CHINA IN CONVULSION 85 



I have endeavoured in these two chapters to give 

 the reader some idea of -the takin himself and of 

 the country which he inhabits. He is not a grace- 

 ful animal, but intensely interesting, while there is 

 still much to learn about his habits and his dis- 

 tribution. The country is unspoilt, and there are 

 plenty of takin for future hunters. Their pursuit, 

 apart from cold, would, I think, be much easier in 

 the winter than in the summer, though it is no use 

 travelling to Shensi at any season of the year 

 unless prepared for a long tedious journey and 

 some really hard climbing. 



China is in convulsion. Now that she has cast 

 her old slough of Manchu, sloth and avarice, it is 

 impossible to tell what her future may be. None 

 were more surprised than those who knew China 

 well at the suppression of the opium habit, Men 

 who had lived in the country all their lives said 

 that it was impossible, unheard of, and bound to 

 end in failure. Yet China did it, and in doing it 

 did that which would have staggered any country 

 in the world. It may be that in our own lifetime 

 we shall see even greater marvels. The journey, 

 which occupied long, dusty days of slow travelling, 

 may in the not too distant future occupy but a few 

 hours. The Chinese Government may welcome 

 the travelling sportsman, and takin heads become 

 as common as those of waterbuck and mule-deer. 

 In conclusion, let me say one word. I have re- 

 marked that the country is unspoilt. This is true 

 in two senses. It is unspoilt as a game country 

 save for the depredations of the native hunters, and 

 they have only seriously harmed one animal, the 

 wapiti ; it is unspoilt for the sportsman of moderate 



