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foreign military strength prevailing against the Qing regime, calculated by the British and French to force compliance with the new treaty conditions, also actually caused greater threat to those foreign travellers who moved outside the provincial capital. Still, all this being recognized by Legge and his travelling companions, including Ch'ea, they pursued their missionary goals and tested the reliability of the Qing forces to uphold the treaty conditions. In the end it was clear that local Qing authorities could only be partially successful in maintaining public order during their travels. This fact was highlighted during the missionary tour. Legge explicitly mentions in his journal published in Hong Kong in June 1861 - issues almost always deleted from the edited versions published in the missionary journal accounts produced for English audiences - the troubles they faced at certain places where crowds had stones and bricks nearby and available to attack their party. One of the harshest responses came in the district city of Wye-chow, a large walled city not very distant from Poklo. Stonings there caused noticeable damage to the main boat rented for the trip. In another district town up the river by the name of Hé Yuán, the "rain of stones" became "exceedingly unpleasant.” In order to avoid further physical threat on their return through the alleys of the walled city, Legge and Chalmers with their attendant soldiers finally climbed up on the city walls where the attackers had their point of advantage. By this means they surprised the stone slinging "rabble" so that they quickly dispersed without presenting any further threats until the group had entered their boats.70 Legge was nonplussed: "I did not think that we should have experienced such treatment so far away from Canton." The political reality that antiforeigner feelings were running high and spread broadly throughout the region could not be denied.
69
Added to this was a deeper, more persistent strain of demonology which continued to erupt in the curses yelled at the missionaries in any place that was "inhospitable." One single record in Legge's journal illustrates the visceral level at which this demonology worked. At one point northeast of Poklo as they were travelling up the East River, the boat passed through a herd of water buffalo “luxuriating”
71
208
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foreign military strength prevailing against the Qing regime, calculated by the British and French to force compliance with the new treaty conditions, also actually caused greater threat to those foreign travellers who moved outside the provincial capital. Still, all this being recognized by Legge and his travelling companions, including Ch'ea, they pursued their missionary goals and tested the reliability of the Qing forces to uphold the treaty conditions. In the end it was clear that local Qing authorities could only be partially successful in maintaining public order during their travels. This fact was highlighted during the missionary tour. Legge explicitly mentions in his journal published in Hong Kong in June 1861 - issues almost always deleted from the edited versions published in the missionary journal accounts produced for English audiences the troubles they faced at certain places where crowds had stones and bricks nearby and available to attack their party. One of the harshest responses came in the district city of Wye-chow, a large walled city not very distant from Poklo. Stonings there caused noticeable damage to the main boat rented for the trip. In another district town up the river by the name of Hé Yuán, the "rain of stones" became "exceedingly unpleasant.” In order to avoid further physical threat on their return through the alleys of the walled city, Legge and Chalmers with their attendant soldiers finally climbed up on the city walls where the attackers had their point of advantage. By this means they surprised the stone slinging "rabble" so that they quickly dispersed without presenting any further threats until the group had entered their boats.70 Legge was nonplussed: "I did not think that we should have experienced such treatment so far away from Canton." The political reality that antiforeigner feelings were running high and spread broadly throughout the region could not be denied.
69
Added to this was a deeper, more persistent strain of demonology which continued to erupt in the curses yelled at the missionaries in any place that was "inhospitable." One single record in Legge's journal illustrates the visceral level at which this demonology worked." At one point northeast of Poklo as they were travelling up the East River, the boat passed through a herd of water buffalo “luxuriating”
71
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