Mukden Leader Poses for a Special Picture at Peitaiho and ows He is Very Much Alive ween the soldiers with guarding the en-1 kand my envelope to one of the soldiers and ray "Please take my card inside." He stands at "The guard-house ix just inside." I pass through the gate and, for the first time have a thrill of ection. Inside the gate there is a guard-house in which are half a dozen soldiers who rise to their freet and an officer who stands 1 approach him he motions me to a oom on the other side of the drive from which an old servant in civilian clothes has just emerged. I go forward and present. him with my jeard which he scans disapprovingly. "Havevyou no visiting card?" asks. Knowing that he cannot read the-script T reply firmly "This is a. visiting card. Please take it inside for me." Instead he says in a relieved tone "Ah, you speak Chi-Jncse. Come in wend sit down."
I do so and when I am seated he Pours me out a cup of tea and offers fy }me a cigarette. 1 accept both and explain to him that there are many rumours—doubtless unfounded ru ours—regarding the health of his ter in Shanghai and that the north China Daily News," has sent. me a telegram telling me that I am. to see the Marshal and send back the truth. He is duly impressed. Takes his long gown from the nail on which it hangs. Puts it on and telling me to wait a moment, takes up my card and goes off inside.
The messenger returns and with him a scholarly man who shakes hands with me and says "This room is very hot, please come with inside. We go out, pass through the garden and ascend a flight of steps to a wide stone verandah which opens on a reception room. A young man in foreign dress receives me and invites me to be seated. He. tells me the Marshal has guests in the reception room but he will seo as soon as they are gone.
He says "We are very glad that) you have taken the trouble to come.
It is to our advantage that these lying rumours should be set at, rest" I said:—"The Marshal is the most important man in Cnina now. Is it not possible that he could do something to stop these incessant; wars which are ruining China?"
He replied, shortly:—"We are not allowed to talk on polities." "No," I said "we two are not talking! polities. This is merely a friendly chat, but you know I have been a long' time in China. I remember the revolution of 1911 and how the pcople were all so glad ani called the revolution 'Kwang-fub', glory _returned. Everybody believed that China, having got rid of the Manchu Emperors was about to begin an era of peace but there has not been one year of peace since and the people are worse off now than they were before the Emperor was deposed.'
He seemed uneasy and hesitated a little and said:—"You understand Chinese and know our circumstances When the Marshal succeeded. his father he promised the people of the Three Eastern Provinees that he would give thet peace and he feels that he must keep t plunge That would make things worse, Imean that the Ma shal should' uxe his influenza with both sides to get them to set differences peacefully."
"That is exactly what we ing all the Lime" he said, "but you know it is not easy, We'desi sce the country. uni want it done"—he paused searching. for a word and continued ably", meaning, I understood, agreement and' not by force. were interrupted in our talk by a. young man who came out of the reception room behind us ahd. said. "The Marshal says he will have his photograph taken with you that you may publish it and everybody will know that what you say' is true." T said:—"That is an excellent plane 1 am much obliged for that bright idea."
There was a bustle amongst the attendants on the platform, The door of the reception room flew open and Marshal Chang Hsueh-liang in tennis shirt and shorts came forward almost at a run like a boy re-eased from school and hohing out his hands said to me:—"I hear yott have come from Shanghai to see whether Tam alive, Well what da you think? Am I?
1 assured him I was _convineed that he was and that I hoped would Jive for a bundyed yenes longer ne," he said, "the sun has gone down and we must hurry to get that picture taken." There was some discussion as to the best place for an exposure and the foot of the stairs leading up to the reception room was chosen. The photographer was evidently an amateur ox the camera was new to him for the Marshal left my side and went over and set the camera himself, steps ping over the ground to get the cor~ ect distance and looking in the view, finder to see that the focus was right, Then he pressed down the button and released it instantly ing "chao shihih mise" this is ong second, and a second and somewhat longer interval saying "erh miao" two seconds, The photo was snaps ped and he said:—"We will have them developed to-night and 1 will send one to you to-morrow, litre group had gathered to watch the operations and, calling fresh faced youth of some twenty, years of age forward he said "This riy brother, He speaks Eng! very well. T am going to send. him to England, possibly to Cambridge' An elderly gentleman called the General aside and said something to him. "He returned to. me emiling and said "Excuse me, there is some business to which I must attend"? and giving me a bright smile and a farewell wave of the hand, ran the stone steps as nimbly as he came down, The impression he left on my, mind was that for a man occupying the important and critical position in which he is placed he is singular ly carefree. The house he occupies here differs very little from other bungalows, Tt has nothing of the, appearance of a military station about it. There are a number of soldiers on guard but I did not count more than ten though there may be more at the back of the house.
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.