CHAPTER VI. 

 ch'ien-t'ang river. 



In January 1906 I shot in company with 

 two friends on the banks of this river 

 which is the most important of the fourteen 

 principal rivers in the province of Chekiang, 

 and a diary kept at the time is before me as 

 I write. I have thought that possibly my 

 reader would receive a better idea of this 

 shooting ground if I placed before him the 

 impressions made upon me and the ex- 

 periences through which I passed. 



I shall never forget my shoot on the 

 Ch'ien-t'ang river. I am sure that I touch- 

 ed all the extremes of vexation and that the 

 very best boat on this river was specially 

 built for discomfort, yet, there are many 

 incidents which it is pleasant to remember 

 as well as to serve as warnings against the 

 numerous mistakes that were made. 



My shooting companions and I had 

 understood that the banks of tlie river 

 were " virgin shooting grounds," and on 

 the first day of January 1906 we got on 

 our houseboat at Shanghai and were 



