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CHAPTER XI 
RETURN JOURNEY TO ICHANG 
Departure for Wa-ssu—Difficulty at;Fu-lin—Huang-mu-chang—Road lost 
—So-i-ling Pass at night—Arrive at Ta-tien-chih at midnight— 
Collectors work—Horses procured—Guard of soldiers—Arrive at 
Kia-ting-fu—Carelessness with mails—Go to my boat—Very heavy 
flood—Great loss of life—False rumours concerning the object of my 
journey—Inspection of boat by Tao-tai—Visit to city—Lowban pro- 
cures flag—Leave for Ichang—Destruction of village—Boat aground 
in wrong channel—Pass Sui-fu—Lu-chau—Delayed by heavy rain— 
Arrival at Chung-king—Delayed by high river at Quei-chow-fu— 
Wrecks of junks—Pass the Sin-tan and Ta-tung Rapids. Waterfalls. 
On August 15 I finished my packing; and after 
having thanked Bishop Biet andthe Fathers for their 
extreme kindness and invaluable assistance, telling my 
collectors at the same time that I hoped to be able to 
engage them the following summer, I left for Wa-ssu at 
.2 p.m. and arrived at 7.30. 
My return journey was taken by the same road that 
I had come by, and I crossed the Fei-yueh-ling Pass on 
August 18, arriving at Fu-lin on the 20th. Here, again, 
I had difficulties, for they were most inhospitable to me 
on my first passing through the town. Now I found 
.the greatest difficulty in getting a room to sleep in, but 
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