TELEGRAPH LINE 161 
sent my boat back to Ichang, I went up with Mr. 
Kricheldorff in the steamer Kiang-tung. During my 
stay at Hankow, being rather undecided as to whether I 
should proceed again to Ta-tsien-lu, I sent some collec- 
tors, both entomological and botanical, there overland ; 
but having decided before leaving to go there myself in 
the boat, I was able to stop them by telegraph at Ichang. 
The telegraph line is laid from Hankow to Ichang, then, 
still following the river, to Chung-king, from which 
place it goes direct to Cheng-tu. The local mandarins 
are responsible for the safety of the line, and repairs 
are done by workmen who are stationed at intervals. 
Messages are sent in English, Chinese not being, I believe, 
adapted to the purpose. 
When describing my boat in a former chapter, I 
mentioned that I had the cabin and topsides painted 
white with the object of keeping the cabin as cool as 
possible. The native boats and junks are varnished all 
over with the vegetable varnish, and present a light- 
brown colour. My boat was therefore a very con- 
spicuous object, and, being so uncommon, very likely 
to attract attention. This I found she did, and I think 
that her colour was the principal cause of the attack 
made at Kia-ting-fu; and, as mentioned before, she 
was scraped and varnished while waiting there. 
During my stay here, however, the following letter 
M 
