288 Through the Yang-tse Gorges 



brother officials up river of our intended voyage, which he 

 declared to be necessary. Hereupon the opposition vanished 

 like magic : it was the old story of Chinese cobwebs dis- 

 persed by a show of firmness. 



So, on the 1 5th of February we set out upon the first steam 

 voyage to Chung-king, an ascent of 500 feet in 500 miles, 

 broken, so the Chinese " Gazetteer " states, into thirteen big 

 rapids and seventy-two minor ones. The Governor had sent 

 as an escort a gunboat and a lifeboat ; these we had to take 

 in tow, in addition to our own tender carrying six tons of spare 

 coal, and a spare crew of ten men to help on occasion, in case 

 the local trackers at the big rapids should refuse their aid. This 

 was no imaginary danger, for my own crew of men from the 

 coast, sailors and engineers, had all tried to desert on several 

 occasions, as stories of the danger ahead were impressed 

 upon them. They had signed on for six months to me as 

 registered captain, yet I had to use a mixture of force and 

 persuasion to keep them to their posts. At length, at noon, 

 the start was made, the whole foreign commimity of Ichang 

 accompanying us a few miles up the river, and giving us a 

 last cheer as they shoved off in their boat which we had 

 towed up. We had now in tow three vessels — our own tender, 

 a flat-bottomed sailing barge nearly as big as ourselves ; the 

 Chinese gunboat of similar build, with a small cannon in the 

 bows, and a smart crew of twelve Hu-Nan " braves ; " and 

 the lifeboat manned by six uniformed sailors. These vessels 

 are stationed all along the dangerous Upper River, are well 

 disciplined, and effectual in keeping down piracy and in 

 saving life and property. We ran fast through the slack 

 water of the Ichang Gorge, and seeing all clear, I handed 

 over the helm for an interval to the native pilot and 

 went below. He immediately ran into a ferry-boat full of 



