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 Schwartz’s
PRINCIPLES OF
SURGERY ELEVENTH EDITION

ABSITE AND
BOARD REVIEW

F. CHARLES BRUNICARDI
Me
Graw Dana K. Andersen •Timothy R . Billiar •Karen J. Brasel •Lisa S. Dresner
Hill John G. Hunter •Lillian S. Kao •Jeffrey B. Matthews •Raphael E. Pollock
 SCHWARTZ’S
PRINCIPLES OF SURGERY
ABSITE and Board Review

Brunicardi_FM_p00i-xii.indd 1 08/07/22 11:25 AM

 SCHWARTZ’S
PRINCIPLES OF SURGERY
ABSITE and Board Review
11th Edition
Edited by
F. Charles Brunicardi, MD, FACS
Professor of Surgery, Department of Surgery
Senior Vice President
Dean, College of Medicine
SUNY Downstate Health and Sciences University
Brooklyn, New York

Associate Editors
Dana K. Andersen, MD, FACS Lisa Dresner, MD, FACS
Senior Scientific Advisor Program Director and Vice Chair for Education
Division of Digestive Diseases and Nutrition Associate Professor of Surgery
National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Disease Department of Surgery
National Institutes of Health College of Medicine, SUNY Downstate Health and Sciences University
Bethesda, Maryland Brooklyn, New York

Timothy R. Billiar, MD, FACS John G. Hunter, MD, FACS

George Vance Foster Professor and Chair Professor of Surgery, School of Medicine
Department of Surgery Executive Vice President, OHSU
Distinguished Professor of Surgery Chief Executive Officer, OHSU Health System
Executive Vice President and Chief Scientific Officer for UPMC Oregon Health and Science University
Associate Senior Vice Chancellor for Clinical Academics Portland, Oregon
University of Pittsburgh Health Sciences
Associate Medical Director, UPMC International and Commercial Lillian S. Kao, MD, MS, FACS
Services Division Jack H. Mayfield, MD, Chair in Surgery
University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine Vice-Chair for Quality of Care
University of Pittsburgh Professor and Chief, Division of Acute Care Surgery
Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania Department of Surgery
McGovern Medical School at UTHealth Houston
Karen J. Brasel, MD, MPH, FACS Houston, Texas
Professor of Surgery
Division of Trauma, Critical Care and Acute Care Surgery, Jeffrey B. Matthews, MD, FACS
School of Medicine Dallas B. Phemister Professor
Assistant Dean for Graduate Medical Education Chairman, Department of Surgery
Office of the Dean, School of Medicine Pritzker School of Medicine
Residency Program Director, Surgery, School of Medicine University of Chicago
Oregon Health and Science University Chicago, Illinois
Portland, Oregon
Raphael E. Pollock, MD, PhD, FACS
Director, Ohio State University Comprehensive Cancer Center
Kathleen Wellenreiter Klotz Chair in Cancer Research
Arthur G. James Cancer Hospital and Richard J. Solove Research Institute
Professor, Division of Surgical Oncology, Department of Surgery
Ohio State University College of Medicine
Columbus, Ohio

New York Chicago San Francisco Athens London Madrid Mexico City
Milan New Delhi Singapore Sydney Toronto

Brunicardi_FM_p00i-xii.indd 3 08/07/22 11:25 AM

Copyright © 2023, 2016, 2011, 2007 by McGraw Hill LLC. All rights reserved. Except as permitted under the United States Copyright
Act of 1976, no part of this publication may be reproduced or distributed in any form or by any means, or stored in a database or retrieval
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 CONTENTS

Contributors vii PART II

Preface ix Specific Consideration 127
Acknowledgments xi
16 The Skin and Subcutaneous Tissue 129

17 Breast 137

PART I 18 Head and Neck 143

Basic Considerations 1
19 Chest Wall, Lung, Mediastinum, and Pleura 145
1 Leadership 3
20 Congenital Heart Disease 157
2 Systemic Response to Injury
21 Acquired Heart Disease 171
and Metabolic Support 7
22 Thoracic Aneurysms and Aortic Dissection 181
3 Fluid and Electrolyte Management
of the Surgical Patient 13
23 Arterial Disease 189
4 Hemostasis, Surgical Bleeding,
24 Venous and Lymphatic Disease 197
and Transfusion 21
25 The Esophagus and Diaphragmatic Hernia 207
5 Shock 29
26 Stomach 223
6 Surgical Infection 37
27 The Surgical Management of Obesity 233
7 Trauma 49
28 Small Intestine 235
8 Burns 65
29 Colon, Rectum, and Anus 241
9 Wound Healing 73
30 The Appendix 259
10 Oncology 83
31 Liver 263
11 Transplantation 87
32 The Gallbladder and
12 Patient Safety 97
Extrahepatic Biliary System 279
13 Physiologic Monitoring
33 Pancreas 289
of the Surgical Patient 105
34 The Spleen 297
14 Minimally Invasive Surgery 115
35 Abdominal Wall, Omentum, Mesentery,
15 Molecular and Genomic Surgery 119
and Retroperitoneum 307

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 vi
36 Soft Tissue Sarcomas 311 48 Ethics, Palliative Care,
and Care at the End of Life 369
CONTENTS

37 Inguinal Hernias 313

49 Global Surgery 373
38 Thyroid, Parathyroid, and Adrenal 323
50 Optimizing Perioperative Care:
39 Pediatric Surgery 329 Enhanced Recovery and Chinese Medicine 377

40 Urology 337 51 Understanding, Evaluating, and

Using Evidence for Surgical Practice 381
41 Gynecology 341
52 Ambulatory Surgery 385
42 Neurosurgery 345
53 Skills and Simulation 387
43 Orthopedic Surgery 351
54 Web-Based Education and
44 Surgery of the Hand and Wrist 355 Implications of Social Media 389

