We had not been long in our new quarters before Rijnhart came back, saying that several rafts had left that morning, and that no others would be leaving for several days; he had also ascertained that the best thing we could now do would be to take carts as far as a place called Chong Wei, and trust to get a boat there to take us on. This we decided to do, so Mr. Hunter and I went off to make the necessary arrangements, while Rijnhart and Malcolm went into the town to buy provisions for the road.
Just as they were leaving, the head telegraph official came round and said that he had despatched the telegram to Tien Tsin about the state of the Gulf of Pe Chili, but that he could not send off the others as he was unable to ascertain what the cost would be; moreover, he had just heard from Hsian Fu that the wire was broken beyond that place, and that our message would have to go by Yamen runners for three days. Very useful this, when we had hoped to get an answer in forty-eight hours at the latest. With regard to the English and Indian telegrams, we were able to surmount the difficulty by wiring to the headquarters of the China Inland Mission at Shanghai, in Mr. Botham's name, asking them to send the messages for us, a request with which they very kindly complied, but, owing to our not touching Shanghai on our way to India, it was some months before we were able to repay them.
By the evening we had made all our necessary preparations for another start on the following morning, and Ridley added to the many kindnesses he had already done us by lending us some money for current expenses on the road. Moreover, Rijnhart now finally made up his mind to accompany us all the way to the coast; he had business to do there, and this seemed to him a favourable opportunity for going down to do it. We were both delighted at the prospect of his companionship through China, where his knowledge of the people and their language was bound to be invaluable to us, besides saving us from wholesale swindling. Many and many a time we had reason to thank our stars that he came to this decision.
| 20th October. | —Sining to | Chang-Kia-Tsai | 80 li. |
| 21st October. | " | Niempe | 80 " |
| " October. | " | Shang Tan | 90 " |
| 22nd October. | " | Ma-Huei-Tsi | 90 " |
| 23rd October. | " | Sin-Ch'eng | 50 " |
| 24th October. | " | Lancheo | 70 " |
| 25th October. | —Lancheo to | Shui-Peh-Ho | 70 li. |
| 26th October. | " | Shan-Kia-Tong | 60 " |
| " October. | " | Lu-Tong-Tsi | 30 " |
| 27th October. | " | Chong-Chang-Tsi | 50 " |
| " October. | " | Ta-La-Pai. | 60 " |
| 28th October. | " | Han-Shih-Pu | 40 " |
| " October. | " | Ih-Tiao-Shan | 20 " |
| 29th October. | " | ? | 50 " |
| " October. | " | ? | 40 " |
| 30th October. | " | K'an-T'ang-Tsi | 60 " |
| " October. | " | Ih-Uan-Chuen | 40 " |
| 31st October. | " | Sha-Poh-Tsi | 70 " |
| " October. | " | Chong Wei | 40 " |
Chong Wei to Pao T'eo by boat, eight days' journey. Flat-bottomed wool-boat.
CHAPTER XXVIII.
WE PAY OFF SHUKR ALI—LANCHEO TO CHONG WEI—OFFICIAL INCIVILITY—LOSE RUBY—SHAHZAD MIR MISTAKEN FOR A REBEL.
Soon after daybreak on the 25th October we bade farewell to the missionaries, and, accompanied by Ridley and Rijnhart, made our way to the inn on the far side of the river, from which our carts were to start, and in which our men had slept the previous night. Our baggage was now of the most miscellaneous description, for in addition to the instruments, clothes, and flowers which we had brought with us, there were the curios we had bought, and last, but not least, provisions of bread, meat, vegetables, and butter for a seven days' journey across a sandy desert country, where little could be bought, the inns providing accommodation, but scarcely anything else.
We were determined not to starve any more, and made due preparations to guard against doing so. To carry these numerous articles, as well as ourselves and our men, we had engaged two carts, each drawn by a mule and a pony. As when hiring baggage mules, so again now a regular contract had to be drawn up and signed by the contracting parties. Our agreement was that each cart was to carry 500 Chinese pounds, equal to 666 English pounds, including passengers, and to land us in Chong Wei on the 31st October. There is also another and bigger sort of cart in this part of China, which carries 1,200 pounds, and is drawn by three animals, but it was not suited to our requirements.