28 On the Li-ti-ping 
Disheartening as the latter course seemed, for I had vivid 
recollections of my struggles in the brake, it was the only 
sensible thing to do, and having finally resigned myself to 
it, I at once started wearily back. 
There were a few anemones in flower on the grassy 
slopes, looking very miserable in the driving snow, besides 
numerous rhododendrons on the edges of the forest ; and I 
remembered with glee that at the base of each rhododendron 
corolla was a big drop of honey. However, after sucking 
a score of flowers without obtaining much nourishment, | 
started eating the whole thing which, though glutinous and 
insipid, was not altogether nasty. 
After a weary climb, for I was now beginning to feel 
despondent, I arrived back at my sleeping ground, and 
descending to the stream, prepared for the long journey up 
to the plateau. First I ate a meal of sorrel and any other 
young leaves I could find, though most of them were either 
hard and leathery, or soft and covered with woolly hairs ; 
but after drinking my fill of the clear cold water I felt very 
much better in spite of the fact that the rhododendron 
corollas had given me a violent pain in the stomach. 
My plan was to follow up this stream—the biggest 
flowing from the direction of the plateau—to its source ; 
but while making every endeavour to keep it in sight, I 
vowed that, come what might, nothing should tempt me 
into the brake again. 
Starting along one of the multitude of small paths I had 
followed on the previous day, I watched it carefully, and 
though it entailed much climbing up and down the ridge, I 
noted with satisfaction that it skirted several bamboo forests 
I had deliberately plunged into on the way down. 
These numerous paths are used by the Lissus, who 
inhabit the mountains on the east or left bank of the 
Mekong from Wei-hsi in latitude 27° 10’ to latitude 28°, 
whither they have spread from their preserves on the 
Upper Salween. They come up to the Li-ti-p’ing in the 
summer to tend flocks, cut wood for their bows, collect wild 
honey for food, poison for their arrows, firewood, and other 
jungle produce, and had I followed down the streams far 
enough, I should doubtless have come across Lissu huts 
before long. 
