On Friday of last week some busman were travelling here from the railway in a cart and were taken just a few li from Wuhsiangchi by what thely estimated at 3,000 to 4,000 brigands. I talked with one of these men who escaped from his two guards at night while they slept after dosing themselves heavily with opium. He said they were riding on horses, cows, donkeys in carts besides travelling on foot—an army probably 20 li long and ten li wide as they travelled. I now learn that these were the escaping soldiers from Hsiahsien and Yung-cheng and. they are mak-
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.