FROM TONKIN TO INDIA 



trees the end of the mountains and a distant plain, in \vhich the 

 Dihing lay like a ribbon. Safety looked a long way off The 

 only water we found on this stage was dark and brackish ; but we 

 made tea with it, called it coffee, and drank. No strao-frlers on 

 this day. 



loth (December). — The descent continued of a kind which 

 frequent falls had rendered familiar to us, down a watercourse, 

 from rock to rock. In the tops of the trees grey apes with black 

 faces swung by their long tails, and Sao managed with his Win- 

 chester to bag a little one, which did not go far among so many. 

 A thread of smoke to our right attracted us, as it had been intended, 

 to the site of the previous camp ; and there, on a bamboo decorated 

 with plantain leav^es, Seran-Seli had hung a little bag of rice, show- 

 ing that our Kioutses had overtaken him. This furnished us 

 with a meal, which was taken at once. Two more men (Tatou 

 and Petalon) fell out. We could not stop for them, but left them 

 in charge of each other. Anio now marched so fast, almost at a 

 trot, that I could scarce keep up with him. A mountain river 

 of considerable dimensions and strength next confronted us, and 

 demanded three separate fordings at spots marked for us by 

 pyramids of stone. The water was cold and the bottom ragged, 

 so that the performance was not an enjoyment. Wet to the waist, 

 we mended our pace, hoping to come in sight of a village at every 

 bend of the stream. Instead, to our chagrin, we stumbled on to 

 a bank of sand, where further footprints ended. Some tree trunks 

 thrust into mid-current showed that someone had attempted a 

 bridgfe, and failed. There was no evadincr it, — into the water we 

 must go again. But we had had enough for the day, it would 

 keep till the morning ; and I called a halt. 



The men had nothing to eat, but there was still some tea, so we 



340 



