EETUEN TO ICIIANG 63 



in spite of the dillieultics that were put in my way. 

 Those that have been menlioned were not the only 

 ones, and as a fnrther illustration of the way in which 

 I was treated, on one occasion one of my men, collect- 

 in<>- a large species of Ornithoptera, unfortunately 

 damaged a few shoots of growing Indian corn, doing 

 harm to the extent probably of twenty cash. An old 

 woman came up, and poured forth upon us some of the 

 most flowery portions of the Chinese language with such 

 volubility and persistence that she caused a croM^d to 

 collect, and to avoid a disturbance I was oblisjed to 

 pay 2,000 cash. It took some time getting everything 

 together and packed, getting the apparatus from the 

 native collectors, and especially seeing to the bottles 

 containing cyanide (as to leave these among such a 

 careless and ignorant people would be culpable), and 

 arranging for stationing collectors for the following 

 season. At last, having completed everything, I left for 

 Ichang, and took four days over the journey. I found 

 the river very high, and the current so strong that the 

 boat was swept down two miles and had to be tracked 

 up on the other side. 



