Perhaps the experience of one party will be of interest in showing. how some of the benefits of the rest) and change were dissipated, leaving one with nerves rather more on} edge than is desirable at the opening of the autumn work.
Your correspondent had planned) to Teave the hills after " stay of 4) month, but it way found impossible! to get carriers to come across country ax troops were already on the) move, and his sojourn was, prolonged an extra 12 days at the hill.
In obedience to the call of the) transportation department our name was put down on the list for 28 wwe on a certain date, week before we were! up" and decided to move out. In their attempts to find men they]
sited an opium den and were informed that we had some 20 odd men in an inn opposite. This place they raided and succeeded in capturing some of our carriers. The unfortunate chaps had gone to rest in a loft. Those who were down stairs made their escape through some windows at the rear opening fon to the fields. They as quickly as possible made tracks to their own homes many miles away, so that in the morning we received the unwelcome news that we had carriers. It was quite impossible to find any men there so we were like Mr. Micawber "waiting for something to turn up," That even we were agreeably surprised to fi the transportation department again fon the job, in the person of Mr. Beaten who had discovered our plight, had secured another lot of men and personally conducted them down to us. They would not move without his escort, and as a of fact, did not come into the city! with him, but remained in a temple 15 Li out and Mr. Beaten had to go and bring them in in the morning. After they had picked up their loads and while were waiting at the gate} for the chairs to come out some passing soldiers nabbed a couple and Mr. Beaten had to rescue them again, Finally we got off and just outside the city found ourselves sandwiched in between several companies of soldiers, some of whom were toting their own impedimenta, so we had to keep our loads in sight all the time.
We had lunch at the temple where we had expected to spend the previous night. We found it in most dilapidated ce Tt had been occupied by soldiers, and doors and windows were absent. In fact] it was little more than a series of empty rooms open to the four winds. The folk who had preceded us had gone on that morning believing the road all clear. to the press gangs, it b that there would be some dislocation of the schedule for those who ined. Mr. Quentin went to Kiat~ ing to arrange for boats for those who required them to go to their destinations, either Chengtu o Suifu, and matters became 30 uncertain that it was necessary for Mr. Beaten to escort parties down the hill, the corsiers would not leave unless they felt some assurance that they would get back, so they wanted foreigner with them going and returning.
The First Cheek
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.