148 ROAD LOST 
at last [managed to get a den in which to pass the 
night. It had no ventilation; the stench was abo- 
minable and the heat almost unbearable; but it was 
better than nothing. 
My coolies went off to smoke opium as usual. It is 
a most pernicious habit, no doubt, but they will do it 
whenever they have money, and it has become with 
most of them such a habit that they cannot do without it. 
I was glad to leave the heat and discomfort of Fu-lin 
as soon as I could the next morning, and after a hard 
day’s work over bad roads I got to Chin-ki-za, in a 
delightful climate 6,000 feet above the sea level, at 6 P.m., 
and on the 22nd I reached Huang-mu-chang, where 
I found Pere Martin, who gave me a warm welcome. 
On August 23rd I sent my coolies on in the morning 
to Ta-tien-chih, keeping two only with me, my object 
in staying behind being to take a photograph of Pére 
Martin, who was very anxious to have it done. Having 
accomplished this, satisfactorily as I thought, I made a 
start at 2 p.M., but had a most unfortunate journey. 
The coolie whom I had trusted as a guide missed the way, 
and for some time did not find out what a mistake he 
had made. In the end we were about ten miles on a 
wrong road and had to return. We reached the top of 
the So-i-ling Pass, 8,770 feet, just as it became pitch 
dark, and the descent was absolutely dangerous, 
