40 



CHAPTEE IV 



CHANG-YANG 



Preparations for trip to Chang-yang — Hiring coolies — Passport — Start 

 with Dr. Henry — Description of house — Eobbery of cash — Collecting 

 Coleoptera — Pony killed by tiger — Tigers common, but no man- 

 eaters — Poisoning tigers — "Wild pigs — Boars' tusks offered for sale as 

 tigers' teeth — Deer — Porcupines — Pheasants — Plants and flowers — 

 Hostility of natives — I complain at Ichang — Punishment of agita- 

 tors — Excursion to the South — Deep ravines — Etu River — Varnish 

 tree — Method of collecting varnish — Trade of district — Edible fungus 

 — Heavy damages — Preparation for return to Ichang. 



As the time now approached for my projected stay in 

 Chang-yang, 1 commenced making such preparations 

 as were necessar}' for a prolonged visit to such a wild 

 region. The first thing to be considered was money. 

 Silver would, of course, be much easier to carry than 

 thousands of cash, but I had learnt from my previous 

 visit that it was far too valuable for use among such a 

 poor people. If change of a tael was wanted, one 

 mio-ht have to send to a village half a dav's iournev off to 

 get it. The natives also were particular as to the sort 

 of cash they would accept, being partial to the large, 

 not that they would not take the small, Ijut tliey re- 

 garded them as of compai-atively less value. I therefore 



