Peking to Lhasa : vol.1 / Page 72 (Color Image)

0072	Peking to Lhasa : vol.1

42 PEKING TO LHASA

valley was under cultivation. The scattered farm-

houses added to the picturesque effect. The path,

like most of the paths along the main routes

in Szechwan, was fairly well paved. The mos-

quitoes, especially in the neighbourhood of paddy

fields, now became very troublesome.

Pao-ning Fu (4120 feet) was reached on May 19.

Pereira walked the whole 871 miles from Pachow,

and what with making a survey of the road and

looking after his coolies he had had a strenuous

time. Pao-ning Fu (now called Lang-chung-

hsien) had declined under the Republic. It had now about 20,000 inhabitants, mostly in the large

eastern suburb, where the Church of England have

two large compounds with a fine cathedral. 11

From here he hired coolies for the whole journey L

of eight days to Chengtu at about two shillings

each a day. Several villages on the road had

most of the houses destroyed, probably as the (~

result of military pillage. And the inns were in a

ruinous state, with no paper on the windows. All

was very different from the life and bustle of the

old times.

Another brigand-infested area was reached on

May 25, and the magistrate of Tungchwan Sze

was very anxious for Pereira to go by the northern

road to Chengtu. But the next magistrate after

all advised him to go by the main road, as he said

the brigands were not likely to attack a foreigner.

He sent an escort of four men with Pereira, but

sent them unarmed as he said the brigands wanted

rifles and would probably attack the escort if they

had any. So Pereira had to rely on his revolver.

The region he now entered used indeed to be a

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