TUNG-TING LAKES GI 



weeks to accomplish, the time being according to the 

 strength of current which has to be combated. When 

 the river is high the current is strong, and may be aug- 

 mented by flood water from certain districts, and the 

 floods, unless caused by the melting of the snow in the 

 upper part of the river, are nearly always local, the 

 breadth of the river bed gradually reducing the ap- 

 parent volume of water as it passes down towards 

 the sea. Thus Ichang may be in flood, and at Hankow 

 only a slight rise may be observed ; and Hankow may 

 be flooded from the Han Eiver and Tung-ting Lakes, 

 while a slight rise only is noted in the lower reaches, 

 where the river widens considerably. Another cause 

 of delay in the upward journey is the uncertainty of 

 finding the steamer for the upper river ready at Han- 

 kow. Passengers may have to wait there for three or 

 four days. 



After leaving Hankow we soon came to the mouth 

 of the Tung-ting Lakes, and saw many of the boats for 

 which the district is well known. These are very clean, 

 small, and narrow, and are half-decked, by which pecu- 

 liarities they may be easily recognised among the other 

 river-trading boats. It is worthy of note that the river 

 traffic seems to increase quite 100 per cent, below the 

 entrance to these lakes, indicating that there is a large 

 inland trade through them. The river decreases in 



