SSUMAO TO TALI 



Bary, to arouse the apathy of the Ouai d'Orsay. The Siamese 

 troops were dislodged, and the idea of a buffer State was abandoned. 

 We have made an end of backsHdinor. 



A diplomatic victory has been gained ; we must guard 

 against an industrial defeat. Our neighbours, who know full 

 well that railways are the means of real colonisation, think to 

 establish a line running from Mandalay in the direction of Xien- 

 hong (Kiang-Hung). Nay more, the first rails have been laid. 

 It imports us to retort to this new move of England with a similar 

 one of our own ; and to this end it is absolutely necessary for us 

 also to have a railway penetrating China. We have a long 

 lead in the matter of position ; but again I repeat, beware of 

 the fable of the hare and the tortoise. It is impossible to 

 forecast the future. But a moment may be predicted when the 

 framework of China will fall to pieces, and then, — first come 

 first served, — those that have the best perfected scheme of 

 communication will win. 



With these and similar reflections I solaced the period of 

 delay until the whole caravan arrived. We then set about crossing 

 the Mekong at Notcha Tian-pi, which was effected by relays in 

 two ferry-boats 55 feet by 6i feet, and was rendered arduous by 

 the height of the freeboard, which called for jumping qualities 

 in the mules, which all did not possess. The craft were 

 managed by two sweeps 23 feet long — one in the stern like a 

 rudder, worked by three men ; the other athwartships forward, 

 with seven men on it. 



The river here ran at the base of steep hills, between shores 

 of sandstone and quartz, on which I once more noted the pretty 

 dwarf palm, like the sycas, though with more delicate leaves, 

 that I had observed in Upper Tonkin. The depth was consider- 



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