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+*** START OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK 13128 ***
+
+COREA
+
+OR CHO-SEN
+
+
+
+
+COREA
+
+OR CHO-SEN
+
+THE LAND OF THE MORNING CALM
+
+BY
+
+A. HENRY SAVAGE-LANDOR
+
+AUTHOR OF
+
+"ALONE WITH THE HAIRY AINU"
+
+With Numerous Text and Full-Page Illustrations
+from Drawings made by the Author
+
+[Illustration: A. HENRY SAVAGE-LANDOR.]
+
+[Illustration: SIGNATURE OF A. HENRY SAVAGE-LANDOR.]
+
+LONDON
+
+WILLIAM HEINEMANN
+
+1895
+
+[_All rights reserved_]
+
+
+
+
+BY GRACIOUS PERMISSION
+
+I Humbly Dedicate
+
+THIS WORK
+
+TO
+
+HER MAJESTY THE QUEEN
+
+
+
+
+PREFACE
+
+
+In this book I have sought to present the reader with some dry facts
+about Corea and the Coreans. I have attempted to describe the manners and
+customs of the people as accurately as possible from the impressions
+which my visit to their country left upon me, but of course I do not
+claim that these personal opinions expressed are absolutely infallible.
+My sojourn extended over several months, and I never during all that time
+neglected any opportunity of studying the natives, giving my observations
+as they were made a permanent form by the aid both of pen and of brush. I
+was afforded specially favourable chances for this kind of work through
+the kind hospitality shown me by the Vice-Minister of Home Affairs and
+Adviser to the King, Mr. C.R. Greathouse, to whom I feel greatly indebted
+for my prolonged and delightful stay in the country, as well as for the
+amiable and valuable assistance which he and General Le Gendre, Foreign
+Adviser to His Corean Majesty, gave me in my observations and studies
+among the upper classes of Corea. I am also under great obligations to
+Mr. Seradin Sabatin, Architect to His Majesty the King, and to Mr. Krien,
+German Consul at Seoul, for the kindness and hospitality with which they
+treated me on my first arrival at their city.
+
+The illustrations in this book are reproductions of sketches taken by me
+while in the country, and though, perhaps, they want much in artistic
+merit, I venture to hope that they will be found characteristic.
+
+For literary style I hope my readers will not look. I am not a literary
+man, nor do I desire to profess myself such. I trust, however, that I
+have succeeded in telling my story in a simple and straightforward
+manner, for this especially was the object with which I started at the
+outset.
+
+A. HENRY SAVAGE-LANDOR.
+
+
+
+
+CONTENTS
+
+
+CHAPTER I
+
+Christmas on board--Fusan--A body-snatcher--The Kiung-sang Province--The
+cotton production--Body-snatching extraordinary--Imperatrice
+Gulf--Chemulpo.
+
+
+CHAPTER II
+
+Chemulpo--So-called European hotels--Comforts--Japanese concession--The
+_Guechas_--New Year's festivities--The Chinese settlement--European
+residents--The word "Corea"--A glance at Corean history--Cho-sen.
+
+
+CHAPTER III
+
+The road to Seoul--The _Mapu_--Ponies--Oxen--Coolies--Currency--Mode of
+carrying weights--The Han River--Nearly locked out.
+
+
+CHAPTER IV
+
+The Coreans--Their faces and heads--Bachelors--Married
+men--Head-band--Hats--Hat-umbrellas--Clothes--Spectacles.
+
+
+CHAPTER V
+
+The Woman of Cho-sen--Her clothes--Her ways--Her looks--Her
+privileges--Her duties--Her temper--Difference of classes--Feminine
+musicians.
+
+
+CHAPTER VI
+
+Corean children--The family--Clans--Spongers--Hospitality--Spinning-tops
+--Toys--Kite-flying--Games--How babies are sent to sleep.
+
+
+CHAPTER VII
+
+Corean inns--Seoul--A tour of observation--Beggars--Lepers--Philosophy--An
+old palace--A leopard hunt--Weather prophets--The main street--Sedan
+chairs--The big bell--Crossing of the bridges--Monuments--Animal
+worship--The  Gate of the Dead--A funeral--The Queen-dowager's telephone.
+
+
+CHAPTER VIII
+
+Seoul--The City Wall--A large image--Mount Nanzam--The fire-signals--The
+women's joss-house--Foreign buildings--Japanese settlement--An
+anecdote--Clean or not clean?--The Pekin Pass--The water-carrier--The man
+of the Gates.
+
+
+CHAPTER IX
+
+The Corean house--Doors and windows--Blinds--Rooms--The
+"Kan"--Roasting alive--Furniture--Treasures--The
+kitchen--Dinner-set--Food--Intoxicants--Gluttony--Capacity for
+food--Sleep--Modes of illumination--Autographs--Streets--Drainage--Smell.
+
+
+CHAPTER X
+
+A Corean marriage--How marriages are arranged--The wedding ceremony--The
+document--In the nuptial chamber--Wife's conduct--Concubines--Widows
+--Seduction--Adultery--Purchasing a husband--Love--Intrigue--Official
+"squeezing"--The cause.
+
+
+CHAPTER XI
+
+Painting in Seoul--Messages from the King--Royal princes sitting for
+their portraits--Breaking the mourning law--Quaint notions--Delight and
+despair--Calling in of State ceremony--Corean soldiers--How they mount
+guard--Drill--Honours--A much-admired shoe--A gift.
+
+
+CHAPTER XII
+
+The royal palace--A royal message--Mounting guard--The bell--The royal
+precinct--The Russian villa--An unfinished structure--The Summer
+Palace--The King's house--Houses of dignitaries--The ground and summer
+pavilion--Colds--The funeral of a Japanese Minister--Houses of royal
+relations--The queen--The oldest man and woman--The King and his
+throne--Politics and royalty--Messengers and spies--Kim-Ka-Chim--Falcons
+and archery--Nearly a St. Sebastian--The queen's curiosity--A royal
+banquet--The consequences.
+
+
+CHAPTER XIII
+
+Students--Culture--Examination ground--The three degrees--The
+alphabet--Chinese characters--Schools--Astronomers--Diplomas--Students
+abroad--Adoption of Western ways--Quick perception--The letter "f"--A
+comical mistake--Magistrates and education Rooted superstition--Another
+haunted palace--Tigers--A convenient custom.
+
+
+CHAPTER XIV
+
+Religion--Buddhism--Bonzes--Their power--Shamanism--Spirits--Spirits of
+the mountain--Stone heaps--Sacred trees--Seized by the spirits--Safe-guard
+against them--The wind--Sorcerers and sorceresses--Exorcisms--Monasteries
+--Temples--Buddha--Monks--Their customs and clothing--Nuns--Their
+garments--Religious ceremonies--The tooth-stone.
+
+
+CHAPTER XV
+
+Police--Detectives--The plank-walk--The square board--The wooden blocks
+for hands and feet--Floggings--The bamboo rod--The stick--The flexible
+board--A flogging in Seoul--One hundred strokes for three-halfpence
+--Wounds produced--Tender-hearted soldiers--Imprisonment--Exile--Status
+of women, children, and bachelors--Guilds and the law--Nobles and the
+law--Serfdom--mild form of slavery.
+
+
+CHAPTER XVI
+
+Executions--Crucified and carried through the streets--The execution
+ground--Barbarous mode of beheading--Noble criminals--Paternal love--Shut
+out--Scaling the wall--A catastrophe--A nightmare.
+
+
+CHAPTER XVII
+
+The "King's procession"--Removing houses--Foolhardy people--Beaten to
+death--Cavalry soldiers--Infantry--Retainers--Banners--Luxurious
+saddles--The King and his double--Royal palanquins--The return at night.
+
+
+CHAPTER XVIII
+
+Fights--Prize fights--Fist fights--Special moon for fighting--Summary
+justice--The use of the top-knot--Cruelty--A butcher combatant Stone
+fights--Belligerent children--Battle between two guilds--Wounded and
+killed--The end of the battle postponed--Soldiers' fights.
+
+
+CHAPTER XIX
+
+Fires--The greatest peril--A curious way of saving one's house--The
+anchor of safety--How it worked--Making an opposition wind--Saved by
+chance--A good trait in the native character--Useful friends.
+
+
+CHAPTER XX
+
+A trip to Poo-kan--A curious monastery.
+
+
+CHAPTER XXI
+
+Corean physiognomy--Expressions of pleasure--Displeasure--Contempt
+--Fear--Pluck--Laughter--Astonishment--Admiration--Sulkiness--Jealousy
+--Intelligence--Affection--Imagination--Dreams--Insanity--Its principal
+causes--Leprosy--The family--Men and women--Fecundity--Natural and
+artificial deformities--Abnormalities--Movements and attitudes--The Corean
+hand--Conservatism.
+
+
+
+
+LIST OF PLATES
+
+PORTRAIT OF THE AUTHOR
+AN OFFICIAL GOING TO COURT
+THE PEKIN PASS
+A WATER-COOLIE
+H.R.H. PRINCE MIN-YOUNG-HUAN
+AN INFANTRY SOLDIER
+A STUDY FROM STILL-LIFE
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER I
+
+Christmas on board--Fusan--A body-snatcher--The Kiung-sang Province--The
+cotton production--Body-snatching extraordinary--Imperatrice
+Gulf--Chemulpo.
+
+
+[Illustration: CHEMULPO]
+
+It was on a Christmas Day that I set out for Corea. The year was 1890. I
+had been several days at Nagasaki, waiting for the little steamer,
+_Higo-Maru_, of the Nippon Yusen Kaisha (Japan Steamship Company), which
+was to arrive, I think, from Vladivostock, when a message was brought to
+me saying that she was now in port, and would sail that afternoon for
+Tsushima, Goto, and the Corean ports.
+
+I went on board, and, our vessel's anchor being raised at four o'clock,
+we soon steamed past Battenberg Island and got away from the picturesque
+Bay of Nagasaki. This was the last I saw of Japan.
+
+The little _Higo_ was not a bad seaboat, for, following good advice, her
+owners had provided her with rolling beams; but, mind you, she had by no
+means the steadiness of a rock, nor did she pretend to cut the water at
+the rate of twenty knots an hour. Still, taken all in all, she was a
+pretty good goer. Her captain was a Norwegian, and a jolly fellow; while
+the crew she carried was entirely Japanese, with the exception of the
+stewards in the saloon, who were two pig-tailed subjects of the Celestial
+Empire.
+
+"Numbel one Clistmas dinnel has got to-night, Mastel," expostulated John
+Chinaman to me in his pidgen English, as I was busy making my cabin
+comfortable. "Soup has got, fish has got, loast tulkey has got,
+plan-puddy all bulning has got. All same English countly. Dlink,
+to-night, plenty can have, and no has to pay. Shelly can have, Boldeau
+can have, polt, bea, champagne, blandy, all can have, all flee!"
+
+I must say that when I heard of the elaborate dinner to which we were to
+be treated by the captain, I began to feel rather glad that I had started
+on my journey on a Christmas Day.
+
+There were a few Japanese passengers on board, but only one European, or
+rather American, besides myself, and a most pleasant companion he turned
+out to be. He was Mr. Clarence R. Greathouse, formerly Consul-General for
+the United States at Yokohama--at which place I first had the pleasure of
+meeting him--who was now on his way to Corea, where he had been requested
+by the Corean Government to accept the high and responsible position of
+Vice-Minister of Home Affairs, as well as of legal adviser to the King in
+international affairs.
+
+Curiously enough, he had not been aware that I was to travel on the same
+ship, and I also never dreamt that I would have had the good fortune of
+being in such good and agreeable company during a voyage which otherwise
+would have been extremely dull. Accordingly, when we met again thus
+accidentally on the deck of the _Higo_, the event was as much to our
+mutual satisfaction as it was unexpected.
+
+The sea was somewhat choppy, but notwithstanding this, when the steward
+appeared on the companion-way, beaming all over, in his best silk gown
+and jacket, and rang the dinner-bell with all his might, we gaily
+responded to his call and proceeded below.
+
+Heavens! it was a Christmas dinner and no mistake! The tables and walls
+had been decorated with little paper flags and flowers made of the
+brightest colours that human fancy could devise, and dishes of almonds
+and raisins filled the centre of the table. There were little flags stuck
+in those dishes, and, indeed, everywhere. A big cake in the middle had
+prudently been tied to the table with a string, as the rolling motion of
+the ship was rather against its chances of keeping steady in the place
+that had been assigned to it, and the other usual precautions had been
+taken to keep the plates and glasses in their proper positions.
+
+Our dinner-party consisted of about eight. At one moment we would be up,
+with our feet on a level with our opposite companion's head; the next we
+would be down, with the soles of their boots higher than our skulls.
+
+It is always a pretty sight to see a table decorated, but when it is not
+only decorated but animated as well, it is evidently prettier still. When
+you see all the plates and salt-cellars moving slowly away from you, and
+as slowly returning to you; when you have to chase your fork and your
+knife before you can use them, the amusement is infinitely greater.
+
+"_O gomen kudasai_"--"I beg your pardon"--said a Japanese gentleman in
+rather a hurried manner, and more hurriedly still made his exit into his
+cabin. Two or three others of his countrymen followed suit during the
+progress of the dinner, and as number after number of the _menu_ was gone
+through, so that we who remained had a capital time. Not many minutes
+also elapsed without our having a regular fusillade of bottles of
+champagne of some unknown brand, and "healths" were drunk of distant
+friends and relatives.
+
+Mr. Greathouse, who, like many of his countrymen, has a wonderful gift
+for telling humorous stories, of which he had an unlimited supply, kept
+us in fits all evening, and in fact the greater part of the night, so
+that when we passed the islands of Goto and Tsushima we were still awake
+and in course of being entertained by his Yankee yarns.
+
+The next day we reached the Corean port of Fusan. I well remember how
+much I was struck when we entered the pretty harbour and approached the
+spot where we cast anchor, by the sight of hundreds of white spots moving
+slowly along the coast and on a road winding up a hill. As we drew
+nearer, the white spots became larger and assumed more and more the form
+of human beings. There was something so ghostly about that scene that it
+is still vividly impressed upon my mind.
+
+There is at Fusan not only a Japanese settlement, but also a Chinese one.
+About two and a half miles distant round the bay, the native walled town
+and fort can be plainly seen, while in the distance one may distinguish
+the city and castle of Tong-nai, in which the Governor resides. If I
+remember correctly, the number of Europeans at this port is only three or
+four, these being mainly in the employ of the Chinese Customs service.
+
+We had hardly come to a standstill when a curious-looking being, who had
+come to meet the steamer in a boat, climbed up the rope-ladder which had
+been let down on the starboard side and came on board. He was a European.
+
+"Do you see that man?" a voice whispered in my ear. "He is a
+body-snatcher."
+
+"Nonsense," I said; "are you joking, or what?"
+
+"No, I am not; and, if you like, I will tell you his story at luncheon."
+And surely what better time could be chosen for a "body-snatching" story
+than "luncheon." Meanwhile, however, I lost not my chance, and while
+conversing with somebody else, the snatcher found himself "snatched" in
+my sketch-book. It is not every day that one comes across such
+individuals! I went to speak to him, and I must confess that whether he
+had as a fact troubled the dead or not, he was none the less most
+courteous and polite with the living. He had, it is true, at times
+somewhat of a sinister look in his face; but for his unsteady eyes, you
+might almost have put him down as a missionary. He informed me that
+codfish was to be had in great abundance at Fusan, and that the grain
+export was almost entirely done by the Japanese, while the importation of
+miscellaneous articles was entirely in the hands of the Chinese.
+
+Fusan is situated at the most south-westerly extremity of the province of
+Kiung-sang, which words, translated into English mean, "polite
+compliment." The kingdom of Corea, we may here mention, is divided into
+eight provinces, which rejoice in the following names: Kiung-sang-do,[1]
+Chulla-do, Chung-chon-do, Kiung-kei-do, Kang-wen-do, Wang-hai-do,
+Ping-yan-do, Ham-kiung-do. The province in which Fusan is situated is,
+without exception, the richest in Corea after that of Chulla, for it has
+a mild climate and a very fertile soil. This being the case, it is not
+astonishing to find that the population is more numerous than in most
+other districts further north, and also, that being so near the Japanese
+coast, a certain amount of trading, mostly done by junks, is continually
+being transacted with the Mikado's subjects on the opposite shores. Fusan
+has been nominally in the hands of the Japanese from very ancient times,
+although it was only in 1876 that a treaty was concluded by which it was
+opened to Japanese trade. The spot on which the settlements lie is
+pretty, with its picturesque background of high mountains and the large
+number of little islands rising like green patches here and there in the
+bay. Maki, the largest island, directly opposite the settlement, is now
+used as a station for breeding horses of very small size, and it
+possesses good pastures on its high hills. In the history of the
+relations between Corea and Japan this province plays indeed a very
+important part, for being nearer than any other portion of the kingdom to
+the Japanese shores--the distance being, I believe, some 130 miles
+between the nearest points of the two countries--invasions have been of
+frequent occurrence, especially during the period that Kai-seng, then
+called Sunto, was the capital. This city, like the present capital,
+Seoul, was a fortified and walled town of the first rank and the chief
+military centre of the country, besides being a seat of learning and
+making some pretence of commercial enterprise. It lay about twenty-five
+miles N.E. of Seoul, and at about an equal number of miles from the
+actual sea. For several hundreds of years, Sunto had been one of the
+principal cities of Corea, when Wang, a warrior of the Fuyu race and an
+ardent Buddhist, who had already conquered the southern portion of the
+Corean peninsula, made it the capital, which it remained until the year
+1392 A.D., when the seat of the Government was removed to Seoul.
+
+To return to Fusan and the Kyung-sang province. It is as well to mention
+that the chief product cultivated is cotton. This is, of course, the
+principal industry all over Corea, and the area under cultivation is
+roughly computed at between eight and nine hundred thousand acres, the
+unclean cotton produced per annum being calculated at about 1,200,000,000
+lbs. In a recent report, the Commissioner of Customs at Fusan sets down
+the yearly consumption of cleaned cotton at about 300,000,000 lbs. The
+greater part of the cotton is made up into piece-goods for making
+garments and padding the native winter clothes. In the Kiung-sang
+province the pieces of cloth manufactured measure sixty feet, while the
+width is only fourteen inches, and the weight between three and four
+pounds. The fibre of the cotton stuff produced, especially in the
+Kiung-sang and Chulla provinces, is highly esteemed by the Coreans, and
+they say that it is much more durable and warmth-giving than that
+produced either in Japan or China.
+
+Of course the production of cotton could be greatly increased if more
+practical systems were used in its cultivation, and if the magistrates
+were not so much given to "squeezing" the people. To make money and to
+have it extorted the moment you have made it, is not encouraging to the
+poor Corean who has worked for it; therefore little exertion is displayed
+beyond what is necessary to earn, not the "daily bread," for that they do
+not eat, but the daily bowl of rice. There is much fertile land, which at
+present is not used at all, and hardly any attention, and much less
+skill, is manifested when once the seed is in the ground.
+
+The Neapolitan _lazzaroni_, of world-wide reputation for extreme
+laziness, have indeed worthy rivals in the Corean peasantry. The women
+are made to do all the work, for by them the crops are gathered, and by
+them the seeds are separated with the old-fashioned roller-gin. To borrow
+statistics from the Commissioners' Report, a native woman can, with a
+roller-gin, turn out, say, nearly 3 lbs. of clean cotton from 12 lbs. of
+seed-cotton; while the industrious Japanese, who have brought over modern
+machines of the saw-gin type, can obtain 35 lbs. of clean cotton from
+140 lbs. of seed-cotton in the same space of time. Previous to being
+spun, the cotton is prepared pretty much in the same way as in Japan or
+China, the cotton being tossed into the air with a view to separating the
+staple; but the spinning-wheel commonly used in Corea only makes one
+thread at a time.
+
+The crops are generally gathered in August, and the dead stalk is used
+for fuel, while the ashes make fairly good manure. The quantity of clean
+cotton is about 85 lbs. per acre, and of seed-cotton 345 lbs. per acre.
+
+But to return to my narrative, luncheon-time came in due course, and as I
+was spreading out my napkin on my knees, I reminded the person who had
+whispered those mysterious words in my ear, of the promise he had made.
+
+"Yes," said he, as he cautiously looked round, "I will tell you his
+story. Mind you," he added, "this man to whom you spoke a while ago was
+only one of several, and he was not the principal actor in that
+outrageous business, still he himself is said to have taken a
+considerable part in the criminal dealings. Remember that the account I
+am going to give you of the affair is only drawn in bold lines, for the
+details of the expedition have never been fully known to any one. For all
+I know, this man may even be perfectly innocent of all that is alleged
+against him."
+
+"Go on; do not make any more apologies, and begin your story," I
+remarked, as my curiosity was considerably roused.
+
+"Very good. It was on April 30th, 1867, that an expedition left Shanghai
+bound for Corea. The aims of that expedition seemed rather obscure to
+many of the foreign residents at the port of departure, as little faith
+was reposed in the commander. Still, it must be said for its members that
+until they departed they played their _rôle_ well. Corea was then
+practically a closed country; wherefore a certain amount of curiosity was
+displayed at Shanghai when three or four Coreans, dressed up in their
+quaint costumes and transparent horse-hair hats, were seen walking about,
+and being introduced here and there by a French bishop called Ridel. A
+few days later the curiosity of the foreign residents grew in intensity
+when the news spread that an American subject, a certain Jenkins,
+formerly interpreter at the U.S. Consulate, had, at his own expense,
+chartered a ship and hurriedly fitted out an expedition, taking under his
+command eight other Europeans, all of a more or less dubious character,
+and a suite of about 150 Chinamen and Manillamen, the riff-raff of the
+Treaty Port, who were to be the crew and military escort of the
+expedition. A man called Oppert, a North German Jew, and believed by
+everybody to be an adventurer under the guise of a trader, was in command
+of the 'fleet'--which was composed of a steamer, if I remember right, of
+about 700 tons, called the _China_, and a smaller tender of little over
+50 tons, called the _Greta_. Oppert flew the flag of his own country, and
+in due course gave the order to start."
+
+"Well, so far so good," I interrupted; "but you have not told me what
+connection there was between Bishop Ridel's four Coreans and your
+body-snatching friends?"
+
+"Well, you see, the American and Oppert took advantage of their
+appearance in Shanghai to let people believe that they were high
+officials sent over by the king, who was anxious to send an embassy to
+the different courts of Europe to explain the slaughter of foreigners
+which had taken place in his country, and also with the object of
+entering, if possible, into treaties with the different European
+monarchs--in fact to open his country to foreign trade and commerce. It
+seemed somewhat a large order to any one who knew of the retiring nature
+of the king, but everything was done so quickly that the expedition was
+gone before people had time to inquire into its real object.
+
+"The fleet, as I have remarked, in due time started, and after calling on
+its way at Nagasaki, where rifles and other firearms and ammunition were
+purchased with which to arm the military escort, steered a course to the
+mouth of the Han river. Among the eight Europeans of dubious character on
+board was a Frenchman, a Jesuit priest, who called himself Farout, but
+whose real name was Feron, and who played an important part in the
+piratical scheme, for, having lived some time previously in Corea, he had
+mastered the language. Besides, he had travelled a good deal along the
+river Han, so that he was entrusted with the responsible position of
+guide and interpreter to the body-snatchers!"
+
+"Curious position for a missionary to occupy," I could not help
+remarking.
+
+"Yes. They reached Prince Jerome's Gulf on the 8th of May, and the next
+day, sounding continually, slowly steamed up the river Han to a point
+where it was deemed advisable to man the tender and smaller rowing-boats
+with a view to completing the expedition in these.
+
+"This plan was successfully carried out, and during the night, under the
+command of Oppert, and escorted by the marauders, who were armed to the
+teeth, they proceeded to the point where l'Abbé Feron advised a landing.
+Here, making no secret of their designs, they ill-treated the natives,
+and pillaged their poor huts, after which they made their way to the
+tomb, where the relics lay of some royal personage supposed to have been
+buried there with mountains of gold and precious jewels, which relics
+were held in much veneration by the great Regent, the Tai-wen-kun. The
+impudent scheme, in a few words, was this: to take the natives by
+surprise, dig the body quickly out of its underground place of what
+should have been eternal rest, and take possession of anything valuable
+that might be found in the grave. The disturbed bones of the unfortunate
+prince were to be carried on board, and a high ransom was to be extorted
+from the great Regent, who they thought would offer any sum to get back
+the cherished bones of his ancestor.
+
+"The march from the landing-place to the tomb occupied longer than had
+been anticipated, and crowds of astonished and angry natives followed the
+procession of armed men. The latter finally reached the desired spot, a
+funny little semi-spherical mound of earth, with a few stone figures of
+men and ponies roughly carved on either side, and guarded by two stone
+slabs.
+
+"The 'abbé,' who, among other things, was said to have been the promoter
+of the scheme, pointed out the mound, and, rejoicing with Oppert and
+Jenkins at having been so far successful, gave orders to the coolies to
+proceed at once to dig. Spades and shovels had been brought for the
+purpose, and the little mound was rapidly being levelled, while the
+turbulent crowd of infuriated Coreans which had collected was getting
+more and more menacing. These seemed to spring out by hundreds from every
+side as by magic, and the body-snatchers were soon more than ten times
+outnumbered. No greater insult or infamous act could there be to a Corean
+mind than the violation of a grave. As spadeful after spadeful of earth
+was removed by the shaking hands of the frightened coolies, shouts,
+hisses, and oaths went up from the maddened crowd, but Oppert and the
+French abbé, half scared as they were, still pined for the hidden
+treasure, and encouraged the grave-diggers with promises of rewards as
+well as with the invigorating butt-ends of their rifles. At last, after
+digging a big hole in the earth, their spades came upon a huge slab of
+stone, which seemed to be the top of the sarcophagus."
+
+"I suppose that no oath was bad enough for the three leaders, then?" said
+I.
+
+"No; they were mad with fury, and more so when all the strength of their
+men combined was not sufficient to stir the stone an inch."
+
+"The crowd which till then had been merely turbulent, now became so
+exasperated at the cheek of the 'foreign white devils' that it could no
+more keep within bounds, and a wild attack was made on the pirates.
+Showers of stones were thrown, and the infuriated natives made a rush
+upon them; but, _hélas!_ their attack was met by a volley of rifle-shots.
+Frightened out of their lives by the murderous effects of these strange
+weapons, they fell back for a time, only to return by-and-by with fresh
+ardour to the attack. The body-snatchers, having little confidence in the
+courage and fidelity of the ruffian lot that composed their military
+escort, and, moreover, seeing that all efforts were useless to remove the
+'blessed' stone, deemed it more than advisable to retreat to the
+tender--a retreat which, one may add, was effected somewhat hurriedly.
+This being done, they steamed full speed down the river, and once on
+board the _China_, began to feel more like themselves again.
+
+"They anchored opposite Kang-wha Island, and remained there for three
+days. Then as they were holding a parley on land near Tricauld Island,
+they were attacked again by the angry mob, the news of their outrageous
+deed having spread even hitherwards, and two or three of their men were
+killed. Realising, therefore, that it was impossible to carry out their
+plan, the body-snatchers returned to Shanghai, but here a surprise
+awaited them.
+
+"They were all arrested and underwent a trial. So little evidence,
+however, was brought against them, and that little was of such a
+conflicting character, that they were all acquitted. Oppert,
+nevertheless, was imprisoned in his own country, and even brought out a
+book in which he described his piratical expedition."
+
+"Yes," I remarked, "your story is a very good one; but what part did
+this particular man, now at Fusan, take in the marauding scheme?"
+
+"Oh, that I do not exactly know--in fact, no one knows more than this,
+that he was one of the eight Europeans who accompanied Oppert. Here at
+Fusan all the foreign residents look down on him, and his only pleasure
+is to come on board when a ship happens to call, that he may exchange a
+few words in a European tongue, for no one belonging to this locality
+will speak to him."
+
+I went on deck to look for the pirate, hoping to get, if possible, a few
+interesting and accurate details of the adventurous journey of the
+_China_, but he had already gone, and we were just on the point of
+raising our anchor, bound for Chemulpo.
+
+On December 27th we steamed past Port Hamilton, formerly occupied by the
+British, where fortifications and a jetty had been constructed and
+afterwards abandoned, a treaty having been signed by Great Britain and
+China, to the effect that no foreign Power was to be allowed to occupy
+either Port Hamilton or any other port in the kingdom of Corea at any
+future time.
+
+During that day we travelled mostly along the inner course, among
+hundreds of picturesque little islands of the Corean Archipelago, and in
+the afternoon of the 28th we entered the Imperatrice Gulf. On account of
+the low tide we had to keep out at sea till very late, and it was only
+towards sunset that we were able to enter the inner harbour where
+Chemulpo lies, protected by a pretty island on its western side. I bade
+good-bye to the jolly captain and mate, and getting my traps together,
+landed for the second time on Corean soil.
+
+FOOTNOTES:
+
+    [1] _Do_ means province.
+
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER II
+
+Chemulpo--So-called European hotels--Comforts--Japanese concession--The
+_Guechas_--New-Year's festivities--The Chinese settlement--European
+residents--The word "Corea"--A glance at Corean history--Cho-sen.
+
+
+[Illustration: THE DONKEY OF A COREAN OFFICIAL]
+
+When I land in a new country a strange sense of the unknown somehow takes
+possession of me. Perhaps in this, however, I am not alone. The feeling
+is in part, I think, due to one's new surroundings, though chiefly to the
+facial expressions of the people, with which one is not familiar and
+probably does not quite understand. One may be a student of human
+character in only a very amateurish way, and yet without much difficulty
+guess by the twinkle in the eye, or the quivering of the underlip,
+whether a person is pleased or annoyed, but when a strange land is
+visited one is apt to be at first often deceived by appearances; and if,
+as has happened in my case, the traveller has suffered in consequence of
+being thus deceived, he is rather apt to look upon all that he sees with
+a considerable amount of caution and even suspicion.
+
+It was then with some such feelings as these that I landed at Chemulpo.
+Hundreds of coolies running along the shore, with loads of grain on their
+backs, to be shipped by the _Higo-Maru_, had no compunction in knocking
+you down if you were in their way, and a crowd of curious native loafers,
+always ready to be entertained by any new arrival, followed you _en
+masse_ wherever you went.
+
+When I visited Chemulpo there were actually three European hotels there.
+These were European more in name than in fact, but there they were, and
+as the night was fast approaching, I had to make my choice, for I wanted
+a lodging badly.
+
+One of these hotels was kept by a Chinaman, and was called Steward's
+Hotel, for the simple reason that its owner had been a steward on board
+an American ship, and had since appropriated the word as a family name;
+the second, which rejoiced in the grand name of "Hotel de Corée," was of
+Hungarian proprietorship, and a favourite resort for sailors of
+men-of-war when they called at that port, partly because a drinking
+saloon, well provided with intoxicants of all descriptions, was the chief
+feature of the establishment, and partly because glasses were handed over
+the counter by a very fascinating young lady, daughter of the proprietor,
+a most accomplished damsel, who could speak fluently every language under
+the sun--from Turkish and Arabic to Corean and Japanese. The third
+hotel--a noble mansion, to use modern phraseology--was quite a new
+structure, and was owned by a Japanese. The name which had been given by
+him to his house of rest was "The Dai butzu," or, in English parlance,
+The Great God. Attracted by the holiness of the name, and perhaps even
+more by the clean look, outside only, of the place, I, as luck would have
+it, made the Dai butzu my headquarters. I know little about things
+celestial, but certainly can imagine nothing less celestial on the face
+of the earth than this house of the Great God at Chemulpo. The house had
+apparently been newly built, for the rooms were damp and icy cold, and
+when I proceeded to inspect the bed and remarked on the somewhat doubtful
+cleanliness of the sheets, "They are quite clean," said the landlord;
+"only two gentlemen have slept in them before." However, as we were so
+near the New Year, he condescended to change them to please me, and I
+accepted his offer most gracefully as a New-Year's gift.
+
+"O Lord," said I with a deep sigh when the news arrived that no meat
+could be got that evening, and the only provisions in store were "one
+solitary tin, small size, of compressed milk."
+
+"Mionichi nandemo arimas, Konban domo dannasan, nandemo arimasen":
+"To-morrow you can have anything, but to-night, please, sir, we have
+nothing." As I am generally a philosopher on such occasions, I satisfied
+my present cravings with that tin of milk, which, needless to say, I
+emptied, putting off my dinner till the following night.
+
+Corea, as everybody knows, is an extremely cold country, the thermometer
+reaching as low sometimes as seventy or even eighty degrees of frost; my
+readers will imagine therefore how delightfully warm I was in my bed with
+only one sheet over me and a sort of cotton bed-cover, both sheet and
+bed-cover, I may add, being somewhat too short to cover my feet and my
+neck at the same time, my lower extremities in consequence playing a
+curious game of hide-and-seek with the support of my head. I had ordered
+a cold bath, and water and tray had been brought into my room before I
+had gone to bed, but to my horror, when I got up, ready to plunge in and
+sponge myself to my heart's content, I found nothing but a huge block of
+solid ice, into which the water had thought proper to metamorphose
+itself. Bells there were none in the house, so recourse had to be made to
+the national Japanese custom of clapping one's hands in order to summon
+up the servants.
+
+"Hé," answered the slanting-eyed maid from down below, as she trotted up
+the steps. Good sharp girl that she was, however, she quickly mastered
+the situation, and hurried down to fetch fresh supplies of unfrozen
+liquid from the well; although hardly had she left the room the second
+time before a thick layer of ice again formed on the surface of the
+bucketful which she had brought. It was bathing under difficulties, I can
+tell you; but though I do not much mind missing my dinner, I can on no
+account bring myself to deprivation of my cold bath in the morning. It is
+to this habit that I attribute my freedom from contagious diseases in all
+countries and climates; to it I owe, in fact, my life, and I have no
+doubt to it, some day, I shall also owe my death.
+
+The evil of cold was, however, nothing as compared with the quality and
+variety of the food. For the best part of the week, during which I stayed
+at the Dai butzu, I only had an occasional glance at a slice of
+nondescript meat, served one day as "rosbif," and the next day as "mutin
+shops," but unfortunately so leathery that no Sheffield blade could
+possibly divide it, and no human tooth nor jaw, however powerful, could
+masticate it.
+
+As luck would have it, I was asked out to dinner once or twice by an
+American gentleman--a merchant resident at Chemulpo--and so made up for
+what would have otherwise been the lost art of eating.
+
+Chemulpo is a port with a future. The Japanese prefer to call it Jinsen;
+the Chinese, In-chiang. It possesses a pretty harbour, though rather too
+shallow for large ships. The tide also, a very troublesome customer in
+that part of the world, falls as much as twenty-eight or twenty-nine
+feet; wherefore it is that at times one can walk over to the island in
+front of the settlement almost without wetting one's feet.
+
+Chemulpo's origin is said to be as follows: The Japanese government,
+represented at Seoul by a very able and shrewd man called Hanabusa, had
+repeatedly urged the Corean king to open to Japanese trade a port
+somewhat nearer to the capital. Though the king was personally inclined
+to enter into friendly negotiations, there were many of the anti-foreign
+party who would not hear of the project; but such was the pressure
+brought to bear by the skilful Japanese, and so persuasive were the
+king's arguments, that, after much pour-parleying, the latter finally
+gave way. Towards the end of 1880, the Mikado's envoy, accompanied by a
+number of other officials, proceeded from the capital to the Imperatrice
+Gulf and selected an appropriate spot, on which to raise the now
+prosperous little concession, fixing that some distance from the native
+city. In course of years it grew bigger, and when I was at Chemulpo there
+was actually a Japanese village there, with its own Jap policemen, its
+tea-houses, two banks, the "Mitsui-bashi" and "The First National Bank of
+Japan," and last but not least, a number of _guechas_, the graceful
+singers and posturing dancers of Nippon, without whom life is not worth
+living for the Nipponese.
+
+Like the Australians generally, who begin building a town by marking out
+a fine race-course, so the light-hearted sons of the Mikado's empire,
+when out colonising, begin as a first and necessary luxury of life by
+importing a few _guechas_ who, with their quaint songs, enliven them in
+moments of despair, and send them into ecstasies at banquets and
+dinner-parties with their curious fan-dances, &c, just as our British
+music-hall frequenting youth raves over the last song and skirt-dance of
+the moment.
+
+The _guechas_, mind you, are not bad girls. There is nothing wrong about
+them except that they are not always "quite right," for they are well
+educated, and possess good manners. They are generally paid by the hour
+for the display of their talent, and the prices they command vary from
+the low sum of twenty sens (sixpence) to as much as two or three yen
+(dollars), for each sixty minutes, in proportion, of course, to their
+capacity and beauty.
+
+As the New Year was fast approaching, and that is a great festivity among
+the Japanese, the _guechas_ at Chemulpo were hard at work, and from
+morning till night and _vice versâ_ they were summoned from one house to
+the other to entertain with their--to European, ears excruciating--music
+on the Shamesens and Gokkins, while _saké_ and foreign liquors were
+plentifully indulged in.
+
+I walked up the main street. Great Scott! what a din! It was enough to
+drive anybody crazy. Each house, with its paper walls, hardly suitable
+for the climate, seemed to contain a regular pandemonium. Men and women
+were to be seen squatting on the ground round a huge brass _hibachi_,
+where a charcoal fire was blazing, singing and yelling and playing and
+clapping their hands to their hearts' content. They had lost somehow or
+other that look of gracefulness which is so characteristic of them in
+their own country, and on a closer examination I found the cause to be
+their being clad in at least a dozen _kimonos_,[2] put on one over the
+other to keep the cold out. Just picture to yourself any one wearing even
+half that number of coats, and you will doubtless agree with me that
+one's form would not be much improved thereby in appearance. The noise
+increased until New-Year's Eve, and when at last the New Year broke in
+upon them, it was something appalling. The air was full of false notes,
+vocal and otherwise, and I need scarcely say that at the "Dai butzu" also
+grand festivities went on for the greater part of the night.
+
+I was lying flat in bed on New-Year's Day, thinking of the foolishness
+of humanity, when I heard a tap at the door. I looked at the watch; it
+was 7.20 A.M.
+
+"Come in," said I, thinking that the thoughtful maid was carrying my
+sponge-bath, but no. In came a procession of Japs, ludicrously attired in
+foreign clothes with antediluvian frock-coats and pre-historic European
+hats, bowing and sipping their breath in sign of great respect. At their
+head was the fat proprietor of the hotel, and each of them carried with
+him in his hand a packet of visiting cards, which they severally
+deposited on my bed, as I, more than ten times astounded, stood resting
+on my elbows gazing at them.
+
+"So-and-so, brick-layer and roof-maker. So-and-so, hotel proprietor and
+shipping agent; so-and-so, Japanese carpenter; so-and-so, mat-maker; X,
+merchant; Z, boatman," &c. &c, were how the cards read as I inspected
+them one by one. I need hardly say, therefore, that the year 1891 was
+begun with an extra big D, which came straight from my heart, as I
+uncoiled myself out of my bed at that early hour of the morning to
+entertain these professional gentlemen to drinks and cigarettes. And yet
+that was nothing as compared with what came after. They had scarcely
+gone, and I was just breaking the ice in order to get my cold bath, when
+another lot, a hundredfold more noisy than the first, entered my room
+unannounced and depositing another lot of "pasteboards," as Yankees term
+them, in my frozen hands, went on wishing me all sorts of happiness for
+the New Year, though I for my part wished them all to a place that was
+certainly not heaven. In despair I dressed myself, and going out
+aimlessly, strolled in any direction in order to keep out of reach of
+the New-Year's callers. But the hours were long, and about eleven I went
+to pay a visit to Mr. T., the American merchant who had kindly asked me
+once or twice to dinner. If I considered myself entitled to complain of
+the calling nuisance, he must have had good reason to swear at it. Being
+the richest man in the place as well as the principal merchant, his place
+was simply besieged by visitors. Many were so drunk that they actually
+had to be carried in by coolies--a curious mode of going to call--while
+others had even to be provided with a bed on the premises until the
+effects of their libations had passed off. A well-known young Japanese
+merchant, I remember, nearly fractured his skull against a table, through
+losing his equilibrium as he was offering a grand bow to Mr. T.
+
+Wherever one went in the Japanese quarter there was nothing but drink,
+and the main street was full of unsteady walkers.
+
+Curiously enough, on proceeding a few yards further on towards the
+British Consulate, one came to the Chinese settlement, which was
+perfectly quiet, and showed its inhabitants not only as stern and
+well-behaved as on other occasions, but even, to all appearance, quite
+unconcerned at the frolic and fun of their merry neighbours. Here
+business was being transacted as usual, those engaged therein retaining
+their well-known expressionless and dignified mien, and apparently
+looking down disgusted upon the drunken lot, although prepared themselves
+to descend from their high pedestal when their own New-Year's Day or
+other festival occasions should arrive.
+
+I was much amused at a remark that a Chinaman made to me that day.
+
+I asked him how he liked the Japanese.
+
+"Pff!" he began, looking at me from under his huge round spectacles, as
+if he thought the subject too insignificant to waste his time upon.
+
+"The Japanese," he exploded, with an air of contempt, "no belong men. You
+see Japanese man dlunk, ol no dlunk, all same to me. He no can speak
+tluth, he no can be honest man. He buy something, nevel pay. Japanese
+belong bad, bad, bad man. He always speak lie, lie, lie, lie," and he
+emphasised his words with a crescendo as he curled up what he possessed
+in the shape of a nose--for it was so flat that it hardly deserved the
+name; indeed, to give strength to his speech, he spat with violence on
+the ground, as if to clear his mouth, as it were, of the unclean sound of
+the word "Japanese."
+
+Not even in those days could the Chinese and Japanese be accused of
+loving one another.
+
+The Chinese settlement is not quite so clean in appearance as the
+Japanese one, but if business is transacted on a smaller scale, it is, at
+all events, conducted on a firm and honest basis. Chemulpo has but few
+natural aptitudes beyond its being situated at the mouth of the river
+Han, which, winding like a snake, passes close to Seoul, the capital of
+the kingdom; and yet, partly because of its proximity to the capital, the
+distance by road being twenty-five miles, and partly owing to the fact
+that it is never ice-bound in winter, the town has made wonderful
+strides. As late as 1883 there were only one or two fishermen's huts
+along the bay, but in 1892 the settlement contained a score of Europeans,
+over 2800 Japanese souls, and 1000 Chinese, besides quite a
+respectable-sized native conglomeration of houses and huts.
+
+When I visited the port, land fetched large sums of money in the central
+part of the settlement. The post-office was in the hands of the Japanese,
+who carried on its business in a very amateurish and imperfect manner,
+but the telegraphs were worked by the Chinese. The commercial competition
+between the two Eastern nations now at war has of late years been very
+great in Corea. It is interesting to notice how the slow Chinaman has
+followed the footsteps of young Japan at nearly all the ports, especially
+at Gensan and Fusan, and gradually monopolised a good deal of the trade,
+through his honest dealings and steadiness. And yet the Chinese must have
+been, of course, greatly handicapped by the start of many years which the
+dashing Japanese had over them, as well as by the much larger number of
+their rivals. A very remarkable fact, however, is that several Japanese
+firms had employed Chinese as their _compradores_, a position entirely of
+trust, these being the officials whose duty it is to go round to collect
+money and cheques, and who are therefore often entrusted with very large
+sums of money.
+
+But now let us come to the foreigners stranded in the Corean kingdom. If
+you take them separately, they are rather nice people, though, of course,
+at least a dozen years behind time as compared with the rest of the
+world; taken as a community, however, they are enough to drive you crazy.
+I do not think that it was ever my good fortune to hear a resident speak
+well of another resident, this being owing, I dare say, to their seeing
+too much of one another. If by chance you come across a man occupying
+only a second-rate official position, you may depend upon it you will see
+airs! One hardly ventures to address any such personage, for so grand is
+he that, he will hardly condescend to say "How do you do?" to you, for
+fear of lowering himself. There are only about four cats in the place,
+and their sole subject of conversation is precedence and breaches of
+etiquette, when you would imagine that in such a distant land, and away,
+so to speak, from the outer world, they would all be like brothers.
+
+You must now consider yourselves as fairly landed in Corea, and having
+tried to describe to you what things and people that are not Corean are
+like in Corea, I must provide you--again of course only
+figuratively--with a tiny little pony, the smallest probably you have
+ever seen, that you may follow me to the capital of the kingdom, which I
+am sure will be interesting to you as being thoroughly characteristic of
+the country. First of all, however, we had better make sure of one point.
+
+The name Corea, or _K_orea, you may as well forget or discard as useless,
+for to the Corean mind the word would not convey any definite idea. Not
+even would he look upon it as the name of his country. The real native
+name now used is Cho-sen, though occasionally in the vernacular the
+kingdom goes by the name of Gori, or the antiquated Korai. There is no
+doubt that the origin of the word Corea is Korai, which is an
+abbreviation of Ko-Korai, a small kingdom in the mountainous region of
+the Ever White Mountains, and bordering upon the kingdom of Fuyu, a
+little further north, whence the brave and warlike people probably
+descended, who conquered old Cho-sen. The authorities on Corean history,
+basing their arguments on Chinese writings, claim that the present people
+of Cho-sen are the true descendants of the Fuyu race, and that the
+kingdom of Ko-Korai lay between Fuyu on the northern side and Cho-sen on
+the southern, from the former of which a few families migrated towards
+the south, and founded a small kingdom west of the river Yalu, electing
+as their king a man called Ko-Korai, after whom, in all probability, the
+new nation took its name. Then as their numbers increased, and their
+adventurous spirit grew, they began to extend their territory, north,
+south, and west, and in this latter direction easily succeeded in
+conquering the small kingdom of Wuju and extending their frontier as far
+south as the river Tatung, which lies approximately on parallel 38° 30".
+
+During the time of the "Three Realms" in China, between the years 220 and
+277 A.D., the Ko-Korai people, profiting by the weakness of their
+neighbours, and therefore not much troubled with guerrillas on the
+northern frontier, continued to migrate south, conquering new ground, and
+so being enabled finally to establish their capital at Ping-yan on the
+Tatong River. After a comparatively peaceful time with their northern
+neighbours for over 300 years, however, towards the end of the sixth
+century, China began a most micidial war against the king of Ko-Korai, or
+Korai, as it was then called, the "Ko" having been dropped. It seems
+that even in those remote days the Chinese had no luck in the land of
+Cho-sen, and though army after army, and hundreds of thousands of men
+were sent against them, the brave Korai people held their own, and far
+from being defeated and conquered, actually drove the enemy out of the
+country, killing thousands mercilessly in their retreat, and becoming
+masters of the Corean Peninsula as far south as the River Han.
+
+To the south of Korai were the states of Shinra and Hiaksai, and between
+these and Korai, there was for a couple of centuries almost perpetual
+war, the only intervals being when the latter kingdom was suffering at
+the hands of the formidable Chinese invaders. But as I merely give this
+rough and very imperfect sketch of Corean history, to explain how the
+word Korai originated and was then applied to the whole of the peninsula,
+I must now proceed to explain in bold touches how the other states became
+united to Korai.
+
+After its annexation to China, the Korai state remained crippled by the
+terrible blow it had received, for the Ko-Korai line of kings had been
+utterly expelled after having reigned for over seven centuries, but at
+last it picked up a little strength again through fresh migrations from
+the north-west, and in the second decade of the tenth century a Buddhist
+monk called Kung-wo raised a rebellion and proclaimed himself king,
+establishing his court at Kaichow.
+
+One of Kung-wo's officers, however, Wang by name, who was believed to be
+a descendant of the Korai family, did away with the royal monk and sat
+himself on the throne, which he claimed as that of his ancestors. Coming
+of a vigorous stock, and taking advantage of the fact that China was weak
+with internal wars, Wang succeeded in uniting Shinra to the old Korai,
+thus converting the whole peninsula into a single and united realm, of
+which, as we have already seen in the first chapter, he made the walled
+city of Sunto the capital. Wang died 945 A.D., and was succeeded by his
+son Wu, who wisely entered into friendly relations with China, and paid
+his tribute to the Emperor of Heaven as if he ruled a tributary state. In
+consequence of this policy it was that Corea enjoyed peace with her
+terrible Celestial rival for the best part of two centuries.
+
+Cho-sen, then, is now the only name by which the country is called by the
+natives themselves, for the name of Korai has been entirely abandoned by
+the modern Coreans. The meaning of the word is very poetic, viz., "The
+Land of the Morning Calm," and is one well adapted to the present
+Coreans, since, indeed, they seem to have entirely lost the vigour and
+strength of their predecessors, the Koraians. I believe Marco Polo was
+the first to mention a country which he called Coria; after whom came the
+Franciscan missionaries. Little, however, was known of the country until
+the Portuguese brought back to Europe strange accounts of this curious
+kingdom and its quaint and warlike people. According to the story, it was
+a certain Chinese wise man who, when in a poetic mood, baptized Corea
+with the name of Cho-sen. But the student of Corean history knows that
+the name had already been bestowed on the northern part of the peninsula
+and on a certain portion of Manchuria, and that it was in the year 1392,
+when Korai was united to Shinra and the State of Hiaksai became merged in
+it, that Cho-sen became the official designation of united Corea. The
+word "Corea" evidently is nothing but a corruption of the dead and buried
+word "Korai."
+
+FOOTNOTES:
+
+    [2] Long gown, the national dress of Japan.
+
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER III
+
+The road to Seoul--The _Mapu_--Ponies--Oxen--Coolies--Currency--Mode of
+carrying weights--The Han River--Nearly locked out.
+
+
+[Illustration: THE WEST GATE, SEOUL]
+
+I left Chemulpo on January 2nd, but instead of making use of the
+minuscule ponies, I went on foot, sending my baggage on in advance on a
+pack-saddle on one of them. I was still suffering considerably from an
+accident I had sustained to my foot among the hairy folk of the Hokkaido,
+and I thought that the long walk would probably be beneficial to me, and
+would take away some of the stiffness which still remained in my ankle.
+At a short distance from the port I came to a steep incline of a few
+hundred yards, and crossing the hill-range which formed the background to
+Chemulpo as one looks at it from the sea, I soon descended on the other
+side, from which point the road was nearly level all the way to the
+capital. The road is not a bad one for Corea, but is, of course, only fit
+for riding upon; and would be found almost of impossible access to
+vehicles of any size. The Japanese had begun running _jinrickshas_,
+little carriages drawn by a man, between the capital and the settlements;
+but two, and even three men were necessary to convey carriage and
+passenger to his destination, and the amount of bumping and shaking on
+the uneven road was quite appalling.
+
+These little carriages, as every one knows, generally convey only a
+single person, and are drawn by two men, who run in a tandem, while the
+third pushes the _ricksha_ from the back, and is always ready at any
+emergency to prevent the vehicle from turning turtle. This mode of
+locomotion, however, was not likely to become popular among the Coreans,
+who, if carried at all, prefer to be carried either in a sedan-chair, an
+easy and comfortable way of going about, or else, should they be in a
+hurry and not wish to travel in grand style, on pony or donkey's back.
+Europeans, as a rule, like the latter mode of travelling best, as the
+Corean sedan-chairs are somewhat too short for the long-legged foreigner,
+and a journey of six or seven hours in a huddled-up position is
+occasionally apt to give one the cramp, especially as Western bones and
+limbs do not in general possess the pliability which characterises those
+composing the skeleton of our Eastern brothers.
+
+The scenery along the road cannot be called beautiful, the country one
+goes through being barren and desolate, with the exception of a certain
+plantation of mulberry trees, a wretched speculation into which the
+infantile government of Cho-sen was driven by some foreigners, the object
+of which was to enrich Corea by the products of silk-worms, but which, of
+course, turned out a complete failure, and cost the Government much money
+and no end of worry instead. Here and there a small patch might be seen
+cultivated as kitchen garden near a hut, but with that exception the
+ground was hardly cultivated at all; this monotony of landscape, however,
+was somewhat relieved by the distant hills covered with maples, chestnuts
+and firs, now unfortunately for the most part deprived of their leaves
+and covered with snow, it being the coldest time of the year in Corea.
+
+The mile-posts on the high roads of Cho-sen are rather quaint, and should
+you happen to see one for the first time at night the inevitable result
+must be nightmare the moment you fall asleep. They consist of a wooden
+post about eight feet in length, on the upper end of which a long ghastly
+face is rudely carved out of the wood and painted white and red; the eyes
+are black and staring, and the mouth, the chief feature of the mask, is
+of enormous size, opened, showing two fine rows of pointed teeth, which
+might hold their own with those of the sharks of the Torres Strait, of
+world-wide reputation. A triangular wedge of wood on each side of the
+head represents the ears. The directions, number of miles, &c, are
+written directly under the head, and the writing being in Chinese
+characters, runs from up to down and from right to left.
+
+It was pretty along the road to see the numerous little ponies,
+infinitely smaller than any Shetlands, carrying big fellows, towering
+with their padded clothes above enormous saddles, and supported on either
+side by a servant, while another man, the _Mapu_, led the steed by hand.
+The ponies are so very small that even the Coreans, who are by no means
+tall people, their average height being about 5 ft. 4 in., cannot ride
+them unless a high saddle is provided, for without these the rather
+troublesome process of dragging one's feet on the ground would have to be
+endured.
+
+This high saddle, which elevates you some twenty inches above the pony's
+back, naturally involves a certain amount of instability to the person
+who is mounted, the balancing abilities one has to bring out on such
+occasions being of no ordinary degree. The Corean gentleman, who is
+dignified to an extreme degree, and would not for the world run the risk
+of being seen rolling in the mud or struggling between the pony's little
+legs, wisely provides for the emergency by ordering two of his servants
+to walk by his side and hold him by the arms and the waist, as long as
+the journey lasts, while the _Mapu_, one of the stock features of Corean
+everyday life, looks well after the pony and leads him by the head as one
+might a big Newfoundland dog. The _Mapu_ in Corea occupies about the same
+position as Figaro in the "Barber of Seville." While leading your pony he
+takes the keenest interest in your affairs, and thinks it his business to
+talk to you on every possible subject that his brain chooses to suggest,
+abusing all and everybody that he thinks you dislike and praising up what
+he fancies you cherish, that he may perhaps have a few extra _cash_ at
+the end of the journey, which he will immediately go and lose in
+gambling. He speaks of politics as if he were the axis of the political
+world, and will criticise the magistracy, the noble, and the king if he
+is under the impression that you are only a merchant, while evil words
+enough would be at his command to represent the meanness and bad manners
+of the commercial classes, if his pony is honoured by being sat upon by a
+nobleman! Such is the world even in Cho-sen. The _Mapu_ will sing to you,
+and crack jokes, and again will swear at you and your servants, and at
+nearly every _Mapu_ that goes by. The greater the gentleman his beast is
+carrying, the more quarrelsome is he with everybody. The road, wide
+though it be, seems to belong solely to him. He is in constant trouble
+with citizens and the police, and it is generally on account of his
+insignificance, poverty, and ignorance that so many of his evil doings
+and wrongs are forgiven. None the less it must be said for them that they
+take fairly good care of their minuscule quadrupeds. They feed them,
+usually three times a day, with boiled chopped straw and beans, and grass
+in summer-time, and with this diet you see the little brutes, which are
+only about 10 hands high, and even less sometimes, go twenty-five or
+thirty miles a day quite easily, with a weight of a couple of hundred
+pounds on their backs, quickly toddling along without stopping, unless it
+be to administer a sound kick to some bystander or to bite the legs of
+the rider. These ponies have a funny little way of getting from under
+you, if you ride them with an English saddle. They bend their legs till
+they see you firmly planted on the ground, and then quickly withdraw
+backwards leaving you, with your legs wide apart and standing like a
+fool, to meditate on equine wickedness in the Realm of the Morning Calm.
+They are indeed the trickiest little devils for their size I have ever
+seen; and for viciousness and love of fighting, I can recommend you to no
+steed more capable of showing these qualities. The average price of an
+animal as above described varies from the large sum of five shillings to
+as much as thirty shillings (at the rate of two shillings per Mexican
+dollar), the price of course varying, as with us, according to the breed,
+age, training, condition, &c., of the animal.
+
+These ponies are much used all over the kingdom, for good roads for wheel
+traffic hardly exist in the country, and wide horse-tracks form
+practically the whole means of communication between the capital and the
+most important ports and cities in the different provinces of Corea. They
+are used both for riding purposes and as pack-ponies, "for light articles
+only," like the racks in our railway carriages, but when heavy loads are
+to be conveyed from one place to another, especially over long distances,
+the frail pony is discarded and replaced by the sturdy ox. These horned
+carriers are pretty much of a size, and fashioned, so far as I could see,
+after the style of our oxen, except that they are apparently leaner by
+nature, and almost always black or very dark grey in colour; their horns,
+however, are rather short. They carry huge weights on a wooden angular
+saddle which is planted on their backs, and a _Mapu_ invariably
+accompanies each animal when loaded; indeed, in the case of the ponies
+the man even carries on his own back the food both for himself and for
+his beast, the latter generally having the precedence in eating his
+share. The sleeping accommodation also is, as a rule, amicably divided
+between quadruped and biped, and, taken all round, it cannot be said that
+either is any the worse for their brotherly relations. I firmly believe
+that the _Mapus_ are infinitely better-natured towards their animals than
+towards their wives or their children, who, as you will find by-and-by,
+are often cruelly ill-treated.
+
+But let us now continue our journey towards Seoul. Here several coolies
+are to be seen approaching us, carrying heavy loads on their backs. A man
+of a higher position follows them. And, strange circumstance! they are
+carrying money. Yes; one, two, three, four, five, six, seven, eight--yes,
+actually eight men, bent under heavy loads of coins. Your first idea, I
+suppose, will be that these men are carrying a whole fortune--but, oh
+dear! no. You must know that the currency in Corea is entirely brass, and
+these brass coins, which go by the name of _cash_ are round coins about
+the size of a halfpenny, with a square hole in the centre, by which they
+are strung together, generally a hundred at a time. There are usually as
+many as two thousand to two thousand eight hundred _cash_ to a Mexican
+dollar, the equivalent of which is at present about two shillings; you
+can, therefore, easily imagine what the weight of one's purse is if it
+contains even so small a sum as a pennyworth in Corean currency. Should
+you, however, be under an obligation to pay a sum of, say, £10 or £20,
+the hire of two oxen or six or eight coolies becomes an absolute
+necessity, for a sum which takes no room in one's letter-case if in Bank
+of England notes, occupies a roomful of hard and heavy metal in the
+country of the Morning Calm. Great trouble has been and is continually
+experienced in the kingdom owing to the lack of gold and silver coins;
+but to the Corean mind to make coins out of gold and to let them go out
+of the country amounts to the same thing as willingly trying to
+impoverish the fatherland of the treasures it possesses; wherefore,
+although rich gold-mines are to be found in Cho-sen, coins of the
+precious metal are not struck for the above-mentioned reason.
+
+[Illustration: COOLIES' ARRANGEMENT FOR CARRYING LOADS]
+
+So much for Corean political economy. The coins used are of different
+sizes and value. They range, if I remember right, from two _cash_ to
+five, and an examination of a handful of them will reveal the fact that
+they have been struck off at different epochs. There is the so-called
+current treasure coin of Cho-sen, one of the more modern kinds, as well
+as the older coin of Korai, the Ko-ka; while another coin, which seems to
+have been struck off in the Eastern provinces, is probably as old as any
+of these, and is still occasionally found in use. The coins, as I have
+said, are strung together by the hundred on a straw rope; a knot is tied
+when this number is reached, when another hundred is passed through, and
+so on, until several thousands are sometimes strung to one string. As
+curious as this precious load itself was the way in which it was carried.
+It is, in fact, the national way which all Corean coolies have adopted
+for conveying heavy weights, and it seems to answer well, for I have
+often seen men of no very abnormal physique carry a burden that would
+make nine out of ten ordinary men collapse under its heavy mass. The
+principle is much the same as that used by the porters in Switzerland,
+and also in some parts of Holland, if I am not mistaken. A triangular
+wooden frame rests on the man's back by means of two straps or ropes
+passed over the shoulders and round the arms. From this frame project two
+sticks, about 35 inches in length, on which the weight rests, and by
+bending the body at a lower or higher angle, according to the height or
+pressure of the load, a perfect balance is obtained, and the effort of
+the carrier considerably diminished. For heavy loads like wood, for
+instance, the process of loading is curious. The frame is set upon the
+ground, and made to remain in position by being inclined at an angle of
+about 45° against a stick forked at the upper end, with which every
+coolie is provided. When in this position, the cargo is put on and tied
+with a rope if necessary; then, the stick being carefully removed,
+squatting down gently so as not to disturb the position of the load, the
+coolie quickly passes his arms through the straps and thus slings the
+thing on to the back, the stick being now used as a help to the man to
+rise by instalments from his difficult position without collapsing or
+coming to grief. Once standing, he is all right, and it is wonderful what
+an amount of endurance and muscular strength the beggars have, for they
+will carry these enormous loads for miles and miles without showing the
+slightest sign of fatigue. They toddle along quickly, taking remarkably
+short steps, and resting every now and then on their forked stick, upon
+the upper end of which they lay their hands, forcing it against the chest
+and the ground, and so making it a sort of _point d'appui._
+
+Just a word as to the coolie's moral qualities. He much resembles in this
+the Neapolitan _lazzarone_--in fact, I do not know of any other
+individual in Eastern Asia that is such a worthy rival of the Italian
+macaroni-eater. The coolie will work hard when hungry, and he will do his
+work well, but the moment he is paid off the chances are that, like his
+_confrère_ on the Gulf of Naples, he will at once go and drink a good
+part of what he has received; then, in a state of intoxication, he will
+gamble the next half; and after that he will go to sleep for twenty-four
+hours on a stretch, and remain the next twelve squatting on the ground,
+basking in the sun by the side of his carrying-machine, pondering, still
+half asleep, on his foolishness, and seeking for fresh orders from
+passers-by who may require the services of a human beast of burden. Then
+you may see them in a row near the road-side drinking huts, either
+smoking their pipes, which are nearly three feet in length, or if not in
+the act of smoking, with the pipe stuck down their neck into the coat and
+down into the trousers, in immediate contact with the skin.
+
+Going along at a good pace I reached the half-way house, a
+characteristically Corean building, formerly used as an inn, and now
+being rented by a Japanese. Having entertained myself to tea and a few
+items of solid food, I proceeded on my pedestrian journey towards the
+capital. And now, as I gradually approached the river Han, more attention
+seemed to be given to the cultivation of the country. The staple product
+of cereals here is mainly buckwheat, beans and millet, a few rice-fields
+also being found nearer the water-side. Finally, having arrived at the
+river-side, after shouting for half an hour to the ferry boatman to come
+and pick me up, I in due course landed on the other side. The river Han
+makes a most wonderful detour between its estuary and this point. As the
+river was left behind, more habitations in the shape of miserable and
+filthy mud-huts, with thatched roofs, became visible; shops of eatables
+and native low drinking places following one another in continuation; and
+crowds of ponies, people, and oxen showed that the capital was now being
+fast neared; and sure enough, after winding along the dirty, narrow road,
+lined by the still dirtier mud huts for nearly the whole of the distance
+between Mafu, the place where the Han river was ferried, and here, a
+distance of about three miles, I found myself at last in front of the
+West Gate of the walled city of Seoul.
+
+I could hear quite plainly in the distance, from the centre of the town,
+the slow sound of a bell; and men, women and children, on foot or riding,
+were scrambling through the gate in both directions. As I stopped for a
+moment to gaze upon the excited crowd, it suddenly flashed across my mind
+that I had been told at Chemulpo, that to the mournful sound of what is
+called the "Big bell" the heavy wooden gates lined with iron bars were
+closed, and that no one was thereafter allowed to enter or go out of the
+town. The sun was just casting his last glorious rays on the horizon, and
+the excitement grew greater as the strokes of the bell became fainter
+and fainter, and with the mad crowd of men and beasts mixed together upon
+it, the road might be compared with the tide entering the mouth of a
+running river. I threw myself into the thick of the in-going flow, and
+with my feet trampled upon by passing ponies; now knocking against a
+human being, now face to face with a bull, I finally managed to get
+inside. Well do I remember the hoarse voices of the gate-keepers, as they
+shouted out that time was up, and hurried the weary travellers within the
+precincts of the royal city; well also do I recollect, as I stood
+watching their doings from the inside, how they pushed back and
+ill-treated, with words and kicks, the last people who passed through,
+and then, out of patience, revolved the heavy gates on their huge and
+rusty hinges, finally closing the city until sunrise next day. Shouts of
+people, just too late, on the other side, begging to be let in, remained
+unacknowledged, and the enormous padlocks and bolts having been
+thoroughly fastened, Seoul was severed from the outer world till the
+following morning. Adjoining the gate stood the gatekeeper's house, and
+in front of the door of this, a rack with a few rusty and obsolete spears
+standing in a row, was left to take care of the town and its inhabitants,
+while the guardians, having finished the work of the day, retreated to
+the warm room inside to resume the game or gambling which the setting sun
+had interrupted, and which had occupied their day. With the setting of
+the sun every noise ceased. Every good citizen retired to his home, and
+I, too, therefore, deemed it advisable to follow suit.
+
+There are no hotels in Seoul, with the exception of the very dirty
+Corean inns; but I was fortunate enough to meet at Chemulpo a Russian
+gentleman who, with his family, lived in Seoul, where he was employed as
+architect to His Majesty the King of Corea, and he most politely invited
+me to stay at his house for a few days; and it is to his kind
+hospitality, therefore, that I owe the fact that my first few nights at
+Seoul were spent comfortably and my days were well employed, my
+peregrinations round the town being also conducted under his guidance.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER IV
+
+The Coreans--Their faces and heads--Bachelors--Married
+men--Head-band--Hats--Hat-umbrellas--Clothes--Spectacles.
+
+
+Being now settled for the time being in Seoul, I must introduce you to
+the Corean, not as a nation, you must understand, but as an individual.
+It is a prevalent idea that the Coreans are Chinese, and therefore
+exactly like them in physique and appearance, and, if not like the
+Chinese, that they must be like their neighbours on the other side--the
+Japanese. As a matter of fact, they are like neither. Naturally the
+continuous incursions of both Chinese and Japanese into this country have
+left distinct traces of their passage on the general appearance of the
+people; and, of course, the distinction which I shall endeavour to make
+is not so marked as that between whites and blacks, for the Coreans,
+speaking generally, do bear a certain resemblance to the other peoples of
+Mongolian origin. Though belonging to this family, however, they form a
+perfectly distinct branch of it. Not only that, but when you notice a
+crowd of Coreans you will be amazed to see among them people almost as
+white and with features closely approaching the Aryan, these being the
+higher classes in the kingdom. The more common type is the yellow-skinned
+face, with slanting eyes, high cheek-bones, and thick, hanging lips.
+But, again, you will observe faces much resembling the Thibetans and
+Hindoos, and if you carry your observations still further you will find
+all over the kingdom, mostly among the coolie classes, men as black as
+Africans, or like the people of Asia Minor.
+
+For any one interested in types and crosses, I really do not know of a
+country more interesting than Cho-sen. It seems as if specimens of almost
+every race populating Asia had reached and remained in the small
+peninsula, which fact would to some degree disprove the theory that all
+migrations have moved from the east towards the west and from north to
+south, and never _vice versâ_.
+
+If you take the royal family of Corea, for instance, you will find that
+the king and queen, and all the royal princes, especially on the queen's
+side (the Min family), are as white as any Caucasian, and that their eyes
+are hardly slanting at all, and in some cases are quite as straight as
+ours. Members of some of the nobler families also might be taken for
+Europeans. Of course the middle classes are of the Mongolian type, though
+somewhat more refined and stronger built than the usual specimens of
+either Chinese or Japanese; they are, however, not quite so wiry and tall
+as their northern neighbours the Manchus, with whom, nevertheless, they
+have many points in common. The large invasions, as we have seen, of the
+Ko-korais and Fuyus may account for this.
+
+[Illustration: A BACHELOR]
+
+Taken altogether, the Corean is a fine-looking fellow; his face is
+oval-shaped, and generally long when seen full face, but it is slightly
+concave in profile, the nose being somewhat flat at the bridge between
+the eyes, and possessing wide nostrils. The chin is generally small,
+narrow and receding, while the lips, usually the weaker part in the
+Corean face, are as a rule heavy, the upper lip turned up and showing the
+teeth, while the lower one hangs pitifully downwards, denoting,
+therefore, little or no strength of character. They possess good teeth
+and these are beautifully white, which is a blessing for people like them
+who continually show them. The almond-shaped, jet-black eyes, veiled by
+that curious weird look peculiar to Eastern eyes, is probably the
+redeeming part of their face, and in them is depicted good-nature, pride
+and softness of heart. In many cases one sees a shrewd, quick eye, but it
+is generally an exception among this type, while among the lower
+classes, the black ones, it is almost a chief characteristic. The
+cheek-bones are prominent. The hair is scanty on the cheeks, chin, and
+over and under the lips, but quite luxuriant on the head. There is a very
+curious custom in Corea as to how you should wear your hair, and a great
+deal of importance is attached to the custom. If by chance you are a
+bachelor--and if you are, you must put up with being looked down upon by
+everybody in Corea--you have to let your hair grow long, part it
+carefully in the middle of your skull, and have it made up into a thick
+tress at the back of your head, which arrangement marks you out as a
+single man and an object of sport, for in the Land of the Morning Calm it
+seems that you can only be a bachelor under the two very circumstances
+under which we, in our land of all-day restlessness, generally marry,
+viz., if you are a fool and if you have not a penny to live upon! When
+thus unhappily placed you rank, according to Corean ideas, as a child, no
+matter what your age is, and you dress as a child, being even allowed to
+wear coloured coats when the country is in mourning, as it was, when I
+visited it, for the death of the dowager-Queen Regent, and everybody is
+compelled to wear white, an order that if not quickly obeyed by a married
+man means probably to him the loss of his head. Thus, though looked down
+upon as outcasts and wretches, bachelors none the less do enjoy some
+privileges out there. Here is yet another one. They never wear a hat;
+another exemption to be taken into consideration when you will see, a
+little further on, what a Corean hat is like.
+
+[Illustration: THE "TOP-KNOT" OF THE MARRIED MEN]
+
+Married men, on the other hand--and ninety-nine per hundred are married
+in Cho-sen--wear their hair done up in a most wonderful fashion. It is
+not as long as that of bachelors, for it is cut. It is combed, with the
+head down, in the orthodox fashion, as women do, I suppose, when they
+comb it by themselves, and then passing the left hand under it, along the
+forehead, it is caught close to the head just about the middle of the
+skull. This being satisfactorily done, what remains of the hair above the
+hand is twisted round into the shape and size of a sausage, which then
+remains sticking up perpendicularly on the top of the head, and which, in
+the natural order of things, goes by the sensible name of top-knot.
+Occasionally a little silver or metal bead is attached to the top of the
+knot, and a small tortoiseshell ornament fastened to the hair just over
+the forehead. This completes the married man's hair-dressing, with which
+he is always most careful, and I must say that the black straight hair
+thus arranged does set off the head very well. The illustration shows the
+profile of a married man of the coolie class, who, of course, wears the
+hair dressed just like the others, it being a national custom; only the
+richer and smarter people, of course, wear it more tidily, and, probably,
+not quite so artistically. Besides, the better class of people are not
+content with the process of beautifying themselves which I have just
+described, but surround the forehead, temples and back of the head with a
+head-band, a curious arrangement made of woven black horse-hair, which
+keeps the real hair tight under it, and not only prevents it from being
+blown about, but forms a more solid basis for the wonderful hats they
+wear. The nobler classes, upon whom the king has bestowed decorations in
+the shape of jade, gold or silver buttons, according to the amount of
+honour he has meant to accord them, wear these decorations, of all
+places, behind the ears, and fastened tight to the head-band.
+
+Thus much on the subject of the Corean's head. I shall spare you, my dear
+readers, the description of his body, for it is just like any other body,
+more or less well made, with the exception that it is invariably
+unwashed. Instead, I shall proceed to inspect with you his wardrobe and
+his clothing, which may be to you, I hope, much more interesting. To do
+this, let us walk along the main street of the town, where the traffic is
+generally great, and examine the people who go by. Here is a well-to-do
+man, probably a merchant. Two features at once strike you: his hat, the
+_kat-si_, and his shoes; and then, his funny white padded clothes. But
+let us examine him carefully in detail. It is a little difficult to
+decide at which end one should begin to describe him, but I imagine that
+it is the customary thing to begin with the head, and so, coming close to
+him, let us note how curiously his hat is made. It is just like a
+Welshwoman's hat in shape, or, in other words, like a flowerpot placed on
+a flat dish, as seen in the illustration; but the extraordinary thing
+about the Corean hat is that it is quite transparent, and has none of the
+virtues that, according to our ideas, a hat ought to possess. It is a
+wonderful work of art, for it is made of horse-hair, or, more commonly,
+of split bamboo so finely cut in threads as to resemble white horse-hair,
+and then woven into a fine net in the shape described. A thin bamboo
+frame keeps it well together, and gives to it a certain solidity, but
+though varnished over, it protects one's head from neither sun, wind, nor
+rain. It is considered a rude thing in Corea to take one's hat off, even
+in the house, and therefore the _kat-si_, not requiring instant removal
+or putting on, is provided with two hooks at the sides of the central
+cone, to each of which a white ribbon is attached, to be tied under the
+chin when the hat is worn, the latter resting, not on the hair itself,
+but on the head-band. This shape of hat is never worn without the
+head-band.
+
+The hat just described is that most commonly worn in the Land of the
+Morning Calm, and that which one sees on the generality of people. But
+there! look at that man passing along leading a bull--he has a hat large
+enough to protect a whole family. It is like a huge pyramid made of
+basket-work of split bamboo or plaited reeds or rushes, and it covers him
+almost half way down to his waist. Well, that poor man is in private
+mourning for the death of a relation, and he covers his face thus to show
+his grief.
+
+[Illustration: THE HEAD-BAND AND TRANSPARENT HAT]
+
+Here, again, comes another individual with a transparent hat like the
+first, only worn over a big hood open at the top over the head and
+falling rounded over the shoulders, thus protecting the ears from the
+severe cold. This is lined with fur, with which it is also trimmed, and
+looks quite furry and warm, if not exactly becoming. Ah! but here is
+something even more curious in the shape of head-gear. It is just
+beginning to snow, and, one after the other, our transparent _kat-sis_
+are undergoing a transformation. I daresay, as we stand watching the
+people go by, it will be noticed that nearly each one who has a
+transparent hat, also wears in his girdle round his waist a triangular
+object made of yellow oil-paper which resembles a fan. Well, now, you
+will see what it is. An oldish man turns up his nose to scrutinise the
+intentions of the weather-clerk, and, apparently little satisfied at the
+aspect of the threatening clouds, stops, and unsheathing his fan-like
+object from his belt, opens it, when it is seen to become like a small
+umbrella without the stick and handle, about two and a half feet only in
+diameter, which, by means of a string, he fastens over his brand new hat.
+When thus used, it takes the shape of a cone, except, of course, that
+there will be a multitude of folds in it. It is called _kat-no_. The idea
+is not at all bad, is it? for here you have an umbrella without the
+trouble of tiring your arms in carrying it.
+
+One cannot help being considerably puzzled by the differences in the
+various classes and conditions of the men. To all appearance, the
+generality of men seem here dressed alike, with this difference, that
+some are dirtier than others; occasionally one has an extra garment, but
+that is all. Yes, there is, indeed, difficulty at first in knowing who
+and what any one is, but with a little trouble and practice the
+difficulty is soon overcome. In the main the clothes worn by the men are
+the same, only a great difference is to be found in the way these
+garments are cut and sewn, just as we can distinguish in a moment the cut
+of a Bond Street tailor from that of a suburban one. In Corea, the
+tailor, as a rule, is one's wife, for she is the person entrusted with
+the cares of cutting, sewing, and padding up her better-half's attire. No
+wonder, then, that nine-tenths of the top-knotted consorts look regular
+bags as they walk about. The national costume itself, it must be
+confessed, does rather tend to deform the appearance of the human body,
+which it is supposed to adorn. First, there is a huge pair of cotton
+trousers, through each leg of which one can pass the whole of one's body
+easily, and these trousers are padded all over with cotton wool, no
+underclothing being worn. When these are put on, they reach from the chin
+to the feet, on to which they fall in ample and graceful folds, and you
+don them by holding them up with your teeth, and fastening them anywhere
+near and round your waist with a pretty, long silk ribbon with tassels,
+which is generally let hang down artistically over the right side. When
+this has been successfully accomplished, the extra length of trousers is
+rolled up so as to prevent the "unmentionables" from being left behind as
+you walk away, and a short coat, tight at the shoulders and in the shape
+of a bell, with short but wide sleeves, is put on to cover the upper part
+of the body. This coat also, like the trousers, is padded, and reaches
+almost to the haunches. It overlaps on the right hand side, two long
+ribbons being tied there into a pretty single-winged knot and the two
+ends left hanging. In winter time, the forearm, which in summer remains
+bare, is protected by a separate short muff, or sleeve, through which the
+hand is passed, and which reaches just over the elbow.
+
+Then come the padded socks, in which the huge trousers are tucked, and
+which are fastened round the ankle with a ribbon. And, lastly, now we
+come to the shoes. Those used by the better classes are made of hide, and
+have either leather soles with nails underneath, or else wooden soles
+like the Chinese ones with the turned-up toes. The real Corean shoe,
+however, as used every day for walking and not for show, is truly a
+peculiar one. The principal peculiarity about it is that it is made of
+paper; which sounds like a lie, though indeed it is not. Another
+extraordinary thing is that you can really walk in them. If you do not
+believe it, all you have to do is to take the first steamer to Corea and
+you can easily convince yourself of the fact. The greater part of the
+population wears them, and the _Mapus_ especially walk enormous distances
+in them. They are scarcely real shoes, however, and one should, perhaps,
+classify them rather as a cross between a shoe and a sandal, for that is
+just what they are. The toes are protected by numberless little strings
+of curled untearable paper, which, when webbed, make the sole, heel, and
+back of the sandal, and this is joined to the point of the shoe by a
+stouter cord going right round, which is also made of the same kind of
+twisted paper. This cord can be fastened tighter or looser to suit the
+convenience of the wearer of the sandal-shoe.
+
+The Corean is an unfortunate being. He has no pockets. If his hands are
+cold he must warm them by sticking them down his belt into his trousers,
+and if he be in company with people, he can generate a certain amount of
+heat by putting each into the other arm's sleeve. As for the money,
+tobacco, &c, that he wants to carry, he is compelled to provide himself
+with little silk bags, which he attaches to his waist-band or to the
+ribbon of his coat. These bags are generally of orange colour or blue,
+and they relieve a little the monotony of the everlasting white dresses.
+
+The clothing, so far as I have described it, is, with the exception of
+the shoes, that which is worn habitually in the house by the better
+classes of the people; the officials, however, wear a horse-hair high cap
+resembling a papal tiara on the head, instead of the other form of hat.
+Indoors, the shoes are not worn, the custom of Japan being prevalent,
+namely, to leave them at the door as one mounts the first step into the
+room. The middle lower classes and peasantry are seldom found parading
+the streets with anything besides what I have described, with the
+exception of the long pipe which they, like the _Mapu_ or the coolies,
+keep down the back of the neck when not using it. Merchants, policemen,
+and private gentlemen are arrayed, in winter especially, in a long cotton
+or silk gown similarly padded, an overall which reaches below the knees,
+and some, especially those in the Government employ, or in some official
+position, wear either without this or over this an additional sleeveless
+garment made of four long strips of cotton or silk, two in front and two
+at the back, according to the grade, almost touching the feet and divided
+both in front and at the back as far up as the waist, round which a
+ribbon is tied. This, then, is the everyday wardrobe of a Corean of any
+class. You may add, if you please, a few miscellaneous articles such as
+gaiters and extra bags, but never have I seen any man of Cho-sen walk
+about with more habiliments than these, although I have many times seen
+people who had a great deal less. The clothes are of cotton or silk
+according to the grade and riches of the wearer. Buttons are a useless
+luxury in Cho-sen, for neither men nor women recognise their utility; on
+the contrary, the natives display much amusement and chaff at the stupid
+foreign barbarian who goes and cuts any number of buttonholes in the
+finest clothing, which, in their idea, is an incomprehensible mistake and
+shows want of appreciation.
+
+Their method of managing things by means of loops and ribbons, has an
+effect which is not without its picturesqueness, perhaps more so than is
+our system of "keeping things together" in clothing matters. After all it
+is only a matter of opinion. The inhabitants of the land of Cho-sen, from
+my experience, are not much given to washing and still less to bathing. I
+have seen them wash their hands fairly often, and the face occasionally;
+only the very select people of Corea wash it daily. One would think that,
+with such a very scanty and irregular use of water for the purpose of
+cleanliness, they should look extremely dirty; but not a bit. It was
+always to me irritating to the last degree to see how clean those dirty
+people looked!
+
+But let us notice one or two more of the people that are passing by. It
+is now snowing hard, and every one carries his own umbrella on his head.
+Boys do not wear hats, and are provided with a large umbrella with a
+bamboo-frame that fits the head, as also are the bachelors. Here comes
+one of the latter class. His face is a finely cut one, and with his hair
+parted in the middle, and the big tress hanging down his back, he has
+indeed more the appearance of a woman than that of a man; hence the
+mistake often made by hasty travellers in putting down these bachelors as
+women, is easy to understand. When one is seen for the first time, it is
+really difficult to say to which sex he belongs, so effeminate does he
+look.
+
+It is part of the ambition of the male Corean to look wise, no matter
+whether he is or not as a matter of fact. And to assume the coveted air
+of wisdom what more is necessary than to put on a huge pair of round
+spectacles of Chinese origin with smoked glasses enclosed in a frame of
+gold or tortoiseshell, and with clasps over the ears? Oh how wise he
+looks! He does indeed! And you should see his pomposity as he rides his
+humble donkey through the streets of Seoul. There he sits like a statue,
+supported by his servants, looking neither to one side nor to the other,
+lest he should lose his dignity.
+
+"Era, Era, Era!" ("Make way, Make way!") cry out the servants as he
+passes among the crowd, which is invariably respectful and ready to obey
+this hero who looks down upon them. The lesser the official, of course
+the greater the air, and you should see how the people who stand in the
+way are knocked to one side by his servants, should they not be quick
+enough to make room for the dignitary and his donkey. His long gown is
+carefully arranged on the sides and behind, covering the saddle and
+donkey's back in large folds; for most things in Corea, as in other parts
+of the world, are done for the sake of appearance. What a dreadful thing
+it would be, were he to ride about with his gown crumpled up under his
+seat! It would be the cause of lifelong unhappiness, remorse and shame,
+and no doubt cost his servants a sound flogging for their unpardonable
+carelessness.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER V
+
+The Woman of Cho-sen--Her clothes--Her ways--Her looks--Her
+privileges--Her duties--Her temper--Difference of classes--Feminine
+musicians.
+
+
+It will now be proper, I think, since I have given you a rough sketch of
+the man of Cho-sen and his clothes, to describe in a general way to you
+the weaker sex--not an easy task--and what they wear--a much more
+difficult task still,--for I have not the good fortune to be conversant
+with the intricacies of feminine habiliments, and therefore hope to be
+excused if, in dealing with this part of my subject, I do not always use
+the proper terms applicable to the different parts that compose it.
+Relying, then, upon my readers' indulgence in this respect, I shall
+attempt to give an idea of what a Corean female is like. It has always
+been a feature in my sceptical nature to think that the more one sees of
+women the less one knows them; according to which principle, I should
+know Corean women very well, for one sees but little of them. Be that as
+it may, however, I shall proceed to give my impressions of them.
+
+As is pretty generally known, the women of Cho-sen, with the exception of
+the lower classes, are kept in seclusion. They are seldom allowed to go
+out, and when they do they cover their faces with white or green hoods,
+very similar in shape to those worn by the women at Malta. They appear,
+or pretend to be, shy of men, and foreigners in particular, and generally
+hide when one is approaching, especially if in a solitary street. I
+remember how astonished I was the first few days I was in Seoul, at the
+fact that every woman I came across in the streets was just on the point
+of opening a door and entering a house. It seemed so strange to me that
+damsel after damsel whom I met should just be reaching home as I was
+passing, that I began to think that I was either dreaming, or that every
+house belonged to every woman in the town. The idea suddenly dawned upon
+me that it was only a trick on their part to evade being seen, and on
+further inquiry into the matter from a Corean friend, I discovered that a
+woman has a right to open and enter any door of a Corean house when she
+sees a foreign man appearing on the horizon, as the reputation of the
+masculine "foreign devil" is still far from having reached a high
+standard of morality in the minds of the gentler sex of Cho-sen. In the
+main street and big thoroughfares, where at all times there are crowds of
+people, there is more chance of approaching them without this running
+away, for in Corea, as elsewhere, great reliance is placed on the saying
+that there is safety in numbers. So it was mainly here that I made my
+first studies of the retiring ways and quaint costumes of the Corean
+damsel.
+
+[Illustration: A COREAN BEAUTY]
+
+Yes, the costume really is quaint, and well it deserves to be described.
+They wear huge padded trousers, similar to those of the men, their socks
+also being padded with cotton wool. The latter are fastened tightly
+round the ankles to the trousers by means of a ribbon. You must not
+think, however, that the dame of Cho-sen walks about the streets attired
+in this manly garment, for over these trousers she wears a shortish skirt
+tied very high over the waist. Both trousers and skirt are generally
+white, and of silk or cotton according to the grade, position in life,
+and extravagance of those who wear them. A tiny jacket, usually white,
+red, or green, completes the wardrobe of most Corean women; one
+peculiarity of which is that it is so short that both breasts are left
+uncovered, which is a curious and most unpractical fashion, the climate
+of Corea, as we have already seen, being exceedingly cold--much colder
+than Russia or even Canada. The hair, of which the women have no very
+great abundance, is very simply made up, plastered down flat with some
+sort of stenching oil, parted in the middle, and tied into a knot at the
+back of the head, pretty much in the same way as clergymen's wives
+ordinarily wear it. A heavy-looking silver or metal pin, or sometimes
+two, may also be found inserted in this knot as an ornament. I have often
+seen young girls and old women wear a curious fur cap, especially in
+winter, but this cannot be said to be in general use. It is in the shape
+of the section of a cone, the upper part of which is covered with silk,
+while the lower half is ornamented with fur and two long silk ribbons
+which hang at the back and nearly reach the ground when the cap is worn.
+The upper part of this cap, curiously enough, is open, and on either side
+of the hole thus formed there are two silk tassels, generally red or
+black in colour. When smartly worn, this cap is quite becoming, but
+unfortunately, whether this be worn or not, the modest maiden of Cho-sen
+covers her head and face with a long green sort of an overall coat which
+she uses as a _mantilla_ or hood, throwing it over the head and keeping
+it closed over the face with the left hand.
+
+It must not on this account be imagined that there are not in Cho-sen
+women as coquettish as anywhere else, for, indeed, the prettier ones,
+either pretending that the wind blows back the hood, or that the hand
+that holds it over the face has slipped, or using some other excuse of
+the kind with which a woman is always so well provided, take every
+opportunity of showing you how pretty they are and of admiring them,
+particularly when they get to know who you are, where you hail from, and
+who your Corean friends are. The ugly ones, of course, are always those
+who make the most fuss, and should you see a woman in the street hide
+her face so that you cannot see it at all, you may be very sure that her
+countenance is not worth looking at, and that she herself is perfectly
+conscious of Nature's unkindness to her.
+
+As for several months I was seen day after day sketching in the streets,
+the people got to know me well, and since the Coreans themselves are very
+fond of art, although they are not very artistic themselves, I made
+numerous friends among them, and even, I might say, became popular.
+
+Vanity is a ruling characteristic of all people, and acting on this
+little weakness I was able to see more of the Corean damsel than most
+casual travellers.
+
+[Illustration: A LADY AT HOME]
+
+We find, it is true, _pros_ and _cons_ when we come to analyse her
+charms, but taking the average maid, she cannot be said to be worse in
+Corea than she is in other countries. She can be pretty and she can be
+ugly. When she is pretty, she is as pretty as they make them, and when
+she is the other way she is as ugly as sin, if not even worse. But let us
+take a good-looking one. Look at her sad little oval face, with arched
+eyebrows and with jet black, almond-shaped eyes, softened by the long
+eyelashes. Her nose is straight, though it might to advantage be a little
+less flat, and she possesses a sweet little mouth, just showing two
+pretty teeth as white as snow. There seems to be so much dignity and
+repose about her movements when you first see her, that you almost take
+her for a small statue. Hardly will she condescend to turn her face round
+or raise it up to look at you and even less inclined does she seem to
+smile, such is her modesty; once her shyness has worn off, however, she
+improves wonderfully. Her face brightens, and the soft, affectionate,
+distant look in her eyes is enough to mash into pulp the strongest of
+mankind. She is simple and natural, and in this chiefly lies her charm.
+She would not compare in beauty with a European woman, for she is neither
+so tall nor so well developed, but among women of far-Eastern nationality
+she, to my mind, takes the cake for actual beauty and refinement. The
+Japanese women of whom one hears so much, though more artistically clad,
+are not a patch on the Venuses of Cho-sen, and both in respect of
+lightness of complexion and the other above-named qualities they seemed
+to me to approach nearest to the standard of European feminine beauty.
+Their dress, as you may have judged by my rough description, is more
+quaint than graceful, and cannot be said to be at all becoming;
+nevertheless, when one's eyes have got accustomed to it, I have seen
+girls look quite pretty in it. I remember one in particular, a concubine
+of one of the king's ministers, whom I was fortunate enough to get to sit
+for me. She did not look at all bad in her long blue veil gown, much
+longer than the white one usually worn, which it covered, the white silk
+trousers just showing over the ankles, and a pretty pair of blue and
+white shoes fitting her tiny feet. She wore a little red jacket, of which
+she seemed very proud, and she smoked cigarettes and a pipe, though her
+age, I believe, was only seventeen.
+
+Women of the commoner classes can always be detected, not only by the
+coarser clothes they wear, but also by the way their hair is made up. Two
+long tresses are rolled up on the back of the head into a sort of turban,
+and though to my eye, innocent of the feminine tricks of hair-dressing,
+it looked all real and genuine, and a curious contrast to the infinitely
+less luxuriant growth of the better classes of women, I was told that a
+good deal of braids and "stuffing" was employed to swell their coiffures
+into the much-coveted fashionable size.
+
+One very strange custom in Corea is the privilege accorded to women to
+walk about the streets of the town at night after dark, while the men are
+confined to the house from about an hour after sunset and, until lately,
+were severely punished both with imprisonment and flogging, if found
+walking about the streets during "women's hours." The gentler sex was and
+is therefore allowed to parade the streets, and go and pay calls on their
+parents and lady friends, until a very late hour of the night, without
+fear of being disturbed by the male portion of the community. Few,
+however, avail themselves of the privilege, for unfortunately in Corea
+there are many tigers and leopards, which, disregarding the early closing
+of the city gates, climb with great ease over the high wall and take
+nightly peregrinations over the town, eating up all the dogs which they
+find on their way and occasionally even human beings. Tigers have
+actually been known to rudely run their paws through the invulnerable
+paper windows of a mud house, drag out a struggling body roughly awoke
+from slumber, and devour the same peacefully in the middle of the street.
+
+Since then a _rencontre_ with a hungry individual of this nature during a
+moonlight walk is sure to be somewhat unpleasant, it is not astonishing
+that it is but very, very rarely that at any hour of the night the
+Cho-sen damsel avails herself of the privilege accorded her. The woman,
+as I have already mentioned, is considered nothing in Corea. The only
+privilege she has, as we have just seen, is the chance of being torn to
+pieces and eaten up by a wild beast when she is out for a constitutional,
+and that we may safely say is not a privilege to be envied. The poor
+thing has no name, and when she is born she goes by the vague
+denomination of "So-and-so's" daughter. When there are several girls in
+the family, to avoid confusion, surnames are found convenient enough, but
+they are again lost the moment she marries, which, as we shall see in
+another chapter, often happens at a very early age. She then becomes
+"So-and-so's" wife. The woman in Corea has somewhat of a sad and dull
+life, for from the age of four or five she is separated even from her
+brothers and brought up in a separate portion of the house, and from that
+time ideas are pounded into her poor little head as to the disgrace of
+talking, or even being looked at by humans of a different gender. The
+higher classes, of course, suffer most from the enforcement of this
+strict etiquette, for in the very lowest grades of society the woman
+enjoys comparative freedom. She can talk to men as much as she pleases,
+and even goes out unveiled, being much too low a being to be taken any
+notice of; the upper classes, however, are very punctilious as to the
+observance of their severe rules. The Corean woman is a slave. She is
+used for pleasure and work. She can neither speak nor make any
+observations, and never is she allowed to see any man other than her
+husband. She has the right of the road in the streets, and the men are
+courteous to her. Not only do the men make room for her to pass, but even
+turn their faces aside so as not to gaze at her. There are numberless
+stories of a tragic character in Corean literature, of lovely maidens
+that have committed suicide, or have been murdered by their husbands,
+brothers, or fathers, only for having been seen by men, and even to the
+present day a husband would be considered quite justified in the eye of
+the law if he were to kill his wife for the great sin of having spoken to
+another man but himself! A widow of the upper class is not allowed to
+re-marry, and if she claims any pretence of having loved her late
+husband, she ought to try to follow him to the other world at the
+earliest convenience by committing the _jamun_, a simple performance by
+which the devoted wife is only expected to cut her throat or rip her
+body open with a sharp sword. They say that it is a mere nothing, when
+you know how to do it, but it always struck me, that practising a little
+game of that sort would not be an easy matter. For the sake of truth, I
+must confess that it was a husband who depreciated the worthy act. The
+lower people are infinitely more sensible. Though a woman of this class
+were to lose twenty husbands, she would never for a moment think of doing
+away with herself, but would soon enter into her twenty-first matrimonial
+alliance.
+
+Women, somehow or other, are scarce in Corea, and always in great demand.
+The coolies, and people of a similar or lower standing, cannot do without
+a female companion, for it is she who prepares the food, washes the
+clothes, and sews them up. She is beaten constantly, and very often she
+beats the man, for the Corean woman can have a temper at times. Jealousy
+_en plus_ is one of her chief virtues. I have seen women in Seoul nearly
+tearing one another to pieces, and, O Lord! how masterly they are in the
+art of scratching. The men on such occasions stand round them,
+encouraging them to fight, the husbands enjoying the fun more than the
+other less interested spectators. The women of the lower classes seem to
+be in a constant state of excitement and anger. They are always insulting
+one another, calling each other names, or scolding and even ill-treating
+their own children. What is more extraordinary still to European ears, is
+that I once actually saw a wife stand up for her husband, and she did it
+in a way that I am not likely soon to forget.
+
+A soldier was peacefully walking along a narrow street, half of which
+was a sort of drain canal, the water of which was frozen over, when a man
+came out of a house and stopped him. The conversation became hot at once,
+and with my usual curiosity, the only virtue I have ever possessed, I
+stopped to see the result.
+
+"You must pay me back the money I lent you," said the civilian in a very
+angry tone of voice.
+
+"I have not got it," answered the military man, trying to get away.
+
+"Ah! you have not got it?" screamed a third personage, a woman emerging
+from the doorway, and without further notice hit the soldier on the head
+with the heavy wooden mallet commonly used for beating clothes.
+
+The husband, encouraged by this unexpected reinforcement, boldly attacked
+the soldier, and, whilst they were occupied in wrestling and trying to
+knock each other down, the infuriated woman kept up a constant
+administration of blows, half at least of which, in her aimless hurry,
+were received by the companion of her life for whom she was fighting.
+Once she hit the poor man so hard--by mistake--that he fell down in a
+dead faint, upon which the soldier ran for his life, while she, jumping
+like a tiger at him, caught him by the throat, spinned him round like a
+top, and floored him, knocking him down on the ice. Then she pounced on
+him, with her eyes out of her head with anger, and giving way to her
+towering passion, pounded him on the head with her heels while she was
+hitting him on the back with her mallet.
+
+"You have killed my husband, too, you scoundrel!" she cried, while the
+defeated warrior was struggling hard, though in vain, to escape.
+
+As she was about to administer him a blow on the head that would have
+been enough to kill a bull, she fortunately slipped on the ice and went
+sprawling over her victim. The soldier, more dead than alive, had raised
+himself on his knees, when that demon in female attire rose again and
+embracing him most tenderly, bit his cheek so hard as to draw a regular
+stream of blood. I could stand it no longer, and proceeded on to the
+slippery ice to try to separate them, but hardly was I within reach than
+I was presented with a sound blow on my left knee from the mallet which
+she was still manipulating with alarming dexterity, by which I was at
+once placed _hors de combat_ before I had time even to offer my services
+as a peace-maker. Not only that, but besides the numberless "stars" which
+she made me see, the pain which she caused me was so intense that,
+hopping along as best I could on to the street again, I deemed it prudent
+to let them fight out their own quarrel and go about my own business.
+
+"Never again as long as I live," I swore, when I was well out of sight,
+as I rubbed my poor knee, swollen up to the size of an egg, "never shall
+I interfere in other people's quarrels. Who would have foreseen this? and
+from a woman, too!"
+
+It is, indeed, easy to be a philosopher after the event, but it is
+strange how very often one gets into fearful rows and trouble without
+having had the slightest intention either to offend or to annoy the
+natives. Here is another little anecdote which I narrated some months ago
+in the _Fortnightly Review_, and which is a further proof of the violent
+temper of the women-folk, of the lower classes in Cho-sen. The Coreans in
+general, and the women in particular, are at times extremely
+superstitious, which partly accounts for the violent scene in question,
+which arose out of a mere nothing, and nearly resulted in a most serious
+case of wilful infanticide. This is how things stood.
+
+I was sketching one day outside the east gate of Seoul, and, as usual,
+was surrounded by a large crowd of natives, when a good-natured old man
+with a kindly face attracted my attention, as he lifted up in his arms a
+pretty little child, on whose head he had placed his horse-hair
+transparent hat, and asked me whether I would like to paint the little
+one so attired in my picture. I was tempted by the offer, and, having
+taken up a fresh panel, proceeded to dash off a sketch of my new model in
+his pretty red frock, his tiny padded socks, and his extra large hat, to
+the great amusement of the audience, who eagerly watched every stroke of
+my brush, and went into ecstasies as they saw the likeness come out more
+and more plainly. The Coreans, like the Japanese, are extremely quick at
+understanding pictures and drawings, and I was much gratified to notice
+the interest displayed by my _auditorium_, for never before had I seen a
+crowd so pleased with work of mine. My last experiences in the sketching
+line had been among the hairy savages of the Hokkaido, among whom art was
+far from being appreciated or even tolerated, and portrait-painting was
+somewhat of a risky performance; so that when I found myself lionised,
+instead of being under a shower of pelting stones and other missiles, it
+was only natural that I felt encouraged, and really turned out a pretty
+fair sketch so far as my capabilities went. "Beautiful!" said one; "Very
+good!" exclaimed another; "Just life-like!" said they all in a chorus as
+I lifted up the finished picture to show it to them, when--there was a
+sudden change of scene. A woman with staring eyes, and as pale as death,
+appeared on the door-step of a house close by, and holding her forehead
+with her hands, as if a great calamity was to befall her, made a step
+forward.
+
+"Where is my child?" cried she in a voice of anger and despair.
+
+"Here he is," answered one of the crowd. "The foreigner is painting a
+picture of him."
+
+There was a piercing yell, and the pale woman looked such daggers at me
+that I nearly dropped the sketch, brushes and palette out of my hands.
+Oh, it was such a look! Brrr! how I shivered. Then, with another yell,
+tenfold more piercing than the first, she made a dash into the crowd, and
+tried to snatch the child away. I have heard people say that I am
+sensitive, and I believe that I really was on that occasion, for I
+involuntarily shuddered as I saw at a glance what was coming. The crowd
+had got so interested in the picture that they would not hear of letting
+the child go; so the mother, scorned and pushed back, was unsuccessful in
+her daring attempt. Boldly, however, making a fresh attack, she dashed
+into the midst of them and managed to grasp the child by the head and one
+arm; which led to the most unfortunate part of the business, for the
+angry mother pulled with all her might in her efforts to drag her sweet
+one away, while the people on the other hand pulled him as hard as they
+could by the other arm and the legs, so that the poor screaming mite was
+nearly torn to pieces, and no remonstrances of mine had the least effect
+on this human yet very inhuman tug-of-war.
+
+Fortunately for the child, whose limbs had undergone a good stretching,
+the mother let go; but it was certainly not fortunate for the others,
+for, following the little ways that women have, even in Corea, she
+proceeded to scratch the faces of all within her reach, and I myself came
+within an inch of having my eyes scratched out of my head by this
+infuriated parent, when to my great relief she was dragged away. As she
+re-entered the door of her domicile, she shook her fist and thrust her
+tongue out at me, a worthy finish to this tragic-comic scene.
+
+I do not wish you to think, however, that all women are like that in
+Corea; for, indeed, they are not. In fact, the majority of them may be
+said to be good-mannered and even soft in nature, besides being painfully
+laborious. You should see the poor things on the coldest days and nights
+of winter, smashing the thick ice in the rivers and canals, and spending
+hour after hour with their fingers in the freezing water, washing the
+clothes of their lords and masters, who are probably peacefully and
+soundly asleep at home. You should see them with their short, wooden
+mallets, like small clubs, beating the dirt out of the wet cotton
+garments, soap being as yet an unknown luxury in the Corean household.
+The poorer women, who have no washing accommodation at home, have to
+repair to the streams, and, as the clothes have to be worn in the day,
+the work must be done at night. Sometimes, too, three or more join
+together and form washing parties, this, to a certain extent, relieving
+the monotony of the kneeling down on the cold stone, pounding the clothes
+until quite clean, and constantly having to break the ice that is
+continually reforming round their very wrists. The women who are somewhat
+better off do this at home, and if you were to take a walk through the
+streets of Seoul by night you soon get familiar with the quick tick,
+tick, tick, the time as regularly marked as that of a clock, heard from
+many houses, especially previous to some festivity or public procession,
+when everybody likes to turn out in his best. If a woman in our
+country were sent out to do the washing under similarly trying
+circumstances--and, mind, a suit of clothes takes no less than a couple
+of hours to wash properly--I have no doubt that she might be tempted to
+ask for a divorce from her husband for cruelty and ill-treatment; but the
+woman of Cho-sen thinks nothing of it, and as long as it pleases the man
+whom she must obey she does it willingly and without a word of complaint.
+In fact, I am almost of opinion that the Corean woman likes to be made a
+martyr, for, not unlike women of other more civilised countries, unless
+she suffers, she does not consider herself to be quite happy!
+
+It sounds funny and incongruous, but it really is so. While studying the
+women of Corea, a former idea got deeply rooted in my head, that there is
+nothing which will make a woman happier than the opportunity of showing
+with what resignation she is able to bear the weight and drudgery of her
+duty. If to that she can add complaint of ill-treatment, then her
+happiness is unbounded. The woman of Cho-sen gets, to my mind, less
+enjoyment out of life than probably any other woman in Asia. This life
+includes misery, silence, and even separation from her children--the male
+ones--after a certain age. What things could make a woman more unhappy?
+Still, she seems to bear up well under it all, and even to enjoy all this
+sadness, I suppose one always enjoys what one is accustomed to do,
+otherwise I do not see how the phenomenon is to be explained.
+
+[Illustration: A SINGER]
+
+A few words must be added about that special class of women, the singers,
+who, as in Japan, are quite a distinct guild from the other women. A
+similar description to that of the _geishas_ of Japan might apply to
+these gay and talented young ladies, who are much sought after by high
+officials and magistrates to enliven their dinner-parties with chanting
+and music. They are generally drawn from the very poorest classes, and
+good looks and a certain amount of wit and musical talent is what must be
+acquired to be a successful singer. They improvise or sing old national
+songs, which never fail to please the self-satisfied and well-fed
+official, and if well paid, they will even condescend to pour wine into
+their employer's cups and pass sweets to the guests. If beautiful and
+accomplished, the "Corean artistes" make a very good living out of their
+profession, large sums of money being paid for their services. But if at
+all favoured by Nature, they generally end by becoming the unofficial
+wives of some rich minister or official. These women chalk their faces
+and paint their lips; they wear dresses made of the most expensive silks,
+and, like people generally who have sprung from nothing and find
+themselves lodged among higher folks than themselves, they give
+themselves airs, and cultivate a sickening conceit. Among the Coreans,
+however, they command and receive much admiration, and many an intrigue
+and scandal has been carried out, sometimes at the cost of many heads,
+through the mercenary turn of mind of these feminine musicians.
+
+This music is to the average European ear more than diabolical, this
+being to a large extent due to the differences in the tones, semi-tones,
+and intervals of the scale, but personally, having got accustomed to
+their tunes, I rather like its weirdness and originality. When once it is
+understood it can be appreciated; but I must admit that the first time
+one hears a Corean concert, an inclination arises to murder the musicians
+and destroy their instruments. Of the latter they have many kinds,
+including string and brass, and drums, and cymbals, and other sorts of
+percussion instruments. The flutes probably are the weirdest of all their
+wind category, but the tone is pleasant and the airs played on them
+fascinating, although somewhat monotonous in the end, repetitions being
+continually effected. Then there is the harp with five strings, if I
+remember right, and the more complicated sort of lute with twenty-five
+strings, the _kossiul_; a large guitar, and a smaller one; the _kanyako_
+being also in frequent use. Most of these instruments are played by
+women; the flutes, however, are also played by men.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER VI
+
+Corean children--The family--Clans--Spongers--Hospitality--Spinning-tops
+--Toys--Kite-flying--Games--How babies are sent to sleep.
+
+
+One great feature of Cho-sen life are the children. One might almost say
+that in Cho-sen you very seldom see a boy, for boyhood is done away with,
+and from childhood you spring at once to the sedate existence of a
+married man. Astonishing as this may sound, it is nevertheless true. The
+free life of a child comes to an end generally when he is about eight or
+nine years of age. At ten he is a married man, but only, as we shall see
+later, nominally. For the present, however, we shall limit ourselves to a
+consideration of his bachelor days.
+
+[Illustration: COREAN MARRIED MAN, AGE 12]
+
+It must be known that in Corea, just as here, boys are much more
+cherished than girls, and the elder of the boys is more cherished than
+his younger brothers, should there be more than one in a family,
+notwithstanding that the younger are better-looking, cleverer and more
+studious. When the father dies, the eldest son assumes the reins of the
+family, and his brothers look to him as they had before done to their
+father. He it is who inherits the family property and nearly all the
+money, though it is an understood rule that he is bound either to divide
+the inheritance share and share alike with the rest of the family, or
+else keep them as the father had done. Thus it is that Corean families
+are, for the most part kept together; one might almost say that the
+kingdom is divided into so many clans, each family with the various
+relations making, so to speak, one of them. Family ties are much regarded
+in the Land of the Morning Calm, and great interest is taken by the
+distant relations in anything concerning the happiness and welfare of the
+family. What is more, if any member of the clan should find himself in
+pecuniary troubles, all the relations are expected to help him out of
+them, and what is even more marvellous still, they willingly do it,
+without a word of protest. The Corean is hospitable by nature, but with
+relations, of course, things go much further. The house belonging to one
+practically belongs to the other, and therefore it is not an uncommon
+occurrence for a "dear relation" to come to pay a visit of a few years'
+duration to some other relation who happens to be better off, without
+this latter, however vexed he may be at the expense and trouble caused by
+the prolonged stay of his visitor, even daring to politely expel him from
+his house; were he to do so, he would commit a breach of the strict rules
+of hospitality enjoined by Corean etiquette. Even perfect strangers
+occasionally go to settle in houses of rich people, where for months they
+are accommodated and fed until it should please them to remove their
+quarters to the house of some other rich man where better food and better
+accommodation might be expected. There is nothing that a Corean fears so
+much as that people should speak ill of him, and especially this is the
+bugbear under which the nobleman of Cho-sen is constantly labouring, and
+upon which these black-mailers and "spongers" work. High officials, whose
+heads rest on their shoulders, "hung by a hair," like Damocles' sword,
+suffer very much at the hands of these marauders. Were they to refuse
+their hospitality it would bring upon them slander, scandal and libel
+from envenomed tongues, which things, in consequence of the scandalous
+intriguing which goes on at the Corean court, might eventually lead to
+their heads rolling on the ground, separated from the body--certainly not
+a pleasant sight. In justice to them, nevertheless, it must be
+acknowledged that these human leeches are occasionally possessed with a
+conscience, and after kindness has been shown them for many months they
+will generally depart in search of a new victim. Whence it would appear
+that the people of Cho-sen carry their hospitality to an extreme degree,
+and in fact it is so even with foreigners, for when visiting the houses
+of the poorest people I have always been offered food or drink, which you
+are invariably asked to share with them.
+
+But let us return to the Corean family. The mother, practically from the
+beginning, is a nobody in the household, and is looked upon as a piece of
+furniture or a beast of burden by the husband, according to his grade,
+and as an ornament to the household, but nothing more by her own sons.
+Her daughters, if she has any, regard her more as a friend or a
+companion, sharing the lonely hours and helping her with her work. The
+women never take part in any of the grand dinners and festivities in
+which their husbands revel, nor are they allowed to drink wine or
+intoxicants. They may, however, smoke.
+
+When the children get to a certain age, the males are parted from the
+females, and the first are constantly in the company of their father,
+while the latter, as we have seen, share the dull fate of the mother. The
+first thing a male child is taught is love, deep respect, and obedience
+to his governor, and in this he is, as a general rule, a paragon. If the
+father be ill, he will lie by his side day and night, nursing him, and
+giving him courage; and if any misfortune befalls him, the duty of a good
+son is to share it with his genitor.
+
+I cannot quite make up my mind on the point, whether the Corean child has
+a good time of it or not, and whether he is properly cared for, as there
+is much to be said on both sides of the question. Taken as a whole, the
+children of the noblemen and rich people, though strictly and even
+severely brought up, cannot, I think, be said to be ill-used; but the
+brats of the poorer people are often beaten in a merciless manner. I
+remember seeing a father furiously spanking a son of about five years
+old, who was pitifully crying so as to break one's heart, and as if that
+were not punishment enough, he shook him violently by his little
+pig-tail, and pounded him on the head with his knuckles, a performance
+that would have killed, or, at all events, rendered insensible nine
+children out of ten of other nationalities; but no, to my utter
+astonishment, the moment the father, tired of beating, retired into the
+house, the little mite, wiping his streaming tears with the backs of his
+hands and pulling himself together, quietly sat down on the ground, and
+began playing with the sand, as if nothing had happened!
+
+"Well!" I remember saying, as I stood perplexed, looking at the little
+hero, "if that does not beat all I have seen before, I do not know what
+can!"
+
+Yes, for hard heads and for insensibility to pain, I cannot recommend to
+you better persons than the Coreans. There are times when the Cho-sen
+children actually seem to enjoy themselves, as, for instance, during the
+month of January, when it is the fashion to have out their whipping- and
+spinning-tops. With his huge padded trousers and short coat, just like a
+miniature man, except that the colour of his coat is red or green, and
+with one or two tresses hanging down his back, tied with long silk
+ribbons, every child you come across is at this season furnished with a
+big top and a whip, with which he amuses himself and his friends,
+slashing away from morn till night, until, tired out by the exertion, he
+goes to rest his weary little bones by his father's side, still hanging
+on to the toys that have made his day so happy. The Corean child is quiet
+by nature. He is really a little man from the moment he is born, so far
+as his demeanour is concerned. He is seldom rowdy, even when in the
+company of other children, and, if anything, rather shy and reserved. He
+amuses himself with his toys in a quiet way, and his chief pleasure is to
+do what his father does. In this he is constantly encouraged, and those
+who can afford it, provide their boys with toys, representing on a
+smaller scale the objects, &c., used in the everyday life of the man. He
+has a miniature bow-and-arrow, a wooden sword, and a somewhat realistic
+straw puppet, which he delights in beheading whenever he is tired of
+playing with it and shooting his arrows into it. He possesses a
+fishing-rod, and on windy days relishes a good run with the large paper
+pinwheels, a world-wide familiar toy in infantile circles. Naturally,
+too, musical instruments, as well as the national means of conveyance,
+such as palanquins and wheel-chairs, have not escaped the notice of the
+Corean toy-manufacturer, who, it must be said, imitates the different
+objects to perfection in every detail, while, of course, considerably
+reducing them in size. Other various articles of common use in the
+household are also often reproduced in a similar way. The games that the
+children seem to enjoy most, however, seem to be the out-of-door ones.
+Kite-flying is probably the most important. Indeed, it is almost reduced
+to an art in Corea, and not only do small children go in for it
+extensively, but even the men take an active part in this infantile
+amusement. The Corean kite differs from its Japanese or Chinese relative
+in that it is very small, being only about twenty inches long by fourteen
+wide. Besides, instead of being flat on the frame, the Cho-senese kite is
+arched, which feature is said by the natives to give it a much greater
+flying capacity.
+
+The string is wound round a framework of wood attached to a stick, which
+latter revolves in the hands or is stopped at the will of the person who
+flies the kite. It is generally during the north winds that the kites are
+flown, and it is indeed a curious thing during those days to watch
+regular competitions, fights, and battles being fought among these paper
+air-farers. As soon as the kite is raised from the ground and started in
+the orthodox way, the tactics used by the Corean boy in his favourite
+amusement become most interesting. He lets it go until it has well caught
+the wind, and by sudden jerks given to it in a funny way, knocking and
+clapping the thread-wheel on his left knee, he manages to send the kite
+up to a very great height. Hundreds and hundreds of yards of string are
+often used. When high enough, sailing gaily along among hundreds of other
+kites, it is made to begin warlike tactics and attack its nearest
+neighbour. Here it is that the Corean shows his greatest skill in
+manoeuvring his flying machine, for by pulls, jerks, and twists of the
+string he manages to make his kite rise or descend, attack its enemy or
+retreat according to his wish. Then as you break your neck watching them,
+you see the two small squares of paper, hundreds of yards above you in
+mid-air, getting closer to one another, advancing and retreating, as
+would two men fighting a duel; when, suddenly, one takes the offensive,
+charges the other, and by a clever _coup de main_ makes a rent in it,
+thus dooming it to a precipitous fall to the earth. Thus victorious, it
+proudly proceeds to attack its next neighbour, which is immediately made
+to respond to the challenge; but this time kite number three, whose
+leader has profited by the end of kite number two, keeps lower down than
+his adversary, gets round him in a clever way, and when the strings meet,
+by a hard pull cuts that of kite number one, which, swinging slowly in
+the air, and now and then revolving round itself in the air, gently
+descends far away from its owner, and is quickly appropriated by some
+poor kiteless child, who perhaps has been in company with many fellows,
+watching and pining for hours for such a happy moment. Pieces of broken
+glass are often tied to the string at intervals, being of great help in
+cutting the adversary's cord.
+
+The people of Cho-sen seem to take as much interest in kite-flying as the
+Britisher does in racing. The well-grown people bet freely on the
+combatants, and it is not an uncommon thing for the excitement to reach
+such a pitch that the battle begun in mid-air terminates with sound blows
+in less aërial regions.
+
+It is quaint to see rows of children with their little red jackets,
+standing on the high walls of the city, spending hours in this favourite
+amusement. They have barely room to stand upon, as the wall is hardly
+more than a couple of feet wide, and it was always a surprise to me
+that, amid the constant jerking and pulling the young folks were never
+precipitated from their point of vantage to the foot, which in many
+places would be as much as thirty feet in height. I have watched them for
+hours in the expectation of seeing one of them have an accident, but
+unfortunately for me they never did!
+
+The little girls under ten years of age are exceedingly pretty. With the
+hair carefully parted in the middle and tied into two tresses at the
+back, a little green jacket and a long red skirt, they do indeed look
+quaint. You should see how well-behaved and sedate, too, they are. It is
+impossible to make one smile. You may give her sweets, a toy, or anything
+you please, but all you will hear is the faintest "Kamapso," and away she
+runs to show the gift to her mother. She will seldom go into fits of
+merriment in your presence, but, of course, her delight cannot fail to be
+at times depicted in her beaming eyes. She is more unfortunate than her
+brother in the number of toys she receives, and though her treatment is
+not so very severe, she begins from her earliest years a life of drudgery
+and work. As soon as her little brain begins to command her tiny fingers,
+she is compelled to struggle with a needle and thread. When her fragile
+arms get stronger she helps her mother in beating the clothes, and from
+the moment she rises to the time she goes to rest, ideas as to her future
+servility, humility, and faithfulness to man are duly impressed upon her.
+
+As in Japan, so in Corea, a custom prevails of adopting male children by
+parents who have none of their own. The children adopted are generally
+those of poorer friends or of relations who chance to have some to spare.
+When the adoption is accomplished, with all the rules required by the law
+of the country, and with the approval of the king, the adopted son takes
+the place of a real son, and has a complete right of succession to his
+adoptive father in precedence to the adoptive mother and all the other
+relations of the defunct.
+
+The Corean boy begins to study when very young. If the son of a rich man,
+he has a private tutor; if not, he goes to school, where he is taught the
+letters of the Corean alphabet, and Chinese characters. All official
+correspondence in Corea is done with Chinese characters, and a lifetime,
+as everybody knows, is hardly enough to master these. The native Corean
+alphabet, however, is a most practical and easy way of representing
+sounds, and I am not sure but that in many ways it is even more practical
+than ours. I will give the reader the opportunity of judging of this for
+himself by-and-by (_see_ chapter xiii.). Arithmetic is also pounded into
+the little heads of the Cho-sen mites by means of the sliding-bead
+addition-board, the "chon-pan," a wonderful contrivance, also much used
+in Japan and China, and which is of invaluable help in quick calculation.
+The children are made to work very hard, and I was always told by the
+natives that they are generally very diligent and studious. A father was
+telling me one day that his son was most assiduous, but that he (the
+father) every now and then administered to him a good flogging.
+
+"But that is unfair," said I. "Why do you do it?"
+
+"Because I wish my son to be a great man. I am pleased with his work, but
+I flog him to encourage(?) him to study better still!"
+
+I felt jolly glad that I was never "encouraged" in this kind of way when
+I was at school.
+
+"I have no doubt that if you flog him enough he will one day be so clever
+that no one on this earth will be able to appreciate him."
+
+"You are right," said the old man, perceiving at once the sarcasm of my
+remark, "you are right. I shall never beat my son again."
+
+The children of labourers generally attend night-schools, where they
+receive a sound education for very little money and sometimes even
+gratis.
+
+I am sure you will be interested to learn after what fashion children are
+named in the Land of the Morning Calm, as baptism with holy water is not
+yet customary. To tell you the truth, however, I am not quite certain how
+things are managed, and I rather doubt whether even the Coreans
+themselves know it. The only rule I was able to establish is that there
+was no rule at all, with the exception that all the males took the family
+name, to which followed (not preceded, as with us) one other name, and
+then the title or rank. Nicknames are extremely common, and there is
+hardly any one who not only has one, but actually goes by it instead of
+by his real name. Foreigners also are always called after some
+distinguishing mark either in the features or in the clothing. I went by
+the name of "disguised Corean," for I was always mistaken for one,
+notwithstanding that I dressed in European clothes. I will not say that
+I was very proud of my new name.
+
+The Corean noblemen, during their many hours of _dolce far niente_, often
+indulge in games of chess, backgammon and checkers, and teach these games
+to their sons as part of a gentleman's accomplishments. Cards, besides
+being forbidden by order of the king, are considered vulgar and a low
+amusement only fit for the lowest people. The soldiers indulge much in
+card-playing and gambling with dice-throwing and other ways.
+
+But to return to the children of Cho-sen: do you know what is the system
+employed by the yellow-skinned women to send their babies to sleep?
+
+They scrape them gently on the stomach!
+
+The rowdiest baby is sent to sleep in no time by this simple process. I
+can speak from experience, for I once tried it on a baby--only a few
+months old--that I wanted to paint. He was restless, and anything but a
+good sitter. It was impossible to start work until he was quiet, so I
+decided to experiment on the juvenile model the "scraping process" that I
+had seen have its effect a day or two previously. At first the baby
+became ten times more lively than before, and looked at me as if it meant
+to say, "What the devil are you doing?" Then, as I went on scraping his
+little stomach for the best part of ten minutes, he became drowsy, was
+hardly able to keep his eyes open, and finally, thank Heaven, fell
+asleep!
+
+He was, indeed, he was so much so that I thought he was never going to
+wake up again.
+
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER VII
+
+Corean inns--Seoul--A tour of
+observation--Beggars--Lepers--Philosophy--An old palace--A leopard
+hunt--Weather prophets--The main street--Sedan chairs---The big
+bell--Crossing of the bridges--Monuments--Animal worship--The Gate of the
+Dead--A funeral--The Queen-dowager's telephone.
+
+
+[Illustration: THE DRILLING GROUND, SEOUL]
+
+During the time that I was in Seoul--and I was there several months--most
+of my time was spent out of doors, for I mixed as much as possible with
+the natives, that I might see and study their manners and customs. I was
+very fortunate in my quarters: for I first stayed at the house of a
+Russian gentleman, and after that in that of the German Consul, and to
+these kind friends I felt, and shall always feel, greatly indebted for
+the hospitality they showed me during the first few weeks that I was in
+the capital; but, above all, do I owe it to the Vice-Minister of Home
+Affairs in Corea, Mr. C.R. Greathouse, in whose house I stayed most of
+the time, that I saw Corea as I did see it, for he went to much trouble
+to make me comfortable, and did his best to enable me to see every phase
+of Corean life. For this, I need not say, I cannot be too grateful.
+
+The great difficulty travellers visiting the capital of Corea
+experience--I am speaking of four years ago--is to find a place to put up
+at, unless he has invitations to go and stay with friends. There are no
+hotels, and even no inns of any sort, with the exception of the very
+lowest _gargottes_ for soldiers and coolies, the haunts of gamblers and
+robbers. If then you are without shelter for the night, you must simply
+knock at the door of the first respectable house you see, and on demand
+you will heartily be provided with a night's domicile and plentiful rice.
+This being so, there is little inducement to go to some filthy inn
+entirely lacking in comforts, and, above all, in personal safety.
+
+The Corean inns--and there are but few even of those--are patronised only
+by the scum of the worst people of the lowest class, and whenever there
+is a robbery, a fight, or a murder, you can be certain that it has taken
+place in one of those dens of vice. I have often spent hours in them
+myself to study the different types, mostly criminal, of which there are
+many specimens in these abodes. There it is that plots are made up to
+assassinate; it is within those walls that sinners of all sorts find
+refuge, and can keep well out of sight of the searching police.
+
+The attractions of Seoul, as a city, are few. Beyond the poverty of the
+buildings and the filth of the streets, I do not know of much else of any
+great interest to the casual globe-trotter, who, it must be said, very
+seldom thinks it advisable to venture as far as that. No, there is
+nothing beautiful to be seen in Seoul. If, however, you are on the
+look-out for quaintness and originality, no town will interest you more.
+Let us go for a walk round the town, and if your nose happens to be of a
+sensitive nature, do not forget to take a bottle of the strongest salts
+with you. We might start on our peregrinations from the West Gate, as we
+are already familiar with this point. We are on the principal
+thoroughfare of Seoul, which we can easily perceive by the amount of
+traffic on it as compared with the other narrower and deserted streets.
+The mud-houses on each side, as we descend towards the old royal palace,
+are miserable and dirty, the front rooms being used as shops, where
+eatables, such as rice, dried fruit, &c, are sold. A small projecting
+thatched roof has been put up, sustained by posts, at nearly each of
+these, to protect its goods from sun and snow. Before going two hundred
+yards we come to a little stone bridge, about five feet wide, and with no
+parapet, over a sewer, in front of which is an open space like a small
+square. But look! Do you see that man squatting down there on a mat? Is
+he not picturesque with his long white flowing robe, his large pointed
+straw hat and his black face? As he lies there with outstretched hands,
+dried by the sun and snow, calling out for the mercy of the passers-by,
+he might almost be mistaken for an Arab. His face is as black as it could
+be, and he is blind. He is one of the personalities of Seoul, and rain or
+shine you always see him squatting on his little mat at the same spot in
+the same attitude.
+
+[Illustration: THE BLIND BEGGAR: SEOUL]
+
+It is only seldom that beggars are to be seen in Cho-sen, for they are
+not allowed to prowl about except on certain special occasions, and
+festivities, when the streets are simply crammed with them. It is then
+that the most ghastly diseases, misfortunes, accidents, and deformities
+are made use of and displayed before you to extract from your pockets the
+modest sum of a _cash_. I cannot say that I am easily impressed by such
+sights, and far less horrified, for in my lifetime it has been my luck to
+see so many that I have got accustomed to them; but I must confess to
+being on one occasion really terrified at the sight of a Corean beggar. I
+was sketching not very far from this stone miniature bridge on which we
+are supposed to be still standing, when I perceived the most ghastly
+object coming towards me. It looked like a human being, and it did not;
+but it was. As he drew nearer, I could not help shivering. He was a
+walking skeleton, minus toes and fingers. He was almost naked, except
+that he had a few rags round his loins; and the skin that hardly covered
+his bones was a mass of sores. His head was so deformed and his eyes so
+sunken that a Peruvian mummy would have been an Adonis if compared with
+him. Nose he had none--_et ça passe_--for in Seoul it is a blessing not
+to have one; and where his mouth should have been there was a huge gap,
+his lower jaw being altogether missing. A few locks of long hair in
+patches on his skull, blown by the wind, completed a worthy frame for
+this most unprepossessing head.
+
+Oh, what a hideous sight! He hopped along a step or two at a time on his
+bony legs and toeless feet, keeping his balance with a long crutch, which
+he held under his arm, and he had a sort of wooden cup attached by a
+string to his neck, into which people might throw their charities. "He is
+a leper," a Corean, who stood by my side and had noticed the
+ever-increasing expression of horror on my face, informed me.
+
+The man, or rather the scarecrow, for he hardly had any more the
+resemblance to a human being, hearing the noise of the crowd that was
+round me, moved in my direction. He staggered and dragged himself till he
+got quite close, then bending his trembling head forward, made the utmost
+efforts to see, just as a bat does when taken out into the daylight. Poor
+fellow! he was also very nearly blind. His efforts to speak were painful
+beyond measure. A hoarse sound like the neighing of a pony was all that
+came out of his throat, and each time he did this, shrieks of laughter
+rose from the crowd, while comical jokes and sarcastic remarks were
+freely passed at the thinness of his legs, the condition of his skin, and
+the loss of the lower half of his face. Oh! it was shocking and
+revolting, though it must be said for them that the same people who
+chaffed him were also the first ones to fill his little pot with cash.
+
+Now, you must not think that I have told you this story to make your hair
+stand on end, for that is not my intention at all; but simply to prove to
+you the anomaly that a Corean is not really cruel when he is cruel, or
+rather when he appears to us to be cruel. This sounds, I believe, rather
+extraordinary to people who cannot be many-sided when analysing a
+question, but what I mean is this: It must not be forgotten that
+different people have different customs and different ways of thinking;
+therefore, what we put down as dreadful is often thought a great deal of
+in the Land of the Morning Calm.
+
+"Why not laugh at illnesses, death, and deformity?" I once heard a Corean
+argue.
+
+"It does not make people any better if you sympathise with them; on the
+contrary, by so doing you simply add pain to their pain, and make them
+feel worse than they really are. Besides, illnesses help to make up our
+life, and it is our duty to go through them as merrily as through those
+other things which you call pleasures. We people of Cho-sen do not look
+upon illnesses, accidents, or death as misfortunes, but as natural things
+that cannot be helped and must be bravely endured; what better, then, can
+we do than laugh at them?"
+
+"So your argument is," I dared put in, "that if one may laugh at one's
+own misfortunes, there is all the more title to laugh at those of other
+people?"
+
+"That is so," retorted the man of Cho-sen, with an air of
+self-conviction.
+
+I at once agreed with him that I did not find much real harm in laughing
+at other people's misfortunes, except that if it did not do anybody any
+harm, it neither did them any good; but I acknowledge that it took me
+some minutes before I could make up my mind as to one's own misfortunes.
+In the end, however, I had to agree with him even about this point. He
+proved to me that Coreans are at bottom very good-hearted and unselfish,
+and always ready to help relations and neighbours, always ready to be
+kind even at their own discomfort. This good-nature, however, lacks in
+form from our point of view, though the substance is always the same, and
+probably more so than with us. They are a much simpler people, and
+hypocrisy among them has not yet reached our civilised stage. In the case
+of our poor leper friend, we have seen that the people who laughed at him
+were the first to help him; whereas, I have no doubt that among us who
+are good Christians, and nothing else but charitable, the majority would
+not have laughed; indeed, I am not quite sure but that, on the contrary,
+many would have run to the nearest church to pray for the man, meantime
+leaving him "cashless," if not to die of starvation.
+
+Now let us continue our walk and leave the blind man and leper behind. On
+our left-hand side there is a huge gateway with a red wooden door--in
+rather a dilapidated condition--though apparently leading to something
+very grand. Since we are here we may as well go in. Good gracious! it is
+a tumble-down place. In olden days it used to be the king's palace, and
+if you follow me you can see how big the grounds are. For some reason or
+other this place, with all its accessories, buildings, &c., has been
+abandoned by the Court simply because of rumours getting abroad that
+ghosts haunted it. Evil spirits were reported to have been seen prowling
+about the grounds, and in the royal apartments, and it would never have
+done for a king to have been near such company; so the Court went to
+great expense to build a fresh abode for the royal personage, and the old
+palace was abandoned and left to decay. The grounds that were laid out as
+pretty gardens were, many years later, used for a plantation of
+mulberries, a foreign speculation which was to enrich the King and the
+country, but which turned out instead a huge _fiasco_. The mulberry trees
+are still there, as you may see. Let us, however, proceed a little way up
+this hill and go and pay a visit to the two eunuchs who are the sole
+inhabitants of this huge place, and who will take us round it. These
+eunuchs occupy a little room about ten feet square and of the same height
+in the inner enclosure. They are very polite, and joining their hands by
+way of salute to you, invite you to go in--to drink tea and smoke a pipe.
+Poor wretches! One of them, a fat fellow of an unwholesome kind, as if he
+were made of putty, having learnt the European way of greeting people,
+insisted on shaking hands with me, but, oh, how repulsive it was! His
+cold, squashy sort of boneless hand, gave you the impression that you had
+grasped a toad in your hand. And his face! Did you ever see a weaker,
+more depraved and inhuman head than that which was screwed on his
+shoulders? His cadaverous complexion was marked with the results of
+small-pox, which were certainly no improvement to his looks; his eyes had
+been set in his head anyhow, and each seemed to move of its own accord;
+his mouth seemed simply to hang like a rag, showing his teeth and his
+tongue.
+
+His fellow was somewhat better, for he was of the thin kind of that type,
+and though possessing the effeminate, weak characteristics of his friend,
+one could at least see that he was built on a skeleton, like the
+generality of people! But the features of these eunuchs were as nothing
+to their voices. The latter were squeaky like those of girls of five; and
+more especially when the fat man spoke, it almost seemed as if the thread
+of a voice came from underground, so imperceptible was the sound that he
+could produce after he had spoken a few minutes. Having profited by the
+notions of my Corean philosopher of a little while ago, I simply went
+into screams of merriment at the misfortune of these poor devils, but
+really it was difficult to help it.
+
+Preceded by these eunuchs, let us now go over the tumble-down ruins of
+the palace. On the top of the small hill stands the main building of red
+painted wood and turned up roof _à la Chinoise_, and inside this, in the
+audience hall, can yet be seen the remains of the wooden throne raised up
+in the centre, with screens on the sides. There is nothing artistic about
+it, no richness, and nothing beautiful, and with the exception of the
+ceiling, that must have been pretty at one time with native patterns and
+yellow, red and green ornaments, there is absolutely nothing else worth
+noticing. Outside, the three parallel flights of steps leading up to the
+audience hall have a curious feature. It is forbidden to any one but the
+King to go up on the middle steps, and he of course is invariably
+carried; for which reason, in the middle part of the centre staircase a
+carved stone table is laid over the steps in such a way that no one can
+tread on them except quite at the sides where the men who carry the King
+have to walk.
+
+The houses where the King and royal family used to live with their
+household have now been nearly all destroyed by the weather and damp, and
+many of the roofs have fallen in. They were very simple, only one story
+high, and little better than the habitations of the better classes of
+people in Cho-sen. Coming out again of the inner enclosure, one finds
+stables and other houses scattered here and there in the _compound_,[3]
+and lower down we come to a big drain of masonry. But let me tell you a
+funny story.
+
+As you know, the Land of the Morning Calm is often troubled at night by
+prowling leopards and huge tigers which make their peregrinations through
+the town in search of food. A big leopard was thus seen by the natives
+one fine day taking a constitutional in the grounds of this haunted
+palace. Perplexed and even terrified, the unarmed natives ran for their
+lives, except one who, from a distant point of vantage, watched the
+animal and saw him enter the drain just mentioned. There happened to be
+staying in Seoul an Englishman, a Mr. S., who possessed a rifle and who
+had often astonished the natives by his skill in never missing the bull's
+eye; so to him they all went in a deputation, begging him to do away with
+the four-legged, unwelcome visitor. Mr. S., who wished for nothing
+better, promised that he would go that same night, and, accompanied by
+his faithful native servant, went and hid himself in proximity to the
+hole whence the leopard was likely to spring. It was a lovely moonlight
+night, and several hours had been passed in perfect silence and vain
+waiting for the chance of a shot, when a bright idea struck the native
+servant. Certain that the leopard was no longer there, and wishing to
+retire to his warm room, he addressed his master in poetic terms somewhat
+as follows:--
+
+"Sir, I am a brave man, and fear neither man nor beast. I am your
+servant, and for you am ready to give my life. I have brought with me two
+long bamboos, and with them I shall go and poke in the drain, rouse the
+ferocious beast, and as he jumps out you will kill him. If I shall lose
+my life, which I am ready to do for you, please think of my wife and
+child."
+
+"Very good," said the Englishman, who was getting rather tired of the
+discomfort and cold, and who, though he did not say so, also shared the
+opinion that the brute had gone.
+
+Thus encouraged, the servant at once proceeded to tie the two bamboos
+together, and again reminding his master of the brave act he was going to
+accomplish, proceeded with firm step to the drain, about thirty yards
+off. When he reached the opening he seemed to hesitate. He stood and
+listened. He carefully peeped in and listened again. He heard nothing.
+Then, bringing all his courage to bear, he lifted his bamboo and began
+poking in the drain. Two or three times, as he thought, he had touched
+something soft with the end. He dropped his bamboo as if it had been a
+hot iron, and ran full-speed back to his master, imploring his
+protection.
+
+"Has got--has got--kill--master--kill--kill!" and he lay by his side,
+shivering with fright.
+
+"You are frightened, you coward; there is nothing. Go again."
+
+After a few minutes the faithful valet, who had then made quite sure that
+there was no leopard in the drain and that he had shown himself a coward,
+unwillingly and slowly returned to the charge and picked up his bamboo.
+
+"I am trembling with cold, not with fear," he had said as he was getting
+up again. "I shall enter the drain this time and rouse the animal
+myself!"
+
+So he really did. He went in, holding the bamboo in front of him, and
+pausing at each step. The farther in he went, the more his
+self-confidence failed him. The drain was high enough to allow of his
+standing in it with his back and head bent down; wherefore, if an
+encounter with the spotted fiend were to take place, the retreat of the
+man would not be an easy matter.
+
+"Master must think me very brave," he was soliloquising on his
+subterranean march, when he received a sudden shock that nearly stopped
+his heart and froze the blood in his veins. He had actually touched
+something soft with the end of his bamboo, and not only that, but he
+fancied he heard a growl.
+
+He quickly turned round to escape, when a violent push knocked him down,
+and he fell almost senseless and bleeding all over.
+
+"Bang!" went the rifle outside just as the screams of: "Master, aahi,
+aahi, kill, kill, kill," were echoing in the drain; and the leopard with
+a broken hind leg rolled over on the ground groaning fiercely, by-and-by
+trying to retrace its steps to its domicile. The poor Corean lay
+perplexed, looking at the scene, all lighted up by the beautiful
+moonlight; and his heart bounded with joy, when, after the second or
+third report of the gun, he saw shot dead the animal that had already
+reached the opening of the drain.
+
+As his master appeared, rifle in hand, and touched the dead beast, his
+valiant qualities returned to him in full, and he got out of the drain.
+He was badly scratched all over, I dare say, by the paws of the beast,
+for it had sprung violently out the moment the bamboo tickled it, though
+otherwise he was not much the worse for his narrow escape.
+
+Such is the last story connected with that drain. The grounds, as you
+see, extend towards the west as far as the city wall. As we go out of the
+gate which we entered, you can see a sort of a portico on the left-hand
+side as you approach it. Well, under that, as the spring is approaching,
+there are often to be heard the most diabolical noises for several days
+in succession. If the season has been a very dry one, you will see
+several men and numberless children beating on three or four huge drums
+and calling out at the top of their voices for rain. From sunrise until
+sunset this goes on, unless some stranded cloud happens to appear on the
+horizon, when the credit of such a phenomenon is awarded to their
+diabolical howls, and _cash_ subtracted from landed proprietors as a
+reward for their having called the attention of the weather-clerk. A
+spectacled wise-man, a kind of astrologer, on a donkey and followed and
+preceded by believers in his extraordinary powers of converting fine
+weather into wet, and _vice versâ_, rides through the main streets of the
+capital, with lanterns and festoons, on the same principle as does our
+Salvation Army, namely, to collect a crowd to the spot where his
+mysterious rites are to be performed. Here, supported by his servants, he
+dismounts from his high saddle, and, still supported under his arms--the
+idea being that so great a personage cannot walk by himself--he at last
+reaches the spot, apparently with great fatigue. "To carry all his
+knowledge," argue the admiring natives, "must indeed entail great
+fatigue."
+
+When rain is to be summoned, our astrologer addresses his first
+reproaches to the sun, stretching out his hands and using the strongest
+of invectives, after which, when he has worked himself into a towering
+rage against the orb of day, an execrable beating on the drums begins,
+accompanied by the howling of all the people present. The god of rain
+gets his share of insults, and is severely reprimanded for the casual way
+in which he carries on his business, and so, partly with good, partly
+with bad manners, this satanic performance goes on day after day, until,
+eventually, it does begin to rain.
+
+The portico in this old haunted palace was a favourite spot for these
+rites, and as the house of the Vice-Minister of Home Affairs, where I
+stayed as a guest, was close by, I suffered a good deal at the hands of
+these fanatics, for the noise they made was of so wild a nature as to
+drive one crazy--if not, also, quite sufficient to bring the whole world
+down.
+
+We may now continue our peregrination along the main street. There along
+the wall squat dozens of coolies, with their carrying arrangement,
+sitting on their heels, and basking in the sun. Further on, one of them
+is just loading a huge earthenware vase full of the native beverage. The
+weight must be something enormous. Yet see how quickly and cleverly he
+manages to get up with it, and walk away from his kneeling position by
+first raising one leg, then the other, and after that a push up and it is
+done.
+
+Here, again, coming along, is another curiosity. It is a blue palanquin,
+carried on the back of two men. They walk along quickly, with bare feet,
+and trousers turned up over the knees. Instead of wearing a transparent
+head-gear, like the rest of the people, these chair-bearers have round
+felt hats. In front walks a _Maggiordomo_, and following the palanquin
+are a few retainers. Heading the procession are two men, who, with rude
+manners, push away the people, and shout out at the top of their voices:
+
+"Era, Era, Era; Picassa, Picassa!" ("Out of the way; get out, get away!")
+were the polite words with which these roughs elbowed their way among the
+crowd, and flung people on one side or the other, in order to clear the
+road for their lord and master. From the hubbub they made, one might have
+imagined that it was the King himself coming, instead of a mere
+magistrate.
+
+A few hundred yards further on, one finds on one's left a magnificent
+street departing at right angles to the main thoroughfare. It is
+certainly the widest street in the Corean capital. So wide is it, in
+fact, that two rows of thatched houses are built in the middle of the
+road itself, so to speak, forming out of one street three parallel
+streets. These houses are, however, pulled down and removed altogether
+once or twice a year, when His Majesty the King takes it into his head to
+come out of his palace and go in his state chair, preceded by a grand
+procession, to visit the tombs of his ancestors, some miles out of the
+town, or to meet the envoys of the Chinese Emperor, a short way out of
+the west gate of the capital, at a place where a peculiar triumphal arch,
+half built of masonry and half of lacquered wood, has been erected, close
+to an artificial cut in the rocky hill, named the "Pekin Pass" in honour
+of the said Chinese messengers.
+
+I witnessed two or three of these king's processions, and I shall
+describe them to you presently. In the meantime, however, let us walk up
+the royal street.
+
+The two rows of shanties having been pulled down, its tremendous width is
+very conspicuous, being apparently about ten times that of our
+Piccadilly. The houses on both sides are the mansions in which the
+nobles, princes, and generals live, and are built of solid masonry. They
+are each one story high, with curled-up roofs, and here and there the
+military ensign may be seen flying. Facing us at the end, a pagoda-like
+structure, with two roofs, and one half of masonry, the upper part of
+lacquered wood, is the main entrance to the royal palace. Two sea-lions,
+roughly carved out of stone, stand on pedestals a short distance in front
+of the huge closed gate, and there, squatting down, gambling or asleep,
+are hundreds of chair-carriers and soldiers, while by the road-side are
+palanquins of all colours, and open chairs, with tiger and leopard skins
+thrown over them, waiting outside the royal precincts, since they are not
+allowed inside, for their masters, who spend hours and days in
+expectation of being invited to an audience by, or a confabulation with,
+His Majesty. People of different ranks have differently coloured
+chairs--the highest of the palanquin form being that covered with green
+cloth and carried by four men. Foreign consuls and legal advisers of the
+King are allowed the honour of riding in one of these. The privilege of
+being carried by four men instead of by two is only accorded to officials
+of high rank. The covered palanquins are so made that the people squat in
+them cross-legged. A brass receptacle, used for different purposes, is
+inside, in one corner of the conveyance. Some of them are a little more
+ornamented than others, and lined with silk or precious skins, but
+generally they are not so luxurious as the ones in common use in China.
+
+[Illustration: AN OFFICIAL GOING TO COURT IN A MONO-WHEELED CHAIR]
+
+But if you want to see a really strange sight, here at last you have it.
+It is a high official going to Court in his state mono-wheeled chair. You
+can see that he is a "somebody" by the curious skull-cap he is wearing,
+curled up over the top of his head and with wings on each side starting
+from the back of his head-gear. His flowing silk gown and the curious
+rectangular jewelled stiff belt, projecting far beyond his body, denote
+that he is holding a high position at the Corean Court. A coolie marches
+in front of him, carrying on his back a box containing the court clothes
+which he will have to don when the royal palace is reached, all
+carefully packed in the case, covered with white parchment. Numerous
+young followers also walk behind his unsteady vehicle. There you see him
+perched up in a kind of arm-chair at a height of about five feet--sitting
+more or less gracefully on a lovely tiger skin, that has been
+artistically thrown upon it, leaving the head hanging down at the back.
+Under the legless chair, as it were, there are two supports, at the lower
+end of which and between these supports revolves a heavy, nearly round
+wheel, with four spokes. Occasionally the wheel is made of one block of
+wood only, and is ornamented at the sides with numerous round-headed iron
+nails. There may be also two side long poles to rest on the shoulders of
+the two carriers--one in front and one at the back--a few extra
+strengtheners on each side, and then you have the complete "_attelage_."
+So you see, it may be a great honour to be carried about in a similar
+chair, though to the eyes of barbarians like ourselves it looks neither
+comfortable nor safe. India-rubber tyres and, still less, pneumatic ones,
+have not yet been adopted by the Corean chair-maker, and it appeared to
+me that a good deal of "holding on" was required, especially when
+travelling over stony and rough ground, to avoid being thrown right out
+of one's high position. The grandees whom I saw carried in them seemed to
+me, judging by the expression on their faces, to be ever looking forward
+patiently and hopefully to the time for getting out of these perilous
+conveyances. Certainly when going round corners or on uneven ground I
+often saw them at an angle that would make the hair of anybody but a
+grave and sedate Corean official stand on end. The palace gate reached,
+he is let down gently, the front part of the chair being gradually
+lowered, and, with a sigh of relief, steps out of it. Immediately he is
+supported on each side by his followers, and thus the palace is entered,
+the mono-wheeled chair being left outside standing against the wall, and
+the tired carriers squatting down to a quiet gamble with the
+chair-bearers of other noblemen.
+
+Here let us leave him for the present, since the huge gates are closed
+again upon our very noses.
+
+The royal palace is enclosed by a high wall, at the corners of which
+there are turrets with sentries and soldiers. In each of the sections of
+the wall also there is a gate, the principal one of course being that
+which we have already described.
+
+We shall now retrace our steps down the royal avenue, but before leaving
+it we must once again look back upon the royal enclosure. It is not a
+very grand sight, but it is pretty to see a high hill towering at the
+back of the royal palace. Undoubtedly the position where the palace is
+now situated is the best in Seoul, both through being in the very centre
+of the town and through the prettiness of its situation. The inside of
+the royal enclosure we shall presently describe.
+
+Continuing our way, then, towards the east gate, we soon come to another
+big thoroughfare on our right-hand side, at one corner of which is a
+picturesque ancient pavilion, with a railing round it. This is one of the
+sights of Seoul, "the big bell."
+
+It is a huge bronze bell raised from the ground only about a foot. It
+possesses a fine rich tone when it is hammered upon by the bell-ringer,
+but a good deal of the sonorousness is lost and the sound made dreary and
+monotonous by its being so low down. The man rings it by striking heavy
+blows at it with a big wooden mallet, and its first note in the early
+morning makes the drowsy gate-keepers of the town begin to make
+preparations for establishing communication once more between the capital
+and the outer world; while at sunset, as its last melancholy notes are
+blown away in dying waves by the wind, the heavy gates are closed, and
+every man--though not every woman, as we shall see--has to retire to his
+home until dawn the next morning, if he wishes to escape a severe
+flogging, or even the risk of losing his head. The laws and rules in this
+respect have not been very severely enforced of late years; yet one never
+sees even now a Corean male walking about the streets after dark. Though
+capital punishment might not be inflicted on the offender, a very sound
+spanking would very probably be the result of a native being caught
+_flagrante delicto_ during a nocturnal peregrination. Wherefore, the
+Corean male is, _à raison_, very careful not to be seen out after dark.
+On one or two occasions, nevertheless, the male community is allowed a
+prowl by night, and seem to enjoy it to their heart's content. The
+principal of these great events is the night for "crossing the bridges,"
+a festivity in which men and children are allowed to take part, and in
+the course of which they spend the whole night in prowling about the
+streets, and crossing over the bridges and back again. At such a time the
+streets are alive with story-tellers, magicians and comedians, who
+delight the nocturnal sight-seers with wonderful fairy-tales, jokes and
+fantastic plays.
+
+A moonlight night is always chosen for the "crossing of the bridges"
+outing, a rather sensible precaution when one sees what the bridges are
+like. There are the stone supports of course, and over these huge flat
+broad stones on which one treads. The width of the bridges is generally
+about six feet, but no parapet or railing of any kind is provided for the
+safety of the wayfarer. Through age and weather, these stones have been
+considerably worn out, and are here and there disconnected, besides being
+slippery to an extreme degree; so that even in broad daylight, one has to
+keep all his wits about him, in this sort of tight-rope performance, not
+to find himself landed in the river down below, in which, however, there
+is no water running. Altogether, the days in which the men of Cho-sen
+enjoy liberty at night are five.
+
+The last day of the year is probably the one when the larger crowds can
+be seen hurrying along through the streets, for a custom prevails among
+the Coreans to visit during that night and the following one, all one's
+relations and best friends, congratulations and good wishes being freely
+exchanged and presents of sweets brought and gracefully received. New
+Year's night is also a night of independence, but the greater number of
+the male community are so "well on" with wine-drinking and excitement,
+that staying at home is generally deemed advisable.
+
+There are two free nights, besides, on the fourteenth and fifteenth days
+of the first moon, and on one of the days at "half-year" in the sixth
+moon. That is all.
+
+[Illustration: THE MARBLE PAGODA]
+
+At no great distance from the "big bell," down a tortuous little lane, we
+come to what is undoubtedly a very ancient work of art. This is a pagoda,
+made of solid marble, and adorned with beautiful carvings all the way up
+to the top. To me this pagoda seemed to be of Chinese origin, but, though
+much speculation has been exercised in Seoul as to how so strange a
+monument came to be placed in the Corean capital, no reliable data, or
+facts that might be considered of historical value, have as yet been
+forthcoming to explain satisfactorily its presence there. Beyond
+wondering at its antiquity, therefore, and admiring the skilful
+bas-relief upon it, there is little more for us to do; so, moving out of
+the courtyard in which this pagoda is situated, we proceed to inspect
+another monument, equally curious from an archaeological point of view.
+
+It cannot but seem strange that the Coreans should be ignorant regarding
+the little pagoda above mentioned. I call it "little," for I do not
+think it stands more than fifteen or twenty feet from the base to the
+top. Probably in Seoul itself there is not more than one man out of fifty
+who knows of its existence, and those who are acquainted with it, beyond
+telling you emphatically that it is not a Corean work, can give you no
+information about it. It is not improbable that, in the course of some
+friendly or unfriendly intercourse between the Chinese and the Coreans,
+this pagoda was brought or sent over from China.
+
+The other curiosity is a huge stone tortoise carrying a tablet on its
+back.
+
+As I have already mentioned, the Coreans in many ways resemble, and have
+appropriated or carried with them to their place of settlement some ideas
+which are common to the Manchus, the Mongols, and the Northern and
+Southern Chinese. Among these may be instanced the great respect for, if
+not worship of, fetishes and rudely made images of animals, both
+imaginary and real, which are supposed to be embodied there with all
+their good and evil qualities. The Coreans have an especial veneration
+for the tiger, the emblem of supernatural strength, courage and dignity.
+Now when veneration comes into play, the extraordinary, as a rule, soon
+takes the place of the ordinary, especially in the Eastern mind, which is
+rather addicted to letting itself be run away with by its imagination. So
+the tiger, as though it were not sufficiently gifted already with evil
+qualities of a more mundane order, is often depicted by native geniuses,
+as having also the power of flying, producing lightning, and spitting
+fire; and not only that, but as able to walk on flames without feeling
+the slightest inconvenience, and manipulate blazing fire as one would a
+fan in everyday use. On flags, pictures, and embroideries the tiger is
+often represented by native artists.
+
+Next to the tiger, the animal most cherished by the Coreans is the
+tortoise. To it are applied all the good qualities that the tiger wants;
+for example, thoughtfulness, a retiring nature, humility, gentleness,
+steadiness, and patience; these being all symbolised by this shelled
+amphibious animal, which, in the minds of many Eastern Asiatics, was the
+basis upon which, in later times, were built the rudiments of mathematics
+and wisdom. In Corea, the principal quality attributed to the tortoise is
+long life; wherefore, it has been handed down from early times to the
+present day as the emblem of longevity.
+
+This, then, explains the signification of the tortoise in front of which
+we are now standing. Those tortoises that are made to carry tablets on
+their backs are, as a general rule, erected in honour and remembrance of
+some benevolent prince or magnanimous magistrate--the tablets being
+placed over these favourite creatures to signify that it was by relying
+upon all the good qualities attributed to the tortoise that the person
+whose praises are celebrated on them, attained to the virtues which are
+deemed so worthy an example to the world.
+
+There are many species of semi-sacred tortoises in Corea, to all
+appearance the product of imaginary intermarriages between the slow
+amphibious animal in question and the fire-spitting dragon, silver-tailed
+phoenix, and other animals; and these mixed breeds of idols, so to
+speak, are occasionally to be seen in the houses of rich people and
+princes near the entrance gate. In the Royal Palace, too, some may be
+seen, among the more important being the old Seal of State, which
+consists of a tortoise cleverly carved out of marble with the impression
+of the Royal Seal engraved on the under side.
+
+A curious thing which strikes visitors to Corea who notice it is that,
+although the tortoise runs a close race with the tiger in the respect of
+the natives, nevertheless, the larger and fiercer animal is much more
+frequently represented than its smaller and gentler competitor. For
+instance, one invariably sees on the roofs of the city gates, fixed on
+the corners, five small representations of the tiger, all reclining in a
+row one after the other. On many of the larger buildings also the same
+thing can be observed; while, on the other hand, it is only rarely that
+the tortoise is seen in such a situation. When representations of the
+latter are thus attached, they are generally placed at the four lower
+corners of the buildings, as if by way of support.
+
+It is curious, again, to note--and, indeed, it almost seems as if the
+Cho-sen people are in all their ideas opposed to us--that in Corea the
+snake is greatly revered; and, should it enter a household, it receives a
+hearty welcome, for this reptile is supposed to bring with it everlasting
+happiness and peace, a very different conception to that which we
+generally form of it, for, if I mistake not, in our minds it is generally
+associated with sneakishness, treachery and perfidy.
+
+With regard to the snake, it is noteworthy that the Coreans have allowed
+their fancies to run riot in pretty much the same direction as
+imaginative people in our own country have done, and have not only added
+wings to their serpents to send them air-faring, but have also invented a
+near relation to these in the shape of a travelling sea-serpent, which is
+not, however, of such large dimensions as those with which we are
+familiar. From this it is only a short step to the well-known half-human,
+half-fish being and the sea-lion or tiger; stone representations of which
+are to be seen at the entrance of the Royal Palace. The principal
+peculiarity of the sea-tiger is its ugliness. It is represented as having
+a huge mouth, wide open, showing two rows of pointed teeth, and a mane
+and tail curled up into hundreds of conventional little curlets. If the
+statues of these sea-tigers are divided in three sections perpendicular
+to the base, the head will occupy the whole of one of these sections,
+which, in other words, means that the body is made only twice the size of
+the head.
+
+The _lin_ is also frequently found figuring in Corean mythology, but this
+fanciful creature is undoubtedly an importation from the well-known
+_ki-lin_ of China, being half ox, half deer, and having but a single horn
+in the centre of the head. It is the symbol of good nature and well-being
+Another borrowed individual of this class is the dragon, a monster which
+is a great favourite and much cherished all over the East, though
+principally by the Emperor of Heaven and his subjects. This popularity of
+the dragon in the kingdom of the Morning Calm is due, I suppose, in a
+large measure to the frequent Chinese invasions and constant intercourse
+of the Chinese with Corea. And yet, upon a less appropriate country, to
+my belief, he could hardly have been stranded, for, although he possesses
+all the good virtues of the other mythical creatures of which I have made
+mention taken together, he certainly is never presented as gifted with
+that delightful faculty which goes by the name of tranquillity. Restless
+in the extreme, this genius of the East is said to penetrate through
+mountains into the ground, skip on the clouds, produce thunder and
+lightning, and go through fire and water. It can, moreover, make itself
+visible or invisible at pleasure, and, in fact, can to all intents and
+purposes do what it pleases, except--remain quiet.
+
+Of dragons there are many kinds, but the most respectable of them all is,
+as in China, the yellow one, which is as represented on the Chinese
+flags. Next to the yellow one in popularity comes the green one. In
+shape, as the natives picture it, the dragon is not unlike a huge lizard,
+with long-nailed claws, and a flat long head like the elongated head of a
+neighing horse, possessed, however, of horns, and a long mane of fire, or
+lightning. The tail is like that of a serpent, with five additional
+pointed ends. It is, too, rather interesting to note that the king,
+princes, and highest magistrates, when the country is not in mourning,
+wear upon their breasts pieces of square embroidery ornamented in the
+centre with representations of the dragon, having the jewel on its head
+which is supposed to be a certain cure for all evils. The officials of
+lesser degree wear, instead of this emblem, the effigy of a flying
+phoenix, the symbol of pride, friendship, and kind ruling power.
+
+The phoenix is also occasionally to be seen standing on a tortoise's
+back, the combination being emblematic of the combined virtues of these
+two mythical creatures.
+
+Returning to the main street, we can walk a long way without finding
+anything interesting in the way of architecture, or of a monumental
+character until we reach the East Gate, which is probably the largest
+gate of all. One of the peculiarities of this gate is that on the outside
+it has a semi-circular wall protection, and in this wall a second gate
+which renders it, therefore, doubly strong in time of war. The outer wall
+is very thick, and a wide space is provided which can be manned with
+soldiers, when the town happens to be besieged. If my memory serves me
+rightly, yet another gate in Seoul is provided with a similar
+contraffort, but of this I am not quite certain, for the part of my diary
+in which the wall of Seoul is described has been, I regret to say,
+unfortunately mislaid. Near the gate above mentioned, is a large open
+space, on the centre of which stands a somewhat dilapidated pavilion
+_pour façon de parler_, and, on inquiry, I was told that this place was
+the drilling-ground of the king's troops, the pavilion being for the use
+of the king and high officials, when on very grand occasions they went to
+review the soldiery. Of late years, I believe, a new drilling-ground has
+been selected by the foreign military instructors, which explains why the
+pavilion has been allowed to rot and tumble down. (See Illustration p.
+90.)
+
+As already remarked, all the gates of Seoul, as well as those of every
+other city in Corea, are closed at sunset; but, like all rules, this
+one, too, has its exception. Thus, there is a small gate, called the
+"Gate of the Dead," which is opened till a late hour at night. Its name
+explains its object fairly well, but for the benefit of those who are
+unaccustomed to Corean customs I may as well put the matter a little
+clearer. Funerals, in Corea, nearly always take place at night, and the
+bodies are invariably carried out of the town to be buried. In lifetime
+it is permitted to enter or leave the town through any gate you please,
+but this freedom of choice is not accorded to the dead, when their final
+exit is to be made, for this is only by way of the smaller gate just
+mentioned.
+
+A funeral is in all countries, to me, a curious sight, but in Seoul, a
+performance of this description is probably more curious than elsewhere,
+and that, because, to a European eye, it appears to be anything but a
+funeral. The procession is headed by two individuals, each of whom
+carries an enormous yellow umbrella, on the stick of which, about half
+way up, there is a very large tri-coloured ball. After these, under a
+sort of baldachin held up by four long poles, is the coffin, carried by
+two, four, or more men, according to the social position of the deceased;
+and by the side of this and following close after it are numberless
+people each carrying a paper lantern stuck on a pole, who scuttle along,
+singing, after a fashion, and muttering prayers and praises on behalf of
+their deceased countryman. Frequently, if the latter is supposed to have
+been possessed by evil spirits, and to have been carried off by them, a
+man is hired, if no relation is willing to do it, to ring a hand-bell for
+several consecutive days, near the house which the late unfortunate had
+occupied, the shrill sound being supposed to have the power of showing
+the unwelcome guests, that their presence has been noticed, and that they
+had better retire and leave the house to its rightful owners. I need
+hardly remark that a few hours of this noise is quite enough to turn the
+best of good spirits into an evil one.
+
+But to return to our funeral procession; this, when the "Gate of the
+Dead" is reached, becomes broken up; the friends who were following the
+hearse putting out their lights and ceasing from their singing and
+praying. Only two or three of the nearest relations continue to follow
+the coffin, still carried by the paid bearers, and when a suitable spot
+is reached these proceed to bury the remains. A hilly ground is usually
+preferred by the Coreans for the last resting place of the bones of their
+dear ones. The coffin having been buried, a small mound of earth is
+heaped up over it.
+
+The spot for inhumation is generally chosen on the advice of magicians
+who are supposed to know the sites which are likely to be most favourable
+to the deceased. Sometimes the body is exhumed at great expense, still on
+the advice of the same magicians, who, being in direct communication with
+both earthly and unearthly spirits, get to know that the spot which had
+been originally selected was not a favourable one. Under such
+circumstances, a speedy removal is necessary, which, of course entails
+both worry and money-spending and special fees for the reporting of the
+ill-faring of the buried.
+
+The relations and friends of a deceased person constantly visit the tomb,
+and many a good son has been known to spend months watching his father's
+grave, lest his services might be required by the parent underground.
+
+The hills round the towns are simply covered with these little mounds of
+earth, and the greatest respect is shown by the natives for all places of
+sepulture. In course of time, many disappear by being washed away by the
+rain, but never by any chance are they interfered with by the people. The
+Coreans are extremely superstitious, and they are much afraid of the
+dead. Metempsychosis is not an uncommon trait of their minds, especially
+among the better classes; thus, for instance, the soul of the dead man is
+sometimes supposed to enter the body of a bird, in which case the
+relatives carefully build a semi-circular stone railing round the mound,
+so that the winged successor of the deceased may have whereon to perch.
+
+The grave of one of the richer people is especially noteworthy. First,
+there is the mound in the centre as usual, but nearly twice the size of
+that which covers a poorer person. Then there is a stone railing a little
+way off; and between that and the mound stand in double rows, at the
+sides, rough images of human beings and horses carved in stone. The
+general rule is, in the case of a rich man, to have two men and two
+ponies on either side and a small column at the end; while in the case of
+a man not so much distinguished only a single horse and man respectively
+are placed on either side. The short column with a slab at the top is
+nearly always a feature. The stone images so placed are, as a rule, so
+badly carved that, unless one is told what they are meant to represent,
+it is really difficult to decide the point. The horses, especially, might
+easily be mistaken for sheep, dogs, or any other animal, the small
+stature of the native ponies being imitated in these images, to an
+exaggerated degree. As for the stone human-shaped images, these are
+usually made dressed in a long sort of gown and with the arms folded in
+front and the head covered by a curled up skull-cap, of the kind worn by
+Corean officials even at the present day, and formerly worn by all the
+high officials in China, whence probably the fashion has been imported.
+
+A curious feature which I often noticed about the graves of people who
+had not been over well-off, and whose friends could not afford a large
+number of statues or figures of men and animals, was this:--If only one
+or two monuments were put up by the side of the mound, these invariably
+consisted of representations either of two horses or else of a horse and
+a ram, that is, if I am right in fixing the latter's identity by the
+curled horns on the side of its head. If, on the other hand, the
+monuments were more than two in number, the others were, just as
+invariably, representations of human figures, the number of these being
+the same as that of beasts in the other case.
+
+A ceremony is to be found in the Land of the Morning Calm which
+corresponds pretty closely to "_Tutti i morti_" of Italy; I mean, the
+merry picnicking of distressed parents and relatives when they go and
+pray on the tombs of their dead. In Corea the occasion is usually
+celebrated on the first day of the first moon, or, in other words, on
+New Year's Day. The family goes soon after sunrise, _en masse_, to the
+burial-place, where prayers are offered, and long sticks of incense burnt
+filling the air with the perfume so familiar to all who know the East.
+Food and drink are also generally brought and consumed by the mourners on
+such expeditions, with the result that the day which begins with praying
+generally ends with playing. Similar rejoicings are again indulged in
+during the third moon, when the tombs are usually cleaned and repaired,
+and the stone figures and horses washed and scrubbed, amidst the
+hilarious screams of the children and the less active picnickers.
+
+The tombs of the kings do not differ very much from those of the richest
+noblemen, except that they have a kind of temple near them. At one time
+it was believed that the coffins in which the royal bodies were buried,
+consisted of solid gold. People who are well informed, however, maintain
+that there is no foundation for this statement about the royal graves,
+and that, on the contrary, they are almost as simple as those of the
+richer noblemen.
+
+A strange tale was told me, which I shall repeat, as I know it to be
+true. It is to this effect: A few months previous to my visit to Seoul, a
+foreigner had visited the king soliciting orders for installations of
+telephones. The king, being much astounded, and pleased at the wonderful
+invention, immediately, at great expense, set about connecting by
+telephone the tomb of the queen dowager with the royal palace--a distance
+of several miles! Needless to say, though many hours a day were spent by
+His Majesty and his suite in listening at their end of the telephone,
+and a watchman kept all night in case the queen dowager should wake up
+from her eternal sleep, not a message, or a sound, or murmur even, was
+heard, which result caused the telephone to be condemned as a fraud by
+His Majesty the King of Cho-sen.
+
+I should mention that a very good specimen of a Corean tomb is to be seen
+a few _lis_ outside the East Gate, on the hillside, and that another,
+somewhat smaller, exists a short distance beyond the Pekin Pass outside
+the West Gate. It may also be noted that trees are frequently planted,
+and tablets erected, in proximity to Corean graves.
+
+FOOTNOTES:
+
+    [3] Word used in the East for a conglomeration of houses
+        enclosed by a wall.
+
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER VIII
+
+Seoul--The City Wall--A large image--Mount Nanzam--The
+fire-signals--women's joss-house--Foreign buildings--Japanese
+settlement--An anecdote--Clean or not clean?--The Pekin Pass--The
+water-carrier--The man of the Gates.
+
+
+[Illustration: MOUNT NANZAM]
+
+The ground in and around Seoul is very hilly. The wall that surrounds the
+capital uncoils itself, like a gigantic snake, up and down the slopes of
+high bluffs, and seems a very marvellous work of patient masonry when it
+is borne in mind that some of the peaks up which it winds its way are so
+steep that even climbing on foot is not an easy task. The height is not
+uniform, but where it is highest it reaches to over thirty feet. The
+North Gate, for instance, is at a much higher level than the town down
+below, and it is necessary to go up a steep road to reach it. From it, a
+very good idea is obtainable of the exact situation of Seoul. Down in
+the valley, a narrow one, lies the town itself, completely surrounded by
+hills, and even mountains, covered with thick snow during the winter
+months.
+
+The wall, several miles long, goes over the hill ridges far above the
+level of the town, except towards the west, where it descends to the
+valley, and is on almost level ground, as far as the East Gate. It has a
+rampart in which holes have been pierced, for the defence of the town by
+archers and gunners; and, to let out the water of the streams, which
+intersect the town, low arches have been cut in the wall, provided with
+strong iron bars, and a solid grating through which no man can penetrate.
+Outside the town, bridges of masonry have been constructed; for instance,
+there is one of four arches, a short distance from the North Gate, being
+the continuation of a portion of the wall protecting the river valley on
+the north of Seoul. Not far from this bridge, is a monastery, and a small
+temple with curled-up roof supported by columns, painted red and green.
+The latter protects an enormous block of stone upon which has been carved
+a large image of Buddha, the surface of which has been painted white.
+When I saw it, close by the river side, with the sun shining on it, and
+its image reflected in the limpid ice of the frozen river, the sight was
+indeed quite a picturesque one.
+
+Towards the south side of Seoul, and within the city wall, rises in a
+cone-like fashion a high hill called Mount Nanzam. One cannot help
+feeling interested about this hill, and for many reasons. In the first
+place, it is most picturesque; secondly, it is a rare thing to find a
+mountain rising in the centre of a town, as this one does; thirdly, from
+the summit of this particular hill a constant watch is kept on the state
+of affairs all over the kingdom.
+
+The mode of accomplishing the last-mentioned object is as ingenious as it
+is simple. It is shortly this. On the summit of Mount Nanzam a signal
+station is placed--a miserable shed, in which the watchmen live. In front
+of this, five piles of stones have been erected, upon which, by means of
+the "Pon-wa," or fire-signals, messages are conveyed and transmitted from
+one end of the Corean kingdom to the other. Now, it is on these five
+piles of stones that the safety of the Land of the Morning Calm depends,
+and it is a pretty and weird sight to watch the lights upon them, playing
+after dark, in the stillness of the night. Similarly appointed stations
+on the tops of all the highest peaks in Corea issue, transmit, and
+answer, by means of other lights, messages from the most distant
+provinces, by which means, in a very few minutes, the King in his royal
+palace is kept informed of what happens hundreds of miles from his
+capital. It is from the royal palace itself that fire-messages start in
+the first instance, and that too is the place which lastly receives them
+from other mountain tops. All along the coast line of Corea, on the
+principal headlands, fire-stations have long been in use in order to give
+the alarm in the capital, should marauders approach the coast or other
+invasions take place.
+
+Until quite lately, the coast villages and towns used to suffer much at
+the hands of Chinese pirates, who, though well aware that they would, if
+caught, most certainly find themselves in the awkward position of having
+their heads cut off, nevertheless used to approach the coast by night in
+swift junks, make daring raids, and pillage the villages, and even some
+of the smaller towns. So suddenly were these incursions usually made that
+by the time the natives had managed to get over their astonishment at the
+attack of these unpleasant and greedy visitors, the acute Chinamen, with
+their booty, were well out at sea again.
+
+
+[Illustration: THE FIRE-SIGNAL STATION AND JOSS-HOUSE]
+
+The great drawback to fire-signalling is, that messages can only be
+clearly conveyed at night. In the day-time, when necessary,
+smoke-signals are transmitted, though never with the same safety as are
+the fire-signals. By burning large torches of wet straw, masses of white
+smoke are produced, upon which the alarm is raised that the country is
+in danger. The code of smoke signalling, however, is almost limited to
+that one signal; for, on a windy or rainy day, it would be quite
+impossible to distinguish whether there were one or more torches
+smoking, unless, of course, they could be set very far apart, which
+cannot be done on Nanzam. Prior to sending a message, a bell is rung in
+the royal palace to attract the attention of the Mountain Watchmen. The
+whole code, for they have a really systematic way of using their
+pyrographs, is worked with five burning fires only, and more than that
+number of lights are never shown, though, of course, many times there
+are less. The five-lights-together signal, I believe, indicates that the
+country is in imminent danger; there are other signals to meet the cases
+of rebellions, recalling of magistrates from distant provinces, orders
+to them to extort money from their subjects, the despatch or recall of
+troops, &c. &c.
+
+A few yards from the signal station, though still on Mount Nanzam, there
+is a picturesque red joss-house with a shrine in close proximity to it.
+The story goes--and the women of Cho-sen find it convenient to believe
+it--that a visit to this particular joss-house has the wonderful effect
+of making sterile women prolific. A few strings of _cash_ and a night's
+rest at the temple--preceded, if I remember rightly, by
+prayers--constitute sufficient service to satisfy the family duties, and
+I was certainly told that in many cases the oracle worked so well that in
+due time the _chin-chins_ got rewarded with the birth of babies. I may
+mention incidentally that the caretaker of the joss-house was a strong,
+healthy, powerful man.
+
+As we are now on a splendid point of vantage for a bird's-eye view of the
+town we may as well take a glance over it.
+
+Very prominent before us, after the large enclosure of the royal Palace,
+are the foreign buildings, such as the Japanese Legation on a smaller
+hill at the foot of Nanzam, and overlooking the large Japanese
+settlement; the abode of the Chinese Minister resident, with its numerous
+buildings around it; the British Consulate with its new red brick house
+in course of construction; and, by the side of the last mentioned, the
+_compounds_ of the American and Russian legations. Farther on, nearer the
+royal Palace, the German flag may be seen surmounting the German
+Consulate, which is situated in an enclosure containing several Corean
+houses which have been reduced _à l' Européenne_ and made very
+comfortable. Then the large house with a glass front is the one now
+inhabited by the Vice-Minister for Home Affairs, but the grounds
+surrounding this are very restricted. A nunnery and a few houses of
+missionaries also stand prominent, mostly in the neighbourhood of the
+Japanese settlement.
+
+The Japanese settlement, into which we will now descend, is noteworthy
+for the activity and commercial enterprise shown by the subjects of the
+Mikado. It is remarkable, also, to notice the curious co-existence of
+sense and nonsense in the Jap's adoption of foreign customs. For
+instance, you see the generality of them dressed in European clothes, but
+nevertheless still sticking to the ancient custom of removing their
+boots on entering a house; a delightful practice, I agree, in Japan,
+where the climate is mild, but not in a country like Corea, where you
+have an average of sixty degrees of frost. Then again, the Japanese
+houses, the outer walls of which consist of tissue paper, seem hardly
+suited to such a climate as that of Corea. It is really comical to watch
+them as they squat in a body round a brass brasier, shivering and blue
+with cold, with thin flat faces and curved backs; reminding one very much
+of the large family of quadrumans at the Zoo on a cold day. Nevertheless,
+they are perfectly happy, though many die of pleurisy, consumption, and
+cold in the chest.
+
+The Japanese women dress, of course, in their national _kimonos_, and
+just as it is in Japan the fashion to show a little of the chest under
+the throat, so in Cho-sen the same custom is adopted; with the result
+that many are carried off by bronchitis to the next world.
+
+One cannot but admire the Japanese, however, for the cleanliness of their
+houses and for the good-will--sometimes too much of it--which they
+display as well in their commercial dealings as in their colonising
+schemes. The custom of daily bathing in water of a boiling-point
+temperature is carried on by them in Corea as in their own country,
+notwithstanding which I venture to say that the Japanese are very dirty
+people. This remark seems non-coherent and requires, I am afraid, some
+explanation.
+
+"How can they be dirty if they bathe every day? I call that being very
+clean," I fancy I hear you reply.
+
+So they would undoubtedly be, if they bathed in clean water; but,
+unfortunately, this is just what they do not do, and, to my uncivilised
+mind, bathing in filthy water seems ten times more dirty than not bathing
+at all. Just imagine a small tank of water in which dozens, if not
+hundreds, of people have been already boiled before you in your turn use
+it, and upon which float large "eyes" of greasy matter. Well, this is
+what every good Japanese is expected to immerse himself in, right up to
+his nose, for at least half an hour at a time! I cannot but admire them
+for their courage in doing it, but, certainly, from the point of view of
+cleanliness my view is quite different; for, really and truly, I have
+always failed to see where the "cleanliness" comes in. Persons belonging
+to the wealthier classes have small baths of their own, in the steaming
+hot liquid of which bask in turns the family itself, their friends, the
+children and servants; and probably the same water is used again and
+again for two or three days in succession.
+
+I remember well how horrified I was one evening, in the Land of the
+Rising Sun, when, on visiting a small village, I was, as a matter of
+politeness on their part, requested to join in the bath. Being a novice
+at Japanese experiences, and as their request was so pressing, I thanked
+them and accepted; whereupon, I was buoyantly led to the bath. Oh what a
+sight! Three skinny old women, "disgraces," I may almost call them, for
+certainly they could not be classified under the designation of "graces,"
+were sitting in a row with steaming water up to their necks, undergoing
+the process of being boiled. What! thought I, panic-stricken--am I to
+bathe with these three ... old lizards? Oh no, not I! and I made a rush
+for the door, greatly to the annoyance of the people, who not only
+considered me very dirty, but also very rude in not availing myself of
+their polite invitation! The next morning as I took my cold bath as usual
+in beautifully clean spring water, I was condemned and pitied as a
+lunatic! Such are the different customs of different people.
+
+[Illustration: THE PEKIN PASS]
+
+When visiting Seoul, it is well worth one's while to take a walk to the
+Pekin Pass, a _li_ or two outside the West Gate. The pass itself, which
+is cut into the rock, is situated on the road leading from Seoul to
+Pekin; which, by the way, is the road by which the envoys of the Chinese
+Emperor, following an ancient custom, travel overland with a view to
+claiming the tribute payable by the King of Corea. As a matter of fact,
+this custom of paying tribute had almost fallen into disuse, and China
+had not, for some years, I believe, enforced her right of suzerainty over
+the Corean peninsula, until the year 1890, when the envoys of the
+Celestial Emperor once again proceeded on their wearisome and long
+journey from Pekin to the capital of Cho-sen. It was here at the Pekin
+Pass, then, that, according to custom, they were received with great
+honour by the Coreans, and led into Seoul. It was at a large house,
+surrounded by a wall, on the road side, that these envoys were usually
+received and welcomed, either by the king in person or by some
+representative; and it was here that they were treated with refreshments
+and food, previously to being conducted in state into the capital, this
+being accomplished amidst the cheers of a Corean crowd, which, like
+other crowds, is always ready to cheer the last comer. At the Pekin Pass,
+a "triumphal arch"--for want of a better word--could be seen. It was a
+lofty structure, composed of two high columns, the lower part of these
+being of masonry, and the upper of lacquered wood, which supported a
+heavy roof of the orthodox Corean pattern, under which, about one-fourth
+down the columns, was a portion decorated with native fretwork of a
+somewhat rough type. The illustration represents this monument as it
+appeared in winter time, when the ground was covered with snow, beyond it
+being the square cut in the rocks, through which the road leads to
+Newchuang and Pekin.
+
+There are two types of individuals that are very interesting from a
+picturesque point of view; viz., the water-coolie, and the man who
+carries the huge locks and keys of the city gates.
+
+The water-coolie is almost as much of a "personality," as the _mapu_, in
+his rude independent ways. He displays much patience, and certainly
+deserves admiration for the amount of work he daily does, for very little
+pay. His work consists in carrying water, from morning until night, to
+whoever wants it. This is a simple enough process in summer time, but in
+winter matters are rather different, for now nearly all the fountains are
+frozen, and the water has to be drawn from a well. The water-coolie
+carries a peculiar arrangement on his shoulders, a long pole fastened
+cross-wise upon his shoulder-blades, by straps going under and round the
+arms; by which means he is enabled to carry two buckets of water at a
+time. The arrangement, though more complicated, is not dissimilar to
+that used for the same purpose, by women in Holland, or to that for
+carrying milk in many parts of Switzerland. In winter time the buckets of
+water become buckets of ice the moment they are drawn from the well, and
+then it is really pitiable to see these poor beggars with the skin of
+their hands all cracked and bleeding with the cold. They run along at a
+good pace when loaded, and show great judgment in avoiding collision,
+sighing as they go a loud _hess! hess! hess! hess!_ to which they keep
+time with their steps. They are considered about the lowest creatures in
+the kingdom, and enjoy some of the privileges of children and unmarried
+men as regards clothing; for instance, they generally wear a light blue
+jacket even when the country is in mourning. When on duty they never wear
+hats, and often no head-bands, having, instead, blue kerchiefs wrapt
+round the head. The inevitable long pipe is not forgotten, and is
+carried, after the fashion of the _mapu_, stuck down the back.
+
+[Illustration: A WATER-COOLIE]
+
+The lock-carrier, again, is by no means the dirtiest individual in the
+land of Cho-sen, at least as far as it was my good fortune to see.
+Nevertheless, his clothes are invariably in a state of dilapidation, and,
+though intended to be white, are usually black with grease and dirt. As
+he is employed by the Government he wears the deepest mourning; his face,
+and one half of his body being actually hidden under the huge hat
+provided for deep mourners. He seldom possesses a pair of padded socks
+and sandals, and in the coldest days walks about bare-footed with his
+trousers turned up to the knees. He is visible only at sunrise and
+sunset, when he goes on his round to all the city gates in order to
+inspect the locks and bring or take away the keys. Slung down his back,
+he carries a large leather bag, something like a tennis bag, which
+contains numberless iron implements of different shapes and weights. He
+appears to be friendless and despised by everybody, and I have never seen
+him talk to any one. I rather pitied the poor fellow as I saw him go
+night after night, with his long unwashed face and hands, along the
+rampart of the wall from one gate to another. _Apropos_ of this I once
+made a Corean very angry by remarking that "really the safety of the city
+could not be in dirtier hands."
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER IX
+
+The Corean house--Doors and windows--Blinds--Rooms--The "Kan"--Roasting
+alive--Furniture--Treasures--The kitchen--Dinner-set--Food--Intoxicants
+--Gluttony--Capacity for food--Sleep--Modes of illumination--Autographs
+--Streets--Drainage--Smell.
+
+
+Let us now see what a Corean household is like. But, first, as to the
+matter of house architecture. Here there is little difference to be
+observed between the house of the noble and that of the peasant, except
+that the former is generally cleaner-looking. The houses in Corea may be
+divided into two classes--those with thatched roofs of barley-straw, and
+those with roofs of tiles, stone and plaster. The latter are the best,
+and are inhabited by the well-to-do classes. The outside walls are of mud
+and stone, and the roof, when of tiles, is supported by a huge beam that
+runs from one end of the house to the other. The corners of the roof are
+usually curled up after the Chinese fashion. A stone slab runs along the
+whole length of the roof, and is turned up at the two ends, over the
+upper angle of the roof itself. The tiles are cemented at the two sides
+of this slab, and likewise at the lower borders of the roof. The windows,
+again, are rectangular and are placed directly under the roof, being in
+consequence well protected from the rain.
+
+Corean houses are never more than one storey high. The houses of
+officials and rich people are enclosed by a wall of masonry, the gate of
+which is surmounted by a small pagoda-like roof. In the case of the
+houses of great swells, like generals and princes, it is customary to
+have two and even three gates, which have to be passed through in
+succession before the door of the house is reached. The outer wall
+surrounding the _compound_ is seldom more than six or eight feet high,
+and, curiously enough, all along the top of the wall runs a narrow roof,
+the width of two tiles. This, besides being a sort of ornament, is of
+practical use in protecting it from the damp.
+
+One cannot call the Coreans great gardeners, for they seem to take
+comparatively little interest in the native _flora_. The richer people
+do, as a rule, have small gardens, which are nicely laid out with one or
+two specimens of the flowers they esteem and care to cultivate; but
+really ornamental gardens are few in number in the Land of Cho-sen.
+Kitchen gardens naturally are frequently found, even near the houses of
+the poorer people.
+
+One peculiarity, which characterises the majority of Corean houses of the
+better sort is that they are entered by the windows; these being provided
+with sliding latticed frames covered with tissue paper, and running on
+grooves to the sides, like the _Shojis_ of Japan. The tissue paper is
+often dipped in oil previous to being used on the sliding doors and
+windows, as it is then supposed to keep out the cold better than when
+left in its natural state. As the doors and windows of Cho-sen, however,
+very seldom have the quality of fitting tight, a Corean house is
+therefore quite a _rendezvous_ for draughts and currents of air.
+
+In summer time the windows and doors are kept open, or even removed
+altogether during the day-time, and then, in order to preserve that
+privacy of which every Corean is so proud, recourse is had to a capital
+dodge. At the end of the projecting roof, and immediately in front of the
+window or entrance, at the distance of a couple of feet, is hung a shade
+in the shape of a fine mat, made of numberless long strings of split
+bamboo, tied together in a parallel position by several silk strings
+which vary in number with the size of the mat. The use of these
+curtain-like barriers has several advantages. They protect the house from
+those troublesome visitors the flies; they let in the air, though not the
+sun, and, while the people who are in the house can plainly see through
+them what goes on in the street, no one on the outside can distinguish
+either those inside, or what is doing in the house. Good mats are very
+expensive, and difficult to obtain; therefore, it is only the better
+classes that can use them. Poorer folk are satisfied with very rough mats
+of rushes. It is also the custom for good citizens of the provinces to
+send the king at the New Year presents of a certain number of these mats,
+which, like the Indian shawls of Her Britannic Majesty, are given out
+again by him to the royal princes and highest officials. I was fortunate
+enough to be presented with two of these blinds by a high official, who
+was closely related to the king. They are a marvel of patient and careful
+work, as accurately and delicately done as if some machine had been
+employed. They are nearly six feet high, by five wide, and are yellow in
+colour with black, red, and green stripes painted at the top and bottom.
+In the centre is a very pretty, simple frieze, on the inside of which are
+some Corean characters.
+
+If a Corean house does not look very inviting when you look at it from
+the outside, still less does it when you are indoors. The smallness of
+the rooms and their lack of furniture, pictures, or ornaments are
+features not very pleasant to the eye. The rooms are like tiny boxes,
+between eight and ten feet long, less than this in width and about seven
+feet high. They are white all over with the exception of the floor, which
+is covered with thick, yellowish oil-paper. The poorest kind of Corean
+house consists of only a single room; the abode of the moderately
+well-off man, on the other hand, may have two or three, generally three
+rooms; though, of course, the houses of very high offices are found with
+a still larger number.
+
+The Corean process of heating the houses is somewhat original. It is a
+process used in a great part of Eastern Asia--and, to my mind, it is the
+only thoroughly barbaric custom which the Corean natives have retained.
+The flooring of the rooms consists of slabs of stone, under which is a
+large oven of the same extent as the room overhead, which oven, during
+the winter, is filled with a burning wood-fire, which is kept up day and
+night. What happens is generally this: The coolie whose duty it is to
+look after this oven, to avoid trouble fills it with wood and dried
+leaves up to the very neck, and sets these on fire and then goes to
+sleep; by which means the stone slabs get heated to such an extent that,
+sometimes, notwithstanding the thick oil paper which covers them, one
+cannot stand on them with bare feet.
+
+The Corean custom is to sleep on the ground in the padded clothes, using
+a wooden block as a pillow. The better classes, however, use also small,
+thin mattresses, covered with silk, which they spread out at night, and
+keep rolled up during the day-time. As the people sleep on the ground, it
+often happens that the floor gets so hot as to almost roast them, but the
+easy-going inhabitant of Cho-sen, does not seem to object to this
+roasting process--on the contrary, he seems almost to revel in it, and
+when well broiled on one side, he will turn over to the other, so as to
+level matters. While admiring the Coreans much for this proceeding, I
+found it extremely inconvenient to imitate them. I recollect well the
+first experience which I had of the use of a "Kan," which is the native
+name of the oven. On that occasion it was "made so hot" for me, that I
+began to think I had made a mistake, and that I had entered a crematory
+oven instead of a sleeping-room. Putting my fist through one of the paper
+windows to get a little air only made matters ten times worse, for half
+my body continued to undergo the roasting process, while the other half
+was getting unpleasantly frozen. To this day, it has always been a marvel
+to me, and an unexplainable fact that, those who use the "Kan" do not
+"wake up--dead" in the morning!
+
+The furniture of a Corean house, as I have hinted above, is neither over
+plentiful nor too luxurious. In fact, at the first glance, one is almost
+inclined to say that there is, so to speak, no furniture at all there.
