HANOI TO MONGTSE 



having the assistance of M. d'Abbadie to escape paying excessive 

 dues. We divided it into two parts — one to take with us, and the 

 other to be sent from Mongtse straight to TaH, as a reserve. 

 In the beHef that our experience may be of use to future travellers, 

 a list of the contents of the packages will be found in the Appendix. 



We reached Yen-Tay on the 29th January, after a pleasant 

 passage under the escort of two friends. I found it much changed 

 since 1890. The large straw huts had been replaced by stone 

 barracks, some o-ood houses had been built, and a small club 

 erected. I took advantage of our halt to visit the coal pits 

 belonging to M. d'Abbadie, about a mile above Yen-Tay ; the 

 workings extend on either side of the river as far as Tray-Hutt. 

 The coal is gaseous, yielding 20 or 30 per cent, of volatile matter, 

 compared with 10 to 15 per cent, in that of Hong-Hay. Traces of 

 petroleum have been found in the neighbourhood, and an engineer 

 is about to take out a concession for graphite. 



After a stay of two days we went on board the Bahoa, a 

 launch of only a few feet draught. The water was falling, and 

 as this was probably her last trip for the season we arrived only 

 just in time. We took leave of our friends and of the officers 

 who had given us so cordial a reception. From henceforth we 

 should not look upon the tricolor again for a long time, and here 

 we left behind the limits of civilisation to enter upon the freedom 

 of travel. We were eager to get forward, and I was impatient 

 until I should find myself astride a nag, with a pipe in my 

 mouth, seeing things which others had not seen, in strange 

 countries, where the interest of the day cloaked the uncertainty 

 of the morrow. 



The ascent of this part of the Red River was not as rapid 

 as we could have desired ; we were continually running aground 



7 



