196 A Winter Journey amongst the Lutzu 
powerless to persuade me—that, in short, he would get no 
money till I did go—he gave up that line. For in the 
meantime his animals had to be fed, so that my position, if 
unconstitutional, was entirely unassailable. 
Next morning the porters who could not possibly be 
found the day before came in any number, and when the 
last had started, I paid off the smiling Gan-ton, feeling half 
inclined to pay off his companions and leave him out, as 
indeed he had himself generously suggested on the previous 
day, for as I reminded him, he still owed me two weeks’ 
service. However I was content with my moral victory, 
the only one I ever gained over that astute linguist, and 
we parted the best of friends. 
Two days later we reached Wei-hsi, where I learnt 
definitely that southern Yunnan was ablaze with revolution, 
the capital, Tali, and T‘eng-yueh being all in the hands 
of the revolutionists. 
No muleteers would listen to a proposal to take the 
caravan by the small road through the tribal country, 
so I decided that the safest course was to send it under 
escort by the main road, and myself go by the small road; 
for my presence was likely not only to embarrass the 
few muleteers willing to travel at all in these troublous 
times, but also to invite attack from robbers or from 
marauding troops. Moreover it now became necessary 
for me to reach T‘eng-yueh with all possible speed. 
The next thing was to put this plan into operation, 
and I therefore called on my friend the T‘ing-kuan, who 
promptly scouted the idea. But I was firm, and met his 
remarks on the state of the road, the length of the journey, 
and the number and ferocity of the brigands by saying that 
it did not matter, and anyhow I was going. Finally he 
gave in, promised to secure the services of two porters and 
provide an escort and interpreter, and bowed me out. 
Happily he was suffering from a frightful cough, and I 
took the opportunity of sending him round some chlorodyne 
with elaborate instructions, and so delighted was he that he 
in return sent me a parting gift of a fowl, a haunch of 
bacon, a tin of tea, and a packet of dried morells, which 
proved excellent eating. 