+Possibly, a tiger or a leopard-skin may be found spread on the ground in
+the reception room; there may even be a rough minuscule chest of drawers
+in a corner, and a small, low writing-table near it, upon which probably
+rests a little jar with a flower or two in it; but rarely will you find
+much more. The bedrooms usually contain chests, in which the clothing is
+kept, but there is also a custom by which these are hung on pegs in a
+recess in the wall. The chests are covered with white parchment studded
+all over with brass nails, and further adorned with a brass lock and two
+handles of the same metal. When voyaging, the Coreans use these as
+trunks. Besides the rooms I have mentioned, the richer Corean has a
+special room, generally kept locked up, in which the treasures of the
+family are jealously safeguarded. The latter are in the shape of ancient
+native pictures, rolled up like the _Kakemonos_ of Japan, painted screens
+and vases of the Satsuma ware, the art of making which was taught to the
+Japanese by the Coreans, although now those who were formerly masters in
+the art cannot produce it. Some Coreans also possess valuable specimens
+of lacquer work, both of Chinese and Japanese origin, as well as a
+rougher kind of native production. None of these heirlooms are, however,
+ever brought to light, and it is only on rare and very grand occasions,
+such as marriages, deaths, or national rejoicings, that one or two
+articles are brought into the reception-room for the day, to be again
+carefully packed up and stored away at night. The idea, which prevails in
+Japan, is also current here, namely, that it is bad form to make a great
+show of what one possesses, and that the wealthier a man is, the less
+should he disclose the fact and the simpler should he live, that he may
+not so excite the envy of his fellow countrymen. Self-denial and
+self-inflicted discomforts are virtues much appreciated in the Land of
+Cho-sen, and when a nobleman sets a good example in this respect it is
+invariably thought highly of, and emulated by others. Indeed, the
+conversation of the whole town is often concentrated on some small act of
+benevolence done by such and such a prince, nobleman or magistrate.
+
+But the kitchen must not be forgotten. Its most striking contents are the
+large earthenware vases, similar in shape and size to the _orcis_ of
+Italy, in which the top-knotted native keeps his wine, water, barley and
+rice. Then there are numberless shining brass cups, saucers, and bowls of
+various sizes. The latter forms the Corean dinner-service. Every piece of
+this is made of brass. The largest bowls are used, one for soup, and the
+other for rice; the next in size, for wine and water respectively; while
+the smaller ones are for bits of vegetables and sauces--which latter are
+used by the natives in profusion. Curiously enough, in the Land of the
+Morning Calm they manufacture a sauce which is, so far as I could judge,
+identical in taste and colour with our well-known Worcester sauce.
+
+The Coreans eat their food with chopsticks, but contrary to the habits of
+their neighbours, the Chinese and the Japanese, spoons also are used. The
+chopsticks are of very cheap wood, and fresh ones are used at nearly
+every meal. The diet also is much more varied than in either of the
+neighbouring countries, and game, venison, raw fish, beef, pork, fowls,
+eggs, and sea-weed are much appreciated. As for fruits, the Coreans get
+simply mad over them, the most favourite being the persimmons, of which
+they eat large quantities both fresh and dried. Apples, pears and plums
+are also plentifully used.
+
+The Cho-sen people have three meals a day. The first is partaken of early
+in the morning, and is only a light one; then comes lunch in the middle
+of the day, a good square meal; and finally the Tai-sek, a great meal, in
+the evening, at which Corean voracity is exhibited to the best advantage.
+The climate being so much colder than that of Japan, it is only natural
+that the Cho-senese should use more animal food and fat than do the
+landsman of the Mikado. Pork and beef, barely roasted and copiously
+condimented with pepper and vinegar, are devoured in large quantities.
+The Coreans also have a dish much resembling the Italian maccaroni or
+vermicelli. Of this large bowls may be seen at all the eating-shops in
+Seoul, and it is as a food apparently more cherished by members of the
+lower than by those of the upper classes. Previous to being eaten, it is
+dipped in a very flavoury sauce, and, although they are not quite so
+graceful in the art of eating as are the Neapolitan _Lazzaroni_, still
+with the help of a spoon and as many fingers as are available, the Corean
+natives seem to manage to swallow large quantities of this in a very
+short time.
+
+Among the lower classes in Corea tea is almost unknown as a beverage. In
+its stead they delight in drinking the whitish stuff produced by the rice
+when it has been boiled in water, or as an alternative, infusions of
+ginsang. They also brew at home two or three different kinds of liquor of
+different strengths and tastes, by fermenting barley, rice and millet.
+The beer of fermented rice is not at all disagreeable, and their light
+wine also is, so far as wines go, even palatable. However, I may as well
+state once for all that I am no judge of these matters, and, as my time
+is chiefly employed in the art of oil-painting, and not in that of
+drinking, I hope to be excused if I think myself better up in "oils" than
+in wines!!
+
+Presuming that my reader has survived this pun, I will now go on to state
+that it is a common thing in Corea to begin a dinner with sweets, and
+that another curious custom is for all present to drink out of the same
+bowl of wine passed round and of course re-filled when empty. The dinner
+is served on tiny tables rising only a few inches above the ground, and
+similar to those of Japan. Fish, as is the case with most Easterners, are
+eaten raw; first, however, being dipped in the liquid which resembles
+Worcestershire sauce. To cook a fish is simply looked upon as a shameful
+way of, spoiling it, unless it has gone bad, when, of course, cooking
+becomes necessary. Fish are, however, most prized by the Coreans when
+just taken out of the water.
+
+Hard-boiled eggs form another favourite dish in the land of Cho-sen, and
+turnips, potatoes, and a large radish similar to the _daikon_ of Japan,
+are also partaken of at Corean dinners. The poorer classes seem to relish
+highly a dreadful-looking salad, of a small fish much resembling
+whitebait, highly flavoured with quantities of pepper, black sauce and
+vinegar, with bits of pork-meat frequently thrown in. The whole thing
+has an unpleasant brownish colour, and the smell of it reminded me much
+of a photographer's dark room when collodion is in use, except that the
+smell of the fish-salad is considerably stronger.
+
+The Coreans excel and even surpass themselves in cooking rice. This is
+almost an art with them, and the laurels for high achievements in it
+belong to the women, for it is to them that work of this kind is
+entrusted. Sometimes the Cho-senese make a kind of pastry, but they have
+nothing at all resembling our bread. Rice takes the place of the last
+mentioned, and though, so far as I could see, the fair ladies of Cho-sen
+were somewhat casual in the exercise of the culinary art, they really
+took enormous trouble to boil the rice properly. It is first well washed
+in a large pail, and properly cleaned; then it undergoes a process of
+slow boiling in plenty of water in such a way that, while quite soft and
+delicious to the taste, each grain retains its shape and remains
+separate, instead of making the kind of paste produced by our method of
+boiling it. The whitish water left behind after the rice has been removed
+is, as we have seen, used as a cooling beverage. In some respects the
+Corean diet approaches the Chinese and the Indian, rather than the
+Japanese; for many a time have I seen men in Corea eat their rice mixed
+with meat and fish, well covered with strong sauce, in the shape of a
+_curry_; whereas in Japan the boiled rice is always in a bowl apart and
+eaten separately.
+
+The Corean mind seems to lay great stress upon the quantity of food that
+the digestive organs will bear. Nothing gives more satisfaction to a
+Corean than to be able to pat his tightly-stretched stomach, and, with a
+deep sigh of relief, say: "Oh, how much I have eaten!" Life, according to
+them, would not be worth living if it were not for eating. Brought up
+under a régime of this kind, it is not astonishing that their capacity
+for food is really amazing. I have seen a Corean devour a luncheon of a
+size that would satisfy three average Europeans, and yet after that, when
+I was anxiously expecting to see him burst, fall upon a large dish of
+dried persimmons, the heaviest and most indigestible things in existence.
+"They look very good," said he, as he quickly swallowed one, and with his
+supple fingers undid the beautiful bow of his girdle and loosened it,
+thus apparently providing for more space inside. "I shall eat one or
+two," he murmured, as he was in the act of swallowing the second; and, in
+less than no time the whole of the fruit had passed from the dish into
+his digestive organs, and he was intently gathering up, with the tips of
+his licked fingers, the few grains of sugar left at the bottom of the
+dish.
+
+"I was unwell and had no appetite to-day," he then innocently remarked,
+as he lifted up his head.
+
+"Oh, I hope you will come again when you are quite well," said I, "but
+you must promise not to eat the table, because it does not belong to me."
+
+A good deal of the native voracity is due, however, not to this
+insatiable appetite and gluttony alone, but also to Corean etiquette,
+according to which it shows a want of respect to the host and is a mark
+of great rudeness not to eat all that is placed before one. If all is not
+eaten they argue that you do not like it and consider it to be badly
+cooked or inferior to what you have at home. The notion of a normal
+capacity is strange to them, and never even enters their mind. They are
+trained from childhood to eat huge quantities of food, and to take
+heartily all that they can get. I have seen children with thin little
+bellies so extended after a meal, in the course of which they had been
+stuffed with rice and barley, that they could hardly walk or even
+breathe. I recollect on one occasion remarking to a mother, who was
+beamingly showing me her child in a similar condition: "Are you not
+afraid that his skin will give way?" "Oh no! Look!" Upon which she
+stuffed down his little throat three or four more spoonfuls of rice. I
+have been thankful ever since that I was not born a Corean child.
+
+When the Coreans eat in their own houses, the men of the family take
+their meals first, being waited on by their wives and servants; after
+which the females have their repast in a separate room. The women seldom
+drink intoxicants, and have to be satisfied with water and rice-wash.
+
+It is the duty of the wife to look after the welfare of her husband, and
+when she has fed him, and he has drowsily laid himself down on the
+ground, or on his little mattress, as the case may be, she retires, and
+after having had her food either goes to see her friends or to wash her
+master's clothes, or else goes to sleep.
+
+The people of Cho-sen are fond of keeping late hours; and yet I believe
+there are no people in the world who are more fond of sleep. So far as my
+observations go, the richer people spend their lives entirely in eating
+and sleeping. Whenever I went to call on a Corean gentleman, I
+invariably found him either gorging or in the arms of Morpheus. Naturally
+a life of this sort makes the upper classes soft, and somewhat
+effeminate. They are much given to sensual pleasures, and many a man of
+Cho-sen is reduced to a perfect wreck when he ought to be in his prime.
+The habit of drinking more than is proper is really a national
+institution, and what with over feeding, drunkenness, and other vices it
+is not astounding that the upper ten do not show to great advantage. The
+Coreans are most irregular in their habits, for, slumbering as they do at
+all hours of the day, they often feel sleepless at night, and are
+compelled in consequence to sit up. On these occasions songs are roused,
+and dominoes (san-pi-yen), chess (chan-kin), or occasionally card games
+are started until another _siesta_ is felt to be required. Cards,
+however, are seldom played by the upper classes; for they are considered
+a low amusement, only fit for coolies and soldiers. On grand occasions it
+is not unusual for the _bon-vivant_ of Cho-sen to sit up all night, with
+his friends, feasting to such an extent that he and his guests are ill
+for months afterwards.
+
+The Corean nobleman, as may well be imagined, suffers from chronic
+indigestion, and whenever one happens to inquire after his health the
+answer invariably is: "I have eaten something that has disagreed with me,
+I have a pain here." And the hand is placed on the chest, in a mournful
+but expressive enough attitude.
+
+The modes of illumination adopted in the Corean household are few and
+simple. The most common illuminant consists of grease candles, supported
+on high candlesticks, of wood or brass, but sometimes oil cup-lamps are
+found, like those we use for night-lights. The latter, however, do not
+give out much light, and so candles, which are marvellously cheap, are
+preferred, although unfortunately they melt quickly, and smoke and smell
+in a dreadful fashion.
+
+Besides the various articles of domestic furniture which I have
+mentioned, I don't think I saw any others worth noticing, except perhaps
+the "autograph" of some great man, to which the Coreans attach much
+importance. The paper, on which the "character" is written, is stretched
+on a wooden frame and hung in a prominent place, generally over the
+entrance, and whenever a new visitor enters the house, the first thing
+shown him is the "autograph," and it is his duty then to compliment his
+host on his good fortune of possessing it.
+
+We have now examined all the various striking features characteristic of
+the Corean household. Let us, then, now go outside again. The streets of
+the town could not be more tortuous and irregular. With the exception of
+the main thoroughfares, most of the streets are hardly wide enough to let
+four people walk abreast. The drainage is carried away in uncovered
+channels alongside the house, in the street itself; and, the windows
+being directly over these drains, the good people of Cho-sen, when inside
+their homes, cannot breathe without inhaling the fumes exhaled from the
+fetid matter stagnant underneath. When rain falls, matters get somewhat
+better; for then the running water cleans these canals to a considerable
+extent. During the winter months, also, things are passable enough, for
+then everything is frozen; but, in the beginning of spring, when frozen
+nature undergoes the process of thawing, then it is that one wishes to be
+deprived of his nose. At the entrance of each house a stone slab is
+thrown across to the doorway so as to cover the ditch. Only the
+foundations of the town houses are made of solid stone, well cemented,
+but in the case of country dwellings these are extended upwards so as to
+make up one-half of the whole height, the upper part being of mud, stuck
+on to a rough matting of bamboos and split canes.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER X
+
+A Corean marriage--How marriages are arranged--The wedding ceremony--The
+document--In the nuptial-chamber--Wife's conduct--Concubines--Widows
+--Seduction--Adultery--Purchasing a husband--Love--Intrigue--Official
+"squeezing"--The cause.
+
+
+Among the several misfortunes, or fortunes, if you prefer the word, with
+which a Corean man has to put up is an early marriage. He is hardly born,
+when his father begins to look out for a wife for him, and scarcely has
+he time to know that he is living in the world at all than he finds
+himself wedded.... The Coreans marry very young. I have seen boys of ten
+or twelve years of age who had already discarded the bachelor's long
+tress hanging down the back, and were wearing the top-knot of the married
+man. It must not be supposed, however, that these youthful married men
+are really wedded in the strict sense of the word, for, as a matter of
+fact, though husband and wife in the eyes of the world, the two do not
+live together till the age of puberty is reached. In other words, the
+marriage is for several years only a nominal one, and corresponds rather
+to our "engagement." There are duties, none the less, which a married man
+must perform, no matter how youthful he may be. From the moment he is
+wedded he must be a man, however childlike in years, and henceforth he
+can associate only with men. His infantile games, romps with other
+children who are still bachelors, spinning tops and all other amusements,
+which he so much enjoyed, are suddenly brought to an end and he is now
+compelled to be as sedate as an old man.
+
+The illustration (p. 79) shows a young married man of the age of twelve,
+a relation of the queen. As I was taking his portrait, I asked him how he
+liked his wife and what her appearance was.
+
+"I do not know," he said, "for I have only seen her once, and I have as
+yet never spoken to her."
+
+"But, then, how can you like her?"
+
+"Because it is my father's wish that I should, and I must obey my
+father."
+
+"Does your father know the girl well?"
+
+"No, but he knows her father."
+
+"And what does your mother say?"
+
+"She says nothing."
+
+"Why?"
+
+"Because she is dead."
+
+I found this an excellent reason for the silence on the mother's side and
+I proceeded with the picture, but once again attacked him with the view
+of, if possible, obtaining further information.
+
+"When will you go and live with your wife?"
+
+"When I shall be nineteen or twenty years old."
+
+The whole arrangement seemed to me so strange that I naturally longed for
+further details about marital relations in Cho-sen. The facts as told to
+me are as follows: In Cho-senese weddings the two people least concerned
+are the bride and bridegroom. Everything, or at least nearly everything,
+is done for them, either by their relations or through the agency of a
+middle-man. When both the persons to be wedded possess fathers, a
+friendly _pourparler_ takes place between the two papas and in the course
+of repeated libations of wine, the terms are settled, and with the help
+of a "wise man" a lucky day is named, upon which the wedding shall take
+place. On the other hand, should the bridegroom have no father, then a
+middle-man is appointed by the nearest relations to carry on the
+transaction with the girl's progenitor. It is not uncommon for two
+persons to be married several years without ever having seen each other.
+This, for instance, may be the case when the young lady resides in a
+distant province, and a journey of inspection would be too expensive.
+Under such circumstances the bridegroom must just patiently wait until,
+perhaps, years after, the bride undertakes the journey herself and comes
+to live with him in his house.
+
+After all, on thinking the matter over and bearing in mind that with us a
+marriage is indeed _a_ lottery, I cannot see why the Corean wedding
+should not be equivalent to _two_ lotteries! Very often, weddings are
+arranged by letter, in which case misunderstandings frequently occur. For
+instance, a father who has two daughters, a sound one and a cripple, may
+have arranged for the one in good condition to be married to a charming
+young man of good education and means. When the day of the wedding,
+however, arrives, judge of the surprise of the bridegroom to see himself
+on the point of being united in matrimony with a humpback lame creature,
+with a face and limbs all out of drawing--in place of the ideal beauty
+whom he had expected to obtain. What is to be done? There is the written
+agreement, down in black and white, and signed by his incautious father,
+and there the father of the maid swearing that it was "this" daughter he
+meant to give him, not the beautiful one! What is to be done under such
+circumstances so as not to cause grief to his parent, except to go
+through with the wedding with courage and dignity, and to provide himself
+with some good-looking concubines at the earliest opportunity?
+
+The practice of having concubines is a national institution and of the
+nature of polygamy. These second wives are not exactly recognised by the
+Government, but they are tolerated and openly allowed. The legal wife
+herself is well aware of the fact, and, though not always willing to have
+these rivals staying under the same roof, she does not at all object to
+receiving them and entertaining them in her own quarters--if her lord and
+master orders her to do so. There are, nevertheless, strong-minded women
+in the land of Cho-sen, who resent the intrusion of these thirds, and
+family dissension not unfrequently results from the husband indulging in
+such conduct. Should the wife abandon her master's roof in despair he can
+rightfully have her brought back and publicly spanked with an instrument
+like a paddle, a somewhat severe punishment, which is apt to bring back
+to reason the most ill-tempered and strong-willed woman. Such a thing,
+though, very seldom happens, for, as women go, the Corean specimens of
+feminine humanity seem to be very sensible, and not much given to
+jealousy or to worrying their little heads unnecessarily about such
+small failings. They are perfectly well aware that their husbands cannot
+easily divorce them, when once the fatal knot has been tied, and that,
+though practically inferior beings and slaves, they nevertheless come
+first, and are above their rivals in the eye of the law; which, I
+suppose, is satisfaction enough for them. Even when on friendly terms
+with her husband's second loves, the wife number one never forgets to
+impress them with the fact that, though tolerated, they are considered by
+her to be much lower beings than herself; which makes them feel all the
+more her studied politeness to them. Occasionally, however, even the
+cool-headed Corean woman gets possessed with the vice of envy--sometimes
+mixed with hatred--with the result that reciprocal scratches and tearings
+of the hair become _l'ordre du jour_. But to condescend to such means of
+asserting one's authority is looked down upon by the more respectable
+women; and suffering in silence is pronounced to be a nobler way of
+acting under the circumstances, the woman thus setting an example of good
+nature eliciting the admiration of all her neighbours.
+
+The wedding ceremony in Cho-sen is simple. It is not celebrated as with
+us, in the house of the bride, but in that of the bridegroom. The bride
+it is, who--carried in a palanquin, if a lady of means and good family,
+or on pony or donkey back, if she belongs to the lower classes--goes,
+followed by parents, relations and friends, to the house of the
+bridegroom. Here she finds assembled his friends and relations, and,
+having been received by the father of the bridegroom, she mounts a small
+platform erected for the purpose in the centre of the room and squats
+down. Her father follows suit, placing himself just behind her. The
+bridegroom, apparently unconcerned by the serious change in his life that
+is in prospect, sits on his heels in front of her on the platform. A
+document is then produced and unrolled, on which, in hundreds of
+fantastic Chinese characters, it is certified that the performance taking
+place is a _bonâ-fide_ marriage between Mr. So-and-so and the daughter of
+So-and-so; the weaker sex, as we have already seen, not being entitled to
+a personal name. The two contracting parties having signed the document,
+the fathers of the bride and bridegroom and the nearest relations, follow
+suit. If, as happens in many cases, the woman is able neither to read nor
+write, she can make "her mark" on the roll of paper in question; and I
+must confess that of all the ingenious marks I have seen, this one is the
+most ingenious of all. If she be a lady of rank and illiterate, her
+little hand is placed on the paper and the outline drawn round the
+fingers and wrist with a fine brush dipped in Chinese ink; but if she
+happens to have no blue blood in her veins, and is, therefore, of less
+gracious manners, the simpler process of smearing her hand with black
+paint and hitting the document with it is considered to render the
+ceremony more impressive. A more or less vivid impression of the wife's
+fleshly seal having been affixed in this way to some part or other of the
+document according to her skill in aiming, the two unfortunates resume
+their dignity on the platform, sitting face to face without a word or
+motion. The bridegroom then makes four grand bows to his wife, in sign of
+resignation or assent, I suppose; and she returns two, while she treats
+her father-in-law with double that amount of reverence. This constitutes
+the marriage ceremony proper, but much further bowing has to be gone
+through by both the parties to each of the people present, who,
+accompanying their wedding-gifts of birds and fish with pretty
+compliments, come forward, one by one, to the platform and drink the
+health, happiness and joy of the wedded pair. It is the duty of the bride
+to remain perfectly mute and apparently unconcerned at all the pretty
+speeches addressed to her by the bridegroom and his friends until the
+nuptial-chamber is entered later in the evening. Previous to this,
+however, the bridegroom is taken away into the men's apartment, while, on
+the other hand, the wife is led into the ladies' own room. The former
+then has his tress cut off and tied into a top-knot--an operation
+entrusted to his best friend; while the latter also has her hair changed
+from the fashion of the maiden to that of a married woman, by her most
+intimate friend. It is only after this change in the coiffure that a man
+begins to be taken notice of in the world, or is regarded as responsible
+for his own conduct.
+
+After being arrayed in the fashion just mentioned, and having gone
+through a good deal of feasting, husband and wife are led off to the
+nuptial-chamber. Here, numerous straw puppets, which had better be left
+undescribed, are placed, with a certain implication, which need not be
+explained. With these, then, the two poor wretches are shut in, while all
+the relations and servants sit outside giggling and listening at the
+door. The wife is not supposed to utter a sound, and if by chance her
+voice is heard she can fully expect to have her life chaffed out of her,
+and to be the talk and the cause of good-natured fun all over the
+neighbourhood. The middle-men--either the fathers or others--are entitled
+to assist at the first-night business, and to report to the relations and
+friends whether the marriage is to turn out a happy one or not. They
+generally act their part behind a screen placed for the purpose in the
+nuptial-chamber.
+
+What happens is generally this: the man either takes a violent fancy for
+his new bride or else he does not care for her. If the former is the
+case, the first fortnight or so is a very happy one for the couple, and
+the two are continually by each other's side; but, by-and-by, of course,
+the ardour of these days gets quieted down, and, to show his wife that
+after all he does not think much of her, the man will even proceed to
+enter into relationship with a second wife, and probably soon after that
+also with a third or even a fourth, according to his means. After a time,
+he will again return to the first and principal wife, and repeat to her a
+certain amount of affection, though never quite so much as is displayed
+towards the last love. The Corean treats his wife with dignity and
+kindness, and feeds her well, but she is never allowed to forget that she
+is an inferior personage. To this, however, the women of Cho-sen seem
+quite resigned, and it is marvellous how faithful they are to their
+husbands, and how much they seem to think of them and their welfare and
+happiness, their own selves being quite forgotten. Should a woman of the
+better classes be left, a widow, she must wear mourning as long as she
+lives, and ever shed tears over the loss of her husband. To re-marry she
+is not permitted. Women of the lower classes, it is true, do not always
+observe this rule--which is not law, but merely etiquette.
+
+Many a Cho-sen lady, also, on finding herself deprived of her better half
+when she is still young in years and physique voluntarily puts an end to
+her days, that she may join her husband, wherever he may have gone,
+rather than go through life alone. If, however, a son is born, she will
+nurse him, and look upon him as her master when he grows older and
+becomes the head of the family.
+
+To obtain a divorce in Corea is not an easy matter. Large sums of money,
+however, often obtain what right cannot. The principal causes for which,
+if proved, a divorce can be obtained, are: infidelity, sterility,
+dishonesty, and incurable malady. These faults, be it understood, only
+apply to women, for against the men the weaker sex has, unfortunately, no
+redress. Indeed, by the law of Corea a man becomes the owner of a woman
+if he can prove that he has had intimate relations with her. In such a
+case as this, even though it has been against her parents' and her own
+will, he has a perfect right to take her to his house, and make her a
+wife or a concubine.
+
+Adultery until lately was punished in Corea with flogging and capital
+punishment. Now the law is more lenient, and wives accused of such a
+dreadful offence are beaten nearly to death, and when recovered, if they
+do recover, are given as concubines to low officials in the Palace or at
+some of the _Yamens_.
+
+Women who are much deformed and have reached a certain age without
+finding a husband are allowed the privilege of purchasing one, which, in
+other words, corresponds to our marriage for money. In Corea, however,
+the money is paid down as the consideration for the marriage. But this
+sort of thing is not very frequent, and husbands in such cases are
+generally recruited from among ruined gentlemen or from the middle
+classes, among whom with money anything can be done. It is not considered
+quite honourable, and the Cho-senese despise such conduct on the part of
+a man.
+
+When a woman marries she becomes co-proprietress of all her husband's
+fortune and property, and should he die without having any sons, money
+and land descend to her. When this happens, however, the larger part of
+the fortune is swallowed up by the astrologers and priests, who give the
+woman to understand that they are looking after the welfare of her
+deceased beloved. In matters concerning the dead, the Coreans are
+heedless of expense, and large sums are spent in satisfying the wishes
+that dead people convey to the living through those scamps, the
+astrologers.
+
+The life of a Corean woman, though that of a slave kept in strict
+seclusion, with prospects of floggings and head-chopping, is not always
+devoid of adventures. Love is a thing which is capricious in the extreme,
+and there are stories current in Cho-sen about young, wives being
+carelessly looked after by their husbands, and falling in love with some
+good-looking youth, of course married to some one else. Having, perhaps,
+against her master's orders, made a hole through the paper window, and
+been peeping at the passers-by in the street, after months, or even years
+of drudgery and sleepless nights thinking of her ideal--for Corean women
+are passionate, and much given to fanciful affections--she at last
+chances to see the man of her heart, and manages, through the well-paid
+agency of some faithful servant, to enter into communication with him. If
+the man in question happens to be a high official or a nobleman, what
+happens generally is that the lady's husband either gets suddenly packed
+off by order of the King to some distant province, or is sent upon some
+travelling employment which probably necessitates his leaving his wife
+behind for several years, during which period, under the old-fashioned
+excuse of news received of the husband's death, or the plea of poverty,
+she very likely becomes the concubine of the man she loves. In Corean
+literature, there are many stories of the burning affections of the fair
+sex, some being said to have committed crimes, and even suicide, to be
+near the man they loved.
+
+To a European mind, certainly, the native way of arranging marriages does
+not seem very likely to make the contracting parties happy, for neither
+the tastes nor respective temperaments of the young couple are regarded.
+Still, taking everything into consideration, it is marvellous how little
+unhappiness--comparatively--there is in a Corean household. Besides, it
+must not be supposed that, slave though she be, the Corean woman never
+gets things her own way. On the contrary, she does, and that as often as
+she likes. Among the upper classes, especially those about the Court,
+half the trouble in the kingdom is caused by the women, not openly,
+indeed, but in a clever underhand way through their _enervé_ husbands,
+whom, instead of being the governors, they rule and lead by the nose.
+Promotions, punishments, and beheadings are generally the consequence of
+the work of some female fiend. There is probably no place in the world in
+which intrigue is so rampant as in the Corean Capital. The Queen herself
+is said to exercise an enormous influence over the King, and, according
+to Corean reports, it is really she, and not the King, that rules
+Cho-sen. She is never either seen or heard of; and yet all the officials
+are frightened out of their lives if they think they have incurred her
+displeasure. For no plausible reason whatever men are sometimes seen
+deprived of their high position, degraded and exiled. Nobody knows why it
+is; the accused themselves cannot account for it. There is only one
+answer possible, namely, _Cherchez la femme_. The fact is, a Corean woman
+can be an angel and she can be a devil. If the former, she is soft, good,
+willing to bear any amount of pain, incredibly faithful to her husband,
+painstaking with her children, and willing to work day and night without
+a word of reproach. If, however, she is the other thing, I do not think
+that any devils in existence can beat her. She then has all the bad
+qualities that a human body can contain. I firmly believe that when a
+Corean woman is bad she is capable of anything! Much of the distress,
+even, which prevails all over the country is more or less due to the
+weakness of the stronger sex towards the women. Everybody, I suppose, is
+aware of the terrible system of "squeezing"; that is to say, the
+extortion of money from any one who may possess it. It is really painful
+all over Corea to see the careworn, sad expression on everybody's face;
+you see the natives lying about idle and pensive, doubtful as to what
+their fate will be to-morrow, all anxious for a reform in the mode of
+government, yet all too lazy to attempt to better their position, and
+this has gone on for generations! Such is human nature. It is hard to
+suffer, but this is considered to be nothing compared with the trouble of
+improving one's position.
+
+"What is the use of working and making money," said a Corean once to me,
+"if, when the work is done and the money made, it is taken from you by
+the officials; you are worn out by the work you have done, yet are as
+poor as before, that is, mind you, if you are fortunate enough not to be
+exiled to a distant province by the magistrate who has enriched himself
+at your expense?" "Now," added the Cho-senese, looking earnestly into my
+face, "would you work under those circumstances?" "I am hanged if I
+would," were the words which, to the best of my ability, I struggled to
+translate into the language of Cho-sen, in order to show my approval of
+these philosophic views; "but, tell me, what do the officials do with all
+the money?"
+
+"It is all spent in pleasure. Women are their ruin. The feasts which they
+celebrate with their singers and their concubines cost immense sums of
+money. Besides, their women are like leeches, and continually incite them
+to extort more and more from the public to satisfy their ambition and
+evil habits. They are women mostly born in dirt, but who now find
+themselves in lavishness and luxury. People who spring up from nothing
+never are satisfied with what they possess, and it is always a pleasure
+to them to see other people suffering as they formerly did."
+
+There is little doubt that what the Corean said is perfectly true, and
+that the system of "squeezing" is carried on by the magistrates to such
+an extent as to entirely ruin the people; wherefore, it is only natural
+that its depressing effects should be impressed upon the people
+"squeezed." I also believe that there is a good deal of truth in what he
+said about their females being supplied with large funds by the
+magistrates. The money must come from some part, and since, personally,
+they are poor and only receive a small pay, there is no doubt that the
+money in question is extorted as described. But let this suffice for the
+good and bad qualities of the Cho-sen fairies and their funny way of
+being married.
+
+[Illustration: THE MARK]
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XI
+
+Painting in Seoul--Messages from the king--Royal princes sitting for
+their portraits--Breaking the mourning law--Quaint notions--Delight and
+despair--Calling in of State ceremony--Corean soldiers--How they mount
+guard--Drill--Honours--A much admired shoe--A gift.
+
+
+I had made so many sketches in Seoul, that at last a rumour reached the
+Court of the rapidity with which I portrayed streets and people. The
+consequence was that both king and princes were very anxious to see what
+"European painting" was like, as they had never yet seen a picture
+painted by a European; so one fine day, to my great astonishment, through
+the kindness of Mr. Greathouse and General Le Gendre, I was able to
+induce one of the Queen's nephews, young Min-san-ho, to sit for his
+likeness in his Court dress. The picture, a life-size one, was painted in
+the course of an afternoon and was pronounced a success by my Corean
+critics. In Cho-senese eyes, unaccustomed to the effects of light, shade,
+and variety of colour in painting, the work merited a great deal of
+admiration, and many were the visitors who came to inspect it. It was
+not, they said, at all like a picture, but just like the man himself
+sitting donned in his white Court robes and winged cap. So great was the
+sensation produced by this portrait, that before many days had passed
+the King ordered it to be brought into his presence, upon which being
+done he sat gazing at it, surrounded by his family and whole household.
+The painting was kept at the Palace for two entire days, and when
+returned to me was simply covered with finger marks, royal and not royal,
+smeared on the paint, which was still moist, and that, notwithstanding
+that I had been provident enough to paste in a corner of the canvas a
+label in the Corean language to the effect that fingers were to be kept
+off. The King declared himself so satisfied with it that he expressed the
+wish that before leaving the country I should paint the portraits of the
+two most important personages in Cho-sen after himself, viz.: the two
+Princes, Min-Young-Huan, and Min-Young-Chun, the former of whom was
+Commander-in-chief of the Corean land forces, and the other, Prime
+Minister of the kingdom, in fact, the Bismarck of Cho-sen.
+
+No sooner had I answered "yes" to this request than the sitting was fixed
+for the next morning at 11 o'clock. The crucial matter, of course, was
+the question of precedence, and this would have been difficult to settle
+had not the Prime Minister caught a bad cold, which caused his sitting to
+be delayed for some days. Hence it was that at 11 o'clock punctually I
+was to portray prince Min-Young-Huan, the commander-in-chief of the
+Corean troops.
+
+[Illustration: H.R.H. PRINCE MIN-YOUNG-HUAN]
+
+General Le Gendre, with his usual kindness, had offered me a room in his
+house, in which I could receive, and paint His Royal Highness. The
+excitement at Court on the subject of these pictures, had apparently been
+great, for late at night a message was brought me from the palace to
+the effect that the King, having heard that I preferred painting the two
+princes in their smartest dark blue gowns of lovely silk instead of in
+their white mourning ones, had given Min orders to comply with my wish.
+The grant of such a privilege was, indeed, remarkable, when it is
+remembered how strict the rules as to mourning were, not only at Court,
+but all over the country; for so strict are the mourning rules of the
+country, that the slightest exception to them may mean the loss of one's
+head. The precaution, however, was taken to bind me to secrecy, on the
+ground that a bad example of this kind coming from royalty might actually
+cause a revolutionary outbreak. It was naturally with the greatest
+pleasure, at my success, and the courtesy shown me, that I went to bed,
+not, however, without having received yet another message from General Le
+Gendre, asking me to be in attendance punctually at 11 A.M.
+
+It was just 6.30 in the morning, when there was a loud tap at my door,
+and the servant rushed in, in the wildest state of excitement, handing me
+a note from General Le Gendre. The note read somewhat as follows: "Dear
+Mr. Landor, Prince Min has arrived at my house to sit for his picture.
+Please come at once."
+
+That is punctuality, is it not? To make an appointment, and go to the
+place to keep it four-and-a-half hours before the time appointed!
+
+In less than no time I was on the spot. Le Gendre's house was, as it
+were, in a state of siege, for hundreds of armed soldiers were drawn up,
+in the little lane leading to it, while the court of his compound was
+crammed with followers and officers, in their smartest clothes. The
+warriors, who had already made themselves comfortable, and were squatting
+on their heels, playing cards and other games, got up most respectfully
+as I passed, and, by command of one of the officers, rendered me a
+military salute, which I must confess made me feel very important. I had
+never suspected that such an armed force was necessary to protect a man
+who was going to have his portrait painted, but of course, I am well
+aware that artists are always most unreliable people. When the real
+reason of this display was explained, I did indeed feel much flattered.
+
+The Prince had, in fact, come to me in his grandest style, and with his
+full escort, just as if his object had been to call on some royal
+personage, such as the King himself. The compliment was, I need hardly
+say, much appreciated by me. I was actually lifted up the steps of the
+house by his servants, for it was supposed that the legs of such a grand
+personage must indeed be incapable of bearing his body, and thus I was
+brought into his presence. As usual, he was most affable, and full of wit
+and fun. So great had been his anxiety to be down on canvas, that he had
+been quite unable to sleep. He could only wish for the daylight to come,
+which was to immortalise him, and that was why he had come "a little"
+before his time.
+
+Having assured himself that there was no one else in the room, he
+discarded his mourning clothes, and put on a magnificent blue silk gown
+with baggy sleeves, upon which dragons were depicted, in rather lighter
+tones. On his chest, he wore a square on which in multicoloured
+embroideries were represented the flying phoenix and the tiger, and the
+corners of which were filled in artistically with numerous scrolls. He
+had also a rectangular jewelled metal belt, projecting both at his chest
+and at the back, and held in position by a ribbon on both sides of his
+body. His cap was of the finest black horse-hair with wings fastened at
+the back. He seemed most proud of his three white leather satchels, and a
+writing pad, which hung down from his left side, by wide white straps.
+Into these straps, in time of war, is passed the sword of supreme
+command, and by them in time of peace is his high military rank made
+known. His sword was a magnificent old blade, which had been handed down
+from his ancestors, and naturally he was very proud of it. While showing
+it to me, he related the noble deeds, which had been accomplished by its
+aid, his eyes glistening all the time, but, as he was about to
+graphically describe in what way such and such an ancestor had done away
+with his foe, I, who am not at all fond of playing with razor-edged
+swords, thought it prudent to interrupt him by placing him in position
+for the picture. As I posed him, he did not utter a word, nor wink an
+eye. And during the whole of a sitting of nearly three hours he sat
+motionless and speechless, like a statue.
+
+"It is finished," I finally said, and he sprang up in a childish fashion
+and came over to look at the work. His delight was unbounded, and he
+seized my hand and shook it for nearly half an hour; after which, he
+suddenly became grave, stared at the canvas, and then looked at the back
+of it. He seemed horrified.
+
+"What is it?" I inquired of His Royal Highness.
+
+"You have not put in my jade decoration," said he, almost in despair.
+
+I had, of course, painted his portrait full face, and as the Coreans have
+the strange notion of wearing their decorations in the shape of a small
+button of jade, gold, silver or amber, behind the left ear, these did not
+appear thereon. I then tried to remonstrate, saying that it was
+impossible in European art to accomplish such a feat as to show both
+front and back at once, but, as he seemed distressed at what to him
+seemed a defect, I made him sit again, and compromised the matter by
+making another large but rapid sketch of him from a side point of view,
+so as to include the decoration and the rest rather magnified in size. It
+is from this portrait that the illustration is taken; for I corrected it
+as soon as he was out of sight. But with this second portrait my Corean
+sitter was more grieved than ever, for, he remarked, now he could see the
+decoration, but not his other eye!
+
+These difficulties having, with the exercise of a good deal of patience
+and time, been finally overcome by my proving to him that one cannot see
+through things that are not transparent, we were entertained by General
+Le Gendre to an excellent lunch, during which toasts to the health of
+everybody under the sun were drunk in numberless bottles of champagne.
+Then he began to wax quite enthusiastic about his likeness. He called in
+his officers and followers; by this time, of course, he had got into his
+mourning clothes again, and donned his semi-spherical crane-surmounted
+hat; and they all showed great admiration of the work, although many went
+round, as he had done, to look at the backs of the two canvases to find
+"the eye," or the other missing "button."
+
+He wanted to purchase both pictures there and then, but I declined,
+saying that I would be pleased to present him with a smaller copy when
+completed. With this promise he departed happy.
+
+Now it was the turn of his Prime Minister brother, Prince Min. He also
+came in full state, with hundreds of servants and followers, hours before
+his time; was a most restless model; and, having profited by his
+brother's experience, was continually coming over to examine the painting
+and reminding me not to forget this and that and the other
+thing--generally what was on the other side of his body, or what from my
+point of vantage I could not see. This time, however, I had chosen a
+three-quarter face pose, and he expressed the fullest satisfaction with
+the result, until, going to poke his nose into the canvas, which was
+about 4 feet by 3, he began to take objections to the shadows. He
+insisted that his face was all perfectly white; whereas I had made
+one-half his nose darker in colour than the other; also that there was
+the same defect under the chin; his untrained mind being unable to grasp
+the fact that the same colour under different lights becomes lighter or
+darker in tone. I would have lost my patience with him if I had had any
+to lose, but, remaining silent, I smiled idiotically at his observations,
+and did exactly the reverse of what he wished me to do. The beautifying
+touches having been duly added, and the high lights put in where it
+seemed proper that they should go, I summoned the Prince to see the
+effect, this time building up a barricade of chairs and tables in front
+of the canvas, in order that His Royal Highness might be compelled to
+conduct his examination of it at the right distance. This had the desired
+effect, and, as he now gazed at it, he found the likeness excellent and
+to use his words "just like a living other-self." It seemed to him a most
+inexplicable circumstance that when he got his nose close to the canvas
+the picture appeared so different from what it was when inspected at the
+right distance. This sitting also ended with a feast, and everything
+passed off in the best of ways.
+
+The result of this amicable intercourse with the Royal Princes was that
+calls had to be duly exchanged according to the rules of Corean
+etiquette. Both Princes came again in their state array to call upon me
+in person, a privilege which I was told had never before been bestowed on
+any Europeans, not even the Diplomatic Agents in the land, after which
+upon the following day I proceeded to return their calls.
+
+The morning was dedicated to the commander-in-chief, Prince
+Min-Young-Huan. Since to go on foot, even though the distance was only a
+few hundred yards from Mr. Greathouse's, where I was living, would have
+been, according to Corean etiquette, a disgrace and an insult, I rode up
+to his door on horseback. His house stood, surrounded by a strong wall of
+masonry and with impregnable iron-banded gates, in the centre of a large
+piece of ground. His ensign flew at one corner of the enclosure, and a
+detachment of picked troops was always at his beck and call in the
+immediate neighbourhood. At the door were sentries, and it was curious to
+note the way in which guard is mounted in the land of Cho-sen.
+
+I suppose what I am going to narrate will not be believed, but it is none
+the less perfectly true. The Corean Tommy Atkins mounts guard curled up
+in a basket filled with rags and cotton-wool! Even at the royal palace
+one sees them. The Cho-senese warrior is not a giant; on the contrary, he
+is very small, only a little over five feet, or even less, so that the
+round basket which contains him is made only about four feet in diameter,
+and three-and-a-half feet deep. In the inner enclosures of the royal
+palace, where two soldiers at a time are on guard, the baskets are
+bigger, and the two men contained in them squat or curl up together like
+two birds in a nest. Their rifles are generally left standing against the
+wall; but, occasionally, when the position to be guarded is a very
+responsible one, they are nursed in the basket.
+
+The infantry soldier, seen at his best, is a funny individual. He thinks
+he is dressed like a European soldier, but the reader can imagine the
+resemblance. His head-gear consists of a felt hat with a large brim,
+which he keeps on his head by means of two ribbons tied under his chin;
+for the fashion is, in military circles, to have a head-gear many times
+too small for his head. He wears a pair of calico trousers of a
+nondescript colour resembling green and black, under which his own padded
+"unmentionables" are concealed, a fact which of itself is sufficient to
+make him look a little baggy. Then there is his shortish coat with large
+sleeves and woollen wristlets; and a belt, with a brass buckle, somewhere
+about five inches above or below his waist, according to the amount of
+dinner he has eaten and the purses he has stuffed under his coat. Yes,
+the Coreans are not yet civilised enough to possess pockets, and all that
+they have to carry must be stuffed into small leather, cloth, or silk
+purses with long strings. By ordinary individuals these purses are
+fastened inside or outside the coat, but among the military it is
+strictly forbidden to show purses over the coat; wherefore the regulation
+method is to carry these underneath, tied to the trouser's band.
+Accordingly, as the number of purses is larger or smaller, the belt over
+the jacket is higher or lower on the waist, the coat sticking out in the
+most ridiculous manner.
+
+In the illustration a Corean warrior of the latest fashion may be seen in
+his full uniform. He is an infantry soldier.
+
+[Illustration: AN INFANTRY SOLDIER]
+
+The guns with which these men are armed, are of all sorts, descriptions
+and ages, from the old flint-locks to repeating breech-loaders, and it
+can easily be imagined how difficult it must be to train the troops,
+hardly two soldiers having guns of even a similar make! A couple of
+American Army instructors were employed by the King to coach the soldiery
+in the art of foreign warfare, and to teach them how to use their
+weapons, but, if I remember rightly, one of the greatest difficulties
+they had to contend with was the utter want of discipline; for to this
+the easy-going Corean Tommy Atkins could on no account be made to
+submit. They are brave enough when it comes to fighting; that is, when
+this is done in their own way; and rather than give way an inch they will
+die like valiant warriors. It is an impossibility, however, to make them
+understand that when a man is a soldier, in European fashion, he is no
+more a man, but a machine.
+
+"Why not have machines altogether?" seemed to be pretty much what they
+thought when compelled to go through the, to them, apparently useless and
+tiresome drill.
+
+The target practice amused and interested them much when it took place,
+which was but seldom, for the cost of the ammunition was found to be too
+much for the authorities; there being, besides, the further difficulty of
+providing different cartridges for the great variety of rifles used. Thus
+it was that, though nearly every infantry soldier possessed a gun, he
+hardly ever had a chance of firing it. So rarely was even a round of
+blank cartridges fired in the capital, that, when this event did take
+place for some purpose or other, the King invariably sent a message to
+the few foreign residents in the town requesting them not to be
+frightened or alarmed at the "report," or to suppose that a revolution
+had broken out.
+
+Having examined Tommy Atkins at his best, I sent in my name to the
+Prince, and was waiting outside, when suddenly a great noise was heard
+inside, the squeaky locks were unbolted, and gate after gate was thrown
+open. The pony had to be left behind at the gate, and as I entered the
+court, among the chin-chins of the courtiers, I saw the
+Commander-in-chief waiting on the door-step to greet me with
+outstretched arms. Honour after honour was bestowed upon me; which
+extreme politeness amazed me, for Foreign Ministers and Consuls are never
+received in this way, but are led into his presence, while he remains
+comfortably seated in his audience chamber.
+
+He took me by the hand, and, leading me into his reception room,
+maintained a long and most friendly conversation with me, taking the most
+unbounded interest in all matters pertaining to Western civilisation. As
+we were thus busily engaged, "pop," went the cork of a champagne bottle
+with a frightful explosion, through the paper window, and my interlocutor
+and myself had a regular shower bath, as sudden as it was unexpected.
+Then out of this healths were drunk, the servant who had opened the
+bottle so clumsily, being promised fifty strokes of the paddle at the
+earliest opportunity; after which I rose and bade his Royal Highness
+good-bye. Again, his politeness was extreme, and he accompanied me to the
+door, where, amidst the chin-chins of his followers and the "military
+honours" of the assembled troops, I re-mounted my pony and galloped off
+home.
+
+The same afternoon I paid my visit to the Royal Prime Minister. This
+time, being grown conceited, I suppose, by virtue of the honour received
+in the course of the morning, though in part, perhaps, owing to the
+advice of my friend Mr. Greathouse, who insisted upon my going in grand
+state, I was carried in the "green sedan chair," the one, namely, which
+is only brought out for officials and princes of the highest rank. I was
+also accorded the full complement of four chair-bearers, and,
+accompanied by the _Kissos_ (soldiers) and servants who were summoned to
+form my escort, I gaily started.
+
+"Oooohhhh!" my bearers sighed in a chorus, as they lifted me into the
+sedan and sped me along the crowded streets; while the soldiers shouted
+"Era, Era, Era, Picassa, Picassa!" thrusting to one side the astonished
+natives that stood in the way. As I approached the palace, I noticed that
+rows of other sedan-chairs, but yellow and blue ones, were waiting, their
+official occupants anticipating an audience with the Prince and Prime
+Minister. All these, however, had to make way before me, and a soldier
+having been despatched in advance to inform His Royal Highness of my
+coming, the gates were banged open as I approached them and closed again
+so soon as I was within. The cordial reception which I had received from
+the other prince, was now repeated; and Min Young Chun and his court were
+actually standing on the door-step to receive me.
+
+As I always complied with the habits of the country, I proceeded to take
+off my shoes before entering the house, but the prince, having been
+informed some time or other that such was not the custom in England,
+insisted on my abstaining from doing so. I had already taken off one shoe
+and was proceeding to untie the other when, catching me by one arm and
+his followers by the other, he dragged me in. You can imagine how comical
+and undignified I looked, with one shoe on and the other off! Still, I
+managed to be equal to the occasion, and held a long _pourparler_ with
+the Prince, his courtiers standing around, in a room which he had
+furnished in the European style, with two Chinese chairs and a table!
+
+As we were thus confabulating and I was being entertained with native
+wine and sweets, I received a dreadful blow--that is to say, a moral one.
+A youth, a relation of the prince, ran into the room and whispered
+something in the royal ears, whereupon his eyes glittered with
+astonishment and curiosity, and in a moment there was a general stampede
+out of the room on the part of all the courtiers and eunuchs. A minute
+after, amidst the deepest silence, was brought triumphantly into the
+audience-room and deposited in the middle of the table:--what do you
+think?--my shoe, that, namely, which I had left outside!
+
+Such a blow as this I had never experienced in my life, for the man I was
+calling upon, you must remember, held a position in Corea equal to that
+of the Prince of Wales and Lord Rosebery combined, and if you can imagine
+being entertained by a dignitary of this high order with one of your
+shoes in its right place and the other on the table, you will agree that
+my position was more than comical. It appeared that this special state of
+sensation was produced entirely by the fact that my unfortunate foot-gear
+was made of patent leather, and that, being almost new, it shone
+beautifully. Neither Prince nor Court had ever seen patent leather
+before, and much ravishment, mingled with childish surprise, was on the
+face of everybody, when it was whispered round and believed that the shoe
+was covered with a glass coating. The Prince examined it carefully all
+over, and then passed it round to his courtiers, signs of the greatest
+admiration being expressed at this wonderful object.
+
+[Illustration: H.R.H. PRINCE MIN-YOUNG-CHUN]
+
+I, on my, side, took things quite philosophically, after having recovered
+from the first shock; and, taking off the other shoe, put it also on the
+table, gracefully, and quite in the Eastern fashion, begging the Prince
+to accept the pair as a gift, if he was agreeable to have them.
+Fortunately for me, however, he even more gracefully declined the offer,
+though, as long as our interview lasted, I noticed that his eyes were
+constantly fixed on them and that every now and then he again went into
+raptures over them!
+
+On the occasion of this visit I presented him with a portrait of himself
+reproduced on a small scale from the larger painting which I had made. He
+seemed to much appreciate this picture so far as the painting was
+concerned, but was much taken aback when he discovered that it was on the
+surface of a wooden panel and could not, therefore, be rolled up. The
+Eastern idea is that, to preserve a picture, it should always be kept
+rolled, and unrolled as seldom as possible, that is to say, only on grand
+solemnities.
+
+When it was time to go, the Prince conducted me to the door in person,
+and, having had my shoes put on and laced by one of his pages, I finally
+took my leave of him.
+
+A very curious episode, the direct consequence of my having portrayed
+these Princes, occurred some days afterwards. I was walking in the
+grounds of Mr. Greathouse's residence, when I perceived a number of
+coolies, headed by two soldiers and a sort of _Maggiordomo_, coming
+towards the house. They were carrying several baskets, while the
+_Maggiordomo_ himself gracefully held a note between two fingers. As soon
+as they saw me, the _Maggiordomo_ made a grand bow, and, delivering the
+letter into my hands, said that it came from Prince Min-Young-Huan, the
+Commander-in-chief of the Corean army. What astonished me even more was
+that he placed at my feet the different baskets and parcels, announcing
+that they were now my property. The letter ran as follows:
+
+
+    "MY DEAR MR. LANDOR,--I send you some Corean hens, and some eggs,
+    and some persimmons, and some beef, and some pork, and some nuts,
+    and some screens, and a leopard skin. I hope that you will
+    receive them. I thank you very much for the beautiful picture you
+    have done of me, and I send you this as a remembrance of
+    me.--Your friend,
+
+    "MIN-YOUNG-HUAN."
+
+Greathouse and all the household having been at once summoned, the gifts
+were duly displayed and admired. The eggs numbered four hundred; then,
+there were ten live native hens with lovely feathers, about forty pounds
+of beef and pork, and two full bags, the one of nuts and the other of
+persimmons. There was enough to last one a month. The part of the present
+which pleased me most, however, was that containing the split bamboo
+window screens, which are only manufactured for, and presented to the
+King and royal princes by faithful subjects, and can scarcely be obtained
+for love or money under ordinary circumstances. The leopard skin, also,
+was a lovely one of its kind, with long fur and fat long tail,
+beautifully marked, in short an excellent specimen of what is called, I
+believe, a snow-leopard. Never before had I made so good a bargain for
+any picture of mine, and I could not but wonder whether I should ever
+again have another like it.
+
+I am sorry to say that a large portion of the eggs were consumed in
+making egg-noggs, an excellent American drink, at the concocting of which
+Greathouse was a master, a sustaining "refresher" which helped us much in
+passing away the long dull winter evenings. The hens, whose plumage we
+much admired, were let loose for some days, but they created such a
+nuisance with their early crowing, that they were soon condemned, like
+most hens, to suffer from an overstretch of neck. The screens and
+leopard-skins I brought back with me to England as a memento of my
+portrait-painting experiences in Corea, and these I still possess.
+
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XII
+
+The royal palace--A royal message--Mounting guard--The bell--The royal
+precinct--The Russian villa--An unfinished structure--The Summer
+Palace--The King's house--Houses of dignitaries--The ground and summer
+pavilion--Colds--The funeral of a Japanese Minister--Houses of royal
+relations--The queen--The oldest man and woman--The King and his
+throne--Politics and royalty--Messengers and spies--Kim-Ka-Chim---Falcons
+and archery--Nearly a St. Sebastian--The queen's curiosity--A royal
+banquet--The consequences.
+
+
+[Illustration: THE PALACE GROUNDS AND SOUTH GATE FROM THE NEW PALACE]
+
+I had some more amusing experiences on the occasion of my first visit to
+the royal palace. The King had sent me a message one evening saying that
+any part of the royal palace and grounds would be opened to me, if I
+wished to make observations or take sketches, and that it would give him
+much pleasure if I would go there early the next morning and stay to
+dinner at the palace. This invitation to spend the whole day at the
+palace was so tempting that I at once accepted it, and next day,
+accompanied by one of the officials, a Mr. S., I proceeded early in the
+morning to the side entrance of the enclosure.
+
+The palace and grounds, as we have seen, are enclosed by a wall of
+masonry about twenty feet high, and from a bird's-eye point of vantage
+the "compound" has a rectangular shape. There are almost continuous moats
+round the outside walls, with stone bridges with marble parapets over
+them at all the entrances. At the corners of the wall _d'enceinte_ are
+turrets with loopholes. There soldiers are posted day and night to mount
+guard, each set being relieved from duty at intervals of two hours during
+the night, when the hammer bell in the centre of the palace grounds
+sounds its mournful but decided strokes. At midnight a big drum is
+struck, the harmonic case of which is semi-spherical and covered with a
+donkey-skin first wetted and made tight. It is by the sound of this
+smaller bell within the palace grounds that the signal is given at sunset
+to the "Big Bell" to vibrate through the air those sonorous notes by
+which, as already stated, all good citizens of the stronger sex are
+warned to retire to their respective homes, and which give the signal for
+closing the gates of the town.
+
+When you enter the royal precinct, you run a considerable amount of risk
+of losing your way. It is quite a labyrinth there. The more walls and
+gates you go through, the more you wind your way, now round this
+building, then round that, the more obstacles do you seem to see in front
+of you. There are sentries at every gate, and at each a password has to
+be given. When you approach, the infantry soldiers, quickly jumping out
+of the baskets in which they were slumbering, seize hold of their rifles,
+and either point their bayonets at you or else place their guns across
+the door, until the right password is given, when a comical way of
+presenting arms follows, and you are allowed to proceed.
+
+In the back part of the enclosure is a pretty villa in the Russian style.
+A few years ago, when European ideas began to bestir the minds of the
+King of Cho-sen, he set his heart upon having a house built in the
+Western fashion. No other architect being at hand, his Majesty
+commissioned a clever young Russian, a Mr. Seradin Sabatin, to build him
+a royal palace after the fashion of his country. The young Russian,
+though not a professional architect, did his very best to please the
+King, and with the money he had at his command, turned out a very solid
+and well-built little villa, _à la Russe_, with _caloriféres_ and all
+other modern appliances. The house has two storeys, but the number of
+rooms is rather limited. The King, however, seemed much pleased with it,
+but when it was on the point of completion, at the instigation of some
+foreign diplomat, he commissioned a French architect from Japan to
+construct another palace on a much larger scale at some distance from the
+Russian building. The estimates for this new ground structure were far
+too small, and by the time that the foundations were laid down, the cost
+already amounted to nearly three times the sum for which the whole
+building was to have been erected. The King, disgusted at what he thought
+to be foreign trickery, but what was really merciless robbery on the
+part of his own officials, decided to discontinue the new palace, which,
+in consequence, even now has reached only a height of about three feet
+above the level of the ground.
+
+The royal palace may be considered as divided into two portions, namely,
+the summer palace and the winter palace. An official, who came to meet me
+in the inner enclosure, informed me that His Majesty desired that I
+should begin by inspecting the summer palace--access to which is not
+allowed during the winter time--and that he had given orders for the
+gates leading to it, which had been nailed up and sealed, to await the
+next warm weather, to be opened for me. No one besides myself and the
+official to guide me was, however, to be allowed to enter. And so,
+preceded by a man with a heavy wooden mallet, we arrived at the gate,
+which, after a considerable amount of hammering and pegging away, was at
+last forced open. Accompanied by my guide, I straightway entered, two
+soldiers being left on guard to prevent any one else following. As I got
+within the enclosure, a pretty sight lay before me. In front was a large
+pond, now all frozen, in the centre of which stood a large square sort of
+platform of white marble. On this platform was erected the audience-hall,
+a colonnade of the same kind of white marble, supported by which was
+another floor of red lacquered wood with wooden columns, which in their
+turn upheld the tiled roof with slightly curled up corners. The part
+directly under the roof was beautifully ornamented with fantastic wood
+carvings painted yellow, red, green and blue. Red and white were the
+colours which predominated. A black tablet, with large gold characters
+on it, was at one side.
+
+The throne in the audience-hall was a simple raised scaffold in the
+centre of the room, with a screen behind it, and a staircase of seven or
+eight steps leading up to it. Access to this sort of platform-island from
+the gate at which we entered was obtained by means of a marble bridge,
+spanned across on two strong marble supports. The staircase leading to
+the first floor was at the end of the building, directly opposite to
+where the bridge was; so that, on coming from the bridge, we had to go
+through the whole colonnade to reach it.
+
+Having taken a sketch or two, I retraced my steps and again reached the
+entrance. The instant I was outside, the gate was again shut and nailed
+up, wooden bars being put right across it. I was then led to the inner
+enclosure. The gate of this was guarded by about a dozen armed men, I
+being now in front of the part of the house which was inhabited by the
+King himself. After all, however, his abode is no better than the houses
+of the noblemen all over Seoul. It is as simple as possible in all its
+details; in fact, it is studiously made so. There are no articles of
+value in the rooms, except a few screens painted by native artists; nor
+are there any signs marking it out in particular as the abode of a
+Sovereign. The houses of the high court dignitaries are infinitely more
+gaudy than the royal palace, for they are decorated externally in bright
+red and green colours.
+
+The morning was spent in prowling about the grounds and in sketching here
+and there. In front of the King's house, protected at a short distance
+by a low wall, is a second pond, in the middle of which, on a small
+island, the King has erected a summer pavilion of octagonal shape, in
+which during the warmer months he enjoys the reviving coolness of the
+still nights confabulating on State affairs with his Ministers and
+advisers (not foreign advisers), a pretty semi-circular, white wooden
+bridge joining, so to speak, the island to the mainland; but, besides
+this and the buildings provided for the accommodation of the Chinese
+envoys, when they come, I do not think there is anything in the royal
+enclosure worthy of special notice.
+
+[Illustration: THE SUMMER PAVILION]
+
+Near the main entrance of the palace is a small house for the
+accommodation of foreign Ministers, consuls and Chinese customs
+officials, when, on New Year's Day and other public occasions, they are
+received in audience by the King. The small room is actually provided
+with a stove, as several unfortunate ambassadors have been known to have
+caught dreadful colds through having to remain exposed to the natural
+temperature for hours until it was the King's pleasure to have them
+admitted to his presence. Indeed, I believe I am right when I state that
+one or two of these notabilities died in consequence of their experiences
+in this way. At all events, during my stay at Seoul, the Japanese
+Minister came by his death through a cold which he contracted by having
+to stand an inordinate time in the cold room, in his evening dress, and
+then walk minus his overcoat or wrappers, through the interminable paved
+passage leading to the audience-hall.
+
+Here let me digress. This ambassador's funeral, was, indeed, a comical
+sight. I am well aware that it is bad form to find entertainment among
+things pertaining to the dead. However, it was not the corpse that made
+the performance in question seem funny, but those that remained alive,
+and intended to honour his remains. Telegrams arrived from Japan to the
+effect that the body should be despatched to his native country;
+arrangements were therefore made by the Japanese indwellers to convey and
+escort the body of their representative from the capital to Chemulpo, a
+port about twenty-five miles distant. According to this plan, the loyal
+Japanese coolies were to carry the heavy hearse on their backs, while the
+King of Corea agreed to despatch four hundred soldiers of cavalry and
+infantry by way of escort, all the foreign residents being also intended
+to follow the procession part of the way in their sedan-chairs. So far so
+good, and all proceeded, as directed, in good order until the Mafu ferry
+was reached. The procession, having crossed the river here, at once
+proceeded to re-form on the large stretch of sand on the other side.
+While, then, the Japanese, who have always been fond of playing at
+soldiers, and had brought down to the river-side with them a couple of
+field-guns, were being treated by a Japanese attaché, clad in an
+exaggerated diplomatic uniform covered with gold braiding, and standing
+in dancing pumps in the sands that half-buried him, to a recapitulation
+of the virtues of the defunct, the coolies were bearing the hearse on
+their backs, the Corean cavalry and infantry forming two lines in good
+style. There stood the Corean horsemen, each supported by two men,
+apparently unconcerned at the long Japanese rigmarole, of which they did
+not understand a word; there rode as stiff as statues outside the ranks
+the officers of Cho-sen, on their little ponies. All of a sudden,
+however, the two field-guns went off, and with the most disastrous
+effects. Half the cavalrymen tumbled off their saddles at the unexpected
+bucking of their frightened ponies, and the whole band of horsemen was
+soon scattered in every direction, while the men who were carrying the
+hearse, following the example of the ponies, gave such a jerk at the
+sudden explosion, as to nearly drop their burden on the ground.
+By-and-by, the commotion subsided; the procession got into marching
+order, and all went well until the seaport was reached. The better class
+Japanese, I may mention, were dressed in stage uniforms, or in evening
+dress and tall hats, and that though the hour was 9 A.M. or soon after.
+
+But let us return to the royal palace. The King and Queen have
+numberless relations, but not all of these live in the royal "compound."
+Those that do, have each a separate small house; those that do not, live
+in the immediate neighbourhood of the palace enclosure, so as to be
+within easy reach when wanted; it being one of the little failings of the
+Corean potentate to call up his relations at all hours as well of the
+night as of the day. In fact, nearly all the work done by the King, and
+nearly all the interviews which he grants to his Ministers take place
+during the dark hours, the principal reason given for which is that by
+this means, intrigue is prevented, and people are kept in utter ignorance
+as to what takes place at Court.
+
+[Illustration: THE KING]
+
+It is a great mistake to suppose that the good-natured King of Cho-sen,
+possesses a harem as big as that of the Sultan of Turkey; indeed, the
+contrary is the fact. He is quite satisfied with a single wife, that is
+to say, the Queen. Needless to say, however, were the custom otherwise,
+he certainly would not be the person to object to the institution, for
+his predecessors undoubtedly indulged in such an extravagance. The real
+truth is the King of Cho-sen has married a little lady stronger minded
+than himself, and is compelled to keep on his best behaviour, and see to
+it that he does not get into trouble. There are bad tongues in Seoul who
+say that the Queen actually rules the King, and therefore, through him,
+the country, and that he is more afraid of Her Gracious Majesty, his
+wife, than of the very devil himself. For the correctness of this
+statement I will not answer.
+
+The Queen is a very good-looking, youngish woman, younger than the King,
+and has all her wits about her. She is said to be much in favour of the
+emancipation of the Corean woman, but she has made no actual effort, that
+I am aware of, to modify the comparatively strict rules of their
+seclusion. She comes of one of the oldest families in Cho-sen, and by a
+long way the noblest, that of the Mins. She treats herself to countless
+Court ladies, varying in number between a score and three hundred,
+according to the wants of the Court at different times.
+
+One of the quaintest and nicest customs in Corea is the respect shown by
+the young for the old; what better, then, can the reigning people do but
+set the good example themselves? Every year the King and Queen entertain
+in the royal palace an old man and an old woman of over the age of
+ninety, and no matter from what class these aged specimens are drawn,
+they are always looked after and cared for under their own supervision
+and made happy in every way. Every year a fresh man and woman must be
+chosen for this purpose, those of the previous competition being _hors de
+concours_. These privileged individuals, if devoid of means, are well
+provided with all the necessaries of life and _cash_ before they are sent
+home; and not infrequently they end by never leaving the royal palace, or
+by settling in the house of some prince or magistrate, by whom they are
+fed and clothed till the end of their days. Of course, in many cases it
+happens that the oldest man or woman in the town is a nobleman or a
+noblewoman; in which case, after the lapse of a certain space of time,
+further enjoyment of the royal hospitality is politely declined.
+
+Under the last-mentioned circumstances valuable presents are, however,
+given them as mementoes of the stay at the royal palace. This privilege
+is much thought of among the Coreans, and a family who has had a member
+royally entertained and treated as King's "brothers"--for I believe that
+is the name by which they go--is held in great respect by the community,
+and in perfect veneration by their immediate neighbours.
+
+The King dresses just like any other high official when the country is in
+mourning--that is to say, he has a long white garment with baggy sleeves,
+and the usual jewelled projecting belt, with the winged skull-cap; but
+when the land is under normal conditions, he dons a gaudy blue silk gown
+with dragons woven into the texture, while over his chest in a circular
+sort of plate a larger rampant fire-dragon is embroidered in costly
+silks and gold. When the latter dress is worn his cap is of similar shape
+to that worn when in mourning, only it is made of the finest black,
+instead of white, horse-hair, stiffened with varnish.
+
+The King's throne is simple but imposing. He sits upon three carved
+marble steps, covered with a valuable embroidered cloth, by the side of
+which, on two pillars, are two magnificent bronze vases. Behind him is a
+screen of masonry; for no king when in state must ever be either seen
+from behind, or looked down on by any one standing behind or beside him.
+Such an insult and breach of etiquette, especially in the latter way,
+would, until quite recently, probably have meant the loss of the
+offender's head. Tainted, however, unfortunately with a craze for Western
+civilisation, the King now seldom sits on his marble throne, adorned with
+fine carvings of dragons and tigers, preferring to show himself sitting
+in a cheap foreign arm-chair with his elbow reclining on a wretched
+little twopence-halfpenny table covered with a green carpet. He imagines
+that he thus resembles a potentate of Europe! His son generally sits by
+his side on these occasions.
+
+The King's relations take no active part in politics, as they consider it
+unfair and beneath them, but the King, of course, does, and, judging from
+appearances, he seems to take a great deal of interest in his country and
+his people. He is constantly despatching officials on secret missions to
+this or that province, often in disguise, and at a moment's notice, in
+order to obtain reliable information as to the state of those provinces,
+and the opinions of the natives regarding the magistrates appointed by
+him. The capital itself, too, contains practically a mass of detectives,
+who keep spying on everybody and one another, always ready to report the
+evil-doing of others, and often being caught _in flagrante delicto_
+themselves. Very often even nobles with whom I was well acquainted
+suddenly disappeared for days and weeks at a time, no one knowing either
+whither they had gone or what they were doing, except that they had left
+on a mission from the King. So little confidence has he in his special
+envoys that even when he has despatched one straight from the royal
+palace, with strict orders not to return home to tell his family whither
+he is gone, he soon after sends a second disguised messenger to look
+after the doings of the first, and see that he has well and faithfully
+carried out his orders. By the time the two have returned, some intrigue
+or accusations will have probably been instituted against them, in which
+case all the thanks they obtain for obeying His Majesty is either that
+they are degraded or that they are exiled to some outlandish province in
+the Ever White Mountain district or on the Russian frontier.
+
+[Illustration: KIM-KA-CHIM]
+
+The subject of politics is entrusted entirely to the nobles. It was my
+good fortune to get on the most friendly terms with the greatest
+politician in Corea, a man called Kim-Ka-Chim, of whom I give a picture,
+as he appeared in the horse-hair head-gear which he used to wear indoors.
+He was a man of remarkable intelligence, quick-witted, and by far the
+best diplomatist I have ever met--and I have met a good many. To entrap
+him was impossible, however hard you might try. For sharpness and
+readiness of reply, I never saw a smarter man. He was at one time Corean
+Ambassador to the Mikado's Court, and in a very short time mastered the
+Japanese language to perfection; while with Chinese he was as familiar as
+with his own tongue. I myself noticed with what facility he picked up
+English words, and, having taken it into his head that he wished to learn
+the English language, he set about it, and was able to understand, read,
+and speak a little, in a very short time--in fact, in a few days. Not
+only is he talented, but also endowed with a wonderful courage and
+independence, which superiority over the narrow-minded officials and
+intriguers who, for the most part, surround the King, has often led him
+into scrapes with His Majesty of Cho-sen. As he jocosely said to me, it
+was a marvel to him that his head was still on his shoulders. It was too
+good, and some one else might wish to have it. He was an ardent reformer
+and a great admirer of Western ways. His great ambition was to visit
+England and America, of which he had heard a great deal. Strangely, on
+the very morning which succeeded the afternoon on which I had this
+conversation with him I received an intimation to the effect that he had,
+by order of the King, and for some trivial breach of etiquette, been sent
+by way of punishment to one of the most distant provinces in the kingdom.
+
+The most noteworthy point of the Corean Court etiquette is probably this,
+that the King is on no account allowed to touch any other metals than
+gold and silver; for which reason his drinking-cup is made of a solid
+block of gold, while other articles, again, are of silver.
+
+The native name by which the King calls himself is Im-gun (king,
+sovereign). He has a very valuable library of Chinese manuscripts and
+printed books in the palace compound, but those books are hardly ever
+opened or looked at nowadays, except by some rare student of noble rank.
+Archery and falconry are occupations which are deemed far more worthy of
+attention by the nobility than that of worrying their heads with attempts
+to interpret the mysteries of antiquated Chinese characters.
+
+The falcon is held in much veneration among the nobler classes, and a
+special retainer--a falconer--is usually kept to wait on the precious
+bird. The latter is taken out on the man's arm, with his head covered by
+a gaudy little hood. This hood is quickly removed whenever an opportunity
+arises to send him off after some unfortunate bird. Then, mounting aloft,
+and spreading his wings and whirling round his prey in concentric
+circles, he gradually descends in a spiral, until, at last, dashing down
+upon his victim, he seizes it with his pointed claws and brings it to his
+master. At other times the falcon is not flown, but only used to attract,
+with his mesmeric eyes, birds; these then, when within reach, being shot
+with old flint-lock guns. The other method is, however, the favourite
+form of this amusement, and large sums are often spent by the young
+nobles on well-trained birds. Entertainments are even given to witness
+the doings of these air-rovers, and the excitement displayed by the
+audience on such occasions is intense, especially when libations have
+been previously freely indulged in. Competitions between the falcons of
+different owners are frequent, and much betting takes place under such
+circumstances.
+
+The life of royalty and of the nobility is, taken all round, a very lazy
+one. Exercise is considered a degenerate habit, fit only for people who
+have to earn a living; and, as for manual labour, a Corean nobleman would
+much prefer suicide to anything so disgraceful.
+
+Archery is one of the few exceptions to the rule, and is declared a noble
+pastime. Princes and nobles indulge in it, and even become dexterous at
+it. The bows used are very short, about two-and-a-half feet long, and are
+kept very tight. The arrows are short and light, generally made of
+bamboo, or a light cane, and a man with a powerful wrist can send an
+arrow a considerable distance, and yet hit his target every time.
+Nevertheless, the noble's laziness is, as a rule, so great, that many of
+this class prefer to see exhibitions of skill by others, rather than have
+the trouble of taking part in such themselves; professional archers, in
+consequence, abounding all over the country, and sometimes being kept at
+the expense of their admirers. Both the Government and private
+individuals offer large prizes for skilful archers, who command almost as
+much admiration as do the famous _espadas_ in the bull-fights of Spain.
+The King, of course, keeps the pick of these men to himself; they are
+kept in constant training and frequently display their skill before His
+Majesty and the Court.
+
+I well remember how, one day, through my incautiousness, I very nearly
+made the end of a St. Sebastian. It was near the drilling-ground at the
+East Gate. I was quietly walking along the earthern dyke which runs along
+the little river that crosses Seoul, when from down below I heard screams
+of "_Chucomita! Chucomita!_" ("Wait! wait!") "_Kidare!_" ("Stop!") I
+stopped, accordingly, and tried to look across the open ground, where I
+saw about a score of men, nearly two hundred yards away, apparently
+pointing at me. As the setting sun was glaring in my eyes, I could not
+well discern what they were doing, and, thinking that their shouts to me
+were only by way of joke, I made a step forward, but hardly had I done so
+when a noise like a rocket going past was heard, and a bunch of arrows
+became deeply planted in the earth, at a white circular spot marked on
+it, only about two yards in front of me. I counted them. They were ten in
+number. My danger, however, was, after all, practically of no account,
+for these archers, as I found out by repeated observation of them, hardly
+ever miss their target. Still, even in the case of these Cho-senese
+William Tells, it was by no means a pleasant sensation to hear that bunch
+of arrows whistling in front of my nose.
+
+As I was attentively listening to the information supplied me by the
+native gentleman who was accompanying me through the labyrinthian ways of
+the royal palace, young Prince Min appeared on the scene, and announced
+that His Majesty wished, through him, to welcome me to the royal palace,
+and that he wished me now to partake of dinner. First, however, he said,
+the King would be pleased if I would take a sketch from a particular spot
+to which he led me. As there was nothing specially worth sketching at
+that place, I suggested to the young prince that another spot would be
+preferable; but the latter insisted, in the King's name, that I should
+paint from there and left me. I noticed, however, that there was, just
+behind this spot, a window, that namely, of the queen's apartments, which
+led me at once to fancy that it was to satisfy her curiosity that I was
+made to work there; accordingly I began the sketch with my back to the
+window--for, it must be remembered, to look at the queen is an offence
+punishable by death. I had not been many minutes at work, nevertheless,
+before I heard the sliding window gently move. I knew what was coming,
+and tried to screen the sketch with my body, so as to compel the
+observer, whoever it was, to lean well out of the window if he wished to
+see it. A little way off were hundreds of soldiers, walking or squatting
+on the ground, and on the wall of the King's house and smaller trees the
+fat and repulsive eunuchs had perched themselves in order to watch the
+foreigner's doings. All of a sudden there was a piercing squeak and a
+quick change of scene. Every one standing fell flat on his chest, the
+soldiers to a man hid their faces in their hands on the ground, and the
+clumsy eunuchs dropped down pell-mell from their perches, like over-ripe
+fruit coming off the branch of a tree, and disappeared behind the wall.
+Then, for a moment, all was silence; then there followed another shriek.
+It was evidently a command to stand still until further notice. When I
+looked for my Corean companion I found that he, like the rest, was spread
+out with his face to the ground.
+
+"I say, Mr. S." I whispered, touching him with my foot, "what does all
+this mean?"
+
+"Please, sir," he murmured, "do not look! do not speak! do not turn your
+head! or I shall be beheaded!"
+
+"Oh! I do not mind that at all," said I, laughingly, as my friend was
+squashing what he had in the shape of a nose into the dust.
+
+At this point there was another noise at the window, as if it were being
+pushed quite open, and I heard a whisper. The supreme moment had come,
+and I was bold. I turned quickly round. It was just as I had judged. The
+queen, with her bright, jet black eyes and refined features, was there,
+caught in the act of thrusting her head out of the window, while several
+ladies of different ages were in the background, apparently on the tips
+of their toes and peeping over Her Majesty's shoulders. I had just time
+to see her face; for, taken as she was by surprise at such an unbounded
+bit of forwardness on my part, she remained perplexed for a second, then
+quickly withdrew, coming into dreadful collision with her
+ladies-in-waiting, who were at the moment just moving forward. The
+sliding window was hurriedly closed; there were shrieks of laughter from
+inside--apparently they had enjoyed the fun--and by the sound of a shrill
+whistle the men who had been lying "dead" rose and fled, relieved from
+their uncomfortable position.
+
+"Do you know," said my Corean friend, as he got up and shook the dust and
+dirt off his beautiful silk gown, quite ignorant of what had happened,
+"do you know that if you had turned your head round and looked, I would
+be a dead man to-morrow?"
+
+"Why; who was there?"
+
+"The queen, of course. Did you not hear the two shrieks and the whistle?
+Those were the signs of her coming and going."
+
+"If you were to be beheaded, Mr. S., would you be afraid of death?"
+
+"Oh, no, sir," he said emphatically. "I am a brave man, and I come of a
+family of braves. I would die like a hero."
+
+"Oh," said I, changing the conversation, "how pretty the queen looked!"
+
+"Did you see her?" said he, horrified.
+
+"Yes, I did."
+
+"Oh, poor me, poor me, poor me!" he cried in despair. "You have seen her!
+I shall die! Oh, poor me, poor me, poor me!" and he shivered and
+shuddered and trembled.
+
+"I thought that you were not afraid of death, Mr. S.?"
+
+"Now that you have seen her, I am!" he mumbled pitifully.
+
+"All right, Mr. S. Do not be afraid, I shall take all the blame on
+myself, and you will not be punished, I promise you."
+
+At this point Prince Min came to fetch me, and I told him the whole
+story, relieving Mr. S. of all responsibility for my cheeky action, after
+which, having made sure that he would not be punished, we proceeded to
+the feast. The hour, be it noted, was about noon. As we were passing
+along the wall of the King's apartment, His Majesty peeped over the wall
+and smiled most graciously to me. Shortly after he sent a messenger to
+the dining-room to express regret that he was not able to entertain me
+himself owing to pressing State affairs.
+
+For the dinner a long table had been arranged in the European style, at
+the head of which sat Prince Min, acting in the place of the King. The
+forks and spoons were of tin, and the knives had apparently been used,
+for they were by no means clean. Rust, therefore, reigned supreme. The
+glasses and tumblers were of the thickest and commonest kind, but they
+had cost His Majesty a fortune all the same.
+
+We all sat down gaily, Mr. S. having recovered his spirits on being
+assured that he would not be punished, and the feast began. It would be
+easier for me to tell you what was not on that table than what was. All
+the products of the country seemed to have been cooked and brought before
+me, including meats, fish, honey, sweets, vegetables and sauces, of
+which, mind you, one had to eat "mountains," piled on our plates. Young
+pigs, in the puppy state, were also there, and were much appreciated by
+my princely entertainers; but, when I had got only half through, not
+being provided with an ever-expanding digestive apparatus, like my
+friends of Cho-sen, I really felt as if I was going to suffocate. It is a
+great insult to refuse what is offered you at table, and a greater
+insult, too, and gross breach of good manners, not to eat all that is on
+your plate; it can be easily imagined, then, how I was situated after
+having swallowed large quantities of beef, potatoes, barley, millet, not
+to mention about half a bushel of beans. Nevertheless, I was further
+treated to lily-bulbs and radishes dipped in the vilest of sauces,
+besides a large portion of a puppy-pig roasted, and fruit in profusion,
+foreign and native wines flowing freely. The dinner began at noon and was
+not brought to a legitimate close until the happy hour of 7 P.M.
+
+Talk of suffering! To those who appreciate the pleasure of eating, let me
+recommend a royal Corean dinner! No pen can describe the agonies I
+endured as I was carried home in the green sedan. Every jerk that the
+bearers gave made me feel as if I had swallowed a cannon-ball, which was
+moving mercilessly from one side of my body to the other. I could not
+help expecting an explosion at any moment, or, at all events, a rent in
+my overtight skin! On my way home I swore that as long as I lived I would
+never touch another mouthful of food, so disgusted was I with things
+eatable; but--needless to say, I have since many times broken my word.
+
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XIII
+
+Students--Culture--Examination ground--The three degrees--The
+alphabet--Chinese characters--Schools--Astronomers--Diplomas--Students
+abroad--Adoption of Western ways--Quick perception--The letter "f"--A
+comical mistake--Magistrates and education--Rooted superstition--Another
+haunted palace--Tigers--A convenient custom.
+
+
+[Illustration: THE EXAMINATION GROUNDS]
+
+At the beginning of the New Year, and soon after the festivities are
+over, the streets of Seoul are crowded with students who come up to town
+for their examinations. Dozens of them, generally noisy and boisterous,
+are to be seen arm in arm, parading the principal streets, and apparently
+always eating something or other. Study and eating seem to go together in
+Cho-sen. They wear peculiar gauze caps like bakers' paper bags, and a
+large double apron, the latter hanging down front and back, and being
+tied above the waist with a ribbon. A large piece of rolled up paper is
+carried in the hand, and much excitement seems to reign among them. By
+students, one must not imagine only young men, for many among them are
+above the thirties, and some are even old men.
+
+At certain hours processions of them pass along the royal street, then
+round the palace wall, and finally enter the examination grounds,
+situated immediately behind the royal palace. This is a large open
+ground, on one side of which is a low building containing quite a large
+number of small cells, where the candidates are examined. The examination
+day is one of the sights of Seoul. It is more like a country fair than an
+exhibition of literary skill. The noise is something appalling. On the
+grounds, thousands of candidates, accompanied by their parents and
+friends, squat in groups, drinking, eating and gambling. Here is a group
+of them drinking each other's health; there on blankets a few are lying
+flat on their backs basking in the sun, and waiting for their turn to be
+called up before the examiners. Huge red and yellow umbrellas are planted
+in the ground by enterprising merchants, who sell sweets, a kind of
+pulled toffy being one of their specialities; while others, at raised
+prices, dispose of examination caps, ink, paper and aprons to those who
+have come unprovided. Astrologers, too, drive a roaring trade on such
+days, for the greatest reliance is placed on their prophecies by both
+parents and students, and much money is spent by the latter, therefore,
+in obtaining the opinion of these impostors. In many a case, the prophecy
+given has been known to make the happiness--temporarily, of course--of
+the bashful young student; and in many a case, also, by this means fresh
+vigour has been instilled into a nervous man, so that, being convinced
+that he is to be successful, he perseveres and very often does succeed.
+
+One of these examinations, the highest of all, is a real landmark in a
+man's career. If the student is successful, he is first employed in some
+lower official capacity either by the Government, the palace authorities
+or some of the magistrates. If he is plucked, then he can try again the
+following year. Some try year after year without success, in the hope of
+being permitted to earn an honest living at the nation's expense, and
+grow old under the heavy study of ancient Chinese literature.
+
+The King in person assists at the oral examinations of the upper degree.
+Those of the two lower degrees are superintended by princes who sit with
+the examiners, and report to His Majesty on the successes of the
+different candidates.
+
+It is generally the sons of the nobles and the upper classes all over the
+kingdom who are put up for these examinations; those of the lower spheres
+are content with a smattering of arithmetic and a general knowledge of
+the alphabet, and of the proper method of holding the writing brush,
+sometimes adding to these accomplishments an acquaintance with the more
+useful of the Chinese characters.
+
+The Corean alphabet is remarkable for the way in which it represents the
+various sounds. That this is the case, the reader will be able to judge
+by the table given opposite. The aim of the inventors, in only using
+straight lines and circles, has evidently been to simplify the writing of
+the characters to the highest possible degree.
+
+[Illustration: THE COREAN ALPHABET]
+
+It will be at once noticed that an extra dot is used only in the case of
+the vowel _e_ and the diphthong _oue_; nothing but straight lines and
+circles being employed in the other cases. The pronunciation of the
+consonants is _dental_ in _l, r, t_, and _n_; _guttural_ in _k_ and _k_
+(aspirated); _palatal_ in _ch, ch_ (aspirated) and _s_; and _from the
+larynx_ in _h_ and _ng_ when at the end of a word.
+
+The State documents and all the official correspondence are written in
+Chinese characters, and hardly at all in the native alphabet, an
+exception being occasionally admitted in the case of a difficult
+character, when the meaning is written with the Corean letters, side by
+side with the Chinese form. The Corean alphabet is rather despised by the
+male "blue stockings" of Cho-sen, and is considered as fit only for poor
+people, children and women; in short, those whose brains are unable to
+undergo the strain of mastering and, what is more, of remembering, the
+meaning of the many thousands of Chinese characters. Not only that, but
+the spoken language itself is considered inadequate to express in poetic
+and graceful style the deep thoughts which may pass through the Corean
+brains; and, certainly, if these thoughts have to be put down on paper
+this is never done in the native characters. The result is, naturally,
+that there is hardly any literature in the language of Cho-sen. Even the
+historical records of the land of the Morning Calm are written in
+Chinese.
+
+The great influence of the Chinese over the Corean literary mind is also
+shown in the fact that most of the principles and proverbs of Cho-sen
+have been borrowed from their pig-tailed friends across the Yalu River.
+The same may be said of numberless words in the Corean language which are
+merely corruptions or mispronounced Chinese words. The study of Chinese
+involves a great deal of labour and patience on the part of the Corean
+students, and from a very tender age they are made to work hard at
+learning the characters by heart, singing them out in chorus, in a
+monotonous tone, one after the other for hours at a time.
+
+The schools are mostly supported by the Government. In them great
+attention is given to etiquette and Chinese classics, to philosophic and
+poetic ideas, but very little importance is attached to mathematics or
+science, except by those few who take up the study of the stars as an
+ideal rather than scientific occupation. These astronomers might be more
+correctly termed magicians, for with the stars they invariably connect
+the fate and fortune of king and people; which fact will also explain why
+it is that in their practice of astronomy mathematics are really of very
+little use.
+
+In the written essays for the examinations, what is generally aimed at by
+the candidates is a high standard of noble ideas which they try to
+express in the most refined style. The authors of the most admired essays
+receive the personal congratulations of the King and examiners, followed
+by a feast given by their parents and friends. The diplomas of successful
+candidates are not only signed by the King, but have also his great seal
+affixed to them.
+
+I was told that the examinations of the present day are a mere sham, and
+that it is not by knowledge or high achievements, in literary or other
+matters, that the much-coveted degree is now obtained, but by the simpler
+system of bribery. Men of real genius are, I was informed further,
+sometimes sent back in despair year after year, while pigheaded sons of
+nobles and wealthy people generally pass with honours, and are never or
+very seldom plucked.
+
+Education, as a whole, is up to a very limited point pretty generally
+spread all over the Corean realm, but of thorough education there is very
+little. In former times students showing unusual ability were sent by the
+Government to the University of Nanking, to be followed up by Pekin, but
+this custom was abandoned until a few years ago, when it was in a measure
+revived by the sending of two noblemen, first to Shanghai and then to
+America, to learn and profit by Western studies. These seem to have shown
+themselves remarkably intelligent; in fact, exceeded all expectation; for
+one of them forged a cheque before leaving the Asiatic continent, and was
+forbidden to return to his country. He is not likely to do so now, for he
+is said to have been murdered--only quite lately. The other, however,
+cannot be accused of anything of that sort; indeed, he distinguished
+himself during the three years spent in America by learning English (as
+spoken in the States) to perfection, besides mastering mathematics,
+chemistry and other sciences, perfectly new to him, in a way that would
+have done credit to many a Western student. In the same short space of
+time he also succeeded in a marvellous way in shaking off the thick
+coating of his native superstition and in assuming our most Western ways
+as exhibited across the Atlantic. If anything, he became more American
+than the Americans themselves. What astonished me more, though, was how
+quickly, having returned from his journey, he discarded his civilised
+ways and again dropped into his old groove.
+
+There is not the least doubt that, though to the casual observer the
+majority of Coreans appear depressed and unintelligent, they are, as a
+matter of fact, far from stupid. I have met people in the land of
+Cho-sen, whose cleverness would have been conspicuous in any country,
+Western or otherwise. When they set their mind to learn something they
+never cease till their object is attained, and I can vouch for their
+quick comprehension, even of matters of which they have never before
+heard. Languages seem to come easy to them, and their pronunciation of
+foreign tongues is infinitely better than that of their neighbours, the
+Chinese and the Japanese. The only stumbling block is the letter "_f_,"
+which they pronounce as a "_p_." I can give an instance of a Mr. Chang,
+the son of a noble, who was appointed by the king to be official
+interpreter to Mr. C.R. Greathouse. In less than two months, this youth
+of nineteen mastered enough English to enable him both to understand it
+and converse in it. I have seen him learn by heart out of a dictionary as
+many as two hundred English words in a day, and what is more, remember
+every one of them, including the spelling. Only once did I hear him make
+a comical mistake. He had not quite grasped the meaning of the word
+"twin"; for, in answer to a question I put to him, "Yes, sir," said he,
+boisterously, proud apparently of the command he had attained over his
+latest language, "Yes, sir, I have a _twin_ brother who is three years
+older than myself."
+
+The Corean magistrates think that to over-educate the lower classes is a
+mistake, which must end in great unhappiness.
+
+"If you are educated like a gentleman, you must be able to live like a
+gentleman," wisely said a Corean noble to me. "If you acquire an
+education which you cannot live up to, you are only made wretched, and
+your education makes you feel all the more keenly the miseries of human
+life. Besides, with very few exceptions, as one is born an artist, or a
+poet, one has to be born a gentleman to be one. All the education in the
+world may make you a nice man, but not a noble in _the_ strict sense of
+the word."
+
+Partly, in consequence of habits of thought like this, and partly,
+because it answers to leave the public in ignorance, superstition, which
+is one of the great evils in the country, is rather encouraged. Not alone
+the lower classes, but the whole people, including nobles and the King
+himself, suffer by it. It is a remarkable fact, that, a people who in
+many ways are extremely open-minded, and more philosophic than the
+general run of human beings, can allow themselves to be hampered in this
+way by such absurd notions as spirits and their evil ways.
+
+A royal palace, different to, but not very far from, the one described in
+the previous chapter, was abandoned not very long ago for the simple
+reason that it was haunted. Thus, there are no less than two palaces in
+the capital, that have been built at great expense, but deserted in
+order to evade the visits of those most tiresome impalpable individuals,
+"the Ghosts." One of these haunted abodes we have inspected, with its
+tumble-down buildings; the other I will now describe.
+
+[Illustration: THE HAUNTED ROYAL PALACE]
+
+The buildings comprising this palace are still in a very excellent state
+of preservation, and, being erected on hilly ground, form a very
+picturesque ensemble. The different houses are of red lacquered wood,
+with verandahs on the upper floors. The illustration shows a front view
+of one of the principal buildings, situated on the summit of the hill. At
+the foot of this hill, by a winding path and steps, a picturesque little
+gate and another house is reached. A little pond with water-plants in it,
+frozen in the midst of the thick ice, completes this haunted spot. The
+largest of all the structures is the audience-hall, richly and grandly
+decorated inside with wooden carvings, painted red, white, blue and
+yellow. The curled-up roofs are surmounted at each corner with curious
+representations of lucky emblems, among which the tiger has a leading
+place.
+
+Talking of tigers, I may as well speak of a strange custom prevailing in
+Corea. The country, as I have already pointed out, is full of these
+brutes, which, besides being of enormous size, are said to be very fierce
+and fond of human flesh. Even the walls of the town are no protection
+against them. Not unfrequently they make a nocturnal excursion through
+the streets, leaving again early in the morning with a farewell bound
+from the rampart, but carrying off inside their carcases some unlucky
+individual in a state of pulp.
+
+The Coreans may, therefore, be forgiven if, besides showing almost
+religious veneration for their feline friend--who reciprocates this in
+his own way--they have also the utmost terror of him. Whenever I went for
+long walks outside the town with Coreans, I noticed that when on the
+narrow paths I was invariably left to bring up the rear, although I was a
+quicker walker than they were. If left behind they would at once run on
+in front of me again, and never could I get any one to be last man. This
+conduct, sufficiently remarkable, has the following explanation.
+
+It is the belief of the natives, that when a tiger is suddenly
+encountered he always attacks and makes a meal of the last person in the
+row; for which reason, they always deem it advisable, when they have a
+foreigner in their company, to let him have that privilege. I, for my
+part, of course, did not regard the matter in the same light, and
+generally took pretty good care to retain a middle position in the
+procession, when out on a country prowl, greatly to the distress and
+uneasiness of my white-robed guardian angels.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XIV
+
+Religion--Buddhism--Bonzes--Their power--Shamanism--Spirits--Spirits
+of the mountain--Stone heaps--Sacred trees--Seized by the
+spirits--Safe-guard against them--The wind--Sorcerers and
+sorceresses--Exorcisms--Monasteries--Temples--Buddha--Monks--Their
+customs and clothing--Nuns--Their garments--Religious ceremonies--The
+tooth-stone.
+
+
+The question of religion is always a difficult one to settle, for--no
+matter where one goes--there are people who are religious and people who
+are not.
+
+The generality of people in Corea are not religious, though in former
+days, especially in the Korai-an era, between the tenth and fourteenth
+centuries, they seem to have been ardent Buddhists. Indeed, Buddhism as a
+religion seems to have got a strong hold in Cho-sen during the many
+Chinese invasions; it only passed over Cho-sen, however, like a huge
+cloud, to vanish again, though leaving here and there traces of the power
+it once exercised.
+
+The bonzes (priests) had at one time so much authority all over the
+country as to actually rule the King himself; and, as the reverend
+gentlemen were ready with the sword as well as with their bead
+prayer-rosaries, they became an unparalleled nuisance and dangerous to
+the constitution. After having, by their great power and capacity for
+agitation, roused the country to revolution and internal disputes, it
+was found necessary to put them down, and from that time forward, they
+became mere nonentities. The chief instrument which brought this about
+was a law, still in existence, by which no religion is, under any
+circumstances, tolerated or allowed within the walls of Corean cities,
+and all bonzes are forbidden to enter the gates of any city under pain of
+losing their heads.
+
+The influence which the priests had gained over the Court having been
+thus suddenly destroyed, and the offenders against the law in question
+having been most severely dealt with, Buddhism, so far as Corea was
+concerned, received its death blow. This was so: first, because, although
+it had prevailed without restraint for nearly five centuries, many of the
+primitive old superstitions were still deeply rooted in the minds of the
+Coreans, and because, with the fall of the priests, these sprang up again
+bolder than ever; then, too, because the law above-mentioned was so
+strictly enforced that many temples and monasteries had to be closed
+owing to lack of sufficient funds, the number of their supporters having
+become infinitesimal in a comparatively short time.
+
+Shamanism is at the present time the popular religion, if indeed there is
+any that can be so designated. The primitive worship of nature appears to
+be quite sufficient for the religious aspirations of the Corean native,
+and with his imaginative brain he has peopled the earth with evil and
+good spirits, as well as giving them to the elements, the sky, and the
+morning star. To these spirits he offers sacrifices, when somebody in his
+family dies, or when any great event takes place; and to be on good
+terms with these invisible rulers of his fate is deemed necessary, even
+by well-educated people who should know better.
+
+There are spirits for everything in Cho-sen. The air is alive with them,
+and there are people who will actually swear that they have come in
+contact with them. Diseases of all sorts, particularly paralysis, are
+invariably ascribed to the possession of the human frame by one of these
+unwholesome visitors, and when a death occurs, to what else can it be due
+than to their evil and invisible operation? To old age, to diseases
+natural and zymotic, the expiration of life is never ascribed; these
+everlasting evil spirits have to answer for it all.
+
+The most prominent spirits are probably those of the mountain. According
+to Corean accounts, the mountains and hills seem to be full of these
+heroes of witchcraft: this being probably due to the fact that the dead
+are buried on hilly ground and that their souls, therefore, are most
+likely to make their nocturnal hoverings in such neighbourhoods, until a
+fresh career is found for them in the body of some animal. They are not
+_gods_ of the mountains, as some writers have been pleased to call them,
+for, so far as I could judge, the natives are more terror-stricken when
+thinking about them than inclined to worship them. No Corean, of sound
+mind and body, however brave and fearless of death in battle, can ever be
+induced to walk out at night on the mountain-slopes; and even in the
+day-time a great deal of uneasiness is manifested by the natives should
+they have to climb a hill. On such occasions they provide themselves
+with armfuls of stones, which, as they go up, they throw violently one
+by one at these imaginary beings, thus showing them that their company is
+neither required nor wished for, and that they had better keep aloof. If
+this simple precaution is used, the obliging and scorned spirits seldom
+interfere with the traveller's welfare. The hills close to the towns are
+simply covered with heaps of stones, so thrown at these mythical dwellers
+of the mountains. Such is the effect produced by terror on the people's
+imagination, that frequently in their imagination they feel the actual
+touch of the spirits. Probably, if there is any physical touch in those
+cases, it is only a leaf or a twig falling from a tree. Still, when that
+occurs a regular fight ensues, the men continuing to fire stones at their
+imaginary foes, until in their mental vision they see them disappear and
+fade away in the air. Others not so brave prefer an accelerated retreat,
+only stopping now and again to throw a stone at the pursuers.
+
+From their very childhood the Coreans are imbued with horrid and
+fantastic accounts of the doings of these spirits, and so vividly are the
+usual habits of these ghostly creatures depicted to them, that they
+cannot but remain for ever indelibly impressed on their minds.
+
+Another very common sight, besides the stone-heaps, are the sacred trees.
+These are to be found everywhere, but especially on hilly ground. Their
+branches are literally covered with rags, bits of glass, and other
+offerings given by the superstitious and frightened passers-by, lest
+these spirits might take offence at not being noticed. Women and men
+when compelled to travel on the hills go well provided with these rags,
+and when--for the sacred trees are very numerous--supplies run short,
+many a woman has been known to tear off a bit of her silk gown, and
+attach it to a branch of the tree among the other donations.
+
+A coolie, who was carrying my paint-box one evening, when I was returning
+home from the hills, was simply terrified at the prospect of being seized
+by the spirits. He kept his mouth tightly closed, and stoutly declined to
+open it, for fear the spirits should get into him by that passage; and
+when, with the cold end of my stick, I purposely touched the back of his
+neck--unperceived by him, of course--he fled frightened out of his life,
+supposing it to have been a ghost. He met me again on the high road in
+the plain, about half a mile farther on, and explained his conduct with
+the very truthful excuse, that "a spirit had seized him by the throat and
+shaken him violently, meaning at all costs to enter his mouth, and that
+it was to escape serious injury that he had fled!" When I told him that
+it was I who had touched him with the end of my stick, he sarcastically
+smiled, as if he knew better.
+
+"No, sir," said he; "honestly, I saw with my own eyes the spirit that
+assaulted me!"
+
+The forms given to these spirits vary much, according to the amount of
+imagination and descriptive power of the persons who describe them.
+Generally, however, they assume the forms either of repulsively hideous
+human beings, or else of snakes. The best safeguard against them,
+according to Corean notions, is music, or rather, I should say, noise.
+When possessed with a spirit, a diabolical row of drums, voices, bells
+and rattles combined is set agoing to make him depart without delay;
+while, on the other hand, little bits of dangling glass, tied to strings,
+small sweet-toned bells and cymbals, hanging in a bunch from the corners
+of the roof or in front of the windows and door, often by means of their
+tinkling--a sound not dissimilar to that of an Æolian harp--attract to
+the house the friendly spirits of good fortune and prosperity. The latter
+are always heartily welcomed.
+
+The very wind itself is supposed to be the breathing of a god-spirit with
+extra powerful lungs; and rain, lightning, war, thirst, food and so on,
+each possesses a special deity, who, if not invoked at the right moment,
+and in the right manner, may, when least expected, have his revenge
+against you.
+
+The spirits of Cho-sen are very sensitive, and insist on being taken into
+notice. Through astrologers, sorcerers and sorceresses they convey
+messages and threats to this person and to that--generally the richer
+people--whose errors may always be rectified or atoned for by paying a
+round sum down to these go-betweens, who are quite ready to assume the
+responsibility of guaranteeing a peaceful settlement of matters. There
+are regular establishments kept by these sorcerers and sorceresses--as a
+rule, outside the city walls--where witchcraft is practised with impunity
+in all its forms. These establishments are much patronised both by the
+poor and by the man of noble rank; and amidst the most excruciating
+howling, clapping of hands, violent beating of drums and other
+exorcisms, illnesses are got rid of, pains and troubles softened,
+calamities prevented and children procured for sterile people. The
+Government itself does not consider these houses as forming part of the
+religious gang, and one or two of them may be found even in Seoul within
+the wall. One, an extremely noisy house and mostly patronised by women,
+is situated not far from the West Gate along the wall. There are also one
+or two on the slope of Mount Nanzam.
+
+The exorcisms, with the exception of a few particular ones, are, for the
+most part, performed in the open air, on a level space in front of the
+house. A circle is formed by the various claimants, in the centre of
+which a woman, apparently in a trance, squats on her heels. The more
+money that is paid in, the greater the noise that takes place, and the
+longer does the performance last. Every now and then the woman in the
+centre will get up, and, rushing to some other female in the circle, will
+tap her furiously on her back and shake her, saying that _she_ has an
+evil spirit in her which refuses to come out. She will also hint that
+possibly by paying an extra sum, and by means of special exorcisms, it
+may be induced to leave. What with the shaking, the tapping, the
+clapping, the drums and the howls, the wretched "spotted" woman really
+begins to feel that she has something in her, and, possessed--not by the
+spirits--but by the most awful fright, she disburses the extra money
+required, after which the spirit ultimately departs.
+
+These witches and sorceresses are even more numerous than their male
+equivalents. They are recruited from the riff-raff of the towns, and are
+generally people well-informed on the state, condition, and doings of
+everybody. Acting on this previous knowledge, they can often tell your
+past to perfection, and in many cases they predict future events--which
+their judgment informs them are not unlikely to occur. When ignorant,
+they work pretty much on the same lines as the Oracle of Delphi; they
+give an answer that may be taken as you please. Then, if things do not
+occur in the way they predicted, they simply make it an excuse for
+extorting more money out of their victim under the plea that he has
+incurred the displeasure of the spirits, and that serious evil will come
+upon him if he does not comply with their request. The money obtained is
+generally spent in orgies during the night. These sorceresses and male
+magicians are usually unscrupulous and immoral, and are often implicated,
+not only in the intrigues of the noblest families, but also in murders
+and other hideous crimes.
+
+Outside the towns, again, there are, only a grade higher than these, the
+Buddhist monasteries and nunneries. Within a few miles of Seoul, several
+of these are to be found. One thing that may be said for these
+institutions is that they are invariably built on lovely spots. Generally
+on the top, or high on the slopes of a mountain, they form not only homes
+for the religious, but fortified and impregnable castles. The monasteries
+are seldom very large, and, as a general rule, hold respectively only
+about two dozen monks.
+
+[Illustration: THE INTERIOR OF A TEMPLE]
+
+There is a small temple on a platform, with a figure of Pul or Buddha in
+the centre, two brass candlesticks by his side, and a small incense
+burner at his feet. "Joss sticks" are constantly burned before him and
+fill the temple with scent and haze. Buddha, as found in Corea, has
+generally a sitting and cross-legged posture; the feet are twisted with
+the soles upwards, and, while the right arm hangs down, the left is
+folded, the forearm projecting, and the hand holding a bronze ball. By
+his side, generally on the left, is a small tablet in a frame of
+elaborate wood-carving. At the foot of the statue is a large collection
+box for the donations of the worshippers. The background is usually
+plain, or painted with innumerable figures of the minor gods, some with
+young white faces and good-natured expressions, probably the gods of
+confidence; others with rugged old faces and shaggy white eyebrows,
+moustache and hair, undoubtedly the various forms of the deity of wisdom.
+Then there is one with squinting ferocious eyes, black eyebrows and
+beard, dressed in a helmet and fighting robe, who, needless to remark,
+is the god of war. Others are the gods of justice, deference, and
+affection; the last being impersonated by two female figures who usually
+stand on each side of the Buddha. One curious thing about the Buddha is
+that the head is generally very large in proportion to the body, and that
+the ears are enormous for the size of the head. In the East it is
+considered lucky to possess large ears, but these Buddhas are often
+represented with their organs of hearing as long as the whole height of
+the head. In Europe such a thing would hardly be considered a compliment!
+The hair of the Buddha is carefully plastered down on his forehead, and
+is adorned with a jewel in the centre. The eyes are almost straight, like
+the eyes of Europeans, instead of being slanting, like those of the
+Mongolians, while the eyebrows, finely painted with a small brush,
+describe a beautiful semi-circular arch. The expression of the face, as
+one looks at it, is in most cases that of nobility and sleepiness.
+
+Out of the West Gate, and a good way past the Pekin Pass, a very
+interesting day can be spent in visiting a monastery which is to be found
+there among the hills. Previous to reaching it, a small tomb, that,
+namely, of the King's mother, is passed. On each flank is a stone figure,
+while on three sides a wall shuts in the mound of earth under which the
+body lies. On the right is a tablet to the memory of the deceased, and in
+front of the mound is placed a well-polished stone, also a small urn.
+
+High up, after following a zig-zag mountain path, we come to the
+monastery.
+
+Monasteries as a rule consist of the temple and the mud huts and houses
+of the monks and novices. The temple always stands apart. Of the temples
+which I saw, none were very rich in interesting works of art or in
+excellent decoration, like the temples of Japan. The only parts decorated
+outside in the Corean houses of worship are immediately under the roof
+and above the doors, where elaborate, though roughly executed
+wood-carvings are painted over in red, white, green and yellow, in their
+crudest tones. Over each of the columns supporting the temple, projects a
+board with two enormous curved teeth, like the tusks of an elephant, and
+over the principal door of the temple is a black tablet, on which the
+name of the temple is written in gold Chinese characters. At each of the
+columns, both of the temple and of the common part of the dwellings, hang
+long wooden panels on which are written the names of supporters and
+donors with accompanying words of high praise.
+
+The doors of the temples are of lattice-work and are made up of four
+different parts, folding and opening on hinges. On some occasions, when
+the _concours_ of the public is too great to be accommodated within the
+building itself, the whole of the front and sides of the temple are
+thrown open. Inside the lattice-work above mentioned tissue-paper is
+placed, to protect the religious winter visitors from the cold.
+
+Inside, the temples are extremely simple. With the exception of the
+statue of Buddha and the various representations of minor deities that we
+have already mentioned, there is little else to be seen. The
+prayer-books, certainly, are interesting; their leaves are joined
+together so as to form a long strip of paper folded into pages, but not
+sewn, nor fastened anywhere except at the two ends, to which two wooden
+panels are attached, and, by one side of the book being kept higher than
+the other, the leaves unfold, so to speak, automatically.
+
+In one temple of very small dimensions, perched up among the rocks near
+the South Gate of Seoul, are to be seen hundreds of little images in
+costumes of warriors, mandarins and princes, all crammed together in the
+most unmerciful manner. This temple goes by the name of the "The
+Five-hundred Images." Adjoining it is a quaint little monastery and a
+weird cavern (_see_ chap, xx., "A Trip to Poo Kan").
+
+As to the monasteries themselves, these, though adjoining the temples,
+are built apart from them. Their lower portions are, like all Corean
+houses, of stone and mud, while the upper parts are entirely of mud. The
+roof is tiled on the main portion of the building, while over the kitchen
+and quarters for the novices it is generally only thatched.
+
+[Illustration: BUDDHIST BONZES AND TEMPLE]
+
+More interesting to me than the temples and buildings were the bonzes,
+who are, I may as well say at once, a very depraved lot. It is a strange
+fact in nature that the vicious are often more interesting than the
+virtuous. So it is with the Corean bonzes. Here you have a body of men,
+shrewd, it is true, yet wicked (not to say more) and entirely without
+conscience, whose only aim is to make money at the expense of weak-minded
+believers. Morals they have none; if it were possible, one might say even
+less than none. They lead a lazy and vicious life in these monasteries,
+gambling among themselves and spending much time in orgies. They feed
+themselves well at the expense of the charitable, and a great deal of
+their energy is expended in blackmailing rich persons, not of course
+openly, but through agents as disreputable as themselves. Whenever there
+are riots or revolutions in progress, their origin can invariably be
+traced to the monasteries. In other respects, excepting these few little
+faults, they seemed charming people. Their dress consists of a long white
+padded gown with baggy sleeves; the usual huge trousers and short coat
+underneath; and a rosary of largeish beads round their necks. When
+praying, the rosary is held in the hands, and each bead counts for one
+prayer. A larger bead in the rosary is the starting-point. When petitions
+are being offered to Buddha on behalf of third parties--for rarely do
+they, if ever, pray on behalf of themselves--there is a scale of prices
+varying according to the wealth of the petitioners; so many prayers are
+worth so much _cash_; in other words, one buys them as one would rice or
+fruit. The bonzes shave their heads as clean as billiard balls; while the
+novices content themselves with cutting their hair extremely short,
+leaving it, probably, not longer than one-eighth of an inch. There are
+many different degrees of bonzes. We have, for example, the begging
+bonzes, who wear large conical hats of plaited split bamboos, or else
+hats smaller still and also cone-shaped but made of thick dried grass.
+They travel all over the district, and sometimes even to distant
+provinces, collecting funds and information from the people. Sometimes
+they impose their company on some well-to-do person, who, owing to the
+Corean etiquette in the matter of hospitality, has to provide them with
+food, money and promises of constant contributions before he can get rid
+of them. Then there are the stay-at-home bonzes, well-fattened and
+easy-going, who cover their heads with round, horse-hair, stiffened black
+caps of the exact shape of those familiar articles in French and Italian
+pastry-cook shops, used over the different plates to prevent flies from
+eating the sweets. Lastly, we have the military priests, who follow the
+army to offer up prayers when at war and during battles, and who don hats
+of the ordinary shape worn by every one else except that they have round
+crowns instead of almost cylindrical ones. These alone are occasionally
+allowed to enter the towns. Paper sandals are the foot-gear chiefly in
+use among them.
+
+Whenever I visited a monastery, I found the monks most civil and
+hospitable, although naturally they expect something back for their
+hospitality. I hardly had time to pay my chin-chins to all of them,
+folding my hands and shaking them in front of my forehead, bent forward,
+before a tray of eatables, such as beans, radishes and rice in pretty
+brass bowls would be produced, and a large cup of wine offered, out of
+which latter the whole company drank in turn. They took much interest in
+my sketching, and all insisted on being portrayed. Many of them possessed
+a good deal of artistic talent, and it is generally by their handiwork
+and patience that the images and statues in the temples are produced.
+Among them were some very intelligent faces, somewhat _abruties_, to use
+a French word, owing to the life they lead, but exceedingly bright and
+cheery withal, and often very witty, when one came to talk with them. As
+for shrewdness and quickness of perception I know no person who has these
+better at his command than the Corean Buddhist priest.
+
+[Illustration: A NUNNERY]
+
+There are also in Corea nunneries for women who desire to follow a
+religious life. Curiously enough, contrary to the rule with us, the
+Corean nuns are more emancipated than the rest of the native women. To
+begin with, they dress just in the same way as do the monks, shave their
+heads like them; and being, moreover, of a cast of countenance
+exceedingly ugly and not at all feminine, they might quite well, from the
+appearance of their faces, be taken to belong to the stronger sex. A good
+many of them, contrary to the case of the monks, impressed me as being
+afflicted with mental and bodily sufferings, and in several cases they
+even appeared to me to be bordering on idiocy. They always, however,
+received me kindly, and showed me their convents, with cells in which
+two or three nuns sleep together. They were not quite so careless as the
+monks about the duties of religion, and at the little temple close by
+there was a continual rattling of the gong, a buzzing, monotonous sound,
+enough to drive anybody out of his mind, if especially it was accompanied
+by the beating of drums. The temples attached to these nunneries seemed
+to be more elaborate inside than those of the monasteries, and when a
+religious ceremony has to be performed, two nuns, one in white, the other
+draped in a long, black-greenish gown, and both wearing a red garment
+thrown over the left shoulder, passed under the right arm, and tied in
+front with a ribbon, walk up and down inside the temple, muttering
+prayers, while a third female goes on rattling on the drums with all her
+might. Offerings of rice, beans, etc., are placed in front of the gods, a
+candle or two is lighted--and the nun in dark clothing holds a small
+gong, fastened to the end of a bent stick, and taps on it with a
+long-handled hammer, first gently and slowly, then quicker and quicker,
+in a crescendo, till she manages to produce a long shrill sound. The
+person, for whom these prayers are offered, kneels in front of the
+particular deity whom she wants to invoke, though generally at the foot
+of the Great Buddha, and with hands joined in front of her nose, prays
+with the nuns, getting up during certain prayers, kneeling down again for
+others. For head-gear, the nuns wear the same grass conical hats which
+the travelling monks do. If a large oblation is offered, the service is
+still more noisy, and not only are the big drums played in the most
+violent manner, but the nuns squat in a body along the walls inside the
+temple, and keep hammering away on little gongs similar to that just
+described. Recall to your memory the sound of a blacksmith's forge with
+two men hammering a red-hot iron, magnify that sound a hundred times, and
+add to it the buzzing of the prayers, and you will then get a pretty fair
+idea of what one of these religious ceremonies sounds like to European
+ears.
+
+One of the best features of Confucianism is the inculcation of respect
+towards parents and old people, in which respect both monks and nuns do a
+deal of good; though, otherwise, I think the country might advantageously
+be without these institutions.
+
+Beliefs are comical when one does not believe in them.
+
+On the mountain slopes, just outside the city wall, and at no great
+distance from the West Gate, is a peculiar rock, which the action of the
+weather has worn out into the shape of a gigantic tooth. Whence comes its
+name of Tooth-stone. There would be nothing wonderful about this, if it
+were not for the fact that a visit to this freak of nature, has,
+according to Corean accounts, the property of curing the worst of
+tooth-aches. Though I was not myself afflicted with the complaint in
+question, I went one afternoon to witness the pilgrimage that takes place
+every day to this miraculous spot. A little altar stands at the foot of
+the huge tooth, and numberless tablets, certifying to cures, erected by
+thankful noble visitors and others, are fixed against the rock, with the
+name, date and year when the cures were effected.
+
+As I stood there, I could not help laughing at the sight of the crowds of
+men and women with swollen cheeks, bandaged up in cotton wool and
+kerchiefs, apparently undergoing excruciating agonies through coming out
+on so cold a day. One after the other they came up, first paying their
+chin-chins in front of the altar, and then depositing on it what _cash_
+they could afford; after which they proceeded to rub one cheek after the
+other on the Tooth-stone, just as "puss" rubs herself against your legs
+when you stroke her head. The bandages had, of course, to be removed
+before the balloon-like cheek could be rubbed on the frozen stone, and to
+watch the different expressions of relief or increased pain upon their
+ill-balanced, inflamed faces, gave me as much amusement as any show that
+I have ever witnessed. Should the pain have temporarily disappeared, the
+man in charge of the _miracle_ would make it his duty to try and extract
+more money from the person cured; if, instead of that, the pain had
+increased, which was generally the case, then, again, he would impress on
+the agonised sufferer that had he paid a larger sum in the beginning the
+gods would not have been vexed at his meanness and the pain would have
+disappeared. Let him, therefore, now pay more _cash_ by way of making up
+for it, and try again! It is wonderful, too, how shallow people are when
+they have a pain anywhere!
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XV
+
+Police--Detectives--The plank-walk--The square board--The wooden blocks
+for hands and feet--Floggings--The bamboo rod--The stick--The flexible
+board--A flogging in Seoul--One hundred strokes for three-halfpence
+--Wounds produced--Tender-hearted soldiers--Imprisonment--Exile--Status
+of women, children and bachelors--Guilds and the law--Nobles and the
+law--Serfdom--A mild form of slavery.
+
+
+Should you happen to be one of the tender-hearted sort, please pass this
+chapter and the next over, and I shall not bear you any malice. My
+present object is to describe some of the punishments inflicted on
+criminals, and, though they are, as a whole, quaint and original, I
+cannot say that they are pleasing, either to see or to read about.
+
+First of all, you may not be aware that there is in Seoul a sharp and
+well-regulated body of police, always ready to pounce on outlaws of any
+kind; and that there is hardly a crime committed, the delinquent in which
+fails to be immediately collared. These guardians of the peace do not
+wear any particular uniform, but are dressed just like the merchant
+classes; and thus it is that, unknown, they can mix with people of all
+sorts, and frequently discover crimes of which they would otherwise
+probably never hear. Instead of being mere policemen, they rather do the
+work of detectives and policemen combined; for, by ably disguising
+themselves, they try to get on familiar terms with people about whom they
+are suspicious; and in many a case, after having become a bosom-friend of
+one of these officials and acknowledged and confessed his evil deeds to
+him, the culprit finds himself arrested and very likely beheaded.
+
+In speaking of their mode of arrest, I purposely used the word
+"collared"; for no better term can express the action of the Corean
+policeman. The man is taken before the magistrate soon after his arrest,
+and should he offer resistance he is dragged before him by his top-knot
+or his pig-tail, according respectively as he is a married man or a
+bachelor. If he is strong and restive, a rope with a sliding knot is
+passed round his neck, after his hands have been firmly tied behind his
+back. After his interview with the magistrate at the _yamen_, if he be
+found guilty, he is generally treated with very great severity.
+
+If the crime has been only of the minor degree the culprit undergoes the
+plank-walk, a punishment tiresome enough, but not too harsh for Coreans.
+The following is a rough description of it. A heavy wooden plank, about
+twelve feet long and two feet wide, with an aperture in the centre, is
+used, the man's head being passed through the aperture and then secured
+in it in such a way that he cannot remove it. Thus arrayed he is made to
+walk through the streets of the town, his head distorted by the weight he
+has to carry, and his body restrained by the dragging of the plank either
+in front of him or at his back. The passers-by point at him the finger of
+scorn, as, in his helpless state, he is made to swing from one side of
+the road to the other with the slightest push, or else is pulled along
+mercilessly by people who seize the plank and begin to run. He is poked
+in the ribs with sticks, and gets his head smacked and smeared with dirt;
+yet has to bear it all patiently, until, twirled round, knocked about,
+and with his neck skinned by the friction of the heavy plank, he
+sometimes falls down in a dead faint.
+
+[Illustration: THE PLANK-WALK]
+
+Little or no compassion is shown to criminals by the Coreans. Rather than
+otherwise, they are cruel to them; and children, besides being cautioned
+not to follow their bad example, are encouraged to annoy and torture the
+poor wretches.
+
+A more severe punishment still is the square board, a piece of wood too
+heavy to allow of the man standing for any length of time, too wide to
+allow of his arms reaching his face, too big to allow of him resting his
+head on the ground and going to sleep, and too thick to allow of his
+smashing it and getting rid of it. Instances are on record of people thus
+punished having become lunatics after the fourth or fifth day. During the
+fly season I should think such an occurrence cannot be uncommon. Imagine
+half a dozen flies disporting themselves in a tickling walk on a man's
+nose, eyelids and forehead, without his being able to reach them, owing
+to this huge square wooden collar! It must be dreadful! Merely the
+thought of it is enough to give one the shivers.
+
+This last mode of punishment has, I think, been imported from China, for
+I have also seen it frequently in the Empire of Heaven. The other, which
+I first described, may also be a modification of this one, but I do not
+remember having seen it, as I have described it, anywhere except in
+Corea, at Seoul. There is also in Corea another machine of torture, in
+which the head and feet are tied between heavy blocks of wood.
+
+The principal, and most important, of all the lesser punishments,
+however, is flogging. It is that which has most effect on the people, and
+it is certainly by far the most painful. It is carried out in many ways,
+according to the gravity of the crime committed. The simpler and milder
+form is with a small bamboo rod, the strokes being administered on the
+hands, on the bare back or on the thighs, a punishment mostly for young
+people. Next in severity, is that with the round stick--a heavy
+implement--by which it was always a marvel to me, that all the bones of
+the body were not smashed, judging from the fearful blows which the
+powerful flogger bestowed on the poor wretches who lay stretched out
+flat, and face downward, on a sort of bench, to which they were
+fastened, and on which they generally fainted from pain after the first
+few strokes had been given. This is considered a low and degrading way of
+being flogged, and is chiefly limited to people of the lowest standing in
+society. The implement most generally in use in this line of sport is the
+paddle or flat board, a beating with which, when once received, is likely
+to be remembered for ever. I shall try to describe the way in which I saw
+it done one day in Seoul.
+
+I was walking along the main street when I saw a _kisso_ (soldier), with
+his hands tied behind his back, being led with a rope and followed by
+about a score of cavalry soldiers in their picturesque hats and red
+tassels. A magistrate, in his long white gown and with a huge pair of
+circular spectacles on his nose, headed the procession. I asked a
+passer-by what they were going to do, and was soon informed, both by
+action and by word of mouth, that the man was going to be flogged,
+whereupon I at once slackened my pace, and joined the procession, that I
+might, if possible, see how they did this sort of thing in military
+circles. I had already seen ordinary floggings with the bamboo and the
+stick, but what attracted me more especially on this occasion, was a long
+wooden board which a soldier was carrying, and with which, the man who
+was walking by my side said, they were going to beat him. It was a plank
+about ten feet long, one foot wide and half an inch thick, probably less,
+and therefore very flexible. After walking for a short distance, the
+procession at last made a halt. The man to be performed upon, looked
+almost unconcerned; and, save that he was somewhat pensive, showed no
+signs of fear. His hands having been untied, he at once took off his
+hat--for in the land of Cho-sen a man does not mind losing his life as
+long as his hat is not spoilt! His padded trousers were pulled down so as
+to leave his legs bare, and he was then made to lie flat on the pebbly
+ground, using his folded arms as a sort of rest for his head. The
+magistrate, with his pompous strides, having found a suitable spot,
+squatted down on his heels, a servant immediately handing to him his
+long-caned pipe. The soldiers, silent and grave, then formed a circle,
+and the flogger; with his board all ready in his hand, took up a position
+on the left-hand side of his victim. The magistrate, between one puff and
+another of smoke, gave a long harangue on the evils of borrowing money
+and not returning it, however small the sum might be. The disgrace, he
+argued, would be great in anybody's case, but for a soldier of the King,
+not only to commit the great offence of borrowing money from a person of
+lower grade than himself--"a butcher," but then also to add to his shame
+by not returning it--this was something that went beyond the limits of
+decency.
+
+"How much was it you borrowed?" he inquired in a roaring kind of voice.
+
+"A hundred _cash_," answered the thread of a voice from the head on the
+ground buried in the coat-sleeves.
+
+"Well, then, give him a hundred strokes, to teach him to do better next
+time!"
+
+As a hundred _cash_ is equivalent to one penny-halfpenny, to my mind, the
+verdict was a little severe, but, as there is no knowing what is good
+for other people, I remained a silent spectator.
+
+The flogger then, grabbing at one end of the board with his strong hands,
+swung it two or three times over his head, and gave a tremendous whack on
+the man's thighs, causing them to bleed. Then immediately another and
+another followed, each being duly reckoned, the poor fellow all the while
+moaning pitifully, and following from the corners of his frightened eyes
+the quick movements of the quivering plank. Soon his skin became livid
+and inflamed, and, after a few more blows had been given, large patches
+of skin remained attached to the board. The pain must have been intense.
+The wretch bit his sleeves, and moaned and groaned, until, finally, he
+became faint. Meanwhile, I had produced my sketch-book, and had already
+with my pencil jotted down magistrate, flogger, flogged and soldiers,
+when the ill-natured official took offence at what I was doing and
+ordered the flogging to be at once stopped. Had I only known, I would
+have begun my sketch before. As it was--and the culprit had only received
+less than one-fifth of the number of blows to which he had been
+sentenced--the performance was bad enough. There was only one redeeming
+feature about it, and I must say no one was more astonished at it than
+myself. Nearly all the soldiers, friends of the offender, blubbered like
+children while his punishment lasted. This circumstance seemed to prove
+to me that the Easterns, though apparently cruel, are, after all, not
+quite so hard-hearted as one might be inclined to imagine. And, mind you,
+the soldier-classes in Cho-sen are probably the most cruel of all; that
+touch of sentiment on their part, therefore, impressed me much, and upset
+entirely those first ideas I had formed about their lack of sensitiveness
+and sympathy for others.
+
+The order to that effect being then given, two soldiers proceeded to help
+the man to rise. Calling to him was, however, of no avail. They had,
+therefore, to lift him up bodily, but when they tried to dress him they
+found his swollen bleeding legs to be as stiff as if they had been made
+of iron; wherefore, as they failed to bend them, two other men had to
+come to their assistance and carry him away. It not unfrequently happens
+in the case of this cruel method of flogging that a man's thighs are
+broken and himself ruined for life, and many have been known to have even
+died under the severity of the punishment.
+
+Imprisonment is not a favourite punishment with the Corean magistrates,
+for the infliction of such a penalty means considerable expense to the
+country, and would be but little punishment to the natives, who, by such
+confinement, would suffer little or nothing physically, and certainly not
+at all morally. Some, however, especially of the nobler classes, are kept
+confined, even for years, in expectation, for instance, of a sentence of
+capital punishment being carried out, or else in the hope that through
+influential friends they may obtain the royal pardon. As a rule,
+particularly with the better classes, exile is deemed a more impressive
+punishment than imprisonment, and when confiscation of land and property
+goes with this, the punishment is, of course, all the more severe.
+
+Of banishment there are several different kinds. Thus, there is not only
+banishment from the city to a distant province, but also that out of the
+kingdom altogether. Some banishments are for short periods, others for
+longer periods, others for life. Banishment from the country is generally
+for life and accompanied by confiscation.
+
+A curious custom prevails at Court, according to which, when a Minister,
+prince or magistrate incurs the royal displeasure, he is confined for two
+or three days to his own house, without being allowed to go out. Were the
+rule broken it would lead to serious trouble, for spies are generally
+sent to see that the rule is not transgressed. Such a punishment, mild as
+it is, is much felt by the nobles, and they take, therefore, a good deal
+of trouble to comply with the Court etiquette in all its minutest
+details.
+
+Corean law is very lenient to women and children, or unmarried men, which
+latter class, as we have seen, are classified in the same category as the
+former. The head of the family is supposed to punish smaller offences as
+he thinks fit, either by rod or fist, the law only providing the severer
+forms of punishment for the bigger crimes.
+
+The administration of the law in general is very strange. Some people are
+responsible, others are not. Certain tradesmen, like butchers,
+plasterers, innkeepers, carpenters, hatters, etc., have formed themselves
+into guilds, and in the case of offences committed by a member of one of
+these guilds he is held responsible to the head of the guild and not to
+the magistrates of the country. The same holds good in the case of the
+_mapus_ (horsemen) and the coolie-carriers who constitute, probably, the
+best-formed and best-governed guild in the country. It has thousands of
+members all over the kingdom, and not only is the postal system carried
+on by them, but also the entire trade, so to speak, between the different
+provinces and towns of the realm. The chief of this guild, until late
+years, had actually the power of inflicting capital punishment on the
+members; now, however, the highest penalty he can inflict is a sentence
+of flogging. Thus it is, that a good deal of the justice of the country
+is administered by the people themselves, without the intervention of the
+legal authorities, in which respect they show themselves very sensible.
+The nobles, too, have the power of flogging their servants or followers,
+and this is usually done in their own _compounds_. Very often on passing
+a house the strokes of the paddle may be heard, the howls and screams of
+the victim testifying to the nature of what is going on. In other cases
+flogging is generally done in public, for then it is supposed to have
+more effect. If done in a private enclosure, then all the servants,
+soldiers and followers are summoned to witness it.
+
+This patient submission to these personal punishments is no doubt one of
+the last remains of feudalism. In not very remote times, serfdom which
+bordered on slavery was still in existence in Cho-sen. Men and women
+became private property either by the acquiring of the land on which they
+lived, or, by purchase, or by way of execution for non-payment of debts,
+for under this convenient law creditors could be paid with a man's
+relations instead of with ready money.
+
+Slavery in Corea, even when it existed, was, however, always of a very
+mild form. The women were mostly employed as servants about the house,
+while the man tilled the ground, but in neither case was rough dealing
+the rule, and, far less, ill-treatment. They were, too, well fed and
+clothed; so much so, that many people used to sell themselves in order to
+acquire a comfortable living. In time of famine this must have very often
+occurred, and many families whose ancestors under such circumstances
+stood by the nobles and rich people are even to the present moment
+supported by them, though no longer as slaves, but rather as retainers
+and servants. They are perfectly happy with their lot and make no
+agitation for liberty; in fact, like the bird that has been born and bred
+in a cage, if left to themselves, they would probably soon come to a bad
+end.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XVI
+
+Executions--Crucified and carried through the streets--The execution
+ground--Barbarous mode of beheading--Noble criminals--Paternal love--Shut
+out--Scaling the wall--A catastrophe--A nightmare.
+
+
+In Cho-sen, as in other countries, we find not only pleasanter sights,
+but also those that are disagreeable or even revolting. That which I am
+about to describe is one which, I have little doubt, will make your blood
+curdle, but which is none the less as interesting as some of the others I
+have feebly attempted in this work to describe; I mean an execution as
+carried out in the Land of the Morning Calm. The penal form of death
+adopted is beheading, which is not, I believe, so pleasant a sensation
+as, for instance, that of being hanged--that is, when other persons are
+the sufferers. Of late years, executions have not been by any means an
+everyday occurrence in Corea, but here, as in other countries, there is
+always to be found a good share of people who are anxious to be "off"
+their heads. There is no reason why people should commit crimes, yet they
+do commit them and get punished in consequence. They are punished in this
+world for having broken the limits of society's laws, and yet again, if
+what one hears is correct, they are punished wherever they happen to go
+after their final departure from our very earthly regions. In Corea, as
+is the case all over the far East, the natives are not much concerned
+about this future existence and attach little importance to death and
+physical pain. I have no doubt, in fact I am positive, that the Eastern
+people feel pain much less than we do, partly because they are accustomed
+from childhood to be insensitive to bodily agony, but chiefly because
+they are differently constituted to us. In our case, the brain, by means
+of which it is that we judge of the amount of pain inflicted on us, has
+been trained to receive impressions so quickly, transmitted as they are
+in an instant from any part of the body to the centre of our system,
+that, indeed, many times we actually feel the pain before it has been
+physically communicated to us at all. With the Corean, as with the Manchu
+or the Chinese, a reverse action takes place. With them, the brain works
+so very slowly that, supposing a bad ache is taking place in any part of
+the body, whence is being conveyed to the drowsy brain the unpleasant
+news of the agony that that part is undergoing; well, what in that case
+happens in the Corean skull? By the time the brain has grasped the idea
+that the aforesaid part of the body is really in a state of suffering,
+the pain is almost gone. This, roughly stated, is I believe, a truthful
+explanation of their going to death with so much bravery.
+
+It is a common occurrence in China for criminals, kneeling in a row to be
+executed, to crack jokes among themselves, and even at the executioner's
+expense. In Corea, they cannot go quite so far as that, for things are
+done somewhat differently. In the latter country, the prisoners are
+detained in the gaols sometimes for months and even years, undergoing
+judgments and sentences, floggings and milder tortures innumerable, so
+that it is almost with a feeling of relief and gladness that, finally,
+being proved guilty, they receive the news of their fast approaching end.
+When their time is come, they are removed from prison, and dragged out
+into a courtyard, within which, with the first rays of light, have been
+brought some little carts with heavy and roughly-made wooden wheels, each
+drawn by a sturdy bull. On the ground some wooden crosses have been set
+up, and to each of these a criminal is tied with ropes, his chest and
+arms being bare, and cut into by the tightened cords, and only his padded
+trousers being left. Each cross with its human freight is then planted
+and made firm on a bull cart; and then, when all is ready, the ghastly
+procession, headed by the executioner, a few _kissos_ (soldiers), armed
+with old fashioned flint locks or with spears, makes its way slowly
+through the streets of the town, one of the followers proclaiming aloud
+the crimes committed and the sentences passed on the crucified. Sleepy
+women and children, with uncombed hair, peep out of the paper windows,
+while the men hurry down to the street and join the procession in large
+numbers, making fun at the expense of the poor wretches, and even
+insulting them; while the latter, hang helpless and defenceless from
+their crosses, their bodies livid with cold, pain and starvation.
+Occasions such as these, are regular orgies for the soldiers, and those
+who follow the mournful _cortége_. Not a wine-shop on the road-side is
+left unvisited, and continual halts are made that wine may be freely
+drunk, and food swallowed, as only Corean soldiers know how to do it.
+Occasionally, a pious passer-by, moved to compassion, may, amid the howls
+of the crowd, raise his wine-cup to the lips of one of the sentenced, and
+help him thus to make death more merry. Once this sort of thing is
+started, the example is usually at once emulated by others, and, as the
+hours go by, a considerable amount of intoxicating stuff is consumed, not
+only by the executioner, soldiers and followers, but also by those to be
+executed. Before very long, however, the bodies of the victims thus
+carried become senseless and nearly frozen to death. Their heads then
+hang down pitifully, all blue and congested, and quivering with the
+jerking of the cart.
+
+"Era! Era! Picassa!" ("Get out! get away!") the drunken soldiers call out
+at intervals, as they swallow their last mouthful of rice, and order the
+_mapus_ to move on to the next eating-place. Crowds of men and children
+collect round the miserable show and prudent fathers, pointing at the
+victims, show their heirs what will be the fate of those who do what is
+wrong. During the whole day are the poor wretches thus carted to and fro,
+in the streets of the town, stoppages being made at all the public
+eating-places, where feasting invariably takes place, though it is also
+almost as invariably left unpaid for.
+
+Only when sunset has come is it that the procession, having made its way
+towards one of the city gates, finally leaves the town and winds its way
+through the open country to a suitable spot for the chopping-off process.
+Executions are not held at any particular spot; and in former days, even
+a few years ago, it was not an uncommon occurrence to see the dead
+bodies of beheaded people lying about in the streets of Seoul. Now,
+however, they generally take the offenders outside the Wall, and inflict
+the capital punishment miles away from the town.
+
+The execution represented in the illustration, took place on the sixth of
+February, 1891, and is a reproduction of a picture which I have done from
+sketches taken on the spot. The men executed on this occasion numbered
+seven, and the crime committed, was "high treason." They had conspired to
+upset the reigning dynasty of Cho-sen, and had devised the death of His
+Majesty the King. Unfortunately for them, the plot was discovered before
+its aims could be carried out, and the ringleaders arrested and
+imprisoned. For over a year they had remained in gaol, undergoing severe
+trials, and being constantly tortured and flogged to make them confess
+their crime, and betray the friends who were implicated with them. That,
+however, being of no avail, the seven men were at last all sentenced to
+death. Three of them were noblemen, and one a priest; while the others
+were commoner people, though well-to-do. Here are their names;
+Yi-Keun-eung, Youn-Tai-son, Im-Ha-sok, Kako (priest), Yi-sang-hik,
+Chyong-Hiong-sok, Pang-Pyong-Ku.
+
+[Illustration: A STUDY FROM STILL-LIFE]
+
+Having undergone the final drive through the town, by the sound of the
+big bell at sunset the _cortége_ passed through the "Gate of the Dead;"
+then, leaving the crowded streets of the capital, it made its way towards
+the spot where the execution was to take place. The place selected was on
+a naturally raised ground, nearly 20 lis (6½ miles) from Seoul, a
+lonely spot, overlooking a deserted plain. The high road was only a few
+hundred yards distant, and could be plainly seen as a white interminable
+line, like a white tape, at the foot of the distant hills.
+
+The bull carts were stopped some little way below this spot on the flat
+ground, and then, one by one, the wretched creatures were taken down and
+removed from their crosses in a brutal manner, and handed over to the
+executioner. Senseless, they lay on the ground, with their arms tied
+behind their backs, and a long rope fastened to their top-knots in the
+hair; until they were carried one after another, and laid flat on their
+faces, with their chests on the little stools seen in the picture. When
+they had all been thus stationed, the executioner proceeded to administer
+blows with his blunt sword until the heads were severed from the bodies.
+On the occasion in question, several of the bodies were hacked about most
+mercilessly through the inexperience or drunkenness of this brute. The
+third man in the illustration, for example, had a good part of his left
+shoulder cut off as clean as a whistle, although the blow had been meant
+to strike the neck; but let this suffice for these horrible details. I
+have mentioned them, partly, that they may be compared with the dexterous
+doings of the neighbouring Chinese, whose skill in the chopping-off line
+is beyond description.
+
+The Chinese possess very long, sharp, well-balanced swords, a single blow
+of one of which will sever the head from the body. Besides, they
+administer their blows as neatly as the most fastidious of customers
+might desire, and the victim does not really undergo much pain. The
+executioners, too, are picked out from among the strongest men, and are
+so well trained that they never miss a blow. The whole affair,
+consequently, is over in less than no time; a few seconds being quite
+sufficient to do away with one comfortably. Truly enough, were it to be
+one's lot to be executed, I would desire nothing more delightful than to
+have one's head "done" by a Celestial executioner. The Coreans, on the
+contrary, have not developed the same skill in these difficult matters;
+and, what with their blunt and short swords, what with their misjudgment
+of distances, they bungle matters most cruelly. Of course, they are,
+nevertheless, supposed to kill their victims with single blows, instead
+of raining them down by the dozen, hacking the unfortunate creatures in a
+most fearful manner, and lopping off their arms or gashing their bodies
+before the heads are finally cut off.
+
+The little blocks, upon which the men were laid down, were so arranged
+that their chests rested on the upper portions, the head in consequence
+being raised several inches from the ground. The idea in this was to make
+things easier for the executioner; the same reason also explaining why
+the straw rope was tied to each man's top-knot; for in this way another
+man could hold him fast to the stool when the decapitation was to take
+place. A somewhat closer examination of the first body in the
+illustration will at once show how distorted it is. This is what must
+have happened: in the final struggle with death the owner had attempted
+to resist his fate, when several soldiers had immediately pounced upon
+him, with the inevitable result that, in his desperate struggling, the
+spine had been broken; a strange, yet very natural accident, under the
+circumstances. The arms being tied together at the elbows behind, the
+spine had been at great tension, like a set bow, so that a violent
+assault could not but result in its being fractured, especially
+considering the weak and frozen condition in which the derelict before us
+was. That I am probably correct in this explanation seems to be further
+proved by the fact that his head, when severed, had been taken up and
+swung to a distance by the angry executioner.
+
+Now, though this way of doing away with criminals may appear a very cruel
+one to European minds, it is, nevertheless, a decided improvement on the
+older method of executing prevalent in Corea, as practised for example,
+many years ago, on some French missionaries and their followers.
+
+The execution of these martyrs was preceded by terrible floggings and
+tortures, and when they were led to the execution-ground they had two
+arrows thrust into their flesh, like modern St. Sebastians.
+
+The executioner and soldiers, after having accomplished their bloody
+work, and converted the execution-ground for the time being into a
+shambles, retraced their steps to the nearest wine-shop, where the rest
+of the night was spent in drinking and gorging. The bodies were left as a
+repast for dogs and leopards; for no Corean with a sound mind could be
+induced to go near the spot where they lay, lest the spirits of their
+departed souls should play some evil trick upon them. So much, in fact,
+were they scared at the idea of passing at all near to the dead bodies
+that, though the execution took place a few hundred yards away from the
+high road, the superstitious Coreans preferred going miles out of their
+way on the other side of the hill range to being seen near (they called
+it "near") a spot where so many people had perished.
+
+The morning following this execution I took many sketches of the ghastly
+scene and the mutilated bodies. I did not leave until darkness began to
+set in, when, as I was busy packing up my traps to return to Seoul, I was
+rather startled by the sudden appearance near me of an old man, sad,
+pale, and worn-out with anxiety. As he crept up to my side, in a most
+suspicious manner, he looked round, and then, with a violent effort,
+directed his gaze to the bodies lying a little way off. He was shivering
+like a leaf, his eyes were staring and his fingers outstretched, yet he
+could not remove his glance from the dreadful sight. As he was in this
+tragic position, two coolies, carrying a coffin, appeared cautiously on
+the scene; but, when still a long way from the bodies, they refused
+positively to approach any nearer, and all the expostulation of the old
+man who went down to meet them, all the extra strings of _cash_, the last
+ones he possessed, were not sufficient to induce them to stir another
+inch. This fright which had taken possession of them was thus great,
+partly because of the natural superstitions which all Coreans entertain
+regarding the souls of dead persons, and also because the fact of being
+seen or found near these political criminals might in all probability
+lead to the loss of their heads as well. At last, however, when their
+terror was somewhat overcome, they promised to go near the bodies if
+large sums should be paid them; whereupon the old man who had not another
+_cash_ in the world, seemed to act as if he were in a state of thorough
+despair. I watched his face and thought that he was actually going to
+collapse. Not a word of complaint, however, did he utter to me. Intense
+grief was depicted on his face, and I had pity on him. He was old, too,
+and his features were refined. He opened his heart to me.
+
+"That," lying dead there, with his head Heaven only knew where, was his
+son! He had been a nobleman; that one could see at a glance, but was poor
+now, "cashless," having spent his fortune in his efforts to bribe the
+officials to let his son be released. His money had come to an end, and
+there his son lay dead. The risk he was running, he well knew, was very
+great, in thus coming to remove the body of the one he loved. Were the
+officials only to know that he had visited the spot, he would straightway
+be imprisoned, accused of complicity, tortured, and then put to death;
+notwithstanding this, however, he felt sure that darkness would protect
+him, and so in his anxiety he had come to remove his son's body, that he
+might during the night bury it on one of the distant hills. He had given
+the coolies the little money he had to help him in his enterprise, and
+now that he was only a few yards from his beloved he could not get them
+to proceed. He was himself too weak to move the body.
+
+I took him by the arm, and we approached the bodies. The near view of
+them made him shudder and turn pale, and as he rested on my arm he was
+shivering all over. Not a word did he utter, not a lamentation did he
+make, not a tear did he shed; for, to show one's feelings is considered
+bad form in the land of Cho-sen. I could well see, however, that his
+heart was aching. He bent over the bodies, one after the other; then,
+after a lengthy examination, he pointed to one, and murmured:
+
+"This is my son, this is my son! I know him by his hands. See how they
+are swollen, and nearly cut by the rope?"
+
+Next, after a good deal of uncertainty, for the face was smeared and
+streaked with blood, we found the head pertaining to the body. The old
+man, with paternal love, then proceeded, if he could, to stick the head
+on the body again, but--this was impossible.
+
+"Please, sir," he begged of me, in a tone of lamentation, "help me to
+take my son as far as the coffin."
+
+I consented, and, with the utmost trouble, we carried the body down the
+hill, afterwards coming back for the head. In two mats, which had been
+carried inside the hearse, we wrapped the corpse up as well as we could,
+and then bundled him into the coffin. All this time a careful look-out
+was maintained, to see that no one else was about to spy over the deed,
+but once the corpse was in its coffin, the coolies quickly took the
+hearse on their shoulders, and all sped away, not without repeated
+"kamapsos" (thanks) being given me by the old man.
+
+That was the only body which was removed, all the others being left to
+rot or to be eaten up by wild animals.
+
+When I examined the expressions on the faces of the beheaded wretches, it
+did not seem as if any of them had at all enjoyed what had taken place;
+on the contrary, rather than otherwise, there was plainly depicted on
+their now immovable features an expression of most decided
+dissatisfaction. Without doubt, they had undergone a terrible agony. In
+some cases the eyes were closed, in others they were wide open, staring
+straight in front. The pupils had become extremely small. The lips of all
+were contracted, and the teeth showed between, tightly closed. Streaks of
+blood covered the faces, and it was very apparent that the noses, ears,
+and sometimes the outside corners of the eyes, had been bleeding, this
+being probably due to the violent blows received from the sword. In a
+word, the expression which had become stereotyped upon their faces was
+that of great pain and fright, although none of them, with the exception
+of the one who had resisted at the last moment, showed it in any other
+way. The muscles of the arms also were much contracted, and the swollen
+fingers were of a bluish colour with congested blood, and half-closed and
+stiff--as if made of wood.
+
+By the time that the old man, his coolies and their sad burden had got
+well out of sight, on their way up one of the distant hills, I had
+finished packing up my sketches and painting materials. Then, as I
+retraced my steps towards Seoul it became quite dark. On the way,
+however, I purchased, for the large sum of three _cash_ (the tenth part
+of a penny), a small paper lantern, with a little candle inside--the
+latter leading me to the extravagance of an extra _cash_; and, armed
+with this lighting apparatus, all complete, I proceeded towards the East
+Gate.
+
+This little lantern, which was exactly similar to those used by the
+natives, came in very handy on this occasion. These lanterns are the most
+ingenious things that can be imagined for the money. Each has a wooden
+bottom, and a bent cane acts as a handle. A nail is provided in the
+centre of the wooden bottom, wherein to stick the candle, and the flame
+is protected by white tissue paper pasted all round the lantern.
+
+[Illustration: A NATIVE LANTERN]
+
+In due course I reached the East Gate, but only to find it closed, for it
+was now long after sunset. I then tried the "Gate of the Dead," having no
+objection to enter the town for once as a "deceased"; but, although the
+"departed" have the privilege of leaving the town after dark, they are
+not allowed to come in again; for which reason it really seemed as if I
+had before me the fine prospect of having to put up at one of the dirty
+native inns just outside the Gate until it should please Phoebus to show
+his welcome fire-face again above the mountain line.
+
+I had learned that there was, at no great distance away, a spot where, at
+the risk only of breaking one's neck, it was possible to scale the city
+wall; wherefore, having consulted a child as to the exact locality,
+besides tempting him with a string of _cash_, I proceeded to find it, and
+soon, under his guidance, reached it. The wall at this spot was, I may
+mention, about twenty feet high. Having, then, fastened my paint-box and
+sketches to my back by means of a strap, and slinging the paper lantern
+to my arm, I proceeded, hampered though I was, to make trial of my
+cat-like qualities in the matter of wall climbing. Placing the tips of my
+fingers and toes in the crevices between the stones and in other gaps in
+the wall, I managed with some little difficulty, to crawl up a certain
+height. The wall was nearly perpendicular, mind you, and, owing to the
+cold frozen nature of the stones, my fingers got so stiff that I had
+hardly any power left in them. Then, too, the weight of the heavy
+paint-box on my shoulders was more conducive to bringing me down again
+than to helping me up. In my mind's eye, accordingly, I saw myself at
+every moment coming down with a bang from my high position to the frozen
+ground below, and began to think that I should be fortunate if I
+succeeded in coming out of my wall-climbing experience with only half the
+ribs in my body reduced to atoms, and one or two broken limbs in
+addition. Making a special effort, however, I got a few feet higher, when
+I heard a mysterious voice below murmur: "You have nearly reached the
+top." I received the news with such delight that, in consequence of the
+fresh vigour which it imparted to me and which made me try to hurry up,
+one of my feet slipped, and I found myself clinging to a stone, with the
+very ends of my fingers. Oh what a sensation! and what moments of
+anxiety, until, quickly searching with my toes, I got a footing again.
+
+That slip was fatal, for, owing to the jerk it gave me, the unsteady
+candle inside the paper lantern fell out of its perpendicular position
+and produced a conflagration. Then, indeed, was I placed in the most
+perplexing position, for, here was I, holding on to the wall, I do not
+know how, with the lantern and my sleeve on fire and my arm getting
+unpleasantly warm, and yet utterly unable to do anything to lessen the
+catastrophe. Only one thing could be done; and I can assure you, the few
+remaining feet which had to be climbed were got over with almost the
+agility of a monkey. Thus, at last, I was on the top.
+
+This adventure made a very good finish for what had been a most exciting
+day; and, now that the faithless lantern was burning itself out, and
+dwindling away down below, and that the fire in my sleeve was put out, I
+had to remain in darkness. I stumbled along the rampart of the wall until
+I could get down into one of the streets, where, having roused the
+people, I was able to purchase another light, and reach home again in
+safety. After the hearty meal which I then partook of, I need scarcely
+add that a greater part of the night was spent in dreaming of numberless
+bodyless heads rolling about around me, and of people being burned alive,
+until I finally woke up next morning with a fearful shock, and the
+thought that I was being precipitated from the top of the Tower of Babel.
+
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XVII
+
+The "King's procession"--Removing houses--Foolhardy people--Beaten to
+death--Cavalry soldiers--Infantry--Retainers--Banners--Luxurious
+saddles--The King and his double--Royal palanquins--The return at night.
+
+
+[Illustration: THE KING MEETING THE CHINESE ENVOYS]
+
+The official life of the King of Corea is secluded. He rarely goes out of
+the royal palace, although rumours occasionally fly about that His
+Majesty has visited such and such a place in disguise. When he does go
+out officially, the whole town of Seoul gets into a state of the greatest
+agitation and excitement. Not more than once or twice a year does such a
+thing happen; and when it does, the thatched shanties erected on the wide
+royal street are pulled down, causing a good deal of trouble and expense
+to the small merchants, etc. People fully understand, however, that the
+construction of these shanties is only allowed on condition that they
+shall be pulled down and removed whenever necessity should arise; an
+event which may often occur, at only a few hours' notice. The penalty for
+non-compliance is beheading.
+
+The moment they receive the order to do so, the inhabitants hurriedly
+remove all their household goods; the entire families, and those friends
+who have been called in to help, carrying away brass bowls, clothes and
+cooking implements, amid a disorder indescribable. Everybody talks,
+screams and calls out at the same time; everybody tries to push away
+everybody else in his attempts to carry away his armful of goods in
+safety; and, what with the dust produced by the tearing the thatch off
+the roofs, what with the hammering down of the wooden supports, and the
+bustle of the crowd, the scene is pandemonium.
+
+I well remember how astonished I was when, passing in the neighbourhood
+of the royal palace, early one morning, I saw the three narrow, parallel
+streets which lead to the principal gateway being converted into one
+enormously wide street. The two middle rows of houses were thus
+completely removed, and the ground was made beautifully level and smooth.
+Crowds of natives had assembled all along the royal street, as well as up
+the main thoroughfare, leading from the West to the East gate; and the
+greatest excitement prevailed amongst the populace. The men were dressed
+in newly-washed clothes, and the women and children were arrayed in their
+smartest garments. Infantry soldiers, with muskets, varying from
+flint-locks to repeating-rifles, were drawn up in a line on each side to
+keep the road clear. There were others walking along with long, flat
+paddles, and some with round heavy sticks, on the look-out for those who
+dared to attempt to cross the road. As generally happens on such
+occasions, there were some foolish people who did not know the law, and
+others who challenged one another to do what was forbidden, well knowing
+that, if caught, severe blows of the paddle would be their portion. Every
+now and then, howls and shouts would call the attention of the crowd to
+some nonsensical being running full speed down the middle of the road, or
+across it, pursued by the angry soldiers, who, when they captured him,
+began by knocking him down, and continued by beating him with their heavy
+sticks and paddles, until he became senseless, if not killed. When either
+of the last-mentioned accidents happened, as occasionally was the result,
+the body would be thrown into one of the side drain-canals along the road
+and left there, no one taking the slightest notice of it.
+
+[Illustration: CAVALRY SOLDIER WITH UMBRELLA-HAT]
+
+Cavalry soldiers were to be seen in their picturesque blue and brown
+costumes, and cuirasses, and wide-awake black hats adorned with long red
+tassels hanging down to the shoulders, or, as an alternative, equipped
+with iron helmets and armed with flint-locks and spears. In their belts,
+on one side, they carried swords, and on the other, oil-paper
+umbrella-shaped covers. When folded, one of these hat-covers resembles a
+fan; and when spread out for use, it is fastened over the hat by means of
+a string. Those warriors who wore helmets carried the round felt hats as
+well, fastened to the butts of their saddles.
+
+This cavalry equipment was in great contrast, from a picturesque point of
+view, with the comical imitations of the European mode of equipment
+exhibited by the infantry soldiers. One peculiarity of these cavalrymen
+was their instability in the saddle. Each cavalier had a _mapu_ to guide
+the horse, and another man by his side to see that he did not fall off,
+each having thus two men to look after him. A charge of such cavalry on
+the battle-field must, indeed, be a curious sight.
+
+In the olden time it was forbidden for any one to look down on the king
+from any window higher than the palanquins, but now the rule is not so
+strictly observed, although, even at the time when I witnessed these
+processions, nearly all the higher windows were kept closed and sealed by
+the more loyal people. The majority, therefore, witnessed the scene from
+the streets.
+
+The procession was headed by several hundred infantry soldiers, marching
+without the least semblance of order, and followed by cuirassed
+cavalrymen mounted on microscopic ponies in the manner above described.
+Then followed two rows of men in white, wearing square gauze white caps,
+similar to those which form the distinctive badge of the students when
+they go to their examinations; between which two rows of retainers, lower
+court officials, and _yamens_, perched on high white saddles, rode the
+generals and high Ministers of state, supported by their innumerable
+servants. Narrow long white banners were carried by these attendants, and
+a dragon-flag of large dimensions towered above them. Amid an almost
+sepulchral silence, the procession moved past, and after it came a huge
+white palanquin, propped on two long heavy beams, and carried on the
+shoulders of hundreds of men.
+
+When the court and country are not in mourning, the horses of the
+generals, high officials and eunuchs bear magnificent saddles,
+embroidered in red, green and blue; the ponies led by hand immediately in
+front of the King's palanquin being also similarly decked out.
+
+Curiously enough, when the first royal palanquin had gone past the
+procession repeated itself, almost in its minutest details, and another
+palanquin of the exact shape of the first, and also supported by hundreds
+of attendants, advanced before us. Puzzled at this strange occurrence, I
+inquired of a neighbour:
+
+"In which palanquin is the King?"
+
+"No one knows, except his most intimate friends at Court," was the
+answer. "In case of an attempt upon his life, he may thus be fortunate
+enough to escape."
+
+If such an attempt were made success would not in any case be an easy
+matter, except with a gun or a bomb; for the King's sedan is raised so
+high above the ground that it would be impossible for any one to reach it
+with his hands. Besides, it is surrounded by a numerous escort.
+
+The sedans were constructed after the model of a large square
+garden-tent with a pavilion roof, the front side being open. The
+King--somebody closely resembling him is selected for his double--sits on
+a sort of throne erected inside.
+
+On another occasion, when I saw a similar procession accompanying the
+King to the tomb of the queen-dowager, the two palanquins used were much
+smaller, and were fast closed, although there were windows with thick
+split bamboo blinds on both sides of each palanquin. The palanquins were
+covered with lovely white leopard skins outside, and were rich in
+appearance, without lacking in taste.
+
+When the King's procession returned to the palace after dark, the beauty
+and weirdness of the sight were increased tenfold. Huge reed-torches,
+previously planted in the ground at intervals along the line of route,
+were kindled as the procession advanced, and each soldier carried a long
+tri-coloured gauze lantern fastened to a stick, while the palanquins were
+surrounded with a galaxy of white lights attached to high poles. A
+continuous hollow moaning, to indicate that the King was a very great
+personage, and that many hundreds of men had undergone great fatigue in
+carrying him, was heard as the palace gate was approached, and a deep
+sigh of relief arose from thousands of lungs when he was finally
+deposited at his door. Propped up by his highest Ministers of state, who
+held him under the arms, he entered his apartments; after which the
+lights were quickly put out, and most of the crowd retired to their
+homes.
+
+On such occasions as these, however, the men are allowed out at night as
+well as the women.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XVIII
+
+Fights--Prize fights--Fist fights--Special moon for fighting--Summary
+justice--The use of the top-knot--Cruelty--A butcher combatant
+--Stone-fights--Belligerent children--Battle between two guilds--Wounded
+and killed--The end of the battle postponed--Soldiers' fights.
+
+
+One of the characteristic sights in Cho-sen is a private fight. The
+natives, as a rule, are quiet and gentle, but when their temper is roused
+they seem never to have enough of fighting. They often-times disport
+themselves in witnessing prize-fights among the champions of different
+towns, or of different wards in the same town, and on these occasions
+large crowds assemble to view the performance. The combatants generally
+fight with their fists, but, like the French, are much given to use their
+knees and feet as well in the contest. Much betting, also, goes on
+amongst the excited spectators, and it is not seldom that a private
+contest of this kind degenerates into a free fight.
+
+The lower classes in the towns thoroughly enjoy this kind of sport, and
+the slightest provocation is sufficient to make them come to blows. The
+curious point about their fighting is that during the first moon of the
+new year all rows can be settled in this rough and ready manner, without
+committing any breach of the law. Hence it is that during that moon, one
+sees hardly anything but people quarrelling and fighting. All the anger
+of the past year is preserved until the New Year festivities are over,
+but then free play is straightway given to the bottled-up passions. Were
+a man even to kill his antagonist during a fight at this legalised
+season, I doubt whether he would be imprisoned or punished; very likely
+not.
+
+For about fifteen days, in truth, things are simply dreadful in the
+streets. Go in one direction, and you see people quarrelling; go in
+another, and you see them fighting. The original _causa movens_ of all
+this is generally _cash!_
+
+When a deadly fight takes place in the streets, you may at once set it
+down as having arisen over, say, a farthing! Debts ought always to be
+paid before the old year is over; and, occasionally, grace is allowed for
+the first fifteen days in the first moon; after that, the defaulting
+debtors get summary justice administered to them. Creditors go about the
+town in search of their debtors, and should they come face to face,
+generally a few unparliamentary remarks are passed, followed by a
+challenge. Hats are immediately removed, and given for safe keeping to
+some one or other of the spectators, a crowd of whom has, of course, at
+once assembled; and then the creditor, as is customary under such
+circumstances in all countries, makes a dash for his debtor. The main
+feature about these fights, so far as I could judge, was the attempt of
+each antagonist to seize hold of the other by his top-knot. Should this
+feat be successfully accomplished, a violent process of head-shaking
+would ensue, followed by a shower of blows and scratches from the free
+hand, the lower extremities meanwhile being kept busy distributing kicks,
+really meant for the antagonist, but, occasionally, in fact often,
+delivered to some innocent passer-by, owing to the streets of Cho-senese
+towns not being as a rule over-wide.
+
+When in a passion, the Coreans can be very cruel. No devices are spared
+which can inflict injury on the adversary, and scratching and biting
+during these fights are common concomitants. One afternoon, as I was
+returning from a call at the Japanese Legation, and was proceeding down a
+slight incline, riding Mr. Greathouse's horse, I witnessed a dreadful
+scene. A butcher and another tradesman were settling questions in their
+own delightful way, and were knocking each other about. At last, the
+butcher felled the other man with a blow of a short club--like a
+policeman's club--which is often made use of in these fights. As the man
+lay motionless on the ground, the other, far from being content with what
+he had done, seized a huge block of wood, one of those upon which they
+chop up the meat, and, lifting it up with a great effort, dropped it on
+his antagonist's head, with a dreadful sounding crack, which smashed his
+skull, as one would a nut. Then, sitting triumphantly on the wooden
+block, he solicited the compliments of the spectators.
+
+Special interest is taken when the women fight, that is, among the very
+lowest classes, and frequently the strings of _cash_ earned during the
+day are lost or doubled on the odds of the favourite.
+
+The better classes, it must be said to their credit, never indulge in
+fist-fighting in public, though occasionally they have competitions in
+their own compounds, champions being brought there at great expense and
+made to fight in their presence. I believe they consider it to be
+degrading, either first, to lose one's temper, or secondly, to administer
+justice in such a fashion.
+
+The most important contests of all are the stone and club-fights, which
+are a national institution, approved by the Government and patronised by
+everybody. They sometimes attain such large proportions as to be regular
+battles. Supposing that one town or village has, from motives of jealousy
+or other causes, reason to complain of a neighbouring city or borough, a
+stone-fight during the first moon is invariably selected as the proper
+method of settling the difference. Private families, with their friends,
+fight in this way against other private families and their allies; and
+entire guilds of tradesmen sometimes fight other guilds, several hundreds
+of men being brought into the field on either side.
+
+Children are much encouraged in this sport, it being supposed that they
+are thus made strong, brave and fearless; and I have actually seen
+mothers bring children of only eight or nine years old up to the scratch,
+against an equal number of lads urged on by their mothers on the other
+side. One boy on each side, generally the pluckiest of the lot, is the
+leader, and he is provided with a small club, besides wearing on his head
+a large felt hat with a sort of wreath round the crown, probably as a
+protection against the blows that might reach his head. After him come
+ten, twenty, or more other children in their little red jackets, some
+armed with a club like their leader, the others with armfuls of stones. A
+good mound of this ammunition is also, as a rule, collected in the rear,
+to provide for the wants of the battle. The two leaders then advance and
+formally challenge each other, the main body of their forces following in
+a triangle; and when, after a certain amount of hesitation, the two have
+exchanged a few sonorous blows with their clubs on each other's skulls,
+the battle begins in earnest, volleys of stones are fired and blows
+freely distributed until the forces of one leader succeed in pushing back
+and disbanding the others.
+
+A fight of this kind, even among children, lasts for several hours, and,
+as can well be imagined, at the end of it there are a great many bleeding
+noses and broken teeth, besides bruises in profusion. The victor in these
+fights is made much of and receives presents from his parents and the
+friends of the family. The principal streets and open spaces in Seoul,
+during the fighting period, are alive with these youthful combatants, and
+large crowds assemble to witness their battles, taking as much interest
+in them as do the Spaniards in their bull-fights, and certainly causing
+as much excitement.
+
+More serious than these, however, are the hostilities which occasionally
+take place between two guilds. When I was in Seoul, there was a great
+feud between the butchers and those practising the noble art of
+plastering the houses with mud. Both trades are considered by the Coreans
+to belong to the lowest grade of society; and, this being so, the contest
+would naturally prove of an envenomed and brutal character. A day was
+fixed, upon which a battle should take place, to decide whose claims were
+to prevail, and a battle-field was selected on a plain just outside the
+South Gate of the city. The battle-field was intersected by the same
+small frozen rivulet which also crosses Seoul; and it was on the western
+side, near the city wall, where stood a low hill, that on the day
+appointed I took up my position to view the fight, sketch and note-book
+in hand.
+
+The two armies duly arrived, and placed themselves in position, the
+butchers on one side of the stream, the plasterers on the other. There
+were altogether about eighteen hundred men in the field, that is to say,
+about nine hundred on each side. As I could not get a very good view from
+my high point of vantage, I foolishly descended to the valley to inspect
+the fighting trim of the combatants, with the result that when the signal
+for the battle to begin was given I found myself under a shower of
+missiles of all weights and sizes, which poured down upon me with
+incredible rapidity and solidity. Piles of stones had been previously
+massed together by the belligerent parties, and fresh supplies came
+pelting down incessantly. I must acknowledge I did not enjoy my position
+at all, for the stones went whistling past, above my head, fired as they
+were with tremendous force by means of slings.
+
+The confusion was great. Some men were busy collecting the stones into
+heaps again, while others were running to and fro--going to fetch, or
+carrying, fresh ammunition to the front; and all the time the two armies
+were gradually approaching one another until at last they came together
+on the banks of the narrow stream. Here, considering the well-directed
+pelting of stones, it was difficult to say which army would succeed in
+dislodging the other. Those on the opposite side to where I was made a
+rush upon us, but were fired upon with such increased vigour that they
+were repulsed; then, however, concentrating their forces on one point,
+they made a fresh attack and broke right into our ranks, fighting _corps
+à corps_, and pushing back the men on my side, until the whole of their
+contingent was brought over to our side of the stream. I was not, of
+course, taking any active part in the fighting, but, seeing the bad turn
+the struggle was assuming, I made up my mind that I was destined to have
+my own skull broken before the fray was over. Though the duelling was
+fierce, however, each man being pitted against his opponent with clubs
+and drawn knives, and hammering or stabbing at him to his heart's
+content, I, somehow, was in no way molested, except of course, that I was
+naturally much knocked about and bruised, and several times actually came
+in contact, and face to face, with the irate enemy.
+
+If you can imagine eighteen hundred people fighting by twos in a
+comparatively limited space and all crowded together; if you can form an
+idea of the screaming, howling, and yelling in their excitement; and if
+you can depict the whole scene with its envelopment of dust, then you
+will have a fair notion of what that stone-fight was like. The fighting
+continued briskly for over three hours, and many a skull was smashed.
+Some fell and were trampled to death; others had very severe knife
+wounds; a few were killed right out. When the battle was over, few were
+found to have escaped without a bruise or a wound, and yet, after all,
+very few were actually killed, considering how viciously they fought.
+Indeed, there were in all only about half a dozen dead bodies left on the
+battle-field when the combatants departed to the sound of the "big bell"
+which announced the closing of the city gates.
+
+After a long discussion on the part of the leaders, it was announced that
+the battle was to be considered a draw, and that it would, therefore,
+have to be renewed on the next afternoon. The argument, I was told, was
+that, though the other side had managed to penetrate the camp on my side,
+yet they had not been able to completely rout us, we having made a firm
+stand against them. For the following two or three days, however, it
+snowed heavily, and the fighting had to be postponed; and on the day it
+actually did take place, to my great sorrow, I was unable to attend,
+owing to a command to go to the palace. To my satisfaction I was
+subsequently informed that the plasterers, that is to say, my side, had
+ultimately come off victorious.
+
+The police generally attend these battles, but only to protect the
+spectators, and not to interfere in any way with the belligerents.
+Soldiers are prohibited from taking any active part in fights which have
+no concern for them; but they may fight as much as ever they please among
+themselves during the free period allowed by the law. The fights of the
+latter class are usually very fierce, and are invariably carried out with
+bare chest and arms, that their uniforms may not be spoiled.
+
+When that dreadful fortnight of fighting is over, the country again
+assumes its wonted quiet; new debts are contracted, fresh hatreds and
+jealousies are fomented, and fresh causes are procured for further
+stone-battles during the first moon of the next year.
+
+Such is life in Cho-sen, where, with the exception of those fifteen days,
+there is calm, too much of it, not only in the morning, in accordance
+with the national designation, but all through both day and night; where,
+month after month, people vegetate, instead of live, leading the most
+monotonous of all monotonous lives. It is not surprising, then, that once
+a year, as a kind of redeeming point, they feel the want of a vigorous
+re-action; and, I am sure, for such a purpose as this, they could not
+have devised anything wilder or more exciting than a stone-battle.
+
+The King himself follows with the utmost interest the results of the
+important battles fought out between the different guilds, and reports of
+the victories obtained are always conveyed to him at once, either by the
+leaders of the conquering parties, or through some high official at
+Court.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XIX
+
+Fires--The greatest peril--A curious way of saving one's house--The
+anchor of safety--How it worked--Making an opposition wind--Saved by
+chance--A good trait in the native character--Useful friends.
+
+
+I was one evening at a dinner-party, at one of the Consulates, when, in
+the course of the frugal repast, one of the servants came in with the
+news that a large conflagration had broken out in the road of the
+Big-bell, and that many houses had already been burnt down. The
+"big-bell" itself was said to be in great danger of being destroyed.
+
+Giving way to my usual curiosity, and thinking that it would be
+interesting to see how houses burn in Cho-sen, I begged of my host to
+excuse me, left all the good things on the table, and ran off to the
+scene of the fire.
+
+As the servant had announced, the fire was, indeed, in close proximity to
+the "big-bell." Two or three large houses belonging to big merchants were
+blazing fast, the neighbouring dwellings being in great danger of
+following suit. There is in a Corean house but little that can burn,
+except the sliding doors and windows, and the few articles of furniture
+and clothing; so that, as a general rule, after the first big flare-up,
+the fire goes out of its own accord, unless, as was the case in the
+present instance, the roofs are supported by old rafters, which also
+catch fire. What the Coreans consider the greatest of dangers in such
+contingencies happens when the heavy beam which forms the chief support
+for the whole weight of the roof in the centre catches fire. Then, if any
+wind happens to be blowing, sparks fly on all the neighbouring thatched
+roofs, and there is no possibility of stopping a disaster. Such things as
+fire-engines or pumps are quite unknown in the country, and, even if
+there were any, they would be useless in winter time, owing to the severe
+cold which freezes all the water.
+
+On the night in question, that was practically what happened. Two houses
+adjoining one another were burnt out, and, the roofs having crumbled
+away, the long thick beams alone were left in position, supported at
+either end by the stone walls of the houses, and still blazing away, and
+placing the neighbouring houses that had thatched roofs in considerable
+danger.
+
+I was much amused at a Corean, the owner of one of these latter, who, to
+save his thatched shanty from the flames, pulled it down. His efforts in
+this direction were, however, of no avail in the end; for the inflammable
+materials, having been left in the roadway in the immediate neighbourhood
+of the conflagration, caught fire and were consumed.
+
+The King had been informed of the occurrence, a very rare one in Seoul,
+and had immediately dispatched a hundred soldiers to--look on, and to
+help, if necessary. Some individuals, too, more enterprising than the
+rest, exerted themselves to draw water from the neighbouring wells; but,
+by the time they had returned to the spot where it was required, it was
+converted into one big lump of ice. Finally, recourse was had to the old
+Corean method of putting out the fire, namely, by breaking the beam, not
+an easy job by any means, and then, when it had fallen, covering it with
+earth.
+
+The soldiers had brought with them--conceive what? A ship's anchor! To
+this anchor was tied a long thick rope. Their object was, of course, to
+fix the anchor to the burning beam, which being done, fifty, sixty or
+more strong men could pull the rope, and so break the beam in two and
+cause it to fall. Well and good; but where was the warrior to be found
+who would volunteer to go up on the summit of the frail mud-and-stone
+wall and hook the anchor in the right place The affair now wore a
+different aspect altogether, no one being willing to go; whereupon the
+officer in command reprimanded his troops for their lack of pluck.
+
+Among the soldiers, however, there was one man, stout and good-natured
+looking; and he, being taken aback apparently by the officer's remarks,
+at once asserted that he, at all events, was not lacking in courage, and
+would go. For him, accordingly, a ladder was provided, and up he went,
+carrying the anchor on his back. When he reached the last step, he
+stopped and, turning to harangue the people, told them that the beam was
+a solid one, and that a very hard pull would be required; after which,
+amid the applause and cheering of the spectators, he balanced himself on
+the wall and threw the anchor across the beam. A body of men, about a
+hundred strong, then seized the rope and kept it in tension. Next, in a
+commanding tone of voice, our brave hero on the wall gave the signal to
+start, when, all of a sudden, and much sooner than he had expected, with
+the vigorous pull the anchor dug a groove in the carbonised wood, and,
+slipping away, caught him in its barbs across his chest, and dragged him
+with a fearful bump on to the road, with a great quantity of burning
+straw and wood, amidst which he was dragged for nearly twenty yards
+before they were able to stop.
+
+After this compulsory and unexpected jump, it was a miracle that he was
+not killed; for the height was over fourteen feet, and the course
+traversed through the air over twenty. Notwithstanding this, however,
+when he was at length rescued from the grasp which the anchor kept on him
+with its benevolent arms, though considerably shaken, he did not seem
+much the worse. Still, being asked to go again and hook the ungrateful
+grapnel a second time to the still burning beam, he declined with thanks
+and a comical gesture which sent everybody into screams of laughter.
+
+After this another man volunteered, and he, being more cautious in his
+method of procedure, was successful in his efforts. So much time,
+however, had been wasted over these proceedings, that now another house
+was burning fast, and by-and-by others also got attacked.
+
+As ill-luck would have it, the wind rose, to the great horror of the
+inhabitants whose houses were to windward. Many of their abodes had
+thatched roofs, and these seemed certain to go. The sparks flew in
+abundance across the road, and nothing, except a change of the wind,
+could now save those houses. The simple-minded Coreans, however,
+attempted a curious dodge, which I heard afterwards is in general use
+under such circumstances. Numerous ladders having been procured, men and
+women climbed on to the roofs which were in peril. What do you suppose
+they intended to do? I am sure you will never guess. They went up for no
+less a purpose than to manufacture another wind by way of opposition to
+the strong breeze that was blowing towards them. Here is how they did it:
+they all stood in a row at intervals on the upper edges of the roofs,
+and, having previously removed, the men their coats and the women their
+cloaks, they waved these rapidly and violently together, in the full
+assurance that they were getting the upper hand in the contest against
+the unkind spirits who superintended gales and breezes. All this went on
+in the most ludicrous manner; and, as soon as one person was exhausted,
+he was immediately replaced by another, prayers at the same time being
+offered up to the spirits as well of the fires as of the wind. The
+loudness of these prayers, I may add, grew and decreased in intensity,
+according to the aspect which the fire took from moment to moment; if a
+flame rose up higher than usual, louder prayers were hurriedly offered,
+and if the fire at times almost went out, then the spirits were for the
+time being left alone.
+
+The conflagration went on for a considerable number of hours and
+destroyed several houses. No one sustained any serious injury, though
+one old man, who was paralytic and deaf, had a very narrow escape. He had
+got left, either purposely or by mistake, in one of the houses. Two out
+of three of the rooms had already burnt out, and he was in the third. And
+yet, when they had pulled down the outside wall and brought him safely
+out, he expressed himself as astonished at being so treated, having
+neither heard that any fire was in progress, nor being aware that
+two-thirds of his own house had already been destroyed!
+
+Here again, let me note a good trait in the Corean character. Whenever,
+through any unexpected occurrence, a man loses his house and furniture,
+and so gets reduced from comparative wealth, say, for seldom does a
+Corean possess more, to misery and want; in such circumstances his
+friends do not run away from him, as usually is the case in more
+civilised countries; no, instead of this, they come forward and help him
+to re-build his house, lend him clothes and the more necessary utensils
+of domestic use, and, generally speaking, make themselves agreeable and
+useful all round, until he can spread out his wings once again, and fly
+by himself. Thus it is, that when a man's house has been burnt out it is
+no uncommon occurrence for friends or even strangers to put him up and
+feed him in their own homes until he has re-constructed his nest.
+Looking, therefore, at both sides of the medal, the man of Cho-sen may
+have a great many bad qualities from our point of view, yet he also
+undoubtedly possesses some virtues on which we who are supposed to be
+more civilised and more charitable, cannot pride ourselves. Believe me,
+when things are taken all round, there is after all but little difference
+between the Heathen and the Christian; nay, the solid charity and
+generosity of the first is often superior to the advertised philanthropy
+of the other.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XX
+
+A trip to Poo-kan--A curious monastery.
+
+
+One of the most interesting excursions in the neighbourhood of Seoul, is
+that to the Poo-kan fortress. The pleasantest way of making it is to
+start from the West Gate of Seoul and proceed thence either on horseback
+or on foot, along the Pekin Pass road, past the artificial cut in the
+rocks, until a smaller road, a mere path, is reached, which branches off
+the main road and leads directly to the West Gate of the Poo-kan
+fortress. This path goes over hilly ground, and the approaches to the
+West Gate of the fortress are exceedingly picturesque.
+
+The gate itself much resembles any of those of Seoul, only being of
+smaller proportions. It is, however, situated in a most lovely spot. As
+soon as we have entered, a pretty valley lies disclosed to our eyes, with
+rocky mountains surrounding it, the highest peak of which towers up
+towards the East. The formation of these hills is most peculiar and even
+fantastic. One of them, the most remarkable of all, is in the shape of a
+round dome, and consists of a gigantic semi-spherical rock.
+
+Following the path, then, which leads from the West to the South Gate,
+and which winds its way up steep hills, one comes at last to the temples.
+These are probably, the best-preserved and most interesting in the
+neighbourhood of the Corean capital. When I visited them, the monks were
+extremely polite and showed me everything that was of any note. The
+temples were in a much better state of preservation than is usual in the
+land of Cho-sen, and the ornaments, and paintings on the wooden part
+under the roof were in bright colours, as if they had been only recently
+restored. There are, near these temples, by the way, tablets put up in
+memory of different personages. In other respects, they were exactly
+similar to those I have already described in a previous chapter.
+
+At last, on the left hand side, I came upon the old palace. As with all
+the other palaces, so in this case there are many low buildings for the
+inferior officials besides a larger one in the centre, to which the King
+can retreat in time of war when the capital is in danger. The ravages of
+time, however, have been hard at work, and this place of safety for the
+crowned heads of Corea is now nothing but a mass of ruins. The roofs of
+the smaller houses have in most cases fallen through, owing to the
+decayed condition of the wooden rafters, and the main building itself is
+in a dreadful state of dilapidation. The _ensemble_, nevertheless, as one
+stands a little way off and looks at the conglomeration of dwellings, is
+very picturesque; this effect being chiefly due, I have little doubt, to
+the tumble-down and dirty aspect of the place. As the houses are built on
+hilly ground, roof after roof can be seen with the palace standing above
+them all in the distance, while the battlements of the ancient wall form
+a nice background to the picture.
+
+[Illustration: A MONK]
+
+The most picturesque spot of all, however, is somewhat farther on, where
+the rivulet, coming out of the fortress wall, forms a pretty waterfall.
+After climbing a very steep hill, the South Gate is reached--the distance
+between it and the West Gate being about five miles--and near it is
+another smaller gate, which differs in shape from all the other gates in
+Corea, for the simple reason that it is not roofed over. Just outside the
+small South Gate, on the edge of a precipice, are constructed against the
+rocks a pretty little monastery and a temple. The access to these is by a
+narrow path, hardly wide enough for one person to walk on without danger
+of finding himself rolling down the slope of the rock at the slightest
+slip of the foot. The Buddhist priest must undoubtedly be of a cautious
+as well as romantic nature, for otherwise it would be difficult to
+explain the fact that he always builds his monasteries in picturesque and
+impregnable spots, which ensure him delightful scenery and pure fresh
+air in time of peace, combined with utter safety in time of war. In many
+ways, the monastery in question reminded me of the Rock-dwellers. Both
+temple and monastery were stuck, as it were, in the rocks, and supported
+by a platform and solid wall of masonry built on the steep incline--a
+work which must have cost much patience and time.
+
+The temple is crowded inside with rows of small images of all
+descriptions, some dressed in the long robes and winged hats of the
+officials, with dignified and placid expressions on their features;
+others, like fighting warriors, with fierce eyes and a ferocious look
+about them; but all covered with a good coating of dust and dirt, and all
+lending themselves as a sporting-ground to the industrious spider. The
+latter, disrespecting the high standing of these imperturbable deities,
+had stretched its webs across from nose to nose, and produced the
+appearance of a regular field of sporting operations, bestrewn with the
+spoils of its victims, which were lying dead and half eaten in the webs
+and on the floor.
+
+The place goes by the name of the "Temple of the Five Hundred Images;"
+but I think that this number has been greatly exaggerated, though there
+certainly may be as many as two or three hundred.
+
+The most interesting feature about this monastery is that at the back of
+the small building where the priests live is a long, narrow cavern in the
+rocks, with the ceiling blackened by smoke. This cavern is about a
+hundred feet in length, and at its further end is a pretty spring of
+delicious water. A little shrine, in the shape of an altar, with burning
+joss-sticks and a few lighted grease candles, stood near the spring, and
+there a priest was offering up prayers, beating a small gong the while he
+addressed the deities.
+
+The descent from the temple was very steep and rough, over a path winding
+among huge boulders and rocks for nearly three miles. Then, reaching the
+plain, I accomplished the remainder of the distance to Seoul, over a
+fairly good road, and on almost level ground, all the way to the North
+Gate, by which I again entered the capital.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XXI
+
+Corean physiognomy--Expressions of pleasure--Displeasure--Contempt--Fear
+--Pluck--Laughter--Astonishment--Admiration--Sulkiness--Jealousy
+--Intelligence--Affection--Imagination--Dreams--Insanity--Its
+principal causes--Leprosy--The family--Men and women--Fecundity--Natural
+and artificial deformities--Abnormalities--Movements and attitudes--The
+Corean hand--Conservatism.
+
+
+The physiognomy of the Coreans is an interesting study, for, with the
+exception of the Chinese, I know of few nations who can control the
+movements of their features so well as do the Coreans. They are trained
+from their infancy to show neither pain, nor pleasure, grief nor
+excitement; so that a wonderful placidity is always depicted on their
+faces. None the less, however, though slightly, different expressions can
+be remarked. For instance, an attitude peculiar to them is to be noticed
+when they happen to ponder deeply on any subject; they then slightly
+frown, and with a sudden movement incline the head to the left, after
+previously drawing the head backwards. If in good humour or very pleased,
+again, though the expression is still grave and sedate, there is always a
+vivid sparkle to be detected in the generally sleepy eyes; and, curiously
+enough, while in our case the corners of the mouths generally curl up
+under such circumstances, theirs, on the contrary, are drawn downwards.
+
+Where the Coreans--and I might have said all Asiatics--excel, is in their
+capacity to show contempt. They do this in the most gentleman-like manner
+one can imagine. They raise the head slowly, looking at the person they
+despise with a half-bored, half "I do not care a bit" look; then,
+leisurely closing the eyes and opening them again, they turn the head
+away with a very slight expiration from the nose.
+
+Fear--for those, at least, who cannot control it--is to all appearance a
+somewhat stronger emotion. The eyes are wide open and become staring, the
+nostrils are spread wide, and the under lip hangs quivering, while the
+neck and body contract, and the hands, with fingers stiffly bent, are
+brought up nearly as high as the head. The yellowish skin on such
+occasions generally assumes a cadaverous whitish green colour which is
+pitiful to behold.
+
+On the other hand, when pluck is shown, instead of fear, a man will draw
+himself up, with his arms down and hands tightly closed, and his mouth
+will assume a placid yet firm expression, the lips being firmly shut (a
+thing very unusual with Coreans), and the corners tending downwards,
+while a frown becomes clearly defined upon his brow.
+
+Laughter is seldom indulged in to any very great extent among the upper
+classes, who think it undignified to show in a noisy manner the pleasure
+which they derive from whatever it may be. Among the lower specimens of
+Corean humanity, however, sudden explosions of merriment are often
+noticeable. The Corean enjoys sarcasm, probably more than anything else
+in the world; and caricature delights him. I remember once drawing a
+caricature of an official and showing it to a friend of his, who, in
+consequence, so lost the much-coveted air of dignity, and went into such
+fits, that his servants had to come to his rescue and undo his
+waist-girdle. This, having occurred after a hearty meal, led to his being
+seized by a violent cough, and becoming subsequently sick. Were I quite
+sure of not being murdered by my readers, I would like to call it
+_see_-sickness, for it was caused by--seeing a joke!
+
+Astonishment is always expressed by a comical countenance. Let me give
+you an illustration. When we anchored at Fusan in the _Higo-Maru_, many
+Coreans came on board to inspect the ship; and, as I looked towards the
+shore with the captain's powerful long-sight glasses, several natives
+collected round me to see what I was doing. I asked one of them to look
+through, and never did I see a man more amazed, than he did, when he saw
+some one on the shore, with whom he was acquainted, brought so close to
+him by the glasses as to make him inclined to enter into a very excited
+conversation with him. His astonishment was even greater when, removing
+his eyes from the lens, he saw everything resume its natural position.
+When he had repeated this experiment several times, he put the glasses
+down, looked at them curiously with his eyebrows raised, his mouth
+pinched, and his hands spread apart at about the height of his waist, and
+then looked at me. Again did he glance at the optical instrument, with
+his mouth wide open; then, making a comical movement of distrust, he
+quickly departed whence he had come. When he had got fairly into his
+row-boat, he entered into a most animated conversation with his fellows,
+and, judging by his motions as he put his hands up to his eyes, I could
+see that the whole subject was his experience of what he had seen through
+the "foreign devil's" pair of glasses.
+
+Admiration is to a great extent, a modification of astonishment, and is
+by the Coreans expressed more by utterance than by any very marked
+expression of the face. Still, the eyes are opened more than usual, and
+the eyebrows are raised, and the lips slightly parted, sifting the
+breath, though not quite so loudly as in Japan.
+
+Another curious Corean expression is to be seen when the children are
+sulky. Our little ones generally protrude their lips in a tubular form,
+and bend the head forward, but the Cho-senese child does exactly the
+reverse. He generally throws his head back and hangs his lips, keeping
+the mouth open, and making his frown with the upper part of his face.
+Jealousy in the case of the women finds expression in a look somewhat
+similar to the above, with an additional vicious sparkle in the eyes.
+
+Notwithstanding the fact that it is not uncommon to hear Coreans being
+classified among barbarians, I must confess that, taking a liberal view
+of their constitution, they always struck me as being extremely
+intelligent and quick at acquiring knowledge. To learn a foreign language
+seems to them quite an easy task, and whenever they take an interest in
+the subject of their studies they show a great deal of perseverance and
+good-will. They possess a wonderfully sensible reasoning faculty,
+coupled with an amazing quickness of perception; a fact which one hardly
+expects, judging by their looks; for, at first sight, they rather impress
+one as being sleepy, and dull of comprehension. The Corean is also gifted
+with a very good memory, and with a certain amount of artistic power.
+Generally speaking, he is of an affectionate frame of mind, though he
+considers it bad form to show by outward sign any such thing as
+affection. He almost tends to effeminacy in his thoughtful attentions to
+those he likes; and he generally feels much hurt, though silently, if his
+attentions are not appreciated or returned. For instance, when you meet a
+Corean with whom you are acquainted, he invariably asks after the health
+of yourself, and all your relations and friends. Should you not yourself
+be as keen in inquiring after his family and acquaintances, he would
+probably be mortally offended.
