Page:China's spiritual need and claims.djvu/98

84 to tread more closely in His footsteps, and be more than ever wholly His. I prayed for myself, for friends in England, and for my brethren in the work. Sweet tears of mingled joy and sorrow flowed freely, the road was almost forgotten, and ere I was aware of it, I was close to Shih-mun Hien. Outside the South Gate I took a cup of tea, asked about my lost luggage, and spoke of the love of. Then I entered the city, and after many vain enquiries left it by the North Gate.

"I felt so much refreshed both in mind and body by the communion I had had on my walk to the city, that I thought myself able to walk over to Shih-mun-wan that evening. I first went into another tea-shop and bought some cakes, &c., and was making a meal of them, when who should come in but one of the coolies who had carried my things the first stage. From him I learned that after I left them they carried my luggage to the South Gate; then my servant went out, and said on his return that I was gone on, and he did not intend to go at once, but would spend the day with his friend, and then rejoin me. They carried the things to this friend's house and left them there. I got him to go with me to the house, and there learned he had spent the day and night with them, and next morning had called coolies and set off for Hang-chau. This was all I could learn; so, unable to do anything but proceed on my way to Shanghai with all expedition, I left the city again: but it was now too late to go on. 1 looked to my, as able to supply all my need, and received another token of His ceaseless care and love, being invited to sleep on a hong-boat now dry in the bed of the river. The night was again very cold, and the mosquitoes troublesome; still I got a little rest, and at sun-rise was up and continued my journey.

"August 7th.—I felt very ill at first, and had a sore throat, but reflected on the wonderful goodness of in enabling me to bear the heat by day and the cold by night so long; and as I soon began to freely perspire from walking, became relieved. I felt now, too, that quite a load was taken off my mind. I had committed myself and my affairs to the, and knew that if it was for my good and His glory, my things would be restored; if not, all would be for the best. I hoped that the most trying part of my journey was now drawing to a close, and this helped me, weary and footsore, on the way. When I got to Shih-mun-wan and had breakfasted, I found I had still 81o cash in hand; and I knew the hong-boat fare to Kia-hing Fu was 120 cash, and thence to Shanghai 360, leaving me 330 cash for three or four days' provisions. I went at once to the boat-office; but to my dismay found that from the dry state of the river goods had not come down, so that no boat would leave to-day, perhaps not tomorrow. I enquired if there were no letterboats for Kia-hing Fu, and was told they had already left. My only resource, therefore, was to ascertain if any private boats were going in which I could get a passage. My search was in vain; and I could get no boat to go all the way to Shanghai, or my difficulty would have been at an end. But at a place where the canal takes a turn, I saw before me a letter-boat going in the direction of Kia-hing Fu. This, I thought, must be one of the Kia-hing Fu boats, that had been detained by something; and I set off after it as fast as hope and the necessities of my case could take me. For the time, fatigue and sore feet were forgotten. After a chase of a mile I overtook it. 'Are you going to Kia-hing Fu?' I called out. 'No.' 'Are you going in that direction?' 'No.' 'Will you give me a passage as far as you do go that way?' 'No.' Completely dispirited and exhausted, I sunk down on the grass, and fainted away.

"As consciousness returned, some voices reached my ear, and I found they were talking about me. One said, 'He speaks unmixed Shanghai dialect,' and from their own speech I knew they were Shanghai people. Raising my umbrella, I saw they were on a large hong-boat on the other side of the canal, and after a few words they sent their small boat for me, and I went on board the junk. They were very kind, gave me some tea, and, when I was