THIRTY THOUSAND MILES IX CHINA 17 



tiate the pass and from Sungpan to descend the Min to Mo- 

 chow where we would be joined by our mules which in the 

 charge of our cook would travel first south and then west 

 over easier roads while we went first west and then south. 

 All went well with us in spite of our ascent to 13,000 feet in 

 the middle of February. I had anticipated a trying time 

 because each of the two parties who to my knowledge had in 

 recent years traversed this route had reported that the wind 

 and cold and snow on the pass were quite severe in May and 

 in August when they had crossed. To our surprise we found 

 it much easier and whereas these narrators had said that a 

 few minutes on the pass "sufficed" for them (some members 

 ■of one party even succumbing and later dying from the effects 

 of their experience in this crossing to Sungpan) we spent a 

 half day and a night just a little way below the summit on the 

 Eastern slope to make magnetic observations and the next 

 morning stopped for half an hour on the actual summit to 

 determine its altitude. These more favourable conditions 

 were doubtless due to the fact that the precipitation and the 

 wind are both less in mid-winter than in summer at this 

 altitude. 



But though we fared well in getting over the pass and in 

 descending the Min as far as Mochow, there our troubles 

 began ; for there we had expected to meet our mules and also 

 to replenish our purse and our larder from a remittance 

 through the Chinese post, but on arrival we found no mules, 

 no money, no mail and no missionary, though one was 

 "stationed" there. He, we found, had left ten days before 

 on account of the disturbed state of the region. We had just 

 enough money to pay for transport to Weichow the next place 

 where a missionary was stationed, and stopping but one day 

 for observations we pressed on. Arriving at Weichow we 

 could get no word of our mules though they were now accord- 

 in" to & original schedule some five days overdue. When we 

 were heartily welcomed by Eev. J. H. Edgar, the pioneer 

 missionary of Batang, we made bold to suggest that a little 

 loan would be a help as we had just paid out our last com to 

 the coolies and didn't know where our mule-caravan was; he 

 .aid curiously enough, that he was just on the point of asking 

 a loan of us » He and his colleague were anxious about the 

 state of the region and had been discussing which of them 

 should go to Chengtu and return with funds sufficient to 

 enable them to take their families to the capital for safety 

 Having heard of mv approach they had waited thinking that 

 [ might have extmmoney and here I had arrived in distress 

 I , ivsclf ! It was very evident, however, that much less money 

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