On December nth, the expedition left Sui-te 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-te 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-t^ 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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