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 CHARLES WILLIAM WASON 
 
 COLLECTION 
 
 CHINA AND THE CHINESE 
 
 THE GIFT OF 
 
 CHARLES WILLIAM WASON 
 
 CLASS OF 1876 
 
 1918 
 
Cornell University Library 
 DS 709.R36 
 
 3 1924 023 226 271 
 
H 
 
 Cornell University 
 Library 
 
 The original of this book is in 
 the Cornell University Library. 
 
 There are no known copyright restrictions in 
 the United States on the use of the text. 
 
 http://www.archive.org/details/cu31924023226271 
 
THROUGH UNEXPLORED ASIA 
 
If/""" f 
 
 MONGOL OF KOKO-^fOR. 
 
THROUGH UNEXPLORED 
 
 ASIA 
 
 BY 
 
 WILLIAM JAMESON EEID 
 
 Illttstratel) {^ 
 L. J. BRIDGMAN 
 
 BOSTON 
 
 DANA ESTES & COMPANY 
 PUBLISHERS 
 
Copyright, i8gg 
 By Dana Estes and Company 
 
 (Tolonial ^resa : 
 
 Eledrotyped and Printed by C. H. Slmonds & Co. 
 
 Boston. U. S. A. 
 
PREFACE. 
 
 The present volume is an account of a journey of exploration 
 through the hitherto unknown regions of Western China and 
 Eastern Thibet, during the year 1894, in conjunction with the 
 late George Burton. While all that part of Central Asia lying 
 north of the Kuen-Lun mountain range, and also that territory 
 on the Indo-Thibetan border, has been visited and thoroughly 
 explored during the last half century by many travellers, the 
 immense region to the east, extending for hundreds of miles 
 along the western Chinese frontier, had successfully baffled the 
 efforts of explorers and ethnologists to penetrate its jealously 
 guarded domains. 
 
 At various times during the last century a number of Jesuit 
 missionaries, notably I'Abb^ Hue and Father Gab^t, had 
 penetrated a short distance into this country, but were obliged 
 to turn back owing to native hostility and the well-nigh in- 
 surmountable physical obstacles to be overcome. While these 
 spasmodic attempts have not been altogether unfruitful, their 
 religious character and the haste with which they were accom- 
 plished have given them little or no positive value to geographists 
 and ethnologists. 
 
 In entering upon my journey of exploration in this unknown 
 land I was firmly convinced that nothing save a radical de- 
 parture from methods hitherto attempted would enable me to 
 succeed. My advance, therefore, into this land of mystery was 
 made by penetrating through the wilds of Western China up 
 the course of the Dji Chu and Kinsha Kiang, tributaries of the 
 Yangtse Kiang, a proceeding viewed askance by geographists as 
 offering but small chance of success. 
 
 Yet, in this manner, I was able to pass successfully through 
 
PREFACE. 
 
 the country lying on the Chino-Thibetan border and to thoroughly 
 explore the northeastern corner of Thibet, — thus completing 
 the work left unfinished by the Russian explorer, Prejevalsky, — 
 and for the first time to give to the world information concern- 
 ing the geographical conformation of this hitherto unknown 
 region and the characteristics and customs of the strange tribes 
 and races inhabiting it. 
 
 Owing to the wide variance in orthography, and the lack of 
 any settled authority, in the pronunciation and spelling of all 
 proper names I have adopted the phonetic methods which have 
 become necessary in uncivilised countries, and in no case have 
 attempted to introduce the complexities and misleading spelling 
 of Thibetan grammar. In all cases where there has been con- 
 flicting information I have been obliged to fall back on the 
 only available resource, that of accepting the statements of the 
 majority of the natives themselves. 
 
 In regard to the maps, they have been carefully drawn from 
 daily sketch maps and observations while on the journey, and, 
 although not as accurate as those gained by lengthy triangulation 
 , and survey, form the first plans in detail which have ever been 
 made of this country. In many respects they differ widely 
 from D'Anville's atlas and most of the earlier maps of Chinese 
 and Jesuit geographers, the latter, as we learned during our 
 explorations, being grossly inaccurate, and of no real or perma- 
 nent value. While it is certain that a more painstaking and 
 protracted survey will in turn record important changes in my 
 own charts, it will be found that they are as accurate as the 
 generality of first exploratory maps. In some instances I have 
 been obliged to rely on native reports, of which there was no 
 method of determining their accuracy, but in general I have 
 limited the map plans of the country to territory actually trav- 
 elled over or passed through at near range. 
 
 The lack of success attending the photographic apparatus of 
 the expedition I greatly deplore, but the destruction of plates 
 and loss of others during an exceptionally hazardous winter 
 
PREFACE. 
 
 journey through the Koko Nor has made the reproduction of 
 direct photographic half-tones impossible. The illustrations, 
 however, possess all the merits of the strictest accuracy, having 
 been drawn by Mr. L. J. Bridgman with the constant collabora- 
 tion of the author from photographic subjects. 
 
 I wish to take this occasion to express my thanks and appre- 
 ciation to Mr. Bridgman for the unvarying excellence of his 
 drawings and to the Essex Institute of Salem, Massachusetts, 
 for invaluable assistance. My thanks likewise are due to Count 
 Dourgouki of the Russian legation in Pekin, to Mr. B. H. Knight, 
 and to Col. B. Vladyovski of the Russian Imperial Geographical 
 Society, and also fo Mr. Samuel R. Phillips, whose munificence 
 and public spirit permitted the carrying through of this journey 
 of exploration to a successful completion. 
 
 William Jameson Reid. 
 
 June, 1899. 
 
 \ 
 
NOTE BY THE AUTHOR. 
 
 The expeditionary force having now completed only the first 
 half of the long journey which it made through unexplored 
 China, the author experiences sincere regret that the narrative 
 must for the present be brought to a close on the shores of the 
 Charing Nor. The original intention was to embody the narra- 
 tive of the entire journey of exploration in one volume. The 
 work had scarcely been begun, however, before it was seen, that, 
 to do full justice to the immense territory explored, the facts 
 involved — though much curtailed and in some cases totally 
 omitted — would not permit the compression of the narrative 
 into a single volume. Therefore it was thought best, by the 
 Author and his Publishers, that the narrative of the first half of 
 the exploratory journey should be published by itself ; and that 
 a second volume, dealing with the exploration of the wild and 
 hitherto unexplored region lying among the headwaters of the 
 Hoang Ho River, and with the completion of the journey to 
 the eastern provinces of China, should be brought out later. 
 
 No further explanation of this arrangement would seem to be 
 called for, since, aside from all other considerations, it is the 
 only one allowing a full and complete record of important facts 
 and observations, the curtailment or omission of which would go 
 far to defeat the real object of the work, which is to treat fully 
 and comprehensively of a region the value of which to the 
 world at large is incalculable. 
 
 Boston, May, 1899. 
 
CONTENTS. 
 
 CHAPTER I. 
 
 Departure from Shanghai — Weather Making Extraordinary — Na- 
 tives of Kulzun — Treacherous Progress — Opium Manufacture — 
 Iniquity of Opium Trade — A Buffalo Hunt — A Frightened 
 Native — Lu-Chow — Tonsorial Afflictions — Condition of Women 
 
 — A Deserted Village — A Native Calamity — A Szohuen Dandy 
 — Chinese Gastronomy — Our Pungto Guide — A Hostile Recep- 
 tion — Peacemaking — Astrological Information . . . .11 
 
 CHAPTER n. 
 
 Tang Wan Courtesy — Unquenchable Curiosity — Native Treachery 
 
 — Rigorous Punishment — Magnificent Scenery — A Chinese " New 
 Woman " — Au-Pien Religious Celebration — An Esculapian Para- 
 dise — Drawbacks of Civilisation — A Regal Departure — An 
 Architectural Treat — A Szchuenese Funeral — Linguistic Difficul- 
 ties — Defiant Natives — A Native Revivalist . . . .52 
 
 CHAPTER in. 
 
 Chinese Military Affairs — Effects of a Hurricane — " White Man's " 
 Magic — Into the Dark Unknown — A Fatal Rencontre — Ob- 
 structed Progress — Amicable Natives — A Judicial Ceremony — 
 A Speculative Dream Shattered — Gastronomical Indulgence — 
 An Illustrious Dignitary — Difficulties of Portage — Diplomatic 
 Bartering — A Fantastic Celebration — Dhong-Lung Hospitality — 
 A Hunting Misadventure 85 
 
 CHAPTER IV. 
 
 Among the Dj6-gu — Native Vanity — Valuable Mineral Deposits — 
 A Friend in Need — Legendary Beliefs — Ethnological Potpourri 
 
CONTENTS. 
 
 Delights of Conversion — A Land of Peace and Plenty — Miser- 
 able Natives — A Primitive Village — Anxious Moments — A Gale 
 on the Kinsha — A Religious Community — Cheo-Chu-Su — A 
 Curious Ceremony — Penitent Crewmen — Miserable Natives . 121 
 
 CHAPTER V. 
 
 Conquering Native Hostility — In Chinese Switzerland — Concerning 
 Things Cuisinary — A Strife-ridden Country — More Feasting 
 
 — Religious Terpsichores — Suspicious Natives — Usu'h'nuen 
 Hospitality — A Vaudeville Performance — Sifan Politicians — 
 Accused of Sorcery — Native Afflictions — Menace to Scientific 
 Research 159 
 
 CHAPTER VI. 
 
 Exciting Bartering — Strange Superstitions — Questionable Gen- 
 erosity — A Terrible Night — " Fight to the Last " — Saved ! — A 
 Friendly Village — A Future Eldorado — Crude Hunting Methods 
 
 — Artificial Fertility — A Pastoral Country — An Equine King- 
 dom — A Weird Combat — Onward to Dubana — Amiable Natives 
 
 — Exciting Yak Hunting 190 
 
 CHAPTER Vn. 
 
 Inquisitorial Questionings — Arrival at Muen-chi-hei — Resting at 
 Batang — Forward to the North — A Curious Burial Ceremony — 
 Topography of the Kulien Slope — Avaricious Tanguts — Hostile 
 Pursuit — Prodigal Kiangsis — An Opium-cursed Village — Suc- 
 cessful Braggadocio — A Distinguished Reception — Arrival at 
 Chutong — Unstable Dwellings — Curious Racial Customs — 
 Novel Method of Divorce — A Frightful Combat — Boastful Nor 
 tives 225 
 
 CHAPTER VIII. 
 
 Tarya Courtesies — A Physical Paradox — Native Legend Regarding 
 Dji-Chu — A Mongol Munchausen — A Crucial Situation — Facing 
 Defeat — Inveterate Smokers — Safe across the Land Portage — 
 Curious Religious Beliefs — A Sterile Country — Our Shooting 
 Astonishes the Natives — Chen-Ta Superstitions — Sacred Moun- 
 tain of Tam-Tagh — Intimidating a Native Bully — An Aboriginal 
 Forge — Some Native Delicacies — A Country of Brigands — A 
 Misinterpreted Welcome 266 
 
CONTENTS. 
 
 CHAPTER IX. 
 
 A Too Willing Guest — The Start for Tzuchan — A Dangerous Ford 
 
 — A Welcome Respite — Horrible State of Women — Remarkable 
 
 Beliefs — Increased Dangers to Progress — Dampening Reports 
 
 A Weird Scene — Horrible Religious Rites — Voluntary Sacrifice 
 of a Girl — A Providential Escape — Orography of the Ping Pla- 
 teau — Value of Loess — Characteristics of Tangutans — Eng- 
 land's Attitude toward China — Russian Aggression in Central 
 Asia 306 
 
 CHAPTER X. 
 
 A Tangut Mormon— , Rascally Lamas — A Hardy Race — Ill-con- 
 cealed Hostility — A Treacherous Channel — Unexpected Civilised 
 Luxuries — Sacred Mountain of Djia-la — Rascally Natives — 
 Bloodless Battle of Sok-Buchen — A Squall on the Dji Chu — 
 Dju Kharmau Hospitalities — Physical Features of Lari Ula — 
 Nomad Tangutans — A Curious Belief — An Exciting Night 
 — Tangut Philosophers — Exciting Hunting — Thibetan Tigers 345 
 
 CHAPTER XI. 
 
 Country of the Djia-la — Pugnacious Argalis — Strange Natives of 
 Hissik Earpo — An Ancient Civilisation — Obstructions to Prog- 
 ress — A Fight for Existence — Unavailing Overtures — A Night 
 of Peril — Burying Our Dead — Topography of Numza Ula — 
 Brigandish Natives 386 
 
 CHAPTER XII. 
 
 A Dubious Reception — Curious Females — Praying Water-wheels 
 
 — Native Bridges — An Interesting Country — Burton Turns Phy- 
 sician — Incredulous Mountaineers — Halting Progress — Benefits 
 of Civilised Control — A Quizzical Host — A Visit to a Monastery 
 
 — Prevalence of Slavery — Friendly Natives — Characteristics of 
 Bulaks — Debased Religious Beliefs — A Barbarous Ordeal — A 
 Desolate Country — Salt Manufacture 408 
 
 CHAPTER Xin. 
 
 Dangerous Journeying — Curious Natives of Langur — Insect Pests 
 
 — Across the By Chu Plateau — Religious Bigots — Tourgouth 
 Characteristics — Aboriginal Internal Economy — Ceremonious 
 
CONTENTS. 
 
 Salutations — An Important Functionary — A Disgusting Kepast 
 
 — A Village of Inebriates — A Religions Centre — A Desolate 
 Country — Tourgouth Marriage Customs — A Gluttonous Brawl 
 
 — Lolo Natives — Strange Ceremonial Rites — Across Hua-ta 
 Plateau — A Lama Charlatan — Boastful Natives — Over the 
 Djangin Tang — Safe at Gajum 451 
 
LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS. 
 
 PAGK 
 
 MoNGOi. OF KoKO-NOR Frontispiece 
 
 Pishing Village, Upper Yangtse-kiang 17 
 
 LuKAN Gorge, Upp^r Yangtse-kiang 31 
 
 SzcHUEN Trading Boat 41 
 
 Yuen 48 
 
 " At the yelling horde we charged " 59 
 
 SzcHUEN Salt Junk. Mast Unshipped for Downward Voy- 
 age 71 
 
 Village of Fo-yen-chi 81 
 
 "The water began to bubble and foam in an alarming 
 
 MANNER" 91 
 
 Orongo Antelope Ill 
 
 Fishing Trap of Dhong-lung Natives 118 
 
 Native Sope Bridge 122 
 
 " Trading with Cheo-chu-su Fishermen " .... 151 
 
 Rope and Carrier Bridge, Cheo-chu-su 154 
 
 Thibetan — Redskin Type 157 
 
 Long-haired Yak 170 
 
 Dance of Masked Lamas at Mu-ghra 173 
 
 Bihar Gyalpo, the Patron of Monasteries and Temples . 183 
 
 Yak Driver with Praying-wheel 187 
 
 " They clung with deathlike tenacity to a protruding 
 
 boulder" 197 
 
 Head-dress of "Woman at Kugun 206 
 
 Manjusri, in Thibetan Jamjang, the God of Wisdom . 211 
 
 Lama Mask and Rosaries 219 
 
 Taoist Priest, Batang District 229 
 
LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS. 
 
 PAGE 
 
 Street in Batang 231 
 
 Choichong Gyalpo, the God of Astrology, and Protector 
 
 OF Men against Evil Spirits .,,... 244 
 
 Thibet an TLama with Thigh-bone Trumpet .... 255 
 
 Lamas and Monastery at Batang 261 
 
 Mongol Tent 270 
 
 Dodnevangpo, the God op Wealth 277 
 
 Mongols, Tulkakj District 281 
 
 Padmapani, in Thibetan Chenresi, a Protector of Thibet 289 
 
 Tourgouths of Gyksun District 301 
 
 Thibetan Savages 315 
 
 The Six-syllabic Prayer and Symbol " Om Manx Padme 
 
 HUM" 323 
 
 " She jumped into the waiting flames " .... 331 
 
 Burial Obo with Prayer Flags 339 
 
 Hoe and Yak Pack-saddle 353 
 
 Six-syllabic Prayer " Om Mani Padme Hum "... 361 
 
 "a leering, grinning face pushing toward mine" . . 383 
 
 Thibetan Whip and Cooking Utensils 390 
 
 Thibetan Nomad 406 
 
 Thibetan Dwelling at Chan-Nak 411 
 
 Native Bridge across Dji Chu 419 
 
 The Magical Figure Dabchad, "Octagon" .... 430 
 
 Lama Hats at Maru Bulak 442 
 
 Chenresi, the Particular Protector of Thibet . . .447 
 Travelling across a Glacier to Lakmo .... 459 
 A Soothsaying Table with Numerous Figures and Sen- 
 tences 469 
 
 Trumpet of Lama Exorciser 472 
 
 LoLO Man and Woman 486 
 
 Boot and Knife op Koko Nor Thibetan .... 493 
 
THROUGH UNEXPLORED ASIA. 
 
 CHAPTER I. 
 
 In the summer of 1893 I had reached Pekin, after an 
 arduous journey of six thousand miles across the very 
 heart of Central Asia. During that time I had succes- 
 sively encountered the manifold dangers of hostile tribes, 
 the diflS.culties of topographical configuration, and the 
 thousand and one discomforts and inconveniences incident 
 to travel in a barbarous and hitherto unexplored country. 
 With memories of the past still too vivid to be summarily 
 dismissed, I had registered a solemn determination that 
 never again should the novelty of exploration in untrodden 
 wUds wean me from the haunts of civilisation. So much 
 for good intent and firm resolution. 
 
 One month later found me at the cosmopolitan port of 
 Shanghai, ready and willing to accompany an expedition 
 which was being fitted out for the novel venture of thor- 
 oughly exploring the great unknown country of Western 
 China among the headwaters of the Yangtse Kiang and 
 Hoang Ho Eivers, — a region which had long remained 
 a mystery, and frustrated the most indomitable efforts of 
 travellers since the days of Marco Polo. Burton, my old 
 comrade in arms, the sturdy veteran who but a few short 
 
 n 
 
12 THROUGH UNEXPLORED ASIA. 
 
 months before had pressed through the heart of the dark 
 continent, and penetrated the impregnable fastnesses of 
 Afghanistan and Thibet, with the old fever for exploration 
 still as virulent as ever, had conceived this momentous 
 journey as a fitting close to an extended campaign of 
 thorough Asiatic research. He asked me to accompany 
 him. After a few days taken for consideration, — days 
 in which the poignant pain of months flashed constantly 
 before the memory; days when the pangs of homesick- 
 ness appealed to me with almost irresistible force, — the 
 wrestling of spirit was at last overcome, firm resolution 
 had been vanquished, and the upshot of the matter was 
 that three days later I had agreed once more to plunge 
 into unexplored Asia. 
 
 Preparations for journeying are invariably long and 
 tedious, and are not interesting matters of detaU except to 
 those immediately concerned. I will, therefore, pass over 
 the two months prior to our departure up the muddy 
 stream of the Yangtse. We were prepared to find the 
 government hostile to our intention, and expected to 
 encounter the usual bickering delays incident to overcom- 
 ing official obstruction. It was a surprise, therefore, and 
 a welcome one withal, to discover that the civU mandarin 
 of Shanghai, to whom we had confided our intention, far 
 from being opposed to our idea, sought by every means 
 in his power to remove any obstacle that lay in our path. 
 He did not fail to weigh fully the manifold dangers to 
 which we were exposing ourselves by plunging into a. 
 country inhabited by a hostile and suspicious people, over 
 which the imperial government had none other than a 
 nominal jurisdiction, and impressed on us the fact that no 
 amount of official assurance would protect us from these 
 real dangers. Finding, however, that such evidence was. 
 
DEPARTURE FROM SHANGHAI. 13 
 
 unable to shake our original intention, he wisely abstained 
 from further comment, and forwarded notice of our intent 
 to Pekin, — bringing to us one week later governmental 
 sanction for the undertaking, accompanied by royal letters 
 to the civU and military mandarins of the towns and 
 cities along the banks of the great river so far as the 
 active jurisdiction of the government extended. Thence 
 onward, it was understood, progress was to be made by 
 our own unaided efforts. 
 
 We had entrusted the expedition to the solid substance 
 of two large sa'mpans, with which it was our intention to 
 penetrate up the stream of the Yangtse until craft of 
 lighter draught should be rendered necessary. Our crew 
 was composed of forty Kiangsi natives, — huge, muscular 
 giants of the finest race of China, selected with a view to 
 their fitness for the work in hand by the mandarin of 
 Shanghai, who advanced the welcome information that 
 their trustworthiness need cause us no concern, as they 
 might be implicitly relied upon to do their duty whatever 
 occasion should arise. With these preparations we at last 
 set forth. The varied population of Shanghai gathered 
 at the water's edge, moved by curiosity, and perhaps 
 other motives, to watch our departure, and the little one- 
 pounders in the bows of the sampans boomed forth a 
 noisy farewell to them. In this manner we bade adieu 
 to civilisation for many a weary month to come ; to poor 
 Burton, it proved, for ever. 
 
 Our long journey up the great stream to the threshold 
 of Western China was unattended with incidents of other 
 than an ordinary character. The various officials along 
 the route, although doubtless entertaining for us no very 
 friendly feeling, furthered the success of the expedition 
 by every means that lay in their power, — thus obeying 
 
14 THEOUGH UNEXPLORED ASIA. 
 
 the imperial mandate from Pekin, fully weighing the 
 chances of sure and swift retribution should they fail to 
 comply with the demands of their superiors. At the end 
 of five months' voyaging we had overcome the dangers 
 and obstructions of the great stream, and, having run the 
 gauntlet of shipwreck and famine, in due tii^e had reached 
 Luipo, the little border station marking the confines of 
 known China, whence our campaign of exploration was 
 to begin in earnest. Here we remained for a month 
 longer, the interim being consumed in making final 
 preparations for the arduous task Ijdng before us, and in 
 constructing a flotilla of light canoes, which the gradual 
 narrowing of the stream necessitated. At last, after 
 delays innumerable, and the surmounting of seemingly in- 
 surmountable difl&culties, we set a day for our departure. 
 When that day came, however, it brought with it a 
 hurricane of frightful fury, which lashed the waters of 
 the stream into a whirlpool, and produced such fierce 
 waves that, had we been so foolhardy as to make the 
 attempt to proceed, the sampans must inevitably have 
 been destroyed. We consoled ourselves with the reflec- 
 tion that the morrow would bring more favourable condi- 
 tions; but the morrow came, and the conditions were 
 even worse, the storm having mcreased. The third and 
 fourth days showed no abatement of the fury of the ele- 
 ments, and we had resignedly given up all hopes of ever 
 being able to set forth, when we were waited upon by one 
 of the priests of the toAvn. 
 
 This dignitary, after much gesticulation, made us aware 
 of the fact that the gods had been angered, but promised 
 that he would intervene to the end that the "white 
 princes" should not suffer further, — of course for a con- 
 sideration. More for the novelty of the exhibition than 
 
WEATHER MAKING EXTRAOKDINARY. 15 
 
 because of any belief in his abilities, we produced the 
 necessary consideration ; and early the next morning he 
 made his appearance attired in an ill-fitting and vile- 
 smelling robe of office, which for obvious reasons we 
 abstained from examining too closely, and having called 
 upon the whole population of the place to congregate 
 within the narrow confines of the station courtyard, he 
 proceeded, after his own fashion, to secure for us all the 
 blessings of fine weather. Calling upon all assembled to 
 stretch themselves prostrate on the ground, obliging us 
 even to perform this portion of the ceremony, he pro- 
 ceeded to cut various animal shapes out of a thin piece of 
 dough, — animals of a kind doubtless unknown to others 
 save the gods themselves. These he was pleased to call 
 mel^k^ (sea-monsters) ; and having chanted over each suc- 
 cessive piece of dough in musical ululations truly dolorous, 
 he called upon all to rise and follow him through the 
 drenching rain to the river bank, where, after going through 
 various forms of mummery and incantation over each, he 
 tossed the fantastic images into the water, solacing us 
 with the information that fine weather would henceforth 
 be our portion. Fine weather did come eventually, at 
 the end of another five days ; but notwithstanding this 
 long lapse of time between the incantation and the prom- 
 ised result, the pious fraud was pleased to assume the 
 responsibility of the same, firmly convinced, in his own 
 mind, at least, that his efforts had found favour with the 
 gods. 
 
 On the tenth day of January we left behind the last 
 glimpse of the low-lying station of Luipo, and the honour- 
 ary escort of canoemen, accompanied by the ataman, who 
 had been following us for some hours with the accompani- 
 ment of numberless horns and drums, and with our 
 
16 THROUGH UNEXPLORED ASIA. 
 
 Kiangsi crewmen paddling rhiythmically to the stirring 
 air of a war chant, and the dingy little sails slatting at 
 the peak, we entered upon the search into the great 
 unknown lying before us. The original plan, strictly ad- 
 hered to in our subsequent journey ings, provided that we 
 should penetrate to the headwaters of the Kinsha Kiang, 
 tributary of the Yangtse, and by a portage across the 
 wild mountain fastnesses of Koko Nor descend to the 
 source of the Hoang Ho, following its stream to the east- 
 ward and to civilisation once more. In this liianner we 
 should have penetrated through the length and breadth of 
 China, and successfully have carried through to a con- 
 summation our original intention. 
 
 Any one who has ever seen a rockbound coast, and the 
 war of sea wave against granite, basalt, and sandstone, 
 will at once realise the efEects visible in this majestic 
 country on the upper stream of the Yangtse Kiang. On 
 every side the view is hedged in by a successive series of 
 gigantic blocks and crags of granite. Rock rises above 
 rock, and fragment above fragment. Here towers a colos- 
 sal mass five hundred feet high, bearing upon it a similar 
 mass perhaps entire, but more probably split with a sin- 
 gularly clean and fresh fracture. These immense colum- 
 nar masses rise Hke outstretched fingers towering into 
 the clouds ; but everywhere there is the same huge dis- 
 array, ruin, and confusion. Through this region we 
 dawdled during the day, the swift current of the stream 
 and a head wind beating strongly against us, preventing 
 much progress, and calling upon the most valorous efforts 
 of the crewmen to make any headway whatsoever. 
 
 Ten hours of battling effort carried us a little over 
 twenty miles, and shortly after nightfall a shaly beach, 
 serving as the foreground of the little village of Kulzun, 
 
NATIVES OF KULZUN. 
 
 17 
 
 FISHING VILLAGE, TIPPEB TANGTSE KIANG. 
 
 enabled us to make a landing. "We had scarcely touciied 
 shore when the chief of the place came running toward 
 us, attended by a conglomerate train that embraced every- 
 thing having life in the vicinity. He halted when some 
 hundred feet away 
 from our encamp- 
 ment, — an example 
 emulated by his sat- 
 ellites, — and having 
 gained courage at our 
 friendly attitude, ap- 
 proached nearer. But 
 the innate suspicious- 
 ness of the old fellow 
 could not be conquered by our best efforts, and, after 
 gazing long and searchingly at us, he signalled to his 
 followers, and clambered up the hilly slope to the village. 
 We were anxious naturally to discover the cause for this 
 reserve, but on no account could we induce them to ap- 
 proach nearer, every advance on our part causing sum- 
 mary flight. 
 
 We had intended remaining overnight only; but sev- 
 eral of the smaller canoes having started seams from the 
 severe buflEeting which they had undergone during the 
 day, and which bade fair to cause considerable inconve- 
 nience in the future if not attended to, we lengthened our 
 halt a day longer. The defect having been remedied, we 
 felt that it was lawful to set forward ; but having been 
 disappointed in foiling the curiosity of the inquisitive 
 groups of natives during twenty-four hours, they had 
 grown less suspicious, and the old chief, whom we 
 had observed on the previous evening, unbended to the 
 extent of inviting us to dine with him. As his regal 
 
18 THROUGH UNEXPLORED ASIA. 
 
 abode was little better than a pigsty, we declined with as 
 much, show of gratefulness as was possible, and extended 
 a like invitation to him in turn. He was not so fastid- 
 ious as we were, and, having accepted with undue alacrity, 
 disappeared for a half hour, to return arrayed m an Ul- 
 fitting and flamboyant uniform several sizes too small for 
 him, presenting from a distance the appearance of a per- 
 ambulating scarecrow. Notwithstanding his somewhat 
 invalid appearance, we soon discovered that, like the 
 majority of natives of Western China with whom we were 
 thrown in contact, he was in full possession of the natural 
 talent of eating and drinking, his capabilities in this 
 direction- seemingly knowing no limit, untU at last, in 
 sheer desperation, and as a means of self-preservation, we 
 were compelled to bring the feast to a sudden termination, 
 much to the disgust, openly expressed, of our guest. 
 
 Before leaving next morning, however, we were idemni- 
 fied for this rude assault on our commissariat by the 
 arrival of this illustrious dignitary with a quantity of fresh 
 buffalo meat, a number of live fowl, and several jugs of 
 strong native liquor. We also took advantage of his 
 friendliness to secure the services of a new pilot, the per- 
 fect antonym of the shaggy monster who had been 
 guiding our course heretofore, — a quiet, polite little in- 
 dividual, who seldom opened his mouth except on matters 
 of business, holding aloof from the remainder of the crew 
 for the reason that his generally dejected appearance made 
 him the butt of their ridicule. He was droll-looking in 
 the extreme, his small face hardly bigger than one's 
 hand, devoid of beard, and as wrinkled as a withered 
 apple, its minuscular effect being further heightened by the 
 enormous hat which he wore poised on his head by the tying 
 of two gorgeous streamers beneath the chin. His other 
 
TREACHEROUS PROGRESS. 19 
 
 costume consisted of short and very wide trousers, a little 
 jacket, and an apron that reached nearly to his feet, — 
 a wardrobe which had doubtless seen palmier days, and 
 which presented a mirthful spectacle so appealing to our 
 own risibilities that we could not find it in our hearts to 
 rebuke the ridicule of the crew. 
 
 We had great need of this man's services during the 
 day, for our course lay through a rock-bestrewn channel 
 which threatened at every moment to wreck the boats. 
 We had planned to go over the thirty miles to Tang-pi, 
 which our host of the night before had informed us was 
 governed by a powerful tribal chief, whose word was law 
 iQ the surrounding district and far up the stream for many 
 a day's paddling, who would provide for our comfort, and 
 from whom we might buy provisions. Through the morn- 
 ing we poled along beneath a burning sun, the country 
 on either hand being similar to that of the yesterday, an 
 encadring framework of titanic cliffs and rock-ribbed 
 shores. Clinging closely to the river bank we were ena- 
 bled to make halting progress, when shortly before noon- 
 time we were aroused to the sense of a new danger by the 
 crashing of several of the leading canoes against a line of 
 sunken rocks. Instantly there was confusion, the crew, 
 menaced by this serious danger, losing their heads entirely. 
 Burton and I vainly tried to reassure them, and it was 
 only by the threats of stem punishment that we were 
 enabled to prevent the men from jumping into the water 
 and abandoning the canoes with their cargoes. The boats 
 by this time were almost half full of water, when, motion- 
 ing to the steersmen to keep off toward the shore, we 
 shouted to the boats' crew to do or die. Desperately they 
 rowed until they reached the beach. The damage to the 
 canoes themselves and to their cargoes was considerable ; 
 
20 THROUGH UNEXPLORED ASIA. 
 
 but as we had not the wherewithal to make other than 
 a partial repair, we patched them up as well as the occa- 
 sion would permit so as to withstand the action of the 
 current temporarily, and proceeded, the bulk of the cargo 
 of the damaged boats being transferred to the others. 
 
 We had fondly flattered ourselves on being able to 
 reach Tang-pi by sundown, notwithstanding the misfor- 
 tune of the morning ; but though our men put forth their 
 best efforts, as night fell we had gone over but half the 
 distance, the river current flowing so strongly against us 
 that no alternative presented itself but to beach the boats 
 for the night near a little river village, buried in a gloomy 
 recess of the surrounding rocky heights, and which was 
 of none too prepossessing an appearance. We were all 
 the more surprised, therefore, on landing, to be welcomed 
 by a deputy opium agent, — an Englishman, — who put 
 his own residence at our disposal, and sought in every 
 manner to provide for our proper entertainment. He 
 endeavoured to excuse the ill condition of his surround- 
 ings ; but despite our best endeavours to engage him in 
 conversation, he guardedly avoided all reference to the 
 most potent reason for it, namely, the opiimi trade. The 
 village, so we subsequently learned, had been populous and 
 thriving before the district had been given over to the 
 cultivation of the poppy; now it contained less than a 
 hundred inhabitants. 
 
 At a former time the greater part of the opium used in 
 China was imported from Patna and Benares in India, the 
 revenue from this source accruing to the British govern- 
 ment being an enormous suni. From India it was brought 
 in fast-sailing ships, or overland, to China, where it was 
 a contraband article, the penalty for growing it or con- 
 niving in its importation being capital punishment. With 
 
OPIUM MANUFACTURE. 21 
 
 the growth of foreign dominance, however, this condition 
 of affairs underwent a radical change, untU at the present 
 time opium forms one of the staples of the Chinese Empire, 
 — the amount of home production equalling, if not sur- 
 passing, the amount imported from India and elsewhere. 
 
 The evil of opium-smoking is in a measure confined 
 to the more closely settled portions of China, the hardy 
 peasants and farmers outside the larger towns shunning 
 the drug as they would the plague. In former years most 
 of the home-grown opium consumed in China was manu- 
 factured on the immense plantations of the eastern por- 
 tions of the empire, but late years have shown that the 
 climate and other natural conditions of the western part 
 more readily adapt themselves to the cultivation of the 
 poppy, untU it has now grown to be an important indus- 
 try, affording the means of livelihood for an enormous 
 population. 
 
 When first put upon the market and before being pre- 
 pared for use, the colour of opium is a dark, opaque brown. 
 The first operation in its transition from a crude state to 
 the opium of commerce consists in boiling it down to the 
 consistency of a thin jeUy. It is then sealed in little horn 
 boxes, and eventually hardens to a soft gum, when it is 
 ready for use. The pipe used in smoking opium is also 
 of peculiar construction, formed of a straight, round piece of 
 bamboo, or, in the case of those who can afford it, of ivory, 
 fantastically decorated with mother-of-pearl, or even pre^ 
 cious stones. This long stem is perforated through its 
 length, a small bowl, scarcely larger than the top of one's 
 little finger, being attached at one end. 
 
 The method of smoking opium is very singular. With 
 a full knowledge of what the inevitable ending must be, 
 the smoker assumes a reclining position, from which he 
 
22 THROUGH UNEXPLORED ASIA. 
 
 can fall into slumber, placing at Ms side a little box of 
 opium and a needle about four incbes long, ternainatiag 
 in a sbarp point, tbe otber end expanding into a broad 
 spatula. Tbe dehaucM takes a small piece of tbe opium, 
 about twice tbe size of a pin-bead, and, baving inserted it 
 in tbe bowl, presses it down witb tbe needle, and bolds 
 it in tbe ligbt for a moment, until it sputters and is fairly 
 ablaze, drawing in tbe vile-smelling blue vapour witb every 
 apparent enjoyment. Tbe first essay in tbe case of nov- 
 ices invariably causes a severe nausea and a deatbly sick"- 
 ness, wbicb wear off after one bas mastered tbe practice. 
 In general, two pipefuls of tbe mixture are sufficient to 
 put one into a somnolent condition, altbougb in tbe case 
 of devotees of tbe practice it often requires, to obtain tbis 
 result, as many as a dozen pipes. 
 
 Tbe immediate effect of tbe drug upon tbe smoker is to 
 cause a letbargic state of tbe senses, in wbicb tbe most 
 beautiful and fanciful dreams are bis portion, — alas ! but 
 idle and transient vagaries, for tbe awakening is to sucb 
 borrible torment tbat tbe victim must needs smoke an- 
 otber of tbe pellets in order to banisb it. But tbougb 
 in tbis way, and by tbe possession of a vigorous constitu- 
 tion, be may tbwart tbe action of tbe drug for a time, 
 tbe inevitable end is accompanied by tbe most dreadful 
 suffering. , »^ 
 
 Of tbe effect of opium-smoking upon tbe population of 
 Western Cbina as a wbole, but few words need be said. 
 As already stated, it is a practice indulged in by tbe 
 natives of merely tbe large towns and villages'; and one 
 does not bave to resort to searcbing investigation to be 
 made aware of its dire influence, for tbe fact 'tbat tbe 
 deatb-rate from tbis source alone exceeds tbat from nearly 
 all otber causes gives an idea as to tbe deleterious effects 
 
INIQUITY OF OPIUM TRADE. 23 
 
 of the practice. It is idle optimism to believe that the 
 future, or at least the near future, will bring any ameliora- 
 tion of these conditions ; for, as the drug was introduced 
 by a Christian nation, and its importance as an industry 
 is augmented by Christian support, we must chiefly look 
 to this agency for the abolition of the destroying vice, 
 and, considering the meagre progress already made in 
 this direction, one is debarred from entertaining roseate 
 imaginings as to the result. 
 
 A former writer on the opium trafl&c in China has very 
 truly remarked that, in a measure, the trade bears some 
 resemblance to wheat and cotton speculation in our own 
 country. Both are gambhng businesses, it is true, but 
 here the comparison must end, for it would be manifestly 
 unreasonable to compare even the reckless hazard of 
 wheat and cotton speculation to the iniquitous career 
 of the opium trade. Men who deal in opium are nothing 
 short of murderers. With a full knowledge of what the 
 eventual result must be on their thousands of victims, 
 they are willing and content to revoke their allegiance to 
 humanity in foisting upon an ignorant and unenlightened 
 population the means of its death. 
 
 Before leaving, we had an opportunity to look around 
 the village. The scene on every hand was one of rack 
 and ruin. Hut after hut which we passed by was seem- 
 ingly empty, but on pushing open the door the spectacle 
 would be presented of human beings, — men, women, and 
 even little children, — in every state of disease and de- 
 bauchery, emaciated and filthy, and, in most cases, driven 
 to a point bordering on insanity. We subsequently 
 learned that five persons, three men and two women, 
 had died from excessive use of the drug during the 
 period of' one week. In the plantations at the rear of 
 
24 THROUGH UNEXPLORED ASIA. 
 
 the village half a dozen men were at work preparing the 
 soil for poppy growth ; clothed in ragged and filthy gar- 
 ments, and overrun from head to foot with vermin and 
 disease, these wretched beings, throbbing with the misery 
 which follows a debauch, with haggard eyes and drawn 
 faces distorted into fiends, were a spectacle for an in- 
 numerable horde of as ragged children, wan and shrewd, 
 sitting dreamily beside their mothers, to whom they did 
 not cling. 
 
 It was with unfeigned joy that we welcomed that 
 moment when our boats could be launched and we could 
 press forward, leaving these sickening sights behind us. 
 It was a short, swift journey to Tang-pi, a strong current 
 sweeping us along without effort. Never did country 
 expose such delights for the delectation of alien eyes. 
 The mountain ranges of the Kulgeh-Doh, which hereto- 
 fore had clung closely to the course of the stream, had 
 now retired to a distance, thrusting their gaimt summits 
 in a serrated chain against the horizon. Verdurous vales 
 peeped up here and there, promising abundant harvests 
 to come by and by. Minuscular evergreen shrubs and 
 lilies appeared, the swamps were covered Avith reedy 
 plants, and the river current teemed with immense flo- 
 tillas of rank vegetation, which exhaled a most delicious 
 fragrance. The sun shone warm on the red sand ; the 
 air had lost its impurities and mists, and was giving forth 
 a health-laden tonic, which titillated the cheek until every 
 nerve tingled in joyous frenzy. 
 
 Shortly after noontime, rounding a beiid in the river, 
 we came upon a small herd of water buffaloes, wallowing 
 in the slimy mud, who, descrying our approach, at once 
 clambered up the bank and made for the thick cane-brake 
 with snorts of mingled surprise and anger. As our pro- 
 
A BUFFALO HUNT. 25 
 
 visions had reached their extremest limit, the opportunity 
 to secure fresh meat could not be passed by ; so pulling 
 to the shore, and calling on Yuen to bring the rifles from 
 the canoe, we followed up the trail of the retreating 
 animals. For half an hour we plunged through the 
 immense brake, almost as impenetrable as a stone wall, 
 when Yuen, who was leading in pursuit, suddenly sank 
 to the ground, at the same time emitting a clucking noise 
 and pointing with his finger ahead, thereby iudicating 
 that the object o:^ our quest lay before us. Imitating 
 Yuen's example, we lay flat on the ground and wriggled 
 along until a sort of small meadow, in the middle of 
 which was a pool, lay exposed, in the midst of which 
 the buffaloes were grazing and disporting themselves in 
 the water. We felt no little compunction in destroying the 
 pleasing scene ; but grim necessity waxing strong, I 
 whispered to Burton to select a large bull that was snif- 
 fing anxiously at the left, while from my point of vantage 
 I thought I might be able to pick off a couple of cows. 
 Both weapons flashed simultaneously, and before we had 
 time to see through the smoke Yuen was on his feet, 
 crying with fear, and calling on us to strike into the 
 cane-brake. We were not a moment too soon, for the 
 bull, wounded by Burton's shot, had charged our position, 
 giving us time only to withdraw to shelter. The rest of 
 the herd, except the two which I had succeeded in bring- 
 ing down, had scattered in the other direction, and, quiet- 
 ing Yuen's fears, we awaited the second charge of the 
 infuriated animal. Onward he came with head lowered, 
 and bellowing belligerently. All to no purpose, however, 
 for first my rifle and then Burton's flashed, and the big 
 beast tumbled to the ground with the blood falling from 
 his nostrils, and, after a few convulsive shivers, was dead. 
 
26 THROUGH UNEXPLORED ASIA. 
 
 With two COWS and the bull we had now plenty of 
 meat, and, ordering Yuen to return to the river and 
 secure the assistance of some of the crew in cutting up 
 the animals, we waited patiently to protect the carcasses 
 from the vultures, which were already circling over them, 
 attracted by the smell of blood. The greater part of the 
 afternoon was devoted to cutting the meat into long strips 
 and drying it over the fire, while each of the crew seemed 
 profoundly impressed with the necessity of forestalling 
 future demands on his digestive organs by consuming 
 injudicious quantities then and there. 
 
 We reached Tang-pi shortly before sundown, to find it 
 a worthy prototype of the bailiwick in which we had been 
 domiciled the night before, overtaken by the same feU 
 curse of opium. At first not a single sign of Hfe was 
 apparent, which was a startling phenomenon, since we 
 were acquainted with the fact that Tang-pi was the tribal 
 residence of a mighty chief, and we were somewhat loath 
 to approach, fearing treachery of some sort. As it was 
 necessary, however, that we should secure material for 
 the repair of the canoes and the services of river pilots 
 for the morrow, we wended our way across the marshy 
 beach, and after passing through the town, with its pre- 
 ternatural silence, we perceived a large gong, which we 
 hammered upon vigorously to attract attention. No 
 result being forthcoming, we stopped before a low-lying 
 hut, which, however, presented an appearance sufficiently 
 exalted over those surrounding it to warrant optimistic 
 conclusions; and no answer being vouchsafed to our re- 
 peated knockings, we made bold to lift the latch and 
 enter. The blaze from a smouldering fire of yak-dung, 
 aided by the light from a crude oU-lamp swinging from 
 the rafters, disclosed the interior of a well-appointed 
 
A FRIGHTENED NATIVE. 27 
 
 habitation, so far as furnisliings in Szchuenese dwellings 
 go, which in this case was considerable, — a movable 
 ladder of uncertain stability erecting itself Hke a gaunt 
 spectre in the middle of the room, and leading up to the 
 attic through a sectional opening in the roof. 
 
 The place seemed deserted, but, on closer inspection, a 
 pair of feet were exposed on the upper rung of the ladder ; 
 and following up this remarkable discovery, we found 
 that the feet had legs, and the legs a body, gradually 
 making out the form of a woman, and a badly scared one 
 at that, who sat aloft, with her small, rat-like eyes peering 
 down into the amphitheatre below, and watching our 
 every movement with fearful mistrust. We called to her 
 to come down, but not a movement did she make, save to 
 raise herself another rung on the ladder. There was some- 
 thing unnatural in the sUence and the motionless figure ; 
 but as a last resort, finding that all our efforts to attract 
 attention were unavailing, we discovered that we were 
 too hungry to wonder much, even at the supernatural. 
 Seating ourselves while Yuen ransacked the place in 
 search of food, we found that this politic manoeuvre had 
 the desired effect ; for, after several guttural exclamations 
 of mingled surprise and indignation, the feet moved on 
 the ladder and came down step by step, showing at last 
 that they were topped by a genial face and a mat of dark 
 hair, which appeared beneath a most surprising and fan- 
 tastic article of headgear, consisting of a large box of 
 wood, bordered with metal and shell ornaments, giving to 
 the wearer a most ludicrous appearance. 
 
 Her terror had now vanished before the more poignant 
 sensation of injured dignity, and, seating herself opposite, 
 she sought, by vacant stares, to impress us with the full 
 sense of our transgression. Her mouth looked grim, but 
 
28 THROUGH UNEXPLORED ASIA. 
 
 the dim wrinkles about her shrewd eyes were benevolent 
 and humorous, and, under the influence of the concilia- 
 tory gift of a few pieces of lurid red cloth, the grimness 
 and reserve melted away, and her lips were unsealed. The 
 men of the village, it seemed, including the illustrious 
 chief, had been gone for two days on a hunt after meat, 
 and would not be back for another week, — a fact which 
 caused us much disappointment, for we had counted upon 
 the chief's assistance in furnishing us with pilots for 
 navigating the treacherous river current, and also with 
 protection in the up-stream country over which he had 
 jurisdiction. Our approach had been descried by some 
 women fishing on shore, who had fled to the village with 
 the information that two foreign devils were coming to kill 
 them all, which explained the silence of our reception. 
 
 Finding that our intentions were none other than 
 friendly, our hostess led us to another part of the village, 
 where, emitting several warning cries, she ushered us 
 into a long rambling building, built of stone and thatched 
 with cane, which she explained was the house of the 
 chief. The interior seemed deserted, but after a few 
 moments she dragged forth several females, who it was 
 plainly to be seen were literally frightened out of their 
 wits. Seeing, however, that we did not threaten their 
 safety in any way, and being further encouraged by the 
 explanations of our guide, their fears were quieted, and 
 they gathered about us with impertinent curiosity, feeling 
 of our persons, gazing into our faces, and thrusting their 
 filthy hands into our faces. They varied this interesting 
 occupation with cracking and eating nuts, — a practice of 
 which they never seemed to tire, for the dainty morsels 
 were picked from their shells and cast into waiting 
 mouths with the regularity of clockwork. 
 
LU-CHOW. 29 
 
 The wife of the chief was a fat, buxom-looking body, 
 and on our acquainting her with the fact that we had an 
 abundance of fresh meat, she readily agreed to exchange 
 some fowls and milk for a portion of the same. The 
 crew were called to come ashore with the precious burden, 
 and until long after midnight the haggling for possession 
 of the meat went on, the yarious contestants warring in 
 dreadful earnest, scratching, biting, and struggling hke a 
 horde of wild animals. As we sailed away in the morning 
 before the sun had risen, we could still perceive them 
 gathered around innumerable fires, feasting on the buffalo 
 meat and drinking huge potations of raw arrak, varying 
 the monotony of the occasion by incipient riots at frequent 
 intervals. 
 
 Continuing our voyage southerly along the river bank 
 between two small islands, on which was quartered an 
 enormous colony of rats whom we could see in hordes on 
 the shore, passing a couple of creeks running at right 
 angles to the course of the river, we came to Lu-Chow, 
 a considerable town at the mouth of the Fu-Sung River. 
 The population of the innumerable little fishing hamlets 
 along the river bank had not bestirred themselves at our 
 approach, and as we glided noiselessly along nothing 
 could be heard save the swiftly rushing current of the 
 Yangtse, dashing furiously against treacherous shoals and 
 jagged rocks that beset our course. Nearly the whole 
 distance to Lu-Chow, this almost supernatural silence con- 
 tinued, — a sUence which we found was not to be our 
 further accompaniment when once we had reached this 
 bustling trading-post; for here immediately a flotilla of 
 canoes, manned by dusky natives, shot out toward us, and 
 with much screaming and howling escorted us to shore. 
 The functionaries of Lu-Chow treated us with remark- 
 
30 THROUGH UNEXPLORED ASIA. 
 
 able affability and courtesy, the military mandarin 
 welcoming us in aU the flowery hyperbole of Chinese 
 superlatives, and leading us off to his own residence, 
 where, after the necessary question of eating and drink- 
 ing had been disposed of, we were joined by a dozen or 
 more of the greater Ughts of the town,» who remained in 
 the audience-chamber until long after midnight, plying us 
 with questions of every import, until, perceiving that 
 there was no wearing out of their curiosity, we summarily 
 took our leave. 
 
 Lu-Chow is one of the most important towns on the 
 upper stream of the Yangtse Kiang, and we found it to 
 be much above the average of the towns and villages 
 which we had previously visited. While there is a lack 
 of symmetry and majesty of contour about it which does 
 not appeal to the Western eye, yet, as compared with 
 many other Chinese cities, it has a cleanly and thrifty 
 appearance ; and, as is but natural where siirface con- 
 ditions are so favourable, the population is above the 
 average, presenting a far more honest and inteUigent 
 appearance than those encountered elsewhere in Western 
 China. 
 
 Here for the first time we were able to study the native 
 population at close range, and it was a pleasant surprise 
 to find them far more agreeable than our preconceptions 
 of them had allowed. They were an important, digni- 
 fied, and taciturn race, but with none of the narrow- 
 minded bigotry and fanaticism met with elsewhere, and 
 having a fuU recognition of the virtue of labour. The 
 streets were filled with shops and bazaars, presided over 
 by prosperous-looking merchants; and numberless itiner- 
 ant hawkers, with much vociferousness and gesticulation, 
 were calling forth the nature and quality of their wares. 
 
LUKAX GORGE, UPPEK YAXGTSE-KIANG. 
 
TONSORIAL AFFLICTIONS. 83 
 
 The vocation of barber was evidently a flourishing one, 
 for throughout the busy throng might be seen these useful 
 members of society in remarkable profusion, with their 
 long bamboo poles, from either end of which were sus- 
 pended their shaving implements. As the people cannot 
 very well shave their own heads, and these heads must be 
 shaved whatever else befaU, it will readily be seen that 
 the tonsorial profession offers tempting inducements. 
 The process of shaving in itself is an important opera- 
 tion. The person undergoing the infliction, with appar- 
 ently a full knowledge of what is in store, sits down on 
 the ground vnih a very resigned and subdued air. After 
 his head has been sufficiently lathered, the razor is brought 
 into play. The blade of this instrument is a cumbersome 
 affair, nearly in the shape of an equilateral triangle. Be- 
 neath the skilful hand of the barber, however, it answers 
 the purpose fully ; and it is really remarkable to witness 
 the dexterity with which he handles the instrument, and 
 hurries the task through to completion. He shaves the head 
 entirely, with the exception of the spot of tail-hair, the 
 patient in the meantime holding a large bowl in which to 
 catch the falling particles of hair. The full meaning of 
 Chinese thrift and economy may be appreciated more f uUy 
 when it is understood that these particles are religiously 
 preserved, and, mingled with other elements, are used as 
 fertiLLsing mixtures, — this minute attention given to fer- 
 tilisation accounting, perhaps more than an3rthing else, for 
 the wonderful richness and productiveness of the Chinese 
 soil, even in the mountain regions. The fine hair growing 
 in the ears and between the eyebrows is shaved by these 
 barbers, who also insert instruments under the eyelids, 
 which accounts for the nimierous instances of blindness 
 with which the populace is afflicted. The shaving 
 
34 THROUGH UNEXPLORED ASIA. 
 
 operation is finished by the combing out of the tail, and 
 plaiting it with great exactness. Having done with one 
 patient, the itinerant artist hurries about seeking for 
 others. It is a curious sight, indeed, to witness these 
 operations going on with the utmost gravity amidst the 
 excitement and bustle, without attracting notice. 
 
 The last day of our halt at Lu-Chow we accepted the 
 invitation of the mandarin to accompany him outside 
 the town's limits, to view the numerous plantations and 
 evidences of fertility in the surrounding district. The 
 graduated slope for miles, as far as the eye could reach, 
 was given up to the cultivation of various cereals, forming'' 
 a brilliant panorama of the greenest and most exquisite 
 verdure. Continuing ■ our ride through this gorgeous 
 landscape, we came upon other objects of much interest. 
 There were numerous labourers binding immense quanti- 
 ties of barley into bundles, and carrjdng them to the place 
 where they were to be piled up into huge stacks. It was 
 very interesting to watch- the grand movements of the 
 men who lifted these enormous bundles on the end of 
 long bamboo sticks and gave them to those on top of the 
 stacks, the growing darkness bringing out their figures 
 against the background of the sky like an army of enor- 
 mous giants. As we returned to the limits of the town 
 the sun was descending below the horizon, and the whole 
 extent of country was plunged into that vague and mys- 
 terious light which follows the setting sun. Our way lay 
 through innumerable bands of returning labourers, and 
 one could not help marvelling at the fact that the females 
 outnumbered the males nearly in the ratio of two to one. 
 
 The social condition of woman, even in the more 
 enlightened districts of Western China, is pitiable in the 
 extreme, for, from the day of her birth to her death, her 
 
CONDITION OF WOMEN. 35 
 
 life is one long story of suffering, misery, and degradation. 
 On her falls the onerous burden of performing the major 
 portion of the manual labour of the country, while her 
 lord and master lives a life of comparative ease. From 
 long practice this Servitude of women has become the 
 Borner-stone of Chinese society. The young girl is born 
 to the knowledge that her hf e must be spent in drudging 
 labour on the plantations, without amusements or happi- 
 uess of any sort. She is condemned to vegetate in com- 
 plete ignorance, so far as social conditions go. Like an 
 inanimate object, she is subject to the whimis and caprices 
 of whosoever may be her lord and master for the time 
 being. In this manner she is obHged to spend her youth ; 
 and when at last the moment of wifehood arrives, she is 
 bartered by some inhuman parent to a husband whom she 
 bas never seen, and for whom she may not entertain a 
 spark of affection. Nevertheless, the women, in spite of 
 these drawbacks, do not seem to find the weight of social 
 ostracism weighing heavily on their shoulders, for they 
 ippear to be fully as contented with all their burdens as 
 io their prototypes of more favoured lands, and it seems 
 jf questionable wisdom that, with this condition of affairs, 
 neddling reformers should undertake to upset the social 
 "abric of a nation which appears eminently satisfied with 
 ;he present status. 
 
 To speak disparagingly of the efforts of Christianity in 
 his region would bring such a storm of disapproval on 
 ny head that it would seem rash to venture on such a 
 !ourse ; yet, from personal investigation carried on in an 
 mbiassed and judicial spirit, I do not hesitate to affirm 
 hat, despite the large amount of money expended an- 
 mally, Christianity at the present time is making no 
 )rogress whatsoever in Western China. This non-success 
 
36 THROUGH UNEXPLORED ASIA. 
 
 may be attributed primarily to two reasons, tbe most 
 potent being the disposition of the missionaries to trample 
 on native custom roughshod, rather than to attempt 
 conversion by gentler methods. The missionaries caU the 
 poor native " brother," but the relationship ends in mere 
 verbiage, for they inconsiderately strive to brush aside 
 his training of centuries, and to force upon him, willy- 
 nilly, the seed of proselytism. The other reason is the 
 disposition of the missionaries to intermingle with tem- 
 poral affairs, arraying one faction against another in 
 matters of merely political import, forsaking the spiritual 
 field entirely. 
 
 With such evidences of abuse of opportunity, one has 
 little difficulty in tracing the non-success which has at- 
 tended missionary efforts here. As regards Western 
 China taken in the abstract, it may be said that the field 
 is ripe for the sowing of the seed of Christianity; the 
 native mind is ready and willing to receive its principles ; 
 but so long as denominational strife and narrow-minded 
 bigotry stalk openly abroad, so long will missionary effort, 
 however sincerely planned, be unattended with material 
 results. What is most needed in the country are mis- 
 sionaries of the gospel rather than mere interlopers who 
 seek aggrandisement of personal self and temporal domi- 
 nance by taking unfair advantage of the conditions which 
 opportunity has presented. Until this patent necessity 
 is adequately recognised, there is no hope for the mission 
 of Christianity in Western China. 
 
 We left Lu-Chow on the twenty-second, a severe hurri- 
 cane, which lasted for two days, necessitating a lengthen- 
 ing of our halt. The day began simultaneously with the 
 rising of the sun, for the brilliant semi-equatorial climes 
 know not the romance of twilight and dawn, and the 
 
, A DESERTED VILLAGE. 37 
 
 wind blowing in good earnest from down-stream, we peaked 
 the little sails on our canoes and set forth against the 
 strong current, with the white surf swishing and crunch- 
 ing against our frail barks with considerable force. We 
 ascended the perceptible grade of the yellow stream, 
 winding through curves innumerable, and filled with such 
 swiftly flowing currents, that it was only by the sturdy 
 paddling and poling of the crew that we were able to 
 make progress of any kind. This lasted only for a short 
 time, however, as by/nidday we had, in a measure, passed 
 out of the power of the strong current, and were indemni- 
 fied for the laxness of the morning progress by being 
 whirled along by a miniature hurricane, which dashed 
 huge waves over the boats, and necessitated frequent 
 bailing to prevent them from foundering. In spite of the 
 best efEorts of the crew, our crafts careened at a frightful 
 angle, and with the white foam hissing from jagged rocks 
 on aU sides, we could not, strive as we might, experience 
 any keen sense of comfort or safety. It was with a fervid 
 sensation of relief, therefore, that we shot into a little cove 
 at nightfall at Lautien-Pa. Beaching the boats, we discov- 
 ered but a short distance away the outlines of a little 
 village, which from the river had been obscured to our 
 view by a grove of trees huddled on the low-lying bank. 
 Hauling up the canoes high and dry, and leaving the 
 crew to pitch the tents, we tramped over the intervening 
 distance in order to purchase fresh provisions and pay 
 our respects to the head man of the place. 
 
 As we neared the village we could see that it was 
 apparently deserted, and, moreover, there were ghastly 
 evidences as to the cause of desertion. The huts were 
 some score in number, dilapidated habitations built of 
 straw and mud, partially torn down and ruined by the 
 
38 THROUGH UNEXPLORED ASIA. 
 
 action of tlie elements. Inside one of these abodes we 
 peered, to be treated to tbe startling spectacle of a half 
 decomposed body, from which a frightful stench emanated. 
 The next ruin contained two similar corpses. With these 
 grim and hideous evidences we hastily returned to the 
 canoes, and, astonishiag all by ordering them to be 
 launched forthwith, we sailed on until ten o'clock, when 
 we reached Kiang Ling. The heat and darkness intensi- 
 fied the quietness of the night, and, on nearer approach, 
 the breathless stiUness was broken only by the hoarse 
 blasphemies of our crew and the numerous bowlings of 
 the native population on shore. 
 
 The inhabitants of Kiang Ling did not seem over 
 friendly, regarding our landing with sinister glances and 
 audible mutterings. We were resolved, however, that, 
 whatever might be their Hkes and dishkes, they must re- 
 ceive us without hostile demonstrations. Taking Yuen on 
 shore with me, I ordered him to acquaint them with our 
 decision that if we suffered any molestation we would 
 bring their village rattling down about their ears with 
 scant ceremony. This exhibition of our animus was suffi- 
 cient, for their attitude immediately became more friendly. 
 On the arrival of the head man of the place, we saluted 
 him by touching our heads to the earth, which concession 
 to custom was sufficient to obtain the store of fresh 
 provisions we were desirous of buying. 
 
 We were anxious, naturally, to have some explanation of 
 the spectacle which we had witnessed at Lautien-Pa, and 
 after considerable questioning learned that it had been 
 visited by a virulent plague some months before, and that 
 the population had departed, leaving the unfortunate vic- 
 tims who had contracted the disease to die of hunger and 
 lack of care. One could not repress a shudder at this 
 
A NATIVE CALAMITY. 39 
 
 cold-blooded selfishness; but our host was evidently not 
 so squeamish, for he consoled himself by the thought, 
 openly expressed, that " the bodies would be good for the 
 soU," and that " the land might be utilised to advantage 
 in another six months." With the evidence of such inhu- 
 manity on his part, we could not find it in our hearts to 
 accept his invitation to pass the night with him, a resolu- 
 tion which was strengthened by the spectacle of a group 
 of unkempt goitred natives. As we did not wish to run 
 the risk of contracting a violent illness, we wrapped our- 
 selves in our blankets, and passed the night beneath the 
 cheerless interior of the overturned canoes. 
 
 About the middle of the night we were awakened from 
 slumber by the frightful bowlings of human voices, and 
 starting up, fearing an attack, we perceived a dull red 
 glare lighting up the surrounding darkness. The vil- 
 lage had taken fire, and the flames, already fanned by a 
 strong wind, were rapidly threatening its destruction. 
 We roused our men, and with the assistance of the vil- 
 lagers made valorous attempts at combating the flames ; 
 but the low huts, built of the most inflammable material, 
 were like tinder, and in spite of our efforts they soon 
 burned to the ground. The next morning our admiration 
 was much excited by the perfect philosophical resignation 
 with which the natives received this visitation of fate ; for 
 as we started away they gave evidences of their surprising 
 activity by commencing the erection of new structures, 
 going about the operation with the most remarkable light- 
 ness of spirit, as if devastating fires were matters of daily 
 concern in their experience. 
 
 A violent rainstorm began at 10 A. m. of the twenty- 
 fourth, which lasted four hours, necessitating the lashing 
 together of the canoes to prevent them from being cap- 
 
40 THROUGH UNEXPLORED ASIA. 
 
 sized by the enormous waves into wliicli tlie surface of the 
 river was driven by the force of the wind. We struggled 
 against these conditions for ten long hours, as we made 
 our slow advance to Na Chu. This village consisted of 
 a number of low wooden huts, roofed with cane, ranged 
 round a sort of open courtyard, into which had gathered 
 the population of the place, who were busUy engaged in 
 one of those gluttonous feasts for which the native of 
 Western China is justly celebrated. As our canoes shot 
 inshore, the feasters forsook their flesh-pots and rushed 
 down to meet us; and we discovered immediately on 
 landing that we were the centre of quite a promiscuous 
 population of nearly naked men, women, and children. 
 Although we had made a landing merely with the inten- 
 tion of camping for the night, the villagers seemed to 
 think that we had come to make a free exhibition of our- 
 selves as natural monstrosities, for during the night they 
 remained near us, jabbering, gesticulating, and calling to 
 one another with sufficient vociferousness to drive away 
 all thought of sleep. 
 
 We had now been a fortnight on our long journey from 
 Luipo up the Yangtse, and, despite the fact that we all 
 felt the twinges of homesickness, there was an unbridled 
 freedom attending our journey, which, in connection with 
 our unquenched curiosity for further exploration, fully 
 indemnified us for all our efforts. Moreover, we had con- 
 stantly added proof of the courage and fidelity of om" 
 Kiangsi crew ; so that all dubious imaginings as to the 
 future vanished, and every one entered with unmistakable 
 fervour into the spirit of the enterprise, and with an 
 optimistic zeal which assured its successful consummation. 
 
 Skirting the range of hUls which bounds the Ngan 
 valley, by hugging close to the right bank of the stream. 
 
A SZCHUEN DANDY. 
 
 41 
 
 we were able on the twenty-fifth to reach Pungto, after 
 passing through a region of majestic loveliness which 
 could not have been discounted by the beauties of Italy or 
 Switzerland. The surface of the Yangtse was covered 
 with numerous little islands, inhabited by a peaceful and 
 industrious population, who invariably on our approach 
 would swarm out in their little canoes and strive to barter 
 with us. "We reached the village at near midnight ; but 
 notwithstanding the in- 
 auspicious moment, of 
 our arrival, our ap- 
 proach was descried by 
 a group of natives on 
 shore, who immediately 
 carried the fact to the 
 head man of the place. 
 Down upon us swept 
 this important function- 
 ary in a flamboyant 
 Joseph costume which 
 would have shamed that 
 of Biblical fame, and at- 
 tended by a numerous 
 body-guard of servants in the most gorgeous of sknUar rain- 
 bow hued trappings, as if to impress us duly with the might 
 and splendour of his ofl&cial magnificence. We in turn 
 felt it our bounden duty to be fully impressed, and, having 
 touched foreheads with him, took his arm and were led 
 a,way to his dwelling, which was in a small way quite a 
 pretentious structure. Our host was immensely tickled 
 at our glances of curiosity and astonishment, and sought 
 further to ingratiate himself with us by the preparation of 
 a banquet, which gave rare evidence of his tact. He was a 
 
 SZCHUEN TRADING BOAT. 
 
42 THROUGH UNEXPLORED ASIA, 
 
 most amiable and gracious host, and, having overwhelmed 
 us with compliments and courtesy, introduced us to the 
 minor dignitaries of the village, whom we found to be 
 quite intelligent and enlightened individuals. The banquet 
 was really wonderful in the number of concoctions dis- 
 played, and which were served according to all the strict 
 formality and red tape of Chinese etiquette ; but with the 
 spectacle of the guests helping themselves and one another 
 liberally by thrusting their grimy hands into the various 
 dishes, we suddenly found our interest in the event wan- 
 ing, and satisfied ourselves by nibbling at several crusts 
 of adamantine biscuit. In order that conversation should 
 not pall, we spent the time consumed in this diversion by 
 an interchange of the most flattering and lavish compli- 
 ments, in every breath inviting each other reciprocally to 
 the most exalted places. 
 
 With the feasting ended, a number of dancing women 
 and musicians stepped forth, and commenced a perform- 
 ance which we were enabled to bear with Christian 
 fortitude. The music was of an indifferent quality, con- 
 sisting of various tom-tommings on drums and gongs 
 innumerable, the air being carried on in a laudable imita- 
 tion of Tennyson's far-famed brook by several squeaky 
 one-stringed guitars, from which emanated a noise not 
 unlike the chorus of a colony of enraged felines. The 
 dancing, however, was more interesting ; and having been 
 prepared for a vulgar exhibition, such as is too often a 
 distinguishing characteristic of the dancing of Eastern 
 countries, it was a pleasant surprise to be treated instead 
 to a remarkably chaste and even classic performance, the 
 dancers moving to the discordant sounds of the musical 
 instruments with wondrous ease and grace. Through it 
 all the chief and his official groirp smoked in sUence, as if 
 
CHINESE GASTRONOMY. 43 
 
 they were engaged in a function of awful solemnity, until 
 at a movement of his hand the entertainment came to an 
 abrupt ending. We were on the point of leaving, when 
 we were made aware of the fact that the sumptuous feast 
 to which we had just sat down was in the light of a hasty 
 lunch, intended merely to stay the first pangs of hunger, 
 and that the real repast was now to be served. We 
 groaned inwardly at the inability of our overburdened 
 stomachs to comply, but knowing fuU well that any 
 attempt to beg off from the entertainment would be 
 attributed to a churlish disposition, we sought to emulate 
 with indifferent success the gluttonous example of those 
 around us. 
 
 If one has ever entertained doubts as to what nation 
 or race the palm for perfection in the culinary art should 
 be awarded, a trip through Western China would efface 
 all such incertitude. All the inhabitants, without excep- 
 tion, are gifted with a remarkable aptitude for cooking. 
 If one is in need of a cook, it is the easiest thing possible 
 to secure one here, the only thing necessary to do being 
 to seize upon the first person with whom one meets and 
 order him to cook for you, and it is safe to say that 
 he will acquit himself of his duties to your admiration. 
 The tribal chiefs and even mandarins of the larger towns 
 under the jurisdiction of the government are accomplished 
 epicures, carrying the business of eating and drinking to 
 its extremest limit, — the mark of merit being accorded 
 not to him who is the greatest warrior or hunter or benefac- 
 tor to his country and people, but to him who has proved 
 that his appetite is largest, and who is able to maintain 
 a retinue of cooks to provide for the entertainment of 
 perennially htmgry guests. In feasts they delight ; and 
 in many cases large sums are spent in entertaining, your 
 
44 THROUGH UNEXPLORED ASIA. 
 
 real epicurean being unwilling to touch anything, tliat is 
 not in itself a rarity above the means of the common 
 herd. Unlike the natives of the eastern provinces of 
 China, those of the west are addicted to the use of meat 
 in large quantities, and students of social conditions have 
 sought to trace in this practice theis predominance in 
 barbaric traits. 
 
 I cannot refrain from pausing a moment here to say a 
 word in regard to the effect upon the natives of China of 
 the food which they eat. The opinion is generally enter- 
 tained that diet has more or less influence on character, 
 and" not a few believe that a vegetable diet renders the 
 eater more gentle than those whose diet in part consists 
 of animal food. Vegetarians are, however, unfortunate 
 in their comparison of the mildness of herbivorous 
 animals with the ferocity displayed by those that are 
 carnivorous. A little reflection shows that in such cases 
 food cannot be the main cause of the disposition mani- 
 fested. Many of the herbivora are capable of showing 
 the utmost ferocity. Savage attacks upon iaoffensive 
 people by bulls, horses, and stags are by no means uncom- 
 mon ; while in the East rogue elephants, wild boars, and . 
 other herbivorous animals often inflict serious injuries 
 upon human beings who happen to come in their way. 
 So, likewise, the ordinary-minded Chinese native, feeding 
 on rice and the simplest of cereals, is liable to become 
 riotous, uncontrollable, and bloodthirsty when influenced 
 by religious fanaticism. Perhaps the savage effects upon 
 the habits and disposition ascribed to animal food are due 
 to the alcoholic liquors consumed at the same time. The 
 disposition of an average individual who leads a temperate 
 life would probably not be altered for the better were he 
 to substitute a vegetable diet for an animal one. Notwith- 
 
OUR PUNGTO GUIDE. 45 
 
 standing the contention of vegetarians, the example of 
 China gives palpable and unmistakable evidence that the 
 mere using of vegetable food does not superinduce a mild 
 and equable temperament, — conditions which are ascribed 
 to many Asiatic countries. 
 
 We remained at Pungto for three days, owing to the 
 weather conditions being such as to prevent our enter- 
 taining hopes of making successful progress should we 
 depart. Before leaving, our host sought to perpetuate 
 the memory of his hospitality by pressing upon us the 
 acceptance of one of his best cooks, — a native boy some 
 sixteen years old, whom we subsequently discovered to' be, 
 in spite of his youth, most wondrously adept in the prep- 
 aration of savory morsels, of which before we had been 
 serenely unconscious. He was a garrulous and light- 
 hearted specimen of humanity, and, in view of so impor- 
 tant an event as being honoured with the privilege of 
 accompanying us, had donned the very best costume his 
 wardrobe contained. He wore an enormous hat nearly 
 four feet in height, made of interlacing layers of straw 
 and variously coloured strips of cloth, to which was 
 fastened numerous bells and a gorgeous and towering 
 red feather; whUe the lower portion of his body was 
 nearly concealed by innumerable strata of different col- 
 oured trousers and jackets, placed one over the other, 
 untU he presented the appearance of a would-be Arctic 
 explorer. The perspiration poured ofE his body in a con- 
 tinuous stream, — a condition which he did not appear to 
 consider, in his anxiety to impress us with his full value, 
 and for fear lest without this sumptuous display of 
 apparel we might be minded not to accept his services. 
 
 He was a pugnacious little rascal, for, having brought 
 his entire household gods down to the embarkation in a 
 
46 THROUGH UNEXPLORED ASIA. 
 
 heavy bag, beneath which he staggered until nearly ready 
 to drop with fatigue, on one of the canoeman striving to 
 bandy words with him he dropped his precious burden 
 and jumped at his burly antagonist with indiscreet zeal, 
 fighting with all his puny strength, tooth and naU. The 
 huge, muscular canoeman was taken aback at this assault, 
 for he manifestly did not like to engage in a contest of 
 such uneven forces ; so, as his little tormentor persisted in 
 the attack, he quenched the ardour of the fiery young 
 Iravado by tossing him into the water, from which he 
 emerged with his gorgeous raiment sadly spoiled. He was 
 not bowed down by this misfortune, however, and by the 
 middle of the afternoon had willingly laid aside his nu- 
 merous wrappings for the more comfortable and less incon- 
 venient dress of primitive origin. He proved to be a most 
 welcome companion of our voyage, infusing a spirit of 
 mirth into our company that had hitherto been sadly 
 lacking, which, coupled with his other good traits, made 
 him invaluable to us. He was an ardent fisherman, and 
 during the day's journeying experienced no difficulty in 
 catching enough fish to supply our needs (a species of 
 mullet with which the river abounded), and which was a 
 welcome addition to the monotony of our regular fare. 
 
 The country through which the course of the Yangtse 
 now lay was different from that which we had been travers- 
 ing heretofore, the river current expanding itself at fre- 
 quent intervals into large lakelike expanses, the flat plains 
 swelling into low-lying hills, covered with unmistakable 
 evidences of prosperity and thrift. There could be no 
 mistaking the fact, however, that the native population 
 was constantly increasing in undesirable qualities; for, 
 while our numbers and the sight of our arms was suffi- 
 cient to guard us from downright attack, the sinister 
 
A HOSTILE RECEPTION. 47 
 
 glances and furtive attempts at causing us inconveniences 
 were too plain to be mistaken. Outside of the large 
 towns, government, so far as the real meaning of the word 
 is concerned, is an anomaly. The undisciplined and uned- 
 ucated native does not recognise its existence; he does 
 not place faith in laws of any kind, save those which 
 admit of unrestrained personal liberty. He has no written 
 language; all are equal in the scale of his democratic 
 ideas. Wealth counts for naught; the man who seems 
 little better than a beggar in his rags may be the million- 
 aire of the hamlet, but he shares his riches, meagre as 
 they may be, with his more unfortunate brethren. 
 
 In most cases we avoided these settled portions, except 
 as they lay directly in our path, and as we were compelled 
 by necessity to fall back upon them for supplies of provi- 
 sions ; in this manner we were saved from annoyance or 
 danger, the river population having a sufficiently whole- 
 some respect for our general appearance to leave us 
 severely alone. Before long, however, we had to defend 
 ourselves from some serious attacks; and although human- 
 itarians may suggest that pacific methods will always 
 succeed when persisted in, it was ovtr invariable lot to 
 find that such a position is not tenable, since we were 
 compelled, as a last resort, to adopt stern measures. 
 
 Our first experience of downright hostility was on the 
 thirtieth, at the little shore village of Li-Chuang Pa, which 
 we had reached at the end of two days' paddling and pol- 
 ing from Pungto. As we put in at nightfall there was 
 the usual crowd of natives assembled on the beach, who, 
 on our approach, shook their fists menacingly and drew 
 their hands expressively across their throats. We were 
 resolved not to be intimidated by this cowardly rabble, 
 and still kept toward the shore until showers of mud and 
 
48 
 
 THROUGH UNEXPLORED ASIA. 
 
 stones fell around us like hail. Halting the remainder of 
 the canoes, Yuen and I approached to within speaking 
 distance and vainly strove to make friends with them, 
 until, finding their churlish natures incapable of meeting 
 these pacific advances, I threatened the most terrible pun- 
 ishment should they persevere in the attack. The effect 
 of this threat was to cause a succession of jeering yells, 
 while the showers of stones fell in right good earnest. 
 
 Hitherto our dignity only 
 had suffered; but with 
 the wounding of several of 
 the crew by the dangerous 
 missiles, all hopes of paci- 
 fication fled, and we de- 
 cided that they must be 
 given a salutary lesson for 
 this unwarranted attack. 
 Placing the canoes in line, 
 I instructed the men how 
 they were to act, ordering 
 them on no occasion to 
 make use of their firearms 
 unless absolutely forced to do so, but to make the attack 
 with their paddles and long canoe-poles. Firing several 
 shots over the heads of the howling mob, which caused 
 them to fall back for a moment, we were enabled to 
 run the canoes inshore ; and then, without letting them 
 have time in which to formulate resistance, we swept 
 irresistibly upon them, the crew, anxious to avenge the 
 wounds of their fellows, fighting like demons. It was 
 all over in a moment, their determined front melting 
 before our vigorous charge like snow beneath a tropical 
 sun. They fought desperately with clubs and knives 
 
 YUEN. 
 
PEACEMAKING. ' 49 
 
 for the space of a few minutes, but the sturdy blows 
 from the paddles were too much for their courage; 
 they wavered for a moment, and then bolted in all 
 directions. We followed up this advantage by rushing 
 rato the village and seizing several prisoners, who, at the 
 thought of the horrible punishment which they imagined 
 was in store for them, turned white with fright beneath 
 their dusky skins. The crew were in an ugly mood over 
 the serious wounding of one of their number, and were in 
 favour of punishing the captives vigorously; but with 
 their general air of dejectedness we could not find it in 
 our hearts to do so, and after detaining them till morning 
 we allowed them to depart. This exhibition of Christian 
 spirit was not without its result, for the released prisoners 
 rejoined their fellows and related their experience. As 
 we were making preparations to resume the day's journey- 
 ing, a delegation from the tribe came down to the beach 
 with offerings of fowl and some native wine, the poor 
 creatures striving in this manner to show their gratitude 
 for such unheard-of leniency. We shook hands with all, 
 and distributed presents among the head men, which 
 politic action had the effect of securing us half a dozen 
 canoemen to guide us through the rapids during the day. 
 The approach to Pa-Ko-Shan was marked by a majesty 
 of scenery, particularly the dominance of innumerable lofty 
 and graceful mountain peaks, fading into relief against the 
 cobalt blue of a cloudless sky, causing a desire to abstain 
 from nearer approach lest the vision should be shattered. 
 The cool night air, however, hurried us forward, and just 
 as the setting sun was tingeing the varied panorama with 
 its subdued and mellow radiance we shot into the little 
 barbour, with the result of soon bringing the whole popu- 
 lation about our ears, — those in boats crowding as near 
 
50 THROUGH UNEXPLORED ASIA. 
 
 as the vigilance of tlie canoemen would permit, while their 
 less fortunate neighbours on shore expressed the sincerity 
 of their welcome by a constant humming of curious antici- 
 pation. We had expected to find the population savour- 
 ing, in a measure, of the barbarousness and uncouthness of 
 the small river villages ; but in this instance we were 
 most fortunately mistaken, for they contented themselves, 
 after the first satisfying of curiosity, by attending to their 
 own afEairs, an example in whose footsteps we sedulously 
 followed. 
 
 We were waited upon during the evening by a staid- 
 looking individual, who informed us that he was the 
 government agent for the surrounding district. We were 
 naturally at a loss to account for the necessity of his pres- 
 ence in this region, until from his conversation we gleaned 
 the fact that there were valuable coal mines in the vicin- 
 ity in a state of operation. At Pa-Ko-Shan we found a 
 large native forge and smithy, where there were about 
 a dozen smiths busily at work. The iron ore mined in 
 the surrounding mountains is very pure, while the abun- 
 dance of the coal supply furnishes the necessary fuel for its 
 conversion to a practical state. We observed numerous 
 implements of husbandry, and also a large number of 
 knives and spears of native manufacture which were 
 really creditable to their artificers. As the river cur- 
 rent was liberally bestrewn with numerous rocks and 
 other obstructions, we took advantage of the occasion 
 to have the bows of the canoes armed with thin sheets 
 of iron, and also to secure a supply of knives and spears, 
 with which to arm the crew, securing these articles at 
 an incredibly low price. Our telescope was the first ever 
 seen in the district, and effected a striking demonstration 
 in our favour, the natives imagining that through its 
 
ASTROLOGICAL INFORMATION. 51 
 
 Tiedium we were looking into the future. The effect of 
 ihis general idea was to bring us daily crowds of anxious 
 dsitors, who, by the aid of small gifts of provisions or 
 iron instruments, tried to induce us to read the future for 
 i;hem. As we were fully aware that no amount of ex- 
 planation on our part would disillusionise them, and that 
 Eailure to comply would lessen their friendliness, Burton 
 md I during those few days carried on a bureau of gen- 
 3ral astrological information which would have been the 
 fortune of a rising see/. 
 
 The manner of dressing the hair among the female 
 population was very curious. They arranged it with a 
 stiffening of light cane into a bonnet-shaped head-dress, 
 allowing the back hair to flow down to the waist in 
 masses of ringlets. They seemed to do all the work of 
 the community, for at all hours they might be seen with 
 their large wicker baskets behind them, setting out for 
 }he river to catch fish, or returning with their fuel baskets 
 strapped across their foreheads. 
 
CHAPTER II. 
 
 Whek on the fifth of February we had left Pa-Ko-Shan 
 behind us, it was with the knowledge that henceforth the 
 real battling against the strong river current was to begin 
 in earnest, the closely converging mountain ranges press- 
 ing together until the bed of the stream was but a long, 
 narrow ravine, through which the seething waters foamed 
 and roared as in a giant caldron. About 11 A. m. the 
 current broadened into a wide pool, where the waters 
 were less turbulent ; here were numerous islands, which 
 were marvels of vegetation and of curious shape, hanging 
 like a picture against the mountain gallery in the back- 
 ground. The inhabitants of these islands, we soon dis- 
 covered, were a miserable and filthy lot, and to avoid 
 trouble with them we kept well amid-stream, ignoring 
 their menacing shouts. With such evidences we were 
 all the more surprised on reaching Tang Wan to find 
 it a town of considerable pretence. It was impossible 
 not to be struck by the superior deportment of its in- 
 habitants, who presented a haughty, distinguished, and 
 even elegant appearance, which was not altogether dis- 
 pleasing after one had been obliged to put up with the 
 usual rabble of Western China. 
 
 We had intended to make an encampment on the shore, 
 but before we had been landed five minutes the head man 
 of the village, with proverbial courtesy, sent one of his 
 servants to invite us to share the hospitalities of his abode. 
 With full knowledge that the invariable custom of Asia 
 
 52 
 
TANG -WAN COURTESY. 63 
 
 requires that the first invitation must be refused, we 
 declined the o£Eer, secretly hoping that this concession 
 to Oriental etiquette on our part might not be without 
 its just reward. We had not miscalculated, for in half 
 an hour another servant appeared with a repetition of 
 the invitation ; and now that it was lawful to seize 
 upon the opportunity, we accepted with alacrity. 
 
 Once gathered into the residence of our ataman host, 
 however, we were half sorry that we had been so rash as 
 to agcept his hospitality without better knowledge of what 
 was to be our portion ; for his habitation was situated in 
 the most vile-smelling quarter of the town, and was sur- 
 rounded by a varied zoological collection which, upon 
 short acquaintance, upset our equanimity to a considerable 
 extent. When, however, we had accustomed our noses to 
 the discomforting odours from without, with philosophical 
 resignation we welcomed matters as they were, seeing that 
 they could not be altered, and made the best of the situa- 
 tion. We found this building larger and richer than any 
 edifice that we had yet encountered in Western China; 
 it was wainscoted with highly varnished woods and por- 
 celain, and with considerable elaborate and sumptuous 
 ornamentation. 
 
 Our host was evidently a suspicious old fellow, and 
 placed no great abundance of faith in our honesty of pur- 
 pose ; for he had stationed rows of servants where our 
 every movement might be watched, evidently fearing that 
 some of his household gods might excite our cupidity. 
 He had also taken the precaution to place several round 
 beads and strange bottles full of grayish powder in a capa- 
 cious bag, which he hung around his neck, — these queer 
 articles, we subsequently discovered, being a potent charm 
 against illness or danger to their owner. 
 
54 THROUGH UNEXPLORED ASIA. 
 
 Our presence, and the knowledge of our expedition, 
 attracted during tlie evening a number of the glite, who, 
 finding our host ready and willing to place on exhibition 
 the mulkarjese (white devils), could not find it in their 
 hearts to leave, when once their curiosity had been par- 
 tially appeased. With the constant addition of recruits to 
 the assembly, by midnight the stuffy little room was filled 
 to a point bordering on suffocation, the less fortunate 
 denizens of the courtyard attesting their disapproval of 
 proceedings by maintaining an unceasing ululation. There 
 was apparently no wearing through of their inquisitive 
 spirits; they seemed to be actuated with a desire to 
 investigate everything, asking innumerable questions of 
 great or lesser import, and some of no import at all ; caus- 
 ing us no httle embarrassment by feeling of our persons, 
 examining our clothes, and finding endless delight in the 
 mysteries of our chronometers and telescopes. This latter 
 instrument was undoubtedly the " lion " of the occasion ; 
 and there being no cessation of the inquisitive demands 
 concerning its supernatural powers, we were obliged at 
 last, through the sheer necessity of saving it from destruc- 
 tion, to retire it from the field of exhibition. To avoid the 
 wearisome task of incessantly answering the simple but 
 puzzling questions of childlike ignorance, and to escape 
 from the noise and tumult of innumerable voices jabbering 
 all at once, we welcomed the opportunity, a couple of hours 
 after midnight, to make an abrupt exit from the room ; 
 but, alas ! what should have been the delights of privacy 
 and repose were turned into further annoyance by the 
 fact that the walls surrounding our sleeping apartment 
 presented the appearance of a hydra-headed monster, with 
 countless eyes glued to every opening and crevice, in 
 order that not a movement made by us should be lost. 
 
UNQUENCHABLE CURIOSITY. 55 
 
 The morning brought us no relief, for there was no 
 diminution of zeal in the curiosity seekers of the night 
 before, who, entertaining the fear that we might take our 
 departure before they could arrive, had guarded against 
 this by remaining overnight, and, refreshed by a few 
 hours' sleep, were ready and anxious to continue their 
 cross-questioning. They covld by no means, however, 
 neglect their gastronomic indulgence ; so, as became a 
 generous host, the ataman placed huge bowls of chou-^nien 
 (a soup of meat and barley) where it could be assailed to 
 best advantage by all present, and the varied company, 
 partaking of this, and a large quantity of exhilarating 
 native wine, fairly distracted us with their oral assaults. 
 • But at last every possible question had been answered in 
 some form or other, and we welcomed the moment when 
 the canoes were launched and we were able to proceed, 
 our day's effort to be to reach Su-Chow. 
 
 The original colour of the stream had now been changed 
 to a sooty black, owing to the dark-coloured waters of the 
 listless Hunan River pouring into it just above Tang Wan. 
 Halting about noonday on the river bank to prepare the 
 midday meal, we were immediately surrounded by a horde 
 of dirty savages, who seemingly sprang out of the very 
 groimd, for not a sign of habitation was visible in any 
 direction. Although the weather was comparatively cold, 
 owing to the high elevation, these natives were devoid of 
 clothing, except a small breech-cloth around the waist. 
 They gathered about us with menacing scowls, as the 
 preparation for the meal advanced, evidently resolved to 
 secure a share in the feast. On this occasion we had an 
 opportunity of testing the temper of our little cook. One 
 of the natives approached, and, calling the cook's attention 
 to some object in another direction, took advantage of his 
 
56 THROUGH UNEXPLORED ASIA. 
 
 momentary abstraction to snatcli a roasting fowl from the 
 fire, and run away with it in the direction of the hills. 
 After him went our cook, and, being more fleet of foot, 
 soon overtook the sagacious rascal. Then ensued a battle 
 royal. The native was determined to hold on to his con- 
 quest, while his small antagonist was as firmly resolved 
 that he should not. In proof of the superiority of his 
 claims, after a few minutes of this interesting strife, our 
 cook returned sorely bruised and beaten, but holdmg aloft 
 in triumph the remains of the sadly mutUated fowl, his 
 face begrimed with dirt and blood, but wearing a look 
 of mingled joy and chagrin, at having recovered the booty 
 with so dear a cost. 
 
 The scenery of the region through which we passed dur- 
 ing the afternoon was gorgeous in the extreme, the low- 
 lying hills of our former course having given way to those 
 of higher elevation, which hung like a glorious canvas 
 against the cloudless sky. Down through innumerable 
 dusky clefts, all overhung with daphne of every descrip- 
 tion, came silver-threaded brooks from a moimtain tarn, 
 whitening on the rough stones by the way, darting and 
 lingering a spell in secret crannies under overhanging 
 rocks, and then re-emerging with audacious quip and sally. 
 We arrived at Su-Chow just as the sun was setting, to 
 find, as usual, the inevitable gathering of uncouth natives 
 in waiting for us, who, in some inexplicable way, had been 
 forewarned of our approach. One pompous little individ- 
 ual, whom we rightly imagined to be the head man of 
 the village, came forward and welcomed us with much 
 obsequiousness, heaping flowery eulogies on our own per- 
 sons as well as on those of our illustrious ancestry for 
 many generations removed, — a compliment which we 
 reciprocated. Our little dose of flattery (we, had not 
 
NATIVE TKEACHERY. 57 
 
 neglected the wildest flights of hyperbole) had the desired 
 effect, for we were able to purchase an abundance of 
 provisions, and also secure the promise of guides to pilot 
 us on the morrow. There could be no doubt of the 
 thievish propensities of the population, in spite of their 
 grandiloquent promises, and it was only by the exercise 
 of the greatest watchfulness that we were saved from 
 serious loss. 
 
 Later in the evening the chief of the village invited us 
 to pass the night with him, but as his residence was close 
 to the quarters assigned to the animals, from which ema- 
 nated a frightful odour, we were obliged to call into play 
 all the subtleties of tact and diplomacy to explain to him 
 our preference for encamping on the river bank. The 
 scene of our encampment was like a page out of Dante's 
 " Inferno," thrown as it was into relief against the dark 
 background of the forest by the fitful glare of an enor- 
 mous camp-fire, disclosing upon the edge of the dark circle 
 of Hght a fantastic cordon of squatting natives, who passed 
 the time in singing the stirring strains of a war-chant 
 imtil the surrounding forest reverberated with the sound. 
 
 In spite of our habitual lightness of spirit, a feeling of 
 discomfort came over us as we lay down on our mats, and, 
 wrapping ourselves up in blankets, tried to sleep ; for the 
 pleasant weather which had hitherto been our portion had 
 now come to an end, and immense banks of scurrying 
 clouds, and a wind which was almost blowing a hurricane, 
 presaged a storm of considerable violence. This prophecy 
 was not belied, for soon the elements were warring in 
 earnest, — the wind howling with frightful fury, the rain 
 descending in blinding sheets, and the lightning playing 
 around in fitful flashes, crackling and snapping like 
 whip cracks, while ever and anon there was the sound 
 
t 
 58 THROUGH UNEXPLORED ASIA. 
 
 of ripping and tearing as immense forest giants were 
 brought tumbling to the ground. 
 
 Suddenly the war of the tempest was drowned in 
 groans of agony and yells of rage, and our crew came 
 running up with the intelligence that a large body of 
 natives was attacking us in force.. So stealthily and 
 silently had they come that the actual attack, and the 
 whistling of slugs and rattle of muskets, was the jfirst 
 intimation of their presence. We rallied the crew behind 
 the canoes, and, infusing them with a dash of courage by 
 recalling the success that had attended their efEorts on a 
 previous occasion, we prepared to fight to the bitter end. 
 We felt fully capable of beating off our assailants; but we 
 felt also that this treacherous and premeditated assault 
 must be visited with severe punishment, and, forgetful of 
 the frightful storm, we proceeded to avenge ourselves. 
 Hearing heartrending screams, we were able by the vivid 
 flashes of lightning to see a couple of natives, armed with 
 large knives, attacking one of our men of the outpost, who, 
 though taken at a disadvantage, was making valorous 
 efforts to defend himself. He was lying on the ground, 
 however, and on the point of being despatched. All cau- 
 tion was now thrown to the winds. The comrades of the 
 attacked man jumped to their feet, and, with Burton lead- 
 ing the left and myself the right, at the yelling horde we 
 charged, who met this aggressive movement on our part 
 with yells of impotent fury and a fusilade of spears which 
 fell short and did no damage. We poured a volley into 
 them, and, without halting, reloading as we ran, main- 
 tained the furious onslaught. Distracted by our attack, 
 the two men who had been assaulting our canoeman now 
 found themselves with the tables turned, for the plucky 
 fellow having raised himself from his inglorious position, 
 
AT THE YELLING HORDE WE CHARGED." 
 