+
+One of the drawbacks of the Corean mind is that it is often carried away
+by an over-vivid imagination. In this, they reminded me much of the
+Spaniards and the Italians. Their perception seems to be so keen that
+frequently they see more than really is visible. They are much given to
+exaggeration, not only in what they say, but also in their
+representations in painting and sculpture. In the matters both of
+conversation and of drawing, the same ideas will be found in Cho-sen to
+repeat themselves constantly, more or less cleverly expressed, according
+to the differently gifted individuality of the artist. The average Corean
+seems to learn things quickly, but of what they learn, some things remain
+rooted in their brains, while others appear to escape from it the moment
+they have been grasped. There is a good deal of volubility about their
+utterances, and, though visibly they do not seem very subject to strong
+emotions, judging from their conversation, one would feel inclined to say
+that they were. Another thing that led me to this suspicion was the
+observation that the average Corean is much given to dreaming, in the
+course of which he howls, shouts, talks and shakes himself to his heart's
+content. This habit of dreaming is to a large extent due, I imagine, to
+their mode of sleeping flat on their backs on the heated floors, which
+warm their spines, and act on their brains; though it may also, in
+addition to that be accounted for by the intensity of the daily emotions
+re-acting by night on over-excited nervous systems. I have often observed
+Coreans sleep, and they always impressed me as being extremely restless
+in their slumbers. As for snoring, too, the Coreans are entitled to the
+Championship of the world.
+
+The Coreans are much affected mentally by dreams, and being, as we have
+already seen, an extremely superstitious race, they attach great
+importance to their nocturnal visions. A good deal of hard _cash_ is
+spent in getting the advice of astrologers, who pretend to understand and
+explain the occult art, and pleasure or consternation is thus usually the
+result of what might have been explained naturally either by one of the
+above-named causes, or by the victim having feasted the previous evening
+on something indigestible. Nevertheless, it must be acknowledged that the
+Corean mind is seldom thrown off its balance altogether. Idiocy is not
+frequent, and lunacy is uncommon.
+
+Insanity, when it does exist, generally exhibits itself under the form of
+melancholia and dementia, and is more frequently found among the upper
+than among the lower classes. With the men it is generally due to
+intemperance and excesses, and is occasionally accompanied by paralysis.
+Among the women, the only cases which came under my notice were of wives
+whose husbands had many concubines, and of young widows. Suicide is not
+unfrequently practised among the latter; partly in consequence of the
+strict Corean etiquette, but often also caused by insanity when it does
+not follow immediately upon the husband's death. Another cause of
+melancholia--chiefly, however, among the lower classes--is a dreadful
+complaint, which has found its way among the natives in its most
+repulsive form. Many are affected by it, and no cure for it seems to have
+been devised by the indigenous doctors. The accounts one hears in the
+country of its ravages are too revolting to be repeated in these pages,
+and I shall limit myself to this. Certain forms of insanity are
+undoubtedly a common sequence to it.
+
+Leprosy also prevails in Cho-sen, and in the more serious cases seems to
+affect the brain, producing idiocy. This disease is caused by poverty of
+blood, and is, of course, hereditary. I have seen two forms of it in
+Cho-sen; in the one case, the skin turns perfectly white, almost shining
+like satin, while in the other--a worse kind, I believe--the skin is a
+mass of brown sores, and the flesh is almost entirely rotted away from
+the bones. The Coreans have no hospitals or asylums in which evils like
+these can be properly tended. Those affected with insanity are generally
+looked after by their own families, and, if considered dangerous, are
+usually chained up in rooms, either by a riveted iron bracelet, fastened
+to a short heavy chain, or, more frequently, by an anklet over the right
+foot.
+
+Families in Corea are generally small in number. I have no exact
+statistics at hand, for none were obtainable; but, so far as I could
+judge from observation, the males and females in the population are about
+equal in number. If anything, the women slightly preponderate. The
+average family seldom includes more than two children. The death-rate of
+Cho-sen infants is great, and many reasons can account for the fact. In
+the first place, all children in Corea, even the stronger ones who
+survive, are extremely delicate until a certain age is attained, when
+they seem to pick up and become stronger. This weakness is hereditary,
+especially among the upper classes, of whom very few powerful men are to
+be found, owing to their dissolute and effeminate life.
+
+Absolute sterility in women is not an uncommon phenomenon, and want of
+virile power in the male part of the community is also often the subject
+of complaint; many quaint drugs and methods being adopted to make up for
+the want of it, and to stimulate the sexual desire. A good many of the
+remedies resorted to by the Corean noblemen under such circumstances are
+of Chinese manufacture and importation. Certain parts of the tiger, dried
+and reduced to powder, are credited with the possession of wonderful
+strengthening qualities, and fetch large sums. Some parts of the donkey,
+also, when the animal is killed during the spring and under special
+circumstances, are equally appreciated. The lower classes of Cho-sen--as
+is the case in most countries--are more prolific than the upper ones. The
+parents are both healthier and more robust, and the children in
+consequence are stronger and more numerous, but even among these classes
+large families are seldom or never found. Taken as a whole, the
+population of Corea is, I believe, a slowly decreasing quantity.
+
+The Corean is in some respects very sensible, if compared with his
+neighbours. Deformities, artificially produced, are never found in Corea.
+In civilised Japan, on the other hand, as we all know, the women blacken
+their teeth and shave their eyebrows, while there are numberless people
+in the lower classes who are tattooed from head to foot with designs of
+all kinds. In China, too, people are occasionally deformed for the sake
+of lucre, as, for instance, to be exhibited at village shows, and the
+Chinese damsel would not consider herself fascinating enough if her feet
+were not distorted to such an extent as to be shapeless, and almost
+useless. The head-bands worn by the men in Corea are probably the only
+causes which tend to modify the shape of their heads, and that only to a
+very small degree. These head-bands are worn so very tightly from their
+earliest youth, that I have often noticed men--when the head-band was
+removed--show a certain flattening of the upper part of the forehead, due
+undoubtedly to the continuous pressure of this head-gear. In such cases,
+however, the cranial deformation--though always noticeable--is but
+slight, and, of course, unintentionally caused. The skull, as a whole,
+in the case of those who have worn the head-band is a little more
+elongated than it is in the case of those few who have not; the
+elongation being upwards and slightly backwards.
+
+Natural abnormalities are more frequent. I have seen numerous cases of
+goitre, and very often the so-called hare-lip. Webbed fingers also are
+frequently noticed; while inguinal hernia, both as a congenital and as an
+acquired affection, is unfortunately all too common. The natives do not
+undergo any special treatment until the complaint assumes alarming
+proportions, when a kind of belt is worn, or bandages of home manufacture
+are used. These are the more common abnormalities. To them, however,
+might also be added manifestations of albinism--though I have never seen
+an absolute albino in Corea--such as, large patches of white hair among
+the black. Red hair is rarely seen.
+
+The Corean, apart, that is, from these occasional defects, is well
+proportioned, and of good carriage. When he stands erect his body is
+well-balanced; and when he walks, though somewhat hampered by his padded
+clothes, his step is rational. He sensibly walks with his toes turned
+slightly in, and he takes firm and long strides. The gait is not
+energetic, but, nevertheless, the Coreans are excellent pedestrians, and
+cover long distances daily, if only they are allowed plenty to eat and
+permission to smoke their long pipes from time to time. Their bodies seem
+very supple, and like those of nearly all Asiatics, their attitudes are
+invariably graceful. In walking, they slightly swing their arms and bend
+their bodies forward, except, I should say, the high officials, whose
+steps are exaggeratedly marked, and whose bodies are kept upright and
+purposely stiff.
+
+One of the things which will not fail to impress a careful observer is
+the beauty of the Corean hand. The generality of Europeans possess bad
+hands, from an artistic point of view, but the average Corean, even among
+the lower classes, has them exceedingly well-shaped, with long supple
+fingers, somewhat pointed at the end; and nails well formed and prettily
+shaped, though to British ideas, grown far too long. It is not a powerful
+hand, mind you, but it is certainly most artistic; and, further, it is
+attached to a small wrist in the most graceful way, never looking stumpy,
+as so often is the case with many of us. The Coreans attach much
+importance to their hands; much more, indeed, than they do to their
+faces; and special attention is paid to the growth of the nails. In
+summer time these are kept very clean; but in winter, the water being
+very cold, the cleanliness of their limbs, "_laisse un peu à desirer_." I
+have frequently seen a beautifully-shaped hand utterly spoilt by the
+nails being lined with black, and the knuckles being as filthy as if they
+had never been dipped in water. But these are only lesser native
+failings; and have we not all our faults?
+
+The two qualities I most admired in the Corean were his scepticism and
+his conservatism. He seemed to take life as it came, and never worried
+much about it. He had, too, practically no religion and no morals. He
+cared about little, had an instinctive attachment for ancestral habits,
+and showed a thorough dislike to change and reform. And this was not so
+much as regards matters of State and religion, for little or nothing does
+the Corean care about either of these, as in respect of the daily
+proceedings of life. To the foreign observer, many of his ways and
+customs are at first sight incomprehensible, and even reprehensible; yet,
+when by chance his mode of arguing out matters for himself is clearly
+understood, we will almost invariably find that he is correct. After all,
+every one, whether barbarian or otherwise, knows best himself how to
+please himself. The poor harmless Corean, however, is not allowed that
+privilege. He, as if by sarcasm, calls his country by the retiring name
+of the "Hermit Realm" and the more poetic one of the "Land of the Morning
+Calm"; "a coveted calm" indeed, which has been a dream to the country,
+but never a reality, while, as for its hermit life, it has been only too
+often troubled by objectionable visitors whom he detests, yet whom,
+nevertheless, he is bound to receive with open arms, helpless as he is to
+resist them.
+
+Poor Corea! Bad as its Government was and is, it is heart-rending to any
+one who knows the country, and its peaceful, good-natured people, to see
+it overrun and impoverished by foreign marauders. Until the other day,
+she was at rest, heard of by few, and practically forgotten by everybody,
+to all intents an independent kingdom, since China had not for many years
+exercised her rights of suzerainty,[4] when, to satisfy the ambition of
+a childish nation, she suddenly finds herself at the mercy of everybody,
+and with a dark and most disastrous future before her!
+
+Poor Corea! A sad day has come for you! You, who were so attractive,
+because so quaint and so retiring, will nevermore see that calm which has
+ever been the yearning of your patriot sons! Many evils are now before
+you, but, of all the great calamities that might befall you, I can
+conceive of none greater than an attempt to convert you into a civilised
+nation!
+
+FOOTNOTES:
+
+    [4] After a cessation of many years a tribute was again exacted
+        from Corea in 1890, in consequence of overtures being made to
+        Corea by Japan, which displeased China.
+
+
+
+
+INDEX
+
+Abnormalities
+Adoption of Children
+Adultery
+Alphabet
+Astronomers
+Archery
+Army instructors
+Aryan
+
+Bachelors
+Beggars
+Beverages
+Big Bell
+Body-snatching
+Bonzes
+Bridges
+   "       (crossing the)
+Buddha
+Buddhism
+Burial ground
+
+Cereals
+Chang
+Charity
+Chemulpo
+Children
+Chinese Customs Service
+Chinese invasions
+Chinese settlement
+Cho-sen
+City wall
+Clans
+Classes and castes
+Clothes
+Compradores
+Concubines
+Conflagrations
+Confucianism
+Conservatism
+Consulate (British)
+   "      (German)
+Coolies
+Corea (the word)
+Cotton production
+Crucifixion
+Cultivation
+Currency
+
+Decorations
+Deformities
+Divorce
+Documents
+Dragons
+Drainage
+Dreams
+
+Education
+Eunuchs
+Evil spirits
+Examinations
+Executions
+Exile
+Exorcisms
+Expressions
+Expression after Death
+
+Falcons
+Families
+Features
+Feron (l'Abbé)
+Fights
+  "    (Stone-)
+Filial love
+Fire-signals
+Floggings
+Food
+Foreigners
+Free nights for men
+Funerals
+Furniture
+Fusan
+Fuyn race
+
+Games
+Gardens
+Gates (City)
+Gate of the Dead
+Ghosts
+Girls
+Gods (minor)
+Graves
+Greathouse (Clarence R.)
+Guechas or Geishas
+Guilds
+
+Hair-dressing
+Hanabusa
+Hands
+Han River
+Haunted palaces
+Head-gear
+Hiaksai
+Hospitality
+Hotels
+Houses
+House-warming
+
+Illumination (Modes of)
+Inns
+Intelligence
+
+Japanese
+  "       settlements
+Jinrickshas
+Joss-houses
+
+Kim-Ka-Chim
+King
+Kite-flying
+Kitchen
+Kiung-sang
+Korai
+Kung-wo
+
+Language
+Lanterns
+Law
+Legations (American, Chinese, Japanese, Russian)
+Le Gendre (General)
+Leopards
+Leprosy
+Lin
+Lunacy
+
+Mafu
+Maki
+Man of the Gates, The
+Mapu
+Marks
+Marriages
+Married Men
+Mats
+Messengers
+Metempsychosis
+Mile posts
+Min-san-ho
+Min-Young-Chun
+Min-Young-Huan
+Missionaries
+Monasteries
+Mongolian type
+Mono-wheeled chair
+Mourning
+Mulberry plantation
+Music
+
+Names
+  "    (women's)
+Nanzam (Mount)
+New Year's festivities
+Nunneries
+
+Offerings
+Oppert
+Oxen
+
+Pagoda
+Phoenix
+Palaces
+Palace (Royal)
+   "   (Summer)
+Palanquins
+Paternal love
+Pekin Pass
+Physiognomy
+Pipes
+Plank-walk (The)
+Pockets
+Police
+Politics
+Ponies
+Poo-kan
+Port Hamilton
+Prayer-Books
+Procession (King's)
+Proverbs
+Punishments
+
+Queen (The)
+
+Religion
+Respect for the Old
+Rice
+Roads
+Rosary
+Royal Family
+Russian villa
+
+Sacred Trees
+Sacrifices
+Saddles
+Satsuma ware
+Scenery
+Scepticism
+Schools
+Sea-lions or tigers
+Sedan-chairs
+Self-denial
+Seoul
+Seradin Sabatin (Mr.)
+Serfdom
+Shamanism
+Shinra
+Shoes
+Shops
+Singers
+Smoke signals
+Snakes
+Soldiers
+Sorcerers
+Spectacles
+Spinning-tops
+Spirits
+Spirits of the mountains
+Square-board (The)
+Sterility
+Stone-heaps
+Streets
+Students
+Studies
+Suicides
+Sunto
+
+Tailors
+Tai-wen-kun
+Telephones
+Temples
+Throne
+Tide
+Tigers
+Tooth-stone
+Tortoise
+Toys
+
+Umbrella hat
+
+Wang
+Washing clothes
+Water-coolies
+Wedding ceremony
+Widows
+Wind-making
+Wives
+Women
+Women's looks
+Women's rights
+Wuju kingdom
+
+
+
+
+
+End of Project Gutenberg's Corea or Cho-sen, by A (Arnold) Henry Savage-Landor
+
+*** END OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK 13128 ***
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+      The Project Gutenberg eBook of Corea, by A. Henry Savage-Landor.
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+<div>*** START OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK 13128 ***</div>
+
+<p class="ctr"><a href="./images/cover.jpg"><img src="./images/cover_th.jpg"
+alt="GOLD COVER"></a></p>
+
+<h1>COREA<br />
+
+OR CHO-SEN</h1>
+
+<hr class="full" />
+
+<h2>THE LAND OF THE MORNING CALM</h2>
+
+<h3>BY</h3>
+
+<h2>A. HENRY SAVAGE-LANDOR</h2>
+
+<h3>AUTHOR OF</h3>
+
+<h4>&quot;ALONE WITH THE HAIRY AINU&quot;</h4>
+
+<h4>With Numerous Text and Full-Page Illustrations from Drawings made by the
+Author</h4>
+<a name='Frontispiece'></a>
+<p class="ctr"><a href="./images/1.jpg"><img src="./images/1_th.jpg" alt="A. HENRY SAVAGE-LANDOR."></a></p>
+<p class="ctr"><a href="./images/2.jpg"><img src="./images/2_th.jpg" alt="SIGNATURE OF A. HENRY SAVAGE-LANDOR."></a></p>
+<h5>LONDON</h5>
+
+<h5>WILLIAM HEINEMANN</h5>
+
+<h5>1895</h5>
+
+
+
+<hr class="full" />
+<h2>BY GRACIOUS PERMISSION</h2>
+
+<h4>I Humbly Dedicate</h4>
+
+<h5>THIS WORK</h5>
+
+<h5>TO</h5>
+
+<h3><b>HER MAJESTY THE QUEEN</b></h3>
+
+
+
+<hr class="full" />
+<a name='PREFACE'></a><h2>PREFACE</h2>
+<br />
+
+<p>In this book I have sought to present the reader with some dry facts
+about Corea and the Coreans. I have attempted to describe the manners and
+customs of the people as accurately as possible from the impressions
+which my visit to their country left upon me, but of course I do not
+claim that these personal opinions expressed are absolutely infallible.
+My sojourn extended over several months, and I never during all that time
+neglected any opportunity of studying the natives, giving my observations
+as they were made a permanent form by the aid both of pen and of brush. I
+was afforded specially favourable chances for this kind of work through
+the kind hospitality shown me by the Vice-Minister of Home Affairs and
+Adviser to the King, Mr. C.R. Greathouse, to whom I feel greatly indebted
+for my prolonged and delightful stay in the country, as well as for the
+amiable and valuable assistance which he and General Le Gendre, Foreign
+Adviser to His Corean Majesty, gave me in my observations and studies
+among the upper classes of Corea. I am also under great obligations to
+Mr. Seradin Sabatin, Architect to His Majesty the King, and to Mr. Krien,
+German Consul at Seoul, for the kindness and hospitality with which they
+treated me on my first arrival at their city.</p>
+
+<p>The illustrations in this book are reproductions of sketches taken by me
+while in the country, and though, perhaps, they want much in artistic
+merit, I venture to hope that they will be found characteristic.</p>
+
+<p>For literary style I hope my readers will not look. I am not a literary
+man, nor do I desire to profess myself such. I trust, however, that I
+have succeeded in telling my story in a simple and straightforward
+manner, for this especially was the object with which I started at the
+outset.</p>
+
+<p>A. HENRY SAVAGE-LANDOR.</p>
+
+
+
+<hr class="full" />
+<a name='CONTENTS'></a><h2>CONTENTS</h2>
+
+<!-- Autogenerated TOC. Modify or delete as required. -->
+<a href='#PREFACE'><b>PREFACE</b></a><br />
+ <a href='#LIST_OF_PLATES'><b>LIST OF PLATES</b></a><br />
+ <a href='#CHAPTER_I'><b>CHAPTER I</b></a><br />
+<div class='Ptoc'>Christmas on board&mdash;Fusan&mdash;A body-snatcher&mdash;The Kiung-sang Province&mdash;The
+cotton production&mdash;Body-snatching extraordinary&mdash;Imperatrice
+Gulf&mdash;Chemulpo. Pp. <a href='#Page_1'>1</a>&mdash;<a href='#Page_15'>15</a></div>
+ <a href='#CHAPTER_II'><b>CHAPTER II</b></a><br />
+<div class='Ptoc'>Chemulpo&mdash;So-called European hotels&mdash;Comforts&mdash;Japanese concession&mdash;The
+<i>Guechas</i>&mdash;New Year's festivities&mdash;The Chinese settlement&mdash;European
+residents&mdash;The word &quot;Corea&quot;&mdash;A glance at Corean history&mdash;Cho-sen. Pp. <a href='#Page_16'>16</a>&mdash;<a href='#Page_31'>31</a></div>
+ <a href='#CHAPTER_III'><b>CHAPTER III</b></a><br />
+<div class='Ptoc'>The road to Seoul&mdash;The <i>Mapu</i>&mdash;Ponies&mdash;Oxen&mdash;Coolies&mdash;Currency&mdash;Mode of
+carrying weights&mdash;The Han River&mdash;Nearly locked out. Pp. <a href='#Page_32'>32</a>&mdash;<a href='#Page_44'>44</a></div>
+ <a href='#CHAPTER_IV'><b>CHAPTER IV</b></a><br />
+<div class='Ptoc'>The Coreans&mdash;Their faces and heads&mdash;Bachelors&mdash;Married
+men&mdash;Head-band&mdash;Hats&mdash;Hat-umbrellas&mdash;Clothes&mdash;Spectacles. Pp. <a href='#Page_45'>45</a>&mdash;<a href='#Page_58'>58</a></div>
+ <a href='#CHAPTER_V'><b>CHAPTER V</b></a><br />
+<div class='Ptoc'>The Woman of Cho-sen&mdash;Her clothes&mdash;Her ways&mdash;Her looks&mdash;Her
+privileges&mdash;Her duties&mdash;Her temper&mdash;Difference of classes&mdash;Feminine
+musicians. Pp. <a href='#Page_59'>59</a>&mdash;<a href='#Page_77'>77</a></div>
+ <a href='#CHAPTER_VI'><b>CHAPTER VI</b></a><br />
+<div class='Ptoc'>Corean children&mdash;The
+family&mdash;Clans&mdash;Spongers&mdash;Hospitality&mdash;Spinning-tops&mdash;Toys&mdash;Kite-flying&mdash;Games&mdash;How
+babies are sent to sleep. Pp. <a href='#Page_78'>78</a>&mdash;<a href='#Page_89'>89</a></div>
+ <a href='#CHAPTER_VII'><b>CHAPTER VII</b></a><br />
+<div class='Ptoc'>Corean inns&mdash;Seoul&mdash;A tour of
+observation&mdash;Beggars&mdash;Lepers&mdash;Philosophy&mdash;An old palace&mdash;A leopard
+hunt&mdash;Weather prophets&mdash;The main street&mdash;Sedan chairs&mdash;The big
+bell&mdash;Crossing of the bridges&mdash;Monuments&mdash;Animal worship&mdash;The Gate of the
+Dead&mdash;A funeral&mdash;The Queen-dowager's telephone. Pp. <a href='#Page_90'>90</a>&mdash;<a href='#Page_123'>123</a></div>
+
+ <a href='#CHAPTER_VIII'><b>CHAPTER VIII</b></a><br />
+<div class='Ptoc'>Seoul&mdash;The City Wall&mdash;A large image&mdash;Mount Nanzam&mdash;The fire-signals&mdash;The
+women's joss-house&mdash;Foreign buildings&mdash;Japanese settlement&mdash;An
+anecdote&mdash;Clean or not clean?&mdash;The Pekin Pass&mdash;The water-carrier&mdash;The man
+of the Gates. Pp. <a href='#Page_124'>124</a>&mdash;<a href='#Page_135'>135</a></div>
+ <a href='#CHAPTER_IX'><b>CHAPTER IX</b></a><br />
+<div class='Ptoc'>The Corean house&mdash;Doors and windows&mdash;Blinds&mdash;Rooms&mdash;The &quot;Kan&quot;&mdash;Roasting
+alive&mdash;Furniture&mdash;Treasures&mdash;The
+kitchen&mdash;Dinner-set&mdash;Food&mdash;Intoxicants&mdash;Gluttony&mdash;Capacity for
+food&mdash;Sleep&mdash;Modes of illumination&mdash;Autographs&mdash;Streets&mdash;Drainage&mdash;Smell.
+Pp. <a href='#Page_136'>136</a>&mdash;<a href='#Page_150'>150</a></div>
+ <a href='#CHAPTER_X'><b>CHAPTER X</b></a><br />
+<div class='Ptoc'>A Corean marriage&mdash;How marriages are arranged&mdash;The wedding ceremony&mdash;The
+document&mdash;In the nuptial chamber&mdash;Wife's
+conduct&mdash;Concubines&mdash;Widows&mdash;Seduction&mdash;Adultery&mdash;Purchasing a
+husband&mdash;Love&mdash;Intrigue&mdash;Official &quot;squeezing&quot;&mdash;The cause. Pp. <a href='#Page_151'>151</a>&mdash;<a href='#Page_164'>164</a></div>
+
+ <a href='#CHAPTER_XI'><b>CHAPTER XI</b></a><br />
+<div class='Ptoc'>Painting in Seoul&mdash;Messages from the King&mdash;Royal princes sitting for
+their portraits&mdash;Breaking the mourning law&mdash;Quaint notions&mdash;Delight and
+despair&mdash;Calling in of State ceremony&mdash;Corean soldiers&mdash;How they mount
+guard&mdash;Drill&mdash;Honours&mdash;A much-admired shoe&mdash;A gift. Pp. <a href='#Page_165'>165</a>&mdash;<a href='#Page_181'>181</a></div>
+ <a href='#CHAPTER_XII'><b>CHAPTER XII</b></a><br />
+<div class='Ptoc'>The royal palace&mdash;A royal message&mdash;Mounting guard&mdash;The bell&mdash;The royal
+precinct&mdash;The Russian villa&mdash;An unfinished structure&mdash;The Summer
+Palace&mdash;The King's house&mdash;Houses of dignitaries&mdash;The ground and summer
+pavilion&mdash;Colds&mdash;The funeral of a Japanese Minister&mdash;Houses of royal
+relations&mdash;The queen&mdash;The oldest man and woman&mdash;The King and his
+throne&mdash;Politics and royalty&mdash;Messengers and spies&mdash;Kim-Ka-Chim&mdash;Falcons
+and archery&mdash;Nearly a St. Sebastian&mdash;The queen's curiosity&mdash;A royal
+banquet&mdash;The consequences. Pp. <a href='#Page_182'>182</a>&mdash;<a href='#Page_203'>203</a></div>
+ <a href='#CHAPTER_XIII'><b>CHAPTER XIII</b></a><br />
+<div class='Ptoc'>Students&mdash;Culture&mdash;Examination ground&mdash;The three degrees&mdash;The
+alphabet&mdash;Chinese characters&mdash;Schools&mdash;Astronomers&mdash;Diplomas&mdash;Students
+abroad&mdash;Adoption of Western ways&mdash;Quick perception&mdash;The letter &quot;f&quot;&mdash;A
+comical mistake&mdash;Magistrates and education Rooted superstition&mdash;Another
+haunted palace&mdash;Tigers&mdash;A convenient custom. Pp. <a href='#Page_204'>204</a>&mdash;<a href='#Page_215'>215</a></div>
+ <a href='#CHAPTER_XIV'><b>CHAPTER XIV</b></a><br />
+<div class='Ptoc'>Religion&mdash;Buddhism&mdash;Bonzes&mdash;Their power&mdash;Shamanism&mdash;Spirits&mdash;Spirits of
+the mountain&mdash;Stone heaps&mdash;Sacred trees&mdash;Seized by the
+spirits&mdash;Safe-guard against them&mdash;The wind&mdash;Sorcerers and
+sorceresses&mdash;Exorcisms&mdash;Monasteries&mdash;Temples&mdash;Buddha&mdash;Monks&mdash;Their
+customs and clothing&mdash;Nuns&mdash;Their garments&mdash;Religious ceremonies&mdash;The
+tooth-stone. Pp. <a href='#Page_216'>216</a>&mdash;<a href='#Page_234'>234</a></div>
+ <a href='#CHAPTER_XV'><b>CHAPTER XV</b></a><br />
+<div class='Ptoc'>Police&mdash;Detectives&mdash;The plank-walk&mdash;The square board&mdash;The wooden blocks
+for hands and feet&mdash;Floggings&mdash;The bamboo rod&mdash;The stick&mdash;The flexible
+board&mdash;A flogging in Seoul&mdash;One hundred strokes for
+three-halfpence&mdash;Wounds produced&mdash;Tender-hearted
+soldiers&mdash;Imprisonment&mdash;Exile&mdash;Status of women, children, and
+bachelors&mdash;Guilds and the law&mdash;Nobles and the law&mdash;Serfdom&mdash;mild form of
+slavery. Pp. <a href='#Page_235'>235</a>&mdash;<a href='#Page_245'>245</a></div>
+ <a href='#CHAPTER_XVI'><b>CHAPTER XVI</b></a><br />
+<div class='Ptoc'>Executions&mdash;Crucified and carried through the streets&mdash;The execution
+ground&mdash;Barbarous mode of beheading&mdash;Noble criminals&mdash;Paternal love&mdash;Shut
+out&mdash;Scaling the wall&mdash;A catastrophe&mdash;A nightmare. Pp. <a href='#Page_246'>246</a>&mdash;<a href='#Page_240'>240</a></div>
+
+ <a href='#CHAPTER_XVII'><b>CHAPTER XVII</b></a><br />
+<div class='Ptoc'>The &quot;King's procession&quot;&mdash;Removing houses&mdash;Foolhardy people&mdash;Beaten to
+death&mdash;Cavalry soldiers&mdash;Infantry&mdash;Retainers&mdash;Banners&mdash;Luxurious
+saddles&mdash;The King and his double&mdash;Royal palanquins&mdash;The return at night.
+Pp. <a href='#Page_261'>261</a>&mdash;<a href='#Page_266'>266</a></div>
+ <a href='#CHAPTER_XVIII'><b>CHAPTER XVIII</b></a><br />
+<div class='Ptoc'>Fights&mdash;Prize fights&mdash;Fist fights&mdash;Special moon for fighting&mdash;Summary
+justice&mdash;The use of the top-knot&mdash;Cruelty&mdash;A butcher combatant Stone
+fights&mdash;Belligerent children&mdash;Battle between two guilds&mdash;Wounded and
+killed&mdash;The end of the battle postponed&mdash;Soldiers' fights. Pp. <a href='#Page_267'>267</a>&mdash;<a href='#Page_275'>275</a></div>
+
+ <a href='#CHAPTER_XIX'><b>CHAPTER XIX</b></a><br />
+<div class='Ptoc'>Fires&mdash;The greatest peril&mdash;A curious way of saving one's house&mdash;The
+anchor of safety&mdash;How it worked&mdash;Making an opposition wind&mdash;Saved by
+chance&mdash;A good trait in the native character&mdash;Useful friends. Pp. <a href='#Page_276'>276</a>&mdash;<a href='#Page_282'>282</a></div>
+ <a href='#CHAPTER_XX'><b>CHAPTER XX</b></a><br />
+<div class='Ptoc'>A trip to Poo-kan&mdash;A curious monastery. Pp. <a href='#Page_283'>283</a>&mdash;<a href='#Page_287'>287</a></div>
+ <a href='#CHAPTER_XXI'><b>CHAPTER XXI</b></a><br />
+<div class='Ptoc'>Corean physiognomy&mdash;Expressions of pleasure&mdash;Displeasure&mdash;Contempt&mdash;Fear&mdash;Pluck&mdash;Laughter&mdash;Astonishment&mdash;Admiration&mdash;Sulkiness&mdash;
+Jealousy&mdash;Intelligence&mdash;Affection&mdash;Imagination&mdash;Dreams&mdash;Insanity&mdash;Its principal causes&mdash;Leprosy&mdash;The family&mdash;Men and women&mdash;Fecundity&mdash;Natural and artificial
+deformities&mdash;Abnormalities&mdash;Movements and attitudes&mdash;The Corean
+hand&mdash;Conservatism. Pp. <a href='#Page_288'>288</a>&mdash;<a href='#Page_300'>300</a></div>
+
+ <a href='#INDEX'><b>INDEX</b></a><br />
+<!-- End Autogenerated TOC. -->
+
+
+<hr class="full" />
+<a name='LIST_OF_PLATES'></a><h2>LIST OF PLATES</h2>
+<table align='center' border='0' cellpadding='2' cellspacing='0' summary='List of Plates'>
+<tr><td align='left'>PORTRAIT OF THE AUTHOR</td><td align='left'><a href='#Frontispiece'><i>Frontispiece</i></a></td></tr>
+<tr><td align='left'>AN OFFICIAL GOING TO COURT</td><td align='left'><a href='#Page_107'>107</a></td></tr>
+<tr><td align='left'>THE PEKIN PASS</td><td align='left'><a href='#Page_132'>132</a></td></tr>
+<tr><td align='left'>A WATER-COOLIE</td><td align='left'><a href='#Page_134'>134</a></td></tr>
+<tr><td align='left'>H.R.H. PRINCE MIN-YOUNG-HUAN</td><td align='left'><a href='#Page_166'>166</a></td></tr>
+<tr><td align='left'>AN INFANTRY SOLDIER</td><td align='left'><a href='#Page_174'>174</a></td></tr>
+<tr><td align='left'>A STUDY FROM STILL-LIFE</td><td align='left'><a href='#Page_251'>251</a></td></tr></table>
+
+
+
+<a name='Page_1'></a>
+<hr class="full" />
+<a name='CHAPTER_I'></a><h2>CHAPTER I</h2>
+
+<div class='Ptoc'>Christmas on board&mdash;Fusan&mdash;A body-snatcher&mdash;The Kiung-sang Province&mdash;The
+cotton production&mdash;Body-snatching extraordinary&mdash;Imperatrice
+Gulf&mdash;Chemulpo.</div>
+<br />
+
+<p class="ctr"><a href="./images/3.jpg"><img src="./images/3_th.jpg"
+alt="CHEMULPO"></a></p><p class="ctr">CHEMULPO</p>
+
+<p>It was on a Christmas Day that I set out for Corea. The year was 1890. I
+had been several days at Nagasaki, waiting for the little steamer,
+<i>Higo-Maru</i>, of the Nippon Yusen Kaisha (Japan Steamship Company), which
+was to arrive, I think, from Vladivostock, when a message was brought to
+me saying that she was now in port, and would sail that afternoon for
+Tsushima, Goto, and the Corean ports.</p>
+
+<p>I went on board, and, our vessel's anchor being raised at four o'clock,
+we soon steamed past Battenberg Island and got away from the picturesque
+Bay of Nagasaki. This was the last I saw of Japan.</p>
+
+<p>The little <i>Higo</i> was not a bad seaboat, for, following good advice, her
+owners had provided her with <a name='Page_2'></a>rolling beams; but, mind you, she had by no
+means the steadiness of a rock, nor did she pretend to cut the water at
+the rate of twenty knots an hour. Still, taken all in all, she was a
+pretty good goer. Her captain was a Norwegian, and a jolly fellow; while
+the crew she carried was entirely Japanese, with the exception of the
+stewards in the saloon, who were two pig-tailed subjects of the Celestial
+Empire.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Numbel one Clistmas dinnel has got to-night, Mastel,&quot; expostulated John
+Chinaman to me in his pidgen English, as I was busy making my cabin
+comfortable. &quot;Soup has got, fish has got, loast tulkey has got,
+plan-puddy all bulning has got. All same English countly. Dlink,
+to-night, plenty can have, and no has to pay. Shelly can have, Boldeau
+can have, polt, bea, champagne, blandy, all can have, all flee!&quot;</p>
+
+<p>I must say that when I heard of the elaborate dinner to which we were to
+be treated by the captain, I began to feel rather glad that I had started
+on my journey on a Christmas Day.</p>
+
+<p>There were a few Japanese passengers on board, but only one European, or
+rather American, besides myself, and a most pleasant companion he turned
+out to be. He was Mr. Clarence R. Greathouse, formerly Consul-General for
+the United States at Yokohama&mdash;at which place I first had the pleasure of
+meeting him&mdash;who was now on his way to Corea, where he had been requested
+by the Corean Government to accept the high and responsible position of
+Vice-Minister of Home Affairs, as well as of legal adviser to the King in
+international affairs.</p><a name='Page_3'></a>
+
+<p>Curiously enough, he had not been aware that I was to travel on the same
+ship, and I also never dreamt that I would have had the good fortune of
+being in such good and agreeable company during a voyage which otherwise
+would have been extremely dull. Accordingly, when we met again thus
+accidentally on the deck of the <i>Higo</i>, the event was as much to our
+mutual satisfaction as it was unexpected.</p>
+
+<p>The sea was somewhat choppy, but notwithstanding this, when the steward
+appeared on the companion-way, beaming all over, in his best silk gown
+and jacket, and rang the dinner-bell with all his might, we gaily
+responded to his call and proceeded below.</p>
+
+<p>Heavens! it was a Christmas dinner and no mistake! The tables and walls
+had been decorated with little paper flags and flowers made of the
+brightest colours that human fancy could devise, and dishes of almonds
+and raisins filled the centre of the table. There were little flags stuck
+in those dishes, and, indeed, everywhere. A big cake in the middle had
+prudently been tied to the table with a string, as the rolling motion of
+the ship was rather against its chances of keeping steady in the place
+that had been assigned to it, and the other usual precautions had been
+taken to keep the plates and glasses in their proper positions.</p>
+
+<p>Our dinner-party consisted of about eight. At one moment we would be up,
+with our feet on a level with our opposite companion's head; the next we
+would be down, with the soles of their boots higher than our skulls.</p>
+
+<p>It is always a pretty sight to see a table decorated, <a name='Page_4'></a>but when it is not
+only decorated but animated as well, it is evidently prettier still. When
+you see all the plates and salt-cellars moving slowly away from you, and
+as slowly returning to you; when you have to chase your fork and your
+knife before you can use them, the amusement is infinitely greater.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;<i>O gomen kudasai</i>&quot;&mdash;&quot;I beg your pardon&quot;&mdash;said a Japanese gentleman in
+rather a hurried manner, and more hurriedly still made his exit into his
+cabin. Two or three others of his countrymen followed suit during the
+progress of the dinner, and as number after number of the <i>menu</i> was gone
+through, so that we who remained had a capital time. Not many minutes
+also elapsed without our having a regular fusillade of bottles of
+champagne of some unknown brand, and &quot;healths&quot; were drunk of distant
+friends and relatives.</p>
+
+<p>Mr. Greathouse, who, like many of his countrymen, has a wonderful gift
+for telling humorous stories, of which he had an unlimited supply, kept
+us in fits all evening, and in fact the greater part of the night, so
+that when we passed the islands of Goto and Tsushima we were still awake
+and in course of being entertained by his Yankee yarns.</p>
+
+<p>The next day we reached the Corean port of Fusan. I well remember how
+much I was struck when we entered the pretty harbour and approached the
+spot where we cast anchor, by the sight of hundreds of white spots moving
+slowly along the coast and on a road winding up a hill. As we drew
+nearer, the white spots became larger and assumed more and more the form
+of human beings. There was something so <a name='Page_5'></a>ghostly about that scene that it
+is still vividly impressed upon my mind.</p>
+
+<p>There is at Fusan not only a Japanese settlement, but also a Chinese one.
+About two and a half miles distant round the bay, the native walled town
+and fort can be plainly seen, while in the distance one may distinguish
+the city and castle of Tong-nai, in which the Governor resides. If I
+remember correctly, the number of Europeans at this port is only three or
+four, these being mainly in the employ of the Chinese Customs service.</p>
+
+<p>We had hardly come to a standstill when a curious-looking being, who had
+come to meet the steamer in a boat, climbed up the rope-ladder which had
+been let down on the starboard side and came on board. He was a European.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Do you see that man?&quot; a voice whispered in my ear. &quot;He is a
+body-snatcher.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Nonsense,&quot; I said; &quot;are you joking, or what?&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;No, I am not; and, if you like, I will tell you his story at luncheon.&quot;
+And surely what better time could be chosen for a &quot;body-snatching&quot; story
+than &quot;luncheon.&quot; Meanwhile, however, I lost not my chance, and while
+conversing with somebody else, the snatcher found himself &quot;snatched&quot; in
+my sketch-book. It is not every day that one comes across such
+individuals! I went to speak to him, and I must confess that whether he
+had as a fact troubled the dead or not, he was none the less most
+courteous and polite with the living. He had, it is true, at times
+somewhat of a sinister look in his face; but for his unsteady eyes, you
+might almost have put him down as a missionary.<a name='Page_6'></a> He informed me that
+codfish was to be had in great abundance at Fusan, and that the grain
+export was almost entirely done by the Japanese, while the importation of
+miscellaneous articles was entirely in the hands of the Chinese.</p>
+
+<p>Fusan is situated at the most south-westerly extremity of the province of
+Kiung-sang, which words, translated into English mean, &quot;polite
+compliment.&quot; The kingdom of Corea, we may here mention, is divided into
+eight provinces, which rejoice in the following names: Kiung-sang-do,<a name='FNanchor_1_1'></a><a href='#Footnote_1_1'><sup>[1]</sup></a>
+Chulla-do, Chung-chon-do, Kiung-kei-do, Kang-wen-do, Wang-hai-do,
+Ping-yan-do, Ham-kiung-do. The province in which Fusan is situated is,
+without exception, the richest in Corea after that of Chulla, for it has
+a mild climate and a very fertile soil. This being the case, it is not
+astonishing to find that the population is more numerous than in most
+other districts further north, and also, that being so near the Japanese
+coast, a certain amount of trading, mostly done by junks, is continually
+being transacted with the Mikado's subjects on the opposite shores. Fusan
+has been nominally in the hands of the Japanese from very ancient times,
+although it was only in 1876 that a treaty was concluded by which it was
+opened to Japanese trade. The spot on which the settlements lie is
+pretty, with its picturesque background of high mountains and the large
+number of little islands rising like green patches here and there in the
+bay. Maki, the largest island, directly opposite the settlement, is now
+used as a station for breeding horses of very small size, and it
+possesses good pastures <a name='Page_7'></a>on its high hills. In the history of the
+relations between Corea and Japan this province plays indeed a very
+important part, for being nearer than any other portion of the kingdom to
+the Japanese shores&mdash;the distance being, I believe, some 130 miles
+between the nearest points of the two countries&mdash;invasions have been of
+frequent occurrence, especially during the period that Kai-seng, then
+called Sunto, was the capital. This city, like the present capital,
+Seoul, was a fortified and walled town of the first rank and the chief
+military centre of the country, besides being a seat of learning and
+making some pretence of commercial enterprise. It lay about twenty-five
+miles N.E. of Seoul, and at about an equal number of miles from the
+actual sea. For several hundreds of years, Sunto had been one of the
+principal cities of Corea, when Wang, a warrior of the Fuyu race and an
+ardent Buddhist, who had already conquered the southern portion of the
+Corean peninsula, made it the capital, which it remained until the year
+1392 A.D., when the seat of the Government was removed to Seoul.</p>
+
+<p>To return to Fusan and the Kyung-sang province. It is as well to mention
+that the chief product cultivated is cotton. This is, of course, the
+principal industry all over Corea, and the area under cultivation is
+roughly computed at between eight and nine hundred thousand acres, the
+unclean cotton produced per annum being calculated at about 1,200,000,000
+lbs. In a recent report, the Commissioner of Customs at Fusan sets down
+the yearly consumption of cleaned cotton at about 300,000,000 lbs. The
+greater part of the cotton is made up into piece-goods for making
+<a name='Page_8'></a>garments and padding the native winter clothes. In the Kiung-sang
+province the pieces of cloth manufactured measure sixty feet, while the
+width is only fourteen inches, and the weight between three and four
+pounds. The fibre of the cotton stuff produced, especially in the
+Kiung-sang and Chulla provinces, is highly esteemed by the Coreans, and
+they say that it is much more durable and warmth-giving than that
+produced either in Japan or China.</p>
+
+<p>Of course the production of cotton could be greatly increased if more
+practical systems were used in its cultivation, and if the magistrates
+were not so much given to &quot;squeezing&quot; the people. To make money and to
+have it extorted the moment you have made it, is not encouraging to the
+poor Corean who has worked for it; therefore little exertion is displayed
+beyond what is necessary to earn, not the &quot;daily bread,&quot; for that they do
+not eat, but the daily bowl of rice. There is much fertile land, which at
+present is not used at all, and hardly any attention, and much less
+skill, is manifested when once the seed is in the ground.</p>
+
+<p>The Neapolitan <i>lazzaroni</i>, of world-wide reputation for extreme
+laziness, have indeed worthy rivals in the Corean peasantry. The women
+are made to do all the work, for by them the crops are gathered, and by
+them the seeds are separated with the old-fashioned roller-gin. To borrow
+statistics from the Commissioners' Report, a native woman can, with a
+roller-gin, turn out, say, nearly 3 lbs. of clean cotton from 12 lbs. of
+seed-cotton; while the industrious Japanese, who have brought over modern
+machines of the saw-gin <a name='Page_9'></a>type, can obtain 35 lbs. of clean cotton from
+140 lbs. of seed-cotton in the same space of time. Previous to being
+spun, the cotton is prepared pretty much in the same way as in Japan or
+China, the cotton being tossed into the air with a view to separating the
+staple; but the spinning-wheel commonly used in Corea only makes one
+thread at a time.</p>
+
+<p>The crops are generally gathered in August, and the dead stalk is used
+for fuel, while the ashes make fairly good manure. The quantity of clean
+cotton is about 85 lbs. per acre, and of seed-cotton 345 lbs. per acre.</p>
+
+<p>But to return to my narrative, luncheon-time came in due course, and as I
+was spreading out my napkin on my knees, I reminded the person who had
+whispered those mysterious words in my ear, of the promise he had made.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Yes,&quot; said he, as he cautiously looked round, &quot;I will tell you his
+story. Mind you,&quot; he added, &quot;this man to whom you spoke a while ago was
+only one of several, and he was not the principal actor in that
+outrageous business, still he himself is said to have taken a
+considerable part in the criminal dealings. Remember that the account I
+am going to give you of the affair is only drawn in bold lines, for the
+details of the expedition have never been fully known to any one. For all
+I know, this man may even be perfectly innocent of all that is alleged
+against him.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Go on; do not make any more apologies, and begin your story,&quot; I
+remarked, as my curiosity was considerably roused.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Very good. It was on April 30th, 1867, that an <a name='Page_10'></a>expedition left Shanghai
+bound for Corea. The aims of that expedition seemed rather obscure to
+many of the foreign residents at the port of departure, as little faith
+was reposed in the commander. Still, it must be said for its members that
+until they departed they played their <i>r&ocirc;le</i> well. Corea was then
+practically a closed country; wherefore a certain amount of curiosity was
+displayed at Shanghai when three or four Coreans, dressed up in their
+quaint costumes and transparent horse-hair hats, were seen walking about,
+and being introduced here and there by a French bishop called Ridel. A
+few days later the curiosity of the foreign residents grew in intensity
+when the news spread that an American subject, a certain Jenkins,
+formerly interpreter at the U.S. Consulate, had, at his own expense,
+chartered a ship and hurriedly fitted out an expedition, taking under his
+command eight other Europeans, all of a more or less dubious character,
+and a suite of about 150 Chinamen and Manillamen, the riff-raff of the
+Treaty Port, who were to be the crew and military escort of the
+expedition. A man called Oppert, a North German Jew, and believed by
+everybody to be an adventurer under the guise of a trader, was in command
+of the 'fleet'&mdash;which was composed of a steamer, if I remember right, of
+about 700 tons, called the <i>China</i>, and a smaller tender of little over
+50 tons, called the <i>Greta</i>. Oppert flew the flag of his own country, and
+in due course gave the order to start.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Well, so far so good,&quot; I interrupted; &quot;but you have not told me what
+connection there was between Bishop Ridel's four Coreans and your
+body-snatching friends?&quot;</p><a name='Page_11'></a>
+
+<p>&quot;Well, you see, the American and Oppert took advantage of their
+appearance in Shanghai to let people believe that they were high
+officials sent over by the king, who was anxious to send an embassy to
+the different courts of Europe to explain the slaughter of foreigners
+which had taken place in his country, and also with the object of
+entering, if possible, into treaties with the different European
+monarchs&mdash;in fact to open his country to foreign trade and commerce. It
+seemed somewhat a large order to any one who knew of the retiring nature
+of the king, but everything was done so quickly that the expedition was
+gone before people had time to inquire into its real object.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;The fleet, as I have remarked, in due time started, and after calling on
+its way at Nagasaki, where rifles and other firearms and ammunition were
+purchased with which to arm the military escort, steered a course to the
+mouth of the Han river. Among the eight Europeans of dubious character on
+board was a Frenchman, a Jesuit priest, who called himself Farout, but
+whose real name was Feron, and who played an important part in the
+piratical scheme, for, having lived some time previously in Corea, he had
+mastered the language. Besides, he had travelled a good deal along the
+river Han, so that he was entrusted with the responsible position of
+guide and interpreter to the body-snatchers!&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Curious position for a missionary to occupy,&quot; I could not help
+remarking.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Yes. They reached Prince Jerome's Gulf on the 8th of May, and the next
+day, sounding continually, <a name='Page_12'></a>slowly steamed up the river Han to a point
+where it was deemed advisable to man the tender and smaller rowing-boats
+with a view to completing the expedition in these.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;This plan was successfully carried out, and during the night, under the
+command of Oppert, and escorted by the marauders, who were armed to the
+teeth, they proceeded to the point where l'Abb&eacute; Feron advised a landing.
+Here, making no secret of their designs, they ill-treated the natives,
+and pillaged their poor huts, after which they made their way to the
+tomb, where the relics lay of some royal personage supposed to have been
+buried there with mountains of gold and precious jewels, which relics
+were held in much veneration by the great Regent, the Tai-wen-kun. The
+impudent scheme, in a few words, was this: to take the natives by
+surprise, dig the body quickly out of its underground place of what
+should have been eternal rest, and take possession of anything valuable
+that might be found in the grave. The disturbed bones of the unfortunate
+prince were to be carried on board, and a high ransom was to be extorted
+from the great Regent, who they thought would offer any sum to get back
+the cherished bones of his ancestor.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;The march from the landing-place to the tomb occupied longer than had
+been anticipated, and crowds of astonished and angry natives followed the
+procession of armed men. The latter finally reached the desired spot, a
+funny little semi-spherical mound of earth, with a few stone figures of
+men and ponies roughly carved on either side, and guarded by two stone
+slabs.</p><a name='Page_13'></a>
+
+<p>&quot;The 'abb&eacute;,' who, among other things, was said to have been the promoter
+of the scheme, pointed out the mound, and, rejoicing with Oppert and
+Jenkins at having been so far successful, gave orders to the coolies to
+proceed at once to dig. Spades and shovels had been brought for the
+purpose, and the little mound was rapidly being levelled, while the
+turbulent crowd of infuriated Coreans which had collected was getting
+more and more menacing. These seemed to spring out by hundreds from every
+side as by magic, and the body-snatchers were soon more than ten times
+outnumbered. No greater insult or infamous act could there be to a Corean
+mind than the violation of a grave. As spadeful after spadeful of earth
+was removed by the shaking hands of the frightened coolies, shouts,
+hisses, and oaths went up from the maddened crowd, but Oppert and the
+French abb&eacute;, half scared as they were, still pined for the hidden
+treasure, and encouraged the grave-diggers with promises of rewards as
+well as with the invigorating butt-ends of their rifles. At last, after
+digging a big hole in the earth, their spades came upon a huge slab of
+stone, which seemed to be the top of the sarcophagus.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;I suppose that no oath was bad enough for the three leaders, then?&quot; said
+I.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;No; they were mad with fury, and more so when all the strength of their
+men combined was not sufficient to stir the stone an inch.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;The crowd which till then had been merely turbulent, now became so
+exasperated at the cheek of the 'foreign white devils' that it could no
+more keep within bounds, and a wild attack was made on the pirates.<a name='Page_14'></a>
+Showers of stones were thrown, and the infuriated natives made a rush
+upon them; but, <i>h&eacute;las!</i> their attack was met by a volley of rifle-shots.
+Frightened out of their lives by the murderous effects of these strange
+weapons, they fell back for a time, only to return by-and-by with fresh
+ardour to the attack. The body-snatchers, having little confidence in the
+courage and fidelity of the ruffian lot that composed their military
+escort, and, moreover, seeing that all efforts were useless to remove the
+'blessed' stone, deemed it more than advisable to retreat to the
+tender&mdash;a retreat which, one may add, was effected somewhat hurriedly.
+This being done, they steamed full speed down the river, and once on
+board the <i>China</i>, began to feel more like themselves again.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;They anchored opposite Kang-wha Island, and remained there for three
+days. Then as they were holding a parley on land near Tricauld Island,
+they were attacked again by the angry mob, the news of their outrageous
+deed having spread even hitherwards, and two or three of their men were
+killed. Realising, therefore, that it was impossible to carry out their
+plan, the body-snatchers returned to Shanghai, but here a surprise
+awaited them.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;They were all arrested and underwent a trial. So little evidence,
+however, was brought against them, and that little was of such a
+conflicting character, that they were all acquitted. Oppert,
+nevertheless, was imprisoned in his own country, and even brought out a
+book in which he described his piratical expedition.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Yes,&quot; I remarked, &quot;your story is a very good <a name='Page_15'></a>one; but what part did
+this particular man, now at Fusan, take in the marauding scheme?&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Oh, that I do not exactly know&mdash;in fact, no one knows more than this,
+that he was one of the eight Europeans who accompanied Oppert. Here at
+Fusan all the foreign residents look down on him, and his only pleasure
+is to come on board when a ship happens to call, that he may exchange a
+few words in a European tongue, for no one belonging to this locality
+will speak to him.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>I went on deck to look for the pirate, hoping to get, if possible, a few
+interesting and accurate details of the adventurous journey of the
+<i>China</i>, but he had already gone, and we were just on the point of
+raising our anchor, bound for Chemulpo.</p>
+
+<p>On December 27th we steamed past Port Hamilton, formerly occupied by the
+British, where fortifications and a jetty had been constructed and
+afterwards abandoned, a treaty having been signed by Great Britain and
+China, to the effect that no foreign Power was to be allowed to occupy
+either Port Hamilton or any other port in the kingdom of Corea at any
+future time.</p>
+
+<p>During that day we travelled mostly along the inner course, among
+hundreds of picturesque little islands of the Corean Archipelago, and in
+the afternoon of the 28th we entered the Imperatrice Gulf. On account of
+the low tide we had to keep out at sea till very late, and it was only
+towards sunset that we were able to enter the inner harbour where
+Chemulpo lies, protected by a pretty island on its western side. I bade
+good-bye to the jolly captain and mate, and getting my traps together,
+landed for the second time on Corean soil.</p>
+
+
+
+<a name='Footnote_1_1'></a><a href='#FNanchor_1_1'>[1]</a><div class='note'><p> <i>Do</i> means province.</p></div>
+
+
+<a name='Page_16'></a>
+
+<hr class="full" />
+<a name='CHAPTER_II'></a><h2>CHAPTER II</h2>
+
+<div class='Ptoc'>Chemulpo&mdash;So-called European hotels&mdash;Comforts&mdash;Japanese concession&mdash;The
+<i>Guechas</i>&mdash;New-Year's festivities&mdash;The Chinese settlement&mdash;European
+residents&mdash;The word &quot;Corea&quot;&mdash;A glance at Corean history&mdash;Cho-sen.</div>
+<br />
+
+<p class="ctr"><a href="./images/4.jpg"><img src="./images/4_th.jpg"
+alt="THE DONKEY OF A COREAN OFFICIAL"></a></p><p class="ctr">THE DONKEY OF A COREAN OFFICIAL</p>
+
+<p>When I land in a new country a strange sense of the unknown somehow takes
+possession of me. Perhaps in this, however, I am not alone. The feeling
+is in part, I think, due to one's new surroundings, though chiefly to the
+facial expressions of the people, with which one is not familiar and
+probably does not quite understand. One may be a student of human
+character in only a very amateurish way, and yet without much difficulty
+guess by the twinkle in the eye, or the quivering of the underlip,
+whether a person is pleased or annoyed, but when a strange land is
+visited one is apt to be at first often deceived by appearances; and <a name='Page_17'></a>if,
+as has happened in my case, the traveller has suffered in consequence of
+being thus deceived, he is rather apt to look upon all that he sees with
+a considerable amount of caution and even suspicion.</p>
+
+<p>It was then with some such feelings as these that I landed at Chemulpo.
+Hundreds of coolies running along the shore, with loads of grain on their
+backs, to be shipped by the <i>Higo-Maru</i>, had no compunction in knocking
+you down if you were in their way, and a crowd of curious native loafers,
+always ready to be entertained by any new arrival, followed you <i>en
+masse</i> wherever you went.</p>
+
+<p>When I visited Chemulpo there were actually three European hotels there.
+These were European more in name than in fact, but there they were, and
+as the night was fast approaching, I had to make my choice, for I wanted
+a lodging badly.</p>
+
+<p>One of these hotels was kept by a Chinaman, and was called Steward's
+Hotel, for the simple reason that its owner had been a steward on board
+an American ship, and had since appropriated the word as a family name;
+the second, which rejoiced in the grand name of &quot;Hotel de Cor&eacute;e,&quot; was of
+Hungarian proprietorship, and a favourite resort for sailors of
+men-of-war when they called at that port, partly because a drinking
+saloon, well provided with intoxicants of all descriptions, was the chief
+feature of the establishment, and partly because glasses were handed over
+the counter by a very fascinating young lady, daughter of the proprietor,
+a most accomplished damsel, who could speak fluently every language under
+the sun&mdash;from Turkish and Arabic to Corean and Japanese. The <a name='Page_18'></a>third
+hotel&mdash;a noble mansion, to use modern phraseology&mdash;was quite a new
+structure, and was owned by a Japanese. The name which had been given by
+him to his house of rest was &quot;The Dai butzu,&quot; or, in English parlance,
+The Great God. Attracted by the holiness of the name, and perhaps even
+more by the clean look, outside only, of the place, I, as luck would have
+it, made the Dai butzu my headquarters. I know little about things
+celestial, but certainly can imagine nothing less celestial on the face
+of the earth than this house of the Great God at Chemulpo. The house had
+apparently been newly built, for the rooms were damp and icy cold, and
+when I proceeded to inspect the bed and remarked on the somewhat doubtful
+cleanliness of the sheets, &quot;They are quite clean,&quot; said the landlord;
+&quot;only two gentlemen have slept in them before.&quot; However, as we were so
+near the New Year, he condescended to change them to please me, and I
+accepted his offer most gracefully as a New-Year's gift.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;O Lord,&quot; said I with a deep sigh when the news arrived that no meat
+could be got that evening, and the only provisions in store were &quot;one
+solitary tin, small size, of compressed milk.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Mionichi nandemo arimas, Konban domo dannasan, nandemo arimasen&quot;:
+&quot;To-morrow you can have anything, but to-night, please, sir, we have
+nothing.&quot; As I am generally a philosopher on such occasions, I satisfied
+my present cravings with that tin of milk, which, needless to say, I
+emptied, putting off my dinner till the following night.</p>
+
+<p>Corea, as everybody knows, is an extremely cold <a name='Page_19'></a>country, the thermometer
+reaching as low sometimes as seventy or even eighty degrees of frost; my
+readers will imagine therefore how delightfully warm I was in my bed with
+only one sheet over me and a sort of cotton bed-cover, both sheet and
+bed-cover, I may add, being somewhat too short to cover my feet and my
+neck at the same time, my lower extremities in consequence playing a
+curious game of hide-and-seek with the support of my head. I had ordered
+a cold bath, and water and tray had been brought into my room before I
+had gone to bed, but to my horror, when I got up, ready to plunge in and
+sponge myself to my heart's content, I found nothing but a huge block of
+solid ice, into which the water had thought proper to metamorphose
+itself. Bells there were none in the house, so recourse had to be made to
+the national Japanese custom of clapping one's hands in order to summon
+up the servants.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;H&eacute;,&quot; answered the slanting-eyed maid from down below, as she trotted up
+the steps. Good sharp girl that she was, however, she quickly mastered
+the situation, and hurried down to fetch fresh supplies of unfrozen
+liquid from the well; although hardly had she left the room the second
+time before a thick layer of ice again formed on the surface of the
+bucketful which she had brought. It was bathing under difficulties, I can
+tell you; but though I do not much mind missing my dinner, I can on no
+account bring myself to deprivation of my cold bath in the morning. It is
+to this habit that I attribute my freedom from contagious diseases in all
+countries and climates; to it I owe, in fact, <a name='Page_20'></a>my life, and I have no
+doubt to it, some day, I shall also owe my death.</p>
+
+<p>The evil of cold was, however, nothing as compared with the quality and
+variety of the food. For the best part of the week, during which I stayed
+at the Dai butzu, I only had an occasional glance at a slice of
+nondescript meat, served one day as &quot;rosbif,&quot; and the next day as &quot;mutin
+shops,&quot; but unfortunately so leathery that no Sheffield blade could
+possibly divide it, and no human tooth nor jaw, however powerful, could
+masticate it.</p>
+
+<p>As luck would have it, I was asked out to dinner once or twice by an
+American gentleman&mdash;a merchant resident at Chemulpo&mdash;and so made up for
+what would have otherwise been the lost art of eating.</p>
+
+<p>Chemulpo is a port with a future. The Japanese prefer to call it Jinsen;
+the Chinese, In-chiang. It possesses a pretty harbour, though rather too
+shallow for large ships. The tide also, a very troublesome customer in
+that part of the world, falls as much as twenty-eight or twenty-nine
+feet; wherefore it is that at times one can walk over to the island in
+front of the settlement almost without wetting one's feet.</p>
+
+<p>Chemulpo's origin is said to be as follows: The Japanese government,
+represented at Seoul by a very able and shrewd man called Hanabusa, had
+repeatedly urged the Corean king to open to Japanese trade a port
+somewhat nearer to the capital. Though the king was personally inclined
+to enter into friendly negotiations, there were many of the anti-foreign
+party who would not hear of the project; but such was the pressure
+brought to bear by the skilful Japanese, and so persuasive were the
+king's arguments, that, after much pour-parleying, <a name='Page_21'></a>the latter finally
+gave way. Towards the end of 1880, the Mikado's envoy, accompanied by a
+number of other officials, proceeded from the capital to the Imperatrice
+Gulf and selected an appropriate spot, on which to raise the now
+prosperous little concession, fixing that some distance from the native
+city. In course of years it grew bigger, and when I was at Chemulpo there
+was actually a Japanese village there, with its own Jap policemen, its
+tea-houses, two banks, the &quot;Mitsui-bashi&quot; and &quot;The First National Bank of
+Japan,&quot; and last but not least, a number of <i>guechas</i>, the graceful
+singers and posturing dancers of Nippon, without whom life is not worth
+living for the Nipponese.</p>
+
+<p>Like the Australians generally, who begin building a town by marking out
+a fine race-course, so the light-hearted sons of the Mikado's empire,
+when out colonising, begin as a first and necessary luxury of life by
+importing a few <i>guechas</i> who, with their quaint songs, enliven them in
+moments of despair, and send them into ecstasies at banquets and
+dinner-parties with their curious fan-dances, &amp;c, just as our British
+music-hall frequenting youth raves over the last song and skirt-dance of
+the moment.</p>
+
+<p>The <i>guechas</i>, mind you, are not bad girls. There is nothing wrong about
+them except that they are not always &quot;quite right,&quot; for they are well
+educated, and possess good manners. They are generally paid by the hour
+for the display of their talent, and the prices they command vary from
+the low sum of twenty sens (sixpence) to as much as two or three yen
+(dollars), for each sixty minutes, in proportion, of course, to their
+capacity and beauty.</p><a name='Page_22'></a>
+
+<p>As the New Year was fast approaching, and that is a great festivity among
+the Japanese, the <i>guechas</i> at Chemulpo were hard at work, and from
+morning till night and <i>vice vers&acirc;</i> they were summoned from one house to
+the other to entertain with their&mdash;to European, ears excruciating&mdash;music
+on the Shamesens and Gokkins, while <i>sak&eacute;</i> and foreign liquors were
+plentifully indulged in.</p>
+
+<p>I walked up the main street. Great Scott! what a din! It was enough to
+drive anybody crazy. Each house, with its paper walls, hardly suitable
+for the climate, seemed to contain a regular pandemonium. Men and women
+were to be seen squatting on the ground round a huge brass <i>hibachi</i>,
+where a charcoal fire was blazing, singing and yelling and playing and
+clapping their hands to their hearts' content. They had lost somehow or
+other that look of gracefulness which is so characteristic of them in
+their own country, and on a closer examination I found the cause to be
+their being clad in at least a dozen <i>kimonos</i>,<a name='FNanchor_2_2'></a><a href='#Footnote_2_2'><sup>[2]</sup></a> put on one over the
+other to keep the cold out. Just picture to yourself any one wearing even
+half that number of coats, and you will doubtless agree with me that
+one's form would not be much improved thereby in appearance. The noise
+increased until New-Year's Eve, and when at last the New Year broke in
+upon them, it was something appalling. The air was full of false notes,
+vocal and otherwise, and I need scarcely say that at the &quot;Dai butzu&quot; also
+grand festivities went on for the greater part of the night.</p>
+
+<p>I was lying flat in bed on New-Year's Day, thinking <a name='Page_23'></a>of the foolishness
+of humanity, when I heard a tap at the door. I looked at the watch; it
+was 7.20 A.M.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Come in,&quot; said I, thinking that the thoughtful maid was carrying my
+sponge-bath, but no. In came a procession of Japs, ludicrously attired in
+foreign clothes with antediluvian frock-coats and pre-historic European
+hats, bowing and sipping their breath in sign of great respect. At their
+head was the fat proprietor of the hotel, and each of them carried with
+him in his hand a packet of visiting cards, which they severally
+deposited on my bed, as I, more than ten times astounded, stood resting
+on my elbows gazing at them.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;So-and-so, brick-layer and roof-maker. So-and-so, hotel proprietor and
+shipping agent; so-and-so, Japanese carpenter; so-and-so, mat-maker; X,
+merchant; Z, boatman,&quot; &amp;c. &amp;c, were how the cards read as I inspected
+them one by one. I need hardly say, therefore, that the year 1891 was
+begun with an extra big D, which came straight from my heart, as I
+uncoiled myself out of my bed at that early hour of the morning to
+entertain these professional gentlemen to drinks and cigarettes. And yet
+that was nothing as compared with what came after. They had scarcely
+gone, and I was just breaking the ice in order to get my cold bath, when
+another lot, a hundredfold more noisy than the first, entered my room
+unannounced and depositing another lot of &quot;pasteboards,&quot; as Yankees term
+them, in my frozen hands, went on wishing me all sorts of happiness for
+the New Year, though I for my part wished them all to a place that was
+certainly not heaven. In despair I dressed myself, and going out
+<a name='Page_24'></a>aimlessly, strolled in any direction in order to keep out of reach of
+the New-Year's callers. But the hours were long, and about eleven I went
+to pay a visit to Mr. T., the American merchant who had kindly asked me
+once or twice to dinner. If I considered myself entitled to complain of
+the calling nuisance, he must have had good reason to swear at it. Being
+the richest man in the place as well as the principal merchant, his place
+was simply besieged by visitors. Many were so drunk that they actually
+had to be carried in by coolies&mdash;a curious mode of going to call&mdash;while
+others had even to be provided with a bed on the premises until the
+effects of their libations had passed off. A well-known young Japanese
+merchant, I remember, nearly fractured his skull against a table, through
+losing his equilibrium as he was offering a grand bow to Mr. T.</p>
+
+<p>Wherever one went in the Japanese quarter there was nothing but drink,
+and the main street was full of unsteady walkers.</p>
+
+<p>Curiously enough, on proceeding a few yards further on towards the
+British Consulate, one came to the Chinese settlement, which was
+perfectly quiet, and showed its inhabitants not only as stern and
+well-behaved as on other occasions, but even, to all appearance, quite
+unconcerned at the frolic and fun of their merry neighbours. Here
+business was being transacted as usual, those engaged therein retaining
+their well-known expressionless and dignified mien, and apparently
+looking down disgusted upon the drunken lot, although prepared themselves
+to descend from their high pedestal when their own New-Year's Day or
+other festival occasions should arrive.</p><a name='Page_25'></a>
+
+<p>I was much amused at a remark that a Chinaman made to me that day.</p>
+
+<p>I asked him how he liked the Japanese.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Pff!&quot; he began, looking at me from under his huge round spectacles, as
+if he thought the subject too insignificant to waste his time upon.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;The Japanese,&quot; he exploded, with an air of contempt, &quot;no belong men. You
+see Japanese man dlunk, ol no dlunk, all same to me. He no can speak
+tluth, he no can be honest man. He buy something, nevel pay. Japanese
+belong bad, bad, bad man. He always speak lie, lie, lie, lie,&quot; and he
+emphasised his words with a crescendo as he curled up what he possessed
+in the shape of a nose&mdash;for it was so flat that it hardly deserved the
+name; indeed, to give strength to his speech, he spat with violence on
+the ground, as if to clear his mouth, as it were, of the unclean sound of
+the word &quot;Japanese.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>Not even in those days could the Chinese and Japanese be accused of
+loving one another.</p>
+
+<p>The Chinese settlement is not quite so clean in appearance as the
+Japanese one, but if business is transacted on a smaller scale, it is, at
+all events, conducted on a firm and honest basis. Chemulpo has but few
+natural aptitudes beyond its being situated at the mouth of the river
+Han, which, winding like a snake, passes close to Seoul, the capital of
+the kingdom; and yet, partly because of its proximity to the capital, the
+distance by road being twenty-five miles, and partly owing to the fact
+that it is never ice-bound in winter, the town has made wonderful
+strides. As late as 1883 there were only one or two fishermen's <a name='Page_26'></a>huts
+along the bay, but in 1892 the settlement contained a score of Europeans,
+over 2800 Japanese souls, and 1000 Chinese, besides quite a
+respectable-sized native conglomeration of houses and huts.</p>
+
+<p>When I visited the port, land fetched large sums of money in the central
+part of the settlement. The post-office was in the hands of the Japanese,
+who carried on its business in a very amateurish and imperfect manner,
+but the telegraphs were worked by the Chinese. The commercial competition
+between the two Eastern nations now at war has of late years been very
+great in Corea. It is interesting to notice how the slow Chinaman has
+followed the footsteps of young Japan at nearly all the ports, especially
+at Gensan and Fusan, and gradually monopolised a good deal of the trade,
+through his honest dealings and steadiness. And yet the Chinese must have
+been, of course, greatly handicapped by the start of many years which the
+dashing Japanese had over them, as well as by the much larger number of
+their rivals. A very remarkable fact, however, is that several Japanese
+firms had employed Chinese as their <i>compradores</i>, a position entirely of
+trust, these being the officials whose duty it is to go round to collect
+money and cheques, and who are therefore often entrusted with very large
+sums of money.</p>
+
+<p>But now let us come to the foreigners stranded in the Corean kingdom. If
+you take them separately, they are rather nice people, though, of course,
+at least a dozen years behind time as compared with the rest of the
+world; taken as a community, however, they are enough to drive you crazy.
+I do not think that <a name='Page_27'></a>it was ever my good fortune to hear a resident speak
+well of another resident, this being owing, I dare say, to their seeing
+too much of one another. If by chance you come across a man occupying
+only a second-rate official position, you may depend upon it you will see
+airs! One hardly ventures to address any such personage, for so grand is
+he that, he will hardly condescend to say &quot;How do you do?&quot; to you, for
+fear of lowering himself. There are only about four cats in the place,
+and their sole subject of conversation is precedence and breaches of
+etiquette, when you would imagine that in such a distant land, and away,
+so to speak, from the outer world, they would all be like brothers.</p>
+
+<p>You must now consider yourselves as fairly landed in Corea, and having
+tried to describe to you what things and people that are not Corean are
+like in Corea, I must provide you&mdash;again of course only
+figuratively&mdash;with a tiny little pony, the smallest probably you have
+ever seen, that you may follow me to the capital of the kingdom, which I
+am sure will be interesting to you as being thoroughly characteristic of
+the country. First of all, however, we had better make sure of one point.</p>
+
+<p>The name Corea, or <i>K</i>orea, you may as well forget or discard as useless,
+for to the Corean mind the word would not convey any definite idea. Not
+even would he look upon it as the name of his country. The real native
+name now used is Cho-sen, though occasionally in the vernacular the
+kingdom goes by the name of Gori, or the antiquated Korai. There is no
+doubt that the origin of the word Corea is Korai, <a name='Page_28'></a>which is an
+abbreviation of Ko-Korai, a small kingdom in the mountainous region of
+the Ever White Mountains, and bordering upon the kingdom of Fuyu, a
+little further north, whence the brave and warlike people probably
+descended, who conquered old Cho-sen. The authorities on Corean history,
+basing their arguments on Chinese writings, claim that the present people
+of Cho-sen are the true descendants of the Fuyu race, and that the
+kingdom of Ko-Korai lay between Fuyu on the northern side and Cho-sen on
+the southern, from the former of which a few families migrated towards
+the south, and founded a small kingdom west of the river Yalu, electing
+as their king a man called Ko-Korai, after whom, in all probability, the
+new nation took its name. Then as their numbers increased, and their
+adventurous spirit grew, they began to extend their territory, north,
+south, and west, and in this latter direction easily succeeded in
+conquering the small kingdom of Wuju and extending their frontier as far
+south as the river Tatung, which lies approximately on parallel 38&deg; 30&quot;.</p>
+
+<p>During the time of the &quot;Three Realms&quot; in China, between the years 220 and
+277 A.D., the Ko-Korai people, profiting by the weakness of their
+neighbours, and therefore not much troubled with guerrillas on the
+northern frontier, continued to migrate south, conquering new ground, and
+so being enabled finally to establish their capital at Ping-yan on the
+Tatong River. After a comparatively peaceful time with their northern
+neighbours for over 300 years, however, towards the end of the sixth
+century, China began a most micidial war against the king of Ko-Korai, or
+Korai, as it <a name='Page_29'></a>was then called, the &quot;Ko&quot; having been dropped. It seems
+that even in those remote days the Chinese had no luck in the land of
+Cho-sen, and though army after army, and hundreds of thousands of men
+were sent against them, the brave Korai people held their own, and far
+from being defeated and conquered, actually drove the enemy out of the
+country, killing thousands mercilessly in their retreat, and becoming
+masters of the Corean Peninsula as far south as the River Han.</p>
+
+<p>To the south of Korai were the states of Shinra and Hiaksai, and between
+these and Korai, there was for a couple of centuries almost perpetual
+war, the only intervals being when the latter kingdom was suffering at
+the hands of the formidable Chinese invaders. But as I merely give this
+rough and very imperfect sketch of Corean history, to explain how the
+word Korai originated and was then applied to the whole of the peninsula,
+I must now proceed to explain in bold touches how the other states became
+united to Korai.</p>
+
+<p>After its annexation to China, the Korai state remained crippled by the
+terrible blow it had received, for the Ko-Korai line of kings had been
+utterly expelled after having reigned for over seven centuries, but at
+last it picked up a little strength again through fresh migrations from
+the north-west, and in the second decade of the tenth century a Buddhist
+monk called Kung-wo raised a rebellion and proclaimed himself king,
+establishing his court at Kaichow.</p>
+
+<p>One of Kung-wo's officers, however, Wang by name, who was believed to be
+a descendant of the Korai <a name='Page_30'></a>family, did away with the royal monk and sat
+himself on the throne, which he claimed as that of his ancestors. Coming
+of a vigorous stock, and taking advantage of the fact that China was weak
+with internal wars, Wang succeeded in uniting Shinra to the old Korai,
+thus converting the whole peninsula into a single and united realm, of
+which, as we have already seen in the first chapter, he made the walled
+city of Sunto the capital. Wang died 945 A.D., and was succeeded by his
+son Wu, who wisely entered into friendly relations with China, and paid
+his tribute to the Emperor of Heaven as if he ruled a tributary state. In
+consequence of this policy it was that Corea enjoyed peace with her
+terrible Celestial rival for the best part of two centuries.</p>
+
+<p>Cho-sen, then, is now the only name by which the country is called by the
+natives themselves, for the name of Korai has been entirely abandoned by
+the modern Coreans. The meaning of the word is very poetic, viz., &quot;The
+Land of the Morning Calm,&quot; and is one well adapted to the present
+Coreans, since, indeed, they seem to have entirely lost the vigour and
+strength of their predecessors, the Koraians. I believe Marco Polo was
+the first to mention a country which he called Coria; after whom came the
+Franciscan missionaries. Little, however, was known of the country until
+the Portuguese brought back to Europe strange accounts of this curious
+kingdom and its quaint and warlike people. According to the story, it was
+a certain Chinese wise man who, when in a poetic mood, baptized Corea
+with the name of Cho-sen. But the student of Corean history knows that
+the name had already been bestowed on the northern part of the peninsula
+and on <a name='Page_31'></a>a certain portion of Manchuria, and that it was in the year 1392,
+when Korai was united to Shinra and the State of Hiaksai became merged in
+it, that Cho-sen became the official designation of united Corea. The
+word &quot;Corea&quot; evidently is nothing but a corruption of the dead and buried
+word &quot;Korai.&quot;</p>
+
+
+
+<a name='Footnote_2_2'></a><a href='#FNanchor_2_2'>[2]</a><div class='note'><p> Long gown, the national dress of Japan.</p></div>
+
+
+<a name='Page_32'></a>
+
+<hr class="full" />
+<a name='CHAPTER_III'></a><h2>CHAPTER III</h2>
+
+<div class='Ptoc'>The road to Seoul&mdash;The <i>Mapu</i>&mdash;Ponies&mdash;Oxen&mdash;Coolies&mdash;Currency&mdash;Mode of
+carrying weights&mdash;The Han River&mdash;Nearly locked out.</div>
+<br />
+
+<p class="ctr"><a href="./images/5.jpg"><img src="./images/5_th.jpg"
+alt="THE WEST GATE, SEOUL"></a></p><p class="ctr">THE WEST GATE, SEOUL</p>
+
+<p>I left Chemulpo on January 2nd, but instead of making use of the
+minuscule ponies, I went on foot, sending my baggage on in advance on a
+pack-saddle on one of them. I was still suffering considerably from an
+accident I had sustained to my foot among the hairy folk of the Hokkaido,
+and I thought that the long walk would probably be beneficial to me, and
+would take away some of the stiffness which still remained in my ankle.
+At a short distance from the port I came to a steep incline of a few
+hundred yards, and crossing the hill-range which formed the background to
+Chemulpo as one looks at it from the sea, I soon <a name='Page_33'></a>descended on the other
+side, from which point the road was nearly level all the way to the
+capital. The road is not a bad one for Corea, but is, of course, only fit
+for riding upon; and would be found almost of impossible access to
+vehicles of any size. The Japanese had begun running <i>jinrickshas</i>,
+little carriages drawn by a man, between the capital and the settlements;
+but two, and even three men were necessary to convey carriage and
+passenger to his destination, and the amount of bumping and shaking on
+the uneven road was quite appalling.</p>
+
+<p>These little carriages, as every one knows, generally convey only a
+single person, and are drawn by two men, who run in a tandem, while the
+third pushes the <i>ricksha</i> from the back, and is always ready at any
+emergency to prevent the vehicle from turning turtle. This mode of
+locomotion, however, was not likely to become popular among the Coreans,
+who, if carried at all, prefer to be carried either in a sedan-chair, an
+easy and comfortable way of going about, or else, should they be in a
+hurry and not wish to travel in grand style, on pony or donkey's back.
+Europeans, as a rule, like the latter mode of travelling best, as the
+Corean sedan-chairs are somewhat too short for the long-legged foreigner,
+and a journey of six or seven hours in a huddled-up position is
+occasionally apt to give one the cramp, especially as Western bones and
+limbs do not in general possess the pliability which characterises those
+composing the skeleton of our Eastern brothers.</p>
+
+<p>The scenery along the road cannot be called beautiful, the country one
+goes through being barren <a name='Page_34'></a>and desolate, with the exception of a certain
+plantation of mulberry trees, a wretched speculation into which the
+infantile government of Cho-sen was driven by some foreigners, the object
+of which was to enrich Corea by the products of silk-worms, but which, of
+course, turned out a complete failure, and cost the Government much money
+and no end of worry instead. Here and there a small patch might be seen
+cultivated as kitchen garden near a hut, but with that exception the
+ground was hardly cultivated at all; this monotony of landscape, however,
+was somewhat relieved by the distant hills covered with maples, chestnuts
+and firs, now unfortunately for the most part deprived of their leaves
+and covered with snow, it being the coldest time of the year in Corea.</p>
+
+<p>The mile-posts on the high roads of Cho-sen are rather quaint, and should
+you happen to see one for the first time at night the inevitable result
+must be nightmare the moment you fall asleep. They consist of a wooden
+post about eight feet in length, on the upper end of which a long ghastly
+face is rudely carved out of the wood and painted white and red; the eyes
+are black and staring, and the mouth, the chief feature of the mask, is
+of enormous size, opened, showing two fine rows of pointed teeth, which
+might hold their own with those of the sharks of the Torres Strait, of
+world-wide reputation. A triangular wedge of wood on each side of the
+head represents the ears. The directions, number of miles, &amp;c, are
+written directly under the head, and the writing being in Chinese
+characters, runs from up to down and from right to left.</p>
+
+<p>It was pretty along the road to see the numerous <a name='Page_35'></a>little ponies,
+infinitely smaller than any Shetlands, carrying big fellows, towering
+with their padded clothes above enormous saddles, and supported on either
+side by a servant, while another man, the <i>Mapu</i>, led the steed by hand.
+The ponies are so very small that even the Coreans, who are by no means
+tall people, their average height being about 5 ft. 4 in., cannot ride
+them unless a high saddle is provided, for without these the rather
+troublesome process of dragging one's feet on the ground would have to be
+endured.</p>
+
+<p>This high saddle, which elevates you some twenty inches above the pony's
+back, naturally involves a certain amount of instability to the person
+who is mounted, the balancing abilities one has to bring out on such
+occasions being of no ordinary degree. The Corean gentleman, who is
+dignified to an extreme degree, and would not for the world run the risk
+of being seen rolling in the mud or struggling between the pony's little
+legs, wisely provides for the emergency by ordering two of his servants
+to walk by his side and hold him by the arms and the waist, as long as
+the journey lasts, while the <i>Mapu</i>, one of the stock features of Corean
+everyday life, looks well after the pony and leads him by the head as one
+might a big Newfoundland dog. The <i>Mapu</i> in Corea occupies about the same
+position as Figaro in the &quot;Barber of Seville.&quot; While leading your pony he
+takes the keenest interest in your affairs, and thinks it his business to
+talk to you on every possible subject that his brain chooses to suggest,
+abusing all and everybody that he thinks you dislike and praising up what
+he fancies you cherish, that he may perhaps have a few extra <i>cash</i> at
+<a name='Page_36'></a>the end of the journey, which he will immediately go and lose in
+gambling. He speaks of politics as if he were the axis of the political
+world, and will criticise the magistracy, the noble, and the king if he
+is under the impression that you are only a merchant, while evil words
+enough would be at his command to represent the meanness and bad manners
+of the commercial classes, if his pony is honoured by being sat upon by a
+nobleman! Such is the world even in Cho-sen. The <i>Mapu</i> will sing to you,
+and crack jokes, and again will swear at you and your servants, and at
+nearly every <i>Mapu</i> that goes by. The greater the gentleman his beast is
+carrying, the more quarrelsome is he with everybody. The road, wide
+though it be, seems to belong solely to him. He is in constant trouble
+with citizens and the police, and it is generally on account of his
+insignificance, poverty, and ignorance that so many of his evil doings
+and wrongs are forgiven. None the less it must be said for them that they
+take fairly good care of their minuscule quadrupeds. They feed them,
+usually three times a day, with boiled chopped straw and beans, and grass
+in summer-time, and with this diet you see the little brutes, which are
+only about 10 hands high, and even less sometimes, go twenty-five or
+thirty miles a day quite easily, with a weight of a couple of hundred
+pounds on their backs, quickly toddling along without stopping, unless it
+be to administer a sound kick to some bystander or to bite the legs of
+the rider. These ponies have a funny little way of getting from under
+you, if you ride them with an English saddle. They bend their legs till
+they see you firmly planted on the ground, and then <a name='Page_37'></a>quickly withdraw
+backwards leaving you, with your legs wide apart and standing like a
+fool, to meditate on equine wickedness in the Realm of the Morning Calm.
+They are indeed the trickiest little devils for their size I have ever
+seen; and for viciousness and love of fighting, I can recommend you to no
+steed more capable of showing these qualities. The average price of an
+animal as above described varies from the large sum of five shillings to
+as much as thirty shillings (at the rate of two shillings per Mexican
+dollar), the price of course varying, as with us, according to the breed,
+age, training, condition, &amp;c., of the animal.</p>
+
+<p>These ponies are much used all over the kingdom, for good roads for wheel
+traffic hardly exist in the country, and wide horse-tracks form
+practically the whole means of communication between the capital and the
+most important ports and cities in the different provinces of Corea. They
+are used both for riding purposes and as pack-ponies, &quot;for light articles
+only,&quot; like the racks in our railway carriages, but when heavy loads are
+to be conveyed from one place to another, especially over long distances,
+the frail pony is discarded and replaced by the sturdy ox. These horned
+carriers are pretty much of a size, and fashioned, so far as I could see,
+after the style of our oxen, except that they are apparently leaner by
+nature, and almost always black or very dark grey in colour; their horns,
+however, are rather short. They carry huge weights on a wooden angular
+saddle which is planted on their backs, and a <i>Mapu</i> invariably
+accompanies each animal when loaded; indeed, in the case of the ponies
+the man even carries on his own back the food both for himself and <a name='Page_38'></a>for
+his beast, the latter generally having the precedence in eating his
+share. The sleeping accommodation also is, as a rule, amicably divided
+between quadruped and biped, and, taken all round, it cannot be said that
+either is any the worse for their brotherly relations. I firmly believe
+that the <i>Mapus</i> are infinitely better-natured towards their animals than
+towards their wives or their children, who, as you will find by-and-by,
+are often cruelly ill-treated.</p>
+
+<p>But let us now continue our journey towards Seoul. Here several coolies
+are to be seen approaching us, carrying heavy loads on their backs. A man
+of a higher position follows them. And, strange circumstance! they are
+carrying money. Yes; one, two, three, four, five, six, seven, eight&mdash;yes,
+actually eight men, bent under heavy loads of coins. Your first idea, I
+suppose, will be that these men are carrying a whole fortune&mdash;but, oh
+dear! no. You must know that the currency in Corea is entirely brass, and
+these brass coins, which go by the name of <i>cash</i> are round coins about
+the size of a halfpenny, with a square hole in the centre, by which they
+are strung together, generally a hundred at a time. There are usually as
+many as two thousand to two thousand eight hundred <i>cash</i> to a Mexican
+dollar, the equivalent of which is at present about two shillings; you
+can, therefore, easily imagine what the weight of one's purse is if it
+contains even so small a sum as a pennyworth in Corean currency. Should
+you, however, be under an obligation to pay a sum of, say, &pound;10 or &pound;20,
+the hire of two oxen or six or eight coolies becomes an absolute
+necessity, for a sum which takes no room in <a name='Page_39'></a>one's letter-case if in Bank
+of England notes, occupies a roomful of hard and heavy metal in the
+country of the Morning Calm. Great trouble has been and is continually
+experienced in the kingdom owing to the lack of gold and silver coins;
+but to the Corean mind to make coins out of gold and to let them go out
+of the country amounts to the same thing as willingly trying to
+impoverish the fatherland of the treasures it possesses; wherefore,
+although rich gold-mines are to be found in Cho-sen, coins of the
+precious metal are not struck for the above-mentioned reason.</p>
+
+<p>So much for Corean political economy. The coins used are of different
+sizes and value. They range, if I remember right, from two <i>cash</i> to
+five, and an examination of a handful of them will reveal the fact that
+they have been struck off at different epochs. There is the so-called
+current treasure coin of Cho-sen, one of the more modern kinds, as well
+as the older coin of Korai, the Ko-ka; while another coin, which seems to
+have been struck off in the Eastern provinces, is probably as old as any
+of these, and is still occasionally found in use. The coins, as I have
+said, are strung together by the hundred on a straw rope; a knot is tied
+when this number is reached, when another hundred is passed through, and
+so on, until several thousands are sometimes strung to one string. As
+curious as this precious load itself was the way in which it was carried.
+It is, in fact, the national way which all Corean coolies have adopted
+for conveying heavy weights, and it seems to answer well, for I have
+often seen men of no very abnormal physique carry a burden that would
+make nine out of ten ordinary men collapse under its heavy <a name='Page_40'></a>mass. The
+principle is much the same as that used by the porters in Switzerland,
+and also in some parts of Holland, if I am not mistaken. A triangular
+wooden frame rests on the man's back by means of two straps or ropes
+passed over the shoulders and round the arms.</p>
+<p class="ctr"><a href="./images/6.jpg"><img src="./images/6_th.jpg"
+alt="COOLIES' ARRANGEMENT FOR CARRYING LOADS"></a></p><p class="ctr">COOLIES' ARRANGEMENT FOR CARRYING LOADS</p>
+<p>From this frame project two sticks, about
+35 inches in length, on which the weight rests, and by bending the body
+at a lower or higher angle, according to the height or pressure of the
+load, a perfect balance is obtained, and the effort of the carrier
+considerably diminished. For heavy loads like wood, for instance, the
+process of loading is curious. The frame is set upon the ground, and made
+to remain in position by being inclined at an angle of about 45&deg; against
+a stick forked at the upper end, with which every coolie is provided.
+When in this position, the cargo is put on and tied with a rope if
+necessary; then, the stick being carefully removed, squatting down gently
+so as not to disturb the position of the load, the coolie quickly passes
+his arms through the straps and thus slings the thing on to the back, the
+stick being now used as a help to the man to rise by instalments from his
+difficult position without collapsing or coming to grief. Once standing,
+he is all right, and it is wonderful what an amount of endurance and
+muscular strength the beggars have, for they will carry these enormous
+loads for miles and miles without showing the slightest sign of fatigue.
+They toddle along quickly, taking remarkably short <a name='Page_41'></a>steps, and resting
+every now and then on their forked stick, upon the upper end of which
+they lay their hands, forcing it against the chest and the ground, and so
+making it a sort of <i>point d'appui.</i></p>
+
+<p>Just a word as to the coolie's moral qualities. He much resembles in this
+the Neapolitan <i>lazzarone</i>&mdash;in fact, I do not know of any other
+individual in Eastern Asia that is such a worthy rival of the Italian
+macaroni-eater. The coolie will work hard when hungry, and he will do his
+work well, but the moment he is paid off the chances are that, like his
+<i>confr&egrave;re</i> on the Gulf of Naples, he will at once go and drink a good
+part of what he has received; then, in a state of intoxication, he will
+gamble the next half; and after that he will go to sleep for twenty-four
+hours on a stretch, and remain the next twelve squatting on the ground,
+basking in the sun by the side of his carrying-machine, pondering, still
+half asleep, on his foolishness, and seeking for fresh orders from
+passers-by who may require the services of a human beast of burden. Then
+you may see them in a row near the road-side drinking huts, either
+smoking their pipes, which are nearly three feet in length, or if not in
+the act of smoking, with the pipe stuck down their neck into the coat and
+down into the trousers, in immediate contact with the skin.</p>
+
+<p>Going along at a good pace I reached the half-way house, a
+characteristically Corean building, formerly used as an inn, and now
+being rented by a Japanese. Having entertained myself to tea and a few
+items of solid food, I proceeded on my pedestrian journey towards the
+capital. And now, as I gradually approached the river Han, more attention
+seemed to be <a name='Page_42'></a>given to the cultivation of the country. The staple product
+of cereals here is mainly buckwheat, beans and millet, a few rice-fields
+also being found nearer the water-side. Finally, having arrived at the
+river-side, after shouting for half an hour to the ferry boatman to come
+and pick me up, I in due course landed on the other side. The river Han
+makes a most wonderful detour between its estuary and this point. As the
+river was left behind, more habitations in the shape of miserable and
+filthy mud-huts, with thatched roofs, became visible; shops of eatables
+and native low drinking places following one another in continuation; and
+crowds of ponies, people, and oxen showed that the capital was now being
+fast neared; and sure enough, after winding along the dirty, narrow road,
+lined by the still dirtier mud huts for nearly the whole of the distance
+between Mafu, the place where the Han river was ferried, and here, a
+distance of about three miles, I found myself at last in front of the
+West Gate of the walled city of Seoul.</p>
+
+<p>I could hear quite plainly in the distance, from the centre of the town,
+the slow sound of a bell; and men, women and children, on foot or riding,
+were scrambling through the gate in both directions. As I stopped for a
+moment to gaze upon the excited crowd, it suddenly flashed across my mind
+that I had been told at Chemulpo, that to the mournful sound of what is
+called the &quot;Big bell&quot; the heavy wooden gates lined with iron bars were
+closed, and that no one was thereafter allowed to enter or go out of the
+town. The sun was just casting his last glorious rays on the horizon, and
+the excitement grew greater as the strokes of the bell became <a name='Page_43'></a>fainter
+and fainter, and with the mad crowd of men and beasts mixed together upon
+it, the road might be compared with the tide entering the mouth of a
+running river. I threw myself into the thick of the in-going flow, and
+with my feet trampled upon by passing ponies; now knocking against a
+human being, now face to face with a bull, I finally managed to get
+inside. Well do I remember the hoarse voices of the gate-keepers, as they
+shouted out that time was up, and hurried the weary travellers within the
+precincts of the royal city; well also do I recollect, as I stood
+watching their doings from the inside, how they pushed back and
+ill-treated, with words and kicks, the last people who passed through,
+and then, out of patience, revolved the heavy gates on their huge and
+rusty hinges, finally closing the city until sunrise next day. Shouts of
+people, just too late, on the other side, begging to be let in, remained
+unacknowledged, and the enormous padlocks and bolts having been
+thoroughly fastened, Seoul was severed from the outer world till the
+following morning. Adjoining the gate stood the gatekeeper's house, and
+in front of the door of this, a rack with a few rusty and obsolete spears
+standing in a row, was left to take care of the town and its inhabitants,
+while the guardians, having finished the work of the day, retreated to
+the warm room inside to resume the game or gambling which the setting sun
+had interrupted, and which had occupied their day. With the setting of
+the sun every noise ceased. Every good citizen retired to his home, and
+I, too, therefore, deemed it advisable to follow suit.</p>
+
+<p>There are no hotels in Seoul, with the exception of <a name='Page_44'></a>the very dirty
+Corean inns; but I was fortunate enough to meet at Chemulpo a Russian
+gentleman who, with his family, lived in Seoul, where he was employed as
+architect to His Majesty the King of Corea, and he most politely invited
+me to stay at his house for a few days; and it is to his kind
+hospitality, therefore, that I owe the fact that my first few nights at
+Seoul were spent comfortably and my days were well employed, my
+peregrinations round the town being also conducted under his guidance.</p>
+
+
+
+<hr class="full" />
+<a name='CHAPTER_IV'></a><h2><a name='Page_45'></a>CHAPTER IV</h2>
+
+<div class='Ptoc'>The Coreans&mdash;Their faces and heads&mdash;Bachelors&mdash;Married
+men&mdash;Head-band&mdash;Hats&mdash;Hat-umbrellas&mdash;Clothes&mdash;Spectacles.</div>
+<br />
+
+<p>Being now settled for the time being in Seoul, I must introduce you to
+the Corean, not as a nation, you must understand, but as an individual.
+It is a prevalent idea that the Coreans are Chinese, and therefore
+exactly like them in physique and appearance, and, if not like the
+Chinese, that they must be like their neighbours on the other side&mdash;the
+Japanese. As a matter of fact, they are like neither. Naturally the
+continuous incursions of both Chinese and Japanese into this country have
+left distinct traces of their passage on the general appearance of the
+people; and, of course, the distinction which I shall endeavour to make
+is not so marked as that between whites and blacks, for the Coreans,
+speaking generally, do bear a certain resemblance to the other peoples of
+Mongolian origin. Though belonging to this family, however, they form a
+perfectly distinct branch of it. Not only that, but when you notice a
+crowd of Coreans you will be amazed to see among them people almost as
+white and with features closely approaching the Aryan, these being the
+higher classes in the kingdom. The more common type is the yellow-skinned
+face, with slanting eyes, high <a name='Page_46'></a>cheek-bones, and thick, hanging lips.
+But, again, you will observe faces much resembling the Thibetans and
+Hindoos, and if you carry your observations still further you will find
+all over the kingdom, mostly among the coolie classes, men as black as
+Africans, or like the people of Asia Minor.</p>
+
+<p>For any one interested in types and crosses, I really do not know of a
+country more interesting than Cho-sen. It seems as if specimens of almost
+every race populating Asia had reached and remained in the small
+peninsula, which fact would to some degree disprove the theory that all
+migrations have moved from the east towards the west and from north to
+south, and never <i>vice vers&acirc;</i>.</p>
+
+<p>If you take the royal family of Corea, for instance, you will find that
+the king and queen, and all the royal princes, especially on the queen's
+side (the Min family), are as white as any Caucasian, and that their eyes
+are hardly slanting at all, and in some cases are quite as straight as
+ours. Members of some of the nobler families also might be taken for
+Europeans. Of course the middle classes are of the Mongolian type, though
+somewhat more refined and stronger built than the usual specimens of
+either Chinese or Japanese; they are, however, not quite so wiry and tall
+as their northern neighbours the Manchus, with whom, nevertheless, they
+have many points in common. The large invasions, as we have seen, of the
+Ko-korais and Fuyus may account for this.</p>
+
+<p>Taken altogether, the Corean is a fine-looking fellow; his face is
+oval-shaped, and generally long when seen full face, but it is slightly
+concave in profile, the nose <a name='Page_47'></a>being somewhat flat at the bridge between
+the eyes, and possessing wide nostrils. The chin is generally small,
+narrow and receding, while the lips, usually the weaker part in the
+Corean face, are as a rule heavy, the upper lip turned up and showing the
+teeth, while the lower one hangs pitifully downwards, denoting,
+therefore, little or no strength of character.</p>
+<p class="ctr"><a href="./images/7.jpg"><img src="./images/7_th.jpg"
+alt="A BACHELOR"></a></p><p class="ctr">A BACHELOR</p>
+<p>They possess good teeth and these are beautifully white, which is a
+blessing for people like them who continually show them. The
+almond-shaped, jet-black eyes, veiled by that curious weird look peculiar
+to Eastern eyes, is probably the redeeming part of their face, and in
+them is depicted good-nature, pride and softness of heart. In many cases
+one sees a shrewd, quick eye, but it is generally an exception among
+<a name='Page_48'></a>this type, while among the lower classes, the black ones, it is almost a
+chief characteristic. The cheek-bones are prominent. The hair is scanty
+on the cheeks, chin, and over and under the lips, but quite luxuriant on
+the head. There is a very curious custom in Corea as to how you should
+wear your hair, and a great deal of importance is attached to the custom.
+If by chance you are a bachelor&mdash;and if you are, you must put up with
+being looked down upon by everybody in Corea&mdash;you have to let your hair
+grow long, part it carefully in the middle of your skull, and have it
+made up into a thick tress at the back of your head, which arrangement
+marks you out as a single man and an object of sport, for in the Land of
+the Morning Calm it seems that you can only be a bachelor under the two
+very circumstances under which we, in our land of all-day restlessness,
+generally marry, viz., if you are a fool and if you have not a penny to
+live upon! When thus unhappily placed you rank, according to Corean
+ideas, as a child, no matter what your age is, and you dress as a child,
+being even allowed to wear coloured coats when the country is in
+mourning, as it was, when I visited it, for the death of the
+dowager-Queen Regent, and everybody is compelled to wear white, an order
+that if not quickly obeyed by a married man means probably to him the
+loss of his head. Thus, though looked down upon as outcasts and wretches,
+bachelors none the less do enjoy some privileges out there. Here is yet
+another one. They never wear a hat; another exemption to be taken into
+consideration when you will see, a little further on, what a Corean hat
+is like.</p><a name='Page_49'></a>
+
+<p class="ctr"><a href="./images/8.jpg"><img src="./images/8_th.jpg"
+alt="THE &quot;TOP-KNOT&quot; OF THE MARRIED MEN"></a></p><p class="ctr">THE &quot;TOP-KNOT&quot; OF THE MARRIED MEN</p>
+
+<p>Married men, on the other hand&mdash;and ninety-nine per hundred are married
+in Cho-sen&mdash;wear their hair done up in a most wonderful fashion. It is
+not as long as that of bachelors, for it is cut. It is combed, with the
+head down, in the orthodox fashion, as women do, I suppose, when they
+comb it by themselves, and then passing the left hand under it, along the
+forehead, it is caught close to the head just about the middle of the
+skull. This being satisfactorily done, what remains of the hair above the
+hand is twisted round into the shape and size of a sausage, which then
+remains sticking up perpendicularly on the top of the head, and which, in
+the natural order of things, goes by the sensible name of top-knot.
+Occasionally a little silver or metal bead is attached to the top of the
+knot, and a small tortoiseshell ornament fastened to the hair just over
+the forehead. This completes the married man's hair-dressing, <a name='Page_50'></a>with which
+he is always most careful, and I must say that the black straight hair
+thus arranged does set off the head very well. The illustration shows the
+profile of a married man of the coolie class, who, of course, wears the
+hair dressed just like the others, it being a national custom; only the
+richer and smarter people, of course, wear it more tidily, and, probably,
+not quite so artistically. Besides, the better class of people are not
+content with the process of beautifying themselves which I have just
+described, but surround the forehead, temples and back of the head with a
+head-band, a curious arrangement made of woven black horse-hair, which
+keeps the real hair tight under it, and not only prevents it from being
+blown about, but forms a more solid basis for the wonderful hats they
+wear. The nobler classes, upon whom the king has bestowed decorations in
+the shape of jade, gold or silver buttons, according to the amount of
+honour he has meant to accord them, wear these decorations, of all
+places, behind the ears, and fastened tight to the head-band.</p>
+
+<p>Thus much on the subject of the Corean's head. I shall spare you, my dear
+readers, the description of his body, for it is just like any other body,
+more or less well made, with the exception that it is invariably
+unwashed. Instead, I shall proceed to inspect with you his wardrobe and
+his clothing, which may be to you, I hope, much more interesting. To do
+this, let us walk along the main street of the town, where the traffic is
+generally great, and examine the people who go by. Here is a well-to-do
+man, probably a merchant. Two features at once strike you: his hat, the
+<i>kat-si</i>, and <a name='Page_51'></a>his shoes; and then, his funny white padded clothes. But
+let us examine him carefully in detail. It is a little difficult to
+decide at which end one should begin to describe him, but I imagine that
+it is the customary thing to begin with the head, and so, coming close to
+him, let us note how curiously his hat is made. It is just like a
+Welshwoman's hat in shape, or, in other words, like a flowerpot placed on
+a flat dish, as seen in the illustration; but the extraordinary thing
+about the Corean hat is that it is quite transparent, and has none of the
+virtues that, according to our ideas, a hat ought to possess. It is a
+wonderful work of art, for it is made of horse-hair, or, more commonly,
+of split bamboo so finely cut in threads as to resemble white horse-hair,
+and then woven into a fine net in the shape described. A thin bamboo
+frame keeps it well together, and gives to it a certain solidity, but
+though varnished over, it protects one's head from neither sun, wind, nor
+rain. It is considered a rude thing in Corea to take one's hat off, even
+in the house, and therefore the <i>kat-si</i>, not requiring instant removal
+or putting on, is provided with two hooks at the sides of the central
+cone, to each of which a white ribbon is attached, to be tied under the
+chin when the hat is worn, the latter resting, not on the hair itself,
+but on the head-band. This shape of hat is never worn without the
+head-band.</p>
+
+<p>The hat just described is that most commonly worn in the Land of the
+Morning Calm, and that which one sees on the generality of people. But
+there! look at that man passing along leading a bull&mdash;he has a hat large
+enough to protect a whole family. It is like a <a name='Page_52'></a>huge pyramid made of
+basket-work of split bamboo or plaited reeds or rushes, and it covers him
+almost half way down to his waist. Well, that poor man is in private
+mourning for the death of a relation, and he covers his face thus to show
+his grief.</p>
+
+<p class="ctr"><a href="./images/9.jpg"><img src="./images/9_th.jpg"
+alt="THE HEAD-BAND AND TRANSPARENT HAT"></a></p><p class="ctr">THE HEAD-BAND AND TRANSPARENT HAT</p>
+
+<p>Here, again, comes another individual with a transparent hat like the
+first, only worn over a big hood open at the top over the head and
+falling rounded over the shoulders, thus protecting the ears from the
+severe cold. This is lined with fur, with which it is also trimmed, and
+looks quite furry and warm, if not exactly becoming. Ah! but here is
+something even more curious in the shape of head-gear. It is just
+beginning to snow, and, one after the other, our transparent <i>kat-sis</i>
+are undergoing a transformation. I daresay, as we stand watching the
+people go by, it will be noticed that nearly each one who has a
+transparent hat, also wears in his girdle round his waist a triangular
+object made <a name='Page_53'></a>of yellow oil-paper which resembles a fan. Well, now, you
+will see what it is. An oldish man turns up his nose to scrutinise the
+intentions of the weather-clerk, and, apparently little satisfied at the
+aspect of the threatening clouds, stops, and unsheathing his fan-like
+object from his belt, opens it, when it is seen to become like a small
+umbrella without the stick and handle, about two and a half feet only in
+diameter, which, by means of a string, he fastens over his brand new hat.
+When thus used, it takes the shape of a cone, except, of course, that
+there will be a multitude of folds in it. It is called <i>kat-no</i>. The idea
+is not at all bad, is it? for here you have an umbrella without the
+trouble of tiring your arms in carrying it.</p>
+
+<p>One cannot help being considerably puzzled by the differences in the
+various classes and conditions of the men. To all appearance, the
+generality of men seem here dressed alike, with this difference, that
+some are dirtier than others; occasionally one has an extra garment, but
+that is all. Yes, there is, indeed, difficulty at first in knowing who
+and what any one is, but with a little trouble and practice the
+difficulty is soon overcome. In the main the clothes worn by the men are
+the same, only a great difference is to be found in the way these
+garments are cut and sewn, just as we can distinguish in a moment the cut
+of a Bond Street tailor from that of a suburban one. In Corea, the
+tailor, as a rule, is one's wife, for she is the person entrusted with
+the cares of cutting, sewing, and padding up her better-half's attire. No
+wonder, then, that nine-tenths of the top-knotted consorts look regular
+bags as they walk about. The national costume itself, <a name='Page_54'></a>it must be
+confessed, does rather tend to deform the appearance of the human body,
+which it is supposed to adorn. First, there is a huge pair of cotton
+trousers, through each leg of which one can pass the whole of one's body
+easily, and these trousers are padded all over with cotton wool, no
+underclothing being worn. When these are put on, they reach from the chin
+to the feet, on to which they fall in ample and graceful folds, and you
+don them by holding them up with your teeth, and fastening them anywhere
+near and round your waist with a pretty, long silk ribbon with tassels,
+which is generally let hang down artistically over the right side. When
+this has been successfully accomplished, the extra length of trousers is
+rolled up so as to prevent the &quot;unmentionables&quot; from being left behind as
+you walk away, and a short coat, tight at the shoulders and in the shape
+of a bell, with short but wide sleeves, is put on to cover the upper part
+of the body. This coat also, like the trousers, is padded, and reaches
+almost to the haunches. It overlaps on the right hand side, two long
+ribbons being tied there into a pretty single-winged knot and the two
+ends left hanging. In winter time, the forearm, which in summer remains
+bare, is protected by a separate short muff, or sleeve, through which the
+hand is passed, and which reaches just over the elbow.</p>
+
+<p>Then come the padded socks, in which the huge trousers are tucked, and
+which are fastened round the ankle with a ribbon. And, lastly, now we
+come to the shoes. Those used by the better classes are made of hide, and
+have either leather soles with nails underneath, or else wooden soles
+like the Chinese ones with <a name='Page_55'></a>the turned-up toes. The real Corean shoe,
+however, as used every day for walking and not for show, is truly a
+peculiar one. The principal peculiarity about it is that it is made of
+paper; which sounds like a lie, though indeed it is not. Another
+extraordinary thing is that you can really walk in them. If you do not
+believe it, all you have to do is to take the first steamer to Corea and
+you can easily convince yourself of the fact. The greater part of the
+population wears them, and the <i>Mapus</i> especially walk enormous distances
+in them. They are scarcely real shoes, however, and one should, perhaps,
+classify them rather as a cross between a shoe and a sandal, for that is
+just what they are. The toes are protected by numberless little strings
+of curled untearable paper, which, when webbed, make the sole, heel, and
+back of the sandal, and this is joined to the point of the shoe by a
+stouter cord going right round, which is also made of the same kind of
+twisted paper. This cord can be fastened tighter or looser to suit the
+convenience of the wearer of the sandal-shoe.</p>
+
+<p>The Corean is an unfortunate being. He has no pockets. If his hands are
+cold he must warm them by sticking them down his belt into his trousers,
+and if he be in company with people, he can generate a certain amount of
+heat by putting each into the other arm's sleeve. As for the money,
+tobacco, &amp;c, that he wants to carry, he is compelled to provide himself
+with little silk bags, which he attaches to his waist-band or to the
+ribbon of his coat. These bags are generally of orange colour or blue,
+and they relieve a little the monotony of the everlasting white dresses.</p>
+
+<p>The clothing, so far as I have described it, is, with <a name='Page_56'></a>the exception of
+the shoes, that which is worn habitually in the house by the better
+classes of the people; the officials, however, wear a horse-hair high cap
+resembling a papal tiara on the head, instead of the other form of hat.
+Indoors, the shoes are not worn, the custom of Japan being prevalent,
+namely, to leave them at the door as one mounts the first step into the
+room. The middle lower classes and peasantry are seldom found parading
+the streets with anything besides what I have described, with the
+exception of the long pipe which they, like the <i>Mapu</i> or the coolies,
+keep down the back of the neck when not using it. Merchants, policemen,
+and private gentlemen are arrayed, in winter especially, in a long cotton
+or silk gown similarly padded, an overall which reaches below the knees,
+and some, especially those in the Government employ, or in some official
+position, wear either without this or over this an additional sleeveless
+garment made of four long strips of cotton or silk, two in front and two
+at the back, according to the grade, almost touching the feet and divided
+both in front and at the back as far up as the waist, round which a
+ribbon is tied. This, then, is the everyday wardrobe of a Corean of any
+class. You may add, if you please, a few miscellaneous articles such as
+gaiters and extra bags, but never have I seen any man of Cho-sen walk
+about with more habiliments than these, although I have many times seen
+people who had a great deal less. The clothes are of cotton or silk
+according to the grade and riches of the wearer. Buttons are a useless
+luxury in Cho-sen, for neither men nor women recognise their utility; on
+the contrary, the natives display much amusement and chaff at the <a name='Page_57'></a>stupid
+foreign barbarian who goes and cuts any number of buttonholes in the
+finest clothing, which, in their idea, is an incomprehensible mistake and
+shows want of appreciation.</p>
+
+<p>Their method of managing things by means of loops and ribbons, has an
+effect which is not without its picturesqueness, perhaps more so than is
+our system of &quot;keeping things together&quot; in clothing matters. After all it
+is only a matter of opinion. The inhabitants of the land of Cho-sen, from
+my experience, are not much given to washing and still less to bathing. I
+have seen them wash their hands fairly often, and the face occasionally;
+only the very select people of Corea wash it daily. One would think that,
+with such a very scanty and irregular use of water for the purpose of
+cleanliness, they should look extremely dirty; but not a bit. It was
+always to me irritating to the last degree to see how clean those dirty
+people looked!</p>
+
+<p>But let us notice one or two more of the people that are passing by. It
+is now snowing hard, and every one carries his own umbrella on his head.
+Boys do not wear hats, and are provided with a large umbrella with a
+bamboo-frame that fits the head, as also are the bachelors. Here comes
+one of the latter class. His face is a finely cut one, and with his hair
+parted in the middle, and the big tress hanging down his back, he has
+indeed more the appearance of a woman than that of a man; hence the
+mistake often made by hasty travellers in putting down these bachelors as
+women, is easy to understand. When one is seen for the first time, it is
+really difficult to say to which sex he belongs, so effeminate does he
+look.</p><a name='Page_58'></a>
+
+<p>It is part of the ambition of the male Corean to look wise, no matter
+whether he is or not as a matter of fact. And to assume the coveted air
+of wisdom what more is necessary than to put on a huge pair of round
+spectacles of Chinese origin with smoked glasses enclosed in a frame of
+gold or tortoiseshell, and with clasps over the ears? Oh how wise he
+looks! He does indeed! And you should see his pomposity as he rides his
+humble donkey through the streets of Seoul. There he sits like a statue,
+supported by his servants, looking neither to one side nor to the other,
+lest he should lose his dignity.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Era, Era, Era!&quot; (&quot;Make way, Make way!&quot;) cry out the servants as he
+passes among the crowd, which is invariably respectful and ready to obey
+this hero who looks down upon them. The lesser the official, of course
+the greater the air, and you should see how the people who stand in the
+way are knocked to one side by his servants, should they not be quick
+enough to make room for the dignitary and his donkey. His long gown is
+carefully arranged on the sides and behind, covering the saddle and
+donkey's back in large folds; for most things in Corea, as in other parts
+of the world, are done for the sake of appearance. What a dreadful thing
+it would be, were he to ride about with his gown crumpled up under his
+seat! It would be the cause of lifelong unhappiness, remorse and shame,
+and no doubt cost his servants a sound flogging for their unpardonable
+carelessness.</p>
+
+
+
+<hr class="full" />
+<a name='CHAPTER_V'></a><h2><a name='Page_59'></a>CHAPTER V</h2>
+
+<div class='Ptoc'>The Woman of Cho-sen&mdash;Her clothes&mdash;Her ways&mdash;Her looks&mdash;Her
+privileges&mdash;Her duties&mdash;Her temper&mdash;Difference of classes&mdash;Feminine
+musicians.</div>
+<br />
+
+<p>It will now be proper, I think, since I have given you a rough sketch of
+the man of Cho-sen and his clothes, to describe in a general way to you
+the weaker sex&mdash;not an easy task&mdash;and what they wear&mdash;a much more
+difficult task still,&mdash;for I have not the good fortune to be conversant
+with the intricacies of feminine habiliments, and therefore hope to be
+excused if, in dealing with this part of my subject, I do not always use
+the proper terms applicable to the different parts that compose it.
+Relying, then, upon my readers' indulgence in this respect, I shall
+attempt to give an idea of what a Corean female is like. It has always
+been a feature in my sceptical nature to think that the more one sees of
+women the less one knows them; according to which principle, I should
+know Corean women very well, for one sees but little of them. Be that as
+it may, however, I shall proceed to give my impressions of them.</p>
+
+<p>As is pretty generally known, the women of Cho-sen, with the exception of
+the lower classes, are kept in seclusion. They are seldom allowed to go
+out, and when they <a name='Page_60'></a>do they cover their faces with white or green hoods,
+very similar in shape to those worn by the women at Malta. They appear,
+or pretend to be, shy of men, and foreigners in particular, and generally
+hide when one is approaching, especially if in a solitary street. I
+remember how astonished I was the first few days I was in Seoul, at the
+fact that every woman I came across in the streets was just on the point
+of opening a door and entering a house. It seemed so strange to me that
+damsel after damsel whom I met should just be reaching home as I was
+passing, that I began to think that I was either dreaming, or that every
+house belonged to every woman in the town. The idea suddenly dawned upon
+me that it was only a trick on their part to evade being seen, and on
+further inquiry into the matter from a Corean friend, I discovered that a
+woman has a right to open and enter any door of a Corean house when she
+sees a foreign man appearing on the horizon, as the reputation of the
+masculine &quot;foreign devil&quot; is still far from having reached a high
+standard of morality in the minds of the gentler sex of Cho-sen. In the
+main street and big thoroughfares, where at all times there are crowds of
+people, there is more chance of approaching them without this running
+away, for in Corea, as elsewhere, great reliance is placed on the saying
+that there is safety in numbers. So it was mainly here that I made my
+first studies of the retiring ways and quaint costumes of the Corean
+damsel.</p>
+
+<p>Yes, the costume really is quaint, and well it deserves to be described.
+They wear huge padded trousers, similar to those of the men, their socks
+also being <a name='Page_61'></a>padded with cotton wool. The latter are fastened tightly
+round the ankles to the trousers by means of a ribbon. You must not
+think, however, that the dame of Cho-sen walks about the streets attired
+in this manly garment, for over these trousers she wears a shortish skirt
+tied very high over the waist. Both trousers and skirt are generally
+white, and of silk or cotton according to the grade, position in life,
+and extravagance of those who wear them.</p>
+<p class="ctr"><a href="./images/10.jpg"><img src="./images/10_th.jpg"
+alt="A COREAN BEAUTY"></a></p><p class="ctr">A COREAN BEAUTY</p>
+<p>A tiny jacket, usually white, red, or green, completes the wardrobe of
+most Corean women; one peculiarity of which is that it is so short that
+both breasts are left uncovered, which is a curious and most unpractical
+fashion, the climate of Corea, as we have already seen, being exceedingly
+cold&mdash;much colder than Russia or even Canada. The hair, of which the
+women have no very great abundance, is very simply made up, plastered
+down flat with some sort of stenching oil, <a name='Page_62'></a>parted in the middle, and
+tied into a knot at the back of the head, pretty much in the same way as
+clergymen's wives ordinarily wear it. A heavy-looking silver or metal
+pin, or sometimes two, may also be found inserted in this knot as an
+ornament. I have often seen young girls and old women wear a curious fur
+cap, especially in winter, but this cannot be said to be in general use.
+It is in the shape of the section of a cone, the upper part of which is
+covered with silk, while the lower half is ornamented with fur and two
+long silk ribbons which hang at the back and nearly reach the ground when
+the cap is worn. The upper part of this cap, curiously enough, is open,
+and on either side of the hole thus formed there are two silk tassels,
+generally red or black in colour. When smartly worn, this cap is quite
+becoming, but unfortunately, whether this be worn or not, the modest
+maiden of Cho-sen covers her head and face with a long green sort of an
+overall coat which she uses as a <i>mantilla</i> or hood, throwing it over the
+head and keeping it closed over the face with the left hand.</p>
+
+<p>It must not on this account be imagined that there are not in Cho-sen
+women as coquettish as anywhere else, for, indeed, the prettier ones,
+either pretending that the wind blows back the hood, or that the hand
+that holds it over the face has slipped, or using some other excuse of
+the kind with which a woman is always so well provided, take every
+opportunity of showing you how pretty they are and of admiring them,
+particularly when they get to know who you are, where you hail from, and
+who your Corean friends are. The ugly ones, of course, are always those
+who make the most <a name='Page_63'></a>fuss, and should you see a woman in the street hide
+her face so that you cannot see it at all, you may be very sure that her
+countenance is not worth looking at, and that she herself is perfectly
+conscious of Nature's unkindness to her.</p>
+
+<p>As for several months I was seen day after day sketching in the streets,
+the people got to know me well, and since the Coreans themselves are very
+fond of art, although they are not very artistic themselves, I made
+numerous friends among them, and even, I might say, became popular.</p>
+
+<p>Vanity is a ruling characteristic of all people, and acting on this
+little weakness I was able to see more of the Corean damsel than most
+casual travellers.</p>
+
+<p>We find, it is true, <i>pros</i> and <i>cons</i> when we come to analyse her
+charms, but taking the average maid, she cannot be said to be worse in
+Corea than she is in other countries. She can be pretty and she can be
+ugly. When she is pretty, she is as pretty as they make them, and when
+she is the other way she is as ugly as sin, if not even worse. But let us
+take a good-looking one. Look at her sad little oval face, with arched
+eyebrows and with jet black, almond-shaped eyes, softened by the long
+eyelashes. Her nose is straight, though it might to advantage be a little
+less flat, and she possesses a sweet little mouth, just showing two
+pretty teeth as white as snow. There seems to be so much dignity and
+repose about her movements when you first see her, that you almost take
+her for a small statue. Hardly will she condescend to turn her face round
+or raise it up to look at you and even less inclined does she seem to
+smile, such is her modesty; once her <a name='Page_64'></a>shyness has worn off, however, she
+improves wonderfully.</p>
+<p class="ctr"><a href="./images/11.jpg"><img src="./images/11_th.jpg"
+alt="A LADY AT HOME"></a></p><p class="ctr">A LADY AT HOME</p>
+<p>Her face brightens,
+and the soft, affectionate, distant look in her eyes is enough to mash
+into pulp the strongest of mankind. She is simple and natural, and in
+this chiefly lies her charm. She would not compare in beauty with a
+European woman, for she is neither so tall nor so well developed, but
+among women of far-Eastern nationality she, to my mind, takes the cake
+for actual beauty and refinement. The Japanese women of whom one hears so
+much, though more artistically clad, are not a patch on the Venuses of
+Cho-sen, and both in respect of lightness of complexion and the other
+above-named qualities they seemed to me to approach nearest to the
+standard of European feminine beauty. Their dress, as you may have judged
+by my rough description, is more quaint than graceful, and cannot be said
+<a name='Page_65'></a>to be at all becoming; nevertheless, when one's eyes have got accustomed
+to it, I have seen girls look quite pretty in it. I remember one in
+particular, a concubine of one of the king's ministers, whom I was
+fortunate enough to get to sit for me. She did not look at all bad in her
+long blue veil gown, much longer than the white one usually worn, which
+it covered, the white silk trousers just showing over the ankles, and a
+pretty pair of blue and white shoes fitting her tiny feet. She wore a
+little red jacket, of which she seemed very proud, and she smoked
+cigarettes and a pipe, though her age, I believe, was only seventeen.</p>
+
+<p>Women of the commoner classes can always be detected, not only by the
+coarser clothes they wear, but also by the way their hair is made up. Two
+long tresses are rolled up on the back of the head into a sort of turban,
+and though to my eye, innocent of the feminine tricks of hair-dressing,
+it looked all real and genuine, and a curious contrast to the infinitely
+less luxuriant growth of the better classes of women, I was told that a
+good deal of braids and &quot;stuffing&quot; was employed to swell their coiffures
+into the much-coveted fashionable size.</p>
+
+<p>One very strange custom in Corea is the privilege accorded to women to
+walk about the streets of the town at night after dark, while the men are
+confined to the house from about an hour after sunset and, until lately,
+were severely punished both with imprisonment and flogging, if found
+walking about the streets during &quot;women's hours.&quot; The gentler sex was and
+is therefore allowed to parade the streets, and go and pay calls on their
+parents and lady friends, until a very <a name='Page_66'></a>late hour of the night, without
+fear of being disturbed by the male portion of the community. Few,
+however, avail themselves of the privilege, for unfortunately in Corea
+there are many tigers and leopards, which, disregarding the early closing
+of the city gates, climb with great ease over the high wall and take
+nightly peregrinations over the town, eating up all the dogs which they
+find on their way and occasionally even human beings. Tigers have
+actually been known to rudely run their paws through the invulnerable
+paper windows of a mud house, drag out a struggling body roughly awoke
+from slumber, and devour the same peacefully in the middle of the street.</p>
+
+<p>Since then a <i>rencontre</i> with a hungry individual of this nature during a
+moonlight walk is sure to be somewhat unpleasant, it is not astonishing
+that it is but very, very rarely that at any hour of the night the
+Cho-sen damsel avails herself of the privilege accorded her. The woman,
+as I have already mentioned, is considered nothing in Corea. The only
+privilege she has, as we have just seen, is the chance of being torn to
+pieces and eaten up by a wild beast when she is out for a constitutional,
+and that we may safely say is not a privilege to be envied. The poor
+thing has no name, and when she is born she goes by the vague
+denomination of &quot;So-and-so's&quot; daughter. When there are several girls in
+the family, to avoid confusion, surnames are found convenient enough, but
+they are again lost the moment she marries, which, as we shall see in
+another chapter, often happens at a very early age. She then becomes
+&quot;So-and-so's&quot; wife. The woman in Corea has somewhat of a sad and dull
+life, for from <a name='Page_67'></a>the age of four or five she is separated even from her
+brothers and brought up in a separate portion of the house, and from that
+time ideas are pounded into her poor little head as to the disgrace of
+talking, or even being looked at by humans of a different gender. The
+higher classes, of course, suffer most from the enforcement of this
+strict etiquette, for in the very lowest grades of society the woman
+enjoys comparative freedom. She can talk to men as much as she pleases,
+and even goes out unveiled, being much too low a being to be taken any
+notice of; the upper classes, however, are very punctilious as to the
+observance of their severe rules. The Corean woman is a slave. She is
+used for pleasure and work. She can neither speak nor make any
+observations, and never is she allowed to see any man other than her
+husband. She has the right of the road in the streets, and the men are
+courteous to her. Not only do the men make room for her to pass, but even
+turn their faces aside so as not to gaze at her. There are numberless
+stories of a tragic character in Corean literature, of lovely maidens
+that have committed suicide, or have been murdered by their husbands,
+brothers, or fathers, only for having been seen by men, and even to the
+present day a husband would be considered quite justified in the eye of
+the law if he were to kill his wife for the great sin of having spoken to
+another man but himself! A widow of the upper class is not allowed to
+re-marry, and if she claims any pretence of having loved her late
+husband, she ought to try to follow him to the other world at the
+earliest convenience by committing the <i>jamun</i>, a simple performance by
+which the devoted wife is only expected to cut her <a name='Page_68'></a>throat or rip her
+body open with a sharp sword. They say that it is a mere nothing, when
+you know how to do it, but it always struck me, that practising a little
+game of that sort would not be an easy matter. For the sake of truth, I
+must confess that it was a husband who depreciated the worthy act. The
+lower people are infinitely more sensible. Though a woman of this class
+were to lose twenty husbands, she would never for a moment think of doing
+away with herself, but would soon enter into her twenty-first matrimonial
+alliance.</p>
+
+<p>Women, somehow or other, are scarce in Corea, and always in great demand.
+The coolies, and people of a similar or lower standing, cannot do without
+a female companion, for it is she who prepares the food, washes the
+clothes, and sews them up. She is beaten constantly, and very often she
+beats the man, for the Corean woman can have a temper at times. Jealousy
+<i>en plus</i> is one of her chief virtues. I have seen women in Seoul nearly
+tearing one another to pieces, and, O Lord! how masterly they are in the
+art of scratching. The men on such occasions stand round them,
+encouraging them to fight, the husbands enjoying the fun more than the
+other less interested spectators. The women of the lower classes seem to
+be in a constant state of excitement and anger. They are always insulting
+one another, calling each other names, or scolding and even ill-treating
+their own children. What is more extraordinary still to European ears, is
+that I once actually saw a wife stand up for her husband, and she did it
+in a way that I am not likely soon to forget.</p>
+
+<p>A soldier was peacefully walking along a narrow <a name='Page_69'></a>street, half of which
+was a sort of drain canal, the water of which was frozen over, when a man
+came out of a house and stopped him. The conversation became hot at once,
+and with my usual curiosity, the only virtue I have ever possessed, I
+stopped to see the result.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;You must pay me back the money I lent you,&quot; said the civilian in a very
+angry tone of voice.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;I have not got it,&quot; answered the military man, trying to get away.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Ah! you have not got it?&quot; screamed a third personage, a woman emerging
+from the doorway, and without further notice hit the soldier on the head
+with the heavy wooden mallet commonly used for beating clothes.</p>
+
+<p>The husband, encouraged by this unexpected reinforcement, boldly attacked
+the soldier, and, whilst they were occupied in wrestling and trying to
+knock each other down, the infuriated woman kept up a constant
+administration of blows, half at least of which, in her aimless hurry,
+were received by the companion of her life for whom she was fighting.
+Once she hit the poor man so hard&mdash;by mistake&mdash;that he fell down in a
+dead faint, upon which the soldier ran for his life, while she, jumping
+like a tiger at him, caught him by the throat, spinned him round like a
+top, and floored him, knocking him down on the ice. Then she pounced on
+him, with her eyes out of her head with anger, and giving way to her
+towering passion, pounded him on the head with her heels while she was
+hitting him on the back with her mallet.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;You have killed my husband, too, you scoundrel!&quot;<a name='Page_70'></a> she cried, while the
+defeated warrior was struggling hard, though in vain, to escape.</p>
+
+<p>As she was about to administer him a blow on the head that would have
+been enough to kill a bull, she fortunately slipped on the ice and went
+sprawling over her victim. The soldier, more dead than alive, had raised
+himself on his knees, when that demon in female attire rose again and
+embracing him most tenderly, bit his cheek so hard as to draw a regular
+stream of blood. I could stand it no longer, and proceeded on to the
+slippery ice to try to separate them, but hardly was I within reach than
+I was presented with a sound blow on my left knee from the mallet which
+she was still manipulating with alarming dexterity, by which I was at
+once placed <i>hors de combat</i> before I had time even to offer my services
+as a peace-maker. Not only that, but besides the numberless &quot;stars&quot; which
+she made me see, the pain which she caused me was so intense that,
+hopping along as best I could on to the street again, I deemed it prudent
+to let them fight out their own quarrel and go about my own business.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Never again as long as I live,&quot; I swore, when I was well out of sight,
+as I rubbed my poor knee, swollen up to the size of an egg, &quot;never shall
+I interfere in other people's quarrels. Who would have foreseen this? and
+from a woman, too!&quot;</p>
+
+<p>It is, indeed, easy to be a philosopher after the event, but it is
+strange how very often one gets into fearful rows and trouble without
+having had the slightest intention either to offend or to annoy the
+natives. Here is another little anecdote which I narrated some months ago
+in the <i>Fortnightly Review</i>, <a name='Page_71'></a>and which is a further proof of the violent
+temper of the women-folk, of the lower classes in Cho-sen. The Coreans in
+general, and the women in particular, are at times extremely
+superstitious, which partly accounts for the violent scene in question,
+which arose out of a mere nothing, and nearly resulted in a most serious
+case of wilful infanticide. This is how things stood.</p>
+
+<p>I was sketching one day outside the east gate of Seoul, and, as usual,
+was surrounded by a large crowd of natives, when a good-natured old man
+with a kindly face attracted my attention, as he lifted up in his arms a
+pretty little child, on whose head he had placed his horse-hair
+transparent hat, and asked me whether I would like to paint the little
+one so attired in my picture. I was tempted by the offer, and, having
+taken up a fresh panel, proceeded to dash off a sketch of my new model in
+his pretty red frock, his tiny padded socks, and his extra large hat, to
+the great amusement of the audience, who eagerly watched every stroke of
+my brush, and went into ecstasies as they saw the likeness come out more
+and more plainly. The Coreans, like the Japanese, are extremely quick at
+understanding pictures and drawings, and I was much gratified to notice
+the interest displayed by my <i>auditorium</i>, for never before had I seen a
+crowd so pleased with work of mine. My last experiences in the sketching
+line had been among the hairy savages of the Hokkaido, among whom art was
+far from being appreciated or even tolerated, and portrait-painting was
+somewhat of a risky performance; so that when I found myself lionised,
+instead of being under a shower of pelting stones and other missiles, it
+was only natural <a name='Page_72'></a>that I felt encouraged, and really turned out a pretty
+fair sketch so far as my capabilities went. &quot;Beautiful!&quot; said one; &quot;Very
+good!&quot; exclaimed another; &quot;Just life-like!&quot; said they all in a chorus as
+I lifted up the finished picture to show it to them, when&mdash;there was a
+sudden change of scene. A woman with staring eyes, and as pale as death,
+appeared on the door-step of a house close by, and holding her forehead
+with her hands, as if a great calamity was to befall her, made a step
+forward.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Where is my child?&quot; cried she in a voice of anger and despair.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Here he is,&quot; answered one of the crowd. &quot;The foreigner is painting a
+picture of him.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>There was a piercing yell, and the pale woman looked such daggers at me
+that I nearly dropped the sketch, brushes and palette out of my hands.
+Oh, it was such a look! Brrr! how I shivered. Then, with another yell,
+tenfold more piercing than the first, she made a dash into the crowd, and
+tried to snatch the child away. I have heard people say that I am
+sensitive, and I believe that I really was on that occasion, for I
+involuntarily shuddered as I saw at a glance what was coming. The crowd
+had got so interested in the picture that they would not hear of letting
+the child go; so the mother, scorned and pushed back, was unsuccessful in
+her daring attempt. Boldly, however, making a fresh attack, she dashed
+into the midst of them and managed to grasp the child by the head and one
+arm; which led to the most unfortunate part of the business, for the
+angry mother pulled with all her might in her efforts to drag her sweet
+one away, while the <a name='Page_73'></a>people on the other hand pulled him as hard as they
+could by the other arm and the legs, so that the poor screaming mite was
+nearly torn to pieces, and no remonstrances of mine had the least effect
+on this human yet very inhuman tug-of-war.</p>
+
+<p>Fortunately for the child, whose limbs had undergone a good stretching,
+the mother let go; but it was certainly not fortunate for the others,
+for, following the little ways that women have, even in Corea, she
+proceeded to scratch the faces of all within her reach, and I myself came
+within an inch of having my eyes scratched out of my head by this
+infuriated parent, when to my great relief she was dragged away. As she
+re-entered the door of her domicile, she shook her fist and thrust her
+tongue out at me, a worthy finish to this tragic-comic scene.</p>
+
+<p>I do not wish you to think, however, that all women are like that in
+Corea; for, indeed, they are not. In fact, the majority of them may be
+said to be good-mannered and even soft in nature, besides being painfully
+laborious. You should see the poor things on the coldest days and nights
+of winter, smashing the thick ice in the rivers and canals, and spending
+hour after hour with their fingers in the freezing water, washing the
+clothes of their lords and masters, who are probably peacefully and
+soundly asleep at home. You should see them with their short, wooden
+mallets, like small clubs, beating the dirt out of the wet cotton
+garments, soap being as yet an unknown luxury in the Corean household.
+The poorer women, who have no washing accommodation at home, have to
+repair to the streams, and, as the clothes have to be worn in the day,
+the <a name='Page_74'></a>work must be done at night. Sometimes, too, three or more join
+together and form washing parties, this, to a certain extent, relieving
+the monotony of the kneeling down on the cold stone, pounding the clothes
+until quite clean, and constantly having to break the ice that is
+continually reforming round their very wrists. The women who are somewhat
+better off do this at home, and if you were to take a walk through the
+streets of Seoul by night you soon get familiar with the quick tick,
+tick, tick, the time as regularly marked as that of a clock, heard from
+many houses, especially previous to some festivity or public procession,
+when everybody likes to turn out in his best. If a woman in our country
+were sent out to do the washing under similarly trying
+circumstances&mdash;and, mind, a suit of clothes takes no less than a couple
+of hours to wash properly&mdash;I have no doubt that she might be tempted to
+ask for a divorce from her husband for cruelty and ill-treatment; but the
+woman of Cho-sen thinks nothing of it, and as long as it pleases the man
+whom she must obey she does it willingly and without a word of complaint.
+In fact, I am almost of opinion that the Corean woman likes to be made a
+martyr, for, not unlike women of other more civilised countries, unless
+she suffers, she does not consider herself to be quite happy!</p>
+
+<p>It sounds funny and incongruous, but it really is so. While studying the
+women of Corea, a former idea got deeply rooted in my head, that there is
+nothing which will make a woman happier than the opportunity of showing
+with what resignation she is able to bear the weight and drudgery of her
+duty. If to that she can add complaint of ill-treatment, then her
+happiness is unbounded.<a name='Page_75'></a> The woman of Cho-sen gets, to my mind, less
+enjoyment out of life than probably any other woman in Asia. This life
+includes misery, silence, and even separation from her children&mdash;the male
+ones&mdash;after a certain age. What things could make a woman more unhappy?
+Still, she seems to bear up well under it all, and even to enjoy all this
+sadness, I suppose one always enjoys what one is accustomed to do,
+otherwise I do not see how the phenomenon is to be explained.</p>
+
+<p class="ctr"><a href="./images/12.jpg"><img src="./images/12_th.jpg"
+alt="A SINGER"></a></p><p class="ctr">A SINGER</p>
+
+<p>A few words must be added about that special class of women, the singers,
+who, as in Japan, are quite a distinct guild from the other women. A
+similar description to that of the <i>geishas</i> of Japan might apply to
+these gay and talented young ladies, who are much sought after by high
+officials and magistrates to enliven their dinner-parties with chanting
+and music. They are <a name='Page_76'></a>generally drawn from the very poorest classes, and
+good looks and a certain amount of wit and musical talent is what must be
+acquired to be a successful singer. They improvise or sing old national
+songs, which never fail to please the self-satisfied and well-fed
+official, and if well paid, they will even condescend to pour wine into
+their employer's cups and pass sweets to the guests. If beautiful and
+accomplished, the &quot;Corean artistes&quot; make a very good living out of their
+profession, large sums of money being paid for their services. But if at
+all favoured by Nature, they generally end by becoming the unofficial
+wives of some rich minister or official. These women chalk their faces
+and paint their lips; they wear dresses made of the most expensive silks,
+and, like people generally who have sprung from nothing and find
+themselves lodged among higher folks than themselves, they give
+themselves airs, and cultivate a sickening conceit. Among the Coreans,
+however, they command and receive much admiration, and many an intrigue
+and scandal has been carried out, sometimes at the cost of many heads,
+through the mercenary turn of mind of these feminine musicians.</p>
+
+<p>This music is to the average European ear more than diabolical, this
+being to a large extent due to the differences in the tones, semi-tones,
+and intervals of the scale, but personally, having got accustomed to
+their tunes, I rather like its weirdness and originality. When once it is
+understood it can be appreciated; but I must admit that the first time
+one hears a Corean concert, an inclination arises to murder the musicians
+and destroy their instruments. Of the latter they have many kinds,
+including string and brass, and <a name='Page_77'></a>drums, and cymbals, and other sorts of
+percussion instruments. The flutes probably are the weirdest of all their
+wind category, but the tone is pleasant and the airs played on them
+fascinating, although somewhat monotonous in the end, repetitions being
+continually effected. Then there is the harp with five strings, if I
+remember right, and the more complicated sort of lute with twenty-five
+strings, the <i>kossiul</i>; a large guitar, and a smaller one; the <i>kanyako</i>
+being also in frequent use. Most of these instruments are played by
+women; the flutes, however, are also played by men.</p>
+
+
+
+<hr class="full" />
+<a name='CHAPTER_VI'></a><h2><a name='Page_78'></a>CHAPTER VI</h2>
+
+<div class='Ptoc'>Corean children&mdash;The
+family&mdash;Clans&mdash;Spongers&mdash;Hospitality&mdash;Spinning-tops&mdash;Toys&mdash;Kite-flying&mdash;Games&mdash;How
+babies are sent to sleep.</div>
+<br />
+
+<p>One great feature of Cho-sen life are the children. One might almost say
+that in Cho-sen you very seldom see a boy, for boyhood is done away with,
+and from childhood you spring at once to the sedate existence of a
+married man. Astonishing as this may sound, it is nevertheless true. The
+free life of a child comes to an end generally when he is about eight or
+nine years of age. At ten he is a married man, but only, as we shall see
+later, nominally. For the present, however, we shall limit ourselves to a
+consideration of his bachelor days.</p>
+
+<p>It must be known that in Corea, just as here, boys are much more
+cherished than girls, and the elder of the boys is more cherished than
+his younger brothers, should there be more than one in a family,
+notwithstanding that the younger are better-looking, cleverer and more
+studious. When the father dies, the eldest son assumes the reins of the
+family, and his brothers look to him as they had before done to their
+father. He it is who inherits the family property and nearly all the
+money, though it is an understood rule <a name='Page_79'></a>that he is bound either to divide
+the inheritance share and share alike with the rest of the family, or
+else keep them as the father had done. Thus it is that Corean families
+are, for the most part kept together; one might almost say that the
+kingdom is divided into so many clans, each family with the various
+relations making, so to speak, one of them. </p>
+<p class="ctr"><a href="./images/13.jpg"><img src="./images/13_th.jpg"
+alt="COREAN MARRIED MAN, AGE 12"></a></p><p class="ctr">COREAN MARRIED MAN, AGE 12</p>
+<p>Family ties are much regarded in the Land of the Morning
+Calm, and great interest is taken by the distant relations in anything
+concerning the happiness and welfare of the family. What is more, if any
+member of the clan should find himself in pecuniary troubles, all the
+relations are expected to help him out of them, and what is even more
+marvellous still, they willingly do it, without a word of protest. The
+Corean is hospitable by nature, but with relations, of course, things go
+much further. The house <a name='Page_80'></a>belonging to one practically belongs to the
+other, and therefore it is not an uncommon occurrence for a &quot;dear
+relation&quot; to come to pay a visit of a few years' duration to some other
+relation who happens to be better off, without this latter, however vexed
+he may be at the expense and trouble caused by the prolonged stay of his
+visitor, even daring to politely expel him from his house; were he to do
+so, he would commit a breach of the strict rules of hospitality enjoined
+by Corean etiquette. Even perfect strangers occasionally go to settle in
+houses of rich people, where for months they are accommodated and fed
+until it should please them to remove their quarters to the house of some
+other rich man where better food and better accommodation might be
+expected. There is nothing that a Corean fears so much as that people
+should speak ill of him, and especially this is the bugbear under which
+the nobleman of Cho-sen is constantly labouring, and upon which these
+black-mailers and &quot;spongers&quot; work. High officials, whose heads rest on
+their shoulders, &quot;hung by a hair,&quot; like Damocles' sword, suffer very much
+at the hands of these marauders. Were they to refuse their hospitality it
+would bring upon them slander, scandal and libel from envenomed tongues,
+which things, in consequence of the scandalous intriguing which goes on
+at the Corean court, might eventually lead to their heads rolling on the
+ground, separated from the body&mdash;certainly not a pleasant sight. In
+justice to them, nevertheless, it must be acknowledged that these human
+leeches are occasionally possessed with a conscience, and after kindness
+has been shown them for many months they will generally <a name='Page_81'></a>depart in search
+of a new victim. Whence it would appear that the people of Cho-sen carry
+their hospitality to an extreme degree, and in fact it is so even with
+foreigners, for when visiting the houses of the poorest people I have
+always been offered food or drink, which you are invariably asked to
+share with them.</p>
+
+<p>But let us return to the Corean family. The mother, practically from the
+beginning, is a nobody in the household, and is looked upon as a piece of
+furniture or a beast of burden by the husband, according to his grade,
+and as an ornament to the household, but nothing more by her own sons.
+Her daughters, if she has any, regard her more as a friend or a
+companion, sharing the lonely hours and helping her with her work. The
+women never take part in any of the grand dinners and festivities in
+which their husbands revel, nor are they allowed to drink wine or
+intoxicants. They may, however, smoke.</p>
+
+<p>When the children get to a certain age, the males are parted from the
+females, and the first are constantly in the company of their father,
+while the latter, as we have seen, share the dull fate of the mother. The
+first thing a male child is taught is love, deep respect, and obedience
+to his governor, and in this he is, as a general rule, a paragon. If the
+father be ill, he will lie by his side day and night, nursing him, and
+giving him courage; and if any misfortune befalls him, the duty of a good
+son is to share it with his genitor.</p>
+
+<p>I cannot quite make up my mind on the point, whether the Corean child has
+a good time of it or not, and whether he is properly cared for, as there
+is much <a name='Page_82'></a>to be said on both sides of the question. Taken as a whole, the
+children of the noblemen and rich people, though strictly and even
+severely brought up, cannot, I think, be said to be ill-used; but the
+brats of the poorer people are often beaten in a merciless manner. I
+remember seeing a father furiously spanking a son of about five years
+old, who was pitifully crying so as to break one's heart, and as if that
+were not punishment enough, he shook him violently by his little
+pig-tail, and pounded him on the head with his knuckles, a performance
+that would have killed, or, at all events, rendered insensible nine
+children out of ten of other nationalities; but no, to my utter
+astonishment, the moment the father, tired of beating, retired into the
+house, the little mite, wiping his streaming tears with the backs of his
+hands and pulling himself together, quietly sat down on the ground, and
+began playing with the sand, as if nothing had happened!</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Well!&quot; I remember saying, as I stood perplexed, looking at the little
+hero, &quot;if that does not beat all I have seen before, I do not know what
+can!&quot;</p>
+
+<p>Yes, for hard heads and for insensibility to pain, I cannot recommend to
+you better persons than the Coreans. There are times when the Cho-sen
+children actually seem to enjoy themselves, as, for instance, during the
+month of January, when it is the fashion to have out their whipping- and
+spinning-tops. With his huge padded trousers and short coat, just like a
+miniature man, except that the colour of his coat is red or green, and
+with one or two tresses hanging down his back, tied with long silk
+ribbons, every child you come across is at this season furnished with a
+big top and a whip, <a name='Page_83'></a>with which he amuses himself and his friends,
+slashing away from morn till night, until, tired out by the exertion, he
+goes to rest his weary little bones by his father's side, still hanging
+on to the toys that have made his day so happy. The Corean child is quiet
+by nature. He is really a little man from the moment he is born, so far
+as his demeanour is concerned. He is seldom rowdy, even when in the
+company of other children, and, if anything, rather shy and reserved. He
+amuses himself with his toys in a quiet way, and his chief pleasure is to
+do what his father does. In this he is constantly encouraged, and those
+who can afford it, provide their boys with toys, representing on a
+smaller scale the objects, &amp;c., used in the everyday life of the man. He
+has a miniature bow-and-arrow, a wooden sword, and a somewhat realistic
+straw puppet, which he delights in beheading whenever he is tired of
+playing with it and shooting his arrows into it. He possesses a
+fishing-rod, and on windy days relishes a good run with the large paper
+pinwheels, a world-wide familiar toy in infantile circles. Naturally,
+too, musical instruments, as well as the national means of conveyance,
+such as palanquins and wheel-chairs, have not escaped the notice of the
+Corean toy-manufacturer, who, it must be said, imitates the different
+objects to perfection in every detail, while, of course, considerably
+reducing them in size. Other various articles of common use in the
+household are also often reproduced in a similar way. The games that the
+children seem to enjoy most, however, seem to be the out-of-door ones.
+Kite-flying is probably the most important. Indeed, it is almost reduced
+to an art in Corea, and not only do small <a name='Page_84'></a>children go in for it
+extensively, but even the men take an active part in this infantile
+amusement. The Corean kite differs from its Japanese or Chinese relative
+in that it is very small, being only about twenty inches long by fourteen
+wide. Besides, instead of being flat on the frame, the Cho-senese kite is
+arched, which feature is said by the natives to give it a much greater
+flying capacity.</p>
+
+<p>The string is wound round a framework of wood attached to a stick, which
+latter revolves in the hands or is stopped at the will of the person who
+flies the kite. It is generally during the north winds that the kites are
+flown, and it is indeed a curious thing during those days to watch
+regular competitions, fights, and battles being fought among these paper
+air-farers. As soon as the kite is raised from the ground and started in
+the orthodox way, the tactics used by the Corean boy in his favourite
+amusement become most interesting. He lets it go until it has well caught
+the wind, and by sudden jerks given to it in a funny way, knocking and
+clapping the thread-wheel on his left knee, he manages to send the kite
+up to a very great height. Hundreds and hundreds of yards of string are
+often used. When high enough, sailing gaily along among hundreds of other
+kites, it is made to begin warlike tactics and attack its nearest
+neighbour. Here it is that the Corean shows his greatest skill in
+manoeuvring his flying machine, for by pulls, jerks, and twists of the
+string he manages to make his kite rise or descend, attack its enemy or
+retreat according to his wish. Then as you break your neck watching them,
+you see the two small squares <a name='Page_85'></a>of paper, hundreds of yards above you in
+mid-air, getting closer to one another, advancing and retreating, as
+would two men fighting a duel; when, suddenly, one takes the offensive,
+charges the other, and by a clever <i>coup de main</i> makes a rent in it,
+thus dooming it to a precipitous fall to the earth. Thus victorious, it
+proudly proceeds to attack its next neighbour, which is immediately made
+to respond to the challenge; but this time kite number three, whose
+leader has profited by the end of kite number two, keeps lower down than
+his adversary, gets round him in a clever way, and when the strings meet,
+by a hard pull cuts that of kite number one, which, swinging slowly in
+the air, and now and then revolving round itself in the air, gently
+descends far away from its owner, and is quickly appropriated by some
+poor kiteless child, who perhaps has been in company with many fellows,
+watching and pining for hours for such a happy moment. Pieces of broken
+glass are often tied to the string at intervals, being of great help in
+cutting the adversary's cord.</p>
+
+<p>The people of Cho-sen seem to take as much interest in kite-flying as the
+Britisher does in racing. The well-grown people bet freely on the
+combatants, and it is not an uncommon thing for the excitement to reach
+such a pitch that the battle begun in mid-air terminates with sound blows
+in less a&euml;rial regions.</p>
+
+<p>It is quaint to see rows of children with their little red jackets,
+standing on the high walls of the city, spending hours in this favourite
+amusement. They have barely room to stand upon, as the wall is hardly
+more than a couple of feet wide, and it was always a <a name='Page_86'></a>surprise to me
+that, amid the constant jerking and pulling the young folks were never
+precipitated from their point of vantage to the foot, which in many
+places would be as much as thirty feet in height. I have watched them for
+hours in the expectation of seeing one of them have an accident, but
+unfortunately for me they never did!</p>
+
+<p>The little girls under ten years of age are exceedingly pretty. With the
+hair carefully parted in the middle and tied into two tresses at the
+back, a little green jacket and a long red skirt, they do indeed look
+quaint. You should see how well-behaved and sedate, too, they are. It is
+impossible to make one smile. You may give her sweets, a toy, or anything
+you please, but all you will hear is the faintest &quot;Kamapso,&quot; and away she
+runs to show the gift to her mother. She will seldom go into fits of
+merriment in your presence, but, of course, her delight cannot fail to be
+at times depicted in her beaming eyes. She is more unfortunate than her
+brother in the number of toys she receives, and though her treatment is
+not so very severe, she begins from her earliest years a life of drudgery
+and work. As soon as her little brain begins to command her tiny fingers,
+she is compelled to struggle with a needle and thread. When her fragile
+arms get stronger she helps her mother in beating the clothes, and from
+the moment she rises to the time she goes to rest, ideas as to her future
+servility, humility, and faithfulness to man are duly impressed upon her.</p>
+
+<p>As in Japan, so in Corea, a custom prevails of adopting male children by
+parents who have none of <a name='Page_87'></a>their own. The children adopted are generally
+those of poorer friends or of relations who chance to have some to spare.
+When the adoption is accomplished, with all the rules required by the law
+of the country, and with the approval of the king, the adopted son takes
+the place of a real son, and has a complete right of succession to his
+adoptive father in precedence to the adoptive mother and all the other
+relations of the defunct.</p>
+
+<p>The Corean boy begins to study when very young. If the son of a rich man,
+he has a private tutor; if not, he goes to school, where he is taught the
+letters of the Corean alphabet, and Chinese characters. All official
+correspondence in Corea is done with Chinese characters, and a lifetime,
+as everybody knows, is hardly enough to master these. The native Corean
+alphabet, however, is a most practical and easy way of representing
+sounds, and I am not sure but that in many ways it is even more practical
+than ours. I will give the reader the opportunity of judging of this for
+himself by-and-by (<i>see</i> chapter xiii.). Arithmetic is also pounded into
+the little heads of the Cho-sen mites by means of the sliding-bead
+addition-board, the &quot;chon-pan,&quot; a wonderful contrivance, also much used
+in Japan and China, and which is of invaluable help in quick calculation.
+The children are made to work very hard, and I was always told by the
+natives that they are generally very diligent and studious. A father was
+telling me one day that his son was most assiduous, but that he (the
+father) every now and then administered to him a good flogging.</p><a name='Page_88'></a>
+
+<p>&quot;But that is unfair,&quot; said I. &quot;Why do you do it?&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Because I wish my son to be a great man. I am pleased with his work, but
+I flog him to encourage(?) him to study better still!&quot;</p>
+
+<p>I felt jolly glad that I was never &quot;encouraged&quot; in this kind of way when
+I was at school.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;I have no doubt that if you flog him enough he will one day be so clever
+that no one on this earth will be able to appreciate him.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;You are right,&quot; said the old man, perceiving at once the sarcasm of my
+remark, &quot;you are right. I shall never beat my son again.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>The children of labourers generally attend night-schools, where they
+receive a sound education for very little money and sometimes even
+gratis.</p>
+
+<p>I am sure you will be interested to learn after what fashion children are
+named in the Land of the Morning Calm, as baptism with holy water is not
+yet customary. To tell you the truth, however, I am not quite certain how
+things are managed, and I rather doubt whether even the Coreans
+themselves know it. The only rule I was able to establish is that there
+was no rule at all, with the exception that all the males took the family
+name, to which followed (not preceded, as with us) one other name, and
+then the title or rank. Nicknames are extremely common, and there is
+hardly any one who not only has one, but actually goes by it instead of
+by his real name. Foreigners also are always called after some
+distinguishing mark either in the features or in the clothing. I went by
+the name of &quot;disguised Corean,&quot; for I was always mistaken for one,
+notwithstanding <a name='Page_89'></a>that I dressed in European clothes. I will not say that
+I was very proud of my new name.</p>
+
+<p>The Corean noblemen, during their many hours of <i>dolce far niente</i>, often
+indulge in games of chess, backgammon and checkers, and teach these games
+to their sons as part of a gentleman's accomplishments. Cards, besides
+being forbidden by order of the king, are considered vulgar and a low
+amusement only fit for the lowest people. The soldiers indulge much in
+card-playing and gambling with dice-throwing and other ways.</p>
+
+<p>But to return to the children of Cho-sen: do you know what is the system
+employed by the yellow-skinned women to send their babies to sleep?</p>
+
+<p>They scrape them gently on the stomach!</p>
+
+<p>The rowdiest baby is sent to sleep in no time by this simple process. I
+can speak from experience, for I once tried it on a baby&mdash;only a few
+months old&mdash;that I wanted to paint. He was restless, and anything but a
+good sitter. It was impossible to start work until he was quiet, so I
+decided to experiment on the juvenile model the &quot;scraping process&quot; that I
+had seen have its effect a day or two previously. At first the baby
+became ten times more lively than before, and looked at me as if it meant
+to say, &quot;What the devil are you doing?&quot; Then, as I went on scraping his
+little stomach for the best part of ten minutes, he became drowsy, was
+hardly able to keep his eyes open, and finally, thank Heaven, fell
+asleep!</p>
+
+<p>He was, indeed, he was so much so that I thought he was never going to
+wake up again.</p>
+
+
+<a name='Page_90'></a>
+
+<hr class="full" />
+<a name='CHAPTER_VII'></a><h2>CHAPTER VII</h2>
+
+<div class='Ptoc'>Corean inns&mdash;Seoul&mdash;A tour of
+observation&mdash;Beggars&mdash;Lepers&mdash;Philosophy&mdash;An old palace&mdash;A leopard
+hunt&mdash;Weather prophets&mdash;The main street&mdash;Sedan chairs&mdash;-The big
+bell&mdash;Crossing of the bridges&mdash;Monuments&mdash;Animal worship&mdash;The Gate of the
+Dead&mdash;A funeral&mdash;The Queen-dowager's telephone.</div>
+<br />
+
+<p class="ctr"><a href="./images/14.jpg"><img src="./images/14_th.jpg"
+alt="THE DRILLING GROUND, SEOUL"></a></p><p class="ctr">THE DRILLING GROUND, SEOUL</p>
+
+<p>During the time that I was in Seoul&mdash;and I was there several months&mdash;most
+of my time was spent out of doors, for I mixed as much as possible with
+the natives, that I might see and study their manners and customs. I was
+very fortunate in my quarters: for I first stayed at the house of a
+Russian gentleman, and after that in that of the German Consul, and to
+these kind friends I felt, and shall always feel, greatly indebted for
+the hospitality they showed me during the first few weeks that I was in
+the capital; but, above all, do I owe it to the Vice-Minister of Home
+Affairs in Corea, Mr. C.R. Greathouse, in whose house<a name='Page_91'></a> I stayed most of
+the time, that I saw Corea as I did see it, for he went to much trouble
+to make me comfortable, and did his best to enable me to see every phase
+of Corean life. For this, I need not say, I cannot be too grateful.</p>
+
+<p>The great difficulty travellers visiting the capital of Corea
+experience&mdash;I am speaking of four years ago&mdash;is to find a place to put up
+at, unless he has invitations to go and stay with friends. There are no
+hotels, and even no inns of any sort, with the exception of the very
+lowest <i>gargottes</i> for soldiers and coolies, the haunts of gamblers and
+robbers. If then you are without shelter for the night, you must simply
+knock at the door of the first respectable house you see, and on demand
+you will heartily be provided with a night's domicile and plentiful rice.
+This being so, there is little inducement to go to some filthy inn
+entirely lacking in comforts, and, above all, in personal safety.</p>
+
+<p>The Corean inns&mdash;and there are but few even of those&mdash;are patronised only
+by the scum of the worst people of the lowest class, and whenever there
+is a robbery, a fight, or a murder, you can be certain that it has taken
+place in one of those dens of vice. I have often spent hours in them
+myself to study the different types, mostly criminal, of which there are
+many specimens in these abodes. There it is that plots are made up to
+assassinate; it is within those walls that sinners of all sorts find
+refuge, and can keep well out of sight of the searching police.</p>
+
+<p>The attractions of Seoul, as a city, are few. Beyond the poverty of the
+buildings and the filth of the streets, I do not know of much else of any
+great interest to the <a name='Page_92'></a>casual globe-trotter, who, it must be said, very
+seldom thinks it advisable to venture as far as that. No, there is
+nothing beautiful to be seen in Seoul. If, however, you are on the
+look-out for quaintness and originality, no town will interest you more.
+Let us go for a walk round the town, and if your nose happens to be of a
+sensitive nature, do not forget to take a bottle of the strongest salts
+with you. We might start on our peregrinations from the West Gate, as we
+are already familiar with this point. We are on the principal
+thoroughfare of Seoul, which we can easily perceive by the amount of
+traffic on it as compared with the other narrower and deserted streets.
+The mud-houses on each side, as we descend towards the old royal palace,
+are miserable and dirty, the front rooms being used as shops, where
+eatables, such as rice, dried fruit, &amp;c, are sold. A small projecting
+thatched roof has been put up, sustained by posts, at nearly each of
+these, to protect its goods from sun and snow. Before going two hundred
+yards we come to a little stone bridge, about five feet wide, and with no
+parapet, over a sewer, in front of which is an open space like a small
+square. But look! Do you see that man squatting down there on a mat? Is
+he not picturesque with his long white flowing robe, his large pointed
+straw hat and his black face? As he lies there with outstretched hands,
+dried by the sun and snow, calling out for the mercy of the passers-by,
+he might almost be mistaken for an Arab. His face is as black as it could
+be, and he is blind. He is one of the personalities of Seoul, and rain or
+shine you always see him squatting on his little mat at the same spot in
+the same attitude.</p><a name='Page_93'></a>
+
+<p class="ctr"><a href="./images/15.jpg"><img src="./images/15_th.jpg"
+alt="THE BLIND BEGGAR: SEOUL"></a></p><p class="ctr">THE BLIND BEGGAR: SEOUL</p>
+
+<p>It is only seldom that beggars are to be seen in Cho-sen, for they are
+not allowed to prowl about except on certain special occasions, and
+festivities, when the streets are simply crammed with them. It is then
+that the most ghastly diseases, misfortunes, accidents, and deformities
+are made use of and displayed before you to extract from your pockets the
+modest sum of a <i>cash</i>. I cannot say that I am easily impressed by such
+sights, and far less horrified, for in my lifetime it has been my luck to
+see so many that I have got accustomed to them; but I must confess to
+being on one occasion really terrified at the sight of a Corean beggar. I
+was sketching not very far from this stone miniature bridge on which we
+are supposed to be still standing, when I perceived the most ghastly
+object coming towards me. It looked like a human being, and it did not;
+but it was. As he drew nearer, I could not help shivering. He was a
+walking skeleton, minus toes and fingers. He was almost naked, except
+that he had a few rags round his loins; and the skin that hardly covered
+his bones was <a name='Page_94'></a>a mass of sores. His head was so deformed and his eyes so
+sunken that a Peruvian mummy would have been an Adonis if compared with
+him. Nose he had none&mdash;<i>et &ccedil;a passe</i>&mdash;for in Seoul it is a blessing not
+to have one; and where his mouth should have been there was a huge gap,
+his lower jaw being altogether missing. A few locks of long hair in
+patches on his skull, blown by the wind, completed a worthy frame for
+this most unprepossessing head.</p>
+
+<p>Oh, what a hideous sight! He hopped along a step or two at a time on his
+bony legs and toeless feet, keeping his balance with a long crutch, which
+he held under his arm, and he had a sort of wooden cup attached by a
+string to his neck, into which people might throw their charities. &quot;He is
+a leper,&quot; a Corean, who stood by my side and had noticed the
+ever-increasing expression of horror on my face, informed me.</p>
+
+<p>The man, or rather the scarecrow, for he hardly had any more the
+resemblance to a human being, hearing the noise of the crowd that was
+round me, moved in my direction. He staggered and dragged himself till he
+got quite close, then bending his trembling head forward, made the utmost
+efforts to see, just as a bat does when taken out into the daylight. Poor
+fellow! he was also very nearly blind. His efforts to speak were painful
+beyond measure. A hoarse sound like the neighing of a pony was all that
+came out of his throat, and each time he did this, shrieks of laughter
+rose from the crowd, while comical jokes and sarcastic remarks were
+freely passed at the thinness of his legs, the condition of his skin, and
+the loss of the lower half of his face. Oh! it was shocking and
+revolting, though it <a name='Page_95'></a>must be said for them that the same people who
+chaffed him were also the first ones to fill his little pot with cash.</p>
+
+<p>Now, you must not think that I have told you this story to make your hair
+stand on end, for that is not my intention at all; but simply to prove to
+you the anomaly that a Corean is not really cruel when he is cruel, or
+rather when he appears to us to be cruel. This sounds, I believe, rather
+extraordinary to people who cannot be many-sided when analysing a
+question, but what I mean is this: It must not be forgotten that
+different people have different customs and different ways of thinking;
+therefore, what we put down as dreadful is often thought a great deal of
+in the Land of the Morning Calm.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Why not laugh at illnesses, death, and deformity?&quot; I once heard a Corean
+argue.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;It does not make people any better if you sympathise with them; on the
+contrary, by so doing you simply add pain to their pain, and make them
+feel worse than they really are. Besides, illnesses help to make up our
+life, and it is our duty to go through them as merrily as through those
+other things which you call pleasures. We people of Cho-sen do not look
+upon illnesses, accidents, or death as misfortunes, but as natural things
+that cannot be helped and must be bravely endured; what better, then, can
+we do than laugh at them?&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;So your argument is,&quot; I dared put in, &quot;that if one may laugh at one's
+own misfortunes, there is all the more title to laugh at those of other
+people?&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;That is so,&quot; retorted the man of Cho-sen, with an air of
+self-conviction.</p>
+
+<p>I at once agreed with him that I did not find much <a name='Page_96'></a>real harm in laughing
+at other people's misfortunes, except that if it did not do anybody any
+harm, it neither did them any good; but I acknowledge that it took me
+some minutes before I could make up my mind as to one's own misfortunes.
+In the end, however, I had to agree with him even about this point. He
+proved to me that Coreans are at bottom very good-hearted and unselfish,
+and always ready to help relations and neighbours, always ready to be
+kind even at their own discomfort. This good-nature, however, lacks in
+form from our point of view, though the substance is always the same, and
+probably more so than with us. They are a much simpler people, and
+hypocrisy among them has not yet reached our civilised stage. In the case
+of our poor leper friend, we have seen that the people who laughed at him
+were the first to help him; whereas, I have no doubt that among us who
+are good Christians, and nothing else but charitable, the majority would
+not have laughed; indeed, I am not quite sure but that, on the contrary,
+many would have run to the nearest church to pray for the man, meantime
+leaving him &quot;cashless,&quot; if not to die of starvation.</p>
+
+<p>Now let us continue our walk and leave the blind man and leper behind. On
+our left-hand side there is a huge gateway with a red wooden door&mdash;in
+rather a dilapidated condition&mdash;though apparently leading to something
+very grand. Since we are here we may as well go in. Good gracious! it is
+a tumble-down place. In olden days it used to be the king's palace, and
+if you follow me you can see how big the grounds are. For some reason or
+other this place, with all its accessories, buildings, &amp;c., has been
+abandoned <a name='Page_97'></a>by the Court simply because of rumours getting abroad that
+ghosts haunted it. Evil spirits were reported to have been seen prowling
+about the grounds, and in the royal apartments, and it would never have
+done for a king to have been near such company; so the Court went to
+great expense to build a fresh abode for the royal personage, and the old
+palace was abandoned and left to decay. The grounds that were laid out as
+pretty gardens were, many years later, used for a plantation of
+mulberries, a foreign speculation which was to enrich the King and the
+country, but which turned out instead a huge <i>fiasco</i>. The mulberry trees
+are still there, as you may see. Let us, however, proceed a little way up
+this hill and go and pay a visit to the two eunuchs who are the sole
+inhabitants of this huge place, and who will take us round it. These
+eunuchs occupy a little room about ten feet square and of the same height
+in the inner enclosure. They are very polite, and joining their hands by
+way of salute to you, invite you to go in&mdash;to drink tea and smoke a pipe.
+Poor wretches! One of them, a fat fellow of an unwholesome kind, as if he
+were made of putty, having learnt the European way of greeting people,
+insisted on shaking hands with me, but, oh, how repulsive it was! His
+cold, squashy sort of boneless hand, gave you the impression that you had
+grasped a toad in your hand. And his face! Did you ever see a weaker,
+more depraved and inhuman head than that which was screwed on his
+shoulders? His cadaverous complexion was marked with the results of
+small-pox, which were certainly no improvement to his looks; his eyes had
+been set in his head anyhow, and each seemed to move <a name='Page_98'></a>of its own accord;
+his mouth seemed simply to hang like a rag, showing his teeth and his
+tongue.</p>
+
+<p>His fellow was somewhat better, for he was of the thin kind of that type,
+and though possessing the effeminate, weak characteristics of his friend,
+one could at least see that he was built on a skeleton, like the
+generality of people! But the features of these eunuchs were as nothing
+to their voices. The latter were squeaky like those of girls of five; and
+more especially when the fat man spoke, it almost seemed as if the thread
+of a voice came from underground, so imperceptible was the sound that he
+could produce after he had spoken a few minutes. Having profited by the
+notions of my Corean philosopher of a little while ago, I simply went
+into screams of merriment at the misfortune of these poor devils, but
+really it was difficult to help it.</p>
+
+<p>Preceded by these eunuchs, let us now go over the tumble-down ruins of
+the palace. On the top of the small hill stands the main building of red
+painted wood and turned up roof <i>&agrave; la Chinoise</i>, and inside this, in the
+audience hall, can yet be seen the remains of the wooden throne raised up
+in the centre, with screens on the sides. There is nothing artistic about
+it, no richness, and nothing beautiful, and with the exception of the
+ceiling, that must have been pretty at one time with native patterns and
+yellow, red and green ornaments, there is absolutely nothing else worth
+noticing. Outside, the three parallel flights of steps leading up to the
+audience hall have a curious feature. It is forbidden to any one but the
+King to go up on the middle steps, and he of course is invariably
+carried; for which reason, in the middle part of the <a name='Page_99'></a>centre staircase a
+carved stone table is laid over the steps in such a way that no one can
+tread on them except quite at the sides where the men who carry the King
+have to walk.</p>
+
+<p>The houses where the King and royal family used to live with their
+household have now been nearly all destroyed by the weather and damp, and
+many of the roofs have fallen in. They were very simple, only one story
+high, and little better than the habitations of the better classes of
+people in Cho-sen. Coming out again of the inner enclosure, one finds
+stables and other houses scattered here and there in the <i>compound</i>,<a name='FNanchor_3_3'></a><a href='#Footnote_3_3'><sup>[3]</sup></a>
+and lower down we come to a big drain of masonry. But let me tell you a
+funny story.</p>
+
+<p>As you know, the Land of the Morning Calm is often troubled at night by
+prowling leopards and huge tigers which make their peregrinations through
+the town in search of food. A big leopard was thus seen by the natives
+one fine day taking a constitutional in the grounds of this haunted
+palace. Perplexed and even terrified, the unarmed natives ran for their
+lives, except one who, from a distant point of vantage, watched the
+animal and saw him enter the drain just mentioned. There happened to be
+staying in Seoul an Englishman, a Mr. S., who possessed a rifle and who
+had often astonished the natives by his skill in never missing the bull's
+eye; so to him they all went in a deputation, begging him to do away with
+the four-legged, unwelcome visitor. Mr. S., who wished for nothing
+better, promised that he would go <a name='Page_100'></a>that same night, and, accompanied by
+his faithful native servant, went and hid himself in proximity to the
+hole whence the leopard was likely to spring. It was a lovely moonlight
+night, and several hours had been passed in perfect silence and vain
+waiting for the chance of a shot, when a bright idea struck the native
+servant. Certain that the leopard was no longer there, and wishing to
+retire to his warm room, he addressed his master in poetic terms somewhat
+as follows:&mdash;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Sir, I am a brave man, and fear neither man nor beast. I am your
+servant, and for you am ready to give my life. I have brought with me two
+long bamboos, and with them I shall go and poke in the drain, rouse the
+ferocious beast, and as he jumps out you will kill him. If I shall lose
+my life, which I am ready to do for you, please think of my wife and
+child.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Very good,&quot; said the Englishman, who was getting rather tired of the
+discomfort and cold, and who, though he did not say so, also shared the
+opinion that the brute had gone.</p>
+
+<p>Thus encouraged, the servant at once proceeded to tie the two bamboos
+together, and again reminding his master of the brave act he was going to
+accomplish, proceeded with firm step to the drain, about thirty yards
+off. When he reached the opening he seemed to hesitate. He stood and
+listened. He carefully peeped in and listened again. He heard nothing.
+Then, bringing all his courage to bear, he lifted his bamboo and began
+poking in the drain. Two or three times, as he thought, he had touched
+something soft with the end. He dropped his bamboo as if <a name='Page_101'></a>it had been a
+hot iron, and ran full-speed back to his master, imploring his
+protection.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Has got&mdash;has got&mdash;kill&mdash;master&mdash;kill&mdash;kill!&quot; and he lay by his side,
+shivering with fright.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;You are frightened, you coward; there is nothing. Go again.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>After a few minutes the faithful valet, who had then made quite sure that
+there was no leopard in the drain and that he had shown himself a coward,
+unwillingly and slowly returned to the charge and picked up his bamboo.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;I am trembling with cold, not with fear,&quot; he had said as he was getting
+up again. &quot;I shall enter the drain this time and rouse the animal
+myself!&quot;</p>
+
+<p>So he really did. He went in, holding the bamboo in front of him, and
+pausing at each step. The farther in he went, the more his
+self-confidence failed him. The drain was high enough to allow of his
+standing in it with his back and head bent down; wherefore, if an
+encounter with the spotted fiend were to take place, the retreat of the
+man would not be an easy matter.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Master must think me very brave,&quot; he was soliloquising on his
+subterranean march, when he received a sudden shock that nearly stopped
+his heart and froze the blood in his veins. He had actually touched
+something soft with the end of his bamboo, and not only that, but he
+fancied he heard a growl.</p>
+
+<p>He quickly turned round to escape, when a violent push knocked him down,
+and he fell almost senseless and bleeding all over.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Bang!&quot; went the rifle outside just as the screams of: &quot;Master, aahi,
+aahi, kill, kill, kill,&quot; were echoing in <a name='Page_102'></a>the drain; and the leopard with
+a broken hind leg rolled over on the ground groaning fiercely, by-and-by
+trying to retrace its steps to its domicile. The poor Corean lay
+perplexed, looking at the scene, all lighted up by the beautiful
+moonlight; and his heart bounded with joy, when, after the second or
+third report of the gun, he saw shot dead the animal that had already
+reached the opening of the drain.</p>
+
+<p>As his master appeared, rifle in hand, and touched the dead beast, his
+valiant qualities returned to him in full, and he got out of the drain.
+He was badly scratched all over, I dare say, by the paws of the beast,
+for it had sprung violently out the moment the bamboo tickled it, though
+otherwise he was not much the worse for his narrow escape.</p>
+
+<p>Such is the last story connected with that drain. The grounds, as you
+see, extend towards the west as far as the city wall. As we go out of the
+gate which we entered, you can see a sort of a portico on the left-hand
+side as you approach it. Well, under that, as the spring is approaching,
+there are often to be heard the most diabolical noises for several days
+in succession. If the season has been a very dry one, you will see
+several men and numberless children beating on three or four huge drums
+and calling out at the top of their voices for rain. From sunrise until
+sunset this goes on, unless some stranded cloud happens to appear on the
+horizon, when the credit of such a phenomenon is awarded to their
+diabolical howls, and <i>cash</i> subtracted from landed proprietors as a
+reward for their having called the attention of the weather-clerk. A
+spectacled wise-man, a kind of astrologer, on a donkey and followed <a name='Page_103'></a>and
+preceded by believers in his extraordinary powers of converting fine
+weather into wet, and <i>vice vers&acirc;</i>, rides through the main streets of the
+capital, with lanterns and festoons, on the same principle as does our
+Salvation Army, namely, to collect a crowd to the spot where his
+mysterious rites are to be performed. Here, supported by his servants, he
+dismounts from his high saddle, and, still supported under his arms&mdash;the
+idea being that so great a personage cannot walk by himself&mdash;he at last
+reaches the spot, apparently with great fatigue. &quot;To carry all his
+knowledge,&quot; argue the admiring natives, &quot;must indeed entail great
+fatigue.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>When rain is to be summoned, our astrologer addresses his first
+reproaches to the sun, stretching out his hands and using the strongest
+of invectives, after which, when he has worked himself into a towering
+rage against the orb of day, an execrable beating on the drums begins,
+accompanied by the howling of all the people present. The god of rain
+gets his share of insults, and is severely reprimanded for the casual way
+in which he carries on his business, and so, partly with good, partly
+with bad manners, this satanic performance goes on day after day, until,
+eventually, it does begin to rain.</p>
+
+<p>The portico in this old haunted palace was a favourite spot for these
+rites, and as the house of the Vice-Minister of Home Affairs, where I
+stayed as a guest, was close by, I suffered a good deal at the hands of
+these fanatics, for the noise they made was of so wild a nature as to
+drive one crazy&mdash;if not, also, quite sufficient to bring the whole world
+down.</p><a name='Page_104'></a>
+
+<p>We may now continue our peregrination along the main street. There along
+the wall squat dozens of coolies, with their carrying arrangement,
+sitting on their heels, and basking in the sun. Further on, one of them
+is just loading a huge earthenware vase full of the native beverage. The
+weight must be something enormous. Yet see how quickly and cleverly he
+manages to get up with it, and walk away from his kneeling position by
+first raising one leg, then the other, and after that a push up and it is
+done.</p>
+
+<p>Here, again, coming along, is another curiosity. It is a blue palanquin,
+carried on the back of two men. They walk along quickly, with bare feet,
+and trousers turned up over the knees. Instead of wearing a transparent
+head-gear, like the rest of the people, these chair-bearers have round
+felt hats. In front walks a <i>Maggiordomo</i>, and following the palanquin
+are a few retainers. Heading the procession are two men, who, with rude
+manners, push away the people, and shout out at the top of their voices:</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Era, Era, Era; Picassa, Picassa!&quot; (&quot;Out of the way; get out, get away!&quot;)
+were the polite words with which these roughs elbowed their way among the
+crowd, and flung people on one side or the other, in order to clear the
+road for their lord and master. From the hubbub they made, one might have
+imagined that it was the King himself coming, instead of a mere
+magistrate.</p>
+
+<p>A few hundred yards further on, one finds on one's left a magnificent
+street departing at right angles to the main thoroughfare. It is
+certainly the widest street in the Corean capital. So wide is it, in
+fact, <a name='Page_105'></a>that two rows of thatched houses are built in the middle of the
+road itself, so to speak, forming out of one street three parallel
+streets. These houses are, however, pulled down and removed altogether
+once or twice a year, when His Majesty the King takes it into his head to
+come out of his palace and go in his state chair, preceded by a grand
+procession, to visit the tombs of his ancestors, some miles out of the
+town, or to meet the envoys of the Chinese Emperor, a short way out of
+the west gate of the capital, at a place where a peculiar triumphal arch,
+half built of masonry and half of lacquered wood, has been erected, close
+to an artificial cut in the rocky hill, named the &quot;Pekin Pass&quot; in honour
+of the said Chinese messengers.</p>
+
+<p>I witnessed two or three of these king's processions, and I shall
+describe them to you presently. In the meantime, however, let us walk up
+the royal street.</p>
+
+<p>The two rows of shanties having been pulled down, its tremendous width is
+very conspicuous, being apparently about ten times that of our
+Piccadilly. The houses on both sides are the mansions in which the
+nobles, princes, and generals live, and are built of solid masonry. They
+are each one story high, with curled-up roofs, and here and there the
+military ensign may be seen flying. Facing us at the end, a pagoda-like
+structure, with two roofs, and one half of masonry, the upper part of
+lacquered wood, is the main entrance to the royal palace. Two sea-lions,
+roughly carved out of stone, stand on pedestals a short distance in front
+of the huge closed gate, and there, squatting down, gambling or asleep,
+are hundreds <a name='Page_106'></a>of chair-carriers and soldiers, while by the road-side are
+palanquins of all colours, and open chairs, with tiger and leopard skins
+thrown over them, waiting outside the royal precincts, since they are not
+allowed inside, for their masters, who spend hours and days in
+expectation of being invited to an audience by, or a confabulation with,
+His Majesty. People of different ranks have differently coloured
+chairs&mdash;the highest of the palanquin form being that covered with green
+cloth and carried by four men. Foreign consuls and legal advisers of the
+King are allowed the honour of riding in one of these. The privilege of
+being carried by four men instead of by two is only accorded to officials
+of high rank. The covered palanquins are so made that the people squat in
+them cross-legged. A brass receptacle, used for different purposes, is
+inside, in one corner of the conveyance. Some of them are a little more
+ornamented than others, and lined with silk or precious skins, but
+generally they are not so luxurious as the ones in common use in China.</p>
+
+<p>But if you want to see a really strange sight, here at last you have it.
+It is a high official going to Court in his state mono-wheeled chair. You
+can see that he is a &quot;somebody&quot; by the curious skull-cap he is wearing,
+curled up over the top of his head and with wings on each side starting
+from the back of his head-gear. His flowing silk gown and the curious
+rectangular jewelled stiff belt, projecting far beyond his body, denote
+that he is holding a high position at the Corean Court. A coolie marches
+in front of him, carrying on his back a box containing the court clothes
+which he will have to don when the royal palace is</p><a name='Page_107'></a>
+<p class="ctr"><a href="./images/16.jpg"><img src="./images/16_th.jpg"
+alt="AN OFFICIAL GOING TO COURT IN A MONO-WHEELED CHAIR"></a></p><p class="ctr">AN OFFICIAL GOING TO COURT IN A MONO-WHEELED CHAIR</p>
+<p>reached, all carefully
+packed in the case, covered with white parchment. Numerous young
+followers also walk behind his unsteady vehicle. There you see him
+perched up in a kind of arm-chair at a height of about five feet&mdash;sitting
+more or less gracefully on a lovely tiger skin, that has been
+artistically thrown upon it, leaving the head hanging down at the back.
+Under the legless chair, as it were, there are two supports, at the lower
+end of which and between these supports revolves a heavy, nearly round
+wheel, with four spokes. Occasionally the wheel is made of one block of
+wood only, and is ornamented at the sides with numerous round-headed iron
+nails. There may be also two side long poles to rest on the shoulders of
+the two carriers&mdash;one in front and one at the back&mdash;a few extra
+strengtheners on each side, and then you have the complete &quot;<i>attelage</i>.&quot;
+So you see, it may be a great honour to be carried about in a similar
+chair, though to the eyes of barbarians like ourselves it looks neither
+comfortable nor safe. India-rubber tyres and, still less, pneumatic ones,
+have not yet been adopted by the Corean chair-maker, and it appeared to
+me that a good deal of &quot;holding on&quot; was required, especially when
+travelling over stony and rough ground, to avoid being thrown right out
+of one's high position. The grandees whom I saw carried in them seemed to
+me, judging by the expression on their faces, to be ever looking forward
+patiently and hopefully to the time for getting out of these perilous
+conveyances. Certainly when going round corners or on uneven ground I
+often saw them at an angle that would make the hair of anybody but a
+grave and sedate<a name='Page_108'></a> Corean official stand on end. The palace gate reached,
+he is let down gently, the front part of the chair being gradually
+lowered, and, with a sigh of relief, steps out of it. Immediately he is
+supported on each side by his followers, and thus the palace is entered,
+the mono-wheeled chair being left outside standing against the wall, and
+the tired carriers squatting down to a quiet gamble with the
+chair-bearers of other noblemen.</p>
+
+<p>Here let us leave him for the present, since the huge gates are closed
+again upon our very noses.</p>
+
+<p>The royal palace is enclosed by a high wall, at the corners of which
+there are turrets with sentries and soldiers. In each of the sections of
+the wall also there is a gate, the principal one of course being that
+which we have already described.</p>
+
+<p>We shall now retrace our steps down the royal avenue, but before leaving
+it we must once again look back upon the royal enclosure. It is not a
+very grand sight, but it is pretty to see a high hill towering at the
+back of the royal palace. Undoubtedly the position where the palace is
+now situated is the best in Seoul, both through being in the very centre
+of the town and through the prettiness of its situation. The inside of
+the royal enclosure we shall presently describe.</p>
+
+<p>Continuing our way, then, towards the east gate, we soon come to another
+big thoroughfare on our right-hand side, at one corner of which is a
+picturesque ancient pavilion, with a railing round it. This is one of the
+sights of Seoul, &quot;the big bell.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>It is a huge bronze bell raised from the ground only about a foot. It
+possesses a fine rich tone when it is <a name='Page_109'></a>hammered upon by the bell-ringer,
+but a good deal of the sonorousness is lost and the sound made dreary and
+monotonous by its being so low down. The man rings it by striking heavy
+blows at it with a big wooden mallet, and its first note in the early
+morning makes the drowsy gate-keepers of the town begin to make
+preparations for establishing communication once more between the capital
+and the outer world; while at sunset, as its last melancholy notes are
+blown away in dying waves by the wind, the heavy gates are closed, and
+every man&mdash;though not every woman, as we shall see&mdash;has to retire to his
+home until dawn the next morning, if he wishes to escape a severe
+flogging, or even the risk of losing his head. The laws and rules in this
+respect have not been very severely enforced of late years; yet one never
+sees even now a Corean male walking about the streets after dark. Though
+capital punishment might not be inflicted on the offender, a very sound
+spanking would very probably be the result of a native being caught
+<i>flagrante delicto</i> during a nocturnal peregrination. Wherefore, the
+Corean male is, <i>&agrave; raison</i>, very careful not to be seen out after dark.
+On one or two occasions, nevertheless, the male community is allowed a
+prowl by night, and seem to enjoy it to their heart's content. The
+principal of these great events is the night for &quot;crossing the bridges,&quot;
+a festivity in which men and children are allowed to take part, and in
+the course of which they spend the whole night in prowling about the
+streets, and crossing over the bridges and back again. At such a time the
+streets are alive with story-tellers, magicians and comedians, who
+delight the <a name='Page_110'></a>nocturnal sight-seers with wonderful fairy-tales, jokes and
+fantastic plays.</p>
+
+<p>A moonlight night is always chosen for the &quot;crossing of the bridges&quot;
+outing, a rather sensible precaution when one sees what the bridges are
+like. There are the stone supports of course, and over these huge flat
+broad stones on which one treads. The width of the bridges is generally
+about six feet, but no parapet or railing of any kind is provided for the
+safety of the wayfarer. Through age and weather, these stones have been
+considerably worn out, and are here and there disconnected, besides being
+slippery to an extreme degree; so that even in broad daylight, one has to
+keep all his wits about him, in this sort of tight-rope performance, not
+to find himself landed in the river down below, in which, however, there
+is no water running. Altogether, the days in which the men of Cho-sen
+enjoy liberty at night are five.</p>
+
+<p>The last day of the year is probably the one when the larger crowds can
+be seen hurrying along through the streets, for a custom prevails among
+the Coreans to visit during that night and the following one, all one's
+relations and best friends, congratulations and good wishes being freely
+exchanged and presents of sweets brought and gracefully received. New
+Year's night is also a night of independence, but the greater number of
+the male community are so &quot;well on&quot; with wine-drinking and excitement,
+that staying at home is generally deemed advisable.</p>
+
+<p>There are two free nights, besides, on the fourteenth and fifteenth days
+of the first moon, and on one of the days at &quot;half-year&quot; in the sixth
+moon. That is all.</p><a name='Page_111'></a>
+
+<p class="ctr"><a href="./images/17.jpg"><img src="./images/17_th.jpg"
+alt="THE MARBLE PAGODA"></a></p><p class="ctr">THE MARBLE PAGODA</p>
+
+<p>At no great distance from the &quot;big bell,&quot; down a tortuous little lane, we
+come to what is undoubtedly a very ancient work of art. This is a pagoda,
+made of solid marble, and adorned with beautiful carvings all the way up
+to the top. To me this pagoda seemed to be of Chinese origin, but, though
+much speculation has been exercised in Seoul as to how so strange a
+monument came to be placed in the Corean capital, no reliable data, or
+facts that might be considered of historical value, have as yet been
+forthcoming to explain satisfactorily its presence there. Beyond
+wondering at its antiquity, therefore, and admiring the skilful
+bas-relief upon it, there is little more for us to do; so, moving out of
+the courtyard in which this pagoda is situated, we proceed to inspect
+another monument, equally curious from an archaeological point of view.</p>
+
+<p>It cannot but seem strange that the Coreans should be ignorant regarding
+the little pagoda above <a name='Page_112'></a>mentioned. I call it &quot;little,&quot; for I do not
+think it stands more than fifteen or twenty feet from the base to the
+top. Probably in Seoul itself there is not more than one man out of fifty
+who knows of its existence, and those who are acquainted with it, beyond
+telling you emphatically that it is not a Corean work, can give you no
+information about it. It is not improbable that, in the course of some
+friendly or unfriendly intercourse between the Chinese and the Coreans,
+this pagoda was brought or sent over from China.</p>
+
+<p>The other curiosity is a huge stone tortoise carrying a tablet on its
+back.</p>
+
+<p>As I have already mentioned, the Coreans in many ways resemble, and have
+appropriated or carried with them to their place of settlement some ideas
+which are common to the Manchus, the Mongols, and the Northern and
+Southern Chinese. Among these may be instanced the great respect for, if
+not worship of, fetishes and rudely made images of animals, both
+imaginary and real, which are supposed to be embodied there with all
+their good and evil qualities. The Coreans have an especial veneration
+for the tiger, the emblem of supernatural strength, courage and dignity.
