For two hours the troops continued crossing the bridge, but it was slow going, especially' around the side of an. obstructing car where the advance could only be: matte in two single files over single planks, and at the end of that a short halt was called to allow the engineers time to improve the erossing by such temporary means as were possible. Thereafter the business of getting the troops over moved a bit more rapidly, but at five o'clock it was called off al together so that the work of repairing the bridge might be taken ap, and other means were found for getting the'men over on the flanks, Throughout the afternoon General Yuan-chuan sat at the table in the saloon of the Shantung in his shirt sleeves sending out sengers and receiving the reports there that crime in. At five o'cloei '8. messenger arrived to report that Taierhchunng, the terminus of the branch railway to the south-east from Linchiéng, had: been captured by the dnd army at ten o'clock in the morning. Shortly afterwards other couriers came in to report that the 5th and 7th armies had male the crossing of the canal on the left and were pushing on south, and by six ofelock horsemen from the front brought the news that the army, had pone 0 dar 1an_ without encounter any sign of the enemy.
had been supposed that the "Nationalists" might make the next stand at Ehrlangshan, the last pos.- tion with strong natural defences north of Hsuchow, bub apparently they had been too thoroughly demoralized at the canal to reorganize in time and it appeared that the last defence of Hsuchww would be made around the city itself. Nevertheless, despatches were sent {rward to hold the main force of the 6th army at Ehrlangshan, sending only a: vance scouts ahead, and for a firing line to be extended on both flanks in strong positions, and the same time the armies on the loft were instructed to remain par-alld with the centre until further instructions. But at eight o'clock the news came through that the advance units of the 6th army had gene as far as Liuehuan, station without seeing any sign of the southerners and then we knew to fa certainty that there would be no stop in the retreat until the defeated army had, at least, reached Hsuchow. The work for the army that day was finished, and well finished too, But not so for the engineers of the armoured trains During the night the search light shone upon toiling forms working on the restoration of the bridge, and out in the kaoliang fields beyond stiff and stark forms' gazed with vacant eyes at the star lit sky while Veyond a doubt there were others, awaiting with what patience they might the relief of death that was soon to be theirs.
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.