A Monster of Cruelty T7 



respectful distance, and did not crowd round to feel me and 

 ply me with inane questions, as in the less highly civilized 

 provinces to the east. Upon my asking him whether he was 

 a " Pen-ti " (native of the place), he answered, " No ! " that 

 his family had immigrated from Kiang-si in the reign of the 

 Chien-lung, two centuries ago. At this period, Szechuan 

 had been almost depopulated by the rebellion suppressed by 

 Wu-sankwei, which took place during the disturbances which 

 followed upon the Man-chu conquest of the country. This 

 was preceded by the rebellion of Chang chung chien, a 

 monster of indiscriminate slaughter, who is said to have 

 made a pyramid of women's feet, crowning it with those of 

 his own wife, who remonstrated at his cruelty. Szechuan 

 was thereupon repeopled from the eastern provinces, and 

 these immigrants still call themselves natives of their 

 forefathers' original homes. 



I walked on, a mile past the town to the end of the ledge, 

 crossing the mouth of another cliff-faced glen, looking up 

 which I again caught a glimpse of mountain-peaks against the 

 clouds. Turning to the gorge, up which lies our to-morrow's 

 course to Wu-shan hsien, I gazed upon the chasm, looking 

 dark and gloomy in the twilight, the silver streak forming 

 its floor scarcely recognizable as the representative of the 

 magnificent Yang-tse. Our _boat came round at last, and 

 moored for the night in the little bay formed by the terrace 

 end, down which I climbed, and went on board for dinner. 



Distance, loo li; say, twenty-five miles. 



Friday, March 22,rd. — Sixth day in the gorges. Off at 

 daylight ; a cold wind and rain blowing through the boat. 

 We scrambled up several small rapids, formed by avalanches 

 of gigantic rocks from the mountains on the left bank; 

 rounded one sharp point, where the river seems to disappear 

 altogether, until at last we came in sight of the opening at the 



