120 



CHAPTEE IX 



WA-SHAN TO TA-TSIEN-LU 



Decide to visit Ta-tsien-lu — Preparations for journey — Coolies' loads — So- 

 i-ling Pass — Huang-mii-chang — Pere Martin — Chin-ki-za — Fu-lin — 

 Its trade and produce — Inhospitality — Trouble about horses and coolies 

 — Procure mules but lose them at Ni-tou — Fei-yueh-ling Pass — Pines 

 and rhododendrons — Magnificent view — Dirt and discomfort at Leng- 

 chi — -Valley of the Tung Eiver — Suspension bridge at Lu-ting-chiao — 

 Cha-pa — Welcomed by missionaries — A flood in a watercourse — Bad 

 road — Euined houses — The Tung in flood — Trafi&c on the road — 

 Fruit at Wa-ssu — Eoad to Ta-tsien-lu — Zones of vegetation — Single 

 rope bridge — Arrival at Ta-tsien-lu — Kindness of Bishop Biet. 



My collectors were now well up to their duties, and 

 quite able, I thought, to complete such work as might 

 be done here without my personal supervision. I 

 therefore decided upon changing my original plan of 

 stopping here all the summer and, leaving them and 

 the collections already made behind, to advance to 

 Ta-tsien-lu. The botanical collector was left in charge, 

 and I found that thirty men were to be put under him, 

 these being told off for such stations as I considered 

 most jDromising. 



On June 25 my last preparations were made by 

 sending letters down to Kia-ting-fu, and packing up all 