RIGOROUS PUNISHMENT. 61 
 
 made a tremendous assault on them with his knife. Stim- 
 ulated by his example, we fired another volley, and then 
 with clubbed muskets charged the wavering line of our 
 foes, who, with the severe loss which they had met from 
 our well-directed fire, felt their courage evanescing. They 
 battled in despairing rage for a few moments, and then, 
 as we drew our revolvers and poured a withering fire into 
 the closely huddled mass, they broke and fled incontinently 
 in all directions. We felt no Httle compunction in main- 
 taining the pursuit, but as they outnumbered us ten to 
 one it was no time for chivaby, and, besides, we felt forced 
 to adopt these stringent measures, knowing full well that 
 it would have a material effect in lessening the hostility 
 of villages farther on. 
 
 Once within the confines of their village, the natives 
 sought to make another stand ; but our spirit was thor- 
 oughly aroused by this time, and we routed them out of 
 their lair and drove them into the hUls beyond. We were 
 minded to teach them a salutary lesson that they should 
 not soon forget ; so, after setting fire to the village in 
 several places, we returned to our encampment, where the 
 remainder of the night was anxiously spent in preparing 
 for what seemed an inevitable skirmish on the morrow. 
 With several of their number killed, however, and twice 
 as many wounded, they had no desire for continuing the 
 conflict, and we were left to attend to our own injuries. 
 Every one had received wounds of some sort or other, 
 mostly bruises received from clubs and stones, but fortu- 
 nately none were of a serious nature. They were suffi- 
 cient, however, to prevent us from attempting to make 
 any progress during the day ; and indeed we remained in 
 our encampment until the eleventh, when, most of the 
 men having sufficiently recovered from their wounds, we 
 
62 THROUGH UNEXPLORED ASIA. 
 
 left the hostile spot. As we disappeared around the bend 
 of the river, the last glimpse of the stage on which such 
 stirring events had taken place within the past two days 
 revealed to us a conglomerate gathering of defiant and 
 unsubdued natives, who shook their hands menacingly at 
 us, but who, at the first sign of our turning the canoes in 
 their direction, forgot their belligerent intentions and fled 
 with undue haste to the shelter of the hills. 
 
 At this season of the year the shores of the stream 
 were covered with a rank growth of long grass, and 
 we were made painfully aware of its presence by prickly 
 sensations all over our bodies. We could have borne the 
 stinging annoyance to our bodies, but with the small par- 
 ticles blowing into our eyes we were reduced to a state of 
 almost total blindness, and were nearly driven to despera- 
 tion by the pain. One of the crew suggested that we 
 allow him to make an ointment for our relief ; so pulling 
 inshore, he gathered several roots of shrubs on the bank, 
 and, having chewed them to the consistency of a pulpy 
 mass, applied the plaster to the afflicted spot. Notwith- 
 standing our lack of faith in the efficacy of his methods, 
 we were forced to acknowledge its worth; for immedi- 
 ately the healing mixture had touched our eyes, the pain 
 vanished as if by magic, and we were spared further 
 annoyance. 
 
 It has been said before that the Chinese are a nation of 
 cooks, and it might be added with equal truth that they 
 are likewise a race of doctors ; for the entire population 
 seem to have a general understanding of the powers of 
 simple curative principles. Disease of all kinds is cured 
 by botanical means, and although they are of course un- 
 able to combat the more serious cases, and to treat those 
 cases requiring surgical care, it is simply marvellous to 
 
MAGNIFICENT SCENERY. 63 
 
 witness the success which attends their treatment of all 
 illnesses of a minor character. 
 
 The river current for many miles above Su-Chow was 
 covered with dozens of little islands, composed of deposits 
 of alluvial sand, and covered with a rank vegetation. Im- 
 mense flocks of spur-winged geese and other birds hovered 
 around, and, as a diet of bufEalo meat had palled on our 
 appetites, we welcomed the opportunity to add fresh game 
 to our daily fare. Turning our canoes inshore, we were 
 able to obtain several dozens of these birds, the noise of 
 our guns bringing to view solitary natives, who gathered 
 wonderingly at a distance, following our progress in awed 
 amazement until we had vanished from sight. 
 
 "We occupied a beautiful camping-place above the Min, 
 on a long stretch of pure white river sand, under the 
 shadow of such an upright and high cliff that the sun- 
 shine did not visit us until 9 A. m. With Burton and an 
 escort of the crew I clambered up the steep ascent during 
 the morning, and shortly before noontime reached its sum- 
 mit. Here we stood for an hour, pondering unspeakable 
 things, the moan and plaint of the mighty river, stretch- 
 ing off as far as the eye could reach in either direction, 
 sounding almost human in tone. We remained on this 
 high elevation during the greater part of the afternoon, 
 making observations, and pursuing numerous herds of 
 small antelopes and wild boars, which roamed the plateau 
 in abundant profusion. 
 
 On the thirteenth we again set forth, having for our 
 objective point Pa-Shin-Chi. The treacherous river cur- 
 rent menaced progress, obliging us to hug closely to the 
 shore. When half over the distance we were startled by 
 the cries of the men in the canoe carrjdng the provisions, 
 and, looking in their direction, we saw that, in spite of the 
 
64 THROUGH UNEXPLORED ASIA. 
 
 greatest vigilance, they had crashed against a jagged reef. 
 The canoe was already filled with water, and, calling to 
 them to jump for their lives, we hurried toward the scene, 
 just in time to take them aboard, as the necessary effort 
 required to resist the swiftness of the current had about 
 used them up. 
 
 We dissipated our grief during the afternoon by regal- 
 ing our artistic sense on the varied panorama of the 
 ever-changing landscape constantly unfolding before us, — 
 presenting an immense forest of dwarfed growth, among 
 which were trees with fluted and beautifully carved trunks, 
 set off by a mass of magnificent ferns, waving their plumed 
 fronds in the balmy air. On the horizon of this animated 
 scene were gathered trees of higher growth, arrayed in 
 battalions as if to protect their lesser brethren beneath. 
 Between these serrated lines of mute sentinels the eye 
 met a compact mass of draperies and festoons of rank 
 and gaily-coloured clinging vegetation, presenting a most 
 charming and impressive appearance. 
 
 We reached Pa-Shin-Chi about two hours before sunset, 
 our approach lying through a flotilla of boats of all man- 
 ners and conditions, which had gathered duly to honour 
 our arrival. On acquainting the head man of the village 
 with an account of the attack to which we had been sub- 
 jected at Su-Chow, he waxed exceeding wroth, and vowed 
 all sorts of direful vengeance to be inflicted on the hap- 
 less villagers who sought to do us injury. He was, 
 doubtless, far from being sincere in this determination, 
 his grandiose and high-sounding boasts and promises hav- 
 ing birth in the expectation of receiving presents. He 
 explained his inability to set out on the punitive expe- 
 dition at once by saying that he was just on the point 
 of visiting a brother chief, a half day's journey down- 
 
A CHINESE "NEW WOMAN." 65 
 
 stream, turning us over meanwhile to the hospitality of 
 one of his subjects. He had soon gathered together his 
 body-guard, and set forth in three large sampans, manned 
 by forty fine-looking warriors, presenting a general ap- 
 pearance of might and majesty which we assured him 
 would, doubtless, have a potent effect on the chief whom 
 he was intending to visit. 
 
 The satellite in whose hands we had been left was a 
 queer-looking individual, with a face as keen as a hawk, 
 who took advantage of our passive attitude to pour out 
 maledictions on the country, its people, and things in gen- 
 eral, — a noisy harangue to which we were obliged to 
 listen without complaining, for the very good and sufficient 
 reason that no alternative presented itself. His better 
 half, however, was a more cheery body ; and despite the 
 fact that womanhood in Western China is on a low social 
 level, she proved herself a very vigorous and efficient 
 woman's rights-reformer by figuratively " wearing the 
 breeches of the establishment," her stern look and manner 
 finally causing her grumbling husband to relapse into an 
 awkward and profound silence. She was a plump little 
 person, as was in evidence not only from her personal 
 appearance, but from a joke of her husband, who, when 
 she had retired, related how a disrespectful relative had 
 averred that whenever she fell down she " bounced like a 
 rubber ball." The particular brightness of this retaliatory 
 sally dominated his mind during the remainder of the 
 evening, causing a general forgetfulness of his numerous 
 grounds of complaint; and every few moments he would 
 suspend the discussion of weightier subjects, by stopping 
 to breathe forth a dry, rasping chuckle, and to murmur the 
 phrase, "bound like a rubber ball." 
 
 The natives of Pa-Shin were given up to the cultivation 
 
66 THROUGH UNEXPLORED ASIA. 
 
 of a very edible species of ground-nut known as melkeru, 
 and to catching quantities of a small fish about the size of 
 a minnow. Food suitable for the preservation of working- 
 men's strength was, in consequence, so scarce in this 
 village, that for the first time we were seriously menaced 
 by the possibility of famine, we being unable to purchase 
 anything more than a few ground-nuts and fish, and these 
 only at outrageous prices. With this dispiriting outlook, 
 after several fruitless hunting expeditions in the surround- 
 ing country, we left Pa-Shin on the sixteenth. As the 
 greater portion of our stay at this village had been spent 
 to no purpose, we felt it incumbent on us, for this waste 
 of time and opportunity, to put forth our best efforts dur- 
 ing the day to reach the considerable village of Au-Pien, 
 at the mouth of the Whau Kiang, where we were in hopes 
 of being able to purchase a supply of provisions. A good 
 breeze diffused a refreshing coolness, and being in the 
 right direction, it helped us materially, permitting the 
 canoemen to lay aside their oars and take their ease. 
 They took advantage of the occasion to indulge in a gam- 
 bling game, which consisted of guessing the number of 
 grains of corn in a small box, — the excitement and tur- 
 moil at length growing so vigorous that a quarrel would 
 have ensued, but that we stopped it by ordering them to 
 resume their paddles. The breeze continuing to freshen, 
 the canoes acquired an uneasy, jerky motion, perhaps 
 superinduced by the rowing of the crew, which, to repay 
 us for our interruption of their sport, was erratic in the 
 extreme. 
 
 Our speed, however, increased every minute, until we 
 were soon cutting through the water with the velocity of 
 a well-aimed projectile, the foam brushing from the bows 
 of our sharp-nosed craft in a long churning eddy. Al- 
 
AU-PIEN RELIGIOUS CELEBRATION. 67 
 
 though the stream was less than half a mile wide, there 
 was a movement of waters which suggested the ocean, 
 and, with almost a gale blowing across this narrow expanse, 
 it was with unfeigned delight that we perceived, about the 
 middle of the afternoon, the low-lying huts of Au-Pien. 
 It was a mournful disappointment to find that, contrary 
 to our fond imaginings, it was a most undelightful spot, a 
 sort of huddling together of numerous insignificant vil- 
 lages, covering an area several acres in extent, and given 
 over to a filthy and sinister-looking population. This 
 population, however, was infinitely preferable to a rascally 
 set of priests, who, far from leading a solitary and monas- 
 tic life, crowded on every hand, rendering existence one 
 long-drawn-out period of torture. As we beached the 
 canoes, a procession of some thirty of these dirty rascals 
 came down to meet us, bearing aloft a grotesque figure, 
 who, to his credit be it said, was the only one of the lot 
 that appealed to our gratitude through reason of its 
 silence. Eight chanting priests, in mourning garments, 
 whose original colour had long since vanished beneath the 
 accumulation of the filth of years of wear, supported this 
 image on either side, which was gay with beaten gold, 
 borne in a canopy of the richest of silk and lace, and 
 elaborately decked with shell ornaments. The priests 
 moved very slowly, as if to impress all with the sacredness 
 of the spectacle, the common herd prostrating themselves 
 at every few steps, with the accompaniment of dismal 
 bowlings. Hoping the sooner to rid ourselves of the 
 abominable nuisance, and wishing to gain favour in the 
 sight of the natives, we assumed a reverent mien, but 
 welcomed with unfeigned joy the moment when the 
 ghastly image had taken its departure, and we were able 
 to think of secular matters of greater importance. Our 
 
68 THKOUGH UNEXPLORED ASIA. 
 
 veneration of the image had not passed unnoticed, and we 
 experienced no difficulty in purchasing an abundance of 
 meat and barley meal, and also a sort of root-like sub- 
 stance which, when cooked, had the taste of a potato. 
 
 We had evidently arrived at Au-Pien during a season 
 of the year when the gambling fever of the populace was 
 at its height, and when .quail-fights were engaging univer- 
 sal attention. We had an opportunity of witnessing one of 
 these spectacles carried out with great Sclat, later in the 
 evening, the residence of the head man of the village for 
 the time being having been transformed into a cocking- 
 main. This pastime is essentially of Chinese origin and . 
 practice, being one of general favour, — not that it pro- 
 vides an interesting sport, but from the fact that it 
 enables the gambling instinct of the populace to be sated. 
 It would be impossible to imagine a more tame or uninter- 
 esting exhibition, as seen from a Western point of view, 
 yet to Chinese eyes it is the pastime, par excellence, for 
 thorough enjoyment. The method of procedure is as 
 follows : 
 
 A miniature pit formed by a sieve is placed on top of 
 a table, and into this arena two male quails are introduced, 
 having for several days previous been deprived of food in 
 order to make their gamy instincts more keen. A grain 
 of millet-seed is then dropped between the two contest- 
 ants, and the battle begins. Each strives to seize the 
 seed, the rivalry of the attempt arousing such a spirit 
 of combativeness that all thought of seed and hunger 
 is forgotten, and at each other they fly, beating with 
 their little wings, and pecking at each other with a comic 
 air of ferocity which is ludicrous to behold. For a space 
 of two or three minutes this contest is waged, when the 
 defeated bird jumps into the air, or retires to one corner 
 
AN ESCULAPIAN PARADISE. 69 
 
 of the cage, and leaves the victor to devour the choice 
 morsel uninterruptedly. During the battle, and before it 
 has been started, the spectators have wagered everything 
 which they possess, even their own persons, the result 
 being that the fervour of the betting ring causes sangui- 
 nary brawls, spreading from one to another till even those 
 far removed from the scene, and who may be totally unac- 
 quainted with the cause of the encounter, are battling with 
 misplaced zeal. The quails themselves are tenderly reared 
 and looked after by their respective owners, for a suc- 
 cessful champicfc is often of inestimable value, renowned 
 through the entire country, and brings an enviable repu- 
 tation to the village in which he is owned. 
 
 The notice of our arrival having been sown broadcast, 
 the immediate effect was to procure us the honour of a 
 visit from a horde of native physicians. Doctors seemed 
 to thrive in the general squalor of Au-Pien, for it was 
 situated in the midst of a quagmire, whose immense banks 
 of alluvial mud, left by the varying course of the river, 
 gave rise to pestilent, fever-breeding exhalations. We 
 wisely decided to dispense with the services of these 
 medical gentlemen, who seemed to form nearly the en- 
 tire population, their sudden recruiting to the profession, 
 doubtless, being influenced largely by the expectation of 
 winning our favour and securing presents. We had no 
 occasion to regret this decision when later on we had 
 an opportunity to witness their method of curing disease. 
 One of the natives having been taken ill with a malignant 
 fever, his relatives called in the services of the doctors, 
 who, after examining the patient critically, attributed (as 
 is the invariable Chinese custom in cases of disease) the 
 man's disease to the fact that a devil had taken hold of 
 his body, and they decided that his cure could be effected 
 
70 THROUGH UNEXPLORED ASIA. 
 
 only by ridding the flesh of this unwelcome visitor. Al- 
 though the unfortunate man could scarcely find strength 
 enough to stand, he was led to the front of his abode and 
 there suffered a chastisement with long switches until his 
 back was lacerated into bloody strips from the force of 
 the blows. His faith. in the shallow fraud must have 
 been considerable, for before we sailed away he was around 
 and about, seemingly in good health once more ; and one 
 could not help thinking that this would be a fruitful field 
 indeed for apostles of the " faith cure." 
 
 A traveller in this wild country of Western China, 
 where the people are so superstitious, is liable at any 
 moment to be the object of popular fury. Sickness might 
 overtake some native, plague or pestilence of some sort 
 sweep the place, a severe storm cause loss of human life, 
 or a thousand and one other things of a similar character 
 happen, in which case natural conditions would never be 
 taken into account ; for great disturbances, it is thought, 
 must have occult reasons for their being, and ever3rthing 
 would be charged to the malevolent influence of the 
 stranger. This, in a measure, explains the general hos- 
 tility of the people of the region to foreigners, since 
 among themselves they are peaceable and contented, and 
 little given to warfare ; and even to foreigners their an- 
 tipathy does not seem to be of a personal nature, but is 
 rather actuated by the idea that the presence of foreign- 
 ers is liable to bring upon them dire misfortune, and the 
 anger of their gods, who are so numerous that one can- 
 not help pondering as to how the simple-minded and 
 uneducated native is able to keep track of them all. 
 
 The natives of Au-Pien were exceedingly friendly. 
 Gunpowder and firearms were abundant with them, 
 every male capable of carrying a gun having one or 
 
DKAWBACKS OF CIVILISATION. 
 
 71 
 
 more. Most of them were crude flintlocks, doubtless 
 purchased from the Chinese traders in their periodical 
 visits to the country, but there were also a number of 
 native manufacture, which were masterpieces of skill. 
 We discovered cloth and brass wire to be abundant 
 among these people, and in order to buy provisions we 
 were obliged to pay for them in silver. They were far 
 better dressed than any race of people we had yet met 
 with in Western China, the long flowing robes being simi- 
 lar to those used in the eastern part of the country. One 
 
 8ZCHUEN SALT JUNK. MAST UNSHIPPED FOR DOWNWARD VOYAGE. 
 
 could not fail to notice the evU effect produced by this 
 method of dressing, for chief of all the social ills they 
 suffer is the mischief done them by the ugly and clumsy 
 clothing which they wear, and which is not only unneces- 
 sary in this hot climate, but serves as abiding-places for 
 disease germs. A wiseacre recently instanced, as evidences 
 of the benefit of introducing Christianity and modern con- 
 ditions into Western China, that thereby even the poorest 
 natives could live and dress like gentlemen. The one 
 privilege is just about as valuable as the other, for it 
 would be impossible to imagine garments of greater ugli- 
 
72 THROUGH UNEXPLORED ASIA. 
 
 ness, unsuitability, and anti-hygienic qualities than those 
 now worn. They are neither protection against cold nor 
 the tortures of heat ; they conceal all symmetry of pro- 
 portion, and yet most impudently suggest nudity. The 
 lightly garbed population of a past generation were far 
 healthier and more vigorous than that of the present, for 
 the reason that, though the disease germs might be in 
 the air just the same, they were not carried around on the 
 person in clothing seemingly constructed for that very 
 purpose. When one considers the plagues and pestilences 
 that have overtaken China in those regions where for- 
 merly the native population was accustomed to wear scant 
 raiment, one can fully appreciate the baneful results ac- 
 cruing from that mode of dressing which " modern civili- 
 sation " has introduced, and which is so ill-adapted to the 
 climate and uncleanly habits of the people. In a state of 
 nature men recognise the obvious necessity of adapting 
 their clothing to their inevitable climatic conditions, and 
 experience none of that unnatural shame in existing 
 together, which civilising agencies seek to inculcate and 
 engender. By this I do not mean to intimate that civi- 
 lising agencies have been totally at fault in their chari- 
 table intention ; but it cannot be denied that the clothing 
 which civilisation has imposed on the simple-minded and 
 confiding Chinese native is not only unnecessary but posi- 
 tively deleterious, and one cannot help wishing that the 
 vast amount of time and money expended in carrying on 
 the mission of proselytism in China might be more dis- 
 criminatingly applied both in spirit and in method. I 
 have been led into these remarks by the sole desire to 
 bring to the notice of those charitably disposed but misled 
 individuals who love the heathen the inutility of sending 
 clothing to torrid countries, and to impress on them the 
 
A REGAL DEPARTURE. 73 
 
 fact that their action, far from being a Christian one, 
 brings untold misery and disease on the objects of their 
 solicitude. 
 
 We remained in Au-Pien until the twenty-second, in 
 order to strengthen and repair the canoes, and buy large 
 quantities of provisions ; these necessary matters having 
 been attended to, we turned our course once more toward 
 the setting sun. Our leave-taking was truly a regal one. 
 The population gathered on the river bank, giving us a 
 parting salut^with their muskets, while the ataman led 
 the way for us up-stream in a large state canoe for half 
 the day, standards floating, and trophies of rich carving 
 and gilding towering above long banks of rowers, who 
 dashed their enormous sweeps into the water, and chanted 
 stirring songs. The clearest of atmospheres surrounded 
 us on leaving this hospitable spot; the river wound in 
 long, snaky configurations past green hills, surmounted by 
 grotesque temples, and native dwellings, and the watch- 
 towers of innumerable sleepy inhabitants, watching over 
 the remains of remarkably wakeful ancestors ; but these 
 sleepy inhabitants forgot ancestry and all else on our 
 approach, following us in their little canoes for miles 
 with unquenched curiosity. Almost straight the river 
 flowed, the current being less impeded with obstructions 
 than formerly. The right bank to which we clung was 
 steep and high, and crowned with solemn woods of small 
 dwarfed trees, in which could be seen numerous herds of 
 antelopes and water buffaloes, and during the day we were 
 able to shoot several of the latter on the shore. The clayey 
 bed of the current had given the waters a yellowish tinge, 
 making it impossible to see even for a few inches below 
 the surface ; and knowing full well the treacherousness of 
 the stream, we were obliged to make frequent soundings. 
 
74 THROUGH UNEXPLORED ASIA. 
 
 and station men in the bows of the canoes to guard 
 against obstructions. 
 
 At one o'clock the course of the river carried us by a 
 considerable island, where we could see groups of scantUy 
 dressed natives gathered on shore, brandishing guns and 
 spears. As we drew nearer, they jiunped into their 
 canoes and pulled out into midstream, to await our arrival, 
 still brandishing their weapons and giving every evidence 
 of a belligerent intention. We felt abundantly able to 
 beat off their attack ; but not caring to risk the lives of 
 the crew unnecessarily, we fired several shots from our 
 long-range rifles over their heads, to intimate that we were 
 not minded to submit pea-ceably. The effect of this atti- 
 tude was magical, the vainglorious boasters, with the 
 noise of bullets whistling around their ears, deeming dis- 
 cretion the better part of valour, for, seizing their paddles, 
 they shot inshore and disappeared in the woods. A few 
 miles farther on we captured a solitary fisherman, from 
 whom we learned that the tribe on the island which we 
 had just passed was the most warlike in the vicinity, 
 making frequent incursions against their more peaceable 
 neighbours, and that they were robbers of the worst kind, 
 practically ruling all traffic on the stream, by right of 
 might. 
 
 A sharp wind springing up during the afternoon, we 
 were enabled to reach Lo-Tui, making the latter part of 
 the journey through a thunder-storm of terrific violence, 
 which drenched us to the skin and caused a general damp- 
 ening of enthusiasm. Looking like bedraggled scarecrows, 
 we anchored the canoes, as the shore was too muddy to 
 draw far in, and waded through the pasty mass, to the 
 village itself. The chief of the place was a most hospi- 
 table little Szchuenese, who seemed immensely tickled at 
 
AN ARCHITECTURAL TREAT. 76 
 
 the idea that two " white princes " had thought enough of 
 him to wander far up into the country and enter his 
 muddy front yard. This seeming tribute to his importance 
 did not go unrewarded, for he placed his own dwelling and 
 everything else in the village at our disposal j nor were 
 we disappointed on closer inspection, for it proved to be a 
 structure of considerable pretence. 
 
 Western China, in the matter of architecture, is cer- 
 tainly a land of surprises. One might naturally expect, in 
 the large towns, to find the most superlative attainments 
 of opulence, but as naturally believe that in the smaller 
 towns such beauties of architectural contour cannot exist. 
 Nevertheless, actual encounter and further experience show 
 an exactly opposite condition. It- is in the smaller and 
 less civilised towns that one must look for such pleasing 
 ■conditions, rather than in the larger places. It would 
 have been an impossibility to imagine a more pretentious 
 place in a small way than the little village of Lo-Tui. 
 The dwellings, although huddled together, were of sun- 
 dried brick, made from the clay of the river bank, the 
 base courses being of travertine, the roofs of concrete or 
 plaster, and finished off with even some attempt at ornate 
 decoration with porcelain tiles. The colour, applied with 
 a vehicle of milk, or of glue and milk, with perhaps a 
 -touch of oil, was unusually agreeable. Pale tones pre- 
 donmiated, such as light ochres and red and brown, which 
 harmonised admirably with the sky and with one another, 
 producing a general air of cheerfulness ; the interiors were 
 arranged with as much good taste and chaste ostentation 
 as the prepossessing outside. 
 
 During the evening we were visited by the former chief 
 -of the place, a weazened-up specimen of humanity that 
 caused one involuntarily to gaze round for the casket from 
 
76 THROUGH UNEXPLORED ASIA. 
 
 which this mummy had stepped forth. He was evidently- 
 addicted to the opium habit, his sunken cheeks and gen- 
 eral air of lethargy giving ample testimony as to the 
 period of his debauch. He received us graciously, almost 
 with a regal condescension ; and we could not but feel a 
 certain amount of commiseration for his . generally de- 
 jected appearance, as having evidently fallen from his 
 former high estate to one of abject poverty. He was 
 a remarkably erudite and well-informed person, and 
 gifted with a talent for asking various questions of 
 weighty import that taxed our best, endeavours to answer. 
 He uttered many lamentations over the decay of his 
 country, finding a reason for the same in the encroach- 
 ments of civilising agencies and influences, and the growth 
 of alien dominance. When we ventured mildly to hint 
 that some portion of it might also be attributed to the 
 weak-mindedness of that portion of the population who 
 could not find sufficient natural energy to resist the fell 
 effects of the opium habit, he discreetly relapsed into 
 silence, evidently angered by this pointed reference to his 
 own shortcomings. His volubility disappeared, and after a 
 few meaningless remarks he left us with scant ceremony. 
 We had an opportunity of viewing a curious ceremony 
 on the following day, for one of the villagers having 
 departed this mortal spirit, we were invited to attend the 
 ensuing obsequies. Partly out of respect for the deceased, 
 and in a way to remunerate our entertainer for his kindly 
 consideration, we mingled with the throng of mourners 
 and accompanied the funeral cortege to the grave. Our 
 presence was sufl&cient to dull the interest of the others in 
 the ceremony, for the spectacle of viewing white men was 
 evidently of more concern to them than a function of a 
 kind in which they had served on many occasions. 
 
A SZCHUENESE FUNERAL. 77 
 
 A Szchuenese funeral is more of a cheerful ceremony 
 than one would be led to believe, with a full knowledge of 
 the grimness of death, for the pagan mind seems fully capa- 
 ble of accepting with resigned philosophy the knowledge 
 of the fact that the hereafter is the true state, and that 
 the passing through the portal of futurity is merely a 
 transitory flash of pain. According to the private means 
 or the number of friends of the deceased, the funeral is 
 marked with more or less sumptuousness and display ; but 
 in the case of even the poorer' natives every means is 
 essayed to carry out a grand burial, though this should 
 entaU bodily discomforts and the pangs of famine to the 
 relatives remaining. The corpse having been attired in 
 the finest apparel that can be secured, the immediate 
 mourners and other spectators are ordered to another 
 room, while the ayons, or priests, are given possession 
 of the body in order to pray the soul out of hell, — a 
 place believed to be of the most terrible torment, from 
 which only the ululations of these venerable men are able 
 to save the sufferer. Many writers on China, not disillu- 
 sioned by the knowledge gained from experience, have 
 imagined that the many pictorial illustrations of the Bud- 
 dhist hell are punishments of an earthly tenor, and have 
 forthwith proceeded to acquaint a commiserating and 
 startled world with depictions of horrors of the most 
 sanguinary kind. There can be no doubt of the sever- 
 ity of Chinese justice and the atrociousness of some of the 
 punishments meted out to unfortunate criminals ; but the 
 pangs of suffering the tortures of hell upon earth are not 
 among the number. 
 
 Of course there are numerous observances connected 
 with the death of a member of the household, which 
 vary in different provinces of the empire, one which gen- 
 
78 THROUGH UNEXPLORED ASIA. 
 
 erally prevails being the cutting of a hole in the roof 
 of the house, thus allowing the ghost of the departed 
 to quit this earthly clay with all possible celerity. 
 
 The priests having finished their prayers, the mourners 
 are again allowed to enter; and, having commented on 
 the many amiable qualities of the deceased, they throw 
 around small prayer-slips, pieces of paper on which are 
 inscribed invocations praying the body to be relieved from 
 the clutches of the devils that beset it. Others throw 
 around money and other valuables to propitiate these 
 same evil spirits, the rascally priests, in most cases, pre- 
 empting the claims of these spirits to the precious baubles 
 by sedulously gathering them up for their own use. The 
 cofl&ns used are cylindrical in shape, much like the trunk 
 of a tree and, though they are constructed of hard wood, 
 capable of resisting for some period the action of the soil 
 and insects, are usually encased in an outside shell of iron 
 plate. Into this receptacle the body is placed with scant 
 ceremony, and the apertures closed up with a gummy sub- 
 stance of strong adhesive power which resists the inroads 
 of time, and prevents any noxious odours from escaping. 
 
 On the shoulders of as many as can conveniently get 
 under the burden, the coffin is carried to the place of 
 interment, the spirit of competition for the honour being 
 often so strong that the funeral ceremony resolves itself 
 into a sanguinary brawl, those who cannot obtain the 
 honour of serving as pall-bearers marching before and 
 behind, casting into the air slips of prayer-paper, in the 
 belief that the devUs pursuing the body wUl stop and read 
 these, and thus be tardy in their efforts to take possession 
 of the corpse. In most cases the coffin is dumped into 
 the ground with no other formality ; but in the case of 
 individuals of rank and of the village chiefs, the coffin is 
 
LINGUISTIC DIFFICULTIES. 79 
 
 allowed to remain on top of the ground for months, and 
 even years, suspended a foot above the surface on cross 
 sticks, and serving as the object of pilgrimage at stated 
 intervals by the friends and relatives of the deceased. 
 
 The question of mourning after burial is one which the 
 relatives are allowed to make their own choice of, it not 
 being considered disrespectful to ignore altogether this 
 part of the ceremony. In some cases the mourning con- 
 sists in merely erecting a tablet, inscribed with the name 
 and virtues of the deceased, and making it the shrine of 
 devotion ; in others it provides that the friends and rela- 
 tives of the deceased shall submit themselves to severe 
 castigation, and undergo other trying ordeals in way of 
 penance, for several months. 
 
 The delay caused by the illness of six of our crew, who 
 from overfeeding were attacked with dysentery, was well 
 utilised in familiarising ourselves with the language and 
 characteristics of the inhabitants ; for, as we were without 
 guides and interpreters, and lacked in most cases even 
 official assistance, we were more or less dependent upon 
 the people themselves, whom we encountered from time 
 time. The Chinese language, the most primitive in the 
 world, is, perhaps, the most difficult to learn, owing to 
 the fact that its poverty of words reduces its grammar 
 almost to a question of syntax and intonation. Even 
 when one has fairly mastered its rudiments, he is hope- 
 lessly at sea if he goes to a district even not a hundred 
 miles removed, for the number of varying dialects and 
 argot is simply bewildering in profusion. 
 
 Copper and other metals appeared to be very abundant 
 in this region ; and there were doubtless evidences of gold 
 deposits in the vicinity, for the natives whom we saw 
 wore numerous ornaments of this precious metal. They 
 
80 THROUGH UNEXPLORED ASIA. 
 
 had a full acquaintance with its commercial value, how- 
 ever, as, while they were willing to sell us knives, spears, 
 and implements made of the baser metals, on no considera- 
 tion could we induce them to part with the more valuable 
 ones. 
 
 Four days of uneventful progress against wind and 
 current carried us over a distance of but thirty mUes from 
 Lo-Tui. On the twenty-seventh we came upon the first 
 line of rapids of the Yangtse, requiring a portage of the 
 canoes along the river bank for six miles before they could 
 be launched again, only to be forced ashore once more on 
 the twenty-ninth, by the second line of rapids. After cut- 
 ting brushwood, and laying it over a path three miles in 
 length, we crossed from the lower basin of the Yangtse 
 Kiang to the upper branch, which was of equal breadth 
 but thirty feet above it. With these difficulties sur- 
 mounted, we were able to paddle with comparative ease 
 to Lo Tung Chau. Here, through the good-will of the 
 natives, we traded with several of the tribes in the sur- 
 rounding hUly country, securing an abundant supply of 
 fresh meat, poultry, and beans. 
 
 On the thirtieth, after ten hours' poling, we were swept 
 by a counter current running close to the shore to Fo- 
 Yen-Chi, the last part of our journey being made beneath 
 a dense canopy of green leaves that shaded the ground 
 and gave a singularly sombre aspect to the surrounding 
 country. Opposite this village a large flotilla of canoes 
 was drawn up by the waterside. As soon as we came in 
 sight down-stream, a great tumult arose from those 
 gathered on the bank ; a howling mob of natives jumped 
 into the boats, and, armed with muskets and spears, ad- 
 vanced in our direction, making it impossible to mistake 
 the hostile tenor of their scowling and sinister faces, and 
 
DEFIANT NATIVES. 
 
 81 
 
 their belligerent shouts of defiance. Their dialect was 
 somewhat dissimilar to that known to our interpreters, 
 but the latter were enabled to make them acquainted with 
 the fact that the " big white princes " threatened to kill 
 them with thunder and fire, should they persist in their 
 
 
 .fv/A 
 
 
 VILLAGE OF FO-YEN-CHI. 
 
 hostile aggression. These tidings were received with 
 howls of incredulous defiance, and they invited us to give 
 proof of our intention. 
 
 Fortunately for us, on the river bank, where we had 
 beached our canoes, were several little clumps of grass 
 and an old stone building, which might serve to protect 
 
82 THROUGH UNEXPLORED ASIA. 
 
 US in case of vigorous assault. Taking advantage of 
 this cover, we placed our men in safety, and with Yuen I 
 went forward and explained to the excited natives our 
 desire to prevent bloodshed, and our friendly intentions 
 in passing through their district. The answer was a 
 shower of spears, while a few others, bolder than their 
 comrades, ran forward with clubs ia their hands to put a 
 stop to further parley and to commence the attack. 
 
 Anxious to avoid bloodshed, if possible, we sought to 
 pacify them, and at the same time to impress them with 
 a knowledge of our strength, by firing a volley over their 
 heads. Nothing could have been more ineffectual in ward- 
 ing off the ensuing conflict than this exhibition ; for they 
 naturally ascribed their immunity from injury to the 
 ineffectuality of our weapons, and seized upon the oppor- 
 tunity to make a vigorous charge against our stronghold. 
 We were ready for them, however, and as the leaden 
 hail with which we met their advance crashed into their 
 midst, they wavered for a moment, and then, completely 
 discomfited, returned to their canoes and paddled up- 
 stream to their village. We were not to be denied the 
 fruits of our conquest, for, finding that we were not in- 
 tent on avenging their attack, they returned in the after- 
 noon unarmed, for the purpose of making peace, gathering 
 at a safe distance in awesome sUence, and seeking to propi- 
 tiate our favour by gifts of fresh fowl and bread. In 
 return we touched foreheads with the principal men of 
 the village, and distributed some red cloth among them, 
 which presents they received with great glee, wrapping 
 them around their nearly naked bodies, and strutting up 
 and down for the delectation of their less fortunate 
 brethren, and incidentally for our own. We returned 
 with them to their village, where the night was passed in 
 
A NATIVE REVIVALIST. 83 
 
 feasting and in the fostering of friendship between our 
 crew and the members of the tribe. 
 
 On the following day we were permitted to be witnesses 
 of an interesting open-air service, in which the principles 
 of Buddhism were explained to an audience consisting of 
 the entire population of the town. We were unable to 
 grasp the full meaning of the priest's exhortation, owing 
 to the strange dialect in which it was spoken, but there 
 could be no mistaking the power of the speaker to hold 
 the rapt attention of his listeners. The priest began quietly. 
 He reminded his hearers in a few words of the nature of 
 the true principles of the religion whose interests he was 
 there to represent. One felt that he spoke with tact, and 
 with the kind of dignity belonging to an enthusiast of a 
 great moral movement. He did not plead his cause with 
 as much vociferousness as does the reformer, the philan- 
 thropist, the politician, or the devotee of a mystical and 
 fashionable cult, but with a simplicity which might be 
 understood by all. He spoke in a way that caused the 
 surrounding group to become interested in the aims and 
 purpose of the Buddhist faith, and under his influence the 
 gathering acquired the dignity of a Browning society or a 
 study in theosophy or hypnotism. The attention of the 
 audience, from the start definitely respectful, became at 
 last reverent and absorbed ; and when in this state the 
 speaker waxed more voluble, and gradually changed the 
 quiet modulation of his voice into a constant crescendo, 
 looking the whole throng in the eye as if it were one man, 
 the crowd of hitherto passive spectators was transformed 
 into an army of fanatical religious enthusiasts, dancing and 
 screaming, and giving every evidence of the sincerity of 
 their conviction. 
 
 We were somewhat worried lest this outburst of fanati- 
 
84 THROUGH UNEXPLORED ASIA. 
 
 cal zeal might cause the populace to take it into their 
 heads to turn on us as unhelievers the full measure of their 
 wrath ; but whatever might have been their covert in- 
 clinations, the demonstration which we had given of our 
 strength was sufficient to keep them in subjection, and 
 we were not molested. Before we quitted their village, 
 they made us still more regret our suspicions, for the 
 chief and his subjects loaded us down with boxmties of 
 meat, bread, fowl, plums, and flour, seeming really cast 
 down that we should leave them, parting from us at last 
 with the assurance, on the part of the chief, that, should we 
 ever happen to visit his country again, we should find that 
 he would still be our good friend. 
 
CHAPTER III. 
 
 Four days of uneventful journeying carried us swiftly 
 up the current of tlie great river to Ping Shan. Progress 
 during the last two days was necessarily laborious, not to 
 say absolutely ^hazardous, owing to the infinite number of 
 cross-currents and whirling eddies which we encountered ; 
 and although doubtless our crew, being accustomed to 
 these dallyings of fate, had come to view them with 
 apparent unconcern, the effect on our olfactory nerves of 
 their perspiring eiforts was something oppressive, and 
 had it not been that such action would have been liable 
 to lessen the respect of our men, we should infinitely 
 have preferred to do our journeying -on the firmer sub- 
 stance of the river bank. Our arrival at Ping Shan, 
 however, fully indemnified us for the hardships and open 
 courting of danger that we had undergone. The day was 
 just ending. The sun, a brilliant salmon pink, was slowly 
 descending. Its rosy reflection, mirrored upon the murky 
 waters of the Yangtse, created most exquisite effects upon 
 the clouds above, as though they were lightly touched by 
 a fairy's wand, and changed into a thousand bizarre and 
 fantastic shapes. In the distance the green hills and 
 sterner mountain summits made an admirable back- 
 ground to the shining surface of Ping Shan, resplendent 
 in scintillating array of porcelain roofs, with its ter- 
 raced plantations nestling in the lap of the sun-kissed 
 prospect beyond. 
 
 The head man of the town, surrounded by his people, 
 
 85 
 
86 THROUGH UNEXPLORED ASIA. 
 
 was the very image of a father in the midst of his chil- 
 dren, and a most hospitable and kindly disposed individual 
 we found him. He was a thin, ancient man, with a 
 cadaverous visage and a protruding chin, upon which a 
 sparse growth of bristly white beard showed strongly 
 against his amber skin. He wore an enormous felt hat, 
 mounting skyward like a pagoda, which must have 
 weighed fully ten pounds, for its brim was as umbrageous 
 as the roof of a band-stand, and the crown was some five 
 feet in height. It was filigreed with a tinsel of silver 
 braid, and as the entire structure had a sort of dingy 
 newness, we surmised that he only wore this stupendous 
 headpiece on such exceptional occasions as the present. 
 He had grown too aged to run actively the affairs of the 
 district over which he governed, this duty having fallen 
 on his son. One could hardly bring himself to believe 
 that the latter was a member of the Chinese race. Physi- 
 cally, Nature had lavished on him her every charm. His 
 skin was a dusky brown, through which shone a delicate 
 pink ; his frame was sturdy and magnificent, and ideally 
 military, and was resplendent in a gorgeous and well- 
 fitting uniform. Having for many years lived in Shang- 
 hai, which had enabled him to pick up a colloquial 
 knowledge of English, we found him a friend and helper 
 indeed. His conversation was characterised by terse and 
 jerky phrases, with halting places at every few moments 
 to catch breath, and with many interesting efforts at 
 humour. 
 
 As soon as we had beached the canoes and made 
 preparations for the encampment of the expedition, this 
 yicQ-ataman led us away to his own residence m the rear 
 of the village, situated in a sort of small park, the way 
 to which lay through vine-laden and sweet-smelling 
 
CHINESE MILITARY AFFAIRS. 87 
 
 trestled paths. Our progress thither was not to go un- 
 attended ; for the wondering populace, once they had 
 recovered from the temporary stupor of surprise occa- 
 sioned by our unexpected arrival, sgon awakened to a 
 knowledge that something unusual was occurring, and 
 we were immediately beset by an unkempt rabble, top- 
 heavy under the weight of enormous hats, counterparted 
 by scanty lower attire, who thrust their hands in our 
 faces and completely blocked our passage, until our host, 
 exasperated beyond all endurance, scattered them right 
 and left by valorous attacks with a long stick, thus 
 enabling us to reach his abode without further interrup- 
 tion. 
 
 After having gathered with Hveliest interest all the 
 information we could give him concerning the matters on 
 which he desired enlightenment, the young man was 
 ready and willing to discuss with us the social conditions 
 of the empire. As he had served in the army for many 
 years, we welcomed this opportimity to secure informa- 
 tion in that direction. He was evidently not actuated 
 by any esprit de corps, for, although pride prevented his 
 openly slandering the military establishment of his 
 country, his strictures were too severe, mUd as he sought 
 to make them, to hide from us the fact that his personal 
 opinion was that the army had reached its lowest and 
 most demoralised state. 
 
 It is almost an impossibility to secure any just or fair 
 estimate of the size of the Chinese army. According to 
 the official reports of the government at Pekin, it at 
 no time consists of less than two million men. Such a 
 figure, however, is undoubtedly no more accurate than the 
 greater part of Chinese statistics. Doubtless an army 
 two, or even three, times that number might be raised 
 
88 THROUGH UNEXPLORED ASIA. 
 
 with apparent ease, but the major portion would be but 
 crude soldiers, — artisans, labourers, and the like, — prac- 
 tically inutile as fighting material. It is extremely doubt- 
 ful if the high-watermark of trained and seasoned soldiery 
 would equal' a grand total of a million men. In our 
 journey ings we traversed the very heart of China, and 
 visited the larger cities where such a force was liable to 
 be quartered, and everywhere we asked ourselves. Where 
 are the evidences of this mighty army of which we have 
 heard ? So far as availability and power of mobilisation 
 goes, it is seen to best advantage on paper ; for, with the 
 usual laxity of Chinese military methods, not one-half 
 could be utilised effectively in case of actual conflict. 
 Recent writers on Chinese military affairs have very 
 erroneously sought to ridicule the personal attributes of 
 the soldier population of China; on the ground that they 
 lack courage and the inability to acquire soldierly disci- 
 pline. This contention is both incorrect and fatuous. It 
 arises from the tendency to judge the standard of the 
 population of China by the semi-civilised and efEeminate 
 natives of the coast districts, reduced to a low level by 
 manifold vices, inherent or acquired ; yet when one has 
 penetrated into the interior of the country, and viewed 
 the splendid exhibition of vigorous manhood there to be 
 seen (in a crude and barbarous state, it is true), one cannot 
 but feel that China has here a latent force of appalling 
 grandeur, which, under trained and efl&cient leaders, and 
 with proper tactical schooling, would be the equal of the 
 aggressive or defensive population of any country in 
 the world. 
 
 We remained at Ping Shan until March 7th, for a hurri- 
 cane of frightful fury, lasting two days, had lashed the 
 surface of the great stream into a boiling caldron of 
 
EFFECTS OF A HURRICANE. 89 
 
 menacing waters, where progress would not only have 
 been hazardous in the extreme, but practically impossible. 
 At the end of the second day, however, the wind and 
 waves had subsided sufficiently to permit us to reembark ; 
 when, with no diminution of zeal, and with our crew 
 strengthened for valorous efforts by their enforced absti- 
 nence from labour, we set forth. 
 
 Between Ping Shan and Hgan Lu, which latter place 
 we reached on the ninth, the country is extremely popu- 
 lous, the river b§nk sheltering innumerable small and dirty 
 habitations, forming apparently one long, straggling vil- 
 lage. According to our expectation, we found the natives 
 a cowardly and treacherous lot, with whom, by choice, we 
 abstained from intermingling, actuated as we were by the 
 desire to avoid unnecessary strife. The whole distance 
 had been marked by evidences of the frightful fury of the 
 hurricane which had recently swept over the district, 
 entire villages having been blown down and left in ruins, 
 the inhabitants camping on the shore and in hill caves 
 while the process of rebuilding was going on. We were 
 unable to ascertain the loss of life inland, but that among 
 the river population was appalling, overturned boats and 
 dead bodies marking throughout the course of our two 
 days' journey. Either by reason of this misfortune or 
 their natural antipathy to foreigners, the natives of Hgan 
 Lu were remarkably aggressive and hostile ; and notice of 
 our coming having in some itnexplainable manner been 
 heralded, we found on our arrival several large boats 
 filled with armed men awaiting us, apparently determined 
 to oppose our landing. If we could consistently have left 
 the inhospitable spot without touching at it, we should 
 have done so ; but the renewed necessity of securing 
 provisions could not be lightly passed by, and we were 
 
90 THROUGH UNEXPLORED ASIA. 
 
 resolved at all hazards not to be intimidated by this 
 formidable aspect of hostility. As we drew nearer, those 
 assembled in the canoes retreated and beached their craft, 
 gathering on the shore and threatening us with defiant 
 shouts. Shooting inshore, we charged them with the butts 
 of our guns, and before this determined assault they 
 reluctantly retired, with sinister scowlings and muttered 
 threats of what our ultimate fate would be when night 
 had fallen. We had unbounded faith in our ability to 
 beat them off, however vigorous might be their attack ; 
 but, as in former similar cases, the idea of sacrificing 
 human lives was a contingency that we could not look 
 upon with satisfaction. We therefore resolved to see if 
 friendly advances would change their threatening attitude, 
 and despatched Yuen with a message inviting their leaders 
 to a parley on shore. They were evidently minded to dis- 
 trust our sincerity of purpose, but after considerable hesi- 
 tation a half dozen of the head men approached, and, 
 seating themselves on the ground, smoked in silence until 
 we had impressed on them our desire for amicable inter- 
 course and our willingness to barter with them. 
 
 The. spokesman of this advance guard was a surly old 
 rascal, and in reply to our pacific overtures said that his 
 people were firmly convinced of the baleful influence of 
 our presence in the district, as was attested by the late 
 hurricane, and that nothing but our willingness to keep 
 on our journey up-stream would satisfy them. Finding 
 that our best endeavours were fruitless to overcome the 
 potency of their superstition, we resolved not only to 
 humour but to take advantage of it. Calling them to a 
 small pool of water which had been left on shore, we re- 
 viewed in epitome the dire effects that had resulted from 
 the recent hurricane ; then pouring a little magnesia into 
 
'THE WATER BEGAN TO BUBBLE AKD FOAM IN AN ALARMING 
 MANNER." 
 
"WHITE MAN'S" MAGIC. 93 
 
 the pool, the water began to bubble and foam in an alarm- 
 ing manner. " Tell your people," we said, " that we have 
 full power to bring upon them another hurricane. You 
 see what we have done to this little pool of water. If we 
 are molested further we will do the same to the whole 
 river, and your village and people wUl be destroyed." 
 
 We waited to see the effect which this announcement 
 would have on the surrounding group. Their eyes were 
 fairly bulging out of their heads, and, marvelling at the 
 wonderful spectacle of which they had been witnesses, 
 they rejoined their comrades, relating to them the magic 
 powers of the wonderful white men. The ruse was suc- 
 cessful; all hostUe aggression vanished; the frightened 
 natives, fearful of our wrath, brought to us meat, pota- 
 toes, and other vegetables, and a large quantity of salt 
 fish, aU which we bought of them. As we left them next 
 morning the last glimpse which we caught of the spot 
 disclosed a wondering group gathered around the little 
 pool of water, pointing and gesticulating, striving in vain 
 to solve the mystery of the night before. 
 
 We had now been nearly two months on the journey up 
 the current of the Yangtse Kiang from Luipo, and on 
 leaving Hgan Lu we had planned to reach the mouth 
 of the Kinsha Kiang in two days. With the current of 
 the stream constantly expanding, and its force naturally 
 lessening, we were not disappointed, for at nightfall on 
 the eleventh we reached Hany-Yang. We had expected 
 to find this town one of considerable importance, as it is 
 a commercial centre of southern Szchuen, occupying a 
 strategic position at the point where the confluent waters 
 of the Yalung and Kinsha Kiang empty into the Yangtse 
 Kiang River. It would have been an impossibility, how- 
 ever, to imagine a more desolate and uninviting spot. The 
 
94 THROUGH UNEXPLORED ASIA. 
 
 civil mandarin of th.e place was away at the time on a 
 visit to some other dignitary in the country to the south, 
 so that the burden of providing for our entertainment fell 
 upon his proxy, — a morose and gloomy native of attenu- 
 ated frame, adorned with the most luxuriant and patri- 
 archal of artificial hirsute appendages. The long-bearded 
 gentleman's views on the future of his country were 
 unalterably pessimistic; the district, he thought, was 
 constantly making a retrograde movement. Meanwhile, 
 he had despatched a messenger to a brother official, pro- 
 claiming our arrival, which had the efEect of soon bring- 
 ing that individual on the scene to undertake the task of 
 sharing in our entertainment. He was a frightfully obese 
 little body, with a jolly, rubicund face, which gave pal- 
 pable evidence that he had not entirely ignored the good 
 things of this life. The glasses of optimism through which 
 this bon vivant viewed everything were a complete foil to 
 the gloomy forebodings of our other host ; and with one 
 exalting the present and future conditions of the country, 
 and the other debasing them to the lowest level, we 
 adopted the wiser course of maintaining a conservative 
 neutrality between them, making due allowance for the 
 roseate imaginings of the one and the gloomy spirits of 
 the other. 
 
 The Hany-Yang natives were exceedingly friendly, a 
 welcome change after the experiences we had undergone 
 from the hostile tribes such a short distance removed. 
 Gunpowder and firearms were abundant with them, and, 
 as the surrounding district contains many valuable coal 
 and iron deposits, their articles of husbandry were mar- 
 vels of skilled workmanship. Chinaware and crockery of 
 the finest make were very common, while in the open 
 market we were able to purchase groundnuts, potatoes. 
 
INTO THE DARK UNKNOWN. 95 
 
 plum-wine, beans, onions, pigs, fowls, eggs, and meat of 
 different kinds. 
 
 On the fifteenth of March we left the current of the 
 Yangtse Kiang for the black and forbidding waters of 
 the Kinsha Kiang, the stream of mystery, up whose nar- 
 row and tortuous current we were to penetrate into the 
 wild and unexplored region to the north. I turned back 
 to catch a last glimpse of Hany-Yang, which we were 
 leaving. How cheerful and attractive it looked, in spite 
 of its gloomy walls and low-lying buUdings, crowning the 
 shoulder of the grassy slope on which it was perched ! 
 How bright and warm appeared the plain border of the 
 river as the sun shone over its wind-fanned waves of 
 grass ! For a moment longer the peaceful prospect 
 lingered in view, then gradually faded in flickering 
 spirit, and finally died out. The Dark Unknown lay 
 before us ! 
 
 Our direction lay due west up the muddy stream for 
 the two days' effort to Tung-Kal, and, although the mo- 
 mentousness of the enterprise on which we were embarked 
 had visibly left its impress on every one in the expedition, 
 there was no cessation of zeal ; and with constantly added 
 proof of the courage and unselfishness of our crew, what 
 dubious imaginings had been held out for the future now 
 vanished before the unquenched ardour, of penetrating 
 into this land of mystery, be the hardships and dangers 
 what they might. 
 
 It would be impossible to imagine a more pleasant 
 journey than that during the first day's paddling from 
 Hany-Yang, travelling lazily along between vast moun- 
 tain ranges, and past a succession of beautiful stretches 
 of scenery, with here and there little villages nestling in 
 among the dwarfed pines that fringed the golden sand. 
 
96 THROUGH UNEXPLORED ASIA. 
 
 Groups of natives sat chatting and smoking among tlie 
 trees, or industriously fishing from their little rafts made 
 of skins and inflated bladders. In the foreground lay the 
 verdured slope, covered with luxuriant plantations of rice 
 and barley ; behind, the stern gray summits of the moun- 
 tain range of Nun-Luchu, rising five thousand?feet straight 
 into the air, and forming a beautiful background to the 
 brighter colouring of the prospect below. Looking down 
 into the water, one could see alternately patches of golden 
 sand and miniature forests of the wondrous submarine 
 growth, — dark, waving patches of the greenest of weeds, 
 fantastic in outline and brilliant in colour, through which 
 darted fishes of brightest hue, like flashing gems. 
 
 The stream, although at this point several hundred feet 
 wide, was crossed at regular intervals by innumerable 
 bridges, formed of iron chains, which were really marvels 
 of engineering skill and construction. The region was 
 well populated by an industrious race, who had trans- 
 formed the stony mountain sides into gardens of waving 
 cereals, until they hung like huge green curtains against 
 the blue sky beyond. We had expected that with these 
 unmistakable evidences of thrift and prosperity the pop- 
 ulation would be peaceable and friendly, and it was an 
 unwelcome shock, on reaching Kiukiang, after fully fifteen 
 hours of unceasing battling against a perplexity of cross 
 currents and whirling eddies, to find the natives of the 
 vUlage minded to dispute our landing. As we drew into 
 the sheltered cove on which the place was situated, a 
 shower of stones and the whistling of bullets over our 
 heads did not need further explanation to make us aware 
 of the fact that the inhabitants were intent on doing us 
 injury. Arranging the canoes in line, and calling upon 
 the crew to put forth their most redoubtable efforts, we 
 
A FATAL RENCONTRE. 97 
 
 rushed toward the menacing horde. We might have con- 
 tinued farther down-stream, and there encamped ; but the 
 men were worn out with their arduous labours during 
 the day, and we were resolved for the sake of example to 
 overcome this undeserved aggression. As we neared the 
 bank the closely gathered group welcomed our approach 
 with a jeering howl of defiance and a shower of stones. 
 There could be no condoning this overt act of hostility, 
 since one of the crew had been killed outright by a bullet, 
 and many were sorely injured by the bruising missiles. 
 We therefore did not wait longer, but, pouring a wither- 
 ing fire into their midst, we followed up the advantage 
 gained by this diversion, and, effecting a landing, chased 
 the natives into their village, where they seemed deter- 
 mined to make a stand. But our blood was now fully 
 aroused, and, routing them out, we drove them into the 
 country beyond and fired their buildings. 
 
 Much as we should like to have had it, the night was not 
 to pass without incident. The loss of one of our crew had 
 thrown an air of sombreness and dejection over his fel- 
 lows, who for the first time awoke to a realisation of the 
 dangers that lay in the country ahead of us, sampled as 
 these dangers had been by the unmistakable evidences of 
 hostility we had encountered when on its very borders, — 
 a state of mind in which we somewhat shared, for the 
 good and sufficient reason that no amount of optimism 
 was able to subdue them. Our gloomy forebodings, 
 however, were of but short duration, for we were soon 
 compelled to face a more potent and manifest danger. 
 
 About nine o'clock one of the crew came running in 
 with the intelligence that the natives were advancing upon 
 the camp by crawling through the forest to the left, in- 
 tending to take us by surprise before we should have time 
 
98 THROUGH UNEXPLORED ASIA. 
 
 to make an effective resistance, — the salutary lesson we 
 had given them a few hours before evidently having in- 
 spired them with a determination to gain revenge for the 
 destruction of their village and the loss of several of their 
 men. We had not dared to light fires for fear of drawing 
 stray shots in our direction, and now noiselessly arranging 
 the canoes in a semicircle so as to form a protecting bul- 
 wark, we calmly awaited the attack. We did not have to 
 wait long, for in another half hour, peering through the 
 darkness, we could faintly perceive the attacking party 
 wriggling along the ground through the long grass. 
 
 Our Kiangsis were worked up to a pitch where it was 
 only by the sternest control that we were able to prevent 
 them from rushing forward at once to avenge the loss of 
 their comrade. There was an ominous silence of what 
 seemed hours during those next few brief moments, and 
 then down on us swept the yelling horde, shouting their 
 war-cries and rushing forward like a herd of buffaloes. 
 As the whistling bullets and spears flew around we 
 crouched behind the shelter of the canoes. For a 
 moment longer we waited, untU they had drawn within 
 twenty feet; then the word to fire was given. With 
 startling unanimity our guns burst forth, and, jumping 
 to our feet, we prepared to defend our position at all 
 cost. 
 
 But it was needless. The leaden hail which we had 
 poured into the madly rushing group had stopped their 
 advance and put them in retreat. To the woods they re- 
 tired, where already the lamenting for the dead was heard. 
 Dressing the wounds of such of our party as had sustained 
 injury in the attack (fortunately none of more than a minor 
 character), we prepared for the morrow by distributing a 
 new store of cartridges, and after waiting until 9 a. m. 
 
OBSTRUCTED PROGRESS. 99 
 
 next day unattacked, we sallied out and embarked once 
 more. 
 
 Strongly impressed with the knowledge that nothing 
 but a persevering, persistent, even impetuous advance 
 would enable us to penetrate up the current of the 
 Kinsha Kiang, we resolved henceforth that we would 
 abstain from mingling closely with the native settlements, 
 excepting those of large size, which we must visit in order 
 to provision the expedition, — in this manner hoping that 
 we might be able to escape the hostility of the popula- 
 tion outside the larger towns and villages. Having ascer- 
 tained that no rapids of a dangerous nature troubled the 
 narrow and tortuous gap through which the river flowed 
 for the intervening twenty miles to Tung Kal, we moved 
 forward hopefully, albeit somewhat hesitatingly and cau- 
 tiously, owing to the surface of the stream being covered 
 with sharp-pointed rocks rising out of the seething waters 
 and constantly threatening to wreck the boats. Tung Kal 
 terminates the narrow, walled chasm ; the defile through 
 which the river rushes opens to a wider width, and the 
 mountains slope away from it with a more rounded con- 
 tour, dropping down only at intervals into abrupt cliffs. 
 Consequently the river here expands, and being less tor- 
 tured by surface projections of boulders and by narrows 
 between cliffs, assumes somewhat of a mUder aspect. The 
 stone of these mountains is of the finest emerald green 
 where the outside stratum has been washed off by the 
 action of the waves, while in the bed of the river are 
 many protruding ledges of the softer greenish shales, 
 which, however entrancing from a scenic point of view, 
 hardly recompense for the enormous labour required to 
 evade the numerous whirlpools and dangerous currents 
 that boiled around them. Every other mile or so the 
 
100 THROUGH UNEXPLORED ASIA. 
 
 river current still offered these interruptions to naviga- 
 tion, its surface being marked by thin lines of low waves 
 and long foamy stretches. 
 
 Great banks of reddish mud, covered in many places 
 with low, mushroom-like forms of plants, stretched out 
 over darksome lagoons. No lofty forest trees varied the 
 scene ; in fact, there were no trees of any kind. Plants 
 with long, soft, slender stems were the nearest approach 
 to them. The waters teemed with waving reeds, and 
 gigantic armoured fishes swept through them in pursuit 
 of fleeing prey, and no doubt holding fierce tournament in 
 those green depths. Here and there might be seen giant 
 crabs ranging the shore, of which toothsome Crustacea we 
 were able to catch a large number. Immense hard-shelled 
 mollusca, like oysters in shape, clung to the rocks, which 
 must serve as the maia source of food supply for the pop- 
 ulation of the district, as the shores of the river through- 
 out the whole distance to Tung Kal were lined with natives 
 gathering them in large baskets. 
 
 About 2 p. M., as we were proceeding quietly, peering 
 with all our eyes and listening with all our ears for 
 obstructions in the stream, our canoes being but some 
 thirty feet away from the right bank, a score of natives, 
 armed with stones and long sticks, darted into view from 
 behind a thick clump of bushes, and shouting defiance, 
 launched their crude weapons at us. The distance was 
 too great, however, for the sticks to reach us, and, avoiding 
 the shower of stones, we shoved ofE instantly farther into 
 mid-stream to escape a repetition of the attack. Wit- 
 nessing this action, those on shore quickly launched three 
 canoes filled with men, and prepared to follow. They 
 were covered with hideous blotches of paint and armed 
 with great shields, one-half their bodies being daubed white, 
 
AMICABLE NATIVES. 101 
 
 the other half red, the tout ensemble being unique and 
 diabolical. As we could not afford to risk the chances of 
 an. encounter, we fired several shots over their heads, hop- 
 ing that this aggressive demonstration would serve the 
 purpose intended. Fortunately the hint was taken liter- 
 ally, for the paddlers at once stopped their work, and 
 after several moments of hurried confusion turned the 
 boats around, and shot with all celerity toward the shore. 
 With this affair thus happily terminated, we resumed 
 the arduous task of beating against the strong current 
 untn four o'clock, when a small line of rapids ahead 
 necessitated the transportation of the canoes overland for 
 nearly the remaining mile to Tung Kal. A half mile 
 above the rapids we were able to launch them once more, 
 and just as the sun was setting we glided into the little 
 cove, at the farther end of which the village itself was 
 erected. As we drew near we descried a large fleet of 
 boats and skin-rafts coming out toward us, and, mindful 
 of the treacherous attitude of the natives down-stream, we 
 looked to our arms, prepared for what seemed an inevi- 
 table attack. As they approached nearer, however, we 
 could see that _they were unarmed, and we were soon 
 mingling with them on terms of the most open-handed 
 camaraderie. They had heard of our coming from a 
 couple of hunters, who had fled back to the village with 
 the intelligence that two white magicians were advancing, 
 — the episode of the magnesia in the pool at Hgan Lu, 
 it seemed, having become known throughout the district, 
 for it was brought to us in a highly garbled form for many 
 weeks after. One could not help thinking what thin bar- 
 riers separate ferocity from amiability. Only a couple of 
 mUes removed lived the most bloodthirsty and hostile 
 natives, who had repeatedly sought to attack us without 
 
102 THROUGH UNEXPLORED ASIA. 
 
 provocation ; while here, right in their very neighbourhood, 
 was a tribe who, far from being aggressive, readily formed 
 with us a pact of good-will. 
 
 Tung Kal is the extreme easternmost locality inhabited 
 by the traders from the Thibetan country to the west- 
 ward. It stands on the right bank of the Kinsha Kiang, 
 on the verge of a high and reddish table-land rising some 
 forty feet above the water, with to the north a clear open 
 country along the river for a distance of ten miles, as far 
 as the confluence of the King-Pu. This stretch of low 
 land, being irrigated into a state of marvellous fertility by 
 frequent overflowing of the river banks, is covered with a 
 deposit of rich alluvial mud, much after the fashion of the 
 districts bordering on the Nile. Three or four crops are 
 raised during a year, and' by thrift and economy the town 
 has grown to an important position among its neighbours. 
 Its destinies were presided over by a warhke-looking chief 
 who bore the unpronounceable cognomen of Kzghyth-Li-Th 
 (the bone-breaking chief), but who, in spite of his blood- 
 thirsty title and martial aspect, we discovered to be a 
 mild-mannered mortal, more possessed with the keen spirit 
 of trade than with hostile intent. He was superstitious 
 beyond all measure, of enormous cunning and subtlety, a 
 pertinacious beggar, and, as we have said, of keen trading 
 instincts; but in all matters outside of trade we found 
 him as simple as a child. 
 
 We soon discovered, to our sorrow, that our exalted 
 opinion of the population had been in a measure pre- 
 mature, for, although peaceable enough, they were the 
 most inveterate and painstaking of thieves. Notwith- 
 standing our utmost vigilance, they stole from under our 
 very noses, until at last we resolved that at all hazards 
 we would catch the offenders. In this we were fortunate ; 
 
A JUDICIAL CEREMONY. 103 
 
 for two natives, tempted by the exposure of several guns, 
 had sought to abstract the articles in question from one 
 of the canoes, but, detected by Yuen, had been summarily 
 captured. Far from viewing the matter in a serious light, 
 they treated the affair as a huge joke, and, although caught 
 with the guns in their possession, strenuously denied all 
 knowledge as to the theft. For the sake of example, and 
 to be spared further annoyance, we carried word of the 
 theft and of the apprehension of the culprits to Kzghyth, 
 who, after listening to a recital of the petty annoyances 
 that we had suffered, consented to have the men tried the 
 next day. 
 
 The trial was appointed to take place in the court 
 square shortly after daybreak, and, taking with us those 
 of our crew who had witnessed the theft, we were ready 
 at the appointed time to go ahead with the prosecution. 
 When we came up, Kzghyth was seated on a carved seat, 
 attended on either hand by a retinue of lesser lights, at- 
 tired in malodorous black robes of office and wearing the 
 most hideous masks. The chief himself was decorated 
 with sumptuous effect. On his head he wore a magnifi- 
 cent cap, ornamented with beads arranged in the most 
 intricate and striking designs, and bordered with a num- 
 ber of solid gold spangles, with two eagle feathers tower- 
 ing high above the crown. On his arms and hanging 
 around his neck were a number of similar gold ornaments, 
 while his body was covered with a long robe of eagle 
 feathers woven on hide, giving to the wearer the general 
 effect of a moulting biped. As we entered he arose, and 
 with his chiefs greeted us, and, motioning to a reserved 
 space at his left, invited us to be seated. There was abso- 
 lute silence. Kzghyth with his retainers and the various 
 court officers occupied the seat in the centre of a semi- 
 
104 THROUGH UNEXPLORED ASIA. 
 
 circle consisting of the entire population of the village. 
 They were aU seated upon yak and goat skins, and 
 anxiously awaiting the moment when the trial was to 
 come off. The prisoners sat on the edge of the semi- 
 circle directly opposite to our position, with their friends 
 massed up behind them. One thing had surprised us, — 
 that the accused had never tried to run away, and had not 
 been detained in custody ; but no one seemed to think of 
 possible escape, least of all the prisoners themselves, who, 
 to tell the truth, did not seem weighed down with their 
 misfortune. 
 
 The trial did not last long, for there could be no doubt 
 as to the guUt of the ofEenders, who, finding the weight of 
 evidence against them too strong to be confronted, con- 
 fessed and threw themselves upon the leniency of the court. 
 We had expected to see them severely punished, but after 
 an admonition they were allowed to depart, — no doubt 
 remaining in our minds that the rascals were well aware 
 of the fact that in the eyes of their fellows they had per- 
 formed an act highly meritorious. With this decision we 
 were obliged to rest content, but its effect was futUe in 
 saving us from further annoyance; and it was only by 
 anchoring the canoes a few feet from shore, and placing 
 them under the armed guardianship of a squad of the 
 crew, that we were able to save any of our effects. 
 
 While we rested at Tung Kal we experienced, in the 
 main, that repose of spirits which only the happy few who 
 know neither care nor anxiety can enjoy. For the first 
 time in many weeks we were able to sleep well. There 
 was no simulation in the cheerful morning greetings 
 which were passed from one man to another. That 
 wide-eyed suspicious look and swift searching glance of 
 distrust which so long had been habitual with us had 
 
A SPECULATIVE DREAM SHATTERED. 105 
 
 toned down, and an unreserved geniality pervaded the 
 entire company. 
 
 Many of the customs of the natives were very curious, 
 especially the peculiar art of winding the hair around a 
 long stick, which protruded high into the air, poking 
 upward from the shiny pate like the steeple of a church, 
 and adorned with metal ornaments. It was evident that 
 the mountains in the vicinity must be filled with fine gold 
 deposits, for the amount of this precious metal worn by 
 even the poorest individuals was such as to excite com- 
 ment from our crew, who sought to trade for these pre- 
 cious baubles, — with indifferent success, however, as the 
 Tung Kalese were more than their equals as traders, and 
 inevitably gained the better side of the transaction. Tat- 
 tooing was also carried on to excess, many of the natives 
 being covered from head to foot with intricate designs, so 
 that they presented the appearance of hieroglyphic charts. 
 
 While remaining at Tung Kal we made a discovery 
 which we were firmly convinced was to revolutionise the 
 cloth-making industry of the world. Many of the natives 
 were dressed in garments, similar in structure to a thick 
 woollen material ; and what was our surprise to see these 
 garments, when thrown into the fire, and there suffered to 
 remain for a considerable time, eventually taken out whole 
 and entirely cleansed ! But we experienced a rude awaken- 
 ing from our dream of reaping untold wealth from cloth 
 manufacture when we learned that asbestos is known in 
 Western China. 
 
 Before leaving Tung Kal we accepted the invitation of 
 the crafty Kzghyth to attend a feast that he had provided 
 in our honour. We clearly perceived the ulterior motives 
 which had prompted this generous outburst, — namely, 
 the expectation of presents ; but as we could find no good 
 
106 THROUGH UNEXPLORED ASIA. 
 
 and sufficient reason for refusing the proffered entertain- 
 ment, we sent word by the messenger that we would call 
 upon him in an hour. 
 
 On our arrival at our host's house, we found that it con- 
 sisted of one large, oval-shaped apartment from twenty- 
 five to thirty feet in length and of equal width, formed by 
 a thatched roof resembling an immense beehive, which 
 was supported by two or three large posts in the centre 
 and a number of short posts placed around the sides some 
 five feet apart, the gloomy dungeon being hghtened by 
 a solitary hole cut into the side of the structure, which 
 likewise permitted the influx of a little air. We had 
 great need of charity and forbearance, for our entertainer 
 was eminently democratic, permitting men, women, and 
 children, and numerous dogs, cows, and horses, to mingle 
 together in his presence on terms of perfect equality, the 
 stench arising from the closely quartered animals, and the 
 annoyance caused by their restlessness, being better imag- 
 ined than described. One by one the visitors arrived, 
 untU at the time set for the feast the inside of the stuffy 
 abode was filled to a point of suffocation, and we welcomed 
 the opportunity at intervals to rush to the narrow orifice 
 in the roof for a much needed whiff of fresh air. 
 
 The company having at last relapsed into silence, and 
 seated itself comfortably upon the floor, the delicacies 
 were brought in. Several large bowls of a dark-coloured 
 mixture, consisting of huge pieces of meat swimming in an 
 ocean of rancid oil, constituted the first course of the din- 
 ner, and, stifling what pangs of squeamishness we could, 
 we sought to emulate the example set by those around us. 
 Knives and forks and even platters were evidently un- 
 heard-of luxuries, for at a signal from the host those 
 assembled made furtive plunges with their grimy hands 
 
GASTRONOMICAL INDULGENCE. 107 
 
 into the dishes nearest to them, and began swallowing the 
 meat like a pack of ravenous wolves. Not to offend the 
 guests, notwithstanding our repugnance, we also made a 
 grasp at several of the choice morsels, and bolted them 
 with a fervour which would have done credit to the early 
 Christian martyrs. We were no match, however, for those 
 around us, for the voraciousness of their appetites seem- 
 ingly knew no limit, each individual consuming immense 
 quantities of meat, — the bowls being constantly filled by 
 attendants, only, to be emptied in the twinkling of an eye. 
 At the conclusion of this attack on the more substantial 
 things of the dinner, large jugs of a puckery acrid wine, 
 made from a wUd grape which grew in abundant pro- 
 fusion in the district, were brought forth, and in a half 
 hour the company had worked itself into a maudlin con- 
 fusion, the strong liquor taking such hold of several rash 
 spirits that there was imminent danger of the interior of 
 the abode being turned into an amphitheatre of sangui- 
 nary rioting. Wishing to avoid this contingency, the crafty 
 old chief unceremoniously hustled his guests out-of-doors, 
 where they might war on one' another without disturb- 
 ance, at the same time advancing covert hints in our 
 direction, touching on a fitting reward for the munificent 
 entertainment with which we had just been afflicted. Wel- 
 coming this opportunity to make a much desired escape, 
 we presented him with an old muzzle-loading musket, and 
 a few pounds of powder and bullets, and distributed cloth 
 among the head men. His delight at this munificence on 
 our part waxed so fulsome that it was only after a most 
 affectionate greeting that we were able to rejoin our crew. 
 At noon of the twenty-second, after parting with many 
 regrets from the hospitable spot, we continued following 
 the course of the Kinsha Kiang to the west. Strong 
 
108 THROUGH UNEXPLORED ASIA. 
 
 gales met us during the two succeeding days, but the 
 mountain ranges protecting the surface of the stream, we 
 were not prevented from making progress. The islands 
 in the river were innumerable, creeks and channels wind- 
 ing in and out among the sUent scenes. The current ran 
 with sharp bends, with many dangerous whirls and broad 
 patches of foam on its face, and was extremely narrow, 
 not over three hundred feet in width for a distance of ten 
 miles, when it suddenly expanded into a large open pool. 
 Two fine wooded islands stood in mid-stream, and as they 
 presented a peaceable appearance we welcomed the oppor- 
 tunity to encamp until morning, We had not calculated 
 wrongly, for we had scarcely been landed when groups 
 of nearly naked natives came running down, and, taking 
 courage at our friendly overtures, sold us abundance of 
 bread, barley flour, maize, and a very succulent and relish- 
 able dried grass which they gathered on the shore, tasting 
 much like watercress. Fowls and meat were very scarce, 
 but we were able to secure several large baskets of little 
 minnow-like fishes. "We questioned these people, and 
 found that they were an offshoot of the Sifanese tribes 
 in the country to the northward, with the generic tribal 
 name of Tchango. 
 
 Like the Tung Kalese, the Tchangoes were dressed in 
 garments of asbestos and eagles' feathers, and wore caps 
 of bufEalo skin with long strips of fur, or the tails, dropped 
 behind. Fishnets and baskets lay scattered around in 
 abundance,, while great bundles of iron and wooden spears 
 proved that they were as warhke on occasion as they 
 were habitually industrious. 
 
 On inquiring as to the chief who ruled over the island, 
 they informed us that he would come before us in a short 
 time, as our approach having been described, he had re- 
 
AN ILLUSTRIOUS DIGNITARY. 109 
 
 tired to clothe himself in a manner properly befitting such 
 an august occasion. A half hour later this illustrious dig- 
 nitary was announced by the tooting of horns and the 
 beating of innumerable drums. He was a fine-looking 
 man, notwithstanding the fact that a number of ugly 
 scars in broad welts across his face gave him a cruel and 
 sinister aspect. Having touched foreheads with us, he 
 seated himself on a buffalo robe, spread by an attendant 
 on the floor, when we were able to view him more closely. 
 His majestic form was covered with a long robe of buffalo 
 skin, much in the form of a Roman toga, on which were 
 sewn small brass plates overlapping one another, forming 
 a splendid coat of mail. His head was covered with a 
 "towering ornament of solid iron in the shape of an in- 
 verted basin, which must have weighed at least ten or 
 twelve pounds. He was a mighty hunter, and knew the 
 country to the north distinctly, for he had roamed over it 
 for years in search of game. Learning that it was our 
 intention to penetrate yet farther up the current of the 
 river, he sought to dissuade us from the enterprise by 
 the presentation of such an array of alarming facts con- 
 cerning the dangers to be met that we were not a little 
 intimidated. Knowing well, however, the aptitude of the 
 natives of the district to underrate and overstate the truth, 
 we were minded to belittle the importance of his fears, 
 until, discovering that we were not to be dissuaded from 
 our purpose by mere hearsay, he waxed more gracious and 
 solaced us with the information that, with the force of our 
 armament and the assurance of Ms protection, we should 
 experience no difficulty in making progress. 
 
 Close to our camp was a cemetery of the Tchangoes. 
 The grave-mounds were neat, and from their appearance 
 one would judge that they were not only the repositories 
 
110 THROUGH UNEXPLORED ASIA. 
 
 of the dead, but also of all the articles that had ever 
 belonged to the dead. Each grave was dressed out with 
 the various mugs, pitchers, kettles, weapons, and fishing 
 implements of the deceased, while on each had been 
 placed an abundance of food for the comforting of the 
 spirit of their ancestors when attacked by the pangs of 
 hunger. 
 
 Idol worship was carried on to a great extent, and the 
 various ceremonies performed by these people were very 
 curious. One of the most common is that which is prac- 
 tised before the setting forth of the men of the village on 
 a hunting or fishing expedition. Numbers of little wooden 
 idols are arranged in the open space in front of the chief's 
 house, where the hunters or fishermen, as the case may 
 be, assemble, and Ijdng flat on their stomachs, with their 
 backs bare and exposed, await the arrival of the chanting 
 priests. These officials, always necessary to the ceremony, 
 soon arrive, — hideous and ghostly objects smeared with 
 paint and grease, — and armed with long thonged whips 
 they beat the prostrate men with unconcealed glee. At 
 the conclusion of this part of the function all take upon 
 themselves the important business of satisfjdng the natural 
 talent of eating and drinking, when it is lawful for the 
 hunting and fishing party to set forth. 
 
 On the twenty-fourth we started up-stream to Tching, a 
 distance of twelve miles, where the Tchangoes had in- 
 formed us we should be able to secure abundance of fresh 
 meat, as well as guides, from the tribal chief, that would 
 assure us protection for a week's journeying. Until noon- 
 time we were engaged in the ascent of a six-mile stretch, 
 which brought us to the rapids of Basnugu, where further 
 progress in the river became impossible. The natives in 
 the hilly country farther back descended from their breezy 
 
DIFFICULTIES OF PORTAGE. 
 
 Ill 
 
 homes on the table-land to visit the strangers. They were 
 burning to know how we intended to extricate ourselves 
 from the embarrassing position with which we were con- 
 fronted by these rapids; and learning that it was our 
 intention to carry the ca- 
 noes along the river bank 
 untU we had passed by 
 the obstruction and were 
 able to launch them in 
 the smoother water up- 
 stream, they conferred 
 together for a few mo- 
 ments, and then startled 
 our peace of mind by the 
 information that they 
 could not allow us to pass 
 through their territory 
 unless they were properly 
 recompensed for the privi- 
 lege. If there had been 
 an opportunity of making 
 effectual resistance we 
 should have done so, but 
 as the thick woods offered 
 a shelter to our assailants, 
 who outnumbered our 
 party ten to one, we were 
 forced to comply with the 
 request ; and having distributed presents among the head 
 men, and also several wine-skins, we. were permitted to 
 proceed with the arduous task of portage for three miles 
 through a tangled swamp and across innumerable hilly 
 summits. 
 
 OKONGO ANTELOPE. 
 
112 THROUGH UNEXPLORED ASIA. 
 
 By sundown all the canoes were safe across the land 
 journey and ready for the short dash of three miles to 
 Tching on the morrow. Though the lofty chains of 
 mountains which had once more drawn near at hand were 
 steep, rugged, and craggy, they sheltered a numerous popu- 
 lation, which in s"ome unexplainable manner was able to 
 extract subsistence from a soil that did not seem capable 
 of furnishing sustenance to a single blade of grass. The 
 neighbourhood of Tching is especially distinguished for its 
 lofty cones and great mountain masses, the tribal village 
 itself being perched on the side of a small mountain peak 
 and surrounded by a wall of huge granite blocks, — 
 whether as a safeguard against the aggressive and hostile 
 natives of the surrounding country, or as a protection 
 against the elements, we were unable to ascertain. The 
 village itself was a far more pretentious place than it had 
 seemed to be when viewed from a distance, a broad street 
 some hundred feet in width penetrating its entire length, 
 on each side of which were ranged the abodes of the popu- 
 lace. The houses were divided into two or more apart- 
 ments, and, on account of the compact nature of the clay 
 with which they were constructed, were of a more substan- 
 tial character than the mud and cane dwellings of the 
 villages farther back. 
 
 As we landed, the population of the village came run- 
 ning down the mountainside, and when some thirty feet 
 away halted, as if fearful to approach nearer. Showing 
 them our empty hands, and thus making known our 
 desire to be friendly, we accosted them. They replied to 
 us clearly and calmly. To our overtures of friendship 
 there was a manifest desire to accept our conciliatory 
 sentiments, for we received gentle responses. As soon as 
 the canoes had been drawn up on shore the chief of the 
 
DIPLOMATIC BARTERING. 113 
 
 place, of whose fame and enterprise we had already been 
 apprised, formally waited upon us. He was attended by 
 a body-guard of twenty fine-looking Szchuenese warriors, 
 armed with muskets and attired in flamboyant uniforms, 
 who sought duly to impress us with their magnificence 
 by much swagger and bluster. Manona-li (the name 
 of the chief) himself was a small-eyed man of about fifty 
 or thereabout, of gigantic stature, with a kindly looking 
 face which beamed with constant smiles. He was of a 
 quiet, yet sociabl&demeanour, ceremonious and mild-voiced, 
 with the instincts of a greedy trader cropping out of him 
 at aU points, and cunning beyond measure. 
 
 His acuteness in driving a bargain would have shamed 
 the efforts of the most exacting Shylock, for on acquaint- 
 ing him with our desire to purchase provisions and secure 
 his protection for the journey up-stream, he threw up his 
 hands in horror and sought to impress us with the terrible 
 danger of such an attempt. His surprise at our presump- 
 tion, however, was doubtless put on for the purpose of 
 stimulating our liberality, for after haggling far into the 
 night he consented, for the price of two guns, to give us 
 the desired guides and protection, and -to sell us sufficient 
 provisions for a week's journeying for ten ounces of silver. 
 
 To remunerate us in a way for this unlooked-for liber- 
 ality, he invited us to the pleasures of his abode, which, 
 because of the coldness of the weather, caused by the high 
 altitude we had reached, we were but too willing to avail 
 ourselves of. We soon had reason, however, to regret this 
 hastily arrived at conclusion, for we straightway found 
 plenty of occupation in ridding ourselves of the hosts of 
 lice and fleas, with which the place abounded. During the 
 long night we lay awake engaged in this practice, scratch- 
 ing with an assiduity which would have caused the learned 
 
114 THROUGH UNEXPLORED ASIA. 
 
 economist who mourned the loss of energy consumed in 
 the wagging of a dog's tail to have shed tears of despair 
 at the sight. A description of travelling in Western 
 China would by no means be complete without some men- 
 tion of the vermin with which the hapless traveller is 
 compelled to become intimately acquainted. Lice and 
 fleas seem to be the indispensable accompaniments of 
 Chinese life; and, in fact, the itching caused by these 
 parasites seems to furnish some of the natives their only 
 means of exercise. In our own case there was certainly 
 little rest for the weary. 
 
 The chief having announced his intention of properly 
 celebrating the visit of two illustrious white strangers in 
 their midst, the varied population of the village gathered 
 on the following day in the large open square at the end 
 of the long street, to attend the ceremonies which had 
 been conceived to be suitable to the occasion. Manona 
 had outdone himself, for he was attired from head to foot 
 in a closely woven silk uniform of interlacing coloured 
 threads, while from the crown of his head towered sky- 
 ward a curious hat of closely plaited fibre nearly five feet 
 tall, which he was able to keep in position only by the 
 most marvellous process of equipoise. The enclosure was 
 soon filled with young men and girls, who sat chatting, 
 laughing, and smoking, and facing a clear space left in the 
 centre for the performers. 
 
 The musicians beat a sharp tattoo on the drums, and, 
 at a great sound of applause, half a dozen comely young 
 women took their places in the open space. Their 
 handsome forms were clothed in the lightest of silken 
 gowns, their hair being decorated with shells and metal 
 ornaments; each carried in her hand a crude sort of 
 one-stringed guitar, which she thrummed industriously 
 
A FANTASTIC CELEBRATION. 115 
 
 to a doleful chant, all keeping up this unceasing musical 
 performance in strains truly depressing, at the same time 
 going through the steps of a stately dance, for which the 
 group of spectators marked excellent time by a low, 
 humming noise, and the clapping of hands. After an 
 interval of rest the dancing girls retire, and the open 
 space is preempted by four musicians, who come forward 
 and perform a war-dance. The men wear loin clothes 
 only, their muscular bodies and arms going through all 
 sorts of dramatic gestures with imaginary spear and knife, 
 a realistic representation of savage warfare, the music 
 gradually working them up to a state of frenzy, tUl they 
 are obliged to desist from sheer exhaustion. After this 
 there was more singing and dancing ; and then the most 
 important business of the function, that of feasting, was 
 inaugurated, the natives, with characteristic gluttony, 
 gorging themselves until they were unable to move. 
 Manona's people were evidently very loyal to him, for, 
 during all the performance and feasting, they showed a 
 remarkable submissiveness and devotion, whether real or 
 assumed, it was impossible to discover. 
 
 The important business of eating and drinking having 
 been disposed of, we gathered in Manona's dwelling with 
 his more important chiefs, the common herd shambling 
 ofE to their respective abodes to recover from the effects 
 of their recent overindulgence. Here several long chi- 
 bouques were lighted and passed around with great cere- 
 mony, being handed from one to the other, accompanied 
 by the curious process of a constant snapping of the 
 fingers. Thus the chibouque of peace and sociability 
 went the round of the circle, as though it was a council 
 of Sioux about to hold a pow-wow, Manona and his liege 
 subjects indulging in the wildest flights of hyperbole as 
 
116 THROUGH UNEXPLORED ASIA. 
 
 to the benefits accruing to us from their friendship, and 
 making all sorts of rash promises as to the help which 
 they mtended to give us in furthering the success of the 
 expedition. 
 
 On the twenty-seventh of March we parted from the 
 friendly natives of Tching with an escort of ten men in 
 three canoes, under the leadership of Manona's eldest son, 
 who had received instructions to accompany us to the next 
 village, two days' sail up-stream, where we were to be 
 turned over to the protection of a brother chief who 
 would properly provide for us. From Tching we trav- 
 elled through an interesting country (a distance of six 
 miles), and suddenly saw the confluence of the Yainsh 
 Kiang, as it poured its turbid waters into the clear depths 
 of the Kinsha. The former appeared to have a breadth of 
 a hundred yards at the mouth, where it rushed through a 
 narrow gorge formed by two closely commingling moun- 
 tain ranges. There can be no doubt but that this is the 
 same stream which Quincy penetrated in 1879, after his 
 long journey from the westward across Thibet, and where 
 it is supposed that he and his men were massacred. We 
 questioned the natives in the vicinity, including those old 
 men who would have been liable to know of the occur- 
 rence, but all were unanimous in averring that no white 
 men had even been heard of in the country until we had 
 arrived. 
 
 It was dark when we reached Dhong-Lung, after a long 
 day's battling against the river current, which had about 
 used us all up. From a distance we could see the lights of 
 many torches sprinkled about the shore. As we ap- 
 proached, a hum of voices was borne toward us on the 
 still night air. All the villagers, forewarned of our 
 approach, had gathered on the strand, and as we drew 
 
DHONG-LUNG HOSPITALITY. 117 
 
 near several canoes containing the principal men of the 
 village shot out, and, leading the advance with shouts of 
 joy, gave unmistakable evidence of the sincerity of their 
 welcome. When our canoes touched shore, and the awe- 
 stricken crowd were able to catch a glimpse of our white 
 faces, great was their joy. All were eager, to bear a hand 
 in drawing up the boats and unloading the stores, while a 
 great torchlit crowd of yelhng natives escorted us to- the 
 dwelling of the chief man of the village, who awaited our 
 arrival with a great simulation of sang-froid, — a thin 
 veneer of artifice which did not conceal his true feelings, 
 for he was fully as inquisitive and awestricken at the 
 sight of white strangers as his more humble followers. 
 This man was about forty years of age, of middle stat- 
 ure and with a complexion of almost negro tint, with a 
 broad face, black hair just graying, and thin-lipped. He 
 spoke but little, and that courteously. He did not appear 
 very formidable, but from our guides we learned that he 
 was one of the most renowned fighting men of the dis- 
 trict, and that the village over which he presided was a 
 remarkably powerful one. His right-hand man, however, 
 in the management of afEarrs of state was a patriarch who 
 had the rollicking look of a prosperous and coarse-minded 
 old man, perfectly satisfied with the material aspect of his 
 condition. He dealt in humour of the coarsest kind, 
 which, imitating the example set by our guides, we 
 laughed at with much apparent enjoyment, although we 
 were unable to perceive the exact point of his innumer- 
 able jokes. He was very inquisitive concerning the rea- 
 son of our presence in the country, but notwithstanding 
 our most persistent efforts to impress him with the real 
 reason, — namely, that of exploration, — he could not or 
 would not bring himself to an acceptance of it, and in his 
 
118 
 
 THROUGH UNEXPLORED ASIA. 
 
 own mind evidently ascribed to us some ulterior motive. 
 But, after all, how can one expect an unenlightened and 
 uneducated barbarian to realise the full meaning of that 
 insatiable desire, which has ever been an accompaniment 
 
 FISHING TEAP OP DHONG-LTJNG NATIVES. 
 
 of the growth of civilisation, to pry into unknown cor- 
 ners of this world of ours, when even calm intelligence 
 is unable to give a suflacient and potent reason for its 
 existence ? 
 
 "We found that at Dhong-Lung we were in the centre of 
 a country abounding in big game, large herds of buffaloes 
 
A HUNTING MISADVENTURE. 119 
 
 roaming over the immense plateau to the southward. 
 The chance to secure fresh meat, without being obliged 
 to pay an exorbitant price for it to parsimonious and 
 close-fisted natives, suggested a hunting expedition ; and 
 for two days we tracked the wary beasts, being rewarded 
 with enough meat to supply our needs for a week to 
 come, which we cut up into long strips and hung over the 
 fire to dry, thus ensuring their preservation. 
 
 The last of these hunts was attended with an incident 
 which, but for a jnost fortunate interposition, would have 
 resulted seriously for Burton. Accompanied by Yuen he 
 had wandered over into the long plain to the north in 
 the hope of securing some small antelopes or other game, 
 leaving us to pursue our buffalo-hunting until he should 
 return. He had been gone but an hour when we descried 
 Yuen rapidly rushing across the plain, followed by an 
 infuriated buU buffalo. Reaching the point where I stood, 
 he fell on his knees palsied with fear, and in' gasping 
 whispers related how they had been scouring through the 
 bush, when they came upon a small herd of buffaloes, 
 which had immediately charged them. Burton, he said, , 
 had fired, but missed, and, struck by the bull, had fallen 
 with his leg broken over a small declivity to the plain 
 below. Aghast at the catastrophe, I summoned the crew 
 and hurried to the spot, to find poor Burton covered with 
 blood, and insensible, lying on the ground. He was, how- 
 ever, not so badly injured as Yuen had related, his worst 
 injury being a number of ugly cuts and a severe wrench- 
 ing of his leg. We carried him back to the village, and 
 at the end of the second day, except for a slight stiffness, 
 he was as well as ever. 
 
 On the thirtieth a powerful chief who ruled over the dis- 
 trict across the river from Dhong-Lung appeared with an 
 
120 THROUGH UNEXPLORED ASIA. 
 
 escort of canoemen and warriors, bringing large quantities 
 of iron instruments and baskets of fish and bread, which 
 he sought to trade with us for muskets. As we had only 
 a few of these necessary implements left, sufficient for our 
 own protection, we were obhged to refuse, but informed 
 him that we should be willing to buy the goods of him for 
 money. He retired for a short distance with his men to 
 talk it over, and eventually consented to sell ; but we did 
 not buy, however, until we had brought him down to one- 
 tenth of the original price which he asked for the things. 
 Every chief was eager for a present, with which he was 
 much gratified, and solemn covenants of peace were 
 entered into, confirmed on their part by the presentation 
 to us of innumerable charms, of whose potency against 
 harm we were assured by their respective donors. The 
 particular charm which was to guard over my destinies 
 was in the shape of a small bag of buffalo-skin containing 
 a few remnants of bone, a sort of grajdsh powder in a 
 small wooden tube, and two round images of cast iron, — 
 which gifts were accepted with a gratitude more openly 
 expressed than inwardly felt. 
 
