The Denison review. [volume] (Denison, Iowa) 1867-current, 1913-07-30
Dukes did they submit to the author.
| itv Of the masters

patriarch.
1t was almost time for the MONDAY
meal. In fact the many tables in the
foreground were already filled by the
hungry devOtees. We We're asked to
dine with them. Two things COM
PEELED us to graciously decline. One,
the uncertainty of the coming Of our
boat; the other, the uncertainty of the
food produced. Finding we would
not stay for the regular meal, the
old prophet invited us into his pri-
vate dining room and ordered tea
and peanuts. When asked, do you
worship the sun, moon and stars?'
the face Of the old man beamed as he
answered in the affirmative. He hast
books that told the story of his devO-
ton. We ventured to ask the privi-
lege Of taking his picture and at once
he consented. A table was placed in
the center of the main open room and
on it the smoking incense jar. Then
came a surprise. The old prophet
seated himself the smile left his
countenance, he closed his eyes tight
| ly as though trying to exclude all pos
sible light, and thus he remained I'M
til told that it was all over Then his
eyes opened, the smile returned and
he showed every evidence Of being
greatly pleased ito be snapped"
Back of the monastery the tea plans
grew tier upon tier. In front We're
! laid out vegetable gardens and rice
paddles, while over all lofty peak
| its faithful vigil kept"
W i t1>1 ,,t1 IN,
but there was no need. The boats did
not arrive for over three hours. We
westerners may grow impatient and
say bad words, but the east continues
to take it's time, for the east is the
east and the west is the west, and
never the twain shall meet SO sang
Kipling, and thus found vent to his
pent up feelings through the pen.
Seven boats constituted our feet,
and jolly crew they were. The head
pilot a fellow with long black hair
that hung to his shoulders, had the
proverbial smile that never wore Off.
You forgot he was Chinese and
thought only OF an old scout on the
western plains during Indian days.
A good subject for one of Cooper's
heroes of the wild life. The China
man stands facing the front as he
for he sees the direction his boat is
taking and can better judge as to its
course. Mr.. Chitty, in his splendid
little volume, Things Seen in China"
gives a fine description of these river
men and although he is referring to
the gorges of the Yangste. the same
is true of the dangerous rapids OF the
Min and other rivers of China.
The jnuk population on the rivers
are a CHEEKY, merry people, usually
devoted to their family relations, even
the girl babies being welcomed and
cheris shed in nine cases out of ten.
They have all the fine characteristics
which attach to men who live in con-
slant peril and who spend their lives
in perpetual struggle with nature.
for the!Yangste gorges of the river,
which in parts is wide, here compress
it into narrows of three or four hun
dred yards, its waters Whirling be-
tween high cliffs, and torn by great
Jagged boulders and detached rocks
flung pell nell across the roaring sur
face TO touch one of these means
destruction from which no soul
aboard has ever escaped.
The lookout man in the bows,
comely and magnificent specment OF
the race, stands with his long pole
always poised, that at any instant he
may stave the frail craft from sweep
ing a foot too far to left or right;
while others look to the great oar that
can be used as lever when in mo-
ments of extreme peril, the current
seems rushing the boat on some out
standing rock, around which the
rapids suck fercely at all that passes.
The scene is an indescribable one,
eightened UNNECESSARILY by the roar
of the waters pent between beetling
banks and the kissing of the foam
against the cruel midstream boulders.
Experience is the only teacher of
all that is conveyed in shooting rap
ids and weathering gorges. but at
least a word of honorable mention is
due to the iron nerve of the river
crew.
The Chinese dread of the darkness
would have tied up our boats at night
fall, but without this superstition no
man would De lOOIudIuy eHouSA "
attempt shooting the rapids in the
dark.
We went ashore for walk and on
returning found, to our disgust, our
hero head pilot complacently occupy
ing our bed. His dirty head was on
the pillow, his opium box by his side,
and he was enjoying the evil that
cursed his life. Between whiffs he
drank freely from the nozzle of an old
tea pot that looked as though it had
done service so necessarily that there
had been no time to have it cleaned.
We not only looked our disgust, but
spoke it. He came back at us with
the old familiar smile and rising Of
fered us a drink from his ancent
dirty tea pot.
The next day we came to grief. In
shooting a rapids two of our boats
struck the rocks near shore and al
though the flexible bottoms respond-l
ed the pressure was too great and the |
water came pouring in. Before the
rice could be unoladed it was soaked
so it had to be dumped in great piles
on shore to dry. Here was delay
of six hours so we journeyed but