The Revolutionist Occupation of La-chi-mi 219 
Once they obtained a purchase, which was not difficult 
seeing that they were provided with needle points, these 
abominable contrivances, being prevented by barbs from 
retreating, rapidly worked through one’s clothes, and having 
reached the skin, the point would penetrate to a depth 
of a millimetre or more, causing the victim infinite misery. 
Yet so small were these little instruments of torture—a 
- wicked and successful provision of nature for the distri- 
bution of the plant—that they were extremely difficult to 
extract even when their exact position had been discovered, 
which was none too easy a matter. In the immediate 
neighbourhood of the few poor villages we passed through, 
the vegetation was a little more abundant and _ varied. 
Hedges, for instance, of a tall cactus-like Auphorbza, its 
inconspicuous red flowers just blossoming, and one of the 
numerous trees (A Zeurztes) which yield vegetable oil, were 
particularly noticeable in this land of rock and grass. 
We reached the village of Hsiao-ta-chu in the middle 
of the afternoon, and the porters, wishing to halt for the 
night, spent two hours over their meal in order that they 
might urge darkness as a plea for their laziness. However, 
I had already intimated my intention of going on to the 
next village, and the only result of their obstinacy was that 
we started at sunset to do another six or eight miles. The 
road was not easy and it was some time before the moon, 
appearing over the summit of the ridge, lighted up the 
valley sufficiently to point the way. I was myself thoroughly 
exhausted by this time, scarcely able to drag one foot after 
the other up the mountain path, and it was an immense 
relief when at last we heard the barking of dogs. Struggling 
up the hill side we came suddenly upon a collection of Lissu 
huts, and the men soon found some good people who, in 
spite of our late arrival, were willing to put up the strangers 
for the night. 
Continuing down the left bank, we reached the ferry at 
Lo-ma-di next morning ; the region was as arid as anything 
we had seen on the previous day, but desolate as it was, the 
magnificent weather made it more bearable than it might 
otherwise have been. Wherever cultivation is possible rice- 
fields terrace the sides of the valley, and we also came across 
tobacco, the castor-oil plant, cotton, and hemp in this region, 
