The following day rain was still falling, but in the morning we moved on, and in the course of the forenoon the clouds cleared away and the welcome sun appeared again. Dinner at Si-ho-duen, and by evening we reached Dong-wang-miao, "The Temple of the Eastern King." Apparently a rather poor country. Hills abound,

March 9. Made 45 li before dinner, and reached Tien-chang Hien. A poor city with walls old and dilapidated, and not much business. Mr. Saw and I sent our cards and passports, together with some books, to the Hien magistrate. Before starting we had received through Mr. Timothy Richard and the Society which he represents a number of copies of Dr. Faber's excellent work, "A Comparison of the Civilizations of the East and the West." Whenever we reached a city where there was a Hien or higher official we sent a copy of this book, a copy of the New Testament and some of Dr. John's pamphlets to the official. We invariably received in return the cards of the official and thanks and an apology for not coming to call on us. As we were in travelling clothes and had no business to transact at the yamêns we made no requests for interviews, and at the inns there was no place to receive such guests. But we always received courteous treatment (with one exception, which will appear again), and frequently men were sent to attend us and see that we were not molested.

March 10. To-day we crossed the line from Kiangsu province into Anhui. Passed through several good villages, and in the afternoon passed through a well populated, prosperous looking country. The water in the ponds here is very clear. Made 50 li to Tongchau, a busy large market town. Here we spent the next day, Sabbath, alternately resting and preaching to large crowds.

March 12 and 13. On through a number of villages to Hü-i Hien. Hü-i Hien is governed by Si-jeo, to which we came afterwards. The country immediately south is poor, hilly and stony. For about two hours we steadily ascend until we enter a defile between two higher hills. At once we see before us the expanse of Hong-dseh lake; at this point only about 20 li wide. Between us and the lake is the city built upon the hill slopes and the narrow level shore strip. On the shore is a miniature harbor, nearly enclosed with docks and dykes. This is the only Hien city which I have heard of in China that has no walls. The people tell us that the hills are its walls. The location reminds us of Nagasaki. This really ought to make a fine summer resort if it were accessible. This lake is about 100 miles long, having connection with the Grand Canal at or near Tsing-kiang-pu. A few miles west of here the Huai river forms the head of the lake. I understand that the Grand Canal is navigable for steam launches as far north as this. There is

a fine field for some enterprizing company to start a line of launches such as now plies between Shanghai and Hangchow, from the Yangtsï river around through this lake to the Huai river, which is also navigable for a long distance. This would be rapid transit in China, and any amount of traffic could be secured.

We passed a fine ancestral hall erected to the memory of Admiral Li, and were invited by the keeper to make it our inn, but were afraid he had no authority to put it to such a use and declined the proffer. On the crest of a hill was a large examination hall. Seeing the flags we asked and found that students were then gathered from three districts to be examined. Here we preached and sold a large number of books and calendars.

March 14. Crossed Hong-dseh lake. Of course we had to pay about double the ordinary price for boats. Did not mind this so much as the tedious delays occasioned by the obstinacy of the boatmen, but at 2 p.m. we were across. If any who read this should travel over this route do not cross the lake here. Go west on the south bank some 40 or 50 li and cross the river in ten minutes and in quiet. After leaving the lake we went west for some 35 li and stopped for the night at a small village called Bao-jia-dsih. On the way we passed Gong-dien, a place whose chief industry seemed to be wine making; the air was heavy with the fumes from the vats.

March 15. Up at daylight and off soon. 30 li brought us to Shuang-geo, a large thriving market town on the Huai river. We had planned to go west to Wu-ho Hien, but found that, owing to winding of the course, the river must be crossed three times between the two points, and the wind was unfavorable to taking the water course, so we turned north toward Si-jeo, 90 li away. Getting away from the rolling ground directly along the Huai river we entered a new variety of country, an even plain to the mountains, which we found about 75 miles to the north. The ascent is gradual, hardly noticeable. The ground is very level and soil of a light color. For several days we seemed to be surrounded by lakes and streams of water, the effect of mirages on every hand. I had seen the same phenomena on the plains of the United States, and recognized them at first glance, but I had great difficulty in making my co-travellers believe that it was not water. The sun was uncomfortably warm. We were then leaving the region where rice usurps the place of the staff of life and wheat resumes its sway. The bread is quite white and eatable, and "mien-tiao-dsï," or noodles, is a common dish. There are very few ponds of waterno canals and instead of the small garden plots-as the farms of "south of the river" look to me-were quite large fields of wheat, looking very spring like. The farmers were busy preparing other

large fields for kao-liang and millet. In ploughing they use two or three animals; sometimes of one variety, sometimes a donkey a heifer and a horse harnessed together, but they turn over the ground quite well and use good harrows and rollers. Their farming seems a great deal more business like than the "pottering) ways of the south. Their roads, instead of being a foot path, are 20 to 30 feet wide, the earth thrown up with drains on either side, so that in ordinary weather the roads are excellent. In continued wet weather they get quite muddy. But I was tempted to move up and make head-quarter at Si-jeo. We could do our itinerating from there with a carriage and pair, and the horses would not cost much. The natives here use large four-wheeled carts, on which they can haul half a ton of produce. This also is pulled by three animals; often two enormous oxen with a little runt of a donkey squeezed in between. We saw also long trains of enormous wheelbarrows, 6 to 8 ft. long, a high wheel in the centre, two handles at each end, two men and beast to each barrow. These are the freight trains, travelling more than a thousand li. But the people have the appearance of being poorer here than farther south; clothes are of a poorer quality, and the houses in villages and hamlets nearly all have mud walls and thatched roofs. The necessaries of life are cheaper, but I am not sure that on the whole the people are not more thrifty and prosperous than their southern countrymen, who make more show and spend more. They are certainly larger in body, and they have the reputation of being more straightforward. They are more rustic, and a smaller proportion can read.

