From Yuanling. He would like Emily to communicate with the Mission House - Miss Embleton will type up the relevant parts.
It has taken him fourteen days to get here from Kunming and he still has two or three days to go before he gets in touch with [Cyril George] Baker.
He left Kunming by Red Cross motor on October 20th and reached [Kweiyang] two days later. It was sometime before preparations could be made for the next stage. He finally left by bus for the two day trip to Kuanghsien on the border of Hunan where he was delayed until November 1st because his passport was not visad properly for Hunan. It was a very worrying experience. Telegrams are taking as long as letters and were it not for a Chinese doctor [Chang] to whom he had a letter of introduction, he might have been turned back to [Kweiyang]. However, in the end he received proper letters and arrived here last night (Mr and Mrs Whitener's house - Pearl Buck's sister) well after dark in the rain, having been delayed by a burst tyre. [Pearl Buck (1892-1973); American writer and Nobel Laureate]
Liu Chin Hsin was downstairs waiting for H B R this morning and to see his joy made all the trouble seem worthwhile. There are a lot of 'our people' in this city. H B R is to meet the Wesley College group tonight at 5 and will see other later. The Fu Siang and Yule Middle Schools from Changsha are here [evacuated because of the war], as also Miss Chen's establishment and many others.
In [Kweiyang], H B R met Rao Chih An and Yu Hsin tu but failed to find James Liu. Deaconess Clarke is living there and it was good to see these old friends.
His travel schedule is getting badly behind. It is hard to say when he will be getting out of Hunan. The [Mission House] officers must send his instructions to Hong Kong. He could probably pass through the Japanese lines into Hankow but it would be more difficult to get out. Travel via Shanghai is probably the surer way if slower.
He has had no letter from anyone in London since Emily's from Guernsey. They are probably waiting for him in Hong Kong.
His present intention is not to return to Kunming but to travel to Hanoi via Kueilin, Nanning and Hungchao. It is a much bombed road but it is probably worth the risk in order to see more of the situation here.
This peaceful city in its beautiful mountainous setting has already been bombed seven times and there have been many other alarms.
Life goes on from dawn until 10 am and then resumes from 3 or 4 pm in order to avoid the 'danger hours'.
There is plenty of life and building going on and regardless of air raids the Chinese are not retreating any more. The battle at Changsha is hopefully the start of a real and permanent resistance.