 We passed the last day in Dhong taking observations 
 of our altitude and making preparations for our onward 
 journey. An observation by boiling point disclosed to us 
 an altitude of 6,502 feet above the ocean. At Tung Kal 
 the river was 6,286 feet, a difference of over two hundred 
 feet in a distance of seventy-three miles. 
 
CHAPTER IV. 
 
 On the morning of April 1st the expedition had reem- 
 barked, — the last bold step toward the land of mystery. 
 As the outlines of Dhong-Lung faded from view, we 
 instinctively felfe that, in forsaking its sheltering arms, 
 we had severed the cord that bound us in a way to the 
 known world. Our bridges had been burned behind 
 us ; come what might, it was imperative that we should 
 push up into the wild mountain fastnesses to the north, 
 and by this route find our way once more to civilisation. 
 
 The number of islands encountered during the day 
 proved so troublesome that we were compelled to crawl 
 cautiously along at a snail's pace near the shore. The 
 peaceful prospect which had dominated the scenery farther 
 back was now shattered by the near approach of gigantic 
 mountain peaks towering far into the clouds, while on the 
 river banks hung low-l3dng vapours of dank moisture. 
 The general appearance of the landscape was rugged, 
 bare, and unpromising; but the country was well popu- 
 lated, and gave undeniable evidences of hospitality, — the 
 natives crowding down to the shore during the day's 
 journeying, loaded with vegetables and baskets of fish, 
 which they sought with much vociferousness to sell to 
 us. The tribal demarcations of territory and character- 
 istic distinctions which we had noticed heretofore now 
 became more openly apparent, those natives with whom 
 we were able to make ourselves understood informing 
 us that they were the northern tribe of the Tchangoes, 
 
 121 
 
122 THROUGH UNEXPLORED ASIA. 
 
 althougli known among themselves as the Dj^-gu. Though 
 they live closely commmgled, there is as much difference 
 between the Tchangoes and the Dj^-gu as exists between 
 a negro and an American Indian. The Tchangoes are 
 pale-coloured, straight, thin-nosed and thin-lipped, while 
 in many respects the Dj^-gu present unnlistakable negro 
 characteristics. 
 
 The number of chain bridges crossing the current of the 
 river could not fail to excite our comment ; the amount 
 
 of ingenuity and 
 ■ ^ ' ■ labour necessary to 
 
 their erection must 
 have been enor- 
 mous, as, with the 
 crude implements 
 
 NATIVE KOPE BRIDGE. posscssed by the na- 
 
 tives, the construc- 
 tion of this vast amount of iron chain must have been the 
 effort of years. These bridges are of inestimable benefit 
 to the country, however, and one could not help estimating 
 the abundance of revenue that might be derived from them, 
 could they be collectively gathered under an efficient toll 
 system. Below Lung-Chou-Fu the river valley was more 
 open, and enclosed only by low hills and by undulating, 
 closely cultivated spurs from the mountains behind. The 
 hills retreat from the river at the bends, and leave im- 
 mense flat plains, on which have been exercised the 
 industry and skill of a numerous population, vast tracts 
 of growing rice and grain waving in long green stretches, 
 while here and there were to be seen innumerable little 
 hamlets and villages. The latter were interesting merely 
 for the stereotyped pattern after which each seemed to 
 be cut ; not a shade of difference could one detect in size. 
 
AMONG THE DJ^-GU. 123 
 
 form, or colour. Built of mud, with straw roofs, they 
 were surrounded by vegetable gardens, and wide ditches 
 opening out into little ponds, where men and boys were 
 busy in the black mud, netting the small minnow-like 
 fish which seems to be the staple article of diet in the 
 surrounding district ; while the women were given plenty 
 of occupation, for the time being, in threshing corn, mak- 
 ing bean-curd cakes, or grinding flour. 
 
 About six miles from Lung-Chou-Fu, a long point from 
 a spur projects into the river, and, nearly joining the 
 other bank, forms a rushing rapid, which necessitated 
 the portage of the boats for a distance of half a mile. 
 The Dj^-gu we found to be most hospitable and kindly 
 people ; perceiving our predicament, they ralHed manfully 
 to our assistance, and, when we offered payment for their 
 services, refused with apparent anger, and really seemed 
 to be quite offended that we should have so misinterpreted 
 their benevolent intentions. 
 
 We had visible evidences of the growth of the sUk 
 industry in this region, for the river current carried us 
 by innumerable plantations of mulberry-trees, nearly de- 
 spoiled of their leaves. In the villages the sUk cocoons 
 were spread out on long wooden frames, which might 
 easily be carried from place to place, in order to face 
 the sun as long as possible, and the women might be 
 seen gathered out-of-doors engaged in spinning sUk. 
 
 The Dj^gu villages cease as soon as the eastern plateau 
 is reached, and the Akja-gu settlements begin. The latter, 
 however, do not monopolise this region, for many villages 
 either partly or wholly Tchango are met with, especially 
 on the lower waters of the Ngan-luen-Kiang, which empties 
 its crystal torrent over an eight-foot cascade, two miles 
 beyond Lung-Chou-Fu. The Koko-Norese also have 
 
124 THROUGH UNEXPLORED ASIA. 
 
 strayed southward from Ulh-G'th, and inhabit a few- 
 villages on the river bank ; and there is a sprinkling of 
 nondescripts who caU themselves Chyrunese, but are 
 probably Thibetans, inhabiting one or two of the villages 
 east of the Ngan-luen-Kiang. (As these numerous tribes 
 are in commercial and racial hostility with one another, 
 the benefits accruing to the district in which they are 
 domiciled have been considerable, in a measure subduing 
 the natural antipathy of the population toward stran- 
 gers.) 
 
 The valley of the upper Chin-ka, which divides the 
 western and eastern ranges of the Nushan mountains, is 
 as striking a region as any in the world. Penned in 
 between precipitous walls, it lies apart from the rest of 
 Szchuen, and possesses a character of its own ; it is easy 
 to understand how it attained a mysterious sanctity in 
 very ancient times as the seat of the great goddess Mun, 
 and preserved for so many centuries a worship pecidiar 
 to itself. At the present day it is the main stronghold 
 of a singular nomadic race, who appear to have come from 
 India to the southward, and to have been forced to this 
 region of mountain fastnesses by the physical superiority 
 of hostile tribes. Additional weight is lent to this theory 
 of origin by the darkness of the skin, which is a very 
 dark brown, almost black, and by the straight black hair, 
 characteristic of the present tribes of Northern India. 
 Their religion, which is of the crudest form, professes a 
 passive allegiance to Buddha and a number of minor 
 gods; but, like the wild races to the southwestward, 
 they are idolaters and offerers of sacrifice, defying alike 
 the efforts of Christianity to convert them, and the 
 repeated attempts of the Chinese government to bring 
 them into a state of subjection. The Chinese to the east 
 
NATIVE VANITY. 125 
 
 shake their heads at the name of Ch't'lan, regarding 
 those who bear it as devil-worshippers and broken 
 men, worthy of the attack of every true follower of 
 Buddha. 
 
 Notwithstanding this reputation for lawlessness and 
 independence of spirit, we found them to be a hospitable, 
 intelligent, and trustworthy race, who seemed to be wholly 
 free from those petty vices characteristic of the more 
 effeminate tribes to the eastward. The state of woman 
 among them was^ also much exalted over that seen in the 
 regions through which we had heretofore been travelling. 
 Women seemed to be on terms of equality with the men, 
 mixed and talked freely with them, and evidently had a 
 share in the government. A distinguishing characteristic 
 of both sexes is an inordinate love of dress, almost 
 amounting to a mania. Brilliant colours are worn, bright 
 blues and reds ; and the women arrange their hair in nu- 
 merous fantastic shapes, and deck themselves out with 
 lavish display of long metal pendants and a profusion of 
 gold amulets. The plaits of hair are thin and numerous, 
 and are strung upon transverse sticks, which serve to keep 
 them apart and away from the wearer's shoulders and face ; 
 in fact, these sticks serve much the same purpose as do 
 combs in the Western coiffure. Both sexes are remarka- 
 bly well built, and even handsome. 
 
 Certain of these tribes migrate in winter to the warmer 
 districts to the eastward. Nomadic habits are stUl strong 
 even with the most settled of these people ; the inhabit- 
 ants of Kuch-li, 7,230 feet above the sea level, situated 
 near abundant water and a fertile country, remove two or 
 three mUes away to the forbidding mountain grazing lands 
 during the summer months when the heat is unbearable, 
 and we found the inhabitants of many of the settled vil- 
 
126 THROUGH UNEXPLORED ASIA. 
 
 lages encamped not two hundred yards from their own 
 doors. 
 
 On the third we continued to battle up-stream along this 
 rugged shore, margined at the water's edge with immense 
 flotillas of almost impenetrable weeds and water-growth, 
 which greatly retarded progress. Five miles brought us 
 to I-Chu, a settlement doubtless pleasant enough under 
 a fair sky, but now, with low-lying clouds prophetic of a 
 furious tempest soon to come, it bore an air of universal 
 gloom and squalor. As we did not wish to undergo the 
 risk of being caught in the chasm-like stretch of the river 
 beyond, we decided to make a halt until the weather 
 conditions should become more propitious. 
 
 I-Chu is one of those villages which may be regarded 
 as indispensable both to the traveller and the trader. At 
 the junction of numerous highways which intersect the 
 surrounding district and form a natural trade-route from 
 the provinces of Western China to Thibet, it is a place 
 of much more than usual importance. During our halt of 
 two days, to make necessary repairs and to prepare for the 
 arduous journey up-stream, we were waited upon by a 
 number of the chief officials of the town, whom we found 
 to be above the general average of similar functionaries 
 with whom our lot had heretofore been thrown. Their 
 curiosity, however, was a trait positively appalling to 
 behold ; for had we not persisted in maintaining a passive 
 sUence in order not to be bored in this direction, we 
 should literally have been questioned to death. The 
 more intelligent of these questions were about our own 
 and other countries of the world, especially England and 
 Russia, of whose influence in Asiatic affairs all seemed 
 cognisant; but the generality of them consisted of a 
 series of interrogations of the most trivial nature and of 
 
VALUABLE MINERAL DEPOSITS. 127 
 
 almost childlike simplicity, such as : " How old are you ? " 
 " What makes your beards grow ? " " Have you a wife ? " 
 and so forth. 
 
 At I-Chu we were more than ever able to gain an ade- 
 quate idea of the mineral richness of this country. Gold 
 and silver seemed to be exceedingly common, being pro- 
 fusely worn in the form of ornaments, whilst the amount of 
 the baser metals was equally as well demonstrated. There 
 can be no doubt but that, were this country colonised by 
 energetic and pipogressive whites, it would prove to be 
 one of the richest mineral regions in the world. Repeated 
 excursions into the mountain country revealed to us the 
 richness of these hidden treasures, cropping up even on 
 the surface. In the present condition of affairs, however, 
 these metals are practically useless, for the native popula- 
 tion seem incapable of realising their full value or of 
 mining them in large quantities, while their hostility to 
 foreigners would prove a sufficient barrier to prevent the 
 latter from working these deposits. 
 
 "We halted a day longer in I-Chu than had been our 
 original intention, in order to make new paddles and to 
 await the weekly market day, when we were enabled 
 to buy several bags of flour and vegetables. The first 
 village we halted at on the seventh was Uhi-l'n. It nestles 
 in a sheltered nook in a bay-like indentation of the lofty 
 mountain wall, crowded with wheat plantations and nu- 
 merous huts scattered under their impenetrable shades, 
 with a strip of gray gravel beach gently sloping from 
 the water's edge upward to where it meets the base of 
 the mountain. As we drew near, the village gave no 
 evidences of being inhabited ; but as the canoes touched 
 shore we became cognisant of the presence of a dozen 
 natives, clad in dingy garments, seated on the beach, and 
 
128 THROUGH UNEXPLORED ASIA. 
 
 in a state of beastly intoxication from drinking the insidi- 
 ous pundu. To our greetings they responded by vacant 
 stares of distrust, and with ludicrous celerity scrambling 
 to their feet offered us some of the nectar, and then 
 hobbled off as fast as their rather unsteady legs could 
 carry them. In half an hour they returned to the shore 
 with their forces augmented by two dozen other individ- 
 uals in a similar state of inebriety, which, on questioning 
 them, we discovered to be their usual method of celebrat- 
 ing the memory of their honoured ancestors. Those 
 natives whom we saw were all males, not a single child 
 or member of the other sex being visible. We subse- 
 quently learned that these ancestral celebration days were 
 observed by nearly all the tribes in the country bordering 
 on the Kinsha Kiang in a similar manner, — the inevita- 
 ble sequence to these protracted drinking-bouts being san- 
 guinary brawls, in which numbers were killed and injiu-ed. 
 The women and children, until the time of celebration had 
 passed, camped in the open country or took up their 
 residence in some near-by friendly vUlage. 
 
 Before we left they presented us with several jugs of 
 pundu, and as the task of voyaging was stimulating to 
 the cause of thirst, we accepted this hospitable gift, and, 
 in return, distributed a few presents among those good 
 souls who, with minds less fuddled than their fellows, 
 were able to appreciate the value of such presents. 
 
 Leaving I-Chu, we proceeded in an amiable, light-hearted 
 mood along the majestic shore separating the Luch'ien 
 and Th'lyu Mountains, and halted about nightfall at the 
 village of Tir'ghu, where we found the population remark- 
 ably hospitable and friendly. They had been forewarned 
 of our approach by a couple of fishermen, and had at once 
 sent word to the chief man of the village, who was on a 
 
A FRIEND IN NEED. 129 
 
 visit to the graves of his ancestors in the hills, a few miles 
 away. During the evening he came back in breathless 
 haste to witness the marvellous spectacle of two white 
 men, of whose wonders he had been informed by the mes- 
 senger; and, having apologised for the shortcomings of 
 his village to provide proper entertainment for two such 
 illustrious "kings," he invited us to his own abode, — a 
 long, one-storied hut, in which, with characteristic frugal- 
 ity, he had domiciled his immediate family, and a number 
 of small ponies and cattle. He spread out before us a 
 feast of buttermilk, baked fish, and potatoes, and des- 
 patched a messenger overland to Lo-Ching-Tong, to an- 
 nounce the coming of white strangers in the land, at the 
 same time declaring that he would accompany us person- 
 ally the whole distance, and introduce us to the head man 
 of the town, in whom he smilingly assured us we should 
 meet a friend, and under whose protection we might 
 voyage for many a day's paddling up-stream without 
 molestation. 
 
 Promptly next morning, just before daybreak, he was 
 at the river bank, attired in his most sumptuous robes of 
 office, ready for the embarkation. Nor did we have need to 
 regret his presence during the day, for he was of the great- 
 est assistance to us in designating the numerous dangerous 
 spots in the river current, and pointing out the objects of 
 interest, with their names, in the surrounding country. 
 The river for some distance wound among high hills of 
 five hundred or a thousand feet, sometimes shaded by 
 forests of minuscular evergreens, or dotted with innumer- 
 able little villages, looking the very emblems of peace. 
 One could not help marvelling somewhat at the large 
 number of cemeteries, out of all proportion, it seemed, to 
 the number of inhabitants in these settled places. The 
 
130 THROUGH UNEXPLORED ASIA. 
 
 discrepancy, however, was not so great as seemed appar- 
 ent, for, it being the custom to bury the dead of the 
 district as near to the great stream as possible, these 
 cemeteries, besides offering a depository for the disposal 
 of the deceased of the river villages, were also of similar 
 use for the poptdation of the inland villages for many 
 miles. 
 
 As an evidence that the greatest reverence is shown to 
 their dead, these cemeteries were really sumptuous in 
 small religious shrines and temples, formed of the green- 
 coloured marble found in the mountains, and carved in all 
 manner of grotesque shapes. At the shrines the ignorant 
 natives might be seen depositing money and presents of 
 various kinds, also articles of food ; and the hold that 
 religion has taken on the country may be properly under- 
 stood when it is known that, although among themselves 
 the most inveterate of thieves, the presents laid in these 
 cemeteries are never disturbed, many of those which 
 have existed there for generations containing small-sized 
 fortunes. 
 
 Beautiful as the country below I-Chu is, it is eclipsed 
 by the grandeur of that leading up to Lo-Ching-Tong, 
 through the Gh'tan gorge. The river fcurrent diverges 
 from the centre of the stream, and closely hugs the left 
 bank of the river, proceeding for about six miles through 
 the chiselled bed of granite. All at once this wall of rock 
 retires to a distance, and the sides of the gorge, which 
 have been gradually descending, expand, and transform 
 the stream into an open, lake-like pool. Without a 
 moment's warming, and just enabling one to catch a 
 glimpse of the grassy plateau above, the cliffs once more 
 close in, the belt of turf ceases, and mighty walls enclose 
 the stream between rocks two hundred feet high. On the 
 
LEGENDARY BELIEFS. 131 
 
 right bank hardly a goat could clamber; on the left, a 
 fringe of fallen rocks affords a possible passage for horses 
 and hardy pedestrians, until a great rock, which juts from 
 the mountain wall, bars the way. Right under this rock 
 we saw the ruins of a bridge, whose abutments on either 
 bank remained like a stoical advance-guard of civilisation, 
 attesting undying hostility to the wild diorama of relent- 
 less barbarity unfolded on all sides. 
 
 There is a native legend regarding these remains, that 
 they were erected thousands of years ago by the great 
 god Mozu, who, to do penance for some wrong that he 
 had inflicted on the fountainhead of all knowledge, the 
 immortal Buddha, was obliged to perform some act of 
 benefit to mankind. He sought out the most stupendous 
 task of all, — that of building this bridge across the 
 stream of the Kinsha, mining the iron and forging it 
 into chains with his own unaided skUl and toil, until 
 Buddha, impressed with the completeness of his humility, 
 freed him from the task, when he had but just completed 
 the abutments. For thousands of years, according to the 
 native belief, these abutments have withstood the action 
 of the mighty river current and the elements ; nor will 
 it ever be possible for them to be destroyed, being of 
 supematm-al construction. 
 
 As we drew into the sheltered cove at Lo-Ching, across 
 the stream of the Kinsha we noticed a lofty mount, which 
 I should judge to be fully five thousand feet above the 
 bed of the river. From the natives of the town we 
 learned that it was known in the district as Mugrua-Pien, 
 and had never been visited to its summit by other than 
 the gods. The population of the surrounding country 
 gather twice a year at its base, while the priests ascend 
 a little way and make propitiatory gifts, craving abun- 
 
132 THROUGH UNEXPLORED ASIA. 
 
 dant rain and fine crops and protection from harm. We 
 decided to undertake a journey to the place and make the 
 ascent; but we had reckoned without taking account of 
 the antipathy of the natives to such a step, for, on our 
 mentioning it to the head man, we were confronted by 
 such a positive and unanswerable refusal that we did not 
 dare to mention the subject further. I have studied the 
 former maps of this region and taken the altitude of this 
 summit, and there cstn -br little doubt that it was this 
 sacred^gfljiujlrwliich Quincy makes mention of in his first 
 •^pbrt on the region of western Szchuen, and where he 
 averred barbaric human sacrifices of prisoners of war and 
 malefactors took place, — its position (long. 100° 27' E., 
 lat. 27° 26' N.) being that occupied by Mugrua-Pien. 
 There can be as little doubt, however, that he was misled 
 regarding the practice of himaan sacrifice, for, although 
 we made the most searching investigation, we were unable 
 to find traces of its present or past existence. The cus- 
 tom prevails of carrying the dead to the foot of the 
 sacred mount, and there offering its spirit to the protec- 
 tion of the gods before burial ; aiid it is doubtless a mis- 
 construction of this ceremonial rite that led him to his 
 erroneous conclusion. 
 
 The art of pleasing was never attempted with such 
 zeal as by the population of Lo-Ching-Tong, who sought 
 to overwhelm us with kindness, the spectacle of two 
 white strangers for the time being serving as a seven- 
 days wonder. A score of crude rafts of tanned skins 
 drawn tightly over bladders, loaded with peaceful, harm- 
 less souls, came toward us as we neared the shore, and 
 watched our every movement with open-eyed wonderment 
 until we had landed, when we were immediately sur- 
 rounded by a closely gathering horde, all bent on the one 
 
ETHNOLOGICAL POTPOURRI. 133 
 
 object of catching a glimpse of us, or touching our per- 
 sons and clothes, until we were in imminent danger of 
 being literally crushed to death. 
 
 We found the town to be one of considerable impor- 
 tance, situated on a jutting point of land lyiag between 
 the current of the Kinsha and a number of lake-like 
 pools, joined by narrow streams, to which the natives had 
 given the name L'tili (" the long one "). We inquired of 
 them as to the length and importance of this river, but 
 they could only give the information that it flowed for 
 many day's journeying to the southward, where it was 
 swallowed up by another stream as broad and long as 
 the Kinsha, — doubtless the Suchu headwaters of the 
 Mekong. Its waters were remarkably clear, enabling 
 one to see down to its granite bed, and had a briny taste, 
 which we discovered it gained from the constant min- 
 gling with its current of several small streams from innu- 
 merable salt lakes in the vicinity. 
 
 As the town is a natural centre for the various trade 
 routes radiating in all directions, its population is emi- 
 nently cosmopolitan, made up of a sprinkling of all races, 
 — Thibetans, Koko Norese, Szchuenese, Tchangoes, Sifan- 
 ese, and even typical Eastern Chinamen, who, notwith- 
 standing the dissimilarity of the races with whom they 
 have been thrown in contact, manage to maintain their 
 distinguishing personality. These latter are the real 
 administrators of the town, and, having banished that 
 peculiar inertia and slothfulness usually an attribute of 
 the Chinamen from the eastern provinces, seem to have 
 imbibed all the good points of their surroundings and 
 eliminated all the bad ones, untU the general result is 
 not altogether displeasing. One could not help thinking 
 of .the benefits that would accrue, not only to China, but 
 
134 THROUGH UNEXPLORED ASIA. 
 
 to the world at large, could the populations of the two 
 extremes of the country exchange their dominions, — 
 those of the east awakening to their opportunities by a 
 course of western hardship, and those of the west suffer- 
 ing their uncouth and untamed natures to be softened 
 and polished by contact with the broadening influence 
 of civilisation. But, alas for idle optimism ! the field of 
 Western China offers but little encouragement for those 
 imaginative mortals, who, peering through rose-coloured 
 glasses, are firmly convinced that already they see the 
 beginning of the glorious end when Christianity and 
 civilisation will stalk hand in hand over this unenlight- 
 ened region. 
 
 It may be said that the agricultural importance of any 
 country is exactly measured by the quantity of phos- 
 phates of lime that it consumes ; and the activity dis- 
 played here in collecting this material is truly feverish. 
 Doubtless to tliis cause more than to any other may be 
 ascribed the growth of Lo-Ching to a place of consider- 
 able importance, the remarkable productiveness of the 
 soil in its vicinity giving ample testimony as to the rich- 
 ness of these deposits. Nevertheless, the natives do not 
 seem adequately to realise the mine of wealth which lies 
 at their very doors, and which, if properly worked, would 
 soon raise their district to untold opulence ; for with true 
 dog-in-the-manger obstinacy they use what little amount 
 is required for their own needs, and jealously guard the 
 remainder from menacing commercial intrusion. 
 
 We were informed by the natives that, in the country 
 south of their town, a day's journey, there were great 
 numbers of red deer and water buffaloes, and we were 
 promised abundance of game if we wished to make the 
 attempt in search of it. As it was impracticable to leave 
 
DELIGHTS OF CONVERSION. 135 
 
 altogether unprotected the canoes and the remainder of 
 the outfit, we tossed up a com to see which one of us 
 fortune would favour with the choice of this diversion. 
 Burton, with his invariable good luck, won; and before 
 daybreak he set forth, mounted on the back of a shaggy 
 Sifanese pony, which, notwithstanding its general air of 
 humility, was possessed with the inordinate desire to rid 
 himself of his unwelcome burden. Burton had scarcely 
 departed when I was waited upon by a lama (one of the 
 native priests), wJio, diffusing a powerful and unpleasant 
 odour, and having critically stared me out of countenance, 
 launched forth the startling information that he had come 
 to secure my conversion to the true faith. I received him 
 graciously, avowing my desire to learn the tenets of his 
 rehgion. After labouring over my unreceptive mind for 
 four hours, he slowly departed, with the far from pleasing 
 intelligence that he would return on the following morning 
 with a brother priest, when my conversion would be car- 
 ried through to completion. To Western eyes nothing 
 could be more repugnant than the blind infatuation and 
 unquestioning faith with which the native population of 
 Western China follow the teachings of these dirty rascals, 
 who are really but a grade removed above the lower order 
 of animals. They have no idea of religion of any sort 
 other than a sincere and loudly iterated belief in mum- 
 mery and witchcraft, and a firm conviction of the favour 
 in which they shine beneath the glorious effulgence of 
 numerous deities. 
 
 The next morning the dirty individual who had visited 
 me on the yesterday arrived shortly after daybreak with 
 a long, gaunt individual, whom he introduced as the head 
 lama of a monastery in the hills two mUes away, adding, 
 by way of apology for their early descent, that they had 
 
136 THROUGH UNEXPLORED ASIA. 
 
 come to give a proper and dignified ending to my conver- 
 sion. As I did not wish to run the risk of incurring then- 
 enmity, I apparently submitted; and having tacked up 
 several small bits of prayer-paper in my apartment, they 
 proceeded to mimable forth prayers before a row of gro- 
 tesque wooden figures, until, after an hoiir of this monoir 
 onous practice, I was ready and wUling to declare myself 
 fully converted, irrespective of the truth or falsity of their 
 religion, only seeking some good and sufficient reason 
 which would enable me to be rid of their vile-smelliag 
 presence. 
 
 Shortly before noontime Burton appeared, weary and 
 bedraggled from the jaunt across the dusty plateau. He 
 had hunted the whole country with two guides, but not 
 an evidence of game of any kind had he seen excepting 
 several large musk-oxen, which he was forbidden firing at 
 on the ground that in this season they were under the 
 especial protection of the gods. He had managed to se- 
 cure a couple of pheasants, which made a welcome change 
 in the strict monotony of our diet. 
 
 Before leaving Lo-Ching, under the escort of the head 
 man of the place we were enabled to make a little tour in 
 the surrounding district ; and one could not help mani- 
 festing genuine surprise at the wonderful evidences of 
 fertility on every hand. The crops were well grown 
 and numerous, — wheat, oats, barley, potatoes, and other 
 domestic vegetables being especially abundant. The prin- 
 cipal food of the people is barley bread and barley por- 
 ridge, the barley being roasted before grinding it into 
 meal. Butter is made in small quantities, but, as it is 
 very little used, is so rancid and vile-smelling that one 
 cannot blame the populace for abstaining from making 
 liberal use of it. The market of Lo-Ching is remarkably 
 
A LAND OF PEACE AND PLENTY. 137 
 
 interesting, and we took advantage of the opportunity it 
 offered to purchase yak meat and fish, giving in exchange 
 ten yards of red cloth and a few pounds of lead bullets. 
 Great quantities of fine vegetables were displayed in the 
 market, — large cabbages as round as cannon balls, fine 
 turnips and brinjals, and excellent cucumbers, in such 
 quantities that it would have been impossible for us to 
 make use of them without the crew, whose cast-iron 
 digestions enabled them to eat vegetables in their raw 
 state, skin and all. There was another vegetable un- 
 known to us, in appearance, colour, and shape like a 
 very large and smooth cucumber ; which, when boiled, 
 formed a most palatable and strengthening food, having 
 remarkable similarity of taste to plum-pudding. 
 
 We left Lo-Ching on the twelfth, to continue the jour- 
 ney up-stream. For two days' journeying the Kinsha 
 traverses a wild and beautiful country, destitute, it 
 appeared, of permanent villages, and inhabited only by 
 nomadic Dj^-gu. The moimtain slopes gave every evi- 
 dence of fertility, and the valleys contained good pastur- 
 age. Both at Ghua-lu and T'hin, we found the natives 
 most hospitable and friendly to strangers. There are 
 five or six villages of these wild tribes on the right bank 
 before reaching Nh'juri, who are not Chinese or Thibetans, 
 but aborigines to all appearance. They- are almost com- 
 pletely ignorant of the world outside their own meagre 
 district, and their agricultural implements and abodes are 
 of an extremely primitive character. It is probable that 
 they represent the dying remnant of an original popula- 
 tion of the valley never completely converted to Buddhism, 
 for their religion is dissimilar to that of the neighbouring 
 tribes and entaUs the worship of numerous strange idols. 
 They have the delicate facial type and timid manner 
 
138 THROUGH UNEXPLORED ASIA. 
 
 which one associates naturally with a worn-out race. It 
 was in these villages that we first noticed a curious form 
 of cart without wheels. The back end of the poles are 
 bent around under the cart, and form runners, upon which 
 it rests like an elevated sledge, thus avoiding the difficulties 
 of the rough ground. 
 
 The general aspect of the country is much like that in 
 the region near Luipo on the Yangtse Kiang. If there is 
 any distinction between them, that in this Kinsha region 
 is a little more bare and sterile, — the land lying so high 
 that the hills lack character, having no striking outlines, 
 but rather extending along in continuous ridges. There 
 is a total lack of trees, the few meagre shrubs which fur- 
 tively poke their way a few feet above the surface being 
 lost in the general barrenness. 
 
 Ghua-lu is thirteen miles from Lo-Ching along the river 
 bank, although doubtless the numerous windings of the 
 river itself lengthens considerably the distance by water. 
 It is a large village, half Thibetan, half Chinese, situated 
 in a wide, shallow basin between two low hills. The land 
 round about is well cultivated. There is a considerable mon- 
 astery near by, and also innumerable temples constructed 
 of marble mined from quarries on the river bank. The 
 village is evidently of some antiquity, for the temples 
 show evidences of partial repairing and rebuilding, and 
 numerous bronze images and statues of apparently great 
 age are found in the cemetery. We sought to purchase 
 some of these relics, or at least gain permission to photo- 
 graph them, but were met with an instant refusal, the 
 natives seeming angered that we had even dared to sug- 
 gest such sacrilege. To the south and west of Ghua-lu 
 stretches Uhn'ln, an elevated tract of country, very 
 sparsely inhabited and haunted by predatory nomads, — 
 
MISERABLE NATIVES. 139 
 
 renegade offshoots from Thibet, who are in general war- 
 like and aggressive, menacing all trade in the district, and 
 swooping down on the defenceless river villages at fre- 
 quent intervals, leaving a track of fire and massacre in 
 their wake. A few villages of true Kuza Mohammedans 
 undoubtedly exist in this district, shunned and despised 
 by their neighbours, with whom they have nothing in sym- 
 pathy, neither bonds of trade nor of friendship. Through 
 hundreds of years they have retained in a measure their 
 tribal organisation, ruled by their own chiefs, and defjdng 
 the most rigorous efforts of the followers of Buddha to 
 extinguish them. They are essentially nomadic in their 
 habits ; and owing to the great elevation of their plateau, 
 on which snow lies for two or three months of the year, 
 their houses are either sunk many feet below the level of 
 the ground, or where the rock is soft are hollowed out 
 in the hillsides. 
 
 After leaving Ghua-lu, a short journey up-stream 
 brought us to T'hin. Streams now became numerous, 
 all flowing northward; but though it is a well-watered 
 country, the cattle in it were gaunt and starved-looking, 
 while what cultivation was apparent seemed of the most 
 sickly and unthrifty sort. The people in a measure 
 partook of the nature of their surroundings, for they 
 presented the appearance of having passed through a 
 succession of rigorous fasts. Disease was frightfully 
 prevalent, especially smallpox ; and, as we did not wish 
 to run the risk of jeopardising the health of the expedi- 
 tion, we wisely abstained from mingling with the natives, 
 preferring to encamp on a small island opposite the town, 
 which we found to be overrun by numerous large water- 
 snakes. One of the crew was bitten by one of these 
 reptiles, and came running to our tent, his face blanched 
 
140 THEOUGH UNEXPLORED ASIA. 
 
 with terror, fearing that he had been poisoned. As we 
 were unaware of the harmless nature of the snakes 
 we dosed him with pundu, until, in a state of maudlin 
 emotion, he confessed himself as fully recovered. The 
 snakes were not venomous; and, having tried the effect 
 of their bite on a stray dog which they had captured, the 
 crew, being envious of the treatment that had been 
 administered to their comrade, and supposing snake- 
 bites would bring them similar treatment, were bitten 
 frequently enough to cause a serious drain on our lim- 
 ited stock of pundu, until, having our eyes opened to 
 the clever ruse, the number of patients was immediately 
 lessened. 
 
 On the fifteenth, emboldened by the apparent growing 
 friendliness of the natives as we progressed farther into 
 the wild country to the north, we began our voyage to 
 Cheo-Chu-Su. We had been under way scarcely ten 
 minutes before we saw a small canoe, followed by an- 
 other and yet another till ten were ranged in line, boldly 
 approach us from the shore of T'hin. They signalled to us 
 to await their coming, but as we perceived a number of 
 weapons in the hands of those in the boats we scented 
 danger immediately, and made answer by calling on our 
 crew to put forth their most valorous efforts. Perceiv- 
 ing this movement, those in the canoes threw aside all 
 secrecy, and, howling yells of defiance, fired at us a volley 
 of slugs which fell harmlessly in the water. Without 
 giving them time to reload, we paddled strenuously 
 against the stiff current, and in an hour had left them 
 behind. 
 
 The country on the river bank was thickly wooded, 
 interspersed here and there with long stretches of grassy 
 plains. Our impression of the land was that it was a 
 
A PRIMITIVE VILLAGE. 141 
 
 pastoral country and thickly populated, for smoke curled 
 frequently above depressions and sheltered positions. 
 
 Besides their reputation for turbulence, the people of 
 Sien-lu are miserably poor, — an anomaly which one is 
 incapable of understanding, with the evidences of fertility 
 and thrift in the surrounding country. At least this was 
 our conclusion, for, although we offered to buy vegetables 
 and meat of them at liberal prices, they informed us that 
 they could not sell us any, as they had only enough for 
 their own immediate needs. Their curiosity and inquisi- 
 tiveness were seemingly insatiable, and had we endeav- 
 oured to satisfy them we should have been literally 
 consumed; for, not content with watching us from a 
 distance, they gathered around us and sought to carry 
 away portions of our clothing as souvenirs, until as a 
 measure of protection we were compelled to sleep in the 
 canoes anchored a few feet from the river bank. 
 
 The dress and manner of living of these people were 
 very primitive, the sole garment for male and female 
 ahke being a sort of sinuous sheet of thin cloth wrapped 
 across the shoulders and falling to the knees, leaving the 
 legs and the upper part of the body exposed ; while their 
 habitations were squalid little huts built of a few loosely 
 piled stones covered with a roof of cane and yak-skins, 
 containing but a single room, the entrance to which 
 necessitated one's crawling through on his hands and 
 knees, with imminent danger of being taken hors de com- 
 bat by some aggressive cur, dogs seeming to form the 
 most numerous evidences of life in the village. The evU 
 ■effects of opium might also be traced in the pallid counte- 
 nances and palsied limbs of many of the populace, and we 
 discovered that considerable quantities of the deleterious 
 drug were manufactured in the district for exportation to 
 
142 THROUGH UNEXPLORED ASIA. 
 
 Thibet. Tlie soil was a gray clay, over which was a layer 
 of rich black mould ; but although it might have yielded 
 fine crops of rice or wheat, it was given over to the 
 cultivation of the poppy. 
 
 The head man of Sien-lu was a miserable whiskered 
 figure, given over to two inordinate vices,' that of opium- 
 smoking and drunkenness. Either by natural inheritance, 
 or as the effects of these pernicious habits, he was pos- 
 sessed of the faculty of distorting the truth in a manner 
 which would have caused the lamented Ananias to turn 
 in his grave. He sought in every manner to discourage 
 our progress into the country up-stream, working with 
 telling effect on the crude and superstitious notions of 
 the Kiangsis, untU, as a matter of precaution, we were 
 obliged to get rid of him summarily. There were, he 
 said, a people dwelling on the shores of the river, but 
 a week's journey away, who were terrible fighting men, 
 and killed everybody that came into their country by 
 toasting them over a fire, and then eating their flesh ; 
 while yet farther on, he declared there was stUl another 
 tribe gifted with a happy penchant for carving with epi- 
 curean zest every one who entered their dominions. The 
 result of all this alarming information was what we had 
 expected : the Kiangsis, with every spark of their credulity 
 awakened by these fantastic narratives, at first demurring 
 at our resolve to penetrate farther up-stream, at last boldly 
 announced their downright determination not to go. The 
 great unknown country at the headwaters of the Kinsha, 
 because of its vagueness of outline and the character of 
 its people as seen through the distorting fogs of misrepre- 
 sentation, so aroused their fears that the dangers of the 
 prospect were too much for their courage. 
 
 For the time being the outlook was dark. Could it be 
 
ANXIOUS MOMENTS. 143 
 
 that all the hardships and dangers which we had endured 
 for months were to go for naught, all on account of the 
 rascally lying of a dirty and barbarous native ? These 
 and many other questions of similar import crowded on 
 each other's heels through our startled imaginations ; for 
 none so well as those who have experienced the sensation 
 know that sickening of feeling, that heaviness of heart, 
 which steals over one when, on the eve of consummating 
 those cherished plans which have been the acme of life's 
 ambition, he sees them all threatened with absolute disap- 
 pointment. 
 
 We sought to stimulate and renew the ardour of our 
 men by the recital of their trustworthiness in the past, 
 and the comparative ease with which they had overcome 
 more menacing dangers than any which the future might 
 have in store. We appealed to them somewhat after this 
 fashion : 
 
 " Are you, after all, but fools, but the weak children of 
 children, to be cowed and made fearful by a drunken 
 infidel, whose mouth speaks naught save that which is 
 untrue ? Have we not led you far from your homes 
 without bringing upon you grievous injury ? Have you 
 not promised your father in Pekin that you would stay 
 with his white brothers whatever danger came upon 
 them? How, then, can we take you back to your 
 people, and say, Your men are as cowardly as she- 
 buffaloes, weak and afraid of their own shadows, listen- 
 ing to the babble of old men, and deserting their friends ? 
 We have led you far from your homes, it is true ; but 
 have we not given word to your father in Pekin that we 
 would bring you back to him, and pay you tenfold for 
 every bruise and scar that you bore ? 
 
 " You, Yuen, — we know that you are a leader among 
 
144 THROUGH UNEXPLORED ASIA. 
 
 your people, — tell us, tell us -without reservation, what 
 reason makes your hearts weak and your hands tremble at 
 the babble of a drunken bufEalo-calf. Are not all your 
 bellies well filled, and are you not now able to battle as 
 you have done before ? If so, tell us. If you wish it, we 
 will return ; but what man of you can return to his 
 people, and say, We were afraid, and made our masters 
 come back? "Would you not then meet instant death, 
 the death of a coward ? We wish you to feel that we 
 have not brought you thus far from your home to thrust 
 you into a land from whence it is impossible to return. 
 We have paid you well in pure sUver ; we shall pay you 
 better yet when the journey is over. Can you stUl refuse, 
 or is the heart of the Kiangsis frozen to adamant by their 
 woman's fears ? " 
 
 The effect of this impromptu speech was magical. For 
 a few moments they remained cowed and passive, as if 
 heartily ashamed of their attitude, and then we knew 
 that the battle was won. 
 
 " I will go if none others wUl follow ! " cried Yuen, seiz- 
 ing our hands. " I will follow the masters wherever they 
 may bid me go. I was drunk with fear, but I am now 
 a man ; and if the masters will forgive, I am their slave." 
 
 " And I ! And I ! And I ! " went up the cry, until 
 every one of the recent malcontents had crowded around 
 us, and signified a hearty willingness to proceed without 
 delay. 
 
 It was our intention to have left Sien-lu on the eight- 
 eenth; but a hurricane of considerable fury — such as 
 we had experienced on several former occasions — made 
 it impossible to launch the canoes and proceed with any 
 chance of safety, and we passed the day in strengthening 
 the boats and drying quantities of fresh yak-meat, which 
 
A GALE ON THE KINSHA. 145 
 
 we were able to purchase in the open market. At 6 A. m., 
 on the nineteenth, the warring of the elements had ceased, 
 but huge banks of lowering clouds indicated that the 
 hurricane might be renewed. As there was a possibility 
 that it might hold off for a day or two longer, however, 
 and there was no further reason to retain us at Sien-lu, 
 we embarked on the boUing current of the stream, resolved 
 to make the effort to reach Cheo-Chu-Su by continuing to 
 the northwestward. At 11 A. m. the lowering clouds 
 hanging over the mountain summits descended again 
 upon us, and soon discharged both squall and gale. We 
 steered as much as possible from the shore to prevent 
 being dashed to pieces against the huge palisades of rock 
 that rose like a shiniag wall of ebony hundreds of feet 
 into the air, and the scene soon became one of frightful 
 pern, and wild beyond description. We were now in- 
 volved in the dreadful chaos of watery madness and 
 uproar, the howling wind sweeping huge volumes of 
 water into the canoes, until it seemed that each suc- 
 ceeding moment must founder them altogether. Rocks 
 and fearful projections rose from the seething torrent 
 like grinning jaws of relentless demons, as we drove 
 unresistingly along. Grimly and with lion hearts — the 
 hearts of men that face death and hope for life — did 
 the noble Kdangsis respond to our encouraging cries ; in 
 desperation and firm resolve not to be conquered, they 
 fought rock and breaker until, at 3 p. m., with bodies 
 drenched and chilled, and muscles stiffened and weary, 
 we saw calm water ahead in a little pool to the right. 
 
 Not far from the pool we saw something of unusual 
 aspect. It was a large stockade, the walls being of loose 
 stones instead of wood, in which were some long low 
 buUdings where only a few people stood about. The 
 
146 THROUGH UNEXPLORED ASIA. 
 
 place looked miserable and deserted, and as those natives 
 whom we could see did not make friendly approaches of 
 any kind, or take any seeming interest in our arrival 
 (although the spectacle of two white men was undoubtedly 
 one that they had seldom, if ever, witnessed before), we 
 were undecided whether to approach the forbidding spot, 
 lest we should become the subject of hostile attack ; for 
 with the generally worn-out condition of our crew after 
 the terrible tempest which they had just passed through, 
 such an attack was likely to end disastrously, as we were 
 in no proper mood or condition for making an effective 
 resistance. 
 
 We had entertained foolish alarms, however, for in ten 
 minutes we perceived several fine-looking men coming 
 out of the narrow opening to the stockade and approach- 
 ing in our direction. Their dialect was harsh and guir 
 tural, almost appalling in tone ; and they talked in a 
 strain so fierce, and mumbled the words together in such 
 profusion, that we were not a little intimidated. With 
 this strangeness of dialect it was some little time before 
 we could elucidate the facts that the name of their village 
 was Khen-pui, — one of the nomadic offshoots of the 
 Tchangoes down-stream, — and that they had taken up 
 their residence in this forbidding region in order to be 
 sufficiently protected against the constant encroachments 
 of their enemies in the surrounding country, who made 
 hostile raids at frequent intervals. It was owing to their 
 fears that we might be new assailants which had pre- 
 vented their making friendly advances at first ; but now 
 that the ice had been broken, they treated us with marked 
 hospitality, until we could not but feel that the exciting 
 scenes of the morning had met with a most gracious 
 ending. 
 
A RELIGIOUS COMMUNITY. 147 
 
 These people are very much like the Chinese of the 
 eastern provinces in general appearance; they wear 
 the same dress, plait the hair in a long cue in a similar 
 manner, and are altogether a superior race in every con- 
 dition that can exalt one class of men above another. 
 Their abodes were constructed of the crudest materials, 
 and loosely put together; but they presented that one 
 feature so uncommonly met with in China, cleanliness, and 
 with this welcome innovation one could well afford to 
 overlook many other shortcomings. Their teeth were also 
 white and even, in contradistinction to most of the natives 
 of Western China, who invariably file off their teeth and 
 darken them with some indelible compound, untU the 
 general effect is extremely barbarous, — a fashion much 
 in vogue also among the natives' of central Africa. 
 
 On entering the village, we met abundant evidence of 
 the deeply religious character of the population, for 
 numerous wooden and stone idols were scattered around 
 in remarkable profusion ; and although doubtless the 
 natives had passed in review these same inanimate figures 
 for many years, they would stop before each one and 
 mutter some prayer. We subsequently calculated the 
 time consumed in this operation, and came to the conclu- 
 sion that on an average the natives of this village spent 
 one-third of their existence on earth in making active 
 preparation for entrance into the next. What an example 
 to Christianity is this blind and dogged faith, this simple, 
 unaffected, and sincere devoutness, which no amount of 
 scoffing or contumely can lessen or change ! 
 
 The head man had abstained from coming down to the 
 shore to meet us untU he had witnessed our reception of 
 his envoys ; but now being apprised of our friendly inten- 
 tions and our desire to form a pact of good-will, he led 
 
148 THROUGH UNEXPLORED ASIA. 
 
 US to a large building in the rear of the village, which. 
 was built of square blocks of grayish stone, and some 
 thirty feet in height. This was his own residence, and 
 in a small and unassuming way it was quite a pretentious 
 structure. It consisted of two large apartments, one 
 being reserved exclusively for his numerous ponies, cattle, 
 dogs, and other household possessions, whilst the other 
 was given over to the use of himself and his family. 
 
 When we were seated he brought forth innumerable 
 cups of tea, so bitter and strong that, accustomed as 
 we had become to drinking the Chinese liquid, we paled 
 before the necessity of swallowing this mixture after we 
 had tested its strength with a few furtive sips. The 
 natives in this part of the country mix a sort of weed, 
 •known as gulhu, with their tea, which they are convinced 
 possesses numerous medicinal properties. However that 
 may be, there is no doubt of its exhilarating effect ; for 
 small quantities of the bitter mixture as we drank it at 
 once went to the head, until we were reeling and stagger- 
 ing like intoxicated men. The important ceremony of 
 tea-drinking having been disposed of, a number of the 
 chief functionaries of the place were ushered in, who in. 
 turn were provided with cups of the mixture. To our 
 astonishment, our host took each cup and sipped a little 
 therefrom, which we immediately construed as a sign of 
 his authority over his subjects. We eventually, however, 
 learned the real reason, which was to furnish evidence 
 that the tea was not poisoned. To judge from the pre- 
 cautions which are taken in this district against assassina- 
 tion and poisoning, these people must be veritable Borgias. 
 With a full knowledge of the deleterious influence of 
 strong tea upon the bodies and nerves of the Western 
 peoples, when consumed steadily year in and year out, we 
 
CHEO-CHU-SU. 149 
 
 were at a loss to account for its not producing any serious 
 effect upon the general health of this populace. The 
 only plausible explanation of this fact would appear to be 
 that the extreme salubriousness of their climate, and 
 the active life which they spend out-of-doors, offsets or 
 neutralises the bad effects. 
 
 From Khen-pui the Kinsha bends southeast for four 
 miles, turning again northeast at a point marked by a 
 considerable graveyard, — undoubtedly one of the general 
 repositories for the dead of the surrounding country, in 
 which we saw some really sumptuous temples. The moun- 
 tain ranges farther back gradually retire, and permit a 
 long sloping plain covered with grassy wastes to extend 
 from the river bank for miles. Immense herds of yaks 
 and small native horses might be seen grazing, giving to 
 the region a remarkable pastoral appearance. 
 
 Lying as it does on the direct road to Lhasa, and serv- 
 ing as a natural trading outpost of the Szchuenese and 
 Sifan provinces, one would naturally infer that Cheo-Chu- 
 Su would be a place of considerable importance. It must 
 be confessed, however, that appearances in the immediate 
 neighbourhood leading up to it are not directly favourable 
 to such an inference, and seem to indicate that the sur- 
 rounding district must have fallen into comparative desue- 
 tude long ago. Before reaching the town we were made 
 aware of its presence by numerous flotillas of native fisher- 
 men with their hide-coracles and bladder-rafts, who were 
 unresolved whether to fly or wait until we had drawn up 
 with them. Ungovernable curiosity in the end dominated 
 over fear and surprise, and, furtively making advances in 
 our direction, we soon established friendly terms with 
 them by the presentation of several pieces of red cloth 
 and twenty loaves of barley bread, with the added 
 
150 THROUGH UNEXPLORED ASIA. 
 
 munificent disposal in reckless profusion of our dried yak 
 meat. 
 
 The people of Cheo-Chu-Su do not ienjoy a high reputa- 
 tion, and we found that their general character had in no 
 wise been slandered ; for they were an infamous lot of as 
 dirty and rascally thieves as ever Hved, who, notwithstand- 
 ing their outrageous inquisitiveness, seemed utterly devoid 
 of the power of observation. There were several fairly 
 clean-looking houses in the village, however, and on the 
 hospitality of one of these abodes we cast ourselves, albeit 
 with some fear and trembling. We were soon ready and 
 wUling to exchange its delights for the less unpretentious 
 ones of a camp on shore, as a numerous horde of pigs, for 
 which the people seemed to entertain a sort of gluttonous 
 reverence, made their familiarities too pronounced. 
 
 The next morning we were waited upon by the T'ng, 
 the real head man of the place having been absent several 
 weeks on a journey to a sacred shrine in the mountains 
 to the southwestward. The official who presided in his 
 absence was far from presenting a sufficiently exalted 
 appearance for such dignity as had been conferred on 
 him, and really seemed quite bowed down under the 
 heavy burden of temporary government. He was a funny 
 little man, who, with even a towering hat on his head, did 
 not come above our chins, with a rotund body that seemed 
 capable of holding untold gallons of tea, for he drank this 
 mixture with a persistency which caused us constantly 
 to wonder when the exact point of satiation would be 
 reached. His bombast and braggadocio, characteristic of 
 most small bodies, was a wonderful thing to behold. He 
 sought duly to impress us with the fact that his warrior 
 reputation had made him a being greatly feared in the 
 whole country around. We were somewhat minded to 
 
'TRADING WITH CHEO-CHU-SU FISHERMAN. 
 
A CURIOUS CEREMONY. 153 
 
 doubt this last assertion, for when several vermin-clothed 
 lamas entered, later on, he appeared to be under their 
 very thumbs, seeking with ludicrous anticipation to 
 gratify their every desire. 
 
 We had an opportunity on the following day to witness 
 a curious ceremony attending the sacrifice of several yaks 
 and fowl to the special deity supposed to guard over the 
 traders of the town, who took this infallible method of 
 securing protection for their journeyings before setting 
 forth. Shortly after daybreak the traders, with their 
 families and friends, gathered in the open market-place, 
 where half a dozen lamas in black robes of office were 
 already awaiting, and handed over the animals to be 
 slaughtered. At a signal from one of the priests, all 
 fell prostrate to the ground, chanting the strain of a 
 dolorous chant which extolled the worth of the particular 
 deity whose favour was desired. At its conclusion there 
 were a few brief moments of sUence, during which time 
 the priests prostrated themselves toward the four direc- 
 tions of the compass and diffused a grayish powder in the 
 air. Then, without a moment's warning, the dumb beasts 
 were led unresistingly forward and stabbed to the heart. 
 As the warm blood gushed forth it was caught in a large 
 iron receptacle, and, having been tasted and blessed by the 
 lamas, was passed around from lip to lip to be sipped, — 
 the person so inoculated being supposed to be impervious 
 to danger of any kind. The efficacy of this particular 
 function may well be doubted, for it does not seem to 
 have had the effect of preventing the massacre of many 
 of the traders; and it would be interesting to note in 
 what manner the lamas, shrewd as they undoubtedly are, 
 can explain away these frequent failures. But after one 
 Jias been in Western China for a few months, it does 
 
154 
 
 THROUGH UNEXPLORED ASIA. 
 
 not take long to appreciate the fact that in the guise of 
 religion nothing is impossible. 
 
 The vicinity of Cheo-Chu-Su is reaUy remarkable for 
 the immense enterprise displayed in the erection of numer- 
 ous substantial and much needed bridges. In most cases 
 these are made of iron chains, with immense stone foun- 
 dations ; but across the smaller streams the cruder form 
 of bridge is seen, which, as it is in general use throughout 
 "Western China, may here be described. These bridges con- 
 
 KOPE AND CARRIER BRIDGE, CHEO-CHU-SU. 
 
 sist merely of two ropes stretched across the numerous 
 streams and chasms, arranged much after the manner of 
 the breeches liEe-saving line used in modern coast-guard 
 service. There are always two ropes, — one for going 
 and one for returning, — so stretched that each has a con- 
 siderable slope downward. A small rimner consisting of 
 a half cylinder of wood is placed on the rope, which is 
 generally constructed of twisted bamboo -withes. The 
 intrepid voyager seats himself in the runner, and then 
 with both hands grasping its sides shoots down the incline 
 at a hair-raising pace until the opposite bank is reached. 
 
PENITENT CREWMEN. 155 
 
 It need hardly be said that it requires considerable courage 
 to undertake this performance of shooting from shore to 
 shore, when a raging torrent of menacing waters foams 
 and hungrily leaps up a huxidred feet below. 
 
 We halted for a week at Cheo-Chu-Su, as our situation 
 was truly deplorable. Either from the effect of the stag- 
 nant water which they were obliged to drink, or from 
 frequent contact with vile-smelling and diseased natives, 
 a number of the Kiangsis were attacked with a most viru- 
 lent fever, and* it was only by unceasing care that we 
 were able to save their lives. The poor fellows were not 
 ungrateful, for their mutinous episode at Sien-lu still 
 rankled in their minds, and they implored with tears 
 in their eyes that we would forgive them. We readily 
 did so, firmly convinced that the result could not faU to 
 work to our advantage, for our long journeying had made 
 us aware of the fact that nothing so presages unqualified 
 success as unanimity of determination in master and 
 servant. 
 
 On the twenty-eighth of April, with an addition to our 
 force of eight steersmen and two guides, and encouraged 
 by favourable reports of the country ahead, we left Cheo- 
 Chu-Su ; and almost immediately thereafter the river cur- 
 rent expanded and grew less restless, enabling us to make 
 more expeditious progress than we had hitherto been able 
 to do. The water was strangely clear, and in the bed of 
 the stream we observed granite boulders, blue shale, 
 basalt, porphyry, and quartz. We were now entering 
 the province of Sifan proper, and we could not but feel 
 considerable elation over the fact that, notwithstanding 
 the pessimistic outlook which had been repeatedly fore- 
 casted for us, we had not as yet been called upon to face 
 any of these prophesied dangers. The country during 
 
156 THROUGH UNEXPLORED ASIA. 
 
 the afternoon was majestic in the extreme. Peaks, cones, 
 mountain humps, and dome-like hills shot up in every 
 direction, while ice-cold streams rolled between riven and 
 dismantled rocks, or escaped beneath natural bridges of 
 granite with furious roar. The cHfEs on either hand had 
 been worn into a thousand numerous and fantastic shapes, 
 standing mute and gloomy like an immense army of 
 giants with distorted and eccentric forms. The traces of 
 some tremendous convulsion at some long removed period 
 were plainly evident in this huge jumble of natural ruin 
 and disarray. The strata were perpendicular; seams of 
 white quartz travelled along the lay of the strata in some 
 places, and in others it appeared to have been encased in 
 round moulds, which the impetuous waters of the madly 
 rushing Kinsha had worn through, sweeping away the 
 quartz and leaving large hollows, cavities, and fissures in 
 the sandstone. 
 
 This country is admirably adapted for a mountain tribe 
 to defend themselves in ; and after one has gazed on these 
 immense bulwarks of nature, one can well understand the 
 long sequence of disaster and ruin which has overtaken 
 all efforts of the government to bring it under territorial 
 authority. 
 
 Our first night in this country was passed in the small 
 fishing hamlet of Nha'hi'wan, which we reached at 9 p. m. 
 It was a miserable village, situated on a little triangle of 
 flat ground at the mouth of a narrow gully, through 
 which a sheeny cascade fell two hundred feet from the 
 top of the clifE overhanging the river bank. The vUlage 
 was surrounded by a palisade of roughly laid stones, 
 enclosing a space about two hundred feet in diameter. 
 We counted the houses as well as we could, and at a 
 rough calculation put them at fifty or sixty. They were. 
 
MISERABLE NATIVES. 
 
 157 
 
 however, more substantial and pretentious looking than 
 those met with elsewhere, but here their merit ended ; for 
 the interiors were little better than pest-houses, into which 
 was crowded a wild-eyed and unkempt population who 
 answered our questioning glances with low growlings and 
 the grinding of teeth, much like a huge colony of hungry 
 wolves. One could not help thinking that vile smells are 
 perhaps, after all, not so unhealthy as we civilised people 
 imagine, for in no other way is it possible to explain the 
 comparative isola- 
 tion from disease 
 of the Chinese, who 
 truly live their en- 
 tire lives in the 
 midst of sewers and 
 cesspools. 
 
 We were not a 
 little intimidated 
 and minded to dis- 
 trust the peaceable 
 character of the vil- 
 lagers, when we be- 
 held the spectacle 
 of numerous bones and skulls hanging in rows over the 
 doorway of each dwelling, which, beneath the full moon, 
 and with the witch-like stage-setting of the mountains 
 behind, was not unlike a stamping-ground of spooks. 
 On investigating more closely, however, our fears were 
 quieted, for we soon discovered that the bones and 
 skulls which had caused us such concern were those of 
 antelopes and yaks, the trophies of innumerable hunting 
 expeditions. 
 
 The curious custom prevailed among these people of 
 
 THIBETAN REDSKIN TYPE. 
 
158 THROUGH UNEXPLORED ASIA. 
 
 painting the body with a thick gummy substance, black 
 in colour, the exact meaning of which was never appar- 
 ent, except that it in a measure afforded a waterproof 
 epidermis and was protection against the cold, which, with 
 the high altitude of the district, notwithstanding the fact 
 that it was the end of April, was keenly discernible. 
 
 Like the natives of Central Africa, these people wore 
 numerous large iron rings in their ears and noses, which, 
 coupled with their general fierce and forbidding expression, 
 gave them a sinister appearance that detracted from their 
 real natures, which, once understood, we found, despite the 
 uncouth and barbarous exterior, to be remarkably hospit- 
 able and honest ; nor did we notice in them any of that 
 inordinate curiosity manifested by the tribes we had 
 encountered farther back. 
 
CHAPTER V. 
 
 The little insight we obtained into the manners of 
 Sifan at Nha'hi'wan impressed us with the idea that we 
 were about to enter into a land of an extraordinary peo- 
 ple, as different' as possible from the stereotyped tribes of 
 Western China. For four long months we had toiled up 
 the resistiug current of the Kinsha Kiang ; for one hun- 
 dred and twenty days we had battled successfully against 
 its hungry reefs and rocks ; and now the great moment 
 had come for the most arduous and difficult task of all, — 
 the penetration still farther up the stream of the great 
 river, through a land which for centuries had resented 
 intrusion of any kind, not alone from white men, but even 
 from the wild and semi-barbarous tribes of the adjacent 
 districts. Should we succeed ? Would this land of mys- 
 tery unlock its doors to the assault which we were about 
 to make upon it, or would all our labours fail, and we be 
 driven back broken in spirit and defeated in purpose ? 
 Should we share a fate similar to that of the intrepid 
 Quincy twenty years before, as with his torn and bleed- 
 ing band he staggered back after repeated quests to his 
 untimely death in the heart of a continent, defeated 
 but not conquered? We looked into each other's faces 
 for the answer and read it there : The future alone can 
 tell! 
 
 Such were our reflections as on the morning of the first 
 of May the canoes were launched, provisions for a month's 
 journeying having been stored, and the dingy wall sur- 
 
 159 
 
160 THROUGH UNEXPLORED ASIA. 
 
 rounding the little village where we had been quartered 
 for the last few days faded from view behind the towering 
 wall of mountain peaks that at once shot up and closed in 
 on the river bank. 
 
 A journey of sixteen miles north by west, through a 
 sterile country which gave no evidences of cultivation or 
 fertility of any kind, carried us to Us-mu-hui, a large 
 straggling village situated on the slope of a hill. There 
 were few huts visible, but the hillside itself was bored 
 full of innumerable caves, from which the natives were 
 seen emerging as soon as they descried our approach, giv- 
 ing the appearance of a colony of ants swarming out of 
 their holes. We took an opportunity, before landing, of 
 noting their general characteristics. They were in feat- 
 ural respects similar to those whom we had seen at Nha'- 
 hi'wan, but a larger, stouter, and apparently more civ- 
 ilised race, for they were clothed in cloth garments instead 
 of the miserable shaggy skins of yaks; and that they 
 were industrious we were led to believe from the numer- 
 ous fine plantations of wheat and barley which we could 
 see waving on the hillsides. But what pleasure might be 
 derived from these facts was soon banished, as we imme- 
 diately had evidences of their hostile nature ; for as the 
 canoes drew near to the shore they crowded down to it, 
 armed with long spears and poles, and loudly manifesting 
 their pugnacious intentions should we persist in landing. 
 As no other place offered itself where we could beach the 
 canoes, and as it was an impossibility to think of making 
 farther progress up-stream in the darkness of the cavern- 
 like obscurity ahead, we offered several ounces of silver 
 for the privilege of landing ; but with a gesture of con- 
 tempt they refused everything, and from their action and 
 manner we soon became convinced that no amount of 
 
CONQUERING NATIVE HOSTILITY. 161 
 
 parley would win the day. Therefore, we prepared to 
 make a landing and encamp for the night at all hazards. 
 
 The natives at first fell back at the show of this de- 
 termination on our part ; but, emboldened by an increase 
 in their numbers, and perceiving the small size of our 
 force, they finally became aggressive, throwing showers 
 of stones and mud at us, until the crew, exasperated 
 beyond all measure of endurance, looked at us appealingly 
 for the necessary permission to avenge their injuries. 
 As we were anxious to avoid bloodshed, if possible, we 
 waited a few minutes longer to see if the weight of 
 threats or further promises would have any material 
 efEect; but it was like talking in the teeth of a north 
 wind. Neither cajolery, promises of presents, nor down- 
 right threats of punishment produced any effect upon 
 them ; and, perceiving that with the flying missiles there 
 was a chance of our sustaining serious injury, we ordered 
 the crew to charge the ranks of the hostile natives with 
 the butts of their guns, but on no account to fire unless 
 pressed to do so by necessity. We soon discovered that 
 their valorous front was only as real as they imagined 
 would be our fear of their menacing shouts, for they did 
 not await the onslaught of the Kiangsis, but with credit- 
 able discretion rushed back to their cave dwellings, 
 whence they did not venture forth again until after we 
 had reembarked on the following morning. With this 
 manifestation of the vapidity of the valour of these 
 people, we could not but feel that the dangers ahead, 
 upon which we had brooded with no little concern, were 
 materially lessened; at the same time, recognising the 
 character of the natives we were about to encounter, we 
 were fully impressed that the price of safety must ever 
 be unflinching vigilance. 
 
162 THROUGH UNEXPLORED ASIA. 
 
 From Us-mu-hui to Ruza-tal, a village on Dui-cliu, 
 which we reached on May 4th, game is abundant, but the 
 landscape is very bleak and sterile. We were obliged 
 to carry the canoes across numerous lines of rapids at 
 intervals of every four or five hours, the river in this 
 part of its course being very shallow, in sdme places not 
 over two or three feet deep. Granite boidders protruded 
 above the surface, and the boiling point at one of the 
 fords showed an elevation of 8,233 feet above the level 
 of the sea. There were numerous suspension bridges 
 across the river, constructed of bamboo withes and strips 
 of yak-skin, which were marvels of native ingenuity. 
 For some reason or other, the country for the whole 
 distance was apparently depopulated, for not a sign of 
 human life of any kind did we perceive; but we saw 
 numerous herds of red deer, which were so timid that, 
 despite our best efEorts, we could not shoot any of them. 
 The natives of Ruza-tal and the surrounding district speak 
 the same dialect as do the races on the upper Yangtse 
 Kiang near Luipo, and are much given to personal adorn- 
 ment. They split the lobes of their ears, and introduce 
 bits of wood or iron to extend the gash, from which hang 
 ponderous iron or brass rings weighing several pounds. 
 They also dye their faces with various coloured mixtures, 
 and dress their hair in long ringlets, which are adorned 
 with pendicles of copper or large red and white beads. 
 
 The population of Hui-su-lan, six miles farther up the 
 stream of the Kinsha, which we reached at noontime of 
 the next day, is reported to be about the same as that 
 of Ruza-tal, and the town hangs in a similar manner on 
 a hilly spur jutting northward into the gorge of the Zei- 
 tun-du. It is, however, more picturesque, better built, 
 cleaner, and shelters a far more peaceable-looking popu- 
 
IN CHINESE SWITZERLAND. 163 
 
 lation than Ruza-tal. On a hill which commands it from 
 the southwest the natives have built several almost im- 
 pregnable redoubts. The slopes of the gorge have been 
 covered with the black alluvial deposits taken from the 
 river bank and transformed into elongated plains of wav- 
 ing corn-fields ; and few prospects in all China are more 
 charming than this magnificent valley with its tumbling 
 streams, scattered gardens, and the picturesque town 
 perched on an eyrie above. We found it hard to realise 
 that in this smiling region more trouble has arisen during 
 the last two centuries than in nearly any other part of 
 China. So, however, it is. Hui-su-lan has been the strong- 
 hold of Southern Sifan from time immemorial, a thorn in 
 the side of the pastoral and peaceably disposed districts to 
 the south, owing to the numerous incursions of the fierce 
 robber bands who acknowledge no sovereign's right to 
 hamper their freest liberty. The facial type and spirit 
 of the free aborigine have survived here ; tall, handsome, 
 though somewhat sharp-featured, agile as mountain goats 
 and brave as lions, these fierce tribes have maintained 
 their independence in the past, and seem bound to main- 
 tain it in the future, until the slowly moving wave of 
 civilisation shall in turn have crushed their haughty 
 spirit. 
 
 Grand and impressive scenery met the eye in every 
 direction as we journeyed to Su-Chu, the next village, 
 where we attained an altitude of over nine thousand feet 
 above the ocean. Peaks and knolls rose in all directions, 
 for we were now ascending to the eastern front of the 
 Siu-Chau Mountains. The summits of the loftiest of these 
 ranges were seen to the north, their slopes offering sus- 
 tenance to large herds of yak and red deer. We had 
 intended to engage in a hunting expedition in this dis- 
 
164 THROUGH UNEXPLORED ASIA. 
 
 trict, but the appearance of numbers of uncouth, and 
 armed shepherds effectually banished any desire to have 
 with these cut-throat gentlemen more than a passing 
 acquaintance. Between Hui-su-lan and Su-Chu I was 
 much struck by the resemblance which much of the 
 scenery bore to that which I had seen in Switzerland. 
 In fact, had it not been for the natives themselves, one 
 would have had difficulty in believing that he was not 
 really among the peaks and valleys of the Alps. As we 
 neared Su-Chu, villages were seen dotted over every hill, 
 the inhabitants of which, emboldened by frequent success- 
 ful marauding expeditions, were formidably aggressive. 
 
 The Pa-Urgs, who inhabit this part of Sifan, are the 
 finest people in physique that we saw in Asia. They 
 were tall, robust, manly in bearing, and possessed very 
 singular features. Notwithstanding the appreciable cold- 
 ness of the climate, they were dressed in the thinnest 
 of clothing, the children running around in a state of 
 absolute nudity, without any deleterious effects manifest- 
 ing themselves from this apparently suicidal exposure. 
 Like the tribes farther down-stream, they were possessed 
 of an inordinate love of display, wearing enormous orna- 
 ments of brass and iron around the loins, armlets and 
 leglets of brass, brass-wire collars, gold beads plentifully 
 sprinkled over the hair, and about a dozen long necklaces 
 of silver or gold beads hanging from the neck. The 
 women are a shade hghter than the. men, and are really 
 good-looking, judging by the Asiatic standard. I failed 
 to notice any Chinese traces, the general featural char- 
 acteristics being more negroidal, particularly the hair, 
 which was short and curly in those who had any at all, 
 the general practice prevailing of shaving the head until 
 it was absolutely bald, — the effect of these shining 
 
CONCERNING THINGS CUISINARY. 165 
 
 pates when gathered in groups being ludicrous in the 
 extreme. 
 
 The evidences that had heretofore confronted us regard- 
 ing the abundance of gold and silver deposits in the 
 country were strengthened on reaching Su-Chu, for there 
 the search of the precious metals formed a considerable 
 industry. There was no systematic effort, however, to 
 mine for it, that which was obtained being mere surface 
 deposits, and what could be washed by a panning process 
 from the small streams in the vicinity and from the sands 
 of the Kinsha. 
 
 The natives of Su-Chu we discovered to be a reserved 
 and haughty race, who, although making no hostile 
 advances, refused to sell us more than a few dozen eggs 
 or to permit us to encamp on the shore beneath their 
 village. It cannot be said with truth that the Sifanese 
 method of preparing eggs is to be highly commended, for 
 we concluded that they were decidedly nasty, although 
 the crew seized upon them with every token of relish as 
 delicacies not to be scoffed at. The eggs are taken when 
 fresh and steeped in a solution of lime and salt ; the lime 
 penetrates through the shell, turns all the egg quite black, 
 and leaves a burnt and bitter taste. After this initial 
 preparation, the egg is encased in clay and baked for 
 several hours. In this way, with the clay outside, they 
 will keep for months. The white is in the form of a 
 gummy jelly, while the yolk is of the consistency of 
 a hard-boiled egg. 
 
 On our arrival we discovered that we had come at 
 a most inauspicious time of the year in which to hope 
 to secure hospitable entertainment, as the native popu- 
 lation was given up to the enormous undertaking of 
 washing the bones of their ancestors. When we first 
 
166 THROUGH UNEXPLORED ASIA. 
 
 saw this operation it struck us as being remarkably 
 funny; but it is an exceedingly serious matter to the 
 natives themselves, and is a custom pretty generally ex- 
 isting among the tribes of Western China and Thibet. 
 For many centuries it has been an established rule among 
 them once a year to exhume the bones of their ancestors 
 and wash them. This annual washing usually lasts for 
 a period of two or three weeks, or even a month, and" 
 is a function attended with much ceremonious pomp and 
 religious devotion. Huge pots of water are placed beside 
 the graves, and one by one the bones are taken out, 
 carefully scoured, and then tenderly consigned to their 
 resting-place once more. These bones are also looked 
 upon as having a high market-value, it being considered 
 a mark of great esteem among the members of the tribe 
 to be the proud possessor of the largest " bonery," so that 
 the trading and bartering of them for other objects forms 
 a considerable industry. They are frequently seized upon 
 by creditors for debt, when at once the unfortunate debtor 
 is shunned by the rest of the tribe, and is sufEered to 
 remain in disgrace until he shall have redeemed them. 
 There is a singular fascination about this country. The 
 land might be admired for its glorious diversified pros- 
 pects even though it were a howling wilderness, but it 
 owes a great deal of the power which it exercises over 
 the imagination to the consciousness that in it dwells a 
 peculiarly fascinating people. On all sides rolls in grand 
 waves a voluptuous land of supreme majesty, filled to 
 abundance and overflowing from the horn of plenty, 
 bathed in early summer verdure, and cooled by soft 
 breezes blown from snow-begirtled mountain tops. Iso- 
 lated hill cones and square tabular masses rise up from 
 the beautiful landscape to attract with mysterious awe the 
 
A STRIFE -RIDDEN COUNTRY. 167 
 
 curious stranger's observation ; the varying diorama con- 
 stantly unfolded to view suggests peace and hospitality, 
 while on the far verge of the horizon the beauty and 
 charm of the land may be seen melting into the blues of 
 distance. 
 
 The Sifanese villages in this district are the earliest 
 settlements made by this race, when the grim irony of 
 fate drove them a thousand miles inland from the fair 
 Pacific provinces ; and under the rule of their tribal chiefs 
 and lamas they prosper exceedingly, and overawe the 
 Chinese government and the neighbouring alien tribes. 
 Having stipulated for immunity from interference, these 
 chiefs keep their tribesmen quiet, and enjoy (compara- 
 tively speaking) a good reputation. East of Su-Chu, how- 
 ever, during late years, a large number of Koko-Norese 
 villages have been founded, of which the principal is 
 Nhi'l'tu on the right bank of the Dja Chu, for whose 
 inhabitants no one, Chinese or Sifanese, has a good word, 
 since they are a most infamous and lawless race of 
 brigands, who pillage the trading caravans and levy toll 
 on passengers over the road, and when necessity requires 
 even combat with the aggressive and valorous Sifanese, 
 generally managing to come off first best. It is owing 
 undoubtedly to this pressing need of home protection 
 that, during the last few years, the Sifanese antipathy to 
 strangers has been softened, the maxim of fighting fire 
 with fire seeming to all intents and purposes to have 
 worked admirably; for it is a rumour, and one which 
 seems to have some modicum of truth appertaining to it, 
 that the idea of settling the warlike Koko-Norese is a part 
 of a plan originated in Pekin itself to waste this coun- 
 try by tribal strife until its subjugation will be fairly 
 practicable. 
 
168 THROUGH UNEXPLORED ASIA. 
 
 On the tenth of May, after a very necessary halt of two 
 days at Su-Chu, we entered the Dj^-ga country near a 
 strange valley which bore innumerable evidences of great 
 antiquity of human occupation. In the numerous small 
 villages on shore we discovered the ruins of what were 
 undoubtedly ancient structures of considerable magnitude; 
 but the natives were firmly convinced that these interest- 
 ing spots were the homes of the ubiquitous gods, and no 
 amount of persuasion would secure from them permission 
 to undertake the exploration of these interesting relics, 
 which are unquestionably the same that Marco Polo refers 
 to as seen by him when passing through this country to 
 the westward to Eastern Thibet. We were able, however, 
 to examine closely several small stone and iron images 
 which had been taken from these tombs, which seem to 
 justify the contention of Prejevalsky and other ethnolo- 
 gists, who have made a minute study of this great region 
 of Central Asia, that many centuries ago this portion was 
 inhabited by a highly cultured race of people, who were 
 either driven to the southward and across the wild fast- 
 nesses of the Himalayas into India, or who retired toward 
 the west and were gradually absorbed into the tribes of 
 Persia and Asia Minor. The features of these carvings 
 were invariably of classic mould, with none of the charac- 
 teristics of the latter-day Chinese present in any manner 
 or form, and chiselled with undeniable skill. 
 
 On the eleventh we reached Mu-ghra, and became 
 acquainted with a chief of whose prowess we had heard 
 for many miles down the river, — a rather left-handed 
 compliment, however, as his reputation had been gained 
 from his general lawlessness and the persistency and skUl 
 which he had shown in harassing all trade passing 
 through his district ; until, to quench his brigand assaults. 
 
MORE FEASTING. 169 
 
 when the armed force sent against him had proved futile, 
 the government very wisely offered him a substantial pen- 
 sion to abstain from his nefarious practices. He was an 
 artful old fellow, and, learning of our approach, came 
 down to the river bank in person to extend to us the 
 hand of good-fellowship, at the same time advancing 
 covert hints as to substantial reward he expected for 
 this unusual imbending of dignity. We presented him 
 with an old musket in the last stages of decrepitude, in 
 the hope that if, in a rash moment of attempting to fire it, 
 it should carry off his head, we might with justice enter 
 a claim for reward for having rid the country of as 
 precious a rascal as ever drew the breath of life. Either 
 through reason of an uncommon mood of amiability or 
 the expectation of more presents yet to come, he an- 
 nounced his intention of duly celebrating our arrival by 
 the usual stock method customary in this country, — 
 where people live to eat, not eat to live, — of holding an 
 enormous feast on the following morning. 
 
 Our previous experience in this line had not been alto- 
 gether satisfactory ; but deeming it a measure of policy 
 to accept, we fortified ourselves for the ordeal by a twelve- 
 hour fast, and at the appointed time were ushered into 
 his residence, which was a pretentious abode (so far as 
 pretention in Sifan goes), where with much dignity we 
 went through the ceremony of touching foreheads with 
 his numerous wives, and caressing with simulated affec- 
 tion a numerous colony of naked and unwashed children. 
 In the meantime the feast had been prepared, and with a 
 number of the head men of the place we adjourned to the 
 banquet-hall. Down the centre of the floor were laid 
 long strips of bamboo covered with yak and antelope 
 skins, and on these were piled all sorts of edibles, con- 
 
170 
 
 THROUGH UNEXPLORED ASIA. 
 
 spicuous among which a couple of small roast pigs held 
 the place of honour. Fowls, fish, bread, potatoes, and 
 large plums were piled in such volume that we should 
 have wondered where the necessary guests were to be 
 found to dispose of this vast mountain of food, had we 
 not been made well aware by numerous ' experiences in 
 the past of the inordinate capacities of native stomachs. 
 
 LONG-HAIKED YAK. 
 
 We all took our places on the mats, and the chief pro- 
 ceeded to chop the pigs into enormous proportions, which 
 were distributed among the guests. A wooden trough of 
 clean water was passed around, in which each one rinsed 
 his hand ; and with this formality the test of their internal 
 area of capacity began. In the twinkling of an eye, it 
 seemed, the vast mountains of food had summarily dis- 
 appeared down dozens of yawning chasms which were 
 repeatedly calling for more with all the pertinacity of 
 
RELIGIOUS TERPSICHOKES. 171 
 
 Oliver Twist, till, stuffed to the extremest limit, human 
 endurance rebelled, and the feast came to an end, those 
 who had partaken too liberally of food or of the strong 
 pundu being trundled to their respective abodes by sub- 
 missive and meek-eyed females. 
 
 Next day we witnessed a masked dance by half a dozen 
 monks, who, having been apprised of our arrival, had ven- 
 tured down from a monastery in the hills to inflict upon 
 us their evU-smelling and sinister persons. Their immense 
 inquisitivenesa having been satisfied by a general inspec- 
 tion of our features, clothing, scientific apparatus, com- 
 pass, and guns, they resolved, as it were, to kUl two birds 
 at one stone, and crowding iato the open square in front 
 of the abode of the chief man of the place, with an enor- 
 mous tom-tomming and beating of gongs they summoned 
 the natives to attend the promised spectacle. The open 
 space was soon crowded, and among the closely huddled 
 spectators we noticed a dozen unprepossessing looking 
 nuns, with shaven heads and yellow caps, — an innova- 
 tion which we could not rightly account for, as in Western 
 China womanhood is generally barred from taking part in 
 all religious ceremonies. It was evidently not the cus- 
 tom among them to doom the beslrlooking females to a 
 convent life, for the nuns whom we saw were a most 
 wicked-looking and repulsive set of viragoes, who during 
 the dance of the lamas took advantage of the opportunity 
 to rush around like a colony of escaped lunatics, out- 
 pouring a continuous tongue-lashing, and worrjdng the 
 spectators to, it must be confessed, a rather halting liberal- 
 ity. The dance of the monks was one of the quaintest 
 and weirdest sights imaginable ; around and around flew 
 the hideously masked figures, adorned in long red gar- 
 ments, while a solemn dirge eminently befitting a funeral 
 
172 THROUGH UNEXPLORED ASIA. 
 
 was chanted in monotonous repetition by the surrounding 
 group of spectators. The exact symbolic significance of 
 this custom we were unable to ascertain at the time ; but 
 we subsequently learned that it was to accustom the peo- 
 ple to seeing fearful images, in order that after death, 
 when their spirits were wandering in space, they might 
 not be frightened by the innumerable demons they would 
 be called upon to encounter. Be that as it might, one 
 could not help thinking that even the best efforts of the 
 gods themselves could not conceive more horrible objects 
 than these masked and madly whirring lamas. 
 
 The Buddhist religion, as seen in Sifan and the other 
 provinces of Western China, would puzzle one who had 
 made some small acquaintance with the pure morality 
 preached by Gautama Buddha, whose religion is the pre- 
 vailing one in the eastern provinces. In general precepts 
 the two forms are in antithesis. Gautama Buddhism is 
 essentially simple and readily understood even by the most 
 unreceptive mind. Lama Buddhism, however, shows a 
 striving after something more tangible ; and the effort to 
 present a worldly aspect which may be viewed with the 
 eye and heard with the ear rather than accepted as 
 dogma and theory, which are looked upon as too abstract 
 for the ordinary human mind, has evolved a new religion 
 entirely. This in time, fostered by the grossest supersti- 
 tion and by the unintelligent sjmapathies of a debased and 
 barbarous population, has grown to a form similar to that 
 of African Petichism. The religious destinies of the peo- 
 ple have been consigned to a rascally crew of monks, 
 who take advantage of the cloak of religion to be offend- 
 ers against every principle of equality and right. 
 
 On leaving Mu-ghra, seve?;al of the crew were stricken 
 with asthma in. the most violent form, doubtless owing to 
 
DANCE OF MASKED LAMAS AT MU-GIIRA. 
 
SUSPICIOUS NATIVES. 175 
 
 the continuous clouds of dust which blew in the vicinity, 
 and to the intense cold of the high altitude we had 
 reached. During the next few days the thermometer 
 seldom rose above forty degrees ; in the early morning 
 it fell as low as ten, and during -the night it was below 
 zero. The course of the stream, however, remained clear 
 of ice, owing to the swiftness of the current ; but with 
 the constant benumbing of our bodies until it was almost 
 an impossibihty to make any progress whatsoever, we 
 were confronted by the contingency that, unless the 
 weather conditions should become equable in the imme- 
 diate future, it would be absolutely material to our con- 
 tinued safety to abandon the river, and continue our 
 journey overland along some one of the numerous trade 
 routes leading to Batang. 
 
 Seven miles from Mu-ghra we came upon the consider- 
 able village of Pien-Chu, where we found that the natives, 
 though they were tolerant of our presence, and by no 
 means Ul-disposed, would not condescend to sell us pro- 
 visions or provide us with river guides. In consequence 
 of this, we were afterward exposed to a series of calami- 
 ties, which at one time threatened our very existence. 
 This region was remarkable chiefly for the immense flocks 
 of birds which could be seen wherever the eye rested. 
 Among them we noticed plover, snipe, herons, spoonbills, 
 three different varieties of geese, and numerous eagles 
 and buzzards. They were remarkably tame, and we were 
 able to shoot a great many. 
 
 Beyond Pien-Chu the current of the river became ex- 
 ceedingly tempestuous, which, accompanied by a wind 
 blowing almost a gale, rendered our position highly pre- 
 carious. For two long hours the canoes pitched and 
 tossed through the heavy, sluggish waves which crashed 
 
176 THROUGH UNEXPLORED ASIA. 
 
 upon US witli giant force, when our sturdy efforts were 
 rewarded by the sight of smoother water ahead, a sort 
 of small bay surrounded by an impenetrable hedge of 
 thick cane-brake. As we were compelled by numerous 
 obstructions to keep close to the right bank of the river, 
 we were only twenty feet from shore, when, rounding a 
 jutting cape, we saw half a dozen natives almost totally 
 devoid of clothing, who, apparently perceiving us for the 
 first time, extended baskets of fish and barley meal, at 
 the same time beckoning us to approach nearer. We 
 acceded so far as to approach within a few feet of them, 
 when, almost immediately, they seized upon some large 
 stones and hurled them at us. We sheered off in- 
 stantly, and rejoined the rest of the canoes farther out ; 
 nor were we a moment too soon, for directly nearly forty 
 of the infamous wretches, throwing aside all concealment, 
 rushed out of the dense cane-brake, and began throwing 
 huge rocks at us from long leather sUngs, striking the 
 canoes, and seriously wounding two of the canoemen. 
 To prevent their continuing this undeserved aggression 
 by following us along the river bank, I discharged my 
 revolver rapidly at them, and one of the natives fell, 
 whereupon the others desisted from their attack and 
 retreated, leaving us to pursue our way unmolested. 
 
 Usu'h'nuen, which we reached on the sixteenth, is the 
 commencement of a most beautiful pastoral country, over 
 which heaved and rolled in low, broad waves a green, 
 grassy plain, whereon fed hundreds of yaks and small 
 antelopes, and even a few musk-deer. We tried to stalk 
 several of the latter, but they were exceedingly wary, 
 owing to the assiduity with which they are hunted by 
 the natives, and, despite our best endeavours, we were 
 unable to get near enough for a shot. 
 
USU'H'NUEN HOSPITALITY. 177 
 
 As soon as we had encamped at Usu'h.'nuen, a mounted 
 messenger arrived with a present of three baskets of fish 
 and an abundance of yak meat from the head man of the 
 village, with the assurance that this illustrious dignitary- 
 would call upon us later, as soon as he had gone through 
 with several lamas some tedious religious business regard- 
 ing his ancestors. We were somewhat minded to doubt 
 the sincerity of this generous outburst of hospitality, for 
 the fish were of that unpleasant odour which is suggestive 
 of long and protracted absence from their natural homes. 
 As we did not wish to antagonise him, however, we 
 returned by the messenger five yards of red cloth and 
 two pounds of lead, which was repayment a thousand 
 iold for the present that he had sent us. In a couple of 
 hours he arrived on the scene in person, attended by half 
 a dozen frowzy and unkempt-looking females, frightfully 
 repugnant and obese, whom he informed us were his 
 wives. As soon as we had touched foreheads all around, 
 they seated themselves on the floor, and began talking 
 in such loud and fierce tones that it was almost an im- 
 possibility for us to make ourselves heard. The general 
 -appearance of their bodies, which were but scantily con- 
 cealed beneath a small cloth extending from the shoulders 
 and falling half-way to the knee, confirmed most strongly 
 the general opinion which we had already formed, that 
 the Sifanese never wash. There may, however, be an- 
 other reason for this neglect, namely, to secure a pro- 
 tecting epidermis of dirt; for, experiencing later the 
 violent attacks of innumerable hordes of vindictive flies, 
 we could not abstain from the desire for similar protection 
 ourselves. 
 
 In the afternoon, in return for the courteous visit of 
 the morning, we called upon the head man at his own 
 
178 THROUGH UNEXPLORED ASIA. 
 
 residence, a small, cave-like opening in the hillside, and 
 as dark as the entrance into another world. How the 
 Sifanese are able to live in these human graves, with 
 their accompanying stenches, darkness, and squalor, is 
 quite beyond my ken; but, after all, custom is able to 
 reconcile us to almost anything. When we had become 
 wonted to the gloominess of the dungeon, we saw that it 
 consisted of one long apartment, with numerous beams 
 overhead, from which hung a vile-smelUng and infamous 
 collection of dried fish, putrid yak meat, and various dirty 
 skins all jumbled together, which, notwithstanding the 
 fact that we had in a measure become accustomed to kin- 
 dred spectacles by our protracted sojourn in the country, 
 we immediately sickened at, until an occasion arising, the 
 remainder of the interview was transferred to the health- 
 ier, if not much cleanlier, environment out-of-doors. 
 
 The head man of Usu'h'nuen, like another of his ilk 
 whom we had cause to remember with less than chari- 
 table feelings, was a most vainglorious boaster and buf- 
 foon, with the added undesirable accompaniment of being 
 a liar of the first rank. His tales of the people and dangers 
 to be met with in the country to the north were marvel- 
 lous. Without compunction, he told of regions that we 
 must pass through, where there was a race of men with 
 but one arm and leg, who could run swifter than the fast- 
 est horse, and lived by sucking the blood of their captives. 
 Yet another wonderful narrative concerned a long plain 
 which we must inevitably cross, inhabited by the spirits of 
 departed herds of yaks, who, unseen and unheard, trampled 
 down men and caravans into the groimd. It was only by 
 the greatest exercise of self-restraint that we were enabled 
 to refrain from committing a most serious breach of eti- 
 quette by laughing outright at these numerous narratives, 
 
A VAUDEVILLE PERFORMANCE. 179 
 
 which, outvied the most subtle imaginings of a Munchau- 
 sen ; and it need hardly be said that, with a vivid knowledge 
 of the effect that similar tales had produced in the minds 
 of our Kiangsi crew, we took the extremest care that these 
 nebulous fancies should not reach their ears. 
 
 In the evening a troupe of professional dancers gave 
 us a performance which in its general effects was similar 
 to that of the lamas at Mu-ghra, the masks used being the 
 most hideous impersonations of innumerable animals of 
 which the most erudite books of natural history never 
 make mention ; yet, as we witnessed these gruesome 
 objects, we could not for the time being help imagining 
 ourselves transformed to another planet inhabited by a 
 race of the most evil-looking demons. The dancers, 
 haviag as a necessary precaution taken up a collection in 
 advance, began by walking around the enclosed space 
 in slow time to the monotonous beating of two drums. 
 Soon the beat of the drums quickened, aided by the thrum- 
 ming of a five-stringed banjo, and around and around the 
 dancers whirled in true dervish style ; gradually working 
 themselves up to an insane frenzy of zeal, they began to 
 emit the most horrible yells, and gUded around faster and 
 faster, until sheer muscular inaction caused them to fall 
 to the groimd. As soon as the first batch had tired, their 
 places were immediately taken by a new set, with masks 
 of devils instead of beasts, who went through a similar 
 performance, chanting a dirge appalling in its mournful- 
 ness, untU we were undecided as to whether we were not 
 ourselves serving in this most doleful function. 
 
 The summits of the mountain ranges in the vicinity 
 of Usu'h'nuen were clothed with an abundance of coarse 
 grass, and it was but natural to suppose that the natives 
 were owners of considerable herds. They were in most 
 
180 THROUGH UNEXPLORED ASIA. 
 
 ways hospitable and friendly, but their keen trading in- 
 stincts impelled them to demand such exorbitant prices 
 for every article that "we were unable to purchase from 
 them more than a few baskets of meal. 
 
 We halted three days in this village, to give the crew 
 a little of that rest which they so well deserved before 
 continuing the arduous progress up-stream. During this 
 time we were waited upon daily by numerous chiefs and 
 lamas from the surrounding district, whom we found, if any- 
 thing, a lower grade removed from the barbarous wretches 
 with whom we had already foregathered. Western China 
 in this respect is truly a land of surprises, for when one 
 imagines that he has reached a spot where the force of 
 squalor and retrogression can no farther go, immediately 
 it is to stumble on a region in comparison with which 
 that already witnessed is a paradise of every virtue. 
 
 Before leaving Usu'h'nuen the head man provided us 
 with four guides to navigate our course up-stream, with 
 whose much-vaunted faithfulness he sought fully to ac- 
 quaint us. They might just as well have remained behind, 
 for, in fact, they accompanied us only so far as our noon- 
 time halting-place, when they gave us due notice of their 
 unwillingness to accompany the expedition farther by 
 making their escape. Their defection brought us this 
 compensation, however, that we resolved in all future 
 arrangements of this kind to ensure the integrity of those 
 we employed by not paying them until their services had 
 been dispensed with. 
 
 The country on either bank of the Kinsha had become 
 extremely populous, and gave unmistakable evidences of 
 fertility; but the native villages and individual habita- 
 tions constantly progressed in a retrograde scale, until 
 we were anxious to avoid them as much as possible^ 
 
SIFAN POLITICIANS. 181 
 
 owing to tlie constant menace of contracting some violent 
 epidemic with which we should be unable to combat. 
 
 After a journey of sixteen miles through this country, 
 we camped, on the seventeenth, on the east bank of the 
 Kinsha, a short distance below the spot where the rapid 
 stream of the Pag-Chu empties into it. This stream takes 
 its rise near the base of the Snow Mountains to the east- 
 ward, and, flowing through the long plateau, is met by 
 countless little streams percolating through the country, 
 until the united torrent, rushing with impetuous force 
 a little north of west, after numerous falls plunges into 
 the Kinsha, forming a rapid, flowing at an altitude of 
 nearly twenty feet, a mile in length. 
 
