﻿'WHERE 
  THE 
  MOUNTAINS 
  WALKED" 
  

  

  463 
  

  

  These 
  persons, 
  like 
  all 
  others 
  in 
  the 
  

   slide 
  zone, 
  were 
  unaware 
  of 
  the 
  nature 
  of 
  

   the 
  disaster 
  which 
  had 
  overtaken 
  them 
  

   until 
  the 
  following 
  morning. 
  The 
  earth- 
  

   quake, 
  registered 
  by 
  the 
  fine 
  seismograph 
  

   of 
  the 
  French 
  fathers 
  of 
  the 
  Sikawei 
  

   Observatory 
  at 
  Shanghai 
  at 
  8:09 
  p. 
  m., 
  

   December 
  16, 
  occurred 
  in 
  Kansu 
  between 
  

   9:30 
  and 
  10 
  o'clock, 
  sun 
  time, 
  when 
  all 
  

   persons 
  and 
  animals 
  were 
  housed. 
  A 
  

   bitter 
  cold 
  wind 
  and 
  dust 
  storm, 
  raging 
  

   at 
  the 
  time, 
  added 
  to 
  the 
  blackness 
  of 
  the 
  

   night. 
  

  

  The 
  survivors 
  say 
  that 
  they 
  heard 
  a 
  

   tremendous 
  underground 
  roar 
  and 
  felt 
  

   the 
  shock, 
  which 
  seemed 
  to 
  them 
  to 
  con- 
  

   sist 
  of 
  a 
  sickening 
  swing 
  to 
  the 
  northeast 
  

   and 
  a 
  violent 
  jerk 
  back 
  to 
  the 
  southwest, 
  

   lasting 
  half 
  a 
  minute. 
  They 
  made 
  all 
  

   ordinary 
  efforts 
  to 
  save 
  themselves, 
  and 
  

   between 
  successive 
  tremors 
  following 
  the 
  

   main 
  shock 
  huddled 
  back 
  into 
  the 
  ruins 
  

   of 
  their 
  homes 
  to 
  await 
  the 
  morning. 
  

  

  Not 
  until 
  day 
  dawned 
  and 
  they 
  crawled 
  

   out 
  to 
  find 
  neighboring 
  villages 
  obliterated, 
  

   farm 
  lands 
  carried 
  away 
  or 
  buried, 
  

   streams 
  blocked, 
  and 
  hills 
  of 
  earth 
  tower- 
  

   ing 
  above 
  their 
  compounds 
  did 
  they 
  ap- 
  

   prehend 
  that 
  the 
  "hills 
  had 
  walked."' 
  

  

  It 
  was 
  in 
  this 
  Valley 
  of 
  the 
  Dead 
  that 
  

   the 
  most 
  arresting 
  freak 
  of 
  the 
  cataclysm 
  

   occurred. 
  Two 
  sections 
  of 
  the 
  ancient, 
  

   well-packed 
  highway, 
  accompanied 
  by 
  the 
  

   tall 
  trees 
  which 
  bordered 
  it, 
  were 
  cut 
  

   from 
  the 
  line 
  of 
  road 
  following 
  the 
  side 
  

   hill, 
  swept 
  hundreds 
  of 
  yards 
  over 
  the 
  

   stream-bed, 
  and 
  set, 
  intact, 
  upon 
  an 
  angle 
  

   on 
  top 
  of 
  the 
  heap 
  of 
  loose 
  loess. 
  

  

  It 
  took 
  weeks 
  to 
  reestablish 
  communi- 
  

   cations 
  over 
  these 
  breakages 
  — 
  to 
  rebuild 
  

   telegraph 
  lines 
  and 
  pack 
  down 
  trails 
  on 
  

   which 
  horses 
  would 
  not 
  sink 
  to 
  their 
  

   bellies 
  and 
  carts 
  to 
  their 
  hubs. 
  

