General Shi distributed $24,000 received from the Governnient in the immediate vicinity of Nanyang, but with that sum he could only touch very small area, His men are getting all their supplies from headquarters and are taking nothing from the people, and they have already indented thei willingness to help those who have animals left to put in the wheat '88 goon as the rain falls, the military supplying both animals and Jabour free of cost—truly a change over from the old regime, and one for which to be profoundly thankful, Financial help is, however, an urgent necessity unless thousands upon thousands in these four hsiens alone are to perish of hunger during the next few months.
In all of the above mentioned hsiens the wheat harvest was poor, and with very few exceptions simply nothing has been gathered in the autumn. Not 1 per cent. of the wheat land 1 have seen has yet. been sown, and the proper time for sowing is long past. Thousands and thousands are now subsisting fon flour made from the rousted husks of millet mixed with persimmons to give a little sweetness. In practically all the villages T passed during my tour south of Shekichen, from 20 to 30 persons had already forsaken their homes having nothing to ent and no money with which to buy. Some grain in coming up from the south, but only the wealthy can buy at present prices and there are not many wealthy people left. The roads to the Hupeh Lorder were full of refugees, but fon the other hand many who had gone south have returned utterly destitute and hopeless, In some ses they were refused passage; others their little stock of road-money Was exhausted and they were unable to get food by begging; in many eases they were refused lodging of any sort. So they have come back to die at home,
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.