+Now when veneration comes into play, the extraordinary, as a rule, soon
+takes the place of the ordinary, especially in the Eastern mind, which is
+rather addicted to letting itself be run away with by its imagination. So
+the tiger, as though it were not sufficiently gifted already with evil
+qualities of a more mundane order, is often depicted by native geniuses,
+as having also the power of flying, producing lightning, <a name='Page_113'></a>and spitting
+fire; and not only that, but as able to walk on flames without feeling
+the slightest inconvenience, and manipulate blazing fire as one would a
+fan in everyday use. On flags, pictures, and embroideries the tiger is
+often represented by native artists.</p>
+
+<p>Next to the tiger, the animal most cherished by the Coreans is the
+tortoise. To it are applied all the good qualities that the tiger wants;
+for example, thoughtfulness, a retiring nature, humility, gentleness,
+steadiness, and patience; these being all symbolised by this shelled
+amphibious animal, which, in the minds of many Eastern Asiatics, was the
+basis upon which, in later times, were built the rudiments of mathematics
+and wisdom. In Corea, the principal quality attributed to the tortoise is
+long life; wherefore, it has been handed down from early times to the
+present day as the emblem of longevity.</p>
+
+<p>This, then, explains the signification of the tortoise in front of which
+we are now standing. Those tortoises that are made to carry tablets on
+their backs are, as a general rule, erected in honour and remembrance of
+some benevolent prince or magnanimous magistrate&mdash;the tablets being
+placed over these favourite creatures to signify that it was by relying
+upon all the good qualities attributed to the tortoise that the person
+whose praises are celebrated on them, attained to the virtues which are
+deemed so worthy an example to the world.</p>
+
+<p>There are many species of semi-sacred tortoises in Corea, to all
+appearance the product of imaginary intermarriages between the slow
+amphibious animal in question and the fire-spitting dragon, silver-tailed
+<a name='Page_114'></a>phoenix, and other animals; and these mixed breeds of idols, so to
+speak, are occasionally to be seen in the houses of rich people and
+princes near the entrance gate. In the Royal Palace, too, some may be
+seen, among the more important being the old Seal of State, which
+consists of a tortoise cleverly carved out of marble with the impression
+of the Royal Seal engraved on the under side.</p>
+
+<p>A curious thing which strikes visitors to Corea who notice it is that,
+although the tortoise runs a close race with the tiger in the respect of
+the natives, nevertheless, the larger and fiercer animal is much more
+frequently represented than its smaller and gentler competitor. For
+instance, one invariably sees on the roofs of the city gates, fixed on
+the corners, five small representations of the tiger, all reclining in a
+row one after the other. On many of the larger buildings also the same
+thing can be observed; while, on the other hand, it is only rarely that
+the tortoise is seen in such a situation. When representations of the
+latter are thus attached, they are generally placed at the four lower
+corners of the buildings, as if by way of support.</p>
+
+<p>It is curious, again, to note&mdash;and, indeed, it almost seems as if the
+Cho-sen people are in all their ideas opposed to us&mdash;that in Corea the
+snake is greatly revered; and, should it enter a household, it receives a
+hearty welcome, for this reptile is supposed to bring with it everlasting
+happiness and peace, a very different conception to that which we
+generally form of it, for, if I mistake not, in our minds it is generally
+associated with sneakishness, treachery and perfidy.</p>
+
+<p>With regard to the snake, it is noteworthy that the<a name='Page_115'></a> Coreans have allowed
+their fancies to run riot in pretty much the same direction as
+imaginative people in our own country have done, and have not only added
+wings to their serpents to send them air-faring, but have also invented a
+near relation to these in the shape of a travelling sea-serpent, which is
+not, however, of such large dimensions as those with which we are
+familiar. From this it is only a short step to the well-known half-human,
+half-fish being and the sea-lion or tiger; stone representations of which
+are to be seen at the entrance of the Royal Palace. The principal
+peculiarity of the sea-tiger is its ugliness. It is represented as having
+a huge mouth, wide open, showing two rows of pointed teeth, and a mane
+and tail curled up into hundreds of conventional little curlets. If the
+statues of these sea-tigers are divided in three sections perpendicular
+to the base, the head will occupy the whole of one of these sections,
+which, in other words, means that the body is made only twice the size of
+the head.</p>
+
+<p>The <i>lin</i> is also frequently found figuring in Corean mythology, but this
+fanciful creature is undoubtedly an importation from the well-known
+<i>ki-lin</i> of China, being half ox, half deer, and having but a single horn
+in the centre of the head. It is the symbol of good nature and well-being
+Another borrowed individual of this class is the dragon, a monster which
+is a great favourite and much cherished all over the East, though
+principally by the Emperor of Heaven and his subjects. This popularity of
+the dragon in the kingdom of the Morning Calm is due, I suppose, in a
+large measure to the frequent Chinese invasions and constant intercourse
+<a name='Page_116'></a>of the Chinese with Corea. And yet, upon a less appropriate country, to
+my belief, he could hardly have been stranded, for, although he possesses
+all the good virtues of the other mythical creatures of which I have made
+mention taken together, he certainly is never presented as gifted with
+that delightful faculty which goes by the name of tranquillity. Restless
+in the extreme, this genius of the East is said to penetrate through
+mountains into the ground, skip on the clouds, produce thunder and
+lightning, and go through fire and water. It can, moreover, make itself
+visible or invisible at pleasure, and, in fact, can to all intents and
+purposes do what it pleases, except&mdash;remain quiet.</p>
+
+<p>Of dragons there are many kinds, but the most respectable of them all is,
+as in China, the yellow one, which is as represented on the Chinese
+flags. Next to the yellow one in popularity comes the green one. In
+shape, as the natives picture it, the dragon is not unlike a huge lizard,
+with long-nailed claws, and a flat long head like the elongated head of a
+neighing horse, possessed, however, of horns, and a long mane of fire, or
+lightning. The tail is like that of a serpent, with five additional
+pointed ends. It is, too, rather interesting to note that the king,
+princes, and highest magistrates, when the country is not in mourning,
+wear upon their breasts pieces of square embroidery ornamented in the
+centre with representations of the dragon, having the jewel on its head
+which is supposed to be a certain cure for all evils. The officials of
+lesser degree wear, instead of this emblem, the effigy of a flying
+phoenix, the symbol of pride, friendship, and kind ruling power.</p><a name='Page_117'></a>
+
+<p>The phoenix is also occasionally to be seen standing on a tortoise's
+back, the combination being emblematic of the combined virtues of these
+two mythical creatures.</p>
+
+<p>Returning to the main street, we can walk a long way without finding
+anything interesting in the way of architecture, or of a monumental
+character until we reach the East Gate, which is probably the largest
+gate of all. One of the peculiarities of this gate is that on the outside
+it has a semi-circular wall protection, and in this wall a second gate
+which renders it, therefore, doubly strong in time of war. The outer wall
+is very thick, and a wide space is provided which can be manned with
+soldiers, when the town happens to be besieged. If my memory serves me
+rightly, yet another gate in Seoul is provided with a similar
+contraffort, but of this I am not quite certain, for the part of my diary
+in which the wall of Seoul is described has been, I regret to say,
+unfortunately mislaid. Near the gate above mentioned, is a large open
+space, on the centre of which stands a somewhat dilapidated pavilion
+<i>pour fa&ccedil;on de parler</i>, and, on inquiry, I was told that this place was
+the drilling-ground of the king's troops, the pavilion being for the use
+of the king and high officials, when on very grand occasions they went to
+review the soldiery. Of late years, I believe, a new drilling-ground has
+been selected by the foreign military instructors, which explains why the
+pavilion has been allowed to rot and tumble down. (See Illustration p.
+<a href='#Page_90'>90</a>.)</p>
+
+<p>As already remarked, all the gates of Seoul, as well as those of every
+other city in Corea, are closed at <a name='Page_118'></a>sunset; but, like all rules, this
+one, too, has its exception. Thus, there is a small gate, called the
+&quot;Gate of the Dead,&quot; which is opened till a late hour at night. Its name
+explains its object fairly well, but for the benefit of those who are
+unaccustomed to Corean customs I may as well put the matter a little
+clearer. Funerals, in Corea, nearly always take place at night, and the
+bodies are invariably carried out of the town to be buried. In lifetime
+it is permitted to enter or leave the town through any gate you please,
+but this freedom of choice is not accorded to the dead, when their final
+exit is to be made, for this is only by way of the smaller gate just
+mentioned.</p>
+
+<p>A funeral is in all countries, to me, a curious sight, but in Seoul, a
+performance of this description is probably more curious than elsewhere,
+and that, because, to a European eye, it appears to be anything but a
+funeral. The procession is headed by two individuals, each of whom
+carries an enormous yellow umbrella, on the stick of which, about half
+way up, there is a very large tri-coloured ball. After these, under a
+sort of baldachin held up by four long poles, is the coffin, carried by
+two, four, or more men, according to the social position of the deceased;
+and by the side of this and following close after it are numberless
+people each carrying a paper lantern stuck on a pole, who scuttle along,
+singing, after a fashion, and muttering prayers and praises on behalf of
+their deceased countryman. Frequently, if the latter is supposed to have
+been possessed by evil spirits, and to have been carried off by them, a
+man is hired, if no relation is willing to do it, to ring a hand-bell for
+several consecutive <a name='Page_119'></a>days, near the house which the late unfortunate had
+occupied, the shrill sound being supposed to have the power of showing
+the unwelcome guests, that their presence has been noticed, and that they
+had better retire and leave the house to its rightful owners. I need
+hardly remark that a few hours of this noise is quite enough to turn the
+best of good spirits into an evil one.</p>
+
+<p>But to return to our funeral procession; this, when the &quot;Gate of the
+Dead&quot; is reached, becomes broken up; the friends who were following the
+hearse putting out their lights and ceasing from their singing and
+praying. Only two or three of the nearest relations continue to follow
+the coffin, still carried by the paid bearers, and when a suitable spot
+is reached these proceed to bury the remains. A hilly ground is usually
+preferred by the Coreans for the last resting place of the bones of their
+dear ones. The coffin having been buried, a small mound of earth is
+heaped up over it.</p>
+
+<p>The spot for inhumation is generally chosen on the advice of magicians
+who are supposed to know the sites which are likely to be most favourable
+to the deceased. Sometimes the body is exhumed at great expense, still on
+the advice of the same magicians, who, being in direct communication with
+both earthly and unearthly spirits, get to know that the spot which had
+been originally selected was not a favourable one. Under such
+circumstances, a speedy removal is necessary, which, of course entails
+both worry and money-spending and special fees for the reporting of the
+ill-faring of the buried.</p><a name='Page_120'></a>
+
+<p>The relations and friends of a deceased person constantly visit the tomb,
+and many a good son has been known to spend months watching his father's
+grave, lest his services might be required by the parent underground.</p>
+
+<p>The hills round the towns are simply covered with these little mounds of
+earth, and the greatest respect is shown by the natives for all places of
+sepulture. In course of time, many disappear by being washed away by the
+rain, but never by any chance are they interfered with by the people. The
+Coreans are extremely superstitious, and they are much afraid of the
+dead. Metempsychosis is not an uncommon trait of their minds, especially
+among the better classes; thus, for instance, the soul of the dead man is
+sometimes supposed to enter the body of a bird, in which case the
+relatives carefully build a semi-circular stone railing round the mound,
+so that the winged successor of the deceased may have whereon to perch.</p>
+
+<p>The grave of one of the richer people is especially noteworthy. First,
+there is the mound in the centre as usual, but nearly twice the size of
+that which covers a poorer person. Then there is a stone railing a little
+way off; and between that and the mound stand in double rows, at the
+sides, rough images of human beings and horses carved in stone. The
+general rule is, in the case of a rich man, to have two men and two
+ponies on either side and a small column at the end; while in the case of
+a man not so much distinguished only a single horse and man respectively
+are placed on either side. The short column with a slab at the top is
+nearly always a feature. The stone images so <a name='Page_121'></a>placed are, as a rule, so
+badly carved that, unless one is told what they are meant to represent,
+it is really difficult to decide the point. The horses, especially, might
+easily be mistaken for sheep, dogs, or any other animal, the small
+stature of the native ponies being imitated in these images, to an
+exaggerated degree. As for the stone human-shaped images, these are
+usually made dressed in a long sort of gown and with the arms folded in
+front and the head covered by a curled up skull-cap, of the kind worn by
+Corean officials even at the present day, and formerly worn by all the
+high officials in China, whence probably the fashion has been imported.</p>
+
+<p>A curious feature which I often noticed about the graves of people who
+had not been over well-off, and whose friends could not afford a large
+number of statues or figures of men and animals, was this:&mdash;If only one
+or two monuments were put up by the side of the mound, these invariably
+consisted of representations either of two horses or else of a horse and
+a ram, that is, if I am right in fixing the latter's identity by the
+curled horns on the side of its head. If, on the other hand, the
+monuments were more than two in number, the others were, just as
+invariably, representations of human figures, the number of these being
+the same as that of beasts in the other case.</p>
+
+<p>A ceremony is to be found in the Land of the Morning Calm which
+corresponds pretty closely to &quot;<i>Tutti i morti</i>&quot; of Italy; I mean, the
+merry picnicking of distressed parents and relatives when they go and
+pray on the tombs of their dead. In Corea the occasion is usually
+celebrated on the first day of the first <a name='Page_122'></a>moon, or, in other words, on
+New Year's Day. The family goes soon after sunrise, <i>en masse</i>, to the
+burial-place, where prayers are offered, and long sticks of incense burnt
+filling the air with the perfume so familiar to all who know the East.
+Food and drink are also generally brought and consumed by the mourners on
+such expeditions, with the result that the day which begins with praying
+generally ends with playing. Similar rejoicings are again indulged in
+during the third moon, when the tombs are usually cleaned and repaired,
+and the stone figures and horses washed and scrubbed, amidst the
+hilarious screams of the children and the less active picnickers.</p>
+
+<p>The tombs of the kings do not differ very much from those of the richest
+noblemen, except that they have a kind of temple near them. At one time
+it was believed that the coffins in which the royal bodies were buried,
+consisted of solid gold. People who are well informed, however, maintain
+that there is no foundation for this statement about the royal graves,
+and that, on the contrary, they are almost as simple as those of the
+richer noblemen.</p>
+
+<p>A strange tale was told me, which I shall repeat, as I know it to be
+true. It is to this effect: A few months previous to my visit to Seoul, a
+foreigner had visited the king soliciting orders for installations of
+telephones. The king, being much astounded, and pleased at the wonderful
+invention, immediately, at great expense, set about connecting by
+telephone the tomb of the queen dowager with the royal palace&mdash;a distance
+of several miles! Needless to say, though many hours a day were spent by
+His Majesty and his <a name='Page_123'></a>suite in listening at their end of the telephone,
+and a watchman kept all night in case the queen dowager should wake up
+from her eternal sleep, not a message, or a sound, or murmur even, was
+heard, which result caused the telephone to be condemned as a fraud by
+His Majesty the King of Cho-sen.</p>
+
+<p>I should mention that a very good specimen of a Corean tomb is to be seen
+a few <i>lis</i> outside the East Gate, on the hillside, and that another,
+somewhat smaller, exists a short distance beyond the Pekin Pass outside
+the West Gate. It may also be noted that trees are frequently planted,
+and tablets erected, in proximity to Corean graves.</p>
+
+
+
+<a name='Footnote_3_3'></a><a href='#FNanchor_3_3'>[3]</a><div class='note'><p> Word used in the East for a conglomeration of houses
+enclosed by a wall.</p></div>
+
+
+<a name='Page_124'></a>
+
+<hr class="full" />
+<a name='CHAPTER_VIII'></a><h2>CHAPTER VIII</h2>
+
+<div class='Ptoc'>Seoul&mdash;The City Wall&mdash;A large image&mdash;Mount Nanzam&mdash;The
+fire-signals&mdash;women's joss-house&mdash;Foreign buildings&mdash;Japanese
+settlement&mdash;An anecdote&mdash;Clean or not clean?&mdash;The Pekin Pass&mdash;The
+water-carrier&mdash;The man of the Gates.</div>
+<br />
+
+<p class="ctr"><a href="./images/18.jpg"><img src="./images/18_th.jpg"
+alt="MOUNT NANZAM"></a></p><p class="ctr">MOUNT NANZAM</p>
+
+<p>The ground in and around Seoul is very hilly. The wall that surrounds the
+capital uncoils itself, like a gigantic snake, up and down the slopes of
+high bluffs, and seems a very marvellous work of patient masonry when it
+is borne in mind that some of the peaks up which it winds its way are so
+steep that even climbing on foot is not an easy task. The height is not
+uniform, but where it is highest it reaches to over thirty feet. The
+North Gate, for instance, is at a much higher level than the town down
+below, and it is necessary to go up a steep road to reach it. From it, a
+very good idea is obtainable of the exact situation of<a name='Page_125'></a> Seoul. Down in
+the valley, a narrow one, lies the town itself, completely surrounded by
+hills, and even mountains, covered with thick snow during the winter
+months.</p>
+
+<p>The wall, several miles long, goes over the hill ridges far above the
+level of the town, except towards the west, where it descends to the
+valley, and is on almost level ground, as far as the East Gate. It has a
+rampart in which holes have been pierced, for the defence of the town by
+archers and gunners; and, to let out the water of the streams, which
+intersect the town, low arches have been cut in the wall, provided with
+strong iron bars, and a solid grating through which no man can penetrate.
+Outside the town, bridges of masonry have been constructed; for instance,
+there is one of four arches, a short distance from the North Gate, being
+the continuation of a portion of the wall protecting the river valley on
+the north of Seoul. Not far from this bridge, is a monastery, and a small
+temple with curled-up roof supported by columns, painted red and green.
+The latter protects an enormous block of stone upon which has been carved
+a large image of Buddha, the surface of which has been painted white.
+When I saw it, close by the river side, with the sun shining on it, and
+its image reflected in the limpid ice of the frozen river, the sight was
+indeed quite a picturesque one.</p>
+
+<p>Towards the south side of Seoul, and within the city wall, rises in a
+cone-like fashion a high hill called Mount Nanzam. One cannot help
+feeling interested about this hill, and for many reasons. In the first
+place, it is most picturesque; secondly, it is a rare <a name='Page_126'></a>thing to find a
+mountain rising in the centre of a town, as this one does; thirdly, from
+the summit of this particular hill a constant watch is kept on the state
+of affairs all over the kingdom.</p>
+
+<p>The mode of accomplishing the last-mentioned object is as ingenious as it
+is simple. It is shortly this. On the summit of Mount Nanzam a signal
+station is placed&mdash;a miserable shed, in which the watchmen live. In front
+of this, five piles of stones have been erected, upon which, by means of
+the &quot;Pon-wa,&quot; or fire-signals, messages are conveyed and transmitted from
+one end of the Corean kingdom to the other. Now, it is on these five
+piles of stones that the safety of the Land of the Morning Calm depends,
+and it is a pretty and weird sight to watch the lights upon them, playing
+after dark, in the stillness of the night. Similarly appointed stations
+on the tops of all the highest peaks in Corea issue, transmit, and
+answer, by means of other lights, messages from the most distant
+provinces, by which means, in a very few minutes, the King in his royal
+palace is kept informed of what happens hundreds of miles from his
+capital. It is from the royal palace itself that fire-messages start in
+the first instance, and that too is the place which lastly receives them
+from other mountain tops. All along the coast line of Corea, on the
+principal headlands, fire-stations have long been in use in order to give
+the alarm in the capital, should marauders approach the coast or other
+invasions take place.</p>
+
+<p>Until quite lately, the coast villages and towns used to suffer much at
+the hands of Chinese pirates, who, <a name='Page_127'></a>though well aware that they would, if
+caught, most certainly find themselves in the awkward position of having
+their heads cut off, nevertheless used to approach the coast by night in
+swift junks, make daring raids, and pillage the villages, and even some
+of the smaller towns. So suddenly were these incursions usually made that
+by the time the natives had managed to get over their astonishment at the
+attack of these unpleasant and greedy visitors, the acute Chinamen, with
+their booty, were well out at sea again.</p>
+
+<p class="ctr"><a href="./images/19.jpg"><img src="./images/19_th.jpg"
+alt="THE FIRE-SIGNAL STATION AND JOSS-HOUSE"></a></p><p class="ctr">THE FIRE-SIGNAL STATION AND JOSS-HOUSE</p>
+
+<p>The great drawback to fire-signalling is, that messages can only
+be clearly conveyed at night. In the day-time, when
+necessary, smoke-signals are transmitted, though never with the same
+safety as are the fire-signals. By burning large torches of wet straw,
+masses of white smoke are produced, upon <a name='Page_128'></a>which the alarm is raised that
+the country is in danger. The code of smoke signalling, however, is
+almost limited to that one signal; for, on a windy or rainy day, it would
+be quite impossible to distinguish whether there were one or more torches
+smoking, unless, of course, they could be set very far apart, which
+cannot be done on Nanzam. Prior to sending a message, a bell is rung in
+the royal palace to attract the attention of the Mountain Watchmen. The
+whole code, for they have a really systematic way of using their
+pyrographs, is worked with five burning fires only, and more than that
+number of lights are never shown, though, of course, many times there are
+less. The five-lights-together signal, I believe, indicates that the
+country is in imminent danger; there are other signals to meet the cases
+of rebellions, recalling of magistrates from distant provinces, orders to
+them to extort money from their subjects, the despatch or recall of
+troops, &amp;c. &amp;c.</p>
+
+<p>A few yards from the signal station, though still on Mount Nanzam, there
+is a picturesque red joss-house with a shrine in close proximity to it.
+The story goes&mdash;and the women of Cho-sen find it convenient to believe
+it&mdash;that a visit to this particular joss-house has the wonderful effect
+of making sterile women prolific. A few strings of <i>cash</i> and a night's
+rest at the temple&mdash;preceded, if I remember rightly, by
+prayers&mdash;constitute sufficient service to satisfy the family duties, and
+I was certainly told that in many cases the oracle worked so well that in
+due time the <i>chin-chins</i> got rewarded with the birth of babies. I may
+mention incidentally that the caretaker <a name='Page_129'></a>of the joss-house was a strong,
+healthy, powerful man.</p>
+
+<p>As we are now on a splendid point of vantage for a bird's-eye view of the
+town we may as well take a glance over it.</p>
+
+<p>Very prominent before us, after the large enclosure of the royal Palace,
+are the foreign buildings, such as the Japanese Legation on a smaller
+hill at the foot of Nanzam, and overlooking the large Japanese
+settlement; the abode of the Chinese Minister resident, with its numerous
+buildings around it; the British Consulate with its new red brick house
+in course of construction; and, by the side of the last mentioned, the
+<i>compounds</i> of the American and Russian legations. Farther on, nearer the
+royal Palace, the German flag may be seen surmounting the German
+Consulate, which is situated in an enclosure containing several Corean
+houses which have been reduced <i>&agrave; l' Europ&eacute;enne</i> and made very
+comfortable. Then the large house with a glass front is the one now
+inhabited by the Vice-Minister for Home Affairs, but the grounds
+surrounding this are very restricted. A nunnery and a few houses of
+missionaries also stand prominent, mostly in the neighbourhood of the
+Japanese settlement.</p>
+
+<p>The Japanese settlement, into which we will now descend, is noteworthy
+for the activity and commercial enterprise shown by the subjects of the
+Mikado. It is remarkable, also, to notice the curious co-existence of
+sense and nonsense in the Jap's adoption of foreign customs. For
+instance, you see the generality of them dressed in European clothes, but
+nevertheless <a name='Page_130'></a>still sticking to the ancient custom of removing their
+boots on entering a house; a delightful practice, I agree, in Japan,
+where the climate is mild, but not in a country like Corea, where you
+have an average of sixty degrees of frost. Then again, the Japanese
+houses, the outer walls of which consist of tissue paper, seem hardly
+suited to such a climate as that of Corea. It is really comical to watch
+them as they squat in a body round a brass brasier, shivering and blue
+with cold, with thin flat faces and curved backs; reminding one very much
+of the large family of quadrumans at the Zoo on a cold day. Nevertheless,
+they are perfectly happy, though many die of pleurisy, consumption, and
+cold in the chest.</p>
+
+<p>The Japanese women dress, of course, in their national <i>kimonos</i>, and
+just as it is in Japan the fashion to show a little of the chest under
+the throat, so in Cho-sen the same custom is adopted; with the result
+that many are carried off by bronchitis to the next world.</p>
+
+<p>One cannot but admire the Japanese, however, for the cleanliness of their
+houses and for the good-will&mdash;sometimes too much of it&mdash;which they
+display as well in their commercial dealings as in their colonising
+schemes. The custom of daily bathing in water of a boiling-point
+temperature is carried on by them in Corea as in their own country,
+notwithstanding which I venture to say that the Japanese are very dirty
+people. This remark seems non-coherent and requires, I am afraid, some
+explanation.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;How can they be dirty if they bathe every day? I call that being very
+clean,&quot; I fancy I hear you reply.</p><a name='Page_131'></a>
+
+<p>So they would undoubtedly be, if they bathed in clean water; but,
+unfortunately, this is just what they do not do, and, to my uncivilised
+mind, bathing in filthy water seems ten times more dirty than not bathing
+at all. Just imagine a small tank of water in which dozens, if not
+hundreds, of people have been already boiled before you in your turn use
+it, and upon which float large &quot;eyes&quot; of greasy matter. Well, this is
+what every good Japanese is expected to immerse himself in, right up to
+his nose, for at least half an hour at a time! I cannot but admire them
+for their courage in doing it, but, certainly, from the point of view of
+cleanliness my view is quite different; for, really and truly, I have
+always failed to see where the &quot;cleanliness&quot; comes in. Persons belonging
+to the wealthier classes have small baths of their own, in the steaming
+hot liquid of which bask in turns the family itself, their friends, the
+children and servants; and probably the same water is used again and
+again for two or three days in succession.</p>
+
+<p>I remember well how horrified I was one evening, in the Land of the
+Rising Sun, when, on visiting a small village, I was, as a matter of
+politeness on their part, requested to join in the bath. Being a novice
+at Japanese experiences, and as their request was so pressing, I thanked
+them and accepted; whereupon, I was buoyantly led to the bath. Oh what a
+sight! Three skinny old women, &quot;disgraces,&quot; I may almost call them, for
+certainly they could not be classified under the designation of &quot;graces,&quot;
+were sitting in a row with steaming water up to their necks, undergoing
+the process of being boiled. What! thought<a name='Page_132'></a> I, panic-stricken&mdash;am I to
+bathe with these three ... old lizards? Oh no, not I! and I made a rush
+for the door, greatly to the annoyance of the people, who not only
+considered me very dirty, but also very rude in not availing myself of
+their polite invitation! The next morning as I took my cold bath as usual
+in beautifully clean spring water, I was condemned and pitied as a
+lunatic! Such are the different customs of different people.</p>
+
+<p>When visiting Seoul, it is well worth one's while to take a walk to the
+Pekin Pass, a <i>li</i> or two outside the West Gate. The pass itself, which
+is cut into the rock, is situated on the road leading from Seoul to
+Pekin; which, by the way, is the road by which the envoys of the Chinese
+Emperor, following an ancient custom, travel overland with a view to
+claiming the tribute payable by the King of Corea. As a matter of fact,
+this custom of paying tribute had almost fallen into disuse, and China
+had not, for some years, I believe, enforced her right of suzerainty over
+the Corean peninsula, until the year 1890, when the envoys of the
+Celestial Emperor once again proceeded on their wearisome and long
+journey from Pekin to the capital of Cho-sen. It was here at the Pekin
+Pass, then, that, according to custom, they were received with great
+honour by the Coreans, and led into Seoul. It was at a large house,
+surrounded by a wall, on the road side, that these envoys were usually
+received and welcomed, either by the king in person or by some
+representative; and it was here that they were treated with refreshments
+and food, previously to being conducted in state into the capital, this
+being</p><a name='Page_133'></a>
+<p class="ctr"><a href="./images/20.jpg"><img src="./images/20_th.jpg"
+alt="THE PEKIN PASS"></a></p><p class="ctr">THE PEKIN PASS</p>
+<p>accomplished amidst the cheers of
+a Corean crowd, which, like other crowds, is always ready to cheer the
+last comer. At the Pekin Pass, a &quot;triumphal arch&quot;&mdash;for want of a better
+word&mdash;could be seen. It was a lofty structure, composed of two high
+columns, the lower part of these being of masonry, and the upper of
+lacquered wood, which supported a heavy roof of the orthodox Corean
+pattern, under which, about one-fourth down the columns, was a portion
+decorated with native fretwork of a somewhat rough type. The illustration
+represents this monument as it appeared in winter time, when the ground
+was covered with snow, beyond it being the square cut in the rocks,
+through which the road leads to Newchuang and Pekin.</p>
+
+<p>There are two types of individuals that are very interesting from a
+picturesque point of view; viz., the water-coolie, and the man who
+carries the huge locks and keys of the city gates.</p>
+
+<p>The water-coolie is almost as much of a &quot;personality,&quot; as the <i>mapu</i>, in
+his rude independent ways. He displays much patience, and certainly
+deserves admiration for the amount of work he daily does, for very little
+pay. His work consists in carrying water, from morning until night, to
+whoever wants it. This is a simple enough process in summer time, but in
+winter matters are rather different, for now nearly all the fountains are
+frozen, and the water has to be drawn from a well. The water-coolie
+carries a peculiar arrangement on his shoulders, a long pole fastened
+cross-wise upon his shoulder-blades, by straps going under and round the
+arms; by which means he is enabled to carry two buckets of water at a
+<a name='Page_134'></a>time. The arrangement, though more complicated, is not dissimilar to
+that used for the same purpose, by women in Holland, or to that for
+carrying milk in many parts of Switzerland. In winter time the buckets of
+water become buckets of ice the moment they are drawn from the well, and
+then it is really pitiable to see these poor beggars with the skin of
+their hands all cracked and bleeding with the cold. They run along at a
+good pace when loaded, and show great judgment in avoiding collision,
+sighing as they go a loud <i>hess! hess! hess! hess!</i> to which they keep
+time with their steps. They are considered about the lowest creatures in
+the kingdom, and enjoy some of the privileges of children and unmarried
+men as regards clothing; for instance, they generally wear a light blue
+jacket even when the country is in mourning. When on duty they never wear
+hats, and often no head-bands, having, instead, blue kerchiefs wrapt
+round the head. The inevitable long pipe is not forgotten, and is
+carried, after the fashion of the <i>mapu</i>, stuck down the back.</p>
+
+<p>The lock-carrier, again, is by no means the dirtiest individual in the
+land of Cho-sen, at least as far as it was my good fortune to see.
+Nevertheless, his clothes are invariably in a state of dilapidation, and,
+though intended to be white, are usually black with grease and dirt. As
+he is employed by the Government he wears the deepest mourning; his face,
+and one half of his body being actually hidden under the huge hat
+provided for deep mourners. He seldom possesses a pair of padded socks
+and sandals, and in the coldest days walks about bare-footed with his
+trousers turned up to</p><a name='Page_135'></a>
+<p class="ctr"><a href="./images/21.jpg"><img src="./images/21_th.jpg"
+alt="A WATER-COOLIE"></a></p><p class="ctr">A WATER-COOLIE</p>
+<p>the knees. He is
+visible only at sunrise and sunset, when he goes on his round to all the
+city gates in order to inspect the locks and bring or take away the keys.
+Slung down his back, he carries a large leather bag, something like a
+tennis bag, which contains numberless iron implements of different shapes
+and weights. He appears to be friendless and despised by everybody, and I
+have never seen him talk to any one. I rather pitied the poor fellow as I
+saw him go night after night, with his long unwashed face and hands,
+along the rampart of the wall from one gate to another. <i>Apropos</i> of this
+I once made a Corean very angry by remarking that &quot;really the safety of
+the city could not be in dirtier hands.&quot;</p>
+
+
+
+<hr class="full" />
+<a name='CHAPTER_IX'></a><h2><a name='Page_136'></a>CHAPTER IX</h2>
+
+<div class='Ptoc'>The Corean house&mdash;Doors and windows&mdash;Blinds&mdash;Rooms&mdash;The &quot;Kan&quot;&mdash;Roasting
+alive&mdash;Furniture&mdash;Treasures&mdash;The
+kitchen&mdash;Dinner-set&mdash;Food&mdash;Intoxicants&mdash;Gluttony&mdash;Capacity for
+food&mdash;Sleep&mdash;Modes of illumination&mdash;Autographs&mdash;Streets&mdash;Drainage&mdash;Smell.</div>
+<br />
+
+<p>Let us now see what a Corean household is like. But, first, as to the
+matter of house architecture. Here there is little difference to be
+observed between the house of the noble and that of the peasant, except
+that the former is generally cleaner-looking. The houses in Corea may be
+divided into two classes&mdash;those with thatched roofs of barley-straw, and
+those with roofs of tiles, stone and plaster. The latter are the best,
+and are inhabited by the well-to-do classes. The outside walls are of mud
+and stone, and the roof, when of tiles, is supported by a huge beam that
+runs from one end of the house to the other. The corners of the roof are
+usually curled up after the Chinese fashion. A stone slab runs along the
+whole length of the roof, and is turned up at the two ends, over the
+upper angle of the roof itself. The tiles are cemented at the two sides
+of this slab, and likewise at the lower borders of the roof. The windows,
+again, are rectangular and are placed directly under the roof, being in
+consequence well protected from the rain.</p>
+
+<p>Corean houses are never more than one storey high.<a name='Page_137'></a> The houses of
+officials and rich people are enclosed by a wall of masonry, the gate of
+which is surmounted by a small pagoda-like roof. In the case of the
+houses of great swells, like generals and princes, it is customary to
+have two and even three gates, which have to be passed through in
+succession before the door of the house is reached. The outer wall
+surrounding the <i>compound</i> is seldom more than six or eight feet high,
+and, curiously enough, all along the top of the wall runs a narrow roof,
+the width of two tiles. This, besides being a sort of ornament, is of
+practical use in protecting it from the damp.</p>
+
+<p>One cannot call the Coreans great gardeners, for they seem to take
+comparatively little interest in the native <i>flora</i>. The richer people
+do, as a rule, have small gardens, which are nicely laid out with one or
+two specimens of the flowers they esteem and care to cultivate; but
+really ornamental gardens are few in number in the Land of Cho-sen.
+Kitchen gardens naturally are frequently found, even near the houses of
+the poorer people.</p>
+
+<p>One peculiarity, which characterises the majority of Corean houses of the
+better sort is that they are entered by the windows; these being provided
+with sliding latticed frames covered with tissue paper, and running on
+grooves to the sides, like the <i>Shojis</i> of Japan. The tissue paper is
+often dipped in oil previous to being used on the sliding doors and
+windows, as it is then supposed to keep out the cold better than when
+left in its natural state. As the doors and windows of Cho-sen, however,
+very seldom have the quality of fitting tight, a Corean house is
+therefore <a name='Page_138'></a>quite a <i>rendezvous</i> for draughts and currents of air.</p>
+
+<p>In summer time the windows and doors are kept open, or even removed
+altogether during the day-time, and then, in order to preserve that
+privacy of which every Corean is so proud, recourse is had to a capital
+dodge. At the end of the projecting roof, and immediately in front of the
+window or entrance, at the distance of a couple of feet, is hung a shade
+in the shape of a fine mat, made of numberless long strings of split
+bamboo, tied together in a parallel position by several silk strings
+which vary in number with the size of the mat. The use of these
+curtain-like barriers has several advantages. They protect the house from
+those troublesome visitors the flies; they let in the air, though not the
+sun, and, while the people who are in the house can plainly see through
+them what goes on in the street, no one on the outside can distinguish
+either those inside, or what is doing in the house. Good mats are very
+expensive, and difficult to obtain; therefore, it is only the better
+classes that can use them. Poorer folk are satisfied with very rough mats
+of rushes. It is also the custom for good citizens of the provinces to
+send the king at the New Year presents of a certain number of these mats,
+which, like the Indian shawls of Her Britannic Majesty, are given out
+again by him to the royal princes and highest officials. I was fortunate
+enough to be presented with two of these blinds by a high official, who
+was closely related to the king. They are a marvel of patient and careful
+work, as accurately and delicately done as if some machine had been
+employed.<a name='Page_139'></a> They are nearly six feet high, by five wide, and are yellow in
+colour with black, red, and green stripes painted at the top and bottom.
+In the centre is a very pretty, simple frieze, on the inside of which are
+some Corean characters.</p>
+
+<p>If a Corean house does not look very inviting when you look at it from
+the outside, still less does it when you are indoors. The smallness of
+the rooms and their lack of furniture, pictures, or ornaments are
+features not very pleasant to the eye. The rooms are like tiny boxes,
+between eight and ten feet long, less than this in width and about seven
+feet high. They are white all over with the exception of the floor, which
+is covered with thick, yellowish oil-paper. The poorest kind of Corean
+house consists of only a single room; the abode of the moderately
+well-off man, on the other hand, may have two or three, generally three
+rooms; though, of course, the houses of very high offices are found with
+a still larger number.</p>
+
+<p>The Corean process of heating the houses is somewhat original. It is a
+process used in a great part of Eastern Asia&mdash;and, to my mind, it is the
+only thoroughly barbaric custom which the Corean natives have retained.
+The flooring of the rooms consists of slabs of stone, under which is a
+large oven of the same extent as the room overhead, which oven, during
+the winter, is filled with a burning wood-fire, which is kept up day and
+night. What happens is generally this: The coolie whose duty it is to
+look after this oven, to avoid trouble fills it with wood and dried
+leaves up to the very neck, and sets these on fire and then goes to
+sleep; by which means the stone <a name='Page_140'></a>slabs get heated to such an extent that,
+sometimes, notwithstanding the thick oil paper which covers them, one
+cannot stand on them with bare feet.</p>
+
+<p>The Corean custom is to sleep on the ground in the padded clothes, using
+a wooden block as a pillow. The better classes, however, use also small,
+thin mattresses, covered with silk, which they spread out at night, and
+keep rolled up during the day-time. As the people sleep on the ground, it
+often happens that the floor gets so hot as to almost roast them, but the
+easy-going inhabitant of Cho-sen, does not seem to object to this
+roasting process&mdash;on the contrary, he seems almost to revel in it, and
+when well broiled on one side, he will turn over to the other, so as to
+level matters. While admiring the Coreans much for this proceeding, I
+found it extremely inconvenient to imitate them. I recollect well the
+first experience which I had of the use of a &quot;Kan,&quot; which is the native
+name of the oven. On that occasion it was &quot;made so hot&quot; for me, that I
+began to think I had made a mistake, and that I had entered a crematory
+oven instead of a sleeping-room. Putting my fist through one of the paper
+windows to get a little air only made matters ten times worse, for half
+my body continued to undergo the roasting process, while the other half
+was getting unpleasantly frozen. To this day, it has always been a marvel
+to me, and an unexplainable fact that, those who use the &quot;Kan&quot; do not
+&quot;wake up&mdash;dead&quot; in the morning!</p>
+
+<p>The furniture of a Corean house, as I have hinted above, is neither over
+plentiful nor too luxurious. In fact, at the first glance, one is almost
+inclined to say <a name='Page_141'></a>that there is, so to speak, no furniture at all there.
+Possibly, a tiger or a leopard-skin may be found spread on the ground in
+the reception room; there may even be a rough minuscule chest of drawers
+in a corner, and a small, low writing-table near it, upon which probably
+rests a little jar with a flower or two in it; but rarely will you find
+much more. The bedrooms usually contain chests, in which the clothing is
+kept, but there is also a custom by which these are hung on pegs in a
+recess in the wall. The chests are covered with white parchment studded
+all over with brass nails, and further adorned with a brass lock and two
+handles of the same metal. When voyaging, the Coreans use these as
+trunks. Besides the rooms I have mentioned, the richer Corean has a
+special room, generally kept locked up, in which the treasures of the
+family are jealously safeguarded. The latter are in the shape of ancient
+native pictures, rolled up like the <i>Kakemonos</i> of Japan, painted screens
+and vases of the Satsuma ware, the art of making which was taught to the
+Japanese by the Coreans, although now those who were formerly masters in
+the art cannot produce it. Some Coreans also possess valuable specimens
+of lacquer work, both of Chinese and Japanese origin, as well as a
+rougher kind of native production. None of these heirlooms are, however,
+ever brought to light, and it is only on rare and very grand occasions,
+such as marriages, deaths, or national rejoicings, that one or two
+articles are brought into the reception-room for the day, to be again
+carefully packed up and stored away at night. The idea, which prevails in
+Japan, is also current here, namely, that it is bad form to make a great
+<a name='Page_142'></a>show of what one possesses, and that the wealthier a man is, the less
+should he disclose the fact and the simpler should he live, that he may
+not so excite the envy of his fellow countrymen. Self-denial and
+self-inflicted discomforts are virtues much appreciated in the Land of
+Cho-sen, and when a nobleman sets a good example in this respect it is
+invariably thought highly of, and emulated by others. Indeed, the
+conversation of the whole town is often concentrated on some small act of
+benevolence done by such and such a prince, nobleman or magistrate.</p>
+
+<p>But the kitchen must not be forgotten. Its most striking contents are the
+large earthenware vases, similar in shape and size to the <i>orcis</i> of
+Italy, in which the top-knotted native keeps his wine, water, barley and
+rice. Then there are numberless shining brass cups, saucers, and bowls of
+various sizes. The latter forms the Corean dinner-service. Every piece of
+this is made of brass. The largest bowls are used, one for soup, and the
+other for rice; the next in size, for wine and water respectively; while
+the smaller ones are for bits of vegetables and sauces&mdash;which latter are
+used by the natives in profusion. Curiously enough, in the Land of the
+Morning Calm they manufacture a sauce which is, so far as I could judge,
+identical in taste and colour with our well-known Worcester sauce.</p>
+
+<p>The Coreans eat their food with chopsticks, but contrary to the habits of
+their neighbours, the Chinese and the Japanese, spoons also are used. The
+chopsticks are of very cheap wood, and fresh ones are used at nearly
+every meal. The diet also is much more varied than in either of the
+neighbouring countries, <a name='Page_143'></a>and game, venison, raw fish, beef, pork, fowls,
+eggs, and sea-weed are much appreciated. As for fruits, the Coreans get
+simply mad over them, the most favourite being the persimmons, of which
+they eat large quantities both fresh and dried. Apples, pears and plums
+are also plentifully used.</p>
+
+<p>The Cho-sen people have three meals a day. The first is partaken of early
+in the morning, and is only a light one; then comes lunch in the middle
+of the day, a good square meal; and finally the Tai-sek, a great meal, in
+the evening, at which Corean voracity is exhibited to the best advantage.
+The climate being so much colder than that of Japan, it is only natural
+that the Cho-senese should use more animal food and fat than do the
+landsman of the Mikado. Pork and beef, barely roasted and copiously
+condimented with pepper and vinegar, are devoured in large quantities.
+The Coreans also have a dish much resembling the Italian maccaroni or
+vermicelli. Of this large bowls may be seen at all the eating-shops in
+Seoul, and it is as a food apparently more cherished by members of the
+lower than by those of the upper classes. Previous to being eaten, it is
+dipped in a very flavoury sauce, and, although they are not quite so
+graceful in the art of eating as are the Neapolitan <i>Lazzaroni</i>, still
+with the help of a spoon and as many fingers as are available, the Corean
+natives seem to manage to swallow large quantities of this in a very
+short time.</p>
+
+<p>Among the lower classes in Corea tea is almost unknown as a beverage. In
+its stead they delight in drinking the whitish stuff produced by the rice
+when it has been boiled in water, or as an alternative, infusions <a name='Page_144'></a>of
+ginsang. They also brew at home two or three different kinds of liquor of
+different strengths and tastes, by fermenting barley, rice and millet.
+The beer of fermented rice is not at all disagreeable, and their light
+wine also is, so far as wines go, even palatable. However, I may as well
+state once for all that I am no judge of these matters, and, as my time
+is chiefly employed in the art of oil-painting, and not in that of
+drinking, I hope to be excused if I think myself better up in &quot;oils&quot; than
+in wines!!</p>
+
+<p>Presuming that my reader has survived this pun, I will now go on to state
+that it is a common thing in Corea to begin a dinner with sweets, and
+that another curious custom is for all present to drink out of the same
+bowl of wine passed round and of course re-filled when empty. The dinner
+is served on tiny tables rising only a few inches above the ground, and
+similar to those of Japan. Fish, as is the case with most Easterners, are
+eaten raw; first, however, being dipped in the liquid which resembles
+Worcestershire sauce. To cook a fish is simply looked upon as a shameful
+way of, spoiling it, unless it has gone bad, when, of course, cooking
+becomes necessary. Fish are, however, most prized by the Coreans when
+just taken out of the water.</p>
+
+<p>Hard-boiled eggs form another favourite dish in the land of Cho-sen, and
+turnips, potatoes, and a large radish similar to the <i>daikon</i> of Japan,
+are also partaken of at Corean dinners. The poorer classes seem to relish
+highly a dreadful-looking salad, of a small fish much resembling
+whitebait, highly flavoured with quantities of pepper, black sauce and
+vinegar, with bits of pork-meat <a name='Page_145'></a>frequently thrown in. The whole thing
+has an unpleasant brownish colour, and the smell of it reminded me much
+of a photographer's dark room when collodion is in use, except that the
+smell of the fish-salad is considerably stronger.</p>
+
+<p>The Coreans excel and even surpass themselves in cooking rice. This is
+almost an art with them, and the laurels for high achievements in it
+belong to the women, for it is to them that work of this kind is
+entrusted. Sometimes the Cho-senese make a kind of pastry, but they have
+nothing at all resembling our bread. Rice takes the place of the last
+mentioned, and though, so far as I could see, the fair ladies of Cho-sen
+were somewhat casual in the exercise of the culinary art, they really
+took enormous trouble to boil the rice properly. It is first well washed
+in a large pail, and properly cleaned; then it undergoes a process of
+slow boiling in plenty of water in such a way that, while quite soft and
+delicious to the taste, each grain retains its shape and remains
+separate, instead of making the kind of paste produced by our method of
+boiling it. The whitish water left behind after the rice has been removed
+is, as we have seen, used as a cooling beverage. In some respects the
+Corean diet approaches the Chinese and the Indian, rather than the
+Japanese; for many a time have I seen men in Corea eat their rice mixed
+with meat and fish, well covered with strong sauce, in the shape of a
+<i>curry</i>; whereas in Japan the boiled rice is always in a bowl apart and
+eaten separately.</p>
+
+<p>The Corean mind seems to lay great stress upon the quantity of food that
+the digestive organs will bear.<a name='Page_146'></a> Nothing gives more satisfaction to a
+Corean than to be able to pat his tightly-stretched stomach, and, with a
+deep sigh of relief, say: &quot;Oh, how much I have eaten!&quot; Life, according to
+them, would not be worth living if it were not for eating. Brought up
+under a r&eacute;gime of this kind, it is not astonishing that their capacity
+for food is really amazing. I have seen a Corean devour a luncheon of a
+size that would satisfy three average Europeans, and yet after that, when
+I was anxiously expecting to see him burst, fall upon a large dish of
+dried persimmons, the heaviest and most indigestible things in existence.
+&quot;They look very good,&quot; said he, as he quickly swallowed one, and with his
+supple fingers undid the beautiful bow of his girdle and loosened it,
+thus apparently providing for more space inside. &quot;I shall eat one or
+two,&quot; he murmured, as he was in the act of swallowing the second; and, in
+less than no time the whole of the fruit had passed from the dish into
+his digestive organs, and he was intently gathering up, with the tips of
+his licked fingers, the few grains of sugar left at the bottom of the
+dish.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;I was unwell and had no appetite to-day,&quot; he then innocently remarked,
+as he lifted up his head.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Oh, I hope you will come again when you are quite well,&quot; said I, &quot;but
+you must promise not to eat the table, because it does not belong to me.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>A good deal of the native voracity is due, however, not to this
+insatiable appetite and gluttony alone, but also to Corean etiquette,
+according to which it shows a want of respect to the host and is a mark
+of great rudeness not to eat all that is placed before one. If all is not
+eaten they argue that you do not like it and <a name='Page_147'></a>consider it to be badly
+cooked or inferior to what you have at home. The notion of a normal
+capacity is strange to them, and never even enters their mind. They are
+trained from childhood to eat huge quantities of food, and to take
+heartily all that they can get. I have seen children with thin little
+bellies so extended after a meal, in the course of which they had been
+stuffed with rice and barley, that they could hardly walk or even
+breathe. I recollect on one occasion remarking to a mother, who was
+beamingly showing me her child in a similar condition: &quot;Are you not
+afraid that his skin will give way?&quot; &quot;Oh no! Look!&quot; Upon which she
+stuffed down his little throat three or four more spoonfuls of rice. I
+have been thankful ever since that I was not born a Corean child.</p>
+
+<p>When the Coreans eat in their own houses, the men of the family take
+their meals first, being waited on by their wives and servants; after
+which the females have their repast in a separate room. The women seldom
+drink intoxicants, and have to be satisfied with water and rice-wash.</p>
+
+<p>It is the duty of the wife to look after the welfare of her husband, and
+when she has fed him, and he has drowsily laid himself down on the
+ground, or on his little mattress, as the case may be, she retires, and
+after having had her food either goes to see her friends or to wash her
+master's clothes, or else goes to sleep.</p>
+
+<p>The people of Cho-sen are fond of keeping late hours; and yet I believe
+there are no people in the world who are more fond of sleep. So far as my
+observations go, the richer people spend their lives entirely in eating
+and sleeping. Whenever I went to <a name='Page_148'></a>call on a Corean gentleman, I
+invariably found him either gorging or in the arms of Morpheus. Naturally
+a life of this sort makes the upper classes soft, and somewhat
+effeminate. They are much given to sensual pleasures, and many a man of
+Cho-sen is reduced to a perfect wreck when he ought to be in his prime.
+The habit of drinking more than is proper is really a national
+institution, and what with over feeding, drunkenness, and other vices it
+is not astounding that the upper ten do not show to great advantage. The
+Coreans are most irregular in their habits, for, slumbering as they do at
+all hours of the day, they often feel sleepless at night, and are
+compelled in consequence to sit up. On these occasions songs are roused,
+and dominoes (san-pi-yen), chess (chan-kin), or occasionally card games
+are started until another <i>siesta</i> is felt to be required. Cards,
+however, are seldom played by the upper classes; for they are considered
+a low amusement, only fit for coolies and soldiers. On grand occasions it
+is not unusual for the <i>bon-vivant</i> of Cho-sen to sit up all night, with
+his friends, feasting to such an extent that he and his guests are ill
+for months afterwards.</p>
+
+<p>The Corean nobleman, as may well be imagined, suffers from chronic
+indigestion, and whenever one happens to inquire after his health the
+answer invariably is: &quot;I have eaten something that has disagreed with me,
+I have a pain here.&quot; And the hand is placed on the chest, in a mournful
+but expressive enough attitude.</p>
+
+<p>The modes of illumination adopted in the Corean household are few and
+simple. The most common <a name='Page_149'></a>illuminant consists of grease candles, supported
+on high candlesticks, of wood or brass, but sometimes oil cup-lamps are
+found, like those we use for night-lights. The latter, however, do not
+give out much light, and so candles, which are marvellously cheap, are
+preferred, although unfortunately they melt quickly, and smoke and smell
+in a dreadful fashion.</p>
+
+<p>Besides the various articles of domestic furniture which I have
+mentioned, I don't think I saw any others worth noticing, except perhaps
+the &quot;autograph&quot; of some great man, to which the Coreans attach much
+importance. The paper, on which the &quot;character&quot; is written, is stretched
+on a wooden frame and hung in a prominent place, generally over the
+entrance, and whenever a new visitor enters the house, the first thing
+shown him is the &quot;autograph,&quot; and it is his duty then to compliment his
+host on his good fortune of possessing it.</p>
+
+<p>We have now examined all the various striking features characteristic of
+the Corean household. Let us, then, now go outside again. The streets of
+the town could not be more tortuous and irregular. With the exception of
+the main thoroughfares, most of the streets are hardly wide enough to let
+four people walk abreast. The drainage is carried away in uncovered
+channels alongside the house, in the street itself; and, the windows
+being directly over these drains, the good people of Cho-sen, when inside
+their homes, cannot breathe without inhaling the fumes exhaled from the
+fetid matter stagnant underneath. When rain falls, matters get somewhat
+better; for then the running water cleans these canals to a considerable
+<a name='Page_150'></a>extent. During the winter months, also, things are passable enough, for
+then everything is frozen; but, in the beginning of spring, when frozen
+nature undergoes the process of thawing, then it is that one wishes to be
+deprived of his nose. At the entrance of each house a stone slab is
+thrown across to the doorway so as to cover the ditch. Only the
+foundations of the town houses are made of solid stone, well cemented,
+but in the case of country dwellings these are extended upwards so as to
+make up one-half of the whole height, the upper part being of mud, stuck
+on to a rough matting of bamboos and split canes.</p>
+
+
+
+<hr class="full" />
+<a name='CHAPTER_X'></a><h2><a name='Page_151'></a>CHAPTER X</h2>
+
+<div class='Ptoc'>A Corean marriage&mdash;How marriages are arranged&mdash;The wedding ceremony&mdash;The
+document&mdash;In the nuptial-chamber&mdash;Wife's
+conduct&mdash;Concubines&mdash;Widows&mdash;Seduction&mdash;Adultery&mdash;Purchasing a
+husband&mdash;Love&mdash;Intrigue&mdash;Official &quot;squeezing&quot;&mdash;The cause.</div>
+<br />
+
+<p>Among the several misfortunes, or fortunes, if you prefer the word, with
+which a Corean man has to put up is an early marriage. He is hardly born,
+when his father begins to look out for a wife for him, and scarcely has
+he time to know that he is living in the world at all than he finds
+himself wedded.... The Coreans marry very young. I have seen boys of ten
+or twelve years of age who had already discarded the bachelor's long
+tress hanging down the back, and were wearing the top-knot of the married
+man. It must not be supposed, however, that these youthful married men
+are really wedded in the strict sense of the word, for, as a matter of
+fact, though husband and wife in the eyes of the world, the two do not
+live together till the age of puberty is reached. In other words, the
+marriage is for several years only a nominal one, and corresponds rather
+to our &quot;engagement.&quot; There are duties, none the less, which a married man
+must perform, no matter how youthful he may be. From the moment he is
+wedded he must be a man, however childlike in years, and henceforth he
+can associate only <a name='Page_152'></a>with men. His infantile games, romps with other
+children who are still bachelors, spinning tops and all other amusements,
+which he so much enjoyed, are suddenly brought to an end and he is now
+compelled to be as sedate as an old man.</p>
+
+<p>The illustration (p. <a href='#Page_79'>79</a>) shows a young married man of the age of twelve,
+a relation of the queen. As I was taking his portrait, I asked him how he
+liked his wife and what her appearance was.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;I do not know,&quot; he said, &quot;for I have only seen her once, and I have as
+yet never spoken to her.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;But, then, how can you like her?&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Because it is my father's wish that I should, and I must obey my
+father.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Does your father know the girl well?&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;No, but he knows her father.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;And what does your mother say?&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;She says nothing.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Why?&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Because she is dead.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>I found this an excellent reason for the silence on the mother's side and
+I proceeded with the picture, but once again attacked him with the view
+of, if possible, obtaining further information.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;When will you go and live with your wife?&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;When I shall be nineteen or twenty years old.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>The whole arrangement seemed to me so strange that I naturally longed for
+further details about marital relations in Cho-sen. The facts as told to
+me are as follows: In Cho-senese weddings the two people least concerned
+are the bride and bridegroom. Everything, or at least nearly everything,
+is done for them, <a name='Page_153'></a>either by their relations or through the agency of a
+middle-man. When both the persons to be wedded possess fathers, a
+friendly <i>pourparler</i> takes place between the two papas and in the course
+of repeated libations of wine, the terms are settled, and with the help
+of a &quot;wise man&quot; a lucky day is named, upon which the wedding shall take
+place. On the other hand, should the bridegroom have no father, then a
+middle-man is appointed by the nearest relations to carry on the
+transaction with the girl's progenitor. It is not uncommon for two
+persons to be married several years without ever having seen each other.
+This, for instance, may be the case when the young lady resides in a
+distant province, and a journey of inspection would be too expensive.
+Under such circumstances the bridegroom must just patiently wait until,
+perhaps, years after, the bride undertakes the journey herself and comes
+to live with him in his house.</p>
+
+<p>After all, on thinking the matter over and bearing in mind that with us a
+marriage is indeed <i>a</i> lottery, I cannot see why the Corean wedding
+should not be equivalent to <i>two</i> lotteries! Very often, weddings are
+arranged by letter, in which case misunderstandings frequently occur. For
+instance, a father who has two daughters, a sound one and a cripple, may
+have arranged for the one in good condition to be married to a charming
+young man of good education and means. When the day of the wedding,
+however, arrives, judge of the surprise of the bridegroom to see himself
+on the point of being united in matrimony with a humpback lame creature,
+with a face and limbs all out of drawing&mdash;in place of the ideal beauty
+whom <a name='Page_154'></a>he had expected to obtain. What is to be done? There is the written
+agreement, down in black and white, and signed by his incautious father,
+and there the father of the maid swearing that it was &quot;this&quot; daughter he
+meant to give him, not the beautiful one! What is to be done under such
+circumstances so as not to cause grief to his parent, except to go
+through with the wedding with courage and dignity, and to provide himself
+with some good-looking concubines at the earliest opportunity?</p>
+
+<p>The practice of having concubines is a national institution and of the
+nature of polygamy. These second wives are not exactly recognised by the
+Government, but they are tolerated and openly allowed. The legal wife
+herself is well aware of the fact, and, though not always willing to have
+these rivals staying under the same roof, she does not at all object to
+receiving them and entertaining them in her own quarters&mdash;if her lord and
+master orders her to do so. There are, nevertheless, strong-minded women
+in the land of Cho-sen, who resent the intrusion of these thirds, and
+family dissension not unfrequently results from the husband indulging in
+such conduct. Should the wife abandon her master's roof in despair he can
+rightfully have her brought back and publicly spanked with an instrument
+like a paddle, a somewhat severe punishment, which is apt to bring back
+to reason the most ill-tempered and strong-willed woman. Such a thing,
+though, very seldom happens, for, as women go, the Corean specimens of
+feminine humanity seem to be very sensible, and not much given to
+jealousy or to worrying their little heads unnecessarily about such
+<a name='Page_155'></a>small failings. They are perfectly well aware that their husbands cannot
+easily divorce them, when once the fatal knot has been tied, and that,
+though practically inferior beings and slaves, they nevertheless come
+first, and are above their rivals in the eye of the law; which, I
+suppose, is satisfaction enough for them. Even when on friendly terms
+with her husband's second loves, the wife number one never forgets to
+impress them with the fact that, though tolerated, they are considered by
+her to be much lower beings than herself; which makes them feel all the
+more her studied politeness to them. Occasionally, however, even the
+cool-headed Corean woman gets possessed with the vice of envy&mdash;sometimes
+mixed with hatred&mdash;with the result that reciprocal scratches and tearings
+of the hair become <i>l'ordre du jour</i>. But to condescend to such means of
+asserting one's authority is looked down upon by the more respectable
+women; and suffering in silence is pronounced to be a nobler way of
+acting under the circumstances, the woman thus setting an example of good
+nature eliciting the admiration of all her neighbours.</p>
+
+<p>The wedding ceremony in Cho-sen is simple. It is not celebrated as with
+us, in the house of the bride, but in that of the bridegroom. The bride
+it is, who&mdash;carried in a palanquin, if a lady of means and good family,
+or on pony or donkey back, if she belongs to the lower classes&mdash;goes,
+followed by parents, relations and friends, to the house of the
+bridegroom. Here she finds assembled his friends and relations, and,
+having been received by the father of the bridegroom, she mounts a small
+platform erected for the purpose <a name='Page_156'></a>in the centre of the room and squats
+down. Her father follows suit, placing himself just behind her. The
+bridegroom, apparently unconcerned by the serious change in his life that
+is in prospect, sits on his heels in front of her on the platform. A
+document is then produced and unrolled, on which, in hundreds of
+fantastic Chinese characters, it is certified that the performance taking
+place is a <i>bon&acirc;-fide</i> marriage between Mr. So-and-so and the daughter of
+So-and-so; the weaker sex, as we have already seen, not being entitled to
+a personal name. The two contracting parties having signed the document,
+the fathers of the bride and bridegroom and the nearest relations, follow
+suit. If, as happens in many cases, the woman is able neither to read nor
+write, she can make &quot;her mark&quot; on the roll of paper in question; and I
+must confess that of all the ingenious marks I have seen, this one is the
+most ingenious of all. If she be a lady of rank and illiterate, her
+little hand is placed on the paper and the outline drawn round the
+fingers and wrist with a fine brush dipped in Chinese ink; but if she
+happens to have no blue blood in her veins, and is, therefore, of less
+gracious manners, the simpler process of smearing her hand with black
+paint and hitting the document with it is considered to render the
+ceremony more impressive. A more or less vivid impression of the wife's
+fleshly seal having been affixed in this way to some part or other of the
+document according to her skill in aiming, the two unfortunates resume
+their dignity on the platform, sitting face to face without a word or
+motion. The bridegroom then makes four grand bows to his wife, in sign of
+resignation or assent,<a name='Page_157'></a> I suppose; and she returns two, while she treats
+her father-in-law with double that amount of reverence. This constitutes
+the marriage ceremony proper, but much further bowing has to be gone
+through by both the parties to each of the people present, who,
+accompanying their wedding-gifts of birds and fish with pretty
+compliments, come forward, one by one, to the platform and drink the
+health, happiness and joy of the wedded pair. It is the duty of the bride
+to remain perfectly mute and apparently unconcerned at all the pretty
+speeches addressed to her by the bridegroom and his friends until the
+nuptial-chamber is entered later in the evening. Previous to this,
+however, the bridegroom is taken away into the men's apartment, while, on
+the other hand, the wife is led into the ladies' own room. The former
+then has his tress cut off and tied into a top-knot&mdash;an operation
+entrusted to his best friend; while the latter also has her hair changed
+from the fashion of the maiden to that of a married woman, by her most
+intimate friend. It is only after this change in the coiffure that a man
+begins to be taken notice of in the world, or is regarded as responsible
+for his own conduct.</p>
+
+<p>After being arrayed in the fashion just mentioned, and having gone
+through a good deal of feasting, husband and wife are led off to the
+nuptial-chamber. Here, numerous straw puppets, which had better be left
+undescribed, are placed, with a certain implication, which need not be
+explained. With these, then, the two poor wretches are shut in, while all
+the relations and servants sit outside giggling and listening at the
+door. The wife is not supposed to utter a sound, and <a name='Page_158'></a>if by chance her
+voice is heard she can fully expect to have her life chaffed out of her,
+and to be the talk and the cause of good-natured fun all over the
+neighbourhood. The middle-men&mdash;either the fathers or others&mdash;are entitled
+to assist at the first-night business, and to report to the relations and
+friends whether the marriage is to turn out a happy one or not. They
+generally act their part behind a screen placed for the purpose in the
+nuptial-chamber.</p>
+
+<p>What happens is generally this: the man either takes a violent fancy for
+his new bride or else he does not care for her. If the former is the
+case, the first fortnight or so is a very happy one for the couple, and
+the two are continually by each other's side; but, by-and-by, of course,
+the ardour of these days gets quieted down, and, to show his wife that
+after all he does not think much of her, the man will even proceed to
+enter into relationship with a second wife, and probably soon after that
+also with a third or even a fourth, according to his means. After a time,
+he will again return to the first and principal wife, and repeat to her a
+certain amount of affection, though never quite so much as is displayed
+towards the last love. The Corean treats his wife with dignity and
+kindness, and feeds her well, but she is never allowed to forget that she
+is an inferior personage. To this, however, the women of Cho-sen seem
+quite resigned, and it is marvellous how faithful they are to their
+husbands, and how much they seem to think of them and their welfare and
+happiness, their own selves being quite forgotten. Should a woman of the
+better classes be left, a widow, she must wear mourning as long as she
+lives, and ever <a name='Page_159'></a>shed tears over the loss of her husband. To re-marry she
+is not permitted. Women of the lower classes, it is true, do not always
+observe this rule&mdash;which is not law, but merely etiquette.</p>
+
+<p>Many a Cho-sen lady, also, on finding herself deprived of her better half
+when she is still young in years and physique voluntarily puts an end to
+her days, that she may join her husband, wherever he may have gone,
+rather than go through life alone. If, however, a son is born, she will
+nurse him, and look upon him as her master when he grows older and
+becomes the head of the family.</p>
+
+<p>To obtain a divorce in Corea is not an easy matter. Large sums of money,
+however, often obtain what right cannot. The principal causes for which,
+if proved, a divorce can be obtained, are: infidelity, sterility,
+dishonesty, and incurable malady. These faults, be it understood, only
+apply to women, for against the men the weaker sex has, unfortunately, no
+redress. Indeed, by the law of Corea a man becomes the owner of a woman
+if he can prove that he has had intimate relations with her. In such a
+case as this, even though it has been against her parents' and her own
+will, he has a perfect right to take her to his house, and make her a
+wife or a concubine.</p>
+
+<p>Adultery until lately was punished in Corea with flogging and capital
+punishment. Now the law is more lenient, and wives accused of such a
+dreadful offence are beaten nearly to death, and when recovered, if they
+do recover, are given as concubines to low officials in the Palace or at
+some of the <i>Yamens</i>.</p>
+
+<p>Women who are much deformed and have reached <a name='Page_160'></a>a certain age without
+finding a husband are allowed the privilege of purchasing one, which, in
+other words, corresponds to our marriage for money. In Corea, however,
+the money is paid down as the consideration for the marriage. But this
+sort of thing is not very frequent, and husbands in such cases are
+generally recruited from among ruined gentlemen or from the middle
+classes, among whom with money anything can be done. It is not considered
+quite honourable, and the Cho-senese despise such conduct on the part of
+a man.</p>
+
+<p>When a woman marries she becomes co-proprietress of all her husband's
+fortune and property, and should he die without having any sons, money
+and land descend to her. When this happens, however, the larger part of
+the fortune is swallowed up by the astrologers and priests, who give the
+woman to understand that they are looking after the welfare of her
+deceased beloved. In matters concerning the dead, the Coreans are
+heedless of expense, and large sums are spent in satisfying the wishes
+that dead people convey to the living through those scamps, the
+astrologers.</p>
+
+<p>The life of a Corean woman, though that of a slave kept in strict
+seclusion, with prospects of floggings and head-chopping, is not always
+devoid of adventures. Love is a thing which is capricious in the extreme,
+and there are stories current in Cho-sen about young, wives being
+carelessly looked after by their husbands, and falling in love with some
+good-looking youth, of course married to some one else. Having, perhaps,
+against her master's orders, made a hole <a name='Page_161'></a>through the paper window, and
+been peeping at the passers-by in the street, after months, or even years
+of drudgery and sleepless nights thinking of her ideal&mdash;for Corean women
+are passionate, and much given to fanciful affections&mdash;she at last
+chances to see the man of her heart, and manages, through the well-paid
+agency of some faithful servant, to enter into communication with him. If
+the man in question happens to be a high official or a nobleman, what
+happens generally is that the lady's husband either gets suddenly packed
+off by order of the King to some distant province, or is sent upon some
+travelling employment which probably necessitates his leaving his wife
+behind for several years, during which period, under the old-fashioned
+excuse of news received of the husband's death, or the plea of poverty,
+she very likely becomes the concubine of the man she loves. In Corean
+literature, there are many stories of the burning affections of the fair
+sex, some being said to have committed crimes, and even suicide, to be
+near the man they loved.</p>
+
+<p>To a European mind, certainly, the native way of arranging marriages does
+not seem very likely to make the contracting parties happy, for neither
+the tastes nor respective temperaments of the young couple are regarded.
+Still, taking everything into consideration, it is marvellous how little
+unhappiness&mdash;comparatively&mdash;there is in a Corean household. Besides, it
+must not be supposed that, slave though she be, the Corean woman never
+gets things her own way. On the contrary, she does, and that as often as
+she likes. Among the upper classes, especially those <a name='Page_162'></a>about the Court,
+half the trouble in the kingdom is caused by the women, not openly,
+indeed, but in a clever underhand way through their <i>enerv&eacute;</i> husbands,
+whom, instead of being the governors, they rule and lead by the nose.
+Promotions, punishments, and beheadings are generally the consequence of
+the work of some female fiend. There is probably no place in the world in
+which intrigue is so rampant as in the Corean Capital. The Queen herself
+is said to exercise an enormous influence over the King, and, according
+to Corean reports, it is really she, and not the King, that rules
+Cho-sen. She is never either seen or heard of; and yet all the officials
+are frightened out of their lives if they think they have incurred her
+displeasure. For no plausible reason whatever men are sometimes seen
+deprived of their high position, degraded and exiled. Nobody knows why it
+is; the accused themselves cannot account for it. There is only one
+answer possible, namely, <i>Cherchez la femme</i>. The fact is, a Corean woman
+can be an angel and she can be a devil. If the former, she is soft, good,
+willing to bear any amount of pain, incredibly faithful to her husband,
+painstaking with her children, and willing to work day and night without
+a word of reproach. If, however, she is the other thing, I do not think
+that any devils in existence can beat her. She then has all the bad
+qualities that a human body can contain. I firmly believe that when a
+Corean woman is bad she is capable of anything! Much of the distress,
+even, which prevails all over the country is more or less due to the
+weakness of the stronger sex towards the women. Everybody, I suppose, is
+aware of the <a name='Page_163'></a>terrible system of &quot;squeezing&quot;; that is to say, the
+extortion of money from any one who may possess it. It is really painful
+all over Corea to see the careworn, sad expression on everybody's face;
+you see the natives lying about idle and pensive, doubtful as to what
+their fate will be to-morrow, all anxious for a reform in the mode of
+government, yet all too lazy to attempt to better their position, and
+this has gone on for generations! Such is human nature. It is hard to
+suffer, but this is considered to be nothing compared with the trouble of
+improving one's position.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;What is the use of working and making money,&quot; said a Corean once to me,
+&quot;if, when the work is done and the money made, it is taken from you by
+the officials; you are worn out by the work you have done, yet are as
+poor as before, that is, mind you, if you are fortunate enough not to be
+exiled to a distant province by the magistrate who has enriched himself
+at your expense?&quot; &quot;Now,&quot; added the Cho-senese, looking earnestly into my
+face, &quot;would you work under those circumstances?&quot; &quot;I am hanged if I
+would,&quot; were the words which, to the best of my ability, I struggled to
+translate into the language of Cho-sen, in order to show my approval of
+these philosophic views; &quot;but, tell me, what do the officials do with all
+the money?&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;It is all spent in pleasure. Women are their ruin. The feasts which they
+celebrate with their singers and their concubines cost immense sums of
+money. Besides, their women are like leeches, and continually incite them
+to extort more and more from the public to satisfy their ambition and
+evil habits. They are <a name='Page_164'></a>women mostly born in dirt, but who now find
+themselves in lavishness and luxury. People who spring up from nothing
+never are satisfied with what they possess, and it is always a pleasure
+to them to see other people suffering as they formerly did.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>There is little doubt that what the Corean said is perfectly true, and
+that the system of &quot;squeezing&quot; is carried on by the magistrates to such
+an extent as to entirely ruin the people; wherefore, it is only natural
+that its depressing effects should be impressed upon the people
+&quot;squeezed.&quot; I also believe that there is a good deal of truth in what he
+said about their females being supplied with large funds by the
+magistrates. The money must come from some part, and since, personally,
+they are poor and only receive a small pay, there is no doubt that the
+money in question is extorted as described. But let this suffice for the
+good and bad qualities of the Cho-sen fairies and their funny way of
+being married.</p>
+
+<p class="ctr"><a href="./images/22.jpg"><img src="./images/22_th.jpg"
+alt="THE MARK"></a></p><p class="ctr">THE MARK</p>
+
+
+
+<hr class="full" />
+<a name='CHAPTER_XI'></a><h2><a name='Page_165'></a>CHAPTER XI</h2>
+
+<div class='Ptoc'>Painting in Seoul&mdash;Messages from the king&mdash;Royal princes sitting for
+their portraits&mdash;Breaking the mourning law&mdash;Quaint notions&mdash;Delight and
+despair&mdash;Calling in of State ceremony&mdash;Corean soldiers&mdash;How they mount
+guard&mdash;Drill&mdash;Honours&mdash;A much admired shoe&mdash;A gift.</div>
+<br />
+
+<p>I had made so many sketches in Seoul, that at last a rumour reached the
+Court of the rapidity with which I portrayed streets and people. The
+consequence was that both king and princes were very anxious to see what
+&quot;European painting&quot; was like, as they had never yet seen a picture
+painted by a European; so one fine day, to my great astonishment, through
+the kindness of Mr. Greathouse and General Le Gendre, I was able to
+induce one of the Queen's nephews, young Min-san-ho, to sit for his
+likeness in his Court dress. The picture, a life-size one, was painted in
+the course of an afternoon and was pronounced a success by my Corean
+critics. In Cho-senese eyes, unaccustomed to the effects of light, shade,
+and variety of colour in painting, the work merited a great deal of
+admiration, and many were the visitors who came to inspect it. It was
+not, they said, at all like a picture, but just like the man himself
+sitting donned in his white Court robes and winged cap. So great was the
+sensation produced by this portrait, that before many days had <a name='Page_166'></a>passed
+the King ordered it to be brought into his presence, upon which being
+done he sat gazing at it, surrounded by his family and whole household.
+The painting was kept at the Palace for two entire days, and when
+returned to me was simply covered with finger marks, royal and not royal,
+smeared on the paint, which was still moist, and that, notwithstanding
+that I had been provident enough to paste in a corner of the canvas a
+label in the Corean language to the effect that fingers were to be kept
+off. The King declared himself so satisfied with it that he expressed the
+wish that before leaving the country I should paint the portraits of the
+two most important personages in Cho-sen after himself, viz.: the two
+Princes, Min-Young-Huan, and Min-Young-Chun, the former of whom was
+Commander-in-chief of the Corean land forces, and the other, Prime
+Minister of the kingdom, in fact, the Bismarck of Cho-sen.</p>
+
+<p>No sooner had I answered &quot;yes&quot; to this request than the sitting was fixed
+for the next morning at 11 o'clock. The crucial matter, of course, was
+the question of precedence, and this would have been difficult to settle
+had not the Prime Minister caught a bad cold, which caused his sitting to
+be delayed for some days. Hence it was that at 11 o'clock punctually I
+was to portray prince Min-Young-Huan, the commander-in-chief of the
+Corean troops.</p>
+
+<p>General Le Gendre, with his usual kindness, had offered me a room in his
+house, in which I could receive, and paint His Royal Highness. The
+excitement at Court on the subject of these pictures, had apparently been
+great, for late at night a message was</p><a name='Page_167'></a>
+<p class="ctr"><a href="./images/23.jpg"><img src="./images/23_th.jpg"
+alt="H.R.H. PRINCE MIN-YOUNG-HUAN"></a></p><p class="ctr">H.R.H. PRINCE MIN-YOUNG-HUAN</p>
+<p>brought me from the palace to the effect that the King,
+having heard that I preferred painting the two princes in their smartest
+dark blue gowns of lovely silk instead of in their white mourning ones,
+had given Min orders to comply with my wish. The grant of such a
+privilege was, indeed, remarkable, when it is remembered how strict the
+rules as to mourning were, not only at Court, but all over the country;
+for so strict are the mourning rules of the country, that the slightest
+exception to them may mean the loss of one's head. The precaution,
+however, was taken to bind me to secrecy, on the ground that a bad
+example of this kind coming from royalty might actually cause a
+revolutionary outbreak. It was naturally with the greatest pleasure, at
+my success, and the courtesy shown me, that I went to bed, not, however,
+without having received yet another message from General Le Gendre,
+asking me to be in attendance punctually at 11 A.M.</p>
+
+<p>It was just 6.30 in the morning, when there was a loud tap at my door,
+and the servant rushed in, in the wildest state of excitement, handing me
+a note from General Le Gendre. The note read somewhat as follows: &quot;Dear
+Mr. Landor, Prince Min has arrived at my house to sit for his picture.
+Please come at once.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>That is punctuality, is it not? To make an appointment, and go to the
+place to keep it four-and-a-half hours before the time appointed!</p>
+
+<p>In less than no time I was on the spot. Le Gendre's house was, as it
+were, in a state of siege, for hundreds of armed soldiers were drawn up,
+in the little lane leading to it, while the court of his compound <a name='Page_168'></a>was
+crammed with followers and officers, in their smartest clothes. The
+warriors, who had already made themselves comfortable, and were squatting
+on their heels, playing cards and other games, got up most respectfully
+as I passed, and, by command of one of the officers, rendered me a
+military salute, which I must confess made me feel very important. I had
+never suspected that such an armed force was necessary to protect a man
+who was going to have his portrait painted, but of course, I am well
+aware that artists are always most unreliable people. When the real
+reason of this display was explained, I did indeed feel much flattered.</p>
+
+<p>The Prince had, in fact, come to me in his grandest style, and with his
+full escort, just as if his object had been to call on some royal
+personage, such as the King himself. The compliment was, I need hardly
+say, much appreciated by me. I was actually lifted up the steps of the
+house by his servants, for it was supposed that the legs of such a grand
+personage must indeed be incapable of bearing his body, and thus I was
+brought into his presence. As usual, he was most affable, and full of wit
+and fun. So great had been his anxiety to be down on canvas, that he had
+been quite unable to sleep. He could only wish for the daylight to come,
+which was to immortalise him, and that was why he had come &quot;a little&quot;
+before his time.</p>
+
+<p>Having assured himself that there was no one else in the room, he
+discarded his mourning clothes, and put on a magnificent blue silk gown
+with baggy sleeves, upon which dragons were depicted, in rather <a name='Page_169'></a>lighter
+tones. On his chest, he wore a square on which in multicoloured
+embroideries were represented the flying phoenix and the tiger, and the
+corners of which were filled in artistically with numerous scrolls. He
+had also a rectangular jewelled metal belt, projecting both at his chest
+and at the back, and held in position by a ribbon on both sides of his
+body. His cap was of the finest black horse-hair with wings fastened at
+the back. He seemed most proud of his three white leather satchels, and a
+writing pad, which hung down from his left side, by wide white straps.
+Into these straps, in time of war, is passed the sword of supreme
+command, and by them in time of peace is his high military rank made
+known. His sword was a magnificent old blade, which had been handed down
+from his ancestors, and naturally he was very proud of it. While showing
+it to me, he related the noble deeds, which had been accomplished by its
+aid, his eyes glistening all the time, but, as he was about to
+graphically describe in what way such and such an ancestor had done away
+with his foe, I, who am not at all fond of playing with razor-edged
+swords, thought it prudent to interrupt him by placing him in position
+for the picture. As I posed him, he did not utter a word, nor wink an
+eye. And during the whole of a sitting of nearly three hours he sat
+motionless and speechless, like a statue.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;It is finished,&quot; I finally said, and he sprang up in a childish fashion
+and came over to look at the work. His delight was unbounded, and he
+seized my hand and shook it for nearly half an hour; after which, he
+suddenly became grave, stared at the canvas, <a name='Page_170'></a>and then looked at the back
+of it. He seemed horrified.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;What is it?&quot; I inquired of His Royal Highness.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;You have not put in my jade decoration,&quot; said he, almost in despair.</p>
+
+<p>I had, of course, painted his portrait full face, and as the Coreans have
+the strange notion of wearing their decorations in the shape of a small
+button of jade, gold, silver or amber, behind the left ear, these did not
+appear thereon. I then tried to remonstrate, saying that it was
+impossible in European art to accomplish such a feat as to show both
+front and back at once, but, as he seemed distressed at what to him
+seemed a defect, I made him sit again, and compromised the matter by
+making another large but rapid sketch of him from a side point of view,
+so as to include the decoration and the rest rather magnified in size. It
+is from this portrait that the illustration is taken; for I corrected it
+as soon as he was out of sight. But with this second portrait my Corean
+sitter was more grieved than ever, for, he remarked, now he could see the
+decoration, but not his other eye!</p>
+
+<p>These difficulties having, with the exercise of a good deal of patience
+and time, been finally overcome by my proving to him that one cannot see
+through things that are not transparent, we were entertained by General
+Le Gendre to an excellent lunch, during which toasts to the health of
+everybody under the sun were drunk in numberless bottles of champagne.
+Then he began to wax quite enthusiastic about his likeness. He called in
+his officers and followers; by this time, of course, he had got into his
+mourning <a name='Page_171'></a>clothes again, and donned his semi-spherical crane-surmounted
+hat; and they all showed great admiration of the work, although many went
+round, as he had done, to look at the backs of the two canvases to find
+&quot;the eye,&quot; or the other missing &quot;button.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>He wanted to purchase both pictures there and then, but I declined,
+saying that I would be pleased to present him with a smaller copy when
+completed. With this promise he departed happy.</p>
+
+<p>Now it was the turn of his Prime Minister brother, Prince Min. He also
+came in full state, with hundreds of servants and followers, hours before
+his time; was a most restless model; and, having profited by his
+brother's experience, was continually coming over to examine the painting
+and reminding me not to forget this and that and the other
+thing&mdash;generally what was on the other side of his body, or what from my
+point of vantage I could not see. This time, however, I had chosen a
+three-quarter face pose, and he expressed the fullest satisfaction with
+the result, until, going to poke his nose into the canvas, which was
+about 4 feet by 3, he began to take objections to the shadows. He
+insisted that his face was all perfectly white; whereas I had made
+one-half his nose darker in colour than the other; also that there was
+the same defect under the chin; his untrained mind being unable to grasp
+the fact that the same colour under different lights becomes lighter or
+darker in tone. I would have lost my patience with him if I had had any
+to lose, but, remaining silent, I smiled idiotically at his observations,
+and did exactly the reverse of what he wished me to do. The beautifying
+touches having <a name='Page_172'></a>been duly added, and the high lights put in where it
+seemed proper that they should go, I summoned the Prince to see the
+effect, this time building up a barricade of chairs and tables in front
+of the canvas, in order that His Royal Highness might be compelled to
+conduct his examination of it at the right distance. This had the desired
+effect, and, as he now gazed at it, he found the likeness excellent and
+to use his words &quot;just like a living other-self.&quot; It seemed to him a most
+inexplicable circumstance that when he got his nose close to the canvas
+the picture appeared so different from what it was when inspected at the
+right distance. This sitting also ended with a feast, and everything
+passed off in the best of ways.</p>
+
+<p>The result of this amicable intercourse with the Royal Princes was that
+calls had to be duly exchanged according to the rules of Corean
+etiquette. Both Princes came again in their state array to call upon me
+in person, a privilege which I was told had never before been bestowed on
+any Europeans, not even the Diplomatic Agents in the land, after which
+upon the following day I proceeded to return their calls.</p>
+
+<p>The morning was dedicated to the commander-in-chief, Prince
+Min-Young-Huan. Since to go on foot, even though the distance was only a
+few hundred yards from Mr. Greathouse's, where I was living, would have
+been, according to Corean etiquette, a disgrace and an insult, I rode up
+to his door on horseback. His house stood, surrounded by a strong wall of
+masonry and with impregnable iron-banded gates, in the centre of a large
+piece of ground. His ensign flew at one corner of the enclosure, and a
+detachment <a name='Page_173'></a>of picked troops was always at his beck and call in the
+immediate neighbourhood. At the door were sentries, and it was curious to
+note the way in which guard is mounted in the land of Cho-sen.</p>
+
+<p>I suppose what I am going to narrate will not be believed, but it is none
+the less perfectly true. The Corean Tommy Atkins mounts guard curled up
+in a basket filled with rags and cotton-wool! Even at the royal palace
+one sees them. The Cho-senese warrior is not a giant; on the contrary, he
+is very small, only a little over five feet, or even less, so that the
+round basket which contains him is made only about four feet in diameter,
+and three-and-a-half feet deep. In the inner enclosures of the royal
+palace, where two soldiers at a time are on guard, the baskets are
+bigger, and the two men contained in them squat or curl up together like
+two birds in a nest. Their rifles are generally left standing against the
+wall; but, occasionally, when the position to be guarded is a very
+responsible one, they are nursed in the basket.</p>
+
+<p>The infantry soldier, seen at his best, is a funny individual. He thinks
+he is dressed like a European soldier, but the reader can imagine the
+resemblance. His head-gear consists of a felt hat with a large brim,
+which he keeps on his head by means of two ribbons tied under his chin;
+for the fashion is, in military circles, to have a head-gear many times
+too small for his head. He wears a pair of calico trousers of a
+nondescript colour resembling green and black, under which his own padded
+&quot;unmentionables&quot; are concealed, a fact which of itself is sufficient to
+make him look a little <a name='Page_174'></a>baggy. Then there is his shortish coat with large
+sleeves and woollen wristlets; and a belt, with a brass buckle, somewhere
+about five inches above or below his waist, according to the amount of
+dinner he has eaten and the purses he has stuffed under his coat. Yes,
+the Coreans are not yet civilised enough to possess pockets, and all that
+they have to carry must be stuffed into small leather, cloth, or silk
+purses with long strings. By ordinary individuals these purses are
+fastened inside or outside the coat, but among the military it is
+strictly forbidden to show purses over the coat; wherefore the regulation
+method is to carry these underneath, tied to the trouser's band.
+Accordingly, as the number of purses is larger or smaller, the belt over
+the jacket is higher or lower on the waist, the coat sticking out in the
+most ridiculous manner.</p>
+
+<p>In the illustration a Corean warrior of the latest fashion may be seen in
+his full uniform. He is an infantry soldier.</p>
+
+<p>The guns with which these men are armed, are of all sorts, descriptions
+and ages, from the old flint-locks to repeating breech-loaders, and it
+can easily be imagined how difficult it must be to train the troops,
+hardly two soldiers having guns of even a similar make! A couple of
+American Army instructors were employed by the King to coach the soldiery
+in the art of foreign warfare, and to teach them how to use their
+weapons, but, if I remember rightly, one of the greatest difficulties
+they had to contend with was the utter want of discipline; for to this
+the easy-going Corean Tommy Atkins could on no account be made</p><a name='Page_175'></a>
+<p class="ctr"><a href="./images/24.jpg"><img src="./images/24_th.jpg"
+alt="AN INFANTRY SOLDIER"></a></p><p class="ctr">AN INFANTRY SOLDIER</p>
+<p>to submit. They are brave enough
+when it comes to fighting; that is, when this is done in their own way;
+and rather than give way an inch they will die like valiant warriors. It
+is an impossibility, however, to make them understand that when a man is
+a soldier, in European fashion, he is no more a man, but a machine.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Why not have machines altogether?&quot; seemed to be pretty much what they
+thought when compelled to go through the, to them, apparently useless and
+tiresome drill.</p>
+
+<p>The target practice amused and interested them much when it took place,
+which was but seldom, for the cost of the ammunition was found to be too
+much for the authorities; there being, besides, the further difficulty of
+providing different cartridges for the great variety of rifles used. Thus
+it was that, though nearly every infantry soldier possessed a gun, he
+hardly ever had a chance of firing it. So rarely was even a round of
+blank cartridges fired in the capital, that, when this event did take
+place for some purpose or other, the King invariably sent a message to
+the few foreign residents in the town requesting them not to be
+frightened or alarmed at the &quot;report,&quot; or to suppose that a revolution
+had broken out.</p>
+
+<p>Having examined Tommy Atkins at his best, I sent in my name to the
+Prince, and was waiting outside, when suddenly a great noise was heard
+inside, the squeaky locks were unbolted, and gate after gate was thrown
+open. The pony had to be left behind at the gate, and as I entered the
+court, among the chin-chins of the courtiers, I saw the
+Commander-in-chief waiting <a name='Page_176'></a>on the door-step to greet me with
+outstretched arms. Honour after honour was bestowed upon me; which
+extreme politeness amazed me, for Foreign Ministers and Consuls are never
+received in this way, but are led into his presence, while he remains
+comfortably seated in his audience chamber.</p>
+
+<p>He took me by the hand, and, leading me into his reception room,
+maintained a long and most friendly conversation with me, taking the most
+unbounded interest in all matters pertaining to Western civilisation. As
+we were thus busily engaged, &quot;pop,&quot; went the cork of a champagne bottle
+with a frightful explosion, through the paper window, and my interlocutor
+and myself had a regular shower bath, as sudden as it was unexpected.
+Then out of this healths were drunk, the servant who had opened the
+bottle so clumsily, being promised fifty strokes of the paddle at the
+earliest opportunity; after which I rose and bade his Royal Highness
+good-bye. Again, his politeness was extreme, and he accompanied me to the
+door, where, amidst the chin-chins of his followers and the &quot;military
+honours&quot; of the assembled troops, I re-mounted my pony and galloped off
+home.</p>
+
+<p>The same afternoon I paid my visit to the Royal Prime Minister. This
+time, being grown conceited, I suppose, by virtue of the honour received
+in the course of the morning, though in part, perhaps, owing to the
+advice of my friend Mr. Greathouse, who insisted upon my going in grand
+state, I was carried in the &quot;green sedan chair,&quot; the one, namely, which
+is only brought out for officials and princes of the highest rank. I was
+also accorded the full complement of four chair-bearers, <a name='Page_177'></a>and,
+accompanied by the <i>Kissos</i> (soldiers) and servants who were summoned to
+form my escort, I gaily started.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Oooohhhh!&quot; my bearers sighed in a chorus, as they lifted me into the
+sedan and sped me along the crowded streets; while the soldiers shouted
+&quot;Era, Era, Era, Picassa, Picassa!&quot; thrusting to one side the astonished
+natives that stood in the way. As I approached the palace, I noticed that
+rows of other sedan-chairs, but yellow and blue ones, were waiting, their
+official occupants anticipating an audience with the Prince and Prime
+Minister. All these, however, had to make way before me, and a soldier
+having been despatched in advance to inform His Royal Highness of my
+coming, the gates were banged open as I approached them and closed again
+so soon as I was within. The cordial reception which I had received from
+the other prince, was now repeated; and Min Young Chun and his court were
+actually standing on the door-step to receive me.</p>
+
+<p>As I always complied with the habits of the country, I proceeded to take
+off my shoes before entering the house, but the prince, having been
+informed some time or other that such was not the custom in England,
+insisted on my abstaining from doing so. I had already taken off one shoe
+and was proceeding to untie the other when, catching me by one arm and
+his followers by the other, he dragged me in. You can imagine how comical
+and undignified I looked, with one shoe on and the other off! Still, I
+managed to be equal to the occasion, and held a long <i>pourparler</i> with
+the Prince, his courtiers standing around, in a room <a name='Page_178'></a>which he had
+furnished in the European style, with two Chinese chairs and a table!</p>
+
+<p>As we were thus confabulating and I was being entertained with native
+wine and sweets, I received a dreadful blow&mdash;that is to say, a moral one.
+A youth, a relation of the prince, ran into the room and whispered
+something in the royal ears, whereupon his eyes glittered with
+astonishment and curiosity, and in a moment there was a general stampede
+out of the room on the part of all the courtiers and eunuchs. A minute
+after, amidst the deepest silence, was brought triumphantly into the
+audience-room and deposited in the middle of the table:&mdash;what do you
+think?&mdash;my shoe, that, namely, which I had left outside!</p>
+
+<p>Such a blow as this I had never experienced in my life, for the man I was
+calling upon, you must remember, held a position in Corea equal to that
+of the Prince of Wales and Lord Rosebery combined, and if you can imagine
+being entertained by a dignitary of this high order with one of your
+shoes in its right place and the other on the table, you will agree that
+my position was more than comical. It appeared that this special state of
+sensation was produced entirely by the fact that my unfortunate foot-gear
+was made of patent leather, and that, being almost new, it shone
+beautifully. Neither Prince nor Court had ever seen patent leather
+before, and much ravishment, mingled with childish surprise, was on the
+face of everybody, when it was whispered round and believed that the shoe
+was covered with a glass coating. The Prince examined it carefully all
+over, and then passed <a name='Page_179'></a>it round to his courtiers, signs of the greatest
+admiration being expressed at this wonderful object.</p>
+
+<p class="ctr"><a href="./images/25.jpg"><img src="./images/25_th.jpg"
+alt="H.R.H. PRINCE MIN-YOUNG-CHUN"></a></p><p class="ctr">H.R.H. PRINCE MIN-YOUNG-CHUN</p>
+
+<p>I, on my, side, took things quite philosophically, after having recovered
+from the first shock; and, taking off the other shoe, put it also on the
+table, gracefully, and quite in the Eastern fashion, begging the Prince
+to accept the pair as a gift, if he was agreeable to have them.
+Fortunately for me, however, he even more gracefully declined the offer,
+though, as long as our interview lasted, I noticed that his eyes were
+constantly fixed on them and that every now and then he again went into
+raptures over them!</p>
+
+<p>On the occasion of this visit I presented him with a portrait of himself
+reproduced on a small scale from the larger painting which I had made. He
+seemed to much appreciate this picture so far as the painting was
+concerned, but was much taken aback when he discovered that it was on the
+surface of a wooden <a name='Page_180'></a>panel and could not, therefore, be rolled up. The
+Eastern idea is that, to preserve a picture, it should always be kept
+rolled, and unrolled as seldom as possible, that is to say, only on grand
+solemnities.</p>
+
+<p>When it was time to go, the Prince conducted me to the door in person,
+and, having had my shoes put on and laced by one of his pages, I finally
+took my leave of him.</p>
+
+<p>A very curious episode, the direct consequence of my having portrayed
+these Princes, occurred some days afterwards. I was walking in the
+grounds of Mr. Greathouse's residence, when I perceived a number of
+coolies, headed by two soldiers and a sort of <i>Maggiordomo</i>, coming
+towards the house. They were carrying several baskets, while the
+<i>Maggiordomo</i> himself gracefully held a note between two fingers. As soon
+as they saw me, the <i>Maggiordomo</i> made a grand bow, and, delivering the
+letter into my hands, said that it came from Prince Min-Young-Huan, the
+Commander-in-chief of the Corean army. What astonished me even more was
+that he placed at my feet the different baskets and parcels, announcing
+that they were now my property. The letter ran as follows:</p>
+
+
+<div class='blkquot'><p>&quot;MY DEAR MR. LANDOR,&mdash;I send you some Corean hens, and some eggs,
+    and some persimmons, and some beef, and some pork, and some nuts,
+    and some screens, and a leopard skin. I hope that you will
+    receive them. I thank you very much for the beautiful picture you
+    have done of me, and I send you this as a remembrance of
+    me.&mdash;Your friend,</p>
+
+<p>    &quot;MIN-YOUNG-HUAN.&quot;</p></div>
+
+<a name='Page_181'></a><p>Greathouse and all the household having been at once summoned, the gifts
+were duly displayed and admired. The eggs numbered four hundred; then,
+there were ten live native hens with lovely feathers, about forty pounds
+of beef and pork, and two full bags, the one of nuts and the other of
+persimmons. There was enough to last one a month. The part of the present
+which pleased me most, however, was that containing the split bamboo
+window screens, which are only manufactured for, and presented to the
+King and royal princes by faithful subjects, and can scarcely be obtained
+for love or money under ordinary circumstances. The leopard skin, also,
+was a lovely one of its kind, with long fur and fat long tail,
+beautifully marked, in short an excellent specimen of what is called, I
+believe, a snow-leopard. Never before had I made so good a bargain for
+any picture of mine, and I could not but wonder whether I should ever
+again have another like it.</p>
+
+<p>I am sorry to say that a large portion of the eggs were consumed in
+making egg-noggs, an excellent American drink, at the concocting of which
+Greathouse was a master, a sustaining &quot;refresher&quot; which helped us much in
+passing away the long dull winter evenings. The hens, whose plumage we
+much admired, were let loose for some days, but they created such a
+nuisance with their early crowing, that they were soon condemned, like
+most hens, to suffer from an overstretch of neck. The screens and
+leopard-skins I brought back with me to England as a memento of my
+portrait-painting experiences in Corea, and these I still possess.</p>
+
+
+<a name='Page_182'></a>
+
+<hr class="full" />
+<a name='CHAPTER_XII'></a><h2>CHAPTER XII</h2>
+
+<div class='Ptoc'>The royal palace&mdash;A royal message&mdash;Mounting guard&mdash;The bell&mdash;The royal
+precinct&mdash;The Russian villa&mdash;An unfinished structure&mdash;The Summer
+Palace&mdash;The King's house&mdash;Houses of dignitaries&mdash;The ground and summer
+pavilion&mdash;Colds&mdash;The funeral of a Japanese Minister&mdash;Houses of royal
+relations&mdash;The queen&mdash;The oldest man and woman&mdash;The King and his
+throne&mdash;Politics and royalty&mdash;Messengers and spies&mdash;Kim-Ka-Chim&mdash;-Falcons
+and archery&mdash;Nearly a St. Sebastian&mdash;The queen's curiosity&mdash;A royal
+banquet&mdash;The consequences.</div>
+<br />
+
+<p class="ctr"><a href="./images/26.jpg"><img src="./images/26_th.jpg"
+alt="THE PALACE GROUNDS AND SOUTH GATE FROM THE NEW PALACE"></a></p><p class="ctr">THE PALACE GROUNDS AND SOUTH GATE FROM THE NEW PALACE</p>
+
+<p>I had some more amusing experiences on the occasion of my first visit to
+the royal palace. The King had sent me a message one evening saying that
+any part of the royal palace and grounds would be opened to me, if I
+wished to make observations or take sketches, and that it would give him
+much pleasure if I would go there early the next morning and stay to
+dinner at the palace. This invitation to spend the whole day at the
+palace was so tempting that I at once accepted <a name='Page_183'></a>it, and next day,
+accompanied by one of the officials, a Mr. S., I proceeded early in the
+morning to the side entrance of the enclosure.</p>
+
+<p>The palace and grounds, as we have seen, are enclosed by a wall of
+masonry about twenty feet high, and from a bird's-eye point of vantage
+the &quot;compound&quot; has a rectangular shape. There are almost continuous moats
+round the outside walls, with stone bridges with marble parapets over
+them at all the entrances. At the corners of the wall <i>d'enceinte</i> are
+turrets with loopholes. There soldiers are posted day and night to mount
+guard, each set being relieved from duty at intervals of two hours during
+the night, when the hammer bell in the centre of the palace grounds
+sounds its mournful but decided strokes. At midnight a big drum is
+struck, the harmonic case of which is semi-spherical and covered with a
+donkey-skin first wetted and made tight. It is by the sound of this
+smaller bell within the palace grounds that the signal is given at sunset
+to the &quot;Big Bell&quot; to vibrate through the air those sonorous notes by
+which, as already stated, all good citizens of the stronger sex are
+warned to retire to their respective homes, and which give the signal for
+closing the gates of the town.</p>
+
+<p>When you enter the royal precinct, you run a considerable amount of risk
+of losing your way. It is quite a labyrinth there. The more walls and
+gates you go through, the more you wind your way, now round this
+building, then round that, the more obstacles do you seem to see in front
+of you. There are sentries at every gate, and at each a password has <a name='Page_184'></a>to
+be given. When you approach, the infantry soldiers, quickly jumping out
+of the baskets in which they were slumbering, seize hold of their rifles,
+and either point their bayonets at you or else place their guns across
+the door, until the right password is given, when a comical way of
+presenting arms follows, and you are allowed to proceed.</p>
+
+<p>In the back part of the enclosure is a pretty villa in the Russian style.
+A few years ago, when European ideas began to bestir the minds of the
+King of Cho-sen, he set his heart upon having a house built in the
+Western fashion. No other architect being at hand, his Majesty
+commissioned a clever young Russian, a Mr. Seradin Sabatin, to build him
+a royal palace after the fashion of his country. The young Russian,
+though not a professional architect, did his very best to please the
+King, and with the money he had at his command, turned out a very solid
+and well-built little villa, <i>&agrave; la Russe</i>, with <i>calorif&eacute;res</i> and all
+other modern appliances. The house has two storeys, but the number of
+rooms is rather limited. The King, however, seemed much pleased with it,
+but when it was on the point of completion, at the instigation of some
+foreign diplomat, he commissioned a French architect from Japan to
+construct another palace on a much larger scale at some distance from the
+Russian building. The estimates for this new ground structure were far
+too small, and by the time that the foundations were laid down, the cost
+already amounted to nearly three times the sum for which the whole
+building was to have been erected. The King, disgusted at what he thought
+to be foreign trickery, but what was really <a name='Page_185'></a>merciless robbery on the
+part of his own officials, decided to discontinue the new palace, which,
+in consequence, even now has reached only a height of about three feet
+above the level of the ground.</p>
+
+<p>The royal palace may be considered as divided into two portions, namely,
+the summer palace and the winter palace. An official, who came to meet me
+in the inner enclosure, informed me that His Majesty desired that I
+should begin by inspecting the summer palace&mdash;access to which is not
+allowed during the winter time&mdash;and that he had given orders for the
+gates leading to it, which had been nailed up and sealed, to await the
+next warm weather, to be opened for me. No one besides myself and the
+official to guide me was, however, to be allowed to enter. And so,
+preceded by a man with a heavy wooden mallet, we arrived at the gate,
+which, after a considerable amount of hammering and pegging away, was at
+last forced open. Accompanied by my guide, I straightway entered, two
+soldiers being left on guard to prevent any one else following. As I got
+within the enclosure, a pretty sight lay before me. In front was a large
+pond, now all frozen, in the centre of which stood a large square sort of
+platform of white marble. On this platform was erected the audience-hall,
+a colonnade of the same kind of white marble, supported by which was
+another floor of red lacquered wood with wooden columns, which in their
+turn upheld the tiled roof with slightly curled up corners. The part
+directly under the roof was beautifully ornamented with fantastic wood
+carvings painted yellow, red, green and blue. Red and white were the
+colours which predominated.<a name='Page_186'></a> A black tablet, with large gold characters
+on it, was at one side.</p>
+
+<p>The throne in the audience-hall was a simple raised scaffold in the
+centre of the room, with a screen behind it, and a staircase of seven or
+eight steps leading up to it. Access to this sort of platform-island from
+the gate at which we entered was obtained by means of a marble bridge,
+spanned across on two strong marble supports. The staircase leading to
+the first floor was at the end of the building, directly opposite to
+where the bridge was; so that, on coming from the bridge, we had to go
+through the whole colonnade to reach it.</p>
+
+<p>Having taken a sketch or two, I retraced my steps and again reached the
+entrance. The instant I was outside, the gate was again shut and nailed
+up, wooden bars being put right across it. I was then led to the inner
+enclosure. The gate of this was guarded by about a dozen armed men, I
+being now in front of the part of the house which was inhabited by the
+King himself. After all, however, his abode is no better than the houses
+of the noblemen all over Seoul. It is as simple as possible in all its
+details; in fact, it is studiously made so. There are no articles of
+value in the rooms, except a few screens painted by native artists; nor
+are there any signs marking it out in particular as the abode of a
+Sovereign. The houses of the high court dignitaries are infinitely more
+gaudy than the royal palace, for they are decorated externally in bright
+red and green colours.</p>
+
+<p>The morning was spent in prowling about the grounds and in sketching here
+and there. In front of the King's <a name='Page_187'></a>house, protected at a short distance
+by a low wall, is a second pond, in the middle of which, on a small
+island, the King has erected a summer pavilion of octagonal shape, in
+which during the warmer months he enjoys the reviving coolness of the
+still nights confabulating on State affairs with his Ministers and
+advisers (not foreign advisers), a pretty semi-circular, white wooden
+bridge joining, so to speak, the island to the mainland; but, besides
+this and the buildings provided for the accommodation of the Chinese
+envoys, when they come, I do not think there is anything in the royal
+enclosure worthy of special notice.</p>
+
+<p class="ctr"><a href="./images/27.jpg"><img src="./images/27_th.jpg"
+alt="THE SUMMER PAVILION"></a></p><p class="ctr">THE SUMMER PAVILION</p>
+
+<p>Near the main entrance of the palace is a small house for the
+accommodation of foreign Ministers, consuls and Chinese customs
+officials, when, on New Year's Day and other public occasions, they are
+received in audience by the King. The small room is actually provided
+with a stove, as several unfortunate ambassadors have been known to have
+<a name='Page_188'></a>caught dreadful colds through having to remain exposed to the natural
+temperature for hours until it was the King's pleasure to have them
+admitted to his presence. Indeed, I believe I am right when I state that
+one or two of these notabilities died in consequence of their experiences
+in this way. At all events, during my stay at Seoul, the Japanese
+Minister came by his death through a cold which he contracted by having
+to stand an inordinate time in the cold room, in his evening dress, and
+then walk minus his overcoat or wrappers, through the interminable paved
+passage leading to the audience-hall.</p>
+
+<p>Here let me digress. This ambassador's funeral, was, indeed, a comical
+sight. I am well aware that it is bad form to find entertainment among
+things pertaining to the dead. However, it was not the corpse that made
+the performance in question seem funny, but those that remained alive,
+and intended to honour his remains. Telegrams arrived from Japan to the
+effect that the body should be despatched to his native country;
+arrangements were therefore made by the Japanese indwellers to convey and
+escort the body of their representative from the capital to Chemulpo, a
+port about twenty-five miles distant. According to this plan, the loyal
+Japanese coolies were to carry the heavy hearse on their backs, while the
+King of Corea agreed to despatch four hundred soldiers of cavalry and
+infantry by way of escort, all the foreign residents being also intended
+to follow the procession part of the way in their sedan-chairs. So far so
+good, and all proceeded, as directed, in good order until the Mafu ferry
+was reached. The procession, <a name='Page_189'></a>having crossed the river here, at once
+proceeded to re-form on the large stretch of sand on the other side.
+While, then, the Japanese, who have always been fond of playing at
+soldiers, and had brought down to the river-side with them a couple of
+field-guns, were being treated by a Japanese attach&eacute;, clad in an
+exaggerated diplomatic uniform covered with gold braiding, and standing
+in dancing pumps in the sands that half-buried him, to a recapitulation
+of the virtues of the defunct, the coolies were bearing the hearse on
+their backs, the Corean cavalry and infantry forming two lines in good
+style. There stood the Corean horsemen, each supported by two men,
+apparently unconcerned at the long Japanese rigmarole, of which they did
+not understand a word; there rode as stiff as statues outside the ranks
+the officers of Cho-sen, on their little ponies. All of a sudden,
+however, the two field-guns went off, and with the most disastrous
+effects. Half the cavalrymen tumbled off their saddles at the unexpected
+bucking of their frightened ponies, and the whole band of horsemen was
+soon scattered in every direction, while the men who were carrying the
+hearse, following the example of the ponies, gave such a jerk at the
+sudden explosion, as to nearly drop their burden on the ground.
+By-and-by, the commotion subsided; the procession got into marching
+order, and all went well until the seaport was reached. The better class
+Japanese, I may mention, were dressed in stage uniforms, or in evening
+dress and tall hats, and that though the hour was 9 A.M. or soon after.</p>
+
+<p>But let us return to the royal palace. The King <a name='Page_190'></a>and Queen have
+numberless relations, but not all of these live in the royal &quot;compound.&quot;
+Those that do, have each a separate small house; those that do not, live
+in the immediate neighbourhood of the palace enclosure, so as to be
+within easy reach when wanted; it being one of the little failings of the
+Corean potentate to call up his relations at all hours as well of the
+night as of the day. In fact, nearly all the work done by the King, and
+nearly all the interviews which he grants to his Ministers take place
+during the dark hours, the principal reason given for which is that by
+this means, intrigue is prevented, and people are kept in utter ignorance
+as to what takes place at Court.</p>
+
+<p class="ctr"><a href="./images/28.jpg"><img src="./images/28_th.jpg"
+alt="THE KING"></a></p><p class="ctr">THE KING</p>
+
+<p>It is a great mistake to suppose that the good-natured King of Cho-sen,
+possesses a harem as big as that of the Sultan of Turkey; indeed, the
+contrary is the fact. He is quite satisfied with a single wife, <a name='Page_191'></a>that is
+to say, the Queen. Needless to say, however, were the custom otherwise,
+he certainly would not be the person to object to the institution, for
+his predecessors undoubtedly indulged in such an extravagance. The real
+truth is the King of Cho-sen has married a little lady stronger minded
+than himself, and is compelled to keep on his best behaviour, and see to
+it that he does not get into trouble. There are bad tongues in Seoul who
+say that the Queen actually rules the King, and therefore, through him,
+the country, and that he is more afraid of Her Gracious Majesty, his
+wife, than of the very devil himself. For the correctness of this
+statement I will not answer.</p>
+
+<p>The Queen is a very good-looking, youngish woman, younger than the King,
+and has all her wits about her. She is said to be much in favour of the
+emancipation of the Corean woman, but she has made no actual effort, that
+I am aware of, to modify the comparatively strict rules of their
+seclusion. She comes of one of the oldest families in Cho-sen, and by a
+long way the noblest, that of the Mins. She treats herself to countless
+Court ladies, varying in number between a score and three hundred,
+according to the wants of the Court at different times.</p>
+
+<p>One of the quaintest and nicest customs in Corea is the respect shown by
+the young for the old; what better, then, can the reigning people do but
+set the good example themselves? Every year the King and Queen entertain
+in the royal palace an old man and an old woman of over the age of
+ninety, and no matter from what class these aged specimens are drawn,
+they are <a name='Page_192'></a>always looked after and cared for under their own supervision
+and made happy in every way. Every year a fresh man and woman must be
+chosen for this purpose, those of the previous competition being <i>hors de
+concours</i>. These privileged individuals, if devoid of means, are well
+provided with all the necessaries of life and <i>cash</i> before they are sent
+home; and not infrequently they end by never leaving the royal palace, or
+by settling in the house of some prince or magistrate, by whom they are
+fed and clothed till the end of their days. Of course, in many cases it
+happens that the oldest man or woman in the town is a nobleman or a
+noblewoman; in which case, after the lapse of a certain space of time,
+further enjoyment of the royal hospitality is politely declined.</p>
+
+<p>Under the last-mentioned circumstances valuable presents are, however,
+given them as mementoes of the stay at the royal palace. This privilege
+is much thought of among the Coreans, and a family who has had a member
+royally entertained and treated as King's &quot;brothers&quot;&mdash;for I believe that
+is the name by which they go&mdash;is held in great respect by the community,
+and in perfect veneration by their immediate neighbours.</p>
+
+<p>The King dresses just like any other high official when the country is in
+mourning&mdash;that is to say, he has a long white garment with baggy sleeves,
+and the usual jewelled projecting belt, with the winged skull-cap; but
+when the land is under normal conditions, he dons a gaudy blue silk gown
+with dragons woven into the texture, while over his chest in a circular
+sort of plate a larger rampant fire-dragon is embroidered in <a name='Page_193'></a>costly
+silks and gold. When the latter dress is worn his cap is of similar shape
+to that worn when in mourning, only it is made of the finest black,
+instead of white, horse-hair, stiffened with varnish.</p>
+
+<p>The King's throne is simple but imposing. He sits upon three carved
+marble steps, covered with a valuable embroidered cloth, by the side of
+which, on two pillars, are two magnificent bronze vases. Behind him is a
+screen of masonry; for no king when in state must ever be either seen
+from behind, or looked down on by any one standing behind or beside him.
+Such an insult and breach of etiquette, especially in the latter way,
+would, until quite recently, probably have meant the loss of the
+offender's head. Tainted, however, unfortunately with a craze for Western
+civilisation, the King now seldom sits on his marble throne, adorned with
+fine carvings of dragons and tigers, preferring to show himself sitting
+in a cheap foreign arm-chair with his elbow reclining on a wretched
+little twopence-halfpenny table covered with a green carpet. He imagines
+that he thus resembles a potentate of Europe! His son generally sits by
+his side on these occasions.</p>
+
+<p>The King's relations take no active part in politics, as they consider it
+unfair and beneath them, but the King, of course, does, and, judging from
+appearances, he seems to take a great deal of interest in his country and
+his people. He is constantly despatching officials on secret missions to
+this or that province, often in disguise, and at a moment's notice, in
+order to obtain reliable information as to the state of those provinces,
+and the opinions of the natives regarding the magistrates <a name='Page_194'></a>appointed by
+him. The capital itself, too, contains practically a mass of detectives,
+who keep spying on everybody and one another, always ready to report the
+evil-doing of others, and often being caught <i>in flagrante delicto</i>
+themselves. Very often even nobles with whom I was well acquainted
+suddenly disappeared for days and weeks at a time, no one knowing either
+whither they had gone or what they were doing, except that they had left
+on a mission from the King. So little confidence has he in his special
+envoys that even when he has despatched one straight from the royal
+palace, with strict orders not to return home to tell his family whither
+he is gone, he soon after sends a second disguised messenger to look
+after the doings of the first, and see that he has well and faithfully
+carried out his orders. By the time the two have returned, some intrigue
+or accusations will have probably been instituted against them, in which
+case all the thanks they obtain for obeying His Majesty is either that
+they are degraded or that they are exiled to some outlandish province in
+the Ever White Mountain district or on the Russian frontier.</p>
+
+<p>The subject of politics is entrusted entirely to the nobles. It was my
+good fortune to get on the most friendly terms with the greatest
+politician in Corea, a man called Kim-Ka-Chim, of whom I give a picture,
+as he appeared in the horse-hair head-gear which he used to wear indoors.
+He was a man of remarkable intelligence, quick-witted, and by far the
+best diplomatist I have ever met&mdash;and I have met a good many. To entrap
+him was impossible, however hard you might try. For sharpness and
+readiness of reply, I <a name='Page_195'></a>never saw a smarter man. He was at one time Corean
+Ambassador to the Mikado's Court, and in a very short time mastered the
+Japanese language to perfection; while with Chinese he was as familiar as
+with his own tongue. I myself noticed with what facility he picked up
+English words, and, having taken it into his head that he wished to learn
+the English language, he set about it, and was able to understand, read,
+and speak a little, in a very short time&mdash;in fact, in a few days.</p>
+<p class="ctr"><a href="./images/29.jpg"><img src="./images/29_th.jpg"
+alt="KIM-KA-CHIM"></a></p><p class="ctr">KIM-KA-CHIM</p>
+<p>Not only is he talented, but also endowed
+with a wonderful courage and independence, which superiority over the
+narrow-minded officials and intriguers who, for the most part, surround
+the King, has often led him into scrapes with His Majesty of Cho-sen. As
+he jocosely said to me, it was a marvel to him that his head was still on
+his shoulders. It was too good, and some one else might wish to have it.
+He was an ardent reformer and a great admirer <a name='Page_196'></a>of Western ways. His great
+ambition was to visit England and America, of which he had heard a great
+deal. Strangely, on the very morning which succeeded the afternoon on
+which I had this conversation with him I received an intimation to the
+effect that he had, by order of the King, and for some trivial breach of
+etiquette, been sent by way of punishment to one of the most distant
+provinces in the kingdom.</p>
+
+<p>The most noteworthy point of the Corean Court etiquette is probably this,
+that the King is on no account allowed to touch any other metals than
+gold and silver; for which reason his drinking-cup is made of a solid
+block of gold, while other articles, again, are of silver.</p>
+
+<p>The native name by which the King calls himself is Im-gun (king,
+sovereign). He has a very valuable library of Chinese manuscripts and
+printed books in the palace compound, but those books are hardly ever
+opened or looked at nowadays, except by some rare student of noble rank.
+Archery and falconry are occupations which are deemed far more worthy of
+attention by the nobility than that of worrying their heads with attempts
+to interpret the mysteries of antiquated Chinese characters.</p>
+
+<p>The falcon is held in much veneration among the nobler classes, and a
+special retainer&mdash;a falconer&mdash;is usually kept to wait on the precious
+bird. The latter is taken out on the man's arm, with his head covered by
+a gaudy little hood. This hood is quickly removed whenever an opportunity
+arises to send him off after some unfortunate bird. Then, mounting aloft,
+and spreading his wings and whirling round his prey in <a name='Page_197'></a>concentric
+circles, he gradually descends in a spiral, until, at last, dashing down
+upon his victim, he seizes it with his pointed claws and brings it to his
+master. At other times the falcon is not flown, but only used to attract,
+with his mesmeric eyes, birds; these then, when within reach, being shot
+with old flint-lock guns. The other method is, however, the favourite
+form of this amusement, and large sums are often spent by the young
+nobles on well-trained birds. Entertainments are even given to witness
+the doings of these air-rovers, and the excitement displayed by the
+audience on such occasions is intense, especially when libations have
+been previously freely indulged in. Competitions between the falcons of
+different owners are frequent, and much betting takes place under such
+circumstances.</p>
+
+<p>The life of royalty and of the nobility is, taken all round, a very lazy
+one. Exercise is considered a degenerate habit, fit only for people who
+have to earn a living; and, as for manual labour, a Corean nobleman would
+much prefer suicide to anything so disgraceful.</p>
+
+<p>Archery is one of the few exceptions to the rule, and is declared a noble
+pastime. Princes and nobles indulge in it, and even become dexterous at
+it. The bows used are very short, about two-and-a-half feet long, and are
+kept very tight. The arrows are short and light, generally made of
+bamboo, or a light cane, and a man with a powerful wrist can send an
+arrow a considerable distance, and yet hit his target every time.
+Nevertheless, the noble's laziness is, as a rule, so great, that many of
+this class prefer to see exhibitions of skill by others, rather than have
+the trouble of taking <a name='Page_198'></a>part in such themselves; professional archers, in
+consequence, abounding all over the country, and sometimes being kept at
+the expense of their admirers. Both the Government and private
+individuals offer large prizes for skilful archers, who command almost as
+much admiration as do the famous <i>espadas</i> in the bull-fights of Spain.
+The King, of course, keeps the pick of these men to himself; they are
+kept in constant training and frequently display their skill before His
+Majesty and the Court.</p>
+
+<p>I well remember how, one day, through my incautiousness, I very nearly
+made the end of a St. Sebastian. It was near the drilling-ground at the
+East Gate. I was quietly walking along the earthern dyke which runs along
+the little river that crosses Seoul, when from down below I heard screams
+of &quot;<i>Chucomita! Chucomita!</i>&quot; (&quot;Wait! wait!&quot;) &quot;<i>Kidare!</i>&quot; (&quot;Stop!&quot;) I
+stopped, accordingly, and tried to look across the open ground, where I
+saw about a score of men, nearly two hundred yards away, apparently
+pointing at me. As the setting sun was glaring in my eyes, I could not
+well discern what they were doing, and, thinking that their shouts to me
+were only by way of joke, I made a step forward, but hardly had I done so
+when a noise like a rocket going past was heard, and a bunch of arrows
+became deeply planted in the earth, at a white circular spot marked on
+it, only about two yards in front of me. I counted them. They were ten in
+number. My danger, however, was, after all, practically of no account,
+for these archers, as I found out by repeated observation of them, hardly
+ever miss their target. Still, even in the case of these Cho-senese<a name='Page_199'></a>
+William Tells, it was by no means a pleasant sensation to hear that bunch
+of arrows whistling in front of my nose.</p>
+
+<p>As I was attentively listening to the information supplied me by the
+native gentleman who was accompanying me through the labyrinthian ways of
+the royal palace, young Prince Min appeared on the scene, and announced
+that His Majesty wished, through him, to welcome me to the royal palace,
+and that he wished me now to partake of dinner. First, however, he said,
+the King would be pleased if I would take a sketch from a particular spot
+to which he led me. As there was nothing specially worth sketching at
+that place, I suggested to the young prince that another spot would be
+preferable; but the latter insisted, in the King's name, that I should
+paint from there and left me. I noticed, however, that there was, just
+behind this spot, a window, that namely, of the queen's apartments, which
+led me at once to fancy that it was to satisfy her curiosity that I was
+made to work there; accordingly I began the sketch with my back to the
+window&mdash;for, it must be remembered, to look at the queen is an offence
+punishable by death. I had not been many minutes at work, nevertheless,
+before I heard the sliding window gently move. I knew what was coming,
+and tried to screen the sketch with my body, so as to compel the
+observer, whoever it was, to lean well out of the window if he wished to
+see it. A little way off were hundreds of soldiers, walking or squatting
+on the ground, and on the wall of the King's house and smaller trees the
+fat and repulsive eunuchs had perched themselves in order to watch the
+<a name='Page_200'></a>foreigner's doings. All of a sudden there was a piercing squeak and a
+quick change of scene. Every one standing fell flat on his chest, the
+soldiers to a man hid their faces in their hands on the ground, and the
+clumsy eunuchs dropped down pell-mell from their perches, like over-ripe
+fruit coming off the branch of a tree, and disappeared behind the wall.
+Then, for a moment, all was silence; then there followed another shriek.
+It was evidently a command to stand still until further notice. When I
+looked for my Corean companion I found that he, like the rest, was spread
+out with his face to the ground.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;I say, Mr. S.&quot; I whispered, touching him with my foot, &quot;what does all
+this mean?&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Please, sir,&quot; he murmured, &quot;do not look! do not speak! do not turn your
+head! or I shall be beheaded!&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Oh! I do not mind that at all,&quot; said I, laughingly, as my friend was
+squashing what he had in the shape of a nose into the dust.</p>
+
+<p>At this point there was another noise at the window, as if it were being
+pushed quite open, and I heard a whisper. The supreme moment had come,
+and I was bold. I turned quickly round. It was just as I had judged. The
+queen, with her bright, jet black eyes and refined features, was there,
+caught in the act of thrusting her head out of the window, while several
+ladies of different ages were in the background, apparently on the tips
+of their toes and peeping over Her Majesty's shoulders. I had just time
+to see her face; for, taken as she was by surprise at such an unbounded
+bit of forwardness on my part, she remained perplexed <a name='Page_201'></a>for a second, then
+quickly withdrew, coming into dreadful collision with her
+ladies-in-waiting, who were at the moment just moving forward. The
+sliding window was hurriedly closed; there were shrieks of laughter from
+inside&mdash;apparently they had enjoyed the fun&mdash;and by the sound of a shrill
+whistle the men who had been lying &quot;dead&quot; rose and fled, relieved from
+their uncomfortable position.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Do you know,&quot; said my Corean friend, as he got up and shook the dust and
+dirt off his beautiful silk gown, quite ignorant of what had happened,
+&quot;do you know that if you had turned your head round and looked, I would
+be a dead man to-morrow?&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Why; who was there?&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;The queen, of course. Did you not hear the two shrieks and the whistle?
+Those were the signs of her coming and going.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;If you were to be beheaded, Mr. S., would you be afraid of death?&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Oh, no, sir,&quot; he said emphatically. &quot;I am a brave man, and I come of a
+family of braves. I would die like a hero.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Oh,&quot; said I, changing the conversation, &quot;how pretty the queen looked!&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Did you see her?&quot; said he, horrified.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Yes, I did.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Oh, poor me, poor me, poor me!&quot; he cried in despair. &quot;You have seen her!
+I shall die! Oh, poor me, poor me, poor me!&quot; and he shivered and
+shuddered and trembled.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;I thought that you were not afraid of death, Mr. S.?&quot;</p><a name='Page_202'></a>
+
+<p>&quot;Now that you have seen her, I am!&quot; he mumbled pitifully.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;All right, Mr. S. Do not be afraid, I shall take all the blame on
+myself, and you will not be punished, I promise you.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>At this point Prince Min came to fetch me, and I told him the whole
+story, relieving Mr. S. of all responsibility for my cheeky action, after
+which, having made sure that he would not be punished, we proceeded to
+the feast. The hour, be it noted, was about noon. As we were passing
+along the wall of the King's apartment, His Majesty peeped over the wall
+and smiled most graciously to me. Shortly after he sent a messenger to
+the dining-room to express regret that he was not able to entertain me
+himself owing to pressing State affairs.</p>
+
+<p>For the dinner a long table had been arranged in the European style, at
+the head of which sat Prince Min, acting in the place of the King. The
+forks and spoons were of tin, and the knives had apparently been used,
+for they were by no means clean. Rust, therefore, reigned supreme. The
+glasses and tumblers were of the thickest and commonest kind, but they
+had cost His Majesty a fortune all the same.</p>
+
+<p>We all sat down gaily, Mr. S. having recovered his spirits on being
+assured that he would not be punished, and the feast began. It would be
+easier for me to tell you what was not on that table than what was. All
+the products of the country seemed to have been cooked and brought before
+me, including meats, fish, honey, sweets, vegetables and sauces, of
+which, mind you, one had to eat &quot;mountains,&quot; piled on our plates.<a name='Page_203'></a> Young
+pigs, in the puppy state, were also there, and were much appreciated by
+my princely entertainers; but, when I had got only half through, not
+being provided with an ever-expanding digestive apparatus, like my
+friends of Cho-sen, I really felt as if I was going to suffocate. It is a
+great insult to refuse what is offered you at table, and a greater
+insult, too, and gross breach of good manners, not to eat all that is on
+your plate; it can be easily imagined, then, how I was situated after
+having swallowed large quantities of beef, potatoes, barley, millet, not
+to mention about half a bushel of beans. Nevertheless, I was further
+treated to lily-bulbs and radishes dipped in the vilest of sauces,
+besides a large portion of a puppy-pig roasted, and fruit in profusion,
+foreign and native wines flowing freely. The dinner began at noon and was
+not brought to a legitimate close until the happy hour of 7 P.M.</p>
+
+<p>Talk of suffering! To those who appreciate the pleasure of eating, let me
+recommend a royal Corean dinner! No pen can describe the agonies I
+endured as I was carried home in the green sedan. Every jerk that the
+bearers gave made me feel as if I had swallowed a cannon-ball, which was
+moving mercilessly from one side of my body to the other. I could not
+help expecting an explosion at any moment, or, at all events, a rent in
+my overtight skin! On my way home I swore that as long as I lived I would
+never touch another mouthful of food, so disgusted was I with things
+eatable; but&mdash;needless to say, I have since many times broken my word.</p>
+
+
+
+<a name='Page_204'></a>
+<hr class="full" />
+<a name='CHAPTER_XIII'></a><h2>CHAPTER XIII</h2>
+
+<div class='Ptoc'>Students&mdash;Culture&mdash;Examination ground&mdash;The three degrees&mdash;The
+alphabet&mdash;Chinese characters&mdash;Schools&mdash;Astronomers&mdash;Diplomas&mdash;Students
+abroad&mdash;Adoption of Western ways&mdash;Quick perception&mdash;The letter &quot;f&quot;&mdash;A
+comical mistake&mdash;Magistrates and education&mdash;Rooted superstition&mdash;Another
+haunted palace&mdash;Tigers&mdash;A convenient custom.</div>
+<br />
+
+<p class="ctr"><a href="./images/30.jpg"><img src="./images/30_th.jpg"
+alt="THE EXAMINATION GROUNDS"></a></p><p class="ctr">THE EXAMINATION GROUNDS</p>
+
+<p>At the beginning of the New Year, and soon after the festivities are
+over, the streets of Seoul are crowded with students who come up to town
+for their examinations. Dozens of them, generally noisy and boisterous,
+are to be seen arm in arm, parading the principal streets, and apparently
+always eating something or other. Study and eating seem to go together in
+Cho-sen. They wear peculiar gauze caps like bakers' paper bags, and a
+large double apron, the latter hanging down front and back, and being
+tied above the waist with a ribbon. A large piece of rolled up paper is
+carried in the hand, and much excitement seems to reign among them. By
+students, one must <a name='Page_205'></a>not imagine only young men, for many among them are
+above the thirties, and some are even old men.</p>
+
+<p>At certain hours processions of them pass along the royal street, then
+round the palace wall, and finally enter the examination grounds,
+situated immediately behind the royal palace. This is a large open
+ground, on one side of which is a low building containing quite a large
+number of small cells, where the candidates are examined. The examination
+day is one of the sights of Seoul. It is more like a country fair than an
+exhibition of literary skill. The noise is something appalling. On the
+grounds, thousands of candidates, accompanied by their parents and
+friends, squat in groups, drinking, eating and gambling. Here is a group
+of them drinking each other's health; there on blankets a few are lying
+flat on their backs basking in the sun, and waiting for their turn to be
+called up before the examiners. Huge red and yellow umbrellas are planted
+in the ground by enterprising merchants, who sell sweets, a kind of
+pulled toffy being one of their specialities; while others, at raised
+prices, dispose of examination caps, ink, paper and aprons to those who
+have come unprovided. Astrologers, too, drive a roaring trade on such
+days, for the greatest reliance is placed on their prophecies by both
+parents and students, and much money is spent by the latter, therefore,
+in obtaining the opinion of these impostors. In many a case, the prophecy
+given has been known to make the happiness&mdash;temporarily, of course&mdash;of
+the bashful young student; and in many a case, also, by this means fresh
+vigour has been instilled into a nervous man, so that, being convinced
+that he <a name='Page_206'></a>is to be successful, he perseveres and very often does succeed.</p>
+
+<p>One of these examinations, the highest of all, is a real landmark in a
+man's career. If the student is successful, he is first employed in some
+lower official capacity either by the Government, the palace authorities
+or some of the magistrates. If he is plucked, then he can try again the
+following year. Some try year after year without success, in the hope of
+being permitted to earn an honest living at the nation's expense, and
+grow old under the heavy study of ancient Chinese literature.</p>
+
+<p>The King in person assists at the oral examinations of the upper degree.
+Those of the two lower degrees are superintended by princes who sit with
+the examiners, and report to His Majesty on the successes of the
+different candidates.</p>
+
+<p>It is generally the sons of the nobles and the upper classes all over the
+kingdom who are put up for these examinations; those of the lower spheres
+are content with a smattering of arithmetic and a general knowledge of
+the alphabet, and of the proper method of holding the writing brush,
+sometimes adding to these accomplishments an acquaintance with the more
+useful of the Chinese characters.</p>
+
+<p>The Corean alphabet is remarkable for the way in which it represents the
+various sounds. That this is the case, the reader will be able to judge
+by the table given opposite. The aim of the inventors, in only using
+straight lines and circles, has evidently been to simplify the writing of
+the characters to the highest possible degree.</p><a name='Page_207'></a>
+
+<a name='Page_208'></a>
+<p class="ctr"><a href="./images/31.jpg"><img src="./images/31_th.jpg"
+alt="THE COREAN ALPHABET"></a></p><p class="ctr">THE COREAN ALPHABET</p>
+
+<p>It will be at once noticed that an extra dot is used only in the case of
+the vowel <i>e</i> and the diphthong <i>oue</i>; nothing but straight lines and
+circles being employed in the other cases. The pronunciation of the
+consonants is <i>dental</i> in <i>l, r, t</i>, and <i>n</i>; <i>guttural</i> in <i>k</i> and <i>k</i>
+(aspirated); <i>palatal</i> in <i>ch, ch</i> (aspirated) and <i>s</i>; and <i>from the
+larynx</i> in <i>h</i> and <i>ng</i> when at the end of a word.</p>
+
+<p>The State documents and all the official correspondence are written in
+Chinese characters, and hardly at all in the native alphabet, an
+exception being occasionally admitted in the case of a difficult
+character, when the meaning is written with the Corean letters, side by
+side with the Chinese form. The Corean alphabet is rather despised by the
+male &quot;blue stockings&quot; of Cho-sen, and is considered as fit only for poor
+people, children and women; in short, those whose brains are unable to
+undergo the strain of mastering and, what is more, of remembering, the
+meaning of the many thousands of Chinese characters. Not only that, but
+the spoken language itself is considered inadequate to express in poetic
+and graceful style the deep thoughts which may pass through the Corean
+brains; and, certainly, if these thoughts have to be put down on paper
+this is never done in the native characters. The result is, naturally,
+that there is hardly any literature in the language of Cho-sen. Even the
+historical records of the land of the Morning Calm are written in
+Chinese.</p>
+
+<p>The great influence of the Chinese over the Corean literary mind is also
+shown in the fact that most of the principles and proverbs of Cho-sen
+have been borrowed <a name='Page_209'></a>from their pig-tailed friends across the Yalu River.
+The same may be said of numberless words in the Corean language which are
+merely corruptions or mispronounced Chinese words. The study of Chinese
+involves a great deal of labour and patience on the part of the Corean
+students, and from a very tender age they are made to work hard at
+learning the characters by heart, singing them out in chorus, in a
+monotonous tone, one after the other for hours at a time.</p>
+
+<p>The schools are mostly supported by the Government. In them great
+attention is given to etiquette and Chinese classics, to philosophic and
+poetic ideas, but very little importance is attached to mathematics or
+science, except by those few who take up the study of the stars as an
+ideal rather than scientific occupation. These astronomers might be more
+correctly termed magicians, for with the stars they invariably connect
+the fate and fortune of king and people; which fact will also explain why
+it is that in their practice of astronomy mathematics are really of very
+little use.</p>
+
+<p>In the written essays for the examinations, what is generally aimed at by
+the candidates is a high standard of noble ideas which they try to
+express in the most refined style. The authors of the most admired essays
+receive the personal congratulations of the King and examiners, followed
+by a feast given by their parents and friends. The diplomas of successful
+candidates are not only signed by the King, but have also his great seal
+affixed to them.</p>
+
+<p>I was told that the examinations of the present day <a name='Page_210'></a>are a mere sham, and
+that it is not by knowledge or high achievements, in literary or other
+matters, that the much-coveted degree is now obtained, but by the simpler
+system of bribery. Men of real genius are, I was informed further,
+sometimes sent back in despair year after year, while pigheaded sons of
+nobles and wealthy people generally pass with honours, and are never or
+very seldom plucked.</p>
+
+<p>Education, as a whole, is up to a very limited point pretty generally
+spread all over the Corean realm, but of thorough education there is very
+little. In former times students showing unusual ability were sent by the
+Government to the University of Nanking, to be followed up by Pekin, but
+this custom was abandoned until a few years ago, when it was in a measure
+revived by the sending of two noblemen, first to Shanghai and then to
+America, to learn and profit by Western studies. These seem to have shown
+themselves remarkably intelligent; in fact, exceeded all expectation; for
+one of them forged a cheque before leaving the Asiatic continent, and was
+forbidden to return to his country. He is not likely to do so now, for he
+is said to have been murdered&mdash;only quite lately. The other, however,
+cannot be accused of anything of that sort; indeed, he distinguished
+himself during the three years spent in America by learning English (as
+spoken in the States) to perfection, besides mastering mathematics,
+chemistry and other sciences, perfectly new to him, in a way that would
+have done credit to many a Western student. In the same short space of
+time he also succeeded in a marvellous way in shaking off the thick
+coating of his native superstition and in assuming <a name='Page_211'></a>our most Western ways
+as exhibited across the Atlantic. If anything, he became more American
+than the Americans themselves. What astonished me more, though, was how
+quickly, having returned from his journey, he discarded his civilised
+ways and again dropped into his old groove.</p>
+
+<p>There is not the least doubt that, though to the casual observer the
+majority of Coreans appear depressed and unintelligent, they are, as a
+matter of fact, far from stupid. I have met people in the land of
+Cho-sen, whose cleverness would have been conspicuous in any country,
+Western or otherwise. When they set their mind to learn something they
+never cease till their object is attained, and I can vouch for their
+quick comprehension, even of matters of which they have never before
+heard. Languages seem to come easy to them, and their pronunciation of
+foreign tongues is infinitely better than that of their neighbours, the
+Chinese and the Japanese. The only stumbling block is the letter &quot;<i>f</i>,&quot;
+which they pronounce as a &quot;<i>p</i>.&quot; I can give an instance of a Mr. Chang,
+the son of a noble, who was appointed by the king to be official
+interpreter to Mr. C.R. Greathouse. In less than two months, this youth
+of nineteen mastered enough English to enable him both to understand it
+and converse in it. I have seen him learn by heart out of a dictionary as
+many as two hundred English words in a day, and what is more, remember
+every one of them, including the spelling. Only once did I hear him make
+a comical mistake. He had not quite grasped the meaning of the word
+&quot;twin&quot;; for, in answer to a question I put to him, &quot;Yes, sir,&quot; said he,
+boisterously, <a name='Page_212'></a>proud apparently of the command he had attained over his
+latest language, &quot;Yes, sir, I have a <i>twin</i> brother who is three years
+older than myself.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>The Corean magistrates think that to over-educate the lower classes is a
+mistake, which must end in great unhappiness.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;If you are educated like a gentleman, you must be able to live like a
+gentleman,&quot; wisely said a Corean noble to me. &quot;If you acquire an
+education which you cannot live up to, you are only made wretched, and
+your education makes you feel all the more keenly the miseries of human
+life. Besides, with very few exceptions, as one is born an artist, or a
+poet, one has to be born a gentleman to be one. All the education in the
+world may make you a nice man, but not a noble in <i>the</i> strict sense of
+the word.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>Partly, in consequence of habits of thought like this, and partly,
+because it answers to leave the public in ignorance, superstition, which
+is one of the great evils in the country, is rather encouraged. Not alone
+the lower classes, but the whole people, including nobles and the King
+himself, suffer by it. It is a remarkable fact, that, a people who in
+many ways are extremely open-minded, and more philosophic than the
+general run of human beings, can allow themselves to be hampered in this
+way by such absurd notions as spirits and their evil ways.</p>
+
+<p>A royal palace, different to, but not very far from, the one described in
+the previous chapter, was abandoned not very long ago for the simple
+reason that it was haunted. Thus, there are no less than two palaces in
+the capital, that have been built at great <a name='Page_213'></a>expense, but deserted in
+order to evade the visits of those most tiresome impalpable individuals,
+&quot;the Ghosts.&quot; One of these haunted abodes we have inspected, with its
+tumble-down buildings; the other I will now describe.</p>
+
+<p class="ctr"><a href="./images/32.jpg"><img src="./images/32_th.jpg"
+alt="THE HAUNTED ROYAL PALACE"></a></p><p class="ctr">THE HAUNTED ROYAL PALACE</p>
+
+<p>The buildings comprising this palace are still in a very excellent state
+of preservation, and, being erected on hilly ground, form a very
+picturesque ensemble. The different houses are of red lacquered wood,
+with verandahs on the upper floors. The illustration shows a front view
+of one of the principal buildings, situated on the summit of the hill. At
+the foot of this hill, by a winding path and steps, a picturesque little
+gate and another house is reached. A little pond with water-plants in it,
+frozen in the midst of the thick ice, completes this haunted spot. The
+largest of all the structures is the audience-hall, richly and grandly
+decorated inside with wooden carvings, painted red, <a name='Page_214'></a>white, blue and
+yellow. The curled-up roofs are surmounted at each corner with curious
+representations of lucky emblems, among which the tiger has a leading
+place.</p>
+
+<p>Talking of tigers, I may as well speak of a strange custom prevailing in
+Corea. The country, as I have already pointed out, is full of these
+brutes, which, besides being of enormous size, are said to be very fierce
+and fond of human flesh. Even the walls of the town are no protection
+against them. Not unfrequently they make a nocturnal excursion through
+the streets, leaving again early in the morning with a farewell bound
+from the rampart, but carrying off inside their carcases some unlucky
+individual in a state of pulp.</p>
+
+<p>The Coreans may, therefore, be forgiven if, besides showing almost
+religious veneration for their feline friend&mdash;who reciprocates this in
+his own way&mdash;they have also the utmost terror of him. Whenever I went for
+long walks outside the town with Coreans, I noticed that when on the
+narrow paths I was invariably left to bring up the rear, although I was a
+quicker walker than they were. If left behind they would at once run on
+in front of me again, and never could I get any one to be last man. This
+conduct, sufficiently remarkable, has the following explanation.</p>
+
+<p>It is the belief of the natives, that when a tiger is suddenly
+encountered he always attacks and makes a meal of the last person in the
+row; for which reason, they always deem it advisable, when they have a
+foreigner in their company, to let him have that <a name='Page_215'></a>privilege. I, for my
+part, of course, did not regard the matter in the same light, and
+generally took pretty good care to retain a middle position in the
+procession, when out on a country prowl, greatly to the distress and
+uneasiness of my white-robed guardian angels.</p>
+
+
+
+<hr class="full" />
+<a name='CHAPTER_XIV'></a><h2><a name='Page_216'></a>CHAPTER XIV</h2>
+
+<div class='Ptoc'>Religion&mdash;Buddhism&mdash;Bonzes&mdash;Their power&mdash;Shamanism&mdash;Spirits&mdash;Spirits of
+the mountain&mdash;Stone heaps&mdash;Sacred trees&mdash;Seized by the
+spirits&mdash;Safe-guard against them&mdash;The wind&mdash;Sorcerers and
+sorceresses&mdash;Exorcisms&mdash;Monasteries&mdash;Temples&mdash;Buddha&mdash;Monks&mdash;Their
+customs and clothing&mdash;Nuns&mdash;Their garments&mdash;Religious ceremonies&mdash;The
+tooth-stone.</div>
+<br />
+
+<p>The question of religion is always a difficult one to settle, for&mdash;no
+matter where one goes&mdash;there are people who are religious and people who
+are not.</p>
+
+<p>The generality of people in Corea are not religious, though in former
+days, especially in the Korai-an era, between the tenth and fourteenth
+centuries, they seem to have been ardent Buddhists. Indeed, Buddhism as a
+religion seems to have got a strong hold in Cho-sen during the many
+Chinese invasions; it only passed over Cho-sen, however, like a huge
+cloud, to vanish again, though leaving here and there traces of the power
+it once exercised.</p>
+
+<p>The bonzes (priests) had at one time so much authority all over the
+country as to actually rule the King himself; and, as the reverend
+gentlemen were ready with the sword as well as with their bead
+prayer-rosaries, they became an unparalleled nuisance and dangerous to
+the constitution. After having, by their great power and capacity for
+agitation, roused the <a name='Page_217'></a>country to revolution and internal disputes, it
+was found necessary to put them down, and from that time forward, they
+became mere nonentities. The chief instrument which brought this about
+was a law, still in existence, by which no religion is, under any
+circumstances, tolerated or allowed within the walls of Corean cities,
+and all bonzes are forbidden to enter the gates of any city under pain of
+losing their heads.</p>
+
+<p>The influence which the priests had gained over the Court having been
+thus suddenly destroyed, and the offenders against the law in question
+having been most severely dealt with, Buddhism, so far as Corea was
+concerned, received its death blow. This was so: first, because, although
+it had prevailed without restraint for nearly five centuries, many of the
+primitive old superstitions were still deeply rooted in the minds of the
+Coreans, and because, with the fall of the priests, these sprang up again
+bolder than ever; then, too, because the law above-mentioned was so
+strictly enforced that many temples and monasteries had to be closed
+owing to lack of sufficient funds, the number of their supporters having
+become infinitesimal in a comparatively short time.</p>
+
+<p>Shamanism is at the present time the popular religion, if indeed there is
+any that can be so designated. The primitive worship of nature appears to
+be quite sufficient for the religious aspirations of the Corean native,
+and with his imaginative brain he has peopled the earth with evil and
+good spirits, as well as giving them to the elements, the sky, and the
+morning star. To these spirits he offers sacrifices, when somebody in his
+family dies, or when any great event <a name='Page_218'></a>takes place; and to be on good
+terms with these invisible rulers of his fate is deemed necessary, even
+by well-educated people who should know better.</p>
+
+<p>There are spirits for everything in Cho-sen. The air is alive with them,
+and there are people who will actually swear that they have come in
+contact with them. Diseases of all sorts, particularly paralysis, are
+invariably ascribed to the possession of the human frame by one of these
+unwholesome visitors, and when a death occurs, to what else can it be due
+than to their evil and invisible operation? To old age, to diseases
+natural and zymotic, the expiration of life is never ascribed; these
+everlasting evil spirits have to answer for it all.</p>
+
+<p>The most prominent spirits are probably those of the mountain. According
+to Corean accounts, the mountains and hills seem to be full of these
+heroes of witchcraft: this being probably due to the fact that the dead
+are buried on hilly ground and that their souls, therefore, are most
+likely to make their nocturnal hoverings in such neighbourhoods, until a
+fresh career is found for them in the body of some animal. They are not
+<i>gods</i> of the mountains, as some writers have been pleased to call them,
+for, so far as I could judge, the natives are more terror-stricken when
+thinking about them than inclined to worship them. No Corean, of sound
+mind and body, however brave and fearless of death in battle, can ever be
+induced to walk out at night on the mountain-slopes; and even in the
+day-time a great deal of uneasiness is manifested by the natives should
+they have to climb a hill. On such occasions they provide themselves
+<a name='Page_219'></a>with armfuls of stones, which, as they go up, they throw violently one
+by one at these imaginary beings, thus showing them that their company is
+neither required nor wished for, and that they had better keep aloof. If
+this simple precaution is used, the obliging and scorned spirits seldom
+interfere with the traveller's welfare. The hills close to the towns are
+simply covered with heaps of stones, so thrown at these mythical dwellers
+of the mountains. Such is the effect produced by terror on the people's
+imagination, that frequently in their imagination they feel the actual
+touch of the spirits. Probably, if there is any physical touch in those
+cases, it is only a leaf or a twig falling from a tree. Still, when that
+occurs a regular fight ensues, the men continuing to fire stones at their
+imaginary foes, until in their mental vision they see them disappear and
+fade away in the air. Others not so brave prefer an accelerated retreat,
+only stopping now and again to throw a stone at the pursuers.</p>
+
+<p>From their very childhood the Coreans are imbued with horrid and
+fantastic accounts of the doings of these spirits, and so vividly are the
+usual habits of these ghostly creatures depicted to them, that they
+cannot but remain for ever indelibly impressed on their minds.</p>
+
+<p>Another very common sight, besides the stone-heaps, are the sacred trees.
+These are to be found everywhere, but especially on hilly ground. Their
+branches are literally covered with rags, bits of glass, and other
+offerings given by the superstitious and frightened passers-by, lest
+these spirits might take <a name='Page_220'></a>offence at not being noticed. Women and men
+when compelled to travel on the hills go well provided with these rags,
+and when&mdash;for the sacred trees are very numerous&mdash;supplies run short,
+many a woman has been known to tear off a bit of her silk gown, and
+attach it to a branch of the tree among the other donations.</p>
+
+<p>A coolie, who was carrying my paint-box one evening, when I was returning
+home from the hills, was simply terrified at the prospect of being seized
+by the spirits. He kept his mouth tightly closed, and stoutly declined to
+open it, for fear the spirits should get into him by that passage; and
+when, with the cold end of my stick, I purposely touched the back of his
+neck&mdash;unperceived by him, of course&mdash;he fled frightened out of his life,
+supposing it to have been a ghost. He met me again on the high road in
+the plain, about half a mile farther on, and explained his conduct with
+the very truthful excuse, that &quot;a spirit had seized him by the throat and
+shaken him violently, meaning at all costs to enter his mouth, and that
+it was to escape serious injury that he had fled!&quot; When I told him that
+it was I who had touched him with the end of my stick, he sarcastically
+smiled, as if he knew better.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;No, sir,&quot; said he; &quot;honestly, I saw with my own eyes the spirit that
+assaulted me!&quot;</p>
+
+<p>The forms given to these spirits vary much, according to the amount of
+imagination and descriptive power of the persons who describe them.
+Generally, however, they assume the forms either of repulsively hideous
+human beings, or else of snakes. The best safeguard against them,
+according to Corean notions, <a name='Page_221'></a>is music, or rather, I should say, noise.
+When possessed with a spirit, a diabolical row of drums, voices, bells
+and rattles combined is set agoing to make him depart without delay;
+while, on the other hand, little bits of dangling glass, tied to strings,
+small sweet-toned bells and cymbals, hanging in a bunch from the corners
+of the roof or in front of the windows and door, often by means of their
+tinkling&mdash;a sound not dissimilar to that of an &AElig;olian harp&mdash;attract to
+the house the friendly spirits of good fortune and prosperity. The latter
+are always heartily welcomed.</p>
+
+<p>The very wind itself is supposed to be the breathing of a god-spirit with
+extra powerful lungs; and rain, lightning, war, thirst, food and so on,
+each possesses a special deity, who, if not invoked at the right moment,
+and in the right manner, may, when least expected, have his revenge
+against you.</p>
+
+<p>The spirits of Cho-sen are very sensitive, and insist on being taken into
+notice. Through astrologers, sorcerers and sorceresses they convey
+messages and threats to this person and to that&mdash;generally the richer
+people&mdash;whose errors may always be rectified or atoned for by paying a
+round sum down to these go-betweens, who are quite ready to assume the
+responsibility of guaranteeing a peaceful settlement of matters. There
+are regular establishments kept by these sorcerers and sorceresses&mdash;as a
+rule, outside the city walls&mdash;where witchcraft is practised with impunity
+in all its forms. These establishments are much patronised both by the
+poor and by the man of noble rank; and amidst the most excruciating
+howling, clapping of <a name='Page_222'></a>hands, violent beating of drums and other
+exorcisms, illnesses are got rid of, pains and troubles softened,
+calamities prevented and children procured for sterile people. The
+Government itself does not consider these houses as forming part of the
+religious gang, and one or two of them may be found even in Seoul within
+the wall. One, an extremely noisy house and mostly patronised by women,
+is situated not far from the West Gate along the wall. There are also one
+or two on the slope of Mount Nanzam.</p>
+
+<p>The exorcisms, with the exception of a few particular ones, are, for the
+most part, performed in the open air, on a level space in front of the
+house. A circle is formed by the various claimants, in the centre of
+which a woman, apparently in a trance, squats on her heels. The more
+money that is paid in, the greater the noise that takes place, and the
+longer does the performance last. Every now and then the woman in the
+centre will get up, and, rushing to some other female in the circle, will
+tap her furiously on her back and shake her, saying that <i>she</i> has an
+evil spirit in her which refuses to come out. She will also hint that
+possibly by paying an extra sum, and by means of special exorcisms, it
+may be induced to leave. What with the shaking, the tapping, the
+clapping, the drums and the howls, the wretched &quot;spotted&quot; woman really
+begins to feel that she has something in her, and, possessed&mdash;not by the
+spirits&mdash;but by the most awful fright, she disburses the extra money
+required, after which the spirit ultimately departs.</p>
+
+<p>These witches and sorceresses are even more numerous than their male
+equivalents. They are <a name='Page_223'></a>recruited from the riff-raff of the towns, and are
+generally people well-informed on the state, condition, and doings of
+everybody. Acting on this previous knowledge, they can often tell your
+past to perfection, and in many cases they predict future events&mdash;which
+their judgment informs them are not unlikely to occur. When ignorant,
+they work pretty much on the same lines as the Oracle of Delphi; they
+give an answer that may be taken as you please. Then, if things do not
+occur in the way they predicted, they simply make it an excuse for
+extorting more money out of their victim under the plea that he has
+incurred the displeasure of the spirits, and that serious evil will come
+upon him if he does not comply with their request. The money obtained is
+generally spent in orgies during the night. These sorceresses and male
+magicians are usually unscrupulous and immoral, and are often implicated,
+not only in the intrigues of the noblest families, but also in murders
+and other hideous crimes.</p>
+
+<p>Outside the towns, again, there are, only a grade higher than these, the
+Buddhist monasteries and nunneries. Within a few miles of Seoul, several
+of these are to be found. One thing that may be said for these
+institutions is that they are invariably built on lovely spots. Generally
+on the top, or high on the slopes of a mountain, they form not only homes
+for the religious, but fortified and impregnable castles. The monasteries
+are seldom very large, and, as a general rule, hold respectively only
+about two dozen monks.</p>
+
+<p>There is a small temple on a platform, with a figure of Pul or Buddha in
+the centre, two brass candlesticks <a name='Page_224'></a>by his side, and a small incense
+burner at his feet.</p>
+<p class="ctr"><a href="./images/33.jpg"><img src="./images/33_th.jpg"
+alt="THE INTERIOR OF A TEMPLE"></a></p><p class="ctr">THE INTERIOR OF A TEMPLE</p>
+<p>&quot;Joss sticks&quot; are constantly burned before him and fill the temple with scent
+and haze. Buddha, as found in Corea, has generally a sitting and
+cross-legged posture; the feet are twisted with the soles upwards, and,
+while the right arm hangs down, the left is folded, the forearm
+projecting, and the hand holding a bronze ball. By his side, generally on
+the left, is a small tablet in a frame of elaborate wood-carving. At the
+foot of the statue is a large collection box for the donations of the
+worshippers. The background is usually plain, or painted with innumerable
+figures of the minor gods, some with young white faces and good-natured
+expressions, probably the gods of confidence; others with rugged old
+faces and shaggy white eyebrows, moustache and hair, undoubtedly the
+various forms of the deity of wisdom. Then there is one with squinting
+ferocious eyes, black eyebrows and beard, dressed in a <a name='Page_225'></a>helmet and
+fighting robe, who, needless to remark, is the god of war. Others are the
+gods of justice, deference, and affection; the last being impersonated by
+two female figures who usually stand on each side of the Buddha. One
+curious thing about the Buddha is that the head is generally very large
+in proportion to the body, and that the ears are enormous for the size of
+the head. In the East it is considered lucky to possess large ears, but
+these Buddhas are often represented with their organs of hearing as long
+as the whole height of the head. In Europe such a thing would hardly be
+considered a compliment! The hair of the Buddha is carefully plastered
+down on his forehead, and is adorned with a jewel in the centre. The eyes
+are almost straight, like the eyes of Europeans, instead of being
+slanting, like those of the Mongolians, while the eyebrows, finely
+painted with a small brush, describe a beautiful semi-circular arch. The
+expression of the face, as one looks at it, is in most cases that of
+nobility and sleepiness.</p>
+
+<p>Out of the West Gate, and a good way past the Pekin Pass, a very
+interesting day can be spent in visiting a monastery which is to be found
+there among the hills. Previous to reaching it, a small tomb, that,
+namely, of the King's mother, is passed. On each flank is a stone figure,
+while on three sides a wall shuts in the mound of earth under which the
+body lies. On the right is a tablet to the memory of the deceased, and in
+front of the mound is placed a well-polished stone, also a small urn.</p>
+
+<p>High up, after following a zig-zag mountain path, we come to the
+monastery.</p><a name='Page_226'></a>
+
+<p>Monasteries as a rule consist of the temple and the mud huts and houses
+of the monks and novices. The temple always stands apart. Of the temples
+which I saw, none were very rich in interesting works of art or in
+excellent decoration, like the temples of Japan. The only parts decorated
+outside in the Corean houses of worship are immediately under the roof
+and above the doors, where elaborate, though roughly executed
+wood-carvings are painted over in red, white, green and yellow, in their
+crudest tones. Over each of the columns supporting the temple, projects a
+board with two enormous curved teeth, like the tusks of an elephant, and
+over the principal door of the temple is a black tablet, on which the
+name of the temple is written in gold Chinese characters. At each of the
+columns, both of the temple and of the common part of the dwellings, hang
+long wooden panels on which are written the names of supporters and
+donors with accompanying words of high praise.</p>
+
+<p>The doors of the temples are of lattice-work and are made up of four
+different parts, folding and opening on hinges. On some occasions, when
+the <i>concours</i> of the public is too great to be accommodated within the
+building itself, the whole of the front and sides of the temple are
+thrown open. Inside the lattice-work above mentioned tissue-paper is
+placed, to protect the religious winter visitors from the cold.</p>
+
+<p>Inside, the temples are extremely simple. With the exception of the
+statue of Buddha and the various representations of minor deities that we
+have already mentioned, there is little else to be seen. The
+prayer-books, certainly, are interesting; their leaves are <a name='Page_227'></a>joined
+together so as to form a long strip of paper folded into pages, but not
+sewn, nor fastened anywhere except at the two ends, to which two wooden
+panels are attached, and, by one side of the book being kept higher than
+the other, the leaves unfold, so to speak, automatically.</p>
+
+<p>In one temple of very small dimensions, perched up among the rocks near
+the South Gate of Seoul, are to be seen hundreds of little images in
+costumes of warriors, mandarins and princes, all crammed together in the
+most unmerciful manner. This temple goes by the name of the &quot;The
+Five-hundred Images.&quot; Adjoining it is a quaint little monastery and a
+weird cavern (<i>see</i> chap, xx., &quot;A Trip to Poo Kan&quot;).</p>
+
+<p>As to the monasteries themselves, these, though adjoining the temples,
+are built apart from them. Their lower portions are, like all Corean
+houses, of stone and mud, while the upper parts are entirely of mud. The
+roof is tiled on the main portion of the building, while over the kitchen
+and quarters for the novices it is generally only thatched.</p>
+
+<p>More interesting to me than the temples and buildings were the bonzes,
+who are, I may as well say at once, a very depraved lot. It is a strange
+fact in nature that the vicious are often more interesting than the
+virtuous. So it is with the Corean bonzes. Here you have a body of men,
+shrewd, it is true, yet wicked (not to say more) and entirely without
+conscience, whose only aim is to make money at the expense of weak-minded
+believers. Morals they have none; if it were possible, one might say even
+less than none. They lead a lazy and vicious life in these monasteries,
+<a name='Page_228'></a>gambling among themselves and spending much time in orgies. They feed
+themselves well at the expense of the charitable, and a great deal of
+their energy is expended in blackmailing rich persons, not of course
+openly, but through agents as disreputable as themselves. Whenever there
+are riots or revolutions in progress, their origin can invariably be
+traced to the monasteries. In other respects, excepting these few little
+faults, they seemed charming people. Their</p>
+<p class="ctr"><a href="./images/34.jpg"><img src="./images/34_th.jpg"
+alt="BUDDHIST BONZES AND TEMPLE"></a></p><p class="ctr">BUDDHIST BONZES AND TEMPLE</p>
+<p>dress consists of a long white padded gown with baggy
+sleeves; the usual huge trousers and short coat underneath; and a rosary
+of largeish beads round their necks. When praying, the rosary is held in
+the hands, and each bead counts for one prayer. A larger bead in the
+rosary is the starting-point. When petitions are being offered to Buddha
+on behalf of third parties&mdash;for rarely do they, if ever, pray on behalf
+of themselves&mdash;there is a scale of prices varying according to the
+<a name='Page_229'></a>wealth of the petitioners; so many prayers are worth so much <i>cash</i>; in
+other words, one buys them as one would rice or fruit. The bonzes shave
+their heads as clean as billiard balls; while the novices content
+themselves with cutting their hair extremely short, leaving it, probably,
+not longer than one-eighth of an inch. There are many different degrees
+of bonzes. We have, for example, the begging bonzes, who wear large
+conical hats of plaited split bamboos, or else hats smaller still and
+also cone-shaped but made of thick dried grass. They travel all over the
+district, and sometimes even to distant provinces, collecting funds and
+information from the people. Sometimes they impose their company on some
+well-to-do person, who, owing to the Corean etiquette in the matter of
+hospitality, has to provide them with food, money and promises of
+constant contributions before he can get rid of them. Then there are the
+stay-at-home bonzes, well-fattened and easy-going, who cover their heads
+with round, horse-hair, stiffened black caps of the exact shape of those
+familiar articles in French and Italian pastry-cook shops, used over the
+different plates to prevent flies from eating the sweets. Lastly, we have
+the military priests, who follow the army to offer up prayers when at war
+and during battles, and who don hats of the ordinary shape worn by every
+one else except that they have round crowns instead of almost cylindrical
+ones. These alone are occasionally allowed to enter the towns. Paper
+sandals are the foot-gear chiefly in use among them.</p>
+
+<p>Whenever I visited a monastery, I found the monks most civil and
+hospitable, although naturally they expect <a name='Page_230'></a>something back for their
+hospitality. I hardly had time to pay my chin-chins to all of them,
+folding my hands and shaking them in front of my forehead, bent forward,
+before a tray of eatables, such as beans, radishes and rice in pretty
+brass bowls would be produced, and a large cup of wine offered, out of
+which latter the whole company drank in turn. They took much interest in
+my sketching, and all insisted on being portrayed. Many of them possessed
+a good deal of artistic talent, and it is generally by their handiwork
+and patience that the images and statues in the temples are produced.
+Among them were some very intelligent faces, somewhat <i>abruties</i>, to use
+a French word, owing to the life they lead, but exceedingly bright and
+cheery withal, and often very witty, when one came to talk with them. As
+for shrewdness and quickness of perception I know no person who has these
+better at his command than the Corean Buddhist priest.</p>
+
+<p>There are also in Corea nunneries for women who desire to follow a
+religious life. Curiously enough, contrary to the rule with us, the
+Corean nuns are more emancipated than the rest of the native women. To
+begin with, they dress just in the same way as do the monks, shave their
+heads like them; and being, moreover, of a cast of countenance
+exceedingly ugly and not at all feminine, they might quite well, from the
+appearance of their faces, be taken to belong to the stronger sex. A good
+many of them, contrary to the case of the monks, impressed me as being
+afflicted with mental and bodily sufferings, and in several cases they
+even appeared to me to be bordering on idiocy. They always, however,
+received me kindly, and showed <a name='Page_231'></a>me their convents, with cells in which
+two or three nuns sleep together. They were not quite so careless as the
+monks about the duties of religion, and at the little temple close by
+there was a continual rattling of the gong, a buzzing, monotonous sound,
+enough to drive anybody out of his mind, if especially it was accompanied
+by the beating of drums. The temples attached to these nunneries seemed
+to be more elaborate inside</p>
+<p class="ctr"><a href="./images/35.jpg"><img src="./images/35_th.jpg"
+alt="A NUNNERY"></a></p><p class="ctr">A NUNNERY</p>
+<p>than those of the
+monasteries, and when a religious ceremony has to be performed, two nuns,
+one in white, the other draped in a long, black-greenish gown, and both
+wearing a red garment thrown over the left shoulder, passed under the
+right arm, and tied in front with a ribbon, walk up and down inside the
+temple, muttering prayers, while a third female goes on rattling on the
+drums with all her might. Offerings of rice, beans, etc., are placed in
+front of the gods, a candle or two is lighted&mdash;and the nun in dark
+clothing <a name='Page_232'></a>holds a small gong, fastened to the end of a bent stick, and
+taps on it with a long-handled hammer, first gently and slowly, then
+quicker and quicker, in a crescendo, till she manages to produce a long
+shrill sound. The person, for whom these prayers are offered, kneels in
+front of the particular deity whom she wants to invoke, though generally
+at the foot of the Great Buddha, and with hands joined in front of her
+nose, prays with the nuns, getting up during certain prayers, kneeling
+down again for others. For head-gear, the nuns wear the same grass
+conical hats which the travelling monks do. If a large oblation is
+offered, the service is still more noisy, and not only are the big drums
+played in the most violent manner, but the nuns squat in a body along the
+walls inside the temple, and keep hammering away on little gongs similar
+to that just described. Recall to your memory the sound of a blacksmith's
+forge with two men hammering a red-hot iron, magnify that sound a hundred
+times, and add to it the buzzing of the prayers, and you will then get a
+pretty fair idea of what one of these religious ceremonies sounds like to
+European ears.</p>
+
+<p>One of the best features of Confucianism is the inculcation of respect
+towards parents and old people, in which respect both monks and nuns do a
+deal of good; though, otherwise, I think the country might advantageously
+be without these institutions.</p>
+
+<p>Beliefs are comical when one does not believe in them.</p>
+
+<p>On the mountain slopes, just outside the city wall, and at no great
+distance from the West Gate, is a <a name='Page_233'></a>peculiar rock, which the action of the
+weather has worn out into the shape of a gigantic tooth. Whence comes its
+name of Tooth-stone. There would be nothing wonderful about this, if it
+were not for the fact that a visit to this freak of nature, has,
+according to Corean accounts, the property of curing the worst of
+tooth-aches. Though I was not myself afflicted with the complaint in
+question, I went one afternoon to witness the pilgrimage that takes place
+every day to this miraculous spot. A little altar stands at the foot of
+the huge tooth, and numberless tablets, certifying to cures, erected by
+thankful noble visitors and others, are fixed against the rock, with the
+name, date and year when the cures were effected.</p>
+
+<p>As I stood there, I could not help laughing at the sight of the crowds of
+men and women with swollen cheeks, bandaged up in cotton wool and
+kerchiefs, apparently undergoing excruciating agonies through coming out
+on so cold a day. One after the other they came up, first paying their
+chin-chins in front of the altar, and then depositing on it what <i>cash</i>
+they could afford; after which they proceeded to rub one cheek after the
+other on the Tooth-stone, just as &quot;puss&quot; rubs herself against your legs
+when you stroke her head. The bandages had, of course, to be removed
+before the balloon-like cheek could be rubbed on the frozen stone, and to
+watch the different expressions of relief or increased pain upon their
+ill-balanced, inflamed faces, gave me as much amusement as any show that
+I have ever witnessed. Should the pain have temporarily disappeared, the
+man in charge of the <i>miracle</i> would make it his duty to try and extract
+<a name='Page_234'></a>more money from the person cured; if, instead of that, the pain had
+increased, which was generally the case, then, again, he would impress on
+the agonised sufferer that had he paid a larger sum in the beginning the
+gods would not have been vexed at his meanness and the pain would have
+disappeared. Let him, therefore, now pay more <i>cash</i> by way of making up
+for it, and try again! It is wonderful, too, how shallow people are when
+they have a pain anywhere!</p>
+
+
+
+<hr class="full" />
+<a name='CHAPTER_XV'></a><h2><a name='Page_235'></a>CHAPTER XV</h2>
+
+<div class='Ptoc'>Police&mdash;Detectives&mdash;The plank-walk&mdash;The square board&mdash;The wooden blocks
+for hands and feet&mdash;Floggings&mdash;The bamboo rod&mdash;The stick&mdash;The flexible
+board&mdash;A flogging in Seoul&mdash;One hundred strokes for
+three-halfpence&mdash;Wounds produced&mdash;Tender-hearted
+soldiers&mdash;Imprisonment&mdash;Exile&mdash;Status of women, children and
+bachelors&mdash;Guilds and the law&mdash;Nobles and the law&mdash;Serfdom&mdash;A mild form
+of slavery.</div>
+<br />
+
+<p>Should you happen to be one of the tender-hearted sort, please pass this
+chapter and the next over, and I shall not bear you any malice. My
+present object is to describe some of the punishments inflicted on
+criminals, and, though they are, as a whole, quaint and original, I
+cannot say that they are pleasing, either to see or to read about.</p>
+
+<p>First of all, you may not be aware that there is in Seoul a sharp and
+well-regulated body of police, always ready to pounce on outlaws of any
+kind; and that there is hardly a crime committed, the delinquent in which
+fails to be immediately collared. These guardians of the peace do not
+wear any particular uniform, but are dressed just like the merchant
+classes; and thus it is that, unknown, they can mix with people of all
+sorts, and frequently discover crimes of which they would otherwise
+probably never hear. Instead of being mere policemen, they rather do the
+work of detectives and policemen combined; for, by ably <a name='Page_236'></a>disguising
+themselves, they try to get on familiar terms with people about whom they
+are suspicious; and in many a case, after having become a bosom-friend of
+one of these officials and acknowledged and confessed his evil deeds to
+him, the culprit finds himself arrested and very likely beheaded.</p>
+
+<p>In speaking of their mode of arrest, I purposely used the word
+&quot;collared&quot;; for no better term can express the action of the Corean
+policeman. The man is taken before the magistrate soon after his arrest,
+and should he offer resistance he is dragged before him by his top-knot
+or his pig-tail, according respectively as he is a married man or a
+bachelor. If he is strong and restive, a rope with a sliding knot is
+passed round his neck, after his hands have been firmly tied behind his
+back. After his interview with the magistrate at the <i>yamen</i>, if he be
+found guilty, he is generally treated with very great severity.</p>
+
+<p>If the crime has been only of the minor degree the culprit undergoes the
+plank-walk, a punishment tiresome enough, but not too harsh for Coreans.
+The following is a rough description of it. A heavy wooden plank, about
+twelve feet long and two feet wide, with an aperture in the centre, is
+used, the man's head being passed through the aperture and then secured
+in it in such a way that he cannot remove it. Thus arrayed he is made to
+walk through the streets of the town, his head distorted by the weight he
+has to carry, and his body restrained by the dragging of the plank either
+in front of him or at his back. The passers-by point at him the finger of
+scorn, as, in his helpless state, he is made to swing from one side of
+the road to the other <a name='Page_237'></a>with the slightest push, or else is pulled along
+mercilessly by people who seize the plank and begin to run. He is poked
+in the ribs with sticks, and gets his head smacked and smeared with dirt;
+yet has to bear it all patiently, until, twirled round, knocked about,
+and with his neck skinned by the friction of the heavy plank, he
+sometimes falls down in a dead faint.</p>
+
+<p class="ctr"><a href="./images/36.jpg"><img src="./images/36_th.jpg"
+alt="THE PLANK-WALK"></a></p><p class="ctr">THE PLANK-WALK</p>
+
+<p>Little or no compassion is shown to criminals by the Coreans. Rather than
+otherwise, they are cruel to them; and children, besides being cautioned
+not to follow their bad example, are encouraged to annoy and torture the
+poor wretches.</p>
+
+<p>A more severe punishment still is the square board, a piece of wood too
+heavy to allow of the man standing for any length of time, too wide to
+allow of his arms reaching his face, too big to allow of him resting his
+head on the ground and going to sleep, and too thick <a name='Page_238'></a>to allow of his
+smashing it and getting rid of it. Instances are on record of people thus
+punished having become lunatics after the fourth or fifth day. During the
+fly season I should think such an occurrence cannot be uncommon. Imagine
+half a dozen flies disporting themselves in a tickling walk on a man's
+nose, eyelids and forehead, without his being able to reach them, owing
+to this huge square wooden collar! It must be dreadful! Merely the
+thought of it is enough to give one the shivers.</p>
+
+<p>This last mode of punishment has, I think, been imported from China, for
+I have also seen it frequently in the Empire of Heaven. The other, which
+I first described, may also be a modification of this one, but I do not
+remember having seen it, as I have described it, anywhere except in
+Corea, at Seoul. There is also in Corea another machine of torture, in
+which the head and feet are tied between heavy blocks of wood.</p>
+
+<p>The principal, and most important, of all the lesser punishments,
+however, is flogging. It is that which has most effect on the people, and
+it is certainly by far the most painful. It is carried out in many ways,
+according to the gravity of the crime committed. The simpler and milder
+form is with a small bamboo rod, the strokes being administered on the
+hands, on the bare back or on the thighs, a punishment mostly for young
+people. Next in severity, is that with the round stick&mdash;a heavy
+implement&mdash;by which it was always a marvel to me, that all the bones of
+the body were not smashed, judging from the fearful blows which the
+powerful flogger bestowed on the poor wretches who lay stretched out
+flat, and face downward, <a name='Page_239'></a>on a sort of bench, to which they were
+fastened, and on which they generally fainted from pain after the first
+few strokes had been given. This is considered a low and degrading way of
+being flogged, and is chiefly limited to people of the lowest standing in
+society. The implement most generally in use in this line of sport is the
+paddle or flat board, a beating with which, when once received, is likely
+to be remembered for ever. I shall try to describe the way in which I saw
+it done one day in Seoul.</p>
+
+<p>I was walking along the main street when I saw a <i>kisso</i> (soldier), with
+his hands tied behind his back, being led with a rope and followed by
+about a score of cavalry soldiers in their picturesque hats and red
+tassels. A magistrate, in his long white gown and with a huge pair of
+circular spectacles on his nose, headed the procession. I asked a
+passer-by what they were going to do, and was soon informed, both by
+action and by word of mouth, that the man was going to be flogged,
+whereupon I at once slackened my pace, and joined the procession, that I
+might, if possible, see how they did this sort of thing in military
+circles. I had already seen ordinary floggings with the bamboo and the
+stick, but what attracted me more especially on this occasion, was a long
+wooden board which a soldier was carrying, and with which, the man who
+was walking by my side said, they were going to beat him. It was a plank
+about ten feet long, one foot wide and half an inch thick, probably less,
+and therefore very flexible. After walking for a short distance, the
+procession at last made a halt. The man to be performed upon, looked
+almost unconcerned; and, save <a name='Page_240'></a>that he was somewhat pensive, showed no
+signs of fear. His hands having been untied, he at once took off his
+hat&mdash;for in the land of Cho-sen a man does not mind losing his life as
+long as his hat is not spoilt! His padded trousers were pulled down so as
+to leave his legs bare, and he was then made to lie flat on the pebbly
+ground, using his folded arms as a sort of rest for his head. The
+magistrate, with his pompous strides, having found a suitable spot,
+squatted down on his heels, a servant immediately handing to him his
+long-caned pipe. The soldiers, silent and grave, then formed a circle,
+and the flogger; with his board all ready in his hand, took up a position
+on the left-hand side of his victim. The magistrate, between one puff and
+another of smoke, gave a long harangue on the evils of borrowing money
+and not returning it, however small the sum might be. The disgrace, he
+argued, would be great in anybody's case, but for a soldier of the King,
+not only to commit the great offence of borrowing money from a person of
+lower grade than himself&mdash;&quot;a butcher,&quot; but then also to add to his shame
+by not returning it&mdash;this was something that went beyond the limits of
+decency.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;How much was it you borrowed?&quot; he inquired in a roaring kind of voice.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;A hundred <i>cash</i>,&quot; answered the thread of a voice from the head on the
+ground buried in the coat-sleeves.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Well, then, give him a hundred strokes, to teach him to do better next
+time!&quot;</p>
+
+<p>As a hundred <i>cash</i> is equivalent to one penny-halfpenny, to my mind, the
+verdict was a little severe, <a name='Page_241'></a>but, as there is no knowing what is good
+for other people, I remained a silent spectator.</p>
+
+<p>The flogger then, grabbing at one end of the board with his strong hands,
+swung it two or three times over his head, and gave a tremendous whack on
+the man's thighs, causing them to bleed. Then immediately another and
+another followed, each being duly reckoned, the poor fellow all the while
+moaning pitifully, and following from the corners of his frightened eyes
+the quick movements of the quivering plank. Soon his skin became livid
+and inflamed, and, after a few more blows had been given, large patches
+of skin remained attached to the board. The pain must have been intense.
+The wretch bit his sleeves, and moaned and groaned, until, finally, he
+became faint. Meanwhile, I had produced my sketch-book, and had already
+with my pencil jotted down magistrate, flogger, flogged and soldiers,
+when the ill-natured official took offence at what I was doing and
+ordered the flogging to be at once stopped. Had I only known, I would
+have begun my sketch before. As it was&mdash;and the culprit had only received
+less than one-fifth of the number of blows to which he had been
+sentenced&mdash;the performance was bad enough. There was only one redeeming
+feature about it, and I must say no one was more astonished at it than
+myself. Nearly all the soldiers, friends of the offender, blubbered like
+children while his punishment lasted. This circumstance seemed to prove
+to me that the Easterns, though apparently cruel, are, after all, not
+quite so hard-hearted as one might be inclined to imagine. And, mind you,
+the soldier-classes in Cho-sen are probably the most cruel <a name='Page_242'></a>of all; that
+touch of sentiment on their part, therefore, impressed me much, and upset
+entirely those first ideas I had formed about their lack of sensitiveness
+and sympathy for others.</p>
+
+<p>The order to that effect being then given, two soldiers proceeded to help
+the man to rise. Calling to him was, however, of no avail. They had,
+therefore, to lift him up bodily, but when they tried to dress him they
+found his swollen bleeding legs to be as stiff as if they had been made
+of iron; wherefore, as they failed to bend them, two other men had to
+come to their assistance and carry him away. It not unfrequently happens
+in the case of this cruel method of flogging that a man's thighs are
+broken and himself ruined for life, and many have been known to have even
+died under the severity of the punishment.</p>
+
+<p>Imprisonment is not a favourite punishment with the Corean magistrates,
+for the infliction of such a penalty means considerable expense to the
+country, and would be but little punishment to the natives, who, by such
+confinement, would suffer little or nothing physically, and certainly not
+at all morally. Some, however, especially of the nobler classes, are kept
+confined, even for years, in expectation, for instance, of a sentence of
+capital punishment being carried out, or else in the hope that through
+influential friends they may obtain the royal pardon. As a rule,
+particularly with the better classes, exile is deemed a more impressive
+punishment than imprisonment, and when confiscation of land and property
+goes with this, the punishment is, of course, all the more severe.</p>
+
+<p>Of banishment there are several different kinds.<a name='Page_243'></a> Thus, there is not only
+banishment from the city to a distant province, but also that out of the
+kingdom altogether. Some banishments are for short periods, others for
+longer periods, others for life. Banishment from the country is generally
+for life and accompanied by confiscation.</p>
+
+<p>A curious custom prevails at Court, according to which, when a Minister,
+prince or magistrate incurs the royal displeasure, he is confined for two
+or three days to his own house, without being allowed to go out. Were the
+rule broken it would lead to serious trouble, for spies are generally
+sent to see that the rule is not transgressed. Such a punishment, mild as
+it is, is much felt by the nobles, and they take, therefore, a good deal
+of trouble to comply with the Court etiquette in all its minutest
+details.</p>
+
+<p>Corean law is very lenient to women and children, or unmarried men, which
+latter class, as we have seen, are classified in the same category as the
+former. The head of the family is supposed to punish smaller offences as
+he thinks fit, either by rod or fist, the law only providing the severer
+forms of punishment for the bigger crimes.</p>
+
+<p>The administration of the law in general is very strange. Some people are
+responsible, others are not. Certain tradesmen, like butchers,
+plasterers, innkeepers, carpenters, hatters, etc., have formed themselves
+into guilds, and in the case of offences committed by a member of one of
+these guilds he is held responsible to the head of the guild and not to
+the magistrates of the country. The same holds good in the case of the
+<i>mapus</i> (horsemen) and the coolie-carriers <a name='Page_244'></a>who constitute, probably, the
+best-formed and best-governed guild in the country. It has thousands of
+members all over the kingdom, and not only is the postal system carried
+on by them, but also the entire trade, so to speak, between the different
+provinces and towns of the realm. The chief of this guild, until late
+years, had actually the power of inflicting capital punishment on the
+members; now, however, the highest penalty he can inflict is a sentence
+of flogging. Thus it is, that a good deal of the justice of the country
+is administered by the people themselves, without the intervention of the
+legal authorities, in which respect they show themselves very sensible.
+The nobles, too, have the power of flogging their servants or followers,
+and this is usually done in their own <i>compounds</i>. Very often on passing
+a house the strokes of the paddle may be heard, the howls and screams of
+the victim testifying to the nature of what is going on. In other cases
+flogging is generally done in public, for then it is supposed to have
+more effect. If done in a private enclosure, then all the servants,
+soldiers and followers are summoned to witness it.</p>
+
+<p>This patient submission to these personal punishments is no doubt one of
+the last remains of feudalism. In not very remote times, serfdom which
+bordered on slavery was still in existence in Cho-sen. Men and women
+became private property either by the acquiring of the land on which they
+lived, or, by purchase, or by way of execution for non-payment of debts,
+for under this convenient law creditors could be paid with a man's
+relations instead of with ready money.</p><a name='Page_245'></a>
+
+<p>Slavery in Corea, even when it existed, was, however, always of a very
+mild form. The women were mostly employed as servants about the house,
+while the man tilled the ground, but in neither case was rough dealing
+the rule, and, far less, ill-treatment. They were, too, well fed and
+clothed; so much so, that many people used to sell themselves in order to
+acquire a comfortable living. In time of famine this must have very often
+occurred, and many families whose ancestors under such circumstances
+stood by the nobles and rich people are even to the present moment
+supported by them, though no longer as slaves, but rather as retainers
+and servants. They are perfectly happy with their lot and make no
+agitation for liberty; in fact, like the bird that has been born and bred
+in a cage, if left to themselves, they would probably soon come to a bad
+end.</p>
+
+
+
+<hr class="full" />
+<a name='CHAPTER_XVI'></a><h2><a name='Page_246'></a>CHAPTER XVI</h2>
+
+<div class='Ptoc'>Executions&mdash;Crucified and carried through the streets&mdash;The execution
+ground&mdash;Barbarous mode of beheading&mdash;Noble criminals&mdash;Paternal love&mdash;Shut
+out&mdash;Scaling the wall&mdash;A catastrophe&mdash;A nightmare.</div>
+<br />
+
+<p>In Cho-sen, as in other countries, we find not only pleasanter sights,
+but also those that are disagreeable or even revolting. That which I am
+about to describe is one which, I have little doubt, will make your blood
+curdle, but which is none the less as interesting as some of the others I
+have feebly attempted in this work to describe; I mean an execution as
+carried out in the Land of the Morning Calm. The penal form of death
+adopted is beheading, which is not, I believe, so pleasant a sensation
+as, for instance, that of being hanged&mdash;that is, when other persons are
+the sufferers. Of late years, executions have not been by any means an
+everyday occurrence in Corea, but here, as in other countries, there is
+always to be found a good share of people who are anxious to be &quot;off&quot;
+their heads. There is no reason why people should commit crimes, yet they
+do commit them and get punished in consequence. They are punished in this
+world for having broken the limits of society's laws, and yet again, if
+what one hears is correct, they are punished wherever they happen to go
+after their final departure from our very earthly regions. In Corea, <a name='Page_247'></a>as
+is the case all over the far East, the natives are not much concerned
+about this future existence and attach little importance to death and
+physical pain. I have no doubt, in fact I am positive, that the Eastern
+people feel pain much less than we do, partly because they are accustomed
+from childhood to be insensitive to bodily agony, but chiefly because
+they are differently constituted to us. In our case, the brain, by means
+of which it is that we judge of the amount of pain inflicted on us, has
+been trained to receive impressions so quickly, transmitted as they are
+in an instant from any part of the body to the centre of our system,
+that, indeed, many times we actually feel the pain before it has been
+physically communicated to us at all. With the Corean, as with the Manchu
+or the Chinese, a reverse action takes place. With them, the brain works
+so very slowly that, supposing a bad ache is taking place in any part of
+the body, whence is being conveyed to the drowsy brain the unpleasant
+news of the agony that that part is undergoing; well, what in that case
+happens in the Corean skull? By the time the brain has grasped the idea
+that the aforesaid part of the body is really in a state of suffering,
+the pain is almost gone. This, roughly stated, is I believe, a truthful
+explanation of their going to death with so much bravery.</p>
+
+<p>It is a common occurrence in China for criminals, kneeling in a row to be
+executed, to crack jokes among themselves, and even at the executioner's
+expense. In Corea, they cannot go quite so far as that, for things are
+done somewhat differently. In the latter country, the prisoners are
+detained in the gaols <a name='Page_248'></a>sometimes for months and even years, undergoing
+judgments and sentences, floggings and milder tortures innumerable, so
+that it is almost with a feeling of relief and gladness that, finally,
+being proved guilty, they receive the news of their fast approaching end.
+When their time is come, they are removed from prison, and dragged out
+into a courtyard, within which, with the first rays of light, have been
+brought some little carts with heavy and roughly-made wooden wheels, each
+drawn by a sturdy bull. On the ground some wooden crosses have been set
+up, and to each of these a criminal is tied with ropes, his chest and
+arms being bare, and cut into by the tightened cords, and only his padded
+trousers being left. Each cross with its human freight is then planted
+and made firm on a bull cart; and then, when all is ready, the ghastly
+procession, headed by the executioner, a few <i>kissos</i> (soldiers), armed
+with old fashioned flint locks or with spears, makes its way slowly
+through the streets of the town, one of the followers proclaiming aloud
+the crimes committed and the sentences passed on the crucified. Sleepy
+women and children, with uncombed hair, peep out of the paper windows,
+while the men hurry down to the street and join the procession in large
+numbers, making fun at the expense of the poor wretches, and even
+insulting them; while the latter, hang helpless and defenceless from
+their crosses, their bodies livid with cold, pain and starvation.
+Occasions such as these, are regular orgies for the soldiers, and those
+who follow the mournful <i>cort&eacute;ge</i>. Not a wine-shop on the road-side is
+left unvisited, and continual halts are made that wine may be freely
+drunk, and <a name='Page_249'></a>food swallowed, as only Corean soldiers know how to do it.
+Occasionally, a pious passer-by, moved to compassion, may, amid the howls
+of the crowd, raise his wine-cup to the lips of one of the sentenced, and
+help him thus to make death more merry. Once this sort of thing is
+started, the example is usually at once emulated by others, and, as the
+hours go by, a considerable amount of intoxicating stuff is consumed, not
+only by the executioner, soldiers and followers, but also by those to be
+executed. Before very long, however, the bodies of the victims thus
+carried become senseless and nearly frozen to death. Their heads then
+hang down pitifully, all blue and congested, and quivering with the
+jerking of the cart.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Era! Era! Picassa!&quot; (&quot;Get out! get away!&quot;) the drunken soldiers call out
+at intervals, as they swallow their last mouthful of rice, and order the
+<i>mapus</i> to move on to the next eating-place. Crowds of men and children
+collect round the miserable show and prudent fathers, pointing at the
+victims, show their heirs what will be the fate of those who do what is
+wrong. During the whole day are the poor wretches thus carted to and fro,
+in the streets of the town, stoppages being made at all the public
+eating-places, where feasting invariably takes place, though it is also
+almost as invariably left unpaid for.</p>
+
+<p>Only when sunset has come is it that the procession, having made its way
+towards one of the city gates, finally leaves the town and winds its way
+through the open country to a suitable spot for the chopping-off process.
