Peking to Lhasa : vol.1 / Page 133 (Color Image)

0133	Peking to Lhasa : vol.1

LAN-CHOW TO TANGAR 99

Yuan-shih-kai it was banned ; and these two

rulers of China deserve credit for the work they

did in suppressing it. But under the corrupt

officials of the Republic it has not only been

allowed but sometimes its growth has been forced

upon the people, so that the officials might make

money by putting a tax upon it. When an in-

vestigating foreign Consul comes to make inquiries

the officials, having pocketed their " squeeze "

tax, order the poppies to be pulled up and then

declare that poppy-growing is still forbidden. In

only a few provinces of China is it now forbidden.

One very sad sight Pereira saw at Lan-chow.

This was General Annenkoff's Russian refugees.

Two years before, he had retreated from Siberia

to Urumchi with six hundred men and a flock

of refugees fleeing from the Bolshevists. The

Chinese Governor had induced him to disarm and

hand over his money about three million roubles

in gold. Whilst he himself was temporarily de-

tained as a hostage his troops and refugees

gradually filtered through to Peking. They

arrived at Lan-chow practically destitute and

herded together in two or three wretched inns.

A miserable dole (in paper money), just enough to

enable them to sustain life, is grudgingly dealt

out to them. But their hardships in this part of

their journey were much lightened by the kind-

ness and generosity of Mons. Geerts. They could

not afford to eat meat and lived on dry bread

and tea. Officers sold their horses and women

their rings and jewels. Pereira visited these

Russians in their wretched inns and was aston-

ished to find what fatalists they were under such

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