The river between Ichang and Chungking is gaining quite a reputation for pirates; perhaps the banded soldiers have been taking Tessons from their brethren at Bias No boats have been free from molestation, with the exception of those who either have Japanese marines on board or those escorted by gunboats, The Yangtze Rapids boats seem to be the greatest erers, The Iping, on her last tr had throe returning missionaries, Messrs, Hartwell, Bell, and Rack-ham. The boat stopped at Shan Choeko to pay the accustomed mil tary squeeze of $400. She boarded by four or five apparently succent civilians, who, when the boat reached a spot pre-arranged, evidently, made their appearance on the Captain's bridge with drawn xevolvers, and ordered the Captain to drop his anchor, which he did forthwith, A number of their associates 'The ill-fater Chi Chuan, of the Jaume company as the Iping' (wreck-Jed twice on the previous two trips), came near to finding her' grave in the Shin Tan rapid this last trip. It seems that she and the Shu Hun, which flies the Italian flag, attempt ing to come up the Shin rapid at the same time, When reaching the most Jdangerous spot, the Shu Hun swerve led by the current across the river and. Jumped into the Chi Chuan, but Jwithout any apparent damage to leither boat. That night, while at Janchor, the Shu Hun's Captain, who had Chinese military officers on board, sent for the Captain of the Chi Chuan. When he appeared on their boat, the soldiers presented revolvers at his head, claiming that three mon had been killed, and demanding that he sign a paper '(which he did) stating that he was responsible for the accident. More trouble is ahead if the "Ttalian authorities permit such high-handed faction on boats flying their flag.
The Chi Chuan's coal supply gave lout about five miles above Patun where they anchored for the That night they were boarded by bandits who got away with $2,200. When they anchored at Funtoo they ]were bourded by two lots of soldiers during the night. The first lot [demanded $400 and took $30. The second lot demanded $30,000 and took a little over §200 and departed, A Glut of Opi We are now in the midst of the opium-planting season, and this year the poppy is being planted right Jdown to the river, the first time in over 20 years any foreigner here has seen the like. Opium dens are opening all over the city, and two or three times a week great caravans lof opium come into the city from Kueichow, under military escort, In tact, it is about the only thing that jects into the city without paying military squeeze, There appears to be as much opium Jon the market now as before its suppression many years ago. This jis one of the many curses due to the military control of this country. IThe patriots, mostly foreign educat-led men, would have us believe that the country is doing its best to suppress the growing of opium, but such is not the case in our locality.
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.