‘TUNG-TING LAKES 61 
weeks to accomplish, the time being according to the 
strength of current which has to be combated. When 
the river is high the current is strong, and may be aug- 
mented by flood water from certain districts, and the 
floods, unless caused by the melting of the snow in the 
upper part of the river, are nearly always local, the 
breadth of the river bed gradually reducing the ap- 
parent volume of water as it passes down towards 
the sea. Thus Ichang may be in flood, and at Hankow 
only a slight rise may be observed ; and Hankow may 
be flooded from the Han River and Tung-ting Lakes, 
while a slight rise only is noted in the lower reaches, 
where the river widens considerably. Another cause 
of delay in the upward journey is the uncertainty of 
finding the steamer for the upper river ready at Han- 
kow. Passengers may have to wait there for three or 
four days. 
After leaving Hankow we soon came to the mouth 
of the Tung-ting Lakes, and saw many of the boats for 
which the district is well known. These are very clean, 
small, and narrow, and are half-decked, by which pecu- 
liarities they may be easily recognised among the other 
river-trading boats. It is worthy of note that the river 
traffic seems to increase quite 100 per cent. below the 
entrance to these lakes, indicating that there is a large 
inland trade through them. The river decreases in 
