Having inspected the river closely the Generalissimo went on north to seo what the Reds were doing about Hwaill, where they had been sitting for some days hoping to break in The valleys of Szechuen, north of the Yangtze, were comparatively easy to travel and contained more and more farms the further north they went. In the valley of the Anningho, a thickly popul fairly wide stretch seemed to be good food possibilities That was, of course, after Hwalll That little city, which showed the sears of ill-treatment in the shape of burnt out areas In the northern suburb, is set in a bright red soil plain, ' with innumerable farms scattered all about. Some had been burned, but in the others not a soul could be seen. Usually court yards are filled with the curious of every farm when a plane passes overhead, but in this region no one seemed fo be at home.
In the city there was life and the walls were crowded with troops, but the Reds had given up their siege and had fled. Those who had been burnt out near the northern wall were already hard at it putting up the of new dwellings. The ashes must still have been warm, but China has its Phoenix and the provincials believe in it, Do they. not, In these western' provinces, point wit pride to their graceful beautifully-blooming Tung tree, as the one and only tree on which the Phoenix will rest awhile, or roost?
why should they walt for the ashes to grow cold before building The Romber in Search city, for they were not in evidence, though the oily streets were fled with upiisking. faces.
'On the walls, however, not many soldiers were seen, bui tne main street of houses, near the wall, had been demolished in order to prevent any' tunnelling under the wall in ease of a siege. But the Reds did not linger there, apparently, having, had enough of failure at' Hwail, and from reports, they were steping on: each night northwards and mote northward, guided by the country folk they compelled to lead them, the country. being lit at that period by the moon. The Reds, have been aeroplane wise for some time, and they keep under cover during the day, moving only at night times or early in the morning or late in the afternoon, The Return Journey When the heights of the Tailiang Shan came close enough to see plain" ly the Generalissimo flew back—it then being afler four in the after noon—and headed for Klsokiating, fon the Yangtze. The course was over colourful of hugh and, rugged mountaing and rock and Tages were found set high on ridges the towns of the Appenines in Italy, and they looked contented and prosperous, in their yards and) many cattle in evidence on the hills.
They were high above the route of the Reds, and distant from it, in all probability they never heard of Reds, or much else, so remote they seemed. One village was built on a hhog backed ridge, the sides of which dropped thousands of feet down each side. A precarious lodgment but a safe one. The plane swooped over them but 200 fect above (heir heads, and if they never saw one before—which is ikely- will have a legend to develop as time goes that should have much to do with monsters of the alr, roaring and spurting At Kalaokiang the Yangtze was followed, and here were some gorges, but also' many broad, open places affording easy crossings. While high mountains are all about, and the old trail wanders steeply up and down them, the river itself presents no diticulties, for there are numerous places available where rafting would be comparatively easy.
Tt was obvious how the Reds got over s0 expeditiously, and how the pursuing troops And, both hide and seel dreds of miles from where it began in far away Kiangsi, with the option of direction always'in the hands of the Reds.
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.