CHAPTER XVI - LITTLE KNOWN BORDER TRIBES

Summary

ONE of the great excitements in Chinese city life is when a great traveller comes by. Then for a few days at least we all sit at his feet and offer tribute of all our local knowledge and stored-up experience of many years, asking in return for that lively interest we never get from people who live in China, and who almost all seem to grow like the Chinese, apathetic, asking also for some accounts of his past, where he has travelled, what he has seen or done, for all of which there is such ample leisure as one can never find in world centres. Thus we sometimes think on our occasions we enjoy a fuller, richer intercourse with distinguished people than would be possible elsewhere except under similar circumstances. Most of these travellers are already well known to be collecting materials for their books, which all in due course have appeared and enriched the world's stock of knowledge, but two, who had specially strange tales to tell, have written no books, and as they seem never likely to do so I think some account of their wonderful experiences would be very accept able to the general reader. The one is Miss Annie Taylor, at that time an Associate of the China Inland Mission. She passed through Chungking in the spring on her way home from Tibetan voyagings, which had extended over nearly a year, the greater and most difficult portion of her journey having been made in the depth of winter.