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to a preventative measure against robbers who formerly were numerous here & hid in the forest. By cutting off the trees no cover for the bandits was left. This sounds like a mere excuse but it is a new fase of deforestation to the western mind. [[circled]] 31 [[/circled]] During the night there was beating of drums at Shih-tien near our temple where a dragon parade was in progress. The road [[strikethrough]] st [[/strikethrough]] left the valley within a mile of the town & wound up the steep side of a mountain over one of the slippery stone paved monstrosities of China. The country was rolling & pine clad for the next 10 miles & then descended into a narrow valley with flooded rice fields. The sun was in our direction & its rays were reflected by the flooded fields directly in our faces so as to affect our sight. Water is everywhere on both sides