last official would not receive him, treated him very uncivilly, leaving him all night in the open courtyard, exposed to the rain, which drizzled down and wetted him through and through.

The following morning, the mandarin thinking my being carried on a bamboo stretcher was too grand, ordered the yamen-runners to move me from it on to a wheelbarrow. I remonstrated, saying that it was impossible for me to travel on a barrow on account of my being covered with wounds and bruises, which would not allow me to stand or sit. I asked to see the mandarin, but the underlings paid no heed to my request, except to say unpleasant words: "Pitch him into the barrow like a bag of foreign goods." Then they got hold of me and put me roughly on the barrow and started off.

The jolting on the uneven road and the fearful heat of the sun beating down caused me excruciating pain, and reopened my wounds. We went twenty-three miles that day. The mandarin had given no money for my food and if the Lord had not touched the heart of one of the soldiers, who pitied me, I should have had no food all day. The following day about noon we were back at Si-hsien. The mandarin did not want to have anything to do with me and left me in the courtyard and soon a large crowd came around.

During the evening some thirty men armed with swords and spikes stopped at the inn, and asked with great excitement if the inn-keeper had seen a foreigner, that they were hunting for him to kill him, but the inn-keeper did not expose him. The next day Mr. Argento met a friend who gave him. money and assisted him to escape to Hankow.

CHAPTER XXII.

REMARKABLE ESCAPES-CONTINUED.

Oh, deem not they are blest alone
Whose lives a peaceful tenor keep;
The Power who pities mar, has shown
A blessing for the eyes that weep.

For God has marked each sorrowing day,
And numbers every secret tear;
And heaven's long age of bliss shall pay
For all His children suffer here.

-William Cullen Bryant.

The following account of a most remarkable escape from the Boxers is condensed from "China's Millions." The party consisted of Mr. and Mrs. Green, their two children, Vera and John, aged five and three, and Miss Gregg. There had been threatened trouble at this station for some time, with several mobs and assaults; but at last the crisis came, and they fled. A friendly temple-keeper had offered them a refuge in his temple on a mountain near by. The first part of the account is given by Mr. Green.

The next day, July 5th, the tension increased so that one after another urged us to hide. The whole city seemed to be in an uproar. All the nearest stations around us had been destroyed, and we went to God in prayer for guidance. We were led to gather a few things together,

to leave the house under cover of night and to take refuge in our hiding place on the mountain.

It was just beginning to show signs of dawn when we reached the gateway of our retreat, tired and sick at heart, but realizing our God to be "a very present help in trouble." Nearly an hour passed before the temple-keeper came to unlock the door and let us in. To our dismay we found that the slightest sound traveled most distinctly

in those echoing hills and valleys, so that it was one long strain all day to keep the children quiet so that our presence there should not become known.

The first day we saw no one from the outside world; much time was spent in prayer that God would guide us, and if possible bring us quickly through this troublous time and enable us to return to our home.

On the second day we had a fright. It appears that the temple-keeper's mother was very ill; and his younger brother, who had been left in charge and who was not in the secret of our being there, brought into the temple a worshiper who happened to come along at that time; hence we had no warning of their approach. The worship

er saw us; and upon his return soon set the rumor afloat that the "foreign devils were hiding in the temple on Lienhua-shan" (Lotus Mountain).

About midnight on this day, Saturday, July 7th, our cook came with two believers, bringing us provisions and news which filled our hearts with dismay; but we had our Heavenly Father with us. Our house had been looted by the rabble that day, and we were now practically homeless. This also meant the loss of all our belongings. The Master had given us an opportunity to take joyfully the spoiling of our goods for His sake.

I impressed upon the servant who brought the news the importance of finding a permanent and safer hidingplace near by. To move far away was out of the question as the districts all round were worse than our immediate neighborhood. Sunday, July 8th, was a day of much sadness and perplexity, but again we proved the promise, "They that wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength."

After dark, Mr. Green set off for the city to see the mandarin; but found, as he had anticipated, that he was powerless to help him, and did not even see him, as the conversation was carried on through his secretary. The mandarin himself was afraid of the Boxers, for several officials known to have proforeign tendencies had been killed by them. If he could find some hiding-place for a time, it was the best thing that could be done under the circumstances; so he advised him.

By the next day, July 9th, the report that we were living at the temple on "Lien-hua-shan" had reached the village near by. Immediately there was an uproar: the big gong was beaten through the village to call the inhabitants together. A council was held, at which it was decided to send a representative to see if we were really there; and if so, to order us off at once. About 3 o'clock this man arrived

at the temple in company with one of the village priests. The man from the village was a real bully, and looked as though he would like to lay hands on us then and there, but the priest seemed friendly. I quietly assured him that I would gather my things together and go at once. They then left us and we were face to face with the fact that go we must; but where?

Our first impulse was to turn to our Father, and we poured out our hearts before Him, the "God of deliver. ances;" then with trembling faith, looking to Him to open a way, we set about packing up our few possessions. We could not communicate with our friends in the city, and as for the temple-keeper, who had promised to visit us daily, we knew not what had become of him. We were just trying to choke down some food when the keeper himself arrived.

As

He first told us why he had not visited us; his mother had died the day before and he had been unable to leave. The village priest had proved his friendliness by going at once to him and telling him our situation. soon as we saw him coming we knew that our prayer was answered; and our hearts overflowed with thankfulness to God as the keeper said, "Don't be afraid, I have another place for you; it is a natural cave, high up on the face of the mountain."

Shouldering a giant's share of the things, he then led the way; I carried a load, and dear Vera trotted alongside over the difficult, stony pathway. The last three hundred feet was a steep, trackless climb, and the children had to be carried; but after two or three trips we were all sitting breathless in His own "Cleft in the rock." Promising to go to the city next day and let our servants know where we were, and indicating a spot at the foot of the mountain where I could get water, he left us.

On inspecting our new home we found it to be very damp; only one small place on the ground, five feet by three, seemed really dry, and here we spread our bedding: but we realized how injurious to health any prolonged stay there would be. A party of Boxers hearing that we had fled from our house in the city, tried to find us; and