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we traversed in his district boasted its own small bureau for the furtherance of the task, while the magistrate's extensive tours of inspection included a journey to the summit of Wu-Liang-Shan, between 11,000 and 12,000 feet high.
Leaving Chingtong on the 15th May, three days' journey brought us to the boundary between the Puerh and Tengyueh circuits, at Shukai (locally pronounced Chakai). Here we found that the Tengyueh Taoyin and the Menghua district magistrate a self-satisfied little man damed Chrên Pên-yu had been awaiting our arrival for three days. Before bidding farewell to the Puerh Taoyin, I gave him a letter detailing our route through his circuit and congratulating him on the fact that we had discovered not a single opium-poppy in a month's journey. In the course of an interesting conversation. Mr. Lu freely admitted that the task of suppression had been considerably easier in his circuit than elsewhere in the province; he was n less frank regarding the prevalence of opium-smoking, and expressed the opinion that from three to five years must elapse before this would be stopped.
During the whole time that I had travelled with the P'uêrli Taoyin I had met with nothing but courtesy and kindness at his hands, and it was with real regret that I parted with him and resumed the company of the Tengyueh Taoyin. Two days' travel, the first of which gave us a magnificent and extensive view of Wu-Liang-Shani, brought us to Narchien, where our halt coincided with that of an unusually ragged and ruffianly party of Chinese regular troops, en route to suppress a local outbreak of brigandage some two days' journey to the south-west Here I received a visit from the district magistrate of Mitu, a Fukienese named Ko Nain-ming, the limit of whose jurisdiction was only a mile or so away. Two days later, 21st May, the large walled town of Menghua was reached, and here, much against my wish, we stayed a day at the request of the Taoyin, who asserted the receipt of important despatches requiring urgent attention.
The large district of Menghua is one of those which took the fullest advantage of the iniquitous permission accorded last year by the Governor of Yunnan for the cultivation of poppy; it rumour speaks true, the early harvest of the past season was considerable, and the local magistrate is asserted to have lined his pockets well by allowing a second crop, on learning that the inspecting officers would not be able to reach his district before May. But for several weeks prior to our arrival, military, police, and civil officials, including himself, had been out in all directions to ensure that no poppy should be left. Certainly none was to be seen along our route, and the predominating crops consisted of healthy-looking wheat.
From Menghua it is but two days' journey to Siakwan, the largest business town in West Yunnan; on the second day the route crosses a high mountain pass, which from Le level of 8,800 feet affords a magnificent view of the Tali lake.
Assembled at Siakwan, which was reached on Empire Day, to meet the Taoyin were a host of Chinese officials, including the magistrates of the three districts of Fengi (Ch'en Pei-yuan); Pinch'uan (Li Fan); and Tali (Yu-Yueh), Such a gathering involved, of course, the inevitable Chinese dinner-party. For many years past Siukwan has been cne of the largest distributing centres for opium in all Yunnan, and the Chinese firm in whose premises quarters were found for me bears the reputation of being the wealthiest of all the opium dealers.
The 7 miles over level country between Siakwan and Tali should be accomplished by a good pony in an hour; so villainous, however, is the condition of the ancient store-paved highway connecting the two places, that the journey takes three hours, and is accomplished with les exasperation on foot. Many weeks previously the local British representative of the British American Tobacco Company had offered me hospitality in his most comfortable headquarters at Tali, but in view of the questionable legality of such an establishment, I hart hesitated to accept; when, however, the Taoyin himself announced that this was the proposed arrangement, I concurred with alacrity. Amongst the many welcome amenities thus afforded was comparative immunity from flies, which for the previous fortnight en route had been a plague of positively Egyptian magnitude. My host also most kindly made arrangements for me to meet the whole of the foreign community of Tali, including M. R. L. P. Baude (French), district inspector of the Salt Revenue for Yunnan, and his wile; M. Caffarena (French), of the sume Department; and two French priests.