+Executions are not held at any particular spot; and in former days, even
+a few years ago, it <a name='Page_250'></a>was not an uncommon occurrence to see the dead
+bodies of beheaded people lying about in the streets of Seoul. Now,
+however, they generally take the offenders outside the Wall, and inflict
+the capital punishment miles away from the town.</p>
+
+<p>The execution represented in the illustration, took place on the sixth of
+February, 1891, and is a reproduction of a picture which I have done from
+sketches taken on the spot. The men executed on this occasion numbered
+seven, and the crime committed, was &quot;high treason.&quot; They had conspired to
+upset the reigning dynasty of Cho-sen, and had devised the death of His
+Majesty the King. Unfortunately for them, the plot was discovered before
+its aims could be carried out, and the ringleaders arrested and
+imprisoned. For over a year they had remained in gaol, undergoing severe
+trials, and being constantly tortured and flogged to make them confess
+their crime, and betray the friends who were implicated with them. That,
+however, being of no avail, the seven men were at last all sentenced to
+death. Three of them were noblemen, and one a priest; while the others
+were commoner people, though well-to-do. Here are their names;
+Yi-Keun-eung, Youn-Tai-son, Im-Ha-sok, Kako (priest), Yi-sang-hik,
+Chyong-Hiong-sok, Pang-Pyong-Ku.</p>
+
+<p>Having undergone the final drive through the town, by the sound of the
+big bell at sunset the <i>cort&eacute;ge</i> passed through the &quot;Gate of the Dead;&quot;
+then, leaving the crowded streets of the capital, it made its way towards
+the spot where the execution was to take place. The place selected was on
+a naturally raised</p><a name='Page_251'></a>
+<p class="ctr"><a href="./images/37.jpg"><img src="./images/37_th.jpg"
+alt="A STUDY FROM STILL-LIFE"></a></p><p class="ctr">A STUDY FROM STILL-LIFE</p>
+<p>ground, nearly 20 lis (6&frac12; miles) from Seoul, a lonely spot, overlooking a
+deserted plain. The high road was only a few hundred yards distant, and
+could be plainly seen as a white interminable line, like a white tape, at
+the foot of the distant hills.</p>
+
+<p>The bull carts were stopped some little way below this spot on the flat
+ground, and then, one by one, the wretched creatures were taken down and
+removed from their crosses in a brutal manner, and handed over to the
+executioner. Senseless, they lay on the ground, with their arms tied
+behind their backs, and a long rope fastened to their top-knots in the
+hair; until they were carried one after another, and laid flat on their
+faces, with their chests on the little stools seen in the picture. When
+they had all been thus stationed, the executioner proceeded to administer
+blows with his blunt sword until the heads were severed from the bodies.
+On the occasion in question, several of the bodies were hacked about most
+mercilessly through the inexperience or drunkenness of this brute. The
+third man in the illustration, for example, had a good part of his left
+shoulder cut off as clean as a whistle, although the blow had been meant
+to strike the neck; but let this suffice for these horrible details. I
+have mentioned them, partly, that they may be compared with the dexterous
+doings of the neighbouring Chinese, whose skill in the chopping-off line
+is beyond description.</p>
+
+<p>The Chinese possess very long, sharp, well-balanced swords, a single blow
+of one of which will sever the head from the body. Besides, they
+administer their blows as neatly as the most fastidious of customers
+<a name='Page_252'></a>might desire, and the victim does not really undergo much pain. The
+executioners, too, are picked out from among the strongest men, and are
+so well trained that they never miss a blow. The whole affair,
+consequently, is over in less than no time; a few seconds being quite
+sufficient to do away with one comfortably. Truly enough, were it to be
+one's lot to be executed, I would desire nothing more delightful than to
+have one's head &quot;done&quot; by a Celestial executioner. The Coreans, on the
+contrary, have not developed the same skill in these difficult matters;
+and, what with their blunt and short swords, what with their misjudgment
+of distances, they bungle matters most cruelly. Of course, they are,
+nevertheless, supposed to kill their victims with single blows, instead
+of raining them down by the dozen, hacking the unfortunate creatures in a
+most fearful manner, and lopping off their arms or gashing their bodies
+before the heads are finally cut off.</p>
+
+<p>The little blocks, upon which the men were laid down, were so arranged
+that their chests rested on the upper portions, the head in consequence
+being raised several inches from the ground. The idea in this was to make
+things easier for the executioner; the same reason also explaining why
+the straw rope was tied to each man's top-knot; for in this way another
+man could hold him fast to the stool when the decapitation was to take
+place. A somewhat closer examination of the first body in the
+illustration will at once show how distorted it is. This is what must
+have happened: in the final struggle with death the owner had attempted
+to resist his fate, when several soldiers had immediately <a name='Page_253'></a>pounced upon
+him, with the inevitable result that, in his desperate struggling, the
+spine had been broken; a strange, yet very natural accident, under the
+circumstances. The arms being tied together at the elbows behind, the
+spine had been at great tension, like a set bow, so that a violent
+assault could not but result in its being fractured, especially
+considering the weak and frozen condition in which the derelict before us
+was. That I am probably correct in this explanation seems to be further
+proved by the fact that his head, when severed, had been taken up and
+swung to a distance by the angry executioner.</p>
+
+<p>Now, though this way of doing away with criminals may appear a very cruel
+one to European minds, it is, nevertheless, a decided improvement on the
+older method of executing prevalent in Corea, as practised for example,
+many years ago, on some French missionaries and their followers.</p>
+
+<p>The execution of these martyrs was preceded by terrible floggings and
+tortures, and when they were led to the execution-ground they had two
+arrows thrust into their flesh, like modern St. Sebastians.</p>
+
+<p>The executioner and soldiers, after having accomplished their bloody
+work, and converted the execution-ground for the time being into a
+shambles, retraced their steps to the nearest wine-shop, where the rest
+of the night was spent in drinking and gorging. The bodies were left as a
+repast for dogs and leopards; for no Corean with a sound mind could be
+induced to go near the spot where they lay, lest the spirits of their
+departed souls should play some evil trick upon them. So much, in fact,
+were they scared at the idea of passing <a name='Page_254'></a>at all near to the dead bodies
+that, though the execution took place a few hundred yards away from the
+high road, the superstitious Coreans preferred going miles out of their
+way on the other side of the hill range to being seen near (they called
+it &quot;near&quot;) a spot where so many people had perished.</p>
+
+<p>The morning following this execution I took many sketches of the ghastly
+scene and the mutilated bodies. I did not leave until darkness began to
+set in, when, as I was busy packing up my traps to return to Seoul, I was
+rather startled by the sudden appearance near me of an old man, sad,
+pale, and worn-out with anxiety. As he crept up to my side, in a most
+suspicious manner, he looked round, and then, with a violent effort,
+directed his gaze to the bodies lying a little way off. He was shivering
+like a leaf, his eyes were staring and his fingers outstretched, yet he
+could not remove his glance from the dreadful sight. As he was in this
+tragic position, two coolies, carrying a coffin, appeared cautiously on
+the scene; but, when still a long way from the bodies, they refused
+positively to approach any nearer, and all the expostulation of the old
+man who went down to meet them, all the extra strings of <i>cash</i>, the last
+ones he possessed, were not sufficient to induce them to stir another
+inch. This fright which had taken possession of them was thus great,
+partly because of the natural superstitions which all Coreans entertain
+regarding the souls of dead persons, and also because the fact of being
+seen or found near these political criminals might in all probability
+lead to the loss of their heads as well. At last, however, when their
+terror was somewhat overcome, they promised to <a name='Page_255'></a>go near the bodies if
+large sums should be paid them; whereupon the old man who had not another
+<i>cash</i> in the world, seemed to act as if he were in a state of thorough
+despair. I watched his face and thought that he was actually going to
+collapse. Not a word of complaint, however, did he utter to me. Intense
+grief was depicted on his face, and I had pity on him. He was old, too,
+and his features were refined. He opened his heart to me.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;That,&quot; lying dead there, with his head Heaven only knew where, was his
+son! He had been a nobleman; that one could see at a glance, but was poor
+now, &quot;cashless,&quot; having spent his fortune in his efforts to bribe the
+officials to let his son be released. His money had come to an end, and
+there his son lay dead. The risk he was running, he well knew, was very
+great, in thus coming to remove the body of the one he loved. Were the
+officials only to know that he had visited the spot, he would straightway
+be imprisoned, accused of complicity, tortured, and then put to death;
+notwithstanding this, however, he felt sure that darkness would protect
+him, and so in his anxiety he had come to remove his son's body, that he
+might during the night bury it on one of the distant hills. He had given
+the coolies the little money he had to help him in his enterprise, and
+now that he was only a few yards from his beloved he could not get them
+to proceed. He was himself too weak to move the body.</p>
+
+<p>I took him by the arm, and we approached the bodies. The near view of
+them made him shudder and turn pale, and as he rested on my arm he was
+<a name='Page_256'></a>shivering all over. Not a word did he utter, not a lamentation did he
+make, not a tear did he shed; for, to show one's feelings is considered
+bad form in the land of Cho-sen. I could well see, however, that his
+heart was aching. He bent over the bodies, one after the other; then,
+after a lengthy examination, he pointed to one, and murmured:</p>
+
+<p>&quot;This is my son, this is my son! I know him by his hands. See how they
+are swollen, and nearly cut by the rope?&quot;</p>
+
+<p>Next, after a good deal of uncertainty, for the face was smeared and
+streaked with blood, we found the head pertaining to the body. The old
+man, with paternal love, then proceeded, if he could, to stick the head
+on the body again, but&mdash;this was impossible.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Please, sir,&quot; he begged of me, in a tone of lamentation, &quot;help me to
+take my son as far as the coffin.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>I consented, and, with the utmost trouble, we carried the body down the
+hill, afterwards coming back for the head. In two mats, which had been
+carried inside the hearse, we wrapped the corpse up as well as we could,
+and then bundled him into the coffin. All this time a careful look-out
+was maintained, to see that no one else was about to spy over the deed,
+but once the corpse was in its coffin, the coolies quickly took the
+hearse on their shoulders, and all sped away, not without repeated
+&quot;kamapsos&quot; (thanks) being given me by the old man.</p>
+
+<p>That was the only body which was removed, all the others being left to
+rot or to be eaten up by wild animals.</p><a name='Page_257'></a>
+
+<p>When I examined the expressions on the faces of the beheaded wretches, it
+did not seem as if any of them had at all enjoyed what had taken place;
+on the contrary, rather than otherwise, there was plainly depicted on
+their now immovable features an expression of most decided
+dissatisfaction. Without doubt, they had undergone a terrible agony. In
+some cases the eyes were closed, in others they were wide open, staring
+straight in front. The pupils had become extremely small. The lips of all
+were contracted, and the teeth showed between, tightly closed. Streaks of
+blood covered the faces, and it was very apparent that the noses, ears,
+and sometimes the outside corners of the eyes, had been bleeding, this
+being probably due to the violent blows received from the sword. In a
+word, the expression which had become stereotyped upon their faces was
+that of great pain and fright, although none of them, with the exception
+of the one who had resisted at the last moment, showed it in any other
+way. The muscles of the arms also were much contracted, and the swollen
+fingers were of a bluish colour with congested blood, and half-closed and
+stiff&mdash;as if made of wood.</p>
+
+<p>By the time that the old man, his coolies and their sad burden had got
+well out of sight, on their way up one of the distant hills, I had
+finished packing up my sketches and painting materials. Then, as I
+retraced my steps towards Seoul it became quite dark. On the way,
+however, I purchased, for the large sum of three <i>cash</i> (the tenth part
+of a penny), a small paper lantern, with a little candle inside&mdash;the
+latter leading me to the extravagance of an extra <i>cash</i>; <a name='Page_258'></a>and, armed
+with this lighting apparatus, all complete, I proceeded towards the East
+Gate.</p>
+
+<p>This little lantern, which was exactly similar to those used by the
+natives, came in very handy on this occasion. These lanterns are the most
+ingenious things that can be imagined for the money. Each has a wooden
+bottom, and a bent cane acts as a handle. A nail is provided in the
+centre of the wooden bottom, wherein to stick the candle, and the flame
+is protected by white tissue paper pasted all round the lantern.</p>
+
+<p class="ctr"><a href="./images/38.jpg"><img src="./images/38_th.jpg"
+alt="A NATIVE LANTERN"></a></p><p class="ctr">A NATIVE LANTERN</p>
+
+<p>In due course I reached the East Gate, but only to find it closed, for it
+was now long after sunset. I then tried the &quot;Gate of the Dead,&quot; having no
+objection to enter the town for once as a &quot;deceased&quot;; but, although the
+&quot;departed&quot; have the privilege of leaving the town after dark, they are
+not allowed to come in again; for which reason it really seemed as if I
+had before me the fine prospect of having to put up at one of the dirty
+native inns just outside the Gate until it should please Phoebus to show
+his welcome fire-face again above the mountain line.</p>
+
+<p>I had learned that there was, at no great distance away, a spot where, at
+the risk only of breaking one's neck, it was possible to scale the city
+wall; wherefore, having consulted a child as to the exact locality,
+besides tempting him with a string of <i>cash</i>, I proceeded to find it, and
+soon, under his guidance, reached it. The wall at this spot was, I may
+mention, about twenty feet high. Having, then, fastened my paint-box and
+<a name='Page_259'></a>sketches to my back by means of a strap, and slinging the paper lantern
+to my arm, I proceeded, hampered though I was, to make trial of my
+cat-like qualities in the matter of wall climbing. Placing the tips of my
+fingers and toes in the crevices between the stones and in other gaps in
+the wall, I managed with some little difficulty, to crawl up a certain
+height. The wall was nearly perpendicular, mind you, and, owing to the
+cold frozen nature of the stones, my fingers got so stiff that I had
+hardly any power left in them. Then, too, the weight of the heavy
+paint-box on my shoulders was more conducive to bringing me down again
+than to helping me up. In my mind's eye, accordingly, I saw myself at
+every moment coming down with a bang from my high position to the frozen
+ground below, and began to think that I should be fortunate if I
+succeeded in coming out of my wall-climbing experience with only half the
+ribs in my body reduced to atoms, and one or two broken limbs in
+addition. Making a special effort, however, I got a few feet higher, when
+I heard a mysterious voice below murmur: &quot;You have nearly reached the
+top.&quot; I received the news with such delight that, in consequence of the
+fresh vigour which it imparted to me and which made me try to hurry up,
+one of my feet slipped, and I found myself clinging to a stone, with the
+very ends of my fingers. Oh what a sensation! and what moments of
+anxiety, until, quickly searching with my toes, I got a footing again.</p>
+
+<p>That slip was fatal, for, owing to the jerk it gave me, the unsteady
+candle inside the paper lantern fell out of its perpendicular position
+and produced a conflagration.<a name='Page_260'></a> Then, indeed, was I placed in the most
+perplexing position, for, here was I, holding on to the wall, I do not
+know how, with the lantern and my sleeve on fire and my arm getting
+unpleasantly warm, and yet utterly unable to do anything to lessen the
+catastrophe. Only one thing could be done; and I can assure you, the few
+remaining feet which had to be climbed were got over with almost the
+agility of a monkey. Thus, at last, I was on the top.</p>
+
+<p>This adventure made a very good finish for what had been a most exciting
+day; and, now that the faithless lantern was burning itself out, and
+dwindling away down below, and that the fire in my sleeve was put out, I
+had to remain in darkness. I stumbled along the rampart of the wall until
+I could get down into one of the streets, where, having roused the
+people, I was able to purchase another light, and reach home again in
+safety. After the hearty meal which I then partook of, I need scarcely
+add that a greater part of the night was spent in dreaming of numberless
+bodyless heads rolling about around me, and of people being burned alive,
+until I finally woke up next morning with a fearful shock, and the
+thought that I was being precipitated from the top of the Tower of Babel.</p>
+
+
+<a name='Page_261'></a>
+
+<hr class="full" />
+<a name='CHAPTER_XVII'></a><h2>CHAPTER XVII</h2>
+
+<div class='Ptoc'>The &quot;King's procession&quot;&mdash;Removing houses&mdash;Foolhardy people&mdash;Beaten to
+death&mdash;Cavalry soldiers&mdash;Infantry&mdash;Retainers&mdash;Banners&mdash;Luxurious
+saddles&mdash;The King and his double&mdash;Royal palanquins&mdash;The return at night.</div>
+<br />
+
+<p class="ctr"><a href="./images/39.jpg"><img src="./images/39_th.jpg"
+alt="THE KING MEETING THE CHINESE ENVOYS"></a></p><p class="ctr">THE KING MEETING THE CHINESE ENVOYS</p>
+
+<p>The official life of the King of Corea is secluded. He rarely goes out of
+the royal palace, although rumours occasionally fly about that His
+Majesty has visited such and such a place in disguise. When he does go
+out officially, the whole town of Seoul gets into a state of the greatest
+agitation and excitement. Not more than once or twice a year does such a
+thing happen; and when it does, the thatched shanties erected on the wide
+royal street are pulled down, causing a good deal of trouble and expense
+to the small merchants, etc. People fully understand, however, that the
+construction of these shanties is only allowed on condition that they
+shall be pulled down and <a name='Page_262'></a>removed whenever necessity should arise; an
+event which may often occur, at only a few hours' notice. The penalty for
+non-compliance is beheading.</p>
+
+<p>The moment they receive the order to do so, the inhabitants hurriedly
+remove all their household goods; the entire families, and those friends
+who have been called in to help, carrying away brass bowls, clothes and
+cooking implements, amid a disorder indescribable. Everybody talks,
+screams and calls out at the same time; everybody tries to push away
+everybody else in his attempts to carry away his armful of goods in
+safety; and, what with the dust produced by the tearing the thatch off
+the roofs, what with the hammering down of the wooden supports, and the
+bustle of the crowd, the scene is pandemonium.</p>
+
+<p>I well remember how astonished I was when, passing in the neighbourhood
+of the royal palace, early one morning, I saw the three narrow, parallel
+streets which lead to the principal gateway being converted into one
+enormously wide street. The two middle rows of houses were thus
+completely removed, and the ground was made beautifully level and smooth.
+Crowds of natives had assembled all along the royal street, as well as up
+the main thoroughfare, leading from the West to the East gate; and the
+greatest excitement prevailed amongst the populace. The men were dressed
+in newly-washed clothes, and the women and children were arrayed in their
+smartest garments. Infantry soldiers, with muskets, varying from
+flint-locks to repeating-rifles, were drawn up in a line on each side to
+keep the road clear. There were others walking along with long, flat
+paddles, and some <a name='Page_263'></a>with round heavy sticks, on the look-out for those who
+dared to attempt to cross the road. As generally happens on such
+occasions, there were some foolish people who did not know the law, and
+others who challenged one another to do what was forbidden, well knowing
+that, if caught, severe blows of the paddle would be their portion. Every
+now and then, howls and shouts would call the attention of the crowd to
+some nonsensical being running full speed down the middle of the road, or
+across it, pursued by the angry soldiers, who, when they captured him,
+began by knocking him down, and continued by beating him with their heavy
+sticks and paddles, until he became senseless, if not killed. When either
+of the last-mentioned accidents happened, as occasionally was the result,
+the body would be thrown into one of the side drain-canals along the road
+and left there, no one taking the slightest notice of it.</p>
+
+<p class="ctr"><a href="./images/40.jpg"><img src="./images/40_th.jpg"
+alt="CAVALRY SOLDIER WITH UMBRELLA-HAT"></a></p><p class="ctr">CAVALRY SOLDIER WITH UMBRELLA-HAT</p>
+
+<p>Cavalry soldiers were to be seen in their picturesque blue and brown
+costumes, and cuirasses, and wide-awake black hats adorned with long red
+tassels hanging down to the shoulders, or, as an alternative, equipped
+with iron helmets and armed with flint-locks and spears. In their belts,
+on one side, they carried <a name='Page_264'></a>swords, and on the other, oil-paper
+umbrella-shaped covers. When folded, one of these hat-covers resembles a
+fan; and when spread out for use, it is fastened over the hat by means of
+a string. Those warriors who wore helmets carried the round felt hats as
+well, fastened to the butts of their saddles.</p>
+
+<p>This cavalry equipment was in great contrast, from a picturesque point of
+view, with the comical imitations of the European mode of equipment
+exhibited by the infantry soldiers. One peculiarity of these cavalrymen
+was their instability in the saddle. Each cavalier had a <i>mapu</i> to guide
+the horse, and another man by his side to see that he did not fall off,
+each having thus two men to look after him. A charge of such cavalry on
+the battle-field must, indeed, be a curious sight.</p>
+
+<p>In the olden time it was forbidden for any one to look down on the king
+from any window higher than the palanquins, but now the rule is not so
+strictly observed, although, even at the time when I witnessed these
+processions, nearly all the higher windows were kept closed and sealed by
+the more loyal people. The majority, therefore, witnessed the scene from
+the streets.</p>
+
+<p>The procession was headed by several hundred infantry soldiers, marching
+without the least semblance of order, and followed by cuirassed
+cavalrymen mounted on microscopic ponies in the manner above described.
+Then followed two rows of men in white, wearing square gauze white caps,
+similar to those which form the distinctive badge of the students when
+they go to their examinations; between which two rows of retainers, lower
+court officials, and <i>yamens</i>, perched on <a name='Page_265'></a>high white saddles, rode the
+generals and high Ministers of state, supported by their innumerable
+servants. Narrow long white banners were carried by these attendants, and
+a dragon-flag of large dimensions towered above them. Amid an almost
+sepulchral silence, the procession moved past, and after it came a huge
+white palanquin, propped on two long heavy beams, and carried on the
+shoulders of hundreds of men.</p>
+
+<p>When the court and country are not in mourning, the horses of the
+generals, high officials and eunuchs bear magnificent saddles,
+embroidered in red, green and blue; the ponies led by hand immediately in
+front of the King's palanquin being also similarly decked out.</p>
+
+<p>Curiously enough, when the first royal palanquin had gone past the
+procession repeated itself, almost in its minutest details, and another
+palanquin of the exact shape of the first, and also supported by hundreds
+of attendants, advanced before us. Puzzled at this strange occurrence, I
+inquired of a neighbour:</p>
+
+<p>&quot;In which palanquin is the King?&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;No one knows, except his most intimate friends at Court,&quot; was the
+answer. &quot;In case of an attempt upon his life, he may thus be fortunate
+enough to escape.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>If such an attempt were made success would not in any case be an easy
+matter, except with a gun or a bomb; for the King's sedan is raised so
+high above the ground that it would be impossible for any one to reach it
+with his hands. Besides, it is surrounded by a numerous escort.</p>
+
+<p>The sedans were constructed after the model of a <a name='Page_266'></a>large square
+garden-tent with a pavilion roof, the front side being open. The
+King&mdash;somebody closely resembling him is selected for his double&mdash;sits on
+a sort of throne erected inside.</p>
+
+<p>On another occasion, when I saw a similar procession accompanying the
+King to the tomb of the queen-dowager, the two palanquins used were much
+smaller, and were fast closed, although there were windows with thick
+split bamboo blinds on both sides of each palanquin. The palanquins were
+covered with lovely white leopard skins outside, and were rich in
+appearance, without lacking in taste.</p>
+
+<p>When the King's procession returned to the palace after dark, the beauty
+and weirdness of the sight were increased tenfold. Huge reed-torches,
+previously planted in the ground at intervals along the line of route,
+were kindled as the procession advanced, and each soldier carried a long
+tri-coloured gauze lantern fastened to a stick, while the palanquins were
+surrounded with a galaxy of white lights attached to high poles. A
+continuous hollow moaning, to indicate that the King was a very great
+personage, and that many hundreds of men had undergone great fatigue in
+carrying him, was heard as the palace gate was approached, and a deep
+sigh of relief arose from thousands of lungs when he was finally
+deposited at his door. Propped up by his highest Ministers of state, who
+held him under the arms, he entered his apartments; after which the
+lights were quickly put out, and most of the crowd retired to their
+homes.</p>
+
+<p>On such occasions as these, however, the men are allowed out at night as
+well as the women.</p>
+
+
+
+<hr class="full" />
+<a name='CHAPTER_XVIII'></a><h2><a name='Page_267'></a>CHAPTER XVIII</h2>
+
+<div class='Ptoc'>Fights&mdash;Prize fights&mdash;Fist fights&mdash;Special moon for fighting&mdash;Summary
+justice&mdash;The use of the top-knot&mdash;Cruelty&mdash;A butcher
+combatant&mdash;Stone-fights&mdash;Belligerent children&mdash;Battle between two
+guilds&mdash;Wounded and killed&mdash;The end of the battle postponed&mdash;Soldiers'
+fights.</div>
+<br />
+
+<p>One of the characteristic sights in Cho-sen is a private fight. The
+natives, as a rule, are quiet and gentle, but when their temper is roused
+they seem never to have enough of fighting. They often-times disport
+themselves in witnessing prize-fights among the champions of different
+towns, or of different wards in the same town, and on these occasions
+large crowds assemble to view the performance. The combatants generally
+fight with their fists, but, like the French, are much given to use their
+knees and feet as well in the contest. Much betting, also, goes on
+amongst the excited spectators, and it is not seldom that a private
+contest of this kind degenerates into a free fight.</p>
+
+<p>The lower classes in the towns thoroughly enjoy this kind of sport, and
+the slightest provocation is sufficient to make them come to blows. The
+curious point about their fighting is that during the first moon of the
+new year all rows can be settled in this rough and ready manner, without
+committing any <a name='Page_268'></a>breach of the law. Hence it is that during that moon, one
+sees hardly anything but people quarrelling and fighting. All the anger
+of the past year is preserved until the New Year festivities are over,
+but then free play is straightway given to the bottled-up passions. Were
+a man even to kill his antagonist during a fight at this legalised
+season, I doubt whether he would be imprisoned or punished; very likely
+not.</p>
+
+<p>For about fifteen days, in truth, things are simply dreadful in the
+streets. Go in one direction, and you see people quarrelling; go in
+another, and you see them fighting. The original <i>causa movens</i> of all
+this is generally <i>cash!</i></p>
+
+<p>When a deadly fight takes place in the streets, you may at once set it
+down as having arisen over, say, a farthing! Debts ought always to be
+paid before the old year is over; and, occasionally, grace is allowed for
+the first fifteen days in the first moon; after that, the defaulting
+debtors get summary justice administered to them. Creditors go about the
+town in search of their debtors, and should they come face to face,
+generally a few unparliamentary remarks are passed, followed by a
+challenge. Hats are immediately removed, and given for safe keeping to
+some one or other of the spectators, a crowd of whom has, of course, at
+once assembled; and then the creditor, as is customary under such
+circumstances in all countries, makes a dash for his debtor. The main
+feature about these fights, so far as I could judge, was the attempt of
+each antagonist to seize hold of the other by his top-knot. Should this
+feat be successfully <a name='Page_269'></a>accomplished, a violent process of head-shaking
+would ensue, followed by a shower of blows and scratches from the free
+hand, the lower extremities meanwhile being kept busy distributing kicks,
+really meant for the antagonist, but, occasionally, in fact often,
+delivered to some innocent passer-by, owing to the streets of Cho-senese
+towns not being as a rule over-wide.</p>
+
+<p>When in a passion, the Coreans can be very cruel. No devices are spared
+which can inflict injury on the adversary, and scratching and biting
+during these fights are common concomitants. One afternoon, as I was
+returning from a call at the Japanese Legation, and was proceeding down a
+slight incline, riding Mr. Greathouse's horse, I witnessed a dreadful
+scene. A butcher and another tradesman were settling questions in their
+own delightful way, and were knocking each other about. At last, the
+butcher felled the other man with a blow of a short club&mdash;like a
+policeman's club&mdash;which is often made use of in these fights. As the man
+lay motionless on the ground, the other, far from being content with what
+he had done, seized a huge block of wood, one of those upon which they
+chop up the meat, and, lifting it up with a great effort, dropped it on
+his antagonist's head, with a dreadful sounding crack, which smashed his
+skull, as one would a nut. Then, sitting triumphantly on the wooden
+block, he solicited the compliments of the spectators.</p>
+
+<p>Special interest is taken when the women fight, that is, among the very
+lowest classes, and frequently the strings of <i>cash</i> earned during the
+day are lost or doubled on the odds of the favourite.</p><a name='Page_270'></a>
+
+<p>The better classes, it must be said to their credit, never indulge in
+fist-fighting in public, though occasionally they have competitions in
+their own compounds, champions being brought there at great expense and
+made to fight in their presence. I believe they consider it to be
+degrading, either first, to lose one's temper, or secondly, to administer
+justice in such a fashion.</p>
+
+<p>The most important contests of all are the stone and club-fights, which
+are a national institution, approved by the Government and patronised by
+everybody. They sometimes attain such large proportions as to be regular
+battles. Supposing that one town or village has, from motives of jealousy
+or other causes, reason to complain of a neighbouring city or borough, a
+stone-fight during the first moon is invariably selected as the proper
+method of settling the difference. Private families, with their friends,
+fight in this way against other private families and their allies; and
+entire guilds of tradesmen sometimes fight other guilds, several hundreds
+of men being brought into the field on either side.</p>
+
+<p>Children are much encouraged in this sport, it being supposed that they
+are thus made strong, brave and fearless; and I have actually seen
+mothers bring children of only eight or nine years old up to the scratch,
+against an equal number of lads urged on by their mothers on the other
+side. One boy on each side, generally the pluckiest of the lot, is the
+leader, and he is provided with a small club, besides wearing on his head
+a large felt hat with a sort of wreath round the crown, probably as a
+protection against the blows that might reach his head. After him come
+ten, <a name='Page_271'></a>twenty, or more other children in their little red jackets, some
+armed with a club like their leader, the others with armfuls of stones. A
+good mound of this ammunition is also, as a rule, collected in the rear,
+to provide for the wants of the battle. The two leaders then advance and
+formally challenge each other, the main body of their forces following in
+a triangle; and when, after a certain amount of hesitation, the two have
+exchanged a few sonorous blows with their clubs on each other's skulls,
+the battle begins in earnest, volleys of stones are fired and blows
+freely distributed until the forces of one leader succeed in pushing back
+and disbanding the others.</p>
+
+<p>A fight of this kind, even among children, lasts for several hours, and,
+as can well be imagined, at the end of it there are a great many bleeding
+noses and broken teeth, besides bruises in profusion. The victor in these
+fights is made much of and receives presents from his parents and the
+friends of the family. The principal streets and open spaces in Seoul,
+during the fighting period, are alive with these youthful combatants, and
+large crowds assemble to witness their battles, taking as much interest
+in them as do the Spaniards in their bull-fights, and certainly causing
+as much excitement.</p>
+
+<p>More serious than these, however, are the hostilities which occasionally
+take place between two guilds. When I was in Seoul, there was a great
+feud between the butchers and those practising the noble art of
+plastering the houses with mud. Both trades are considered by the Coreans
+to belong to the lowest grade of society; and, this being so, the contest
+would <a name='Page_272'></a>naturally prove of an envenomed and brutal character. A day was
+fixed, upon which a battle should take place, to decide whose claims were
+to prevail, and a battle-field was selected on a plain just outside the
+South Gate of the city. The battle-field was intersected by the same
+small frozen rivulet which also crosses Seoul; and it was on the western
+side, near the city wall, where stood a low hill, that on the day
+appointed I took up my position to view the fight, sketch and note-book
+in hand.</p>
+
+<p>The two armies duly arrived, and placed themselves in position, the
+butchers on one side of the stream, the plasterers on the other. There
+were altogether about eighteen hundred men in the field, that is to say,
+about nine hundred on each side. As I could not get a very good view from
+my high point of vantage, I foolishly descended to the valley to inspect
+the fighting trim of the combatants, with the result that when the signal
+for the battle to begin was given I found myself under a shower of
+missiles of all weights and sizes, which poured down upon me with
+incredible rapidity and solidity. Piles of stones had been previously
+massed together by the belligerent parties, and fresh supplies came
+pelting down incessantly. I must acknowledge I did not enjoy my position
+at all, for the stones went whistling past, above my head, fired as they
+were with tremendous force by means of slings.</p>
+
+<p>The confusion was great. Some men were busy collecting the stones into
+heaps again, while others were running to and fro&mdash;going to fetch, or
+carrying, fresh ammunition to the front; and all the time the <a name='Page_273'></a>two armies
+were gradually approaching one another until at last they came together
+on the banks of the narrow stream. Here, considering the well-directed
+pelting of stones, it was difficult to say which army would succeed in
+dislodging the other. Those on the opposite side to where I was made a
+rush upon us, but were fired upon with such increased vigour that they
+were repulsed; then, however, concentrating their forces on one point,
+they made a fresh attack and broke right into our ranks, fighting <i>corps
+&agrave; corps</i>, and pushing back the men on my side, until the whole of their
+contingent was brought over to our side of the stream. I was not, of
+course, taking any active part in the fighting, but, seeing the bad turn
+the struggle was assuming, I made up my mind that I was destined to have
+my own skull broken before the fray was over. Though the duelling was
+fierce, however, each man being pitted against his opponent with clubs
+and drawn knives, and hammering or stabbing at him to his heart's
+content, I, somehow, was in no way molested, except of course, that I was
+naturally much knocked about and bruised, and several times actually came
+in contact, and face to face, with the irate enemy.</p>
+
+<p>If you can imagine eighteen hundred people fighting by twos in a
+comparatively limited space and all crowded together; if you can form an
+idea of the screaming, howling, and yelling in their excitement; and if
+you can depict the whole scene with its envelopment of dust, then you
+will have a fair notion of what that stone-fight was like. The fighting
+continued briskly for over three hours, and many a skull was smashed.
+Some fell and were trampled to death; <a name='Page_274'></a>others had very severe knife
+wounds; a few were killed right out. When the battle was over, few were
+found to have escaped without a bruise or a wound, and yet, after all,
+very few were actually killed, considering how viciously they fought.
+Indeed, there were in all only about half a dozen dead bodies left on the
+battle-field when the combatants departed to the sound of the &quot;big bell&quot;
+which announced the closing of the city gates.</p>
+
+<p>After a long discussion on the part of the leaders, it was announced that
+the battle was to be considered a draw, and that it would, therefore,
+have to be renewed on the next afternoon. The argument, I was told, was
+that, though the other side had managed to penetrate the camp on my side,
+yet they had not been able to completely rout us, we having made a firm
+stand against them. For the following two or three days, however, it
+snowed heavily, and the fighting had to be postponed; and on the day it
+actually did take place, to my great sorrow, I was unable to attend,
+owing to a command to go to the palace. To my satisfaction I was
+subsequently informed that the plasterers, that is to say, my side, had
+ultimately come off victorious.</p>
+
+<p>The police generally attend these battles, but only to protect the
+spectators, and not to interfere in any way with the belligerents.
+Soldiers are prohibited from taking any active part in fights which have
+no concern for them; but they may fight as much as ever they please among
+themselves during the free period allowed by the law. The fights of the
+latter class are usually very fierce, and are invariably carried out with
+<a name='Page_275'></a>bare chest and arms, that their uniforms may not be spoiled.</p>
+
+<p>When that dreadful fortnight of fighting is over, the country again
+assumes its wonted quiet; new debts are contracted, fresh hatreds and
+jealousies are fomented, and fresh causes are procured for further
+stone-battles during the first moon of the next year.</p>
+
+<p>Such is life in Cho-sen, where, with the exception of those fifteen days,
+there is calm, too much of it, not only in the morning, in accordance
+with the national designation, but all through both day and night; where,
+month after month, people vegetate, instead of live, leading the most
+monotonous of all monotonous lives. It is not surprising, then, that once
+a year, as a kind of redeeming point, they feel the want of a vigorous
+re-action; and, I am sure, for such a purpose as this, they could not
+have devised anything wilder or more exciting than a stone-battle.</p>
+
+<p>The King himself follows with the utmost interest the results of the
+important battles fought out between the different guilds, and reports of
+the victories obtained are always conveyed to him at once, either by the
+leaders of the conquering parties, or through some high official at
+Court.</p>
+
+
+
+<hr class="full" />
+<a name='CHAPTER_XIX'></a><h2><a name='Page_276'></a>CHAPTER XIX</h2>
+
+<div class='Ptoc'>Fires&mdash;The greatest peril&mdash;A curious way of saving one's house&mdash;The
+anchor of safety&mdash;How it worked&mdash;Making an opposition wind&mdash;Saved by
+chance&mdash;A good trait in the native character&mdash;Useful friends.</div>
+<br />
+
+<p>I was one evening at a dinner-party, at one of the Consulates, when, in
+the course of the frugal repast, one of the servants came in with the
+news that a large conflagration had broken out in the road of the
+Big-bell, and that many houses had already been burnt down. The
+&quot;big-bell&quot; itself was said to be in great danger of being destroyed.</p>
+
+<p>Giving way to my usual curiosity, and thinking that it would be
+interesting to see how houses burn in Cho-sen, I begged of my host to
+excuse me, left all the good things on the table, and ran off to the
+scene of the fire.</p>
+
+<p>As the servant had announced, the fire was, indeed, in close proximity to
+the &quot;big-bell.&quot; Two or three large houses belonging to big merchants were
+blazing fast, the neighbouring dwellings being in great danger of
+following suit. There is in a Corean house but little that can burn,
+except the sliding doors and windows, and the few articles of furniture
+and clothing; so that, as a general rule, after the first big flare-up,
+the fire goes out of its own accord, unless, as was the case in <a name='Page_277'></a>the
+present instance, the roofs are supported by old rafters, which also
+catch fire. What the Coreans consider the greatest of dangers in such
+contingencies happens when the heavy beam which forms the chief support
+for the whole weight of the roof in the centre catches fire. Then, if any
+wind happens to be blowing, sparks fly on all the neighbouring thatched
+roofs, and there is no possibility of stopping a disaster. Such things as
+fire-engines or pumps are quite unknown in the country, and, even if
+there were any, they would be useless in winter time, owing to the severe
+cold which freezes all the water.</p>
+
+<p>On the night in question, that was practically what happened. Two houses
+adjoining one another were burnt out, and, the roofs having crumbled
+away, the long thick beams alone were left in position, supported at
+either end by the stone walls of the houses, and still blazing away, and
+placing the neighbouring houses that had thatched roofs in considerable
+danger.</p>
+
+<p>I was much amused at a Corean, the owner of one of these latter, who, to
+save his thatched shanty from the flames, pulled it down. His efforts in
+this direction were, however, of no avail in the end; for the inflammable
+materials, having been left in the roadway in the immediate neighbourhood
+of the conflagration, caught fire and were consumed.</p>
+
+<p>The King had been informed of the occurrence, a very rare one in Seoul,
+and had immediately dispatched a hundred soldiers to&mdash;look on, and to
+help, if necessary. Some individuals, too, more enterprising than the
+rest, exerted themselves to draw water from the <a name='Page_278'></a>neighbouring wells; but,
+by the time they had returned to the spot where it was required, it was
+converted into one big lump of ice. Finally, recourse was had to the old
+Corean method of putting out the fire, namely, by breaking the beam, not
+an easy job by any means, and then, when it had fallen, covering it with
+earth.</p>
+
+<p>The soldiers had brought with them&mdash;conceive what? A ship's anchor! To
+this anchor was tied a long thick rope. Their object was, of course, to
+fix the anchor to the burning beam, which being done, fifty, sixty or
+more strong men could pull the rope, and so break the beam in two and
+cause it to fall. Well and good; but where was the warrior to be found
+who would volunteer to go up on the summit of the frail mud-and-stone
+wall and hook the anchor in the right place The affair now wore a
+different aspect altogether, no one being willing to go; whereupon the
+officer in command reprimanded his troops for their lack of pluck.</p>
+
+<p>Among the soldiers, however, there was one man, stout and good-natured
+looking; and he, being taken aback apparently by the officer's remarks,
+at once asserted that he, at all events, was not lacking in courage, and
+would go. For him, accordingly, a ladder was provided, and up he went,
+carrying the anchor on his back. When he reached the last step, he
+stopped and, turning to harangue the people, told them that the beam was
+a solid one, and that a very hard pull would be required; after which,
+amid the applause and cheering of the spectators, he balanced himself on
+the wall and threw the anchor across the <a name='Page_279'></a>beam. A body of men, about a
+hundred strong, then seized the rope and kept it in tension. Next, in a
+commanding tone of voice, our brave hero on the wall gave the signal to
+start, when, all of a sudden, and much sooner than he had expected, with
+the vigorous pull the anchor dug a groove in the carbonised wood, and,
+slipping away, caught him in its barbs across his chest, and dragged him
+with a fearful bump on to the road, with a great quantity of burning
+straw and wood, amidst which he was dragged for nearly twenty yards
+before they were able to stop.</p>
+
+<p>After this compulsory and unexpected jump, it was a miracle that he was
+not killed; for the height was over fourteen feet, and the course
+traversed through the air over twenty. Notwithstanding this, however,
+when he was at length rescued from the grasp which the anchor kept on him
+with its benevolent arms, though considerably shaken, he did not seem
+much the worse. Still, being asked to go again and hook the ungrateful
+grapnel a second time to the still burning beam, he declined with thanks
+and a comical gesture which sent everybody into screams of laughter.</p>
+
+<p>After this another man volunteered, and he, being more cautious in his
+method of procedure, was successful in his efforts. So much time,
+however, had been wasted over these proceedings, that now another house
+was burning fast, and by-and-by others also got attacked.</p>
+
+<p>As ill-luck would have it, the wind rose, to the great horror of the
+inhabitants whose houses were to <a name='Page_280'></a>windward. Many of their abodes had
+thatched roofs, and these seemed certain to go. The sparks flew in
+abundance across the road, and nothing, except a change of the wind,
+could now save those houses. The simple-minded Coreans, however,
+attempted a curious dodge, which I heard afterwards is in general use
+under such circumstances. Numerous ladders having been procured, men and
+women climbed on to the roofs which were in peril. What do you suppose
+they intended to do? I am sure you will never guess. They went up for no
+less a purpose than to manufacture another wind by way of opposition to
+the strong breeze that was blowing towards them. Here is how they did it:
+they all stood in a row at intervals on the upper edges of the roofs,
+and, having previously removed, the men their coats and the women their
+cloaks, they waved these rapidly and violently together, in the full
+assurance that they were getting the upper hand in the contest against
+the unkind spirits who superintended gales and breezes. All this went on
+in the most ludicrous manner; and, as soon as one person was exhausted,
+he was immediately replaced by another, prayers at the same time being
+offered up to the spirits as well of the fires as of the wind. The
+loudness of these prayers, I may add, grew and decreased in intensity,
+according to the aspect which the fire took from moment to moment; if a
+flame rose up higher than usual, louder prayers were hurriedly offered,
+and if the fire at times almost went out, then the spirits were for the
+time being left alone.</p>
+
+<p>The conflagration went on for a considerable number of hours and
+destroyed several houses. No <a name='Page_281'></a>one sustained any serious injury, though
+one old man, who was paralytic and deaf, had a very narrow escape. He had
+got left, either purposely or by mistake, in one of the houses. Two out
+of three of the rooms had already burnt out, and he was in the third. And
+yet, when they had pulled down the outside wall and brought him safely
+out, he expressed himself as astonished at being so treated, having
+neither heard that any fire was in progress, nor being aware that
+two-thirds of his own house had already been destroyed!</p>
+
+<p>Here again, let me note a good trait in the Corean character. Whenever,
+through any unexpected occurrence, a man loses his house and furniture,
+and so gets reduced from comparative wealth, say, for seldom does a
+Corean possess more, to misery and want; in such circumstances his
+friends do not run away from him, as usually is the case in more
+civilised countries; no, instead of this, they come forward and help him
+to re-build his house, lend him clothes and the more necessary utensils
+of domestic use, and, generally speaking, make themselves agreeable and
+useful all round, until he can spread out his wings once again, and fly
+by himself. Thus it is, that when a man's house has been burnt out it is
+no uncommon occurrence for friends or even strangers to put him up and
+feed him in their own homes until he has re-constructed his nest.
+Looking, therefore, at both sides of the medal, the man of Cho-sen may
+have a great many bad qualities from our point of view, yet he also
+undoubtedly possesses some virtues on which we who are supposed to be
+more civilised and more charitable, <a name='Page_282'></a>cannot pride ourselves. Believe me,
+when things are taken all round, there is after all but little difference
+between the Heathen and the Christian; nay, the solid charity and
+generosity of the first is often superior to the advertised philanthropy
+of the other.</p>
+
+
+
+<hr class="full" />
+<a name='CHAPTER_XX'></a><h2><a name='Page_283'></a>CHAPTER XX</h2>
+
+<div class='Ptoc'>A trip to Poo-kan&mdash;A curious monastery.</div>
+<br />
+
+<p>One of the most interesting excursions in the neighbourhood of Seoul, is
+that to the Poo-kan fortress. The pleasantest way of making it is to
+start from the West Gate of Seoul and proceed thence either on horseback
+or on foot, along the Pekin Pass road, past the artificial cut in the
+rocks, until a smaller road, a mere path, is reached, which branches off
+the main road and leads directly to the West Gate of the Poo-kan
+fortress. This path goes over hilly ground, and the approaches to the
+West Gate of the fortress are exceedingly picturesque.</p>
+
+<p>The gate itself much resembles any of those of Seoul, only being of
+smaller proportions. It is, however, situated in a most lovely spot. As
+soon as we have entered, a pretty valley lies disclosed to our eyes, with
+rocky mountains surrounding it, the highest peak of which towers up
+towards the East. The formation of these hills is most peculiar and even
+fantastic. One of them, the most remarkable of all, is in the shape of a
+round dome, and consists of a gigantic semi-spherical rock.</p>
+
+<p>Following the path, then, which leads from the West to the South Gate,
+and which winds its way up steep hills, one comes at last to the temples.
+These <a name='Page_284'></a>are probably, the best-preserved and most interesting in the
+neighbourhood of the Corean capital. When I visited them, the monks were
+extremely polite and showed me everything that was of any note. The
+temples were in a much better state of preservation than is usual in the
+land of Cho-sen, and the ornaments, and paintings on the wooden part
+under the roof were in bright colours, as if they had been only recently
+restored. There are, near these temples, by the way, tablets put up in
+memory of different personages. In other respects, they were exactly
+similar to those I have already described in a previous chapter.</p>
+
+<p>At last, on the left hand side, I came upon the old palace. As with all
+the other palaces, so in this case there are many low buildings for the
+inferior officials besides a larger one in the centre, to which the King
+can retreat in time of war when the capital is in danger. The ravages of
+time, however, have been hard at work, and this place of safety for the
+crowned heads of Corea is now nothing but a mass of ruins. The roofs of
+the smaller houses have in most cases fallen through, owing to the
+decayed condition of the wooden rafters, and the main building itself is
+in a dreadful state of dilapidation. The <i>ensemble</i>, nevertheless, as one
+stands a little way off and looks at the conglomeration of dwellings, is
+very picturesque; this effect being chiefly due, I have little doubt, to
+the tumble-down and dirty aspect of the place. As the houses are built on
+hilly ground, roof after roof can be seen with the palace standing above
+them all in the distance, while the battlements of the ancient wall form
+a nice background to the picture.</p><a name='Page_285'></a>
+
+<p class="ctr"><a href="./images/41.jpg"><img src="./images/41_th.jpg"
+alt="A MONK"></a></p><p class="ctr">A MONK</p>
+
+<p>The most picturesque spot of all, however, is somewhat farther on, where
+the rivulet, coming out of the fortress wall, forms a pretty waterfall.
+After climbing a very steep hill, the South Gate is reached&mdash;the distance
+between it and the West Gate being about five miles&mdash;and near it is
+another smaller gate, which differs in shape from all the other gates in
+Corea, for the simple reason that it is not roofed over. Just outside the
+small South Gate, on the edge of a precipice, are constructed against the
+rocks a pretty little monastery and a temple. The access to these is by a
+narrow path, hardly wide enough for one person to walk on without danger
+of finding himself rolling down the slope of the rock at the slightest
+slip of the foot. The Buddhist priest must undoubtedly be of a cautious
+as well as romantic nature, for otherwise it would be difficult to
+explain the fact that he always builds his monasteries in picturesque and
+impregnable spots, which ensure him <a name='Page_286'></a>delightful scenery and pure fresh
+air in time of peace, combined with utter safety in time of war. In many
+ways, the monastery in question reminded me of the Rock-dwellers. Both
+temple and monastery were stuck, as it were, in the rocks, and supported
+by a platform and solid wall of masonry built on the steep incline&mdash;a
+work which must have cost much patience and time.</p>
+
+<p>The temple is crowded inside with rows of small images of all
+descriptions, some dressed in the long robes and winged hats of the
+officials, with dignified and placid expressions on their features;
+others, like fighting warriors, with fierce eyes and a ferocious look
+about them; but all covered with a good coating of dust and dirt, and all
+lending themselves as a sporting-ground to the industrious spider. The
+latter, disrespecting the high standing of these imperturbable deities,
+had stretched its webs across from nose to nose, and produced the
+appearance of a regular field of sporting operations, bestrewn with the
+spoils of its victims, which were lying dead and half eaten in the webs
+and on the floor.</p>
+
+<p>The place goes by the name of the &quot;Temple of the Five Hundred Images;&quot;
+but I think that this number has been greatly exaggerated, though there
+certainly may be as many as two or three hundred.</p>
+
+<p>The most interesting feature about this monastery is that at the back of
+the small building where the priests live is a long, narrow cavern in the
+rocks, with the ceiling blackened by smoke. This cavern is about a
+hundred feet in length, and at its further end is a pretty spring of
+delicious water. A little shrine, in <a name='Page_287'></a>the shape of an altar, with burning
+joss-sticks and a few lighted grease candles, stood near the spring, and
+there a priest was offering up prayers, beating a small gong the while he
+addressed the deities.</p>
+
+<p>The descent from the temple was very steep and rough, over a path winding
+among huge boulders and rocks for nearly three miles. Then, reaching the
+plain, I accomplished the remainder of the distance to Seoul, over a
+fairly good road, and on almost level ground, all the way to the North
+Gate, by which I again entered the capital.</p>
+
+
+
+<hr class="full" />
+<a name='CHAPTER_XXI'></a><h2><a name='Page_288'></a>CHAPTER XXI</h2>
+
+<div class='Ptoc'>Corean physiognomy&mdash;Expressions of pleasure&mdash;Displeasure&mdash;Contempt&mdash;Fear&mdash;Pluck&mdash;Laughter&mdash;Astonishment&mdash;Admiration&mdash;Sulkiness&mdash;
+Jealousy&mdash;Intelligence&mdash;Affection&mdash;Imagination&mdash;Dreams&mdash;Insanity&mdash;Its
+principal causes&mdash;Leprosy&mdash;The family&mdash;Men and women&mdash;Fecundity&mdash;Natural
+and artificial deformities&mdash;Abnormalities&mdash;Movements and attitudes&mdash;The
+Corean hand&mdash;Conservatism.</div>
+<br />
+
+<p>The physiognomy of the Coreans is an interesting study, for, with the
+exception of the Chinese, I know of few nations who can control the
+movements of their features so well as do the Coreans. They are trained
+from their infancy to show neither pain, nor pleasure, grief nor
+excitement; so that a wonderful placidity is always depicted on their
+faces. None the less, however, though slightly, different expressions can
+be remarked. For instance, an attitude peculiar to them is to be noticed
+when they happen to ponder deeply on any subject; they then slightly
+frown, and with a sudden movement incline the head to the left, after
+previously drawing the head backwards. If in good humour or very pleased,
+again, though the expression is still grave and sedate, there is always a
+vivid sparkle to be detected in the generally sleepy eyes; and, curiously
+enough, while in our case the corners of the mouths generally curl up
+under such circumstances, theirs, on the contrary, are drawn downwards.</p><a name='Page_289'></a>
+
+<p>Where the Coreans&mdash;and I might have said all Asiatics&mdash;excel, is in their
+capacity to show contempt. They do this in the most gentleman-like manner
+one can imagine. They raise the head slowly, looking at the person they
+despise with a half-bored, half &quot;I do not care a bit&quot; look; then,
+leisurely closing the eyes and opening them again, they turn the head
+away with a very slight expiration from the nose.</p>
+
+<p>Fear&mdash;for those, at least, who cannot control it&mdash;is to all appearance a
+somewhat stronger emotion. The eyes are wide open and become staring, the
+nostrils are spread wide, and the under lip hangs quivering, while the
+neck and body contract, and the hands, with fingers stiffly bent, are
+brought up nearly as high as the head. The yellowish skin on such
+occasions generally assumes a cadaverous whitish green colour which is
+pitiful to behold.</p>
+
+<p>On the other hand, when pluck is shown, instead of fear, a man will draw
+himself up, with his arms down and hands tightly closed, and his mouth
+will assume a placid yet firm expression, the lips being firmly shut (a
+thing very unusual with Coreans), and the corners tending downwards,
+while a frown becomes clearly defined upon his brow.</p>
+
+<p>Laughter is seldom indulged in to any very great extent among the upper
+classes, who think it undignified to show in a noisy manner the pleasure
+which they derive from whatever it may be. Among the lower specimens of
+Corean humanity, however, sudden explosions of merriment are often
+noticeable. The Corean enjoys sarcasm, probably more than anything else
+in the world; and caricature delights <a name='Page_290'></a>him. I remember once drawing a
+caricature of an official and showing it to a friend of his, who, in
+consequence, so lost the much-coveted air of dignity, and went into such
+fits, that his servants had to come to his rescue and undo his
+waist-girdle. This, having occurred after a hearty meal, led to his being
+seized by a violent cough, and becoming subsequently sick. Were I quite
+sure of not being murdered by my readers, I would like to call it
+<i>see</i>-sickness, for it was caused by&mdash;seeing a joke!</p>
+
+<p>Astonishment is always expressed by a comical countenance. Let me give
+you an illustration. When we anchored at Fusan in the <i>Higo-Maru</i>, many
+Coreans came on board to inspect the ship; and, as I looked towards the
+shore with the captain's powerful long-sight glasses, several natives
+collected round me to see what I was doing. I asked one of them to look
+through, and never did I see a man more amazed, than he did, when he saw
+some one on the shore, with whom he was acquainted, brought so close to
+him by the glasses as to make him inclined to enter into a very excited
+conversation with him. His astonishment was even greater when, removing
+his eyes from the lens, he saw everything resume its natural position.
+When he had repeated this experiment several times, he put the glasses
+down, looked at them curiously with his eyebrows raised, his mouth
+pinched, and his hands spread apart at about the height of his waist, and
+then looked at me. Again did he glance at the optical instrument, with
+his mouth wide open; then, making a comical movement of distrust, he
+quickly departed whence he had come. When he had got <a name='Page_291'></a>fairly into his
+row-boat, he entered into a most animated conversation with his fellows,
+and, judging by his motions as he put his hands up to his eyes, I could
+see that the whole subject was his experience of what he had seen through
+the &quot;foreign devil's&quot; pair of glasses.</p>
+
+<p>Admiration is to a great extent, a modification of astonishment, and is
+by the Coreans expressed more by utterance than by any very marked
+expression of the face. Still, the eyes are opened more than usual, and
+the eyebrows are raised, and the lips slightly parted, sifting the
+breath, though not quite so loudly as in Japan.</p>
+
+<p>Another curious Corean expression is to be seen when the children are
+sulky. Our little ones generally protrude their lips in a tubular form,
+and bend the head forward, but the Cho-senese child does exactly the
+reverse. He generally throws his head back and hangs his lips, keeping
+the mouth open, and making his frown with the upper part of his face.
+Jealousy in the case of the women finds expression in a look somewhat
+similar to the above, with an additional vicious sparkle in the eyes.</p>
+
+<p>Notwithstanding the fact that it is not uncommon to hear Coreans being
+classified among barbarians, I must confess that, taking a liberal view
+of their constitution, they always struck me as being extremely
+intelligent and quick at acquiring knowledge. To learn a foreign language
+seems to them quite an easy task, and whenever they take an interest in
+the subject of their studies they show a great deal of perseverance and
+good-will. They possess a wonderfully sensible reasoning faculty,
+<a name='Page_292'></a>coupled with an amazing quickness of perception; a fact which one hardly
+expects, judging by their looks; for, at first sight, they rather impress
+one as being sleepy, and dull of comprehension. The Corean is also gifted
+with a very good memory, and with a certain amount of artistic power.
+Generally speaking, he is of an affectionate frame of mind, though he
+considers it bad form to show by outward sign any such thing as
+affection. He almost tends to effeminacy in his thoughtful attentions to
+those he likes; and he generally feels much hurt, though silently, if his
+attentions are not appreciated or returned. For instance, when you meet a
+Corean with whom you are acquainted, he invariably asks after the health
+of yourself, and all your relations and friends. Should you not yourself
+be as keen in inquiring after his family and acquaintances, he would
+probably be mortally offended.</p>
+
+<p>One of the drawbacks of the Corean mind is that it is often carried away
+by an over-vivid imagination. In this, they reminded me much of the
+Spaniards and the Italians. Their perception seems to be so keen that
+frequently they see more than really is visible. They are much given to
+exaggeration, not only in what they say, but also in their
+representations in painting and sculpture. In the matters both of
+conversation and of drawing, the same ideas will be found in Cho-sen to
+repeat themselves constantly, more or less cleverly expressed, according
+to the differently gifted individuality of the artist. The average Corean
+seems to learn things quickly, but of what they learn, some things remain
+rooted in their brains, while others appear to escape from it the moment
+they have been grasped.<a name='Page_293'></a> There is a good deal of volubility about their
+utterances, and, though visibly they do not seem very subject to strong
+emotions, judging from their conversation, one would feel inclined to say
+that they were. Another thing that led me to this suspicion was the
+observation that the average Corean is much given to dreaming, in the
+course of which he howls, shouts, talks and shakes himself to his heart's
+content. This habit of dreaming is to a large extent due, I imagine, to
+their mode of sleeping flat on their backs on the heated floors, which
+warm their spines, and act on their brains; though it may also, in
+addition to that be accounted for by the intensity of the daily emotions
+re-acting by night on over-excited nervous systems. I have often observed
+Coreans sleep, and they always impressed me as being extremely restless
+in their slumbers. As for snoring, too, the Coreans are entitled to the
+Championship of the world.</p>
+
+<p>The Coreans are much affected mentally by dreams, and being, as we have
+already seen, an extremely superstitious race, they attach great
+importance to their nocturnal visions. A good deal of hard <i>cash</i> is
+spent in getting the advice of astrologers, who pretend to understand and
+explain the occult art, and pleasure or consternation is thus usually the
+result of what might have been explained naturally either by one of the
+above-named causes, or by the victim having feasted the previous evening
+on something indigestible. Nevertheless, it must be acknowledged that the
+Corean mind is seldom thrown off its balance altogether. Idiocy is not
+frequent, and lunacy is uncommon.</p><a name='Page_294'></a>
+
+<p>Insanity, when it does exist, generally exhibits itself under the form of
+melancholia and dementia, and is more frequently found among the upper
+than among the lower classes. With the men it is generally due to
+intemperance and excesses, and is occasionally accompanied by paralysis.
+Among the women, the only cases which came under my notice were of wives
+whose husbands had many concubines, and of young widows. Suicide is not
+unfrequently practised among the latter; partly in consequence of the
+strict Corean etiquette, but often also caused by insanity when it does
+not follow immediately upon the husband's death. Another cause of
+melancholia&mdash;chiefly, however, among the lower classes&mdash;is a dreadful
+complaint, which has found its way among the natives in its most
+repulsive form. Many are affected by it, and no cure for it seems to have
+been devised by the indigenous doctors. The accounts one hears in the
+country of its ravages are too revolting to be repeated in these pages,
+and I shall limit myself to this. Certain forms of insanity are
+undoubtedly a common sequence to it.</p>
+
+<p>Leprosy also prevails in Cho-sen, and in the more serious cases seems to
+affect the brain, producing idiocy. This disease is caused by poverty of
+blood, and is, of course, hereditary. I have seen two forms of it in
+Cho-sen; in the one case, the skin turns perfectly white, almost shining
+like satin, while in the other&mdash;a worse kind, I believe&mdash;the skin is a
+mass of brown sores, and the flesh is almost entirely rotted away from
+the bones. The Coreans have no hospitals or asylums in which evils like
+these can be properly tended. Those affected with insanity are generally
+<a name='Page_295'></a>looked after by their own families, and, if considered dangerous, are
+usually chained up in rooms, either by a riveted iron bracelet, fastened
+to a short heavy chain, or, more frequently, by an anklet over the right
+foot.</p>
+
+<p>Families in Corea are generally small in number. I have no exact
+statistics at hand, for none were obtainable; but, so far as I could
+judge from observation, the males and females in the population are about
+equal in number. If anything, the women slightly preponderate. The
+average family seldom includes more than two children. The death-rate of
+Cho-sen infants is great, and many reasons can account for the fact. In
+the first place, all children in Corea, even the stronger ones who
+survive, are extremely delicate until a certain age is attained, when
+they seem to pick up and become stronger. This weakness is hereditary,
+especially among the upper classes, of whom very few powerful men are to
+be found, owing to their dissolute and effeminate life.</p>
+
+<p>Absolute sterility in women is not an uncommon phenomenon, and want of
+virile power in the male part of the community is also often the subject
+of complaint; many quaint drugs and methods being adopted to make up for
+the want of it, and to stimulate the sexual desire. A good many of the
+remedies resorted to by the Corean noblemen under such circumstances are
+of Chinese manufacture and importation. Certain parts of the tiger, dried
+and reduced to powder, are credited with the possession of wonderful
+strengthening qualities, and fetch large sums. Some parts of the donkey,
+also, when the animal is killed <a name='Page_296'></a>during the spring and under special
+circumstances, are equally appreciated. The lower classes of Cho-sen&mdash;as
+is the case in most countries&mdash;are more prolific than the upper ones. The
+parents are both healthier and more robust, and the children in
+consequence are stronger and more numerous, but even among these classes
+large families are seldom or never found. Taken as a whole, the
+population of Corea is, I believe, a slowly decreasing quantity.</p>
+
+<p>The Corean is in some respects very sensible, if compared with his
+neighbours. Deformities, artificially produced, are never found in Corea.
+In civilised Japan, on the other hand, as we all know, the women blacken
+their teeth and shave their eyebrows, while there are numberless people
+in the lower classes who are tattooed from head to foot with designs of
+all kinds. In China, too, people are occasionally deformed for the sake
+of lucre, as, for instance, to be exhibited at village shows, and the
+Chinese damsel would not consider herself fascinating enough if her feet
+were not distorted to such an extent as to be shapeless, and almost
+useless. The head-bands worn by the men in Corea are probably the only
+causes which tend to modify the shape of their heads, and that only to a
+very small degree. These head-bands are worn so very tightly from their
+earliest youth, that I have often noticed men&mdash;when the head-band was
+removed&mdash;show a certain flattening of the upper part of the forehead, due
+undoubtedly to the continuous pressure of this head-gear. In such cases,
+however, the cranial deformation&mdash;though always noticeable&mdash;is but
+slight, and, of course, unintentionally caused. The <a name='Page_297'></a>skull, as a whole,
+in the case of those who have worn the head-band is a little more
+elongated than it is in the case of those few who have not; the
+elongation being upwards and slightly backwards.</p>
+
+<p>Natural abnormalities are more frequent. I have seen numerous cases of
+goitre, and very often the so-called hare-lip. Webbed fingers also are
+frequently noticed; while inguinal hernia, both as a congenital and as an
+acquired affection, is unfortunately all too common. The natives do not
+undergo any special treatment until the complaint assumes alarming
+proportions, when a kind of belt is worn, or bandages of home manufacture
+are used. These are the more common abnormalities. To them, however,
+might also be added manifestations of albinism&mdash;though I have never seen
+an absolute albino in Corea&mdash;such as, large patches of white hair among
+the black. Red hair is rarely seen.</p>
+
+<p>The Corean, apart, that is, from these occasional defects, is well
+proportioned, and of good carriage. When he stands erect his body is
+well-balanced; and when he walks, though somewhat hampered by his padded
+clothes, his step is rational. He sensibly walks with his toes turned
+slightly in, and he takes firm and long strides. The gait is not
+energetic, but, nevertheless, the Coreans are excellent pedestrians, and
+cover long distances daily, if only they are allowed plenty to eat and
+permission to smoke their long pipes from time to time. Their bodies seem
+very supple, and like those of nearly all Asiatics, their attitudes are
+invariably graceful. In walking, they slightly swing their arms and bend
+their bodies forward, except, I <a name='Page_298'></a>should say, the high officials, whose
+steps are exaggeratedly marked, and whose bodies are kept upright and
+purposely stiff.</p>
+
+<p>One of the things which will not fail to impress a careful observer is
+the beauty of the Corean hand. The generality of Europeans possess bad
+hands, from an artistic point of view, but the average Corean, even among
+the lower classes, has them exceedingly well-shaped, with long supple
+fingers, somewhat pointed at the end; and nails well formed and prettily
+shaped, though to British ideas, grown far too long. It is not a powerful
+hand, mind you, but it is certainly most artistic; and, further, it is
+attached to a small wrist in the most graceful way, never looking stumpy,
+as so often is the case with many of us. The Coreans attach much
+importance to their hands; much more, indeed, than they do to their
+faces; and special attention is paid to the growth of the nails. In
+summer time these are kept very clean; but in winter, the water being
+very cold, the cleanliness of their limbs, &quot;<i>laisse un peu &agrave; desirer</i>.&quot; I
+have frequently seen a beautifully-shaped hand utterly spoilt by the
+nails being lined with black, and the knuckles being as filthy as if they
+had never been dipped in water. But these are only lesser native
+failings; and have we not all our faults?</p>
+
+<p>The two qualities I most admired in the Corean were his scepticism and
+his conservatism. He seemed to take life as it came, and never worried
+much about it. He had, too, practically no religion and no morals. He
+cared about little, had an instinctive attachment for ancestral habits,
+and showed a thorough dislike to <a name='Page_299'></a>change and reform. And this was not so
+much as regards matters of State and religion, for little or nothing does
+the Corean care about either of these, as in respect of the daily
+proceedings of life. To the foreign observer, many of his ways and
+customs are at first sight incomprehensible, and even reprehensible; yet,
+when by chance his mode of arguing out matters for himself is clearly
+understood, we will almost invariably find that he is correct. After all,
+every one, whether barbarian or otherwise, knows best himself how to
+please himself. The poor harmless Corean, however, is not allowed that
+privilege. He, as if by sarcasm, calls his country by the retiring name
+of the &quot;Hermit Realm&quot; and the more poetic one of the &quot;Land of the Morning
+Calm&quot;; &quot;a coveted calm&quot; indeed, which has been a dream to the country,
+but never a reality, while, as for its hermit life, it has been only too
+often troubled by objectionable visitors whom he detests, yet whom,
+nevertheless, he is bound to receive with open arms, helpless as he is to
+resist them.</p>
+
+<p>Poor Corea! Bad as its Government was and is, it is heart-rending to any
+one who knows the country, and its peaceful, good-natured people, to see
+it overrun and impoverished by foreign marauders. Until the other day,
+she was at rest, heard of by few, and practically forgotten by everybody,
+to all intents an independent kingdom, since China had not for many years
+exercised her rights of suzerainty,<a name='FNanchor_4_4'></a><a href='#Footnote_4_4'><sup>[4]</sup></a> when, to satisfy the ambition <a name='Page_300'></a>of
+a childish nation, she suddenly finds herself at the mercy of everybody,
+and with a dark and most disastrous future before her!</p>
+
+<p>Poor Corea! A sad day has come for you! You, who were so attractive,
+because so quaint and so retiring, will nevermore see that calm which has
+ever been the yearning of your patriot sons! Many evils are now before
+you, but, of all the great calamities that might befall you, I can
+conceive of none greater than an attempt to convert you into a civilised
+nation!</p>
+
+
+
+<a name='Footnote_4_4'></a><a href='#FNanchor_4_4'>[4]</a><div class='note'><p> After a cessation of many years a tribute was again exacted
+from Corea in 1890, in consequence of overtures being made to Corea by
+Japan, which displeased China.</p></div>
+
+
+
+<hr class="full" />
+<a name='INDEX'></a><h2><a name='Page_301'></a>INDEX</h2>
+
+Abnormalities, <a href='#Page_297'>297</a><br />
+Adoption of Children, <a href='#Page_86'>86</a><br />
+Adultery, <a href='#Page_159'>159</a><br />
+Alphabet, <a href='#Page_206'>206</a><br />
+Astronomers, <a href='#Page_209'>209</a><br />
+Archery, <a href='#Page_197'>197</a><br />
+Army instructors, <a href='#Page_174'>174</a><br />
+Aryan, <a href='#Page_45'>45</a><br />
+<br />
+Bachelors, <a href='#Page_48'>48</a><br />
+Beggars, <a href='#Page_93'>93</a><br />
+Beverages, <a href='#Page_143'>143</a><br />
+Big Bell, <a href='#Page_42'>42</a>, <a href='#Page_108'>108</a><br />
+Body-snatching, <a href='#Page_9'>9</a>-<a href='#Page_15'>15</a><br />
+Bonzes, <a href='#Page_216'>216</a>, <a href='#Page_227'>227</a>, <a href='#Page_285'>285</a><br />
+Bridges, <a href='#Page_125'>125</a><br />
+<span style='margin-left: 1.5em;'>&quot;&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp;  (crossing the), <a href='#Page_109'>109</a></span><br />
+Buddha, <a href='#Page_125'>125</a>, <a href='#Page_223'>223</a><br />
+Buddhism, <a href='#Page_216'>216</a><br />
+Burial ground, <a href='#Page_119'>119</a><br />
+<br />
+Cereals, <a href='#Page_42'>42</a><br />
+Chang, <a href='#Page_211'>211</a><br />
+Charity, <a href='#Page_281'>281</a><br />
+Chemulpo, <a href='#Page_17'>17</a>, <a href='#Page_20'>20</a>, <a href='#Page_25'>25</a>, <a href='#Page_32'>32</a><br />
+Children, <a href='#Page_78'>78</a><br />
+Chinese Customs Service, <a href='#Page_5'>5</a><br />
+Chinese invasions, <a href='#Page_28'>28</a>-<a href='#Page_30'>30</a><br />
+Chinese settlement, <a href='#Page_24'>24</a>, <a href='#Page_26'>26</a><br />
+Cho-sen, <a href='#Page_30'>30</a>, <a href='#Page_31'>31</a><br />
+City wall, <a href='#Page_117'>117</a>, <a href='#Page_124'>124</a>, <a href='#Page_259'>259</a><br />
+Clans, <a href='#Page_79'>79</a><br />
+Classes and castes, <a href='#Page_45'>45</a><br />
+Clothes, <a href='#Page_53'>53</a>-<a href='#Page_60'>60</a><br />
+Compradores, <a href='#Page_26'>26</a><br />
+Concubines, <a href='#Page_154'>154</a>, <a href='#Page_159'>159</a><br />
+Conflagrations, <a href='#Page_276'>276</a><br />
+Confucianism, <a href='#Page_232'>232</a><br />
+Conservatism, <a href='#Page_298'>298</a><br />
+Consulate (British), <a href='#Page_129'>129</a><br />
+<span style='margin-left: 1.5em;'>&quot;&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; (German), <a href='#Page_90'>90</a>, <a href='#Page_129'>129</a></span><br />
+Coolies, <a href='#Page_39'>39</a>, <a href='#Page_50'>50</a>, <a href='#Page_104'>104</a><br />
+Corea (the word), <a href='#Page_27'>27</a>-<a href='#Page_31'>31</a><br />
+Cotton production, <a href='#Page_7'>7</a>-<a href='#Page_9'>9</a><br />
+Crucifixion, <a href='#Page_248'>248</a><br />
+Cultivation, <a href='#Page_7'>7</a><br />
+Currency, <a href='#Page_38'>38</a><br />
+<br />
+Decorations, <a href='#Page_50'>50</a><br />
+Deformities, <a href='#Page_296'>296</a><br />
+Divorce, <a href='#Page_155'>155</a>, <a href='#Page_159'>159</a><br />
+Documents, <a href='#Page_156'>156</a>, <a href='#Page_208'>208</a><br />
+Dragons, <a href='#Page_115'>115</a><br />
+Drainage, <a href='#Page_149'>149</a><br />
+Dreams, <a href='#Page_294'>294</a><br />
+<br />
+Education, <a href='#Page_210'>210</a><br />
+Eunuchs, <a href='#Page_97'>97</a><br /><a name='Page_302'></a>
+Evil spirits, <a href='#Page_97'>97</a>, <a href='#Page_118'>118</a><br />
+Examinations, <a href='#Page_205'>205</a>, <a href='#Page_209'>209</a><br />
+Executions, <a href='#Page_246'>246</a>-<a href='#Page_257'>257</a><br />
+Exile, <a href='#Page_243'>243</a><br />
+Exorcisms, <a href='#Page_102'>102</a>, <a href='#Page_223'>223</a><br />
+Expressions, <a href='#Page_288'>288</a>-<a href='#Page_292'>292</a><br />
+Expression after Death, <a href='#Page_257'>257</a><br />
+<br />
+Falcons, <a href='#Page_196'>196</a><br />
+Families, <a href='#Page_81'>81</a>, <a href='#Page_295'>295</a><br />
+Features, <a href='#Page_47'>47</a><br />
+Feron (l'Abb&eacute;), <a href='#Page_11'>11</a>-<a href='#Page_13'>13</a><br />
+Fights, <a href='#Page_267'>267</a>, <a href='#Page_275'>275</a><br />
+<span style='margin-left: 1em;'>&quot;&nbsp; &nbsp; (Stone-), <a href='#Page_270'>270</a></span><br />
+Filial love, <a href='#Page_120'>120</a><br />
+Fire-signals, <a href='#Page_126'>126</a><br />
+Floggings, <a href='#Page_238'>238</a><br />
+Food, <a href='#Page_142'>142</a><br />
+Foreigners, <a href='#Page_26'>26</a><br />
+Free nights for men, <a href='#Page_110'>110</a><br />
+Funerals, <a href='#Page_118'>118</a><br />
+Furniture, <a href='#Page_140'>140</a><br />
+Fusan, <a href='#Page_4'>4</a>-<a href='#Page_7'>7</a><br />
+Fuyn race, <a href='#Page_28'>28</a>, <a href='#Page_46'>46</a><br />
+<br />
+Games, <a href='#Page_89'>89</a><br />
+Gardens, <a href='#Page_137'>137</a><br />
+Gates (City), <a href='#Page_117'>117</a>, <a href='#Page_124'>124</a><br />
+Gate of the Dead, <a href='#Page_118'>118</a>, <a href='#Page_250'>250</a>, <a href='#Page_258'>258</a><br />
+Ghosts, <a href='#Page_97'>97</a><br />
+Girls, <a href='#Page_86'>86</a><br />
+Gods (minor), <a href='#Page_224'>224</a><br />
+Graves, <a href='#Page_13'>13</a>, <a href='#Page_120'>120</a>, <a href='#Page_225'>225</a><br />
+Greathouse (Clarence R.), <a href='#Page_2'>2</a>, <a href='#Page_4'>4</a>, <a href='#Page_90'>90</a>, <a href='#Page_165'>165</a>, <a href='#Page_212'>212</a><br />
+Guechas or Geishas, <a href='#Page_21'>21</a>, <a href='#Page_75'>75</a><br />
+Guilds, <a href='#Page_241'>241</a><br />
+<br />
+Hair-dressing, <a href='#Page_48'>48</a>, <a href='#Page_49'>49</a>, <a href='#Page_65'>65</a>, <a href='#Page_157'>157</a><br />
+Hanabusa, <a href='#Page_20'>20</a><br />
+Hands, <a href='#Page_298'>298</a><br />
+Han River, <a href='#Page_42'>42</a><br />
+Haunted palaces, <a href='#Page_96'>96</a>, <a href='#Page_212'>212</a><br />
+Head-gear, <a href='#Page_50'>50</a>, <a href='#Page_193'>193</a>, <a href='#Page_204'>204</a>, <a href='#Page_232'>232</a>, <a href='#Page_263'>263</a><br />
+Hiaksai, <a href='#Page_29'>29</a>, <a href='#Page_31'>31</a><br />
+Hospitality, <a href='#Page_80'>80</a><br />
+Hotels, <a href='#Page_17'>17</a>, <a href='#Page_43'>43</a><br />
+Houses, <a href='#Page_136'>136</a><br />
+House-warming, <a href='#Page_139'>139</a><br />
+<br />
+Illumination (Modes of), <a href='#Page_148'>148</a><br />
+Inns, <a href='#Page_44'>44</a>, <a href='#Page_91'>91</a><br />
+Intelligence, <a href='#Page_211'>211</a><br />
+<br />
+Japanese, <a href='#Page_20'>20</a>, <a href='#Page_21'>21</a>, <a href='#Page_26'>26</a><br />
+<span style='margin-left: 1em;'>&quot;&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp;  settlements, <a href='#Page_5'>5</a>, <a href='#Page_6'>6</a>, <a href='#Page_129'>129</a></span><br />
+Jinrickshas, <a href='#Page_33'>33</a><br />
+Joss-houses, <a href='#Page_128'>128</a><br />
+<br />
+Kim-Ka-Chim, <a href='#Page_194'>194</a><br />
+King, <a href='#Page_190'>190</a>, <a href='#Page_191'>191</a>, <a href='#Page_261'>261</a><br />
+Kite-flying, <a href='#Page_83'>83</a><br />
+Kitchen, <a href='#Page_142'>142</a><br />
+Kiung-sang, <a href='#Page_6'>6</a><br />
+Korai, <a href='#Page_27'>27</a>, <a href='#Page_46'>46</a><br />
+Kung-wo, <a href='#Page_29'>29</a><br />
+<br />
+Language, <a href='#Page_209'>209</a><br />
+Lanterns, <a href='#Page_257'>257</a><br />
+Law, <a href='#Page_241'>241</a><br />
+Legations (American, Chinese, Japanese, Russian), <a href='#Page_129'>129</a><br />
+Le Gendre (General), <a href='#Page_165'>165</a><br />
+Leopards, <a href='#Page_99'>99</a><br />
+Leprosy, <a href='#Page_93'>93</a>, <a href='#Page_294'>294</a><br />
+Lin, <a href='#Page_115'>115</a><br />
+Lunacy, <a href='#Page_293'>293</a><br />
+<br /><a name='Page_303'></a>
+Mafu, <a href='#Page_42'>42</a><br />
+Maki, <a href='#Page_6'>6</a><br />
+Man of the Gates, The, <a href='#Page_134'>134</a><br />
+Mapu, <a href='#Page_35'>35</a>, <a href='#Page_293'>293</a><br />
+Marks, <a href='#Page_156'>156</a><br />
+Marriages, <a href='#Page_151'>151</a><br />
+Married Men, <a href='#Page_49'>49</a><br />
+Mats, <a href='#Page_138'>138</a>, <a href='#Page_181'>181</a><br />
+Messengers, <a href='#Page_193'>193</a><br />
+Metempsychosis, <a href='#Page_120'>120</a><br />
+Mile posts, <a href='#Page_34'>34</a><br />
+Min-san-ho, <a href='#Page_165'>165</a><br />
+Min-Young-Chun, <a href='#Page_166'>166</a><br />
+Min-Young-Huan, <a href='#Page_166'>166</a><br />
+Missionaries, <a href='#Page_11'>11</a>, <a href='#Page_30'>30</a>, <a href='#Page_129'>129</a><br />
+Monasteries, <a href='#Page_125'>125</a>, <a href='#Page_223'>223</a>, <a href='#Page_226'>226</a>, <a href='#Page_285'>285</a><br />
+Mongolian type, <a href='#Page_45'>45</a><br />
+Mono-wheeled chair, <a href='#Page_106'>106</a><br />
+Mourning, <a href='#Page_48'>48</a><br />
+Mulberry plantation, <a href='#Page_97'>97</a><br />
+Music, <a href='#Page_76'>76</a><br />
+<br />
+Names, <a href='#Page_88'>88</a><br />
+<span style='margin-left: 1em;'>&quot;&nbsp; &nbsp; (women's), <a href='#Page_66'>66</a></span><br />
+Nanzam (Mount), <a href='#Page_125'>125</a>, <a href='#Page_222'>222</a><br />
+New Year's festivities, <a href='#Page_22'>22</a><br />
+Nunneries, <a href='#Page_223'>223</a>, <a href='#Page_230'>230</a><br />
+<br />
+Offerings, <a href='#Page_231'>231</a><br />
+Oppert, <a href='#Page_10'>10</a>, <a href='#Page_11'>11</a><br />
+Oxen, <a href='#Page_37'>37</a><br />
+<br />
+Pagoda, <a href='#Page_111'>111</a><br />
+Phoenix, <a href='#Page_114'>114</a>, <a href='#Page_117'>117</a><br />
+Palaces, <a href='#Page_98'>98</a>, <a href='#Page_284'>284</a><br />
+Palace (Royal), <a href='#Page_105'>105</a>, <a href='#Page_108'>108</a>, <a href='#Page_183'>183</a><br />
+<span style='margin-left: 1.5em;'>&quot;&nbsp;  (Summer), <a href='#Page_185'>185</a></span><br />
+Palanquins, <a href='#Page_104'>104</a>, <a href='#Page_106'>106</a>, <a href='#Page_265'>265</a><br />
+Paternal love, <a href='#Page_254'>254</a><br />
+Pekin Pass, <a href='#Page_105'>105</a>, <a href='#Page_132'>132</a><br />
+Physiognomy, <a href='#Page_288'>288</a><br />
+Pipes, <a href='#Page_56'>56</a><br />
+Plank-walk (The), <a href='#Page_236'>236</a><br />
+Pockets, <a href='#Page_55'>55</a>, <a href='#Page_174'>174</a><br />
+Police, <a href='#Page_235'>235</a><br />
+Politics, <a href='#Page_194'>194</a><br />
+Ponies, <a href='#Page_34'>34</a>, <a href='#Page_36'>36</a><br />
+Poo-kan, <a href='#Page_283'>283</a><br />
+Port Hamilton, <a href='#Page_15'>15</a><br />
+Prayer-Books, <a href='#Page_226'>226</a><br />
+Procession (King's), <a href='#Page_261'>261</a>, <a href='#Page_264'>264</a><br />
+Proverbs, <a href='#Page_208'>208</a><br />
+Punishments, <a href='#Page_154'>154</a>, <a href='#Page_159'>159</a>, <a href='#Page_236'>236</a>-<a href='#Page_254'>254</a>, <a href='#Page_263'>263</a><br />
+<br />
+Queen (The), <a href='#Page_162'>162</a>, <a href='#Page_191'>191</a>, <a href='#Page_199'>199</a><br />
+<br />
+Religion, <a href='#Page_216'>216</a><br />
+Respect for the Old, <a href='#Page_191'>191</a><br />
+Rice, <a href='#Page_145'>145</a><br />
+Roads, <a href='#Page_32'>32</a><br />
+Rosary, <a href='#Page_228'>228</a><br />
+Royal Family, <a href='#Page_46'>46</a><br />
+Russian villa, <a href='#Page_184'>184</a><br />
+<br />
+Sacred Trees, <a href='#Page_219'>219</a><br />
+Sacrifices, <a href='#Page_217'>217</a><br />
+Saddles, <a href='#Page_35'>35</a>, <a href='#Page_265'>265</a><br />
+Satsuma ware, <a href='#Page_141'>141</a><br />
+Scenery, <a href='#Page_33'>33</a><br />
+Scepticism, <a href='#Page_298'>298</a><br />
+Schools, <a href='#Page_209'>209</a><br />
+Sea-lions or tigers, <a href='#Page_105'>105</a>, <a href='#Page_115'>115</a><br />
+Sedan-chairs, <a href='#Page_33'>33</a><br />
+Self-denial, <a href='#Page_142'>142</a><br /><a name='Page_304'></a>
+Seoul, <a href='#Page_42'>42</a><br />
+Seradin Sabatin (Mr.), <a href='#Page_90'>90</a>, <a href='#Page_184'>184</a><br />
+Serfdom, <a href='#Page_244'>244</a><br />
+Shamanism, <a href='#Page_217'>217</a><br />
+Shinra, <a href='#Page_29'>29</a>, <a href='#Page_31'>31</a><br />
+Shoes, <a href='#Page_55'>55</a><br />
+Shops, <a href='#Page_92'>92</a><br />
+Singers, <a href='#Page_163'>163</a><br />
+Smoke signals, <a href='#Page_127'>127</a><br />
+Snakes, <a href='#Page_114'>114</a><br />
+Soldiers, <a href='#Page_173'>173</a>, <a href='#Page_262'>262</a>, <a href='#Page_264'>264</a><br />
+Sorcerers, <a href='#Page_221'>221</a><br />
+Spectacles, <a href='#Page_58'>58</a><br />
+Spinning-tops, <a href='#Page_82'>82</a><br />
+Spirits, <a href='#Page_218'>218</a><br />
+Spirits of the mountains, <a href='#Page_218'>218</a><br />
+Square-board (The), <a href='#Page_237'>237</a><br />
+Sterility, <a href='#Page_295'>295</a><br />
+Stone-heaps, <a href='#Page_219'>219</a><br />
+Streets, <a href='#Page_104'>104</a>, <a href='#Page_108'>108</a>, <a href='#Page_149'>149</a>, <a href='#Page_262'>262</a><br />
+Students, <a href='#Page_204'>204</a><br />
+Studies, <a href='#Page_87'>87</a><br />
+Suicides, <a href='#Page_68'>68</a><br />
+Sunto, <a href='#Page_7'>7</a>, <a href='#Page_30'>30</a><br />
+<br />
+Tailors, <a href='#Page_53'>53</a><br />
+Tai-wen-kun, <a href='#Page_12'>12</a><br />
+Telephones, <a href='#Page_122'>122</a><br />
+Temples, <a href='#Page_125'>125</a>, <a href='#Page_223'>223</a>, <a href='#Page_226'>226</a>, <a href='#Page_227'>227</a>, <a href='#Page_283'>283</a>, <a href='#Page_285'>285</a><br />
+Throne, <a href='#Page_186'>186</a>, <a href='#Page_193'>193</a><br />
+Tide, <a href='#Page_15'>15</a><br />
+Tigers, <a href='#Page_66'>66</a>, <a href='#Page_112'>112</a>, <a href='#Page_214'>214</a><br />
+Tooth-stone, <a href='#Page_232'>232</a><br />
+Tortoise, <a href='#Page_112'>112</a>, <a href='#Page_113'>113</a><br />
+Toys, <a href='#Page_83'>83</a><br />
+<br />
+Umbrella hat, <a href='#Page_53'>53</a>, <a href='#Page_264'>264</a><br />
+<br />
+Wang, <a href='#Page_7'>7</a>, <a href='#Page_29'>29</a><br />
+Washing clothes, <a href='#Page_73'>73</a><br />
+Water-coolies, <a href='#Page_133'>133</a><br />
+Wedding ceremony, <a href='#Page_155'>155</a><br />
+Widows, <a href='#Page_158'>158</a><br />
+Wind-making, <a href='#Page_280'>280</a><br />
+Wives, <a href='#Page_158'>158</a><br />
+Women, <a href='#Page_59'>59</a><br />
+Women's looks, <a href='#Page_63'>63</a><br />
+Women's rights, <a href='#Page_65'>65</a>-<a href='#Page_67'>67</a><br />
+Wuju kingdom, <a href='#Page_28'>28</a><br />
+
+<div>*** END OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK 13128 ***</div>
+</body>
+</html>
+
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@@ -0,0 +1,11 @@
+This eBook, including all associated images, markup, improvements,
+metadata, and any other content or labor, has been confirmed to be
+in the PUBLIC DOMAIN IN THE UNITED STATES.
+
+Procedures for determining public domain status are described in
+the "Copyright How-To" at https://www.gutenberg.org.
+
+No investigation has been made concerning possible copyrights in
+jurisdictions other than the United States. Anyone seeking to utilize
+this eBook outside of the United States should confirm copyright
+status under the laws that apply to them.
diff --git a/README.md b/README.md
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+++ b/README.md
@@ -0,0 +1,2 @@
+Project Gutenberg (https://www.gutenberg.org) public repository for
+eBook #13128 (https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/13128)
diff --git a/old/13128-8.txt b/old/13128-8.txt
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+Project Gutenberg's Corea or Cho-sen, by A (Arnold) Henry Savage-Landor
+
+This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere at no cost and with
+almost no restrictions whatsoever.  You may copy it, give it away or
+re-use it under the terms of the Project Gutenberg License included
+with this eBook or online at www.gutenberg.org
+
+
+Title: Corea or Cho-sen
+
+Author: A (Arnold) Henry Savage-Landor
+
+Release Date: August 7, 2004 [EBook #13128]
+
+Language: English
+
+Character set encoding: ISO-8859-1
+
+*** START OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK COREA OR CHO-SEN ***
+
+
+
+
+Produced by Michael Ciesielski, and the Online Distributed
+Proofreading Team at https://www.pgdp.net
+
+
+
+
+
+
+
+COREA
+
+OR CHO-SEN
+
+
+
+
+COREA
+
+OR CHO-SEN
+
+THE LAND OF THE MORNING CALM
+
+BY
+
+A. HENRY SAVAGE-LANDOR
+
+AUTHOR OF
+
+"ALONE WITH THE HAIRY AINU"
+
+With Numerous Text and Full-Page Illustrations
+from Drawings made by the Author
+
+[Illustration: A. HENRY SAVAGE-LANDOR.]
+
+[Illustration: SIGNATURE OF A. HENRY SAVAGE-LANDOR.]
+
+LONDON
+
+WILLIAM HEINEMANN
+
+1895
+
+[_All rights reserved_]
+
+
+
+
+BY GRACIOUS PERMISSION
+
+I Humbly Dedicate
+
+THIS WORK
+
+TO
+
+HER MAJESTY THE QUEEN
+
+
+
+
+PREFACE
+
+
+In this book I have sought to present the reader with some dry facts
+about Corea and the Coreans. I have attempted to describe the manners and
+customs of the people as accurately as possible from the impressions
+which my visit to their country left upon me, but of course I do not
+claim that these personal opinions expressed are absolutely infallible.
+My sojourn extended over several months, and I never during all that time
+neglected any opportunity of studying the natives, giving my observations
+as they were made a permanent form by the aid both of pen and of brush. I
+was afforded specially favourable chances for this kind of work through
+the kind hospitality shown me by the Vice-Minister of Home Affairs and
+Adviser to the King, Mr. C.R. Greathouse, to whom I feel greatly indebted
+for my prolonged and delightful stay in the country, as well as for the
+amiable and valuable assistance which he and General Le Gendre, Foreign
+Adviser to His Corean Majesty, gave me in my observations and studies
+among the upper classes of Corea. I am also under great obligations to
+Mr. Seradin Sabatin, Architect to His Majesty the King, and to Mr. Krien,
+German Consul at Seoul, for the kindness and hospitality with which they
+treated me on my first arrival at their city.
+
+The illustrations in this book are reproductions of sketches taken by me
+while in the country, and though, perhaps, they want much in artistic
+merit, I venture to hope that they will be found characteristic.
+
+For literary style I hope my readers will not look. I am not a literary
+man, nor do I desire to profess myself such. I trust, however, that I
+have succeeded in telling my story in a simple and straightforward
+manner, for this especially was the object with which I started at the
+outset.
+
+A. HENRY SAVAGE-LANDOR.
+
+
+
+
+CONTENTS
+
+
+CHAPTER I
+
+Christmas on board--Fusan--A body-snatcher--The Kiung-sang Province--The
+cotton production--Body-snatching extraordinary--Imperatrice
+Gulf--Chemulpo.
+
+
+CHAPTER II
+
+Chemulpo--So-called European hotels--Comforts--Japanese concession--The
+_Guechas_--New Year's festivities--The Chinese settlement--European
+residents--The word "Corea"--A glance at Corean history--Cho-sen.
+
+
+CHAPTER III
+
+The road to Seoul--The _Mapu_--Ponies--Oxen--Coolies--Currency--Mode of
+carrying weights--The Han River--Nearly locked out.
+
+
+CHAPTER IV
+
+The Coreans--Their faces and heads--Bachelors--Married
+men--Head-band--Hats--Hat-umbrellas--Clothes--Spectacles.
+
+
+CHAPTER V
+
+The Woman of Cho-sen--Her clothes--Her ways--Her looks--Her
+privileges--Her duties--Her temper--Difference of classes--Feminine
+musicians.
+
+
+CHAPTER VI
+
+Corean children--The family--Clans--Spongers--Hospitality--Spinning-tops
+--Toys--Kite-flying--Games--How babies are sent to sleep.
+
+
+CHAPTER VII
+
+Corean inns--Seoul--A tour of observation--Beggars--Lepers--Philosophy--An
+old palace--A leopard hunt--Weather prophets--The main street--Sedan
+chairs--The big bell--Crossing of the bridges--Monuments--Animal
+worship--The  Gate of the Dead--A funeral--The Queen-dowager's telephone.
+
+
+CHAPTER VIII
+
+Seoul--The City Wall--A large image--Mount Nanzam--The fire-signals--The
+women's joss-house--Foreign buildings--Japanese settlement--An
+anecdote--Clean or not clean?--The Pekin Pass--The water-carrier--The man
+of the Gates.
+
+
+CHAPTER IX
+
+The Corean house--Doors and windows--Blinds--Rooms--The
+"Kan"--Roasting alive--Furniture--Treasures--The
+kitchen--Dinner-set--Food--Intoxicants--Gluttony--Capacity for
+food--Sleep--Modes of illumination--Autographs--Streets--Drainage--Smell.
+
+
+CHAPTER X
+
+A Corean marriage--How marriages are arranged--The wedding ceremony--The
+document--In the nuptial chamber--Wife's conduct--Concubines--Widows
+--Seduction--Adultery--Purchasing a husband--Love--Intrigue--Official
+"squeezing"--The cause.
+
+
+CHAPTER XI
+
+Painting in Seoul--Messages from the King--Royal princes sitting for
+their portraits--Breaking the mourning law--Quaint notions--Delight and
+despair--Calling in of State ceremony--Corean soldiers--How they mount
+guard--Drill--Honours--A much-admired shoe--A gift.
+
+
+CHAPTER XII
+
+The royal palace--A royal message--Mounting guard--The bell--The royal
+precinct--The Russian villa--An unfinished structure--The Summer
+Palace--The King's house--Houses of dignitaries--The ground and summer
+pavilion--Colds--The funeral of a Japanese Minister--Houses of royal
+relations--The queen--The oldest man and woman--The King and his
+throne--Politics and royalty--Messengers and spies--Kim-Ka-Chim--Falcons
+and archery--Nearly a St. Sebastian--The queen's curiosity--A royal
+banquet--The consequences.
+
+
+CHAPTER XIII
+
+Students--Culture--Examination ground--The three degrees--The
+alphabet--Chinese characters--Schools--Astronomers--Diplomas--Students
+abroad--Adoption of Western ways--Quick perception--The letter "f"--A
+comical mistake--Magistrates and education Rooted superstition--Another
+haunted palace--Tigers--A convenient custom.
+
+
+CHAPTER XIV
+
+Religion--Buddhism--Bonzes--Their power--Shamanism--Spirits--Spirits of
+the mountain--Stone heaps--Sacred trees--Seized by the spirits--Safe-guard
+against them--The wind--Sorcerers and sorceresses--Exorcisms--Monasteries
+--Temples--Buddha--Monks--Their customs and clothing--Nuns--Their
+garments--Religious ceremonies--The tooth-stone.
+
+
+CHAPTER XV
+
+Police--Detectives--The plank-walk--The square board--The wooden blocks
+for hands and feet--Floggings--The bamboo rod--The stick--The flexible
+board--A flogging in Seoul--One hundred strokes for three-halfpence
+--Wounds produced--Tender-hearted soldiers--Imprisonment--Exile--Status
+of women, children, and bachelors--Guilds and the law--Nobles and the
+law--Serfdom--mild form of slavery.
+
+
+CHAPTER XVI
+
+Executions--Crucified and carried through the streets--The execution
+ground--Barbarous mode of beheading--Noble criminals--Paternal love--Shut
+out--Scaling the wall--A catastrophe--A nightmare.
+
+
+CHAPTER XVII
+
+The "King's procession"--Removing houses--Foolhardy people--Beaten to
+death--Cavalry soldiers--Infantry--Retainers--Banners--Luxurious
+saddles--The King and his double--Royal palanquins--The return at night.
+
+
+CHAPTER XVIII
+
+Fights--Prize fights--Fist fights--Special moon for fighting--Summary
+justice--The use of the top-knot--Cruelty--A butcher combatant Stone
+fights--Belligerent children--Battle between two guilds--Wounded and
+killed--The end of the battle postponed--Soldiers' fights.
+
+
+CHAPTER XIX
+
+Fires--The greatest peril--A curious way of saving one's house--The
+anchor of safety--How it worked--Making an opposition wind--Saved by
+chance--A good trait in the native character--Useful friends.
+
+
+CHAPTER XX
+
+A trip to Poo-kan--A curious monastery.
+
+
+CHAPTER XXI
+
+Corean physiognomy--Expressions of pleasure--Displeasure--Contempt
+--Fear--Pluck--Laughter--Astonishment--Admiration--Sulkiness--Jealousy
+--Intelligence--Affection--Imagination--Dreams--Insanity--Its principal
+causes--Leprosy--The family--Men and women--Fecundity--Natural and
+artificial deformities--Abnormalities--Movements and attitudes--The Corean
+hand--Conservatism.
+
+
+
+
+LIST OF PLATES
+
+PORTRAIT OF THE AUTHOR
+AN OFFICIAL GOING TO COURT
+THE PEKIN PASS
+A WATER-COOLIE
+H.R.H. PRINCE MIN-YOUNG-HUAN
+AN INFANTRY SOLDIER
+A STUDY FROM STILL-LIFE
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER I
+
+Christmas on board--Fusan--A body-snatcher--The Kiung-sang Province--The
+cotton production--Body-snatching extraordinary--Imperatrice
+Gulf--Chemulpo.
+
+
+[Illustration: CHEMULPO]
+
+It was on a Christmas Day that I set out for Corea. The year was 1890. I
+had been several days at Nagasaki, waiting for the little steamer,
+_Higo-Maru_, of the Nippon Yusen Kaisha (Japan Steamship Company), which
+was to arrive, I think, from Vladivostock, when a message was brought to
+me saying that she was now in port, and would sail that afternoon for
+Tsushima, Goto, and the Corean ports.
+
+I went on board, and, our vessel's anchor being raised at four o'clock,
+we soon steamed past Battenberg Island and got away from the picturesque
+Bay of Nagasaki. This was the last I saw of Japan.
+
+The little _Higo_ was not a bad seaboat, for, following good advice, her
+owners had provided her with rolling beams; but, mind you, she had by no
+means the steadiness of a rock, nor did she pretend to cut the water at
+the rate of twenty knots an hour. Still, taken all in all, she was a
+pretty good goer. Her captain was a Norwegian, and a jolly fellow; while
+the crew she carried was entirely Japanese, with the exception of the
+stewards in the saloon, who were two pig-tailed subjects of the Celestial
+Empire.
+
+"Numbel one Clistmas dinnel has got to-night, Mastel," expostulated John
+Chinaman to me in his pidgen English, as I was busy making my cabin
+comfortable. "Soup has got, fish has got, loast tulkey has got,
+plan-puddy all bulning has got. All same English countly. Dlink,
+to-night, plenty can have, and no has to pay. Shelly can have, Boldeau
+can have, polt, bea, champagne, blandy, all can have, all flee!"
+
+I must say that when I heard of the elaborate dinner to which we were to
+be treated by the captain, I began to feel rather glad that I had started
+on my journey on a Christmas Day.
+
+There were a few Japanese passengers on board, but only one European, or
+rather American, besides myself, and a most pleasant companion he turned
+out to be. He was Mr. Clarence R. Greathouse, formerly Consul-General for
+the United States at Yokohama--at which place I first had the pleasure of
+meeting him--who was now on his way to Corea, where he had been requested
+by the Corean Government to accept the high and responsible position of
+Vice-Minister of Home Affairs, as well as of legal adviser to the King in
+international affairs.
+
+Curiously enough, he had not been aware that I was to travel on the same
+ship, and I also never dreamt that I would have had the good fortune of
+being in such good and agreeable company during a voyage which otherwise
+would have been extremely dull. Accordingly, when we met again thus
+accidentally on the deck of the _Higo_, the event was as much to our
+mutual satisfaction as it was unexpected.
+
+The sea was somewhat choppy, but notwithstanding this, when the steward
+appeared on the companion-way, beaming all over, in his best silk gown
+and jacket, and rang the dinner-bell with all his might, we gaily
+responded to his call and proceeded below.
+
+Heavens! it was a Christmas dinner and no mistake! The tables and walls
+had been decorated with little paper flags and flowers made of the
+brightest colours that human fancy could devise, and dishes of almonds
+and raisins filled the centre of the table. There were little flags stuck
+in those dishes, and, indeed, everywhere. A big cake in the middle had
+prudently been tied to the table with a string, as the rolling motion of
+the ship was rather against its chances of keeping steady in the place
+that had been assigned to it, and the other usual precautions had been
+taken to keep the plates and glasses in their proper positions.
+
+Our dinner-party consisted of about eight. At one moment we would be up,
+with our feet on a level with our opposite companion's head; the next we
+would be down, with the soles of their boots higher than our skulls.
+
+It is always a pretty sight to see a table decorated, but when it is not
+only decorated but animated as well, it is evidently prettier still. When
+you see all the plates and salt-cellars moving slowly away from you, and
+as slowly returning to you; when you have to chase your fork and your
+knife before you can use them, the amusement is infinitely greater.
+
+"_O gomen kudasai_"--"I beg your pardon"--said a Japanese gentleman in
+rather a hurried manner, and more hurriedly still made his exit into his
+cabin. Two or three others of his countrymen followed suit during the
+progress of the dinner, and as number after number of the _menu_ was gone
+through, so that we who remained had a capital time. Not many minutes
+also elapsed without our having a regular fusillade of bottles of
+champagne of some unknown brand, and "healths" were drunk of distant
+friends and relatives.
+
+Mr. Greathouse, who, like many of his countrymen, has a wonderful gift
+for telling humorous stories, of which he had an unlimited supply, kept
+us in fits all evening, and in fact the greater part of the night, so
+that when we passed the islands of Goto and Tsushima we were still awake
+and in course of being entertained by his Yankee yarns.
+
+The next day we reached the Corean port of Fusan. I well remember how
+much I was struck when we entered the pretty harbour and approached the
+spot where we cast anchor, by the sight of hundreds of white spots moving
+slowly along the coast and on a road winding up a hill. As we drew
+nearer, the white spots became larger and assumed more and more the form
+of human beings. There was something so ghostly about that scene that it
+is still vividly impressed upon my mind.
+
+There is at Fusan not only a Japanese settlement, but also a Chinese one.
+About two and a half miles distant round the bay, the native walled town
+and fort can be plainly seen, while in the distance one may distinguish
+the city and castle of Tong-nai, in which the Governor resides. If I
+remember correctly, the number of Europeans at this port is only three or
+four, these being mainly in the employ of the Chinese Customs service.
+
+We had hardly come to a standstill when a curious-looking being, who had
+come to meet the steamer in a boat, climbed up the rope-ladder which had
+been let down on the starboard side and came on board. He was a European.
+
+"Do you see that man?" a voice whispered in my ear. "He is a
+body-snatcher."
+
+"Nonsense," I said; "are you joking, or what?"
+
+"No, I am not; and, if you like, I will tell you his story at luncheon."
+And surely what better time could be chosen for a "body-snatching" story
+than "luncheon." Meanwhile, however, I lost not my chance, and while
+conversing with somebody else, the snatcher found himself "snatched" in
+my sketch-book. It is not every day that one comes across such
+individuals! I went to speak to him, and I must confess that whether he
+had as a fact troubled the dead or not, he was none the less most
+courteous and polite with the living. He had, it is true, at times
+somewhat of a sinister look in his face; but for his unsteady eyes, you
+might almost have put him down as a missionary. He informed me that
+codfish was to be had in great abundance at Fusan, and that the grain
+export was almost entirely done by the Japanese, while the importation of
+miscellaneous articles was entirely in the hands of the Chinese.
+
+Fusan is situated at the most south-westerly extremity of the province of
+Kiung-sang, which words, translated into English mean, "polite
+compliment." The kingdom of Corea, we may here mention, is divided into
+eight provinces, which rejoice in the following names: Kiung-sang-do,[1]
+Chulla-do, Chung-chon-do, Kiung-kei-do, Kang-wen-do, Wang-hai-do,
+Ping-yan-do, Ham-kiung-do. The province in which Fusan is situated is,
+without exception, the richest in Corea after that of Chulla, for it has
+a mild climate and a very fertile soil. This being the case, it is not
+astonishing to find that the population is more numerous than in most
+other districts further north, and also, that being so near the Japanese
+coast, a certain amount of trading, mostly done by junks, is continually
+being transacted with the Mikado's subjects on the opposite shores. Fusan
+has been nominally in the hands of the Japanese from very ancient times,
+although it was only in 1876 that a treaty was concluded by which it was
+opened to Japanese trade. The spot on which the settlements lie is
+pretty, with its picturesque background of high mountains and the large
+number of little islands rising like green patches here and there in the
+bay. Maki, the largest island, directly opposite the settlement, is now
+used as a station for breeding horses of very small size, and it
+possesses good pastures on its high hills. In the history of the
+relations between Corea and Japan this province plays indeed a very
+important part, for being nearer than any other portion of the kingdom to
+the Japanese shores--the distance being, I believe, some 130 miles
+between the nearest points of the two countries--invasions have been of
+frequent occurrence, especially during the period that Kai-seng, then
+called Sunto, was the capital. This city, like the present capital,
+Seoul, was a fortified and walled town of the first rank and the chief
+military centre of the country, besides being a seat of learning and
+making some pretence of commercial enterprise. It lay about twenty-five
+miles N.E. of Seoul, and at about an equal number of miles from the
+actual sea. For several hundreds of years, Sunto had been one of the
+principal cities of Corea, when Wang, a warrior of the Fuyu race and an
+ardent Buddhist, who had already conquered the southern portion of the
+Corean peninsula, made it the capital, which it remained until the year
+1392 A.D., when the seat of the Government was removed to Seoul.
+
+To return to Fusan and the Kyung-sang province. It is as well to mention
+that the chief product cultivated is cotton. This is, of course, the
+principal industry all over Corea, and the area under cultivation is
+roughly computed at between eight and nine hundred thousand acres, the
+unclean cotton produced per annum being calculated at about 1,200,000,000
+lbs. In a recent report, the Commissioner of Customs at Fusan sets down
+the yearly consumption of cleaned cotton at about 300,000,000 lbs. The
+greater part of the cotton is made up into piece-goods for making
+garments and padding the native winter clothes. In the Kiung-sang
+province the pieces of cloth manufactured measure sixty feet, while the
+width is only fourteen inches, and the weight between three and four
+pounds. The fibre of the cotton stuff produced, especially in the
+Kiung-sang and Chulla provinces, is highly esteemed by the Coreans, and
+they say that it is much more durable and warmth-giving than that
+produced either in Japan or China.
+
+Of course the production of cotton could be greatly increased if more
+practical systems were used in its cultivation, and if the magistrates
+were not so much given to "squeezing" the people. To make money and to
+have it extorted the moment you have made it, is not encouraging to the
+poor Corean who has worked for it; therefore little exertion is displayed
+beyond what is necessary to earn, not the "daily bread," for that they do
+not eat, but the daily bowl of rice. There is much fertile land, which at
+present is not used at all, and hardly any attention, and much less
+skill, is manifested when once the seed is in the ground.
+
+The Neapolitan _lazzaroni_, of world-wide reputation for extreme
+laziness, have indeed worthy rivals in the Corean peasantry. The women
+are made to do all the work, for by them the crops are gathered, and by
+them the seeds are separated with the old-fashioned roller-gin. To borrow
+statistics from the Commissioners' Report, a native woman can, with a
+roller-gin, turn out, say, nearly 3 lbs. of clean cotton from 12 lbs. of
+seed-cotton; while the industrious Japanese, who have brought over modern
+machines of the saw-gin type, can obtain 35 lbs. of clean cotton from
+140 lbs. of seed-cotton in the same space of time. Previous to being
+spun, the cotton is prepared pretty much in the same way as in Japan or
+China, the cotton being tossed into the air with a view to separating the
+staple; but the spinning-wheel commonly used in Corea only makes one
+thread at a time.
+
+The crops are generally gathered in August, and the dead stalk is used
+for fuel, while the ashes make fairly good manure. The quantity of clean
+cotton is about 85 lbs. per acre, and of seed-cotton 345 lbs. per acre.
+
+But to return to my narrative, luncheon-time came in due course, and as I
+was spreading out my napkin on my knees, I reminded the person who had
+whispered those mysterious words in my ear, of the promise he had made.
+
+"Yes," said he, as he cautiously looked round, "I will tell you his
+story. Mind you," he added, "this man to whom you spoke a while ago was
+only one of several, and he was not the principal actor in that
+outrageous business, still he himself is said to have taken a
+considerable part in the criminal dealings. Remember that the account I
+am going to give you of the affair is only drawn in bold lines, for the
+details of the expedition have never been fully known to any one. For all
+I know, this man may even be perfectly innocent of all that is alleged
+against him."
+
+"Go on; do not make any more apologies, and begin your story," I
+remarked, as my curiosity was considerably roused.
+
+"Very good. It was on April 30th, 1867, that an expedition left Shanghai
+bound for Corea. The aims of that expedition seemed rather obscure to
+many of the foreign residents at the port of departure, as little faith
+was reposed in the commander. Still, it must be said for its members that
+until they departed they played their _rôle_ well. Corea was then
+practically a closed country; wherefore a certain amount of curiosity was
+displayed at Shanghai when three or four Coreans, dressed up in their
+quaint costumes and transparent horse-hair hats, were seen walking about,
+and being introduced here and there by a French bishop called Ridel. A
+few days later the curiosity of the foreign residents grew in intensity
+when the news spread that an American subject, a certain Jenkins,
+formerly interpreter at the U.S. Consulate, had, at his own expense,
+chartered a ship and hurriedly fitted out an expedition, taking under his
+command eight other Europeans, all of a more or less dubious character,
+and a suite of about 150 Chinamen and Manillamen, the riff-raff of the
+Treaty Port, who were to be the crew and military escort of the
+expedition. A man called Oppert, a North German Jew, and believed by
+everybody to be an adventurer under the guise of a trader, was in command
+of the 'fleet'--which was composed of a steamer, if I remember right, of
+about 700 tons, called the _China_, and a smaller tender of little over
+50 tons, called the _Greta_. Oppert flew the flag of his own country, and
+in due course gave the order to start."
+
+"Well, so far so good," I interrupted; "but you have not told me what
+connection there was between Bishop Ridel's four Coreans and your
+body-snatching friends?"
+
+"Well, you see, the American and Oppert took advantage of their
+appearance in Shanghai to let people believe that they were high
+officials sent over by the king, who was anxious to send an embassy to
+the different courts of Europe to explain the slaughter of foreigners
+which had taken place in his country, and also with the object of
+entering, if possible, into treaties with the different European
+monarchs--in fact to open his country to foreign trade and commerce. It
+seemed somewhat a large order to any one who knew of the retiring nature
+of the king, but everything was done so quickly that the expedition was
+gone before people had time to inquire into its real object.
+
+"The fleet, as I have remarked, in due time started, and after calling on
+its way at Nagasaki, where rifles and other firearms and ammunition were
+purchased with which to arm the military escort, steered a course to the
+mouth of the Han river. Among the eight Europeans of dubious character on
+board was a Frenchman, a Jesuit priest, who called himself Farout, but
+whose real name was Feron, and who played an important part in the
+piratical scheme, for, having lived some time previously in Corea, he had
+mastered the language. Besides, he had travelled a good deal along the
+river Han, so that he was entrusted with the responsible position of
+guide and interpreter to the body-snatchers!"
+
+"Curious position for a missionary to occupy," I could not help
+remarking.
+
+"Yes. They reached Prince Jerome's Gulf on the 8th of May, and the next
+day, sounding continually, slowly steamed up the river Han to a point
+where it was deemed advisable to man the tender and smaller rowing-boats
+with a view to completing the expedition in these.
+
+"This plan was successfully carried out, and during the night, under the
+command of Oppert, and escorted by the marauders, who were armed to the
+teeth, they proceeded to the point where l'Abbé Feron advised a landing.
+Here, making no secret of their designs, they ill-treated the natives,
+and pillaged their poor huts, after which they made their way to the
+tomb, where the relics lay of some royal personage supposed to have been
+buried there with mountains of gold and precious jewels, which relics
+were held in much veneration by the great Regent, the Tai-wen-kun. The
+impudent scheme, in a few words, was this: to take the natives by
+surprise, dig the body quickly out of its underground place of what
+should have been eternal rest, and take possession of anything valuable
+that might be found in the grave. The disturbed bones of the unfortunate
+prince were to be carried on board, and a high ransom was to be extorted
+from the great Regent, who they thought would offer any sum to get back
+the cherished bones of his ancestor.
+
+"The march from the landing-place to the tomb occupied longer than had
+been anticipated, and crowds of astonished and angry natives followed the
+procession of armed men. The latter finally reached the desired spot, a
+funny little semi-spherical mound of earth, with a few stone figures of
+men and ponies roughly carved on either side, and guarded by two stone
+slabs.
+
+"The 'abbé,' who, among other things, was said to have been the promoter
+of the scheme, pointed out the mound, and, rejoicing with Oppert and
+Jenkins at having been so far successful, gave orders to the coolies to
+proceed at once to dig. Spades and shovels had been brought for the
+purpose, and the little mound was rapidly being levelled, while the
+turbulent crowd of infuriated Coreans which had collected was getting
+more and more menacing. These seemed to spring out by hundreds from every
+side as by magic, and the body-snatchers were soon more than ten times
+outnumbered. No greater insult or infamous act could there be to a Corean
+mind than the violation of a grave. As spadeful after spadeful of earth
+was removed by the shaking hands of the frightened coolies, shouts,
+hisses, and oaths went up from the maddened crowd, but Oppert and the
+French abbé, half scared as they were, still pined for the hidden
+treasure, and encouraged the grave-diggers with promises of rewards as
+well as with the invigorating butt-ends of their rifles. At last, after
+digging a big hole in the earth, their spades came upon a huge slab of
+stone, which seemed to be the top of the sarcophagus."
+
+"I suppose that no oath was bad enough for the three leaders, then?" said
+I.
+
+"No; they were mad with fury, and more so when all the strength of their
+men combined was not sufficient to stir the stone an inch."
+
+"The crowd which till then had been merely turbulent, now became so
+exasperated at the cheek of the 'foreign white devils' that it could no
+more keep within bounds, and a wild attack was made on the pirates.
+Showers of stones were thrown, and the infuriated natives made a rush
+upon them; but, _hélas!_ their attack was met by a volley of rifle-shots.
+Frightened out of their lives by the murderous effects of these strange
+weapons, they fell back for a time, only to return by-and-by with fresh
+ardour to the attack. The body-snatchers, having little confidence in the
+courage and fidelity of the ruffian lot that composed their military
+escort, and, moreover, seeing that all efforts were useless to remove the
+'blessed' stone, deemed it more than advisable to retreat to the
+tender--a retreat which, one may add, was effected somewhat hurriedly.
+This being done, they steamed full speed down the river, and once on
+board the _China_, began to feel more like themselves again.
+
+"They anchored opposite Kang-wha Island, and remained there for three
+days. Then as they were holding a parley on land near Tricauld Island,
+they were attacked again by the angry mob, the news of their outrageous
+deed having spread even hitherwards, and two or three of their men were
+killed. Realising, therefore, that it was impossible to carry out their
+plan, the body-snatchers returned to Shanghai, but here a surprise
+awaited them.
+
+"They were all arrested and underwent a trial. So little evidence,
+however, was brought against them, and that little was of such a
+conflicting character, that they were all acquitted. Oppert,
+nevertheless, was imprisoned in his own country, and even brought out a
+book in which he described his piratical expedition."
+
+"Yes," I remarked, "your story is a very good one; but what part did
+this particular man, now at Fusan, take in the marauding scheme?"
+
+"Oh, that I do not exactly know--in fact, no one knows more than this,
+that he was one of the eight Europeans who accompanied Oppert. Here at
+Fusan all the foreign residents look down on him, and his only pleasure
+is to come on board when a ship happens to call, that he may exchange a
+few words in a European tongue, for no one belonging to this locality
+will speak to him."
+
+I went on deck to look for the pirate, hoping to get, if possible, a few
+interesting and accurate details of the adventurous journey of the
+_China_, but he had already gone, and we were just on the point of
+raising our anchor, bound for Chemulpo.
+
+On December 27th we steamed past Port Hamilton, formerly occupied by the
+British, where fortifications and a jetty had been constructed and
+afterwards abandoned, a treaty having been signed by Great Britain and
+China, to the effect that no foreign Power was to be allowed to occupy
+either Port Hamilton or any other port in the kingdom of Corea at any
+future time.
+
+During that day we travelled mostly along the inner course, among
+hundreds of picturesque little islands of the Corean Archipelago, and in
+the afternoon of the 28th we entered the Imperatrice Gulf. On account of
+the low tide we had to keep out at sea till very late, and it was only
+towards sunset that we were able to enter the inner harbour where
+Chemulpo lies, protected by a pretty island on its western side. I bade
+good-bye to the jolly captain and mate, and getting my traps together,
+landed for the second time on Corean soil.
+
+FOOTNOTES:
+
+    [1] _Do_ means province.
+
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER II
+
+Chemulpo--So-called European hotels--Comforts--Japanese concession--The
+_Guechas_--New-Year's festivities--The Chinese settlement--European
+residents--The word "Corea"--A glance at Corean history--Cho-sen.
+
+
+[Illustration: THE DONKEY OF A COREAN OFFICIAL]
+
+When I land in a new country a strange sense of the unknown somehow takes
+possession of me. Perhaps in this, however, I am not alone. The feeling
+is in part, I think, due to one's new surroundings, though chiefly to the
+facial expressions of the people, with which one is not familiar and
+probably does not quite understand. One may be a student of human
+character in only a very amateurish way, and yet without much difficulty
+guess by the twinkle in the eye, or the quivering of the underlip,
+whether a person is pleased or annoyed, but when a strange land is
+visited one is apt to be at first often deceived by appearances; and if,
+as has happened in my case, the traveller has suffered in consequence of
+being thus deceived, he is rather apt to look upon all that he sees with
+a considerable amount of caution and even suspicion.
+
+It was then with some such feelings as these that I landed at Chemulpo.
+Hundreds of coolies running along the shore, with loads of grain on their
+backs, to be shipped by the _Higo-Maru_, had no compunction in knocking
+you down if you were in their way, and a crowd of curious native loafers,
+always ready to be entertained by any new arrival, followed you _en
+masse_ wherever you went.
+
+When I visited Chemulpo there were actually three European hotels there.
+These were European more in name than in fact, but there they were, and
+as the night was fast approaching, I had to make my choice, for I wanted
+a lodging badly.
+
+One of these hotels was kept by a Chinaman, and was called Steward's
+Hotel, for the simple reason that its owner had been a steward on board
+an American ship, and had since appropriated the word as a family name;
+the second, which rejoiced in the grand name of "Hotel de Corée," was of
+Hungarian proprietorship, and a favourite resort for sailors of
+men-of-war when they called at that port, partly because a drinking
+saloon, well provided with intoxicants of all descriptions, was the chief
+feature of the establishment, and partly because glasses were handed over
+the counter by a very fascinating young lady, daughter of the proprietor,
+a most accomplished damsel, who could speak fluently every language under
+the sun--from Turkish and Arabic to Corean and Japanese. The third
+hotel--a noble mansion, to use modern phraseology--was quite a new
+structure, and was owned by a Japanese. The name which had been given by
+him to his house of rest was "The Dai butzu," or, in English parlance,
+The Great God. Attracted by the holiness of the name, and perhaps even
+more by the clean look, outside only, of the place, I, as luck would have
+it, made the Dai butzu my headquarters. I know little about things
+celestial, but certainly can imagine nothing less celestial on the face
+of the earth than this house of the Great God at Chemulpo. The house had
+apparently been newly built, for the rooms were damp and icy cold, and
+when I proceeded to inspect the bed and remarked on the somewhat doubtful
+cleanliness of the sheets, "They are quite clean," said the landlord;
+"only two gentlemen have slept in them before." However, as we were so
+near the New Year, he condescended to change them to please me, and I
+accepted his offer most gracefully as a New-Year's gift.
+
+"O Lord," said I with a deep sigh when the news arrived that no meat
+could be got that evening, and the only provisions in store were "one
+solitary tin, small size, of compressed milk."
+
+"Mionichi nandemo arimas, Konban domo dannasan, nandemo arimasen":
+"To-morrow you can have anything, but to-night, please, sir, we have
+nothing." As I am generally a philosopher on such occasions, I satisfied
+my present cravings with that tin of milk, which, needless to say, I
+emptied, putting off my dinner till the following night.
+
+Corea, as everybody knows, is an extremely cold country, the thermometer
+reaching as low sometimes as seventy or even eighty degrees of frost; my
+readers will imagine therefore how delightfully warm I was in my bed with
+only one sheet over me and a sort of cotton bed-cover, both sheet and
+bed-cover, I may add, being somewhat too short to cover my feet and my
+neck at the same time, my lower extremities in consequence playing a
+curious game of hide-and-seek with the support of my head. I had ordered
+a cold bath, and water and tray had been brought into my room before I
+had gone to bed, but to my horror, when I got up, ready to plunge in and
+sponge myself to my heart's content, I found nothing but a huge block of
+solid ice, into which the water had thought proper to metamorphose
+itself. Bells there were none in the house, so recourse had to be made to
+the national Japanese custom of clapping one's hands in order to summon
+up the servants.
+
+"Hé," answered the slanting-eyed maid from down below, as she trotted up
+the steps. Good sharp girl that she was, however, she quickly mastered
+the situation, and hurried down to fetch fresh supplies of unfrozen
+liquid from the well; although hardly had she left the room the second
+time before a thick layer of ice again formed on the surface of the
+bucketful which she had brought. It was bathing under difficulties, I can
+tell you; but though I do not much mind missing my dinner, I can on no
+account bring myself to deprivation of my cold bath in the morning. It is
+to this habit that I attribute my freedom from contagious diseases in all
+countries and climates; to it I owe, in fact, my life, and I have no
+doubt to it, some day, I shall also owe my death.
+
+The evil of cold was, however, nothing as compared with the quality and
+variety of the food. For the best part of the week, during which I stayed
+at the Dai butzu, I only had an occasional glance at a slice of
+nondescript meat, served one day as "rosbif," and the next day as "mutin
+shops," but unfortunately so leathery that no Sheffield blade could
+possibly divide it, and no human tooth nor jaw, however powerful, could
+masticate it.
+
+As luck would have it, I was asked out to dinner once or twice by an
+American gentleman--a merchant resident at Chemulpo--and so made up for
+what would have otherwise been the lost art of eating.
+
+Chemulpo is a port with a future. The Japanese prefer to call it Jinsen;
+the Chinese, In-chiang. It possesses a pretty harbour, though rather too
+shallow for large ships. The tide also, a very troublesome customer in
+that part of the world, falls as much as twenty-eight or twenty-nine
+feet; wherefore it is that at times one can walk over to the island in
+front of the settlement almost without wetting one's feet.
+
+Chemulpo's origin is said to be as follows: The Japanese government,
+represented at Seoul by a very able and shrewd man called Hanabusa, had
+repeatedly urged the Corean king to open to Japanese trade a port
+somewhat nearer to the capital. Though the king was personally inclined
+to enter into friendly negotiations, there were many of the anti-foreign
+party who would not hear of the project; but such was the pressure
+brought to bear by the skilful Japanese, and so persuasive were the
+king's arguments, that, after much pour-parleying, the latter finally
+gave way. Towards the end of 1880, the Mikado's envoy, accompanied by a
+number of other officials, proceeded from the capital to the Imperatrice
+Gulf and selected an appropriate spot, on which to raise the now
+prosperous little concession, fixing that some distance from the native
+city. In course of years it grew bigger, and when I was at Chemulpo there
+was actually a Japanese village there, with its own Jap policemen, its
+tea-houses, two banks, the "Mitsui-bashi" and "The First National Bank of
+Japan," and last but not least, a number of _guechas_, the graceful
+singers and posturing dancers of Nippon, without whom life is not worth
+living for the Nipponese.
+
+Like the Australians generally, who begin building a town by marking out
+a fine race-course, so the light-hearted sons of the Mikado's empire,
+when out colonising, begin as a first and necessary luxury of life by
+importing a few _guechas_ who, with their quaint songs, enliven them in
+moments of despair, and send them into ecstasies at banquets and
+dinner-parties with their curious fan-dances, &c, just as our British
+music-hall frequenting youth raves over the last song and skirt-dance of
+the moment.
+
+The _guechas_, mind you, are not bad girls. There is nothing wrong about
+them except that they are not always "quite right," for they are well
+educated, and possess good manners. They are generally paid by the hour
+for the display of their talent, and the prices they command vary from
+the low sum of twenty sens (sixpence) to as much as two or three yen
+(dollars), for each sixty minutes, in proportion, of course, to their
+capacity and beauty.
+
+As the New Year was fast approaching, and that is a great festivity among
+the Japanese, the _guechas_ at Chemulpo were hard at work, and from
+morning till night and _vice versâ_ they were summoned from one house to
+the other to entertain with their--to European, ears excruciating--music
+on the Shamesens and Gokkins, while _saké_ and foreign liquors were
+plentifully indulged in.
+
+I walked up the main street. Great Scott! what a din! It was enough to
+drive anybody crazy. Each house, with its paper walls, hardly suitable
+for the climate, seemed to contain a regular pandemonium. Men and women
+were to be seen squatting on the ground round a huge brass _hibachi_,
+where a charcoal fire was blazing, singing and yelling and playing and
+clapping their hands to their hearts' content. They had lost somehow or
+other that look of gracefulness which is so characteristic of them in
+their own country, and on a closer examination I found the cause to be
+their being clad in at least a dozen _kimonos_,[2] put on one over the
+other to keep the cold out. Just picture to yourself any one wearing even
+half that number of coats, and you will doubtless agree with me that
+one's form would not be much improved thereby in appearance. The noise
+increased until New-Year's Eve, and when at last the New Year broke in
+upon them, it was something appalling. The air was full of false notes,
+vocal and otherwise, and I need scarcely say that at the "Dai butzu" also
+grand festivities went on for the greater part of the night.
+
+I was lying flat in bed on New-Year's Day, thinking of the foolishness
+of humanity, when I heard a tap at the door. I looked at the watch; it
+was 7.20 A.M.
+
+"Come in," said I, thinking that the thoughtful maid was carrying my
+sponge-bath, but no. In came a procession of Japs, ludicrously attired in
+foreign clothes with antediluvian frock-coats and pre-historic European
+hats, bowing and sipping their breath in sign of great respect. At their
+head was the fat proprietor of the hotel, and each of them carried with
+him in his hand a packet of visiting cards, which they severally
+deposited on my bed, as I, more than ten times astounded, stood resting
+on my elbows gazing at them.
+
+"So-and-so, brick-layer and roof-maker. So-and-so, hotel proprietor and
+shipping agent; so-and-so, Japanese carpenter; so-and-so, mat-maker; X,
+merchant; Z, boatman," &c. &c, were how the cards read as I inspected
+them one by one. I need hardly say, therefore, that the year 1891 was
+begun with an extra big D, which came straight from my heart, as I
+uncoiled myself out of my bed at that early hour of the morning to
+entertain these professional gentlemen to drinks and cigarettes. And yet
+that was nothing as compared with what came after. They had scarcely
+gone, and I was just breaking the ice in order to get my cold bath, when
+another lot, a hundredfold more noisy than the first, entered my room
+unannounced and depositing another lot of "pasteboards," as Yankees term
+them, in my frozen hands, went on wishing me all sorts of happiness for
+the New Year, though I for my part wished them all to a place that was
+certainly not heaven. In despair I dressed myself, and going out
+aimlessly, strolled in any direction in order to keep out of reach of
+the New-Year's callers. But the hours were long, and about eleven I went
+to pay a visit to Mr. T., the American merchant who had kindly asked me
+once or twice to dinner. If I considered myself entitled to complain of
+the calling nuisance, he must have had good reason to swear at it. Being
+the richest man in the place as well as the principal merchant, his place
+was simply besieged by visitors. Many were so drunk that they actually
+had to be carried in by coolies--a curious mode of going to call--while
+others had even to be provided with a bed on the premises until the
+effects of their libations had passed off. A well-known young Japanese
+merchant, I remember, nearly fractured his skull against a table, through
+losing his equilibrium as he was offering a grand bow to Mr. T.
+
+Wherever one went in the Japanese quarter there was nothing but drink,
+and the main street was full of unsteady walkers.
+
+Curiously enough, on proceeding a few yards further on towards the
+British Consulate, one came to the Chinese settlement, which was
+perfectly quiet, and showed its inhabitants not only as stern and
+well-behaved as on other occasions, but even, to all appearance, quite
+unconcerned at the frolic and fun of their merry neighbours. Here
+business was being transacted as usual, those engaged therein retaining
+their well-known expressionless and dignified mien, and apparently
+looking down disgusted upon the drunken lot, although prepared themselves
+to descend from their high pedestal when their own New-Year's Day or
+other festival occasions should arrive.
+
+I was much amused at a remark that a Chinaman made to me that day.
+
+I asked him how he liked the Japanese.
+
+"Pff!" he began, looking at me from under his huge round spectacles, as
+if he thought the subject too insignificant to waste his time upon.
+
+"The Japanese," he exploded, with an air of contempt, "no belong men. You
+see Japanese man dlunk, ol no dlunk, all same to me. He no can speak
+tluth, he no can be honest man. He buy something, nevel pay. Japanese
+belong bad, bad, bad man. He always speak lie, lie, lie, lie," and he
+emphasised his words with a crescendo as he curled up what he possessed
+in the shape of a nose--for it was so flat that it hardly deserved the
+name; indeed, to give strength to his speech, he spat with violence on
+the ground, as if to clear his mouth, as it were, of the unclean sound of
+the word "Japanese."
+
+Not even in those days could the Chinese and Japanese be accused of
+loving one another.
+
+The Chinese settlement is not quite so clean in appearance as the
+Japanese one, but if business is transacted on a smaller scale, it is, at
+all events, conducted on a firm and honest basis. Chemulpo has but few
+natural aptitudes beyond its being situated at the mouth of the river
+Han, which, winding like a snake, passes close to Seoul, the capital of
+the kingdom; and yet, partly because of its proximity to the capital, the
+distance by road being twenty-five miles, and partly owing to the fact
+that it is never ice-bound in winter, the town has made wonderful
+strides. As late as 1883 there were only one or two fishermen's huts
+along the bay, but in 1892 the settlement contained a score of Europeans,
+over 2800 Japanese souls, and 1000 Chinese, besides quite a
+respectable-sized native conglomeration of houses and huts.
+
+When I visited the port, land fetched large sums of money in the central
+part of the settlement. The post-office was in the hands of the Japanese,
+who carried on its business in a very amateurish and imperfect manner,
+but the telegraphs were worked by the Chinese. The commercial competition
+between the two Eastern nations now at war has of late years been very
+great in Corea. It is interesting to notice how the slow Chinaman has
+followed the footsteps of young Japan at nearly all the ports, especially
+at Gensan and Fusan, and gradually monopolised a good deal of the trade,
+through his honest dealings and steadiness. And yet the Chinese must have
+been, of course, greatly handicapped by the start of many years which the
+dashing Japanese had over them, as well as by the much larger number of
+their rivals. A very remarkable fact, however, is that several Japanese
+firms had employed Chinese as their _compradores_, a position entirely of
+trust, these being the officials whose duty it is to go round to collect
+money and cheques, and who are therefore often entrusted with very large
+sums of money.
+
+But now let us come to the foreigners stranded in the Corean kingdom. If
+you take them separately, they are rather nice people, though, of course,
+at least a dozen years behind time as compared with the rest of the
+world; taken as a community, however, they are enough to drive you crazy.
+I do not think that it was ever my good fortune to hear a resident speak
+well of another resident, this being owing, I dare say, to their seeing
+too much of one another. If by chance you come across a man occupying
+only a second-rate official position, you may depend upon it you will see
+airs! One hardly ventures to address any such personage, for so grand is
+he that, he will hardly condescend to say "How do you do?" to you, for
+fear of lowering himself. There are only about four cats in the place,
+and their sole subject of conversation is precedence and breaches of
+etiquette, when you would imagine that in such a distant land, and away,
+so to speak, from the outer world, they would all be like brothers.
+
+You must now consider yourselves as fairly landed in Corea, and having
+tried to describe to you what things and people that are not Corean are
+like in Corea, I must provide you--again of course only
+figuratively--with a tiny little pony, the smallest probably you have
+ever seen, that you may follow me to the capital of the kingdom, which I
+am sure will be interesting to you as being thoroughly characteristic of
+the country. First of all, however, we had better make sure of one point.
+
+The name Corea, or _K_orea, you may as well forget or discard as useless,
+for to the Corean mind the word would not convey any definite idea. Not
+even would he look upon it as the name of his country. The real native
+name now used is Cho-sen, though occasionally in the vernacular the
+kingdom goes by the name of Gori, or the antiquated Korai. There is no
+doubt that the origin of the word Corea is Korai, which is an
+abbreviation of Ko-Korai, a small kingdom in the mountainous region of
+the Ever White Mountains, and bordering upon the kingdom of Fuyu, a
+little further north, whence the brave and warlike people probably
+descended, who conquered old Cho-sen. The authorities on Corean history,
+basing their arguments on Chinese writings, claim that the present people
+of Cho-sen are the true descendants of the Fuyu race, and that the
+kingdom of Ko-Korai lay between Fuyu on the northern side and Cho-sen on
+the southern, from the former of which a few families migrated towards
+the south, and founded a small kingdom west of the river Yalu, electing
+as their king a man called Ko-Korai, after whom, in all probability, the
+new nation took its name. Then as their numbers increased, and their
+adventurous spirit grew, they began to extend their territory, north,
+south, and west, and in this latter direction easily succeeded in
+conquering the small kingdom of Wuju and extending their frontier as far
+south as the river Tatung, which lies approximately on parallel 38° 30".
+
+During the time of the "Three Realms" in China, between the years 220 and
+277 A.D., the Ko-Korai people, profiting by the weakness of their
+neighbours, and therefore not much troubled with guerrillas on the
+northern frontier, continued to migrate south, conquering new ground, and
+so being enabled finally to establish their capital at Ping-yan on the
+Tatong River. After a comparatively peaceful time with their northern
+neighbours for over 300 years, however, towards the end of the sixth
+century, China began a most micidial war against the king of Ko-Korai, or
+Korai, as it was then called, the "Ko" having been dropped. It seems
+that even in those remote days the Chinese had no luck in the land of
+Cho-sen, and though army after army, and hundreds of thousands of men
+were sent against them, the brave Korai people held their own, and far
+from being defeated and conquered, actually drove the enemy out of the
+country, killing thousands mercilessly in their retreat, and becoming
+masters of the Corean Peninsula as far south as the River Han.
+
+To the south of Korai were the states of Shinra and Hiaksai, and between
+these and Korai, there was for a couple of centuries almost perpetual
+war, the only intervals being when the latter kingdom was suffering at
+the hands of the formidable Chinese invaders. But as I merely give this
+rough and very imperfect sketch of Corean history, to explain how the
+word Korai originated and was then applied to the whole of the peninsula,
+I must now proceed to explain in bold touches how the other states became
+united to Korai.
+
+After its annexation to China, the Korai state remained crippled by the
+terrible blow it had received, for the Ko-Korai line of kings had been
+utterly expelled after having reigned for over seven centuries, but at
+last it picked up a little strength again through fresh migrations from
+the north-west, and in the second decade of the tenth century a Buddhist
+monk called Kung-wo raised a rebellion and proclaimed himself king,
+establishing his court at Kaichow.
+
+One of Kung-wo's officers, however, Wang by name, who was believed to be
+a descendant of the Korai family, did away with the royal monk and sat
+himself on the throne, which he claimed as that of his ancestors. Coming
+of a vigorous stock, and taking advantage of the fact that China was weak
+with internal wars, Wang succeeded in uniting Shinra to the old Korai,
+thus converting the whole peninsula into a single and united realm, of
+which, as we have already seen in the first chapter, he made the walled
+city of Sunto the capital. Wang died 945 A.D., and was succeeded by his
+son Wu, who wisely entered into friendly relations with China, and paid
+his tribute to the Emperor of Heaven as if he ruled a tributary state. In
+consequence of this policy it was that Corea enjoyed peace with her
+terrible Celestial rival for the best part of two centuries.
+
+Cho-sen, then, is now the only name by which the country is called by the
+natives themselves, for the name of Korai has been entirely abandoned by
+the modern Coreans. The meaning of the word is very poetic, viz., "The
+Land of the Morning Calm," and is one well adapted to the present
+Coreans, since, indeed, they seem to have entirely lost the vigour and
+strength of their predecessors, the Koraians. I believe Marco Polo was
+the first to mention a country which he called Coria; after whom came the
+Franciscan missionaries. Little, however, was known of the country until
+the Portuguese brought back to Europe strange accounts of this curious
+kingdom and its quaint and warlike people. According to the story, it was
+a certain Chinese wise man who, when in a poetic mood, baptized Corea
+with the name of Cho-sen. But the student of Corean history knows that
+the name had already been bestowed on the northern part of the peninsula
+and on a certain portion of Manchuria, and that it was in the year 1392,
+when Korai was united to Shinra and the State of Hiaksai became merged in
+it, that Cho-sen became the official designation of united Corea. The
+word "Corea" evidently is nothing but a corruption of the dead and buried
+word "Korai."
+
+FOOTNOTES:
+
+    [2] Long gown, the national dress of Japan.
+
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER III
+
+The road to Seoul--The _Mapu_--Ponies--Oxen--Coolies--Currency--Mode of
+carrying weights--The Han River--Nearly locked out.
+
+
+[Illustration: THE WEST GATE, SEOUL]
+
+I left Chemulpo on January 2nd, but instead of making use of the
+minuscule ponies, I went on foot, sending my baggage on in advance on a
+pack-saddle on one of them. I was still suffering considerably from an
+accident I had sustained to my foot among the hairy folk of the Hokkaido,
+and I thought that the long walk would probably be beneficial to me, and
+would take away some of the stiffness which still remained in my ankle.
+At a short distance from the port I came to a steep incline of a few
+hundred yards, and crossing the hill-range which formed the background to
+Chemulpo as one looks at it from the sea, I soon descended on the other
+side, from which point the road was nearly level all the way to the
+capital. The road is not a bad one for Corea, but is, of course, only fit
+for riding upon; and would be found almost of impossible access to
+vehicles of any size. The Japanese had begun running _jinrickshas_,
+little carriages drawn by a man, between the capital and the settlements;
+but two, and even three men were necessary to convey carriage and
+passenger to his destination, and the amount of bumping and shaking on
+the uneven road was quite appalling.
+
+These little carriages, as every one knows, generally convey only a
+single person, and are drawn by two men, who run in a tandem, while the
+third pushes the _ricksha_ from the back, and is always ready at any
+emergency to prevent the vehicle from turning turtle. This mode of
+locomotion, however, was not likely to become popular among the Coreans,
+who, if carried at all, prefer to be carried either in a sedan-chair, an
+easy and comfortable way of going about, or else, should they be in a
+hurry and not wish to travel in grand style, on pony or donkey's back.
+Europeans, as a rule, like the latter mode of travelling best, as the
+Corean sedan-chairs are somewhat too short for the long-legged foreigner,
+and a journey of six or seven hours in a huddled-up position is
+occasionally apt to give one the cramp, especially as Western bones and
+limbs do not in general possess the pliability which characterises those
+composing the skeleton of our Eastern brothers.
+
+The scenery along the road cannot be called beautiful, the country one
+goes through being barren and desolate, with the exception of a certain
+plantation of mulberry trees, a wretched speculation into which the
+infantile government of Cho-sen was driven by some foreigners, the object
+of which was to enrich Corea by the products of silk-worms, but which, of
+course, turned out a complete failure, and cost the Government much money
+and no end of worry instead. Here and there a small patch might be seen
+cultivated as kitchen garden near a hut, but with that exception the
+ground was hardly cultivated at all; this monotony of landscape, however,
+was somewhat relieved by the distant hills covered with maples, chestnuts
+and firs, now unfortunately for the most part deprived of their leaves
+and covered with snow, it being the coldest time of the year in Corea.
+
+The mile-posts on the high roads of Cho-sen are rather quaint, and should
+you happen to see one for the first time at night the inevitable result
+must be nightmare the moment you fall asleep. They consist of a wooden
+post about eight feet in length, on the upper end of which a long ghastly
+face is rudely carved out of the wood and painted white and red; the eyes
+are black and staring, and the mouth, the chief feature of the mask, is
+of enormous size, opened, showing two fine rows of pointed teeth, which
+might hold their own with those of the sharks of the Torres Strait, of
+world-wide reputation. A triangular wedge of wood on each side of the
+head represents the ears. The directions, number of miles, &c, are
+written directly under the head, and the writing being in Chinese
+characters, runs from up to down and from right to left.
+
+It was pretty along the road to see the numerous little ponies,
+infinitely smaller than any Shetlands, carrying big fellows, towering
+with their padded clothes above enormous saddles, and supported on either
+side by a servant, while another man, the _Mapu_, led the steed by hand.
+The ponies are so very small that even the Coreans, who are by no means
+tall people, their average height being about 5 ft. 4 in., cannot ride
+them unless a high saddle is provided, for without these the rather
+troublesome process of dragging one's feet on the ground would have to be
+endured.
+
+This high saddle, which elevates you some twenty inches above the pony's
+back, naturally involves a certain amount of instability to the person
+who is mounted, the balancing abilities one has to bring out on such
+occasions being of no ordinary degree. The Corean gentleman, who is
+dignified to an extreme degree, and would not for the world run the risk
+of being seen rolling in the mud or struggling between the pony's little
+legs, wisely provides for the emergency by ordering two of his servants
+to walk by his side and hold him by the arms and the waist, as long as
+the journey lasts, while the _Mapu_, one of the stock features of Corean
+everyday life, looks well after the pony and leads him by the head as one
+might a big Newfoundland dog. The _Mapu_ in Corea occupies about the same
+position as Figaro in the "Barber of Seville." While leading your pony he
+takes the keenest interest in your affairs, and thinks it his business to
+talk to you on every possible subject that his brain chooses to suggest,
+abusing all and everybody that he thinks you dislike and praising up what
+he fancies you cherish, that he may perhaps have a few extra _cash_ at
+the end of the journey, which he will immediately go and lose in
+gambling. He speaks of politics as if he were the axis of the political
+world, and will criticise the magistracy, the noble, and the king if he
+is under the impression that you are only a merchant, while evil words
+enough would be at his command to represent the meanness and bad manners
+of the commercial classes, if his pony is honoured by being sat upon by a
+nobleman! Such is the world even in Cho-sen. The _Mapu_ will sing to you,
+and crack jokes, and again will swear at you and your servants, and at
+nearly every _Mapu_ that goes by. The greater the gentleman his beast is
+carrying, the more quarrelsome is he with everybody. The road, wide
+though it be, seems to belong solely to him. He is in constant trouble
+with citizens and the police, and it is generally on account of his
+insignificance, poverty, and ignorance that so many of his evil doings
+and wrongs are forgiven. None the less it must be said for them that they
+take fairly good care of their minuscule quadrupeds. They feed them,
+usually three times a day, with boiled chopped straw and beans, and grass
+in summer-time, and with this diet you see the little brutes, which are
+only about 10 hands high, and even less sometimes, go twenty-five or
+thirty miles a day quite easily, with a weight of a couple of hundred
+pounds on their backs, quickly toddling along without stopping, unless it
+be to administer a sound kick to some bystander or to bite the legs of
+the rider. These ponies have a funny little way of getting from under
+you, if you ride them with an English saddle. They bend their legs till
+they see you firmly planted on the ground, and then quickly withdraw
+backwards leaving you, with your legs wide apart and standing like a
+fool, to meditate on equine wickedness in the Realm of the Morning Calm.
+They are indeed the trickiest little devils for their size I have ever
+seen; and for viciousness and love of fighting, I can recommend you to no
+steed more capable of showing these qualities. The average price of an
+animal as above described varies from the large sum of five shillings to
+as much as thirty shillings (at the rate of two shillings per Mexican
+dollar), the price of course varying, as with us, according to the breed,
+age, training, condition, &c., of the animal.
+
+These ponies are much used all over the kingdom, for good roads for wheel
+traffic hardly exist in the country, and wide horse-tracks form
+practically the whole means of communication between the capital and the
+most important ports and cities in the different provinces of Corea. They
+are used both for riding purposes and as pack-ponies, "for light articles
+only," like the racks in our railway carriages, but when heavy loads are
+to be conveyed from one place to another, especially over long distances,
+the frail pony is discarded and replaced by the sturdy ox. These horned
+carriers are pretty much of a size, and fashioned, so far as I could see,
+after the style of our oxen, except that they are apparently leaner by
+nature, and almost always black or very dark grey in colour; their horns,
+however, are rather short. They carry huge weights on a wooden angular
+saddle which is planted on their backs, and a _Mapu_ invariably
+accompanies each animal when loaded; indeed, in the case of the ponies
+the man even carries on his own back the food both for himself and for
+his beast, the latter generally having the precedence in eating his
+share. The sleeping accommodation also is, as a rule, amicably divided
+between quadruped and biped, and, taken all round, it cannot be said that
+either is any the worse for their brotherly relations. I firmly believe
+that the _Mapus_ are infinitely better-natured towards their animals than
+towards their wives or their children, who, as you will find by-and-by,
+are often cruelly ill-treated.
+
+But let us now continue our journey towards Seoul. Here several coolies
+are to be seen approaching us, carrying heavy loads on their backs. A man
+of a higher position follows them. And, strange circumstance! they are
+carrying money. Yes; one, two, three, four, five, six, seven, eight--yes,
+actually eight men, bent under heavy loads of coins. Your first idea, I
+suppose, will be that these men are carrying a whole fortune--but, oh
+dear! no. You must know that the currency in Corea is entirely brass, and
+these brass coins, which go by the name of _cash_ are round coins about
+the size of a halfpenny, with a square hole in the centre, by which they
+are strung together, generally a hundred at a time. There are usually as
+many as two thousand to two thousand eight hundred _cash_ to a Mexican
+dollar, the equivalent of which is at present about two shillings; you
+can, therefore, easily imagine what the weight of one's purse is if it
+contains even so small a sum as a pennyworth in Corean currency. Should
+you, however, be under an obligation to pay a sum of, say, £10 or £20,
+the hire of two oxen or six or eight coolies becomes an absolute
+necessity, for a sum which takes no room in one's letter-case if in Bank
+of England notes, occupies a roomful of hard and heavy metal in the
+country of the Morning Calm. Great trouble has been and is continually
+experienced in the kingdom owing to the lack of gold and silver coins;
+but to the Corean mind to make coins out of gold and to let them go out
+of the country amounts to the same thing as willingly trying to
+impoverish the fatherland of the treasures it possesses; wherefore,
+although rich gold-mines are to be found in Cho-sen, coins of the
+precious metal are not struck for the above-mentioned reason.
+
+[Illustration: COOLIES' ARRANGEMENT FOR CARRYING LOADS]
+
+So much for Corean political economy. The coins used are of different
+sizes and value. They range, if I remember right, from two _cash_ to
+five, and an examination of a handful of them will reveal the fact that
+they have been struck off at different epochs. There is the so-called
+current treasure coin of Cho-sen, one of the more modern kinds, as well
+as the older coin of Korai, the Ko-ka; while another coin, which seems to
+have been struck off in the Eastern provinces, is probably as old as any
+of these, and is still occasionally found in use. The coins, as I have
+said, are strung together by the hundred on a straw rope; a knot is tied
+when this number is reached, when another hundred is passed through, and
+so on, until several thousands are sometimes strung to one string. As
+curious as this precious load itself was the way in which it was carried.
+It is, in fact, the national way which all Corean coolies have adopted
+for conveying heavy weights, and it seems to answer well, for I have
+often seen men of no very abnormal physique carry a burden that would
+make nine out of ten ordinary men collapse under its heavy mass. The
+principle is much the same as that used by the porters in Switzerland,
+and also in some parts of Holland, if I am not mistaken. A triangular
+wooden frame rests on the man's back by means of two straps or ropes
+passed over the shoulders and round the arms. From this frame project two
+sticks, about 35 inches in length, on which the weight rests, and by
+bending the body at a lower or higher angle, according to the height or
+pressure of the load, a perfect balance is obtained, and the effort of
+the carrier considerably diminished. For heavy loads like wood, for
+instance, the process of loading is curious. The frame is set upon the
+ground, and made to remain in position by being inclined at an angle of
+about 45° against a stick forked at the upper end, with which every
+coolie is provided. When in this position, the cargo is put on and tied
+with a rope if necessary; then, the stick being carefully removed,
+squatting down gently so as not to disturb the position of the load, the
+coolie quickly passes his arms through the straps and thus slings the
+thing on to the back, the stick being now used as a help to the man to
+rise by instalments from his difficult position without collapsing or
+coming to grief. Once standing, he is all right, and it is wonderful what
+an amount of endurance and muscular strength the beggars have, for they
+will carry these enormous loads for miles and miles without showing the
+slightest sign of fatigue. They toddle along quickly, taking remarkably
+short steps, and resting every now and then on their forked stick, upon
+the upper end of which they lay their hands, forcing it against the chest
+and the ground, and so making it a sort of _point d'appui._
+
+Just a word as to the coolie's moral qualities. He much resembles in this
+the Neapolitan _lazzarone_--in fact, I do not know of any other
+individual in Eastern Asia that is such a worthy rival of the Italian
+macaroni-eater. The coolie will work hard when hungry, and he will do his
+work well, but the moment he is paid off the chances are that, like his
+_confrère_ on the Gulf of Naples, he will at once go and drink a good
+part of what he has received; then, in a state of intoxication, he will
+gamble the next half; and after that he will go to sleep for twenty-four
+hours on a stretch, and remain the next twelve squatting on the ground,
+basking in the sun by the side of his carrying-machine, pondering, still
+half asleep, on his foolishness, and seeking for fresh orders from
+passers-by who may require the services of a human beast of burden. Then
+you may see them in a row near the road-side drinking huts, either
+smoking their pipes, which are nearly three feet in length, or if not in
+the act of smoking, with the pipe stuck down their neck into the coat and
+down into the trousers, in immediate contact with the skin.
+
+Going along at a good pace I reached the half-way house, a
+characteristically Corean building, formerly used as an inn, and now
+being rented by a Japanese. Having entertained myself to tea and a few
+items of solid food, I proceeded on my pedestrian journey towards the
+capital. And now, as I gradually approached the river Han, more attention
+seemed to be given to the cultivation of the country. The staple product
+of cereals here is mainly buckwheat, beans and millet, a few rice-fields
+also being found nearer the water-side. Finally, having arrived at the
+river-side, after shouting for half an hour to the ferry boatman to come
+and pick me up, I in due course landed on the other side. The river Han
+makes a most wonderful detour between its estuary and this point. As the
+river was left behind, more habitations in the shape of miserable and
+filthy mud-huts, with thatched roofs, became visible; shops of eatables
+and native low drinking places following one another in continuation; and
+crowds of ponies, people, and oxen showed that the capital was now being
+fast neared; and sure enough, after winding along the dirty, narrow road,
+lined by the still dirtier mud huts for nearly the whole of the distance
+between Mafu, the place where the Han river was ferried, and here, a
+distance of about three miles, I found myself at last in front of the
+West Gate of the walled city of Seoul.
+
+I could hear quite plainly in the distance, from the centre of the town,
+the slow sound of a bell; and men, women and children, on foot or riding,
+were scrambling through the gate in both directions. As I stopped for a
+moment to gaze upon the excited crowd, it suddenly flashed across my mind
+that I had been told at Chemulpo, that to the mournful sound of what is
+called the "Big bell" the heavy wooden gates lined with iron bars were
+closed, and that no one was thereafter allowed to enter or go out of the
+town. The sun was just casting his last glorious rays on the horizon, and
+the excitement grew greater as the strokes of the bell became fainter
+and fainter, and with the mad crowd of men and beasts mixed together upon
+it, the road might be compared with the tide entering the mouth of a
+running river. I threw myself into the thick of the in-going flow, and
+with my feet trampled upon by passing ponies; now knocking against a
+human being, now face to face with a bull, I finally managed to get
+inside. Well do I remember the hoarse voices of the gate-keepers, as they
+shouted out that time was up, and hurried the weary travellers within the
+precincts of the royal city; well also do I recollect, as I stood
+watching their doings from the inside, how they pushed back and
+ill-treated, with words and kicks, the last people who passed through,
+and then, out of patience, revolved the heavy gates on their huge and
+rusty hinges, finally closing the city until sunrise next day. Shouts of
+people, just too late, on the other side, begging to be let in, remained
+unacknowledged, and the enormous padlocks and bolts having been
+thoroughly fastened, Seoul was severed from the outer world till the
+following morning. Adjoining the gate stood the gatekeeper's house, and
+in front of the door of this, a rack with a few rusty and obsolete spears
+standing in a row, was left to take care of the town and its inhabitants,
+while the guardians, having finished the work of the day, retreated to
+the warm room inside to resume the game or gambling which the setting sun
+had interrupted, and which had occupied their day. With the setting of
+the sun every noise ceased. Every good citizen retired to his home, and
+I, too, therefore, deemed it advisable to follow suit.
+
+There are no hotels in Seoul, with the exception of the very dirty
+Corean inns; but I was fortunate enough to meet at Chemulpo a Russian
+gentleman who, with his family, lived in Seoul, where he was employed as
+architect to His Majesty the King of Corea, and he most politely invited
+me to stay at his house for a few days; and it is to his kind
+hospitality, therefore, that I owe the fact that my first few nights at
+Seoul were spent comfortably and my days were well employed, my
+peregrinations round the town being also conducted under his guidance.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER IV
+
+The Coreans--Their faces and heads--Bachelors--Married
+men--Head-band--Hats--Hat-umbrellas--Clothes--Spectacles.
+
+
+Being now settled for the time being in Seoul, I must introduce you to
+the Corean, not as a nation, you must understand, but as an individual.
+It is a prevalent idea that the Coreans are Chinese, and therefore
+exactly like them in physique and appearance, and, if not like the
+Chinese, that they must be like their neighbours on the other side--the
+Japanese. As a matter of fact, they are like neither. Naturally the
+continuous incursions of both Chinese and Japanese into this country have
+left distinct traces of their passage on the general appearance of the
+people; and, of course, the distinction which I shall endeavour to make
+is not so marked as that between whites and blacks, for the Coreans,
+speaking generally, do bear a certain resemblance to the other peoples of
+Mongolian origin. Though belonging to this family, however, they form a
+perfectly distinct branch of it. Not only that, but when you notice a
+crowd of Coreans you will be amazed to see among them people almost as
+white and with features closely approaching the Aryan, these being the
+higher classes in the kingdom. The more common type is the yellow-skinned
+face, with slanting eyes, high cheek-bones, and thick, hanging lips.
+But, again, you will observe faces much resembling the Thibetans and
+Hindoos, and if you carry your observations still further you will find
+all over the kingdom, mostly among the coolie classes, men as black as
+Africans, or like the people of Asia Minor.
+
+For any one interested in types and crosses, I really do not know of a
+country more interesting than Cho-sen. It seems as if specimens of almost
+every race populating Asia had reached and remained in the small
+peninsula, which fact would to some degree disprove the theory that all
+migrations have moved from the east towards the west and from north to
+south, and never _vice versâ_.
+
+If you take the royal family of Corea, for instance, you will find that
+the king and queen, and all the royal princes, especially on the queen's
+side (the Min family), are as white as any Caucasian, and that their eyes
+are hardly slanting at all, and in some cases are quite as straight as
+ours. Members of some of the nobler families also might be taken for
+Europeans. Of course the middle classes are of the Mongolian type, though
+somewhat more refined and stronger built than the usual specimens of
+either Chinese or Japanese; they are, however, not quite so wiry and tall
+as their northern neighbours the Manchus, with whom, nevertheless, they
+have many points in common. The large invasions, as we have seen, of the
+Ko-korais and Fuyus may account for this.
+
+[Illustration: A BACHELOR]
+
+Taken altogether, the Corean is a fine-looking fellow; his face is
+oval-shaped, and generally long when seen full face, but it is slightly
+concave in profile, the nose being somewhat flat at the bridge between
+the eyes, and possessing wide nostrils. The chin is generally small,
+narrow and receding, while the lips, usually the weaker part in the
+Corean face, are as a rule heavy, the upper lip turned up and showing the
+teeth, while the lower one hangs pitifully downwards, denoting,
+therefore, little or no strength of character. They possess good teeth
+and these are beautifully white, which is a blessing for people like them
+who continually show them. The almond-shaped, jet-black eyes, veiled by
+that curious weird look peculiar to Eastern eyes, is probably the
+redeeming part of their face, and in them is depicted good-nature, pride
+and softness of heart. In many cases one sees a shrewd, quick eye, but it
+is generally an exception among this type, while among the lower
+classes, the black ones, it is almost a chief characteristic. The
+cheek-bones are prominent. The hair is scanty on the cheeks, chin, and
+over and under the lips, but quite luxuriant on the head. There is a very
+curious custom in Corea as to how you should wear your hair, and a great
+deal of importance is attached to the custom. If by chance you are a
+bachelor--and if you are, you must put up with being looked down upon by
+everybody in Corea--you have to let your hair grow long, part it
+carefully in the middle of your skull, and have it made up into a thick
+tress at the back of your head, which arrangement marks you out as a
+single man and an object of sport, for in the Land of the Morning Calm it
+seems that you can only be a bachelor under the two very circumstances
+under which we, in our land of all-day restlessness, generally marry,
+viz., if you are a fool and if you have not a penny to live upon! When
+thus unhappily placed you rank, according to Corean ideas, as a child, no
+matter what your age is, and you dress as a child, being even allowed to
+wear coloured coats when the country is in mourning, as it was, when I
+visited it, for the death of the dowager-Queen Regent, and everybody is
+compelled to wear white, an order that if not quickly obeyed by a married
+man means probably to him the loss of his head. Thus, though looked down
+upon as outcasts and wretches, bachelors none the less do enjoy some
+privileges out there. Here is yet another one. They never wear a hat;
+another exemption to be taken into consideration when you will see, a
+little further on, what a Corean hat is like.
+
+[Illustration: THE "TOP-KNOT" OF THE MARRIED MEN]
+
+Married men, on the other hand--and ninety-nine per hundred are married
+in Cho-sen--wear their hair done up in a most wonderful fashion. It is
+not as long as that of bachelors, for it is cut. It is combed, with the
+head down, in the orthodox fashion, as women do, I suppose, when they
+comb it by themselves, and then passing the left hand under it, along the
+forehead, it is caught close to the head just about the middle of the
+skull. This being satisfactorily done, what remains of the hair above the
+hand is twisted round into the shape and size of a sausage, which then
+remains sticking up perpendicularly on the top of the head, and which, in
+the natural order of things, goes by the sensible name of top-knot.
+Occasionally a little silver or metal bead is attached to the top of the
+knot, and a small tortoiseshell ornament fastened to the hair just over
+the forehead. This completes the married man's hair-dressing, with which
+he is always most careful, and I must say that the black straight hair
+thus arranged does set off the head very well. The illustration shows the
+profile of a married man of the coolie class, who, of course, wears the
+hair dressed just like the others, it being a national custom; only the
+richer and smarter people, of course, wear it more tidily, and, probably,
+not quite so artistically. Besides, the better class of people are not
+content with the process of beautifying themselves which I have just
+described, but surround the forehead, temples and back of the head with a
+head-band, a curious arrangement made of woven black horse-hair, which
+keeps the real hair tight under it, and not only prevents it from being
+blown about, but forms a more solid basis for the wonderful hats they
+wear. The nobler classes, upon whom the king has bestowed decorations in
+the shape of jade, gold or silver buttons, according to the amount of
+honour he has meant to accord them, wear these decorations, of all
+places, behind the ears, and fastened tight to the head-band.
+
+Thus much on the subject of the Corean's head. I shall spare you, my dear
+readers, the description of his body, for it is just like any other body,
+more or less well made, with the exception that it is invariably
+unwashed. Instead, I shall proceed to inspect with you his wardrobe and
+his clothing, which may be to you, I hope, much more interesting. To do
+this, let us walk along the main street of the town, where the traffic is
+generally great, and examine the people who go by. Here is a well-to-do
+man, probably a merchant. Two features at once strike you: his hat, the
+_kat-si_, and his shoes; and then, his funny white padded clothes. But
+let us examine him carefully in detail. It is a little difficult to
+decide at which end one should begin to describe him, but I imagine that
+it is the customary thing to begin with the head, and so, coming close to
+him, let us note how curiously his hat is made. It is just like a
+Welshwoman's hat in shape, or, in other words, like a flowerpot placed on
+a flat dish, as seen in the illustration; but the extraordinary thing
+about the Corean hat is that it is quite transparent, and has none of the
+virtues that, according to our ideas, a hat ought to possess. It is a
+wonderful work of art, for it is made of horse-hair, or, more commonly,
+of split bamboo so finely cut in threads as to resemble white horse-hair,
+and then woven into a fine net in the shape described. A thin bamboo
+frame keeps it well together, and gives to it a certain solidity, but
+though varnished over, it protects one's head from neither sun, wind, nor
+rain. It is considered a rude thing in Corea to take one's hat off, even
+in the house, and therefore the _kat-si_, not requiring instant removal
+or putting on, is provided with two hooks at the sides of the central
+cone, to each of which a white ribbon is attached, to be tied under the
+chin when the hat is worn, the latter resting, not on the hair itself,
+but on the head-band. This shape of hat is never worn without the
+head-band.
+
+The hat just described is that most commonly worn in the Land of the
+Morning Calm, and that which one sees on the generality of people. But
+there! look at that man passing along leading a bull--he has a hat large
+enough to protect a whole family. It is like a huge pyramid made of
+basket-work of split bamboo or plaited reeds or rushes, and it covers him
+almost half way down to his waist. Well, that poor man is in private
+mourning for the death of a relation, and he covers his face thus to show
+his grief.
+
+[Illustration: THE HEAD-BAND AND TRANSPARENT HAT]
+
+Here, again, comes another individual with a transparent hat like the
+first, only worn over a big hood open at the top over the head and
+falling rounded over the shoulders, thus protecting the ears from the
+severe cold. This is lined with fur, with which it is also trimmed, and
+looks quite furry and warm, if not exactly becoming. Ah! but here is
+something even more curious in the shape of head-gear. It is just
+beginning to snow, and, one after the other, our transparent _kat-sis_
+are undergoing a transformation. I daresay, as we stand watching the
+people go by, it will be noticed that nearly each one who has a
+transparent hat, also wears in his girdle round his waist a triangular
+object made of yellow oil-paper which resembles a fan. Well, now, you
+will see what it is. An oldish man turns up his nose to scrutinise the
+intentions of the weather-clerk, and, apparently little satisfied at the
+aspect of the threatening clouds, stops, and unsheathing his fan-like
+object from his belt, opens it, when it is seen to become like a small
+umbrella without the stick and handle, about two and a half feet only in
+diameter, which, by means of a string, he fastens over his brand new hat.
+When thus used, it takes the shape of a cone, except, of course, that
+there will be a multitude of folds in it. It is called _kat-no_. The idea
+is not at all bad, is it? for here you have an umbrella without the
+trouble of tiring your arms in carrying it.
+
+One cannot help being considerably puzzled by the differences in the
+various classes and conditions of the men. To all appearance, the
+generality of men seem here dressed alike, with this difference, that
+some are dirtier than others; occasionally one has an extra garment, but
+that is all. Yes, there is, indeed, difficulty at first in knowing who
+and what any one is, but with a little trouble and practice the
+difficulty is soon overcome. In the main the clothes worn by the men are
+the same, only a great difference is to be found in the way these
+garments are cut and sewn, just as we can distinguish in a moment the cut
+of a Bond Street tailor from that of a suburban one. In Corea, the
+tailor, as a rule, is one's wife, for she is the person entrusted with
+the cares of cutting, sewing, and padding up her better-half's attire. No
+wonder, then, that nine-tenths of the top-knotted consorts look regular
+bags as they walk about. The national costume itself, it must be
+confessed, does rather tend to deform the appearance of the human body,
+which it is supposed to adorn. First, there is a huge pair of cotton
+trousers, through each leg of which one can pass the whole of one's body
+easily, and these trousers are padded all over with cotton wool, no
+underclothing being worn. When these are put on, they reach from the chin
+to the feet, on to which they fall in ample and graceful folds, and you
+don them by holding them up with your teeth, and fastening them anywhere
+near and round your waist with a pretty, long silk ribbon with tassels,
+which is generally let hang down artistically over the right side. When
+this has been successfully accomplished, the extra length of trousers is
+rolled up so as to prevent the "unmentionables" from being left behind as
+you walk away, and a short coat, tight at the shoulders and in the shape
+of a bell, with short but wide sleeves, is put on to cover the upper part
+of the body. This coat also, like the trousers, is padded, and reaches
+almost to the haunches. It overlaps on the right hand side, two long
+ribbons being tied there into a pretty single-winged knot and the two
+ends left hanging. In winter time, the forearm, which in summer remains
+bare, is protected by a separate short muff, or sleeve, through which the
+hand is passed, and which reaches just over the elbow.
+
+Then come the padded socks, in which the huge trousers are tucked, and
+which are fastened round the ankle with a ribbon. And, lastly, now we
+come to the shoes. Those used by the better classes are made of hide, and
+have either leather soles with nails underneath, or else wooden soles
+like the Chinese ones with the turned-up toes. The real Corean shoe,
+however, as used every day for walking and not for show, is truly a
+peculiar one. The principal peculiarity about it is that it is made of
+paper; which sounds like a lie, though indeed it is not. Another
+extraordinary thing is that you can really walk in them. If you do not
+believe it, all you have to do is to take the first steamer to Corea and
+you can easily convince yourself of the fact. The greater part of the
+population wears them, and the _Mapus_ especially walk enormous distances
+in them. They are scarcely real shoes, however, and one should, perhaps,
+classify them rather as a cross between a shoe and a sandal, for that is
+just what they are. The toes are protected by numberless little strings
+of curled untearable paper, which, when webbed, make the sole, heel, and
+back of the sandal, and this is joined to the point of the shoe by a
+stouter cord going right round, which is also made of the same kind of
+twisted paper. This cord can be fastened tighter or looser to suit the
+convenience of the wearer of the sandal-shoe.
+
+The Corean is an unfortunate being. He has no pockets. If his hands are
+cold he must warm them by sticking them down his belt into his trousers,
+and if he be in company with people, he can generate a certain amount of
+heat by putting each into the other arm's sleeve. As for the money,
+tobacco, &c, that he wants to carry, he is compelled to provide himself
+with little silk bags, which he attaches to his waist-band or to the
+ribbon of his coat. These bags are generally of orange colour or blue,
+and they relieve a little the monotony of the everlasting white dresses.
+
+The clothing, so far as I have described it, is, with the exception of
+the shoes, that which is worn habitually in the house by the better
+classes of the people; the officials, however, wear a horse-hair high cap
+resembling a papal tiara on the head, instead of the other form of hat.
+Indoors, the shoes are not worn, the custom of Japan being prevalent,
+namely, to leave them at the door as one mounts the first step into the
+room. The middle lower classes and peasantry are seldom found parading
+the streets with anything besides what I have described, with the
+exception of the long pipe which they, like the _Mapu_ or the coolies,
+keep down the back of the neck when not using it. Merchants, policemen,
+and private gentlemen are arrayed, in winter especially, in a long cotton
+or silk gown similarly padded, an overall which reaches below the knees,
+and some, especially those in the Government employ, or in some official
+position, wear either without this or over this an additional sleeveless
+garment made of four long strips of cotton or silk, two in front and two
+at the back, according to the grade, almost touching the feet and divided
+both in front and at the back as far up as the waist, round which a
+ribbon is tied. This, then, is the everyday wardrobe of a Corean of any
+class. You may add, if you please, a few miscellaneous articles such as
+gaiters and extra bags, but never have I seen any man of Cho-sen walk
+about with more habiliments than these, although I have many times seen
+people who had a great deal less. The clothes are of cotton or silk
+according to the grade and riches of the wearer. Buttons are a useless
+luxury in Cho-sen, for neither men nor women recognise their utility; on
+the contrary, the natives display much amusement and chaff at the stupid
+foreign barbarian who goes and cuts any number of buttonholes in the
+finest clothing, which, in their idea, is an incomprehensible mistake and
+shows want of appreciation.
+
+Their method of managing things by means of loops and ribbons, has an
+effect which is not without its picturesqueness, perhaps more so than is
+our system of "keeping things together" in clothing matters. After all it
+is only a matter of opinion. The inhabitants of the land of Cho-sen, from
+my experience, are not much given to washing and still less to bathing. I
+have seen them wash their hands fairly often, and the face occasionally;
+only the very select people of Corea wash it daily. One would think that,
+with such a very scanty and irregular use of water for the purpose of
+cleanliness, they should look extremely dirty; but not a bit. It was
+always to me irritating to the last degree to see how clean those dirty
+people looked!
+
+But let us notice one or two more of the people that are passing by. It
+is now snowing hard, and every one carries his own umbrella on his head.
+Boys do not wear hats, and are provided with a large umbrella with a
+bamboo-frame that fits the head, as also are the bachelors. Here comes
+one of the latter class. His face is a finely cut one, and with his hair
+parted in the middle, and the big tress hanging down his back, he has
+indeed more the appearance of a woman than that of a man; hence the
+mistake often made by hasty travellers in putting down these bachelors as
+women, is easy to understand. When one is seen for the first time, it is
+really difficult to say to which sex he belongs, so effeminate does he
+look.
+
+It is part of the ambition of the male Corean to look wise, no matter
+whether he is or not as a matter of fact. And to assume the coveted air
+of wisdom what more is necessary than to put on a huge pair of round
+spectacles of Chinese origin with smoked glasses enclosed in a frame of
+gold or tortoiseshell, and with clasps over the ears? Oh how wise he
+looks! He does indeed! And you should see his pomposity as he rides his
+humble donkey through the streets of Seoul. There he sits like a statue,
+supported by his servants, looking neither to one side nor to the other,
+lest he should lose his dignity.
+
+"Era, Era, Era!" ("Make way, Make way!") cry out the servants as he
+passes among the crowd, which is invariably respectful and ready to obey
+this hero who looks down upon them. The lesser the official, of course
+the greater the air, and you should see how the people who stand in the
+way are knocked to one side by his servants, should they not be quick
+enough to make room for the dignitary and his donkey. His long gown is
+carefully arranged on the sides and behind, covering the saddle and
+donkey's back in large folds; for most things in Corea, as in other parts
+of the world, are done for the sake of appearance. What a dreadful thing
+it would be, were he to ride about with his gown crumpled up under his
+seat! It would be the cause of lifelong unhappiness, remorse and shame,
+and no doubt cost his servants a sound flogging for their unpardonable
+carelessness.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER V
+
+The Woman of Cho-sen--Her clothes--Her ways--Her looks--Her
+privileges--Her duties--Her temper--Difference of classes--Feminine
+musicians.
+
+
+It will now be proper, I think, since I have given you a rough sketch of
+the man of Cho-sen and his clothes, to describe in a general way to you
+the weaker sex--not an easy task--and what they wear--a much more
+difficult task still,--for I have not the good fortune to be conversant
+with the intricacies of feminine habiliments, and therefore hope to be
+excused if, in dealing with this part of my subject, I do not always use
+the proper terms applicable to the different parts that compose it.
+Relying, then, upon my readers' indulgence in this respect, I shall
+attempt to give an idea of what a Corean female is like. It has always
+been a feature in my sceptical nature to think that the more one sees of
+women the less one knows them; according to which principle, I should
+know Corean women very well, for one sees but little of them. Be that as
+it may, however, I shall proceed to give my impressions of them.
+
+As is pretty generally known, the women of Cho-sen, with the exception of
+the lower classes, are kept in seclusion. They are seldom allowed to go
+out, and when they do they cover their faces with white or green hoods,
+very similar in shape to those worn by the women at Malta. They appear,
+or pretend to be, shy of men, and foreigners in particular, and generally
+hide when one is approaching, especially if in a solitary street. I
+remember how astonished I was the first few days I was in Seoul, at the
+fact that every woman I came across in the streets was just on the point
+of opening a door and entering a house. It seemed so strange to me that
+damsel after damsel whom I met should just be reaching home as I was
+passing, that I began to think that I was either dreaming, or that every
+house belonged to every woman in the town. The idea suddenly dawned upon
+me that it was only a trick on their part to evade being seen, and on
+further inquiry into the matter from a Corean friend, I discovered that a
+woman has a right to open and enter any door of a Corean house when she
+sees a foreign man appearing on the horizon, as the reputation of the
+masculine "foreign devil" is still far from having reached a high
+standard of morality in the minds of the gentler sex of Cho-sen. In the
+main street and big thoroughfares, where at all times there are crowds of
+people, there is more chance of approaching them without this running
+away, for in Corea, as elsewhere, great reliance is placed on the saying
+that there is safety in numbers. So it was mainly here that I made my
+first studies of the retiring ways and quaint costumes of the Corean
+damsel.
+
+[Illustration: A COREAN BEAUTY]
+
+Yes, the costume really is quaint, and well it deserves to be described.
+They wear huge padded trousers, similar to those of the men, their socks
+also being padded with cotton wool. The latter are fastened tightly
+round the ankles to the trousers by means of a ribbon. You must not
+think, however, that the dame of Cho-sen walks about the streets attired
+in this manly garment, for over these trousers she wears a shortish skirt
+tied very high over the waist. Both trousers and skirt are generally
+white, and of silk or cotton according to the grade, position in life,
+and extravagance of those who wear them. A tiny jacket, usually white,
+red, or green, completes the wardrobe of most Corean women; one
+peculiarity of which is that it is so short that both breasts are left
+uncovered, which is a curious and most unpractical fashion, the climate
+of Corea, as we have already seen, being exceedingly cold--much colder
+than Russia or even Canada. The hair, of which the women have no very
+great abundance, is very simply made up, plastered down flat with some
+sort of stenching oil, parted in the middle, and tied into a knot at the
+back of the head, pretty much in the same way as clergymen's wives
+ordinarily wear it. A heavy-looking silver or metal pin, or sometimes
+two, may also be found inserted in this knot as an ornament. I have often
+seen young girls and old women wear a curious fur cap, especially in
+winter, but this cannot be said to be in general use. It is in the shape
+of the section of a cone, the upper part of which is covered with silk,
+while the lower half is ornamented with fur and two long silk ribbons
+which hang at the back and nearly reach the ground when the cap is worn.
+The upper part of this cap, curiously enough, is open, and on either side
+of the hole thus formed there are two silk tassels, generally red or
+black in colour. When smartly worn, this cap is quite becoming, but
+unfortunately, whether this be worn or not, the modest maiden of Cho-sen
+covers her head and face with a long green sort of an overall coat which
+she uses as a _mantilla_ or hood, throwing it over the head and keeping
+it closed over the face with the left hand.
+
+It must not on this account be imagined that there are not in Cho-sen
+women as coquettish as anywhere else, for, indeed, the prettier ones,
+either pretending that the wind blows back the hood, or that the hand
+that holds it over the face has slipped, or using some other excuse of
+the kind with which a woman is always so well provided, take every
+opportunity of showing you how pretty they are and of admiring them,
+particularly when they get to know who you are, where you hail from, and
+who your Corean friends are. The ugly ones, of course, are always those
+who make the most fuss, and should you see a woman in the street hide
+her face so that you cannot see it at all, you may be very sure that her
+countenance is not worth looking at, and that she herself is perfectly
+conscious of Nature's unkindness to her.
+
+As for several months I was seen day after day sketching in the streets,
+the people got to know me well, and since the Coreans themselves are very
+fond of art, although they are not very artistic themselves, I made
+numerous friends among them, and even, I might say, became popular.
+
+Vanity is a ruling characteristic of all people, and acting on this
+little weakness I was able to see more of the Corean damsel than most
+casual travellers.
+
+[Illustration: A LADY AT HOME]
+
+We find, it is true, _pros_ and _cons_ when we come to analyse her
+charms, but taking the average maid, she cannot be said to be worse in
+Corea than she is in other countries. She can be pretty and she can be
+ugly. When she is pretty, she is as pretty as they make them, and when
+she is the other way she is as ugly as sin, if not even worse. But let us
+take a good-looking one. Look at her sad little oval face, with arched
+eyebrows and with jet black, almond-shaped eyes, softened by the long
+eyelashes. Her nose is straight, though it might to advantage be a little
+less flat, and she possesses a sweet little mouth, just showing two
+pretty teeth as white as snow. There seems to be so much dignity and
+repose about her movements when you first see her, that you almost take
+her for a small statue. Hardly will she condescend to turn her face round
+or raise it up to look at you and even less inclined does she seem to
+smile, such is her modesty; once her shyness has worn off, however, she
+improves wonderfully. Her face brightens, and the soft, affectionate,
+distant look in her eyes is enough to mash into pulp the strongest of
+mankind. She is simple and natural, and in this chiefly lies her charm.
+She would not compare in beauty with a European woman, for she is neither
+so tall nor so well developed, but among women of far-Eastern nationality
+she, to my mind, takes the cake for actual beauty and refinement. The
+Japanese women of whom one hears so much, though more artistically clad,
+are not a patch on the Venuses of Cho-sen, and both in respect of
+lightness of complexion and the other above-named qualities they seemed
+to me to approach nearest to the standard of European feminine beauty.
+Their dress, as you may have judged by my rough description, is more
+quaint than graceful, and cannot be said to be at all becoming;
+nevertheless, when one's eyes have got accustomed to it, I have seen
+girls look quite pretty in it. I remember one in particular, a concubine
+of one of the king's ministers, whom I was fortunate enough to get to sit
+for me. She did not look at all bad in her long blue veil gown, much
+longer than the white one usually worn, which it covered, the white silk
+trousers just showing over the ankles, and a pretty pair of blue and
+white shoes fitting her tiny feet. She wore a little red jacket, of which
+she seemed very proud, and she smoked cigarettes and a pipe, though her
+age, I believe, was only seventeen.
+
+Women of the commoner classes can always be detected, not only by the
+coarser clothes they wear, but also by the way their hair is made up. Two
+long tresses are rolled up on the back of the head into a sort of turban,
+and though to my eye, innocent of the feminine tricks of hair-dressing,
+it looked all real and genuine, and a curious contrast to the infinitely
+less luxuriant growth of the better classes of women, I was told that a
+good deal of braids and "stuffing" was employed to swell their coiffures
+into the much-coveted fashionable size.
+
+One very strange custom in Corea is the privilege accorded to women to
+walk about the streets of the town at night after dark, while the men are
+confined to the house from about an hour after sunset and, until lately,
+were severely punished both with imprisonment and flogging, if found
+walking about the streets during "women's hours." The gentler sex was and
+is therefore allowed to parade the streets, and go and pay calls on their
+parents and lady friends, until a very late hour of the night, without
+fear of being disturbed by the male portion of the community. Few,
+however, avail themselves of the privilege, for unfortunately in Corea
+there are many tigers and leopards, which, disregarding the early closing
+of the city gates, climb with great ease over the high wall and take
+nightly peregrinations over the town, eating up all the dogs which they
+find on their way and occasionally even human beings. Tigers have
+actually been known to rudely run their paws through the invulnerable
+paper windows of a mud house, drag out a struggling body roughly awoke
+from slumber, and devour the same peacefully in the middle of the street.
+
+Since then a _rencontre_ with a hungry individual of this nature during a
+moonlight walk is sure to be somewhat unpleasant, it is not astonishing
+that it is but very, very rarely that at any hour of the night the
+Cho-sen damsel avails herself of the privilege accorded her. The woman,
+as I have already mentioned, is considered nothing in Corea. The only
+privilege she has, as we have just seen, is the chance of being torn to
+pieces and eaten up by a wild beast when she is out for a constitutional,
+and that we may safely say is not a privilege to be envied. The poor
+thing has no name, and when she is born she goes by the vague
+denomination of "So-and-so's" daughter. When there are several girls in
+the family, to avoid confusion, surnames are found convenient enough, but
+they are again lost the moment she marries, which, as we shall see in
+another chapter, often happens at a very early age. She then becomes
+"So-and-so's" wife. The woman in Corea has somewhat of a sad and dull
+life, for from the age of four or five she is separated even from her
+brothers and brought up in a separate portion of the house, and from that
+time ideas are pounded into her poor little head as to the disgrace of
+talking, or even being looked at by humans of a different gender. The
+higher classes, of course, suffer most from the enforcement of this
+strict etiquette, for in the very lowest grades of society the woman
+enjoys comparative freedom. She can talk to men as much as she pleases,
+and even goes out unveiled, being much too low a being to be taken any
+notice of; the upper classes, however, are very punctilious as to the
+observance of their severe rules. The Corean woman is a slave. She is
+used for pleasure and work. She can neither speak nor make any
+observations, and never is she allowed to see any man other than her
+husband. She has the right of the road in the streets, and the men are
+courteous to her. Not only do the men make room for her to pass, but even
+turn their faces aside so as not to gaze at her. There are numberless
+stories of a tragic character in Corean literature, of lovely maidens
+that have committed suicide, or have been murdered by their husbands,
+brothers, or fathers, only for having been seen by men, and even to the
+present day a husband would be considered quite justified in the eye of
+the law if he were to kill his wife for the great sin of having spoken to
+another man but himself! A widow of the upper class is not allowed to
+re-marry, and if she claims any pretence of having loved her late
+husband, she ought to try to follow him to the other world at the
+earliest convenience by committing the _jamun_, a simple performance by
+which the devoted wife is only expected to cut her throat or rip her
+body open with a sharp sword. They say that it is a mere nothing, when
+you know how to do it, but it always struck me, that practising a little
+game of that sort would not be an easy matter. For the sake of truth, I
+must confess that it was a husband who depreciated the worthy act. The
+lower people are infinitely more sensible. Though a woman of this class
+were to lose twenty husbands, she would never for a moment think of doing
+away with herself, but would soon enter into her twenty-first matrimonial
+alliance.
+
+Women, somehow or other, are scarce in Corea, and always in great demand.
+The coolies, and people of a similar or lower standing, cannot do without
+a female companion, for it is she who prepares the food, washes the
+clothes, and sews them up. She is beaten constantly, and very often she
+beats the man, for the Corean woman can have a temper at times. Jealousy
+_en plus_ is one of her chief virtues. I have seen women in Seoul nearly
+tearing one another to pieces, and, O Lord! how masterly they are in the
+art of scratching. The men on such occasions stand round them,
+encouraging them to fight, the husbands enjoying the fun more than the
+other less interested spectators. The women of the lower classes seem to
+be in a constant state of excitement and anger. They are always insulting
+one another, calling each other names, or scolding and even ill-treating
+their own children. What is more extraordinary still to European ears, is
+that I once actually saw a wife stand up for her husband, and she did it
+in a way that I am not likely soon to forget.
+
+A soldier was peacefully walking along a narrow street, half of which
+was a sort of drain canal, the water of which was frozen over, when a man
+came out of a house and stopped him. The conversation became hot at once,
+and with my usual curiosity, the only virtue I have ever possessed, I
+stopped to see the result.
+
+"You must pay me back the money I lent you," said the civilian in a very
+angry tone of voice.
+
+"I have not got it," answered the military man, trying to get away.
+
+"Ah! you have not got it?" screamed a third personage, a woman emerging
+from the doorway, and without further notice hit the soldier on the head
+with the heavy wooden mallet commonly used for beating clothes.
+
+The husband, encouraged by this unexpected reinforcement, boldly attacked
+the soldier, and, whilst they were occupied in wrestling and trying to
+knock each other down, the infuriated woman kept up a constant
+administration of blows, half at least of which, in her aimless hurry,
+were received by the companion of her life for whom she was fighting.
+Once she hit the poor man so hard--by mistake--that he fell down in a
+dead faint, upon which the soldier ran for his life, while she, jumping
+like a tiger at him, caught him by the throat, spinned him round like a
+top, and floored him, knocking him down on the ice. Then she pounced on
+him, with her eyes out of her head with anger, and giving way to her
+towering passion, pounded him on the head with her heels while she was
+hitting him on the back with her mallet.
+
+"You have killed my husband, too, you scoundrel!" she cried, while the
+defeated warrior was struggling hard, though in vain, to escape.
+
+As she was about to administer him a blow on the head that would have
+been enough to kill a bull, she fortunately slipped on the ice and went
+sprawling over her victim. The soldier, more dead than alive, had raised
+himself on his knees, when that demon in female attire rose again and
+embracing him most tenderly, bit his cheek so hard as to draw a regular
+stream of blood. I could stand it no longer, and proceeded on to the
+slippery ice to try to separate them, but hardly was I within reach than
+I was presented with a sound blow on my left knee from the mallet which
+she was still manipulating with alarming dexterity, by which I was at
+once placed _hors de combat_ before I had time even to offer my services
+as a peace-maker. Not only that, but besides the numberless "stars" which
+she made me see, the pain which she caused me was so intense that,
+hopping along as best I could on to the street again, I deemed it prudent
+to let them fight out their own quarrel and go about my own business.
+
+"Never again as long as I live," I swore, when I was well out of sight,
+as I rubbed my poor knee, swollen up to the size of an egg, "never shall
+I interfere in other people's quarrels. Who would have foreseen this? and
+from a woman, too!"
