Away feom the immediate ueighbourhood, however, the British are powerless, and of course the Chinese officials across the boundary dare not interfere. Well-poisoning rumours are everywhere current, and it is to be ferred hare furnisher the opportunity for eserying out many a private grudge, in some cases perhaps of executing deferred justice. One old beggar woman was beaten brutally till she confessed that the foreigners had hired her to poison the wells. This happened across the boundary. Within it, with a few miles of Weihaimei indeed, six men were lynched on this charge, though as three of them had stolen property in their possession when captured, and the other three had the reputation of being receivers of stolen goods, their lynching is easily accounted for, They were " made anchors," that is, they
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.