226 CHINESE PILOTS 
Here Messrs. Wellwood and Warner, both mission- 
aries, came on board to see me. We overtook at this 
place two hundred soldiers who had passed down the 
Min River from Cheng-tu a few days previously, and 
were on their way to Lolo-ping, at which place there 
had been a Lolo raid, further disturbances being ex- 
pected, as the Lolos, according to their invariable 
custom, had given notice that they intended to make 
further plundering excursions into the Chinese territory. 
Leaving Sui-fu on September 6, I found the Yang- 
tze still very high, this being too early in the season 
for it to run low. Several dangerous places were en- 
countered during the day, but all were passed in safety. 
The strength of the current here at this time of the 
year would render it impossible, in my opinion, for any 
steamer to get up against it, unless of exceptional power 
and speed. The reefs also are very dangerous, often 
running out into the river just where a sharp bend 
occurs, requiring a very handy vessel and great skill in 
management to avoid disaster. The Chinese pilots are 
very clever in navigating the native boats through such 
places, but still, accidents are frequent. 
On the night of the 7th, the boat was secured off 
the town of Ba-sa-tou, celebrated for its distilleries, 
where native spirit, known as samshew, is produced in 
large quantities. Here I saw the last of the long, narrow 
