14 THIRTY THOUSAND MILES IN CHINA 



The lines now in operation or contracted for will serve 

 to join the capital to at least nineteen out of the twenty-one 

 provincial capitals and to the great sea-ports of both the 

 Northern and the Southern coasts. At present nine of the 

 provincial capitals are connected with Peking by rail. 



After the War in Europe ends there will surely be a 

 revival of activity in China on the part of the various con- 

 cessionaries, and a great development of trade. 



Five Experiences on the Eoad in China. 



One incident will illustrate the difficulty of getting in 

 •China reliable information as to the nature of the road even 

 from those who live nearby. On the afternoon of September 

 22, 1915, we made an early halt for the night on account of 

 a heavy rain. We were told by the innkeeper that we were 

 within easy reach of Jehol, that the road was free from any 

 hills worth mentioning and that by starting at dawn we 

 should reach Jehol by sunset. Instead of this, however, 

 noon of September 23 found us on the ascent of a steep pass, 

 the road bed consisting of great slabs of smooth rock up which 

 it was impossible for the horses to pull the carts as they were. 

 After feeding both the animals and the men and emptying 

 the carts, we had to hitch the four horses to one empty cart 

 and with all hands pushing and all mouths yelling we man- 

 aged to get the carts over and then down on the other side of 

 the pass, and after carrying the equipment and stores, box 

 by box, over the pass and reloading the carts at the bottom 

 we were able to proceed after four hours of very hard work. 

 We then expected to make Jehol by 10 p.m. ; instead, that 

 hour found us again on the slope of another such pass, only 

 steeper than before. Fortunately there was a good moon and 

 by repeating the process of the afternoon we at last got over 

 this barrier to easy travel and made Jehol at one on the 

 morning of September 24, having been 21 hours on the go, 

 and we had not been off the main highway, said to be a good 

 cart road ! 



On a certain day in Western Chihli two connected in- 

 cidents illustrating how wary the traveller must be in making 

 bargains for his transport would have greatly amused us if 

 they had not caused such delay in our progress. The first 

 was that although we had the day before bargained for an 

 open cart with three mules and a closed cart with two, and 

 had made the man state definitely that only big mules would 

 be supplied, when in the morning the vehicles arrived, the 

 first was drawn by two cows and the second by a single small- 

 sized mule, and yet the price agreed on was demanded! 



