Only a few more hundreds of miles and they might have looked on the "Eastern Sea." Probably the large batches of soldiers and the better facilities for moving these in the east were regarded as too hazardous for those almost fearless robbers. At any rate they started west and in their zigzagging manner actually reached the western border of China Proper and then, most wonderful to relate, the band actually returned to its original starting point, having lost comparatively few of its original number.
Memory fails to recall a single instance in the whole history of Chinese brigandage where a band of little more than 1,000 members has practically gone to and from cast to west of China. When we consider the large number of soldiers appointed to capture this band, the raid borders on the marvellous. li The wanton destruction of farm. steads, cattle, pigs, fowls, ete., ete., besides the burning of cities and killing, maiming for life as well as violating of their persons, is an account which will never be computed on earth. Turned into dollars the damage would almost sound fabulous.
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.