vessels were in the port, and the native ones were chiefly junks, the
proprietors of which, as interpreted by Chung, whom I took with me,
refused to venture out unless for such a sum as I could by no
possibility procure. There were no Chinese war-vessels in the harbour,
and indeed they would have been of no use there.

Knowing that the fortress was a very strong one, I made up my mind
that there would be a protracted siege, and my spirits fell as I
surveyed the prospect, for my pecuniary resources were limited, and it
seemed very unlikely that I would again see the _Columbia_ in the
port. However, my fears were groundless. Little did I think that
within three days the place would be in the hands of the Japanese.

It was on November 18 that I made the fruitless attempt to negotiate
for a passage. The appearance of the place had considerably changed
since first I was in it. The numbers of the soldiery had obviously
been largely increased. Industry was completely suspended in the
dockyard, the whole of which had been converted into barracks. In
returning from the wharves with Chung, I witnessed a specimen of
military punishment. Passing the open gate of an enclosure near the
clearing-house, I perceived a group which at once riveted my
attention. A number of soldiers were standing round one who, stripped
to the waist, was kneeling with his forehead stooped almost to the
ground, and his hands tied behind, the thongs that bound them being
held by a man standing close in his rear. Thus disposed, he received a
tremendous flogging from a whip with a fearful heavy leathern lash,
which made me think of the Russian knout. The blows fell with a thud
that made my nerves shiver, and the back of the sufferer was covered
with blood, which was thrown here and there by the ensanguined
instrument of torture as it whistled through the air. He took his