FROM TONKIN TO INDIA 



were full of women at work, up to their waists in the water, whilst 

 elsewhere men standing upon their harrows with lean legs out- 

 stretched, like 'bus conductors, guided their buffaloes as in some 

 ancient Egyptian design. At the end of several hours we 

 discovered that we were not going east towards Kubi-kiang, as we 

 should have been, but were gaily pursuing the main Yunchou 

 route, already traversed by the English party. The caravan was 

 halted, amid the protestations of the mafous that they knew no 

 other road. We were not going to be done in this way — " to a 

 Chinese, a Chinese and a half" Accordingly camp was formed for 

 the night where we were, and the clear moonlight among the rice 

 and trees soothed us for the vexation of two days lost. 



Next morning, the 6th (May), back on our tracks almost as far 

 as Mienning to find the little path. The makotou was at his old 

 tricks again, but with Sao's aid his little game was unmasked. He 

 had discharged two mafous and substituted a couple of traders, 

 who, by smuggling their stuff into our train, thus hoped to evade 

 the octroi at Tali. There was no end to their chicanery, and our 

 change of road had nicely upset their calculations. 



But retribution of a different sort awaited the makotou before 

 the day was out. Scarcely had we lit our evening pipes and were 

 contemplating the first blue wreaths of smoke, while the fleas began 

 to climb our supine limbs, when a hubbub arose among our men, 

 who came running towards us with cries of " makotou, Lohiang, 

 todzan ! " (knife). Hastening down, we found the makotou bleeding 

 profusely from several wounds, and it was some little time ere we 

 could learn the facts of the case. It will be remembered that some 

 time back a mafou called Manhao had been maltreated b)- the 

 makotou under the suspicion of a theft. A repetition of the robbery 

 having just been traced to a second mafou seemed to indicate the 



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