 Our arrival soon became known to the natives in the 
 surrounding district, who crowded down with alacrity 
 from the heights surrounding to witness the novel spec- 
 tacle of two white men. Through their head men they 
 expressed their desire for friendly intercourse, and we 
 were enabled to buy of them immense quantities of fresh 
 vegetables and other necessities at ridiculously low rates. 
 On several occasions we ventured into their villages, 
 which were in most respects similar to those we had 
 already encountered in the country, gloomy cave-habita- 
 tions dug out of the steep faces of the hills. 
 
 The natives in this region are undoubtedly the most 
 highly civilised to be found in Sifan, and seem possessed 
 of a fair knowledge of a form of government, which is 
 eminently democratic in most respects, each village or 
 tribe being governed by a chief, who is selected by the 
 men of the place at infrequent intervals, remaining in 
 office so long as he merits the popular good-will, and when 
 ceasing to do this being summarily ejected and returning 
 to his low estate, to make room for a more popular claim- 
 
182 THROUGH UNEXPLORED ASIA. 
 
 ant. The result, as might be expected, is that the various 
 aspirants for the honour are strongly supported by their 
 factions, the contest not infrequently ending in bloody 
 feuds which continue for months and years at a time, or 
 until the defeated but not conquered party moves to an- 
 other district, and there inaugurates a vUlage of his own, 
 which, in turn, is spHt up by political war, — and so on 
 from generation to generation. 
 
 The average altitude of our camps after entering the 
 Sifanese country was not at any time below eight thou- 
 sand feet ; and* as we journeyed north the nights were 
 bitterly cold, caused, no doubt, by the chilly blasts hurtled 
 down on to the plain from the mountains in the near dis- 
 tance. Thick, foggy vapours, hanging low over the river 
 current during the day, likewise added to the general 
 gloominess of the scene; and it was a welcome relief, 
 when, having with the assistance of the natives carried 
 the canoes past ten miles of rapids, we were enabled to 
 go over the day's journeying to Su-hien-fu, a considerable 
 village standing at the foot of Mount Prejul. 
 
 The whole of the journey of the last two days was 
 through a magnificent landscape, — a wide valley in 
 which monasteries and villages were scattered about, 
 some of them high up upon the mountains, perched in 
 places apparently inaccessible to anything without wings. 
 Cultivation extended to a considerable height on both 
 sides of the river, and behind all a glorious panorama of 
 snowy peaks formed a fitting background to the gorgeous 
 scene. 
 
 The curiosity we excited among the inhabitants was 
 becoming a great nuisance, so we decided to get some 
 native garments, not as a disguise, — for without egotism 
 it might be said with truth that, notwithstanding our long 
 
BIHAR GYALPO, THE PATROK OP MONASTERIES AND TEMPLES. 
 
ACCUSED OF SORCERY. 185 
 
 isolation from civilisation, we had not as yet gained a like- 
 ness to that of the natives, — but simply in order that our 
 personal appearance might excite less curiosity. Arrayed 
 in these unsightly and loose-fitting regimentals, we were 
 objects of considerable mirth to the crew, who took 
 advantage when we were not suspected of looking in 
 their direction to provide pantomimic entertainment for 
 the delectation of their fellows, until the novelty of the 
 situation had in a measure worn off and we were more in 
 accord with our surroundings. 
 
 At Su-hein-fu we took advantage of two days of beau- 
 tiful weather to take hypsometric readings and make 
 geological investigations in the surrounding country. 
 This action was likely to have caused us considerable 
 inconvenience, not to say downright danger ; for several 
 herdsmen who had descried our actions promptly returned 
 to the village with the intelligence that the two " white 
 magicians " were digging into the ground and bewitching 
 the country. Immediately we were surrounded by a 
 menacing horde, clamouring loudly for our lives. In an 
 unfortunate moment Burton with the butt of his revolver 
 struck one of the natives who seized hold upon him, the 
 man, stunned by the blow, falling to the ground. At once 
 an angry mob fell back for some distance, when gathering 
 numerous clubs and stones, they returned to the attack. 
 Matters looked dark for awhile, until, after considerable 
 expostulation, we fully convinced them that our intentions 
 had been perfectly harmless, and having returned to the 
 canoes and distributed a few yards of cloth to the injured 
 man, and presents of less value to the head men of the 
 place, the entente cordiale was resumed. 
 
 The chief of Su-hien-fu, truth compels me to state, was 
 a most woebegone specimen of humanity. No amount of 
 
186 THROUGH UNEXPLORED ASIA. 
 
 exercising of one's imagination could present a good and 
 sufficient reason why he should have been selected by his 
 feUows to rule over the village. He was, it must be 
 admitted, naturally an amiable man, and his amiability 
 might perhaps have been increased to enormous propor- 
 tions, provided that he could be stimulated by endless 
 supplies of pundu. From habitual indulgence in this 
 strong liquid, however, he had already attained to that 
 blear-eyed, thick-tongued, husky-voiced state from which 
 there is no redemption. On our arrival he had just 
 recovered from a prolonged debauch, and was on the 
 point of inaugurating another but that the necessary 
 wherewithal was lacking. Learning that we had several 
 jugs of the liquor in the canoes he offered to buy them of 
 us for three of his wives, but as we were at a loss to 
 know what advantage these decrepit and miserable speci- 
 mens of humanity would be to us, we declined to sell. 
 Instantly his amiability vanished, and with maudlin rage 
 he threatened to seize upon the jugs at all hazards. How- 
 ever sincere he might have been in this determination, the 
 spectacle of our weU-armed and alert crew caused him to 
 reconsider his first intention, and, finding that his bluster 
 and braggadocio carried no weight, he deigned to wax 
 more gracious. 
 
 The natives here credited us with marvellous knowledge 
 of medicine, for one of their number having been seized 
 with a mild sort of fever, we soon relieved him by liberal 
 doses of quinine. The effect of this was to cause our 
 renown to be pretty broadly sown throughout the sur- 
 rounding district, and we were continually beset by the 
 ailing, praying to be relieved of their many ills ; but we 
 were obliged to refuse to treat them, for fear that the 
 little prestige which we had already gained might be lost. 
 
NATIVE AFFLICTIONS. 
 
 187 
 
 The affliction of blindness seems very common in this 
 district, it doubtless being occasioned by the practice of 
 cutting the Hds, through which to hang metal ornaments. 
 
 TAK DRIVER WITH PRAYING-WHEEL. 
 
 A man hopelessly blind came to our quarters to be doc- 
 tored, and on being told that his case was hopeless he 
 stayed to beg. This was a very favourite ruse among the 
 natives, as we subsequently discovered. They came to us 
 
188 THROUGH UNEXPLORED ASIA. 
 
 for medical treatment, and, having received the best advice 
 and help available, manifested their gratitude by becoming 
 the most importunate and persistent mendicants. 
 
 The road systems in the country around Su-hien-fu, 
 westward to Thibet and eastward to China proper, con- 
 verge upon the village itself. The great highway of 
 communication between the east and west lies over the 
 Chitn-Dhu and the passes of the Siu-Chau or Snow Moun- 
 tains. Owing to the number of broad chasms and streams, 
 considerable ingenuity has been displayed in the bridging 
 of these otherwise impassable spots, many of the bridges 
 showiag evidence of having existed for centuries. It is 
 easy to understand the importance of Su-hien-fu in such a 
 situation. That importance is of no recent growth. It 
 is undoubtedly this town, or rather village, of which Pre- 
 jevalsky heard from the natives to the northwest in 
 Thibet such glowing tales of fabulous wealth. The lack 
 of evidence on this point may suggest that the modem 
 town does not occupy the exact site of the ancient ; but 
 several magnificent ruins, and the remains of what must 
 have in former centuries been large temples, attest the 
 fact that in remote ages a nation of considerable attain- 
 ment must have dominated the surrounding district. 
 
 The river bed of the Kinsha is here over four hundred 
 feet wide, and is crossed by a stone bridge of eight 
 arches, with a slight bend against the current in mid- 
 stream. We questioned closely the natives as to the time 
 of its erection, but none could answer definitely, save that 
 it had been standing there hundreds of years before their 
 fathers' fathers. To archaeological students this region 
 would be one of untold delight, containing, as it does, 
 numerous evidences of former interesting races, who must 
 have stood high in the standard of civilisation. But one 
 
MENACE TO SCIENTIFIC RESEARCH. 189 
 
 objection stands in tlie path of such, investigation, — the 
 narrow-minded bigotry and suspicion of the natives them- 
 selves, who, fearful of magic machinations to consummate 
 their undoing, are an effectual barrier to the work of 
 learning much concerning the antiquity and meaning 
 of these relics of past time. 
 
CHAPTER VI. 
 
 Su-HiEN-FU is the commenceinent of a most beautiful 
 pastoral country, which terminates only at Tu-Tchi-Koang. 
 The immense green cliffs of limestone, towering into the 
 clouds along the river bank, give a continuous twilight, 
 touched here and there by some stray sunbeam which a rift 
 in the stern face of the adamantine walls has let through. 
 At the foot of a vast coliunn I found the morning-glory, 
 and was surprised in such a place to come upon this 
 ornament of the domestic siU, and the companion of the 
 bright face of childhood ; but its glistening blossom was 
 as fresh and dewy amidst these religious shadows as in 
 any sunlighted and human garden spot, — not seemingly, 
 however, without a sense of exile, and as if conscious of 
 the absence of those welcome voices and shining eyes 
 of the cottage door. 
 
 From the summit of these weird green rock-piles one 
 may enjoy that unspeakable fascination of an apparently 
 boundless horizon. On all sides there merges toward it 
 the face of a vast circle replete with peculiar features, — 
 detached hUls, great crag-masses of riven and sharply 
 angled rock and outcropping mounds, between which 
 stretches away to the dim edge of the entrancing scene 
 a green grassy plain, whereon are clustered innumerable 
 little villages and vast herds of meek-eyed yaks, attended 
 by fierce-looking shepherds dressed in skins, and carrying 
 long mountain muskets. 
 
 190 
 
EXCITING BARTERING. 191 
 
 For two days our journeying lay through this amenity 
 of prospect, reaching Tu-Tchi-Koang on the twenty-fifth, 
 after paddling nearly the whole distance against a head 
 wind. The region in this vicinity is well watered by a 
 multiplicity of little mountain streams, hardly worthy the 
 dignity of being called rivers, which empty into the cur- 
 rent of the Kinsha over numerous cascades and waterfalls 
 hundreds of feet in height, making the scenery, besides 
 being the most entrancing, the most novel that could be 
 found anywhere. 
 
 Tu-Tchi-Koang, however, is a most unprepossessing and 
 unimportant spot, and, notwithstanding the fact that it 
 ranks as one of the principal trading centres in West- 
 ern China, it is in no wise superior to the numerous 
 villages leading up to it. Yet after our arrival it became 
 a place of great local importance ; for notice of our com- 
 ing having been sown broadcast, it attracted an unusual 
 number of native traders from on all sides within a radius 
 of twenty or thirty miles. Upon us they descended in a 
 wild, untamed, and furious avalanche, with stores of dried 
 fish, wheat and barley, flour, butter, baskets of wild plums, 
 live yaks, iron implements of husbandry, and a thousand 
 other evidences of the thrift and prosperity of the country, 
 which they besought us to buy of them, each striving for 
 the coveted honour until the assemblage, forgetful of all 
 amity, had resolved itself into a sanguinary brawl. 
 
 As soon as the trading process had been satisfactorily 
 adjusted, and we had announced our intention of not pur- 
 chasing further, we were waited upon by the head man of 
 the place (a sinister-looking Thibetan), and a detachment 
 of about half a dozen Chinese traders, who, with charac- 
 teristic curiosity, were desirous to question us to the 
 extremest limit on the reasons for our presence in the 
 
192 THROUGH UNEXPLORED ASIA. 
 
 country, and concerning our future intentions. The Thib- 
 etan, in spite of his appearance, we found to be far more 
 intelligent than the Chinaman, and from him we were 
 able to gain much valuable information regarding the 
 country ahead of us, and also the assurance of providing 
 us with river guides. Of the inhabitaMs of the town, 
 after all, the less that is said the better for their general 
 reputation, for, like most of the people of this country, 
 they are notably deficient in the sense of justice due to 
 others. They are suspicious, avaricious, and greedy, and 
 the most abominable of thieves, the absence of the requisite 
 pluck being the only thing that prevents them from being 
 excellent brigands. 
 
 The people in this district are much given to all forms 
 of magic. Storm-dispelling they have learned from the 
 Thibetan tribes to the westward, although their success 
 in this line is not of sufficient magnitude to warrant one's 
 saying more than that the practice exists. A curious cus- 
 tom, claimed to be infallible, of warding ofE sickness and 
 death, consists in taking some article of wearing-apparel 
 belonging to the afiiicted person, and dipping it into fresh 
 yak's blood and then powdering it over with wheaten flour 
 and allowing it to dry in exposure to the sun and air. 
 At the end of the second day the lamas recite prayers 
 innumerable over this foul-smelling garment, and, its 
 charm having been thus ensured, it is put upon the person 
 whose cure is desired. As there are at all times bound 
 to be a considerable number of ailing persons, the stench 
 arising from and the general effect of these landscape 
 adornments may perhaps be better imagined than de- 
 scribed. As the lamas will only say the necessary prayers 
 for a substantial consideration, these sacred relies are of 
 inestimable value, being handed down from generation 
 
STRANGE SUPERSTITIONS. 193 
 
 to generation, until when worn out a new one is procured 
 in a similar manner. 
 
 On the other hand, it is also claimed that certain among 
 them are possessed of the power to bewitch single indi- 
 viduals, or even a whole tribe, by making small dough 
 images, and having procured something from the person 
 of the intended victim, — several hairs, a piece of naU- 
 paring, or, most potent of all, a tooth, — the image is 
 touched or pricked with these. If the death of the victim 
 is desired, it is only necessary that some vital part, such 
 as the heart, lungs, or brain, be perforated ; but if the in- 
 tention is not so bloodthirsty, pricking the image in less 
 Adtal parts, muttering potent charms the while, is sufficient 
 to cause the victim to suffer the most acute pains in those 
 parts. The punishment of those suspected of sorcery or 
 witchcraft is speedy and sure ; they are either condemned 
 to be burned to death by the lamas, who hold the prior 
 right in the market of mummery and magic, or else are 
 placed in a long wooden box and buried alive, — these 
 two methods being considered the only ones that will 
 effectually dispose of the devil supposed to inhabit the 
 body of the sorcerer, and prevent his taking refuge in 
 some other body. 
 
 The inland villages are not in general respects different 
 from those bordering on the river, except that they have, 
 if such a thing were possible, descended to an even lower 
 level of civilisation. From Tu-Tchi-Koang we made sev- 
 eral expeditions into the surrounding country in the 
 expectation of finding traces of ancient ruins or temples ; 
 but, alas for the charm of research ! the region through 
 which we penetrated was most painfully modern, with its 
 miserable population, dirty habitations, and inquisitive 
 lamas, — our daily progress being much in the light of a 
 
194 THROUGH UNEXPLORED ASIA. 
 
 triumphal procession, from which we could not have 
 escaped if we would. 
 
 One of our daily sallies took us to a small hill village, 
 where, as we drew near, we became aware of tlie fact that 
 some event of importance was in progress. On entering 
 it we were further enlightened. The population had 
 ceased all other labour, and were intent in going through 
 the gruesome function of burying the head man of the 
 place, who, it was claimed, had died from the effects of a 
 wicked spell, cast over him by a rival chief in a village 
 ten miles to the southeast. Assuming an air of reverence, 
 we entered the gloomy abode of the departed chief. With 
 all his weapons and magic paraphernalia he was lying 
 stretched out on a sort of raised dais of earth, his numer- 
 ous, wives gathered around him, chanting the most dismal 
 kind of dirge, and lacerating their bodies with thorn- 
 pronged whips until the earth beneath their feet ran red 
 with blood. On one side stood the sons of the dead man, 
 splendid in the richest of their finery, robed in silk, and 
 half covered with agate and beaten metal ornaments. 
 Around about the body were scattered pipes, bottles of 
 wine and spirits, tobacco, weapons, food, and personal 
 belongings of every description. 
 
 The scene was rudely interrupted by the presence of 
 half a dozen lamas in red robes, their heads covered with 
 hideous masks, who, with a disdainful wave of the hand, 
 motioned every one out of the dwelHng, leaving them 
 alone with the body to pray the evil spirits away. For 
 half an hour they wrestled with the demons, and at last, 
 having declared the body immaculate, preparsiitions for 
 the final part of the ceremony were made. A long litter, 
 borne by the head men of the village, was carried into 
 the dwelling, and on this was placed the body of the 
 
QUESTIONABLE GENEROSITY. 195 
 
 deceased, with Ms belongings gathered around him. With 
 impatient haste the corpse was then taken to the adjacent 
 cemetery, and without further formality deposited in the 
 hole already dug, which was quickly filled up by a number 
 of grave-diggers, — the mourners, as if glad that the func- 
 tion was at last completed, gathering around the grave 
 and drinking great quantities of strong pundu, and com- 
 menting on the many amiable characteristics of the dead 
 chief. 
 
 The hospitality of these people is boundless, when they 
 are assured of some reward in return five or ten times the 
 value of their outlay. Rockhill, in his very interesting 
 account of the region to the westward on the border 
 line of Thibet, relates the munificent bounty of the peo- 
 ple, — of chiefs who daily feed from fifty to sixty persons, 
 and of minor individuals, who, although possessed of 
 barely enough of this world's goods to keep body and 
 soul together, divide that which they have, meagre though 
 it may be, with their fellows. The only deduction that can 
 be drawn from this statement is that the native chiefs, 
 with their characteristic aptitude for elaborating the 
 truth, magnified their many good qualities, or that a 
 difference of less than a hundred miles works, inestimable 
 wonders ; for surely, in the Sif anese provinces, which in 
 general characteristics are practically Thibetan, hospital- 
 ity in the general acceptation of the -word is unknown. 
 
 After leaving Tu-Tchi-Koang on the twenty-ninth, we 
 had a boundless horizon on the east, while on the west 
 stretched the snow-girdled fastnesses of the Chaum-Du 
 Mountains, clothed half-way up to their summits with 
 a meagre growth of scrawny laurel. From this point the 
 current of the Kinsha gradually widens and extends to 
 the northwestward, expanding into a bay-like opening 
 
196 THROUGH UNEXPLORED ASIA. 
 
 nearly an eighth of a mile in width. Into this bay issues 
 the Phi-Chu in one powerful deep stream, pouring over a 
 succession of rapids. At its mouth it is about one hun- 
 dred yards wide, and two miles above suddenly narrows 
 to about fifty yards. We attempted to ascend higher, 
 but the current was so strong that we were unable to 
 make any progress, and after an ascent of three miles 
 were obliged to abandon it. This stream undoubtedly 
 extends to the western border of Thibet, connecting there 
 with the headwaters of the Yain-hu-chu, and, flowing in 
 a southerly direction, must eventually mingle with the 
 headwaters of the Mekong River. The chief constituent 
 rocks of the mountain ranges in the vicinity are silicious 
 schists and granite, with occasional quartz reefs, bearing 
 surface traces of valuable gold deposits. The most strik- 
 ing features of these mountains are their immense height, 
 and therefore great number of snowy peaks, the compar- 
 ative absence of cliffs, the general sterility of the soU, and, 
 as is but natural to suppose, a poverty of flora and fauna. 
 
 The stream of the Kinsha for a distance of nearly forty 
 miles was now a boiling torrent, with frequent obstruc- 
 tions caused by enormous reefs rising up from its depths, 
 giving unmistakable evidence of great disturbances during 
 past ages. It was also very deep, repeated soundings 
 showing alternating depths of fifty to two hundred feet. 
 Observations at a boiling point showed an altitude above 
 the sea of 10,247 feet. 
 
 On the first of June we reached the town of Yuan- 
 ning-pu in the midst of a terrific thunder-storm, during 
 which one of the canoes foundered with a large store of 
 provisions, the two men manning it being rescued only 
 by the most arduous labour as they clung with deathlike 
 tenacity to a protruding boulder. Having arrived at 
 
'THEY CLUNG WITH DEATHLIKE TENACITY TO A PROTRQDINO 
 BOULDER." 
 
A TERRIBLE NIGHT. 199 
 
 anchorage at dusk, and not venturing to enter the place 
 until we should be more fully acquainted with the char- 
 acter of its population, we took shelter under the lee of 
 an immense cliff. We had moored both by bow and stern, 
 to prevent being swept by the restless surf against the 
 rocks. About midnight the storm ceased, and the clouds 
 passed off to the east ; but in an instant, and hardly before 
 we had an opportunity of remooring the canoes, another 
 storm arose, exposing us to all its fury. We were swept 
 with great f oree against the rocks, and should inevitably 
 have been lost had not the bales of cloth, which we had 
 lashed outside the boats as fenders, nullified the danger. 
 In the pelting rain, and amid the thunderous roaring of 
 the river current as it whirled by in inky blackness, we 
 laboured strenuously, and just as the first faint tinge of 
 dawn Hghtened the mountain tops we succeeded in beach- 
 ing the canoes without injury. 
 
 Once with an insight into the character of the natives 
 in this place, we could not but feel thankful that we had 
 not made the effort to enter the village on the preceding 
 night. As several bales of cloth had suffered from the 
 buffeting experience of the last twelve hours, we had 
 stretched them out on the shale beach to dry. Our 
 movements had been descried by those behind the stone 
 palisade, and we were summarily startled by the whistling 
 of bullets over our heads. In our exposed condition it 
 would have been suicidal to attempt to remain for an 
 instant longer, and, calling to the crew to forsake the 
 cloth, we took up our position on the rock summits to 
 the right, from which we could command the immediate 
 foreground, and also watch the movements of our assail- 
 ants. They evidently were convinced that our rout had 
 been final, for their cupidity being excited by the spec- 
 
200 THROUGH UNEXPLORED ASIA. 
 
 tacle of so much richness, they poured out of then* village 
 to seize upon the cloth that we had abandoned. We 
 permitted them to approach nearer, and, seeing that 
 they were fully armed with guns and spears, we had no 
 compunction in quenching their imdeserved aggressive- 
 ness. 
 
 As the leaders of the party were on the point of seizing 
 upon the cloth, Biirton with ten of the crew on the right 
 opened fire over their heads ; while I, taking advantage 
 of the diversion created by this fusUade, and with Yuen 
 to assist me, sought to make friendly advances, offering to 
 barter with them, and at the same time making dire 
 threats as to our vengeance should they persist in the 
 attack. The knowledge of our strategic position was 
 more potent reasoning with them than the mere bandying 
 of words ; and the leaders, having consulted together for 
 a few moments, announced their willingness to sell us 
 meat and provisions, but on no account, they said, must 
 we strive to enter their village, as in that case they would 
 defend it to the last. To this arrangement we readily 
 consented ; and the natives having retired for half an 
 hour to collect the necessary articles of barter, we took 
 advantage of the opportunity to strengthen our position 
 by rolling a loose breastwork of stones at the entrance of 
 the gully, and stationing the crew at points of vantage, 
 in case further treachery was contemplated. 
 
 This precaution had been well taken ; for, forgetful of 
 their promises, the villagers, emboldened by their num- 
 bers, waxed noisy, then insolent, and finally again aggres- 
 sive. From behind the shelter of their stone stockade 
 they hurled at us jeering epithets of defiance, pouring 
 upon our heads all the maledictions of the Sifanese dia- 
 lect, and winding up this bombastic display by numerous 
 
"FIGHT TO THE LAST." 201 
 
 threats as to the pleasure which they were to experience 
 in dangling our heads from their walls. We glanced 
 anxiously toward the black current of the Kinsha flow- 
 ing by at our feet, to see if the waters had quieted suffi- 
 ciently to permit us to launch the canoes and press farther 
 up-stream, with the chance of stumbling upon a more 
 hospitable bailiwick ; but the curling eddys and crashing 
 waves, as they hurled against the gaunt headlands, ban- 
 ished all hope in that direction. But one alternative was 
 left, — to present a bold and determined front to our 
 assailants, and if the worst came to the worst to die 
 fighting to the last. 
 
 We had been so occupied with the truculent rabble in 
 front that we had not taken notice that a new danger 
 menaced us on the right, where a considerable band of 
 natives, led by a giant, whose burly form was clothed in a 
 long garment of antelope skin, were ascending to a higher 
 elevation than the surrounding plain, from which they 
 could command our position, and pick us off with apparent 
 ease. No alternative offered itself. Fight we had been 
 forced to, and fight we must ! Ordering Burton, with his 
 force, to make a dash for the position, while we covered 
 the advance, iu five minutes we had the satisfaction of 
 seeing this danger that had menaced us removed; for, 
 baffled in their intention, the assailing party, with a loss 
 of three of their number, sullenly retired once more to the 
 village, where, for a couple of hours longer, a desultory and 
 harmless fire was kept up on our position. 
 
 Through the long day we awaited their assault ; but 
 the destructiveness of our fire had taught those inside the 
 village a lesson, and they were evidently determined to 
 wait untU nightfall before making another advance. As 
 darkness set in, the danger of our position momentarily 
 
202 THROUGH UNEXPLORED ASIA. 
 
 increased. With our small force, it was manifestly an im- 
 possibility to think of properly fortifying our position so 
 as to command all approaches ; it was the beginning of 
 the end. The villagers seemed to be cognisant of this 
 fact, for we could hear their shouts of frenzied joy, as they 
 pictured the easy conquest that lay before them. 
 
 Once more we looked at the sombre current of the 
 Kinsha ; the waters stiU foamed and roared as if fired to 
 action by a thousand hidden volcanoes. One hundred 
 yards across lay the shale beach of the opposite shore. 
 Over there lay safety. It was one chance in a hundred 
 that we could reach it alive; but men who face death 
 must take chances. We glanced in the direction of the 
 horde of excited natives, who were already making prep- 
 arations for the attack ; then our eyes rested on the 
 forbidding expanse of water beneath us. The course of 
 the future had been determined. 
 
 Silently we stole down to the river bank ; twice, thrice, 
 we sought to launch the canoes, only to be driven back. 
 To be saved, we must act quickly ; once more the canoes 
 were thrown on the face of the torrent, one after another. 
 To attempt to describe the events of those few brief mo- 
 ments, while we lay in the lap of a living chaos, would 
 be futile indeed. There was no time for one to watch the 
 course of the others ; each canoe had enough to do to see 
 to its own imperilled existence. With grim determination 
 we battled ; the Kiangsis strained every nerve in response 
 to our encouraging shouts. Like cockle-shells, our canoes 
 tossed upon the curling waves of foam, and shot unresist- 
 ingly past yawning eddys; fighting, fighting, we perse- 
 vered with grim determination, — the determination of 
 men who vnll not die. Another mighty effort ; yet 
 another sturdy battle against death ; one brief moment 
 
SAVED! 203 
 
 of peaceful quietude, and then, tossed high into the air, 
 boat .after boat fell with a resounding crash on the long, 
 gray beach, while our lips, formed in prayer that tongue 
 coidd not utter, gave thanks to a Divine Providence. We 
 had succeeded in our perilous effort, and, thank God ! not 
 one man missing in all that heroic band. We hugged one 
 another; we screamed with frenzied joy; we wept; we 
 were possessed of an insane fury to mock the grim current 
 as it rolled by, sullen and conquered. We were saved ! 
 saved ! Ah, vphat words to those who have been pulled 
 back to life, when the jaws of death were closing with 
 fateful grasp ! Then the reaction came, and we slept, — 
 slept on the hard beach without a murmur. The bowlings 
 of our disappointed enemies, as they searched the hills in 
 vain, seemed softer than the sweetest lullaby. We had 
 fought with death, and had conquered ! 
 
 At last the morning came, bringing with it that feeling 
 of restful content which only those who have been sorely 
 pressed can know. The sun rose over the mountains, 
 cutting like a scimitar through the murky canopy of the 
 heavens, making all the landscape to appear one vast 
 blight of Nature, like an enormous saucer of dull brass, 
 lying there in famished lassitude, in parched languor and 
 heaviness, — all its vitality and strength, containing the 
 potency of prolific wealth, now dormant and undeveloped. 
 Over the broad landscape stalked a weird vegetation, all 
 interspersed with green blades and white inflorescent 
 clusters ; while through this otherwise wilderness of steril- 
 ity, silently glided the moody stream of the Kinsha, now 
 as docile as a child, spent with its enormous labouring 
 of the night, its black volume going down to the valley 
 to be absorbed by the sun and sands. 
 
 Never, since leaving the broad expanse of the Pacific, 
 
204 THROUGH UNEXPLORED ASIA. 
 
 were we weaker in spirit than on this day. Had we been 
 attacked, I doubt if we should have made much resistance. 
 The terrible trials of the last twenty-four hours had utterly 
 unmanned us ; not one had escaped unscathed. Bruised 
 and bleeding, drenched and famished, we were anunspeak-" 
 ably miserable and disheartened band ; yet urged by our 
 destiny, we were resolved to fight the battle to the bitter 
 end ; to struggle on, be the cost what it might. 
 
 The howling of the savages on the opposite shore came 
 as loud as ever ; through the clear morning air resounded 
 their curses and demoniacal yells, as, like tigers despoiled 
 of their prey, they coursed the narrow beach, in idle fury 
 dashing to their waists into the black current, and with 
 futile efforts striving to hurl stones in our midst. We 
 might have avenged ourselves, but revenge was no longer 
 in our hearts ; there was a wild and uncontrollable desire 
 to press forward, to leave behind all trace of the living 
 nightmare through which we had passed. But our condi- 
 tion was too weak to think of making progress ; so, dur- 
 ing the long torture of another day and night, which 
 seemed as if they would never have an ending, we nursed 
 our wounds and bruises, momentarily expecting to be 
 forced to fight for our lives by a renewal of hostilities. 
 It was not to be, however. Slowly the sun descended, 
 and the long hours fled ; and again the radiant orb of day 
 arose, the morning of the third of June. The spell of 
 despair was broken at last ; the past had died save as a 
 thrilling memory ; once more we were pushing forward, 
 a step farther toward the end ! 
 
 At noon of this day we camped on the western bank of 
 the Kinsha, at a spot where numerous mountain streams 
 bubbled down from craggy summits ; and here we caught 
 a number of delicious fish, much like a salmon in shape 
 
A FRIENDLY VILLAGE. 205 
 
 and flavor, while Burton, venturing forth with sports- 
 man's instinct, returned in an hour with two small ante- 
 lopes, welcome food, indeed, to famished men. Till long 
 into the afternoon we feasted ; with stomachs replenished, 
 spirits rising higher, untU, exhilarated by liberal draughts 
 of pundu, we felt fully capable of making effectual resist- 
 ance to an aggressive enemy, however numerous or hostile. 
 
 Two miles farther up-stream we came upon a small 
 village, called Kugun,- containing a population of a hun- 
 dred or more- natives of the most miserable kind, abso- 
 lutely naked, excepting for dirty yak skins hanging over 
 their shoulders ; who, descrying our approach, forsook their 
 habitations and clambered up the hilly slopes beyond, 
 untU, seeing that our intentions were none other than 
 friendly, they were induced to return. The present of sev- 
 eral yards of cloth among the head men, and gifts of lesser 
 value to the minor satellites, broke down the last barrier 
 of reserve ; and it was a welcome relief, indeed, after our 
 recent experience, to mingle with people whom one did 
 not have to stand in fear of, lest each moment should be 
 the last on earth. From them we gleaned some informa- 
 tion regarding our assailants down the river. The latter, 
 it seemed, were a tribe of the fierce Tam-Ba, — a race that 
 for years has remained hostile to and aloof from all out- 
 siders, warring on their neighbours, and making frequent 
 incursions into Chinese and Thibetan territory, gaining 
 a name for bloodthirstiness and lawlessness which has 
 ensured them immunity from retaliation. " Lucky, in- 
 deed, it was that you did not fall into their hands," said 
 the head man ; " for had they been able to capture you, 
 they would have turned you over to their lamas to be 
 burned alive after they had robbed you." 
 
 The people of this village we're externally more like 
 
206 
 
 THROUGH UNEXPLORED ASIA. 
 
 some of the races of Western Asia than like Chinese. 
 They were an agricultural people, having transformed 
 into a tractable soil the sterile plateau by years of fertil- 
 ising and industry. Their faces were round, with flat- 
 tened features, 
 cheek-bones 
 prominent, eyes 
 and hair black, 
 mouth rather 
 large, and- bodies 
 gigantic in stat- 
 ure and thick-set. 
 The men shave 
 beard and hair, 
 leaving the face 
 and crown per- 
 fectly smooth, or- 
 namenting these 
 places, however, 
 by numerous tat- 
 tooed designs of 
 grotesque form. 
 The females, 
 could one see 
 through the ac- 
 cumulated dirt 
 and j&lth of years, 
 would be really 
 good-looking, their features being very regular, and their 
 forms perfect. So far as agility and endurance went, 
 they were fully the equal of the men, their strength being 
 something enormous. I have seen some of these women, 
 without apparent effort, shoulder a good-sized yak calf, 
 
 HEAD-DRESS OF WOMAN AT KUGUN. 
 
. A FUTURE ELDORADO. 207 
 
 weighing, at least, over three hundred pounds, and carry 
 it considerable distances without showing signs of distress. 
 They have a peculiar method of wearing the hair, plait- 
 ing it in innumerable long tresses behind, on the ends of 
 which are hung pieces of bone and small metal ornaments, 
 which articles are supposed to ensure the happy possessor 
 from bodily harm. 
 
 Notwithstanding the poverty of their own habitations, 
 there were a number of really sumptuous temples and 
 monasteries in 'the immediate vicinity. In one of these 
 we saw two immense idols, nearly fifteen feet in height, 
 formed of solid brass, and liberally bedecked with nu- 
 merous gold ornaments, which must have weighed all 
 together several pounds. It is strange that these precious 
 baubles have not before this attracted the attention of the 
 brigandish Tam-Ba, who, having no religious scruples to 
 restrain them, might, it would seem, have seized upon 
 them without encountering much opposition. But even 
 the mildest and most unwarlike of people will retaliate 
 when their religion is assailed, and doubtless a full knowl- 
 edge of this fact has served as a considerable restraint to 
 the robbers. What a rich field this will be for the mer- 
 cenary and ^adventurer, when the sway of Christianity has 
 spread over this region, — this vast Eldorado, to which 
 the only obstacle at present is the hostility and religious 
 bigotry of its population ! 
 
 The state of womanhood in this district was much 
 exalted over that in regions contiguous ; for whereas, 
 to the southward, a woman's value was rated at but two 
 yaks, or its equivalent, here the market price had ad- 
 vanced two hundred per cent. ! The customs attendant 
 on marriage are very curious. Love, or affection, is but 
 abstract quality, which never enters into their considera- 
 
208 THROUGH UNEXPLORED ASIA. 
 
 tion at all. The young girl, as soon as she has arrived at 
 the proper age. when it is right that she should begin to 
 look around for a husband (usually when she is thirteen 
 or fourteen), is advertised in the surrounding district by 
 her male parent, who enumerates her charms much in the 
 manner that a connoisseur of blooded stbck would dilate 
 on the good points of one of his animals. If any eligible 
 bachelor, or even married man, is moved to serious intent 
 by the description of the parent, he goes to the abode of 
 the latter, and, having announced the object of his visit, 
 asks that the girl be shown him. He surveys her criti- 
 cally, and, if perfectly satisfied, the bargain is struck at 
 once ; but more often he begs leave to think the matter 
 over, and in the space of two or three days announces his 
 final decision. If he decides that her price is too high, 
 he asks for a reduction ; and so the quibbling goes on, till 
 a mutual agreement, agreeable to both purchaser and dis- 
 poser, has been arrived at. The wife that is to be, with 
 a cord tied around her neck as a badge of her subservience 
 to man, is led to the home of her prospective husband, 
 where she is paid for at the price settled upon. The 
 marital initial consists in being beaten severely by her 
 spouse, who in this manner asserts his title and authority 
 over her, and, with this ceremony ended, she engages her- 
 self in her household duties without murmur or complaint. 
 As polygamy is practised here, she may be only one of 
 many wives, in which case her domestic woes are in a 
 measure lightened ; otherwise, the remainder of her life 
 must be spent in unceasing drudgery and hardship. 
 
 The dress of the people in this district was very meagre, 
 consisting of a long sheep or yak skin robe, very dirty and 
 very greasy, hanging down to the knees like a kilt. As 
 in many cases these are tanned with herbs and other vile- 
 
CRUDE HUNTING METHODS. 209 
 
 smelling mixtures, the presence of any considerable crowd 
 of natives in the near vicinity may be readily detected. Of 
 weapons they have but very few, and these of the crudest 
 sort. What little hunting they do consists in running down 
 the ponderous and slow-moving yaks with spears, or catch- 
 ing them in enormous pitfalls, — the presence of these latter 
 rendering a journey through the country highly precari- 
 ous, owing to the danger of being summarily pitched onto 
 numerous rows of sharp spikes. A description of the 
 people and their customs without special mention of 
 the yak would be incomplete, for this animal is to the 
 natives of this district what the reindeer is to the Lap- 
 landers, providing them with food, clothing, and the 
 wherewithal for fuel. As there are practically no trees 
 in the country, the only substance which can be utilised as 
 fuel is dried yak dung, the sole objection to its use being 
 the abominable odour emanating therefrom ; but as China 
 is truly the "land of smells," doubtless such a shortcom- 
 ing may as well be glossed over with a charitable hand. 
 Many a time have we eaten yak meat fried over a fire of 
 yak dung, our bodies meanwhile protected with garments 
 made of the skin of this useful beast ; so that in a way 
 we have come to have a downright affection for this noble 
 animal, who has done so much to alleviate our sufferings. 
 On the seventh we left Kugun. About six miles to the 
 northwest was situate Hui-lag-Su, a sparse settlement over- 
 looking the magnificent plain of Du-lang. It was near 
 here that Quincy had his first hostile encounter with one 
 of those predatory tribes, the terror of peaceable caravans 
 in this region. The Kinsha, which constantly narrows 
 after leaving Kugun, is here not over two hundred feet 
 wide, and the current so swift that it is impracticable to 
 passage save at the fords, where it is crossed by native 
 
210 THROUGH UNEXPLORED ASIA. 
 
 boats. These are of the most primitive construction, 
 being merely yak skias stretched oyer a clumsy wooden 
 framework; but, notwithstanding their clumsiness, the 
 natives handle them with considerable skill, and carry 
 them through seething eddies and yawning whirlpools 
 where stauncher craft could not live for a single moment. 
 The Du-lang plain in former ages was undoubtedly the 
 bed of a great lake, for evidences of this are distinctly 
 visible. The upper portion to the eastward is a remarka- 
 bly fertile country, extending for nearly fifty miles toward 
 China proper, and is given up to the growth of various 
 cereals, and also to the cultivation of the poppy. That 
 expanse, however, extending toward the south is a vast 
 salina, or salt swamp, receiving the drainage of the 
 streams from the bordering regions. Most of these 
 streams disappear into the ground on issuing from the 
 mountains, but several of the larger ones flow for a con- 
 siderable distance in the salina, and, according to native 
 information, unite their waters thirty miles to the south- 
 ward in one large lake, which increases and decreases in 
 size according to the season of the year, while in winter 
 its salinity prevents it from freezing. We followed the 
 course of one of these streams for a distance of some 
 ten miles, when it suddenly seemed to dry up and 
 disappear in the ground, the same result attending an 
 effort to follow the course of others. As to the reasons 
 for this remarkable fertility and absolute sterility existing 
 in juxtaposition, the only one capable of acceptance is 
 that given by the natives themselves, to the effect that 
 the former is the result of hundreds of years of industry 
 in fertilising the land and transporting the earth forming 
 its upper layer from the bed of the Kinsha. The fact that 
 nearly one hundred square miles of land have been filled 
 
ARTIFICIAL FERTILITY. 
 
 211 
 
 in this way may test the credulity of the cool and calcu- 
 lating reasoner ; but as there is no evidence that can be 
 
 MANJUSRI, IN THIBETAN JAMJANG, THE GOD OP WISDOM. 
 
 entered in rebuttal, there remains but to fall back upon 
 native reports, which, however lacking otherwise, are 
 never failing in prolific nebulous theories. 
 
212 THROUGH UNEXPLORED ASIA. 
 
 The method here of obtaining salt is very singular. For 
 this purpose immense wheels, much in the form of water- 
 wheels, are placed on the edges of these deposits of brine, 
 flanged with enormous buckets. Domestic yaks, harnessed 
 to this niachinery, are then started running around in a 
 circle, and the wheel revolving scoops up the water, when 
 it is emptied into long troughs and spread over the flinty 
 ground. The heat of the sun completes the process by 
 evaporating the liquid, leaving the crystals, which are 
 gathered in bags and crushed in a pestle until of market- 
 able fineness, when the product is exported to the surround- 
 ing country over the caravan roads. The spectacle of 
 these enormous wheels scattered over the treeless plain, 
 especially at night-time, is startling to say the least, their 
 skeleton forms being silhouetted against the sky like the 
 remains of innumerable giants of an ancient race jealously 
 guarding their wild domains against the encroachments of 
 civilisation. 
 
 The head-dresses of the women were here more ornate 
 than any I had previously seen, consisting of innumerable 
 little plaits forming a mantilla hanging over the shoul- 
 ders, and screening the face completely. Innumerable 
 pieces of coral, turquoise, amber, and silver jewelry cov- 
 ered them; and on the whole they were highly orna- 
 mental. 
 
 From Hui-lag-Su we were obliged to make our journey 
 overland, carrying the canoes. Progress in this way was 
 arduous in the extreme, and it was the tenth of June 
 before we had passed beyond the rapids of the Kinsha 
 and were enabled to launch the boats once more. We 
 could not but feel what a kind dispensation of Providence 
 it was to find the natives in this region hospitable and 
 friendly, for had they been otherwise it would have been 
 
A PASTORAL COUNTRY. 213 
 
 a manifest impossibility to have progressed farther, since,, 
 hampered with the canoes and our heavy outfit, with no 
 knowledge of the surrounding country, our fate would 
 inevitably have been sealed. On the contrary, however, 
 the natives were of the greatest assistance to us in the 
 journey, and, notwithstanding their thievish tendencies, 
 we in no wise begrudged our losses when taking into con- 
 sideration the results obtained ; in fact, we congratulated 
 ourselves on having made the overland portage at a 
 minimum cost.of wealth and energy. 
 
 On the thirteenth the stream began to broaden again, 
 and almost immediately the country began to expand into 
 a plateau of lower elevation than that farther back, open- 
 ing out on a stretch of beautiful plain-land, green as the 
 finest lawn, dipping into lovely vales, and rising into 
 gentle ridges. Thin, shallow threads of water percolated 
 through the region, clear as crystal, but of such salinity 
 as to be far from potable. The Kinsha itself had also 
 taken on a brackish taint, and for the time being we 
 were threatened with a water famine, for, vmaware of this 
 possible danger, we had not taken the precaution to have 
 the water-jugs filled. 
 
 Sukul, which we reached shortly after dusk, was a 
 bustling, even pretentious village, with numerous evi- 
 dences of semi-civilisation. We noticed a number of 
 substantial buildings made of squarely chiselled blocks of 
 granite, after the pattern of the architecture of Eastern 
 China. The villagers, however, were timid and suspicious, 
 and refused to sell us water or provisions until we had 
 aroused their cupidity with the spectacle of numerous 
 presents, when their sordid natures conquered, and we 
 were able to purchase as much as we desired. 
 
 A remarkable plant, which Prejevalsky describes as 
 
214 THROUGH UNEXPLORED ASIA. 
 
 • medicinal rhubarb {Rheum pcdmatum), grows ia wonder- 
 ful profusion in this region. The natives credit it with 
 supernatural powers as a curative agent, with characteris- 
 tic inaccuracy prescribing it as a panacea for all the Uls 
 that mankind was ever heir to. There is no doubt, how- 
 ever, of its wonderful eflGLcacy, for the dried root and leaves, 
 which have for years been used in civUised countries, have 
 gained considerable favour with physicians. It is exported 
 in large quantities to Eastern China, where it finds a 
 ready sale and is in universal favour. As the natives 
 asserted that its tonic effects were marvellous, we ate 
 considerable of the root ; and whether through an effort 
 of the imagination, or the real effects of the plant itself, 
 we were wonderfully exhilarated and strengthened. The 
 Sukulese sow it over vast areas, propagating it by means 
 of seeds or young plants. The third year after sowing, 
 the root is about the thickness of a man's fist, and in 
 about eight or ten years it attains maturity. 
 
 From the head man of Sukul we learned that there 
 were numerous large beasts in the country, among them 
 tigers and wolves ; but although we spent two days in 
 roaming over the plain, our most arduous efforts were 
 rewarded with but a pair of snow vultures. As these 
 latter are very difficult of approach, and much desired 
 by the natives for their feathers, our mission was not 
 altogether fruitless. Wild horses, called by the Sifan- 
 ese Dzerlik-adu, are very numerous in the country to 
 the eastward, at the base of the mountain ranges. They 
 are generally in large herds, very shy, and when fright- 
 ened continue their flight for days. They are never 
 hunted, owing to the difficulties of the chase, but are cap- 
 tured by strong nooses attached to sunken stakes, dis- 
 tributed in the districts which they are known to frequent, 
 
AN EQUINE KINGDOM. 215 
 
 in this manner ensuring their capture without injury. 
 These horses usually roam over the country in groups of 
 ten to twenty. Each lot of mares is led by a stal- 
 lion, the size of whose family depends on his age, strength, 
 and courage, his individual qualities keeping his herd 
 together. Over this he maintains the most strict watch- 
 fulness, for if he descries intruders from other herds in 
 his ranks he rushes to the encounter, and tries in every 
 way by biting and kicking to drive them ofE. During the 
 breeding season the males are exceptionally aggressive, 
 and encounters among themselves, and even attacks on 
 human beings, are of frequent occurrence. 
 
 Long before reaching this country we had been enter- 
 tained by numerous narratives of a more or less nebulous 
 character concerning the almost human characteristics of 
 these animals, in which stories we had placed no more 
 faith than in those usually told by the natives. The head 
 man of Sukul we had immediately concluded was no 
 better than his fellows, for he went on with such aston- 
 ishing tales of the doings of this equine nation that we 
 momentarily expected he would tell of cities, forts, and 
 houses built by them. We were all the more surprised, 
 therefore, when on the second day he came to us with 
 the assertion that, if we were still incredulous, he was 
 ready and willing to put proof to the test, as several of 
 his hunters had reported a number of herds in the valley 
 plain to the southward. Accordingly, shortly before 
 nightfall, we rode for some hours, until we had reached 
 a spot whence we could overlook the plain where we 
 were informed the astonishing wonders of which we had 
 been told might be performed. About ten o'clock, as, 
 shivering with the almost arctic coldness of the weather, 
 we were making futile efforts to keep warm, and cursing 
 
216 THROUGH UNEXPLORED ASIA. 
 
 our stupidity ia coming to verify fairy tales, we were 
 aroused to action by an ominous stir among our ponies, 
 who were straining at their tethers and whimiying ner- 
 vously. A few minutes later a weird, shrieking howl, as 
 of some soul in dire distress, floated through the air, 
 sounding near at hand and yet far removed. Following 
 the guide, we mounted to a little jutting crag overlooking 
 the broad plain which stretched away for mUes from the 
 foot of the broad plateau, and there, indeed, saw a 
 sight which almost beggared description. The broad 
 expanse, lighted by the new moon, which rendered the 
 surrounding country almost as luminous as day, was filled 
 with herds upon herds of horses of every size, colour, and 
 description. For several moments we were dumbfounded 
 at a sight so thrilling and awe-inspiring, — a vast, surging 
 mass of living, breathing animals busily engaged in feed- 
 ing on the luxuriant grass of the valley. Suddenly upon 
 the night air resounded a blood-curdling neigh, as clear as 
 a bugle call ; and immediately the herd stopped feeding, 
 and stood with heads erect, as a mighty army at the call 
 of its leader. Another prolonged neigh, pitched in a 
 somewhat higher key, and, like a whirlwind, the whole 
 herd bolted up the valley, as orderly and regularly as the 
 finest disciplined army, with the three or four who seemed 
 to be the leaders symmetrically arranged ahead of the 
 main body, and flanking and rear detachments posted 
 with studious exactness. 
 
 On reaching the head of the plain once more, they came 
 to a halt, and grazing was resumed. Our attention had 
 been so drawn in following the action of this herd, that 
 we had not noticed that another and fully as large a one 
 had come from far down the valley, and had installed 
 themselves on the feeding-grounds just vacated. The 
 
A WEIRD COMBAT. 217 
 
 scene in front was now all-engaging; cold and fatigue 
 were alike forgotten in the enthralling interest of the 
 moment. For half an hour both herds cropped the short 
 grass in silence, when a shrill neigh from the group near- 
 est to us attracted our attention in their direction. They 
 had all stopped feeding, and stood restless and fearful, as 
 if detecting the approach of some terrible enemy. Sud- 
 denly from out the compactly gathered mass sprang a 
 gigantic stallion, who, after pawing the earth and mean- 
 while neighing fiercely, proceeded at a gallop, a full half 
 mile up the valley, stopping every few hundred feet to 
 repeat his bellicose neighing. Following his movements, 
 we now saw that another animal was galloping down in a 
 similar manner from the other herd, doubtless, to accept 
 the challenge. The newcomer was a magnificent snow- 
 white, and, -with the clear light of the moon shining 
 upon him, he presented a gigantic appearance when 
 contrasted with his smaller antagonist. When within 
 a quarter of a mile of each other, the two beasts came 
 to another halt and stood facing their respective herds, 
 pawing the ground and neighing fiercely, bending their 
 shapely necks much in the manner of two actors in 
 sword-combat, making the preliminary flourish previous 
 to deadly action. 
 
 This overture lasted for fully fifteen minutes, when 
 with startling suddenness both animals leaped around, 
 and rushed at each other with the velocity of well- 
 aimed projectiles. Nearer and nearer they came in 
 their mad, onward career, and we were waiting the 
 moment when the two grand beasts must come together 
 with tremendous force. But, no ! for when within 
 twenty feet of each other they came back on their 
 haunches, and eyed each other cautiously for a moment. 
 
218 THROUGH UNEXPLORED ASIA. 
 
 as if awaiting the necessary opening. And then, with 
 one last defiant neigh at each other, they leaped to 
 the encounter. 
 
 To describe the events of the next ten minutes would 
 require pages of hyperbole, to in any measure give a faint 
 idea of the supreme grandeur and weirdness of this her- 
 culean struggle between two giants. They rushed at 
 each other time and time again like immense catapults ; 
 they fought with tooth and hoof, while no other sound 
 could be heard, — the two herds, who had meanwhile ap- 
 proached nearer to the struggle, gazing on their leaders 
 as if carved in stone. One would have had to be within 
 a few feet of the titanic combat to describe accurately the 
 events of that short quarter of an hour. The two beasts 
 could be seen rearing in the air, locked together like two 
 wrestlers, their teeth tearing each other and their great 
 hoofs relentlessly kicking in all directions with the force 
 of pile-drivers. Both animals were tiring perceptibly, when 
 in an instant all was over. A sharp rally, and then the 
 ghostly form of the big white stallion rose alone, and on 
 the ground lay the prostrate body of his antagonist. The 
 victor contented himself with giving utterance to short, 
 exultant neighs, and ever and anon kicking the body of 
 his defeated foe. 
 
 We had seen the great equine duel, but we little knew 
 what was yet in store for us. Soon there was a movement 
 in both herds, and with the same military promptness as 
 we had witnessed before, with the mares and colts in the 
 centre, the two bodies formed, and without the least 
 warning or signal rushed at each other. It seemed as 
 if the very heavens were falling in. The din and crash 
 as they swept together, even at our distance, was terrific, 
 and in the clear moonlight could be seen the rolling mass 
 
ONWARD TO DUBANA. 
 
 219 
 
 of contestants surging like a huge wave over the plain. 
 At the end of ten minutes, and as suddenly as it had 
 commenced, the battle 
 terminated, and the two 
 herds slowly separated. 
 We could now see some 
 of the results of the aw- 
 ful conflict, for scattered 
 here and there all over 
 the plain were the forms 
 of those who had fallen 
 in the sanguinary con- 
 flict. 
 
 The Sim had risen be- 
 fore we started on the 
 return journey to Sukul, 
 and already the vul- 
 tures and snow-headed 
 buzzards were feasting 
 on the relics of the 
 gruesome battle of the 
 night. For days and 
 months afterward the 
 memory of that weird, 
 terrible scene came over 
 us like a veritable night- 
 mare or some vain im- 
 agining, a phantasy that 
 we could hardly credit, 
 but that seeing was 
 really believing. 
 
 On the twentieth, at dawn, we once more reembarked ; 
 and the whole of that day and the day following our 
 
 LAMA MASK AND K08ARIE3. 
 
220 THROUGH UNEXPLORED ASIA. 
 
 journeying lay through a forest of stunted laurel, inter- 
 sected by singular narrow plains, forming at this season of 
 the year so many quagmires of saline deposit. Other 
 features of this region were enormous bare rocks, looming 
 like castles through the forest, and hillocks composed of 
 great fragments of splintered granite and glittering 
 marble. Before reaching Dubana, the mountains once 
 more closed in on the river current, split in two by 
 a long, narrow gully, half a mile wide, which, from search- 
 ing observation, we concluded had at one time been the 
 resting-place for an enormous glacier. The sides of the 
 mountains were extremely sheer and precipitous, so 
 smooth and inaccessible that they would have defied 
 the best efforts of the most experienced mountain-climber. 
 We pushed on to the head of the glacier valley, until, at 
 the end of six miles, it debouched into an amphitheatric 
 hollow, in which were nestled the crumbling remains of 
 a considerable village. The spot must have been visited 
 at no distant date by a severe earthquake, for the habi- 
 tations were new and with every evidence of having been 
 recently deserted. As we entered, we were greeted by 
 the spectacle of a number of dead bodies in an advanced 
 stage of decomposition lying around, on which were 
 roosting a half a dozen voracious vultures, who reluc- 
 tantly left their feasting as we approached. . We should 
 have liked to give the unfortunate wretches a proper 
 interment, but that the fear of contracting some serious 
 disease prevented. 
 
 We reached Dubana on the twenty - second, and 
 became acquainted with the head man, whose reputa- 
 tion in the surrounding district was considerable, for 
 at the small river villages we had been frequently 
 enlightened as to the dazzling effulgence of this celebrated 
 
AMIABLE NATIVES. 221 
 
 luminary. His imaginary importance consisted in being 
 the proud possessor of half a dozen guns of ancient con- 
 struction and several uniforms of red cloth, and in having, 
 at a recent date, visited chastisement on the head of a 
 renowned brigand chief ruling over the plain to the south- 
 ward, who had repeatedly made devastating incursions into 
 his territory. He was a hearty, jovial soul, possessed of 
 an inordinate fund of good humour, and so given to an 
 exaltation of his own intrinsic merits that, blinded by his 
 fantastic narratives and his glowing tales of wonderful 
 prowess in war and the hunting field, we, too, were in- 
 clined to look upon him with a sort of reverent awe. On 
 our arrival he was just on the point of setting forth on a 
 yak'-hunting expedition, and, seeing that under his shel- 
 tering guidance we might be enabled to make researches 
 in the surrounding country without restraint or menace, 
 we gladly availed ourselves of his invitation that we 
 should accompany him. 
 
 On the morning of the twenty-third we were awakened 
 two hours before daybreak by several greasy and vUe- 
 smelling hands taking hold of our noses, and arousing us 
 to wakefulness by shutting ofE our breath, to find that all 
 was in readiness for the start. A raw, penetrating drizzle 
 made the thickest of clothing ineffective in combating the 
 cold, and for several hours we urged our puny steeds along 
 to their best efforts, until, shortly after nine o'clock, 
 we had reached a sloping plain covered with a sparse 
 growth of shrubs and scrawny grass, which we were 
 informed was the most available spot in which to hunt. 
 
 Sure enough, in half an hour we observed three yaks 
 browsing in a defile half a mUe away, and, leaving the 
 ponies in charge of the temlik, we made a wide detour, 
 until, sheltered by the innumerable boulders covering the 
 
222 THROUGH UNEXPLORED ASIA. 
 
 plain, we were enabled to reach within a hundred paces 
 of them, when we fired. All three scampered off ; but, 
 following their trail, we soon descried thembrowzing half 
 a mile to the right, and after another tortuous stalk, by 
 wriggling our bodies over the adamant surface, to the 
 severe detriment of our garments and, likewise, our per- 
 sons, we were able to come this time within fifty feet of 
 them. We could see that our previous shots had not been 
 futile, for the largest of the three, a fierce-looking bull, 
 was evidently hard hit, lying down on the ground, and 
 bellowing dismally. 
 
 As we rose to fire, he caught a glimpse of us ; and 
 then, with head lowered, his wicked little eyes fiercely 
 snapping, and bellowing with rage, he charged toward the 
 spot behind which we had taken shelter. Shot after shot 
 we poured into him, apparently producing no more effect 
 than if we had been firing at a target. We could see the 
 dust fly up from his tawny coat as the bullets struck him ; 
 nevertheless he stUl advanced, forcing us to run for our 
 lives. At this moment the head man came up with two 
 muskets loaded with an extra heavy charge, which he 
 emptied into the lumbering mass of flesh. Although 
 mortally wounded, the great beast struggled on for a 
 hundred feet farther, and then dropped to the ground 
 dead. We counted sixteen wounds in his body and three 
 in his head, one having fractured his skull, and three 
 having penetrated through the lungs ; yet he had man- 
 aged to live for fully fifteen minutes when, by all logical 
 events, he should have been dead. Knowing with what 
 force a bullet is projected at almost pointblank range, we 
 could not help being amazed at the supernatural strength 
 displayed by the animal in resisting such tremendous 
 wounds. 
 
EXCITING YAK HUNT. 223 
 
 Leaving the body to be cut up by the temliks, we chased 
 after the two others, whom we eventually came upon in 
 a thick copse of shrubby growth. They were far less 
 suspicious and aggressive than the bull, for we were 
 enabled to approach within thirty feet of them, and, by 
 a couple of well-directed shots behind the shoulder (the 
 most vulnerable point), secured them both. Prejevalsky, 
 in his wanderings through Northern Thibet and Mongolia, 
 relates instances where bullets have entered the hearts and 
 other vital pa,rts of these animals, yet their enormous 
 powers of endurance enabled them to survive for a 
 considerable time after receiving the fateful injuries. 
 
 The native method of securing these animals consists in 
 running them down with horses and killing them with 
 spears, in a similar manner to that formerly adopted by 
 the American Indians in hunting the buffalo. The latter 
 animal and the yak are much allied in traits and general 
 characteristics, and, like the buffalo, the yak seems doomed 
 to total destruction at no far distant date, for they have 
 been hunted with such assiduity by the natives that there 
 has been already a terrible decimation in their number, 
 until in regions formerly containing large herds none can 
 be found at present. Besides eating the yak beef, the 
 natives use the heart and blood of the animal, taken 
 internally, for medicinal purposes ; the hides are used for 
 clothing, and ropes are spun from the long hair of the tail 
 and flanks. 
 
 Another animal existing in this region is the white- 
 breasted argali, a sort of wild mountain sheep of enor- 
 mous size, which is very shy and difficult of approach, but 
 fierce and aggressive when cornered. Although existing 
 in considerable profusion, their wariness prevents the 
 natives hunting them with any degree of good success. 
 
224 THROUGH UNEXPLORED ASIA. 
 
 When trapped and brought in contact with civilising in- 
 fluences, they are easily made tractable, and have been 
 found to be of inestimable value in carrying light loads 
 over the rough and stony caravan roads, although not 
 capable of bearing such heavy burdens as the yak or 
 camel, which are able to travel with greater speed, and 
 remain unaffected by varying and sudden changes of heat 
 or cold. Like the wild horses, they roam in numerous 
 herds, each under the protection of a ram, who jealously 
 guards his charge, lest it should fall into the hands of some 
 rival. As proof of their blind and relentless fury when 
 aroused, Prejevalsky avers that he on one occasion shot 
 a ram in a vital part while fighting with an adversary, 
 yet it continued the combat until physical collapse came, 
 and it expired. 
 
CHAPTER Vn. 
 
 On tlie morning of June 26tli, we left Dubana for 
 the first day's essay on the week's joumeyiag up the cur- 
 rent of the Kinsha to Batang, not without regrets ; for 
 with the marked hospitality and friendliness which had 
 attended our rather protracted halt in their midst, we 
 could not but feel a certain amount of regret that the 
 time had come when we must leave all behind, since from 
 the nebulous dreaming of those few days of undisturbed 
 happiness it was a rude shock to be awakened to the 
 stem reality of the future. 
 
 Two days' paddling carried us to Uh'hien'l, which we 
 reached about 9 p. m., for we had been delayed by a 
 strong wind since noon on the last day. As it was pitch- 
 dark, and we had no knowledge of the character of the 
 villagers, we encamped on the shore. The light of our 
 camp-fires soon had the effect of bringing us unwelcome 
 visitors, for we were immediately forced to face the 
 predicament of dodging innumerable huge boulders, 
 which were rolled down the slope in our direction, 
 and which, but for a cry of warning from the outposts, 
 must inevitably have crushed some of us to death. Per- 
 ceiving a fisherman and boy who were essaying to land 
 unnoticed about a hundred yards down the stream, we 
 sent two of the crew to seize upon them and bring them 
 before us. Though they were literally frightened out of 
 their wits with the marvellous spectacle of gazing on 
 
 225 
 
226 THROUGH UNEXPLORED ASIA. 
 
 white men, they were discreet enought to remain passive ; 
 and, to cahn their fears, we assimied an air of extreme 
 blandness and amiability, and having acquainted them 
 with the peaceful nature of our errand, we sent them off 
 to rejoin their comrades, enriched by several yards of 
 cloth and a large jug of pundu. When once released, 
 they cast a look around to make sure that they had 
 heard aright, and then, as fast as their legs could carry 
 them, scrambled up the slope and joined their comrades. 
 The stone-rolling instantly stopped, and in place of the 
 menacing shouts could be heard interjections of surprise 
 and innumerable questionings. Ten minutes later we de- 
 scried several figures stalking toward the camp, who halted 
 at some little distance as if fearful to enter. As we ap- 
 proached and saluted them in the grave Sifanese fashion 
 of placing the hands over the head and sticking out the 
 tongue, their fears were banished, and we soon discovered 
 that the attack made on us was not in the light of a 
 hostile aggression, but that they had mistaken us for 
 members of a fierce tribe, who inhabited the country on 
 the opposite bank of the river, against whom they were in 
 a continual state of warfare. A dozen other important 
 functionaries now came forward, and, having heard the 
 report of the embassy, they touched foreheads with us, 
 and declared, with unnecessary vigour, that we were wel- 
 come. The chief motioned with his hand, and amid a 
 perfect concourse of drums and gongs, which drowned all 
 attempts at conversation, we entered the village, followed 
 by those very persons who, but a few moments before, 
 had been attacking us with barbarous fury. We were 
 presently joined by a number of lamas, who, strange to 
 relate, were cleanly in person, and neatly attired in long 
 black robes with red stripes. Before leaving Luipo, we had 
 
INQUISITORIAL QUESTIONINGS. 227 
 
 acquainted ourselves fully with the precepts of Buddhism, 
 and had embraced the faith, — not from theological 
 motives, but knowing full well that in our subsequent 
 journeyings it would be of inestimable benefit in nulli- 
 fying the religious antipathy of a bigoted and fanatical 
 population. Therefore, when the priestly gentlemen 
 asked if we were followers of Buddha, with perfect 
 composure and without conscientious qualms we were 
 in a position to answer in the aflfirmative. The elder 
 priest informed us that he was glad to learn of it, as 
 the best abode in the place was the temple, but that, 
 had we been unbelievers, he would have been obliged to 
 refuse us shelter or food. Once quartered within the 
 sacred edifice, we were minded to doubt its worthiness 
 over the hard shale beach, where it had been our original 
 intention to encamp ; for it was overrun by an infamous 
 colony of monstrous rats, who sadly disturbed slumber by 
 playing hide-and-seek over our bodies, taking advantage 
 of our quietude to give us sundry nips, rousing us to 
 immeasurable exasperation, and causing us to pass the 
 remainder of the night with ceaseless groaning and 
 gnashing of teeth. 
 
 Early next morning we were waited upon by one of 
 the numerous wives of the head man, who informed us 
 that her royal lord and master was desirous of seeing 
 us by dayHght. He had gathered about him a numerous 
 group of lesser satellites, and, having passed around the 
 cups of pundu, we soon found that he was not in the habit 
 of remaining incurious before strangers. Hosts of ques- 
 tions were fired off at us regarding our health, our journey 
 and its aim, America, Europe, and the rest of the world in 
 general, the sun, moon, and stars, angels and devils, relig- 
 ion, magic, witchcraft, and a thousand kindred subjects, 
 
228 THROUGH UNEXPLORED ASIA. 
 
 until at the end of two hours of this interesting practice 
 we were classed as being graduated. 
 
 We eventually discovered, however, that the sly old 
 rascal had a deeper motive in inviting us to this confab, 
 for, after wasting in our laudation all the idiomatic redun- 
 dancy of the Chinese language, he broached the real ques- 
 tion at hand. As in the past he had' been unable to 
 remain more than passively defensive against his fierce 
 neighbours across the river, he saw in our arrival the 
 necessary means for launching forth an expedition of 
 conquest against his enemies, with our assistance crushing 
 them so effectually that the peace of the future would be 
 assured. With diplomatic tact he recited his brotherly 
 affection for us, and his desire to be of service in fur- 
 thering our progress ; and when at last he imagined that 
 he had firmly established a claim on our gratitude, he 
 broached his desire for our assistance in the punitive expe- 
 dition which he was about to undertake. On learning 
 that no amount of cajolery or persuasion was able to 
 shake our firm intention not to intermingle in the affair, 
 he assumed a threatening air, and with theatrical effect 
 warned us of the consequences that must inevitably be- 
 fall should we sacrifice his friendship. We were by this 
 churlish attitude placed between the two horns of a 
 dilemma. We fully recognised the danger which we 
 should be nmning by persisting in a refusal, while, on 
 the other hand, we were resolved at all hazards not to 
 assist him in his warfare. We therefore begged time 
 to think it over, and at the end of a half hour announced 
 our willingness to assist him if he would postpone the 
 expedition for a week, until we could reach Batang, when, 
 having stored our supplies, we could return fully armed 
 and prepared for such serious work as that he desired to 
 
ARRIVAL AT MUEN-CHI-HEI. 
 
 229 
 
 undertake. To this he assented. Alas for his credulity! 
 On the morning of the twenty-eighth, when with his 
 lesser chiefs he gathered to see us off, he little thought 
 that from henceforth 
 our ways were to lie for 
 ever apart, or that we 
 had decided that criti- 
 cal situations must be 
 met with strategic 
 measures. Many a time 
 afterward, when en- 
 camped in some filthy 
 little village, we looked 
 back upon his iia'ive con- 
 fidence as he bade us 
 depart, wondering if, 
 after all, he still suffered 
 in galling sUence the 
 hostile assaults of his 
 unfriendly neighbours. 
 
 Muen-chi-hei is a 
 small settlement of Djun 
 Ba, the chief of which 
 declares that he owes a 
 nominal allegiance to 
 the Chinese authorities 
 at Batang, the evidences 
 of which are distinctly 
 visible. It is a village of some size, situated on the right 
 bank of the Kinsha, and, being at a point where numer- 
 ous caravan routes converge, it contains a truly cosmo- 
 politan population. The general aspect of the surrounding 
 district is that of a flat, even country, dotted with 
 
 TA0I8T PRIEST, BATANG DISTRICT. 
 
230 THROUGH UNEXPLORED ASIA. 
 
 numerous plantations of wheat and barley, and inter- 
 sected by a perfect network of dark-coloured and sluggish, 
 streams. There is not a hill or hillock in the whole 
 region, the immense plateau extending as far as the eye 
 can reach, in a surface as smooth as the palm of one's 
 hand. Nevertheless, it derives a certain picturesque 
 beauty from its wide expanses of cultivation, and from 
 the greenness and freshness of the vegetation. This is 
 especially conspicuous when the rain falls, which is only 
 at infrequent intervals ; but at no time of the year, so we 
 subsequently learned, does the district present a dried-up 
 or burnt appearance. The villages in the immediate 
 vicinity are invariably surrounded by stone walls, or 
 deep moats filled with water, although for what apparent 
 purpose it is impossible to state, — surely not from fear 
 of aggression, for the natives of this region are an 
 agricultural people Httle given to turbulence. 
 
 The language of this people is a strange admixture 
 of the numerous tribal dialects for hundreds of miles 
 around, the inevitable result of which is, to say the least, 
 rather confusing. Their chief occupation is agriculture, 
 although there is a considerable trade in sUk and opium, 
 and those more enterprising among them have of late 
 years worked the valuable gold and silver deposits in the 
 mountain country to the westward with some measure of 
 success. Procuring river guides here on the thirtieth, we 
 ascended the river current until four o'clock in the after- 
 noon, at which time we reached the caravan road leading 
 to Batang. 
 
 We had scarcely landed when we were visited by half a 
 dozen Chinese functionaries, who welcomed us with much 
 obsequiousness, informing us that they had been awaiting 
 our arrival for a week, as notice of our coming had been 
 
STREET IX BATAXG. 
 
RESTING AT BATANG. 233 
 
 brought to them by several caravans which had lately 
 arrived from the country to the south. We soon discov- 
 ered that the real motive of this unbounded friendliness of 
 spirit was impatience for presents ; but as we had nothing 
 but cloth and arms and ammunition, we could only pre- 
 sent the head man with a breech-loader, and a couple of 
 ounces of silver to the other dignitaries. They had doubt- 
 less expected gifts of a more munificent character, but find- 
 ing that their broadest hints had no effect in stimulating 
 our generosity further, they left us with scant ceremony. 
 Hardly had they departed when our peace of mind was 
 again destroyed by three lamas suddenly bursting into 
 the privacy of our abode, who, stimulated by the spec- 
 tacle of the success which had attended secular efforts, 
 were minded to discover if those of a religious nature 
 might not be even more potent. They were the most per- 
 sistent and boresome of beggars, and although we had 
 firmly resolved not to be wheedled by their unceasing 
 importunities, we were at last, in sheer despair and to 
 rid ourselves of their presence, obliged to give them each 
 several yards of cloth and an ounce of silver. 
 
 We remained a week at Batang, the time being spent 
 in patching and repairing the canoes, which, from the 
 severe usage to which they had been subjected during 
 nearly six months of the most trying circumstances, were 
 more or less shaky, and in securing a short respite for 
 ourselves before plunging into the hitherto unexplored 
 country to the north. What time was not consumed in 
 attending to these very necessary matters was spent in a 
 campaign of general research in the surrounding country. 
 There were numerous salt lakes in the vicinity, and, as is 
 but reasonable to suppose, the preparation of this natural 
 product was a considerable industry, the greater part of 
 
234 THROUGH UNEXPLORED ASIA. 
 
 the population of the district being engaged in digging 
 it away from the lake shores, which, in some places, were 
 encrusted with layers of pure salt, five to ten feet thick. 
 
 The salt is obtained in the following way : First, a thin 
 covering of dust is removed from the surface ; the salt is 
 then dug out with iron spades and washed in the water 
 which collects in the excavated holes ; it is then poured 
 into bags, and laden on camels or yaks, and carried to 
 Batang. A custom of about two cents a load is levied by the 
 Chinese custom officer, who lives in the latter town and 
 has charge of the salt industry, although how much of 
 this revenue ever finds its way to the imperial coffers at 
 Pekin, may well be left open to doubt. Certain it is that 
 the position is one eagerly sought after, and one that the 
 happy occupant is usually able to retire from with a sub- 
 stantial competence at the end of a few years' service. 
 
 Burton's health, which had been very poor of late, was 
 at this time greatly jeopardised by a severe attack of 
 malarial fever, contracted the day before we reached 
 Batang. His condition was rendered more serious, owing 
 to the lack of proper medical assistance, for, although we 
 had a few drugs with us, I had not sufficient confidence in 
 my skill as a practitioner to administer them. Happily, 
 his marvellous power of endurance, gained from a life 
 passed among the most perilous hardships, pulled him 
 through, and when, on the eighth, we were ready to set 
 forth, he had, in a measure, recovered his old time jaunti- 
 ness, in spite of a continued weakness which incapacitated 
 him from vigorous effort. 
 
 In leaving Batang, we were entering upon the second and 
 most difficult stage of the great enterprise which we had 
 set forth to accomplish ; and although, as we watched its 
 stolid and dwarf-like substance gradually fading from view. 
 
FORWARD TO THE NORTH. 236 
 
 there was an almost audible parting murmur of anguish, 
 we were not bowed down with gloomy forebodings, but 
 cheered by the belief that a kind and all-seeing Providence, 
 who had watched over us in the past, would likewise be 
 with us in the future. There was a sort of unbridled free- 
 dom, a lofty purpose, and an unquenchable desire to pene- 
 trate into the great unknown lying before, which aroused 
 in our breasts unforgotten energies, and urged us forward 
 with impatient zeal. As we all enjoyed, with the excep- 
 tion of Burton,' unusual good health at this time, we could 
 not help fancying that it was to the far-receding prospects 
 opening on every side that we owed much of our health- 
 fulness. It was certain that the blood flowed quicker, that 
 the eye kindled with brighter light, and that we breathed 
 more freely when in the wide and open country than 
 when cooped up in squalid towns and villages, with their 
 menacing dangers of bloodthirsty hostility and disease. 
 
 The landscape, for two days' journejdng north of Batang, 
 presented a series of smooth, rounded, hilly ridges, sepa- 
 rated by broad, grassy valleys, dotted with innumerable 
 villages, and overrun with numerous herds of yaks and 
 horses. It was a fine pastoral country, eminently suited 
 for grazing, the eye, wherever it wandered, resting on ex- 
 tensive prospects of rolling prairie, grassy hills, and 
 verdurous valleys, following one another in regular series. 
 
 We stopped at Dzun-Hak at nightfall of the first day, 
 and were received with the greatest cordiality by the 
 chief, who sent messengers to a large village, which, he 
 informed us, lay some miles inland, where resided the 
 head man of the district, to purchase food and wine for 
 our entertainment. As with these portending evidences 
 of munificence we were obliged to show something more 
 substantially fitting than verbal thanks, we presented him 
 
236 THROUGH UNEXPLORED ASIA. 
 
 with half a dozen yards of cloth and several sketches of 
 ourselves. Concermng these latter, he was inordinately 
 curious, questioning us as to whether they were our spirit 
 forms which we carried around for protection against harm. 
 As we knew full well the impossibility of conveying to his 
 benighted brain the real reason for their existence, — 
 namely, the vanity of mankind in general, — we adopted 
 the wiser plan of confirming his first conjectures, when, 
 with religious zeal, he punched a hole through the top of 
 each picture, and, hanging them aroimd his neck, strutted 
 forth for the delectation and general mystification of the 
 others, who gathered around in a noisy, if not overcritical, 
 audience, taking the pictures in their hands, feehng of 
 them, tasting and smelling them, until after half an hour 
 of this unique experience one would have had great diffi- 
 culty in tracing the original. 
 
 Not until next morning were we made fully aware of 
 the duplicity and double nature of the crafty old rascal, 
 for although we had seen a number of the men, who had 
 started out on the journey to the neighbouring tribal chief, 
 walking aimlessly around the streets, he informed us, with 
 the most brazen impudence, that they must have been 
 overtaken by some accident on the road. As we could 
 give no good and sufficient evidence to the contrary, not- 
 withstanding our suspicions, we were obliged to maintain 
 a discreet silence, and to console our sorely troubled minds 
 with the vow that henceforth our liberality should be 
 withheld until we, in turn, had been made recipients of 
 something substantial in the same line. 
 
 The natives of the district adjacent to Dzun-Hak, 
 although members of one of the most important branches 
 of the Sifanese, externally present many differing traits, 
 more closely allying them with the races of Turkestan 
 
A CURIOUS BURIAL CEREMONY. 237 
 
 and Central Asia. In height they are above the aver- 
 age, with thick-set figures and broad shoulders ; long 
 hair and scanty beard, which are never shaved off, as 
 among the other races, and invariably jet-black in colour ; 
 the eyes dark and rather large, never narrow, like the 
 Chinese or Mongols ; the nose decidedly aquUitie, but 
 sometimes turned up with a curious tUt ; the lips thick 
 and protruding ; and the cheek-bones high and prominent, 
 as in the North American Indian type. 
 
 The women' were the equal of any that we had ever 
 seen in Western China, with long, oval faces and regular 
 features, and the whitest and most even teeth, which, 
 coupled with the pale .olive colour of their complexions, 
 gave to them a prepossessing appearance, markedly 
 noticeable. They were, however, evidently not at ease in 
 their own minds as regarded their attractiveness, for they 
 immediately destroyed the exalted judgment we had 
 formed of them by dyeing their cheeks a bright vermilion 
 colour, and piling their hair on top of their heads until it 
 gave them a remarkably top-heavy appearance, causing us 
 momentary concern lest they should be toppled over by 
 this weighty-looking burden. 
 
 The natives are very superstitious about death, and 
 follow a custom which, as it seems to be held in general 
 favour in Western China, may be here described. As soon 
 as a man has died, his relatives or friends forthwith pro- 
 ceed to find a suitable place for his interment ; and for this 
 purpose they take a basket of eggs into the surrounding 
 country, and, having selected a favourite spot, drop an 
 egg to the ground from a height of six inches. If it breaks, 
 it is considered an ill omen ; and a search is then made 
 for another spot, where this unique process is repeated. 
 In this way, hours, and even days, may be spent in dis- 
 
238 THROUGH UNEXPLORED ASIA, 
 
 covering a fitting place, the searching party wandering 
 around with truly commendable zeal, and without shirking 
 in any manner the task imposed upon them. There are 
 also numerous other ceremonies attendant on the occa- 
 sion, — among them the beating of the corpse with long 
 switches, to drive therefrom the evil spirits, or the stabbing 
 it through the heart or other vital organs, with a similar 
 purpose in view, of course, however, not before death. 
 
 Once in the country north of Batang, we were more 
 fully impressed than ever with the constantly waning 
 power of Buddhism, each tribe, and in general each town 
 and village, having a religion distinctively its own. The 
 Dzun-Hak practically have no religion, although they wor- 
 ship a species of albino yak, and make many sacrifices of 
 and to it. During these festivities all the bad members 
 of the tribe are brought to the scene of the sacrifices, in 
 order that the devils may be dismissed from them. To 
 accomplish this, a straw image is made and carried around 
 the streets on the shoulders of the backsliders, after which 
 it is set on fire by them, and, as the flames consume the 
 effigy, so they also take away the evil spirits from the 
 turbulent members of the tribe. One novel trait, which 
 one cannot help wishing might be seen with greater fre- 
 quency in more favoured regions of this great world of 
 ours, is their respect for old age. In Africa and Western 
 Asia, and shame to confess it, even in more civilised lands, 
 the position of the aged is pitiable in the extreme, for, 
 looked upon in most cases by those younger in years as a 
 constant drag and hindrance, the winter of life is but too 
 apt to be passed in sorrow and misery, which no amount 
 of bodily comfort can properly atone for. In this land, 
 however, barbarous though its people may be, as soon as 
 a person becomes too old, or is otherwise incapacitated for 
 
TOPOGRAPHY OF THE KULIEN SLOPE. 239 
 
 work, he is taken care of by the younger members of the 
 tribe, is looked up to and reverenced as a patriarch, and 
 invariably consulted on all matters of importance touching 
 the general weal and woe. 
 
 Suspecting, after leaving Dzun-Hak and penetrating 
 farther up-stream, that a river of considerable importance 
 emptied into the Kinsha a little way above, owing to the 
 ever increasing force of its current, we paid particular 
 attention to every indentation on its uneven banks ; but 
 although numerous small streams, ranging from ten to 
 thirty feet in width, emptied their waters into the Kinsha, 
 there was no trace of any tributary stream of considerable 
 size. The general course of these streams lay from the 
 west, the velocity of their currents giving evidence that 
 we were on the outskirts of the immense watershed divid- 
 ing the diverging river systems of the eastern Thibetan 
 border. 
 
 The Kulien Mountains, properly so called, consist of 
 two ranges, which enclose the valley of the upper Kinsha 
 Kiang, and lie at right angles to the general direction of 
 the Kuen Lun, and are among the loftiest ranges in Asia. 
 There is really more affinity between these mountains and 
 the westernmost of the Sadagh, than between the latter 
 and the Kuen Lun, for the last named belongs to a dis- 
 tinct system, and is divided from the main mass of the 
 central Asiatic chain by a deep and wide depression ; 
 whereas both the Kulien and the ranges to the westward, 
 which have no single name, are joined to the Kuen Lun 
 at their southern extremities, and are hardly distingviish- 
 -able at first from it. The western Kulien range springs 
 up abruptly on the east of the plain country, at the end of 
 the Kinigha plateau, on which have settled a medley of 
 tribes. This region, although almost entirely treeless. 
 
240 THROUGH UNEXPLORED ASIA. 
 
 is very fertile in the seasons when the rainfall is plentiful, 
 and, being at an average height of ten thousand feet 
 above the sea level, for eight months of the year is swept 
 by a climate of arctic severity. 
 
 This region, formed by the Kulien ranges, is impassa- 
 ble at any point in its northern configuration for beasts 
 of burden or wheel trafl&c, and the traveller who wishes 
 to -see the country must double either the northern or 
 southern end of the range, whose snow-streaked cliffs 
 pierce far into the clouds. The natives who inhabit the 
 country are for the most part unenlightened and hostile 
 savages, who are known under the generic name of Dzrik ; 
 but as no explorer has as yet summoned the necessary 
 amount of courage to make the hazardous venture of 
 penetrating into their wild domains, little is known of 
 their general characteristics save from the narratives 
 of the Sifanese tribes on the Kinsha, who aver that they 
 are a nation of the most bloodthirsty and hostile of mon- 
 sters, with the added demerit of being cannibals of the 
 worst kind. This latter fact, however, should receive 
 substantial corrobation before implicit faith is placed in 
 it, for both Rockhill and Holmes, who approached nearest 
 to this region, state that there is but little doubt of the 
 falsity of these rumours. 
 
 After two days' halting progress from Dzun-Hak, on 
 the tenth we had reached the hilly coast of Tchi-su ; the 
 lowlands faded from view, and the black mountain masses 
 appeared to the right and left like giant hands closing 
 together to embrace us between their relentless grasp, 
 rising grim and lofty, with their peaks bedded in snow. 
 Clusters of gray, rocky islets animated the coast, unen- 
 livened by forest or verdure, causing the current of the 
 river to flow through innumerable narrow channels, up 
 
AVARICIOUS TANGDTS. 241 
 
 whicli it was only by the most hazardous labour that we 
 were enabled to pole the canoes, threatened each moment 
 to be capsized by the numerous whirlpools and cross-cur- 
 rents, or dashed into pieces against protruding reefs 
 and jagged boulders. This fractiousness of the stream 
 continued until noon of the eleventh, when we had 
 reached the mouth of a river which the natives called 
 Guhi, where the Kinsha expanded once more to a distance 
 of several hundred feet. The river bank was here lined 
 with dozens oi little villages perched on the sloping face 
 of the mountains, or with fishing hamlets of the most 
 miserable kind grouped on the edge of the current, in- 
 habited by an ill-favoured and sinister-looking generation, 
 who refused to seU us provisions of any kind, and received 
 our friendly approaches with unconcealed hostility. As 
 there were no demands, other than that of curiosity, 
 requiring us to persist in the attempt to overcome their 
 churlishness, we wisely left them to their dirty habita- 
 tions, and kept on until long after nightfall to Kiebzun. 
 The natives here were in no wise more charitably dis- 
 posed than those we had met earlier in the day, but their 
 trading instincts were so strong that even their innate 
 hostility was conquered by their cupidity and avarice, and 
 we were able to dispose of numerous of our stores to good 
 advantage. For obvious reasons we refused their request 
 that we take up our quarters in their village, as their 
 sinister scowlings and furtive glances of envy at our 
 belongings were too openly manifested to be miscon- 
 strued, and we felt more at ease encamping on the river 
 bank. 
 
 Next morning there was a peculiar air of discontent, 
 like a foreshadowing of trouble, among the natives who 
 appeared before our camp. We could see that they had 
 
242 THROUGH UNEXPLORED ASIA. 
 
 armed themselves with guns and spears, and were gath- 
 ered in hostile groups, giving vent to ominous mutterings, 
 of which there could be no mistaking the tenor. Trouble 
 seemed imminent ; so, taking Yuen with me, I went to 
 them and sought to discover the meaning of this attitude, 
 reproaching them for their churlish conduct when we had 
 done them no harm. This had the effect only of making 
 their anger more openly apparent, and at a signal from 
 the others a gray-headed chief stepped forward with the 
 information that some one of our party had entered their 
 temple during the night and abstracted a number of idols, 
 which must immediately be forthcoming, or at any rate 
 their equivalent, or they would at once attack us. We 
 well knew that he was lying, for had we really stolen the 
 idols they would have had no compunction in at once rush- 
 ing upon us and fighting to the death; but anxious, if 
 possible, to avert conflict, we pointed out the difficulty of 
 tracing the offender, and inquired what they considered 
 a fair price for the stolen images. With suspicious 
 promptitude they settled upon a bale of cloth ; but we 
 were resolved at all hazards not to suffer this extortion, 
 and finally were able to compromise with ten yards of 
 red cloth. 
 
 Shortly after 9 A. m. we were once more under weigh ; 
 but scarcely had we gone fifty feet when two large boats, 
 manned by ten men, boldly approached from the shore 
 and followed m our wake, while a hundred or more 
 natives ran along the bank, shouting yells of defiance, and 
 threatening us with long tufted lances and guns. We 
 were far enough removed to entertain no fears from the 
 spears, but in our exposed condition the possible effects 
 of the muskets were not to be lightly reckoned on. As 
 we made no demonstration of resistance, the canoes rapidly 
 
HOSTILE PURSUIT. 243 
 
 overhauled us, and when thirty feet away swerved aside, 
 wheeling around us in a defiant style. We maintained our 
 progress for ten minutes longer, when the danger at last 
 having reached a point where our lives were menaced, 
 we commanded the crew to stop paddling, and, address- 
 ing those in the canoes, demanded the reason for this war- 
 like demonstration. To .this query they made no answer 
 beyond threatening scowls, while a number of the more 
 foolhardy and passionate hurled several lances at us, 
 which, had we not dropped with amazing celerity into the 
 bottom of the canoes, must inevitably have killed some of 
 us. We had been loath hitherto to wax aggressive, but 
 with this open demonstration of violence the time for 
 parley and speechifying had gone by ; and, calling on the 
 men to drop their paddles and fire at the canoes, we soon 
 had the satisfaction of seeing both the boats sinking to a 
 lower level as the water rushed in, while with yells of 
 terror the valorous warriors who had been manning them 
 swam hurriedly to the shore, where, having rejoined the 
 others, they were on the point of firing a volley in our 
 direction, when we again quenched their ardour by a well- 
 directed fire, which sent them scampering back to their 
 village, leaving half a dozen of their number either killed 
 or badly woimded. Fearful of another and more success- 
 ful attack, we hastened forward with as much speed as 
 possible. 
 
 On the thirteenth we arrived at Uhihl after a long day's 
 fight against the swift river current during a storm of 
 sleet and hail. The village had for nearly a month suf- 
 fered from a severe famine ; but now the huntsmen, having 
 made a successful foray in the wild country to the east, 
 had returned with an abundance of yak meat, on which 
 the people were gorging themselves like a pack of hungry 
 
244 
 
 THROUGH UN^EXPLORED ASIA. 
 
 wolves, being camped in the streets around large fires of 
 dung, roasting the meat on the end of short sticks for a 
 
 CHOICHONG GTALPO, THE GOD OF ASTROLOGT, AND PROTECTOR 
 OF MEN AGAINST EVlI. SPIRITS. 
 
 few minutes, and eating it practically raw. The head man 
 demanded that we should pay tribute for the privilege of 
 landing, and, to guard against engendering hostile feelings, 
 
PRODIGAL KIANGSIS. 245 
 
 we presented him with some cloth and a musket. With 
 this evidence of the friendliness of our intentions, he invited 
 us to the feasting, and really seemed put out at our re- 
 peated refusals. As, however, we had not as yet descended 
 to the level to which one is reduced by famine, we did not, 
 for obvious reasons, avail ourselves of this exhibition of 
 generosity. We could not but feel flattered by the atten- 
 tion of the females of Uhihl, for they crowded around us 
 with huge pieces of haK-cooked meat, which they thrust 
 into our faces in the manner that animals are fed at a 
 menagerie, much to the delight of the Kiangsis, who, 
 having received back pay for three weeks, expended their 
 wealth with profligate generosity, for sailors in port they 
 were for the time being, and as sailors in port they flung 
 their wealth in every direction to the entire satisfaction 
 of the avaricious Uhihlese, who expressed the desire that 
 such "munificent princes" might fall into their midst 
 every day. 
 
 We halted four days at Uhihl, as our situation was 
 deplorable. Owing to the ever increasing high altitudes 
 we were attaining, many of the crew had contracted violent 
 lung affections, and two or three had slight touches of 
 fever, whUe both Burton and myself were not in the best 
 of spirits. We had twenty-seven men ailLng. Some suf- 
 fered from mountain fever, some from asthma, chest 
 diseases, and malarial fever ; lungs were weak, and rheuma- 
 tism had its victims. The short respite from the arduous 
 labour of travelling, however, worked almost miraculous 
 wonders ; for when on the morning of the seventeenth we 
 were ready to set forward once more, the greater number 
 of these evils had disappeared, although six men, includ- 
 ing Burton, were not sufficiently recovered to be of much 
 physical assistance. 
 
246 THROUGH UNEXPLORED ASIA. 
 
 A sad event took place on the afternoon of this day. 
 Yuen, the valorous little coxswain and interpreter, the 
 soul and life of the expedition, when we camped for the 
 night complained of dizziness and severe pains in his head. 
 As soon as he had eaten his supper and been revivified by 
 several cups of pundu, he informed us that he felt better. 
 It was but the exhilaration of the moment, however, for 
 shortly before midnight we heard him groaning and writh- 
 ing in agony in his tent, and on entering found him in 
 the throes of the dreadful fever. His face was fearfully 
 pallid, and his mind seemed to be wandering, while he 
 complained of great thirst. Through the long night we 
 remained by his side, essaying by every means at our 
 command to break up the course of the disease. Our 
 efforts were futile, however ; his condition rapidly changed 
 for the worse ; and just as day dawned, recovering con- 
 sciousness for the last time, he asked that we each place 
 a hand in one of his, and with a faint smile passed to the 
 great unknown as peacefully as a chUd dropping to slum- 
 ber. We buried him next day beneath an enormous mound 
 overlooking the vast region which, to help his masters, in 
 penetrating he had given up his life. 
 
 For days and weeks afterward we brooded in sorrow 
 and sUence over our irreparable loss, missing his sunny 
 good-humour and light-hearted optimism; for his trust- 
 worthiness and courage had been of inestimable service 
 to us. He was equally beloved by his comrades, to whom, 
 although their superior, he was always a kind-hearted and 
 just friend ; never chiding or correcting them unless they 
 were combating the will of the white masters ; ever ready 
 to take the paddle of some worn-out canoeman and labour 
 on uncomplainingly, although physically almost incapable ; 
 discreet in council, but a very lion in the forefront of dan- 
 
AN OPIUM -CURSED VILLAGE. 247 
 
 ger. Many times in the future his kind, determined face 
 came before us when danger clouded around, as if being 
 with us still in spirit if not in body, which was buried in 
 an unknown land, far from kindred and home, a martyr 
 to the cause of civilisation. 
 