We reached Si-jeo in the evening of March 16. It is a large prosperous city, with good walls, and wide, comparatively clean streets. We sold a large number of books, and preached from one end of the city to the other. When we sent the presents of books to the yamêns there were three applications from small officials for more books, which were gladly sent and received with thanks.

A westward march of 70 li brought us to Ling-bih Hien, a smaller but prosperous city. This is a region very rarely visited by foreigners, and the people were disposed to be suspicious, but while standing on the street trying to talk to the people and finding it difficult to get them to listen, a well dressed middle aged man came up and exchanged with me the usual polite greetings and entered into conversation. I found he was a business man of the city, who had been in Shanghai, Chinkiang and Nanking; had met foreigners and understood considerable of our customs and ideas. After talking for a while he turned around to the large crowd of bystanders and explained to them, more clearly than I could have done, our purpose in coming among them, and assured them that if

they wished to listen to what we said or buy our books it would be to their profit. He then invited me to come to his store and drink tea, and politely took his leave. After that I received quite respectful attention in that part of the city. 110 li west of Ling-bih is Hsu-jeo Hien, and 180 li to the north-west is Beh-hsü-jeo, a Fu city. Between Ling-bih and Nan-hsu-jeo is a good road through country already described. It was on this road that we were given an unbiased description of a "foreign devil." We stopped to talk at a little town on the road (as we did at almost every town), and the people commenced discussing as to where we were from. Opinion was about evenly divided between Corea, Ningpo and Canton. It was decided that we were not foreign devils, although I had already told them I was an American, and Mr. Saw an Englishman. They were not well enough posted in geography to know what these terms meant. Finally Mr. Saw asked one man what a foreign devil was like. He answered in all earnestness. He made a ring with his thumb and forefinger in front of each eye and said, foreign devils had fiery big eyes like that; they had horns on the forehead; they wore horrible outlandish clothes and had no hair; their talking had no meaning. "Had he ever seen. any?" No; he hadn't, but a friend who had been to Shanghai had seen any number of them, and they were fierce to excess.

A peculiarity of the towns along this road and that to the north was that the market towns also are protected by low walls and moats, evidently a protection against robbers, which are said to infest the locality. We saw several proclamations against these bandits. One I remember was in rhyme, exhorting the people to honesty. Even an honest beggar is bearable if he can do nothing else, but a robber loses his own head, brings disgrace on his ancestors and family and leaves a bad name to his posterity. So it ran.

On March 21st, some 30 li north of Nan-hsü-jeo, we entered a valley among the mountains. The road is good, and ascends gradually for 90 li, when we come out on a level plateau several miles wide, after which there is a gentle descent to Beh-hsü-jeo, which is surrounded by low mountains. This is the high road between Nanking and Peking, not much used in these days of steamer invasions, except for local purposes. These valleys are warm and fertile. Along the road the violets bloomed profusely, and there were some crocuses. The apricot trees were immense bouquets of blossom, and the buds on peach, pear, plum and apple trees were about to open. The willows were showing green in bark and leaf, and on the higher ground the elm, ash and oak were preparing to put forth their silken sheens. The soil of the arable land in this valley, from 3 to

15 li wide, was nearly hidden beneath the growing wheat, which seemed to be almost the only crop produced at this season. The mountains seem to be great masses of conglomerate; the angle of upheaval being clearly marked by the vertical ledges running from top to bottom. I gathered a few violets and picked up some stones to send to a little girl friend (not so little now as when I left home), who I know will be delighted to receive these trifles from this nether region. Along this road we saw a number of square, two and three storey tower-like buildings, now in ruins, with turretted battlements around the top. These and other landmarks spoke of the time when this country was inhabited by the retainers of feudal chieftains, and these were doubtless their strongholds. Had we time there would certainly be found here much to delight the heart of the antiquarian and historian. But we pushed on, and on Mar. 23rd reached Beh-hsü-jeo. We had crossed the line from Auhui into Kiangsu, some 70 li to the rear. The city is by the old bed of the Yellow River. We were told by the people that the river was turned to its present course by the Empress-Dowager, because for several reigns previous to that event the Emperor had died young, and that the same would occur again were the waters permitted to resume their ancient channel. As we approached, the city was hidden by intervening hills, and we were deceived into taking the old dyke along the river course for the city wall. This stretches for several miles across the valley, and is indeed a remarkable feat of engineering, now like most such works in China, partly ruined. Outside the south gate there is a very large and populous suburb surrounded by a mud wall. The city is the largest and most prosperous one we saw on our trip. It governs eight Hien cities and a very large territory. As soon as we could we went directly to the centre of the city, where we found a large "Drum Tower." Here we preached and sold books for several hours. Here also I received quite a surprise. A young man came up, and without any introduction said, "Where do you come from?" in very good English. I soon learned that he was a Shanghai boy in the Imperial telegraph service, and that he was in the Taotai's yamên. This led to a visit to the telegraph office the following morning and the spending of $1.54 to tell the Nankin friends of our whereabouts. We met the young man again, Mr. Tsai Wu-ming, who told us that he had been taught by Mr. Muirhead (now justly styled Rev. Dr. Muirhead). He has been in Tsü-jeo ever since the telegraph station was opened, three years ago. His school name, he said, was Yü Ting. His assistant, who has been here for one year, was also one of Mr. Muirhead's pupils, and they spoke very affectionately of their venerable teacher. It was a real treat