+
+It is, indeed, easy to be a philosopher after the event, but it is
+strange how very often one gets into fearful rows and trouble without
+having had the slightest intention either to offend or to annoy the
+natives. Here is another little anecdote which I narrated some months ago
+in the _Fortnightly Review_, and which is a further proof of the violent
+temper of the women-folk, of the lower classes in Cho-sen. The Coreans in
+general, and the women in particular, are at times extremely
+superstitious, which partly accounts for the violent scene in question,
+which arose out of a mere nothing, and nearly resulted in a most serious
+case of wilful infanticide. This is how things stood.
+
+I was sketching one day outside the east gate of Seoul, and, as usual,
+was surrounded by a large crowd of natives, when a good-natured old man
+with a kindly face attracted my attention, as he lifted up in his arms a
+pretty little child, on whose head he had placed his horse-hair
+transparent hat, and asked me whether I would like to paint the little
+one so attired in my picture. I was tempted by the offer, and, having
+taken up a fresh panel, proceeded to dash off a sketch of my new model in
+his pretty red frock, his tiny padded socks, and his extra large hat, to
+the great amusement of the audience, who eagerly watched every stroke of
+my brush, and went into ecstasies as they saw the likeness come out more
+and more plainly. The Coreans, like the Japanese, are extremely quick at
+understanding pictures and drawings, and I was much gratified to notice
+the interest displayed by my _auditorium_, for never before had I seen a
+crowd so pleased with work of mine. My last experiences in the sketching
+line had been among the hairy savages of the Hokkaido, among whom art was
+far from being appreciated or even tolerated, and portrait-painting was
+somewhat of a risky performance; so that when I found myself lionised,
+instead of being under a shower of pelting stones and other missiles, it
+was only natural that I felt encouraged, and really turned out a pretty
+fair sketch so far as my capabilities went. "Beautiful!" said one; "Very
+good!" exclaimed another; "Just life-like!" said they all in a chorus as
+I lifted up the finished picture to show it to them, when--there was a
+sudden change of scene. A woman with staring eyes, and as pale as death,
+appeared on the door-step of a house close by, and holding her forehead
+with her hands, as if a great calamity was to befall her, made a step
+forward.
+
+"Where is my child?" cried she in a voice of anger and despair.
+
+"Here he is," answered one of the crowd. "The foreigner is painting a
+picture of him."
+
+There was a piercing yell, and the pale woman looked such daggers at me
+that I nearly dropped the sketch, brushes and palette out of my hands.
+Oh, it was such a look! Brrr! how I shivered. Then, with another yell,
+tenfold more piercing than the first, she made a dash into the crowd, and
+tried to snatch the child away. I have heard people say that I am
+sensitive, and I believe that I really was on that occasion, for I
+involuntarily shuddered as I saw at a glance what was coming. The crowd
+had got so interested in the picture that they would not hear of letting
+the child go; so the mother, scorned and pushed back, was unsuccessful in
+her daring attempt. Boldly, however, making a fresh attack, she dashed
+into the midst of them and managed to grasp the child by the head and one
+arm; which led to the most unfortunate part of the business, for the
+angry mother pulled with all her might in her efforts to drag her sweet
+one away, while the people on the other hand pulled him as hard as they
+could by the other arm and the legs, so that the poor screaming mite was
+nearly torn to pieces, and no remonstrances of mine had the least effect
+on this human yet very inhuman tug-of-war.
+
+Fortunately for the child, whose limbs had undergone a good stretching,
+the mother let go; but it was certainly not fortunate for the others,
+for, following the little ways that women have, even in Corea, she
+proceeded to scratch the faces of all within her reach, and I myself came
+within an inch of having my eyes scratched out of my head by this
+infuriated parent, when to my great relief she was dragged away. As she
+re-entered the door of her domicile, she shook her fist and thrust her
+tongue out at me, a worthy finish to this tragic-comic scene.
+
+I do not wish you to think, however, that all women are like that in
+Corea; for, indeed, they are not. In fact, the majority of them may be
+said to be good-mannered and even soft in nature, besides being painfully
+laborious. You should see the poor things on the coldest days and nights
+of winter, smashing the thick ice in the rivers and canals, and spending
+hour after hour with their fingers in the freezing water, washing the
+clothes of their lords and masters, who are probably peacefully and
+soundly asleep at home. You should see them with their short, wooden
+mallets, like small clubs, beating the dirt out of the wet cotton
+garments, soap being as yet an unknown luxury in the Corean household.
+The poorer women, who have no washing accommodation at home, have to
+repair to the streams, and, as the clothes have to be worn in the day,
+the work must be done at night. Sometimes, too, three or more join
+together and form washing parties, this, to a certain extent, relieving
+the monotony of the kneeling down on the cold stone, pounding the clothes
+until quite clean, and constantly having to break the ice that is
+continually reforming round their very wrists. The women who are somewhat
+better off do this at home, and if you were to take a walk through the
+streets of Seoul by night you soon get familiar with the quick tick,
+tick, tick, the time as regularly marked as that of a clock, heard from
+many houses, especially previous to some festivity or public procession,
+when everybody likes to turn out in his best. If a woman in our
+country were sent out to do the washing under similarly trying
+circumstances--and, mind, a suit of clothes takes no less than a couple
+of hours to wash properly--I have no doubt that she might be tempted to
+ask for a divorce from her husband for cruelty and ill-treatment; but the
+woman of Cho-sen thinks nothing of it, and as long as it pleases the man
+whom she must obey she does it willingly and without a word of complaint.
+In fact, I am almost of opinion that the Corean woman likes to be made a
+martyr, for, not unlike women of other more civilised countries, unless
+she suffers, she does not consider herself to be quite happy!
+
+It sounds funny and incongruous, but it really is so. While studying the
+women of Corea, a former idea got deeply rooted in my head, that there is
+nothing which will make a woman happier than the opportunity of showing
+with what resignation she is able to bear the weight and drudgery of her
+duty. If to that she can add complaint of ill-treatment, then her
+happiness is unbounded. The woman of Cho-sen gets, to my mind, less
+enjoyment out of life than probably any other woman in Asia. This life
+includes misery, silence, and even separation from her children--the male
+ones--after a certain age. What things could make a woman more unhappy?
+Still, she seems to bear up well under it all, and even to enjoy all this
+sadness, I suppose one always enjoys what one is accustomed to do,
+otherwise I do not see how the phenomenon is to be explained.
+
+[Illustration: A SINGER]
+
+A few words must be added about that special class of women, the singers,
+who, as in Japan, are quite a distinct guild from the other women. A
+similar description to that of the _geishas_ of Japan might apply to
+these gay and talented young ladies, who are much sought after by high
+officials and magistrates to enliven their dinner-parties with chanting
+and music. They are generally drawn from the very poorest classes, and
+good looks and a certain amount of wit and musical talent is what must be
+acquired to be a successful singer. They improvise or sing old national
+songs, which never fail to please the self-satisfied and well-fed
+official, and if well paid, they will even condescend to pour wine into
+their employer's cups and pass sweets to the guests. If beautiful and
+accomplished, the "Corean artistes" make a very good living out of their
+profession, large sums of money being paid for their services. But if at
+all favoured by Nature, they generally end by becoming the unofficial
+wives of some rich minister or official. These women chalk their faces
+and paint their lips; they wear dresses made of the most expensive silks,
+and, like people generally who have sprung from nothing and find
+themselves lodged among higher folks than themselves, they give
+themselves airs, and cultivate a sickening conceit. Among the Coreans,
+however, they command and receive much admiration, and many an intrigue
+and scandal has been carried out, sometimes at the cost of many heads,
+through the mercenary turn of mind of these feminine musicians.
+
+This music is to the average European ear more than diabolical, this
+being to a large extent due to the differences in the tones, semi-tones,
+and intervals of the scale, but personally, having got accustomed to
+their tunes, I rather like its weirdness and originality. When once it is
+understood it can be appreciated; but I must admit that the first time
+one hears a Corean concert, an inclination arises to murder the musicians
+and destroy their instruments. Of the latter they have many kinds,
+including string and brass, and drums, and cymbals, and other sorts of
+percussion instruments. The flutes probably are the weirdest of all their
+wind category, but the tone is pleasant and the airs played on them
+fascinating, although somewhat monotonous in the end, repetitions being
+continually effected. Then there is the harp with five strings, if I
+remember right, and the more complicated sort of lute with twenty-five
+strings, the _kossiul_; a large guitar, and a smaller one; the _kanyako_
+being also in frequent use. Most of these instruments are played by
+women; the flutes, however, are also played by men.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER VI
+
+Corean children--The family--Clans--Spongers--Hospitality--Spinning-tops
+--Toys--Kite-flying--Games--How babies are sent to sleep.
+
+
+One great feature of Cho-sen life are the children. One might almost say
+that in Cho-sen you very seldom see a boy, for boyhood is done away with,
+and from childhood you spring at once to the sedate existence of a
+married man. Astonishing as this may sound, it is nevertheless true. The
+free life of a child comes to an end generally when he is about eight or
+nine years of age. At ten he is a married man, but only, as we shall see
+later, nominally. For the present, however, we shall limit ourselves to a
+consideration of his bachelor days.
+
+[Illustration: COREAN MARRIED MAN, AGE 12]
+
+It must be known that in Corea, just as here, boys are much more
+cherished than girls, and the elder of the boys is more cherished than
+his younger brothers, should there be more than one in a family,
+notwithstanding that the younger are better-looking, cleverer and more
+studious. When the father dies, the eldest son assumes the reins of the
+family, and his brothers look to him as they had before done to their
+father. He it is who inherits the family property and nearly all the
+money, though it is an understood rule that he is bound either to divide
+the inheritance share and share alike with the rest of the family, or
+else keep them as the father had done. Thus it is that Corean families
+are, for the most part kept together; one might almost say that the
+kingdom is divided into so many clans, each family with the various
+relations making, so to speak, one of them. Family ties are much regarded
+in the Land of the Morning Calm, and great interest is taken by the
+distant relations in anything concerning the happiness and welfare of the
+family. What is more, if any member of the clan should find himself in
+pecuniary troubles, all the relations are expected to help him out of
+them, and what is even more marvellous still, they willingly do it,
+without a word of protest. The Corean is hospitable by nature, but with
+relations, of course, things go much further. The house belonging to one
+practically belongs to the other, and therefore it is not an uncommon
+occurrence for a "dear relation" to come to pay a visit of a few years'
+duration to some other relation who happens to be better off, without
+this latter, however vexed he may be at the expense and trouble caused by
+the prolonged stay of his visitor, even daring to politely expel him from
+his house; were he to do so, he would commit a breach of the strict rules
+of hospitality enjoined by Corean etiquette. Even perfect strangers
+occasionally go to settle in houses of rich people, where for months they
+are accommodated and fed until it should please them to remove their
+quarters to the house of some other rich man where better food and better
+accommodation might be expected. There is nothing that a Corean fears so
+much as that people should speak ill of him, and especially this is the
+bugbear under which the nobleman of Cho-sen is constantly labouring, and
+upon which these black-mailers and "spongers" work. High officials, whose
+heads rest on their shoulders, "hung by a hair," like Damocles' sword,
+suffer very much at the hands of these marauders. Were they to refuse
+their hospitality it would bring upon them slander, scandal and libel
+from envenomed tongues, which things, in consequence of the scandalous
+intriguing which goes on at the Corean court, might eventually lead to
+their heads rolling on the ground, separated from the body--certainly not
+a pleasant sight. In justice to them, nevertheless, it must be
+acknowledged that these human leeches are occasionally possessed with a
+conscience, and after kindness has been shown them for many months they
+will generally depart in search of a new victim. Whence it would appear
+that the people of Cho-sen carry their hospitality to an extreme degree,
+and in fact it is so even with foreigners, for when visiting the houses
+of the poorest people I have always been offered food or drink, which you
+are invariably asked to share with them.
+
+But let us return to the Corean family. The mother, practically from the
+beginning, is a nobody in the household, and is looked upon as a piece of
+furniture or a beast of burden by the husband, according to his grade,
+and as an ornament to the household, but nothing more by her own sons.
+Her daughters, if she has any, regard her more as a friend or a
+companion, sharing the lonely hours and helping her with her work. The
+women never take part in any of the grand dinners and festivities in
+which their husbands revel, nor are they allowed to drink wine or
+intoxicants. They may, however, smoke.
+
+When the children get to a certain age, the males are parted from the
+females, and the first are constantly in the company of their father,
+while the latter, as we have seen, share the dull fate of the mother. The
+first thing a male child is taught is love, deep respect, and obedience
+to his governor, and in this he is, as a general rule, a paragon. If the
+father be ill, he will lie by his side day and night, nursing him, and
+giving him courage; and if any misfortune befalls him, the duty of a good
+son is to share it with his genitor.
+
+I cannot quite make up my mind on the point, whether the Corean child has
+a good time of it or not, and whether he is properly cared for, as there
+is much to be said on both sides of the question. Taken as a whole, the
+children of the noblemen and rich people, though strictly and even
+severely brought up, cannot, I think, be said to be ill-used; but the
+brats of the poorer people are often beaten in a merciless manner. I
+remember seeing a father furiously spanking a son of about five years
+old, who was pitifully crying so as to break one's heart, and as if that
+were not punishment enough, he shook him violently by his little
+pig-tail, and pounded him on the head with his knuckles, a performance
+that would have killed, or, at all events, rendered insensible nine
+children out of ten of other nationalities; but no, to my utter
+astonishment, the moment the father, tired of beating, retired into the
+house, the little mite, wiping his streaming tears with the backs of his
+hands and pulling himself together, quietly sat down on the ground, and
+began playing with the sand, as if nothing had happened!
+
+"Well!" I remember saying, as I stood perplexed, looking at the little
+hero, "if that does not beat all I have seen before, I do not know what
+can!"
+
+Yes, for hard heads and for insensibility to pain, I cannot recommend to
+you better persons than the Coreans. There are times when the Cho-sen
+children actually seem to enjoy themselves, as, for instance, during the
+month of January, when it is the fashion to have out their whipping- and
+spinning-tops. With his huge padded trousers and short coat, just like a
+miniature man, except that the colour of his coat is red or green, and
+with one or two tresses hanging down his back, tied with long silk
+ribbons, every child you come across is at this season furnished with a
+big top and a whip, with which he amuses himself and his friends,
+slashing away from morn till night, until, tired out by the exertion, he
+goes to rest his weary little bones by his father's side, still hanging
+on to the toys that have made his day so happy. The Corean child is quiet
+by nature. He is really a little man from the moment he is born, so far
+as his demeanour is concerned. He is seldom rowdy, even when in the
+company of other children, and, if anything, rather shy and reserved. He
+amuses himself with his toys in a quiet way, and his chief pleasure is to
+do what his father does. In this he is constantly encouraged, and those
+who can afford it, provide their boys with toys, representing on a
+smaller scale the objects, &c., used in the everyday life of the man. He
+has a miniature bow-and-arrow, a wooden sword, and a somewhat realistic
+straw puppet, which he delights in beheading whenever he is tired of
+playing with it and shooting his arrows into it. He possesses a
+fishing-rod, and on windy days relishes a good run with the large paper
+pinwheels, a world-wide familiar toy in infantile circles. Naturally,
+too, musical instruments, as well as the national means of conveyance,
+such as palanquins and wheel-chairs, have not escaped the notice of the
+Corean toy-manufacturer, who, it must be said, imitates the different
+objects to perfection in every detail, while, of course, considerably
+reducing them in size. Other various articles of common use in the
+household are also often reproduced in a similar way. The games that the
+children seem to enjoy most, however, seem to be the out-of-door ones.
+Kite-flying is probably the most important. Indeed, it is almost reduced
+to an art in Corea, and not only do small children go in for it
+extensively, but even the men take an active part in this infantile
+amusement. The Corean kite differs from its Japanese or Chinese relative
+in that it is very small, being only about twenty inches long by fourteen
+wide. Besides, instead of being flat on the frame, the Cho-senese kite is
+arched, which feature is said by the natives to give it a much greater
+flying capacity.
+
+The string is wound round a framework of wood attached to a stick, which
+latter revolves in the hands or is stopped at the will of the person who
+flies the kite. It is generally during the north winds that the kites are
+flown, and it is indeed a curious thing during those days to watch
+regular competitions, fights, and battles being fought among these paper
+air-farers. As soon as the kite is raised from the ground and started in
+the orthodox way, the tactics used by the Corean boy in his favourite
+amusement become most interesting. He lets it go until it has well caught
+the wind, and by sudden jerks given to it in a funny way, knocking and
+clapping the thread-wheel on his left knee, he manages to send the kite
+up to a very great height. Hundreds and hundreds of yards of string are
+often used. When high enough, sailing gaily along among hundreds of other
+kites, it is made to begin warlike tactics and attack its nearest
+neighbour. Here it is that the Corean shows his greatest skill in
+manoeuvring his flying machine, for by pulls, jerks, and twists of the
+string he manages to make his kite rise or descend, attack its enemy or
+retreat according to his wish. Then as you break your neck watching them,
+you see the two small squares of paper, hundreds of yards above you in
+mid-air, getting closer to one another, advancing and retreating, as
+would two men fighting a duel; when, suddenly, one takes the offensive,
+charges the other, and by a clever _coup de main_ makes a rent in it,
+thus dooming it to a precipitous fall to the earth. Thus victorious, it
+proudly proceeds to attack its next neighbour, which is immediately made
+to respond to the challenge; but this time kite number three, whose
+leader has profited by the end of kite number two, keeps lower down than
+his adversary, gets round him in a clever way, and when the strings meet,
+by a hard pull cuts that of kite number one, which, swinging slowly in
+the air, and now and then revolving round itself in the air, gently
+descends far away from its owner, and is quickly appropriated by some
+poor kiteless child, who perhaps has been in company with many fellows,
+watching and pining for hours for such a happy moment. Pieces of broken
+glass are often tied to the string at intervals, being of great help in
+cutting the adversary's cord.
+
+The people of Cho-sen seem to take as much interest in kite-flying as the
+Britisher does in racing. The well-grown people bet freely on the
+combatants, and it is not an uncommon thing for the excitement to reach
+such a pitch that the battle begun in mid-air terminates with sound blows
+in less aërial regions.
+
+It is quaint to see rows of children with their little red jackets,
+standing on the high walls of the city, spending hours in this favourite
+amusement. They have barely room to stand upon, as the wall is hardly
+more than a couple of feet wide, and it was always a surprise to me
+that, amid the constant jerking and pulling the young folks were never
+precipitated from their point of vantage to the foot, which in many
+places would be as much as thirty feet in height. I have watched them for
+hours in the expectation of seeing one of them have an accident, but
+unfortunately for me they never did!
+
+The little girls under ten years of age are exceedingly pretty. With the
+hair carefully parted in the middle and tied into two tresses at the
+back, a little green jacket and a long red skirt, they do indeed look
+quaint. You should see how well-behaved and sedate, too, they are. It is
+impossible to make one smile. You may give her sweets, a toy, or anything
+you please, but all you will hear is the faintest "Kamapso," and away she
+runs to show the gift to her mother. She will seldom go into fits of
+merriment in your presence, but, of course, her delight cannot fail to be
+at times depicted in her beaming eyes. She is more unfortunate than her
+brother in the number of toys she receives, and though her treatment is
+not so very severe, she begins from her earliest years a life of drudgery
+and work. As soon as her little brain begins to command her tiny fingers,
+she is compelled to struggle with a needle and thread. When her fragile
+arms get stronger she helps her mother in beating the clothes, and from
+the moment she rises to the time she goes to rest, ideas as to her future
+servility, humility, and faithfulness to man are duly impressed upon her.
+
+As in Japan, so in Corea, a custom prevails of adopting male children by
+parents who have none of their own. The children adopted are generally
+those of poorer friends or of relations who chance to have some to spare.
+When the adoption is accomplished, with all the rules required by the law
+of the country, and with the approval of the king, the adopted son takes
+the place of a real son, and has a complete right of succession to his
+adoptive father in precedence to the adoptive mother and all the other
+relations of the defunct.
+
+The Corean boy begins to study when very young. If the son of a rich man,
+he has a private tutor; if not, he goes to school, where he is taught the
+letters of the Corean alphabet, and Chinese characters. All official
+correspondence in Corea is done with Chinese characters, and a lifetime,
+as everybody knows, is hardly enough to master these. The native Corean
+alphabet, however, is a most practical and easy way of representing
+sounds, and I am not sure but that in many ways it is even more practical
+than ours. I will give the reader the opportunity of judging of this for
+himself by-and-by (_see_ chapter xiii.). Arithmetic is also pounded into
+the little heads of the Cho-sen mites by means of the sliding-bead
+addition-board, the "chon-pan," a wonderful contrivance, also much used
+in Japan and China, and which is of invaluable help in quick calculation.
+The children are made to work very hard, and I was always told by the
+natives that they are generally very diligent and studious. A father was
+telling me one day that his son was most assiduous, but that he (the
+father) every now and then administered to him a good flogging.
+
+"But that is unfair," said I. "Why do you do it?"
+
+"Because I wish my son to be a great man. I am pleased with his work, but
+I flog him to encourage(?) him to study better still!"
+
+I felt jolly glad that I was never "encouraged" in this kind of way when
+I was at school.
+
+"I have no doubt that if you flog him enough he will one day be so clever
+that no one on this earth will be able to appreciate him."
+
+"You are right," said the old man, perceiving at once the sarcasm of my
+remark, "you are right. I shall never beat my son again."
+
+The children of labourers generally attend night-schools, where they
+receive a sound education for very little money and sometimes even
+gratis.
+
+I am sure you will be interested to learn after what fashion children are
+named in the Land of the Morning Calm, as baptism with holy water is not
+yet customary. To tell you the truth, however, I am not quite certain how
+things are managed, and I rather doubt whether even the Coreans
+themselves know it. The only rule I was able to establish is that there
+was no rule at all, with the exception that all the males took the family
+name, to which followed (not preceded, as with us) one other name, and
+then the title or rank. Nicknames are extremely common, and there is
+hardly any one who not only has one, but actually goes by it instead of
+by his real name. Foreigners also are always called after some
+distinguishing mark either in the features or in the clothing. I went by
+the name of "disguised Corean," for I was always mistaken for one,
+notwithstanding that I dressed in European clothes. I will not say that
+I was very proud of my new name.
+
+The Corean noblemen, during their many hours of _dolce far niente_, often
+indulge in games of chess, backgammon and checkers, and teach these games
+to their sons as part of a gentleman's accomplishments. Cards, besides
+being forbidden by order of the king, are considered vulgar and a low
+amusement only fit for the lowest people. The soldiers indulge much in
+card-playing and gambling with dice-throwing and other ways.
+
+But to return to the children of Cho-sen: do you know what is the system
+employed by the yellow-skinned women to send their babies to sleep?
+
+They scrape them gently on the stomach!
+
+The rowdiest baby is sent to sleep in no time by this simple process. I
+can speak from experience, for I once tried it on a baby--only a few
+months old--that I wanted to paint. He was restless, and anything but a
+good sitter. It was impossible to start work until he was quiet, so I
+decided to experiment on the juvenile model the "scraping process" that I
+had seen have its effect a day or two previously. At first the baby
+became ten times more lively than before, and looked at me as if it meant
+to say, "What the devil are you doing?" Then, as I went on scraping his
+little stomach for the best part of ten minutes, he became drowsy, was
+hardly able to keep his eyes open, and finally, thank Heaven, fell
+asleep!
+
+He was, indeed, he was so much so that I thought he was never going to
+wake up again.
+
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER VII
+
+Corean inns--Seoul--A tour of
+observation--Beggars--Lepers--Philosophy--An old palace--A leopard
+hunt--Weather prophets--The main street--Sedan chairs---The big
+bell--Crossing of the bridges--Monuments--Animal worship--The Gate of the
+Dead--A funeral--The Queen-dowager's telephone.
+
+
+[Illustration: THE DRILLING GROUND, SEOUL]
+
+During the time that I was in Seoul--and I was there several months--most
+of my time was spent out of doors, for I mixed as much as possible with
+the natives, that I might see and study their manners and customs. I was
+very fortunate in my quarters: for I first stayed at the house of a
+Russian gentleman, and after that in that of the German Consul, and to
+these kind friends I felt, and shall always feel, greatly indebted for
+the hospitality they showed me during the first few weeks that I was in
+the capital; but, above all, do I owe it to the Vice-Minister of Home
+Affairs in Corea, Mr. C.R. Greathouse, in whose house I stayed most of
+the time, that I saw Corea as I did see it, for he went to much trouble
+to make me comfortable, and did his best to enable me to see every phase
+of Corean life. For this, I need not say, I cannot be too grateful.
+
+The great difficulty travellers visiting the capital of Corea
+experience--I am speaking of four years ago--is to find a place to put up
+at, unless he has invitations to go and stay with friends. There are no
+hotels, and even no inns of any sort, with the exception of the very
+lowest _gargottes_ for soldiers and coolies, the haunts of gamblers and
+robbers. If then you are without shelter for the night, you must simply
+knock at the door of the first respectable house you see, and on demand
+you will heartily be provided with a night's domicile and plentiful rice.
+This being so, there is little inducement to go to some filthy inn
+entirely lacking in comforts, and, above all, in personal safety.
+
+The Corean inns--and there are but few even of those--are patronised only
+by the scum of the worst people of the lowest class, and whenever there
+is a robbery, a fight, or a murder, you can be certain that it has taken
+place in one of those dens of vice. I have often spent hours in them
+myself to study the different types, mostly criminal, of which there are
+many specimens in these abodes. There it is that plots are made up to
+assassinate; it is within those walls that sinners of all sorts find
+refuge, and can keep well out of sight of the searching police.
+
+The attractions of Seoul, as a city, are few. Beyond the poverty of the
+buildings and the filth of the streets, I do not know of much else of any
+great interest to the casual globe-trotter, who, it must be said, very
+seldom thinks it advisable to venture as far as that. No, there is
+nothing beautiful to be seen in Seoul. If, however, you are on the
+look-out for quaintness and originality, no town will interest you more.
+Let us go for a walk round the town, and if your nose happens to be of a
+sensitive nature, do not forget to take a bottle of the strongest salts
+with you. We might start on our peregrinations from the West Gate, as we
+are already familiar with this point. We are on the principal
+thoroughfare of Seoul, which we can easily perceive by the amount of
+traffic on it as compared with the other narrower and deserted streets.
+The mud-houses on each side, as we descend towards the old royal palace,
+are miserable and dirty, the front rooms being used as shops, where
+eatables, such as rice, dried fruit, &c, are sold. A small projecting
+thatched roof has been put up, sustained by posts, at nearly each of
+these, to protect its goods from sun and snow. Before going two hundred
+yards we come to a little stone bridge, about five feet wide, and with no
+parapet, over a sewer, in front of which is an open space like a small
+square. But look! Do you see that man squatting down there on a mat? Is
+he not picturesque with his long white flowing robe, his large pointed
+straw hat and his black face? As he lies there with outstretched hands,
+dried by the sun and snow, calling out for the mercy of the passers-by,
+he might almost be mistaken for an Arab. His face is as black as it could
+be, and he is blind. He is one of the personalities of Seoul, and rain or
+shine you always see him squatting on his little mat at the same spot in
+the same attitude.
+
+[Illustration: THE BLIND BEGGAR: SEOUL]
+
+It is only seldom that beggars are to be seen in Cho-sen, for they are
+not allowed to prowl about except on certain special occasions, and
+festivities, when the streets are simply crammed with them. It is then
+that the most ghastly diseases, misfortunes, accidents, and deformities
+are made use of and displayed before you to extract from your pockets the
+modest sum of a _cash_. I cannot say that I am easily impressed by such
+sights, and far less horrified, for in my lifetime it has been my luck to
+see so many that I have got accustomed to them; but I must confess to
+being on one occasion really terrified at the sight of a Corean beggar. I
+was sketching not very far from this stone miniature bridge on which we
+are supposed to be still standing, when I perceived the most ghastly
+object coming towards me. It looked like a human being, and it did not;
+but it was. As he drew nearer, I could not help shivering. He was a
+walking skeleton, minus toes and fingers. He was almost naked, except
+that he had a few rags round his loins; and the skin that hardly covered
+his bones was a mass of sores. His head was so deformed and his eyes so
+sunken that a Peruvian mummy would have been an Adonis if compared with
+him. Nose he had none--_et ça passe_--for in Seoul it is a blessing not
+to have one; and where his mouth should have been there was a huge gap,
+his lower jaw being altogether missing. A few locks of long hair in
+patches on his skull, blown by the wind, completed a worthy frame for
+this most unprepossessing head.
+
+Oh, what a hideous sight! He hopped along a step or two at a time on his
+bony legs and toeless feet, keeping his balance with a long crutch, which
+he held under his arm, and he had a sort of wooden cup attached by a
+string to his neck, into which people might throw their charities. "He is
+a leper," a Corean, who stood by my side and had noticed the
+ever-increasing expression of horror on my face, informed me.
+
+The man, or rather the scarecrow, for he hardly had any more the
+resemblance to a human being, hearing the noise of the crowd that was
+round me, moved in my direction. He staggered and dragged himself till he
+got quite close, then bending his trembling head forward, made the utmost
+efforts to see, just as a bat does when taken out into the daylight. Poor
+fellow! he was also very nearly blind. His efforts to speak were painful
+beyond measure. A hoarse sound like the neighing of a pony was all that
+came out of his throat, and each time he did this, shrieks of laughter
+rose from the crowd, while comical jokes and sarcastic remarks were
+freely passed at the thinness of his legs, the condition of his skin, and
+the loss of the lower half of his face. Oh! it was shocking and
+revolting, though it must be said for them that the same people who
+chaffed him were also the first ones to fill his little pot with cash.
+
+Now, you must not think that I have told you this story to make your hair
+stand on end, for that is not my intention at all; but simply to prove to
+you the anomaly that a Corean is not really cruel when he is cruel, or
+rather when he appears to us to be cruel. This sounds, I believe, rather
+extraordinary to people who cannot be many-sided when analysing a
+question, but what I mean is this: It must not be forgotten that
+different people have different customs and different ways of thinking;
+therefore, what we put down as dreadful is often thought a great deal of
+in the Land of the Morning Calm.
+
+"Why not laugh at illnesses, death, and deformity?" I once heard a Corean
+argue.
+
+"It does not make people any better if you sympathise with them; on the
+contrary, by so doing you simply add pain to their pain, and make them
+feel worse than they really are. Besides, illnesses help to make up our
+life, and it is our duty to go through them as merrily as through those
+other things which you call pleasures. We people of Cho-sen do not look
+upon illnesses, accidents, or death as misfortunes, but as natural things
+that cannot be helped and must be bravely endured; what better, then, can
+we do than laugh at them?"
+
+"So your argument is," I dared put in, "that if one may laugh at one's
+own misfortunes, there is all the more title to laugh at those of other
+people?"
+
+"That is so," retorted the man of Cho-sen, with an air of
+self-conviction.
+
+I at once agreed with him that I did not find much real harm in laughing
+at other people's misfortunes, except that if it did not do anybody any
+harm, it neither did them any good; but I acknowledge that it took me
+some minutes before I could make up my mind as to one's own misfortunes.
+In the end, however, I had to agree with him even about this point. He
+proved to me that Coreans are at bottom very good-hearted and unselfish,
+and always ready to help relations and neighbours, always ready to be
+kind even at their own discomfort. This good-nature, however, lacks in
+form from our point of view, though the substance is always the same, and
+probably more so than with us. They are a much simpler people, and
+hypocrisy among them has not yet reached our civilised stage. In the case
+of our poor leper friend, we have seen that the people who laughed at him
+were the first to help him; whereas, I have no doubt that among us who
+are good Christians, and nothing else but charitable, the majority would
+not have laughed; indeed, I am not quite sure but that, on the contrary,
+many would have run to the nearest church to pray for the man, meantime
+leaving him "cashless," if not to die of starvation.
+
+Now let us continue our walk and leave the blind man and leper behind. On
+our left-hand side there is a huge gateway with a red wooden door--in
+rather a dilapidated condition--though apparently leading to something
+very grand. Since we are here we may as well go in. Good gracious! it is
+a tumble-down place. In olden days it used to be the king's palace, and
+if you follow me you can see how big the grounds are. For some reason or
+other this place, with all its accessories, buildings, &c., has been
+abandoned by the Court simply because of rumours getting abroad that
+ghosts haunted it. Evil spirits were reported to have been seen prowling
+about the grounds, and in the royal apartments, and it would never have
+done for a king to have been near such company; so the Court went to
+great expense to build a fresh abode for the royal personage, and the old
+palace was abandoned and left to decay. The grounds that were laid out as
+pretty gardens were, many years later, used for a plantation of
+mulberries, a foreign speculation which was to enrich the King and the
+country, but which turned out instead a huge _fiasco_. The mulberry trees
+are still there, as you may see. Let us, however, proceed a little way up
+this hill and go and pay a visit to the two eunuchs who are the sole
+inhabitants of this huge place, and who will take us round it. These
+eunuchs occupy a little room about ten feet square and of the same height
+in the inner enclosure. They are very polite, and joining their hands by
+way of salute to you, invite you to go in--to drink tea and smoke a pipe.
+Poor wretches! One of them, a fat fellow of an unwholesome kind, as if he
+were made of putty, having learnt the European way of greeting people,
+insisted on shaking hands with me, but, oh, how repulsive it was! His
+cold, squashy sort of boneless hand, gave you the impression that you had
+grasped a toad in your hand. And his face! Did you ever see a weaker,
+more depraved and inhuman head than that which was screwed on his
+shoulders? His cadaverous complexion was marked with the results of
+small-pox, which were certainly no improvement to his looks; his eyes had
+been set in his head anyhow, and each seemed to move of its own accord;
+his mouth seemed simply to hang like a rag, showing his teeth and his
+tongue.
+
+His fellow was somewhat better, for he was of the thin kind of that type,
+and though possessing the effeminate, weak characteristics of his friend,
+one could at least see that he was built on a skeleton, like the
+generality of people! But the features of these eunuchs were as nothing
+to their voices. The latter were squeaky like those of girls of five; and
+more especially when the fat man spoke, it almost seemed as if the thread
+of a voice came from underground, so imperceptible was the sound that he
+could produce after he had spoken a few minutes. Having profited by the
+notions of my Corean philosopher of a little while ago, I simply went
+into screams of merriment at the misfortune of these poor devils, but
+really it was difficult to help it.
+
+Preceded by these eunuchs, let us now go over the tumble-down ruins of
+the palace. On the top of the small hill stands the main building of red
+painted wood and turned up roof _à la Chinoise_, and inside this, in the
+audience hall, can yet be seen the remains of the wooden throne raised up
+in the centre, with screens on the sides. There is nothing artistic about
+it, no richness, and nothing beautiful, and with the exception of the
+ceiling, that must have been pretty at one time with native patterns and
+yellow, red and green ornaments, there is absolutely nothing else worth
+noticing. Outside, the three parallel flights of steps leading up to the
+audience hall have a curious feature. It is forbidden to any one but the
+King to go up on the middle steps, and he of course is invariably
+carried; for which reason, in the middle part of the centre staircase a
+carved stone table is laid over the steps in such a way that no one can
+tread on them except quite at the sides where the men who carry the King
+have to walk.
+
+The houses where the King and royal family used to live with their
+household have now been nearly all destroyed by the weather and damp, and
+many of the roofs have fallen in. They were very simple, only one story
+high, and little better than the habitations of the better classes of
+people in Cho-sen. Coming out again of the inner enclosure, one finds
+stables and other houses scattered here and there in the _compound_,[3]
+and lower down we come to a big drain of masonry. But let me tell you a
+funny story.
+
+As you know, the Land of the Morning Calm is often troubled at night by
+prowling leopards and huge tigers which make their peregrinations through
+the town in search of food. A big leopard was thus seen by the natives
+one fine day taking a constitutional in the grounds of this haunted
+palace. Perplexed and even terrified, the unarmed natives ran for their
+lives, except one who, from a distant point of vantage, watched the
+animal and saw him enter the drain just mentioned. There happened to be
+staying in Seoul an Englishman, a Mr. S., who possessed a rifle and who
+had often astonished the natives by his skill in never missing the bull's
+eye; so to him they all went in a deputation, begging him to do away with
+the four-legged, unwelcome visitor. Mr. S., who wished for nothing
+better, promised that he would go that same night, and, accompanied by
+his faithful native servant, went and hid himself in proximity to the
+hole whence the leopard was likely to spring. It was a lovely moonlight
+night, and several hours had been passed in perfect silence and vain
+waiting for the chance of a shot, when a bright idea struck the native
+servant. Certain that the leopard was no longer there, and wishing to
+retire to his warm room, he addressed his master in poetic terms somewhat
+as follows:--
+
+"Sir, I am a brave man, and fear neither man nor beast. I am your
+servant, and for you am ready to give my life. I have brought with me two
+long bamboos, and with them I shall go and poke in the drain, rouse the
+ferocious beast, and as he jumps out you will kill him. If I shall lose
+my life, which I am ready to do for you, please think of my wife and
+child."
+
+"Very good," said the Englishman, who was getting rather tired of the
+discomfort and cold, and who, though he did not say so, also shared the
+opinion that the brute had gone.
+
+Thus encouraged, the servant at once proceeded to tie the two bamboos
+together, and again reminding his master of the brave act he was going to
+accomplish, proceeded with firm step to the drain, about thirty yards
+off. When he reached the opening he seemed to hesitate. He stood and
+listened. He carefully peeped in and listened again. He heard nothing.
+Then, bringing all his courage to bear, he lifted his bamboo and began
+poking in the drain. Two or three times, as he thought, he had touched
+something soft with the end. He dropped his bamboo as if it had been a
+hot iron, and ran full-speed back to his master, imploring his
+protection.
+
+"Has got--has got--kill--master--kill--kill!" and he lay by his side,
+shivering with fright.
+
+"You are frightened, you coward; there is nothing. Go again."
+
+After a few minutes the faithful valet, who had then made quite sure that
+there was no leopard in the drain and that he had shown himself a coward,
+unwillingly and slowly returned to the charge and picked up his bamboo.
+
+"I am trembling with cold, not with fear," he had said as he was getting
+up again. "I shall enter the drain this time and rouse the animal
+myself!"
+
+So he really did. He went in, holding the bamboo in front of him, and
+pausing at each step. The farther in he went, the more his
+self-confidence failed him. The drain was high enough to allow of his
+standing in it with his back and head bent down; wherefore, if an
+encounter with the spotted fiend were to take place, the retreat of the
+man would not be an easy matter.
+
+"Master must think me very brave," he was soliloquising on his
+subterranean march, when he received a sudden shock that nearly stopped
+his heart and froze the blood in his veins. He had actually touched
+something soft with the end of his bamboo, and not only that, but he
+fancied he heard a growl.
+
+He quickly turned round to escape, when a violent push knocked him down,
+and he fell almost senseless and bleeding all over.
+
+"Bang!" went the rifle outside just as the screams of: "Master, aahi,
+aahi, kill, kill, kill," were echoing in the drain; and the leopard with
+a broken hind leg rolled over on the ground groaning fiercely, by-and-by
+trying to retrace its steps to its domicile. The poor Corean lay
+perplexed, looking at the scene, all lighted up by the beautiful
+moonlight; and his heart bounded with joy, when, after the second or
+third report of the gun, he saw shot dead the animal that had already
+reached the opening of the drain.
+
+As his master appeared, rifle in hand, and touched the dead beast, his
+valiant qualities returned to him in full, and he got out of the drain.
+He was badly scratched all over, I dare say, by the paws of the beast,
+for it had sprung violently out the moment the bamboo tickled it, though
+otherwise he was not much the worse for his narrow escape.
+
+Such is the last story connected with that drain. The grounds, as you
+see, extend towards the west as far as the city wall. As we go out of the
+gate which we entered, you can see a sort of a portico on the left-hand
+side as you approach it. Well, under that, as the spring is approaching,
+there are often to be heard the most diabolical noises for several days
+in succession. If the season has been a very dry one, you will see
+several men and numberless children beating on three or four huge drums
+and calling out at the top of their voices for rain. From sunrise until
+sunset this goes on, unless some stranded cloud happens to appear on the
+horizon, when the credit of such a phenomenon is awarded to their
+diabolical howls, and _cash_ subtracted from landed proprietors as a
+reward for their having called the attention of the weather-clerk. A
+spectacled wise-man, a kind of astrologer, on a donkey and followed and
+preceded by believers in his extraordinary powers of converting fine
+weather into wet, and _vice versâ_, rides through the main streets of the
+capital, with lanterns and festoons, on the same principle as does our
+Salvation Army, namely, to collect a crowd to the spot where his
+mysterious rites are to be performed. Here, supported by his servants, he
+dismounts from his high saddle, and, still supported under his arms--the
+idea being that so great a personage cannot walk by himself--he at last
+reaches the spot, apparently with great fatigue. "To carry all his
+knowledge," argue the admiring natives, "must indeed entail great
+fatigue."
+
+When rain is to be summoned, our astrologer addresses his first
+reproaches to the sun, stretching out his hands and using the strongest
+of invectives, after which, when he has worked himself into a towering
+rage against the orb of day, an execrable beating on the drums begins,
+accompanied by the howling of all the people present. The god of rain
+gets his share of insults, and is severely reprimanded for the casual way
+in which he carries on his business, and so, partly with good, partly
+with bad manners, this satanic performance goes on day after day, until,
+eventually, it does begin to rain.
+
+The portico in this old haunted palace was a favourite spot for these
+rites, and as the house of the Vice-Minister of Home Affairs, where I
+stayed as a guest, was close by, I suffered a good deal at the hands of
+these fanatics, for the noise they made was of so wild a nature as to
+drive one crazy--if not, also, quite sufficient to bring the whole world
+down.
+
+We may now continue our peregrination along the main street. There along
+the wall squat dozens of coolies, with their carrying arrangement,
+sitting on their heels, and basking in the sun. Further on, one of them
+is just loading a huge earthenware vase full of the native beverage. The
+weight must be something enormous. Yet see how quickly and cleverly he
+manages to get up with it, and walk away from his kneeling position by
+first raising one leg, then the other, and after that a push up and it is
+done.
+
+Here, again, coming along, is another curiosity. It is a blue palanquin,
+carried on the back of two men. They walk along quickly, with bare feet,
+and trousers turned up over the knees. Instead of wearing a transparent
+head-gear, like the rest of the people, these chair-bearers have round
+felt hats. In front walks a _Maggiordomo_, and following the palanquin
+are a few retainers. Heading the procession are two men, who, with rude
+manners, push away the people, and shout out at the top of their voices:
+
+"Era, Era, Era; Picassa, Picassa!" ("Out of the way; get out, get away!")
+were the polite words with which these roughs elbowed their way among the
+crowd, and flung people on one side or the other, in order to clear the
+road for their lord and master. From the hubbub they made, one might have
+imagined that it was the King himself coming, instead of a mere
+magistrate.
+
+A few hundred yards further on, one finds on one's left a magnificent
+street departing at right angles to the main thoroughfare. It is
+certainly the widest street in the Corean capital. So wide is it, in
+fact, that two rows of thatched houses are built in the middle of the
+road itself, so to speak, forming out of one street three parallel
+streets. These houses are, however, pulled down and removed altogether
+once or twice a year, when His Majesty the King takes it into his head to
+come out of his palace and go in his state chair, preceded by a grand
+procession, to visit the tombs of his ancestors, some miles out of the
+town, or to meet the envoys of the Chinese Emperor, a short way out of
+the west gate of the capital, at a place where a peculiar triumphal arch,
+half built of masonry and half of lacquered wood, has been erected, close
+to an artificial cut in the rocky hill, named the "Pekin Pass" in honour
+of the said Chinese messengers.
+
+I witnessed two or three of these king's processions, and I shall
+describe them to you presently. In the meantime, however, let us walk up
+the royal street.
+
+The two rows of shanties having been pulled down, its tremendous width is
+very conspicuous, being apparently about ten times that of our
+Piccadilly. The houses on both sides are the mansions in which the
+nobles, princes, and generals live, and are built of solid masonry. They
+are each one story high, with curled-up roofs, and here and there the
+military ensign may be seen flying. Facing us at the end, a pagoda-like
+structure, with two roofs, and one half of masonry, the upper part of
+lacquered wood, is the main entrance to the royal palace. Two sea-lions,
+roughly carved out of stone, stand on pedestals a short distance in front
+of the huge closed gate, and there, squatting down, gambling or asleep,
+are hundreds of chair-carriers and soldiers, while by the road-side are
+palanquins of all colours, and open chairs, with tiger and leopard skins
+thrown over them, waiting outside the royal precincts, since they are not
+allowed inside, for their masters, who spend hours and days in
+expectation of being invited to an audience by, or a confabulation with,
+His Majesty. People of different ranks have differently coloured
+chairs--the highest of the palanquin form being that covered with green
+cloth and carried by four men. Foreign consuls and legal advisers of the
+King are allowed the honour of riding in one of these. The privilege of
+being carried by four men instead of by two is only accorded to officials
+of high rank. The covered palanquins are so made that the people squat in
+them cross-legged. A brass receptacle, used for different purposes, is
+inside, in one corner of the conveyance. Some of them are a little more
+ornamented than others, and lined with silk or precious skins, but
+generally they are not so luxurious as the ones in common use in China.
+
+[Illustration: AN OFFICIAL GOING TO COURT IN A MONO-WHEELED CHAIR]
+
+But if you want to see a really strange sight, here at last you have it.
+It is a high official going to Court in his state mono-wheeled chair. You
+can see that he is a "somebody" by the curious skull-cap he is wearing,
+curled up over the top of his head and with wings on each side starting
+from the back of his head-gear. His flowing silk gown and the curious
+rectangular jewelled stiff belt, projecting far beyond his body, denote
+that he is holding a high position at the Corean Court. A coolie marches
+in front of him, carrying on his back a box containing the court clothes
+which he will have to don when the royal palace is reached, all
+carefully packed in the case, covered with white parchment. Numerous
+young followers also walk behind his unsteady vehicle. There you see him
+perched up in a kind of arm-chair at a height of about five feet--sitting
+more or less gracefully on a lovely tiger skin, that has been
+artistically thrown upon it, leaving the head hanging down at the back.
+Under the legless chair, as it were, there are two supports, at the lower
+end of which and between these supports revolves a heavy, nearly round
+wheel, with four spokes. Occasionally the wheel is made of one block of
+wood only, and is ornamented at the sides with numerous round-headed iron
+nails. There may be also two side long poles to rest on the shoulders of
+the two carriers--one in front and one at the back--a few extra
+strengtheners on each side, and then you have the complete "_attelage_."
+So you see, it may be a great honour to be carried about in a similar
+chair, though to the eyes of barbarians like ourselves it looks neither
+comfortable nor safe. India-rubber tyres and, still less, pneumatic ones,
+have not yet been adopted by the Corean chair-maker, and it appeared to
+me that a good deal of "holding on" was required, especially when
+travelling over stony and rough ground, to avoid being thrown right out
+of one's high position. The grandees whom I saw carried in them seemed to
+me, judging by the expression on their faces, to be ever looking forward
+patiently and hopefully to the time for getting out of these perilous
+conveyances. Certainly when going round corners or on uneven ground I
+often saw them at an angle that would make the hair of anybody but a
+grave and sedate Corean official stand on end. The palace gate reached,
+he is let down gently, the front part of the chair being gradually
+lowered, and, with a sigh of relief, steps out of it. Immediately he is
+supported on each side by his followers, and thus the palace is entered,
+the mono-wheeled chair being left outside standing against the wall, and
+the tired carriers squatting down to a quiet gamble with the
+chair-bearers of other noblemen.
+
+Here let us leave him for the present, since the huge gates are closed
+again upon our very noses.
+
+The royal palace is enclosed by a high wall, at the corners of which
+there are turrets with sentries and soldiers. In each of the sections of
+the wall also there is a gate, the principal one of course being that
+which we have already described.
+
+We shall now retrace our steps down the royal avenue, but before leaving
+it we must once again look back upon the royal enclosure. It is not a
+very grand sight, but it is pretty to see a high hill towering at the
+back of the royal palace. Undoubtedly the position where the palace is
+now situated is the best in Seoul, both through being in the very centre
+of the town and through the prettiness of its situation. The inside of
+the royal enclosure we shall presently describe.
+
+Continuing our way, then, towards the east gate, we soon come to another
+big thoroughfare on our right-hand side, at one corner of which is a
+picturesque ancient pavilion, with a railing round it. This is one of the
+sights of Seoul, "the big bell."
+
+It is a huge bronze bell raised from the ground only about a foot. It
+possesses a fine rich tone when it is hammered upon by the bell-ringer,
+but a good deal of the sonorousness is lost and the sound made dreary and
+monotonous by its being so low down. The man rings it by striking heavy
+blows at it with a big wooden mallet, and its first note in the early
+morning makes the drowsy gate-keepers of the town begin to make
+preparations for establishing communication once more between the capital
+and the outer world; while at sunset, as its last melancholy notes are
+blown away in dying waves by the wind, the heavy gates are closed, and
+every man--though not every woman, as we shall see--has to retire to his
+home until dawn the next morning, if he wishes to escape a severe
+flogging, or even the risk of losing his head. The laws and rules in this
+respect have not been very severely enforced of late years; yet one never
+sees even now a Corean male walking about the streets after dark. Though
+capital punishment might not be inflicted on the offender, a very sound
+spanking would very probably be the result of a native being caught
+_flagrante delicto_ during a nocturnal peregrination. Wherefore, the
+Corean male is, _à raison_, very careful not to be seen out after dark.
+On one or two occasions, nevertheless, the male community is allowed a
+prowl by night, and seem to enjoy it to their heart's content. The
+principal of these great events is the night for "crossing the bridges,"
+a festivity in which men and children are allowed to take part, and in
+the course of which they spend the whole night in prowling about the
+streets, and crossing over the bridges and back again. At such a time the
+streets are alive with story-tellers, magicians and comedians, who
+delight the nocturnal sight-seers with wonderful fairy-tales, jokes and
+fantastic plays.
+
+A moonlight night is always chosen for the "crossing of the bridges"
+outing, a rather sensible precaution when one sees what the bridges are
+like. There are the stone supports of course, and over these huge flat
+broad stones on which one treads. The width of the bridges is generally
+about six feet, but no parapet or railing of any kind is provided for the
+safety of the wayfarer. Through age and weather, these stones have been
+considerably worn out, and are here and there disconnected, besides being
+slippery to an extreme degree; so that even in broad daylight, one has to
+keep all his wits about him, in this sort of tight-rope performance, not
+to find himself landed in the river down below, in which, however, there
+is no water running. Altogether, the days in which the men of Cho-sen
+enjoy liberty at night are five.
+
+The last day of the year is probably the one when the larger crowds can
+be seen hurrying along through the streets, for a custom prevails among
+the Coreans to visit during that night and the following one, all one's
+relations and best friends, congratulations and good wishes being freely
+exchanged and presents of sweets brought and gracefully received. New
+Year's night is also a night of independence, but the greater number of
+the male community are so "well on" with wine-drinking and excitement,
+that staying at home is generally deemed advisable.
+
+There are two free nights, besides, on the fourteenth and fifteenth days
+of the first moon, and on one of the days at "half-year" in the sixth
+moon. That is all.
+
+[Illustration: THE MARBLE PAGODA]
+
+At no great distance from the "big bell," down a tortuous little lane, we
+come to what is undoubtedly a very ancient work of art. This is a pagoda,
+made of solid marble, and adorned with beautiful carvings all the way up
+to the top. To me this pagoda seemed to be of Chinese origin, but, though
+much speculation has been exercised in Seoul as to how so strange a
+monument came to be placed in the Corean capital, no reliable data, or
+facts that might be considered of historical value, have as yet been
+forthcoming to explain satisfactorily its presence there. Beyond
+wondering at its antiquity, therefore, and admiring the skilful
+bas-relief upon it, there is little more for us to do; so, moving out of
+the courtyard in which this pagoda is situated, we proceed to inspect
+another monument, equally curious from an archaeological point of view.
+
+It cannot but seem strange that the Coreans should be ignorant regarding
+the little pagoda above mentioned. I call it "little," for I do not
+think it stands more than fifteen or twenty feet from the base to the
+top. Probably in Seoul itself there is not more than one man out of fifty
+who knows of its existence, and those who are acquainted with it, beyond
+telling you emphatically that it is not a Corean work, can give you no
+information about it. It is not improbable that, in the course of some
+friendly or unfriendly intercourse between the Chinese and the Coreans,
+this pagoda was brought or sent over from China.
+
+The other curiosity is a huge stone tortoise carrying a tablet on its
+back.
+
+As I have already mentioned, the Coreans in many ways resemble, and have
+appropriated or carried with them to their place of settlement some ideas
+which are common to the Manchus, the Mongols, and the Northern and
+Southern Chinese. Among these may be instanced the great respect for, if
+not worship of, fetishes and rudely made images of animals, both
+imaginary and real, which are supposed to be embodied there with all
+their good and evil qualities. The Coreans have an especial veneration
+for the tiger, the emblem of supernatural strength, courage and dignity.
+Now when veneration comes into play, the extraordinary, as a rule, soon
+takes the place of the ordinary, especially in the Eastern mind, which is
+rather addicted to letting itself be run away with by its imagination. So
+the tiger, as though it were not sufficiently gifted already with evil
+qualities of a more mundane order, is often depicted by native geniuses,
+as having also the power of flying, producing lightning, and spitting
+fire; and not only that, but as able to walk on flames without feeling
+the slightest inconvenience, and manipulate blazing fire as one would a
+fan in everyday use. On flags, pictures, and embroideries the tiger is
+often represented by native artists.
+
+Next to the tiger, the animal most cherished by the Coreans is the
+tortoise. To it are applied all the good qualities that the tiger wants;
+for example, thoughtfulness, a retiring nature, humility, gentleness,
+steadiness, and patience; these being all symbolised by this shelled
+amphibious animal, which, in the minds of many Eastern Asiatics, was the
+basis upon which, in later times, were built the rudiments of mathematics
+and wisdom. In Corea, the principal quality attributed to the tortoise is
+long life; wherefore, it has been handed down from early times to the
+present day as the emblem of longevity.
+
+This, then, explains the signification of the tortoise in front of which
+we are now standing. Those tortoises that are made to carry tablets on
+their backs are, as a general rule, erected in honour and remembrance of
+some benevolent prince or magnanimous magistrate--the tablets being
+placed over these favourite creatures to signify that it was by relying
+upon all the good qualities attributed to the tortoise that the person
+whose praises are celebrated on them, attained to the virtues which are
+deemed so worthy an example to the world.
+
+There are many species of semi-sacred tortoises in Corea, to all
+appearance the product of imaginary intermarriages between the slow
+amphibious animal in question and the fire-spitting dragon, silver-tailed
+phoenix, and other animals; and these mixed breeds of idols, so to
+speak, are occasionally to be seen in the houses of rich people and
+princes near the entrance gate. In the Royal Palace, too, some may be
+seen, among the more important being the old Seal of State, which
+consists of a tortoise cleverly carved out of marble with the impression
+of the Royal Seal engraved on the under side.
+
+A curious thing which strikes visitors to Corea who notice it is that,
+although the tortoise runs a close race with the tiger in the respect of
+the natives, nevertheless, the larger and fiercer animal is much more
+frequently represented than its smaller and gentler competitor. For
+instance, one invariably sees on the roofs of the city gates, fixed on
+the corners, five small representations of the tiger, all reclining in a
+row one after the other. On many of the larger buildings also the same
+thing can be observed; while, on the other hand, it is only rarely that
+the tortoise is seen in such a situation. When representations of the
+latter are thus attached, they are generally placed at the four lower
+corners of the buildings, as if by way of support.
+
+It is curious, again, to note--and, indeed, it almost seems as if the
+Cho-sen people are in all their ideas opposed to us--that in Corea the
+snake is greatly revered; and, should it enter a household, it receives a
+hearty welcome, for this reptile is supposed to bring with it everlasting
+happiness and peace, a very different conception to that which we
+generally form of it, for, if I mistake not, in our minds it is generally
+associated with sneakishness, treachery and perfidy.
+
+With regard to the snake, it is noteworthy that the Coreans have allowed
+their fancies to run riot in pretty much the same direction as
+imaginative people in our own country have done, and have not only added
+wings to their serpents to send them air-faring, but have also invented a
+near relation to these in the shape of a travelling sea-serpent, which is
+not, however, of such large dimensions as those with which we are
+familiar. From this it is only a short step to the well-known half-human,
+half-fish being and the sea-lion or tiger; stone representations of which
+are to be seen at the entrance of the Royal Palace. The principal
+peculiarity of the sea-tiger is its ugliness. It is represented as having
+a huge mouth, wide open, showing two rows of pointed teeth, and a mane
+and tail curled up into hundreds of conventional little curlets. If the
+statues of these sea-tigers are divided in three sections perpendicular
+to the base, the head will occupy the whole of one of these sections,
+which, in other words, means that the body is made only twice the size of
+the head.
+
+The _lin_ is also frequently found figuring in Corean mythology, but this
+fanciful creature is undoubtedly an importation from the well-known
+_ki-lin_ of China, being half ox, half deer, and having but a single horn
+in the centre of the head. It is the symbol of good nature and well-being
+Another borrowed individual of this class is the dragon, a monster which
+is a great favourite and much cherished all over the East, though
+principally by the Emperor of Heaven and his subjects. This popularity of
+the dragon in the kingdom of the Morning Calm is due, I suppose, in a
+large measure to the frequent Chinese invasions and constant intercourse
+of the Chinese with Corea. And yet, upon a less appropriate country, to
+my belief, he could hardly have been stranded, for, although he possesses
+all the good virtues of the other mythical creatures of which I have made
+mention taken together, he certainly is never presented as gifted with
+that delightful faculty which goes by the name of tranquillity. Restless
+in the extreme, this genius of the East is said to penetrate through
+mountains into the ground, skip on the clouds, produce thunder and
+lightning, and go through fire and water. It can, moreover, make itself
+visible or invisible at pleasure, and, in fact, can to all intents and
+purposes do what it pleases, except--remain quiet.
+
+Of dragons there are many kinds, but the most respectable of them all is,
+as in China, the yellow one, which is as represented on the Chinese
+flags. Next to the yellow one in popularity comes the green one. In
+shape, as the natives picture it, the dragon is not unlike a huge lizard,
+with long-nailed claws, and a flat long head like the elongated head of a
+neighing horse, possessed, however, of horns, and a long mane of fire, or
+lightning. The tail is like that of a serpent, with five additional
+pointed ends. It is, too, rather interesting to note that the king,
+princes, and highest magistrates, when the country is not in mourning,
+wear upon their breasts pieces of square embroidery ornamented in the
+centre with representations of the dragon, having the jewel on its head
+which is supposed to be a certain cure for all evils. The officials of
+lesser degree wear, instead of this emblem, the effigy of a flying
+phoenix, the symbol of pride, friendship, and kind ruling power.
+
+The phoenix is also occasionally to be seen standing on a tortoise's
+back, the combination being emblematic of the combined virtues of these
+two mythical creatures.
+
+Returning to the main street, we can walk a long way without finding
+anything interesting in the way of architecture, or of a monumental
+character until we reach the East Gate, which is probably the largest
+gate of all. One of the peculiarities of this gate is that on the outside
+it has a semi-circular wall protection, and in this wall a second gate
+which renders it, therefore, doubly strong in time of war. The outer wall
+is very thick, and a wide space is provided which can be manned with
+soldiers, when the town happens to be besieged. If my memory serves me
+rightly, yet another gate in Seoul is provided with a similar
+contraffort, but of this I am not quite certain, for the part of my diary
+in which the wall of Seoul is described has been, I regret to say,
+unfortunately mislaid. Near the gate above mentioned, is a large open
+space, on the centre of which stands a somewhat dilapidated pavilion
+_pour façon de parler_, and, on inquiry, I was told that this place was
+the drilling-ground of the king's troops, the pavilion being for the use
+of the king and high officials, when on very grand occasions they went to
+review the soldiery. Of late years, I believe, a new drilling-ground has
+been selected by the foreign military instructors, which explains why the
+pavilion has been allowed to rot and tumble down. (See Illustration p.
+90.)
+
+As already remarked, all the gates of Seoul, as well as those of every
+other city in Corea, are closed at sunset; but, like all rules, this
+one, too, has its exception. Thus, there is a small gate, called the
+"Gate of the Dead," which is opened till a late hour at night. Its name
+explains its object fairly well, but for the benefit of those who are
+unaccustomed to Corean customs I may as well put the matter a little
+clearer. Funerals, in Corea, nearly always take place at night, and the
+bodies are invariably carried out of the town to be buried. In lifetime
+it is permitted to enter or leave the town through any gate you please,
+but this freedom of choice is not accorded to the dead, when their final
+exit is to be made, for this is only by way of the smaller gate just
+mentioned.
+
+A funeral is in all countries, to me, a curious sight, but in Seoul, a
+performance of this description is probably more curious than elsewhere,
+and that, because, to a European eye, it appears to be anything but a
+funeral. The procession is headed by two individuals, each of whom
+carries an enormous yellow umbrella, on the stick of which, about half
+way up, there is a very large tri-coloured ball. After these, under a
+sort of baldachin held up by four long poles, is the coffin, carried by
+two, four, or more men, according to the social position of the deceased;
+and by the side of this and following close after it are numberless
+people each carrying a paper lantern stuck on a pole, who scuttle along,
+singing, after a fashion, and muttering prayers and praises on behalf of
+their deceased countryman. Frequently, if the latter is supposed to have
+been possessed by evil spirits, and to have been carried off by them, a
+man is hired, if no relation is willing to do it, to ring a hand-bell for
+several consecutive days, near the house which the late unfortunate had
+occupied, the shrill sound being supposed to have the power of showing
+the unwelcome guests, that their presence has been noticed, and that they
+had better retire and leave the house to its rightful owners. I need
+hardly remark that a few hours of this noise is quite enough to turn the
+best of good spirits into an evil one.
+
+But to return to our funeral procession; this, when the "Gate of the
+Dead" is reached, becomes broken up; the friends who were following the
+hearse putting out their lights and ceasing from their singing and
+praying. Only two or three of the nearest relations continue to follow
+the coffin, still carried by the paid bearers, and when a suitable spot
+is reached these proceed to bury the remains. A hilly ground is usually
+preferred by the Coreans for the last resting place of the bones of their
+dear ones. The coffin having been buried, a small mound of earth is
+heaped up over it.
+
+The spot for inhumation is generally chosen on the advice of magicians
+who are supposed to know the sites which are likely to be most favourable
+to the deceased. Sometimes the body is exhumed at great expense, still on
+the advice of the same magicians, who, being in direct communication with
+both earthly and unearthly spirits, get to know that the spot which had
+been originally selected was not a favourable one. Under such
+circumstances, a speedy removal is necessary, which, of course entails
+both worry and money-spending and special fees for the reporting of the
+ill-faring of the buried.
+
+The relations and friends of a deceased person constantly visit the tomb,
+and many a good son has been known to spend months watching his father's
+grave, lest his services might be required by the parent underground.
+
+The hills round the towns are simply covered with these little mounds of
+earth, and the greatest respect is shown by the natives for all places of
+sepulture. In course of time, many disappear by being washed away by the
+rain, but never by any chance are they interfered with by the people. The
+Coreans are extremely superstitious, and they are much afraid of the
+dead. Metempsychosis is not an uncommon trait of their minds, especially
+among the better classes; thus, for instance, the soul of the dead man is
+sometimes supposed to enter the body of a bird, in which case the
+relatives carefully build a semi-circular stone railing round the mound,
+so that the winged successor of the deceased may have whereon to perch.
+
+The grave of one of the richer people is especially noteworthy. First,
+there is the mound in the centre as usual, but nearly twice the size of
+that which covers a poorer person. Then there is a stone railing a little
+way off; and between that and the mound stand in double rows, at the
+sides, rough images of human beings and horses carved in stone. The
+general rule is, in the case of a rich man, to have two men and two
+ponies on either side and a small column at the end; while in the case of
+a man not so much distinguished only a single horse and man respectively
+are placed on either side. The short column with a slab at the top is
+nearly always a feature. The stone images so placed are, as a rule, so
+badly carved that, unless one is told what they are meant to represent,
+it is really difficult to decide the point. The horses, especially, might
+easily be mistaken for sheep, dogs, or any other animal, the small
+stature of the native ponies being imitated in these images, to an
+exaggerated degree. As for the stone human-shaped images, these are
+usually made dressed in a long sort of gown and with the arms folded in
+front and the head covered by a curled up skull-cap, of the kind worn by
+Corean officials even at the present day, and formerly worn by all the
+high officials in China, whence probably the fashion has been imported.
+
+A curious feature which I often noticed about the graves of people who
+had not been over well-off, and whose friends could not afford a large
+number of statues or figures of men and animals, was this:--If only one
+or two monuments were put up by the side of the mound, these invariably
+consisted of representations either of two horses or else of a horse and
+a ram, that is, if I am right in fixing the latter's identity by the
+curled horns on the side of its head. If, on the other hand, the
+monuments were more than two in number, the others were, just as
+invariably, representations of human figures, the number of these being
+the same as that of beasts in the other case.
+
+A ceremony is to be found in the Land of the Morning Calm which
+corresponds pretty closely to "_Tutti i morti_" of Italy; I mean, the
+merry picnicking of distressed parents and relatives when they go and
+pray on the tombs of their dead. In Corea the occasion is usually
+celebrated on the first day of the first moon, or, in other words, on
+New Year's Day. The family goes soon after sunrise, _en masse_, to the
+burial-place, where prayers are offered, and long sticks of incense burnt
+filling the air with the perfume so familiar to all who know the East.
+Food and drink are also generally brought and consumed by the mourners on
+such expeditions, with the result that the day which begins with praying
+generally ends with playing. Similar rejoicings are again indulged in
+during the third moon, when the tombs are usually cleaned and repaired,
+and the stone figures and horses washed and scrubbed, amidst the
+hilarious screams of the children and the less active picnickers.
+
+The tombs of the kings do not differ very much from those of the richest
+noblemen, except that they have a kind of temple near them. At one time
+it was believed that the coffins in which the royal bodies were buried,
+consisted of solid gold. People who are well informed, however, maintain
+that there is no foundation for this statement about the royal graves,
+and that, on the contrary, they are almost as simple as those of the
+richer noblemen.
+
+A strange tale was told me, which I shall repeat, as I know it to be
+true. It is to this effect: A few months previous to my visit to Seoul, a
+foreigner had visited the king soliciting orders for installations of
+telephones. The king, being much astounded, and pleased at the wonderful
+invention, immediately, at great expense, set about connecting by
+telephone the tomb of the queen dowager with the royal palace--a distance
+of several miles! Needless to say, though many hours a day were spent by
+His Majesty and his suite in listening at their end of the telephone,
+and a watchman kept all night in case the queen dowager should wake up
+from her eternal sleep, not a message, or a sound, or murmur even, was
+heard, which result caused the telephone to be condemned as a fraud by
+His Majesty the King of Cho-sen.
+
+I should mention that a very good specimen of a Corean tomb is to be seen
+a few _lis_ outside the East Gate, on the hillside, and that another,
+somewhat smaller, exists a short distance beyond the Pekin Pass outside
+the West Gate. It may also be noted that trees are frequently planted,
+and tablets erected, in proximity to Corean graves.
+
+FOOTNOTES:
+
+    [3] Word used in the East for a conglomeration of houses
+        enclosed by a wall.
+
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER VIII
+
+Seoul--The City Wall--A large image--Mount Nanzam--The
+fire-signals--women's joss-house--Foreign buildings--Japanese
+settlement--An anecdote--Clean or not clean?--The Pekin Pass--The
+water-carrier--The man of the Gates.
+
+
+[Illustration: MOUNT NANZAM]
+
+The ground in and around Seoul is very hilly. The wall that surrounds the
+capital uncoils itself, like a gigantic snake, up and down the slopes of
+high bluffs, and seems a very marvellous work of patient masonry when it
+is borne in mind that some of the peaks up which it winds its way are so
+steep that even climbing on foot is not an easy task. The height is not
+uniform, but where it is highest it reaches to over thirty feet. The
+North Gate, for instance, is at a much higher level than the town down
+below, and it is necessary to go up a steep road to reach it. From it, a
+very good idea is obtainable of the exact situation of Seoul. Down in
+the valley, a narrow one, lies the town itself, completely surrounded by
+hills, and even mountains, covered with thick snow during the winter
+months.
+
+The wall, several miles long, goes over the hill ridges far above the
+level of the town, except towards the west, where it descends to the
+valley, and is on almost level ground, as far as the East Gate. It has a
+rampart in which holes have been pierced, for the defence of the town by
+archers and gunners; and, to let out the water of the streams, which
+intersect the town, low arches have been cut in the wall, provided with
+strong iron bars, and a solid grating through which no man can penetrate.
+Outside the town, bridges of masonry have been constructed; for instance,
+there is one of four arches, a short distance from the North Gate, being
+the continuation of a portion of the wall protecting the river valley on
+the north of Seoul. Not far from this bridge, is a monastery, and a small
+temple with curled-up roof supported by columns, painted red and green.
+The latter protects an enormous block of stone upon which has been carved
+a large image of Buddha, the surface of which has been painted white.
+When I saw it, close by the river side, with the sun shining on it, and
+its image reflected in the limpid ice of the frozen river, the sight was
+indeed quite a picturesque one.
+
+Towards the south side of Seoul, and within the city wall, rises in a
+cone-like fashion a high hill called Mount Nanzam. One cannot help
+feeling interested about this hill, and for many reasons. In the first
+place, it is most picturesque; secondly, it is a rare thing to find a
+mountain rising in the centre of a town, as this one does; thirdly, from
+the summit of this particular hill a constant watch is kept on the state
+of affairs all over the kingdom.
+
+The mode of accomplishing the last-mentioned object is as ingenious as it
+is simple. It is shortly this. On the summit of Mount Nanzam a signal
+station is placed--a miserable shed, in which the watchmen live. In front
+of this, five piles of stones have been erected, upon which, by means of
+the "Pon-wa," or fire-signals, messages are conveyed and transmitted from
+one end of the Corean kingdom to the other. Now, it is on these five
+piles of stones that the safety of the Land of the Morning Calm depends,
+and it is a pretty and weird sight to watch the lights upon them, playing
+after dark, in the stillness of the night. Similarly appointed stations
+on the tops of all the highest peaks in Corea issue, transmit, and
+answer, by means of other lights, messages from the most distant
+provinces, by which means, in a very few minutes, the King in his royal
+palace is kept informed of what happens hundreds of miles from his
+capital. It is from the royal palace itself that fire-messages start in
+the first instance, and that too is the place which lastly receives them
+from other mountain tops. All along the coast line of Corea, on the
+principal headlands, fire-stations have long been in use in order to give
+the alarm in the capital, should marauders approach the coast or other
+invasions take place.
+
+Until quite lately, the coast villages and towns used to suffer much at
+the hands of Chinese pirates, who, though well aware that they would, if
+caught, most certainly find themselves in the awkward position of having
+their heads cut off, nevertheless used to approach the coast by night in
+swift junks, make daring raids, and pillage the villages, and even some
+of the smaller towns. So suddenly were these incursions usually made that
+by the time the natives had managed to get over their astonishment at the
+attack of these unpleasant and greedy visitors, the acute Chinamen, with
+their booty, were well out at sea again.
+
+
+[Illustration: THE FIRE-SIGNAL STATION AND JOSS-HOUSE]
+
+The great drawback to fire-signalling is, that messages can only be
+clearly conveyed at night. In the day-time, when necessary,
+smoke-signals are transmitted, though never with the same safety as are
+the fire-signals. By burning large torches of wet straw, masses of white
+smoke are produced, upon which the alarm is raised that the country is
+in danger. The code of smoke signalling, however, is almost limited to
+that one signal; for, on a windy or rainy day, it would be quite
+impossible to distinguish whether there were one or more torches
+smoking, unless, of course, they could be set very far apart, which
+cannot be done on Nanzam. Prior to sending a message, a bell is rung in
+the royal palace to attract the attention of the Mountain Watchmen. The
+whole code, for they have a really systematic way of using their
+pyrographs, is worked with five burning fires only, and more than that
+number of lights are never shown, though, of course, many times there
+are less. The five-lights-together signal, I believe, indicates that the
+country is in imminent danger; there are other signals to meet the cases
+of rebellions, recalling of magistrates from distant provinces, orders
+to them to extort money from their subjects, the despatch or recall of
+troops, &c. &c.
+
+A few yards from the signal station, though still on Mount Nanzam, there
+is a picturesque red joss-house with a shrine in close proximity to it.
+The story goes--and the women of Cho-sen find it convenient to believe
+it--that a visit to this particular joss-house has the wonderful effect
+of making sterile women prolific. A few strings of _cash_ and a night's
+rest at the temple--preceded, if I remember rightly, by
+prayers--constitute sufficient service to satisfy the family duties, and
+I was certainly told that in many cases the oracle worked so well that in
+due time the _chin-chins_ got rewarded with the birth of babies. I may
+mention incidentally that the caretaker of the joss-house was a strong,
+healthy, powerful man.
+
+As we are now on a splendid point of vantage for a bird's-eye view of the
+town we may as well take a glance over it.
+
+Very prominent before us, after the large enclosure of the royal Palace,
+are the foreign buildings, such as the Japanese Legation on a smaller
+hill at the foot of Nanzam, and overlooking the large Japanese
+settlement; the abode of the Chinese Minister resident, with its numerous
+buildings around it; the British Consulate with its new red brick house
+in course of construction; and, by the side of the last mentioned, the
+_compounds_ of the American and Russian legations. Farther on, nearer the
+royal Palace, the German flag may be seen surmounting the German
+Consulate, which is situated in an enclosure containing several Corean
+houses which have been reduced _à l' Européenne_ and made very
+comfortable. Then the large house with a glass front is the one now
+inhabited by the Vice-Minister for Home Affairs, but the grounds
+surrounding this are very restricted. A nunnery and a few houses of
+missionaries also stand prominent, mostly in the neighbourhood of the
+Japanese settlement.
+
+The Japanese settlement, into which we will now descend, is noteworthy
+for the activity and commercial enterprise shown by the subjects of the
+Mikado. It is remarkable, also, to notice the curious co-existence of
+sense and nonsense in the Jap's adoption of foreign customs. For
+instance, you see the generality of them dressed in European clothes, but
+nevertheless still sticking to the ancient custom of removing their
+boots on entering a house; a delightful practice, I agree, in Japan,
+where the climate is mild, but not in a country like Corea, where you
+have an average of sixty degrees of frost. Then again, the Japanese
+houses, the outer walls of which consist of tissue paper, seem hardly
+suited to such a climate as that of Corea. It is really comical to watch
+them as they squat in a body round a brass brasier, shivering and blue
+with cold, with thin flat faces and curved backs; reminding one very much
+of the large family of quadrumans at the Zoo on a cold day. Nevertheless,
+they are perfectly happy, though many die of pleurisy, consumption, and
+cold in the chest.
+
+The Japanese women dress, of course, in their national _kimonos_, and
+just as it is in Japan the fashion to show a little of the chest under
+the throat, so in Cho-sen the same custom is adopted; with the result
+that many are carried off by bronchitis to the next world.
+
+One cannot but admire the Japanese, however, for the cleanliness of their
+houses and for the good-will--sometimes too much of it--which they
+display as well in their commercial dealings as in their colonising
+schemes. The custom of daily bathing in water of a boiling-point
+temperature is carried on by them in Corea as in their own country,
+notwithstanding which I venture to say that the Japanese are very dirty
+people. This remark seems non-coherent and requires, I am afraid, some
+explanation.
+
+"How can they be dirty if they bathe every day? I call that being very
+clean," I fancy I hear you reply.
+
+So they would undoubtedly be, if they bathed in clean water; but,
+unfortunately, this is just what they do not do, and, to my uncivilised
+mind, bathing in filthy water seems ten times more dirty than not bathing
+at all. Just imagine a small tank of water in which dozens, if not
+hundreds, of people have been already boiled before you in your turn use
+it, and upon which float large "eyes" of greasy matter. Well, this is
+what every good Japanese is expected to immerse himself in, right up to
+his nose, for at least half an hour at a time! I cannot but admire them
+for their courage in doing it, but, certainly, from the point of view of
+cleanliness my view is quite different; for, really and truly, I have
+always failed to see where the "cleanliness" comes in. Persons belonging
+to the wealthier classes have small baths of their own, in the steaming
+hot liquid of which bask in turns the family itself, their friends, the
+children and servants; and probably the same water is used again and
+again for two or three days in succession.
+
+I remember well how horrified I was one evening, in the Land of the
+Rising Sun, when, on visiting a small village, I was, as a matter of
+politeness on their part, requested to join in the bath. Being a novice
+at Japanese experiences, and as their request was so pressing, I thanked
+them and accepted; whereupon, I was buoyantly led to the bath. Oh what a
+sight! Three skinny old women, "disgraces," I may almost call them, for
+certainly they could not be classified under the designation of "graces,"
+were sitting in a row with steaming water up to their necks, undergoing
+the process of being boiled. What! thought I, panic-stricken--am I to
+bathe with these three ... old lizards? Oh no, not I! and I made a rush
+for the door, greatly to the annoyance of the people, who not only
+considered me very dirty, but also very rude in not availing myself of
+their polite invitation! The next morning as I took my cold bath as usual
+in beautifully clean spring water, I was condemned and pitied as a
+lunatic! Such are the different customs of different people.
+
+[Illustration: THE PEKIN PASS]
+
+When visiting Seoul, it is well worth one's while to take a walk to the
+Pekin Pass, a _li_ or two outside the West Gate. The pass itself, which
+is cut into the rock, is situated on the road leading from Seoul to
+Pekin; which, by the way, is the road by which the envoys of the Chinese
+Emperor, following an ancient custom, travel overland with a view to
+claiming the tribute payable by the King of Corea. As a matter of fact,
+this custom of paying tribute had almost fallen into disuse, and China
+had not, for some years, I believe, enforced her right of suzerainty over
+the Corean peninsula, until the year 1890, when the envoys of the
+Celestial Emperor once again proceeded on their wearisome and long
+journey from Pekin to the capital of Cho-sen. It was here at the Pekin
+Pass, then, that, according to custom, they were received with great
+honour by the Coreans, and led into Seoul. It was at a large house,
+surrounded by a wall, on the road side, that these envoys were usually
+received and welcomed, either by the king in person or by some
+representative; and it was here that they were treated with refreshments
+and food, previously to being conducted in state into the capital, this
+being accomplished amidst the cheers of a Corean crowd, which, like
+other crowds, is always ready to cheer the last comer. At the Pekin Pass,
+a "triumphal arch"--for want of a better word--could be seen. It was a
+lofty structure, composed of two high columns, the lower part of these
+being of masonry, and the upper of lacquered wood, which supported a
+heavy roof of the orthodox Corean pattern, under which, about one-fourth
+down the columns, was a portion decorated with native fretwork of a
+somewhat rough type. The illustration represents this monument as it
+appeared in winter time, when the ground was covered with snow, beyond it
+being the square cut in the rocks, through which the road leads to
+Newchuang and Pekin.
+
+There are two types of individuals that are very interesting from a
+picturesque point of view; viz., the water-coolie, and the man who
+carries the huge locks and keys of the city gates.
+
+The water-coolie is almost as much of a "personality," as the _mapu_, in
+his rude independent ways. He displays much patience, and certainly
+deserves admiration for the amount of work he daily does, for very little
+pay. His work consists in carrying water, from morning until night, to
+whoever wants it. This is a simple enough process in summer time, but in
+winter matters are rather different, for now nearly all the fountains are
+frozen, and the water has to be drawn from a well. The water-coolie
+carries a peculiar arrangement on his shoulders, a long pole fastened
+cross-wise upon his shoulder-blades, by straps going under and round the
+arms; by which means he is enabled to carry two buckets of water at a
+time. The arrangement, though more complicated, is not dissimilar to
+that used for the same purpose, by women in Holland, or to that for
+carrying milk in many parts of Switzerland. In winter time the buckets of
+water become buckets of ice the moment they are drawn from the well, and
+then it is really pitiable to see these poor beggars with the skin of
+their hands all cracked and bleeding with the cold. They run along at a
+good pace when loaded, and show great judgment in avoiding collision,
+sighing as they go a loud _hess! hess! hess! hess!_ to which they keep
+time with their steps. They are considered about the lowest creatures in
+the kingdom, and enjoy some of the privileges of children and unmarried
+men as regards clothing; for instance, they generally wear a light blue
+jacket even when the country is in mourning. When on duty they never wear
+hats, and often no head-bands, having, instead, blue kerchiefs wrapt
+round the head. The inevitable long pipe is not forgotten, and is
+carried, after the fashion of the _mapu_, stuck down the back.
+
+[Illustration: A WATER-COOLIE]
+
+The lock-carrier, again, is by no means the dirtiest individual in the
+land of Cho-sen, at least as far as it was my good fortune to see.
+Nevertheless, his clothes are invariably in a state of dilapidation, and,
+though intended to be white, are usually black with grease and dirt. As
+he is employed by the Government he wears the deepest mourning; his face,
+and one half of his body being actually hidden under the huge hat
+provided for deep mourners. He seldom possesses a pair of padded socks
+and sandals, and in the coldest days walks about bare-footed with his
+trousers turned up to the knees. He is visible only at sunrise and
+sunset, when he goes on his round to all the city gates in order to
+inspect the locks and bring or take away the keys. Slung down his back,
+he carries a large leather bag, something like a tennis bag, which
+contains numberless iron implements of different shapes and weights. He
+appears to be friendless and despised by everybody, and I have never seen
+him talk to any one. I rather pitied the poor fellow as I saw him go
+night after night, with his long unwashed face and hands, along the
+rampart of the wall from one gate to another. _Apropos_ of this I once
+made a Corean very angry by remarking that "really the safety of the city
+could not be in dirtier hands."
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER IX
+
+The Corean house--Doors and windows--Blinds--Rooms--The "Kan"--Roasting
+alive--Furniture--Treasures--The kitchen--Dinner-set--Food--Intoxicants
+--Gluttony--Capacity for food--Sleep--Modes of illumination--Autographs
+--Streets--Drainage--Smell.
+
+
+Let us now see what a Corean household is like. But, first, as to the
+matter of house architecture. Here there is little difference to be
+observed between the house of the noble and that of the peasant, except
+that the former is generally cleaner-looking. The houses in Corea may be
+divided into two classes--those with thatched roofs of barley-straw, and
+those with roofs of tiles, stone and plaster. The latter are the best,
+and are inhabited by the well-to-do classes. The outside walls are of mud
+and stone, and the roof, when of tiles, is supported by a huge beam that
+runs from one end of the house to the other. The corners of the roof are
+usually curled up after the Chinese fashion. A stone slab runs along the
+whole length of the roof, and is turned up at the two ends, over the
+upper angle of the roof itself. The tiles are cemented at the two sides
+of this slab, and likewise at the lower borders of the roof. The windows,
+again, are rectangular and are placed directly under the roof, being in
+consequence well protected from the rain.
+
+Corean houses are never more than one storey high. The houses of
+officials and rich people are enclosed by a wall of masonry, the gate of
+which is surmounted by a small pagoda-like roof. In the case of the
+houses of great swells, like generals and princes, it is customary to
+have two and even three gates, which have to be passed through in
+succession before the door of the house is reached. The outer wall
+surrounding the _compound_ is seldom more than six or eight feet high,
+and, curiously enough, all along the top of the wall runs a narrow roof,
+the width of two tiles. This, besides being a sort of ornament, is of
+practical use in protecting it from the damp.
+
+One cannot call the Coreans great gardeners, for they seem to take
+comparatively little interest in the native _flora_. The richer people
+do, as a rule, have small gardens, which are nicely laid out with one or
+two specimens of the flowers they esteem and care to cultivate; but
+really ornamental gardens are few in number in the Land of Cho-sen.
+Kitchen gardens naturally are frequently found, even near the houses of
+the poorer people.
+
+One peculiarity, which characterises the majority of Corean houses of the
+better sort is that they are entered by the windows; these being provided
+with sliding latticed frames covered with tissue paper, and running on
+grooves to the sides, like the _Shojis_ of Japan. The tissue paper is
+often dipped in oil previous to being used on the sliding doors and
+windows, as it is then supposed to keep out the cold better than when
+left in its natural state. As the doors and windows of Cho-sen, however,
+very seldom have the quality of fitting tight, a Corean house is
+therefore quite a _rendezvous_ for draughts and currents of air.
+
+In summer time the windows and doors are kept open, or even removed
+altogether during the day-time, and then, in order to preserve that
+privacy of which every Corean is so proud, recourse is had to a capital
+dodge. At the end of the projecting roof, and immediately in front of the
+window or entrance, at the distance of a couple of feet, is hung a shade
+in the shape of a fine mat, made of numberless long strings of split
+bamboo, tied together in a parallel position by several silk strings
+which vary in number with the size of the mat. The use of these
+curtain-like barriers has several advantages. They protect the house from
+those troublesome visitors the flies; they let in the air, though not the
+sun, and, while the people who are in the house can plainly see through
+them what goes on in the street, no one on the outside can distinguish
+either those inside, or what is doing in the house. Good mats are very
+expensive, and difficult to obtain; therefore, it is only the better
+classes that can use them. Poorer folk are satisfied with very rough mats
+of rushes. It is also the custom for good citizens of the provinces to
+send the king at the New Year presents of a certain number of these mats,
+which, like the Indian shawls of Her Britannic Majesty, are given out
+again by him to the royal princes and highest officials. I was fortunate
+enough to be presented with two of these blinds by a high official, who
+was closely related to the king. They are a marvel of patient and careful
+work, as accurately and delicately done as if some machine had been
+employed. They are nearly six feet high, by five wide, and are yellow in
+colour with black, red, and green stripes painted at the top and bottom.
+In the centre is a very pretty, simple frieze, on the inside of which are
+some Corean characters.
+
+If a Corean house does not look very inviting when you look at it from
+the outside, still less does it when you are indoors. The smallness of
+the rooms and their lack of furniture, pictures, or ornaments are
+features not very pleasant to the eye. The rooms are like tiny boxes,
+between eight and ten feet long, less than this in width and about seven
+feet high. They are white all over with the exception of the floor, which
+is covered with thick, yellowish oil-paper. The poorest kind of Corean
+house consists of only a single room; the abode of the moderately
+well-off man, on the other hand, may have two or three, generally three
+rooms; though, of course, the houses of very high offices are found with
+a still larger number.
+
+The Corean process of heating the houses is somewhat original. It is a
+process used in a great part of Eastern Asia--and, to my mind, it is the
+only thoroughly barbaric custom which the Corean natives have retained.
+The flooring of the rooms consists of slabs of stone, under which is a
+large oven of the same extent as the room overhead, which oven, during
+the winter, is filled with a burning wood-fire, which is kept up day and
+night. What happens is generally this: The coolie whose duty it is to
+look after this oven, to avoid trouble fills it with wood and dried
+leaves up to the very neck, and sets these on fire and then goes to
+sleep; by which means the stone slabs get heated to such an extent that,
+sometimes, notwithstanding the thick oil paper which covers them, one
+cannot stand on them with bare feet.
+
+The Corean custom is to sleep on the ground in the padded clothes, using
+a wooden block as a pillow. The better classes, however, use also small,
+thin mattresses, covered with silk, which they spread out at night, and
+keep rolled up during the day-time. As the people sleep on the ground, it
+often happens that the floor gets so hot as to almost roast them, but the
+easy-going inhabitant of Cho-sen, does not seem to object to this
+roasting process--on the contrary, he seems almost to revel in it, and
+when well broiled on one side, he will turn over to the other, so as to
+level matters. While admiring the Coreans much for this proceeding, I
+found it extremely inconvenient to imitate them. I recollect well the
+first experience which I had of the use of a "Kan," which is the native
+name of the oven. On that occasion it was "made so hot" for me, that I
+began to think I had made a mistake, and that I had entered a crematory
+oven instead of a sleeping-room. Putting my fist through one of the paper
+windows to get a little air only made matters ten times worse, for half
+my body continued to undergo the roasting process, while the other half
+was getting unpleasantly frozen. To this day, it has always been a marvel
+to me, and an unexplainable fact that, those who use the "Kan" do not
+"wake up--dead" in the morning!
+
+The furniture of a Corean house, as I have hinted above, is neither over
+plentiful nor too luxurious. In fact, at the first glance, one is almost
+inclined to say that there is, so to speak, no furniture at all there.
+Possibly, a tiger or a leopard-skin may be found spread on the ground in
+the reception room; there may even be a rough minuscule chest of drawers
+in a corner, and a small, low writing-table near it, upon which probably
+rests a little jar with a flower or two in it; but rarely will you find
+much more. The bedrooms usually contain chests, in which the clothing is
+kept, but there is also a custom by which these are hung on pegs in a
+recess in the wall. The chests are covered with white parchment studded
+all over with brass nails, and further adorned with a brass lock and two
+handles of the same metal. When voyaging, the Coreans use these as
+trunks. Besides the rooms I have mentioned, the richer Corean has a
+special room, generally kept locked up, in which the treasures of the
+family are jealously safeguarded. The latter are in the shape of ancient
+native pictures, rolled up like the _Kakemonos_ of Japan, painted screens
+and vases of the Satsuma ware, the art of making which was taught to the
+Japanese by the Coreans, although now those who were formerly masters in
+the art cannot produce it. Some Coreans also possess valuable specimens
+of lacquer work, both of Chinese and Japanese origin, as well as a
+rougher kind of native production. None of these heirlooms are, however,
+ever brought to light, and it is only on rare and very grand occasions,
+such as marriages, deaths, or national rejoicings, that one or two
+articles are brought into the reception-room for the day, to be again
+carefully packed up and stored away at night. The idea, which prevails in
+Japan, is also current here, namely, that it is bad form to make a great
+show of what one possesses, and that the wealthier a man is, the less
+should he disclose the fact and the simpler should he live, that he may
+not so excite the envy of his fellow countrymen. Self-denial and
+self-inflicted discomforts are virtues much appreciated in the Land of
+Cho-sen, and when a nobleman sets a good example in this respect it is
+invariably thought highly of, and emulated by others. Indeed, the
+conversation of the whole town is often concentrated on some small act of
+benevolence done by such and such a prince, nobleman or magistrate.
+
+But the kitchen must not be forgotten. Its most striking contents are the
+large earthenware vases, similar in shape and size to the _orcis_ of
+Italy, in which the top-knotted native keeps his wine, water, barley and
+rice. Then there are numberless shining brass cups, saucers, and bowls of
+various sizes. The latter forms the Corean dinner-service. Every piece of
+this is made of brass. The largest bowls are used, one for soup, and the
+other for rice; the next in size, for wine and water respectively; while
+the smaller ones are for bits of vegetables and sauces--which latter are
+used by the natives in profusion. Curiously enough, in the Land of the
+Morning Calm they manufacture a sauce which is, so far as I could judge,
+identical in taste and colour with our well-known Worcester sauce.
+
+The Coreans eat their food with chopsticks, but contrary to the habits of
+their neighbours, the Chinese and the Japanese, spoons also are used. The
+chopsticks are of very cheap wood, and fresh ones are used at nearly
+every meal. The diet also is much more varied than in either of the
+neighbouring countries, and game, venison, raw fish, beef, pork, fowls,
+eggs, and sea-weed are much appreciated. As for fruits, the Coreans get
+simply mad over them, the most favourite being the persimmons, of which
+they eat large quantities both fresh and dried. Apples, pears and plums
+are also plentifully used.
+
+The Cho-sen people have three meals a day. The first is partaken of early
+in the morning, and is only a light one; then comes lunch in the middle
+of the day, a good square meal; and finally the Tai-sek, a great meal, in
+the evening, at which Corean voracity is exhibited to the best advantage.
+The climate being so much colder than that of Japan, it is only natural
+that the Cho-senese should use more animal food and fat than do the
+landsman of the Mikado. Pork and beef, barely roasted and copiously
+condimented with pepper and vinegar, are devoured in large quantities.
+The Coreans also have a dish much resembling the Italian maccaroni or
+vermicelli. Of this large bowls may be seen at all the eating-shops in
+Seoul, and it is as a food apparently more cherished by members of the
+lower than by those of the upper classes. Previous to being eaten, it is
+dipped in a very flavoury sauce, and, although they are not quite so
+graceful in the art of eating as are the Neapolitan _Lazzaroni_, still
+with the help of a spoon and as many fingers as are available, the Corean
+natives seem to manage to swallow large quantities of this in a very
+short time.
+
+Among the lower classes in Corea tea is almost unknown as a beverage. In
+its stead they delight in drinking the whitish stuff produced by the rice
+when it has been boiled in water, or as an alternative, infusions of
+ginsang. They also brew at home two or three different kinds of liquor of
+different strengths and tastes, by fermenting barley, rice and millet.
+The beer of fermented rice is not at all disagreeable, and their light
+wine also is, so far as wines go, even palatable. However, I may as well
+state once for all that I am no judge of these matters, and, as my time
+is chiefly employed in the art of oil-painting, and not in that of
+drinking, I hope to be excused if I think myself better up in "oils" than
+in wines!!
+
+Presuming that my reader has survived this pun, I will now go on to state
+that it is a common thing in Corea to begin a dinner with sweets, and
+that another curious custom is for all present to drink out of the same
+bowl of wine passed round and of course re-filled when empty. The dinner
+is served on tiny tables rising only a few inches above the ground, and
+similar to those of Japan. Fish, as is the case with most Easterners, are
+eaten raw; first, however, being dipped in the liquid which resembles
+Worcestershire sauce. To cook a fish is simply looked upon as a shameful
+way of, spoiling it, unless it has gone bad, when, of course, cooking
+becomes necessary. Fish are, however, most prized by the Coreans when
+just taken out of the water.
+
+Hard-boiled eggs form another favourite dish in the land of Cho-sen, and
+turnips, potatoes, and a large radish similar to the _daikon_ of Japan,
+are also partaken of at Corean dinners. The poorer classes seem to relish
+highly a dreadful-looking salad, of a small fish much resembling
+whitebait, highly flavoured with quantities of pepper, black sauce and
+vinegar, with bits of pork-meat frequently thrown in. The whole thing
+has an unpleasant brownish colour, and the smell of it reminded me much
+of a photographer's dark room when collodion is in use, except that the
+smell of the fish-salad is considerably stronger.
+
+The Coreans excel and even surpass themselves in cooking rice. This is
+almost an art with them, and the laurels for high achievements in it
+belong to the women, for it is to them that work of this kind is
+entrusted. Sometimes the Cho-senese make a kind of pastry, but they have
+nothing at all resembling our bread. Rice takes the place of the last
+mentioned, and though, so far as I could see, the fair ladies of Cho-sen
+were somewhat casual in the exercise of the culinary art, they really
+took enormous trouble to boil the rice properly. It is first well washed
+in a large pail, and properly cleaned; then it undergoes a process of
+slow boiling in plenty of water in such a way that, while quite soft and
+delicious to the taste, each grain retains its shape and remains
+separate, instead of making the kind of paste produced by our method of
+boiling it. The whitish water left behind after the rice has been removed
+is, as we have seen, used as a cooling beverage. In some respects the
+Corean diet approaches the Chinese and the Indian, rather than the
+Japanese; for many a time have I seen men in Corea eat their rice mixed
+with meat and fish, well covered with strong sauce, in the shape of a
+_curry_; whereas in Japan the boiled rice is always in a bowl apart and
+eaten separately.
+
+The Corean mind seems to lay great stress upon the quantity of food that
+the digestive organs will bear. Nothing gives more satisfaction to a
+Corean than to be able to pat his tightly-stretched stomach, and, with a
+deep sigh of relief, say: "Oh, how much I have eaten!" Life, according to
+them, would not be worth living if it were not for eating. Brought up
+under a régime of this kind, it is not astonishing that their capacity
+for food is really amazing. I have seen a Corean devour a luncheon of a
+size that would satisfy three average Europeans, and yet after that, when
+I was anxiously expecting to see him burst, fall upon a large dish of
+dried persimmons, the heaviest and most indigestible things in existence.
+"They look very good," said he, as he quickly swallowed one, and with his
+supple fingers undid the beautiful bow of his girdle and loosened it,
+thus apparently providing for more space inside. "I shall eat one or
+two," he murmured, as he was in the act of swallowing the second; and, in
+less than no time the whole of the fruit had passed from the dish into
+his digestive organs, and he was intently gathering up, with the tips of
+his licked fingers, the few grains of sugar left at the bottom of the
+dish.
+
+"I was unwell and had no appetite to-day," he then innocently remarked,
+as he lifted up his head.
+
+"Oh, I hope you will come again when you are quite well," said I, "but
+you must promise not to eat the table, because it does not belong to me."
+
+A good deal of the native voracity is due, however, not to this
+insatiable appetite and gluttony alone, but also to Corean etiquette,
+according to which it shows a want of respect to the host and is a mark
+of great rudeness not to eat all that is placed before one. If all is not
+eaten they argue that you do not like it and consider it to be badly
+cooked or inferior to what you have at home. The notion of a normal
+capacity is strange to them, and never even enters their mind. They are
+trained from childhood to eat huge quantities of food, and to take
+heartily all that they can get. I have seen children with thin little
+bellies so extended after a meal, in the course of which they had been
+stuffed with rice and barley, that they could hardly walk or even
+breathe. I recollect on one occasion remarking to a mother, who was
+beamingly showing me her child in a similar condition: "Are you not
+afraid that his skin will give way?" "Oh no! Look!" Upon which she
+stuffed down his little throat three or four more spoonfuls of rice. I
+have been thankful ever since that I was not born a Corean child.
+
+When the Coreans eat in their own houses, the men of the family take
+their meals first, being waited on by their wives and servants; after
+which the females have their repast in a separate room. The women seldom
+drink intoxicants, and have to be satisfied with water and rice-wash.
+
+It is the duty of the wife to look after the welfare of her husband, and
+when she has fed him, and he has drowsily laid himself down on the
+ground, or on his little mattress, as the case may be, she retires, and
+after having had her food either goes to see her friends or to wash her
+master's clothes, or else goes to sleep.
+
+The people of Cho-sen are fond of keeping late hours; and yet I believe
+there are no people in the world who are more fond of sleep. So far as my
+observations go, the richer people spend their lives entirely in eating
+and sleeping. Whenever I went to call on a Corean gentleman, I
+invariably found him either gorging or in the arms of Morpheus. Naturally
+a life of this sort makes the upper classes soft, and somewhat
+effeminate. They are much given to sensual pleasures, and many a man of
+Cho-sen is reduced to a perfect wreck when he ought to be in his prime.
+The habit of drinking more than is proper is really a national
+institution, and what with over feeding, drunkenness, and other vices it
+is not astounding that the upper ten do not show to great advantage. The
+Coreans are most irregular in their habits, for, slumbering as they do at
+all hours of the day, they often feel sleepless at night, and are
+compelled in consequence to sit up. On these occasions songs are roused,
+and dominoes (san-pi-yen), chess (chan-kin), or occasionally card games
+are started until another _siesta_ is felt to be required. Cards,
+however, are seldom played by the upper classes; for they are considered
+a low amusement, only fit for coolies and soldiers. On grand occasions it
+is not unusual for the _bon-vivant_ of Cho-sen to sit up all night, with
+his friends, feasting to such an extent that he and his guests are ill
+for months afterwards.
+
+The Corean nobleman, as may well be imagined, suffers from chronic
+indigestion, and whenever one happens to inquire after his health the
+answer invariably is: "I have eaten something that has disagreed with me,
+I have a pain here." And the hand is placed on the chest, in a mournful
+but expressive enough attitude.
+
+The modes of illumination adopted in the Corean household are few and
+simple. The most common illuminant consists of grease candles, supported
+on high candlesticks, of wood or brass, but sometimes oil cup-lamps are
+found, like those we use for night-lights. The latter, however, do not
+give out much light, and so candles, which are marvellously cheap, are
+preferred, although unfortunately they melt quickly, and smoke and smell
+in a dreadful fashion.
+
+Besides the various articles of domestic furniture which I have
+mentioned, I don't think I saw any others worth noticing, except perhaps
+the "autograph" of some great man, to which the Coreans attach much
+importance. The paper, on which the "character" is written, is stretched
+on a wooden frame and hung in a prominent place, generally over the
+entrance, and whenever a new visitor enters the house, the first thing
+shown him is the "autograph," and it is his duty then to compliment his
+host on his good fortune of possessing it.
+
+We have now examined all the various striking features characteristic of
+the Corean household. Let us, then, now go outside again. The streets of
+the town could not be more tortuous and irregular. With the exception of
+the main thoroughfares, most of the streets are hardly wide enough to let
+four people walk abreast. The drainage is carried away in uncovered
+channels alongside the house, in the street itself; and, the windows
+being directly over these drains, the good people of Cho-sen, when inside
+their homes, cannot breathe without inhaling the fumes exhaled from the
+fetid matter stagnant underneath. When rain falls, matters get somewhat
+better; for then the running water cleans these canals to a considerable
+extent. During the winter months, also, things are passable enough, for
+then everything is frozen; but, in the beginning of spring, when frozen
+nature undergoes the process of thawing, then it is that one wishes to be
+deprived of his nose. At the entrance of each house a stone slab is
+thrown across to the doorway so as to cover the ditch. Only the
+foundations of the town houses are made of solid stone, well cemented,
+but in the case of country dwellings these are extended upwards so as to
+make up one-half of the whole height, the upper part being of mud, stuck
+on to a rough matting of bamboos and split canes.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER X
+
+A Corean marriage--How marriages are arranged--The wedding ceremony--The
+document--In the nuptial-chamber--Wife's conduct--Concubines--Widows
+--Seduction--Adultery--Purchasing a husband--Love--Intrigue--Official
+"squeezing"--The cause.
+
+
+Among the several misfortunes, or fortunes, if you prefer the word, with
+which a Corean man has to put up is an early marriage. He is hardly born,
+when his father begins to look out for a wife for him, and scarcely has
+he time to know that he is living in the world at all than he finds
+himself wedded.... The Coreans marry very young. I have seen boys of ten
+or twelve years of age who had already discarded the bachelor's long
+tress hanging down the back, and were wearing the top-knot of the married
+man. It must not be supposed, however, that these youthful married men
+are really wedded in the strict sense of the word, for, as a matter of
+fact, though husband and wife in the eyes of the world, the two do not
+live together till the age of puberty is reached. In other words, the
+marriage is for several years only a nominal one, and corresponds rather
+to our "engagement." There are duties, none the less, which a married man
+must perform, no matter how youthful he may be. From the moment he is
+wedded he must be a man, however childlike in years, and henceforth he
+can associate only with men. His infantile games, romps with other
+children who are still bachelors, spinning tops and all other amusements,
+which he so much enjoyed, are suddenly brought to an end and he is now
+compelled to be as sedate as an old man.
+
+The illustration (p. 79) shows a young married man of the age of twelve,
+a relation of the queen. As I was taking his portrait, I asked him how he
+liked his wife and what her appearance was.
+
+"I do not know," he said, "for I have only seen her once, and I have as
+yet never spoken to her."
+
+"But, then, how can you like her?"
+
+"Because it is my father's wish that I should, and I must obey my
+father."
+
+"Does your father know the girl well?"
+
+"No, but he knows her father."
+
+"And what does your mother say?"
+
+"She says nothing."
+
+"Why?"
+
+"Because she is dead."
+
+I found this an excellent reason for the silence on the mother's side and
+I proceeded with the picture, but once again attacked him with the view
+of, if possible, obtaining further information.
+
+"When will you go and live with your wife?"
+
+"When I shall be nineteen or twenty years old."
+
+The whole arrangement seemed to me so strange that I naturally longed for
+further details about marital relations in Cho-sen. The facts as told to
+me are as follows: In Cho-senese weddings the two people least concerned
+are the bride and bridegroom. Everything, or at least nearly everything,
+is done for them, either by their relations or through the agency of a
+middle-man. When both the persons to be wedded possess fathers, a
+friendly _pourparler_ takes place between the two papas and in the course
+of repeated libations of wine, the terms are settled, and with the help
+of a "wise man" a lucky day is named, upon which the wedding shall take
+place. On the other hand, should the bridegroom have no father, then a
+middle-man is appointed by the nearest relations to carry on the
+transaction with the girl's progenitor. It is not uncommon for two
+persons to be married several years without ever having seen each other.
+This, for instance, may be the case when the young lady resides in a
+distant province, and a journey of inspection would be too expensive.
+Under such circumstances the bridegroom must just patiently wait until,
+perhaps, years after, the bride undertakes the journey herself and comes
+to live with him in his house.
+
+After all, on thinking the matter over and bearing in mind that with us a
+marriage is indeed _a_ lottery, I cannot see why the Corean wedding
+should not be equivalent to _two_ lotteries! Very often, weddings are
+arranged by letter, in which case misunderstandings frequently occur. For
+instance, a father who has two daughters, a sound one and a cripple, may
+have arranged for the one in good condition to be married to a charming
+young man of good education and means. When the day of the wedding,
+however, arrives, judge of the surprise of the bridegroom to see himself
+on the point of being united in matrimony with a humpback lame creature,
+with a face and limbs all out of drawing--in place of the ideal beauty
+whom he had expected to obtain. What is to be done? There is the written
+agreement, down in black and white, and signed by his incautious father,
+and there the father of the maid swearing that it was "this" daughter he
+meant to give him, not the beautiful one! What is to be done under such
+circumstances so as not to cause grief to his parent, except to go
+through with the wedding with courage and dignity, and to provide himself
+with some good-looking concubines at the earliest opportunity?
+
+The practice of having concubines is a national institution and of the
+nature of polygamy. These second wives are not exactly recognised by the
+Government, but they are tolerated and openly allowed. The legal wife
+herself is well aware of the fact, and, though not always willing to have
+these rivals staying under the same roof, she does not at all object to
+receiving them and entertaining them in her own quarters--if her lord and
+master orders her to do so. There are, nevertheless, strong-minded women
+in the land of Cho-sen, who resent the intrusion of these thirds, and
+family dissension not unfrequently results from the husband indulging in
+such conduct. Should the wife abandon her master's roof in despair he can
+rightfully have her brought back and publicly spanked with an instrument
+like a paddle, a somewhat severe punishment, which is apt to bring back
+to reason the most ill-tempered and strong-willed woman. Such a thing,
+though, very seldom happens, for, as women go, the Corean specimens of
+feminine humanity seem to be very sensible, and not much given to
+jealousy or to worrying their little heads unnecessarily about such
+small failings. They are perfectly well aware that their husbands cannot
+easily divorce them, when once the fatal knot has been tied, and that,
+though practically inferior beings and slaves, they nevertheless come
+first, and are above their rivals in the eye of the law; which, I
+suppose, is satisfaction enough for them. Even when on friendly terms
+with her husband's second loves, the wife number one never forgets to
+impress them with the fact that, though tolerated, they are considered by
+her to be much lower beings than herself; which makes them feel all the
+more her studied politeness to them. Occasionally, however, even the
+cool-headed Corean woman gets possessed with the vice of envy--sometimes
+mixed with hatred--with the result that reciprocal scratches and tearings
+of the hair become _l'ordre du jour_. But to condescend to such means of
+asserting one's authority is looked down upon by the more respectable
+women; and suffering in silence is pronounced to be a nobler way of
+acting under the circumstances, the woman thus setting an example of good
+nature eliciting the admiration of all her neighbours.
+
+The wedding ceremony in Cho-sen is simple. It is not celebrated as with
+us, in the house of the bride, but in that of the bridegroom. The bride
+it is, who--carried in a palanquin, if a lady of means and good family,
+or on pony or donkey back, if she belongs to the lower classes--goes,
+followed by parents, relations and friends, to the house of the
+bridegroom. Here she finds assembled his friends and relations, and,
+having been received by the father of the bridegroom, she mounts a small
+platform erected for the purpose in the centre of the room and squats
+down. Her father follows suit, placing himself just behind her. The
+bridegroom, apparently unconcerned by the serious change in his life that
+is in prospect, sits on his heels in front of her on the platform. A
+document is then produced and unrolled, on which, in hundreds of
+fantastic Chinese characters, it is certified that the performance taking
+place is a _bonâ-fide_ marriage between Mr. So-and-so and the daughter of
+So-and-so; the weaker sex, as we have already seen, not being entitled to
+a personal name. The two contracting parties having signed the document,
+the fathers of the bride and bridegroom and the nearest relations, follow
+suit. If, as happens in many cases, the woman is able neither to read nor
+write, she can make "her mark" on the roll of paper in question; and I
+must confess that of all the ingenious marks I have seen, this one is the
+most ingenious of all. If she be a lady of rank and illiterate, her
+little hand is placed on the paper and the outline drawn round the
+fingers and wrist with a fine brush dipped in Chinese ink; but if she
+happens to have no blue blood in her veins, and is, therefore, of less
+gracious manners, the simpler process of smearing her hand with black
+paint and hitting the document with it is considered to render the
+ceremony more impressive. A more or less vivid impression of the wife's
+fleshly seal having been affixed in this way to some part or other of the
+document according to her skill in aiming, the two unfortunates resume
+their dignity on the platform, sitting face to face without a word or
+motion. The bridegroom then makes four grand bows to his wife, in sign of
+resignation or assent, I suppose; and she returns two, while she treats
+her father-in-law with double that amount of reverence. This constitutes
+the marriage ceremony proper, but much further bowing has to be gone
+through by both the parties to each of the people present, who,
+accompanying their wedding-gifts of birds and fish with pretty
+compliments, come forward, one by one, to the platform and drink the
+health, happiness and joy of the wedded pair. It is the duty of the bride
+to remain perfectly mute and apparently unconcerned at all the pretty
+speeches addressed to her by the bridegroom and his friends until the
+nuptial-chamber is entered later in the evening. Previous to this,
+however, the bridegroom is taken away into the men's apartment, while, on
+the other hand, the wife is led into the ladies' own room. The former
+then has his tress cut off and tied into a top-knot--an operation
+entrusted to his best friend; while the latter also has her hair changed
+from the fashion of the maiden to that of a married woman, by her most
+intimate friend. It is only after this change in the coiffure that a man
+begins to be taken notice of in the world, or is regarded as responsible
+for his own conduct.
+
+After being arrayed in the fashion just mentioned, and having gone
+through a good deal of feasting, husband and wife are led off to the
+nuptial-chamber. Here, numerous straw puppets, which had better be left
+undescribed, are placed, with a certain implication, which need not be
+explained. With these, then, the two poor wretches are shut in, while all
+the relations and servants sit outside giggling and listening at the
+door. The wife is not supposed to utter a sound, and if by chance her
+voice is heard she can fully expect to have her life chaffed out of her,
+and to be the talk and the cause of good-natured fun all over the
+neighbourhood. The middle-men--either the fathers or others--are entitled
+to assist at the first-night business, and to report to the relations and
+friends whether the marriage is to turn out a happy one or not. They
+generally act their part behind a screen placed for the purpose in the
+nuptial-chamber.
+
+What happens is generally this: the man either takes a violent fancy for
+his new bride or else he does not care for her. If the former is the
+case, the first fortnight or so is a very happy one for the couple, and
+the two are continually by each other's side; but, by-and-by, of course,
+the ardour of these days gets quieted down, and, to show his wife that
+after all he does not think much of her, the man will even proceed to
+enter into relationship with a second wife, and probably soon after that
+also with a third or even a fourth, according to his means. After a time,
+he will again return to the first and principal wife, and repeat to her a
+certain amount of affection, though never quite so much as is displayed
+towards the last love. The Corean treats his wife with dignity and
+kindness, and feeds her well, but she is never allowed to forget that she
+is an inferior personage. To this, however, the women of Cho-sen seem
+quite resigned, and it is marvellous how faithful they are to their
+husbands, and how much they seem to think of them and their welfare and
+happiness, their own selves being quite forgotten. Should a woman of the
+better classes be left, a widow, she must wear mourning as long as she
+lives, and ever shed tears over the loss of her husband. To re-marry she
+is not permitted. Women of the lower classes, it is true, do not always
+observe this rule--which is not law, but merely etiquette.
+
+Many a Cho-sen lady, also, on finding herself deprived of her better half
+when she is still young in years and physique voluntarily puts an end to
+her days, that she may join her husband, wherever he may have gone,
+rather than go through life alone. If, however, a son is born, she will
+nurse him, and look upon him as her master when he grows older and
+becomes the head of the family.
+
+To obtain a divorce in Corea is not an easy matter. Large sums of money,
+however, often obtain what right cannot. The principal causes for which,
+if proved, a divorce can be obtained, are: infidelity, sterility,
+dishonesty, and incurable malady. These faults, be it understood, only
+apply to women, for against the men the weaker sex has, unfortunately, no
+redress. Indeed, by the law of Corea a man becomes the owner of a woman
+if he can prove that he has had intimate relations with her. In such a
+case as this, even though it has been against her parents' and her own
+will, he has a perfect right to take her to his house, and make her a
+wife or a concubine.
+
+Adultery until lately was punished in Corea with flogging and capital
+punishment. Now the law is more lenient, and wives accused of such a
+dreadful offence are beaten nearly to death, and when recovered, if they
+do recover, are given as concubines to low officials in the Palace or at
+some of the _Yamens_.
+
+Women who are much deformed and have reached a certain age without
+finding a husband are allowed the privilege of purchasing one, which, in
+other words, corresponds to our marriage for money. In Corea, however,
+the money is paid down as the consideration for the marriage. But this
+sort of thing is not very frequent, and husbands in such cases are
+generally recruited from among ruined gentlemen or from the middle
+classes, among whom with money anything can be done. It is not considered
+quite honourable, and the Cho-senese despise such conduct on the part of
+a man.
+
+When a woman marries she becomes co-proprietress of all her husband's
+fortune and property, and should he die without having any sons, money
+and land descend to her. When this happens, however, the larger part of
+the fortune is swallowed up by the astrologers and priests, who give the
+woman to understand that they are looking after the welfare of her
+deceased beloved. In matters concerning the dead, the Coreans are
+heedless of expense, and large sums are spent in satisfying the wishes
+that dead people convey to the living through those scamps, the
+astrologers.
+
+The life of a Corean woman, though that of a slave kept in strict
+seclusion, with prospects of floggings and head-chopping, is not always
+devoid of adventures. Love is a thing which is capricious in the extreme,
+and there are stories current in Cho-sen about young, wives being
+carelessly looked after by their husbands, and falling in love with some
+good-looking youth, of course married to some one else. Having, perhaps,
+against her master's orders, made a hole through the paper window, and
+been peeping at the passers-by in the street, after months, or even years
+of drudgery and sleepless nights thinking of her ideal--for Corean women
+are passionate, and much given to fanciful affections--she at last
+chances to see the man of her heart, and manages, through the well-paid
+agency of some faithful servant, to enter into communication with him. If
+the man in question happens to be a high official or a nobleman, what
+happens generally is that the lady's husband either gets suddenly packed
+off by order of the King to some distant province, or is sent upon some
+travelling employment which probably necessitates his leaving his wife
+behind for several years, during which period, under the old-fashioned
+excuse of news received of the husband's death, or the plea of poverty,
+she very likely becomes the concubine of the man she loves. In Corean
+literature, there are many stories of the burning affections of the fair
+sex, some being said to have committed crimes, and even suicide, to be
+near the man they loved.
+
+To a European mind, certainly, the native way of arranging marriages does
+not seem very likely to make the contracting parties happy, for neither
+the tastes nor respective temperaments of the young couple are regarded.
+Still, taking everything into consideration, it is marvellous how little
+unhappiness--comparatively--there is in a Corean household. Besides, it
+must not be supposed that, slave though she be, the Corean woman never
+gets things her own way. On the contrary, she does, and that as often as
+she likes. Among the upper classes, especially those about the Court,
+half the trouble in the kingdom is caused by the women, not openly,
+indeed, but in a clever underhand way through their _enervé_ husbands,
+whom, instead of being the governors, they rule and lead by the nose.
+Promotions, punishments, and beheadings are generally the consequence of
+the work of some female fiend. There is probably no place in the world in
+which intrigue is so rampant as in the Corean Capital. The Queen herself
+is said to exercise an enormous influence over the King, and, according
+to Corean reports, it is really she, and not the King, that rules
+Cho-sen. She is never either seen or heard of; and yet all the officials
+are frightened out of their lives if they think they have incurred her
+displeasure. For no plausible reason whatever men are sometimes seen
+deprived of their high position, degraded and exiled. Nobody knows why it
+is; the accused themselves cannot account for it. There is only one
+answer possible, namely, _Cherchez la femme_. The fact is, a Corean woman
+can be an angel and she can be a devil. If the former, she is soft, good,
+willing to bear any amount of pain, incredibly faithful to her husband,
+painstaking with her children, and willing to work day and night without
+a word of reproach. If, however, she is the other thing, I do not think
+that any devils in existence can beat her. She then has all the bad
+qualities that a human body can contain. I firmly believe that when a
+Corean woman is bad she is capable of anything! Much of the distress,
+even, which prevails all over the country is more or less due to the
+weakness of the stronger sex towards the women. Everybody, I suppose, is
+aware of the terrible system of "squeezing"; that is to say, the
+extortion of money from any one who may possess it. It is really painful
+all over Corea to see the careworn, sad expression on everybody's face;
+you see the natives lying about idle and pensive, doubtful as to what
+their fate will be to-morrow, all anxious for a reform in the mode of
+government, yet all too lazy to attempt to better their position, and
+this has gone on for generations! Such is human nature. It is hard to
+suffer, but this is considered to be nothing compared with the trouble of
+improving one's position.
+
+"What is the use of working and making money," said a Corean once to me,
+"if, when the work is done and the money made, it is taken from you by
+the officials; you are worn out by the work you have done, yet are as
+poor as before, that is, mind you, if you are fortunate enough not to be
+exiled to a distant province by the magistrate who has enriched himself
+at your expense?" "Now," added the Cho-senese, looking earnestly into my
+face, "would you work under those circumstances?" "I am hanged if I
+would," were the words which, to the best of my ability, I struggled to
+translate into the language of Cho-sen, in order to show my approval of
+these philosophic views; "but, tell me, what do the officials do with all
+the money?"
+
+"It is all spent in pleasure. Women are their ruin. The feasts which they
+celebrate with their singers and their concubines cost immense sums of
+money. Besides, their women are like leeches, and continually incite them
+to extort more and more from the public to satisfy their ambition and
+evil habits. They are women mostly born in dirt, but who now find
+themselves in lavishness and luxury. People who spring up from nothing
+never are satisfied with what they possess, and it is always a pleasure
+to them to see other people suffering as they formerly did."
+
+There is little doubt that what the Corean said is perfectly true, and
+that the system of "squeezing" is carried on by the magistrates to such
+an extent as to entirely ruin the people; wherefore, it is only natural
+that its depressing effects should be impressed upon the people
+"squeezed." I also believe that there is a good deal of truth in what he
+said about their females being supplied with large funds by the
+magistrates. The money must come from some part, and since, personally,
+they are poor and only receive a small pay, there is no doubt that the
+money in question is extorted as described. But let this suffice for the
+good and bad qualities of the Cho-sen fairies and their funny way of
+being married.
+
+[Illustration: THE MARK]
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XI
+
+Painting in Seoul--Messages from the king--Royal princes sitting for
+their portraits--Breaking the mourning law--Quaint notions--Delight and
+despair--Calling in of State ceremony--Corean soldiers--How they mount
+guard--Drill--Honours--A much admired shoe--A gift.
+
+
+I had made so many sketches in Seoul, that at last a rumour reached the
+Court of the rapidity with which I portrayed streets and people. The
+consequence was that both king and princes were very anxious to see what
+"European painting" was like, as they had never yet seen a picture
+painted by a European; so one fine day, to my great astonishment, through
+the kindness of Mr. Greathouse and General Le Gendre, I was able to
+induce one of the Queen's nephews, young Min-san-ho, to sit for his
+likeness in his Court dress. The picture, a life-size one, was painted in
+the course of an afternoon and was pronounced a success by my Corean
+critics. In Cho-senese eyes, unaccustomed to the effects of light, shade,
+and variety of colour in painting, the work merited a great deal of
+admiration, and many were the visitors who came to inspect it. It was
+not, they said, at all like a picture, but just like the man himself
+sitting donned in his white Court robes and winged cap. So great was the
+sensation produced by this portrait, that before many days had passed
+the King ordered it to be brought into his presence, upon which being
+done he sat gazing at it, surrounded by his family and whole household.
+The painting was kept at the Palace for two entire days, and when
+returned to me was simply covered with finger marks, royal and not royal,
+smeared on the paint, which was still moist, and that, notwithstanding
+that I had been provident enough to paste in a corner of the canvas a
+label in the Corean language to the effect that fingers were to be kept
+off. The King declared himself so satisfied with it that he expressed the
+wish that before leaving the country I should paint the portraits of the
+two most important personages in Cho-sen after himself, viz.: the two
+Princes, Min-Young-Huan, and Min-Young-Chun, the former of whom was
+Commander-in-chief of the Corean land forces, and the other, Prime
+Minister of the kingdom, in fact, the Bismarck of Cho-sen.
+
+No sooner had I answered "yes" to this request than the sitting was fixed
+for the next morning at 11 o'clock. The crucial matter, of course, was
+the question of precedence, and this would have been difficult to settle
+had not the Prime Minister caught a bad cold, which caused his sitting to
+be delayed for some days. Hence it was that at 11 o'clock punctually I
+was to portray prince Min-Young-Huan, the commander-in-chief of the
+Corean troops.
+
+[Illustration: H.R.H. PRINCE MIN-YOUNG-HUAN]
+
+General Le Gendre, with his usual kindness, had offered me a room in his
+house, in which I could receive, and paint His Royal Highness. The
+excitement at Court on the subject of these pictures, had apparently been
+great, for late at night a message was brought me from the palace to
+the effect that the King, having heard that I preferred painting the two
+princes in their smartest dark blue gowns of lovely silk instead of in
+their white mourning ones, had given Min orders to comply with my wish.
+The grant of such a privilege was, indeed, remarkable, when it is
+remembered how strict the rules as to mourning were, not only at Court,
+but all over the country; for so strict are the mourning rules of the
+country, that the slightest exception to them may mean the loss of one's
+head. The precaution, however, was taken to bind me to secrecy, on the
+ground that a bad example of this kind coming from royalty might actually
+cause a revolutionary outbreak. It was naturally with the greatest
+pleasure, at my success, and the courtesy shown me, that I went to bed,
+not, however, without having received yet another message from General Le
+Gendre, asking me to be in attendance punctually at 11 A.M.
+
+It was just 6.30 in the morning, when there was a loud tap at my door,
+and the servant rushed in, in the wildest state of excitement, handing me
+a note from General Le Gendre. The note read somewhat as follows: "Dear
+Mr. Landor, Prince Min has arrived at my house to sit for his picture.
+Please come at once."
+
+That is punctuality, is it not? To make an appointment, and go to the
+place to keep it four-and-a-half hours before the time appointed!
+
+In less than no time I was on the spot. Le Gendre's house was, as it
+were, in a state of siege, for hundreds of armed soldiers were drawn up,
+in the little lane leading to it, while the court of his compound was
+crammed with followers and officers, in their smartest clothes. The
+warriors, who had already made themselves comfortable, and were squatting
+on their heels, playing cards and other games, got up most respectfully
+as I passed, and, by command of one of the officers, rendered me a
+military salute, which I must confess made me feel very important. I had
+never suspected that such an armed force was necessary to protect a man
+who was going to have his portrait painted, but of course, I am well
+aware that artists are always most unreliable people. When the real
+reason of this display was explained, I did indeed feel much flattered.
+
+The Prince had, in fact, come to me in his grandest style, and with his
+full escort, just as if his object had been to call on some royal
+personage, such as the King himself. The compliment was, I need hardly
+say, much appreciated by me. I was actually lifted up the steps of the
+house by his servants, for it was supposed that the legs of such a grand
+personage must indeed be incapable of bearing his body, and thus I was
+brought into his presence. As usual, he was most affable, and full of wit
+and fun. So great had been his anxiety to be down on canvas, that he had
+been quite unable to sleep. He could only wish for the daylight to come,
+which was to immortalise him, and that was why he had come "a little"
+before his time.
+
+Having assured himself that there was no one else in the room, he
+discarded his mourning clothes, and put on a magnificent blue silk gown
+with baggy sleeves, upon which dragons were depicted, in rather lighter
+tones. On his chest, he wore a square on which in multicoloured
+embroideries were represented the flying phoenix and the tiger, and the
+corners of which were filled in artistically with numerous scrolls. He
+had also a rectangular jewelled metal belt, projecting both at his chest
+and at the back, and held in position by a ribbon on both sides of his
+body. His cap was of the finest black horse-hair with wings fastened at
+the back. He seemed most proud of his three white leather satchels, and a
+writing pad, which hung down from his left side, by wide white straps.
+Into these straps, in time of war, is passed the sword of supreme
+command, and by them in time of peace is his high military rank made
+known. His sword was a magnificent old blade, which had been handed down
+from his ancestors, and naturally he was very proud of it. While showing
+it to me, he related the noble deeds, which had been accomplished by its
+aid, his eyes glistening all the time, but, as he was about to
+graphically describe in what way such and such an ancestor had done away
+with his foe, I, who am not at all fond of playing with razor-edged
+swords, thought it prudent to interrupt him by placing him in position
+for the picture. As I posed him, he did not utter a word, nor wink an
+eye. And during the whole of a sitting of nearly three hours he sat
+motionless and speechless, like a statue.
+
+"It is finished," I finally said, and he sprang up in a childish fashion
+and came over to look at the work. His delight was unbounded, and he
+seized my hand and shook it for nearly half an hour; after which, he
+suddenly became grave, stared at the canvas, and then looked at the back
+of it. He seemed horrified.
+
+"What is it?" I inquired of His Royal Highness.
+
+"You have not put in my jade decoration," said he, almost in despair.
+
+I had, of course, painted his portrait full face, and as the Coreans have
+the strange notion of wearing their decorations in the shape of a small
+button of jade, gold, silver or amber, behind the left ear, these did not
+appear thereon. I then tried to remonstrate, saying that it was
+impossible in European art to accomplish such a feat as to show both
+front and back at once, but, as he seemed distressed at what to him
+seemed a defect, I made him sit again, and compromised the matter by
+making another large but rapid sketch of him from a side point of view,
+so as to include the decoration and the rest rather magnified in size. It
+is from this portrait that the illustration is taken; for I corrected it
+as soon as he was out of sight. But with this second portrait my Corean
+sitter was more grieved than ever, for, he remarked, now he could see the
+decoration, but not his other eye!
+
+These difficulties having, with the exercise of a good deal of patience
+and time, been finally overcome by my proving to him that one cannot see
+through things that are not transparent, we were entertained by General
+Le Gendre to an excellent lunch, during which toasts to the health of
+everybody under the sun were drunk in numberless bottles of champagne.
+Then he began to wax quite enthusiastic about his likeness. He called in
+his officers and followers; by this time, of course, he had got into his
+mourning clothes again, and donned his semi-spherical crane-surmounted
+hat; and they all showed great admiration of the work, although many went
+round, as he had done, to look at the backs of the two canvases to find
+"the eye," or the other missing "button."
+
+He wanted to purchase both pictures there and then, but I declined,
+saying that I would be pleased to present him with a smaller copy when
+completed. With this promise he departed happy.
+
+Now it was the turn of his Prime Minister brother, Prince Min. He also
+came in full state, with hundreds of servants and followers, hours before
+his time; was a most restless model; and, having profited by his
+brother's experience, was continually coming over to examine the painting
+and reminding me not to forget this and that and the other
+thing--generally what was on the other side of his body, or what from my
+point of vantage I could not see. This time, however, I had chosen a
+three-quarter face pose, and he expressed the fullest satisfaction with
+the result, until, going to poke his nose into the canvas, which was
+about 4 feet by 3, he began to take objections to the shadows. He
+insisted that his face was all perfectly white; whereas I had made
+one-half his nose darker in colour than the other; also that there was
+the same defect under the chin; his untrained mind being unable to grasp
+the fact that the same colour under different lights becomes lighter or
+darker in tone. I would have lost my patience with him if I had had any
+to lose, but, remaining silent, I smiled idiotically at his observations,
+and did exactly the reverse of what he wished me to do. The beautifying
+touches having been duly added, and the high lights put in where it
+seemed proper that they should go, I summoned the Prince to see the
+effect, this time building up a barricade of chairs and tables in front
+of the canvas, in order that His Royal Highness might be compelled to
+conduct his examination of it at the right distance. This had the desired
+effect, and, as he now gazed at it, he found the likeness excellent and
+to use his words "just like a living other-self." It seemed to him a most
+inexplicable circumstance that when he got his nose close to the canvas
+the picture appeared so different from what it was when inspected at the
+right distance. This sitting also ended with a feast, and everything
+passed off in the best of ways.
+
+The result of this amicable intercourse with the Royal Princes was that
+calls had to be duly exchanged according to the rules of Corean
+etiquette. Both Princes came again in their state array to call upon me
+in person, a privilege which I was told had never before been bestowed on
+any Europeans, not even the Diplomatic Agents in the land, after which
+upon the following day I proceeded to return their calls.
+
+The morning was dedicated to the commander-in-chief, Prince
+Min-Young-Huan. Since to go on foot, even though the distance was only a
+few hundred yards from Mr. Greathouse's, where I was living, would have
+been, according to Corean etiquette, a disgrace and an insult, I rode up
+to his door on horseback. His house stood, surrounded by a strong wall of
+masonry and with impregnable iron-banded gates, in the centre of a large
+piece of ground. His ensign flew at one corner of the enclosure, and a
+detachment of picked troops was always at his beck and call in the
+immediate neighbourhood. At the door were sentries, and it was curious to
+note the way in which guard is mounted in the land of Cho-sen.
+
+I suppose what I am going to narrate will not be believed, but it is none
+the less perfectly true. The Corean Tommy Atkins mounts guard curled up
+in a basket filled with rags and cotton-wool! Even at the royal palace
+one sees them. The Cho-senese warrior is not a giant; on the contrary, he
+is very small, only a little over five feet, or even less, so that the
+round basket which contains him is made only about four feet in diameter,
+and three-and-a-half feet deep. In the inner enclosures of the royal
+palace, where two soldiers at a time are on guard, the baskets are
+bigger, and the two men contained in them squat or curl up together like
+two birds in a nest. Their rifles are generally left standing against the
+wall; but, occasionally, when the position to be guarded is a very
+responsible one, they are nursed in the basket.
+
+The infantry soldier, seen at his best, is a funny individual. He thinks
+he is dressed like a European soldier, but the reader can imagine the
+resemblance. His head-gear consists of a felt hat with a large brim,
+which he keeps on his head by means of two ribbons tied under his chin;
+for the fashion is, in military circles, to have a head-gear many times
+too small for his head. He wears a pair of calico trousers of a
+nondescript colour resembling green and black, under which his own padded
+"unmentionables" are concealed, a fact which of itself is sufficient to
+make him look a little baggy. Then there is his shortish coat with large
+sleeves and woollen wristlets; and a belt, with a brass buckle, somewhere
+about five inches above or below his waist, according to the amount of
+dinner he has eaten and the purses he has stuffed under his coat. Yes,
+the Coreans are not yet civilised enough to possess pockets, and all that
+they have to carry must be stuffed into small leather, cloth, or silk
+purses with long strings. By ordinary individuals these purses are
+fastened inside or outside the coat, but among the military it is
+strictly forbidden to show purses over the coat; wherefore the regulation
+method is to carry these underneath, tied to the trouser's band.
+Accordingly, as the number of purses is larger or smaller, the belt over
+the jacket is higher or lower on the waist, the coat sticking out in the
+most ridiculous manner.
+
+In the illustration a Corean warrior of the latest fashion may be seen in
+his full uniform. He is an infantry soldier.
+
+[Illustration: AN INFANTRY SOLDIER]
+
+The guns with which these men are armed, are of all sorts, descriptions
+and ages, from the old flint-locks to repeating breech-loaders, and it
+can easily be imagined how difficult it must be to train the troops,
+hardly two soldiers having guns of even a similar make! A couple of
+American Army instructors were employed by the King to coach the soldiery
+in the art of foreign warfare, and to teach them how to use their
+weapons, but, if I remember rightly, one of the greatest difficulties
+they had to contend with was the utter want of discipline; for to this
+the easy-going Corean Tommy Atkins could on no account be made to
+submit. They are brave enough when it comes to fighting; that is, when
+this is done in their own way; and rather than give way an inch they will
+die like valiant warriors. It is an impossibility, however, to make them
+understand that when a man is a soldier, in European fashion, he is no
+more a man, but a machine.
+
+"Why not have machines altogether?" seemed to be pretty much what they
+thought when compelled to go through the, to them, apparently useless and
+tiresome drill.
+
+The target practice amused and interested them much when it took place,
+which was but seldom, for the cost of the ammunition was found to be too
+much for the authorities; there being, besides, the further difficulty of
+providing different cartridges for the great variety of rifles used. Thus
+it was that, though nearly every infantry soldier possessed a gun, he
+hardly ever had a chance of firing it. So rarely was even a round of
+blank cartridges fired in the capital, that, when this event did take
+place for some purpose or other, the King invariably sent a message to
+the few foreign residents in the town requesting them not to be
+frightened or alarmed at the "report," or to suppose that a revolution
+had broken out.
+
+Having examined Tommy Atkins at his best, I sent in my name to the
+Prince, and was waiting outside, when suddenly a great noise was heard
+inside, the squeaky locks were unbolted, and gate after gate was thrown
+open. The pony had to be left behind at the gate, and as I entered the
+court, among the chin-chins of the courtiers, I saw the
+Commander-in-chief waiting on the door-step to greet me with
+outstretched arms. Honour after honour was bestowed upon me; which
+extreme politeness amazed me, for Foreign Ministers and Consuls are never
+received in this way, but are led into his presence, while he remains
+comfortably seated in his audience chamber.
+
+He took me by the hand, and, leading me into his reception room,
+maintained a long and most friendly conversation with me, taking the most
+unbounded interest in all matters pertaining to Western civilisation. As
+we were thus busily engaged, "pop," went the cork of a champagne bottle
+with a frightful explosion, through the paper window, and my interlocutor
+and myself had a regular shower bath, as sudden as it was unexpected.
+Then out of this healths were drunk, the servant who had opened the
+bottle so clumsily, being promised fifty strokes of the paddle at the
+earliest opportunity; after which I rose and bade his Royal Highness
+good-bye. Again, his politeness was extreme, and he accompanied me to the
+door, where, amidst the chin-chins of his followers and the "military
+honours" of the assembled troops, I re-mounted my pony and galloped off
+home.
+
+The same afternoon I paid my visit to the Royal Prime Minister. This
+time, being grown conceited, I suppose, by virtue of the honour received
+in the course of the morning, though in part, perhaps, owing to the
+advice of my friend Mr. Greathouse, who insisted upon my going in grand
+state, I was carried in the "green sedan chair," the one, namely, which
+is only brought out for officials and princes of the highest rank. I was
+also accorded the full complement of four chair-bearers, and,
+accompanied by the _Kissos_ (soldiers) and servants who were summoned to
+form my escort, I gaily started.
+
+"Oooohhhh!" my bearers sighed in a chorus, as they lifted me into the
+sedan and sped me along the crowded streets; while the soldiers shouted
+"Era, Era, Era, Picassa, Picassa!" thrusting to one side the astonished
+natives that stood in the way. As I approached the palace, I noticed that
+rows of other sedan-chairs, but yellow and blue ones, were waiting, their
+official occupants anticipating an audience with the Prince and Prime
+Minister. All these, however, had to make way before me, and a soldier
+having been despatched in advance to inform His Royal Highness of my
+coming, the gates were banged open as I approached them and closed again
+so soon as I was within. The cordial reception which I had received from
+the other prince, was now repeated; and Min Young Chun and his court were
+actually standing on the door-step to receive me.
+
+As I always complied with the habits of the country, I proceeded to take
+off my shoes before entering the house, but the prince, having been
+informed some time or other that such was not the custom in England,
+insisted on my abstaining from doing so. I had already taken off one shoe
+and was proceeding to untie the other when, catching me by one arm and
+his followers by the other, he dragged me in. You can imagine how comical
+and undignified I looked, with one shoe on and the other off! Still, I
+managed to be equal to the occasion, and held a long _pourparler_ with
+the Prince, his courtiers standing around, in a room which he had
+furnished in the European style, with two Chinese chairs and a table!
+
+As we were thus confabulating and I was being entertained with native
+wine and sweets, I received a dreadful blow--that is to say, a moral one.
+A youth, a relation of the prince, ran into the room and whispered
+something in the royal ears, whereupon his eyes glittered with
+astonishment and curiosity, and in a moment there was a general stampede
+out of the room on the part of all the courtiers and eunuchs. A minute
+after, amidst the deepest silence, was brought triumphantly into the
+audience-room and deposited in the middle of the table:--what do you
+think?--my shoe, that, namely, which I had left outside!
+
+Such a blow as this I had never experienced in my life, for the man I was
+calling upon, you must remember, held a position in Corea equal to that
+of the Prince of Wales and Lord Rosebery combined, and if you can imagine
+being entertained by a dignitary of this high order with one of your
+shoes in its right place and the other on the table, you will agree that
+my position was more than comical. It appeared that this special state of
+sensation was produced entirely by the fact that my unfortunate foot-gear
+was made of patent leather, and that, being almost new, it shone
+beautifully. Neither Prince nor Court had ever seen patent leather
+before, and much ravishment, mingled with childish surprise, was on the
+face of everybody, when it was whispered round and believed that the shoe
+was covered with a glass coating. The Prince examined it carefully all
+over, and then passed it round to his courtiers, signs of the greatest
+admiration being expressed at this wonderful object.
+
+[Illustration: H.R.H. PRINCE MIN-YOUNG-CHUN]
+
+I, on my, side, took things quite philosophically, after having recovered
+from the first shock; and, taking off the other shoe, put it also on the
+table, gracefully, and quite in the Eastern fashion, begging the Prince
+to accept the pair as a gift, if he was agreeable to have them.
+Fortunately for me, however, he even more gracefully declined the offer,
+though, as long as our interview lasted, I noticed that his eyes were
+constantly fixed on them and that every now and then he again went into
+raptures over them!
+
+On the occasion of this visit I presented him with a portrait of himself
+reproduced on a small scale from the larger painting which I had made. He
+seemed to much appreciate this picture so far as the painting was
+concerned, but was much taken aback when he discovered that it was on the
+surface of a wooden panel and could not, therefore, be rolled up. The
+Eastern idea is that, to preserve a picture, it should always be kept
+rolled, and unrolled as seldom as possible, that is to say, only on grand
+solemnities.
+
+When it was time to go, the Prince conducted me to the door in person,
+and, having had my shoes put on and laced by one of his pages, I finally
+took my leave of him.
+
+A very curious episode, the direct consequence of my having portrayed
+these Princes, occurred some days afterwards. I was walking in the
+grounds of Mr. Greathouse's residence, when I perceived a number of
+coolies, headed by two soldiers and a sort of _Maggiordomo_, coming
+towards the house. They were carrying several baskets, while the
+_Maggiordomo_ himself gracefully held a note between two fingers. As soon
+as they saw me, the _Maggiordomo_ made a grand bow, and, delivering the
+letter into my hands, said that it came from Prince Min-Young-Huan, the
+Commander-in-chief of the Corean army. What astonished me even more was
+that he placed at my feet the different baskets and parcels, announcing
+that they were now my property. The letter ran as follows:
+
+
+    "MY DEAR MR. LANDOR,--I send you some Corean hens, and some eggs,
+    and some persimmons, and some beef, and some pork, and some nuts,
+    and some screens, and a leopard skin. I hope that you will
+    receive them. I thank you very much for the beautiful picture you
+    have done of me, and I send you this as a remembrance of
+    me.--Your friend,
+
+    "MIN-YOUNG-HUAN."
+
+Greathouse and all the household having been at once summoned, the gifts
+were duly displayed and admired. The eggs numbered four hundred; then,
+there were ten live native hens with lovely feathers, about forty pounds
+of beef and pork, and two full bags, the one of nuts and the other of
+persimmons. There was enough to last one a month. The part of the present
+which pleased me most, however, was that containing the split bamboo
+window screens, which are only manufactured for, and presented to the
+King and royal princes by faithful subjects, and can scarcely be obtained
+for love or money under ordinary circumstances. The leopard skin, also,
+was a lovely one of its kind, with long fur and fat long tail,
+beautifully marked, in short an excellent specimen of what is called, I
+believe, a snow-leopard. Never before had I made so good a bargain for
+any picture of mine, and I could not but wonder whether I should ever
+again have another like it.
+
+I am sorry to say that a large portion of the eggs were consumed in
+making egg-noggs, an excellent American drink, at the concocting of which
+Greathouse was a master, a sustaining "refresher" which helped us much in
+passing away the long dull winter evenings. The hens, whose plumage we
+much admired, were let loose for some days, but they created such a
+nuisance with their early crowing, that they were soon condemned, like
+most hens, to suffer from an overstretch of neck. The screens and
+leopard-skins I brought back with me to England as a memento of my
+portrait-painting experiences in Corea, and these I still possess.
+
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XII
+
+The royal palace--A royal message--Mounting guard--The bell--The royal
+precinct--The Russian villa--An unfinished structure--The Summer
+Palace--The King's house--Houses of dignitaries--The ground and summer
+pavilion--Colds--The funeral of a Japanese Minister--Houses of royal
+relations--The queen--The oldest man and woman--The King and his
+throne--Politics and royalty--Messengers and spies--Kim-Ka-Chim---Falcons
+and archery--Nearly a St. Sebastian--The queen's curiosity--A royal
+banquet--The consequences.
+
+
+[Illustration: THE PALACE GROUNDS AND SOUTH GATE FROM THE NEW PALACE]
+
+I had some more amusing experiences on the occasion of my first visit to
+the royal palace. The King had sent me a message one evening saying that
+any part of the royal palace and grounds would be opened to me, if I
+wished to make observations or take sketches, and that it would give him
+much pleasure if I would go there early the next morning and stay to
+dinner at the palace. This invitation to spend the whole day at the
+palace was so tempting that I at once accepted it, and next day,
+accompanied by one of the officials, a Mr. S., I proceeded early in the
+morning to the side entrance of the enclosure.
+
+The palace and grounds, as we have seen, are enclosed by a wall of
+masonry about twenty feet high, and from a bird's-eye point of vantage
+the "compound" has a rectangular shape. There are almost continuous moats
+round the outside walls, with stone bridges with marble parapets over
+them at all the entrances. At the corners of the wall _d'enceinte_ are
+turrets with loopholes. There soldiers are posted day and night to mount
+guard, each set being relieved from duty at intervals of two hours during
+the night, when the hammer bell in the centre of the palace grounds
+sounds its mournful but decided strokes. At midnight a big drum is
+struck, the harmonic case of which is semi-spherical and covered with a
+donkey-skin first wetted and made tight. It is by the sound of this
+smaller bell within the palace grounds that the signal is given at sunset
+to the "Big Bell" to vibrate through the air those sonorous notes by
+which, as already stated, all good citizens of the stronger sex are
+warned to retire to their respective homes, and which give the signal for
+closing the gates of the town.
+
+When you enter the royal precinct, you run a considerable amount of risk
+of losing your way. It is quite a labyrinth there. The more walls and
+gates you go through, the more you wind your way, now round this
+building, then round that, the more obstacles do you seem to see in front
+of you. There are sentries at every gate, and at each a password has to
+be given. When you approach, the infantry soldiers, quickly jumping out
+of the baskets in which they were slumbering, seize hold of their rifles,
+and either point their bayonets at you or else place their guns across
+the door, until the right password is given, when a comical way of
+presenting arms follows, and you are allowed to proceed.
+
+In the back part of the enclosure is a pretty villa in the Russian style.
+A few years ago, when European ideas began to bestir the minds of the
+King of Cho-sen, he set his heart upon having a house built in the
+Western fashion. No other architect being at hand, his Majesty
+commissioned a clever young Russian, a Mr. Seradin Sabatin, to build him
+a royal palace after the fashion of his country. The young Russian,
+though not a professional architect, did his very best to please the
+King, and with the money he had at his command, turned out a very solid
+and well-built little villa, _à la Russe_, with _caloriféres_ and all
+other modern appliances. The house has two storeys, but the number of
+rooms is rather limited. The King, however, seemed much pleased with it,
+but when it was on the point of completion, at the instigation of some
+foreign diplomat, he commissioned a French architect from Japan to
+construct another palace on a much larger scale at some distance from the
+Russian building. The estimates for this new ground structure were far
+too small, and by the time that the foundations were laid down, the cost
+already amounted to nearly three times the sum for which the whole
+building was to have been erected. The King, disgusted at what he thought
+to be foreign trickery, but what was really merciless robbery on the
+part of his own officials, decided to discontinue the new palace, which,
+in consequence, even now has reached only a height of about three feet
+above the level of the ground.
+
+The royal palace may be considered as divided into two portions, namely,
+the summer palace and the winter palace. An official, who came to meet me
+in the inner enclosure, informed me that His Majesty desired that I
+should begin by inspecting the summer palace--access to which is not
+allowed during the winter time--and that he had given orders for the
+gates leading to it, which had been nailed up and sealed, to await the
+next warm weather, to be opened for me. No one besides myself and the
+official to guide me was, however, to be allowed to enter. And so,
+preceded by a man with a heavy wooden mallet, we arrived at the gate,
+which, after a considerable amount of hammering and pegging away, was at
+last forced open. Accompanied by my guide, I straightway entered, two
+soldiers being left on guard to prevent any one else following. As I got
+within the enclosure, a pretty sight lay before me. In front was a large
+pond, now all frozen, in the centre of which stood a large square sort of
+platform of white marble. On this platform was erected the audience-hall,
+a colonnade of the same kind of white marble, supported by which was
+another floor of red lacquered wood with wooden columns, which in their
+turn upheld the tiled roof with slightly curled up corners. The part
+directly under the roof was beautifully ornamented with fantastic wood
+carvings painted yellow, red, green and blue. Red and white were the
+colours which predominated. A black tablet, with large gold characters
+on it, was at one side.
+
+The throne in the audience-hall was a simple raised scaffold in the
+centre of the room, with a screen behind it, and a staircase of seven or
+eight steps leading up to it. Access to this sort of platform-island from
+the gate at which we entered was obtained by means of a marble bridge,
+spanned across on two strong marble supports. The staircase leading to
+the first floor was at the end of the building, directly opposite to
+where the bridge was; so that, on coming from the bridge, we had to go
+through the whole colonnade to reach it.
+
+Having taken a sketch or two, I retraced my steps and again reached the
+entrance. The instant I was outside, the gate was again shut and nailed
+up, wooden bars being put right across it. I was then led to the inner
+enclosure. The gate of this was guarded by about a dozen armed men, I
+being now in front of the part of the house which was inhabited by the
+King himself. After all, however, his abode is no better than the houses
+of the noblemen all over Seoul. It is as simple as possible in all its
+details; in fact, it is studiously made so. There are no articles of
+value in the rooms, except a few screens painted by native artists; nor
+are there any signs marking it out in particular as the abode of a
+Sovereign. The houses of the high court dignitaries are infinitely more
+gaudy than the royal palace, for they are decorated externally in bright
+red and green colours.
+
+The morning was spent in prowling about the grounds and in sketching here
+and there. In front of the King's house, protected at a short distance
+by a low wall, is a second pond, in the middle of which, on a small
+island, the King has erected a summer pavilion of octagonal shape, in
+which during the warmer months he enjoys the reviving coolness of the
+still nights confabulating on State affairs with his Ministers and
+advisers (not foreign advisers), a pretty semi-circular, white wooden
+bridge joining, so to speak, the island to the mainland; but, besides
+this and the buildings provided for the accommodation of the Chinese
+envoys, when they come, I do not think there is anything in the royal
+enclosure worthy of special notice.
+
+[Illustration: THE SUMMER PAVILION]
+
+Near the main entrance of the palace is a small house for the
+accommodation of foreign Ministers, consuls and Chinese customs
+officials, when, on New Year's Day and other public occasions, they are
+received in audience by the King. The small room is actually provided
+with a stove, as several unfortunate ambassadors have been known to have
+caught dreadful colds through having to remain exposed to the natural
+temperature for hours until it was the King's pleasure to have them
+admitted to his presence. Indeed, I believe I am right when I state that
+one or two of these notabilities died in consequence of their experiences
+in this way. At all events, during my stay at Seoul, the Japanese
+Minister came by his death through a cold which he contracted by having
+to stand an inordinate time in the cold room, in his evening dress, and
+then walk minus his overcoat or wrappers, through the interminable paved
+passage leading to the audience-hall.
+
+Here let me digress. This ambassador's funeral, was, indeed, a comical
+sight. I am well aware that it is bad form to find entertainment among
+things pertaining to the dead. However, it was not the corpse that made
+the performance in question seem funny, but those that remained alive,
+and intended to honour his remains. Telegrams arrived from Japan to the
+effect that the body should be despatched to his native country;
+arrangements were therefore made by the Japanese indwellers to convey and
+escort the body of their representative from the capital to Chemulpo, a
+port about twenty-five miles distant. According to this plan, the loyal
+Japanese coolies were to carry the heavy hearse on their backs, while the
+King of Corea agreed to despatch four hundred soldiers of cavalry and
+infantry by way of escort, all the foreign residents being also intended
+to follow the procession part of the way in their sedan-chairs. So far so
+good, and all proceeded, as directed, in good order until the Mafu ferry
+was reached. The procession, having crossed the river here, at once
+proceeded to re-form on the large stretch of sand on the other side.
+While, then, the Japanese, who have always been fond of playing at
+soldiers, and had brought down to the river-side with them a couple of
+field-guns, were being treated by a Japanese attaché, clad in an
+exaggerated diplomatic uniform covered with gold braiding, and standing
+in dancing pumps in the sands that half-buried him, to a recapitulation
+of the virtues of the defunct, the coolies were bearing the hearse on
+their backs, the Corean cavalry and infantry forming two lines in good
+style. There stood the Corean horsemen, each supported by two men,
+apparently unconcerned at the long Japanese rigmarole, of which they did
+not understand a word; there rode as stiff as statues outside the ranks
+the officers of Cho-sen, on their little ponies. All of a sudden,
+however, the two field-guns went off, and with the most disastrous
+effects. Half the cavalrymen tumbled off their saddles at the unexpected
+bucking of their frightened ponies, and the whole band of horsemen was
+soon scattered in every direction, while the men who were carrying the
+hearse, following the example of the ponies, gave such a jerk at the
+sudden explosion, as to nearly drop their burden on the ground.
+By-and-by, the commotion subsided; the procession got into marching
+order, and all went well until the seaport was reached. The better class
+Japanese, I may mention, were dressed in stage uniforms, or in evening
+dress and tall hats, and that though the hour was 9 A.M. or soon after.
+
+But let us return to the royal palace. The King and Queen have
+numberless relations, but not all of these live in the royal "compound."
+Those that do, have each a separate small house; those that do not, live
+in the immediate neighbourhood of the palace enclosure, so as to be
+within easy reach when wanted; it being one of the little failings of the
+Corean potentate to call up his relations at all hours as well of the
+night as of the day. In fact, nearly all the work done by the King, and
+nearly all the interviews which he grants to his Ministers take place
+during the dark hours, the principal reason given for which is that by
+this means, intrigue is prevented, and people are kept in utter ignorance
+as to what takes place at Court.
+
+[Illustration: THE KING]
+
+It is a great mistake to suppose that the good-natured King of Cho-sen,
+possesses a harem as big as that of the Sultan of Turkey; indeed, the
+contrary is the fact. He is quite satisfied with a single wife, that is
+to say, the Queen. Needless to say, however, were the custom otherwise,
+he certainly would not be the person to object to the institution, for
+his predecessors undoubtedly indulged in such an extravagance. The real
+truth is the King of Cho-sen has married a little lady stronger minded
+than himself, and is compelled to keep on his best behaviour, and see to
+it that he does not get into trouble. There are bad tongues in Seoul who
+say that the Queen actually rules the King, and therefore, through him,
+the country, and that he is more afraid of Her Gracious Majesty, his
+wife, than of the very devil himself. For the correctness of this
+statement I will not answer.
+
+The Queen is a very good-looking, youngish woman, younger than the King,
+and has all her wits about her. She is said to be much in favour of the
+emancipation of the Corean woman, but she has made no actual effort, that
+I am aware of, to modify the comparatively strict rules of their
+seclusion. She comes of one of the oldest families in Cho-sen, and by a
+long way the noblest, that of the Mins. She treats herself to countless
+Court ladies, varying in number between a score and three hundred,
+according to the wants of the Court at different times.
+
+One of the quaintest and nicest customs in Corea is the respect shown by
+the young for the old; what better, then, can the reigning people do but
+set the good example themselves? Every year the King and Queen entertain
+in the royal palace an old man and an old woman of over the age of
+ninety, and no matter from what class these aged specimens are drawn,
+they are always looked after and cared for under their own supervision
+and made happy in every way. Every year a fresh man and woman must be
+chosen for this purpose, those of the previous competition being _hors de
+concours_. These privileged individuals, if devoid of means, are well
+provided with all the necessaries of life and _cash_ before they are sent
+home; and not infrequently they end by never leaving the royal palace, or
+by settling in the house of some prince or magistrate, by whom they are
+fed and clothed till the end of their days. Of course, in many cases it
+happens that the oldest man or woman in the town is a nobleman or a
+noblewoman; in which case, after the lapse of a certain space of time,
+further enjoyment of the royal hospitality is politely declined.
+
+Under the last-mentioned circumstances valuable presents are, however,
+given them as mementoes of the stay at the royal palace. This privilege
+is much thought of among the Coreans, and a family who has had a member
+royally entertained and treated as King's "brothers"--for I believe that
+is the name by which they go--is held in great respect by the community,
+and in perfect veneration by their immediate neighbours.
+
+The King dresses just like any other high official when the country is in
+mourning--that is to say, he has a long white garment with baggy sleeves,
+and the usual jewelled projecting belt, with the winged skull-cap; but
+when the land is under normal conditions, he dons a gaudy blue silk gown
+with dragons woven into the texture, while over his chest in a circular
+sort of plate a larger rampant fire-dragon is embroidered in costly
+silks and gold. When the latter dress is worn his cap is of similar shape
+to that worn when in mourning, only it is made of the finest black,
+instead of white, horse-hair, stiffened with varnish.
+
+The King's throne is simple but imposing. He sits upon three carved
+marble steps, covered with a valuable embroidered cloth, by the side of
+which, on two pillars, are two magnificent bronze vases. Behind him is a
+screen of masonry; for no king when in state must ever be either seen
+from behind, or looked down on by any one standing behind or beside him.
+Such an insult and breach of etiquette, especially in the latter way,
+would, until quite recently, probably have meant the loss of the
+offender's head. Tainted, however, unfortunately with a craze for Western
+civilisation, the King now seldom sits on his marble throne, adorned with
+fine carvings of dragons and tigers, preferring to show himself sitting
+in a cheap foreign arm-chair with his elbow reclining on a wretched
+little twopence-halfpenny table covered with a green carpet. He imagines
+that he thus resembles a potentate of Europe! His son generally sits by
+his side on these occasions.
+
+The King's relations take no active part in politics, as they consider it
+unfair and beneath them, but the King, of course, does, and, judging from
+appearances, he seems to take a great deal of interest in his country and
+his people. He is constantly despatching officials on secret missions to
+this or that province, often in disguise, and at a moment's notice, in
+order to obtain reliable information as to the state of those provinces,
+and the opinions of the natives regarding the magistrates appointed by
+him. The capital itself, too, contains practically a mass of detectives,
+who keep spying on everybody and one another, always ready to report the
+evil-doing of others, and often being caught _in flagrante delicto_
+themselves. Very often even nobles with whom I was well acquainted
+suddenly disappeared for days and weeks at a time, no one knowing either
+whither they had gone or what they were doing, except that they had left
+on a mission from the King. So little confidence has he in his special
+envoys that even when he has despatched one straight from the royal
+palace, with strict orders not to return home to tell his family whither
+he is gone, he soon after sends a second disguised messenger to look
+after the doings of the first, and see that he has well and faithfully
+carried out his orders. By the time the two have returned, some intrigue
+or accusations will have probably been instituted against them, in which
+case all the thanks they obtain for obeying His Majesty is either that
+they are degraded or that they are exiled to some outlandish province in
+the Ever White Mountain district or on the Russian frontier.
+
+[Illustration: KIM-KA-CHIM]
+
+The subject of politics is entrusted entirely to the nobles. It was my
+good fortune to get on the most friendly terms with the greatest
+politician in Corea, a man called Kim-Ka-Chim, of whom I give a picture,
+as he appeared in the horse-hair head-gear which he used to wear indoors.
+He was a man of remarkable intelligence, quick-witted, and by far the
+best diplomatist I have ever met--and I have met a good many. To entrap
+him was impossible, however hard you might try. For sharpness and
+readiness of reply, I never saw a smarter man. He was at one time Corean
+Ambassador to the Mikado's Court, and in a very short time mastered the
+Japanese language to perfection; while with Chinese he was as familiar as
+with his own tongue. I myself noticed with what facility he picked up
+English words, and, having taken it into his head that he wished to learn
+the English language, he set about it, and was able to understand, read,
+and speak a little, in a very short time--in fact, in a few days. Not
+only is he talented, but also endowed with a wonderful courage and
+independence, which superiority over the narrow-minded officials and
+intriguers who, for the most part, surround the King, has often led him
+into scrapes with His Majesty of Cho-sen. As he jocosely said to me, it
+was a marvel to him that his head was still on his shoulders. It was too
+good, and some one else might wish to have it. He was an ardent reformer
+and a great admirer of Western ways. His great ambition was to visit
+England and America, of which he had heard a great deal. Strangely, on
+the very morning which succeeded the afternoon on which I had this
+conversation with him I received an intimation to the effect that he had,
+by order of the King, and for some trivial breach of etiquette, been sent
+by way of punishment to one of the most distant provinces in the kingdom.
+
+The most noteworthy point of the Corean Court etiquette is probably this,
+that the King is on no account allowed to touch any other metals than
+gold and silver; for which reason his drinking-cup is made of a solid
+block of gold, while other articles, again, are of silver.
+
+The native name by which the King calls himself is Im-gun (king,
+sovereign). He has a very valuable library of Chinese manuscripts and
+printed books in the palace compound, but those books are hardly ever
+opened or looked at nowadays, except by some rare student of noble rank.
+Archery and falconry are occupations which are deemed far more worthy of
+attention by the nobility than that of worrying their heads with attempts
+to interpret the mysteries of antiquated Chinese characters.
+
+The falcon is held in much veneration among the nobler classes, and a
+special retainer--a falconer--is usually kept to wait on the precious
+bird. The latter is taken out on the man's arm, with his head covered by
+a gaudy little hood. This hood is quickly removed whenever an opportunity
+arises to send him off after some unfortunate bird. Then, mounting aloft,
+and spreading his wings and whirling round his prey in concentric
+circles, he gradually descends in a spiral, until, at last, dashing down
+upon his victim, he seizes it with his pointed claws and brings it to his
+master. At other times the falcon is not flown, but only used to attract,
+with his mesmeric eyes, birds; these then, when within reach, being shot
+with old flint-lock guns. The other method is, however, the favourite
+form of this amusement, and large sums are often spent by the young
+nobles on well-trained birds. Entertainments are even given to witness
+the doings of these air-rovers, and the excitement displayed by the
+audience on such occasions is intense, especially when libations have
+been previously freely indulged in. Competitions between the falcons of
+different owners are frequent, and much betting takes place under such
+circumstances.
+
+The life of royalty and of the nobility is, taken all round, a very lazy
+one. Exercise is considered a degenerate habit, fit only for people who
+have to earn a living; and, as for manual labour, a Corean nobleman would
+much prefer suicide to anything so disgraceful.
+
+Archery is one of the few exceptions to the rule, and is declared a noble
+pastime. Princes and nobles indulge in it, and even become dexterous at
+it. The bows used are very short, about two-and-a-half feet long, and are
+kept very tight. The arrows are short and light, generally made of
+bamboo, or a light cane, and a man with a powerful wrist can send an
+arrow a considerable distance, and yet hit his target every time.
+Nevertheless, the noble's laziness is, as a rule, so great, that many of
+this class prefer to see exhibitions of skill by others, rather than have
+the trouble of taking part in such themselves; professional archers, in
+consequence, abounding all over the country, and sometimes being kept at
+the expense of their admirers. Both the Government and private
+individuals offer large prizes for skilful archers, who command almost as
+much admiration as do the famous _espadas_ in the bull-fights of Spain.
+The King, of course, keeps the pick of these men to himself; they are
+kept in constant training and frequently display their skill before His
+Majesty and the Court.
+
+I well remember how, one day, through my incautiousness, I very nearly
+made the end of a St. Sebastian. It was near the drilling-ground at the
+East Gate. I was quietly walking along the earthern dyke which runs along
+the little river that crosses Seoul, when from down below I heard screams
+of "_Chucomita! Chucomita!_" ("Wait! wait!") "_Kidare!_" ("Stop!") I
+stopped, accordingly, and tried to look across the open ground, where I
+saw about a score of men, nearly two hundred yards away, apparently
+pointing at me. As the setting sun was glaring in my eyes, I could not
+well discern what they were doing, and, thinking that their shouts to me
+were only by way of joke, I made a step forward, but hardly had I done so
+when a noise like a rocket going past was heard, and a bunch of arrows
+became deeply planted in the earth, at a white circular spot marked on
+it, only about two yards in front of me. I counted them. They were ten in
+number. My danger, however, was, after all, practically of no account,
+for these archers, as I found out by repeated observation of them, hardly
+ever miss their target. Still, even in the case of these Cho-senese
+William Tells, it was by no means a pleasant sensation to hear that bunch
+of arrows whistling in front of my nose.
+
+As I was attentively listening to the information supplied me by the
+native gentleman who was accompanying me through the labyrinthian ways of
+the royal palace, young Prince Min appeared on the scene, and announced
+that His Majesty wished, through him, to welcome me to the royal palace,
+and that he wished me now to partake of dinner. First, however, he said,
+the King would be pleased if I would take a sketch from a particular spot
+to which he led me. As there was nothing specially worth sketching at
+that place, I suggested to the young prince that another spot would be
+preferable; but the latter insisted, in the King's name, that I should
+paint from there and left me. I noticed, however, that there was, just
+behind this spot, a window, that namely, of the queen's apartments, which
+led me at once to fancy that it was to satisfy her curiosity that I was
+made to work there; accordingly I began the sketch with my back to the
+window--for, it must be remembered, to look at the queen is an offence
+punishable by death. I had not been many minutes at work, nevertheless,
+before I heard the sliding window gently move. I knew what was coming,
+and tried to screen the sketch with my body, so as to compel the
+observer, whoever it was, to lean well out of the window if he wished to
+see it. A little way off were hundreds of soldiers, walking or squatting
+on the ground, and on the wall of the King's house and smaller trees the
+fat and repulsive eunuchs had perched themselves in order to watch the
+foreigner's doings. All of a sudden there was a piercing squeak and a
+quick change of scene. Every one standing fell flat on his chest, the
+soldiers to a man hid their faces in their hands on the ground, and the
+clumsy eunuchs dropped down pell-mell from their perches, like over-ripe
+fruit coming off the branch of a tree, and disappeared behind the wall.
+Then, for a moment, all was silence; then there followed another shriek.
+It was evidently a command to stand still until further notice. When I
+looked for my Corean companion I found that he, like the rest, was spread
+out with his face to the ground.
+
+"I say, Mr. S." I whispered, touching him with my foot, "what does all
+this mean?"
+
+"Please, sir," he murmured, "do not look! do not speak! do not turn your
+head! or I shall be beheaded!"
+
+"Oh! I do not mind that at all," said I, laughingly, as my friend was
+squashing what he had in the shape of a nose into the dust.
+
+At this point there was another noise at the window, as if it were being
+pushed quite open, and I heard a whisper. The supreme moment had come,
+and I was bold. I turned quickly round. It was just as I had judged. The
+queen, with her bright, jet black eyes and refined features, was there,
+caught in the act of thrusting her head out of the window, while several
+ladies of different ages were in the background, apparently on the tips
+of their toes and peeping over Her Majesty's shoulders. I had just time
+to see her face; for, taken as she was by surprise at such an unbounded
+bit of forwardness on my part, she remained perplexed for a second, then
+quickly withdrew, coming into dreadful collision with her
+ladies-in-waiting, who were at the moment just moving forward. The
+sliding window was hurriedly closed; there were shrieks of laughter from
+inside--apparently they had enjoyed the fun--and by the sound of a shrill
+whistle the men who had been lying "dead" rose and fled, relieved from
+their uncomfortable position.
+
+"Do you know," said my Corean friend, as he got up and shook the dust and
+dirt off his beautiful silk gown, quite ignorant of what had happened,
+"do you know that if you had turned your head round and looked, I would
+be a dead man to-morrow?"
+
+"Why; who was there?"
+
+"The queen, of course. Did you not hear the two shrieks and the whistle?
+Those were the signs of her coming and going."
+
+"If you were to be beheaded, Mr. S., would you be afraid of death?"
+
+"Oh, no, sir," he said emphatically. "I am a brave man, and I come of a
+family of braves. I would die like a hero."
+
+"Oh," said I, changing the conversation, "how pretty the queen looked!"
+
+"Did you see her?" said he, horrified.
+
+"Yes, I did."
+
+"Oh, poor me, poor me, poor me!" he cried in despair. "You have seen her!
+I shall die! Oh, poor me, poor me, poor me!" and he shivered and
+shuddered and trembled.
+
+"I thought that you were not afraid of death, Mr. S.?"
+
+"Now that you have seen her, I am!" he mumbled pitifully.
+
+"All right, Mr. S. Do not be afraid, I shall take all the blame on
+myself, and you will not be punished, I promise you."
+
+At this point Prince Min came to fetch me, and I told him the whole
+story, relieving Mr. S. of all responsibility for my cheeky action, after
+which, having made sure that he would not be punished, we proceeded to
+the feast. The hour, be it noted, was about noon. As we were passing
+along the wall of the King's apartment, His Majesty peeped over the wall
+and smiled most graciously to me. Shortly after he sent a messenger to
+the dining-room to express regret that he was not able to entertain me
+himself owing to pressing State affairs.
+
+For the dinner a long table had been arranged in the European style, at
+the head of which sat Prince Min, acting in the place of the King. The
+forks and spoons were of tin, and the knives had apparently been used,
+for they were by no means clean. Rust, therefore, reigned supreme. The
+glasses and tumblers were of the thickest and commonest kind, but they
+had cost His Majesty a fortune all the same.
+
+We all sat down gaily, Mr. S. having recovered his spirits on being
+assured that he would not be punished, and the feast began. It would be
+easier for me to tell you what was not on that table than what was. All
+the products of the country seemed to have been cooked and brought before
+me, including meats, fish, honey, sweets, vegetables and sauces, of
+which, mind you, one had to eat "mountains," piled on our plates. Young
+pigs, in the puppy state, were also there, and were much appreciated by
+my princely entertainers; but, when I had got only half through, not
+being provided with an ever-expanding digestive apparatus, like my
+friends of Cho-sen, I really felt as if I was going to suffocate. It is a
+great insult to refuse what is offered you at table, and a greater
+insult, too, and gross breach of good manners, not to eat all that is on
+your plate; it can be easily imagined, then, how I was situated after
+having swallowed large quantities of beef, potatoes, barley, millet, not
+to mention about half a bushel of beans. Nevertheless, I was further
+treated to lily-bulbs and radishes dipped in the vilest of sauces,
+besides a large portion of a puppy-pig roasted, and fruit in profusion,
+foreign and native wines flowing freely. The dinner began at noon and was
+not brought to a legitimate close until the happy hour of 7 P.M.
+
+Talk of suffering! To those who appreciate the pleasure of eating, let me
+recommend a royal Corean dinner! No pen can describe the agonies I
+endured as I was carried home in the green sedan. Every jerk that the
+bearers gave made me feel as if I had swallowed a cannon-ball, which was
+moving mercilessly from one side of my body to the other. I could not
+help expecting an explosion at any moment, or, at all events, a rent in
+my overtight skin! On my way home I swore that as long as I lived I would
+never touch another mouthful of food, so disgusted was I with things
+eatable; but--needless to say, I have since many times broken my word.
+
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XIII
+
+Students--Culture--Examination ground--The three degrees--The
+alphabet--Chinese characters--Schools--Astronomers--Diplomas--Students
+abroad--Adoption of Western ways--Quick perception--The letter "f"--A
+comical mistake--Magistrates and education--Rooted superstition--Another
+haunted palace--Tigers--A convenient custom.
+
+
+[Illustration: THE EXAMINATION GROUNDS]
+
+At the beginning of the New Year, and soon after the festivities are
+over, the streets of Seoul are crowded with students who come up to town
+for their examinations. Dozens of them, generally noisy and boisterous,
+are to be seen arm in arm, parading the principal streets, and apparently
+always eating something or other. Study and eating seem to go together in
+Cho-sen. They wear peculiar gauze caps like bakers' paper bags, and a
+large double apron, the latter hanging down front and back, and being
+tied above the waist with a ribbon. A large piece of rolled up paper is
+carried in the hand, and much excitement seems to reign among them. By
+students, one must not imagine only young men, for many among them are
+above the thirties, and some are even old men.
+
+At certain hours processions of them pass along the royal street, then
+round the palace wall, and finally enter the examination grounds,
+situated immediately behind the royal palace. This is a large open
+ground, on one side of which is a low building containing quite a large
+number of small cells, where the candidates are examined. The examination
+day is one of the sights of Seoul. It is more like a country fair than an
+exhibition of literary skill. The noise is something appalling. On the
+grounds, thousands of candidates, accompanied by their parents and
+friends, squat in groups, drinking, eating and gambling. Here is a group
+of them drinking each other's health; there on blankets a few are lying
+flat on their backs basking in the sun, and waiting for their turn to be
+called up before the examiners. Huge red and yellow umbrellas are planted
+in the ground by enterprising merchants, who sell sweets, a kind of
+pulled toffy being one of their specialities; while others, at raised
+prices, dispose of examination caps, ink, paper and aprons to those who
+have come unprovided. Astrologers, too, drive a roaring trade on such
+days, for the greatest reliance is placed on their prophecies by both
+parents and students, and much money is spent by the latter, therefore,
+in obtaining the opinion of these impostors. In many a case, the prophecy
+given has been known to make the happiness--temporarily, of course--of
+the bashful young student; and in many a case, also, by this means fresh
+vigour has been instilled into a nervous man, so that, being convinced
+that he is to be successful, he perseveres and very often does succeed.
+
+One of these examinations, the highest of all, is a real landmark in a
+man's career. If the student is successful, he is first employed in some
+lower official capacity either by the Government, the palace authorities
+or some of the magistrates. If he is plucked, then he can try again the
+following year. Some try year after year without success, in the hope of
+being permitted to earn an honest living at the nation's expense, and
+grow old under the heavy study of ancient Chinese literature.
+
+The King in person assists at the oral examinations of the upper degree.
+Those of the two lower degrees are superintended by princes who sit with
+the examiners, and report to His Majesty on the successes of the
+different candidates.
+
+It is generally the sons of the nobles and the upper classes all over the
+kingdom who are put up for these examinations; those of the lower spheres
+are content with a smattering of arithmetic and a general knowledge of
+the alphabet, and of the proper method of holding the writing brush,
+sometimes adding to these accomplishments an acquaintance with the more
+useful of the Chinese characters.
+
+The Corean alphabet is remarkable for the way in which it represents the
+various sounds. That this is the case, the reader will be able to judge
+by the table given opposite. The aim of the inventors, in only using
+straight lines and circles, has evidently been to simplify the writing of
+the characters to the highest possible degree.
+
+[Illustration: THE COREAN ALPHABET]
+
+It will be at once noticed that an extra dot is used only in the case of
+the vowel _e_ and the diphthong _oue_; nothing but straight lines and
+circles being employed in the other cases. The pronunciation of the
+consonants is _dental_ in _l, r, t_, and _n_; _guttural_ in _k_ and _k_
+(aspirated); _palatal_ in _ch, ch_ (aspirated) and _s_; and _from the
+larynx_ in _h_ and _ng_ when at the end of a word.
+
+The State documents and all the official correspondence are written in
+Chinese characters, and hardly at all in the native alphabet, an
+exception being occasionally admitted in the case of a difficult
+character, when the meaning is written with the Corean letters, side by
+side with the Chinese form. The Corean alphabet is rather despised by the
+male "blue stockings" of Cho-sen, and is considered as fit only for poor
+people, children and women; in short, those whose brains are unable to
+undergo the strain of mastering and, what is more, of remembering, the
+meaning of the many thousands of Chinese characters. Not only that, but
+the spoken language itself is considered inadequate to express in poetic
+and graceful style the deep thoughts which may pass through the Corean
+brains; and, certainly, if these thoughts have to be put down on paper
+this is never done in the native characters. The result is, naturally,
+that there is hardly any literature in the language of Cho-sen. Even the
+historical records of the land of the Morning Calm are written in
+Chinese.
+
+The great influence of the Chinese over the Corean literary mind is also
+shown in the fact that most of the principles and proverbs of Cho-sen
+have been borrowed from their pig-tailed friends across the Yalu River.
+The same may be said of numberless words in the Corean language which are
+merely corruptions or mispronounced Chinese words. The study of Chinese
+involves a great deal of labour and patience on the part of the Corean
+students, and from a very tender age they are made to work hard at
+learning the characters by heart, singing them out in chorus, in a
+monotonous tone, one after the other for hours at a time.
+
+The schools are mostly supported by the Government. In them great
+attention is given to etiquette and Chinese classics, to philosophic and
+poetic ideas, but very little importance is attached to mathematics or
+science, except by those few who take up the study of the stars as an
+ideal rather than scientific occupation. These astronomers might be more
+correctly termed magicians, for with the stars they invariably connect
+the fate and fortune of king and people; which fact will also explain why
+it is that in their practice of astronomy mathematics are really of very
+little use.
+
+In the written essays for the examinations, what is generally aimed at by
+the candidates is a high standard of noble ideas which they try to
+express in the most refined style. The authors of the most admired essays
+receive the personal congratulations of the King and examiners, followed
+by a feast given by their parents and friends. The diplomas of successful
+candidates are not only signed by the King, but have also his great seal
+affixed to them.
+
+I was told that the examinations of the present day are a mere sham, and
+that it is not by knowledge or high achievements, in literary or other
+matters, that the much-coveted degree is now obtained, but by the simpler
+system of bribery. Men of real genius are, I was informed further,
+sometimes sent back in despair year after year, while pigheaded sons of
+nobles and wealthy people generally pass with honours, and are never or
+very seldom plucked.
+
+Education, as a whole, is up to a very limited point pretty generally
+spread all over the Corean realm, but of thorough education there is very
+little. In former times students showing unusual ability were sent by the
+Government to the University of Nanking, to be followed up by Pekin, but
+this custom was abandoned until a few years ago, when it was in a measure
+revived by the sending of two noblemen, first to Shanghai and then to
+America, to learn and profit by Western studies. These seem to have shown
+themselves remarkably intelligent; in fact, exceeded all expectation; for
+one of them forged a cheque before leaving the Asiatic continent, and was
+forbidden to return to his country. He is not likely to do so now, for he
+is said to have been murdered--only quite lately. The other, however,
+cannot be accused of anything of that sort; indeed, he distinguished
+himself during the three years spent in America by learning English (as
+spoken in the States) to perfection, besides mastering mathematics,
+chemistry and other sciences, perfectly new to him, in a way that would
+have done credit to many a Western student. In the same short space of
+time he also succeeded in a marvellous way in shaking off the thick
+coating of his native superstition and in assuming our most Western ways
+as exhibited across the Atlantic. If anything, he became more American
+than the Americans themselves. What astonished me more, though, was how
+quickly, having returned from his journey, he discarded his civilised
+ways and again dropped into his old groove.
+
+There is not the least doubt that, though to the casual observer the
+majority of Coreans appear depressed and unintelligent, they are, as a
+matter of fact, far from stupid. I have met people in the land of
+Cho-sen, whose cleverness would have been conspicuous in any country,
+Western or otherwise. When they set their mind to learn something they
+never cease till their object is attained, and I can vouch for their
+quick comprehension, even of matters of which they have never before
+heard. Languages seem to come easy to them, and their pronunciation of
+foreign tongues is infinitely better than that of their neighbours, the
+Chinese and the Japanese. The only stumbling block is the letter "_f_,"
+which they pronounce as a "_p_." I can give an instance of a Mr. Chang,
+the son of a noble, who was appointed by the king to be official
+interpreter to Mr. C.R. Greathouse. In less than two months, this youth
+of nineteen mastered enough English to enable him both to understand it
+and converse in it. I have seen him learn by heart out of a dictionary as
+many as two hundred English words in a day, and what is more, remember
+every one of them, including the spelling. Only once did I hear him make
+a comical mistake. He had not quite grasped the meaning of the word
+"twin"; for, in answer to a question I put to him, "Yes, sir," said he,
+boisterously, proud apparently of the command he had attained over his
+latest language, "Yes, sir, I have a _twin_ brother who is three years
+older than myself."
+
+The Corean magistrates think that to over-educate the lower classes is a
+mistake, which must end in great unhappiness.
+
+"If you are educated like a gentleman, you must be able to live like a
+gentleman," wisely said a Corean noble to me. "If you acquire an
+education which you cannot live up to, you are only made wretched, and
+your education makes you feel all the more keenly the miseries of human
+life. Besides, with very few exceptions, as one is born an artist, or a
+poet, one has to be born a gentleman to be one. All the education in the
+world may make you a nice man, but not a noble in _the_ strict sense of
+the word."
+
+Partly, in consequence of habits of thought like this, and partly,
+because it answers to leave the public in ignorance, superstition, which
+is one of the great evils in the country, is rather encouraged. Not alone
+the lower classes, but the whole people, including nobles and the King
+himself, suffer by it. It is a remarkable fact, that, a people who in
+many ways are extremely open-minded, and more philosophic than the
+general run of human beings, can allow themselves to be hampered in this
+way by such absurd notions as spirits and their evil ways.
+
+A royal palace, different to, but not very far from, the one described in
+the previous chapter, was abandoned not very long ago for the simple
+reason that it was haunted. Thus, there are no less than two palaces in
+the capital, that have been built at great expense, but deserted in
+order to evade the visits of those most tiresome impalpable individuals,
+"the Ghosts." One of these haunted abodes we have inspected, with its
+tumble-down buildings; the other I will now describe.
+
+[Illustration: THE HAUNTED ROYAL PALACE]
+
+The buildings comprising this palace are still in a very excellent state
+of preservation, and, being erected on hilly ground, form a very
+picturesque ensemble. The different houses are of red lacquered wood,
+with verandahs on the upper floors. The illustration shows a front view
+of one of the principal buildings, situated on the summit of the hill. At
+the foot of this hill, by a winding path and steps, a picturesque little
+gate and another house is reached. A little pond with water-plants in it,
+frozen in the midst of the thick ice, completes this haunted spot. The
+largest of all the structures is the audience-hall, richly and grandly
+decorated inside with wooden carvings, painted red, white, blue and
+yellow. The curled-up roofs are surmounted at each corner with curious
+representations of lucky emblems, among which the tiger has a leading
+place.
+
+Talking of tigers, I may as well speak of a strange custom prevailing in
+Corea. The country, as I have already pointed out, is full of these
+brutes, which, besides being of enormous size, are said to be very fierce
+and fond of human flesh. Even the walls of the town are no protection
+against them. Not unfrequently they make a nocturnal excursion through
+the streets, leaving again early in the morning with a farewell bound
+from the rampart, but carrying off inside their carcases some unlucky
+individual in a state of pulp.
+
+The Coreans may, therefore, be forgiven if, besides showing almost
+religious veneration for their feline friend--who reciprocates this in
+his own way--they have also the utmost terror of him. Whenever I went for
+long walks outside the town with Coreans, I noticed that when on the
+narrow paths I was invariably left to bring up the rear, although I was a
+quicker walker than they were. If left behind they would at once run on
+in front of me again, and never could I get any one to be last man. This
+conduct, sufficiently remarkable, has the following explanation.
+
+It is the belief of the natives, that when a tiger is suddenly
+encountered he always attacks and makes a meal of the last person in the
+row; for which reason, they always deem it advisable, when they have a
+foreigner in their company, to let him have that privilege. I, for my
+part, of course, did not regard the matter in the same light, and
+generally took pretty good care to retain a middle position in the
+procession, when out on a country prowl, greatly to the distress and
+uneasiness of my white-robed guardian angels.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XIV
+
+Religion--Buddhism--Bonzes--Their power--Shamanism--Spirits--Spirits
+of the mountain--Stone heaps--Sacred trees--Seized by the
+spirits--Safe-guard against them--The wind--Sorcerers and
+sorceresses--Exorcisms--Monasteries--Temples--Buddha--Monks--Their
+customs and clothing--Nuns--Their garments--Religious ceremonies--The
+tooth-stone.
+
+
+The question of religion is always a difficult one to settle, for--no
+matter where one goes--there are people who are religious and people who
+are not.
+
+The generality of people in Corea are not religious, though in former
+days, especially in the Korai-an era, between the tenth and fourteenth
+centuries, they seem to have been ardent Buddhists. Indeed, Buddhism as a
+religion seems to have got a strong hold in Cho-sen during the many
+Chinese invasions; it only passed over Cho-sen, however, like a huge
+cloud, to vanish again, though leaving here and there traces of the power
+it once exercised.
+
+The bonzes (priests) had at one time so much authority all over the
+country as to actually rule the King himself; and, as the reverend
+gentlemen were ready with the sword as well as with their bead
+prayer-rosaries, they became an unparalleled nuisance and dangerous to
+the constitution. After having, by their great power and capacity for
+agitation, roused the country to revolution and internal disputes, it
+was found necessary to put them down, and from that time forward, they
+became mere nonentities. The chief instrument which brought this about
+was a law, still in existence, by which no religion is, under any
+circumstances, tolerated or allowed within the walls of Corean cities,
+and all bonzes are forbidden to enter the gates of any city under pain of
+losing their heads.
+
+The influence which the priests had gained over the Court having been
+thus suddenly destroyed, and the offenders against the law in question
+having been most severely dealt with, Buddhism, so far as Corea was
+concerned, received its death blow. This was so: first, because, although
+it had prevailed without restraint for nearly five centuries, many of the
+primitive old superstitions were still deeply rooted in the minds of the
+Coreans, and because, with the fall of the priests, these sprang up again
+bolder than ever; then, too, because the law above-mentioned was so
+strictly enforced that many temples and monasteries had to be closed
+owing to lack of sufficient funds, the number of their supporters having
+become infinitesimal in a comparatively short time.
+
+Shamanism is at the present time the popular religion, if indeed there is
+any that can be so designated. The primitive worship of nature appears to
+be quite sufficient for the religious aspirations of the Corean native,
+and with his imaginative brain he has peopled the earth with evil and
+good spirits, as well as giving them to the elements, the sky, and the
+morning star. To these spirits he offers sacrifices, when somebody in his
+family dies, or when any great event takes place; and to be on good
+terms with these invisible rulers of his fate is deemed necessary, even
+by well-educated people who should know better.
+
+There are spirits for everything in Cho-sen. The air is alive with them,
+and there are people who will actually swear that they have come in
+contact with them. Diseases of all sorts, particularly paralysis, are
+invariably ascribed to the possession of the human frame by one of these
+unwholesome visitors, and when a death occurs, to what else can it be due
+than to their evil and invisible operation? To old age, to diseases
+natural and zymotic, the expiration of life is never ascribed; these
+everlasting evil spirits have to answer for it all.
+
+The most prominent spirits are probably those of the mountain. According
+to Corean accounts, the mountains and hills seem to be full of these
+heroes of witchcraft: this being probably due to the fact that the dead
+are buried on hilly ground and that their souls, therefore, are most
+likely to make their nocturnal hoverings in such neighbourhoods, until a
+fresh career is found for them in the body of some animal. They are not
+_gods_ of the mountains, as some writers have been pleased to call them,
+for, so far as I could judge, the natives are more terror-stricken when
+thinking about them than inclined to worship them. No Corean, of sound
+mind and body, however brave and fearless of death in battle, can ever be
+induced to walk out at night on the mountain-slopes; and even in the
+day-time a great deal of uneasiness is manifested by the natives should
+they have to climb a hill. On such occasions they provide themselves
+with armfuls of stones, which, as they go up, they throw violently one
+by one at these imaginary beings, thus showing them that their company is
+neither required nor wished for, and that they had better keep aloof. If
+this simple precaution is used, the obliging and scorned spirits seldom
+interfere with the traveller's welfare. The hills close to the towns are
+simply covered with heaps of stones, so thrown at these mythical dwellers
+of the mountains. Such is the effect produced by terror on the people's
+imagination, that frequently in their imagination they feel the actual
+touch of the spirits. Probably, if there is any physical touch in those
+cases, it is only a leaf or a twig falling from a tree. Still, when that
+occurs a regular fight ensues, the men continuing to fire stones at their
+imaginary foes, until in their mental vision they see them disappear and
+fade away in the air. Others not so brave prefer an accelerated retreat,
+only stopping now and again to throw a stone at the pursuers.
+
+From their very childhood the Coreans are imbued with horrid and
+fantastic accounts of the doings of these spirits, and so vividly are the
+usual habits of these ghostly creatures depicted to them, that they
+cannot but remain for ever indelibly impressed on their minds.
+
+Another very common sight, besides the stone-heaps, are the sacred trees.
