THE STORY OF THE DAVIDIA 277 



and then across the large province of Yunnan. Hong- 

 kong was suffering from its usual visitation of bubonic 

 plague and no Chinese from that colony was allowed 

 to enter Tonking so I was denied the services of an 

 English-speaking Chinese servant which was a great 

 loss. Thanks to the help of my friends, whose ef- 

 forts to assist in every possible way were unbounded, 

 my arrangements which included a passport (neces- 

 sitating a trip to Canton), a supply of provisions, and 

 a traveling outfit were completed with celerity. I 

 left Hongkong in a steamer on the afternoon of 

 June 14th for the port of Haiphong where I arrived 

 on the 19th idem, and, leaving the same evening, 

 reached Hanoi, the capital of Tonking the following 

 morning. I could speak no French and in conse- 

 quence had difficulty on landing, but ultimately I 

 reached a hotel and stumbled on a Frenchman who 

 spoke a little English. 



For some years past, a railway, built by the 

 French, has connected Hanoi with Yunnan Fu the 

 capital of the province of that name, but in 1899 

 the survey only was in progress and travelers 

 had to ascend the Red River in small steamers to 

 the frontier town of Laokai, thence by native 

 boats to Manhao and from there journey overland 

 by mules or sedan chairs. The Chinese were strongly 



