son whom it nevertheless failed to reach. The priests were at great pains to hold it, yet in vain: ever did it go away, and could only with great difficulty be conveyed back to

in what place it was hidden. This deed, however, brought the priests misfortune. The genius of the bell revenged itself: the priests grew poor and were scattered throughout the

cided to bury the golden bell, so that they would be forced ever to remain near it; and so it happened.

Deep under the grouud the bell was buried aud the men who did their share of the work had their eyes put out so that they could never betray

If the sound of the bell is again heard, then a time of happiness and peace will break forth for all China, and the whole kingdom will

prosper with undreamt of developments!"

The clever Chinese now knew why the foreigners came to Mokanshan, and clearly saw through their actions. That the Europeans should build houses and not live in them during the first months of the year, no sensible Chinese could believe. Further, the foreigners come, it is said, all at a certain time to Mokanshan, when they can use their instruments for enticing treasures out of the earth. (The Chinese country-people mean by these, thermometers, barometers, etc.). Under the pretence of building houses, they root up and overturn the soil; and that they will not readily deliver over the bell to its former possessors the Chinese know only too well by unhappy experience.

There is also in the soil of Mokanshan great treasure of silver which the Europeans are seeking, and which came in the following manner to be in the earth:

After the golden bell had disappeared, people wished to make another to replace it; but the gold they had was not sufficient. So they resolved to make one of silver which was much larger than the golden bell but equal to it in value. But the blessed properties of the old bell would not reside in the new one, and in a great conflagration which burnt down the temple the bell was melted and the silver poured down into the earth.

Now there hangs in the temple built after that time an old artistically

worked iron bell with an ancient inscription. This no one is now able to read, but the old people know it means that if the bell ever begins to ring of itself, the golden bell will rise out of the earth, the treasures of the silver bell will make themselves visible above the surface of the earth, and a new time of prosperity will begin for China.

Thus is the soil of Mokanshan interwoven with old proverbs and tales which have taken deep root in the hearts of the country people. Two grey old fir-trees stand close together on a hill as true symbols of peace, and becken to the approaching wanderer with their venerable heads. There was once a married couple who are said to have lived here, the girl from the valley, the youth from the mountain. They were both SO good, SO benevolent, so peaceloving that they were highly respected by their neighbours and led a happy life up till their old age. When they died, out of their graves grew two firs and as long as these trees grow undisturbed, the old couple under the ground will rest happy. The Chinese therefore protect this grave and with anxiety fear lest the strange barbarians might here also begin their destructive work.

Thou, old lonely hamlet, with thy thousand years of peace, thy rest is for ever gone, since the foreigner has forced himself in with his European civilisation rich in blessings!

B

ETWEEN the large cities Shao-chou-fu and Lieuchou, and the prefectural cities of Lo-chang Ju-yüan in the province of Kwantung lies the district of the Yao-tze, about twenty square miles in size and traversed by high mountains. The name Yaotze means literally "wild dog" or "jackal". The name has not been intentionally chosen by the natives, but they have been given the name, and indeed without any reason. This agreeable little tribe have nothing of the dog, far less of the wild dog, in them. The proud Chinese gives to all foreigners contemptuous and evil names, and has not forgotten to do likewise to this little people lying on the borders. The tribe accepted this name, as they at first could not well understand the meaning. But in truth it was then utterly indifferent to them how they were called by the Chinese and what they thought of them. Near the Yao-tze there is the tribe of the Miao-tze, who, as distinct from the Yao-tze, can be pointed out as the aborigines of China. As they were settled before the Chinese, they did not receive any such revolting name; Miao made from the character tsao, a plant, and tien, a field, does not designate any

thing bad. Although I have not yet seen the Miao-tze with my own eyes, or rather, have not yet observed them in their own homes, I am convinced that in the scale of civilisation they stand far below the Yao-tze. They appear also far behind the Yao-tze, as regards physical strength and beauty. I learnt from a reliable Chinese soldier, who had fought against the Miao-tze, that it is a fact that their coccyx is from one to three centimetres in length. There are in the present day so many learned societies whose means are at their disposal and who might easily equip an expedition into the country of the Miao-tze. Up to the present, unfortunately, little has been done in this direction. There have certainly been several among the missionaires in China who would gladly have helped in such an important work.

My residence during many years in the north of the province of Kwantung had often brought me into contact with individual Yao-tze. I had seen them in markets or towns and had spoken with them. I had gained a lively interest in them, by reason of the blameless reputation they had sustained among all the Chinese who knew them intimately. For a few years I had even employed one or two to do work for us,

and they performed it faithfully and with intelligence.

