Reflections on the Three Gorges

Project since Its Operation Shouren

Zheng
Visit to download the full and correct content document:
https://ebookmass.com/product/reflections-on-the-three-gorges-project-since-its-oper
ation-shouren-zheng/
More products digital (pdf, epub, mobi) instant
download maybe you interests ...

Three Streams: Confucian Reflections on Learning and

the Moral Heart-Mind in China, Korea, and Japan Philip
J Ivanhoe

https://ebookmass.com/product/three-streams-confucian-
reflections-on-learning-and-the-moral-heart-mind-in-china-korea-
and-japan-philip-j-ivanhoe/

Personal Reflections on Counseling 1st Edition Gerald

Corey

https://ebookmass.com/product/personal-reflections-on-
counseling-1st-edition-gerald-corey/

Complexities of Chineseness: Reflections on race,

nationality and language Li Wei

https://ebookmass.com/product/complexities-of-chineseness-
reflections-on-race-nationality-and-language-li-wei/

eTextbook 978-1285436968 The Earth and Its Peoples: A

Global History, Volume II: Since 1500: 2

https://ebookmass.com/product/etextbook-978-1285436968-the-earth-
and-its-peoples-a-global-history-volume-ii-since-1500-2/
The real thing : reflections on a literary form 1st
Edition Terry Eagleton

https://ebookmass.com/product/the-real-thing-reflections-on-a-
literary-form-1st-edition-terry-eagleton/

Reflections on Grand Strategy: The Great Powers in the

Twenty-first Century Samir Tata

https://ebookmass.com/product/reflections-on-grand-strategy-the-
great-powers-in-the-twenty-first-century-samir-tata/

Sandbows and Black Lights: Reflections on Optics

Stephen R. Wilk

https://ebookmass.com/product/sandbows-and-black-lights-
reflections-on-optics-stephen-r-wilk/

Gator’s Gambit (Special Forces: Operation Alpha)

(Operation Checkmate Book 6) Dorothy Ewels & Operation
Alpha

https://ebookmass.com/product/gators-gambit-special-forces-
operation-alpha-operation-checkmate-book-6-dorothy-ewels-
operation-alpha/

Masa: Techniques, Recipes, and Reflections on a

Timeless Staple Jorge Gaviria

https://ebookmass.com/product/masa-techniques-recipes-and-
reflections-on-a-timeless-staple-jorge-gaviria/
 Engineering 2 (2016) 389–397
Contents lists available at ScienceDirect
Engineering
j o u r n a l h o m e p a g e : w w w. e l s e v i e r. c o m / l o c a t e / e n g
News & Highlights
Reflections on the Three Gorges Project since Its Operation
Shouren Zheng
Changjiang Water Resources Commission, Ministry of Water Resources, Wuhan 430010, China
1. Introduction
The initial design of the Three Gorges Project (TGP) planned
for three phases in the impoundment of its reservoir: the power
generation period, with the water retained by a cofferdam; a pre-
liminary operation period; and then a normal operation period.
In 2003, the Three Gorges Reservoir was impounded to elevation
(El.) 135 m, and power generation began with the water being
retained by a cofferdam. In 2007, the reservoir was impounded
to El. 156 m, and preliminary operations began. By 2009, as the
main hydraulic structures were completed, the reservoir was fit
to be impounded to its normal level of El. 175 m. However, it was
still kept at the pool level during the preliminary period. Based
on considerations of the resettlement progress, observed results
of sedimentation at the reservoir tail area, the influence of sed-
imentation on Chongqing Port, and so forth, the duration of the
preliminary operation period was determined at six years. Sub-
sequently, in 2013, the Three Gorges Reservoir was impounded
to its design pool level of El. 175 m; hence, the normal operation
period began.
Preparations for the construction of the TGP began in 1993,
the work commenced in December 1994, and the main river was
closed on November 6, 1997. In 1998, construction of the dam
and powerhouse on the left bank began. In October 2002, water
passed through the diversion bottom outlets at the flood-sluicing
dam, and on November 6 of the same year, the open diversion
channel was completed; the flood-sluicing dam, the powerhouse,
and the non-overflow dam section on the left bank and the head
bay at the ship lift were completed and began retaining water.
In June 2003, the reservoir was impounded to El. 135 m; in July,
the first batch of generating units in the left powerhouse began
generating power and the dual-line five-step continuous shiplock
began operation. In 2004, construction of the dam and power-
house on the right bank began, and by 2005, all 14 generating
units in the left powerhouse commenced operation. In June 2006,
the dam section on the right bank was concreted up to El. 185 m
and the upstream roller-compacted concrete (RCC) cofferdam
was demolished by blasting; thus, the whole dam began retain-
ing water. In October, the reservoir was impounded to El. 156 m,
marking the start of the preliminary operation period one year
ahead of schedule. In 2007, the seven generating units in the
http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/J.ENG.2016.04.002
2095-8099/© 2016 THE AUTHORS. Published by Elsevier LTD on behalf of Chinese Academy of Engineering and Higher Education Press Limited Company.
This is an open access article under the CC BY-NC-ND license (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/).
powerhouse on the right bank began operation. In August 2008,
the dam, powerhouse, and dual-line five-step continuous ship-
lock were all completed; the resettlement of counties and towns
was completed; and programs on resettlement, the reservoir area
clear-up, geological hazard control, water pollution control, eco-
logical environmental protection, and the preservation of cultural
relics were all finished and approved by relevant authorities. At
this point, the reservoir was ready to reach its normal pool level
of El. 175 m. Approved by the TGP Construction Commission of
the State Council, the reservoir began to tentatively impound to
El. 175 m at the end of the 2008 flood season, marking the shift
from its operation at an El. 156 m pool level to its trial operation
at El. 175 m.
2. Changes in hydrological regime in the upper Yangtze
River and the optimized operation of the Three Gorges
Reservoir
2.1. Flood characteristics at the Three Gorges Project (TGP)’s damsite
Flooding at the TGP’s damsite consists of floods from the Jin-
sha River (i.e., the upper trunkstream of the Yangtze River) and
various tributaries. Major floods upstream of the damsite are
caused by extensive and heavy rainfall in the upper regions of the
Yangtze River, mainly from July to September. Since the Minjiang,
Tuojiang, and Jialingjiang Rivers (as shown in Fig. 1) at the north-
ern banks of the Yangtze River flow in a north-to-south direction
through the rainstorm-prone area in western Sichuan Province
and the Daba Mountain, the river flow and the rainfall movement
synchronize. The tributary floods meet with the floods from the
upper trunkstream and the interval flood from the trunkstream,
thereby forming a major flood in the upper trunkstream. A flood
at the damsite is considered in light of the maximum peak dis-
charge (71 100 m3·s–1) observed at the Yichang Hydrometrical
Station since 1877, with an empirical maximum peak discharge
of 105 000 m3·s–1. The dam is designed according to a 1000 year
frequency flood discharge of 98 800 m3·s–1 with its correspond-
ing design flood level of El. 175 m, and checked against a flood
discharge of 124 300 m3·s–1 (i.e., a 10000 year frequency flood
discharge of 113 000 m3·s–1 plus its 10% flood discharge), with its
corresponding checked flood level of El. 180.4 m.
390 S. Zheng / Engineering 2 (2016) 389–397

2.2. Changes in hydrological regime in the upper Yangtze River
Hydrometrical data observed at the Yichang Hydrometrical
Station are used as preliminary design values for the TGP, with
an annual average runoff of 4.51 × 1011 m3 and an annual average
sediment load of 5.21 × 108 t [1]. Since the 1990s, runoff reduction
from the upper Yangtze River has been limited and affected by
rainfall change; while due to the efforts of sediment retention by
hydro projects, sediment reduction by soil and water conserva-
tion, and river sand-mining, incoming sediment was prominently
decreased (as shown in Table 1).
The reduction of incoming sediment into the reservoir is ben-
eficial to its long-term operation. From 2003 to 2015, the annual
average runoff at the damsite was 4.003 × 1011 m3, which reduced
by 5.07 × 1010 m3 (11.24%) when compared to its preliminary design
value. The seasonal change in upstream runoff is similar to that of
rainfall, and is unevenly distributed within a year, i.e., runoff during
the flood season from June to October accounts for 70%‒75% of the
annual total. Over the past 20 years, the runoff during flood season,
and in October to November, has been lower than the preliminary
design value, and it increased from December to May of the follow-
ing year [2].
2.3. Preliminary operation mode for the TGP
The preliminary operation mode designed for the TGP is as fol-
lows. During every flood season from mid-June to late September,
the reservoir is operated at the flood control level of El. 145 m. When
the level rises to El. 145 m, the flow discharged from the reservoir
is 55 000 m3·s–1, so as to ensure that the discharge at the Zhicheng
Hydrometrical Station of the Jingjiang River reach does not exceed
56 700 m3·s–1. In the case of a flood with a discharge of less than
55 000 m3·s–1, water is completely discharged down to El. 145 m.
If a flood has a discharge of more than 55 000 m3·s–1, flood control
operation must be conducted for the downstream reach; that is,
the reservoir impounds this flood and controls the discharged flow.
As the impounded flood will cause the water level to rise, once the
flood process recedes, the water level must be lowered to El. 145 m
again for the purpose of controlling subsequent floods. The oper-
ation mode of “storing clear water and discharging muddy water”
is adopted for the Three Gorges Reservoir; that is, the reservoir im-
pounds water after the flood season (early October) so as to scour
sediment in the Chongqing reach at the tail area of the Three Gorges
Reservoir. Considering the need for navigation in the downstream
reach, the minimum flow discharged from the reservoir during im-
poundment is required to be no less than 53 000–64 600 m3·s–1, cor-
responding to the firm output of the Three Gorges powerhouse; then
the water level gradually rises up to El. 175 m. During the low-water
season, it is generally operated at a higher water level in order to
allow for power generation and navigation in the reservoir area. In
order to meet flood control needs, the water level is required to be
lowered down to El. 145 m at the end of early June before the flood
season. During a flood season, the flood control operation is con-
ducted in a flood control compensation mode for the Jingjiang River
reach, increasing the flood control standard there from controlling a
10 year frequency flood to controlling a 100 year frequency flood. In

Fig. 1. A plan map for the comprehensive utilization of the Yangtze River Basin.

