100 SUICIDE OF SOLDIER ‘ 
cultivated ground, cereals, tobacco, and poppies may be 
seen. Peaches and apricots are also grown, but these 
are always gathered and eaten green by the Chinese, 
Europeans seldom getting an opportunity of procuring 
them ripe. 
May 11.—Sixty li were made to-day against a 
strong current as usual, but no rapids were passed. 
The scenery was beautiful and the character of the 
country changing, becoming more mountainous. The 
boat was secured off Chien-wei-hsien. 
May 12.—The scenery became more wild to-day, 
and the country was less cultivated. A long and bad 
rapid called Chayi-tai was passed through. It took 
four hours’ hard work, and is, at the present state 
of the river, a dangerous place. Just above the river 
divides and an island is formed. 
May 153.—Passed through lovely scenery to-day, 
but still with little cultivated ground. The chief 
industry here is the production of salt by boiling brine, 
which is found in wells, many of which are sunk to a 
considerable depth, most being on the left bank of the 
river. To-day I had the misfortune to lose one of the 
soldiers sent as a guard from Quei-chow-fu. They were 
constantly in the habit, when a short distance from a 
town, of landing and completing the journey on foot, 
rejoining me on arrival. Consequently their absence 
