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diff --git a/56985-0.txt b/56985-0.txt new file mode 100644 index 0000000..c52401c --- /dev/null +++ b/56985-0.txt @@ -0,0 +1,12452 @@ +*** START OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK 56985 *** + + + + + + + + + + + +[Illustration: Book Cover: The Boy Travellers.] + + + + +[Illustration] + + + + +THE BOY TRAVELLERS IN THE FAR EAST + + * * * * * + +ADVENTURES OF + +TWO YOUTHS IN A JOURNEY + +TO + +JAPAN AND CHINA + +BY + +THOMAS W. KNOX + +AUTHOR OF "CAMP-FIRE AND COTTON-FIELD" "OVERLAND THROUGH ASIA" +"UNDERGROUND" "JOHN" ETC. + +Illustrated + +[Illustration] + +NEW YORK +HARPER & BROTHERS, PUBLISHERS +FRANKLIN SQUARE +1880 + + + + +Entered according to Act of Congress, in the year 1879, by +HARPER & BROTHERS, +In the Office of the Librarian of Congress, at Washington. + + + + +PREFACE. + + * * * * * + +_To my Young Friends:_ + +Not many years ago, China and Japan were regarded as among the barbarous +nations. The rest of the world knew comparatively little about their +peoples, and, on the other hand, the inhabitants of those countries had +only a slight knowledge of Europe and America. To-day the situation is +greatly changed; China and Japan are holding intimate relations with us +and with Europe, and there is every prospect that the acquaintance +between the East and the West will increase as the years roll on. There +is a general desire for information concerning the people of the Far +East, and it is especially strong among the youths of America. + +The characters in "The Boy Travellers" are fictitious; but the scenes +that passed before their eyes, the people they met, and the incidents +and accidents that befell them are real. The routes they travelled, the +cities they visited, the excursions they made, the observations they +recorded--in fact, nearly all that goes to make up this volume--were the +actual experiences of the author at a very recent date. In a few +instances I have used information obtained from others, but only after +careful investigation has convinced me of its entire correctness. I have +aimed to give a faithful picture of Japan and China as they appear +to-day, and to make such comparisons with the past that the reader can +easily comprehend the changes that have occurred in the last twenty +years. And I have also endeavored to convey the information in such a +way that the story shall not be considered tedious. Miss Effie and "The +Mystery" may seem superfluous to some readers, but I am of opinion that +the majority of those who peruse the book will not consider them +unnecessary to the narrative. + +In preparing illustrations for this volume the publishers have kindly +allowed me to make use of some engravings that have already appeared in +their publications relative to China and Japan. I have made selections +from the volumes of Sir Rutherford Alcock and the Rev. Justus Doolittle, +and also from the excellent work of Professor Griffis, "The Mikado's +Empire." In the episode of a whaling voyage I have been under +obligations to the graphic narrative of Mr. Davis entitled "Nimrod of +the Sea," not only for illustrations, but for incidents of the chase of +the monsters of the deep. + +The author is not aware that any book describing China and Japan, and +specially addressed to the young, has yet appeared. Consequently he is +led to hope that his work will find a welcome among the boys and girls +of America. And when the juvenile members of the family have completed +its perusal, the children of a larger growth may possibly find the +volume not without interest, and may glean from its pages some grains of +information hitherto unknown to them. + + T. W. K. + NEW YORK, _October_, 1879. + + + + +CONTENTS. + + * * * * * + +CHAPTER I. PAGE + +THE DEPARTURE. 17 + +CHAPTER II. + +OVERLAND TO CALIFORNIA. 30 + +CHAPTER III. + +ON THE PACIFIC OCEAN. 48 + +CHAPTER IV. + +INCIDENTS OF A WHALING VOYAGE. 58 + +CHAPTER V. + +ARRIVAL IN JAPAN. 72 + +CHAPTER VI. + +FIRST DAY IN JAPAN. 83 + +CHAPTER VII. + +FROM YOKOHAMA TO TOKIO. 101 + +CHAPTER VIII. + +SIGHTS IN THE EASTERN CAPITAL OF JAPAN. 115 + +CHAPTER IX. + +ASAKUSA AND YUYENO.--FIRST NATIONAL FAIR AT TOKIO. 131 + +CHAPTER X. + +WALKS AND TALKS IN TOKIO. 144 + +CHAPTER XI. + +AN EXCURSION TO DAI-BOOTS AND ENOSHIMA. 156 + +CHAPTER XII. + +SIGHTS AT ENOSHIMA. 169 + +CHAPTER XIII. + +ON THE ROAD TO FUSIYAMA. 183 + +CHAPTER XIV. + +THE ASCENT OF FUSIYAMA. 197 + +CHAPTER XV. + +EXECUTIONS AND HARI-KARI. 215 + +CHAPTER XVI. + +AMUSEMENTS.--WRESTLERS AND THEATRICAL ENTERTAINMENTS. 227 + +CHAPTER XVII. + +A STUDY OF JAPANESE ART. 239 + +CHAPTER XVIII. + +SOMETHING ABOUT JAPANESE WOMEN. 254 + +CHAPTER XIX. + +FROM YOKOHAMA TO KOBE AND OSAKA. 266 + +CHAPTER XX. + +THE MINT AT OSAKA.--FROM OSAKA TO NARA AND KIOTO. 279 + +CHAPTER XXI. + +KIOTO AND LAKE BIWA. 291 + +CHAPTER XXII. + +THE INLAND SEA AND NAGASAKI.--CAUGHT IN A TYPHOON. 303 + +CHAPTER XXIII. + +FIRST DAY IN CHINA. 318 + +CHAPTER XXIV. + +A VOYAGE UP THE YANG-TSE-KIANG. 328 + +CHAPTER XXV. + +THE TAE-PING REBELLION.--SCENES ON THE GREAT RIVER. 339 + +CHAPTER XXVI. + +FROM SHANGHAI TO PEKIN. 352 + +CHAPTER XXVII. + +SIGHTS IN PEKIN. 365 + +CHAPTER XXVIII. + +A JOURNEY TO THE GREAT WALL OF CHINA. 377 + +CHAPTER XXIX. + +FROM SHANGHAI TO HONG-KONG.--A STORY OF THE COOLIE TRADE. 388 + +CHAPTER XXX. + +HONG-KONG AND CANTON. 400 + +CHAPTER XXXI. + +SIGHTS AND SCENES IN CANTON. 408 + + + + +ILLUSTRATIONS. + + A Japanese Swimming-scene. Reproduced from a Painting + by a Japanese Artist _Frontispiece_. + + PAGE + Mr. Bassett has Decided 17 + Mary 18 + Mary Thinking what she would Like from Japan 19 + Overland by Stage in the Olden Time 20 + Overland by Rail in a Pullman Car 21 + Cooking-range in the Olden Time 24 + Cooking range on a Pullman Car 24 + Change for a Dollar--Before and After 25 + Kathleen's Expectations for Frank and Fred 26 + Effie Waiting for Somebody 28 + Good-bye 29 + Watering-place on the Erie Railway 30 + The Course of Empire 31 + Valley of the Neversink 32 + Starucca Viaduct 33 + Niagara Falls, from the American Side 34 + Entrance to the Cave of the Winds 36 + From Chicago to San Francisco 38 + Omaha 39 + Attacked by Indians 41 + Herd of Buffaloes Moving 42 + An Old Settler 43 + "End of Track" 44 + Snow-sheds on the Pacific Railway 45 + View at Cape Horn, Central Pacific Railway 46 + Seal-rocks, San Francisco 47 + Departure from San Francisco 48 + Dropping the Pilot 49 + The Golden Gate 50 + In the Fire-room 51 + The Engineer at his Post 53 + The Wind Rising 55 + Spouts 57 + Whale-ship Outward Bound 57 + Captain Spofford Telling his Story 58 + New Bedford 59 + Sperm-whale 60 + "There she blows!" 61 + Implements Used in Whaling 62 + Whale "Breaching" 63 + In the Whale's Jaw 64 + Captain Hunting's Fight 66 + A Game Fellow 67 + A Free Ride 68 + Captain Sammis Selling Out 70 + Shooting at a Water-spout 71 + Frank Studying Navigation 73 + Working up a Reckoning 75 + View in the Bay of Yeddo 76 + Japanese Junk and Boats 77 + A Japanese Imperial Barge 78 + Japanese Government Boat 79 + Yokohama in 1854 81 + A Japanese Street Scene 84 + Japanese Musicians 86 + Japanese Fishermen 87 + "Sayonara" 88 + Japanese Silk-shop 89 + Seven-stroke Horse 90 + Female Head-dress 91 + The Siesta 91 + A Japanese at his Toilet for a Visit of Ceremony 92 + A Japanese Breakfast 95 + Mutsuhito, Mikado of Japan 97 + Landing of Perry's Expedition 98 + The Last Shogoon of Japan 99 + Third-class Passengers 102 + Japanese Ploughing 103 + Japanese Roller 104 + Manuring Process 104 + How they Use Manure 105 + Mode of Protecting Land from Birds 106 + Storks, Drawn by a Native Artist 106 + Flock of Geese 107 + Forts of Shinagawa 108 + A Jin-riki-sha 109 + Japanese on Foot 111 + An Express Runner 112 + A Japanese Coolie 113 + Pity for the Blind 114 + View of Tokio, from the South 115 + Japanese Lady Coming from the Bath 116 + Fire-lookouts in Tokio 117 + Too Much Sa-kee 118 + Sakuradu Avenue in Tokio 119 + Japanese Children at Play 121 + The Feast of Dolls ("Hina Matsuri") in a Japanese House 122 + A Barber at Work 123 + A Transaction in Clothes 124 + Ball-playing in Japan 125 + Sport at Asakusa 126 + Spire of a Pagoda 127 + Belfry in Court-yard of Temple, showing the Style of a + Japanese Roof 128 + Shrine of the Goddess Ku-wanon 130 + Praying-machine 132 + Archery Attendant 134 + A Japanese Flower-show. Night Scene 135 + A Christening in Japan 137 + A Wedding Party 138 + Strolling Singers at Asakusa 139 + View from Suruga Dai in Tokio 140 + A Child's Nurse 140 + Lovers Behind a Screen. A Painting on Silk Exhibited at the + Tokio Fair 141 + Blacksmith's Bellows 142 + A Grass Overcoat 143 + A High-priest in Full Costume 145 + A Japanese Temple 146 + A Wayside Shrine 148 + The Great Kosatsu, near the Nihon Basin 150 + Blowing Bubbles 151 + Father and Children 153 + Caught in the Rain 155 + A Village on the Tokaido 157 + A Party on the Tokaido 159 + Beginning of Relations between England and Japan 161 + Pilgrims on the Road 162 + Threshing Grain 163 + Peasant and his Wife Returning from the Field 164 + A Japanese Sandal 165 + The Great Dai-Boots 166 + Salutation of the Landlord 168 + The Head Waiter Receiving Orders 168 + A Japanese Kitchen 170 + Boiling the Pot 171 + Frank's Inventory 172 + How the Japanese Sleep 173 + A Japanese Fishing Scene 175 + "Breakfast is ready" 176 + Interior of a Tea-garden 178 + The Path in Enoshima 179 + A Group of Japanese Ladies 181 + Specimen of Grotesque Drawing by a Japanese Artist 182 + Bettos, or "Grooms," in Full Dress 185 + A Japanese Loom 188 + Artists at Work 189 + Coopers Hooping a Vat 190 + Crossing the River 192 + Mother and Son 193 + A Fishing Party 194 + The Man they Met 196 + Travelling by Cango 198 + Japanese Norimon 199 + Frank's Position 200 + Hot Bath in the Mountains 201 + A Japanese Bath 202 + The Lake of Hakone 203 + Antics of the Horses 206 + A Near View of Fusiyama 207 + In a Storm near Fusiyama 208 + Ascent of Fusiyama 211 + The Four Classes of Society 216 + Two-sworded Nobles 218 + A Samurai in Winter Dress 219 + Beheading a Criminal 221 + Japanese Court in the Old Style 224 + Japanese Naval Officer 225 + Japanese Steam Corvette 225 + A Japanese War-junk of the Olden Time 226 + A Japanese Wrestler 228 + A Pair of Wrestlers and their Manager 230 + The Clinch 231 + Japanese Actor Dressed as a Doctor 233 + The Samisen 234 + Playing the Samisen 235 + Scene from a Japanese Comedy.--Writing a Letter of Divorce 236 + Scene from a Japanese Comedy.--Love-letter Discovered 237 + Telling the Story of Bumbuku Chagama 238 + Frank's Purchase 240 + Japanese Pattern-designer 241 + Fan-makers at Work 241 + Chinese Cloisonné on Metal 242 + Japanese Cloisonné on Metal 243 + Japanese Bowl 243 + Cover of Japanese Bowl 244 + Chinese Metal Vase 246 + Modern Japanese Cloisonné on Metal 247 + Japanese Metal Cloisonné 248 + Chinese Porcelain Cloisonné 248 + Group Carved in Ivory 249 + Japanese Pipe, Case, and Pouch 249 + Japanese Artist Chasing on Copper 251 + A Japanese Village.--Bamboo Poles Ready for Market 252 + A Japanese Lady's-maid 254 + Bride and Bridesmaid 255 + Merchant's Family 255 + Mysteries of the Dressing-room 256 + Lady in Winter Walking-dress 257 + A Girl who had never Seen a Dressing-pin 259 + Ladies' Hair-dresser 260 + Ladies at their Toilet 261 + Japanese Ladies on a Picnic 262 + Ladies and Children at Play 263 + Flying Kites 264 + A Village in the Tea District 266 + Tea-merchants in the Interior 267 + The Tea-plant 268 + Firing Tea 269 + Hiogo (Kobe) 270 + The Junk at Anchor 271 + The Helmsman at his Post 272 + Japanese Sailors at Dinner 273 + Junk Sailors on Duty 274 + View from the Hotel 276 + The Castle of Osaka 277 + Vignette from the National Bank-notes 280 + Imperial Crest for Palace Affairs 281 + Imperial Crest on the New Coins 281 + Old Kinsat, or Money-card 282 + Ichi-boo 282 + Vignette from Bank-note 283 + Vignette from Bank-note 283 + Men Towing Boats near Osaka 284 + Mode of Holding the Tow-ropes 284 + The Ferry-boat 285 + The Hotel-maid 285 + A Japanese Landscape 286 + Dikes along the River 287 + Night Scene near Fushimi 288 + Women of Kioto 289 + Ladies of the Western Capital 292 + Restaurant and Tea-garden at Kioto 294 + An Artist at Work 295 + Lantern-maker at Kioto 295 + A Japanese Archer 297 + Temple Bell at Kioto 298 + Reeling Cotton 298 + Japanese Temple and Cemetery 299 + Handcart for a Quartette 300 + Horse Carrying Liquid Manure 301 + The Paternal Nurse 301 + Picnic Booth Overlooking Lake Biwa 302 + A Maker of Bows 302 + The Inland Sea near Hiogo 303 + Approaching Simoneseki 304 + Dangerous Place on the Suwo Nada 304 + Pappenberg Island 305 + Women of Nagasaki 306 + A Christian Village in the Sixteenth Century 307 + Monuments in Memory of Martyrs 308 + A Path near Nagasaki 309 + Hollander at Deshima Watching for a Ship 310 + The Rain Dragon 311 + The Wind Dragon 312 + The Thunder Dragon 312 + A Typhoon 314 + Course of a Typhoon 316 + Caught near the Storm's Centre 317 + The Woosung River 318 + Chinese Trading-junk on the Woosung River 319 + Shanghai 321 + A Coolie in the Streets of Shanghai 322 + A Tea-house in the Country 324 + Smoking Opium 324 + Opium-pipe 325 + Man Blinded by the Use of Opium 326 + Chinese Gentleman in a Sedan 327 + Canal Scene South of Shanghai 328 + A Chinese Family Party 330 + A Gentleman of Chin-kiang 331 + Chinese Spectacles 332 + Ploughing with a Buffalo 333 + Threshing Grain near Chin-kiang 333 + Carrying Bundles of Grain 334 + A River Scene in China 335 + A Nine-storied Pagoda 337 + Little Orphan Rock 337 + Entrance to Po-yang Lake 338 + Tae-ping Rebels 340 + General Ward 342 + The Gate which Ward Attacked 343 + General Burgevine 344 + Fishing with Cormorants 347 + A Street in Han-kow 349 + Wo-chang 350 + The Governor-general and his Staff 351 + Attack on the Pei-ho Forts 353 + Temple of the Sea-god at Taku 355 + A Chinese Beggar 355 + Signing the Treaty of Tien-tsin 356 + Mode of Irrigating Fields 359 + The Doctor's Bedroom 360 + Part of the Wall of Pekin 361 + A Pekin Cab 362 + A Composite Team 363 + A Chinese Dragon 364 + A Pavilion in the Prohibited City 366 + Temple of Heaven 367 + Pekin Cash 367 + Traditional Likeness of Confucius 368 + God of War 368 + God of Literature 368 + God of Thieves 368 + A Mandarin Judge Delivering Sentence 369 + Squeezing the Fingers 371 + Squeezing the Ankles 371 + A Bed of Torture 372 + Four Modes of Punishment 373 + Standing in a Cage 374 + Hot-water Snake 374 + Carrying Forth to the Place of Execution 375 + Just Before Decapitation 375 + Military Candidates Competing with the Bow and Arrow 376 + Walking on Stilts 378 + Juggler Spinning a Plate 379 + Gambling with a Revolving Pointer 379 + Fortune-telling by Means of a Bird and Slips of Paper 380 + Fortune-telling by Dissecting Chinese Characters 381 + Chinese Razor 382 + Barber Shaving the Head of a Customer 382 + Bridge of the Cloudy Hills 383 + The God of the Kitchen 384 + A Lama 385 + The Hills near Chan-kia-kow 386 + Specimen of Chinese Writing 389 + Four Illustrations of the Chinese Version of "Excelsior" 393 + Barracoons at Macao 394 + Coolies Embarking at Macao 395 + Enraged Coolie 396 + A Deadly Fall 396 + Firing Down the Hatchway 397 + The Writing in Blood 398 + The Interpreters 399 + Hong-kong 401 + Fac-simile of a Hong-kong Mille, Dime, and Cent 403 + Fort in Canton River 404 + Gateway of Temple near Canton 406 + Street Scene in Canton 410 + Five-storied Pagoda 412 + Horseshoe or Omega Grave 413 + Presenting Food to the Spirits of the Dead 414 + A Leper 414 + A Literary Student 415 + A Literary Graduate in his Robes of Honor 415 + A Sedan-chair with Four Bearers 416 + A Small Foot with a Shoe on it 417 + Peasant-woman with Natural Feet 417 + A Tablet Carved in Ivory 419 + "Good-bye!" 421 + + + + +CHAPTER I. + +THE DEPARTURE. + + +[Illustration: MR. BASSETT HAS DECIDED.] + +"Well, Frank," said Mr. Bassett, "the question is decided." + +Frank looked up with an expression of anxiety on his handsome face. A +twinkle in his father's eyes told him that the decision was a favorable +one. + +"And you'll let me go with them, won't you, father?" he answered. + +"Yes, my boy," said the father, "you can go." + +Frank was so full of joy that he couldn't speak for at least a couple of +minutes. He threw his arms around Mr. Bassett; then he kissed his mother +and his sister Mary, who had just come into the room; next he danced +around the table on one foot; then he hugged his dog Nero, who wondered +what it was all about; and he ended by again embracing his father, who +stood smiling at the boy's delight. By this time Frank had recovered the +use of his tongue, and was able to express his gratitude in words. When +the excitement was ended, Mary asked what had happened to make Frank fly +around so. + +"Why, he's going to Japan," said Mrs. Bassett. + +"Going to Japan, and leave us all alone at home!" Mary exclaimed, and +then her lips and eyes indicated an intention to cry. + +[Illustration: MARY.] + +Frank was eighteen years old and his sister was fifteen. They were very +fond of each other, and the thought that her brother was to be separated +from her for a while was painful to the girl. Frank kissed her again, +and said, + +"I sha'n't be gone long, Mary, and I'll bring you such lots of nice +things when I come back." Then there was another kiss, and Mary +concluded she would have her cry some other time. + +"But you won't let him go all alone, father, now, will you?" she asked +as they sat down to breakfast. + +"I think I could go alone," replied Frank, proudly, "and take care of +myself without anybody's help; but I'm going with Cousin Fred and Doctor +Bronson." + +"Better say Doctor Bronson and Cousin Fred," Mary answered, with a +smile; "the Doctor is Fred's uncle and twenty years older." + +Frank corrected the mistake he had made, and said he was too much +excited to remember all about the rules of grammar and etiquette. He had +even forgotten that he was hungry; at any rate, he had lost his +appetite, and hardly touched the juicy steak and steaming potatoes that +were before him. + +During breakfast, Mr. Bassett explained to Mary the outline of the +proposed journey. Doctor Bronson was going to Japan and China, and was +to be accompanied by his nephew, Fred Bronson, who was very nearly +Frank's age. Frank had asked his father's permission to join them, and +Mr. Bassett had been considering the matter. He found that it would be +very agreeable to Doctor Bronson and Fred to have Frank's company, and +as the opportunity was an excellent one for the youth to see something +of foreign lands under the excellent care of the Doctor, it did not take +a long time for him to reach a favorable decision. + +"Doctor Bronson has been there before, hasn't he, father?" said Mary, +when the explanation was ended. + +"Certainly, my child," was the reply; "he has been twice around the +world, and has seen nearly every civilized and uncivilized country in +it. He speaks three or four languages fluently, and knows something of +half a dozen others. Five years ago he was in Japan and China, and he is +acquainted with many people living there. Don't you remember how he told +us one evening about visiting a Japanese prince, and sitting +cross-legged on the floor for half an hour, while they ate a dinner of +boiled rice and stewed fish, and drank hot wine from little cups the +size of a thimble?" + +Mary remembered it all, and then declared she was glad Frank was going +to Japan, and also glad that he was going with Doctor Bronson. And she +added that the Doctor would know the best places for buying the presents +Frank was to bring home. + +"A crape shawl for mother, and another for me; now don't you forget," +said Mary; "and some fans and some ivory combs, and some of those funny +little cups and saucers such as Aunt Amelia has, and some nice tea to +drink out of them." + +"Anything else?" Frank asked. + +"I don't know just now," Mary answered; "I'll read all I can about Japan +and China before you start, so's I can know all they make, and then +I'll write out a list. I want something of everything, you understand." + +"If that's the case," Frank retorted, "you'd better wrap your list +around a bushel of money. It'll take a good deal to buy the whole of +those two countries." + +Mary said she would be satisfied with a shawl and a fan and anything +else that was pretty. The countries might stay where they were, and +there were doubtless a good many things in them that nobody would want +anyway. All she wished was to have anything that was nice and pretty. + +[Illustration: MARY THINKING WHAT SHE WOULD LIKE FROM JAPAN.] + +For the next few days the proposed journey was the theme of conversation +in the Bassett family. Mary examined all the books she could find about +the countries her brother expected to visit; then she made a list of the +things she desired, and the day before his departure she gave him a +sealed envelope containing the paper. She explained that he was not to +open it until he reached Japan, and that he would find two lists of what +she wanted. + +"The things marked 'number one' you must get anyway," she said, "and +those marked 'number two' you must get if you can." + +Frank thought she had shown great self-denial in making two lists +instead of one, but intimated that there was not much distinction in the +conditions she proposed. He promised to see about the matter when he +reached Japan, and so the conversation on that topic came to an end. + +It did not take a long time to prepare Frank's wardrobe for the journey. +His grandmother had an impression that he was going on a whaling voyage, +as her brother had gone on one more than sixty years before. She +proposed to give him two heavy jackets, a dozen pairs of woollen +stockings, and a tarpaulin hat, and was sure he would need them. She +was undeceived when the difference between a sea voyage of to-day and +one of half a century ago was explained to her. The housemaid said he +would not need any thick clothing if he was going to Japan, as it was +close to Jerusalem, and it was very hot there. She thought Japan was a +seaport of Palestine, but Mary made it clear to her that Japan and Jaffa +were not one and the same place. When satisfied on this point, she +expressed the hope that the white bears and elephants wouldn't eat the +poor boy up, and that the natives wouldn't roast him, as they did a +missionary from her town when she was a little girl. "And, sure," she +added, "he won't want any clothes at all, at all, there, as the horrid +natives don't wear nothing except a little cocoanut ile which they rubs +on their skins." + +"What puts that into your head, Kathleen?" said Mary, with a laugh. + +"And didn't ye jest tell me," Kathleen replied, "that Japan is an island +in the Pacific Oshin? Sure it was an island in that same oshin where +Father Mullaly was roasted alive, and the wretched natives drissed +theirselves wid cocoanut ile. It was in a place they called Feejee." + +Mary kindly explained that the Pacific Ocean was very large, and +contained a great many islands, and that the spot where Father Mullaly +was cooked was some thousands of miles from Japan. + +At breakfast the day before the time fixed for Frank's departure, Mr. +Bassett told his son that he must make the most of his journey, enjoy it +as much as possible, and bring back a store of useful knowledge. "To +accomplish this," he added, "several things will be necessary; let us +see what they are." + +"Careful observation is one requisite," said Frank, "and a good memory +is another." + +"Constant remembrance of home," Mrs. Bassett suggested, and Mary nodded +in assent to her mother's proposition. + +"Courage and perseverance," Frank added. + +"A list of the things you are going to buy," Mary remarked. + +"A light trunk and a cheerful disposition," said Doctor Bronson, who had +entered the room just as this turn of the conversation set in. + +"One thing more," Mr. Bassett added. + +"I can't think of it," replied Frank; "what is it?" + +"Money." + +"Oh yes, of course; one couldn't very well go travelling without money. +I'm old enough to know that, and to know it is very bad to be away from +one's friends without money." + +The Doctor said it reminded him of a man who asked another for ten cents +to pay his ferriage across the Mississippi River, and explained that he +hadn't a single penny. The other man answered, "It's no use throwing ten +cents away on you in that fashion. If you haven't any money, you are +just as well off on this side of the river as on the other." + +"You will need money," said Mr. Bassett, "and here is something that +will get it." + +He handed Frank a double sheet of paper with some printed and written +matter on the first page, and some printed lists on the third and fourth +pages. The second page was blank; the first page read as follows: + +LETTER OF CREDIT. + + NEW YORK, _June_ 18_th_, 1878. + + TO OUR CORRESPONDENTS: + + We have the pleasure of introducing to you Mr. FRANK BASSETT, the + bearer of this letter, whose signature you will find in the + margin. We beg you to honor his drafts to the amount of two + hundred pounds sterling, upon our London house, all deductions and + commissions being at his expense. + + We have the honor to remain, Gentlemen, + Very truly yours, + BLANK & CO. + +The printed matter on the third and fourth pages was a list of +banking-houses in all the principal cities of the world. Frank observed +that every country was included, and there was not a city of any +prominence that was not named in the list, and on the same line with the +list was the name of a banking-house. + +The paper was passed around the table and examined, and finally returned +to Frank's hand. Mr. Bassett then explained to his son the uses of the +document. + +"I obtained that paper," said he, "from the great house of Blank & +Company. I paid a thousand dollars for it, but it is made in pounds +sterling because the drafts are to be drawn on London, and you know that +pounds, shillings, and pence are the currency of England." + +"When you want money, you go to any house named on that list, no matter +what part of the world it may be, and tell them how much you want. They +make out a draft which you sign, and then they pay you the money, and +write on the second page the amount you have drawn. You get ten pounds +in one place, ten in another, twenty in another, and you continue to +draw whenever you wish. Each banker puts down the amount you have +received from him on the second page, and you can keep on drawing till +the sum total of your drafts equals the figures named on the first page. +Then your credit is said to be exhausted, and you can draw no more on +that letter." + +"How very convenient that is!" said Frank; "you don't have to carry +money around with you, but get it when and where you want it." + +"You must be very careful not to lose that letter," said Mr. Bassett. + +"Would the money be lost altogether?" Frank asked in return. + +"No, the money would not be lost, but your credit would be gone, and of +no use. A new letter would be issued in place of the missing one, but +only after some months, and when the bankers had satisfied themselves +that there was no danger of the old one ever being used again." + +"Can I get any kind of money with this letter, father?" Frank inquired, +"or must I take it in pounds sterling? That would be very inconvenient +sometimes, as I would have to go around and sell my pounds and buy the +money of the country." + +"They always give you," was the reply, "the money that circulates in the +country where you are. Here they would give you dollars; in Japan you +will get Japanese money or Mexican dollars, which are current there; in +India they would give you rupees; in Russia, rubles; in Italy, lire; in +France, francs; in Spain, pesetas, and so on. They give you the +equivalent of the amount you draw on your letter." + +This reminded the Doctor of a story, and at the general request he told +it. + +[Illustration: CHANGE FOR A DOLLAR--BEFORE AND AFTER.] + +A traveller stopped one night at a tavern in the interior of Minnesota. +On paying his bill in the morning, he received a beaver skin instead of +a dollar in change that was due him. The landlord explained that beaver +skins were legal tender in that region at a dollar each. + +He hid the skin under his coat, walked over the street to a grocery +store, and asked the grocer if it was true that beaver skins were legal +tender for one dollar each. + +"Certainly," answered the grocer, "everybody takes them at that rate." + +"Then be kind enough to change me a dollar bill," said the stranger, +drawing the beaver skin from under his coat and laying it on the +counter. + +The grocer answered that he was only too happy to oblige a stranger, and +passed out four musk-rat skins, which were legal tender, as he said, at +twenty-five cents each. + +"Please, Doctor," said Mary, "what do you mean by legal tender?" + +The Doctor explained that legal tender was the money which the law +declares should be the proper tender, or offer, in paying a debt. "If I +owed your father a hundred dollars," said he, "I could not compel him to +accept the whole amount in ten-cent pieces, or twenty-five-cent pieces, +or even in half-dollars. When the government issues a coin, it places a +limit for which that coin can be a legal tender. Thus the ten-cent piece +is a legal tender for all debts of one dollar or less, and the +half-dollar for debts of five dollars or less." + +Mary said that when she was a child, ten cherries were exchanged among +her schoolmates for one apple, two apples for one pear, and two pears +for one orange. One day she took some oranges to school intending to +exchange them for cherries, of which she was very fond; she left them in +Katie Smith's desk, but Katie was hungry and ate one of the oranges at +recess. + +"Not the first time the director of a bank has appropriated part of the +funds," said the Doctor. "Didn't you find that an orange would buy more +cherries or apples at one time than at another?" + +"Why, certainly," Mary answered, "and sometimes they wouldn't buy any +cherries at all." + +"Bankers and merchants call that the fluctuation of exchanges," said +Mr. Bassett; and with this remark he rose from the table, and the party +broke up. + +[Illustration: KATHLEEN'S EXPECTATIONS FOR FRANK AND FRED.] + +The next morning a carriage containing Doctor Bronson and his nephew, +Fred, drove up in front of Mr. Bassett's house. There were farewell +kisses, and hopes for a prosperous journey; and in a few minutes the +three travellers were on their way to the railway station. There was a +waving of handkerchiefs as the carriage started from the house and +rolled away; Nero barked and looked wistfully after his young master, +and the warm-hearted Kathleen wiped her eyes with the corner of her +apron, and flung an old shoe after the departing vehicle. + +"And sure," she said, "and I hope that wretched old Feejee won't be in +Japan at all, at all, and the horrid haythens won't roast him." + +As they approached the station, Frank appeared a little nervous about +something. The cause of his anxiety was apparent when the carriage +stopped. He was the first to get out and the first to mount the +platform. Somebody was evidently waiting for him. + +[Illustration: EFFIE WAITING FOR SOMEBODY.] + +Doctor Bronson followed him a minute later, and heard something like the +following: + +"There, now, don't cry. Be a good girl, and I'll bring you the nicest +little pigtail, of the most Celestial pattern, from China." + +"I tell you, Mr. Frank Bassett, I'm not crying. It's the dust in the +road got into my eyes." + +"But you are; there's another big tear. I know you're sorry, and so am +I. But I'm coming back." + +"I shall be glad to see you when you come back; of course I shall, for +your sister's sake. And you'll be writing to Mary, and she'll tell me +where you are. And when she's writing to you she'll--" + +The bright little face turned suddenly, and its owner saw the Doctor +standing near with an amused expression on his features, and, perhaps, a +little moisture in his eyes. She uttered a cheery "Good-morning," to +which the Doctor returned, + +"Good-morning, Miss Effie. This is an unexpected pleasure." + +"You see, Doctor" (she blushed and stammered a little as she spoke), +"you know I like to take a walk in the morning, and happened to come +down to the station." + +"Of course, quite accidental," said the Doctor, with a merry twinkle in +his eyes. + +"Yes, that is, I knew Frank--I mean Mr. Bassett--that is, I knew you +were all three going away, and I thought I might come down and see you +start." + +"Quite proper, Miss Effie," was the reply; "so good-bye: I must look +after the tickets and the baggage." + +"Good-bye, Doctor Bronson; good-bye, Mr. Fred. _Bon voyage!_" + +Frank lingered behind, and the rest of the dialogue has not been +recorded. + +"She's a nice girl," said Fred to the Doctor as they made their way to +the ticket-office. "And she's very fond of Mary Bassett, Frank's sister. +Spiteful people say, though, that she's oftener in Frank's company than +in Mary's; and I know Frank is ready to punch the head of any other boy +that dares to look at her." + +"Quite so," answered Dr. Bronson; "I don't think Frank is likely to be +forgetful of home." + +Soon the whistle sounded, the great train rolled into the station, the +conductor shouted "All aboard!" our friends took their seats, the bell +rang, and the locomotive coughed asthmatically as it moved on. + +Frank looked back as long as the station was in sight. Somebody +continued to wave a delicate handkerchief until the train had +disappeared; somebody's eyes were full of tears, and so were the eyes of +somebody else. Somebody's good wishes followed the travellers, and the +travellers--Frank especially--wafted back good wishes for that somebody. + +[Illustration: GOOD-BYE.] + + + + +CHAPTER II. + +OVERLAND TO CALIFORNIA. + + +Our three travellers were seated in a Pullman car on the Erie Railway. +Frank remarked that they were like the star of empire, as they were +taking their way westward. + +[Illustration: OVERLAND BY STAGE IN THE OLDEN TIME.] + +Fred replied that he thought the star of empire had a much harder time +of it, as it had no cushioned seat to rest upon, and no plate-glass +window to look from. + +[Illustration: OVERLAND BY RAIL IN A PULLMAN CAR.] + +"And it doesn't go at the rate of thirty miles an hour," the Doctor +added. + +[Illustration: COOKING-RANGE IN THE OLDEN TIME.] + +[Illustration: COOKING-RANGE ON A PULLMAN CAR.] + +"I'm not sure that I know exactly what the star of empire means," said +Frank. "I used the expression as I have seen it, but can't tell what it +comes from." + +He looked appealingly at Doctor Bronson. The latter smiled kindly, and +then explained the origin of the phrase. + +"It is found," said the Doctor, "in a short poem that was written more +than a hundred and fifty years ago, by Bishop Berkeley. The last verse +is like this: + + "Westward the course of empire takes its way; + The first four acts already past, + A fifth shall close the drama with the day: + Time's noblest offspring is the last." + +[Illustration: THE COURSE OF EMPIRE.] + +"You see the popular quotation is wrong," he added; "it is the _course_ +of empire that is mentioned in the poem, and not the _star_." + +"I suppose," said Fred, "that the Bishop referred to the discovery of +America by Columbus when he sailed to the West, and to the settlement of +America which began on the Eastern coast and then went on to the West." + +"You are exactly right," was the reply. + +Frank added that he thought "star of empire" more poetical than "course +of empire." + +[Illustration: WATERING-PLACE ON THE ERIE RAILWAY.] + +"But course is more near to the truth," said Fred, "than star. Don't you +see that Bishop Berkeley wrote before railways were invented, and before +people could travel as they do nowadays? Emigrants, when they went out +West, went with wagons, or on horseback, or on foot. They travelled by +day and rested at night. Now--don't you see?--they made their course in +the daytime, when they couldn't see the stars at all; and when the stars +were out, they were asleep, unless the wolves or the Indians kept them +awake. They were too tired to waste any time over a twinkling star of +empire, but they knew all about the course." + +There was a laugh all around at Fred's ingenious defence of the author +of the verse in question, and then the attention of the party was turned +to the scenery along the route. Although living near the line of the +Erie Railway, neither of the boys had ever been west of his station. +Everything was therefore new to the youths, and they took great interest +in the panorama that unrolled to their eyes as the train moved on. + +[Illustration: VALLEY OF THE NEVERSINK.] + +They were particularly pleased with the view of the valley of the +Neversink, with its background of mountains and the pretty town of Port +Jervis in the distance. The railway at one point winds around the edge +of a hill, and is far enough above the valley to give a view several +miles in extent. + +[Illustration: STARUCCA VIADUCT.] + +Frank had heard much about the Starucca Viaduct, and so had Fred, and +they were all anxiety to see it. Frank thought it would be better to +call it a bridge, as it was only a bridge, and nothing more; but Fred +inclined to the opinion that "viaduct" sounded larger and higher. + +"And remember," said he to Frank, "it is more than twelve hundred feet +long, and is a hundred feet above the valley. It is large enough to have +a much bigger name than viaduct." + +Frank admitted the force of the argument, and added that he didn't care +what name it went by, so long as it carried them safely over. + +When they were passing the famous place, they looked out and saw the +houses and trees far below them. Fred said they seemed to be riding in +the air, and he thought he could understand how people must feel in a +balloon. + +Doctor Bronson said he was reminded of a story about the viaduct. + +"Oh! tell it, please," said the two boys, in a breath. + +"It is this," answered the Doctor. "When the road was first opened, a +countryman came to the backwoods to the station near the end of the +bridge. He had never seen a railway before, and had much curiosity to +look at the cars. When the train came along, he stepped aboard, and +before he was aware of it the cars were moving. He felt the floor +trembling, and as he looked from the window the train was just coming +upon the viaduct. He saw the earth falling away, apparently, the +tree-tops far below him, and the cattle very small in the distance. He +turned pale as a sheet, and almost fainted. He had just strength enough +to say, in a troubled voice, to the man nearest him, + +"Say, stranger, how far does this thing fly before it lights?" + +"I don't wonder at it," said Fred; "you see, I thought of the same thing +when the train was crossing." + +[Illustration: NIAGARA FALLS, FROM THE AMERICAN SIDE.] + +The railway brought the party to Niagara, where they spent a day +visiting the famous cataract and the objects of interest in the +vicinity. Frank pronounced the cataract wonderful, and so did Fred; +whereupon the Doctor told them of the man who said Niagara was not at +all wonderful, as any other water put there would run down over the +Falls, since there was nothing to hinder its doing so. The real wonder +would be to see it go up again. + +[Illustration: ENTRANCE TO THE CAVE OF THE WINDS.] + +They looked at the Falls from all the points of view. They went under +the Canadian side, and they also went under the Central Fall, and into +the Cave of the Winds. They stood for a long time watching the water +tumbling over Horseshoe Fall, and they stood equally long on the +American side. When the day was ended, the boys asked the Doctor if he +would not permit them to remain another twenty-four hours. + +"Why so?" the Doctor asked. + +"Because," said Frank, with a bit of a blush on his cheeks--"because we +want to write home about Niagara and our visit here. Fred wants to tell +his mother about it, and I want to write to my mother and to Mary, +and--and--" + +"Miss Effie, perhaps," Fred suggested. + +Frank smiled, and said he might drop a line to Miss Effie if he had +time, and he was pretty certain there would be time if they remained +another day. + +Doctor Bronson listened to the appeal of the boys, and when they were +through he took a toothpick from his pocket and settled back in his +chair in the parlor of the hotel. + +"Your request is very natural and proper," he answered; "but there are +several things to consider. Niagara has been described many times, and +those who have never seen it can easily know about it from books and +other accounts. Consequently what you would write about the Falls would +be a repetition of much that has been written before, and even your +personal impressions and experiences would not be far different from +those of others. I advise you not to attempt anything of the kind, and, +at all events, not to stop here a day for that purpose. Spend the +evening in writing brief letters home, but do not undertake a +description of the Falls. If you want to stay a day in order to see +more, we will stay, but otherwise we will go on." + +The boys readily accepted Doctor Bronson's suggestion. They wrote short +letters, and Frank did not forget Miss Effie. Then they went out to see +the Falls by moonlight, and in good season they went to bed, where they +slept admirably. The next day the journey was resumed, and they had a +farewell view of Niagara from the windows of the car as they crossed the +Suspension Bridge from the American to the Canadian side. + +On they went over the Great Western Railway of Canada, and then over the +Michigan Central; and on the morning after leaving Niagara they rolled +into Chicago. Here they spent a day in visiting the interesting places +in the Lake City. An old friend of Doctor Bronson came to see him at the +Tremont House, and took the party out for a drive. Under the guidance of +this hospitable citizen, they were taken to see the City-hall, the +stock-yards, the tunnel under the river, the grain-elevators, and other +things with which every one who spends a short time in Chicago is sure +to be made familiar. They were shown the traces of the great fire of +1870, and were shown, too, what progress had been made in rebuilding the +city and removing the signs of the calamity. Before they finished their +tour, they had absorbed much of the enthusiasm of their guide, and were +ready to pronounce Chicago the most remarkable city of the present time. + +As they were studying the map to lay out their route westward, the boys +noticed that the lines of the railways radiated in all directions from +Chicago, like the diverging cords of a spider's web. Everywhere they +stretched out except over the surface of Lake Michigan, where railway +building has thus far been impossible. The Doctor explained that Chicago +was one of the most important railway centres in the United States, and +owed much of its prosperity to the network they saw on the map. + +"I have a question," said Frank, suddenly brightening up. + +"Well, what is it?" + +"Why is that network we have just been looking at like a crow calling to +his mates?" + +"Give it up; let's have it." + +"Because it makes Chi-ca-go." + +"What's that to do with the crow?" Fred asked. + +"Why, everything," Frank answered; "the crow makes ye-caw-go, doesn't +it?" + +"Now, Frank," the Doctor said, as he laughed over the conundrum, "making +puns when we're a thousand miles from home and going west! However, that +will do for a beginner; but don't try too often." + +Fred thought he must say something, but was undecided for a moment. The +room was open, and as he looked into the hall, he saw the chambermaid +approaching the opposite door with the evident intention of looking +through the keyhole. This gave him his opportunity, and he proposed his +question. + +"Why are we like that chambermaid over there?" + +"The Doctor and Frank couldn't tell, and Fred answered, triumphantly, + +"Because we're going to Pek-in." + +"I think you boys are about even now," said the Doctor, "and may stop +for the present." They agreed to call it quits, and resumed their study +of the map. + +[Illustration: FROM CHICAGO TO SAN FRANCISCO.] + +They decided to go by the Northwestern Railway to Omaha. From the latter +place they had no choice of route, as there was only a single line of +road between Omaha and California. + +[Illustration: OMAHA.] + +From Chicago westward they traversed the rich prairies of Illinois and +Iowa--a broad expanse of flat country, which wearied them with its +monotony. At Omaha they crossed the Missouri River on a long bridge; and +while they were crossing, Frank wrote some lines in his note-book to the +effect that the Missouri was the longest river in the world, and was +sometimes called the "Big Muddy," on account of its color. It looked +like coffee after milk has been added; and was once said by Senator +Benton to be too thick to swim in, but not thick enough to walk on. + +Now they had a long ride before them. The Union Pacific Railway begins +at Omaha and ends at Ogden, 1016 miles farther west. It connects at +Ogden with the Central Pacific Railway, 882 miles long, which terminates +at San Francisco. As they rode along they had abundant time to learn the +history of the great enterprise that unites the Atlantic and Pacific +coasts, and enables one to travel in a single week from New York to San +Francisco. The Doctor had been over the route previously; and he had +once crossed the Plains before the railway was constructed. +Consequently, he was an excellent authority, and had an abundant store +of information to draw from. + +"The old way of crossing the Plains and the new way of doing the same +thing," said Doctor Bronson, "are as different as black and white. My +first journey to California was with an ox wagon, and it took me six +months to do it. Now we shall make the same distance in four days." + +"What a difference, indeed!" the boys remarked. + +[Illustration: ATTACKED BY INDIANS.] + +"We walked by the side of our teams or behind the wagons, we slept on +the ground at night, we did our own cooking, we washed our knives by +sticking them into the ground rapidly a few times, and we washed our +plates with sand and wisps of grass. When we stopped, we arranged our +wagons in a circle, and thus formed a 'corral,' or yard, where we drove +our oxen to yoke them up. And the corral was often very useful as a +fort, or camp, for defending ourselves against the Indians. Do you see +that little hollow down there?" he asked, pointing to a depression in +the ground a short distance to the right of the train. "Well, in that +hollow our wagon-train was kept three days and nights by the Indians. +Three days and nights they stayed around, and made several attacks. Two +of our men were killed and three were wounded by their arrows, and +others had narrow escapes. One arrow hit me on the throat, but I was +saved by the knot of my neckerchief, and the point only tore the skin a +little. Since that time I have always had a fondness for large neckties. +I don't know how many of the Indians we killed, as they carried off +their dead and wounded, to save them from being scalped. Next to getting +the scalps of their enemies, the most important thing with the Indians +is to save their own. We had several fights during our journey, but that +one was the worst. Once a little party of us were surrounded in a small +'wallow,' and had a tough time to defend ourselves successfully. Luckily +for us, the Indians had no fire-arms then, and their bows and arrows +were no match for our rifles. Nowadays they are well armed, but there +are not so many of them, and they are not inclined to trouble the +railway trains. They used to do a great deal of mischief in the old +times, and many a poor fellow has been killed by them." + +Frank asked if the Doctor saw any buffaloes in his first journey, and if +he ever went on a buffalo-hunt. + +"Of course," was the reply; "buffaloes were far more numerous then than +now, and sometimes the herds were so large that it took an entire day, +or even longer, for one of them to cross the road. Twice we were unable +to go on because the buffaloes were in the way, and so all of us who had +rifles went out for a hunt. I was one of the lucky ones, and we went on +in a party of four. Creeping along behind a ridge of earth, we managed +to get near two buffaloes that were slightly separated from the rest of +the herd. We spread out, and agreed that, at a given signal from the +foremost man, we were to fire together--two at one buffalo and two at +the other. We fired as we had agreed. One buffalo fell with a severe +wound, and was soon finished with a bullet through his heart; the other +turned and ran upon us, and, as I was the first man he saw, he ran at +me. Just then I remembered that I had forgotten something at the camp, +and, as I wanted it at once, I started back for it as fast as I could +go. It was a sharp race between the buffalo and me, and, as he had +twice as many legs as I could count, he made the best speed. I could +hear his heavy breathing close behind me, and his footsteps, as he +galloped along, sounded as though somebody were pounding the ground with +a large hammer. Just as I began to think he would soon have me on his +horns, I heard the report of a rifle at one side. Then the buffalo +stumbled and fell, and I ventured to look around. One of the men from +camp had fired just in time to save me from a very unpleasant +predicament, and I concluded I didn't want any more buffalo-hunting for +that day." + +Hardly had the Doctor finished his story when there was a long whistle +from the locomotive, followed by several short ones. The speed of the +train was slackened, and, while the passengers were wondering what was +the matter, the conductor came into the car where our friends were +seated and told them there was a herd of buffaloes crossing the track. + +"We shall run slowly through the herd," the conductor explained, "and +you will have a good chance to see the buffalo at home." + +[Illustration: HERD OF BUFFALOES MOVING.] + +They opened the windows and looked out. Sure enough, the plain was +covered, away to the south, with a dark expanse like a forest, but, +unlike a forest, it appeared to be in motion. Very soon it was apparent +that what seemed to be a forest was a herd of animals. + +[Illustration: AN OLD SETTLER.] + +As the train approached the spot where the herd was crossing the track, +the locomotive gave its loudest and shrillest shrieks. The noise had +the effect of frightening the buffaloes sufficiently to stop those which +had not crossed, and in the gap thus formed the train moved on. The boys +were greatly interested in the appearance of the beasts, and Frank +declared he had never seen anything that looked more fierce than one of +the old bulls, with his shaggy mane, his humped shoulders, and his +sharp, glittering eyes. He was quite contented with the shelter of the +railway-car, and said if the buffalo wanted him he must come inside to +get him; or give him a good rifle, so that they could meet on equal +terms. + +Several of the passengers fired at the buffaloes, but Fred was certain +he did not see anything drop. In half an hour the train had passed +through the herd, and was moving on as fast as ever. + +On and on they went. The Doctor pointed out many places of interest, and +told them how the road was built through the wilderness. + +[Illustration: "END OF TRACK."] + +"It was," said he, "the most remarkable enterprise, in some respects, +that has ever been known. The working force was divided into parties +like the divisions of an army, and each had its separate duties. Ties +were cut and hauled to the line of the road; the ground was broken and +made ready for the track; then the ties were placed in position, the +rails were brought forward and spiked in place, and so, length by +length, the road crept on. On the level, open country, four or five +miles of road were built every day, and in one instance they built more +than seven miles in a single day. There was a construction-train, where +the laborers boarded and lodged, and this train went forward every day +with the road. It was a sort of moving city, and was known as the 'End +of Track;' there was a post-office in it, and a man who lived there +could get his letters the same as though his residence had been +stationary. The Union Pacific Company built west from Omaha, while the +Central Pacific Company built east from Sacramento. They met in the +Great Salt Lake valley; and then there was a grand ceremony over the +placing of the last rail to connect the East with the West. The +continent was spanned by the railway, and our great seaboards were +neighbors." + +[Illustration: SNOW-SHEDS ON THE PACIFIC RAILWAY.] + +Westward and westward went our travellers. From the Missouri River, the +train crept gently up the slope of the Rocky Mountains, till it halted +to take breath at the summit of the Pass, more than eight thousand feet +above the level of the sea. Then, speeding on over the Laramie Plains, +down into the great basin of Utah, winding through the green carpet of +Echo Cañon, skirting the shores of Great Salt Lake, shooting like a +sunbeam over the wastes of the alkali desert, climbing the Sierra +Nevada, darting through the snow-sheds and tunnels, descending the +western slope to the level of the Pacific, it came to a halt at Oakland, +on the shore of San Francisco Bay. The last morning of their journey our +travellers were among the snows on the summit of the Sierras; at noon +they were breathing the warm air of the lowlands of California, and +before sundown they were looking out through the Golden Gate upon the +blue waters of the great Western ocean. Nowhere else in the world does +the railway bring all the varieties of climate more closely together. + +[Illustration: VIEW AT CAPE HORN, CENTRAL PACIFIC RAILWAY.] + +San Francisco, the City by the Sea, was full of interest for our young +adventurers. They walked and rode through its streets; they climbed its +steep hill-sides; they gazed at its long lines of magnificent buildings; +they went to the Cliff House, and saw the sea-lions by dozens and +hundreds, within easy rifle-shot of their breakfast-table; they steamed +over the bay, where the navies of the world might find safe anchorage; +they had a glimpse of the Flowery Kingdom, in the Chinese quarter; and +they wondered at the vegetable products of the Golden State as they +found them in the market-place. Long letters were written home, and +before they had studied California to their satisfaction it was time +for them to set sail for what Fred called "the under-side of the world." + +[Illustration: SEAL-ROCKS, SAN FRANCISCO.] + + + + +CHAPTER III. + +ON THE PACIFIC OCEAN. + + +Officers and men were at their posts, and the good steamer _Oceanic_ was +ready for departure. It was a few minutes before noon. + +As the first note was sounded on the bell, the gangway plank was drawn +in. "One," "two," "three," "four," "five," "six," "seven," "eight," rang +out from the sonorous metal. + +[Illustration: DEPARTURE FROM SAN FRANCISCO.] + +The captain gave the order to cast off the lines. Hardly had the echo of +his words ceased before the lines had fallen. Then he rang the signal to +the engineer, and the great screw began to revolve beneath the stern of +the ship. Promptly at the advertised time the huge craft was under way. +The crowd on the dock cheered as she moved slowly on, and they cheered +again as she gathered speed and ploughed the water into a track of foam. +The cheers grew fainter and fainter; faces and forms were no longer to +be distinguished; the waving of hats and kerchiefs ceased; the long dock +became a speck of black against the hilly shore, and the great city +faded from sight. + +Overhead was the immense blue dome of the sky; beneath and around were +the waters of San Francisco Bay. On the right was Monte Diablo, like an +advanced sentinel of the Sierras; and on the left were the sand-hills of +the peninsula, covered with the walls and roofs of the great city of the +Pacific Coast. The steamer moved on and on through the Golden Gate; and +in less than an hour from the time of leaving the dock, she dropped her +pilot, the gangway passage was closed, and her prow pointed to the +westward for a voyage of five thousand miles. + +[Illustration: DROPPING THE PILOT.] + +"What a lovely picture!" said the Doctor, as he waved his hand towards +the receding shore. + +"Why do they call that the Golden Gate?" Fred asked. + +[Illustration: THE GOLDEN GATE.] + +"Because," was the reply, "it is, or was, the entrance to the land of +gold. It was so named after the discovery of gold in California, and +until he completion of the Overland railway it was the principal pathway +to the country where everybody expected to make a fortune." + +"It is very wide, and easy of navigation," the Doctor continued, "and +yet a stranger might not be aware of its existence, and might sail by it +if he did not know where to look for the harbor. A ship must get well in +towards the land before the Golden Gate is visible." + +"How long shall we be on the voyage, Doctor?" + +"If nothing happens," he answered, "we shall see the coast of Japan in +about twenty days. We have five thousand miles to go, and I understand +the steamer will make two hundred and fifty miles a day in good +weather." + +"Will we stop anywhere on the way?" + +"There is not a stopping-place on the whole route. We are not yet out of +sight of the Golden Gate, and already we are steering for Cape King, at +the entrance of Yeddo Bay. There's not even an island, or a solitary +rock on our course." + +"I thought I had read about an island where the steamers intended to +stop," Fred remarked. + +"So you have," was the reply; "an island was discovered some years ago, +and was named Brook's Island, in honor of its discoverer. It was thought +at first that the place might be convenient as a coaling station, but it +is too far from the track of the steamers, and, besides, it has no +harbor where ships can anchor. + +"There is a curious story in connection with it. In 1816 a ship, the +_Canton_, sailed from Sitka, and was supposed to have been lost at sea, +as she never reached her destination. Fifty years later this island was +discovered, and upon it was part of the wreck of the _Canton_. There +were traces of the huts which were built by the crew during their stay, +and it was evident that they constructed a smaller vessel from the +fragments of the wreck, and sailed away in it." + +"And were lost in it, I suppose?" + +"Undoubtedly, as nothing has ever been heard from them. They did not +leave any history of themselves on the island, or, at any rate, none was +ever found." + +[Illustration: IN THE FIRE-ROOM.] + +At this moment the steward rang the preparatory bell for dinner, and +the conversation ended. Half an hour later dinner was on the table, and +the passengers sat down to it. + +The company was not a large one, and there was abundant room and +abundant food for everybody. The captain was at the head of the table, +and the purser at the foot, and between them were the various passengers +in the seats which had been reserved for them by the steward. The +passengers included an American consul on his way to his post in China, +and an American missionary, bound for the same country. There were +several merchants, interested in commercial matters between the United +States and the Far East; two clerks, going out to appointments in China; +two sea-captains, going to take command of ships; a doctor and a mining +engineer in the service of the Japanese government; half a dozen +"globe-trotters," or tourists; and a very mysterious and nondescript +individual, whom we shall know more about as we proceed. The consul and +the missionary were accompanied by their families. Their wives and +daughters were the only ladies among the passengers, and, according to +the usual custom on board steamers, they were seated next to the captain +in the places of highest honor. Doctor Bronson and his young companions +were seated near the purser, whom they found very amiable, and they had +on the opposite side of the table the two sea-captains already +mentioned. + +Everybody appeared to realize that the voyage was to be a long one, and +the sooner the party became acquainted, the better. By the end of dinner +they had made excellent progress, and formed several likes and dislikes +that increased as time went on. In the evening the passengers sat about +the cabin or strolled on deck, continuing to grow in acquaintance, and +before the ship had been twenty-four hours at sea it was hard to realize +that the company had been assembled so recently. Brotherly friendships +as well as brotherly hatreds grew with the rapidity of a beanstalk, and, +happily, the friendships were greatly in the majority. + +[Illustration: THE ENGINEER AT HIS POST.] + +Life on a steamship at sea has many peculiarities. The ship is a world +in itself, and its boundaries are narrow. You see the same faces day +after day, and on a great ocean like the Pacific there is little to +attract the attention outside of the vessel that carries you. You have +sea and sky to look upon to-day as you looked upon them yesterday, and +will look on them to-morrow. The sky may be clear or cloudy; fogs may +envelop you; storms may arise, or a calm may spread over the waters; the +great ship goes steadily on and on. The pulsations of the engine seem +like those of the human heart; and when you wake at night, your first +endeavor, as you collect your thoughts, is to listen for that ceaseless +throbbing. One falls into a monotonous way of life, and the days run on +one after another, till you find it difficult to distinguish them apart. +The hours for meals are the principal hours of the day, and with many +persons the table is the place of greatest importance. They wander from +deck to saloon, and from saloon to deck again, and hardly has the table +been cleared after one meal, before they are thinking what they will +have for the next. The managers of our great ocean lines have noted this +peculiarity of human nature; some of them give no less than five meals a +day, and if a passenger should wish to eat something between times, he +could be accommodated. + +Our young friends were too much absorbed with the novelty of their +situation to allow the time to hang heavy on their hands. Everything was +new and strange to them, but, of course, it was far otherwise with +Doctor Bronson. They had many questions to ask, and he was never weary +of answering, as he saw they were endeavoring to remember what they +heard, and were not interrogating him from idle curiosity. + +"What is the reason they don't strike the hours here as they do on +land?" Frank inquired, as they reached the deck after dinner. + +The Doctor explained that at sea the time is divided into watches, or +periods, of four hours each. The bell strikes once for each half-hour, +until four hours, or eight bells, are reached, and then they begin +again. One o'clock is designated as "two bells," half-past one is "three +bells," and four o'clock is "eight bells." Eight o'clock, noon, and +midnight are also signalled by eight strokes on the bell, and after a +little while a traveller accustoms himself to the new mode of keeping +time. + +Fred remembered that when they left San Francisco at noon, the bell +struck eight times, instead of twelve, as he thought it should have +struck. The Doctor's explanation made it clear to him. + +The second day out the boys began to repeat all the poetry they could +remember about the sea, and were surprised at the stock they had on +hand. Fred recalled something he had read in _Harper's Magazine_, which +ran as follows: + + "Far upon the unknown deep, + 'Mid the billows circling round, + Where the tireless sea-birds sweep; + Outward bound. + Nothing but a speck we seem, + In the waste of waters round, + Floating, floating like a dream; + Outward bound." + +Frank was less sentimental, and repeated these lines: + + "Two things break the monotony + Of a great ocean trip: + Sometimes, alas! you ship a sea, + And sometimes see a ship." + +Then they called upon the Doctor for a contribution, original or +selected, with this result: + + "The praises of the ocean grand, + 'Tis very well to sing on land. + 'Tis very fine to hear them carolled + By Thomas Campbell or Childe Harold; + But sad, indeed, to see that ocean + From east to west in wild commotion." + +[Illustration: THE WIND RISING.] + +The wind had been freshening since noon, and the rolling motion of the +ship was not altogether agreeable to the inexperienced boys. They were +about to have their first acquaintance with sea-sickness; and though +they held on manfully and remained on deck through the afternoon, the +ocean proved too much for them, and they had no appetite for dinner or +supper. But their malady did not last long, and by the next morning they +were as merry as ever, and laughed over the event. They asked the Doctor +to explain the cause of their trouble, but he shook his head, and said +the whole thing was a great puzzle. + +"Sea-sickness is a mystery," said he, "and the more you study it, the +less you seem to understand it. Some persons are never disturbed by the +motion of a ship, no matter how violent it may be, while others cannot +endure the slightest rocking. Most of the sufferers recover in a short +time, and after two or three days at sea are as well as ever, and +continue so. On the other hand, there are some who never outlive its +effects, and though their voyage may last a year or more, they are no +better sailors at the end than at the beginning. + +"I knew a young man," he continued, "who entered the Naval Academy, and +graduated. When he was appointed to service on board a ship, he found +himself perpetually sick on the water; after an experience of two years, +and finding no improvement, he resigned. Such occurrences are by no +means rare. I once travelled with a gentleman who was a splendid sailor +in fine weather; but when it became rough, he was all wrong, and went to +bed." + +"Were you ever sea-sick, Doctor?" queried Frank. + +"Never," was the reply, "and I had a funny incident growing out of this +fact on my first voyage. We were going out of New York harbor, and I +made the acquaintance of the man who was to share my room. As he looked +me over, he asked me if I had ever been to sea. + +"I told him I never had, and then he remarked that I was certain to be +sea-sick, he could see it in my face. He said he was an old traveller, +and rarely suffered, and then he gave me some advice as to what I should +do when I began to feel badly. I thanked him and went on deck. + +"As the ship left the harbor, and went outside to the open Atlantic, she +encountered a heavy sea. It was so rough that the majority of the +passengers disappeared below. I didn't suffer in the least, and didn't +go to the cabin for two or three hours. There I found that my new friend +was in his bed with the very malady he had predicted for me." + +"What did you do then, Doctor?" + +"Well, I repeated to him the advice he had given me, and told him I saw +in his face that he was sure to be sea-sick. He didn't recover during +the whole voyage, and I never suffered a moment." + +The laugh that followed the story of the Doctor's experience was +interrupted by the breakfast-bell, and the party went below. There was a +light attendance, and the purser explained that several passengers had +gone ashore. + +"Which is a polite way of saying that they are not inclined to come +out," the Doctor remarked. + +"Exactly so," replied the purser, "they think they would make the best +appearance alone." + +Captain Spofford, who sat opposite to Frank, remarked that he knew an +excellent preventive of sea-sickness. Frank asked what it was. + +"Always stay at home," was the reply. + +"Yes," answered Frank, "and to escape drowning you should never go near +the water." + +Fred said the best thing to prevent a horse running away was to sell him +off. + +Everybody had a joke of some kind to propose, and the breakfast party +was a merry one. Suddenly Captain Spofford called out, "There she +blows!" and pointed through the cabin window. Before the others could +look, the rolling of the ship had brought the window so far above the +water that they saw nothing. + +"What is it?" Fred asked. + +"A whale," Captain Spofford answered. "What he is doing here, I don't +know. This isn't a whaling-ground." + +They went on deck soon after, and, sure enough, several whales were in +sight. Every little while a column of spray was thrown into the air, +and indicated there was a whale beneath it. + +[Illustration: SPOUTS.] + +Frank asked why it was the whale "spouted," or blew up, the column of +spray. Captain Spofford explained that the whale is not, properly +speaking, a fish, but an animal. "He has warm blood, like a cow or +horse," said the Captain, "and he must come to the surface to breathe. +He takes a certain amount of water into his lungs along with the air, +and when he throws it out, it makes the spray you have seen, and which +the sailors call a spout." + +It turned out that the Captain was an old whaleman. The boys wanted to +hear some whaling stories, and their new friend promised to tell them +some during the evening. When the time came for the narration, the boys +were ready, and so was the old mariner. The Doctor joined the party, and +the four found a snug corner in the cabin where they were not likely to +be disturbed. The Captain settled himself as comfortably as possible, +and then began the account of his adventures in pursuit of the monsters +of the deep. + +[Illustration: WHALE-SHIP OUTWARD BOUND.] + + + + +CHAPTER IV. + +INCIDENTS OF A WHALING VOYAGE. + + +Captain Spofford was a weather-beaten veteran who gave little attention +to fine clothes, and greatly preferred his rough jacket and soft hat to +what he called "Sunday gear." He was much attached to his telescope, +which he had carried nearly a quarter of a century, and on the present +occasion he brought it into the cabin, and held it in his hand while he +narrated his whaling experiences. He explained that he could talk better +in the company of his old spy-glass, as it would remind him of things he +might forget without its aid, and also check him if he went beyond the +truth. + +[Illustration: CAPTAIN SPOFFORD TELLING HIS STORY.] + +"There are very few men in the whaling business now," said he, "compared +to the number twenty-five years ago. Whales are growing scarcer every +year, and petroleum has taken the place of whale-oil. Consequently, the +price of the latter is not in proportion to the difficulty of getting +it. New Bedford used to be an important seaport, and did an enormous +business. It is played out now, and is as dull and sleepy as a cemetery. +It was once the great centre of the whaling business, and made fortunes +for a good many men; but you don't hear of fortunes in whaling nowadays. + +[Illustration] + +"I went to sea from New Bedford when I was twelve years old, and kept at +whaling for near on to twenty-seven years. From cabin-boy, I crept up +through all the ranks, till I became captain and part owner, and it was +a good deal of satisfaction to me to be boss of a ship, I can tell you. +When I thought I had had enough of it I retired, and bought a small +farm. I stocked and ran it after my own fashion, called one of my oxen +'Port' and the other 'Starboard,' had a little mound like my old +quarter-deck built in my garden, and used to go there to take my walks. +I had a mast with cross-trees fixed in this mound, and used to go up +there, and stay for hours, and call out 'There she blows!' whenever I +saw a bird fly by, or anything moving anywhere. I slept in a hammock +under a tent, and when I got real nervous I had one of my farm-hands +rock me to sleep in the hammock, and throw buckets of water against the +sides of the tent, so's I could imagine I was on the sea again. But +'twasn't no use, and I couldn't cure myself of wanting to be on blue +water once more. So I left my farm in my wife's hands, and am going out +to Shanghai to command a ship whose captain died at Hong-Kong five +months ago. + +"So much for history. Now we'll talk about whales. + +[Illustration: SPERM-WHALE.] + +"There are several kinds of them--sperm-whales, right-whales, bow-heads; +and a whaleman can tell one from the other as easy as a farmer can tell +a cart-horse from a Shetland pony. The most valuable is the sperm-whale, +as his oil is much better, and brings more money; and then we get +spermaceti from him to make candles of, which we don't get from the +others. He's a funny-looking brute, as his head is a third of his whole +length; and when you've cut it off, there doesn't seem to be much whale +left of him. + +"I sailed for years in a sperm-whaler in the South Pacific, and had a +good many lively times. The sperm-whale is the most dangerous of all, +and the hardest to kill; he fights with his tail and his mouth, while +the others fight only with their tails. A right-whale or a bow-head will +lash the water and churn it up into foam; and if he hits a boat with his +tail, he crushes it as if it was an egg-shell. A sperm-whale will do all +this, and more too; he takes a boat in his mouth, and chews it, which +the others never do. And when he chews it, he makes fine work of it, I +can tell you, and short work, too. + +"Sometimes he takes a shy at a ship, and rushes at it, head on. Two +ships are known to have been sunk in this way; one of them was the +_Essex_, which the whale ran into three times, and broke her timbers so +that she filled. The crew took to the boats, and made for the coast of +South America. One boat was never heard from, one reached the coast, +and the third was picked up near Valparaiso with everybody dead but two, +and those barely alive. Provisions and water had given out, and another +day would have finished the poor fellows. Another ship was the _Union_, +which was stove right under the bows by a single blow from a +sperm-whale, and went down in half an hour. + +"I was fifteen years old when I pulled my first oar in a whale-boat; I +was boat-steerer at eighteen, and second mate at twenty, and before I +was twenty-one I had known what it was to be in the mouth of a +sperm-whale. It is hardly necessary to say that I got out of it as fast +as I could, and didn't stop to see if my hair was combed and my +shirt-collar buttoned. A man has no time to put on frills under such +circumstances. + +[Illustration: "THERE SHE BLOWS!"] + +"The way of it was this. The lookout in the cross-trees--we always keep +a man up aloft to look out for whales when we're on cruising ground--the +man had called out, 'There she blows!' and everybody was on his feet in +an instant. + +"'Where away?' shouted the first mate. + +"'Two points on the weather bow.' + +"And before the words had done echoing he called out 'There she blows' +again, and a moment after again. That meant that he had seen two more +whales. + +"We put two boats into the water, the first mate's and mine, and away we +went. We pulled our best, and the boats fairly bounced through the +waves. It was a race to see who could strike the first whale; we had a +good half mile to go, and we went like race-horses. + +"Each boat has six men in her--a boat-steerer, as he is called, and five +at the oars. The boat-steerer handles the harpoon and lance and directs +the whole movement; in fact, for the time, he is captain of the boat. + +[Illustration: IMPLEMENTS USED IN WHALING.] + +"The first mate's boat headed me a little, and made for a big fellow on +the starboard. I went for another, and we struck almost at the same +instant. Within three boat-lengths, I stood up, braced my feet firmly, +poised my harpoon, and made ready to strike. The whale didn't know we +were about, and was taking it very easy. The bow of the boat was about +ten feet from his black skin when I sent the iron spinning and whizzing +away, and buried it deep in his flesh. Didn't he give a jump! You can +bet he did. + +"'Starn all! starn all! for your lives!' I yelled. + +"There wasn't a moment lost, and the boat went back by the force of the +strong arms of the men." + +[Illustration: WHALE "BREACHING."] + +"The whale lashed about and then 'breached;' that is, he threw his great +body out of the water, giving me a chance to get in a second harpoon. +Then he sounded--that is, he went down--and the lines ran out so fast +that the side of the boat fairly smoked when they went over. He ran off +two hundred fathoms of line before he stopped, and then we felt the line +slack and knew he would soon be up again. + +"Up he came not a hundred yards from where he went down, and as he came +up he caught sight of the boat. He went for it as a cat goes for a +mouse. + +"The sperm-whale can't see straight ahead, as his eyes are set far back, +and seem to be almost on his sides. He turns partly round to get a +glimpse of a boat, then ports his helm, drops his jaw, calculates his +distance, and goes ahead at full speed. His jaw is set very low, and +sometimes he turns over, or partly over, to strike his blow. + +[Illustration: IN THE WHALE'S JAW.] + +"This time he whirled and took the bow of the boat in his mouth, +crushing it as though it had been made of paper. We jumped out, the oars +flew all around us, the sea was a mass of foam, and the whale chewed the +boat as though it was a piece of sugar-candy and he hadn't seen any for +a month. + +"We were all in the water, and nobody hurt. The first mate's boat had +killed its whale inside of ten minutes, and before he tried to sound. +They left the whale and came to pick us up; then they hurried and made +fast to him, as another ship was coming up alongside of ours, and we +might lose our game. It is a rule of the sea that you lose your claim to +a whale when you let go, even though you may have killed him. Hang on to +him and he's yours, though you may hang with only a trout-line and a +minnow-hook. It's been so decided in the courts. + +"The captain sent another boat from the ship, and we soon had the +satisfaction of seeing my whale dead on the water. He got the lance +right in his vitals, and went into his 'flurry,' as we call it. The +flurry is the whale's convulsive movements just before death, and +sometimes he does great damage as he thrashes about." + +Frank wished to know how large the whale was, and how large whales are +generally. + +"We don't reckon whales by their length," Captain Spofford answered, +"but by the number of barrels of oil they make. Ask any old captain how +long the largest whale was that he ever took, and the chances are he'll +begin to estimate by the length of his ship, and frankly tell you he +never measured one. I measured the largest sperm-whale I ever took, and +found him seventy-nine feet long; he made a hundred and seven barrels of +oil. Here's the figures of him: nose to neck, twenty-six feet; neck to +hump, twenty-nine feet; hump to tail, seventeen feet; tail, seven feet. +His tail was sixteen feet across, and he was forty-one feet six inches +around the body. He had fifty-one teeth, and the heaviest weighed +twenty-five ounces. We took nineteen barrels of oil from his case, the +inside of the head, where we dipped it out with a bucket. I know one +captain that captured a sperm-whale ninety feet long, that made a +hundred and thirty-seven barrels, and there was another sperm taken by +the ship _Monka_, of New Bedford, that made a hundred and forty-five +barrels. I don't know how long he was. + +"There's a wonderful deal of excitement in fastening to a whale, and +having a fight with him. You have the largest game that a hunter could +ask for; you have the cool pure air of the ocean, and the blue waters +all about you. A thrill goes through every nerve as you rise to throw +the sharp iron into the monster's side, and the thrill continues when he +plunges wildly about, and sends the line whistling over. He sinks, and +he rises again; he dashes away to windward, and struggles to escape; you +hold him fast, and, large as he is in proportion to yourself, you feel +that he must yield to you, though, perhaps, not till after a hard +battle. At length he lies exhausted, and you approach for the final blow +with the lance. Another thrilling moment, another, and another; and if +fortune is in your favor, your prize is soon motionless before you. And +the man who cannot feel an extra beat of his pulse at such a time must +be made of cooler stuff than the most of us. + +"But you don't get all the whales you see, by a long shot. Many a whale +gets away before you can fasten to him, and many another whale, after +you have laid on and fastened, will escape you. He sinks, and tears the +iron loose; he runs away to windward ten or twenty miles an hour, and +you must cut the line to save your lives; he smashes the boat, and +perhaps kills some of his assailants; he dies below the surface, and +when he dies there he stays below, and you lose him; and sometimes he +shows such an amount of toughness that he seems to bear a charmed life. +We fight him with harpoon and lance, and in these later days they have +an invention called the bomb-lance or whaling-gun. A bomb-shell is +thrown into him with a gun like a large musket, and it explodes down +among his vitals. There's another gun that is fastened to the shaft of a +harpoon, and goes off when the whale tightens the line; and there's +another that throws a lance half-way through him. Well, there are +whales that can stand all these things and live. + +[Illustration: CAPTAIN HUNTING'S FIGHT.] + +"Captain Hunting, of New Bedford, had the worst fight that I know of, +while he was on a cruise in the South Atlantic. When he struck the +fellow--it was a tough old bull that had been through fights before, I +reckon--the whale didn't try to escape, but turned on the boat, bit her +in two, and kept on thrashing the wreck till he broke it up completely. +Another boat picked up the men and took them to the ship, and then two +other boats went in on him. Each of them got in two irons, and that made +him mad; he turned around and chewed those boats, and he stuck closely +to business until there wasn't a mouthful left. The twelve swimmers +were picked up by the boat which had taken the first lot to the ship; +two of the men had climbed on his back, and he didn't seem to mind them. +He kept on chewing away at the oars, sails, masts, planks, and other +fragments of the boats; and whenever anything touched his body, he +turned and munched away at it. There he was with six harpoons in him, +and each harpoon had three hundred fathoms of line attached to it. +Captain Hunting got out two spare boats, and started with them and the +saved boat to renew the fight. He got alongside and sent a bomb-lance +charged with six inches of powder right into the whale's vitals, just +back of his fin. When the lance was fired, he turned and tore through +the boat like a hurricane, scattering everything. The sun was setting, +four boats were gone with all their gear and twelve hundred fathoms of +line, the spare boats were poorly provided, the men were wearied and +discouraged, and Captain Hunting hauled off and admitted himself beaten +by a whale." + +[Illustration: A GAME FELLOW.] + +The nondescript individual whom we saw among the passengers early in the +voyage had joined the party, and heard the story of Captain Hunting's +whale. When it was ended, he ventured to say something on the subject of +whaling. + +"That wasn't a circumstance," he remarked, "to the great whale that used +to hang around the Philippine Islands. He was reckoned to be a king, as +all the other whales took off their hats to him, and used to get down on +their front knees when he came around. His skin was like leather, and he +was stuck so full of harpoons that he looked like a porcupine under a +magnifying-glass. Every ship that saw him used to put an