between the two armies ! 
 One prepared for the grim realities of war, united, 
 compact, bent on victory ; the other an unruly mass 
 of units, despising their enemy, ignorant of his 
 power, knowing litde of why they were fighting, and 
 with bitter jealousy and much intrigue weakening the 
 hands of their leaders. 
 
 Some Russian statesmen such as de Witte and 
 Landsdorff foresaw the consequences of provoking 
 Japan too far, and General Kuropatkin, who was 
 Minister of War when hostilities broke out, was 
 strongly opposed to the war. One cannot but feel 
 sorry for this fine soldier, who played a losing 
 
 220 
 
AN IRISH WOMA>J IN CHINA 
 
 game with so much courage, hampered by dissensions 
 amongst his subordinates, want of proper organi- 
 sation in InteUigence and Commissariat Depart- 
 ments, and the knowledge that the war was an 
 unpopular one with the people of Russia. 
 
 The Japanese realised his ability, and in spite of 
 their great successes felt keen disappointment at their 
 failure to capture the " Black Partridge " (" Kuro- 
 patka," a " partridge " in Russian). One day a 
 friend of mine who had just heard the news of the 
 Russian retreat from Moukden told a Japanese 
 gentleman she met about it. At first he seemed 
 delighted, but then asked eagerly : " Have they got 
 the Black Partridge ? " On hearing this was not the 
 case, he hung his head and seemed quite depressed. 
 
 Dr Daly and I visited Port Arthur some time after 
 the war in lovely autumn weather, and were shown 
 over the place by a Japanese friend, then Commis- 
 sioner of Customs there. He took us to the top of 
 Monument Hill, and pointing out a little hillock in 
 the valley below, with a ruined fort upon it, told us 
 that a short time before war broke out Kuropatkin 
 ordered this fort to be built. It was one of the most 
 difficult to capture, as it drew the fire of all the other 
 forts in the neighbourhood; the Japanese, who lost 
 thousands of men there, called it the " Demon Fort." 
 
 The Russians are wonderful fort constructors, and 
 the Japanese speak of the North Fort (where General 
 Kondrachenko was killed, and to which I have 
 already referred) as a "miracle of construction." 
 At one time the atmosphere in the galleries and 
 chambers of that fort was so bad that both sides were 
 accused of using poisonous gases. It was in this 
 fort that the Japanese were obliged to tunnel, and 
 
 221 
 
AN IRISHWOMAN IN CHINA 
 
 the Russians made a counter-tunnel. The Japanese 
 sappers hAd a piece of rope tied to their ankles, so 
 that if killed their comrades could draw out the 
 bodies and free the passage. 
 
 That General Kondrachenko was the real hero of 
 Port Arthur is now, I think, fully allowed ; it was not 
 until after his death that Stoessel surrendered the 
 fortress. Had he lived, most probably the siege 
 would have lasted longer and the defence been much 
 more stubborn. 
 
 On Two Dragon Hill, where the largest fort had 
 been constructed, the Japanese troops experienced 
 great difficulties. Our friend told us that a tunnel 
 was made there with the object of undermining the 
 escarp. The mining operations concluded in a huge 
 explosion, but unfortunately, owing to some miscal- 
 culation, the debris from the explosion fell upon the 
 storming party, nearly all of whom were killed. 
 
 At that time the fortified hills were bare of trees 
 and swept by strong winds and often heavy snow- 
 storms ; this added to the hardships endured by the 
 soldiers upon both sides. As we drove about I 
 noticed plantations of small pines, and was told that 
 these little trees were often planted by the Japanese 
 soldiers on a spot where some friend had fallen. 
 By this time they must have grown to a considerable 
 size and made a great difference in the appearance of 
 the hills. In summer they are covered with wild 
 flowers, and the air is splendid, so fresh and invigor- 
 ating ; but the place is simply a museum and monu- 
 ment of war. Many of the hills, notably the celebrated 
 203 Metre Hill, are, to again quote the Japanese, 
 " so ploughed up by shell-fire that they look more 
 
 like the top of a volcano than anything else." 
 
 222 
 
AN IRISH WUMAJN iN CHINA 
 
 We stayed at a very comfortable hotel at Port 
 Arthur, and on our second day there, started to visit 
 203 (Ur-pai-ling-saen). The road was being re- 
 paired in expectation of a visit from General Nogi, 
 and presently we left our carriage and proceeded on 
 foot. We had been warned not to take photos even 
 of the ruined forts, as the Japanese were very sus- 
 picious of photographers, and some European visitors 
 had got into trouble in this way. As we walked 
 along, a Japanese mounted officer joined us, and 
 saluting, said, " Where are you going to ? " On our 
 replying " 203 Metre Hill," " I will accompany you," 
 he said. At first we felt a little annoyed at this watch 
 being kept upon our movements, but he turned out 
 to be a pleasant and interesting cicerone, who 
 explained everything clearly, and in good though 
 rather slow English. 
 
 Two hundred and three stands exactly opposite 
 
 Monument Hill. On the summit a very small, neat 
 
 memorial-stone has been put up, the top of which is 
 
 in an exact line with the top of the monument, a 
 
 handsome obelisk. Near this obelisk, on a slope of 
 
 Monument Hill, there is a sort of vault, or, as the 
 
 Japanese call it, a shrine, where, neatly arranged 
 
 upon shelves, are quantities of caskets containing 
 
 the ashes of twenty thousand Japanese soldiers. On 
 
 203 the fighting was terrible. The Japanese were 
 
 determined to carry this hill, which commanded the 
 
 harbour, and they acknowledged the loss of ten 
 
 thousand men there. After many assaults, they 
 
 gained it, and erected a bomb-proof shelter on the 
 
 summit, from which point of vanta,ge one of their 
 
 officers directed the fire of a great howitzer upon the 
 
 Russian fleet, and rapidly sank most of the ships. 
 
 223 
 
AN IRISHWOMAN IN CHINA 
 
 When we again reached our carriage, the officer 
 left us, thanking us for the lesson in English we had 
 given him ; afterwards he wrote saying that his object 
 in joining us was to receive this instruction. I think 
 he would have liked to continue it by correspondence, 
 as the Japanese are very keen upon learning English, 
 and will pounce upon people at railway stations or 
 on steamers with this end in view. Sometimes 
 their questions are very amusing. One tall, dark mis- 
 sionary was accosted by a Japanese clerk in these 
 words : " Sir or madam, as the case may be — ^what is 
 your name ? " And I have been told that a placard 
 was exhibited on a little Japanese house, setting forth 
 that " English is taught here up to G." The house 
 coolie at the hotel said to me with a polite bow, " Will 
 you have some hot?" I discovered that he meant 
 to ask whether I wished the steam heat to be 
 turned on! 
 
 When returning, we met numbers of Japanese 
 school children, who were being taken by their 
 teachers for a picnic on 203 Metre Hill. Jolly httle 
 people they were, full of fun, fat and rosy, all pro- 
 vided with little satchels containing their food. There 
 must have been several hundreds of them, both boys 
 and girls, who had come in from Dalny and the 
 surrounding country. We asked them in Chinese 
 where they were going, and they all understood 
 and shouted out gleefully, " Ur-pai-ling-saen ! " 
 
 (203). 
 
 The next day we visited the Russian cemetery, 
 and saw the beautiful monument erected there to 
 General Kondrachenko ; we also bought some me- 
 mentoes — ^pieces of shells, little pom-pom shells fitted 
 into strips of wood taken from the Japanese ships 
 
 224 
 
AN IRISHWOMAN IN CHINA 
 
 sunk to blockade the harbour, and a tiny Russian 
 cross, hundreds of which, worn by the Russian 
 Tommies (Ivan Ivanovitch is their official name) 
 were found on the battle-fields. Every orthodox 
 Russian is given one on the day of his baptism, and 
 never parts with it; wealthy babies have gold ones, 
 but these were made of silver or pewter. 
 
 Again the fighting drew nearer and nearer to our 
 home ; refugees poured into the big cities. In Mouk- 
 den alone nineteen thousand — ^destitute, ill, forlorn — 
 had to be received and cared for. Our hearts ached 
 for the Russian soldiers, as for the Chinese in the 
 former war; often badly cared for and equipped, 
 their leaders, even after the reverses experienced by 
 the navy, not realising the strength of their enemy by 
 land as well as by sea. 
 
 One day I was speaking to the Russian General in 
 charge in the Newchwang district about some social 
 matter, when he remarked, gaily laughing : " Madame 
 Daly, dites-moi done, oic sont les Japonais ; j'aimerais 
 bien savoir!" He knew well enough later, poor 
 fellow, when after two days' and nights' strenuous 
 fighting, Kuropatkin insisted upon his evacuating 
 Ta-Shih-Chiao, from which place he was telephoning 
 to me. 
 
 General Kuropatkin pursued a policy of retreat, 
 drawing the Japanese forces farther and farther from 
 their base, knowing, as they also knew, that they 
 could not follow him into Siberia and beyond. 
 
 Again I became a refugee, this time with only one 
 child to look after. My good old Amah was with the 
 Russian friend of whom I have spoken, and as we 
 travelled together she was a great help to us both. 
 We went by rail to Tientsin, along with other women 
 
 225 p 
 
AN IRISHWOMAN IN CHINA 
 
 and children of all nationalities. Many of us stayed 
 in the same hotel, where every evening we met and 
 talked together, trying to add to each ottier's scanty 
 knowledge of what was going on. We went often 
 to the railway station to see if other refugees were 
 arriving, and how they fared. One day my Russian 
 friend went alone, and came flying back to me with 
 two tiny children whom she had taken charge of. 
 Their father was an employee of the Russo-Chinese 
 Bank, and had arrived that day from Newchwang 
 with one baby in his arms, the other in a Japanese 
 basket, and for sole provision, some milk which 
 had gone sour on the journey! We took them to 
 the Sisters of Mercy for a time, and afterwards this 
 Russian lady kept those forlorn mites for a year in 
 her own house, until the father, who was a widower, 
 could make arrangements for them. | 
 
 Dame Rumour was again busy, and little reliable 
 information could be obtained. At last Dr Daly 
 wrote to tell me Captain Crown had escaped from 
 Shanghai, made his way to Newchwang, and had 
 just gone down to Port Arthur in the highest spirits. 
 Admiral Makaroff had arrived there, and had sent 
 for him ; he believed he was to be put in charge of a 
 torpedo flotilla. 
 
 Soon afterwards my husband telegraphed for me 
 to return, as all immediate danger of an attack on 
 Newchwang was over for the present. I went to 
 interview the hotel proprietor and arrange about my 
 journey. " You cannot possibly return," he said ; 
 "a telegram has just arrived saying the Japanese 
 are bombarding the town of- Newchwang." At first 
 I was taken aback, but on examining the wire, found 
 it had been sent off two hours before Dr Daly's, 
 
 226 
 
An irishwoman in china 
 
 so decided that it was merely a rumour, and that I 
 would leave next morning. 
 
 I found my husband had arranged to go home for 
 a while, as we had long intended to do. There were 
 very few people iri the Port, and the Russian Red 
 Cross had sufficient helpers there. So we packed up, 
 and just as we were closing some boxes a few days 
 later, a Renter's telegram was brought to us containing 
 the almost unbelievable news that Admiral Makaroff, 
 with all his staff, the pick of the Russian navy, the 
 men of purpose and resource on whom she depended 
 to retrieve her naval prestige, had been blown up m 
 the great battleship, Petrofavlosk, which had struck 
 a mine when returning to Port Arthur after a sortie. 
 On board that ill-fated ship were our two good 
 friends, Captain Crown and Captain Vassilieff, and 
 the great Russian war painter, Verestschagin, whose 
 wonderful pictures of Napoleon's retreat from Mos- 
 cow are so well known. 
 
 For a time the Russians seemed paralysed, and the 
 navy never recovered this blow; but fierce and 
 terrible struggles took place on land, exceeding in 
 the lists of killed and wounded any before known. 
 Gettysberg and Sudan were small in comparison. 
 But all these, even the battle of Moukden, in which 
 the line of battle extended for nearly a hundred miles, 
 pale before the magnitude of the operations at present 
 in progress in France, Belgium, Poland, and the 
 Carpathians. It is interesting to note what is now 
 a well-estabHshed fact, that had General Kuropatkin 
 possessed competent intelligence officers who would 
 have found out the true statfe of affairs for him, he 
 could have turned the tide of events both at Liao- 
 
 yang and Moukden in favour of the Russians. At 
 
 227 
 
AN IRISHWOMAN IN CHINA 
 
 Liaoyang, General Kuroki was isolated on the right, 
 at Moukden General Nogi on the left; but no 
 one gave Kuropatkin the necessary information, and 
 these great opportunities were lost. 
 
 In the meantime we had travelled home by the old 
 route. General Kondratovitch assured us we could 
 still go via Siberia, that he would provide a pass to 
 carry us through ; but we feared long delays and 
 possible hardship, which would have been bad for 
 our little son. We had a pleasant journey home in 
 the Malta and Himalaya, although we experienced 
 bad weather outside Colombo, as the monsoon had 
 broken; and I must say I have never seen such 
 well-grown cockroaches as those on the Malta. My 
 brother once told me that those which frequent troop- 
 ships are sometimes as large as a small mouse. I 
 considered this a traveller's tale, but when I saw 
 what the Malta could do in that line, I realized that 
 he was not exaggerating. 
 
 It was interesting to find how differently people 
 at home now thought of Manchuria. At our hotel 
 in London, on trains and steamers, in clubs and 
 private houses, one heard discussions going on about 
 the war and its probable results ; people studied the 
 geography of the country, and were greatly interested 
 in anything we could tell them about it. 
 
 In the spring of 1905 my husband and I returned 
 to China — this time without our children, whom we 
 had left at school. 
 
 In the previous autumn Admiral Rozdestvenski 
 began his extraordinary voyage to the Far East, 
 during which the strange Dogger Bank episode 
 occurred, which so nearly resulted in war between 
 Russia and England. When we were off the coast 
 
 aaS 
 
AN IRISHWOMAN IN CHINA 
 
 of Indo-China, the Russian fleet was supposed to be 
 somewhere near, but we saw nothing of it, and on 
 our arrival in Shanghai found everyone wondering 
 where the Japanese fleet was, and when they would 
 again attack their enemy. We stayed with the 
 British Consul General, an old friend, and had much 
 difficulty in procuring a passage to Newchwang. 
 Once all our luggage was placed upon a certain 
 steamer, but we had to take it off again in a hurry, as 
 this boat was chartered by a number of newspaper 
 correspondents, who went on a voyage of discovery 
 to find the Japanese fleet, and be present at the 
 impending naval battle. I do not think they suc- 
 ceeded in their object, for Admiral Togo was in no 
 hurry about attacking. 
 
 Finally we obtained a passage on a coasting 
 vessel, one of those big boxes for cargo with only 
 two tiny cabins for passengers, which abounded in 
 cockroaches — not such monsters as on the Malta, but 
 big enough to be unpleasant. Dr Daly was so afraid 
 of them that he slept in the tiny saloon. I sat up as 
 late as I could, and then got quickly into bed, put 
 out the light, and tried to imagine they were not 
 there. 
 
