86 A NATURALIST IN WESTERN CHINA 



I engaged about a dozen peasants from near Ichang. These 

 men remained with me and rendered faithful service during 

 the whole of my peregrinations. After a few months' 

 training they understood my habits thoroughly and never 

 involved me in any trouble or difficulty. Once they grasped 

 what was wanted they could be relied upon to do their part, 

 thereby adding much to the pleasure and profit of my many 

 journeys. When we finally parted in February 1911, it was 

 with genuine regret on both sides. Faithful, intelligent, 

 reliable, cheerful under adverse circumstances, and always 

 willing to give their best, no men could have rendered better 

 service. 



This cross-country journey from Tunghsiang Hsien to 

 Paoning Fu, viaChiangkou, promised to be of more than ordinary 

 interest. There was a novelty about it also, since there was no 

 record of any foreigner having attempted it before. The route 

 lay across the old kingdom of Pa (see Chapter VI, p. 66), and I 

 hoped to find some evidences of this ancient race. Chinese 

 history is dry, difficult reading, and it is hard to dig out solid 

 facts. Wars, rebellions, and massacres deluge everything in 

 blood ; the arts of peace are seldom given any prominence. 

 The Chinese historians have always treated the aboriginal 

 races with arrogant contumely, rendering it almost impossible 

 to discover at this late date anything about the arts and life 

 of these lost peoples. That the modern province of Szechuan 

 boasted kingdoms and dynasties of its own before the advent of 

 the early Chinese is historical fact. The first Emperor of the 

 Ts'in dynasty, Tsin-shih Hwang or Shih Hwang-ti(22i-209B.c.), 

 incorporated part of the kingdom of Pa with the rest of 

 his dominions and nominally also that of Shu, whose capital 

 was near modern Chengtu Fu. The succeeding Han dynasty 

 (206 B.C. to A.D. 25) made the conquest complete. Since this 

 time no aboriginal chief has ruled the Red Basin of Szechuan, 

 though it has been conquered and re-conquered time and again 

 by usurping Chinese and alien races. During the period a.d. 

 221-265, the Chinese Empire was divided into three kingdoms, 

 one of which, under the Emperor Liu-pei, had its capital at 

 Chengtu. Liu-pei and three of his generals and statesmen are 

 handed down as popular idols, and everywhere in Szechuan 



