'These prisoners were Chinese who had been captured during raids the plain. and were accused of being traitors, because they had actually worked' for the Japanese themselves or their relatives had done so. Those who were proved direct traitors were executed; the others were held to heavy ransom, on payment of which they" were released, but only under a siriet system of guarantees, The prisoners were tied by a proper trio burial, on which the above-motioned official Liu sat. At all the camps there. was a constant stream of mes~ sengers arriving and leavin hours of the day and night, and there Was seemingly considerable corres~ pondence and collaboration with other guerilla groups.
The men in. the group that captured Mr, Poletti wore some kind of uniform or other, though they varied greatly. Many of them were wear 'Japanese treat-coats and trench helmets, had Japanese rifles, eld lasses ud trench per They Kept up-a modicum of military discipline, specially in placing sentries, whose spell of duty was fixed by the Durning' of an incense-stick. On several occasions he heard the sound fof gunfire not so very far away.
'Once, indeed, the Japanese came within 'a mile er so, and his captors told "him' threateningly that they would shoot him, if they had to run for it, But he saw no guerillas Kill ed of wounded during the 40. days, he was with them. Mr. Poletti did not believe that his captors belonged to the Gib Route Army; that name Was never mentioned in his presence. All he heard them call. themselves was Yuehitui GFlying Squads).
Alter Mr, Polett's return the local Press gave special prominence to statements as 10 the maltreatment of the local inhabitants by the guerillas. My talk with Mr. Poletti himself failed to obtain any confirmation of this. In any ease, he could have seen very little of it, for, as was stated above, the band never descended into the valleys and never through of camped at any village the whole time.
"Then again, although they commandeered the stocks of grain in the {solated hilt farmhouses, the guerillas either paid gor it or returned it later fo the owners, when they found larger stocks than they required else where, The hill people were made carry messages; this they did not ike, But it seems a very minor hardship for wartime.
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.