Just at dusk the next day Elder Ho telephoned that these soldiers were acting strangely. The 200th Division had posted soldiers in front of the Guild and Church and no one was permitted to yo. by. Two machine {guns were aimed at the door of the: Guild." Soon the "watching soldiers made'a rush and immediately dis farmed the soldiers inside the Guild, fand took a part of them away with] them. The soldiers from the 200th [Division returned and took the remainder away with them.
They were a part of the "set fire brigade," evidently, sent to Siangtan for thai purpose. This has been the great fear of the people, that Sinngtan. would be burned, so every shop that could get its goods away has done $0.
'The shops on the street are being! opened gradually, but there isn't much to buy, so small peddlers are setting up along the streets, selling all Sorts of small. things and' seemingly doing pretty well.
'The hospital has closed out all the inpatients that could possibly be dismissed, and all the staff but' one sre gone, The business manager has stayed on and most of the servants. The two doctors left, one before the situation became acute, and the other when it seemed almost sure that the Jenemy would soon be in Changsha. Their getting away by train to Siang-slang was a long 24 hours of waiting. Such a sight—thousands in cars, most Jof them open cars filled with all sorts of baggage, and they did not} get away for hours after that.
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.