CHAPTER II 
THE FORESTS AND LAKES OF THE 
FEN HO BASIN 
FTER the Clark Expedition, described in 
Through Shén-Kan, had been brought to 
a close in T’ai-yiian Fu, I decided to continue the 
work of scientific exploration provided that funds 
were forthcoming and that I could find a suitable 
companion. Both conditions were soon fulfilled. 
My wife would make a more than suitable com- 
panion, while financial arrangements were made 
whereby I could carry on my work, sending the 
results to the Smithsonian Institution. 
Returning to T’ai-yiian Fu from the coast, my 
wife and I at once set about preparations for an 
extended journey up the valley of the Fén Ho, a 
large tributary of the Yellow River which flows 
from north to south down two-thirds of the 
western portion of Shansi province. 
Before starting, however, we decided to do a 
little work in the immediate vicinity. 
Accordingly we hired a cart and took our outfit 
on to the plain, pitching our tents about five 
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