Table 1
Change in runoff and sediment load at the Three Gorges Project (TGP) damsite and flowing into the Three Gorges Reservoir.
Annual average runoff (× 109 m3) Annual average sediment load (× 106 t)
Before impoundment After impoundment Before impoundment After impoundment
Preliminary (1991–2002) (2003–2015) Preliminary (1991–2002) (2003–2015)
Location
design value Compared to Compared to design value Compared to pre- Compared to
(1877–1990) Observed Observed (1877–1990) Observed Observed
preliminary preliminary design liminary design preliminary
value value value value
design value value value design value
TGP damsite 451.0 428.7 –4.94% 400.3 –11.24% 521 391 –25.0% 40.4 –92.2%
Site flowing into 401.5 387.1 –3.59% 369.0 –8.09% 491 357 –27.3% 164.5 –66.5%
the Three Gorges
Reservoir
Note: Cuntan and Wulong Hydrometrical Stations represent the site flowing into the Three Gorges Reservoir.
 S. Zheng / Engineering 2 (2016) 389–397 391

other words, in the case of a 100 year frequency flood with a flood
discharge of 83 700 m3·s–1 from the upper Yangtze River, the maxi-
mum discharge at Zhicheng Hydrometrical Station can be controlled
at 56 700 m3·s–1 through the TGP’s flood regulation. If a flood with
a return period of over 100 or 1000 years occurs (including a flood
similar to the 1870 extraordinary flood), the discharge at Zhicheng
Hydrometrical Station can be controlled at less than 80 000 m3·s–1. In
combination with the operation of flood storage and detention are-
as, this discharge can guarantee flood-flowing safety in the Jingjiang
River reach, hence preventing the occurrence of a devastating disas-
ter caused by breaching in main levees along the two sides [3].
2.4. Flood control and impoundment operations during the tentative
impoundment operation period
2.4.1. Flood control operation for the Three Gorges Reservoir and the
Chenglingji reach
An analysis of flood data measured in the upper Yangtze River
for the past 20 years indicates that the maximum peak discharge
during this period was 63 300 m3·s–1 at Yichang Hydrometrical
Station—smaller than the discharge of a 10 year frequency flood.
In the case of a flood similar to the 1998 flood, if the TGP is oper-
ated in terms of flood control compensation for the Chenglingji
reach, the reservoir would impound water with a flood volume of
3 × 109 m3. In such a case, most of the flood control storage capac-
ity would still not be utilized, although the flood control situation
in the downstream Chenglingji reach (450 km from the damsite)
would be tense. It is evident that the flood control effect of the
TGP is not fully used. Therefore, during the trial impoundment
period of the Three Gorges Reservoir, with the approval of com-
petent authorities in October 2009, the TGP’s flood control oper-
ation scheme was optimized. The flood control operation of the
Three Gorges Reservoir and the flood control compensation oper-
ation for the Chenglingji reach were both considered (Table 2).
2.4.2. Operation for detaining medium and small floods during flood
season
The compensation operation for flood control of the Jingjiang
River reach sets the target water level at Shashi Hydrometrical Sta-
tion at no higher than El. 44.5 m, and the flood discharge from the
Three Gorges Reservoir at more than 55 000 m3·s–1. When the flood
discharge is between 45 000–55 000 m3·s–1, the flow discharged
from the Three Gorges Reservoir will make the water level at Shashi
Hydrometrical Station exceed its warning water level, thereby caus-
ing the water level along the middle Yangtze River to correspond-
ingly be higher than the warning water level. There is a 30 000 km
long levee along the middle and lower Yangtze River. The main part
of the levee is about 3900 km long, and all of the levee is built on a
Quaternary alluvial plain, where soils in the levee are badly bond-
ed. When the water level rises, dangerous emergencies can easily
happen, including leakage within the levee and piping through the
levee base. During a flood season, when the water level rises up to
its warning level, a considerable amount of manpower and material
resources are used to check potential levee dangers. According to
statistics, the water level in the Jingjiang River reach has exceeded
its warning level more than three times in one decade. Small and
medium floods of less than 55 000 m3·s–1 are impounded by adopt-
ing the TGP’s flood control capacity, which can reduce the flood
control pressure on the middle and lower Yangtze River. Considering
that the flood composition in the Three Gorges Reservoir is compli-
cated, methods for detaining small and medium floods will increase
the probability of exceeding its flood level limit and the risk of flood
control. Therefore, methods for detaining said floods should be man-
aged according to the following principles: keeping the TGP’s flood
control standard uncompromised; and not adding flood control
pressure onto the lower Yangtze River. Based on the principles, the
water level in the Three Gorges Reservoir is pre-discharged down to
its flood level limit before a major flood flows into the Three Gorges
Reservoir. It is controlled regardless of the flood control situation,
with actual inflows and forecasting results. If it is necessary for the
Three Gorges Reservoir to conduct a flood control compensation
operation for the Jingjiang River and Chenglingji reaches, it can
carry out the operation for detaining small and medium floods and
set the necessary conditions for starting a flood detention oper-
ation. During the flood season in 2009–2015, flood operation for
detaining small and medium floods was carried out, reducing the
flood control pressure on the Jingjiang River reach and the Cheng-
lingji area, making use of some flood resources to increase power
generation benefits, and preventing economic loss caused by ships
passing through the shiplock for a long time and by limiting ships’
navigation due to large flood discharging—thus obtaining excellent
economic and social benefits. During the operation for detaining
small and medium floods, the flow discharged during every flood
season is less than 45 000 m3·s–1, which may cause shrinkage and

Table 2
Flood control operation mode for the TGP’s optimized operation.
Three Gorges Reservoir
Conditions required to use TGP’s flood control storage
Water level upstream Flood control storage Flood control operation mode capacity
of the damsite (m) capacity (× 109 m3)
175–171 3.92 Operation for preventing upstream extraordinary flood: Dis- If a flood with a return period of over 100 or 1000 years
charge at Zhicheng Hydrometrical Station in Jingjiang River (maximum peak discharge of 98 800 m3·s–1) or a flood similar
reach is controlled not in excess of 80 000 m3·s–1; in combina- to the 1870 extraordinary flood (maximum peak discharge at
tion with flood detention and storage measures, water level Yichang Hydrometrical Station of 105 000 m3·s–1) occurs up-
at Shashi Hydrometrical Station is controlled to be not higher stream of the Three Gorges Reservoir
than El. 45 m
171–155 12.58 Flood control compensation operation for Jingjiang River If a 100 year frequency or below 100 year frequency flood
reach: Water level at Shashi Hydrometrical Station is not (maximum peak discharge of 83 700 m3·s–1) occurs upstream
higher than El. 44.5 m after the controlled flow discharged of the Three Gorges Reservoir
from reservoir is superposed with the inflow from between
the damsite and the city of Shashi
155–145 5.65 Flood control compensation operation for the Chenglingji If a flood from upstream of the Three Gorges Reservoir is not
reach is considered at the same time: Compensation regula- great, it is not yet necessary to impound a large volume of
tion is conducted in terms of El. 34.4 m at Chenglingji Hydro- water for meeting the flood control need for the Jingjiang
metrical Station River reach, and the water level at Chenglingji Hydrometrical
Station will exceed the design level for dykes built along the
main Yangtze River, then the Three Gorges Reservoir is re-
quired to retain and impound flood water
392 S. Zheng / Engineering 2 (2016) 389–397

degradation of river channels in the middle and lower Yangtze River.
Therefore, when the necessity exists, a flow of about 55 000 m3·s–1
is discharged every several years in order to fully test the ability of
levees and river channels in the Jingjiang River reach to release the
flood, and in order to prevent shrinkage and degradation of river
channels [4].
2.4.3. Operation of impoundment from the late flood season
Over the past 20 years, the monthly average discharges in
every September and October at Yichang Hydrometrical Sta-
tion are 23 100 m3·s–1 and 14 600 m3·s–1, respectively—11.2% and
22.3% smaller than the preliminary design values. As the Three
Gorges Reservoir is a quarterly-regulated reservoir, if it begins to
impound in early October according to its initial design scheme,
it will not impound up to El. 175 m in most years, which will se-
riously affect the full use of the TGP’s integrated benefits. There-
fore, during its trial impoundment in 2008, water was impounded
ahead of schedule in late September, and the starting impounded
water level was determined at El. 145.3 m. Thereafter, water was
impounded ahead of schedule on September 10–15 every year.
The starting impounded water level is at its actual flood control
operation level in an earlier stage, and water is stored up to about
El. 162 m until late September. Flow discharged in September is
kept at 10 000–8000 m3·s–1, and flow discharged in October is
controlled at no less than 8000–6500 m3·s–1; water is impound-
ed up to El. 175 m from late October to early November. During
impoundment, if a major flood from the upper Yangtze River
occurs and inflow into the Three Gorges Reservoir is more than
30 000 m3·s–1, impoundment action pauses and is operated ac-
cording to the flood control requirement. Table 3 shows impound-
ment data from every year during the TGP’s trial impoundment
and operation at El. 175 m.
environment, and power generation, and was controlled at no
less than 6000 m3·s–1.
2.5.2. Ecological operation
In 2011, ecological operation trials began with the TGP for
breeding four aquacultured fish species (black carp, grass carp,
silver carp, and bighead carp). During the breeding period of the
four fish species from late May to mid-June, the water tempera-
ture in the river course downstream of the damsite was higher
than 18 °C. In combination with requirements for emptying the
storage capacity, and in accordance with the upstream water
regime, 1–2 rising processes (lasting for about 10 days) were
completed throughout the operation. A discharge of 11 000 m3·s–1
in the Yichang Hydrometrical Station was used as its initial dis-
charge; the discharge was increased by 8000 m3·s–1 within six
days, and finally increased to 19 000 m3·s–1, with an average daily
rising amplitude of the water level of no less than 0.4 m. Monitor-
ing results for an ecological operation test show that it promoted
the breeding of the four aquacultured fish species, and increased
the amount of eggs spawned during the operation period.
From February 21 to March 3, 2014, the TGP was utilized to
conduct a “desalinization” operation, and the daily average flow
discharged from the Three Gorges Reservoir was increased from
6000 m3·s–1 to 7000 m3·s–1, with a total added discharged flow of
1.007 × 109 m3. To a certain extent, this operation mitigated the
serious impact caused by salty tide intrusion upstream, and simul-
taneously relieved the water shortages in the middle and lower
Yangtze River.
2.6. Measures for detaining small and medium floods, impoundment
since the late flood season, and reducing sedimentation in the
reservoir

