while the vapour enveloped the great throng, and so some who were not
scalded got trampled upon and hurt. We do not complain, for my employer
says this is the usual way of quieting disturbances on board the ship,
and that it is done in the cabins among the Americans every day or two.

Congratulate me, Ching-Fool In ten days more I shall step upon the shore
of America, and be received by her great-hearted people; and I shall
straighten myself up and feel that I am a free man among freemen.

AH SONG HI.

LETTER III

SAN FRANCISCO, 18--.

DEAR CHING-FOO: I stepped ashore jubilant! I wanted to dance, shout,
sing, worship the generous Land of the Free and Home of the Brave. But
as I walked from the gangplank a man in a gray uniform--[Policeman]
--kicked me violently behind and told me to look out--so my employer
translated it. As I turned, another officer of the same kind struck me
with a short club and also instructed me to look out. I was about to
take hold of my end of the pole which had mine and Hong-Wo's basket and
things suspended from it, when a third officer hit me with his club to
signify that I was to drop it, and then kicked me to signify that he was
satisfied with my promptness. Another person came now, and searched all
through our basket and bundles, emptying everything out on the dirty
wharf. Then this person and another searched us all over. They found
a little package of opium sewed into the artificial part of Hong-Wo's
queue, and they took that, and also they made him prisoner and handed
him over to an officer, who marched him away. They took his luggage,
too, because of his crime, and as our luggage was so mixed together that
they could not tell mine from his, they took it all. When I offered to
help divide it, they kicked me and desired me to look out.

Having now no baggage and no companion, I told my employer that if he
was willing, I would walk about a little and see the city and the
people until he needed me. I did not like to seem disappointed with my
reception in the good land of refuge for the oppressed, and so I looked
and spoke as cheerily as I could. But he said, wait a minute--I must be
vaccinated to prevent my taking the small-pox. I smiled and said I had
already had the small-pox, as he could see by the marks, and so I need
not wait to be "vaccinated," as he called it. But he said it