 That was a tedious and dismal journey ! Usually 
 it takes about three days to reach Newchwang from 
 Shanghai, but this time we anchored every night, and 
 were six days and nights on that ship. 
 
 This was a precautionary measure, for many mines 
 
 which had been laid near Port Arthur and Dalny had 
 
 broken loose during storms, and were floating about 
 
 the Yellow Sea and the Gulf of Liaotung ; they had 
 
 already wrecked several ships. Night and day extra 
 
 men were kept on the look-out, and the thought that 
 
 229 
 
AN IRISHWOMAN IN CHINA 
 
 at any moment we might come into collision with a 
 floating mine did not add to our cheerfulness. 
 
 Fortunately the chief engineer was an old friend 
 and a chess player, and I had plenty of books and 
 work with me; but one of the junior officers was 
 learning the mandoline, and sometimes after we had 
 anchored, he would come out on deck and play well- 
 known tunes on it very slowly. I did not find them 
 exhilarating. 
 
 Early one morning my husband shouted to me to 
 come on deck to see a mine which we were just 
 passing. It looked Hke a floating buoy painted red ; 
 out of the top protruded many spikes. Had we struck 
 one of them it would have gone badly with us. A 
 few hours later we passed another mine, and the 
 next day the hull of a wrecked junk. 
 
 At last we reached Newchwang, and I found many 
 of my friends amongst the European community still 
 there, although the Russians had disappeared. Again 
 a transformation scene had taken place ; everywhere 
 one met Japanese, soldiers and civilians, and the 
 rising sun floated over the Administration buildings. 
 
 A few weeks later the naval battle of Tsushima 
 was fought, in which Admiral Togo secured his final 
 victory. The war dragged on until the autumn, 
 when peace was signed at Portsmouth (U.S.A.) on 
 2gth August, 1905. By this treaty, Japan, with the 
 consent of China, obtained the lease of those portions 
 of Manchuria formerly leased to Russia, and the 
 railway as far as Kwang-Cheng-Tzu (now known as 
 Chang-Chun) was also ceded to her. Since that time 
 Russia has prepared ; she had learnt her lesson, and 
 the army now fighting so gallantly in the Carpathians 
 and in Poland show the splendid results of her 
 
 230 
 
^a^JN IRISHWOMAN IN CHINA 
 
 preparation. It is good, too, to feel that at last 
 Russia and Great Britain have " squared yards," that 
 we can look to our Allies in the Far East and say, 
 " Banzai ! " and turn to Russia with a heartfelt 
 " Slavnie Rossia ! " 
 
 231 
 
CHAPTER XVIII 
 
 "The pulse of human nature throbs 
 From England to Cathey." 
 
 — (Translation of Chinese rhyme) Prof. Giles. 
 
 The Russian defeat at Moukden practically ended 
 the fighting in Manchuria, but not the suffering. 
 All during the war this had been intense amongst the 
 unfortunate inhabitants of the country. The dogs 
 of war were snarling over them, they could not 
 escape ; while the realisation that whichever way the 
 conflict was decided it would profit them nothing, 
 must have added bitterness to their sad lot. 
 
 On our return to Newchwang my husband became 
 Treasurer to the local Red Cross and Refuge Aid 
 Society, which had done excellent work. All the 
 European ladies had come forward to provide warm 
 clothing for the refugees, and the missionaries in 
 Moukden and other large towns, assisted by the 
 Chinese Government, did all they could to help, but 
 it was a tremendous task. 
 
 Again the winter was exceptionally cold ; all who 
 were driven from their homes might well pray that 
 their " flight be not in the winter " ! Provisions and 
 coal were at war prices ; in Moukden the latter cost 
 five pounds a ton. And to crown all, infectious sick- 
 ness broke out in some of the refugee camps. When 
 the people returned to their homes they found 
 villages and crops destroyed, while many casualties 
 
 ?33 • 
 
AN IRISHWOMAN IN CHINA 
 
 occurred from unexploded shells which were buried 
 in the ground, and exploded when struck by a 
 plough or spade. Everywhere there were barbed- 
 wire entanglements, pits covered with wire, and the 
 horrible ground-mines concealed in the earth, or 
 under branches of trees apparently left lying care- 
 lessly on the ground. These ground-mines con- 
 sisted of two thick pieces of wood about two feet 
 square, with a very strong spring between them. 
 Under this spring the explosive was placed, and when 
 a heavy cart or a man on horseback passed over, the 
 spring was pressed down and the mine exploded. 
 
 The beautiful park at the North Tomb outside 
 Moukden city was occupied by the Russians, and 
 the red wall round the enclosure loopholed. Here, 
 where we had enjoyed so many pleasant days, Mrs 
 Ross, when searching for flowers, found an unex- 
 ploded shell, and more ghastly still, the body of a 
 Russian soldier. 
 
 When I visited Moukden after the war I noticed 
 that Potiloff Hill, the scene of so many sanguinary 
 fights, could be plainly seen from the hospital win- 
 dows, as all the timber which formerly hid it from 
 view had been cut down; and when Mrs Christie 
 proposed that we should picnic in a shady grove 
 near the Hun River, we drove and drove for quite 
 a long way searching for this shady spot, but it 
 too had disappeared. After all, with coal at five 
 pounds a ton and the temperature nearly at sixty 
 degrees of frost, I think I should burn any tree I 
 could get hold of ; besides, many of them had been 
 cut down to prevent their affording cover to the 
 enemy. 
 
 Much sickness broke out after the war — cholera, 
 
AN IRISHWOMAN IN CHINA 
 
 dysentery, and enteric, while plague reappeared in 
 Newchwang that autumn. In Moukden the flies were 
 dreadful. All through North China the common 
 house fly is a great pest, even worse than mosquitoes 
 because more unhealthy. By the ist of June it is 
 advisable to screen every door and window in the 
 house with wire-gauze, which keeps out the flies, but 
 also a good deal of air, and one feels as if one lived 
 in a meat-safe. Anything was preferable to the flies ; 
 one of them inside your mosquito net will wake you 
 up at dawn and effectually keep you awake. 
 
 When our hospital was being used as a Red Cross 
 one by the Russians, two ladies, one a Countess, 
 were working there. They did not realise how 
 careful one must be to keep out flies, and were 
 dreadfully pestered with them. One day they came 
 to tea with me, and their first remark was : " Mais, 
 Madame, comment! — il n'y a pas de mouches! " 
 
 The Chinese do not seem to object to the flies, and 
 are very careless about letting them into the kitchen ; 
 unless one watches them constantly they will calmly 
 prop open a fly door if it suits them to do so, and 
 leave it open until some of the flies penetrate to the 
 mistress's part of the house, and she appears in 
 righteous wrath. 
 
 . My husband had his work cut out for him as 
 Hon. Treasurer of the Red Cross and Refugee Aid 
 Society; the accounts were most difficult to keep, 
 payments being made in all sorts of coinage. Thje 
 Mexican dollar, Russian rouble, Japanese yen, 
 Chinese copper cash and paper money, and the 
 special Japanese war note — all had their turn, and 
 not only did they differ from each other in value, but 
 exchange varied from day to day. Our housekeeping 
 
 234 
 
^X c5^iE# 
 
AN IRISHWOMAN IN CHINA 
 
 expenses were paid in the silver Mexican dollar as a 
 rule, and every time I went over them with the cook 
 he would tell me what the exchange was that day, 
 and we would calculate accordingly. The only thing 
 that saves one from madness is that all this calcula- 
 tion is done on the decimal system. 
 
 Before we went home Dr Daly handed over the 
 hospital (with the consent of the Chinese who helped 
 to support it) to the Irish Presbyterian Mission, and 
 on my return to Newchwang I found that the 
 missionaries had set aside a ward for women, and 
 that it was fully availed of by the Chinese in spite of 
 the fact that a ward in a hospital for men, although 
 separated completely from the male ward, was not at 
 all a suitable place to receive women in. Afterwards 
 I took a great interest in this ward, and many of our 
 community ladies did also. Mrs Christie, on my 
 next visit to her, helped me very much and en- 
 couraged me to take up this work in spite of the 
 fact that I had never studied Northern Chinese and 
 made but a poor attempt at speaking it. She her- 
 self is quite at home in the language, and I used 
 to envy her facility when we went about together. 
 Being Scotch, she did not flatter, but merely en- 
 couraged me by saying she knew of at least one lady 
 who spoke worse than I did, and that she was sure I 
 could manage quite well to make the women under- 
 stand. I took her advice and found much to interest 
 me in the hospital. 
 
 Later on the residents rose nobly to the occasion, 
 and we got up a bazaar which Europeans and 
 Chinese vied with each other to make a success. 
 We made enough money to justify us in beginning 
 to erect a hospital for women. This is now a fait 
 
 235 
 
AN IRISHWOMAN IN CHINA 
 
 accompli ; many patients are treated there, and Mrs 
 Carson, an experienced missionary, frequently visits 
 the women, who are very ready to listen to her 
 instructions. 
 
 That was a most amusing bazaar. Greatly daring, 
 I said I would undertake a flower stall. Friends from 
 Tientsin helped me with gifts of plants, and all 
 my goods were sold in about an hour. Some pretty 
 little girls who were assisting me must, I think, 
 have sold the plants several times over; at least, 
 they brought me far more money than I expected 
 for them! An American lady, who made delicious 
 sweets, was also sold out in a very short time; and 
 with the help of a stirring auctioneer who foisted 
 babies' socks on bachelors of long standing, and 
 startling works of art made in Germany on fastidious 
 artistic people, we cleared everything off and realized 
 a substantial sum. 
 
 Not without heartburnings and small social vol- 
 canic eruptions had that bazaar been successfully 
 engineered; but one friend consoled me by saying 
 that any little troubles we had gone through were 
 nothing to what he had experienced iri a continental 
 resort where a bazaar had been got up in aid of 
 some charity, and where he solemnly assured me the 
 " wounded had been carried away Qn stretchers " ! 
 
 During the next few years I paid many pleasant 
 visits to friends living up-country either in the great 
 towns or in quite out-of-the-way stations. One 
 summer I went to stay with the wife of an engineer, 
 where we certainly lived the simple life. I used to 
 admire her contentment and the dainty care she took 
 of her house, never allowing herself to get slack 
 about it. Her husband would go off very early in 
 
 236 
 
AN IRISHWOMAN IN CHINA 
 
 the morning and not appear again until nearly dinner- 
 time. We would walk about the veranda a little 
 after breakfast, then read, write, or sew until tiffin ; 
 after that we usually read foolish books or dozed in 
 long chairs until tea-time, and after that we watered 
 the garden steadily for two hours, as there had not 
 been any rain for a long time. 
 
 The house had formerly been inhabited by Russian 
 engineers, and as one always finds when following in 
 Russian footsteps, the garden was full of poplar 
 trees. These trees make a rustling, when there is a 
 breeze, almost exactly like the sound of rain, and I 
 often looked out thinking the longed-for break in the 
 weather had come ; but no ! it was still necessary to 
 water all the plants. I always had an insane desire 
 to water the rain gauge which Mr Rigby inspected so 
 carefully every day. Mrs Rigby, however, said if I 
 did so I must also water all the big veranda near it, 
 or he would not be deceived, and that would use too 
 much of the precious water. 
 
 In the evening we took a walk to a small private 
 graveyard, where three trees grew, and on our return 
 Mr Rigby would place our chairs where we could 
 obtain a fine view of the sun setting behind the hills 
 some fourteen miles away. 
 
 I often wished to visit those hills. In spring 
 they were a beautiful sight, covered with wild cherry 
 blossom and other flowers ; and from that district 
 come peaches, pears, and many grapes. Manchuria is 
 a great country for grapes ; we used to buy them for 
 about twopence a pound, large, sweet purple ones, 
 and in Chefoo the green varieties are also to be had. 
 
 Later I stayed with these friends when they were 
 
 stationed at Fengtai, about eighteen miles from 
 
 237 
 
AN IRISHWOMAN IN CHINA 
 
 Peking. This is a charming place within easy dis- 
 tance by trolley of the " superb bridge " mentioned 
 by Marco Polo, parallel with which the railway 
 bridge now stands. I had heard the legend that no 
 two people have ever arrived at the same compu- 
 tation of the stone lions which adorn the parapet of 
 this bridge, so thought I should like to try if we 
 could concur as to the number. We began to count, 
 but I had only got to about two hundred and fifty 
 when a string of camels came along, and in getting 
 out of their way and trying to avoid falling over the 
 uneven pavement, I lost count. Mr Rigby lived in a 
 temple near by this old bridge when he was helping 
 to build the railway one, and he assured me that he 
 never looked towards it without seeing camels' heads 
 appearing over the parapet; they seem to pass con- 
 tinuously to and from Mongolia, and to me they tone 
 in extremely well with the ancient appearance of the 
 bridge. I suppose the camel's pedigree is no longer 
 than that of the horse dr dog, but of all domestic 
 animals he always strikes one as the most nearly 
 primeval. 
 
 From Fengtai, too, we visited the garden of one 
 of the princes, part of which is now open to the 
 public and used as a kind of Zoo. The village 
 outside the park is just like the picture on a willow- 
 pattern plate, and as I remarked how character- 
 istically Chinese and old-world it was, "whiz!" — a 
 motor-car went past us, leaving a long train of dust 
 and a most modern smell behind it. Round Feng- 
 tai the scenery is picturesque ; low hills crowned 
 with willows meet one everywhere. Sometimes one 
 passes a sacred tree in which hangs a bell of sweet 
 and solemn tone, or beneath it may stand a little 
 
 238 
 
AN IRISHWOMAN IN CHINA 
 
 shrine to some local deity. Tiny shrines not much 
 bigger than a doll's house are very frequently seen in 
 the fields ; they are generally dedicated to the god of 
 agriculture. 
 
 Peking itself is a fascinating place ; Dr Daly and 
 I first visited it in winter. On a glorious morning we 
 went to see the Altar and Temple of Heaven. In 
 the midst of a fine park, within a grove of cypress 
 trees, rises the Altar of Heaven, open to the sky, the 
 most impressive place of worship I have ever seen. 
 It is an immense white marble structure, three- 
 storied, and built in circular form, with white marble 
 balustrades beautifully carved to represent clouds. 
 On -the central slab the Emperor used to stand when 
 he went there three times a year to worship and offer 
 sacrifices. A marble pavement surrounds the altar, 
 and leading from it to the Temple of Heaven there 
 is a raised causeway, at each side of which ancient 
 cypress and fir trees grow, their sombre branches 
 forming a fine contrast to the white marble altar, and 
 the elaborate colouring, carving, and gilding of the 
 Temple of Heaven with its threefold roof of blue 
 tiles. 
 
