a second Journey to the Yang-tze 155 
of the trouble, he said that he had no money with which 
to buy bed-clothes now that winter was coming on, and 
that he was cold at night and was always feeling ill; more- 
over he had heard it said that I considered him lazy—which 
was quite true. However, I had no desire to lose him 
so near the end, and it was a matter which could easily be 
put right, so after rowing him for not coming to me at once 
when he felt ill I gave him some medicine, his wages more 
than a month in advance, and some extra money for 
bedding, lending him my rug in the meantime. 
A short time afterwards I discovered that he spent 
nearly half his wages every month on Chinese spirit, which 
he drank daily, and so far was he from wishing to return 
that when I taxed him with this vice and told him he could 
return to Tali if he wished, he did not want to go! Toa 
certain extent I felt duped in the matter, for though I had 
kept an eye on my men both as regards their own wants 
and my interests, and had at the outset told Kin to report 
to me as soon as either of them felt ill or required anything, 
I was quite ignorant of Sung’s habits. However he gained 
nothing by it, for I eventually deducted the extra silver 
I had given him from his next month’s wages, and though 
I gave him a small present when he left my service, I did 
not reward him as I rewarded Kin’s faithfulness when | 
parted from him in Bhamo. Sung was a good cook, but 
his utility stopped short at that. 
On September 1 we went into camp in one of the valleys 
above A-tun-tsi at an altitude of 13,000 feet. Next day the 
porters returned to A-tun-tsi, taking with them the ponies; 
and leaving Ah-poh to guard the camp, Kin and I ascended 
the first hanging valley to the alpine grass-land above, 
finding several species of Meconopszs and Primuda in seed, 
as well as many plants in flower, chiefly saxifrages, gentians, 
dwarf aconite, and larkspur. 
It is interesting to note that the seeds of a large pro- 
portion of these high alpines living at from 16,000 to 18,000 
feet are adapted for wind distribution. For example those 
of the dwarf rhododendrons are winged, those of the saxi- 
frages and gentians extremely small and light, those of the 
numerous scree composites provided with the usual pappus, 
and so on. It is particularly noticeable at these altitudes 