2.5. Water resources regulation and ecological operation during the
tentative impoundment period
2.5.1. Water resources regulation
During the TGP’s tentative impoundment and operation, in the
event of a rapid drawdown of the water level in the trunkstream
of the middle and lower Yangtze River and Dongting and Poyang
Lakes, domestic water supply for urban and rural residents in the
middle and lower reach regions, and household, production, and
ecological water needs were prioritized. During the impound-
ment in 2009, a serious drought occurred in the middle and
lower regions. In order to relieve the drought, after the water was
impounded to El. 171.43 m, the water impoundment was stopped
and the flow discharge was increased. During the drawdown pe-
riod of the water level, the flow discharged was adjusted in light
of requirements for water supply, navigation, water ecology, the
During the flood season, when the operation for detaining small
and medium floods is conducted, the higher water level reduces its
sediment delivery ratio; hence, the reservoir sedimentation rises.
Advancing the impoundment to September 10 in the late flood sea-
son affects the sediment scouring (flowing) in rivercourses of fluctu-
ating backwater at the tail of the Three Gorges Reservoir, and some-
what increases sedimentation in this reach. Due to a great decrease
of sediment into the reservoir, observed data show that from June
2003 to December 2015, 1.6034 × 109 t of sediment was deposited in
the reservoir with an annual average sedimentation of 1.28 × 108 t,
accounting for only 38% of the predicted result. From 2003 to 2015,
the annual sediment delivery ratio was 24.2%, less than its predicted
value in the preliminary design, thereby increasing sedimentation
in the Three Gorges Reservoir [5]. Measured hydrological data from
the Bureau of Hydrology, Changjiang Water Resources Commission
indicate that in the case of a major flood, it takes the flood peak 18–