 Imagine all this beneath a sky of cloudless blue, 
 the ground covered with untrodden snow, and amidst 
 the absolute silence and peace of the great park. 
 Surely the people who could imagine and erect such 
 a place of worship must have a strong realisation of 
 the majesty and holiness of the Supreme Being, for 
 the worship which is conducted here is simple and 
 grand, free from the numerous and often degrading 
 superstitions which have gathered round Taoism 
 and Chinese Buddhism. Inside the temple there are 
 no images; the Tablet of Heaven is brought there 
 
 239 
 
AN IRISHWOMAN IN CHINA 
 
 when special ceremonies are to be performed. The 
 only jarring elements we noticed were the signs of 
 neglect (weeds growing between the slabs of the 
 marble pavement, dust upon the pillars and tables of 
 the temple) and the unsightly scratches and marks 
 made upon the pillars, and even the very altar itself, 
 by some European or American visitors. Can Van- 
 dalism go further than to inscribe its obscure initials 
 upon the stately monuments of a worship said to be 
 the most ancient in the world, and still held sacred by 
 the Chinese? 
 
 The following day a Russian friend, Mr Kon- 
 ovaloff, of the Imperial Chinese Customs, took us 
 to various places of interest, and a delightful guide 
 he was, full of information and understanding of what 
 we would like to see. But then he is delightful at 
 all times ; this was only a new phase ! 
 
 To stand on the city wall of Peking, under the 
 beautiful pavilion over the Chien-M^n, and watch 
 the varied procession passing underneath, is a fas- 
 cinating way of spending an afternoon. Here come 
 the Chinese coolies, bamboo over shoulder, with 
 basket or bucket depending from it, going at a jog- 
 trot, chanting monotonously as they do so ; following 
 them a sedan-chair with two or four bearers, perhaps 
 a wheelbarrow squeaking dismally, laden with goods, 
 or possibly taking passengers into the country, seated 
 on each side with their luggage between, as on an 
 Irish car. The horrible noise made by this vehicle 
 is considered lucky ; if they are noiseless a piece of 
 wood is cunningly inserted to make them squeak. 
 The Chinese, Hke " Helen's Babies," " wantsh to 
 hear wheelsh go wound " ! Presently a covered cart 
 
 belonging to some official passes through the gates, 
 
 240 
 
S*| fi- 
 ll ? ♦ 
 
 A MANDARIN IN COURT DRESS. 
 
AN IRISHWOMAN IN CHINA 
 
 gay with red hangings and paint ; if these are yellow 
 the owner has to do with the Imperial Court, and if 
 ladies are inside the curtains are carefully drawn. 
 Smart broughams and dogcarts drive rapidly along, 
 a motor or two, perhaps after them a great cart drawn 
 by bullocks and driven by Sikhs — tall, handsome, 
 bearded men with fine faces and splendid white teeth 
 — or a company of Goorkhas — sturdy and small, very 
 like Japanese in their khaki uniforms; and as an 
 anticlimax, a long caravan of camels, solemn and 
 grotesque, padding steadily and much more swiftly 
 than one imagines, into the country, or from the sands 
 of the Gobi Desert. 
 
 Peking, the ancient Khan-baligh (Cambula), really 
 dates back to several centuries before the birth of 
 Christ, but it was only made the capital of the whole 
 Chinese Empire in 1264, when Kublai Khan took 
 up his abode there. 
 
 There are really four cities — the Chinese, Tartar, 
 Imperial, and Forbidden Cities. These are all 
 pierced by many gates with handsome pailows, or 
 pavilions, over them ; but none are very high, as the 
 Chinese believe good spirits descend to within one 
 hundred feet of the earth, therefore no building 
 should be more than ninety-nine feet high, lest it 
 should interfere with their passage. From the Chien- 
 Men one obtains a fine view over the Tartar City to 
 the palaces of the Forbidden City ; once I saw it in 
 September, when the riot of colour was wonderful, 
 what with the autumn colouring of the numerous 
 trees and the gorgeous palace roofs. 
 
 Peking is said to possess ten thousand temples 
 in and around it. I think you will not want me to 
 enumerate many of these, but a few I must speak of. 
 
 241 Q 
 
AN IRISHWOMAN IN CHINA 
 
 The Lama Temple, like many Chinese temples, 
 was formerly the abode of an emperor. Thousands 
 of monks live there, headed by one who is known 
 as the Living Buddha. There is a beautiful 
 carved teredos representing the Buddhist Paradise, 
 an immense image of Buddha, and many curious 
 Thibetan pictures. We were present at a service in 
 the Chanting Hall, and were struck by the deep bass 
 note which seemed like a sort of sonorous accom- 
 paniment to the chant; I never heard anything like 
 it except in Moscow. The Lama priests are strongly 
 built but sensual-looking men, apparently of a low 
 type. Formerly they were very anti-foreign, but 
 now manifest no ill-will to the foreigner who visits 
 them. Sir Valentine Chirol, in some interesting 
 articles, mentions his surprise at this change of feel- 
 ing when he paid his second visit to Peking, and 
 attributes the improvement to the good influence of 
 medical Missions, where he saw some of these men 
 being treated. 
 
 Near the Lama Temple stands the Temple of 
 Confucius, which in its fine simplicity is a relief after 
 the gorgeousness of the former. 
 
 Great cypress trees, said to be a thousand years 
 old, stand in the courtyard. Inside there are hand- 
 some, polished tables; on the principal one stands 
 the Tablet of Confucius, with its simple inscription : 
 " The tablet of the Soul of the Most Holy Ancestral 
 Teacher Confucius." 
 
 Here again dust and neglect prevail, although 
 
 Confucianism is the only creed which educated 
 
 Chinese will allow that they hold, and it undoubtedly 
 
 still exercises immense influence. The moral code 
 
 of Confucius was magnificent; he was a teacher of 
 
 242 
 
AN IRISHWOMAN IN CHINA 
 
 righteousness, specially of righteous government, and 
 constantly tried to impress his views on princes and 
 rulers. In the endeavour to establish such a govern- 
 ment he was prepared to sacrifice himself utterly; 
 but his tenets omitted any idea of a Supreme Being 
 or of a future life. Once he met the old philosopher 
 Lao-Tze, who, on the contrary, was undoubtedly a 
 prophet of the spiritual, although his doctrine of 
 " Tao," or the Way, was too mystic to appeal to the 
 ordinary mind. 
 
 Confucius was not in the least in sympathy with 
 the old man, and the meeting did not prove a success. 
 
 Chinese really practise Taoism and Buddhism as 
 well as Confucianism, and intermingled with these 
 are all sorts of superstitions and cults. Ancestral 
 worship itself has also degenerated into a worship 
 of propitiation ; they fear the spirits of their ancestors, 
 but do not seem to have any affection for them. 
 Psychical research has long been known in China; 
 they have their psychical societies, seances and 
 books; but Chinese ghosts do not appear to for- 
 eigners, nor can they see ours. 
 
 One night a friend of mine was returning from a 
 dinner-party in her sedan-chair, across a vacant 
 plot containing a few graves. Suddenly her coolies 
 dropped the chair, and rushed away with loud ex- 
 clamations of fear. The lady got out and walked 
 home ; fortunately she had not far to go. Her hus- 
 band was very angry, but the coolies explained that 
 they had seen a ghost and were terribly afraid, but 
 of course missee, being a foreigner, had seen nothing! 
 Another time some English ladies lived in a house 
 haunted by Chinese ghosts. No servant would 
 remain with them, they said the appearances and 
 
 243 
 
AN IRISHWOMAN IN CHINA 
 
 noises were constant; but the European ladies saw 
 nothing. Planchette is also derived from the 
 Chinese; it is in a clumsy form, but evidently the 
 same idea. A stick is attached to a cross bar, and 
 two people hold it in such a manner that its point 
 touches a layer of sand on a table or tray. It moves 
 at the instigation of the spirit, and forms characters 
 on the sand, which give the message. So truly, the 
 more one examines things Chinese, the more one 
 realises that there is nothing new, but only what is 
 forgotten ! 
 
 It is necessary in Peking to keep a tight hold upon 
 one's purse strings. Such beautiful carpets, scrolls, 
 porcelain, and cloisonne are to be had there; it is 
 indeed a city of severe temptation. As we visited 
 the curio shops, I noticed that the best articles were 
 kept in rooms far back across courtyards, and not 
 exposed to the vulgar gaze. In one of these inner 
 rooms there was a most lovely porcelain vase of the 
 Ming period, standing on a small black wood table, 
 so beautiful in colouring it seemed to decorate the 
 whole room. The cloisonne is modern work, very 
 fine and dainty, although the colouring is not equal 
 to that of the very old pieces. When staying in the 
 hotel at Tientsin, a curio dealer accosted me one day, 
 showing me an obviously new cloisonne buckle, which 
 he assured me " belong ta Ming." " Ah ! my 
 friend," I said, " I have been twenty years in China, 
 my thinkee belong ' day before yesterday.' " He was 
 not a bit put out, but asked me where I lived, and 
 begged me to visit his shop and see some real old 
 pieces. 
 
 Just outside Peking the railway now passes through 
 
 the Great Wall of China, which was built about 
 
 244 
 
THE REAL PEKINESE. 
 
AN IRISHWOMAN IN CHINA 
 
 200 B.C., with the idea of defending the country from 
 invasion. It was a marvellous work, and took many 
 years to accomplish, stretching as it does for thou- 
 sands of miles, sometimes over the top of high moun- 
 tains. In many places it is over twenty feet high and 
 in some seventy feet wide ; the railway now runs to 
 the Nankow Pass, where the wall is seen at its best. 
 
 This line was not long finished when I was at 
 Fengtai, and Mr Rigby took us for a short trip upon 
 it, when everything seemed very comfortable and well 
 managed. One of the constructors had been a pupil 
 of Mr Rigby's. I remarked how proud he must be 
 of the man's work, but he shook his head and said, 
 " It looks very good, but they have economized in the 
 wrong place, and in a few years a great deal of the 
 line will need reconstruction." This prophecy came 
 true, and I fear the same thing happens elsewhere 
 in China ; when native engineers are employed, they 
 cannot stand up against foolish economy on the part 
 of directors, even when they themselves are con- 
 scientious workers. Perhaps in time these things 
 will right themselves, for the Chinese are so shrewd, 
 they may learn that expenditure in the right place 
 is real economy. 
 
 The British Legation at Peking is a beautiful 
 place ; the minister lives in a real palace, which has 
 been made comfortable as well as picturesque. It 
 was in this Legation Compound that all the foreigners 
 in Peking were collected during the siege (with the 
 exception of the members of the French Mission). 
 Many heroic actions were done during that siege by 
 men and women, soldiers, civilians, and clergy, who 
 showed both bravery and endurance worthy of all 
 praise. The present Anglican Bishop (then Mr 
 
 245 
 
AN IRISHWOMAN IN CHINA 
 
 Norris of the S.P.G.) and Deaconess Jessie Ran- 
 some of the same Mission, were specially devoted. 
 When Deaconess Jessie died, she was accorded a 
 military funeral, and she had indeed the heart of a 
 soldier. With Mrs Rigby, I visited the Anglican 
 Mission at Peking, meeting there various old friends 
 — Bishop Scott and his niece, Mr Norris, and that 
 man of varied experiences, Dr Aspland, who had 
 worked with Mr Grenfell in the farthest north, had 
 settled in Peking, but volunteered for plague work in 
 1910-11, and took part in Red Cross work during 
 the late Revolution. 
 
 The Anglican Church and schools, destroyed in 
 1900, have been rebuilt. The missionaries live in 
 Chinese houses near by, very picturesque, but not, 
 I imagine, very comfortable. On our return from 
 this visit we saw a curious relic of the Boxer time. 
 As we passed along a narrow street in our rickshaws, 
 a man stood out on the road making passes, staring 
 with fixed eyes, muttering to himself — a somewhat 
 terrifying figure. But Mr Norris called out to us 
 to have no fear, the man was a lunatic, and quite 
 harmless. He had become insane in 1900, and still 
 imagined himself a Boxer; every evening he went 
 through these exercises to render himself invulner- 
 able, and prepared when called upon to face the 
 foreign devils. He seemed in a kind of trance and 
 quite unaware of our presence. 
 
 246 
 
CHAPTER XIX 
 
 " From grave to gay, from lively to severe." 
 
 —Pope. 
 
 The Port of Newchwang has always been called by 
 that name by British, Americans, and most Euro- 
 peans, although its real Chinese name is Yinkow. 
 the "fort at the mouth of the river." Newchwang 
 proper is situated some thirty miles to the north, and 
 we now refer to it as "old Newchwang." British 
 people have a peculiar passion for altering names 
 which I cannot account for, and Which results in dire 
 confusion at times. For instance, when, in 1895, 
 a severe battle was fought at old Newchwang, and 
 the telegrams relating to it were sent home or 
 to South China, naturally our friends were much 
 alarmed, thinking we had all been in great peril. 
 Again, the ordinary Chinaman has no idea what 
 places we are referring to when we speak of Moukden 
 or Port Arthur, as these are not the native names. 
 Were the latter difficult to pronounce it would be 
 another matter, but they are really quite easy, so it 
 must be out of pure " divilment " that we have altered 
 them. 
 
 The Chinese name for Port Arthur is Lu-Seng- 
 Ko, for Moukden, Shengtien ; but there is no need 
 for my readers to remember these names unless 
 they intend to visit Manchuria, as they are never 
 
 tised in newspapers or books. The Port of New- 
 
 247 
 
AN IRISHWOMAN IN CHINA 
 
 chwang, on the contrary, is now frequently referred 
 to as Yinkow, so perhaps they will be good enough 
 to make a note of this, and to realise when they see 
 the name in print that it is the real designation of 
 Newchwang. 
 
 It very soon became apparent that the occupation 
 of Manchuria by the Russians was a purely military 
 one, and had no solid business basis ; no great indus- 
 tries of any kind had been started, and soon very 
 few Russians remained in the country, which was 
 again rapidly overrun by the Japanese. 
 
 The Chinese found that from a money-making 
 point of view the change was for the worse. Russians 
 are not businesslike in the least, nor are they particu- 
 larly considerate of their employees ; but they are 
 lavish and generous, hence the Chinese made much 
 profit out of them. For instance, I have known 
 Russian officers, intending to travel, who sent their 
 servants to Moukden or some other town in advance 
 of them ; they afterwards changed their plans, and did 
 not appear on the scene for several days. In the 
 meantime the servant had to forage for himself, and 
 did so at the expense of the Chinese. But nichivo ! 
 When his master arrived he paid a rouble where 
 ten cents would have been quite enough, and the 
 Chinese scored. 
 
 The Japanese, on the contrary, do not pay lavishly, 
 and at the same time favour their own people just as 
 much as the Russians. At that time, too, they were 
 naturally somewhat elated by their victory over 
 Russia, and inclined to adopt a swashbuckling atti- 
 tude towards the unwarlike Chinese, treating them 
 as a conquered people. 
 
 It is very interesting to see the change which has 
 
 248 
 
AN IRISHWOMAN IN CHINA 
 
 come over the British mind with regard to Russia 
 and her people during the last decade. It has always, 
 I think, been admitted that socially they are charm- 
 ing, but there was a sort of " wicked baron " idea in 
 people's minds which was difficult to eradicate. As 
 poor Captain Crown remarked to me one day, "If 
 there is a Russian character portrayed in your plays 
 or novels, he is always the villain of the piece. He 
 is usually a prince, has the most exquisite manners, 
 but is a villain all the same ! " 
 
 I said before that the Russian is duplex; he is 
 more, he is complex, for in the saine person you will 
 find cruelty and compassion, simplicity and sophis- 
 tication, deep religious feeling and moral laxity. In 
 conversation, I referred to the Russian peasants as 
 superstitious ; a Russian friend at once corrected me. 
 "Religious" he said, "really religious; and as to 
 their drunkenness, remember the conditions of life 
 in country places during the long Russian winter. 
 The climate is so inclement they cannot work in the 
 fields or play any outdoor games ; their one idea, 
 therefore, on the frequent holidays observed by the 
 Greek Church, is to be warm and comfortable, so 
 they make for the nearest tavern, sit by the huge 
 stove, and partake of something hot and strong. 
 During the short summer they must work very hard, 
 but they also have their holidays, when they thor- 
 oughly enjoy games and dances, joining in them with 
 great heartiness." 
 
