BOAT AGROUND 153 
was of white calico, about a yard wide by three long, 
and had some. characters painted in black on it. I 
have not entered into a full description of the procuring 
of this flag, as I shall have more to say about it later on, 
The boat was under way at 8 a.m. on September 4, and 
the journey down, with the river high, was made at a 
very different rate of speed from the journey up. The 
first day 280 li were made, and the boat secured only 
eighty-five li from Sui-fu. A place was passed where, 
on the voyage up, a thriving village was situated. Nota 
trace of it now remained, it having been utterly destroyed 
by the flood and many of its inhabitants drowned. 
During the day the pilot took a wrong channel and 
ran the boat on a bank. She swung round and stuck 
fast. The rudder had to be unshipped, and some of the 
crew getting overboard gradually worked her off into 
deep water. Ihad purchased a sampan as a measure of 
precaution at Kia-ting-fu, so that in case of my boat 
getting on a rock the collections might be landed. 
She, however, on this occasion took the proper channel, 
and was swept past us in a moment, and I need hardly 
add that it was impossible for her to return against the 
current to our assistance. She would only be of any 
service by keeping at a considerable distance astern. 
On arriving at Sui-fu the next day I got rid of the 
pilot and got another. I stayed here only long enough 
