FROM TONKIN TO INDIA 



The torce burst chafing- from a narrow breach of wild and 

 lofty grandeur, which it seemed to have riven for itself in its 

 escape from the ravine ; the sides were lined with horizontal 

 strata, revealing the geological formation of the innermost 

 mountain ; and the glen disclosed a bottom of grey stones sown 

 with needle-pointed firs. But so constricted was the entrance, 

 and so forbidding the aspect of the beetling cliffs, that it looked 

 barely possible that we could penetrate their recesses. 



It was, however, through this pass that our route of the 

 13th (September) took us, when we left behind for good the 

 actual Mekong valle)- to turn our faces to the west. The 

 path clung in zigzags to the wall of rock, shored up in many 

 places by props of wood driven into its face. It was as fine a 

 piece of engineering as one might see in Switzerland, but 

 hardly looked to meet with here. Once through the rift, our 

 descent was fairly rapid, having sombre fir-clad boulders on 

 our left and a towering red cliff over against us. This part of 

 the scenery was very fine, and recalled that of the canons in the 

 Rocky Mountains. 



A bridge being reported cut in front, our men asked us to 

 go forward ; and we learned that the Lamas of Tchamoutong 

 had received orders from Sanguias-Kiendzang to impede our 

 progress by all means in their power, threatening with death 

 anyone who should show us the road to the Salwen. We paid 

 little heed to these rumours, as we knew that Tchamoutons: had 

 not had time to communicate with the other and receive a 

 reply ; but they had their effect on our men. Sure enough, 

 about two hours farther on we came to the site of a bridge of 

 which one spar alone was left, and that a rickety one with 

 barely breadth to put one foot before the other. The rest of 



