Re: Most successful pirate was beautiful and tough
[=Peg Leg .
I really cannot believe that you were in China during this time unless you were a very small child. How is that? Pegger
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Hi I am reposting an article from another site, it may explain a few things with no intent to change the thread since indirectly it did have thieves and pirates involved.
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In Christmas 1946 I was in Tsingao,China. This was before Mao's regime took over, the OLD China.
Prior to going to China, my father, who had mastered written Chinese, had insisted that I learn also, so when I finally arrived at the focus of many of my childhood dreams, China, I could basically read a newspaper.
Tsingtao was loaded with refugees, it probably had over 7 times its normal population so the was hardly enough space to move around. Naturally there was a severe food shortage, but as happens in every war torn society, some restaurants managed to say open and find food for the customers.
My Air base was several miles outside of the town. While we had adequate food there, for some reason I decided to go to Tsingao for a Christmas dinner and movie. Have you ever seen "The Bells of St Mary" in Chinese on hard benches at full volume? A unique experience, fortunately they had English sub titles hehehehe.
After the movie I wandered around for a few hours in a jin -riick-shaw, just gawking. I will have to post a story on the pure pleasure of a jin-rick-shaw ride, there is nothing else like it in this world for relaxing transportation once you get over the idea that a human is pulling you around and realize that this is a way of life for him and his family.
About dark, the Cold wind from the Gobi desert started to pick up, I frankly believe that this is hands down, the coldest most penetrating wind in the world. I had placed my Nylon flight suit under my uniform for added insulation, but it had no practical effect, I was cold! The poor Rich shaw man had only a quilted kapok jacket to keep him warm.
since it was now dark, I had missed the last ride back to the Airbase, none traveled on the highway after dark.so I decided to find a room to sleep in. I must have been dreaming, I had forgotten the swarm of refugees flooding the town, there wasn't a room to be had.
After uselessly looking for a couple of hours, it was getting extremely cold. The rick-shaw man suggested a girliehouse of which there were many, however all were closed because it was soo late, sigh.
Finally, as a last resort, he suggested the docks. Sheesh, this is the most infamous place for corruption, crime, and squalidness imaginable. However I no longer had any choice, so off we went.
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You have to see to believe it. It was a mass of scrambled, jumbled shacks of cardbard, scrap lumber, and hope. A literal maze of evil smelling, palpable dissipation and crime. The kind of thing one only reads about in a cheap novel.
He led me down through the narrow way between the shacks that twisted and turned like an ant track, to the point that I no longer knew how to go back, I was committed with the expectation of being jumped upon by some of the murderers that lived there. Later I was informed that neither the Police or Military enter there.
We ended up at a small dimly lit room, perhaps 10 ft x 15 feet with the usual murderous charcoal stove giving off enormous amounts of gas which made ones eyes run and gave you a 50 / 50 chance of surviving the night. At the far end there were two saw horses placed across the room with some planks forming a bed. A straw mattress with two rice hull pillows, as hard as Gollum's heart, made up the entire nuptial couch.
The sole occupant was what appeared to be woman of around 90 years old, later I found that she was just 30. I asked her if she had any girl friends that she could stay with for the night. She said "yes" , went to the curtain, that acted as the door, then hesitated ,and softly commenced crying. I asked her what was the matter, she replied "if you send me out of the room, it means that I am no longer serviceable and so I will be turned out into the street.
Well what was gentleman supposed to do? so I told her to stay, but that frankly I did not need her services. sheeshs blushing. Since both could not fit on the plank bed at the same time, we just sat on the edge. I then started talking to her and found that she did not know how to read, so I spent Christmas eve teaching a pore worn out Chinese prostitute how to write simple Chinese.
Christmas day I found my way back out with no problems.
P.s. I gave her all of my money for Christmas.sniffff.? ©©
Please continue when convenient 
Cap Z.
Gracias. Will post the next part shortly.
