There was a good deal of rustling and whispering behind the curtain, a trifle of lamp smoke, and an occasional giggle from Amy […]

Haveing undertaken, for ye glorie of god, and advancemente of ye Christian faith and honour […]

Before this moment of truth in the middle of the river, I had wondered what had happened to the Christians. Why did I only meet a few? The explanation offered was that the younger Christians had left for Inner Mongolia, where there are now 20,000 residents from Hequ County. There are only 120,000 people left in Hequ County, and 10,000 in Hequ city, the same number as there were during the bombing in 1939. While the population in the rest of China has more than doubled, Hequ has not grown.

He closed the door and motioned them to a tray. `Bog in, it's all on the house.'