FROM TONKIN TO INDIA 



reascended by the bed of a small tributary of the Salwen. But 

 the higher we went the worse grew the path, till it was no better 

 than a track through sodden brake and over abrupt declivities. 

 Great thorny thistles with yellow heads choked the hollows, through 

 which the mules, even stripped, could hardly struggle. The 

 unloading and loading went on incessantly. Our progress was, 

 in consequence, almost nominal, and on the 27th (September) came 

 to a dead stop. We therefore called a halt to allow the stragglers 

 to close up. Here, in response to our oit-repeated inquiries, two 

 Lissous spoke of a district on the Upper Kiou-kiang called 

 Dutchu, where one half of the denizens were robbers and lived 

 in holes, and the other half were timid and slept in trees. 

 Beyond the Kiou-kiang were three mountains, then a big river 

 named Tersa, where we should find rice, and black Lamas, and, 

 further, Chinese (.''). Valuable information, forsooth! However, 

 the more mysterious this region the more we desired to find it. 



In the evening our scouts came in on the main column, and 

 reported no possibility of getting the mules any farther. We 

 held a council of war, and decided to push on afoot for the ne.xt 

 village with a few carriers, whom we could send back with food to 

 the succour of the rest. In accordance with this resolution, on the 

 28th (September) we set forward, and almost immediately after- 

 wards the wood closed upon us. Our men had not lied. There 

 was not so much as a track. We followed the general direction 

 indicated by broken twigs. We did not mount, we did not descend 

 — we simply gave ourselves over to gymnastics. Clambering over 

 roots, grappling with trees, now bestriding a huge trunk, anon 

 crawling on all-fours, foot by foot we won our way. We slid, we 

 tumbled, we saved ourselves by a vine, and, when we found a square 



yard to stand upon, stopped for breath. On one such platform, 



266 