iron into him, +and I reckon you could get up a good history of the whale-fishery if you +could read the ships' names on all of them irons. Lots of whalers fought +with him, but he always came out first best. Captain Sammis of the +_Ananias_ had the closest acquaintance with him, and the way he tells it +is this: + +"'We'd laid into him, and his old jaw came up and bit off the bow of the +boat. As he bit he gave a fling, like, and sent me up in the air; and +when I came down, there was the whale, end up and mouth open waiting for +me. His throat looked like a whitewashed cellar-door; but I saw his +teeth were wore smooth down to the gums, and that gave me some +consolation. When I struck his throat he snapped for me, but I had good +headway, and disappeared like a piece of cake in a family of children. +When I was splashing against the soft sides of his stomach, I heard his +jaws snapping like the flapping of a mainsail. + +"'I was rather used up and tired out, and a little bewildered, and so I +sat down on the southwest corner of his liver, and crossed my legs while +I got my wits together. It wasn't dark down there, as there was ten +thousand of them little sea jellies shinin' there, like second-hand +stars, in the wrinkles of his stomach, and then there was lots of room +too. By-an'-by, while I was lookin' round, I saw a black patch on the +starboard side of his stomach, and went over to examine it. There I +found printed in injey ink, in big letters, "Jonah, B.C. 1607." Then I +knew where I was, and I began to feel real bad. + +"'I opened my tobacco-box to take a mouthful of fine-cut to steady my +nerves. I suppose my hand was a little unsteady; anyhow, I dropped some +of the tobacco on the floor of the whale's stomach. It gave a convulsive +jump, and I saw at once the whale wasn't used to it. I picked up a +jack-knife I saw layin' on the floor, and cut a ping of tobacco into +fine snuff, and scattered it around in the little wrinkles in the +stomach. You should have seen how the medicine worked. The stomach began +to heave as though a young earthquake had opened up under it, and then +it squirmed and twisted, and finally turned wrong side out, and flopped +me into the sea. The mate's boat was there picking up the men from the +smashed boat, and just as they had given me up for lost they saw me and +took me in. They laughed when I told them of the inside of the whale, +and the printin' I saw there; but when I showed them the old jack-knife +with the American eagle on one side and Jonah's name on the other, they +stopped laughin' and looked serious. It is always well to have something +on hand when you are tellin' a true story, and that knife was enough.' + +[Illustration: A FREE RIDE.] + +"That same captain," he continued, "was once out for a whale, but when +they killed him, they were ten miles from the ship. The captain got on +the dead whale, and sent the boat back to let the ship know where they +were. After they had gone, a storm came on and drove the ship away, and +there the captain stayed three weeks. He stuck an oar into the whale to +hang on to, and the third week a ship hove in sight. As he didn't know +what she was, he hoisted the American flag, which he happened to have a +picture of on his pocket-handkerchief; and pretty soon the ship hung out +her colors, and her captain came on board. Captain Sammis was tired of +the monotony of life on a whale, and so he sold out his interest to the +visitor. He got half the oil and a passage to Honolulu, where he found +his own craft all right." + +[Illustration: CAPTAIN SAMMIS SELLING OUT.] + +"You say he remained three weeks on the back of that whale," said one of +the listeners. + +"Yes, I said three weeks." + +"Well, how did he live all that time?" + +"How can I tell?" was the reply; "that's none of my business. Probably +he took his meals at the nearest restaurant and slept at home. And if +you don't believe my story, I can't help it--I've done the best I can." + +With this remark he rose and walked away. It was agreed that there was a +certain air of improbability about his narrations, and Frank ventured +the suggestion that the stranger would never get into trouble on account +of telling too much truth. + +They had a curiosity to know something about the man. Doctor Bronson +questioned the purser and ascertained that he was entered on the +passenger-list as Mr. A. of America; but whence he came, or what was his +business, no one could tell. He had spoken to but few persons since they +left port, and the bulk of his conversation had been devoted to stories +like those about the whaling business. + +In short, he was a riddle no one could make out; and very soon he +received from the other passengers the nickname of "The Mystery." Fred +suggested that Mystery and Mr. A. were so nearly alike that the one name +was as good as the other. + +While they were discussing him, he returned suddenly and said: + +"The Captain says there are indications of a water-spout to-morrow; and +perhaps we may be destroyed by it." + +With these words he withdrew, and was not seen any more that evening. +Fred wished to know what a water-spout was like, and was promptly set at +rest by the Doctor. + +[Illustration: SHOOTING AT A WATER-SPOUT.] + +"A water-spout," the latter remarked, "is often seen in the tropics, but +rarely in this latitude. The clouds lie quite close to the water, and +there appears to be a whirling motion to the latter; then the cloud and +the sea beneath it become united by a column of water, and this column +is what we call a water-spout. It is generally believed that the water +rises, through this spout, from the sea to the clouds, and sailors are +fearful of coming near them lest their ships may be deluged and sunk. +They usually endeavor to destroy them by firing guns at them, and this +was done on board a ship where I was once a passenger. When the ball +struck the spout, there was a fall of water sufficient to have sunk us +if we had been beneath it, and we all felt thankful that we had escaped +the danger." + + + + +CHAPTER V. + +ARRIVAL IN JAPAN. + + +The great ship steamed onward, day after day and night after night. +There was no storm to break the monotony; no sail showed itself on the +horizon; no one left the steamer, and no new-comers appeared; nobody saw +fit to quarrel with any one else; and there was not a passenger who +showed a disposition to quarrel with his surroundings. Stories were told +and songs were sung, to while away the time; and, finally, on the +twentieth day, the captain announced that they were approaching land, +and the voyage would soon be over. + +[Illustration: FRANK STUDYING NAVIGATION.] + +Our young travellers had found a daily interest in the instruments by +which a mariner ascertains his ship's position. Frank had gone so far as +to borrow the captain's extra copy of "Bowditch's Navigator" and study +it at odd intervals, and after a little while he comprehended the uses +of the various instruments employed in finding a way over the trackless +ocean. He gave Fred a short lecture on the subject, which was something +like the following: + +"Of course, you know, Fred, all about the mariner's compass, which +points towards the north, and always tells where north is. Now, if we +know where north is, we can find south, east, and west without much +trouble." + +Fred admitted the claim, and repeated the formula he had learned at +school: Face towards the north, and back towards the south; the right +hand east, and the left hand west. + +"Now," continued Frank, "there are thirty-two points of the compass; do +you know them?" + +Fred shook his head; and then Frank explained that the four he had named +were the cardinal points, while the other twenty-eight were the +divisions between the cardinal points. One of the first duties of a +sailor was to "box the compass," that is, to be able to name all these +divisions. + +"Let me hear you box the compass, Frank," said Doctor Bronson, who was +standing near. + +"Certainly, I can," Frank answered, and then began: "North, north by +east, north-northeast, northeast by north, northeast, northeast by east, +east-northeast, east by north, east--" + +"That will do," said the Doctor; "you have given one quadrant, or a +quarter of the circle; I'm sure you can do the rest easily, for it goes +on in the same way." + +"You see," Frank continued, "that you know by the compass exactly in +what direction you are going; then, if you know how many miles you go in +a day or an hour, you can calculate your place at sea. + +"That mode of calculation is called 'dead-reckoning,' and is quite +simple, but it isn't very safe." + +"Why so?" Fred asked. + +"Because it is impossible to steer a ship with absolute accuracy when +she is rolling and pitching about, and, besides, the winds make her +drift a little to one side. Then there are currents that take her off +her course, and sometimes they are very strong." + +"Yes, I know," Fred replied; "there's the Gulf Stream, in the Atlantic +Ocean, everybody has heard of; it is a great river in the sea, and flows +north at the rate of three or four miles an hour." + +"There's another river like it in the Pacific Ocean," Frank explained; +"it is called the Japan Current, because it flows close to the coast of +Japan. It goes through Behring Strait into the Arctic Ocean, and then it +comes south by the coast of Greenland, and down by Newfoundland. That's +what brings the icebergs south in the Atlantic, and puts them in the way +of the steamers between New York and Liverpool. + +"On account of the uncertainty of dead-reckoning, the captain doesn't +rely on it except when the fog is so thick that he can't get an +observation." + +"What is that?" + +"Observing the positions of the sun and moon, and of certain stars with +relation to each other. That is done with the quadrant and sextant; and +then they use a chronometer, or clock, that tells exactly what the time +is at Greenwich. Then, you see, this book is full of figures that look +like multiplication-tables; and with these figures they 'work out their +position;' that is, they find out where they are. Greenwich is near +London, and all the tables are calculated from there." + +"But suppose a sailor was dropped down here suddenly, without knowing +what ocean he was in; could he find out where he was without anybody +telling him?" + +[Illustration: WORKING UP A RECKONING.] + +"Certainly; with the instruments I have named, the tables of figures, +and a clear sky, so as to give good observations, he could determine his +position with absolute accuracy. He gets his latitude by observing the +sun at noon, and he gets his longitude by the chronometer and by +observations of the moon. When he knows his latitude and longitude, he +knows where he is, and can mark the place on the map." + +Fred opened his eyes with an expression of astonishment, and said he +thought the science of navigation was something wonderful. + +The others agreed with him; and while they were discussing the +advantages which it had given to the world, there was a call that sent +them on deck at once. + +"Land, ho!" from the lookout forward. + +"Land, ho!" from the officer near the wheel-house. + +"Land, ho!" from the captain, as he emerged from his room, just aft of +the wheel. "Where away?" + +"Dead ahead, sir," replied the officer. "'Tis Fusiyama, sir." + +The boys looked in the direction indicated, but could see nothing. This +is not surprising, when we remember that sailors' eyes are accustomed to +great distances, and can frequently see objects distinctly long before +landsmen can make them out. + +But by-and-by they could distinguish the outline of a cone, white as a +cloud and nearly as shadowy. It was the Holy Mountain of Japan, and they +recognized the picture they had seen so many times upon Japanese fans +and other objects. As they watched it, the form grew more and more +distinct, and after a time they no longer doubted that they looked at +Fusiyama. + +"Just to think," Fred exclaimed, "when we left San Francisco, we steered +for this mountain, five thousand miles away, and here it is, right +before us. Navigation is a wonderful science, and no mistake." + +As the ship went on, the mountain grew more and more distinct, and +by-and-by other features of Japanese scenery were brought into view. The +western horizon became a serrated line, that formed an agreeable +contrast to the unbroken curve they had looked upon so many days; and as +the sun went down, it no longer dipped into the sea and sank beneath the +waves. All on board the ship were fully aware they were approaching +land. + +[Illustration: VIEW IN THE BAY OF YEDDO.] + +During the night they passed Cape King and entered Yeddo bay. The great +light-house that watches the entrance shot its rays far out over the +waters and beamed a kindly welcome to the strangers. Slowly they steamed +onward, keeping a careful lookout for the numerous boats and junks that +abound there, and watching the hundreds of lights that gleamed along the +shore and dotted the sloping hill-sides. Sixty miles from Cape King, +they were in front of Yokohama; the engines stopped, the anchor fell, +the chain rattled through the hawse-hole, and the ship was at rest, +after her long journey from San Francisco. Our young adventurers were in +Japan. + +With the first streak of dawn the boys were on deck, where they were +joined by Doctor Bronson. The sun was just rising when the steamer +dropped her anchor, and, consequently, their first day in the new +country was begun very early. There was an abundance of sights for the +young eyes, and no lack of subjects for conversation. + +Hardly was the anchor down before the steamer was surrounded by a swarm +of little boats, and Frank thought they were the funniest boats he had +ever seen. + +[Illustration: JAPANESE JUNK AND BOATS.] + +"They are called 'sampans,'" Doctor Bronson explained, "and are made +entirety of wood. Of late years the Japanese sometimes use copper or +iron nails for fastenings; but formerly you found them without a +particle of metal about them." + +"They don't look as if they could stand rough weather," said Fred. "See; +they are low and square at the stern, and high and sharp at the bow; and +they sit very low in the water." + +"They are not in accordance with our notions," replied the Doctor; "but +they are excellent sea-boats, and I have known them to ride safely where +an American boat would have been swamped. You observe how easily they go +through the water. They can be handled very readily, and, certainly, the +Japanese have no occasion to be ashamed of their craft." + +[Illustration: A JAPANESE IMPERIAL BARGE.] + +Frank had his eye on a sampan that was darting about like an active +fish, first in one direction and then in another. It was propelled by a +single oar in the hands of a brown-skinned boatman, who was not +encumbered with a large amount of superfluous clothing. The oar was in +two pieces--a blade and a handle--lashed together in such a way that +they did not form a straight line. At first Frank thought there was +something wrong about it; but he soon observed that the oars in all the +boats were of the same pattern, and made in the same way. They were +worked like sculls rather than like oars. The man kept the oar +constantly beneath the water; and, as he moved it forwards and back, he +turned it partly around. A rope near his hand regulated the distance the +oar could be turned, and also kept it from rising out of the water or +going too far below the surface. + +Nearly every boat contained a funny little furnace, only a few inches +square, where the boatman boiled his tea and cooked the rice and fish +that composed his food. Each boat had a deck of boards which were so +placed as to be readily removed; but, at the same time, were secured +against being washed away. Every one of these craft was perfectly clean, +and while they were waiting around the ship, several of the boatmen +occupied themselves by giving their decks a fresh scrubbing, which was +not at all necessary. The Doctor took the occasion to say something +about the cleanliness of the Japanese houses, and of the neat habits of +the people generally, and added, "You will see it as you go among them, +and cannot fail to be impressed by it. You will never hesitate to eat +Japanese food through fear that it may not be clean; and this is more +than you can say of every table in our own country." + +[Illustration: JAPANESE GOVERNMENT BOAT.] + +The steamer was anchored nearly half a mile from shore. English, French, +German, and other ships were in the harbor; tenders and steam-launches +were moving about; row-boats were coming and going; and, altogether, the +port of Yokohama presented a lively appearance. Shoreward the picture +was interesting. At the water's edge there was a stone quay or +embankment, with two inner harbors, where small boats might enter and +find shelter from occasional storms. This quay was the front of a street +where carriages and pedestrians were moving back and forth. The farther +side of the street was a row of buildings, and as nearly every one of +these buildings had a yard in front filled with shade-trees, the effect +was pretty. + +Away to the right was the Japanese part of Yokohama, while on the left +was the foreign section. The latter included the row of buildings +mentioned above; they stood on a level space which was only a few feet +above the level of the bay. Back of this was a range of steep hills, +which were covered nearly everywhere with a dense growth of trees and +bushes, with little patches of gardens here and there. On the summits of +the hills, and occasionally on their sides, were houses with wide +verandas, and with great windows capable of affording liberal +ventilation. Many of the merchants and other foreigners living in +Yokohama had their residences in these houses, which were far more +comfortable than the buildings near the water. Doctor Bronson explained +that the lower part of Yokohama was called the "Bund," while the upper +was known as the "Bluff." Business was transacted in the Bund, and many +persons lived there; but the Bluff was the favorite place for a +residence, and a great deal of money had been expended in beautifying +it. + +The quarantine officials visited the steamer, and after a brief +inspection she was pronounced healthy, and permission was given for the +passengers to go on shore. Runners from the hotels came in search of +patrons, and clerks from several of the prominent business houses came +on board to ask for letters and news. Nearly every commercial +establishment in Yokohama has its own boat and a special uniform for its +rowers; so that they can be readily distinguished. One of the clerks who +visited the ship seemed to be in search of somebody among the +passengers, and that somebody proved to be our friend, The Mystery. + +The two had a brief conversation when they met, and it was in a tone so +low that nobody could hear what was said. When it was over, The Mystery +went below, and soon reappeared with a small satchel. Without a word of +farewell to anybody, he entered the boat and was rowed to the shore at a +very rapid rate. + +There was great activity at the forward gangway. The steerage passengers +comprised about four hundred Chinese who were bound for Hong-Kong; but, +as the steamer would lie a whole day at Yokohama, many of them were +preparing to spend the day on shore. The boats crowded at the foot of +the gangway, and there was a great contention among the boatmen to +secure the patronage of the passengers. Occasionally one of the men +fell into the water, owing to some unguarded movement; but he was soon +out again, and clamoring as earnestly as ever. In spite of the +excitement and activity, there was the most perfect good-nature. Nobody +was inclined to fight with any one else, and all the competitors were +entirely friendly. The Chinese made very close bargains with the +boatmen, and were taken to and from the shore at prices which astonished +the boys when they heard them. + +The Doctor explained that the tariff for a boat to take one person from +ship to shore and back again, including an hour's waiting, was ten +cents, with five cents added for every hour beyond one. In the present +instance the Chinese passengers bargained to be taken on shore in the +morning and back again at night for five cents each, and not more than +four of them were to go in one boat. Fred thought it would require a +long time for any of the boatmen to become millionnaires at this rate. + +Our travellers were not obliged to bargain for their conveyance, as they +went ashore in the boat belonging to the hotel where they intended to +stay. The runner of the hotel took charge of their baggage and placed it +in the boat; and when all was ready, they shook hands with the captain +and purser of the steamer, and wished them prosperous voyages in future. +Several other passengers went ashore at the same time. Among them was +Captain Spofford, who was anxious to compare the Yokohama of to-day with +the one he had visited twenty years before. + +[Illustration: YOKOHAMA IN 1854.] + +He explained to the boys that when the American fleet came to Japan in +1854, there was only a small fishing village where the city now stands. +Yokohama means "across the strand," and the city is opposite, or across +the strand from, Kanagawa, which was established as the official port. +The consuls formerly had their offices in Kanagawa, and continued to +date their official documents there long after they had moved to the +newer and more prosperous town. Yokohama was found much more agreeable, +as there was a large open space there for erecting buildings, while the +high bluffs gave a cooling shelter from the hot, stifling air of summer. +Commercial prosperity caused it to grow rapidly, and made it the city we +now find it. + +They reached the shore. Their baggage was placed on a large hand-cart, +and they passed through the gateway of the Custom-house. A polite +official, who spoke English, made a brief survey of their trunks; and, +on their assurance that no dutiable goods were within, he did not delay +them any further. The Japanese duties are only five per cent. on the +value of the goods, and, consequently, a traveller could not perpetrate +much fraud upon the revenue, even if he were disposed to do so. + +"Here you are in Japan," said the Doctor, as they passed through the +gate. + +"Yes, here we are," Frank replied; "let's give three cheers for Japan." + +"Agreed," answered Fred, "and here we go--Hip! hip! hurrah!" + +The boys swung their hats and gave the three cheers. + +"And three more for friends at home!" Fred added. + +"Certainly," Frank responded. "Here we go again;" and there was another +"Hip! hip! hurrah!" + +"And a cheer from you, Frank," remarked the Doctor, "for somebody we saw +at the railway station." + +Frank gave another swing of his hat and another cheer. The Doctor and +Fred united their voices to his, and with a hearty shout all around, +they concluded the ceremony connected with their arrival in Japan. + + + + +CHAPTER VI. + +FIRST DAY IN JAPAN. + + +They had no difficulty in reaching the hotel, as they were in the hands +of the runner of the establishment, who took good care that they did not +go astray and fall into the clutches of the representative of the rival +concern. The publicans of the open ports of Japan have a watchful eye +for their interests, and the stranger does not have to wander long in +the streets to find accommodation. The Doctor had been there before, and +took great pains to have his bargain made with the utmost exactness, +lest there might be a mistake at the time of his departure. "In Europe +and Asia," he remarked to Frank, "a traveller soon learns that he cannot +be too explicit in making his contracts at hotels; if he neglects this +little formality, he will often find that his negligence has cost him +something. The last time I was in Yokohama I had a very warm discussion +with my landlord when I settled my bill, and I don't propose to have a +repetition of it." + +The hotel was much like an American house in its general +characteristics, both in the arrangement of the rooms and the style of +furniture. The proprietors and managers were foreigners, but the +servants were native and were dressed in Japanese costume. The latter +were very quiet and orderly in their manners, and made a favorable +impression on the young visitors. Frank was so pleased with the one in +charge of his room that he wished he could take him home with him, and +have a Japanese servant in America. Testimony as to the excellent +character of servants in Japan is nearly universal on the part of those +who have employed them. Of course there will be an occasional lazy, +inattentive, or dishonest fellow, but one finds them much more rarely +than in Europe or America. In general, they are very keen observers, and +learn the ways and peculiarities of their masters in a remarkably short +time. And once having learned them, they never forget. + +"When I was last here," said the Doctor, "I was in this very hotel, and +had one of the regular servants of the establishment to wait on me. The +evening after my arrival, I told him to have my bath ready at seven +o'clock in the morning, and to bring a glass of ice-water when he +waked me. Exactly at seven he was at my bedside with the water, and told +me the bath was waiting; and as long as I remained here he came at +precisely the same hour in the morning, offered me the glass of water, +and announced the readiness of the bath. I never had occasion to tell +him the same thing twice, no matter what it was. Occasionally I went to +Tokio to spend two or three days. The first time I went, I showed him +what clothes I wished to take, and he packed them in my valise; and +afterwards I had only to say I was going to Tokio, when he would +immediately proceed to pack up exactly the same things I had taken the +first time, or their equivalents. He never made the slightest error, and +was a trifle more exact than I wished him to be. On my first journey I +carried a bottle of cough-mixture to relieve a cold from which I +happened to be suffering. The cold had disappeared, and the bottle was +empty before my second trip to Tokio; but my faithful servant wrapped it +carefully in paper, and put it in a safe corner of my valise, and +continued to do so every time I repeated the excursion." + +[Illustration: A JAPANESE STREET SCENE.] + +The boys were all anxiety to take a walk through the streets of +Yokohama, and could hardly wait for the Doctor to arrange matters with +the hotel-keeper. In a little while everything was determined, and the +party went out for a stroll. The Doctor led the way, and took them to +the Japanese portion of the city, where they were soon in the midst of +sights that were very curious to them. They stopped at several shops, +and looked at a great variety of Japanese goods, but followed the advice +of the Doctor in deferring their purchases to another time. Frank +thought of the things he was to buy for his sister Mary, and also for +Miss Effie; but as they were not to do any shopping on their first day +in Japan, he did not see any occasion for opening the precious paper +that Mary had confided to him previous to his departure. + +They had a walk of several hours, and on their return to the hotel were +quite weary enough to rest awhile. Frank and Fred had a whispered +conversation while the Doctor was talking with an old acquaintance; and +as soon as he was at liberty they told him what they had been conversing +about. + +"We think we want to write home now, Doctor," said Frank, "and wish to +know if you approve of our doing so to-day." + +"By all means," replied the Doctor, with a smile; "it is time to begin +at once. You are in a foreign country and there are plenty of things to +write about. Your information will be to a great extent new and +interesting to your friends, and the reasons that I gave you for not +writing a long letter from Niagara do not exist here." + +"I thought you would say so," responded Fred, his eyes sparkling with +animation, "and I want to write while everything is fresh in my mind. I +am going to write at once." + +"And so am I," echoed Frank; "here goes for a letter to friends at +home." + +Off the boys ran for their writing materials, and in a little while they +were seated on the balcony of the hotel, and making their pens fairly +fly over the paper. + +[Illustration: JAPANESE MUSICIANS.] + +Here is the letter from Frank to his mother: + + "YOKOHAMA, _August_ 4_th_, 1878. + + "MY DEAR MOTHER: + + "I wish you could see me just now. I am sitting on the veranda of + the hotel, and Fred is at the table with me. If we look up from our + paper, we can see out upon the bay, where lots of ships are at + anchor, and where a whole fleet of Japanese fishing-boats are + coming up and dragging their nets along after them. Down in the + street in front of us there are some funny-looking men with + trousers as tight as their skins, and making the men look a great + deal smaller than they are. They have hats like small umbrellas, + and made of plaited straw, to keep the sun off, and they have them + tied down under the chin with cords as big as a clothes-line. + Doctor Bronson says these are the lower class of Japanese, and that + we haven't seen the fine people yet. There are three musicians, at + least they are called so, but I can't see that they make much that + I should call music. One of them has on one of those great broad + hats, another has his head covered with a sort of small cap, while + the third has his skull shaven as smooth as a door-knob. The man + with the hat on is blowing a whistle and ringing a small bell, the + second is beating on a brass plate with a tiny drumstick, while the + third has a pair of clappers which he knocks together, and he sings + at the same time. Each of them seems to pay no attention to the + rest, but I suppose they think they are playing a tune. Two of them + have their legs bare, but they have sandals on their feet, held in + place by cords or thongs. The man with the hat must be the leader, + as he is the only one that wears trousers, and, besides, he has a + pocket-book hung to his girdle. I wonder if they make much money + out of the music they are playing? + + [Illustration: JAPANESE FISHERMEN.] + + "A couple of fishermen just stopped to look at the musicians and + hear the music. One had a spear and a net with a basket at the end, + and the other carried a small rod and line such as I used to have + when I went out for trout. They didn't have much clothing, + though--nothing but a jacket of coarse cloth and a kilt made of + reeds. Only one had a hat, and that didn't seem to amount to much. + The bareheaded one scowled at me, and I think he can't be very fond + of foreigners. Perhaps the foreigners deserve to be scowled at, or, + at any rate, some of them do. + + [Illustration: JAPANESE SILK-SHOP.] + + "We have seen such lots of things to-day--lots and lots. I can't + begin to tell you all in this letter, and there is so much that I + don't know where to commence. Well, we went into some shops and + looked at the things they had to sell, but didn't buy anything, as + we thought it was too soon. One of the shops I liked very much was + where they sold silk. It wasn't much like a silk-shop at home, + where you sit on a stool in front of a counter and have the clerks + spread the things out before you. In this shop the silk was in + boxes out of sight, and they only showed you what you asked for. + There was a platform in the middle of the shop, and the clerks + squatted down on this platform, and unrolled their goods. Two women + were there, buying some bright-colored stuff, for making a dress, I + suppose, but I don't know. One man sat in the corner with a + yardstick ready to measure off what was wanted, and another sat + close by him looking on to see that everything was all right. Back + of him there were a lot of boxes piled up with the goods in them; + and whenever anything was wanted, he passed it out. You should have + seen how solemn they all looked, and how one woman counted on her + fingers to see how much it was all coming to, just as folks do at + home. In a corner opposite the man with the yardstick there was a + man who kept the accounts. He was squatted on the floor like the + rest, and had his books all round him; and when a sale was made, he + put it down in figures that I couldn't read in a week. + + [Illustration: "SAYONARA."] + + "Then it was ever so funny to see the men bowing to each other; + they did it with so much dignity, as if they had all been princes, + or something of the sort. They rest their hands on their knees, and + then bend the body forward; and sometimes they bend so low that + their backs are level enough to set out a tea-service on and use + them for a table. When they want to bid good-bye, they say + 'Sayonara,' just as we say 'Good-bye,' and it means exactly the + same thing. They are not satisfied with one bow, but keep on + several times, until you begin to wonder when they will get + through. Everybody says they are the politest people in the world, + and I can readily believe it if what I have seen is a fair sample. + + [Illustration: SEVEN-STROKE HORSE.] + + "There have been several men around the hotel trying to sell things + to us, and we have been looking at them. One thing I am going to + get and send in this letter is a box of Japanese pictures. They are + not photographs, but real drawings by Japanese artists, and printed + on Japanese paper. You will see how soft and nice the paper is; and + though the pictures look rough, they are very good, and, above all + things, they are truthful. I am going to get as many different ones + as I can, and so I think you will be able to get a good idea of the + country as the natives see it themselves. They have these pictures + showing all their ways of life--how they cook their food, how they + eat it, how they work, how they play--in fact, how everything is + done in this very curious country. The Japanese make their drawings + with very few lines, and it will astonish you to see how much they + can express with a few strokes of a pencil. Here is a picture of a + horse drawn with seven strokes of the artist's finger-nail dipped + in ink, and with a few touches of a wide brush for the mane and + tail. Do you think my old drawing-master at home could do the same + thing? + + [Illustration: FEMALE HEAD-DRESS.] + + "The pillows they sleep on would never do for us. A Japanese pillow + is a block of wood with a rest for the head, or rather for the + neck, as the head doesn't touch it at all, except just below the + ear. It is only a few inches long and high, and is perfectly hard, + as the little piece of paper they put on it is intended for + cleanliness, and not to make the pillow soft. You can't turn over + on one of them, and as for doubling them up to throw at another + boy, it is quite out of the question. I shall put in a picture of a + Japanese woman lying down with her head on one of these curious + things. The women have their hair done up so elaborately that they + must sleep on something that does not disturb it, as they can't + afford the time and trouble for fixing it every morning. You'll + find a picture of their head-dress in the lot I send with this; but + it is from a sketch by a foreigner, and not by a native. + + [Illustration: THE SIESTA.] + + "Perhaps you will want to know something about the weather in + Japan. It is very warm in the middle of the day, but the mornings + and evenings are delightful. Around where we are the ground is + flat, and the heat is greater than back among the hills. People + remain as quiet as possible during the middle of the day; and if + you go around the shops at that time, you find nearly everybody + asleep who can afford to be so. The Japanese houses are all so open + that you see everything that is going on, and they think nothing of + lying down in full sight of the street. Since the foreigners came + to Yokohama, the natives are somewhat more particular about their + houses than they used to be; at any rate, it is said so by those + who ought to know. The weather is so warm in summer that the + natives do not need to wear much clothing, and I suppose that is + the reason why they are so careless about their appearance. In the + last few years the government has become very particular about + having the people properly dressed, and has issued orders + compelling them to put on sufficient clothing to cover them + whenever they go out of doors. They enforce these orders very + rigidly in the cities and large towns; but in the country the + people go around pretty much as they used to. Of course, you + understand I am speaking of the lower classes only, and not of the + aristocracy. The latter are as careful about their garments as the + best people in any other part of the world, and they often spend + hours over their toilets. A Japanese noble gotten up in fine old + style is a sight worth going a long distance to see, and he knows + it too. He has a lot of stiff silks and heavy robes that cost a + great deal of money, and they must be arranged with the greatest + care, as the least displacement is a serious affair. I haven't seen + one of them yet, and Doctor Bronson says we may not see any during + our stay in Japan, as the government has abolished the old dress, + and adopted that of Western Europe. It is too bad that they have + done so, as the Japanese dress is very becoming to the people--ever + so much more so than the new one they have taken. Japan is fast + losing its national characteristics, through the eagerness of the + government to follow Western fashions. What a pity! I do hope I + shall be able to see one of those old-fashioned dresses, and won't + mind how far I have to go for it. + + [Illustration: A JAPANESE AT HIS TOILET FOR A VISIT OF CEREMONY.] + + "Now, mother, this letter is addressed to you, but it is intended + for everybody; and I know you'll read it to everybody, and have it + handed round, so that all can know where I am and what I have told + you about Japan. When I don't write to each one of you, I know you + will understand why it is,--because I am so busy, and trying to + learn all I can. Give my love to each and every one in the family, + and tell Mary she knows somebody outside of it that wants a share. + Tell her I often think of the morning we left, and how a + handkerchief waved from the railway station when we came away. And + tell Mary, too, that I haven't yet opened her list of things I am + to get for her; but I haven't forgotten it, and have it all safe + and right. There are lots of pretty things to buy here; and if she + has made a full catalogue of Japanese curiosities, she has given me + enough to do for the present--and the presents. + + "Good-night, dear mother, and look for another letter by the next + mail. + + "Your loving son, + "FRANK." + +Fred finished his letter almost at the same moment that Frank affixed +the signature to his own. By the time they were through it was late in +the evening, and the hour for retiring to bed. Their sleeping-places +were exactly such as they might have found in any American hotel, and +they longed for a view of a Japanese bed. Frank was inclined to ask +Doctor Bronson to describe one to them, but Fred thought it would be +time enough when they went into the interior of the country and saw one. + +They were up early the next morning, but not as early as the Japanese. + +"I tell you what," said Frank, "I have made a discovery." + +"What is it?" + +"I have been thinking of something to introduce into the United States, +and make everybody get up early in the morning." + +"Something Japanese?" + +"Yes. Something that interested us yesterday when we saw it." + +"Well, we saw so many things that I couldn't begin to guess in half an +hour. What was it?" + +"It was a pillow." + +"You mean those little things the Japanese sleep on?" + +"Yes; they are so uncomfortable that we couldn't use them with any sort +of pleasure. Nobody would want to lie in bed after he had waked up, if +he had such a pillow under his head. He would be out in a minute, and +wouldn't think of turning over for another doze. + +"Now, if our Congress will pass a law abolishing the feather pillow all +over the United States, and commanding everybody to sleep on the +Japanese one, it would make every man, woman, and child get up at least +an hour earlier every day. For forty millions of people this would make +a gain of forty million hours daily, and that would be equal to +forty-five thousand years. Just think what an advantage that would be to +the country, and how much more we could accomplish than we do now. Isn't +it a grand idea?" + +Fred thought it might be grand and profitable to the country, but it +would be necessary to make the pillows for the people; and from what he +had heard of Congress, he didn't think they would vote away the public +money for anything of the sort. Besides, the members of Congress would +not wish to deprive themselves of the privilege of sleeping on feather +pillows, and therefore they wouldn't vote away their liberties. So he +advised Frank to study Japan a little longer before he suggested the +adoption of the Japanese pillow in America. + +This conversation occurred while the boys were in front of the hotel, +and waiting for the Doctor, whom they expected every moment. When he +came, the three went out for a stroll, and returned in good season for +breakfast. While they were out they took a peep into a Japanese house, +where the family were at their morning meal, and thus the boys had an +opportunity of comparing their own ways with those of the country they +were in. + +[Illustration: A JAPANESE BREAKFAST.] + +A dignified native, with the fore part of his head closely shaven, was +squatted on the floor in front of a little box about a foot high, which +served as a table. Opposite was his wife, and at the moment our party +looked in she was engaged in pouring something from a bottle into a +small cup the size of a thimble. Directly under her hand was a bowl +filled with freshly boiled rice, from which the steam was slowly rising; +and at the side of the table was another and smaller one, holding some +plates and chopsticks. A tiny cup and a bowl constituted the rest of the +breakfast equipment. The master was waited upon by his wife, who was not +supposed to attend to her own wants until his had been fully met. She +sat with her back to the window, which was covered with paper in small +squares pasted to the frame, and at her right was a screen, such as one +finds in nearly all Eastern countries. On her left was a chest of +drawers with curious locks and handles, which doubtless contained the +family wealth of linen. + +As they went on, after their view of a Japanese interior, Frank asked +what was the name and character of the liquid the woman was pouring into +the glass or cup for her husband. + +"That was probably sa-kee," replied the Doctor. + +"And what is sa-kee, please?" + +"It is," answered the Doctor, "a sort of wine distilled from rice. +Foreigners generally call it rice wine, but, more properly speaking, it +is rice whiskey, as it partakes more of the nature of spirit than of +wine. It is very strong, and will intoxicate if taken in any +considerable quantity. The Japanese usually drink it hot, and take it +from the little cups that you saw. The cups hold so small a quantity +that a great many fillings are necessary to produce any unpleasant +effect. The Japanese rarely drink to intoxication, and, on the whole, +they are a very temperate people." + +Fred thereupon began to moralize on the policy of introducing Japanese +customs into America. He thought more practicable good could be done by +the adoption of the Japanese cup--which would teach our people to drink +more lightly than at present--than by Frank's plan of introducing the +Japanese pillow. He thought there would be some drawbacks to Frank's +enterprise, which would offset the good it could do. Thus a great number +of people whom the pillow might bring up at an early hour would spend +the time in ways that would not be any benefit to society, and they +might as well be asleep, and in many cases better, too. But the tiny +drinking-cup would moderate the quantity of stimulants many persons +would take, and thus a great good might be accomplished. + +While thus talking, and trying to conjure up absurd things, they reached +the hotel, and soon were seated at breakfast. + +During breakfast Doctor Bronson unfolded some of the plans he had made +for the disposal of their time, so that they might see as much as +possible of Japan. + +"We have taken a look at Yokohama since we arrived," said he, "but there +is still a great deal to see. We can study the place at our leisure, as +I think it best to make this our headquarters while in this part of the +empire, and then we will make excursions from here to the points of +interest in the vicinity. To-day we will go to Tokio." + +"Can't we go first to Yeddo?" said Fred. "I want so much to see that +city, and it is said to be very large." + +Doctor Bronson laughed slightly as he replied. + +"Tokio and Yeddo are one and the same thing. Tokio means the Eastern +capital, while Yeddo means the Great City. Both names have long been in +use; but the city was first known to foreigners as Yeddo. Hence it was +called so in all the books that were written prior to a few years ago, +when it was officially announced to be Tokio. It was considered the +capital at the time Japan was opened to foreigners; but there were +political complications not understood by the strangers, and the true +relations of the city we are talking about and Kioto, which is the +Western capital, were not explained until some time after. It was +believed that there were two emperors or kings, the one in Yeddo and the +other in Kioto, and that the one here was highest in authority. The real +fact was that the Shogoon, or Tycoon (as he was called by the +foreigners), at Yeddo was subordinate to the real emperor at Kioto: and +the action of the former led to a war which resulted in the complete +overthrow of the Tycoon, and the establishment of the Mikado's authority +through the entire country." + +"Then the emperor is called the Mikado, is he not?" + +[Illustration: MUTSUHITO, MIKADO OF JAPAN.] + +"Yes; that is his official title. Formerly he was quite secluded, as his +person was considered too sacred to be seen by ordinary eyes; but since +the rebellion and revolution he has come out from his seclusion, and +takes part in public ceremonials, receives visitors, and does other +things like the monarchs of European countries. He is enlightened and +progressive, and is doing all he can for the good of his country and its +people. + +"The curious feature of the revolution which established the Mikado on +his throne, and made him the ruler of the whole country is this--that +the movement was undertaken to prevent the very things it has brought +about." + +"How was that?" Frank asked. + +[Illustration: LANDING OF PERRY'S EXPEDITION.] + +"Down to 1853 Japan was in a condition of exclusiveness in regard to +other nations. There was a Dutch trading-post at Nagasaki, on the +western coast; but it was confined to a little island, about six hundred +feet square, and the people that lived there were not allowed to go out +of their enclosure except at rare intervals, and under restrictions that +amounted to practical imprisonment. In the year I mentioned Commodore +Perry came here with a fleet of American ships, left some presents that +had been sent by the President of the United States, and sailed away. +Before he left he laid the foundation for the present commercial +intercourse between Japan and the United States; and on his return in +the following year the privileges were considerably enlarged. Then came +the English, and secured similar concessions; and thus Japan has reached +her present standing among the nations. + +"Having been exclusive so long, and having been compelled against her +will to open her ports to strangers, there was naturally a good deal of +opposition to foreigners even after the treaty was signed. The +government endeavored to carry out the terms of the treaty faithfully; +but there was a large party opposed to it, and anxious to have the +treaties torn up and the foreigners expelled. This party was so powerful +that it seemed to include almost a majority of the nation, and the Kioto +government took the Yeddo section to task for what it had done in +admitting the foreigners. One thing led to another, and finally came the +war between the Mikado and the Tycoon. The latter was overthrown, as I +have already told you, and the Mikado was the supreme ruler of the land. + +"The Mikado's party was opposed to the presence of foreigners in the +country, and their war-cry was 'Death to the strangers!' When the war +was over, there was a general expectation that measures would be adopted +looking to the expulsion of the hated intruder. But, to the surprise of +many, the government became even more progressive than its predecessor +had been, and made concessions to the foreigners that the others had +never granted. It was a curious spectacle to see the conservative +government doing more for the introduction of the foreigner than the +very men they had put down because of their making a treaty with the +Americans. + +[Illustration: THE LAST SHOGOON OF JAPAN.] + +"The opponents of the Mikado's government accuse it of acting in bad +faith, but I do not see that the charge is just. As I understand the +situation, the government acted honestly, and with good intent to expel +the foreigner in case it should obtain power. But when the power was +obtained, they found the foreigner could not be expelled so easily; he +was here, and intended to remain, and the only thing the government +could do was to make the best of it. The foreign nations who had +treaties with Japan would not tear them up, and the government found +that what it had intended at the time of the revolution could not be +accomplished. Foreign intercourse went on, and the Japanese began to +instruct themselves in Western ways. They sent their young men to +America and other countries to be educated. They hired teachers to take +charge of schools in Japan, and in every way tried to turn the presence +of the foreigner to their advantage. There is an old adage that what +can't be cured must be endured, and Japan seems to have acted upon it. +The foreigner was here as an evil, and they couldn't cure him out. So +they set about finding the best way of enduring him. + +"But it is time we were getting ready for a start for Tokio, and so +we'll suspend our discussion of Japanese political history. It's a dry +subject, and I hesitate to talk to you about it lest I may weary you." + +Both the boys declared the topic was interesting, and they would +consider their study of Japan incomplete without some of its history. +The Doctor promised to return to the subject at some future occasion; +and with this understanding they separated to prepare for their journey +to the capital. + +[Illustration] + + + + +CHAPTER VII. + +FROM YOKOHAMA TO TOKIO. + + +One of the innovations in Japan since the arrival of the foreigners is +the railway. Among the presents carried to the country by Commodore +Perry were a miniature locomotive and some cars, and several miles of +railway track. The track was set up, and the new toy was regarded with +much interest by the Japanese. For some years after the country was +opened there was considerable opposition to the introduction of the new +mode of travel, but by degrees all hostility vanished, and the +government entered into contracts for the construction of a line from +Yokohama to Tokio. The distance is about seventeen miles, and the route +follows the shore of the bay, where there are no engineering +difficulties of consequence. In spite of the ease of construction and +the low price of labor in Japan, the cost of the work was very great, +and would have astonished a railway engineer in America. The work was +done under English supervision and by English contractors, and from all +accounts there is no reason to suppose that they lost anything by the +operation. + +Doctor Bronson and our young friends went from Yokohama to the capital +by the railway, and found the ride a pleasant one of about an hour's +duration. They found that the conductors, ticket-sellers, brake-men, and +all others with whom they came in contact were Japanese. For some time +after the line was opened the management was in the hands of foreigners; +but by degrees they were removed, and the Japanese took charge of the +business, for which they had paid a liberal price. They have shown +themselves fully competent to manage it, and the new system of travel is +quite popular with the people. Three kinds of carriages are run on most +of the trains; the first class is patronized by the high officials and +the foreigners who have plenty of money; the second by the middle-class +natives--official and otherwise--and foreigners whose purses are not +plethorie; and the third class by the peasantry, and common people +generally. Frank observed that there were few passengers in the +first-class carriages, more in the second, and that the third class +attracted a crowd, and was evidently popular. The Doctor told him that +the railway had been well patronized since the day it was first opened, +and that the facilities of steam locomotion have not been confined to +the eastern end of the empire. The experiment on the shores of Yeddo Bay +proved so satisfactory that a line has since been opened from Kobe to +Osaka and Kioto, in the West--a distance of a little more than fifty +miles. The people take to it as kindly as did those of the East, and the +third-class carriages are generally well filled. + +[Illustration: THIRD-CLASS PASSENGERS.] + +At the station in Yokohama the boys found a news-stand, the same as they +might find one in a station in America, but with the difference against +them that they were unable to read the papers that were sold there. They +bought some, however, to send home as curiosities, and found them very +cheap. Newspapers existed in Japan before the foreigners went there; but +since the advent of the latter the number of publications has increased, +as the Japanese can hardly fail to observe the great influence on public +opinion which is exercised by the daily press. They have introduced +metal types after the foreign system, instead of printing from wooden +blocks, as they formerly did, and, but for the difference in the +character, one of their sheets might be taken for a paper printed in +Europe or America. Some of the papers have large circulations, and the +newsboys sell them in the streets, in the same way as the urchins of +New York engage in the kindred business. There is this difference, +however, that the Japanese newsboys are generally men, and as they walk +along they read in a monotonous tone the news which the paper they are +selling contains. + +[Illustration: JAPANESE PLOUGHING.] + +The train started promptly on the advertised time, and the boys found +that there were half a dozen trains each way daily, some of them running +through, like express trains in other countries, while others were +slower, and halted at every station. The line ran through a succession +of fields and villages, the former bearing evidence of careful +cultivation, while the latter were thickly populated, and gave +indications of a good deal of taste in their arrangement. Shade-trees +were numerous, and Frank readily accepted as correct the statement he +had somewhere read, that a Japanese would rather move his house than cut +down a tree in case the one interfered with the other. The rice harvest +was nearly at hand, and the fields were thickly burdened with the waving +rice-plants. Men were working in the fields, and moving slowly to and +fro, and everywhere there was an activity that did not betoken a lazy +people. The Doctor explained that if they had been there a month +earlier, they would have witnessed the process of hoeing the rice-plants +to keep down the weeds, but that now the hoeing was over, and there was +little to do beyond keeping the fields properly flooded with water, so +that the ripening plants should have the necessary nourishment. He +pointed out an irrigating-machine, which was in operation close to the +railway, and the boys looked at it with much interest. A wheel was so +fixed in a small trough that when it was turned the water was raised +from a little pool, and flowed over the land it was desirable to +irrigate. The turning process was performed by a man who stood above the +wheel, and stepped from one float to another. The machinery was very +simple, and had the merit of cheapness, as its cost could not have been +large at the price of labor in Japan. + +[Illustration: JAPANESE ROLLER.] + +In another place a man was engaged in ploughing. He had a +primitive-looking instrument with a blade like that of a large hatchet, +a beam set at right angles, and a single handle which he grasped with +both hands. It was propelled by a horse which required some one to lead +him, but he did not seem to regard the labor of dragging the plough as +anything serious, as he walked off very much as though nothing were +behind him. Just beyond the ploughman there was a man with a roller, +engaged in covering some seed that had been put in for a late crop. He +was using a common roller, which closely resembled the one we employ for +smoothing our garden walks and beds, with the exception that it was +rougher in construction, and did not appear as round as one naturally +expects a roller to be. + +[Illustration: MANURING PROCESS.] + +Fred saw a man dipping something from a hole in the ground, and asked +the Doctor what he was doing. + +[Illustration: HOW THEY USE MANURE.] + +The Doctor explained that the hole was a cask set in the ground, and +that it probably contained liquid manure. The Japanese use it for +enriching their fields. They keep it in these holes, covered with a +slight roof to prevent its evaporation as much as possible, and they +spread it around where wanted by means of buckets. The great drawback to +a walk in a Japanese field is the frequency of the manure deposits, as +the odor arising from them is anything but agreeable. Particularly is +this so in the early part of the season, when the young plants require a +great deal of attention and nourishment. A nose at such times is an +organ of great inconvenience. + +[Illustration: MODE OF PROTECTING LAND FROM BIRDS.] + +The Doctor went on to explain that the Japanese farmers were very +watchful of their crops, and that men were employed to scare away the +birds, that sometimes dug up the seed after it was planted, and also ate +the grain while it was ripening. The watchmen had pieces of board which +they put on frames suspended in the air, and so arranged that they +rattled in the wind, and performed a service similar to that of the +scare-crow in America. In addition to this mode of making a noise, the +watchmen had whistles and clappers, and sometimes they carried small +bells which they rang as they walked about. It was the duty of a +watchman to keep constantly on the alert, as the birds were full of +mischief, and, from being rarely shot at, their boldness and impudence +were quite astonishing to one freshly arrived from America, where the +use of fire-arms is so general. + +While Doctor Bronson was explaining about the birds, Fred suddenly gave +an exclamation of delight. + +"Look, look!" said he; "what are those beautiful white birds?" + +"Oh, I know," answered Frank; "they are storks. I recognize them from +the pictures I have seen on fans and screens. I'm sure they are storks." + +[Illustration: STORKS, DRAWN BY A NATIVE ARTIST.] + +The decision was appealed to Doctor Bronson, who decided that the birds +in question were storks, and nothing else. There was no mistaking their +beautiful figures; whether standing in the fields or flying in the air, +the stork is one of the handsomest birds known to the ornithologist. + +"You see," said Doctor Bronson, "that the stork justifies the homage +that is paid to him so far as a graceful figure is concerned, and the +Japanese have shown an eye for beauty when they selected him for a +prominent place in their pictures. You see him everywhere in Japanese +art--in bronzes, on costly paintings, embroidered on silk, printed on +fans, and on nearly every article of household use. He has a sacred +character, and it would not be easy to find a Japanese who would +willingly inflict an injury upon one of these birds." + +[Illustration: FLOCK OF GEESE.] + +There are probably no other artists in the world who can equal the +Japanese in drawing the stork in all the ways and attitudes he assumes. +These are almost countless; but, not satisfied with this, there are some +of the native artists who are accused of representing him in attitudes +he was never known to take. Admitting this to be the case, it cannot be +disputed that the Japanese are masters of their profession in +delineating this bird, and that one is never weary of looking at his +portrait as they draw it. They have nearly equal skill in drawing other +birds, and a few strokes of the brush or pencil will accomplish marvels +in the way of pictorial representation. A flock of geese, some on the +ground and others in flight, can be drawn in a few moments by a native +designer, and the most exacting critic will not find anything wanting. + +[Illustration: FORTS OF SHINAGAWA.] + +The train sped onward, and in an hour from the time of leaving the +station at Yokohama it was nearing Tokio. It passed in full view of the +forts of Shinagawa, which were made memorable during the days of Perry +and Lord Elgin, as the foreign ships were not allowed to pass them, +and there was at one time a prospect that they would open fire upon +the intruders. Near one of the forts, a boat containing three fishermen +was pulling slowly along, one man handling the oar, while the other two +were lifting a net. Whether any fish were contained in it the boys did +not ascertain, as the train would not stop long enough to permit an +investigation. The fort rose from the water like a huge warehouse; it +might resist a Chinese junk, or a whole fleet of the rude craft of the +East, but could not hold out an hour against the artillery of the +Western nations. In recent years the forts of Tokio have been +strengthened, but they are yet far from what an American or English +admiral would hold in high respect. The Japanese have made commendable +progress in army organization; but, so far as one can learn generally, +they have not done much in the way of constructing and manning +fortifications. + +[Illustration: A JIN-RIKI-SHA.] + +On their arrival in Tokio, our young friends looked around to discover +in what the city differed from Yokohama. They saw the same kind of +people at the station that they had left in Yokohama, and heard pretty +nearly the same sounds. Porters, and others who hoped to serve them and +thereby earn something, gathered around; and they found in the open +space in front of the station a liberal number of conveyances ready to +take them wherever they wanted to go. There were carriages and +jin-riki-shas from which they could choose, and it did not take them +long to decide in favor of the jin-riki-sha. It was a novelty to them, +though not altogether so, as they had seen it in Yokohama, and had tried +its qualities in their journey from the hotel to the station in the +morning. + +"What is the jin-riki-sha?" the reader naturally asks. + +Its name comes from three words, "jin," meaning man; "riki," power; and +"sha," carriage: altogether it amounts to "man-power-carriage." It is a +little vehicle like an exaggerated baby-cart or diminutive one-horse +chaise, and has comfortable seating capacity for only one person, though +it will hold two if they are not too large. It was introduced into Japan +in 1870, and is said to have been the invention of an American. At all +events, the first of them came from San Francisco; but the Japanese soon +set about making them, and now there are none imported. It is said that +there are nearly a hundred thousand of them in use, and, judging by the +abundance of them everywhere, it is easy to believe that the estimate is +not too high. The streets are full of them, and, no matter where you go, +you are rarely at a loss to find one. As their name indicates, they are +carriages drawn by men. For a short distance, or where it is not +required to keep up a high speed, one man is sufficient; but otherwise +two, or even three, men are needed. They go at a good trot, except when +ascending a hill or where the roads are bad. They easily make four and a +half or five miles an hour, and in emergencies can do better than the +last-named rate. + +Frank and Fred were of opinion that the jin-riki-sha would be a slow +vehicle to travel in, but asked the Doctor for his experience of one in +his previous visit to the country. + +"On my first visit to Japan," replied Doctor Bronson, "this little +carriage was not in use. We went around on foot or on horseback, or in +norimons and cangos." + +"And what are norimons and cangos?" + +"They are the vehicles in which the Japanese used to travel, and which +are still much employed in various parts of the country. We shall see +them before long, and then we shall have an excellent opportunity to +know what they are. We shall probably be travelling in them in a few +days, and I will then have your opinion concerning them. + +"As to the jin-riki-sha," he continued, "my experience with it in my +last visit to Japan since its introduction gives me a high opinion of +the Japanese power of endurance. A few days after my arrival, I had +occasion to go a distance of about forty miles on the great road along +the coast, from Yokohama to Odiwara. I had three men to draw the +carriage, and the journey was made in twelve hours, with three halts of +fifteen minutes each. You could not have done better than this with a +horse and carriage in place of the man-power vehicle. On another +occasion I went from Osaka to Nara, a distance of thirty miles, between +ten in the morning and five in the afternoon, and halted an hour for +lunch at a Japanese inn on the road. Part of the way the road was +through fields, where it was necessary to go slowly, and quite +frequently the men were obliged to lift the vehicle over water-courses +and gullies, and a good deal of time was lost by these detentions." + +Both the boys declared that the travel under such circumstances was +excellent, and that it was fully up to what the average horse could +accomplish in America. + +[Illustration: JAPANESE ON FOOT.] + +"The next day," said the Doctor, "I went on from Nara to Kioto, which +was another thirty miles, in about the same time and with a similar halt +for dinner. I had the same men as on the day before, and they raced +merrily along without the least sign of fatigue, although there was a +pouring rain all day that made the roads very heavy. Frequently there +were steep little hills to ascend where the road passed over the +water-courses or canals. You will find, as you travel in Japan, that the +canals are above the general level of the country, in order to afford +the proper fall for irrigation. Where the road crosses one of these +canals, there is a sharp rise on one side, and an equally sharp descent +on the other. You can manage the descent, but the rise is difficult. In +the present instance the rain had softened the road, and made the +pulling very hard indeed; and, to add to the trouble, I had injured my +foot and was unable to walk, so that I could not lighten the burden of +the men by getting out of the carriage at the bad places. + +"I was able on this journey, and partly in consequence of my lameness, +to have an opportunity to see the great kindness of the Japanese to each +other. I had my servant with me (a Japanese boy who spoke English), and +he was in a jin-riki-sha with two men to pull it, the same as mine. When +we came to a bad spot in the road, the men with his carriage dropped it +and came to the aid of mine; and as soon as they had brought it through +its troubles, the whole four went back to bring up the other. I did not +hear a single expression of anger during the whole day, but everything +was done with the utmost good-nature. In some other countries it is +quite possible that the men with the lighter burden would adhere to the +principle that everybody should look out for himself, and decline to +assist unless paid extra for their trouble. + +"You will find, the more you know the Japanese, that they cannot be +excelled in their kindnesses to each other. They have great reverence +and respect for their parents; and their affection for brothers and +sisters, cousins, aunts, and all relatives, is worthy of admiration. If +you inquire into the circumstances of the laboring-men, whose daily +earnings are very small, and with whom life is a most earnest struggle, +you will find that nearly every one of them is supporting somebody +besides himself, and that many of their families are inconveniently +large. Yet they accept all their burdens cheerfully, and are always +smiling, and apparently happy. Whether they are really so has been +doubted; but I see no good reason to call their cheerfulness in +question. + +[Illustration: AN EXPRESS RUNNER.] + +"But I will tell you a still more remarkable story of the endurance of +these Japanese runners. While I was at Kioto, an English clergyman came +there with his wife; and after they had seen the city, they were very +anxious to go to Nara. They had only a day to spare, as they were +obliged to be at Kobe at a certain date to meet the steamer for +Shanghai. They made arrangements to be taken to Nara and back in that +time--a distance, going and coming, of sixty miles. They had three men +to each jin-riki-sha, and they kept the same men through the entire +trip. They left the hotel at Kioto at four o'clock in the morning, and +were back again at half-past eight in the evening. You couldn't do +better than this with a horse, unless he were an exceptionally good +one." + +Frank thought that he should not enjoy the jin-riki-sha, as he would be +constantly thinking of the poor fellows who were pulling him, and of how +much they were suffering on his account. He could not bear to see them +tugging away and perspiring while he was reclining in a comfortable +seat. + +[Illustration: A JAPANESE COOLIE.] + +"I readily understand you," Doctor Bronson answered, "as I had the same +feeling myself, and every American has it when he first comes to the +country. He has a great deal of sympathy for the men, and I have known +some strangers to refuse to ride in a jin-riki-sha on that account. But +if you will apply reason to the matter, you will soon get over the +feeling. Remember that the man gets his living by pulling his little +carriage, and that he regards it as a great favor when you patronize +him. You do him a kindness when you employ him; and the more you employ +him, the more will he regard you as his friend. He was born to toil, and +expects to toil as long as he lives. He does not regard it as a +hardship, but cheerfully accepts his lot; and the more work he obtains, +the better is he satisfied. And when you pay him for his services, you +will win his most heart-felt affection if you add a trifle by way of +gratuity. If you give only the exact wages prescribed by law, he does +not complain, and you have only to add a few cents to make his eyes +glisten with gratitude. In my experience of laboring-men in all parts of +the world, I have found that the Japanese coolie is the most patient, +and has the warmest heart, the most thankful for honest pay for honest +work, and the most appreciative of the trifles that his employer gives +him in the way of presents." + +When the Doctor had finished his eulogy upon the Japanese, the boys +clapped their hands, and were evidently touched with his enthusiasm. +From the little they had seen since their arrival in the country, they +coincided with him in opinion, and were ready to endorse what he said. +And if they had been in any doubt, they had only to refer to the great +majority of foreigners who reside in Japan for the confirmation of what +the Doctor had declared. Testimony in this matter is as nearly unanimous +as it is generally possible to find it on any subject, and some of the +foreign residents are ready to go much further in their laudations of +the kindly spirit of the natives than did Doctor Bronson. + +[Illustration: PITY FOR THE BLIND.] + + + + +CHAPTER VIII. + +SIGHTS IN THE EASTERN CAPITAL OF JAPAN. + + +To see the whole of Tokio is a matter of no small moment, as the area of +the city is very great. There seems to have been no stint of ground when +the place was laid out, and in riding through it you find whole fields +and gardens so widely spread that you can readily imagine yourself to be +in the rural districts, and are rather surprised when told that you are +yet in the city limits. The city is divided into two unequal portions by +the Sumida River, and over this river is the Nihon Bashi, or Nihon +Bridge, which is often called the centre of Japan, for the reason that +all the roads were formerly measured from it. It has the same relation +to Japan as the famous "London Stone" has to England, or, rather, as the +London Stone had a hundred years ago. + +[Illustration: VIEW OF TOKIO, FROM THE SOUTH.] + +From the railway station our travellers went to the Nihon Bashi, in +order to begin their journey from the centre of the empire. A more +practical reason was a desire to see the river, and the great street +leading to it, as they would get a good idea of the extent of the city +by taking this route, and would obtain numerous glimpses of Japanese +street life. They found the streets full of people, and it seemed to the +boys that the whole population must be out for an airing. But the Doctor +informed them that the sight they were witnessing was an every-day +affair, as the Japanese were essentially an outdoor people, and that +many of the industries which in other countries would be conducted under +a roof were here seen in progress out of doors. The fronts of the +Japanese houses are quite open to the view of the public, and there is +hardly anything of what we call privacy. It was formerly no uncommon +sight to see people bathing in tubs placed in front of their door-steps; +and even at the present time one has only to go into the villages, or +away from the usual haunts of foreigners, to see that spectacle which +would be unknown in the United States. The bath-houses are now closed in +front in all the cities, but remain pretty much as before in the smaller +towns. Year by year the country is adopting Western ideas, and coming to +understand the Western views of propriety. + +[Illustration: JAPANESE LADY COMING FROM THE BATH.] + +As the boys rode along, their attention was drawn to some tall ladders +that rose above the buildings, and they eagerly asked the Doctor what +those ladders were for. They could not see the use of climbing up in the +air and then coming down again; and, altogether, the things were a +mystery to them. A few words explained the matter. The ladders were +nothing more nor less than fire-lookouts, and were elevated above the +buildings so that the watchmen could have an unobstructed view. A bell +was attached to each ladder, and by means of it a warning-signal was +given in case of a threatened conflagration. Fires are frequent in +Tokio, and some of them have done immense damage. The city is mostly +built of wood; and when a fire breaks out and a high wind is blowing, +the result is often disastrous to an enormous extent. + +[Illustration: FIRE-LOOKOUTS IN TOKIO.] + +After the great fires of the last twenty years, the burned districts +have been rebuilt of stone, or largely so; and precautions that were +hitherto unknown are now taken for the prevention of fresh disasters. +Some of the new quarters are quite substantial, but they resemble too +strongly the edifices of a city in Europe to be characteristic of Japan. + +A portion of the way took our friends through the grounds of some of the +castles, and the boys were rather astonished at the extent of these +residences of princes. Doctor Bronson explained that Tokio was formerly +a city of princes, and that the residences of the Daimios, as these +great men were called, were of more consequence at one time than all the +rest of the city. The palace of a Daimio was known as a _yashiki_, and +the yashikis were capable, in some instances, of lodging five or ten +thousand men. Under the present government the power of the princes has +been taken away, and their troops of retainers have been disbanded. The +government has converted the most of the yashikis into offices and +barracks and schools, and one at least has been turned into a +manufactory. + +The original plan of Tokio was that of a vast camp, and from that the +city grew into its present condition. The best locations were occupied +by the castles and yashikis, and the principal castle in the centre has +the best place of all. Frank observed as they crossed the bridge leading +into the castle-yard that the broad moat was full of lotos flowers in +full bloom, and he longed to gather some of them so that he might send +them home as a souvenir of the country. He had heard of the lotos as a +sort of water-lily, similar in general appearance to the pond-lily of +his native land. He was surprised to find a flower, eight or ten inches +in diameter, growing on a strong stalk that did not float on the water, +but held itself erect and far above it. The Doctor explained the matter +by telling him that the Japanese lotos is unlike the Egyptian lotos, +from which our ideas of that flower are derived. But the Japanese one is +highly prized by the people of all ranks and classes, and it grows in +abundance in all the castle-moats, and in marshy ground generally. + +[Illustration: TOO MUCH SA-KEE.] + +Near the entrance of one of the castle-yards they met a couple that +attracted their attention. It was a respectable-appearing citizen who +had evidently partaken too freely of the cup that cheers and also +inebriates, as his steps were unsteady, and he would have fallen to the +ground had it not been for the assistance of his wife, who was leading +him and guiding him in the way he should go. As the strangers went past +him he raised his hand to his head; but Frank could not determine +whether it was a movement of salutation or of dazed inquiry. The Doctor +suggested that it was more likely to have been the latter than the +former, since the Japanese do not salute in our manner, and the man was +too much under the influence of the "sa-kee" he had swallowed to adopt +any foreign modes of politeness. Sights like this are not unknown in the +great cities of Japan, but they are far less frequent than in New York +or London. The Japanese say that drunkenness is on the decrease in the +past few years, owing to the abolition of the Samurai class, who have +been compelled to work for a living, instead of being supported out of +the revenues of the state, as formerly. They have less time and money +for dissipation now than they had in the olden days, and, consequently, +their necessities have made them temperate. + +[Illustration: SAKURADU AVENUE IN TOKIO.] + +For an Oriental city Tokio has remarkably wide streets, and some of them +are laid out with all the care of Western engineering. In the course of +their morning ride the party came to Sakuradu Avenue, which Fred +recognized from a drawing by a native artist, who had taken pains to +preserve the architecture of the buildings on each side with complete +fidelity. The foundations of the houses were of irregular stones cut in +the form of lozenges, but not with mathematical accuracy. The boys had +already noticed this form of hewing stone in the walls of the castles, +where some very large blocks were piled. They were reported to have been +brought from distant parts of the empire, and the cost of their +transportation must have been very great. Few of the houses were of +more than two stories, and the great majority were of only one. Along +Sakuradu Avenue they were of two stories, and had long and low windows +with paper screens, so that it was impossible for a person in the street +to see what was going on inside. The eaves projected far over the +upright sides, and thus formed a shelter that was very acceptable in the +heat of summer, while in rainy weather it had many advantages. These +yashikis were formerly the property of Daimios, but are now occupied by +the Foreign Office and the War Department. Inside the enclosure there +are many shade-trees, and they make a cooling contrast to the plain +walls of the buildings. The Japanese rarely paint the interior or the +exterior of their buildings. Nearly everything is finished in the +natural color of the wood, and very pretty the wood is too. It is +something like oak in appearance, but a trifle darker, and is +susceptible of a high polish. It admits of a great variety of uses, and +is very easily wrought. It is known as keyaki-wood; and, in spite of the +immense quantity that is annually used, it is cheap and abundant. + +Some of the Daimios expended immense amounts of money in the decoration +of their palaces by means of bronzes, embroideries on silk, fine +lacquer, and the like. Art in Japan was nourished by the Daimios, and we +have much to thank them for in the way of household adornment. + +Since the adoption of Western ideas in decoration and household +furniture, the Japanese dwellings have lost somewhat in point of +attractiveness. Our carpets and furniture are out of place in a Japanese +room, and so are our pictures and statuary. It is a pity that the people +should ever abandon their domestic customs for ours, whatever they might +do in the matter of military equipment, machinery, and other things that +are more or less commercial. Japanese men and women are far more +attractive in their native dress than in ours, and a Japanese house +loses its charm when the neat mattings give way to European carpets, and +chairs and tables are spread around in place of the simple adornments to +which the people were accustomed. + +After an interesting ride, in which their eyes were in constant use, the +boys reached the Temple of Asakusa, which is one of the great points of +attraction to a stranger in Tokio. The street which led up to the temple +was lined with booths, in which a great variety of things were offered +for sale. Nearly all of these things were of a cheap class, and +evidently the patrons of the temple were not of the wealthier sort. Toys +were numerous, and as our party alighted they saw some children gazing +wistfully at a collection of dolls; Frank and Fred suggested the +propriety of making the little people happy by expending something for +them. The Doctor gave his approval; so the boys invested a sum equal to +about twenty cents of our money, and were astonished at the number of +dolls they were able to procure for their outlay. The little Japs were +delighted, and danced around in their glee, just as any children might +have done in another country. A few paces away some boys were +endeavoring to walk on bamboo poles, and evidently they were having a +jolly time, to judge by their laughter. Two boys were hanging by their +hands from a pole, and endeavoring to turn somersets; while two others +were trying to walk on a pole close by them. One of the walkers fell +off, and was laughed at by his companions; but he was speedily up again, +determined not to give up till he had accomplished his task. + +[Illustration: JAPANESE CHILDREN AT PLAY.] + +Japanese children are well supplied with dolls and other playthings, and +there are certain festivals in which the whole family devotes itself to +the preparation or purchase of dolls to amuse the little ones. The +greatest of these festivals is known as the "Hina Matsuri," or Feast of +Dolls, _hina_ meaning doll, and _matsuri_ being applicable to any kind +of feast. It occurs on the third day of the third month, and for several +days before the appointed time the shops are filled with dolls just as +they are filled among us at Christmas. In fact, the whole business in +this line is transacted at this period, and at other times it is next to +impossible to procure the things that are so abundant at the Matsuri. +Every family that can afford the outlay buys a quantity of images made +of wood or enamelled clay, and dressed to represent various imperial, +noble, or mythological characters, either of the present time or of some +former period in Japanese history. In this way the children are taught a +good deal of history, and their delight at the receipt of their presents +is quite equal to that of children in Christian lands. Not only dolls, +but a great variety of other things, are given to the girls; for the +Hina Matsuri is more particularly a festival for girls rather than for +boys. The presents are arranged on tables, and there is general +rejoicing in the household. Miniature tea and toilet sets, miniature +bureaus and wardrobes, and miniature houses are among the things that +fall to the lot of a Japanese girl at the time of the Hina Matsuri. + +[Illustration: THE FEAST OF DOLLS ("HINA MATSURI") IN A JAPANESE HOUSE.] + +Fred thought the Japanese had queer notions when compared with ours +about the location of a temple in the midst of all sorts of +entertainments. He was surprised to find the temple surrounded with +booths for singing and dancing and other amusements, and was very sure +that such a thing would not be allowed in America. Doctor Bronson +answered that the subject had been discussed before by people who had +visited Japan, and various opinions had been formed concerning it. He +thought it was not unlike some of the customs in Europe, especially in +the more Catholic countries, where the people go to church in the +forenoon and devote the afternoon to amusement. A Japanese does not see +any wrong in going to his worship through an avenue of entertainments, +and then returning to them. He says his prayers as a matter of devotion, +and then applies himself to innocent pleasure. He is firmly attached to +his religious faith, and his recreations are a part of his religion. +What he does is all well enough for him, but whether it would answer for +us is a question which cannot be decided in a moment. + +[Illustration: A BARBER AT WORK.] + +Men of various trades were working in the shops at Asakusa, and their +way of operating was of much interest to our young friends. A barber was +engaged in arranging the hair of a customer; the forehead had been +shaven, and the hair at the back of the head was gathered into a knot +and thickly plastered, so as to make it stick and remain in place when +turned over into a short cue. The customer knelt on the ground in front +of a box that contained the tools of the operator's trade, and by his +side was a portable furnace for heating water. The whole equipment was +of very little value, and the expense of fitting up a fashionable +barber's shop in New York would send hundreds of Japanese barbers on +their way rejoicing. + +Close by was a clothes-merchant, to whom a customer was making an offer, +while the dealer was rubbing his head and vowing he could not possibly +part with the garment at that price. Frank watched him to see how the +affair terminated, and found it was very much as though the transaction +had been in New York instead of Tokio: the merchant, whispering he would +ne'er consent, consented, and the customer obtained the garment at his +own figures when the vender found he could not obtain his own price. It +is the same all the earth over, and Frank thought he saw in this tale +of a coat the touch of nature that makes the whole world kin. + +[Illustration: A TRANSACTION IN CLOTHES.] + +Hundreds of pigeons were circling around the temple, or walking among +the people that thronged the street. Nobody showed the slightest +intention of harming them, and the consequence was they were very tame. +Several stands were devoted to the sale of grain for the birds; and the +sharp-eyed pigeons knew, when they saw the three strangers halt in front +of one of the stands, that there was good prospect of a free breakfast. +The Doctor bought a quart or more of the grain and threw it out upon the +ground. Instantly there was a whirring of wings in the air, and in less +time than it takes to say so the grain was devoured. The birds were +rather shy of the visitors, and possibly it had been whispered to them +that the foreigner likes his pigeons broiled or served up in pies. But +they did not display any such timidity when the natives approached them. +Some of the Japanese temples are the homes of a great number of pigeons, +and in this respect they resemble the mosques at Constantinople and +other Moslem cities. + +Close at hand is a stable where two beautiful ponies are kept. They are +snowy white, and are consecrated to the goddess Ku-wanon, the deity of +mercy, who is the presiding genius of the temple. They are in the care +of a young girl, and it is considered a pious duty to feed them. Pease +and beans are for sale outside, and many devotees contribute a few cash +for the benefit of the sacred animals. If the poor beasts should eat a +quarter of what is offered to them, or, rather, of what is paid for, +they would soon die of overfeeding. It is shrewdly suspected that the +grain is sold many times over, in consequence of a collusion between the +dealers and the keeper of the horses. At all events, the health of the +animals is regarded, and it would never do to give them all that is +presented. + +[Illustration: BALL-PLAYING IN JAPAN.] + +Frank found the air full of odors more or less heavy, and some of them +the reverse of agreeable. They arose from numerous sticks of incense +burned in honor of the gods, and which are irreverently called +joss-sticks by foreigners. The incense is supposed to be agreeable to +the god, and the smoke is thought to waft the supplicant's prayer to +heaven. The same idea obtains in the burning of a paper on which a +prayer has been printed, the flame carrying the petition as it flies +upward. Traces of a similar faith are found in the Roman Catholic and +Greek churches, where candles have a prominent place in religious +worship; and the Doctor insisted to his young companions that the +Christian and the Pagan are not so very far apart, after all. In +addition to the odor of incense, there was that of oil, in which a +keeper of a tiny restaurant was frying some cuttle-fish. The oil was of +the sort known as "sesame," or barley, and the smell was of a kind that +does not touch the Western nostril as agreeably as does that of lavender +or Cologne water. Men were tossing balls in the air in front of the +restaurant, quite unmindful of the strong odors, and seeming to enjoy +the sport, and a woman and a boy were so busy over a game of battledoor +and shuttlecock that they did not observe the presence of the strangers. + +[Illustration: SPORT AT ASAKUSA.] + +Through this active scene of refreshment and recreation, our party +strolled along, and at length came to the gateway of the temple, an +enormous structure of wood like a house with triple eaves, and raised on +pillars resembling the piers of a bridge. This is similar to the gateway +that is found in front of nearly every Japanese temple, and is an +imposing ornament. On either hand, as we pass through, we find two +statues of demons, who guard the entrance, and are gotten up in the +superlative degree of hideousness. When the Japanese give their +attention to the preparation of an image of surpassing ugliness, they +generally succeed, and the same is the case when they search after the +beautiful. Nothing can be more ugly in feature than the giants at +Asakusa, and what is there more gracefully beautiful than the Japanese +bronzes that were shown in the great exhibitions at Philadelphia and +Paris? _Les extrêmes se touchent._ + +Fred thought he would propitiate the demons in a roundabout way, and so +he gave a few pennies to some old beggars that were sitting near the +gateway. The most of them were far from handsome, and none were +beautiful; some were even so repulsive in features as to draw from Frank +the suggestion that they were relatives of the statues, and therefore +entitled to charity. + +Near the gateway was a pagoda or tower in seven stories, and it is said +to be one of the finest in Japan. The Japanese pagoda is always built in +an odd number of stories, three, five, seven, or nine, and it usually +terminates, as does the one we are now contemplating, with a spire that +resembles an enormous corkscrew more than anything else. It is of copper +or bronze, and is a very beautiful ornament, quite in keeping with the +edifice that it crowns. On its pinnacle there is a jewel, or something +supposed to be one, a sacred emblem that appears very frequently in +Japanese paintings or bronze-work. The edges of the little roofs +projecting from each story were hung with bells that rang in the wind, +but their noise was not sufficiently loud to render any inconvenience to +the visitor, and for the greater part of the time they do not ring at +all. The architecture of the pagoda is in keeping with that of the +surrounding buildings, and thoroughly Oriental in all its features. + +[Illustration: SPIRE OF A PAGODA.] + +They passed the gateway and entered the temple. The huge building +towered above them with its curved roof covered with enormous tiles, and +its eaves projecting so far that they suggested an umbrella or the +over-hanging sides of a mushroom. Frank admired the graceful curves of +the roof, and wondered why nobody had ever introduced them into +architecture in America. The Doctor told him that the plan had been +tried in a few instances, but that architects were generally timid +about innovations, and, above all, they did not like to borrow from the +Eastern barbarians. Fred thought they ought to be willing to take +anything that was good, no matter where they found it, and Frank echoed +his sentiment. + +[Illustration: BELFRY IN COURT-YARD OF TEMPLE, SHOWING THE STYLE OF A +JAPANESE ROOF.] + +"When I build a house," said Fred, "I will have a roof on it after the +Japanese style, or, at any rate, something suggestive of it. The +Japanese roof is pretty and graceful, and would look well in our +landscape, I am sure. I don't see why we shouldn't have it in our +country, and I'll take home some photographs so that I can have +something to work from." + +Frank hinted that for the present the house that Fred intended to build +was a castle in the air, and he was afraid it would be some time before +it assumed a more substantial form. + +"Perhaps so," Fred answered, "but you wait awhile, and see if I don't do +something that will astonish our neighbors. I think it will do more +practical good to introduce the Japanese roof into America than the +Japanese pillow." + +They agreed to this, and then Frank said it was not the place to waste +their time in discussions; they could talk these matters over in the +evening, and meanwhile they would look further at the temple and its +surroundings. + +The boys were somewhat disappointed at the appearance of the interior of +the temple. They had expected an imposing edifice like a cathedral, with +stately columns supporting a high roof, and with an air of solemn +stillness pervading the entire building. They ascended a row of broad +steps, and entered a doorway that extended to half the width of the +front of the building. The place was full of worshippers mingled with a +liberal quantity of pigeons, votive offerings, and dirt. Knowing the +Japanese love for cleanliness in their domestic life, it was a surprise +to the youths to find the temple so much neglected as it appeared to be. +They mentioned the matter to Doctor Bronson, who replied that it +probably arose from the fact that the business of everybody was the +business of nobody, and that the priests in charge of the temple were +not inclined to work very hard in such commonplace affairs as keeping +the edifice properly swept out. Thousands of visitors came there daily, +and after it was swept in the morning the place soon became soiled, and +a renewal of the cleansing process would be a serious inconvenience to +the devotees. + +People of all classes and kinds were coming and going, and saying their +prayers, without regard to each other. The floor was crowded with +worshippers, some in rags and others in silks, some in youth and others +in old age, some just learning to talk and others trembling with the +weight of years; beggars, soldiers, officers, merchants, women, and +children knelt together before the shrine of the goddess whom they +reverenced, and whose mercy and watchful care they implored. The boys +were impressed with the scene of devotion, and reverently paused as they +moved among the pious Japanese. They respected the unquestioning faith +of the people in the power of their goddess, and had no inclination to +the feeling of derision that is sometimes shown by visitors to places +whose sanctity is not in accord with their own views. + +[Illustration: SHRINE OF THE GODDESS KU-WANON.] + +But very soon Frank had occasion to bite his lip to suppress a smile +when he saw one of the Japanese throw what an American schoolboy would +call a "spit-ball" at the head of the great image that stood behind the +altar. Then he observed that the whole figure of the god was covered +with these balls, and he knew there must be some meaning to the action +that he at first thought so funny. He called Fred's attention to the +matter, and then asked the Doctor what it meant. + +"It is a way they have," replied the Doctor, "of addressing their +petitions to the deity. A Japanese writes his prayer on a piece of +paper, or buys one already written; then he chews it to a pulp, and +throws it at the god. If the ball sticks, the omen is a good one, and +the prayer will be answered; if it rebounds or falls, the sign is +unlucky, and the petitioner must begin over again. I have been told," +continued Doctor Bronson, "that some of the dealers in printed prayers +apply a small quantity of glue to them so as to insure their sticking +when thrown at the divinity." + +In front of the great altar stood a box like a large trough, and into +this box each worshipper threw a handful of copper cash or small coin +before saying his prayers. There were two or three bushels of this coin +in the trough, and it is said that frequently the contributions amount +to a hundred dollars' worth in a single day. The money thus obtained is +expended in repairing and preserving the building, and goes to support +the priests attached to the temple. + + + + +CHAPTER IX. + +ASAKUSA AND YUYENO.--FIRST NATIONAL FAIR AT TOKIO. + + +All around the shrine of the temple there were prayers fastened, +wherever there was a place for fastening them. On the left of the altar +there was a large lattice, and this lattice had hundreds of prayers +attached to it, some of them folded and others open. Several old men and +women were leaning against this lattice, or squatted on the floor in +front of it, engaged in selling prayers; and they appeared to be doing a +thriving business. The boys bought some of these prayers to send home as +curiosities; and they also bought some charms and beads, the latter not +unlike those used by Catholics, and having a prominent place in the +Japanese worship. Then there were votive tablets on the walls, generally +in the form of pictures painted on paper or silk, or cut out of thin +paper, like silhouettes. One of them represents a ship on the water in +the midst of a storm, and is probably the offering of a merchant who had +a marine venture that he wished to have the goddess take under her +protection. Shoes and top-knots of men and women were among the +offerings, and the most of them were labelled with the names of the +donors. These valueless articles are never disturbed, but remain in +their places for years, while costly treasures of silver or gold are +generally removed in a few days to the private sanctuary of the goddess +for fear of accidents. Even in a temple, all the visitors cannot be +trusted to keep their hands in check. It is intimated that the priests +are sometimes guilty of appropriating valuable things to their own use. +But then what could you expect of a lot of heathens like the Japanese? +Nothing of the kind could happen in a Christian land. + +There were more attractions outside the temple than in it for our young +visitors, and, after a hasty glance at the shrines in the neighborhood +of the great altar, they went again into the open air. + +Not far from the entrance of the temple Frank came upon a stone wheel +set in a post of the same material. He looked it over with the greatest +care, and wondered what kind of labor-saving machine it was. A quantity +of letters and figures on the sides of the post increased his thirst +for knowledge, and he longed to be able to read Japanese, so that he +might know the name of the inventor of this piece of mechanism, and what +it was made for. + +He turned to the Doctor and asked what was the use of the post, and how +it was operated. + +Just as he spoke, a man passed near the machine and gave the wheel a +blow that sent it spinning around with great rapidity. The man gave a +glance at it to see that it was turning well, and then moved on in the +direction of the temple. + +"I know what that is," said Fred, who came along at the moment Frank +expressed his wonder to Doctor Bronson. + +"Well, what is it?" + +"It's a praying-machine; I read about it the other day in a book on +Japan." + +"Quite right," responded the Doctor; "it is a machine used in every +country where Buddhism is the religion." + +[Illustration: PRAYING-MACHINE.] + +Then he went on to explain that there is a formula of prayers on the +sides of the post, and sometimes on the wheel, and that for each +revolution of the wheel these prayers are supposed to be uttered. A +devotee passes, and, as he does so, he revolves the wheel; and for each +time it turns around a prayer is recorded in heaven to his credit. It +follows that a man with strong arms, and possessing a knack of making +the wheel spin around, can do a great deal more petitioning to Heaven +than the weak and clumsy one. + +Fred thought that it would be a good thing to attach these prayer-wheels +to mills propelled by water, wind, or steam, and thus secure a steady +and continuous revolution. The Doctor told him that this was actually +done in some of the Buddhist countries, and a good many of the pious +people said their prayers by machinery. + +[Illustration: ARCHERY ATTENDANT.] + +They strolled along to where there were some black-eyed girls in charge +of booths, where, for a small consideration, a visitor can practise +shooting with bows and arrows. The bows were very small, and the arrows +were blunt at the ends. The target was a drum, and consequently the +marksman's ear, rather than the eye, told when a shot was successful. +The drums were generally square, and in front of each there was a little +block of wood. A click on the wood showed that a shot was of more value +than when it was followed by the dull boom of the drum. The girls +brought tea to the boys, and endeavored to engage them in conversation, +but, as there was no common language in which they could talk, the +dialogue was not particularly interesting. The boys patronized the +archery business, and tried a few shots with the Japanese equipments; +but they found the little arrows rather difficult to handle, on account +of their diminutive size. An arrow six inches long is hardly heavy +enough to allow of a steady aim, and both of the youths declared they +would prefer something more weighty. + +Near the archery grounds there was a collection of so-called wax-works, +and the Doctor paid the entrance-fees for the party to the show. These +wax-works consist of thirty-six tableaux with life-size figures, and are +intended to represent miracles wrought by Ku-wanon, the goddess of the +temple. They are the production of one artist, who had visited the +temples devoted to Ku-wanon in various parts of Japan, and determined to +represent her miracles in such a way as to instruct those who were +unable to make the pilgrimage, as he had done. One of the tableaux shows +the goddess restoring to health a young lady who has prayed to her; +another shows a woman saved from shipwreck, in consequence of having +prayed to the goddess; in another a woman is falling from a ladder, but +the goddess saves her from injury; in another a pious man is saved from +robbers by his dog; and in another a true believer is overcoming and +killing a serpent that sought to do him harm. Several of the groups +represent demons and fairies, and the Japanese skill in depicting the +hideous is well illustrated. One of them shows a robber desecrating the +temple of the goddess; and the result of his action is hinted at by a +group of demons who are about to carry him away in a cart of iron, which +has been heated red-hot, and has wheels and axles of flaming fire. He +does not appear overjoyed with the free ride that is in prospect for +him. These figures are considered the most remarkable in all Japan, and +many foreign visitors have pronounced them superior to the celebrated +collection of Madame Tussaud in London. Ku-wanon is represented as a +beautiful lady, and in some of the figures there is a wonderfully gentle +expression to her features. + +Asakusa is famous for its flower-shows, which occur at frequent +intervals, and, luckily for our visitors, one was in progress at the +time of their pilgrimage to the temple. The Japanese are great lovers of +flowers, and frequently a man will deprive himself of things of which he +stands in actual need in order to purchase his favorite blossoms. As in +all other countries, the women are more passionately fond of floral +productions than the men; and when a flower-show is in progress, there +is sure to be a large attendance of the fairer sex. Many of these +exhibitions are held at night, as a great portion of the public are +unable to come in the daytime on account of their occupations. At night +the place is lighted up by means of torches stuck in the ground among +the flowers, and the scene is quite picturesque. + +[Illustration: A JAPANESE FLOWER-SHOW. NIGHT SCENE.] + +Frank and Fred were greatly interested to find the love which the +Japanese have for dwarfed plants and for plants in fantastic shapes. The +native florists are wonderfully skilful in this kind of work, and some +of their accomplishments would seem impossible to American gardeners. +For example, they will make representations of mountains, houses, men, +women, cats, dogs, boats, carts, ships under full sail, and a hundred +other things--all in plants growing in pots or in the ground. To do +this they take a frame of wire or bamboo in the shape of the article +they wish to represent, and then compel the plant to grow around it. Day +by day the plant is trained, bent a little here and a little there, and +in course of time it assumes the desired form and is ready for the +market. If an animal is represented, it is made more life-like by the +addition of a pair of porcelain eyes; but there is rarely any other part +of his figure that is formed of anything else than the living green. Our +boys had a merry time among the treasures of the gardener in picking out +the animate and inanimate forms that were represented, and both +regretted that they could not send home some of the curious things that +they found. Frank discovered a model of a house that he knew would +please his sister; and he was quite sure that Miss Effie would dance +with delight if she could feast her eyes on a figure of a dog, with the +short nose for which the dogs of Japan are famous, and with sharp little +eyes of porcelain. + +Fred cared less for the models in green than he did for some dwarf trees +that seemed to strike his fancy particularly. There were pines, oaks, +and other trees familiar to our eyes, only an inch or two in height, but +as perfectly formed as though they were of the natural size in which we +see them in their native forests. Then there were bamboo, cactus, and a +great many other plants that grow in Japan, but with which we are not +familiar. There was such a quantity of them as to leave no doubt that +the dwarfing of plants is thoroughly understood in Japan and has +received much attention. Doctor Bronson told the boys that the +profession of florist, like many other professions and trades, was +hereditary, and that the knowledge descended from father to son. The +dwarfing of plants, and their training into unnatural shapes and forms, +have been practised for thousands of years, and the present state of the +florist's art is the result of centuries of development. + +[Illustration: A CHRISTENING IN JAPAN.] + +In the flower-show and among the tea-booths the party remained at their +leisure until it was time to think of going away from Asakusa and seeing +something else. As they came out of the temple grounds they met a +wedding party going in, and a few paces farther on they encountered a +christening party proceeding in the same direction. The wedding +procession consisted of three persons, and the other of four; but the +principal member of the latter group was so young that he was carried in +the arms of one of his companions, and had very little to say of the +performances in which he was to take a prominent part. Frank observed +that he did not cry, as any well-regulated baby would have done in +America, and remarked upon the oddity of the circumstance. The Doctor +informed him that it was not the fashion for babies to cry in Japan, +unless they belonged to foreign parents. + +Frank opened his eyes with astonishment. Fred did likewise. + +"And is it really the case," said Frank, "that a Japanese baby never +cries?" + +"I could hardly say that," the Doctor answered; "but you may live a long +time in Japan, and see lots of babies without hearing a cry from one of +them. An American or English baby will make more noise and trouble than +fifty Japanese ones. You have seen a great many small children since you +landed in Japan, and now stop and think if you have heard one of them +cry." + +The boys considered a moment, and were forced to admit that, as Frank +expressed it, they hadn't heard a whimper from a native infant. And they +added that they were not anxious to hear any either. + +The child that they saw was probably an urchin of about four weeks, as +it is the custom to shave the head of an infant on the thirtieth day, or +very near that date, and take him to the temple. There the priest +performs a ceremonial very much like a christening with us, and for the +same object. The party in the present instance consisted of a nurse +carrying the child, a servant holding an umbrella to shield the nurse +and child from the sun, and lastly the father of the youngster. The +mother does not accompany the infant on this journey, or, at all events, +it is not necessary that she should do so. + +[Illustration: A WEDDING PARTY.] + +The wedding procession that our boys encountered consisted of the bride +and her mother, with a servant to hold an umbrella to protect them from +the sun. Mother and daughter were richly attired, and their heads were +covered with shawls heavily embroidered. Weddings in Japan do not take +place in the temples, as might naturally be expected, but a part of the +ceremonial is performed at the house of the bride, and the remainder at +that of the bridegroom. After the wedding the bride accompanies her +mother to the temple to say her prayers for a happy life, and this was +the occasion which our young adventurers happened to witness. + +There are many other temples in Tokio besides Asakusa, and the stranger +who wishes to devote his time to the study of Japanese temples can have +his wishes gratified to the fullest degree. After our party had finished +the sights of Asakusa, they went to another quarter where they spent an +hour among temples that were less popular, though more elegant, than +those of the locality we have just described. The beauty of the +architecture and the general elegance of the interior of the structures +captivated them, and they unhesitatingly pronounced the religious +edifices of Japan the finest they had ever seen. + +They were hungry, and the Doctor suggested Uyeno. The boys did not know +what Uyeno was, but concluded they would like some. Fred asked if it was +really good. + +The Doctor told them that Uyeno was excellent, and Frank asked how it +was prepared. He was somewhat taken aback when he learned that Uyeno was +not an article of food, but a place where food was to be obtained. + +[Illustration: STROLLING SINGERS AT ASAKUSA.] + +They went there and found a pretty park on a hill that overlooked a +considerable portion of the city. At one side of the park there was an +enclosure containing several tombs of the shogoons, or tycoons, of +Japan, and there was a neat little temple that is held in great +reverence, and receives annually many thousands of visitors. On an edge +of the hill, where a wide view was to be had over the houses of the +great capital, an enterprising Japanese had erected a restaurant, which +he managed after the European manner, and was driving a profitable +business. He was patronized by the foreign visitors and residents, and +also by many of the Japanese officials, who had learned to like foreign +cookery and customs during their journeys abroad, or were endeavoring to +familiarize themselves with its peculiarities. Our friends found the +restaurant quite satisfactory, and complimented the proprietor on the +success of his management. It is no easy matter for a native to +introduce foreign customs into his hotel in such a way as to give +satisfaction to the people of the country from which the customs are +taken. + +[Illustration: VIEW FROM SURUGA DAI IN TOKIO.] + +Uyeno is not by any means the only elevation in Tokio from which a good +view can be had of the city and surrounding country. There are several +elevations where such views are obtainable, and in nearly all of them +the holy mountain, Fusiyama, has a prominent place. A famous view is +that of Atago Yama, and another is from Suruga Dai. Both these places +are popular resorts, and abound in tea-houses, refreshment booths, +swings, and other public attractions. On pleasant afternoons there is +always a large attendance of the populace, and it is interesting to see +them amusing themselves. There are old people, middle-aged people, +youths, and infants, the latter on the backs of their nurses, where +they hang patiently on, and seem to enjoy their share of the fun. The +quantity of tea that the natives consume in one of these afternoon +entertainments is something prodigious; but they do not seem to suffer +any injury from what some of us would consider a wild dissipation. + +[Illustration: A CHILD'S NURSE.] + +Not far from where the Doctor and his young friends were seated was an +enclosure where was held the First National Fair of Tokio in 1877. The +enclosure was still standing, and it was the intention of the government +to hold a fair there annually, as it fully recognized the advantages of +these exhibitions as educators of the people. The Japanese are not +generally well informed as to the products of their own country outside +of the provinces where they happen to live. A native can tell you what +his own district or province produces, but he is often lamentably +ignorant of the resources of other parts of the country. It is to break +up this ignorance, and also to stimulate improvements in the various +industries, that these national fairs have been established. + +As the description of the First National Fair at Tokio may not be +uninteresting, we will copy from a letter to a New York paper, by one of +its correspondents who was in Japan at the time. After describing the +opening ceremonies, which were attended by the emperor and empress, +together with many high dignitaries of the government, he wrote as +follows: + +"The buildings are arranged to enclose an octagonal space, and +consequently a visitor finds himself at the starting-point when he has +made the rounds. The affair is in the hands of the gentlemen who +controlled the Japanese department of the Philadelphia Exhibition in +1876, and many of the features of our Centennial have been reproduced. +They have Agricultural Hall, Machinery Hall, Horticultural Hall, and +Fine Arts Gallery, as at the Centennial; and then they have Eastern Hall +and Western Hall, which the Quaker City did not have. They have +restaurants and refreshment booths, and likewise stands for the sale of +small articles, such as are most likely to tempt strangers. In many +respects the exhibition is quite similar to an affair of the same kind +in America; and with a few changes of costume, language, and articles +displayed, it might pass for a state or county fair in Maine or +Minnesota. + +[Illustration: LOVERS BEHIND A SCREEN. A PAINTING ON SILK EXHIBITED AT +THE TOKIO FAIR.] + +"The display of manufactured articles is much like that in the Japanese +section at Philadelphia, but is not nearly so large, the reason being +that the merchants do not see as good chances for business as they did +at the Centennial, and consequently they have not taken so much trouble +to come in. Many of the articles shown were actually at Philadelphia, +but did not find a market, and have been brought out again in the hope +that they may have better luck. The bronzes are magnificent, and some of +them surpass anything that was shown at the Centennial, or has ever been +publicly exhibited outside of Japan. The Japanese seem determined to +maintain their reputation of being the foremost workers of bronze in the +world. They have also some beautiful work in lacquered ware, but their +old lacquer is better than the new. + +"In their Machinery Hall they have a very creditable exhibit, +considering how recently they have opened the country to the Western +world, and how little they had before the opening in the way of Western +ideas. There is a small steam-engine of Japanese make; there are two or +three looms, some rice-mills, winnowing-machines, an apparatus for +winding and spinning silk, some pumps, a hay-cutter, and a fire-engine +worked by hand. Then there are several agricultural machines, platform +scales, pumps, and a wood-working apparatus from American makers, and +there are two or three of English production. In the Agricultural Hall +there are horse-rakes, mowers, reapers, and ploughs from America, and +there are also some well-made ploughs from Japanese hands. In the +Eastern Hall there are some delicate balances for weighing coin and the +precious metals; they were made for the mint at Osaka, and look +wonderfully like the best French or German balances. The Japanese have +been quite successful in copying these instruments, more so than in +imitating the heavier scales from America. Fairbanks's scales have been +adopted as the standard of the Japanese postal and customs departments. +Some of the skilful workmen in Japan thought they could make their own +scales, and so they set about copying the American one. They made a +scale that looked just as well, but was not accurate as a +weighing-machine. As the chief use of a scale is to weigh correctly, +they concluded to quit their experiments and stick to Fairbanks's. + +[Illustration: BLACKSMITH'S BELLOWS.] + +"There is an interesting display of the natural products of Japan, and +it is exceedingly instructive to a stranger. The Japanese are studying +these things with great attention, and the fair will undoubtedly prove +an excellent school for the people by adding to their stock of +information about themselves. Each section bears over its entrance the +name of the city, province, or district it represents, and as these +names are displayed in English as well as in Japanese, a stranger has no +difficulty in finding out the products of the different parts of the +empire. The result is that many articles are repeated in the exhibition, +and you meet with them again and again. Such, for example, are raw +silks, which come from various localities, as likewise do articles of +leather, wood, and iron. Porcelain of various kinds appears repeatedly, +and so do the woods used for making furniture. There is an excellent +show of porcelain, and some of the pieces are of enormous size. Kaga, +Satsuma, Hizen, Kioto, Nagasaki, and other wares are in abundance, and a +student of ceramics will find enough to interest him for many hours. + +[Illustration: A GRASS OVERCOAT.] + +"In cordage and material for ship-building there is a good exhibit, and +there are two well-made models of gun-boats. Wheat, rice, millet, and +other grains are represented by numerous samples, and there are several +specimens of Indian-corn, or maize, grown on Japanese soil. There is a +goodly array of canned fruits and meats, mostly the former, some in tin +and the rest in glass. Vinegars, rice-whiskey, soy, and the like are +abundant, and so is dried fish of several kinds. There is a good display +of tea and tobacco, the former being in every form, from the tea-plant +up to the prepared article ready for shipment. One has only to come here +to see the many uses to which the Japanese put fibrous grasses in making +mats, overcoats, and similar things; and there are like displays of the +serviceability of bamboo. From the north of Japan there are otter and +other skins, and from various points there are models of boats and nets +to illustrate the fishing business. The engineering department shows +some fine models of bridges and dams, and has evidently made good +progress since its organization." + + + + +CHAPTER X. + +WALKS AND TALKS IN TOKIO. + + +While the Doctor and his companions were at table in the restaurant at +Uyeno, they were surprised by the presence of an old acquaintance. Mr. +A., or "The Mystery," who had been their fellow-passenger from San +Francisco, suddenly entered the room, accompanied by two Japanese +officials, with whom he was evidently on very friendly terms. They were +talking in English, and the two natives seemed to be quite fluent in it, +but they evidently preferred to say little in the presence of the +strangers. Mr. A. was equally disinclined to talk, or even to make +himself known, as he simply nodded to Doctor Bronson and the boys, and +then sat down in a distant corner. When the waiter came, he said +something to him in a low tone, and in a few minutes the proprietor +appeared, and led the way to a private room, where the American and his +Japanese friends would be entirely by themselves. + +As Frank expressed it, "something was up," but what that something was +they did not see any prospect of ascertaining immediately. After a few +moments devoted to wondering what could be the meaning of the movements +of the mysterious stranger, they dropped the subject and resumed their +conversation about Japan. + +Fred had some questions of a religious character to propound to the +Doctor. They had grown out of his observations during their visits to +the temples. + +"I noticed in some of the temples," said Fred, "that there were statues +of Buddha and also other statues, but in other temples there were no +statues of Buddha or any one else. What is the meaning of this?" + +"It is because the temples belong to different forms of religion," the +Doctor answered. "Those where you saw the statues of Buddha are Buddhist +in their faith and form of worship, while the rest are of another kind +which is called Shinto." + +"And what is the difference between Buddhism and Shintoism?" Frank +inquired. + +"The difference," Doctor Bronson explained, "is about the same as that +between the Roman Catholic faith and that of the Protestants. As I +understand it--but I confess that I am not quite clear on the +subject--Shintoism is the result of a reformation of the Buddhist +religion, just as our Protestant belief is a reformation of Catholicism. + +"Now, if you want to study Buddhism," he continued, "I must refer you to +a work on the religions of the world, or to an encyclopedia, as we have +no time to go into a religious dissertation, and, besides, our lunch +might be spoiled while we were talking. And another reason why we ought +not to enter deeply into the subject is that I should find it impossible +to make a clear exposition of the principles of the Buddhist faith or of +Shintoism; and if you pressed me too closely, I might become confused. +The religions of the East are very difficult to comprehend, and I have +known men who had lived twenty years in China or India, and endeavored +to study the forms and principles of the religions of those countries, +who confessed their inability to understand them. For my own part, I +must admit that when I have listened to explanations by Japanese, or +other people of the East, of their religious faith, I have heard a great +deal that I could not comprehend. I concede their sincerity; and when +they say there is a great deal in our forms of worship that they do not +understand, I believe they are telling the truth. Our ways of thought +are not their ways, and what is clear to one is not at all so to +another. + +[Illustration: A HIGH-PRIEST IN FULL COSTUME.] + +"I have already told you of the overthrow of the Shogoon, or Tycoon, and +the return of the Mikado to power as the ruler of all the country. The +Shogoon and his family were adherents of Buddhism, while the Mikado's +followers were largely of the Shinto faith. When the Mikado's power was +restored, there was a general demand on the part of the Shintoists that +the Buddhist temples should be destroyed and the religion effaced. A +good number of temples were demolished, and the government took away +much of the revenue of those that remained. The temples are rapidly +going to decay, as there is no money to expend on them for repairs, and +it is quite possible that the beginning of the next century may see them +overthrown. Some of them are magnificent specimens of architecture, and +it is a great pity that they should thus go to ruin. Adherents of the +old religion declare that the government had at one time determined to +issue an order for the demolition of every Buddhist temple in the +country, and only refrained from so doing through fear that it would +lead to a revolution. The Shiba temple in Tokio, one of the finest in +Japan, was burned under circumstances that led many persons to accuse +the government of having had a hand in the conflagration, and I know +there are foreigners in Tokio and Yokohama who openly denounce the +authorities for the occurrence. + +[Illustration: A JAPANESE TEMPLE.] + +"As you have observed, the Buddhist temples contain the statue of +Buddha, while the Shinto temples have nothing of the sort. For all +practical purposes, you may compare a Buddhist temple to a Catholic +church, with its statues and pictures of the saints; and a Shinto temple +to a Protestant church, with its bare walls, and its altar with no +ornament of consequence. The Buddhists, like the Catholics, burn a great +deal of incense in front of their altars and before their statues; but +the Shintoists do not regard the burning of incense as at all necessary +to salvation. Both religions have an excellent code of morals; and if +all the adherents of either should do as they are told by their sacred +teachers, there would not be much wickedness in the country. As for that +matter, there is enough of moral precept in nearly every religion in the +world to live by, but the trouble is that the whole world will not live +as it should. Buddhism is more than five hundred years older than +Christianity. The old forms of Shintoism existed before Buddhism was +brought to Japan; but the modern is so much changed from the old that it +is virtually, as I told you, a reformation of Buddhism. At all events, +that was the form which it assumed at the time the Shogoon's government +was overthrown. + +[Illustration: A WAYSIDE SHRINE.] + +"You have only to see the many shrines and temples in all parts of the +country to know how thoroughly religious the whole population is, +especially when you observe the crowds of devout worshippers that go to +the temples daily. Every village, however small and poor, has its +temple; and wherever you go, you see little shrines by the roadside with +steps leading up to them. They are invariably in the most picturesque +spots, and always in a situation that has a view as commanding as +possible. You saw them near the railway as we came here from Yokohama, +and you can hardly go a mile on a Japanese road without seeing one of +them. The Japanese have remembered their love for the picturesque in +arranging their temples and shrines, and thus have made them attractive +to the great mass of the people. + +"Since the opening of Japan to foreigners, the missionaries have devoted +much attention to the country as a field of labor. Compared with the +result of missionary labors in India, the cause has prospered, and a +great deal of good has been accomplished. The Japanese are not an +unthinking people, and their faculties of analysis are very keen. They +show more interest in the doctrines of Christianity than do the Chinese +and some other Oriental people, and are quite willing to discuss them +whenever they are properly presented." + +The discussion came to an end, and the party prepared to move on. They +were uncertain where to go, and, after a little time spent in debate, +the Doctor suggested that they might as well go once more to the Nihon +Bashi, or Central Bridge, and enjoy an afternoon view of the river. Off +they started, and in due time were at the famous bridge, and in the +midst of the active life that goes on in its vicinity. + +The view up and down the river was an animated one. Many boats were on +the water, some of them lying at anchor, or tied up to the bank; while +others were slowly threading the stream in one way and another. The +banks of the river were lined with gay restaurants and other places of +public resort, and from some of them came the sounds of native music, +indicating that the patrons were enjoying themselves. The great mountain +of Japan was in full view, and was a more welcome sight than the crowds +of beggars that lined the bridge and showed altogether too much +attention to the strangers. The bridge itself is not the magnificent +structure that one might expect to find when he remembers its national +importance. It is a rickety affair, built of wood, and showing signs of +great antiquity; and its back rises as though somebody had attempted to +lift it up by pressing his shoulders beneath and had nearly succeeded in +his effort. + +Near the southern end of the bridge the boys observed something like a +great sign-board with a railing around it, and a roof above to keep the +rain from injuring the placards which were painted beneath. The latter +were in Japanese, and, of course, neither Frank nor Fred could make out +their meaning. So they asked the Doctor what the structure was for and +why it was in such a conspicuous place. + +"That," answered the Doctor, "is the great kosatsu." + +Frank said he was glad to know it, and he would be more glad when he +knew what the kosatsu was. + +[Illustration: THE GREAT KOSATSU, NEAR THE NIHON BASHI.] + +"The kosatsu," continued Doctor Bronson, "is the sign-board where the +official notices of the government are posted. You find these boards in +all the cities, towns, and villages of Japan; there may be several in a +city, but there is always one which has a higher character than the +rest, and is known as the _great_ kosatsu. The one you are now looking +at is the most celebrated in the empire, as it stands near the Nihon +Bashi, whence all roads are measured, as I have already explained to +you." + +"Please, Doctor," said Frank, "what is the nature of the notices they +put on the sign-board?" + +"Any public notice or law, any new order of the government, a regulation +of the police, appointments of officials; in fact, anything that would +be published as an official announcement in other countries. There was +formerly an edict against Christians which was published all over the +empire, and was on all the kosatsus. The edict appeared on the kosatsu +of the Nihon Bashi down to the overthrow of the Shogoon's government, in +1868, when it was removed." + +"And what was the edict?" + +"It forbade Christianity in these words: 'The evil sect called +Christians is strictly prohibited. Suspicious persons should be reported +to the proper officers, and rewards will be given.' Directly under this +edict was another, which said, 'Human beings must carefully practise the +principles of the five social relations: Charity must be shown to +widowers, widows, orphans, the childless, and sick. There must be no +such crimes as murder, arson, or robbery.' Both these orders were dated +in the month of April, 1868, and consequently are not matters of +antiquity. The original edict against Christians was issued two hundred +years ago, and was never revoked. St. Francis Xavier and his zealous +comrades had introduced the religion of Europe into Japan, and their +success was so great that the government became alarmed for its safety. +They found proofs that the new religionists intended to subjugate the +country and place it under the dominion of Spain; and in the latter part +of the sixteenth and beginning of the seventeenth century there was an +active persecution of the Christians. Many were expelled from the +country, many more were executed, and the cause of Christianity received +a blow from which it did not recover until our day. Now the +missionaries are at liberty to preach the Gospel, and may make as many +converts as they please." + +[Illustration: BLOWING BUBBLES.] + +As they walked away from the kosatsu they saw a group engaged in the +childish amusement of blowing soap-bubbles. There were three persons in +the group, a man and two boys, and the youngsters were as happy as +American or English boys would have been under similar circumstances. +While the man blew the bubbles, the boys danced around him and +endeavored to catch the shining globes. Fred and Frank were much +interested in the spectacle, and had it not been for their sense of +dignity, and the manifest impropriety of interfering, they would have +joined in the sport. The players were poorly clad, and evidently did not +belong to the wealthier class; but they were as happy as though they had +been princes; in fact, it is very doubtful if princes could have had a +quarter as much enjoyment from the chase of soap-bubbles. + +Evening was approaching, and the party concluded to defer their +sight-seeing until the morrow. They returned to the railway station, and +were just in time to catch the last train of the day for Yokohama. There +was a hotel at Tokio on the European system, and if they had missed the +train, they would have patronized this establishment. The Doctor had +spent a week there, and spoke favorably of the Sei-yo-ken, as the hotel +is called. It is kept by a Japanese, and all the servants are natives, +but they manage to meet very fairly the wants of the strangers that go +there. It was some time after the opening of Tokio to foreigners before +there was any hotel there, and a visitor was put to great inconvenience. +He was compelled to accept the hospitality of his country's +representative. As he generally had no personal claims to such +hospitality, he was virtually an intruder; and if at all sensitive about +forcing himself where he had no business to go, his position could not +be otherwise than embarrassing. The American ministers in the early days +were often obliged to keep free boarding-houses, and even at the present +time they are not entirely exempt from intrusions. Our diplomatic and +consular representatives abroad are the victims of a vast amount of +polite fraud, and some very impolite frauds in addition. It is a sad +thing to say, but nevertheless true, that a disagreeably large +proportion of travelling Americans in distant lands make pecuniary raids +on the purses of our representatives in the shape of loans, which they +never repay, and probably never intend to. Another class manages to +sponge its living by quartering at the consular or diplomatic residence, +and making itself as much at home as though it owned everything. There +are many consuls in Europe and Asia who dread the entrance of a strange +countryman into their offices, through the expectation, born of bitter +experience, that the introduction is to be followed by an appeal for a +loan, which is in reality a gift, and can be ill afforded by the poorly +paid representative. + +The next day the party returned to Tokio, but, unfortunately for their +plans, a heavy rain set in and kept them indoors. Japanese life and +manners are so much connected with the open air that a rainy day does +not leave much opportunity for a sight-seer among the people. Finding +the rain was likely to last an indefinite period, they returned to the +hotel at Yokohama. The boys turned their attention to letter-writing, +while the Doctor busied himself with preparations for an excursion to +Hakone--a summer resort of foreigners in Japan--and possibly an ascent +of Fusiyama. The boys greatly wished to climb the famous mountain; and +as the Doctor had never made the journey, he was quite desirous of +undertaking it, though, perhaps, he was less keen than his young +companions, as he knew it could only be accomplished with a great deal +of fatigue. + +The letters were devoted to descriptions of what the party had seen in +their visit to Tokio, and they had a goodly number of comments to make +on the manners and customs of the Japanese. Frank declared that he had +never seen a more polite people than the Japanese, and then he added +that he had never seen any other people outside of his own country, and +therefore his judgment might not be worth much. Fred had been greatly +impressed with his discovery that the babies of Japan do not cry, and he +suggested that the American babies would do well to follow the example +of the barbarian children. Then, too, he was much pleased with the +respect the children showed for their parents, and he thought the +parents were very fond of their children, if he were to judge by the +great number of games that were provided for the amusement of the little +folks. He described what he had seen in the temple at Asakusa, and in +other parts of Tokio, and enclosed a picture of a Japanese father seated +with his children, the one in his arms, and the other clinging to his +knee, and forming an interesting scene. + +[Illustration: FATHER AND CHILDREN.] + +Frank had made a discovery about the cats of Japan, and carefully +recorded it in his letter as follows: + +"There are the funniest cats in this country that you ever saw. They +have the shortest kind of tails, and a good many of them haven't any +tails at all any more than a rabbit. You know we expect every kitten in +America to play with her tail, and what can she do when she has no tail +to play with? I think that must be the reason why the Japanese cats are +so solemn, and why they won't play as our cats do. I have tried to find +out how it all happens, but nobody can tell. Doctor Bronson says the +kittens are born without tails, and that is all he knows about it. I +think they must be a different kind of cat from ours; but, apart from +the absence of tails, they don't look any way dissimilar. Somebody says +that an American once took one of these tailless cats to San Francisco +as a curiosity, and that it would never make friends with any +long-tailed cat. It would spit and scratch, and try to bite off the +other cat's tail; but one day, when they put it with a cat whose tail +had been cut off by a bad boy, it was friendly at once." + +Fred wanted ever so much to send home a goldfish with a very wide and +beautiful tail. The fish didn't seem to be much unlike a common +goldfish, except in the tail, which was triple, and looked like a piece +of lace. As it swam around in the water, especially when the sun was +shining on the globe, its tail seemed to have nearly as many colors as +the rainbow, and both the boys were of opinion that no more beautiful +fish was ever seen. But the proposal to send it to America was rather +dampened by the statement of the Doctor that the experiment had been +tried several times, and only succeeded in a very few instances. Almost +all the fish died on the voyage over the Pacific; and even when they +lived through that part of the trip, the overland journey from San +Francisco to the Atlantic coast generally proved too much for them. The +Japanese name for this fish is _kin-giyo_, and a pair of them may be +bought for ten cents. It is said that a thousand dollars were offered +for the first one that ever reached New York alive, which is a large +advance on the price in Yokohama. + +The Japanese dogs were also objects of interest to our young friends, +though less so than the cats and the goldfish. They have several +varieties of dogs in Japan, some of them being quite without hair, while +others have very thick coats. The latter are the most highly prized, and +the shorter their noses, the more valuable they are considered. Fred +found a dog, about the size of a King Charles spaniel, that had a nose +only half an inch long. He was boasting of his discovery, when Frank +pointed out one that had less than a third of an inch. Then the two kept +on the hunt for the latest improvement in dogs, as Frank expressed it, +and they finally found one that had no nose at all. The nostrils were +set directly in the end of the little fellow's head, and his under-jaw +was so short that the operations of barking and eating were not very +easy to perform. In spite of the difficulty of barking, he made a great +deal of noise when the boys attempted to examine him, and he gave Frank +to understand in the most practical way that a noseless dog can bite. +As they walked away from the shop where they found him, he kept up a +continual snarling, which led to the remark by Fred that a noseless dog +was very far from noiseless. + +As they had been kept in by the rain, Frank thought he could not do +better than send to his sister a Japanese picture of a party caught in a +rain-storm. He explained that the rain in Japan was quite as wet as in +any other country, and that umbrellas were just as necessary as at home. +He added that the Japanese umbrellas were made of paper, and kept the +rain off very well, but they did not last a long time. You could buy one +for half a dollar, and a very pretty one it was, and it spread out +farther than the foreign umbrella did. The sticks were of bamboo, and +they were covered with several thicknesses of oiled paper carefully +dried in the sun. They were very much used, since nearly everybody +carried an umbrella, in fair weather as well as in foul; if the umbrella +was not needed against the rain, it was useful to keep off the heat of +the sun, which was very severe in the middle of the day. + +The letters were ready in season for the mail for America, and in due +time they reached their destination and carried pleasure to several +hearts. It was evident that the boys were enjoying themselves, and at +the same time learning much about the strange country they had gone to +see. + +[Illustration: CAUGHT IN THE RAIN.] + + + + +CHAPTER XI. + +AN EXCURSION TO DAI-BOOTS AND ENOSHIMA. + + +A favorite resort of the foreign residents of Yokohama during the summer +months is the island of Enoshima. It is about twenty miles away, and is +a noted place of pilgrimage for the Japanese, on account of certain +shrines that are reputed to have a sacred character. Doctor Bronson +arranged that his party should pay a visit to this island, as it was an +interesting spot, and they could have a glimpse of Japanese life in the +rural districts, and among the fishermen of the coast. + +They went thither by jin-riki-shas, and arranged to stop on the way to +see the famous bronze statue of Dai-Boots, or the Great Buddha. This +statue is the most celebrated in all Japan, as it is the largest and +finest in every way. Frank had heard and read about it; and when he +learned from the Doctor that they were to see it on their way to +Enoshima, he ran straightway to Fred to tell the good news. + +"Just think of it, Fred," said he, "we are to see a statue sixty feet +high, all of solid bronze, and a very old one it is, too." + +"Sixty feet isn't so very much," Fred answered. "There are statues in +Europe a great deal larger." + +"But they were not made by the Japanese, as this one was," Frank +responded, "and they are statues of figures standing erect, while this +represents a sitting figure. A sitting figure sixty feet high is +something you don't see every day." + +Fred admitted that there might be some ground for Frank's enthusiasm, +and, in fact, he was not long in sharing it, and thinking it was a very +good thing that they were going to Enoshima, and intending to see +Dai-Boots on the way. + +At the appointed time they were off. They went through the foreign part +of Yokohama, and through the native quarter, and then out upon the +Tokaido. The boys were curious to see the Tokaido, and when they reached +it they asked the Doctor to halt the jin-riki-shas, and let them press +their feet upon the famous work of Japanese road-builders. The halt +was made, and gave a few minutes' rest to the men that were drawing +them, and from whose faces the perspiration was running profusely. + +The Tokaido, or eastern road, is the great highway that connects Kioto +with Tokio--the eastern capital with the western one. There is some +obscurity in its history, but there is no doubt of its antiquity. It has +been in existence some hundreds of years, and has witnessed many and +many a princely procession, and many a display of Oriental magnificence. +It was the road by which the Daimios of the western part of the empire +made their journeys to Tokio in the olden days, and it was equally the +route by which the cortége of the Shogoon went to Kioto to render homage +to the Mikado. It is a well-made road; but as it was built before the +days of wheeled carriages, and when a track where two men could ride +abreast was all that was considered requisite, it is narrower than most +of us would expect to find it. In many places it is not easy for two +carriages to pass without turning well out into the ditch, and there are +places on the great route where the use of wheeled vehicles is +impossible. But in spite of these drawbacks it is a fine road, and +abounds in interesting sights. + +[Illustration: A VILLAGE ON THE TOKAIDO.] + +Naturally the Tokaido is a place of activity, and in the ages that have +elapsed since it was made many villages have sprang into existence along +its sides. Between Yokohama and Tokio there is an almost continuous +hedge of these villages, and there are places where you may ride for +miles as along a densely filled street. From Tokio the road follows the +shore of the bay until near Yokohama, when it turns inland; but it comes +to or near the sea again in several places, and affords occasional +glimpses of the great water. For several years after the admission of +foreigners to Japan the Tokaido gave a great deal of trouble to the +authorities, and figured repeatedly in the diplomatic history of the +government. The most noted of these affairs was that in which an +Englishman named Richardson was killed, and the government was forced to +pay a heavy indemnity in consequence. A brief history of this affair may +not be without interest, as it will illustrate the difficulties that +arose in consequence of a difference of national customs. + +Under the old laws of Japan it was the custom for the Daimios to have a +very complete right of way whenever their trains were out upon the +Tokaido or any other road. If any native should ride or walk into a +Daimio's procession, or even attempt anything of the kind, he would be +put to death immediately by the attendants of the prince. This was the +invariable rule, and had been in force for hundreds of years. When the +foreigners first came to Yokohama, the Daimios' processions were +frequently on the road; and, as the strangers had the right to go into +the country, and consequently to ride on the Tokaido, there was a +constant fear that some of them would ignorantly or wilfully violate the +ancient usages and thus lead the Daimios' followers to use their swords. + +[Illustration: A PARTY ON THE TOKAIDO.] + +Things were in this condition when one day (September 14th, 1862) the +procession of Shimadzu Saburo, father of the last Daimio of Satsuma, was +passing along the Tokaido on its way from the capital to the western +part of the empire. Through fear of trouble in case of an encounter with +the train of this prince, the authorities had previously requested +foreigners not to go upon the Tokaido that day; but the request was +refused, and a party of English people--three gentlemen and a +lady--embraced the opportunity to go out that particular afternoon to +meet the prince's train. Two American gentlemen were out that afternoon, +and encountered the same train; they politely turned aside to allow the +procession to pass, and were not disturbed. + +When the English party met the train, the lady and one of the gentlemen +suggested that they should stand at the side of the road, but Mr. +Richardson urged his horse forward and said, "Come on; I have lived +fourteen years in China, and know how to manage these people." He rode +into the midst of the procession, and was followed by the other +gentlemen, or partially so; the lady, in her terror, remained by the +side of the road, as she had wished to do at the outset. The guards +construed the movements of Mr. Richardson as a direct insult to their +master, and fell upon him with their swords. The three men were severely +wounded. Mr. Richardson died in less than half an hour, but the others +recovered. The lady was not harmed in any way. On the one hand, the +Japanese were a proud, haughty race who resented an insult to their +prince, and punished it according to Japanese law and custom. On the +other, the foreigners had the technical right, in accordance with the +treaty, to go upon the Tokaido; but they offered a direct insult to the +people in whose country they were, and openly showed their contempt for +them. A little forbearance, and a willingness to avoid trouble by +refraining from visiting the Tokaido, as requested by the Japanese +authorities, would have prevented the sad occurrence. + +As a result of this affair, the Japanese government was compelled to pay +a hundred thousand pounds sterling to the family of Mr. Richardson, or +submit to the alternative of a war with England. In addition to this, +the city of Kagoshima, the residence of the Prince of Satsuma, was +bombarded, the place reduced to ashes, forts, palaces, factories, thrown +into ruins, and thousands of buildings set on fire by the shells from +the British fleet. Three steamers belonging to the Prince of Satsuma +were captured, and the prince was further compelled to pay an additional +indemnity of twenty-five thousand pounds. The loss of life in the affair +has never been made known by the Japanese, but it is certain to have +been very great. It would not be surprising if the Japanese should +entertain curious notions of the exact character of the Christian +religion, when such acts are perpetrated by the nations that profess it. +The blessings of civilization have been wafted to them in large +proportion from the muzzles of cannon; and the light of Western +diplomacy has been, all too frequently, from the torch of the +incendiary. + +But we must not forget our boys in our dissertation on the history of +foreign intervention in Japan. In fact, they were not forgotten in it, +as they heard the story from the Doctor's lips, and heard a great deal +more besides. The Doctor summarized his opinion of the way the Japanese +had been treated by foreigners somewhat as follows: + +[Illustration: BEGINNING OF RELATIONS BETWEEN ENGLAND AND JAPAN.] + +"The Japanese had been exclusive for a long time, and wished to continue +so. They had had an experience of foreign relations two hundred years +ago, and the result had well-nigh cost them their independence. It was +unsatisfactory, and they chose to shut themselves up and live alone. If +we wanted to shut up the United States, and admit no foreigners among +us, we should consider it a matter of great rudeness if they forced +themselves in, and threatened to bombard us when we refused them +admittance. We were the first to poke our noses into Japan, when we sent +Commodore Perry here with a fleet. The Japanese tried their best to +induce us to go away and let them alone, but we wouldn't go. We stood +there with the copy of the treaty in one hand, and had the other +resting on a cannon charged to the muzzle and ready to fire. We said, +'Take the one or the other; sign a treaty of peace and good-will and +accept the blessings of civilization, or we will blow you so high in the +air that the pieces won't come down for a week.' Japan was convinced +when she saw that resistance would be useless, and quite against her +wishes she entered the family of nations. We opened the way and then +England followed, and then came the other nations. We have done less +robbing and bullying than England has, in our intercourse with Japan, +and the Japanese like us better in consequence. But if it is a correct +principle that no man should be disturbed so long as he does not disturb +any one else, and does no harm, the outside nations had no right to +interfere with Japan, and compel her to open her territory to them." + +[Illustration: PILGRIMS ON THE ROAD.] + +This conversation occurred while they were halted under some venerable +shade-trees by the side of the Tokaido, and were looking at the people +that passed. Every few minutes they saw groups varying from two to six +or eight persons, very thinly clad, and having the appearance of +wayfarers with a small stock of money, or none at all. The Doctor +explained that these men were pilgrims on their way to holy places--some +of them were doubtless bound for Enoshima, some for Hakone, and some for +the great mountain which every now and then the turns in the road +revealed to the eyes of the travellers. These pilgrimages have a +religious character, and are made by thousands of persons every year. +One member of a party usually carries a small bell, and as they walk +along its faint tinkle gives notice of their religious character, and +practically warns others that they are not commercially inclined, as +they are without more money than is actually needed for the purposes of +their journey. They wear broad hats to protect them from the sun, and +their garments, usually of white material, are stamped with mystic +characters to symbolize the particular divinity in whose honor the +journey is made. + +[Illustration: THRESHING GRAIN.] + +Village after village was passed by our young adventurers and their +older companion, and many scenes of Japanese domestic life were unfolded +to their eyes. At one place some men were engaged in removing the hulls +from freshly gathered rice. The grain was in large tubs, made of a +section of a tree hollowed out, and the labor was performed by beating +the grain with huge mallets. The process was necessarily slow, and +required a great deal of patience. This mode of hulling rice has been in +use in Japan for hundreds of years, and will probably continue for +hundreds of years to come in spite of the improved machinery that is +being introduced by foreigners. Rice is the principal article of food +used in Japan, and many people have hardly tasted anything else in the +whole course of their lives. The opening of the foreign market has +largely increased the cost of rice; and in this way the entrance of +Japan into the family of nations has brought great hardships upon the +laboring classes. It costs three times as much for a poor man to support +his family as it did before the advent of the strangers, and there has +not been a corresponding advance in wages. Life for the coolie was bad +enough under the old form of government, and he had much to complain of. +His condition has not been bettered by the new order of things, +according to the observation of impartial foreigners who reside in +Yokohama and other of the open ports. + +[Illustration: PEASANT AND HIS WIFE RETURNING FROM THE FIELD.] + +About ten miles out from Yokohama the party turned from the Tokaido, and +took a route through the fields. They found the track rather narrow in +places; and on one occasion, when they met a party in jin-riki-shas, it +became necessary to step to the ground to allow the vehicles to be +lifted around. Then, too, there had been a heavy rain--the storm that +cut short their visit to Tokio; and in some places the road had been +washed out so that they were obliged to walk around the breaks. Their +journey was consequently somewhat retarded; but they did not mind the +detention, and had taken such an early start that they had plenty of +time to reach Enoshima before dark. They met groups of Japanese peasants +returning home from their work; and in every instance the latter made +way for the strangers, and stood politely by the roadside as the +man-power carriages went rolling by. Frank wanted to make sketches of +some of the groups, and was particularly attracted by a woman who was +carrying a teapot in one hand and a small roll or bundle under her other +arm. By her side walked a man carrying a couple of buckets slung from a +pole, after the fashion so prevalent in Japan and China. He steadied the +pole with his hands, and seemed quite indifferent to the presence of the +foreigners. Both were dressed in loosely fitting garments, and their +feet were shod with sandals of straw. The Japanese sandal is held in +place by two thongs that start from near the heel on each side and come +together in front. The wearer inserts the thong between the great toe +and its neighbor. When he is barefooted this operation is easily +performed; and, in order to accommodate his stockinged feet to the +sandal, the Japanese stocking has a separate place for the "thumb-toe," +as one of them called the largest of his "foot-fingers." The foot of the +Japanese stocking closely resembles the mitten of America, which young +women in certain localities are said to present to discarded admirers. + +[Illustration: A JAPANESE SANDAL.] + +The road wound among the fields where the rice was growing luxuriantly, +and where now and then they found beans and millet, and other products +of Japanese agriculture. The cultivation was evidently of the most +careful character, as the fields were cut here and there with little +channels for irrigation; and there were frequent deposits of fertilizing +materials, whose character was apparent to the nose before it was to the +eye. In some places, where the laborers were stooping to weed the +plants, there was little more of them visible than their broad sun-hats; +and it did not require a great stretch of the imagination to believe +they were a new kind of mushroom from Brobdingnagian gardens. Hills like +sharply rounded cones rose from each side of the narrow valley they were +descending; and the dense growth of wood with which the most of them +were covered made a marked contrast to the thoroughly cleared fields. +The boys saw over, and over, and over again the pictures they had often +seen on Japanese fans and boxes and wondered if they were realities. +They had already learned that the apparently impossible pictures we find +in Japanese art are not only possible, but actual; but they had not yet +seen so thorough a confirmation of it as on this day's ride. + +Several times they came suddenly upon villages, and very often these +discoveries were quite unexpected. As they rode along the valley +narrowed, and the hills became larger and more densely covered with +trees. By-and-by they halted at a wayside tea-house, and were told to +leave the little carriages and rest awhile. Frank protested that he was +not in need of any rest; but he changed his mind when the Doctor told +him that they had reached one of the objects of their journey, and that +he would miss an interesting sight if he kept on. They were at the +shrine of Dai-Boots. + +They went up an avenue between two rows of trees, and right before them +was the famous statue. It was indeed a grand work of art. + +Frank made a careful note of the figures indicating the height of the +statue. He found that the whole structure, including the pedestal, +measured sixty feet from the ground to the top of the head, and that the +figure alone was forty-three feet high. It was in a sitting, or rather a +squatting, posture, with the hands partly folded and turned upwards, +with the knuckles touching each other. The eyes were closed, and there +was an expression of calm repose on the features such as one rarely sees +in statuary. There was something very grand and impressive in this +towering statue, and the boys gazed upon it with unfeigned admiration. + +[Illustration: THE GREAT DAI-BOOTS.] + +Fred asked if the statue was cast in a single piece. But after asking +the question, he looked up and saw that the work was evidently done in +sections, as the lines where the plates or sections were joined were +plainly visible. But the plates were large, and the operation of making +the statue was one that required the handling of some very heavy pieces. +In many places the statue was covered with inscriptions, which are said +to be of a religious character. + +The figure was hollow, and there was a sort of chapel inside where +devout pilgrims were permitted to worship. On the platform in front +there were several shrines, and the general surroundings of the place +were well calculated to remind one of a sanctuary of Roman Catholicism. +Thousands and thousands of pilgrims have come from all parts of Japan to +worship at the feet of the great Buddha; and while our friends stood in +front of the shrine, a group of devotees arrived and reverently said +their prayers. + +A little way off from Dai-Boots are the temples of Kamakura, which are +celebrated for their sanctity, and are the objects of much veneration. +They are not unlike the other temples of Japan in general appearance; +but the carvings and bronze ornamentations are unusually rich, and must +have cost a great deal of money. There was once a large city at +Kamakura, and traces of it are distinctly visible. The approach to the +temples is over some stone bridges, crossing a moat that must have been +a formidable defence in the days before gunpowder was introduced into +warfare. + +After their sight-seeing in the grove of Dai-Boots was over, the party +proceeded to Enoshima. When they arrived at the sea-shore opposite the +island, they found, to their dismay, that the tide was up; and they were +obliged to hire a boat to take them to their destination. At low tide +one can walk upon a sand-bar the entire distance; but when the sea is at +its highest, the bar is covered, and walking is not practicable. The +beach slopes very gradually, and consequently the boats were at some +distance out, and the travellers were compelled to wade to them or be +carried on men's shoulders. The boys tried the wading, and were +successful; the Doctor, more dignified, was carried on the shoulders of +a stout Japanese, who was very glad of the opportunity to earn a few +pennies. But he came near having a misadventure, as his bearer stumbled +when close to the edge of the boat, and pitched the Doctor headlong into +the craft. He was landed among a lot of baskets and other baggage, and +his hat came in unpleasant contact with a bucket containing some freshly +caught fish. Luckily he suffered no injury, and was able to join the +others in laughing over the incident. + +On their arrival at the island, it was again necessary to wade to the +shore. Frank found the slippery rocks such insecure footing that he went +down into the water, but was not completely immersed. The others got +ashore safely, and it was unanimously voted that the next time they came +to Enoshima they would endeavor to arrive when the tide was out. An +involuntary bath, before one is properly dressed, or undressed, for it, +is no more to be desired in Japan than in any other country. + +[Illustration: SALUTATION OF THE LANDLORD.] + +A street leads up from the water towards the centre of the island, and +along this street are the principal houses of the town. The most of +these houses are hotels for the accommodation of the numerous pilgrims +that come to the sacred shrines of Enoshima; and, as our party +approached, there was a movement among the attendants of the nearest +hostelry to invite the strangers to enter. They halted at the door of a +large building on the left. The proprietor was just inside the entrance, +and bowed to them in true Japanese style, with his head touching the +floor. He not only bowed to the party in general, but to each one of +them separately, and it took two or three minutes to go through with the +preliminaries of politeness and begin negotiations for the desired +accommodations. + +In a little while all was arranged to the satisfaction of everybody +concerned, and our friends were installed in a Japanese inn. What they +did there, and what they saw, will be made known in the next chapter. + +[Illustration: THE HEAD WAITER RECEIVING ORDERS.] + + + + +CHAPTER XII. + +SIGHTS AT ENOSHIMA. + + +The party was shown to a large room at the rear of the house. Frank +suggested that a front room would be preferable; but the Doctor told him +that in a Japanese hotel the rear of the establishment was the place of +honor, and that in a hundred hotels of the true national type he would +probably not be located half a dozen times in a front apartment. The +room where they were was very speedily divided into three smaller ones +by means of paper screens, such as we find in every Japanese house, and +which are known to most Americans in consequence of the large number +that have been imported in the last few years. They can be shifted with +the rapidity of scenes in a theatre, and the promptness with which the +whole appearance of a house can be changed in a few minutes is an +approach to the marvellous. + +There is very little of what we call privacy in a Japanese house, as the +paper screens are no obstructors of sound, and a conversation in an +ordinary tone can be heard throughout the entire establishment. It is +said that this form of building was adopted at a time when the +government was very fearful of conspiracies, and wished to keep +everybody under its supervision. Down to quite recent times there was a +very complete system of espionage all over the country; and it used to +be said that when three persons were together, one of them was certain +to be a spy, and the other two were pretty sure to be spies as well. At +the time Commodore Perry went to Japan, it was the custom to set a spy +over every official to observe what he did and report accordingly. The +system has been gradually dropped, but it is said to exist yet in some +quarters. + +It was rather late, and our party were hungry. Consequently the Doctor +ordered dinner to be served as soon as possible, and they sat down to +wait for it. The kitchen was near the entrance of the hotel, and in full +view of the strangers as they came in. Fred could not help contrasting +this arrangement with that of an American hotel, where the kitchen is +quite out of sight, and not one visitor in a thousand ever gets the +faintest glimpse of it. He thought the plan was well calculated to +insure cleanliness in the management of the house, since the kitchen, +being so prominently placed, would ruin the prosperity