BOAT AGROUND 163 



was of white calico, about a yard wide by three long, 

 and had some characters painted in black on it. I 

 have not entered into a full description of the procuring 

 of this flag, as I shall have more to say about it later on. 

 The boat was under way at 8 a.m. on September 4, and 

 the journey down, with the river high, was made at a 

 very different rate of speed from the journey up. The 

 first day 280 li were made, and the boat secured only 

 eighty-five li from Sui-fu. A place was passed where, 

 on the voyage up, a thriving village was situated. Not a 

 trace of it now remained, it having been utterly destroyed 

 by the flood and many of its inhabitants drowned. 



During the day the pilot took a wrong channel and 

 ran the boat on a bank. She swung round and stuck 

 fast. The rudder had to be unshipped, and some of the 

 crew getting overboard gradually worked her off into 

 deep water. I had purchased a sampan as a measure of 

 precaution at Kia-ting-fu, so that in case of my boat 

 getting on a rock the collections might be landed. 

 She, however, on this occasion took the proper channel, 

 and was swept past us in a moment, and I need hardly 

 add that it was impossible for her to return against the 

 current to our assistance. She would only be of any 

 service by keeping at a considerable distance astern. 



On arriving at Sui-fu the next day I got rid of the 

 pilot and got another. I stayed here onl}^ long enough 



