The smugglers of provisions, wines, and delicacies for the Russian officers travelled to and fro so often that they became known, and were suspected and stopped. There were many genuine refugees using the line; they came from Port Arthur and Dalny, and wanted to get back to Russia. They had always a lot of baggage with them; but as this was going towards China it did not matter. Some of these parties were personally conducted by an Orthodox priest. After a time Russian refugees began to arrive from China; they had come from Port Arthur and Dalny, and were wanting to get back to Russia by the Tashichiao route. They also were unkempt, had plenty of baggage, and were often accompanied by a Russian priest. One day a surprise examination was sprung upon these refugees bound north, with the result that no owners could be found for heaps of luggage, all more or less contraband of war. As a rule all the Russians at Yingkow were courteous to the British passing through, and to the few British residents, all of whom were connected with the railway service. One night a British officer dressed in _mufti_ came from Shanhaikwan. There were about a dozen at dinner that evening, and later the officer joined our company, and we talked of the war and its prospects. There were no Russian officials present, but one of the guests was a Russian, and so frequently a visitor that I suspected him, and warned the officer. He returned to Shanhaikwan early the next morning. Later that day the Russian guards made a thorough search of the settlement, believing him to be still in hiding amongst us. During this quite Russian domiciliary visit, one of the soldiers lingered too long in the bedroom of one of the railway men, who became impatient, and told him to go. The man would not, so the Briton threw him and his rifle not only out of the house, but through the fence of the compound. Shortly afterwards an officer with a guard arrested the Briton, and took him to Newchwang, where an interpreter was found. They brought the Briton before the administrator, and endeavoured to impress upon him the enormity of his offence: to touch a soldier was to touch the Tsar. What had he to say? The old soldier thought it time to plead guilty. “I can only say I’m sorry I killed him; I did not intend that.” “Killed him? You haven’t killed him; he is there! Look!” “I don’t seem to have hurt him. Ask him, please, if I hurt him?” The soldier was asked: if he had been hurt, he would not have owned to it, and he laughed at the suggestion, and denied it emphatically. “Then why am I here?” asked the Briton. “Oh! go away, all of you--don’t bother me with such little matters.” The incident closed, and never after that was there any trouble between British and Russians on the Yingkow side.