Table 3
A summary of impoundment data from every year during the TGP’s trial impoundment and operation at El. 175 m.
Starting impoundment date and starting impoundment water level Highest impoundment water level and date
Annual runoff
Year Starting impoundment Starting impoundment Impoundment water level on Highest impoundment
(× 109 m3) Date
date water level (m) September 30 (m) water level (m)
2008 429.0 September 28 145.3 149.1 172.80 November 4
2009 388.1 September 15 145.9 157.1 171.43 November 24
2010 406.7 September 10 160.2 162.6 175.00 November 26
2011 339.5 September 10 152.2 166.1 175.00 November 30
2012 448.1 September 10 158.9 169.0 175.00 November 30
2013 367.8 September 10 156.7 166.9 175.00 November 11
2014 438.0 September 15 164.6 168.5 175.00 October 31
2015 377.7 September 10 156.0 166.4 175.00 October 28
 S. Zheng / Engineering 2 (2016) 389–397
30 h to flow from the Cuntan Hydrometrical Station to the damsite,
and three to seven days for the sediment peak. In July 2012, exper-
iments were carried out with real-time monitoring and forecasting
to reduce sedimentation into the reservoir. While the flood peak
reduction was operated, the time difference between the flood peak
propagation and the sediment peak propagation was utilized. First,
the sediment delivery operation was carried out by controlling the
discharged flow to reduce the flood peak during the rising period,
and the discharged flow was increased to scour sediment during the
recession period. This operation increased the sediment delivery ra-
tio in July to 28%, resulting in a better sediment scouring effect and
breaking through the conventional operational mode of discharging
muddy water to the reservoir. In order to solve sediment scouring
(and/or flowing) problems in the reach of Chongqing main urban
area at the tail of the reservoir, two scouring tests were conduct-
ed in May 7–24 2012 and May 13–20, 2013. The water level at the
reservoir was lowered from El. 161.92 m down to El. 154.5 m, and
from El. 160.16 m down to El. 155.97 m; the drawdown was 7.42 m
and 4.19 m, respectively, with a daily mean drawdown amplitude
of 0.41 m and 0.52 m. This resulted in the terminal of backwater in
the reservoir moving from the reach near Jiulongpo (625 km from
the damsite) in the Chongqing main urban area down to the chan-
nel around Changshou District, downstream of the Tongluo Gorge
(535 km from the damsite). During the drawdown period of the
reservoir water level, the reach at the tail of the Three Gorges Res-
ervoir was scoured streamwise. The scouring sediment in the reach
from Dadukou District to Fuling District of Chongqing Municipality
(including the 169 km long Jialingjiang River reach shown in Fig. 2)
is 2.41 × 106 m3 and 4.413 × 106 m3. Sedimentation operation prac-
tices at the tail of the Three Gorges Reservoir indicate that in May
of every year, in combination with lowering the reservoir level, sed-
imentation operations at the tail of the Three Gorges Reservoir can
scour sediment deposited at the tail of the Three Gorges Reservoir
downstream into the river channel below El. 145 m—thus solving
sediment scouring in the reach of the Chongqing main urban area,
which was influenced by the reservoir’s impoundment ahead of the
late flood season. In combination with the simultaneous sediment
peak scouring operation, this opens up a new way for the Three
Gorges Reservoir to operate by “storing clear water and discharging
muddy water.”
Fig. 2. The Yangtze trunkstream and main tributaries upstream of the Three Gorges Dam.
393
3. Resettlement and ecological environmental protection in
the reservoir area
3.1. Resettlement in the reservoir area
A total of 1 296 400 residents have been relocated in the Three
Gorges Reservoir Area, including 550 700 rural relocatees (with
196 200 residents moving out of the reservoir area). Two cities,
10 counties, and 106 towns were relocated, and 745 700 people
were resettled, including those from industrial and mining es-
tablishments, with a relocated area of 71 427 300 m2. A total of
1128 protection works for cultural relic sites were put in place,
including 364 surface relic sites and 764 underground relic sites,
with an excavation area of 1 753 800 m2. A significant number of
nationally important historical relics have been conserved and
protected, and a large quantity of material data was kept. Re-
building and relocation tasks of special projects in resettlement
areas such as roads, bridges, ports, wharfs, water conservancy
and power facilities, telecommunication lines, and radio and tel-
evision have been completed. Living conditions, infrastructure,
and public service facilities in the relocated establishments have
undergone significant improvement; work start-overs for the
resettled are guaranteed, and supportive measures show positive
effects. Specially rebuilt relocation projects have fully restored
the original functions, and are more reasonable in layout, greater
in scale and grade, and better in function and effect than the pre-
vious settlements, guaranteeing the resettlement of residents as
well as the demand for economic and social development in the
reservoir area. These projects have stood the test of the reservoir’s
operation at El. 175 m, and have established a generally stable and
harmonious society in the reservoir area.
3.2. Control of geological disasters in the reservoir area
The Three Gorges Reservoir Area is historically prone to geo­
logical disasters. After the construction of the TGP began, the
national government set up a special fund to take structural
protection measures against geological disasters in the reservoir
area. Structural treatment of 428 landslides and 302 unstable res-
ervoir banks has eliminated harm from collapses and landslides
394 S. Zheng / Engineering 2 (2016) 389–397
to relocated towns and establishments for rural relocatees; alle-
viated hidden dangers caused by the slipping of landslides down
into the river channel; prevented harm from geological disasters
to ports, wharfs, and roads; and enhanced navigation safety. A
total of 3049 monitoring points for geological disasters in the res-
ervoir area were arranged and 525 relocation projects for evad-
ing geological disasters were conducted, greatly improving the
geological environment in the reservoir area, increasing safety
regarding people’s lives and properties in the reservoir area, and
securing navigation safety in the Yangtze River. Since the Three
Gorges Reservoir was impounded in June 2003, and specifically
since the trial impoundment at El. 175 m in 2008, water has been
impounded up to El. 175 m for nine years in a row. The frequency
of landslides has tended to decrease with time, indicating that
geological disasters caused by reservoir impoundment have shift-
ed from frequent occurrences to a plateau of lower risk. Since the
establishment of the monitoring and early warning network for
geological disasters covering the whole reservoir area, this net-
work has improved its early warning ability, survived from geo-
logical disasters induced by 100 year rarely occurring storm rains
in 2007 and 2014, successfully given early warning and dealt with
over 400 geological disasters, and effectively avoided any casual-
ties. The control of geological disasters in the Three Gorges Reser-
voir Area has assured the safety of relocated towns and establish-
ments for rural residents, and has verified the validity of the idea
of “prevention top, necessary monitoring, hedging and relocating
first, emphasis on project treatment, urban and rural residential
areas” for controlling geological disasters.
3.3. Earthquakes in the reservoir area
The TGP is situated in a crystalline basement zone of the Huang­
ling anticline core—a relatively stable land mass with a low seismic
activity level and a weak seismic environment. No destructive earth-
quakes around the damsite, reservoir area, or the 10 counties and
cities nearby have been recorded in history. Two fault zones situated
17–30 km and 50–110 km downstream of the damsite may cause the
occurrence of stronger earthquakes, and the maximum earthquake
magnitude is estimated to be about M5.5. Analyzed under a worst-
case scenario, an upper limit of M6 is taken as the greatest possible
earthquake magnitude induced by the Three Gorges Reservoir in the
probability risk analysis of a natural earthquake, because even if an
earthquake with this magnitude occurs at the Jiuwanxi fault zone
closest to the damsite (17 km away), the seismic intensity affecting
the damsite area would be no higher than VI degrees.
From June 1, 2003 to December 31, 2015, 6245 earthquakes with
a magnitude of over M0 were recorded in key monitoring zones
in the reservoir area, of which 99.84% were microquakes and ultra
microquakes with an earthquake magnitude of less than M3. This
indicates that the seismic activity is mainly microquakes and ultra
microquakes, primarily distributed within a zone 10 km away from
the two banks around the reservoir area, most of which is located in
the mining area and limestone zone [5]. Although reservoir-induced
earthquakes occur with a relatively high frequency, they are mainly
non-structural microquakes and ultra microquakes induced by ex-
ternal factors. They have a small earthquake magnitude, with M5.1
as a maximum and VII degrees at the highest epicentral intensity.
Since these earthquakes are very small in magnitude, they have not
yet induced secondary geological hazards in the reservoir area. Since
the Three Gorges Reservoir began impoundment, the greatest earth-
quake intensity incurred at the damsite was IV degrees, which is
far less than the VII degrees of seismic fortification intensity for the
Three Gorges Dam, and which did not exert an adverse impact on
the normal and safe operation of the TGP and its primary structures.
3.4. Water environmental protection in the reservoir area
Since the TGP began construction, the government has paid
strict attention to eco-environmental protection in the reservoir
area, and has promulgated the following plans: Water Pollution
Control Planning in the Upper Yangtze River, Implementation Plan-
ning for Environmental Protection in the TGP’s Construction Area,
Construction Planning for a Green Belt around the Three Gorges Res-
ervoir, and so forth. In November 2001, the State Council officially
approved the execution of Water Pollution Control Planning in the
Three Gorges Reservoir Area and the Upper Yangtze River in 2001–
2010, which extended the range of environmental protection
from the Three Gorges Reservoir Area to the Three Gorges Region
(including the reservoir area, affected area, and upstream area).
This directive covers five provinces and municipalities including
the Chongqing Municipality and the Hubei, Sichuan, Guizhou,
and Yunnan Provinces, comprising a total area of 790 000 km2. It
further enhances the ecological construction and water pollution
works in the Three Gorges Area. In the Three Gorges Reservoir
Area, the construction of town sewage and garbage disposal in-
frastructures as supporting facilities has been intensified, and
a series of effective measures have been taken, including the
reduction of the total amount of pollutants, ecological and en-
vironmental protection, algal bloom disposal in tributaries, an
ecological barrier construction along the reservoir bank, and
so forth. Since the Three Gorges Reservoir was impounded, the
trunkstream water quality in the reservoir area has maintained
a good level; except for a few years in individual monitoring
sections, the water quality in most sections has been between
Class II and Class III. Water quality in the non-backwater area of
the 37 main tributaries is mostly at Class II to Class III, which is
better than in the Minjiang, Tuojiang, and Wujiang Rivers. How-
ever, water quality in the backwater area is inferior to that in the
non-backwater area. Eutrophication in the main tributaries in the
reservoir area is aggravated, while eutrophication in the backwa-
ter area develops ever more seriously. The affected areas mainly
cover the Changshou, Fuling, Fengdu, and Wanzhou Districts. To-
tal phosphorus and total nitrogen content in the main tributaries
in the reservoir area is on the rise, and there exists the possibility
of algal bloom outbreaks.
4. Scouring and channel regulation
4.1. Scouring of clear water discharging on the river channel
downstream of the damsite
After the Three Gorges Reservoir is impounded, sediment content
in the discharged flow is reduced; Sediment carried by the clear wa-
ter is in an unsaturated state, scouring the downstream channel [6].
Since the TGP’s operation, scouring of the middle and lower Yang-
tze River tends to develop from upstream to downstream, and has
now intruded on the channel below Hukou, Jiangxi Province. In the
Yichang-Hukou reach, as shown in Fig. 3, the total sediment scoured
along the bankfull channel is 1.6478 × 109 m3 (including sand min-
ing), with an annual average scoured sediment of 1.221 × 108 m3 and
an annual mean scouring intensity of 128 000 m3·km–1. Scouring is
most intense on the low-water channel, contributing to 92% of the
total scoured sediment. The distribution of scouring sediment along
the river channel shows that scouring in the Yichang-Chenglingji
reach is relatively strong. The scouring volume in the bankfull
channel is 9.911 × 108 m3, contributing to 60% of the total; and the
scouring sediment in the Chenglingji-Wuhan reach and the Wuhan-
Hukou reach account for 15% and 25% of the total scouring vol-
ume, respectively. In 2015, the scouring intensity in the Yichang-
 S. Zheng / Engineering 2 (2016) 389–397
Fig. 3. The Yangtze trunkstream and main tributaries downstream of the Three Gorges Dam.
Chenglingji reach was reduced to a certain extent, with the scouring
quantity making up 38.5%; the scouring intensity in the Chenglingji-
Hukou reach was increased, with a scouring quantity accounting for
61.5%, showing that the scouring intensity in the channel obviously
developed downstream.
4.2. Detriment of channel scouring downstream and
countermeasures
Since the TGP’s operation, the impact of discharged clear water
scouring the river channel downstream of the damsite is mixed.
In terms of flood control, the channel goes deeper due to scouring,
and the water level under the same discharge falls, which is good
for flood flowing in the channel on the one hand; on the other
hand, it is detrimental to the near-bank channel as the bank slope
becomes steeper, making it a frequent victim of bank collapses. In
2003–2013, 698 bank collapses in the trunkstream of the middle
and lower Yangtze River occurred, with a total collapsed length of
521.4 km. However, they mainly happened in bank collapses and
risky reaches before the Three Gorges Reservoir was impounded.
Downstream scouring drives the adjustment of the river regime
to a certain extent, causing bank collapses in some locations, but
the river regime remains stable on the whole. Through bank pro-
tection, risky reaches in the main Jingjiang levee and the main
dykes in main tributaries are basically safe and stable. Serious
bank collapses have not yet occurred, and risks have been con-
trolled by strengthening dangerous reaches with bank protection
methods.
In terms of the river-lake relationship, a positive effect is that
the sediment flowing into lakes is reduced, and the sedimenta-
tion and shrinkage of river-connected lakes, especially Dongting
Lake, is slowed. A negative effect is that during the TGP’s im-
poundment period, the flow discharged is reduced, water level
in the river channel downstream of the damsite declines, and the
velocity flowing out of river-connected lakes accelerates, mak-
ing the low-water season begin early and thereby affecting the
utilization of water resources in lake areas, particularly Poyang
Lake and Dongting Lake. As for the TGP’s impact on the Yangtze
Estuary, the good news is that the discharge during the low-water
season rises due to the reservoir regulation, reducing the possi-
bility of salty tide flowing upstream. On a more negative side, the
decrease of sediment into the sea mitigates the tideland reclama-
tion for land. In terms of navigation, the project’s positive influ-
395
ence is that the flow discharged during the low-water season is
over 6000 m3·s–1, which is beneficial to the low-water scouring of
the navigation channel, and which increases the channel depth.
This leads to a negative effect: The clear water discharged from
the TGP undercuts the riverbed and reduces the low-water level
at the city of Yichang, increasing the difficulty of guaranteeing
the lowest navigable level for the Gezhouba Hydraulic Complex
through discharge compensation. In addition, the scouring be-
yond the navigation channel in the middle Yangtze River and the
adjustment in the riffle-pool situation worsens the navigation
conditions in some river channels. Scouring in riffles, develop-
ment in anabranches, and oscillation in the main stream cause
changes in the navigation channel to become uncertain, affecting
navigation. In order to eliminate adverse effects caused after the
TGP’s operation on the stability of the river regime and bank slope
in the middle and lower Yangtze River, the water supply for ripar-
ian towns and agricultural irrigation, and the navigation and eco-
logical environment, measures such as structural treatment, eco-
logical restoration, intensifying monitoring and controlling, and
so forth have been taken in combination with the TGP’s scientific
operation, and can mitigate or remove these adverse effects. Time-
ly dredging and maintenance of navigation-obstructing shoals is
performed, navigation channels in the middle and lower Yangtze
River are kept in an unblocked state, and the minimum dredging
depth in the Yichang-Hukou reach has been somewhat raised.
5. Utilization of flood resources and maximizing the TGP’s
integrated benefits
As a key project to harness, develop, and protect the Yangtze
River under the premise of “guaranteeing flood control safety, re-
ducing sedimentation in the reservoir, and ensuring environmen-
tal protection,” the TGP has made use of part of the flood resourc-
es since its impoundment and operation at El. 175 m in 2008. It
has brought into full play the integrated benefits of flood control,
power generation, navigation, water resources utilization, and so
forth.
5.1. Flood control
Through scientific operation since the TGP’s trial impound-
ment and operation at El. 175 m, its flood control capacity is
utilized during the flood season in order to dam up medium and
396 S. Zheng / Engineering 2 (2016) 389–397
small floods. The TGP also plays a role in flood peak reduction and
peak shifting, effectively avoiding the threat to residents along
the river bank that is induced by the overlapping of the flood
peak from the upper rivers with the flood peak from the middle
and lower rivers. It thus achieves the goals of avoiding or mitigat-
ing flood prevention pressure in the Jingjiang River reach, Poyang
Lake, and areas near Chenglingji, and of greatly relieving the
flood control pressure on the middle and lower Yangtze River (see
Table 4). In 2010 and 2012, the maximum peak discharge into the
reservoir was 70 000 m3·s–1 and 71 200 m3·s–1, respectively, both of
which exceed that observed at the damsite in 1998. Flood volume
impounded by the reservoir was 2.6 × 1010 m3 and 2.005 × 1010 m3,
respectively, and the rate of flood peak reduction was 42.8% and
40%. This lowered the water level in the trunkstream channel of
the middle Yangtze River by 0.9–2.5 m, making the water level at
Shashi Hydrometrical Station in Jingjiang River reach lower than
its warning level, and preventing the water levels at four rivers
to the south of the Jingjiang River and Chenglingji reaches from
exceeding their guaranteed levels. The TGP thus provided a safe-
ty guarantee for residents living along the river bank, as well as
economic and social development. It also provides obvious flood
control and disaster reduction benefits. Since its operation, the
TGP has effectively controlled flooding from the upper Yangtze
River, improved the flood control ability of the middle and lower
Yangtze River, protected the safety of people’s lives and proper-
ties, promoted basin-wide economic and social development, and
allowed people to work and live in peace and contentment.
5.2. Power generation
From 2003, when the TGP’s first generation unit began opera-
tion, until the end of 2015, the TGP’s gross power output has been
8.97795 × 1011 kW·h. The TGP has thus effectively relieved the
pressure of the power supply in Central China, East China, Guang-
dong Province, and other regions; strengthened the hub power
transmission grid in China’s major power networks; promoted
nation-wide grid integration; and enhanced the capability of the
nation-wide energy supply. All the generation units were in oper-
ation by 2012 with an output of 9.812 × 1010 kW·h, accounting for
about 11.4% of total hydropower generation in China and increas-
ing the proportion of hydropower in the power structure by 1.95
percent points. In order to optimize the power structure in China
and increase the proportion of non-fossil energy consumption,
it is necessary to improve China’s ability to supply clean energy.
Since the TGP began operation, it has effectively replaced ther-
mal power generation and has provided great benefits in energy
saving and emission reduction. The Three Gorges Plant has gener-
ated 8.97795 × 1011 kW·h in total power. Compared to total ther-
mal power generation, it saves 3.03 × 108 t of standard coal and
reduces the emission of 7.69 × 108 t of carbon dioxide, 8.261 × 106 t
Table 4
A summary of flood control operation data for the TGP’s trial impoundment and operation at El. 175 m.
Maximum peak Maximum dis-
Year Occurrence date
(m3·s–1) charged flow (m3·s–1)
2009 55 000 August 6 39 600
2010 70 000 July 20 40 900
2011 46 500 September 21 29 100
2012 71 200 July 24 45 800
2013 49 000 July 21 35 300
2014 55 000 September 20 45 000
2015 39 000 July 1 31 000
of sulfur dioxide, and 2.367 × 106 t of nitrogen oxide. It also de-
creases the emission of a large amount of waste water and waste
residues.
5.3. Navigation
Since the TGP’s impoundment, navigation in the reservoir
area has been greatly improved, and navigation in the middle
and lower Yangtze River has also improved. At the same time,
the rapid socioeconomic development in the Yangtze River Basin
has sped up water transport development in the Yangtze River.
From July 2003 to the end of 2015, the Three Gorges Shiplock
has undertaken 115 900 lock-times, sailed 682 000 ship-times,
passed 1.1337 × 107 passengers and shipped 8.6 × 108 t cargos. In
2011, the shiplock’s annual one-way throughput capacity exceed-
ed 5 × 107 t, realizing the goal of planned navigation for the TGP
19 years ahead of schedule. Flow conditions in the navigation
channel of the Three Gorges Reservoir Area have improved as
well, increasing the safety degree of ships’ navigation and oper-
ation, reducing the oil consumed by shipping by 2/3, decreasing
navigation costs by 1/3, and makingthe Yangtze River into a true
golden waterway, with “low cost and large traffic volume.” Water
transport has become a main transportation method in the Three
Gorges Reservoir Area, promoting the quick development of wa-
ter transport in the upper Yangtze River and of riparian economy
and society.
5.4. Water resources utilization
As a reserve of freshwater resources in China, the utilization of
water resources in the Three Gorges Reservoir includes not only
water transport and power generation, but also support for the
water supply in the Yangtze River Basin, ecology conservation,
improvement to water quality during the low-water season in
the middle and lower Yangtze River, and facilitation of south-to-
north water diversion. Meanwhile, when emergencies occur, such
as a 100 year frequency massive drought that occurred in the
middle and lower Yangtze River in 2011, the stranding of oil ships
in the river, and saltwater intrusion in Shanghai in 2014, the flow
discharged from the TGP is increased, and emergent operations
are carried out. Sudden events of this kind have been responded
to successfully. Table 5 provides water resources allocation and
utilization data during the TGP’s operation.
6. Conclusions
Since the TGP started operation, geological hazards such as
landslides and collapses in the Three Gorges Reservoir Area have
been reduced greatly through structural treatment. Water qual-
ity in the trunkstream and main tributaries in the reservoir area
Highest regulating flood
Maximum reduction Times of flood Total flood storage
level from June 10 to before
peak (m3·s–1) storage volume (× 109 m3)
impoundment (m)
16 300 2 5.650 152.89
30 000 7 26.430 161.02
25 500 5 18.760 153.84
28 200 4 22.840 163.11
14 000 5 11.837 156.04
22 900 10 17.512 164.63
8 000 3 7.542 156.01
 S. Zheng / Engineering 2 (2016) 389–397 397