45 Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery 361

Index 391
46 Anesthesia for the Surgical Patient 363

47 Surgical Considerations in the Elderly 365

Brunicardi_FM_p00i-xii.indd 6 08/07/22 11:25 AM

 CONTRIBUTORS

Dana K. Andersen, MD, FACS Daniel T. Dempsey, MD, FACS

Senior Scientific Advisor Professor of Surgery, Perelman School of Medicine
Division of Digestive Diseases and Nutrition University of Pennsylvania
National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Disease Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
National Institutes of Health
Bethesda, Maryland Ankit Dhiman, MD
Research Fellow, Department of Surgery
Shay Behrens, MD Pritzker School of Medicine
General Surgery Resident University of Chicago
Department of Surgery
Chicago, Illinois
Oregon Health and Science University
Portland, Oregon Lisa Dresner, MD, FACS
Andrew J. Benjamin, MD Program Director and Vice Chair for Education
Assistant Professor of Surgery Associate Professor of Surgery
Pritzker School of Medicine Department of Surgery
University of Chicago College of Medicine
Chicago, Illinois SUNY Downstate Health and Sciences University
Brooklyn, New York
Timothy R. Billiar, MD, FACS
George Vance Foster Professor and Chair Jodi-Ann Edwards, MD
Department of Surgery Resident
Distinguished Professor of Surgery Department of Surgery
Executive Vice President and Chief Scientific Officer for UPMC College of Medicine
Associate Senior Vice Chancellor for Clinical Academics SUNY Downstate Health and Sciences University
University of Pittsburgh Health Sciences Brooklyn, New York
Associate Medical Director
UPMC International and Commercial Services Division Erfan Faridmoayer, MD
University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine Resident
University of Pittsburgh Department of Surgery
Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania College of Medicine
Jillian Bonaroti, MD SUNY Downstate Health and Sciences University
Department of Surgery Brooklyn, New York
University of Pittsburgh Medical Center
Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania Sam Guyer, MD
General Surgery Resident
Karen J. Brasel, MD, MPH, FACS Department of Surgery
Professor of Surgery Oregon Health and Science University
Division of Trauma, Critical Care and Acute Care Surgery Portland, Oregon
School of Medicine
Assistant Dean for Graduate Medical Education Patrick Harbour, MD
Office of the Dean Chief Resident in Plastic Surgery
School of Medicine Department of Plastic Surgery
Residency Program Director, Surgery Georgetown University School of Medicine
School of Medicine Washington, DC
Oregon Health and Science University
Portland, Oregon Ahmed Hozain, MD
Chief Resident
F. Charles Brunicardi, MD, FACS Department of Surgery
Professor of Surgery, Department of Surgery College of Medicine
Senior Vice President
SUNY Downstate Health and Sciences University
Dean, College of Medicine
Brooklyn, New York
SUNY Downstate Health and Sciences University
Brooklyn, New York
vii

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 viii
John G. Hunter, MD, FACS Katherine Reitz, MD, FACS
CONTRIBUTORS

Professor of Surgery Department of Surgery

School of Medicine University of Pittsburgh Medical Center
Executive Vice President, OHSU Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
Chief Executive Officer, OHSU Health System
Oregon Health and Science University Robert E. Roses, MD, FACS
Portland, Oregon Associate Professor of Surgery
Perelman School of Medicine
Lillian S. Kao, MD, MS, FACS University of Pennsylvania
Jack H. Mayfield, MD, Chair in Surgery Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Vice-Chair for Quality of Care
Professor and Chief, Division of Acute Care Surgery Ashley Sweet, MD
Department of Surgery General Surgery Resident
McGovern Medical School at UTHealth Houston Department of Surgery
Houston, Texas Oregon Health and Science University
Portland, Oregon
Marina Affi Koprowski, MD Alexander Schwartzman, MD, MBA, FACS
General Surgery Resident Vice Chair and Clinical Professor of Surgery
Department of Surgery Department of Surgery
Oregon Health and Science University College of Medicine
Portland, Oregon SUNY Downstate Health Sciences University
Brooklyn, New York
Jeffrey B. Matthews, MD, FACS
Dallas B. Phemister Professor David H. Song, MD, FACS
Chairman, Department of Surgery Professor and Chairman
Pritzker School of Medicine Department of Plastic Surgery
University of Chicago Georgetown University School of Medicine
Chicago, Illinois Washington, DC

Munier Nazzal, MD, MBA, FRCS, FACS, DFSVS Joseph Tobias, MD

Professor, Department of Surgery General Surgery Resident
Vice Chair, Research and Education Department of Surgery
Chief, Division of Vascular, Endovascular and Wound Surgery Oregon Health and Science University
University of Toledo College of Medicine Portland, Oregon
Toledo, Ohio
Samuel Torres Landa Fernandez, MD
General Surgery Resident
Junaid Nizamuddin, MD
Department of Surgery
Assistant Professor of Anesthesia and Critical Care
Oregon Health and Science University
Pritzker School of Medicine
Portland, Oregon
University of Chicago
Chicago, Illinois Kiran K. Turaga MD, MPH, FACS
Professor of Surgery
Michael O’Connor, MD Pritzker School of Medicine
Professor of Anesthesia and Critical Care University of Chicago
Pritzker School of Medicine Chicago, Illinois
University of Chicago
Chicago, Illinois David Warner, MD
General Surgery Resident
Raphael E. Pollock, MD, PhD, FACS Department of Surgery
Director, Ohio State University Oregon Health and Science University
Comprehensive Cancer Center Portland, Oregon
Kathleen Wellenreiter Klotz Chair in Cancer Research
Arthur G. James Cancer Hospital and Richard J. Solove Lye-Yeng Wong, MD
Research Institute General Surgery Resident
Professor, Division of Surgical Oncology, Department of Surgery Department of Surgery
Ohio State University College of Medicine Oregon Health and Science University
Columbus, Ohio Portland, Oregon

Ryan Randle, MD Sarah Wonn, MD

General Surgery Resident General Surgery Resident
Department of Surgery Department of Surgery
Oregon Health and Science University Oregon Health and Science University
Portland, Oregon Portland, Oregon

Brunicardi_FM_p00i-xii.indd 8 08/07/22 11:25 AM

 PREFACE

This 11th edition of Schwartz’s Principles of Surgery: ABSITE and Contributors of the primary book have updated the questions
Board Review marks a new milestone of excellence in surgical for each chapter since the last edition in an effort to continue to
education for the betterment of craft, quality of care, and the edification provide a high level of review on the most up-to-date information
of surgical students and colleagues alike. With 870 questions and techniques currently taught and employed in the operating
spanning the 54 updated chapters of this edition, including five new theater. We have maintained the proven format of providing the
chapters, Optimizing Perioperative Care: Enhanced Recovery and answer-bearing portion of the text immediately following the
Chinese Medicine, Understanding, Evaluating and Using Evidence question and answer as an efficient method for reinforcement and
for Surgical Practice, Ambulatory Surgery, Skills and Simulation, recall. The user may read the question followed by the answer as a
and Web-Based Education and Implications of Social Media, this is form of review, or by covering the right-hand column of the page,
the comprehensive companion text for reviewing and assessing the the user can complete the questions in a more authentic test format
information compiled in the main textbook and for preparation for and uncover the answers for review/scoring.
the American Board of Surgery In-Training Examination (ABSITE)
and Board Review.

