﻿"WHERE 
  THE 
  MOUNTAINS 
  WALKED" 
  

  

  449 
  

  

  • 
  

  

  THE 
  TELEGRAPH 
  OEElCE 
  OE 
  KUYUAN, 
  FROM 
  WHICH 
  THE 
  EIRST 
  WORD 
  OE 
  THE 
  

  

  DISASTER 
  WAS 
  SENT 
  OUT 
  

  

  The 
  operator 
  sat 
  on 
  the 
  frozen 
  ground 
  with 
  his 
  transmitter 
  on 
  a 
  bench 
  before 
  him. 
  

   The 
  building 
  and 
  all 
  the 
  telegraph 
  instruments 
  except 
  one, 
  as 
  well 
  as 
  all 
  lines 
  except 
  the 
  

   one 
  running 
  northward 
  to 
  the 
  Yellow 
  River, 
  were 
  destroyed 
  by 
  the 
  quake. 
  These 
  enter- 
  

   prising 
  operators 
  were, 
  a 
  month 
  later, 
  compelled 
  to 
  carry 
  on 
  in 
  a 
  shelter 
  built 
  of 
  mats, 
  cloth, 
  

   and 
  doors, 
  since 
  the 
  Peking 
  government 
  was 
  too 
  busy 
  financing 
  war 
  lords 
  to 
  attend 
  to 
  their 
  

   plea 
  for 
  money 
  to 
  rebuild. 
  The 
  Chinese 
  telegraph 
  system, 
  penetrating 
  to 
  far 
  Mongolia 
  and 
  

   Turkestan, 
  is 
  little 
  short 
  of 
  marvelous. 
  Its 
  farthest 
  stations 
  are 
  as 
  far 
  away 
  from 
  Peking 
  as 
  

   London 
  is 
  from 
  New 
  York. 
  

  

  strange 
  lack 
  of 
  filial 
  piety, 
  had 
  sent 
  them 
  

   to 
  live 
  in 
  a 
  house 
  on 
  the 
  outskirts 
  of 
  the 
  

   clan 
  village 
  which 
  was 
  buried 
  by 
  an 
  

   avalanche. 
  The 
  death 
  of 
  their 
  descend- 
  

   ants 
  was 
  taken 
  as 
  evidence, 
  by 
  survivors 
  

   in 
  the 
  neighborhood, 
  that 
  Heaven 
  had 
  

   punished 
  the 
  family 
  for 
  its 
  lack 
  of 
  filial 
  

   respect. 
  

  

  SEVEN 
  GREAT 
  SLIDES 
  CRASH 
  THROUGH 
  THE 
  

   VALLEY 
  OE 
  THE 
  DEAD 
  

  

  In 
  the 
  city 
  of 
  Tsingning 
  the 
  chief 
  mag- 
  

   istrate 
  was 
  found 
  living 
  in 
  a 
  canvas 
  tent 
  

   over 
  his 
  demolished 
  yamen. 
  In 
  the 
  same 
  

   city 
  two 
  American 
  women 
  missionaries 
  

   were 
  dwelling 
  in 
  a 
  hovel 
  with 
  earthern 
  

   floor 
  and 
  a 
  mat-shed 
  roof 
  that 
  would 
  be 
  

   scorned 
  by 
  well-bred 
  live 
  stock. 
  Though 
  

   they 
  had 
  been 
  offered 
  better 
  quarters, 
  the 
  

   mission 
  workers 
  had 
  refused 
  to 
  accept 
  

   them, 
  preferring 
  to 
  share 
  the 
  hardships 
  

   of 
  their 
  people. 
  

  

  The 
  most 
  appalling 
  sight 
  of 
  all 
  was 
  the 
  

   Valley 
  of 
  the 
  Dead, 
  where 
  seven 
  great 
  

   slides 
  crashed 
  into 
  a 
  gap 
  in 
  the 
  hills 
  three 
  

   miles 
  long, 
  killing 
  every 
  living 
  thing 
  in 
  

   the 
  area 
  except 
  three 
  men 
  and 
  two 
  dogs. 
  

  

  The 
  survivors 
  were 
  carried 
  across 
  the 
  

   valley 
  on 
  the 
  crest 
  of 
  the 
  avalanche, 
  

   caught 
  in 
  the 
  cross-current 
  of 
  two 
  other 
  

   slides, 
  whirled 
  in 
  a 
  gigantic 
  vortex, 
  and 
  

   catapulted 
  to 
  the 
  slope 
  of 
  another 
  hill. 
  

   With 
  them 
  went 
  house, 
  orchard, 
  and 
  

   threshing-floor, 
  and 
  the 
  farmer 
  has 
  since 
  

   placidly 
  begun 
  to 
  till 
  the 
  new 
  location 
  to 
  

   which 
  he 
  was 
  so 
  unceremoniously 
  trans- 
  

   ported. 
  

  

  In 
  a 
  small 
  town 
  on 
  the 
  highway 
  two 
  

   strangers 
  had 
  put 
  up 
  at 
  the 
  inn 
  on 
  the 
  

   evening 
  of 
  the 
  disaster. 
  In 
  the 
  terror 
  and 
  

   confusion 
  that 
  followed 
  the 
  earthquake, 
  

   the 
  landlord 
  completely 
  forgot 
  his 
  two 
  

   guests. 
  It 
  was 
  not 
  until 
  several 
  days 
  later 
  

   that 
  he 
  remembered 
  them, 
  and 
  when, 
  

  

  