THE BRINE WELLS

Non-working Free Ferry — Roman Catholic Hamlet — Salt Carriers — • Poling up Stream — Bamboo Grove — Numerous Chinese Family — Fall into a Paddy-field — Tsz' Liu Ching's Scaffoldings — Grass Replaces Paddy — Cities of Refuge — Strange View for China — No Inn would take us in — Usages of Chinese Restaurant — Oil Wells — Bamboo Dipper — Salt-boiling on a Large Scale — Grass for Buffaloes — Drinkable Water — Storage Vats, Aqueducts, and Wooden Towers — Chain Pumps worked by Coolies — Intelligence of Working People — Democratic Government — Hoping to Reach Salt in Three Years.

非運作的免費渡輪 (Non-working Free Ferry) — 天主教村莊 (Roman Catholic Hamlet) — 鹽運工 (Salt Carriers) — 溯流而上 (Poling up Stream) — 竹林 (Bamboo Grove) — 眾多的中國家族 (Numerous Chinese Family) — 跌入稻田 (Fall into a Paddy-field) — 自流井的腳手架 (Tsz' Liu Ching's Scaffoldings) — 草地取代稻田 (Grass Replaces Paddy) — 避難城 (Cities of Refuge) — 中國罕見的景象 (Strange View for China) — 客棧拒絕接待 (No Inn would take us in) — 中國餐館習俗 (Usages of Chinese Restaurant) — 油井 (Oil Wells) — 竹製水瓢 (Bamboo Dipper) — 大規模煮鹽 (Salt-boiling on a Large Scale) — 水牛的草料 (Grass for Buffaloes) — 可飲用水源 (Drinkable Water) — 儲存罐、輸水管道和木塔 (Storage Vats, Aqueducts, and Wooden Towers) — 苦力操作的鏈泵 (Chain Pumps worked by Coolies) — 勞動人民的智慧 (Intelligence of Working People) — 民主政府 (Democratic Government) — 期望三年內開採到鹽 (Hoping to Reach Salt in Three Years)

Wednesday, July 15, 1892. — At daylight, 78°, we were carried in our chairs half a mile through narrow, winding streets, when, after the close, filthy air of the inn and the crowded town, we emerged on to the bank of a fine, fastflowing river, about 400 yards wide, with picturesque red sandstone cliiTs facing us, crowned with dark green trees, giving us a reminder of the Avon at Bristol. Carried along over the dirt and rubbish heaps and past the rows of ruinous shanties that squeeze themselves between the boundary proper of every river-side town in China and its river — and through which none but Chinese chair-bearers would ever have found it possible to edge their way— we were at length deposited, still sitting in our sedans, on the floor of a roomy flat-bottomed ferry-boat, and, after pulling up in shore half a mile we quickly shot across the stream, and were landed at the foot of the steps of the western side of the " Ox-Lake Ferry.'' This is properly a free ferry, as is shown by the elegant temple built at the head

THE BRINE WELLS 19

of the steps and under the cliff, and by the inscription in four large bright gold characters over the entrance, " Free Ferry Public Hall." We asked where is the free ferry, and why have we been mulcted in 400 cash ? Some men in the crowd rephed : " It doesn't work," and pointed to some small, dilapidated water-logged boats tied up under the bank. I could get at no reason, but our own men told me it was owing to the opposition of the boatmen. As these free ferries, which are numerous in China, have all more or less rice land bequeathed to them by their benevolent founders, it would have been interesting to learn the " true inwardness " of this non-functioning ferry had time permitted, which it unfortunately didn't. In a picturesque break in the ruby wall, and about half a mile higher up, where the river sweeps round in a bold curve at the foot of the cliffs it has made for its framing, what appeared to be a neat cluster of Szechuan farm-houses was pointed out to us by one of our chair-bearers, himself a Roman Catholic, as a Tien Chu Tang, or " Hall of the Lord of Heaven." Numbers of these quiet Christian hamlets, unobtrusive except in their conspicuous cleanliness, are scattered throughout this province of Szechuan, many under a native priest, only visited at times by a European confrere. As at every spot where the European has put down his foot in this land, the eye and the nose rejoice in meeting with these cases in the general ocean of filth and decay, and the traveller always regrets it if time prevents his visiting them and giving a temporary respite to his injured senses.