 The next camp northward from Uhihl which we estab- 
 lished was at Tuj-su-an, at an altitude above the sea level 
 of 11,231 feet. From the head man we learned that the 
 place had at a former time been a town of considerable 
 importance, qne of the large caravan centres, carrying on 
 an extensive trade in the surrounding country. All this 
 had been changed with the introduction of the manufac- 
 ture of opium. The entire population had been swept 
 away by plague and disease, no doubt superinduced by the 
 deadly drug, — leaving to the village only such traces of 
 its former greatness as innumerable ruined and deserted 
 habitations, and a miserable population of a hundred souls, 
 vrho, it would seem from outward appearance, had been 
 overtaken by the fell curse of laziness, for no evidences 
 of thrift or prosperity could we discover. The surround- 
 ing plain was fertile and capable of cultivation ; numerous 
 herds of yak, argali, and antelope could be seen scattered 
 •over the face of the country ; the river abounded in fish, 
 yet not a single pound of food could we buy, for though 
 on every hand it existed in abundance, the villagers went 
 along from day to day in a haK-famished condition rather 
 -than search for it, maintaining their shght spark of life 
 by consuming the few shell-fish that could be gathered on 
 the river banks. 
 
 As we were in need of fresh meat, we suggested to 
 some of the natives that they should guide us to a spot 
 where we might be able to do some hunting, for their 
 -assistance offering to divide with them the spoils of the 
 
248 THROUGH UNEXPLORED ASIA. 
 
 chase. To our astonishment, this offer was met with a 
 pointblank refusal; but, as we were resolved at all 
 hazards to go, we took with us six of the crew, and in 
 half an hour succeeded in shooting two small antelopes 
 and a yak cow. Leaving the men to cut up the game, 
 we rushed off in another direction after a flock of sand- 
 grouse, which we had descried settling in a thick clump of 
 bushes ; but in a few minutes we were alarmed by shouts 
 of terror from the direction of the carcasses, and, rushing 
 back, found the men whom we had left in the centre of 
 a wildly expostulating and threatening group of natives, 
 who, relying on their strength of numbers, were demanding 
 that the prizes should be turned over to them for disposal. 
 On our arrival on the scene, they fell back a httle ; but 
 one burly-looking rascal, seeking encouragement in the 
 eyes of his fellows, brushed by the crew, and, throwing 
 himself on the carcass of the yak, drew his knife and 
 proceeded to skin the animal. His action stimulated the 
 bravery of his companions, and, seeing that we remained 
 passive, the rest of the Ul-conditioned horde closed in to 
 press once more their claim, and, if need be, seize upon 
 the quarry by force. We vainly expostulated with them, 
 reviling them for their laziness and cowardice ; but our 
 words were as but oil added to the flames, their hostUe atti- 
 tude increasing each moment, until we felt that, in order to 
 protect our lives, it was necessary that we should throw 
 pacific measures to the winds, and combat their churlish 
 menaces by sterner measures. 
 
 The dirty rascal who had seized upon the body of the 
 yak had, by this time, made considerable progress, when, 
 covering him with my revolver, I ordered him away. He 
 paused for a moment, as if doubting that he had heard 
 aright; but his wholesome respect for the weapon con- 
 
SUCCESSFUL BRAGGADOCIO. 249 
 
 quered in tlie end, and, with a sheepish attempt at opposi- 
 tion, he rejoined the others, who had gathered in a scowling 
 and muttering group fifty feet away. Ignoring them 
 entirely, we cut up the yak meat, and, having distributed 
 it among the men, placed the antelopes over our own 
 shoulders and proceeded to return, when we found our 
 way confronted by half a dozen of the more aggressive 
 savages, who announced their decision to fight if we 
 did not surrender the meat. As there was no place of 
 shelter for them in the vicinity, and noting the crude 
 weapons of our adversaries, we felt fully capable of mak- 
 ing an effectual resistance without running serious danger ; 
 and we therefore firmly answered that, if they were dis- 
 posed to fight, we were ready and willing to have the 
 right of ownership of the prize decided by combat. This 
 bit of braggadocio on our part was not without effect, 
 for there was an immediate waning in their ardour ; their 
 bluster and threatening attitude underwent a change, and 
 after much cogitation they proceeded to fall back upon an 
 effort to stimulate our generosity by the recital of their 
 numerous woes, until, to rid ourselves of their presence, 
 we turned over to them one of the antelopes, and seized 
 upon the opportunity, while they were engaged in squab- 
 bling for its ownership, to return to our camp. 
 
 A terrific storm, accompanied by a heavy fall of 
 snow, although it was the middle of July, prevented us 
 from making progress on the twentieth or twenty-first, 
 which time was consumed in sorting and repacking the 
 stores and drying the meat, the frigidity of the atmos- 
 phere meanwhile rendering our exposed condition uncom- 
 fortable in the extreme. Several of the men were 
 frost-bitten, and most of them, having never seen snow 
 falling before in their lives, were much exercised over it, 
 
260 THROUGH UNEXPLORED ASIA. 
 
 lest it be a portending evidence of the anger of the deities. 
 We assuaged their fears by explaining the phenomenon, 
 and for several hours care, danger, and toU were forgotten 
 in the inexpressible pleasures of a good old-fashioned 
 snowball fight. Burton with half the force arrayed against 
 the remainder, which were led by myself? When once 
 warmed up to the combat, the struggle waxed fast and 
 furious, unto, perceiving that the hot-blooded Kiangsis, 
 overwhelmed by the spirit of the rivalry, were fast losing 
 their tempers and coming to blows, we ordered the sport 
 to cease. Meantime the group of natives, who had 
 gathered wonderingly around us at the spectacle of such 
 unexplainable frivolity, began to imitate our example, 
 until a sanguinary riot of no mean proportions was in 
 progress, which might have ended more seriously had we 
 not stepped in, and, by diverting the general attention 
 to ourselves, cooled their hot spirits. 
 
 Having hired three guides, and purchased two skin 
 boats in which to carry the meat, on the twenty-second 
 we struck north again. The stream of the Kinsha for 
 some ten or twelve miles at this point runs along the 
 side of an expansive valley, close under the western 
 mountains, which have receded to some distance from 
 the course of the river itself. This continues as far as 
 Comanu, where, with a gradual expansion, the current 
 becomes very shallow except in midstream, only a few 
 feet in depth, and forming a number of practicable fords, 
 while the sides of the ravine then draw together, and 
 the river becomes difficult of progress. Former disturb- 
 ances have brought down avalanches of earth and rock 
 from one side and then from the other, untU the main 
 current of the stream has been divided up into a number 
 of minor ones, which rush through the narrow openings 
 
A DISTINGUISHED RECEPTION. 251 
 
 with feaxful velocity. There is plenty of tree-growth, 
 but no evidences of other cultivation, although the coun- 
 try is well populated, the eye being at all times able to 
 rest upon isolated villages or habitations of some sort, 
 while numerous temples and monasteries crown the 
 mountain summits, like picturesque mediaBval castles 
 perched on cloud-bathed pinnacles. The colour of the 
 rocks is very striking, being a brilliant yellow streaked 
 with red, which forms an agreeable contrast with the 
 green crest overtopping them. 
 
 We were as great curiosities to the natives as they were 
 to us, for as we wandered along near the shore our progress 
 was continually beset by the men and women of the little 
 river settlements with pressing invitations to stop in their 
 villages and barter. As we had already suffered consid- 
 erable delay on the two previous days, we were obliged 
 to ignore these friendly offers, which, however, were none 
 the less welcome, assuring us for the time being, at least, 
 immunity from hostUe tribes. We were, therefore, aU 
 the more surprised, when drawing near to a considerable 
 village which loomed up on the river bank, at nightfall, 
 to perceive a group of fifty or sixty bellicose natives 
 advancing in boats, menacing our approach with uplifted 
 spears and noisy show of war. Instantly apprehending 
 danger, we ordered the crew to see to their weapons, and 
 proceeded forward cautiously. In a short time, however, 
 our fears were quieted, for from several of the men in 
 the leading boats we learned that our reception was not 
 one of aggression, but merely a way of showiag their 
 desire to welcome fittingly such an auspicious occasion. 
 With our equanimity restored, albeit the natives con- 
 tinued to manifest their prowess further by numberless 
 grandiloquent boasts and much frantic action, we pitched 
 
262 THROUGH UNEXPLORED ASIA. 
 
 our camp and announced our willingness to barter ; when 
 almost immediately we were surrounded on all sides by a 
 howling, excited mob, striving to make themselves heard, 
 the weaker trodden under foot by the more powerful, all 
 swayed by the desire to be the favoured ones, until this 
 danger became even greater than open hostility itself. 
 With diplomatic tact, we traded only with the leading 
 men, from whom we might expect some measure of 
 return ; but a most conscienceless lot they were, for in 
 the end we discovered that we had been completely out- 
 bargained if not deliberately robbed. 
 
 From the natives themselves we inquired the name of 
 their village ; but either it had no general name, or else 
 they were the most painstaking of hars, for in answer to 
 a dozen questionings we received as many varying an- 
 swers. The determining of proper names is one of the 
 greatest difficulties incident to accurate geographical 
 research in Western China and Thibet, for the names 
 enumerated by one traveller are more than likely to be 
 upset by the new category of another immediately suc- 
 ceeding him, until the general result is, to say the least, 
 confusing. In determining names of all towns and vil- 
 lages, and other geographical data requiring accuracy, it 
 has been my invariable rule to fall back upon the phonetic 
 methods which have of late years become necessary in 
 uncivilised countries, and in cases where there has been 
 any serious disagreement to accept invariably the decision 
 of the majority, which, whether right or wrong, is the 
 only feasible method that offers itself. 
 
 The single night that we spent at Churak was a dis- 
 turbed one, as the flood-gates of heaven seemed literally 
 opened for a period, while a strong wind repeatedly 
 levelled the tents to the ground, until, in despair, we gath- 
 
ARRIVAL AT CHUTONG. 253 
 
 ered together beneath the shelter of the enormous diffs, 
 and were abl^ to pitch our tents in a less exposed posi- 
 tion, only, however, to be awakened after several hours of 
 indifferent repose by the yells of the crew, and, jumping 
 up, fearing treachery of some sort, to discover that 
 the waters of the river had overflowed the low-lying 
 shale beach, and that we were encamped in the middle of 
 a lake-like expanse. With no loss of time we rushed out 
 into the open, to look upon an area of curling waters, 
 while the canoes, which we had seen safely on the shore, 
 were n(5w nearly twenty feet away, tugging at their moor- 
 ings, and threatening at each moment to tear loose and 
 be carried off with the strong current. It was no time 
 for hesitation. Battling against the swiftly rushing 
 waters, which repeatedly carried us off our feet, we were 
 able finally to secure every one of the canoes and carry 
 them to a point of safety. 
 
 By morning the waters had in a measure subsided; 
 but the Kinsha was still a rapid stream, nearly two hun- 
 dred feet wide, flowing in a stony channel, in some places 
 between precipitous walls of rock, but occasionally form- 
 ing picturesque valleys, in one of which, sheltered by 
 enormous cliffs, stands Chutong, which we reached at 
 3 p. M., on the twenty-thu-d. Opposite to Chutong a bold 
 bluff projects into the stream from the end of a low ridge, 
 and astride the neck of this promontory is another village 
 nearly as large, which possessed an infinite variety of 
 names, but which, following our usual method of proce- 
 dure, we decided was generally called Turzh. A wooden 
 bridge, showing considerable ingenuity in engineering and 
 construction, crossed the Kinsha under the eastern face of 
 the rock; and it is probable that there was an ancient 
 bridge at about the same point, for there were remaining 
 
254 THROUGH UNEXPLORED ASIA. 
 
 evidences of the same in the shape of half a dozen crum- 
 bhng piers. 
 
 On the surrounding upland country there were con- 
 siderable areas of cultivation, grain and vegetables of 
 familiar sorts growing with astonishing fecundity. There 
 were, however, no traces of arboreal growth, except 
 numerous groves of dwarfed bushes, a mongrel and 
 degenerate variety of tree much like a pine, from which 
 exuded bunches of a sweet-smelling and bitter-tasting 
 gum. We eventually discovered that this substance is 
 possessed of considerable medicinal value, formiiig the 
 basis for various herb tonics, which are manufactured by 
 the natives and exported to Thibet and Eastern China. 
 Its effect was peculiar in the extreme, for after one had 
 chewed it for a little while the mind was clouded and the 
 muscles relaxed, as if one had been partaking of consider- 
 able quantities of strong liquor. It was doubtless from 
 the effects of this substance that the natives of Chutong 
 acquired their listless and enervated condition, for they 
 presented the appearance of having at no recent date 
 passed through the experience of a severe debauch, stag- 
 gering around much like a colony of inebriates. 
 
 The head man of the place was a very remarkable per- 
 son, nearly seven feet in height, and admirably propor- 
 tioned. He was wholly unembarrassed by any feelings 
 of modesty, fully impressing us at the outset with a recital 
 of his many exalted qualifications, and with the inninner- 
 able historical events of the region, of which he, of course, 
 was the central and luminous figure, with naive innocence 
 and unstinting wealth of bombast relating the most 
 Munchausen-like tales. He was a hospitable individual, 
 however, and invited us to take up our residence in his 
 house, which was a long, two-storied structure, built of 
 
USrSTABLE DWELLINGS. 
 
 255 
 
 loosely piled stones, held together by a plaster of mud, and 
 which, built on the face of sloping ground, had acquired 
 an extremely uncertain aspect of stability, keeping us 
 in a state of momentary terror lest it should collapse and 
 
 THIBETAN LAMA WITH THIGH-BONE TRUMPET. 
 
 bury us beneath its ruins. After questioning us on an 
 infinity of subjects, he introduced us to several of the 
 other important functionaries of the place, who gathered 
 around in awkward silence, blinking idly at us with 
 
256 THROUGH UJfEXPLORED ASIA. 
 
 maudlin curiosity, and chewing the gum of the tree which 
 we had noticed, with the most tiring assiduity, — at odd 
 moments, for no apparent reason, bursting into fits of 
 hysterical and uncontrollable laughter. 
 
 We presented our entertainer with a musket, and dis- 
 tributed other gifts among his guests, with which they 
 were delighted, and we soon became fast friends. Un- 
 fortunately, their dialect was so different from the usual 
 language of the country, that, after numerous efforts, we 
 were obliged to give up conversation in sheer despair, con- 
 tenting ourselves with idly gazing into one another's faces, 
 and making mental conjectures. Burton took advantage of 
 the opportunity to draw forth his sketching materials, when 
 he was immediately surrounded ; but he heroically carried 
 through the work to completion, and, having made a very 
 capital sketch of the gathering, presented it to the head 
 man, who surveyed it for some few minutes with a critical 
 stare, and then hung it around his neck, to the general 
 envy of the others, whose joy knew no bounds when each 
 in turn was presented with a similar token. 
 
 The natives of this region in the vicinity of Chutong, 
 are classified by geographers as the real Tangutans, or 
 Sifanese. In no general characteristics are they allied to 
 either the Chinese or Thibetans, but seem to be a different 
 race entirely. As to their origin, ethnologists are silent, 
 for the most erudite research among native sources has 
 been futile in the essay to learn whence they originally 
 came. By many it is claimed that they are the race 
 which has sprung from those fanatical Buddhists, who, 
 many centuries ago, were driven back from Eastern China 
 into these wild mountain fastnesses, and that the differ- 
 ence in featural and physical traits may be explained by 
 the fact that they have subsequently intermarried. The 
 
CURIOUS RACIAL CUSTOMS. 257 
 
 more plausible theory, advanced of late years, suggests 
 that they are undoubtedly branches of the wild native 
 hordes, who, for untold centuries, have lived on the north- 
 ern borders of India, penetrating into this region by the 
 numerous streams connecting the two countries, as the 
 encroaching advances of civilisation or territorial strife 
 have impelled them. True it is that they more nearly 
 resemble the hill tribes of Northern India to-day, than 
 they do the Eastern Chinese or Mongols, being very dark 
 in colour, and with regular features, and manifesting a 
 similar tendency in their religion, with but few traces of 
 Buddhism, — each tribe worshipping its own gods, which 
 exist in remarkable abundance in the material substance 
 of idols of stone or metal. 
 
 Many of their customs are curious in the extreme. 
 Polygamy is practised to very little extent, each male 
 having but one wife, although, according to his wealth, 
 possessing one or more concubines, whom he trades off to 
 his friends and to rival tribes, for various considerations, — 
 sometimes cattle, or metal implements, more often for 
 another woman to whom he has taken a fancy, — the trans- 
 action being carried on with all the gravity and decorum 
 of a stock-market in the dull season. Yet, notwithstand- 
 ing this looseness of morals, the condition of the lawful 
 wife is much ameliorated ; for she is, in a measure, lifted 
 above the common grade of womanhood, the drudgery 
 and hardships falling on the concubines, who are little 
 better than domestic slaves. 
 
 The stealing of one another's wives is a common cus- 
 tom, and one which engenders, in most cases, serious 
 results ; as, aside from the fact that the market value of 
 women is extremely high, the native, whose wife is pur- 
 loined, until he has killed her ravisher, or is in turn killed, 
 
258 THROUGH UNEXPLORED ASIA. 
 
 must sufEer the insults and contumely of the rest of the 
 tribe. We witnessed many instances of the effectiveness 
 of this practice of mortal combat in settling such difficul- 
 ties, a description of one of which will suffice to give an 
 idea as to how it is practised. 
 
 A vnie of one of the tribal leaders, having decided that 
 the cruelties of her lord and master prevented her living 
 longer under his roof, gave short notice of her intention 
 of leaving hiiTi by stealing one of his ponies and fleeing to 
 the abode of a neighbouring chief ; and as she was a 
 comely person and good to look upon, the chivalrous 
 spirit of the latter forbade his refusing her mild request, 
 that he should take her as his property. As a wife, and 
 especially one of such goodly parts, is a more or less valu- 
 able commodity, the deserted husband was, very naturally, 
 loath to give her up, and promptly carried his complaint 
 to the tribal head man of the district. This important 
 functionary, having listened to the facts of the case, in 
 turn summoned the chief to whose arms the erring wife 
 had fled, and, having questioned him fully, retired for a 
 day to ponder over the matter, at the end of which time he 
 gave as his just decree that the matter should be settled 
 according to the unwritten law of the land (as inflexible 
 as that of the Medes and Persians), requiring that the two 
 claimants for the woman should gather, with their friends, 
 and prove their rights to the claim by mortal comhat. 
 
 The event having been duly heralded in the surround- 
 ing district, as the time for the encounter drew near the 
 natives of the villages containing the rival chiefs gathered 
 at a point of vantage on the hillside near the town, whence 
 to view the subsequent proceedings. The narrow plain 
 below formed a sort of elevated platform, on either side 
 of which had gathered the respective factions, — the ag- 
 
NOVEL METHOD OF DIVORCE. 259 
 
 grieved husband with his friends and retainers, and directly 
 opposite those of the rival chief, each ready and anxious 
 to defend his claims to the woman in dispute. The latter, 
 under the protection of the tribal chief, was seated on the 
 ground a short distance away, and with true feminine 
 depravity seemed immensely pleased at the turmoU of 
 which she was the willing cause. The actual contestants 
 were a dozen in number, naked except for a small loin- 
 cloth, each carrying for purposes of ofEence and defence 
 a dagger and % spear. 
 
 The tribal chief having recited the facts of the case, 
 and likewise dUatiag on the good points of the woman in 
 dispute, raised his hand as a preHminary signal. Instantly 
 the two principals stepped forth from their respective 
 groups, and as the chief's hand dropped they rushed 
 toward each other with the velocity of well-aimed pro- 
 jectiles. An ominous pause of a few moments occurred, 
 which seemed like hours, and then with blood-curdling 
 yells they clashed together, spear against spear, knife 
 against knife, — those in the respective groups meanwhile 
 keeping up an unceasing musical ululation in strains truly 
 dolorous, beating the ground with the butt-end of their 
 spears, and anon breaking forth in a wild chant, imtU 
 they had worked themselves up to a frenzied pitch of san- 
 guinary zeal. 
 
 The two combatants, with a full appreciation of each 
 other's skill, fought warily, biding the moment when a 
 lucky thrust might end the encoimter. For a quarter of 
 an hour this terrific duel continued, the excitement increas- 
 ing each moment. The men were growling like wild 
 animals, incited to bloody fury by the cries of their fol- 
 lowers, dashing at each other their knives and spears with 
 lightning-Hke thrusts, but without avail. 
 
260 THROUGH UNEXPLORED ASIA. 
 
 For a short time longer this continued, till their bodies 
 were covered with perspiration, while their laboured breath- 
 ing and increasingly listless efforts showed that both were 
 rapidly weakening from the terrible strain which they had 
 undergone. Then in a single moment all was over. The 
 fighting had waxed furious again, when there was a flash 
 high up in the air, shooting downward like a falling meteor 
 of hght, and the body of one of the contestants sank to 
 the earth, the hilt of a spear sticking from his breast 
 like the great mast of a foundering ship, the enormous 
 paddle-shaped blade driven nearly half through his body. 
 Looking more closely, it was to discover that the inani- 
 mate and unresisting corpse was that of the original 
 husband; while the victor, fittingly to celebrate his 
 triumph, danced on the prostrate form in an ecstasy of 
 bloody satisfaction. 
 
 But the end was not yet. Again there was a momen- 
 tary halt, during which the aged chief raised his arm for 
 silence ; but in an instant the two factions were on foot, 
 shouting demoniacal yells at the top of their lungs, passing 
 through the steps of an imaginary war^dance, and jeering 
 at their antagonists, brandishing their knives and spears, 
 and picturing in glowing and suggestive pantomine what 
 their ultimate fate was to be. The old chief was evidently 
 unwilling to begin the encounter, for upward he poised 
 his hand, until the combatants had ceased their warring 
 strife and fallen into moody sUence, crouched on their 
 haunches with every muscle poised in magnificent tension 
 for the fateful lowering of the arm. One could hardly 
 believe that the bloody panorama was real; but rather 
 the vague imaginings of disturbed slumber, — that these 
 human beings, in whom had been lighted all the sanguin- 
 ary passions of barbarism, were but innumerable fantastic 
 
LAMAS AND MONA8TERV AT BATANG. 
 
A FRIGHTFUL COMBAT. 263 
 
 maimikins operated by some distorted fancy of the imag- 
 ination. 
 
 This only for a moment, however ; suddenly the hand 
 of the old chief fell, and all doubts as to the reality of 
 the scene vanished. There was the sinuous, serpent-like 
 motion of quickly fleeting bodies, and then the air re- 
 sounded with the clash of weapons, the groans of the 
 wounded and dying, the shouts of the victors, the fierce 
 breathing and guttural snarling of those locked in mortal 
 combat ; while" there, removed but twenty feet away, was 
 an applauding audience inciting this bloody orgy, gazing 
 on the spectacle with the sang froid and blas^ air of a 
 first-nighter. 
 
 The strife had long since waxed fearful in murderous 
 intensity; the very ground reeked and steamed with 
 blood ; the original twelve combatants had dwindled down 
 to a meagre two, who, fighting amidst the prostrate 
 bodies strewn around, appeared like incarnate demons from 
 another world. There were a few lightning flashes of 
 steel, the clash of metal against metal, and then only one 
 form stood silhouetted against the sky beyond. It was 
 but for a moment. Advancing toward the woman, cov- 
 ered with wounds and bathed in blood, he struck her 
 forcibly with his hand two or three times to establish his 
 claim and press on her his badge of subservience, and 
 then strode off amidst the acclamations of the spectators. 
 The combat was over ; Sifanese justice had been satisfied ; 
 a dozen men had been killed or wounded; the right of 
 ownership of the woman had been settled. 
 
 Another strange ceremony of this remarkable people is 
 that attendant on marriage, and it is curious because it 
 is so closely connected with their burial customs ; in fact, 
 whenever there is a burial there is simultaneously a 
 
264 THROUGH UNEXPLORED ASIA. 
 
 wedding. The widow of the dead man, immediately life 
 is extinct, at once seeks another spouse, her success being 
 graduated according to her personal charms and capa- 
 bilities. On no consideration can her deceased husband 
 be buried until she has found another one ; therefore the 
 disgrace of remaining unmarried for any considerable time 
 is a signal one. If she finds a new husband immediately, 
 she rises to an exalted place among the women of the 
 tribe ; but failing to secure a husband at the end of a 
 week's time, she is obliged to become one of the concubine 
 train of the head man, or else to escape to a neighbouring 
 tribe, where her search for a husband may be rewarded 
 with greater success. There are no unmarried women, — 
 the young girls, so soon as they have reached the proper 
 age, either being sold by their parents as wives, or else 
 purchased by the wealthier members of the tribe to grace 
 their harems. There are also many fixed rules regarding 
 the rights of children. Those born of lawful wives are 
 recognised as heirs to the name and estate of the male 
 parent, — those of the concubiaes, however, in aU other 
 respects save this, being treated as members of the tribe, 
 and capable by diat of industry or prowess to rise to its 
 command. 
 
 As a race those Sifanese in the district contiguous to 
 Chutong are a dirty and filthy lot, building no substantial 
 dwellings, but with their herds of yaks and horses wan- 
 dering over the country, living in tents made of yak skins 
 or in a small hole dug in the ground, spending the time 
 not consumed in attending to their cattle in sitting around 
 small dung fires and drinking enormous quantities of tea, 
 — not the ordinary tea of commercial standing, but a 
 bitter, insipid, and altogether inferior mixture consisting 
 of dried yeUow onion-heads mixed with numberless other 
 
BOASTFUL NATIVES. 265 
 
 herbs. Althougli the most Tainglorious and loud-talking 
 of boasters and buffoons, they are a cowardly crew, never 
 straying far from the more closely settled portions, and 
 forsaking their villages without protest at the first intima- 
 tion of a raid by the wild mountain tribes, with whom 
 they live in a constant state of hostUity and dread. 
 
CHAPTER Vin. 
 
 Having received our guides from the head man of 
 Chutong, and likewise some facts concerning the nature 
 of the river above his village, on the twenty-fifth we struck 
 north again. The Kinsha from this point onward is 
 regarded as a Thibetan stream by geographers, classified 
 under the general name of Dji Chu, although from native 
 sources it receives a different name at nearly every five 
 miles of its course. As might be expected, the result has 
 been, that, placing too great reliance on native reports, 
 those explorers who hitherto have approached near to this 
 region, but not through it, have enumerated the existence 
 of a number of large streams flowing through the sur- 
 rounding country, which although seemingly having an 
 existence, are but one and the same stream. As the Dji 
 Chu seems to be that in conamon usage, in the future I 
 shall speak of it as such, although in reality not a sepa- 
 rate river, as the diversion of names might suggest, but 
 merely the headwaters of the Kinsha. 
 
 The perceptible rise of the Dji Chu leaving Chutong is 
 more rapid than farther down-stream, and consequently 
 gullies and broken country are encountered more fre- 
 quently. Its enclosing walls are formed of a highly crys- 
 tallised but not durable limestone, which, having rotted at 
 the base where it has been worn by the current, has fallen 
 in huge blocks and boulder lumps into the stream, causing 
 a succession of low cascades and innumerable swift rapids. 
 
 266 
 
TARYA COURTESIES. 267 
 
 For ten hours we battled against tlie swiftly rushing 
 current, and at 3 p. M. had gone over but a distance of 
 three miles to Tarya. The natives here we found to be a 
 race of cave-dwellers, and most filthy and repugnant ia 
 general appearance, but markedly hospitable and friendly ; 
 for they immediately crowded down to our camp, bring- 
 ing huge baskets of grain, beans, potatoes, herbs, honey, 
 and bundles of tobacco, which they offered to us at astonish- 
 ingly low prices. They seemed to be a race of hunters 
 and agriculturists rather than with the usual amount of 
 cupidity characteristic of the Tangut, for they had little 
 or no knowledge of the value of articles, and our Kiangsis, 
 to avenge themselves for unsuccessful bargaining in the 
 past, fared right royally. Tobacco seemed to be an article 
 growing in considerable profusion in the district, for it 
 was exposed in long sheaves drying in the sun, or gath- 
 ered into enormous piles ten or twelve feet in height. It 
 seemed, however, to be different from the ordinary tobacco 
 of commerce, a lighter and smaller leaf, and with little or 
 no flavour. Its deleterious effects also could not have 
 been great, for the entire population was engaged in 
 smoking it aU the time, — men, women, and children, the 
 latter sucking away as contentedly at their pipes and with 
 as much preternatural gravity as their elders. The pipes 
 themselves were enormous affairs nearly ten inches long, 
 formed usually of a hollowed stone, and holding at least 
 half a pint of tobacco, rendering the process of smoking 
 somewhat formidable. 
 
 There were also unmistakable evidences of the presence 
 of considerable iron deposits in the neighbourhood, for we 
 saw many implements made of this metal, which showed 
 no little skUl in their manufacture. As became a race of 
 hunters, weapons, ranging from long, narrow-bladed knives 
 
268 THROUGH UNEXPLORED ASIA. 
 
 to muskets, were seen in abundance, and the accuracy with 
 wMcli these latter were used could not fail to excite our 
 comment. A few hills to the southea,st showed a number 
 of yak and antelopes feeding, but owing to the persistency 
 with which they had been hunted, they were extremely 
 difficult of approach. Yet we saw one of the natives, at 
 a distance of nearly two hundred yards, with one of these 
 crude-looking muskets, pick off an antelope whose head 
 and shoulders showed but for a single instant from behind 
 a huge boulder, and then, with the most apparent uncon- 
 cern, trot after his quarry as if such marksmanship was 
 but an every-day exhibition of his skill. 
 
 Here, for the first time, we were enabled to gain some 
 idea as to the severity of the weather in this region ; and 
 after once encountering its vagaries, we could not but 
 wonder how the native constitution, rigorous and inured 
 to hardship though it might be, could stand the sudden 
 and dangerous changes. One hour the wind and snow, 
 accompanied by a penetrating iciness, would make it an 
 impossibility to be out-of-doors ; the next would find the 
 sun shining with almost tropical heat over the parched 
 plain, drying up the moisture ia clouds of steam, and 
 rendering the thinnest of clothing necessary, although in 
 another half hour it might be necessary again to enclose 
 oneself in the thickest of furs. While these frequent 
 gales lasted, and for hours afterward, the air was laden 
 with clouds of dust, which, penetrating into the lungs, 
 made breathing difficult in the extreme. Custom, how- 
 ever, among the native population has, in a measure, 
 reduced the inconvenience from these climatic changes, 
 for their scanty attire of yak skins seems to ensure 
 sufficient protection against both heat and cold. Notwith- 
 standing the abundance of the atmospheric deposits, and 
 
A PHYSICAL PARADOX. 269 
 
 the liiimidity of tlie soil, the watercourses contained less 
 water than might have been expected, whilst the psy- 
 chrometer indicated considerable dryness in the air. The 
 first of these phenomena was probably due to the circum- 
 stance that the frozen earth imbibed a great deal of the 
 moisture which fell ; and the dryness of the atmosphere 
 in clear weather was doubtless caused by the influence of 
 the surrounding barren plains, which presented a parched 
 and withered appearance. The small rivers which perco- 
 lated through the region were extremely saline, while the 
 current of the Dji Chu itself bore evidences of a brackish 
 taint, which rendered the securing of proper drinking 
 water considerable of a hardship. Notwithstanding these 
 seemingly unfavourable conditions, the flora of this region 
 was extremely rich and fecund. Vegetation of aU sorts 
 was most abundant. Fine, taU trees, dense underwood, 
 and a variety of flowers animated the face of the land- 
 scape, rendering a pleasing contrast in comparison with 
 the aridity and repellent topography of the immense 
 mountain deserts beyond. 
 
 The thrift and economy of the Tangutans ia taking 
 advantage of the conditions that nature has bestowed on 
 them cannot fail to excite the conmiendation of the travel- 
 ler who passes through their country. Ornamentation, 
 or the existence of things for show purposes only, is an 
 anomaly ; not a single tree or shrub, not a plant or weed, 
 not a single foot of dirt or water that has not some 
 measurable degree of practicability; whatever the eye 
 may rest upon, to some practical use is it put. 
 
 We discovered that there were two different and dis- 
 tinctly differing races Hving in this region in harmony 
 with each other, — one being clearly of Mongol origin, with 
 the flat noses, large mouths, and small eyes characteristic 
 
270 
 
 THROUGH UNEXPLORED ASIA. 
 
 of that race; the other much lighter in colour, almost 
 white, having exceedingly fine features, aquiline noses, 
 slender necks, small heads, with a grand and proud car- 
 riage, possessing splendid traditions, and ruled by an iq- 
 flexible custom which admits of no deviation. The 
 Mongols were a more indolent and stupid race, devotiag 
 the greater part of their time to agriculture ; while the 
 Tanguts were valorous and skilful hunters, roaming the 
 
 MONGOL TENT. 
 
 surrounding district in search of game, or darting in all 
 directions over the fierce river current with their little 
 hide-boats, paddling with apparent ease past jagged boul- 
 ders and over raging whirlpools. The general effect of 
 this arrangement was agreeable in the extreme, racial 
 feeling in a mildly combative sort of way running high, 
 and between its equal intermingling of Tangut and Mon- 
 gol, agriculturist and hunter, some attempts at civilised 
 progress having been made. The Tanguts, however, have 
 a most supercilious contempt for the agriculturists, and on 
 
NATIVE LEGEND REGARDING DJI CHU. 271 
 
 HO condition will allow members of their tribe to inter- 
 marry with, them on pain of expulsion and degradation. 
 On the other hand, the Mongols are equally inflexible, 
 regarding the rude hunters and nomads as a race of 
 unenlightened and barbarous savages, with whom they 
 exist on cordial commercial relations only, and whose pro- 
 tection against the brigandish mountain tribes they are 
 willing to receive. 
 
 The religion of the two races also is dissimilar, the 
 Mongols following the pure precepts of Buddhism, whUe 
 the Tanguts worship a number of deities, the most im- 
 portant of which is one known as Da-to-h, who is supposed 
 to have jurisdiction over the destinies of the hunter and 
 fishermen, sending an abundance or dearth of game and 
 fish according as he is pleased or angered. The native 
 tradition regarding the Dji Chu is very singular. 
 
 In olden days, long, long before the time when the sun 
 and moon were born, this district was ruled over by a 
 great and powerful chief, an enormous giant ten feet in 
 height, who was a mighty hunter, and beloved of all his 
 people. His followers numbered thousands of the bravest 
 of warriors, and the whole country acknowledged alle- 
 giance to him. But in due time from out the mountains 
 to the west came another chief, a giant of even greater 
 stature, not brave in war or the hunt, but with a pro- 
 found knowledge of witchcraft and magic. At that time 
 there was no great river, but one long plain, on which 
 grazed countless millions of the largest of yaks and 
 argalis. 
 
 The rival chief, looking down from his own sterile and 
 unfruitful mountain home, was envious, and became pos- 
 sessed with an inordinate desire to obtain possession of 
 the beautiful valley, with its enormous herds and mighty 
 
272 THROUGH UNEXPLORED ASIA. 
 
 hunters. So for two long years lie shut himself up in his 
 cave-home, gathering strong and subtle charms, and mix- 
 ing them together, until he felt that he had one sufficiently 
 potent for the purpose. Then he proceeded to the low- 
 lands and sought to cast a magic spell over his rival, and 
 thus to seize upon the fair valley. But the great and 
 good god Da-to-h had from the sky seen him approaching 
 the hut of his rival, and, moved with compassion, had 
 anointed the latter with a charm ensuring him immunity 
 from danger. The wicked sorcerer arrived when the 
 chief of the valley was sleeping, and sought to work his 
 magic spell ; but at that instant the sleeping chief arose, 
 and, seizing his weapons, rushed at the intruder. 
 
 The sorcerer, seeing that his plans had failed, at once 
 rushed out of the hut to flee to his mountain stronghold ; 
 but in the meantime Da-to-h had placed between it and 
 him an impenetrable mountain barrier. Seeing this, the 
 former muttered an incantation, and immediately the 
 mountains opened, disclosing a long ravine ; as he rushed 
 onward the ravine constantly elongated, until he had left 
 his adversary far behind. But the good Da-to-h's wrath 
 pursued the invader, and discharged a mighty flood of 
 water after him, which, rushing up the ravine, eventually 
 overtook the fleeing giant and drowned him; and so a 
 river has been there ever since, tracing the course of his 
 flight, and offering a natural barrier against their moun- 
 tain enemies to the descendants of the former illustrious 
 chief who lorded over the plain. 
 
 Yet another tradition ascribes the presence of the 
 stream to an enormous upheaval which took place thou- 
 sands of years ago, when a queer race of people issued 
 from out the bowels of the earth, and essayed to conquer 
 those living on the plain ; but they were seized upon by 
 
A MONGOL MUNCHAUSEN. 273 
 
 the gods, and confined with chains at the bottom of the 
 ravine, while an enormous river was spread over them, — 
 the angry rushing and boiling of the waters to-day being 
 caused by their futile efforts to shake off their fetters, 
 while the natives assert with the blandest naivete that 
 their groanings and shouts of defiance can be heard above 
 the roar- of the waters when a storm is in progress. 
 
 The head man of Tarya was a Mongol, and, having 
 lived a number of years in Eastern China, was, in a 
 measure, an enlightened and progressive ofiicial. He was 
 a hoary-headed old patriarch, with sunken features and 
 small rat-like eyes that peered from beneath bushy eye- 
 brows like piuheads of light. He had been ten times to 
 Lhassa with caravans, but refused to advance any informa- 
 tion regarding that city, notwithstanding our most vigorous 
 and persuasive questionings, — all our inquiries eliciting 
 from him only a covert and subtle chuckle of satisfaction, 
 implying that he was more than our match in diplomacy, 
 and that he was fiilly aware of the reason why we desired 
 to learn something concerning that unknown spot. He was 
 the most intelligent man in the district, and gave us a 
 great deal of information on the countries through which 
 we were travelling. Like all Mongols, however, he was 
 a lazy and suspicious old hypocrite, and sought duly to 
 impress us with his religious zeal by babbling innumerable 
 prayers, and at frequent intervals going through several 
 forms of mummery and magic. He showed us an ordi- 
 nary wheaten biscuit, about the size of an ' apple, which 
 he "solemnly averred had been in the possession of his 
 family for ten thousand years, and that it was a remark- 
 able relic, owing not only to its age, but to the fact that 
 whoever looked upon it and said a few prayers would 
 have both hunger and thirst appeased. From much hand- 
 
274 THROUGH UNEXPLORED ASIA. 
 
 ling in innumerable filthy and greasy hands it had become 
 the colour of highly polished ebony. Notwithstanding its 
 potency to prevent hunger and thirst, we did not faD to 
 notice that the old fellow himself had provided more 
 substantial and fitting fare for the benefit of the inner 
 man. 
 
 On this point we proceeded to question him, when he 
 was nonplussed for a moment ; but recovering his self-pos- 
 session, he asserted with brazen impudence that he never 
 touched food himself, that the stores which we saw were 
 those he kept on hand to present to his friends. He held 
 the magic biscuit up to our gaze for half an hour longer, 
 and then, having decided that the moment was propitious 
 for action, he announced the sincerity of his regard for 
 us, his desire that we should pass through our journey in 
 safety, and concluded by offering to sell us the biscuit for 
 ten yards of cloth, — assuring us that the only reason that 
 could induce him to part with this illustrious rehc of 
 his ancestors was his suddenly acquired affection for us. 
 Finding after much palaver that on no consideration 
 would we purchase the precious rehc from him at any 
 price, he waxed moody and silent ; but seeing that he was 
 rapidly losing his temper, we welcomed the opportunity 
 to take our departure. During the evening we had occa- 
 sion to return again to his habitation, when we discovered 
 him eating immense quantities of yak meat, and giving 
 other unmistakable evidences that he did not totally ignore 
 the good things of this life. 
 
 From Tarya we journeyed along a curving expanse of 
 of the river for ten miles, until noon of the twenty-seventh, 
 when once more we were confronted by a series of impas- 
 sable rapids extending over a distance of two mUes. Our 
 first efforts against these obstructions were successful. 
 
A CRUCIAL SITUATION. 275 
 
 The current was swift and dangerous, breaking out into 
 great waves now and then. For a distance of a quarter 
 of a mile we beat up-stream by herculean efforts, paddHng 
 on one side hard, while the starboard crew grasped at 
 overhanging bushes, or with boat-hooks snatched at the 
 uneven boulders on the bank. But strive as we might, 
 the current was too strong to be contended with, and at 
 2 p. M. we gave the order to beach the boats and under- 
 take a portage along the bank to the quieter waters 
 above. • 
 
 The country on the right was covered with a consider- 
 able growth of forest-land, and we were hurrjdng along 
 aU unconsciously when the peaceful character of the scene 
 was destroyed by a flight of spears over our heads. In- 
 stantly calling upon the crew to drop their burdens and 
 take shelter behind the canoes, we ranged in position for 
 what seemed to be an inevitable hostUe attack. For ten 
 minutes longer we waited, but not a sign of a human 
 being could we descry. Rushing toward the woods, we 
 searched in vain for our assailants ; not a trace of them 
 could we discover. Conjecturing that the attacking party 
 had been a small one, and that they had been frightened 
 away, we resumed our journeying; but in half an hour 
 more our equanimity was again disturbed by another 
 cloud of spears, thrown this time with more effect, as two 
 of the crew were seriously injured. We did not wait for 
 a repetition of the assault, but rushed toward the direction 
 whence the weapons had been thrown just in time to see 
 a horde of twenty or thirty nearly naked natives making 
 off through the dense brush. Instantly the crew with 
 exultant shouts rushed in pursuit, and, being more fleet of 
 foot, had soon overtaken and captured three of the fugi- 
 tives. We sought to question the prisoners regarding 
 
276 THROUGH UNEXPLORED ASIA. 
 
 their reason for this hostile attack, but the language in 
 which they made answer was so strange and uncouth 
 that but very little of it could we understand. We 
 learned enough, however, to convince us that they were 
 members of the brigandish Tam-ba, and that those who 
 had escaped had fled to a nearby village to give notice of 
 our approach. 
 
 We fully recognised the danger to which we were 
 exposed in our present unprotected position, and, once 
 more seizing upon the canoes, were in the course of an 
 hour gladdened with the spectacle of clear water again, 
 on which we were soon launched. We had scarcely set 
 forth, however, when from the wooded heights poured out 
 innumerable bodies of ill-conditioned savages, with painted 
 faces, and carrying long spears and shields, who shouted 
 at us defiance from a distance. As we well knew that, as 
 they were without boats of any kind, we were safe from 
 their pursuit, we satisfied ourselves with several effectual 
 volleys iato their midst to avenge the wounds of the crew, 
 and paddled along until 9 p.m., without perceiving vil- 
 lages or habitations of any sort, finally taking advantage 
 of a sheltered cove to encamp for the night. We did 
 not dare to light fires, for fear that they might be seen in 
 the surrounding district, and bring upon us another hos- 
 tile attack from our aggressors of the afternoon, but were 
 obliged to sup on smoked yak beef, seasoned with the 
 reflection that at any moment we might be fighting for 
 our lives. 
 
 The next day we arrived at 11 a.m., after a push 
 through terribly wild water, at a sharp bend curving to 
 the eastward, and almost immediately the stream was 
 hemmed in with enormous precipices, filled with such 
 countless obstructions that it seemed as if the river had 
 
DODNEVANGPO, THE GOD OF WEALTH. 
 
FACING DEFEAT. 279 
 
 come to an end. Stepping on shore, before we had gone 
 far within the bend, and standing on some lava-like rock, 
 I saw at a glance that this was the end of navigation by 
 canoes for the present, at least. The cliffs rose up to a 
 bolder height, in some places five or six hundred feet ; 
 the stream was contracted to a width of ten yards, rush- 
 ing wild and furious through a long gorge, descending 
 from a considerable height in a series of cataracts, bellow- 
 ing with tremendous uproar among the echoing rocks. 
 
 Our condition was now crucial in the extreme, — all 
 hopes of further progress by water shut off, burdened 
 with the weighty impediments of the canoes and their 
 loads, and our journeying on land taking us through 
 a country of whose barbarity and sanguinary hostility 
 we had already had evidence. For the first time the 
 spectre of defeat stared us in the face ; the possibility 
 that all our most valiant efforts in the past, with then- 
 consequent dangers and hardship, were to go for naught ; 
 that at this moment, when we were on the eve of seeing 
 the fructification of our fondly conceived plans, we were 
 to be conquered by the whims of fortune and the hostility 
 of nature. No more gloomy spot could be imagined than 
 this wild, untamed region, encompassed by rocks and 
 hemmed in with lowering mountain cliffs ; the eye gaz- 
 ing on a monotonous cataract of wrathful waters whirling 
 by in frightful fury, coihng and twisting into changing 
 columns as they dashed along in white fragments of 
 foam, and when looking for relief, only to rest on a 
 dark, relentless plain, spreading upward and around, 
 grim, forbidding, and menacing. 
 
 All the day of the twenty-ninth we encamped in this 
 gloomy spot, in which was reflected the full weight of our 
 forebodings ; untU at last, the fetters of pessimism being 
 
280 THROUGH UNEXPLORED ASIA. 
 
 broken, and trusting in an all-seeing Providence, we 
 resolved that retreat was out of the question, that but one 
 course lay open to us, — to push onward, onward, on- 
 ward, till the end had been reached. 
 
 On the thirtieth, after wandering a quarter of a mile to 
 the eastward, we came upon the main caravan route 
 running through the district; and almost immediately 
 evidences of habitation appeared on every side, innumer- 
 able villages springing up in every conceivable place. In 
 each we discovered but a population of women and chil- 
 dren, who, descrying our approach, deserted their dwell- 
 ings and sought refuge in the mountainous country beyond. 
 At last we succeeded in capturing several of these fuga- 
 cious non-combatants, and from them we learned that 
 the men of the district were away on a grand hunting 
 expedition to the southeast, and that they were not likely 
 to return for a fortnight. The villages which we passed 
 through were mostly well built of square hewn stones and 
 patched with mud, while there were numerous other 
 traces of considerable civilisation. Instead of wearing 
 the dirty skins of beasts, those natives whom we saw 
 were dressed in sUk cloth of a firm texture, and altogether 
 seemed to present an air of exalted deportment over those 
 in the country farther to the south. 
 
 The village of Tulkarj, wherein we rested that night, 
 was 12,603 feet above the sea. It had been a fine day 
 for travel, and, notwithstanduig the burden of the canoes, 
 we had been able to go over a distance of fifteen miles, a 
 soft breeze of refreshing coolness tempering the rays of 
 the sun, without which we should have suffered from the 
 great heat. As the sun set it became very cold, and 
 snow fell in fitful, blinding showers ; by midnight the 
 temperature was as low as 15°. We had made a forced 
 
INVETERATE SMOKERS. 
 
 281 
 
 marcli during the day, and all complained of fatigue from 
 the constant excitement, while several of the crew were 
 severely cut and bruised about the legs, owing to frequent 
 collisions with the jagged boulders which beset the path 
 over which we had been journeying. 
 
 Tulkarj (and, as we discovered later, all the villages in 
 
 MONGOLS, TTTLKARJ DISTRICT. 
 
 this district) was remarkable for the variety and excel- 
 lent quahty of its products. Nearly all the huts contained 
 large baskets of superior tobacco, weighing from ten to 
 twenty pounds each, — such quantities indeed, that each 
 of the natives smoked daily a couple of pounds of the 
 mixture. It was very mild and fragrant in itself, but 
 when mixed with another herb of a peculiar variety, to 
 which the natives gave the name of tua, the effect was 
 
282 THROUGH UNTEXPLORED ASIA- 
 
 disagreeable in tlie extreme, causing a shortening of 
 breath and a generally nauseated condition which, was 
 decidedly unpleasant. Here also we discovered that the 
 growth of the poppy and the manufacture of opium was 
 a considerable industry, leaving its fell traces in the 
 emaciated and debauched appearance of the natives. 
 
 Having resumed our march on the following morning, 
 after another arduous journey across the sterile plateau, 
 we came to an elevated region, the entrance to which lay 
 through a group of small villages. The inhabitants evi- 
 dently construed our approach in the hght of a hostile 
 attack, for, as we drew near, we were met by an embassy 
 with the information that on no account could we be 
 allowed to enter any of the villages; that no trade or 
 communion would be carried on with us in any shape 
 or manner ; and that, if we persisted in our intention to 
 enter their villages, they would attack us. 
 
 This was the thirty-first of July, and untU the third of 
 August we marched across the open coimtry, which was 
 nothing but miles and miles of a trackless waste in 
 various degrees of altitude, the noonday sun beating down 
 with almost tropical heat, while at night, sheltered only 
 by the folds of our tents, we were forced to withstand a 
 temperature below the freezing point. Our food supply 
 was also reaching a low ebb, while at all times the pangs 
 of thirst appealed with such violence that it was only by 
 the sternest measures that we were enabled to prevent 
 the crew from drinking the brackish waters of the small 
 streams and lakes, upon which we arrived at intervals of 
 every few miles. Penetrating a trackless wild for the 
 first time, our march was natm-aUy at a funereal pace, 
 and it was nightfall on the fifth of August before our 
 long journey overland had been completed without serious 
 
SAFE ACROSS THE LAND PORTAGE. 283 
 
 disaster, and when, with conflicting emotions, we once 
 more saw the current of the Dji Chu lying before us, 
 glistening beneath the rays of the declining orb like a 
 thread of spun sUver. 
 
 The contrast between the sadly worn men who reached 
 Kidekeng, from that hot-bed of suffering across the Tian 
 plain, and the beautifully sleek and glossy men who had 
 left Tarya a week before was most marked. Their flesh 
 was wasted, their muscles had become shrivelled, their 
 sinews were shrunk, and their distinctive and peculiar 
 individuaUties seemed to have altogether vanished, until 
 it had become a difficult matter to recognise them. 
 Hunger, thirst, and privation had left their traces ; 
 despair and dogged determination were depicted on each 
 face ; but as once more we felt the soothing pulse of the 
 mighty stream beneath us we did not need to speak. 
 
 Each man knew that the danger and hardship had been 
 met, battled with, and overthrown. We had conquered ! 
 
 Kuiekeng owes its importance to the fact that it is a 
 trading collage of considerable importance, and the seat 
 of the Chinese deputy collector of customs for the sur- 
 rounding country. This functionary's position, however, 
 is merely nominal, as the fierce native tribes have for 
 years defied all efforts of the government to bring them 
 under its jurisdiction, or to in any manner quench their 
 nnbridled spirit of freedom and antagonism to all restraint. 
 The village is really a village within a village, there be- 
 ing two distinct portions, separated by a circular stone 
 wall some twenty feet in height ; and being placed in a 
 strategic position on the side of a mountain, it commands 
 the surrounding plain for some distance. 
 
 The head man of the place was a remarkably pohte and 
 ceremonious Shansi, who, learning of our arrival, sent an 
 
284 THROUGH UNEXPLORED ASIA. 
 
 invitation by a servant that we should call upon him. 
 Unlike the majority of the native abodes, his residence 
 was a spacious and comfortable gable-roofed house, two 
 stories in height, and constructed in a finished manner. 
 He had a number of concubines, and several children, and 
 was evidently a man of no mean erudition, for he was 
 possessed of an intricate knowledge of various questions 
 of international import, and able to give us much needed 
 information regarding those districts through which we 
 must inevitably pass. Although fully acquainting us with 
 the dangers to which we should be constantly exposed, he 
 saw no reason why, if we had come thus far, we should 
 not be able to go over the remaining distance in compara- 
 tive safety. 
 
 At mention of the hostile and brigandish tribes to the 
 southward, he threw up his hands in horror, as if the pas- 
 sive recital of their names could in no measure give an 
 idea of their manifold abominations. Their escapades 
 were evidently a touchy point with our Shansi host, for 
 he informed us, in a burst of confidence, that those who 
 fell into his hands he ordered to be beheaded without 
 further ado, whether guilty of crime or not ; for, he added, 
 with sanguinary suggestiveness, "they all need to be 
 killed for what they would do had they but the oppor- 
 tunity ; in my hands, they must never expect to receive 
 quarter, for I have made a vow to utterly extinguish 
 them." 
 
 On August fifth, we continued our journey up the cur- 
 rent of the Dji Chu, after a single day's halt in Kuiekeng. 
 We had now entered a more hospitable country. The 
 river bank was lined with small villages, arranged in 
 sequence, and habited by a dwarf-like race, who were evi- 
 dently in the midst of some religious season ; for on no 
 
CURIOUS RELIGIOUS BELIEFS. 285 
 
 consideration, even by the most tempting offers, could we 
 induce them to forsake their gruesome little idols, which 
 they had gathered on the river bank, and before which 
 they prayed for hours with the most commendable per- 
 sistence. Neither in manners, customs, nor dress, was 
 there much difference between these natives and those 
 which Stanley describes on the upper parts of the Congo, 
 their features being flat and irregular, and the colour of 
 their skins almost as dark as that of a full-blooded negro. 
 Both men and women wore the hair long, and arranged 
 iu high masses on a basket framework, decorated with 
 feathers and metal ornaments. Innumerable bracelets 
 of polished iron, copper, and brass were hung around their 
 necks, arms, and ankles, the weight of which must have 
 been considerable. 
 
 As is common to the races of Western China, their form 
 of rehgion is fanatical and primitive in its precepts, en- 
 tailing the necessity of sacrifice at frequent intervals. 
 Very few traces of Buddhism are found among them ; the 
 custom of worshipping the remains of their ancestors is 
 largely practised, and oftentimes accompanied by many 
 quaint ceremonies. A native desirous of sacrificing 
 chooses the best animal from his herd, trims his horns, 
 fattens him, and, when the time arrives, sets him to fight 
 with his neighbour's cattle. Should he come off victorious, 
 the omen is considered an extremely lucky one, and he is 
 then slaughtered, amidst the greatest excitement on the 
 part of the natives. The chief worshipper on these occa- 
 sions is always naked, except for a white loin-cloth, and 
 divides the flesh of the sacrificed animal among the 
 members of the tribe. 
 
 The varjdng distinctions between these tribes cannot 
 faU to excite the curiosity of the traveller through this 
 
286 THROUGH UNEXPLORED ASIA. 
 
 country. The most bloodthirsty and savage races live 
 within a few miles of other tribes possessing almost as 
 much civilisation as the Eastern Chinese. Some of the 
 tribes live in caves, excavating their homes in precipitous 
 cliffs, to which they gain access by long ladders con- 
 structed of yak skin. Others live on hilly plains in fairly 
 well-constructed stone dwellings. The existence of this 
 independent people in the heart of such a populous country 
 cannot be considered as other than remarkable. It is in 
 the inaccessible nature of their mountain retreats, how- 
 ever, that lies their maiu perfection ; yet, notwithstanding 
 this natural advantage, it seems very strange that they 
 could have thus maintained their independence for so 
 many centuries. Although the Chinese government has 
 spent immense sums of money, and sacrificed thousands of 
 soldiers, in an effort to subdue or absorb them, such 
 attempts have repeatedly failed ; and to-day it seems as 
 far from holding any authority over this savage people 
 as it did ages ago. 
 
 The region in the vicinity of Kuiekeng has a poor and 
 sandy soil, so unproductive that most of the food supply of 
 the district is secured from the river, or else gained by 
 barter with the more productive regions to the north and 
 south. The price of food was accordingly very dear ; and, 
 for the time being, with no other alternative offering itself, 
 we were for«ed to fall back upon half rations to each man 
 until we could stumble on a more prosperous region. 
 
 To the north of Kuiekeng, lies the northern border of 
 the eastern half of the Tamen plateau. It stretches from 
 east to west for upwards of seventy miles, — an arid, 
 waterless range of high altitude, and covered, for a con- 
 siderable period of the year, with ice and snow. The Dji 
 Chu here, with a width of several hundred feet and with 
 
A STERILE COUNTRY. 287 
 
 a listless current, flows between narrow precipitous ram- 
 parts, the slopes of its valleys, north, and south, forming 
 a steep glacis from one to two thousand feet in vertical 
 elevation. These slopes are absolutely barren, aridity 
 being a marked feature of the Tam-Tagh, — at aU 
 events on the south side, where there are no traces of 
 brooks or springs. The gradients are exceedingly steep, 
 and in the upper belts covered with detritus, while the 
 ravines are narrow, also precipitous, and nearly devoid of 
 vegetation. In these, and at the foot of some of the lower 
 slopes, occasional clumps of wormwood, mugwort, and 
 other allied plants are found. Tamarisk and camel-thorn 
 appear, while here and there are scattered an occasional 
 clematis, statice, and some small grasses. 
 
 In spite of this dearth of vegetation, the fauna of the 
 country is considerable, comprising the wild donkey, the 
 argaU or mountain sheep, wild goats, wolves, hares, foxes, 
 and a few wild yak. 
 
 The Tangutans who inhabit this region in the vicinity 
 of the Dji Chu are for the most part quasi-Mohammedans 
 (at least in many practices), whereas those who live farther 
 removed from the stream and inhabit the wilder mountain 
 regions are Buddhists pure and simple. The last race 
 mentioned have invaded this district within fifty years ; 
 the tenure of the Mohammedan tribes is probably at the 
 extremest limit not older than the century, and there does 
 not appear to be half a dozen villages in the region of a 
 date earlier than the advent of these peoples. Of the 
 possible causes of this paucity of inhabitants in the past 
 there appears no other explanation save the general steril- 
 ity and repellent nature of the country itself, which does 
 not seem capable of affording subsistence to a single blade 
 of grass, much less a quarter of a million people. 
 
288 THROUGH UNEXPLORED ASIA. 
 
 Here for the first time we were made acquainted with 
 the enormous power which the lamas hold over the wild, 
 nomadic races. In them seemed to be vested all the rights 
 of the different tribes, both spiritual and temporal ; and 
 in general they are a rascally crew, capable of the most 
 impudent and audacious frauds, working on the credulity 
 of the unsuspecting natives with a bold and brazen arti- 
 ficiality at once apparent. Many of them have inflicted 
 self-torture by piercing long iron skewers through various 
 parts of the body, from which hang nmnerous bright- 
 coloured ribbons, or by producing upon their persons 
 numbers of festering sores, which render them the most 
 evil-smelling and repugnant specimens of humanity. Like 
 most of their ilk, they place abundance of faith in strange 
 incantations and the potency of witchcraft, going through 
 these shallow forms year after year, until doubtless they 
 themselves in a measure reaUy believe that eflolcacious 
 results are obtained. 
 
 Leaving Kuiekeng, three days' journeying separated us 
 from L'hiou, which we reached on the eighth. It was 
 nothing more nor less than a miserable little village of 
 poverty-stricken Mongols and Sifanese, who had barely 
 enough food for their own immediate use, and assuredly 
 not enough to sell. Our position was growing precarious 
 in the extreme, for our stores had now reached their 
 lowest point, and, even at the short rations on which we 
 were existing, could not at the outside last more than for 
 two or three days. Something, it was plainly manifest, 
 must be done ; so beaching the canoes, we spent the ninth 
 in a hunting expedition, attended with such success that, 
 whatever else was lacking, we were provided with an 
 abundance of meat. The animals which we had shot were 
 a sort of antelope, very shy and difficult of approach, and 
 
OUK SHOOTING ASTONISHES THE NATIVES. 289 
 
 which it is doubtful if we should have secured had we 
 been obliged to use the short-range native muskets. With 
 the long-range Martinis, however, we were enabled to pick 
 
 PADMAPAKI, IN THIBETAN CHENRESI, A PROTECTOR OF THIBET. 
 
 them off at a distance of six or seven hundred feet, much 
 to the astonishment of the native trackers, who regarded 
 this seemingly wonderful feat with open-mouthed awe. 
 
290 THROUGH UNEXPLORED ASIA. 
 
 The villagers, by reason of their long fast, were surly and 
 morose, and had not the narrative of our prowess in the 
 hunting field been carried to them, bearing with it a salu- 
 tary lesson, we should undoubtedly have experienced some 
 difficulty in retaining the game which we had shot. As 
 it was, we were waited upon by several of -the head men 
 during the evening, who, after beating around the bush for 
 a considerable time, acquainted us with the fact that it 
 was usually requisite on strangers passing through their 
 territory that they should pay tribute. If we had pos- 
 sessed more than a bare necessity to cover our own needs 
 we should have listened to this request; but as there was 
 no knowing when we should again be menaced by starva- 
 tion, we declined to pay tribute, ofEering, however, to ex- 
 change some of the meat for vegetables and corn. After 
 considerable arguing they agreed to the proposition, and 
 early the following morning come down to the encamp- 
 ment with several baskets of potatoes and barley, and two 
 sacks of dried fish, for which, having made only a surface 
 examination of the articles, we readily traded one of the 
 antelopes. Alas for our credulity ! as further search re- 
 vealed the fact that we had been duped unmercifully, — 
 the baskets below the covering layers of barley being 
 filled with loose pebbles and earth, and the bags of fish 
 treated in a similar manner. We recognised the inutility 
 of striving to remedy the bargain, and resolved that in 
 the future our bartering should be carried on with greater 
 care. We proceeded to launch the canoes and journey 
 over the twelve miles to reach Namgha, which, on reaching, 
 we found to be a worthy prototype of the unprepossessing 
 spot in which we had been domiciled the previous night. 
 
 The native dwellings at Namgha were the perfection 
 of squalor and uncleanliness. The abode of each family 
 
CHEN-TA SUPERSTITIONS. 291 
 
 was surrounded by a palisade of loosely piled boulders, 
 and topped with iron spikes, the exact purpose or necessity 
 of which we were at first unable to ascertain. We were 
 not kept long in ignorance, however, for before we had 
 been encamped many minutes we discovered that the 
 villagers were the boldest and most impudent of thieves, 
 stealing from one another and likewise from us with scant 
 compunction. The huts themselves were ia most cases 
 constructed after the fashion of the native boats, only on 
 a larger scale', — a framework of wood, over which was 
 stretched yak and argali skins ; the roof thatched and 
 covered with a plaster of mud, which, having hardened ia 
 the sun, renders them impervious to moisture. 
 
 These natives of Namgha are the Chen-ta; a sort of 
 offshoot of the real Tangutans. The men are well grown 
 and fairly good-looking; but the females are the most 
 repulsive creatures, with huge features, and having great 
 faith in the pernicious habit of disfiguring themselves by 
 numerous slits in their ears and noses, from which are 
 hung strings of small metal beads. The males are nearly 
 naked, and tattoed upon the stomach, sides, and backs so 
 closely as not to permit an inch of the original flesh to be 
 seen, especially when they are rubbed with red ochre, 
 which seems to be the prevaiLing fashion. The only hair 
 upon their persons is a small tuft on the top of the head, 
 which is dressed into a cone-shape and ornamented with 
 feathers, or else carried down the back in greasy plaits, 
 stretched out on a fan-shaped frame. The women are 
 absolutely free from hair, their heads being shaved. 
 
 All these natives believe in soroery, each possessing 
 spells and conjurors ; and every event, whether it be com- 
 monplace or not, is ascribed to this cause. For example, 
 if a chief dies, his relatives and friends look around for the 
 
292 THROUGH UNEXPLORED ASIA. 
 
 person who is supposed to have bewitched him ; and hav- 
 ing at last through the element of chance happened upon 
 a likely victim, they hold him before a fire, exhorting him 
 to confess his connection with the deed. In most respects 
 this punishment is similar to the good old-fashioned ways 
 of our Puritan ancestors, when witch-hunting was a 
 favourite pastime ; for the poor wretch, tortured and 
 roasted untU the pain is longer unbearable, at last con- 
 fesses his guilt, whether really culpable or not, and is 
 immediately despatched. If, on the other hand, he refuses 
 to confess, he is slowly toasted to death ; so where the 
 righteousness or justice of the affair enters may well be 
 left open to conjecture. These exercisiugs of magic not 
 infrequently lead to bloody and long-continued feuds, 
 which are handed down from generation to generation, 
 until one side or the other has been totally exterminated. 
 L'hiou is more or less a religious centre of the region, 
 for the priests who live here number about two hundred, 
 while as many more inhabit the niunerous monasteries and 
 temples in the surrounding country. The form of worship 
 is according to the Lamaism doctrines, similar to those 
 prevailing in Thibet, at least among the Mongols and 
 alien races, although the real Tangutans cling with 
 unswerving pertinacity to their own religious views, and 
 worship a number of deities. The inevitable consequence 
 follows that religious disturbances are of not infrequent 
 occurrence, in many cases leading to prolonged and bloody 
 internecine strife ; but thus far, notwithstanding the 
 vigorous assaults of their opponents, the Sifanese have 
 generally managed to come out first-best on all occasions, 
 their personal valour and the bigoted fanaticism of their 
 religious views eminently fitting them for such turbulent 
 disruptions. 
 
SACRED MOUNTAIN OF TAM-TAGH. 293 
 
 On tlie tenth, we halted at the base of one of the three 
 cones of Tam-Tagh, the sacred mountain which Pre- 
 jevalsky in his second journey sought to reach, but in 
 vain; and which his native escort pictured in such fan- 
 tastic and glowing narrative. It had been our original 
 intention to ascend it ; but neither bribes nor threats 
 could cause a weakening of the native determination that 
 we should not go, and after half a day's halt we returned 
 to the canoes and proceeded. It could not have been this 
 mountain that Hohnes mentions in his narrative as " the 
 sacred mountain of the Tanguts, at an altitude of fourteen 
 thousand feet above the sea ; " for it is a very low-lying 
 peak, not over five hundred feet in height, covered halfr 
 way to its smnmit with a meagre growth of dwarfed 
 trees, and thence up to its top bleak and deserted. The 
 cone is broken and jagged; and although we could not 
 verify the fact from a distance, it gave evidence that the 
 mountaia at a former time had been the scene of some 
 violent upheaval, if not of an active volcano. It is re- 
 moved a distance of some three miles and a half from 
 the banks of the Dji Chu, and surrounded by a level pla- 
 teau, from which break forth niunerous bouldery peaks 
 like so many malformed excrescences. Numberless rivu- 
 lets and lakes watered the region, but the water was 
 very brackish and impossible for drinking purposes. The 
 soil of this plateau, I observed, contained considerable 
 alkali ; and it is probable that this substance is favoura- 
 ble to the growth of several species of herbs and medic- 
 inal plants, the gathering and preparation of which 
 seems to be the principal industry of the population. The 
 natives of the villages are timid and suspicious, but the 
 nomad tribes who wander over the plain with their herds 
 of cattle and live in tents are a hardy and vigorous race. 
 
294 THROUGH UNEXPLOKED ASIA. 
 
 prone to a full recognition of the savage virtues of war ; 
 for when aroused, or prompted by cupidity, they are the 
 most bloodthirsty and inhuman of monsters, with little 
 or no compunction at taking life. 
 
 Some of the temples in this region are remarkably 
 striking and effective, usually built in f aijtastic forms of 
 the variegated limestone which exists in the district, and 
 ornamented with metal images. The interiors are beauti- 
 ful in the extreme, containing dozens of gruesome idols 
 formed of stone, iron, and even gold and silver. In addi- 
 tion to these main temples there are a number of little 
 shrines, — each family capable of the expense maintaining 
 one or more, — giving to the country the general effect of 
 a considerable graveyard. As the native population is 
 very devout, and in the natural course of events worships 
 once a year at least at each of these temples and shrines, 
 the thought cannot help arising as- to when they can find 
 time to devote to other and more needful pursuits. 
 
 Yen-lu-she, a populous village, was reached on the thir- 
 teenth. It was shortly after nightfall that, after making 
 only groping progress through the gloomy vault of the 
 river ravine, we reached it, to find that a religious demon- 
 stration of some sort or other was in progress. The 
 streets were filled with crowds of enthusiasts carrying 
 torches, and worked up to a fanatical pitch by a number 
 of dirty lamas and ayons. With this spectacle confront- 
 ing us we did not dare to make an entrance, but encamped 
 on the river bank, and, after passing a restless night, 
 during which the shouts of the worshippers forbade slum- 
 ber, we prepared to reembark. Before the canoes could 
 be launched, however, we were beset by a howling, vin- 
 dictive mob, who assailed us with showers of stones, 
 while several of the bolder approached with clubs and 
 
INTIMIDATING A NATIVE BULLY. 295 
 
 knives, as if to attack us more murderously. Perceiving 
 one surly and sinister-browed rascal in the act of picking 
 up a stone, I seized a paddle from one of the crew, and 
 brought him a sharp blow across the arm, while at the 
 same time I pointed my revolver at the menacing horde, 
 and informed them that, whatever their likes or dislikes, 
 we were resolved at all hazards to protect ourselves and 
 our property, and that at the first signs of malevolence 
 we should fire upon them. 
 
 This threat was potent reasoning to the majority ; but 
 the rascal whom I had chastised had gathered around him 
 a number of similar turbulent spirits, and we could see 
 that, with their angry mutterings and exhortations, they 
 were rapidly changing the attitude of the more peace- 
 ably disposed, and that, unless vigorous action was taken 
 immediately, we should, in a short time, be compelled to 
 face a more serious danger. Ordering Burton to hold the 
 crew in position in case an attack was contemplated, I 
 advanced toward them, and, pointing my revolver at the 
 head of the ringleader, I announced my intention of 
 shooting him on the spot if he persisted in his evil inten- 
 tions of inciting his companions to violence. This served 
 the purpose of effectually cooling his ardour, for he very 
 discreetly retired to a more obscure position. Having 
 acquainted the natives with our friendly intent, provided 
 we were not molested, we found their churlishness rapidly 
 vanishing, and, following up this opportunity, we cemented 
 the bonds of good-will by purchasing from them several 
 baskets of corn and fish. 
 
 From Yen-lu-she we moved to Gyksun on the four- 
 teenth, the absence of rapids or a swift current enabhng 
 us to go over the intervening distance of twenty miles in 
 a little more than six hours. The river continued to be 
 
296 THROUGH UNEXPLORED ASIA. 
 
 from a hundred to two hundred yards wide. The bank 
 was a trifle more open than farther back, with no signs 
 of arboreal growth whatsoever, enabling us to view the 
 surrounding plain, which, notwithstanding its parched and 
 sterile appearance, gave unmistakable evidences of fertil- 
 ity, for villages and considerable fields of grain and vege- 
 tables might be descried on every side. As we approached 
 Gyksun, a number of natives in a skin boat as round as 
 a washtub, which they propelled forward with a rotary 
 motion, shot out from the shore, and when thirty feet 
 away hailed us. They were naturally anxious concerning 
 our presence in the country, for they had learned by 
 reports from down-stream that we were a crew of brig- 
 ands and thieves, who had come for the purpose of dese- 
 crating their temples, purloining their idols, and carrying 
 away their wives. We replied through one of the Kiang- 
 sis as to the peaceable errand on which we had come ; but 
 they still seemed to mistrust our motives, for they de- 
 manded that we should not attempt to land untU they 
 had taken their report back to the village. To this 
 arrangement we agreed ; and in ten minutes the entire 
 population of the place, with all doubts as to our integrity 
 removed, crowded down to the shore, where, learning of 
 our desire to trade, they soon brought forth a number 
 of fowl, ten baskets of adamant biscuit, and several large 
 jugs of pundu. As the crew had just received back pay 
 for a fortnight, they were minded to expend their sub- 
 stance in a grand carousal ; but, fully realising the danger 
 to which the expedition would be exposed in that event, 
 we forbade the natives selling the pundu to any others 
 than ourselves. To this the crew demurred, until we 
 quenched their sulkiness by threatening to place all those 
 on half rations whom we saw in any shape or manner 
 
AN ABORIGINAL FORGE. 297 
 
 showing mutinous tendencies. This threat proved suffi- 
 cient ; and, although several sought by stealth to barter 
 with the natives for the liquor, we were enabled to detect 
 them in time, and the summary justice which we inflicted 
 prevented the others from doing likewise. 
 
 The Gyksunese villagers were excellent blacksmiths, 
 mining the ore from the surrounding mountains, and 
 producing a result which would astonish artificers in 
 more civilised countries, considering the rough nature of 
 their tools, which were confined to an anvil, hammer, 
 and tongs, and to a forge of baked clay with a fire of 
 yak dung. The process of manufacture was necessarily 
 a laborious one, requiring considerable time and patience, 
 which would doubtless sorely tax the temper of one 
 accustomed to more expeditious methods. 
 
 In spite of our amiability, the villagers could not disil- 
 lusion themselves of the fact that we were travelling 
 through the country for unlawful purposes, and dogged 
 our steps with the most monotonous assiduity, feeling 
 positive that in walking aimlessly about we were biding 
 the moment when we might seize upon their wives or 
 household gods, and continue our flight up the river. 
 The head man, a surly Tangut, with a most evil-looking 
 face, which had been scarred with smallpox and evi- 
 dences of the chase until it presented the general 
 appearance of an ordnance map, was very insolent and 
 aggressive. He was a religious bigot of the extremest 
 kind, and not learning of our arrival until after we had 
 completed our trading with the natives, he waxed exceed- 
 ingly wroth, and forbade them to sell us anything, or 
 have anything to do with us, at the same time threaten- 
 ing to bring down the full weight of his official displeas- 
 ure on those who had already shown sufficient temerity 
 
298 THROUGH UNEXPLORED ASIA. 
 
 to do SO. He grew more amiable, however, after we had 
 called upon him with presents, and took advantage of the 
 opportunity to treat us to a religious discourse of no 
 mean consideration, in which the principles and doctrines 
 of Buddhism were laid down before us in full. On ac- 
 quainting him with the fact that we were also members 
 of that faith (at least for the time being), his joy knew 
 no bounds, and he immediately gave orders for our proper 
 entertainment, apologising for his having not visited us 
 before by the fact that he was troubled with gout in 
 both feet, which rendered progress of any sort more or 
 less of a hardship. The feast was soon served; but, 
 although we had fondly imagined some variance from 
 the monotony of our daily fare, we were doomed to disap- 
 pointment, the courses consisting of yak meat prepared in 
 various forms, from soup to roast, with yak mUk, and 
 butter made from the latter, as extra delicacies, which 
 only such an august occasion as the present would 
 warrant. 
 
 From our host we learned that the surrounding region 
 abounded in game, herds of wild yak and antelope wander- 
 ing over the plain, while camels were also numerous in 
 the country to the west. These, however, are undoubt- 
 edly but stray animals which have wandered across from 
 Thibet; for the camel is not generally considered as 
 belonging to the fauna of this region, the uneven and 
 hilly surface of the landscape preventing their use by 
 the Sifanese for caravan traffic. They are occasionally 
 met with in small herds of five or ten, but are ex- 
 tremely shy and wary, and possessed of such acute 
 sense of smell and hearing that it is extremely difficult to 
 approach them. Their appearance is somewhat difEerent 
 from the domesticated breed, their humps being smaller, 
 
SOME NATIVE DELICACIES. 299 
 
 the muzzle more pointed, and the colour of the hair gray. 
 Their flesh, however, is considered a great delicacy, and 
 they are assiduously hunted by the natives, with, how- 
 ever, rather indifferent success. There may, perhaps, be 
 a more cogent reason for this than is at first apparent ; 
 for it is obligatory that when one of these animals is 
 killed it shall be immediately carried to the head man of 
 the district, who, having reserved the best portions for his 
 own use, allows the successful hunter to keep the re- 
 mainder, in some cases paying the full value for what he 
 has reserved, but more often seizing upon it by right of 
 the power vested in him. There are very few infrac- 
 tions of this law of camel-hunting, as the penalty for not 
 complying with it is instant death. 
 
 WUd asses also exist iu this district, but they are of no 
 practical value save for their hides and carcasses, — the 
 one furnishing clothing, the other being chopped up fine 
 and mixed with herbs into a sort of meat hash, which is 
 inserted in skins much like sausages, and forms the staple 
 article of diet for the caravans, owing to its ease of trans- 
 portation and the fact that it is unaffected by climatic 
 changes. How the native stomach can stand this dainty 
 is beyond the ken of ordinary mortals, for it is seasoned 
 with a sort of pepper-relish, which, to the one who eats 
 it, causes the sensation of swallowing a mouthful of live 
 coals. 
 
 StiU other favourite dishes in this region are cha-tun 
 and kcdy. The former is prepared in the following man- 
 ner : A yak calf — or, what is still better, a young 
 argali — is taken and kiUed ; and after the hide has been 
 stripped off the entire remaining part of the animal (flesh, 
 bones, intestines, and all else) is chopped up in a huge 
 pestle, the bones being ground to pieces with huge mallets. 
 
300 THROUGH UNEXPLORED ASIA. 
 
 and the meat and fat being cut up fine, until the sub- 
 stance has been reduced to a sort of pulpy mass. With 
 this is mixed yak mUk and pundu, and all is then seasoned 
 with herbs, the minced substance being laid in thin layers 
 before the fire and roasted for several hours. A soft 
 dough of barley meal is made, and between two folds of 
 it is placed a sheet of the meat mixture ; the whole is 
 then baked to a crisp, and the delicacy is ready for eating. 
 In a short time the crust hardens to almost rocky firm- 
 ness, and may be carried from place to place without 
 difficulty, the belated voyager having but to break off a 
 piece when the pangs of hunger assail him, or, in case 
 of dire necessity, one might even make effectual use of it 
 as a shield. It is a tasty and relishable mixture, however, 
 and with every portion of the animal utilised is strength- 
 ening in the extreme. 
 
 Kaly, on the other hand, is a tasteless and nauseating 
 composition, consisting of huge lumps of fat mixed with 
 a liquor of stewed herbs and salt, and boiled over a fixe 
 of yak dung until it has been reduced to a consistency 
 which on cooling permits it to harden into long sticks, — 
 the effect of eating one of these savoury morsels being 
 similar to that pleasure which would be experienced in 
 swallowing a highly perfumed tallow candle. 
 
 From Gyksun two caravan roads lead eastward, and 
 one toward the west to Thibet. Although not of artificial 
 construction, untold centuries of traffic having passed 
 over them, they have been worn to a tolerable smoothness, 
 permitting of free and easy communication throughout 
 the country. The life of the caravans, however, is not 
 an easy one, owing to the brigandish and murderous 
 characteristics of the native population, — one and all 
 being wretchedly poor, and when once outside the larger 
 
TOURGOUTHS OF GYKSUN DISTRICT. 
 
A COUNTRY OF BRIGANDS. 303 
 
 towns and villages having no knowledge whatsoever of 
 civilising influences. At intervals of every few years, 
 when their demonstrations become too openly bold and 
 violent, a force of Chinese soldiers is sent against them, 
 only to meet with such determined resistance that, after 
 burning a few villages, and losing many of their number, 
 they are but too glad to leave the spot to its barbarous 
 occupants, who immediately resume their brigandish 
 tactics until the natives themselves, alarmed at their in- 
 cursions, declEtre war on them, and, having slain them by 
 hundreds, and reduced them to the sorest straits, are able 
 to secure peace for the space of seven or eight months, 
 when the entire operation is again repeated. 
 
 It was at the Kiaur-mak Pass, five miles to the south- 
 west of Gyksun, that the insurgent leader Arg-u-tuen, in 
 1871, with a band of intrepid followers, lured a Chinese 
 army nearly a thousand strong into the intricate moun- 
 tain ravines, and there, rolling down huge stones to pre- 
 vent their retreat, slaughtered them nearly to a man. The 
 effect of this signal victory has in a measure secured to 
 his equally wUd and barbarous descendants absolute free- 
 dom from Chinese rule, save for a nominal tribute of two 
 herds of cattle each year, which are paid or not, according 
 to the general temper of the natives. 
 
 We halted at Gyksun until the nineteenth, owing to 
 stormy weather; when, the climatic conditions having 
 once more waxed propitious, we launched the canoes for 
 the two days' essay to Gharlkau, where it was our inten- 
 tion to halt for a month, the interim to be spent in explor- 
 ing the country to the westward, the heretofore unknown 
 and untrodden northeast corner of Thibet. The scenery 
 for the whole distance was majestic and impressive. Close 
 to our right towered the snow-capped summits of the 
 
304 THROUGH UNEXPLORED ASIA. 
 
 Yuten Tagh, and on our left stretched the inhospitable 
 area of the Thibetan plateau. These mountains are 
 neither entrancing nor beautiful, for there is a stern 
 chasteness about them which forbids this description, 
 but regal and kingly looking, as if conscious of their 
 adamantine might. 
 
 The waters of the Dji Chu at this point were nitrous 
 and bitter to the taste, and covered for considerable areas 
 with a rank vegetation, which bred innumerable clouds of 
 mosquitoes. We were soon made aware of the presence of 
 these unspeakable pests, for clouding around us in swarms, 
 they penetrated the thickest of clothing, and crawled 
 down our backs and beneath our clothing, biting with 
 such vindictiveness that we were almost driven frantic 
 with the pain, — although, emulating the native example, 
 we had by this time secured an epidermis of dirt which 
 afforded some meagre protection. We could not but 
 shudder at the thought of what our inevitable fate 
 must have been had we not been thus in a measure 
 protected from their assaults ; we should undoubtedly 
 have been completely devoured. 
 
 On the twenty-first we pursued our way on through a 
 valley where a number of little rivers rushed and roared, 
 as they mingled their streams with that of the Dji Chu. 
 On our left was a rugged line of rocks that rose in huge 
 and detached masses, or else shot a couple of hundred feet 
 into the air in long, bony projections. Connecting these 
 huge rock-masses was a lower lines of rocks, more uni- 
 form, forming the bare spine of the ridge. The country 
 was undoubtedly inhabited, although we did not perceive 
 signs of human life or habitations of any sort ; for the 
 current of the river was crossed at intervals of every few 
 miles with suspension bridges, in some cases constructed 
 
A MISINTERPRETED WELCOME. 305 
 
 of iron chains and wood, in others merely the single rope 
 and carrier connecting the opposite shores. 
 
 About noontime, however, the stern face of the land- 
 scape underwent a change ; the rock summits retired to a 
 distance, and almost immediately the plateau descended 
 with an abrupt slope, expanding into a plain of lower 
 elevation, remarkably green and fertile, in which lay 
 nestled Gharlkau. On entering this rich crop-bearing 
 valley, a chorus of war-cries, pealing menacingly from 
 both banks, caused us no Httle trepidation lest we were 
 to be doomed to a hostile reception. As on a former 
 occasion, however, we discovered that the Tangutan 
 method of boisterous welcome is closely allied to that of 
 war ; for we eventually were made aware of the fact that 
 the warriors with guns and spears, who were supposedly 
 crjdng wrathf uUy at us, were in reality but giving us such 
 a welcome as seemed most fitting in their eyes. 
 
CHAPTER IX. 
 
 Ghaelkau has been from old a position of great im- 
 portance, even as far back as the time of Marco Polo, 
 who makes frequent allusions to it in the narrative of 
 his journey through this country. It is situated at a spot 
 of great strategical importance, and is the point toward 
 which converge nearly thirty main caravan roads inter- 
 secting the country, affording a practicable means of 
 communication from China to Thibet, and to the other 
 regions of Central Asia. Through its gates pass several 
 tribute missions from Pekin to Lhassa ; and it also serves 
 as the customs station for the district, although the col- 
 lection of these customs is a more or less diflB.cult task. 
 
 At a former time the town was ruled over by a Chinese 
 mandarin and a regiment of Chinese troops ; but of late 
 years, with the gradual deflection of commerce to the 
 trade routes to the north and south, the town, relegated 
 to its former owners, has retrograded to a place of meagre 
 importance, until it is now an uncivilised village of the 
 second rank. Remains of its former greatness, however, 
 may yet be traced in the crumbling ruins of stone houses 
 and its palisade walls ; but the Tangut and Mongol popu- 
 lation have reverted to the almost primitive state of sav- 
 agery of their ancestors, living in miserable skin huts, and 
 gaining a meagre subsistence from their herds and a few 
 mild attempts at carrying on systematic cultivation. 
 
 On our arrival in the village we made the acquaintance 
 of the ataman, or head man of the place, — a short, pom- 
 
 306 
 
A TOO WILLING GUEST. 307 
 
 pous little Mongol, — who welcomed us with much obse- 
 quiousness and an invitation to lodge with him during our 
 stay. As his regal abode, however, was little better than 
 a pigsty, we for obvious reasons declined this munificent 
 offer with as much show of gratefulness as possible ; and 
 having called into requisition the entire population of the 
 village, we erected a station of our own, which, if not 
 presenting more charm of architectural contour, at least 
 secured for us a decent amount of cleanliness. The result 
 of this domestic fastidiousness on our part was that our 
 Mongol friend, finding the pleasures of our abode more 
 attractive than his own, turned guest himself, and foisted 
 upon us the unsought dignity of being his host. We did 
 not begrudge him this delight, for he was subsequently 
 of the greatest assistance to us in the consummation of 
 our preconceived plans. 
 
 Our halt at Gharlkau had been made for two reasons : 
 first, it afforded a headquarters from which we might 
 prepare for the final part of our arduous journey through 
 Western China ; secondly, it was a base whence we might 
 explore the surrounding country, to do which was one of 
 our main reasons for visiting this part of Asia. Having 
 stored our canoes and provisions, where for the time 
 being they would be safe from the thieving propensities 
 of the population, on the twenty-fifth of August our plans 
 had been made for a fortnight's journey to the westward, 
 to accomplish the most difficult and venturesome task 
 which we had yet been called upon to face, — the pen- 
 etration through the Ping Mountains to the Chite city of 
 Tzuchan. 
 
 And here, before setting forth, let me give a brief 
 history of this strange race of people who for centuries 
 have defied the most persistent research of explorers and 
 
308 THROUGH UNEXPLORED ASIA. 
 
 ethnologists. Many centuries ago, according to Chinese his- 
 toriographers, in the vicinity of Shanghai, lived a highly 
 civilised and enlightened race known as the Chites. 
 They were the most fanatical and bigoted of Buddhists, 
 so fanatical, in fact, that their turbulent spirits and eager 
 desire to sow the seed of proselytism caused frequent rev- 
 olutionary disturbances. These continued during a period 
 of fifty years, until the government as its onlj measure of 
 salvation made war on them. For ten years longer they 
 battled against overwhelming odds, until at last, broken 
 in spirit, and with their numbers fearfully reduced, they 
 gradually retired to the west, settling here and there, only 
 to be again overwhelmed and driven back. Eventually 
 they penetrated up the stream of the Yangtse Kiang, and 
 then up the Kinsha, until, after years of wandering, they 
 located in this wild mountain region of northeastern 
 Thibet. For untold centuries they have held entirely 
 aloof from their more civilised Chinese neighbours, and 
 lived wholly independent of them ; and to-day they are 
 as untamed and barbarous as their fierce ancestors. They 
 are for the most part semi-civilised, many of them, how- 
 ever, being savages of the worst degree ; even cannibalism 
 is said to be prevalent among numbers of them. They 
 acknowledge no allegiance to the emperor, entirely ignore 
 the authority of the mandarins, and hold no communica- 
 tion with the outside world. Yet we have visited their 
 wild domains ; we have penetrated into their stronghold, 
 have witnessed their strange customs, and for the first 
 time are able to give to the world some facts concerning 
 this strange people. 
 
 On the morning of August twenty-seventh, we left 
 Gharlkau on our advance journey to Tzuchan. Fully 
 weighing the dangers which would beset such an ardu- 
 
THE START FOR TZUCHAN. 309 
 
 ous undertaking as that on which we were now engaged, 
 we had after mature consideration wisely concluded that 
 our real strength lay in a paucity of numbers ; and for 
 that purpose we had selected two of the most trusty of 
 our Kiangsi crew and three native Gharlkauese, leaving 
 the remainder of our expeditionary force to guard the 
 canoes and stores until our return. We had attired our- 
 selves as Tourgouth peasants, — not in the expectation 
 that our disguise would be impenetrable, but actuated 
 with the desire to be spared from an overabundance of 
 troublesome curiosity. We had planned to reach Tzu- 
 chan at the end of five days' expeditious journeying 
 across the sterile mountain plateau, before the fact of 
 our presence in the country should become widely known, 
 and, having gained as many scientific points concerning 
 the region and its people as we could gather in that short' 
 space of time, to return with as much celerity as possible ; 
 for the impending evidences of an almost arctic winter 
 settling in over the high altitudes could not be lightly 
 reckoned on. 
 
 Just as we were on the point of starting, the ataman 
 and another ofiicial made their appearance to bid us a 
 last good-bye, and to console us with the rather dubious 
 reflection that they never expected to see us again; for 
 they declared that we must inevitably be murdered by the 
 fierce people among whom we were on the point of casting 
 our lot. 
 
 Our first day's effort carried us over the long plateau ; 
 and purposely avoiding the larger settlements, where our 
 progress was liable to be impeded, by nightfall we had 
 reached the lowest range of the Ping Mountains, where 
 our arduous task was to commence in earnest. We were 
 utterly fagged out by the long jaunt of the day, and, 
 
310 THROUGH UNEXPLORED ASIA. 
 
 selecting a small grove of trees which afforded some 
 shelter from the chilling blasts hurtled down from the 
 snow-capped mountain summits, we pitched our camp. 
 In full view of this spot there was a considerable river, 
 nearly as wide as the current of the Dji Chu, on the sur- 
 face of which rested a number of small islands, devoid of 
 arboreal growth, and sheltering numerous little villages. 
 On exploring this river on the twenty-eighth, — by no 
 means an easy task, so strong was its current, — these 
 islands appeared to have been originally a flat mass of 
 rock a few inches above the current of the river, with 
 inequalities on their surface which had been filled in 
 with earth carried from the left bank. The people who 
 inhabited them were much shorter than either the Tan- 
 gutans or the Mongols, and much different in general 
 characteristics. They were very ugly in shape, with 
 enormous stomachs, out of all proportion to their tiny 
 spindling arms and legs, with the most repulsive faces, 
 broad and flat, and covered with numerous slits and scars. 
 Tattooing was very common, while those who had not 
 been adorned with figures had painted their entire bodies 
 with a yellowish red composition, which gave them a 
 most hideous appearance. They were, evidently, a race 
 of fishermen, for the stream was covered with their little 
 skin boats, which they managed to shoot over the uneven 
 surface with marvellous skill and celerity. We soon dis- 
 covered, however, that they were unnaturally hostile and 
 aggressive, for as we sought to cross the stream they 
 crowded down upon us with loud cries, brandishing knives 
 and spears, notwithstanding the fact that from their dis- 
 tance they could by no means have penetrated our native 
 disguise. With such evidences we could not but congratu- 
 late ourselves that we had not adhered to our original 
 
A DANGEROUS FORD. 311 
 
 intention of passing through the country without disguise 
 of any sort ; for, as subsequent events proved, it was this 
 alone that proved our salvation. We fully realised the 
 danger menacing us should we allow these natives to 
 approach nearer ; so, as a last resort, we fired our revolv- 
 ers over their head, when, with this show of determined 
 attitude on our part, their valour and pugnaciousness took 
 wings, and we were enabled to reach the opposite bank in 
 safety. 
 
 Continuing Qur journey to the westward, we at first 
 made good progress, there being plenty of fresh water, 
 while, so long as the five days' provisions which we were 
 carrying held out, we had nothing to fear in the way of 
 starvation. All this, however, came to an end, and shortly 
 before noontime, when we came upon another little moun- 
 tain stream, beyond which extended, as far as the eye 
 could reach, a sandy waste, covered with a sterile and 
 towering mass of innumerable lofty rock-summits. The 
 two native porters, following our example, plunged boldly 
 into the current at the ford ; but either from the weight 
 of their loads, or frightened by the seething waters on 
 each side of them, they missed their footing, and attracted 
 by their shouts we saw that they were being carried 
 rapidly down-stream, the load which each bore pressing 
 them down into the water in spite of their most valorous 
 efforts to maintain the surface. We called to them to 
 slip the thongs from over their shoulders, but this they 
 refused to do, until, seeing that there was no hope of 
 saving their loads, they reluctantly abandoned them, and 
 after herculean efforts reached the shore. 
 
