CO129-290 - Governor Sir Blake - 1899 [1-4] — Page 710

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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