1892年7月15日，星期三——天剛亮，氣溫78華氏度（約25.5攝氏度），我們被抬著轎子穿過半英里的狹窄蜿蜒街道，離開了那空氣悶熱骯髒的客棧和擁擠的城鎮，來到了一條寬約400碼（約366米）、水流湍急的大河岸邊。面前的紅砂岩懸崖峭壁，頂部覆蓋著深綠色的樹木，讓人想起布里斯托的埃文河（Avon）。隨後，我們穿過滿地泥土和垃圾堆，經過一排排破敗的簡陋棚屋——這些棚屋擠在每個中國河岸城鎮與河流之間的狹縫中。這段路恐怕只有中國的轎夫能擠得過去。最終，我們依然坐在轎子裡，被放到了平底渡船的寬敞甲板上。渡船沿著岸邊行駛半英里後快速橫渡河流，將我們送至「牛湖渡」（Ox-Lake Ferry）西岸台階的腳下。

這渡口名義上是一個免費渡口，台階上方懸崖下有一座優雅的寺廟，入口上方的四個大金字牌匾寫著「免費渡公堂」。我們詢問免費渡口在哪裡，為什麼我們被收了400文錢？人群中有人回答：「它已經不運作了。」並指著河岸下幾艘破舊、進水的船隻。儘管我無法得知具體原因，但我們的轎夫告訴我，這是因為船夫的反對所致。在中國，這些免費渡口非常常見，通常由慈善家捐贈稻田資助運營。如果時間允許，探究這座渡口不運作的真正內情應該會很有趣，可惜我們無法停留。

在紅色岩壁的中段，一處景色優美的斷裂處，約在上游半英里處，河流沿著懸崖腳下形成了大膽的彎曲，在那裡出現了一簇整潔的四川農舍群。我們的一位轎夫是天主教徒，他指出那是「天主堂」（Tien Chu Tang，「天主之堂」）。這些安靜的基督教村莊散布於整個四川省，除了其顯著的整潔之外，並不引人注目。許多村莊由本地牧師管理，偶爾才有歐洲神職人員到訪。凡是歐洲人曾踏足之地，眼睛和鼻子都能感受到從普遍的污穢與腐敗中解脫的愉悅。若時間允許，旅行者總會因未能拜訪這些地方而感到遺憾，因為它們能暫時讓受損的感官得以喘息。

1892年7月15日，星期三——天剛亮，氣溫78華氏度（約25.5攝氏度），我們乘轎穿過半英里的狹窄蜿蜒街道，離開了空氣悶熱骯髒的客棧和擁擠的城鎮，抵達了一條寬約400碼（約366米）、水流湍急的大河岸邊。對岸的紅砂岩懸崖峭壁上覆蓋著深綠色的樹木，景致令人聯想到布里斯托的埃文河（Avon）。接著，我們穿過遍地泥土和垃圾堆，經過一排排破敗的簡陋棚屋——這些棚屋擠佔在中國河岸城鎮與河流之間的窄縫中，這段路想必只有中國轎夫才能靈活通過。最後，我們仍坐在轎中，被安置在一艘寬敞的平底渡船甲板上。渡船先沿岸行駛半英里，再迅速橫渡河流，將我們送到「牛湖渡」（Ox-Lake Ferry）西岸台階腳下。

這本應是一處免費渡口，台階上方懸崖下矗立著一座雅致的寺廟，其入口上方鑲嵌著「免費渡公堂」四個燦爛的金字。當我們詢問免費渡口的下落，以及為何要收取我們400文錢時，圍觀者指著河岸邊幾艘破舊漏水的船隻，簡單地回答：「已經停運了。」雖然具體緣由未明，但據轎夫解釋，這是因為船夫們的抵制。在中國，這類由善心人士捐贈稻田維持運營的免費渡口相當普遍。若時間充裕，深入了解這座渡口停運的內情必定饒有趣味，可惜我們無法久留。

在那片紅色岩壁的中段，一處風景如畫的斷層處，約在上游半英里的地方，河流沿著懸崖底部劃出一道優美的弧線，那裡坐落著一簇整潔的四川農舍。我們的一位轎夫是天主教徒，他向我們介紹那是「天主堂」（Tien Chu Tang）。這些寧靜的基督教村落遍布四川各地，除了格外整潔外並不特別引人注目。大多數村落由本地神父管理，偶爾接待來訪的歐洲神職人員。在這片土地上，凡是歐洲人曾經駐足之處，都能讓人的視覺和嗅覺從普遍的污穢與腐敗中得到難得的解脫。時間若允許，旅人都會想要造訪這些地方，讓疲憊的感官稍作休憩，錯過總會令人遺憾。

Our path entered a ravine, following up a small stream, and almost the first regular valley we had yet threaded, the bulk of the country consisting of irregular ravines and hollows of all shapes and sizes bordered by more or less precipitous hills, rising about 150 feet above them — the hollows completely filled by terraced paddy-fields, the heights covered by the equally tiresome kaoliang, not a square foot of uncultivated ground anywhere, unless the fine bamboo copses surrounding the farmhouses may be so termed, and the spots where the magnificent

