100 SUICIDE OF SOLDIER 



cultivated ground, cereals, tobacco, and poppies may be 

 seen. Peaches and apricots are also grown, but these 

 are always gathered and eaten green by the Chinese, 

 Europeans seldom getting an opportunity of procuring 

 them ripe. 



May 11. — Sixty li were made to-day against a 

 strong current as usual, but no rapids were passed. 

 The scener}' was beautiful and the character of the 

 country changing, becoming more mountainous. The 

 boat was secured off Chien-wei-hsien. 



May 12. — The scenery became more wild to-day,, 

 and the country was less cultivated. A long and bad 

 rapid called Ohayi-tai was passed through. It took 

 four hours' hard work, and is, at the present state 

 of the river, a dangerous place. Just above the river 

 divides and an island is formed. 



May 13. — Passed through lovely scenery to-day, 

 but still with little cultivated ground. The chief 

 industry here is the production of salt by boiling brine,, 

 which is found in wells, many of which are sunk to a 

 considerable depth, most being on the left bank of the 

 river. To-day I had the misfortune to lose one of the 

 soldiers sent as a guard from Quei-chow-fu. They were 

 constantly in the habit, when a short distance from a 

 town, of landing and completing the journey on foot^ 

 rejoining me on arrival. Consequently their absence 