ix

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 This page intentionally left blank

Brunicardi_FM_p00i-xii.indd 10 08/07/22 11:25 AM

 ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

To Jason Malley, Peter Boyle, Catherine Saggese, and all at McGraw We wish to thank Katie Elsbury for her dedication to the
Hill, we are thankful for the continued belief in and support for organization and editing of this book.
this book. F. Charles Brunicardi, MD, FACS

xi

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Brunicardi_FM_p00i-xii.indd 12 08/07/22 11:25 AM

 PART I
Basic Considerations

Brunicardi_Ch01_p001-006.indd 1 30/06/22 10:36 AM

Brunicardi_Ch01_p001-006.indd 2 30/06/22 10:36 AM
 CHAPTER 1
Leadership

1. The fundamental principles of leadership are: Answer: A

A. Vision and willingness Vision and willingness are the two fundamental principles of
B. Command and control leadership. Command and control is a colloquial term for the
C. Time management and mentoring previously predominant style of leadership in surgery based
D. Coaching, pacesetting, and democratic on fear and intimidation. Time management and mentorship
are key leadership skills. Coaching, pacesetting, and demo-
cratic are leadership styles. (See Schwartz 11th ed., p. 4.)

2. A senior resident and attending are performing a laparo- Answer: C

scopic cholecystectomy. The resident initially performs Leadership is a complex concept. Surgeons should strive to
the majority of the case following instruction from the adopt leadership qualities that provide the best outcomes for
attending. However, the resident informs the attending their patients based on the following fundamental principles:
that he feels uncertain whether he has truly obtained the vision, willingness, time management, conflict resolution,
critical view of safety. With the attending’s assistance, recruitment, and culture (see Table 1-1). (See Schwartz
the case was successfully completed. After the case, the 11th ed., p. 5.)
resident then asks the attending for a debrief of the case.
Which fundamental principle of leadership is being
demonstrated by the resident? TABLE 1-1 The fundamental principles of leadership
A. Conflict resolution Description and Application in the Field
B. Vision Leadership Skill of Medicine
C. Effective communication Vision The act of establishing tangible goals of care
D. Willingness to lead for patients on both a daily basis as well as for
long-term purposes.
Effective Establishing an open, respectful, and
communication nonjudgmental forum for communication
among different members of the health care
team and with the patient.
Willingness to Taking on full responsibility for the care of
lead patients and remaining ethical, professional,
and committed despite the especially
challenging rigors of joining the field of
surgery.
Willingness to A commitment to lifelong learning of the latest
learn scientific, medical, and surgical updates to
deliver optimized patient care.
Conflict The art of resolving conflicts in a peaceful and
resolution ethical manner in team settings.

