This soams to be the climax of the now Jong-continued policy of dealing with this rebellion. Levies are raised in other provinces at four tals a man, i.e., $5.50, and they have to find their' own food. Local levies are raised at three tacle, and are less for Kuangsi mon, I suppose possible to got them at the cheaper rate. This difference of risk is an interesting point, and hereby hangs a tale. Very few of these regiments or levies, or whatever one likes to call them, come back intact. After some months some remnants return, always with the same tale to tell. "What's the good of fighting, when you can never touch your enemy? He pots-at us from the mountain sides, and we can't see where he is. Wo attack his village and destroy it, but he h gone. Ho shouts to us, Do you val your life at only three taols? Come and join us." What can we do?" As a matter of fact desertions are numerous, as well as captures. When captured local men can ransom themselves for a small sum, but those from other provinces seem to be invariably killed. Hence the difference of For months it has been the same tale. Every new supply of government troops has meant more supplies for the rebels, s0 doubtless by this time if they had leaders, they would be a very serious menace.
The fact of the troops having to find their own food, ete., means that wherever they go the populace suffer as much from them as they might do from the rebels. This and the fact that when they capture a village, they are allowed to plunder it, Keep adding fuel to the fire. Under the circumstances the "rebellion," if you like to call it so, flourishes,
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.