Identifier: faceofchinatrav00kemp (find matches)
Title: The face of China, travels in East, North, Central and Western China; with some account of the new schools, universities, missions, and the old religious sacred places of Confucianism, Buddhism, and Taoism
Year: 1909 (1900s)
Authors: Kemp, Emily Georgiana, 1860-
Subjects:
Publisher: New York, Duffield
Contributing Library: Robarts - University of Toronto
Digitizing Sponsor: University of Toronto

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rew. Despite thecold they strip to the waist, and only put on their thinblue cotton coats when they go on shore to track. One of the men, clad in a long coat, utilised an un-wonted lull in his labours to wash his nether garmentin the rice-tub which had just been emptied by thehungry men ! His teeth were chattering with cold,and he shivered wofully in the raw air. The tenmen who acl: as trackers and tow the boat are as nimbleas cats and scale the rocks with marvellous rapidity,keeping up a rapid trot over the most uncompromisingboulders, while two men follow them to clear the ropefrom obstructions. The ropes are made of bamboo,and look little qualified to stand the heavy strain ofpulling the laden junks up the rapids. To these ropesthe men are harnessed by short ropes, which theydetach at pleasure. The trackers are often a quarterof a mile distant from the boat, for the river is verywide and winding in places, and frequently extra menhave to be hired, augmenting their numbers up to 122
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BLUE DAWN ch. xiii On the lfangt%e one hundred or more for the worst rapids. Many atime a tracker has to dash into the swirling waters tofree the rope, and his scanty clothing is flung off inthe twinkling of an eye. Our red-boat was quiteuseful in taking the trackers on and off the shore,where the water was too shallow for us to go—andthe red-boat men were friendly creatures, continuallyhovering round us night and day, ready for service.By means of little offerings of hot tea, Gfc, we soongot on the pleasantest terms, and often had little dumb-show conversations. These boats are very light, andhave long narrow blue sails and blue-and-white stripedawnings ; the boat and military uniform are scarlet,so that they are readily distinguishable from all othercraft on the river. Even their chopsticks are red:altogether they look extremely smart, and theboatmen are skilful and experienced men. Parcel-post boats have blue-and-white striped sails and ayellow sort of box in the centre of the bo

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