MEET PERE MARTIN 113 
my men by and by. At about 4 p.m. I saw from the 
window of my room several antelopes on a narrow 
ledge of the precipice, and hardly twenty yards away. 
My rifle was unfortunately with the coolies in the other 
inn, but I immediately hurried after it, and succeeded 
in getting a shot which secured one. This caused great 
excitement in the village, and two men swam across to 
fetch it. It was very lucky, and gave us a supply of 
meat for a couple of days, making a most agreeable 
change in our diet from the everlasting rice, Indian corn 
cakes and eggs, with sometimes, but not often, a fowl. 
May 25.—Left at 6 am. The road led to the 
east of a spur, and was partly on the bank of a tribu- 
tary of the Tung River, through the villages of Nan-mu- 
yuan and Li-mien-tien, and took me to Kuei-hua-chang, 
where I stayed the night, being now only fifteen li 
from my destination at Ta-tien-chi. The weather was 
cloudy, and a mountainous region was passed through 
with very trying paths. 
May 26.—Left at 7 a.m., and arrived at Ta-tien- 
chih at 11. Here I found Pére Joseph Martin on a 
visit to his converts, his headquarters being at Huang- 
mu-chang about seventy li further on. He had not seen 
a European since Baber, eleven years ago, and was kind 
enough to lend me the old mission house to live in. I 
appreciated this very much, as it was greatly superior 
I 