20 MOUNT OMI AND BEYOND

hoangko trees shade wayside shrines and frequent restingplaces. After ascending this valley about two miles in a north-westerly direction, we turned off south-west, and crossed another of the many low passes, this one 150 feet by the aneroid, approached on either side by steep stone staircases. We met long trains of salt- and some sugar-carriers, men carrying 140 lbs. and miserable boys of ten years carrying SO lbs. weight ; the cause, probably, of the spinal curvature that afflicts no small proportion of these hardly-used beasts of burden. At nine we reached the busy market-town of Shintienpu (New Shop), having come 30 It (9 miles), where we breakfasted in a large, dirty wayside restaurant, all open to the street as usual, and our breakfast-table, with its white tablecloth and knives and forks, the centre of an admiring crowd of half-naked men and boys and women. Our remnant of bread had turned mouldy and had to be thrown away, but we had some biscuits left, thus letting ourselves down to rice diet by slow degrees. At noon reached the banks of the Brine Wells river at a spot called Hsien T'an, or " Dangerous Rapid "; we here took boat. The river comes down from Tsz' Liu Ching (Self-flowing Wells), but it appears to be cheaper to send the salt by road on coolies' backs and load the boats here than to ship it by water direct, although we saw an equal number of small flat-bottomed junks at both places. However, by loading here the Hsien T'an is avoided, although it certainly was not a very formidable obstacle to-day. Below it a fleet of junks were loading salt for down river, and above it was moored a row of the small travelling boats, with the capacious lofty arched mat awnings that distinguish the floating vehicles of this wind-less and comfort-loving province. Into two of these we now stowed ourselves, our chairs, our retinue of twenty persons, and our belongings generally, and gave our tired bearers a well-earned respite from the hot sun while we were poled 20 li (6 miles) up stream against a sluggish, almost imperceptible, current, through low steep hills entirely covered with the ubiquitous maize and millet, relieved by a few groves

THE BRINE WELLS 21

of magnificent bamboos, the stream about 100 yards wide and of the usual chocolate colour. In an hour and a half we reached Mu Tze To (Wood Reach) and betook ourselves again to the endless stone staircase. The heat was very oppressive as we were carried along the bottom of a narrow valley through close-smelHng paddy-fields; so much so that we ordered our men, nothing loath, to carry us across to a bamboo grove on the opposite slope, where we might at least be protected for a while from the vertical rays of the noonday sun. The thermometer in my closed chair was 95°, and the air was charged with the fetid, though invisible, vapours from the stagnant water of the paddy-fields. These we traversed, and ascended the heights on the opposite side of the valley until we reached a magnificent grove of large bamboo clusters, covering some three or four acres, under which we and the tired bearers of our three sedans reclined. It seems to be always cool in the hottest weather under bamboos, and here, at last, a slight air was stirring, which was most grateful. A small stream which went to irrigate the paddy-fields flowed at our feet, and in this we dipped towels to wrap round our heads, and thoroughly enjoyed the cool shade, although at the risk of arriving at our destination (the Brine Wells) after sunset.

我們的路徑進入了一條峽谷，沿著小溪蜿蜒前行。這是我們首次穿越如此規整的山谷。先前所經之處多為大小不一的不規則峽谷與低地，四周環繞著約150英尺高的陡峭山丘。低地全被梯田所覆蓋，山坡上則遍植單調的高粱（kaoliang），幾乎看不到未經開墾的土地，除了農舍周圍繁茂的竹林，以及由雄偉的黃葛樹（hoangko trees）遮蔽的路邊神龕與休憩處。

沿著山谷向西北方向攀登約兩英里後，我們轉向西南，越過了一處低矮山口（海拔150英尺，以氣壓計測量），兩側都是陡峭的石階。途中遇見長隊的鹽運工和糖運工（salt carriers and sugar carriers），成年人負重140磅，甚至年僅十歲的瘦弱男童也要背負50磅重物。這或許就是導致這些辛勞負重者脊柱彎曲的主因。

上午九點，我們抵達繁忙的集市鎮新店鋪（Shintienpu，New Shop），行程30里（約9英里）。在一間開放式的大型路邊餐館用餐，環境不甚整潔。我們的餐桌上鋪著白色桌布，擺放著刀叉，立刻吸引了眾多衣著簡陋的男女老少圍觀。發霉的麵包只得丟棄，所幸尚有餅乾，讓我們得以逐步適應以米飯為主的飲食。