SPORT AND SCIENCE ON THE 
the gunstock, and told him I ‘wanted to recover 
it, whereupon he walked into the quicksands, 
secured the gun and returned without the least 
apparent effort. He explained the ease with which 
he managed to do what we had found impossible 
by the fact that his legs were bare, whereas 
we had boots and putties on. 
On another occasion the pony which Warrington 
was riding bogged down in a place that looked 
perfectly safe. The poor animal’s desperate strug- 
gles only caused the sandy mud to engulf him 
further. But for the timely assistance of some 
natives engaged in building a temporary trestle 
bridge, who came running to our aid with ropes 
and poles, the animal would certainly have been 
lost. 
Thus we continued day after day, hunting, 
riding and trapping. Still the province remained 
quiet, till at last we began to think that after all 
we might venture upon our proposed expedition, 
and we were just finishing up at camp on the river 
when an urgent letter reached us from T’ai-ytian 
Fu, advising us to come in at once, as an outbreak 
was about to occur. 
A few days later the Shansi soldiers revolted, 
and raising the Revolutionary flag, declared in 
favour of a Republic. 
This effectually interrupted our work for many 
months to come. Advice, which amounted to 
orders, from the Legations in. Peking, resulted in 
78 
