102 TOWARDS THE BORDER 



the country. They are simply thousands of acres 

 of dried mud. 



Baron Richthofen, from whom I have ah-eady 

 quoted, considered the extermination of the forests 

 a primary cause in the decadence of the Northern 

 provinces of China as compared to the Southern. 

 It naturally affects the climate in general, besides 

 being the cause of an immense amount of destruc- 

 tion which would not take place if the hills were 

 wooded. The results of any interference with the 

 laws of Nature are more difiicult to trace and less 

 easy to observe among the civilised nations of 

 Europe. After many weeks of travel through a 

 country like China they are very forcibly impressed 

 upon the traveller ; the essentials of life are brought 

 home to him. 



If the hills had not been denuded of trees, the 

 rains, instead of merely washing the soil from the 

 rocks and pouring, unresisted, down the hill-sides, 

 would be stored up in the ground and penetrate 

 into the dusty earth. Extensive regions w^ould not 

 be rendered unfit for agriculture, and would support 

 a greater population under better conditions. 



Fuel is now getting scarce. Dried shrubs and 

 roots dug carefully from the ground are precious 

 things, and dung a treasure to be hoarded. This too 

 in districts where coal is plentiful but unknown. 



" It is painful to see how much animal power is 

 wasted, on account of the imperfect construction of 

 the roads." Only those who live close to a coal- 

 mine can afford to use it as fuel, for the cost of 

 transport entirely cuts off the remainder of the 

 population from one of the chief necessities of life. 

 The few feeble attempts which we saw towards 



