![Transcription Center logo](/themes/custom/tc_theme/assets/image/logo.png)
This transcription has been completed. Contact us with corrections.
- 5 - The altitude at Uin Gin Shien is approximately 2500 feet, and here at Huang Li Pu it is approximately 3800 feet. We secured a fairly good catch of night moths. July 16. The journey today was a long, hard one and through the most dangerous territory we have encountered this trip. But the air was cool, there was cool, clean, pure mountain water to drink, there was wonderful scenery to see, and there were wild strawberries, red and black raspberries, and a very large yellow berry that I liked best of all. One would just about fill your mouth, and I preferred the taste to that of the other berries, even strawberries. They grew between the altitudes 6000 to 8500 feet, and in a moist district with plenty of rainfall. I have kept some seeds and am sending them in hoping that someone in the agricultural department who is a specialist in botany will plant the seeds and enrich the tables of civilized people by domesticating this plant. It generally grows in with other wild bushes. We crossed the most dangerous pass in this trip. This morning there was a band of robbers operating there. But this afternoon they had gone away, probably knowing that my ten soldiers were coming. The soldiers were excited and even thought they saw the robbers, but I think they were mistaken. Altitude of Da Shiang Lin Pass 9400 feet. Altitude of Chin Chi Shien 6100 feet. We secured a fine catch of insects and nine birds. July 17. Today was extremely hot. We travelled 80 li to Fu^[[4]] Lin^[[2]] where the barometer registers 3400 feet. The wind blew much of the time so hard that insects kept very quiet. This side of the Da Shiang Lin pass is naturally semi-arid in the lowest altitudes. Just now it is so dry that many of the crops are already dead. Even the leaves are dropping off the trees. Famine is certain here this winter. West of the Da Shiang Lin pass the shrubbery is more thorny than on the east side where there is a heavier rainfall. Today I met a number of friends. Several of them have rendered a great deal of help in handling knotty problems. One is a Lolo Christian, one is the Fu Lin postmaster. July 18. A Chinese who passed us today said that on the Da Shiang Lin pass the robbers were there just before our arrival and got out of our way, but returned as soon as we had gone down the mountain, and robbed others. Today we crossed the river in ferry boats. The Yamen officers delayed us three whole hours in doing what could have been done in ten minutes, so we have not made a full stage. We are getting out of the semi-arid region. We are in a town called Ho^[[2]] Lan^[[2]] Tean.^[[4]] Tomorrow we will try to make up what we lost today.