Drought and its Remedy 91 



climbing up the arduous 150 miles between this and Ichang. 

 Very fair anthracite can be bought here for ten shillings 

 a ton. The coal comes down a small affluent (again called 

 Siao Ho, i.e. the Lesser River), which enters through a glen 

 to the south side of the city, and the stony moraine of which 

 forms the big spit, that creates the slack water and also the 

 harbour or anchorage of Kwei-chow, precisely analogous to 

 that formed by the Siao Ho at Wushan. Entering the 

 winding passage through the city walls, jostled by the usual 

 crowd of water-carriers, who make the long, steep journey 

 from the river into the houses in the city, laden with two 

 buckets of water, for five cash (one farthing), the crowded 

 passage narrowed still more by a double row of pork 

 butchers' and hucksters' stalls, leaving barely room for a 

 single sedan-chair to pass, we turned to the right, and then 

 moimted up another flight of steps to, the top of the city wall. 

 This turned out to be just upon a level with that of the 

 rising ground behind. For this reason, and being beautifully 

 paved with large sandstone blocks, it forms a busy thorough- 

 fare, protected on the river-side by the usual crenelated 

 battlements, the whole forming a handsome esplanade, with 

 a view of the winding stream below, until it is lost to sight 

 behind the majestic portals of the Feng-hsiang Gorge. 



The streets of Kwei-chow-fu are broad, and the houses 

 more spacious than on the east side of the mountains, but 

 the shops are poor, and the place shows unmistakable signs 

 of rapidly progressing decay. Add to this the destitution 

 caused throughout the prefecture by the total failure of the 

 winter crops, and we can sympathize with the unfortunate 

 mandarins whose sins are responsible for the misery sent 

 by Heaven upon the people, and who are now engaged in 

 humbling themselves and praying for rain. Hence, only the 

 official deputed to manage foreign affairs, Yang wu sze, was 