 During the war, two Britishers owed their lives to 
 the soldiers' respect for religious observances. One 
 was a war correspondent who was mistaken by a 
 Cossack for a Japanese, and would certainly have 
 been bayonetted had not the soldier stopped to cross 
 
 249 
 
AN IRISHWOMAN IN CHINA 
 
 limself before taking away a life ; as he did so, one 
 )f the Russian officers perceived his intention, and 
 ihouted to him to desist, that the man was English. 
 The other was a missionary, who again was mistaken 
 or a Japanese, pursued by Cossacks, and actually 
 slaced with his back against a wall to be shot. He 
 lad made a study of the Liturgy of the Greek Church, 
 md hastily ejaculated one of the prayers in Russian, 
 .mmediately the soldiers released him, saying, " Why, 
 his man is an orthodox churchman ; we must not 
 ouch him ! " 
 
 We witnessed the ceremony of the " Blessing of 
 he Waters," one Epiphany at Newchwang. It was 
 mpossible to perform it upon the river, which had 
 lot frozen solid that year, so it took place upon a 
 arge, frozen pond. A great hole was cut in the ice, 
 : pavilion erected over and around it, within which 
 tood an altar. Sand was laid on the ice to form a 
 )ath, on each side of which great branches of fir trees 
 i^ere firmly placed. Presently the priest arrived, a 
 •icturesque figure with his long hair and handsome 
 estments. He intoned some prayers, and blessed 
 tie water ; then dipped a brush made of twigs into it, 
 nd sprinkled the people. The soldiers were drawn 
 p in line, and the band played Dimitri Bortnianski's 
 3vely hymn. The priest walked all down the line, 
 ccompanied by an acolyte carrying a vessel of this 
 oly water, with which he vigorously sprinkled all 
 le soldiers. 
 
 In the Russian navy there is a peculiar ceremony 
 
 rhich once caused great excitement at Hongkong. 
 
 L large Russian man-of-war entered the harbour 
 
 lere, and presently, to the horror of the inhabitants, 
 
 was observed that the body of a man was hanging 
 
 250 
 
AN IRISHWOMAN IN CHINA 
 
 from the yard arm. The authorities were most indig- 
 nant, and at once sent off to know why this outrage 
 had been committed in a British port. The Russians 
 courteously informed them that it was Good Friday 
 according to their calendar, and that the figure was an 
 effigy of Judas Iscariot, which they are in the habit of 
 hanging at the yard arm upon that day ! 
 
 Russians are emphatically good company. It is 
 true that a great deal of wine and vodka used to be 
 drunk at their entertainments ; you are always offered 
 vodka with the zakuski (hors d'ceuvres), and cham- 
 pagne begins very early in the evening. I used gener- 
 ally to make my meal off zaktcski, which were varied 
 and delicious, often served in a small room near the 
 dining-room before the actual feast commenced. 
 
 Russians are also good sports, and in this respect 
 more in touch with the British than other continental 
 nations ; but they cannot bear dullness — love to ride 
 hard, drive like Jehu, and play high. 
 
 A young Vice-Consul once described to me his 
 feelings when playing bridge with some quiet English 
 people, before the days of " auction bridge." Written 
 words will hardly convey his utter boredom. " It is 
 one funeral ! " he exclaimed. " You sit down very 
 quietly in a quiet room, you cut for partners, some- 
 one declares trumps, you say very gently, ' May — I 
 — play — to — hearts — partner ? ' ' Pleeese ! ' It is 
 one funeral ! " 
 
 Admiral Eberhardt told me of some young officers 
 who stayed with him during a week of special fes- 
 tivity in Newchwang. I had admired their beautiful 
 dancing, fine open boyish faces, and gay spirits. 
 " Poor boys," he said, " I want them to come here as 
 often as they can and get some social amusement. 
 
 251 
 
AN IRISHWOMAN IN CHINA 
 
 rhey are stationed up-country, and are so utterly 
 •nnuyes that, although they are excellent friends, 
 hey were on the verge of fighting a duel by way of 
 listraction when my invitation arrived." 
 
 One of the writers in the Times Russian Swpfle- 
 nent of 26th April, 191 5, remarks that if you 
 scratch a Russian you will find a child." It may 
 »e so, for in some moods they are absolutely child- 
 ike ; but it is a child of great potentialities. Another 
 ontributor to the same paper has (while referring to 
 he extraordinary fact that Russia has suddenly be- 
 ome the most temperate nation in Europe) quoted 
 his weighty sentence from the poet Tiutchev: 
 Russia cannot be understood by intelligence, she 
 annot be measured by a common foot-rule; she 
 •ossesses a special stature — one can only believe in 
 lussia." 
 
 I missed my Russian friends very much on our 
 eturn to Newchwang after the war, and the foUow- 
 ig summer I went to Pei-Ta-Ho (the now well- 
 ;nown summer resort for Europeans living at Peking 
 nd Tientsin) where some of them met me, and we 
 pent a few pleasant weeks together. 
 
 It was the month of August, but Pei-Ta-Ho was 
 ery cool and pleasant, although the water was so 
 rarm one could stay in it for any length of time. It 
 > a perfect paradise for children, who splash about 
 ressed in their little waders all day long. 
 
 The bay is a pretty one, surrounded by hills, and 
 le water is quite clear and blue. It is a pity that 
 le place has not been planned with an eye to artistic 
 Efect. One does not want to see an esplanade and 
 tiff rows of houses reminding one of Brighton, such 
 s the Germans have erected at Tsingtao ; but it is a 
 
 252' 
 
AN IRISHWOMAN IN CHINA 
 
 mistake to have the view blotted out by one's neigh- 
 bour's house, and the only vista that of his backyard, 
 as is sometimes the case. 
 
 One evening a great thunderstorm burst over 
 Pei-Ta-Ho. It was a magnificent sight. The sky 
 was covered with what really looked like a velvet 
 pall, out of which vivid forked lightning flashed con- 
 tinuously, long streamers of fire illuminating the sea 
 and the silver sands. 
 
 A few days later I started for the railway station 
 with Dr Westwater. I was in a sedan-chair, and the 
 doctor on a sturdy donkey. The station is about six 
 miles from Pei-Ta-Ho, and there are no real roads, 
 just paths through the millet fields, or rocky tracks 
 up the hills, which immediately become water-courses 
 after heavy rain. We had gone about two miles 
 when a storm broke over us, and we took shelter in a 
 village. The coolies said it was useless to go on; 
 they could never be in time for the train, and we 
 had better return while we could. I was very glad I 
 took their advice, for we presently reached a small 
 ravine through which the water was rushing so fast 
 down to the sea, that my bearers only just managed 
 to ford it, and Dr Westwater had to turn aside and 
 remain in a house near by until the evening. 
 
 Pei-Ta-Ho is a very cosmopolitan place, as people 
 of all nationalities from the Legations in Peking and 
 the large foreign settlements in Tientsin have houses 
 there, and a number of the missionaries also gather 
 there in summer. Most of my friends refused to pay 
 any calls, or take part in social functions while there, 
 but lived an outdoor life, bathing, boating, or having 
 pleasant picnics to the hills, which are covered with 
 wild flowers. Quantities of the sweet-scented lemon 
 
 23s 
 
AN IRISHWOMAN IN CHINA 
 
 lily grow there, and I was interested to find a scarlet, 
 or rather a crimson, pimpernel. 
 
 One day a Japanese lady arrived at the hotel and 
 wandered into the sitting-room, where I was playing 
 the piano for the benefit of my little godson, Boris, 
 who is very musical. She spoke English, and told 
 me she could sing, so fetched her music. She had 
 a very sweet, true voice, had been trained by a 
 German Professor at Tokio, and presently produced 
 some accompanirnents which were quite beyond me. 
 My Russian friend played them for her, and we had 
 a little entente cordiale of our own, cemented by the 
 music. 
 
 Chinese and Japanese sing quite well if trained by 
 Europeans, but their own mode of singing never 
 appeals to me. There is an artificial, strained sound 
 which I think most unpleasant, and a kind of nasal 
 twang, while their instrumental music is very monot- 
 onous ; the melody often terminates on a rising tone, 
 and is generally in the minor key. They have one 
 instrument very like the bagpipes, and they seem to 
 enjoy listening to a piano. Many wealthy Chinese 
 possess pianolas. I have been amused to hear a 
 mandarin steadily playing through the " Overture to 
 WilHam Tell," for the edification of English visitors ; 
 it seemed so odd to see him, with his queue and 
 his handsome robes, seated at this Very modern 
 instrument ! 
 
 At this period Lord Kitchener arrived in Man- 
 churia, passing through Newchwang on his way to 
 Moukden. The whole community mustered to do 
 honour to the great soldier, who is also a collector of 
 porcelain ! 
 
 Our Consul, Mr Wilkinson, who has a small 
 
 254 
 
A BLIND MUSICIAN. 
 
AN IRISHWOMAN IN CHINA 
 
 but beautiful collection, had much conversation with 
 him, doubtless about vases, " Ming," " Chien- 
 Lung," etc. 
 
 During the peaceful years which followed, I paid 
 many visits to friends in the different Mission stations 
 or on the railway. Some lived in very isolated 
 places ; but in Moukden there are now a number of 
 foreign residents — Consuls representing different 
 nations, a Commissioner of Customs and his staff, 
 and a college for students of Chinese belonging to 
 that service. There are also some business people, 
 and a number of missionaries. Dr Christie's new 
 hospital is a large building, and near it stands the 
 Medical College, built in memory of Mrs Bird- 
 Bishop, and of Dr Jackson, to whom I refer later. 
 At the other end of the town there is a large Theo- 
 logical College, worked by the Irish and Scotch 
 Presbyterian Mission. 
 
 When visiting Moukden after the war, I procured 
 some pieces of porcelain which expert? pronounce 
 good, and they are certainly very decorative ; but I 
 have refused to become a collector of anything, 
 either porcelain, silver, pendants, brasses, bronzes, 
 or any other curio, because if I once started such a 
 taste I should become absolutely absorbed in it, and 
 a general nuisance, as well as an expense, to my 
 family ; and also because so many disturbances occur 
 in China that art treasures are never safe. Several 
 friends of mine have lost many of them in various 
 upheavals. 
 
 But I used to enjoy poking about the curio shops 
 in Moukden, and in a fascinating street bordered by 
 little booths, where a heterogeneous assortment of 
 all sorts of things were offered for sale — I believe it 
 
 255 
 
AN IRISHWOMAN IN CHINA 
 
 was really a kind of thieves' market — and my friends 
 in Moukden were much amused at my liking for 
 it. Hearing I was making some purchases, a dealer 
 followed me about with a perfectly lovely carved 
 lacquer box. It was a large round box of red lacquer, 
 elaborately carved, but he wanted two hundred 
 pounds for it, so it was quite beyond my means ; but 
 it really was an exquisite thing. 
 
 For the antiquarian there is an immense field of 
 interest in Manchuria which I do not think has been 
 much investigated as yet. When I first visited Mouk- 
 den one could purchase ancient coins in the razor 
 shape which dated from the time of Moses, and quaint 
 bronzes and tablets credited with equal age. On the 
 plain outside the city there is a curious mound called 
 by the Chinese the " Korean " mound, dating from 
 very ancient times when the Koreans, then an ad- 
 vanced and warlike people, ruled in Manchuria at 
 various periods. Many relics of their rule have been 
 found, such as the interesting camp discovered when 
 the railway to Tientsin was constructed ; and in some 
 old mines galleries have been found extending for 
 miles underground, which Chinese consider Korean, 
 
 The four picturesque, mosque-like buildings 
 known as " tas," one standing at each point of the 
 compass outside Moukden city, as well as the curious 
 little Fox Temple so hidden away under the city wall 
 that one would never notice it unless informed it was 
 there — all invite investigation. 
 
 At Liaoyang, too, there is the pagoda with its 
 obviously Indian figures, recognised by the officers 
 of our Indian regiments as such; also the partly 
 ruined pagoda at Fuchow (Manchuria). 
 
 Moreover, Chinese scholars will tell you that some 
 
 2j6 
 
BUYING MEDICINE : A STUDY IN EXPRESSION. 
 
AN IRISHWOMAN IN CHINA 
 
 Buddhist temples in China were considered extremely 
 sacred in ancient days, and pilgrims would travel to 
 them from Burma and India. 
 
 Far away in Northern Manchuria, in the region 
 bordering on the Amur, one hears of ancient stone 
 cities whose history no man knows, buried in the 
 primeval forest. It may be that these have been 
 visited of late years, but if not it seems to me that 
 when the Trans-Siberian route resumes its normal 
 conditions, an interesting field of discovery awaits 
 some antiquarian. 
 
 When we visited the Fox Temple at Moukden I 
 noticed a number of votive offerings, very handsome 
 pieces of embroidery enclosed in frames covered with 
 glass, which must have hung there for hundreds of 
 years ; some of them were dropping to pieces with 
 age. The temple was very small but well kept; a 
 fine-looking young man was placing some joss sticks 
 to burn on the altar. When asked why he did so, he 
 smiled and made some evasive reply to the effect that 
 it is well to propitiate the spirits as they may work 
 harm to one — ^who knows ? 
 
 At the side of the temple there is a narrow passage 
 at the end of which an altar has been built. Once a 
 year the fox comes to that altar and, as he is a 
 benevolent spirit, confers benefits upon his wor- 
 shippers. Other animals, such as the snake and 
 weasel, are also worshipped; but foxes are believed 
 by the Chinese to have many occult powers, to be 
 able to foretell future events, and to appear at will 
 under the human form. Most of them apparently 
 are evil-disposed, but the one I have mentioned was 
 not ; and I was also informed that this was the first 
 
 Fox Temple ever built in China, and the fox who 
 
 257 R 
 
AN IRISHWOMAN IN CHINA 
 
 inhabited it was the original fox. As this curious 
 cult seems to interest some people I insert here three 
 little stories translated by Prof. H. A. Giles, which 
 he has kindly allowed me to use. 
 
 A Strange Companion 
 
 Han Kung-Fu, of Yu-ch'eng, told me that he 
 was one day travelling along a road with a man of 
 his village, named P'eng, when all of a sudden the 
 latter disappeared, leaving his mule to jog along 
 with an empty saddle. At the same moment, Mr 
 Han heard his voice calling for assistance, and ap- 
 parently proceeding from inside one of the panniers 
 strapped across the mule's back; and on looking 
 closely, there indeed he was in one of the panniers, 
 which, however, did not seem to be at all displaced 
 by his weight. On trying to get him out, the mouth 
 of the pannier closed itself tightly; and it was only 
 when he cut it open with a knife that he saw P'eng 
 curled up in it like a dog. He then helped him out, 
 and asked him how he managed to get in; but this 
 he was unable to say. It further appeared that his 
 family was under fox influence, many strange things 
 of this kind having happened before. 
 
