of assigning space to them next to the river which would perform the task of its own accord. In this way the Chinese authorities would not be exposed to the accusation of having been ungrateful to men who had fought bravely in their ranks. Soon the most prosperous villages of the district grew up along the river and it was close to Weinanhsien that the Dungan revolt began. During and after its suppression the greater part of these people were massacred. The few survivors were exiled to Kan Su, where flourishing villages were founded by them, e.g., N of Tsingshui hsien, a large village. — Exposed to the threat of the guns of the Chinese garrison, the Mohammedan population did not dare to join the insurgents and this saved them from annihilation. At present, with the exception of the place referred to, there are Dungans only in the N part of Shensi, where, as it were, they form a continuation of the belt of Mohammedan inhabitants that extends eastward from Sining over Hochow and Central Kan Su. These people are congregated mostly in the neighbourhood of these two places and, as I was told, round Ning-sia-fu. It is difficult to say how many of them there are. I do not think, however, that there are more than a million. This is based chiefly on information obtained at Hochow. Some of them speak a language rather like Mongolian. I heard it spoken between Lanchow and Hochow. I was also told that it was spoken in some places near Pingliang Fu and in Northern Shensi.
I was persuaded by Father Gabriel, the Franciscan »père vicaire», when leaving Si-an-fu, May 13th.
to take the road over Tung yuan fang, where most of their work has been done for a long Tungyuan
time past. Both the Fathers were at my inn on the stroke of 5 and we started together. Mr fang village.
Manners was prevented from joining us at the last moment and had to give up the excursion. The road led through the N gate of the town in a N direction. A fertile plain with large houses and small villages is spread out as far as you can see. The land is tilled every-
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