150 DISASTROUS FLOOD 
On the 30th Su-chi was reached, and from here I 
finished the journey with my men in two sampans, 
arriving at Kia-ting-fu at 4 p.m. The missionaries, 
Messrs. Ririe and Vale, came to see me, and I was much 
disappointed when they informed me that there were 
no letters. 
I then made inquiries of the Chinese agent, as he 
had instructions to detain any letters for me, but he also 
told me that there were none. Later on, when I arrived 
at Chung-king, I saw Messrs. Butterfield and Swires’ 
agent (also a Chinese), and he told me that a large parcel 
had been sent to Kia-ting-fu to the care of the agent 
there. Subsequently I discovered that by a piece of 
carelessness they had been returned to Chung-king, the 
consequence being that I never received them until 
some time after my return to Ichang, the postage charged 
being very nearly ten shillings. 
On my arrival I took up my quarters at once in the 
boat, which I was glad to find safe. The lowban had 
had an anxious time, he told me, on account of the 
flood which occurred in July; and in this he was 
borne out by the statements of the missionaries and the 
Chinese themselves, who declared that nothing like it 
had occurred for a hundred years. In one night the 
river rose fifty feet, flowing into the city through the 
gates, destroying houses and property of all kinds. 
