156 WRECKED JUNKS 



and the bow sweep was in frequent use. On the 

 following day the river was, if possible, worse ; but the 

 rate of speed was high, about 300 li being made each 

 day. On September 12 the boat was made fast off the 

 village of Hu-lin, and the people were very disagreeable. 

 My dogs were chained up on the beach, and they came 

 down and stoned them. Fearing that someone might 

 get bitten, I was obliged to move the dogs into the 

 boat. 



On the loth I arrived at Quei-chow-fu, having 

 travelled 420 li during the day, and here I was delayed 

 till the 16th, the river being dangerously high. I 

 found several hundreds of junks waiting here till the 

 river should fall sufficiently to make the passage safe, 

 and I heard that a day or two ago three junks were 

 knocked to pieces at a bad place a short distance 

 below. Their crews were all drowned, and one of them 

 had a hundred souls on board. Sometimes the naviga- 

 tion is stopped here for weeks at a time. There are 

 •certain marks on the city walls, and when the water is 

 .above the highest it is not considered safe to descend 

 the river ; also when it is below the lowest it is 

 dangerous. 



On the 16th the water had fallen a little, and it was 

 considered safe to travel. A run of 420 li was made 

 -during the day, and on the ITtli, which I thought the 