 The Magic Mirror ^ 
 
 . . . But if you would really like to have some- 
 thing that has belonged to me," said she, " you shall." 
 
 ' The following is merely a single episode taken from 
 a long and otherwise uninteresting story. Miss Feng- 
 hsien was a fox; hence her power to bestow such a 
 singular present as the mirror here described, the object 
 of which was to incite her lover to success— the condition 
 of their future union. 
 
 258 
 
AN IRISHWOMAN IN CHINA 
 
 Whereupon she took out a mirror and gave it to him, 
 saying, " Whenever you want to see me, you must 
 look for me in your books ; otherwise I shall not be 
 visible " ; and in a moment she had vanished. Liu 
 went home very melancholy at heart; but when he 
 looked in the mirror, there was Feng-hsien. stand- 
 ing with her back to him, gazing, as it were, at some- 
 one who was going away, and about a hundred paces 
 from her. He then bethought himself of her injunc- 
 tions, and settled down to his studies, refusing to 
 receive any visitors ; and a few days subsequently, 
 when he happened to look in the mirror, there was 
 Feng-hsien, with her face turned towards him, and 
 smiling in every feature. After this, he was always 
 taking out the mirror to look at her. However, in 
 about a month his good resolutions began to dis- 
 appear, and he once more went out to enjoy himself 
 and waste his time as before. When he returned 
 home and looked in the mirror, Feng-hsien seemed 
 to be crying bitterly; and the day after, when he 
 looked at her again, she had her back turned towards 
 him as on the day he received the mirror. He now 
 knew that it was because he had neglected his 
 studies, and forthwith set to work again with all 
 diligence, until in a month's time she had turned 
 round once again. Henceforward, whenever any- 
 thing interrupted his progress, Feng-hsien's counte- 
 nance became sad ; but whenever he was getting on 
 well, her sadness was changed to smiles. Night and 
 morning Liu would look at the mirror, regarding it 
 quite in the light of a revered preceptor ; and in three 
 years' time he took his degree in triumph. " Now," 
 cried he, " I shall be able to look Feng-hsien in the 
 face." And there, sure enough, she was. with her 
 
 259 
 
AN IRISHWOMAN IN CHINA 
 
 delicately pencilled arched eyebrows, and her teeth 
 just showing between her lips, as happy-looking as 
 she could be, when, all of a sudden, she seemed to 
 speak, and Liu heard her say, "A pretty pair we 
 make, I must allow " — and the next moment Feng- 
 hsien stood by his side. 
 
 Friendship with Foxes 
 
 A certain man had an enormous stack of straw, as 
 big as a hill, in which his servants, taking what was 
 daily required for use, had made quite a hole. In 
 this hole a fox fixed his abode, and would often show 
 himself to the master of the house under the form of 
 an old man. One day the latter invited the master 
 to walk into the cave, which he at first declined, but 
 accepted on being pressed by the fox ; and when he 
 got inside, lo ! he saw a long suite of handsome apart- 
 ments. They then sat down, and exquisitely per- 
 fumed tea and wine were brought ; but the place was 
 so gloomy that there was no difference between night 
 and day. By and by, the entertainment being over, 
 the guest took his leave ; and on looking back the 
 beautiful rooms and their contents had all dis- 
 appeared. The old man himself was in the habit of 
 going away in the evening and returning with the 
 first streaks of morning ; and so no one was able to 
 follow him. The master of the house asked him one 
 day whither he went. To this he replied that a friend 
 invited him to take wine ; and then the master begged 
 to be allowed to accompany him, a proposal to which 
 the old man very reluctantly consented. However, 
 he seized the master by the arm, and away they went 
 as though riding on the wings of the wind ; and in 
 about the time it takes to cook a pot of millet, they 
 
 260 
 
AN IRISHWOMAN IN CHINA 
 
 reached a city, and walked into a restaurant, where 
 there were a number of people drinking together and 
 making a great noise. The old man led his com- 
 panion to a gallery above, from which they could look 
 down on the feasters below; and he himself went 
 down and brought away from the tables all kinds of 
 nice food and wine, without appearing to be seen or 
 noticed by any of the company. After a while a man 
 dressed in red garments came forward and laid upon 
 the table some dishes of cumquats ; ' and the master 
 at once requested the old man to go down and get 
 him some of these. " Ah," replied the latter, " that 
 is an upright man ; I cannot approach him." There- 
 upon the master said to himself, " By thus seeking 
 the companionship of a fox, I then am deflected 
 from the true course. Henceforth I, too, will be 
 an upright man." No sooner had he formed this 
 resolution, than he suddenly lost all control over 
 his body, and fell from the gallery down among 
 the revellers below. These gentlemen were much 
 astonished by his unexpected descent; and he him- 
 self, looking up, saw there was no gallery to the 
 house, but only a large beam upon which he had been 
 sitting. He now detailed the whole of the circum- 
 stances, and those present made up a purse for him 
 to pay his travelling expenses ; for he was at Yu-t'ai 
 — one thousand li from home ! (From " Strange 
 Stories from a Chinese Studio," Prof. H. A. Giles). 
 
 ' Literally, " golden oranges." These are skilfully pre- 
 served by the Cantonese, and form a delicious sweetmeat 
 for dessert. 
 
 261 
 
CHAPTER XX 
 
 " The web of our life is of a mingled yam." 
 
 (" All's Well That Ends Well.") 
 
 In my last chapter I spoke of the peaceful years 
 after the Russo-Japanese war, during which I was 
 able to see a good deal of the country and obtain a 
 better knowledge of the conditions under which my 
 European friends were living ; and of the steady 
 progress going on amongst all classes of Chinese. 
 Many graduates of English and American Univer- 
 sities were now in high positions in China, and 
 amongst them were Mr Tong Shao Yi, Civil 
 Governor of Moukden, and Mr M. T. Liang, who 
 took over control at Newchwang when the Japanese 
 again evacuated that place. 
 
 Later our friend Mr Chow became Tao-tai there. 
 He also is a graduate of Yale, and all these gentle- 
 men spoke English perfectly and were extremely well 
 educated. Mr Chow was a delightful guest and 
 host; he had a keen sense of humour, and would 
 keep a whole table interested with his ready wit and 
 amusing stories. He was in Tientsin when that 
 place was besieged by the Boxers, and went through 
 many vicissitudes, being in peril from his own 
 countrymen, as he was friendly to foreigners, and 
 also from foreigners, who did not realise his friendli- 
 ness to them. One touch of nature amused me very 
 
 much. He told us that if shells burst near him when 
 
 262 
 
AN IRISHWOMAN IN CHINA 
 
 he was out of doors he never could help instinctively 
 putting up his umbrella! 
 
 Madame Chow is a very pleasant, dignified lady ; 
 she did not speak English, but we managed to talk 
 a little, although her dialect was a southern one. I 
 always tried to have someone to meet her who could 
 speak Chinese easily, and we often met at our 
 hospital working-parties, where she and her daughter 
 were regular attendants and most helpful. The 
 Tao-tai opened the hospital bazaar with a capital 
 speech, in which he took occasion to remark that 
 Europeans have an idea Chinese have few nerves 
 and do not feel pain so much as they themselves do, 
 but that he begged to state he felt an aching tooth or 
 rheumatic joint quite as much as anyone else, and was 
 quite as grateful for relief from pain. 
 
 In 1906 the imperial edict for the abolition of 
 opium-smoking and the cultivation of the poppy 
 was issued, and in Manchuria the Governor-General 
 (H. E. Chao Er Sun) saw to it that the edict was 
 literally obeyed. Unfortunately, many poor victims 
 of the habit — driven almost insane by craving for this 
 drug — resorted to morphia. Quantities of morphia 
 were sold without restraint, specially by the Japanese. 
 
 A friend whose business took him daily into the 
 native town at Newchwang, told me he saw men 
 going about with morphia and hypodermic syringes, 
 giving injections to anyone who asked for them at 
 the rate of ten cents each. As no pains were taken 
 to ensure cleanliness, the results may be imagined. 
 However, this, too, was presently taken in hand 
 by the authorities, and indiscriminate injection of 
 morphia stopped; but I do not know whether the 
 sale of the drug has been restricted. 
 
 263 
 
AN IRISHWOMAN IN CHINA 
 
 It is marvellous to think that in less than a year 
 China should have abolished the growth of the poppy 
 and the use of opium ! But in China everything is 
 on a large scale. If there is a flood it extends for 
 hundreds of miles, and thousands of lives are lost ; if 
 a storm, it comes up in fine minutes and works 
 destruction. If it is a good year the fields yield 
 "twelve tenths," and if reforms are instituted they 
 affect the whole country, are sweeping and rapid, 
 although the abuses they rectify are hoary with age ! 
 
 A remarkable religious movement occurred in 
 Manchuria about the time I speak of, which in- 
 terested me very much. It arose in Korea, and at 
 first the dwellers in Manchuria, who despise the 
 gentle, rather inefficient Koreans, were inclined to 
 ask, " Can any good thing come out of Korea ? " 
 Soon, however, the movement spread, and all over 
 the Protestant Church in Manchuria its effects were 
 startlingly felt. It was inevitable that some exagger- 
 ations, some hysterical excitement, should attend it ; 
 but these were transitory. The real results of this 
 so-called revival were lasting and beneficial; the 
 whole standard of the native Christians was raised, 
 and many new converts joined them. 
 
 The Christian women derived special benefit from 
 this movement; they began to take a much more 
 prominent part in church work, and to realise their 
 responsibility towards others. One well-educated 
 young woman, the wife of a telegraph clerk, used to 
 come constantly to the hospital to teach and read to 
 the women there ; she was very kind and bright, and 
 they all welcomed her visits. She told me she had 
 never realised before how selfish it was of her to 
 keep her knowledge to herself and not try to help 
 
 264 
 
AN IRISHWOMAN IN CHINA 
 
 other people. Mr Webster, to whom I have referred 
 before, was often in Newchwang during that time as 
 he travelled from station to station helping the over- 
 worked missionaries at each place, and often dropped 
 in to see us en passant. 
 
 It was a very cold winter ; the Port was crowded 
 with poor people from Shantung who had been driven 
 out by flood and famine and had come up north, 
 only to find themselves stranded in Newchwang 
 and unable to proceed up-country until spring. They 
 were desperately poor, and suffered much from the 
 intense cold. 
 
 Mr Stanley Wright, an Irishman who was accus- 
 tomed to relief work amongst the very poor, was then 
 stationed in Newchwang under the Imperial Chinese 
 Customs. One evening he told me he could not 
 bear to see the awful distress amongst these poor folk, 
 and wondered whether something could not be done 
 to help them. Dr Walter Phillips — then in charge 
 of the Mission hospital — joined our consultation, and 
 we decided to make an appeal to the young men of 
 European parentage, born in China, who knew and 
 liked the Chinese, to help us in this matter. They 
 responded nobly ; we formed a committee, and soon 
 were in a position to start a night shelter. But an 
 unexpected difficulty arose. We were just ap- 
 proaching the Chinese New Year, and no one was 
 willing to rent us a house until after that date! 
 Chinese wind up all business transactions during the 
 last few weeks of the old year, and have a strong 
 prejudice against embarking on new ones. 
 
 One evening we sat by a blazing fire, thinking of 
 the poor shivering creatures outside, having done all 
 we could (as we thought) to procure a house, and 
 
 265 
 
AN IRISHWOMAN IN CHINA 
 
 failed ; they must wait for at least another week, and 
 how many would die of exposure ? 
 
 To us arrived Mr Webster, having been travelling 
 most of the day, and on hearing our story he simply 
 remarked in his strongest Scotch : " Ye — ^ve got the 
 money, ye — ve got the furniture and helpers ; ye — re 
 sitting here by the fire, and the people are in the 
 streets and ye haven't got the house. Come out and 
 get one! " 
 
 Out they went, leaving me unwillingly still seated 
 by the fire, and in three-quarters of an hour were 
 back again, Mr Webster having procured premises, 
 where for the rest of that winter over two hundred 
 poor people were housed and fed every night at a 
 nominal cost. 
 
 Long before this our pretty little settlement church 
 had been built, where people of various creeds and 
 nationalities joined in the services. Before the 
 Russian church was opened many of their soldiers 
 would attend ; they could not understand what was 
 said, but they performed their own devotions, and 
 liked to do so in a consecrated building. Some- 
 times our congregation was very small, but often the 
 services were well attended, and always reverently 
 conducted ; it was a great pleasure to Church people, 
 and also to many of our Presbyterian friends from 
 up-country, to come to this simple service in their 
 own tongue, where all was done " decently knd in 
 order," as in the Homeland. 
 
 It was amusing to hear some of the comments 
 made by them on our services. One lady told me 
 she never could attend to the Canticles, because she 
 was always so interested in observing how we fitted 
 in the words to the chant used; while Dr Phillips 
 
 266 
 
AN IRISHWOMAN IN CHINA 
 
 declared he found the greatest difficulty in really 
 joining in the Liturgy because he was so interested 
 by the beautiful English in which it is expressed! 
 Our padres varied ; sometimes we had Bishop Corfe 
 for a while, then perhaps a young man just out from 
 home, who would serve our little church while he 
 studied Chinese; then just as we had all got to 
 know and like him, another change would occur; 
 but always we seemed to return after a while to Mr 
 Sprent, to whose energy we owed our church, and 
 who has only lately left to take up work at home. 
 
 What a time that poor man had over the building ! 
 Chinese workmen begin very early in the morning, 
 and they would get through quite a lot of work before 
 Mr Sprent appeared, although he, too, was early on 
 the scene. He usually pulled down what they had 
 done, and supervised them for some time, looking 
 sharply after them at intervals all day; but next 
 morning the same thing occurred, and the contractor 
 delayed so long that report said Mr Sprent finally 
 imprisoned him in the Vicarage and conducted him 
 to his work each day under armed escort ! However 
 that may be, the church was finally well and solidly 
 built. 
 
 Bishop Corfe, the first Bishop of Korea, so well 
 known to naval men, was also the first to establish 
 Church of England services in Newchwang, and he 
 frequently came there in the intervals between various 
 chaplains. It was always a pleasure when he did 
 so, not only to grown-up people, but very specially 
 to the children, as he was full of understanding and 
 love for the little ones. I have heard that when the 
 Archbishop of Canterbury told Mr Corfe he wished 
 him to become Bishop of Korea, he mentioned that 
 
 267 
 
AN IRISHWOMAN IN CHINA 
 
 " there is no money, and you will probably be killed " 
 — attractions which would undoubtedly appeal to his 
 hearer! The Bishop, who is now an old man, is 
 at present acting as Legation Chaplain in Peking. 
 Like most thoroughly human, saintly people, he has 
 a great sense of humour. 
 
