ly by
tremendous effort could I climb up. How my coolies managed it remains a
mystery. And then, as is almost inevitable with these "new" roads and
the "short" cuts, they invariably lose their way. Mine did. Hopeless was
our obscurity, unspeakable our confusion. Men kept vanishing and
re-appearing among the rocks, and it was very difficult to fix our
position geographically. Up and up we went, in and out, twisting and
turning in an endless climb. A gale blew, but at times we pulled
ourselves up by the dried grass in semi-tropical heat. After several
hours, standing on the very summit of this bleak and lofty mountain, I
could just discern Ch'u-tung and Yung-p'ing-hsien far away down in the
mists. There lay the "ta lu" also, like a piece of white ribbon
stretched across black velvet--the white road on the burnt hill-sides.
We were opposite the highest peaks in the mountains beyond the plain,
far towards Tengyueh--they are 12,000 feet, we were at least 10,500
feet, and as Ch'u-tung is only 5,500 feet, our hours of toil may be
imagined. When we reached the top we found nothing to eat, nothing to
drink (not even a mountain stream at which we could moisten our parched
lips), simply two memorial stones on the graves of two dead men, who had
merited such an outrageous resting-place. I donned a sweater and lay
flat on the ground, exhausted. It must have been a stiff job to bring up
both stones and men.

I strongly advise future travelers to keep to the main road in this
district.--E.J.D.]

[Footnote BA:]

FOURTH JOURNEY

THE MEKONG VALLEY TO TENGYUEH

CHAPTER XXII.

_The Valley of the Shadow of Death_. _Stages to Tengyueh_. _The River
Mekong, Bridge described_. _An awful ascent_. _On-the-spot conclusions_.
_Roads needed more than railways_. _At Shui-chai_. _A noisy domestic
scene at the place where I fed_. _Disregard of the value of female
life_. _Remarkable hospitality of the gentry of the city_. _Hard going_.
_Lodging at a private house on the mountains_. _Waif of the world
entertains the stranger_. _From Ban-chiao to Yung-ch'ang_. _Buffaloes
and journalistic ignorance_. _Excited scene at Pu-piao_. _Chinese
barbers_. _A refractory coolie_. _Military interest._

The journey which I was about to undertake was the most memorable of my
travels in China, with the exception of those in the unexplored Miao
Lands; for I was to pass through the Valley of the Shadow of Death, the
dreaded Salwen Valley. I had made