Directory_and_Chronicle_1842 — Page 414

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Narrative of Sergeant Campbell

Jens

allow it, the boats were tracked, but for the greatest part of the way the boatmen were obliged to scull. They stopped only to take in what- ever provision the party required, and moved on day and night till the evening of the 30th, when they reached Hángchau fú.

Here sergeant Campbell was placed in a sedan; carried through the suburbs, a distance of nearly three miles, skirting the walls of the city for the greater part of the way; and at last reached an eminence about three quarters of a mile off, where he was lodged in a cell very little larger than the size of a cot. In this prison two officers came to see him; they put to him, through an interpreter, several questions, as to the strength of the army, navy, and the chief officers; and at last asked him if he was not an officer. He says that he met with very good treatment, although kept in close confinement.

On the 25th of May, they were released, and he saw for the first time his fellow-sufferers. It seems that it was the intention of the officers to hand them over to the British officers at Chápú, and they were embarked in boats, but when they got to the latter place, the expedition had left. They stopped there till the 30th, and then retrac- ing their steps, arrived at Hángchau fú on the 2d June.

They again left Hángchau fú on the morning of the 7th, carried in sedans, and passed through the Chinese camp, which appeared a most extensive one, tents being visible as far as the eye could see; mere curiosity brought an immense crowd of soldiers and others to look at the fankwei, but the Indians were those that amused the people most. As they formed a long line on either side of the pro- cession, he observed that the soldiers had weapons of all kinds; matchlocks, spears, swords, cutlases and bows and arrows, the latter of which they seemed to be very fond and very proud of; every tenth soldier had a matchlock. They reached the bank of a river (the T'sientang), and crossed it at a place where it is two or three miles wide, but so shallow that the boatmen jumped into the water to propel the boats. They passed through a town about a mile long, and, resorting again to boats, moved down on a canal to Shauhing fú, where they arrived on the 10th. This city seemned to be as large as Hángchau fú; they did not enter it, but were under its walls for about three hours in the canal running round it.

Before getting to Yiiyáu they passed a very curious rock, the echo of which repeated, as distinctly as possible, every word that was spoken. They passed Yuyau on the 11th, reached Ningpò on the morning of the 12th, stopped there two hours, then proceeded down the river to Chinhai, and the same evening were handed over to captar Napier of 11 M brg Pelican