as the guest.

The Chinese would allow no one to hurt their pigs, either. One
day as Mackay sat in his rooms facing the river, battling with
some new Chinese characters, he heard a great hubbub coming up
the street. The threatening mobs that used to surround his house
had long ago ceased to trouble him. He arose in some surprise and
went to the door to see what was the matter. A very unusual sight
for Tamsui met his gaze. Coming up the street at a wild run were
some half-dozen English sailors, their loose blue blouses and
trousers flapping madly. They were evidently from a ship which
Mackay had seen lying in the harbor that morning.

"Give us a gun!" roared the foremost as soon as he saw the
missionary.

Mackay did not possess a gun, and would not have given the
enraged bluejacket one had he owned a dozen. But the Chinese mob,
roaring with fury, were coming up the street after the men and he
swiftly pointed out a narrow alley that led down to the river.
"Run down there!" he shouted to the sailors. "You can get to your
boats before they find you."

They were gone in an instant, and the next moment the crowd of
pursuers were storming about the door demanding whither the enemy
had disappeared.

"What is all this disturbance about?" demanded Kai Bok-su calmly,
glad of an opportunity to gain time for the fleeing sailors.