 Then for the first time the terrible danger which stared 
 us in the face came home with frightful certainty. Here 
 we were alone and unprotected in a barbarous country, 
 
312 THROUGH UNEXPLORED ASIA. 
 
 without food, and with no prospects of securing any. To 
 make matters worse, the iciness of the climate increased 
 each moment in rigour, penetrating through the thickest 
 of clothing, while the wind-storms increased in vehemence 
 and frequency, accompanied by stinging clouds of alkali, 
 which filled our eyes, noses, ears, and lungs, until breath- 
 ing and seeing became painful. The Kiangsis were for 
 turning back ; but Burton, with all his old-time bull-dog 
 tenacity and hardihood, sounded the advance, and with 
 hearts sick and weary we continued the ascent of the 
 Ping slope, over a pebbly plain, where only occasional 
 tufts of stunted camel-thorn and rhubarb appeared above 
 the ground. A dead quail and thrush were picked up in 
 the arid tract, these birds having, doubtless, dropped from 
 exhaustion during flight, and fallen victims to their inex- 
 perience in attempting a direct passage across so desolate 
 a region. With wolfish intensity we seized upon these 
 prizes, and having cooked them over a fire of yak-dung, 
 and eaten them, we again pressed on in the expectation 
 of stumbling upon some native habitation or village where 
 we could obtain food. Before nightfall, from across the 
 barren verge, we detected the outlines of a small village, 
 and, cheered by the knowledge that the country contained 
 inhabitants of some kind, we had soon reached its limits 
 and entered. 
 
 Our approach was welcomed by the barking of an 
 unconditioned pack of noisy curs, who rushed savagely at 
 our heels, until, exasperated beyond all measure of endur- 
 ance at the actions of one shaggy monster, who persisted 
 in making violent efforts to seize one of the Kiangsis, 
 Burton fired at him with his revolver. Almost in a 
 moment the unnatural quietude which had surrounded us 
 was broken with shrill screams of rage, and we were con- 
 
A WELCOME RESPITE. 313 
 
 fronted by a group of fifty howling, threatening savages, 
 with spears poised, ready to launch at us at the first com- 
 mand of the head man, who stalked forth, and, having 
 gazed long and earnestly into our faces, ordered his men 
 to retire, inviting us to his own abode. Suspecting treach- 
 ery of some sort, we did not take our eyes off him for 
 a single moment ; but he evidently was not a hostile- 
 minded individual, for he invited us to drink tea with 
 him until long after midnight, when, utterly fagged out 
 in body and spirit, we huddled together on the floor in an 
 effort to secure some protection from the frigidity of the 
 climate. 
 
 At dawn of the following day we were awakened by 
 our host of the night before, who informed us that, with 
 several of the villagers, he was on the point of setting 
 forth on a hunting expedition in the direction which we 
 were following, and that if we wished to travel under their 
 guidance we might do so. We accepted their invitation, 
 and about ten o'clock fell in with an encampment of Tan- 
 gutans with their black tents and herds of long-haired yaks, 
 from whom we were able to purchase a small supply of 
 meat. After crossing some more spurs of the great range 
 we reached the banks of the Dhil-gol, where we took leave 
 of the hunters, and, pressing onward for several hours 
 more, encamped for the night near the village of Chihuan, 
 for as it was a considerable place we did not wish to 
 undertake the risk of intermingling with its narrow- 
 minded and suspicious populace. 
 
 With all its shortcomings, this vast region to the west 
 of the Dji Chu is a curious country to see, — a treeless, 
 rocky-visaged plateau, across which pile in monotonous 
 sequence innumerable lofty mountain ranges, devoid of all 
 featural charm whatsoever, but presenting a bizarre and 
 
314 THROUGH UNEXPLORED ASIA. 
 
 uncouth appearance which attracts and repels one at the 
 same time. Over the vast sterUe plains and hilly slopes 
 are disposed innumerable mounds, — the sepulchres of a 
 past generation, which would doubtless be mines of untold 
 wealth to archaeologists and students of the great primeval 
 age, but that they are jealously guarded, by the natives 
 of the present, who would resent any attempts that might 
 be made to disturb the tombs of their ancestors. 
 
 It would be an utter impossibility to imagine a people 
 more unenlightened and barbarous than those we found 
 here, being but a grade removed from the lower order of 
 animals. No spark of civilisation has yet made itself felt, 
 and one might as well essay to change the direction of the 
 wind's wild course as to sow the seeds of Christianity with 
 hopes of fructification. Nature is without attractions of 
 any kind, except a sort of rough majestic grandeur which 
 may satisfy the traveller in search of landscapes monot- 
 onously bleak and repellent; never a tree is seen, and 
 scarcely a flower, except for a few months in the year. 
 Vast mountain peaks are covered with a soil which by 
 thrift and industry might be made phenomenally produc- 
 tive, but which is left in its wild state for the growth of 
 coarse grasses, furnishing pasturage for the small herds 
 of scrawny cattle. The more favoured regions are inhab- 
 ited by small herds of wild asses, antelopes, and long 
 black-haired yaks, which afford subsistence to a sinister 
 and uncouth population. 
 
 Of amusements there are but few, the male portion 
 of the population spending what time is not engaged in 
 manual labour in gambhng, for which they show a remark- 
 able aptitude, and into which they enter with all the 
 passion of devotees, risking their entire possessions and 
 even their own persons on no worthier a pastime than 
 
THIBETAN SAVAGES. 
 
HORRIBLE STATE OF WOMEN. 317 
 
 guessing the number of stones which another may hold 
 in his hand. 
 
 There is no outdoor occupation for the women, who 
 are rarely seen outside their gloomy cave-homes, — a 
 wretched race of emaciated and haggard beings, who bear 
 every evidence of the hardness of their lot. Occasionally 
 the lords of creation will condescend to take their wives 
 (for as polygamy is practised they have one or more) on 
 a visit to some neighbouring village, or permit them to 
 have a short airing by themselves ; and with these meagre 
 pleasures they are not only required to be, but are in 
 reality, satisfied. 
 
 Speaking of the social conditions of the country, a few 
 further words may be said concerning the state of woman 
 in this region. Her condition is pitiable in the extreme, 
 far worse than the very animals of her lord and master's 
 herds, for they at least, with mercenary motive, are 
 treated humanely. She, however, is invariably looked 
 upon as a serious blot on society, worthy only of the most 
 violent abuse and contempt, and condemned to a state 
 infinitely more degrading than slavery. On her falls the 
 task of performing the manual labour of the community, 
 while her master lives a life of comparative ease, and eats 
 and drinks himself into a constant state of maudlin and 
 gluttonous emotion. Happy for her when death prema- 
 turely relieves her sufferings. When one has viewed her 
 horrible condition, one can understand the little com- 
 punction which exists here regarding self-destruction, sui- 
 cides causing greater reduction of the population than 
 almost all other sources combined. 
 
 Yet it is of this unenlightened land that we hear from 
 time to time of the success of missionary efforts and the 
 spread of Christianity. From accurate and dispassionate 
 
318 THROUGH UNEXPLORED ASIA. 
 
 sources I have penetrated sufficiently into the situation to 
 know that the proselyting mission of Christianity has 
 never been carried on in this country ; nor after mature 
 investigation have I any hesitancy in saying that before 
 our arrival here no European had ever been seen by these 
 natives. By these strictures I do not necessarily imply 
 that those responsible for missionary endeavour have de- 
 liberately misstated the facts of the case; but they have 
 undoubtedly been misinformed as to the exact geograph- 
 ical position of the district in which these conversions are 
 said to have taken place. The region referred to must be 
 in the country far to the eastward. 
 
 As a practical instance of the faith which may be placed 
 in the protestations of the native population, I have in 
 mind the declarations repeatedly made by the Buddhist 
 lamas at Gharlkau, that many converts to that faith had 
 been made in this territory. With the view of ascertaining 
 the truth or proving the fallacy of these statements, I made 
 assiduous investigation and inquiry, and found that some 
 quasi-conversions had been made, in the following manner. 
 For several months, at one time, there was a severe famine, 
 and the natives accepted the easiest and least incommodi- 
 ous method of relieving the pangs of hunger, by consenting 
 to become legitimate Buddhists, whole villages swerving 
 from their ancient faith in a day. The only conversion, 
 however, which really took place, was one of appetite over 
 conscientious scruple, these religious renegades returning 
 to their own faith so soon as the famine had passed, and 
 they were no longer compelled to rely for assistance upon 
 outside sources. 
 
 The native religion, when there is any, is the usual 
 debased and lowest form of idol worship, attended with 
 much sincere belief in witchcraft and mummery. The 
 
REMARKABLE BELIEFS. 319 
 
 sway of the priests is all-powerful, they being the real 
 rulers of the country, and directly more responsible for 
 the narrow-minded bigotry and exclusiveness of the 
 natives than any other cause. One of their strangest 
 beliefs is that Concerning childbirth. The mother who 
 gives birth to a female for her first child is accounted 
 cursed by the gods, and sometimes is beaten to death by 
 her own relatives. If the child is a male, however, it is 
 looked upon as a sign that the family has found favour 
 with the deities, and in a measure the mother's condition 
 is ameliorated. 
 
 Death, as is but natural where it is of such frequency, 
 is here not looked upon or awaited with fear, and sui- 
 cides, as stated before, are of frequent occurrence. The 
 funeral ceremony is a function attended with great eclat. 
 Whatever may have been the foibles or frailties of the 
 deceased, or however undeserving he may be of the 
 honour, so soon as he is dead, his relatives and friends, 
 far and near, are summoned to attend the obsequies. The 
 corpse, arrayed in the most gorgeous habUiments that can 
 be procured, and surrounded by his possessions, is seated 
 in a chair, and placed in the open air in front of his 
 former dwelling. For two or three days the body is 
 allowed to remain in this position, and when decomposi- 
 tion has begun, soon after death, the stench arising from 
 one of these landscape adornments is something which the 
 civilised sense of smell is incapable of withstanding. 
 During that time the relatives and friends gather around, 
 and indulge in mourning dances, and in drinking huge 
 potations of fiery pundu, complimenting the corpse on his 
 newly acquired state of blessedness, and expressing the 
 ■cheerful desire that they might be in his shoes. 
 
 At the end of this time, the grave having been dug and 
 
320 THROUGH UNEXPLORED ASIA. 
 
 exorcised of evil spirits, the whole population of the village 
 is summoned. After a big feast, in which every one 
 gorges himself to the extremest limit, the chair containing 
 the corpse is lifted upon the shoulders of the immediate 
 relatives of the dead man, and in this upright position is 
 carried to the grave, where, having been 'saluted by each 
 of the mourners with a patting of the head and a sticking 
 out of the tongue, it is dumped into the hole with scant 
 ceremony, — the male mourners meantime beating on 
 drums and dancing, the females chanting doleful dirges 
 and torturing themselves with knives and sharp instru- 
 ments. This ceremonious burial, however, is accorded 
 only to the male, the female being buried in the first con- 
 venient spot which presents itself, without display of any 
 kind, and most often by one of the wives of her husband. 
 
 While burials are usually matters of great rejoicing, in 
 which everybody joins with a happy face and smiling 
 countenance, wedding ceremonies, on the other hand, are 
 remarkably gloomy affairs. Wives and concubines are 
 bought and sold like animals, changing ownership as many 
 as a dozen times in a single year, according to the for- 
 tunes of their spouses, and their success in gambling. In 
 this region, unlike those along the Dji Chu, the children 
 born of the concubines enjoy equal advantages with those 
 born of the lawful wives. 
 
 By 10 A. M. of the thirtieth we had passed over the 
 first mountain range, and were at last in the country of 
 the Chites. Food and water were very scarce, but in the 
 middle of the afternoon we were able to shoot several 
 sand-grouse with our revolvers, as they tamely approached ; 
 and happening opportunely upon a mountain tarn, from 
 which bubbled forth streams of deliciously cool and clear 
 water, we filled our pouches. One of the native guides, 
 
INCREASED DANGERS TO PROGRESS. 321 
 
 owing to insufficient protection to his feet, was bruised and 
 bleeding from the roughness of the mountain trail, and at 
 last sank to the ground unable to move a step farther, 
 begging that we press forward and leave him to die. 
 Burton also was ailing from the effect of the rarefied air 
 on his lungs. A halt, however, was not to be thought of 
 in our present exposed condition. To add to our troubles, 
 immense banks of lowering clouds, dark and bitterly cold, 
 presaged a snow-storm at no distant time. "We took one 
 of the skin blankets and bound it about the man's feet, 
 and blindly, furiously, stumblingly, groped onward during 
 the remainder of the day, without perceiving a sign of 
 human life, nothing but the wUd, barbarous, and seem- 
 ingly never-ending waste of mountain peaks and sand. 
 When the sun fell, we dug out holes in the sand with our 
 hands, and lay down in them, covered with our blankets ; 
 and here we rested until daybreak of the thirty-first. 
 
 As we pressed forward once more we saw at last a black 
 line on the horizon, very dark and thin, and we under- 
 stood that it was forest land. It was deep and dense, 
 gloomy as a tomb ; and into it we plunged fearfully. We 
 saw the tracks of wild beasts, and anon we could hear 
 their cries, — sometimes near at hand, sometimes at a dis- 
 tance. Our water supply had reached its lowest mark, 
 but there were no signs of springs or mountain streams, 
 and we were compelled to husband the little which we 
 had left. The clouds of dust constantly penetrated our 
 lungs and parched our throats, while the agony of hun- 
 ger and thirst was terrible. Shortly before noontime 
 we saw a herd of small mountain camel grazing in a 
 thick clump of the bushes. I stole upon them on all 
 fours, hoping to shoot one of them, but they ran away 
 before I could fire. We halted again to relieve the suf- 
 
322 THROUGH UNEXPLORED ASIA. 
 
 ferings of the unfortunate Gharlkauese, his condition 
 being exceedingly painful. I gave him my boots, and 
 pressed forward with improvised sandals formed of sapling 
 withes. One of the guides informed us that we were now 
 approaching the Chite city, and that we should be able to 
 enter it shortly after nightfall. The low-lying plain late 
 in the afternoon again began to rise. At various times 
 we descried fierce-looking shepherds and hunters roaming 
 over the region, but we did not dare to call lest this might 
 add a new danger to our other misfortunes. The sun 
 went down with its succeeding blanket of icy coldness, 
 and the moon was hidden behind the clouds so that we 
 could scarcely see five yards ahead in the cavernous 
 gloom. But grim and determined, and with set teeth, we 
 stumbled on somehow until seven o'clock, when the pros- 
 pect ahead lightened, and, halting on the edge of the 
 forest, we saw in a shallow plain before us the object of 
 our quest. We were instantly seized with a wild and 
 fierce desire to rush toward it, but caution restrained us, 
 notwithstanding our condition was deplorable, hunger and 
 thirst appealing with almost irresistible force. 
 
 It had been our intention to steal into the city under 
 cover of the night, but from our position of vantage we 
 could see that some religious demonstration was in prog- 
 ress, and we did not dare to move. One of the Gharl- 
 kauese, accompanied by one of the Kiangsis, volunteered 
 to cross the open space and enter the city in search of 
 food. With fearful hearts we saw them depart, and half 
 dead with cold and exposure waited in silence for two 
 long hours, when we breathed a sigh of involuntary relief 
 as they reappeared with several loaves of bread and two 
 large pieces of yak meat, which they had been able to 
 secure from a deserted hut. The reports which they 
 
DAMPENING REPORTS. 323 
 
 brouglit of the condition of the town were far from reas- 
 suring. The natives were engaged in a week's religious 
 orgy ; should we dare to enter the city our presence would 
 be immediately detected, and, with their fierce and vin- 
 
 t^^QU^^l^c^^^l 
 
 THE SIX-SYLLABIC PRAYER AND SYMBOL " OM MAN! PADME HUM. 
 
 dictive natures fed on the fires of religious frenzy, our 
 instant fate would be assured. For another half-hour 
 our guides crawled out on to the plain, and returned with 
 the information that they had discovered a considerable 
 
324 THROUGH UNEXPLORED ASIA. 
 
 cave in the hillside to the left of the town, which would 
 screen us from observation, and at the same time permit 
 us to watch the movements of those inside the walls. 
 
 Cautiously we crawled along on our bellies for what 
 seemed to be ages of time, until one of our guides pointed 
 to a narrow opening ahead, just sufficient 'to admit a man 
 in a stooping position. With a sigh of relief we entered, 
 and with thankful hearts feasted on the raw yak meat. 
 Fearful and watchful we remained all night, like wild 
 beasts pursued by some unknown terror. 
 
 Next morning the religious festival which we had wit- 
 nessed the night before was still in progress, and we were 
 about to venture forth to secure a better view, when we 
 were hurried back by the unnerving spectacle of a long 
 procession approaching in our direction, beating drums 
 and tom-toms and led by a dozen, filthy-looking priests. 
 They halted for a few minutes, and then, having re-formed, 
 commenced the ascent of the hiUy slope where we were 
 concealed. Onward still they came, the priests chanting 
 in dolorous voices, while the horde following took up the 
 wUd refrain until the din was simply indescribable. If we 
 had entertained hopes that they were bound elsewhere, 
 we were doomed to disappointment, for they were now 
 scarcely thirty yards away and approaching the cave 
 entrance. 
 
 We had just time to retire from our position and 
 clamber up a steep ascent at one side of the cave, to a 
 place of concealment, when the leaders of the procession 
 entered the narrow orifice, and halted while torches were 
 being lit to guide their passage through the gathering 
 gloom. Following them pressed forward the unkempt 
 crew, until the interior of the dome-shaped cave was filled 
 to the point of suffocation. 
 
A WEIRD SCENE. 325 
 
 For half an hour the ear-torturing strife of discord 
 waxed louder at every moment, until a hundred devils in 
 human form flitted beneath the sepulchral glare of flicker- 
 ing torches, like a weird and supernatural picture of 
 another world. A frenzied enthusiast would leap into the 
 air, frothing at the mouth, carried away by the sanguinary 
 and fanatical spirit of the moment ; lacerating himself 
 with a knife, grasping the gory strip of flesh, and grind- 
 ing it under his heel, or taunting a neighbour into the 
 spirit of emulatioja by flaunting before his eyes the ghastly 
 piece of flesh. 
 
 Suddenly from out the compact mass rose a howl of 
 mingled anguish and fury. At the farther end of the 
 amphitheatre was a sort of raised platform, upon which a 
 solitary individual was mounting, evidently one of the 
 chief priests. Having made the ascent, he stretched forth 
 his hand. Instantly there was silence, — the silence of a 
 hundred human beings who but one short moment before 
 had been a yelling horde of demons. The light of the 
 torches enabled us to see the priest who had mounted the 
 platform. He was a tall, gaunt individual. Overtopping 
 his thin visage, and hanging over his shoulders and down 
 his back below the middle, in witch-like locks, fell a cov- 
 ering of sun-scorched hair in thick, greasy masses. His 
 eyes were burning bright. All his right side was naked, 
 and of the brown parchment colour of his face, and quite 
 as meagre, covered with gaping rents of knife-wounds, 
 from which the blood trickled. A garment of the coarse- 
 est cloth covered his body below the waist, adorned with 
 numerous pieces of bone and fetish boxes. The torches 
 gave out an unwonted flicker, and, peering through the 
 gloom, we could see that five others of similar appearance 
 had followed him on to the platform of raised earth. 
 
326 THROUGH UNEXPLORED ASIA. 
 
 The same deathlike stiUness pervaded the awestricken 
 multitude. 
 
 Heretofore the farther end of the cave, where the plat- 
 form was erected, had been somewhat obscured ; but at a 
 signal from one of the priests a dozen natives stepped for- 
 ward with lighted torches, and, mounting the elevated 
 space, arranged themselves in a circular group on either 
 edge. The glaring beacons penetrating the surrounding 
 gloom discovered a huge recess in the wall, at the rear 
 of which could be seen the distorted form of a gigantic 
 image, — a stoey, impassive figure, of such grotesque ugli- 
 ness that, with all their barbarous and fanatical natures, 
 one could not help wondering how any race of people, 
 however unenlightened, could bring themselves to wor- 
 ship an object of such repulsiveness. 
 
 Suddenly there was a stir amidst the group of priests 
 on the platform, and from the dark cranny, in which the 
 leering image stood, a newcomer, a man of admirable pro- 
 portions, not so tall as powerful and patriarchal looking, 
 descended. He advanced rapidly forward, loosening his 
 ragged garments as he came, until he was naked, save 
 a small cloth girdled around the loins. As he turned 
 toward the stone image and raised his hand, the group of 
 worshippers ceased their turmoil and fell prostrate to the 
 ground, meanwhile keeping up an incessant groaning. 
 Toward this grotesque, incongruous, inanimate piece of 
 carved stone the eyes of all were turned in adoration. 
 For a time the prostrated horde lay bowed to the floor 
 in prayer, untU a quickly discernible stir and show of 
 interest gave evidence that some moment of extraordinary 
 interest was at hand. Quietly and unobserved, a dozen 
 men had been carrying immense armfuls of wood on to 
 the platform and placing them before the stone image. 
 
HORRIBLE RELIGIOUS RITES. 327 
 
 Soon the full import of this movement was apparent. 
 Here before our eyes was to take place one of those bar- 
 barous human sacrifices of which we had heard rumours 
 at Gharlkau. It did not take long to confirm our suspi- 
 cions, for quietly and without murmur of any kind half 
 a dozen newcomers had mounted the elevated space, abso- 
 lutely naked and bound with cords, — the intended vic- 
 tims of the bloody carnival which was to follow. The 
 fire had already been touched to the wood ; the first faint 
 flicker had been fanned into an open flame, and in a min- 
 ute the whole mass was a seething, roaring furnace, light- 
 ing up the interior of the cave as with the noonday sun. 
 The bright glow of the fire permitted us to secure a 
 better view of the doomed victims. Five were men in 
 the sere and yellow leaf, scarcely able to totter alone, and 
 whose lives in the natural course of events could not be 
 prolonged many years. They were huddled together, 
 apart from the other victim, — a young girl, who could 
 not have been over sixteen years of age. She had a 
 comely, nut-brown face, with dark wavy clusters of hair 
 tumbling over her forehead and reaching down to her 
 waist. With a cool, if not openly disdainful look, she 
 gazed with exalted dignity on the surrounding group, 
 with never a waver in the stoic composure of her atti- 
 tude. 
 
 At last the fearful moment arrived. One of the old 
 men was seized and stretched on a sort of stone altar, 
 raised a few feet above the floor of the platform. He 
 fully realised that his last hour had come, for his stoicism 
 vanished, and he struggled in impotent fear and fury to 
 escape from the grasp of his captors, giving vent to shriek 
 after shriek, until, weak and exhausted, he fell into a 
 stupor, with only spasmodic efforts attempting to throw 
 
328 THROUGH UNEXPLORED ASIA. 
 
 off the restraining hands of the priests. Four of the 
 minor priests held the faintly struggling body down, 
 while from the gloomy niche stalked forth the chief sacri- 
 ficial priest, his hand holding a long glistening knife hav- 
 ing a broad, paddle-shaped blade nearly six inches wide. 
 Once, twice, thrice he abased himself to the ground before 
 the unresponsive image, and then turning around like a 
 beast ready to leap on its sleeping prey, with his small 
 rat-like eyes glistening with overpowering fascination, he 
 rushed toward the prostrate form. A flash of light, as 
 of a falling meteor, and the keen blade sank to the hilt in 
 the flesh of the victim with a soft, soothing purr like firm 
 steel gliding over velvet, while the blood spurted forth in 
 little fountains of spray. Again the gleaming and drip- 
 ping blade flashed in the air; again it descended in a 
 murderous sweep ; yet again and again, five times in all, 
 until the very air reeked with the odour of blood. Three 
 times did the worshippers on the floor raise and abase 
 themselves, and then as quickly as a lightning's flash the 
 minor priests seized the lifeless corpse and held it in the 
 air. For a moment it silhouetted against the fitful glare 
 of the fire in a long, ghastly shadow, and then, shot 
 through space, the red flames leaped forward in eager 
 ecstasy to receive their prey. 
 
 With hardly a moment's intermission the next victim 
 was hurried forward. He was either possessed of the full 
 amount of native stoicism, or else reduced to an unknow- 
 ing stupor ; for without a tremor, or the faintest attempt at 
 struggling, he was stretched on the sacrificial altar, stabbed 
 to the heart, and tossed to the flames. The third, fourth, 
 and fifth victims were similarly disposed of. 
 
 The last scene of the bloody drama was now at hand. 
 The young girl stepped forward without invitation or 
 
VOLUNTARY SACRIFICE OF A GIRL. 329 
 
 assistance of any kind from the priests. The whole 
 assemblage seemed spellbound, and it was more than 
 civilised manhood could withstand. I grasped Burton's 
 hand, while the other instinctively sought for my re- 
 volver. We tried to rise, to call out, to fling ourselves 
 on the murderous rabble lying there in sanguinary apathy 
 before our eyes, but our nerves were paralysed into inac- 
 tion ; we were powerless, held speechless and fascinated, 
 as a serpent holds its prey, by some irresistible spell. 
 FoT a brief space of time the frail body of the girl lay 
 prostrate on the floor before the grotesque and stony image 
 above, — a spectacle of blind, confiding, whole-souled de- 
 votion, which would put a Christian martyr to shame ; 
 a,nd then, before we could realise the full import of the 
 movement, she had deliberately jumped into the waiting 
 :flames. One long, despairing shriek, and all was over. 
 
 We sank back stunned and overpowered, unable to move 
 or breathe, paralysed by the horrible nightmare through 
 which we had just passed, the sickening odour of burning 
 flesh permeating the atmosphere, and making our position 
 simply unbearable. In a moment, hardly before the hide- 
 ous spectacle was finished, the very beings who but one 
 short moment before had been gazing on untold suffering 
 a,nd agony were stalking forth happy and contented, 
 while the gloomy vault of the cave served as the tomb 
 of their murdered victims. The lawful tribute to the 
 ^ods of their fathers had been offered up ; six human 
 heings had been sacrificed to satisfy the bigoted religious 
 irenzy of a few thousand. Back to the village wound 
 the serpent coils of the procession. Little, torpid, filthy 
 ^omes, with murder dozing in their small black eyes, 
 -they might have crawled from holes in the sand, or 
 iatched out of the brown, cracked pods of the weedy 
 
330 THROUGH UNEXPLORED ASIA. 
 
 growth around. Sanguinary appetite had been quenched ; 
 the body called for that of a more substantial nature ; 
 and back to their abodes they wended their way, there 
 to spend a time in feasting and gluttony, and one long- 
 continued and bestial debauch. 
 
 Never can the memory of that long day of suffering on 
 the second of September fade from my memory. A blue, 
 pellucid sky, flecked by not a single cloud ; a vast azure 
 dome, in which the white, round sun hung high, and 
 struck its rays upon the earth like fiery arrows ; a baked, 
 ambient air, which danced and shimmered over the broad, 
 brown surface of the surrounding plateau ; at our very 
 feet a landscape gashed here some sixty feet in depth by 
 the wide wash of a thin river, heaping up in pink, gravelly 
 cones on the farther side ; all these and more we descried 
 from our vigil place, with forty-eight hours of such an- 
 guish of body and soul as our blunted intelligence was 
 capable of experiencing. It was a moment when the 
 earth seemed to have rolled back upon itself, and brute 
 instinct was once more contending with the forces of 
 humanity and civilisation for the mastery. The sky above 
 us grew bluer and bluer, and even the sun had long since 
 ceased to appear natural. The mountains lay in corru- 
 gated ridges all around, streaked with numberless chasms 
 lying like hair lines on the surface. Everything had 
 shrunken and faded into a bizarre and hideous panorama. 
 The wildest imaginings of Dante's Inferno here found 
 their earthly counterpart. 
 
 Only a hundred feet away was a wealth of waters and 
 food in abundance, but between us and those was placed 
 an impenetrable barrier of danger. How we suffered dur- 
 ing that long day, we ourselves can but know. We licked 
 the moisture off the rocks as it collected, and ate the 
 
'SHE JUMPED IXTO THE WAITING FLAMES." 
 
A PROVIDENTIAL ESCAPE. 333 
 
 remainder of the raw yak meat, until our natures had 
 reached an almost tigerish ferocity. At last night fell, 
 and the Kiangsi and Gharlkauese once more stole into 
 the village. For a long time we awaited their return, and 
 then gave them up as lost ; but in another half-hour they 
 crawled into our midst, covered with blood and dirt. 
 They had entered the village easily enough, but had been 
 detected by a couple of natives, who had immediately 
 sought to give the alarm. Upon the latter they had 
 sprung before they could succeed in their purpose, and, 
 having kUled both, had been able to find some provisions 
 in a small hut, of which they had brought as much as 
 they could. 
 
 It was now no time for indecision ; we were confronted 
 by an emergency which left no room for possible doubt. 
 If we waited until the following night, the bodies of the 
 natives would be discovered, a search would ensue, the 
 tracks of the two scouts in the fresh soil would be traced, 
 and the inevitable ending was horrible to think of. There 
 were yet four hours before dawn, and, having roused the 
 others, we stole forth weary and bedraggled, half crazy, 
 and mumbling like madmen, with mingled dread and 
 desire, and as the first tinge of the radiant orb of day 
 shot up from behind the mountains, no trace of the Chite 
 city was in view. With stumbling and fierce determina- 
 tion we groped our way along on our return journey until 
 nightfall again, each moment expecting to hear the shouts 
 of the avenging horde behind us ; on through the gloomy 
 forest which we had passed once before, where we hid 
 ourselves like wild beasts of prey seeking refuge from the 
 hunter, nourishing our famished bodies, and quenching 
 our parched throats as best we could, until nature had 
 been satisfied, and then for the first time for days we fell 
 
334 THROUGH UNEXPLORED ASIA. 
 
 into undisturbed and heavy slumber. The fourth and 
 fifth days passed without incident, as with eager steps we 
 bhndly plunged over the path which we had been travers- 
 ing a short week before. Soon familiar sights once more 
 came into view ; the untamed waste of mountain summits 
 gradually softened into a landscape of a milder nature ; 
 streams grew more frequent, with consequent evidences of 
 cultivation, and, finally, on the seventh of September, 
 we reached Gharlkau, where we were received by our 
 crew and the natives with the prodigality of fervour 
 extended to men who have risen from their graves. In 
 another three days we were completely restored from the 
 fatigue and exhaustion incident to the stirring events 
 through which we had passed, and, with danger for the 
 time being removed, were enabled to proceed in tabu- 
 lating the scientific data which we had collected. 
 
 One thing was indubitably proven by this expedition to 
 the west of Gharlkau, — that the existence of the Chite 
 city of Tzuchan, which Prejevalsky and others have been 
 minded to doubt as one of the startling tales of the 
 natives, told to dampen the ardour for exploration, is an 
 absolute geographical fact; also that the statements of 
 the Sifanese, that human sacrifice is carried on in this 
 city, are true beyond all manner of doubt. As to the 
 exact geographical position of this stronghold of barba- 
 rism, it is impossible to say to a point of dead reckoning, 
 as we were unable, owing to the hazard attending our expe- 
 dition, to take accurate observations. With a very near 
 approach to accuracy, however, it may be set down as lat. 
 33° 21' N., long. 97° 3' E., which undoubtedly would be 
 found to show only a slight difference from that gained 
 by dead reckoning. 
 
 And now a few words as regards the orography of this 
 
OROGRAPHY OF THE PING PLATEAU. 335 
 
 region. In our journey we had passed for a considerable 
 extent along this unknown belt of the most ancient ranges 
 in Asia. We find that the principal chain forms an arc, 
 the eastern and western extremities of which lie in the 
 same parallel of 32°, while the northern periphery touches 
 33° N. lat. A line drawn to the westward of this, in 
 about the 97th meridian of east longitude (reckoning 
 from Greenwich), at the point where the still more north- 
 erly chain of the Dum-tagh separates from the main 
 range, would serve to define approximately the centre 
 of the Ping Kange proper, where the system is charac- 
 terised by a ramification into parallel chains, serving as a 
 gigantic buttress to the highlands of northern Thibet, and 
 facing on the north the desert and saline plateau of Koko 
 Nor ; while on the east it cuts off the upper basin of the 
 Kinsha Kiang, and continues far into China. 
 
 That this is a principal and no subsidiary chain, is 
 proved by its continuity, and the connection between 
 its eastern and western parts through no less than ten 
 degrees of longitude. Other ramifications of this system 
 fall away to the north and south at almost right angles 
 through five degrees. From this point the North Thibetan 
 rampart turns to the northwest, where it eventually swells 
 into the ranges of the Kuen Lun proper. Between these 
 two ranges lies a narrow, confined valley, which is barren 
 in parts, but in others abundantly watered. This valley 
 is known as the Grhisan-tokhoi, and contains the source of 
 the Sochou, a tributary of the Mekong, which it joins sis 
 hundred miles to the south above Shunning. 
 
 As one might infer from the aridity of this range, due 
 to the absence of much rainfall, and the remarkable poros- 
 ity of the soil, vegetable and animal life are very deficient. 
 The western parts of the Ghisan-tokhoi, as yet unexplored. 
 
336 THROUGH UNEXPLORED ASIA. 
 
 in all probability are even more deficient in water. Out- 
 side of meagre herds of small, wild camels, and a few 
 herds of yak, we saw absolutely no other evidences of 
 animal life, save a few sand-grouse, which undoubtedly 
 were not denizens of the region, but those which had 
 strayed or been blown into the gloomy desert from hap- 
 pier climes. The mountains we are describing are quite 
 barren, but in the ravines there grow small dwarfed 
 species of medicinal rhubarb, tamarisk, and variegated 
 poplar, called by the natives tugrak. The valleys and 
 slopes of the plateau nearest to the current of the Dji 
 Chu were covered with loess, but beyond that region the 
 desolation and sterility was appalling. 
 
 As loess is met with more or less in all this region of 
 the northwest of China, it is proper that some idea should 
 be given of its importance to the country, and also some 
 facts concerning its general nature. Loess is nothing 
 more nor less than a dull, yellowish earth, in general 
 similar to potter's clay, but very porous, and, when dry, 
 may be reduced to an almost impalpable powder. Its 
 porosity, however, is the main feature which renders it 
 of inestimable benefit to the country in which it is found ; 
 for, absorbing rain and other moisture, its spongelike ten- 
 dencies enable it to retain sufficient wet to feed the roots 
 of the plants which penetrate through it. This moisture 
 is maintained for weeks, and even months, without being 
 replenished by rainfall, and although on the surface pre- 
 senting a bleak and sterile appearance, it is highly fertile 
 and capable of sustaining vegetable growth. In some por- 
 tions of the country, where it covers the substrata of soil 
 to a considerable depth, its softness and ease of being 
 fractured permits the natives to cut out cave-dwellings, 
 which, unless destroyed by some convulsion of nature, are 
 
VALUE OF LOESS. 337 
 
 enduring and comfortable, being amply protected against 
 the heat of summer, and the arctic coldness of winter. 
 
 As to the origin of these loess deposits, perhaps the 
 most accurate explanation is that given by Baron von 
 Eichtofen, who has made a minute study of the geological 
 phenomena of Central Asia, and who propounds the theory, 
 now generally accepted, that the action of the wind, sweep- 
 ing over the treeless steppes of Central Asia, removed the 
 sand and dust eastward, the latter finally settling in 
 the grass-covered districts of northwestern China and 
 Koko Nor. New vegetation was at once nourished, while 
 its roots were raised by the constantly arriving deposit, — 
 the decay of old roots producing the lime-lined canals 
 which impart to this material its peculiar characteristics. 
 At those places, however, where it has been deposited on 
 the river banks, the ceaseless action of the water has 
 undermined the friable structure overhead, which, falling 
 in huge lumps, soon disintegrates and is carried off by the 
 waters, to be, farther down, deposited on the shore, where 
 it forms the rich, alluvial deposits used in fertilising the 
 districts of lower China. As to the value of loess to 
 the country at large, it is needless to say more than that, 
 without its presence, there could never be any possibility 
 of making this vast territory of practical value, for the 
 native soU in itself is too sterile and unfruitful to support 
 vegetation of any kind whatsoever. 
 
 And now as regards the people of this country. Un- 
 like the Tangutans or Mongols, they are not of large 
 frame, but rather tend toward the other extreme, most 
 of those whom we saw in Tzuchan and the surrounding 
 country being of almost sufficiently meagre stature to be 
 classified among the dwarf races. Many of the males are 
 not over four and a half feet in height, while the women 
 
338 THROUGH UNEXPLORED ASIA. 
 
 are even less. Their features are sharp and angular, and 
 in general respects not unlike the southern Indian tribes 
 of the American continent. They are extensive metal 
 workers, and seem to have a proficient knowledge of 
 many of the civilised arts. According to territorial dis- 
 position, they are either agriculturists or»hunters, but with 
 none of the nomadic dispositions of the other Central 
 Asiatic tribes, fierce and untamable, but always settled in 
 congregated habitations, and never straying from them. 
 They are a vain and boastful people, and in conversing 
 with them as to the extent of their tribes and numbers, 
 they seek to impress one with the enormity of their coun- 
 try, and their unconquerable prowess. Clothing is worn 
 only by adults, and consists of merely a cloth over the 
 loins ; while tribal distinctions are shown by different 
 grotesque methods of doing up the hair with a plaster of 
 mud into fantastic designs, or various slits in the body. 
 
 Their dwellings are exceptionally miserable and filthy ; 
 when not dug out of the loess banks or in the side of a 
 hill, they are conical-shaped huts, built of stones and mud, 
 with a narrow opening in one side serving as the entrance. 
 The people are all pagans, although some have an idea 
 of a supreme spirit or power. Each tribe has a religion 
 of its own, with its own fetish gods and idols, which 
 represent various animals and grotesque monsters, usually 
 the crudest specimens of clay pottery or stone sculpture. 
 Instead of lamas, as in Thibet and other districts of West- 
 ern China, they have magic doctors, who are much prac- 
 tised in mummery and witchcraft, and perform cures, or 
 anything their patient wishes, by applying to a particular 
 god, according to the patient's ability to pay. 
 
 The principal Stronghold of this strange race, Tzuchan, 
 although we were not able to penetrate beyond the near 
 
CHARACTERISTICS OF TANGUTANS. 
 
 339 
 
 approach of the surrounding slope, we calculated, from 
 what observations we were enabled to make, was a 
 quarter of a mUe long, and of equal width, containing 
 a couple of hundred huts of the miserable kind heretofore 
 described, with no traces of high civilisation, as many 
 travellers who have sought to reach its vicinity have been 
 led to believe. It is surrounded on three sides by a mud 
 wall nearly twenty 
 feet high, while on 
 the other it is guard- 
 ed from ,approach by 
 the roaring torrent 
 of a considerable 
 mountain stream. 
 In the open plain 
 to the south, three 
 hundred yards re- 
 moved from the 
 walls, there are six 
 temples constructed 
 of sandstone ; but, 
 like the native dwell- 
 ings, these temples 
 
 are of an inferior kind, and give no general appearance 
 of sumptuousness. 
 
 Of the Tangutans of Gharlkau and the surrounding 
 region the less that is said the better, for their moral code 
 is excessively corrupt and lax. In general they are rest- 
 less and seditious, the vainest and most painstaking of 
 liars, with no compunction whatsoever for taking human 
 life, even if the victims be of their own kin, and for the 
 most trivial reasons, such as the desire for the ownership 
 of a knife or equally valueless articles. They are eager 
 
 BURIAL OBO WITH PKAYBR FLAGS. 
 
340 THROUGH UNEXPLORED ASIA. 
 
 for office, but far from trustworthy, the proverbial Chinese 
 honesty being a myth which has but a nebulous existence 
 in the minds of charitably disposed apologists for present 
 conditions. 
 
 Nevertheless, it is to this sort of rabble that China 
 must entrust the ruling of her western and northern fron- 
 tier, for the reason that the constantly growing menace 
 of Russian aggression requires the placing of the admin- 
 istration of the country in native hands. Thus far, 
 however, this policy has proved more disastrous than 
 successful, the Russian spies and diplomatic agents find- 
 ing in the treacherous populace their best confederates. 
 There can be no doubt but that already Russia is holding 
 a whip-hand over this vast region of Central Asia as far 
 south as the Indian border, — rulers in substance if not 
 in name, quietly pushing forward to consummation her 
 gigantic schemes for Slavonic aggression and dominance 
 in the East. Already her traders, her spies, her military 
 officials and diplomatists, have threaded through the wilds 
 of Turkestan, and even into China proper, — sowing sedi- 
 tion in one spot, conciliating the native tribes in another, 
 blinding the Chinese officials and the world at large as 
 to their real intent, and carefully maturing their plans 
 for the grand coup when the moment shall be propitious, 
 which will ensure Russian preeminence in Asia. 
 
 It is not difficult to account for the exceptional interest 
 which the Empire of China possesses for Russians, and 
 indeed for all cultivated inhabitants of the West. Through 
 a large cycle of the life of the ancient world China has 
 filled a conspicuous place in the political hierarchy ; and 
 although her power has sadly waned in these later days, 
 she still remains an influence of great importance in the 
 future of Asia. The political value of China has long 
 
ENGLAND'S ATTITUDE TOWARD CHINA. 341 
 
 been recognised ; and it has indeed formed a constant 
 factor in English and Russian politics for the last quarter 
 of a century, if not longer. There are Western powers 
 to which the past, present, or future of China is of little 
 or no consequence ; but to the two great European powers, 
 Russia and England, China must ever remain an object 
 of especial interest, dividing as they do so large a share 
 of Asia between them ; and at no time more than the 
 present has it been the obvious wise policy of England to 
 support the Chinese in the development of their country, 
 and assist them in their endeavours to increase its power 
 and augment its prosperity. England has in this direc- 
 tion no designs of conquest; and the policy which she 
 pursued toward the present Amir of Afghanistan, in 
 placing him upon the throne, and supporting him there 
 when the whole country was at her mercy, has demon- 
 strated to the Asiatic world, or at least should have done 
 so, that the interests of England do not so much demand 
 the acquisition of new territory as the consolidation of 
 existing institutions, the maintenance in greater strength 
 and security of the present established order of things, 
 and the permanency of those rulers who show themselves 
 capable of administering their ancestral possessions. There 
 is nothing in China to excite the cupidity of any English 
 government, for as an ally, or even a commercially related 
 nation, China is more valuable to England than an acquisi- 
 tion. If Great Britain is to retain her Indian Empire, a 
 collision between her and Russia seems not only possible, 
 but assured. There are many to-day in the British gov- 
 ernment who do not think -that the possession of her 
 Indian Empire adds anything to England's power. She 
 has never derived any real benefit from it, and the Indian 
 expenditures exceed the revenues. With this fact in view. 
 
842 THROUGH UNEXPLORED ASIA. 
 
 it is not only misleading, but downright fallacious, to sup- 
 pose that, in interesting herself in the growing crisis in 
 the East, England is doing so in the hopes of territorial 
 aggrandisement . 
 
 On the other hand, it may be said that Russia, in 
 aggression on China, is but plainly playing the shrewd 
 scheme which she has sought to fructify for a century. It 
 may be that the vis inertioe of the East, the traditional and 
 hereditary antipathy and disinclination to change which 
 seem to belong to all Asiatic races, may prevent, at any 
 rate for some time to come, the accomplishment of all 
 that the promoters of this great undertaking propose. 
 With the exception of the Persians, the Chinese are, per- 
 haps, the most actively intelligent of all Central Asiatic 
 races, possessed of a remarkable subtlety of intellect, and 
 of considerable abUity in managing afEairs of state impor- 
 tance. English influence, wherever it is exerted, is in 
 favour of free trade, and it asks for itself neither protec- 
 tion nor any advantages which are not equally offered to 
 all the world ; and, although it is patent that the com- 
 mercial policy of other nations is more or less protection- 
 ist, with a consuming desire to obtain exclusive use of all 
 the new markets which they acquire, it is not possible for 
 them to say that the British commercial policy is hostile 
 or unfriendly to them. 
 
 It is difficult to predict at the present time what the 
 future of China will bring forth ; and it cannot be denied 
 that political considerations have greater weight here than 
 in almost any other country in the world. She lies 
 between the powerful Asiatic empires of England and 
 Russia, and she cannot help sharing the anxiety of the 
 earthenware jar, which was compelled to float down the 
 river with its companions of brass. It is possible that 
 
RUSSIAN AGGRESSION IN CENTRAL ASIA. 343 
 
 China in the future, as she has done in the past, will 
 pursue an independent policy, looking first to one side and 
 then to the other, to gain the favour or deprecate the 
 wrath of her powerful neighbours. Although the menace 
 of Russian aggression never grows less, there is no 
 reason to believe that at the present time her influence 
 is to be greatly felt ; while the peaceful and friendly dis- 
 position of the English government is notorious. What- 
 ever may be the political attitude of Russia toward China 
 or England hereafter, there is no reason to conclude that 
 it must necessarily be successful. Apart from political 
 considerations, and assuming that China will be allowed to 
 enter upon the path of commercial development and 
 to pass through the sprouting period of civilisation, there 
 is every hope for the future. Yet there is no telling what 
 the future may bring forth; and it is this potent fact 
 which must ever provide food for the alarmists, who view 
 with apprehension the onward march of Slavonic domi- 
 nance toward the East. 
 
 One need but look at the map to understand plainly the 
 fears which haunt British diplomatic minds when there is 
 a tremor of more than ordinary character in the smould- 
 ering earthquake which may outburst with fearful vio- 
 lence at any moment. The success of Russia in China 
 would not only double but treble the mighty power which 
 she already holds at her command in the Pacific ; indeed, 
 to the most casual observer, such success suggests com- 
 mercial and military dominance in those waters. Posses- 
 sion of strategic points in China would give Russia a 
 fearful preponderance in the commercial and political 
 world ; and while Great Britain would be the first, and, 
 perhaps, the only nation seriously to suffer from it, there 
 is much reason to believe the often reiterated statements 
 
344 THROUGH UNEXPLORED ASIA. 
 
 of diplomatists that Russia would use such, power to 
 further other aggressions, which might, in the end, afEect 
 the interests of other nations. 
 
 Speaking, however, of Great Britain alone, the success 
 of Russia in Central Asia would most seriously menace, 
 not only the further growth, but the very existence of 
 that nation in the East. Nor is this an exaggerated idea 
 of the subject. Russia has shown herself to be a grasping 
 nation. That her success has not been greater has been 
 due to a number of untoward circumstances, which have 
 severely handicapped her. For years she has had to bear 
 the combined affronts and antagonism of every European 
 nation ; but slowly and surely her diplomatists have 
 worked out their plans of intrigue and coercion, until 
 she holds the strong hand over Europe, and with the 
 other menaces the whole of Asia. With the possession 
 of important interior posts and seaports in China, Russia 
 would be able to maintain a Pacific fleet of enormous 
 strength, which would cope with any that England could 
 spare from her home defences, while it would be a com- 
 paratively easy matter to forward troops across Siberia, 
 and, with base of supplies in strategic points of Central 
 Asia and China, to let loose the semi-barbarous and Anglo- 
 phobist tribes of Turkestan, Afghanistan, and Thibet upon 
 the luxuriant plains of India and Persia. 
 
 These are the conditions as they exist. Can England 
 stay the inevitable ending ? and if so, for how long ? How 
 long, the future alone can tell. 
 
CHAPTER X. 
 
 On the fifth of October, our prolonged halt at Gharl- 
 kau came to an end, loath as we were to have it do so ; 
 but the lateness of the season, and the necessity of passing 
 up the stream of 'the Dji Chu and across the wUd Koko 
 Nor before the terrible spell of an arctic winter had settled 
 in over the vast region, hurried us forward. It was with 
 a feeling of regret that we saw the low-lying huts and 
 palisaded wall of the straggling village fade from our 
 sight, and give way to the toneless, murky current of 
 inky blackness, which glided swiftly and noiselessly by. 
 There were to be no more days of ease and languor, no 
 more hours of indolence, no more living in the midst of 
 peace and plenty, without fear of thirst or hunger, at 
 least for a season. 
 
 Never did voyagers start off under more gloomy cir- 
 cumstances. The sky was overcast with moisture-laden 
 clouds, which hung around us like a cold, dank shroud ; 
 the dark water of the stream was obscured ' by a pene- 
 trating fog blown low from over the mountains ; and the 
 land, sympathising with the gloom above and around, 
 appeared silent and lonely. The crew sighed dolorously, 
 and paddled with lagging hands and hearts, their faces 
 reflecting the glances of men who feel that they are going 
 forward to their death, turning first toward Burton, and 
 then toward myself, as if striving to read in our eyes 
 some ray of hope, or some faint signal of weakening, 
 which might lead to a message for the turning around 
 
 345 
 
346 THROUGH UNEXPLORED ASIA. 
 
 of the canoes, and a return to the undisturbed delights 
 that had been theirs for a long month, during which time 
 most of them had acquired a disagreeable fullness of 
 girth, and a certain tightness and shininess of the skin, 
 which gave ample evidence that they had not neglected 
 their opportunities for material enjoyment. 
 
 By noonday, however, the foggy enemy had been put 
 to flight, and, with the sun shining out of a blue, clear 
 sky, warming all the earth with its cheering rays, our 
 spirits gradually rose, until the crew, forgetting their low- 
 spiritedness of the morning, were swinging their paddles 
 rhythmically to the stirring tones of a warlike chant, 
 calling to one another in good-natured badinage across 
 the waste of waters, or pressing forward with valorous 
 haste to lead the van. 
 
 The appearance of nature in this land, immediately to 
 the north of Gharlkau, was as that of a spot accursed. 
 "We seemed to be on the shores of the Dead Sea, 
 where the towns of the plain had sunk under a fiery 
 wave, and where desolation for ever reigns, to mark an 
 awful judgment; or, as if the glowing hills of Pande- 
 monium had been raised from their dreadful depths, to 
 sully the face of the earth with their most forbidding 
 aspect. Great masses of crags rose in huge disarray, split 
 in long ravines, and hurled into unutterable confusion, 
 the sun beating down on their glistening surface, and 
 baking the parched and pebbly plain with vindictive heat. 
 
 Ten hours from Gharlkau brought us to Jizlu, at the 
 mouth of the Chuan-gol, which, at this point, we dis- 
 covered to be a considerable stream of remarkable depth, 
 seven consecutive soundings gaining readings varying from 
 forty to one hundred and sixty-five feet. Its current for 
 some distance was bordered with fantastic and peaked 
 
A TANGUT MOKMON. 347 
 
 hills, and filled with, such an abundance of fish that the 
 waters seemed to be fairly alive with them. They were 
 very easy to catch, a couple of the crew striking several 
 dozen of them with their paddles, and throwing them 
 into the canoes. Their appearance, not unlike that of 
 a salmon, was the best thing that could be said in their 
 favour, for whether it was owing to the nature of their 
 food, or to some other cause, they had an unpleasant, 
 rancid, oUy taste, suggestive of decomposed fat. 
 
 A most hospitable old Tangutan presided over the 
 affairs of Jizlu. He was the owner of nearly a hundred 
 head of cattle, and a vast number of horses and sheep. 
 Unlike the generality of the people of this region, he 
 and his family were remarkably cleanly, and on our 
 arrival were engaged in a practice never counted as 
 belonging to the Sifanese code, — that of taking a bath. 
 The united families of his wife and concubines formed a 
 community of thirty persons, living in small mud huts, 
 gathered around the more pretentious central dwelhngs of 
 loosely gathered stones, much like a brood of chickens 
 around the mother hen. In spite, however, of their ap- 
 parent cleanly natures, nearly all of them were suffering 
 from some disease, which bore many evidences similar to 
 those of smallpox, the body being covered with numerous 
 festering sores, — a sickening and repugnant sight. We 
 eventually learned that this ailment, which is called 
 "blood sickness," is contracted by the Sifanese, to a 
 considerable extent, from eating cattle which had been 
 attacked with the disease. 
 
 The next morning, before we reembarked, the head 
 man invited us to visit the surrounding plain, which 
 was covered with a short growth of stubbly grass and 
 weeds, on which innumerable herds of sleek-looking cattle 
 
348 THROUGH UNEXPLORED ASIA. 
 
 and sheep were grazing. The cattle were very small, 
 and the sheep almost liliputian, but the latter generally 
 give birth to three at a time, and thus multiply quickly. 
 
 Jizlu seemed to be a religious centre of considerable 
 importances, for its secular population seemed out of all 
 ratio when compared with the large number of lamas 
 and lesser priests, who waited upon us at all hours of 
 the day ; with the most persistent curiosity crowding in 
 upon us during the middle of the night, and arousing 
 us from sleep, in order that they might ask some 
 question of the most trivial import. Their religion is 
 principally a mixture of fetish worship and idolatry, like 
 the other Sifanese tribes, with numerous local gods and 
 deities. Each native has devU-huts and idols, before 
 which offerings of pundu, grain, and meat are placed, 
 and almost every man has a small j&gure of his patron 
 protector tattooed on his chest. Many magicians also 
 move about with idols, which they pretend to consult 
 for the benefit of their clients ; and some, being very 
 clever ventriloquists and sleight-of-hand performers, man- 
 age to impose upon the credulity of the unsuspecting 
 native, and do a flourishing business. The great head- 
 quarters of their religion, however, is a temple nearly 
 thirty feet in height, erected within a stockade, at the 
 rear of the village ; it contains a monstrous idol over 
 twenty feet in length, which is supposed to be the earthly 
 incarnation of wOhui (a number of deities who are the 
 especial patrons of fishermen and herdsmen), and to be 
 all-powerful for good or evil. Around the temple live a 
 number of lamas, who guard the sacred precincts from 
 all intruders, and receive offerings for the idol. Although 
 the unsuspecting public is allowed to worship this idol, 
 they are not allowed to look upon it; such profane 
 
RASCALLY LAMAS. 349 
 
 sacrilege would entail terrible results on the tribe. That 
 privilege is reserved alone for the lamas, who consult 
 the idol on momentous occasions, and make offerings to 
 it upon any signal victory over the brigandish tribes of 
 the mountain districts, who sweep down with persistent 
 fury on the peaceful villagers, stealing their cattle, and 
 taking prisoners right and left, the prisoners being carried 
 to the villages and strongholds of their captors, where 
 their position is little better than domestic slaves. They 
 can, however, be redeemed by their tribe by the payment 
 of a stated ransom, which is never forthcoming save in 
 the case of the head man, or other major officials. As 
 soon as one of the ordinary natives is captured in this 
 manner, the lamas, like a pack of ravenous wolves, sweep 
 down upon his possessions, seizing upon them as their 
 own, and turning his family out-of-doors, where, unless 
 there be grown males among them capable of serving the 
 tribe, they are doomed to a slow and torturing death by 
 starvation, neighbourly love or charitable humanity being 
 to them an abstract social virtue, a part of an unnam- 
 able code of ethics, which the native mind seems incapable 
 of understanding. 
 
 The chief lama here was a most fantastically dressed 
 madman, his body being disfigured with numerous scars 
 which lay in broad, angry welts all over his person from 
 head to foot, and with a number of brass rings fastened 
 through slits in his lower lip, which, coupled with the 
 shiny bareness of his small pate, gave hira a ludicrous 
 appearance in the extreme. The minor priests, by reason 
 of not having exercised the sacred office during so long a 
 period, were not so repulsive, and, although giving evi- 
 dences of treachery and cupidity in their suave and smiling 
 faces, were undoubtedly a race of higher intelligence than 
 
350 THROUGH UNEXPLORED ASIA. 
 
 the common herd. In fact, we discovered that many of 
 them were reniarkably erudite in a number of weighty 
 subjects, and although their arguments touching religion 
 were shallow and meaningless, they were advanced with 
 the gravity of a minister of state and the persuasive 
 reasoning of a diplomatist. 
 
 On the sixth we pushed forward about the middle of 
 the forenoon, after waiting several hours for the melting 
 of the penetrating vapours which hung low over the 
 stream of the Dji Chu. The country on the right, as 
 we proceeded, expanded to a plain of lower elevation, 
 which had a gradual uphft toward the northeast, and 
 was covered with dense, low bushes. The river narrowed 
 considerably, and its current was ill-defined and constantly 
 increasing in turbulence, — the unvarying evidences of 
 cataracts or other obstructions ahead. The banks were 
 well lined with native habitations and, in some cases, vil- 
 lages of considerable size. The population, as at Jizlu, 
 was either given up to the labour of tending their herds, 
 or catching fish, which were split open and salted, after 
 which they were arranged on long sticks and exposed to 
 the sun to dry, — the spectacle of innumerable groves of 
 these queer-looking trees being very singular. 
 
 We were evidently passing through a country occupied 
 by a different tribe, if not a different race, for those men 
 whom we saw were thin and athletic, of an ohve-brown 
 complexion, and with short noses, pouting lips, and nar- 
 row but keen eyes ; their general height is nearly six feet. 
 For weapons they had old muskets, some evidently of 
 native manufacture, and broad paddle-bladed spears with 
 shafts of enormous length, in some instances as much as 
 fifteen feet. These they used in catching fish, dashing 
 them down into the dark current with no apparent aim. 
 
A HARDY RACE. 351 
 
 time and time again, with great rapidity, bringing them 
 up to the surface with as many as a dozen fish impaled on 
 the sharp barb. 
 
 The men were absolutely naked, excepting a short kUfe 
 of yak skin gathered below the waist. The women wore 
 petticoats of similar material, reaching to the ground in 
 front, but showing only a short oval flap behind. These 
 garments were trimmed with long ropes of shells or beads, 
 which they used at times for the practical purpose of 
 chastising their children. The women were plump, good- 
 looking, and fairer than the men, who in many cases 
 seemed much wasted, either from disease, or the hardship 
 of their lot. 
 
 Many of these natives are very rich in cattle, which 
 they willingly bartered with us ; but, notwithstanding the 
 awe in which they held the spectacle of white men, they 
 did not allow their personal inquisitiveness and astonish- 
 ment to enter into their bargaining, for they were the 
 most exacting and persistent traders. We discovered 
 considerable gold among them in the shape of ornaments 
 and idols, the priests being especially rich in this respect ; 
 and, on making inquiries as to where they secured the 
 precious metal, they pointed to the country to the west- 
 ward, where they informed us it existed in abundance, but 
 in a country so untenantable and sterile that only the most 
 hardy members of the tribe could penetrate across the 
 sandy waste. They also had a settled financial system, 
 trade among themselves being carried on by small metal 
 coins ranging in size from a disc half an inch in diameter 
 to one nearly five inches, constructed of various metals, in 
 a few cases of gold or silver, but generally of iron or 
 copper. 
 
 They also had some idea of a settled form of govern- 
 
352 THROUGH UNEXPLORED ASIA. 
 
 ment, their institutions being eminently democratic, — 
 the head men being selected annually from the members 
 of the tribes, whose position is absolutely executive ; the 
 •administrative branches being carried on by a council, in 
 which aU those who are possessed of a requisite number 
 of cattle are allowed to serve. The custom of holding 
 captives secured in warfare and domestic malefactors as 
 slaves is also practised, although in each case the unfortu- 
 nate can secure his liberty by the performance of a certain 
 amount of labour, or by the payment by his friends or 
 relatives of an allotted sum to the community. 
 
 On the seventh, after paddling nearly the whole day 
 against a strong current, we arrived at an open expanse 
 of water, the presence of a succession of Httle falls and 
 rapids for the last half mile, necessitating the portage 
 of the canoes along the river bank. The Dji Chu here 
 expands to a width of an eighth of a mile. On the west- 
 ern side its coast line is marked by an almost unbroken 
 ridge of low-lying mountains, about two miles inland, varied 
 here and there by rounded knolls and hills, from whose 
 base a gradual slope, covered with dwarf tree-growth, ex- 
 tended down to the water's edge. The eastern end of this 
 bay-Uke expanse is closed by the land of the Wo-je, consist- 
 ing of a group of sterile hUls, which a few miles farther on 
 sank down into a naked plain. This bay, to which the 
 natives gave the name of Wuhen-Ba (home of the Water 
 Gods), is filled with half a dozen small islands, an acre 
 or less in extent, on which a closely gathered population 
 is clustered, while the mainland is practically deserted. 
 Though the islanders secure but a scanty subsistence from 
 the soil and their piscatorial efforts, they find considerable 
 consolation, in the fact that they are in a great measure 
 protected by natural barriers from the sudden onslaughts 
 
ILL -CONCEALED HOSTILITY. 
 
 353 
 
 of the fierce Djia-la, a barbarous race of half warriors, half 
 traders, who inhabit the district to the east. The fear of 
 their powerful neighbours, however, had in no measure 
 worked an appreciable efEect on their own characteristics, 
 for they were a most hostUe and vindictive lot ; and had 
 
 HOE AND YAK PACK-SADDLE. 
 
 it not been for the size of our numbers, and our generally 
 combative appearance, we should, undoubtedly, have been 
 called upon to face more serious dangers than menacing 
 scowls, furtive imprecations, and blasphemy. 
 
 On one of these islands we encamped at nightfall, when 
 
354 THROUGH UXEXPLORED ASIA. 
 
 almost immediately we were surrounded by a group of 
 some fifty or sixty filthy specimens of humanity, who 
 sought with their long-shafted spears to prevent the 
 canoes from landing. Sundry belabourings from the pad- 
 dles of our crew in the leading boats quenched their 
 ardour, and they retired sullenly to a distance ; and on 
 our making another forward movement, they retired be- 
 hind the sheltering stockade of their village. Soon we 
 heard the noise of an enormous war-drum, resounding 
 across the Dji Chu, and through the gathering gloom 
 perceived a flotUla of skin boats rapidly approaching from 
 several of the neighbouring islands, in which were seated 
 a number of yelhng and threatening natives. Our posi- 
 tion was precarious in the extreme, and, not relishing the 
 idea of this new horde of aggressors, we called to them to 
 return to their villages, at the same time threatening 
 to fire on those who sought to land. They halted for 
 a moment in moody silence, as if weighing the possible 
 chances of our carrying this threat into execution, and 
 then, with jeers of defiance, several of the more headstrong 
 hurled their spears in our direction, and rapidly paddled 
 their little boats to the beach, a short distance below our 
 position. This, however, was as far as they dared to pro- 
 ceed, the wholesome respect which they entertained for 
 our weapons, doubtless, curtailing their ardou». No slum- 
 ber, however, did we get during the night, for we had to 
 be ready at any moment to receive what seemed a prob- 
 able attack ; and it was with a great sense of relief that 
 after passing hours of darkness and climatic severity the 
 day broke without bloodshed. 
 
 In Western China it is impossible to define with any 
 degree of accuracy the exact boundaries of particular dis- 
 tricts or tribal regions, owing to their enormous number 
 
A TREACHEROUS CHANNEL. 355 
 
 and to the confusing manner in whicli they merge one 
 into another. Nomadic people, who are constantly shift- 
 ing their position or haunts, are found on the banks of 
 the river or far removed inland, while again they may 
 be met with at some point fifty or sixty or even a hundred 
 miles beyond, with entirely different tribes and races lying 
 between. Therefore it was necessary that our progress 
 at all times should be made guardedly and watchfully, 
 owing to the fact that we might at any moment pass 
 from hospitality* to hostility, from peace and semi-civilisa- 
 tion to war and .barbarism. 
 
 The current of the Dji Chu, which for several days 
 past had been growing turbulent and headstrong, reached 
 the culminating point of fractiousness on the ninth, when 
 having battled up-stream for ten miles, requiring as many 
 hours of sturdy effort, we approached a considerable 
 deflection in the river bed, forming a very sudden rapid. 
 As we approached this obstruction, by clinging to the 
 smoother water close inshore, I perceived that a canal or 
 ditch had been worn away by the action of the waters to 
 the right, and about ten feet wide. This canal was already 
 choked with masses of floating vegetation and natural 
 rafts of weeds ; but not wishing, if it could be avoided, 
 to incur the arduous labour which would be necessary in 
 making a portage, we ordered the crew to enter the narrow 
 channel, paddling at full strength, hoping in this manner 
 to be able to pass by the obstruction in the course of the 
 river. The first canoe made the attempt, and dashed 
 with great velocity at the apparently passable channel; 
 but in a moment we were attracted by the yells of the 
 four men in the canoe, who were violently gesticulating 
 and pointing down into the water. In our haste to follow, 
 we had almost pUed on top of them, but backing water, 
 
356 THROUGH UNEXPLORED ASIA. 
 
 we were now made aware of the treacherous character 
 of the current, its dark waters sheltering continuous 
 ridges of needle-pointed rocks. We were not able, how- 
 ever, to save the canoe which had pioneered the way, 
 and which, deserted by the crew in their haste to get 
 ashore, plunged back into the torrent, and sank almost 
 in an instant, carrying with it our entire supply of meat, 
 and two bales of cloth. This was a catastrophe indeed, 
 but, like many others we had met, it had to be endured, 
 and we proceeded on our way as best we could. 
 
 Karchok, or Kiam, stands at an altitude, by aneroid, of 
 13,875 feet. The considerable mountain range in the 
 vicinity, as we afterward ascertained, forms a watershed 
 which divides the streams flowing west into the current 
 of the Dji Chu from those that trend northeast. We 
 reached this village at 4 p. m. on the tenth. The sur- 
 rounding country was generally flat and unattractive, but 
 abundantly watered with a most confusing network of 
 small rivers and lakes. From the natives we learned 
 that there were a number of large springs in the vicinity 
 whose waters were much sought after, caravans coming 
 from great distances to secure the waters, and take them 
 back to their tribes. On the eleventh we proposed to 
 visit them for the purpose of securing ha,lf a dozen jugs 
 of the water, but, learning of our errand, the villagers 
 refused us permission to make the journey until we had 
 paid tribute for the privilege. After considerable haggling, 
 a price agreeable to both parties was agreed on, and, the 
 head men having been satisfied, we secured half a dozen 
 guides to point out the best springs. They are undoubt- 
 edly medicinal springs of considerable saliency, the water 
 clear and sparkling, with a most remarkable taste, which 
 may be best described as burned saltiness, and exceedingly 
 
UNEXPECTED CIVILISED LUXURIES. 357 
 
 exhilarating. On testing them, we discovered that they 
 had a temperature of 134'^Fahr., while those of larger 
 area, which served as bathing pools (when the native pop- 
 ulation were inclined to indulge in this most necessary- 
 process), showed a temperature of 110° Fahr. As we 
 were all most sadly in need of heeding the time-worn 
 maxim that " cleanliness is next to godliness," the entire 
 afternoon of this day was spent in a dirt-eliminating 
 process. 
 
 After leaving the low-lying coast of Karchok, the high- 
 lands of Taj-Ba rose into view, toweriug grim and lofty 
 into the clouds from the sandy desert plain at their base. 
 Clusters of gray, rocky islets studded the river close along 
 the right bank to a distance of five or six miles, — sterile 
 and uninteresting bouldery projections, unenlivened by 
 forest or verdure, and which, when the waters of the 
 river are swollen, are probably overflowed by its current. 
 This continued to the mouth of a river, which the natives 
 called Ayu, but, as it is quite an important and powerful 
 stream, we mapped it as the Gordon Bennett River, in order 
 to save confusion from the conflicting local names, which, 
 as is characteristic of Sifanese geographical data, were 
 most verbose and superficial. We essayed to penetrate 
 up the stream in order to gain a more general idea as to 
 the direction of its course, and, likewise, as to its size and 
 importance above its mouth. At the end of two miles, 
 however, the current became very shallow, while immense 
 cliffs a hundred feet in height closed in, forming an 
 elongated ravine, through which the waters rushed with 
 such force that we were reluctantly obliged to turn back. 
 
 On the shores were three native villages, practically 
 deserted, except for a score or more of miserable-looking 
 fishermen. Their dialect was very strange, conversation 
 
358 THROUGH UXEXPLORED ASIA. 
 
 with them being carried on more by vague and grotesque 
 gestures than by word of mouth. When they did speak 
 their tone was so coarse and raucous that one instinctively 
 glanced around to discover the gloomy cavern from whence 
 these sepulchral voices emanated. We sought to gain 
 some information concerning the river itself, but they 
 were either unwilling to give us information, or really 
 did not have the necessary knowledge concerning it ; for, 
 in response to our most vigorous questionings, we elicited 
 only the scanty information that its shores beyond the 
 point where we had penetrated were inhabited by a 
 race of the most terrible monsters, having but one leg and 
 one eye, with which they were able to run with the swift- 
 ness of the wind, and to see for amazing distances. One 
 hoary-headed old patriarch even went so far as to assert 
 that he was the only man who had ever visited their 
 country and been allowed to depart unharmed. From 
 close study of the maps of Prejevalsky and others, there 
 can be no doubt that the Gordon Bennett River is a 
 powerful stream penetrating through the north Thibetan 
 watershed, and emptying a hundred miles to the west- 
 ward into the Mekong headwaters. Additional weight is 
 lent to this theory by the fact that, although there are 
 innumerable other streams in the near vicinity, none of 
 them empty into the Dji Chu, but all flow in a south- 
 westerly direction toward the point where the latter 
 stream winds through the country. 
 
 As for the race of monsters upon whose traits the river 
 natives dUate with such gusto and reckless disregard of 
 veracity, there can be no doubt that they are warlike 
 tribes of the fierce Djia-la, whose general love for rapine 
 and pillage has worked with such effect upon the minds 
 of the meek-mannered and credulous river population 
 
SACRED MOUNTAESr OF DJIA-LA. 359 
 
 that their real attributes have been exaggerated into 
 the most fantastic and nebulous conceptions, — a practice 
 in which the wily Tangut is more or less of a past master. 
 
 From the natives at this point we also learned that 
 three days' journey to the southeast there was a consider- 
 able mountain inhabited by numerous deities who, when 
 angered, belched forth fire and smoke. All concurred in 
 saying that no human being had ever been able to ap- 
 proach near to this sacred spot, as the Djia-la regard it as 
 one of the most sacred of their mountains, and would in- 
 stantly put to death any one whom they discovered making 
 the efEort to reach it. Holmes, in his narrative of explora- 
 tion in the watershed of the eastern Thibetan border, 
 makes mention of an active volcano, of whose existence 
 he was informed by the native tribes, but which he was 
 unable to reach, owing to their invincible opposition. 
 As there does not seem to be another of these natural 
 phenomena in this region, the mountain of the Djia-la is 
 that which he undoubtedly had reference to. 
 
 Continuing our course up the Dji Chu on the thirteenth, 
 the difficulty of journeying constantly increased, until our 
 progress against the swiftly flowing current was meagre 
 in the extreme. As there was, however, no available 
 country over which to travel by land, we were obliged to 
 continue our battling progress by water, fourteen hours 
 of unbroken effort carrying us over a distance of eight 
 miles to Sok-Buchen. As we landed, a queer specimen of 
 humanity came running toward us, dressed in long greasy 
 robes, and wearing a most hideous mask, which towered 
 several feet above his head. After considerable difficulty 
 we learned that he was the chief priest of the village, and 
 had been delegated by the natives to approach us to learn 
 what tribute we would pay for the privilege of landing. 
 
360 THROUGH UNEXPLORED ASIA. 
 
 We well knew that we were not called upon to make this 
 unnecessary outlay, but, anxious to avoid ill-feeling of any 
 sort, we told him to return to those who sent him. with 
 the information that we would give each of the head men 
 a yard of cloth, and minor gifts to each of the lesser 
 luminaries of the place. To this he ofiEered a stern 
 refusal, and demanded that we quadruple the offer, or 
 on no consideration should we be allowed to land. This 
 outrageous extortion we were minded at all hazards to 
 repel, and with considerable spirit ordered him to return 
 with the first message we had given, informing him at 
 the same time that, unless om* offer was accepted within 
 a quarter of an hour, it was our intention to make the 
 landing by force if necessary, as our crew were utterly 
 fagged out in body from the hard labour of the day, and it 
 was necessary that we should secure shelter for the night. 
 
 With a vindictive grin he ambled off to the village, and 
 five minutes later we were waited upon by several of the 
 head men, armed with guns and spears as if to impress us 
 duly with the determination of their demands, who, after 
 several warlike gestures, repeated in substance the terms 
 which had been made by the priest. Again we declined 
 to entertain such a proposition; and being angered at 
 their insolent attitude, we endeavoured to impress them 
 fully with the fact that no opposition on their part would 
 alter our firmly rooted purpose to effect a landing imme- 
 diately. As the canoes slowly proceeded toward the bank 
 they hurled at us a yell of defiance and ran back to the 
 village ; almost immediately thereafter we saw forty or 
 fifty men issuing from the narrow opening in the stock- 
 ade, armed for the conflict, and slowly advancing to the 
 stirring air of a droning war-chant. 
 
 Calling upon the Kiangsis to paddle with all their 
 

 SIX SYLLABIC PRAYER, " OM MANI PADME HUM. 
 
 The combination of the letters 30 as to form an anagram is called " Xamchu yangdan," 
 
 the ten powerful. 
 
RASCALLY NATIVES. 363 
 
 might, we shot the canoes far up on to the bank, and, 
 ranging them in line so as to form a sheltering bulwark, 
 we awaited the onslaught of our enemy. Their valour, 
 however, seeing that their warlike demonstrations had 
 no appreciable effect, rapidly evanesced, and at the spec- 
 tacle of our weapons ranged in their direction the war- 
 chant came to an end, and they gathered in silent and 
 sullen groups, untU Burton with his force on the left rose 
 up with loud yells of defiance as if to advance, when 
 instantly the horde, who but a few minutes before had 
 been so demonstrative of their stern opposition to our 
 landing, broke in wild confusion and retired to their 
 village. Having gained this bloodless victory, the tents 
 were pitched in a sheltered position beneath an over- 
 hanging wall of rock, and we prepared to encamp for the 
 night. A half-hour later we were again called upon to 
 receive emissaries from the neighbouring village, who, 
 after having recited with much wealth of oratory their 
 indomitable prowess in the region, expressed their desire 
 to welcome us as brothers, and said that they would be 
 satisfied with twice our original offer. With a full knowl- 
 edge of the upper hand which we held, we turned a deaf 
 ear to their often reiterated pleadings ; and, finally, dis- 
 gusted and angered with their persistent importuning, 
 we ordered them away to their village, threatening that, 
 if they returned again with a renewal of any offer save 
 that which we had extended, we should order the crew to 
 beat them soundly with their paddles. At this moment 
 we were aroused to a new danger by loud cries from the 
 Kiangsis encamped on the right, and, rushing in that 
 direction, we perceived half a dozen rascals, who had 
 stolen down the face of the cliff, running away with two 
 guns and several long pieces of cloth. It was impossible 
 
364 THROUGH UNEXPLORED ASIA. 
 
 to think of pursuit, as the thieves were already half-way- 
 back to the shelter of their village ; but we adopted the 
 wiser expedient of seizing upon the persons of the emis- 
 saries, who had not yet taken their departure, informing 
 them that it was our intention to hold them as hostages 
 until the stolen goods had been returned* and the thieves 
 punished. 
 
 For several minutes they made vigorous efforts to 
 escape, rushing at the Kiangsis with their long spears, 
 until, as a measure of safety, we felt called upon to subdue 
 their fiery spirits with the butts of our guns. With their 
 arms and feet bound they grew surly and morose, venting 
 their impotent wrath by menacing yells, and by shouts to 
 their kin to come to their rescue. The latter, however, 
 were actuated more by a firm resolve to maintain the 
 integrity of their own precious skins than to risk their 
 lives in the desperate effort to rescue their unfortunate 
 brethren ; and although we waited in anxious suspense 
 during the greater part of the night, momentarily expect- 
 ing attack, when day broke the position of the night 
 before had not been altered, the villagers being still 
 possessed of our guns and cloth, while as security for 
 the same we held half a dozen of their "principal men. 
 Looking, however, in the direction of the stockade, we 
 saw that there was an ominous air of preparation which 
 boded evil. A consultation was in progress, at first 
 being carried on quietly enough, and it was plainly 
 apparent that the bulk of the natives were not in favour 
 of strife ; but their warlike spirits were gradually worked 
 up to a point of frenzy by two or three prominent figures, 
 who raised their voices, the loud, sharp, and peremptory 
 ■ tones of which showed that their owners would carry the 
 day. There was a bellicose activity about their move- 
 
BLOODLESS BATTLE OF SOK-BUCHEN. 365 
 
 ments, an emphasis in their gestures, and a determined, 
 wrathful fury about the motion of the head and the pose 
 of the body which was unmistakable. 
 
 Again ranging the canoes in line, and passing thirty 
 rounds of ammunition to each man, we took the prisoners 
 and placed them in the open space in front of the breast- 
 work. At sight of this manoeuvre there was a percep- 
 tible movement of anxiety among the turbulent horde in 
 the foreground ; the leaders no longer raised their voices 
 for war, but retired sullenly at a distance to talk over 
 this latest phase of affairs, and to devise some new method 
 whereby our position might be carried. Long and strenu- 
 ously did they cogitate, untU at last discretion got the 
 better of their valour. With open hands three of the lead- 
 ing men approached, and announced their willingness to 
 abstain from further hostility on the condition that we 
 should release the prisoners and make pa3rment of the 
 original tribute, while they would return the guns and 
 cloth which had been stolen. They had come, they said, 
 to take away the prisoners, and in half an hour would see 
 that their part of the bargain was carried out. After 
 complimenting them on this friendly attitude, we an- 
 nounced our willingness to terminate the affair as they 
 had suggested, — adding, however, that we preferred that 
 the initiative of exchange should be taken by them. Per- 
 ceiving that their cunning was unavailing (for they would 
 have had no compunction in resuming hostilities once the 
 prisoners were free and safe in their hands), they retired 
 to the village, and returned with the guns and cloth, 
 which having examined we allowed the prisoners to 
 depart, carrying with them the stipulated tribute. In 
 this manner the bloodless battle of Sok-Buchen was 
 happily terminated. 
 
866 THROUGH UNEXPLORED ASIA. 
 
 The fourteenth was passed in camp, for the crew, what 
 with loss of sleep and the stirring experiences which they 
 had been obliged to put up with during the last two days, 
 were in a greatly fatigued condition, while both Burton 
 and myself were utterly fagged out. Dividing our 
 force into watches, we passed the next twenty-four hours 
 in slumber without molestation of any sort from the turbu- 
 lent villagers, who, with the scant success which had 
 attended their previous efforts, were markedly unwilling 
 to resume hostilities. 
 
 We were considerably alarmed on the morning of 
 the fifteenth, when we broke camp and prepared to 
 embark, to find that five of the Kiangsis complained of 
 illness. Their faces were flushed, their minds seemed 
 wandering, and their bodies were covered with numerous 
 flaming spots like smallpox pustules. There seemed no 
 doubt but that they had contracted the dread disease, and, 
 quarantining them in one of the largest canoes. Burton 
 and myself (who had both been vaccinated, and were of 
 course impervious to the effects of the ailment) paddled it 
 against the headstream, while the others led the van. 
 About 9 A. M. the current of the river grew smoother, and, 
 a gentle breeze springing up from shore, we raised the 
 little lug-sail, hoping that it would continue fair for a 
 northwest course. But we were to be disagreeably disap- 
 pointed, for an hour later it fell a dead calm ; the 
 sun shone down on the unprotected boats with fearful 
 intensity, while the ailing men groaned dismally and con- 
 tinually called for water. We covered them with an 
 improvised shelter of cloth, which in a measure amelio- 
 rated their condition ; but which we had no sooner done 
 than we were called upon to face a new and more por- 
 tentous danger. A cry from those in the leading canoes 
 
A SQUALL ON THE DJI CHU. 367 
 
 caused us to look ahead, and to our horror we descried a 
 curling wave of water rushing angrily toward us, driven 
 by a squall of fearful intensity. At the same time a low- 
 lying cloud descended like a grim hand of fate, rendering 
 it an impossibility to see more than five yards ahead, 
 while the wind whistled by with terrible fury. 
 
 Our position was crucial in the extreme. We called to 
 the other canoes to come to our assistance ; but the foggy 
 vapours obscured them from view, and even had they 
 heard our calls, they were too busily engaged in maintain- 
 ing their own perilous existence to lend us aid. In a 
 moment the protecting shelter over the sick men caught 
 the full blast of the wind, and, bellying outward like a sail 
 drawing full, lifted us clean out of the stream while huge 
 waves surged around us, pouring volumes of water into the 
 canoe, until, notwithstanding our best efforts to maintain 
 our position bow on toward the waves, we were in immi- 
 nent danger of being sent to the bottom by the weight of 
 water pressing us down, which had half filled the boat. 
 For the time being forgetting their ailment, the Kiangsis, 
 menaced by this new and more imminent danger, seized 
 their buckets and baled with vigour until we rose higher 
 out of the water and our position was less dubious. In 
 another half-hour the squall had blown away, when we 
 were able to catch a glimpse of the other canoes. Some 
 had not been so fortunate as ourselves, having been blown 
 by the force of the gale high up on shore, where they suf- 
 fered considerable damage from the severe pounding to 
 which they were subjected. All were more or less strained 
 or damaged ; so dismissing all expectation of further prog- 
 ress for the day, we encamped, and proceeded to attend to 
 our injuries. 
 
 Our load of anxiety was a little bit lightened by an 
 
368 THROUGH UNEXPLORED ASIA. 
 
 examination of the sick men, for, notwithstanding the 
 rigorous experience through which they had just passed, 
 they all seemed to have improved. The fever had abated, 
 and the pustules had disappeared. Questioning them 
 closely, we learned that they had eaten considerable quan- 
 tities of tainted yak meat which we had ordered to be 
 thrown away, and this had undoubtedly caused their sick- 
 ness. We reproached them for their gluttony, and for the 
 danger which they had thereby brought not only upon 
 themselves but upon all the rest of the expedition, at the 
 same time expressing our disgust that they could eat such 
 evil-smelling food. To which stricture, with characteristic 
 Chinese philosophy, they replied that they ate the meat, 
 not the smell; and with this unanswerable view of the 
 question we were forced to remain satisfied. 
 
 Eeaching Dju Kharmau at 3 p. m., on the sixteenth, we 
 found it to be a well-populated and hospitable river set- 
 tlement. The head man had evidently never been treated 
 to the curious spectacle of gazing on white men before ; 
 for, after making furtive inquiries as to whether we were 
 real men, or merely ghosts of meuj and being at last 
 satisfied in his own mind that we were of more solid 
 substance than spirits, he invited us to share the pleas- 
 ures of his own abode, — a long, rambling gallery apart- 
 ment cut for thirty feet into a bed of loess, piled against 
 a considerable mountain peak. After indulging in becom- 
 ing self-control on the remains of a roasted sheep and 
 huge quantities of fresh pundu, he ordered torches to be 
 lit and placed in crevices of the wall. The flambeaux, 
 dimly lighting up the interior, permitted us to observe 
 the entrance of a number of the villagers, who, having in 
 turn examined our persons to their hearts' content, and 
 asked an abundance of meaningless and foolish questions. 
 
DJU KHARMAU HOSPITALITIES. 369 
 
 sat down in a circle to dispose of the good cheer which 
 the host had provided for their entertainment. Their 
 gluttonous appetites seemingly knew no limit; for each 
 consumed huge quantities of food, washed down with such 
 long and deep draughts from the huge receptacle in which 
 the pimdu was passed around that we could not but 
 wonder where these vast quantities of edible and potable 
 matter found lodgment. But to solve the mysteries and 
 capabilities of a Tangut stomach is a task which would 
 puzzle the most erudite mathematician, while the scientist 
 in search of examples of perpetual motion would not have 
 to look further for an illustrative instance of his theories. 
 
 At the conclusion of the feasting we were treated to a 
 dance, in which, contrary to the general custom of the 
 country, both males and females joined. A dozen men 
 assembled in the open space in the centre of the apart^ 
 ment, with fifes and flutes constructed of bone and argali 
 horns, and, after several preliminary flourishes, started off 
 on a wild and dismal chant, which ever increased in 
 vigour until the noise was deafening. The rest of the 
 men, and ten or a dozen women and girls, stood by or 
 squatted on the floor, and kept time to the music by hum- 
 ming through their closed fingers, meanwhile swaying 
 their bodies in a sinuous motion. At last, the music 
 having attained its highest pitch, they discarded all cloth- 
 ing, and absolutely naked began to dance with considera- 
 ble vigour, ever increasing their efforts as the music 
 stirred them, rushing about madly and frenziedly, shout- 
 ing at the top of their lungs, until, incapable of main- 
 taining their feet longer, they sank on the ground 
 through exhaustion. 
 
 As soon as this dance had come to an end one of the 
 musicians (save the mark !) blew on his fife, holding it 
 
370 THKOUGH UNEXPLORED ASIA. 
 
 with the left hand, his fingers opening and shutting to 
 modiilate the sound, while in his right hand, pressed close 
 to his ear, he held a slight stick which he used to clear 
 the instrument. The leader blew strongly, his head stoop- 
 ing forward and his feet stamping the ground to keep 
 time; the others of the orchestra joined in the refrain. 
 Wild music arose ; the musicians circled around, looking 
 inward, stooping and beating time, and from time to time 
 stopping before the females with the most suggestive 
 gestures. The music quickened, the women sang, then 
 sprang forward, clapping their hands, and ran around the 
 circle of musicians, giving their bodies various odd twists, 
 and ending by dexterously turning a succession of hand- 
 springs until they had regained their original places. 
 Sometimes the women got into the middle of the circle 
 and played on the crude-looking instruments, while the 
 men stamped and danced around them. Thus they con- 
 tinued for two or three hours, when the entertainment 
 came to a fitting close by the laving of innumerable 
 parched throats, superinduced by the great exertion, with 
 fiery pundu, and we were enabled to roll ourselves up in 
 yak skins and secure that most blessed panacea of tired 
 nature, sound and undisturbed slumber, — for the first time 
 in many days being able to . retire without the dire prob- 
 ability of being wakened at any moment to battle for life 
 and property. 
 
 The seventeenth and eighteenth were spent in exploring 
 the surrounding country, and venturing upon several hunt- 
 ing expeditions, as the low state of our meat supply made 
 a change to fresh diet not only agreeable, but necessary, if 
 we wished to prevent a recurrence of the disease that had 
 attacked the Kiangsis a few days before. The weather 
 continuing clear and of equable temperature, we were able 
 
PHYSICAL FEATURES OF LARI ULA. 371 
 
 to make a number of observations, the most important 
 that of ascertaining the exact altitude of the Dji Chu at 
 this point. Two successive readings at boUing point 
 showed an altitude of 13,977 feet above the sea level. 
 
 That part of the Kuen Luen system which bounds the 
 plateau of Keriavun on the south forms a section easily 
 to be distinguished from the continuation of the range 
 east and west. From Dju Kharmau to the southern end 
 of the Baian-Kara-ula range, near Man Tsu, the system 
 takes the form . of a great ridge, sloping gradually from 
 the plain to a broad summit, varying from twelve thou- 
 sand to fourteen thousand feet above the sea level, and 
 falling to the Thibetan plain in a series of steppes. So 
 distinct is this section from the broken ranges to the west 
 and south that the general title of Lesser Kuen Luen may 
 be appropriately applied to it ; not because the elevation 
 is much inferior to that of the summits of the other parts 
 of the range, but because few peaks rise above the general 
 level, and the gradual slopes give so easy a character to 
 the plateau that the evidence of the aneroid is needed 
 to afEord one any exact idea of the height to which he has 
 climbed. 
 
 The western wall, formed by Lari Ula, is impassable at 
 any point for beasts of burden, even the sure-footed yak 
 being unable to pursue his way over the treacherous sur- 
 face of loose boulders and pebbles, which have the dura- 
 bility of granite and the treachery of quicksand, — at 
 one moment bruising and cutting the limbs, at the next 
 released in masses by the inadvertent displacement of 
 some protecting stone, rushing down with terrible force 
 and sweeping away everything that may lie in its path. 
 The vaUey lying between the two parallel ranges of the 
 Lari Ula, through which presses the swift current of 
 
372 THROUGH UNEXPLORED ASIA. 
 
 the Dji Chu, varies in width from two to five miles for a 
 day's journeying, when, a number of rapids and cascades 
 having been abridged by land portage, the river bed grows 
 deeper, and passes over a gentler altitude without precipi- 
 tancy, where the flow of the stream is sluggish, and its 
 banks and bottom soft ; a few miles farther on, however, 
 it becomes more rapid and the bed more rocky, owing to 
 a gradual contracting of the two ranges toward each 
 other. Above Kung Nak the river turns westward, and 
 as the Lari Ula maiatain their southerly direction, the 
 river valley is enclosed by precipices, descending sheer 
 and forbidding where the waters have cut their way 
 through the solid adamant by centuries of ceaseless 
 engineering. The stream presently begins to expand 
 more into the plateau, and then flows for some distance 
 through a very narrow gorge, after which it again 
 expands into a sterile vaUey, dotted with villages and 
 fishing settlements, and inhabited by an ill-favoured and 
 miserable generation of the lowest order of Tangutans, 
 reduced to a state of iaofEensive barbarism. The higher 
 elevations to the north and south, however, are inhabited 
 by a more progressive and aggressive race, who have 
 made considerable headway in the laudable effort to 
 reclaim the barren waste from its natural sterility. 
 Loess covers many of the plains, sufiicient to make them 
 capable of cultivation, but not sufficiently deep to enable 
 the natives to cut therein their abodes, which for the 
 greater part are buUt of loosely-piled stones cemented 
 with a composition of loess and mud, which has baked in 
 the sun to rocky firmness. 
 
 There were a number of considerable streams in the 
 surrounding country, whose general course, instead of 
 being deflected toward the current of the Dji Chu, led to 
 
NOMAD TANGUTA^"S. 373 
 
 the southwest toward the headwaters of the Sok Chu, the 
 left range of the Lari Ula doubtless forming the water- 
 shed of the region. 
 
 The Tangutans of the Lari Ula plateau differ in 
 general characteristics from the other tribes of that race 
 in that they more nearly present the flabby, featureless 
 expression peculiar to the Thibetans or western Mongols. 
 They rarely if ever cultivate the soil, leading more or less 
 a nomadic life, and furnishing their food supply by hunt- 
 ing and fishing,, or among the more provident by the 
 maintenance of small herds of argalis. They show little 
 or no forethought in providing for the future, famines 
 being of frequent occurrence, and sweeping them ofE 
 literally by the hundreds. Like most of their race, they 
 are gourmands and gluttons of no mean order, their only 
 object in securing food being to eat it all at one sitting if 
 possible, or as soon as the capabilities of nature will per- 
 mit, even if they have a full knowledge of the fact that 
 they must inevitably face a period of starvation during 
 weeks to come ; for, according to their method of reason- 
 ing, there is no telling what the morrow may bring forth, 
 and they at least are determined to take advantage of 
 conditions furnished by to-day. Whenever they have an 
 opportunity they wUlingly exchange their game for the 
 vegetables and fruits which are brought to them for trade 
 by other tribes, having a commercial instinct of the most 
 sharpened kind. 
 
 A peculiar feature concerning them is the wide variance 
 of their orthography. Many of these tribes living within 
 a few mUes of each other have totally differing languages 
 and dialects. Prejevalsky asserts that in the country to 
 the northwest, among the Dumbure ranges, two families 
 living half a mile apart have not the same words for 
 
374 THROUGH UNEXPLORED ASIA. 
 
 mountains, trees, guns, and kindred common nouns. In 
 short, among this primitive race there are ahnost as many- 
 languages as individuals. 
 
 The only prominent trait in their character which we 
 were able to discover was a fondness, almost amounting 
 to a passion, for music, — what time is not given to at- 
 tending to the more necessary things of life being devoted 
 to impromptu concerts, which, however melodious and 
 interesting in native eyes, one cannot with truth justly 
 celebrate for their harmoniousness. As an example of 
 the character of these concerts, one which we listened 
 to at Kharmau may be cited. A stick about an inch and 
 a half in diameter was placed upon the ground ; two 
 women, holding in each hand a wand, struck this rudi- 
 mentary instrument as vigorously as they could. As an 
 accompaniment to this, a large piece of wood, hollowed at 
 the top and covered by a sheepskin, served as a drum, and 
 a metal instrument, in the form of those bells which the 
 European mountaineers attach to the necks of their cowSj 
 was used as a cymbal. The women and men who had no 
 place in this orchestra chanted with commendable vigour, 
 and maintaiaed excellent time with their hands. 
 
