On December 11th, the expedition left Sui-té Chou, and entering the hills 
to the south commenced to wind up and down a tortuous ravine, usually not 
more than sixty or seventy feet wide, and with perpendicular sides of 
considerable height. In this ravine, as in all the others encountered during 
the day, a stream, now covered with a thick layer of ice, flowed down a 
channel carved from the bedrock. Here and there large hollows held deep 
pools; numerous frozen waterfalls were passed, and from the sides of the 
ravine hung great masses of icicles. In short there was every indication of 
an abundant supply of water for the inhabitants of the small villages dotted 
at frequent ‘intervals along the line of march. Soon after leaving Sui-té the 
end of the first ravine was reached, and after crossing a high pass we entered 
a second. This was followed throughout its course until a small village 
named T’ien-chuang was reached, and here we halted for lunch. The road 
turned up next into a third ravine, which was followed to within a short 
distance of its head, and here quarters were secured in a small village named 
Shih-ts’ui-yi. This, as the name indicates, was at one time a changing post 
for the quick horse-courier service. This organisation has long been dispensed 
with owing to the peaceful state of the border, but in the days when constant 
watch had to be kept for Mongol raiders the village must have been a highly 
important place. The present population cannot be more than one hundred 
and fifty, and the houses are roughly built of shale slabs rudely cut and 
arranged in herring-bone pattern. The distance from Sui-té Chou is about 
nineteen miles, and the road being newly cut was excellent, though some of 
the gradients would not allow of wheeled traffic. Hazrat Ali arrived on the 
evening of the 12th, having completed his survey up to this point. It was 
fortunate that he passed this night within reach of medical assistance, as he 
was taken violently ill: a result of poisonous fumes after his long exposure to 
the cold. This necessitated our spending another day at this place. 
On December 14th the journey was resumed, and we crossed a high pass, 
3725 feet, a few miles south of Shih-ts’ui-yi. The top of the pass was barely 
a hundred feet lower than the surrounding hills, so that a view to the south 
and east was obtainable. The horizon was remarkably level, the summits of 
the loess hills being, as usual, of uniform height. The descent into the valley, 
which we followed for the rest of the day as far as Ch’ing-chien Hsien, was 
very steep. The road though good, was frequently on the bedrock, into 
which the stream had cut very deeply. Ch’ing-chien, an insignificant town, 
is distant from Shih-ts’ui-yi about eighteen miles. Here an excellent quality 
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