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These are they which come out of the great tribulation, and they washed their robes, and made them white in the blood of the Lamb.

Therefore are they before the throne of God; and they serve Him day and night in His Temple and He that sitteth on the throne

shall spread His tabernacle over them.

They shall hunger no more, neither thirst any more; neither shall the sun strike upon them, nor any heat.

For the Lamb which is in the midst of the throne shall be their shepherd, and shall guide them unto fountains of water of life; and God shall wipe away every tear from their eyes.-REV. vii. 14-17.

THE PROVINCE OF CHIH-LI

SPECIAL interest attaches to this province as being the centre of the Chinese government and scene of the Boxer struggle. The history of the T'ien-tsin bombardment, with the siege and relief of Peking, so graphically described by Dr. Morrison of The Times and by Sir Robert Hart in the Fortnightly Review, are already well known to all. The following letter from Mr. Mills, who was in charge of the business department of the C.I.M. in T'ien-tsin, will be sufficient to remind us of God's great goodness to all the Europeans and Americans both there and at Peking.

CHINA INLAND MISSION, TIEN-TSIN, NORTH CHINA, July 24. DEAR MR. SLOAN-You will doubtless have heard through Mr. Stevenson of my preservation here, all through this terrible time.

The Boxers attacked the Concession here on June 16 in the early morning, burning the L.M.S. chapel just outside. On that day

I got my wife and children away to Ta-ku, where they were when the forts were taken. I returned by the armoured train, arriving back about 2 A.M. on the 17th. Little did we think here that the Imperial Government would dare to defy the world; but at 1 o'clock that day three shells in rapid succession were fired at the settlement from the arsenal across the river, and shelling continued for some two hours. It was a terrible time-the women and children flocking in hot haste to the Gordon Hall, our strongest building, but which seemed the special mark for the guns. Our troops were soon attacking the enemy, and very soon I found my work, viz. when the wounded were brought in. For a whole week we were cut off from the outside world. Attacks were made day and night. We all seemed to be in the firing line. Bullets whizzed past us on every street and entered every window, while that fearful shelling at frequent intervals did its deadly work. It was a time when all were brought face to face with eternity; when everything that could be shaken was shaken, and oh, the blessedness of being in possession of the things which cannot be moved! Then on Saturday morning relief came, and the word will have a new meaning henceforth. Step by step

I sought to see my duty and do it. I remained through all, and one result is, that our premises here have certainly been saved from being looted and burnt. On the 15th inst. fire, which had often raged near, caught the next block, and was with great difficulty extinguished. Time fails to tell of all the dangers and of all the deliverances of these past days. Our house, although damaged by shells, is not seriously hurt, and we are all safe. I wish I could say as much for the many in Peking, and the band of American missionaries, and our C.I.M. friends in Pao-ting-fu.

Your prayers have not been in vain. God has marvellously intervened, or none of us would be alive to tell the tale. And as for the future, we believe God will out of it all bring new opportunities and new blessings. Yours in His service, D. J. MILLS.

Many other societies having been for long engaged in missionary work in this province, the C.I.M. has done little more than was necessary for keeping open the communications between the Coast and its stations in Shan-si. Pao-tingfu being the head of the river navigation, and more recently the terminus of the railway from T'ien-tsin, Mr. and Mrs. Bagnall were stationed there for business work mainly. Hwuyluh and Shun-teh are important cities on two of the main roads from Pao-ting-fu to Shan-si. Here Mr. and Mrs. Green with Miss Gregg, and Mr. and Mrs. Griffith with Mr. Brown, were respectively stationed.

Mr. Wm. Cooper, who had recently been on an official visit to the C.I.M. stations in Shan-si, was returning to the Coast when the troubles broke out. He reached Pao-ting-fu, where he joined Mr. and Mrs. Bagnall and child on June 15. On June 30 Mr. Stevenson in Shanghai received a telegram from Mr. Wm. Cooper dated Pao-ting-fu, June 25, saying that further travelling was unsafe, but he did not think there was cause for anxiety. This telegram is the last heard from our Pao-ting-fu friends. In the Viceroy's Yamên at Tien-tsin, letters were subsequently found distinctly stating that the massacre of Europeans and Americans at Pao-ting-fu took place at the east and north gates on June 30, and at the south gate on July 1. As our Mission premises were situated south of the city, there is every reason to believe it was on July 1 that Mr. Wm. Cooper, Mr. and Mrs. Bagnall and child sealed their life's work by death.

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The little girl, Gladys, died with her parents; the two boys, William and Howard,
are at school in Chefoo.

To face page 154.

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