My Reminiscences (Volume 2) (Paperback)

Purchase of this book includes free trial access to www.million-books.com where you can read more than a million books for free. This is an OCR edition with typos. Excerpt from book: CHAPTER XXXIV ALONG THE GREAT WALL (Continued) We rode northwest across the fields toward the distant escarpment of the plateau. The farmers were planting, and plows and harrows of primitive forms were at work in the fields. Among other implements I noticed a machine something in the shape of a wheelbarrow, to which was attached a hopper, and which was intended for sowing grain in drills. Over the surface of one of the fields which we crossed were scattered small heaps of material that proved to be a mixture of manure and earth containing beans. By planting portions of this in holes, a great economy of manure was effected. When we returned to the table-land we again saw how sharp is the boundary which the escarpment draws between the two races. The yellow loess fields of the Chinese come to the very foot of the precipice, while at the top the grassy plains furnish pasture for the flocks of the Mongols to the very edge. The Chinese in the valley were ignorant of the Mongol names of places on the plateau, while the nearest Tartars seemed to know as little of Tau-li-chuen. Upon the plateau we frequently came into the broad tracks of caravan routes, but being ignorant of their destination we generally avoided them, laying out a course of our own. Supposing that we should now have little trouble in remaining upon the plateau, we followed the general westerly direction of our journey. For a few miles our route lay over the level plains. The decomposing volcanic rock here furnishes sustenance to an exceedingly rich growth of grass,which in the early summer reaches the height of several feet. Before noon it was clear that the country to the west of us was rapidly descending, and we soon came to the brow of a declivity from which we saw spread out beneath us a broad, rolling regi...