487
When darkness came on I disposed my party for the night on the hill where the matshed is and I felt sanguine that the villagers would not attack it while my party were there. In this however I was disappointed for after some slight alarms evidently intended to frighten us, I noticed at 9 p.m. lights being exhibited in each of the five surrounding villages, and lights travelling along roads leading to the rear of our position. Soon afterwards 2 large bombs were exploded in the centre of the valley, and shortly after that, I could hear parties whistling and signalling to each other, & evidently concentrating on the matshed hill and the numbers being evidently large I recognised that it would be folly for me to resist.
I asked the Chinese soldiers however to try the effect of a few shots from their rifles in the air, but they objected to doing so. Thereupon I withdrew my party to a higher hill adjoining the matshed hill, from which I knew that I could get access to a road by which to retreat to Sha Tin. From this hill I watched the villagers at a given signal, rush from all sides on to the matshed hill and heard them cry out "They have gone". I then saw them fire the matshed and while they were engaged doing so I withdrew my party down the reverse slope of the hill upon which we were and concealed them in a dense fog thicket of rushes & cactus. After waiting some 2 hours I heard parties of villagers passing close to where we were concealed, and after midnight when everything seemed quiet
487
When darkness came on I disposed my party for
the night on the hill where the matshed is and I felt sanguine that the villagers would not attack it while my party were
there.In this however I was disappointed for after some slight alarms evidently intended to frighten us,I noticed at 9 p.m. lights being exhibited in each of the five surrounding vil- lages, and lights travelling along roads leading to the rear
of our position, Soon afterwards 2 large bombs were exploded
in the centre of the valley, and shortly after that, I could
hear parties whistling and signalling to each other, & evident-
ly concentrating on the matshed hill and the numbers being
evidently large I recognised that it would he folly for me to resist.
I asked the Chinese soldiers however to try the
effect of a few shots from their rifles in the air, but they
objected to doing so. Thereupon I withdrew my party to a higher hill adjoining the matshed hill, from which I knew that I
could get access to a road by which to retreat to Sha Tin. From this hill I watched the villagers at a given signal, rush from all sides on to the matshed hill and heard them cry out "They have gone". I then saw them fire the matshed and while they were engaged doing so I withdrew my party down the re- verse slope of the hill upon which we were and concealed them in a dense fog thicket of rushes & cactus. After waiting some 2 hours I heard parties of villagers passing close to where we were concealed, and after midnight when every thing seemed
quiet
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