 As regards their moral characteristics, it is difficult to 
 see how Prejevalsky and other travellers who have been 
 through this region, or that contiguous to the west, should 
 have gained such distorted ideas regarding their many 
 amiable qualities. The former asserts in all seriousness, in 
 his first report to the Russian Royal Geographical Society, 
 that their life is simple and peaceful, their morals pure ; 
 indeed, he mentions no deterring conditions whatsoever, 
 but ascribes to them almost unlimited praise. This is a 
 case surely of distance lending enchantment to the view ; 
 for, so far from being friendly, inoffensive, good-hearted. 
 
A CURIOUS BELIEF. 375 
 
 liberty-loving, detesters of falsehood, respecters of the 
 property of others, and very hospitable, they are all these 
 in antithesis only. They have no sentiment of honour, 
 are vainglorious boasters and cowards, and live under 
 a regime of polygamy which reduces the state of woman- 
 hood to a level more degrading than slavery. Although 
 aU infractions of conjugal faith are punishable by death, 
 the most brutal licentiousness is prevalent ; while robbery, 
 infanticide, and murder among themselves are of com- 
 mon occurrence.. On the whole, it may be said that they 
 are not remarkable for their domestic virtues ; neither 
 have they a profound respect for the property of others ; 
 while their enormous conceit makes it an impossibility to 
 sow among them the seeds of Christianity or civilisation, 
 for their distorted imaginations seem incapable of pictur- 
 ing or believing in human intelligence superior to their 
 own. 
 
 A curious belief which they entertain is that the sun is 
 a great mass of fat, which daUy descends to the earth after 
 having been melted, when it sinks into the ground at a 
 spot which no human being has ever seen, and is there 
 replenished, to return again the next day or in the course 
 of a few days, ascribing to it no stated periodicity of 
 action, but accounting for its non-appearance on cloudy 
 or rainy days by the theory that the supply of fat has 
 given out, and that it takes longer to buUd it to the proper 
 size again. Concerning the moon they also have a similar 
 belief, describing it as the smaller ball of fat which is set 
 in the heavens while the larger one is being prepared for 
 the morrow. 
 
 Very few of the races of Western China or Thibet have 
 less ceremonies or observances. They take wives to them- 
 selves merely by giving presents to the parents, or by seiz- 
 
376 THROUGH UNEXPLORED ASIA. 
 
 ing upon them by force ; sometimes two men will have 
 half a dozen wives between them. When a young girl 
 attains to the age of womanhood, she is led around the 
 village to touch various things for good luck; thus she 
 touches the teats of the cattle or the rams in the fold. In 
 case of sickness the magic doctor, who exercises the dual 
 profession of ministering to the body as well as to the soul, 
 orders a sheep or yak to be killed, as the patient cannot 
 improve without eating plenty of fat. Having gorged 
 the unfortunate victim to the fullest extent with this nau- 
 seating mixture, he smears the body with what remains, 
 or sacrifices the flesh over the seat of the disease. When 
 death happens, the body is enclosed in a yak skin, which 
 is then sewn up, and, if near any considerable body of 
 water, thrown therein without further ceremony ; or, this 
 convenient place of disposal being absent, it is buried in 
 a shallow hole dug in the ground, with such a scanty cov- 
 ering of earth that it not infrequently happens that the 
 action of the rain washes this surface deposit away, leav- 
 ing numerous evil-smelling corpses bestrewn throughout 
 the region, which breed terrible pestilence and disease. 
 
 What scant geological research we were able to make in 
 this region confirmed the opinion of Richtofen and others 
 that the great mountain belt of Central Asia for its entire 
 length is remarkably rich in mineral wealth. In the 
 vicinity of Dju Kharmau we secured several specimens 
 of iron ore, picked up at random, which might be taken 
 as fair examples of the deposit of the region, and which 
 subsequently yielded thirty-two per cent, by accurate assay. 
 There do not seem to be traces of gold or silver deposits, 
 however, nor did we notice any considerable quantities of 
 these precious metals among the native population, whose 
 idols and ornaments for the most part were constructed 
 
AN EXCITING NIGHT. 377 
 
 of stone or iron. There may be, however, more precious 
 metals found in the mountain fastnesses along the Dji 
 Chu ; those desolate and dreary regions may yet be found 
 to teem with subterranean wealth of gold and sUver, to 
 compensate for their forbidding exterior. That there will 
 be white men inhabiting this sterile waste at no distant 
 day there can be no room for doubt. Inaccessibility and 
 the deterring obstacle of a narrow-minded and suspicious 
 population have heretofore been the practically insur- 
 mountable obstacles to the consummation of such an 
 event ; but can one believe that a civilisation which has 
 penetrated into arctic cold and torrid heat will suffer itself 
 to be baffled by these barriers offered by nature ? Perish 
 the thought ! A half century hence will witness revela- 
 tions of which this steady-going and prosaic world of ours 
 has never dreamed. 
 
 On the nineteenth we launched the canoes and resumed 
 our journey up the current of the Dji Chu. We paddled 
 along at a good pace until 3 p. M., when the wind, which 
 for the last few hours had been blowing with considerable 
 force, veered around to the northwest and menaced a 
 furious tempest. Welcoming the opportunity to make 
 a landing, we beached the canoes and erected the tents 
 in the shelter of an overhanging wall of rock rising in a 
 sheer black precipice, cutting off all view of the landscape 
 beyond. Clouds surged up in thick, black masses, and 
 cast a gloom over the white-crested breakers of the stream 
 until the waste of waters became as black as a velvet pall, 
 and as quiet as though vitrified into glass. Soon light- 
 ning began to play around us in fitful, blinding flashes, 
 while the thermometer registered 56°, soon followed with 
 a frightful storm of huge hailstones, which tore through 
 the tough canvas of the tents with the force of bullets. 
 
378 THROUGH UNEXPLORED ASIA. 
 
 causing us as a last resource to seek shelter beneath innu- 
 merable piles of yak skins. The groans of the Kiangsis 
 were terrible to listen to, for with their superstitious 
 natures aroused by the spectacle of this, to them, super- 
 natural phenomenon, the like of which they had never 
 witnessed before, they ascribed it to the just anger of 
 Buddha, notwithstanding our best efforts to allay their 
 fears and calm them with the assurance that the worst 
 would soon be over. After an hour of this unpleasant 
 experience, during which we were sadly bruised by the 
 falling hailstones, the storm passed away over the moun- 
 tain tops as suddenly as it had come ; but it was out of 
 the question to think of making further progress for the 
 day, as the men were all unnerved by their recent experi- 
 ence and utterly incapable of performing manual labour. 
 The evening was therefore spent in repairing the injuries 
 to the tents and alleviating the pain of our own bruises. An 
 utterly miserable and dispirited band we were, with but 
 scant protection from the almost arctic coldness of the 
 weather. There was plenty of tree-growth to provide 
 the wherewithal to form a fire, but the recent warring 
 of the elements had so saturated it with moisture that, 
 despite our often repeated efforts, we were unable to start 
 a flame. We passed the night in gloomy silence, broken 
 only by the incessant babble of the Kiangsis, to whom the 
 novelty of the unusual spectacle which they had witnessed 
 during the day was too fresh and potent a memory to 
 enable them to fall asleep. 
 
 Pursuing our journey on the twentieth, about noontime 
 we came in sight of the high promontory of Jomguk, ris- 
 ing nearly five hundred feet above the level of the river 
 bed, and around which is a low, brown plain, viewed from 
 a distance having the appearance of a broad sheet of 
 
TANGUT PHILOSOPHERS. 379 
 
 water. In the sheltered bay-like expanse on the north 
 side were three small islands several acres in extent, doubt- 
 less merely sections of the river bed which had been ele- 
 vated a few feet above the surface, and which in time had 
 gathered a covering of a few feet of alluvial deposit. 
 There were numerous well-built habitations to be seen on 
 these islands, but they were deserted, the natives them- 
 selves for some unaccountable reason having encamped in 
 their little yak-skin tents on the river bank. We subse- 
 quently learned -that repeated risings of the river had 
 overflowed the islands, flooded their habitations, and 
 caused them to take refuge on the more substantial 
 shores of the mainland. They bore this usurpation of 
 their domains with the philosophical spirit of resignation ; 
 and on our inquiring as to why they did not build their 
 permanent habitations on the spot where they had pitched 
 their miserable tents, they seemed to be put out that we 
 had dared to suggest such a thing. 
 
 As a considerable gale which lashed the waters of the 
 Dji Chu into a perilous whirlpool was blowing on the 
 morning of the twenty-first, we gave the crew a day's 
 respite, and took advantage of the opportunity to accom- 
 pany several of the head men of the native settlement on 
 a hunting expedition. We marched over the pebbly plain 
 untU shortly before noontime, when the route which we 
 had been following led us into a sort of valley-like depres- 
 sion, covered with a scrawny growth of tamarisk and 
 camel-thorn, and a few straggling poplars. This we were 
 informed was an excellent hunting-ground, as it contained 
 several fresh-water springs, at which the animals for miles 
 around gathered to drink, there being no others which 
 they could reach. There were indeed many evidences of 
 their presence, for the ground was cut up with their hoofs, 
 
380 THROUGH UNEXPLORED ASIA. 
 
 while several heaps of bones scattered around showed that 
 man or savage beasts had created havoc at some past date. 
 
 Sheltering ourselves behind some craggy boulders which 
 commanded the position, we awaited the arrival of the 
 game. In half an hour an almost inaudible clucking 
 noise from one of the natives on the right gave warning 
 that he had descried the approach of a large herd of wild 
 yaks, and a moment later the very earth trembled as a 
 considerable number rushed forward and wallowed in the 
 pool, whUe twice as many more took up their position on 
 the right, to await the moment when the first comers 
 should have satisfied their thirst. The splashing and 
 scrambling was extraordinary ; at length a couple of fine- 
 looking bulls ascended the bank, and having sniffed the 
 air for a few moments gave a short grunt of surprise, and 
 before we could aim and fire had stampeded the herd to 
 the southward. Involuntarily breathing forth muttered 
 imprecations at our slowness, we emulated the example of 
 the Tangutans and started off pell-mell over the uneven 
 plain after the rapidly vanishing herd. We were not 
 accustomed, however, to this native agility, and several 
 sharp falls and numerous bruises caused us to slacken our 
 pursuit to a pace which more fitted our capabilities. 
 
 After an hour's labour of this exacting kind we came 
 upon the herd grazing in the lee of a small hUl; but 
 immediately snifiing our presence, they at once dashed off 
 in a heavy, lumbering gallop which soon carried them out 
 of sight. They evidently seemed inclined to play a game 
 of hide-and-seek with us ; for repeatedly, after an exhaust- 
 ing run across the uneven plain, we would come upon 
 them again, only to arrive just a moment too late to 
 secure a shot. But the spirit of the chase had by this 
 time taken full possession of us, and, in spite of the 
 
EXCITING HUNTING. 381 
 
 fiercely beating rays of the sun overhead and the tortur- 
 ing substance of loose pebbles and sharp boulders beneath, 
 we rushed on until shortly after 3 p. m., when we were 
 able to get to leeward of the herd and work down 
 upon them by crawling over the flinty surface on all 
 fours. In this manner we got within fifty yards and 
 secured a pot-shot, and as a result of our first volley 
 brought down a splendid bull and two cows, — the bull 
 and one of the cows falling respectively by my own and 
 Burton's fire, while the combined assault of the crude 
 weapons of the Tanguts stretched the second cow low. 
 
 Rushing forward toward the quarry, we did not notice a 
 long, tawny body crouching behind a growth of tamarisk, 
 which, unobserved by us, had been only some thirty feet 
 away from our position. We were startled to the sense 
 of this new danger by howls of terror from the natives, 
 and, glancing in their direction to ascertain the cause of 
 their outburst, we perceived that they were in active flight 
 at top speed across the plain. Almost immediately a low, 
 snarling growl came from the group of tamarisks to the 
 right, and, instantly discerning the presence of some large 
 beast; we ran for a short distance and took refuge behind 
 a huge boulder. 
 
 Burton, who was farthest removed, called on me to fire, 
 and, catching a glimpse of yellow fur through the thickly 
 gathered tamarisk, I sent an explosive forty-four crashing 
 toward the spot. There was a low growl, then a huge 
 form emerged and rushed toward my position. There was 
 no time to reload, and seeing that if I maintained my 
 present place of concealment I should be exposed to great 
 danger from the infuriated beast, I sought to reach a more 
 secure spot near to Burton's shelter on the right. There 
 was a hollow roar, and the great beast came leaping 
 
382 THROUGH UNEXPLORED ASIA. 
 
 toward me in tremendous jumps. The events of those 
 next few brief moments passed like some vivid nightmare. 
 Fearfully I plunged on with futile desperation imtU I 
 tripped over a sharp boulder ; then a big yellow mass of 
 fur, reeking with carrion, for a moment rose over me and 
 descended, pinning my arm to the ground. A delightful 
 feeling of numbness came over me ; the desire to laugh at 
 the gaping mouth with its cruel octaves of teeth seemed 
 too strong to be resisted ; everything was delightfully 
 painless, as i£ danger was present but yet far removed. 
 I had a vague sense of a strong weight pressing down my 
 right arm, a leering, grinning face pushing forward with 
 sickening odour toward mine, two huge balls of fire blaz- 
 ing like live coals ; then, after untold ages it seemed, a 
 deafening report at my very ear, and suffocated and blinded 
 with a flood of blood that flowed down in warm streams I 
 feU into the sleep of insensibility. 
 
 When I recovered consciousness, it was to find myseK 
 lying on the ground, with Burton anxiously gazing into 
 my face, and the awestricken Kiangsis and Tanguts 
 standing around with grim and solemn faces. Ten min- 
 utes later, although still feeling very shaky, I was able to 
 rise. Fortunately no bones had been broken, the intent 
 of the beast to have jumped on me haying been frustrated 
 by my fortunate tripping over the stone, which had en- 
 tirely carried me out of harm's way, except that where 
 the fearful claws had gripped my arm there were several 
 long gashes, and a bruised numbness which did not wear 
 off for several hours. 
 
 We had now time to look at the animal we had shot. 
 It was one of the small Thibetan tigers which are found 
 at infrequent intervals in this region, as in general they 
 do not usually live in the country so far to the north- 
 
' A LEEEIN'G, GRINNIXG FACE PUSHING TOWARD UlUE." 
 
THIBETAN TIGERS. 385 
 
 ward, but nearer to the mountain ranges in the south. 
 As compared with the Indian species, they are much 
 smaller in body, of a general tan .colour, without the 
 distinguishing stripes, and unaggressive and cowardly ex- 
 cept when wounded or emboldened by hunger, when their 
 ferocity is terrible. 
 
 The one we had shot measured a little over five feet in 
 length, which, according to the Tangutans, was of enor- 
 mous size ; and on no consideration would they draw near 
 to the inanimate carcass until they had been fully satisfied 
 that the monster was dead, when, with characteristic con- 
 ceit and braggadocio, they waxed exceeding valorous and 
 boastful, announcing with often reiterated disdain their 
 ability to kill in single combat any tiger that ever lived. 
 That they might have done so was a matter of conjecture, 
 but, with the recent exhibition of their cowardice, and the 
 celerity with which they bounded away when Burton 
 pointed in the direction of another supposedly approach- 
 ing tiger, we were inclined, notwithstanding the cloak of 
 charity which we spread over their failings, to think 
 differently. 
 
 Cutting up the yak meat, and taking the skin of the 
 tiger, we stumbled back over the uncertain path across 
 the plain, until an hour before midnight, under a dank 
 and lowering canopy of rain-clouds, we once more reached 
 the native settlement on the bank of the Dji Chu. With 
 body and mind utterly worn out with the thrilling experi- 
 ences of the day, we sought to sleep, — an effort attended 
 with rather indifferent success, for the villagers, at the 
 ' spectacle of so much plenty, were unable to restrain their 
 gluttonous appetites until the morrow, but spent the 
 remainder of the night in a prolonged debauch, until 
 the limit of satiety was reached. 
 
CHAPTER XI. 
 
 On the twenty-third of October, notwithstanding the 
 fact that rain was falling in torrents, the smoothness of 
 the current of the Dji Chu urged us forward. A fine 
 six-knot breeze was blowing, and, with the added assistance 
 of the small lug-saUs, we were able to make a good day's 
 work, journeying nearly twenty miles in a little over ten 
 hours. The river current still continued wide in parts, 
 interspersed with small, rocky islets, while a glance at 
 the country on either hand showed it to be exceedingly 
 populous, and for a considerable area covered with loess 
 deposit extensively cultivated. The waters of the stream 
 were very clear, owing to its shallowness, although ever 
 and anon merging into round, inky-coloured spots hover- 
 ing over some treacherous eddy or pool of greater depth. 
 The crew speared a number of large fish, whose bodies 
 were covered with an armour of spiky scales, the snout 
 prolonged in an extended serrated appendage similar to 
 that of a swordfish. They were delicious eating when 
 cooked, with more animal than fishy taste, having a dark- 
 coloured flesh not unlike venison, and with a striking 
 similarity of taste to the latter. I have essayed to find 
 some traces of the name of this fish in the accounts of 
 previous travellers in this country, but as they do not 
 make mention of it, there can be no doubt as to its being 
 merely of local existence. They swarmed the stream in 
 considerable abundance, and seemed to form a most im- 
 portant element in the food supply of the native villages, 
 
 386 
 
COUNTRY OF THE DJIA-LA. 387 
 
 for the current of the river was dotted with their Httle 
 hide coracles, which revolved over the smooth surface 
 until one was dizzy from following their rotary evolu- 
 tions. 
 
 On the twenty-fourth we continued to coast along this 
 district, — a low, bare plain now approaching the stream, 
 watered by a number of little rivers, and extensively 
 cultivated, margined at the water's edge by a consider- 
 able growth of dwarfed poplars and aromatic shrubs, 
 which perfume'd the air with a delightful fragrance. At 
 3 p. M. of this day we arrived at a point where the river 
 widened to a considerable extent, forming a lake-like ex- 
 panse nearly a quarter of a mUe in width. We searched in 
 vain over our route maps for some information regarding 
 the name and position of this pool, but it evidently had 
 not been explored before, or else had been considered of 
 too trivial importance to be placed on the map. We 
 therefore took advantage of the occasion to discard the 
 native name of Bogo Cho for the improvised one of Eeid 
 Pool, and so enumerated it on our charts. On the eastern 
 side of this pool lies the district of the Djia-la, a pebbly 
 plain extending inland, as smooth as a billiard-table,' for a 
 distance of twenty-five or thirty nules, its farther extrem- 
 ity marked by an almost unbroken ridge, which really 
 forms the southwestern point of a mountain range. 
 There were a number of conspicuous peaks five hundred 
 or a thousand feet high, looking toward the northeast, of 
 the most startling similarity, ranging skyward like the 
 teeth of a gigantic saw. In the sheltered valley at their 
 base were a number of small villages, inhabited by the 
 most evil-looking and murderous of brigandish natives, 
 who, doubtless having learned of our approach up-stream, 
 had quitted their inland homes and emigrated to the river 
 
388 THROUGH UNEXPLORED ASIA. 
 
 banks, where they had encamped in their small skia tents, 
 greeting our appearance with such menacing shouts of 
 defiance that we were ia no wise tempted to mingle more 
 closely with them, being satisfied beyond all measure 
 with the cheerful reflection that, without boats of any 
 kind, pursuit and hostUe demonstration were out of the 
 question. 
 
 In the evening we camped on a small island to the 
 north of Eeid Pool, which was inhabited by a tribe of 
 fifty or sixty goitred and filthy Tam-ba. As soon as the 
 canoes had been beached, they crowded down around us 
 with such fierce and insolent cries that we were not a 
 little intimidated. With difiiculty gaining some knowl- 
 edge of their strange dialect, we found that their food 
 supply had given out a week before, and that they were 
 in a starving condition, life being maintained only by 
 what fish and oysters they could secure from the river. 
 It was manifestly out of the question for us to furnish 
 them with food, as our own supply was limited ; but dis- 
 tributing pieces of yak meat to all those who came to our 
 camp, we in a measure alleviated their sufferings for the 
 time being, the miserable wretches seizing upon the meat 
 like famished wolves, tearing it to pieces, and swallowing 
 it in raw lumps. 
 
 "We left this famine-ridden spot on the twenty-fifth with 
 a feeling of sickening horror at the thought of what must 
 be the ultimate fate of the unfortunate islanders. A 
 gradual ascent over a turbulent stretch of water brought 
 us to the valley of the Sil Chu, which empties into the 
 current of the Dji Chu over a succession of seventeen low 
 cascades. The latter stream at this point was very shal- 
 low, and hardly twenty yards wide, filled at frequent 
 intervals with sandy bars, which extended from bank to 
 
PUGNACIOUS ARGALIS. 389 
 
 bank, affording an easy and practicable ford. A few hills 
 on the east bank showed cliffs of silicified feldspathic rock 
 crowned with peaks of loess, into which the native popula- 
 tion had cut their abodes. Wild yak were quite numerous, 
 feeding on the dwarfed growth of camel-thorn and tama- 
 risk, but the country was too open to permit of stalking 
 them with any chance of success. However, Burton with 
 his long-range repeater succeeded in dropping two small 
 antelopes at a range of a hundred yards, which proved to 
 be a species of ^ dwarfed argali, with black hair and enor- 
 mous horns rising straight as an arrow for nearly three 
 feet from the head. Notwithstanding their diminutiveness, 
 the huge-bodied yaks seemed to entertain for them the 
 strongest dread, rushing off in a long, lumbering gallop 
 as soon as they descried the approach of any of the pug- 
 nacious Httle beasts. 
 
 In the afternoon the stream of the Dji Chu again 
 expanded in a succession of open pools, and villages 
 became niunerous ; but they were inhabited by such 
 a suspicious and barbarous populace that on no considera- 
 tion would we mingle closer with them, notwithstanding 
 their numerous persuasive cries from the river bank invit- 
 ing us to trade, for there could be no mistaking the hostile 
 and bloodthirsty intent beneath their suave and smiling 
 exteriors. An hour before nightfall we were gliding over 
 a sheltered bay, when, rounding a rocky promontory, we 
 found ourselves in the midst of a fleet of thirty or forty 
 coracles, much larger than those of the fishermen down- 
 stream, and evidently used for far different work. The 
 length of these craft varied from ten to twenty feet, each 
 of which contained five or six men, fierce-looking warriors 
 dressed in yak skins, and armed with long spears and 
 Jsnives. Thes^ savages were unlike either the Mongols 
 
390 
 
 THROUGH UNEXPLORED ASIA. 
 
 or Tangutans, being in many of their characteristics but 
 little different from negroes, almost as dark in colour, and 
 with long woolly hair, of which they seemed to be very 
 proud. Their teeth would probably be white, had they 
 not the detestable habit of chewing various herbs and 
 ground-nuts, which terribly destroys and blackens them. 
 Their ears were deformed by the monstrous metal orna- 
 ments attached to 
 them ; their noses, 
 naturally flat, were 
 artificially com- 
 pressed, untU nearly 
 all trace of this 
 organ had disap- 
 peared. They were 
 not, however, so re- 
 pulsive as might 
 seem from this de- 
 scription, for they 
 were mostly tall 
 and well formed, 
 and had a majestic 
 air of superiority 
 which could not fail 
 to impress the be- 
 holder. Nearly all of them were tattooed with the most 
 exaggerated designs, while others had smeared their 
 bodies with a coat of red or yellow paint until no sem- 
 blance of their original colour had been left. 
 
 We were rather dubious as to their real intent, until 
 from one of the head men we learned that they were just 
 returning from an expedition against a rival tribe, who 
 lived on the plain two days' journey to the eastward. 
 
 THIBETAN WHIP AND COOKING UTENSILS. 
 
STRANGE NATIVES OF HISSIK KARPO. 391 
 
 We halted for the night in their village, which as near as 
 we could make out was called Hissik Karpo. As became 
 the generally exalted nature of its population, this village 
 was a settlement of a hundred well-constructed stone 
 dwellings, erected with considerable skill, and some ap- 
 proach to symmetry, whUe many even showed some 
 meagre attempt at ornate decoration. The women in 
 feature and stature were much like the men, although of 
 a somewhat lighter colour, some being almost white. We 
 were naturally curious regarding this wide variance in 
 tribal characteristics until we learned that the dark 
 women were real members of the tribe, while the lighter 
 ones were concubines that had been purchased or captured 
 from other tribes. These natives of Hissik Karpo showed 
 considerable skill in the artificing of metal, for their arms 
 and tools of husbandry were made with great care, and 
 denoted real intelligence. Many of them had discarded 
 the absolutely valueless musket for bows and arrows, which 
 they were remarkably adept in the use of. Their arrows 
 were made of a very hard wood, tipped with iron points, 
 and of enormous length, though very light, some measur- 
 ing four to five feet. The force with which these were 
 projected by the strong bows was terrific, the hunters hav- 
 ing no trouble in killing antelopes, and even such large 
 and powerful game as the yak, at considerable distances. 
 
 Their taste for fantastical sculpture was quite highly 
 developed. The prows of their coracles were cut, grooved, 
 and ornamented in every possible way, and a similar taste 
 for ornate decoration was shown (as we have before said) 
 in the construction of their dwellings and likewise in their 
 personal adornment. The head man was a most sunny- 
 disposed old polygamist, who counted his wives and con- 
 cubines as he did his herds, and the happy father of such 
 
392 THROUGH UNEXPLORED ASIA. 
 
 an innumerable colony of children tliat we could not help 
 wondering how, in spite of his untiring zeal and great 
 wealth, he was ever able to support them. His wives were 
 treasures in another sense than the usual acceptation of 
 the word suggests, for each had a collar of silver riveted 
 around her neck, except in the case of the concubines, 
 where the precious metal was superseded by similar adorn- 
 ments of iron or brass. 
 
 Prejevalsky from native sources was informed of the 
 remains of an ancient civilisation in this region, with evi- 
 dences of numerous ruined temples and fortresses which 
 showed that a race of superior attainments had once held 
 sway in this wild country. His statements have hitherto 
 been regarded somewhat dubiously by archaeologists, who 
 have dismissed his theories with the charitable suggestion 
 that his information was doubtless faulty, coming as it did 
 from native sources. Whatever may be the dubitation or 
 the contention of these gentlemen, however, there can no 
 longer be doubts as to the authenticity of such reports, for 
 we have received visual evidence of the previous existence 
 of these structures. 
 
 About five mUes from Hissik Karpo to the southeast is 
 a long plain, in the midst of which are well-preserved 
 ruins of what at a former time must have been an impor- 
 tant town, and which was doubtless destroyed by an 
 earthquake or some other convulsion of nature. The 
 ruins of a fortress of great extent are here visible ; the 
 walls are constructed of tempered clay about six feet 
 thick. The principal building stood on an eminence, but 
 the walls were continued to the foot of it, like regular cir- 
 cumvallations, the ascent winding around the hill like a 
 labyrinth, having many angles, which probably served as 
 outworks to defend the place. In this neighbourhood, so 
 
AN ANCIENT CIVILISATION. 393 
 
 we learned from the Tangutans, much treasure has been 
 excavated, all of which must have been concealed by some 
 wonderful prehistoric race, for there is no evidence that 
 this region has been populated by its present occupants for 
 a space of longer than two centuries. Two miles to the 
 northeast of this ruined city, on the face of a hilly slope, 
 lies an immense cemetery, where skulls, legs, arms, and 
 whole skeletons of the human body may be seen imbedded 
 in the loess, — legs attached to pelvis, and bent up, stUl 
 with mummifiedr skin on them ; arms in the same state ; 
 relics of plaited straw, forming swathes ; pieces of netting, 
 of cloth, and many other such accompaniments of funereal 
 occasions. 
 
 We also saw numerous articles of pottery similar to 
 those found in the Egyptian pyramids, and of a very supe- 
 rior quality ; but on no consideration would the natives 
 permit us to handle them or carry them away. As to the 
 shape of the graves, there are some of an inverted cylinder 
 form, like that of a lime-kiln, the insides of which are 
 lined with masonry work. In these the body is placed in 
 the upright condition. There is also the ordinary longi- 
 tudinal grave, in which the corpse is directly in contact 
 with the earth; there are also graves cut square, to a 
 depth of six or eight feet, at the top of which or within 
 one or two feet of the surface of the ground is a roofing 
 or covering of mat-work, placed on iron rafters. 
 
 Farther on are relics more remarkable still, the remains 
 of what must at one time have been enormous temples or 
 dwellings. They are constructed of mighty blocks of 
 sandstone, corresponding in a great degree with the sub- 
 stance of the hill itself, piled one upon another without 
 cement, holding together simply by their own weight, 
 arranged in tiers, according to their different lengths. 
 
394 THROUGH UNEXPLORED ASIA. 
 
 Nothing could well be more instructive than this, as 
 throwing light upon the much-debated controversy as to 
 the possibilities of a former enlightened people having 
 existed in this region, for a whole world of architecture 
 and history is illustrated in these interesting remains. It 
 is clear that these builders, whoever thfey may have been, 
 the labour of whose hands is thus shown, were not barba- 
 rians in the ordinary acceptation of the term. They 
 possessed at any rate the instincts of grandeur, and of 
 harmony in proportions, to a high degree. Moreover, 
 these masses of masonry are found to bear peculiar marks 
 and inscriptions, not painted, but cut deeply into the 
 stone, and affording easily traceable data upon which 
 archaeologists might work. 
 
 Naught save an earnest, painstaking investigation will 
 throw any light on the past history of these interesting 
 remains ; for the natives of the present have absolutely 
 no knowledge and, even what is more strange, have no 
 legends concerning them, save that they have existed as 
 far back as their own history can trace, — their present 
 belief concerning them being that they are inhabited by a 
 race of spirits, who stir abroad at night and devastate the 
 surrounding plain during certain seasons of the year. 
 
 The twenty-sixth and twenty-seventh were spent in 
 exploration of these ancient remains, although our abso- 
 lute ignorance of archaeology prevented our making a 
 search with the attainment of any material results. We 
 may claim to be the first travellers who have viewed 
 these traces of an ancient race in this region, and fixed- 
 the exact location occupied by them. Prejevalsky and 
 Richtofen have both had a knowledge of their probable 
 existence, gained from native sources ; in fact, in 1875 
 the former made an attempt to visit them, but was obUged 
 
OBSTRUCTIONS TO PROGRESS. 395 
 
 to give up tlie quest owing to the hostility of the native 
 tribes. That their more thorough exploration by archae- 
 ologists will disclose innumerable important facts concern- 
 ing an ancient civilisation in Western China and Thibet, 
 there can be no room for doubt. 
 
 Before daybreak of the twenty-eighth the canoes were 
 launched, and until noonday we hugged the low-lying 
 shore in order to escape the sharp-pointed reefs Ijmig 
 across the face of the current, and which, having gathered 
 numerous obstructions, had stimulated a weedy growth that 
 rose for several feet into the air, forming an impassable 
 barrier, as elastic as India rubber but as impenetrable as 
 adamant. The water at points was very shallow, and the 
 bed of the stream growing very rocky we were obliged to 
 proceed with the utmost caution, lest, should we attempt 
 to accelerate our progress, the canoes might be seriously 
 damaged. We soon discovered that the low-lying plain 
 which had heretofore sloped to the river bank had van- 
 ished for good, and almost immediately we found ourselves 
 in an assemblage of mountain peaks, some of them com- 
 paratively young and small, while others were hoary with 
 age, rising above their neighbours as a giant towers in a 
 group of children, their summits covered with snow and 
 ice. 
 
 Much of this great mountain region needs further 
 exploration before it can be described adequately, — 
 a practically impossible task at the present time, for the 
 reason that the penetration of the snow-begirtled summits 
 of the Gata Ula would necessitate a base of supplies whence 
 to press forward such a stupendous task, and that the hos- 
 tihty and aggressiveness of the small villages near the 
 river would seriously embarrass such an attempt. 
 
 From Sak Dap, the current of the Dji Chu leads north- 
 
396 THROUGH UNEXPLORED ASIA. 
 
 westward, cut into two parallel channels by a lofty spine 
 of rocks, wMcli causes a considerable increase in the swift- 
 ness of the stream and likewise an increase in depth. The 
 westerly half is altogether impossible to navigation of any 
 sort, filled as it is with such an umumerable number of 
 rocky projections and cross-currents that the surface is 
 churned up into a seething mass of whirlpools and break- 
 ers. The eastern channel, however, is less impeded, keep- 
 ing as it does some distance away from the spiny ridge 
 under the southern slope of a low range, which, springing 
 from the Gata Ula, runs parallel with the covirse of the 
 stream as far as the confluence of the By Chu, and en- 
 closes on the east the rolling plateau of the Hoang Ho 
 watershed. The inhabitants of this region are true Tan- 
 gutans, with a few Mongols, — one and all wretchedly 
 miserable and barbarous, living on a scale lower than that 
 of the most disgusting animals, in collections of ill-built 
 huts or caves dug into the ground. I have seen no region 
 of Western China wherein the conditions of life are less 
 agreeable. 
 
 Chaka Syur is situated on the Turag Chu, a small 
 mountain stream which, after a course of two miles, pours 
 over a series of cascades into the Dji, at the southern end 
 of a high plain contracting gradually to the westward, 
 and forms a clearly marked depression between the west- 
 ern range of the Kharmtua Ula and the low mountain 
 peaks of the eastern extremity marking the commence- 
 ment of the northern slope. Some nules before reaching 
 it, trees and vegetation of all kind cease, and a bare, ster- 
 ile country, all too familiar to travellers in Central Asia, 
 stretches toward the horizon, relieved only by a distant 
 prospect of the forests and snows of Baian Kara Ula on 
 the north, and the loess-covered slopes of the Dji Chu 
 
A FIGHT FOR EXISTENCE. 397 
 
 valley to the south. The most peculiar feature of the 
 Turag Chu is its immense source a mile east of Chaka, — 
 nothing more nor less than a lake covering an area of six 
 square miles, and of such salinity that anjrthing thrown 
 into it, even if of considerable weight, floats with apparent 
 ease. The waters are extremely cold, although, on account 
 of their saline nature, they do not freeze, but issue forth 
 imder a natural bridge, tunnelled for a distance of three 
 hundred feet in the face of a rocky peak, and form the 
 current of the Turag Chu, which, just before its junction 
 with the main stream, expands into a succession of open 
 pools, covered for six or seven feet from the shore with 
 a crust of crystallised saline deposits. The gathering of 
 this forms the principal industry of the natives of the 
 region, who chop it into large blocks, and by its sale carry 
 on a thriving trade with the Thibetan trading villages to 
 the westward. 
 
 At Chaka Syur, which we reached about noontime of 
 the thirtieth, we were forced to make one of the hardest 
 fights for existence which had yet confronted us in all our 
 long sojourn in Western China; for the natives, than 
 whom no more fanatical or bigoted people can be found 
 ia Central Asia, having been apprised of our approach by 
 several fishermen whom we had descried earHer in the 
 morning, were armed and positioned to attack us as soon 
 as we sought to make a landing. With this bellicose spec- 
 tacle standing in our path, we sailed by their village with 
 the intention of camping for the night on an isolated spot 
 on the shore a mile farther on ; but the rascally crew were 
 not to be denied the pleasure of strife, for, at once divining 
 our intention, they forsook their village and maintained 
 even pace with our advance by running along the river 
 bank, meanwhile brandishing their guns and spears and 
 
398 THROUGH UNEXPLORED ASIA. 
 
 hurling at us yells of undying hatred and defiance. They 
 were led by a tall, well-formed native, whom we rightly 
 conjectured to be the head man, who was covered with 
 a complete suit of mail fashioned from numerous iron discs. 
 This immobile armour sheathed only the front part of his 
 body, the buckler, something like the head of a fish in 
 shape, having a tremendous helmet three or four feet 
 in height, all in one piece. The mail did not bend, but 
 hung before him in a solid sheet, naturally rendering the 
 movements of the wearer awkward and somewhat diffi- 
 cult. Many of the others had lesser suits of maU, or, 
 a hide shield covered with iron facework ; their faces were 
 smeared with crimson paint, or concealed beneath ponder- 
 ous and hideous masks, giving to them a generally deformed 
 and extremely unprepossessing appearance. 
 
 Perceiving that, in spite of our best efforts to maintain 
 peace, they were determined, at all events, to obstruct our 
 free progress, and happening upon a sheltered cove at the 
 farther end of which lay a shelving beach on which the 
 canoes might be ranged, we turned our course at right 
 angles to the current of the stream, and, ordering the 
 canoes into line, paddled slowly toward the bank, at 
 the same time impressing on the hot-headed Kiangsis our 
 desire, if possible, to avoid conflict, and warning them 
 not to fire until we should think the occasion warranted 
 it, and should give the word. As we slowly paddled 
 toward shore, the Chaka Syurese formed in line with 
 their guns and spears, ready to commence the attack so 
 soon as we had drawn within range. The Kiangsis became 
 restless, but I restrained them. Seeing no signs of bellig- 
 erent intent from our direction, the natives at once con- 
 cluded that we were too frightened to fight, and boldly 
 fired several shots toward the canoes, the distance, how- 
 
UNAVAILING OVERTURES. 399 
 
 ever, rendering their crude weapons ineffective. We still 
 proceeded without firing, and the savages, not compre- 
 hending this extraordinary forbearance, concluded that 
 their first supposition as to our being too cowardly to 
 fight was correct, and promptly discharged another volley, 
 — this time with more effect, as several of the slugs 
 whistled unpleasantly over our heads on the rebound from 
 the water. Even yet I felt capable of overcoming their 
 hostility by the pursuit of peaceful measures ; but Burton, 
 not so sanguine^ was in favour of not jeopardising the 
 lives of the expedition longer. The Kiangsis also were 
 growing turbulent and almost mutinous with the thought 
 of being Uable at any moment to be stretched low by a 
 bullet without striking back ; so I ordered the canoes to 
 halt, and, with two of the Kiangsis as interpreters, 
 approached nearer shore, whence I could address the threat- 
 ening horde. I expressed our desire to avoid all conflict, 
 and explained the peaceable nature of the errand which 
 had brought us in their midst. But this effort at concili- 
 ation was futUe ; each word of peace was drowned in a 
 chorus of warlike cries ; and, at last, reaHsing the fact 
 that nothing would have an effect upon their savage 
 natures but a crushing defeat, I announced to them our 
 intention of delaying no longer, but at once advancing 
 for battle. This threat they received with howls of 
 incredulous defiance, dancing in a frenzy of sanguinary 
 zeal, and boastfully declaring their intention of killing us 
 all. As the closely gathered mass of canoes offered too 
 centralised an object for their fire, I ordered the different 
 crew-leaders to deploy in line, with a space of twenty 
 feet between each boat, — Burton, with one of the large 
 boats, guarding the left, while I led the charge from the 
 centre. Paddling within range, we halted for a moment. 
 
400 THROUGH UNEXPLORED ASIA. 
 
 and then poured a volley into the compactly gathered 
 mass on shore. As most of the Kiangsis had loaded their 
 guns with loose, heavy buckshot, instead of bullets, the 
 effect was magical, the shot ploughing along in fan-hke 
 expansion, and causing terrible havoc in the ranks of the 
 natives. Perceiving the murderous effect of our superior 
 weapons and the danger to which they were exposed in 
 the open, they wavered for a moment, and then fled to 
 the shelter of the rocks, but not before we had emptied 
 another volley into their midst. 
 
 Our position, however, had been Uttle improved for the 
 better. The natives being sheltered behind a projecting 
 bulwark, and commanding the shore, it was a manifest 
 impossibnity to think of landing without serious loss. 
 Ordering the crew to resume their paddles, we made a 
 feint of once more moving up-stream ; when, deceived by 
 this new attitude, the enemy forsook their shelter and 
 rushed along the bank to maintain a running fight. 
 This was the opportunity for which we had been waiting ; 
 and, suddenly turning our course inshore, we called upon 
 the crew to paddle for their Hves, and, as soon as the 
 canoes had reached the beach, to seize upon their guns 
 and advance to the charge. A volley of bullets passed 
 uncomfortably near us, followed by a cloud of spears 
 which flew harmlessly over our heads, they evidently 
 having been discharged under high nervous tension, which 
 detracted from effective aim. Forward we rushed, and, 
 taking advantage of every opportunity, fired indiscrimi- 
 nately as fast as we could reload whenever a native head 
 or body exposed itself to view. The Chaka Syurese fought 
 with determination ; but their severe losses blunted, in a 
 measure, their faith in their own fighting prowess, and 
 at the end of a half-hom-'s conflict they sullenly retired. 
 
A NIGHT OF PERIL. 401 
 
 The blood of the Kiangsis was up by this time, however, 
 and, rushing in pursuit, they maintained a brisk encoun- 
 ter for an hour longer, when we recalled them to camp. 
 
 Fully realising that the night was not liable to pass un- 
 eventfully, much as we should like to have it do so, we 
 saw to the strengthening of our position. Burton and 
 fifteen of the crew were engaged in erecting a breastwork 
 of stones, while the remainder employed themselves in 
 constructing marksmen's nests at points of vantage. By 
 nightfall our camp was secure and perfectly defensible. 
 Having posted sentries and positioned our forces, we 
 patiently awaited the probable attack. For three hours 
 we lay shivering and cramped, stretched on the ground 
 and huddled against icy stones, until, there being no signs 
 of an enemy in the vicinity, our spirits lightened and we 
 wondered if, after all, the punishment which we had 
 inflicted on them during the day had proved sufficient. 
 We were soon disillusioned, however, for at nine o'clock 
 the sentries discharged their muskets and came running 
 in with the intelligence that the savages were creeping 
 upon us from two different quarters, having evidently 
 calculated on effectively making a flank assault while we 
 were busily engaged in opposing that in front. Ordering 
 the tents razed to the ground and the camp-fires banked, 
 we waited in anxious sUence for the impending conflict. 
 The frowning mountain-face obscured aU light from the 
 moon, rendering the surrounding open space as dark as a 
 cavern, while not a sound could be heard save the lapping 
 of the short waves of the Dji Chu on the shale beach, or 
 its more muffled roar on the opposite bank. 
 
 Our eyes accustoming themselves at last to the gloom, 
 we peered in the direction whence sundry noises gave evi- 
 dence that our assailants were rapidly crawling near to 
 
402 THROUGH UNEXPLORED ASIA. 
 
 our position. Finally, a row of silently moving forms 
 were descried crouching low on tlie ground, and edging 
 their way forward by taking advantage of every disparity 
 in the contour of the slope. The Kiangsis were chafing - 
 and restless, grinding their teeth with mingled anxiety 
 and the fierceness of their passion, restraining themselves 
 from firing only by the greatest effort. At last the long 
 line of crouching savages was dimly exposed, but suffi- 
 ciently distinguishable to show us where to direct our fire. 
 The word was passed along the line to take aim, and 
 await the signal for firing. Onward still crept the dark 
 line, until, throwing aside all further concealment, they 
 sprang up with blood-curdling yeUs and rushed toward our 
 position. Ordering the Kiangsis to fire, I seized upon my 
 own weapon, and, aiming at the mail-covered chief whom 
 I had observed during the day, saw biTin fall to the ground 
 as a result of my shot. Then followed a scene of unutter- 
 able confusion. Order was thrown to the winds ; the 
 struggle waxed in bloody intensity ; each man loaded and 
 fired as rapidly as possible, with no concert of action. 
 Huge spears with long shafts passed by in fitful shadows, 
 striking with metallic ring against the rocky front of our 
 breastwork, or stretching low some poor victim. 
 
 Burton's men were as busUy engaged, judging by the 
 rapidity of their fire and their victorious shouts, while 
 the demons in front rendered the din almost indescribable 
 with their frenzied yells. The advantage of our shelter 
 and the mortal effect of our fire, however, were too great 
 to be contended with, and at the end of a half-hour the 
 Chaka Syurese retreated. The Kiangsis begged that we 
 allow them to continue in pursuit, but weighing the great 
 dangers to which they would be exposed, we ordered them 
 to maintain their position in case of further attack. 
 
BURYING OUR DEAD. 403 
 
 Morning broke at last, clear and warm, upon a scene of 
 fathomless gloom. Evidences of the terrible nature of the 
 conflict were present on every handj the open space 
 beyond ovir shelter was covered with dead bodies, while 
 four of our own brave fellows had been killed, and all 
 bore more or less serious souvenirs of the conflict. Never 
 did a day pass so gruesomely ; for, although we had been 
 over twenty-four hours without sleep, under excitement 
 and hardship of the most fatiguing kind, there could be 
 no thoughts of slumber with such enemies near, who, even 
 yet, gave evidence of their unconquerable and barbarous 
 spirit by ever and anon sending a stray shot into our 
 midst from some point of vantage in the mountain country 
 overlooking our camp. Therefore, as soon as the canoes 
 could be launched, we set forth, towing the bodies of the 
 dead men in one canoe, and those who had been seriously 
 wounded in another, until at 10 A. M. we had reached a 
 small island in the current of the Dji Chu, where we could 
 land without fear of hostile aggression. The most solemn 
 work of having properly interred the bodies of the dead 
 men being completed, we were able to take account of 
 our injuries. Most of the men had wounds of some sort 
 or another, many a considerable number, which having 
 treated to the best of our ability, we were fain to patch up 
 our own cuts and bruises. Burton had received a long, 
 gaping wound on his right arm from a spear, which, had 
 it gone a few inches more to the left, must inevitably 
 have killed him. After rendering thanks to a Divine 
 Providence, the overmastering desire for sleep conquered ; 
 and, in spite of the stirring incidents through which we 
 had just passed, we slept until long after nightfall, with 
 the hard ground as a bed, and a canopy formed by the 
 azure dome of the heavens, — awakened to consciousness 
 
404 THROUGH UNEXPLORED ASIA. 
 
 at last by the disagreeable sensation of cold, which chilled 
 our bodies, and threatened, if we did not take greater 
 precautions against its rigours, to add to our misfortunes 
 the danger of beiag frozen to death. 
 
 As a gale, blowing with intermittent fury, contiaued 
 on the first and second of November, we profited by the 
 enforced delay to tabulate scientific data, and to climb a 
 high mountain which rose precipitously above us, shutting 
 in the current of the Dji Chu on both sides with a rocky 
 wall. Apropos of this climb, it is remarkable what dif- 
 ference one finds in the appearance of a bit of country 
 when simply surveyed from a single point, and when 
 actually travelled over. Especially is this true of moun- 
 tains. Broad slopes, which appear to be perfectly easy to 
 traverse, are in reality cut up by narrow and deep ravines, 
 impossible to cross ; what seems to be a trifling bench of 
 rock, half a mile up the mountain, grows into a perpen- 
 dicular cliff a hundred feet high, before one reaches it ; 
 and pretty gray streaks become gidches filled with great, 
 angular rock fragments, so loosely laid one over the other 
 that at each careful step one is in fear of starting the 
 whole mighty avalanche, and of being buried under tons 
 of rocks. Owing to difficulties like these, after an early 
 start, it was nearly noontime when we had gained the 
 peak of this summit. As far as the eye could see, in aU 
 directions, there arose a wilderness of barren peaks, 
 covered with snow ; while to the east lay a desolate, life- 
 less tableland, shut in by higher mountains, its stem, for- 
 bidding surface reflecting well the nature of the barbarous 
 and ill-favoured generation that inhabited it. Numerous 
 mountains poked their serrated and jagged cones into the 
 sky, forming basin-hke craters which seemed to lend sub- 
 stantial evidence to the theory of Prejevalsky and others, 
 
TOPOGRAPHY OF NUMZA ULA. 405 
 
 that there are the remains of mimerous volcanoes in this 
 mountain range. 
 
 The Sherori-Dzagar-Ola range of mountains begins at 
 this point with the Numza Ula, which extends as far west 
 as Mumitan, when their elevation gradually increases. 
 The northern slope is precipitous, and there are no impor- 
 tant gaps in the long crest ; the average elevation is about 
 five thousand feet, and the summits are never quite f rep 
 from snow. The Numza Ula rises like a wall out of a 
 lacustrine plain,, which is the easternmost deflection of the 
 Hoang Ho watershed ; north and east are high plateaus 
 and the remains of extinct volcanoes. Its central peak, 
 a square tower of rock, so steep as to admit of snow lying 
 only in its crevices, is the most conspicuous feature of the 
 landscape. This majestic region is interesting both to 
 the geographer and the archaeologist ; for, although its 
 almost absolute impenetrability has hitherto forbidden 
 research, there can be little doubt that the statements of 
 the natives, that ruins of considerable villages and cities 
 stm exist, have some modicum of truth attached to them. 
 
 Continuing our remarks concerning this region, we 
 find it, with its base level of thirteen thousand feet, much 
 higher than Colorado, where the maximum elevation of 
 the ranges is little over nine thousand feet. Except for 
 the Dji Chu there are no large streams or evidences of 
 any considerable expanses of water; those few meagre 
 streams which can be seen rise out of the ground, and 
 after a short course disappear again through the porous 
 soil. Where shallow rivers are formed, these quickly 
 disappear on leaving the foot of the mountains, while 
 the wet-weather torrents are dry during the greater part 
 of the year. Erosion here is mainly dependent on winds, 
 — those active aerial agencies which disintegrate and 
 
406 THROUGH UNEXPLORED ASIA. 
 
 crumble the hardest rocks, producing effects noticeable on 
 every clifE and crag, and at the same time raising clouds of 
 fine dust which obscure earth and sky. The whole country 
 
 THIBETAN NOMAD. 
 
 presents a singularly desolate aspect, except during the 
 short season of rains, and at spots where moisture is sup- 
 plied by underground springs. 
 
BRIGANDISH NATIVES. 407 
 
 Few traces of vegetable growth, are to be seen, while 
 there is an absolute dearth of fauna of all description. 
 Nevertheless, the country shelters a numerous population 
 of the most unenlightened and hostile of savage tribes, 
 who secure a scanty sustenance from systematic pUlaging 
 of the more amenable regions to the east and west, being 
 brigands of the worst sort. For the greater part they 
 have no permanent settlements or abodes, leading a 
 nomadic life, and pitching their greasy skin tents where- 
 soever the conations may seem propitious for their 
 sanguinary and thievish forays. 
 
CHAPTEE Xn. 
 
 It was our original intention to journey to the north- 
 westward on the morning of November 4th, but once out- 
 side the protecting shelter of our tents we saw that such 
 a step was a manifest impossibility ; for a frightful wind- 
 storm, accompanied by a heavy faU of rain, had swoUen 
 the waters of the stream into a yawning chasm, which, 
 had we shown sufficient foolhardiness as to have set forth, 
 must inevitably have swamped the canoes. With weU- 
 advised discretion, therefore, we halted for another twenty- 
 four hours at our desolate camping-place, hoping against 
 fate that by the next day the weather conditions would 
 wax more propitious, and that we should not suffer 
 further delay. The morning of the fifth dawned, only to 
 send our fond hope to the lowest depths of gloomy despair ; 
 for the warring of the elements had meanwhile increased, 
 the Dji Chu rushing by in a roaring torrent, and crashing 
 against its enclosing walls of rock with impotent fury. 
 
 Until the eighth we waited for the change in the wheel 
 of fortune, when at last our patience was rewarded by 
 the arrival of fair weather, and with unflagging zeal we 
 were enabled to press forward against the strong current, 
 which even yet showed evidences of the severe lashing 
 which it had undergone for the last three days. Progress 
 was precarious in the extreme, owing to the strength of 
 the current and the presence of menacing obstructions ; 
 and, despite the most laudable efforts on the part of the 
 Kiangsis, we had by noontime gone but a little over three 
 
 408 
 
A DUBIOUS RECEPTION. 409 
 
 miles, when further advance was barred by a succession 
 of rapids shooting up ahead, which continued for a dis- 
 tance of two miles. Beaching the canoes, we examined 
 the face of the current in order to ascertain if there was 
 a clear channel in the foaming sea of waters whereby we 
 could make the ascent ; but the inky waste gave no hope 
 in that direction, and with the most laborious effort, scal- 
 ing the sheer surface of the mountain slope, the entire 
 afternoon was spent in the hazardous portage of the 
 canoes and thei^ burdens across an uneven country, cut 
 up with numerous icy peaks and yawning chasms, which 
 only the might of necessity carried us across. 
 
 We encamped at night near a little village, where the 
 habitations were built of sun-dried brick and skins, or in 
 some cases of logs, which gave unmistakable evidence 
 that we had reached a land of plentiful timber. The 
 head man of the place, who seemed to be the sole inhabi- 
 tant, was a sinister-looking scoundrel, most repugnantly 
 filthy in dress, and covered with eruptions from some 
 skin disease. He received us coldly, and had he had a 
 large force at his command, he imdoubtedly would have 
 made that reception one of hostility. He sought to dis- 
 suade us from further progress by giving most unfavour- 
 able accounts regarding the natives of the country to the 
 northward. He told us that he was the head man of 
 the district, but could supply us with no river guides, as 
 all of his villagers had departed on a trading expedition 
 to the eastward. The potent promise of reward, however, 
 was more effectual than the mere bandying of words, for 
 he immediately sent a woman off on the back of a yak to 
 another village in the neighbourhood, to see if she could 
 secure guides. She returned after some hours, having 
 searched the villages, and even wandered for a consider- 
 
410 THROUGH UNEXPLORED ASIA. 
 
 able distance on the mountainside, but was unable to get 
 a single man. Whereupon the surly old rascal, ascribing 
 the loss of the emolument which we had offered to her 
 ill success, was on the point of giving her a severe beating 
 when we interceded in her behalf. 
 
 On the ninth we ascended the Dji Chu for ten miles 
 to the next " important stage, Chan Nak, a scattered 
 little village of half a hundred souls, which, situated at a 
 strategical point, had advanced to a considerable condition 
 of opulence. Most of the houses and tribal buildings 
 were built of square-cut blocks of stone, while the popula- 
 tion, meagre though it was, comprised seventy-five per 
 cent, of males, mostly fuU-grown men, and no less than 
 ten different dialects, in fact amounting to ten different 
 languages, were in constant use here, — Mongol, Thibetan, 
 Koko Norese, and the various Tangut patois and argot. 
 
 We soon discovered that, in spite of its unamenable sur- 
 face conditions, the surrounding district was extensively 
 populated by Djun-Ba. A number of them lived in the 
 village itself ; but the greater part were pastoral, living 
 in rude tents, made of two rough poles, supported by hair 
 ropes, over which were hung coarse blankets of fur, of 
 their own making. Each family possessed its own flock 
 and a few camels, the tent already described, and two or 
 three earthenware pots and cooking bowls, with a few 
 sacks of flour. When several families live and move in 
 concert they form a " hineu." WhUe the men watch the 
 flocks with arms at their side, the women make bread and 
 cheese for the winter, buttermilk and cJioiMnien for daily 
 consumption. On the march, the women help to load the 
 camels and pack the tents ; in fact, they perform aU 
 the manual labour of the community other than that of 
 tending the herds. 
 
THIBETAX DWELLING AT CHAN-NAK. 
 
CURIOUS FEMALES. 413 
 
 The dress of the men is the invariable skin-toga, hang- 
 ing from one shoulder and covering the body to the 
 knees, the legs being bare, or protected by boots of yak 
 hide, with iron soles, the clanking of this metallic sub- 
 stance over the flinty earth being audible for a great 
 distance. The women are dressed with more pretension, 
 in brown or black cloth robes, which cover the entire 
 head, except the face, and trail for a considerable distance 
 along the ground, with as much ostentation as the train 
 of " my lady." The older females in addition have a thin 
 veil, which is drawn over the face either as protection 
 from the sun, or to ward off the inquisitive stares of over- 
 bold members of the sterner sex. That these attentions 
 are not wholly disagreeable is shown by the fact that the 
 veil is in far from conamon use, whUe those women whom 
 we saw were most assiduous in their unceasing importun- 
 ings and unbridled curiosity. 
 
 Like the higher class of Tangutans, their features were 
 very regular, and the colour of their skins a light brown, 
 in some cases nearly white. Most of the men were of 
 enormous height, and physically well-proportioned. They 
 were well matched in this respect by the females, whose 
 features were regular, but somewhat masculine, and their 
 figures tall and good. Unlike the practice in other dis- 
 tricts, the custom of marrying late is here prevalent ; and 
 doubtless to this cause may be attributed the ability of 
 the females to keep their good looks for a long time. 
 
 The method of betrothal and marriage is very singular, 
 the entire transaction being carried on by the respective 
 parents of the bride and bridegroom. When a young man 
 has arrived at the age when he feels that his soul calls for 
 the state of connubial bliss, he appeals to his father, who, 
 having weighed the matter carefully, looks around on all 
 
414 THROUGH UNEXPLORED ASIA. 
 
 the eligible women of tlie village, and having at last hap- 
 pened upon one in whom he perceives all the numerous 
 graces desired, waits upon her male parent with a proposal 
 of marriage for his son. The bride's father having felt 
 his way carefully (for a refusal may provoke a long and 
 bloody feud), names the amount which »he feels is consist- 
 ent with the worth of his daughter ; and then ensues a 
 long scene of careful bargaining, until at last a settled 
 determination is arrived at. Between the time of the 
 betrothal and the marriage but a few hours intervene, 
 the latter ceremony being carried out with much feasting 
 and entertainment, according to the wealth of the groom's 
 father, who is called upon to assume the entire expense 
 of the affair. 
 
 The state of womanhood among the Djun-Ba is much 
 exalted over that of the other Sifanese tribes, the males 
 rarely, if ever, having more than one wife, and no con- 
 cubines, — although the wealthier members of the tribe 
 sometimes have female slaves, whose duties are perfectly 
 manual. The marriage state is generally very happy; 
 the women are rarely beaten, and often consulted. They 
 are fond of their husbands, kind to their children, and 
 altogether important personages in the general welfare 
 of the community. 
 
 This race likewise seems to have a deeply religious 
 nature, the form and precepts of their faith varying with 
 as amazing abruptness as their language. There does not 
 seem to be any great or generally worshipped deity, each 
 household or community having a number of local gods, in 
 whom are embodied special privileges, such as ruling over 
 the herdsmen, the fishermen, the hunters, or the warriors. 
 Numerous shrines and temples have been built, which 
 really form the sole architectural exponents of the country. 
 
PRAYING WATER-WHEELS. 415 
 
 One of the most curious of the paraphernalia attached 
 to their religion is the praying water-wheel, an instru- 
 ment of considerable popularity m the region of North- 
 western China and Thibet. The ordinary prayer-wheel 
 is turned by the hand, while the person engaged in so 
 doing mumbles numerous prayers of inordinate length, 
 sometimes taking a day off from his other labours to 
 pour forth these unmusical ululations with the most tiring 
 monotony. The praying water-wheel, on the other hand, 
 keeping in advance of the growth of civilisation, is a 
 much more'practicable piece of machinery, and by logical 
 reasoning should ensure the religious devotee much easier 
 access into the realms of paradise. This consists of a 
 number of metal cylinders arranged on a frame, and fixed 
 across a stream upon an axle. Into these cylinders are 
 placed rolls of prayer-paper, which are manufactured by 
 the lamas or priests, and sold at a good profit ; thus the 
 busy man, whose time is more limited than that of his 
 neighbour, enjoys equal advantage in the devotional scale. 
 It is rather strange, however, that if these people really 
 do have an abundance of faith in their praying machinery, 
 they do not put up more of these water-wheels ; for it 
 is at once apparent that, revolving unceasingly day and 
 night, in the natural course of events they must do more 
 work than the praying-flags and hand-wheels. As a former 
 traveller in Thibet has very tritely remarked, " An enor- 
 mous amount of praying-power is wasted in the rushing 
 streams, which, properly utilised, might be made to ensure 
 the joys of this after state to every soul in the country." 
 Good missionaries should see to this. 
 
 The country in the vicinity of Chan Nak is very diffi- 
 cult of being traversed by land, owing to the almost 
 impenetrable mountain chains which wander in all direc- 
 
416 THROUGH UNEXPLORED ASIA. 
 
 tions, as if with no settled purpose of continuity. A few 
 straggling apologies for caravan roads wander aimlessly 
 to the westward, but so miserable and obstructed that 
 their utility is questionable. It may be possible that the 
 sure-footed yaks can find their way over the uneven sur- 
 face, but they are absolutely impassable to camels, who 
 are here bred more for their flesh and hides than for 
 caravan purposes. 
 
 The only method of penetrating through the country, 
 therefore, is by the stream of the Dji Chu and its tribu- 
 tary rivers, which are generally so turbulent and descend 
 with such abrupt altitudes that only by the greatest exer- 
 cise of skill and courage can they be navigated. In the 
 wilder parts the river frequently divides into several 
 channels, but of such depth that nowhere and at no 
 season of the year is it fordable. Hence, innumerable 
 bridges have been thrown across the current at intervals, 
 which are all constructed after one stereotyped plan in 
 the following manner : Rough piers of alternate rows of 
 stones and timbers are raised on either bank, and, if possi- 
 ble, several more in midstream, where foundations can be 
 worked upon, those on either bank being so raised as to 
 gradually incline over the river, — the higher, the more 
 they overhang the river and diminish the span. Connect- 
 ing these piers and resting upon them are timbers, which 
 form the bed of the roadway, a surface being made by the 
 intertwining of boughs and vegetable withes, which are 
 then filled in with loose mud and earth. This gradually 
 hardens, and soon presents a fairly smooth and solid sur- 
 face. The existence of these bridges, however, is very pre- 
 carious, for the swift current of the stream frequently 
 washes away the supports of the piers and tumbles the 
 whole mass into the river, where it is sufEered to remain 
 
NATIVE BiaDGES. 417 
 
 and acquire a growth, of debris and alluvial deposit until 
 an impenetrable obstruction has been formed across the 
 bed of tbe stream, greatly accelerating its turbulence and 
 the swiftness of its current. As there are no carts in 
 tbe region, the bridges are generally constructed so as 
 to admit of a single horseman or a couple of pedestrians 
 passing abreast, a hand-rail being dispensed with as an 
 altogether efEeminate and unnecessary adjunct. The effect 
 of crossing one of these shaky structures, with a boiling 
 torrent foaming fifty or a hundred feet below, may better 
 be imagined than described, — the foot dislodging at each 
 moment immense pieces of the roadway, sending it crash- 
 ing down below, or sinking through the uncertain mass 
 up to one's knees, with the by no means improbable possi- 
 bUity of letting the remainder of the body follow through 
 after, and being dashed to pieces on the jagged rocks 
 pointing upward their hungry-looking teeth. 
 
 Although there is doubtless considerable iron ore in the 
 district, it is not utilised in the construction of these 
 bridges ; neither are there evidences of its great use for 
 other utilitarian purposes. In places where there are no 
 bridges provided for the crossing of a stream, the usual 
 method adopted consists in swimming across, supported 
 by an inflated goat or sheep skin, with the momentary 
 danger of its being punctured by some sharp obstruction 
 and filling with water, allowing one to sink to the bottom. 
 When the natives are obHged to follow this practice they 
 are usually joined together by a rope, which permits one 
 of their number being continually on shore and looking 
 after the welfare of the others. 
 
 The Gata Chaka Ula, which is the real backbone of the 
 mountain system of this region, consists of two ranges, 
 instead of the four which Prejevalsky has asserted, enclos- 
 
418 THROUGH UNEXPLORED ASIA. 
 
 ing the valley of the upper Dji Chu, and lying at right 
 angles to the general mountain system of Central Asia. 
 The western range springs up abruptly on the east of the 
 plateau south of the Tsitsu Kiang, upon which has settled 
 a medley of tribes, — Turkomans, Thibetans, Mongols, 
 and Tangutans. This region is almost entirely treeless, 
 very fertile, and, being of an average height of fourteen 
 thousand feet above the sea level, very hot during the 
 hours of the day and in the warm season, and inundated 
 with almost arctic frigidity during the nights and the long 
 winter season. Westward, both the Gata Chaka ranges 
 are merged in the higher elevation of the Tangla system, 
 — a vast succession of mountain peaks, well watered but 
 treeless, and at no point with an elevation of less than 
 twelve thousand feet above the sea. In this, the most 
 eastern point of the Thibetan watershed, the Tsitsu, 
 Kartug, and Sigu-murren take their rise, — streams of 
 meagre importance, whose flow is to a greater or less 
 extent regulated by the rainfall of the district and the 
 dryness of the soil. 
 
 The western range is composed of several small moun- 
 tain groups mostly rising to about five thousand feet, 
 with low intervening depressions, and bordering the left 
 bank of the Dji Chu for a distance of fifty mUes, when 
 they merge into the Baian Kara Ula range. Their con- 
 tinuity is frequently interrupted by deep passes or wide 
 valleys, which afford subsistence for a meagre growth of 
 grass and other vegetation serving as food for the numer- 
 ous herds, — grazing being an industry of no mean con- 
 sideration, providing, as it does, the sole means of 
 livelihood for a large population. The Turkomans, who 
 for some unexplainable reason are found in such numbers 
 in the triangle of which Djou Kung is the apex, are for 
 
NATIVE BRIDGE ACROSS D.II CHU. 
 
AN INTERESTING JDOUNTRY. 421 
 
 the most part Mussulmans, and looked upon by the Sifan- 
 ese and alien tribes with the greatest contempt, — con- 
 tempt, however, not unmixed with fear, their brigandish 
 and fanatical valeur saving them from further annoyance 
 than contumely and furtively whispered verbal assault. 
 
 At an early hour on the morning of November 14th, 
 we arose with lightened spirits, after a five days' halt, for 
 the continuance of our journey up-stream. It did not 
 require much evidence to make us acquainted with the 
 fact that the races with whom we were now mingling 
 were far more hospitable and less suspicious than those 
 met with farther back ; although acknowledging no alle- 
 giance to the imperial government, they have nevertheless 
 in a measure been brought under its control. For the 
 greater part of the way to Jia Charing our course wound 
 between deep and narrow gorges, where the scenery was 
 majestic in the extreme, but also gloomy and somewhat 
 depressing on account of the scarcity of cultivation and 
 the shutting off of the sun's rays, which rendered the 
 course of our journeying as dismal as the tomb. At inter- 
 vals these gorges suddenly opened out, the mountains on 
 either side retreating, leaving broad lake-like expanses 
 between them, bordered by sloping plains. It is on these 
 slopes only that cultivation is possible, what is naturally 
 a sterile and stony desert having been reclaimed by the 
 industry and thrift of the population to fertility, by 
 the spreading over it of the alluvial deposit gathered 
 from the shores of the river. 
 
 Three or four miles before reaching Jia Charing the 
 Dji Chu divided itself into numerous channels, flowing 
 between shoals and rocky islets, but with very few minor 
 obstructions. We kept well toward the right bank, where 
 as a -rule the stream was least strong, for it would have 
 
422 THROUGH UNEXPLORED ASIA. 
 
 been an impossibility to exercise any control over the 
 canoes in the swifter channels farther out. Yet the native 
 coracles, with a charming disregard of danger, flew over 
 these exposed spots, the hardy navigators with their blade- 
 less poles constantly revolving their queer-shaped craft 
 with the most amazing revolutions, spinning them around 
 with nearly as much celerity as they would so many tops. 
 
 The inhabitants of Jia Charing were of a peculiar type ; 
 and, after viewing their miserable habitations and their 
 generally filthy and unprepossessing persons, one could 
 not but think that the wild mountaineers, with all their 
 uncouth barbarousness, were infinitely preferable to these 
 cosmopolitan savages. The men were generally of small 
 stature (some might be described as dwarfs), and they 
 varied in the retrograde scale, until the force of ugliness 
 or depravity could no further go. Most of them had 
 goitre or repugnant skin diseases, while many of them 
 appeared to be victims of the opium habit. In diplomatic 
 ability and craftiness they were superior to their fellows 
 of the less settled regions, practising the code of flattery 
 and hyperbole to its fullest extent. 
 
 As we approached the village we were met by a fleet 
 of some two dozen coracles, in which were seated the 
 head men and the ^lite of the place, who, having saluted 
 us by much sticking out of the tongue and gesticulation, 
 informed us that the " coming of the two white princes " 
 had been foretold by their fathers' fathers, and that for 
 years they had waited for this auspicious moment, — a 
 greeting which it need hardly be said we reciprocated with 
 much poetic earnestness. We could not but wonder as to 
 what had been the original state of the village, if that 
 which was now presented to our eyes was its condition 
 after having been prepared for our arrival, for existence 
 
BURTON TURNS PHYSICIAN. 423 
 
 was synonymous with torture, hosts of vindictive vermin 
 rendering living indoors one long-drawn-out spasm of 
 anguish ; while the mind and body wandering out-of-doors 
 was confronted with hardly more desirable conditions, by 
 being called upon to face innumerable vile-smelling 
 odours, and the disagreeable practice of the population 
 of supplementing visual curiosity by poking filthy and 
 diseased hands into one's face with no compunction what- 
 soever. 
 
 Many of the natives were troubled with sore eyes, 
 owing to the immense clouds of alkali dust blowing 
 around ; and hardly had we landed before our tents 
 were surrounded by a supplicating horde of the afflicted, 
 who prayed us to relieve them of all the iUs that their 
 flesh is heir to. Burton, who had taken upon himself the 
 duties of physician for the expedition, with characteristic 
 bluntness recommended a treatment of cold water applied 
 «xternally at not infrequent intervals; but his sarcasm 
 was wasted on the evil-smelling horde, who could not 
 understand the ability to cure unless they witnessed the 
 more visible e^ddences of the curative agent. As a last 
 resort he distributed some ointment among those who were 
 badly afflicted, and a composition of yak grease to the 
 others, when they departed in peace, and we were enabled 
 to secure comparative quiet for the night, save for the 
 timid raising of the flap of our tent every few hours, and 
 the peering in of various grinning faces of tardy sufferers, 
 who were immediately sent away rejoicing. 
 
 As the following day was deliciously clear and bright, 
 we took advantage of the opportunity to do considerable 
 exploring in the surrounding country, at the same time 
 furnishing an abundance of entertainment for the entire 
 population of the village. The telescope and scientific 
 
424 THROUGH UNEXPLORED ASIA. 
 
 apparatus was undoubtedly the most important bit of 
 their local history for years, as it was immediately 
 believed to be possessed with life, and capable of reading 
 far into the future with unerring accuracy. This strange 
 fancy was spread among the wondering group by the 
 more erudite, who, with the wisest lopks and the most 
 fantastic tales, worked upon the credulity of their more 
 susceptible kin until the general awe regarding the 
 strange instrument had surpassed all understanding. As 
 magic and astrology are much practised among this 
 people, we were more or less interrupted by being called 
 upon to answer the innumerable questions of various 
 import which were fired at us with the most persistent 
 monotony, until, as a measure of self-defence, we were 
 obliged to spread the information that the telescope had 
 become angry, and that if more questions were asked we 
 could not be responsible for the results to follow. This 
 threat happUy proved sufficient ; for, although the curios- 
 ity in its mystical powers was not abated, we were at 
 least spared annoyance from the babel-like turmoil which 
 we had previously suffered in silence. 
 
 A number of really remarkable idols, some thirty in 
 number, were gathered on the plain to the south of the 
 village, ranging in height from six to ten feet, hewn out 
 of a single piece of stone into the most fantastic and 
 hideous of shapes. We endeavoured to gain some reliable 
 information regarding their age, but our most vigorous 
 questionings were unable to elicit more than that they 
 had existed for many years in the same spot before the 
 remembrance of any living native. Although the erosion 
 of the air and atmosphere has a quickly appreciable effect 
 upon all landmarks in this region, it is very possible that 
 these stone images are contemporaneous with the further 
 
INCREDULOUS MOUNTAINEERS. 425 
 
 remains of an ancient race found at infrequent intervals. 
 They undoubtedly mark the site of graves of illustrious 
 personages, but our best efforts were unavailing in secur- 
 ing permission from the natives to make more than a 
 surface examination. 
 
 During our stay at Jia Charing we received a visit from 
 a number of chiefs belonging to inland tribes to the east- 
 ward, who had been apprised of our arrival in the coun- 
 try. In general characteristics they were similar to the 
 river natives, except that the few evidences of semi-civilisa- 
 tion existing among the latter were totally wanting in these 
 inland tribes, and their hostility was too openly marked 
 not to be understood. On being made acquainted with 
 the wonders of our instruments by the Charingese, they 
 received the narrative of these miraculous objects with 
 sniffs of contempt, announcing their determination not to 
 be wheedled into believing any such impossible tales until 
 they should have the evidence of their own eyes. To 
 save our entertainers from the mortification which this 
 reflection upon their veracity would imply, we permitted 
 several of the strangers to look through our field-glasses, 
 when instantly their barrier of punctilious reserve was 
 melted, and, with eager delight, they asked to be shown 
 the remainder of the sights, which, having inspected in 
 turn, they departed to their villages mightily impressed 
 with the wonders which they had seen. 
 
 As our food supply was running short, we took advan- 
 tage of the opportunity to secure some fresh meat and 
 fish. The meat, through having been freshly killed, was 
 such as we desired ; but the same could not be said of 
 the fish, for that they should be used as an article of diet 
 by the native population is remarkable. Those which 
 were brought to us, and which in no wise differed from 
 
426 THROUGH UNEXPLORED ASIA. 
 
 those forming one of the staples of local diet, were only 
 partially sun-dried ; and, being packed in baskets ia lots 
 weighing about forty or fifty pounds, soon degenerated 
 into a mass of putrefaction. There could be no doubt as 
 to their total unfitness as an article of human diet, but a 
 continued sojourn in Western China soon makes one aware 
 of the too true fact that taste and smell are but synony- 
 mous terms. We also discovered to our sorrow that the 
 art of cheating was fully as well understood in these parts 
 as in others we had passed through ; for I found the 
 centre of some of the baskets to be filled with stone, earth, 
 and other inedible morsels, which doubtless to the native 
 mind combined economy of expense with marked dura- 
 bility, and which they looked upon as one of the many 
 justifiable tricks of their trade ; for when their cupidity 
 was discovered and pointed out, they asserted, with the 
 most brazen naivete, that we had purchased with our eyes 
 open what they had sold us and that if it did not come 
 up to expectations, it was distinctively our own affair, 
 assuredly none of theirs. With this denouement we were 
 obliged perforce to be satisfied, seeing that no other alter- 
 native presented itself. 
 
 It was with pleasure that we learned, on leaving Jia 
 Charing, that the country through which our journeying 
 would henceforth lie was inhabited by a less ill-favoured 
 generation then those we had been obliged to mingle with 
 heretofore. Happy indeed it was to straggle leisurely 
 along for mUe after mile, touching shore wherever incli- 
 nation listed, sleeping for the night in undisturbed slum- 
 ber, with no longer the menacing fear of being called to 
 arms to repel savage foes. Who but those that have been 
 sorely tried can appreciate the full meaning of these words, 
 — viewing danger but in retrospect, eagerly pressing 
 
HALTING PROGRESS. 427 
 
 toward the end, miBgling with strange regions, strange 
 people, and strange customs uninterruptedly, without that 
 fearsome dread which dulls the keen enjoyment of ex- 
 ploration ? 
 
 There was considerable trouble in making effectual 
 advance against the current of the Dji Chu on the nine- 
 teenth and twentieth, by reason of vast areas of rank 
 vegetable growth, which covered the face of the stream 
 untU it presented the appearance of a carpet of green ver- 
 dure ; only the most laborious effort, by clinging close 
 inshore, enabled the sturdy Kiangsis to push the shallow 
 craft ahead. We had to go backward and forward again 
 with wearying monotony, untU, after nearly twenty-four 
 hours of this unpleasant experience, we really felt as if 
 we had been retrograding rather than progressing. The 
 mountains on either hand were so precipitous as almost to 
 be cliffs, through which many gorges, formed by land- 
 slips and waterfalls, had been cut. 
 
 The country from Jia Charing to Ghanu may be con- 
 sidered a sort of tableland, bounded on the northwest by 
 the Tain Mountains and on the east by the southern pro- 
 jections of the Baian Kara Ula range. Ten mUes north of 
 the former village the plain attains its greatest elevation, 
 and declines toward Ghanu. Between the two great 
 ranges a low chain of hUls conducts the drainage from both 
 sides into the Dji Chu. The general landscape is a brown, 
 stony moor, bounded by distant mountain peaks, whose 
 black, rocky tops and shelving sides, covered with a 
 deposit of loess, admit of patches of cultivation, looking 
 from a distance like green specks in the large waste ; 
 sometimes forty or fifty are in view at once, but they 
 never hide the naked plain, and the general aspect is one 
 of desolation. 
 
428 THROUGH UNEXPLORED ASIA. 
 
 The Tain range runs N. N. W. It is the chief of the 
 southern Kara Ula chain. To the south, where it ap- 
 proaches nearest the plateau just described, it is very low, 
 and penetrated by innumerable small rivers, doubtless 
 streams of but transitory existence. All the streams of 
 its western slope force their way to the Dji Chu, showing 
 that no intermediate range is so high or continuous. In 
 the valleys enclosed by its branches there exists a numer- 
 ous population of Tangutans and a few Lolos, who are 
 engaged for the most part in herding cattle, or making 
 devastating and brigandish forays on the river settlements, 
 when the opportunity presents itself. This range for its 
 entire length is tolerably wooded ; its western face and 
 higher peaks are covered with pine and small arboreal 
 growth, while in the valleys crops of wheat, barley, and 
 various vegetables are possible of cultivation. 
 
 As previously mentioned, the greater part of the Tan- 
 gutans of this region are pastoral ; they live in rude tents, 
 and wander from place to place as the necessity of provid- 
 ing food for their herds demands. They have no peaceable 
 instincts, acknowledging no allegiance to law or authority 
 of any sort, have no settled form of government, each man 
 ruling over his own immediate family, and amenable to no 
 one else, being unenlightened and barbarous in all the 
 meaning that the term savagery implies. The natives 
 who live near to the river, however, are not pure Tangut- 
 ans, but a mixture of the latter with Mongols and other 
 alien tribes, — the change, small though it is, being much 
 for the better, as verily hospitality and peaceableness cover 
 a multitude of shortcomings. 
 
 The great obstacles to the improvement and civilising 
 of this part of China are the tribal antagonism of the 
 varying races existing in such close juxtaposition, and 
 
BENEFITS OF CIVILISED CONTROL. 429 
 
 the difficulty of internal traveUing caused by the want of 
 a common government. All races detest any government 
 which interferes with the rights of the individual, and 
 they view with alarm the prospect of taxes or tribute to 
 support a government from which they can expect little 
 or no advantages. The mountain tribes — Sifanese, Lolos, 
 and others — trust that the impenetrability of their do- 
 mains will keep them independent, and in this belief it 
 cannot be denied that they have behind them the weight 
 and preponderance, of indubitable evidence. The conquest 
 of the region — should that prove feasible — by some 
 strong civilised nation (say England or Russia), with the 
 introduction of a firm and vigorous policy, would, I am 
 convinced, alter the coiintry in a generation. The land 
 is not phenomenally rich, but is gradually being reclaimed 
 by the nations to fertility, and is already capable of pro- 
 ducing good crops where water can be procured ; and the 
 supply of this might be greatly increased. The people 
 without doubt have the seeds of many virtues that it 
 would not be impossible to bring out by civiHsing influ- 
 ences. It must be confessed, however, that the progress 
 already made does not encourage wholly optimistic views 
 as to the future ; yet, on the other hand, it should be 
 remembered that hitherto, or at least not later than the 
 last twenty-five years, this vast region of Central Asia has 
 attracted but scant notice from the civilising agencies nec- 
 essary to reclaim it. Now that a healthy interest has been 
 aroused in this one of the most wonderful and interesting 
 of the world's regions, hopeful results may be looked 
 for, and the future of this enormous territory will in a 
 measure be decided. 
 
 Ghanu, which we reached on the twenty-first, was the 
 most extensive oasis in this part of the country, and serv- 
 
430 
 
 THROUGH UNEXPLORED ASIA. 
 
 ing as the junction of nine caravan roads, it is a village 
 of considerable importance. It is situated at the base of 
 an immense mountain cone, in a beautiful vale, the sur- 
 rounding landscape being similar to that which one sees 
 
 THE MAGICAL FIGURE DABCHAD, "OCTAGON. 
 
 in Italian Switzerland. As we neared the shore, shortly 
 before sundown, we were made aware of the presence of a 
 number of functionaries in robes of ofl&ce, who had gath- 
 ered at the water's edge to welcome us fittingly into their 
 midst. They brought us several bowls of pundu, and half 
 a dozen platters of fried fish and half-baked yak meat, as 
 
A QUIZZICAL HOST. 431 
 
 evidences of their friendly intent, which we received with 
 a corresponding show of gratitude, presenting gifts of 
 cloth and several muskets to those who seemed to be 
 dignitaries of more than ordinary importance. 
 
 As we entered the village we had an opportunity to note 
 its general characteristics; and it was a surprise, and a 
 welcome one withal, to discover that our fondest imagin- 
 ings had been realised by actuality. The residence of the 
 head man was a two-storied structure of loose stone, 
 cemented together with mud plaster, and whitewashed 
 withm and without, surmounted by an elongated dome 
 of bricks which really showed considerable skUl in con- 
 struction. The owner of this pretentious edifice was a lean 
 old Mongol with a stern and forbidding countenance, across 
 which so much as a vestige of a smile never passed. Had 
 fortune cast his lot in more favoured lands, he must inev- 
 itably have been a lawyer of the most phenomenal talent ; 
 for, after having invited us to drink tea with him, he man- 
 ifested the usual native trait of worrying us through a 
 cross-examination of the most exacting and impertinent 
 kind, receiving our answers with no other demonstration 
 than a low grunt of sepulchral tone, implying surprise, 
 contempt, and other varying emotions. He evidently had 
 great faith in his gift of persuasion, for as the interview 
 drew toward an end near midnight he asked with blunt 
 frankness, and without previous beating around the bush, 
 that we give him as a present half a bale of cloth and 
 three muskets to repay him for our entertainment. As the 
 gifts which we already had made repaid tenfold the small 
 quantity of food we had received from him, we very prop- 
 erly declined to comply with this request, which declina- 
 tion he welcomed with the same matter-of-fact expression 
 as heretofore ; that is, with a guttural grunt of disgust. 
 
432 THROUGH UNEXPLORED ASIA. 
 
 His son visited us next day, and, besides bearing an open 
 and frank countenance, was possessed of a certain majesty 
 of carriage which at once commended him to our observa- 
 tion. He was better dressed than the commonalty, wear- 
 ing garments of cloth instead of yak skin ; the nails of his 
 left hand had been allowed to grow to enormous length, to 
 show that he was not obhged to labour for a living, — 
 and showing also that they were utilised for a more utili- 
 tarian purpose ; namely, that of tearing his food to pieces 
 like a ravenous eagle. He evidently considered himself 
 no small personage, for he apologised for not having 
 received us on the previous evening by saying that he 
 had but just returned from a long journey to Thibet. He 
 was a great traveller in these parts, and recited for our 
 delectation many of his adventures ; but with tribal disre- 
 gard for the truth, he sought to work on our credulity to 
 no little extent. With this constant ignoring of accuracy, 
 what information we gleaned from his verbose and blus- 
 tering narrative was most unsatisfactory and inconclusive. 
 This son of his father had scarcely departed, and peace 
 and quietness been restored, when our equanimity was 
 further imposed upon by the arrival of four red-clothed 
 lamas from an adjacent monastery, who, having followed 
 pretty much the example of the common herd by staring 
 us out of countenance and asking innumerable puzzling 
 questions, requited our endeavours by inviting us to retm-n 
 with them to their abode, half a mile south of the village. 
 Wishing to take advantage of this opportunity to gain 
 some idea as to the religious traits of the country, we 
 accepted their invitation, and were straightway mounted 
 on two restless little Sifanese ponies, who evidently must 
 have been gifted with a keen sense of humour ; for after 
 repeatedly brushing us against sharp projections which 
 
A VISIT TO A MONASTERY. 433 
 
 lined the road, or suddenly tossing us over their heads, 
 they would stand meekly by with the nearest approach to 
 a smile on their faces that one could well imagine. 
 
 The lamasery which had so fondly raised our hopes was 
 nothing more nor less than a succession of chambers carved 
 out of the loess clifE, forming with some other cliffs of the 
 same description a giant flight of stairs on the slope of a 
 bleak mountain of loose stones. As we drew near, the 
 cliff rose sheer and vertical two hundred feet into the air, 
 causing us no little wonderment as to how its denizens 
 managed to reach their aerial abodes. At the shout of 
 one of our guides, a perfect colony of heads shot with 
 startling unanimity from as many little openings which 
 we had not previously noticed, and several minutes later a 
 long rope-ladder came sliding down the face of the cliff, 
 up which, following the example of our guides, we clam- 
 bered with halting steps, unnerved each moment with the 
 far from pleasant reflection that an attack of vertigo or a 
 chance misstep on the imstable structure would send us 
 hurling to our doom through several hundred feet of space 
 on to the flinty bed below. 
 
 Once inside the huge cave habitation, we were for a 
 short time undecided as to whether it would not have 
 been better, after all, to have met our doom from this 
 dizzy height than to submit tamely to the torturing proc- 
 ess of inquisitorial curiosity through which we were now 
 put. The chief of the lamas was an elderly patriarch 
 with a scant growth of white beard, and a straggling cone 
 of gray hair rising from the centre of his cleanly shaven 
 pate ; and notwithstanding the fact that his holy ofiice 
 should have taught him better, with the most reckless 
 abandon he informed us that he had lived for over two 
 hundred years, — a statement concerning which we felt it 
 
434 THROUGH UNEXPLORED ASIA. 
 
 our bounden duty to express considerable astonishment. 
 The conversation was at this point interrupted by the 
 soimd of a huge drum beating at the farther end of the 
 apartment, at which th.e lamas waddled ofE to the point 
 whence the sound came, and squatting on the ground 
 began chanting in dismal monotones from long strips of 
 prayer-paper, which performance they kept up uninter- 
 ruptedly for an hour with, an unswerving fortitude that 
 was miraculous ; while others, taking positions on either 
 side, turned tbe numerous prayer-wheels with a rapid 
 rotary motion which must have been fatiguing in the 
 extreme. During the progress of these devotional exer- 
 cises we peered out of a narrow opening in the wall, and 
 were able thus to secure a splendid view of the surround- 
 ing country, which was particularly fantastic and impres- 
 sive. Snow-covered peaks were pUed high into the sky as 
 far as the eye could reach, gashed and broken in places by 
 a network of little gullies in regular furrows and waves 
 overlapping each other, of various vivid colours, — great 
 streaks himdreds of feet long of pink, ocbre, white, green, 
 blue, brick-red, and other colours, — forming a general 
 effect which was very curious. In other parts of the 
 landscape broad streaks of petroleum slowly sought a 
 lower level in dark, filthy streams, giving out a vile- 
 smelling odour perceptible for many miles. 
 
 Beyond what we have related, our visit to this lamasery 
 was doomed to be without substantial results. 
 
 As is but natural to suppose, there are numerous valu- 
 able coal areas in this region, whicb would furnish an 
 abundance of fuel, but that the natives, either through, 
 inertia or ignorance of the worth of these precious 
 deposits, persist in leading a half-frozen existence over 
 miserable fires of yak and camel dung. 
 
PREVALENCE OF SLAVERY. 435 
 
 As both Prejevalsky and Dagleish assert that there is 
 no evidence of slavery in this region, we must suppose 
 that their investigation was superficial, for its existence is 
 too prevalent and openly manifested not to impress itself 
 upon the traveller here as part and parcel of the social 
 fabric of the community. The slave-trade is rapidly spread- 
 ing into China from Thibet, and will continue to do so un- 
 til it is put down with a strong hand, or until it dies a 
 natural death from the total destruction of the population. 
 As the law of th§ country permits a parent to sell his 
 children, or lease them out to whomsoever may desire their 
 services, the condition of youth is here pitiable in the 
 extreme, for not until the male parent dies is this period 
 of bondage terminated. Malefactors and prisoners of war 
 alike have the choice presented to them of being executed 
 or consenting to serve harsh and exacting masters, com- 
 pelled to lead a life that no spirited animal would accom- 
 modate itself to, and suffer in silence, contumely, and 
 abuse the most inhuman treatment. 
 
 The cheering hope of having a free and unobstructed 
 passage up the current of the Dji Chu as far as the mouth 
 of the By Chu, where our journey by water was to come 
 to an end, rallied our spirits to the highest pitch as we 
 started from Ghanu on the morning of the twenty-fifth. 
 The head man of the village had assured me that he could 
 procure guides and yaks for us when we should have 
 entered upon this overland stage of our journey, as he 
 was friendly with chiefs for the entire distance up-stream, 
 who would carry us safely over the fortnight's journeying 
 through the Baian Kara Uld to the shores of Lake Char- 
 ing Nor, the westernmost source of the Hoang Ho, where 
 it was our intention to encamp, previous to the hazardous 
 exploration of the unknown country in the headwaters of 
 
436 THROUGH UNEXPLORED ASIA. 
 
 that great stream, as the lateness of the season and the 
 menace of an arctic witter effectually forbade all hopes of 
 making the effort at this time of the year. 
 
 For nearly the whole day after leaving Ghanu we 
 journeyed through a fairly populous country, with small 
 villages of well-built and clean huts disposed in long 
 streets, which, if other evidence was lacking, gave us 
 reason to suppose that we were now entering a land 
 where the forces of civilisation and enlightenment had 
 worked some effect in lessening the barbarous hostility 
 of the populace. All the streets of these settlements 
 ran east and west ; the reason for this custom I was 
 unable to discover, save that it served as an artificial 
 watershed for the drainage of the respective villages. 
 The people seemed friendly, and as we journeyed painfully 
 along against the strong current the head men were usually 
 waiting on the river banks with small presents of corn 
 and meat, and were perfectly satisfied with small presents 
 in return. The passage up the river was pleasant and 
 inspiring, although (as we have said) somewhat arduous, 
 the scenery being all that could be desired, with its wide 
 variance of conditions, — in one spot the eye resting on 
 long, grassy river valleys, or brown, pebbly loess plateaus, 
 while in another direction it was met by an unbroken 
 ridge of snowy mountain peaks which faded into dim 
 obscurity with no apparent ending. On the left bank the 
 shore ascended gradually, till it culminated in a range of 
 wooded hills ten or twelve miles distant ; while the right 
 bank rose abruptly in small cliffs, crowned by weedy 
 growth or dwarfed vegetation, and here and there broken 
 by the embouchure of one of the numerous affluents of the 
 Dji Chu. In the wider expanses of the stream we came 
 upon islands, populous and wooded, inhabited by an agri- 
 
FRIENDLY NATIVES. 437 
 
 cultural population, who whirled their little tub coracles 
 before and behind us for miles, lis the strict monotony 
 of our diet had palled on our appetites, we welcomed the 
 opportunity late in the afternoon to " bag " a couple dozen 
 of duck from flocks feeding on the numerous sandbanks. 
 In appearance and taste they were precisely like tame 
 ducks, but differing in colour. The body was white, 
 speckled with brown; wings, head, and tail black, shot 
 with greenish blue. 
 
 At sunset we noticed a considerable village on a bhiff 
 overhanging the river, nearly a hundred feet high ; and 
 jumping ashore, we learned from the natives who imme- 
 diately surrounded us that the. name of their settlement 
 was Maru Bulak, and that the tolerable caravan roads 
 which we saw on the right bank led straight through the 
 , mountain country into Thibet, and were very easy of 
 passage. After having bartered with them untU a bond of 
 amity and friendship had been established, we were led 
 into the village itself, which, like most similar places in 
 this region, was surrounded by a high stone stockade, in 
 front of which was stretched a deep moat, — in the rainy 
 season undoubtedly filled with water, but which was now 
 a dry gully crossed by half a dozen rope drawbridges. 
 
