But the waterways are the final solution of the problem, It is true
are also atthe clef water tio routes fested with bandits.' But, as a rule, these robbers are more systematic in their work than there who hold up travellers in the, mountain passes. They usually levy a fixed toll on the boats that pass, and frequently anyone con-! templating a river trip may make, arrangements before starting, paying down a sum of money, for, immunity from bandit tolls, $100 to $160 a month one may hire boat that will carry him to with a very short distance of, any part of the province he may wis to reach and this is by far the most satisfactory means of getting "here, although, during the time that we spent in the province, some of the rivers were so absolutely overrun with river bandits that navig tion had been suspended altogether, and even the postal boats cease to run, It was my original intention to' spend some time on the south branch of the Min river which splits at Yenping. But that route at the time was absolutely closed to traffic and no boatman could be induced to venture into that country for love or money. So for the time being travel by water was much curtailed and those who would explore the Province must needs confine themselves to limited areas.
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.