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Show 458 MR. W. R. OGILVIE GRANT ON [May 8, 10th. Consulted the American missionaries, who are inclined to throw cold water on m y visit to Nodia, their place inland, and can give no information! Determine not to ask their assistance any more. The Portuguese Padre Baptista promises to help me, and I hope to start in a few days. Mr. Jiidell rides with m e to Kiung-chu, a walled city, with narrow streets, stinks, darkness and crowds of people, a terrible-looking place-my first visit to a Chinese town. Pass many lepers on the road begging, minus fingers and toes and at times feet and hands-an awful sight! 13th. Left Hoihow for Pak-siang, which is the riverside port of Kiung-chu. I left Hoihow at 1.30, and arrived at the Padre Baptista's house in about an hour, and subsequently we went to meet the boat which, with men and baggage, left Hoihow this morning at 10 A.M. The Chinamen had filled up the boat with rice and flour for their o w n food, so consequently we had to move some of it. The Chinese always do their best to score off the European, and as a rule succeed. One hour's walk over a narrow road paved with big stones brought us to Pak-siang. The river runs through a sandy barren country, almost treeless, and no good to the collector, so one must go on. The sides of the river, where they are high, are of red burnt clay of volcanic origin, underneath this clay is sand and here and there a stratum of sea-shells. The river is broad and very shallow, the boats requiring to be pulled along by the men for long distances. W e have passed a number of bamboo water-wheels for irrigating purposes, and where these occur the river is dammed with a bamboo fence. When this has been passed, navigation once more becomes easy. W e have seen numerous birds, Ospreys, Kites, Crows, Magpies, a Cormorant, a Grebe, numbers of Waders, more especially Greenshanks, Herons, and black Storks, as well as Kingfishers of two kinds. Our boat is a dirty barge and smells very strong, but one might be worse off. The Chinese work naked and are without shame, the greatest savages I have met with. 15th. Still going up stream with a nice wind, and make good progress, though our mat sail is much destroyed. 16th. Still going up stream, but slowly. Arrive at Ting-au, a small walled Chinese town. W e have got porters for Sieum-tin-san, where the Padre Baptista has a priest, and we remain for the night. 17th. Left this morning with twenty-eight porters ; could not get off early as the Chinese talked so much, but at 9.30 A . M . they were on their way. The country is almost a sandy desert; there has been no rain for so long that the rice and potato crop will in all probability be a failure : all the trees have been cut down and burnt, and a more arid place it would be difficult to find. W e stopped to-night at Teen-heng-si, in a most horrible squalid house with a foul open drain at the door; unfortunately we were too late to camp outside. |