The Mitchell capital. (Mitchell, Dakota [S.D.]) 1879-1918, 1911-07-13
ids OF which fastened by ropes are

two OtaCr poles one IN mont ana one
behind. 1t,sc two short poles are
bern en- TIE shoulders OF four men
step Of the men gives Il swaying mo-
ton which to some is very trouble
some but which | rather enjoyed. AT
intervals Of a few RODS the men
would halt with a signal from II
of them and the short poles were
rested on sticks while all changed
poles to the other shoulders.
Would that | could picture to you
the novel and delightful sensation
as we started off across those folds.
One Of the party remarked she felt
like a princess riding in state with
her four bearers. There was no
road but we followed a donkey trail
over a very rocky, hilly country. Tho
day was perfect. the scenery beauti-
ful. The mountains were very near,
presenting to us their marvellous
panorama of exquisite color and
form. The rocky stretches gave place
to green fields. We passed through
narrow streets of little villages
which were especially attractive with
their walls and houses built entirely
of rough stone with a clay colored
cement. Here the people would come
out to see us many children waving
their hands as we passed. On we
went up hill and down until we came
to great five archer Peilo OF beau?
tiful carved marble. Here at the en-
trance of the great tomb valley we
halted TO rest. AS we looked about
us still miles away we could sec
bits OF color marking the places oil
the tombs against the semiciroular
hillsides for nature has here provi :
ed a valley protected on three sides
by mountains for the thirteen tomts
OF the Ming Emperors.
AS we leave the Peilo we pass down
an enu five miles long. We halt
at a tower containing an immense
tablet or shaft of marble on the back
OF a huge turtle. On the tablet are
carved praises of the Ming Emperors.
We learn too that the turtle is SYM
bolical of the Ming dynasty. AT the
four n of this tower are cary
ed pillars with winged figures at the
top. AS we proceed we next come to
the giant figures of elephants, cam
els. horses and mythical animals al
ranged on either side the roadway,
then follow the figures of warriors,
mandarins, and priests. These are
nine feet high and cut from a single
block OF marble.
Having passed down this avenue
and across dried river beds where the
bridge no longer needed are fallen
to ruins we come at last to the great
peror who in 1868 transferred tie
capital from Nanking to Pekin.
There is al immense entrance hall
opening into an inner enclosure, a
temple for the worship of TIE cnG-
perors tablet, shrines for OFFERINGS
and then we pass through a long tun-
mel like passage up into another
large structure. In the upper part
is a large monument bat back Of ali
this is a great mound or hill away
down in the interior of which is bur
led the emperor with his wives and
attendants. Unearthed tombs have
proven that these tombs are provid-
ed with many rooms, deliberately
furnished that the spirit may have
the, greatest comfort in their new
abodes. Beautiful groves surround
this resting place and the great
mountains look down in solemn gran
deur.
We VISIT one of the smaller tombs
just as attractive with it's Chinese
Architecture grown old with tho
trees surrounding it until the brok-
en- grass grown roofs seem to vic
with the gnarley old trees to teach
us that these things belong to the
past. Here too. are the temple
monument and the mound.
But we leave al, this and pass out
of this quiet valley for IL long r;dc
day when all the world is most bean-
tiful. 1t is hard to say what we
have enjoyed most, but I feel | shall!
longest remember the beautiful
country, so keen was our enjoymen!
of it all we said us we saw Nankon
in sight we wished it were tarthrr
away.
At the little hotel in Nankou we
found a good dinner and rest for tie
night. We rose at five, breakfasted
and started for the Great Wall ut
six thirty on a freight train. FortG-
nately there vas a rear platform Il
they backed the train up the valley,
SO those of us who could find stand
ing room on the observation car"
had a splendid view. AS we passed
along we saw the trains OF camels
going up and down the pass with
their burdens as they have done for
hundreds of years. We wound in
and out among the hills, sometimes
going around sometimes going
through but always climbing high
er until we come to the little STATEN
of Ching Lung Chao where the rail
road the herald Of western ci"ili2a-
tion cuts the great wall OF China.
The wall which for over two thou
sand years has helped to separate
china from the world. We lcok up
and see this great wall with its many
towers climbing these great hills
and We learn it is 400 miles long
and we marvel that two hundred
years before Christ there lived a ma
ton so far developed as to accom-
plish this feat. We climb the hills
we go up the wall from tower to