Brunicardi_Ch01_p001-006.indd 3 30/06/22 10:36 AM

Discovering Diverse Content Through
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with fruit and flowers placed on a table, formed a sort of altar in
front of it. Round doorways, without doors, led to guest-rooms on
either side of this hall, and we were hospitably entertained in one
with tea and cakes. By permission of the Abbot, I returned next day
to make a sketch of this picturesque interior, and in this sketch the
doorway is shown, which is very characteristic of Szechwan
architecture. Many of the inns in this province have circular
doorways and windows. The Abbot came and talked with us very
politely, and on inquiry I learnt that a most beautiful painting of lotus
blossoms in black and white, which hung over the doorway, was by a
celebrated artist, and had been presented to the monastery by a
pious worshipper. The Abbot sat down and began discussing our
respective religions, which he said were exactly the same. While
agreeing as to their fundamental principle being the same, I felt
unable to discuss their differences, being somewhat inattentive, I
fear, owing to my endeavour to get on with the sketch as rapidly as
possible. Next the Abbot was sure we must be hungry, though we
had just been regaled with excellent sweets and tea, and, despite
our refusing it, he insisted on sending us some of the meal to which
he had been summoned. A monk soon appeared with bowls of
vermicelli and greens. It was not unpalatable, and much easier to
manage with chopsticks than might be supposed, as the bowl is held
close to the mouth and the food shovelled in with chopsticks aided
by suction. At intervals the novices came in to worship, and
prostrated themselves before the altar. Most of the monks were
dressed in pretty silver-grey robes, but some in the orthodox orange,
and the Abbot wore a blue cloak. It was certainly an attractive
community, a great contrast to those we saw in Peking.
Educationally Chengtu stands in the front rank of Chinese cities.
Everywhere there are schools and colleges established on the new
lines, and more are being built. The people are so enthusiastic that
they have rather overshot the mark, it may be thought. In order to
facilitate the girls’ going to school they are being dressed as boys, so
that they may pass through the streets unnoticed to attend the
various schools which have been started for them. One girl came to
a friend of mine to seek admission to her school, and not only did
the European take her for a boy (telling her the boys’ school was on
the other side of the road), but so also did the Chinese gatekeeper,
who insisted she had come to the wrong place. At the recent athletic
sports the students put up a notice that no lady with bound feet
would be admitted to the ground, and we hear that this notice is
now being put up everywhere throughout the empire on such
occasions. Anti-foot-binding is certainly making good progress
among the upper classes, and we even saw a shoe-shop with large
shoes for ladies prominently displayed on the counter. Nowhere else
have we seen this.
There is a large military medical college at which there are three
French doctors. Their presence is not altogether agreeable to the
Chinese, and when one retired recently the officials took the
opportunity of suggesting that he should not be replaced. They said
that they could not afford his salary. How great must have been their
disappointment when they were informed that their new professor
had already arrived, and that the French authorities were quite
willing to pay for him! Foreign competition in China has its funny
side, but I marvel at the way the Chinese endure it.
The University is an interesting but eminently unpicturesque
place, and the students are cramming Western subjects in a way to
cause intellectual dyspepsia. As everywhere in China, English is the
main subject, and they have a professor from Cambridge, with two
English assistants and a Dane. French, German, and Japanese are
also taught, and there is only one professor for Chinese classics.
Sunday is a holiday, and many students spend the week-end at
home. The walls of the class-rooms are nearly all window, but it is in
no ways disturbing to Chinese students to have any number of
spectators, or to be able to see into the adjoining class-rooms. Each
study is occupied by three or four students, and the studies are
simply partitioned corridors with a passage down the centre and a
railing on either side of it, instead of walls. The dining-rooms are like
outdoor restaurants with a roof over them, and the students sit four
at a table. The fees for the year, including everything, are thirty
dollars (about £3. 10s.). Many students are very anxious to study in
England, but cannot possibly raise the necessary funds; and until
proper arrangements are made to look after them when they do
come, it is hardly a desirable plan. America is far ahead of us in this
respect, and England would do well to follow her example.
Everything is in our favour at present, and it might be of the utmost
value as regards the development of China, and the commercial
interests of England, to seize the opportunity of educating some of
her ablest scholars. A Chinese gentleman told me that students
returning from England are very apt to be full of bumptiousness
because they have come out head of their class in English schools,
while they have failed to assimilate what they have learnt. We spent
an evening with some students, answering questions about the
different countries we had visited. They wanted to know about the
government, the religious and general conditions of other lands.
Naturally the questions covered far too big an area to admit of
satisfactory answers, but probably the men would have been willing
to listen all night, if we had been willing to go on talking. They were
most interested to hear the reasons why we admire China and the
points of superiority which it possessed.
MILITARY YAMEN
 On the last day of the year the Viceroy and the Tartar general
sent presents to all the foreign community. Their visiting-cards were
brought in, and a list of the presents which were waiting outside—
hams, pigeons, ducks, fruits, and sweetmeats. We went outside to
see them, and found the presents displayed on trays on the top of
large boxes, or hung round them. It is customary to select about two
things; visiting-cards are sent back with the remainder, and a small
present of money is given to the servants who bring the gifts. They
replace what has been selected from a supply inside the box, and
then carry them on to the next house. We went to see the Tartar
general’s yamen in the Manchu city, a very pretty spot embowered in
trees, and quite typical of Chinese official buildings. The inscription
over the entrance is “Yamen of the greatest General,” and on the
doors and walls are highly coloured pictures of the tutelary gods,
two celebrated generals of the T’Ang dynasty (a.d. 618 to 905); one
is white-faced, and the other red-faced. These pictures are repeated
all along the wall, and also on the doorways of the inner courtyard,
which in the sketch appears in the background. They are singularly
ugly, but as the pictures of the door-gods are seen on the houses of
all, even the poorest, the sketch of them may not be devoid of
interest. On private houses some of them are quite little papers like
advertisements, while again some of the private houses have large
gilt figures covering the whole doors. One day we went outside the
city to visit a fine temple, and came to a place where there is a road
on which you can drive in carriages. This is the only place in the
province where there is a carriage, but we did not have the privilege
of seeing it. The walls are broad enough and smooth enough on the
top to make a splendid carriage drive—four or five vehicles might
easily drive abreast—and as they are ten miles round, it would really
be a fine promenade. In the spring the view must be very beautiful,
for there is a range of snowy mountains in the distance, and many
branches of the Min River water the intervening plain. During the
whole week that we spent at Chengtu we never saw the mountains,
on account of the mist; but it was not hard to imagine the beauty of
the place when the flowers are out and the brilliant butterflies
hovering round them.
 We took part in an interesting event while we were staying here
—the purchase of land for a Christian university. Heavy bundles of
silver “tings” had to be weighed before the payment was settled.
Four different missionary societies have each agreed to build a
college and to provide a certain number of qualified teachers. It is
also proposed that Etonians should furnish a hostel. This university
scheme for the west seems likely to be the forerunner of one also in
the east of the empire, but the latter will be on more ambitious lines.
We were sorrier when the time came for us to leave Chengtu
than we were to resume our journey on any other occasion. We had
decided to go by river to Kiating, despite the fact that it was very
low; and as we left the city we came to the wall where the new
barracks are situated, and saw some soldiers doing the goose-step.
Others were jumping into a trench, where nearly every one landed
on all-fours. There was very great hesitation before they dared leap
at all. The city is enclosed by one of the branches of the river, and
we had not to go very far outside the wall before we reached the
point where our boat was moored.
 CHAPTER XVI
The Min River

