Tachienlu experienced last night what might be termed a mild scare, Many jumped to the conclusion that the end of afl things was at hand and concluded that something had preeipitated the end of the world. the Introduction of electricity two {years ago the local population little Fealised what scientific progress in Volved. But a terrible surprise wai In store for them and many are now Deginning to wonder if after all the sun, moon, and stars and a. little Tape of are not safer and surer than the boasted electricity. 1's all right witan it goes, but when it goes out, and that suddenly and without any warning then it isa" dangerous, TAH HINES seen etaht and "Last night between eight and nine o'clock Tachienlu went dark, blank, fand dizzy. 'Phe night in many ways wag 'Just' beginning. Parties were Just being formed, "Clubs were just Retting "together." Friendly visits Were just warming up, Conversati was ust reaching the point imation, "The streets were 0d, The shops were busy. The li swore on, Bverything looked perfectly sweet and normal and life might go on like this for a very long tim Butt Without the slightest: warning the electric light refused to. funeton, Not only. darkness but" black-yess took poteession of everything. Immediately there was a road rush, Didn't T tell you?" someone shouted in the dark, "Of course, you did came back the reply. And then the city began to scramble up and down Stairs, along front and back streets, moaning and groaning and bump: ing. Into "everything and every ady that stood inthe way. What aid tall mean? what had happened? what Wwas'the cause of this' sud Garkness? Nobody ventured any information because nobody" knew what had happened, In some ways seemed disgraceful: to treat a harmless population in this way and fas soon as the moon. came out oF the "tun next day" someone would beheld responsible. In the meantime Mrs. Pan who had" been. playing mahjongg with Mes, Lan arrived back her dark. quarters to. find the majority of her family still away from. home, "Ins. Yang. refused to move till Mr, Yang: came to fetch Teri which he failed to-do. He also refused to move till someone could ive him an explanation.
Went crawling about the stroots Tooking for holes in which to hide themselves. Somebody" bumped into immediate a bourhood ' deployed somebody eae, ave & yell, and the on all fours. £f anybody had. told respectable citizens of Tachientu, mon, women and Tibetans, that they could "net so foolishly, in' fact per. form on their knees, they. would not "have believed them, But auch came to pass. And no one had the Femotest idea what it was all about, An Opportune Moment In five minutes time the stalls were cleared, the shops closed, and The streets deserted. With. some three thousand troops in and around the city, and the affeers en} their evening pastime, it wa opportune moment for those Gesired to turn stones, into bread. But nothing happened. 'The military assumed the attitude of Micawber, being' forced" into that position through the. absence of matches. Darkness and blankness and still ness snow held the city in their horrible grip, and continued {ovdo so for nearly' one hour, No one Yentured to speak above a whisper And nothing' could' be seen. ven ite rogues sin. the, city "must realised that something had seri gone wrong with the machinery However to the relief of everyone, thieves as well as Nonest en, the city crier made his appearance alan the streets announcing the cause of all the trouble. Apparently the belt at the Tachienlu Blectric Power Plant was out in two, bringing everything to a standstill. That was all, But the: town erier brought end of peace and assurance toa now almost distracted people. His: voice was indeed "music in their ears, Lights now began to appear and everybody enjoyed the incident as a huge joke, calling each other "fools for being''so stupid. 'To som however, it was 0. Joke, especially. to those who had taken' shelter under the bed.
General Den realised the seriousness of the accident 0 took every precaution to avoid untoward ineidnts. The soldiers stood ready til the" cause of the trouble was. discovered. Some days before, a ramour for abroad that the soldiers tended cutting the belt at the power station, Last Sunday morning, 1 reported, the belt round thet pay ceased t0 function so the men. were prepared, should the opportunity present itself, to pay themselves.
tone. concluded, Ked this ip what happened, s0 every. went out. General Den has to maintain law and order along the frontier dit ig now some con derable time since we enjoyed such 2 spell of peace and tranquillity. The 'Tibetans seem perfectly. satisfied, and #0. do the Chinese, with the Yangtze flowing between them as their border. It-has been a decided fogs' to' the Chinese and no small gain, to the Tibetans, but it shows very sign of briging permanent peace "to" the frontier." division between the two states, the salt. wells at Yenching passed into tthe hands of the Tibetans, and with them an enormous. salt revenue every year. The loss to the Border Administration has been great as with this revenue they were able to pay the Chinese army on the fron-Her.
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.