in the sandstone and shale strata. In places immense folds existed, and 

 everywhere were evidences of considerable disturbance. 



At a small village, where the midday halt was made, a band of Ssiich'uan 

 emigrants was encountered. These people, in their light summer clothing 

 and hemp sandals, seemed to be suifering great distress. It was a pathetic 

 sight to see little children of four and five trudging along in the snow and 

 slush, each carrying a little bundle. The still younger children were carried 

 on their mothers' backs. These unhappy folks had travelled up from 

 Ssuch'uan, via Han-chung Fu, in the coldest part of the cruel winter, in order 

 to reach their destination in time to till the ground for a summer crop. They 

 seemed to be possessed of but few goods and chattels ; what they had, being 

 carried on their backs, or in wheelbarrows. Their faces were rounder, and the 

 features flatter, than in the natives of this portion of the country ; and they 

 wore turbans. The hemp sandals formed their only footgear, and they seemed 

 to have little in the way of quilted or wadded clothing, just braving the winter 

 in their thin cotton things. Such men and women could hardly fail to make 

 good settlers, and, in later journeys in Kansu, opportunity was given to some 

 members of the expedition of seeing the good results obtained by these hardy 

 peasants. 



That night, T'ung-kuan, a military town, was reached, and a visit was 

 received from the Secretary to the Head Military Official, who made apology 

 for the absence of his chief. He offered the party a small escort of soldiers to 

 see them safely to Hsi-an Fu. This offer, however, was politely declined, 

 there being no necessity for such guardianship. This town is situated ninety 

 It from Yi-chun Hsien, the stage being long and difficult. T'ung-kuan 

 produces a fine class of dried persimmon, than which few more palatable and 

 nourishing dried fruits exist. 



The next halting-place was Yao Chou, a large and busy town, but of no 

 particular interest. On the road between T'ung-kuan and Yao Chou a belt of 

 limestone was traversed, the first sign of this rock yet noticed in Shensi. The 

 day's journey was not so long and fatiguing as the one before, the distance 

 covered being seventy It. 



Throughout the greater part of the following day, the road led down a 

 broad valley, which finally opened out into a series of great loess terraces or 

 steps, on which were observed several large flocks of bustard. Sowerby tried 

 hard to secure one of these magnificent game-birds, and was rewarded finally 

 with a nice sixteen-pounder. Towards the end of the day the little party 

 descended from the heights to a great plain — the valley of the Wei Ho — in 



38 



