Splendid Holiday Enjoyed Round Chientang River:
Official Call on the Magistrates Twenty boys, their leaders from the Chinese ¥.M.C.A. and the writer gathered early one morning to begin their holiday, which was to be spent fon the Chientang River and its environs.
The North Station heard the exnsle of tent-pegsas the luggage was ut aboard the train for Hangchow. The writer awaited, with some trepidation, "at Jesstleld. Station. wondered if some niche could be found for a foreigner in this happy Family. "'The yells that greeted him fag the train pulled in left no doubts '=no niche but a chasm awaited him—and contented he threw away about 25 years and dropped right in, The rhythm of song and steel guitar accompanied the beat of connecting: rods as we sped along.
At Hangchow the party was supplemented "by two local Y.M.C.A. feaders and our doctor. All the gear was put aboard a ship—one of the largest on the river—and we felt that our holiday had really begun, Tiffin ata restaurant was followed by a visit to the new bridge which is being built across the Chientang. Out the piers rivetters and masons carried fon their fight against the waters White a diver, looking ike "some gigantic water-spider as he occasionally bobbed up to the surface, soon became a centre of interest to the boys. On shore, we were shown the engines and compressors, the concrete anchorages, the huge steel structures that will intimately be swung into place between the piers, the diving bolls and the hundred other things hat go to the building of the bridge. the morning. Sitting at the prow of the "boat alternately dren and illosophize of "cabbages and Rings the tap of the water against the ates turns to a chuckle. andthe distant summits appear to smile as if Mother ature was enjoying a quiet Inugh
puny humans. 'Buta group of boys the os and mires of har few trid' philosophy are sworn, cnemiee trid Yam driven by a gener awakens ing to the more prosies task of cere tug my teeth "The tif breeze enable us to reach Wenkiajen, before "breakfast." Hose, under, the bamboos, we instituted our Gat interest classes" "This afer. breakfast feature successfully provided talks. and discussions. "on diverse "topless physical "science, music, medicine, Biology, Chines Returning to the boat, we were then poled up river until we drew opposite Hangchow College at Zak-how. Here tents were pitched on the edge of the campus; the "V" forma-ion allowing the tents to share equally the breeze from the river. At last, everything In order, came the long-awaited permission to swim, Closely" resembling a, colony of beavers interrupted at their work there came a quick succession of "plops" and the next instant 28 heads with an occasional torso was all that. could be seen of the campers. The hnolse, however, can not be so easily described. Yell and shouts with an sceasional gurgle, as some unfortue unate was ducked, punctuated the background of laughter that main~ tained its crescendo against the falling curtain of dusk.
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.