188 
WANDERINGS IN CHINA. 
Chap. Xll. 
my view, but my chairbearers, who were now near 
the end of their journey, intimated that they were 
ready to proceed, so we went onwards. 
The distance from Tsong-gan-hien to Woo-e-shan is 
only about 40 or 50 le. This is, however, only to the 
bottom of the hills, and we intended to take up our 
quarters in one of the principal temples near the top. 
The distance we had to travel was therefore much 
greater than this. When we arrived at the foot of the 
hill we inquired our way to the temple. " Which tem- 
ple do you wish to go to ? " was the answer ; " there are 
nearly a thousand temples on Woo-e-shan. " Sing-Hoo 
explained that we were unacquainted with the names 
of tlie different temples, but our object was to reach one 
of the largest. We were directed, at last, to the foot of 
some perpendicular rocks. When we reached the spot 
I expected to get a glimpse of the temple we were in 
search of somewhere on the hillside above us, but there 
was nothing of the kind. A small footpath, cut out of 
the rock, and leading over almost inaccessible places, 
was all I could see. It was now necessary for me to get 
out of my chair, and to scramble up the pathway — often 
on my hands and knees. Several times the coolies 
stopped, and declared that it was impossible to get the 
chair any farther. I pressed on, however, and they 
were obliged to scramble after me with it. 
It was now about two o'clock in the afternoon ; there 
was scarcely'a cloud in the sky, and the day was fear- 
fully hot. As I climbed up the rugged steep, the per- 
spiration streaming from every pore, I began to think of 
fever and ague, and all those ills which the traveller is 
