"I had obtained a commission as captain of imperial troops, and was sent down here, where I have been ever since."
"You haven't seen any missionaries killed, have you?" demanded Rob, anxiously.
"No, and I don't think I should have, without trying to save them, in spite of the way I was treated in America. But I received orders from Pekin only yesterday not to oppose the Boxers in anyway, no matter what they did. I was up in that watch-tower wondering what I ought to do if any missionaries should come this way, when I saw the rain-dancers chasing you. Of course, I didn't recognize you; but the moment I discovered you were a foreigner I knew that I couldn't stand by and see you killed without making an effort to prevent it."
"Didn't you know who I was until we stood together on the watch-tower?" asked Rob, curiously.
"No. I had not time for a good look at you until that moment. Even then I couldn't at first believe it really was you; it seemed so utterly impossible that you could be in China."
"What do you propose to do now?"
"Stay with you until I get you to a place of safety."
"But you will lose your position in the army if you leave your post."
"Yes."
"And perhaps be shot as a deserter."