From Tali it had been originally suggested that the inspection tour should continue northwards to Likiang. Previous to our departure from Tengyneh I had invoked the aid of a French merchant at Atutzu and of the representative of a British mission at Likiang to obtain for me, confidentially, reliable information on the subject of poppy crops in the north-west of the province; and letters from each of them were awaiting
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me at Siakwan. My French correspondent reported planting this season in the north of the Paoshan Yungch'an) district and north-east of Yungpei, but that none remained, save, perhaps, in inaccessible spots; the Liking missionary affirmed that already by the middle of April no trace of cultivation remained in the Likiang, Hoching, or Chiench'uan districts, and that in the Yungpei district (north of the Yang taze) it was probably grown only by Liso and other tribal folk, over whom the Chinese bave practically no control. These reports were confirmed at Tali by the Rev. W. J. Hanna, of the China Inland Mission, and by the representative of the British-American Tobacco Company, both of whom travel extensively, and who assured me that it was several weeks too late for any likelihood of discovering opium crops on a visit to Likiang.
In view of this consensus of opinion and also of the clear indictions of the opening, already overdue, of the rainy season, I decided to abandon the Likiang tour. As, however, I had received many weeks previously definite information that no poppy crops were to be seen anywhere along the main road (via Siakwan, Yungp'ing, and Yungchang) between Tali and Tengyueh, I elected to take the difficult and circuitous route via Tongch'uan, Yünlung, and Kait'ou; this route, incidentally, cuts across the north of the Paoshan (Yungeh'ang) district.
Here we
Leaving Tali on the 27th May, our first stage was the 16 miles of terrible ancient paved stone road to Shangkuan, at the north west end of the Tali Lake. bade farewell to the Tali magistrate and made the acquaintance of Mr. Li Kung-ch'ôn, the official in charge of the district of Tengely'uan. This town was passed the following morning after two hours of easy going. succeeded by a stiff climb to 8,900 feet, and a steep descent to the surprisingly large town of Fougy (in the Erhyian (Langk'un) district), lying in a huge basin of terraced rice fiel·ls. For the last portion of this day's journey and for the next two days we were accompanied by the Erliyüan magistrate, a Hupei man of an intelligently enquiring turn of mind, named Chiến. From Fengyü the road climbs up to 10,700 feet, and then drops down to 6,100 feet, the level of the Yangpi River, which flows through the town of that name and Siakwan into the southern end of the Tali Lake. Two days of travel through beutiful pine-forest country and one day of wilder scenery past several large salt-wells brought us to the town of Yüalung. the district magistrate of which, Ko Yên-ch'un, was absent on sick-leave.
From Fengy to the district of Yünlung the population consists largely of Minchia, a tribal folk closely allied to the Chinese in appearance, as also now in dress and babits, but speaking Chinese with an atrocious foreign accent, which natives of any other province than Yünnan find considerable difficulty in understanding.
The town of Yunlung lies at the eastern foot of the lofty range flanking the left bank of the Mekong River, and the day's journey to the 60-year old chain suspension bridge (the Fei-Lung, or Flying Dragon, bridge) over that turgid torrent consisted of a climb from 5,500 feet to 9,700 feet, succeeded by a long and stony descent to 4,600 feet, the elevation of the Mekong at this point. The fierce swiftness of its 80 yards broad current is sufficiently accounted for by the fact that it descends over 1,800 feet between here and the Tapêng ferry by which we crossed it on the outward journey.
But a still more formidable day's march lay before us, over the yet higher range on the right bank of the Mekong. The altitudes on this section varied between 5,000 feet at the start (Chinchou), 11,800 feet at the summit, and 7,000 feet at the halting- place, Ts'aochien. Almost the whole of the climb was over the roughest of stone- boulder paving, and much of it in deep trough-like gullies, while, save at the very summit, the path was overgrown by dense jungle. Climatic variations added not a little to the trials of the march; they ranged from blazing sunshine, through fine Scotch mist, to driving sleet, and then back again to moist heat. Starting at 6.30 a M., I walked this stage in nine and a half hours; the Taoyin's official chair, from which, willy- nilly, he was frequently forced to descend, completed it in thirteen and a half. Our respective memories if the day's journey will last for some time to come.
After two more days of very hilly travel, we came to the crossing of the Salween, here affected in a large, unwieldy-looking boat, the helmsman of which plied a huge stern sweep, some 20 feet long, to negotiate obliquely the passage of the intervening rapids. From the level of the Salween at this point (Mêngku ferry) to the summit of the range, on the right bank, is an ascent of ali but 8,000 feet, and the climb over the ummit, 10,500 feet, through dense jungle, followed by a steep and terribly rugged drup of close ou 4,000 feet, made a day's journey scarcely less arduous than that over the Mekong range.
The trials of this day's travel were not over on arrival at our
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