SIN-TAN RAPID 76 



hours. Later on we managed to make a short advance, 

 but were obliged eventually to make fast to the bank 

 just below the rapid. 



Making a start at 4.45 the next morning, it took 

 nearly three hours to get against the strong current to 

 the foot of the rapid. Here more trackers had to l)e 

 engaged, and it took fifteen to get the boat through. 

 I hoped to reach the Sin-tan Eapid during the day, as 

 there were no bad places to pass. The wreck of a large 

 house-boat was seen in the forenoon, she having come 

 to grief about three days previously. 



Such wrecks are very common, and it is impossible 

 to make any estimate of the number of men drowned in 

 the river, but it must be very large. The thermometer 

 to-day registered 85°. The Sin-tan Eapid was reached 

 at 1.30 P.M., and I found that the boat would have to be 

 unloaded before the ascent was attempted, not on ac- 

 count of the shallowness of the river, but to make her 

 tow more easily against the current, which was very 

 violent, but with no actual fall that I could see. This 

 afternoon a junk was wrecked, but happily no lives 

 were lost. A sandstorm raged all day, and everything 

 in the boat was covered with very fine sand which 

 seemed to penetrate everywhere. Just before arriving 

 here one of my men cut his thumb severely through 

 carelessly handling a bamboo hawser. The muscles 



