A Desire to see the Upper Yangtse in flood-time induced us to venture upon a voyage from Ichang to Kwei-fu and on to Wan-hien, traversing the four great gorges and the principal rapids at a season when few care to brave the perils of navigation. The up-river trade from Ichang to Chungking practically comes to a stop by the middle of June, and is not resumed before the middle of September or later, according to the condition of the river and the amount of rainfall in West China. Those who, in the usual course of travel, have ascended the Upper Yangtse only in the winter season, when the junk-traffic is at its highest, would not recognise the river in summer, when the freshets have come down and entirely changed its aspect, from that of a clear mountain stream, interrupted by a series of falls or steps with long smooth reaches between, to that of a huge brown torrent entirely filling its bed and bounded throughout either by vertical cliffs or by steep mountain slopes — rocks all submerged “full fathoms five,” and deep water everywhere.