of the house if +it were not properly kept. As there seemed to be no objection to their +doing so, the boys went there and watched the preparation of the meal +for which their appetites were waiting. + +[Illustration: A JAPANESE KITCHEN.] + +They found a large and well-lighted room in the centre of the house; +and, as before stated, near the entrance. In the middle of this room +there was a raised platform, with some little furnaces set in the floor. +On this floor the cooking of some fish was going on under the +supervision of a woman, who was watching to see that everything +progressed satisfactorily. A few pots and pans were visible, but not a +tenth of the number that would be found in the kitchen of a hotel of +similar capacity in America. The Japanese cookery is not elaborate, and +therefore only a few articles are required for it. A small fire in a +brazier that could be carried in the hand is all that is needed to +offset the enormous ranges with which we are familiar. From the roof two +or three safes are hung for the preservation of such things as the dogs +and cats might take a fancy to. At first glance they are frequently +taken for bird-cages, and this mistake was made by Fred, who innocently +remarked that he wondered what kind of birds they kept there. + +At one side of the kitchen there was a long table, where the food was +prepared previous to its introduction to the cooking-pot, and near this +table there was a series of shelves where the plates, cups, saucers, and +other articles of the dinner-service were kept. The kitchen could be +shut off at night, like the other rooms, by means of paper screens, and +it was here that the cook and her assistants slept when the labors of +the day were over. The bedding, what little there was of it, was brought +from a cupboard in one side of the room, and was altogether out of sight +in the day. When not wanted, it was speedily put away, and a few minutes +sufficed to convert the kitchen into a sleeping-room, or the +sleeping-room into a kitchen. + +[Illustration: BOILING THE POT.] + +In due time the dinner or supper, whichever it was called, was brought +to our travellers, and they lost no time in sitting down to eat it; or, +rather, they squatted to it, as the hotel contained no chairs, or any +substitute for them. The floor was covered with clean mats--in fact, it +is very difficult to find dirty mats in Japan--and our travellers had +followed the universal custom of removing their boots as they entered +the front door. One of the complaints that the Japanese make against +foreigners is that the latter often enter their houses without removing +their boots, no matter if those boots are covered with mud and bring +ruin to the neat mattings. It is always polite to offer to remove your +foot-covering on going inside a Japanese dwelling, and a rudeness to +neglect the offer. If the weather is dry and your shoes are clean, the +host will tell you to remain as you are, and then you will be quite +right to do so. + +There was a laugh all around at the oddity of the situation in which the +boys found themselves. They tried various positions in front of the +little table that had been spread for them, but no attitude they could +assume was thoroughly comfortable. They squatted, they knelt, and then +they sat flat on the floor, but all to no purpose. They were +uncomfortable, and no mistake. But they had a merry time of it, and both +Fred and Frank declared they would not have missed this dinner in Japan +for a great deal. It was a novelty, and they thought their schoolmates +would envy them if they knew where they were. + +The dinner consisted of stewed fish for the first course, and it was so +thoroughly stewed that it resembled a thick soup. Then they had cold +fish with grated radishes, and, finally, a composite dish of hard-boiled +eggs, cut in two, and mixed with shrimps and seaweed. The table was +cleared after each course before the next was brought, and the food was +served in shallow bowls, which were covered to retain the heat. At the +side of each person at table there were two cups. One of these contained +_soy_, a sort of vinegar flavored with spices of different kinds, and in +which each mouthful of food was dipped before it was swallowed. It is +said that our word "sauce" comes from the Japanese (or Chinese) word +which has just been quoted. The other cup was for sa-kee, a beverage +which has been already mentioned in the pages of this book. They were +not inclined to sa-kee; but the soy was to their taste, and Frank was +especially warm in its praise. + +[Illustration: FRANK'S INVENTORY.] + +Not liking sa-kee, they called for tea, and in a moment the servant +appeared with a steaming teapot. The flavor of the herb was delicious, +and the boys partook liberally of the preparation. While they were +engaged in tea-drinking, Frank made an inventory of the furniture of the +room for the benefit of his sister and Miss Effie, in case they should +wish to fit up a room in Japanese style to welcome him home. Here is +what he found: + +No chairs, no sofas, no benches--nothing but the rush matting to sit +upon. + +No clocks, no pictures on the walls, no mirrors; in fact, the room was +quite bare of ornament. + +Two small tables, about twelve inches high and fifteen inches square. +These tables held the dinner and tea service, and were removed when the +meal was over. + +A little low stool, on which was a broad and very flat pot for holding +hot water to put in the tea. + +Another stool for holding anything that was not wanted at the moment. + +A lamp-stand with three lamps. One was octagonal, and on the top of an +upright stick; the others were oval, and hung at the ends of a +horizontal bar of metal. Each lantern bore an inscription in Japanese. +It was painted on the paper of which all the lanterns were composed; and +as the light shone through, the letters were plainly to be seen. They +were more visible than readable to our friends, as may be readily +inferred. + +This completed the furniture of the room. When it was removed after +dinner, Frank remarked that the only furniture remaining was Doctor +Bronson, Fred, and himself. And, as they were quite weary after their +ride, they were disposed to be as quiet as well-regulated furniture +usually is. + +[Illustration: HOW THE JAPANESE SLEEP.] + +When it was time to go to sleep, the servant was called and the beds +were made up. A thickly wadded quilt was spread on the floor for each +person, and another was used for the covering. The quilt was not quite +thick enough to take away all suggestion of hardness from the floor, and +the covering was not the most convenient one in the world. Frank said +that when the quilt was over him, he was altogether too warm, and when +it was off he was too cold. Fred declared that his experience was +exactly like that of Frank, except that it was more so. He had been +bitten by fleas during the night, and, as he couldn't speak Japanese, he +could not tell them to go away--at least, not in any language they would +understand. Then the walls of the room were thin, or, rather, there were +no walls at all. They had heard all the noises that the house afforded; +and, as pilgrims were coming and going all night, and some of those in +the building were engaged in a noisy game of an unknown character, sleep +was not easy. The boys were more weary after their night's rest than +before they took it, and they agreed that they could not recommend a +Japanese inn as the most quiet spot in the world. They rose very early, +and would have been up much sooner if there had been any way of getting +up. + +[Illustration: A JAPANESE FISHING SCENE.] + +They went down to the water-side to try the effects of a bath in the +surf as it rolled in from the Pacific Ocean. They found it refreshing, +and were tempted to linger long in the foam-crested waves. Near by there +was a fishing-place, where several Japanese were amusing themselves with +rod and line, just as American boys and men take pleasure in the same +way. Fish seemed to be abundant, as they were biting freely, and it took +but a short time to fill a basket. In the little harbor formed between +the island and the shore several junks and boats were at anchor, and in +the foreground some smaller boats were moving about. There was not an +American feature to the scene, and the boys were thoroughly delighted at +this perfect picture of Japanese life. It was sea-life, too; and they +had island and main, water and mountain, boats and houses, all in a +single glance. + +The Japanese are great lovers of fish, and, fortunately for them, the +coasts and bays which indent the country are well provided with finny +life. The markets of Yokohama, Tokio, Osaka, and all the other great +cities of Japan are well supplied with fish, and the business of +catching them gives occupation to thousands of men. Many of the Japanese +are fond of raw fish which has been killed at the table, and is to be +eaten immediately. The fish is brought alive to the table; its eyes are +then gouged out, and strong vinegar is poured into the sockets. The +epicures say that this process gives a delicate flavor that can be +obtained in no other way; and they argue that the fish does not suffer +any more in this form of death than by the ordinary process of taking +him out of the water. But since the advent of foreigners in Japan, the +custom has somewhat fallen off, as the Japanese are quite sensitive to +the comments that have been made concerning their cruelty. + +In the interior of Japan a traveller on the great roads, and on the +smaller ones too, will sometimes see a runner carrying a couple of open +pans, slung at the ends of a pole over his shoulder. He will observe +that these pans contain water, and that there is a single fish in each +pan. The man goes at a rapid pace, and keeps his eyes on his burden, to +make sure that the water is not spilled. + +These runners are in the employ of the men who supply live fish for the +tables of those who live at a distance from the sea or from the lakes, +and are willing to pay for the luxury. A runner stands waiting, and the +instant the fish is in his charge he is off. If the distance is great, +there are relays of men stationed along the route; and so the precious +merchandise goes forward from one to the other without a moment's delay. +Only the wealthy can afford this mode of transporting fish, as the cost +is often very heavy. Some of the princes, in the olden time, were in the +habit of eating fresh fish at their tables every day that had been +brought in this way for a hundred and fifty miles. Great quantities of +fish are still carried in this primitive manner, but not for such long +distances as formerly. Many fish are transported on horseback, in +barrels of water; but the most delicate and valuable are borne only on +the shoulders of men, as the jolting of a horse will soon kill them. + +[Illustration: "BREAKFAST IS READY."] + +After their bath, the boys returned with the Doctor to their breakfast +in the hotel. The breakfast was almost identical with the dinner of the +previous evening; and as their appetites were not set so sharply, the +consumption of food was not so great. After breakfast they went on a +stroll through the streets of the town and up the sharp hill where it is +built. The shops along the streets were filled with curiosities, made +principally from shells and other marine products; and the Doctor said +he was forcibly reminded of Naples, Genoa, and other seaport places +along the Mediterranean. There were numerous conch-shells; and Fred was +desirous of blowing them, until told by the Doctor that they had +probably been blown by many of the Japanese pilgrims, and he would run +the risk of contracting some troublesome disease which had been left +from the sores on their lips. So the boys were cautious, and politely +rejected the invitation of the dealers to make a trial of the sonorous +qualities of their wares. They bought a few small shells and some +pieces of shell jewelry, which would be sure to please the girls at +home. + +There are several small temples and shrines on the island, and the most +of them are in picturesque spots in the forest, or on crags that +overlook the sea. As they walked about they met parties of pilgrims on +their way to these shrines; and on the summit they found a shaded +resting-place, where some chairs had been set out on a cliff overlooking +the broad waters of the Pacific. Two or three servants were in +attendance, and our party thought they could not do better than stop +awhile and sip some of the fragrant tea of Japan. So they sat down, and +in a few moments the tea was before them. The tea-house was not a large +one, and, as Frank expressed it, the most of the house was out of doors +and under the shade of the trees. + +As every one knows who has read about the country, Japan contains a +great many tea-houses, or places of rest and refreshment. They are to +Japan what the beer-hall is to Germany, the wine-shop to France, or the +whiskey-saloon to America, with the difference in their favor that they +are much more numerous, and patronized by all classes of people. The +first visitors to Japan came away with erroneous notions about the +character of the tea-house, and these errors have found their way into +books on the country and been repeated many times, to the great scandal +of the people of the empire of the Mikado. The truth is that the +tea-house is a perfectly reputable and correct place in nineteen cases +out of twenty. It may have a bad character in the twentieth instance, +just as there is now and then a hotel in New York or other city that is +the resort of thieves and various bad persons. Nearly all classes of +people in Japan, who can afford to do so, resort to the tea-houses, +either in the hot hours of the day or in the evening. One can purchase, +in addition to tea, a variety of light refreshments, and the building is +almost invariably well ventilated and prettily situated. A person may +sit in public if he wishes, or he may have one of the rooms partitioned +off for himself and be quite secluded. The rooms are made, as in the +hotels and other houses, by means of paper partitions, and can be formed +with great rapidity. + +[Illustration: INTERIOR OF A TEA-GARDEN.] + +At Tokio, Osaka, Kioto, and other large and wealthy cities many of the +tea-houses are so extensive that they take the name of gardens, and +cover large areas of ground. The attendants are invariably girls, and +the number is by no means niggardly. They are selected for their +intelligence and good-looks, as the business of the house depends +considerably upon the attractiveness of the servants. Their movements +are graceful, and a Japanese tea-house, with its bevy of attendants, is +no unpleasant sight. Foreigners in Japan are liberal patrons of the +tea-houses, and many a stranger has found a cordial welcome within the +walls of one of these popular establishments. + +[Illustration: THE PATH IN ENOSHIMA.] + +From the tea-house at the top of the hill, Doctor Bronson led the way +down a steep path to the sea. At the end of the path, and opening upon +the sea, there is a cavern which the Japanese consider sacred. Formerly +they would not allow a stranger to enter the cavern for fear of +polluting it; but at present they make no opposition, for the double +reason that they have found the cave remains as if nothing had happened, +and, moreover, the stranger is so willing to pay for the privilege of +exploration that a considerable sum is annually obtained from him. When +the tide is in, the cave can only be entered by means of a boat; but at +low-water one can creep along a narrow ledge of rock where a pathway has +been cut, which he can follow to the terminus. Our party engaged a guide +with torches, and were taken to the end of the cave, where they found a +hideous-looking idol that was the presiding divinity of the place. A +shrine had been erected here, and when it was lighted up the appearance +was fairly imposing. The pilgrims consider it a pious duty to visit this +shrine whenever they come to the island, and it has become quite famous +throughout Japan. + +The boys were not inclined to stay long in the cave, as the sound of the +waters beating in at the entrance was almost deafening. They very soon +sought the open air, where a new entertainment awaited them. There was a +group of men and boys on the rocks at the entrance of the cavern, and +they called to the strangers to throw coins into the water and see how +soon they could be recovered by diving. Frank threw a small piece of +silver into the clear water of the Pacific, and in an instant half a +dozen boys sprang for it. One of them caught it before it reached the +bottom, and came up with the piece in his mouth. Several coins were +thrown, with a similar result; and finally it was proposed to let the +money reach the bottom before the divers started. This was done, and, as +the depth was about twelve feet, the work of finding the bit of silver +was not very easy. But it was found and brought to the surface; and +after the divers had been complimented on their skill, our friends moved +on. It is hardly necessary to add that the money thrown into the water +became the property of the youth who secured it; though it was rumored +that the divers were associated, and everything obtained went into a +common purse. The Oriental people are famous for their guilds, or labor +and trade associations, and nearly every occupation in life is under the +control of a guild, which has very arbitrary rules. It is not at all +impossible that the boys who dive for small coins at Enoshima are under +the control of an association, and that its rules and regulations may +have been in force for hundreds of years. + +As the walk through the woods would have been fatiguing, and it was near +the middle of the day, when the sun was high and the heat severe, Doctor +Bronson engaged a boat to take the party back to the hotel. They +returned safely, and, after resting awhile, went on another walk, in a +direction slightly different from the first. + +[Illustration: A GROUP OF JAPANESE LADIES.] + +They soon found themselves among the huts of the fishermen, and the +quantity of fish that lay around in various stages of preparation told +that the business was not without prosperity. In a secluded part of the +island they came upon a pretty summer-house, where a wealthy citizen of +Tokio spent the hot months of the year. Through the gateway of the +garden they had a glimpse of a group of three ladies that were evidently +out for an airing. Frank thought he had never seen a prettier group in +all his life, and while he looked at them he whispered his opinion to +Fred. + +Fred agreed with him, and then added, "I tell you what, Frank, we'll get +three dresses just like those, if they don't cost too much; and when we +get home, we'll have Miss Effie and your sister and my sister put them +on. Then we'll arrange the garden to look like that one as much as +possible, with a little furnace and teapot in front of the girls, and +the pedestal of a statue near them. Won't that be nice?" + +Frank agreed that it would, and, lest he should forget the arrangement +of the group, he made a rough sketch of the scene, and said they could +rely upon photographs for the costumes and their colors. If they got the +dresses, the girls could easily arrange them with the aid of the +pictures. + +When the sketch was finished, they returned to the hotel. The tide was +now out, and so the Doctor settled their account and they started for +Yokohama, following the most direct route, and making no halts for +sight-seeing. They arrived late in the evening, well pleased with their +excursion to Dai-Boots and Enoshima, and determined to give their +friends at home a full and faithful account of what they had seen and +learned. + +[Illustration: SPECIMEN OF GROTESQUE DRAWING BY A JAPANESE ARTIST.] + + + + +CHAPTER XIII. + +ON THE ROAD TO FUSIYAMA. + + +The morning after their return from Enoshima was mostly spent at the +hotel, as all three of the excursionists were somewhat fatigued with +their journey. The boys embraced the opportunity to ask the Doctor the +meaning of certain things they had observed in Japan, and which had not +been brought up in conversation. + +"For one thing," said Frank, "why is it that so many of the people, the +coolies especially, have large scars on their skins, as if they had been +burned. There is hardly a coolie I have seen that is without them, and +one of the men that drew my jin-riki-sha to Enoshima had his legs +covered with scars, and also a fresh sore on each leg." + +"Those scars," the Doctor answered, "are from the moxa, which is used to +some extent in medical practice in Europe and America. Don't you +remember that when your uncle Charles had a disease of the spine the +doctors applied a hot iron to his back, along each side of the +backbone?" + +"Certainly, I remember that," Frank replied; "and it cured him, too." + +"Well, that was the moxa. It is not very often used in our country, nor +in Europe, but it is very common in Japan." + +"I should think it would be a very painful remedy," Fred remarked, "and +that a man would be quite unwilling to have it applied." + +"That is the case," answered the Doctor, "with us, but it is not so +here. The Japanese take the moxa as calmly as we would swallow a pill, +and with far less opposition than some of us make to a common blister. + +"They take the moxa for nearly everything, real or imaginary. Sometimes +they have the advice of a doctor, but oftener they go to a priest, who +makes a mark on them where the burn is to be applied; then they go to a +man who sells the burning material, and he puts it on as a druggist with +us would fill up a prescription." + +"What do they use for the burning?" + +"They have a little cone the size of the intended blister. It is made +of the pith of a certain tree, and burns exactly like the punk with +which all boys in the country are familiar. It is placed over the spot +to be cauterized, and is then lighted from a red-hot coal. It burns +slowly and steadily down, and in a few minutes the patient begins to +squirm, and perhaps wish he had tried some milder mode of cure. +Sometimes he has half a dozen of these things burning at once, and I +have seen them fully an inch in diameter. + +"Nearly every native has himself cauterized as often as once a year by +way of precaution; and if he does not feel well some morning, he is very +likely to go to the temple and have an application of the moxa. It is +even applied to very young children. I have seen an infant not a month +old lying across its mother's knee while another woman was amusing +herself by burning a couple of these pith cones on the abdomen of the +child. He objected to the operation by screaming and kicking with all +his might, but it was of no use. The moxa was considered good for him, +and he was obliged to submit." + +"Another thing," said Fred--"why is it that the grooms are covered with +tattoo-marks, and wear so little clothing?" + +"I cannot say exactly why it is," the Doctor replied, "further than that +such is the custom. If you ask a Japanese for the reason, he will answer +that it is the old custom, and I can hardly say more than he would. + +[Illustration: BETTOS, OR GROOMS, IN FULL DRESS.] + +"But the grooms, or 'bettos,' as the Japanese call them, are not the +only ones who indulge in tattooing. You will see many of the 'sendos,' +or boat-coolies, thus marked, but in a less degree than the bettos. +Perhaps it is because the grooms are obliged to run so much, and +consequently wish to lay aside all garments. As they must wear +something, they have their skins decorated in this way, and thus have a +suit of clothing always about them. + +"And, speaking of these grooms, it is astonishing at what a pace they +can run, and how long they will keep it up. You may go out with your +carriage or on horseback, and, no matter how rapidly you go, the groom +will be always at your side, and ready to take the bridle of your horse +the moment you halt. They are powerful fellows, but their reputation for +honesty is not first-class." + +Conversation ran on various topics for an hour or more, and then Doctor +Bronson announced that he would go out for a while, and hoped to give +them some interesting information on his return. The boys busied +themselves with their journals, and in this way a couple of hours +slipped along without their suspecting how rapidly the time was flying. +They were still occupied when the Doctor returned. + +"Well, my boys," he said, "you must be ready for another journey +to-morrow. And it will be much longer and more fatiguing than the one we +have just made." + +"Where are we going, please?" said Frank. + +"I have arranged to go to Hakone and Fusiyama," the Doctor replied; "and +if we get favorable weather, and are not too tired when we arrive, we +will go to the summit of the mountain." + +Frank and Fred clapped their hands with delight, and thought of nothing +else for some minutes than the journey to Fusiyama. It was an excursion +they had wanted very much to make, and which very few visitors to Japan +think of attempting. And now Doctor Bronson had arranged it for them, +and they were to be off the next morning. Could anything be more +fortunate? + +The arrangement for the journey was somewhat more serious than the one +for Enoshima. It would take several days, and for a considerable part of +the way the accommodations were entirely Japanese. This might do for a +trip of a day or two where no unusual fatigue was to be expected; but in +a tour of considerable length, where there was likely to be much hard +work, and consequently much exhaustion, it was necessary to make the +most complete preparations. The Doctor foresaw this, and arranged his +plans accordingly. + +A Japanese who had been with parties to the holy mountain, and +understood the ways and wants of the foreigners, had made a contract to +accompany our friends to Fusiyama. He was to supply them with the +necessary means of conveyance, servants, provisions, and whatever else +they wanted. The contract was carefully drawn, and it was agreed that +any points in dispute should be decided by a gentleman in Yokohama on +their return. + +They were off at an early hour, and, as before, their route was along +the Tokaido. The provisions and other things had been sent on ahead +during the night, and they did not see them until they came to the place +where they were to sleep. They took a light meal before starting from +Yokohama, and found a substantial breakfast waiting for them at +Totsooka. Their host was a famous character in the East--an English +actor who had drifted through China and Japan, and finally settled down +here as a hotel-keeper. + +"I met George Pauncefort in China years ago," said the Doctor, as they +entered the hotel; "I wonder if he will recognize me." + +George greeted the travellers with all the dignity of an emperor +saluting an embassy from a brother emperor, and wished them welcome to +his roof and all beneath it. Then he straightened up to the very highest +line of erectness, and rested his gaze upon Doctor Bronson. + +For fully a minute he stood without moving a muscle, and then struck an +attitude of astonishment. + +"Can it be? Yes! No! Impossible!" he exclaimed. "Do my eyes deceive me? +No, they do not; it is; it must be he! it must! it must!" + +Then he shook hands with the Doctor, struck another attitude of +astonishment, and with the same Macbethian air turned to a servant and +told him to put the steaks and the chicken on the table. + +It is said by the residents of Yokohama, with whom the hotel at Totsooka +is a favorite resort, that George Pauncefort stirs an omelette as though +he were playing Hamlet, and his conception of Sir Peter Teazle is +manifested when he prepares a glass of stimulating fluid for a thirsty +patron. + +[Illustration: A JAPANESE LOOM.] + +Various industrial processes were visible as our party rode along. Some +women were weaving cotton at a native loom, and they halted the +jin-riki-shas a few moments to look at the process. The loom was a very +primitive affair, and the operator sat on the floor in front of it. A +man who appeared to be the chief of the establishment was calmly smoking +a pipe close by, and on the other side of the weaver a woman was winding +some cotton thread on a spool by means of a simple reel. After looking a +few moments at the loom, and the mode of weaving in Japan, the party +moved on. The boys had learned to say "Sayonara" on bidding farewell to +the Japanese, and they pronounced it on this occasion in the most +approved style. The Japanese salutation on meeting is "Ohio," and it is +pronounced exactly like the name of our Western state of which Columbus +is the capital. Everywhere the Japanese greet you with "Ohio," and a +stranger does not need to be long in the country to know how exceedingly +polite are the people we were accustomed only a few years ago to +consider as barbarians. + +There is a story current in Japan of a gentleman from Cincinnati who +arrived one evening in Yokohama, and the following morning went into the +country for a stroll. Everywhere the men, women, and children greeted +him with the customary salutation, "Ohio, ohio," and the word rang in +his ears till he returned to his hotel. + +He immediately sought the landlord and said, "I wish to ask if there is +anything in my personal appearance that indicates what part of the +States I am from." + +The landlord assured him that there was no peculiarity of his costume +that he could point out as any such indication. + +"And yet," answered the stranger, "all the Japanese have discovered it. +They knew me at a glance as a native of Ohio, as every one of them +invariably said 'Ohio' when I met them. And I must give them the credit +to say that they always did it very politely." + +He was somewhat astonished, and also a trifle disappointed, when he +learned the exact state of affairs. + +[Illustration: ARTISTS AT WORK.] + +They passed a house where some artists were at work with the tools of +their trade on the floor before them, forming a neat and curious +collection. There were little saucers filled with paints of various +colors, and the ever-present teapot with its refreshing contents. There +were three persons in the group, and they kept steadily at their +occupation without regarding the visitors who were looking at them. They +were engaged upon pictures on thin paper, intended for the ornamentation +of boxes for packing small articles of merchandise. Larger pictures are +placed on an easel, as with us, but the small ones are invariably held +in the hand. + +[Illustration: COOPERS HOOPING A VAT.] + +In front of a house by the roadside some coopers were hooping a vat, and +Frank instantly recognized the fidelity of a picture he had seen by a +native artist showing how the Japanese coopers performed their work. +They make excellent articles in their line, and sell them for an +astonishingly low price, when we compare them with similar things from +an American maker. The fidelity of the work is to be commended, and the +pails and tubs from their hands will last a long time without the least +necessity of repairs. + +Near the end of the first day's journey the party stopped at a Japanese +inn that had been previously selected by their conductor, and there they +found their baggage, and, what was quite as welcome, a substantial +dinner from the hands of the cook that had been sent on ahead of them. +They had sharp appetites, and the dinner was very much to their liking. +It was more foreign than Japanese, as it consisted largely of articles +from America; but there was a liberal supply of boiled rice, and the +savory stew of fish was not wanting. + +The boys were rather surprised when they sat down to a dinner at which +stewed oysters, green corn, and other things with which they were +familiar at home were smoking before them; and Fred remarked that the +Japanese cooking was not so unlike that of America, after all. Doctor +Bronson smiled and said the cooking was done in America, and all that +the Japanese cook had to do with the articles was to warm them up after +opening the cans. + +"And so these things come here in cans, do they?" Frank inquired. + +"Certainly," the Doctor responded, "these things come here in cans, and +a great many other things as well. They serve to make life endurable to +an American in a distant land like Japan, and they also serve to keep +him patriotic by constantly reminding him of home. + +"No one," he continued, "who has not been in foreign lands, or has no +direct connection with the business of canning our fruits, meats, and +vegetables, can have an idea of the extent of our trade in these things. +The invention of the process of preserving in a fresh state these +products which are ordinarily considered perishable has enabled us to +sell of our abundance, and supply the whole world with what the whole +world could not otherwise obtain. You may sit down to a dinner in Tokio +or Cairo, Calcutta or Melbourne, Singapore or Rome, and the entire meal +may consist of canned fish, canned meats, canned fruits, or canned +vegetables from the United States. A year or two ago the American consul +at Bangkok, Siam, gave a Christmas dinner at which everything on the +table was of home production, and a very substantial dinner it was." + +"I wonder what they had for dinner that day," said Fred, with a laugh. + +"As near as I can remember," the Doctor replied, "they began with oyster +and clam soup. Then they had boiled codfish and fresh salmon, and, as if +there were not fish enough, they had stewed eels. For meats they had +turkey, chicken, ham, a goose that had been put up whole, stewed beef, +roast beef, tongue, sausages, prairie chickens, ducks, and a few other +things; and as for vegetables and fruits, you can hardly name any +product of our gardens and orchards that they did not have before them. +For drinks they had American wines, American beer, American cider, and, +besides, they had honey just out of the comb that astonished everybody +with its freshness. All who were present pronounced the dinner as good +as any they had ever eaten, and it made them feel very patriotic to +think that everything came from home. + +"You can hardly go anywhere in the world where there is an approach to +civilization without finding our canned goods, as the merchants call +them. They are widely known and appreciated, and well deserve the +reputation they bear." + +This conversation went on while the party were engaged in the +consumption of the dinner, and the presence of many of the things named +gave it an additional point. When they were through dinner, they took a +short period of lounging on the veranda, and soon retired to rest. We +can be sure they slept well, for they had had a long and weary ride. + +They were off again early in the morning, and in a little while came to +the banks of a river which they were to cross. Frank looked for a +bridge, and saw none; then he looked for a ferry-boat, but none was +visible. + +"Well," he said, half to himself, "I wonder how we are to get over to +the other bank." + +"There are the boatmen, but no boats," said Fred, as he pointed to some +stalwart men who were sitting on the bank, and evidently waiting for +something to turn up. + +[Illustration: CROSSING THE RIVER.] + +The mystery was soon solved. The river was neither wide nor deep, and +the men they saw waiting by the bank were porters who carried people +across, and also carried merchandise. The stream was said to rise very +rapidly, and owing to the nature of the bottom it was difficult to +maintain a bridge there for any length of time. The porters took the +party across very speedily; they carried the servants by what the boys +called "pick-a-back," while Doctor Bronson and the boys were borne on +chairs resting on poles, with six men to each chair. Some horses +belonging to another party were led through the river at the same time, +and evidently were not pleased with the bath they were receiving. + +Frank wondered if accidents did not happen sometimes, and asked their +conductor about it. The latter told him that the Japanese law protected +the traveller by requiring the head of the porter in case a person +should be drowned in his charge. He said the law allowed no excuse, +and the porter must pay with his life for any accident. + +Frank thought it would be a good thing to have the same system in the +management of railways in America; but then he remembered that Miss +Effie's uncle, who lived in New York, was a director in a railway, and +perhaps it would be just as well to say nothing about his new discovery. +It might bring trouble into the family and lead to unpleasant remarks. + +Since the party made their excursion to Fusiyama a bridge has been built +over the river, and the occupation of the porters is gone. Some of them +cling to the hope that the river will one day rise in its might, and +protest against this invasion of its rights by sweeping away the +structure that spans it, thus compelling travellers to return to the +methods of the olden time. + +From the river they proceeded to Odiwara, where they had a rest of +several hours, as the town contained certain things that they wished to +see. They found that foreigners were not very numerous at Odiwara, and +there was considerable curiosity to see them. Whenever they halted in +front of a shop, or to look at anything, of interest, a crowd was +speedily collected; and the longer they stood, the greater it became. +But there was no impertinence, and not the least insult was offered to +them; there was a manifestation of good-natured curiosity, and nothing +more. Men, women, and children were equally respectful; and whenever +they pressed too closely it was only necessary for the guide to say that +the strangers were being inconvenienced, when the crowd immediately fell +back. Every day and hour of their stay in Japan confirmed our friends +more and more in the belief that there are no more polite people in the +world than the Japanese. + +[Illustration: MOTHER AND SON.] + +Fred tried to open a conversation with a boy who was evidently out for a +walk with his mother. The little fellow was somewhat shy at first, but +very soon he became entirely confident that the stranger would not harm +him, and he did his best to talk. They did not succeed very well in +their interchange of ideas, as neither could speak the language of the +other, and so they attempted an exchange of presents. Fred gave the +young native an American lead-pencil that opened and closed with a +screw, and received in return the fan which the youth carried in his +hand. Both appeared well pleased with the transaction, and after several +bows and "sayonaras" they separated. + +[Illustration: A FISHING PARTY.] + +Frank had several fish-hooks in his pockets, and was determined not to +be behind Fred in making a trade. His eye rested on a family group that +was evidently returning from a fishing excursion; the man was carrying +some fishing-tackle and a small bag, while the woman bore a basket of +fish on her head and held a child to her breast. A boy six or eight +years old was dragging a live tortoise by a string, and it occurred to +Frank to free the tortoise from captivity. + +So he produced one of his fish-hooks, and intimated that he would give +it for the captive. There was a brief conversation between father and +son, which resulted in the desired exchange. Frank handed the tortoise +over to the guide, with instructions to set it free at a favorable time +and place. The latter complied by delivering the prize to the cook as an +agreeable addition to the bill of fare for the next meal. So the freedom +of the tortoise was not exactly the kind that his liberator had +intended. + +But there was an unforeseen result to this transaction, for it was soon +noised about among the small boys that the foreigners were giving +fish-hooks for tortoises; and as there was a good supply of the latter, +and not a good one of the former, there was a public anxiety to benefit +by the newly opened commerce. In less than half an hour there was a +movement in the market that assumed serious importance, and Frank found +himself in the character of a merchant in a foreign land. He became the +owner of nearly a dozen of the kindred of his first purchase, and would +have kept on longer had not his stock-in-trade given out. The guide took +the purchases in charge, and they followed the fate of the pioneer in +the business in finding their way to the cooking-pot. When the traffic +was ended, and the Japanese urchins found that the market was closed, +they pronounced their "sayonaras" and withdrew as quietly as they had +come. + +From Odiwara the roads were worse than they had found them thus far. +They had come by jin-riki-shas from Yokohama, and had had no trouble; +but from this place onward they were told that the roads were not +everywhere practicable for wheeled carriages. The Japanese are improving +their roads every year, and therefore a description for one season does +not exactly indicate the character of another. Anybody who reads this +story and then goes to Japan may find good routes where formerly there +were only impassable gorges, and hotels and comfortable lodging-houses +where, only a year before, there was nothing of the kind. In no country +in the world at the present time, with the possible exception of the +Western States of North America, are the changes so rapid as in the land +of the Mikado. Wheeled carriages were practically unknown before +Commodore Perry landed on Japanese soil, and the railway was an +innovation undreamed of in the Japanese philosophy. Now wheeled vehicles +are common, and the railway is a popular institution, that bids fair to +extend its benefits in many directions. Progress, progress, progress, is +the motto of the Japan of to-day. + +Besides the natural desire to see Odiwara, the party had another reason +for their delay, which was to give the conductor time to engage cangos +for their transport in such localities as would not admit of the +jin-riki-sha. We will see by-and-by what the cango is. + +[Illustration: THE MAN THEY MET.] + +The boys had been much amused at the appearance of a Japanese they met +on the road just before reaching Odiwara, and wondered if they would be +obliged to adopt that mode of riding before they finished their journey. +The man in question was seated on a horse, not in the way in which we +are accustomed to sit, but literally on the back of the animal. His +baggage was fastened around him behind and on each side, and he was +rather uncomfortably crouched (at least, so it seemed to Fred) on a flat +pad like the one used by a circus-rider. A servant led the horse, and +the pace was a walking one. Altogether, the appearance of the man was +decidedly ludicrous, and the boys were somewhat surprised to learn that +this was the ordinary way of travelling on horseback in the olden time. + +Before the arrival of foreigners in Japan it was not the fashion for a +traveller to be in a hurry, and, even at the present time, it is not +always easy to make a native understand the value of a day or an hour. A +man setting out on a journey did not concern himself about the time he +would consume on the road; if the weather was unfavorable, he was +perfectly willing to rest for an indefinite period, and it mattered +little if he occupied three weeks in making a journey that could be +covered in one. In matters of business the Japanese have not yet learned +the importance of time, and the foreign merchants complain greatly of +the native dilatoriness. A Japanese will make a contract to deliver +goods at a certain date; on the day appointed, or perhaps a week or two +later, he will inform the other party to the agreement that he will not +be ready for a month or two, and he is quite unable to comprehend the +indignation of the disappointed merchant. He demurely says, "I can't +have the goods ready," and does not realize that he has given any cause +for anger. Time is of no consequence to him, and he cannot understand +that anybody else should have any regard for it. The Japanese are every +year becoming more and more familiarized with the foreign ways of +business, and will doubtless learn, after a while, the advantages of +punctuality. + + + + +CHAPTER XIV. + +THE ASCENT OF FUSIYAMA. + + +They did not get far from Odiwara before it was necessary to leave the +jin-riki-shas and take to the cangos. These were found waiting for them +where the road ended and the footpath began, and the boys were delighted +at the change from the one mode of conveyance to the other. Doctor +Bronson did not seem to share their enthusiasm, as he had been in a +cango before and did not care for additional experience. He said that +cango travelling was very much like eating crow--a man might do it if he +tried, but he was not very likely to "hanker after it." + +[Illustration: TRAVELLING BY CANGO.] + +It required some time for them to get properly stowed in their new +conveyances, as they needed considerable instruction to know how to +double their legs beneath them. And even when they knew how, it was not +easy to make their limbs curl into the proper positions and feel at +home. Frank thought it would be very nice if he could unscrew his legs +and put them on the top of the cango, where he was expected to place his +boots; and Fred declared that if he could not do that, the next best +thing would be to have legs of India-rubber. The cango is a box of light +bamboo, with curtains that can be kept up or down, according to one's +pleasure. The seat is so small that you must curl up in a way very +uncomfortable for an American, but not at all inconvenient for a +Japanese. It has a cushion, on which the traveller sits, and the top is +so low that it is impossible to maintain an erect position. It has been +in use for hundreds of years in Japan, and is not a great remove from +the palanquin of India, though less comfortable. The body of the machine +is slung from a pole, and this pole is upheld by a couple of coolies. +The men move at a walk, and every few hundred feet they stop, rest the +pole on their staffs, and shift from one shoulder to the other. This +resting is a ticklish thing for the traveller, as the cango sways from +side to side, and gives an intimation that it is liable to fall to the +ground. It does fall sometimes, and the principal consolation in such an +event is that it does not have far to go. + +[Illustration: JAPANESE NORIMON.] + +A more aristocratic vehicle of this kind is the norimon. The norimon is +larger than the cango, and is completely closed in at the sides, so that +it may be taken as a faint imitation of our covered carriages. The +princes of Japan used to travel in norimons; and they are still employed +in some parts of the empire, though becoming less and less common every +year. The norimon has four bearers, instead of two, and, consequently, +there is much more dignity attached to its use. The rate of progress is +about the same as with the cango, and after several hours in one of them +a foreigner feels very much as if he were a sardine and had been packed +away in a can. It was always considered a high honor to be the bearer of +a princely personage; and when the great man came out in state, with his +army of retainers to keep the road properly cleared, the procession was +an imposing one. The style and decorations of the norimon were made to +correspond with the rank of the owner, and his coat-of-arms was painted +on the outside, just as one may see the coats-of-arms on private +carriages in London or Paris. When a prince or other great man expected +a distinguished visitor, he used to send his private norimon out a short +distance on the road to meet him. + +[Illustration: FRANK'S POSITION.] + +The boys tried all possible positions in the cangos, in the hope of +finding some way that was comfortable. Frank finally settled down into +what he pronounced the least uncomfortable mode of riding, and Fred soon +followed his example. They had taken open cangos, so as to see as much +of the country as possible and have the advantage of whatever air was in +circulation; and but for the inconvenience to their lower limbs, they +would have found it capital fun. Frank doubled himself so that his feet +were as high as his head; he gave his hat into the care of the +conductor, and replaced it with a cloth covering, so that he looked not +much unlike a native. His bearers found him rather unwieldy, as he +frequently moved about, and thus disturbed the equilibrium of the load. +To ride properly in a cango or a norimon, one should not move a muscle +from the time he enters till he leaves the vehicle. This may do for the +phlegmatic Oriental, but is torture for a foreigner, and especially for +an American. + +Doctor Bronson was a tall man, and could not fold himself with as much +facility as could the more supple youths. He rode a mile or so and then +got out and walked; and he continued thus to alternate as long as they +were travelling in this way. He was emphatic in declaring that the way +to ride in a cango and enjoy it thoroughly was to walk behind it, and +let somebody else take the inside of the vehicle. + +Their journey brought them to Hakone, which has long been a favorite +summer resort of the Japanese, and of late years is much patronized by +foreigners. Those who can afford the time go there from Yokohama, Tokio, +and other open ports of Japan; and during July and August there is quite +a collection of English and Americans, and of other foreign +nationalities. The missionaries, who have been worn down and broken in +health by their exhaustive labors in the seaports during the winter, +find relief and recuperation at Hakone as the summer comes on. There +they gather new strength for their toils by breathing the pure air of +the mountains and climbing the rugged paths, and they have abundant +opportunities for doing good among the natives that reside there. + +[Illustration: HOT BATH IN THE MOUNTAINS.] + +Before reaching Hakone it was necessary to traverse a mountain pass, by +ascending a very steep road to the summit and then descending another. +In the wildest part of the mountains they came to a little village, +which has a considerable fame for its hot springs. The boys had a fancy +to bathe in these springs, and, as the coolies needed a little rest +after their toilsome walk, it was agreed to halt awhile. There were +several of the springs, and the water was gathered in pools, which had +a very inviting appearance and increased the desire of our friends to +try them. They went into one of the small rooms provided for the +purpose, removed their clothing, and then plunged in simultaneously. +They came out instantly, and without any request to do so by the Doctor, +who stood laughing at the edge of the pool. For their skins the water +was almost scalding-hot, though it was far otherwise to the Japanese. +The Japanese are very fond of hot baths, and will bathe in water of a +temperature so high that a foreigner cannot endure it except after long +practice. The baths here in the mountains were just suited to the native +taste; and Frank said they would be suited to his taste as well if they +could have a few blocks of ice thrown into them. + +[Illustration: A JAPANESE BATH.] + +Public and private baths are probably more numerous in Japan than in any +other country. The qualities of most of the natural sources are well +known, and thousands flock to them every year to be cured of real or +imaginary maladies. The country contains a great number of these +springs; and, since the arrival of foreigners, and a careful analysis of +the waters, certain properties have been discovered that were not known +before. In some cases the curative powers of the Japanese springs are +remarkable, and it has been predicted that patients will one day come to +Japan from distant lands to be healed. + +[Illustration: THE LAKE OF HAKONE.] + +The Lake of Hakone is a beautiful sheet of water, not unlike Lake +Tahoe in California--an aquatic gem in a setting of rugged mountains. +These are not lofty, like the mountains of the Golden State, so far as +their elevation above the lake is concerned; but they rise directly from +the water, and present nearly everywhere a bold frontage. The surface of +the lake is said to be more than six thousand feet above the level of +the sea; and the water is clear and cold. Our young friends tried a bath +in the lake, and found it as inconveniently cold as the springs had been +inconveniently warm. "Some people are never satisfied," said Fred, when +Frank was complaining about the temperature of the water in the lake. +"You wouldn't be contented with the springs because they boiled you, and +now you say the lake freezes you. Perhaps we'll find something by-and-by +that will come to the point." + +The boys had observed that the farther they penetrated from Yokohama and +Tokio, the less did they find the people affected in their dress and +manners by the presence of the foreigners. Particularly was this the +case with the women. They had seen in the open ports a good many women +with blackened teeth; and the farther they went inland, the greater did +they find the proportion of the fair sex who had thus disfigured +themselves. So at the first opportunity they asked the Doctor about the +custom. + +"I know," said Frank, "that it is the married women that blacken their +teeth; but how does it happen that there are so many more married ones +here than on the shores of Yeddo Bay?" + +"You are wrong there," answered the Doctor; "there is probably as large +a proportion of married women in the one region as in the other. The +difference is that the custom is rapidly falling off." + +"Is there any law about it?" Fred inquired. + +"Not in the least," Doctor Bronson explained. "It is an old custom for +married women to blacken their teeth, and formerly it was most rigidly +observed; but of late years, since the foreigners came to Japan, it has +not been adhered to. The Japanese see that a married woman can get along +without having her teeth discolored, and as they are inclined to fall +into the customs of Europe, the most progressive of them not only +permit, but require, their wives to keep their teeth white." + +"That is one point," said Frank, "in which I think the Japanese have +gained by adopting the European custom. I don't think it improves their +appearance to put on European clothes instead of their own; but when it +comes to this habit of blackening the teeth, it is absolutely hideous." + +From this assertion there was no dissent. Then the question naturally +arose, "How is the operation performed?" + +Doctor Bronson explained that it was done by means of a black paint or +varnish, peculiar to Japan. The paint was rubbed on the teeth with a rag +or stiff brush, and made the gums very sore at first. It remained quite +bright and distinct for the first few days, but in the course of a week +it faded, and by the end of ten or twelve days a renewal was necessary. +If left to itself, the coloring would disappear altogether within a +month from the time of its application. + +Frank wished to know if the women were desirous of having the custom +abolished, but on this point it was not easy for him to obtain precise +information. The Doctor thought it was a matter of individual rather +than of general preference, and that the views of the women were largely +influenced by those of their husbands. "The Japanese wives," said he, +"are like the wives of most other countries, and generally wish to do +according to the tastes and desires of their husbands. As you grow older +you will find that the women of all lands endeavor to suit their modes +of dressing and adornment to the wishes of the men with whom they come +mostly in contact; of course, there are individual exceptions, but they +do not weaken the force of the general rule. In America as in England, +in China as in Japan, in India as in Peru, it is the fancy of the men +that governs the dress and personal decoration of the other half of the +race. As long as it was the fashion to blacken the teeth in this +country, the women did it without a murmur; but as soon as the men +showed a willingness for them to discontinue the practice, and +especially when that willingness became a desire, they began to +discontinue it. Twenty years from this time, I imagine, the women with +blackened teeth will be less numerous than those at present with white +ones. + +"The abandonment of the custom began in the open ports, and is spreading +through the country. It will spread in exactly the same ratio as Japan +adopts other customs and ways of the rest of the world; and as fast as +she takes on our Western civilization, just so fast will she drop such +of her forms as are antagonistic to it." + +[Illustration: ANTICS OF THE HORSES.] + +The party rested a portion of a day at Hakone, and then went on their +way. Travelling by cango had become so wearisome that they engaged a +horse-train for a part of the way, and had themselves and their baggage +carried on the backs of Japanese steeds. They found this an improvement +on the old plan, though the horses were rather more unruly than the +cango coolies, and frequently made a serious disturbance. Occasionally, +when the train was ready to start, the beasts would indulge in a general +kicking-match all around, to the great detriment of their burdens, +whether animate or otherwise. The best and gentlest horses had been +selected for riding, and consequently the greatest amount of circus +performances was with the baggage animals. The grooms had all they +wished to attend to to keep the beasts under subjection, and not +infrequently they came out of the contest with gashes and other +blemishes on their variegated skins. But they showed great courage in +contending with the vicious brutes, and it is said of a Japanese betto +that he will fearlessly attack the most ill-tempered horse in the +country, and not be satisfied till he has conquered him. + +There are several populous towns between Hakone and the base of +Fusiyama. Among them may be mentioned Missimi, Noomads, and Harra, none +of them containing any features of special importance after the other +places our friends had seen. Consequently our party did not halt there +any longer than was necessary for the ordinary demands of the journey, +but pushed on to the foot of the Holy Peak. As they approached it they +met many pilgrims returning from the ascent, and their general +appearance of fatigue did not hold out a cheering prospect to the +excursionists. But they had come with the determination to make the +journey to the summit of the mountain, and were not to be frightened at +trifles. They were full of enthusiasm, for the great mountain showed +more distinctly every hour as they approached it, and its enormous and +symmetrical cone was pushed far up into the sky, and literally pierced +the clouds. At times the clouds blew away; the sunlight streamed full +upon the lofty mass of ever-during stone, and seemed to warm it into a +tropical heat. But the snow lying unmelted in the ravines dispelled the +illusion, and they knew that they must encounter chilling winds, and +perhaps biting frosts, as they ascended to the higher altitudes. + +[Illustration: A NEAR VIEW OF FUSIYAMA.] + +There lay the great Fusiyama, the holy mountain of Japan, which they +had come so many thousand miles to see. In the afternoon the clouds +rolled at its base, but the cone, barren as a hill in the great desert, +was uncovered, and all the huge furrows of its sloping sides were +distinctly to be seen. Close at hand were forests of the beautiful cedar +of Japan, fields of waving corn, and other products of agriculture. Not +far off were the waters of the bay that sweeps in from the ocean to near +the base of the famous landmark for the mariners who approach this part +of the coast. Now and then the wind brought to their ears the roar of +the breakers, as they crashed upon the rocks, or rolled along the open +stretches of sandy beach. + +[Illustration: IN A STORM NEAR FUSIYAMA.] + +Hitherto they had been favored by the weather, but now a rain came on +that threatened to detain them for an indefinite period. It blew in +sharp gusts that sometimes seemed ready to lift the roof from the house +where they were lodged. The conductor explained that these storms were +frequent at the base of the mountain, and were supposed by the ignorant +and superstitions inhabitants of the region to be the exhibition of the +displeasure of the deities of Fusiyama in consequence of something that +had been done by those who professed to worship them. "When the gods are +angry," said he, "we have storms, and when they are in good-humor we +have fair weather. If it is very fine, we know they are happy; and when +the clouds begin to gather, we know something is wrong, and it depends +upon the amount of sacrifices and prayers that we offer whether the +clouds clear away without a storm or not." + +Near the foot of the mountain there are several monasteries, where the +pilgrims are lodged and cared for when making their religious visits to +the God of Fusiyama. Some of these are of considerable importance, and +are far from uncomfortable as places of residence. Our party spent the +night at one of these monastic settlements, which was called Muriyama, +and was the last inhabited spot on the road. And as they were +considerably fatigued by the ride, and a day more or less in their +journey would not make any material difference, they wisely concluded to +halt until the second morning, so as to have all their forces fully +restored. Frank said, "This day doesn't count, as we are to do nothing +but rest; and if we want to rest, we must not see anything." So they did +not try to see anything; but the Doctor was careful to make sure that +their conductor made all the necessary preparations for the ascent. + +Early on the second morning after their arrival, they started for the +final effort. They rode their horses as far as the way was practicable, +and then proceeded on foot. Their baggage was mostly left in charge of +the grooms to await their return, and such provisions and articles as +they needed were carried by "yamabooshees," or "men of the mountain," +whose special business it is to accompany travellers to the summit, and +to aid them where the way is bad, or in case they become weary. If a +person chooses, he may be carried all the way to the top of the mountain +and back again; but such an arrangement was not to the taste of our +robust adventurers. They were determined to walk, and walk they did, in +spite of the entreaties of the coolies who wanted to earn something by +transporting them. In addition to the yamabooshees, they had an escort +of two "yoboos," or priests, from one of the temples. These men were not +expected to carry burdens, but simply to serve as guides, as they were +thoroughly familiar with the road and knew all its peculiarities. + +The first part of their way was through a forest, but, as they ascended, +the trees became smaller and fewer, and their character changed. At the +base there were pines and oaks, but they gradually made way for beeches +and birches, the latter being the last because the hardiest. From the +forest they emerged upon the region of barren rock and earth and the +fragments left by the eruptions of the volcano. The last eruption took +place in 1707, and there have been few signs of any intention of +returning activity since that date. But all around there are abundant +traces of what the mountain was when it poured out its floods of lava +and covered large areas with desolation. In some places the heaps of +scoriæ appear as though the eruption, whence they came, had been but a +week ago, as they are above the line of vegetation, and their character +is such that they undergo hardly any change from the elements from one +century to another. + +This part of Japan, and, in fact, the whole of Japan, has a good deal of +volcanic fire pent up beneath it. Earthquakes are of frequent +occurrence, and sometimes they are very destructive; whole towns have +been destroyed by them, and as for the little ones that do no material +damage, but simply give things a general shaking-up, they are so +frequent as to be hardly noticeable. That there is an underground +relation between the disturbances in different parts of the country is +evident, and the tradition is that at the time of the last eruption of +Fusiyama the ground rose considerably in the vicinity of the mountain, +while there was a corresponding depression of the earth near Kioto, on +the other side of the island. Occasionally there are slight rumblings in +the interior of Fusiyama, but none of them are serious enough to excite +any alarm. + +From the place where our friends left their horses to the summit the +distance is said to be not far from twenty miles, but it is not exactly +the equivalent of twenty miles on a level turnpike or a paved street. +Frank said it reminded him of a very muddy road somewhere in California, +which a traveller described as nine miles long, ten feet wide, and three +feet deep; and he thought a fair description of the way up the mountain +would include the height and roughness as well as the length. + +[Illustration: ASCENT OF FUSIYAMA.] + +The path wound among the rocks and scoriæ, and through the beds of lava. +Altogether they found the ascent a most trying one, and sometimes half +wished that they had left the visit to Fusiyama out of their +calculations when they were planning how to use their time in Japan. But +it was too late to turn back now, and they kept on and on, encouraging +each other with cheering words, stopping frequently to take breath and +to look at the wonderful panorama that was unfolded to their gaze. The +air grew light and lighter as they went on, and by-and-by the periods +when they halted, panting and half suffocated, became as long as those +devoted to climbing. They experienced the same difficulty that all +travellers encounter at high elevations, and Fred remembered what he had +read of Humboldt's ascent of the high peaks of the Andes, where the +lungs seemed ready to burst and the blood spurted from the faces of +himself and his companions in consequence of the rarity of the +atmosphere. + +About every two miles along the way they found little huts or caves, +partly dug in the mass of volcanic rubbish, and partly built up, with +roofs to protect the interior from the rain. These were intended as +refuges for the pilgrims for passing the night or resting during storms, +and had no doubt been of great service to those who preceded them. At +one of these they halted for luncheon, which they took from the pack +of one of their bearers, and later on they halted at another to pass the +night. It is considered too great a journey to be made in a single day, +except by persons of unusual vigor and long accustomed to +mountain-climbing. The customary plan is to pass a night on the mountain +when little more than half way up, and then to finish the ascent, and +make the whole of the descent on the second day. + +It was cold that night in the upper air, and there was a strong wind +blowing that chilled our young friends to the bone. The sleeping +accommodations were not of the best, as there were no beds, and they had +nothing but the rugs and shawls they had brought along from the foot of +the mountain. Fred asked if there was any danger of their being +disturbed by tigers or snakes, and was speedily reassured by Frank, who +thought that any well-educated beast or serpent would never undertake a +pilgrimage to the top of Fusiyama; and if one should have strayed as far +as their resting-place, he would be too much played out to attend to any +business. But though large game did not abound, there was plenty of a +smaller kind, as they found before they had been ten minutes in the +huts. Previous visitors had left a large and well-selected assortment of +fleas, for which they had no further use, and their activity indicated +that they had been for some time without food. They made things lively +for the strangers, and what with chilling winds, hard beds, cramped +quarters, and the voracity of the permanent inhabitants of the place, +there was little sleep in that hut during the time of their stay. + +They were up before daylight, and, while the coffee was boiling, the +boys watched the approach of morning. They looked far out over the +waters of the Pacific, to where a thin line of light was curving around +the rim of the horizon. At first it was so faint that it took a sharp +eye to discover it, but as they watched and as the day advanced it grew +more and more distinct, till it rounded out like a segment of the great +circle engirdling the globe. The gleam of light became a glow that +seemed to warm the waters of the shimmering ocean and flash a message of +friendship from their home in another land; the heavens became purple, +then scarlet, then golden, and gradually changed to the whiteness of +silver. Far beneath them floated the fleecy clouds, and far beneath +these were the hills of Hakone and the surrounding plain. Land and sea +were spread as in a picture, and the world seemed to be lying at their +feet. The boys stood spellbound and silent as they watched the opening +day from the heights of Fusiyama, and finally exclaimed in a breath that +they were doubly paid for all the fatigue they had passed through in +their journey thus far. + +The light breakfast was taken, and the adventurers moved on. At each +step the way grew more and more difficult. Every mile was steeper than +its predecessor, and in many instances it was rougher. The rarefaction +of the air increased, and rendered the work of breathing more and more +severe. The travellers panted like frightened deer, and their lungs +seemed to gain little relief from the rest that the Doctor and his young +friends were compelled to take at frequent intervals. The last of the +huts of refuge was passed, and it seemed only a short distance to the +summit. But it required more than an hour's effort to accomplish this +final stage. The boys refused all offers of assistance, and struggled +manfully on; but Doctor Branson was less confident of his powers, and +was glad of the aid of the strong-limbed and strong-handed yamabooshees. +All were glad enough to stand on the summit and gaze into the deep gulf +of the crater, while their brows were cooled by the clear breezes from +the Pacific. They were at the top of Fusiyama, 14,000 feet above the +level of the ocean that lay so far below them, eighty miles from their +starting-point at Yokohama, and their vision swept an area of the +surface of the earth nearly two hundred miles in diameter. East and +south lay the broad ocean. West and north was the wondrous land of +Japan, a carpet of billowy green, roughened here and there with wooded +hills and small mountains, indented with bays and with silver threads of +rivers meandering through it. It was a picture of marvellous beauty +which no pen can describe. + +They remained an hour or more on the mountain, and then began the +descent. It was far easier than the upward journey, but was by no means +a pleasurable affair. The boys slipped and fell several times, but, +luckily, received no severe hurts; and in little more than three hours +from the top they were at the spot where the horses were waiting for +them. Altogether, they had been through about twelve hours of the +hardest climbing they had ever known in their lives. Frank said he +didn't want to climb any more mountains for at least a year, and Fred +quite agreed with him. As they descended from their saddles at Muriyama, +they were stiff and sore, and could hardly stand. They threw their arms +around each other, and Frank said: + +"The proudest day of my life--I've been to the top of Fusiyama." + +"And it's my proudest day, too," Fred responded; "for I've been there +with you." + +As they rested that evening, Frank thought of some lines that he had +seen somewhere, which were appropriate to the journey they had made, and +he wound up the day's experiences by repeating them. They were as +follows: + + "As we climb from the vale to the high mountain's peak, + We leave the green fields far below; + We go on through the forest, beyond it we seek + The line of perpetual snow. + Cold and thin grows the air, the light dazzles our eyes, + We struggle through storm-cloud and sleet; + With courage undaunted we mount toward the skies, + Till the world spreads out at our feet. + + "We are journeying now up the mountain of life, + The green fields of youth we have passed; + We've toiled through the forest with unceasing strife, + And gained the bright snow-line at last. + We are whitened by frost, we are chilled by the breeze-- + With weariness hardly can move; + But, faithful to duty, in our work we'll ne'er cease + Till we look on the world from above." + + + + +CHAPTER XV. + +EXECUTIONS AND HARI-KARI. + + +The return to Yokohama was accomplished without any incident of +consequence. Fred was a little disappointed to think that their lives +had not been in peril. "Just a little danger for the fun of the thing," +he remarked to Frank; and at one time on the way he was almost inclined +to gloominess when he reflected on the situation. "There hasn't been any +attack upon us," he said to himself, "when there might have been +something of the kind just as well as not. Not that I wanted any real +killing, or anything of the sort, but just a little risk of it to make +things lively. It's really too bad." + +He was roused from his revery by the Doctor, who told him they were +approaching the spot where some Englishmen were set upon by a party of +two-sworded Samurai, in the early times of the foreign occupation. The +attack was entirely unprovoked, and quite without warning. One of the +Englishmen was killed and another seriously wounded, while the natives +escaped unharmed. Fred wanted to know the exact character of the +Samurai, and why they were nearly always concerned in the attacks upon +foreigners. + +"It is a long story," said Doctor Bronson, "and I am not sure that you +will find it altogether interesting; but it is a part of Japanese +history that you ought to know, especially in view of the fact that the +Samurai exist no longer. With the revolution of 1868 and the consequent +overthrow of the old customs, the Samurai class was extinguished, and +the wearing of two swords is forbidden. + +[Illustration: THE FOUR CLASSES OF SOCIETY.] + +"The population of Japan was formerly divided into four great classes. +The first was the military and official class, and these are what were +called Samurai; the second was the farmer class that rented the lands +from the government, and engaged in agriculture; the third was the +artisan class, and included all the trades and occupations of an +industrial character; and the fourth was the merchant class, including +all kinds of traders from the wholesale merchant to the petty peddler. +Of course there were subdivisions of these classes, and sometimes +several of them in a single class, but the general outline of the system +is as I have stated it. Below these classes, and outside the ordinary +scale of humanity, were the _Eta_ and _Hinin_ castes, who comprised +beggars, tanners, grave-diggers, and, in fact, all persons who had +anything to do with the handling of a dead body, whether human or of the +lower animals. It was pollution to associate with a person of the Eta +caste, and these people were compelled to dwell in villages by +themselves. As they were not respected by others, they had no great +respect for themselves, and lived in the most filthy condition. They +could not enter a house where other people lived, and were not permitted +to sit, eat, or drink with others, and they could not cook their food at +the same fire. + +"This was the way society in Japan was made up till the revolution of +1868, when the whole fabric was swept away, and the principles of our +Declaration of Independence were adopted. The Japanese have virtually +declared that all men were created equal, by putting the classes on the +same level and abolishing the distinctions of caste. The Eta and Hinin +castes were made citizens, the Samurai (or gentry) were deprived of +their hereditary rights, and the feudal princes were compelled to turn +their possessions into the hands of the general government. The change +was very great for all, but for none more so than the Samurai. + +"These fellows had been for centuries a class with extraordinary +privileges. Their ideas in regard to work of any kind were like those of +their kindred in Europe and some other parts of the world; it would +degrade them to do anything, and consequently they were generally +addicted to a life of idleness. There were studious and enterprising men +among them, but they were the exceptions rather than the rule. The +ordinary Samurai was, more or less, and usually more, a worthless +fellow, whose sole idea of occupation was to follow the lord of his +province and be present at ceremonials, and, for the rest, to spend his +time in drinking-shops and other improper places, and indulge in +occasional fights with the men of other clans. They were the only +persons allowed to wear two swords; and it was the constant wearing of +these swords, coupled with the drinking of sa-kee, that brought on most +of the difficulties between the natives and the foreigners. A group of +these men would be drinking in a tavern, and, while they were all heated +with the spirits they had swallowed, one of them would propose to kill a +foreigner. They would make a vow to go out and kill the first one they +met, and in this mood they would leave the tavern and walk along the +principal street. They would fall upon the first foreigner they met, +and, as they were three or four to one, and were all well armed, the +foreigner was generally slaughtered. Mr. Heusken, the interpreter of the +American Legation, was thus murdered at Yeddo in 1861, and the German +consul at Hakodadi met his death in the same way. The Samurai were the +class most opposed to the entrance of foreigners into Japan, and, so +long as they were allowed to wear swords and inflame themselves with +sa-kee, the life of a stranger was never safe." + +"If they did no work," said Frank, "how did they manage to live?" + +[Illustration: TWO-SWORDED NOBLES.] + +"They were supported by the government," the Doctor answered, "in +accordance with the ancient custom. Every Samurai received an allowance, +which was paid to him in rice, the staple article of food, and what he +did not eat he could convert into money. His pay was in proportion to +his rank, and the great number of Samurai made their support a heavy +burden upon the laboring class. It is said that nine tenths of the +product of the soil went, in one way and another, for taxes; that is, +for every hundred bushels of rice that a farmer raised, ninety bushels +went to the local and general governments, and only ten bushels remained +to the farmer. It was by being thus saddled on the country that the +Samurai were able to live without work, and, as the right had been +conceded to them for generations, they naturally looked with contempt +upon all kinds of industry. Their dissipated way of living was very +likely to lead them into debt, just as it leads similar men into debt +everywhere else. The merchants and tradesmen of all kinds were their +victims, as the law allowed no redress for the wrongs they committed. +They would sometimes enter a shop, select what goods they wanted, hand +them over to a servant, and then leave without paying. If the merchant +intimated that he would like to be paid for his property, they became +very insolent and threatened to report him to the police as a swindler. +They would enter a tavern or tea-house with a crowd of their followers, +and, after eating and drinking what they wished, walk coolly away. If +the landlord asked for payment, he was not very likely to get it; and if +he repeated the request, he not infrequently had his head slashed off by +the sword of one of the offended gentlemen. The head of a landlord was +not of much consequence; but he was generally quite unwilling to lose +it, as, when once taken off, it was difficult to restore it to its +place. + +"If the Samurai had been on the most friendly terms with each other, +they would have rendered Japan too hot for anybody else to live in. But, +fortunately for the rest of the population, there were many feuds among +the different clans, and there was rarely an occasion when one clan was +not in open warfare with some other. In this way they devoted their +energies to cutting each other's throats, to the great delight of the +merchants and tradesmen. Where two clans were in hostility to each +other, and two opposing groups met in the streets, they used to fall to +fighting without ceremony and furnish occupation for the coroner before +the interview was over. They were a terror to all the rest of the +populace; and it is safe to say that there was general rejoicing among +the other classes when the Samurai ceased to exist." + +[Illustration: A SAMURAI IN WINTER DRESS.] + +Fred asked if the government took away the pensions of these men and +gave them nothing in return. + +"Not by any means," the Doctor answered. "The government gave to each +man a money allowance, or gift, to take the place of his pension, and +let him do with it whatever he pleased. Some of them spent it in +dissipation, and found themselves eventually without a penny, and with +no means of obtaining anything. They were then obliged to go to work +like other people, and some of them had a very hard time to exist. I was +told in Yokohama that some of the former Samurai were working as coolies +in various ways, not only in that city, but all through the empire. A +good many of them have found employment among the foreign merchants as +clerks and salesmen, and there are many in government employ in the +offices at Tokio and in other cities. The officers you saw at the +custom-house were probably ex-Samurai, and ten years ago they would have +been wearing two swords apiece. The Japanese book-keeper you saw in the +office of the American merchant on whom we called the day of our arrival +was once a Samurai of high degree. He spent his government allowance in +a short time after receiving it, and was then compelled to find +employment or starve. He tried the starvation system a short time, and +concluded he did not like it. He turned his education to account by +undertaking to keep the Japanese accounts of a foreign merchant, and his +employer is well pleased with him. + +"As the Samurai were the military class before the revolution, they +retain the same character, to a large degree, under the present system. +They are the officers of the army and navy, and, to a great extent, they +fill the ranks of the soldiery. Those who accepted the change and +remained loyal to the government have received appointments where there +were vacancies to be filled, and the strength of Japan to-day is largely +in the hands of the old Samurai. But, as might be expected, there was +much discontent at the change, and some of the Samurai went into open +rebellion against the government. This was the cause of the revolt in +1877, and for a time it was so formidable that many people believed it +would succeed. Not a few among the foreigners predicted that the Mikado +would be dethroned, and the power of the Tycoon restored; but the +government triumphed in the end, and those of the leaders of the +insurrection who did not perish in battle were beheaded." + +Frank asked how the Japanese performed the ceremony of beheading, and +whether it was very frequent. + +"As to that," said Doctor Bronson, "much depends upon what you would +call frequent. In former times a man might lose his head for a very +slight reason, or, perhaps, no reason at all. Crimes that we would +consider of small degree were punished with death, and there was very +little time wasted between the sentence and its execution. As the +Japanese have become more and more familiar with the customs of Western +nations, they have learned that we do not remove the heads of our people +for trifles, and they show their good sense by following our example. Of +late years, executions by decapitation are much less frequent than +formerly, but even now there are more of them than there need be. + +"As to the manner of performing it, a few words will describe it. The +ceremonies that precede it are somewhat elaborate, but the affair +itself is performed in the twinkling of an eye, or, rather, in the +twinkling of a sword. It is a single flash, and all is over. + +[Illustration: BEHEADING A CRIMINAL.] + +"When I was in Japan the first time, I was invited to be present at an +execution, and, as I had a scientific reason for being there, I accepted +the invitation. As a friend and myself approached the prison we met a +large crowd, and were told that the prisoner was being paraded through +the streets, so that the public could see him. There was quite a +procession to escort the poor fellow, and the people seemed to have very +little sympathy for him, as they were doubtless hardened by the +frequency of these occurrences. In front of the procession there were +two men bearing large placards, like banners. One of the placards +announced the name and residence of the victim, and the other the crime +of which he had been convicted, together with his sentence. Close behind +these men was the prisoner, tied to the horse on which he rode, and +guarded by a couple of soldiers. Following him were more soldiers, and +then came a couple of officers, with their attendants; for at that time +every officer had a certain number of retainers, who followed him +everywhere. We joined the party and went to the prison-yard, where we +found the ground ready prepared for the execution. But first, according +to the usual custom, the prisoner was provided with a hearty breakfast; +and it was rather an astonishing circumstance that he ate it with an +excellent appetite, though he complained of one dish as being unhealthy. +In half an hour or so he had finished, and was led to the spot where he +was to lose his head. He was required to kneel behind a small hole that +had been dug to receive his head; a bandage was tied around his eyes, +and as it was fastened he said 'Sayonara' to his friends and everybody +present. When all was ready, the officer in command gave the signal, and +the executioner, with a single blow, severed the head from the body. It +fell into the hole prepared for it, and was immediately picked up and +washed. Then the procession was formed again, and the head was taken to +a mound by the side of the road, where it was placed on a post. +According to law, it was to remain there six days, as a terror to all +who were disposed to do wrong. It was the first Japanese execution I +ever witnessed, and my last." + +Frank asked the Doctor if this execution was anything like the +"hari-kari" of which he had read, where a Japanese was said to commit +suicide by cutting open his stomach. + +"Not by any means," was the answer; "hari-kari is quite another thing." + +"Please tell us how it is performed," said Fred. + +"It is not altogether a pleasant subject," remarked the Doctor, with a +slight shudder; "but as we want to learn all we can of the manners and +customs of the people we are among, and as we are now among the +Japanese, I suppose we must give some attention to hari-kari. + +"To understand the question thoroughly, it will be necessary to bear in +mind that the Oriental way of thinking is very often the exact reverse +of our way. We have one idea of honor and the Japanese have another; who +is right or who is wrong we will not pretend to say, as each party has +its own particular views and will not readily yield to the other. +Writers on Japan differ considerably in their views of Japanese points +of honor, and there are disagreements on the subject among the Japanese +themselves; therefore I cannot speak with absolute exactness about it. +According to the old code, all persons holding office under the +government were required to kill themselves in the way mentioned +whenever they had committed any crime, though not till they had received +an order to do so from the court. If they disobeyed the order, their +families would be disinherited, and none of their descendants would be +allowed to hold office ever after; consequently a regard for one's +family required a cheerful submission to the custom. There was no +disgrace attached to a death by hari-kari, and in former times its +occurrence was almost an every-day affair. One writer says, 'The sons of +all persons of quality exercise themselves in their youth, for five or +six years, with a view to performing the operation, in case of need, +with gracefulness and dexterity; and they take as much pains to acquire +this accomplishment as youth among us to become elegant dancers or +skilful horsemen; hence the profound contempt of death which they imbibe +in early years.' Curious custom, isn't it, according to our notions?" + +Both the boys thought it was, and said they were glad that they were not +born in a country where such ideas of honor prevailed. + +The Doctor told them that an old story, which he had no doubt was true, +since it accorded with the Japanese ideas of honor, would be a very good +illustration of the subject. It was concerning two high officers of the +court who met one day on a staircase, and accidentally jostled each +other. One was a very quick-tempered man, and demanded satisfaction; the +other was of a more peaceable disposition, and said the circumstance was +accidental, and could be amply covered by an apology, which he was ready +to make. The other tried to provoke him to a conflict, and when he found +he could not do so he drew his short-sword and slashed himself open +according to the prescribed mode. The other was compelled, as a point of +honor, to follow his example. It often happened that where one man had +offended another the court required that they should both perform +hari-kari, and they always did so without the least hesitation. And when +a man went to another's house, sat down and disembowelled himself, the +owner of the house was obliged by law to do the same thing. There was no +escaping it, and it is but fair to the Japanese to say that they did not +try to escape it. + +"If you are deeply interested in the subject of hari-kari," said the +Doctor, "I advise you to read Mitford's book entitled 'Tales of Old +Japan.' Mr. Mitford lived some time in Japan in an official capacity, +and on one occasion he was called upon to be present at the hari-kari of +an officer who had given orders for firing on some foreigners. He gives +an account of this affair, including a list of the ceremonies to be +observed on such an occasion, which he translated from a Japanese work +on the subject. Nothing could be more precise than the regulations, and +some of them are exceedingly curious, particularly the one that requires +the nearest friend of the victim to act as his second. The duty of the +second is to cut off the principal's head at the moment he plunges the +knife into his body. It is a post of honor, and a gentleman who should +refuse thus to act for his friend would be considered no friend at all. +Again I say it is a curious custom all through. + +"The term hari-kari means 'happy despatch,' and for the Japanese it was +a happy form of going out of the world. It is still in use, the custom +as well as the expression, but not so much so as formerly. The Japanese +ideas of honor have not changed, but they have found that some of their +ways of illustrating them are not in accordance with the customs of +Europe. There are cases of hari-kari now and then at the present time, +but they are very private, and generally the result of the sentence of a +court. At the termination of the rebellion of 1877, several of the +officers concerned in it committed hari-kari voluntarily just before the +surrender, and others in consequence of their capture and sentence. + +[Illustration: JAPANESE COURT IN THE OLD STYLE.] + +"In the administration of justice," Doctor Bronson continued, "Japan has +made great progress in the past few years. Formerly nearly all trials +were conducted with torture, and sometimes the witnesses were tortured +as well as the accused. The instruments in use were the refinement of +cruelty: heavy weights were piled on the body of a prisoner; he was +placed in a caldron of water, and a fire was lighted beneath which +slowly brought the water to the boiling-point; he was cut with knives in +a variety of ways that indicated great ingenuity on the part of the +torturers; in fact, he was put to a great deal of pain such as we know +nothing about. Under the old system the only persons at a trial were the +prisoner, the torturer, the secretary, and the judge; at present the +trials are generally open, and the accused has the benefit of counsel to +defend him, as in our own courts. Torture has been formally abolished, +though it is asserted that it is sometimes employed in cases of treason +or other high crimes. Law-schools have been established, reform codes of +law have been made, and certainly there is a manifest disposition on the +part of the government to give the best system of justice to the people +that can be found. Japan is endeavoring to take a place among the +nations of the world, and show that she is no longer a barbarian land. +The United States have been the foremost to acknowledge her right to +such a place, but their action has not been seconded by England and +other European countries. It will doubtless come in time, and every year +sees some additional step gained in the proper direction. + +[Illustration: JAPANESE NAVAL OFFICER.] + +"As I have before stated," the Doctor continued, "the Japanese have made +great progress in military and naval matters. They have ship-yards at +several places, and have built ships of their own after the European +models; in addition to these, they have ships that they bought from +foreigners, but they are entirely commanded and managed by their own +officers, and equipped with crews entirely Japanese. The old war-junks +of the country have been discarded for the modern ships, and the young +Japanese are trained in the Western mode of warfare; their schools for +naval instruction have made remarkable advancement, and the teachers who +were brought from other countries repeatedly declared that they never +had seen anywhere a more intelligent assemblage of pupils than they +found here. The Japanese naval officer of to-day is uniformed very much +like his fellow-officer in Europe or America, and his manners are as +polished as the most fastidious among us could wish. The Japanese ships +have made long cruises, and visited the principal ports of Europe and +America, and their commanders have shown that they understand the theory +and practice of navigation, and are able to take their ships wherever +they may be ordered to go. The picture of a Japanese war-junk of the +olden time, and that of the war-steamer of to-day do not show many +points of resemblance. They illustrate the difference between the old +and the new, very much as do the cango and the railway car when placed +side by side." + +[Illustration: JAPANESE STEAM CORVETTE.] + +The Doctor thought he had given the boys quite as much information as +they would be likely to remember in his dissertation, and suggested that +they should endeavor to recapitulate what he had said. Frank thought the +discussion had taken a wide range, as it had included the status of the +four classes of Japanese society, had embraced the Samurai and their +peculiarities, some of the changes that were wrought by the revolution, +and had told them how executions were conducted in former times. Then +they had learned something about hari-kari and what it was for; and they +had learned, at the same time, the difference between the old courts of +justice and the new ones. What with these things and the naval progress +of the empire of the Mikado, he thought they had quite enough to go +around, and would be lucky if they remembered the whole of it. + +Fred thought so too, and therefore the discussion was suspended, with +the understanding that it should be renewed on the first convenient +occasion. + +[Illustration: A JAPANESE WAR-JUNK OF THE OLDEN TIME.] + + + + +CHAPTER XVI. + +AMUSEMENTS.