+These are to be found everywhere, but especially on hilly ground. Their
+branches are literally covered with rags, bits of glass, and other
+offerings given by the superstitious and frightened passers-by, lest
+these spirits might take offence at not being noticed. Women and men
+when compelled to travel on the hills go well provided with these rags,
+and when--for the sacred trees are very numerous--supplies run short,
+many a woman has been known to tear off a bit of her silk gown, and
+attach it to a branch of the tree among the other donations.
+
+A coolie, who was carrying my paint-box one evening, when I was returning
+home from the hills, was simply terrified at the prospect of being seized
+by the spirits. He kept his mouth tightly closed, and stoutly declined to
+open it, for fear the spirits should get into him by that passage; and
+when, with the cold end of my stick, I purposely touched the back of his
+neck--unperceived by him, of course--he fled frightened out of his life,
+supposing it to have been a ghost. He met me again on the high road in
+the plain, about half a mile farther on, and explained his conduct with
+the very truthful excuse, that "a spirit had seized him by the throat and
+shaken him violently, meaning at all costs to enter his mouth, and that
+it was to escape serious injury that he had fled!" When I told him that
+it was I who had touched him with the end of my stick, he sarcastically
+smiled, as if he knew better.
+
+"No, sir," said he; "honestly, I saw with my own eyes the spirit that
+assaulted me!"
+
+The forms given to these spirits vary much, according to the amount of
+imagination and descriptive power of the persons who describe them.
+Generally, however, they assume the forms either of repulsively hideous
+human beings, or else of snakes. The best safeguard against them,
+according to Corean notions, is music, or rather, I should say, noise.
+When possessed with a spirit, a diabolical row of drums, voices, bells
+and rattles combined is set agoing to make him depart without delay;
+while, on the other hand, little bits of dangling glass, tied to strings,
+small sweet-toned bells and cymbals, hanging in a bunch from the corners
+of the roof or in front of the windows and door, often by means of their
+tinkling--a sound not dissimilar to that of an Æolian harp--attract to
+the house the friendly spirits of good fortune and prosperity. The latter
+are always heartily welcomed.
+
+The very wind itself is supposed to be the breathing of a god-spirit with
+extra powerful lungs; and rain, lightning, war, thirst, food and so on,
+each possesses a special deity, who, if not invoked at the right moment,
+and in the right manner, may, when least expected, have his revenge
+against you.
+
+The spirits of Cho-sen are very sensitive, and insist on being taken into
+notice. Through astrologers, sorcerers and sorceresses they convey
+messages and threats to this person and to that--generally the richer
+people--whose errors may always be rectified or atoned for by paying a
+round sum down to these go-betweens, who are quite ready to assume the
+responsibility of guaranteeing a peaceful settlement of matters. There
+are regular establishments kept by these sorcerers and sorceresses--as a
+rule, outside the city walls--where witchcraft is practised with impunity
+in all its forms. These establishments are much patronised both by the
+poor and by the man of noble rank; and amidst the most excruciating
+howling, clapping of hands, violent beating of drums and other
+exorcisms, illnesses are got rid of, pains and troubles softened,
+calamities prevented and children procured for sterile people. The
+Government itself does not consider these houses as forming part of the
+religious gang, and one or two of them may be found even in Seoul within
+the wall. One, an extremely noisy house and mostly patronised by women,
+is situated not far from the West Gate along the wall. There are also one
+or two on the slope of Mount Nanzam.
+
+The exorcisms, with the exception of a few particular ones, are, for the
+most part, performed in the open air, on a level space in front of the
+house. A circle is formed by the various claimants, in the centre of
+which a woman, apparently in a trance, squats on her heels. The more
+money that is paid in, the greater the noise that takes place, and the
+longer does the performance last. Every now and then the woman in the
+centre will get up, and, rushing to some other female in the circle, will
+tap her furiously on her back and shake her, saying that _she_ has an
+evil spirit in her which refuses to come out. She will also hint that
+possibly by paying an extra sum, and by means of special exorcisms, it
+may be induced to leave. What with the shaking, the tapping, the
+clapping, the drums and the howls, the wretched "spotted" woman really
+begins to feel that she has something in her, and, possessed--not by the
+spirits--but by the most awful fright, she disburses the extra money
+required, after which the spirit ultimately departs.
+
+These witches and sorceresses are even more numerous than their male
+equivalents. They are recruited from the riff-raff of the towns, and are
+generally people well-informed on the state, condition, and doings of
+everybody. Acting on this previous knowledge, they can often tell your
+past to perfection, and in many cases they predict future events--which
+their judgment informs them are not unlikely to occur. When ignorant,
+they work pretty much on the same lines as the Oracle of Delphi; they
+give an answer that may be taken as you please. Then, if things do not
+occur in the way they predicted, they simply make it an excuse for
+extorting more money out of their victim under the plea that he has
+incurred the displeasure of the spirits, and that serious evil will come
+upon him if he does not comply with their request. The money obtained is
+generally spent in orgies during the night. These sorceresses and male
+magicians are usually unscrupulous and immoral, and are often implicated,
+not only in the intrigues of the noblest families, but also in murders
+and other hideous crimes.
+
+Outside the towns, again, there are, only a grade higher than these, the
+Buddhist monasteries and nunneries. Within a few miles of Seoul, several
+of these are to be found. One thing that may be said for these
+institutions is that they are invariably built on lovely spots. Generally
+on the top, or high on the slopes of a mountain, they form not only homes
+for the religious, but fortified and impregnable castles. The monasteries
+are seldom very large, and, as a general rule, hold respectively only
+about two dozen monks.
+
+[Illustration: THE INTERIOR OF A TEMPLE]
+
+There is a small temple on a platform, with a figure of Pul or Buddha in
+the centre, two brass candlesticks by his side, and a small incense
+burner at his feet. "Joss sticks" are constantly burned before him and
+fill the temple with scent and haze. Buddha, as found in Corea, has
+generally a sitting and cross-legged posture; the feet are twisted with
+the soles upwards, and, while the right arm hangs down, the left is
+folded, the forearm projecting, and the hand holding a bronze ball. By
+his side, generally on the left, is a small tablet in a frame of
+elaborate wood-carving. At the foot of the statue is a large collection
+box for the donations of the worshippers. The background is usually
+plain, or painted with innumerable figures of the minor gods, some with
+young white faces and good-natured expressions, probably the gods of
+confidence; others with rugged old faces and shaggy white eyebrows,
+moustache and hair, undoubtedly the various forms of the deity of wisdom.
+Then there is one with squinting ferocious eyes, black eyebrows and
+beard, dressed in a helmet and fighting robe, who, needless to remark,
+is the god of war. Others are the gods of justice, deference, and
+affection; the last being impersonated by two female figures who usually
+stand on each side of the Buddha. One curious thing about the Buddha is
+that the head is generally very large in proportion to the body, and that
+the ears are enormous for the size of the head. In the East it is
+considered lucky to possess large ears, but these Buddhas are often
+represented with their organs of hearing as long as the whole height of
+the head. In Europe such a thing would hardly be considered a compliment!
+The hair of the Buddha is carefully plastered down on his forehead, and
+is adorned with a jewel in the centre. The eyes are almost straight, like
+the eyes of Europeans, instead of being slanting, like those of the
+Mongolians, while the eyebrows, finely painted with a small brush,
+describe a beautiful semi-circular arch. The expression of the face, as
+one looks at it, is in most cases that of nobility and sleepiness.
+
+Out of the West Gate, and a good way past the Pekin Pass, a very
+interesting day can be spent in visiting a monastery which is to be found
+there among the hills. Previous to reaching it, a small tomb, that,
+namely, of the King's mother, is passed. On each flank is a stone figure,
+while on three sides a wall shuts in the mound of earth under which the
+body lies. On the right is a tablet to the memory of the deceased, and in
+front of the mound is placed a well-polished stone, also a small urn.
+
+High up, after following a zig-zag mountain path, we come to the
+monastery.
+
+Monasteries as a rule consist of the temple and the mud huts and houses
+of the monks and novices. The temple always stands apart. Of the temples
+which I saw, none were very rich in interesting works of art or in
+excellent decoration, like the temples of Japan. The only parts decorated
+outside in the Corean houses of worship are immediately under the roof
+and above the doors, where elaborate, though roughly executed
+wood-carvings are painted over in red, white, green and yellow, in their
+crudest tones. Over each of the columns supporting the temple, projects a
+board with two enormous curved teeth, like the tusks of an elephant, and
+over the principal door of the temple is a black tablet, on which the
+name of the temple is written in gold Chinese characters. At each of the
+columns, both of the temple and of the common part of the dwellings, hang
+long wooden panels on which are written the names of supporters and
+donors with accompanying words of high praise.
+
+The doors of the temples are of lattice-work and are made up of four
+different parts, folding and opening on hinges. On some occasions, when
+the _concours_ of the public is too great to be accommodated within the
+building itself, the whole of the front and sides of the temple are
+thrown open. Inside the lattice-work above mentioned tissue-paper is
+placed, to protect the religious winter visitors from the cold.
+
+Inside, the temples are extremely simple. With the exception of the
+statue of Buddha and the various representations of minor deities that we
+have already mentioned, there is little else to be seen. The
+prayer-books, certainly, are interesting; their leaves are joined
+together so as to form a long strip of paper folded into pages, but not
+sewn, nor fastened anywhere except at the two ends, to which two wooden
+panels are attached, and, by one side of the book being kept higher than
+the other, the leaves unfold, so to speak, automatically.
+
+In one temple of very small dimensions, perched up among the rocks near
+the South Gate of Seoul, are to be seen hundreds of little images in
+costumes of warriors, mandarins and princes, all crammed together in the
+most unmerciful manner. This temple goes by the name of the "The
+Five-hundred Images." Adjoining it is a quaint little monastery and a
+weird cavern (_see_ chap, xx., "A Trip to Poo Kan").
+
+As to the monasteries themselves, these, though adjoining the temples,
+are built apart from them. Their lower portions are, like all Corean
+houses, of stone and mud, while the upper parts are entirely of mud. The
+roof is tiled on the main portion of the building, while over the kitchen
+and quarters for the novices it is generally only thatched.
+
+[Illustration: BUDDHIST BONZES AND TEMPLE]
+
+More interesting to me than the temples and buildings were the bonzes,
+who are, I may as well say at once, a very depraved lot. It is a strange
+fact in nature that the vicious are often more interesting than the
+virtuous. So it is with the Corean bonzes. Here you have a body of men,
+shrewd, it is true, yet wicked (not to say more) and entirely without
+conscience, whose only aim is to make money at the expense of weak-minded
+believers. Morals they have none; if it were possible, one might say even
+less than none. They lead a lazy and vicious life in these monasteries,
+gambling among themselves and spending much time in orgies. They feed
+themselves well at the expense of the charitable, and a great deal of
+their energy is expended in blackmailing rich persons, not of course
+openly, but through agents as disreputable as themselves. Whenever there
+are riots or revolutions in progress, their origin can invariably be
+traced to the monasteries. In other respects, excepting these few little
+faults, they seemed charming people. Their dress consists of a long white
+padded gown with baggy sleeves; the usual huge trousers and short coat
+underneath; and a rosary of largeish beads round their necks. When
+praying, the rosary is held in the hands, and each bead counts for one
+prayer. A larger bead in the rosary is the starting-point. When petitions
+are being offered to Buddha on behalf of third parties--for rarely do
+they, if ever, pray on behalf of themselves--there is a scale of prices
+varying according to the wealth of the petitioners; so many prayers are
+worth so much _cash_; in other words, one buys them as one would rice or
+fruit. The bonzes shave their heads as clean as billiard balls; while the
+novices content themselves with cutting their hair extremely short,
+leaving it, probably, not longer than one-eighth of an inch. There are
+many different degrees of bonzes. We have, for example, the begging
+bonzes, who wear large conical hats of plaited split bamboos, or else
+hats smaller still and also cone-shaped but made of thick dried grass.
+They travel all over the district, and sometimes even to distant
+provinces, collecting funds and information from the people. Sometimes
+they impose their company on some well-to-do person, who, owing to the
+Corean etiquette in the matter of hospitality, has to provide them with
+food, money and promises of constant contributions before he can get rid
+of them. Then there are the stay-at-home bonzes, well-fattened and
+easy-going, who cover their heads with round, horse-hair, stiffened black
+caps of the exact shape of those familiar articles in French and Italian
+pastry-cook shops, used over the different plates to prevent flies from
+eating the sweets. Lastly, we have the military priests, who follow the
+army to offer up prayers when at war and during battles, and who don hats
+of the ordinary shape worn by every one else except that they have round
+crowns instead of almost cylindrical ones. These alone are occasionally
+allowed to enter the towns. Paper sandals are the foot-gear chiefly in
+use among them.
+
+Whenever I visited a monastery, I found the monks most civil and
+hospitable, although naturally they expect something back for their
+hospitality. I hardly had time to pay my chin-chins to all of them,
+folding my hands and shaking them in front of my forehead, bent forward,
+before a tray of eatables, such as beans, radishes and rice in pretty
+brass bowls would be produced, and a large cup of wine offered, out of
+which latter the whole company drank in turn. They took much interest in
+my sketching, and all insisted on being portrayed. Many of them possessed
+a good deal of artistic talent, and it is generally by their handiwork
+and patience that the images and statues in the temples are produced.
+Among them were some very intelligent faces, somewhat _abruties_, to use
+a French word, owing to the life they lead, but exceedingly bright and
+cheery withal, and often very witty, when one came to talk with them. As
+for shrewdness and quickness of perception I know no person who has these
+better at his command than the Corean Buddhist priest.
+
+[Illustration: A NUNNERY]
+
+There are also in Corea nunneries for women who desire to follow a
+religious life. Curiously enough, contrary to the rule with us, the
+Corean nuns are more emancipated than the rest of the native women. To
+begin with, they dress just in the same way as do the monks, shave their
+heads like them; and being, moreover, of a cast of countenance
+exceedingly ugly and not at all feminine, they might quite well, from the
+appearance of their faces, be taken to belong to the stronger sex. A good
+many of them, contrary to the case of the monks, impressed me as being
+afflicted with mental and bodily sufferings, and in several cases they
+even appeared to me to be bordering on idiocy. They always, however,
+received me kindly, and showed me their convents, with cells in which
+two or three nuns sleep together. They were not quite so careless as the
+monks about the duties of religion, and at the little temple close by
+there was a continual rattling of the gong, a buzzing, monotonous sound,
+enough to drive anybody out of his mind, if especially it was accompanied
+by the beating of drums. The temples attached to these nunneries seemed
+to be more elaborate inside than those of the monasteries, and when a
+religious ceremony has to be performed, two nuns, one in white, the other
+draped in a long, black-greenish gown, and both wearing a red garment
+thrown over the left shoulder, passed under the right arm, and tied in
+front with a ribbon, walk up and down inside the temple, muttering
+prayers, while a third female goes on rattling on the drums with all her
+might. Offerings of rice, beans, etc., are placed in front of the gods, a
+candle or two is lighted--and the nun in dark clothing holds a small
+gong, fastened to the end of a bent stick, and taps on it with a
+long-handled hammer, first gently and slowly, then quicker and quicker,
+in a crescendo, till she manages to produce a long shrill sound. The
+person, for whom these prayers are offered, kneels in front of the
+particular deity whom she wants to invoke, though generally at the foot
+of the Great Buddha, and with hands joined in front of her nose, prays
+with the nuns, getting up during certain prayers, kneeling down again for
+others. For head-gear, the nuns wear the same grass conical hats which
+the travelling monks do. If a large oblation is offered, the service is
+still more noisy, and not only are the big drums played in the most
+violent manner, but the nuns squat in a body along the walls inside the
+temple, and keep hammering away on little gongs similar to that just
+described. Recall to your memory the sound of a blacksmith's forge with
+two men hammering a red-hot iron, magnify that sound a hundred times, and
+add to it the buzzing of the prayers, and you will then get a pretty fair
+idea of what one of these religious ceremonies sounds like to European
+ears.
+
+One of the best features of Confucianism is the inculcation of respect
+towards parents and old people, in which respect both monks and nuns do a
+deal of good; though, otherwise, I think the country might advantageously
+be without these institutions.
+
+Beliefs are comical when one does not believe in them.
+
+On the mountain slopes, just outside the city wall, and at no great
+distance from the West Gate, is a peculiar rock, which the action of the
+weather has worn out into the shape of a gigantic tooth. Whence comes its
+name of Tooth-stone. There would be nothing wonderful about this, if it
+were not for the fact that a visit to this freak of nature, has,
+according to Corean accounts, the property of curing the worst of
+tooth-aches. Though I was not myself afflicted with the complaint in
+question, I went one afternoon to witness the pilgrimage that takes place
+every day to this miraculous spot. A little altar stands at the foot of
+the huge tooth, and numberless tablets, certifying to cures, erected by
+thankful noble visitors and others, are fixed against the rock, with the
+name, date and year when the cures were effected.
+
+As I stood there, I could not help laughing at the sight of the crowds of
+men and women with swollen cheeks, bandaged up in cotton wool and
+kerchiefs, apparently undergoing excruciating agonies through coming out
+on so cold a day. One after the other they came up, first paying their
+chin-chins in front of the altar, and then depositing on it what _cash_
+they could afford; after which they proceeded to rub one cheek after the
+other on the Tooth-stone, just as "puss" rubs herself against your legs
+when you stroke her head. The bandages had, of course, to be removed
+before the balloon-like cheek could be rubbed on the frozen stone, and to
+watch the different expressions of relief or increased pain upon their
+ill-balanced, inflamed faces, gave me as much amusement as any show that
+I have ever witnessed. Should the pain have temporarily disappeared, the
+man in charge of the _miracle_ would make it his duty to try and extract
+more money from the person cured; if, instead of that, the pain had
+increased, which was generally the case, then, again, he would impress on
+the agonised sufferer that had he paid a larger sum in the beginning the
+gods would not have been vexed at his meanness and the pain would have
+disappeared. Let him, therefore, now pay more _cash_ by way of making up
+for it, and try again! It is wonderful, too, how shallow people are when
+they have a pain anywhere!
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XV
+
+Police--Detectives--The plank-walk--The square board--The wooden blocks
+for hands and feet--Floggings--The bamboo rod--The stick--The flexible
+board--A flogging in Seoul--One hundred strokes for three-halfpence
+--Wounds produced--Tender-hearted soldiers--Imprisonment--Exile--Status
+of women, children and bachelors--Guilds and the law--Nobles and the
+law--Serfdom--A mild form of slavery.
+
+
+Should you happen to be one of the tender-hearted sort, please pass this
+chapter and the next over, and I shall not bear you any malice. My
+present object is to describe some of the punishments inflicted on
+criminals, and, though they are, as a whole, quaint and original, I
+cannot say that they are pleasing, either to see or to read about.
+
+First of all, you may not be aware that there is in Seoul a sharp and
+well-regulated body of police, always ready to pounce on outlaws of any
+kind; and that there is hardly a crime committed, the delinquent in which
+fails to be immediately collared. These guardians of the peace do not
+wear any particular uniform, but are dressed just like the merchant
+classes; and thus it is that, unknown, they can mix with people of all
+sorts, and frequently discover crimes of which they would otherwise
+probably never hear. Instead of being mere policemen, they rather do the
+work of detectives and policemen combined; for, by ably disguising
+themselves, they try to get on familiar terms with people about whom they
+are suspicious; and in many a case, after having become a bosom-friend of
+one of these officials and acknowledged and confessed his evil deeds to
+him, the culprit finds himself arrested and very likely beheaded.
+
+In speaking of their mode of arrest, I purposely used the word
+"collared"; for no better term can express the action of the Corean
+policeman. The man is taken before the magistrate soon after his arrest,
+and should he offer resistance he is dragged before him by his top-knot
+or his pig-tail, according respectively as he is a married man or a
+bachelor. If he is strong and restive, a rope with a sliding knot is
+passed round his neck, after his hands have been firmly tied behind his
+back. After his interview with the magistrate at the _yamen_, if he be
+found guilty, he is generally treated with very great severity.
+
+If the crime has been only of the minor degree the culprit undergoes the
+plank-walk, a punishment tiresome enough, but not too harsh for Coreans.
+The following is a rough description of it. A heavy wooden plank, about
+twelve feet long and two feet wide, with an aperture in the centre, is
+used, the man's head being passed through the aperture and then secured
+in it in such a way that he cannot remove it. Thus arrayed he is made to
+walk through the streets of the town, his head distorted by the weight he
+has to carry, and his body restrained by the dragging of the plank either
+in front of him or at his back. The passers-by point at him the finger of
+scorn, as, in his helpless state, he is made to swing from one side of
+the road to the other with the slightest push, or else is pulled along
+mercilessly by people who seize the plank and begin to run. He is poked
+in the ribs with sticks, and gets his head smacked and smeared with dirt;
+yet has to bear it all patiently, until, twirled round, knocked about,
+and with his neck skinned by the friction of the heavy plank, he
+sometimes falls down in a dead faint.
+
+[Illustration: THE PLANK-WALK]
+
+Little or no compassion is shown to criminals by the Coreans. Rather than
+otherwise, they are cruel to them; and children, besides being cautioned
+not to follow their bad example, are encouraged to annoy and torture the
+poor wretches.
+
+A more severe punishment still is the square board, a piece of wood too
+heavy to allow of the man standing for any length of time, too wide to
+allow of his arms reaching his face, too big to allow of him resting his
+head on the ground and going to sleep, and too thick to allow of his
+smashing it and getting rid of it. Instances are on record of people thus
+punished having become lunatics after the fourth or fifth day. During the
+fly season I should think such an occurrence cannot be uncommon. Imagine
+half a dozen flies disporting themselves in a tickling walk on a man's
+nose, eyelids and forehead, without his being able to reach them, owing
+to this huge square wooden collar! It must be dreadful! Merely the
+thought of it is enough to give one the shivers.
+
+This last mode of punishment has, I think, been imported from China, for
+I have also seen it frequently in the Empire of Heaven. The other, which
+I first described, may also be a modification of this one, but I do not
+remember having seen it, as I have described it, anywhere except in
+Corea, at Seoul. There is also in Corea another machine of torture, in
+which the head and feet are tied between heavy blocks of wood.
+
+The principal, and most important, of all the lesser punishments,
+however, is flogging. It is that which has most effect on the people, and
+it is certainly by far the most painful. It is carried out in many ways,
+according to the gravity of the crime committed. The simpler and milder
+form is with a small bamboo rod, the strokes being administered on the
+hands, on the bare back or on the thighs, a punishment mostly for young
+people. Next in severity, is that with the round stick--a heavy
+implement--by which it was always a marvel to me, that all the bones of
+the body were not smashed, judging from the fearful blows which the
+powerful flogger bestowed on the poor wretches who lay stretched out
+flat, and face downward, on a sort of bench, to which they were
+fastened, and on which they generally fainted from pain after the first
+few strokes had been given. This is considered a low and degrading way of
+being flogged, and is chiefly limited to people of the lowest standing in
+society. The implement most generally in use in this line of sport is the
+paddle or flat board, a beating with which, when once received, is likely
+to be remembered for ever. I shall try to describe the way in which I saw
+it done one day in Seoul.
+
+I was walking along the main street when I saw a _kisso_ (soldier), with
+his hands tied behind his back, being led with a rope and followed by
+about a score of cavalry soldiers in their picturesque hats and red
+tassels. A magistrate, in his long white gown and with a huge pair of
+circular spectacles on his nose, headed the procession. I asked a
+passer-by what they were going to do, and was soon informed, both by
+action and by word of mouth, that the man was going to be flogged,
+whereupon I at once slackened my pace, and joined the procession, that I
+might, if possible, see how they did this sort of thing in military
+circles. I had already seen ordinary floggings with the bamboo and the
+stick, but what attracted me more especially on this occasion, was a long
+wooden board which a soldier was carrying, and with which, the man who
+was walking by my side said, they were going to beat him. It was a plank
+about ten feet long, one foot wide and half an inch thick, probably less,
+and therefore very flexible. After walking for a short distance, the
+procession at last made a halt. The man to be performed upon, looked
+almost unconcerned; and, save that he was somewhat pensive, showed no
+signs of fear. His hands having been untied, he at once took off his
+hat--for in the land of Cho-sen a man does not mind losing his life as
+long as his hat is not spoilt! His padded trousers were pulled down so as
+to leave his legs bare, and he was then made to lie flat on the pebbly
+ground, using his folded arms as a sort of rest for his head. The
+magistrate, with his pompous strides, having found a suitable spot,
+squatted down on his heels, a servant immediately handing to him his
+long-caned pipe. The soldiers, silent and grave, then formed a circle,
+and the flogger; with his board all ready in his hand, took up a position
+on the left-hand side of his victim. The magistrate, between one puff and
+another of smoke, gave a long harangue on the evils of borrowing money
+and not returning it, however small the sum might be. The disgrace, he
+argued, would be great in anybody's case, but for a soldier of the King,
+not only to commit the great offence of borrowing money from a person of
+lower grade than himself--"a butcher," but then also to add to his shame
+by not returning it--this was something that went beyond the limits of
+decency.
+
+"How much was it you borrowed?" he inquired in a roaring kind of voice.
+
+"A hundred _cash_," answered the thread of a voice from the head on the
+ground buried in the coat-sleeves.
+
+"Well, then, give him a hundred strokes, to teach him to do better next
+time!"
+
+As a hundred _cash_ is equivalent to one penny-halfpenny, to my mind, the
+verdict was a little severe, but, as there is no knowing what is good
+for other people, I remained a silent spectator.
+
+The flogger then, grabbing at one end of the board with his strong hands,
+swung it two or three times over his head, and gave a tremendous whack on
+the man's thighs, causing them to bleed. Then immediately another and
+another followed, each being duly reckoned, the poor fellow all the while
+moaning pitifully, and following from the corners of his frightened eyes
+the quick movements of the quivering plank. Soon his skin became livid
+and inflamed, and, after a few more blows had been given, large patches
+of skin remained attached to the board. The pain must have been intense.
+The wretch bit his sleeves, and moaned and groaned, until, finally, he
+became faint. Meanwhile, I had produced my sketch-book, and had already
+with my pencil jotted down magistrate, flogger, flogged and soldiers,
+when the ill-natured official took offence at what I was doing and
+ordered the flogging to be at once stopped. Had I only known, I would
+have begun my sketch before. As it was--and the culprit had only received
+less than one-fifth of the number of blows to which he had been
+sentenced--the performance was bad enough. There was only one redeeming
+feature about it, and I must say no one was more astonished at it than
+myself. Nearly all the soldiers, friends of the offender, blubbered like
+children while his punishment lasted. This circumstance seemed to prove
+to me that the Easterns, though apparently cruel, are, after all, not
+quite so hard-hearted as one might be inclined to imagine. And, mind you,
+the soldier-classes in Cho-sen are probably the most cruel of all; that
+touch of sentiment on their part, therefore, impressed me much, and upset
+entirely those first ideas I had formed about their lack of sensitiveness
+and sympathy for others.
+
+The order to that effect being then given, two soldiers proceeded to help
+the man to rise. Calling to him was, however, of no avail. They had,
+therefore, to lift him up bodily, but when they tried to dress him they
+found his swollen bleeding legs to be as stiff as if they had been made
+of iron; wherefore, as they failed to bend them, two other men had to
+come to their assistance and carry him away. It not unfrequently happens
+in the case of this cruel method of flogging that a man's thighs are
+broken and himself ruined for life, and many have been known to have even
+died under the severity of the punishment.
+
+Imprisonment is not a favourite punishment with the Corean magistrates,
+for the infliction of such a penalty means considerable expense to the
+country, and would be but little punishment to the natives, who, by such
+confinement, would suffer little or nothing physically, and certainly not
+at all morally. Some, however, especially of the nobler classes, are kept
+confined, even for years, in expectation, for instance, of a sentence of
+capital punishment being carried out, or else in the hope that through
+influential friends they may obtain the royal pardon. As a rule,
+particularly with the better classes, exile is deemed a more impressive
+punishment than imprisonment, and when confiscation of land and property
+goes with this, the punishment is, of course, all the more severe.
+
+Of banishment there are several different kinds. Thus, there is not only
+banishment from the city to a distant province, but also that out of the
+kingdom altogether. Some banishments are for short periods, others for
+longer periods, others for life. Banishment from the country is generally
+for life and accompanied by confiscation.
+
+A curious custom prevails at Court, according to which, when a Minister,
+prince or magistrate incurs the royal displeasure, he is confined for two
+or three days to his own house, without being allowed to go out. Were the
+rule broken it would lead to serious trouble, for spies are generally
+sent to see that the rule is not transgressed. Such a punishment, mild as
+it is, is much felt by the nobles, and they take, therefore, a good deal
+of trouble to comply with the Court etiquette in all its minutest
+details.
+
+Corean law is very lenient to women and children, or unmarried men, which
+latter class, as we have seen, are classified in the same category as the
+former. The head of the family is supposed to punish smaller offences as
+he thinks fit, either by rod or fist, the law only providing the severer
+forms of punishment for the bigger crimes.
+
+The administration of the law in general is very strange. Some people are
+responsible, others are not. Certain tradesmen, like butchers,
+plasterers, innkeepers, carpenters, hatters, etc., have formed themselves
+into guilds, and in the case of offences committed by a member of one of
+these guilds he is held responsible to the head of the guild and not to
+the magistrates of the country. The same holds good in the case of the
+_mapus_ (horsemen) and the coolie-carriers who constitute, probably, the
+best-formed and best-governed guild in the country. It has thousands of
+members all over the kingdom, and not only is the postal system carried
+on by them, but also the entire trade, so to speak, between the different
+provinces and towns of the realm. The chief of this guild, until late
+years, had actually the power of inflicting capital punishment on the
+members; now, however, the highest penalty he can inflict is a sentence
+of flogging. Thus it is, that a good deal of the justice of the country
+is administered by the people themselves, without the intervention of the
+legal authorities, in which respect they show themselves very sensible.
+The nobles, too, have the power of flogging their servants or followers,
+and this is usually done in their own _compounds_. Very often on passing
+a house the strokes of the paddle may be heard, the howls and screams of
+the victim testifying to the nature of what is going on. In other cases
+flogging is generally done in public, for then it is supposed to have
+more effect. If done in a private enclosure, then all the servants,
+soldiers and followers are summoned to witness it.
+
+This patient submission to these personal punishments is no doubt one of
+the last remains of feudalism. In not very remote times, serfdom which
+bordered on slavery was still in existence in Cho-sen. Men and women
+became private property either by the acquiring of the land on which they
+lived, or, by purchase, or by way of execution for non-payment of debts,
+for under this convenient law creditors could be paid with a man's
+relations instead of with ready money.
+
+Slavery in Corea, even when it existed, was, however, always of a very
+mild form. The women were mostly employed as servants about the house,
+while the man tilled the ground, but in neither case was rough dealing
+the rule, and, far less, ill-treatment. They were, too, well fed and
+clothed; so much so, that many people used to sell themselves in order to
+acquire a comfortable living. In time of famine this must have very often
+occurred, and many families whose ancestors under such circumstances
+stood by the nobles and rich people are even to the present moment
+supported by them, though no longer as slaves, but rather as retainers
+and servants. They are perfectly happy with their lot and make no
+agitation for liberty; in fact, like the bird that has been born and bred
+in a cage, if left to themselves, they would probably soon come to a bad
+end.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XVI
+
+Executions--Crucified and carried through the streets--The execution
+ground--Barbarous mode of beheading--Noble criminals--Paternal love--Shut
+out--Scaling the wall--A catastrophe--A nightmare.
+
+
+In Cho-sen, as in other countries, we find not only pleasanter sights,
+but also those that are disagreeable or even revolting. That which I am
+about to describe is one which, I have little doubt, will make your blood
+curdle, but which is none the less as interesting as some of the others I
+have feebly attempted in this work to describe; I mean an execution as
+carried out in the Land of the Morning Calm. The penal form of death
+adopted is beheading, which is not, I believe, so pleasant a sensation
+as, for instance, that of being hanged--that is, when other persons are
+the sufferers. Of late years, executions have not been by any means an
+everyday occurrence in Corea, but here, as in other countries, there is
+always to be found a good share of people who are anxious to be "off"
+their heads. There is no reason why people should commit crimes, yet they
+do commit them and get punished in consequence. They are punished in this
+world for having broken the limits of society's laws, and yet again, if
+what one hears is correct, they are punished wherever they happen to go
+after their final departure from our very earthly regions. In Corea, as
+is the case all over the far East, the natives are not much concerned
+about this future existence and attach little importance to death and
+physical pain. I have no doubt, in fact I am positive, that the Eastern
+people feel pain much less than we do, partly because they are accustomed
+from childhood to be insensitive to bodily agony, but chiefly because
+they are differently constituted to us. In our case, the brain, by means
+of which it is that we judge of the amount of pain inflicted on us, has
+been trained to receive impressions so quickly, transmitted as they are
+in an instant from any part of the body to the centre of our system,
+that, indeed, many times we actually feel the pain before it has been
+physically communicated to us at all. With the Corean, as with the Manchu
+or the Chinese, a reverse action takes place. With them, the brain works
+so very slowly that, supposing a bad ache is taking place in any part of
+the body, whence is being conveyed to the drowsy brain the unpleasant
+news of the agony that that part is undergoing; well, what in that case
+happens in the Corean skull? By the time the brain has grasped the idea
+that the aforesaid part of the body is really in a state of suffering,
+the pain is almost gone. This, roughly stated, is I believe, a truthful
+explanation of their going to death with so much bravery.
+
+It is a common occurrence in China for criminals, kneeling in a row to be
+executed, to crack jokes among themselves, and even at the executioner's
+expense. In Corea, they cannot go quite so far as that, for things are
+done somewhat differently. In the latter country, the prisoners are
+detained in the gaols sometimes for months and even years, undergoing
+judgments and sentences, floggings and milder tortures innumerable, so
+that it is almost with a feeling of relief and gladness that, finally,
+being proved guilty, they receive the news of their fast approaching end.
+When their time is come, they are removed from prison, and dragged out
+into a courtyard, within which, with the first rays of light, have been
+brought some little carts with heavy and roughly-made wooden wheels, each
+drawn by a sturdy bull. On the ground some wooden crosses have been set
+up, and to each of these a criminal is tied with ropes, his chest and
+arms being bare, and cut into by the tightened cords, and only his padded
+trousers being left. Each cross with its human freight is then planted
+and made firm on a bull cart; and then, when all is ready, the ghastly
+procession, headed by the executioner, a few _kissos_ (soldiers), armed
+with old fashioned flint locks or with spears, makes its way slowly
+through the streets of the town, one of the followers proclaiming aloud
+the crimes committed and the sentences passed on the crucified. Sleepy
+women and children, with uncombed hair, peep out of the paper windows,
+while the men hurry down to the street and join the procession in large
+numbers, making fun at the expense of the poor wretches, and even
+insulting them; while the latter, hang helpless and defenceless from
+their crosses, their bodies livid with cold, pain and starvation.
+Occasions such as these, are regular orgies for the soldiers, and those
+who follow the mournful _cortége_. Not a wine-shop on the road-side is
+left unvisited, and continual halts are made that wine may be freely
+drunk, and food swallowed, as only Corean soldiers know how to do it.
+Occasionally, a pious passer-by, moved to compassion, may, amid the howls
+of the crowd, raise his wine-cup to the lips of one of the sentenced, and
+help him thus to make death more merry. Once this sort of thing is
+started, the example is usually at once emulated by others, and, as the
+hours go by, a considerable amount of intoxicating stuff is consumed, not
+only by the executioner, soldiers and followers, but also by those to be
+executed. Before very long, however, the bodies of the victims thus
+carried become senseless and nearly frozen to death. Their heads then
+hang down pitifully, all blue and congested, and quivering with the
+jerking of the cart.
+
+"Era! Era! Picassa!" ("Get out! get away!") the drunken soldiers call out
+at intervals, as they swallow their last mouthful of rice, and order the
+_mapus_ to move on to the next eating-place. Crowds of men and children
+collect round the miserable show and prudent fathers, pointing at the
+victims, show their heirs what will be the fate of those who do what is
+wrong. During the whole day are the poor wretches thus carted to and fro,
+in the streets of the town, stoppages being made at all the public
+eating-places, where feasting invariably takes place, though it is also
+almost as invariably left unpaid for.
+
+Only when sunset has come is it that the procession, having made its way
+towards one of the city gates, finally leaves the town and winds its way
+through the open country to a suitable spot for the chopping-off process.
+Executions are not held at any particular spot; and in former days, even
+a few years ago, it was not an uncommon occurrence to see the dead
+bodies of beheaded people lying about in the streets of Seoul. Now,
+however, they generally take the offenders outside the Wall, and inflict
+the capital punishment miles away from the town.
+
+The execution represented in the illustration, took place on the sixth of
+February, 1891, and is a reproduction of a picture which I have done from
+sketches taken on the spot. The men executed on this occasion numbered
+seven, and the crime committed, was "high treason." They had conspired to
+upset the reigning dynasty of Cho-sen, and had devised the death of His
+Majesty the King. Unfortunately for them, the plot was discovered before
+its aims could be carried out, and the ringleaders arrested and
+imprisoned. For over a year they had remained in gaol, undergoing severe
+trials, and being constantly tortured and flogged to make them confess
+their crime, and betray the friends who were implicated with them. That,
+however, being of no avail, the seven men were at last all sentenced to
+death. Three of them were noblemen, and one a priest; while the others
+were commoner people, though well-to-do. Here are their names;
+Yi-Keun-eung, Youn-Tai-son, Im-Ha-sok, Kako (priest), Yi-sang-hik,
+Chyong-Hiong-sok, Pang-Pyong-Ku.
+
+[Illustration: A STUDY FROM STILL-LIFE]
+
+Having undergone the final drive through the town, by the sound of the
+big bell at sunset the _cortége_ passed through the "Gate of the Dead;"
+then, leaving the crowded streets of the capital, it made its way towards
+the spot where the execution was to take place. The place selected was on
+a naturally raised ground, nearly 20 lis (6½ miles) from Seoul, a
+lonely spot, overlooking a deserted plain. The high road was only a few
+hundred yards distant, and could be plainly seen as a white interminable
+line, like a white tape, at the foot of the distant hills.
+
+The bull carts were stopped some little way below this spot on the flat
+ground, and then, one by one, the wretched creatures were taken down and
+removed from their crosses in a brutal manner, and handed over to the
+executioner. Senseless, they lay on the ground, with their arms tied
+behind their backs, and a long rope fastened to their top-knots in the
+hair; until they were carried one after another, and laid flat on their
+faces, with their chests on the little stools seen in the picture. When
+they had all been thus stationed, the executioner proceeded to administer
+blows with his blunt sword until the heads were severed from the bodies.
+On the occasion in question, several of the bodies were hacked about most
+mercilessly through the inexperience or drunkenness of this brute. The
+third man in the illustration, for example, had a good part of his left
+shoulder cut off as clean as a whistle, although the blow had been meant
+to strike the neck; but let this suffice for these horrible details. I
+have mentioned them, partly, that they may be compared with the dexterous
+doings of the neighbouring Chinese, whose skill in the chopping-off line
+is beyond description.
+
+The Chinese possess very long, sharp, well-balanced swords, a single blow
+of one of which will sever the head from the body. Besides, they
+administer their blows as neatly as the most fastidious of customers
+might desire, and the victim does not really undergo much pain. The
+executioners, too, are picked out from among the strongest men, and are
+so well trained that they never miss a blow. The whole affair,
+consequently, is over in less than no time; a few seconds being quite
+sufficient to do away with one comfortably. Truly enough, were it to be
+one's lot to be executed, I would desire nothing more delightful than to
+have one's head "done" by a Celestial executioner. The Coreans, on the
+contrary, have not developed the same skill in these difficult matters;
+and, what with their blunt and short swords, what with their misjudgment
+of distances, they bungle matters most cruelly. Of course, they are,
+nevertheless, supposed to kill their victims with single blows, instead
+of raining them down by the dozen, hacking the unfortunate creatures in a
+most fearful manner, and lopping off their arms or gashing their bodies
+before the heads are finally cut off.
+
+The little blocks, upon which the men were laid down, were so arranged
+that their chests rested on the upper portions, the head in consequence
+being raised several inches from the ground. The idea in this was to make
+things easier for the executioner; the same reason also explaining why
+the straw rope was tied to each man's top-knot; for in this way another
+man could hold him fast to the stool when the decapitation was to take
+place. A somewhat closer examination of the first body in the
+illustration will at once show how distorted it is. This is what must
+have happened: in the final struggle with death the owner had attempted
+to resist his fate, when several soldiers had immediately pounced upon
+him, with the inevitable result that, in his desperate struggling, the
+spine had been broken; a strange, yet very natural accident, under the
+circumstances. The arms being tied together at the elbows behind, the
+spine had been at great tension, like a set bow, so that a violent
+assault could not but result in its being fractured, especially
+considering the weak and frozen condition in which the derelict before us
+was. That I am probably correct in this explanation seems to be further
+proved by the fact that his head, when severed, had been taken up and
+swung to a distance by the angry executioner.
+
+Now, though this way of doing away with criminals may appear a very cruel
+one to European minds, it is, nevertheless, a decided improvement on the
+older method of executing prevalent in Corea, as practised for example,
+many years ago, on some French missionaries and their followers.
+
+The execution of these martyrs was preceded by terrible floggings and
+tortures, and when they were led to the execution-ground they had two
+arrows thrust into their flesh, like modern St. Sebastians.
+
+The executioner and soldiers, after having accomplished their bloody
+work, and converted the execution-ground for the time being into a
+shambles, retraced their steps to the nearest wine-shop, where the rest
+of the night was spent in drinking and gorging. The bodies were left as a
+repast for dogs and leopards; for no Corean with a sound mind could be
+induced to go near the spot where they lay, lest the spirits of their
+departed souls should play some evil trick upon them. So much, in fact,
+were they scared at the idea of passing at all near to the dead bodies
+that, though the execution took place a few hundred yards away from the
+high road, the superstitious Coreans preferred going miles out of their
+way on the other side of the hill range to being seen near (they called
+it "near") a spot where so many people had perished.
+
+The morning following this execution I took many sketches of the ghastly
+scene and the mutilated bodies. I did not leave until darkness began to
+set in, when, as I was busy packing up my traps to return to Seoul, I was
+rather startled by the sudden appearance near me of an old man, sad,
+pale, and worn-out with anxiety. As he crept up to my side, in a most
+suspicious manner, he looked round, and then, with a violent effort,
+directed his gaze to the bodies lying a little way off. He was shivering
+like a leaf, his eyes were staring and his fingers outstretched, yet he
+could not remove his glance from the dreadful sight. As he was in this
+tragic position, two coolies, carrying a coffin, appeared cautiously on
+the scene; but, when still a long way from the bodies, they refused
+positively to approach any nearer, and all the expostulation of the old
+man who went down to meet them, all the extra strings of _cash_, the last
+ones he possessed, were not sufficient to induce them to stir another
+inch. This fright which had taken possession of them was thus great,
+partly because of the natural superstitions which all Coreans entertain
+regarding the souls of dead persons, and also because the fact of being
+seen or found near these political criminals might in all probability
+lead to the loss of their heads as well. At last, however, when their
+terror was somewhat overcome, they promised to go near the bodies if
+large sums should be paid them; whereupon the old man who had not another
+_cash_ in the world, seemed to act as if he were in a state of thorough
+despair. I watched his face and thought that he was actually going to
+collapse. Not a word of complaint, however, did he utter to me. Intense
+grief was depicted on his face, and I had pity on him. He was old, too,
+and his features were refined. He opened his heart to me.
+
+"That," lying dead there, with his head Heaven only knew where, was his
+son! He had been a nobleman; that one could see at a glance, but was poor
+now, "cashless," having spent his fortune in his efforts to bribe the
+officials to let his son be released. His money had come to an end, and
+there his son lay dead. The risk he was running, he well knew, was very
+great, in thus coming to remove the body of the one he loved. Were the
+officials only to know that he had visited the spot, he would straightway
+be imprisoned, accused of complicity, tortured, and then put to death;
+notwithstanding this, however, he felt sure that darkness would protect
+him, and so in his anxiety he had come to remove his son's body, that he
+might during the night bury it on one of the distant hills. He had given
+the coolies the little money he had to help him in his enterprise, and
+now that he was only a few yards from his beloved he could not get them
+to proceed. He was himself too weak to move the body.
+
+I took him by the arm, and we approached the bodies. The near view of
+them made him shudder and turn pale, and as he rested on my arm he was
+shivering all over. Not a word did he utter, not a lamentation did he
+make, not a tear did he shed; for, to show one's feelings is considered
+bad form in the land of Cho-sen. I could well see, however, that his
+heart was aching. He bent over the bodies, one after the other; then,
+after a lengthy examination, he pointed to one, and murmured:
+
+"This is my son, this is my son! I know him by his hands. See how they
+are swollen, and nearly cut by the rope?"
+
+Next, after a good deal of uncertainty, for the face was smeared and
+streaked with blood, we found the head pertaining to the body. The old
+man, with paternal love, then proceeded, if he could, to stick the head
+on the body again, but--this was impossible.
+
+"Please, sir," he begged of me, in a tone of lamentation, "help me to
+take my son as far as the coffin."
+
+I consented, and, with the utmost trouble, we carried the body down the
+hill, afterwards coming back for the head. In two mats, which had been
+carried inside the hearse, we wrapped the corpse up as well as we could,
+and then bundled him into the coffin. All this time a careful look-out
+was maintained, to see that no one else was about to spy over the deed,
+but once the corpse was in its coffin, the coolies quickly took the
+hearse on their shoulders, and all sped away, not without repeated
+"kamapsos" (thanks) being given me by the old man.
+
+That was the only body which was removed, all the others being left to
+rot or to be eaten up by wild animals.
+
+When I examined the expressions on the faces of the beheaded wretches, it
+did not seem as if any of them had at all enjoyed what had taken place;
+on the contrary, rather than otherwise, there was plainly depicted on
+their now immovable features an expression of most decided
+dissatisfaction. Without doubt, they had undergone a terrible agony. In
+some cases the eyes were closed, in others they were wide open, staring
+straight in front. The pupils had become extremely small. The lips of all
+were contracted, and the teeth showed between, tightly closed. Streaks of
+blood covered the faces, and it was very apparent that the noses, ears,
+and sometimes the outside corners of the eyes, had been bleeding, this
+being probably due to the violent blows received from the sword. In a
+word, the expression which had become stereotyped upon their faces was
+that of great pain and fright, although none of them, with the exception
+of the one who had resisted at the last moment, showed it in any other
+way. The muscles of the arms also were much contracted, and the swollen
+fingers were of a bluish colour with congested blood, and half-closed and
+stiff--as if made of wood.
+
+By the time that the old man, his coolies and their sad burden had got
+well out of sight, on their way up one of the distant hills, I had
+finished packing up my sketches and painting materials. Then, as I
+retraced my steps towards Seoul it became quite dark. On the way,
+however, I purchased, for the large sum of three _cash_ (the tenth part
+of a penny), a small paper lantern, with a little candle inside--the
+latter leading me to the extravagance of an extra _cash_; and, armed
+with this lighting apparatus, all complete, I proceeded towards the East
+Gate.
+
+This little lantern, which was exactly similar to those used by the
+natives, came in very handy on this occasion. These lanterns are the most
+ingenious things that can be imagined for the money. Each has a wooden
+bottom, and a bent cane acts as a handle. A nail is provided in the
+centre of the wooden bottom, wherein to stick the candle, and the flame
+is protected by white tissue paper pasted all round the lantern.
+
+[Illustration: A NATIVE LANTERN]
+
+In due course I reached the East Gate, but only to find it closed, for it
+was now long after sunset. I then tried the "Gate of the Dead," having no
+objection to enter the town for once as a "deceased"; but, although the
+"departed" have the privilege of leaving the town after dark, they are
+not allowed to come in again; for which reason it really seemed as if I
+had before me the fine prospect of having to put up at one of the dirty
+native inns just outside the Gate until it should please Phoebus to show
+his welcome fire-face again above the mountain line.
+
+I had learned that there was, at no great distance away, a spot where, at
+the risk only of breaking one's neck, it was possible to scale the city
+wall; wherefore, having consulted a child as to the exact locality,
+besides tempting him with a string of _cash_, I proceeded to find it, and
+soon, under his guidance, reached it. The wall at this spot was, I may
+mention, about twenty feet high. Having, then, fastened my paint-box and
+sketches to my back by means of a strap, and slinging the paper lantern
+to my arm, I proceeded, hampered though I was, to make trial of my
+cat-like qualities in the matter of wall climbing. Placing the tips of my
+fingers and toes in the crevices between the stones and in other gaps in
+the wall, I managed with some little difficulty, to crawl up a certain
+height. The wall was nearly perpendicular, mind you, and, owing to the
+cold frozen nature of the stones, my fingers got so stiff that I had
+hardly any power left in them. Then, too, the weight of the heavy
+paint-box on my shoulders was more conducive to bringing me down again
+than to helping me up. In my mind's eye, accordingly, I saw myself at
+every moment coming down with a bang from my high position to the frozen
+ground below, and began to think that I should be fortunate if I
+succeeded in coming out of my wall-climbing experience with only half the
+ribs in my body reduced to atoms, and one or two broken limbs in
+addition. Making a special effort, however, I got a few feet higher, when
+I heard a mysterious voice below murmur: "You have nearly reached the
+top." I received the news with such delight that, in consequence of the
+fresh vigour which it imparted to me and which made me try to hurry up,
+one of my feet slipped, and I found myself clinging to a stone, with the
+very ends of my fingers. Oh what a sensation! and what moments of
+anxiety, until, quickly searching with my toes, I got a footing again.
+
+That slip was fatal, for, owing to the jerk it gave me, the unsteady
+candle inside the paper lantern fell out of its perpendicular position
+and produced a conflagration. Then, indeed, was I placed in the most
+perplexing position, for, here was I, holding on to the wall, I do not
+know how, with the lantern and my sleeve on fire and my arm getting
+unpleasantly warm, and yet utterly unable to do anything to lessen the
+catastrophe. Only one thing could be done; and I can assure you, the few
+remaining feet which had to be climbed were got over with almost the
+agility of a monkey. Thus, at last, I was on the top.
+
+This adventure made a very good finish for what had been a most exciting
+day; and, now that the faithless lantern was burning itself out, and
+dwindling away down below, and that the fire in my sleeve was put out, I
+had to remain in darkness. I stumbled along the rampart of the wall until
+I could get down into one of the streets, where, having roused the
+people, I was able to purchase another light, and reach home again in
+safety. After the hearty meal which I then partook of, I need scarcely
+add that a greater part of the night was spent in dreaming of numberless
+bodyless heads rolling about around me, and of people being burned alive,
+until I finally woke up next morning with a fearful shock, and the
+thought that I was being precipitated from the top of the Tower of Babel.
+
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XVII
+
+The "King's procession"--Removing houses--Foolhardy people--Beaten to
+death--Cavalry soldiers--Infantry--Retainers--Banners--Luxurious
+saddles--The King and his double--Royal palanquins--The return at night.
+
+
+[Illustration: THE KING MEETING THE CHINESE ENVOYS]
+
+The official life of the King of Corea is secluded. He rarely goes out of
+the royal palace, although rumours occasionally fly about that His
+Majesty has visited such and such a place in disguise. When he does go
+out officially, the whole town of Seoul gets into a state of the greatest
+agitation and excitement. Not more than once or twice a year does such a
+thing happen; and when it does, the thatched shanties erected on the wide
+royal street are pulled down, causing a good deal of trouble and expense
+to the small merchants, etc. People fully understand, however, that the
+construction of these shanties is only allowed on condition that they
+shall be pulled down and removed whenever necessity should arise; an
+event which may often occur, at only a few hours' notice. The penalty for
+non-compliance is beheading.
+
+The moment they receive the order to do so, the inhabitants hurriedly
+remove all their household goods; the entire families, and those friends
+who have been called in to help, carrying away brass bowls, clothes and
+cooking implements, amid a disorder indescribable. Everybody talks,
+screams and calls out at the same time; everybody tries to push away
+everybody else in his attempts to carry away his armful of goods in
+safety; and, what with the dust produced by the tearing the thatch off
+the roofs, what with the hammering down of the wooden supports, and the
+bustle of the crowd, the scene is pandemonium.
+
+I well remember how astonished I was when, passing in the neighbourhood
+of the royal palace, early one morning, I saw the three narrow, parallel
+streets which lead to the principal gateway being converted into one
+enormously wide street. The two middle rows of houses were thus
+completely removed, and the ground was made beautifully level and smooth.
+Crowds of natives had assembled all along the royal street, as well as up
+the main thoroughfare, leading from the West to the East gate; and the
+greatest excitement prevailed amongst the populace. The men were dressed
+in newly-washed clothes, and the women and children were arrayed in their
+smartest garments. Infantry soldiers, with muskets, varying from
+flint-locks to repeating-rifles, were drawn up in a line on each side to
+keep the road clear. There were others walking along with long, flat
+paddles, and some with round heavy sticks, on the look-out for those who
+dared to attempt to cross the road. As generally happens on such
+occasions, there were some foolish people who did not know the law, and
+others who challenged one another to do what was forbidden, well knowing
+that, if caught, severe blows of the paddle would be their portion. Every
+now and then, howls and shouts would call the attention of the crowd to
+some nonsensical being running full speed down the middle of the road, or
+across it, pursued by the angry soldiers, who, when they captured him,
+began by knocking him down, and continued by beating him with their heavy
+sticks and paddles, until he became senseless, if not killed. When either
+of the last-mentioned accidents happened, as occasionally was the result,
+the body would be thrown into one of the side drain-canals along the road
+and left there, no one taking the slightest notice of it.
+
+[Illustration: CAVALRY SOLDIER WITH UMBRELLA-HAT]
+
+Cavalry soldiers were to be seen in their picturesque blue and brown
+costumes, and cuirasses, and wide-awake black hats adorned with long red
+tassels hanging down to the shoulders, or, as an alternative, equipped
+with iron helmets and armed with flint-locks and spears. In their belts,
+on one side, they carried swords, and on the other, oil-paper
+umbrella-shaped covers. When folded, one of these hat-covers resembles a
+fan; and when spread out for use, it is fastened over the hat by means of
+a string. Those warriors who wore helmets carried the round felt hats as
+well, fastened to the butts of their saddles.
+
+This cavalry equipment was in great contrast, from a picturesque point of
+view, with the comical imitations of the European mode of equipment
+exhibited by the infantry soldiers. One peculiarity of these cavalrymen
+was their instability in the saddle. Each cavalier had a _mapu_ to guide
+the horse, and another man by his side to see that he did not fall off,
+each having thus two men to look after him. A charge of such cavalry on
+the battle-field must, indeed, be a curious sight.
+
+In the olden time it was forbidden for any one to look down on the king
+from any window higher than the palanquins, but now the rule is not so
+strictly observed, although, even at the time when I witnessed these
+processions, nearly all the higher windows were kept closed and sealed by
+the more loyal people. The majority, therefore, witnessed the scene from
+the streets.
+
+The procession was headed by several hundred infantry soldiers, marching
+without the least semblance of order, and followed by cuirassed
+cavalrymen mounted on microscopic ponies in the manner above described.
+Then followed two rows of men in white, wearing square gauze white caps,
+similar to those which form the distinctive badge of the students when
+they go to their examinations; between which two rows of retainers, lower
+court officials, and _yamens_, perched on high white saddles, rode the
+generals and high Ministers of state, supported by their innumerable
+servants. Narrow long white banners were carried by these attendants, and
+a dragon-flag of large dimensions towered above them. Amid an almost
+sepulchral silence, the procession moved past, and after it came a huge
+white palanquin, propped on two long heavy beams, and carried on the
+shoulders of hundreds of men.
+
+When the court and country are not in mourning, the horses of the
+generals, high officials and eunuchs bear magnificent saddles,
+embroidered in red, green and blue; the ponies led by hand immediately in
+front of the King's palanquin being also similarly decked out.
+
+Curiously enough, when the first royal palanquin had gone past the
+procession repeated itself, almost in its minutest details, and another
+palanquin of the exact shape of the first, and also supported by hundreds
+of attendants, advanced before us. Puzzled at this strange occurrence, I
+inquired of a neighbour:
+
+"In which palanquin is the King?"
+
+"No one knows, except his most intimate friends at Court," was the
+answer. "In case of an attempt upon his life, he may thus be fortunate
+enough to escape."
+
+If such an attempt were made success would not in any case be an easy
+matter, except with a gun or a bomb; for the King's sedan is raised so
+high above the ground that it would be impossible for any one to reach it
+with his hands. Besides, it is surrounded by a numerous escort.
+
+The sedans were constructed after the model of a large square
+garden-tent with a pavilion roof, the front side being open. The
+King--somebody closely resembling him is selected for his double--sits on
+a sort of throne erected inside.
+
+On another occasion, when I saw a similar procession accompanying the
+King to the tomb of the queen-dowager, the two palanquins used were much
+smaller, and were fast closed, although there were windows with thick
+split bamboo blinds on both sides of each palanquin. The palanquins were
+covered with lovely white leopard skins outside, and were rich in
+appearance, without lacking in taste.
+
+When the King's procession returned to the palace after dark, the beauty
+and weirdness of the sight were increased tenfold. Huge reed-torches,
+previously planted in the ground at intervals along the line of route,
+were kindled as the procession advanced, and each soldier carried a long
+tri-coloured gauze lantern fastened to a stick, while the palanquins were
+surrounded with a galaxy of white lights attached to high poles. A
+continuous hollow moaning, to indicate that the King was a very great
+personage, and that many hundreds of men had undergone great fatigue in
+carrying him, was heard as the palace gate was approached, and a deep
+sigh of relief arose from thousands of lungs when he was finally
+deposited at his door. Propped up by his highest Ministers of state, who
+held him under the arms, he entered his apartments; after which the
+lights were quickly put out, and most of the crowd retired to their
+homes.
+
+On such occasions as these, however, the men are allowed out at night as
+well as the women.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XVIII
+
+Fights--Prize fights--Fist fights--Special moon for fighting--Summary
+justice--The use of the top-knot--Cruelty--A butcher combatant
+--Stone-fights--Belligerent children--Battle between two guilds--Wounded
+and killed--The end of the battle postponed--Soldiers' fights.
+
+
+One of the characteristic sights in Cho-sen is a private fight. The
+natives, as a rule, are quiet and gentle, but when their temper is roused
+they seem never to have enough of fighting. They often-times disport
+themselves in witnessing prize-fights among the champions of different
+towns, or of different wards in the same town, and on these occasions
+large crowds assemble to view the performance. The combatants generally
+fight with their fists, but, like the French, are much given to use their
+knees and feet as well in the contest. Much betting, also, goes on
+amongst the excited spectators, and it is not seldom that a private
+contest of this kind degenerates into a free fight.
+
+The lower classes in the towns thoroughly enjoy this kind of sport, and
+the slightest provocation is sufficient to make them come to blows. The
+curious point about their fighting is that during the first moon of the
+new year all rows can be settled in this rough and ready manner, without
+committing any breach of the law. Hence it is that during that moon, one
+sees hardly anything but people quarrelling and fighting. All the anger
+of the past year is preserved until the New Year festivities are over,
+but then free play is straightway given to the bottled-up passions. Were
+a man even to kill his antagonist during a fight at this legalised
+season, I doubt whether he would be imprisoned or punished; very likely
+not.
+
+For about fifteen days, in truth, things are simply dreadful in the
+streets. Go in one direction, and you see people quarrelling; go in
+another, and you see them fighting. The original _causa movens_ of all
+this is generally _cash!_
+
+When a deadly fight takes place in the streets, you may at once set it
+down as having arisen over, say, a farthing! Debts ought always to be
+paid before the old year is over; and, occasionally, grace is allowed for
+the first fifteen days in the first moon; after that, the defaulting
+debtors get summary justice administered to them. Creditors go about the
+town in search of their debtors, and should they come face to face,
+generally a few unparliamentary remarks are passed, followed by a
+challenge. Hats are immediately removed, and given for safe keeping to
+some one or other of the spectators, a crowd of whom has, of course, at
+once assembled; and then the creditor, as is customary under such
+circumstances in all countries, makes a dash for his debtor. The main
+feature about these fights, so far as I could judge, was the attempt of
+each antagonist to seize hold of the other by his top-knot. Should this
+feat be successfully accomplished, a violent process of head-shaking
+would ensue, followed by a shower of blows and scratches from the free
+hand, the lower extremities meanwhile being kept busy distributing kicks,
+really meant for the antagonist, but, occasionally, in fact often,
+delivered to some innocent passer-by, owing to the streets of Cho-senese
+towns not being as a rule over-wide.
+
+When in a passion, the Coreans can be very cruel. No devices are spared
+which can inflict injury on the adversary, and scratching and biting
+during these fights are common concomitants. One afternoon, as I was
+returning from a call at the Japanese Legation, and was proceeding down a
+slight incline, riding Mr. Greathouse's horse, I witnessed a dreadful
+scene. A butcher and another tradesman were settling questions in their
+own delightful way, and were knocking each other about. At last, the
+butcher felled the other man with a blow of a short club--like a
+policeman's club--which is often made use of in these fights. As the man
+lay motionless on the ground, the other, far from being content with what
+he had done, seized a huge block of wood, one of those upon which they
+chop up the meat, and, lifting it up with a great effort, dropped it on
+his antagonist's head, with a dreadful sounding crack, which smashed his
+skull, as one would a nut. Then, sitting triumphantly on the wooden
+block, he solicited the compliments of the spectators.
+
+Special interest is taken when the women fight, that is, among the very
+lowest classes, and frequently the strings of _cash_ earned during the
+day are lost or doubled on the odds of the favourite.
+
+The better classes, it must be said to their credit, never indulge in
+fist-fighting in public, though occasionally they have competitions in
+their own compounds, champions being brought there at great expense and
+made to fight in their presence. I believe they consider it to be
+degrading, either first, to lose one's temper, or secondly, to administer
+justice in such a fashion.
+
+The most important contests of all are the stone and club-fights, which
+are a national institution, approved by the Government and patronised by
+everybody. They sometimes attain such large proportions as to be regular
+battles. Supposing that one town or village has, from motives of jealousy
+or other causes, reason to complain of a neighbouring city or borough, a
+stone-fight during the first moon is invariably selected as the proper
+method of settling the difference. Private families, with their friends,
+fight in this way against other private families and their allies; and
+entire guilds of tradesmen sometimes fight other guilds, several hundreds
+of men being brought into the field on either side.
+
+Children are much encouraged in this sport, it being supposed that they
+are thus made strong, brave and fearless; and I have actually seen
+mothers bring children of only eight or nine years old up to the scratch,
+against an equal number of lads urged on by their mothers on the other
+side. One boy on each side, generally the pluckiest of the lot, is the
+leader, and he is provided with a small club, besides wearing on his head
+a large felt hat with a sort of wreath round the crown, probably as a
+protection against the blows that might reach his head. After him come
+ten, twenty, or more other children in their little red jackets, some
+armed with a club like their leader, the others with armfuls of stones. A
+good mound of this ammunition is also, as a rule, collected in the rear,
+to provide for the wants of the battle. The two leaders then advance and
+formally challenge each other, the main body of their forces following in
+a triangle; and when, after a certain amount of hesitation, the two have
+exchanged a few sonorous blows with their clubs on each other's skulls,
+the battle begins in earnest, volleys of stones are fired and blows
+freely distributed until the forces of one leader succeed in pushing back
+and disbanding the others.
+
+A fight of this kind, even among children, lasts for several hours, and,
+as can well be imagined, at the end of it there are a great many bleeding
+noses and broken teeth, besides bruises in profusion. The victor in these
+fights is made much of and receives presents from his parents and the
+friends of the family. The principal streets and open spaces in Seoul,
+during the fighting period, are alive with these youthful combatants, and
+large crowds assemble to witness their battles, taking as much interest
+in them as do the Spaniards in their bull-fights, and certainly causing
+as much excitement.
+
+More serious than these, however, are the hostilities which occasionally
+take place between two guilds. When I was in Seoul, there was a great
+feud between the butchers and those practising the noble art of
+plastering the houses with mud. Both trades are considered by the Coreans
+to belong to the lowest grade of society; and, this being so, the contest
+would naturally prove of an envenomed and brutal character. A day was
+fixed, upon which a battle should take place, to decide whose claims were
+to prevail, and a battle-field was selected on a plain just outside the
+South Gate of the city. The battle-field was intersected by the same
+small frozen rivulet which also crosses Seoul; and it was on the western
+side, near the city wall, where stood a low hill, that on the day
+appointed I took up my position to view the fight, sketch and note-book
+in hand.
+
+The two armies duly arrived, and placed themselves in position, the
+butchers on one side of the stream, the plasterers on the other. There
+were altogether about eighteen hundred men in the field, that is to say,
+about nine hundred on each side. As I could not get a very good view from
+my high point of vantage, I foolishly descended to the valley to inspect
+the fighting trim of the combatants, with the result that when the signal
+for the battle to begin was given I found myself under a shower of
+missiles of all weights and sizes, which poured down upon me with
+incredible rapidity and solidity. Piles of stones had been previously
+massed together by the belligerent parties, and fresh supplies came
+pelting down incessantly. I must acknowledge I did not enjoy my position
+at all, for the stones went whistling past, above my head, fired as they
+were with tremendous force by means of slings.
+
+The confusion was great. Some men were busy collecting the stones into
+heaps again, while others were running to and fro--going to fetch, or
+carrying, fresh ammunition to the front; and all the time the two armies
+were gradually approaching one another until at last they came together
+on the banks of the narrow stream. Here, considering the well-directed
+pelting of stones, it was difficult to say which army would succeed in
+dislodging the other. Those on the opposite side to where I was made a
+rush upon us, but were fired upon with such increased vigour that they
+were repulsed; then, however, concentrating their forces on one point,
+they made a fresh attack and broke right into our ranks, fighting _corps
+à corps_, and pushing back the men on my side, until the whole of their
+contingent was brought over to our side of the stream. I was not, of
+course, taking any active part in the fighting, but, seeing the bad turn
+the struggle was assuming, I made up my mind that I was destined to have
+my own skull broken before the fray was over. Though the duelling was
+fierce, however, each man being pitted against his opponent with clubs
+and drawn knives, and hammering or stabbing at him to his heart's
+content, I, somehow, was in no way molested, except of course, that I was
+naturally much knocked about and bruised, and several times actually came
+in contact, and face to face, with the irate enemy.
+
+If you can imagine eighteen hundred people fighting by twos in a
+comparatively limited space and all crowded together; if you can form an
+idea of the screaming, howling, and yelling in their excitement; and if
+you can depict the whole scene with its envelopment of dust, then you
+will have a fair notion of what that stone-fight was like. The fighting
+continued briskly for over three hours, and many a skull was smashed.
+Some fell and were trampled to death; others had very severe knife
+wounds; a few were killed right out. When the battle was over, few were
+found to have escaped without a bruise or a wound, and yet, after all,
+very few were actually killed, considering how viciously they fought.
+Indeed, there were in all only about half a dozen dead bodies left on the
+battle-field when the combatants departed to the sound of the "big bell"
+which announced the closing of the city gates.
+
+After a long discussion on the part of the leaders, it was announced that
+the battle was to be considered a draw, and that it would, therefore,
+have to be renewed on the next afternoon. The argument, I was told, was
+that, though the other side had managed to penetrate the camp on my side,
+yet they had not been able to completely rout us, we having made a firm
+stand against them. For the following two or three days, however, it
+snowed heavily, and the fighting had to be postponed; and on the day it
+actually did take place, to my great sorrow, I was unable to attend,
+owing to a command to go to the palace. To my satisfaction I was
+subsequently informed that the plasterers, that is to say, my side, had
+ultimately come off victorious.
+
+The police generally attend these battles, but only to protect the
+spectators, and not to interfere in any way with the belligerents.
+Soldiers are prohibited from taking any active part in fights which have
+no concern for them; but they may fight as much as ever they please among
+themselves during the free period allowed by the law. The fights of the
+latter class are usually very fierce, and are invariably carried out with
+bare chest and arms, that their uniforms may not be spoiled.
+
+When that dreadful fortnight of fighting is over, the country again
+assumes its wonted quiet; new debts are contracted, fresh hatreds and
+jealousies are fomented, and fresh causes are procured for further
+stone-battles during the first moon of the next year.
+
+Such is life in Cho-sen, where, with the exception of those fifteen days,
+there is calm, too much of it, not only in the morning, in accordance
+with the national designation, but all through both day and night; where,
+month after month, people vegetate, instead of live, leading the most
+monotonous of all monotonous lives. It is not surprising, then, that once
+a year, as a kind of redeeming point, they feel the want of a vigorous
+re-action; and, I am sure, for such a purpose as this, they could not
+have devised anything wilder or more exciting than a stone-battle.
+
+The King himself follows with the utmost interest the results of the
+important battles fought out between the different guilds, and reports of
+the victories obtained are always conveyed to him at once, either by the
+leaders of the conquering parties, or through some high official at
+Court.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XIX
+
+Fires--The greatest peril--A curious way of saving one's house--The
+anchor of safety--How it worked--Making an opposition wind--Saved by
+chance--A good trait in the native character--Useful friends.
+
+
+I was one evening at a dinner-party, at one of the Consulates, when, in
+the course of the frugal repast, one of the servants came in with the
+news that a large conflagration had broken out in the road of the
+Big-bell, and that many houses had already been burnt down. The
+"big-bell" itself was said to be in great danger of being destroyed.
+
+Giving way to my usual curiosity, and thinking that it would be
+interesting to see how houses burn in Cho-sen, I begged of my host to
+excuse me, left all the good things on the table, and ran off to the
+scene of the fire.
+
+As the servant had announced, the fire was, indeed, in close proximity to
+the "big-bell." Two or three large houses belonging to big merchants were
+blazing fast, the neighbouring dwellings being in great danger of
+following suit. There is in a Corean house but little that can burn,
+except the sliding doors and windows, and the few articles of furniture
+and clothing; so that, as a general rule, after the first big flare-up,
+the fire goes out of its own accord, unless, as was the case in the
+present instance, the roofs are supported by old rafters, which also
+catch fire. What the Coreans consider the greatest of dangers in such
+contingencies happens when the heavy beam which forms the chief support
+for the whole weight of the roof in the centre catches fire. Then, if any
+wind happens to be blowing, sparks fly on all the neighbouring thatched
+roofs, and there is no possibility of stopping a disaster. Such things as
+fire-engines or pumps are quite unknown in the country, and, even if
+there were any, they would be useless in winter time, owing to the severe
+cold which freezes all the water.
+
+On the night in question, that was practically what happened. Two houses
+adjoining one another were burnt out, and, the roofs having crumbled
+away, the long thick beams alone were left in position, supported at
+either end by the stone walls of the houses, and still blazing away, and
+placing the neighbouring houses that had thatched roofs in considerable
+danger.
+
+I was much amused at a Corean, the owner of one of these latter, who, to
+save his thatched shanty from the flames, pulled it down. His efforts in
+this direction were, however, of no avail in the end; for the inflammable
+materials, having been left in the roadway in the immediate neighbourhood
+of the conflagration, caught fire and were consumed.
+
+The King had been informed of the occurrence, a very rare one in Seoul,
+and had immediately dispatched a hundred soldiers to--look on, and to
+help, if necessary. Some individuals, too, more enterprising than the
+rest, exerted themselves to draw water from the neighbouring wells; but,
+by the time they had returned to the spot where it was required, it was
+converted into one big lump of ice. Finally, recourse was had to the old
+Corean method of putting out the fire, namely, by breaking the beam, not
+an easy job by any means, and then, when it had fallen, covering it with
+earth.
+
+The soldiers had brought with them--conceive what? A ship's anchor! To
+this anchor was tied a long thick rope. Their object was, of course, to
+fix the anchor to the burning beam, which being done, fifty, sixty or
+more strong men could pull the rope, and so break the beam in two and
+cause it to fall. Well and good; but where was the warrior to be found
+who would volunteer to go up on the summit of the frail mud-and-stone
+wall and hook the anchor in the right place The affair now wore a
+different aspect altogether, no one being willing to go; whereupon the
+officer in command reprimanded his troops for their lack of pluck.
+
+Among the soldiers, however, there was one man, stout and good-natured
+looking; and he, being taken aback apparently by the officer's remarks,
+at once asserted that he, at all events, was not lacking in courage, and
+would go. For him, accordingly, a ladder was provided, and up he went,
+carrying the anchor on his back. When he reached the last step, he
+stopped and, turning to harangue the people, told them that the beam was
+a solid one, and that a very hard pull would be required; after which,
+amid the applause and cheering of the spectators, he balanced himself on
+the wall and threw the anchor across the beam. A body of men, about a
+hundred strong, then seized the rope and kept it in tension. Next, in a
+commanding tone of voice, our brave hero on the wall gave the signal to
+start, when, all of a sudden, and much sooner than he had expected, with
+the vigorous pull the anchor dug a groove in the carbonised wood, and,
+slipping away, caught him in its barbs across his chest, and dragged him
+with a fearful bump on to the road, with a great quantity of burning
+straw and wood, amidst which he was dragged for nearly twenty yards
+before they were able to stop.
+
+After this compulsory and unexpected jump, it was a miracle that he was
+not killed; for the height was over fourteen feet, and the course
+traversed through the air over twenty. Notwithstanding this, however,
+when he was at length rescued from the grasp which the anchor kept on him
+with its benevolent arms, though considerably shaken, he did not seem
+much the worse. Still, being asked to go again and hook the ungrateful
+grapnel a second time to the still burning beam, he declined with thanks
+and a comical gesture which sent everybody into screams of laughter.
+
+After this another man volunteered, and he, being more cautious in his
+method of procedure, was successful in his efforts. So much time,
+however, had been wasted over these proceedings, that now another house
+was burning fast, and by-and-by others also got attacked.
+
+As ill-luck would have it, the wind rose, to the great horror of the
+inhabitants whose houses were to windward. Many of their abodes had
+thatched roofs, and these seemed certain to go. The sparks flew in
+abundance across the road, and nothing, except a change of the wind,
+could now save those houses. The simple-minded Coreans, however,
+attempted a curious dodge, which I heard afterwards is in general use
+under such circumstances. Numerous ladders having been procured, men and
+women climbed on to the roofs which were in peril. What do you suppose
+they intended to do? I am sure you will never guess. They went up for no
+less a purpose than to manufacture another wind by way of opposition to
+the strong breeze that was blowing towards them. Here is how they did it:
+they all stood in a row at intervals on the upper edges of the roofs,
+and, having previously removed, the men their coats and the women their
+cloaks, they waved these rapidly and violently together, in the full
+assurance that they were getting the upper hand in the contest against
+the unkind spirits who superintended gales and breezes. All this went on
+in the most ludicrous manner; and, as soon as one person was exhausted,
+he was immediately replaced by another, prayers at the same time being
+offered up to the spirits as well of the fires as of the wind. The
+loudness of these prayers, I may add, grew and decreased in intensity,
+according to the aspect which the fire took from moment to moment; if a
+flame rose up higher than usual, louder prayers were hurriedly offered,
+and if the fire at times almost went out, then the spirits were for the
+time being left alone.
+
+The conflagration went on for a considerable number of hours and
+destroyed several houses. No one sustained any serious injury, though
+one old man, who was paralytic and deaf, had a very narrow escape. He had
+got left, either purposely or by mistake, in one of the houses. Two out
+of three of the rooms had already burnt out, and he was in the third. And
+yet, when they had pulled down the outside wall and brought him safely
+out, he expressed himself as astonished at being so treated, having
+neither heard that any fire was in progress, nor being aware that
+two-thirds of his own house had already been destroyed!
+
+Here again, let me note a good trait in the Corean character. Whenever,
+through any unexpected occurrence, a man loses his house and furniture,
+and so gets reduced from comparative wealth, say, for seldom does a
+Corean possess more, to misery and want; in such circumstances his
+friends do not run away from him, as usually is the case in more
+civilised countries; no, instead of this, they come forward and help him
+to re-build his house, lend him clothes and the more necessary utensils
+of domestic use, and, generally speaking, make themselves agreeable and
+useful all round, until he can spread out his wings once again, and fly
+by himself. Thus it is, that when a man's house has been burnt out it is
+no uncommon occurrence for friends or even strangers to put him up and
+feed him in their own homes until he has re-constructed his nest.
+Looking, therefore, at both sides of the medal, the man of Cho-sen may
+have a great many bad qualities from our point of view, yet he also
+undoubtedly possesses some virtues on which we who are supposed to be
+more civilised and more charitable, cannot pride ourselves. Believe me,
+when things are taken all round, there is after all but little difference
+between the Heathen and the Christian; nay, the solid charity and
+generosity of the first is often superior to the advertised philanthropy
+of the other.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XX
+
+A trip to Poo-kan--A curious monastery.
+
+
+One of the most interesting excursions in the neighbourhood of Seoul, is
+that to the Poo-kan fortress. The pleasantest way of making it is to
+start from the West Gate of Seoul and proceed thence either on horseback
+or on foot, along the Pekin Pass road, past the artificial cut in the
+rocks, until a smaller road, a mere path, is reached, which branches off
+the main road and leads directly to the West Gate of the Poo-kan
+fortress. This path goes over hilly ground, and the approaches to the
+West Gate of the fortress are exceedingly picturesque.
+
+The gate itself much resembles any of those of Seoul, only being of
+smaller proportions. It is, however, situated in a most lovely spot. As
+soon as we have entered, a pretty valley lies disclosed to our eyes, with
+rocky mountains surrounding it, the highest peak of which towers up
+towards the East. The formation of these hills is most peculiar and even
+fantastic. One of them, the most remarkable of all, is in the shape of a
+round dome, and consists of a gigantic semi-spherical rock.
+
+Following the path, then, which leads from the West to the South Gate,
+and which winds its way up steep hills, one comes at last to the temples.
+These are probably, the best-preserved and most interesting in the
+neighbourhood of the Corean capital. When I visited them, the monks were
+extremely polite and showed me everything that was of any note. The
+temples were in a much better state of preservation than is usual in the
+land of Cho-sen, and the ornaments, and paintings on the wooden part
+under the roof were in bright colours, as if they had been only recently
+restored. There are, near these temples, by the way, tablets put up in
+memory of different personages. In other respects, they were exactly
+similar to those I have already described in a previous chapter.
+
+At last, on the left hand side, I came upon the old palace. As with all
+the other palaces, so in this case there are many low buildings for the
+inferior officials besides a larger one in the centre, to which the King
+can retreat in time of war when the capital is in danger. The ravages of
+time, however, have been hard at work, and this place of safety for the
+crowned heads of Corea is now nothing but a mass of ruins. The roofs of
+the smaller houses have in most cases fallen through, owing to the
+decayed condition of the wooden rafters, and the main building itself is
+in a dreadful state of dilapidation. The _ensemble_, nevertheless, as one
+stands a little way off and looks at the conglomeration of dwellings, is
+very picturesque; this effect being chiefly due, I have little doubt, to
+the tumble-down and dirty aspect of the place. As the houses are built on
+hilly ground, roof after roof can be seen with the palace standing above
+them all in the distance, while the battlements of the ancient wall form
+a nice background to the picture.
+
+[Illustration: A MONK]
+
+The most picturesque spot of all, however, is somewhat farther on, where
+the rivulet, coming out of the fortress wall, forms a pretty waterfall.
+After climbing a very steep hill, the South Gate is reached--the distance
+between it and the West Gate being about five miles--and near it is
+another smaller gate, which differs in shape from all the other gates in
+Corea, for the simple reason that it is not roofed over. Just outside the
+small South Gate, on the edge of a precipice, are constructed against the
+rocks a pretty little monastery and a temple. The access to these is by a
+narrow path, hardly wide enough for one person to walk on without danger
+of finding himself rolling down the slope of the rock at the slightest
+slip of the foot. The Buddhist priest must undoubtedly be of a cautious
+as well as romantic nature, for otherwise it would be difficult to
+explain the fact that he always builds his monasteries in picturesque and
+impregnable spots, which ensure him delightful scenery and pure fresh
+air in time of peace, combined with utter safety in time of war. In many
+ways, the monastery in question reminded me of the Rock-dwellers. Both
+temple and monastery were stuck, as it were, in the rocks, and supported
+by a platform and solid wall of masonry built on the steep incline--a
+work which must have cost much patience and time.
+
+The temple is crowded inside with rows of small images of all
+descriptions, some dressed in the long robes and winged hats of the
+officials, with dignified and placid expressions on their features;
+others, like fighting warriors, with fierce eyes and a ferocious look
+about them; but all covered with a good coating of dust and dirt, and all
+lending themselves as a sporting-ground to the industrious spider. The
+latter, disrespecting the high standing of these imperturbable deities,
+had stretched its webs across from nose to nose, and produced the
+appearance of a regular field of sporting operations, bestrewn with the
+spoils of its victims, which were lying dead and half eaten in the webs
+and on the floor.
+
+The place goes by the name of the "Temple of the Five Hundred Images;"
+but I think that this number has been greatly exaggerated, though there
+certainly may be as many as two or three hundred.
+
+The most interesting feature about this monastery is that at the back of
+the small building where the priests live is a long, narrow cavern in the
+rocks, with the ceiling blackened by smoke. This cavern is about a
+hundred feet in length, and at its further end is a pretty spring of
+delicious water. A little shrine, in the shape of an altar, with burning
+joss-sticks and a few lighted grease candles, stood near the spring, and
+there a priest was offering up prayers, beating a small gong the while he
+addressed the deities.
+
+The descent from the temple was very steep and rough, over a path winding
+among huge boulders and rocks for nearly three miles. Then, reaching the
+plain, I accomplished the remainder of the distance to Seoul, over a
+fairly good road, and on almost level ground, all the way to the North
+Gate, by which I again entered the capital.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XXI
+
+Corean physiognomy--Expressions of pleasure--Displeasure--Contempt--Fear
+--Pluck--Laughter--Astonishment--Admiration--Sulkiness--Jealousy
+--Intelligence--Affection--Imagination--Dreams--Insanity--Its
+principal causes--Leprosy--The family--Men and women--Fecundity--Natural
+and artificial deformities--Abnormalities--Movements and attitudes--The
+Corean hand--Conservatism.
+
+
+The physiognomy of the Coreans is an interesting study, for, with the
+exception of the Chinese, I know of few nations who can control the
+movements of their features so well as do the Coreans. They are trained
+from their infancy to show neither pain, nor pleasure, grief nor
+excitement; so that a wonderful placidity is always depicted on their
+faces. None the less, however, though slightly, different expressions can
+be remarked. For instance, an attitude peculiar to them is to be noticed
+when they happen to ponder deeply on any subject; they then slightly
+frown, and with a sudden movement incline the head to the left, after
+previously drawing the head backwards. If in good humour or very pleased,
+again, though the expression is still grave and sedate, there is always a
+vivid sparkle to be detected in the generally sleepy eyes; and, curiously
+enough, while in our case the corners of the mouths generally curl up
+under such circumstances, theirs, on the contrary, are drawn downwards.
+
+Where the Coreans--and I might have said all Asiatics--excel, is in their
+capacity to show contempt. They do this in the most gentleman-like manner
+one can imagine. They raise the head slowly, looking at the person they
+despise with a half-bored, half "I do not care a bit" look; then,
+leisurely closing the eyes and opening them again, they turn the head
+away with a very slight expiration from the nose.
+
+Fear--for those, at least, who cannot control it--is to all appearance a
+somewhat stronger emotion. The eyes are wide open and become staring, the
+nostrils are spread wide, and the under lip hangs quivering, while the
+neck and body contract, and the hands, with fingers stiffly bent, are
+brought up nearly as high as the head. The yellowish skin on such
+occasions generally assumes a cadaverous whitish green colour which is
+pitiful to behold.
+
+On the other hand, when pluck is shown, instead of fear, a man will draw
+himself up, with his arms down and hands tightly closed, and his mouth
+will assume a placid yet firm expression, the lips being firmly shut (a
+thing very unusual with Coreans), and the corners tending downwards,
+while a frown becomes clearly defined upon his brow.
+
+Laughter is seldom indulged in to any very great extent among the upper
+classes, who think it undignified to show in a noisy manner the pleasure
+which they derive from whatever it may be. Among the lower specimens of
+Corean humanity, however, sudden explosions of merriment are often
+noticeable. The Corean enjoys sarcasm, probably more than anything else
+in the world; and caricature delights him. I remember once drawing a
+caricature of an official and showing it to a friend of his, who, in
+consequence, so lost the much-coveted air of dignity, and went into such
+fits, that his servants had to come to his rescue and undo his
+waist-girdle. This, having occurred after a hearty meal, led to his being
+seized by a violent cough, and becoming subsequently sick. Were I quite
+sure of not being murdered by my readers, I would like to call it
+_see_-sickness, for it was caused by--seeing a joke!
+
+Astonishment is always expressed by a comical countenance. Let me give
+you an illustration. When we anchored at Fusan in the _Higo-Maru_, many
+Coreans came on board to inspect the ship; and, as I looked towards the
+shore with the captain's powerful long-sight glasses, several natives
+collected round me to see what I was doing. I asked one of them to look
+through, and never did I see a man more amazed, than he did, when he saw
+some one on the shore, with whom he was acquainted, brought so close to
+him by the glasses as to make him inclined to enter into a very excited
+conversation with him. His astonishment was even greater when, removing
+his eyes from the lens, he saw everything resume its natural position.
+When he had repeated this experiment several times, he put the glasses
+down, looked at them curiously with his eyebrows raised, his mouth
+pinched, and his hands spread apart at about the height of his waist, and
+then looked at me. Again did he glance at the optical instrument, with
+his mouth wide open; then, making a comical movement of distrust, he
+quickly departed whence he had come. When he had got fairly into his
+row-boat, he entered into a most animated conversation with his fellows,
+and, judging by his motions as he put his hands up to his eyes, I could
+see that the whole subject was his experience of what he had seen through
+the "foreign devil's" pair of glasses.
+
+Admiration is to a great extent, a modification of astonishment, and is
+by the Coreans expressed more by utterance than by any very marked
+expression of the face. Still, the eyes are opened more than usual, and
+the eyebrows are raised, and the lips slightly parted, sifting the
+breath, though not quite so loudly as in Japan.
+
+Another curious Corean expression is to be seen when the children are
+sulky. Our little ones generally protrude their lips in a tubular form,
+and bend the head forward, but the Cho-senese child does exactly the
+reverse. He generally throws his head back and hangs his lips, keeping
+the mouth open, and making his frown with the upper part of his face.
+Jealousy in the case of the women finds expression in a look somewhat
+similar to the above, with an additional vicious sparkle in the eyes.
+
+Notwithstanding the fact that it is not uncommon to hear Coreans being
+classified among barbarians, I must confess that, taking a liberal view
+of their constitution, they always struck me as being extremely
+intelligent and quick at acquiring knowledge. To learn a foreign language
+seems to them quite an easy task, and whenever they take an interest in
+the subject of their studies they show a great deal of perseverance and
+good-will. They possess a wonderfully sensible reasoning faculty,
+coupled with an amazing quickness of perception; a fact which one hardly
+expects, judging by their looks; for, at first sight, they rather impress
+one as being sleepy, and dull of comprehension. The Corean is also gifted
+with a very good memory, and with a certain amount of artistic power.
+Generally speaking, he is of an affectionate frame of mind, though he
+considers it bad form to show by outward sign any such thing as
+affection. He almost tends to effeminacy in his thoughtful attentions to
+those he likes; and he generally feels much hurt, though silently, if his
+attentions are not appreciated or returned. For instance, when you meet a
+Corean with whom you are acquainted, he invariably asks after the health
+of yourself, and all your relations and friends. Should you not yourself
+be as keen in inquiring after his family and acquaintances, he would
+probably be mortally offended.
+
+One of the drawbacks of the Corean mind is that it is often carried away
+by an over-vivid imagination. In this, they reminded me much of the
+Spaniards and the Italians. Their perception seems to be so keen that
+frequently they see more than really is visible. They are much given to
+exaggeration, not only in what they say, but also in their
+representations in painting and sculpture. In the matters both of
+conversation and of drawing, the same ideas will be found in Cho-sen to
+repeat themselves constantly, more or less cleverly expressed, according
+to the differently gifted individuality of the artist. The average Corean
+seems to learn things quickly, but of what they learn, some things remain
+rooted in their brains, while others appear to escape from it the moment
+they have been grasped. There is a good deal of volubility about their
+utterances, and, though visibly they do not seem very subject to strong
+emotions, judging from their conversation, one would feel inclined to say
+that they were. Another thing that led me to this suspicion was the
+observation that the average Corean is much given to dreaming, in the
+course of which he howls, shouts, talks and shakes himself to his heart's
+content. This habit of dreaming is to a large extent due, I imagine, to
+their mode of sleeping flat on their backs on the heated floors, which
+warm their spines, and act on their brains; though it may also, in
+addition to that be accounted for by the intensity of the daily emotions
+re-acting by night on over-excited nervous systems. I have often observed
+Coreans sleep, and they always impressed me as being extremely restless
+in their slumbers. As for snoring, too, the Coreans are entitled to the
+Championship of the world.
+
+The Coreans are much affected mentally by dreams, and being, as we have
+already seen, an extremely superstitious race, they attach great
+importance to their nocturnal visions. A good deal of hard _cash_ is
+spent in getting the advice of astrologers, who pretend to understand and
+explain the occult art, and pleasure or consternation is thus usually the
+result of what might have been explained naturally either by one of the
+above-named causes, or by the victim having feasted the previous evening
+on something indigestible. Nevertheless, it must be acknowledged that the
+Corean mind is seldom thrown off its balance altogether. Idiocy is not
+frequent, and lunacy is uncommon.
+
+Insanity, when it does exist, generally exhibits itself under the form of
+melancholia and dementia, and is more frequently found among the upper
+than among the lower classes. With the men it is generally due to
+intemperance and excesses, and is occasionally accompanied by paralysis.
+Among the women, the only cases which came under my notice were of wives
+whose husbands had many concubines, and of young widows. Suicide is not
+unfrequently practised among the latter; partly in consequence of the
+strict Corean etiquette, but often also caused by insanity when it does
+not follow immediately upon the husband's death. Another cause of
+melancholia--chiefly, however, among the lower classes--is a dreadful
+complaint, which has found its way among the natives in its most
+repulsive form. Many are affected by it, and no cure for it seems to have
+been devised by the indigenous doctors. The accounts one hears in the
+country of its ravages are too revolting to be repeated in these pages,
+and I shall limit myself to this. Certain forms of insanity are
+undoubtedly a common sequence to it.
+
+Leprosy also prevails in Cho-sen, and in the more serious cases seems to
+affect the brain, producing idiocy. This disease is caused by poverty of
+blood, and is, of course, hereditary. I have seen two forms of it in
+Cho-sen; in the one case, the skin turns perfectly white, almost shining
+like satin, while in the other--a worse kind, I believe--the skin is a
+mass of brown sores, and the flesh is almost entirely rotted away from
+the bones. The Coreans have no hospitals or asylums in which evils like
+these can be properly tended. Those affected with insanity are generally
+looked after by their own families, and, if considered dangerous, are
+usually chained up in rooms, either by a riveted iron bracelet, fastened
+to a short heavy chain, or, more frequently, by an anklet over the right
+foot.
+
+Families in Corea are generally small in number. I have no exact
+statistics at hand, for none were obtainable; but, so far as I could
+judge from observation, the males and females in the population are about
+equal in number. If anything, the women slightly preponderate. The
+average family seldom includes more than two children. The death-rate of
+Cho-sen infants is great, and many reasons can account for the fact. In
+the first place, all children in Corea, even the stronger ones who
+survive, are extremely delicate until a certain age is attained, when
+they seem to pick up and become stronger. This weakness is hereditary,
+especially among the upper classes, of whom very few powerful men are to
+be found, owing to their dissolute and effeminate life.
+
+Absolute sterility in women is not an uncommon phenomenon, and want of
+virile power in the male part of the community is also often the subject
+of complaint; many quaint drugs and methods being adopted to make up for
+the want of it, and to stimulate the sexual desire. A good many of the
+remedies resorted to by the Corean noblemen under such circumstances are
+of Chinese manufacture and importation. Certain parts of the tiger, dried
+and reduced to powder, are credited with the possession of wonderful
+strengthening qualities, and fetch large sums. Some parts of the donkey,
+also, when the animal is killed during the spring and under special
+circumstances, are equally appreciated. The lower classes of Cho-sen--as
+is the case in most countries--are more prolific than the upper ones. The
+parents are both healthier and more robust, and the children in
+consequence are stronger and more numerous, but even among these classes
+large families are seldom or never found. Taken as a whole, the
+population of Corea is, I believe, a slowly decreasing quantity.
+
+The Corean is in some respects very sensible, if compared with his
+neighbours. Deformities, artificially produced, are never found in Corea.
+In civilised Japan, on the other hand, as we all know, the women blacken
+their teeth and shave their eyebrows, while there are numberless people
+in the lower classes who are tattooed from head to foot with designs of
+all kinds. In China, too, people are occasionally deformed for the sake
+of lucre, as, for instance, to be exhibited at village shows, and the
+Chinese damsel would not consider herself fascinating enough if her feet
+were not distorted to such an extent as to be shapeless, and almost
+useless. The head-bands worn by the men in Corea are probably the only
+causes which tend to modify the shape of their heads, and that only to a
+very small degree. These head-bands are worn so very tightly from their
+earliest youth, that I have often noticed men--when the head-band was
+removed--show a certain flattening of the upper part of the forehead, due
+undoubtedly to the continuous pressure of this head-gear. In such cases,
+however, the cranial deformation--though always noticeable--is but
+slight, and, of course, unintentionally caused. The skull, as a whole,
+in the case of those who have worn the head-band is a little more
+elongated than it is in the case of those few who have not; the
+elongation being upwards and slightly backwards.
+
+Natural abnormalities are more frequent. I have seen numerous cases of
+goitre, and very often the so-called hare-lip. Webbed fingers also are
+frequently noticed; while inguinal hernia, both as a congenital and as an
+acquired affection, is unfortunately all too common. The natives do not
+undergo any special treatment until the complaint assumes alarming
+proportions, when a kind of belt is worn, or bandages of home manufacture
+are used. These are the more common abnormalities. To them, however,
+might also be added manifestations of albinism--though I have never seen
+an absolute albino in Corea--such as, large patches of white hair among
+the black. Red hair is rarely seen.
+
+The Corean, apart, that is, from these occasional defects, is well
+proportioned, and of good carriage. When he stands erect his body is
+well-balanced; and when he walks, though somewhat hampered by his padded
+clothes, his step is rational. He sensibly walks with his toes turned
+slightly in, and he takes firm and long strides. The gait is not
+energetic, but, nevertheless, the Coreans are excellent pedestrians, and
+cover long distances daily, if only they are allowed plenty to eat and
+permission to smoke their long pipes from time to time. Their bodies seem
+very supple, and like those of nearly all Asiatics, their attitudes are
+invariably graceful. In walking, they slightly swing their arms and bend
+their bodies forward, except, I should say, the high officials, whose
+steps are exaggeratedly marked, and whose bodies are kept upright and
+purposely stiff.
+
+One of the things which will not fail to impress a careful observer is
+the beauty of the Corean hand. The generality of Europeans possess bad
+hands, from an artistic point of view, but the average Corean, even among
+the lower classes, has them exceedingly well-shaped, with long supple
+fingers, somewhat pointed at the end; and nails well formed and prettily
+shaped, though to British ideas, grown far too long. It is not a powerful
+hand, mind you, but it is certainly most artistic; and, further, it is
+attached to a small wrist in the most graceful way, never looking stumpy,
+as so often is the case with many of us. The Coreans attach much
+importance to their hands; much more, indeed, than they do to their
+faces; and special attention is paid to the growth of the nails. In
+summer time these are kept very clean; but in winter, the water being
+very cold, the cleanliness of their limbs, "_laisse un peu à desirer_." I
+have frequently seen a beautifully-shaped hand utterly spoilt by the
+nails being lined with black, and the knuckles being as filthy as if they
+had never been dipped in water. But these are only lesser native
+failings; and have we not all our faults?
+
+The two qualities I most admired in the Corean were his scepticism and
+his conservatism. He seemed to take life as it came, and never worried
+much about it. He had, too, practically no religion and no morals. He
+cared about little, had an instinctive attachment for ancestral habits,
+and showed a thorough dislike to change and reform. And this was not so
+much as regards matters of State and religion, for little or nothing does
+the Corean care about either of these, as in respect of the daily
+proceedings of life. To the foreign observer, many of his ways and
+customs are at first sight incomprehensible, and even reprehensible; yet,
+when by chance his mode of arguing out matters for himself is clearly
+understood, we will almost invariably find that he is correct. After all,
+every one, whether barbarian or otherwise, knows best himself how to
+please himself. The poor harmless Corean, however, is not allowed that
+privilege. He, as if by sarcasm, calls his country by the retiring name
+of the "Hermit Realm" and the more poetic one of the "Land of the Morning
+Calm"; "a coveted calm" indeed, which has been a dream to the country,
+but never a reality, while, as for its hermit life, it has been only too
+often troubled by objectionable visitors whom he detests, yet whom,
+nevertheless, he is bound to receive with open arms, helpless as he is to
+resist them.
+
+Poor Corea! Bad as its Government was and is, it is heart-rending to any
+one who knows the country, and its peaceful, good-natured people, to see
+it overrun and impoverished by foreign marauders. Until the other day,
+she was at rest, heard of by few, and practically forgotten by everybody,
+to all intents an independent kingdom, since China had not for many years
+exercised her rights of suzerainty,[4] when, to satisfy the ambition of
+a childish nation, she suddenly finds herself at the mercy of everybody,
+and with a dark and most disastrous future before her!
+
+Poor Corea! A sad day has come for you! You, who were so attractive,
+because so quaint and so retiring, will nevermore see that calm which has
+ever been the yearning of your patriot sons! Many evils are now before
+you, but, of all the great calamities that might befall you, I can
+conceive of none greater than an attempt to convert you into a civilised
+nation!
+
+FOOTNOTES:
+
+    [4] After a cessation of many years a tribute was again exacted
+        from Corea in 1890, in consequence of overtures being made to
+        Corea by Japan, which displeased China.
+
+
+
+
+INDEX
+
+Abnormalities
+Adoption of Children
+Adultery
+Alphabet
+Astronomers
+Archery
+Army instructors
+Aryan
+
+Bachelors
+Beggars
+Beverages
+Big Bell
+Body-snatching
+Bonzes
+Bridges
+   "       (crossing the)
+Buddha
+Buddhism
+Burial ground
+
+Cereals
+Chang
+Charity
+Chemulpo
+Children
+Chinese Customs Service
+Chinese invasions
+Chinese settlement
+Cho-sen
+City wall
+Clans
+Classes and castes
+Clothes
+Compradores
+Concubines
+Conflagrations
+Confucianism
+Conservatism
+Consulate (British)
+   "      (German)
+Coolies
+Corea (the word)
+Cotton production
+Crucifixion
+Cultivation
+Currency
+
+Decorations
+Deformities
+Divorce
+Documents
+Dragons
+Drainage
+Dreams
+
+Education
+Eunuchs
+Evil spirits
+Examinations
+Executions
+Exile
+Exorcisms
+Expressions
+Expression after Death
+
+Falcons
+Families
+Features
+Feron (l'Abbé)
+Fights
+  "    (Stone-)
+Filial love
+Fire-signals
+Floggings
+Food
+Foreigners
+Free nights for men
+Funerals
+Furniture
+Fusan
+Fuyn race
+
+Games
+Gardens
+Gates (City)
+Gate of the Dead
+Ghosts
+Girls
+Gods (minor)
+Graves
+Greathouse (Clarence R.)
+Guechas or Geishas
+Guilds
+
+Hair-dressing
+Hanabusa
+Hands
+Han River
+Haunted palaces
+Head-gear
+Hiaksai
+Hospitality
+Hotels
+Houses
+House-warming
+
+Illumination (Modes of)
+Inns
+Intelligence
+
+Japanese
+  "       settlements
+Jinrickshas
+Joss-houses
+
+Kim-Ka-Chim
+King
+Kite-flying
+Kitchen
+Kiung-sang
+Korai
+Kung-wo
+
+Language
+Lanterns
+Law
+Legations (American, Chinese, Japanese, Russian)
+Le Gendre (General)
+Leopards
+Leprosy
+Lin
+Lunacy
+
+Mafu
+Maki
+Man of the Gates, The
+Mapu
+Marks
+Marriages
+Married Men
+Mats
+Messengers
+Metempsychosis
+Mile posts
+Min-san-ho
+Min-Young-Chun
+Min-Young-Huan
+Missionaries
+Monasteries
+Mongolian type
+Mono-wheeled chair
+Mourning
+Mulberry plantation
+Music
+
+Names
+  "    (women's)
+Nanzam (Mount)
+New Year's festivities
+Nunneries
+
+Offerings
+Oppert
+Oxen
+
+Pagoda
+Phoenix
+Palaces
+Palace (Royal)
+   "   (Summer)
+Palanquins
+Paternal love
+Pekin Pass
+Physiognomy
+Pipes
+Plank-walk (The)
+Pockets
+Police
+Politics
+Ponies
+Poo-kan
+Port Hamilton
+Prayer-Books
+Procession (King's)
+Proverbs
+Punishments
+
+Queen (The)
+
+Religion
+Respect for the Old
+Rice
+Roads
+Rosary
+Royal Family
+Russian villa
+
+Sacred Trees
+Sacrifices
+Saddles
+Satsuma ware
+Scenery
+Scepticism
+Schools
+Sea-lions or tigers
+Sedan-chairs
+Self-denial
+Seoul
+Seradin Sabatin (Mr.)
+Serfdom
+Shamanism
+Shinra
+Shoes
+Shops
+Singers
+Smoke signals
+Snakes
+Soldiers
+Sorcerers
+Spectacles
+Spinning-tops
+Spirits
+Spirits of the mountains
+Square-board (The)
+Sterility
+Stone-heaps
+Streets
+Students
+Studies
+Suicides
+Sunto
+
+Tailors
+Tai-wen-kun
+Telephones
+Temples
+Throne
+Tide
+Tigers
+Tooth-stone
+Tortoise
+Toys
+
+Umbrella hat
+
+Wang
+Washing clothes
+Water-coolies
+Wedding ceremony
+Widows
+Wind-making
+Wives
+Women
+Women's looks
+Women's rights
+Wuju kingdom
+
+
+
+
+
+End of Project Gutenberg's Corea or Cho-sen, by A (Arnold) Henry Savage-Landor
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+<html>
+  <head>
+    <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content=
+    "text/html; charset=iso-8859-1">
+    <title>
+      The Project Gutenberg eBook of Corea, by A. Henry Savage-Landor.
+    </title>
+    <style type="text/css">
+/*<![CDATA[  XML blockout */
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+<pre>
+
+Project Gutenberg's Corea or Cho-sen, by A (Arnold) Henry Savage-Landor
+
+This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere at no cost and with
+almost no restrictions whatsoever.  You may copy it, give it away or
+re-use it under the terms of the Project Gutenberg License included
+with this eBook or online at www.gutenberg.org
+
+
+Title: Corea or Cho-sen
+
+Author: A (Arnold) Henry Savage-Landor
+
+Release Date: August 7, 2004 [EBook #13128]
+
+Language: English
+
+Character set encoding: ISO-8859-1
+
+*** START OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK COREA OR CHO-SEN ***
+
+
+
+
+Produced by Michael Ciesielski, and the Online Distributed
+Proofreading Team at https://www.pgdp.net
+
+
+
+
+
+
+</pre>
+
+
+
+
+<p class="ctr"><a href="./images/cover.jpg"><img src="./images/cover_th.jpg"
+alt="GOLD COVER"></a></p>
+
+<h1>COREA<br />
+
+OR CHO-SEN</h1>
+
+<hr class="full" />
+
+<h2>THE LAND OF THE MORNING CALM</h2>
+
+<h3>BY</h3>
+
+<h2>A. HENRY SAVAGE-LANDOR</h2>
+
+<h3>AUTHOR OF</h3>
+
+<h4>&quot;ALONE WITH THE HAIRY AINU&quot;</h4>
+
+<h4>With Numerous Text and Full-Page Illustrations from Drawings made by the
+Author</h4>
+<a name='Frontispiece'></a>
+<p class="ctr"><a href="./images/1.jpg"><img src="./images/1_th.jpg" alt="A. HENRY SAVAGE-LANDOR."></a></p>
+<p class="ctr"><a href="./images/2.jpg"><img src="./images/2_th.jpg" alt="SIGNATURE OF A. HENRY SAVAGE-LANDOR."></a></p>
+<h5>LONDON</h5>
+
+<h5>WILLIAM HEINEMANN</h5>
+
+<h5>1895</h5>
+
+
+
+<hr class="full" />
+<h2>BY GRACIOUS PERMISSION</h2>
+
+<h4>I Humbly Dedicate</h4>
+
+<h5>THIS WORK</h5>
+
+<h5>TO</h5>
+
+<h3><b>HER MAJESTY THE QUEEN</b></h3>
+
+
+
+<hr class="full" />
+<a name='PREFACE'></a><h2>PREFACE</h2>
+<br />
+
+<p>In this book I have sought to present the reader with some dry facts
+about Corea and the Coreans. I have attempted to describe the manners and
+customs of the people as accurately as possible from the impressions
+which my visit to their country left upon me, but of course I do not
+claim that these personal opinions expressed are absolutely infallible.
+My sojourn extended over several months, and I never during all that time
+neglected any opportunity of studying the natives, giving my observations
+as they were made a permanent form by the aid both of pen and of brush. I
+was afforded specially favourable chances for this kind of work through
+the kind hospitality shown me by the Vice-Minister of Home Affairs and
+Adviser to the King, Mr. C.R. Greathouse, to whom I feel greatly indebted
+for my prolonged and delightful stay in the country, as well as for the
+amiable and valuable assistance which he and General Le Gendre, Foreign
+Adviser to His Corean Majesty, gave me in my observations and studies
+among the upper classes of Corea. I am also under great obligations to
+Mr. Seradin Sabatin, Architect to His Majesty the King, and to Mr. Krien,
+German Consul at Seoul, for the kindness and hospitality with which they
+treated me on my first arrival at their city.</p>
+
+<p>The illustrations in this book are reproductions of sketches taken by me
+while in the country, and though, perhaps, they want much in artistic
+merit, I venture to hope that they will be found characteristic.</p>
+
+<p>For literary style I hope my readers will not look. I am not a literary
+man, nor do I desire to profess myself such. I trust, however, that I
+have succeeded in telling my story in a simple and straightforward
+manner, for this especially was the object with which I started at the
+outset.</p>
+
+<p>A. HENRY SAVAGE-LANDOR.</p>
+
+
+
+<hr class="full" />
+<a name='CONTENTS'></a><h2>CONTENTS</h2>
+
+<!-- Autogenerated TOC. Modify or delete as required. -->
+<a href='#PREFACE'><b>PREFACE</b></a><br />
+ <a href='#LIST_OF_PLATES'><b>LIST OF PLATES</b></a><br />
+ <a href='#CHAPTER_I'><b>CHAPTER I</b></a><br />
+<div class='Ptoc'>Christmas on board&mdash;Fusan&mdash;A body-snatcher&mdash;The Kiung-sang Province&mdash;The
+cotton production&mdash;Body-snatching extraordinary&mdash;Imperatrice
+Gulf&mdash;Chemulpo. Pp. <a href='#Page_1'>1</a>&mdash;<a href='#Page_15'>15</a></div>
+ <a href='#CHAPTER_II'><b>CHAPTER II</b></a><br />
+<div class='Ptoc'>Chemulpo&mdash;So-called European hotels&mdash;Comforts&mdash;Japanese concession&mdash;The
+<i>Guechas</i>&mdash;New Year's festivities&mdash;The Chinese settlement&mdash;European
+residents&mdash;The word &quot;Corea&quot;&mdash;A glance at Corean history&mdash;Cho-sen. Pp. <a href='#Page_16'>16</a>&mdash;<a href='#Page_31'>31</a></div>
+ <a href='#CHAPTER_III'><b>CHAPTER III</b></a><br />
+<div class='Ptoc'>The road to Seoul&mdash;The <i>Mapu</i>&mdash;Ponies&mdash;Oxen&mdash;Coolies&mdash;Currency&mdash;Mode of
+carrying weights&mdash;The Han River&mdash;Nearly locked out. Pp. <a href='#Page_32'>32</a>&mdash;<a href='#Page_44'>44</a></div>
+ <a href='#CHAPTER_IV'><b>CHAPTER IV</b></a><br />
+<div class='Ptoc'>The Coreans&mdash;Their faces and heads&mdash;Bachelors&mdash;Married
+men&mdash;Head-band&mdash;Hats&mdash;Hat-umbrellas&mdash;Clothes&mdash;Spectacles. Pp. <a href='#Page_45'>45</a>&mdash;<a href='#Page_58'>58</a></div>
+ <a href='#CHAPTER_V'><b>CHAPTER V</b></a><br />
+<div class='Ptoc'>The Woman of Cho-sen&mdash;Her clothes&mdash;Her ways&mdash;Her looks&mdash;Her
+privileges&mdash;Her duties&mdash;Her temper&mdash;Difference of classes&mdash;Feminine
+musicians. Pp. <a href='#Page_59'>59</a>&mdash;<a href='#Page_77'>77</a></div>
+ <a href='#CHAPTER_VI'><b>CHAPTER VI</b></a><br />
+<div class='Ptoc'>Corean children&mdash;The
+family&mdash;Clans&mdash;Spongers&mdash;Hospitality&mdash;Spinning-tops&mdash;Toys&mdash;Kite-flying&mdash;Games&mdash;How
+babies are sent to sleep. Pp. <a href='#Page_78'>78</a>&mdash;<a href='#Page_89'>89</a></div>
+ <a href='#CHAPTER_VII'><b>CHAPTER VII</b></a><br />
+<div class='Ptoc'>Corean inns&mdash;Seoul&mdash;A tour of
+observation&mdash;Beggars&mdash;Lepers&mdash;Philosophy&mdash;An old palace&mdash;A leopard
+hunt&mdash;Weather prophets&mdash;The main street&mdash;Sedan chairs&mdash;The big
+bell&mdash;Crossing of the bridges&mdash;Monuments&mdash;Animal worship&mdash;The Gate of the
+Dead&mdash;A funeral&mdash;The Queen-dowager's telephone. Pp. <a href='#Page_90'>90</a>&mdash;<a href='#Page_123'>123</a></div>
+
+ <a href='#CHAPTER_VIII'><b>CHAPTER VIII</b></a><br />
+<div class='Ptoc'>Seoul&mdash;The City Wall&mdash;A large image&mdash;Mount Nanzam&mdash;The fire-signals&mdash;The
+women's joss-house&mdash;Foreign buildings&mdash;Japanese settlement&mdash;An
+anecdote&mdash;Clean or not clean?&mdash;The Pekin Pass&mdash;The water-carrier&mdash;The man
+of the Gates. Pp. <a href='#Page_124'>124</a>&mdash;<a href='#Page_135'>135</a></div>
+ <a href='#CHAPTER_IX'><b>CHAPTER IX</b></a><br />
+<div class='Ptoc'>The Corean house&mdash;Doors and windows&mdash;Blinds&mdash;Rooms&mdash;The &quot;Kan&quot;&mdash;Roasting
+alive&mdash;Furniture&mdash;Treasures&mdash;The
+kitchen&mdash;Dinner-set&mdash;Food&mdash;Intoxicants&mdash;Gluttony&mdash;Capacity for
+food&mdash;Sleep&mdash;Modes of illumination&mdash;Autographs&mdash;Streets&mdash;Drainage&mdash;Smell.
+Pp. <a href='#Page_136'>136</a>&mdash;<a href='#Page_150'>150</a></div>
+ <a href='#CHAPTER_X'><b>CHAPTER X</b></a><br />
+<div class='Ptoc'>A Corean marriage&mdash;How marriages are arranged&mdash;The wedding ceremony&mdash;The
+document&mdash;In the nuptial chamber&mdash;Wife's
+conduct&mdash;Concubines&mdash;Widows&mdash;Seduction&mdash;Adultery&mdash;Purchasing a
+husband&mdash;Love&mdash;Intrigue&mdash;Official &quot;squeezing&quot;&mdash;The cause. Pp. <a href='#Page_151'>151</a>&mdash;<a href='#Page_164'>164</a></div>
+
+ <a href='#CHAPTER_XI'><b>CHAPTER XI</b></a><br />
+<div class='Ptoc'>Painting in Seoul&mdash;Messages from the King&mdash;Royal princes sitting for
+their portraits&mdash;Breaking the mourning law&mdash;Quaint notions&mdash;Delight and
+despair&mdash;Calling in of State ceremony&mdash;Corean soldiers&mdash;How they mount
+guard&mdash;Drill&mdash;Honours&mdash;A much-admired shoe&mdash;A gift. Pp. <a href='#Page_165'>165</a>&mdash;<a href='#Page_181'>181</a></div>
+ <a href='#CHAPTER_XII'><b>CHAPTER XII</b></a><br />
+<div class='Ptoc'>The royal palace&mdash;A royal message&mdash;Mounting guard&mdash;The bell&mdash;The royal
+precinct&mdash;The Russian villa&mdash;An unfinished structure&mdash;The Summer
+Palace&mdash;The King's house&mdash;Houses of dignitaries&mdash;The ground and summer
+pavilion&mdash;Colds&mdash;The funeral of a Japanese Minister&mdash;Houses of royal
+relations&mdash;The queen&mdash;The oldest man and woman&mdash;The King and his
+throne&mdash;Politics and royalty&mdash;Messengers and spies&mdash;Kim-Ka-Chim&mdash;Falcons
+and archery&mdash;Nearly a St. Sebastian&mdash;The queen's curiosity&mdash;A royal
+banquet&mdash;The consequences. Pp. <a href='#Page_182'>182</a>&mdash;<a href='#Page_203'>203</a></div>
+ <a href='#CHAPTER_XIII'><b>CHAPTER XIII</b></a><br />
+<div class='Ptoc'>Students&mdash;Culture&mdash;Examination ground&mdash;The three degrees&mdash;The
+alphabet&mdash;Chinese characters&mdash;Schools&mdash;Astronomers&mdash;Diplomas&mdash;Students
+abroad&mdash;Adoption of Western ways&mdash;Quick perception&mdash;The letter &quot;f&quot;&mdash;A
+comical mistake&mdash;Magistrates and education Rooted superstition&mdash;Another
+haunted palace&mdash;Tigers&mdash;A convenient custom. Pp. <a href='#Page_204'>204</a>&mdash;<a href='#Page_215'>215</a></div>
+ <a href='#CHAPTER_XIV'><b>CHAPTER XIV</b></a><br />
+<div class='Ptoc'>Religion&mdash;Buddhism&mdash;Bonzes&mdash;Their power&mdash;Shamanism&mdash;Spirits&mdash;Spirits of
+the mountain&mdash;Stone heaps&mdash;Sacred trees&mdash;Seized by the
+spirits&mdash;Safe-guard against them&mdash;The wind&mdash;Sorcerers and
+sorceresses&mdash;Exorcisms&mdash;Monasteries&mdash;Temples&mdash;Buddha&mdash;Monks&mdash;Their
+customs and clothing&mdash;Nuns&mdash;Their garments&mdash;Religious ceremonies&mdash;The
+tooth-stone. Pp. <a href='#Page_216'>216</a>&mdash;<a href='#Page_234'>234</a></div>
+ <a href='#CHAPTER_XV'><b>CHAPTER XV</b></a><br />
+<div class='Ptoc'>Police&mdash;Detectives&mdash;The plank-walk&mdash;The square board&mdash;The wooden blocks
+for hands and feet&mdash;Floggings&mdash;The bamboo rod&mdash;The stick&mdash;The flexible
+board&mdash;A flogging in Seoul&mdash;One hundred strokes for
+three-halfpence&mdash;Wounds produced&mdash;Tender-hearted
+soldiers&mdash;Imprisonment&mdash;Exile&mdash;Status of women, children, and
+bachelors&mdash;Guilds and the law&mdash;Nobles and the law&mdash;Serfdom&mdash;mild form of
+slavery. Pp. <a href='#Page_235'>235</a>&mdash;<a href='#Page_245'>245</a></div>
+ <a href='#CHAPTER_XVI'><b>CHAPTER XVI</b></a><br />
+<div class='Ptoc'>Executions&mdash;Crucified and carried through the streets&mdash;The execution
+ground&mdash;Barbarous mode of beheading&mdash;Noble criminals&mdash;Paternal love&mdash;Shut
+out&mdash;Scaling the wall&mdash;A catastrophe&mdash;A nightmare. Pp. <a href='#Page_246'>246</a>&mdash;<a href='#Page_240'>240</a></div>
+
+ <a href='#CHAPTER_XVII'><b>CHAPTER XVII</b></a><br />
+<div class='Ptoc'>The &quot;King's procession&quot;&mdash;Removing houses&mdash;Foolhardy people&mdash;Beaten to
+death&mdash;Cavalry soldiers&mdash;Infantry&mdash;Retainers&mdash;Banners&mdash;Luxurious
+saddles&mdash;The King and his double&mdash;Royal palanquins&mdash;The return at night.
+Pp. <a href='#Page_261'>261</a>&mdash;<a href='#Page_266'>266</a></div>
+ <a href='#CHAPTER_XVIII'><b>CHAPTER XVIII</b></a><br />
+<div class='Ptoc'>Fights&mdash;Prize fights&mdash;Fist fights&mdash;Special moon for fighting&mdash;Summary
+justice&mdash;The use of the top-knot&mdash;Cruelty&mdash;A butcher combatant Stone
+fights&mdash;Belligerent children&mdash;Battle between two guilds&mdash;Wounded and
+killed&mdash;The end of the battle postponed&mdash;Soldiers' fights. Pp. <a href='#Page_267'>267</a>&mdash;<a href='#Page_275'>275</a></div>
+
+ <a href='#CHAPTER_XIX'><b>CHAPTER XIX</b></a><br />
+<div class='Ptoc'>Fires&mdash;The greatest peril&mdash;A curious way of saving one's house&mdash;The
+anchor of safety&mdash;How it worked&mdash;Making an opposition wind&mdash;Saved by
+chance&mdash;A good trait in the native character&mdash;Useful friends. Pp. <a href='#Page_276'>276</a>&mdash;<a href='#Page_282'>282</a></div>
+ <a href='#CHAPTER_XX'><b>CHAPTER XX</b></a><br />
+<div class='Ptoc'>A trip to Poo-kan&mdash;A curious monastery. Pp. <a href='#Page_283'>283</a>&mdash;<a href='#Page_287'>287</a></div>
+ <a href='#CHAPTER_XXI'><b>CHAPTER XXI</b></a><br />
+<div class='Ptoc'>Corean physiognomy&mdash;Expressions of pleasure&mdash;Displeasure&mdash;Contempt&mdash;Fear&mdash;Pluck&mdash;Laughter&mdash;Astonishment&mdash;Admiration&mdash;Sulkiness&mdash;
+Jealousy&mdash;Intelligence&mdash;Affection&mdash;Imagination&mdash;Dreams&mdash;Insanity&mdash;Its principal causes&mdash;Leprosy&mdash;The family&mdash;Men and women&mdash;Fecundity&mdash;Natural and artificial
+deformities&mdash;Abnormalities&mdash;Movements and attitudes&mdash;The Corean
+hand&mdash;Conservatism. Pp. <a href='#Page_288'>288</a>&mdash;<a href='#Page_300'>300</a></div>
+
+ <a href='#INDEX'><b>INDEX</b></a><br />
+<!-- End Autogenerated TOC. -->
+
+
+<hr class="full" />
+<a name='LIST_OF_PLATES'></a><h2>LIST OF PLATES</h2>
+<table align='center' border='0' cellpadding='2' cellspacing='0' summary='List of Plates'>
+<tr><td align='left'>PORTRAIT OF THE AUTHOR</td><td align='left'><a href='#Frontispiece'><i>Frontispiece</i></a></td></tr>
+<tr><td align='left'>AN OFFICIAL GOING TO COURT</td><td align='left'><a href='#Page_107'>107</a></td></tr>
+<tr><td align='left'>THE PEKIN PASS</td><td align='left'><a href='#Page_132'>132</a></td></tr>
+<tr><td align='left'>A WATER-COOLIE</td><td align='left'><a href='#Page_134'>134</a></td></tr>
+<tr><td align='left'>H.R.H. PRINCE MIN-YOUNG-HUAN</td><td align='left'><a href='#Page_166'>166</a></td></tr>
+<tr><td align='left'>AN INFANTRY SOLDIER</td><td align='left'><a href='#Page_174'>174</a></td></tr>
+<tr><td align='left'>A STUDY FROM STILL-LIFE</td><td align='left'><a href='#Page_251'>251</a></td></tr></table>
+
+
+
+<a name='Page_1'></a>
+<hr class="full" />
+<a name='CHAPTER_I'></a><h2>CHAPTER I</h2>
+
+<div class='Ptoc'>Christmas on board&mdash;Fusan&mdash;A body-snatcher&mdash;The Kiung-sang Province&mdash;The
+cotton production&mdash;Body-snatching extraordinary&mdash;Imperatrice
+Gulf&mdash;Chemulpo.</div>
+<br />
+
+<p class="ctr"><a href="./images/3.jpg"><img src="./images/3_th.jpg"
+alt="CHEMULPO"></a></p><p class="ctr">CHEMULPO</p>
+
+<p>It was on a Christmas Day that I set out for Corea. The year was 1890. I
+had been several days at Nagasaki, waiting for the little steamer,
+<i>Higo-Maru</i>, of the Nippon Yusen Kaisha (Japan Steamship Company), which
+was to arrive, I think, from Vladivostock, when a message was brought to
+me saying that she was now in port, and would sail that afternoon for
+Tsushima, Goto, and the Corean ports.</p>
+
+<p>I went on board, and, our vessel's anchor being raised at four o'clock,
+we soon steamed past Battenberg Island and got away from the picturesque
+Bay of Nagasaki. This was the last I saw of Japan.</p>
+
+<p>The little <i>Higo</i> was not a bad seaboat, for, following good advice, her
+owners had provided her with <a name='Page_2'></a>rolling beams; but, mind you, she had by no
+means the steadiness of a rock, nor did she pretend to cut the water at
+the rate of twenty knots an hour. Still, taken all in all, she was a
+pretty good goer. Her captain was a Norwegian, and a jolly fellow; while
+the crew she carried was entirely Japanese, with the exception of the
+stewards in the saloon, who were two pig-tailed subjects of the Celestial
+Empire.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Numbel one Clistmas dinnel has got to-night, Mastel,&quot; expostulated John
+Chinaman to me in his pidgen English, as I was busy making my cabin
+comfortable. &quot;Soup has got, fish has got, loast tulkey has got,
+plan-puddy all bulning has got. All same English countly. Dlink,
+to-night, plenty can have, and no has to pay. Shelly can have, Boldeau
+can have, polt, bea, champagne, blandy, all can have, all flee!&quot;</p>
+
+<p>I must say that when I heard of the elaborate dinner to which we were to
+be treated by the captain, I began to feel rather glad that I had started
+on my journey on a Christmas Day.</p>
+
+<p>There were a few Japanese passengers on board, but only one European, or
+rather American, besides myself, and a most pleasant companion he turned
+out to be. He was Mr. Clarence R. Greathouse, formerly Consul-General for
+the United States at Yokohama&mdash;at which place I first had the pleasure of
+meeting him&mdash;who was now on his way to Corea, where he had been requested
+by the Corean Government to accept the high and responsible position of
+Vice-Minister of Home Affairs, as well as of legal adviser to the King in
+international affairs.</p><a name='Page_3'></a>
+
+<p>Curiously enough, he had not been aware that I was to travel on the same
+ship, and I also never dreamt that I would have had the good fortune of
+being in such good and agreeable company during a voyage which otherwise
+would have been extremely dull. Accordingly, when we met again thus
+accidentally on the deck of the <i>Higo</i>, the event was as much to our
+mutual satisfaction as it was unexpected.</p>
+
+<p>The sea was somewhat choppy, but notwithstanding this, when the steward
+appeared on the companion-way, beaming all over, in his best silk gown
+and jacket, and rang the dinner-bell with all his might, we gaily
+responded to his call and proceeded below.</p>
+
+<p>Heavens! it was a Christmas dinner and no mistake! The tables and walls
+had been decorated with little paper flags and flowers made of the
+brightest colours that human fancy could devise, and dishes of almonds
+and raisins filled the centre of the table. There were little flags stuck
+in those dishes, and, indeed, everywhere. A big cake in the middle had
+prudently been tied to the table with a string, as the rolling motion of
+the ship was rather against its chances of keeping steady in the place
+that had been assigned to it, and the other usual precautions had been
+taken to keep the plates and glasses in their proper positions.</p>
+
+<p>Our dinner-party consisted of about eight. At one moment we would be up,
+with our feet on a level with our opposite companion's head; the next we
+would be down, with the soles of their boots higher than our skulls.</p>
+
+<p>It is always a pretty sight to see a table decorated, <a name='Page_4'></a>but when it is not
+only decorated but animated as well, it is evidently prettier still. When
+you see all the plates and salt-cellars moving slowly away from you, and
+as slowly returning to you; when you have to chase your fork and your
+knife before you can use them, the amusement is infinitely greater.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;<i>O gomen kudasai</i>&quot;&mdash;&quot;I beg your pardon&quot;&mdash;said a Japanese gentleman in
+rather a hurried manner, and more hurriedly still made his exit into his
+cabin. Two or three others of his countrymen followed suit during the
+progress of the dinner, and as number after number of the <i>menu</i> was gone
+through, so that we who remained had a capital time. Not many minutes
+also elapsed without our having a regular fusillade of bottles of
+champagne of some unknown brand, and &quot;healths&quot; were drunk of distant
+friends and relatives.</p>
+
+<p>Mr. Greathouse, who, like many of his countrymen, has a wonderful gift
+for telling humorous stories, of which he had an unlimited supply, kept
+us in fits all evening, and in fact the greater part of the night, so
+that when we passed the islands of Goto and Tsushima we were still awake
+and in course of being entertained by his Yankee yarns.</p>
+
+<p>The next day we reached the Corean port of Fusan. I well remember how
+much I was struck when we entered the pretty harbour and approached the
+spot where we cast anchor, by the sight of hundreds of white spots moving
+slowly along the coast and on a road winding up a hill. As we drew
+nearer, the white spots became larger and assumed more and more the form
+of human beings. There was something so <a name='Page_5'></a>ghostly about that scene that it
+is still vividly impressed upon my mind.</p>
+
+<p>There is at Fusan not only a Japanese settlement, but also a Chinese one.
+About two and a half miles distant round the bay, the native walled town
+and fort can be plainly seen, while in the distance one may distinguish
+the city and castle of Tong-nai, in which the Governor resides. If I
+remember correctly, the number of Europeans at this port is only three or
+four, these being mainly in the employ of the Chinese Customs service.</p>
+
+<p>We had hardly come to a standstill when a curious-looking being, who had
+come to meet the steamer in a boat, climbed up the rope-ladder which had
+been let down on the starboard side and came on board. He was a European.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Do you see that man?&quot; a voice whispered in my ear. &quot;He is a
+body-snatcher.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Nonsense,&quot; I said; &quot;are you joking, or what?&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;No, I am not; and, if you like, I will tell you his story at luncheon.&quot;
+And surely what better time could be chosen for a &quot;body-snatching&quot; story
+than &quot;luncheon.&quot; Meanwhile, however, I lost not my chance, and while
+conversing with somebody else, the snatcher found himself &quot;snatched&quot; in
+my sketch-book. It is not every day that one comes across such
+individuals! I went to speak to him, and I must confess that whether he
+had as a fact troubled the dead or not, he was none the less most
+courteous and polite with the living. He had, it is true, at times
+somewhat of a sinister look in his face; but for his unsteady eyes, you
+might almost have put him down as a missionary.<a name='Page_6'></a> He informed me that
+codfish was to be had in great abundance at Fusan, and that the grain
+export was almost entirely done by the Japanese, while the importation of
+miscellaneous articles was entirely in the hands of the Chinese.</p>
+
+<p>Fusan is situated at the most south-westerly extremity of the province of
+Kiung-sang, which words, translated into English mean, &quot;polite
+compliment.&quot; The kingdom of Corea, we may here mention, is divided into
+eight provinces, which rejoice in the following names: Kiung-sang-do,<a name='FNanchor_1_1'></a><a href='#Footnote_1_1'><sup>[1]</sup></a>
+Chulla-do, Chung-chon-do, Kiung-kei-do, Kang-wen-do, Wang-hai-do,
+Ping-yan-do, Ham-kiung-do. The province in which Fusan is situated is,
+without exception, the richest in Corea after that of Chulla, for it has
+a mild climate and a very fertile soil. This being the case, it is not
+astonishing to find that the population is more numerous than in most
+other districts further north, and also, that being so near the Japanese
+coast, a certain amount of trading, mostly done by junks, is continually
+being transacted with the Mikado's subjects on the opposite shores. Fusan
+has been nominally in the hands of the Japanese from very ancient times,
+although it was only in 1876 that a treaty was concluded by which it was
+opened to Japanese trade. The spot on which the settlements lie is
+pretty, with its picturesque background of high mountains and the large
+number of little islands rising like green patches here and there in the
+bay. Maki, the largest island, directly opposite the settlement, is now
+used as a station for breeding horses of very small size, and it
+possesses good pastures <a name='Page_7'></a>on its high hills. In the history of the
+relations between Corea and Japan this province plays indeed a very
+important part, for being nearer than any other portion of the kingdom to
+the Japanese shores&mdash;the distance being, I believe, some 130 miles
+between the nearest points of the two countries&mdash;invasions have been of
+frequent occurrence, especially during the period that Kai-seng, then
+called Sunto, was the capital. This city, like the present capital,
+Seoul, was a fortified and walled town of the first rank and the chief
+military centre of the country, besides being a seat of learning and
+making some pretence of commercial enterprise. It lay about twenty-five
+miles N.E. of Seoul, and at about an equal number of miles from the
+actual sea. For several hundreds of years, Sunto had been one of the
+principal cities of Corea, when Wang, a warrior of the Fuyu race and an
+ardent Buddhist, who had already conquered the southern portion of the
+Corean peninsula, made it the capital, which it remained until the year
+1392 A.D., when the seat of the Government was removed to Seoul.</p>
+
+<p>To return to Fusan and the Kyung-sang province. It is as well to mention
+that the chief product cultivated is cotton. This is, of course, the
+principal industry all over Corea, and the area under cultivation is
+roughly computed at between eight and nine hundred thousand acres, the
+unclean cotton produced per annum being calculated at about 1,200,000,000
+lbs. In a recent report, the Commissioner of Customs at Fusan sets down
+the yearly consumption of cleaned cotton at about 300,000,000 lbs. The
+greater part of the cotton is made up into piece-goods for making
+<a name='Page_8'></a>garments and padding the native winter clothes. In the Kiung-sang
+province the pieces of cloth manufactured measure sixty feet, while the
+width is only fourteen inches, and the weight between three and four
+pounds. The fibre of the cotton stuff produced, especially in the
+Kiung-sang and Chulla provinces, is highly esteemed by the Coreans, and
+they say that it is much more durable and warmth-giving than that
+produced either in Japan or China.</p>
+
+<p>Of course the production of cotton could be greatly increased if more
+practical systems were used in its cultivation, and if the magistrates
+were not so much given to &quot;squeezing&quot; the people. To make money and to
+have it extorted the moment you have made it, is not encouraging to the
+poor Corean who has worked for it; therefore little exertion is displayed
+beyond what is necessary to earn, not the &quot;daily bread,&quot; for that they do
+not eat, but the daily bowl of rice. There is much fertile land, which at
+present is not used at all, and hardly any attention, and much less
+skill, is manifested when once the seed is in the ground.</p>
+
+<p>The Neapolitan <i>lazzaroni</i>, of world-wide reputation for extreme
+laziness, have indeed worthy rivals in the Corean peasantry. The women
+are made to do all the work, for by them the crops are gathered, and by
+them the seeds are separated with the old-fashioned roller-gin. To borrow
+statistics from the Commissioners' Report, a native woman can, with a
+roller-gin, turn out, say, nearly 3 lbs. of clean cotton from 12 lbs. of
+seed-cotton; while the industrious Japanese, who have brought over modern
+machines of the saw-gin <a name='Page_9'></a>type, can obtain 35 lbs. of clean cotton from
+140 lbs. of seed-cotton in the same space of time. Previous to being
+spun, the cotton is prepared pretty much in the same way as in Japan or
+China, the cotton being tossed into the air with a view to separating the
+staple; but the spinning-wheel commonly used in Corea only makes one
+thread at a time.</p>
+
+<p>The crops are generally gathered in August, and the dead stalk is used
+for fuel, while the ashes make fairly good manure. The quantity of clean
+cotton is about 85 lbs. per acre, and of seed-cotton 345 lbs. per acre.</p>
+
+<p>But to return to my narrative, luncheon-time came in due course, and as I
+was spreading out my napkin on my knees, I reminded the person who had
+whispered those mysterious words in my ear, of the promise he had made.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Yes,&quot; said he, as he cautiously looked round, &quot;I will tell you his
+story. Mind you,&quot; he added, &quot;this man to whom you spoke a while ago was
+only one of several, and he was not the principal actor in that
+outrageous business, still he himself is said to have taken a
+considerable part in the criminal dealings. Remember that the account I
+am going to give you of the affair is only drawn in bold lines, for the
+details of the expedition have never been fully known to any one. For all
+I know, this man may even be perfectly innocent of all that is alleged
+against him.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Go on; do not make any more apologies, and begin your story,&quot; I
+remarked, as my curiosity was considerably roused.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Very good. It was on April 30th, 1867, that an <a name='Page_10'></a>expedition left Shanghai
+bound for Corea. The aims of that expedition seemed rather obscure to
+many of the foreign residents at the port of departure, as little faith
+was reposed in the commander. Still, it must be said for its members that
+until they departed they played their <i>r&ocirc;le</i> well. Corea was then
+practically a closed country; wherefore a certain amount of curiosity was
+displayed at Shanghai when three or four Coreans, dressed up in their
+quaint costumes and transparent horse-hair hats, were seen walking about,
+and being introduced here and there by a French bishop called Ridel. A
+few days later the curiosity of the foreign residents grew in intensity
+when the news spread that an American subject, a certain Jenkins,
+formerly interpreter at the U.S. Consulate, had, at his own expense,
+chartered a ship and hurriedly fitted out an expedition, taking under his
+command eight other Europeans, all of a more or less dubious character,
+and a suite of about 150 Chinamen and Manillamen, the riff-raff of the
+Treaty Port, who were to be the crew and military escort of the
+expedition. A man called Oppert, a North German Jew, and believed by
+everybody to be an adventurer under the guise of a trader, was in command
+of the 'fleet'&mdash;which was composed of a steamer, if I remember right, of
+about 700 tons, called the <i>China</i>, and a smaller tender of little over
+50 tons, called the <i>Greta</i>. Oppert flew the flag of his own country, and
+in due course gave the order to start.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Well, so far so good,&quot; I interrupted; &quot;but you have not told me what
+connection there was between Bishop Ridel's four Coreans and your
+body-snatching friends?&quot;</p><a name='Page_11'></a>
+
+<p>&quot;Well, you see, the American and Oppert took advantage of their
+appearance in Shanghai to let people believe that they were high
+officials sent over by the king, who was anxious to send an embassy to
+the different courts of Europe to explain the slaughter of foreigners
+which had taken place in his country, and also with the object of
+entering, if possible, into treaties with the different European
+monarchs&mdash;in fact to open his country to foreign trade and commerce. It
+seemed somewhat a large order to any one who knew of the retiring nature
+of the king, but everything was done so quickly that the expedition was
+gone before people had time to inquire into its real object.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;The fleet, as I have remarked, in due time started, and after calling on
+its way at Nagasaki, where rifles and other firearms and ammunition were
+purchased with which to arm the military escort, steered a course to the
+mouth of the Han river. Among the eight Europeans of dubious character on
+board was a Frenchman, a Jesuit priest, who called himself Farout, but
+whose real name was Feron, and who played an important part in the
+piratical scheme, for, having lived some time previously in Corea, he had
+mastered the language. Besides, he had travelled a good deal along the
+river Han, so that he was entrusted with the responsible position of
+guide and interpreter to the body-snatchers!&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Curious position for a missionary to occupy,&quot; I could not help
+remarking.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Yes. They reached Prince Jerome's Gulf on the 8th of May, and the next
+day, sounding continually, <a name='Page_12'></a>slowly steamed up the river Han to a point
+where it was deemed advisable to man the tender and smaller rowing-boats
+with a view to completing the expedition in these.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;This plan was successfully carried out, and during the night, under the
+command of Oppert, and escorted by the marauders, who were armed to the
+teeth, they proceeded to the point where l'Abb&eacute; Feron advised a landing.
+Here, making no secret of their designs, they ill-treated the natives,
+and pillaged their poor huts, after which they made their way to the
+tomb, where the relics lay of some royal personage supposed to have been
+buried there with mountains of gold and precious jewels, which relics
+were held in much veneration by the great Regent, the Tai-wen-kun. The
+impudent scheme, in a few words, was this: to take the natives by
+surprise, dig the body quickly out of its underground place of what
+should have been eternal rest, and take possession of anything valuable
+that might be found in the grave. The disturbed bones of the unfortunate
+prince were to be carried on board, and a high ransom was to be extorted
+from the great Regent, who they thought would offer any sum to get back
+the cherished bones of his ancestor.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;The march from the landing-place to the tomb occupied longer than had
+been anticipated, and crowds of astonished and angry natives followed the
+procession of armed men. The latter finally reached the desired spot, a
+funny little semi-spherical mound of earth, with a few stone figures of
+men and ponies roughly carved on either side, and guarded by two stone
+slabs.</p><a name='Page_13'></a>
+
+<p>&quot;The 'abb&eacute;,' who, among other things, was said to have been the promoter
+of the scheme, pointed out the mound, and, rejoicing with Oppert and
+Jenkins at having been so far successful, gave orders to the coolies to
+proceed at once to dig. Spades and shovels had been brought for the
+purpose, and the little mound was rapidly being levelled, while the
+turbulent crowd of infuriated Coreans which had collected was getting
+more and more menacing. These seemed to spring out by hundreds from every
+side as by magic, and the body-snatchers were soon more than ten times
+outnumbered. No greater insult or infamous act could there be to a Corean
+mind than the violation of a grave. As spadeful after spadeful of earth
+was removed by the shaking hands of the frightened coolies, shouts,
+hisses, and oaths went up from the maddened crowd, but Oppert and the
+French abb&eacute;, half scared as they were, still pined for the hidden
+treasure, and encouraged the grave-diggers with promises of rewards as
+well as with the invigorating butt-ends of their rifles. At last, after
+digging a big hole in the earth, their spades came upon a huge slab of
+stone, which seemed to be the top of the sarcophagus.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;I suppose that no oath was bad enough for the three leaders, then?&quot; said
+I.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;No; they were mad with fury, and more so when all the strength of their
+men combined was not sufficient to stir the stone an inch.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;The crowd which till then had been merely turbulent, now became so
+exasperated at the cheek of the 'foreign white devils' that it could no
+more keep within bounds, and a wild attack was made on the pirates.<a name='Page_14'></a>
+Showers of stones were thrown, and the infuriated natives made a rush
+upon them; but, <i>h&eacute;las!</i> their attack was met by a volley of rifle-shots.
+Frightened out of their lives by the murderous effects of these strange
+weapons, they fell back for a time, only to return by-and-by with fresh
+ardour to the attack. The body-snatchers, having little confidence in the
+courage and fidelity of the ruffian lot that composed their military
+escort, and, moreover, seeing that all efforts were useless to remove the
+'blessed' stone, deemed it more than advisable to retreat to the
+tender&mdash;a retreat which, one may add, was effected somewhat hurriedly.
+This being done, they steamed full speed down the river, and once on
+board the <i>China</i>, began to feel more like themselves again.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;They anchored opposite Kang-wha Island, and remained there for three
+days. Then as they were holding a parley on land near Tricauld Island,
+they were attacked again by the angry mob, the news of their outrageous
+deed having spread even hitherwards, and two or three of their men were
+killed. Realising, therefore, that it was impossible to carry out their
+plan, the body-snatchers returned to Shanghai, but here a surprise
+awaited them.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;They were all arrested and underwent a trial. So little evidence,
+however, was brought against them, and that little was of such a
+conflicting character, that they were all acquitted. Oppert,
+nevertheless, was imprisoned in his own country, and even brought out a
+book in which he described his piratical expedition.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Yes,&quot; I remarked, &quot;your story is a very good <a name='Page_15'></a>one; but what part did
+this particular man, now at Fusan, take in the marauding scheme?&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Oh, that I do not exactly know&mdash;in fact, no one knows more than this,
+that he was one of the eight Europeans who accompanied Oppert. Here at
+Fusan all the foreign residents look down on him, and his only pleasure
+is to come on board when a ship happens to call, that he may exchange a
+few words in a European tongue, for no one belonging to this locality
+will speak to him.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>I went on deck to look for the pirate, hoping to get, if possible, a few
+interesting and accurate details of the adventurous journey of the
+<i>China</i>, but he had already gone, and we were just on the point of
+raising our anchor, bound for Chemulpo.</p>
+
+<p>On December 27th we steamed past Port Hamilton, formerly occupied by the
+British, where fortifications and a jetty had been constructed and
+afterwards abandoned, a treaty having been signed by Great Britain and
+China, to the effect that no foreign Power was to be allowed to occupy
+either Port Hamilton or any other port in the kingdom of Corea at any
+future time.</p>
+
+<p>During that day we travelled mostly along the inner course, among
+hundreds of picturesque little islands of the Corean Archipelago, and in
+the afternoon of the 28th we entered the Imperatrice Gulf. On account of
+the low tide we had to keep out at sea till very late, and it was only
+towards sunset that we were able to enter the inner harbour where
+Chemulpo lies, protected by a pretty island on its western side. I bade
+good-bye to the jolly captain and mate, and getting my traps together,
+landed for the second time on Corean soil.</p>
+
+
+
+<a name='Footnote_1_1'></a><a href='#FNanchor_1_1'>[1]</a><div class='note'><p> <i>Do</i> means province.</p></div>
+
+
+<a name='Page_16'></a>
+
+<hr class="full" />
+<a name='CHAPTER_II'></a><h2>CHAPTER II</h2>
+
+<div class='Ptoc'>Chemulpo&mdash;So-called European hotels&mdash;Comforts&mdash;Japanese concession&mdash;The
+<i>Guechas</i>&mdash;New-Year's festivities&mdash;The Chinese settlement&mdash;European
+residents&mdash;The word &quot;Corea&quot;&mdash;A glance at Corean history&mdash;Cho-sen.</div>
+<br />
+
+<p class="ctr"><a href="./images/4.jpg"><img src="./images/4_th.jpg"
+alt="THE DONKEY OF A COREAN OFFICIAL"></a></p><p class="ctr">THE DONKEY OF A COREAN OFFICIAL</p>
+
+<p>When I land in a new country a strange sense of the unknown somehow takes
+possession of me. Perhaps in this, however, I am not alone. The feeling
+is in part, I think, due to one's new surroundings, though chiefly to the
+facial expressions of the people, with which one is not familiar and
+probably does not quite understand. One may be a student of human
+character in only a very amateurish way, and yet without much difficulty
+guess by the twinkle in the eye, or the quivering of the underlip,
+whether a person is pleased or annoyed, but when a strange land is
+visited one is apt to be at first often deceived by appearances; and <a name='Page_17'></a>if,
+as has happened in my case, the traveller has suffered in consequence of
+being thus deceived, he is rather apt to look upon all that he sees with
+a considerable amount of caution and even suspicion.</p>
+
+<p>It was then with some such feelings as these that I landed at Chemulpo.
+Hundreds of coolies running along the shore, with loads of grain on their
+backs, to be shipped by the <i>Higo-Maru</i>, had no compunction in knocking
+you down if you were in their way, and a crowd of curious native loafers,
+always ready to be entertained by any new arrival, followed you <i>en
+masse</i> wherever you went.</p>
+
+<p>When I visited Chemulpo there were actually three European hotels there.
+These were European more in name than in fact, but there they were, and
+as the night was fast approaching, I had to make my choice, for I wanted
+a lodging badly.</p>
+
+<p>One of these hotels was kept by a Chinaman, and was called Steward's
+Hotel, for the simple reason that its owner had been a steward on board
+an American ship, and had since appropriated the word as a family name;
+the second, which rejoiced in the grand name of &quot;Hotel de Cor&eacute;e,&quot; was of
+Hungarian proprietorship, and a favourite resort for sailors of
+men-of-war when they called at that port, partly because a drinking
+saloon, well provided with intoxicants of all descriptions, was the chief
+feature of the establishment, and partly because glasses were handed over
+the counter by a very fascinating young lady, daughter of the proprietor,
+a most accomplished damsel, who could speak fluently every language under
+the sun&mdash;from Turkish and Arabic to Corean and Japanese. The <a name='Page_18'></a>third
+hotel&mdash;a noble mansion, to use modern phraseology&mdash;was quite a new
+structure, and was owned by a Japanese. The name which had been given by
+him to his house of rest was &quot;The Dai butzu,&quot; or, in English parlance,
+The Great God. Attracted by the holiness of the name, and perhaps even
+more by the clean look, outside only, of the place, I, as luck would have
+it, made the Dai butzu my headquarters. I know little about things
+celestial, but certainly can imagine nothing less celestial on the face
+of the earth than this house of the Great God at Chemulpo. The house had
+apparently been newly built, for the rooms were damp and icy cold, and
+when I proceeded to inspect the bed and remarked on the somewhat doubtful
+cleanliness of the sheets, &quot;They are quite clean,&quot; said the landlord;
+&quot;only two gentlemen have slept in them before.&quot; However, as we were so
+near the New Year, he condescended to change them to please me, and I
+accepted his offer most gracefully as a New-Year's gift.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;O Lord,&quot; said I with a deep sigh when the news arrived that no meat
+could be got that evening, and the only provisions in store were &quot;one
+solitary tin, small size, of compressed milk.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Mionichi nandemo arimas, Konban domo dannasan, nandemo arimasen&quot;:
+&quot;To-morrow you can have anything, but to-night, please, sir, we have
+nothing.&quot; As I am generally a philosopher on such occasions, I satisfied
+my present cravings with that tin of milk, which, needless to say, I
+emptied, putting off my dinner till the following night.</p>
+
+<p>Corea, as everybody knows, is an extremely cold <a name='Page_19'></a>country, the thermometer
+reaching as low sometimes as seventy or even eighty degrees of frost; my
+readers will imagine therefore how delightfully warm I was in my bed with
+only one sheet over me and a sort of cotton bed-cover, both sheet and
+bed-cover, I may add, being somewhat too short to cover my feet and my
+neck at the same time, my lower extremities in consequence playing a
+curious game of hide-and-seek with the support of my head. I had ordered
+a cold bath, and water and tray had been brought into my room before I
+had gone to bed, but to my horror, when I got up, ready to plunge in and
+sponge myself to my heart's content, I found nothing but a huge block of
+solid ice, into which the water had thought proper to metamorphose
+itself. Bells there were none in the house, so recourse had to be made to
+the national Japanese custom of clapping one's hands in order to summon
+up the servants.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;H&eacute;,&quot; answered the slanting-eyed maid from down below, as she trotted up
+the steps. Good sharp girl that she was, however, she quickly mastered
+the situation, and hurried down to fetch fresh supplies of unfrozen
+liquid from the well; although hardly had she left the room the second
+time before a thick layer of ice again formed on the surface of the
+bucketful which she had brought. It was bathing under difficulties, I can
+tell you; but though I do not much mind missing my dinner, I can on no
+account bring myself to deprivation of my cold bath in the morning. It is
+to this habit that I attribute my freedom from contagious diseases in all
+countries and climates; to it I owe, in fact, <a name='Page_20'></a>my life, and I have no
+doubt to it, some day, I shall also owe my death.</p>
+
+<p>The evil of cold was, however, nothing as compared with the quality and
+variety of the food. For the best part of the week, during which I stayed
+at the Dai butzu, I only had an occasional glance at a slice of
+nondescript meat, served one day as &quot;rosbif,&quot; and the next day as &quot;mutin
+shops,&quot; but unfortunately so leathery that no Sheffield blade could
+possibly divide it, and no human tooth nor jaw, however powerful, could
+masticate it.</p>
+
+<p>As luck would have it, I was asked out to dinner once or twice by an
+American gentleman&mdash;a merchant resident at Chemulpo&mdash;and so made up for
+what would have otherwise been the lost art of eating.</p>
+
+<p>Chemulpo is a port with a future. The Japanese prefer to call it Jinsen;
+the Chinese, In-chiang. It possesses a pretty harbour, though rather too
+shallow for large ships. The tide also, a very troublesome customer in
+that part of the world, falls as much as twenty-eight or twenty-nine
+feet; wherefore it is that at times one can walk over to the island in
+front of the settlement almost without wetting one's feet.</p>
+
+<p>Chemulpo's origin is said to be as follows: The Japanese government,
+represented at Seoul by a very able and shrewd man called Hanabusa, had
+repeatedly urged the Corean king to open to Japanese trade a port
+somewhat nearer to the capital. Though the king was personally inclined
+to enter into friendly negotiations, there were many of the anti-foreign
+party who would not hear of the project; but such was the pressure
+brought to bear by the skilful Japanese, and so persuasive were the
+king's arguments, that, after much pour-parleying, <a name='Page_21'></a>the latter finally
+gave way. Towards the end of 1880, the Mikado's envoy, accompanied by a
+number of other officials, proceeded from the capital to the Imperatrice
+Gulf and selected an appropriate spot, on which to raise the now
+prosperous little concession, fixing that some distance from the native
+city. In course of years it grew bigger, and when I was at Chemulpo there
+was actually a Japanese village there, with its own Jap policemen, its
+tea-houses, two banks, the &quot;Mitsui-bashi&quot; and &quot;The First National Bank of
+Japan,&quot; and last but not least, a number of <i>guechas</i>, the graceful
+singers and posturing dancers of Nippon, without whom life is not worth
+living for the Nipponese.</p>
+
+<p>Like the Australians generally, who begin building a town by marking out
+a fine race-course, so the light-hearted sons of the Mikado's empire,
+when out colonising, begin as a first and necessary luxury of life by
+importing a few <i>guechas</i> who, with their quaint songs, enliven them in
+moments of despair, and send them into ecstasies at banquets and
+dinner-parties with their curious fan-dances, &amp;c, just as our British
+music-hall frequenting youth raves over the last song and skirt-dance of
+the moment.</p>
+
+<p>The <i>guechas</i>, mind you, are not bad girls. There is nothing wrong about
+them except that they are not always &quot;quite right,&quot; for they are well
+educated, and possess good manners. They are generally paid by the hour
+for the display of their talent, and the prices they command vary from
+the low sum of twenty sens (sixpence) to as much as two or three yen
+(dollars), for each sixty minutes, in proportion, of course, to their
+capacity and beauty.</p><a name='Page_22'></a>
+
+<p>As the New Year was fast approaching, and that is a great festivity among
+the Japanese, the <i>guechas</i> at Chemulpo were hard at work, and from
+morning till night and <i>vice vers&acirc;</i> they were summoned from one house to
+the other to entertain with their&mdash;to European, ears excruciating&mdash;music
+on the Shamesens and Gokkins, while <i>sak&eacute;</i> and foreign liquors were
+plentifully indulged in.</p>
+
+<p>I walked up the main street. Great Scott! what a din! It was enough to
+drive anybody crazy. Each house, with its paper walls, hardly suitable
+for the climate, seemed to contain a regular pandemonium. Men and women
+were to be seen squatting on the ground round a huge brass <i>hibachi</i>,
+where a charcoal fire was blazing, singing and yelling and playing and
+clapping their hands to their hearts' content. They had lost somehow or
+other that look of gracefulness which is so characteristic of them in
+their own country, and on a closer examination I found the cause to be
+their being clad in at least a dozen <i>kimonos</i>,<a name='FNanchor_2_2'></a><a href='#Footnote_2_2'><sup>[2]</sup></a> put on one over the
+other to keep the cold out. Just picture to yourself any one wearing even
+half that number of coats, and you will doubtless agree with me that
+one's form would not be much improved thereby in appearance. The noise
+increased until New-Year's Eve, and when at last the New Year broke in
+upon them, it was something appalling. The air was full of false notes,
+vocal and otherwise, and I need scarcely say that at the &quot;Dai butzu&quot; also
+grand festivities went on for the greater part of the night.</p>
+
+<p>I was lying flat in bed on New-Year's Day, thinking <a name='Page_23'></a>of the foolishness
+of humanity, when I heard a tap at the door. I looked at the watch; it
+was 7.20 A.M.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Come in,&quot; said I, thinking that the thoughtful maid was carrying my
+sponge-bath, but no. In came a procession of Japs, ludicrously attired in
+foreign clothes with antediluvian frock-coats and pre-historic European
+hats, bowing and sipping their breath in sign of great respect. At their
+head was the fat proprietor of the hotel, and each of them carried with
+him in his hand a packet of visiting cards, which they severally
+deposited on my bed, as I, more than ten times astounded, stood resting
+on my elbows gazing at them.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;So-and-so, brick-layer and roof-maker. So-and-so, hotel proprietor and
+shipping agent; so-and-so, Japanese carpenter; so-and-so, mat-maker; X,
+merchant; Z, boatman,&quot; &amp;c. &amp;c, were how the cards read as I inspected
+them one by one. I need hardly say, therefore, that the year 1891 was
+begun with an extra big D, which came straight from my heart, as I
+uncoiled myself out of my bed at that early hour of the morning to
+entertain these professional gentlemen to drinks and cigarettes. And yet
+that was nothing as compared with what came after. They had scarcely
+gone, and I was just breaking the ice in order to get my cold bath, when
+another lot, a hundredfold more noisy than the first, entered my room
+unannounced and depositing another lot of &quot;pasteboards,&quot; as Yankees term
+them, in my frozen hands, went on wishing me all sorts of happiness for
+the New Year, though I for my part wished them all to a place that was
+certainly not heaven. In despair I dressed myself, and going out
+<a name='Page_24'></a>aimlessly, strolled in any direction in order to keep out of reach of
+the New-Year's callers. But the hours were long, and about eleven I went
+to pay a visit to Mr. T., the American merchant who had kindly asked me
+once or twice to dinner. If I considered myself entitled to complain of
+the calling nuisance, he must have had good reason to swear at it. Being
+the richest man in the place as well as the principal merchant, his place
+was simply besieged by visitors. Many were so drunk that they actually
+had to be carried in by coolies&mdash;a curious mode of going to call&mdash;while
+others had even to be provided with a bed on the premises until the
+effects of their libations had passed off. A well-known young Japanese
+merchant, I remember, nearly fractured his skull against a table, through
+losing his equilibrium as he was offering a grand bow to Mr. T.</p>
+
+<p>Wherever one went in the Japanese quarter there was nothing but drink,
+and the main street was full of unsteady walkers.</p>
+
+<p>Curiously enough, on proceeding a few yards further on towards the
+British Consulate, one came to the Chinese settlement, which was
+perfectly quiet, and showed its inhabitants not only as stern and
+well-behaved as on other occasions, but even, to all appearance, quite
+unconcerned at the frolic and fun of their merry neighbours. Here
+business was being transacted as usual, those engaged therein retaining
+their well-known expressionless and dignified mien, and apparently
+looking down disgusted upon the drunken lot, although prepared themselves
+to descend from their high pedestal when their own New-Year's Day or
+other festival occasions should arrive.</p><a name='Page_25'></a>
+
+<p>I was much amused at a remark that a Chinaman made to me that day.</p>
+
+<p>I asked him how he liked the Japanese.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Pff!&quot; he began, looking at me from under his huge round spectacles, as
+if he thought the subject too insignificant to waste his time upon.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;The Japanese,&quot; he exploded, with an air of contempt, &quot;no belong men. You
+see Japanese man dlunk, ol no dlunk, all same to me. He no can speak
+tluth, he no can be honest man. He buy something, nevel pay. Japanese
+belong bad, bad, bad man. He always speak lie, lie, lie, lie,&quot; and he
+emphasised his words with a crescendo as he curled up what he possessed
+in the shape of a nose&mdash;for it was so flat that it hardly deserved the
+name; indeed, to give strength to his speech, he spat with violence on
+the ground, as if to clear his mouth, as it were, of the unclean sound of
+the word &quot;Japanese.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>Not even in those days could the Chinese and Japanese be accused of
+loving one another.</p>
+
+<p>The Chinese settlement is not quite so clean in appearance as the
+Japanese one, but if business is transacted on a smaller scale, it is, at
+all events, conducted on a firm and honest basis. Chemulpo has but few
+natural aptitudes beyond its being situated at the mouth of the river
+Han, which, winding like a snake, passes close to Seoul, the capital of
+the kingdom; and yet, partly because of its proximity to the capital, the
+distance by road being twenty-five miles, and partly owing to the fact
+that it is never ice-bound in winter, the town has made wonderful
+strides. As late as 1883 there were only one or two fishermen's <a name='Page_26'></a>huts
+along the bay, but in 1892 the settlement contained a score of Europeans,
+over 2800 Japanese souls, and 1000 Chinese, besides quite a
+respectable-sized native conglomeration of houses and huts.</p>
+
+<p>When I visited the port, land fetched large sums of money in the central
+part of the settlement. The post-office was in the hands of the Japanese,
+who carried on its business in a very amateurish and imperfect manner,
+but the telegraphs were worked by the Chinese. The commercial competition
+between the two Eastern nations now at war has of late years been very
+great in Corea. It is interesting to notice how the slow Chinaman has
+followed the footsteps of young Japan at nearly all the ports, especially
+at Gensan and Fusan, and gradually monopolised a good deal of the trade,
+through his honest dealings and steadiness. And yet the Chinese must have
+been, of course, greatly handicapped by the start of many years which the
+dashing Japanese had over them, as well as by the much larger number of
+their rivals. A very remarkable fact, however, is that several Japanese
+firms had employed Chinese as their <i>compradores</i>, a position entirely of
+trust, these being the officials whose duty it is to go round to collect
+money and cheques, and who are therefore often entrusted with very large
+sums of money.</p>
+
+<p>But now let us come to the foreigners stranded in the Corean kingdom. If
+you take them separately, they are rather nice people, though, of course,
+at least a dozen years behind time as compared with the rest of the
+world; taken as a community, however, they are enough to drive you crazy.
+I do not think that <a name='Page_27'></a>it was ever my good fortune to hear a resident speak
+well of another resident, this being owing, I dare say, to their seeing
+too much of one another. If by chance you come across a man occupying
+only a second-rate official position, you may depend upon it you will see
+airs! One hardly ventures to address any such personage, for so grand is
+he that, he will hardly condescend to say &quot;How do you do?&quot; to you, for
+fear of lowering himself. There are only about four cats in the place,
+and their sole subject of conversation is precedence and breaches of
+etiquette, when you would imagine that in such a distant land, and away,
+so to speak, from the outer world, they would all be like brothers.</p>
+
+<p>You must now consider yourselves as fairly landed in Corea, and having
+tried to describe to you what things and people that are not Corean are
+like in Corea, I must provide you&mdash;again of course only
+figuratively&mdash;with a tiny little pony, the smallest probably you have
+ever seen, that you may follow me to the capital of the kingdom, which I
+am sure will be interesting to you as being thoroughly characteristic of
+the country. First of all, however, we had better make sure of one point.</p>
+
+<p>The name Corea, or <i>K</i>orea, you may as well forget or discard as useless,
+for to the Corean mind the word would not convey any definite idea. Not
+even would he look upon it as the name of his country. The real native
+name now used is Cho-sen, though occasionally in the vernacular the
+kingdom goes by the name of Gori, or the antiquated Korai. There is no
+doubt that the origin of the word Corea is Korai, <a name='Page_28'></a>which is an
+abbreviation of Ko-Korai, a small kingdom in the mountainous region of
+the Ever White Mountains, and bordering upon the kingdom of Fuyu, a
+little further north, whence the brave and warlike people probably
+descended, who conquered old Cho-sen. The authorities on Corean history,
+basing their arguments on Chinese writings, claim that the present people
+of Cho-sen are the true descendants of the Fuyu race, and that the
+kingdom of Ko-Korai lay between Fuyu on the northern side and Cho-sen on
+the southern, from the former of which a few families migrated towards
+the south, and founded a small kingdom west of the river Yalu, electing
+as their king a man called Ko-Korai, after whom, in all probability, the
+new nation took its name. Then as their numbers increased, and their
+adventurous spirit grew, they began to extend their territory, north,
+south, and west, and in this latter direction easily succeeded in
+conquering the small kingdom of Wuju and extending their frontier as far
+south as the river Tatung, which lies approximately on parallel 38&deg; 30&quot;.</p>
+
+<p>During the time of the &quot;Three Realms&quot; in China, between the years 220 and
+277 A.D., the Ko-Korai people, profiting by the weakness of their
+neighbours, and therefore not much troubled with guerrillas on the
+northern frontier, continued to migrate south, conquering new ground, and
+so being enabled finally to establish their capital at Ping-yan on the
+Tatong River. After a comparatively peaceful time with their northern
+neighbours for over 300 years, however, towards the end of the sixth
+century, China began a most micidial war against the king of Ko-Korai, or
+Korai, as it <a name='Page_29'></a>was then called, the &quot;Ko&quot; having been dropped. It seems
+that even in those remote days the Chinese had no luck in the land of
+Cho-sen, and though army after army, and hundreds of thousands of men
+were sent against them, the brave Korai people held their own, and far
+from being defeated and conquered, actually drove the enemy out of the
+country, killing thousands mercilessly in their retreat, and becoming
+masters of the Corean Peninsula as far south as the River Han.</p>
+
+<p>To the south of Korai were the states of Shinra and Hiaksai, and between
+these and Korai, there was for a couple of centuries almost perpetual
+war, the only intervals being when the latter kingdom was suffering at
+the hands of the formidable Chinese invaders. But as I merely give this
+rough and very imperfect sketch of Corean history, to explain how the
+word Korai originated and was then applied to the whole of the peninsula,
+I must now proceed to explain in bold touches how the other states became
+united to Korai.</p>
+
+<p>After its annexation to China, the Korai state remained crippled by the
+terrible blow it had received, for the Ko-Korai line of kings had been
+utterly expelled after having reigned for over seven centuries, but at
+last it picked up a little strength again through fresh migrations from
+the north-west, and in the second decade of the tenth century a Buddhist
+monk called Kung-wo raised a rebellion and proclaimed himself king,
+establishing his court at Kaichow.</p>
+
+<p>One of Kung-wo's officers, however, Wang by name, who was believed to be
+a descendant of the Korai <a name='Page_30'></a>family, did away with the royal monk and sat
+himself on the throne, which he claimed as that of his ancestors. Coming
+of a vigorous stock, and taking advantage of the fact that China was weak
+with internal wars, Wang succeeded in uniting Shinra to the old Korai,
+thus converting the whole peninsula into a single and united realm, of
+which, as we have already seen in the first chapter, he made the walled
+city of Sunto the capital. Wang died 945 A.D., and was succeeded by his
+son Wu, who wisely entered into friendly relations with China, and paid
+his tribute to the Emperor of Heaven as if he ruled a tributary state. In
+consequence of this policy it was that Corea enjoyed peace with her
+terrible Celestial rival for the best part of two centuries.</p>
+
+<p>Cho-sen, then, is now the only name by which the country is called by the
+natives themselves, for the name of Korai has been entirely abandoned by
+the modern Coreans. The meaning of the word is very poetic, viz., &quot;The
+Land of the Morning Calm,&quot; and is one well adapted to the present
+Coreans, since, indeed, they seem to have entirely lost the vigour and
+strength of their predecessors, the Koraians. I believe Marco Polo was
+the first to mention a country which he called Coria; after whom came the
+Franciscan missionaries. Little, however, was known of the country until
+the Portuguese brought back to Europe strange accounts of this curious
+kingdom and its quaint and warlike people. According to the story, it was
+a certain Chinese wise man who, when in a poetic mood, baptized Corea
+with the name of Cho-sen. But the student of Corean history knows that
+the name had already been bestowed on the northern part of the peninsula
+and on <a name='Page_31'></a>a certain portion of Manchuria, and that it was in the year 1392,
+when Korai was united to Shinra and the State of Hiaksai became merged in
+it, that Cho-sen became the official designation of united Corea. The
+word &quot;Corea&quot; evidently is nothing but a corruption of the dead and buried
+word &quot;Korai.&quot;</p>
+
+
+
+<a name='Footnote_2_2'></a><a href='#FNanchor_2_2'>[2]</a><div class='note'><p> Long gown, the national dress of Japan.</p></div>
+
+
+<a name='Page_32'></a>
+
+<hr class="full" />
+<a name='CHAPTER_III'></a><h2>CHAPTER III</h2>
+
+<div class='Ptoc'>The road to Seoul&mdash;The <i>Mapu</i>&mdash;Ponies&mdash;Oxen&mdash;Coolies&mdash;Currency&mdash;Mode of
+carrying weights&mdash;The Han River&mdash;Nearly locked out.</div>
+<br />
+
+<p class="ctr"><a href="./images/5.jpg"><img src="./images/5_th.jpg"
+alt="THE WEST GATE, SEOUL"></a></p><p class="ctr">THE WEST GATE, SEOUL</p>
+
+<p>I left Chemulpo on January 2nd, but instead of making use of the
+minuscule ponies, I went on foot, sending my baggage on in advance on a
+pack-saddle on one of them. I was still suffering considerably from an
+accident I had sustained to my foot among the hairy folk of the Hokkaido,
+and I thought that the long walk would probably be beneficial to me, and
+would take away some of the stiffness which still remained in my ankle.
+At a short distance from the port I came to a steep incline of a few
+hundred yards, and crossing the hill-range which formed the background to
+Chemulpo as one looks at it from the sea, I soon <a name='Page_33'></a>descended on the other
+side, from which point the road was nearly level all the way to the
+capital. The road is not a bad one for Corea, but is, of course, only fit
+for riding upon; and would be found almost of impossible access to
+vehicles of any size. The Japanese had begun running <i>jinrickshas</i>,
+little carriages drawn by a man, between the capital and the settlements;
+but two, and even three men were necessary to convey carriage and
+passenger to his destination, and the amount of bumping and shaking on
+the uneven road was quite appalling.</p>
+
+<p>These little carriages, as every one knows, generally convey only a
+single person, and are drawn by two men, who run in a tandem, while the
+third pushes the <i>ricksha</i> from the back, and is always ready at any
+emergency to prevent the vehicle from turning turtle. This mode of
+locomotion, however, was not likely to become popular among the Coreans,
+who, if carried at all, prefer to be carried either in a sedan-chair, an
+easy and comfortable way of going about, or else, should they be in a
+hurry and not wish to travel in grand style, on pony or donkey's back.
+Europeans, as a rule, like the latter mode of travelling best, as the
+Corean sedan-chairs are somewhat too short for the long-legged foreigner,
+and a journey of six or seven hours in a huddled-up position is
+occasionally apt to give one the cramp, especially as Western bones and
+limbs do not in general possess the pliability which characterises those
+composing the skeleton of our Eastern brothers.</p>
+
+<p>The scenery along the road cannot be called beautiful, the country one
+goes through being barren <a name='Page_34'></a>and desolate, with the exception of a certain
+plantation of mulberry trees, a wretched speculation into which the
+infantile government of Cho-sen was driven by some foreigners, the object
+of which was to enrich Corea by the products of silk-worms, but which, of
+course, turned out a complete failure, and cost the Government much money
+and no end of worry instead. Here and there a small patch might be seen
+cultivated as kitchen garden near a hut, but with that exception the
+ground was hardly cultivated at all; this monotony of landscape, however,
+was somewhat relieved by the distant hills covered with maples, chestnuts
+and firs, now unfortunately for the most part deprived of their leaves
+and covered with snow, it being the coldest time of the year in Corea.</p>
+
+<p>The mile-posts on the high roads of Cho-sen are rather quaint, and should
+you happen to see one for the first time at night the inevitable result
+must be nightmare the moment you fall asleep. They consist of a wooden
+post about eight feet in length, on the upper end of which a long ghastly
+face is rudely carved out of the wood and painted white and red; the eyes
+are black and staring, and the mouth, the chief feature of the mask, is
+of enormous size, opened, showing two fine rows of pointed teeth, which
+might hold their own with those of the sharks of the Torres Strait, of
+world-wide reputation. A triangular wedge of wood on each side of the
+head represents the ears. The directions, number of miles, &amp;c, are
+written directly under the head, and the writing being in Chinese
+characters, runs from up to down and from right to left.</p>
+
+<p>It was pretty along the road to see the numerous <a name='Page_35'></a>little ponies,
+infinitely smaller than any Shetlands, carrying big fellows, towering
+with their padded clothes above enormous saddles, and supported on either
+side by a servant, while another man, the <i>Mapu</i>, led the steed by hand.
+The ponies are so very small that even the Coreans, who are by no means
+tall people, their average height being about 5 ft. 4 in., cannot ride
+them unless a high saddle is provided, for without these the rather
+troublesome process of dragging one's feet on the ground would have to be
+endured.</p>
+
+<p>This high saddle, which elevates you some twenty inches above the pony's
+back, naturally involves a certain amount of instability to the person
+who is mounted, the balancing abilities one has to bring out on such
+occasions being of no ordinary degree. The Corean gentleman, who is
+dignified to an extreme degree, and would not for the world run the risk
+of being seen rolling in the mud or struggling between the pony's little
+legs, wisely provides for the emergency by ordering two of his servants
+to walk by his side and hold him by the arms and the waist, as long as
+the journey lasts, while the <i>Mapu</i>, one of the stock features of Corean
+everyday life, looks well after the pony and leads him by the head as one
+might a big Newfoundland dog. The <i>Mapu</i> in Corea occupies about the same
+position as Figaro in the &quot;Barber of Seville.&quot; While leading your pony he
+takes the keenest interest in your affairs, and thinks it his business to
+talk to you on every possible subject that his brain chooses to suggest,
+abusing all and everybody that he thinks you dislike and praising up what
+he fancies you cherish, that he may perhaps have a few extra <i>cash</i> at
+<a name='Page_36'></a>the end of the journey, which he will immediately go and lose in
+gambling. He speaks of politics as if he were the axis of the political
+world, and will criticise the magistracy, the noble, and the king if he
+is under the impression that you are only a merchant, while evil words
+enough would be at his command to represent the meanness and bad manners
+of the commercial classes, if his pony is honoured by being sat upon by a
+nobleman! Such is the world even in Cho-sen. The <i>Mapu</i> will sing to you,
+and crack jokes, and again will swear at you and your servants, and at
+nearly every <i>Mapu</i> that goes by. The greater the gentleman his beast is
+carrying, the more quarrelsome is he with everybody. The road, wide
+though it be, seems to belong solely to him. He is in constant trouble
+with citizens and the police, and it is generally on account of his
+insignificance, poverty, and ignorance that so many of his evil doings
+and wrongs are forgiven. None the less it must be said for them that they
+take fairly good care of their minuscule quadrupeds. They feed them,
+usually three times a day, with boiled chopped straw and beans, and grass
+in summer-time, and with this diet you see the little brutes, which are
+only about 10 hands high, and even less sometimes, go twenty-five or
+thirty miles a day quite easily, with a weight of a couple of hundred
+pounds on their backs, quickly toddling along without stopping, unless it
+be to administer a sound kick to some bystander or to bite the legs of
+the rider. These ponies have a funny little way of getting from under
+you, if you ride them with an English saddle. They bend their legs till
+they see you firmly planted on the ground, and then <a name='Page_37'></a>quickly withdraw
+backwards leaving you, with your legs wide apart and standing like a
+fool, to meditate on equine wickedness in the Realm of the Morning Calm.
+They are indeed the trickiest little devils for their size I have ever
+seen; and for viciousness and love of fighting, I can recommend you to no
+steed more capable of showing these qualities. The average price of an
+animal as above described varies from the large sum of five shillings to
+as much as thirty shillings (at the rate of two shillings per Mexican
+dollar), the price of course varying, as with us, according to the breed,
+age, training, condition, &amp;c., of the animal.</p>
+
+<p>These ponies are much used all over the kingdom, for good roads for wheel
+traffic hardly exist in the country, and wide horse-tracks form
+practically the whole means of communication between the capital and the
+most important ports and cities in the different provinces of Corea. They
+are used both for riding purposes and as pack-ponies, &quot;for light articles
+only,&quot; like the racks in our railway carriages, but when heavy loads are
+to be conveyed from one place to another, especially over long distances,
+the frail pony is discarded and replaced by the sturdy ox. These horned
+carriers are pretty much of a size, and fashioned, so far as I could see,
+after the style of our oxen, except that they are apparently leaner by
+nature, and almost always black or very dark grey in colour; their horns,
+however, are rather short. They carry huge weights on a wooden angular
+saddle which is planted on their backs, and a <i>Mapu</i> invariably
+accompanies each animal when loaded; indeed, in the case of the ponies
+the man even carries on his own back the food both for himself and <a name='Page_38'></a>for
+his beast, the latter generally having the precedence in eating his
+share. The sleeping accommodation also is, as a rule, amicably divided
+between quadruped and biped, and, taken all round, it cannot be said that
+either is any the worse for their brotherly relations. I firmly believe
+that the <i>Mapus</i> are infinitely better-natured towards their animals than
+towards their wives or their children, who, as you will find by-and-by,
+are often cruelly ill-treated.</p>
+
+<p>But let us now continue our journey towards Seoul. Here several coolies
+are to be seen approaching us, carrying heavy loads on their backs. A man
+of a higher position follows them. And, strange circumstance! they are
+carrying money. Yes; one, two, three, four, five, six, seven, eight&mdash;yes,
+actually eight men, bent under heavy loads of coins. Your first idea, I
+suppose, will be that these men are carrying a whole fortune&mdash;but, oh
+dear! no. You must know that the currency in Corea is entirely brass, and
+these brass coins, which go by the name of <i>cash</i> are round coins about
+the size of a halfpenny, with a square hole in the centre, by which they
+are strung together, generally a hundred at a time. There are usually as
+many as two thousand to two thousand eight hundred <i>cash</i> to a Mexican
+dollar, the equivalent of which is at present about two shillings; you
+can, therefore, easily imagine what the weight of one's purse is if it
+contains even so small a sum as a pennyworth in Corean currency. Should
+you, however, be under an obligation to pay a sum of, say, &pound;10 or &pound;20,
+the hire of two oxen or six or eight coolies becomes an absolute
+necessity, for a sum which takes no room in <a name='Page_39'></a>one's letter-case if in Bank
+of England notes, occupies a roomful of hard and heavy metal in the
+country of the Morning Calm. Great trouble has been and is continually
+experienced in the kingdom owing to the lack of gold and silver coins;
+but to the Corean mind to make coins out of gold and to let them go out
+of the country amounts to the same thing as willingly trying to
+impoverish the fatherland of the treasures it possesses; wherefore,
+although rich gold-mines are to be found in Cho-sen, coins of the
+precious metal are not struck for the above-mentioned reason.</p>
+
+<p>So much for Corean political economy. The coins used are of different
+sizes and value. They range, if I remember right, from two <i>cash</i> to
+five, and an examination of a handful of them will reveal the fact that
+they have been struck off at different epochs. There is the so-called
+current treasure coin of Cho-sen, one of the more modern kinds, as well
+as the older coin of Korai, the Ko-ka; while another coin, which seems to
+have been struck off in the Eastern provinces, is probably as old as any
+of these, and is still occasionally found in use. The coins, as I have
+said, are strung together by the hundred on a straw rope; a knot is tied
+when this number is reached, when another hundred is passed through, and
+so on, until several thousands are sometimes strung to one string. As
+curious as this precious load itself was the way in which it was carried.
+It is, in fact, the national way which all Corean coolies have adopted
+for conveying heavy weights, and it seems to answer well, for I have
+often seen men of no very abnormal physique carry a burden that would
+make nine out of ten ordinary men collapse under its heavy <a name='Page_40'></a>mass. The
+principle is much the same as that used by the porters in Switzerland,
+and also in some parts of Holland, if I am not mistaken. A triangular
+wooden frame rests on the man's back by means of two straps or ropes
+passed over the shoulders and round the arms.</p>
+<p class="ctr"><a href="./images/6.jpg"><img src="./images/6_th.jpg"
+alt="COOLIES' ARRANGEMENT FOR CARRYING LOADS"></a></p><p class="ctr">COOLIES' ARRANGEMENT FOR CARRYING LOADS</p>
+<p>From this frame project two sticks, about
+35 inches in length, on which the weight rests, and by bending the body
+at a lower or higher angle, according to the height or pressure of the
+load, a perfect balance is obtained, and the effort of the carrier
+considerably diminished. For heavy loads like wood, for instance, the
+process of loading is curious. The frame is set upon the ground, and made
+to remain in position by being inclined at an angle of about 45&deg; against
+a stick forked at the upper end, with which every coolie is provided.
+When in this position, the cargo is put on and tied with a rope if
+necessary; then, the stick being carefully removed, squatting down gently
+so as not to disturb the position of the load, the coolie quickly passes
+his arms through the straps and thus slings the thing on to the back, the
+stick being now used as a help to the man to rise by instalments from his
+difficult position without collapsing or coming to grief. Once standing,
+he is all right, and it is wonderful what an amount of endurance and
+muscular strength the beggars have, for they will carry these enormous
+loads for miles and miles without showing the slightest sign of fatigue.
+They toddle along quickly, taking remarkably short <a name='Page_41'></a>steps, and resting
+every now and then on their forked stick, upon the upper end of which
+they lay their hands, forcing it against the chest and the ground, and so
+making it a sort of <i>point d'appui.</i></p>
+
+<p>Just a word as to the coolie's moral qualities. He much resembles in this
+the Neapolitan <i>lazzarone</i>&mdash;in fact, I do not know of any other
+individual in Eastern Asia that is such a worthy rival of the Italian
+macaroni-eater. The coolie will work hard when hungry, and he will do his
+work well, but the moment he is paid off the chances are that, like his
+<i>confr&egrave;re</i> on the Gulf of Naples, he will at once go and drink a good
+part of what he has received; then, in a state of intoxication, he will
+gamble the next half; and after that he will go to sleep for twenty-four
+hours on a stretch, and remain the next twelve squatting on the ground,
+basking in the sun by the side of his carrying-machine, pondering, still
+half asleep, on his foolishness, and seeking for fresh orders from
+passers-by who may require the services of a human beast of burden. Then
+you may see them in a row near the road-side drinking huts, either
+smoking their pipes, which are nearly three feet in length, or if not in
+the act of smoking, with the pipe stuck down their neck into the coat and
+down into the trousers, in immediate contact with the skin.</p>
+
+<p>Going along at a good pace I reached the half-way house, a
+characteristically Corean building, formerly used as an inn, and now
+being rented by a Japanese. Having entertained myself to tea and a few
+items of solid food, I proceeded on my pedestrian journey towards the
+capital. And now, as I gradually approached the river Han, more attention
+seemed to be <a name='Page_42'></a>given to the cultivation of the country. The staple product
+of cereals here is mainly buckwheat, beans and millet, a few rice-fields
+also being found nearer the water-side. Finally, having arrived at the
+river-side, after shouting for half an hour to the ferry boatman to come
+and pick me up, I in due course landed on the other side. The river Han
+makes a most wonderful detour between its estuary and this point. As the
+river was left behind, more habitations in the shape of miserable and
+filthy mud-huts, with thatched roofs, became visible; shops of eatables
+and native low drinking places following one another in continuation; and
+crowds of ponies, people, and oxen showed that the capital was now being
+fast neared; and sure enough, after winding along the dirty, narrow road,
+lined by the still dirtier mud huts for nearly the whole of the distance
+between Mafu, the place where the Han river was ferried, and here, a
+distance of about three miles, I found myself at last in front of the
+West Gate of the walled city of Seoul.</p>
+
+<p>I could hear quite plainly in the distance, from the centre of the town,
+the slow sound of a bell; and men, women and children, on foot or riding,
+were scrambling through the gate in both directions. As I stopped for a
+moment to gaze upon the excited crowd, it suddenly flashed across my mind
+that I had been told at Chemulpo, that to the mournful sound of what is
+called the &quot;Big bell&quot; the heavy wooden gates lined with iron bars were
+closed, and that no one was thereafter allowed to enter or go out of the
+town. The sun was just casting his last glorious rays on the horizon, and
+the excitement grew greater as the strokes of the bell became <a name='Page_43'></a>fainter
+and fainter, and with the mad crowd of men and beasts mixed together upon
+it, the road might be compared with the tide entering the mouth of a
+running river. I threw myself into the thick of the in-going flow, and
+with my feet trampled upon by passing ponies; now knocking against a
+human being, now face to face with a bull, I finally managed to get
+inside. Well do I remember the hoarse voices of the gate-keepers, as they
+shouted out that time was up, and hurried the weary travellers within the
+precincts of the royal city; well also do I recollect, as I stood
+watching their doings from the inside, how they pushed back and
+ill-treated, with words and kicks, the last people who passed through,
+and then, out of patience, revolved the heavy gates on their huge and
+rusty hinges, finally closing the city until sunrise next day. Shouts of
+people, just too late, on the other side, begging to be let in, remained
+unacknowledged, and the enormous padlocks and bolts having been
+thoroughly fastened, Seoul was severed from the outer world till the
+following morning. Adjoining the gate stood the gatekeeper's house, and
+in front of the door of this, a rack with a few rusty and obsolete spears
+standing in a row, was left to take care of the town and its inhabitants,
+while the guardians, having finished the work of the day, retreated to
+the warm room inside to resume the game or gambling which the setting sun
+had interrupted, and which had occupied their day. With the setting of
+the sun every noise ceased. Every good citizen retired to his home, and
+I, too, therefore, deemed it advisable to follow suit.</p>
+
+<p>There are no hotels in Seoul, with the exception of <a name='Page_44'></a>the very dirty
+Corean inns; but I was fortunate enough to meet at Chemulpo a Russian
+gentleman who, with his family, lived in Seoul, where he was employed as
+architect to His Majesty the King of Corea, and he most politely invited
+me to stay at his house for a few days; and it is to his kind
+hospitality, therefore, that I owe the fact that my first few nights at
+Seoul were spent comfortably and my days were well employed, my
+peregrinations round the town being also conducted under his guidance.</p>
+
+
+
+<hr class="full" />
+<a name='CHAPTER_IV'></a><h2><a name='Page_45'></a>CHAPTER IV</h2>
+
+<div class='Ptoc'>The Coreans&mdash;Their faces and heads&mdash;Bachelors&mdash;Married
+men&mdash;Head-band&mdash;Hats&mdash;Hat-umbrellas&mdash;Clothes&mdash;Spectacles.</div>
+<br />
+
+<p>Being now settled for the time being in Seoul, I must introduce you to
+the Corean, not as a nation, you must understand, but as an individual.
+It is a prevalent idea that the Coreans are Chinese, and therefore
+exactly like them in physique and appearance, and, if not like the
+Chinese, that they must be like their neighbours on the other side&mdash;the
+Japanese. As a matter of fact, they are like neither. Naturally the
+continuous incursions of both Chinese and Japanese into this country have
+left distinct traces of their passage on the general appearance of the
+people; and, of course, the distinction which I shall endeavour to make
+is not so marked as that between whites and blacks, for the Coreans,
+speaking generally, do bear a certain resemblance to the other peoples of
+Mongolian origin. Though belonging to this family, however, they form a
+perfectly distinct branch of it. Not only that, but when you notice a
+crowd of Coreans you will be amazed to see among them people almost as
+white and with features closely approaching the Aryan, these being the
+higher classes in the kingdom. The more common type is the yellow-skinned
+face, with slanting eyes, high <a name='Page_46'></a>cheek-bones, and thick, hanging lips.
+But, again, you will observe faces much resembling the Thibetans and
+Hindoos, and if you carry your observations still further you will find
+all over the kingdom, mostly among the coolie classes, men as black as
+Africans, or like the people of Asia Minor.</p>
+
+<p>For any one interested in types and crosses, I really do not know of a
+country more interesting than Cho-sen. It seems as if specimens of almost
+every race populating Asia had reached and remained in the small
+peninsula, which fact would to some degree disprove the theory that all
+migrations have moved from the east towards the west and from north to
+south, and never <i>vice vers&acirc;</i>.</p>
+
+<p>If you take the royal family of Corea, for instance, you will find that
+the king and queen, and all the royal princes, especially on the queen's
+side (the Min family), are as white as any Caucasian, and that their eyes
+are hardly slanting at all, and in some cases are quite as straight as
+ours. Members of some of the nobler families also might be taken for
+Europeans. Of course the middle classes are of the Mongolian type, though
+somewhat more refined and stronger built than the usual specimens of
+either Chinese or Japanese; they are, however, not quite so wiry and tall
+as their northern neighbours the Manchus, with whom, nevertheless, they
+have many points in common. The large invasions, as we have seen, of the
+Ko-korais and Fuyus may account for this.</p>
+
+<p>Taken altogether, the Corean is a fine-looking fellow; his face is
+oval-shaped, and generally long when seen full face, but it is slightly
+concave in profile, the nose <a name='Page_47'></a>being somewhat flat at the bridge between
+the eyes, and possessing wide nostrils. The chin is generally small,
+narrow and receding, while the lips, usually the weaker part in the
+Corean face, are as a rule heavy, the upper lip turned up and showing the
+teeth, while the lower one hangs pitifully downwards, denoting,
+therefore, little or no strength of character.</p>
+<p class="ctr"><a href="./images/7.jpg"><img src="./images/7_th.jpg"
+alt="A BACHELOR"></a></p><p class="ctr">A BACHELOR</p>
+<p>They possess good teeth and these are beautifully white, which is a
+blessing for people like them who continually show them. The
+almond-shaped, jet-black eyes, veiled by that curious weird look peculiar
+to Eastern eyes, is probably the redeeming part of their face, and in
+them is depicted good-nature, pride and softness of heart. In many cases
+one sees a shrewd, quick eye, but it is generally an exception among
+<a name='Page_48'></a>this type, while among the lower classes, the black ones, it is almost a
+chief characteristic. The cheek-bones are prominent. The hair is scanty
+on the cheeks, chin, and over and under the lips, but quite luxuriant on
+the head. There is a very curious custom in Corea as to how you should
+wear your hair, and a great deal of importance is attached to the custom.
