Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1912-11-14
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radiate an ihterminabIe series Of birch and fir
clad gules. The Tao river sharply divides this
type of country from the low, bare, cultivated
slopes where Taochow lies From the summit of
the pass drops down between narrow grass
covered Corries to the little town-if such it can
be called-of ChOni within few hundred yards
OF the river. Incidentally, one passes from
lackadaisical inert China into atmosphere of
border feuds, medieval raids pine-covered snow
capped peaks and a wild race of HighIanders.
It is a quaint little place. like pigeons nest in
a cluster of red cliffs, dominated by a lamaserat
containing six hundred monks, as dirty and evil
looking most Of their tribe The capital Of
the Prince of Choni it is the only town within
his dOminiOns, which extend over district half
as large as Scotland. A halfcaste Thibetan. aged
twenty-three, he furnishes a very pretty parallel
TO RehOboam. His predecessor, who was the
eighteenth of his line a popular and wise old
ruler adopted him. The prince his death,
turned away the old men who had hitherto helped
to govern the forty-eight wild tribes who owned
allegiance to their master and substituted his own
friends, spending his nights with them in gam
bling. opium-smoking and other forms of dissipa-
ton. He is dependent China and under the
authority of the county official who in turn is
under the provincial governor. who again, is
subject to the viceTOy of Shensi and Kansu. This
parsonage resides at LanchOw. When we arrived
at the capital, the prince and about two hundred
men Che pays no tribute to China but must sup
ply two thousand irregular cavalry if called
uponl were away in the hills fighting the Te-pu
a wild aboriginal tribe who infest the country to
the south of the Minshan mountains These in
teresting people are divided into fourteen clans
and are much dreaded by the Chinese who only
venture through their country once year They
then organize a big caravan of merchants with
guards and get through quickly possible
The T'e-pu are very hostile to strangers, and it
would probably be as much as ones possessions
were worth to venture into their territory alone.
A clan protects its friends and the friends of
its chief but not the friends of another clan who
are looked on as legitimate prey. When they
hold a stranger in great affection and reverence.
they have a custom of regarding him their
adopted father, AS Illustration of their char
acter the prime minister of the late Prince of
Choni being adopted as, father by about forty
Te-pu went alone among them to retrieve the
grandchildren of \ Christian convert whom they
had kidnapped All the kings horses and all the
kings men were powerless; but this one man,
because he was their friend, safely entered their
country and returned with the children. They are
not agricuIturists, but live chiefly by barter, and
come into ChOni occasionally for provisions.
saw number of them later on, including lama
who performed a monotonoUs and somewhat
senseless dance for our edifCation. At times
they dash down in a sudden raid, as the Chon-
Ians are watering their horses and livestock at
the river and whiri them away into the hills be-