We have been away for six days among the Rapids past the Ta Tang and the Tung Ling, and the three Rapids of the Shin Tan, on to the dreaded Yeh T'an which however was hardly perceptible at this season, so that I had to ask more than once, Is that really the Rapid?" before photographing it. Generally, however, the impression I carry away from the Rapids is gestion iting, men and boys by hundreds being profoundly exhausted. Erergone pulling at the tow lines and shouting all all as loud as they can. In between, the thumps of the gang leader upon their backs, resonant like those Harlequin at the pantomime and equally harmless, the shrieks of the pilots from the junks giv stage directions as only a Chinaman can in hoarse yet piercing falsetto, the sound of the drums, and over all the roar and rush of the waters! No wonder the women of the neighbourhood look jaded, with pretty delicate complexions. it is a strange sight at first to see some 200 men and boys harnessed to four towlines, all tugging all they can, bent double, with one hand on the ground for additional support, and all tugging at one not over big and nearly immovable junk, Then the drum is beaten to encourage them to fresh effort, the almost naked gang leader dances in and out thumping this one, encouraging that. The men scream. Shouts proceed from the junk. And. at last she rounds the corner, or the tow line getting caught upon some rock, before it can be disengaged, she is carried back again all the way they have been towing her up for the last half-hour. Every one alike gets 8 cash for the job, and we came upon a strange sight in the' evening, women sitting apparently very cheerful in the dust in the middle of the road, waiting to receive the money earned by their children, before the latter could get into the town, and possibly be tempted to gamble it all away. We nearly walked over these waiting mothers in the darkness.
lore awe-inspiring than the Rapids however are the Gorges. I have always thought the Ichang gorge all that the heart of man could desire, and that was before I had seen the finest bit of it. But there is no denying the Niuken gorge is more sublime. And as to the Ping Shu Hai was too much for me, walls of rock reaching as high as one can see on either side, bot! alike without foothold to cling to even with the skin of one's teeth, impelled me irre: tibly to think how cold the water would be. And to be told Lieut. Dawson had found no bottom to it only added a further touch of horror to the scene, for anyone must infallibly be drowned who fell in. Not the stoutest swimmer could swim to a landing. And to be drowned as in a mouse trap with the sky looking down on the pitiful ending, and those glorious vistas backwards and forwards, and those grand rocks Itmade me glad to. be once more battling with a rapid outside, though our boat there was carried backwards by the current, and finding all our men with boat hooks and poles and tow line were alike powerless, I leaned my own hand against the rock, and pushed all I could—to find it made no difference at all! We got by that quiet Queichow at last, with its many rocks, no commerce, and south gate travel; open to admit fortune, although if any citizen be tempted to go out through it, he can but walk over the precipice on to which it opens, A huge military Mandarin over 6 feet 2 inches, and gorgeous in satins and furs and embroideries when he asked us to call upon him, is stationed there. So I greatly regretted the rocks had taken up so much time we could not avail ourselves of his invitation, as we went on past the Temple Liu Lai Koan, nated upon the summit of a little hill jing from the bed of the river and at the mouth of a ravine, and with such a clever Buddha that as the river rises every year the temple rises too, so that it is never swept away, although you would always expect it would be. Every one told.us this, so it must be true.
One evening we had the gentleman in charge of the Telegraph Station to tea. He brought his operator with him, a most determined young man of 14, who to every thing said "tyes: Between them they send two messages a day morning and evening, "Yes" and "All right," and that is all they have to do. "And conceive," said the superior, that I spent 120
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.