By T. B, Gravrox.
After a score of years' dreaming of a visit to China's ancient capital, May 10 found me in unexpected circumstances forced to make the journey that I had begun to think would never emerge from the shadowy land of Make-Believe.
The circumstances so far have been so happy that 1 venture. ppt them into writing, emphasizing first of all what a poor old place Ghina or any where else. would be without friends. Travel from Hai-[chow in any direction has heretofore been such a crucifixion of the flesh that I have been content remain there until foreed away by the urge of some great necessity.
generally considered that any person well enough and sufficiently Tobust to survive a trip away from Haichow might reasonably be expected to endure anything likely encountered by remaining. The rigours of travel melted away, however, as through the kindness of ovr friend, Gen. Bei Bao-tan, fever ready to. accommodate, piece was found for us in one of his large ears that was going actors country GO. miles to the head of the Lunghai Railway.
The car's main passenger was Mr Hondelink, one of the engineers of the railway, to whom we were Introduced by"the Haichow staff of the same line. For good company fand. the spirit of helpfulness who who stands higher than the rail-Food engineer? It wax my good fortune to be associated with many of the engineers who built the Tientsin-Pakow line "and the names of Bourne, Gordon, Ridgway, Avies and others will always. be a pleavant- memory. The latest and mort delightful experience was furnished on this trip by Mr. Hendelink; we stepped off Gen. Be's ear, to yet on Ar. Hondeink's "Mey" and. we registered a sensation in transportation, T thought 1 hrd ridden every kind of vehicle than runs om land, but this way something new.
Tt is a railway automobile, that corsies "seven passengers" with comfort. It cannot leave the rally fand is fitted with controls that tean be worked from either end, the same ay on a tram-ear.
While I know, of course, that it would need no wheel for' driving T nevertheless felt "not at home" when Mr. Hondelink calmly folded -arms, managing the lever th his feat only, after the gear been shifted into high, a few minutes was enough to acture me that the craft would not leap_off the track for lack of a. stecringwheel and we settled back to enjoy © glorious run of about 70 miles. Our speed was around 45 miles per hour and we reached Heuchowfa well before dark, incidentally kehioving a record. We were the first party ever to make the trip from Haichow to Heuchowfu in a single day.
'A. circumstance, always a wad cone, on: the journey only roryed bring into bold relief the. progress sivaness of Gen. Bei, His. driver with characteristic Tack off Thought earvied no spare tire and the right teer one gave out on Us when over 20 miles out from Haichow. We calmly. went the rim a mile or two to a seldicn's camp and telephoned back for the General to vend ws another car!
Te came in the course of an hour or to and carried us safely through to the railhead.
'The whole of northern Kiang we found in excellent condition, by several the farmers no longer' apprehensive after good rains Even the farmers admitted that their crops were good, From the Blue Express speeding northwards we gazed, until night shut out the vision, on the rame Splendid crops." well up into Shantung.
But how different 9 sight met our eyes next morning.
In the hight we passed well beyond Shantung and prosperity for that part of Chihli through which the Tientsin-Pukou railway passes -is suffering terribly from droughts The wheat is only afew. inches igh (a2 and thin, Most of what we saw was beyond the help of rain and the only hope for a harvest this year ix in the expos. These have apparently beea planted but without rain will not even come up. trip was poverty of the country from Tientsin to Peking. No one was able to tell me how much of this w due to the present drought, to-day' it is) the most desolate barrenness I have "seen inal China. For miles and miles hardly 1 sprig of green could be seen on either side of the track," Towards was a little better, but ly seems toa traveller that China's capital lies in. the ud and dust that the country affords,
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.