'The motive underlying their visit to the Mekong Valley villages ts not generally known, but. was. possibly that of revenge for former wrongs "which may have been perpetrated earlier by certain of the Jong and other villagers. Tt seems' evident that some homes were purposely visited and burned, while others were Intentionally spared.
And now and ever since that pillaging expedition, rumours are constantly being circulated, by those who enjoy amusing themselves by alarming their gullible neighbours. of approaching large bands of robbers. Usually such reports have no found tion in fact at all, and when robber fare actually out at all, ther usually but a few of them, number are always exaggerated and multiplied several or many times. Apparently the newsmongers have no @esire at all to adhere to or even approach the truth, Since the episode, some of the robbed villagers are said to have gone into the robbers' territory once or twice to avenge part of their wrongs. If true, tone may suppose that the end is not yet, and that further hostilities are to be expected.
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.