Our situation was most embarrassing; we were surrounded by a crowd of impudent soldiers, who took all sorts of liberties with us; and to add to our difficulties, one of our Cossacks was taken ill and was unable to move. Towards evening it began to rain; but we could not find shelter anywhere and were obliged to pass the night under the open sky, there being no room to pitch our tent in the narrow yard, already inconveniently crowded with our ten camels. We therefore submitted to circumstances, and after clearing a small space we lay down on some felting. Fortunately the rain soon ceased and the night was clear; the soldiers took it in turns to keep watch at the gates of the yard.
The next day we waited till midday, and were told that the mandarin was still asleep. I wished to satisfy myself on this point, but the soldiers would not let me pass into the town. In the meanwhile the mandarin kept sending envoys asking me to present him with all the articles he had taken from me, my Lancaster rifle among the number. I peremptorily declined, saying that I was not rich enough to give every Chinese general I saw, a gun which cost several hundred rubles.
In the afternoon they sent to tell me that the general had risen, and they brought the box with the rifle, but the powder-flask and box of caps were gone. 'Your commander has stolen two articles from this case,' I remarked to the official who brought it, and I sent my interpreter to explain this. I did
