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INECO
(REGR 43 MAY 9
Sheung Tsun Village.
Pat Heung Valley.
18th. April, 1899.
3 p.m.
7
Your Excellency.
We left Tai Po Camp at 10.30 a.m. and reached
here at 12.30, pressing forward as rapidly as possible in order
to come to the relief of Captain Barrett, who had remained here.
We passed through the Lam Tsun valley over the gap into the
Pat Heung valley, at the head of which the village of Sheung
Tsun is situated. Capt. Barrett reports that there is a force
of about 400 men lodged on a hill 4 miles distant. Col. O'Gorman
does not propose to move the troops to-day unless the Chinese
invite an engagement. If the men are not moved to-day, it is
proposed to make a movement to-morrow on the villages which
are reported to be ready for attacking us. A leading man from
Kam Tin has come in to ask for pardon, but he does not appear
to be representing the villagers but himself. I am detaining him
here pending further developments. If the troops had landed at
Castle Peak Bay early this morning and advanced towards this
point, the insurgents would have been caught in a trap and the
'Fame' could have dealt with the runaways in the direction of
Deep Bay. The villages through which we passed to-day were
practically deserted, a few old women only appearing in each
village as we went through. May and Tsoi are here with me, Thom-
L. son