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CHAPTER X

THE SHAN STATES AND YUN-NAN

AT Luang Prabang, in spite of a certain frigidity which at first marked the relations of the au- thorities with his party, de Lagrée's tact and firmness speedily succeeded in overcoming the prejudices of the natives. He obtained an audience of the King on conditions honourable to himself, and was well treated in the matter of accommodation and provisions. But he found the opposition raised to the continuance of his journey less easy to remove. The Muhammadan rebellion in Yun-nan had been the signal for endless disorders in the Shan States which owed allegiance to China, and Luang Prabang had seized the opportunity thus afforded to omit sending the customary tribute, the contention. of its authorities being that the roads to Yun-nan were impassable. It was therefore against their interests that a small party of Europeans should penetrate into China and so demonstrate the thinness of this pretext, and much was made of the difficulties which were declared to lie ahead of the explorers.

Three routes were open to de Lagrée's choice: firstly, that which led up the valley of the Mekong; secondly, that up the Nam Hu, a left influent of the great river; and lastly, the route to Kwang Si, which traverses coun- try inhabited by mixed tribes situated between China and Tongking. The first route was also the longest, and it

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