Table 5
A summary of water resources allocation and utilization data during the TGP’s operation.
Power generation by saving water
Impoundment Days of making- Total volume of making- Average rising navi-
Period Increasing rate of hydro Power generation by saving
period up water up water (× 109 m3) gable depth (m) Year
energy utilization (%) water (× 109 kW·h)
Power generation 2003–2004 11 0.879 0.74 2003 — 0.08
period with water
2004–2005 Since inflow is high during low-water season, no making-up water 2004 4.60 1.72
retained by coffer-
operation was conducted
dam
2005–2006 Since inflow is high during low-water season, no making-up water 2005 4.00 1.87
operation was conducted
Initial operation 2006–2007 80 3.580 0.38 2006 4.30 2.03
period
2007–2008 63 2.250 0.33 2007 4.50 2.68
Trial impoundment 2008–2009 190 21.600 1.03 2008 4.96 3.78
and operation
2009–2010 181 20.020 1.00 2009 5.23 3.96
period
2010–2011 194 24.331 1.13 2010 5.09 4.08
2011–2012 181 26.143 1.31 2011 5.17 3.79
2012–2013 178 25.410 1.29 2012 6.97 6.53
2013–2014 182 25.280 1.26 2013 5.45 4.43
2014–2015 82 6.100 1.26 2014 5.47 5.11
2015–2016 170 21.760 1.26 2015 6.00 5.02
Total 1501 177.474 — — — 45.08

has been kept between Class II and Class III, and overall water
quality in the middle and lower Yangtze River has not changed
significantly before and after impoundment, and has been kept
between Class II and Class III in general. It needs to be noted that
the influence of the TGP on ecology and the environment is a long
and slow process, so it is necessary to maintain continuous moni-
toring. Water pollution control in the Three Gorges Reservoir still
presents a severe challenge, so it is important to further improve
environmental management and protection; enhance the man-
agement of the ecological environment in the Yangtze River sys-
tem; improve the water quality in the reservoir, especially in the
reservoir bays and tributaries; mitigate the frequent occurrence
of algal bloom outbreaks; and protect high-quality water sources
in the Yangtze River. At present, the TGP and completed cascade
reservoirs and those in the pipeline in the upper trunkstream and
tributaries provide a sound basis for completely utilizing water
resources in the Yangtze River. The scientific control of water
resources in the Yangtze River, the maximum mitigation of flood
and drought disasters in the Yangtze River Basin, the improve-
ment in water quality and the ecological environment, and the
full utilization of water resources will play important roles in
guaranteeing water safety and supporting sustainable develop-
ment in China. As soon as possible, the TGP should establish and
perfect a united operation mechanism and strengthen the joint
operation of the Three Gorges Reservoir with cascade reservoirs
in the trunkstream and tributaries of the upper and middle Yang-
tze River, so as to realize the maximization of the benefits pro-
duced by water resources utilization. The TGP is characterized as
being great in scale and remarkable in its benefits, and presents
numerous advantages and a few disadvantages. Even so, prob-
lems occurring in the TGP’s operation process need to be studied
seriously one by one, prevented, and treated. Maximizing the
TGP’s advantages and minimizing its disadvantages will contrib-
ute greatly to sustainable development in the Yangtze River Eco-
nomic Zone and to people’s wellbeing in the Yangtze River Basin.
References
[1] Project Team for TGP’s Staged Assessment of Chinese Academy of Engineer-
ing. TGP’s staged assessment report. Beijing: China Water & Power Press;
2010. Chinese.
[2] Project Team for TGP Assessment during Trial Impoundment Period of Chi-
nese Academy of Engineering. Assessment report on TGP assessment during
trial impoundment period. Beijing: China Water & Power Press; 2014. Chi-
nese.
[3] China Three Gorges Corporation. Report on construction quality of TGP and
project operation in 2014. 2015. Chinese.
[4] Zheng S. Discussion on TGP’s flood resources utilization and exerting inte-
grated benefit. Yangtze River 2013;44(15):1−6. Chinese.
[5] China Three Gorges Corporation. Report on construction quality of TGP and
project operation in 2015. 2016. Chinese.
[6] Zheng S. Discussion on hydropower resources development and environmen-
tal & ecological protection in China. Eng Sci 2006;8(6):1–6. Chinese.
Another random document with
no related content on Scribd:
brother. Not so his. He had no sentiment for Abel even now; no pity
for the fate which had overtaken him. The best he could find to say
about him was that he had paid the penalty and called quits, and left
the better man to come into his own. Not for himself—that was the
moral reservation, after all, which silenced and confounded us. He
longed for the treasure; he gloated in the thought of its resurrection;
but now for my sake, not his own. With the prospect of its recovery
instant in his mind, he never wavered in his intention to bestow it all
on the son of the man who had died to vindicate his honesty. I could
have laughed again over this tragic, comical, chimerical bequest to
me; only tears were too near the source of humour. It was terrible,
and indecent, and pathetic in one. We sought life for no end but
sweet life’s own. The rest was a mockery.
Well, he kept us alive with it, that I believe. Even after he himself
was numbed and silenced from stimulating us, from encouraging us
by sympathy and example to prevail through hope, he would keep
nodding brightly to us to rally our spirits, until his neck got too stiff to
nod at all.

It must have been half-past six and near the time of ebb, when the
spectral dark which engulphed us knew a change. The fog, lying low
on the water, grew slowly diaphanous, waxing from a weak dawn,
like heaven seen through dying lids, to a sweet and solemn
lightness. For long we were too exhausted, body and mind, to
consider what this portended. The lightness increased; and suddenly
high over the bank shone a little red spark like a lantern. We lifted
our dazed heads; we stirred stiffly where we sat. O God! O God!
what did it mean?
Swiftly it broadened, glowing like a rising fire. It mounted, or the
haze shrunk beneath it—who could tell? In a moment it was free,
and we knew it, in wonder and thankfulness, for the moon.
She was in her first quarter—a child moon, swelling into
maidenhood. Slowly, slowly she rose, while we watched her,
gloating, absorbed. Gradually the blush with which she had first
observed us, sole spectators of her girlish disrobing, faded into a
white glow of pity. Her tresses fell from her neck upon the sea, the
mist parting to let them by, and were extended to us, “Climb to me by
them,” she seemed to whisper; “here is the way to hope.” And lo! full
in the midst of that shining path rode a little boat.
There was a man in it, a solitary fisherman trawling for soles. The
agony of the moment gave us life and voice. We screamed to him;
we waved; we made every frantic demonstration that was possible to
us in our condition. He heard and saw us—and he sat as if stricken.
Ghostly, leisurely, we drifted past, and the boat faded and became a
phantom behind us.
We could not believe it. We never ceased to cry out. It was too
hideous, too cruel for truth. Harry, with a dying effort, half rose. I
don’t know what desperate thought was in his mind.
“Hush!” I suddenly implored; and we all became stone.
There was a little knock and paddle coming to us out of the mist.
In a moment the boat forged into sight, approached us, and hung off.
“Who be ye?” said a fearful voice.
We answered all together in a babble.
“Nay, let me speak alone,” said Joshua; and he hailed the man
clearly.
“We went to visit the wreck on the sands; we were abandoned
there by a scoundrel, and we have been floating on this spar ever
since.”
Still the man was not convinced. We could hear him distinctly spit
into the water. It is so his class exorcises all demons.
“What might be your names, now?” he asked cunningly.
Here was a poser for the devil.
“First of all, Master Richard Bowen,” began Joshua.
“Hey!” interrupted the boatman, with all his voice of wonder; and
he sculled rapidly up, and alongside. “Master!” He peered through
the mist. “Lord have mercy on ’s, ’tis himself trewthfully!”
“Old Jacob!” I cried, in a faint voice between laughing and sobbing.
“Old Jacob, help us off this before we die!”
And after that I remember nothing.
 CHAPTER XIII.
RAMPICK SPEAKS.