 One day I told him that a bookshop had been 
 started in Chefoo, in which I rummaged in vain for 
 one of Rudyard Kipling's books, and that the pro- 
 prietor said he had never heard of the author. 
 " The man who can open a bookshop without ever 
 having heard of Rudyard Kipling is a great man," 
 said the Bishop solemnly. 
 
 Eventually we came under the care of Bishop 
 Scott of Peking, who supplies a chaplain to the Port. 
 These clergy do not interfere with the work of 
 the Presbyterian Church amongst the Chinese, but 
 confine their ministrations to Europeans of all nation- 
 alities, and sometimes work amongst the Japanese at 
 Dalny, where there is also a resident chaplain. 
 
 In the spring of 1910 we went home once more, 
 this time via Siberia. We started without delays or 
 difficulties of any kind — an amazing occurrence, as 
 during the many years we had spent in China this 
 had never happened before ! Our friends gave many 
 pleasant farewell entertainments, two of which I 
 recall vividly. 
 
 One was given specially for me in the house of a 
 friend, on the same night that the club entertained 
 my husband. About twenty ladies were present ; a 
 little play was acted, healths drunk, and speeches 
 made in the most correct fashion; even an escort 
 being provided on my return home. 
 
 The other was given by Tao-tai and Madame 
 
 268 
 
AN IRISHWOMAN IN CHINA 
 
 Chow in the Governor's Yamen. It was a most 
 delightful evening, and the food most delicious; 
 so much so that one really ate much more than was 
 advisable. 
 
 There were nine courses (the Tao-tai assured me 
 he had let us off easily; had it been an official 
 affair there must have been quite twenty-four), com- 
 mencing with an excellent soup which our hostess 
 had prepared, with balls of forced meat floating in 
 it. I thought it was much nicer than the very over- 
 rated birds' nest soup. We had shark's fins and 
 delicious fish, beef cut up into small pieces and 
 served very hot with ginger sauce, great mandarin 
 oranges, pea-nuts toasted and salted, and various 
 sweets ; of course, preserved ginger in syrup and 
 dry, cumquats (small oranges), and chow-chow, also 
 in syrup. The latter is a most exciting preserve, 
 for one never knows what may turn up in it — pieces 
 of melon and ginger, an occasional cumquat, and one 
 thing which looks like a bootlace rolled into a tight 
 ball ; but is very good to eat. 
 
 After dinner we went into the large reception-room, 
 and were joined by some members of the Tao-tai's 
 staff, with their families, who played the flute and 
 on stringed instruments, and entertained us in 
 various ways. 
 
 As we were leaving, Madame Chow said to me 
 wistfully, " You are going to England ; ah, how I 
 should like to go with you ! My sons are in England. 
 I do so want to see them, and to see the country in 
 which they are being educated; I want to under- 
 stand." 
 
 Personally I believe that thoughtful and gentle 
 lady will understand, and will be able to sympathise 
 
 269 
 
AN IRISHWOMAN IN CHINA 
 
 with her sons in their new outlook upon life, for 
 she struck me as very adaptable and extremely 
 sympathetic. 
 
 Finally two of the Tao-tai's daughters made a 
 very clever little farewell speech. One of these 
 young ladies, who spoke English, sat in a deep arm- 
 chair; her young sister stood in front, completely 
 screening her. The elder then spoke, and the 
 younger gesticulated and moved her lips as if she 
 were the orator ; the effect was most comical. This 
 young girl was a very clever mimic, and often repro- 
 duced, for her family, scenes she had witnessed at 
 the theatre, with the greatest exactness. 
 
 In the beginning of this book I mentioned that the 
 Chinese think our ideas of amusement very strange 
 and rather crazy, but they have many forms of enter- 
 tainment, and many games which they enter into 
 with zest. 
 
 Theatrical entertainments are extremely popular. 
 Gentlemen have their wine-parties, at which it is 
 customary to have intellectual discussions, perhaps 
 capping of verses, or recitation of impromptu 
 odes. 
 
 Chinese chess is a most interesting game, not quite 
 the same as that we play, and wei chi, a game played 
 upon a large board with counters, provides endless 
 complications. 
 
 I do not think most people know that diavolo, 
 
 which was so popular some years ago, is really a 
 
 Chinese game. It is played with a wooden top, 
 
 varying in size, and so constructed that it makes a 
 
 loud buzzing noise ; in some places it is called the 
 
 " great wasp." Some of the tops are enormous, 
 
 and make such a Ibud sound that I once thought the 
 
 270 
 
BABY'S FIRST SHAVE : PRIDE OF GRANDFATHER. 
 
AJN UtllSMWUMAJN IIM CHINA 
 
 wind had risen suddenly on a perfectly calm day, and 
 was moaning round the house ; on looking out I 
 perceived that it was only Boy having a game of 
 diavolo, or great wasp. 
 
 Fighting-crickets are played with as fighting-cocks 
 used to be at home, and the betting on favourite 
 cricket champions is often quite high. 
 
 Chinese children have various quaint toys: dolls, 
 rattles, balls, etc., and they kick a shuttlecock with 
 much skill, keeping it up for a considerable time. 
 Many models of carts and boats are constructed, and 
 all sorts of funny little toys are made in the north 
 out of reeds and millet stalks, such as hobby-horses 
 with extraordinary heads, skeleton balls to roll before 
 the wind, and little windmills. Chinese nursery 
 rhymes are very quaint. I insert two characteristic 
 ones here. 
 
 " The poplars are whispering, la-la-la, 
 And baby must sleep with his ma-ma-ma. 
 Bye-bye, baby, go sleep I say, 
 If Bogy comes near us, I'll drive him away." 
 
 " Away on the mountain there lives a fat ox. 
 Eight toes on its feet you will find. 
 Its head will be always seen going in front. 
 And its tail always hangs down behind." 
 
 Translated from the Chinese by Professor H. A. Giles. 
 
 When all the farewells were said, a final send-off 
 was given us at the station, and after a run of about 
 twenty-four hours on the Japanese line, we joined 
 the Siberian railway at Kwanchengtze. 
 
 For the first few days we were much disappointed 
 at the arrangements, which we had heard were so 
 luxurious. We had struck an ancient carriage, and 
 the electric light was out of gear, the heating appara- 
 
 271 
 
AN IRISHWOMAN IN CHINA 
 
 tus froze, and at last I was so worked up that I 
 bearded the chef de train in his lair, and told him 
 this was no train de luxe, but a train de miser e. 
 
 Soon things improved, and from Manchouli (the 
 frontier town between Manchuria and Siberia) to 
 Moscow we had a pleasant and luxurious trip. The 
 food and accommodation are excellent. The train 
 only goes at the rate of thirty miles an hour; one 
 can read comfortably, and in many parts the scenery 
 is beautiful, especially in the Urals amongst the 
 birch forests, in the trans-Baikal region, and by Lake 
 Baikal itself. 
 
 That was the year of the great comet, " The 
 Stranger," as I think it was called. Before leaving 
 Manchuria we had seen it in all its magnificence: a 
 star of immense size and brilliance, appearing low 
 down in the sky, with a magnificent tail or " brush," 
 as the Chinese call it, sweeping up like a huge curved 
 diamond aigrette over the evening star. 
 
 One evening, as we crossed the steppes, a little 
 boy came running into our coupe (he was a charm- 
 ing httle lad, the son of the Argentine Minister 
 to London). " Madame, Madame," he called out, 
 "venez vite voir, c'est que le soleil a avale la 
 comete! " There was a most extraordinary sunset; 
 a great shaft of light, like a high, narrow wall, de- 
 scended from the sun and illuminated an otherwise 
 sombre sky, looking really as if the sun had absorbed 
 the lesser lights unto himself. So solid and strange 
 was the effect, everyone observed it, and the train 
 employees said they had never before seen anything 
 like it. 
 
 About twice a day there is a stop of from ten to 
 
 twenty minutes, when everybody gets out of the 
 
 272 
 
AN IRISHWOMAN IN CHINA 
 
 train and marches up and down the platform to get 
 exercise. On Sundays many peasants collect at the 
 stations to see the foreign travellers — strong, sturdy- 
 looking men, in their big boots and shaggy sheep- 
 skin coats. The women were refined-looking, often 
 pretty, but rather weary and fagged, as if they worked 
 very hard. 
 
 At every station there were the inevitable Cossacks, 
 sometimes only one or two, in which case my husband 
 used to take hasty snapshots of pretty places, while 
 I watched to see the coast was clear, as the railway 
 is considered a military one, and you are not supposed 
 to take photographs, even of innocent trees or 
 children. 
 
 He manifested the greatest unbelief in my know- 
 ledge of Russian, and would ask me to speak to one 
 of the Cossacks, to ask him, for instance, how long 
 the train would stop at a certain place. When the 
 man understood, and replied to my question, Dr Daly 
 was always filled with most rude astonishment! 
 
 We stopped off at Moscow for a few days, and 
 had an interesting and delightful time. There is so 
 much to see and to do, we could hardly tear ourselves 
 away; and we were very glad we saw it in winter, 
 for everything was covered with snow, the sleighs 
 rushed about silently except for their pretty bells, 
 and the whole mise en scene was as it should be. 
 
 We seem fated to take part in scenes of change and 
 sorrow! We arrived at home in March, and in the 
 following May, while we were staying in Dublin, 
 King Edward the Peacemaker died. It seemed but 
 a few months since we had all been so anxious about 
 him, since his recovery and coronation! Surely it 
 is seldom that so much splendid work has been 
 
 273 s 
 
AN IRISHWOMAN IN CHINA 
 
 accomplished by any sovereign during a short reign 
 of nine years. 
 
 We spent the summer partly at a primitive but 
 very beautiful little seaside place in Sligo, and partly 
 at my old home in Roscommon. I went down there 
 on the I St of June. Truly it was a green land 
 through which I drove that day ; the dark Rosaleen 
 was looking her very best, the hedges were full of 
 hawthorn, and the great lilac bushes crowned with 
 blossom. The cattle stood deep in the rich grass- 
 lands, and the larks sang as if they could never stop. 
 
 In the autumn we took a house in Dublin, not 
 intending to return to China for nearly another year. 
 Dr Phillips, who had become my husband's partner, 
 was in charge, and all seemed going on smoothly. 
 But shortly after Christmas came a bolt from the blue. 
 
 We were very busy just then, as Dr Daly and 
 I were much interested in the National Service 
 League, and a meeting was about to he held at 
 which we were both to speak. On the day of this 
 meeting, I was rehearsing my speech to my son 
 and awaiting the arrival of General Mills, who was 
 also taking part, from the Curragh, when Dr Daly 
 walked into the room and read us this telegram: 
 
 " Plague bad, community want you. — Phillips." 
 
 We had seen some mention of an outbreak of 
 plague in Northern Manchuria, but had not realised 
 either its intensity or the rapidity with which it was 
 spreading south. But one response could be made : 
 we packed up and went out again via Siberia as 
 quickly as possible. The wire reached us on Tues- 
 day evening, and we left for London the following 
 Sunday. 
 
 274 
 
CHAPTER XXI 
 
 " The innumerable caravan that moves 
 To the pale realms of shade." 
 
 — William Cullen Bryant. 
 
 The return journey to China via Siberia was not an 
 interesting one. We did not " stop off " anywhere, 
 and until our arrival at Irkutsk we heard no news 
 about Manchuria. 
 
 There rumours of terrible happenings reached us, 
 and from that place onwards the news was persis- 
 tently bad. 
 
 On our arrival at Manchouli, the wife of the 
 Commissioner of Customs there — a young German 
 baroness — came to see me, and told me of the long 
 anxiety she had gone through, as the town of Man- 
 chouli (Manchuria station) is a great resort of the 
 marmot-hunters, amongst whom plague first broke 
 out. Normally it is a Russian town, but during the 
 marmot or musquash hunting season it is crowded by 
 these men, who are natives. 
 
 Plague broke out there in October, and many 
 deaths occurred; amongst the victims were two 
 Russian doctors. The Russians segregated some 
 four thousand Chinese in railway carriages, drew a 
 cordon round them, kept suspects separate, and thus 
 saved the town. The Comrhissioner and his staff, 
 European and Chinese, lived and had their offices 
 inside a large enclosure or compound. When the 
 
 275 
 
AN IRISHWOMAN IN CHINA 
 
 epidemic was at its height no one was allowed to 
 leave this compound, but the Baroness went once a 
 week to a Russian shop, attended by Russian ser- 
 vants, and did the marketing for her household and 
 the entire staff — no easy matter. 
 
 The musquash are interesting creatures, and ap- 
 parently very intelligent; they are watchful against 
 the attacks of men, and also will drive out the 
 sick from their warrens. Experienced hunters easily 
 recognise healthy animals, as they are extremely 
 lively, hard to catch, and have a curious cry which 
 the Chinese say is exactly like their own expression 
 " pu-pa," which means " don't fear." At ordinary 
 times the hunters avoid those animals which appear 
 dull, heavy, and sick; but the high prices given for 
 the skins of late years tempted them to hunt and 
 kill indiscriminately, with the result that many of the 
 men became infected with pneumonic plague, which 
 rapidly spread. 
 
 As we travelled through Manchuria it looked like 
 a dead country ; no business seemed to be going on, 
 no long strings of carts laden with produce were to be 
 seen, no mellow mule bells to be heard. The dread 
 of the pestilence was over the land; already many 
 thousands had died, and there was not one authenti- 
 cated case of recovery. 
 
 At Harbin a young acquaintance came on the 
 
 train and told us further horrors ; while at Moukden 
 
 station the engineer in whose house Dr Arthur 
 
 Jackson died, came also with his tragic tale. The 
 
 death from plague of that splendid young missionary 
 
 had a powerful effect upon the Chinese, with whom 
 
 in less than a year he had become a great favourite. 
 
 Dr Christie has spoken fully about this in his book ; 
 
 276 
 
AN IRISHWOMAN IN CHINA 
 
 but I cannot find any mention either there or else- 
 where of the self-sacrificing work of this brave en- 
 gineer, who risked his life day after day to prevent 
 the plague being spread by railway passengers, and 
 in whose house Dr Jackson died. 
 
 I felt as if we were going into a thick black cloud 
 out of which we should never return ! The train was 
 very empty. Many of the passengers — ^thinking it 
 unadvisable to pass through the infected area — had 
 gone round by Vladivostock ; a few remained, who 
 were as helpful and cheerful as it was possible to be 
 under such circumstances. 
 
 We were delayed before reaching Chang-Chun, 
 and were six hours late, so Dr Daly telegraphed to 
 Ta-Shih-Chiao (the junction for Newchwang) asking 
 the Japanese authorities there to have an engine 
 ready to take us to the Port. We arrived at the 
 junction at midnight, and I was just going to the 
 little waiting-room while our luggage was collected 
 and arranged, when the stationmaster said : " You 
 cannot go there, we consider the room infected with 
 plague ; a suspicious case of sickness occurred there. 
 Please come to my house." 
 
 On hearing this one of our fellow-passengers 
 jumped out on to the platform, and pressed some 
 formaline tabloids into my hand, begging me to 
 take one immediately, which I did, and felt much 
 cheered by his kindness and the feeling that again I 
 was " keeping my powder dry " so far as possible. 
 
