Evening star., 1926-04-04
BY EDWIN L.AMPIER.


United States
BY EDWIN LAMPIER.
IN more miles of overland travel il
far inland China than any Other
man living, 1 fully believe. has
covered, l have on more than
one occas sion saved my life by
quick thinking. Possibly my most
thrilling escape from death was on Z
trip into the interior few years ago
when | had with me as a companion
the late Samuel Prescott, one of the
pioneer missionaries of the southwest
provinces.
Having travelled across China from
the Pacific seaboard, I had FOR some
months been in the northwest corner
of Yunnan province, engaged in spe
cial study and research, when my
9rie,-: Prescott invited me TO accom-
pany him on a wandering trip into
a part of that region among the
aboriginals where no other white foot
had ever turned clay. and where the
sparsely inhabited mo mans land" is
peopled, in small mountain villages
from 5000 to 10000 feet above sea
level. by tribes of which the world
knows absolutely nothing.
We were to travel through the
country of the Hua Mao and the
Nosu. people found in several parts
Of China far west, but whose history
is shrouded in mere speculation. Their
barren, unyie!dinS country is hemmed
in by high mountain ranges and swift
flowing rivers that have served to
preserve their customs. languages
and strong tribal distinctions which
are today so perpleXing to the eth
noloEist.
I had been told that there was an
element of risk involved. for we had
to pass through Nosunland. where
the great nOn-Chinese war lords, who
have never been subjugated by the
Chinese and probably never will he.
had sworn to get" Prescott If he
ever came into their territory.
The reason for this marked an
tipathS TO the white man was that
Prescott and his missionary associates
had recently carried out among the
Hua Mao (the serfs of the Nosu and
their tributepaying tenants) one of
the Most spectacular reforming cam
paiSns that Asia. has ever witnessed.
These ruling Nosu. called the BLACK
Bones" because of their aristoCracy.
naturally saw in this reform loss
of landlord prestige. for when their
tenants were brought under the wing
Of the missionaries they thought
their long-run race of domination
would come to an end
This so-Called risk" howe yer.
merely added to the adventure of the
game with me- I was a Young man.
full or energy and pep, ambitious to
do something I'm the world that was
Il
saw rare opportunity OF securing
rough plottinGs of wild and almost
inaccessible area which would plac o
the world in possession of little
more geographical knowledge than il
had a that time SO we started.
radiant and fun Of hope and entirely
free of fear. Prescott a little per-
turhed
1T was the start Of the rainy season.
hut we hoped that the gods would
he kind and that the rivers would not
swell For in that unknown part Of
China, lying around the city of Chao-
tongfu south of the River of Golden
Sand Cthe name of the upper reaches
Of the YangtZekiangl, there are no
roads. no bridges. no decent means of
ordinary communication. no inns. lit
tie food. indesCribable discomfort and
great risk of dread diseases.
When the rivers swell, there is
often no hope Of escape. for one is
carried away by the torrent. before
he can escape up the hillsides. The
only hsbitations that we knew we
would meet were the old feuua;
strongholds of the Nosu chieftains.
where we would not be welcome. and
the deploralle novels Of the famine
stricken and diseased Mao people.
We started from the mission head
quarters. AT Shihmenkan 0iterally.
Stone Gateway. which led to an old
time fortress of an old tyrant with
whom ones life was not worth that
of dog Il he became annOYed). Our
route lav across a barren. wind swept
range - brown hills
Their ocr6o- rivers where we had 20
swim our ponies. over seemingly
Formidable mountain ranges. by rocky
footpaths far filter for goats than
men. dow. Through insufferably dirty
places on 10 three-hut village hoast-
ing the unnipped name OF HmaO Niu
Liu. anG then on and on. daV by day,
through, th- wilds of the world.
Bn,h Prescott and ! were dressed in
unortn, COX Chinese dress Our baGgy
heen tuIn-d u above our knees. our
feet were shot in the native straw
sandals. ~e wele hungry and travel
stained and weary-so that, though
Hnao Nh. Liu, nesting in those wild
hills 80 far away from CIVILIZATION
boasteG only a few nuts, it looked
good Il. the weary travellers that aft
ernooh
So wear, were we that, after putting
up our animals. we i'm lediately turned
in. even declining the .uXury of hot
meal of rice which our host proffered
with n nntriaisant courtesy and aml-
ability or manner that a European
NORA Il might envy.
Twas Il peculiar place. too, that we
were lodged in Some 90 feet long by
II feet wide tne little Mao tenement
certainly had four walls Of varying
height and thickness, and the roof
was in evidence over the three dis
tinCt compartments the building af-
forded Two of the other four walls
were fashioned out of the outstanding
hill being a right-angle hacked out
There was one entrance, and where
the door should have been there was
erected hole-ridden felt cape. and
one had TO step over l2-inch piece
of granite at this entrance, which had
been placed there to keep the rain
from flooding the place. The dark in
terror had. as J. say. three compart
ments-the cookhouse and general
scullery at one end the central room
being where everything had IN he
performed in unsecluded publicity AND
where we slept head to head. willis
the other end was given over TO the
hogs and the horses.
UWelI old man." said my good hu