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Show EXPERIENCES OF A LONE GEOGRAPHER An American Agricultural Explorer Makes His Way Through Brigand-infested Central China en Route to the Amne Machin Range, Tibet BY JOSEPH F. ROCK* AUTHOR OF " T H E LAND OF THE YELLOW LAMA," "BANISHING THE DEVIL OF DISEASE AMONG THE NASHI," AND "HUNTING THE CHAULMOOCRA TREE," IN THE NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC MAGAZINE MUCH of a most unpleasant nature has happened to me in recent months. I was delayed about one month in Yunnanfu on account of my Nashi assistants, who were held up by brigands between Talifu and the capital (see map, page 334). Between Yunnan fu and Tungchwan, in east Yunnan, we met brigands twice and had some real scares. A number of the people who followed in my train for the sake of protection lost some of their belongings and two loiterers were captured. From Tungchwan to Chaotung is- five days' journey north and just two days out of Tungchwan I had the most terrible experience of my life. I had been informed that there were about 1,000 brigands between the two places, and that the road was practically closed. The magistrate of Tungchwan assured me, however, that all the brigands were in the Chaotung district. He said he would send 20 soldiers with me, and that I had nothing to fear in his district, at any rate. I was informed by various other parties that if I once reached the Chaotung district I was safe, and that all the brigands were in the mountains near Yicheh-siin, two or three stages from Tungchwan. I saw the mandarin several times, and he finally admitted he had only 60 soldiers *This informal narrative of experiences in the Far East has arrived as a letter written from Choni, Kansu Province of China, near the northeast border of Tibet, on May 17. a few days before the author set out upon his hazardous journey into the fastnesses of the Amne Machin Range. Dr. Rock, who was the leader of the National Geographic Society's expedition to Yunnan Province (see the NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC MAGAZINE for April, 1925), is now collecting plants for the Arnold Arboretum of Massachusetts. He does not expect to return to America until the latter part of 1928.-THE EDITOR. in the town, and that the rest, 120 of them, were fighting brigands near Liitien, not far from Chaotung. He agreed to give me 40 soldiers and again protested that there were no robbers in his district. I sent a dispatch to the American consul at Yunnanfu, asking him to get the advice of the governor, but as the wires between Tungchwan and the capital had been cut by the brigands the message had to be forwarded through Kweichow Province, which took more than two days. I sent word to the magistrate of Chaotung to have soldiers meet me at Yicheh-siin, but he agreed to order them only to the border of his jurisdiction. BRIGANDS ATTACK FROM THE REAR With much misgiving I left Tungchwan. The first day passed without incident, but the second had much, in store for us. After lunch under an old walnut tree, I made my way over the mountains with my 12 Nashi men, 26 mules, 40 soldiers, and all the followers who took advantage of the protection afforded by my guard. We had not gone very far when my head muleteer reported that robbers were behind the caravan. I waited for the mules to catch up with us, and as they came in sight I rode on, but not for long, as my boys yelled in Chinese, "Robbers are coming," and at that moment the bandits began to shoot. My soldiers behaved admirably, climbing to the ridge and opening fire on the brigands, but we soon found that we were considerably outnumbered. We pushed on as best we could over a pine-covered slope, down a deep ravine and up the other side, along a terribly rocky trail, the soldiers covering our retreat under the fire of the brigands. 3.11 |