ls, and generally drawn by buffaloes.

These irrigations, so conducive to the fertility of the land, are a great
pest to travellers. The roads are generally covered with water and mud,
so that you cannot use them, but must labour along the mounds which form
the boundaries of the fields. When you have to guide camels over such
roads, it is the height of misery. We did not advance a single step
without the fear of seeing our baggage fall into the mud; and more than
once such an accident did occur, throwing us into infinite embarrassment.
In fact, that the misfortune did not oftener befall us, was solely
attributable to the skill in mud-walking which our camels had acquired in
their apprenticeship amongst the marshes of the Ortous.

In the evening of our first day's march, we arrived at a small village
called Wang-Ho-Po; we had expected to find here the same facility in
obtaining provisions as at Che-Tsui-Dze, but we were soon undeceived.
The customs were not the same; those amiable restaurateurs, with their
baskets of ready-dressed viands, were no longer visible. Forage-dealers
were the only persons who came to offer their goods. We therefore
commenced by giving the animals their rations, and afterwards went into
the village to see if we could find any provisions for our own supper.
On our return to the inn, we were obliged to cook our own supper; the
host merely furnished us with water, coal, and a meal-kettle. Whilst we
were peaceably occupied in appreciating the result of our culinary
labours, a great tumult arose in the courtyard of the inn. It was
occasioned by a caravan of camels, conducted by Chinese merchants, who
were going to the town of Ning-Hia. Destined for the same route as
themselves, we soon entered into conversation. They told us that the
direct road to Ning-Hia was so bad as to be impracticable, even for the
best camels; but they added, they were acquainted with a cross-road
shorter and less dangerous, and they invited us to go with them. As they
were to depart in the night, we called the host in order to settle our
account. After the Chinese fashion, when sapeks are in question, on one
side they ask much, on the other they offer too little; then there is a
long squabble, and after mutual concessions you come to an agreement. As
they thought us Tartars, it was quite a matter of course with them to ask
us nearly triple the just amount: the result was, that the dispute was
twice as long as it o