"The chief difficulty I experienced On this section was finding my way amid the maze of roads tha: ran across the plain in every direc-lion. Every five minutes we had to slop and ask the way, only to go again at the next fork of the a result, it took us nearly six hours to do the 40 miles from Huahsien to Haichow, where I found accommodation at hospitable Catholic Mission. Haichow, now called Puyang. must have been an ut in ancient times; the modern town lies huddled together in the middle of a vat empty space that is enclosed by huge walls, the highest I have seen anywhere in China, On the following morning we continued up the highway to Tamingfu where I called at the Catholic Mis-ion to enquire about the rest of the route. The kind-hearted fathers loaded me up with food and drink for the journey and tried to cheer me up by assuring me that I should be "very content" with the road, that it was in every way excellent, and that I should have no difficulty in making Hochien that night, about 200 miles ahead. I think it must have been many months since they were over it, for I was not at all content with that road, nor did we reach Hochien. This Tamingfu highway about which so much fuss was made when it was opened hardly year ago is a snare and a delusion, It was the worst motor road I wa: on. At first sight it looks a really first- motor highway: running straight as a die for miles, in places broad enough for four cars to pass abreast, and bordered with trees, But it has only an unmetalled (mud) surface which is already in a hopeless condition. One moment you were running on a perfectly smooth road, and the next, before you knew lore you were, you were floundering about in deep ruts or through loose sand To make things worse the country curts have been allowed to cross the road wherever they like, so that every few hundred yards one had to pull up and go dead slow over the deep ruts that they have cut in the road. In addition to the difficulties caused by the road, the car was now for the first time, begi to she signs of wear and tear, specially of the last few days; the radiator was king badly and we had to stop every 30 miles or so {o fill it. We, therefore, never made Hochien, ales que scenery which we passed through about noon, being the lake district between Tientsin and Paoting-fu which we crossed by a series of about half a dozen bridges. A little beyond here we came to a most unusual sight: a real solid signpost standing at the junction of four roads. with carefully marked sign-boards pointing in each direction: it was the only one I saw on the whole of my trip.
We took the west road to Chochow on the Peiping-Hankow line. when I was once more in familiar surroundings. From here on the road becomes belter, and about ive we reached the Marco Polo bridge across the Hun River. Here I turned away from the main road to strike across country to my house outside Peiping, and was already picturing myself driving in triumph up to the door, when, as usual the unexpected happened, the very last thing that would have entered my mind. when considering al! the difficulties and troubles I might meet with on my trip. For the first and only time during all those weeks I lost my way, on a road I have been over at least half a dozen times and instead of driving quickly home, wandered for nearly half an hour with ever-increasing ire over the countryside, until I struck the right road, I reached my place a little before six on the afternoon of June 6, hav-
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.