198 



TEA DISTRICTS OF CHINA. 



Chap. XI. 



Hokow is to the inland countries of the west what 

 Shanghae and Soo-chow are to places nearer the sea. 



On the day after our arrival I proceeded to a 

 hong, or inn, in the town, and engaged a chair and 

 coolies to take me across the Bohea mountains to the 

 town of Tsong-gan-hien, near Woo-e-shan. One of 

 the men was to carry our luggage, including the large 

 package of grass-cloth. When we were making our 

 agreement with the innkeeper for the men and chair, 

 he informed us that the distance between Hokow 

 and Woo-e-shan was 320 le, and that, as the road 

 was very hilly in many parts, we should require four 

 days at least for the journey. As I had been fre- 

 quently consulting my map and measuring the 

 distances, I was surprised to hear that we had so far 

 to go, but when I gave the matter a little considera- 

 tion I had reason to believe that the innkeeper was 

 perfectly correct. In calculating my distances I had 

 not taken into consideration the many hills and 

 mountains we had to cross on our way, which not 

 only impeded our progress, but made the road much 

 longer than it appeared on the map. 



It is no child's play to cross these mountains, and 

 therefore, before we started, the chair had to be 

 examined and made as strong as possible. Chairs 

 used for long journeys of this kind are constructed in 

 a different manner from those seen in towns and in 

 the level districts of the country. The common 

 mountain-chair, which consists of little more than two 

 stout bamboo poles and a cross-bar to sit upon, is 

 very well for a short journey, but it would be rather 



