﻿44 SMITHSONIAN MISCEfXANEOUS COLLECTIONS VOL. 74 



animal to be perfectly certain of what it was. And the only reason 

 why he did not shoot it was that it was just above two boys who were 

 working in a field, and had he shot it it must have fallen on top of 

 them. Indeed, it was actually stalking them when he saw it. Yen- 

 ping-fu is a wonderful animal centre. Caldwell got a tufted rnuntjac 

 and a leopard just back of his compound, and wild cats, palm-civets 

 and what not actually in it. 



This is very, very beautiful country. T have never seen anything 

 quite like it. The whole country is hilly and mountainous, and 

 covered with heavy underbrush, and woods of spruce, pine, and 

 deciduous trees. The rivers and streams are clear as crystal, studded 

 with rock, and exquisitely beautiful. The underbrush is a terror to 

 get through by reason of its denseness and the sword-grass that occurs 

 everywhere and cuts like a razor. I like the people, and find them . 

 very friendly. At this moment I am camped in the local temple of 

 a small village, my things spread all over the place. I am the centre 

 of interest for the whole countryside. People come and burn incense 

 and chin chin joss,, and then stop to look at me and have a good chin 

 wag. It doesn't seem to worry them that 1 have dead rats on the 

 altar. And the small boys bring me in rats, and mice, and shrews, 

 and bats. Truly they are a most remarkable people. And there have 

 been ever so many cases of murdered missionaries in the province in 

 bygone days. I don't believe these people are pure Chinese. Some 

 of them have most remarkably bushman-like faces. They say that 

 there are real aborigines in the province, and the natives call ihem 

 dog- faced men 



By the way, there was a tiger reported here this afternoon ! One 

 man came in and said he saw it take a chicken. And there isn't any 

 door to this temple. What would you do under the circumstances? 

 All the tigers in this province are man-eaters ! I have made plans 

 to try conclusions with this particular fellow to-morrow — but he may 

 assume the offensive first. Don't think me an alarmist. I'm not. 

 I'm merely telling you the cold truth about things. The other day 

 when we were on our way up here we pulled up for the night beside 

 a village. And all along the shore were the fresh tracks of two 

 tigers. There was a lovely stretch of white sand, and it was bright 

 moonlight, and so I kept the cabin window open and my rifle handy 

 .... and I'll swear I woke ui> every 20 minutes and had a look out 

 of the window. Next day we heard that 15 people had been killed 

 by tigers in the neighborhood during the past month or so. 



