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CHAPTER XII 



SECOND JOURNEY TO TA-TSIEN-LU 



Arrival at Ichang — Story of the lowban's flag — Despatch collections — 

 Leopard on the river bank — Trip to Hankow — Telegraph line — 

 Official letters concerning my boat — Prepare for journey up river — 

 Boat damaged on rock — Curious pagoda at Shi-po-chia — Arrive at 

 Chung-king — Collector sent to Quei-chau — Sui-fu — Kia-ting-fu — 

 Prepare for journey — Despatch coolies to Kia-kiang — Omei-hsien — • 

 Wan-nien-tze — Bronze elephant and Buddha — Peculiar tea — Tibetan 

 worshipper — The summit of Mount Omei — Bronze temple — Pagoda — 

 Tremendous precipice — Tigers on the mountain — Suicides — View of 

 the Snowy Mountains — Nimaber of temples and priests on the moun- 

 tain — Kia-kiang — Arrival at Ya-chow— Bamboo rafts on Ya River — 

 Yung-ching-hsien — Tai-hsiang-ling-kwan Pass — Ching-chi-hsien — 

 Bad road— Arrival at Ta-tsien-lu. 



On September 19 I arrived at Ichang at 3 p.m. It had 

 been raining heavily all day, and the river was rising. 

 My boat was anchored opposite the British Consulate. 

 The next morning the British Consul came on board and 

 asked me what flag I had been flying, as a deputation 

 of leading citizens had waited upon him that morning 

 saying that his Minister had arrived, and that they were 

 anxioQS to pay their respects. I showed it to him : this 

 was the flag that I allowed the lowban to procure at 

 Kia-ting-fu, and he read immediately that it bore the 



