There was a story of some 40 disbanded soldiers having beea taken into the force at some unspecified place, but I doubt veracity. On Sunday word came that there was no trouble among the mountains and all would start back for Huan and presumably Pengpu in a day or so. The two companies I saw so much of arrived here on Tuesday and as happened to be on the main street as they marched along I could hear their thoughts as they marvelled how I had got back quicker than they. 4 Why this force has been sent to our district no one seems to know. Was it a military lever? Some soldiers were heard saying in a teashop that "they did not know whether the new tuchun would want them or not. He would probably bring his own men and if so, well by coming to this district they could prevent taxes going ip to the capital until terms were arranged." There is undoubtedly a very large percentage of young recruits among them. From. this we may draw our own conclusions.
The country people know a levy will be made on them for these
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.