298 Through the Yang-tse Gorges 



current in mid-stream. When we beached the boat, the 

 man disappeared, fearing punishment for his carelessness. 

 He had been paid in advance. A more powerful steamer, 

 keeping well out, would not be exposed to such an accident ; 

 the water in mid-stream in the gorges is immensely deep, and 

 no newly fallen rock there could show up anywhere near the 

 surface ; a larger steamer, too, would be built in water-tight 

 compartments like the junks, a precaution I had not thought 

 necessary with our small boat. We stopped at the many 

 large towns and cities which we passed in this populous region, 

 and exchanged cards with the local officials, who, from polite- 

 ness or curiosity, came to visit the boat. Great crowds 

 surrounded us everywhere, often squeezing each other into 

 the water in their anxiety to get a good view : we amused 

 ourselves, at times, startling them with the whistle, when 

 it was a curious sight to see a thousand hands suddenly 

 go up to a thousand ears, while many of the more timid ran 

 away altogether. As I had foretold to our minister ten 

 years before, we met with no rudeness anywhere, but, on the 

 contrary, with much intelligent admiration and inquiry. 



At the "Coal" Gorge, fifty miles below Chung^king, so- 

 called from its exposed coal seams into which adits are run 

 whence an inferior surface coal is extracted, we again filled 

 our bunkers; but, alas ! we could make no headway with this 

 coal, so we tied up to the shore and sent one of our crew over- 

 land to order a boat-load of the better coal obtainable in 

 Chung-king. My Chinese there, with commendable prompti- 

 tude, sent off a boat in the early morning, which reached us 

 before noon on the following day : we then steamed on joy- 

 fully, passed up the difficult "Wild Mule" Rapid, took our tows 

 through the beautiful " Gong " Gorge, and, on the evening of 

 the 8th of March, moored alongside the Imperial Maritime 