My long-planned journey was first carried out in October, 1904. There have been here and there foreigners who have tried to visit the Yao-tze. But as they made a wrong beginning and possessed no recommendations to the Yao-tze, they could get no further than the borders of the country, and thanked the stars they got out again with whole heads. A few months before my journey, an embassy from the Yao-tze came, with the firm intention to see me and interview me, to my house: filled with mistrust and fear, however, they turned round in front of my door and hurried back to their mountains. They gave as excuse that they feared I might lock them up or do some evil to them. High as are the lofty ranges of mountains, and difficult as are the passes through them, yet still more inaccessible are mountains of mistrust and the passes of caution with which the Yaotze surround themselves as a protection against all outsiders.

the

From the city of Shao-chou-fu one can reach by horseback the marketplace of Kui-tu in one day. This place is already counted among the markets attended by the Yao-tze. Yao-tze. Here they sell their productionsmaize, millet, potatoes, and, above all, planks and boards and other things. In exchange for these, they buy rice, salt, meat, cloth and so on. I found here man who had in earlier years visited the chief towns of the Yao-tze in the capacity of a petty trader. He was very willing to serve us as guide and baggage-carrier. My little expedition consisted of seven men and two horses. Directly out of the market-town, we left the flat plain and ascended a mountain gorge. It was one of those warm days of autumn which bring new life and vitality to the foreigner in China.

Well experienced Chinese had advised us not to take the horses with us at first, since we could not make much use of them. Soon the order was to alight, as even a good Chinese pony cannot perform the impossible. Stone steps, like a steep stairway, led upwards, and we were obliged to scramble over flat and smooth slippery stones. It was only with difficulty that we pulled the horses up behind us. We shed all superfluous clothing, and soon found the burning hot sun streaming on our backs and arms very unpleasant. At last we appeared to have surmounted the summit of the first peak. A path about one German mile in length led us along the back of the mountain. A south wind fanned us with coolness and all the troubles of the climb were soon forgotten. A few times the path led across various streams, over which we were obliged to jump. As the practical notion of erecting tea-houses was not yet known here, we relished drinking the cool clear mountain water. On this road we met already several parties of Yao-tze, who were returning from carrying wood to the market. They speak and understand mostly the dialect of the country people, which is very similar to the Hakka dialect. Curious and suspicious, they inquired whence we had come and where we were going, and for what reasons and so on. Most of them warned us against visiting the mountains. The paths and bridges would be impossible to us. There were very many wild beasts, such as tigers, and very large wild men (monkeys); above all there was nothing to eat eat there. With friendly jokes I sought to gainsay the difficulties. "My "My contemporary friends, it cannot be that there is nothing to eat where you live, for the reputation of your hospitality is spread abroad far and wide." "Yes,

but what we eat is not possible for you to eat," they rejoined. "Have you a good modern gun with you," they asked. "No, I know that you do not sufficiently trust foreigners; if they bring guns with them, you do not trust them at all; so I left mine at home. A man is so secure among you that he requires no weapons." "You appear to have heard a great deal about us already!" "Naturally? have you not yet heard of me and of Our schools and chapels?" They had heard my

Chinese name often before. In conversing like this we continued our journey. When the band accompanying us had heard and seen enough, they hastened away and another set would overtake us.

I had thought we had done enough hard work for the day and that we would come without any any further climbing to the end of our day's journey. We had once again to descend into the depths below in order to scramble up to a similar height on the other side. Deep down in the valley roared the fierce mountain torrent, which was spanned by a bridge, twenty metres long, of three boards in width. It was already quite rotten, and I had a few minutes of fearful anxiety as to whether the horses would cross over safely or be precipitated some thirty metres in the depths below. Under the bridge was a very deep pool, and a Yao-tze was sitting on the edge fishing. The fish that are caught here cost almost as much as those caught in rivers. I cannot say how far a reason exists for this or whether it can be traced to superstition. At any rate, fish out of this pool was often set

before me and pointed out as a delicacy. On the right of the path, at a distance of about fifteen metres, I saw a small but thoroughly suitably built fort. It is about a hundred metres higher up than the

bridge, and serves as a protection to the people in times of riot and war. According to tales of the Yao-tze only four men with weapons are sufficient to defend the pass against thousands. In this fashion all the passes in the interior are fortified. The distant view from this bridge was exceptionally magnificent. About thirty mountain ranges rising as in tiers of an arena could be counted on each side. The mountains here are thickly wooded. Hundreds of flecks of shade from different kinds of trees and firs mingled together. Involuntarily I try to grasp the camera in order to take these grand scenes. But out of consideration for the suspicion and the susceptibility of the Yao-tze, I had left my camera behind.

It was fully two hours beyond the river before we had finished the ascent. On each side of the pass we immediately noticed that we were approaching human habitation. Even in the wood we perceived that it

was ordered by laws prescribed by men. Soon we reached rice-fields that were close upon harvest. Here and there reapers were already busy, housing the treasure doubly precious in the mountains; unfortunately the Yao-tze had told us the sad news that the rice-harvest this year in the mountains had turned out far from sufficient. Following the course of a mountain stream, the path led to the large village of Chou-tenpiang. Behind a thick grove of lianas lay the part of the village in which we wished to occupy quarters for the night. This village is people by the so-called half Yao-tze. They are Chinese who formerly, as inhabitants of the mountains, did not separate themselves from the Yao-tze. In this large valley there formerly was a number of Chinese villages which have since been to two. The fields have

reduced