Evening star., 1925-11-29

7 the American sentiment to-
~ ward Chang Tso,lin, the
Manchurian chieftain, and
himself. We replied that Informed
Americans felt that military chiefs
Of all kinds should be done away with.
to which he whimsically agreed. Il
heard in Peking." l chanced to re-
mark, that Chang has made a com
pact with the military governor Of
shenst, Chen Shufan, TO your rear
here"
Wu's eyes flashed and the sinister
curl came over his lips. IF 1t is
true" he said. repeating. after his
nannerism, the important words of
the sentence several times. this
world becomes too small for both me
and Chen Shu-fan of Shensi l will
not endure such a threat"
1 wondered if l had innocently
Started something" hut ! was not
greatly concerned over Chen as vet.
He was to mean more 10 me later.
Our horses were shaggy. short neck
ed, stubbylegged creatures. looking as
If they might combine a Chinese in
scrutability with all the vicious traits
Of the Montana cayuse.
l once was riding along a preCipi-
tous trail when my pony noticed that
his comrade, bearing Hayes. was
abreast on a level four feet above
Without warning he lea ped for the
higher trail. striking Hayes horse
For a moment it looked as though
horses and riders were to he precipi-
tated together into the mud beneath.
Hayes brushed past, and rolled off
and seized my mounts head. Hayes
came back to help. and we pulled the
pony up by the neck.
Melting snow lay over the high,
rugged country to the west. the divide
between the loess plateau in Honan
and that in Shensi
From the top Of a high ridge one
evening. we sighted Shanjo. Fields
OF sprouting grain stretched below us
into distance until, far away. they
merged their tender green into the
dull platinum of a crenellated wall
Behind sparkled the curving roofs
Of the old city.
We were in the loess badlands-
the best country to grow crops, the
vtlest to get them out Of. Fordng
a tributary under the Shanjo walls
next morning, we passed a great gate
in the mountain and entered the de-
files" Of the Great Northwest High
way.
This Is a road worn two hundred
feet below the surface of the plateau
by three thousand years of continuous
in the wet season that carts are built
boat-shaped. allowing them to skim
along the top when their wheels fail
to strike bottom; so full Of fine loess
dust IN the dry season that animals
frequently go over their heads and
strangle in the drifts, and riders are
forced to wear masks over their faces
That road Is the worst important high
way in the world,
h.
wheat carts bringing thousands of
sacks of Kensu's excellent, hard kerr
neled product down to the starving
millions below the def1les. An acct
dent blocking the road would throw
hundreds of vehicles into a lam.
Drivers would unhitch and camp pa
tently beside their beasts for hours,
or even days. while the clogged traffic
slowly bled itself out.
Horses, came1s, and shenzas could
squeeze through at such times. Thus
we were able to pass with little de
lay, but our cart luggage was usually
many hours behind US. Benham s
comfortable shenZa was our salvation
for he would generously exchange its
luxury for our hard saddles when we
became tired.
TT is safer and warmer to live in the
loess than on top of II. The caves
have the additional advantage that
as the family expands there neec
be no haggling with landlords OF
building guilds. With a shovel anc
barrow a new room or a suite car
soon be followed out Of the great
soft cliffs.
Cave towns are excavated in tiers
up the hillside. while peasants nrc
often found living under the fields
they TIL. Everything, even the furni
ture, of the dwellings is nodded or
followed in the friendly loess. These
people are in very truth, Children ot
the Clay"
Our first experience in these caves
was at the refreshment rooms by the