  

  THREE 
  LAKES 
  ARE 
  FORMED 
  

  

  The 
  valley 
  of 
  desolation 
  opened 
  at 
  its 
  

   western 
  end 
  into 
  a 
  wider, 
  more 
  gradual 
  

   valley 
  of 
  horseshoe 
  shape, 
  through 
  which 
  

   we 
  semicircled 
  to 
  the 
  south 
  upon 
  our 
  re- 
  

   turn 
  to 
  Tsingning. 
  

  

  At 
  the 
  junction 
  of 
  the 
  valleys 
  stands 
  

   Swen 
  Family 
  Gap, 
  a 
  town 
  of 
  several 
  

   thousand 
  souls, 
  in 
  which 
  one-tenth 
  were 
  

   killed 
  by 
  collapse 
  of 
  buildings 
  and 
  cave 
  

   dwellings 
  ; 
  and 
  the 
  other 
  nine-tenths 
  were 
  

   saved 
  by 
  the 
  miraculous 
  stoppage 
  of 
  two 
  

   bodies 
  of 
  earth 
  shaken 
  loose 
  from 
  the 
  

  

  rescued 
  gods 
  oe 
  a 
  ruined 
  

   divinity" 
  temple 
  

  

  THREE- 
  

  

  Airgod 
  and 
  Watergod 
  were 
  excavated 
  un- 
  

   scathed, 
  although 
  the 
  temple 
  was 
  smashed 
  ; 
  

   but 
  Earthgod, 
  significantly, 
  was 
  destroyed. 
  

   Chinese 
  tenacity 
  and 
  persistence 
  in 
  the 
  face 
  of 
  

   difficulty 
  are 
  illustrated 
  by 
  this 
  erection 
  of 
  an 
  

   altar 
  from 
  the 
  broken 
  tile 
  of 
  the 
  destroyed 
  

   temple. 
  

  

  mother 
  hill 
  and 
  left 
  hanging 
  above 
  the 
  

   village, 
  lacking 
  only 
  another 
  half 
  -second's 
  

   tremor 
  to 
  send 
  them 
  down. 
  A 
  third 
  

   avalanche, 
  having 
  flowed 
  from 
  the 
  hills 
  on 
  

   the 
  opposite 
  side 
  of 
  the 
  valley 
  across 
  the 
  

   valley 
  floor 
  and 
  the 
  stream-bed, 
  is 
  piled 
  

   up 
  in 
  a 
  young 
  mountain 
  near 
  enough 
  to 
  

   the 
  village 
  to 
  overshadow 
  the 
  wall. 
  

  

  Our 
  route 
  through 
  this 
  larger 
  valley 
  

   led 
  us 
  past 
  three 
  lakes 
  formed 
  through 
  

   the 
  blocking 
  of 
  the 
  stream 
  by 
  five 
  enor- 
  

   mous 
  slides. 
  

  

  Some 
  of 
  the 
  scooped-out 
  places 
  left 
  by 
  

   these 
  slides 
  were 
  half 
  a 
  mile 
  in 
  width 
  at 
  

   the 
  mouth, 
  extended 
  back 
  into 
  the 
  hills 
  

   for 
  a 
  mile, 
  and 
  furnished 
  enough 
  dirt 
  to 
  

   cover 
  several 
  square 
  miles 
  of 
  valley 
  floor. 
  

   Some 
  were 
  as 
  regular 
  as 
  if 
  they 
  had 
  been 
  

   made 
  with 
  a 
  gigantic 
  trowel, 
  while 
  others 
  

   were 
  as 
  ragged 
  as 
  if 
  they 
  had 
  been 
  ripped 
  

   out 
  of 
  the 
  hills 
  by 
  the 
  teeth 
  of 
  some 
  mon- 
  

   ster. 
  

  

  In 
  each 
  case 
  the 
  earth 
  which 
  came 
  down 
  

   bore 
  the 
  appearance 
  of 
  having 
  shaken 
  

  

  