48 Through the Yang-tse Gorges 



formed of the talus. In these distances the "chai" look like 

 magnificent castles, and in ancient times they formed camps 

 of refuge for the inhabitants of the valleys below in the not 

 unfrequent times of political disturbance. Many of the 

 places about here still have " barbarian " names into which 

 enters the forbidden character " I," which is composed of 

 the hieroglyph for a man with a bow or a man squatting, 

 which used also to be applied to us English in Imperial 

 proclamations. The temple was small, and occupied by 

 a very poor, solitary, old Taoist priest, who was much 

 pleased to receive a visitor, but too abatiu in manner for 

 me to get anything out of. He lit a wood-fire to cook 

 mien, or vermicelli, which we had bought on the ,way, and 

 gratefully received my present of 100 cash — equal to four- 

 pence of our money — though an empty beer-bottle would 

 have pleased him better. 



My aneroid had fallen three inches, making the peak 

 about 2700 feet above the "San yeu tung" glen. We 

 descended by the regular footpath on the Ichang side, which 

 though steep was nothing out of the way ; alternately 

 scrambling over rocks, and waUcing in the bed of the nearly 

 dry torrent, under lofty cliffs riddled with caves, and what 

 are commonly called Ichang rocks. These are half-decayed 

 stalactites, waterworn by the summer torrents, full of the 

 seed of the maidenhair fern, of which they often bear a 

 waving forest in miniature. There is a great demand for 

 these rocks amongst the Europeans at Hankow and Shanghai. 

 As the sun was setting, we left the interminable winding of 

 the ravine, and ascended the side of the valley to a " ling " 

 or gap. This pass, called " Chin feng po " or " Ascent of 

 the Golden Peak," was occupied by half a dozen mud- 

 walled houses, on the ground of one of which I spread my 

 bed, and squatted thereon while awaiting supper. The 



