t-a-pat; but when
they heard from him how well we treated him, and that we were no
friends to the Rebels, they said 'Poussa' ('that's Buddha's doing' or
'thank God').

[Sidenote: Sand storm.]

_November 28th.--Eleven A.M._--The morning began as usual: calm, fair,
and hazy. At about nine it began to blow, and gradually rose to a
gale, causing our river ripple to mimic ocean waves, and the dust and
sand to fly before us in clouds, obscuring earth and sky. About ten we
approached a mountain range, which had been for some time looming on
the horizon. We found we had to pass through a channel of about a
quarter of a mile wide; on our left, a series of barren hills, bold
and majestic-looking in the mist; on the right, a solitary rock,
steep, conical-shaped, and about 300 feet high. On the side of it a
Buddhist temple, perched like a nest. The hills on the left were
crowned by walls and fortifications built some time ago by the Rebels,
and running over them in all manner of zigzag and fantastic
directions. I have seldom seen a more striking bit of scenery. When we
had passed through we found more hills, with intervals of plains, in
one of which lay the district city of Tongtze, enclosed by walls which
run along the top of the hills surrounding it. The inhabitants crowded
to the shore to witness the strange apparition of foreign vessels.

[Sidenote: The 'Hen Barrier.']

I mentioned a rocky passage through which we passed on the morning of
the 26th. Ellis, in his account of Lord Amherst's Embassy, speaks of
it as a place of great difficulty. A series of rocks like stepping-
stones run over a great part, and the passage is obtained by sticking
close to the left bank. Our pilot tells us that it is named the 'Hen
Barrier,' and for the following reason: Once on a time, there dwelt on
the right bank an evil spirit, in the guise of a rock, shaped like a
hen. This evil spirit coveted some of the good land on the opposite
side, and proceeded to cross, blocking up the stream on her way. The
good spirits, in consternation, applied to a bonze, who, after some
reflection, bethought himself of a plan for arresting the mischief. He
set to work to crow like a cock. The hen rock, supposing that it was
the voice of her mate, turned round to look. The spell was instantly
broken. She dropped into the stream, an