W
E reached the riverside—it looked merely a stream—and
found our boat, with the luggage already aboard, looking
most unpromising, despite the efforts of our men. It was a
small river craft about eight feet broad. Bamboo matting not more
than five feet high formed our house-room, with a few planks for a
door in front. Fragments of matting made a partial screen in the
centre. The floor was of a rudimentary character, just a few boards
with large gaps between them, through which one could study the
depth of water over which our luggage was precariously poised on
low props. In order to prevent all our small things from dropping
through the floor, we spread over it our invaluable sheets of oil-
cotton (a kind of waterproof largely used everywhere in China), and
fastened up a curtain at each end of the tiny boat to secure a small
amount of privacy. There was just space for our two carrying-chairs
and our mattresses. One of the chairs we used as a wardrobe, and
the other as a store-cupboard. The bamboo chairs we had procured
at the penitentiary of Chengtu, despite the advice of our friends, as
we found sedan-chairs very irksome, and decided that open ones
would be more comfortable and enable us to see the country better.
With long fur coats and foot muffs we felt that we could brave the
cold, and there was always the resource of walking if we got too
chilly. We never for a moment regretted our decision, and we found
that the men carried the open chairs far better than the heavy
closed ones. We profited at once by the exchange, as they were able
to be used for going to Mount Omi, and we were carried some
distance up the mountain. Under the seat was a box in which we
could carry all our small things, and the coolies hung their coats,
hats, &c., on the back.
As our room was so small we sat mostly on the floor, so as to
have everything within reach without getting up. The cooking was a
somewhat difficult matter, as the brazier on which it was done was
only six inches in diameter, and rather apt to burn a hole in the floor
if it was heated sufficiently to do any cooking. We were glad of its
warmth, as the weather was very cold. Chopsticks were evidently
the correct fireirons, and are just the right size to match the
charcoal. With practice I got fairly expert at making palatable dishes,
as naturally the range of the menu was much limited. From this time
onward I did all the cooking, and I cannot help attributing to this
fact mainly the excellent health we enjoyed throughout the whole
journey.
It was on his way from Chang Te to Mount Omi that the
unfortunate Lieutenant Brooke was murdered by Lolos about a year
later than we were there. We were strongly warned about the care
requisite in dealing with Lolos, and told that it was imprudent even
to mention the name in public, as it is considered a term of
reproach. It was suggested that we should spell it if desirous of
speaking of them. Their country is marked on the maps as
“Independent Lolos,” and covers about 11,000 square miles: no
Chinaman dare penetrate into it without the safe-conduct of a Lolo.
Their speech, dress, customs, religion, and laws are entirely different
from those of the Chinese. No one has yet come into sufficiently
close contact with them to ascertain even approximately the number
of Lolo tribes in existence at the present time, speaking different
dialects. What was true at the time that Baber explored Western
Szechwan is equally true to-day—that practically nothing is known
about them. He gives a graphic description of the Lolos whom he
met, which I quote at length: “They are far taller than the Chinese;
taller probably than any European people. During the journey we
must have met hundreds of them, but we never saw one who could
be called, even from an English standard, short or undersized. They
are almost without exception remarkably straight-built, with thin
muscular limbs. Their chests are deep, as becomes mountaineers:
the speed and endurance with which they scale their native
mountains is a prodigy and a proverb for the Chinese. Their
handsome oval faces, of a reddish brown among those most
exposed to the weather, are furnished with large, level eyes,
prominent but not exaggerated cheekbones, an arched but rather
broad nose, an ordinary mouth, somewhat thin-lipped, and a pointed
and characteristic chin from which the beard has been plucked. The
same process has denuded the upper lip, which is of good
proportion. Their teeth are remarkably white and regular, a
preservation for which they account by asserting that they never eat
roast meat, but always boil their food. Perhaps the most marked
character of their faces is a curious tendency to wrinkles, especially
on the forehead, which is low, but broad and upright. The lowness
of the features may be merely an illusive appearance, since it is
overshadowed by a peculiar style of hairdressing. With very rare
exceptions the male Lolo, rich or poor, free or subject, may be
instantly known by his horn. All his hair is gathered into a knob over
his forehead, and then twisted up into a cotton cloth, so as to
resemble the horn of a unicorn. The horn with its wrapper is
sometimes a good nine inches long.” Baber mentions slave raids
made by the Lolos to capture Chinese children, whom they usually
bring up like their own children. They tattoo the slaves on the
forehead with a blue cross. Apparently it is to have a place of safety
in case of such raids that the Chinese have built towers like the one
I have sketched on the borders of Yünnan. Many of the customs of
the Lolos are peculiar and interesting, and the position of woman is
far above that enjoyed in China. The birth of a girl is more highly
esteemed than that of a boy, and a stranger introduced by a woman
Lolo has the best possible guarantee. Baber considered that a
European would be quite safe in Lololand if properly introduced and
of honest character. The most experienced and successful travellers
always seem to emphasise the importance of the latter fact.
We were escorted by two soldiers, as usual. Our progress was
far from rapid, as the river is extremely low at this season. For the
first two days we were generally able to see to the bottom, and
often we scraped the stones if we did not actually stick fast. The
men seemed to spend nearly as much time in the river, pushing and
pulling us, as on the boat. It was a picturesque and interesting
journey, as we continually came to the dams made for irrigation
purposes. We much regretted that we were unable to visit Kwan
Hsien (thirty-six miles north of Chengtu), where the system of
irrigation of the plain can be seen at its source. As we were short of
time, and also heard that we should not see much at this time of the
year, it did not seem worth while going there. The Min River flows
from the Min Hills, and just near Kwan Hsien a cutting was made in
order to divide it into two large branches. These again were
subdivided into many others, forming a network to irrigate the whole
of the plain in which Chengtu lies. This was done by an able
governor more than 200 years b.c., and the original system, which is
still in use to-day, has turned an unproductive plain into one of great
fertility. Naturally, there have been many improvements made in the
course of centuries, and dams and dikes have been erected to
regulate the flow of water. We were able to see quite a number of
these after leaving Chengtu, and to marvel at their simple and
successful construction. They are mostly made of bamboo crates,
filled with stones, and rising about three feet above water. These are
placed in long lines, and the temporary dike is made of sand. The
channels have to be cleaned regularly, and large sums have to be
spent on repairs. The farmers pay a tax of about ½d. an acre, and,
in order to get the money in regularly, they are compelled to pay
double if it is not paid before a certain date. For about a month
yearly the river below Chengtu is closed, and there is always a great
crowd of boats at that time, both above and below the dam, waiting
for the re-opening. The opening of a big dam, such as the “Frog’s
Chin,” is an imposing ceremony, preceded by a day of worship at the
temples and the inspection of dikes. All the officials attend, and
when the sluice is opened the runners of the officials lash the water,
and the women and the children throw stones in to make the water
run faster to irrigate the fields!
HOUSE ON MIN RIVER
 Throughout the plain there are many water-wheels to raise the
water to higher levels, and some also are apparently used for
grinding corn. At the close of our first day’s journey on the river
there was a great deal of loud talk when we halted for the night,
added to the tiresome beating of the drums by the night watchmen,
who patrol the towns and big villages all night long. It turned out
that a man had come to try and persuade our captain to undertake a
bigger job than ours. On being warned that the interpreter would
hear what he said, he remarked that it did not matter, as he would
not be able to understand the dialect. Mr. Ku, however, had studied
the dialect when he was at college, and thoroughly understood the
plan that was being devised. This was that we should slip down the
river in the middle of the night, while the escorts were away sleeping
at the inn. Then some story would be trumped up that the boat
could not take us any farther, and we should have been obliged to
find another one. Mr. Ku had the good sense to go ashore at once
and apply to the Yamen for a couple of soldiers to come and sleep
on board, so that there was no opportunity for the captain to
undertake the new job even if he had been willing to do so, and we
had no further trouble. Certainly, one could hardly be surprised if the
captain wished to make a little more money, for he receives about
6s. for a trip which lasts four days, and out of this money he has to
pay and feed two other men besides feeding our two. We hear that
a man can live (without starving) on a penny a day for food, and the
regular allowance of soldiers is only 2d. per day.
We passed many picturesque villages, some built in lath and
plaster, which, at a little distance, might almost have been taken for
Cheshire villages, if it were not for the beautiful blue figures flitting
about; for blue is the universal colour of the clothing here. We were
much interested to see a large number of fishing cormorants at one
place; but unfortunately they were not at work. Very light rafts are
used for this purpose, turned up at one end, as in the sketch. We
also twice saw otters used for the same purpose. The Chinese
declared to us that the otter brings the fish up in its paws, and not
in its mouth; but they always invent an answer so glibly to your
question, whether they know the answer or not, that I should
certainly not believe the above without further corroboration. We
were surprised to see in one place that the cormorants (after diving)
were fished up to the surface in baskets very much the same shape
as the birds, and evidently made for the purpose.
OTTER FISHING ON MIN RIVER
 About forty miles below Chengtu, the two main branches of the
river unite and form something more worthy of the name of river.
The branch which flows through Chengtu is called the “Walking
Horse River” at its division from the main current—a very dangerous
spot for navigation, and one where there are constant disasters. It is
said that the rafts generally carry coffins with them in consequence;
and certainly the number of those carrying coffins which passed us
going upstream gives colour to the story. It was curious to see the
boats being towed along by men walking beside them in the water
harnessed as trackers. Lower down, the river becomes deeper, and
some of the rapids look very pretty, as the water is a bluish-green
colour and the rocks are red sandstone. Sometimes the road from
the riverside leads up precipitous hills by long stone staircases. The
reflections of the common blue clothes of the people, as seen in the
river, are an exquisite turquoise colour. The scenery becomes
increasingly beautiful as one proceeds down the river. Our escort
was changed daily, and one man brought a fowling-piece on board
with which to beguile the time. He tried to shoot the wild ducks,
which are the size and colour of our tame ones, but he had not the
smallest success. We were interested to see the loading of the
weapon, which had a piece of smouldering rope finally thrust down
the barrel, preparatory to its being fired off. The gun had to be
balanced on a bundle of sticks while careful aim was taken at a very
near bird sitting quite still. Even then, the bird was in no danger, so
far as we could see, but ineffectual attempts to shoot kept the man
busy all day. The soldier wore a silver ring, of which he was
extremely proud. This had to be entrusted to the other soldier each
time that he fired his weapon. Part of the way we had police
boatmen, who spent some time in rowing, and were of material
assistance to us; but unfortunately this was only a rare occurrence.
Kiating was the first large town we reached, and here we left the
boat in order to make our expedition to Mount Omi.
 CHAPTER XVII
Mount Omi

