Fatal Wreck 59 



erected right along the river from Ichang to Chung-king; the 

 towers are white, with a bright red sun painted on the face 

 of each. They are called " Yen-tun," or smoke-towers, and 

 a fire of shavings is lit up in them to give the alarm by 

 their smoke in the troublous times which so often occur 

 in the Middle Empire. But most of them are in a ruinous 

 condition, like all other Government property in this 

 decaying country. Distance, 130 li, not more than twenty 

 miles. In a difficult part of a route, the li are reduced 

 in length accordingly. 



Ttiesday, March 20th. — Third day in the gorges. We 

 started at 5.15 a.m., and rowed through the T'ung ling hsia, 

 a long narrow ravine of about four miles, between which and 

 the romantic "Niu-kan ma-fei hsia," literally, Ox-liver, 

 Horse-lungs Gorge, the river opens out, a rocky boulder- 

 covered island blocking the way and dividing the stream 

 into two foaming channels. The exceptionally unromantic 

 name of this gorge is derived from some curious stalactites, 

 high up on the face of the entrance cliff, the form of which 

 portrays the intestines. Nearly all the gorges have been 

 named by the boatmen from Uke marks on their walls. 

 Aided by a fair wind, we ascended the T'ung-Ling rapid, 

 which intervenes between these two gorges, without 

 difficulty; but the channel at this period is strewn with 

 rocks, and the navigation requires great care. It was here 

 that in September last, the wealthy General Pao-Chao, the 

 T'i-Tu, or commander-in-chief, of Hu-Peh province, which we 

 are now in, was wrecked proceeding up stream, through the 

 junk's tow-line catching on a rock simultaneously with a 

 sudden failure of the wind, which otherwise might have 

 enabled the junk to steer clear of the danger. Two of his 

 sons and several of his suite were drowned by the capsizing 

 of the junk in the whirlpool, and he himself was only rescued 



