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Memoirs of Lloyd Moss: 1927

Chinamen stood around the boat landing with their steeds and we found that we could hire either a donkey or a little long-haired Mongolian horse for one Mex dollar (45 c) for all day. The saddles weren't so good. They looked like a wooden sawbuck frame covered with old padded quilts but it was the only way to get around. The men seemed very loath to leave their animals in our care and ran along behind. But I never liked this idea so I always galloped my animal out of town until I lost his owner from sight then I could explore the countryside for the rest of the day unimpeded. Many of the other sailors found that if they got off their mount for any reason the chinaman promptly rented it to someone else and it was a battle to get it back. The country here was quite level with barren mountains too far away for me to reach in a day but I found many small walled towns within range and they were very interesting.

One day I was riding a big jackass at a fast pace and was about to cross the railroad track when he suddenly balked and I flew over his head and landed flat on the track. Fortunately I didn't break any bones and was able to lead him across and remount on the other side. Another time was even more serious. I was riding a Mongolian horse quite a way inland when I came upon a portion of the Chinese army. The officers were mounted on horses the supplies were carried on camels and the regular soldiers walked. I was just riding under the stone entry arch into the town when my horse suddenly took a vicious bit on the neck of another horse close by. There was pandemonium for a minute as the other horse fought back. I struck out indiscriminately with my whip and then just as quickly all was quiet and the Chinese officer had made a sharp command to the horses and he had a tight hold on the reins of his horse and mine too and he was staring directly into my face with a calm but frightening expression. I could do nothing but stare right back and we held that position for what seemed like a very long time to me. I didn't know what was going to happen when finally he let go his hold on my horse's bridle and I urged the horse straight ahead right through town and out the other side without looking back.

I put as much distance as I could between me and that spot but then I had to get back to Chinwangtao. There was no other road but the one I had just come over so I decided to ride down the footpaths between fields to the sea-shore and work my way back that way to avoid the army. All went well until I came to the mouth of a river that was much wider than I ever expected it to be as it wasn't very large further inland. There wasn't anything to do but swim it so I whipped the horse into the water much against his will. The water got deep almost immediately and I quickly found out that you can't stay in the saddle of a swimming horse. I hung onto his mane the best I could and eventually his feet struck bottom again and we climbed up the bank on the opposite side. From there on it was an uneventful clop clop along the sandy beach back to the boat landing.

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