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Honourable Director of Medical Services,
Following is an account of my recent trip with lepers
to Chinese territory.
uesday, April 8th.
Arrived at Kennedy Town Leper Hospital with Mr. Curtis and Dr. Sporer, at 8 a.m. Instructed the lepers to start pack- ing up. Had some trouble as lepers refused to leave unless their possessions were redeemed from various pawnshops. This was done. Lepers and cargo were loaded and junks sailed under tow at 12.30
p.m.
Journeyed to Tai O via Lamma Channel and arrived at 9.30 p.m. Compradore failed me and no food was available for lepers. Issued emergency rations. Lepers all suffered from seasickness. Junks were badly fouled and had to be cleaned.
Wednesday, April 9th.
Left Tai O at 12.30 a.m. and set a course for Colowan Light. Kept hour watches. Light and variable winds. Arrived off Kau Lan Island at 6.15 p.m. Proceeded through pass into Chek- kai Bay. At 7.30 p.m. a Japanese patrol boat caught up with us and opened fire with machine guns without challenging. Over 500 shots were fired, some 200 landing in our junk. There were no casualties. After some time we managed to signal to the Japanese with a torch whereupon they came in close. When they boarded us, Curtis was hit over the head with a rifle butt, but was not badly hurt. We were carefully searched and were made to board their launch. We proceeded to the other junks and satisfied the Japan- ese that they contained nothing but lepers. The Japanese then apologised and left us. The crew of our junk were beaten and robbed of all their money, some $50. We lost nothing. Anchored for the night.
Thursday, April 10th.
Hoisted anchor at 5.30 a.m.
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Bad storm and heavy rain drove us off our course and we again anchored at 10.15 a.m. having lost the tide. At 11 a.m. 20 sampans, each containing 10 men, approached us and opened fire. All three junks sustained many hits but fortunately there were no casualties. We were boarded and found that the men were pirates. Our junk was made to hoist sail and we proceeded inshore. The fact that we were foreigners and were in possession of credentials given by high Chinese military officials apparently prevented them from molesting us. The chief pirate finally boarded us and was most courteous. Apart from fouling our junk and eating most of our food, we were not bothered. They finally left us at 4.30 p.m. and we proceeded up the bay. We found our chart not accurate and missed the channel and ran fast aground at 8.30 p.m.
Friday, April 11th.
Floated
Dr. Sporer went in a sampan some two miles away and engaged a pilot from a fishing junk to take us up river. off sandbar at 11 a.m. and sailed upriver arriving at Kàu Pui Shek at dark. Could not proceed further because of minefield.
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