W
E reached Kiating in the morning, and set to work at once
on our preparations for the next day. The people there
considered us very extraordinary for wishing to make the
ascent at such an unusual time of year, and told us that it would be
worse than useless, for we should certainly see nothing at all from
the top. They pointed out how arduous an ascent it would be, as the
snow would make climbing extremely difficult. The weather had
been cloudy for some time, and we were in the land of mists, but
nothing would deter us from our intention. We had read
discouraging accounts of other travellers who had been up there,
and it certainly sounded as if we should find the ascent beyond our
strength, but we determined, at all events, to try. We arranged to
take as little luggage as possible, but it was necessary to take food
for six days, as on the sacred mountain there are no inns. There are
plenty of monasteries, which give you reasonable accommodation,
but it was quite unlikely we should get food there. The first day we
travelled across the plain some twenty miles to the foot of the
mountain. The scenery was pretty, but nothing remarkable was to be
seen at this time of the year. One of the principal objects of interest
is the white wax tree, a sort of ash, called by the Chinese “Pai-la-
Shu.” The white wax insects are bred in the celebrated valley of the
Chien-ch’ang, some 200 miles away among the mountains. When
they reach the right stage of development they are put in paper
boxes, in bamboo trays, and brought to the plain of Kiating by the
swiftest runners. These men only travel by night, as it is essential
that the process of development should not proceed too rapidly. The
boxes have to be opened every day and ventilated, and the men
secure the best rooms in the inns, so that other travellers have much
to suffer if they are on the road at the same time. Finally, the
education of the grub is finished in the plain round Kiating.