--WRESTLERS AND THEATRICAL ENTERTAINMENTS. + + +After the party had recovered from the fatigues of the journey to +Fusiyama, the boys were on the lookout for something new. Various +suggestions were made, and finally Frank proposed that they should go to +a theatre. This was quite to Fred's liking, and so it did not take a +long time to come to a determination on the subject. The Doctor agreed +that the theatre was an interesting study, and so the matter was +settled. + +"What time in the evening must we go," said Fred, "so as to be there in +season for the beginning of the performance?" + +"If you want to be there in season for the beginning," the Doctor +answered, "you should go in the morning, or, at all events, very early +in the day." + +"Wouldn't it be well to go the day before?" Frank ventured to ask. + +"Certainly you could do so," Fred responded, "or you might go next week +or last summer." + +"The Japanese performances," Doctor Bronson continued, "do not all begin +in the morning, but the most of them do, and they last the entire day. +In China they have historic plays that require a week or more for their +complete representation; but in Japan they are briefer in their ways, +and a performance is not continued from one day to the next. They have +greater variety here than in China, and the plays are less tedious both +to one who understands the language and to one who does not. The +Japanese are a gayer people than the Chinese, and consequently their +plays are less serious in character." + +It was agreed that a day should be given to amusements, and these should +include anything that the boys and their tutor could find. Frank went in +pursuit of the landlord of the hotel, and soon returned with the +information that there was a theatrical performance that very day in the +native theatre, and also a wrestling match which was sure to be +interesting, as the Japanese wrestlers are different from those of any +other country. After a little discussion it was determined that they +would first go to the wrestling match, and Frank should write a +description of the wrestlers and what they did. After the wrestling +match was disposed of, they would take up the theatre, and of this Fred +should be the historian. + +Here is Frank's account of the wrestling as it appeared in the next +letter he sent home: + +[Illustration: A JAPANESE WRESTLER.] + +"I thought we were going to a hall, but it was nothing of the sort, as +we understand a hall. We went into a large tent, which was made by +stretching matting over a space enclosed by a high fence; the fence +formed the walls of the building, and the matting made the roof. We had +the ground to sit on or stand on, but soon after we went in a man +brought us some chairs, and we sat down. In the centre of the tent there +was a circular mound something like a circus ring; it was perhaps two +feet high and ten feet across, and there was a flat place outside of it +where the master of ceremonies was to stand and see that everything was +fair. We paid twenty-five cents to go in, and then we paid about five +cents more for each chair; of course we were in the best places, and +only a few others were in that part. I don't know how much the Japanese +paid in the poor places, but I don't believe it was more than five +cents. + +"In a little while after we went in, the performance began. A boy came +into the ring from a room at one side of the tent, and he walked as if +he were playing the king, or some other great personage. When he got to +the middle of the ring, he opened a fan he carried in his right hand. He +opened it with a quick jerk, as though he were going to shake it to +pieces; and after he had opened it he announced the names of the +wrestlers who were to come into the first act. If I hadn't been told +what he was doing, I should have thought he was playing something from +Shakspeare, he made such a fuss about it. Then he went out and the +wrestlers came in, with a big fellow that Fred said must be the boss +wrestler. He looked like an elephant, he was so big. + +"The wrestlers were the largest men I have seen in Japan; and the fact +is I didn't suppose the country contained any men so large. As near as I +could see, they had more fat than muscle on them; but there must have +been a good deal of muscle, too, for they were strong as oxen. Doctor +Bronson says he has seen some of these wrestlers carry two sacks of rice +weighing a hundred and twenty-five pounds each, and that one man carried +a sack with his teeth, while another took one under his arm and turned +somersets with it, and did not once lose his hold. The Doctor says these +men are a particular race of Japanese, and it used to be the custom for +each prince to have a dozen or more of these wrestlers in his suite to +furnish amusement for himself and his friends. Sometimes two princes +would get up a match with their wrestlers, just as men in New York get +up matches between dogs and chickens. Then there were troupes of +wrestlers, who went around giving exhibitions, just as they sometimes do +in America. But you never saw such fat men in all your life as they +were; not fat in one place, like the man that keeps the grocery on the +corner of the public square in our town, but fat all over. I felt the +back and arms of one of them, and his muscles were as hard as iron. The +flesh on his breast was soft, and seemed like a thick cushion of fat. I +think you might have hit him there with a mallet without hurting him +much. + +[Illustration: A PAIR OF WRESTLERS AND THEIR MANAGER.] + +"Some of them could hardly see out of their eyes on account of the fat +around them; and when their arms were doubled up, they looked like the +hams of a hog. I was told that the Japanese idea of a wrestler is to +have a man as fat as possible, which is just the reverse of what we +think is right. They train their men all their lives to have them get up +all the fat they can; and if a man doesn't get it fast enough, they put +him to work, and tell him he can never be a wrestler. It is odd that a +people so thin as the Japanese should think so much about having men +fat; but I suppose it is because we all like the things that are our +opposites. But this isn't telling about the wrestling match. + +"After the herald had given the names of the wrestlers who were to make +the first round, the fellows came in. They were dressed without any +clothes to speak of, or rather they were quite undressed, with the +exception of a cloth around their loins. They came in on opposite sides +of the ring, and stood there about five feet apart, each man resting his +hands on his knees, and glaring at the other like a wild beast. They +looked more like a pair of tigers than human beings, and for a moment I +thought it was not at all unlike what a bull-fight in Spain might be. + +[Illustration: THE CLINCH.] + +"There they stood glaring, as I told you, and making a noise like +animals about to fight. They stamped on the ground and made two or three +rushes at each other, and then fell back to watch for a better chance. +They kept this up a minute or so, and then darted in and clinched; and +then you could see their great muscles swell, and realize that they were +as strong as they were fat. + +"They did not try to throw each other, as we do when we wrestle, but +they tried to push from one side of the ring to the other. I couldn't +understand this until the Doctor told me that it is not necessary for +one of the men to be thrown. All that is to be done is for one of them +to push the other outside the ring; and even if he only gets one foot +out, the game is up. Only once during all we saw of the match did +anybody get thrown down, as we should expect to see him in a wrestling +match in America. And when he did get fairly on the ground, it was not +very easy for him to rise, which is probably the reason why the rules of +the Japanese ring are so different from ours. + +"They had several matches of this kind with the two men standing up +facing each other before they clinched; and then they tried another +plan. One man took his place in the ring, and braced himself as though +he were trying to stop a locomotive. When he was ready a signal was +given, and another man came out full tilt against him. They butted their +heads together like two rams, and tried to hit each other in the breast. +In a short time they were covered with blood, and looked very badly; but +the Doctor says they were not hurt so much as they seemed to be. They +kept this up for nearly a quarter of an hour, and took turns at the +business--one of them being bull for the other to play railway train +against. It was as bad for one as for the other; and if I had my choice +which character to play, I wouldn't play either. + +"After the wrestling was over they had some fencing, which I liked much +better, as there was more skill to it and less brutality. The fencers +were announced in the same way as the other performers had been. They +wore large masks that protected their heads, and their fencing was with +wooden swords or sticks, so that no harm was done. The game was for each +to hit his adversary's head, and when this was done a point was scored +for the man who made the hit. They did a good deal of shouting and +snarling at each other, and sometimes their noise sounded more as if +made by cats than by human beings. In other respects their fencing was +very much like ours, and was very creditable to the parties engaged in +it. One of the best fencers in the lot was a young girl. She wasn't more +than sixteen years old, and she had arms strong enough for a man of +thirty. The performance ended with the fencing, and then we went back to +the hotel." + +It was determined that the evening would be quite early enough to go to +the theatre, and so the party did not start until after seven o'clock. +They secured a box at one side of the auditorium, where they could see +the stage and the audience at the same time. When you go to the play in +a strange land, the audience is frequently quite as interesting a study +as the performance, and sometimes more so. In no country is this more +truly the case than in Japan. But it was agreed that Fred should give +the account of the play, and so we will listen to him. Here is his +story: + +"The theatre was a small one, according to our notions, but it was well +ventilated, which is not always the case in America. The man that sold +the tickets was very polite, and so was the one who took them at the +door. The latter called an usher, who showed us to our box, and brought +the chairs for us; and then he brought a programme, but we couldn't read +a word of it, as it was all in Japanese. We cared more about looking at +the people than trying to read something that we couldn't read at all; +and so I folded up the programme and put it into my pocket. + +"The house had a floor and galleries like one of our theatres, but there +were only two galleries, and one of them was on a level with the +parquet. The parquet, or floor, was divided into boxes, and they were +literally boxes, and no mistake. They were square, and the partitions +between them were little more than a foot high, with a flat board on the +top for a rail. This was about five inches wide, and I soon saw what it +was used for, as the people walked on it in going to and from their +boxes. The boxes had no chairs in them, but they were carpeted with +clean matting; and anybody could get cushions from the ushers by asking +for them. Each box was intended to hold four persons; but it required +that the four should not be very large, and that each should stick to +his own corner. One box in front of us had six women in it, and there +were two or three boxes crowded with children. They had tea and +sweetmeats in many of the boxes, and I noticed that men and boys were +going around selling these things. I asked if we had come to the right +place, as it occurred to me that it was only at the Bowery and that kind +of theatre in New York that they sold peanuts and such things; but the +Doctor said it was all right, and they did this in all the best theatres +in Japan. + +[Illustration: JAPANESE ACTOR DRESSED AS A DOCTOR.] + +"Of course, if they come and stay all day, they must have something to +eat, and so I saw the reason of their having tea and other refreshments +peddled about the house. Then there were men who sold books which gave +an account of the play, and had portraits of some of the principal +players. I suppose these books were really the bills of the play; and if +we could have read them, we should have known something about the +performance more than we do now. + +"While we were looking at the audience there came half a dozen raps +behind the curtain, as if two pieces of wood had been knocked together; +and a moment after the rapping had stopped, the curtain was drawn aside. +It was a common sort of curtain, and did not open in the middle like +some of ours, or roll up like others; it was pulled aside as if it ran +on a wire, and when it was out of sight we saw the stage set to +represent a garden with lots of flower-pots and bushes. The stage was +very small compared with an American one, and not more than ten or +twelve feet deep; but it was set quite well, though not so elaborately +as we would arrange it. The orchestra was in a couple of little boxes +over the stage, one on each side, and each box contained six persons, +three singers and three guitar-players. This is the regulation orchestra +and chorus, so they say, in all the Japanese theatres, but it is +sometimes differently made up. If a theatre is small and poor, it may +have only two performers in each box, and sometimes one box may be +empty, but this is not often. + +[Illustration: THE SAMISEN.] + +"The orchestra furnishes music by means of the guitar, or 'samisen.' It +is played something like our guitar, except that a piece of ivory is +used for striking the strings, and is always used in a concert that has +any pretence to being properly arranged. There are two or three other +instruments, one of them a small drum, which they play upon with the +fingers; but it is not so common as the samisen, and I don't think it is +so well liked. Then they have flutes, and some of them are very sweet, +and harmonize well with the samisen; but the singers do not like them +for an accompaniment unless they have powerful voices. The +samisen-players generally sing, and in the theatres the musicians form a +part of the chorus. A good deal of the play is explained by the chorus; +and if there are any obscure points, the audience is told what they are. +I remember seeing the same thing almost exactly, or, at any rate, the +same thing in principle, in the performance of "Henry V." at a theatre +in New York several years ago, so that this idea of having the play +explained by the chorus cannot be claimed as a Japanese invention. + +[Illustration: PLAYING THE SAMISEN.] + +"In the theatre the singing goes on sometimes while the actors are on +the stage, and we got tired of it in a little while. I don't suppose the +Japanese get so tired of it, or they would stop having it. Some of them +admit that it would be better to have the orchestra in front of the +stage, as we do; but others say that so long as the chorus must do so +much towards explaining the play, they had better remain where they are. +The Japanese seem to like their theatre as it is, and therefore they +will not be apt to change in a hurry. + +"Just after the curtain was pulled away, they opened a door in the +middle of the garden, and the actors who were to be in the play came in. +They sat down on the stage and began a song, which they kept up for ten +or fifteen minutes, each of them singing a part that was evidently +prepared for himself alone. The music in the little boxes joined them, +and it made me think of the negro minstrels in a concert hall at home, +where they all come on together. After they finished this part of the +performance, there was a pantomime by a woman, or rather by a man +disguised as a woman, as all the acting is done by men. They get +themselves up perfectly, as they have very little beards, and they can +imitate the voice and movements of a woman, so that nobody can tell the +difference. I couldn't tell what the pantomime was all about, and it was +so long that I got tired of it before they were through, and wondered +when they would come on with something else. + +[Illustration: SCENE FROM A JAPANESE COMEDY.--WRITING A LETTER OF +DIVORCE.] + +"Then the real acting of the piece began, and I wished ever so much that +it had been in English, so that I could understand it. The story was a +supernatural one, and there were badgers and foxes in it, and they had a +woman changed to a badger, and the badger to a woman again. Gentlemen +who are familiar with Japanese theatres say there are many of these +stories, like our Little Red Riding-hood, and other fairy tales, acted +on the stage, and that the play we saw is one of the most popular, and +is called 'Bumbuku Chagama,' or 'The Bubbling Teapot.' One gentleman has +shown me a translation of it, and I will put it in here, just to show +you what a Japanese fairy story is like. + +"'Once upon a time, it is said, there lived a very old badger in the +temple known as Morin-je, where there was also an iron teapot called +Bumbuku Chagama, which was a precious thing in that sacred place. One +day when the chief priest, who was fond of tea and kept the pot always +hanging in his sitting-room, was about taking it, as usual, to make tea +for drinking, a tail came out of it. He was startled, and called +together all the little _bourges_, his pupils, that they might behold +the apparition. Supposing it to be the mischievous work of a fox or +badger, and being resolved to ascertain its real character, they made +due preparations. Some of them tied handkerchiefs about their heads, and +some stripped the coats from their shoulders, and armed themselves with +sticks and bits of firewood. But when they were about to beat the vessel +down, wings came out of it; and as it flew about from one side to +another, like a dragon-fly, while they pursued it, they could neither +strike nor secure it. Finally, however, having closed all the windows +and sliding-doors, after hunting it vigorously from one corner to +another, they succeeded in confining it in a small space, and presently +in capturing it. + +[Illustration: SCENE FROM A JAPANESE COMEDY.--LOVE-LETTER DISCOVERED.] + +"'While they were consulting what to do with it, a man entered whose +business it was to collect and sell waste paper, and they showed him the +teapot with a view of disposing of it to him if possible. He observed +their eagerness, and offered a much lower price than it was worth; but +as it was now considered a disagreeable thing to have in the temple, +they let him have it at his own price. He took it and hastily carried it +away. He reached his home greatly pleased with his bargain, and looking +forward to a handsome profit the next day, when he would sell it for +what it was worth. + +"'Night came on, and he lay down to rest. Covering himself with his +blankets, he slept soundly. + +"'But near the middle of the night the teapot changed itself into the +form of a badger, and came out of the waste paper, where it had been +placed. The merchant was aroused by the noise, and caught the teapot +while it was in flight. By treating it kindly he soon gained its +confidence and affection. In the course of time it became so docile that +he was able to teach it rope-dancing and other accomplishments. + +"'The report soon spread that Bumbuku Chagama had learned to dance, and +the merchant was invited to go to all the great and small provinces, +where he was summoned to exhibit the teapot before the great daimios, +who loaded him down with gifts of gold and silver. In course of time he +reflected that it was only through the teapot, which he had bought so +cheap, that he became so prosperous, and felt it his duty to return it +again, with some compensation, to the temple. He therefore carried it to +the temple, and, telling the chief priest of his good fortune, offered +to restore it, together with half the money he had gained. + +[Illustration: TELLING THE STORY OF BUMBUKU CHAGAMA.] + +"'The priest was well pleased with his gratitude and generosity, and +consented to receive the gifts. The badger was made the tutelary spirit +of the temple, and the name of Bumbuku Chagama has remained famous in +Morin-je to this day, and will be held in remembrance to the latest ages +as a legend of ancient time.' + +"This is the fairy story," Fred continued, "which we saw on the stage; +but it was varied somewhat in the acting, as the badger at times took +the form of a woman, and afterwards that of a badger again, as I have +already told you. A good deal of the acting was in pantomime, and in the +scene where they are all trying to catch the teapot as it flies around +the room they had quite a lively dance. We enjoyed the play very much, +but I don't care to go again till I know something about the Japanese +language. And a well-cushioned chair would add to the comfort of the +place." + + + + +CHAPTER XVII. + +A STUDY OF JAPANESE ART. + + +Frank thought it was pretty nearly time to be thinking about the +purchases he was to make for Mary. So he looked up the paper she gave +him before his departure, and sat down to examine it. The list was not +by any means a short one, and on consulting with the Doctor he learned +that it would make a heavy inroad upon his stock of cash if he bought +everything that was mentioned. He was rather disconcerted at the +situation, but the good Doctor came to his relief. + +"It is nothing unusual," said he, "for persons going abroad to be loaded +down with commissions that they are unable to execute. A great many +people, with the best intentions in the world, ask their friends who are +going to Europe to bring back a quantity of things, without stopping to +think that the purchase of those things will involve a heavy outlay that +cannot be easily borne by the traveller. The majority of people who go +abroad have only a certain amount of money to expend on their journeys, +and they cannot afford to lock up a considerable part of that money in +purchases that will only be paid for on their return, or quite as often +are never paid for at all. There is a good little story on this subject, +and it may be of use to you to hear it. + +"A gentleman was once leaving New York for a trip to Europe, and many of +his friends gave him commissions to execute for them. Some were +thoughtful enough to give him the money for the articles they wanted; +but the majority only said, 'I'll pay you when you get back, and I know +how much it comes to.' When he returned, he told them that a singular +circumstance had happened in regard to the commissions. 'The day after I +sailed,' said he, 'I was in my room arranging the lists of things I was +to get for my friends, and I placed the papers in two piles; those that +had the money with them I put in one pile, and the money on top; and +those that had no money with them I put in another pile. The wind came +in and set things flying all around the room. The papers that had the +money on them were held down by it, but those that had no money to keep +them in place were carried out of the window and lost in the sea. And so +you see how it is that the commissions that my friends gave me the money +for are the only ones I have been able to execute.' + +"But in the present case," said Doctor Bronson, "it is all right, as +your father privately gave me the money to buy the articles your sister +wants. So you can go ahead and get them without any fear that you will +trench on the amount you have for your personal expenses." + +The boys went on a round of shopping, and kept it up, at irregular +intervals, during their stay in Japan. And in their shopping excursions +they learned much about the country and people that they would not have +been likely to know of in any other way. + +One of the first things on the list was a silk wrapper with nice +embroidery. This gave rather a wide latitude in the way of selection, +and Frank was somewhat puzzled what to get. He went to the store of one +of the greatest silk-merchants of Yokohama and stated his wants. He was +bewildered by the variety of things placed before him, and by their +great beauty in color and workmanship. There were so many pretty things +for sale there that he did not know when to stop buying; and he +privately admitted to Fred that it was fortunate he was restricted in +the amount he was to expend, or he would be in danger of buying out the +whole of the establishment. He found the goods were admirably adapted to +the foreign taste, and, at the same time, they preserved the national +characteristics that gave them value as the products of Japan. + +[Illustration: FRANK'S PURCHASE.] + +He selected a robe of a delicate blue, and finely embroidered with silk +of various colors. The embroideries represented flowers and leaves in +curious combinations; and when the robe was placed on a frame where the +light could fall full upon it, Frank thought he had never seen anything +half so pretty. And it is proper to add that he bought two of these +robes. Why he should buy two, when he had only one sister--and she would +not be likely to want two wrappers of the same kind--I leave the reader +to guess. + +[Illustration: JAPANESE PATTERN-DESIGNER.] + +Then there were fans on the list, and he went in pursuit of fans. He +found them, and he thus had the opportunity of seeing the fan-makers at +work. He found that there is a great variety in the fans which the +Japanese make, and that the articles vary from prices which are +astonishingly low to some which are dear in proportion. There is such a +large trade in fans that he expected to find an extensive factory, +employing hundreds of hands. He found, instead, that the fan-makers work +on a very small scale, and that one person generally does only a small +portion of the work, then turns it over to another, who does a little +more, and so on. Certain low-priced fans are all finished in one shop; +but with the high grades this is not the case, and, from first to last, +a fan must pass through a good many hands. The fan-makers include women +as well as men in their guild; and Frank thought it was by no means an +unpleasant sight to see the women seated on the floor in front of low +benches and gracefully handling the parts of the fan that was +approaching completion in consequence of their manipulations. + +[Illustration: FAN-MAKERS AT WORK.] + +Mary had been seized with the prevailing mania for Japanese porcelain, +and among the things in her list she had noted especially and +underscored the words "some good things in Japanese _cloisonné_." Frank +had seen a good many nice things in this kind of work, and he set about +selecting, with the help of the Doctor and Fred, the articles he was to +send home. He bought some in Yokohama, some in Tokio, and later on he +made some purchases in Kobe and Kioto. We will look at what he bought +and see if his sister had reason to be pleased when the consignment +reached her and was unpacked from its carefully arranged wrappings. + +For hundreds of years Japan has been famous for its productions of +porcelain of various kinds, from the tiny cup no larger than a lady's +thimble to the elaborately decorated vase with a capacity of many +gallons. Each province of Japan has its peculiar product, and sometimes +one is in fashion, and sometimes another. For the last few years the +favor has turned in the direction of Satsuma ware, which has commanded +enormous figures, especially for the antique pieces. So great was the +demand for old Satsuma that a good many manufacturers turned their +attention to its production. They offer to make it to any amount, just +as the wine-dealers in New York can accommodate a customer with wine of +any vintage he requires, if he will only give them time enough to put on +the proper labels. It is proper to say, on behalf of the Japanese, that +they learned this trick from the foreigners; and their natural +shrewdness has taught them to improve upon the lesson, so that in some +instances they have actually sold to their instructors new ware for old, +and convinced the purchasers of its genuineness. + +[Illustration: CHINESE CLOISONNÉ ON METAL.] + +We have not space enough to go into a full account of art in Japan, as a +whole volume could be written on the subject without exhausting it. +Frank followed the directions in Mary's note to find some good things in +_cloisonné_; and, as he did not pay much attention to other matters, we +will, for the present at least, follow his example and take a look at +this branch of art in Japan. + +[Illustration: JAPANESE CLOISONNÉ ON METAL.] + +Frank thought it would be proper to have his sister understand the +process by which the articles she desired were prepared, and, with the +assistance of Doctor Bronson, he was able to write her an account of it +that she could study, and, if she chose, could read or tell to her +friends. Here is what he produced on the subject: + +[Illustration: JAPANESE BOWL.] + +"The term _cloisonné_ comes from the French word _cloison_, which means +a _field_ or _enclosure_, and you will see as you go on how appropriate +it is to this kind of work. If you examine the bowl which you will find +in the box, you will see that it has a groundwork of light blue, and +that on this groundwork there are fine threads of brass enclosing little +squares and other figures in colors quite different from the body of the +bowl. If you look at the cover, you will find that these squares and +figures are repeated, and also that there are three circles, like plates +with serrated edges, that seem to be lying on the top of the cover. +These plates, or circles, have pictures of flowers on them, and the +designs of the flowers on each one are different from those of the other +two. Every leaf and petal is distinct from the others by means of the +brass wires, and the colors do not at any time run together. + +[Illustration: COVER OF JAPANESE BOWL.] + +"In the first place, the bowl of plain porcelain is ground, so that the +enamel will stick closely, which it would not do if the surface were +glazed. Then the artist makes a design, on paper, of the pattern he +intends putting on the bowl. When his design is finished, he lays it on +a flat surface, and takes little pieces of brass wire which has been +passed between rollers so that it becomes flattened; these he bends with +pincers, so that they take the shape of the figure he wants to +represent. Thus he goes over his whole design until every part of the +outline, every leaf, flower, and stem--in fact, every line of his +drawing--is represented by a piece of wire bent to the exact shape. The +wire then forms a series of partitions; each fragment of it is a cell, +or _cloison_, intended to retain the enamel in place and keep the colors +from spreading or mingling. That is the first step in the work. + +"The second step is to attach these flattened threads of wire by their +edges to the bowl. This is done by means of a fusible glass, which is +spread over the surface of the bowl in the form of paste; the bits of +wire are carefully laid in their places in the paste, and the bowl is +then baked just enough to harden the surface and make it retain the +threads where they belong. Now comes the third step. + +"This consists of filling the little cells or enclosures with the proper +enamel, and, to do this correctly, the original design must be carefully +followed. The design is drawn in colors, and as the artist proceeds with +his work he has the colors ready mixed in little cups that are ranged +before him. These colors are like thick pastes of powdered glass mixed +with the proper pigments, and one by one the cells of the surface are +filled up. Then the groundwork is filled in the same way; and when all +this is done, the bowl is put into the oven and submitted to a strong +heat. + +[Illustration: CHINESE METAL VASE.] + +"The baking serves to fix the colors firmly in their cells, as the fire +is hot enough to melt the glass slightly and fuse it to a perfect union +with the body of the bowl. For common work, a single coating of enamel +and a single baking are sufficient, but for the finer grades this will +not answer. Another coating of colors is laid on, and perhaps a third or +a fourth, and after each application the bowl is baked again. When this +process is finished, the surface is rough, and the bowl is not anything +like what we see it now. It must be polished smooth, and, with this +object, it is ground and rubbed, first with coarse stones, then with +finer ones, then with emery, and finally with powdered charcoal. In this +way the bowl was brought to the condition in which you will find it, if +it comes all right and uninjured from the box. A good many pieces of +this ware are broken in the handling, and consequently they add to the +price of those that come out unharmed. + +[Illustration: MODERN JAPANESE CLOISONNÉ ON METAL.] + +"The fine threads of brass that run through the surface give a very +pretty appearance to the work, as they look like gold, and are perfectly +even with the rest of what has been laid on to the original bowl. In +some of the most expensive of the enamel-work the threads are of fine +gold instead of brass; but there is no particular advantage in having +them of gold, as the brass answers all purposes and the gold serves as a +temptation to robbers. There is an endless variety of designs in +_cloisonné_ work, and you see so many pretty things in porcelain that +you are at a loss what to choose. + +[Illustration: JAPANESE METAL CLOISONNÉ.] + +"But the artists do not confine themselves to porcelain; they do a great +deal of enamelling on metal, and some of their productions in this way +are quite as interesting as their enamelling on porcelain. They did not +invent the art, so it is said, but borrowed it from the Chinese, who had +in their turn borrowed it from Persia or some other of the Central +Asiatic countries. Some of the Japanese artists claim that the art was +borrowed from their country, but the most of those who have studied the +subject say that this claim is incorrect. But no matter who invented the +process, it is very beautiful and is of great antiquity; it is capable +of a great many variations, and, although it has been in use for +centuries, hardly a year passes without some improvements in it. In +making the metal enamels the strips of brass are soldered to the surface +and the cavities are filled up with the liquid coloring. The whole is +then baked as in the porcelain process, and the surface of the work is +carefully polished until all the lines are fully developed and the +completed article shines like glass. + +[Illustration: CHINESE PORCELAIN CLOISONNÉ.] + +"I shall send you," Frank added, "several specimens of this kind of +work, and I am sure that all of you will be delighted with them. In +addition to the Japanese enamel, I have been able to pick up a few from +China by the help of a gentleman who has been a long time in the +country, and knows where to get the best things. And as I can't get all +I want, I shall send you some pictures of very rare specimens, and you +can judge by them of the quality of what you have. It is very difficult +to find some of the varieties, as there have been a good many men out +here making purchases for the New York and London markets, and they +gather up everything that is curious. The demand is so great that the +Japanese makers have all they can do to supply it; but I suppose that in +a few years the taste of the public will change, and then you can buy +all you want. But you can't get tired all at once of the pretty things +that I have found; and I think that the more you look at the pictures on +the bowls and plates, the more you will admire them. You are fond of +birds and flowers, and you will find them on the porcelain; and there is +one piece that has a river and some mountains on it, as well defined as +if it were a painting on a sheet of paper. Look at the bridge over the +river, and the trees on the side of the mountain, and then say if you +ever saw anything nicer. I am in love with the Japanese art work, and +sorry I can't buy more of it. And I think that is the case with most +people who come to Japan, and take the trouble to look at the nice +things it contains." + +[Illustration: GROUP CARVED IN IVORY.] + +Mary's list included some carvings in ivory and some lacquered boxes to +keep her gloves in. These were not at all difficult to find, as they +were everywhere in the shops, and it would have been much harder to +avoid them if he had wanted to do so. There were chessmen of ivory, and +representations of the divinities of the country; and then there were +little statues of the kings and high dignitaries from ancient times down +to the present. As it was a matter of some perplexity, Frank sought the +advice of Doctor Bronson; the latter told him it would be just as well +to restrain himself in the purchase of ivory carvings, as there was +better work of the kind in China, and a few samples of the products of +Japan would be sufficient. Frank acted upon this hint, and did not make +any extensive investments in Japanese ivory. He found a great variety of +what the Japanese call "nitschkis," which are small pieces of ivory +carved in various shapes more or less fanciful. They were pretty, and +had the merit of not being at all dear; and as they would make nice +little souvenirs of Japan, he bought a good many of them. They are +intended as ornaments to be worn at a gentleman's girdle, and in the +olden times no gentleman considered his dress complete without one or +more of these at his waist, just as most of the fashionable youths of +America think that a scarf-pin is necessary to make life endurable. A +large number of carvers made a living by working in ivory, and they +displayed a wonderful amount of patience in completing their designs. +One of these little carvings with which Frank was fascinated was a +representation of a man mounting a horse with the assistance of a groom, +who was holding the animal. The piece was less than two inches in +length, and yet the carver had managed to put in this contracted space +the figures of two men and a horse, with the dress of the men and the +trappings of the horse as carefully shown as in a painting. There was a +hole in the pedestal on which the group stood, and Frank found, on +inquiry, that this hole was intended for the passage of a cord to attach +the ornament to the waist of the wearer. And then he observed that all +the carvings had a similar provision for rendering them useful. + +[Illustration: JAPANESE PIPE, CASE, AND POUCH.] + +Frank also ascertained that another ornament of the Japanese waist-belt +was a pipe and a tobacco-pouch, the two being so inseparable that they +formed a single article. The pipe was a tiny affair which only held a +pinch of tobacco the size of a pea, and he learned that the smoker, in +using it, took but a single whiff and then found the bowl exhausted. +When not in use, the pipe was carried in a little case, which was made, +like the pouch, of leather, and was generally embroidered with +considerable care. Many of the pipe-cases were made of shark-skin, which +has the double merit of being very durable and also quite pretty. It is +polished to a condition of perfect smoothness, and the natural spots of +the skin appear to be as regular as though drawn by an artist. Frank +tried a few whiffs of the tobacco and found it very weak. He was thus +informed of the reason why a Japanese can smoke so much as he does +without being seriously affected by it. He can get through with a +hundred of these little pipes in a day without the least trouble, and +more if the time allows. + +Of lacquer-ware, of all kinds and prices, there was literally no end. +There were trays and little boxes which could be had for a shilling or +two, and there were cabinets and work-stands with numerous drawers and +sliding panels curiously contrived, that a hundred dollars, or even five +hundred, would not buy. Between these two figures there was a wide +range, so that the most modest purse could be gratified as well as the +most plethoric one. Frank found that the dealers did not put their best +goods where they could be most readily seen. The front of a shop +contained only the most ordinary things; and if you wanted to look at +the better articles, it was necessary to say so. When the merchant knew +what his customer wanted, he led the way to the rear store, or perhaps +to an upper floor, where the best goods were kept. It was necessary to +walk very carefully in these shops, as they were very densely crowded +with goods, and the least incaution might result in overthrowing some of +the brittle articles. A clumsy visitor in one of these establishments a +few days before Frank called there had broken a vase valued at fifty +dollars, and while stooping to pick up the fragments he knocked down +another worth nearly half that amount. He paid for the damage, and in +future declined to go around loosely in a Japanese store. + +The Japanese lacquer of the present time is not so highly prized as that +of the last or the previous century. It is not so well made, partly for +the reason that the workmen have lost their skill in the art, and partly +because labor is much more expensive now than formerly. The prices +obtained for some of the specimens of this kind of work have been very +high, but they are not enough to meet the advance that has been made in +wages in the past few years. The manufacturers are anxious to turn their +money as rapidly as possible, and consequently they do not allow their +productions to dry thoroughly. To be properly prepared, a piece of +lacquer should dry very slowly; and it used to be said that the best +lacquer was dried under water, so that the process should not be too +rapid. The article, whatever it may be, is first shaped from wood or +papier-maché, and then covered with successive coatings of varnish or +lacquer; this is made from the gum of a tree, or, rather, from the +juice, and it is said to have the peculiar property of turning black +from exposure to the air, though it is of a milky whiteness when it +exudes from the tree. It can be made to assume various colors by the +addition of pigments; and while it is in a fresh condition coatings of +gold-leaf are laid on in such a way as to form the figures that the +artist has designed. Every coating must be dried before the next is laid +on; and the more elaborate and costly the work, the more numerous are +the coatings. Sometimes there may be a dozen or more of them, and +pieces are in existence that are said to have received no less than +fifty applications of lacquer. A box may thus require several years for +its completion, as the drying process should never be hastened, lest the +lacquer crack and peel when exposed to the air, and especially to heat. +Good lacquer can be put into hot water without the least injury; but +this is not the case with the ordinary article. + +In 1874 a steamer was lost on the coast of Japan. She had as a part of +her cargo the Japanese goods from the Vienna Exhibition, and none of +them were recovered for nearly a year. There they lay under the +salt-water, and it was supposed that nearly everything would be ruined. +But it was found that the lacquered ware had suffered very little, and +some of these very articles were shown at Philadelphia in 1876. A few of +the pieces required to be freshly polished, but there were many of them +that did not need even this slight attention. + +[Illustration: JAPANESE ARTIST CHASING ON COPPER.] + +The boys were greatly interested in their shopping excursions, and +learned a good deal about Japanese art and industry before they had +ended their purchases. By the time they were through they had an +excellent collection of porcelain and other ware, of ivory carvings, +lacquered boxes, and similar things; silk robes, wrappers, and +handkerchiefs; and quite enough fans to set up a small museum. They +tried at first to get a sample of each kind of fan that they could find, +but the variety proved so great that they were forced to give up the +attempt. They bought some curious articles of bamboo, and were surprised +to find to how many uses this vegetable production is put. Frank thought +it was a pity the bamboo did not grow in America, as it could be turned +to even more advantage by the enterprising Yankee than by the plodding +Oriental, and Fred was inclined to agree with him. They changed their +minds, however, when the Doctor told them how far the bamboo entered +into the life of the people of the East, and on the whole they concluded +that the American couldn't improve upon it. + +[Illustration: A JAPANESE VILLAGE.--BAMBOO POLES READY FOR MARKET.] + +"The bamboo," said the Doctor, "is of use from a very early age. The +young shoots are boiled and eaten, or soaked in sugar, and preserved as +confectionery. The roots of the plant are carved so as to resemble +animals or men, and in this shape are used as ornaments; and when the +bamboo is matured, and of full size, it is turned to purposes almost +without number. The hollow stalks are used as water-pipes; rafts are +made of them; the walls and roofs of houses are constructed from them; +and they serve for the masts of smaller boats and the yards of larger +ones. The light and strong poles which the coolies place over their +shoulders for bearing burdens are almost invariably of bamboo; and where +it grows abundantly it is used for making fences and sheds, and for the +construction of nearly every implement of agriculture. Its fibres are +twisted into rope, or softened into pulp for paper; every article of +furniture is made of bamboo, and so are hats, umbrellas, fans, cups, and +a thousand other things. In fact, it would be easier to say what is not +made of it in these Eastern countries than to say what is; and an +attempt at a mere enumeration of its uses and the articles made from it +would be tedious. Take away the bamboo from the people of Japan and +China, and you would deprive them of their principal means of support, +or, at any rate, would make life a much greater burden than it now is." + +[Illustration] + + + + +CHAPTER XVIII. + +SOMETHING ABOUT JAPANESE WOMEN. + + +Frank thought it was no more than proper that he should devote a letter +to Miss Effie. He wanted to make it instructive and interesting, and, at +the same time, he thought it should appeal to her personally in some +way. He debated the matter in his own mind without coming to a +conclusion, and finally determined to submit the question to Doctor +Bronson, from whom he hoped to receive a suggestion that would be +useful. + +[Illustration: A JAPANESE LADY'S-MAID.] + +The Doctor listened to him, and was not long in arriving at a +conclusion. + +"You have just written to Mary on the subject of Japanese art," said he, +"and she will be pretty certain to show the letter to her intimate +friend." + +"Nothing more likely," Frank answered. + +"In that case," the Doctor continued, "you want to take up a subject +that will be interesting to both, and that has not been touched in your +letters thus far." + +"I suppose so." + +[Illustration: BRIDE AND BRIDESMAID.] + +"Well, then, as they are both women, or girls, as you may choose to call +them, why don't you take up the subject of women in Japan? They would +naturally be interested in what relates to their own sex, and you can +give them much information on that topic." The proposal struck Frank as +an excellent one, and he at once set about obtaining the necessary +information for the preparation of his letter. He had already seen and +heard a great deal concerning the women of Japan, and it was not long +before he had all the material he wanted for his purpose. His letter was +a long one, and we will make some extracts from it, with the permission +of Miss Effie, and also that of Mary, who claimed to have an interest in +the missive. + +[Illustration: MERCHANT'S FAMILY.] + +"From what I can learn," Frank wrote, "the women of Japan are better off +than those of most other Eastern countries. They are not shut up in +harems and never allowed to go about among people, as in Turkey; and +they are not compelled to stay indoors and see nobody, as in many other +parts of the world. They have their share of the work to do; but they +are not compelled to do all of it, while their husbands are idle, as in +some parts of Europe, and among the American Indians. The system of +harems is not known here; or, at all events, if it is known, it is +practised so little that we never hear anything about it. The Japanese +women do not veil their faces, as the women of all Mohammedan countries +are compelled to do; and they are free to go about among their friends, +just as they would be if they were Americans. They blacken their teeth +when they get married; but this custom is fast dying out since the +foreigners came here, and probably in twenty years or so we shall not +hear much about it. The married women dress their hair differently from +the single ones; and when you know the ways of arranging it, you can +know at once whether a woman is married or not. I suppose they do this +for the same reason that the women of America wear rings on their +fingers, and let folks know if they are engaged or married or single. +They remind me of what I have read about the Russian women, who wear +their hair uncovered until they are married, and then tie it up in a +net, or in a handkerchief. It is much better to have a sign of this sort +than to have it in a ring, as the hair can be seen without any trouble, +while you have to be a little impertinent sometimes to look at a lady's +hand, and find out how her rings are. + +[Illustration: MYSTERIES OF THE DRESSING-ROOM.] + +"In China the women pinch their feet, so that they look like doubled +fists, but nothing of the kind is done in Japan. Every woman here has +her feet of the natural shape and size; and as to the size, I can say +that there are women in Japan that have very pretty feet, almost as +pretty as those of two young ladies I know of in America. They do not +have shoes like those you wear, but instead they have sandals for +staying in the house, and high clogs for going out of doors. The clogs +are funny-looking things, as they are four or five inches high, and make +you think of pieces of board with a couple of narrow pieces nailed to +the upper edges. They can't walk fast in them, but they can keep their +feet out of the mud, unless it is very deep, and in that case they ought +not to go out at all. I wish you could see a Japanese woman walking in +her clogs. I know you would laugh, at least the first time you saw one; +but you would soon get used to it, as it is a very common sight. + +[Illustration: LADY IN WINTER WALKING-DRESS.] + +"In China and some other countries it is not considered necessary to +give the girls any education; but in Japan it is not so. The girls are +educated here, though not so much as the boys; and of late years they +have established schools where they receive what we call the higher +branches of instruction. Every year new schools for girls are opened; +and a great many of the Japanese who formerly would not be seen in +public with their wives have adopted the Western idea, and bring their +wives into society. The marriage laws have been arranged so as to allow +the different classes to marry among each other, and the government is +doing all it can to improve the condition of the women. They were better +off before than the women of any other Eastern country; and if things go +on as they are now going, they will be still better in a few years. The +world moves. + +"A gentleman who has given much attention to this subject says that of +the one hundred and twenty rulers of Japan, nine have been women; and +that the chief divinity in their mythology is a woman--the goddess +Kuanon. A large part of the literature of Japan is devoted to the praise +of woman; her fidelity, love, piety, and devotion form the groundwork of +many a romance which has become famous throughout the country, and +popular with all classes of readers. The history of Japan abounds in +stories of the heroism of women in the various characters of patriot, +rebel, and martyr; and I am told that a comparison of the standing of +women in all the countries of the East, both in the past and in the +present, would unquestionably place Japan at the head. + +"I suppose you will want to know something about the way the Japanese +women dress. I'll try to tell you; but if I make any mistakes, you must +remember that I have not had much practice in describing ladies' +apparel. + +"They don't wear any crinoline, such as the ladies do in America; and +their clothes fit very tight around them when compared to what we see in +New York--that is, I mean, they are tight in the skirts, though loose +enough above the waist. They fasten them with strings and bands, and +without hooks or buttons or pins. You remember the pocket pin-cushion +you made for me? of course you do. Well, one day while we were taking +tea in a Japanese tea-house, the attendants stood around looking at us, +and examining our watch-chains and the buttons on our coats. I showed +them that pin-cushion, and they passed it from one to the other, and +wondered what it was; and so I took out a pin, and showed it was for +carrying pins. Evidently they did not know what a pin was for, as they +looked at it very curiously, and then made signs for me to show them its +use. I did so by pinning up the wide sleeve of one of the black-eyed +girls. She took the pin out a moment after to return it to me; and when +I motioned that she might keep it, she smiled and said 'Arinyato,' which +means 'Thank you,' as sweetly and earnestly as though I had given her a +diamond ring. Then I gave each one of them a pin, and they all thanked +me as though they really thought they had received something of value. +Just think of it! half a dozen young women, not one of whom had ever +seen a common dressing-pin! + +[Illustration: A GIRL WHO HAD NEVER SEEN A DRESSING-PIN.] + +"Their dresses are folded around them, and then held in place by an +_obi_, which is nothing more nor less than a wide belt. It is of the +most expensive material that the wearer can afford; and sometimes it +costs a great deal of money. Generally it is of silk, and they have it +of all colors, and occasionally it is heavily embroidered. It is several +yards long, and the work of winding it into place is no small affair. I +shall enclose some pictures of Japanese women in this letter, and you +can see from them what the dress of the women looks like, and understand +much better than you will by what I write. I think the women look very +pretty in their dresses--much better, in fact, than when they put on +European garments. Their hair is always black, and they dress it with +more grease than I wish they would. It fairly makes the hair shine, it +is laid on so thick. But they have some very pretty ornaments for their +hair, which they stick in with large pins, something like the hair-pins +you use at home. I am told that you can distinguish the social position +by the number and style of the hair-ornaments worn on a woman's head; +but I have not yet learned how to do it. I suppose I shall find out if I +stay long enough in Japan. + +[Illustration: LADIES' HAIR-DRESSER.] + +"Of course, you will want to know if the Japanese women are pretty. Now, +you mustn't be jealous when I say they are. Fred thinks so too, and you +know it won't do for me to have a quarrel with Fred when we are +travelling together, and especially when I think he's right. They are +all brunettes, and have sharp, bright eyes, full of smiles, and their +skins are clear and healthy. They look very pleasant and happy; and they +have such sweet, soft voices that nobody could help liking them even if +he didn't want to. They have such nice manners, too, that you feel quite +at your ease in their company. They may be wishing you ten thousand +miles away, and saying to themselves that they hate the sight of a +foreigner; but if they do, they manage to conceal their thoughts so +completely that you can never know them. You may say this is all +deception, and perhaps it is; but it is more agreeable than to have them +treat you rudely, and tell you to get out of the way. + +[Illustration: LADIES AT THEIR TOILET.] + +"There are women here who are not pretty, just as there are some in +America; but when you are among them, it isn't polite to tell them of +it. Some of them paint their faces to make them look pretty. I suppose +nobody ever does anything of the kind in America or any other country +but Japan, and therefore it is very wicked for the Japanese ladies to do +so. And when they do paint, they lay it on very thick. Mr. Bronson calls +it kalsomining, and Fred says it reminds him of the veneering that is +sometimes put on furniture to make pine appear like mahogany, and have +an expensive look, when it isn't expensive at all. The 'geishas,' or +dancing and singing girls, get themselves up in this way; and when they +have their faces properly arranged, they must not laugh, for fear that +the effort of smiling would break the coating of paint. And I have heard +it said that the covering of paint is so thick that they couldn't smile +any more than a mask could; and, in fact, the paint really takes the +place of a mask, and makes it impossible to recognize anybody through +it. + +"It is the rule in Japan for a man to have only one wife at a time, but +he does not always stick to it. If he has children, a man is generally +contented; but if he has none, he gets another wife, and either divorces +the first one or not, as he chooses. Divorce is very easy for a man to +obtain, but not so for the woman; and when she is divorced, she has +hardly any means of obtaining justice. But, in justice to the Japanese, +it should be said that the men do not often abuse their opportunities +for divorce, and that the married life of the people is about as good as +that of most countries. Among the reasons for divorce, in addition to +what I have mentioned, there are the usual ones that prevail in America. +Furthermore, divorce is allowed if a wife is disobedient to her +husband's parents, and also if she talks too much. The last reason is +the one most frequently given; but a woman cannot complain of her +husband and become divorced from him for the same cause. I wonder if +Japan is the only country in the world where women have ever been +accused of talking too much. + +"Nearly every amusement that is open to men is also open to women. They +can go to the theatres, to picnics, parties, and anything of the sort, +as often as they please, which is not the case with women in Moslem +countries, and in some others that are not Moslem. They are very fond of +boat excursions, and on pleasant days a goodly number of boating parties +may be seen on the waters around Tokio and the other large cities. On +the whole, they seem to have a great capacity for enjoyment, and it is +pretty certain that they enjoy themselves. + +[Illustration: JAPANESE LADIES ON A PICNIC.] + +"The houses in Japan are so open that you can see a great deal more of +the life of the people than you would be likely to see in other +countries. You can see the women playing with the children, and there +are lots of the little ones everywhere about. I don't believe there is a +country in the world where there is more attention to the wants of the +children than in Japan, and I don't believe it is possible for a greater +love to exist between parents and children than one finds here. There +are so many things done for the amusement of children, and the children +seem to enjoy them so much, that it is very pleasing to study the habits +of the people in this respect. I have already told you about the +amusements at the temple of Asakusa, and the sports and games that they +have there for the children. They are not only at that temple, but all +over Japan, and the man must be very poor to feel that he cannot afford +something to make his children happy. In return, the children are not +spoiled, but become very dutiful to their parents, and are ready to +undergo any privations and sacrifices for their support and comfort. +Respect for parents and devotion to them in every possible way are +taught by the religion of the country; and, whatever we may think of the +heathenism of Japan, we cannot fail to admire this feature of the +religious creed. + +[Illustration: LADIES AND CHILDREN AT PLAY.] + +"It would amuse you if you could see the interest that the Japanese take +in flying kites. And the funny part of it is that it is the men who do +the most of the kite-flying, while the children look on, which is the +exact reverse of what we do in our country. They have the funniest kinds +of kites, and show a great deal of ingenuity in getting them up. +Everybody has them, and they are so cheap that even the beggars can have +kites to fly. They are of all sizes and shapes; you can buy a plain kite +a few inches square, or you can get one as large as the side of a house, +and covered all over with dragons and other things that sometimes cost a +neat little sum for the painting alone. The Japanese understand the +trick of flying a kite without a tail, and they do it by the arrangement +of the strings, which is quite different from ours. On the other hand, +some of their kites will have a whole line of strings hanging down as +ornaments, and sometimes it looks as if the kite were anchored by means +of these extra cords. They make their kites so large that three or four +men are needed to hold some of them; and there is a story that a man who +one day tied the cord of a kite to his waist was taken up in the air and +never heard of again. And there is another story of a man in the +country who had a kite that he harnessed to a plough, and when the wind +was good he used to plough his fields by means of it. But the story does +not explain how he turned the furrow when he reached the end of the +field. Perhaps he had an accommodating wind that shifted at the right +time. + +[Illustration: FLYING KITES.] + +"The first kite I saw in the air in Japan was so much like a large bird +that I mistook it for one, and the delusion was kept up by a smaller one +that seemed to be getting away from the other. The large one imitated +the movements of a hawk to perfection, and it was some minutes before I +could understand that it was nothing but a combination of sticks and +paper and cords, instead of a real live bird. It rose and fell, and +every few moments it swept down and seemed to be trying to swallow the +little one out of sight. I never should have supposed such an imitation +possible, and was thoroughly convinced that the Japanese must be very +fond of kite-flying if they give it the study necessary to bring it to +such a state of perfection. + +"The more I see of the Japanese, the more I like them, and think them a +kind-hearted and happy people. And, from all I can see, they deserve to +be happy, as they do all they can for the pleasure of each other, or, at +any rate, all that anybody ever does." + +[Illustration] + + + + +CHAPTER XIX. + +FROM YOKOHAMA TO KOBE AND OSAKA. + + +Time was going on, and it became necessary that our travellers should +follow its example. The Doctor engaged places for them by the steamer +for Kobe, the port for the western capital of Japan, and at the +appointed time they went on board. Before their departure, they had an +opportunity to visit one of the tea-packing establishments for which +Yokohama is famous, and the process they witnessed there was of special +interest to the boys. Here is the account that Frank gave of it in his +next letter home: + +[Illustration: A VILLAGE IN THE TEA DISTRICT.] + +"The Japanese tea is brought from the country to the seaports in large +boxes. It is partially dried when it is picked, but not enough to +preserve it for a long sea-voyage. When it gets here, it is delivered to +the large establishments that make a business of shipping teas to +America; and let me say, by the way, that nearly all the tea of Japan +that is exported goes to America, and hardly any of it to any other +country. When we went into the warehouse--they call it a 'go-down,' from +a Hindostanee word--they showed us a room where there were probably a +hundred bushels of tea in a great pile on the floor. Men were at work +mixing it up with shovels, and the clerk who showed us around said that +they spread all the tea out in layers, one over the other, and then +mixed them up. He said it was a very difficult job to have the teas +properly mixed, so that the samples should be perfectly even. + +"We saw lots of tea in another room where the same kind of work was +going on; and then they took us to the firing-room, and it was a +firing-room, you may believe. + +[Illustration: TEA-MERCHANTS IN THE INTERIOR.] + +"It was like a great shed, and it had the solid ground for a floor. On +this floor there were kettles, or pans, set in brickwork, and each one +of them had a little furnace under it, in which there was a charcoal +fire. There must have been two hundred of these pans, and the heat from +them was so great that it almost took away my breath. I don't believe I +could exist there a day, and yet there were people who had to spend the +entire day in the firing-room, and go there day after day besides. Many +of them were women, and some of them had little children strapped to +their backs, and there was a whole lot of children in a little room at +one side of the shed, where a couple of women were looking after them. +How I did pity the poor things! Fred and I just emptied our pockets of +all the small change we could find in them for the benefit of the +babies, and I wish we could have given them more. But there was hardly a +cry from any of them, and they seemed as happy and contented as though +their mothers were queens, instead of toiling over the firing-pan in +that hot room for ten or fifteen cents a day. + +[Illustration: THE TEA-PLANT.] + +"They put a pound and a half of tea into each pan, and with it they put +a teaspoonful of some coloring substance that they keep a secret. People +say that this coloring matter is Prussian blue, and others say it is +indigo, and that a little gypsum is put with it, so as to give the tea a +bright appearance. The clerk told us it was indigo and gypsum that his +house used, and declared that it was all false that any poisonous +material was ever put in. He said they only used a teaspoonful of their +mixture to a charge of tea, and the most of that little quantity was +left in the pan in the shape of dust. When I asked him why they put +anything in, he said it was to make the tea sell better in the American +market. It looked so much better when it had been 'doctored' that their +customers in New York and other cities would pay more for it, though +they knew perfectly well what had been done. Then he showed me some of +the tea that had been fired and put side by side with some that had not. +I must say that the fired tea had a polished appearance that the other +had not, and I could readily understand why it sells better. + +"As I have said, they put a charge of a pound and a half of tea into the +pan with a teaspoonful of the mixture, and they have a fire of charcoal +beneath it. The man or woman that does the firing stands in front of the +pan and keeps the tea in constant motion. It must be kept moving all the +time, so that it will not be scorched, and it must be gently rubbed +between the fingers in order to polish it. It is kept in the pan eighty +minutes, and then is considered dry enough for the packing-cases. + +[Illustration: FIRING TEA.] + +"You know how a tea-chest looks, so I need not describe it any more than +to say that the chest is lined with tin, and that the tin is carefully +soldered, so that not a single particle of dampness can get in while the +tea is on the ocean. If it should, the tea would be spoiled, as the +least dampness will injure it, and a great deal will make it quite +useless. They always try to hurry the new crop of tea as rapidly as they +can, since it is the best, and has more and better flavor than the crop +of the previous year. When a ship sails with new tea, she races for home +as hard as she can go, and the quickest voyages ever made from this part +of the world to Europe and America have been made by ships with cargoes +of new tea." + +When the party sailed from Yokohama, they found themselves on board a +steamer which was, and was not, Japanese. She was built in New York, and +formerly ran between that city and Aspinwall. Subsequently she was sent +to Japan in the service of the Pacific Mail Steamship Company, and was +sold, along with several other American steamers, to a Japanese company. +This company was formed with Japanese capital, and its management was +Japanese; but the ships were foreign, and the officers and engineers +were mostly English or American. + +The Doctor told the boys that the Mitsu Bishi Company, as this Japanese +organization was called, was increasing every year the number of its +ships. It received assistance from the government in the form of a mail +contract, and was evidently doing very well. The steamers ran once a +week each way between Yokohama and Shanghai, touching at Kobe and +Nagasaki, and there were lines to other ports of Japan. The Japanese +were studying naval architecture and making good progress, and they +hoped before many years to construct their own ships. Every year they +reduced the number of foreigners in their service, and some of their +establishments were entirely under native management. + +[Illustration: HIOGO (KOBE).] + +The second morning after leaving Yokohama, they were at Kobe, and the +steamer anchored off the town. Kobe and Hiogo are practically one and +the same place. The Japanese city that stands there was formerly known +as Hiogo, and still retains that name, while the name of Kobe was +applied to that portion where the foreigners reside. The view from the +water is quite pretty, as there is a line of mountains just back of the +city; and as the boys looked intently they could see that the mountains +were inhabited. There are several neat little houses on the side of the +hills, some of them the residences of the foreigners who go there to get +the cool air, while the rest are the homes of the Japanese. There is a +liberal allowance of tea-houses where the public can go to be refreshed, +and there is a waterfall where a mountain stream comes rattling down +from the rocks to a deep pool, where groups of bathers are sure to +congregate in fine weather. The town stands on a level plain, where a +point juts into the water, and there is nothing remarkable about it. If +they had not seen Yokohama and Tokio, they might have found it +interesting; but after those cities the boys were not long in agreeing +that a short time in Kobe would be all they would wish. + +But they were at the port of Osaka and Kioto, and their thoughts were +turned towards those important cities. There was no difficulty in going +there, as the railway was in operation to Osaka, twenty miles, and to +Kioto, thirty miles farther on. But Frank was seized with an idea, which +he lost no time in communicating to his friends. It was this: + +"We can travel by rail almost anywhere," said he, "and needn't come away +from America to do so. Now, instead of going