1769 
"I arrived yesterday in Szemao and to my great 
joy found your very kind letters and also the telegram 
which was forwarded from Yunnanfu. The trails run at 
right angles to mountain ranges 6,000 feet high, only 
to descend again into the valleys and up again 5,000 
feet or more. Fifteen miles per day of travel of that 
sort means a great deal. The trails are so steep that 
it is impossible to ride and, of course, I am walking 
anyway a good deal, as I can collect more that way. So 
far everything has gone well. Dr. Carthew decided not 
to go at the last moment so I thought I would go alone. 
As luck would have it a Dr. C. W. Mason, an American 
missionary in southern Yunnan, was going back to his 
station at Keng Hung where there are still Tai or Shan 
people. He was all alone and dreaded the long trip by 
himself, especially as he had left his wife and six 
children in America. So we went together. I left him 
in Chieng Rung or Keng Hung, as it is called on the 
maps, and went on to Szemao as planned, and here I am, 
safely arrived at this queer but interesting place. 
We had no mishap of any kind. Wild animals are about 
of course, and we* were a bit anxious once or twice, 
especially at a place half way between Keng Hung and 
Szemao in a deep gorge of evil repute, on account of 
tigers. We were forced to stay there, although it is 
always avoided by the caravans. We built a big fire 
and fed it with large bamboo, the joints bursting as 
the air became heated, and so it kept up a cannonade 
all night. The forests here are magnificent. Oh, I 
cannot tell you how grand it all is, notwithstanding 
the dangers of the road; the lovely pine forests, jun- 
gles, valleys, and streams. Along the small plains 
nestled within the hills the wild Yunnan pear called 
Tang li (Chinese characters) was all in flower and 
was a gorgeous sight. Near Szemao I found one loaded 
with fruit from last year, and I collected all and am 
sending you the same. The Chinese here use this wild 
pear as a stock on which to graft the cultivated va- 
rieties. I have several photos showing this pear in 
flower. They grow with oaks at an altitude of 5,000 
feet and higher . always forming groves. They can stand 
a good deal of cold and drought for 5 or 6 months, 
also a dry temperature of 100°F.or more in the shade, 
during the hot season which is in April. There are 
regular forests of chestnuts, but unfortunately all 
*I have now a Swiss business man with me from 
Chiengmai as interpreter, Mr. R. Baer. 
