Many troops have. been moving cently along the Peking-Hankow railway both north and_ south. While waiting one day at Sinsiang station, on the Peking-Hankow Railway, for the south bound train, "a good opportunity was afforded for observing the conduct of some troops.
Soldiers in uniform were about, extra, station police were on duty and some 500 new recruits were being entrained. Judging by the dress, speech and actions of the latter they were the riffraf of the country. No discipline or control was being exercised over them.
They asked a peddler with a Lasket of boiled salted eggs to come and ell to them. Whereupon the eggs were purchased readily and cash and copper money thrown into the basket. When all the eggs were sold and the money in. the basket, a soldier kicked it high up into the air and then followed a general scramble of the soldiers for the money.
The peddler began to remonstrate but was roughly hustled off the scene, Other. sellers of smal wares met with more or less a similar fate and no redress was found for them, a While discussing the situation with a native Chinese of that district he gave expression to his views something as follows:—The army offers an opportunity for looting and no punishment exacted upon the offenders. Why should not the riffraff put on the uniform and ruffians join the army "it protects them in their business of living by loot instead of by labour?"
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.