to Osaka by rail, which +wouldn't be anything remarkable, suppose we go by a Japanese junk. I +have been asking the hotel-keeper about it, and he says it is perfectly +easy to do so, and that we can sail there with a fair wind in a few +hours." + +Fred was in favor of the junk voyage on account of its novelty. Of +course, the Doctor was not likely to oppose any reasonable scheme that +would give his young companions an opportunity to learn something, +provided it did not consume too much time. Inquiry showed that the +voyage could be made there with a fair wind, as Frank had suggested; +and, as the wind happened to be all right and promised to continue, it +was agreed to go by junk on the following morning, provided there were +no change. + +[Illustration: THE JUNK AT ANCHOR.] + +A Japanese servant, who spoke English, was engaged from the hotel to +accompany the party during their journey. He was sent to find a junk +that was about to leave for Osaka, and in half an hour he returned with +the captain of one. It was soon settled that he was to bring his craft +to the anchorage near the hotel during the afternoon, and be ready to +receive his passengers and their luggage at daylight if the wind held +good. The servant, who said he was named "John" by the first European +that ever employed him, and had stuck to it ever since, was kept busy +during the afternoon in making preparations for the journey, as it was +necessary to take a stock of provisions very much as the party had +equipped themselves when they went to ascend Fusiyama. Everything was +arranged in time, and the trio went to bed early, as it would be +necessary to rise before the sun, and they wanted to lay in a good +supply of sleep. + +The junk was all ready in the morning; and as soon as the passengers +were on board, her sail was lifted, and she slowly worked her way +through the water. The wind was all right for the voyage to the mouth of +the river where Osaka lay; and if they had been on a sail-boat such as +all New-Yorkers are familiar with, the journey would have been over in +three or four hours. But the junk was not built for racing purposes, and +the most that could be hoped for from her was a speed of about three +miles an hour. This was no detriment, as they could thus make the mouth +of the river by noon; and if the bar could be easily crossed, they would +be at the city long before sunset. Life on a junk was a novelty, and +therefore they were not annoyed to think that their craft was not a +swift one. + +[Illustration: THE HELMSMAN AT HIS POST.] + +Fred thought that the stern of the junk was about the funniest thing in +the way of a steering-place he had ever seen; and to make sure of +remembering it, he made a sketch of the helmsman at his post. Frank +insisted that he was not there at all, as his post was evidently the +rudder-post, and it was at least ten feet off, owing to the length of +the tiller. The deck where the man stood had a slope like that of a +house-roof, and it was a mystery to the boys how the sailors could +stand there when the planks were wet by the spray, or the sea was at all +rough. But there was no denying that they did stay there, and so the +boys concluded that the men must have claws on their feet like those +with which a tiger is equipped. Fred remarked that the steep incline +reminded him of a conundrum he had somewhere heard, which was as +follows: + +"Why is a dog with a broken leg like the space between the eaves and the +ridge of a house?" + +Frank could not answer, and the question was propounded to Dr. Bronson; +the latter shook his head, and then Fred responded, in triumph, "Because +he is a slow pup." It was three seconds at least before Frank could see +the point of the joke. + +[Illustration: JAPANESE SAILORS AT DINNER.] + +The boys had too much to do in the way of sight-seeing to spend more +time over conundrums. They proceeded to explore the interior of the +junk, and to look about the decks in the hope of finding something new +in the way of navigation. They discovered that there was considerable +space for the stowage of cargo, in consequence of the great width of the +craft in proportion to her length. The accommodations of the crew were +not extensive; but as they did not expect much, they were not likely to +complain. As the boys were near the bow of the junk, they came upon two +of the sailors at dinner; the meal consisting of rice and fish, which +they ate with the aid of chopsticks. The men were squatted on the deck +in front of their food, or rather they had the food in front of +themselves, and they evidently were the possessors of good appetites, to +judge by the eagerness with which they attended to business and paid no +heed to the strangers. + +The Japanese are excellent sailors, both on their junks and on the +foreign ships that have been introduced to their service since the +opening of the country to other nations. But the Japanese landsman has a +horror of the water, and cannot be induced to venture upon it. In this +respect the Japanese are not unlike the Italians, who are naturally a +maritime nation, and have covered themselves with marine glory in times +that are past. But the Italian landsman is ready to suffer any +inconvenience rather than risk himself on the ocean, and not a more +woe-begone being can be found in the world than a sea-sick Italian +unless it be a sea-sick Japanese. + +[Illustration: JUNK SAILORS ON DUTY.] + +The sailors on the junk were very prompt in obeying orders, but they +went about everything with an air of coolness which one does not always +see on an American vessel. Ordinarily they pulled at ropes as though +they would not hurt either the ropes or themselves; but it was observed +that when the captain gave an order for anything, there was no attempt +at shirking. One of the sailors stood at the sheet of the mainsail, and +while he held on and waited for directions his mate was quietly smoking +and seated on the deck. When the order came for changing the position of +the sail, the pipe was instantly dropped and the work was attended to; +when the work was over, the pipe was resumed as if nothing had happened. +Evidently the sailors were not much affected by the fashions that the +foreigners had introduced, for they were all dressed in the costume that +prevailed previous to the treaty of Commodore Perry, and before a single +innovation had been made in the way of navigation. The captain of the +junk looked with disdain upon a steamer that was at anchor not far from +where his craft was obliged to pass, and evidently he had no very high +opinion of the barbarian invention. He was content with things as they +were, and the ship that had borne his ancestors in safety was quite good +enough for him and his comrades. + +[Illustration: VIEW FROM THE HOTEL.] + +About six hours after the departure from Kobe, the junk reached the bar +of the river on which Osaka is situated. The bar was passed, and then +the unwieldy concern came to anchor to wait for a stronger breeze; at +the advice of John a row-boat was engaged to finish the journey as far +as the hotel where they were to stop. The row-boat was rapidly propelled +by the strong arms of half a dozen men; and in less than two hours from +the time they said "Sayonara" to the captain of their transport, the +Doctor and his young friends were safely lodged in the house where their +rooms had been previously engaged by letter. In a short time dinner was +ready, and they had it served on a little balcony which overlooked the +water, and gave them an opportunity to study the river life of the city +while they devoured the stewed chicken and juicy steaks that the host +had provided for them. Boats passed and repassed, and there was a good +deal of animation on the stream. Just beyond the hotel there was a +bridge which curved like a quarter of a circle, as Fred thought, and +beyond it was another of similar construction. Crowds of people were +coming and going over these bridges, and Frank ventured to ask the +Doctor if there were any more bridges and any more people in Osaka. + +"Certainly, my boy," the Doctor answered, "there are thirteen rivers and +canals in Osaka, so that the city has an abundance of water +communication. The streets are generally at right angles, and there are +more than a hundred bridges over the water-ways. From this circumstance +Osaka has received the name of the Venice of Japan, and she certainly +deserves it. Formerly her commerce by water was very great, and you +would see a large fleet of junks in the river below the town. The +opening of the railway to Kobe has somewhat diminished the traffic by +water; but it is still quite extensive, and employs a goodly amount of +capital. + +"Osaka is one of the most important cities of Japan," Dr. Bronson +continued, "and has long been celebrated for its commercial greatness. +If you look at its position on the map, you will see that it is +admirably situated to command trade both by land and by water; and when +I tell you that it contains half a million of inhabitants, you will +understand that it must have had prosperity to make it so great. The +streets are of good width, and they are kept cleaner than those of most +other cities in Japan. The people are very proud of Osaka, and are as +tender of its reputation as the inhabitants of any Western city in +America are tender of theirs. There are not so many temples as in Tokio, +and not so many palaces, but there is a fair number of both; and, what +is better in a practical way, there are many establishments where +cotton, iron, copper, bronze, and other goods are manufactured. As a +commercial and manufacturing centre, Osaka is at the head, and without a +rival so far as Japan is concerned." + +Towards sunset the party took a stroll through the city, stopping in +front of several shops, and entering one or two of the larger. The boys +were of opinion that the shops of Osaka were larger than those of Tokio, +and there was one silk-store that was twice the size of any they had +seen in the eastern capital. The goods that were displayed were not +materially different from what they had already seen, and consequently +they were not disposed to linger long on the way. They extended their +walk to the upper part of the city, where several temples are situated, +and they finally reached the famous Castle of Osaka, whence there is a +line view from the walls. There was some difficulty in entering the +castle, but through the explanations of John the matter was arranged and +they went inside. + +[Illustration: THE CASTLE OF OSAKA.] + +One of the wonders of Japan is the wall of the Castle of Osaka, or +rather of a portion of it. During the sixteenth century Osaka was the +capital of the empire, and remained so for many years; while it was the +capital the emperor commanded the tributary princes to assist in +building the walls of the imperial residence, and each was to send a +stone for that purpose. The stones are there, and it would be no small +matter to remove them. Our friends had no means of measurement at hand, +but they estimated that some of the stones were twenty feet long by half +that width, and six feet in depth. They were as large as an ordinary +street-car, and some of them were larger; and how they could have been +transported over the roads of Japan and hoisted into their places was a +mystery no one could explain. + +The view from the top of the castle walls is magnificent, and well +repays the trouble of making the ascent. In front is the city like a +broad map, and there is no difficulty in tracing the lines of the +streets and the sinuosities of the rivers and canals. Beyond the city, +on the right, is the water of the bay, which opens into the Pacific, +while on the left is the plain that stretches away to Kobe and Hiogo. +Beyond the plain is the range of sharp hills and mountains; and as one +turns slowly to the west and north he can sweep the landscape almost to +the gates of Kioto and the shores of Lake Biwa. To the east, again, +there are mountains rising sharply from the fertile plain, so that one +seems to be standing in a basin of low land with a curving rim of +mountains. The sun was about setting as our party reached the top of the +high wall, and they remained there in full enjoyment of the scene until +the shadows began to fall and the light to fade out from the sky. It was +the most delightful landscape view that had fallen to the lot of the +youths since their ascent of Fusiyama. + +They regretted the necessity of departing from the castle, but regrets +were of no use, and they descended to the streets just as the lamps were +getting into full blaze. + + + + +CHAPTER XX. + +THE MINT AT OSAKA.--FROM OSAKA TO NARA AND KIOTO. + + +Through the assistance of a gentleman to whom Doctor Bronson had a +letter of introduction, our friends were enabled to pay a visit to the +imperial mint at Osaka. + +They found a large establishment, like a foundry, on the bank of the +river, and just outside the thickly settled portion of the city. A tall +chimney was smoking vigorously, and gave signs of activity; and there +was an air of neatness about the surroundings quite in keeping with what +they had observed thus far in their journey through Japan. They were met +at the entrance by the director of the mint, a Japanese gentleman who +had spent a considerable time in Europe and America, and spoke English +with fluency and precision. They were invited to seats in the office, +and, after a brief delay, were escorted through the establishment. + +The mint at Osaka is one of the most noted enterprises which the +government of Japan has undertaken, and likewise one of the most +successful. When it was founded it was under foreign supervision, and +the most of the employés were from Europe; but year by year the Japanese +have learned how to conduct its machinery, and have relieved the +foreigners of the labor of managing it. The direction is Japanese, and +so are the heads of the departments, and the employés from highest to +lowest. When the mint was established, the machinery for it was imported +from Europe, but at present it is all made by the Japanese, in their own +factory attached to the mint. + +"Just to think," said Frank, "that people persist in calling these +Japanese 'barbarians!' Here are machines for stamping coin and +performing all the work of a mint, and it bears the mark of the +Japanese. Here are delicate balances for weighing gold and silver and +getting the weight down to the fraction of a grain, and they are just as +sensitive and as well made as the best specimens from the French or +German makers. If the Japanese can do all this, and they certainly have +done it, they deserve to be considered just as good as any other people +in the world." + +The Doctor took from his pocket some of the coin which was in +circulation, and with which the boys had by this time become thoroughly +familiar. They had remarked that it was as neatly made as any coin of +Europe or America, and, as a matter of curiosity, they were desirous of +seeing the machine by which each of the different pieces was stamped. +The director kindly pointed out the various machines, and the boys +observed that, with a single exception, they were all of Japanese make. +Then they were shown through a factory for the manufacture of sulphuric +acid that is attached to the mint, and is run on government account. +They were somewhat astonished to learn that all the sulphuric acid used +in the mint was made there, and that in the previous year thirteen +thousand cases were exported to China. For the benefit of his professor +of chemistry, Fred made the following memorandum concerning the branch +of business he was investigating: + +"The sulphur comes from the provinces of Satsuma and Bungo--the most +from the latter, and the best from the former; and the product is partly +for the use of the mint, and partly for general commerce. The acid is +packed in earthen jars which are glazed on the inside, and not in the +carboys that are in use with us. Two jars, holding about eight quarts +each, are packed in a wooden case; they rest on a bed of lime about +three inches thick, and the remainder of the space is filled with coarse +ashes and coal cinders. This manner of packing is considered preferable +to the old one, and, besides, it enables the Japanese to make their own +jars, instead of importing the carboys. The director tells me that thus +far the factory has not been able to supply the Chinese demand for acid, +and therefore no shipments have been made to other countries. With an +increased production, it is quite possible that shipments may be made to +America at no very distant day. + +[Illustration: VIGNETTE FROM THE NATIONAL BANK-NOTES.] + +"Japan abounds in sulphur, and the supply is said to be inexhaustible. +The copper used at the mint for making the Japanese small coins is of +native production, and so is most of the silver; but occasionally the +supply of the latter metal runs short, and then American silver comes +into play. Last year nearly half a million trade-dollars were melted at +the mint at Osaka, to be made into Japanese yens, and this year a large +number have met a similar fate. The American trade-dollar has not yet +become a popular coin for circulation in Japan and China, but is in good +demand for the melting-pot. But I suppose we do not care what they do +with our silver money so long as they pay for it; and the more they melt +up, the better we shall be pleased." + +[Illustration: IMPERIAL CREST FOR PALACE AFFAIRS.] + +Having finished their inspection of the mint, our friends thanked the +polite director for his kindness and attention, and bade him good-day. +They returned to the hotel, where their lunch was waiting for them, and +sat down on the balcony, where they had feasted and studied the river +scenery the day before. Their morning's excursion naturally led them to +talk about the money of Japan, and on this subject the Doctor was ready +with his usual fund of information. + +[Illustration: IMPERIAL CREST ON THE NEW COINS.] + +[Illustration: OLD KINSAT, OR MONEY-CARD.] + +"The Japanese currency," said Doctor Bronson, "has had a somewhat +checkered career. Previous to the coming of the foreigners, the currency +consisted of gold, silver, copper, and bronze coins. The Daimios had +money of their own, and some of them had issued paper kinsats, or +money-cards. These were on thick paper, like card-board, and they +circulated freely, though sometimes at a discount, owing to the +difficulty of redemption or the wasteful ways of the prince by whom they +were put forth. The old coins were oval or oblong, and the lower +denominations had a square hole in the centre, so that they could be +strung on a wire or on a cord. The gold coins were known as 'kobans,' +while the silver ones had the general name of 'boos.' There were +fractions of each, and they had their names, just as our half and +quarter dollars have their distinctive names. The unit of the silver +coin was a 'boo,' and it was always called 'ichiboo,' or one boo. The +word _ichi_ means _one_, but the early visitors supposed it was a part +of the name of the coin. Thus we read in books of twenty years ago that +the writer paid 'one ichiboo' or 'two ichiboos' for certain purchases. +It is the same as if some one writing of America should say that he paid +'one one-dollar' or 'two one-dollars' for what he had bought. + +[Illustration: ICHI-BOO.] + +"All that old currency has been set aside," continued the Doctor, "and +the country is now in possession of a decimal system of money. The coins +are round, and the general stamp on them is the same, apart from the +words and figures showing the denomination and value. The unit is the +'yen,' which is equal to our dollar. In fact, the Japanese currency is +assimilated to our own in weight, fineness, and decimal divisions. Here +is the table of the values: + + "10 rin make 1 sen, equal to 1 cent. + 100 sen make 1 yen, equal to 1 dollar. + +"The coins are stamped with the devices of the coiled dragons and the +rising sun (both Japanese symbols), and not with the portrait of the +Mikado. Japanese prejudice is opposed to the adoption of the picture of +the imperial ruler on the coin of the country, but it will probably be +overcome in time. It is less severe than with the Moslems (among whom a +true believer is forbidden to make a picture of anything that has life), +and consequently will be more easy to do away with. + +[Illustration: VIGNETTE FROM BANK-NOTE.] + +"The Japanese have ventured upon that feature of Western civilization +known as a national debt, and how they will get out of it time alone +will determine. At present they are increasing their indebtedness every +year, and their paper does not show any signs of redemption. They have +also, as you have seen, a paper currency like our national issue in +America, and so much like ours is it that it is known as the Japanese +greenbacks. They have notes of the same denominations as ours; and they +also have a fractional currency, such as we had during the war of 1861 +and the years that followed. The premium on coin has gone steadily +upwards, partly in consequence of the large issue, and partly owing to +the hostility of foreign bankers and others, who have done all they +could to bring the Japanese credit into discredit." + +[Illustration: VIGNETTE FROM BANK-NOTE.] + +The dissertation on Japanese money came to an end with the meal they +were eating, and soon after the party proceeded to take a stroll through +the streets. The afternoon was spent in this way and in letter-writing, +and on the following morning the trio started for Kioto, by way of Kara. +The ride was a pleasant one--in jin-riki-shas--partly along the banks of +the river, where they saw a goodly number of boats, some descending the +stream with the aid of the current, and others making a laborious +ascent. The difference of up-stream and down-stream travel was never +better illustrated than in the present instance. The Japs who floated +with the current were taking things easily and smoking their pipes, as +though all the world were their debtor; while the men on the towpath +were bending to their toil, evidently giving their whole minds to it, +and their bodies as well. Some of the towmen had on their grass coats, +while others were without them. Every head was carefully protected from +the heat of the sun by the broad hats already described. + +[Illustration: MEN TOWING BOATS NEAR OSAKA.] + +[Illustration: MODE OF HOLDING THE TOW-ROPES.] + +They saw a native ferry-boat at one point, which was heavily laden with +a mixed cargo. According to Fred's inventory, the craft contained a +horse and half a dozen men, together with a lot of boxes and bundles, +which were, as the auctioneers say, too numerous to mention. The head of +the horse was firmly held by the groom who had him in charge, as it +would have been a serious matter if the beast had broken away and jumped +into the stream with all his load about him. A Japanese ferry-boat does +not appear the safest thing in the world, but, somehow, one never hears +of accidents with it. If any occur, they must be carefully kept out of +the papers. + +[Illustration: THE FERRY-BOAT.] + +After riding about three hours through a succession of villages and +across fields, they reached a hotel, where John suggested they had +better halt for lunch. It was a Japanese inn, without the slightest +pretence of adapting itself to foreign ideas. There were the usual +fish-stew and boiled rice ready, and with these and their own provisions +our travellers made a hearty meal, well seasoned with that best of +sauces, hunger. There was a stout maid-of-all-work, who bustled about in +a manner not altogether characteristic of the Japanese. At the +suggestion from the Doctor that he would like to bathe his head in some +cool water, she hurried away, and soon returned, bearing a bucket so +large and so full that she was forced to bend her body far to one side +to maintain her equilibrium. Her powerful limbs and general ruddiness of +feature were indicative of the very best condition of robust health, and +the boys agreed that she would make a most excellent model for an artist +who was endeavoring to represent the best types of the Japanese +peasantry. + +[Illustration: THE HOTEL-MAID.] + +Nara is about thirty miles from Osaka, and is famous for some ancient +temples and fine groves of trees. The park containing the latter is +quite extensive, and supports a considerable number of deer, so tame +that they will feed from the hand of a stranger. As they are the stock +sights of the place, there are plenty of opportunities to spend a few +pennies for cakes to be given to the deer. The cakes are sold by some +old women, who call the pets from the shelter of the trees, and bring +them bounding to your side. The trees in the park are very old, and +among the finest in Japan. There are few lovelier spots in the country +than this; and as our friends reclined on the veranda of the little +hotel to which John had led the way, and looked upon the smiling valley +that spread before them, they pronounced the picture one of the +prettiest they had ever seen. + +[Illustration: A JAPANESE LANDSCAPE.] + +The following morning they devoted to the sights of Nara, and were +surprised at the number and extent of the temples and tombs. During the +eighth century Nara was the capital of Japan, and it had the honor of +being the residence of seven different sovereigns. The most famous of +its monuments is the statue of Buddha, which was originally cast at the +time Nara was the capital, and was afterwards destroyed during an +insurrection. It was recast about seven hundred years ago, and has since +remained uninjured. Frank applied himself to discovering the dimensions +of this statue, and ended by making the following table of figures: + +Total height of statue, 53 feet 6 inches; width across shoulders, 29 +feet; length of face, 16 feet; width of face, 9 feet 6 inches. It is +said to weigh four hundred and fifty tons, and to be made of a bronze +composed of gold, mercury, tin, and copper. The head is covered with +curls, also of bronze, and there are said to be 966 of them; then there +is a halo around the head 78 feet in diameter, and supporting 16 images, +each one 8 feet long. The statue is in a squatting posture, like the one +at Kamakura, and is covered with a building so small that it is +impossible to obtain a good view in consequence of being too near the +figure. The expression of the features is not at all equal to that of +the great Dai-Boots at Kamakura, and the whole design is far less +artistic. But it is the second in the empire in size, and for that +reason is worthy of notice as well as for its antiquity. + +[Illustration: DIKES ALONG THE RIVER.] + +From Nara the party continued to Kioto, halting for dinner at Uji, which +is the centre of an important tea district. Men and women were at work +in the fields gathering the leaves from the plants, and other men and +women were attending to the drying process which the gathered leaves +were undergoing. They were spread out on matting, on paper, or on cloth, +where they had the full force of the rays of the sun, and were +frequently turned and stirred so as to have every part equally exposed +to the solar heat. While the party was at Uji a shower came on, and then +there was some very lively hurrying to and fro to save the tea from a +wetting. During the afternoon the rain continued, and the rest of the +ride to Kioto was not especially cheerful. Part of the route led along +the banks of the river, which forms a navigable way for small boats +between the tea district and Osaka; and at one place, where the bank +was broken, Frank had a narrow escape from an overturn into the water. +The wheel of his little carriage sank into the soft earth and spilled +him out, but, luckily, a friendly tree was in his grasp and saved him +from falling down the steep slope of twenty feet or so. "A miss is as +good as a mile," he remarked, as he brushed the mud from his clothes, +and took his seat again in his vehicle. + +"And I know a miss," said Fred, "that is better than any mile we have +had to-day." + +Frank asked what he meant, and was told-- + +"Miss Effie." + +He quite agreed with Fred, and said he would gladly exchange that last +mile, overturn and all, for one minute of her society. But he had the +consolation of knowing he could have her society for a good many +consecutive minutes when he got home again, and could keep as long as he +liked the recollection of the miles between Nara and Kioto. + +[Illustration: NIGHT SCENE NEAR FUSHIMI.] + +They left the river at Fushimi, and followed what seemed to be an almost +continuous street for six miles or more. Formerly the great route for +travellers and commerce between Osaka and Kioto was by way of the river +as far as Fushimi, and thence by the road. The result of this state of +affairs for centuries was to build up a long village largely composed of +hotels and tea-houses. Their business has somewhat fallen off since the +completion of the railway from Kioto to Osaka and Kobe; but there is +still enough to maintain a considerable number of them. There is one +large hotel, at the foot of the Inari hill, about two miles from the +centre of Kioto, where the jin-riki-sha coolies invariably stop for a +short rest, and to take tea at the expense of their employers. The +custom was carefully observed in the present instance, and our friends +were shown to the rear of the hotel, where there was a pretty garden +with a little fountain supplied from the hill above. They sipped their +tea, and gave side-glances at the black-eyed maids that were moving +around the house; and when John announced that the coolies were rested, +the journey was resumed. + +They passed by several temples, and, after a time, their way led through +some narrow streets and up a gently sloping hill. Suddenly they halted +and were told that they had reached their stopping-place. There are +several hotels at Kioto in the foreign style, but all kept and managed +by Japanese. John declared that the one to which he had brought them was +the best, but he added, in a quiet whisper, that it was not so good as +the hotels at Kobe and Yokohama. After a day's experience of the +establishment, Frank suggested that he could make an improvement in +John's English. + +Fred asked what he had to propose. + +"Why," said Frank, "he spoke of this hotel as the best in the place; +_best_ implies goodness somewhere, and I don't find any goodness in it." + +"But, for all that," Fred responded, "the others may be worse than +this." + +"Quite true," was the answer, "and then let him say so. Instead of +calling this the best hotel in Kioto, he should say that it is the least +bad. Then he would be making a proper use of language." + +[Illustration: WOMEN OF KIOTO.] + +Fred retorted that Frank was demanding too much of a boy to whom they +only paid fifty cents a day, and his expenses, and said he was reminded +of the excuse of a soldier who was being censured for drunkenness. + +"What was that?" queried Frank. + +"His captain asked him what he had to say for himself to escape +punishment, and the man replied that it was unreasonable to expect all +the cardinal virtues for thirteen dollars a month. The captain told him +the excuse was sufficient for that time, but would not do for a +repetition of the offence." + +They had not been five minutes in the hotel before they were visited by +a delegation of peddlers, who had all sorts of wares to offer. Among +them were some beautiful embroideries on silk, of a kind they had not +seen in Tokio or Yokohama, and there were some exquisite paintings that +gave practical evidence of the superiority of the artists of Kioto. The +dealers were not at all importunate, and did not seem to care whether +the strangers purchased their wares or declined all negotiations. Two or +three of them had brought photographs of the scenery around Kioto which +they offered to leave for inspection until the next day. This proposal +was received with favor, and on a hint that the travellers were tired +and wished to be by themselves, each of the itinerant merchants retired, +but not till after bowing low and pronouncing a respectful "Sayonara." + +Two of the hotels which the foreigners patronize are close to some of +the famous temples of Kioto, and thus the process of sight-seeing is +greatly facilitated. A third hotel is a considerable distance up the +hill-side, and commands a fine view over nearly all the city. The ascent +to it is somewhat fatiguing, but the visitor is well paid for the +exertion by the remarkable and charming landscape that spreads before +his eyes. + + + + +CHAPTER XXI. + +KIOTO AND LAKE BIWA. + + +To tell all that was done and seen by our young friends during their +stay in Kioto would be to tell a great deal. They had their time fully +occupied from their arrival to their departure, and they regretted much +the necessity of leaving when they did. At the Doctor's suggestion, they +attempted a new system of relating their adventures to their friends at +home, and were so well pleased at the result that they determined to try +it again. The new scheme was the preparation of a letter in which both +had equal shares, Frank undertaking to write one half of it and Fred the +other. They succeeded so well that when they read over their production +to Doctor Bronson before sending it away, he was unable to say which was +Fred's portion and which was Frank's. We will reproduce the letter and +leave our readers to judge how well they performed their self-imposed +duty. At the Doctor's suggestion, each of the boys wrote as though +speaking for himself, and consequently the letter had a good deal of "I" +in it. + + "MY DEAR FRIENDS: + + "We have seen so many things since we came here that I don't + exactly know where to begin in telling the story of our + sight-seeing. The names by which this city is known are so numerous + that the reader of Japanese history of different dates is liable to + be puzzled. Many of the natives speak of it as Miako, or the + Capital; others have called it, and still call it, Saikio, or the + Central City, and others know it only as Kioto, or the Western + Capital. This last name has become the official one since the + removal of the Mikado to Yeddo, which then became Tokio, or the + Eastern Capital. But, by whatever name we know it, the city is a + most delightful one, and the traveller who comes to Japan without + seeing it is like one who goes to New York without visiting Central + Park, or a stranger in Boston who does not see the famous Common. + In many of its features Kioto is superior to Tokio, and any one of + its inhabitants will tell you so. The city stands on a plain of + nearly horseshoe shape, the mountains almost encircling it and + giving an abundance of charming views. On one side the houses climb + a considerable distance up the slopes, so that you may sit on a + balcony and see Kioto lying at your feet. + + [Illustration: LADIES OF THE WESTERN CAPITAL.] + + "The streets are almost of chess-board regularity, and generally so + clean that you might go out to walk in satin slippers without much + danger of soiling them. The people are finer-looking than those of + Tokio, and you meet more stalwart men than in the eastern capital. + Kioto prides itself on the beauty of its women, and some of the + Japanese writers say that they cause the women of all other parts + of the country to despair. They are very proud of their + head-dresses, and they have a great many ornaments for the hair; in + fact, there are so many of these things, and the trade is so + extensive, that you find whole shops devoted to their manufacture + and sale. + + "Dancing and singing girls are to be counted by the thousand, and + they certainly have the most gorgeous toilets I have seen in the + country. They are engaged to sing and dance at dinner parties, just + as we have bands of music to play for us at large banquets in + America, and no Japanese gentleman who was giving a dinner to a + friend or friends would think he had done the proper thing unless + there were 'geishas' to sing and dance for them. The other evening + Doctor Bronson ordered a dinner for us at a Japanese restaurant in + the true style of the country; he told the manager to get it up + properly, and the answer was that it should be perfect. When we + went there, we found the dinner ready; and there were two singing + geishas, and two dancing ones, to entertain us. I can't say that I + considered it much of an entertainment after the novelty had gone, + as the music was monotonous, and we couldn't understand a word of + the singing. Their dancing consisted of sliding about the room, and + taking a variety of postures with their arms and hands, and it + wasn't a bit like what we call dancing. But it was all perfectly + proper and nice, and the girls behaved like real ladies. They are + educated for dancers or singers, as the case may be, and some of + them are great favorites and get high wages. But if I were to have + my way, and have them dress to my taste, I should make them put + less paint on their faces; they consider that the one who can put + the most paint on her face and neck is the prettiest, and so they + cover themselves till they look as though they were veneered. One + of those that danced for us had her face covered so thickly that + she couldn't smile without cracking the varnish, and so she didn't + smile at all. + + [Illustration: RESTAURANT AND TEA-GARDEN AT KIOTO.] + + "We are outside of treaty limits, and so we were obliged to have + passports to come here. Foreigners may go freely within twenty-five + miles of any of the treaty ports without special permission, but + Kioto is just beyond the limit, as it is thirty miles from Osaka, + and therefore the Japanese permit is needed. We had ours from the + consul at Kobe, and had no trouble at all on coming here. A + Japanese official called for them soon after we came to the hotel, + and he bowed low as he received them. Then he spread the documents + on the floor, and as he did so he fell on his hands and knees so as + to bring his nose within six inches of the papers, and curve his + back into the shape of an arch. He read the passports and copied + our names into his note-book; or, at least, I suppose he did so, + though I can't say positively. We can stay the time named in the + permit without further interference; but if we stopped too long, we + should probably be told some morning that a gentleman at Kobe was + anxious to see us, and we had better start for there by the first + train. The Japanese are so polite that they will never say a rude + thing if they can help it, and they will even tell a plump + falsehood rather than be uncivil. But the same thing has occurred + in America, and so the Japs are not much worse than others, after + all. + + [Illustration: AN ARTIST AT WORK.] + + "Kioto is famous in the rest of the world for its manufactures of + porcelain of various kinds, and also for its bronzes and silk + goods. There is a large trade in Kioto ware, and everybody says + that it is increasing. At any rate, the prices they ask here are as + high as in Yokohama for the same kind of articles, and some things + are really dearer here than there. Some of the work in bronze is + very fine, and I can tell you a funny story about the way the + merchants prepare goods for the market. The incident happened + yesterday, when we were in a shop with a gentleman from Kobe whom + we had met at the hotel. + + "This gentleman was admiring a pair of very old vases; there was no + doubt about their age, as they were eaten in several places with + verdigris, and were covered in spots with dried earth. When he + asked the price, he was astonished at the low figure demanded, and + immediately said he would take them. Then he asked the shopkeeper + if he had any more like them. + + "'I haven't any,' the dealer replied, 'but I can make anything you + want to order.' + + "The gentleman said he didn't want new vases, but old ones, and + thereupon the dealer said, + + "'I'll make old vases for you if you want them--will make them just + as I made these.' + + "We learned how it is that they get up this old ware; at least, we + were told so by a man who claims to know. 'Boil the bronzes in + strong vinegar,' he says, 'for several hours; and if you want to + make them look very old, you must put some acid in the vinegar. You + want the strongest vinegar that can be found, and the bronze must + be cleaned of all grease before it is boiled. + + [Illustration: LANTERN-MAKER AT KIOTO.] + + "'You can buy plenty of old ware of all kinds,' the same man said, + 'but you had better have it made, and then you know you are not + cheated.' Very sensible advice, I think--don't you? + + "They have a great deal of embroidered and figured silk; and when + you go into a shop, these are the first things they show you. Some + of the work is magnificent; and when you look at it and learn the + price, it does not take you long to conclude that the labor of + Kioto is not very highly paid. There are many silk-weavers here, + and we have visited some of the factories. The largest that we saw + contained twenty looms, about half of them devoted to brocades and + other figured work, and the rest to plain silks. The looms for + ordinary work are quite plain and simple; those for the figured + silks are somewhat complicated, and require two persons to operate + them. One sits in the usual position in front of the loom, and the + other up aloft; each of them has a pattern of the work, and there + is a bewildering lot of threads which must be pulled at the right + time. The process is very slow; and if these weavers could see a + Jacquard loom, I think they would be astonished. + + "Kioto is a place of great interest, as has been said already; and + we have not been able to exhaust its sights, though we have worked + very diligently. It is the most famous city in all Japan for its + temples, as it contains altogether about three thousand of them. + They are of all sizes and kinds, but the most of them are small and + not worth the trouble of visiting. But, on the other hand, there + are some magnificent ones, and a charming feature of the temples is + the way they are situated. They are nearly all on hill-sides, and + in the midst of groves and gardens where you may wander for hours + in the shade; and whenever you feel weary you can be sure of + finding a tea-house close by, where you may rest and refresh + yourself on the fragrant tea of Japan. Children romp and play on + the verandas of the temples without thought of harm, and run as + they please through the edifices. Outside are the tea-gardens; and + the people chatter and laugh as they move to and from the temple, + without any of the solemnity of a congregation entering or leaving + a church in America. At the hour of worship, the crowd kneels + reverently, and pronounces in unison the prayers that are repeated + by the priest, and when the prayers are ended, they return to their + sport or their work as gayly as ever. + + [Illustration: A JAPANESE ARCHER.] + + "I must not fail to tell you of a remarkable temple that we have + seen; not that any are unworthy of mention, but this one is + certainly very curious. It is known as the Temple of Rengenhoin, + and contains one thousand idols of large size; then each idol in + this lot is surrounded by several smaller ones, and there is one + idol larger than all the rest. The whole number is said to be + 33,333. We did not count them to make sure that the estimate was + correct, but I should think that there must be thirty thousand at + least, so that a few odd thousands, more or less, would make no + difference. The whole of the inside of the temple is full of them, + and each figure is said to have a particular fable connected with + it. The temple is nearly four hundred feet long, and is certainly a + very fine building; and there is an artificial pond in front of it, + which is covered with aquatic flowers in the season for them. There + is a veranda that was used in olden times for a shooting-gallery + for archery purposes; it is more than two hundred feet long, and + there are records of some famous matches that have been shot there. + The best on the books took place more than six hundred years ago, + when one man is said to have hit the bull's-eye of the target 8,000 + times out of 10,000, and another is reported to have done the same + thing 8,133 times in 13,053. That was certainly good shooting, and + I don't believe that it would be easy to find a bowman to-day who + could equal it. + + [Illustration: TEMPLE BELL AT KIOTO.] + + "We have seen one of the famous bells of Japan, or rather of Kioto, + for it is this city that has always been celebrated for its bells. + The greatest of them lies on the ground just outside of one of the + temples, and it is not a piece of property that a man could put in + his pocket and walk off with. It is fourteen feet high, twenty-four + feet in circumference, and ten inches thick. How much it weighs + nobody knows, as the Japanese never made a pair of scales large + enough to weigh it with. The Japanese bells have generally a very + sweet tone, and to hear them booming out on the evening air is not + by any means disagreeable. The art of casting them was carried to a + state of great perfection, and stood higher, two or three centuries + ago than it does at present. + + [Illustration: JAPANESE TEMPLE AND CEMETERY.] + + "If I should name half the temples and public places we have seen I + should make you wish, perhaps, that I had not written at all, as + the list alone would be tedious, and I could no more give you an + idea of the peculiar beauty and attractions of each than I could + describe the perfume of each flower in a bouquet from the hands of + the florist. One temple had a large cemetery attached to it, and we + walked around looking at the inscriptions in a language which we + could not read, and studying symbols we could not understand. The + temple stands in a grove, as do nearly all the temples of Kioto, + and the place reminded us very much of some of our burial-places at + home. + + [Illustration: REELING COTTON.] + + "Then we have had glimpses of the way the people spin cotton, and + perform other work in the manufacturing line. Their apparatus is + very simple, and it is rather surprising than otherwise that they + can accomplish so much with so little machinery. Then we have + walked about the streets, and several times we have had close + escapes from being run over by some of the carts that were carrying + heavy loads. With two men to push them, and two pulling at the same + time, they will move loads that would be no small matter for a pair + of horses. They keep up a great shouting, and at first it puzzles + you to know why they do it until you remember that it is desirable + they should all pull together. You can hear them a long way off, + and if you get in their way it is your own fault, as it was ours. + + [Illustration: HANDCART FOR A QUARTETTE.] + + "Well, if we kept on telling you all we have seen in Kioto we + should be a long time at it, and so we may as well stop short. + Besides, we are going to Lake Biwa, and it is time to be off. If + you enjoy this letter half as much as we have enjoyed the material + for making it you will have a very pleasant time over it." + +[Illustration: HORSE CARRYING LIQUID MANURE.] + +The party went to Lake Biwa as they had proposed, and certainly no one +should omit it from his excursions in the vicinity of Kioto. The +distance is only seven miles, and an excellent road leads there from the +city. Along the route they met a dense crowd of people coming and going, +for there is a vast amount of business between the city and the lake. +There were men on foot and in jin-riki-shas, there were porters with +loads and porters without loads, there were pack-horses in great number, +and there were wagons with merchandise bound for the interior or for the +seaboard. Some of the pack-horses had burdens the reverse of savory, and +the boys learned on inquiry that they were transporting liquid manure to +the farms near the borders of the lake. Along the roadside they saw +little family groups that were always more or less picturesque; fathers +were caring for their children, and seemed to take great delight in +playing the part of nurse. It is very common in all the Japanese cities +to see men thus occupied, and they never appear to be weary of their +tasks. In summer both parent and child will be thinly clad, while in +winter they will be wrapped against the cold. The summer garments are +not always so thick as the rules of polite society require, and even the +winter costume is not very heavy. + +[Illustration: THE PATERNAL NURSE.] + +Lake Biwa is a beautiful sheet of water, surrounded by picturesque +mountains and smiling valleys. Steamers ply upon it, so that an +excursion may be made on its waters with the utmost ease; and all around +it there are picnic booths where parties may sit and enjoy the view. The +time of our friends was limited, and so they had only a glimpse of the +lake from one of those pleasure resorts, if a couple of hours spent +there may be called a glimpse. + +[Illustration: PICNIC BOOTH OVERLOOKING LAKE BIWA.] + +They returned to Kioto, and proceeded without delay to Kobe. They found +the railway journey much more rapid than the one by jin-riki-sha, but it +had the demerit of carrying them so fast that very little could be seen +of the country. The day after their arrival at Kobe the steamer was +ready to take them to Nagasaki and Shanghai, and at the appointed hour +they went on board. Practically, they had finished their sight-seeing in +Japan, as they were not to break the journey until setting foot on +Chinese soil. They left it with the most agreeable recollections, and +the boys, as they stood on the deck of the steamer slowly moving out of +the harbor of Kobe, simultaneously asked the question, + +"Wonder if we shall ever see it again?" + +[Illustration: A MAKER OF BOWS.] + + + + +CHAPTER XXII. + +THE INLAND SEA AND NAGASAKI.--CAUGHT IN A TYPHOON. + + +From Kobe westward the route lies through the famous Inland Sea of +Japan, known to the Japanese as the Suwo Nada. The Inland Sea is more +like a lake than an arm of the ocean; and there have been travellers who +could not readily believe that it was connected with the ocean, and that +its waters were salt instead of fresh. The distance is, in round +numbers, about two hundred and fifty miles; and through the entire +voyage the land is constantly in sight, and generally close at hand. The +islands rise sharply from the water, and a large portion of them are +densely wooded and exceedingly picturesque. + +[Illustration: THE INLAND SEA NEAR HIOGO.] + +During the whole of the voyage, as long as the daylight favored them, +our young friends remained on deck, and studied the scenery along the +route. Sometimes the sea widened out to fifty miles or more, and at +others it contracted so that there was no sign of a passage before them, +and it was difficult to say which way the steamer would turn. Now and +then the islands were so close together that the steamer made her course +as though she were tracing the sinuosities of the Mississippi River, and +it was necessary to keep a sharp lookout to avoid accidents on the +numerous rocks that lie sunken in the channel. Mishaps to the steamers +are of rare occurrence, as the channel has been carefully buoyed, and +the pilots understand their business fully; but it is otherwise with the +unwieldy junks, which are often driven by an adverse wind directly into +the dangers their captains are seeking to avoid. The traffic through the +Inland Sea is very great, both by the steamers and by the junks; and +sometimes whole fleets of the latter may be seen waiting in some of the +sheltering nooks for a favoring wind. The steamers make the passage from +one end to the other of the Inland Sea in less than twenty-four hours; +but the junks are frequently a fortnight in covering the same distance. +They are never in a hurry, and therefore time is no object. + +[Illustration: APPROACHING SIMONESEKI.] + +The Inland Sea is entered soon after leaving Kobe, and it terminates at +Simoneseki, where there is a narrow strait leading into the open waters. +Our friends wanted to land at Simoneseki, where the steamer made a halt +of a couple of hours; but they were informed that the port was not +opened to foreigners, and, therefore, their only view of it was a +distant one. However, they were consoled by the reflection that they +could have plenty of time at Nagasaki, where the ship was to remain a +day and a half before continuing her voyage. Nagasaki was the first +place opened to foreigners, and there are many points of interest about +the city. + +[Illustration: DANGEROUS PLACE ON THE SUWO NADA.] + +Hardly was the anchor down when our trio entered a boat and were rowed +to the shore. Nagasaki is prettily situated in a bay that is completely +landlocked, and affords secure anchorage to ships even in the severest +gales. Doctor Bronson had been in the harbor of Rio Janeiro, in South +America, and said that the bay of Nagasaki was a sort of pocket edition +of that of Rio Janeiro. The hills rise abruptly from the water, and lie +in terraces that seem to lose themselves in the distance. Some of the +hills are wooded, while others are cleared and cultivated; and in either +case there are evidences of the most careful attention on the part of +the inhabitants of the country. Looking seaward the hills gradually +separate until the entrance of the bay is reached; here the island of +Pappenberg stands directly across the mouth of the bay, and, while +seemingly obstructing it, serves as a breakwater against the in-rolling +waves. + +[Illustration: PAPPENBERG ISLAND.] + +"That island has a fearful history," said Doctor Bronson, while they +were looking at it when the steamer entered the harbor. + +"Do you mean the island of Pappenberg?" Frank asked. + +"I know," said Fred; "it has a history connected with the establishment +of Christianity in Japan more than two hundred years ago." + +"I think I have already told you something of the attempt to make Japan +a Christian country," the Doctor continued. "The island of Pappenberg is +one of the places that witnessed the extinction of the Christian +religion in Japan after it had gained a strong footing. Do you observe +that one side of the island is like a precipice?" + +[Illustration: WOMEN OF NAGASAKI.] + +The boys regarded the point to which their attention was directed; and +they regarded it more attentively when they were told that from that +steep rock many thousands of men and women were hurled, solely for the +offence of being Christians. Those that were not killed by the fall were +drowned in the sea, and not one was allowed to escape. Pappenberg is +known in history as the Tarpeian Rock of Japan. It is now used as a +picnic resort of the foreign inhabitants of Nagasaki, and a more +delightful spot for a pleasure excursion could not be easily found. + +According to some writers there were nearly a hundred thousand +Christians massacred after the discovery of the conspiracy which was to +put Japan under the control of Portugal, but the Japanese say that these +figures are an exaggeration. It is difficult to get at the truth of the +matter, as neither party can be relied on for accuracy, or rather the +accounts that have come down to us cannot be considered impartial. + +[Illustration: A CHRISTIAN VILLAGE IN THE SIXTEENTH CENTURY.] + +As nearly as can be ascertained the first European who landed on +Japanese soil was Mendez Pinto, a Portuguese who combined the +occupations of merchant and pirate in such intimate relations that it +was not always easy for him to determine where the one ended and the +other began. He has been greatly slandered, and his name has an ignoble +place in history, as that of a champion liar. The fact is, that the +stories he told on his return to Europe, and which caused him to be +called "The Mendacious," were substantially correct--quite as much so as +those of Marco Polo, and far more than the narrations of Sir John +Mandeville. Pinto came with two companions to the island of Tanegashima +in 1542, and, as might be expected, they were great curiosities. Even +more curious were the fire-arms they carried; and they were invited to +visit the Daimio of Bungo, and bring their strange weapons with them. +They did so, and taught the natives how to make guns and powder, which +soon became generally used throughout Japan. To this day fire-arms are +frequently called "Tanegashima," after the island where Pinto landed +with the first of these weapons. Christianity followed closely on the +track of the musket. The adventurers returned with a profit of twelve +hundred per cent. on their cargo. Their success stimulated others, and +in 1549 two Portuguese missionaries, one of them being Francis Xavier, +landed in Japan, and began the work of converting the heathen. Xavier's +first labors were in Satsuma, and he afterwards went to Kioto and other +cities. Personally he never accomplished much, as he could not speak the +language fluently, and he remained in the country only a few years. But +he did a great deal to inspire others; numbers of missionaries flocked +to Japan, and it is said that thirty years after Xavier landed on the +soil there were two hundred churches, and a hundred and fifty thousand +native Christians. At the time of the highest success of the +missionaries it is estimated that there were not less than half a +million professing Christians in Japan, and perhaps another hundred +thousand who were nominally so, though their faith was not regarded as +more than "skin deep." Among the adherents of the new religion there +were several Daimios, and a great number of persons occupying high +social and official positions. Some of the Daimios were so zealous that +they ordered their people to turn Christians whether they wished it or +not; and one of them gave his subjects the option of being baptized or +leaving the country within twenty-four hours. + +[Illustration: MONUMENTS IN MEMORY OF MARTYRS.] + +The Dutch were great traders in the East Indies, and they managed to +obtain a footing in Japan during the time of the Portuguese success. +They received a concession of the island of Deshima, about six hundred +feet square, in the harbor of Nagasaki, and here they lived until our +day. When the troubles arose that led to the expulsion of foreigners and +the extinction of Christianity, the Dutch were excepted from the +operations of the edict, as it could not be shown that they had had any +part in the conspiracy. They had been too busy with their commerce to +meddle in religious matters; and, if history is true, it is probable +that they hadn't religion enough in their small colony at Deshima to go +around and give a perceptible quantity to each man. + +This little island was in reality a prison, as its inhabitants were not +allowed to go outside for any purpose, except once in three years, when +a delegation of them made a journey to Yeddo to make presents to the +Tycoon. They were compelled to travel the most of the way in closed +norimons, and thus their journey did not afford them many glimpses of +the country. There is a tradition that they were required to go through +the ceremony of trampling on the cross in the presence of the Tycoon, +and also to intoxicate themselves, as a warning to the Japanese to shun +the wicked ways of the foreigners. Whether either account be true I am +unable to say; the assertion is very positively made and as positively +denied, and therefore I will leave every reader, who has paid his money +for the book, to make choice of the side of the story which suits him +best. + +[Illustration: A PATH NEAR NAGASAKI.] + +The first move of our friends on landing was to go to Deshima, as they +had a curiosity to see the little island, which was so famous in the +history of the foreign relations of Japan with the outer world. The +drawbridge leading to the island, and the box where the Japanese +sentries stood, were still there, and so were some of the buildings +which the Dutch inhabited; but the Dutch were gone, and probably +forever. Outside of the historical interest there was nothing remarkable +about the island, and the boys wondered how men could voluntarily shut +themselves up in a prison like this. Only one ship a year was allowed to +come to them, and sometimes, during the wars between Holland and other +countries, there were several years together when no ship came. They +were permitted to purchase certain quantities of fresh provisions daily, +and when they ran short of needed articles they were supplied by the +governor of Nagasaki. But no permission could be granted to go outside +their narrow limits. How they must have sighed as they gazed on the +green hills opposite, and with what longing did they think of a ramble +on those grassy or wooded slopes! + +[Illustration: HOLLANDER AT DESHIMA WATCHING FOR A SHIP.] + +The chief use of Deshima, as our friends found it, is to serve as a +depository of Japanese wares, and particularly of the kinds for which +Nagasaki is famous. Nagasaki vases and Nagasaki lacquer were in such +quantities as to be absolutely bewildering, and for once they found the +prices lower than at Yokohama. They made a few purchases--their final +transactions in Japan--and then turned their attention to a stroll +through the city. + +There was not much to amuse them after their acquaintance with other +cities of Japan, and so they were speedily satisfied. On the hill +overlooking the town and harbor they found an old temple of considerable +magnitude, then another, and another, and then tea-houses almost without +number. In one of the latter they sat and studied the scenery of +Nagasaki until evening, when they returned to the steamer. + +Another ramble on shore the following morning, and they left the soil +of Japan for the deck of the steamer. At noon they were slowly moving +down the bay; they passed the island of Pappenberg, and, as they did so, +Frank read from a book he had picked up in the ship's cabin the +following paragraph: + +"In that same year, when the last of the Roman Catholic converts were +hurled from the rocky islet of Pappenberg, in the Bay of Nagasaki, a few +exiles landed at Plymouth, in the newly discovered continent, where they +were destined to plant the seeds of a Protestant faith and a great +Protestant empire. And it was the descendants of the same pilgrim +fathers that, two centuries later, were the first among Western nations +to supply the link of connection wanted, to bring the lapsed heathen +race once more within the circle of Christian communion, and invite them +anew to take their place in the family of civilized nations." + +And while meditating on the mutations of time and the strangeness of +many events recorded in history, our friends passed from the harbor of +Nagasaki into the open sea. + +"Sayonara!" said Frank, raising his cap and bowing towards the receding +land. + +"Sayonara!" echoed Fred, as he followed his cousin's example. "I say +'Sayonara' now, but I hope that some time in the future I may be able to +say 'Ohio.'" + +"And so do I," Frank added. "It is a charming country, and I don't think +we shall find a more agreeable one anywhere." + +The conversation was cut short by the call to dinner, a call that has +suppressed many a touch of sentiment before now, on land as well as on +the water. + +[Illustration: THE RAIN DRAGON.] + +It is a voyage of two days, more or less, according to the speed of the +steamer, from Nagasaki to Shanghai. Our friends had hoped to be in +Shanghai on the afternoon of the second day from the former port; but +their hopes were not destined to be realized. The Japanese gods of Rain, +Wind, and Thunder interfered. + +[Illustration: THE WIND DRAGON.] + +The morning after their departure from Nagasaki, Frank went on deck soon +after daylight. The wind was so strong that it almost took him from his +feet, and he was compelled to grasp something to make sure of remaining +upright. The sky was overcast, and every few minutes there came a +sprinkling of rain that intimated that the cabin was the better place +for any one who was particular about keeping dry. Fred joined him in a +few minutes, and soon after Fred's arrival the Doctor made his +appearance. + +[Illustration: THE THUNDER DRAGON.] + +The Captain was on the bridge of the steamer, and appeared much +disturbed about something, so much so that the boys asked Dr. Bronson if +he thought anything had gone wrong. + +The Doctor gave a hasty glance at the sky and the water, and then +retreated to the cabin, where a barometer was hanging. A moment's +observation of the instrument satisfied him, or, rather, it greatly +dissatisfied him, for he returned hastily to the deck and rejoined the +boys with the observation, + +"We shall have it very lively in a short time, and are not likely to +reach Shanghai in a hurry." + +"Why? What do you mean?" + +"I mean that we are about to have a typhoon." + +"I should rather like to see one," Frank remarked. + +"Well," the Doctor replied, "you are about to be accommodated, and if +we get safely out of it I am very sure you will not want to see another. + +"But as we are in for it," he continued, "we must make the best of the +situation, and hope to go through in safety. Many a strong ship lies at +the bottom of the sea, where she was sent by just such a storm as we are +about to pass through, and many another has barely escaped. I was once +on a ship in the China seas, when the captain told the passengers that +it would be a miracle if we remained half an hour longer afloat. But +hardly had he done speaking when the wind fell, the storm abated, and we +were safe. The typhoon is to these waters what the hurricane is to the +West Indies; it is liable to blow at any time between April and +September, and is often fearfully destructive. + +"The word typhoon comes from the Japanese 'Tai-Fun,' which means 'great +wind,' and the meaning is admirably descriptive of the thing itself. +There is no greater wind in the world than a typhoon; the traditional +wind that would blow the hair off the back of a dog is as nothing to it. +A cyclone is the same sort of thing, and the two terms are +interchangeable; cyclone is the name of European origin, while typhoon +comes from the Asiatic. + +"The typhoon blows in a circle, and may be briefly described as a +rapidly revolving wind that has a diameter of from two to five hundred +miles. It is a whirlwind on a large scale, and as furious as it is +large. A curious fact about it is that it has a calm centre, where there +is absolutely no wind at all, and this centre is sometimes forty or +fifty miles across. Nearest the centre the wind has the greatest +violence, and the farther you can get from it, the less severe is the +gale. Mariners always try to sail away from the centre of a typhoon, and +I have known a ship to turn at right angles from her course in order to +get as far as possible from the centre of a coming tempest. There is a +great difference of opinion among captains concerning these storms, some +declaring that they have been in the middle point of a typhoon and +escaped safely, while others aver that no ship that was ever built can +withstand the fury of a storm centre. But I think the weight of evidence +is in favor of the former rather than the latter, as I have known +captains who have described their situation in such a way as to leave +not the slightest doubt in my mind of the correctness of their +statements. + +"If you have any desire to study the subject fully, I advise you to get +'Piddington's Law of Storms;' you will find it treated very fully and +intelligently, both from the scientific and the popular point of view. + +[Illustration: A TYPHOON.] + +"It has never been my fortune," the Doctor continued, "to be farther in +a typhoon at sea than the outer edge, but that was quite as much as I +wanted. One time on land I saw and felt one of these tempests; it drove +ships from their moorings, swamped hundreds of boats, unroofed many +houses, tore trees up by the roots, stripped others of their branches, +threw down walls and fences, flooded the land, and caused a vast amount +of havoc everywhere. Hundreds of people were drowned by the floods, and +the traces of the storm will last for many years. The city that has +suffered most by these storms is Calcutta. On two occasions the centre +of a typhoon has passed over the harbor or within a few miles of it, and +the whole shipping of the port was driven from its moorings and the +greater part completely or partially wrecked." + +While they were listening to the remarks of the Doctor the boys observed +that the wind was increasing, and as they looked at the compass they +found that the ship's course had been changed. Everything about the +vessel that could be made fast was carefully secured, and the party was +notified that they might be ordered below at any moment. The waves were +not running high, and but for the very severe wind there would have been +nothing to cause more than ordinary motion on board the steamer. + +After a time the waves broke into what is called a "choppy sea;" the +wind was so great that their crests were blown away before they could +rise to any height worthy of notice. Mariners say that in a severe +typhoon the ocean is quite smooth, owing to the inability of the waves +to form against the irresistible force of the wind. It is fortunate for +them that such is the case, as they could not possibly survive the +combined action of the cyclone and the great waves together. + +For three or four hours the wind continued to increase, and the waters +to assume the shapes we have seen. The barometer had fallen steadily, +and everything indicated that the arrival of the steamer at Shanghai, or +at any other port, was by no means a matter of certainty. The order was +issued for the passengers to go below, and our friends descended to the +cabin. Just as they did so the decks were swept by a mass of water that +seemed to have been lifted bodily from the sea by a gust of wind. The +order to go below was not issued a moment too soon. + +The Doctor took another glance at the barometer, and discovered +something. The mercury was stationary! + +Ten minutes later it had risen a few hundredths of a degree. The rise +was small, but it was a rise. In another ten minutes another gain was +perceptible. + +The Doctor's face brightened, and he called the boys to observe what he +had discovered. He had already explained to them that the barometer +falls at the approach of stormy weather, and rises when the storm is +about to pass away. Before a storm like a typhoon the fall is very +rapid, and so certainly is this the case that mariners rely upon the +barometer to give them warning of impending danger. + +An hour from the time they went below they were allowed to go on deck +again. The wind had abated a little, so that there was no further danger +of their being swept from the decks by the water; the clouds were less +dense and the rain was not falling so heavily. In another hour there was +another perceptible decline in the wind, and a little later the ship was +again put on her course. The captain announced the danger over, and said +the centre of the typhoon had passed at least a hundred miles to the +west of them. "If we had kept our course," said he, "we should have been +much nearer to it, and then the storm would have been more dangerous for +us." + +"How do you know which way to turn?" Frank asked; "it seems to me you +are just as likely to run to the centre of the storm as to the +circumference." + +"There's where you don't understand the science of storms," said the +captain smiling. "In the northern hemisphere typhoons, cyclones, and +hurricanes--they are all the same--whirl from left to right, that is, +they turn like the hands of a watch, while in the southern hemisphere +their motion is exactly the reverse. When we think we are in the sweep +of a typhoon in these waters, we run with the wind on our starboard, or +right hand, and that course will take us away from the centre. In the +southern hemisphere we run with the wind on the port, or left hand, with +the same result. But we'll go to dinner now and be happy, for the danger +is over." + +[Illustration: COURSE OF A TYPHOON.] + +Just as they were rising from table they were suddenly called on deck by +the announcement of a wreck. An American bark had been dismasted by the +gale and lay helpless on the water; her captain wished to be taken in +tow to the mouth of the Yang-tse-kiang, and after some minutes spent in +making a bargain, the matter was arranged and a line passed out. + +"They were less fortunate than we," the Doctor remarked as they +proceeded with their tow. + +[Illustration: CAUGHT NEAR THE STORM'S CENTRE.] + +"Yes," answered the captain, "the poor fellow was nearer the centre of +the typhoon than we were. There'll be a job for the ship-carpenters and +riggers at Shanghai; it's an ill wind that blows nobody any good." + +Frank was looking through the captain's glass at the persons who were +moving about the deck of the bark. Suddenly he observed something and +called out to his companions: + +"Look, look! here's a familiar face!" + +The Doctor took the glass and then handed it to Fred; the latter looked +steadily for a minute or more before he had a satisfactory view, and +then said: + +"It's our old friend, the Mystery!" + + + + +CHAPTER XXIII. + +FIRST DAY IN CHINA. + + +In due time they entered the waters of the great river of Northern +China, the Yang-tse. They entered them long before they sighted land, as +the vast quantities of earth brought down by the stream make a change in +the color of the sea that can be readily distinguished a great distance +from the coast. In this respect the Yang-tse is similar to the +Mississippi, and the effect of the former on the Yellow Sea is like that +of the latter on the Gulf of Mexico. The coast at the mouth of the +Yang-tse is low and flat, and a ship is fairly in the entrance of the +river before land can be seen. The bar can be passed by deep-draught +vessels only at high water, and consequently it often becomes necessary +for them to wait several hours for the favorable moment. This was the +case with our friends, and they walked the deck with impatience during +the delay. But at last all was ready, and they steamed onward in +triumph, dropping their tow at Woosung, and waving a good-bye to "the +Mystery," who had recognized them from the deck of the disabled bark. + +[Illustration: THE WOOSUNG RIVER.] + +Shanghai is not on the Yang-tse, but on the Woosung River, about twelve +miles from the point where the two streams unite. The channel is quite +tortuous, and it requires careful handling on the part of a pilot to +take a ship through in safety to herself and all others. Two or three +times they narrowly escaped accidents from collisions with junks and +other craft, and at one of the turnings the prow of their steamer made a +nearer acquaintance with a mud-bank than her captain considered +desirable; but nothing was injured, and the delay that followed the +mishap was for only a few minutes. The tide was running in, and carried +them along at good speed; and in less than two hours from the time of +their departure from Woosung they were anchored in front of Shanghai and +ready to go on shore. They had not seen anything particularly +interesting on their voyage up the river, as the banks were low and not +at all densely settled. Here and there a few villages were thrown +together, and it occurred to Frank that the houses were huddling close +up to each other in order to keep warm. The most of the ground was clear +of timber; but there were some farm-houses standing in little clumps of +trees that, no doubt, furnished a welcome shade in the summer season. +One mile of the river was very much like another mile, and consequently +the monotony of the scenery made the sight of Shanghai a welcome one. + +[Illustration: CHINESE TRADING-JUNK ON THE WOOSUNG RIVER.] + +Crowds of sampans surrounded the ship as the anchor-chain rattled +through the hawse-hole, and it was very evident that there was no lack +of transportation for the shore. The Doctor engaged one of these boats, +and gave the baggage of the party into the hands of the runner from the +Astor House, the principal hotel of the American section of Shanghai. +They found it a less imposing affair than the Astor House of New York, +though it occupied more ground, and had an evident determination to +spread itself. A large space of greensward was enclosed by a quadrangle +of one-story buildings, which formed the hotel, and consequently it +required a great deal of walking to get from one part of the house to +the opposite side. Our friends were shown to some rooms that were +entered from a veranda on the side of the court-yard. They found that on +the other side there was a balcony, where they could sit and study the +life of the street; and as this balcony was well provided with chairs +and lounges, it was a pleasant resort on a warm afternoon. The house +was kept by an American, but all his staff of servants was Chinese. Fred +regretted that he could not praise the dining-table as earnestly as he +did the rooms, and he was vehement in declaring that a breakfast or +dinner in the Astor at New York was quite another affair from the same +meal in the one at Shanghai. The Doctor and Frank were of his opinion; +but they found, on inquiry, that the landlord did not agree with them, +and so they dropped the subject. + +As soon as they were settled at the hotel, they went out for a stroll +through the city, and to deliver letters to several gentlemen residing +there. They had some trouble in finding the houses they were searching +for, as the foreigners at Shanghai do not consider it aristocratic to +have signs on their doors or gate-posts, and a good deal of inquiry is +necessary for a stranger to make his way about. If a man puts out a +sign, he is regarded as a tradesman, and unfit to associate with the +great men of the place; but as long as there is no sign or placard about +his premises he is a merchant, and his company is desirable, especially +if he is free with his money. A tradesman cannot gain admission to the +Shanghai Club, and the same is the rule at Hong-Kong and other ports +throughout the East. But there is no bar to the membership of his clerk; +and it not infrequently happens that a man will be refused admission to +a club on account of his occupation, while his clerk will be found +eligible. There are many senseless rules of society in the East, and our +boys were greatly amused as the Doctor narrated them. + +[Illustration: SHANGHAI.] + +Shanghai is very prettily situated in a bend of the river, and the +water-front is ornamented with a small park, which has a background of +fine buildings. These buildings are handsome, and the most of them are +large. Like the foreign residences at the treaty ports of Japan, they +have a liberal allowance of ground, so that nearly every house fronting +on the river has a neat yard or garden in front of it. The balconies are +wide, and they are generally enclosed in lattice-work that allows a free +circulation of air. Back from the water-front there are streets and +squares for a long distance; and the farther you go from the +river-front, the less do you find the foreign population, and the +greater the Chinese one. The foreign quarter is divided into three +sections--American, English, and French--and each has a front on the +river in the order here given, but the subjects, or citizens, of each +country are not confined to their own national quarter; several +Americans live in the French and English sections, and there are French +and English inhabitants in the quarter where the American consul has +jurisdiction. There is generally the most complete harmony among the +nationalities, and they are accustomed to make common cause in any +dispute with the Chinese. Sometimes they fall out; but they very soon +become aware that disputes will be to their disadvantage, and proceed to +fall in again. There is a great deal of social activity at Shanghai, and +a vast amount of visiting and dinner-giving goes on in the course of a +year. + +The Chinese city is quite distinct from the foreign one; it lies just +beyond the French concession, or, rather, the French section extends up +to the walls of the old city. The contrast between the two is very +great. While the foreigners have taken plenty of space for the +construction of their buildings and laying out their streets, the +Chinese have crowded together as closely as possible, and seemed +desirous of putting the greatest number into the smallest area. It is so +all over China from north to south. Even where land is of no particular +value, as in the extreme north, the result is the same; and there are +probably no people in the world that will exist in so small an area as +the Chinese. Ventilation is not a necessity with them, and it seems to +make little difference whether the air they breathe be pure or the +reverse. In almost any other country in the world a system of such close +crowding would breed all sorts of pestilence, but in China nobody +appears to die from its effect. + +[Illustration: A COOLIE IN THE STREETS OF SHANGHAI.] + +At the first opportunity our friends paid a visit to the Chinese part of +Shanghai. They found a man at the gate of the city who was ready to +serve them as guide, and so they engaged him without delay. He led them +through one of the principal streets, which would have been only a +narrow lane or alley in America; and they had an opportunity of studying +the peculiarities of the people as they had studied in the Japanese +cities the people of Japan. Here is what Frank wrote down concerning his +first promenade in a Chinese city: + +"We found the streets narrow and dirty compared with Japan, or with any +city I ever saw in America. The shops are small, and the shopkeepers are +not so polite as those of Tokio or other places in Japan. In one shop, +when I told the guide to ask the man to show his goods, they had a long +talk in Chinese, and the guide said that the man refused to show +anything unless we should agree to buy. Of course we would not agree to +this, and we did nothing more than to ask the price of something we +could see in a show-case. He wanted about ten times the value of the +article; and then we saw why it was he wanted us to agree beforehand to +buy what we looked at. Every time we stopped at a shop the people +gathered around us, and they were not half so polite as the Japanese +under the same circumstances. They made remarks about us, which of +course we did not understand; but from the way they laughed when the +remarks were made, we could see that they were the reverse of +complimentary. + +"We went along the street, stopping now and then to look at something, +and in a little while we came to a tea-house which stood in the middle +of a pond of water. The house was rather pretty, and the balconies +around it were nice, but you should have seen the water. It was covered +with a green scum, such as you may see on a stagnant pool anywhere in +the world, and the odor from it was anything but sweet. Fred said it was +the same water that was let into the pool when they first made it. The +guide says the house is a hundred years old, and I should think the +water was quite as old as the house; or perhaps it is some second-hand +water that they bought cheap, and if so it may be very ancient. We went +into the house and sat down to take some tea. They gave us some +tea-leaves, on which they poured hot water, and then covered the cup +over for a minute or two. Each of us had his portion of tea separate +from all the others. The tea was steeped in the cup, and when we wanted +more we poured hot water on again. Then they brought little cakes and +melon-seeds, with salt to eat with the seeds. Our guide took some of the +seeds, and we ate one or two each to see how they tasted. I can't +recommend them, and don't think there is any danger they will ever be +introduced into the United States as a regular article of diet. + +[Illustration: A TEA-HOUSE IN THE COUNTRY.] + +"When we rose to go, and asked how much we owed, we were astonished at +the price. The proprietor demanded a dollar for what we had had, when, +as we afterwards learned, twenty-five cents would have been more than +enough. We had some words with him through our interpreter, and finally +paid the bill which we had found so outrageous. We told him we should +not come there again; and he said he did not expect us to, as strangers +rarely came more than once into the Chinese part of Shanghai. He was a +nice specimen of a Chinese rascal; and Doctor Bronson says he must have +taken lessons of some of the American swindlers at Niagara Falls and +other popular resorts. What a pity it is that whenever you find +something outrageously bad in a strange country, you have only to think +a moment to discover something equally bad in your own! + +[Illustration: SMOKING OPIUM.] + +"At one place we looked into a little den where some people were smoking +opium. They were lying on benches, and were very close together. The +room wasn't more than eight feet square, and yet there were a dozen +people in it, and perhaps one or two more. The guide told us it was a +mistake to suppose that they smoked opium as we smoke tobacco. We stand, +sit, or walk while smoking; but when a Chinese uses opium, he always +reclines on a bench or bed, and gives himself up to his enjoyment. Men +go to the shops where opium is sold and lie down on the benches for a +period of pleasure. Sometimes two persons go together, and then they lie +on the same bench and take turns in filling each other's pipe. + +"The opium must be boiled to fit it for use, and when ready it looks +like very thick molasses. A man takes a long needle and dips it into the +opium, and then he twists it around till he gets a ball of the drug as +large as a pea. He holds this ball in the flame of a lamp till it +becomes hot and partially burning, and then he thrusts it into a little +orifice in the top of the bowl of the pipe. He continues to hold it in +the flame, and, while it is burning, he slowly inhales the fumes that +come from it. A few whiffs exhaust the pipe, and then the smoker rests +for several minutes before he takes another. The amount required for +intoxication is regulated and estimated in pipes; one man can be +overcome by three or four pipes, while another will need ten, twenty, or +even thirty of them. A beginner is satisfied with one or two pipes, and +will go to sleep for several hours. He is said to have dreams of the +pleasantest sort, but he generally feels weak and exhausted the next +day. + +[Illustration; OPIUM-PIPE.] + +"Dr. Bronson says he tried to smoke opium the first time he was in +China, but it made him very ill, and he did not get through with a +single pipe. Some Europeans have learned to like it, and have lost their +senses in consequence of giving way to the temptation. It is said to be +the most seductive thing in the world, and some who have tried it once +say it was so delightful that they would not risk a second time, for +fear the habit would be so fixed that they could not shake it off. It is +said that when a Chinese has tried it for ten or fifteen days in +succession he cannot recover, or but very rarely does so. The effects +are worse than those of intoxicating liquors, as they speedily render a +man incapable of any kind of business, even when he is temporarily free +from the influence of the drug. The habit is an expensive one, as the +cost of opium is very great in consequence of the taxes and the high +profits to those who deal in it. In a short time a man finds that all +his earnings go for opium, and even when he is comfortably well off he +will make a serious inroad on his property by his indulgence in the +vice. A gentleman who has lived long in China, and studied the effects +of opium on the people, says as follows: + +"'With all smokers the effect of this vice on their pecuniary standing +is by no means to be estimated by the actual outlay in money for the +drug. Its seductive influence leads its victims to neglect their +business, and consequently, sooner or later, loss or ruin ensues. As the +habit grows, so does inattention to business increase. Instances are not +rare where the rich have been reduced to poverty and beggary, as one of +the consequences of their attachment to the opium pipe. The poor +addicted to this vice are often led to dispose of everything salable in +the hovels where they live. Sometimes men sell their wives and children +to procure the drug, and end by becoming beggars and thieves. In the +second place, the smoking of opium injures one's health and bodily +constitution. Unless taken promptly at the regular time, and in the +necessary quantity, the victim becomes unable to control himself and to +attend to his business. He sneezes, he gapes, mucus runs from his nose +and eyes, griping pains seize him in the bowels, his whole appearance +indicates restlessness and misery. If not indulged in smoking and left +undisturbed, he usually falls asleep, but his sleep does not refresh and +invigorate him. On being aroused, he is himself again, provided he can +have his opium. If not, his troubles and pains multiply, he has no +appetite for ordinary food, no strength or disposition to labor. He +becomes emaciated to a frightful degree, his eyes protrude from their +sockets; and if he cannot procure opium, he dies in the most horrible +agony.' + +[Illustration: MAN BLINDED BY USE OF OPIUM.] + +"The government has tried to stop the use of opium, but was prevented +from so doing by England, which made war upon China to compel her to +open her ports and markets for its sale. It is no wonder that the +Chinese are confused as to the exact character of Christianity, when a +Christian nation makes war upon them to compel them to admit a poison +which that Christian nation produces, and which kills hundreds of +thousands of Chinese every year. + +"We made all our journey on foot, as we could not find any +jin-riki-shas, except in the foreign part of Shanghai. They were only +brought into use a few years ago, and they cannot be employed in all the +cities of China, because the streets are very narrow, and the carriage +could not move about. But we saw some sedan-chairs, and one of these +days we are going to have a ride in them. It looks as though a ride of +this sort would be very comfortable, as you have a good chair to sit in, +and then you are held up by men who walk along very steadily. Ordinarily +you have two men; but if you are a grand personage, or are going on a +long course, three or four men are needed. The chair is quite pretty, as +it has a lot of ornamental work about it, and the lower part is closed +in with light panelling or bamboo-work. It is surprising what loads the +coolies carry, and how long they will walk without apparent fatigue. +They are accustomed to this kind of work all their lives, and seem to +think it is all right. + +[Illustration: CHINESE GENTLEMAN IN A SEDAN.] + +"We came back pretty tired, as the streets are not agreeable for walking +on account of the dust and the rough places. They don't seem to care how +their streets are in China. When they have finished a street, they let +it take care of itself; and if it wears out, it is none of their +business. I am told that there are roads in China that were well made at +the start, but have not had a particle of repair in a hundred years. +They must be rough things to travel on." + + + + +CHAPTER XXIV. + +A VOYAGE UP THE YANG-TSE KIANG. + + +[Illustration: CANAL SCENE SOUTH OF SHANGHAI.] + +The plans of the Doctor included a journey up the great river, the +Yang-tse. There was abundant opportunity for the proposed voyage, as +there were two lines of steamers making regular trips as far as Han-kow, +about six hundred miles from Shanghai. One line was the property of a +Chinese company, and the other of an English one. The Chinese company's +boats were of American build, and formerly belonged to an American firm +that had large business relations in the East. The business of +navigating the Yang-tse-kiang had been very profitable, and at one time +it was said that the boats had made money enough to sink them if it were +all put into silver and piled on their decks. But there was a decline +when an opposition line came into the field and caused a heavy reduction +of the prices for freight and passage. In the early days of steam +navigation on the Yang-tse-kiang a passage from Shanghai to Han-kow +cost four hundred dollars, and the price of freight was in proportion. +For several years the Americans had a monopoly of the business, and +could do pretty much as they liked. When the opposition began, the fares +went down, down, down; and at the time our friends were in China the +passage to Han-kow was to be had for twenty-four dollars--quite a +decline from four hundred to twenty-four. + +The boys had expected to find the boats in China small and inconvenient. +What was their astonishment to find them like the great steamers that +ply on the North River, or from New York to Fall River or Providence. +They found the cabins were large and comfortable, though they were not +so numerous as on the American waters, for the reason that there were +rarely many passengers to be carried. The captain, pilots, engineers, +and other officers were Americans, while the crew were Chinese. The +managers of the company were Chinese, but they left the control of the +boats entirely in the hands of their respective captains. One boat had a +Chinese captain and officers, but she was a small affair, and, from all +that could be learned, the managers did not find their experiment of +running with their own countrymen a successful one. + +At the advertised time the three strangers went on board the steamer +that was to carry them up the river, and took possession of the cabins +assigned to them. Their only fellow-passengers were some Chinese +merchants on their way to Nanking, and a consular clerk at one of the +British consulates along the stream. The captain of the steamer was a +jolly New-Yorker, who had an inexhaustible fund of stories, which he was +never tired of telling. Though he told dozens of them daily, Frank +remarked that he was not like history, for he never repeated himself. +Fred remembered that some one had said to him in Japan that he would be +certain of a pleasant voyage on the Yang-tse-kiang if he happened to +fall in with Captain Paul on the steamer _Kiang-ching_. Fortune had +favored him, and he had found the steamer and the captain he desired. + +Frank observed that the steamer had been provided with a pair of eyes, +which were neatly carved on wood, and painted so as to resemble the +human eye. The captain explained that this was in deference to the +Chinese custom of painting eyes on their ships and boats; and if he +looked at the first boat, or other Chinese craft, large or small, that +he saw, he would discover that it had eyes painted on the bow. This is +the universal custom throughout China; and though a native may have a +suspicion that it does no good, he would not be willing to fly in the +face of old custom. In case he should leave his craft in blindness, and +any accident befell her, he would be told by his friends, "Serves you +right for not giving your ship eyes to see with." + +The steamer descended the Woosung River to its intersection with the +Yang-tse-kiang, and then began the ascent of the latter. The great +stream was so broad that it seemed more like a bay than a river. This +condition continued for a hundred and fifty miles, when the bay narrowed +to a river, and the far-famed Silver Island came in sight. It stands in +mid-stream, a steep hill of rock, about three hundred feet high, crowned +with a pagoda, and covered from base to summit with trees and bushes and +rich grass. At first it might be taken for an uninhabited spot, but as +the boat approaches you can see that there are numerous summer-houses +and other habitations peeping out from the verdure. A little beyond the +island there is a city which straggles over the hills, and is backed by +a range of mountains that make a sharp outline against the sky. This is +Chin-kiang, the first stopping-place of the steamer as she proceeds from +Shanghai to Han-kow. She was to remain several hours, and our friends +embraced the opportunity to take a stroll on shore. Here is Frank's +account of the expedition: + +[Illustration: A CHINESE FAMILY PARTY.] + +"The streets of Chin-kiang are narrow and dirty, and the most of them +that we saw seemed to be paved with kitchen rubbish and other unsavory +substances. The smells that rose to our nostrils were too numerous and +too disagreeable to mention; Fred says he discovered fifty-four distinct +and different ones, but I think there were not more than forty-seven or +forty-eight. The Doctor says we have not fairly tested the city, as +there are several wards to hear from in addition to the ones we visited +in our ramble. I was not altogether unprepared for these unpleasant +features of Chin-kiang, as I had already taken a walk in the Chinese +part of Shanghai. + +[Illustration: A GENTLEMAN OF CHIN-KIANG.] + +"Everybody says that one Chinese town is so much like another that a +single one will do for a sample. This is undoubtedly true of the most of +them, but you should make exceptions in the case of Canton and Pekin. +They are of extra importance; and as one is in the extreme north, and +the other in the far south, they have distinctive features of their own. +We shall have a chance to talk about them by-and-by. As for Chin-kiang, +I did not see anything worth notice while walking through it that I had +not already seen at Shanghai, except, perhaps, that the dogs barked at +us, and the cats ruffled their backs and tails, and fled from us as +though we were bull-dogs. A pony tried to kick Fred as he walked by the +brute, and only missed his mark by a couple of inches. You see that the +dumb animals were not disposed to welcome us hospitably. They were +evidently put up to their conduct by their masters, who do not like the +strangers any more than the dogs and cats do, and are only prevented +from showing their spite by the fear that the foreigners will blow their +towns out of existence if any of them are injured. + +"We bought some things in the shops, but they did not amount to much +either in cost or quality. Fred found a pair of Chinese spectacles which +he paid half a dollar for; they were big round things, with glasses +nearly as large as a silver dollar, and looked very comical when put on. +But I am told that they are very comfortable to the eyes, and that the +foreigners who live in China, and have occasion to wear spectacles, +generally prefer those made by the Chinese opticians. A pair of really +fine pebbles will cost from ten to twenty dollars. The glasses that Fred +bought were only the commonest kind of stuff, colored with a smoky tint +so as to reduce the glare of the sun. + +[Illustration: CHINESE SPECTACLES.] + +"We went outside the town, and found ourselves suddenly in the country. +It was a complete change. Going through a gate in a wall took us from +the streets to the fields, and going back through the gate took us to +the streets again. We saw a man ploughing with a plough that had only +one handle, and made a furrow in the ground about as large as if he had +dragged a pickaxe through it. The plough was pulled by a Chinese buffalo +about as large as a two-year-old steer, and he was guided by means of a +cord drawn through the cartilage of his nose. It was a poor outfit for a +farmer; but the man who had it appeared perfectly contented, and did not +once turn his eyes from his work to look at us. + +[Illustration: PLOUGHING WITH A BUFFFALO.] + +"A little way off from this ploughman there was a man threshing grain on +some slats; they looked like a small ladder placed on an incline, and +the way he did the work was to take a handful of grain and thresh it +against the slats till he had knocked out all the kernels and left +nothing but the straw. Such a thing as a threshing-machine would +astonish them very much, I should think, and I don't believe they would +allow it to run. Labor is so cheap in China that they don't want any +machinery to save it; when you can hire a man for five cents a day, and +even less, you haven't any occasion to economize. + +[Illustration: THRESHING GRAIN NEAR CHIN-KIANG.] + +"The man who brought the bundles of grain to the thresher had them slung +over his shoulder, as they carry everything in this country; two bundles +made a load for him, and they were not large bundles either. Such a +thing as a farm-wagon is as unknown as a threshing-machine, and would +not be useful, as the paths among the fields are very narrow, and a +wagon couldn't run on them at all. Land is very valuable in the +neighborhood of the towns, and they would consider it wasteful to have a +wide strip of it taken up for a road. And, as I have just said, labor is +very cheap, especially the labor of the coolies who carry burdens. All +the men I saw at work in the field were barefooted, and probably the +wages they receive do not leave them much to spend on boots, after they +have supported their families and paid their taxes. They must have a +hard time to get along, but they appear perfectly cheerful and +contented." + +[Illustration: CARRYING BUNDLES OF GRAIN.] + +From Chin-kiang the steamer proceeded up the river. The account of what +they saw was thus continued by the boys: + +"The southern branch of the grand canal enters the river at Chin-kiang; +the northern branch comes in some distance below. The river is +plentifully dotted with junks, but this condition is not peculiar to the +vicinity of the canal. All the way up from Shanghai to Han-kow it is the +same, and sometimes twenty or thirty boats will be sailing so closely +together as to endanger their cordage and sides. Perhaps you have seen +New York Bay on a pleasant afternoon in summer when every boat that +could hoist a sail was out for an airing? Well, imagine this great river +for hundreds of miles dotted with sails as thickly as our bay on the +occasion I have indicated, and you can have an idea of the native +commerce of the Yang-tse-kiang. Nobody knows how many boats there are on +the river, as no census of them is taken. The mandarins collect toll at +the river stations, but do not trouble themselves to keep a record of +the numbers. I asked a Chinese merchant who is a fellow-passenger with +us how many boats there are engaged in the navigation of the Yang-tse +and its tributaries, and he answers, + +"'P'raps hunder tousand, p'raps million; nobody don't know.' + +"Another says, 'Great many big million,' and he may not be far out of +the way, though his statement is not very specific. + +[Illustration: A RIVER SCENE IN CHINA.] + +"I have heard a curious story of how the foreigners have secured more +privileges than are allowed to the native merchants. Every district has +the right to tax goods passing through it. At each district there is a +barrier, commanded by a petty official, with a military guard, and here +each native boat must stop and pay the transit tax. For long distances +these taxes amount to a large sum, and frequently are a great deal more +than the goods cost originally. These taxes are known as 'squeezes,' and +the barriers where they are paid are called 'squeeze stations.' But the +foreigners have secured a treaty with China, or, rather, there is a +clause in one of the treaties, which exempts them from the payment of +the transit 'squeezes;' they only pay the customs duties, and the local +tax at the place of destination. Transit passes are issued by which +goods belonging to foreigners, though carried in native boats, are +exempt from squeezing, but these passes can only be obtained by +foreigners. + +"Since the law went into operation, many Chinese merchants have gone +into partnership with foreigners; the former furnishing the capital and +attending to all the business, while the latter obtain the transit +passes and give the name to the firm. A gentleman whom we met in +Shanghai is associated with some wealthy Chinese; they put in the money, +and he furnishes his name and gets the passes, which none of them could +do. + +"The native junks will always give a free passage to a foreigner who +will pretend to own the cargo, since they can escape the squeeze if he +plays his part successfully. The captain says that last year a sailor +who wanted to join an English gun-boat at a place up the river was +carried through for nothing by a junk whose cargo he pretended to own. +He passed as a 'foreign merchant,' but the fact was he had never bought +anything in his life more valuable than a suit of clothes, and had sold +a great deal less than that. + +[Illustration: A NINE-STORIED PAGODA.] + +"The river above Chin-kiang is in some places very pretty, and the +mountains rise out of the water here and there, making a great contrast +to the lowlands farther down. There are several large cities on the way, +the most important (or, at all events, the one we know the most about) +being Nanking. It was famous for its porcelain tower, which was +destroyed years ago by the rebels. Every brick has been carried away, +and they have actually dug down into the foundations for more. There is +only a part of the city left; and as we did not have time to go on +shore, I am not able to say much about it. But there are several other +cities that were more fortunate, since they were able to save their +towers, or pagodas, as they are generally called. These pagodas are +always built with an odd number of stories, usually five, seven, or +nine; but once in a great while there is an ambitious one of eleven +stories, or a cheap and modest one of only three. We saw one handsome +pagoda of nine stories that had bushes and climbing-plants growing from +it. I suppose the birds carried the seeds there, and then they sprouted +and took root. They make the pagoda look very old, and certainly that is +quite proper, as they are all of an age that young people should +respect. + +[Illustration: LITTLE ORPHAN ROCK.] + +"There is a funny little island--and not so little, after all, as it is +three hundred feet high--that stands right in the middle of the river at +one place. They call it the Little Orphan Rock, probably because it was +never known to have any father or mother. There is a temple in the side +of the rock, as if a niche had been cut to receive it. Fred thinks the +people who live there ought not to complain of their ventilation and +drainage; and if they fell out of the front windows by any accident, +they would not be worth much when picked up. Away up on the top of the +rock there is a little temple that would make a capital light-house, +but I suppose the Chinese are too far behind the times to think of +turning it to any practical use. Great Orphan Rock is farther up the +river, or a little out of the river, in what they call Po-yang Lake. + +"Around the shores of Po-yang Lake is where they make a great deal of +the porcelain, and what we call 'China ware,' that they send to America. +The captain says he has frequently taken large quantities of it down the +river to Shanghai, and that it was sent from there to our country. They +dig the clay that they want for making the porcelain on the shores of +the lake, and they get their fuel for burning it from the forests, not +far away. The entrance to the lake is very picturesque; there is a town +in a fortress on a hill that overlooks the river, and then there is a +fort close down by the water. Probably the fort wouldn't be of much use +against a fleet of foreign ships; but it looks well, and that is what +pleases the Chinese." + +[Illustration: ENTRANCE TO PO-YANG LAKE.] + + + + +CHAPTER XXV. + +THE TAE-PING REBELLION.--SCENES ON THE GREAT RIVER. + + +The evidences of a large population along the Yang-tse were easy to see; +but, nevertheless, Frank and Fred were somewhat disappointed. They had +read of the overcrowded condition of China, and they saw the great +numbers of boats that navigated the river, and consequently they looked +for a proportionately dense mass of people on shore. Sometimes, for two +or three hours at a time, not a house could be seen; and at others the +villages were strung along in a straggling sort of way, as though they +were thinly inhabited, and wished to make as good a show as possible. +There were many places where the land did not seem to be under +cultivation at all, as it was covered with a dense growth of reeds and +rushes. In some localities the country appeared so much like a +wilderness that the boys half expected to see wild beasts running about +undisturbed; they began to speculate as to the kind of beasts that were +to be found there, and finally questioned Dr. Bronson on the subject. + +The Doctor explained to them that this desolation was more apparent than +real, and that if they should make a journey on shore, at almost any +point, for a few miles back from the river, they would find all the +people they wanted. "About thirty years ago," said he, "they had a +rebellion in China; it lasted for a long time, and caused an immense +destruction of life and property. The rebels had possession of the +cities along the Yang-tse, and at one period it looked as though they +would succeed in destroying the government." + +"Did they destroy the cities that we see in ruins?" Fred asked. + +"Yes," answered the Doctor, "they destroyed several cities so completely +that not a hundred inhabitants remained, where formerly there had been +many thousands; and other cities were so greatly injured that the traces +of the rebel occupation have not been removed. I believe there is not a +city that escaped uninjured, and you have seen for yourselves how some +of them have suffered. + +"The rebellion," he continued, "is known in history as the Tae-ping +insurrection. The words 'tae ping' mean 'general peace,' and were +inscribed on the banners of the rebels. The avowed intention of the +leader of the revolt was to overthrow the imperial power, and deliver +the country from its oppressors. There were promises of a division of +property, or, at all events, the rebels were to have free license to +plunder wherever they went; and as there are always a great many people +who have everything to gain and nothing to lose, the rebellion gathered +strength as time went on. The leaders managed to convince the foreigners +that they were inclined to look favorably on Christianity, and the idea +went abroad that the Tae-pings were a sort of Chinese Protestants, who +wanted to do away with old abuses, and were in favor of progress and of +more intimate relations with foreign nations. Many of the missionaries +in China were friendly to the rebellion, and so were some of the +merchants and others established there. + +[Illustration: TAE-PING REBELS.] + +"So powerful did the rebels become that they had nearly a third of the +best part of the empire under their control, and the imperial +authorities became seriously alarmed. City after city had been captured +by the rebels, and at one time the overthrow of the government appeared +almost certain. The rebels were numerous and well officered, and they +had the advantage of foreign instruction, and, to some extent, of +foreign arms. The imperialists went to war after the old system, which +consisted of sound rather than sense. They were accustomed to beat +gongs, fire guns, and make a great noise to frighten the enemy; and as +the enemy knew perfectly well what it was all about, it did not amount +to much. The suppression of the rebellion was largely due to foreigners, +and the most prominent of these was an American." + +"What! an American leader for Chinese?" + +"Yes, an American named Ward, who rose to be a high-class mandarin among +the Chinese, and since his death temples have been erected to his honor. +He came to Shanghai in 1860, and was looking around for something to do. +The rebels were within forty miles of the city, and their appearance in +front of it was hourly expected. They were holding the city of +Soon-keong, and Ward proposed to take this place by contract, as one +might propose to build a house or a railway line." + +The boys laughed at the idea of carrying on war by contract, but were +reminded that they were in China, where things are done otherwise than +in Europe and America. + +"The conditions of the contract were that Ward should raise a force of +fifty Malays, and undertake the capture of a walled city having a +garrison of four thousand rebels. If he succeeded, he was to have a +certain sum of money--I think it was ten thousand dollars--and was then +to raise a force of one thousand Chinese with twenty-five foreign +officers, and was to have command of this army for the purpose of +suppressing the rebellion. + +"Soon-keong has four gates, and they were opened at a certain hour in +the morning. Ward went there secretly one night, and sent fourteen of +his men to each of three of the gates, while he himself went with the +remaining eight men to the fourth gate. The rebels suspected nothing, +and at the usual time the gates were opened. Ward's men rushed in +simultaneously at the four gates, made a great noise, set fire to +several buildings, killed everybody they met, and pushed on for the +centre of the town. In less than ten minutes the enemy had fled, and the +battle was over. Ward was in full possession of the place, and a force +of the imperial army, which was waiting near by, was marched in, to make +sure that the rebels would not return. + +[Illustration: GENERAL WARD.] + +"Ward raised the army that he had proposed, and from one thousand it +soon grew to three thousand. It was armed with foreign rifles, and had a +battery of European artillery. The officers were English, American, +French, and of other foreign nationalities, and the men were drilled in +the European fashion. So uniformly were they successful that they +received the name of 'the Invincibles,' and retained it through all +their career. The American adventurer became 'General' Ward, was +naturalized as a Chinese subject, was made a red-button mandarin, and +received from the government a present of a large tract of land and a +fine house in Shanghai. He was several times wounded, and finally, in +October, 1862, he was killed in an attack on one of the rebel +strongholds. + +[Illustration: THE GATE WHICH WARD ATTACKED.] + +"Ward was succeeded by an American named Burgevine, who had been one of +his subordinates. Burgevine was quite as successful as Ward had been, +and at one time with his army of 5000 trained Chinese he defeated 95,000 +of the Tae-ping rebels. This made an end of the rebellion in that part +of the country, but it was flourishing in other localities. Burgevine +had some trouble with the authorities, which led to his retirement; and +after that the Invincible army was commanded by an English officer named +Gordon, who remained at the head of it till the downfall of the +Tae-pings and the end of the rebellion. The success of this little army +against the large force of the rebels shows the great advantages of +discipline. In all time and in all countries this advantage has been +apparent, but in none more so than in China. If the power of Ward and +his men had been with the rebels instead of against them, it is highly +probable that the government would have been overthrown. A few hundred +well-trained soldiers could have decided the fate of an empire." + +[Illustration: GENERAL BURGEVINE.] + +The conversation about the Tae-ping rebellion and its termination +occurred while the steamer was steadily making her way against the muddy +waters of the Yang-tse. The party were sitting on the forward deck of +the boat, and just as the closing words of the Doctor's remarks were +pronounced, there was a new and unexpected sensation. + +The day was perfectly clear, but suddenly a cloud appeared to be forming +like a thick mist. As they came nearer to it they discovered what it +was, and made the discovery through their sense of feeling. It was a +cloud of locusts moving from the southern to the northern bank of the +river; they had devastated a large area, and were now hastening to fresh +woods and pastures new. They filled the air so densely as to obscure the +sun, and for more than an hour the steamer was enveloped in them. These +locusts are the scourge of China, as they are of other countries. They +are worse in some years than in others, and in several instances they +have been the cause of local famines, or of great scarcity. + +Of course many of the locusts fell on the deck of the steamer, and found +their way to the cabins. The flight of the cloud was from south to +north, and Frank observed a remarkable peculiarity about the movements +of individual members of the immense swarm. He captured several and +placed them on the cabin table. No matter in what direction he turned +their heads, they immediately faced about towards the north, and as long +as they were in the cabin they continued to try to escape on the +northern side. After the boat had passed through the swarm, the boys +released several of the captives, and found that, no matter how they +were directed at the moment of their release, they immediately turned +and flew away to the north. + +"They've one consolation," Fred remarked--"they have their compasses +always about them, and have no need to figure up their reckoning with +'Bowditch's Navigator' to know which way to steer." + +"Don't you remember," Frank retorted, "our old teacher used to tell us +that instinct was often superior to reason. Birds and animals and fishes +make their annual migrations, and know exactly where they are going, +which is more than most men could begin to do. These locusts are guided +by instinct, and they are obliged to be, as they would starve if they +had to reason about their movements, and study to know where to go. Just +think of a locust sitting down to a map of China, when there were +millions of other locusts all doing the same thing. They wouldn't have +maps enough to go around; and when they got to a place they wanted to +reach, they would find that others had been there before them and eaten +up all the grass." + +Frank's practical argument about instinct received the approval of his +friends, and then the topic of conversation was changed to something +else. + +Both the boys were greatly interested in the various processes of work +that were visible on shore. Groups of men were to be seen cutting reeds +for fuel, or for the roofs of houses, where they make a warm thatch that +keeps out the rain and snow. Other groups were gathering cotton, hemp, +millet, and other products of the earth; and at several points there +were men with blue hands, who were extracting indigo from the plant +which produces it. The plant is bruised and soaked in water till the +coloring-matter is drawn out; the indigo settles to the bottom of the +tub, and the water is poured off; and after being dried in the sun, the +cake forms the indigo of commerce. In many places there were little +stages about thirty feet high, and just large enough at the top for one +man, who worked there patiently and alone. Frank could not make out the +employment of these men, and neither could Fred. After puzzling awhile +over the matter, they referred it to Doctor Bronson. + +"Those men," the Doctor explained, "are engaged in making ropes or +cables out of the fibres of bamboo." + +"Why don't they work on the ground instead of climbing up there?" Fred +asked. + +"Because," was the reply, "they want to keep the cable straight while +they are braiding it. As fast as they braid it it hangs down by its own +weight, and coils on the ground beneath. No expensive machinery is +needed, and the principal labor in the business is to carry the bamboo +fibre to the platform where it is wanted. This cable is very strong and +cheap, and takes the place of hemp rope in a great many ways. It is +larger and rougher than a hempen rope of the same strength, but the +Chinese are willing to sacrifice beauty for cheapness in the majority of +practical things." + +The Chinese have a way of catching fish which is peculiar to themselves, +and much practised along the Yang-tse. A net several feet square hangs +at the end of a long pole, and is lowered gently into the water and then +suddenly raised. Any fish that happens to be swimming over the net at +the time is liable to be taken in. He is lifted from the large net by +means of a small scoop, and the raising and lowering process is resumed. +Fred thought it was an excellent employment for a lazy man, and Frank +suggested that it would be better for two lazy men than one, as they +could keep each other company. + +The boys were desirous of seeing how the Chinese catch fish with the aid +of cormorants, and were somewhat disappointed when told that these birds +were rarely used on the Yang-tse, but must be looked for on some of the +lakes and ponds away from the great stream, and particularly in the +southern part of the empire. The Doctor thus described this novel mode +of catching fish: + +"Three or four cormorants and a raft are necessary in this way of +fishing. The cormorants are stupid-looking birds about the size of +geese, but are of a dark color, so that they cannot be readily seen by +the fish. The raft is of bamboo logs bound together, and about three +feet wide by twenty in length. The fisherman is armed with a paddle for +propelling his raft and a scoop-net for taking the fish after they have +been caught by the cormorant, and he has a large basket for holding the +fish after they have been safely secured. Each cormorant has a cord or +ring around his neck to prevent him from swallowing the fish he has +taken, and it is so tight that he cannot get down any but the smallest +fish. + +[Illustration: FISHING WITH CORMORANTS.] + +"The birds dive off from the raft, and can swim under water with great +rapidity. Sometimes they are not inclined to fish, and require to be +pushed off, and, perhaps, beaten a little by their master. If they have +been well trained, they swim directly towards the raft, when they rise +to the surface; but sometimes a cormorant will go off the other way, in +the hope of being able to swallow the fish he holds in his mouth. In +such case the fisherman follows and captures the runaway, punishing him +soundly for his misconduct. Whenever a bird catches a fish and brings it +to the raft, he is rewarded with a mouthful of food. In this way he soon +learns to associate his success with something to eat; and a cormorant +that has been well trained has a good deal of fidelity in his +composition. I am uncertain which to admire most, the dexterity of the +fisherman in handling his raft, or the perseverance and celerity of the +cormorants." + +On her arrival at Han-kow, the steamer was tied up to the bank in front +of the portion of the city occupied by the foreigners. Han-kow is on a +broad tongue of land at the junction of the Han with the Yang-tse. On +the opposite side of the Han is the city of Han-yang, and over on the +other bank of the Yang-tse is Wo-chang. Here is the brief description +given by the Doctor in a letter to friends at home: + +"A hill between Han-kow and Han-yang rises about six hundred feet, and +affords one of the finest views in the world, and, in some respects, one +of the most remarkable. We climbed there yesterday a little before +sunset, and remained as long as the fading daylight and the exigencies +of our return permitted. At our feet lay the Yang-tse, rolling towards +the sea after its junction with the Han, which we could trace afar, like +a ribbon of silver winding through the green plain. Away to the west was +a range of mountains, lighted by the setting sun, and overhung with +golden and purple clouds; while to the south was an undulating country, +whose foreground was filled with the walled city of Wo-chang. The +crenelated walls enclose an enormous space, much of which is so desolate +that foreigners are accustomed to hunt pheasants and hares within the +limits. They say that at one time all this space was covered with +buildings, and that the buildings were crowded with occupants. The three +cities suffered terribly during the rebellion, and more than three +fourths of their edifices were levelled. Looking from the hill, it is +easy to see the traces of the destruction, although twenty years have +passed since the insurrection was suppressed. The population of the +three cities was said to have been four or five millions; but, even +after making allowance for the density with which Chinese cities are +crowded, I should think those figures were too high. However, there is +no doubt that it was very great, and probably more people lived here +than on any similar area anywhere else in the world." + +Han-kow is a great centre of trade. Frequently the mouth of the Han is +so crowded with junks that the river is entirely covered, and you may +walk for hours by merely stepping from one boat to another. The upper +Yang-tse and the Han bring down large quantities of tea, furs, silk, +wax, and other products, both for home use and for export. There are +heavy exports of tea from Han-kow direct to England, and every year +steamers go there to load with cargoes, which they take to London as +rapidly as possible. Our friends were told that there was a large trade +in brick tea, which was prepared for the Russian market; and as the boys +were anxious to see the process of preparation, a visit to one of the +factories was arranged. Frank made a note of what he saw and wrote it +out as follows: + +[Illustration: A STREET IN HAN-KOW.] + +"The dry tea is weighed out into portions for single bricks, and each +portion is wrapped in a cloth and placed over a steam-boiler. When it is +thoroughly steamed, it is poured into a mould and placed beneath a +machine, which presses it into the required shape and size. Some of the +machines are worked by hand, and others by steam. Both kinds are very +rapid and efficient, and we could not see that the steam had much +advantage. Five men working a hand machine, and receiving twenty cents +each for a day's labor, were able to press six bricks a minute, as we +found by timing them with our watches. The steam press worked only a +little faster, and the cost of fuel must have been about equal to that +of human muscle. + +"Only the poorest kind of tea is made into bricks, and each brick is +about six inches wide, eight inches long, and one inch thick. After it +has been pressed, it is dried in ovens; and when it is thoroughly dried +and ready for packing, it is weighed, to make sure that it is up to the +required standard. All bricks that are too light are thrown out, to be +mixed up again and done over. Nearly all of this business is in Russian +hands, for the reason that this kind of tea is sold only in Russia." + +Doctor Bronson arranged that the party should visit Wo-chang and see a +famous pagoda that stood on the bank of the river. There was not a great +deal to see after they got there, as the place was not in good repair, +and contained very little in the way of statues and idols. The stairways +were narrow and dark, and the climb to the top was not accomplished +without difficulty. Afterwards they went through the principal streets, +and visited the shops, which they found much like those of Shanghai and +Chin-kiang. The people showed some curiosity in looking at the +strangers--more than they had found farther down the river--for the +reason, doubtless, that fewer foreigners go there. + +[Illustration: WO-CHANG.] + +Wo-chang is the capital of the province of Hoo-peh, and the +governor-general resides there. Our friends were fortunate enough to get +a glimpse of this high official as he was carried through the streets in +a sedan-chair, followed by several members of his staff. A Chinese +governor never goes out without a numerous following, as he wishes the +whole world to be impressed with a sense of his importance; and the +rank and position of an official can generally be understood by a single +glance at the number of his attendants, though the great man himself may +be so shut up in his chair that his decorations and the button on his +hat may not be visible. + +In a couple of days the steamer was ready for the return to Shanghai. +The time had been well employed in visiting the streets and shops and +temples of Han-kow, and learning something of its importance as a centre +of trade. The return journey was begun with a feeling of satisfaction +that they had taken the trouble and the time for the ascent of the +Yang-tsu and made themselves acquainted with the internal life of the +country. + +[Illustration: THE GOVERNOR-GENERAL AND HIS STAFF.] + + + + +CHAPTER XXVI. + +FROM SHANGHAI TO PEKIN. + + +On their return to Shanghai, the Doctor informed his young companions +that they would take the first steamer up the coast in the direction of +Pekin. + +They had only a day to wait, as the regular steamer for Tien-tsin was +advertised to leave on the afternoon following their return. She was not +so large and comfortable as the one that had carried them to Han-kow and +back; but she was far better than no steamer at all, and they did not +hesitate a moment at taking passage in her. They found that she had a +Chinese crew, with foreign officers--the same as they had found the +river-boat and the steamers from Japan. The captain was an American, who +had spent twenty years in China, and knew all the peculiarities of the +navigation of its waters. He had passed through two or three shipwrecks +and been chased by pirates. Once he was in the hands of the rebels, who +led him out for execution; but their attention was diverted by an attack +on the town where they were, and he was left to take care of himself, +which you can be sure he did. Another time he saved himself by crawling +through a small window and letting himself fall about ten feet into a +river. The night was dark, and he did not know where to go; but he +thought it better to take the chance of an escape in this way, as he +felt sure he would have his head taken off the next morning if he +remained. Luckily he floated down to where a foreign ship was lying, and +managed to be taken on board. He thought he had had quite enough of that +sort of thing, and was willing to lead a quiet life for the rest of his +days. + +They descended the river to the sea, and then turned to the northward. +Nothing of moment occurred as the steamer moved along on her course, and +on the morning of the third day from Shanghai they were entering the +mouth of the Pei-ho River. The Doctor pointed out the famous Taku forts +through the thin mist that overhung the water, and the boys naturally +asked what the Taku forts had done to make themselves famous. + +[Illustration: ATTACK ON THE PEI-HO FORTS.] + +"There is quite a history connected with them," the Doctor answered. +"They were the scene of the repulse of the British fleet in 1859, when +an American commander came to its relief, with the remark, which has +become historic, 'Blood is thicker than water!' In the following year +the English returned, and had better success; they captured the forts +and entered the river in spite of all that the Chinese could do to stop +them. Do you see that low bank there, in front of a mud-wall to the left +of the fort?" + +"Certainly," was the reply. + +"Well, that is the place where the sailors landed from the small boats +for the purpose of storming the forts, while the gun-boats were shelling +them farther up the river." + +"But it looks from here as if there were a long stretch of mud," Fred +remarked. + +"You are right," the Doctor responded, "there is a long stretch of mud, +and it was that mud which partly led to the failure at the time of the +first attack. The storming force was compelled to wade through it, and +many of the men perished. The fire of the Chinese was more severe than +had been expected, and the ships of the fleet were badly injured. But +when the attack was made the following year, the muddy belt was much +narrower, and the sailors passed through it very quickly, and were at +the walls of the fort before the Chinese were ready for them. + +"The navigation is difficult along the Pei-ho River, and the steamers of +the attacking fleet found the passage barred by cables stretched across +the stream. They had considerable trouble to break through these +obstructions, but they finally succeeded, and the rest of the voyage to +Tien-tsin was accomplished far more easily than the capture of the +forts." + +As the steamer moved on against the muddy current, and turned in the +very crooked channel of the Pei-ho, Frank espied a double-storied +building with a wide veranda, and asked what it was. + +He was interested to learn that it was known as the Temple of the +Sea-god, and had been at one time the residence of the Chinese commander +of the Taku forts. It had a handsome front on the river, and a fleet of +junks was moored directly above it. Each junk appeared to be staring +with all the power of the great eyes painted on its bows, and some of +the junks more distinguished than the rest were equipped with two eyes +on each side, in order that they might see better than the ordinary +craft. Flags floated from the masts of all the junks, and in nearly +every instance they were attached to little rods, and swung from the +centre. A Chinese flag twists and turns in the breeze in a manner quite +unknown to a banner hung after the ways of Europe and America. + +[Illustration: TEMPLE OF THE SEA-GOD AT TAKU.] + +The river from Taku to Tien-tsin was crowded with junks and small boats, +and it was easy to see that the empire of China has a large commerce on +all its water-ways. The Grand Canal begins at Tien-tsin, and the city +stands on an angle formed by the canal and the Pei-ho River. It is not +far from a mile square, and has a wall surrounding it. Each of the four +walls has a gate in the centre, and a wide street leads from this gate +to the middle of the city, where there is a pagoda. The streets are +wider than in most of the Chinese cities, and there is less danger of +being knocked down by the pole of a sedan-chair, or of a coolie bearing +a load of merchandise. In spite of its great commercial activity, the +city does not appear very prosperous. Beggars are numerous, and wherever +our friends went they were constantly importuned by men and women, who +appeared to be in the severest want. + +[Illustration: A CHINESE BEGGAR.] + +The usual way of going to Pekin is by the road from Tien-tsin, while the +return journey is by boat along the river. The road is about ninety +miles long, and is one of the worst in the world, when we consider how +long it has been in use. According to Chinese history, it was built +about two thousand years ago. Frank said he could readily believe that +it was at least two thousand years old, and Fred thought it had never +been repaired since it was first opened to the public. It was paved with +large stones for a good portion of the way, and these stones have been +worn into deep ruts, so that the track is anything but agreeable for a +carriage. The only wheeled vehicles in this part of China are carts +without springs, and mounted on a single axle; the body rests directly +on the axle, so that every jolt is conveyed to the person inside, and he +feels after a day's journey very much as though he had been run through +a winnowing-machine. + +The Chinese cart is too short for an average-sized person to lie in at +full length, and too low to allow him to sit erect; it has a small +window on each side, so placed that it is next to impossible to look out +and see what there is along the route. Altogether it is a most +uncomfortable vehicle to travel in, and the boys thought they would go +on foot rather than ride in one of them. + +[Illustration: SIGNING THE TREATY OF TIEN-TSIN.] + +But it was not necessary to go on foot, as they were able to hire ponies +for the journey, and it was agreed all round that a little roughness on +horseback for a couple of days would do no harm. So they made a contract +with a Chinese, who had been recommended to them by the consul as a good +man, to carry them to Pekin. It was arranged that they should take an +early start, so as to reach a village a little more than half way by +nightfall, and they retired early in order to have a good night's sleep. +They had time for a little stroll before they went to bed, and so they +employed it in visiting the "Temple of the Oceanic Influences," where +the treaty of Tien-tsin was signed after the capture of the Taku forts +and the advance of the English to the city. The temple is on a plain +outside of the walls, and contains a large hall, which was very +convenient for the important ceremonial that took place there. At the +time the treaty was signed the British officers were in full uniform, +and made a fine appearance, while the Chinese were not a whit behind +them in gorgeousness of apparel. Contrary to their usual custom, the +Chinese did not think it necessary to hang up any elaborate decorations +in the hall, and the attention of the spectators was concentrated on the +dignitaries who managed the affair. + +There is another way of travelling in China, which is by means of a mule +litter. This is a sort of sedan-chair carried by mules instead of men; +one mule walks in front, and another in the rear, and the litter is +supported between them on a couple of long shafts. The pace is slow, +being always at a walk, except at the times when the mules run away and +smash things generally, as happens not unfrequently. The straps that +hold the shafts to the saddles of the mules have a way of getting loose, +and leaving the box to fall to the ground with a heavy thud, which +interferes materially with the comfort of the occupant. For invalids and +ladies the mule litter is to be recommended, as well as for persons who +are fond of having the greatest amount of comfort; but our young friends +disdained anything so effeminate, and determined to make the journey on +horseback. + +They took as little baggage as possible, leaving everything superfluous +at Tien-tsin; six horses were sufficient for all the wants of the +party--four for themselves and the guide, and two for the baggage. It +was necessary to carry the most of the provisions needed for the journey +to Pekin, as the Chinese hotels along the route could not be relied on +with any certainty. No rain had fallen for some time, and the way was +very dusty; but this circumstance only made it more amusing to the boys, +though it was not so pleasing to the Doctor. Before they had been an +hour on the road, it was not easy to say which was Fred and which Frank, +until they had rendered themselves recognizable by washing their faces. +Water was scarce, and not particularly good, and, besides, the operation +of washing the face was an affair of much inconvenience. So they +contented themselves with the dust, and concluded that for the present +they wouldn't be particular about names or identity. + +At noon they had gone twenty-five miles through a country which abounded +in villages and gardens, and had a great many fields of wheat, millet, +cotton, and other products of China; the fields were not unlike those +they had seen on their voyage up the Yang-tse; and as for the villages, +they were exactly alike, especially in the items of dirt and general +repulsiveness. The modes of performing field labor were more interesting +than the villages; the most of the fields were watered artificially, and +the process of pumping water attracted the attention of the boys. An +endless chain, with floats on it, was propelled through an inclined box +by a couple of men who kept up a steady walk on a sort of treadmill. +There were spokes in a horizontal shaft, and on the ends of the spokes +there were little pieces of board, with just sufficient space for a +man's foot to rest. The men walked on these spokes, and steadied +themselves on a horizontal pole which was held between a couple of +upright posts. Labor is so cheap in China that there is no occasion for +employing steam or wind machinery; it was said that a pump coolie was +able to earn from five to ten cents a day in the season when the fields +needed irrigation, and he had nothing to do at other times. + +[Illustration: MODE OF IRRIGATING FIELDS.] + +The night was passed at a village where there was a Chinese tavern, but +it was so full that the party were sent to a temple to sleep. Beds were +made on the floor, and the travellers managed to get along very well, in +spite of the fleas that supped and breakfasted on their bodies, and +would have been pleased to dine there. The boys were in a corner of the +temple under the shadow of one of the idols to whom the place belonged, +while the Doctor had his couch in front of a canopy where there was a +deity that watched over him all night with uplifted hands. Two smaller +idols, one near his head and the other at his feet, kept company with +the larger one; but whether they took turns in staying awake, the Doctor +was too sleepy to inquire. + +[Illustration: THE DOCTOR'S BEDROOM.] + +They were up very early in the morning, and off at daylight, somewhat to +the reluctance of the guide, who had counted on sleeping a little +longer. The scenes along the road were much like those of the day +before, and they were glad when, just at nightfall, the guide pointed to +a high wall in front of them, and pronounced the word "Pekin." They were +in sight of the city. + +"I'm disappointed," said Fred. "Pekin isn't what I thought it was." + +"Well, what did you expect to find?" queried Frank. + +"Why, I thought it was on a hill, or something of the sort; I had no +reason to think so, of course, but I had formed that picture of it." + +"Nearly every one who comes to Pekin is thus disappointed," said Doctor +Bronson; "he expects to see the city from a distance, while, in reality, +it is not visible till you are quite close to it." + +The walls were high, and there was nothing to be seen inside of them, as +none of the buildings in that quarter were equally lofty. But the effect +of the walls was imposing; there were towers at regular intervals, and +the most of them were two stories above the level of the surrounding +structure. For nearly a mile they rode along the base of one of the +walls till they came to a gate that led them into the principal street. +Once inside, they found themselves transferred very suddenly from the +stillness of the country to the bustling life of the great city. + +[Illustration: PART OF THE WALL OF THE PEKIN.] + +"I'm not disappointed now," Fred remarked, as they rode along in the +direction indicated by the guide; "the streets are so wide in comparison +with those of the cities we have seen that they seem very grand, +indeed." + +"You've hit it exactly, Fred," Doctor Bronson replied, "Pekin is called +the 'City of Magnificent Distances' on account of the width of its +streets, the great extent of the city, and the long walks or rides that +are necessary for going about in it." + +"Evidently they took plenty of room when they laid it out," said Frank, +"for it isn't crowded like Shanghai and the other places we have seen." + +It was dark when they reached the little hotel where they were to stay. +It was kept by a German, who thought Pekin was an excellent place for a +hotel, but would be better if more strangers would visit the city. His +establishment was not large, and its facilities were not great, but they +were quite sufficient for the wants of our friends, who were too tired +to be particular about trifles. They took a hearty supper, and then went +to bed to sleep away the fatigues of their journey. + +Next morning they were not very early risers, and the whole trio were +weary and sore from the effect of the ride of ninety miles on the backs +of Chinese ponies. Frank said that when he was sitting down he hesitated +to rise for fear he should break in two, and Fred asserted that it was +dangerous to go from a standing to a sitting position for the same +reason. + +They determined to take things easily for the first day of their stay in +Pekin, and confine their studies to the neighborhood of the hotel. With +this object in view, they took short walks on the streets, and in the +afternoon ventured on a ride in a small cart; or, rather, they hired two +carts, as one was not sufficient to hold them. These carts are very +abundant at Pekin, and are to be hired like cabs in European or American +cities. They are not dear, being only sixty or seventy cents a day, and +they are so abundant that one can generally find them at the principal +public places. + +The carts, or cabs, are quite light in construction, and in summer they +have shelters over the horses to protect them from the heat of the sun. +The driver walks at the side of his team; and when the pace of the horse +quickens to a run, he runs with it. No matter how rapidly the horse may +go, the man does not seem troubled to keep alongside. The carts take the +place of sedan-chairs, of which very few are to be seen in Pekin. + +[Illustration: A PEKIN CAB.] + +Another kind of cart which is used in the North to carry merchandise, +and also for passengers, is much stronger than the cab, but, like it, is +mounted on two wheels. The frame is of wood, and there is generally a +cover of matting to keep off the heat of the sun. This cover is +supported on posts that rise from the sides of the cart; but while +useful against the sun, it is of no consequence in a storm, owing to its +facility for letting the water run through. The teams for propelling +these carts are more curious than the vehicles themselves, as they are +indifferently made up of whatever animals are at hand. Oxen, cows, +horses, mules, donkeys, and sometimes goats and dogs, are the beasts of +burden that were seen by the boys in their rambles in Pekin and its +vicinity, and on one occasion Fred saw a team which contained a camel +harnessed with a mule and a cow. Camels come to Pekin from the Desert of +Gobi, where great numbers of them are used in the overland trade between +China and Russia. They are quite similar to the Arabian camel, but are +smaller, and their hair is thicker, to enable them to endure the severe +cold of the northern winter. In the season when tea is ready for export, +thousands of camels are employed in transporting the fragrant herb to +the Russian frontier, and the roads to the northward from Pekin are +blocked with them. + +[Illustration: A COMPOSITE TEAM.] + +Walking was not altogether a pleasant amusement for our friends, as the +streets were a mass of dust, owing to the carelessness of the +authorities about allowing the refuse to accumulate in them. There is a +tradition that one of the emperors, in a period that is lost in the +mazes of antiquity, attempted to sweep the streets in order to make +himself popular with the people; but he found the task too large, and, +moreover, he had serious doubts about its being accomplished in his +lifetime. So he gave it up, as he did not care to do something that +would go more to the credit of his successor than of himself, and no one +has had the courage to try it since that time. The amount of dirt that +accumulates in a Chinese city would breed a pestilence in any other +part of the world. Not only do the Chinese appear uninjured by it, but +there are some who assert that it is a necessity of their existence, and +they would lose their health if compelled to live in an atmosphere of +cleanliness. + +One of the most interesting street sights of their first day in Pekin +was a procession carrying a dragon made of bamboo covered with painted +paper. There was a great noise of tom-toms and drums to give warning of +the approach of the procession, and there was the usual rabble of small +boys that precedes similar festivities everywhere. The dragon was +carried by five men, who held him aloft on sticks that also served to +give his body an undulating motion in imitation of life. He was not +pretty to look upon, and his head seemed too large for his body. The +Chinese idea of the dragon is, that he is something very hideous, and +they certainly succeed in representing their conception of him. Dr. +Bronson explained that the dragon was frequently carried in procession +at night, and on these occasions the hollow body was illuminated, so +that it was more hideous, if possible, than in the daytime. + +[Illustration: A CHINESE DRAGON.] + + + + +CHAPTER XXVII. + +SIGHTS IN PEKIN. + + +From their own observations and the notes and accounts of travellers who +had preceded them, the boys made the following description of Pekin: + +"Pekin stands on a great sandy plain, and has a population of about two +millions. It consists of two parts, which are separated by a wall; that +towards the south is called the Chinese city, and that on the north the +Tartar city. The Tartar city is the smaller both in area and population; +it is said to measure about twelve square miles, while the Chinese city +measures fifteen. There are thirteen gates in the outer walls, and there +are three gates between the Tartar and the Chinese city. In front of +each gate there is a sort of bastion or screen, so that you cannot see +the entrance at all as you approach it, and are obliged to turn to one +side to come in or go out. The Chinese city has few public buildings of +importance, while the Tartar city has a great many of them. The latter +city consists of three enclosures, one inside the other, and each +enclosure has a wall of its own. The outer one contains dwellings and +shops, the second includes the government offices, and the houses of +private persons who are allowed to live there as a mark of special +favor; while the third is called the Prohibited City, and is devoted to +the imperial palace and temples that belong to it. Nobody can go inside +the Prohibited City without special permission, and sometimes this is +very hard to obtain; the wall enclosing it is nearly two miles in +circumference, and has a gate in each of its four fronts, and the wall +is as solid and high as the one that surrounds the whole city of Pekin. + +"We had no trouble in going to see the imperial palace, or such parts of +it as are open to the public, and also the temples. We could readily +believe what was told us--that the temples were the finest in the whole +country, and certainly some of them were very interesting. There are +temples to the earth, to the sun, the moon; and there are temples to +agriculture, to commerce, and a great many other things. There is a +very fine structure of marble more than a hundred feet high, which is +called "The Gate of Extensive Peace." It is where the emperor comes on +great public occasions; and beyond it are two halls where the foreign +visitors are received at the beginning of each year, and where the +emperor examines the implements used in the opening of the annual season +of ploughing. The ploughing ceremony does not take place here, but in +another part of the city, and the emperor himself holds the plough to +turn the first furrow. There are some very pretty gardens in the +Prohibited City, and we had a fine opportunity to learn something about +the skill of the Chinese in landscape gardening. There are canals, +fountains, bridges, flower-beds, groves, and little hillocks, all +carefully tended, and forming a very pretty picture in connection with +the temples and pavilions that stand among them. + +[Illustration: A PAVILION IN THE PROHIBITED CITY.] + +"We have seen many temples--so many, in fact, that it is difficult to +remember all of them. One of the most impressive is the Temple of +Heaven, which has three circular roofs, one above another, and is said +to be ninety-nine feet high. The tiles on the top are of porcelain of +the color of a clear sky, and the intention of the builder was to +imitate the vault of heaven. On the inside there are altars where +sacrifices are offered to the memory of former emperors of China, and on +certain occasions the emperor comes here to take part in the ceremonies. + +[Illustration: TEMPLE OF HEAVEN.] + +[Illustration: PEKIN CASH.] + +"Then we went to see the great bell, which is one of the wonders of the +world, though it is not so large as the bell at Moscow. It is said to +weigh 112,000 pounds, but how they ever weighed it I don't know. It is a +foot thick at the rim, about twenty feet high, and fifteen feet in +diameter; it was cast more than two hundred years ago, and is covered +all over, inside and outside, with Chinese characters. There is a little +hole in the top of it where people try to throw copper cash. If they +succeed, it is a sign that they will be fortunate in life; and if they +fail, they must leave the money as an offering to the temple. All of us +tried till we had thrown away a double-handful of cash, but we didn't +get a single one of them through the hole. So if we fail now in +anything, you will know the reason. + +[Illustration: TRADITIONAL LIKENESS OF CONFUCIUS.] + +[Illustration: GOD OF WAR.] + +"The Chinese have a great many gods, and pretty nearly every god has a +temple in some part of Pekin. There is a fine temple to Confucius, which +is surrounded by some trees that are said to be five hundred years old; +the temple has a high roof which is very elaborately carved, and looks +pretty both from a distance and when you are close by it. But there are +no statues in the temple, as the Chinese do not worship Confucius +through a statue, but by means of a tablet on which his name is +inscribed. The other deities have their statues, and you may see the god +of war with a long beard and mustache. The Chinese have very slight +beards, and it is perhaps for this reason that they frequently represent +their divinities as having a great deal of hair on their faces, so as to +indicate their superiority to mortals. Then they have a god of +literature, who is represented standing on the head of a large fish, and +waving a pencil in his right hand, while he holds in his left a cap such +as is worn by the literary graduates after they have received their +degrees. The god of literature is worshipped a great deal by everybody +who is studying for a degree, and by those whose ancestors or other +relatives have been successful in carrying away the honors at an +examination. Think what it would be to have such a divinity in our +colleges and schools in America, and the amount of worship he would get +if the students really believed in him! + +[Illustration: GOD OF LITERATURE.] + +[Illustration: GOD OF THIEVES.] + +"The Chinese have a god of thieves; but he has no temple, and is +generally worshipped in the open air. All the thieves are supposed to +worship him, as he is a saint who made their business successful; and, +besides this, he is worshipped by those who wish to become wealthy in +honest ways. He is said to have been a skilful thief, and very pious at +the same time. He was kind to his mother, and the most of his stealing +was done to support her. + +"One of the interesting places we have visited is the office of the +Board of Punishments, which corresponds pretty nearly to our courts of +justice. But one great point of difference between their mode of +administering justice and ours is that they employ torture, while we do +not. Not only is the prisoner tortured after condemnation, but he is +tortured before trial, in order to make him tell the truth; and even the +witnesses, under certain circumstances, are submitted to the same +treatment. We saw some of the instruments that they use, and there was +not the least attempt to keep us from seeing them. It is customary to +have them piled or hung up at the doors of the courts, so that culprits +may know what to expect, and honest persons may be deterred from +wickedness through fear. It is the same principle that is followed by +some of the school-teachers in America when they hang up in full view +the stick with which they intend to punish unruly boys. + +[Illustration: A MANDARIN JUDGE DELIVERING SENTENCE.] + +"When we went into the court-room, a man had just been sentenced to +receive twenty blows of the bamboo, and the sentence was immediately +carried out. He was ordered to lie down with his face to the floor; his +back was then stripped, and while his legs and arms were held by +attendants, the executioner laid on the twenty blows with a bamboo stick +about six feet long and two inches wide. One side of the stick was +rounded and the other was flat; the flesh was blistered at every stroke, +or raised in a great puff, and it is certain that the man must be some +time in getting well. He did not scream or make the least outcry, but +took his punishment patiently, and was raised to his feet at its end. He +bowed to the judge, and, perhaps, thanked him for the attention he had +received, and was then led away to make room for some one else. + +"The Chinese don't seem to have any nerves compared with what we have. +They do not suffer so much as we do under tortures, and this is perhaps +one of the reasons why they are so much more cruel than the people of +Europe and America. For example, it would nearly kill a European to +travel a week in carts such as we saw on the road from Tien-tsin to +Pekin. The Chinese don't seem to mind it at all; and the best proof that +they do not is that they have never invented any better or more +comfortable way of travelling, or tried to improve their roads. And it +is the same with their punishments in the courts. They don't care much +for whippings, though it is not at all probable that they like them, and +the only things that they appear to fear very much are the punishments +that are prolonged. There are a good many of these, and I will tell you +about some of the most prominent and best known. + +"Several times we have seen men with wooden collars three or four feet +square, and with a hole in the centre, where the poor fellow's neck +comes through. It is made of plank about two inches thick, and you can +see that the load is a heavy one for a man to carry. He cannot bring his +arms to his head; and if he has no friends to feed him, or no money to +pay some one else to do so, he must starve. On the upper surface of the +plank is painted the name of the criminal, together with the crime he +has committed and the time he has been ordered to wear the collar. This +instrument is called a 'cangue,' and is said to be in use all over China +from one end of the country to the other. + +"There is a mode of torture which is chiefly used to extort confessions +from persons accused of crime, and the result of its use is said to be +that many a man has been induced to confess crimes of which he was +entirely innocent, in order to escape from the terrible pain which is +produced. The victim is compelled to stand against a post, and his cue +is tied to it so that he cannot get away. His arms are tied to a +cross-beam, and then little rods are placed between his fingers in such +a way that every finger is enclosed. The rods are so arranged that by +pulling a string the pressure on the fingers is increased, and the pain +very soon becomes so great that most men are unable to endure it. If you +want to know just how a little of it feels, I advise you to put one of +your fingers between two lead-pencils and then squeeze the pencils +together. You won't keep doing so very long. + +[Illustration: SQUEEZING THE FINGERS.] + +"They squeeze the ankles in much the same way, by making the man kneel +on the ground, with his ankles in a frame of three sticks that are +fastened together at one end by a cord like that of the finger-squeezer. +Then, when all is ready, they pull at the cord and draw the sticks +nearer to each other, so that pressure is brought on the ankles. The +pain is intense, and the most demure Chinaman is not able to stand it +without shrinking. This mode of torture, like the other, is used to make +prisoners confess the crimes of which they are accused, and they +generally confess them. It is said that witnesses may be subjected to +the ankle torture, but with the modification in their favor that only +one ankle can be squeezed at a time. Very kind, isn't it? + +[Illustration: SQUEEZING THE ANKLES.] + +"We went near the prison while we were in the Tartar city, and so it was +proposed that we should see what there was inside. It was the most +horrible place I have ever seen, and the wonder is that men can be found +inhuman enough to condemn people to be shut up there. There was a large +cage so full of men that there was not room on the floor for them all to +lie down at once, even if they had been as close together as sardines in +a can. We could see through the bars of the cage, as if the captives had +been wild animals instead of human beings, and they looked so worn and +wretched that we all pitied them very much. If a man is sent to prison +in China, and has no money to pay for his food, he will die of +starvation, as the jailers are not required by law to feed the prisoners +under their charge. There were men chained, with iron collars around +their necks; and others tied, with their hands and feet brought close +together. The suffering was terrible, and we were glad to come away +after a very few minutes. It is positive that we do not want to see +another prison as long as we stay in this country. + +[Illustration: A BED OF TORTURE.] + +"In the Chinese prisons they torture men to make them confess, and also +to compel them to tell if they have money, or any relatives or friends +who have it. One of these cruelties is called 'putting a man to bed,' +and consists in fastening him on a wooden bedstead by his neck, wrists, +and ankles in such a way that he cannot move. He is compelled to pass +the night in this position; and sometimes they give him a coverlet of a +single board that presses on his body, and is occasionally weighted to +make it more oppressive. The next morning he is released and told that +he can be free until night, when he will be again tied up. Generally a +man is willing to do anything in his power rather than pass a second +night on such a bed. If he has money, he gives it up; and, no matter how +reluctant he may be to call on his friends, he does so, sooner or later, +and throws himself on their generosity. + +"They suspend men by the wrists and ankles; sometimes by one wrist and +one ankle, and at others by all four brought closely together. Then they +place a victim in a chair with his arms tied to cross-sticks, and in +this position he is compelled to sit for hours in the most terrible +pain. Another mode is by tying a man's hands together beneath his knees, +and then passing a pole under his arm and suspending him from it. This +is called 'the monkey grasping a peach,' and it is frequently employed +to compel a rich man to pay heavily to escape punishment. How it got its +name nobody can tell, unless it was owing to a supposed resemblance to +the position of a monkey holding something in his paw. + +[Illustration: FOUR MODES OF PUNISHMENT.] + +"Just as we were coming out of the prison-yard we saw a man standing in +a cage with his head through a board in the top, while his toes just +touched the bottom. Unless he stood on tiptoe, the weight of his body +fell on his neck; and everybody knows how difficult it is to remain on +tiptoe for any length of time. Sometimes men are compelled to stand in +this way till they die, but generally the punishment is confined to a +few hours. It is the form most frequently employed for the sentence of +criminals who have been robbing on the public highway, and are convicted +of using violence at the time of committing their offences. + +[Illustration: STANDING IN A CAGE.] + +"I could go on with a long account of the tortures in China, but they +are not very pleasant reading, and, besides, some of them are too +horrible for belief. I will stop with the torture known as 'the +hot-water snake,' which consists of a coil of thin tubing of tin or +pewter in the form of a serpent. One of these coils is twisted around +each arm of the victim, and another around his body, in such a way that +the head of the snake is higher than any other part. Then they pour +boiling water into the mouth of the snake, and the flesh of the prisoner +is burned and scalded in the most terrible manner. This punishment is +said to be used rarely, and only on persons accused of crimes against +the government. It is too horrible to be popular, even among the most +cold-blooded people in the world. + +[Illustration: HOT-WATER SNAKE.] + +"A good many of these punishments precede a much more merciful one, that +of decapitation. The victim who is to suffer the loss of his head is +carried to the place of execution in a small cage of bamboo, with his +hands tied behind him, and the crime for which he is to suffer written +on a piece of stiff paper and fastened to his hair. In one corner of the +cage is a bucket, which is to hold his head after the executioner has +cut it off; and frequently the pail with the head in it is hung near one +of the gates of the city or in some other public place. When he reaches +the execution-ground, he is required to kneel, and the executioner +strikes his head off with a single blow of a heavy sword. The poor +fellows who are to suffer death rarely make any opposition, and some of +them seem quite willing to meet it. This is said to be due partly to the +calmness of the Chinese, and partly to the fact that they have been so +tortured and starved in their imprisonment that it is a relief to die. +In most of the Chinese prisons the men condemned to death are usually +kept until there are several on hand; then a general execution is +ordered, and the whole lot of them are taken out to the place of +decapitation. During the time of the rebellion they used to have +executions by wholesale, and sometimes one or two hundred heads were +taken off in a single morning. + +[Illustration: CARRYING FORTH TO THE PLACE OF EXECUTION.] + +"Very great crimes are punished by cutting the body into small pieces +before decapitation, or, rather, by cutting it in several places. All +the fleshy parts of the body are cut with the sword of the executioner +before the final blow; and sometimes this species of torture goes on +for an hour or two before the suffering of the victim is stopped by +decapitation. There is a story that they have a lottery in which the +executioner draws a knife from a basket. The basket is full of knives, +and they are marked for various parts of the body. If he draws a knife +for the face, he proceeds to cut off the cheeks; if for the hand, he +cuts away one of the hands, and so on for all parts of the victim. If he +is kindly disposed, or has been properly bribed, he will draw the +beheading-knife first of all, and then he will have no occasion to use +any other. + +[Illustration: JUST BEFORE DECAPITATION.] + +"Well, we have had enough of these disagreeable things, and will turn to +something else. We passed by the place where the candidates for military +honors compete for prizes by shooting with the bow and arrow. At the +first examination they are required to shoot at a mark with three +arrows, and the one who makes the best shots is pronounced the winner of +the prize. At the second examination they must practise on horseback, +with the horse standing still; and at the third they must shoot three +arrows from the back of a running horse. Afterwards they are exercised +in the bending of some very stiff bows and the handling of heavy swords +and stones. There is a certain scale of merit they must pass to be +successful; and when they succeed, their names are sent up for another +examination before higher officials than the ones they have passed +before. It is a curious fact that a man who does well as an archer is +entitled to a degree among the literary graduates, though he may not be +able to carry away a single prize for his literary accomplishments +alone." + +[Illustration: MILITARY CANDIDATES COMPETING WITH THE BOW AND ARROW.] + + + + +CHAPTER XXVIII. + +A JOURNEY TO THE GREAT WALL OF CHINA. + + +Pekin is not very far from the famous wall that was built to keep the +empire of China from the hands of the Tartars. It is commonly mentioned +as "The Great Wall," and certainly it is clearly entitled to the honor, +as it is the greatest wall in the world. To go to Pekin without visiting +the Great Wall would be to leave the journey incomplete; and therefore, +one of the first things that our friends considered was how they should +reach the wall, and how much time they would require for the excursion. + +We shall let the boys tell the story, which they did in a letter to +their friends at home. It was written while they were on the steamer +between Tien-tsin and Shanghai, on their return from Pekin. + +"We have been to the Great Wall, and it was a journey not to be +forgotten in a minute. We found that we should have to travel a hundred +miles each way, and that the roads were as bad as they usually are in +most parts of China. We went on horseback, but took a mule litter along +for use in case of accidents, and to rest ourselves in whenever one of +us should become weary of too much saddle. There are no hotels of any +consequence, and so we had to take the most of our provisions from +Pekin. We did the same way as when we went from Tien-tsin; that is, we +hired a man to supply all the necessary horses and mules for a certain +price to take us to the wall and back; and if any of them should fall +sick on the road, he was to furnish fresh ones without extra charge. We +were advised to make the bargain in this way, as there was a danger that +some of the horses would get lame; and if there were no provision for +such a case, we should have to pay very high for an extra animal. The +Chinese horse-owners are said to be great rascals--almost equal to some +American men who make a business of buying and selling saddle and +carriage animals. Doctor Bronson says he would like to match the +shrewdest Chinese jockey we have yet seen with a horse-dealer that he +once knew in Washington. He thinks the Yankee could give the Chinese +great odds, and then beat him. + +[Illustration: WALKING ON STILTS.] + +"It was a feast-day when we left Pekin, and there were a good many sports +going on in the streets, as we filed out of the city on our way to the +north. There was a funny procession of men on stilts. They were +fantastically dressed, and waved fans and chopsticks and other things, +while they shouted and sang to amuse the crowd. One of them was dressed +as a woman, who pretended to hold her eyes down so that nobody could +see them, and she danced around on her stilts as though she had been +accustomed to them all her life. In fact, the whole party were quite at +home on their stilts, and would have been an attraction in any part of +America. Whenever the Chinese try to do anything of this sort, they are +pretty sure to do it well. + +[Illustration: JUGGLER SPINNING A PLATE.] + +"Then there were jugglers spinning plates on sticks, and doing other +things of a character more or less marvellous. One of their tricks is to +spin the plate on two sticks held at right angles to each other, instead +of on a single stick, as with us; but how they manage to do it I am +unable to say. They make the plate whirl very fast, and can keep it up a +long time without any apparent fatigue. + +[Illustration: GAMBLING WITH A REVOLVING POINTER.] + +"We passed several men who had small establishments for gambling, not +unlike some that are known in America. There was one with a revolving +pointer on the top of a horizontal table that was divided into sections +with different marks and numbers. The pointer had a string, hanging down +from one end, and the way they made the machine work was to whirl the +pointer, and see where the string hung when it stopped. The game +appeared to be very fair, as the man who paid his money had the chance +of whirling the pointer, and he might do his own guessing as to where it +would stop. If he was right, he would win eight times as much money as +he had wagered, since the board was divided into eight spaces. If he was +wrong, he lost all that he put down, and was obliged to go away or try +his luck again. The temptation to natives seems to be very great, since +they are constantly gambling, and sometimes lose all the money they +have. Gambling is so great a vice in China that a good many of its forms +have been forbidden by the government. The case is not unusual of a man +losing everything he possesses, even to his wife and children, and then +being thrown naked into the streets by the proprietor of the place where +he has lost his money. + +[Illustration: FORTUNE-TELLING BY MEANS OF A BIRD AND SLIPS OF PAPER.] + +"We stopped to look at some fortune-tellers, who were evidently doing a +good business, as they had crowds around them, and were taking in small +sums of money every few minutes. One of them had a little bird in a +cage, and he had a table which he folded and carried on his back when he +was moving from one place to another. When he opened business, he spread +his table, and then laid out some slips of paper which were folded, so +that nobody could see what there was inside. Next he let the bird out of +the cage, which immediately went forward and picked up one of the slips +and carried it to his master. The man then opened the paper and read +what was written on it, and from this paper he made a prediction about +the fortune of the person who had engaged him. + +"There was another fortune-teller who did his work by writing on a +plate. He had several sheets of paper folded up, and from these he asked +his customer to select one. When the selection was made, he dissected +the writing, and showed its meaning to be something so profound that the +customer was bewildered and thought he had nothing but good-fortune +coming to him. We tried to get these men to tell our fortunes, but they +preferred to stick to their own countrymen, probably through fear that +they would lose popularity if they showed themselves too friendly with +the strangers. + +[Illustration: FORTUNE-TELLING BY DISSECTING CHINESE CHARACTERS.] + +"The Chinese are great believers in fortune-telling, and even the most +intelligent of them are often calling upon the necromancers to do +something for them. They rarely undertake any business without first +ascertaining if the signs are favorable; and if they are not, they will +decline to have anything to do with it. When a merchant has a cargo of +goods on its way, he is very likely to ask a fortune-teller how the +thing is to turn out; and if the latter says it is all right, he gets +liberally paid for his information. But in spite of their superstition, +the Chinese are very shrewd merchants, and can calculate their profits +with great accuracy. + +"Well, this is not going to the Great Wall. We went out of Pekin by the +north gate, and into a country that was flat and dusty. Fred's pony was +not very good-natured, and every little while took it into his head to +balance himself on the tip of his tail. This was not the kind of riding +we had bargained for, as it made the travel rather wearisome, and +interfered with the progress of the whole caravan. We thought the pony +would behave himself after a little fatigue had cooled his temper; but +the more we went on, the worse he became. When we were about ten miles +out, he ran away, and went tearing through a cotton-field as though he +owned it, and he ended by pitching his rider over his head across a +small ditch. + +"Then we found how lucky it was we had brought along a mule litter, as +Fred rode in it the rest of the day. Next morning he made our guide +change ponies with him. In half an hour the guide was in a mud puddle, +and saying something in Chinese that had a very bad sound, but it didn't +help dry his clothes in the least. On the whole, we got along very well +with the ponies in the north of China, when we remember the bad +reputation they have and the things that most travellers say about them. + +[Illustration: CHINESE RAZOR.] + +"We stopped at the village of Sha-ho, about twenty miles from Pekin; and +as we had started a little late, and it was near sunset, we concluded to +spend the night there. There was not much to see at the village, except +a couple of fine old bridges built of stone, and so solid that they +will evidently last a long time. A barber came around and wanted to +shave us, but for several reasons we declined his proposal, and +satisfied ourselves by seeing him operate on a native customer. The +Chinese razor is a piece of steel of a three-cornered shape, and is +fastened to a handle about four inches long. It is kept very sharp, as +any well-regulated razor should be, and a barber will handle it with a +great deal of dexterity. The Chinese haven't much beard to shave off, +but they make up for it with a very thick growth of hair, which is all +removed every ten or twelve days, with the exception of a spot on the +crown about four inches in diameter. The hair on this spot is allowed to +grow as long as it will, and is then braided into the cue or pigtail +that everybody knows about. + +[Illustration: BARBER SHAVING THE HEAD OF A CUSTOMER.] + +"After we left Sha-ho the country became rough, and the road grew +steadily worse. Our ponies were pretty sure-footed, but they stumbled +occasionally, and Frank narrowly escaped a bad fall. The pony went down +all in a heap and threw Frank over his head. He fell on a soft spot, and +so was not injured; but if the accident had happened six feet farther +on, or six feet farther back, it would have thrown him among the rough +stones, where there were some very ugly points sticking up. + +[Illustration: BRIDGE OF THE CLOUDY HILLS.] + +"We found another fine bridge on this part of the road, and our guide +said it was called the 'Bridge of the Cloudy Hills,' because the clouds +frequently hung over the hills in the distance. The Chinese are very +fond of fanciful names for their bridges and temples, and frequently +the name has very little to do with the structure itself. I am told that +there is a bridge in the south of China with exactly the same name as +this, and not far from it is another called the 'Bridge of the Ten +Thousand Ages.' We have seen the 'Temple of Golden Happiness' and the +'Bridge of Long Repose.' We shall be on the lookout for the 'Temple of +the Starry Firmament,' and probably shall not be long in finding it. +Strange that a people so practical as the Chinese should have so much +poetry in their language! + +"We came to the village of Nan-kow, at the entrance of the Nan-kow Pass, +and stopped there for dinner. Our ride had given us a good appetite, and +though our cook was not very skilful in preparing our meal, we did not +find fault with him, as we did not wish to run the risk of waiting while +he cooked the things over again. The Chinese inn at Nan-kow is not so +good as the Palace Hotel at San Francisco; in fact, it is as bad as any +other hotel that we have seen. They don't have much pleasure travel in +this part of the world, and therefore it does not pay them to give much +attention to the comfort of their guests. + +"The Nan-kow Pass is about thirteen miles long, and the road through it +is very rough. The mountains are steep, and we saw here and there ruins +of forts that were built long ago to keep out the Tartar invaders of +China. Our animals had several falls, but they got through without +accident, and, what was more, they brought us to a village where there +was an inn with something good to eat. + +[Illustration: THE GOD OF THE KITCHEN.] + +"What do you suppose it was? It was mutton, which is kept boiling in a +pot from morning till night; and as fast as any is taken out, or the +soup boils down, they fill the kettle up again. Mutton is very cheap +here, as sheep are abundant and can be bought at the purchaser's own +price, provided he will keep himself within reason. Great numbers of +sheep are driven to Pekin for the supply of the city, and we met large +flocks at several points on the road. Their wool has been exported to +England and America; but it is not of a fine quality, and does not bring +a high price. + +"We passed the ruins of forts and towers every few miles, and our guide +pointed out some of the towers that were formerly used for conveying +intelligence by means of signal-fires. They are now falling to pieces, +and are of no further use. + +"This is the road by which the Tartars went to the conquest of China, +and there is a story that the empire was lost in consequence of a woman. +The Chinese were very much afraid of the Tartars, and they built the +Great Wall to keep them out of the country. But a wall would be of no +use without soldiers to defend it, and so it was arranged that whenever +the Tartars were approaching, a signal should be sent along the towers, +and the army would come to Pekin to defend it. + +"One day a favorite lady of the emperor's palace persuaded the emperor +to give the signal, to see how long it would take for the generals and +the army to get to Pekin. He gave the signal, and the army came, but the +generals were very angry when they found they had been called together +just to amuse a woman. They went back to their homes, and the affair was +supposed to be forgotten. + +"By-and-by the Tartars did come in reality, and the signal was sent out +again. But this time no army came, nor did a single general turn his +face to Pekin. The city fell into the hands of the invaders, and they +are there to-day. So much for what a woman did; but it sounds too much +like the story of 'The Boy and the Wolf' to be true. + +"At the last place where we stopped before reaching the Great Wall we +found the people very insolent, both to us and to the men in our employ. +They said rude things to us, and perhaps it was fortunate that we did +not understand Chinese, or we might have been disposed to resent their +impudence, and so found ourselves in worse trouble. Our guide said +something to a lama, or priest, and he managed to make the people quiet, +partly by persuasion and partly by threats. Some of the men had been +drinking too freely of sam-shoo, which has the same effect on them as +whiskey has on people in America. It is not unusual for strangers in +this part of China to be pelted with stones; but the natives are afraid +to do much more than this, as they would thereby get into trouble. + +[Illustration: A LAMA.] + +"At the place where we reach the Great Wall there is a Chinese city +called Chan-kia-kow; but it is known to the Russians as Kalgan. It is +the frontier town of Mongolia, and the Russians have a great deal of +commerce with it. It stands in a valley, and so high are the mountains +around it that the sun does not rise until quite late in the forenoon. +Doctor Bronson said there is a town somewhere in the Rocky Mountains of +America which is so shut in that the sun does not rise there until about +eleven o'clock next day; and we thought it might possibly be a relative +of Chan-kia-kow. There is an odd sort of population here, as the +merchants who trade with the Russians are from all parts of China; and +then there are Mongols from the Desert of Gobi, and a very fair number +of real Russians. + +[Illustration: THE HILLS NEAR CHAN-KIA-KOW.] + +"One curious article of trade consisted of logs from the country to the +north. They are cut in lengths of about six feet, and are intended for +coffins for the people of the southern part of the empire. Wood is +scarce in the more densely inhabited portions of China, and must be +carried for great distances. It is six hundred miles from the Great Wall +to where these logs are cut, and so they must be carried seven hundred +miles in all before they reach Pekin. The carts on which they are loaded +are very strong, and have not a bit of iron about them. + +"We are now at the Great Wall, which comes straggling over the hills +that surround the city, and forms its northern boundary. It is very much +in ruins, but at the town itself there is a portion of it kept in good +repair, and one of the gates is regularly shut at night and opened in +the morning. Some of the old towers are still in their places; but the +weather is slowly wearing them away, and in time they will all be +fallen. + +"The Great Wall is certainly one of the wonders of the world, and it was +very much so at the time of its construction. It was built two thousand +years ago, and is about twelve hundred miles long. It runs westward from +the shores of the Gulf of Pe-chi-li to what was then the western +frontier of the Chinese Empire. For the greater part of the way it +consists of a wall of earth faced with stone or brick, and it is paved +on the top with large tiles. It is about twenty-five feet wide at the +bottom, and diminishes to fifteen feet wide at the top, with a height of +thirty feet. In many places it is not so substantial as this, being +nothing more than a wall of earth faced with brick, and not more than +fifteen feet high. At varying intervals there are towers for watchmen +and soldiers. They are generally forty or fifty feet high, and about +three hundred feet apart. + +"The wall follows all the inequalities of the surface of the earth, +winding over mountains and through valleys, crossing rivers by massive +archways, and stretching straight as a sunbeam over the level plain. + +"Think what a work this would be at the present day, and then remember +that it was built two thousand years ago, when the science of +engineering was in its infancy, and the various mechanical appliances +for moving heavy bodies were unknown! + +"We spent a day at the Great Wall. We scrambled over the ruins and +climbed to the top of one of the towers, and we had more than one tumble +among the remains of the great enterprise of twenty centuries ago. Then +we started back to Pekin, and returned with aching limbs and a general +feeling that we had had a hard journey. But we were well satisfied that +we had been there, and would not have missed seeing the Great Wall for +twice the fatigue and trouble. They told us in Pekin that some +travellers have been imposed on by seeing only a piece of a wall about +thirty miles from the city, which the guides pretend is the real one. +They didn't try the trick on us, and probably thought it would not be of +any use to do so. + +"We did not stay long in Pekin after we got back from the Great Wall, as +we had to catch the steamer at Tien-tsin. Here we are steaming down the +coast, and having a jolly time. We are on the same ship that took us up +from Shanghai, and so we feel almost as if we had got home again. But we +are aware that home is yet a long way off, and we have many a mile +between us and the friends of whom we think so often." + + + + +CHAPTER XXIX. + +FROM SHANGHAI TO HONG-KONG.--A STORY OF THE COOLIE TRADE. + + +The party reached Shanghai without accident, and on their arrival at +that port the boys had a welcome surprise in the shape of letters from +home. Their first letters from Japan had been received, and read and +reread by family and friends. To judge by the words of praise that they +elicited, the efforts of the youths at descriptive composition were +eminently successful. Frank's mother said that if they did as well all +through their journey as they had done in the beginning, they would be +qualified to write a book about Japan and China; and a similar opinion +of their powers was drawn from Fred's mother, who took great pride in +her son. Mary and Effie composed a joint letter to Frank, to tell how +much pleasure he had given them. They were somewhat anxious about the +purchases, but were entirely sure everything would be correct in the +end. Fred began to be a trifle jealous of Frank when he saw how much the +latter enjoyed the communication from the girl who came to the railway +station to see them off. He vowed to himself that before he started on +another journey he would make the acquaintance of another Effie, so that +he would have some one to exchange letters with. + +The letters were read and reread, and their perusal and the preparation +of answers consumed all the time of the stay in Shanghai. The delay, +however, was only for a couple of days, as the weekly steamer for +Hong-kong departed at the end of that time, and our friends were among +her passengers. Another of the ship's company was our old friend "the +Mystery," who told Doctor Bronson that he had been travelling in the +interior of Japan, and had only recently arrived from there. He was +going to Canton, and possibly farther, but could not speak with +certainty until he had arranged some business at Hong-kong. + +The steamer on which our friends were travelling was under the French +flag, and belonged to the line popularly known as "the French Mail." The +service between Europe and China is performed alternately by two +companies, one of them English and the other French; and by means of +these two companies there is a weekly ship each way. The French steamers +are preferred by a great many travellers, as they are generally larger +than the English ones, and are admirably arranged for comfort. They make +the voyage from Shanghai to Marseilles in about forty days, calling at +the principal ports on the way, and going through the Suez Canal. The +English steamers follow very nearly the same route as the French ones, +as long as they are in Eastern waters; but when they reach the +Mediterranean Sea, they have two lines, one going to Venice and the +other to Southampton. The official names of the two companies are "The +Peninsular and Oriental Steam Navigation Company" (English), and "La +Compagnie des Messageries Maritimes" (French). + +There were not many passengers, perhaps a dozen in all, and they were +mostly merchants and other residents of Shanghai on their way to Europe +or to some of the southerly ports of Asia. Two of the passengers were +accompanied by their Chinese servants, and the boys were greatly amused +to hear the efforts of the latter to speak English. They had already +heard the same kind of thing during their movements in China, but had +not paid much attention to it in consequence of their occupation with +other matters. Now, however, they had some leisure for investigation, +and Fred suggested that they had better take a glance at the Chinese +language. + +A few glances were all they wanted, as Frank was not long in +ascertaining that it would require years of study to acquaint himself +with enough of the language to be able to converse in it. Fred learned, +about the same time, that there was a written language and a spoken one, +and the two were so unlike that a man can read and write Chinese without +being able to speak it, and can speak without being able to read and +write. They found that very few foreigners who came to China to stay for +years ever troubled themselves to learn the language, but were contented +with "pidgin English." Then the question very naturally arose, "What is +pidgin English?" + +[Illustration: SPECIMEN OF CHINESE WRITING.] + +In a small book entitled "John, or Our Chinese Relations," Frank found +something relating to pidgin English, which he copied into his note-book +for future reference. When he had done with the volume, it was borrowed +by Fred for the same purpose, and the boys gave a vote of thanks to the +author for saving them the trouble to hunt up the information by asking +questions of their friends. What they selected was as follows: + + "In attempting to pronounce the word 'business,' the Chinese were + formerly unable to get nearer to the real sound than 'pidgin' or + 'pigeon;' hence the adoption of that word, which means nothing more + nor less than 'business.' Pidgin English is therefore business + English, and is the language of commerce at the open ports of + China, or wherever else the native and foreigner come in contact. A + pidgin French has made its appearance in Saigon and at other + places, and is steadily increasing as French commerce has + increased. On the frontier line between Russia and China there is + an important trading-point--Kiachta--where the commerce of the two + empires was exclusively conducted for a century and a half. A + pidgin Russian exists there, and is the medium of commercial + transactions between the Russian and Chinese merchants. + + "Long ago the Portuguese at Macao had a corresponding jargon for + their intercourse with the Chinese: and it may be safely stated + that wherever the Chinese have established permanent relations with + any country, a language of trade has immediately sprung into + existence, and is developed as time rolls on and its necessities + multiply. + + "The decline in Portuguese trade with China was accompanied with a + corresponding decline in the language, but it left its impress upon + the more recent pidgin English, which contains many Portuguese + words. Pidgin English is a language by itself, with very little + inflection either in noun, pronoun, or verb, and with a few words + doing duty for many. The Chinese learn it readily, as they have no + grammatical giants to wrestle with in mastering it, and the + foreigners are quite ready to meet them on the road and adapt their + phraseology to its requirements. The Chinese has only to commit to + memory a few hundred words and know their meaning; the foreigner + (if he be English-speaking) has less than a hundred foreign words + to learn, together with the peculiar construction of phrases. The + Chinese have printed vocabularies in which the foreign word and its + meaning are set forth in Chinese characters, and thus they have no + occasion to trouble themselves with the alphabet of the stranger. + These books are specially intended for the use of _compradores_ and + servants in foreign employ, and are so small that they can be + readily carried in the pocket. + + "In pidgin English the pronouns _he_, _she_, _it_, and _they_ are + generally expressed by the single pronoun _he_. All the forms of + the first person are included in _my_, and those of the second + person in _you_. When we come to the verbs, we find that action, + intention, existence, and kindred conditions are covered by _hab_, + _belongey_, and _can do_. Various forms of possession are expressed + by _catchee_ (catch), while _can do_ is particularly applied to + ability or power, and is also used to imply affirmation or + negation. Thus: 'Can do walkee?' means 'Are you able to walk?' If + so, the response would be 'Can do,' while 'No can do' would imply + inability to indulge in pedestrianism. _Belongey_ comes from + 'belong,' and is often shortened to a single syllable, _b'long_. It + is very much employed, owing to the many shades of meaning of which + it is capable. Thus: 'I live in Hong-kong' would be rendered 'My + belongey Hong-kong side,' and 'You are very large' would be + properly translated 'You belongey too muchee big piecee.' + + "The Chinese find great difficulty in pronouncing _r_, which they + almost invariably convert into _l_. They have a tendency to add a + vowel sound (_o_ or _e_) to words ending with a consonant. Bearing + these points in mind, we readily see how 'drink' becomes _dlinko_, + and 'brown' _blownee_. Final _d_ and _t_ are awkward for them to + handle, and _th_ is to their lips an abomination of first-class + dimensions. 'Child' becomes _chilo_, and 'cold' is transformed to + _colo_, in pidgin English. 'That,' and other words beginning with + _th_, generally lose the sound of _h_, though sometimes they retain + _h_ and drop the _t_ before it. 'Side' is used for position, and + the vocabulary contains _inside_, _outside_, _bottom-side_ (below), + and _top-side_ (above). _Chop-chop_ means 'fast,' 'quick,' + 'immediately;' _man-man_ means 'slowly,' 'slower,' 'gently,' in the + south of China; while at Han-kow, on the Yang-tse, it means exactly + the reverse. At Canton or Swatow, if you say _man-man_ to your + boatmen, they will cease rowing or will proceed very lightly; say + the same thing to your boatmen at Han-kow or Ichang, and they will + pull away with redoubled energy." + +"As we have learned the principles of this new language," Frank +remarked, "we ought to be able to understand some proverbs in it. For +instance, here are four that contain whole heaps of good advice, besides +showing us how to read pidgin English: + + "'Who man swim best, t'hat man most gettee dlown; + Who lidee best he most catch tumble down.' + + "'One piecee blind man healee best, maskee; + One piecee deaf man makee best look-see.' + + "'One man who never leedee, + Like one dly inkstand be; + You turn he top-side downey, + No ink lun outside he.' + + "'Suppose one man much had--how bad he be, + One not'her bad man may be flaid of he.'" + +"Those will do," Fred answered, "and here is Longfellow's famous poem +'Excelsior,' which every schoolboy knows, or ought to know. It was done +into pidgin English by somebody who lived in the country and evidently +knew what he was about: + +"'TOP-SIDE GALAH! + +[Illustration] + + "'T'hat nightee teem he come chop-chop + One young man walkee, no can stop; + Maskee snow, maskee ice; + He cally flag wit'h chop so nice-- + Top-side Galah! + + "'He muchee solly; one piecee eye + Lookee sharp--so fashion--my: + He talkee large, he talkee stlong, + Too muchee culio; allee same gong-- + Top-side Galah! + + "'Insidee house he can see light, + And evly loom got fire all light; + He lookee plenty ice more high, + Insidee mout'h he plenty cly-- + Top-side Galah! + + "'Olo man talkee, "No can walk, + Bimeby lain come, velly dark; + Have got water, velly wide!" + Maskee, my must go top-side-- + Top-side Galah! + + [Illustration] + + "'"Man-man," one girlee talkee he: + "What for you go top-side look-see?" + And one teem more he plenty cly, + But alla teem walk plenty high-- + Top-side Galah! + + [Illustration] + + '"Take care t'hat spilum tlee, young man, + Take care t'hat ice, must go man-man." + One coolie chin-chin he good night; + He talkee, "My can go all light"-- + Top-side Galah! + + [Illustration] + + "'T'hat young man die: one large dog see + Too muchee bobbly findee he. + He hand b'long coldee, all same like ice, + He holdee flag, wit'h chop so nice-- + Top-side Galah!'" + +"But does every Chinese who goes to a foreign country understand how to +talk pidgin English?" Frank asked of Doctor Bronson. + +"Not by any means," was the reply; "thousands of them are not able to +speak a word when they go abroad, but they gradually pick up the +language of the country to which they go. Not all of them go to America +or other English-speaking lands; many have gone to Cuba, Peru, and +Brazil, where there was no need of a knowledge of English. Spanish and +Portuguese are the only tongues in use there, and many an emigrant never +took the trouble to learn a word of them." + +Their old acquaintance "the Mystery" had joined the party while the +conversation just recorded was going on. When the Doctor made allusion +to the emigration to Cuba and Peru, "the Mystery" opened his eyes a +little wider than was his custom, and said he was well aware that many +had gone to those countries who knew nothing but Chinese, and never +learned a word of any other language. As the boys showed a desire to +hear more on the subject, he proposed to tell them something about the +coolie-trade; and it was arranged that they should assemble in the +smoking-saloon after dinner, where they could talk at their leisure. + +After dinner they met as agreed, and "the Mystery" seated himself +comfortably for the story he was about to tell. + +"The coolie-trade," said he, "does not exist any more. It was very much +like the slave-trade, of which you have read; in fact, it was nothing +more than the slave-trade with the form changed a little. In the African +slave-trade the slaves were bought as one might buy sheep and cattle. In +the coolie-traffic the men were hired for a term of years at certain +stipulated wages, and were to be returned to their homes at the end of +that term, provided all their debts had been discharged. The plan was +all right on its face, but it was not carried out. When the period for +which he was engaged was up, the coolie was always made to be in debt to +his employer; and, no matter how hard he might work, he was not allowed +to free himself. He was a slave to his master just as much as was the +negro from Africa, and not one coolie in a thousand ever saw his native +land again. + +[Illustration: BARRACOONS AT MACAO.] + +"Not only were the men hired on contracts that they could never cancel, +but they were stolen, just as slaves are stolen in Africa. Boats were +sent up the rivers in the southern part of China to bring back loads of +coolies. They would land an armed party at a village, seize all the men +in the place, and bring them to the port, where they would be +transferred to the dealers, who would send them to the places where +their labor was needed. Macao was the great port for the coolie trade, +and the Portuguese had large sheds there, which they called +_barracoons_, for holding the coolies in prison till they were ready to +ship them away. These barracoons were sometimes so crowded that +thousands of coolies died there in the course of a single year. The +natives called them '_chu-tze-kuan_,' or 'pig-pens,' and they were so +filthy that they richly deserved the name. + +"The name 'coolie' belongs properly to a tribe of natives on the northern +coast of Africa, but it is applied to a laborer of any part of the East, +and this is its meaning in Japan and China. + +[Illustration: COOLIES EMBARKING AT MACAO.] + +"The laborers who were to be taken to Cuba or Peru were received on +board the ships, and counted as they came over the side, like so many +boxes or bales of merchandise; in fact, they were nothing but +merchandise, and the receipts were made out for a certain number of +coolies without the least record of their names and residences. I was +once in a ship that took a cargo of these people to Peru, and I don't +believe that anybody on board felt otherwise than if he had been in the +slave-trade. And we had a narrow escape from having our throats cut by +our cargo and our bodies thrown into the sea." + +"Please tell us about that," said Fred. Frank echoed the request, and +their informer nodded his consent. + +"The ship had taken its cargo at Macao, and we went out to sea with a +fine breeze. We had over a thousand 'passengers' in the hold, and only a +small number were to be allowed on deck at one time, as several ships +had been captured by the coolies, and we did not intend to be taken if +we could help it. Two days after we started there was trouble among the +coolies, and several of them ran about the space below-deck and +threatened to set the ship on fire. They did build a fire of some of the +dry boards used for making their sleeping-berths; but we covered the +hatches with tarpaulins, and held the smoke down there, so that the +coolies were nearly smothered and compelled to put the fire out +themselves. + +[Illustration: ENRAGED COOLIE.] + +"The hatchways were covered with gratings to admit of a free circulation +of air, and they were so firmly fastened that the coolies could not +disturb them. Several men were on deck when the trouble began, and one +of them tried to get through the grating to join his companions. He +managed to squeeze his body through the opening, and then discovered too +late that he had a fall of nearly thirty feet before him, as the hatch +of the lower deck was open. He struggled a moment, then dropped to the +lower hold, and was killed by the fall. + +[Illustration: A DEADLY FALL.] + +"It became necessary to fire on the mutineers, and for this we raised +the tarpaulins over one of the hatches. The smoke poured out in a dense +mass and almost smothered us, and we could only see the forms of the men +very dimly, like a ship in a fog. We fired, and continued to fire till +several of them had been shot down, and all their efforts to get at us +were of no avail. There were about sixty men in the crew, and, as we had +over a thousand coolies on board, we had numbers against us fearfully. +But they had no fire-arms, while we had a good supply of rifles and +pistols, with plenty of ammunition. At the time of the outbreak there +were not far from a hundred coolies on deck; but we drove them forward, +and kept so large a guard over them that they could not have done +anything to help their friends below if they had been disposed to do so. + +[Illustration: FIRING DOWN THE HATCHWAY.] + +"We got out of water, and the only way to reach what we had on board was +by going down through the hold. Of course anybody who ventured there +would be killed instantly; but we had the consolation of knowing that +they could not get water any more than we could, as the place where it +was stowed was fastened too securely for the coolies to open it with any +tools they had on hand. We had a small condenser in the cook's galley, +and with this we procured enough water to save us from death by thirst; +but we refused to give a drop to the mutineers. + +"They held out for two days, and during all that time hardly a man of us +slept more than a few minutes at a stretch. Many of the coolies were +suffering terribly with thirst and hunger, and they asked to have their +wants supplied while they were making negotiations for peace. The +captain refused anything but the most unconditional surrender, and the +only concession he would grant was to have the dead bodies passed up to +be thrown overboard. Of course the coolies were very glad of this, as +they were suffering from the fearful condition of the narrow space where +they were confined. When this work was completed, they asked for half +an hour's time to make a proposal for surrender, which was allowed them. + +[Illustration: THE WRITING IN BLOOD.] + +"Looking through the hatch, we could see them grouped together and +engaged in earnest conversation. Two were dead or dying, and from one of +them there was a stream of blood slowly oozing. A coolie who appeared to +be a ringleader among them dipped his pen in the blood and wrote on a +sheet of paper: + + "'We want three hundred coolies to be allowed on deck at a time. + The ship must go back to the coast, and allow us to land at + Whampoa, below Canton. We promise to make no trouble if this be + done, but will burn the ship at once unless the captain agree to + it.' + +"We knew that any promise they made would not amount to anything when +they were once in possession of the deck, and, besides, to go back to +China would be a complete surrender of the voyage. The captain did not +hesitate a moment in his answer to this demand. + +"He opened one of the hatches just enough to allow one man to descend +at a time, and through this hole he compelled all the coolies who were +then on deck to pass. Then he told the interpreters to say that they +might burn the ship as soon as they liked, and the crew would leave in +the boats. The boats were made ready for lowering; and, as we were not +far from the coast, and the wind was fair, there was not much doubt of +our getting safe to Hong-kong. Not a coolie would escape, and we should +take good care that the fire would be so far advanced before we left +that it could not be put out. + +"In an hour we received another message, written in blood, like the +first. It promised to deliver the ringleaders of the mutiny, to be kept +in irons till we arrived at our destination, and also promised that +there should be no more attempts to set fire to the ship. The captain +was to fix the number of men to be on deck at one time, and they were to +obey his orders without question. In fact, the surrender was complete. + +"We had no trouble after that; but we only allowed fifty men on deck at +one time, and those under a strong guard. You can be sure we were in a +hurry to finish the voyage, which we did without accident. I had had all +I wanted of the coolie-trade, and never went on another voyage like +that." + +[Illustration: THE INTERPRETERS.] + + + + +CHAPTER XXX. + +HONG-KONG AND CANTON.--CHINESE PIRATES. + + +The story of the coolie-trade and some of the conversation that followed +cleared the mystery that surrounded the narrator and had given him the +name by which he was known. He had been an active participant in the +peculiar commerce of the East, which includes the violation of laws +whenever they prove inconvenient, such as the smuggling of opium and the +shipment of coolies to the countries where they are in demand. His +latest venture was one that required considerable secrecy, as it +involved the purchase of arms for the rebels in Japan. For this reason +he had been very cautious in his movements around Yokohama and during +his whole stay in Japan, and he had found it judicious to leave the +country on the vessel that came so near being wrecked in the typhoon +that overtook our friends. He was safely away from Japan now, and the +arms that he had purchased for the rebels were in the hands of the +government. He had made money by the operation, and was on the lookout +for something new. + +"That man belongs to a class which is not at all rare in the far East," +said Doctor Bronson to the boys when the subject of the conversation had +left them. "A great many adventurers find their way here, some of them +being men of ability which borders on genius, while the others are not +far removed from rascals. Ward and Burgevine were of the better sort; +and there are others whom I could name, but they are not so numerous as +the other and worse variety. They are very often men of good manners, +and not at all disagreeable as travelling companions, but it is not +advisable to be intimate with them. Travelling, like poverty, makes us +some strange acquaintances. We can learn a great deal from them if we +proceed properly; and if we know where the line of familiarity should be +drawn, we are not in any danger of suffering by it." + +The morning after the above conversation the steamer arrived at +Hong-kong, and dropped anchor in the harbor. She was immediately +surrounded by a fleet of small boats, which competed eagerly among +themselves for the patronage of the passengers. Our friends selected one +which was rowed by a couple of women, and had a group of children in a +little pen at the stern. Doctor Bronson explained to the boys that in +Southern China a great deal of the boating is done by women, and that +entire families live on board the little craft on which they earn their +existence. The boat population of Canton numbers more than sixty +thousand persons. They are not allowed to live on shore, and their whole +lives, from birth to death, are passed on the water. The most of the +boatmen and boatwomen at Hong-kong come from Canton, which is only +ninety miles away; and as they have privileges at the former place which +are denied them in the latter, they are quite satisfied to stay where +they are. + +[Illustration: HONG-KONG.] + +Hong-kong is a rocky island on the coast of China, and has an excellent +harbor, sheltered from most of the winds that blow. The town of Victoria +is built at the edge of this harbor, and the streets that lead back from +the water are so steep that the effort of climbing them is liable to +throw a stranger from the North into a violent perspiration. +Fortunately, there is an abundance of sedan-chairs, and any one who +wishes to take a promenade may do his walking by hiring a couple of +chair-coolies to do it for him. The chairs are everywhere, and it is +generally desirable to hire one in order to be rid of the continual +applications from those that are unemployed. At the wharf where they +landed the Doctor engaged porters to carry the baggage to the hotel, +and then took chairs for the transportation of himself and the boys. As +they had the afternoon before them, the chairs were kept for making the +ascent of the mountain just back of the town, and as soon as the rooms +were secured, and a slight lunch had been served, they started on their +excursion. + +At the highest point of the mountain--about eighteen hundred feet above +the water-level--there is a signal-station, where all vessels coming +into port are announced by means of flags. Our friends were carried +along a zigzag road to this station, the coolies stopping every few +minutes to rest from the fatigue of ascending a steep road with a burden +on their shoulders. At the station they had a view extending a long +distance out to sea and over the coast of China, and the mountain was so +nearly perpendicular that it seemed as if they could toss a penny on the +town or into the harbor. Fred tried it, and so did Frank; but after +throwing away several ounces of copper, and finding they only went a +short distance, they abandoned the experiment. They returned well +satisfied with the excursion, and agreed that no one who visits +Hong-kong should omit the journey to the top of the mountain. + +Hong-kong, being an English colony, is governed after the English form, +and consequently the laws enforced in China do not necessarily prevail +on the island. The population includes four or five thousand English and +other European nationalities, and more than a hundred thousand Chinese. +The number of the latter is steadily increasing, and a very large part +of the business of the place is in their hands. The money in circulation +is made in England for the special use of the colony. It has the head of +the Queen on one side, and the denomination and date on the other; and, +for the accommodation of the Chinese, the denomination is given in +Chinese characters. The smallest of the Hong-kong coins is made to +correspond with the Chinese cash, and it takes ten of them to make a +cent, or one thousand for a dollar. It has a hole in the centre, like +the Chinese coins generally, to facilitate stringing on a wire or cord, +and is so popular with the natives that it is in free circulation in the +adjacent parts of the empire. + +[Illustration: Obverse. Reverse. + +FAC-SIMILE OF A HONG-KONG MILLE.] + +[Illustration: Obverse. Reverse. + +FAC-SIMILE OF A HONG-KONG DIME.] + +[Illustration: Obverse. Reverse. + +FAC-SIMILE OF A HONG-KONG CENT.] + +There was not a great deal to be seen in the town, and so the next +morning the three travellers started for Canton. There is a boat each +way daily, and the journey is made in seven or eight hours; the boys +found that the boat in which they went was of American construction, and +had an American captain, and so they felt at home, as they had felt on +the Yang-tse under similar circumstances. + +Soon after they left the dock, Frank observed that the gangway leading +to the lower deck was covered with a grating fastened with a padlock, +and that a Malay sailor stood over it with a sword in his hand and a +pistol at his belt. He called Fred's attention to the arrangement, and +as soon as they found the captain at leisure they asked what it meant. + +"It's a very simple matter," said Captain B----, "when you know about +it. The fact is, that we were once very near losing our lives by Chinese +pirates, and we don't propose to have another risk like it." + +"Why, what could pirates have to do with this boat, I wonder?" said +Frank. + +"We didn't know at the time," was the reply, "but we found out." + +"How was that?" + +"Well, it seems that some Chinese pirates determined to capture this +boat, murder all the foreigners on board, rob the Chinese passengers, +and then get away on a junk that was to be ready to receive them. They +made their plans, and on a certain day fifty of them took passage from +Canton to Hong-kong. When about half way, they were to meet a junk with +more men; and as the junk hung out her signal and came near, the fellows +were to fall upon us with their knives, and capture the boat. They +intended to kill us all, but their scheme failed, as there were four +ships at anchor that day close by the spot where the junk was to meet +them, and so the junk took the alarm and left. There was no disturbance, +and we did not have a suspicion of anything wrong. Finding they had +failed with us, they went the next day and captured the steamer _Spark_, +which runs between Canton and Macao. They killed the captain and +officers and the only European passenger who happened to be on board, +plundered all the native passengers, and got away. Some of them were +afterwards captured, and confessed to their part in the affair, and then +the whole story came out that they had intended to rob this boat. Since +then we always have the gratings down, so that the third-class +passengers cannot come on deck; and we keep plenty of rifles and +revolvers in the pilot-house and captain's cabin ready for use. They may +never try it on us again, and we don't intend to give them a chance to +do so." + +[Illustration: FORT IN CANTON RIVER.] + +The captain went on to say that there were many pirates in the waters +around Canton, and all along the southern coast. The government tries to +suppress them, but it is not easy to do so, and hardly a day passes +without the report of a robbery somewhere. All trading-junks are obliged +to go heavily armed, and out of this fact comes a great deal of the +piracy, as a junk may be a peaceful trader at one o'clock, a pirate at +two, and a peaceful trader again at three. It takes very little to +induce a Chinese captain to turn pirate when he sees a rich prize before +him, and he has no trouble in winning over his crew. It is impossible to +distinguish the pirate from the trader; and as the coast is seamed with +island passages and indented with bays, it is easy for a junk to escape +after she has committed a robbery. + +The voyage from Hong-kong to Canton is partly among islands and through +a bay, and partly on the Pearl River. The navigation is easy in the +first part of the course, but after the steamer has reached the narrower +portion of the river the great number of junks and other craft compels a +sharp lookout on the part of the pilots, to avoid accidents. They passed +the famous Whampoa Anchorage, where the ocean-bound ships used to +receive their cargoes before Hong-kong assumed its present importance. A +few miles farther on, the great city of Canton was brought into sight as +the steamer swung around a bend in the river. In front was the island of +Ho-nan, with its temple bowered in trees, and on the surface of the +river there were thousands of boats of many kinds and sizes. The boys +remembered what they had heard of the boat population of Canton, and now +they realized that they had reached a city where sixty thousand people +make their homes on the water. + +Before the steamer stopped she was surrounded by dozens of the smaller +boats, and, as soon as they could do so, many of the boatwomen came on +board. The captain recommended one of them who was known as "American +Susan," and the trio were confided to her care for transfer to the hotel +on Ho-nan Island. Susan and her attendant women shouldered the valises +which the travellers had brought from Hong-kong, and led the way to her +boat. The gallantry of the boys received a shock when they saw their +baggage carried by women, while their own hands were empty; but the +Doctor told them it was the custom of the country, and by carrying their +own valises they would deprive the women of an opportunity of earning a +few pennies. To this view of the matter they yielded; and before they +had recovered their composure the boat was gliding across the river, +propelled by the powerful arms of her feminine crew. Susan proposed to +be in their employ during their stay at Canton, and a bargain was +speedily concluded; for fifty cents at day, the boat was to be at their +disposal from morning till night to carry them over the river, or to any +point they wished to visit along its banks. Frank thought they would be +obliged to look a long time to find a boat with two men at the oars for +a similar price in New York, and Fred thought they would have to look +still longer to find one rowed by two women. + +They had three or four hours to spare before sunset, and at once set +about the business of sight-seeing. Their first visit was to the temple +on the island, and they were followed from the landing by a crowd of +idle people, who sometimes pressed too closely for comfort. There was an +avenue of trees leading up to the temple, and before reaching the +building they passed under a gateway not unlike those they had seen at +the temples in Kioto and Tokio. The temple was not particularly +impressive, as its architectural merit is not of much consequence, and, +besides, it was altogether too dirty for comfort. There was quite a +crowd of priests attached to it, and they were as slovenly in appearance +as the building they occupied. In the yard of the temple the strangers +were shown the furnaces in which the bodies of the priests are burned +after death, and the little niches where their ashes are preserved. +There were several pens occupied by the fattest pigs the boys had ever +seen. The guide explained that these pigs were sacred, and maintained +out of the revenues of the temple. The priests evidently held them in +great reverence, and Frank intimated that he thought the habits of the +pigs were the models which the priests had adopted for their own. Some +of the holy men were at their devotions when the party arrived, but they +dropped their prayer-books to have a good look at the visitors, and did +not resume them until they had satisfied their curiosity. + +[Illustration: GATEWAY OF TEMPLE NEAR CANTON.] + +From the temple they proceeded to a garden, where they had an +opportunity of seeing some of the curious productions of the Chinese +gardeners in the way of dwarfing trees and plants. There were small +bushes in the shape of animals, boats, houses, and other things, and the +resemblance was in many cases quite good. They do this by tying the +limbs of the plants to little sticks of bamboo, or around wire frames +shaped like the objects they wish to represent; and by tightening the +bandages every morning, and carefully watching the development of the +work, they eventually accomplish their purpose. If they represent a dog +or other animal, they generally give it a pair of great staring eyes of +porcelain, and sometimes they equip its mouth with teeth of the same +material. Many of the Chinese gardens are very prettily laid out, and +there are some famous ones near Canton, belonging to wealthy merchants. + +On their return from the garden they stopped at a place where eggs are +hatched by artificial heat. They are placed over brick ovens or +furnaces, where a gentle heat is kept up, and a man is constantly on +watch to see that the fire neither burns too rapidly nor too slowly. A +great heat would kill the vitality of the egg by baking it, while if the +temperature falls below a certain point, the hatching process does not +go on. When the little chicks appear, they are placed under the care of +an artificial mother, which consists of a bed of soft down and feathers, +with a cover three or four inches above it. This cover has strips of +down hanging from it, and touching the bed below, and the chickens +nestle there quite safe from outside cold. The Chinese have practised +this artificial hatching and rearing for thousands of years, and +relieved the hens of a great deal of the monotony of life. + +On the river, not far from the hatching establishment, they saw a man +engaged in the novel occupation of herding ducks. A hundred or more +ducks were on the water, and the man was near them in a small boat and +armed with a long pole. The ducks were very obedient to him, but +occasionally one would show a little opposition to the herder's wishes, +and endeavor to stray from his companions. A rap from the pole brought +him speedily to his senses, and back to the herd, and he was pretty +certain not to stray again till the blow had been forgotten. Geese were +herded in the same way, and both they and the ducks managed to pick up a +good part of their living from the water. Ducks are an important article +of food among the Chinese, and the rearing of them gives occupation to a +great many persons in all parts of the empire. + + + + +CHAPTER XXXI. + +SIGHTS AND SCENES IN CANTON. + + +The party remained three days at Canton. They rose early every morning, +and went on excursions through and around the city, and it is fair to +say that they did not have a single idle moment. Each of the boys made +careful notes of what he saw and heard, and by the end of their stay +both had enough to fill a small volume. They returned to Hong-kong on +the fourth day, and on the morning after their return they sat down to +write the story of their adventures. But before they began writing the +projected letter a discussion arose between them, which was about like +this: + +They expected the steamer to arrive from America in a day or two, and it +would doubtless bring letters for them, which would determine their +future movements. They expected to return home by way of San Francisco, +as they had come; but it was by no means improbable that they would keep +on to the westward, and so go around the world by way of India and +Europe. + +"What is the use of writing up our Canton experiences," said Frank, +"till we know what we are to do? If we go home by San Francisco, we will +have plenty of time on the steamer; and if we go on to the west, we will +have to go by steamer too; and then we will have time enough between +Hong-kong and the first port we stop at. Why should we be in a hurry to +write up our account, when, in any case, we shall have the time to do so +while we are at sea?" + +Fred admitted the force of the argument, but thought there would be an +advantage in writing while the subject was fresh in their minds. While +they were debating the pros and cons of the case, the Doctor came into +the room, and the question was appealed to him. After careful +deliberation, he rendered a decision that covered the case to the +perfect satisfaction of both the disputants. + +"It will be several days, at any rate," said he, "before we can leave +Hong-kong, whether we go east or west. Now, I advise you to take an +hour each day for writing up your story of Canton, and you will then +have plenty of time for sight-seeing. You will have ended your writing +before we leave, and then can devote your time at sea to other things +which the voyage will suggest." + +His suggestion was adopted, and they at once set about their work, +determined to write two hours daily till they had described Canton so +fully that their friends would know exactly what was to be seen there. +They divided the work, as they had done on previous occasions, one of +them making a description of a certain part of their route, and the +other taking another portion of it. When they were through with it, they +put the two stories together, and found that they fitted to perfection. +Here is what they wrote: + +"Canton is the capital of the province of Kwang-tung, and its name in +English is a corruption of the Chinese one. The people who live there +call it 'Kwang-tung-sang-shing,' and the Portuguese call it Kam-tom, and +they write it that way. It is called the City of Rams, just as Florence +is called the Beautiful City, and Genoa the Haughty; and the Chinese who +live there are very proud of it. The climate is warm, the thermometer +rising to 85° or 90° in the summer, and rarely going below 50° in +winter. Occasionally ice forms to the thickness of heavy paper, and once +in five or ten years there will be a slight fall of snow, which +astonishes all the children, and many of the older people. + +"The population is said to be about a million, on land and water. Those +who live in boats are about sixty thousand. The city was founded more +than two thousand years ago, according to the Chinese historians, but it +was not surrounded with a wall until the eleventh century. The wall +to-day is the same that was first built, but it has been repaired and +changed a good deal in the time it has stood, and some new parts have +been added. The circuit of the walls is about seven miles, but there are +suburbs that now form a part of the city, so that it is a journey of not +less than ten miles to go around Canton. + +"There are sixteen gates to the city, and each has a name that +designates its position. There are two pagodas near the West Gate, and +there are a hundred and twenty-four temples, pavilions, and halls inside +the walls of Canton. Then there are four prisons, and there is an +execution ground, where many a poor fellow has lost his head. The +prisons are like all such establishments in China, and a great many men +would prefer death to incarceration in one of these horrible places. + +"We don't know positively whether there are a million people in Canton +or not. We took the figures from the guide-book, just as everybody else +takes them, and we want to acknowledge our indebtedness to it. The +guide-book is very useful in a strange country, as it tells you in a few +minutes what you might spend hours or days in learning. It gives you an +outline which you must fill in for yourself by practical observation; +and unless you have it with you, there is a great deal that you may +miss, if your time is limited, and you are compelled to do your +sight-seeing rapidly. + +[Illustration: STREET SCENE IN CANTON.] + +"When we came in sight of Canton, we saw some buildings that rose far +above all others, and very naturally we asked what they were. We were +somewhat taken aback when told that they were pawnbrokers' +establishments, and of course they were among the things we went to look +at. They were filled from top to bottom with clothing and other things, +and our guide explained to us that the Chinese are in the habit of +pawning everything they are not using, for the double reason that they +get money which they can use, and at the same time they save the trouble +of taking care of the property. At the beginning of winter they pawn +their summer clothes, and at the beginning of summer they pawn their +winter clothes. All other things on which they can borrow money they +take to the pawn-shop, even when they are not obliged to have the cash. +It saves the trouble of storing the goods themselves, and running the +risk of having them stolen. + +"We went through one of the pawn-shops, climbing stairway after +stairway, and being almost stifled in the narrow and musty places we +were obliged to go through. The goods were done up in packages, each one +of them being labelled and ticketed, and there was a register +down-stairs, so that any desired package could be found when wanted. +Diamonds and other articles of great value were kept in safes near the +basement, and the least costly goods were near the roof. There must have +been many thousands of things stowed away in this pawn-shop. The +building was said to be fire-proof, and its great height was intended to +secure it against thieves. + +"Close by the door of this establishment there was an opium den, where a +dozen or more men were intoxicating themselves with opium, or sleeping +off the effects of what they had already taken. We just looked in for a +moment; it was so much like the place of the same kind that we saw in +Shanghai that we did not care to stay, and, besides, the smell was very +bad and the heat almost stifling. The Cantonese are said to be just as +inveterate smokers of the deadly drug as the people of the North; in +fact, it is about the same all over China, and with all classes that can +afford to indulge in the vice. Only the middle and poorer classes go to +the shops to smoke opium. The rich people can enjoy the luxury at home, +and some of them have rooms in their houses specially fitted up for it. + +"We saw a good many temples, and went through some of them, but, on the +whole, they were rather disappointing, as they were not so fine as those +at Pekin, and far behind those of Japan. The most interesting of the +pagodas is the one known as the 'Five-storied Pagoda,' so called +because it is five stories high. It stands on a hill that overlooks the +whole city on one side, and a large cemetery on the other; and when you +have climbed to the top, the view is very fine. The roofs of the houses +are of all shapes and kinds, and the streets are so narrow that you can +see very few of them as you look down from the top of the pagoda. On the +one hand you have a densely peopled city of the living, and on the other +an equally densely peopled city of the dead. Our guide said the cemetery +had more inhabitants than the city; and when we asked him how many +people lived there, he said 'Many millions.' You have to come to China +to learn that the people in a cemetery are supposed to live there. + +[Illustration: FIVE-STORIED PAGODA.] + +"And yet the guide was not so far out of the way, according to the +Chinese idea. The Chinese bring food to the graves of their friends, and +leave it there as an offering. The spirits of the dead are believed to +linger around the spot and to eat this food, but it is really devoured +by the priests and others who stay around the cemetery, and what they do +not eat or carry away is consumed by the birds. At certain seasons they +have grand festivals, when many thousands of people go to the cemeteries +with offerings for the dead, and good things for themselves. The affair +is more like a picnic than a ceremony of mourning; and when it breaks +up, the mourners go to the theatre or some other place of amusement. The +best burial-place is on a hill-side, and the tomb is made in the form of +a terrace, or rather of three terraces, with steps leading up to them. +As you look at it from a little distance, the tomb has the shape of a +horseshoe, or, better still, of 'Omega,' the last letter of the Greek +alphabet. + +[Illustration: HORSESHOE OR OMEGA GRAVE.] + +"Our guide said that not only do they make offerings in the cemeteries +to the spirits of the dead, but they have shrines in their houses where +the dead are worshipped. To prove what he said was true, he took us into +a house and showed one of these shrines with bowls of rice and fruit, +cups of tea, and other things, on a table. He explained that when the +offerings were made they sent for a priest, who came with two men to +assist him; and while the priest stood behind the table and repeated his +prayers, one of his attendants pounded on a drum, and the other rang a +bell. There was a fire in front of the shrine, and during the time the +priest was performing the man who gave the feast knelt before the fire +and burned some mock money, made out of silver paper in imitation of +real coin. When the affair was over, the priest took all that he wanted +from the table, and the remainder was eaten by the company who had been +invited. + +[Illustration: PRESENTING FOOD TO THE SPIRITS OF THE DEAD.] + +"Not a great distance from the five-storied pagoda we saw the leper +hospital, where the unfortunate people who suffer from leprosy are +compelled to live, and soon to die. The sight was a horrible one, and we +did not want to stay long among the sufferers. We had expected to find a +large building, like a hospital in America, but instead of this there +were several small buildings, grouped together in a little village, some +of the houses having garden patches near them. The people were lying or +sitting around in the sun, and some few of them were at work in the +gardens. The most were not able to do anything, as they were suffering +from the disease, which was slowly killing or crippling them. + +[Illustration: A LEPER.] + +"The guide said there were two kinds of leprosy, the 'wet' and the +'dry.' In the wet leprosy the body of the victim abounds in running +sores, while in the dry there is nothing of the sort, and the appearance +of the skin is not greatly different from what it is in health. The +disease generally attacks the joints of the hands or feet, particularly +those of the former, and the sufferer loses the first joint of the +fingers and thumbs at about the same time. Then, in a few months, he +loses the second joints, and in two or three months more the third +joints go. We saw lepers in all the stages of the disease--some with the +first joints of the hands gone, others who had lost the second joints, +and others the third; while others, again, had lost the hands at the +wrists. There seems to be no cure for most of the forms of the leprosy; +and when a man is attacked with it, he must go at once to the hospital, +no matter whether he is rich or poor. And when he has gone there, he +generally remains till death relieves him from his sufferings. + +[Illustration: A LITERARY STUDENT.] + +"One of the curious places we saw was the Hall of Examinations. This is +a large enclosed space, having rows on rows of little cells, where the +candidates for the literary degree are examined once in every three +years. There are eleven thousand of these cells, and each cell is just +large enough for one man to occupy. The candidates are put in these +cells, and each man is furnished with a sheet of paper and a pen. He +must write on the paper any given page of the Chinese books called 'The +Classics' without mistake or alteration, and he is not allowed to try a +second time until the next examination comes round. There are men who +keep on trying all their lives for the degree, and they tell of one man +who succeeded after he was eighty years old. The candidates try all +sorts of tricks to smuggle in copies of the books on which they are to +be examined, and also extra sheets of paper; but they are carefully +searched, and everything of the sort is taken away from them. + +[Illustration: A LITERARY GRADUATE IN HIS ROBES OF HONOR.] + +"There is a story in Pidgin-English verse of how a Chinese student +befriended an American, who was a photographer by profession. The +American believed that one good turn deserved another, and so, when the +examination time came round, he photographed 'The Classics' on the +finger-nails of his Oriental friend. The student was allowed to wear +spectacles during his examination, and so he bought a pair of +magnifying-glasses that enabled him to read every word that he wanted. +He came out at the head of his class, and was no doubt very thankful +that he had done a kindly action towards a stranger. + +[Illustration: A SEDAN-CHAIR WITH FOUR BEARERS.] + +"But the great sights of Canton we have not yet mentioned. These are the +streets, and they are by all odds the finest we have seen in the +country. They are very narrow, few of them being more than six or eight +feet wide, and some of them less than the former figure. Not a single +wheeled carriage can move in all Canton, and the only mode of locomotion +is by means of sedan-chairs. We had chairs every day with four bearers +to each, and it was strange to see how fast the men would walk in the +dense crowds without hitting any one. They kept calling out that they +were coming, and somehow a way was always made for them. Several times, +when we met other chairs, it was no easy matter to get by, and once we +turned into a side street to allow a mandarin's chair to pass along. We +did knock down some things from the fronts of stores, and several times +the tops of our chairs hit against the perpendicular sign-boards that +hung from the buildings. There are great numbers of signs, all of them +perpendicular, and they are painted in very gaudy colors, so that the +effect is brilliant. Sometimes, as you look ahead, the space between the +two sides of the street is quite filled with these signs, so that you +cannot see anything else. + +"The streets are not at all dirty, and in this respect are vastly +different from those of any other city we have seen in China. The +authorities evidently pay some attention to keeping them clean and +preventing the accumulation of dirt. The fronts of many shops are fully +open to the street, and the merchants know how to arrange their wares in +the most tempting manner. You see lots of pretty things, and are +constantly tempted to buy, and it was very well for us that we agreed +not to buy anything till the last day, which we were to devote to +shopping. + +[Illustration: A SMALL FOOT WITH A SHOE ON IT.] + +"Nearly all the vast crowd in the streets consisted of men; now and then +a woman was visible, but only rarely, except near the river-side, where +there were some of the class that live on the water. We met some of the +small-footed women, and it was really painful to see them stumping about +as if they were barely able to stand. Double your fist and put it down +on the table, and you have a fair resemblance of the small foot of a +Chinese woman; and if you try to walk on your fists, you can imagine how +one of these ladies gets along. Some of them have to use canes to +balance themselves, and running is quite out of the question. The foot +is compressed in childhood, and not allowed to grow much after five or +six years of age. The compression is done by tight bandages, that give +great pain at first, and sometimes cause severe inflammation. + +[Illustration: PEASANT WOMAN WITH NATURAL FEET.] + +"We were rather impatient for the last day, when we could do our +shopping and buy the things for our friends at home. There are so many +fine things for sale in Canton that it is hard to determine where to +begin and where to leave off. A great many people keep on buying till +their money is all gone, and some of them do not stop even then. + +"The first things we looked at in our shopping tour were silks, and we +found them of all kinds and descriptions that you could name. There were +silks for dresses and silks for shawls, and they were of all colors, +from snowy white to jet-black. Some people say that white and black are +not colors at all; but if they were turned loose among the silks of +Canton, perhaps they might change their minds. It is said that there are +fifty thousand people in Canton engaged in making silk and other +fabrics, and these include the embroiderers, of whom there are several +thousands. Chinese embroidery on silk is famous all over the world, and +it has the advantage over the embroidery of most other countries in +being the same on one side that it is on the other. We have selected +some shawls that we think will be very pretty when they are at home. +They are pretty enough now, but there are so many nice things all around +that the articles we have selected look just a little common. + +"One good thing about going on a shopping excursion in Canton is that +most of the establishments for the sale of different articles are +grouped together, just as they are said to be in the bazaars of Cairo +and Damascus. Thus we find most of the silk-dealers in Silk Street, +those who sell mirrors and similar work are in Looking-glass Street, and +the workers in ivory are in a street by themselves. Then there is +Curiosity Street (or Curio Street, as it is generally called), where you +can buy all sorts of odds and ends of things, old and new, which come +under the head of Chinese curiosities. Lacquered ware and porcelain have +their especial quarters; and so when you are in the region of any +particular trade, you do not have to walk about much to make your +purchases. In the vicinity of the river there are several large concerns +where they have a general assortment of goods, and you may buy lacquer +and porcelain, silk and ivory, and nearly everything else that is +produced in Canton, under one roof. + +"We have already described lacquer and cloisonné work in writing from +Japan. The Chinese productions in the same line are so much like the +Japanese that a description of one will do for the other. Some of the +shapes are different, and it is not difficult, after a little practice, +to distinguish the Chinese from the Japanese; but the modes of working +are essentially the same. All things considered, we like the Japanese +lacquer better than the Chinese, as it has more variety, and the +Japanese seem to be more cunning than the Canton people in making those +bewildering little boxes with secret drawers and nooks and a great +variety of shapes. But when it comes to ivory carvings, we have +something else to say. + +"You can hardly have dreamed of the beautiful things we found in Canton +cut out of ivory. There were combs and brooches so delicate that it +seemed as if they could be blown to pieces by a breath; and there were +boxes and card-cases with representations of landscapes, and men and +animals on them so small that we needed a microscope to see them +distinctly. In one shop we saw the whole tusk of an elephant carved from +one end to the other so closely that you could hardly put a pin on it +without hitting some part of the work. They told us that the tusk had +been sent there by the gentleman who killed the elephant in India, and +he was having it carved to keep as a trophy. The carving had cost six +hundred dollars; and if it had been done in America, it would have cost +nearer six thousand. Skilled labor is cheap in China, just as unskilled +labor is, and it is astonishing for how little a man can be employed on +the kind of work that would bring a high price in Europe or America. + +"Then there were carvings in tortoise-shell of a great many kinds, and +all the forms you could think of, together with many you could not. The +Chinese tortoise-shell work used to be the best in the world; but those +who know about it say that it is now equalled by the productions of +Naples and Florence, both in fineness and cheapness. Then they had some +beautiful things in silver filigree and in bronzes, and we bought a few +of each, so as to show what Canton can do in this line. + +[Illustration: A TABLET CARVED IN IVORY.] + +"But such fans! such fans! They were so pretty that we couldn't keep our +eyes off them, and we bought more of them, perhaps, than we needed. In +one shop we would find something so nice that we couldn't see how it +could be surpassed, and so we would buy it; and in the next we found +something nicer yet, and so we had to buy that. Anybody who has a liking +for fans, and hasn't a mint of money, had better keep out of the stores +of Canton, or he will run a risk of being ruined. The varieties are so +great that we cannot begin to name them. There were fans on silk, and +fans on paper; fans carved in ivory, tortoise-shell, sandal-wood; fans +of feathers from various birds, with rich paintings right on the surface +of the feathers; and a great many other fans besides. There was one +with frame and sticks of sandal-wood, beautifully carved, while the body +was of painted silk. There were groups of figures on each side of the +fan, and each figure had a face painted on ivory which was afterwards +glued to the silk. It was the prettiest thing to be found for any price +we could afford, and you can be sure that it was secured for somebody at +home. + +"We had a long search among the porcelain shops for some blue china +plates of what is called 'the willow pattern.' We must have gone into +twenty shops at least before we found them; and, finally, when we did +get them, the dealer was as anxious to sell as we were to buy. He said +he had had those plates on hand a very long time, and nobody wanted +them. We did not tell him how rare they are at home, and how anxious +people are to get hold of them. + +"The variety of porcelain in the Canton shops is very great, and a +simple list of what there is would fill several pages. They showed us +some of what they call egg-shell porcelain. It was so thin that you +could almost see through it, and so delicate that it had to be carefully +handled. The varieties of cups and saucers we could not begin to tell; +they make them suited to every market in the world, and it is said that +the greatest part of what they make is of the shapes that are not used +in China. Of vases there was no end, and they were of all sizes, from a +tiny cone for a small bouquet up to a huge one capable of holding a +barrel of water, with plenty of room to spare. The trade in vases must +be very great, if we are to judge by the quantities and variety that we +saw. Many of them were very elaborate, and must have cost a great deal +of money. + +"But there is danger that you will get tired if we keep on much longer +about the sights of Canton, and particularly the shopping part of it. +Besides, we want to go out and see what there is in Hong-kong, and +perhaps we may run across something new in the Chinese part of the city +that we shall want to buy. A good many people say that you can buy +Canton goods just as cheaply in Hong-kong as in the city they come from. +That may be so; but then it is more satisfactory to get them there and +have the pleasure of buying them on the spot. + +"We'll stop now and say good-bye. We have seen China and Japan, and had +a splendid time. We think we have learned a great deal about the two +countries, and hope that what we have written about them has been +interesting to those for whom it was intended. We have tried to see +things, and think of them without partiality or prejudice. We believe +that the people of the East have the same claims to respect that ours +have, and that it is only a narrow mind that sneers at the ways of +others because they are not like its own. We know that there are many +things in which we are superior to the Orientals, but we also know that +we have our weak points, and might be profitably instructed by those +whom some of us affect to despise. And the more we know these patient +and industrious people, the more we shall be likely to respect them. We +are soon to leave China, perhaps never to see it again; but both China +and Japan will always be pleasant recollections to both + + "FRANK AND FRED." + +[Illustration: "GOOD-BYE!"] + + + + +INTERESTING BOOKS FOR BOYS. + + * * * * * + +HOW TO GET STRONG, AND HOW TO STAY SO. By WILLIAM BLAIKIE. With +Illustrations. 16mo, Cloth, $1.00. + +THE BOYS OF '76. A History of the Battles of the Revolution. By CHARLES +CARLETON COFFIN. Illustrated. 8vo, Cloth, $3.00. + +THE STORY OF LIBERTY. By CHARLES CARLETON COFFIN. Illustrated. 8vo, +Cloth, $3.00. + +FRED MARKHAM IN RUSSIA; or, The Boy Travellers in the Land of the Czar. +By W. H. G. KINGSTON. Illustrated. Small 4to, Cloth, 75 cents. + +THE ADVENTURES OF A YOUNG NATURALIST. By LUCIEN BIART. Edited and +Adapted by PARKER GILLMORE. With 117 Illustrations. 12mo, Cloth, $1.75. + +THE LIFE AND SURPRISING ADVENTURES OF ROBINSON CRUSOE, OF YORK, MARINER; +with a Biographical Account of Defoe. Illustrated by Adams. Complete +Edition. 12mo, Cloth, $1.00. + +ROUND THE WORLD; including a Residence in Victoria, and a Journey by +Rail across North America. By a Boy. Edited by SAMUEL SMILES. +Illustrated. 12mo, Cloth, $1.50. + +CHARACTER. By SAMUEL SMILES. 12mo, Cloth, $1.00. + +SELF-HELP. By SAMUEL SMILES. 12mo, Cloth, $1.00. + +THRIFT. By SAMUEL SMILES. 12mo, Cloth, $1.00. + +THE SWISS FAMILY ROBINSON; or, Adventures of a Father and Mother and +Four Sons on a Desert Island. 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With Illustrations by John +Gilbert. 16mo, Cloth, $1.25. + +THE WONDERS OF SCIENCE; or, Young Humphry Davy (the Cornish Apothecary's +Boy who taught himself Natural Philosophy, and eventually became +President of the Royal Society). The Life of a Wonderful Boy, written +for Boys. By HENRY MAYHEW. 16mo, Cloth, $1.25. + +SCIENCE FOR THE YOUNG. By JACOB ABBOTT. Illustrated. 4 vols, now ready: +_Heat_.--_Light_.--_Water and Land_.--_Force_. 12mo, Cloth, $1.50 each. + +THE BOYHOOD OF GREAT MEN. By JOHN G. EDGAR. Illustrated. 16mo, Cloth, +$1.00. + +THE FOOTPRINTS OF FAMOUS MEN. By JOHN G. EDGAR. Illustrated. 16mo, +Cloth, $1.00. + +HISTORY FOR BOYS; or, Annals of the Nations of Modern Europe. By JOHN G. +EDGAR. Illustrated. 16mo, Cloth, $1.00. + +SEA-KINGS AND NAVAL HEROES. A Book for Boys. By JOHN G. EDGAR. +Illustrated by C. Keene and E. C. Johnson. 16mo, Cloth, $1.00. + +THE WARS OF THE ROSES. By JOHN G. EDGAR. Illustrated. 16mo, Cloth, +$1.00. + +STORIES OF THE ISLAND WORLD. 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