POLICE BOATMAN: MIN RIVER SIGNBOARD OF INN

We crossed a large river, and cliffs were pointed out to us

containing caves called Man-tsi dwellings, and we were told that
they were formerly inhabited by aborigines of that name. The banks
of the Min River are honeycombed with them, and it is only quite
recently that this Chinese tradition has been called in question. A
resident in that district, who was interested in the pottery mounds
left by the Man-tsi when they were driven farther west by the
Chinese during the Han dynasty (200 b.c.-200 a.d.), was told of the
existence of an earthenware coffin. He went to see it, and further
investigation proved that such coffins were to be found habitually in
the caves, together with fragments of household implements. He
found also drawings of architectural columns and figures of winged
gods and winged animals carved on the rock, of a totally different
character from anything Chinese. The caves differ very much in size,
varying from small ones, ten feet deep by seven broad and seven
high, to large ones, a hundred feet in depth and eight or ten feet
broad and seven or more high. Some of the larger ones have side
compartments. Sometimes large simple caves are to be found some
thirty or forty feet square, and they are supported by pillars of rock,
with well-chiselled chapiters and ornamental masonry above them.
These caves have all the same kind of doorways, but they vary
considerably in fineness of design and execution. Some of the lintels
and sides are well carved. The entrances have been built up, and
sometimes so skilfully filled in with earth that all external traces of
them are obliterated.
As may be supposed, a large number of these caves have been
broken into by the Chinese and rifled of their contents. In a cave
opened at Penshau in 1908, two skeletons were found lying on
either side of the entrance, one with a long sword lying beside it,
and the other with a short sword. There were small images in niches
at the upper end of the cave, and a large jar full of cash, besides
many household dishes. As this was evidently the burying-place of a
poor family, there were no earthenware coffins; but in a similar one,
evidently belonging to a rich family, the corpses were all in
earthenware coffins, the material of which was the same as that
now used in the district for making tiles for the houses. In this cave
there were a number of birds and domestic animals in burnt clay, a
variety of crockery, and various traces of its former wealth, but it
had evidently been robbed of such things as the brass basins and
cash which are found in these wealthier tombs. The writer of the
article in the North China Herald (Dec. 26, 1908), from whose
account I have made this brief summary, goes on to say that the
coffins are made in two pieces, the main body and the lid. He
investigated a large number of these caves, which are being
ruthlessly destroyed by the natives, who have no idea of the value of
what they find in them, and will sell such things as swords for a few
pence to be used as old iron. Stone coffins are also not uncommon
in them. The caves were evidently closed about the beginning of the
Christian era, when the Man-tsi were still living on the banks of the
Min River. It is to be hoped that some capable archæologist will soon
take up the study of these caves before it is too late, as evidently
there is much to be learnt with regard to the history of the Chinese
as well as of the Man-tsi in that district.
Marco Polo, in referring to the Man-tsi district, mentions the
widespread culture of cinnamon, and what we procured in Chengtu
was certainly the most delicious we had ever tasted.
Rain began to fall as we neared the town of Omi, and we found
there was no chance of our getting farther that night. Fresh coolies
had to be engaged the next day, as it requires experienced men for
going up the mountain. The usual method of being carried is to sit
on a wooden perch attached to the shoulders of the coolies. A young
American whom we met had been carried up to the top in this way.
At one point the coolie stopped on the edge of a precipice to take a
little rest, and suddenly stooped down, so that the American hung
over the abyss. On his uttering a remonstrance, the coolie remarked
quite unconcernedly, “Have no fear; I am only picking up a pebble
with my toes.” He was standing on one leg!
MOUNT OMI BRIDGE
 We arranged to start at our usual hour, 6.30; but we waited for a
long time in vain. A few coolies came and fussed round the luggage,
but while the others were being brought they disappeared, so that
we began to fear we should never do our stage. A great deal of
scolding and losing of one’s temper (no simulation in the present
case, though that is often necessary in China in order to make the
coolies start) had to be gone through before we started. At last we
got off at 8 o’clock, with the understanding that the coolies were to
get us as far as Wan Yen Sz that day, for we had been told that we
must be sure to go to that place and stop at a comfortable
monastery. There are seventy monasteries on the mountain; some
of them very large, but others small and ill-kept. As soon as we left
the plain the scenery became more and more beautiful. At the foot
of it magnificent banyans and groups of sacred cedars formed a fine
contrast to the slender trunks of the other trees. Then we came to a
charming crystal stream, shaded by arching bamboos. The path was
so narrow that whenever we met any one, they had to stride across
the stream to let us pass, or they would scuttle away (if they were
women) to some spot where there was room to stand, for the chair-
bearers never pause or give way to other passengers; they simply
ignore their being there and walk straight into them. Maidenhair and
every kind of lovely fern was reflected in the green water. As we
went up the valley the path led perilously round lofty rocks; once my
chair stuck fast, unable to be moved either way, with the horrible
precipice yawning below. My bearers yelled (from anger, not fear, I
think), and one of the soldiers happily came to the rescue, for I
cannot think what would have happened otherwise. Another time
one of the front coolies fell flat coming down a flight of steps, so
that on the whole we found that part of the journey very anxious
work, both going up and coming down. We soon abandoned our
chairs and began walking up endless flights of steps. We crossed an
interesting little bridge ornamented with a dragon facing up the
stream, whose tail projected from the farther side of the bridge, as
in the sketch. These dragons are a favourite ornament of bridges in
this province, and are there not merely for ornament but also to
ward off the evil spirits. That is why they always face up the stream.
The person crossing the bridge is a typical Szechwan woman.
We reached Wan Yen Sz much earlier than we expected. The
bronze elephant in the temple there is considered very interesting,
but it is certainly not ornamental. It is said to have come from India,
and how it was conveyed thence nobody can explain. It had been
damaged by fire, and there was a large hole in the under side, so a
shrine had been made there, and two little Buddhas put in it, with
incense in front. The tail was also extremely defective, so bits of
incense like hairs had been stuck at the end of it. The Chinese really
have no sense of the ludicrous in such matters, though they have a
keen sense of humour, and one is constantly tempted to laugh in the
temples. Happily, they do not mind this at all, and would not think
that we were showing any lack of reverence. In the adjoining temple
the monks were chanting, while two or three of them kept up a
continuous beating on the Buddha fish and other gongs, as seen in
the sketch. In front of the Buddha, and almost concealing him, was
a large stone monument put up by an Indian prince. Near here we
were shown a piece of stone which was said to be the Buddha’s
tooth. It weighed several pounds, and is much venerated by
pilgrims.
We provided ourselves with stout pilgrim staves, which we found
of the utmost value on both our up ward and downward journeys.
They have quaintly carved dragons or tigers at the top, with a loose
wooden pea which rattles in their mouths. These sticks cost from a
penny to 2½d., and after the pilgrimage has been performed it is
the correct thing to have them painted red and black and gold. The
tiger is the mountain god who was worshipped long before the
existence of the Buddha, and whose shrines are still to be seen all
the way up the mountain, with incense burning before them.
BUDDHIST MONK, CHANTING

