Peking to Lhasa : vol.1 / Page 58 (Color Image)

0058	Peking to Lhasa : vol.1

28 PEKING TO LHASA

tunnel was filled in at the end and a mound

erected over the entrance. Buried at a . depth

of from 20 to 30 feet, some 5 to 10 li (12 to 3

miles) from the mound, it is difficult now to

find the actual resting-place with its treasures.

Once, indeed, an Imperial tomb with skeletons

of those buried alive standing, sitting and lying

down, and also valuable bronzes, were discovered ;

but after the officials had secured some of these

bronzes, they ordered the place to be filled in, and

no further digging was allowed in the vicinity.

Shensi, at the time of Pereira's visit, was

divided into two factions. The northern party

was represented by the military governor at Sian,

but only about thirty districts out of a hundred

and ten recognised him and paid taxes. The

southern was under a Hanlin scholar, with head-

quarters at San-yuan, only 27 miles north of Sian.

He was in league with Kuo-chien, the leader of

the official bandits, as opposed to the ordinary

soldiers, who were sometimes worse than the

bandits, as they got no pay and took wood, fuel,

etc., from carts passing through the city.

The governor at Sian, Chen by name, was a

determined man, who stood no nonsense from the

students. On one occasion they bothered him

with a petition whilst he was having a feast. He

sent word to them to go to the magistrate's yamen,

and when they got there soldiers surrounded them

and bambooed the leaders.

Some nine or ten years previously Chen played

a mean but thoroughly Chinese trick upon Kuo-

chien. He advised Kuo to make a sudden attack

on Shensi Province. Kuo agreed, and started off

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