s.

It is amusing and often irritating to see the cavalier way in which these
men treat other caravans or the peasants along the road. Waving their arms
and shouting oaths they shoo horses, mules or chairs out of the way
regardless of the confusion into which the approaching caravan may be
thrown. They must also be closely watched for they are none too honest and
are prone to rely upon the moral support of foreigners to take whatever
they wish without the formality of payment.

We were especially careful to respect the property on which we camped and
to be just in all our dealings with the natives, but it was sometimes
difficult to prevent the _mafus_ or soldiers from tearing down fences for
firewood or committing similar depredations. Wherever such acts were
discovered we made suitable payment and punished the offenders by deducting
a part of their wages. Foreigners cannot respect too carefully the rights
of the peasants, for upon their conduct rests the reception which will be
accorded to all others who follow in their footsteps.

CHAPTER XI

TA-LI FU

On Friday, September 23, we were at Chou Chou and camped in a picturesque
little temple on the outskirts of the town. As the last stage was only six
hours we spent half the morning in taking moving pictures of the caravan
and left for Ta-li at eleven-thirty after an early _tiffin_.

About two o'clock in the afternoon we reached Hsia-kuan, a large commercial
town at the lower end of the lake. Its population largely consists of
merchants and it is by all means the most important business place of
interior Yuen-nan; Ta-li, eight miles away, is the residence and official
city.

At Hsia-kuan we called upon the salt commissioner, Mr. Lui, to whom Mr.
Bode, the salt inspector at Yuen-nan Fu, had very kindly telegraphed money
for my account, and after the usual tea and cigarettes we went on to Ta-li
Fu over a perfectly level paved road, which was so slippery that it was
well-nigh impossible for either horse or man to move over it faster than a
walk.

This was the hottest day of our experience in Northern Yuen-nan, the
thermometer registering 85 deg.+ in the shade, which is the usual mid-summer
temperature, but the moment the sun dropped behind the mountains it was
cool enough for one to enjoy a fire. Even in the winter it is never very
cold and its delightful summer should make Northern Yuen-nan a wonderful
health resort for the residents of fever-stricken Burm