You remember old Jacob? ’Twas he seconded Harry so

unhandsomely in the great fight. He had retired upon his savings
now, and did no work, save when a still night persuaded him forth
with line and trawling-net, and the loan of a friend’s boat could be
procured. Such had been the case when we ran across him. He had
taken advantage of the holiday spirit, which kept all “afternoon
farmers” of the sea scrupulously away from it, to pull a few miles out
in a borrowed craft, and try for a basket of fish to make a welcome
garnish to his Christmas pot.
He was lying, when he picked us up, off the banks some four miles
from land in a southerly direction, and in a few minutes was to have
hauled in and returned home. By so narrow a margin of Providence
were we acquitted. In all these hours, it appeared, we had made no
nearer the coast than this; had just swung hither and thither gently,
drifting south, on the whole, and making two feet shoreward,
perhaps, for every one we retired. Probably, in the end, we should
have dropped sluggishly on the banks again, unless the outward
race of the tide, more vicious than the inward, had swept us over
them. In either case, however, the result would have been the same,
I believe. Another hour or two must have seen the finish of our
endurance.
As it was, I don’t know how they got me on board. Harry, with his
stronger fibre, rallied immediately under the excitement: the strain
off, I collapsed—that was the difference between us. I was physically
and mentally frozen; I could not make an effort on my own account;
but lay on the planks, my head on my friend’s knees, listening, in a
sort of staring dream, to the murmur of voices above me punctuated
by old Jacob’s exclamations. They were telling him, I knew, enough
of the facts to explain our situation; and I heard Harry impress upon
him the necessity of keeping all to himself, until we had seen Mr.
Sant, and learned what course he proposed to take. Old Jacob made
no demur. He was honoured in their confidence for one thing, and,
for another, his admiration for his former master was still so
unspeakable, that he chuckled at the mere idea of temporarily
sharing a secret with that great man.
Harry questioned him about Rampick’s doings since our
abandonment on the sands. He knew nothing of the fellow; had
neither seen nor heard of him. Probably, he thought, if he were
convinced no one had witnessed our departure, he would, after
deserting us, have pulled oblique up or down the coast, to some
outlying station on it, in order to establish an alibi in case of inquiry.
“He were free to go his gait, without risk o’ being observed in these
merry times,” said he. “Reckon he’s turned up late, with his story of
Jack or Jim visited, and the wur-rds spoke, and mayhap some proof
of what Jack give him or Jim lent, to the very tune of innercence.”
I heard them all. Their speech drummed on my brain, as if it were
parchment, which was just what it felt like. I lay staring at the light of
the moon, for my back was turned to the beautiful thing herself; and I
was not unhappy, only utterly cold-blooded. I thought, perhaps, from
my long semi-immersion I had become a fish. What a fate, to go
gasping through the world, with round lidless eyes and ears
palpitating like gills, and never to feel warm again!
Presently we came to shore; and they tilted me up, as if I were a
board, and stood me on end, so that I could not help laughing. But
even then, in the most extraordinary way, cold air seemed to come
from my lungs. Some one, with a whisper and nudge, as if to fire my
interest, pointed out to me a boat, Rampick’s, pulled up on the
beach, its sides gleaming wet in the moonshine. I crowed and
acquiesced, very knowing about nothing, as they seemed to wish me
to be; and then, having my legs pointed out to me, tried seriously to
remonstrate with and command them, for they were in the most
drunken condition. I supposed, indeed, that they were quite
detached from me, until, between Harry’s and Jacob’s support, I set
them moving; and then I understood that they still acknowledged my
control, and I was gigglingly interested in them, looking down on
them idiotically as they went splayed, and giving, and pulling
themselves respectable over the hard. They found the Gap a tough
business; but once up and over it, the descent beyond appeared a
matter of moments. While I was still chuckling to Harry, and failing in
words to express to him what the joke was, there close before our
faces was the door of number three, the Playstow; and I gaped and
grinned and delightedly pointed out my discovery to my friends.
While I was yet in the act, it opened hurriedly to a great surge of
light; and I saw the figures of Uncle Jenico and Mr. Sant, standing
blowzed and flurried, in the midst of the furnace. Suddenly they
moved and came towards us; and at that I tried to hail them with a
shout of laughter; but, instead, staggered and slipped down into their
midst. It was very restful, after all; and I thought I would stop where I
was. But the jangle of many voices worried me, and I closed my
eyes. Then, instantly, as it seemed to me, I was lifted up, and borne
aloft, and smothered in down, or snow, which embraced me very
cold and peaceful. The light sunk low, and the voices to a whisper. I
was quite content, so long as they would leave me packed there
frozen. But presently I was conscious that this was not to be.
Something, by creeping degrees, tickled, and bit, and stung at my
feet. The poison rose, giving me intolerable pain. I moaned and
cried; and, at the sound of my voice, they lifted me up and poured
fire down my throat. The rising and the falling heat met, it seemed, at
my heart, and I believed it was consuming. I struggled to beat out the
flames, to reproach these demons with their cruelty—and then in a
moment, in a blazing swerve to consciousness, I saw them. They, or
their shadows, leapt gigantic on the ceiling; furious, gnashing
caricatures of my uncle, Mrs. Puddephatt, Mr. Sant, Fancy-Maria. A
furnace glared and reverberated behind them. They sprang and held
me down, and rasped my limbs till they crackled and smoked. From
prayers and anguish I passed to frenzied defiance. If they would
torture me so pitilessly, I would of myself stultify their efforts. I felt the
waters of revolt rising within me. An instant, and they gushed to the
surface of my body, putting out the fires all over. Surcease from pain,
a delicious oblivion overwhelmed me, and I sank back and forgot
everything.
Once out of dreams of dewy meadows I awoke, and found my
hand in the hand of my uncle, who sat beside the bed. He was
himself once more, the real loving normal Uncle Jenico, and I smiled
drowzily on him, and dropped away again. A second time I awoke;
and there was Fancy-Maria beside my pillow, softly rubbing a smut
into her nose with her thumb, and repeating to herself the
multiplication table to keep from nodding.
“Three sevens ain’t twenty-four, Fancy-Maria,” I said, and off I
went again.
At last, and finally, after unravelling a great endless jest of a rope, I
stuck at a prodigious knot, and gasped, and opened my eyes.
“I thought that last snore would finish you,” said a voice.
I sat up. I was in bed in my own room; the noonday sun glowed on
the blind, and squatted down before the dead embers of the fire,
sniggering like a Bonanza, was Harry. He rose, yawning, and came
across to me.
“All right?” he said.
“Right as a trivet.”
“Hungry?”
“Just!”
“You’ll do, then.”
“Think I should—when I’ve had something to eat.”
Sweet is the constitution of youth. It all came back to me now, and
without distress.
He sat down on the bed.
“Why, whatever was up with you last night?” he asked curiously.
“I don’t know,” I answered, shame-faced. “Didn’t you feel it?”
“Not much. Not in that way. It was good enough for me to be safe.
I say, you gave us a precious fright.”
“I’m very sorry. I couldn’t help it. What happened? Was Uncle
Jenico very put out about our not coming home?”
“Near off his head, I should think. He’d sent for Sant. Nobody had
heard or knew anything about us. But, of course, they never
supposed it was quite so bad as it was.”
“Poor old chap! I was an ass to go off like that. Well, what was
decided?”
His face fell a little sombre.
“Sure you’re in a fit state to hear?”
“O, I’m all right, I tell you. It would worry me not to know.”
“Very well. Then, when we’d got rid of you at last, and had
something to eat and drink, we held a council of war. Mr. Paxton was
in a rare state. I think he’d have liked to shoot that beast at sight. I’d
never thought he could be like that, and I tell you it made me crow to
see him. But your friend Joshua was for a postponement, until he
could visit the crypts. He went through his whole story again, just as
he’d said it to us. We told your uncle everything, of course, from first
to last; and Sant, naturally. And then he came down. He would hear
of no course but the direct one. He’d go straight up to the Court for a
warrant against Rampick for attempted murder; and, after that, to
wring out and air the whole dirty business. He didn’t mind about
risking his own popularity; he didn’t value at a brass piece the insane
flummery of the treasure, as he called it. He and Mr. Pilbrow near
came to words about it; and then——”
“What then?” I asked him, for he had stopped.
“I hardly like to tell you,” he said. “Sure you’re all right?”
“O yes, of course!” I said impatiently. “Do go on!”
“Well, we’d all gone out on the step, to see Mr. Pilbrow off, and he
and Sant were standing wrangling there, when who should come
slouching past but Rampick himself.
“I tell you he gave a screech, and dropped in a heap where he
stood. We all ran out, thinking him dead. I don’t know now whether
he is or not.”
“It would be the best way out of it all, perhaps,” I muttered.
“Maybe it would,” said Harry. “They got help and carried him
home, and Sant went with him. He’s been there ever since, I think.
At least he’s not come back here. Anyhow it stops the warrant
business for the time. And there we are. Nobody knows the real truth
but old Jacob; and Sant bound him to silence for the present. We’ve
been looking after you ever since, young gentleman; and here I am,
having taken my turn by the fire.”
“It’s very good of you, you old idiot,” I said rather tremulously.
“Harry, if—if he’s rested, do you think you could send Uncle Jenico to
me now?”
He nodded, comprehending perfectly, and went out. I don’t intend
to recount the meeting that followed. If I had loved the old man
before, you may understand what penitence now made of my
feelings. I was painfully suspicious that that secrecy as to my own
movements had been dictated rather by private selfishness than
consideration for my relative. Certainly I had feared that, had he
been told of our purposed trip to the sands, he would, in his
uneasiness of mind, have put forward all sorts of objections, even,
perhaps, had I proved obstinate, to a personal appeal to me not to
desert him in his depressed condition. And now, supposing that
eternal seal had been put on our actions, what a heritage of mental
torture, of unfounded self-accusations to impose on that blameless
soul! I ended by swearing that for the future no simplest scheme of
mine should take shape without his sanction. And then he was
pacified, though still, while Rampick’s fate was undecided, in a fever
of nervousness to keep me within sight and touch.
I came down to dinner, at which Harry was an invited guest, and
made up handsomely for my late abstinence. We had a merry meal,
though still in some perturbation as to Mr. Sant’s prolonged absence.
During the course of it, I suddenly found a huge 21, scrawled on a
scrap of paper, lying on the table beside me. A smutty thumb print in
one corner informed me at once of the authorship.
“Three times seven, Fancy-Maria?” I said. “That’s a good girl! I
knew you’d come round to my point of view in the end.”
She backed, giggling, out of the room; and a heavy sound in the
hall which followed, endorsed, so to speak, by a pasty disc on her
bustle when she reappeared, showed us that she had sat down in
the pudding. But that, fortunately, was when we were at the cheese.
Mrs. Puddephatt was genteel and a little distant in her visitations
during the meal; and, finally, with such spectral significance, that
Uncle Jenico, though she had not spoken, felt constrained to offer
her a sort of apology.
“There’s something behind, you think,” said he. “Well, candidly,
there is, but it’s not exactly our secret as yet, my dear woman. When
it is, you shall have all the facts.”
She gave a sharp wince, as if suddenly recalled to herself with a
pin; and, drawing herself up with her arms folded, gazed at him with
stony abstraction.
“Which you was addressing me, Mr. Paxton?” she said. “Would
you take the liberty now to repeat yourself?”
Much confused, Uncle Jenico did.
 “Ho!” she exclaimed, with decision. “Well, I must believe my ears
for the future, I suppose, when they accuses me of curihosity, and
pryingness into things which people no doubt has their very good
reasons for keeping dark, and not becoming to a decent woman to
pollute herself with hearing. I thank you for your consideration, Mr.
Paxton, venturing to remark honly as it were uncalled for; me being
the last person to worrit herself about her neighbour’s concerns, nor
accustomed in London to know so much as the name of the next
door, which is a feature of the metropulis neither hunderstood nor
hemulated by provincial rustication.”
“I’m very sorry,” began Uncle Jenico. “I really thought——”
“Permit me to say, sir,” she broke in rather shrilly, “that you should
not think about a woman at all, save in the way of kindness; and
leastways, not to adopt her to your fancies. Suspicion begets the
shadows of its own rising, Mr. Paxton.”
And, with these enigmatical words, she left us quite crushed and
flabby.
We had hardly recovered, indeed, when steps outside woke us
alert, and the next instant Mr. Sant entered.
He looked pale, and worn, and unshaved; but his eyes lightened at
sight of me sitting there rested and confident.
“Ha, Dick!” he said. “What a brave constitution, you little dog! Is it
fit for another strain yet, do you think?”
He came and put an affectionate arm over my shoulders.
“Is it fit?” he repeated, while Harry and Uncle Jenico stood
wondering.
“You’ve nothing else for him at present?” said my uncle suddenly,
and almost fiercely. “I’m not going to have him overtired, Sant.”
The rector said “Hush!” and crossing over to see that the door was
tight shut, turned to us with his back against it.
“He’s dying,” he said. “It was a stroke, or fit, and the heart is just
doing time for a little. The hope of your forgiveness is all, I do
believe, that keeps it going.”
He looked intently at us. None of us spoke.
“He knows the truth now, and in his turn confesses everything,”
said the clergyman, clearly. “He understands the terrible mistake he
made. His brain clears of its delusions in the searching atmosphere
of death. If you can forgive him, forgive the great wrong he designed
you, he may be saved for God yet. But there is no time to lose.”
I felt that the blood had left my face, making my head swim and
my heart beat suffocatingly. This was a hard relapse upon horror. But
had we not learned to hit and be hit and nurse no resentment? I
pulled myself together.
“Broughton regulations, sir,” I said, with a rather shaky smile.
“Come on, Harry. Let’s go and find Mr. Pilbrow, and bring him, too.”
“Stay,” said our tutor, in a very sweet voice. “I’ve fetched him
already. He’s waiting outside now. He will abide by your decision,
Richard.”
“Then, let him be my dear boy’s deputy to forgive,” spoke up Uncle
Jenico, sharply. “There’s no occasion to submit Richard to this fresh
ordeal.”
Mr. Sant looked at me.
“He’s got a bad enough road to go, uncle,” I said. “I don’t want to
lay up more remorse for myself. We’ll cheer him on his way. Come,
Mr. Sant!”
My uncle uttered what sounded like an oath. But he objected no
further.
“In manus tuas, Domine, commendo spiritum suum!” I heard him
mutter viciously; and I ran up, and shook his hand hard, and hurried
out.
In the little garden we found Joshua. He understood without a
word. He was very sombre; but quiet, and glad, by his glistening
eyes, to see me well.
We hastened up the village street. News of our mission had got
abroad; vague and speculative as yet, for Jacob had been loyal. But
the people we passed looked at us covertly and curiously, scenting
strange revelations in the air.
The ex-smuggler lived, was dying, in a little cottage up a squalid
alley near the head of the village. It was a poor, dreary hovel, the
mere lair of a beast, self-degraded, God-forsaken. His wretched wife,
the real scapegoat of his sins, took us in to him.
“He’s dyin’ hard,” she said, in a thin fretful voice; “hard as a lord,
wi’ the whole world to lose. He allers was above his station, was
Jole. Lived on dreams, he did. I mind the time he promised me a
kerridge; and now we’ll be bad set to find a hearse.”
He sat propped up under a frowzy patchwork quilt. A silhouette
under broken glass was clutched in one of his hands. The whole
man was sunk in upon his frame; his breath, always difficult to him to
draw, laboured heavily; his eyes, in their livid halos, were quite
unearthly. The woman went to him, and made some show of easing
the coverlet on his chest.
“I was telling the gentlemen,” she said, shrilly, “that time was we
was to have our kerridge, and now summut less than a hearse must
serve.”
He nodded, and moved his ashy lips, and fingered the picture in
his hand.
“He’s daft on it,” she said, turning to address us. “’Tis our little
Martha, gentlemen, took at the fair before her going. I tell him he
needn’t look to join her where she sings among the angels. He
should have thought about it earlier, if he wanted to curry favour.
Better to pass on what he can get from you, if so be as you’re
agreeable.”
I felt a sudden thickness in my throat.
“We forgive you, Mr. Rampick!” I cried out, and hung my head, and
turned in dumb entreaty to Mr. Sant. He hurried to the bed-head, and
put a gentle manly arm about the dying sinner.
“Do you hear, Rampick?” he said. “As God witnesses, they forgive
you.”
The smuggler moved his exhausted hands. Mr. Sant,
understanding, lifted them both for him in an attitude of prayer.
“Mr. Pilbrow,” he said softly, “he wants you to hear the truth, if
possible, from his own lips. Will you come?”
Joshua moved up, and knelt by the bed. We all heard the broken,
gasping confession—
“Tuk you—fur him, I did. ’Twas in the days—afore the—’arthquake.
We had our store—where you know, in the underground vaults of th’
old abbey. Over above, in the hopen, was a knot of arches—running
together, like the bow ribs of a ship; and—set in the pavement under
—in a dark corner behind ruins, were a stone moving on a pivot—
what let down him—as knew the trick—by a flight of steps, to the
crypts. The powder—was kep’ handy—just below; and beyond—in
th’ old cellars running seaward—till they bruk off—in a choke of ruin,
behind the cliff face—lay the tea and brandy.
“At that time we was a good deal chafed—as one might call it.
What with a revenue cutter—and a sloop of war to back it—our last
run had been a run fur life—and—at the end it were touch and go to
get—the stuff housed. And in the thick, of the excitement, who
should be sprung—upon us—as we thought, but a spy. He come
from nowhere—it seemed. He was just up there one day poking—
and prying—among the ruins—and I see him. For hours he went—
sniffing round—while I watched secret. He squinted, and he tapped,
and he went—in and out—cautious; and sometimes, he’d stamp on
the ground, and listen—fur the holler echer—with his ear down like a
dog. Then—by-and-by—off he went, on tiptoe, and I follered, tracken
en—to the Flask. They could tell me nothing—about en there; save
as he’d walked over—by his own statement—from Yokestone. The
thing looked as black as hell; and what we done—we done—in
justice to ourselves as we thought—because we was druv, to it. I had
no hand in what follered. I wouldn’t have: I never—could abide—the
sight of death.
“We was stowing—the last of the cargo—by starlight, when I see
—the man agen. He was setting, behind a stone, his eyes shining—
like a cat’s—upon each of us—tradesmen—as we disappeared,
down the hole. We was druv to it—as we thought—and tuk our plans
—cautious and seized en. He was a cat—he was. We bled, a few on
us. But we got en down, he screeching—all the time—about some
treasure, he was come arter,—and then I left en, and went up—to
keep watch. I couldn’t stand—what I knew was to foller. I’m a
peaceable man—by disposition, I am. It was a providence—arter all.
Fur I hadn’t abin—there not a minute—when all hell bruk—
underneath me, and went out with a roar. The blessed ground—
heaved itself—like so much bed-clothes; the arches—come
thumping down, and all—in a noise—as if, the Almighty was a
tearing—of His world—to tatters. I were spilt on my face—lucky, fur
me, I’d moved away to git—out o’ earshot—of the thing, under—and
when I come—to my senses, I didn’t know myself—or the place. I
crep’ home—dazed-like—to bed; and kep’ it—fur a week—hearing of
the ’arthquake. But I knew, in my heart, what had happened. Some
fool had fired—the powder—and closed up, the hill. It were so—I
was sure—when I come at last—to look. It seemed all fallen, in upon
itself. Where the passage—had been—were just, a shipload, of ruin,
the half of it turned over—and sunk, into the herth. I never believed
—from that moment—till the day I seen it, proved otherwise—that so
much—as a babby—could find its way agen—into them shattered
vaults. But the Lord—has His way.”
He ended, amidst a deep silence, and sank back exhausted.
Joshua got quietly to his feet.
“You are forgiven, Rampick,” he said, “by me and by us all. Make
your peace with God.”
Mr. Sant motioned to us.
Silently we filed out, and left the dying and his minister alone.
 CHAPTER XIV.
WHAT THE LETTER SAID.

