considerable extent is almost in ruins, the population not exceeding 500 all 

 told. On March 27th Hsi-kung-yi was reached, after a short day's journey of 

 fifteen miles. The country passed through was entirely of loess, and no bed 

 rock was seen, though the bottom of a deep canon, up which the road lay, 

 was noticed to be full of boulders, cobbles, and gravel, all of which had 

 evidently been brought down by water from high mountains somewhere to 

 the west. 



Soon after leaving Hsi-kung-yi the caravan ascended the high loess 

 mountains called Ching-liang Shan, and for some time continued along ridges 

 of the same. In places, outcrops of rock explained the existence of the 

 boulders and cobbles noticed on the preceding day. Towards the end of the 

 daj' and after a long descent into a wide valley, a large walled town named 

 An-ting Hsien was reached. This place is situated seventeen miles from 

 Hsi-kung-yi, and has a population of about 3000. During the day's march 

 many carts were encountered laden with waterpipe tobacco. Heavy snow was 

 experienced during the forenoon, rendering the road, which was otherwise 

 good, very slushy. 



On April 1st the caravan left An-ting Hsien, and after travelling for 

 seventeen miles over a good road through the usual loess valleys, put up at a 

 small place named Ch'6ng-k'ou-yi, the population of which was estimated at 

 about 200. The inns being very bad, the travellers availed themselves of the 

 privilege of stopping at the official rest-house. The following day the journey 

 was continued ; the road gradually ascending till an altitude of 8000 feet was 

 reached. From this point high mountains could be seen to the south and 

 south-west. The road then followed the top of the ridge for a distance of 

 seven miles ; the slopes on either side were very steep, whilst the ravine- 

 bottom was judged to be a thousand feet, or more, below the road level. The 

 ridge was composed chiefly of very hard and compact loess, though rock 

 was noticed occasionally further down the slopes and along the beds of the 

 ravines. Just before reaching Kan-tsao-tien — a prosperous-looking village 

 some fourteen miles from Ch'6ng-k'ou-yi — the caravan made a sharp descent 

 from the high loess ridges into the valley. The road traversed during the day 

 was, in places, very bad, especially for cart traffic. The slopes on either side 

 were all under cultivation. 



On April 4th, after crossing a low spur of loess, and travelling for some 

 distance along a wide stream-bed, thickly strewn with cobbles and boulders, 

 the caravan reached Hsiao-shui-tzu, a little village perched upon a rocky cliff 

 on the south bank of the Yellow River. The stream, whose course- had been 



59 



