There was a double scare here last year, the natives tells us. First on the part of the Christians, as the Boxers, according tothe Tumours, were coming to exterminate everyone who was known to have had any dealings with the foreigner. Then later, with the arrival from Peking of mandarins and other fugitives, filling the streets with stories of the furious and irresistible on-slaugh of the barbarian soldiery, came the turn for the non-Christian element to shake with fear and trembling lest the foreign armies should extend their operations to this district also. A friend of ours, who is a dealer in coffins, told us he did very well last year, as a number of officials came fleeing from the North, half scared to death, and expired hero from the effects of the excitement and hardships they had undergone. Another case in point is "that of one of the gentry who through his wealth and influence has for rears been the real power behind all mandarindom in Hsiangyang. Last spring this man came here and perfectly astonish ed us with his politeness and the number of "good words" he showered upon us. Tt was very easy to see that something was behind this performance, but not until lately did I know that the potentate at the time was at his wits' end from fear that the foreigner. at the coming day of reckon ing, might take vengeance upon him for the anti-foreign propensities he several ago manifested in a very marked and tr ing way. So he took this step with "view to secure our services as mediator between himself and the offended party.
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.