We were all sitting very sombrely in the gloaming, when Mr. Sant
came in to us. There was no need to question anything but his face.
“Yes,” he said, “it is over. God give him mercy!”
By common consent we would speak no more on the subject until
nature had been restored. There was a scent of battle, not to speak
of eggs and bacon, in the air, which inspired us somehow to brace
up our loins before the ordeal. Tea was on the table, and we sat
down to it, and presently were doing justice to Uncle Jenico’s
plentiful fare. Then, refreshed and reinvigorated, we pulled our chairs
to the fire, and the ball began.
“Now, Mr. Pilbrow,” opened the rector, cautiously, “what is your
next move?”
“To find and search my brother Abel’s body,” answered Joshua,
prompt and perfectly cool. “What is yours?”
“To go straight to the squire, and put the whole matter into the
hands of the law,” said Mr. Sant.
“You will give me a day or two first?”
“No!”
“One day?”
“No.”
Joshua scrambled to his feet, and went to and fro.
“This is intolerable, sir. It is my brother who was done to death,
and the cause is mine.”
“It is the cleansing of my parish, sir, and the cause is mine.”
“I must secure my treasure first, sir.”
“Your treasure be——!”
I am sorry to say Mr. Sant went the whole length of the expression.
“Your parish,” said Joshua, viciously, “has postponed its cleansing
six years. A couple of days longer won’t spoil it.”
“It would spoil my conscience in my own eyes, Mr. Pilbrow. I do not
compound a felony, now I know of it, for an hour.”
 “Then go at once, sir, to be consistent, and, to satisfy your
conscience, defraud this orphan, your pupil, of his just
indemnification.”
The clergyman rose to his feet.
“Indemnification? For what, sir?” he said, very sternly.
“For the loss of his fortune, of his father, sir,” said Joshua, as
resolutely; “who, to vindicate the truth, died and left him bankrupt of
his legitimate expectations.”
Uncle Jenico, shifting nervously in his seat, put in a pacifying
word. The truth is, the dear old fellow had been in a suppressed
state of excitement ever since our visitor’s first dark allusion to his
mission on these coasts had begun to shadow itself out into some
form and substance.
“Sant,” he said, “I think you must be reasonable. We don’t stand
first in this matter. The treasure——”
“Nonsense!” interrupted the clergyman loudly. “Do you credit a
word of the stuff!”
“To be sceptical without knowledge—the boast of fools!” cried
Joshua, repeating himself.
“Hush!” said Uncle Jenico. “Sant, hadn’t we better first learn from
Mr. Pilbrow how he proposes to act in event of the—the clew really
coming to light?”
The rector was silent.
“You are an adept in matters of conscience, sir,” said the
bookseller, bitterly and rather violently. “There was no question of
hurry when you wanted to use us to help you smuggle a soul into
salvation. I won’t say that, if I’d foreseen your intention, I should have
postponed my forgiveness till I’d gone to the hill and verified the
man’s words; but I do say that in acting on a generous impulse,
without a thought of possible consequences to myself, I was playing
a better Christian part than you, who had this damning sequel in your
mind all the time.”
Harry, very restless, cried out here sensibly enough—
“Aren’t we rather fighting in the dark? It mayn’t be Mr. Pilbrow’s
brother that was the supposed spy, after all, in which case there’s no
question of treasure. I think he’s the right to go and see first, before
any steps are taken. I beg your pardon, sir.”
 Mr. Sant sighed, his brow lightened, and he patted the boy’s
shoulder approvingly.
“Good fellow!” he said. “No doubt it would be best to clear the air
of this fantastic stuff, before we begin to set our house in order.”
Then he turned to Joshua genially.
“I beg your pardon, Mr. Pilbrow. I was betrayed into some
unwarrantable heat. I confess we look at this matter from different
points of view; but that is not to say that mine is necessarily the right
one. Indeed, you have given me a lesson in Christianity, to which I
seem to make, I admit, a scurvy return.”
The little bookseller bowed, grimly still, but without answer.
“If then,” said the clergyman, biting under the irony that would
make itself felt in his words, “you find this clew—find this marvellous
deposit of wealth—there are laws of treasure-trove: you cannot think
for a moment that I will, that I can, counsel secrecy—allow Richard
to share in the profits of a felony——”
“Felony, sir!” cried Joshua.
“Is not that what a hoodwinking of the law would amount too? You
agree with me, Mr. Paxton?”
“Yes, yes—O yes, of course!” assented Uncle Jenico, faintly.
“Harkee, Mr. Parson!” cried Joshua, in a heat. “I throw the word in
your teeth. I am no suborner, sir, no, nor glorifier of my own
ignorance neither. Be sure I don’t know the law better than you,
before you tax me in advance with cheating it.”
“Well, well,” said Mr. Sant, smiling. “I don’t know the law on the
subject, I confess.”
“Then take this, sir, for your rebuke,” said the other, sourly; “and be
less apt—for a clergyman—to damn without book. The law of
England—I do know it, and have reason to—takes its definition of
treasure-trove from the jurist Paulus, who lays down that ‘vetus
depositio pecuniae cujus dominus ignoratur,’ that is to say, ancient
concealed treasure of which the lord of the soil is ignorant, becomes,
being discovered, the property of the Crown, if presumptively
deposited by some one who at the time intended to reclaim it.”
“Exactly,” put in Mr. Sant. “And yet, in the face of——”
“Will you permit me?” interrupted the bookseller, with a manner of
most frosty sarcasm. “For all your cloth, sir, I would not have you on
a jury, lest you stopped the case before hearing the other side.”
The rector muttered an apology. He really did look abashed.
“I say,” repeated Joshua, “that the Crown, to prove its title to
treasure-trove, must prove the depositor’s intention to reclaim first.
Where that is wanting, or where an intention to abandon can be
shown—as when the goods were thrown away in a panic, or for
other reason, to be rid of them—the treasure remains wholly and
solely in the possession of the finder.”
“Very well,” said Mr. Sant, plucking up heart. “And what benefit is
that alternative to you?”
“What benefit! To me!” cried Joshua. “Have you heard my story,
sir? Did you listen to it? Did you hear me quote the man Vining’s
confession that he had abandoned the price of his iniquity, and cast
it from him?”
Mr. Sant reflected. He was getting interested, I was sure, after all.
“’Tis a subtle legal point, I think,” said he. “I foresee, anyhow, fine
complications; even if you had evidence—which you have not—of
this intention to abandon.”
“Which I have not,” repeated Joshua, “at present. And which I shall
never have, to the right effect, if your delicate conscience can
forestall me.”
“You are unnecessarily sarcastic, sir,” said the clergyman, gravely.
“You must give me the credit of my intentions. This Augean stable in
our midst—it must be cleaned out as soon as recognized, or I
become an accomplice in its condition. Why should any prompt
summoning of the sweeper—of our legal Hercules—affect your
position?”
“Because, sir,” said Joshua, vigorously, “he would, a thousand to
one, lay bare, in so drastic a process, the golden deposit
underneath, and so rob me of any title to its discovery.”
Mr. Sant grunted uneasily.
“The better title is certainly yours,” he conceded.
I believe there was enough of the imaginative boy yet left in him to
thrill and respond to this exciting legend of gold. Uncle Jenico felt the
change, and fell back, glistening, and softly rubbing his hands
together.
 “Mr. Pilbrow,” said the clergyman, suddenly and decisively, “will
you tell me plainly what you propose?”
“I propose,” said Joshua, as instantly, “to visit, and identify, and
search the remains of my unhappy brother to-morrow; I propose to
take advantage of the letter which, I am convinced, will be found on
them, and which, by every right, is legally mine, to secure the
treasure. After that, sir, let in your Hercules with a fire-hose, if you
will. I shall be content for my part. Possession is eleven points in the
law, and for the twelfth I will go to pitch-and-toss with it.”
“Sant, that is certainly fair!” cried out Uncle Jenico, impulsively,
and immediately fell abashed.
A longish silence ensued.
“Very well,” said our dear rector at last. “I will agree to defer my
action till after to-morrow; but on condition that, once having secured
his wonderful haul, Mr. Pilbrow openly challenges the law to deprive
him of it. It is buying a pig in a poke, I believe; but I must guard
myself by insisting.”
He uttered a rather enjoying laugh, which he tried to make ironic.
“That’s capital,” said Uncle Jenico. “You don’t object to the
condition, Mr. Pilbrow?”
“No,” said Joshua, shortly. “I ask for complete secrecy in the mean
time—that is all. That man’s wife——”
“She will say nothing,” said Mr. Sant. “The honour of her poor
rogue is safe with her.”
Then we fell excitedly to discussing ways and means. The
embargo once off my conscience, I was eager to join in the search.
But here Uncle Jenico was quite absolute and imperative in vetoing
my taking any part in it. He would not, on any condition whatever,
have me descend into the hill again. I was disappointed; but he was
unshakable, and in the end I had to submit.
It was finally arranged that Mr. Sant, Joshua, and Harry should
meet early on the following morning, and complete their expedition, if
possible, before the village was awake. And, on this understanding,
at a latish hour we parted.
The next day was Christmas eve. I had never known one to drag
so wearily. Uncle Jenico and I were up betimes, and making a show
of following with serenity our customary occupations. But it was all a
transparent pretence. I took no more interest in my books, nor he in
his new invention, than if they had been prison tasks. We just
perspired for the return of one or other of the party to put an end to
our intolerable suspense; and that was the beginning and end of it.
At last a shadow danced on the window, and the door opened, and
Harry hurried in. In the first sight of his face we read momentous
news. I could hardly control myself as I said—
“Well?”
He had shut the door behind him, and stood there, breathing
quickly, his eyes like white pebbles.
“Harry,” I whispered, “was it Abel?”
“Yes.”
“And the letter was there?”
“Yes—in his pocket. He—I could hardly look—he seemed to fall to
pieces.”
“And—and it said where?”
“Yes. You’ll never believe.”
“Where?”
“In the well.”
“In the——”
“In the well. What fools we were never to think of that before! Of
course it stood at the end of the crypts once—the most natural place
for him to throw them into.”
His “them” seemed to hit me in the throat. I had forgotten about
the murdered priest. I stood gaping like an idiot, lost in the plain
marvel of the thing. I had forgotten Uncle Jenico, till his voice,
speaking in a queer, shaky way, recalled me to the thought of him.
“My wrench!” he said. “They will have sunk to the bottom. We shall
have to pull it down!”
“That’s just what we’re going to do,” said Harry “to-night, after
every one’s asleep.”
 CHAPTER XV.
OUT OF THE DEPTHS.