 After the disgusting and hostile tribes among whom we 
 had been travelling for nearly eight months, it was a 
 delightful change to find ourselves once more in compara- 
 tive civilisation. This was evinced, not only in the decency 
 of clothing, but also in the manufactures of the country. 
 The blacksmiths, of whom there seemed to be an astonish- 
 ing number, were exceedingly clever in making instruments 
 of iron and copper, — with their crude implements draw- 
 ing fine wire of a superior quality, and constructing 
 articles of husbandry of an excellent kind. 
 
438 THROUGH UNEXPLORED ASIA. 
 
 Althougli traders pass freely through the country, it is 
 clear that the various tjabes are not very amicably united ; 
 for the adage " In time of peace prepare for war," is here 
 practically exemplified in the assiduity with which warlike 
 weapons are manufactured. There can be no doubt as to 
 the necessity of this provision for defence, since several 
 races of the Tangutans, upon whom the leaven of 
 civilisation has as yet had no effect, possess the whole hill 
 country beyond the river villages. This region is said to 
 have wood, water, and grass in plenty ; some valleys are 
 partially cultivated with rice, millet, wheat, and barley, 
 — the rice crops proving that there must be plenty of 
 water in some parts. Their successful forays have given 
 them a large stock of camels and yaks, which enables 
 them to add meat and bread to their food. In spring 
 they live principally on milk, and on the fish which they 
 can catch in the numerous deep mountain streams. They 
 usually do all their travelling on foot, and are most active 
 in the mountains ; a few great men of the tribe have 
 horses, which are rarely used, but maintained as evidence 
 of the wealth and position of their respective owners. 
 They generally attack caravans and their enemies by 
 night, their natural cowardice forbidding their risking the 
 chance of encounter by day, except when victory is prac- 
 tically assured by an overwhelming preponderance of 
 numbers. They have the habit while fighting of eating 
 a little raw flour, which doubtless has given rise to the 
 repeated statements that they never cook their meals. To 
 get wonderful stories about them from the natives of the 
 river villages is very easy, but otherwise real information 
 is very difl&cult to obtain, for no sooner is one of them 
 caught by another tribe than he is forthwith despatched in 
 order that there should be no chance of his possible rescue. 
 
CHARACTERISTICS OF BULAKS. 439 
 
 The natives of Mam Bulak were among the best that 
 we saw in Western China. They were a tall, well-formed 
 race, very few of the men, and certainly none of the 
 women, being less than six feet in height, and of very 
 majestic carriage. They were almost without exception 
 straight built, with slim but muscular limbs, many of 
 them robust, but with no evidences of obesity. Their 
 chests were deep, as becomes mountaineers, and their 
 agUity and endurance wonderful. Their features were 
 equally as attractive as their persons, — handsome oval 
 faces, of a reddish brown, in some instances nearly white, 
 aquiline noses, large dark eyes, an ordinary mouth, some- 
 what thin-lipped, and a pointed and characteristic chin, 
 forming a most agreeable tout ensemble. The rank and 
 importance of any member of the community might im- 
 mediately be determined by the height of the horn of 
 hair on the top of the head. In the males, all the hair 
 is gathered in a knot over the forehead, and there twisted 
 up in a shape resembling the horn of a unicorn, many of 
 these adornments projecting from the pate to a height of 
 eight or nine inches. These coiffures are held as a sacred 
 portion of the body, the loss of which immediately de- 
 grades the person to the lowest level, — a man wishing 
 to avenge himself on an enemy having but' to cut off this 
 horn of hair, to attain the desired result. 
 
 The clothing worn in these parts was generally con- 
 structed of a very fine-textured cloth, woven by the native 
 women, who were remarkably adept with their spinning 
 wheels. In the case of the more opulent, this cloth was 
 woven of silk or flax threads entirely; but among the 
 poorer classes, a fabric of closely knitted grassy fibres 
 answered the purpose. A fine quality of flax grows 
 wUd ; but the thread most common in use is formed from 
 
440 THROUGH UNEXPLORED ASIA. 
 
 the fibre of a dwarfed pine which grows with remarkable 
 profusion in the district. Tobacco is also extensively 
 cultivated, and when ripe the leaves are poimded in a 
 mortar and reduced to a pulp ; the mass is then placed in 
 a conical mould of wood, and pressed into long bricks 
 almost as hard as stone. Very often the tobacco is mixed 
 with yak or camel dung, your real epicurean smoker find- 
 ing in the added odour of this disgusting combination the 
 ne plus ultra of delight. 
 
 By observation we determined the altitude of Maru 
 Bulak to be 14,623 feet above the sea; yet, despite the 
 fact of the near presence of snow-covered mountain 
 ranges, the temperatvire never fell below 40° during the 
 daytime, while the nights were particularly balmy and 
 agreeable. 
 
 The head man visited us on the morning after our 
 arrival, with several of his most important subjects. He 
 was an extraordinary-looking man, about fifty-eight or 
 sixty years of age ; but he was far from possessing the 
 dignity usually belonging to a gray head, acting the 
 buffoon for our amusement, like a clown in pantomime. 
 He was evidently an ardent disciple of Terpsichore, for, 
 having gathered together a dozen of the villagers, he led 
 the step of a dance, in which the most disgusting licen- 
 tiousness was the prevailing feature. Presuming that 
 the merit of his first performance warranted its repetition 
 on a larger scale, we were waited upon by one of his 
 servants in the afternoon, with an invitation to attend 
 a second function of a like nature. 
 
 About twenty men formed a circle, each man holding 
 in his left hand a small, cup-shaped drum, formed of 
 hollowed wood, one end only being perforated, and this 
 was covered with the skin of a yak's ear tightly stretched. 
 
DEBASED RELIGIOUS BELIEFS. 441 
 
 In the centre of th.e circle were the chief dancers, — a man 
 and a woman without clothing of any sort, their bodies 
 smeared with red paint, ornamented with yellow stripes, 
 giving them a demoniacal appearance. On the right 
 stood the head man himself, armed with a huge pair of 
 cymbals, from whom the rest took their cue. The dance 
 began by all singing, in a droning monotone, a wild but 
 agreeable time, the clanging of the cymbals directing the 
 time, and all the little drums striking at certain periods 
 with such admirable precision that the effect was that 
 of a single instrument. The dancing was most vigorous, 
 but of a shocking vulgarity, which detracted from its 
 merit as a pleasing performance, and indicated a loose- 
 ness of morals which subsequent investigation confirmed, 
 — polygamy, polyandry, and adultery being the rule 
 rather than the exception. 
 
 It is remarkable that Buddhism does not make greater 
 advances in this country against the crude native beliefs, 
 which do not seem to have a permanent value, but are 
 more or less of merely transitory existence. Their cult, 
 whatever it may be, is fostered by a class of medicine- 
 men, who are held in great reverence, monopolising the 
 entire religious business of the community, and generally 
 the greater part of that of a more secular nature. It is 
 very difficult to elicit any information from these pro- 
 fessional gentlemen, for, doubtless with a full knowledge 
 of the many shortcomings and the general incompleteness 
 of their doctrines, they are averse to having them exam- 
 ined too closely. Many of the rites and customs attached 
 to their religious beliefs are very curious, of which the 
 following may be taken as examples. The deities are 
 consulted by tossing sticks into the air, and examining 
 the position in which they fall; or by burning mutton 
 
442 
 
 THROUGH UNEXPLORED ASIA. 
 
 bones, the marks produced by the calcination indicating 
 the fortune, good or evil, which has been decreed. The 
 feathers of a fowl blessed by the lamas, and dipped 
 
 in yak blood, when 
 
 :^S&< 
 
 spread upon the roof 
 of a house, ensure the 
 occupants from harm. 
 Sacrifices of sheep 
 and other animals are 
 very common ; but it 
 is doubtful if those 
 of a human character 
 ever take place, not- 
 withstanding the as- 
 sertion of many trav- 
 ellers to the con- 
 trary. 
 
 The process of jus- 
 tice is closely allied to 
 that of religion, the 
 administering of both 
 resting in the hands 
 of the priest. In case 
 of theft, the suspected 
 persons are summoned 
 to one of the numer- 
 ous temples of the 
 neighbourhood, and 
 are there each given 
 a handful of rice with 
 instructions to chew upon it. When it has been mas- 
 ticated, the mass is then placed on the floor and covered 
 by the hands of the accused. One of the lamas, after 
 
 LAMA HATS AT MARU BULAK. 
 
A BARBAROUS ORDEAL. 443 
 
 performing several feats of mummery and incantation, 
 orders tlie hands to be removed, and a stain of blood 
 on the cbewed mouthful (so it is claimed) infallibly be- 
 trays the real culprit, who is then seized upon and 
 soundly thrashed with long sticks by the others for not 
 having confessed and saved them from the indignity of 
 suspicion. 
 
 Yet another peculiar custom is that incident to the 
 admittance of a youth into the councils of the tribe or 
 village in which he^Hves. When he has arrived at the 
 proper age, and signifies his intention of adopting the state 
 of manhood, he is visited by the patriarchs of the village, 
 who, having examined him physically and mentally, decide 
 on his rights to the honour. If not found fit, he is at once 
 rejected; but if they look upon him with favour, he is 
 ordered to shut himself up in his hut for the space of a 
 week without food or water, there to pass the time in read- 
 ing unceasingly from the strips of prayer-paper furnished 
 Tn'm by the lamas, who visit him at frequent iatervals and 
 belabour him mth a stick for the purpose of ridding his 
 body of all evil spirits. At the end of this crucial period, 
 when sadly reduced by terrible privation and discipline, 
 he is brought before a council of the men of the tribe, and 
 set at the head of a sumptuous feast which has been pro- 
 vided at his own expense. While the others eat and 
 drink he must not do either, nor give any visible evidence 
 of the hunger consuming him. If he is able to do so, 
 and the head men are satisfied with his deportment during 
 the ordeal, he is welcomed as an influential man of the 
 tribe. If he fails, his position is little better than that of 
 a slave, being subject to the beck and call of any one who 
 may desire his services, and serving as an object of ridicule 
 and contumely for the younger portion of the population, 
 
444 THROUGH UNEXPLORED ASIA. 
 
 who banter and worry the poor wretch until he seeks solace 
 in suicide. 
 
 One of the sights at Maru Bulak was the market, held 
 daily between half-past seven and ten in the morning, and 
 again in the afternoon, in an open space in the town close 
 to the shore. However pressing the need, it is only at 
 these times and places that trading or bartering of any 
 kind is permitted, — the native infringing this law, and 
 selling or purchasing from his neighbour in the forbidden 
 hours, suffering a chastisement from the others which gen- 
 erally prevents his repeating the act. The principal arti- 
 cles of barter are vegetables, flour, pottery, fish, and meat, 
 both dried and fresh ; and on less frequent occasions, when 
 a special day is appointed for their sale, iron implements, 
 tobacco, and other so rated luxuries may be offered. A 
 curious currency is in vogue here, everything being priced 
 in round metal baEs, called huku. At the commencement 
 of the market, men with baskets full of these balls deal 
 them out in exchange for others to people desirous of 
 making purchases ; and when the bargaining and trading 
 have come to an end they receive them again from the 
 market people, making a profit on both transactions after 
 the manner usual among money-lenders. The dealing 
 with the metal balls is simply one of convenience and not 
 obligatory, those who are not frightened by the possibility 
 of the purloining of their wares trading and bartering 
 direct, with no intermediary, exchanging one product 
 which they possess for its value in another which they 
 desire. Between these free traders and the money-lenders 
 there is at aU times a bitter hostility, — the latter hiring 
 mercenaries to steal right and left from the former in the 
 hopes of weaning th^m over to the new custom; while 
 the direct, barterers retaliate by rushing upon the money- 
 
A DESOLATE COUNTRY. 445 
 
 lenders and seizing upon their wares, overturning them 
 summarily, until the affair has resolved itself into a san- 
 guinary brawl, in which both sides suffer more or less 
 damage, while their more industrious neighbours take 
 advantage of these golden opportunities to piUage right 
 and left. 
 
 The journey from Maru Bulak to Chuchtang occupied 
 us three days. Each day's journey brought us to a higher 
 altitude and to a colder climate. We had left the semi- 
 fertile country to the southward, and were now entering 
 upon the great region enclosed in the offshooting ranges 
 of the Baian Kara Ula. No one who has not visited these 
 almost impenetrable regions can fully realise the difficul- 
 ties which beset any effort to pass through them. What 
 routes of communication are open are those provided by 
 nature, which, notwithstanding their picturesqueness, one 
 cannot help wishing the hand of man had improved upon. 
 The deserted condition of the country is, to a very large 
 extent, due to the abandonment of the cultivated lands by 
 the persecuted inhabitants, who, being unaggressive and 
 peaceably disposed, are no match for the nomadic and 
 brigandish hill tribes. In consequence of these constant 
 raids, these valleys and sheltered plains, which are capable 
 of sustaining vegetation, have been almost abandoned by 
 their inhabitants, so that the traveller in these parts fre- 
 quently comes across deserted villages, the waUed terraces 
 of bare earth and dead fruit-trees alone remaining to show 
 where were once green and laboriously irrigated oases. 
 The Chia-Ta tribesmen received a severe punishment at 
 the hands of the imperial troops some years ago ; but the 
 effect of this salutary lesson has worn away, and the dis- 
 trict is rapidly falling back into the state of primeval sav- 
 agery, from which at one time it bade fair to be reclaimed. 
 
446 THROUGH UNEXPLORED ASIA. 
 
 Gunza, wHch we reached on the first of December, is 
 situated near the narrowest part of the Dji Chu, just 
 below the point where the waters of the By Chu empty in 
 their swiftly rushing currents ; and it was at this point 
 that it was our intention to abandon the canoes, and 
 begin the long journey of nearly one hundred miles over- 
 land. In answer to our formal announcement of arrival, 
 we received a servant the following morning from the 
 head man, inviting us to breakfast with him, stating that 
 he had placed his house at our disposal, and that he 
 should see to it that every effort should be taken to fur- 
 ther the success of our expedition through the country. 
 We at once proceeded to his residence, and were welcomed 
 most warmly, finding already prepared for us a capital 
 breakfast of curried fowl, wheat cakes, butter, milk, and 
 tea. To this meal we did such ample justice that we 
 must have fairly astonished our host, as he witnessed 
 the devastation caused by our seemingly never-satisfied 
 appetites. 
 
 The remaining week of our halt passed under similarly 
 auspicious conditions to those which marked its beginning. 
 Much as we desired it, there was no chance for rest or 
 abstinence from labour, the interim being passed in dis- 
 posing of the canoes for pack yaks, and in sorting and 
 rearranging the loads in smaller parcels for the journey 
 across the moimtains. We took advantage of the last day 
 of our stay to explore the country to the westward on the 
 opposite river bank, in the hope of finding the remains of 
 numerous ancient tombs, of whose existence we had been 
 apprised. An entire day's search failed to reveal their 
 presence ; but the time was not wholly ill spent, for in our 
 extensive peregrinations we were able to study the inhabi- 
 tants of the district to great advantage. 
 
CHEMISl, THE PARTICULAR PROTECTOR OF THIBET. 
 
SALT MANUFACTURE. 449 
 
 The people of these villages were full-blooded Tan- 
 gutans, with all the general characteristics of that race ; 
 fond of painting and tattooing their bodies, and wearing 
 Httle or no clothing. There was scarcely any vegetation 
 to be seen, the soil, springs, oozes, and pools being all 
 salt. In one instance, a small running stream was also 
 salt, but it soon fell into fresh water. 
 
 The manner in which salt is manufactured here differs 
 from that already described. A frame, shaped like an 
 inverted cone, made of sticks joined together by hoops at 
 short intervals, is lastened to four or five stout stakes 
 planted in the ground. The inside of this cone, after 
 being carefully lined with the fresh skin of a yak or 
 argali, with several handfuls of loess placed at the apex 
 as a filter, is filled with the soU, and boiling water poured 
 into it. The salt, being dissolved, passes through the 
 loess, and drips with the liquid into an earthen pot. 
 The water is then evaporated, and the salt which is 
 secured bound in huge bundles and carried long distances 
 for purposes of trade. 
 
 Although strategically situated, the trade of Gunza is 
 slight, about a thousand camel-loads of different products 
 passing through during a year. In the surrounding 
 region iron is worked very weU. The ore is broken to 
 pieces and burned in a charcoal furnace, which is kept 
 heated by bellows made of whole sheep skins. The iron 
 runs out in rough pigs. These are heated again and slowly 
 cooled, when they are worked into horseshoes, gun-barrels, 
 and swords, with which the natives of this part of Central 
 Asia are well supplied. Iron is abundant enough, but 
 without coal they never can export it, although there is 
 no reason to doubt the statements of Prejevalsky and 
 others that coal does exist in this region, and merely 
 
450 THROUGH UNEXPLORED ASIA. 
 
 awaits its taking from the ground. Lead and antimony 
 are also found in considerable abundance. The vegetable 
 productions, as is but natural to suppose, owing to the 
 sterOity of the soU, are very meagre, and, at the utmost, 
 no more than meet the demand for local consmnption. 
 The pastoral tribes merely make pundu, or ghee, and sell 
 wool to procure grain for their own eating, while the 
 settled tribes produce a surplus of grain only to barter for 
 ghee. 
 
 Regarding the dialect of the Gunza district, we will 
 only say that the farther we advanced toward the north 
 the purer we found the language, in but very few respects 
 differing from that spoken in Eastern China. The patois 
 was sufficiently intelligible to our Kiangsi followers, who, 
 being accosted ia a familiar and luminous speech, felt for 
 the time being as if they were nearing home. Philolo- 
 gists would have considerable difficulty in tracing the 
 reason for this seeming anomaly ; but Grosvenor, in his 
 admirable report to the British government, without doubt 
 touches on its main reason, — being similar to that gov- 
 erning the introduction of the Mandarin dialect into Yun- 
 nan and other western provinces, — to the effect that, 
 after the conquests by the imperial government, one of 
 the conditions requisite in the treaty stipulations provided 
 that the natives of the conquered provinces should, under 
 pain of death, forsake their own dialect and learn the 
 new language. However arbitrary this requirement, there 
 can be no doubt that the despotic and grammatical rules 
 of this educational policy have produced admirable results. 
 
CHAPTER XIII. 
 
 On the ninth of December we started from Gunza for 
 the dreaded journey overland through a hitherto untrod- 
 den and unexplored country, offering well-nigh insur- 
 mountable difficulties in topographical contour, not to 
 speak of the possibilities of being thrown among savage 
 and hostile tribes. It now became necessary to engage 
 men to guide us in the course which we were to pursue ; 
 to whose hands we could entrust the safety and success of 
 the entire expedition, and from whom we might learn the 
 names of the different places through the country. Sev- 
 eral who had at various times passed through the region 
 which we proposed to explore were brought to me, who 
 announced their willingness to serve us in the required 
 capacity for what we considered a very moderate price ; 
 but in the weighty matter of engaging them, the head 
 man and several lesser satellites must have a finger, and 
 their fees as middle-men were greater than the wages we 
 were asked to pay. 
 
 At last, after considerable haggling, and the greatest 
 exercise of vigilance to prevent the theft of the larger 
 part of our outfit, we managed to get away; and not- 
 withstanding the general feeling of regret that the hard- 
 ships and dangers of journejdng were to recommence, 
 there was an air of optimism and determination pervading 
 the spirits of the Kiangsis, which banished all lugubrious 
 forebodings that arose as to the future. It was somewhat 
 of a novelty to find ourselves trudging along over a steep 
 
 451 
 
452 THROUGH UNEXPLORED ASIA. 
 
 mountain country behind meek-looking yaks, instead of 
 feeling the undulating motion of water beneath us ; but in 
 a few hours our sea-legs had been exchanged for land 
 ones, and we plunged as freely and unhesitatingly along 
 as if we had never been accustomed to any other method 
 of jourtieying. 
 
 The By Chu valley, which we had now to ascend for 
 our first five marches, is considered one of the finest 
 regions, from a scenic point of view, in Western China ; 
 but it is, doubtless, seen to best advantage on paper, for 
 majestic though the varying landscapes may be, they do 
 not appeal to one who is obliged to toil over their uneven 
 surface. The province of Koko Nor, which we had now 
 entered, like Chinese Thibet, is for the most part a desert 
 of bare crags and bouldery plains, with vast arid table- 
 lands of high elevation, — a land where there are no 
 forests or pastures, where one can march for hours with- 
 out even seeing so much as a blade of grass ; a cloudless 
 region, always burning or freezing under the clear blue 
 sky, for so thin and devoid of moisture is the atmosphere 
 that the variations of temperature are extreme, and rocks, 
 which exposed to the sun's rays may be almost too hot to 
 lay the hands upon in the daytime, are freezing in the 
 shade. Such was the land on which we had now entered 
 for a fortnight's toilsome progress, when the first half 
 of the long journey which we had undertaken through 
 unexplored China would be ended. 
 
 The By Chu, the banks of whose current we were now 
 following, is a large and important affluent of the Dji 
 Chu, which rises in the mountains of Gatun-Du, and after 
 flowing twenty-five miles in a southerly direction, turns 
 abruptly to the southwestward, where its volume is in- 
 creased by the influx of dozens of smaller streams, when, 
 
DANGEROUS JOURNEYING. 453 
 
 with rapidly descending gradations, it rushes along in a 
 continuous rapid. The river has a very meandering 
 course, which carries it through a considerable area. Its 
 practical utihty is very meagre, however, for although 
 wide and deep enough to be navigable by craft of a large 
 size, the swiftness and obstruction of its stream prevents 
 its use for this purpose. As it is abundantly filled with 
 fish, it contributes not a little to the food supply of those 
 tribes that live along its shores, large numbers of fish 
 being caught by the women, who unhesitatingly paddle 
 the small coracles out into the seething waters, and spear 
 them with great dexterity, while the lords of creation sun 
 themselves on the banks, smoking tobacco and drinking 
 pundu, and commenting upon the methods of the fisher- 
 women. 
 
 It was a twelve-mile march from Gunza to Langur, 
 requiring ten hours of toilsome journeying, immense ava- 
 lanches of loose boulders having rolled down the steep 
 face of the mountainsides, and filled up the ravine through 
 which we were painfully picking our way. To add to the 
 weight of our misfortunes, shortly before noontime snow 
 began to fall, furtively at first, but soon descending in 
 bUnding sheets, accompanied by a raw iciness of the 
 atmosphere, which required constant exercise to keep us 
 from freezing. The gaunt, sterile face of rock and the 
 vast, undulating wastes of snow combined with the dark 
 and menacing crags to form an intensely dreary and 
 melancholy picture. As the storm ceased, and the sun 
 gained power, the snow became soft, so that the yaks 
 sank deep at every step, often fell, and finally reached 
 Langur totally used up, one having cut and bruised his 
 legs so severely against the sharp rocks that we were 
 obliged to shoot him. 
 
454 THROUGH UNEXPLORED ASIA. 
 
 The head man of Langur, a dirty, greasy old fellow, 
 with a moist and lickerous eye, and a nose which denoted 
 his devotion to ghee and pundu, waited upon us directly 
 we had drawn within the confines of his village, and 
 unhesitatingly asked us for a bale of cloth; but when 
 that modest request was politely refused, he lowered his 
 demands, and made us aware of the fact that he would be 
 satisfied with five yards. From him we learned that the 
 Tangutan tribes to the eastward, who had been fighting 
 the imperial troops for four years, were still unconquered ; 
 but that, though they had swept down on his village time 
 and time again, he had always been able to defeat them. 
 In his cups he was a most vainglorious and pompous 
 boaster, and having excused himself for a short time, 
 appeared in full war-dress, going through a pantomimic 
 war-dance for our entertainment, working himself into a 
 maudlin frenzy, and dashing his long spear recklessly 
 around with a severe disregard as to the safety of others. 
 He was soon followed by a begging lama, who came into 
 camp dressed in a suit of net-work of native manufacture, 
 covering every part of the body except the head, over 
 which he wore a carved and painted mask. The net suit 
 was striped horizontally black and white, and beneath the 
 uncertain light it gave him the appearance of a fantastic 
 and exceedingly lively visitor from another world. On 
 inquiring as to what this strange individual was supposed 
 to be, we were informed that he was a " devil-dispeller," 
 and we afterward ascertained that his functions were to 
 frighten away the devils that haunted human frames, for 
 more or less substantial considerations. 
 
 The tenth and eleventh passed very miserably, for a 
 heavy snow-storm commenced, lasting for forty-eight hours, 
 and placing the whole country under an icy speU. The rains 
 
CURIOUS NATIVES OF LANGUR. 455 
 
 formed innumerable torrents, which rushed down the face 
 of the surrounding mountain slopes and flooded the whole 
 village. The ditch and bank around our tents were 
 washed away, and it was only by the most arduous 
 labour that we were able to carry the packs to a place 
 of safety. To add to our misfortunes, we foimd that our 
 two guides, with three pack-yaks, had taken advantage of 
 the general confusion to leave for parts unknown. We 
 instantly started in pursuit ; but, with the dangerous 
 condition of the .country, covered with a treacherous 
 layer of ice, we were soon convinced of the ineffectuality 
 of this movement, and were obliged to console ourselves 
 with the reflection of what worse might have been. 
 
 The new yaks which we purchased from the head man 
 of Langur were loaded and ready for the continuation of 
 the journey on the morning of the twelfth ; but the coun- 
 try itself was as dangerous as ever, and, after consulting 
 with our new guides, we decided to hold over until the 
 fourteenth, when progress would be less impeded, and 
 carried on with a greater degree of safety. We took 
 advantage of this forced abstinence from laboiir to observe 
 the customs of the people in the district ; for every morn- 
 ing as soon as it was light they came out of their own 
 abodes, and crowded around our camps, smoking their 
 matutinal tobacco in pipes of enormous size and length, 
 some extending in a long curve from the smoker's mouth 
 to within a few inches of the ground, and being evidently 
 a considerable burden to carry, — their respective owners 
 taking advantage of every occasion offering itself to rest 
 the bowl on the ground, while they blew immense clouds 
 of smoke in a steady stream from their mouths. They 
 did not seem to be engaged in labour of any sort, but 
 passed the entire time in smoking, dancing, and singing, 
 
456 THROUGH UNEXPLORED ASIA. 
 
 — and drinking, too, when pundu was forthcoming. The 
 women never mingled with the men on these occasions, 
 going off to some other point to indulge in their own 
 amusements, which for the most part consisted of immoral 
 and indecent dancing. Neither the men nor the women 
 had any objection to being gazed on hy the opposite sex 
 whUe going through these antics, though they never 
 appeared to mix or dance together. 
 
 The domiciles of these tribes are more pretentious and 
 substantial than those among the more savage races on 
 the Dji Chu, very few cave dwellings being visible, and 
 these even of a better and cleaner kind. The huts in 
 which they usually live are built of stout posts planted 
 in the ground, the interstices being filled with clay. The 
 roof is flat, with a slight slope toward the front, and the 
 rafters are covered with hides, or, in the case of the less 
 opulent, with bushes and weeds, over which is spread a 
 thick coating of earth. In the interior of these huts there 
 are two and sometimes three divisions. The first contains 
 small bed-places covered with hides, and the universal fire- 
 place hollowed out of the earth, in which a meagre fire of 
 yak or camel dung is constantly burning. The cooking 
 utensUs used in the manage are of primeval simphcity, 
 consisting merely of a few earthen pots, which are used 
 indiscriminately for different purposes, — one moment 
 used for watering the cattle, and the next for preparing 
 the ingredients of one's dinner. 
 
 In the second division of the abode the cattle and sheep 
 are kept, with only a low partition separating their quarters 
 from those for human habitation, the ammonia rising from 
 their vicinity, and the persistency with which they voice 
 their numerous feelings, naturally requiring considerable 
 fortitude to accustom one's self to. The third apartment. 
 
INSECT PESTS. 457 
 
 and the largest in the structure, serves as the general recep- 
 tion-room and council-chamber of the owner of the abodes. 
 Here it is that he gathers his friends and the influential 
 members of the tribe for the great feasts, and transacts all 
 business of importance. None of the rooms, except this 
 one, have light of any sort, save that furnished by the 
 uncertain glow of the fire ; while here but a small sHt in 
 the roof admits of that very necessary comfort, and like- 
 wise provides the sole means for the escape of smoke and 
 odours. As a consequence the rafters and walls are black 
 and shiny, and the cobwebs with which they are festooned 
 are loaded with soot. Among the rafters walking-sticks, 
 spears, bows, and arrows are stored, to become seasoned 
 by the smoke. 
 
 As might be expected, these dwellings are infested 
 with vermin, whose bites are so annojdng that even the 
 tough native cuticle is not impervious to their assaults, 
 the inhabitants monopolising considerable of their time in 
 the very necessary process of scratching. There can be 
 no doubt that these insect pests give rise to many of the 
 repugnant skin diseases with which the native population 
 are afflicted, for they assert that the bite of several species 
 are venomous, and often cause severe illness. 
 
 The main staple of food here (as indeed through all 
 Northwestern China) is "unula," a sort of porridge con- 
 sisting of a mixture of barley meal, lumps of fat, and 
 various herbs. It is made by boiling water, and' then 
 mixing in the flour and fat, and stirring until the mixture 
 becomes a stiff and heavy mass ; when it is turned out, the 
 superfluous moisture allowed to drain away, and cut up 
 into cube-shaped pieces, which, notwithstanding the repug- 
 nance the method of their preparation causes, are very 
 nourishing and tasty in these elevated regions, where fat 
 
458 THROUGH UNEXPLORED ASIA. 
 
 is more or less a necessary article of diet to ensure the 
 needful amount of bodUy warmth to combat the rigours of 
 the climate. Meat is so rarely obtained that it is most vora- 
 ciously devoured, the yaks never being used for this pur- 
 pose, but merely as beasts of burden. If one of these 
 animals dies, however, the natives have ^o compunction in 
 cutting up and eating the carcass, although with a full 
 knowledge of the fact that the inevitable result of such 
 incontinence must be a sequence of untold misery and 
 disease, if not of death. Even fish, which can at any time 
 be easily caught, are never eaten in their fresh state, but 
 are allowed to remain in huge baskets in the sun until 
 they have acquired a most disagreeable and tainted odour, 
 when they are eaten with an evident relish, which con- 
 firms the belief that there is more truth than fallacy 
 in the native philosophy concerning the "eating of the 
 substance, not the smell." 
 
 As regards the physical and featural characteristics of 
 this people, they do not differ widely from the Mongol 
 types, having the same fat faces and bodies, slanting 
 eyes, compressed nasal organs, and thick lips, which are 
 sometimes drawn out to an enormous length by the inser- 
 tion of long iron frames between the lip and gum. The 
 various tribes may easily be distinguished by the different 
 way in which each dresses the hair, the preparation of the 
 coiffure forming a considerable part of the daily labour 
 of the average native. Sometimes the head is smoothly 
 shaven, save for a cone-shaped projection, which may 
 extend forward like an immense shield over the face, 
 erect itself from the middle of the pate, or fall in a long 
 tail from behind, according to the fashion of the tribe 
 which the owner belongs to. In other instances the hair 
 is closely cropped all over the head, and various fantastic 
 
TRAVELLING ACROSS A GLACIER TO LAKMO. 
 
ACROSS THE BY-CHU PLATEAU. 461 
 
 designs shaved in the dark background, — the effect of 
 a row of these heads bowed in prayer being much similar 
 to an elaborate picture gallery of design. 
 
 On December 15th we had a long march to the vil- 
 lage of Lakmo ; and each hour's progress brought us to 
 a colder climate, until a nimiber of the Kiangsis were so 
 worn out with the icy coldness of the climate, and the 
 general unevenness of the road, that their loads had to be 
 transferred to the backs of the yaks, who, with this addi- 
 tion to their already heavy burdens, stumbled and scram- 
 bled along until each moment we expected that they 
 would give out. For the greater part of the day we 
 crossed an undulating plateau, which sloped toward the 
 banks of the By Chu, on which were occasional patches 
 of poor pasture ; but for the most part it was a waste of 
 stones, covered with a treacherous coating of ice, which 
 rolled down on us in constant streams as we dislodged 
 the obstructions at their base. We were tormented dur- 
 ing the latter part of this day's march by the strong 
 wind that blew up the valley, driving stinging showers of 
 granite sand into our faces. We all wore snow-goggles, 
 for otherwise the injuries to the eyes would have been 
 serious ; our native guides, however, having through cus- 
 tom become used to these annoyances, ignored such 
 adjuncts as effeminate and ludicrous in the extreme, ours 
 seeming to serve them for considerable boisterous merri- 
 ment. 
 
 We observed solitary argalis and antelope once in a 
 while, and Burton, by a fortunate stalk up the hUly slope, 
 managed to secure two of the latter animals with his long- 
 range repeater. The Tangutans, with the spectacle of 
 so much prospective good cheer, at once increased the 
 pace of the yaks by calling to them in stentorian tones, 
 
462 THROUGH UNEXPLORED ASIA. 
 
 and over the uneven surface of the narrow mountain 
 path the huge animals started in a lumbering gallop, 
 while with indifferent success we sought to accelerate our 
 pace to keep up with them. We called to the guides to 
 stop ; but they evidently received our cries as an invita- 
 tion to go faster, for away they went, helter-skelter, with 
 the yaks bellowing and snorting, tumbling their loads 
 right and left, and rushing wildly in every direction. 
 Cursing Tangutan stupidity in general, and its immediate 
 exponents in particular, for a couple of hours we wore 
 out temper and garments, and likewise considerable flesh, 
 in gathering together the stampeded animals, and after 
 this exacting labour marched over the remaining distance 
 to Lakmo without further incident. 
 
 In the course of this march we ascended a low-lying 
 ridge forming the watershed between the current of the 
 By Chu and the Hua-murren and another small tributary 
 of the Dji Chu. On this pass, the Nan-su, we were fourteen 
 thousand feet above the sea ; but there was little snow on 
 the ground, the heat of the sun having melted it into a 
 number of minor watercourses, which rushed down either 
 watershed in a series of broken and turbulent gullies. 
 The ridge was a continuous mound of earth, white with 
 a surface layer of nitre or other salt, while several pieces 
 of loose ore gave evidence of valuable mineral deposits. 
 
 Our entrance into Lakmo fully requited us for the 
 dampening experiences of the day's journeying, for as we 
 neared the village strange music greeted us, and almost 
 immediately we discovered a long procession of the head 
 men of the place advancing in our direction, led by three 
 or four musicians playing with lusty might on small 
 drums and pipes, who had been sent to do us honour with 
 their wild and barbaric, if not impressive, strains. When 
 
RELIGIOUS BIGOTS. 463 
 
 the hysterical congratulations and verbose flattery on 
 both sides had been dispensed with, we entered the vil- 
 lage itself, to find that the population for the most part 
 was made up of hordes of red-clothed lamas carrying 
 prayer-wheels and flags, and gorgeously arrayed ia flam- 
 boyant finery, who evidently were fully impressed with 
 the necessity of unceasing vigilance in their sacred offices, 
 for they turned these instruments with the most monoto- 
 nous assiduity. The religious spirit in this part of China 
 is undoubtedly deeply grafted io the popular mind, owing 
 to the near presence of the fanatical and bigoted tribes 
 of northeastern Thibet. One sees the villagers unceasingly 
 twisting these little instruments while walking on the 
 road, chatting or trading together in the market-place, in 
 fact on all occasions, save what little time is consumed in 
 sleeping ; for to concentrate the attention on the revolu- 
 tion, or even be conscious of it, is quite unnecessary, since 
 one can attain the Perfect Peace by automatic muscular 
 motion. I was greatly amused by one of these holy men, 
 a most feeble specimen of humanity with a wizened-up 
 face, who in all seriousness entered my tent directly we 
 had encamped, and announced his intention of saying 
 prayers for me. He took much pride in the possession 
 of an immense umbrella, as umbrageous as the roof of a 
 band-stand, keeping it open on all occasions, night or day, 
 continually spinning it round and round in a most ludi- 
 crous fashion. When he was ready to begin the proselyt- 
 ing mission on which he was engaged, he added to the 
 absurdity of his appearance by taking off all of his clothing, 
 save a small loin-cloth. The sight of a perfectly naked 
 lama of most attenuated frame, with all gravity chanting 
 dolorously and twirling an immense umbrella over his 
 head, was too much for my gravity, and I fairly exploded 
 
464 THROUGH UNEXPLORED ASIA. 
 
 with laughter. He was evidently angered and put out 
 by this sacrilegious conduct on my part, for, without fur- 
 ther ado, he gathered up robe, umbrella, prayer-wheel, 
 and all else, and departed in high dudgeon in the direc- 
 tion of Burton's tent, where very soon similar outbursts 
 ■of uncontrollable laughter gave evidences that the latter 
 had Hkewise found it impossible to restrain his risibihties. 
 
 The practice of self-torture was very prevalent among 
 the priests whom we saw at this place, many of them 
 being literally covered with scars and fresh wounds from 
 head to foot as a result of this self-chastisement. Several 
 had long iron rods perforated through each cheek, and 
 extending on each side to five feet in length, which con- 
 stantly hit against obstructions, causing the wearer the 
 most excruciating agony. Others wore huge collars, with 
 projecting iron spikes pointing upward, which necessitated 
 the keeping of the head in a constant stiffly upright posi- 
 tion, lest the result of a momentary abstraction or an 
 accidental movement of the head should prove fatal. The 
 most common form of self-torture, however, consisted in 
 the binding of the lips together with iron rings, which, 
 though inflicting much suffering on the wearer, at least 
 afforded the benefit of silence to those who were not 
 minded to put up with his manifold verbal assaults. 
 
 Two long and uneventful marches on the sixteenth and 
 seventeenth carried us to Thok Syur. For nearly the whole 
 distance the uncertain path led over a rising country 
 covered with boulders and patches of hard snow. The 
 marked sterility which had hitherto been an accompani- 
 ment of travel, however, was missing, for pine woods and 
 flowery pastures covered the hillsides, save here and there 
 where some great landslip of debris, like an unsightly scar, 
 clove the green vegetation from the mountain top to the 
 
TOURGOUTH CHARACTERISTICS. 465 
 
 torrent edge. Little tributary streams rushed down shady 
 dells. There was no lack of water here ; in places reedy 
 swamps filled the valley bottom, and it was indeed refresh- 
 ing to see a damp morass again, after the arid country 
 through which we had been travelling. 
 
 At Thok Syur we were cordially welcomed by the head 
 man, who offered us the use of some of his huts, and, re- 
 marking that we must be hungry, brought some meat and 
 fowls for Burton and myself, and fish and flour for the men. 
 We intimated to him that we wished to gain some informa- 
 tion concerning the country ahead, when he told us that he 
 would call the next day and talk the matter over. Come 
 he did the next morning, several hours before sunrise, 
 while we were in the delights of slumber, and showed 
 httle or no compunction in unceremoniously routing us 
 out of bed. He had brought with him a boy about eight 
 years of age, his only son and heir, who was in a terrible 
 fright at his first sight of a white man, taking advantage 
 of the first moment to scamper bellowing away at the 
 top of his speed. 
 
 In order to recruit after the fatigues of the trying 
 march from Gunza, and to prepare for crossing the higher 
 elevations of the Baian Kara Ula, we remained at Thok 
 Syur for two days, during which time we were able to 
 gain some insight into the character and customs of the 
 natives of the district. A great contrast to the Kinsha 
 Sifanese were some of the Tourgouths who came over to 
 see us from the mountain country surrounding. They 
 stalked about among the timid villagers, openly telling 
 them that whenever they thought fit they would plunder 
 them. The Tourgouths were a fine, tall, manly race, de- 
 spising all such refinement of civilisation as clothing, — the 
 men, and many of the women, being stark naked, with 
 
466 THROUGH UNEXPLORED ASIA. 
 
 the exception, perhaps, of a small cloth gathered around 
 the waist. The men carried enormous shields of hide, five 
 feet high by three wide, stiffened by a piece of iron bowed 
 to form a handle down the centre, and having a small 
 withe aroTUid the end to keep it in shape. On the right- 
 hand side of the centre-piece were tiyo baskets, in which 
 were kept a heavy spear for close quarters, and a bundle 
 of six or eight beautifully finished shafts, ornamented 
 with brass wire, and balanced by a small knob of the 
 same material at the butt. It was marvellous to witness 
 the terrible force and accuracy with which these missiles 
 could be thrown, some of the more skilful ha^dng no diffi- 
 culty whatever in driving a shaft clean through the body 
 of a large fowl at a distance of seventy-five feet. Of these 
 wild and uncouth strangers, the more peaceably-disposed 
 villagers seemed to be in a state of constant dread, so 
 fully impressed were they with their warhke prowess that 
 they never dared to resist them. 
 . The hiU-tribes of Koko Nor are so much alike in every 
 respect (with few exceptions aU branches of the Tour- 
 gouths) that a description of the Thok Syurese tribes may 
 serve for all. The latter inhabit the upper plateau of the 
 By Chu, the southern peaks of the Baian Kara Ula, and 
 the country to the north of Mt. Gatu-dju. Many of 
 them have been worked upon by the influences of trade 
 and civilisation, but by far the greater number seem to 
 have preferred the wandering life of brigandish nomads. 
 They have seen sheep, cows, asses, and mules, but horses 
 are very seldom seen among them. Their whole wealth 
 consists of large flocks of goats and domestic antelopes, 
 which feed on bare peaks or ravines covered with pines 
 and scanty minor vegetation. They live in tents made 
 of a few blankets and sticks, or in rude huts cut out of 
 
ABORIGINAL INTERNAL ECONOMY. 467 
 
 the hill. In spring the people subsist entirely on milk, 
 which is abundant, as the kids are then born. Pundu, 
 butter, and cheese are made in large quantities; and 
 when their brigandage for the time being receives some 
 set-back they become traders, selling these products in the 
 settled villages for flour, and also iron with which to 
 manufacture their weapons. In the winter they eke out 
 their mUk diet by a small portion of bread ; but their 
 improvident natures cause frequent and disastrous famines 
 among them. Their houses have nothing in them but a 
 few loose skins, serving as beds, and an iron pot ; yet with 
 all this poverty they have fine weapons, and from accus- 
 toming themselves to hardship and their severe climate 
 are for the most part a healthy, robust race, although 
 abominably dirty in their persons. They have no weights, 
 measures, or means of estimating time and distance. 
 Right of soil is only thought of in cultivated spots ; a 
 piece of grazing land, however long occupied by a family, 
 is intruded on, even by a man of a different tribe, without 
 ceremony. This shows how thin the population is. The 
 pine-seeds, however, are considered to be property, and a 
 stranger must not gather them. These latter contain an 
 aromatic gum possessed of medicinal value, and being 
 merely of local growth serve as a valuable staple of 
 trade. 
 
 The Tourgouths are divided into hundreds of small tribes, 
 sometimes composed of a single family, of which the eld- 
 est male of the settlement is chief. These chiefs have 
 not the slightest power, the dignity being merely titular ; 
 but a certain respect is paid to their birth. When two 
 men have a dispute, they sometimes fight it out until the 
 neighbours interfere and effect a reconciliation. Should 
 one of the parties refuse to abide by the decision, the 
 
468 THROUGH UNEXPLORED ASIA. 
 
 neighbours give up speaking to him or having any com- 
 munication whatsoever with his family or tribe ; and 
 herding goats on the side of a hill, without any one to 
 talk to, and suffering social ostracism, is so unpleasant 
 that the recalcitrant eventually gives in. This rude kind 
 of a jury is called a " mulo ; " and when an attack is 
 threatened this jury is called, and all the armed men 
 obeys its orders. 
 
 The granaries of these parts deserve notice. They are 
 built on posts, raising the floors about three feet from the 
 ground, and are from four to twelve feet in diameter, 
 while some of the larger may be twenty feet high, exclu- 
 sive of the conical roof. Those for old corn are plastered, 
 and have under the eaves a small hole for access, which is 
 reached by a notched trunk used as a ladder ; while the 
 others are generally constructed of boulders plastered 
 together, or of sun-dried bricks. 
 
 In facial characteristics most of the Tourgouth tribes, 
 except those far to the westward, possess the Mongol type 
 of flat and expressionless features, the original colour of 
 the skin, a light brown, in many cases being concealed 
 beneath several thicknesses of paint or elaborately tat- 
 tooed designs. The mode of salutation here is very cere- 
 monious, and varies according to the rank of the saluters. 
 When two head men or important personages meet, the 
 junior leans forward, bends his knees, and remains in this 
 position until the elder has struck him two or three sharp 
 blows on the top of the head with a small walking-stick, 
 which the males invariably carry with them on all occa- 
 sions. This part of the function having been completed, 
 the assaulted individual jumps up and strikes his assailant 
 twice under the armpits, at the same time sticking out his 
 tongue to the fullest length, — the vehemence of the sal- 
 
A SOOTHSATINa TABLE WITH NUMEROUS FIGURES AND SENTENCES. 
 
CEREMONIOUS SALUTATIONS. 471 
 
 utation altogether depending upon the force with which 
 the first blow is struck, not infrequently rousing the wrath- 
 ful spirits of both with rather belligerent results. When 
 a great man meets an inferior, however, the method of 
 sticking out the tongue and patting the head is usually 
 practised; while on two commoners meeting, they pat 
 their stomachs, clap their hands together a number of 
 times, and finally shake hands. These greetings are 
 observed to an unlimited extent, and in a settled village 
 the sound of patting and clapping is almost unceasing. 
 
 It was snowing 'slightly and bitterly cold when camp 
 was broken, on the twentieth, and we entered upon our 
 last march from Thok Syur along the banks of the By 
 Chu. Immediately the country grew less broken, and 
 with amazing swiftness descended to a lower altitude, in 
 a few short hours, supplemented by the warm rays of 
 the sun, carrying us from wintry coldness to appreciable 
 heat. This was another long march ; but the surface of 
 the country was fairly passable, and the route for the 
 greater part of the day lay down hill, enabling the yaks 
 to make expeditious progress, which taxed our best efforts 
 in keeping pace with them. The wide glen which we 
 followed during the morning, however, narrowed shortly 
 after noontime ; in many places the road had been carried 
 away by landslips, and for several hours travelling grew 
 more and more a laborious task. On several occasions we 
 had fortunate escapes from huge boulders which came 
 rolling down the sheer slope with fearful rumble and roar, 
 crashing on to the flinty mass at our feet and splintering 
 into fragments like an exploding shell. It was with a 
 sigh of relief when, after running this gauntlet, we found 
 that the crags rose on either side of us like a giant portal, 
 and the country immediately expanded into a broad, sandy 
 
472 
 
 THROUGH UNEXPLORED ASIA. 
 
 valley, backed by great precipices, and covered with, nu- 
 merous small and insignificant villages, scattered iadis- 
 criminately over the landscape. 
 
 For the time being, however, it seemed as if we had 
 jumped from the frying-pan into the fire. Emerging on 
 to the plain we found the villagers perched among the 
 rocks, armed and hostile, and refusing to have any inter- 
 course with us whatever ; informing us through two inter- 
 
 TRUMPET OF LAMA EXORCISER. 
 
 mediary envoys that on no consideration could we be 
 allowed to halt in their district. The cause of this 
 imfriendly behaviour was that they mistrusted our hon- 
 esty of purpose, having sufEered much from the slave-trade 
 by being preyed upon by the savage mountain tribes, who 
 sell them to the Thibetans. This they are enabled to do 
 in consequence of there being no friendship or compact 
 among the villages, each little hamlet of perhaps two or 
 three or half a dozen families asserting its independence, 
 lending no assistance to one another, and naturally look- 
 ing for none. Finding that we had no intention, however, 
 of interfering with them, they waxed more gracious, and, 
 
AN IMPORTANT FUNCTIONARY. 473 
 
 selecting a spot near one of the larger villages, we encamped 
 for the night. 
 
 About seven o'clock we were thrown into dismay by 
 the cries of some of the Kiangsis, and, seizing our weapons, 
 we rushed out-of-doors to ascertain the cause of this up- 
 roar. We soon discovered that our fears were groundless, 
 the turmoil which we had heard announcing the approach 
 of the head man of the village, who was undoubtedly a 
 great chief of the district, for his following train was suffi- 
 ciently imposing in quantity if not in quality. An indi- 
 vidual authorised by the chief to do duty as master of 
 ceremonies then arrived, carrying a long, carved walking- 
 stick as a badge of office, with which he lay around him 
 with much energy, driving back the anxious sightseers and 
 forming a narrow space in front of our tent for the forth- 
 coming reception. After some time spent in this man- 
 ner, much drumming and shouting heralded the approach 
 of the great man himself, who, attired in a long robe of 
 yak skin trimmed with metal ornaments, and wearing a 
 tall hat of red cloth nearly three feet in height, walked 
 toward us leisurely, as if duly to impress us and likewise 
 the surrounding group with the fuU measure of his impor- 
 tance. As soon as he had saluted us and taken the seat at 
 our right which we had reserved for him, a ring was 
 formed, and a number of men, gaily attired in short 
 kilts and with their greasy hair piled high on top of their 
 heads in fantastic designs, performed a wild dance, accom- 
 panied by fierce shouts and a vigorous hand-clapping by 
 the spectators, who kept admirable time together. The 
 Terpsichorean performance being concluded, we invited 
 him into our tent, and there matters of weightier import 
 were considered. I acquainted him with our wish to press 
 as rapidly over the remaining distance to Lake Charing 
 
474 THROUGH UNEXPLORED ASIA. 
 
 Nor as possible, and found that, aside from the ruggedness 
 of physical features, the journey presented no great diflS- 
 culties, and that we should be almost certain of meeting 
 with hospitable tribes, who would sell us food and provide 
 us with yaks. 
 
 The women of these villages could not fail to attract 
 our notice, for they seemed to enjoy a higher state in the 
 social scale than those we had met with hitherto. Many 
 of them were dressed in bright-coloiu'ed cloth garments, 
 with a long scarlet or sage-green veU hanging down 
 behind nearly to the feet, while each had a sort of metal 
 crown set with turquoises upon the head. We were not 
 a little surprised to see the abundance of these precious 
 stones lying around; but we subsequently learned that 
 they are very common, and may be gathered in the loose 
 earth of the mountain streams in large quantities. We 
 inquired as to whether there were gold or silver deposits 
 in the surrounding country, for we also noticed evidences 
 of these precious metals amongst the males; but these 
 inquiries were invariably met with silence, or the diplo- 
 matic changing of the subject. Prejevalsky, who has 
 explored parts of this region, asserts that these minerals 
 are found in considerable abundance in the higher regions, 
 but that the dangerous altitude of the country, with 
 the absence of coal deposits or fuel of any sort, and 
 the entire lack of means for the transportation of the 
 same elsewhere, would forbid for many years to come 
 the mining of this ore with success. 
 
 Like the Tangutans, the Tourgouth tribes are the most 
 voracious of gluttons, indulging in huge feasts when- 
 ever the opportunity presents itself. Before we had left 
 this spot on the following morning, half a dozen natives 
 took up their position in front of our tent, carrjdng with 
 
A DISGUSTING KEPAST. 475 
 
 them the head of a wild yak in a horrible state of de- 
 composition, and aUve with maggots. They soon had a 
 fire of dung lighted, and proceeded to cook the savoury 
 morsel by sticking it into the flames. Immediately the 
 skuU became too hot for its inmates ; swarms of maggots 
 rushed from the ears, nose, and mouth like people escap- 
 ing from the doors of a theatre on fire. Without viewing 
 this fact with concern, the feasters merely tapped on the 
 skuU to assist the exit of the intruders, and the whole 
 mass being burned and smoked sufficiently to roast the 
 surface, it was drawn from the fire with a long stick and 
 placed on the ground, where each attacked it with tooth 
 and nail like a pack of ravenous animals, eating the half- 
 baked flesh and sucking the bones with an evident relish. 
 However putrid meat may be, it does not appear to affect 
 the health of those people, who are unwilling to sacrifice 
 the smallest morsel on the altar of abstinence. 
 
 On December 21st we left behind the sloping valley of 
 the By Chu, deflecting our course at right angles to the 
 northeast for the ascent of the frightful steep of the high 
 country terminating in the Baian Kara Ula range. The 
 low-lying haze which had obsciu-ed the landscape on pre- 
 vious days had now disappeared, and looking to the north 
 I perceived some stupendous mountains rising above the 
 lesser ranges. It had now ceased snowing, and the sky 
 was clear, so that from here I could distinguish the 
 details of the immense landscape which was spread before 
 us, — leagues on leagues of barren and pebble-covered 
 moor, couloirs of stones and rocky pinnacles, range behind 
 range of great mountains, with glaciers glittering in the 
 hollow of them, the white snow lying wherever the crags 
 were not too steep, — a weird and desolate scene, such as 
 one imagines may exist on the Antarctic continent. It is 
 
476 THROUGH UNEXPLORED ASIA. 
 
 an impossibility to calculate distances in this region with 
 any degree of certainty, owing to the remarkable thinness 
 of the air, which renders objects twenty-five or thirty 
 miles off as near as two or three miles, and magnifying 
 ordinary peaks into enormous summits. 
 
 The effect of this high elevation had also an appreciable 
 effect on our gelieral health, both Burton and myself, and 
 the greater part of the Kiangsis, suffering from asthma 
 and other affections peculiar to elevated regions. Once 
 we had accustomed ourselves to the change, however, the 
 general tone of our health was excellent, and the dis- 
 agreeable ailments were banished or in a measure nullified. 
 
 For the first part of the day we marched over undulat- 
 ing slopes snow-coated to a considerable depth, and con- 
 sequently fairly easy to walk upon; but as the ascent 
 grew more abrupt travelling became fatiguing in the 
 extreme, as we had to ascend a slope of thirty degrees 
 deeply covered with soft snow, into which the heavily 
 laden yaks descended up to their knees at every step, ne- 
 cessitating frequent halts in order to permit them to catch 
 breath, and in a measure regain the strength wasted by 
 these exertions. A shocking calamity took place during the 
 afternoon. One of the Kiangsis, who was a few hundred 
 feet to the left of the expedition, suddenly uttered a cry 
 of terror, and almost immediately sank through the 
 puddingy mass out of sight. Dropping our loads, we 
 rushed toward the spot where he had disappeared, to 
 halt just in time on the edge of a deep cleft in the solid 
 rock, nearly fifty feet in depth, with sides as sheer and 
 smooth as glass. The unfortunate man lay on a pile of 
 jagged stones, with his head crushed and torn completely 
 off the body. As we did not care to jeopardise human 
 life unnecessarily, we rolled a few loose stones down upon 
 
A VILLAGE OF INEBRIATES. 477 
 
 the corpse to protect it from the \ailtures and snow buz- 
 zards, leaving another brave fellow beneath a monument 
 erected by nature, a sacrifice to the cause of exploration 
 and geographical research. 
 
 Fearful of a repetition of this catastrophe, we groped 
 our way painfully along, unnerved by the reflection that 
 each succeeding step might send us headlong to the bot- 
 tom of some deep gully, until 9 p. m., when we reached a 
 small native settlement buried in a gloomy little hollow 
 of the mountains, — our approach being welcomed by the 
 blowing of horns, the strange cries of the populace, and 
 the bellowing of the yaks. Crossing by a shaky bridge the 
 deep moat lying before it, we entered the village itself. 
 The head man came forward in a very maudlin state, and 
 insisted on shaking hands with us a number of times, 
 vainly essaying to breathe forth a fitting speech of wel- 
 come. After much waste of our patience, and the display 
 of considerable erudition on his part, we learned that the 
 name of the village was Laotai, and that another day's 
 march would carry us over the higher part of the moun- 
 tain range to the headwaters of the Djangin Gol, one of 
 the largest streams of the Charing Nor watershed, and 
 whose course we might follow nearly the entire distance 
 to that lake. Having imparted this information, he intro- 
 duced us to some of the lesser nobilities, whom we dis- 
 covered to be in as sadly befuddled a condition as their 
 chief. We learned that this ebullition of conviviality was 
 duly to celebrate the escape to a happier sphere of some 
 mutual acquaintance, who had departed this life three 
 days previously, leaving his property to be divided among 
 his friends, for the purpose of securing their prayers in 
 his behalf. 
 
 We remained at Laotai all day of the twenty-second, 
 
478 THROUGH UNEXPLORED ASIA. 
 
 owing to the fear of a snow-storm, which threatened at 
 any moment to break forth with violence over the moun- 
 tain summits, taking advantage of the opportunity mean- 
 while to readjust the loads of the yaks, and to purchase 
 meat and provisions for the succeeding day's journey. 
 The Kiangsis, who had received their back pay, invested 
 their earnings with characteristic prodigality, stuffing 
 themselves to the extremest limit, and purchasing num- 
 bers of iron implements for which they could not possibly 
 have any practical use ; but, as true voyagers, wealth 
 burned in their pockets so long as it remained there. 
 The manufacture of iron was here a considerable industry, 
 each dwelling having connected with it one or two iron 
 foundries, upward of thirty feet long by twenty wide, 
 with low walls, and. an enormously high roof. In the 
 centre was a pit six feet wide, four deep, and twenty 
 long, rather shallower at one end than at the other. 
 Across this, about six feet from the shallow end, was 
 built a clay furnace four feet wide. The smaller of the 
 two divisions of the pit was used as a stoke-hole, while 
 the ore and slag ran into the other, and around the sides 
 were small divisions containing charcoal and iron ore. 
 As many as a dozen pairs of bellows were used at one 
 time, in order to make a sufficient blast. These bellows 
 were formed of two upright and parallel shallow wooden 
 cylinders, with vents leading into one nozzle, which was 
 protected by clay from the effects of the fire ; the cylinders 
 were covered with fibre cloth, having a stick three feet 
 long fastened into the centre, and were worked by holding 
 one stick in each hand, and moving them up and down 
 alternately as fast as possible. By this means a continu- 
 ous and strong blast was secured. After being smelted, 
 the iron was worked by smiths into small pieces weighing 
 
A RELIGIOUS CENTRE. 479 
 
 about two pounds, shaped like two cones pointing together 
 at the base, and a piece or rod the size of a large knitting- 
 needle projecting from both ends. In this form the metal 
 was stacked in huge piles until it was wanted, when it 
 was taken to the smithies, and worked into the implement 
 desired. I noticed several guns of native manufacture 
 which (aside from their mechanism, being muzzle-loaders) 
 would compare favourably, in finish and practicability, 
 with those of the best civilised manufacture. 
 
 As might naturally be expected from these evidences of 
 thrift and industry, the population of Laotai and the sur- 
 rounding tillages were advanced to a higher plane of 
 civilisation than the nomad Tourgouths. Instead of wear- 
 ing garments made of skins, or going around in a nearly 
 naked condition, both males and females wore garments 
 constructed of vegetable fibre, and iron-soled shoes, ^ the 
 fair sex even going to the extent of indulging in consider- 
 able decoration, encircling their waists with small belts of 
 leather, from which hung iron and copper spangles ex- 
 tending almost to the ground, and which must have been 
 a considerable weight to carry around. The men shaved 
 their heads entirely, save for a narrow ridge down the 
 centre, while the women arranged theirs in a sort of 
 trellis-pattern, with bunches of ringlets hanging down the 
 backs of their necks. 
 
 There are ten monasteries in the district around Laotai, 
 which are inhabited by a race of warlike lamas who, aside 
 irom their priestly offices, render inestimable service to 
 the peaceful villagers by guarding them from the assaults 
 of the fierce hUl-tribes, who frequently essay to dash 
 through the mountain passes, and sweep over the peaceful 
 vales and slopes. The principal edifice of this kind is an 
 eighth of a mile to the southeast of the village, and is 
 
480 THROUGH UNEXPLORED ASIA. 
 
 built on the summit of an isolated peak, — a most pic- 
 turesque place, — with the usual ioleaning walls and 
 overhanging galleries that characterise architecture in 
 Central Asia. On the invitation of several of the lamas 
 we clambered up the steep path to the monastery gate, 
 and were ushered into the presence of a distinguished- 
 looking individual, who, in his red robes, needed but a 
 change of venue to transform him into the crafty and 
 catlike Richelieu of history. He was a man of consider- 
 able erudition, profoundly religious, and totally unwilUng 
 to discuss any other subjects with us, save the wonders of 
 the Buddhist mysteries, his dark eyes glowing with a 
 hidden fire, and his pallid face lighting up with fervent 
 zeal, as he warmed to the great question which meant so 
 much to him. One could not help feeling that even the 
 most heterodox nature must, in a measure, be convinced 
 by this earnest and whole-souled devotion to a faith fol- 
 lowed bigotedly and narrowly, if you will, but likewise 
 steadfastly, grimly, and honestly. When we arose to go 
 it was with profound regret, and, in spite of our natural 
 skepticism, we learned henceforth to credit even the wild 
 and half-civilised Tourgouth mind with possessing some 
 of those finer sensibilities which we are too prone to 
 believe are but an accompaniment of our own enlightened 
 ethical code. 
 
 With the rigours of the climate and the dangers of the 
 topographical contour of the country daily increasing in 
 undesirability, we deserted the long plateau on leaving 
 Laotai on the twenty-third, and struck northeast into the 
 mountains, ascending a slope which rose gradually but 
 continuously, until at noontime we had attained a ridge 
 over fourteen thousand feet above the sea level. The hill- 
 tops here were much less bare and sterile than the country 
 
A DESOLATE COUNTRY. 481 
 
 which we had abandoned, and even the summits of some 
 of the higher peaks, covered with snow, seemed capable of 
 sustaining the tree-growth. Innumerable lake-like accu- 
 mulations of water and small rivulets careered down the 
 abrupt slope through darksome gullies, but their waters 
 were remarkably saline and not fit for drinking purposes. 
 The country from Laotai to Kengathka, which we 
 reached on the twenty-fifth, may be considered a sort of 
 table-land, bounded on the north by the higher ranges 
 of the Baian Kara Ula, and on the south by the head- 
 waters of Prejevalsky's Robber River. Twelve miles 
 northeast of Laotai the plain attains its greatest eleva- 
 tion, being repeatedly crossed by unbroken mountain 
 ridges thousands of feet high, when it gradually sinks 
 toward Kengathka and the valley of the Djangin Gol; 
 between these ranges a low chain of hUls conducts the 
 drainage from both sides to the southward. Elevated 
 from fourteen to fifteen thousand feet above the level of 
 the sea the climate is severe. Water freezes every even- 
 ing during the year, and the ice lasts until midday ; in 
 December it never thaws, and the country is inundated 
 with snow, rain seldom falling. This has retarded the 
 decomposition of the rocks and the formation of soU ; but 
 the time may confidently be predicted when much of the 
 limestone, slate, and trap shaU have crumbled to powder, 
 and the barren slopes turned into fertile areas. This 
 idea is confirmed by the fact that the Jadri range, whose 
 height and situation intercept much of the moisture des- 
 tined for the plains, thus contributing to the dryness of 
 their climate, is well covered with soil and sprinkled with 
 trees; while hills of the same formation, but placed in 
 its lee, have scarcely soil enough for shrubs a foot high. 
 The rocks here splinter by frost, not crumble by rain ; their 
 
482 THROUGH UNEXPLORED ASIA. 
 
 general appearance is a precipitous crest, with a base of 
 angular debris, at first waving in hillocks, and then 
 sinking in a long gentle slope to the plain. 
 
 The Jadri range, the branch of the Baiau Kara TJla, 
 which we crossed to reach the Charing Nor watershed, 
 runs in a general direction N. N. W. It is the chief of 
 the southern half of this long mountain system, and 
 among the highest regions of Central Asia. It is named 
 for the wUd Jadris who live on its northeastern slope. 
 Toward the south it gradually decreases in altitude, and 
 is spht up by numerous small rivers which have no 
 definite source or outlet. It throws out branches which 
 shelter the Uras, Kaniz, and other hill-tribes, whom Pre- 
 jevalsky avers are hostile, treacherous, and brigands of 
 the worst sort, but whom it was our good fortune to find 
 quiet and hospitable and altogether peaceably disposed, 
 living a simple^ nomadic life which called for no greater 
 daily routine than the herding of their small flocks of 
 goats and sheep, and the cultivation of slow-growing 
 grain. 
 
 The revenging of personal wrongs is the worst trait of 
 these people, which encourages feuds more than it pun- 
 ishes aggressions. Two men quarrel in a field, and one 
 strikes or wounds the other ; the relatives and friends of 
 the antagonists take it up, and on every occasion in which 
 they meet fight and kill a man. From that moment the 
 quarrel is deadly. If of different tribes, and the quarrel 
 important, the whole tribe goes to battle. Semi-barba- 
 rians constantly looking for injury and insult have always 
 feuds on their hands, and when the enemies are distant, 
 the feud often lasts for generations ; but when they are 
 neighbours, an earlier settlement is arrived at by allowing 
 both parties to fight until an equal number has been killed 
 
TOURGOUTH MARRIAGE CUSTOMS. 483 
 
 on both sides, when some tribe not in the quarrel steps in 
 and effects a reconciliation. The party or tribe who draws 
 the first blood is looked upon as the aggressor, whatever 
 may have been the provocation, and is obliged to pay the 
 expense of a feast and give presents of sheep and clothing 
 to the others. In case this settlement cannot be made, 
 the price of reconciliation is much higher; but it never 
 exceeds a feast and a few virgins. These girls are not 
 given as concubines, — which the Tourgouths rarely, if 
 ever, have, — but are married and well treated. The 
 expense of marriage being heavy, to get so many of their 
 young men well married without expense is a great object, 
 and a real money compensation. 
 
 A Tourgouthian rarely divorces his wife even for the 
 most severe breaches of the moral code, mainly for 
 the reason that she is more or less a valuable piece of 
 property for which there is always a brisk demand, and 
 whose individual possession is the sign of no little power 
 in the social scale of the country. The Tourgouthian is a 
 very practical minded and complaisant husband, his jeal- 
 ousy taking no violent form ; he is, as a rule, willing dis- 
 passionately to discuss his dishonour with a detected 
 lover, assess the damages his wife's indiscretion has in- 
 flicted on him, and compound the matter for a smaU pay- 
 ment. As the male population is far in excess of the 
 female, owing to the utter negligence shown in the care 
 of infants of the latter sex, polyandry is rather the rule 
 than the exception, — the paucity of children in the 
 country being markedly noticeable, and giving just 
 ground for the fears of the more far-sighted that the 
 present races are destined, should the course of events not 
 suffer a change, rapidly to die out. 
 
 At midday on December 25th, from the rapidly de- 
 
484 THROUGH UNEXPLORED ASIA. 
 
 scending mountain slope we caught the first glimpse of 
 the sUver thread percolating swiftly across the face of the 
 landscape which we knew marked the near ending of our 
 trials and tribulations, — the stream of the Djangin Gol. 
 Across the uneven country we madly rushed in joyous 
 haste to Kengathka, httle recking its dirty and miserable 
 dwellings and filthy population, all else being forgotten 
 and obliterated from om* minds by the cheering fact that 
 the arduous journey across the steep mountain ridges had 
 been completed, and that the end was nigh. What glad 
 souls we were that evening around our camp-fire, in this 
 gracious haven to which a benignant Providence had led 
 us, storm-tossed, bruised, buoyed up only by that Christian 
 desperation which overcomes fatalism ! No wonder that 
 before retiring, feeling ourselves indebted to the Supreme 
 Being who had preserved us through so many troubles, we 
 thanked him for his mercies and his bounties. 
 
 Kengathka was a miserable place, situated about a mile 
 from the banks of the Djangin Gol in a sheltered valley, 
 with a soil so impregnated with salt that no cultivation 
 is possible. Salt is the natural product of the country ; 
 and the population are employed in its manufacture, 
 which constitutes the business of the district, being ex- 
 changed with neighbouring tribes for articles not locally 
 procured. I went to examine the pits. These were about 
 six feet deep, from which was dug a black, sandy mud 
 that was placed in large earthenware jars. These were 
 supported on frames, the contents being mixed with water, 
 which, filtering rapidly through small holes in the bottom, 
 was received in jars underneath ; this water was again 
 used with fresh mud until it became a strong brine, when 
 it was boiled and evaporated. The salt was white, but 
 very bitter, the saline deposits doubtless being formed by 
 
A GLUTTONOUS BRAWL. 485 
 
 the decay of aquatic plants washed ashore by the waves, 
 which, decomposing, formed a mud deposit, and much 
 potash is combined with the salt. 
 
 The evening of the twenty-fifth was passed joyously, 
 for, securing an abundance of fresh provisions, we sought 
 to celebrate duly the occasion of our safe journey across 
 the mountains by feasting the Kiangsis, who, to their 
 credit be it said, had held up well under the meagre and 
 monotonous diet on which they had been placed. We 
 soon discovered that the villagers themselves were also 
 minded to share in the good cheer and camaraderie, for 
 they immediately crowded around the camp, sticking their 
 grimy hands into the stew-pots, examining our weapons, 
 and prying into the packs until they became intolerable 
 nuisances. As soon as the meat was taken out of the 
 pots they rushed upon us in a yelling and gluttonous 
 crowd, seizing upon the edibles and attacking them like 
 a pack of famished wolves. But the Kiangsis were not 
 to be despoiled thus easUy of the entertainment which had 
 been provided for them. Perceiving that the voracious 
 forays of the Tourgouths bade fair to leave but httle for 
 their own use, they rose up and mingled in the general 
 scramble, until a hundred human beings were struggHng, 
 fighting, and battling for the meat like an escaped colony 
 of madmen, forming the most ludicrous spectacle, so that 
 Burton and I, forgetting our momentary anger and 
 chagrin, laughed until the tears rolled down our faces. 
 
 When the txmiult had in a measure subsided, the vil- 
 lagers, showing evidences of their rough usage, but sig- 
 nally triumphant in having secured the greater part of 
 the feast, assembled to witness two hideous old hags 
 dancing to the sound of large drums beaten by men. This 
 performance was very disgusting, the principal feature 
 
486 
 
 THROUGH UNEXPLORED ASIA. 
 
 being a sort of conTulsive trembling and twitching of the 
 body and limbs, while the shrivelled and wrinkled 
 breasts of the dancers shook about like a couple of empty 
 leather bottles. They howled a song, and at any particu- 
 larly hard shake the men and wo- 
 men standing around joined in 
 a wild chorus. 
 
 In spite of their peaceableness 
 the villagers were naturally suspi- 
 cious and fearful of our intentions ; 
 and, although they were willing 
 to trade with us, 
 on no con s i d- 
 eration would 
 they supply us 
 with guides or 
 pack-yaks, or 
 give us any in- 
 formation con- 
 cerning the coun- 
 try ahead. They 
 were evidently of 
 the opinion that 
 it was our inten- 
 tion to take sum- 
 
 mary vengeance 
 for the theft of 
 the meat, as the 
 
 LOLO MAN AND WOMAN. 
 
 head man sent 
 us a little sour milk and a few mouldy loaves of bread, 
 for which we made a small return, evidently much to his 
 surprise, since he had been awaiting our probable action 
 in fear and trembling. 
 
LOLO NATIVES. 487 
 
 There can be little doubt that there are many Lolos 
 in this region, or at least a number of their customs are 
 prevalent, especially those incident to birth, marriage, and 
 death. When a boy is born he is washed in cold water, 
 for the first and doubtless for the last time in life, after 
 which his forehead is baptised with cow dung, to which 
 the native belief ascribes many potent powers, — among 
 others, the rendering him robust and fearless. He is 
 then passed around to each one of the assembled throng, 
 who, touching the lips of the child with the tongue, passes 
 it around to his hext neighbour, — the infant generally 
 being the only one who seems to ofEer any serious objec- 
 tion to this undue familiarity that is taken with him. 
 Unlike the Sifanese, these races allow almost equal privi- 
 leges to female children as to the males in ceremonial and 
 civic rites, the birth of a girl generally being regarded 
 with as much satisfaction as, if not more than, that of a 
 boy. 
 
 The customs pertinent to marriage are more elaborate 
 and complicated. The first step in the ceremony follows 
 immediately after the ardent youth has happened upon 
 the lady of his choice. It consists in ordering a feast 
 prepared at some convenient spot out-of-doors, to which 
 the bride that is to be and her relatives are invited. If 
 the father of the girl is satisfied with the sumptuousness 
 of the affair, and convinced of the desirable position of the 
 young man, he signals his satisfaction by eating out of 
 the same bowl and drinking out of the same cup as the 
 latter. The betrothal is then ratified by a present from 
 the prospective husband's famUy of several jugs of pundu 
 and a quantity of meat or other delicacies. At the end 
 of a month, if the young couple are still determined to 
 wed, a day for the ceremony is appointed, when the func- 
 
488 THROUGH UNEXPLORED ASIA. 
 
 tion is carried out with, the most melanclioly rites. Col- 
 bome Baber, in his very interesting report to the Royal 
 Geographical Society, describes the first or lamentation 
 part of the service peculiar to the Lolo tribes in the 
 following manner: 
 
 " On the wedding morn, the parents of the bride assemble their Mends, 
 and the ceremony is opened by the bridesmaids with a melancholy song : 
 ' In spite of all the affection and care your fond parents have lavished upon 
 you since the day you were bom, you must now desert them ; never again 
 will yon sit beside them at work or at meals. You wiU not be nigh to sup- 
 port them when they grow old, nor to tend them when they are sick. You 
 must leave them, and go for ever to the house of a stranger.' At this 
 point the bride takes up the melancholy strain, weepingly : ' Leave them 
 I must, but not by my desire or fault. They must bear with my absence ; 
 my brothers and sisters will support them. I go to my husband, and my 
 duty will be to help his parents, — not, alas ! my own. But it any trouble 
 befall my dear father and mother, I shall pine to death ; I am sure I shaU. 
 Seldom can I visit them ; but when they are sick, let them send for me, 
 and I will come, I wiU come ! ' As these chants of lamentation are extem- 
 porised, they, of course, vary somewhat at each ceremony ; but their general 
 tenor is as above." 
 
 For some time longer this period of tearfulness con- 
 tinues, when suddenly the party of the groom bursts upon 
 the scene, and, rushing incontinently into the centre of 
 the weeping group, knock them down right and left, and 
 seize upon the bride. The latter is placed upon a horse 
 and led away to the home of the husband, while his fol- 
 lowers have meanwhile deposited presents of pundu and 
 food at the door of the bereaved father's hut. The heart- 
 breaking period has doubtless been more simulated than 
 keenly felt, for without further ado general merriment 
 succeeds gloom, and the ceremony is concluded by much 
 feasting, dancing, and singing, untU the strong pundu has 
 produced an effect which, it goes without saying, is not 
 simiilated, but really felt. 
 
STRANGE CEREMONIAL RITES. 489 
 
 Yet another method of matrimony is less ceremonious, 
 but hardly more desirable, on the part of the groom at least. 
 The bride that is to be is placed at the top of a tree, while 
 her parents are stationed on the lower limbs, — or close 
 at the farther end of her father's hut, while the parents 
 remain near the door, — in both cases, the father being 
 armed with long thorn-sticks. The groom rides up on his 
 horse, and, dismounting before the tree or hut, announces 
 his intention of taking his bride, and immediately rushes 
 to seize her, — a practice which requires considerable hardi- 
 hood, even ardour of the most potent kind, since the rela- 
 tives, armed with the sticks, be.at him unmercifully, until he 
 has touched the toe of his adored one, when he is immedi- 
 ately welcomed into the family and complimented on his 
 courage and the ardour of his passion. In regard to the^ 
 marriage settlement, it is the custom for the husband's 
 family to furnish the young couple with horses, cattle, 
 and sheep ; the parents of the bride supply clothes, orna- 
 ments, and corn, — chiefly maize and buckwheat. 
 
 The rites of burial are fully as strange as those of birth 
 and marriage. When a member of the tribe dies the fact 
 is at once made known by his relatives, who, denuded of 
 all clothing, rush through the streets howling dismally, 
 and torturing themselves with long rows of thorns or 
 knives. This is looked upon as a direct invitation of the 
 attendance of the neighbours of the deceased ; and the next 
 day they assemble in the hut of the departed native, each 
 placing a small cylinder of prayer-slips at his head and 
 feet, in the hope that the devils, who inevitably must read 
 these sacred papers, will be torn in halves, and with their 
 power thus broken disappear from the corpse. The latter 
 is then placed in a long yak skin, mixed with potash or 
 some other disintegrating, agent, and hung over some steep 
 
490 THROUGH UNEXPLORED ASIA. 
 
 cliff or from a limb of a tree for several months, at the 
 end of which time if the body has disappeared it is regarded 
 as a favourable omen that the gods have carried it off to 
 the realms of Perfect Peace. If it still remains, however, 
 more prayers and curious functions are gone through with, 
 and it is transported to a more likely sgot until it has dis- 
 appeared. It need scarcely be added that the personal 
 handiwork of the lamas has more or less to do with these 
 sudden disappearances, the bodies being removed by them 
 during the night and buried in the ground, or else hidden 
 in some deep gully, to be swept far away by subterranean 
 streams. 
 
 The Djangin Gol is a large and important affluent of 
 the Charing Nor watershed, and rises in the Baian Kara 
 Ula, a short distance from the Byjun Gol of the Dji Chu 
 watershed. This stream, although of considerable width 
 in parts and very deep, like most of the watercourses in 
 this country, is impracticable to navigation, owing to the 
 numerous obstructions in its stream and to the succession 
 of swiftly rushing rapids over which its current is carried. 
 For nearly its entire length, however, it is bordered by 
 a low-lying plain, free of mountain ranges, and present- 
 ing a comparatively easy and natural caravan road. 
 Through this plain it was our intention to journey for 
 three days, when, abandoning it at the point where 
 the course of the stream is deflected to the eastward 
 toward Lake Oring Nor, a day's farther journeying would 
 carry us to our destination. 
 
 On December 27th we left Kengathka and ascended 
 the Djangin-Tang, — a cheerless area, sterile and unpre- 
 possessing, without a sign of vegetation, save at infrequent 
 intervals a few scrawny clumps of camel-thorn or tama- 
 risk. We had now fairly entered Hua-ta, and, having 
 
ACROSS HUA-TA PLATEAU. 491 
 
 heard many wonderful stories of the extortions practised 
 by the fierce tribes who inhabited this land, and of their 
 generally hostile nature, we anticipated some difficulty 
 in passing through their country. They were reputed 
 to be grpat thieves, and so overbearing that any insult 
 they might inflict must be borne by us without resistance, 
 else they would attack us, and have little or no compunc- 
 tion in murdering and plundering the entire expedition. 
 We had, however, so often before been apprised of danger, 
 and in so many instances discovered that these dire proph- 
 ecies were not borne out in reality, that we were not con- 
 cerned greatly with this information, but with a full 
 knowledge of the dangerous countries through which we 
 had already passed felt fully capable of offering effectual 
 resistance to any band of aggressors we might meet. It 
 did not take us long to discover that the native estimate 
 of their prowess was very much exaggerated. Doubtless 
 their insolent and bullying nature had produced an appre- 
 ciable effect on the peaceably disposed and unwarhke vil- 
 la,gers ; but though the characteristics possessed by them 
 were, in a measure, similar to those of which we had 
 been apprised, we found them to be in truth the veriest 
 cowards and poltroons it was possible to conceive. 
 
 It would be an impossibility to imagine a more desolate 
 and uninviting country than that over which we passed 
 on the twenty-seventh to Zaga-Cha. The country was 
 arid and parched, scorched to an almost unbearable heat 
 by the sun's rays until the brown pebbles fairly steamed 
 and smoked. One of the Kiangsis was attacked with sun- 
 stroke, while nearly all were more or less affected by the 
 severe heat. But the unobstructed plain offered no place 
 for shelter, and forward we marched with as much speed 
 as possible. Numerous watercourses were met with, but 
 
492 THROUGH UNEXPLORED ASIA. 
 
 they were almost all dry and burned up, only a few small 
 natural ponds having any water left in them. When 
 other resources fail, the inhabitants dig pits to contain 
 sufficient rain until the wet season arrives. After a time 
 the water in these holes becomes indescribably , nauseous, 
 and is very often rendered brackish by the large amount 
 of salt in the soil. 
 
 At nightfall of this day we reached Zaga-Cha, a large 
 village of Tourgouths and Lolos, who had been made 
 aware of our approach through the country, and had pre- 
 pared for our coming by sending forward a few of their 
 head men to discover what payment we should make for 
 the privilege of encamping in their territory. At the 
 moment of our arrival, the chief and his people were 
 celebrating the obsequies of some departed member of the 
 tribe, and consequently every one was drunk. It was 
 fortunate, after all, that they were ia this condition, for 
 the emissaries were perfectly contented with very small 
 presents, and, in maudlin generosity, presented us with 
 food and entertainment worth a hundred times the amount 
 which we had given them. Not only were wine and beef 
 brought us, but we were supplied with excellent flour, 
 milk, butter, and cheese ; so we came to the conclusion 
 that we had found a very Capua in Zaga-Cha. Very little 
 pundu was to be seen in this village, and likewise in all 
 those villages vdth which we henceforth foregathered, its 
 place being taken by a wine called " elusonh," — a sweet, 
 syrupy sort of liquid, the colour of cold weak tea, but 
 remarkably strong, a very small quantity having the most 
 impleasant effects. It is made of a small wild plum which 
 grows in the sheltered spots of the plain, and when cold 
 is a very palatable drink. The Kiangsis, accustomed to 
 their full measure of pundu, demurred somewhat when 
 
A LAMA CHARLATAN. 
 
 493 
 
 they witnessed the curtailment in the quantity of their 
 liquor ; but we were decided that we could better stand 
 their momentary chagrin than to run the risk of being 
 called upon to look after a colony of inebriates. 
 
 A magic lama visited us while we were at Zaga-Cha, 
 his errand, so he informed 
 us, being to tell the fortunes 
 of people about to journey to 
 Charing Nor ; and he also 
 professed to be able to cure 
 diseases and expel evil spir- 
 its. He was followed by 
 some lesser lights, who car- 
 ried iron bells, which they 
 occasionally struck with 
 small pieces of iron in hor- 
 rible discord and lack of con- 
 cert. On arriving before our 
 tent, the priestly magician 
 seated himself on the ground, 
 surrounded by his attendants, 
 and commenced a monoto- 
 nous recitative. In this he 
 accompanied himself by shak- 
 ing a rattle made of basket-work and shaped like a dumb- 
 bell, while the circle of his attendants joined in the 
 chorus, sometimes striking their bells, and at others 
 varying the performance by laying them down and clap- 
 ping their hands in a rhythmic cadence. This being fin- 
 ished, the soothsayer was ready to be consulted, provided 
 those coming to him were prepared to pay in advance for 
 his predictions. His principal instrument for reading the 
 decrees of fate consisted of a basket trimmed with small 
 
 BOOT AND KNIFE OF KOKO NOR 
 THIBETAN. 
 
494 THROUGH UNEXPLORED ASIA. 
 
 skins, the bottom being formed of an inverted earthen 
 cup. This was filled with small baked images of clay in 
 various fantastic forms, and a heterogeneous collection of 
 rubbish. The person desiring his fortune told had but to 
 pay the necessary fee, when the small images would be 
 thrown out of the receptacle over the ground, the magi- 
 cian being enabled to tell from the position in which the 
 respective figures fell the fortune of the seeker for such 
 occult information. He also did a thriving business in 
 curing any ailment with which the flesh might be affected, 
 offering to sell to us for a fabulously small sum, an oint- 
 ment to anoint the body, which unctuous liquid had been 
 handed down for generations, the person so protected 
 being proof against aU danger, and, unless the effect of the 
 charm should disappear, sure of living to an extreme old 
 age. 
 
 From what little we were able to see of their religious 
 customs, we gathered that the iaith held in these parts is 
 a sort of commingling of a few of the doctrines of Bud- 
 dhism with the characteristic mummery and fetich worship 
 common to the Lolos and Sifanese. Several deities and 
 innumerable lesser gods are worshipped and sacrificed to, 
 — each family, and in fact each individual, being watched 
 over by some patron deity, to whom he is directly respon- 
 sible, and to whom he must pledge his soul at death. 
 Prayer-wheels are very common, and by means of them a 
 unique method of revenge is often practised by a man on 
 his enemies. This may be done by securing the prayer- 
 wheel of the person with whom one may be at enmity, 
 and turning it in the opposite direction from the custom- 
 ary one ; in this way one is able to postpone indefinitely 
 the attainment of post-mortem felicity to the person whose 
 wheel is so treated. This is looked upon as a deadly 
 
BOASTFUL NATIVES. 495 
 
 insult, and, according to an unwritten code, is a sufficient 
 provocation for the inauguration of a bloody feud. 
 
 The twenty-eighth and twenty-ninth were miserable 
 days. The sky was overcast, and a wind of deadly chilli- 
 ness, for which we were scantily protected, howled over 
 the exposed plain, driving clouds of freezing dust before 
 it. The country we marched through was bare of any 
 vegetation, a chaos of rock and ice and snow. The moun- 
 tains which bordered the plain were of extraordinary 
 steepness, and terminated in sharp, snow-covered pinna- 
 cles. A short distance beyond Zaga-Cha we had to cross 
 a large glacier which descended to the river bed, picking 
 our way for two miles among boulders of green ice, con- 
 ditions that confronted us almost uninterruptedly for the 
 whole distance to Chimphu. Notwithstanding this for- 
 bidding nature of the landscape, the country seemed to be 
 well populated with herders and nomad tribes, with whom 
 we were frequently thrown. They were usually rather 
 drunk and abusive, and in some instances attempted to 
 rob us by stealth, so that it required great forbearance 
 and some tact on our part to avoid getting into serious 
 collision with them. They asserted that we had no right 
 to be travelling in their country, aud that we should be 
 the means of opening this region to other strangers and 
 traders, thus bringing them to a state of poverty and 
 subjugation. Although these people of the less settled 
 parts were thus unfriendly toward us, the head men and 
 natives of the villages and larger settlements were kind 
 and civil, and invariably brought us jugs of " elusonh." 
 To have refused this proffered hospitality would have 
 been a dangerous policy, and have lessened the good feel- 
 ing which existed ; but although Burton and I drank very 
 sparingly of the mixture for obvious reasons, the Kiangsis 
 
496 THROUGH UNEXPLORED ASIA. 
 
 were not troubled with any sucli scruples of abstinence, 
 and took advantage of the good cheer until the task of 
 keeping the caravan in any semblance of order became 
 decidedly arduous. We could afford, however, to look 
 upon their weakness with a charitable consideration, for 
 the end was now drawing near ; and we aould not find it 
 in our hearts to begrudge them this meagre enjoyment, 
 when we remembered the unswerving fidelity which they 
 had shown in firmly seconding us in many a trying 
 moment, when the clouds of despair hovered low and 
 dark over our fortunes. 
 
 We were certainly marching through a very changeable 
 climate, for summer and winter alternated at intervals 
 of every few hours. At one moment the heat would 
 be keenly felt; a little later a bitter blast would rush 
 down the mountainside from the snowy wastes and 
 glaciers a thousand feet above us, bringing with it snow 
 and icy rain, while immense banks of moisture-laden 
 clouds spread around their dank and chilling vapours. 
 
 At Chimphu the whole population turned out to stare 
 at us, and their astonishment at gazing on white strangers 
 was manifested in a more or less undesirable maimer, 
 for they were evidently not concerned with the truth of 
 the adage that " seeing is believing," but must needs 
 cause us to undergo the more crucial examination of 
 being pinched and pounded and generally knocked around 
 in order to assure themselves of the genuineness of the 
 exhibition to which they were being treated. This curi- 
 osity was in no wise diminished by the wonderful stories 
 related to them by our native guides, who, to play further 
 on their credulity, openly asserted that we had weapons 
 capable of killing whole villages at once, and ascribing to 
 us many more or less imaginary abilities of the most 
 
OVER THE DJANGIN TANG. 497 
 
 extraordinary character. This enlargement of the truth 
 was not, however, without its beneficial results, for the 
 head men were mightUy impressed with the narratives 
 they had heard, and sought to propitiate us by presents 
 of fowls and buttermilk. From them we also learned 
 that the great lake was but a day and a half's journey 
 to the north ; hkewise that they would send some of their 
 guides to show us the way over the remaining country. 
 
 At noontime of the thirtieth we bade adieu to the cur- 
 rent of the Djangin Gol and turned our course to the 
 north. On again we marched across a rough and water- 
 less plain lying between us and our destination, over 
 precipitous hills formed of limestone, having the ap- 
 pearance of cliffs which might once have faced the sea. 
 Eagerly we pressed forward, stumbling and bruising our- 
 selves against sharp obstructions and huge boulders that 
 beset our path. But what did it matter ? The next day 
 would see us at Gajum, with rest and peace at last ! 
 
 The country from the Djangin Gol to the shores of 
 the Charing Nor was closely fiUed with mountains, in- 
 habited on the north by Turkomans and Mongols, and 
 on the south by Tourgouths. The latter were of middle 
 size, but stoutly made ; small gray eyes, high cheek-bones, 
 and without beard, showing a Tartar origin. The severe 
 climate and barren country increased the harshness of 
 their aspect. Their clothes, made by themselves, were 
 of coarse haircloth ; their boots rough goatskin, and their 
 girdle a rope. They lived in small towers containing five 
 or six families, supported by scanty cultivation and flocks 
 of sheep. Their ignorance corresponded with their pov- 
 erty; but despite their ' innumerable shortcomings they 
 were a light-hearted, careless, hospitable set. We halted 
 for the night in a small village of a dozen families, perched 
 
498 THROUGH UNEXPLORED ASIA. 
 
 on the side of a steep slope. We were immediately waited 
 upon by a most regal-looking dignitary, a fine feUow got 
 up in very gorgeous attire, covered with arms of all sorts, 
 including an immense hide-shield fully six feet in height. 
 He had visited us for the purpose of demanding tribute, 
 but seeing that his bluster and braggadcyjio produced no 
 effect on our equanimity, he became at last more gracious, 
 and ended by begging for a musket and some powder, 
 which, to rid ourselves of his presence, we gave him. 
 
 Long before daybreak on January 1st there was a 
 bustle in our camp ; fires were lit and breakfast was pre- 
 pared ; every one being excited and happy with the knowl- 
 edge that the end was nigh. A couple of hours before the 
 rising of the sun we were all on the move, groping our 
 way fearfully oyer the treacherous surface of the country. 
 A steep climb brought us to the summit of the last ridge. 
 Eagerly we peered through the low-lying vapours, and 
 there before our eyes stretched for many a mile the broad 
 expanse of waters, glittering ia the sun like a precious 
 cameo of pure silver set in the stern encasement of rock- 
 ribbed shores. With shouts of frenzied joy all organisa- 
 tion was thrown to the winds, and for three hours we 
 scrambled without order or reason over the uncertain 
 road. Both Burton and myself ran down the slope and 
 swinging our rifles around oiu- heads, almost wild with 
 joy,' and the men, carried away by the same spirit of the 
 occasion, joined in the mad career. It was thus we drew 
 near the town, to find the natives armed and positioned to 
 meet us, having viewed our frantic approach as an evi- 
 dence of hostile intention from some of the fierce hill- 
 tribes. 
 
 Half an hour later, as we rested in the residence of the 
 head man of the place, a worthy Mongol trader, we 
 
SAFE AT GAJUM. 499 
 
 enjoyed that repose of spirit which only those who have 
 passed from death to life can know, having been by a 
 divine Providence borne through an almost overwhelming 
 sea of danger and disaster. We had successfully accom- 
 plished the mission which we had set out to perform. The 
 vast region hitherto occupying a blank space on the map 
 of an immense continent had been traversed in safety, and 
 the reward was fully equal to the sacrifice. There had 
 been moments of hopelessness and despair, days of misery 
 when the future had appeared dark and fatal ; but we had 
 been strengthened in our weakness, and led, when appar- 
 ently lost, by an unseen hand. There was no feeling of 
 triumph, but one of calm contentment and satisfaction. 
 
 It is not my intention to claim a higher value for our 
 discoveries than justly belongs to them ; neither would I 
 in any way diminish the lustre of the achievements of 
 Prejevalsky and those other indomitable spirits who have 
 sought to reclaim this vast region of Western China to 
 civilisation. That we were enabled to succeed where 
 others had repeatedly failed is the highest reward which 
 we can merit or desire. 
 
 THE END. 
 
lii