TIGER SHRINE
 It was interesting to find on Mount Omi the two great Chinese
symbols of power, the dragon and the tiger. As Laurence Binyon puts
it: “In the superstitions of literal minds the Dragon was the genius of
the element of water, producing clouds and mists; the Tiger the
genius of the Mountains, whose roaring is heard in the wind that
shakes the forest. But in the imagination of poets and of artists
these symbols became charged with spiritual meanings, meanings
which we should regard as fluid rather than fixed, and of imports
varying with the dominant conceptions of particular epochs. In the
Dragon is made visible the power of the spirit, the power of the
infinite, the power of change; in the Tiger the power of material
forces.”
It is worthy of note that the Buddhists selected mountains
already sacred, where they might establish themselves and form
Buddhist sanctuaries. They tolerated the gods in possession, so that
they still continue to be worshipped simultaneously with the Buddha.
The mixing up of religions is seen everywhere in China, but nowhere
did we notice it so grotesquely carried out as here. We counted no
fewer than twelve tiger shrines on the way up the mountain, many
of them with vivacious beasts half out of their shrines, as if they
were tired of their rôle and were meditating a raid on their
worshippers. In the evening the Abbot had prepared a feast for us,
but we declined it, so he sent in a tray of nuts and sweets instead.
The following morning we set off betimes on foot, and very soon
the coolies left the carrying-poles behind, and were obliged to carry
our chairs on their backs. Soon the steps became almost continuous
and increasingly slippery. The longest flight was over 1200 steps,
and as the steps sloped downwards and were covered with ice the
ascent was most fatiguing and toilsome. The day was grey and
cloudy, but the shifting mists revealed crags and abysses, and all
along our path there was a wealth of lovely shrubs—camellias,
rhododendrons, bamboos, and ferns. The frost had coated
everything, and the leaves were reproduced in ice, looking exactly
like clear glass; sprays of dead blossom, tall grasses, delicate ferns,
everything was duplicated in ice, and the slight thaw early in the day
detached this ice from the vegetation. We were sorry not to see in
full beauty the flowers and ferns for which Mount Omi is justly
celebrated, but it would have been impossible to conceive anything
lovelier than what we did see.
Our midday halt at a monastery was provokingly long, as the
men’s food had to be cooked, so that we did not start for a couple of
hours. The sight of fowls here was a pleasant surprise to us, as the
Buddhists obviously could have no use for them and our larder
needed replenishing. We secured some eggs, and asked for a fowl
also. When we came to pay for it, however, the monks said that they
did not sell anything. If we liked to put our names down on their
subscription list (which a monk forthwith produced) for the
restoration of the monastery, we should be welcome to a fowl as a
gift, not otherwise. We set out again, and found our way grow more
and more precipitous and slippery. We met Tibetan pilgrims, a wild
and fierce-looking company, toiling painfully upwards like ourselves,
or slithering down. All these are welcomed and entertained in the
monasteries. Our soldier escort was evidently very much afraid of
them, and had a great deal to say of their evil doings, warning us to
keep close together and close to himself. As I approached a group of
pilgrims in one of the monasteries, in order to watch a man blowing
up his fire with a goatskin bellows, one of them scowled at me and
waved me away, as if he feared our sharing his thieving propensities.
This is the season for Tibetan pilgrims, and many of them had
travelled far, bringing their beasts of burden with them. The Chinese
pilgrims come in the spring, and there was a big pilgrimage ten
years ago—so a monk told us. The air grew intensely cold and
dense, and, as twilight fell, our men urged us to halt about two
miles short of the summit, where there was a good monastery. To
this we willingly agreed, the more so as my breathing had grown
extremely difficult, and I was beginning to feel at the end of my
strength. Our lofty room was clean and well built, and the ten beds
around it all stood empty. Soon a large glowing brazier was brought
in, and we were thankful not only to get warm, but also to dry our
clothes, which were heavy with mist.
 Mount Omi is 11,000 feet high, and Kiating is only 1200, so we
had come into a wholly different temperature, and when we woke in
the morning it was to find everything frozen hard—sponges like
boards, oranges as hard as bullets, and the water in my sketching-
bottle a lump of ice. But the sun was shining brilliantly, and the
mountain-top was a dazzling vision of loveliness emerging from a
vast ocean of clouds. It took us about an hour to arrive at the
summit, and the priest told us that as the sun shone we were
evidently good people. This was highly satisfactory, as so many
people thought us fools for attempting the ascent at this time of
year, telling us of all the people who had toiled to the top and seen
nothing. We anxiously inquired at what time of day we could see
“Buddha’s Glory,” a sort of Brocken spectre which is rarely seen by
travellers, and which we were told could not be seen at all at this
time of year. Standing on the edge of the summit, you look down a
precipice of more than a mile, and we could only feast our eyes on
the ever-changing scene, the clouds looking as if they were boiling
up from some hidden caldron, now concealing, now revealing the
peaks of distant mountains. On a clear day the far-distant snowy
peaks of Tibet are visible, and the glorious fertile plain out of which
the limestone peak of Mount Omi rises.
SUMMIT OF MOUNT OMI
 I established myself in a sunny nook under the temple eaves,
and sent for hot water with which to sketch the neighbouring crag of
the “10,000 Buddhas.” After lunch I sketched the interior of the
Buddha shrine with all its gaudy, squalid trappings, a harmony in
reds. I was amazed to see the brevity of the worshippers’ prayers;
owing, I think, to their fear of my introducing them into the sketch.
The three figures of the Buddha were behind a large red curtain, in
which were openings through which they could be dimly discerned.
We went back to our former quarters for the night, but had very
little rest, as the coolies went in for a night of revelry, in which we
felt sure the monks shared, although our suggestion to that effect
next day was vehemently repudiated. The descent of the mountain
we found extremely arduous, despite our being shod with straw
sandals and having the support of our pilgrim sticks; it was
dreadfully slippery, and for six and a half hours we toiled steadily
down flights of steps, or glissaded down them on our backs. We
calculated the distance as not much less than twelve miles. The
stiffness produced was not quite so bad as I had anticipated, but it
makes you feel extremely foolish to have to watch each step you
take in order to be sure that your feet are obeying your bidding.
Then you see the coolies pick up the chairs and carry you for
another three hours after you are dead beat as if they had done
nothing. We spent the night at a clean new inn about three miles
from the town of Omi, and for the first time we occupied an upstairs
bedroom in a Chinese house. After this occasion we always used to
try and secure one, but our stiffness then made it extremely painful
to get up the steep staircase. It was like mounting into a loft, and
was a very pleasant variety from any inn we had yet encountered.
The following morning we made an early start, so as to have a
little time in Kiating to collect our belongings and go on board a boat
to take us to Sui Fu. Our temper was sorely tried by the delay of our
men and the changing of some of them at Omi Hsien, which delayed
us about an hour. By dint of offering extra pay, however, we made
up some time, and came upon an interesting sight to beguile us on
the way—namely, cormorants and an otter fishing. When we got to
the Tong River—the third river that we saw at the base of the
mountain—we were rowed down to Kiating, a distance of some four
miles. We were curious to see what the coolies would pay for the
boat journey, as they had arranged the matter. For the four chairs
and the eighteen people, the whole cost was thirty cash—namely,
three farthings. We got back to Kiating soon after four o’clock, and
found that our friends had kindly got everything ready for our
departure. The thought of two quiet days on the boat was not
unacceptable after a somewhat laborious but entirely satisfactory
trip up Mount Omi, and it was many days before we recovered from
our stiffness. Owing to mist, we did not see the impressive view of
Mount Omi as it rises from the plain.
 CHAPTER XVIII
From Szechwan into Yünnan

T
HE boat in which we continued our journey down the Min
River was rather larger than the one we had previously, but
still we could not stand upright in it. It is not always easy to
get just what you want in the way of boats, especially at this time of
year; but it was not a long journey, although our men took about
four times as long as they ought to have done, and it was only by
offering extra payment that we managed to do it in two days. We
had one piece of good luck on the way. Our kind friends at Chengtu,
when replenishing our stores, had lamented the non-arrival of a
large case of biscuits sent out by friends in England, mentioning the
name of the firm from which they were coming. As we neared Sui Fu
we were watching divers getting up cases which had evidently been
shipwrecked, and conspicuous amongst them was a large case
bearing the name referred to. On arrival at Sui Fu we reported this
at the mission station where we stayed, and learnt that they had
heard of the wreck and sent to inquire whether the case had been
got up. Shortly afterwards their messenger returned, saying that it
could not be found. Our information being explicit, we described
exactly the spot where we had seen the wreck, a few miles above
the town; the man was sent again and told that he must bring the
case, as we had seen for ourselves that it had been got up. This
time he returned in triumph with it. Probably the divers thought that
they would get a better price by selling the contents, and if we had
not seen it our friends would not have seen it either.
The town of Sui Fu is most charmingly situated, lying at the
junction of the Yangtze and the Min rivers, and is enclosed in a fork
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