The village was long asleep when at last we issued forth, as

blamelessly agitated a body of brigands as ever trod the corridors of
night. We had taken our measures with infinite precaution, so that
not a hint of our designs should leak out; yet still we had delayed,
sitting, like the party in the parlour, “all silent and all damned,” while
Dunberry sunk into deep and deeper unconsciousness of our
conspiracy in its midst. We were assembled, in fact, in the rector’s
study, Joshua, Mr. Sant himself, my uncle, and we two; and there we
stuck, spelling out the blessed quarters, until the chimes of the
school clock, coming in a flurry out of silence, called up a single
rebukeful stroke from Time, and subsided upon it. So late as this, an
hour after midnight, had we resolved to linger, to make assurance
double sure; and at the sound, with a great pouf! of relief, we were
on our feet and tingling to depart.
There had been no longer any question, of course, since our
learning where the treasure was, or should be, concealed, of my
foregoing my share in the attempt to recover it. No possible peril,
within reason, could attach to this purely open-air sport; though,
indeed, Uncle Jenico had made, even now, some presumptive risk to
me the excuse for his joining us in the expedition.
It was a question, at this last, if he or Mr. Sant were the more
excited. Our dear comical tutor and sceptic still made a show, it is
true, of subscribing to a madness in order to humour a party of
lunatics under his charge; but this affectation, I do believe, took in
none of us. Was it not he, in solemn fact, who had insisted upon the
necessity of this postponement of the foray until the small hours?
Was it not he who had manœuvred to enwrap our plans in a
profound mist of secrecy? Was it not he who had appointed the
present rendezvous with a masterly eye to contingencies? As to wit:
(1) His house stood remote, and we could reach the sea-front from
the back of it, without ever touching the village; (2) A French window