 The stationmaster's room was warm and cosy ; we 
 
 waited there for some time, and were then told that 
 
 our engine was ready. My husband went ahead to see 
 
 the luggage was all right, and as I passed an empty 
 
 train suddenly the lights were switched on and I 
 
 277 
 
AN IRISHWOMAN IN CHINA 
 
 beheld a weird and wonderful figure spraying the 
 carriages with some disinfectant. He was dressed 
 (as later my husband and his helpers were) in white 
 overalls, with a peaked cowl, rubber gloves and top- 
 boots, and a mask and respirator. When actually 
 attending plague patients or suspicious cases, doctors 
 and nurses also wore goggles and a cotton-wool plug 
 on either side of the nose. This was my first sight 
 of anyone so prepared, and I fairly gasped with aston- 
 ishment; later I understood why these precautions 
 were taken. 
 
 The short run over the moonlit plain to Newch- 
 wang was quite the most eerie journey I have ever 
 experienced. There was no carriage attached to the 
 engine ; we sat in a little van watching a very coal- 
 blackened little Japanese stoker busily feeding the 
 fire, and there did not seem to be any other people 
 living in the white, silent, snow-covered world 
 through which we rattled. 
 
 Dr Phillips gave us hearty welcome on our arrival, 
 and Boy produced a dinner of several courses in 
 the small hours of the morning. The next day my 
 husband took over quarantine work, and visited 
 Tao-tai Chow, who was delighted to see him. The 
 town was divided into sections for inspection, the 
 Japanese doctors undertaking a certain portion. 
 
 Dr Phillips, not knowing I was coming out with my 
 husband, had written me a letter in which he said: 
 
 " What a comment this outbreak is on the uses 
 of railways ! This Siberian plague must have often 
 broken out in the Frozen North and wiped out a 
 family or village; but never before had it so con- 
 venient a pathway down which to march with giant 
 
 278 
 
AIS lJXLOa.\vyjiyxryi.y xx-i CHINA 
 
 Strides to the big towns, and reach the very heart of 
 China. Already Moukden is bad ; Kwang-Cheng-Tzu 
 (or Chang-Chun) far worse; they have it in Dalny, 
 Tientsin, away down to Chianfu ; it has even, they 
 say, reached Tsingtao; and yet by some strange 
 freak of the disease not a case has yet appeared in 
 Newchwang. 
 
 " We have all been working with frantic energy, 
 and if we are scared, no one says so. This plague is 
 said to come from the marmots ; the infection is 
 chiefly from inhalation, so we all go about wearing 
 respirators. I am taking no chances. We all have to 
 depart some time, but there is no use in being in a 
 hurry. I am comforting myself with the theory that 
 since this is a cold-weather disease it will vanish as 
 spring comes on ; but so far there is not much sign 
 of spring. It is Chinese New Year ; alas for all the 
 people in their fine gay clothes ! It has snowed all 
 day; the drifts in the street are terrific. I was out 
 in a carriage just now, going to visit a patient, and 
 we stuck three or four times. I have to cross the 
 river to the Chinese railway station twice or even 
 three times a day, not getting back till after eight at 
 times. Often I must rush oS to the Yamen to advise 
 the Tao-tai on the measures he is taking so ener- 
 getically, or get special trains to go up the line to 
 inspect suspicious cases. Now all trains are stopped 
 on that line until we get the quarantine building 
 finished; no one can get to Tientsin for love or 
 money. What the up-country people are doing I do 
 not know, except that Christie and his assistants are 
 working very hard. My ! won't I be glad to see the 
 Taifu (Dr Daly). I would never have wired for 
 
 him myself, but the community were naturally 
 
 279 
 
AN IRISHWOMAN IN CHINA 
 
 getting restless with only one man here, and a 
 deputation came asking me to send for the trusty 
 old warrior. I was delighted. . . ." 
 
 Soon after we arrived we were both inoculated 
 against plague. The quarantine buildings Dr 
 Phillips referred to were built upon the north shore 
 of the Liao, and Dr Wong, Dr Phillips's chief 
 assistant, took charge there and did most excellent 
 work. It was indeed a relief to have him there; 
 otherwise an enormous amount of time would have 
 been taken up in crossing the river, and it was also 
 most unsafe to do so. One day before we arrived 
 Dr Phillips spent two hours in a " sampan " trying to 
 get through the ice ; he finally landed two miles from 
 the station, and had to walk there in the teeth of 
 the north wind, which was so strong that every few 
 minutes he was obliged to turn his back to it in order 
 to take breath. 
 
 My husband was very busy with quarantine work. 
 Our faithful Boy, who now spoke excellent English, 
 became his interpreter, and day by day he fared forth 
 attended by this man and some of the sanitary police 
 — ^very fine, intelligent men — to inspect suspicious 
 cases, arrange for inoculations and other pre- 
 cautions ; also to send telegrams of phenomenal 
 length. Once he held up the line for an hour and a 
 half! People got nervous about all sorts of goods, 
 thinking they carried infection, so it was necessary 
 to reassure them and prevent supplies of food and 
 fodder being held up. 
 
 What a change had come over the Chinese since 
 1 899 ! Now the authorities helped in every way to 
 prevent the spread of this dread disease, and in the 
 
 280 
 
ww^ 
 
 
 a..,... 
 
 [V 
 
 li:^,^ 
 
 ^ m 
 
 P^WiW 
 
 niFsm 
 
 m ') ^' 
 
 
 S9^*9^^^4=£ c^lal 
 
 r-X. 
 
 r^ 
 
 GREAT PNEUMONIC PLAGUE, MANCHURIA, igio : EXAMINING RATS. 
 
 OLD CHINESE DOCTOR, WHO TOOK NO PRECAUTIONS AND PROVED 
 
 IMMUNE TO INFECTION. 
 
 Pitblishcd h)i kind perniissioit of His E-xcrUmcv Alfred Szc. 
 
AN IRISHWOMAN IN CHINA 
 
 large towns much good was done; but in country 
 places no one knew what was going on, and village 
 after village must have been wiped out. The agents 
 of large firms who usually travel about the country 
 in winter arranging for the purchase of beans and 
 other produce, reported that frequently on approach- 
 ing a large village they found dead bodies lying out- 
 side, so turned away and went elsewhere ; finally they 
 were obHged to give up these journeys altogether. 
 
 It was strange that certain people seemed to be 
 immune from this form of plague, which was almost 
 exclusively pneumonic. It specially attacked people 
 in the prime of life ; the very old and very young were 
 passed over. In one family of fourteen an old 
 woman of seventy-one and a baby of two years were 
 the sole survivors. 
 
 Still more extraordinary was the case of a woman 
 who, without contracting the disease herself, was 
 a plague carrier. Wherever she went plague ap- 
 peared, and at last this was so marked that the 
 Chinese drove her from their dwellings, and some 
 missionaries found the poor creature wandering about 
 in the frozen fields, gave her shelter in a segregated 
 house, and cared for her until the epidemic was over, 
 when she too lost her terrible power. 
 
 We do not really know how Newchwang escaped, 
 for when coolies were prevented moving about by 
 rail they walked from place to place, and many 
 entered the town from infected areas ; but escape it 
 did, by the mercy of God, and so far as I know 
 plague has not since appeared there. It is estimated 
 that at least forty-five thousand persons died during 
 this epidemic (most of them being between the age 
 
 of twenty and forty), that there were no recoveries. 
 
 281 
 
AN IRISHWOMAN IN CHINA 
 
 and that the disease was at its worst when the 
 temperature was at its lowest. 
 
 Early in April an International Plague Conference 
 was held in Moukden, at which eleven countries were 
 represented ; a most remarkable gathering in which 
 the wonderful progress made by the Chinese with 
 regard to medical science was forcibly demonstrated. 
 Two Russian doctors who had been with us in 1899 
 attended this conference, Dr Padelevski and Dr 
 Anna Tchourilina. (Dr Mesny, the French expert I 
 mentioned before, was unfortunately one of the first 
 European victims in 1910). Professor Kitasato, 
 who first discovered the plague bacillus, took a 
 prominent part in the proceedings, and an amusing 
 story is told about him. 
 
 Some American travellers were staying at the 
 Yamato Hotel, the comfortable railway hotel run by 
 the Japanese at Moukden. Dr Kitasato was pointed 
 out to them by the hotel clerk with pardonable pride 
 in such a famous doctor. " Who is he, anyway ? " 
 drawled one of the travellers. "/' know nothing 
 about him." 
 
 " Not know Dr Kitasato ! " gasped the aston- 
 ished clerk. " Dr Kitasato, the man who invented 
 plague ! " 
 
 Many interesting discussions took place at this 
 conference, which was admirably arranged for and 
 run by the chairman, Dr Wu Lien Teh, a Chinese 
 graduate of Cambridge, and his helpers ; but al- 
 though light seems to have been thrown upon the 
 origin of the plague, and upon the best preventative 
 measures to adopt against it, no cure has been 
 discovered, at any rate for this peculiarly virulent 
 
 form of the disease. 
 
 282 
 
CHAPTER XXII 
 
 " Thou risest in the dawn of hopes unseen." 
 
 — Robert Bridges. 
 
 In the autumn of 1908, just ten years after her famous 
 coup d'etat, the Empress Dowager died, and thet 
 following day the sad, thwarted spirit of the Emperoo 
 Kuang Hsii " crossed over." ■^"~ \ 
 
 It is a remarkable fact that when the Enjpress 
 began to fail in health, the Emperor also rapidly lost 
 strength, and was apparently very much nearer his 
 end than the Empress at the time of her sudden 
 collapse. Many rumours were of course current as 
 to his death, but the truth will never be known; it is 
 one of those mysteries which the charming precincts 
 of the Summer Palace only too effectually conceal. 
 
 Shortly before her death the Empress had decided 
 
 that the little Prince P'u Yi, a child of three, son of 
 
 Prince Chun, was to succeed Kuang Hsii, and that 
 
 his father should be appointed Regent. This was 
 
 very much against the wishes of Yuan-Shih-Kai, the 
 
 present ruler of China, who had good reason to know 
 
 that the new Regent had no love for him, and who 
 
 was also honestly of opinion that another prince 
 
 would have been a better choice. But the Empress 
 
 insisted, her wishes were obeyed, and in a very short 
 
 time Yuan-Shih-Kai went into retirement, having 
 
 been politely informed that he was suffering from a 
 
 283 
 
AN IRISHWOMAN IN CHINA 
 
 very bad leg, and could not possibly continue to 
 perform his arduous political duties. 
 
 The character of the Empress has been so well 
 portrayed by those who made it a careful study, that 
 I do not propose to venture upon any description of 
 it here ; but it is interesting to notice the resemblance 
 between many of her attributes, both good and bad, 
 and those of our own Queen Elizabeth and Catherine 
 II. of Russia. In all three you find great astuteness, 
 courage, and faithfulness to those for whom they 
 really cared, or whom they respected, combined with 
 gaiety, love of amusement and of "pomp and cir- 
 cumstance." In all three you will also find an iron 
 will, absolute unscrupulousness, a violent and cruel 
 temper, and much ambition. But Elizabeth and 
 Catherine were in touch with their time — even in 
 advance of it ; the Empress Tzii-Hsi was not. She 
 was a clog upon the wheel of progress, only yielding 
 to reform and change when no other course was 
 possible. 
 
 During the next few years that animus against 
 the Manchu dynasty which had always existed in 
 the south became stronger and stronger, until, on the 
 ioth of October, 191 1, the Rebel Standard was 
 actually raised in the large Chinese city of Wuchang, 
 which is situated on the banks of the Yangtze 
 opposite Hankow. 
 
 The Prince Regent was not averse to progress, 
 and yielded concession after concession to the re- 
 formers; but it was realised that these concessions 
 were only the result of weakness, that he was in- 
 capable of himself guiding the ship of state into 
 calmer and safer waters, and the Revolutionary party 
 were determined to end Manchu rule. 
 
 284 
 
AN IRISHWOMAN IN CHINA 
 
 In Manchuria itself a curious state of things pre- 
 vailed. As I have said, Southern Chinese, who had 
 hved there for generations, had so blended with the 
 Manchus that they were practically the same. But 
 some of the Newchwang people were comparatively 
 recent arrivals; all their sympathies were with the 
 Revolutionaries, and when news of the success of 
 the rebel forces reached us, they wished to show their 
 colours and openly join their ranks. Amongst these 
 were Dr Wong and other native helpers in the 
 hospital, who came to Dr Daly (Dr Phillips was home 
 on leave) saying they wished to take off their queues 
 and allow their hair to grow in front as their fore- 
 fathers had done^ and as their southern friends 
 were now doing. 
 
 Dr Daly advised them not to be too precipitate, 
 so they waited about three weeks more, and then 
 renounced the Manchu style of headdress, which had 
 been forced upon the Chinese so long ago by the 
 Manchu conquerors as a sign of subjection. 
 
 In the meantime a certain reaction in favour of the 
 Manchus had taken place in Moukden, where Chao 
 Er Sun (who had shown so much ability during his 
 previous time of office), was again in charge, but this 
 time as Viceroy of the three provinces of Manchuria. 
 He recognised the necessity of yielding to the 
 Revolutionary party, although he remained faithful 
 to the dynasty as long as it was possible for him to 
 do so. 
 
 The General in command of all the trained forces 
 
 in Manchuria at the end of 191 1 was Chang Tso 
 
 Lin, who was a capable and resourceful man and 
 
 a brave soldier, absolutely in sympathy with the 
 
 Viceroy. Presently it was discovered that the Revo- 
 
 285 
 
AN IRISHWOMAN IN CHINA 
 
 lutionary party planned the death of both Viceroy 
 Chao Er Sun, and General Chang Tso Lin. Chang 
 Tso Lin took rapid action ; many of the plotters were 
 killed, and those who had joined the rebels, and cut 
 off their queues, were afraid to go about openly in 
 the "days of the killing," as the Chinese called that 
 time. 
 
 Just at that period an urgent message came to Dr 
 Daly from some distance up the Chinese Railway, 
 saying that a bridge had been blown up, many were 
 hurt, would he go to their help ? As Dr Phillips was 
 away, my husband could not leave, but he sent Dr 
 Wong and three assistants, and after they had left 
 suddenly remembered that Chang Tso Lin's soldiers 
 were in the neighbourhood, and would at once pounce 
 upon these queueless men! So hurried telegrams 
 were sent to the traffic inspector, who saw to it that 
 our good Dr Wong and his companions came back to 
 us safely. 
 
 Some of Chang Tso Lin's soldiers passed through 
 Newchwang; they were of a type which is fre- 
 quently found in a changing country — rough, strong, 
 courageous — very much what the Cossacks were 
 before they were incorporated in the Russian army — 
 under a strict discipline of their own, and devoted to 
 their leader. 
 
 Early in 191 2 the poor baby Emperor abdicated, 
 and the Dragon flag was lowered all over China. 
 The last Dragon flag hoisted over the Port of New- 
 chwang is now in my possession, having been re- 
 served for me with great kindness by the harbour- 
 master there. The success of the Revolutionaries 
 was extremely rapid. Some severe fighting took 
 place at Wuchang, but from the first it was clear 
 
 286 
 
AS* UtlSMWUMAJN IJN CHINA 
 
 that the Manchu dynasty was doomed. In their 
 despair they sent for Yuan-Shih-Kai, who at first 
 told them his leg was not yet cured, but finally con- 
 sented to come to their help. He did not attempt to 
 bolster up the fallen dynasty, but secured reasonable 
 terms for the Emperor, Empress Dowager, and the 
 Regent, and marched with the changing times him- 
 self, to ^uch good purpose that he is now a king in all 
 but the name. 
 
