LEAVE FOR OMUI-SHAN 215 
food I had been able to obtain, and an attack of dysentery 
at Ta-tsien-lu had left mein a weak state. Indian-corn 
cake, rice, and occasionally eges were the food upon 
which I had lived for months. Beef and pork were 
procurable, it is true, at times at Ta-tsien-lu, but the 
former, being the flesh of worn-out beasts of burden, 
was so tough as to be uneatable, and as for the pork, 
no European who has seen the scavenging done by the 
pigs in towns, would I imagine care to eat it. In the 
country it is curious to note the difference, for there the 
pigs are kept very clean and most carefully fed by their 
owners. 
I should mention that my boat was not moored near 
the city, but about ten li below it, and close to the right 
bank of the river, on which were growing some remark- 
ably large and graceful clumps of bamboo, which fur- 
nished a most welcome shade during the day. The 
nights were, however, very hot at this season of the year, 
and sleep difficult to obtain on account of the perse- 
cution of a small sand-fly which principally attacked 
the feet. The bites caused a severe irritation which 
lasted for about a week. 
On August 6 I left at 9.30 a.m. for Oméi-shan, 
where I hoped to be able to spend several days in more 
fully exploring the temples than was possible in my 
previous short visit, and also to see how the collectors 
