85 



CHAPTER VII 



JOURXEY Ur THE RIYEK COXTINL'EU 



Necessity of haste — Intricacy of channel — Pagodas — Gold washers — Fu- 

 chau — ' Weigeren ' boat — Meet Mr. George — Collecting larvaj and 

 Coleoptera — Ai'rive at Chmig-king — Visit Resident — A large and 

 important town — Change in crews — Disagreeable incident^Leave 

 Chimg-kmg — Fme scenei'y — Bamboos and llanioo trees — Heronries 

 — Vexatious delay — Cedars — Hostility at a small town — Poppies and 

 tobacco — We land but are obliged to return — Fiobbery on board — 

 Kise in river — Boat in dangei' — Man oveiboard — Lhu-chau in ruins — 

 Meet Mrs. Eiley — Ai'i'ive at Sui-fu — Beautiful place — Natives Mahom- 

 medan principally and well disposed to foreigners — Large trading 

 place — Upper Yang-tze — Leave for Kia-ting-fu — Fishing with cormo- 

 rants — Ancient caves — Chien-wei-hsien — Brine wells — Suicide of 

 soldiei' — Clni-ken-tan. 



April 13. — A light breeze helped us at our usual 

 daylight start, and during the day I noticed the beauty 

 of the vegetation, which was of a sub-tropical character. 

 I often regretted that in such spots I could not make a 

 longer stay ; but knowing the importance of pushing on 

 as rapidly as possible, for my intention was to get as 

 far to the westward as I could before summer was too 

 far advanced, I was obliged to forego the pleasure, in 

 the hope that I might be able to make a stay on my 

 return journey at those places which seemed the richest 