 Curious outbreaks and disturbances occurred after 
 the Republic was actually proclaimed. In February, 
 191 2, our friends the Bowras were in Peking, and 
 Mr Fulford was Consul-General at Tientsin. My 
 daughter and I were just preparing to make a trip. 
 She had never seen Peking, and we purposed spend- 
 ing a little time there, at Fengtai, and in Tientsin 
 with our friends in each place ; but suddenly a mutiny 
 broke out amongst the soldiers in all three places. 
 Much looting and burning went on, and it was no 
 time to add to people's anxieties by increasing their 
 responsibilities; so we did not go. Shortly after 
 I fell ill, and in the summer we went home, once 
 more hurriedly, as it was considered necessary for 
 me to leave at once, or at least as soon as possible. 
 
 It was grievous to think of all the wanton destruc- 
 tion which took place in Peking, Tientsin, and other 
 large towns. A street in Tientsin, exclusively given 
 up to fur shops, was looted and burnt ; in Peking the 
 beautiful curio shops, the great bazaar, cloisonne, and 
 porcelain shops, shared the same fate, and in the 
 south countless treasures in old cities like Soo- 
 chow and Hangchow must have been destroyed, not 
 to mention the collections made by private people. 
 Even Yuan-Shih-Kai could not restrain the soldiers 
 
 287 
 
AN IRISHWOMAN IN CHINA 
 
 from loot; they considered it their right. To fight 
 and not pillage;, unheard-of idea ! One regiment was 
 ordered to leave Peking, where they had done much 
 mischief, and were provided with a train to take them 
 to Fengtai, some eighteen miles away. The soldiers 
 filled the train with loot, and walked beside it them- 
 selves to their destination. 
 
 The soldier is no longer despised in China as of 
 old — many of them showed great courage and en- 
 durance on both sides during the Revolutionary 
 struggle ; but the heart of the people is set upon 
 peace, although strong patriotic feeling has now 
 sprung up in many places. The country is so huge, 
 means of rapidly moving about still so few, that it 
 will be long before that cohesion is arrived at which 
 is necessary before a country can be really great. 
 The giant is awake, but he is like a great sleepy child 
 rubbing his eyes, gazing around him in astonishment, 
 seeing so much change, so much need for immediate 
 action, and not knowing what action to take. As 
 Dr Aspland wrote me last year : " I don't know where 
 we are ! " 
 
 The part Chinese women have taken in these 
 changes is a remarkable one. They have displayed 
 much patriotism and capability for organisation, and 
 were amongst the most successful propagandists of 
 Revolutionary doctrine. They formed "Dare to 
 Die " clubs, and brought arms and ammunition from 
 Japan to Canton in preparation for the outbreak. 
 They gave generously to the funds, and even formed 
 themselves into regiments, drilled by men and 
 officered by women ; but they were not called to the 
 front. This so disappointed them that many of their 
 number rushed into the lines and threw bombs at the 
 
 288 
 
AJN IKlSJd WOMAN IN CHINA 
 
 enemy; how many lost their lives no one knows. 
 When the Legislative Assembly of Kwantung Pro- 
 vince was organised, ten women were elected, who 
 duly sat in that assembly until other forms of 
 government were adopted, and it was broken up. 
 
 In such great movements, during such drastic 
 changes, it is inevitable that some undesirable ele- 
 ments will appear, many exaggerated and unwise 
 measures be adopted; but these are excrescences, 
 and will disappear in time. 
 
 After living amongst the Chinese for a quarter of 
 a century, we feel that a people who are possessed 
 of so much ability, so many good qualities, are bound 
 in time to arrive at real greatness; not merely the 
 greatness of bulk and numbers, but of equitable 
 government and real patriotism. 
 
 I was much struck by a remark made by General 
 Chang Tso Lin and quoted by Dr Christie in the 
 book I have referred to : " What the young men of 
 China lack to-day is tao-te (religion, moral prin- 
 ciple) ; old creeds are passing away, new creeds 
 and standards must take their place unless we are to 
 have a repetition amongst these clever, literary people 
 in the years to come, of the kind of kultur which 
 is now devastating Europe. As Tiutchev said of 
 Russia, so we must say of China, in spite of her 
 apparent weakness and want of cohesion at the 
 present time : ' One must only believe in China.' 
 She will show herself worthy of our belief." 
 
 Dr Phillips arrived in China again in June, 191 2, 
 and took over charge in Newchwang, heartily wel- 
 comed by the community, who had already had 
 experience of his skill and ability. 
 
 It was hoped that my old friend the sea, hitherto 
 
 289 T 
 
AN IRISHWOMAN IN CHINA 
 
 my best physician, would soon restore me to health, 
 and again we started for home via Japan and Canada, 
 travelling slowly, and often stopping for a few days in 
 various beautiful places. But even the Inland Sea, 
 Nikko, and later the Rockies, did not do me much 
 good, and when we arrived at Quebec I was still 
 very ill. 
 
 We took passage in the Empress of Britain, and 
 when nearing Father Point, a thick fog came on. I 
 was in my cabin amidships on the saloon deck, my 
 husband had just left me to ask some players of 
 deck quoits, who were having a game just over my 
 head, if they would mind shifting the board; they 
 did so at once, and I was settling into a comfortable 
 sleep when suddenly it seemed to me that we were 
 going very fast, and I wondered why our speed 
 was so much increased when we were in a fog. A 
 moment afterwards there was a crash. What I had 
 thought to be increased speed was really the rever- 
 sing of the engines ; we had run into a big collier 
 and cut her in two. I got out of bed and staggered 
 to the port-hole, but in less than a minute my hus- 
 band and daughter were with me, the stewardess and 
 some friends nearly as quickly. I begged to go on 
 deck, so was dressed and taken up, and shown our 
 exact position. Our captain kept his head, and the 
 Empress held up the collier {Helvetia was her name) 
 until all on board were saved. Then we backed, and 
 she immediately sank, while our bow went up so 
 much that one realised how the collier's weight — she 
 had seven thousand tons of coal on board — ^had been 
 dragging us down. 
 
 One poor lady amongst our passengers had been 
 
 on the Titanic, and had only just gained sufiicieat 
 
 290 
 
AJN IKISHWOMAN IN CHINA 
 
 courage to go to sea again ; when we struck, she fell 
 upon the deck in a dead faint, at which no one was 
 surprised. It was said that one of our passengers 
 had been in nine collisions ; if this were true, I think 
 that man ought to be segregated upon some nice 
 big continent, and never allowed to travel by water 
 again ! This mishap, and the slow return to Quebec 
 (pumping all the time, for we were badly damaged), 
 with the subsequent hot and trying journey to New 
 York, deprived me of the little strength I had re- 
 covered, and I arrived in Queenstown a perfect 
 wreck. But my native air soon began to resuscitate 
 me. As we entered that beautiful harbour, I remem- 
 ber quoting to the doctor of the Caronia, in which 
 we had sailed, John Locke's words : 
 
 " Oh Ireland dear, but it's grand ye look, 
 Like a bride in your fair adomin', 
 And with all the pent-up love of me heart, 
 I bid ye ' The Top of the Momin' ! ' " 
 
 Alas, Dr Macdermot, a fine-looking Irishman 
 from my own county of Roscommon, now lies many 
 fathoms deep off the Head of Kinsale, for he was 
 one of those who went down in the Lusitania ! 
 
 And now "the book is completed and closed like 
 the day." This little record of war and peace in the 
 Far East, which it has been a real pleasure to write, 
 is finished. 
 
 We arrived home looking for peaceful days in our 
 own Green Land, but again we are in the midst of 
 war — ^war in the air, on the earth, on the sea, and 
 
 under the sea, and we seem as far as ever from the 
 
 391 
 
vision which the old American poet saw from his 
 peaceful home when he wrote : 
 
 " Down the dark future through long generations 
 The echoing sounds grow fainter and then cease, 
 And like a bell, with solemn sweet vibrations, 
 I hear once more the Voice of Christ say, ' Peace.' 
 
 Peace I and no longer from its brazen portals 
 The blast of war's great organ shakes the skies ! 
 
 But beautiful as songs of the immortals, 
 The holy melodies of love arise." 
 
 The vision is long. Though it tarry, wait for it ; 
 it will surely come. 
 
 THE END 
 
 
 293 
 
INDEX 
 
 Admiral Alexieff, 213 
 Algiers, 6 
 Antiquities, 256 
 
 Bal-el-Mandeb, g 
 Beresford, Lord Charles, 167- 
 
 i58 
 Bird-Bishop, Mrs, 143 
 Biscay, Bay of, 6 
 Boxer Outbreak, 174 
 , Attack on New- 
 
 chwang in, ig4 
 
 , Causes of, 175 
 
 , Experiences in, 
 
 177-185 
 , Our defenders in, 
 
 181 
 , Pathetic instances 
 
 in, tg2 
 , Yuan-Shih-Kai in, 
 
 ig8 
 Bridge of boats, 26 
 British engineers, 165-166 
 
 pioneers, g7-g8 
 
 Buddhist monks, 68 
 
 Centipedes, 33 
 
 Ceylon, 15 
 
 Chef 00, 100 
 
 Chinese amusements, 270 
 
 art, 50 
 
 characteristics, 50-51 
 
 conversation, 52 
 
 dinner-party, 26g 
 
 language, 2g 
 
 remedies, 47 
 
 Chinhai, 26 
 
 Christian Church, Revival in, 
 264 
 
 servants, 8g 
 
 Christians massacred, 204 
 Christie, Dr and Mrs, 133, 
 
 154, 158, ig3, 200 
 Chusan, g6 
 
 College, C.M.S., Ningpo, 29 
 Collision on Emfress boat, 
 
 2go 
 Colombo, 15 
 Corfe, Bishop, 115, 267 
 Cossacks, 163, 165 
 Curiosity, 52 
 
 Doctors, Native, 4g 
 
 Dogs, 137 
 
 Double Dragon, Order of the, 
 
 142 
 Diess, Chinese, 58, 5g 
 
 Educated Chinese, 262 
 Education of women, 55 
 Emperor Kuang Hsu, 145, 
 
 201, 283 
 Empress Dowager, 146, 201, 
 
 283 
 Etiquette, Chinese, 30 
 European ideas about China, 
 
 61, 63 
 
 " Face," Loss of, '45-46 
 
 Fairy, Water, 26 
 
 Fishing, 65 
 
 Flies, 234 
 
 Food, Chinese, 35 
 
 Footbinding; 56-58 
 
 Foreign devil, 47 
 
 Germans, ■^7, 203 
 Ghosts, Chinese, 243 
 Giles, Prof., 45, 54, 77 
 Graves, Chinese, 28 
 Gunboats (H.M.S. Fire- 
 brand), 125 
 
 Hill 203, 223 
 
 Hoare, Bishop, i, 45, gi 
 
 Icehouses, 26 
 Infanticide, 60 
 
 293 
 
JLX^ jLv.a:j^^ 
 
 Japanese and Russians, 248 
 
 occupation, 135 
 
 red tape, 138 
 
 spies, 120 
 
 Justice, British, 14 
 
 Korea, iig, 121 
 Kowshing, Sinking of, 120 
 KuFopatkin, 221, 225 
 
 Lakes, Ningpo, 64-67 
 Literary honours, 40 
 Literature, Respect for, 40 
 
 Malta, 207 
 
 Manchuria, Description of, 
 
 148 
 , Population of, i4g 
 
 in summer, 104 
 
 in winter, 112 
 
 Marriage customs, 52-53 
 Medical work, 47 
 Mid-China, Climate of, 32 
 
 , Flowers in, 32 
 
 , Temperature of, 34 
 
 Mines, Floating, 229 
 Missions, Christian, 46, 115, 
 
 158, 160, 246 
 Morrison, Dr, 167-168 
 Mothets honoured, 53 
 Moukden after war, 233 
 
 Imperial Palace, 156 
 
 North Tomb, 156 
 
 visited, 154, 158 
 
 Moule, Archdeacon, 25 
 Moule, Bishop, 76 
 
 Music, Chinese and Japanese, 
 254 
 
 Newchwang, 103 
 
 , Trade of, 108-109 
 
 , Social life of, no, 112, 
 
 "5 
 Ningpo, Arrival at, 25 
 , City of. 38 
 
 Opium habit, 48 
 
 poisoning, 48 
 
 , Suppression of, 268 
 
 War, 97 
 
 Peace signed, 141 
 
 terms, 141 
 
 Pei-Ta-Ho, 353 
 Peking, 239 
 
 temples, 241 
 
 Fenang, 18 
 Perim Island, 9 
 , Taking of, 10 
 
 Phillips, Dr, 260, 278 
 Pidgin-English, 88, 190 
 Pirates, Chinese, 97 
 Plague, Bubonic, 168, 171 
 
 carrier, 281 
 
 , Immunity from, 281 
 
 , The Great Winter, 275, 
 
 282 
 Port Arthur, 221 
 
 , Attack on, 219 
 
 , Massacre at, 121 
 
 Port Said, 7 
 
 Processions, Chinese, 42 
 Progress, 145 
 
 Queue, Manchu headdress, 
 285 
 
 Red Cross Society, Chi- 
 nese, 128 
 
 , Japanese, 123 
 
 doctors and 
 
 helpers, 133 
 
 Refugees, 126 
 
 , Missionary, 126 
 
 , Russian, 21Q 
 
 , varied nationalities, 178 
 
 in war of 1Q04-5, 225, 232 
 
 Relief expedition, 198 
 
 Revolution, Chinese, 284, 289 
 
 Russian advance, 161 
 
 ceremonies, 250 
 
 characteristics, 202, 209, 
 
 251 
 
 railway, 163 
 
 music, 209-210 
 
 Servants, Chinese, 82-90 
 Shanghai, 25 
 Shop signs, 38 
 Siberian route, 269, 273 
 Singapore, 18 
 Social problems, 71, 82 
 Soldiers, Chinese, 43, 122, 128, 
 288 
 
 , Japanese, 123 
 
 , Russian, 219-220, 225 
 
 Sport, 66, 152, 154 
 Subaltern, The Contented, 11 
 Suez Canal, 7 
 Sung Ching, General, 135, 175 
 
 Temple, Fox, 257 
 , Shihdoza (Snowy Val- 
 ley) 68 
 , Tiendong, 67 
 
 Upcountry expeditions, 64, 
 74, 236 
 
 294 
 
INDEX 
 
 Visit to Chinese country 
 
 HOUSE, 35 
 
 War, Chinese- Japanese, ng 
 
 , , Causes of, iig 
 
 , , After effects of, 
 
 145 
 
 War, Russo-Japanese, 217, 
 
 231 
 Women, Chinese, 52, 60 
 
 , Modern, 235, 388 
 
 , Prayers of, 41 
 
 Yellow Sea, 23 
 
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