go A NATURALIST IN WESTERN CHINA 



the country all around is under cultivation, chiefly rice, with 

 houses at frequent intervals. After a few li the road descends 

 to the river again, and crossing by stone steps we reached the 

 market village of Peh-pai-ho, where we found accommodation 

 in a large house. This village, alt. 1600 feet, also known as 

 Peh-pai ch'ang, is a small place with unprepossessing residents. 

 Our quarters were dark, fairly filthy, and loafers crowded 

 around until bedtime. 



The day's journey of 60 li was through a sparsely populated 

 country, which, considering the low altitude, was unusually 

 wild and jungle-clad. The flora had points of interest, the 

 finding of Tea bushes and bushes of the Tea Rose in the rocky 

 defile being particularly noteworthy. On bare sandstone 

 cliffs large white trumpet-flowered Lilies were common, with 

 their stems thrust out at nearly right angles to the cliffs. 

 We met very few people on the road, and most of the women 

 ' we saw had natural feet. In the early morning we passed quite 

 a lot of Panicum crus-galli, vax. frumentaceum, cultivated. 



The itinerary my men secured at Tunghsiang Hsien did 

 not err on the side of accuracy. Constant inquiries were 

 necessary, but the results were confusing. The river which 

 flows past Peh-pai ch'ang was said to unite with the Chiangkou 

 stream at Chiang-ling-che, 70 li distant. 



A heavy thunderstorm occurred in the night, accompanied 

 by a downpour of rain which lasted intermittently into the 

 early forenoon of the next day. The country needed rain 

 badly, and the air was cool and fresh in the morning. Peh-pai 

 ch'ang is a regular warren of dilapidated houses, filthy and 

 stinking, with a loafing and unduly curious population. A 

 loin-cloth belonging to one of my chair-bearers was stolen 

 during the night, and my followers had little that was com- 

 plimentary to say about the village or its inhabitants. 



Following the river down-stream for 5 li, we reached Lei- 

 kang-k'eng of the maps. This hamlet (pronounced Lei-kang- 

 t'an, from a fine waterfall on a small river which, flowing 

 from the north, joins the main stream at this point) consists 

 of a deserted temple, a few scattered houses, and an old fort 

 high up on the cliffs. It and Ta-chen-chai, another old 

 fortress, are the only places marked on the map — both are 



