Peking to Lhasa : vol.1 / Page 310 (Color Image)

0310	Peking to Lhasa : vol.1

226 PEKING TO LHASA

miles Hsiao-wei-si, 5610 feet, was reached. It

has thirty families. Pereira and Thompson stayed

at the Roman Catholic Mission with the Chinese

Père Li.

Chinese soldiers passed on the way had no

greatcoats or mackintoshes. They were probably

not paid. No one takes care of soldiers in China,

and they looked quite untrained. No wonder if

these boys are attacked they get a panic and

bolt. And it is not surprising, Pereira reflects,

that they find it more lucrative to become

brigands.

Continuing up the valley of the Mekong on

August 22, he reached K'ang-pu at 17 miles.

The going was easy all day, without any steep

climbs.. The hills were mostly sloping and well-

wooded. The crops were maize and millet and,

when the valley was more level, rice. The people

were chiefly Chinese in the villages by the road-

side and Mosu and Lisu higher up in the hills. The

weather was mild and fine. At Ai-wa, 1- miles,

there was a ferry boat, but the road to A-tun-tzu

continued up the left bank of the river, and three

or four tributaries had to be crossed by rope

bridges. In the hills there are leopards, bear,

roe, wild boar, serow, but no pandars or tigers.

On August 23 he marched 141 miles to Yeh-

chih, still up the Mekong valley. The country

gets wilder and the path leads alongside the river

up narrow gorges between steep well-wooded hills,

with only an occasional farm or patch of cultiva-

tion. At 4-I miles is a steep climb of 800 feet,

and fine views to the north are obtained. Three

streams are seen breaking through the mountains,

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