+If by chance you are a bachelor&mdash;and if you are, you must put up with
+being looked down upon by everybody in Corea&mdash;you have to let your hair
+grow long, part it carefully in the middle of your skull, and have it
+made up into a thick tress at the back of your head, which arrangement
+marks you out as a single man and an object of sport, for in the Land of
+the Morning Calm it seems that you can only be a bachelor under the two
+very circumstances under which we, in our land of all-day restlessness,
+generally marry, viz., if you are a fool and if you have not a penny to
+live upon! When thus unhappily placed you rank, according to Corean
+ideas, as a child, no matter what your age is, and you dress as a child,
+being even allowed to wear coloured coats when the country is in
+mourning, as it was, when I visited it, for the death of the
+dowager-Queen Regent, and everybody is compelled to wear white, an order
+that if not quickly obeyed by a married man means probably to him the
+loss of his head. Thus, though looked down upon as outcasts and wretches,
+bachelors none the less do enjoy some privileges out there. Here is yet
+another one. They never wear a hat; another exemption to be taken into
+consideration when you will see, a little further on, what a Corean hat
+is like.</p><a name='Page_49'></a>
+
+<p class="ctr"><a href="./images/8.jpg"><img src="./images/8_th.jpg"
+alt="THE &quot;TOP-KNOT&quot; OF THE MARRIED MEN"></a></p><p class="ctr">THE &quot;TOP-KNOT&quot; OF THE MARRIED MEN</p>
+
+<p>Married men, on the other hand&mdash;and ninety-nine per hundred are married
+in Cho-sen&mdash;wear their hair done up in a most wonderful fashion. It is
+not as long as that of bachelors, for it is cut. It is combed, with the
+head down, in the orthodox fashion, as women do, I suppose, when they
+comb it by themselves, and then passing the left hand under it, along the
+forehead, it is caught close to the head just about the middle of the
+skull. This being satisfactorily done, what remains of the hair above the
+hand is twisted round into the shape and size of a sausage, which then
+remains sticking up perpendicularly on the top of the head, and which, in
+the natural order of things, goes by the sensible name of top-knot.
+Occasionally a little silver or metal bead is attached to the top of the
+knot, and a small tortoiseshell ornament fastened to the hair just over
+the forehead. This completes the married man's hair-dressing, <a name='Page_50'></a>with which
+he is always most careful, and I must say that the black straight hair
+thus arranged does set off the head very well. The illustration shows the
+profile of a married man of the coolie class, who, of course, wears the
+hair dressed just like the others, it being a national custom; only the
+richer and smarter people, of course, wear it more tidily, and, probably,
+not quite so artistically. Besides, the better class of people are not
+content with the process of beautifying themselves which I have just
+described, but surround the forehead, temples and back of the head with a
+head-band, a curious arrangement made of woven black horse-hair, which
+keeps the real hair tight under it, and not only prevents it from being
+blown about, but forms a more solid basis for the wonderful hats they
+wear. The nobler classes, upon whom the king has bestowed decorations in
+the shape of jade, gold or silver buttons, according to the amount of
+honour he has meant to accord them, wear these decorations, of all
+places, behind the ears, and fastened tight to the head-band.</p>
+
+<p>Thus much on the subject of the Corean's head. I shall spare you, my dear
+readers, the description of his body, for it is just like any other body,
+more or less well made, with the exception that it is invariably
+unwashed. Instead, I shall proceed to inspect with you his wardrobe and
+his clothing, which may be to you, I hope, much more interesting. To do
+this, let us walk along the main street of the town, where the traffic is
+generally great, and examine the people who go by. Here is a well-to-do
+man, probably a merchant. Two features at once strike you: his hat, the
+<i>kat-si</i>, and <a name='Page_51'></a>his shoes; and then, his funny white padded clothes. But
+let us examine him carefully in detail. It is a little difficult to
+decide at which end one should begin to describe him, but I imagine that
+it is the customary thing to begin with the head, and so, coming close to
+him, let us note how curiously his hat is made. It is just like a
+Welshwoman's hat in shape, or, in other words, like a flowerpot placed on
+a flat dish, as seen in the illustration; but the extraordinary thing
+about the Corean hat is that it is quite transparent, and has none of the
+virtues that, according to our ideas, a hat ought to possess. It is a
+wonderful work of art, for it is made of horse-hair, or, more commonly,
+of split bamboo so finely cut in threads as to resemble white horse-hair,
+and then woven into a fine net in the shape described. A thin bamboo
+frame keeps it well together, and gives to it a certain solidity, but
+though varnished over, it protects one's head from neither sun, wind, nor
+rain. It is considered a rude thing in Corea to take one's hat off, even
+in the house, and therefore the <i>kat-si</i>, not requiring instant removal
+or putting on, is provided with two hooks at the sides of the central
+cone, to each of which a white ribbon is attached, to be tied under the
+chin when the hat is worn, the latter resting, not on the hair itself,
+but on the head-band. This shape of hat is never worn without the
+head-band.</p>
+
+<p>The hat just described is that most commonly worn in the Land of the
+Morning Calm, and that which one sees on the generality of people. But
+there! look at that man passing along leading a bull&mdash;he has a hat large
+enough to protect a whole family. It is like a <a name='Page_52'></a>huge pyramid made of
+basket-work of split bamboo or plaited reeds or rushes, and it covers him
+almost half way down to his waist. Well, that poor man is in private
+mourning for the death of a relation, and he covers his face thus to show
+his grief.</p>
+
+<p class="ctr"><a href="./images/9.jpg"><img src="./images/9_th.jpg"
+alt="THE HEAD-BAND AND TRANSPARENT HAT"></a></p><p class="ctr">THE HEAD-BAND AND TRANSPARENT HAT</p>
+
+<p>Here, again, comes another individual with a transparent hat like the
+first, only worn over a big hood open at the top over the head and
+falling rounded over the shoulders, thus protecting the ears from the
+severe cold. This is lined with fur, with which it is also trimmed, and
+looks quite furry and warm, if not exactly becoming. Ah! but here is
+something even more curious in the shape of head-gear. It is just
+beginning to snow, and, one after the other, our transparent <i>kat-sis</i>
+are undergoing a transformation. I daresay, as we stand watching the
+people go by, it will be noticed that nearly each one who has a
+transparent hat, also wears in his girdle round his waist a triangular
+object made <a name='Page_53'></a>of yellow oil-paper which resembles a fan. Well, now, you
+will see what it is. An oldish man turns up his nose to scrutinise the
+intentions of the weather-clerk, and, apparently little satisfied at the
+aspect of the threatening clouds, stops, and unsheathing his fan-like
+object from his belt, opens it, when it is seen to become like a small
+umbrella without the stick and handle, about two and a half feet only in
+diameter, which, by means of a string, he fastens over his brand new hat.
+When thus used, it takes the shape of a cone, except, of course, that
+there will be a multitude of folds in it. It is called <i>kat-no</i>. The idea
+is not at all bad, is it? for here you have an umbrella without the
+trouble of tiring your arms in carrying it.</p>
+
+<p>One cannot help being considerably puzzled by the differences in the
+various classes and conditions of the men. To all appearance, the
+generality of men seem here dressed alike, with this difference, that
+some are dirtier than others; occasionally one has an extra garment, but
+that is all. Yes, there is, indeed, difficulty at first in knowing who
+and what any one is, but with a little trouble and practice the
+difficulty is soon overcome. In the main the clothes worn by the men are
+the same, only a great difference is to be found in the way these
+garments are cut and sewn, just as we can distinguish in a moment the cut
+of a Bond Street tailor from that of a suburban one. In Corea, the
+tailor, as a rule, is one's wife, for she is the person entrusted with
+the cares of cutting, sewing, and padding up her better-half's attire. No
+wonder, then, that nine-tenths of the top-knotted consorts look regular
+bags as they walk about. The national costume itself, <a name='Page_54'></a>it must be
+confessed, does rather tend to deform the appearance of the human body,
+which it is supposed to adorn. First, there is a huge pair of cotton
+trousers, through each leg of which one can pass the whole of one's body
+easily, and these trousers are padded all over with cotton wool, no
+underclothing being worn. When these are put on, they reach from the chin
+to the feet, on to which they fall in ample and graceful folds, and you
+don them by holding them up with your teeth, and fastening them anywhere
+near and round your waist with a pretty, long silk ribbon with tassels,
+which is generally let hang down artistically over the right side. When
+this has been successfully accomplished, the extra length of trousers is
+rolled up so as to prevent the &quot;unmentionables&quot; from being left behind as
+you walk away, and a short coat, tight at the shoulders and in the shape
+of a bell, with short but wide sleeves, is put on to cover the upper part
+of the body. This coat also, like the trousers, is padded, and reaches
+almost to the haunches. It overlaps on the right hand side, two long
+ribbons being tied there into a pretty single-winged knot and the two
+ends left hanging. In winter time, the forearm, which in summer remains
+bare, is protected by a separate short muff, or sleeve, through which the
+hand is passed, and which reaches just over the elbow.</p>
+
+<p>Then come the padded socks, in which the huge trousers are tucked, and
+which are fastened round the ankle with a ribbon. And, lastly, now we
+come to the shoes. Those used by the better classes are made of hide, and
+have either leather soles with nails underneath, or else wooden soles
+like the Chinese ones with <a name='Page_55'></a>the turned-up toes. The real Corean shoe,
+however, as used every day for walking and not for show, is truly a
+peculiar one. The principal peculiarity about it is that it is made of
+paper; which sounds like a lie, though indeed it is not. Another
+extraordinary thing is that you can really walk in them. If you do not
+believe it, all you have to do is to take the first steamer to Corea and
+you can easily convince yourself of the fact. The greater part of the
+population wears them, and the <i>Mapus</i> especially walk enormous distances
+in them. They are scarcely real shoes, however, and one should, perhaps,
+classify them rather as a cross between a shoe and a sandal, for that is
+just what they are. The toes are protected by numberless little strings
+of curled untearable paper, which, when webbed, make the sole, heel, and
+back of the sandal, and this is joined to the point of the shoe by a
+stouter cord going right round, which is also made of the same kind of
+twisted paper. This cord can be fastened tighter or looser to suit the
+convenience of the wearer of the sandal-shoe.</p>
+
+<p>The Corean is an unfortunate being. He has no pockets. If his hands are
+cold he must warm them by sticking them down his belt into his trousers,
+and if he be in company with people, he can generate a certain amount of
+heat by putting each into the other arm's sleeve. As for the money,
+tobacco, &amp;c, that he wants to carry, he is compelled to provide himself
+with little silk bags, which he attaches to his waist-band or to the
+ribbon of his coat. These bags are generally of orange colour or blue,
+and they relieve a little the monotony of the everlasting white dresses.</p>
+
+<p>The clothing, so far as I have described it, is, with <a name='Page_56'></a>the exception of
+the shoes, that which is worn habitually in the house by the better
+classes of the people; the officials, however, wear a horse-hair high cap
+resembling a papal tiara on the head, instead of the other form of hat.
+Indoors, the shoes are not worn, the custom of Japan being prevalent,
+namely, to leave them at the door as one mounts the first step into the
+room. The middle lower classes and peasantry are seldom found parading
+the streets with anything besides what I have described, with the
+exception of the long pipe which they, like the <i>Mapu</i> or the coolies,
+keep down the back of the neck when not using it. Merchants, policemen,
+and private gentlemen are arrayed, in winter especially, in a long cotton
+or silk gown similarly padded, an overall which reaches below the knees,
+and some, especially those in the Government employ, or in some official
+position, wear either without this or over this an additional sleeveless
+garment made of four long strips of cotton or silk, two in front and two
+at the back, according to the grade, almost touching the feet and divided
+both in front and at the back as far up as the waist, round which a
+ribbon is tied. This, then, is the everyday wardrobe of a Corean of any
+class. You may add, if you please, a few miscellaneous articles such as
+gaiters and extra bags, but never have I seen any man of Cho-sen walk
+about with more habiliments than these, although I have many times seen
+people who had a great deal less. The clothes are of cotton or silk
+according to the grade and riches of the wearer. Buttons are a useless
+luxury in Cho-sen, for neither men nor women recognise their utility; on
+the contrary, the natives display much amusement and chaff at the <a name='Page_57'></a>stupid
+foreign barbarian who goes and cuts any number of buttonholes in the
+finest clothing, which, in their idea, is an incomprehensible mistake and
+shows want of appreciation.</p>
+
+<p>Their method of managing things by means of loops and ribbons, has an
+effect which is not without its picturesqueness, perhaps more so than is
+our system of &quot;keeping things together&quot; in clothing matters. After all it
+is only a matter of opinion. The inhabitants of the land of Cho-sen, from
+my experience, are not much given to washing and still less to bathing. I
+have seen them wash their hands fairly often, and the face occasionally;
+only the very select people of Corea wash it daily. One would think that,
+with such a very scanty and irregular use of water for the purpose of
+cleanliness, they should look extremely dirty; but not a bit. It was
+always to me irritating to the last degree to see how clean those dirty
+people looked!</p>
+
+<p>But let us notice one or two more of the people that are passing by. It
+is now snowing hard, and every one carries his own umbrella on his head.
+Boys do not wear hats, and are provided with a large umbrella with a
+bamboo-frame that fits the head, as also are the bachelors. Here comes
+one of the latter class. His face is a finely cut one, and with his hair
+parted in the middle, and the big tress hanging down his back, he has
+indeed more the appearance of a woman than that of a man; hence the
+mistake often made by hasty travellers in putting down these bachelors as
+women, is easy to understand. When one is seen for the first time, it is
+really difficult to say to which sex he belongs, so effeminate does he
+look.</p><a name='Page_58'></a>
+
+<p>It is part of the ambition of the male Corean to look wise, no matter
+whether he is or not as a matter of fact. And to assume the coveted air
+of wisdom what more is necessary than to put on a huge pair of round
+spectacles of Chinese origin with smoked glasses enclosed in a frame of
+gold or tortoiseshell, and with clasps over the ears? Oh how wise he
+looks! He does indeed! And you should see his pomposity as he rides his
+humble donkey through the streets of Seoul. There he sits like a statue,
+supported by his servants, looking neither to one side nor to the other,
+lest he should lose his dignity.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Era, Era, Era!&quot; (&quot;Make way, Make way!&quot;) cry out the servants as he
+passes among the crowd, which is invariably respectful and ready to obey
+this hero who looks down upon them. The lesser the official, of course
+the greater the air, and you should see how the people who stand in the
+way are knocked to one side by his servants, should they not be quick
+enough to make room for the dignitary and his donkey. His long gown is
+carefully arranged on the sides and behind, covering the saddle and
+donkey's back in large folds; for most things in Corea, as in other parts
+of the world, are done for the sake of appearance. What a dreadful thing
+it would be, were he to ride about with his gown crumpled up under his
+seat! It would be the cause of lifelong unhappiness, remorse and shame,
+and no doubt cost his servants a sound flogging for their unpardonable
+carelessness.</p>
+
+
+
+<hr class="full" />
+<a name='CHAPTER_V'></a><h2><a name='Page_59'></a>CHAPTER V</h2>
+
+<div class='Ptoc'>The Woman of Cho-sen&mdash;Her clothes&mdash;Her ways&mdash;Her looks&mdash;Her
+privileges&mdash;Her duties&mdash;Her temper&mdash;Difference of classes&mdash;Feminine
+musicians.</div>
+<br />
+
+<p>It will now be proper, I think, since I have given you a rough sketch of
+the man of Cho-sen and his clothes, to describe in a general way to you
+the weaker sex&mdash;not an easy task&mdash;and what they wear&mdash;a much more
+difficult task still,&mdash;for I have not the good fortune to be conversant
+with the intricacies of feminine habiliments, and therefore hope to be
+excused if, in dealing with this part of my subject, I do not always use
+the proper terms applicable to the different parts that compose it.
+Relying, then, upon my readers' indulgence in this respect, I shall
+attempt to give an idea of what a Corean female is like. It has always
+been a feature in my sceptical nature to think that the more one sees of
+women the less one knows them; according to which principle, I should
+know Corean women very well, for one sees but little of them. Be that as
+it may, however, I shall proceed to give my impressions of them.</p>
+
+<p>As is pretty generally known, the women of Cho-sen, with the exception of
+the lower classes, are kept in seclusion. They are seldom allowed to go
+out, and when they <a name='Page_60'></a>do they cover their faces with white or green hoods,
+very similar in shape to those worn by the women at Malta. They appear,
+or pretend to be, shy of men, and foreigners in particular, and generally
+hide when one is approaching, especially if in a solitary street. I
+remember how astonished I was the first few days I was in Seoul, at the
+fact that every woman I came across in the streets was just on the point
+of opening a door and entering a house. It seemed so strange to me that
+damsel after damsel whom I met should just be reaching home as I was
+passing, that I began to think that I was either dreaming, or that every
+house belonged to every woman in the town. The idea suddenly dawned upon
+me that it was only a trick on their part to evade being seen, and on
+further inquiry into the matter from a Corean friend, I discovered that a
+woman has a right to open and enter any door of a Corean house when she
+sees a foreign man appearing on the horizon, as the reputation of the
+masculine &quot;foreign devil&quot; is still far from having reached a high
+standard of morality in the minds of the gentler sex of Cho-sen. In the
+main street and big thoroughfares, where at all times there are crowds of
+people, there is more chance of approaching them without this running
+away, for in Corea, as elsewhere, great reliance is placed on the saying
+that there is safety in numbers. So it was mainly here that I made my
+first studies of the retiring ways and quaint costumes of the Corean
+damsel.</p>
+
+<p>Yes, the costume really is quaint, and well it deserves to be described.
+They wear huge padded trousers, similar to those of the men, their socks
+also being <a name='Page_61'></a>padded with cotton wool. The latter are fastened tightly
+round the ankles to the trousers by means of a ribbon. You must not
+think, however, that the dame of Cho-sen walks about the streets attired
+in this manly garment, for over these trousers she wears a shortish skirt
+tied very high over the waist. Both trousers and skirt are generally
+white, and of silk or cotton according to the grade, position in life,
+and extravagance of those who wear them.</p>
+<p class="ctr"><a href="./images/10.jpg"><img src="./images/10_th.jpg"
+alt="A COREAN BEAUTY"></a></p><p class="ctr">A COREAN BEAUTY</p>
+<p>A tiny jacket, usually white, red, or green, completes the wardrobe of
+most Corean women; one peculiarity of which is that it is so short that
+both breasts are left uncovered, which is a curious and most unpractical
+fashion, the climate of Corea, as we have already seen, being exceedingly
+cold&mdash;much colder than Russia or even Canada. The hair, of which the
+women have no very great abundance, is very simply made up, plastered
+down flat with some sort of stenching oil, <a name='Page_62'></a>parted in the middle, and
+tied into a knot at the back of the head, pretty much in the same way as
+clergymen's wives ordinarily wear it. A heavy-looking silver or metal
+pin, or sometimes two, may also be found inserted in this knot as an
+ornament. I have often seen young girls and old women wear a curious fur
+cap, especially in winter, but this cannot be said to be in general use.
+It is in the shape of the section of a cone, the upper part of which is
+covered with silk, while the lower half is ornamented with fur and two
+long silk ribbons which hang at the back and nearly reach the ground when
+the cap is worn. The upper part of this cap, curiously enough, is open,
+and on either side of the hole thus formed there are two silk tassels,
+generally red or black in colour. When smartly worn, this cap is quite
+becoming, but unfortunately, whether this be worn or not, the modest
+maiden of Cho-sen covers her head and face with a long green sort of an
+overall coat which she uses as a <i>mantilla</i> or hood, throwing it over the
+head and keeping it closed over the face with the left hand.</p>
+
+<p>It must not on this account be imagined that there are not in Cho-sen
+women as coquettish as anywhere else, for, indeed, the prettier ones,
+either pretending that the wind blows back the hood, or that the hand
+that holds it over the face has slipped, or using some other excuse of
+the kind with which a woman is always so well provided, take every
+opportunity of showing you how pretty they are and of admiring them,
+particularly when they get to know who you are, where you hail from, and
+who your Corean friends are. The ugly ones, of course, are always those
+who make the most <a name='Page_63'></a>fuss, and should you see a woman in the street hide
+her face so that you cannot see it at all, you may be very sure that her
+countenance is not worth looking at, and that she herself is perfectly
+conscious of Nature's unkindness to her.</p>
+
+<p>As for several months I was seen day after day sketching in the streets,
+the people got to know me well, and since the Coreans themselves are very
+fond of art, although they are not very artistic themselves, I made
+numerous friends among them, and even, I might say, became popular.</p>
+
+<p>Vanity is a ruling characteristic of all people, and acting on this
+little weakness I was able to see more of the Corean damsel than most
+casual travellers.</p>
+
+<p>We find, it is true, <i>pros</i> and <i>cons</i> when we come to analyse her
+charms, but taking the average maid, she cannot be said to be worse in
+Corea than she is in other countries. She can be pretty and she can be
+ugly. When she is pretty, she is as pretty as they make them, and when
+she is the other way she is as ugly as sin, if not even worse. But let us
+take a good-looking one. Look at her sad little oval face, with arched
+eyebrows and with jet black, almond-shaped eyes, softened by the long
+eyelashes. Her nose is straight, though it might to advantage be a little
+less flat, and she possesses a sweet little mouth, just showing two
+pretty teeth as white as snow. There seems to be so much dignity and
+repose about her movements when you first see her, that you almost take
+her for a small statue. Hardly will she condescend to turn her face round
+or raise it up to look at you and even less inclined does she seem to
+smile, such is her modesty; once her <a name='Page_64'></a>shyness has worn off, however, she
+improves wonderfully.</p>
+<p class="ctr"><a href="./images/11.jpg"><img src="./images/11_th.jpg"
+alt="A LADY AT HOME"></a></p><p class="ctr">A LADY AT HOME</p>
+<p>Her face brightens,
+and the soft, affectionate, distant look in her eyes is enough to mash
+into pulp the strongest of mankind. She is simple and natural, and in
+this chiefly lies her charm. She would not compare in beauty with a
+European woman, for she is neither so tall nor so well developed, but
+among women of far-Eastern nationality she, to my mind, takes the cake
+for actual beauty and refinement. The Japanese women of whom one hears so
+much, though more artistically clad, are not a patch on the Venuses of
+Cho-sen, and both in respect of lightness of complexion and the other
+above-named qualities they seemed to me to approach nearest to the
+standard of European feminine beauty. Their dress, as you may have judged
+by my rough description, is more quaint than graceful, and cannot be said
+<a name='Page_65'></a>to be at all becoming; nevertheless, when one's eyes have got accustomed
+to it, I have seen girls look quite pretty in it. I remember one in
+particular, a concubine of one of the king's ministers, whom I was
+fortunate enough to get to sit for me. She did not look at all bad in her
+long blue veil gown, much longer than the white one usually worn, which
+it covered, the white silk trousers just showing over the ankles, and a
+pretty pair of blue and white shoes fitting her tiny feet. She wore a
+little red jacket, of which she seemed very proud, and she smoked
+cigarettes and a pipe, though her age, I believe, was only seventeen.</p>
+
+<p>Women of the commoner classes can always be detected, not only by the
+coarser clothes they wear, but also by the way their hair is made up. Two
+long tresses are rolled up on the back of the head into a sort of turban,
+and though to my eye, innocent of the feminine tricks of hair-dressing,
+it looked all real and genuine, and a curious contrast to the infinitely
+less luxuriant growth of the better classes of women, I was told that a
+good deal of braids and &quot;stuffing&quot; was employed to swell their coiffures
+into the much-coveted fashionable size.</p>
+
+<p>One very strange custom in Corea is the privilege accorded to women to
+walk about the streets of the town at night after dark, while the men are
+confined to the house from about an hour after sunset and, until lately,
+were severely punished both with imprisonment and flogging, if found
+walking about the streets during &quot;women's hours.&quot; The gentler sex was and
+is therefore allowed to parade the streets, and go and pay calls on their
+parents and lady friends, until a very <a name='Page_66'></a>late hour of the night, without
+fear of being disturbed by the male portion of the community. Few,
+however, avail themselves of the privilege, for unfortunately in Corea
+there are many tigers and leopards, which, disregarding the early closing
+of the city gates, climb with great ease over the high wall and take
+nightly peregrinations over the town, eating up all the dogs which they
+find on their way and occasionally even human beings. Tigers have
+actually been known to rudely run their paws through the invulnerable
+paper windows of a mud house, drag out a struggling body roughly awoke
+from slumber, and devour the same peacefully in the middle of the street.</p>
+
+<p>Since then a <i>rencontre</i> with a hungry individual of this nature during a
+moonlight walk is sure to be somewhat unpleasant, it is not astonishing
+that it is but very, very rarely that at any hour of the night the
+Cho-sen damsel avails herself of the privilege accorded her. The woman,
+as I have already mentioned, is considered nothing in Corea. The only
+privilege she has, as we have just seen, is the chance of being torn to
+pieces and eaten up by a wild beast when she is out for a constitutional,
+and that we may safely say is not a privilege to be envied. The poor
+thing has no name, and when she is born she goes by the vague
+denomination of &quot;So-and-so's&quot; daughter. When there are several girls in
+the family, to avoid confusion, surnames are found convenient enough, but
+they are again lost the moment she marries, which, as we shall see in
+another chapter, often happens at a very early age. She then becomes
+&quot;So-and-so's&quot; wife. The woman in Corea has somewhat of a sad and dull
+life, for from <a name='Page_67'></a>the age of four or five she is separated even from her
+brothers and brought up in a separate portion of the house, and from that
+time ideas are pounded into her poor little head as to the disgrace of
+talking, or even being looked at by humans of a different gender. The
+higher classes, of course, suffer most from the enforcement of this
+strict etiquette, for in the very lowest grades of society the woman
+enjoys comparative freedom. She can talk to men as much as she pleases,
+and even goes out unveiled, being much too low a being to be taken any
+notice of; the upper classes, however, are very punctilious as to the
+observance of their severe rules. The Corean woman is a slave. She is
+used for pleasure and work. She can neither speak nor make any
+observations, and never is she allowed to see any man other than her
+husband. She has the right of the road in the streets, and the men are
+courteous to her. Not only do the men make room for her to pass, but even
+turn their faces aside so as not to gaze at her. There are numberless
+stories of a tragic character in Corean literature, of lovely maidens
+that have committed suicide, or have been murdered by their husbands,
+brothers, or fathers, only for having been seen by men, and even to the
+present day a husband would be considered quite justified in the eye of
+the law if he were to kill his wife for the great sin of having spoken to
+another man but himself! A widow of the upper class is not allowed to
+re-marry, and if she claims any pretence of having loved her late
+husband, she ought to try to follow him to the other world at the
+earliest convenience by committing the <i>jamun</i>, a simple performance by
+which the devoted wife is only expected to cut her <a name='Page_68'></a>throat or rip her
+body open with a sharp sword. They say that it is a mere nothing, when
+you know how to do it, but it always struck me, that practising a little
+game of that sort would not be an easy matter. For the sake of truth, I
+must confess that it was a husband who depreciated the worthy act. The
+lower people are infinitely more sensible. Though a woman of this class
+were to lose twenty husbands, she would never for a moment think of doing
+away with herself, but would soon enter into her twenty-first matrimonial
+alliance.</p>
+
+<p>Women, somehow or other, are scarce in Corea, and always in great demand.
+The coolies, and people of a similar or lower standing, cannot do without
+a female companion, for it is she who prepares the food, washes the
+clothes, and sews them up. She is beaten constantly, and very often she
+beats the man, for the Corean woman can have a temper at times. Jealousy
+<i>en plus</i> is one of her chief virtues. I have seen women in Seoul nearly
+tearing one another to pieces, and, O Lord! how masterly they are in the
+art of scratching. The men on such occasions stand round them,
+encouraging them to fight, the husbands enjoying the fun more than the
+other less interested spectators. The women of the lower classes seem to
+be in a constant state of excitement and anger. They are always insulting
+one another, calling each other names, or scolding and even ill-treating
+their own children. What is more extraordinary still to European ears, is
+that I once actually saw a wife stand up for her husband, and she did it
+in a way that I am not likely soon to forget.</p>
+
+<p>A soldier was peacefully walking along a narrow <a name='Page_69'></a>street, half of which
+was a sort of drain canal, the water of which was frozen over, when a man
+came out of a house and stopped him. The conversation became hot at once,
+and with my usual curiosity, the only virtue I have ever possessed, I
+stopped to see the result.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;You must pay me back the money I lent you,&quot; said the civilian in a very
+angry tone of voice.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;I have not got it,&quot; answered the military man, trying to get away.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Ah! you have not got it?&quot; screamed a third personage, a woman emerging
+from the doorway, and without further notice hit the soldier on the head
+with the heavy wooden mallet commonly used for beating clothes.</p>
+
+<p>The husband, encouraged by this unexpected reinforcement, boldly attacked
+the soldier, and, whilst they were occupied in wrestling and trying to
+knock each other down, the infuriated woman kept up a constant
+administration of blows, half at least of which, in her aimless hurry,
+were received by the companion of her life for whom she was fighting.
+Once she hit the poor man so hard&mdash;by mistake&mdash;that he fell down in a
+dead faint, upon which the soldier ran for his life, while she, jumping
+like a tiger at him, caught him by the throat, spinned him round like a
+top, and floored him, knocking him down on the ice. Then she pounced on
+him, with her eyes out of her head with anger, and giving way to her
+towering passion, pounded him on the head with her heels while she was
+hitting him on the back with her mallet.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;You have killed my husband, too, you scoundrel!&quot;<a name='Page_70'></a> she cried, while the
+defeated warrior was struggling hard, though in vain, to escape.</p>
+
+<p>As she was about to administer him a blow on the head that would have
+been enough to kill a bull, she fortunately slipped on the ice and went
+sprawling over her victim. The soldier, more dead than alive, had raised
+himself on his knees, when that demon in female attire rose again and
+embracing him most tenderly, bit his cheek so hard as to draw a regular
+stream of blood. I could stand it no longer, and proceeded on to the
+slippery ice to try to separate them, but hardly was I within reach than
+I was presented with a sound blow on my left knee from the mallet which
+she was still manipulating with alarming dexterity, by which I was at
+once placed <i>hors de combat</i> before I had time even to offer my services
+as a peace-maker. Not only that, but besides the numberless &quot;stars&quot; which
+she made me see, the pain which she caused me was so intense that,
+hopping along as best I could on to the street again, I deemed it prudent
+to let them fight out their own quarrel and go about my own business.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Never again as long as I live,&quot; I swore, when I was well out of sight,
+as I rubbed my poor knee, swollen up to the size of an egg, &quot;never shall
+I interfere in other people's quarrels. Who would have foreseen this? and
+from a woman, too!&quot;</p>
+
+<p>It is, indeed, easy to be a philosopher after the event, but it is
+strange how very often one gets into fearful rows and trouble without
+having had the slightest intention either to offend or to annoy the
+natives. Here is another little anecdote which I narrated some months ago
+in the <i>Fortnightly Review</i>, <a name='Page_71'></a>and which is a further proof of the violent
+temper of the women-folk, of the lower classes in Cho-sen. The Coreans in
+general, and the women in particular, are at times extremely
+superstitious, which partly accounts for the violent scene in question,
+which arose out of a mere nothing, and nearly resulted in a most serious
+case of wilful infanticide. This is how things stood.</p>
+
+<p>I was sketching one day outside the east gate of Seoul, and, as usual,
+was surrounded by a large crowd of natives, when a good-natured old man
+with a kindly face attracted my attention, as he lifted up in his arms a
+pretty little child, on whose head he had placed his horse-hair
+transparent hat, and asked me whether I would like to paint the little
+one so attired in my picture. I was tempted by the offer, and, having
+taken up a fresh panel, proceeded to dash off a sketch of my new model in
+his pretty red frock, his tiny padded socks, and his extra large hat, to
+the great amusement of the audience, who eagerly watched every stroke of
+my brush, and went into ecstasies as they saw the likeness come out more
+and more plainly. The Coreans, like the Japanese, are extremely quick at
+understanding pictures and drawings, and I was much gratified to notice
+the interest displayed by my <i>auditorium</i>, for never before had I seen a
+crowd so pleased with work of mine. My last experiences in the sketching
+line had been among the hairy savages of the Hokkaido, among whom art was
+far from being appreciated or even tolerated, and portrait-painting was
+somewhat of a risky performance; so that when I found myself lionised,
+instead of being under a shower of pelting stones and other missiles, it
+was only natural <a name='Page_72'></a>that I felt encouraged, and really turned out a pretty
+fair sketch so far as my capabilities went. &quot;Beautiful!&quot; said one; &quot;Very
+good!&quot; exclaimed another; &quot;Just life-like!&quot; said they all in a chorus as
+I lifted up the finished picture to show it to them, when&mdash;there was a
+sudden change of scene. A woman with staring eyes, and as pale as death,
+appeared on the door-step of a house close by, and holding her forehead
+with her hands, as if a great calamity was to befall her, made a step
+forward.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Where is my child?&quot; cried she in a voice of anger and despair.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Here he is,&quot; answered one of the crowd. &quot;The foreigner is painting a
+picture of him.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>There was a piercing yell, and the pale woman looked such daggers at me
+that I nearly dropped the sketch, brushes and palette out of my hands.
+Oh, it was such a look! Brrr! how I shivered. Then, with another yell,
+tenfold more piercing than the first, she made a dash into the crowd, and
+tried to snatch the child away. I have heard people say that I am
+sensitive, and I believe that I really was on that occasion, for I
+involuntarily shuddered as I saw at a glance what was coming. The crowd
+had got so interested in the picture that they would not hear of letting
+the child go; so the mother, scorned and pushed back, was unsuccessful in
+her daring attempt. Boldly, however, making a fresh attack, she dashed
+into the midst of them and managed to grasp the child by the head and one
+arm; which led to the most unfortunate part of the business, for the
+angry mother pulled with all her might in her efforts to drag her sweet
+one away, while the <a name='Page_73'></a>people on the other hand pulled him as hard as they
+could by the other arm and the legs, so that the poor screaming mite was
+nearly torn to pieces, and no remonstrances of mine had the least effect
+on this human yet very inhuman tug-of-war.</p>
+
+<p>Fortunately for the child, whose limbs had undergone a good stretching,
+the mother let go; but it was certainly not fortunate for the others,
+for, following the little ways that women have, even in Corea, she
+proceeded to scratch the faces of all within her reach, and I myself came
+within an inch of having my eyes scratched out of my head by this
+infuriated parent, when to my great relief she was dragged away. As she
+re-entered the door of her domicile, she shook her fist and thrust her
+tongue out at me, a worthy finish to this tragic-comic scene.</p>
+
+<p>I do not wish you to think, however, that all women are like that in
+Corea; for, indeed, they are not. In fact, the majority of them may be
+said to be good-mannered and even soft in nature, besides being painfully
+laborious. You should see the poor things on the coldest days and nights
+of winter, smashing the thick ice in the rivers and canals, and spending
+hour after hour with their fingers in the freezing water, washing the
+clothes of their lords and masters, who are probably peacefully and
+soundly asleep at home. You should see them with their short, wooden
+mallets, like small clubs, beating the dirt out of the wet cotton
+garments, soap being as yet an unknown luxury in the Corean household.
+The poorer women, who have no washing accommodation at home, have to
+repair to the streams, and, as the clothes have to be worn in the day,
+the <a name='Page_74'></a>work must be done at night. Sometimes, too, three or more join
+together and form washing parties, this, to a certain extent, relieving
+the monotony of the kneeling down on the cold stone, pounding the clothes
+until quite clean, and constantly having to break the ice that is
+continually reforming round their very wrists. The women who are somewhat
+better off do this at home, and if you were to take a walk through the
+streets of Seoul by night you soon get familiar with the quick tick,
+tick, tick, the time as regularly marked as that of a clock, heard from
+many houses, especially previous to some festivity or public procession,
+when everybody likes to turn out in his best. If a woman in our country
+were sent out to do the washing under similarly trying
+circumstances&mdash;and, mind, a suit of clothes takes no less than a couple
+of hours to wash properly&mdash;I have no doubt that she might be tempted to
+ask for a divorce from her husband for cruelty and ill-treatment; but the
+woman of Cho-sen thinks nothing of it, and as long as it pleases the man
+whom she must obey she does it willingly and without a word of complaint.
+In fact, I am almost of opinion that the Corean woman likes to be made a
+martyr, for, not unlike women of other more civilised countries, unless
+she suffers, she does not consider herself to be quite happy!</p>
+
+<p>It sounds funny and incongruous, but it really is so. While studying the
+women of Corea, a former idea got deeply rooted in my head, that there is
+nothing which will make a woman happier than the opportunity of showing
+with what resignation she is able to bear the weight and drudgery of her
+duty. If to that she can add complaint of ill-treatment, then her
+happiness is unbounded.<a name='Page_75'></a> The woman of Cho-sen gets, to my mind, less
+enjoyment out of life than probably any other woman in Asia. This life
+includes misery, silence, and even separation from her children&mdash;the male
+ones&mdash;after a certain age. What things could make a woman more unhappy?
+Still, she seems to bear up well under it all, and even to enjoy all this
+sadness, I suppose one always enjoys what one is accustomed to do,
+otherwise I do not see how the phenomenon is to be explained.</p>
+
+<p class="ctr"><a href="./images/12.jpg"><img src="./images/12_th.jpg"
+alt="A SINGER"></a></p><p class="ctr">A SINGER</p>
+
+<p>A few words must be added about that special class of women, the singers,
+who, as in Japan, are quite a distinct guild from the other women. A
+similar description to that of the <i>geishas</i> of Japan might apply to
+these gay and talented young ladies, who are much sought after by high
+officials and magistrates to enliven their dinner-parties with chanting
+and music. They are <a name='Page_76'></a>generally drawn from the very poorest classes, and
+good looks and a certain amount of wit and musical talent is what must be
+acquired to be a successful singer. They improvise or sing old national
+songs, which never fail to please the self-satisfied and well-fed
+official, and if well paid, they will even condescend to pour wine into
+their employer's cups and pass sweets to the guests. If beautiful and
+accomplished, the &quot;Corean artistes&quot; make a very good living out of their
+profession, large sums of money being paid for their services. But if at
+all favoured by Nature, they generally end by becoming the unofficial
+wives of some rich minister or official. These women chalk their faces
+and paint their lips; they wear dresses made of the most expensive silks,
+and, like people generally who have sprung from nothing and find
+themselves lodged among higher folks than themselves, they give
+themselves airs, and cultivate a sickening conceit. Among the Coreans,
+however, they command and receive much admiration, and many an intrigue
+and scandal has been carried out, sometimes at the cost of many heads,
+through the mercenary turn of mind of these feminine musicians.</p>
+
+<p>This music is to the average European ear more than diabolical, this
+being to a large extent due to the differences in the tones, semi-tones,
+and intervals of the scale, but personally, having got accustomed to
+their tunes, I rather like its weirdness and originality. When once it is
+understood it can be appreciated; but I must admit that the first time
+one hears a Corean concert, an inclination arises to murder the musicians
+and destroy their instruments. Of the latter they have many kinds,
+including string and brass, and <a name='Page_77'></a>drums, and cymbals, and other sorts of
+percussion instruments. The flutes probably are the weirdest of all their
+wind category, but the tone is pleasant and the airs played on them
+fascinating, although somewhat monotonous in the end, repetitions being
+continually effected. Then there is the harp with five strings, if I
+remember right, and the more complicated sort of lute with twenty-five
+strings, the <i>kossiul</i>; a large guitar, and a smaller one; the <i>kanyako</i>
+being also in frequent use. Most of these instruments are played by
+women; the flutes, however, are also played by men.</p>
+
+
+
+<hr class="full" />
+<a name='CHAPTER_VI'></a><h2><a name='Page_78'></a>CHAPTER VI</h2>
+
+<div class='Ptoc'>Corean children&mdash;The
+family&mdash;Clans&mdash;Spongers&mdash;Hospitality&mdash;Spinning-tops&mdash;Toys&mdash;Kite-flying&mdash;Games&mdash;How
+babies are sent to sleep.</div>
+<br />
+
+<p>One great feature of Cho-sen life are the children. One might almost say
+that in Cho-sen you very seldom see a boy, for boyhood is done away with,
+and from childhood you spring at once to the sedate existence of a
+married man. Astonishing as this may sound, it is nevertheless true. The
+free life of a child comes to an end generally when he is about eight or
+nine years of age. At ten he is a married man, but only, as we shall see
+later, nominally. For the present, however, we shall limit ourselves to a
+consideration of his bachelor days.</p>
+
+<p>It must be known that in Corea, just as here, boys are much more
+cherished than girls, and the elder of the boys is more cherished than
+his younger brothers, should there be more than one in a family,
+notwithstanding that the younger are better-looking, cleverer and more
+studious. When the father dies, the eldest son assumes the reins of the
+family, and his brothers look to him as they had before done to their
+father. He it is who inherits the family property and nearly all the
+money, though it is an understood rule <a name='Page_79'></a>that he is bound either to divide
+the inheritance share and share alike with the rest of the family, or
+else keep them as the father had done. Thus it is that Corean families
+are, for the most part kept together; one might almost say that the
+kingdom is divided into so many clans, each family with the various
+relations making, so to speak, one of them. </p>
+<p class="ctr"><a href="./images/13.jpg"><img src="./images/13_th.jpg"
+alt="COREAN MARRIED MAN, AGE 12"></a></p><p class="ctr">COREAN MARRIED MAN, AGE 12</p>
+<p>Family ties are much regarded in the Land of the Morning
+Calm, and great interest is taken by the distant relations in anything
+concerning the happiness and welfare of the family. What is more, if any
+member of the clan should find himself in pecuniary troubles, all the
+relations are expected to help him out of them, and what is even more
+marvellous still, they willingly do it, without a word of protest. The
+Corean is hospitable by nature, but with relations, of course, things go
+much further. The house <a name='Page_80'></a>belonging to one practically belongs to the
+other, and therefore it is not an uncommon occurrence for a &quot;dear
+relation&quot; to come to pay a visit of a few years' duration to some other
+relation who happens to be better off, without this latter, however vexed
+he may be at the expense and trouble caused by the prolonged stay of his
+visitor, even daring to politely expel him from his house; were he to do
+so, he would commit a breach of the strict rules of hospitality enjoined
+by Corean etiquette. Even perfect strangers occasionally go to settle in
+houses of rich people, where for months they are accommodated and fed
+until it should please them to remove their quarters to the house of some
+other rich man where better food and better accommodation might be
+expected. There is nothing that a Corean fears so much as that people
+should speak ill of him, and especially this is the bugbear under which
+the nobleman of Cho-sen is constantly labouring, and upon which these
+black-mailers and &quot;spongers&quot; work. High officials, whose heads rest on
+their shoulders, &quot;hung by a hair,&quot; like Damocles' sword, suffer very much
+at the hands of these marauders. Were they to refuse their hospitality it
+would bring upon them slander, scandal and libel from envenomed tongues,
+which things, in consequence of the scandalous intriguing which goes on
+at the Corean court, might eventually lead to their heads rolling on the
+ground, separated from the body&mdash;certainly not a pleasant sight. In
+justice to them, nevertheless, it must be acknowledged that these human
+leeches are occasionally possessed with a conscience, and after kindness
+has been shown them for many months they will generally <a name='Page_81'></a>depart in search
+of a new victim. Whence it would appear that the people of Cho-sen carry
+their hospitality to an extreme degree, and in fact it is so even with
+foreigners, for when visiting the houses of the poorest people I have
+always been offered food or drink, which you are invariably asked to
+share with them.</p>
+
+<p>But let us return to the Corean family. The mother, practically from the
+beginning, is a nobody in the household, and is looked upon as a piece of
+furniture or a beast of burden by the husband, according to his grade,
+and as an ornament to the household, but nothing more by her own sons.
+Her daughters, if she has any, regard her more as a friend or a
+companion, sharing the lonely hours and helping her with her work. The
+women never take part in any of the grand dinners and festivities in
+which their husbands revel, nor are they allowed to drink wine or
+intoxicants. They may, however, smoke.</p>
+
+<p>When the children get to a certain age, the males are parted from the
+females, and the first are constantly in the company of their father,
+while the latter, as we have seen, share the dull fate of the mother. The
+first thing a male child is taught is love, deep respect, and obedience
+to his governor, and in this he is, as a general rule, a paragon. If the
+father be ill, he will lie by his side day and night, nursing him, and
+giving him courage; and if any misfortune befalls him, the duty of a good
+son is to share it with his genitor.</p>
+
+<p>I cannot quite make up my mind on the point, whether the Corean child has
+a good time of it or not, and whether he is properly cared for, as there
+is much <a name='Page_82'></a>to be said on both sides of the question. Taken as a whole, the
+children of the noblemen and rich people, though strictly and even
+severely brought up, cannot, I think, be said to be ill-used; but the
+brats of the poorer people are often beaten in a merciless manner. I
+remember seeing a father furiously spanking a son of about five years
+old, who was pitifully crying so as to break one's heart, and as if that
+were not punishment enough, he shook him violently by his little
+pig-tail, and pounded him on the head with his knuckles, a performance
+that would have killed, or, at all events, rendered insensible nine
+children out of ten of other nationalities; but no, to my utter
+astonishment, the moment the father, tired of beating, retired into the
+house, the little mite, wiping his streaming tears with the backs of his
+hands and pulling himself together, quietly sat down on the ground, and
+began playing with the sand, as if nothing had happened!</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Well!&quot; I remember saying, as I stood perplexed, looking at the little
+hero, &quot;if that does not beat all I have seen before, I do not know what
+can!&quot;</p>
+
+<p>Yes, for hard heads and for insensibility to pain, I cannot recommend to
+you better persons than the Coreans. There are times when the Cho-sen
+children actually seem to enjoy themselves, as, for instance, during the
+month of January, when it is the fashion to have out their whipping- and
+spinning-tops. With his huge padded trousers and short coat, just like a
+miniature man, except that the colour of his coat is red or green, and
+with one or two tresses hanging down his back, tied with long silk
+ribbons, every child you come across is at this season furnished with a
+big top and a whip, <a name='Page_83'></a>with which he amuses himself and his friends,
+slashing away from morn till night, until, tired out by the exertion, he
+goes to rest his weary little bones by his father's side, still hanging
+on to the toys that have made his day so happy. The Corean child is quiet
+by nature. He is really a little man from the moment he is born, so far
+as his demeanour is concerned. He is seldom rowdy, even when in the
+company of other children, and, if anything, rather shy and reserved. He
+amuses himself with his toys in a quiet way, and his chief pleasure is to
+do what his father does. In this he is constantly encouraged, and those
+who can afford it, provide their boys with toys, representing on a
+smaller scale the objects, &amp;c., used in the everyday life of the man. He
+has a miniature bow-and-arrow, a wooden sword, and a somewhat realistic
+straw puppet, which he delights in beheading whenever he is tired of
+playing with it and shooting his arrows into it. He possesses a
+fishing-rod, and on windy days relishes a good run with the large paper
+pinwheels, a world-wide familiar toy in infantile circles. Naturally,
+too, musical instruments, as well as the national means of conveyance,
+such as palanquins and wheel-chairs, have not escaped the notice of the
+Corean toy-manufacturer, who, it must be said, imitates the different
+objects to perfection in every detail, while, of course, considerably
+reducing them in size. Other various articles of common use in the
+household are also often reproduced in a similar way. The games that the
+children seem to enjoy most, however, seem to be the out-of-door ones.
+Kite-flying is probably the most important. Indeed, it is almost reduced
+to an art in Corea, and not only do small <a name='Page_84'></a>children go in for it
+extensively, but even the men take an active part in this infantile
+amusement. The Corean kite differs from its Japanese or Chinese relative
+in that it is very small, being only about twenty inches long by fourteen
+wide. Besides, instead of being flat on the frame, the Cho-senese kite is
+arched, which feature is said by the natives to give it a much greater
+flying capacity.</p>
+
+<p>The string is wound round a framework of wood attached to a stick, which
+latter revolves in the hands or is stopped at the will of the person who
+flies the kite. It is generally during the north winds that the kites are
+flown, and it is indeed a curious thing during those days to watch
+regular competitions, fights, and battles being fought among these paper
+air-farers. As soon as the kite is raised from the ground and started in
+the orthodox way, the tactics used by the Corean boy in his favourite
+amusement become most interesting. He lets it go until it has well caught
+the wind, and by sudden jerks given to it in a funny way, knocking and
+clapping the thread-wheel on his left knee, he manages to send the kite
+up to a very great height. Hundreds and hundreds of yards of string are
+often used. When high enough, sailing gaily along among hundreds of other
+kites, it is made to begin warlike tactics and attack its nearest
+neighbour. Here it is that the Corean shows his greatest skill in
+manoeuvring his flying machine, for by pulls, jerks, and twists of the
+string he manages to make his kite rise or descend, attack its enemy or
+retreat according to his wish. Then as you break your neck watching them,
+you see the two small squares <a name='Page_85'></a>of paper, hundreds of yards above you in
+mid-air, getting closer to one another, advancing and retreating, as
+would two men fighting a duel; when, suddenly, one takes the offensive,
+charges the other, and by a clever <i>coup de main</i> makes a rent in it,
+thus dooming it to a precipitous fall to the earth. Thus victorious, it
+proudly proceeds to attack its next neighbour, which is immediately made
+to respond to the challenge; but this time kite number three, whose
+leader has profited by the end of kite number two, keeps lower down than
+his adversary, gets round him in a clever way, and when the strings meet,
+by a hard pull cuts that of kite number one, which, swinging slowly in
+the air, and now and then revolving round itself in the air, gently
+descends far away from its owner, and is quickly appropriated by some
+poor kiteless child, who perhaps has been in company with many fellows,
+watching and pining for hours for such a happy moment. Pieces of broken
+glass are often tied to the string at intervals, being of great help in
+cutting the adversary's cord.</p>
+
+<p>The people of Cho-sen seem to take as much interest in kite-flying as the
+Britisher does in racing. The well-grown people bet freely on the
+combatants, and it is not an uncommon thing for the excitement to reach
+such a pitch that the battle begun in mid-air terminates with sound blows
+in less a&euml;rial regions.</p>
+
+<p>It is quaint to see rows of children with their little red jackets,
+standing on the high walls of the city, spending hours in this favourite
+amusement. They have barely room to stand upon, as the wall is hardly
+more than a couple of feet wide, and it was always a <a name='Page_86'></a>surprise to me
+that, amid the constant jerking and pulling the young folks were never
+precipitated from their point of vantage to the foot, which in many
+places would be as much as thirty feet in height. I have watched them for
+hours in the expectation of seeing one of them have an accident, but
+unfortunately for me they never did!</p>
+
+<p>The little girls under ten years of age are exceedingly pretty. With the
+hair carefully parted in the middle and tied into two tresses at the
+back, a little green jacket and a long red skirt, they do indeed look
+quaint. You should see how well-behaved and sedate, too, they are. It is
+impossible to make one smile. You may give her sweets, a toy, or anything
+you please, but all you will hear is the faintest &quot;Kamapso,&quot; and away she
+runs to show the gift to her mother. She will seldom go into fits of
+merriment in your presence, but, of course, her delight cannot fail to be
+at times depicted in her beaming eyes. She is more unfortunate than her
+brother in the number of toys she receives, and though her treatment is
+not so very severe, she begins from her earliest years a life of drudgery
+and work. As soon as her little brain begins to command her tiny fingers,
+she is compelled to struggle with a needle and thread. When her fragile
+arms get stronger she helps her mother in beating the clothes, and from
+the moment she rises to the time she goes to rest, ideas as to her future
+servility, humility, and faithfulness to man are duly impressed upon her.</p>
+
+<p>As in Japan, so in Corea, a custom prevails of adopting male children by
+parents who have none of <a name='Page_87'></a>their own. The children adopted are generally
+those of poorer friends or of relations who chance to have some to spare.
+When the adoption is accomplished, with all the rules required by the law
+of the country, and with the approval of the king, the adopted son takes
+the place of a real son, and has a complete right of succession to his
+adoptive father in precedence to the adoptive mother and all the other
+relations of the defunct.</p>
+
+<p>The Corean boy begins to study when very young. If the son of a rich man,
+he has a private tutor; if not, he goes to school, where he is taught the
+letters of the Corean alphabet, and Chinese characters. All official
+correspondence in Corea is done with Chinese characters, and a lifetime,
+as everybody knows, is hardly enough to master these. The native Corean
+alphabet, however, is a most practical and easy way of representing
+sounds, and I am not sure but that in many ways it is even more practical
+than ours. I will give the reader the opportunity of judging of this for
+himself by-and-by (<i>see</i> chapter xiii.). Arithmetic is also pounded into
+the little heads of the Cho-sen mites by means of the sliding-bead
+addition-board, the &quot;chon-pan,&quot; a wonderful contrivance, also much used
+in Japan and China, and which is of invaluable help in quick calculation.
+The children are made to work very hard, and I was always told by the
+natives that they are generally very diligent and studious. A father was
+telling me one day that his son was most assiduous, but that he (the
+father) every now and then administered to him a good flogging.</p><a name='Page_88'></a>
+
+<p>&quot;But that is unfair,&quot; said I. &quot;Why do you do it?&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Because I wish my son to be a great man. I am pleased with his work, but
+I flog him to encourage(?) him to study better still!&quot;</p>
+
+<p>I felt jolly glad that I was never &quot;encouraged&quot; in this kind of way when
+I was at school.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;I have no doubt that if you flog him enough he will one day be so clever
+that no one on this earth will be able to appreciate him.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;You are right,&quot; said the old man, perceiving at once the sarcasm of my
+remark, &quot;you are right. I shall never beat my son again.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>The children of labourers generally attend night-schools, where they
+receive a sound education for very little money and sometimes even
+gratis.</p>
+
+<p>I am sure you will be interested to learn after what fashion children are
+named in the Land of the Morning Calm, as baptism with holy water is not
+yet customary. To tell you the truth, however, I am not quite certain how
+things are managed, and I rather doubt whether even the Coreans
+themselves know it. The only rule I was able to establish is that there
+was no rule at all, with the exception that all the males took the family
+name, to which followed (not preceded, as with us) one other name, and
+then the title or rank. Nicknames are extremely common, and there is
+hardly any one who not only has one, but actually goes by it instead of
+by his real name. Foreigners also are always called after some
+distinguishing mark either in the features or in the clothing. I went by
+the name of &quot;disguised Corean,&quot; for I was always mistaken for one,
+notwithstanding <a name='Page_89'></a>that I dressed in European clothes. I will not say that
+I was very proud of my new name.</p>
+
+<p>The Corean noblemen, during their many hours of <i>dolce far niente</i>, often
+indulge in games of chess, backgammon and checkers, and teach these games
+to their sons as part of a gentleman's accomplishments. Cards, besides
+being forbidden by order of the king, are considered vulgar and a low
+amusement only fit for the lowest people. The soldiers indulge much in
+card-playing and gambling with dice-throwing and other ways.</p>
+
+<p>But to return to the children of Cho-sen: do you know what is the system
+employed by the yellow-skinned women to send their babies to sleep?</p>
+
+<p>They scrape them gently on the stomach!</p>
+
+<p>The rowdiest baby is sent to sleep in no time by this simple process. I
+can speak from experience, for I once tried it on a baby&mdash;only a few
+months old&mdash;that I wanted to paint. He was restless, and anything but a
+good sitter. It was impossible to start work until he was quiet, so I
+decided to experiment on the juvenile model the &quot;scraping process&quot; that I
+had seen have its effect a day or two previously. At first the baby
+became ten times more lively than before, and looked at me as if it meant
+to say, &quot;What the devil are you doing?&quot; Then, as I went on scraping his
+little stomach for the best part of ten minutes, he became drowsy, was
+hardly able to keep his eyes open, and finally, thank Heaven, fell
+asleep!</p>
+
+<p>He was, indeed, he was so much so that I thought he was never going to
+wake up again.</p>
+
+
+<a name='Page_90'></a>
+
+<hr class="full" />
+<a name='CHAPTER_VII'></a><h2>CHAPTER VII</h2>
+
+<div class='Ptoc'>Corean inns&mdash;Seoul&mdash;A tour of
+observation&mdash;Beggars&mdash;Lepers&mdash;Philosophy&mdash;An old palace&mdash;A leopard
+hunt&mdash;Weather prophets&mdash;The main street&mdash;Sedan chairs&mdash;-The big
+bell&mdash;Crossing of the bridges&mdash;Monuments&mdash;Animal worship&mdash;The Gate of the
+Dead&mdash;A funeral&mdash;The Queen-dowager's telephone.</div>
+<br />
+
+<p class="ctr"><a href="./images/14.jpg"><img src="./images/14_th.jpg"
+alt="THE DRILLING GROUND, SEOUL"></a></p><p class="ctr">THE DRILLING GROUND, SEOUL</p>
+
+<p>During the time that I was in Seoul&mdash;and I was there several months&mdash;most
+of my time was spent out of doors, for I mixed as much as possible with
+the natives, that I might see and study their manners and customs. I was
+very fortunate in my quarters: for I first stayed at the house of a
+Russian gentleman, and after that in that of the German Consul, and to
+these kind friends I felt, and shall always feel, greatly indebted for
+the hospitality they showed me during the first few weeks that I was in
+the capital; but, above all, do I owe it to the Vice-Minister of Home
+Affairs in Corea, Mr. C.R. Greathouse, in whose house<a name='Page_91'></a> I stayed most of
+the time, that I saw Corea as I did see it, for he went to much trouble
+to make me comfortable, and did his best to enable me to see every phase
+of Corean life. For this, I need not say, I cannot be too grateful.</p>
+
+<p>The great difficulty travellers visiting the capital of Corea
+experience&mdash;I am speaking of four years ago&mdash;is to find a place to put up
+at, unless he has invitations to go and stay with friends. There are no
+hotels, and even no inns of any sort, with the exception of the very
+lowest <i>gargottes</i> for soldiers and coolies, the haunts of gamblers and
+robbers. If then you are without shelter for the night, you must simply
+knock at the door of the first respectable house you see, and on demand
+you will heartily be provided with a night's domicile and plentiful rice.
+This being so, there is little inducement to go to some filthy inn
+entirely lacking in comforts, and, above all, in personal safety.</p>
+
+<p>The Corean inns&mdash;and there are but few even of those&mdash;are patronised only
+by the scum of the worst people of the lowest class, and whenever there
+is a robbery, a fight, or a murder, you can be certain that it has taken
+place in one of those dens of vice. I have often spent hours in them
+myself to study the different types, mostly criminal, of which there are
+many specimens in these abodes. There it is that plots are made up to
+assassinate; it is within those walls that sinners of all sorts find
+refuge, and can keep well out of sight of the searching police.</p>
+
+<p>The attractions of Seoul, as a city, are few. Beyond the poverty of the
+buildings and the filth of the streets, I do not know of much else of any
+great interest to the <a name='Page_92'></a>casual globe-trotter, who, it must be said, very
+seldom thinks it advisable to venture as far as that. No, there is
+nothing beautiful to be seen in Seoul. If, however, you are on the
+look-out for quaintness and originality, no town will interest you more.
+Let us go for a walk round the town, and if your nose happens to be of a
+sensitive nature, do not forget to take a bottle of the strongest salts
+with you. We might start on our peregrinations from the West Gate, as we
+are already familiar with this point. We are on the principal
+thoroughfare of Seoul, which we can easily perceive by the amount of
+traffic on it as compared with the other narrower and deserted streets.
+The mud-houses on each side, as we descend towards the old royal palace,
+are miserable and dirty, the front rooms being used as shops, where
+eatables, such as rice, dried fruit, &amp;c, are sold. A small projecting
+thatched roof has been put up, sustained by posts, at nearly each of
+these, to protect its goods from sun and snow. Before going two hundred
+yards we come to a little stone bridge, about five feet wide, and with no
+parapet, over a sewer, in front of which is an open space like a small
+square. But look! Do you see that man squatting down there on a mat? Is
+he not picturesque with his long white flowing robe, his large pointed
+straw hat and his black face? As he lies there with outstretched hands,
+dried by the sun and snow, calling out for the mercy of the passers-by,
+he might almost be mistaken for an Arab. His face is as black as it could
+be, and he is blind. He is one of the personalities of Seoul, and rain or
+shine you always see him squatting on his little mat at the same spot in
+the same attitude.</p><a name='Page_93'></a>
+
+<p class="ctr"><a href="./images/15.jpg"><img src="./images/15_th.jpg"
+alt="THE BLIND BEGGAR: SEOUL"></a></p><p class="ctr">THE BLIND BEGGAR: SEOUL</p>
+
+<p>It is only seldom that beggars are to be seen in Cho-sen, for they are
+not allowed to prowl about except on certain special occasions, and
+festivities, when the streets are simply crammed with them. It is then
+that the most ghastly diseases, misfortunes, accidents, and deformities
+are made use of and displayed before you to extract from your pockets the
+modest sum of a <i>cash</i>. I cannot say that I am easily impressed by such
+sights, and far less horrified, for in my lifetime it has been my luck to
+see so many that I have got accustomed to them; but I must confess to
+being on one occasion really terrified at the sight of a Corean beggar. I
+was sketching not very far from this stone miniature bridge on which we
+are supposed to be still standing, when I perceived the most ghastly
+object coming towards me. It looked like a human being, and it did not;
+but it was. As he drew nearer, I could not help shivering. He was a
+walking skeleton, minus toes and fingers. He was almost naked, except
+that he had a few rags round his loins; and the skin that hardly covered
+his bones was <a name='Page_94'></a>a mass of sores. His head was so deformed and his eyes so
+sunken that a Peruvian mummy would have been an Adonis if compared with
+him. Nose he had none&mdash;<i>et &ccedil;a passe</i>&mdash;for in Seoul it is a blessing not
+to have one; and where his mouth should have been there was a huge gap,
+his lower jaw being altogether missing. A few locks of long hair in
+patches on his skull, blown by the wind, completed a worthy frame for
+this most unprepossessing head.</p>
+
+<p>Oh, what a hideous sight! He hopped along a step or two at a time on his
+bony legs and toeless feet, keeping his balance with a long crutch, which
+he held under his arm, and he had a sort of wooden cup attached by a
+string to his neck, into which people might throw their charities. &quot;He is
+a leper,&quot; a Corean, who stood by my side and had noticed the
+ever-increasing expression of horror on my face, informed me.</p>
+
+<p>The man, or rather the scarecrow, for he hardly had any more the
+resemblance to a human being, hearing the noise of the crowd that was
+round me, moved in my direction. He staggered and dragged himself till he
+got quite close, then bending his trembling head forward, made the utmost
+efforts to see, just as a bat does when taken out into the daylight. Poor
+fellow! he was also very nearly blind. His efforts to speak were painful
+beyond measure. A hoarse sound like the neighing of a pony was all that
+came out of his throat, and each time he did this, shrieks of laughter
+rose from the crowd, while comical jokes and sarcastic remarks were
+freely passed at the thinness of his legs, the condition of his skin, and
+the loss of the lower half of his face. Oh! it was shocking and
+revolting, though it <a name='Page_95'></a>must be said for them that the same people who
+chaffed him were also the first ones to fill his little pot with cash.</p>
+
+<p>Now, you must not think that I have told you this story to make your hair
+stand on end, for that is not my intention at all; but simply to prove to
+you the anomaly that a Corean is not really cruel when he is cruel, or
+rather when he appears to us to be cruel. This sounds, I believe, rather
+extraordinary to people who cannot be many-sided when analysing a
+question, but what I mean is this: It must not be forgotten that
+different people have different customs and different ways of thinking;
+therefore, what we put down as dreadful is often thought a great deal of
+in the Land of the Morning Calm.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Why not laugh at illnesses, death, and deformity?&quot; I once heard a Corean
+argue.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;It does not make people any better if you sympathise with them; on the
+contrary, by so doing you simply add pain to their pain, and make them
+feel worse than they really are. Besides, illnesses help to make up our
+life, and it is our duty to go through them as merrily as through those
+other things which you call pleasures. We people of Cho-sen do not look
+upon illnesses, accidents, or death as misfortunes, but as natural things
+that cannot be helped and must be bravely endured; what better, then, can
+we do than laugh at them?&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;So your argument is,&quot; I dared put in, &quot;that if one may laugh at one's
+own misfortunes, there is all the more title to laugh at those of other
+people?&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;That is so,&quot; retorted the man of Cho-sen, with an air of
+self-conviction.</p>
+
+<p>I at once agreed with him that I did not find much <a name='Page_96'></a>real harm in laughing
+at other people's misfortunes, except that if it did not do anybody any
+harm, it neither did them any good; but I acknowledge that it took me
+some minutes before I could make up my mind as to one's own misfortunes.
+In the end, however, I had to agree with him even about this point. He
+proved to me that Coreans are at bottom very good-hearted and unselfish,
+and always ready to help relations and neighbours, always ready to be
+kind even at their own discomfort. This good-nature, however, lacks in
+form from our point of view, though the substance is always the same, and
+probably more so than with us. They are a much simpler people, and
+hypocrisy among them has not yet reached our civilised stage. In the case
+of our poor leper friend, we have seen that the people who laughed at him
+were the first to help him; whereas, I have no doubt that among us who
+are good Christians, and nothing else but charitable, the majority would
+not have laughed; indeed, I am not quite sure but that, on the contrary,
+many would have run to the nearest church to pray for the man, meantime
+leaving him &quot;cashless,&quot; if not to die of starvation.</p>
+
+<p>Now let us continue our walk and leave the blind man and leper behind. On
+our left-hand side there is a huge gateway with a red wooden door&mdash;in
+rather a dilapidated condition&mdash;though apparently leading to something
+very grand. Since we are here we may as well go in. Good gracious! it is
+a tumble-down place. In olden days it used to be the king's palace, and
+if you follow me you can see how big the grounds are. For some reason or
+other this place, with all its accessories, buildings, &amp;c., has been
+abandoned <a name='Page_97'></a>by the Court simply because of rumours getting abroad that
+ghosts haunted it. Evil spirits were reported to have been seen prowling
+about the grounds, and in the royal apartments, and it would never have
+done for a king to have been near such company; so the Court went to
+great expense to build a fresh abode for the royal personage, and the old
+palace was abandoned and left to decay. The grounds that were laid out as
+pretty gardens were, many years later, used for a plantation of
+mulberries, a foreign speculation which was to enrich the King and the
+country, but which turned out instead a huge <i>fiasco</i>. The mulberry trees
+are still there, as you may see. Let us, however, proceed a little way up
+this hill and go and pay a visit to the two eunuchs who are the sole
+inhabitants of this huge place, and who will take us round it. These
+eunuchs occupy a little room about ten feet square and of the same height
+in the inner enclosure. They are very polite, and joining their hands by
+way of salute to you, invite you to go in&mdash;to drink tea and smoke a pipe.
+Poor wretches! One of them, a fat fellow of an unwholesome kind, as if he
+were made of putty, having learnt the European way of greeting people,
+insisted on shaking hands with me, but, oh, how repulsive it was! His
+cold, squashy sort of boneless hand, gave you the impression that you had
+grasped a toad in your hand. And his face! Did you ever see a weaker,
+more depraved and inhuman head than that which was screwed on his
+shoulders? His cadaverous complexion was marked with the results of
+small-pox, which were certainly no improvement to his looks; his eyes had
+been set in his head anyhow, and each seemed to move <a name='Page_98'></a>of its own accord;
+his mouth seemed simply to hang like a rag, showing his teeth and his
+tongue.</p>
+
+<p>His fellow was somewhat better, for he was of the thin kind of that type,
+and though possessing the effeminate, weak characteristics of his friend,
+one could at least see that he was built on a skeleton, like the
+generality of people! But the features of these eunuchs were as nothing
+to their voices. The latter were squeaky like those of girls of five; and
+more especially when the fat man spoke, it almost seemed as if the thread
+of a voice came from underground, so imperceptible was the sound that he
+could produce after he had spoken a few minutes. Having profited by the
+notions of my Corean philosopher of a little while ago, I simply went
+into screams of merriment at the misfortune of these poor devils, but
+really it was difficult to help it.</p>
+
+<p>Preceded by these eunuchs, let us now go over the tumble-down ruins of
+the palace. On the top of the small hill stands the main building of red
+painted wood and turned up roof <i>&agrave; la Chinoise</i>, and inside this, in the
+audience hall, can yet be seen the remains of the wooden throne raised up
+in the centre, with screens on the sides. There is nothing artistic about
+it, no richness, and nothing beautiful, and with the exception of the
+ceiling, that must have been pretty at one time with native patterns and
+yellow, red and green ornaments, there is absolutely nothing else worth
+noticing. Outside, the three parallel flights of steps leading up to the
+audience hall have a curious feature. It is forbidden to any one but the
+King to go up on the middle steps, and he of course is invariably
+carried; for which reason, in the middle part of the <a name='Page_99'></a>centre staircase a
+carved stone table is laid over the steps in such a way that no one can
+tread on them except quite at the sides where the men who carry the King
+have to walk.</p>
+
+<p>The houses where the King and royal family used to live with their
+household have now been nearly all destroyed by the weather and damp, and
+many of the roofs have fallen in. They were very simple, only one story
+high, and little better than the habitations of the better classes of
+people in Cho-sen. Coming out again of the inner enclosure, one finds
+stables and other houses scattered here and there in the <i>compound</i>,<a name='FNanchor_3_3'></a><a href='#Footnote_3_3'><sup>[3]</sup></a>
+and lower down we come to a big drain of masonry. But let me tell you a
+funny story.</p>
+
+<p>As you know, the Land of the Morning Calm is often troubled at night by
+prowling leopards and huge tigers which make their peregrinations through
+the town in search of food. A big leopard was thus seen by the natives
+one fine day taking a constitutional in the grounds of this haunted
+palace. Perplexed and even terrified, the unarmed natives ran for their
+lives, except one who, from a distant point of vantage, watched the
+animal and saw him enter the drain just mentioned. There happened to be
+staying in Seoul an Englishman, a Mr. S., who possessed a rifle and who
+had often astonished the natives by his skill in never missing the bull's
+eye; so to him they all went in a deputation, begging him to do away with
+the four-legged, unwelcome visitor. Mr. S., who wished for nothing
+better, promised that he would go <a name='Page_100'></a>that same night, and, accompanied by
+his faithful native servant, went and hid himself in proximity to the
+hole whence the leopard was likely to spring. It was a lovely moonlight
+night, and several hours had been passed in perfect silence and vain
+waiting for the chance of a shot, when a bright idea struck the native
+servant. Certain that the leopard was no longer there, and wishing to
+retire to his warm room, he addressed his master in poetic terms somewhat
+as follows:&mdash;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Sir, I am a brave man, and fear neither man nor beast. I am your
+servant, and for you am ready to give my life. I have brought with me two
+long bamboos, and with them I shall go and poke in the drain, rouse the
+ferocious beast, and as he jumps out you will kill him. If I shall lose
+my life, which I am ready to do for you, please think of my wife and
+child.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Very good,&quot; said the Englishman, who was getting rather tired of the
+discomfort and cold, and who, though he did not say so, also shared the
+opinion that the brute had gone.</p>
+
+<p>Thus encouraged, the servant at once proceeded to tie the two bamboos
+together, and again reminding his master of the brave act he was going to
+accomplish, proceeded with firm step to the drain, about thirty yards
+off. When he reached the opening he seemed to hesitate. He stood and
+listened. He carefully peeped in and listened again. He heard nothing.
+Then, bringing all his courage to bear, he lifted his bamboo and began
+poking in the drain. Two or three times, as he thought, he had touched
+something soft with the end. He dropped his bamboo as if <a name='Page_101'></a>it had been a
+hot iron, and ran full-speed back to his master, imploring his
+protection.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Has got&mdash;has got&mdash;kill&mdash;master&mdash;kill&mdash;kill!&quot; and he lay by his side,
+shivering with fright.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;You are frightened, you coward; there is nothing. Go again.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>After a few minutes the faithful valet, who had then made quite sure that
+there was no leopard in the drain and that he had shown himself a coward,
+unwillingly and slowly returned to the charge and picked up his bamboo.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;I am trembling with cold, not with fear,&quot; he had said as he was getting
+up again. &quot;I shall enter the drain this time and rouse the animal
+myself!&quot;</p>
+
+<p>So he really did. He went in, holding the bamboo in front of him, and
+pausing at each step. The farther in he went, the more his
+self-confidence failed him. The drain was high enough to allow of his
+standing in it with his back and head bent down; wherefore, if an
+encounter with the spotted fiend were to take place, the retreat of the
+man would not be an easy matter.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Master must think me very brave,&quot; he was soliloquising on his
+subterranean march, when he received a sudden shock that nearly stopped
+his heart and froze the blood in his veins. He had actually touched
+something soft with the end of his bamboo, and not only that, but he
+fancied he heard a growl.</p>
+
+<p>He quickly turned round to escape, when a violent push knocked him down,
+and he fell almost senseless and bleeding all over.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Bang!&quot; went the rifle outside just as the screams of: &quot;Master, aahi,
+aahi, kill, kill, kill,&quot; were echoing in <a name='Page_102'></a>the drain; and the leopard with
+a broken hind leg rolled over on the ground groaning fiercely, by-and-by
+trying to retrace its steps to its domicile. The poor Corean lay
+perplexed, looking at the scene, all lighted up by the beautiful
+moonlight; and his heart bounded with joy, when, after the second or
+third report of the gun, he saw shot dead the animal that had already
+reached the opening of the drain.</p>
+
+<p>As his master appeared, rifle in hand, and touched the dead beast, his
+valiant qualities returned to him in full, and he got out of the drain.
+He was badly scratched all over, I dare say, by the paws of the beast,
+for it had sprung violently out the moment the bamboo tickled it, though
+otherwise he was not much the worse for his narrow escape.</p>
+
+<p>Such is the last story connected with that drain. The grounds, as you
+see, extend towards the west as far as the city wall. As we go out of the
+gate which we entered, you can see a sort of a portico on the left-hand
+side as you approach it. Well, under that, as the spring is approaching,
+there are often to be heard the most diabolical noises for several days
+in succession. If the season has been a very dry one, you will see
+several men and numberless children beating on three or four huge drums
+and calling out at the top of their voices for rain. From sunrise until
+sunset this goes on, unless some stranded cloud happens to appear on the
+horizon, when the credit of such a phenomenon is awarded to their
+diabolical howls, and <i>cash</i> subtracted from landed proprietors as a
+reward for their having called the attention of the weather-clerk. A
+spectacled wise-man, a kind of astrologer, on a donkey and followed <a name='Page_103'></a>and
+preceded by believers in his extraordinary powers of converting fine
+weather into wet, and <i>vice vers&acirc;</i>, rides through the main streets of the
+capital, with lanterns and festoons, on the same principle as does our
+Salvation Army, namely, to collect a crowd to the spot where his
+mysterious rites are to be performed. Here, supported by his servants, he
+dismounts from his high saddle, and, still supported under his arms&mdash;the
+idea being that so great a personage cannot walk by himself&mdash;he at last
+reaches the spot, apparently with great fatigue. &quot;To carry all his
+knowledge,&quot; argue the admiring natives, &quot;must indeed entail great
+fatigue.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>When rain is to be summoned, our astrologer addresses his first
+reproaches to the sun, stretching out his hands and using the strongest
+of invectives, after which, when he has worked himself into a towering
+rage against the orb of day, an execrable beating on the drums begins,
+accompanied by the howling of all the people present. The god of rain
+gets his share of insults, and is severely reprimanded for the casual way
+in which he carries on his business, and so, partly with good, partly
+with bad manners, this satanic performance goes on day after day, until,
+eventually, it does begin to rain.</p>
+
+<p>The portico in this old haunted palace was a favourite spot for these
+rites, and as the house of the Vice-Minister of Home Affairs, where I
+stayed as a guest, was close by, I suffered a good deal at the hands of
+these fanatics, for the noise they made was of so wild a nature as to
+drive one crazy&mdash;if not, also, quite sufficient to bring the whole world
+down.</p><a name='Page_104'></a>
+
+<p>We may now continue our peregrination along the main street. There along
+the wall squat dozens of coolies, with their carrying arrangement,
+sitting on their heels, and basking in the sun. Further on, one of them
+is just loading a huge earthenware vase full of the native beverage. The
+weight must be something enormous. Yet see how quickly and cleverly he
+manages to get up with it, and walk away from his kneeling position by
+first raising one leg, then the other, and after that a push up and it is
+done.</p>
+
+<p>Here, again, coming along, is another curiosity. It is a blue palanquin,
+carried on the back of two men. They walk along quickly, with bare feet,
+and trousers turned up over the knees. Instead of wearing a transparent
+head-gear, like the rest of the people, these chair-bearers have round
+felt hats. In front walks a <i>Maggiordomo</i>, and following the palanquin
+are a few retainers. Heading the procession are two men, who, with rude
+manners, push away the people, and shout out at the top of their voices:</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Era, Era, Era; Picassa, Picassa!&quot; (&quot;Out of the way; get out, get away!&quot;)
+were the polite words with which these roughs elbowed their way among the
+crowd, and flung people on one side or the other, in order to clear the
+road for their lord and master. From the hubbub they made, one might have
+imagined that it was the King himself coming, instead of a mere
+magistrate.</p>
+
+<p>A few hundred yards further on, one finds on one's left a magnificent
+street departing at right angles to the main thoroughfare. It is
+certainly the widest street in the Corean capital. So wide is it, in
+fact, <a name='Page_105'></a>that two rows of thatched houses are built in the middle of the
+road itself, so to speak, forming out of one street three parallel
+streets. These houses are, however, pulled down and removed altogether
+once or twice a year, when His Majesty the King takes it into his head to
+come out of his palace and go in his state chair, preceded by a grand
+procession, to visit the tombs of his ancestors, some miles out of the
+town, or to meet the envoys of the Chinese Emperor, a short way out of
+the west gate of the capital, at a place where a peculiar triumphal arch,
+half built of masonry and half of lacquered wood, has been erected, close
+to an artificial cut in the rocky hill, named the &quot;Pekin Pass&quot; in honour
+of the said Chinese messengers.</p>
+
+<p>I witnessed two or three of these king's processions, and I shall
+describe them to you presently. In the meantime, however, let us walk up
+the royal street.</p>
+
+<p>The two rows of shanties having been pulled down, its tremendous width is
+very conspicuous, being apparently about ten times that of our
+Piccadilly. The houses on both sides are the mansions in which the
+nobles, princes, and generals live, and are built of solid masonry. They
+are each one story high, with curled-up roofs, and here and there the
+military ensign may be seen flying. Facing us at the end, a pagoda-like
+structure, with two roofs, and one half of masonry, the upper part of
+lacquered wood, is the main entrance to the royal palace. Two sea-lions,
+roughly carved out of stone, stand on pedestals a short distance in front
+of the huge closed gate, and there, squatting down, gambling or asleep,
+are hundreds <a name='Page_106'></a>of chair-carriers and soldiers, while by the road-side are
+palanquins of all colours, and open chairs, with tiger and leopard skins
+thrown over them, waiting outside the royal precincts, since they are not
+allowed inside, for their masters, who spend hours and days in
+expectation of being invited to an audience by, or a confabulation with,
+His Majesty. People of different ranks have differently coloured
+chairs&mdash;the highest of the palanquin form being that covered with green
+cloth and carried by four men. Foreign consuls and legal advisers of the
+King are allowed the honour of riding in one of these. The privilege of
+being carried by four men instead of by two is only accorded to officials
+of high rank. The covered palanquins are so made that the people squat in
+them cross-legged. A brass receptacle, used for different purposes, is
+inside, in one corner of the conveyance. Some of them are a little more
+ornamented than others, and lined with silk or precious skins, but
+generally they are not so luxurious as the ones in common use in China.</p>
+
+<p>But if you want to see a really strange sight, here at last you have it.
+It is a high official going to Court in his state mono-wheeled chair. You
+can see that he is a &quot;somebody&quot; by the curious skull-cap he is wearing,
+curled up over the top of his head and with wings on each side starting
+from the back of his head-gear. His flowing silk gown and the curious
+rectangular jewelled stiff belt, projecting far beyond his body, denote
+that he is holding a high position at the Corean Court. A coolie marches
+in front of him, carrying on his back a box containing the court clothes
+which he will have to don when the royal palace is</p><a name='Page_107'></a>
+<p class="ctr"><a href="./images/16.jpg"><img src="./images/16_th.jpg"
+alt="AN OFFICIAL GOING TO COURT IN A MONO-WHEELED CHAIR"></a></p><p class="ctr">AN OFFICIAL GOING TO COURT IN A MONO-WHEELED CHAIR</p>
+<p>reached, all carefully
+packed in the case, covered with white parchment. Numerous young
+followers also walk behind his unsteady vehicle. There you see him
+perched up in a kind of arm-chair at a height of about five feet&mdash;sitting
+more or less gracefully on a lovely tiger skin, that has been
+artistically thrown upon it, leaving the head hanging down at the back.
+Under the legless chair, as it were, there are two supports, at the lower
+end of which and between these supports revolves a heavy, nearly round
+wheel, with four spokes. Occasionally the wheel is made of one block of
+wood only, and is ornamented at the sides with numerous round-headed iron
+nails. There may be also two side long poles to rest on the shoulders of
+the two carriers&mdash;one in front and one at the back&mdash;a few extra
+strengtheners on each side, and then you have the complete &quot;<i>attelage</i>.&quot;
+So you see, it may be a great honour to be carried about in a similar
+chair, though to the eyes of barbarians like ourselves it looks neither
+comfortable nor safe. India-rubber tyres and, still less, pneumatic ones,
+have not yet been adopted by the Corean chair-maker, and it appeared to
+me that a good deal of &quot;holding on&quot; was required, especially when
+travelling over stony and rough ground, to avoid being thrown right out
+of one's high position. The grandees whom I saw carried in them seemed to
+me, judging by the expression on their faces, to be ever looking forward
+patiently and hopefully to the time for getting out of these perilous
+conveyances. Certainly when going round corners or on uneven ground I
+often saw them at an angle that would make the hair of anybody but a
+grave and sedate<a name='Page_108'></a> Corean official stand on end. The palace gate reached,
+he is let down gently, the front part of the chair being gradually
+lowered, and, with a sigh of relief, steps out of it. Immediately he is
+supported on each side by his followers, and thus the palace is entered,
+the mono-wheeled chair being left outside standing against the wall, and
+the tired carriers squatting down to a quiet gamble with the
+chair-bearers of other noblemen.</p>
+
+<p>Here let us leave him for the present, since the huge gates are closed
+again upon our very noses.</p>
+
+<p>The royal palace is enclosed by a high wall, at the corners of which
+there are turrets with sentries and soldiers. In each of the sections of
+the wall also there is a gate, the principal one of course being that
+which we have already described.</p>
+
+<p>We shall now retrace our steps down the royal avenue, but before leaving
+it we must once again look back upon the royal enclosure. It is not a
+very grand sight, but it is pretty to see a high hill towering at the
+back of the royal palace. Undoubtedly the position where the palace is
+now situated is the best in Seoul, both through being in the very centre
+of the town and through the prettiness of its situation. The inside of
+the royal enclosure we shall presently describe.</p>
+
+<p>Continuing our way, then, towards the east gate, we soon come to another
+big thoroughfare on our right-hand side, at one corner of which is a
+picturesque ancient pavilion, with a railing round it. This is one of the
+sights of Seoul, &quot;the big bell.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>It is a huge bronze bell raised from the ground only about a foot. It
+possesses a fine rich tone when it is <a name='Page_109'></a>hammered upon by the bell-ringer,
+but a good deal of the sonorousness is lost and the sound made dreary and
+monotonous by its being so low down. The man rings it by striking heavy
+blows at it with a big wooden mallet, and its first note in the early
+morning makes the drowsy gate-keepers of the town begin to make
+preparations for establishing communication once more between the capital
+and the outer world; while at sunset, as its last melancholy notes are
+blown away in dying waves by the wind, the heavy gates are closed, and
+every man&mdash;though not every woman, as we shall see&mdash;has to retire to his
+home until dawn the next morning, if he wishes to escape a severe
+flogging, or even the risk of losing his head. The laws and rules in this
+respect have not been very severely enforced of late years; yet one never
+sees even now a Corean male walking about the streets after dark. Though
+capital punishment might not be inflicted on the offender, a very sound
+spanking would very probably be the result of a native being caught
+<i>flagrante delicto</i> during a nocturnal peregrination. Wherefore, the
+Corean male is, <i>&agrave; raison</i>, very careful not to be seen out after dark.
+On one or two occasions, nevertheless, the male community is allowed a
+prowl by night, and seem to enjoy it to their heart's content. The
+principal of these great events is the night for &quot;crossing the bridges,&quot;
+a festivity in which men and children are allowed to take part, and in
+the course of which they spend the whole night in prowling about the
+streets, and crossing over the bridges and back again. At such a time the
+streets are alive with story-tellers, magicians and comedians, who
+delight the <a name='Page_110'></a>nocturnal sight-seers with wonderful fairy-tales, jokes and
+fantastic plays.</p>
+
+<p>A moonlight night is always chosen for the &quot;crossing of the bridges&quot;
+outing, a rather sensible precaution when one sees what the bridges are
+like. There are the stone supports of course, and over these huge flat
+broad stones on which one treads. The width of the bridges is generally
+about six feet, but no parapet or railing of any kind is provided for the
+safety of the wayfarer. Through age and weather, these stones have been
+considerably worn out, and are here and there disconnected, besides being
+slippery to an extreme degree; so that even in broad daylight, one has to
+keep all his wits about him, in this sort of tight-rope performance, not
+to find himself landed in the river down below, in which, however, there
+is no water running. Altogether, the days in which the men of Cho-sen
+enjoy liberty at night are five.</p>
+
+<p>The last day of the year is probably the one when the larger crowds can
+be seen hurrying along through the streets, for a custom prevails among
+the Coreans to visit during that night and the following one, all one's
+relations and best friends, congratulations and good wishes being freely
+exchanged and presents of sweets brought and gracefully received. New
+Year's night is also a night of independence, but the greater number of
+the male community are so &quot;well on&quot; with wine-drinking and excitement,
+that staying at home is generally deemed advisable.</p>
+
+<p>There are two free nights, besides, on the fourteenth and fifteenth days
+of the first moon, and on one of the days at &quot;half-year&quot; in the sixth
+moon. That is all.</p><a name='Page_111'></a>
+
+<p class="ctr"><a href="./images/17.jpg"><img src="./images/17_th.jpg"
+alt="THE MARBLE PAGODA"></a></p><p class="ctr">THE MARBLE PAGODA</p>
+
+<p>At no great distance from the &quot;big bell,&quot; down a tortuous little lane, we
+come to what is undoubtedly a very ancient work of art. This is a pagoda,
+made of solid marble, and adorned with beautiful carvings all the way up
+to the top. To me this pagoda seemed to be of Chinese origin, but, though
+much speculation has been exercised in Seoul as to how so strange a
+monument came to be placed in the Corean capital, no reliable data, or
+facts that might be considered of historical value, have as yet been
+forthcoming to explain satisfactorily its presence there. Beyond
+wondering at its antiquity, therefore, and admiring the skilful
+bas-relief upon it, there is little more for us to do; so, moving out of
+the courtyard in which this pagoda is situated, we proceed to inspect
+another monument, equally curious from an archaeological point of view.</p>
+
+<p>It cannot but seem strange that the Coreans should be ignorant regarding
+the little pagoda above <a name='Page_112'></a>mentioned. I call it &quot;little,&quot; for I do not
+think it stands more than fifteen or twenty feet from the base to the
+top. Probably in Seoul itself there is not more than one man out of fifty
+who knows of its existence, and those who are acquainted with it, beyond
+telling you emphatically that it is not a Corean work, can give you no
+information about it. It is not improbable that, in the course of some
+friendly or unfriendly intercourse between the Chinese and the Coreans,
+this pagoda was brought or sent over from China.</p>
+
+<p>The other curiosity is a huge stone tortoise carrying a tablet on its
+back.</p>
+
+<p>As I have already mentioned, the Coreans in many ways resemble, and have
+appropriated or carried with them to their place of settlement some ideas
+which are common to the Manchus, the Mongols, and the Northern and
+Southern Chinese. Among these may be instanced the great respect for, if
+not worship of, fetishes and rudely made images of animals, both
+imaginary and real, which are supposed to be embodied there with all
+their good and evil qualities. The Coreans have an especial veneration
+for the tiger, the emblem of supernatural strength, courage and dignity.
+Now when veneration comes into play, the extraordinary, as a rule, soon
+takes the place of the ordinary, especially in the Eastern mind, which is
+rather addicted to letting itself be run away with by its imagination. So
+the tiger, as though it were not sufficiently gifted already with evil
+qualities of a more mundane order, is often depicted by native geniuses,
+as having also the power of flying, producing lightning, <a name='Page_113'></a>and spitting
+fire; and not only that, but as able to walk on flames without feeling
+the slightest inconvenience, and manipulate blazing fire as one would a
+fan in everyday use. On flags, pictures, and embroideries the tiger is
+often represented by native artists.</p>
+
+<p>Next to the tiger, the animal most cherished by the Coreans is the
+tortoise. To it are applied all the good qualities that the tiger wants;
+for example, thoughtfulness, a retiring nature, humility, gentleness,
+steadiness, and patience; these being all symbolised by this shelled
+amphibious animal, which, in the minds of many Eastern Asiatics, was the
+basis upon which, in later times, were built the rudiments of mathematics
+and wisdom. In Corea, the principal quality attributed to the tortoise is
+long life; wherefore, it has been handed down from early times to the
+present day as the emblem of longevity.</p>
+
+<p>This, then, explains the signification of the tortoise in front of which
+we are now standing. Those tortoises that are made to carry tablets on
+their backs are, as a general rule, erected in honour and remembrance of
+some benevolent prince or magnanimous magistrate&mdash;the tablets being
+placed over these favourite creatures to signify that it was by relying
+upon all the good qualities attributed to the tortoise that the person
+whose praises are celebrated on them, attained to the virtues which are
+deemed so worthy an example to the world.</p>
+
+<p>There are many species of semi-sacred tortoises in Corea, to all
+appearance the product of imaginary intermarriages between the slow
+amphibious animal in question and the fire-spitting dragon, silver-tailed
+<a name='Page_114'></a>phoenix, and other animals; and these mixed breeds of idols, so to
+speak, are occasionally to be seen in the houses of rich people and
+princes near the entrance gate. In the Royal Palace, too, some may be
+seen, among the more important being the old Seal of State, which
+consists of a tortoise cleverly carved out of marble with the impression
+of the Royal Seal engraved on the under side.</p>
+
+<p>A curious thing which strikes visitors to Corea who notice it is that,
+although the tortoise runs a close race with the tiger in the respect of
+the natives, nevertheless, the larger and fiercer animal is much more
+frequently represented than its smaller and gentler competitor. For
+instance, one invariably sees on the roofs of the city gates, fixed on
+the corners, five small representations of the tiger, all reclining in a
+row one after the other. On many of the larger buildings also the same
+thing can be observed; while, on the other hand, it is only rarely that
+the tortoise is seen in such a situation. When representations of the
+latter are thus attached, they are generally placed at the four lower
+corners of the buildings, as if by way of support.</p>
+
+<p>It is curious, again, to note&mdash;and, indeed, it almost seems as if the
+Cho-sen people are in all their ideas opposed to us&mdash;that in Corea the
+snake is greatly revered; and, should it enter a household, it receives a
+hearty welcome, for this reptile is supposed to bring with it everlasting
+happiness and peace, a very different conception to that which we
+generally form of it, for, if I mistake not, in our minds it is generally
+associated with sneakishness, treachery and perfidy.</p>
+
+<p>With regard to the snake, it is noteworthy that the<a name='Page_115'></a> Coreans have allowed
+their fancies to run riot in pretty much the same direction as
+imaginative people in our own country have done, and have not only added
+wings to their serpents to send them air-faring, but have also invented a
+near relation to these in the shape of a travelling sea-serpent, which is
+not, however, of such large dimensions as those with which we are
+familiar. From this it is only a short step to the well-known half-human,
+half-fish being and the sea-lion or tiger; stone representations of which
+are to be seen at the entrance of the Royal Palace. The principal
+peculiarity of the sea-tiger is its ugliness. It is represented as having
+a huge mouth, wide open, showing two rows of pointed teeth, and a mane
+and tail curled up into hundreds of conventional little curlets. If the
+statues of these sea-tigers are divided in three sections perpendicular
+to the base, the head will occupy the whole of one of these sections,
+which, in other words, means that the body is made only twice the size of
+the head.</p>
+
+<p>The <i>lin</i> is also frequently found figuring in Corean mythology, but this
+fanciful creature is undoubtedly an importation from the well-known
+<i>ki-lin</i> of China, being half ox, half deer, and having but a single horn
+in the centre of the head. It is the symbol of good nature and well-being
+Another borrowed individual of this class is the dragon, a monster which
+is a great favourite and much cherished all over the East, though
+principally by the Emperor of Heaven and his subjects. This popularity of
+the dragon in the kingdom of the Morning Calm is due, I suppose, in a
+large measure to the frequent Chinese invasions and constant intercourse
+<a name='Page_116'></a>of the Chinese with Corea. And yet, upon a less appropriate country, to
+my belief, he could hardly have been stranded, for, although he possesses
+all the good virtues of the other mythical creatures of which I have made
+mention taken together, he certainly is never presented as gifted with
+that delightful faculty which goes by the name of tranquillity. Restless
+in the extreme, this genius of the East is said to penetrate through
+mountains into the ground, skip on the clouds, produce thunder and
+lightning, and go through fire and water. It can, moreover, make itself
+visible or invisible at pleasure, and, in fact, can to all intents and
+purposes do what it pleases, except&mdash;remain quiet.</p>
+
+<p>Of dragons there are many kinds, but the most respectable of them all is,
+as in China, the yellow one, which is as represented on the Chinese
+flags. Next to the yellow one in popularity comes the green one. In
+shape, as the natives picture it, the dragon is not unlike a huge lizard,
+with long-nailed claws, and a flat long head like the elongated head of a
+neighing horse, possessed, however, of horns, and a long mane of fire, or
+lightning. The tail is like that of a serpent, with five additional
+pointed ends. It is, too, rather interesting to note that the king,
+princes, and highest magistrates, when the country is not in mourning,
+wear upon their breasts pieces of square embroidery ornamented in the
+centre with representations of the dragon, having the jewel on its head
+which is supposed to be a certain cure for all evils. The officials of
+lesser degree wear, instead of this emblem, the effigy of a flying
+phoenix, the symbol of pride, friendship, and kind ruling power.</p><a name='Page_117'></a>
+
+<p>The phoenix is also occasionally to be seen standing on a tortoise's
+back, the combination being emblematic of the combined virtues of these
+two mythical creatures.</p>
+
+<p>Returning to the main street, we can walk a long way without finding
+anything interesting in the way of architecture, or of a monumental
+character until we reach the East Gate, which is probably the largest
+gate of all. One of the peculiarities of this gate is that on the outside
+it has a semi-circular wall protection, and in this wall a second gate
+which renders it, therefore, doubly strong in time of war. The outer wall
+is very thick, and a wide space is provided which can be manned with
+soldiers, when the town happens to be besieged. If my memory serves me
+rightly, yet another gate in Seoul is provided with a similar
+contraffort, but of this I am not quite certain, for the part of my diary
+in which the wall of Seoul is described has been, I regret to say,
+unfortunately mislaid. Near the gate above mentioned, is a large open
+space, on the centre of which stands a somewhat dilapidated pavilion
+<i>pour fa&ccedil;on de parler</i>, and, on inquiry, I was told that this place was
+the drilling-ground of the king's troops, the pavilion being for the use
+of the king and high officials, when on very grand occasions they went to
+review the soldiery. Of late years, I believe, a new drilling-ground has
+been selected by the foreign military instructors, which explains why the
+pavilion has been allowed to rot and tumble down. (See Illustration p.
+<a href='#Page_90'>90</a>.)</p>
+
+<p>As already remarked, all the gates of Seoul, as well as those of every
+other city in Corea, are closed at <a name='Page_118'></a>sunset; but, like all rules, this
+one, too, has its exception. Thus, there is a small gate, called the
+&quot;Gate of the Dead,&quot; which is opened till a late hour at night. Its name
+explains its object fairly well, but for the benefit of those who are
+unaccustomed to Corean customs I may as well put the matter a little
+clearer. Funerals, in Corea, nearly always take place at night, and the
+bodies are invariably carried out of the town to be buried. In lifetime
+it is permitted to enter or leave the town through any gate you please,
+but this freedom of choice is not accorded to the dead, when their final
+exit is to be made, for this is only by way of the smaller gate just
+mentioned.</p>
+
+<p>A funeral is in all countries, to me, a curious sight, but in Seoul, a
+performance of this description is probably more curious than elsewhere,
+and that, because, to a European eye, it appears to be anything but a
+funeral. The procession is headed by two individuals, each of whom
+carries an enormous yellow umbrella, on the stick of which, about half
+way up, there is a very large tri-coloured ball. After these, under a
+sort of baldachin held up by four long poles, is the coffin, carried by
+two, four, or more men, according to the social position of the deceased;
+and by the side of this and following close after it are numberless
+people each carrying a paper lantern stuck on a pole, who scuttle along,
+singing, after a fashion, and muttering prayers and praises on behalf of
+their deceased countryman. Frequently, if the latter is supposed to have
+been possessed by evil spirits, and to have been carried off by them, a
+man is hired, if no relation is willing to do it, to ring a hand-bell for
+several consecutive <a name='Page_119'></a>days, near the house which the late unfortunate had
+occupied, the shrill sound being supposed to have the power of showing
+the unwelcome guests, that their presence has been noticed, and that they
+had better retire and leave the house to its rightful owners. I need
+hardly remark that a few hours of this noise is quite enough to turn the
+best of good spirits into an evil one.</p>
+
+<p>But to return to our funeral procession; this, when the &quot;Gate of the
+Dead&quot; is reached, becomes broken up; the friends who were following the
+hearse putting out their lights and ceasing from their singing and
+praying. Only two or three of the nearest relations continue to follow
+the coffin, still carried by the paid bearers, and when a suitable spot
+is reached these proceed to bury the remains. A hilly ground is usually
+preferred by the Coreans for the last resting place of the bones of their
+dear ones. The coffin having been buried, a small mound of earth is
+heaped up over it.</p>
+
+<p>The spot for inhumation is generally chosen on the advice of magicians
+who are supposed to know the sites which are likely to be most favourable
+to the deceased. Sometimes the body is exhumed at great expense, still on
+the advice of the same magicians, who, being in direct communication with
+both earthly and unearthly spirits, get to know that the spot which had
+been originally selected was not a favourable one. Under such
+circumstances, a speedy removal is necessary, which, of course entails
+both worry and money-spending and special fees for the reporting of the
+ill-faring of the buried.</p><a name='Page_120'></a>
+
+<p>The relations and friends of a deceased person constantly visit the tomb,
+and many a good son has been known to spend months watching his father's
+grave, lest his services might be required by the parent underground.</p>
+
+<p>The hills round the towns are simply covered with these little mounds of
+earth, and the greatest respect is shown by the natives for all places of
+sepulture. In course of time, many disappear by being washed away by the
+rain, but never by any chance are they interfered with by the people. The
+Coreans are extremely superstitious, and they are much afraid of the
+dead. Metempsychosis is not an uncommon trait of their minds, especially
+among the better classes; thus, for instance, the soul of the dead man is
+sometimes supposed to enter the body of a bird, in which case the
+relatives carefully build a semi-circular stone railing round the mound,
+so that the winged successor of the deceased may have whereon to perch.</p>
+
+<p>The grave of one of the richer people is especially noteworthy. First,
+there is the mound in the centre as usual, but nearly twice the size of
+that which covers a poorer person. Then there is a stone railing a little
+way off; and between that and the mound stand in double rows, at the
+sides, rough images of human beings and horses carved in stone. The
+general rule is, in the case of a rich man, to have two men and two
+ponies on either side and a small column at the end; while in the case of
+a man not so much distinguished only a single horse and man respectively
+are placed on either side. The short column with a slab at the top is
+nearly always a feature. The stone images so <a name='Page_121'></a>placed are, as a rule, so
+badly carved that, unless one is told what they are meant to represent,
+it is really difficult to decide the point. The horses, especially, might
+easily be mistaken for sheep, dogs, or any other animal, the small
+stature of the native ponies being imitated in these images, to an
+exaggerated degree. As for the stone human-shaped images, these are
+usually made dressed in a long sort of gown and with the arms folded in
+front and the head covered by a curled up skull-cap, of the kind worn by
+Corean officials even at the present day, and formerly worn by all the
+high officials in China, whence probably the fashion has been imported.</p>
+
+<p>A curious feature which I often noticed about the graves of people who
+had not been over well-off, and whose friends could not afford a large
+number of statues or figures of men and animals, was this:&mdash;If only one
+or two monuments were put up by the side of the mound, these invariably
+consisted of representations either of two horses or else of a horse and
+a ram, that is, if I am right in fixing the latter's identity by the
+curled horns on the side of its head. If, on the other hand, the
+monuments were more than two in number, the others were, just as
+invariably, representations of human figures, the number of these being
+the same as that of beasts in the other case.</p>
+
+<p>A ceremony is to be found in the Land of the Morning Calm which
+corresponds pretty closely to &quot;<i>Tutti i morti</i>&quot; of Italy; I mean, the
+merry picnicking of distressed parents and relatives when they go and
+pray on the tombs of their dead. In Corea the occasion is usually
+celebrated on the first day of the first <a name='Page_122'></a>moon, or, in other words, on
+New Year's Day. The family goes soon after sunrise, <i>en masse</i>, to the
+burial-place, where prayers are offered, and long sticks of incense burnt
+filling the air with the perfume so familiar to all who know the East.
+Food and drink are also generally brought and consumed by the mourners on
+such expeditions, with the result that the day which begins with praying
+generally ends with playing. Similar rejoicings are again indulged in
+during the third moon, when the tombs are usually cleaned and repaired,
+and the stone figures and horses washed and scrubbed, amidst the
+hilarious screams of the children and the less active picnickers.</p>
+
+<p>The tombs of the kings do not differ very much from those of the richest
+noblemen, except that they have a kind of temple near them. At one time
+it was believed that the coffins in which the royal bodies were buried,
+consisted of solid gold. People who are well informed, however, maintain
+that there is no foundation for this statement about the royal graves,
+and that, on the contrary, they are almost as simple as those of the
+richer noblemen.</p>
+
+<p>A strange tale was told me, which I shall repeat, as I know it to be
+true. It is to this effect: A few months previous to my visit to Seoul, a
+foreigner had visited the king soliciting orders for installations of
+telephones. The king, being much astounded, and pleased at the wonderful
+invention, immediately, at great expense, set about connecting by
+telephone the tomb of the queen dowager with the royal palace&mdash;a distance
+of several miles! Needless to say, though many hours a day were spent by
+His Majesty and his <a name='Page_123'></a>suite in listening at their end of the telephone,
+and a watchman kept all night in case the queen dowager should wake up
+from her eternal sleep, not a message, or a sound, or murmur even, was
+heard, which result caused the telephone to be condemned as a fraud by
+His Majesty the King of Cho-sen.</p>
+
+<p>I should mention that a very good specimen of a Corean tomb is to be seen
+a few <i>lis</i> outside the East Gate, on the hillside, and that another,
+somewhat smaller, exists a short distance beyond the Pekin Pass outside
+the West Gate. It may also be noted that trees are frequently planted,
+and tablets erected, in proximity to Corean graves.</p>
+
+
+
+<a name='Footnote_3_3'></a><a href='#FNanchor_3_3'>[3]</a><div class='note'><p> Word used in the East for a conglomeration of houses
+enclosed by a wall.</p></div>
+
+
+<a name='Page_124'></a>
+
+<hr class="full" />
+<a name='CHAPTER_VIII'></a><h2>CHAPTER VIII</h2>
+
+<div class='Ptoc'>Seoul&mdash;The City Wall&mdash;A large image&mdash;Mount Nanzam&mdash;The
+fire-signals&mdash;women's joss-house&mdash;Foreign buildings&mdash;Japanese
+settlement&mdash;An anecdote&mdash;Clean or not clean?&mdash;The Pekin Pass&mdash;The
+water-carrier&mdash;The man of the Gates.</div>
+<br />
+
+<p class="ctr"><a href="./images/18.jpg"><img src="./images/18_th.jpg"
+alt="MOUNT NANZAM"></a></p><p class="ctr">MOUNT NANZAM</p>
+
+<p>The ground in and around Seoul is very hilly. The wall that surrounds the
+capital uncoils itself, like a gigantic snake, up and down the slopes of
+high bluffs, and seems a very marvellous work of patient masonry when it
+is borne in mind that some of the peaks up which it winds its way are so
+steep that even climbing on foot is not an easy task. The height is not
+uniform, but where it is highest it reaches to over thirty feet. The
+North Gate, for instance, is at a much higher level than the town down
+below, and it is necessary to go up a steep road to reach it. From it, a
+very good idea is obtainable of the exact situation of<a name='Page_125'></a> Seoul. Down in
+the valley, a narrow one, lies the town itself, completely surrounded by
+hills, and even mountains, covered with thick snow during the winter
+months.</p>
+
+<p>The wall, several miles long, goes over the hill ridges far above the
+level of the town, except towards the west, where it descends to the
+valley, and is on almost level ground, as far as the East Gate. It has a
+rampart in which holes have been pierced, for the defence of the town by
+archers and gunners; and, to let out the water of the streams, which
+intersect the town, low arches have been cut in the wall, provided with
+strong iron bars, and a solid grating through which no man can penetrate.
+Outside the town, bridges of masonry have been constructed; for instance,
+there is one of four arches, a short distance from the North Gate, being
+the continuation of a portion of the wall protecting the river valley on
+the north of Seoul. Not far from this bridge, is a monastery, and a small
+temple with curled-up roof supported by columns, painted red and green.
+The latter protects an enormous block of stone upon which has been carved
+a large image of Buddha, the surface of which has been painted white.
+When I saw it, close by the river side, with the sun shining on it, and
+its image reflected in the limpid ice of the frozen river, the sight was
+indeed quite a picturesque one.</p>
+
+<p>Towards the south side of Seoul, and within the city wall, rises in a
+cone-like fashion a high hill called Mount Nanzam. One cannot help
+feeling interested about this hill, and for many reasons. In the first
+place, it is most picturesque; secondly, it is a rare <a name='Page_126'></a>thing to find a
+mountain rising in the centre of a town, as this one does; thirdly, from
+the summit of this particular hill a constant watch is kept on the state
+of affairs all over the kingdom.</p>
+
+<p>The mode of accomplishing the last-mentioned object is as ingenious as it
+is simple. It is shortly this. On the summit of Mount Nanzam a signal
+station is placed&mdash;a miserable shed, in which the watchmen live. In front
+of this, five piles of stones have been erected, upon which, by means of
+the &quot;Pon-wa,&quot; or fire-signals, messages are conveyed and transmitted from
+one end of the Corean kingdom to the other. Now, it is on these five
+piles of stones that the safety of the Land of the Morning Calm depends,
+and it is a pretty and weird sight to watch the lights upon them, playing
+after dark, in the stillness of the night. Similarly appointed stations
+on the tops of all the highest peaks in Corea issue, transmit, and
+answer, by means of other lights, messages from the most distant
+provinces, by which means, in a very few minutes, the King in his royal
+palace is kept informed of what happens hundreds of miles from his
+capital. It is from the royal palace itself that fire-messages start in
+the first instance, and that too is the place which lastly receives them
+from other mountain tops. All along the coast line of Corea, on the
+principal headlands, fire-stations have long been in use in order to give
+the alarm in the capital, should marauders approach the coast or other
+invasions take place.</p>
+
+<p>Until quite lately, the coast villages and towns used to suffer much at
+the hands of Chinese pirates, who, <a name='Page_127'></a>though well aware that they would, if
+caught, most certainly find themselves in the awkward position of having
+their heads cut off, nevertheless used to approach the coast by night in
+swift junks, make daring raids, and pillage the villages, and even some
+of the smaller towns. So suddenly were these incursions usually made that
+by the time the natives had managed to get over their astonishment at the
+attack of these unpleasant and greedy visitors, the acute Chinamen, with
+their booty, were well out at sea again.</p>
+
+<p class="ctr"><a href="./images/19.jpg"><img src="./images/19_th.jpg"
+alt="THE FIRE-SIGNAL STATION AND JOSS-HOUSE"></a></p><p class="ctr">THE FIRE-SIGNAL STATION AND JOSS-HOUSE</p>
+
+<p>The great drawback to fire-signalling is, that messages can only
+be clearly conveyed at night. In the day-time, when
+necessary, smoke-signals are transmitted, though never with the same
+safety as are the fire-signals. By burning large torches of wet straw,
+masses of white smoke are produced, upon <a name='Page_128'></a>which the alarm is raised that
+the country is in danger. The code of smoke signalling, however, is
+almost limited to that one signal; for, on a windy or rainy day, it would
+be quite impossible to distinguish whether there were one or more torches
+smoking, unless, of course, they could be set very far apart, which
+cannot be done on Nanzam. Prior to sending a message, a bell is rung in
+the royal palace to attract the attention of the Mountain Watchmen. The
+whole code, for they have a really systematic way of using their
+pyrographs, is worked with five burning fires only, and more than that
+number of lights are never shown, though, of course, many times there are
+less. The five-lights-together signal, I believe, indicates that the
+country is in imminent danger; there are other signals to meet the cases
+of rebellions, recalling of magistrates from distant provinces, orders to
+them to extort money from their subjects, the despatch or recall of
+troops, &amp;c. &amp;c.</p>
+
+<p>A few yards from the signal station, though still on Mount Nanzam, there
+is a picturesque red joss-house with a shrine in close proximity to it.
+The story goes&mdash;and the women of Cho-sen find it convenient to believe
+it&mdash;that a visit to this particular joss-house has the wonderful effect
+of making sterile women prolific. A few strings of <i>cash</i> and a night's
+rest at the temple&mdash;preceded, if I remember rightly, by
+prayers&mdash;constitute sufficient service to satisfy the family duties, and
+I was certainly told that in many cases the oracle worked so well that in
+due time the <i>chin-chins</i> got rewarded with the birth of babies. I may
+mention incidentally that the caretaker <a name='Page_129'></a>of the joss-house was a strong,
+healthy, powerful man.</p>
+
+<p>As we are now on a splendid point of vantage for a bird's-eye view of the
+town we may as well take a glance over it.</p>
+
+<p>Very prominent before us, after the large enclosure of the royal Palace,
+are the foreign buildings, such as the Japanese Legation on a smaller
+hill at the foot of Nanzam, and overlooking the large Japanese
+settlement; the abode of the Chinese Minister resident, with its numerous
+buildings around it; the British Consulate with its new red brick house
+in course of construction; and, by the side of the last mentioned, the
+<i>compounds</i> of the American and Russian legations. Farther on, nearer the
+royal Palace, the German flag may be seen surmounting the German
+Consulate, which is situated in an enclosure containing several Corean
+houses which have been reduced <i>&agrave; l' Europ&eacute;enne</i> and made very
+comfortable. Then the large house with a glass front is the one now
+inhabited by the Vice-Minister for Home Affairs, but the grounds
+surrounding this are very restricted. A nunnery and a few houses of
+missionaries also stand prominent, mostly in the neighbourhood of the
+Japanese settlement.</p>
+
+<p>The Japanese settlement, into which we will now descend, is noteworthy
+for the activity and commercial enterprise shown by the subjects of the
+Mikado. It is remarkable, also, to notice the curious co-existence of
+sense and nonsense in the Jap's adoption of foreign customs. For
+instance, you see the generality of them dressed in European clothes, but
+nevertheless <a name='Page_130'></a>still sticking to the ancient custom of removing their
+boots on entering a house; a delightful practice, I agree, in Japan,
+where the climate is mild, but not in a country like Corea, where you
+have an average of sixty degrees of frost. Then again, the Japanese
+houses, the outer walls of which consist of tissue paper, seem hardly
+suited to such a climate as that of Corea. It is really comical to watch
+them as they squat in a body round a brass brasier, shivering and blue
+with cold, with thin flat faces and curved backs; reminding one very much
+of the large family of quadrumans at the Zoo on a cold day. Nevertheless,
+they are perfectly happy, though many die of pleurisy, consumption, and
+cold in the chest.</p>
+
+<p>The Japanese women dress, of course, in their national <i>kimonos</i>, and
+just as it is in Japan the fashion to show a little of the chest under
+the throat, so in Cho-sen the same custom is adopted; with the result
+that many are carried off by bronchitis to the next world.</p>
+
+<p>One cannot but admire the Japanese, however, for the cleanliness of their
+houses and for the good-will&mdash;sometimes too much of it&mdash;which they
+display as well in their commercial dealings as in their colonising
+schemes. The custom of daily bathing in water of a boiling-point
+temperature is carried on by them in Corea as in their own country,
+notwithstanding which I venture to say that the Japanese are very dirty
+people. This remark seems non-coherent and requires, I am afraid, some
+explanation.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;How can they be dirty if they bathe every day? I call that being very
+clean,&quot; I fancy I hear you reply.</p><a name='Page_131'></a>
+
+<p>So they would undoubtedly be, if they bathed in clean water; but,
+unfortunately, this is just what they do not do, and, to my uncivilised
+mind, bathing in filthy water seems ten times more dirty than not bathing
+at all. Just imagine a small tank of water in which dozens, if not
+hundreds, of people have been already boiled before you in your turn use
+it, and upon which float large &quot;eyes&quot; of greasy matter. Well, this is
+what every good Japanese is expected to immerse himself in, right up to
+his nose, for at least half an hour at a time! I cannot but admire them
+for their courage in doing it, but, certainly, from the point of view of
+cleanliness my view is quite different; for, really and truly, I have
+always failed to see where the &quot;cleanliness&quot; comes in. Persons belonging
+to the wealthier classes have small baths of their own, in the steaming
+hot liquid of which bask in turns the family itself, their friends, the
+children and servants; and probably the same water is used again and
+again for two or three days in succession.</p>
+
+<p>I remember well how horrified I was one evening, in the Land of the
+Rising Sun, when, on visiting a small village, I was, as a matter of
+politeness on their part, requested to join in the bath. Being a novice
+at Japanese experiences, and as their request was so pressing, I thanked
+them and accepted; whereupon, I was buoyantly led to the bath. Oh what a
+sight! Three skinny old women, &quot;disgraces,&quot; I may almost call them, for
+certainly they could not be classified under the designation of &quot;graces,&quot;
+were sitting in a row with steaming water up to their necks, undergoing
+the process of being boiled. What! thought<a name='Page_132'></a> I, panic-stricken&mdash;am I to
+bathe with these three ... old lizards? Oh no, not I! and I made a rush
+for the door, greatly to the annoyance of the people, who not only
+considered me very dirty, but also very rude in not availing myself of
+their polite invitation! The next morning as I took my cold bath as usual
+in beautifully clean spring water, I was condemned and pitied as a
+lunatic! Such are the different customs of different people.</p>
+
+<p>When visiting Seoul, it is well worth one's while to take a walk to the
+Pekin Pass, a <i>li</i> or two outside the West Gate. The pass itself, which
+is cut into the rock, is situated on the road leading from Seoul to
+Pekin; which, by the way, is the road by which the envoys of the Chinese
+Emperor, following an ancient custom, travel overland with a view to
+claiming the tribute payable by the King of Corea. As a matter of fact,
+this custom of paying tribute had almost fallen into disuse, and China
+had not, for some years, I believe, enforced her right of suzerainty over
+the Corean peninsula, until the year 1890, when the envoys of the
+Celestial Emperor once again proceeded on their wearisome and long
+journey from Pekin to the capital of Cho-sen. It was here at the Pekin
+Pass, then, that, according to custom, they were received with great
+honour by the Coreans, and led into Seoul. It was at a large house,
+surrounded by a wall, on the road side, that these envoys were usually
+received and welcomed, either by the king in person or by some
+representative; and it was here that they were treated with refreshments
+and food, previously to being conducted in state into the capital, this
+being</p><a name='Page_133'></a>
+<p class="ctr"><a href="./images/20.jpg"><img src="./images/20_th.jpg"
+alt="THE PEKIN PASS"></a></p><p class="ctr">THE PEKIN PASS</p>
+<p>accomplished amidst the cheers of
+a Corean crowd, which, like other crowds, is always ready to cheer the
+last comer. At the Pekin Pass, a &quot;triumphal arch&quot;&mdash;for want of a better
+word&mdash;could be seen. It was a lofty structure, composed of two high
+columns, the lower part of these being of masonry, and the upper of
+lacquered wood, which supported a heavy roof of the orthodox Corean
+pattern, under which, about one-fourth down the columns, was a portion
+decorated with native fretwork of a somewhat rough type. The illustration
+represents this monument as it appeared in winter time, when the ground
+was covered with snow, beyond it being the square cut in the rocks,
+through which the road leads to Newchuang and Pekin.</p>
+
+<p>There are two types of individuals that are very interesting from a
+picturesque point of view; viz., the water-coolie, and the man who
+carries the huge locks and keys of the city gates.</p>
+
+<p>The water-coolie is almost as much of a &quot;personality,&quot; as the <i>mapu</i>, in
+his rude independent ways. He displays much patience, and certainly
+deserves admiration for the amount of work he daily does, for very little
+pay. His work consists in carrying water, from morning until night, to
+whoever wants it. This is a simple enough process in summer time, but in
+winter matters are rather different, for now nearly all the fountains are
+frozen, and the water has to be drawn from a well. The water-coolie
+carries a peculiar arrangement on his shoulders, a long pole fastened
+cross-wise upon his shoulder-blades, by straps going under and round the
+arms; by which means he is enabled to carry two buckets of water at a
+<a name='Page_134'></a>time. The arrangement, though more complicated, is not dissimilar to
+that used for the same purpose, by women in Holland, or to that for
+carrying milk in many parts of Switzerland. In winter time the buckets of
+water become buckets of ice the moment they are drawn from the well, and
+then it is really pitiable to see these poor beggars with the skin of
+their hands all cracked and bleeding with the cold. They run along at a
+good pace when loaded, and show great judgment in avoiding collision,
+sighing as they go a loud <i>hess! hess! hess! hess!</i> to which they keep
+time with their steps. They are considered about the lowest creatures in
+the kingdom, and enjoy some of the privileges of children and unmarried
+men as regards clothing; for instance, they generally wear a light blue
+jacket even when the country is in mourning. When on duty they never wear
+hats, and often no head-bands, having, instead, blue kerchiefs wrapt
+round the head. The inevitable long pipe is not forgotten, and is
+carried, after the fashion of the <i>mapu</i>, stuck down the back.</p>
+
+<p>The lock-carrier, again, is by no means the dirtiest individual in the
+land of Cho-sen, at least as far as it was my good fortune to see.
+Nevertheless, his clothes are invariably in a state of dilapidation, and,
+though intended to be white, are usually black with grease and dirt. As
+he is employed by the Government he wears the deepest mourning; his face,
+and one half of his body being actually hidden under the huge hat
+provided for deep mourners. He seldom possesses a pair of padded socks
+and sandals, and in the coldest days walks about bare-footed with his
+trousers turned up to</p><a name='Page_135'></a>
+<p class="ctr"><a href="./images/21.jpg"><img src="./images/21_th.jpg"
+alt="A WATER-COOLIE"></a></p><p class="ctr">A WATER-COOLIE</p>
+<p>the knees. He is
+visible only at sunrise and sunset, when he goes on his round to all the
+city gates in order to inspect the locks and bring or take away the keys.
+Slung down his back, he carries a large leather bag, something like a
+tennis bag, which contains numberless iron implements of different shapes
+and weights. He appears to be friendless and despised by everybody, and I
+have never seen him talk to any one. I rather pitied the poor fellow as I
+saw him go night after night, with his long unwashed face and hands,
+along the rampart of the wall from one gate to another. <i>Apropos</i> of this
+I once made a Corean very angry by remarking that &quot;really the safety of
+the city could not be in dirtier hands.&quot;</p>
+
+
+
+<hr class="full" />
+<a name='CHAPTER_IX'></a><h2><a name='Page_136'></a>CHAPTER IX</h2>
+
+<div class='Ptoc'>The Corean house&mdash;Doors and windows&mdash;Blinds&mdash;Rooms&mdash;The &quot;Kan&quot;&mdash;Roasting
+alive&mdash;Furniture&mdash;Treasures&mdash;The
+kitchen&mdash;Dinner-set&mdash;Food&mdash;Intoxicants&mdash;Gluttony&mdash;Capacity for
+food&mdash;Sleep&mdash;Modes of illumination&mdash;Autographs&mdash;Streets&mdash;Drainage&mdash;Smell.</div>
+<br />
+
+<p>Let us now see what a Corean household is like. But, first, as to the
+matter of house architecture. Here there is little difference to be
+observed between the house of the noble and that of the peasant, except
+that the former is generally cleaner-looking. The houses in Corea may be
+divided into two classes&mdash;those with thatched roofs of barley-straw, and
+those with roofs of tiles, stone and plaster. The latter are the best,
+and are inhabited by the well-to-do classes. The outside walls are of mud
+and stone, and the roof, when of tiles, is supported by a huge beam that
+runs from one end of the house to the other. The corners of the roof are
+usually curled up after the Chinese fashion. A stone slab runs along the
+whole length of the roof, and is turned up at the two ends, over the
+upper angle of the roof itself. The tiles are cemented at the two sides
+of this slab, and likewise at the lower borders of the roof. The windows,
+again, are rectangular and are placed directly under the roof, being in
+consequence well protected from the rain.</p>
+
+<p>Corean houses are never more than one storey high.<a name='Page_137'></a> The houses of
+officials and rich people are enclosed by a wall of masonry, the gate of
+which is surmounted by a small pagoda-like roof. In the case of the
+houses of great swells, like generals and princes, it is customary to
+have two and even three gates, which have to be passed through in
+succession before the door of the house is reached. The outer wall
+surrounding the <i>compound</i> is seldom more than six or eight feet high,
+and, curiously enough, all along the top of the wall runs a narrow roof,
+the width of two tiles. This, besides being a sort of ornament, is of
+practical use in protecting it from the damp.</p>
+
+<p>One cannot call the Coreans great gardeners, for they seem to take
+comparatively little interest in the native <i>flora</i>. The richer people
+do, as a rule, have small gardens, which are nicely laid out with one or
+two specimens of the flowers they esteem and care to cultivate; but
+really ornamental gardens are few in number in the Land of Cho-sen.
+Kitchen gardens naturally are frequently found, even near the houses of
+the poorer people.</p>
+
+<p>One peculiarity, which characterises the majority of Corean houses of the
+better sort is that they are entered by the windows; these being provided
+with sliding latticed frames covered with tissue paper, and running on
+grooves to the sides, like the <i>Shojis</i> of Japan. The tissue paper is
+often dipped in oil previous to being used on the sliding doors and
+windows, as it is then supposed to keep out the cold better than when
+left in its natural state. As the doors and windows of Cho-sen, however,
+very seldom have the quality of fitting tight, a Corean house is
+therefore <a name='Page_138'></a>quite a <i>rendezvous</i> for draughts and currents of air.</p>
+
+<p>In summer time the windows and doors are kept open, or even removed
+altogether during the day-time, and then, in order to preserve that
+privacy of which every Corean is so proud, recourse is had to a capital
+dodge. At the end of the projecting roof, and immediately in front of the
+window or entrance, at the distance of a couple of feet, is hung a shade
+in the shape of a fine mat, made of numberless long strings of split
+bamboo, tied together in a parallel position by several silk strings
+which vary in number with the size of the mat. The use of these
+curtain-like barriers has several advantages. They protect the house from
+those troublesome visitors the flies; they let in the air, though not the
+sun, and, while the people who are in the house can plainly see through
+them what goes on in the street, no one on the outside can distinguish
+either those inside, or what is doing in the house. Good mats are very
+expensive, and difficult to obtain; therefore, it is only the better
+classes that can use them. Poorer folk are satisfied with very rough mats
+of rushes. It is also the custom for good citizens of the provinces to
+send the king at the New Year presents of a certain number of these mats,
+which, like the Indian shawls of Her Britannic Majesty, are given out
+again by him to the royal princes and highest officials. I was fortunate
+enough to be presented with two of these blinds by a high official, who
+was closely related to the king. They are a marvel of patient and careful
+work, as accurately and delicately done as if some machine had been
+employed.<a name='Page_139'></a> They are nearly six feet high, by five wide, and are yellow in
+colour with black, red, and green stripes painted at the top and bottom.
+In the centre is a very pretty, simple frieze, on the inside of which are
+some Corean characters.</p>
+
+<p>If a Corean house does not look very inviting when you look at it from
+the outside, still less does it when you are indoors. The smallness of
+the rooms and their lack of furniture, pictures, or ornaments are
+features not very pleasant to the eye. The rooms are like tiny boxes,
+between eight and ten feet long, less than this in width and about seven
+feet high. They are white all over with the exception of the floor, which
+is covered with thick, yellowish oil-paper. The poorest kind of Corean
+house consists of only a single room; the abode of the moderately
+well-off man, on the other hand, may have two or three, generally three
+rooms; though, of course, the houses of very high offices are found with
+a still larger number.</p>
+
+<p>The Corean process of heating the houses is somewhat original. It is a
+process used in a great part of Eastern Asia&mdash;and, to my mind, it is the
+only thoroughly barbaric custom which the Corean natives have retained.
+The flooring of the rooms consists of slabs of stone, under which is a
+large oven of the same extent as the room overhead, which oven, during
+the winter, is filled with a burning wood-fire, which is kept up day and
+night. What happens is generally this: The coolie whose duty it is to
+look after this oven, to avoid trouble fills it with wood and dried
+leaves up to the very neck, and sets these on fire and then goes to
+sleep; by which means the stone <a name='Page_140'></a>slabs get heated to such an extent that,
+sometimes, notwithstanding the thick oil paper which covers them, one
+cannot stand on them with bare feet.</p>
+
+<p>The Corean custom is to sleep on the ground in the padded clothes, using
+a wooden block as a pillow. The better classes, however, use also small,
+thin mattresses, covered with silk, which they spread out at night, and
+keep rolled up during the day-time. As the people sleep on the ground, it
+often happens that the floor gets so hot as to almost roast them, but the
+easy-going inhabitant of Cho-sen, does not seem to object to this
+roasting process&mdash;on the contrary, he seems almost to revel in it, and
+when well broiled on one side, he will turn over to the other, so as to
+level matters. While admiring the Coreans much for this proceeding, I
+found it extremely inconvenient to imitate them. I recollect well the
+first experience which I had of the use of a &quot;Kan,&quot; which is the native
+name of the oven. On that occasion it was &quot;made so hot&quot; for me, that I
+began to think I had made a mistake, and that I had entered a crematory
+oven instead of a sleeping-room. Putting my fist through one of the paper
+windows to get a little air only made matters ten times worse, for half
+my body continued to undergo the roasting process, while the other half
+was getting unpleasantly frozen. To this day, it has always been a marvel
+to me, and an unexplainable fact that, those who use the &quot;Kan&quot; do not
+&quot;wake up&mdash;dead&quot; in the morning!</p>
+
+<p>The furniture of a Corean house, as I have hinted above, is neither over
+plentiful nor too luxurious. In fact, at the first glance, one is almost
+inclined to say <a name='Page_141'></a>that there is, so to speak, no furniture at all there.
+Possibly, a tiger or a leopard-skin may be found spread on the ground in
+the reception room; there may even be a rough minuscule chest of drawers
+in a corner, and a small, low writing-table near it, upon which probably
+rests a little jar with a flower or two in it; but rarely will you find
+much more. The bedrooms usually contain chests, in which the clothing is
+kept, but there is also a custom by which these are hung on pegs in a
+recess in the wall. The chests are covered with white parchment studded
+all over with brass nails, and further adorned with a brass lock and two
+handles of the same metal. When voyaging, the Coreans use these as
+trunks. Besides the rooms I have mentioned, the richer Corean has a
+special room, generally kept locked up, in which the treasures of the
+family are jealously safeguarded. The latter are in the shape of ancient
+native pictures, rolled up like the <i>Kakemonos</i> of Japan, painted screens
+and vases of the Satsuma ware, the art of making which was taught to the
+Japanese by the Coreans, although now those who were formerly masters in
+the art cannot produce it. Some Coreans also possess valuable specimens
+of lacquer work, both of Chinese and Japanese origin, as well as a
+rougher kind of native production. None of these heirlooms are, however,
+ever brought to light, and it is only on rare and very grand occasions,
+such as marriages, deaths, or national rejoicings, that one or two
+articles are brought into the reception-room for the day, to be again
+carefully packed up and stored away at night. The idea, which prevails in
+Japan, is also current here, namely, that it is bad form to make a great
+<a name='Page_142'></a>show of what one possesses, and that the wealthier a man is, the less
+should he disclose the fact and the simpler should he live, that he may
+not so excite the envy of his fellow countrymen. Self-denial and
+self-inflicted discomforts are virtues much appreciated in the Land of
+Cho-sen, and when a nobleman sets a good example in this respect it is
+invariably thought highly of, and emulated by others. Indeed, the
+conversation of the whole town is often concentrated on some small act of
+benevolence done by such and such a prince, nobleman or magistrate.</p>
+
+<p>But the kitchen must not be forgotten. Its most striking contents are the
+large earthenware vases, similar in shape and size to the <i>orcis</i> of
+Italy, in which the top-knotted native keeps his wine, water, barley and
+rice. Then there are numberless shining brass cups, saucers, and bowls of
+various sizes. The latter forms the Corean dinner-service. Every piece of
+this is made of brass. The largest bowls are used, one for soup, and the
+other for rice; the next in size, for wine and water respectively; while
+the smaller ones are for bits of vegetables and sauces&mdash;which latter are
+used by the natives in profusion. Curiously enough, in the Land of the
+Morning Calm they manufacture a sauce which is, so far as I could judge,
+identical in taste and colour with our well-known Worcester sauce.</p>
+
+<p>The Coreans eat their food with chopsticks, but contrary to the habits of
+their neighbours, the Chinese and the Japanese, spoons also are used. The
+chopsticks are of very cheap wood, and fresh ones are used at nearly
+every meal. The diet also is much more varied than in either of the
+neighbouring countries, <a name='Page_143'></a>and game, venison, raw fish, beef, pork, fowls,
+eggs, and sea-weed are much appreciated. As for fruits, the Coreans get
+simply mad over them, the most favourite being the persimmons, of which
+they eat large quantities both fresh and dried. Apples, pears and plums
+are also plentifully used.</p>
+
+<p>The Cho-sen people have three meals a day. The first is partaken of early
+in the morning, and is only a light one; then comes lunch in the middle
+of the day, a good square meal; and finally the Tai-sek, a great meal, in
+the evening, at which Corean voracity is exhibited to the best advantage.
+The climate being so much colder than that of Japan, it is only natural
+that the Cho-senese should use more animal food and fat than do the
+landsman of the Mikado. Pork and beef, barely roasted and copiously
+condimented with pepper and vinegar, are devoured in large quantities.
+The Coreans also have a dish much resembling the Italian maccaroni or
+vermicelli. Of this large bowls may be seen at all the eating-shops in
+Seoul, and it is as a food apparently more cherished by members of the
+lower than by those of the upper classes. Previous to being eaten, it is
+dipped in a very flavoury sauce, and, although they are not quite so
+graceful in the art of eating as are the Neapolitan <i>Lazzaroni</i>, still
+with the help of a spoon and as many fingers as are available, the Corean
+natives seem to manage to swallow large quantities of this in a very
+short time.</p>
+
+<p>Among the lower classes in Corea tea is almost unknown as a beverage. In
+its stead they delight in drinking the whitish stuff produced by the rice
+when it has been boiled in water, or as an alternative, infusions <a name='Page_144'></a>of
+ginsang. They also brew at home two or three different kinds of liquor of
+different strengths and tastes, by fermenting barley, rice and millet.
+The beer of fermented rice is not at all disagreeable, and their light
+wine also is, so far as wines go, even palatable. However, I may as well
+state once for all that I am no judge of these matters, and, as my time
+is chiefly employed in the art of oil-painting, and not in that of
+drinking, I hope to be excused if I think myself better up in &quot;oils&quot; than
+in wines!!</p>
+
+<p>Presuming that my reader has survived this pun, I will now go on to state
+that it is a common thing in Corea to begin a dinner with sweets, and
+that another curious custom is for all present to drink out of the same
+bowl of wine passed round and of course re-filled when empty. The dinner
+is served on tiny tables rising only a few inches above the ground, and
+similar to those of Japan. Fish, as is the case with most Easterners, are
+eaten raw; first, however, being dipped in the liquid which resembles
+Worcestershire sauce. To cook a fish is simply looked upon as a shameful
+way of, spoiling it, unless it has gone bad, when, of course, cooking
+becomes necessary. Fish are, however, most prized by the Coreans when
+just taken out of the water.</p>
+
+<p>Hard-boiled eggs form another favourite dish in the land of Cho-sen, and
+turnips, potatoes, and a large radish similar to the <i>daikon</i> of Japan,
+are also partaken of at Corean dinners. The poorer classes seem to relish
+highly a dreadful-looking salad, of a small fish much resembling
+whitebait, highly flavoured with quantities of pepper, black sauce and
+vinegar, with bits of pork-meat <a name='Page_145'></a>frequently thrown in. The whole thing
+has an unpleasant brownish colour, and the smell of it reminded me much
+of a photographer's dark room when collodion is in use, except that the
+smell of the fish-salad is considerably stronger.</p>
+
+<p>The Coreans excel and even surpass themselves in cooking rice. This is
+almost an art with them, and the laurels for high achievements in it
+belong to the women, for it is to them that work of this kind is
+entrusted. Sometimes the Cho-senese make a kind of pastry, but they have
+nothing at all resembling our bread. Rice takes the place of the last
+mentioned, and though, so far as I could see, the fair ladies of Cho-sen
+were somewhat casual in the exercise of the culinary art, they really
+took enormous trouble to boil the rice properly. It is first well washed
+in a large pail, and properly cleaned; then it undergoes a process of
+slow boiling in plenty of water in such a way that, while quite soft and
+delicious to the taste, each grain retains its shape and remains
+separate, instead of making the kind of paste produced by our method of
+boiling it. The whitish water left behind after the rice has been removed
+is, as we have seen, used as a cooling beverage. In some respects the
+Corean diet approaches the Chinese and the Indian, rather than the
+Japanese; for many a time have I seen men in Corea eat their rice mixed
+with meat and fish, well covered with strong sauce, in the shape of a
+<i>curry</i>; whereas in Japan the boiled rice is always in a bowl apart and
+eaten separately.</p>
+
+<p>The Corean mind seems to lay great stress upon the quantity of food that
+the digestive organs will bear.<a name='Page_146'></a> Nothing gives more satisfaction to a
+Corean than to be able to pat his tightly-stretched stomach, and, with a
+deep sigh of relief, say: &quot;Oh, how much I have eaten!&quot; Life, according to
+them, would not be worth living if it were not for eating. Brought up
+under a r&eacute;gime of this kind, it is not astonishing that their capacity
+for food is really amazing. I have seen a Corean devour a luncheon of a
+size that would satisfy three average Europeans, and yet after that, when
+I was anxiously expecting to see him burst, fall upon a large dish of
+dried persimmons, the heaviest and most indigestible things in existence.
+&quot;They look very good,&quot; said he, as he quickly swallowed one, and with his
+supple fingers undid the beautiful bow of his girdle and loosened it,
+thus apparently providing for more space inside. &quot;I shall eat one or
+two,&quot; he murmured, as he was in the act of swallowing the second; and, in
+less than no time the whole of the fruit had passed from the dish into
+his digestive organs, and he was intently gathering up, with the tips of
+his licked fingers, the few grains of sugar left at the bottom of the
+dish.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;I was unwell and had no appetite to-day,&quot; he then innocently remarked,
+as he lifted up his head.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Oh, I hope you will come again when you are quite well,&quot; said I, &quot;but
+you must promise not to eat the table, because it does not belong to me.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>A good deal of the native voracity is due, however, not to this
+insatiable appetite and gluttony alone, but also to Corean etiquette,
+according to which it shows a want of respect to the host and is a mark
+of great rudeness not to eat all that is placed before one. If all is not
+eaten they argue that you do not like it and <a name='Page_147'></a>consider it to be badly
+cooked or inferior to what you have at home. The notion of a normal
+capacity is strange to them, and never even enters their mind. They are
+trained from childhood to eat huge quantities of food, and to take
+heartily all that they can get. I have seen children with thin little
+bellies so extended after a meal, in the course of which they had been
+stuffed with rice and barley, that they could hardly walk or even
+breathe. I recollect on one occasion remarking to a mother, who was
+beamingly showing me her child in a similar condition: &quot;Are you not
+afraid that his skin will give way?&quot; &quot;Oh no! Look!&quot; Upon which she
+stuffed down his little throat three or four more spoonfuls of rice. I
+have been thankful ever since that I was not born a Corean child.</p>
+
+<p>When the Coreans eat in their own houses, the men of the family take
+their meals first, being waited on by their wives and servants; after
+which the females have their repast in a separate room. The women seldom
+drink intoxicants, and have to be satisfied with water and rice-wash.</p>
+
+<p>It is the duty of the wife to look after the welfare of her husband, and
+when she has fed him, and he has drowsily laid himself down on the
+ground, or on his little mattress, as the case may be, she retires, and
+after having had her food either goes to see her friends or to wash her
+master's clothes, or else goes to sleep.</p>
+
+<p>The people of Cho-sen are fond of keeping late hours; and yet I believe
+there are no people in the world who are more fond of sleep. So far as my
+observations go, the richer people spend their lives entirely in eating
+and sleeping. Whenever I went to <a name='Page_148'></a>call on a Corean gentleman, I
+invariably found him either gorging or in the arms of Morpheus. Naturally
+a life of this sort makes the upper classes soft, and somewhat
+effeminate. They are much given to sensual pleasures, and many a man of
+Cho-sen is reduced to a perfect wreck when he ought to be in his prime.
+The habit of drinking more than is proper is really a national
+institution, and what with over feeding, drunkenness, and other vices it
+is not astounding that the upper ten do not show to great advantage. The
+Coreans are most irregular in their habits, for, slumbering as they do at
+all hours of the day, they often feel sleepless at night, and are
+compelled in consequence to sit up. On these occasions songs are roused,
+and dominoes (san-pi-yen), chess (chan-kin), or occasionally card games
+are started until another <i>siesta</i> is felt to be required. Cards,
+however, are seldom played by the upper classes; for they are considered
+a low amusement, only fit for coolies and soldiers. On grand occasions it
+is not unusual for the <i>bon-vivant</i> of Cho-sen to sit up all night, with
+his friends, feasting to such an extent that he and his guests are ill
+for months afterwards.</p>
+
+<p>The Corean nobleman, as may well be imagined, suffers from chronic
+indigestion, and whenever one happens to inquire after his health the
+answer invariably is: &quot;I have eaten something that has disagreed with me,
+I have a pain here.&quot; And the hand is placed on the chest, in a mournful
+but expressive enough attitude.</p>
+
+<p>The modes of illumination adopted in the Corean household are few and
+simple. The most common <a name='Page_149'></a>illuminant consists of grease candles, supported
+on high candlesticks, of wood or brass, but sometimes oil cup-lamps are
+found, like those we use for night-lights. The latter, however, do not
+give out much light, and so candles, which are marvellously cheap, are
+preferred, although unfortunately they melt quickly, and smoke and smell
+in a dreadful fashion.</p>
+
+<p>Besides the various articles of domestic furniture which I have
+mentioned, I don't think I saw any others worth noticing, except perhaps
+the &quot;autograph&quot; of some great man, to which the Coreans attach much
+importance. The paper, on which the &quot;character&quot; is written, is stretched
+on a wooden frame and hung in a prominent place, generally over the
+entrance, and whenever a new visitor enters the house, the first thing
+shown him is the &quot;autograph,&quot; and it is his duty then to compliment his
+host on his good fortune of possessing it.</p>
+
+<p>We have now examined all the various striking features characteristic of
+the Corean household. Let us, then, now go outside again. The streets of
+the town could not be more tortuous and irregular. With the exception of
+the main thoroughfares, most of the streets are hardly wide enough to let
+four people walk abreast. The drainage is carried away in uncovered
+channels alongside the house, in the street itself; and, the windows
+being directly over these drains, the good people of Cho-sen, when inside
+their homes, cannot breathe without inhaling the fumes exhaled from the
+fetid matter stagnant underneath. When rain falls, matters get somewhat
+better; for then the running water cleans these canals to a considerable
+<a name='Page_150'></a>extent. During the winter months, also, things are passable enough, for
+then everything is frozen; but, in the beginning of spring, when frozen
+nature undergoes the process of thawing, then it is that one wishes to be
+deprived of his nose. At the entrance of each house a stone slab is
+thrown across to the doorway so as to cover the ditch. Only the
+foundations of the town houses are made of solid stone, well cemented,
+but in the case of country dwellings these are extended upwards so as to
+make up one-half of the whole height, the upper part being of mud, stuck
+on to a rough matting of bamboos and split canes.</p>
+
+
+
+<hr class="full" />
+<a name='CHAPTER_X'></a><h2><a name='Page_151'></a>CHAPTER X</h2>
+
+<div class='Ptoc'>A Corean marriage&mdash;How marriages are arranged&mdash;The wedding ceremony&mdash;The
+document&mdash;In the nuptial-chamber&mdash;Wife's
+conduct&mdash;Concubines&mdash;Widows&mdash;Seduction&mdash;Adultery&mdash;Purchasing a
+husband&mdash;Love&mdash;Intrigue&mdash;Official &quot;squeezing&quot;&mdash;The cause.</div>
+<br />
+
+<p>Among the several misfortunes, or fortunes, if you prefer the word, with
+which a Corean man has to put up is an early marriage. He is hardly born,
+when his father begins to look out for a wife for him, and scarcely has
+he time to know that he is living in the world at all than he finds
+himself wedded.... The Coreans marry very young. I have seen boys of ten
+or twelve years of age who had already discarded the bachelor's long
+tress hanging down the back, and were wearing the top-knot of the married
+man. It must not be supposed, however, that these youthful married men
+are really wedded in the strict sense of the word, for, as a matter of
+fact, though husband and wife in the eyes of the world, the two do not
+live together till the age of puberty is reached. In other words, the
+marriage is for several years only a nominal one, and corresponds rather
+to our &quot;engagement.&quot; There are duties, none the less, which a married man
+must perform, no matter how youthful he may be. From the moment he is
+wedded he must be a man, however childlike in years, and henceforth he
+can associate only <a name='Page_152'></a>with men. His infantile games, romps with other
+children who are still bachelors, spinning tops and all other amusements,
+which he so much enjoyed, are suddenly brought to an end and he is now
+compelled to be as sedate as an old man.</p>
+
+<p>The illustration (p. <a href='#Page_79'>79</a>) shows a young married man of the age of twelve,
+a relation of the queen. As I was taking his portrait, I asked him how he
+liked his wife and what her appearance was.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;I do not know,&quot; he said, &quot;for I have only seen her once, and I have as
+yet never spoken to her.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;But, then, how can you like her?&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Because it is my father's wish that I should, and I must obey my
+father.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Does your father know the girl well?&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;No, but he knows her father.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;And what does your mother say?&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;She says nothing.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Why?&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Because she is dead.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>I found this an excellent reason for the silence on the mother's side and
+I proceeded with the picture, but once again attacked him with the view
+of, if possible, obtaining further information.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;When will you go and live with your wife?&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;When I shall be nineteen or twenty years old.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>The whole arrangement seemed to me so strange that I naturally longed for
+further details about marital relations in Cho-sen. The facts as told to
+me are as follows: In Cho-senese weddings the two people least concerned
+are the bride and bridegroom. Everything, or at least nearly everything,
+is done for them, <a name='Page_153'></a>either by their relations or through the agency of a
+middle-man. When both the persons to be wedded possess fathers, a
+friendly <i>pourparler</i> takes place between the two papas and in the course
+of repeated libations of wine, the terms are settled, and with the help
+of a &quot;wise man&quot; a lucky day is named, upon which the wedding shall take
+place. On the other hand, should the bridegroom have no father, then a
+middle-man is appointed by the nearest relations to carry on the
+transaction with the girl's progenitor. It is not uncommon for two
+persons to be married several years without ever having seen each other.
+This, for instance, may be the case when the young lady resides in a
+distant province, and a journey of inspection would be too expensive.
+Under such circumstances the bridegroom must just patiently wait until,
+perhaps, years after, the bride undertakes the journey herself and comes
+to live with him in his house.</p>
+
+<p>After all, on thinking the matter over and bearing in mind that with us a
+marriage is indeed <i>a</i> lottery, I cannot see why the Corean wedding
+should not be equivalent to <i>two</i> lotteries! Very often, weddings are
+arranged by letter, in which case misunderstandings frequently occur. For
+instance, a father who has two daughters, a sound one and a cripple, may
+have arranged for the one in good condition to be married to a charming
+young man of good education and means. When the day of the wedding,
+however, arrives, judge of the surprise of the bridegroom to see himself
+on the point of being united in matrimony with a humpback lame creature,
+with a face and limbs all out of drawing&mdash;in place of the ideal beauty
+whom <a name='Page_154'></a>he had expected to obtain. What is to be done? There is the written
+agreement, down in black and white, and signed by his incautious father,
+and there the father of the maid swearing that it was &quot;this&quot; daughter he
+meant to give him, not the beautiful one! What is to be done under such
+circumstances so as not to cause grief to his parent, except to go
+through with the wedding with courage and dignity, and to provide himself
+with some good-looking concubines at the earliest opportunity?</p>
+
+<p>The practice of having concubines is a national institution and of the
+nature of polygamy. These second wives are not exactly recognised by the
+Government, but they are tolerated and openly allowed. The legal wife
+herself is well aware of the fact, and, though not always willing to have
+these rivals staying under the same roof, she does not at all object to
+receiving them and entertaining them in her own quarters&mdash;if her lord and
+master orders her to do so. There are, nevertheless, strong-minded women
+in the land of Cho-sen, who resent the intrusion of these thirds, and
+family dissension not unfrequently results from the husband indulging in
+such conduct. Should the wife abandon her master's roof in despair he can
+rightfully have her brought back and publicly spanked with an instrument
+like a paddle, a somewhat severe punishment, which is apt to bring back
+to reason the most ill-tempered and strong-willed woman. Such a thing,
+though, very seldom happens, for, as women go, the Corean specimens of
+feminine humanity seem to be very sensible, and not much given to
+jealousy or to worrying their little heads unnecessarily about such
+<a name='Page_155'></a>small failings. They are perfectly well aware that their husbands cannot
+easily divorce them, when once the fatal knot has been tied, and that,
+though practically inferior beings and slaves, they nevertheless come
+first, and are above their rivals in the eye of the law; which, I
+suppose, is satisfaction enough for them. Even when on friendly terms
+with her husband's second loves, the wife number one never forgets to
+impress them with the fact that, though tolerated, they are considered by
+her to be much lower beings than herself; which makes them feel all the
+more her studied politeness to them. Occasionally, however, even the
+cool-headed Corean woman gets possessed with the vice of envy&mdash;sometimes
+mixed with hatred&mdash;with the result that reciprocal scratches and tearings
+of the hair become <i>l'ordre du jour</i>. But to condescend to such means of
+asserting one's authority is looked down upon by the more respectable
+women; and suffering in silence is pronounced to be a nobler way of
+acting under the circumstances, the woman thus setting an example of good
+nature eliciting the admiration of all her neighbours.</p>
+
+<p>The wedding ceremony in Cho-sen is simple. It is not celebrated as with
+us, in the house of the bride, but in that of the bridegroom. The bride
+it is, who&mdash;carried in a palanquin, if a lady of means and good family,
+or on pony or donkey back, if she belongs to the lower classes&mdash;goes,
+followed by parents, relations and friends, to the house of the
+bridegroom. Here she finds assembled his friends and relations, and,
+having been received by the father of the bridegroom, she mounts a small
+platform erected for the purpose <a name='Page_156'></a>in the centre of the room and squats
+down. Her father follows suit, placing himself just behind her. The
+bridegroom, apparently unconcerned by the serious change in his life that
+is in prospect, sits on his heels in front of her on the platform. A
+document is then produced and unrolled, on which, in hundreds of
+fantastic Chinese characters, it is certified that the performance taking
+place is a <i>bon&acirc;-fide</i> marriage between Mr. So-and-so and the daughter of
+So-and-so; the weaker sex, as we have already seen, not being entitled to
+a personal name. The two contracting parties having signed the document,
+the fathers of the bride and bridegroom and the nearest relations, follow
+suit. If, as happens in many cases, the woman is able neither to read nor
+write, she can make &quot;her mark&quot; on the roll of paper in question; and I
+must confess that of all the ingenious marks I have seen, this one is the
+most ingenious of all. If she be a lady of rank and illiterate, her
+little hand is placed on the paper and the outline drawn round the
+fingers and wrist with a fine brush dipped in Chinese ink; but if she
+happens to have no blue blood in her veins, and is, therefore, of less
+gracious manners, the simpler process of smearing her hand with black
+paint and hitting the document with it is considered to render the
+ceremony more impressive. A more or less vivid impression of the wife's
+fleshly seal having been affixed in this way to some part or other of the
+document according to her skill in aiming, the two unfortunates resume
+their dignity on the platform, sitting face to face without a word or
+motion. The bridegroom then makes four grand bows to his wife, in sign of
+resignation or assent,<a name='Page_157'></a> I suppose; and she returns two, while she treats
+her father-in-law with double that amount of reverence. This constitutes
+the marriage ceremony proper, but much further bowing has to be gone
+through by both the parties to each of the people present, who,
+accompanying their wedding-gifts of birds and fish with pretty
+compliments, come forward, one by one, to the platform and drink the
+health, happiness and joy of the wedded pair. It is the duty of the bride
+to remain perfectly mute and apparently unconcerned at all the pretty
+speeches addressed to her by the bridegroom and his friends until the
+nuptial-chamber is entered later in the evening. Previous to this,
+however, the bridegroom is taken away into the men's apartment, while, on
+the other hand, the wife is led into the ladies' own room. The former
+then has his tress cut off and tied into a top-knot&mdash;an operation
+entrusted to his best friend; while the latter also has her hair changed
+from the fashion of the maiden to that of a married woman, by her most
+intimate friend. It is only after this change in the coiffure that a man
+begins to be taken notice of in the world, or is regarded as responsible
+for his own conduct.</p>
+
+<p>After being arrayed in the fashion just mentioned, and having gone
+through a good deal of feasting, husband and wife are led off to the
+nuptial-chamber. Here, numerous straw puppets, which had better be left
+undescribed, are placed, with a certain implication, which need not be
+explained. With these, then, the two poor wretches are shut in, while all
+the relations and servants sit outside giggling and listening at the
+door. The wife is not supposed to utter a sound, and <a name='Page_158'></a>if by chance her
+voice is heard she can fully expect to have her life chaffed out of her,
+and to be the talk and the cause of good-natured fun all over the
+neighbourhood. The middle-men&mdash;either the fathers or others&mdash;are entitled
+to assist at the first-night business, and to report to the relations and
+friends whether the marriage is to turn out a happy one or not. They
+generally act their part behind a screen placed for the purpose in the
+nuptial-chamber.</p>
+
+<p>What happens is generally this: the man either takes a violent fancy for
+his new bride or else he does not care for her. If the former is the
+case, the first fortnight or so is a very happy one for the couple, and
+the two are continually by each other's side; but, by-and-by, of course,
+the ardour of these days gets quieted down, and, to show his wife that
+after all he does not think much of her, the man will even proceed to
+enter into relationship with a second wife, and probably soon after that
+also with a third or even a fourth, according to his means. After a time,
+he will again return to the first and principal wife, and repeat to her a
+certain amount of affection, though never quite so much as is displayed
+towards the last love. The Corean treats his wife with dignity and
+kindness, and feeds her well, but she is never allowed to forget that she
+is an inferior personage. To this, however, the women of Cho-sen seem
+quite resigned, and it is marvellous how faithful they are to their
+husbands, and how much they seem to think of them and their welfare and
+happiness, their own selves being quite forgotten. Should a woman of the
+better classes be left, a widow, she must wear mourning as long as she
+lives, and ever <a name='Page_159'></a>shed tears over the loss of her husband. To re-marry she
+is not permitted. Women of the lower classes, it is true, do not always
+observe this rule&mdash;which is not law, but merely etiquette.</p>
+
+<p>Many a Cho-sen lady, also, on finding herself deprived of her better half
+when she is still young in years and physique voluntarily puts an end to
+her days, that she may join her husband, wherever he may have gone,
+rather than go through life alone. If, however, a son is born, she will
+nurse him, and look upon him as her master when he grows older and
+becomes the head of the family.</p>
+
+<p>To obtain a divorce in Corea is not an easy matter. Large sums of money,
+however, often obtain what right cannot. The principal causes for which,
+if proved, a divorce can be obtained, are: infidelity, sterility,
+dishonesty, and incurable malady. These faults, be it understood, only
+apply to women, for against the men the weaker sex has, unfortunately, no
+redress. Indeed, by the law of Corea a man becomes the owner of a woman
+if he can prove that he has had intimate relations with her. In such a
+case as this, even though it has been against her parents' and her own
+will, he has a perfect right to take her to his house, and make her a
+wife or a concubine.</p>
+
+<p>Adultery until lately was punished in Corea with flogging and capital
+punishment. Now the law is more lenient, and wives accused of such a
+dreadful offence are beaten nearly to death, and when recovered, if they
+do recover, are given as concubines to low officials in the Palace or at
+some of the <i>Yamens</i>.</p>
+
+<p>Women who are much deformed and have reached <a name='Page_160'></a>a certain age without
+finding a husband are allowed the privilege of purchasing one, which, in
+other words, corresponds to our marriage for money. In Corea, however,
+the money is paid down as the consideration for the marriage. But this
+sort of thing is not very frequent, and husbands in such cases are
+generally recruited from among ruined gentlemen or from the middle
+classes, among whom with money anything can be done. It is not considered
+quite honourable, and the Cho-senese despise such conduct on the part of
+a man.</p>
+
+<p>When a woman marries she becomes co-proprietress of all her husband's
+fortune and property, and should he die without having any sons, money
+and land descend to her. When this happens, however, the larger part of
+the fortune is swallowed up by the astrologers and priests, who give the
+woman to understand that they are looking after the welfare of her
+deceased beloved. In matters concerning the dead, the Coreans are
+heedless of expense, and large sums are spent in satisfying the wishes
+that dead people convey to the living through those scamps, the
+astrologers.</p>
+
+<p>The life of a Corean woman, though that of a slave kept in strict
+seclusion, with prospects of floggings and head-chopping, is not always
+devoid of adventures. Love is a thing which is capricious in the extreme,
+and there are stories current in Cho-sen about young, wives being
+carelessly looked after by their husbands, and falling in love with some
+good-looking youth, of course married to some one else. Having, perhaps,
+against her master's orders, made a hole <a name='Page_161'></a>through the paper window, and
+been peeping at the passers-by in the street, after months, or even years
+of drudgery and sleepless nights thinking of her ideal&mdash;for Corean women
+are passionate, and much given to fanciful affections&mdash;she at last
+chances to see the man of her heart, and manages, through the well-paid
+agency of some faithful servant, to enter into communication with him. If
+the man in question happens to be a high official or a nobleman, what
+happens generally is that the lady's husband either gets suddenly packed
+off by order of the King to some distant province, or is sent upon some
+travelling employment which probably necessitates his leaving his wife
+behind for several years, during which period, under the old-fashioned
+excuse of news received of the husband's death, or the plea of poverty,
+she very likely becomes the concubine of the man she loves. In Corean
+literature, there are many stories of the burning affections of the fair
+sex, some being said to have committed crimes, and even suicide, to be
+near the man they loved.</p>
+
+<p>To a European mind, certainly, the native way of arranging marriages does
+not seem very likely to make the contracting parties happy, for neither
+the tastes nor respective temperaments of the young couple are regarded.
+Still, taking everything into consideration, it is marvellous how little
+unhappiness&mdash;comparatively&mdash;there is in a Corean household. Besides, it
+must not be supposed that, slave though she be, the Corean woman never
+gets things her own way. On the contrary, she does, and that as often as
+she likes. Among the upper classes, especially those <a name='Page_162'></a>about the Court,
+half the trouble in the kingdom is caused by the women, not openly,
+indeed, but in a clever underhand way through their <i>enerv&eacute;</i> husbands,
+whom, instead of being the governors, they rule and lead by the nose.
+Promotions, punishments, and beheadings are generally the consequence of
+the work of some female fiend. There is probably no place in the world in
+which intrigue is so rampant as in the Corean Capital. The Queen herself
+is said to exercise an enormous influence over the King, and, according
+to Corean reports, it is really she, and not the King, that rules
+Cho-sen. She is never either seen or heard of; and yet all the officials
+are frightened out of their lives if they think they have incurred her
+displeasure. For no plausible reason whatever men are sometimes seen
+deprived of their high position, degraded and exiled. Nobody knows why it
+is; the accused themselves cannot account for it. There is only one
+answer possible, namely, <i>Cherchez la femme</i>. The fact is, a Corean woman
+can be an angel and she can be a devil. If the former, she is soft, good,
+willing to bear any amount of pain, incredibly faithful to her husband,
+painstaking with her children, and willing to work day and night without
+a word of reproach. If, however, she is the other thing, I do not think
+that any devils in existence can beat her. She then has all the bad
+qualities that a human body can contain. I firmly believe that when a
+Corean woman is bad she is capable of anything! Much of the distress,
+even, which prevails all over the country is more or less due to the
+weakness of the stronger sex towards the women. Everybody, I suppose, is
+aware of the <a name='Page_163'></a>terrible system of &quot;squeezing&quot;; that is to say, the
+extortion of money from any one who may possess it. It is really painful
+all over Corea to see the careworn, sad expression on everybody's face;
+you see the natives lying about idle and pensive, doubtful as to what
+their fate will be to-morrow, all anxious for a reform in the mode of
+government, yet all too lazy to attempt to better their position, and
+this has gone on for generations! Such is human nature. It is hard to
+suffer, but this is considered to be nothing compared with the trouble of
+improving one's position.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;What is the use of working and making money,&quot; said a Corean once to me,
+&quot;if, when the work is done and the money made, it is taken from you by
+the officials; you are worn out by the work you have done, yet are as
+poor as before, that is, mind you, if you are fortunate enough not to be
+exiled to a distant province by the magistrate who has enriched himself
+at your expense?&quot; &quot;Now,&quot; added the Cho-senese, looking earnestly into my
+face, &quot;would you work under those circumstances?&quot; &quot;I am hanged if I
+would,&quot; were the words which, to the best of my ability, I struggled to
+translate into the language of Cho-sen, in order to show my approval of
+these philosophic views; &quot;but, tell me, what do the officials do with all
+the money?&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;It is all spent in pleasure. Women are their ruin. The feasts which they
+celebrate with their singers and their concubines cost immense sums of
+money. Besides, their women are like leeches, and continually incite them
+to extort more and more from the public to satisfy their ambition and
+evil habits. They are <a name='Page_164'></a>women mostly born in dirt, but who now find
+themselves in lavishness and luxury. People who spring up from nothing
+never are satisfied with what they possess, and it is always a pleasure
+to them to see other people suffering as they formerly did.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>There is little doubt that what the Corean said is perfectly true, and
+that the system of &quot;squeezing&quot; is carried on by the magistrates to such
+an extent as to entirely ruin the people; wherefore, it is only natural
+that its depressing effects should be impressed upon the people
+&quot;squeezed.&quot; I also believe that there is a good deal of truth in what he
+said about their females being supplied with large funds by the
+magistrates. The money must come from some part, and since, personally,
+they are poor and only receive a small pay, there is no doubt that the
+money in question is extorted as described. But let this suffice for the
+good and bad qualities of the Cho-sen fairies and their funny way of
+being married.</p>
+
+<p class="ctr"><a href="./images/22.jpg"><img src="./images/22_th.jpg"
+alt="THE MARK"></a></p><p class="ctr">THE MARK</p>
+
+
+
+<hr class="full" />
+<a name='CHAPTER_XI'></a><h2><a name='Page_165'></a>CHAPTER XI</h2>
+
+<div class='Ptoc'>Painting in Seoul&mdash;Messages from the king&mdash;Royal princes sitting for
+their portraits&mdash;Breaking the mourning law&mdash;Quaint notions&mdash;Delight and
+despair&mdash;Calling in of State ceremony&mdash;Corean soldiers&mdash;How they mount
+guard&mdash;Drill&mdash;Honours&mdash;A much admired shoe&mdash;A gift.</div>
+<br />
+
+<p>I had made so many sketches in Seoul, that at last a rumour reached the
+Court of the rapidity with which I portrayed streets and people. The
+consequence was that both king and princes were very anxious to see what
+&quot;European painting&quot; was like, as they had never yet seen a picture
+painted by a European; so one fine day, to my great astonishment, through
+the kindness of Mr. Greathouse and General Le Gendre, I was able to
+induce one of the Queen's nephews, young Min-san-ho, to sit for his
+likeness in his Court dress. The picture, a life-size one, was painted in
+the course of an afternoon and was pronounced a success by my Corean
+critics. In Cho-senese eyes, unaccustomed to the effects of light, shade,
+and variety of colour in painting, the work merited a great deal of
+admiration, and many were the visitors who came to inspect it. It was
+not, they said, at all like a picture, but just like the man himself
+sitting donned in his white Court robes and winged cap. So great was the
+sensation produced by this portrait, that before many days had <a name='Page_166'></a>passed
+the King ordered it to be brought into his presence, upon which being
+done he sat gazing at it, surrounded by his family and whole household.
+The painting was kept at the Palace for two entire days, and when
+returned to me was simply covered with finger marks, royal and not royal,
+smeared on the paint, which was still moist, and that, notwithstanding
+that I had been provident enough to paste in a corner of the canvas a
+label in the Corean language to the effect that fingers were to be kept
+off. The King declared himself so satisfied with it that he expressed the
+wish that before leaving the country I should paint the portraits of the
+two most important personages in Cho-sen after himself, viz.: the two
+Princes, Min-Young-Huan, and Min-Young-Chun, the former of whom was
+Commander-in-chief of the Corean land forces, and the other, Prime
+Minister of the kingdom, in fact, the Bismarck of Cho-sen.</p>
+
+<p>No sooner had I answered &quot;yes&quot; to this request than the sitting was fixed
+for the next morning at 11 o'clock. The crucial matter, of course, was
+the question of precedence, and this would have been difficult to settle
+had not the Prime Minister caught a bad cold, which caused his sitting to
+be delayed for some days. Hence it was that at 11 o'clock punctually I
+was to portray prince Min-Young-Huan, the commander-in-chief of the
+Corean troops.</p>
+
+<p>General Le Gendre, with his usual kindness, had offered me a room in his
+house, in which I could receive, and paint His Royal Highness. The
+excitement at Court on the subject of these pictures, had apparently been
+great, for late at night a message was</p><a name='Page_167'></a>
+<p class="ctr"><a href="./images/23.jpg"><img src="./images/23_th.jpg"
+alt="H.R.H. PRINCE MIN-YOUNG-HUAN"></a></p><p class="ctr">H.R.H. PRINCE MIN-YOUNG-HUAN</p>
+<p>brought me from the palace to the effect that the King,
+having heard that I preferred painting the two princes in their smartest
+dark blue gowns of lovely silk instead of in their white mourning ones,
+had given Min orders to comply with my wish. The grant of such a
+privilege was, indeed, remarkable, when it is remembered how strict the
+rules as to mourning were, not only at Court, but all over the country;
+for so strict are the mourning rules of the country, that the slightest
+exception to them may mean the loss of one's head. The precaution,
+however, was taken to bind me to secrecy, on the ground that a bad
+example of this kind coming from royalty might actually cause a
+revolutionary outbreak. It was naturally with the greatest pleasure, at
+my success, and the courtesy shown me, that I went to bed, not, however,
+without having received yet another message from General Le Gendre,
+asking me to be in attendance punctually at 11 A.M.</p>
+
+<p>It was just 6.30 in the morning, when there was a loud tap at my door,
+and the servant rushed in, in the wildest state of excitement, handing me
+a note from General Le Gendre. The note read somewhat as follows: &quot;Dear
+Mr. Landor, Prince Min has arrived at my house to sit for his picture.
+Please come at once.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>That is punctuality, is it not? To make an appointment, and go to the
+place to keep it four-and-a-half hours before the time appointed!</p>
+
+<p>In less than no time I was on the spot. Le Gendre's house was, as it
+were, in a state of siege, for hundreds of armed soldiers were drawn up,
+in the little lane leading to it, while the court of his compound <a name='Page_168'></a>was
+crammed with followers and officers, in their smartest clothes. The
+warriors, who had already made themselves comfortable, and were squatting
+on their heels, playing cards and other games, got up most respectfully
+as I passed, and, by command of one of the officers, rendered me a
+military salute, which I must confess made me feel very important. I had
+never suspected that such an armed force was necessary to protect a man
+who was going to have his portrait painted, but of course, I am well
+aware that artists are always most unreliable people. When the real
+reason of this display was explained, I did indeed feel much flattered.</p>
+
+<p>The Prince had, in fact, come to me in his grandest style, and with his
+full escort, just as if his object had been to call on some royal
+personage, such as the King himself. The compliment was, I need hardly
+say, much appreciated by me. I was actually lifted up the steps of the
+house by his servants, for it was supposed that the legs of such a grand
+personage must indeed be incapable of bearing his body, and thus I was
+brought into his presence. As usual, he was most affable, and full of wit
+and fun. So great had been his anxiety to be down on canvas, that he had
+been quite unable to sleep. He could only wish for the daylight to come,
+which was to immortalise him, and that was why he had come &quot;a little&quot;
+before his time.</p>
+
+<p>Having assured himself that there was no one else in the room, he
+discarded his mourning clothes, and put on a magnificent blue silk gown
+with baggy sleeves, upon which dragons were depicted, in rather <a name='Page_169'></a>lighter
+tones. On his chest, he wore a square on which in multicoloured
+embroideries were represented the flying phoenix and the tiger, and the
+corners of which were filled in artistically with numerous scrolls. He
+had also a rectangular jewelled metal belt, projecting both at his chest
+and at the back, and held in position by a ribbon on both sides of his
+body. His cap was of the finest black horse-hair with wings fastened at
+the back. He seemed most proud of his three white leather satchels, and a
+writing pad, which hung down from his left side, by wide white straps.
+Into these straps, in time of war, is passed the sword of supreme
+command, and by them in time of peace is his high military rank made
+known. His sword was a magnificent old blade, which had been handed down
+from his ancestors, and naturally he was very proud of it. While showing
+it to me, he related the noble deeds, which had been accomplished by its
+aid, his eyes glistening all the time, but, as he was about to
+graphically describe in what way such and such an ancestor had done away
+with his foe, I, who am not at all fond of playing with razor-edged
+swords, thought it prudent to interrupt him by placing him in position
+for the picture. As I posed him, he did not utter a word, nor wink an
+eye. And during the whole of a sitting of nearly three hours he sat
+motionless and speechless, like a statue.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;It is finished,&quot; I finally said, and he sprang up in a childish fashion
+and came over to look at the work. His delight was unbounded, and he
+seized my hand and shook it for nearly half an hour; after which, he
+suddenly became grave, stared at the canvas, <a name='Page_170'></a>and then looked at the back
+of it. He seemed horrified.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;What is it?&quot; I inquired of His Royal Highness.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;You have not put in my jade decoration,&quot; said he, almost in despair.</p>
+
+<p>I had, of course, painted his portrait full face, and as the Coreans have
+the strange notion of wearing their decorations in the shape of a small
+button of jade, gold, silver or amber, behind the left ear, these did not
+appear thereon. I then tried to remonstrate, saying that it was
+impossible in European art to accomplish such a feat as to show both
+front and back at once, but, as he seemed distressed at what to him
+seemed a defect, I made him sit again, and compromised the matter by
+making another large but rapid sketch of him from a side point of view,
+so as to include the decoration and the rest rather magnified in size. It
+is from this portrait that the illustration is taken; for I corrected it
+as soon as he was out of sight. But with this second portrait my Corean
+sitter was more grieved than ever, for, he remarked, now he could see the
+decoration, but not his other eye!</p>
+
+<p>These difficulties having, with the exercise of a good deal of patience
+and time, been finally overcome by my proving to him that one cannot see
+through things that are not transparent, we were entertained by General
+Le Gendre to an excellent lunch, during which toasts to the health of
+everybody under the sun were drunk in numberless bottles of champagne.
+Then he began to wax quite enthusiastic about his likeness. He called in
+his officers and followers; by this time, of course, he had got into his
+mourning <a name='Page_171'></a>clothes again, and donned his semi-spherical crane-surmounted
+hat; and they all showed great admiration of the work, although many went
+round, as he had done, to look at the backs of the two canvases to find
+&quot;the eye,&quot; or the other missing &quot;button.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>He wanted to purchase both pictures there and then, but I declined,
+saying that I would be pleased to present him with a smaller copy when
+completed. With this promise he departed happy.</p>
+
+<p>Now it was the turn of his Prime Minister brother, Prince Min. He also
+came in full state, with hundreds of servants and followers, hours before
+his time; was a most restless model; and, having profited by his
+brother's experience, was continually coming over to examine the painting
+and reminding me not to forget this and that and the other
+thing&mdash;generally what was on the other side of his body, or what from my
+point of vantage I could not see. This time, however, I had chosen a
+three-quarter face pose, and he expressed the fullest satisfaction with
+the result, until, going to poke his nose into the canvas, which was
+about 4 feet by 3, he began to take objections to the shadows. He
+insisted that his face was all perfectly white; whereas I had made
+one-half his nose darker in colour than the other; also that there was
+the same defect under the chin; his untrained mind being unable to grasp
+the fact that the same colour under different lights becomes lighter or
+darker in tone. I would have lost my patience with him if I had had any
+to lose, but, remaining silent, I smiled idiotically at his observations,
+and did exactly the reverse of what he wished me to do. The beautifying
+touches having <a name='Page_172'></a>been duly added, and the high lights put in where it
+seemed proper that they should go, I summoned the Prince to see the
+effect, this time building up a barricade of chairs and tables in front
+of the canvas, in order that His Royal Highness might be compelled to
+conduct his examination of it at the right distance. This had the desired
+effect, and, as he now gazed at it, he found the likeness excellent and
+to use his words &quot;just like a living other-self.&quot; It seemed to him a most
+inexplicable circumstance that when he got his nose close to the canvas
+the picture appeared so different from what it was when inspected at the
+right distance. This sitting also ended with a feast, and everything
+passed off in the best of ways.</p>
+
+<p>The result of this amicable intercourse with the Royal Princes was that
+calls had to be duly exchanged according to the rules of Corean
+etiquette. Both Princes came again in their state array to call upon me
+in person, a privilege which I was told had never before been bestowed on
+any Europeans, not even the Diplomatic Agents in the land, after which
+upon the following day I proceeded to return their calls.</p>
+
+<p>The morning was dedicated to the commander-in-chief, Prince
+Min-Young-Huan. Since to go on foot, even though the distance was only a
+few hundred yards from Mr. Greathouse's, where I was living, would have
+been, according to Corean etiquette, a disgrace and an insult, I rode up
+to his door on horseback. His house stood, surrounded by a strong wall of
+masonry and with impregnable iron-banded gates, in the centre of a large
+piece of ground. His ensign flew at one corner of the enclosure, and a
+detachment <a name='Page_173'></a>of picked troops was always at his beck and call in the
+immediate neighbourhood. At the door were sentries, and it was curious to
+note the way in which guard is mounted in the land of Cho-sen.</p>
+
+<p>I suppose what I am going to narrate will not be believed, but it is none
+the less perfectly true. The Corean Tommy Atkins mounts guard curled up
+in a basket filled with rags and cotton-wool! Even at the royal palace
+one sees them. The Cho-senese warrior is not a giant; on the contrary, he
+is very small, only a little over five feet, or even less, so that the
+round basket which contains him is made only about four feet in diameter,
+and three-and-a-half feet deep. In the inner enclosures of the royal
+palace, where two soldiers at a time are on guard, the baskets are
+bigger, and the two men contained in them squat or curl up together like
+two birds in a nest. Their rifles are generally left standing against the
+wall; but, occasionally, when the position to be guarded is a very
+responsible one, they are nursed in the basket.</p>
+
+<p>The infantry soldier, seen at his best, is a funny individual. He thinks
+he is dressed like a European soldier, but the reader can imagine the
+resemblance. His head-gear consists of a felt hat with a large brim,
+which he keeps on his head by means of two ribbons tied under his chin;
+for the fashion is, in military circles, to have a head-gear many times
+too small for his head. He wears a pair of calico trousers of a
+nondescript colour resembling green and black, under which his own padded
+&quot;unmentionables&quot; are concealed, a fact which of itself is sufficient to
+make him look a little <a name='Page_174'></a>baggy. Then there is his shortish coat with large
+sleeves and woollen wristlets; and a belt, with a brass buckle, somewhere
+about five inches above or below his waist, according to the amount of
+dinner he has eaten and the purses he has stuffed under his coat. Yes,
+the Coreans are not yet civilised enough to possess pockets, and all that
+they have to carry must be stuffed into small leather, cloth, or silk
+purses with long strings. By ordinary individuals these purses are
+fastened inside or outside the coat, but among the military it is
+strictly forbidden to show purses over the coat; wherefore the regulation
+method is to carry these underneath, tied to the trouser's band.
+Accordingly, as the number of purses is larger or smaller, the belt over
+the jacket is higher or lower on the waist, the coat sticking out in the
+most ridiculous manner.</p>
+
+<p>In the illustration a Corean warrior of the latest fashion may be seen in
+his full uniform. He is an infantry soldier.</p>
+
+<p>The guns with which these men are armed, are of all sorts, descriptions
+and ages, from the old flint-locks to repeating breech-loaders, and it
+can easily be imagined how difficult it must be to train the troops,
+hardly two soldiers having guns of even a similar make! A couple of
+American Army instructors were employed by the King to coach the soldiery
+in the art of foreign warfare, and to teach them how to use their
+weapons, but, if I remember rightly, one of the greatest difficulties
+they had to contend with was the utter want of discipline; for to this
+the easy-going Corean Tommy Atkins could on no account be made</p><a name='Page_175'></a>
+<p class="ctr"><a href="./images/24.jpg"><img src="./images/24_th.jpg"
+alt="AN INFANTRY SOLDIER"></a></p><p class="ctr">AN INFANTRY SOLDIER</p>
+<p>to submit. They are brave enough
+when it comes to fighting; that is, when this is done in their own way;
+and rather than give way an inch they will die like valiant warriors. It
+is an impossibility, however, to make them understand that when a man is
+a soldier, in European fashion, he is no more a man, but a machine.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Why not have machines altogether?&quot; seemed to be pretty much what they
+thought when compelled to go through the, to them, apparently useless and
+tiresome drill.</p>
+
+<p>The target practice amused and interested them much when it took place,
+which was but seldom, for the cost of the ammunition was found to be too
+much for the authorities; there being, besides, the further difficulty of
+providing different cartridges for the great variety of rifles used. Thus
+it was that, though nearly every infantry soldier possessed a gun, he
+hardly ever had a chance of firing it. So rarely was even a round of
+blank cartridges fired in the capital, that, when this event did take
+place for some purpose or other, the King invariably sent a message to
+the few foreign residents in the town requesting them not to be
+frightened or alarmed at the &quot;report,&quot; or to suppose that a revolution
+had broken out.</p>
+
+<p>Having examined Tommy Atkins at his best, I sent in my name to the
+Prince, and was waiting outside, when suddenly a great noise was heard
+inside, the squeaky locks were unbolted, and gate after gate was thrown
+open. The pony had to be left behind at the gate, and as I entered the
+court, among the chin-chins of the courtiers, I saw the
+Commander-in-chief waiting <a name='Page_176'></a>on the door-step to greet me with
+outstretched arms. Honour after honour was bestowed upon me; which
+extreme politeness amazed me, for Foreign Ministers and Consuls are never
+received in this way, but are led into his presence, while he remains
+comfortably seated in his audience chamber.</p>
+
+<p>He took me by the hand, and, leading me into his reception room,
+maintained a long and most friendly conversation with me, taking the most
+unbounded interest in all matters pertaining to Western civilisation. As
+we were thus busily engaged, &quot;pop,&quot; went the cork of a champagne bottle
+with a frightful explosion, through the paper window, and my interlocutor
+and myself had a regular shower bath, as sudden as it was unexpected.
+Then out of this healths were drunk, the servant who had opened the
+bottle so clumsily, being promised fifty strokes of the paddle at the
+earliest opportunity; after which I rose and bade his Royal Highness
+good-bye. Again, his politeness was extreme, and he accompanied me to the
+door, where, amidst the chin-chins of his followers and the &quot;military
+honours&quot; of the assembled troops, I re-mounted my pony and galloped off
+home.</p>
+
+<p>The same afternoon I paid my visit to the Royal Prime Minister. This
+time, being grown conceited, I suppose, by virtue of the honour received
+in the course of the morning, though in part, perhaps, owing to the
+advice of my friend Mr. Greathouse, who insisted upon my going in grand
+state, I was carried in the &quot;green sedan chair,&quot; the one, namely, which
+is only brought out for officials and princes of the highest rank. I was
+also accorded the full complement of four chair-bearers, <a name='Page_177'></a>and,
+accompanied by the <i>Kissos</i> (soldiers) and servants who were summoned to
+form my escort, I gaily started.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Oooohhhh!&quot; my bearers sighed in a chorus, as they lifted me into the
+sedan and sped me along the crowded streets; while the soldiers shouted
+&quot;Era, Era, Era, Picassa, Picassa!&quot; thrusting to one side the astonished
+natives that stood in the way. As I approached the palace, I noticed that
+rows of other sedan-chairs, but yellow and blue ones, were waiting, their
+official occupants anticipating an audience with the Prince and Prime
+Minister. All these, however, had to make way before me, and a soldier
+having been despatched in advance to inform His Royal Highness of my
+coming, the gates were banged open as I approached them and closed again
+so soon as I was within. The cordial reception which I had received from
+the other prince, was now repeated; and Min Young Chun and his court were
+actually standing on the door-step to receive me.</p>
+
+<p>As I always complied with the habits of the country, I proceeded to take
+off my shoes before entering the house, but the prince, having been
+informed some time or other that such was not the custom in England,
+insisted on my abstaining from doing so. I had already taken off one shoe
+and was proceeding to untie the other when, catching me by one arm and
+his followers by the other, he dragged me in. You can imagine how comical
+and undignified I looked, with one shoe on and the other off! Still, I
+managed to be equal to the occasion, and held a long <i>pourparler</i> with
+the Prince, his courtiers standing around, in a room <a name='Page_178'></a>which he had
+furnished in the European style, with two Chinese chairs and a table!</p>
+
+<p>As we were thus confabulating and I was being entertained with native
+wine and sweets, I received a dreadful blow&mdash;that is to say, a moral one.
+A youth, a relation of the prince, ran into the room and whispered
+something in the royal ears, whereupon his eyes glittered with
+astonishment and curiosity, and in a moment there was a general stampede
+out of the room on the part of all the courtiers and eunuchs. A minute
+after, amidst the deepest silence, was brought triumphantly into the
+audience-room and deposited in the middle of the table:&mdash;what do you
+think?&mdash;my shoe, that, namely, which I had left outside!</p>
+
+<p>Such a blow as this I had never experienced in my life, for the man I was
+calling upon, you must remember, held a position in Corea equal to that
+of the Prince of Wales and Lord Rosebery combined, and if you can imagine
+being entertained by a dignitary of this high order with one of your
+shoes in its right place and the other on the table, you will agree that
+my position was more than comical. It appeared that this special state of
+sensation was produced entirely by the fact that my unfortunate foot-gear
+was made of patent leather, and that, being almost new, it shone
+beautifully. Neither Prince nor Court had ever seen patent leather
+before, and much ravishment, mingled with childish surprise, was on the
+face of everybody, when it was whispered round and believed that the shoe
+was covered with a glass coating. The Prince examined it carefully all
+over, and then passed <a name='Page_179'></a>it round to his courtiers, signs of the greatest
+admiration being expressed at this wonderful object.</p>
+
+<p class="ctr"><a href="./images/25.jpg"><img src="./images/25_th.jpg"
+alt="H.R.H. PRINCE MIN-YOUNG-CHUN"></a></p><p class="ctr">H.R.H. PRINCE MIN-YOUNG-CHUN</p>
+
+<p>I, on my, side, took things quite philosophically, after having recovered
+from the first shock; and, taking off the other shoe, put it also on the
+table, gracefully, and quite in the Eastern fashion, begging the Prince
+to accept the pair as a gift, if he was agreeable to have them.
+Fortunately for me, however, he even more gracefully declined the offer,
+though, as long as our interview lasted, I noticed that his eyes were
+constantly fixed on them and that every now and then he again went into
+raptures over them!</p>
+
+<p>On the occasion of this visit I presented him with a portrait of himself
+reproduced on a small scale from the larger painting which I had made. He
+seemed to much appreciate this picture so far as the painting was
+concerned, but was much taken aback when he discovered that it was on the
+surface of a wooden <a name='Page_180'></a>panel and could not, therefore, be rolled up. The
+Eastern idea is that, to preserve a picture, it should always be kept
+rolled, and unrolled as seldom as possible, that is to say, only on grand
+solemnities.</p>
+
+<p>When it was time to go, the Prince conducted me to the door in person,
+and, having had my shoes put on and laced by one of his pages, I finally
+took my leave of him.</p>
+
+<p>A very curious episode, the direct consequence of my having portrayed
+these Princes, occurred some days afterwards. I was walking in the
+grounds of Mr. Greathouse's residence, when I perceived a number of
+coolies, headed by two soldiers and a sort of <i>Maggiordomo</i>, coming
+towards the house. They were carrying several baskets, while the
+<i>Maggiordomo</i> himself gracefully held a note between two fingers. As soon
+as they saw me, the <i>Maggiordomo</i> made a grand bow, and, delivering the
+letter into my hands, said that it came from Prince Min-Young-Huan, the
+Commander-in-chief of the Corean army. What astonished me even more was
+that he placed at my feet the different baskets and parcels, announcing
+that they were now my property. The letter ran as follows:</p>
+
+
+<div class='blkquot'><p>&quot;MY DEAR MR. LANDOR,&mdash;I send you some Corean hens, and some eggs,
+    and some persimmons, and some beef, and some pork, and some nuts,
+    and some screens, and a leopard skin. I hope that you will
+    receive them. I thank you very much for the beautiful picture you
+    have done of me, and I send you this as a remembrance of
+    me.&mdash;Your friend,</p>
+
+<p>    &quot;MIN-YOUNG-HUAN.&quot;</p></div>
+
+<a name='Page_181'></a><p>Greathouse and all the household having been at once summoned, the gifts
+were duly displayed and admired. The eggs numbered four hundred; then,
+there were ten live native hens with lovely feathers, about forty pounds
+of beef and pork, and two full bags, the one of nuts and the other of
+persimmons. There was enough to last one a month. The part of the present
+which pleased me most, however, was that containing the split bamboo
+window screens, which are only manufactured for, and presented to the
+King and royal princes by faithful subjects, and can scarcely be obtained
+for love or money under ordinary circumstances. The leopard skin, also,
+was a lovely one of its kind, with long fur and fat long tail,
+beautifully marked, in short an excellent specimen of what is called, I
+believe, a snow-leopard. Never before had I made so good a bargain for
+any picture of mine, and I could not but wonder whether I should ever
+again have another like it.</p>
+
+<p>I am sorry to say that a large portion of the eggs were consumed in
+making egg-noggs, an excellent American drink, at the concocting of which
+Greathouse was a master, a sustaining &quot;refresher&quot; which helped us much in
+passing away the long dull winter evenings. The hens, whose plumage we
+much admired, were let loose for some days, but they created such a
+nuisance with their early crowing, that they were soon condemned, like
+most hens, to suffer from an overstretch of neck. The screens and
+leopard-skins I brought back with me to England as a memento of my
+portrait-painting experiences in Corea, and these I still possess.</p>
+
+
+<a name='Page_182'></a>
+
+<hr class="full" />
+<a name='CHAPTER_XII'></a><h2>CHAPTER XII</h2>
+
+<div class='Ptoc'>The royal palace&mdash;A royal message&mdash;Mounting guard&mdash;The bell&mdash;The royal
+precinct&mdash;The Russian villa&mdash;An unfinished structure&mdash;The Summer
+Palace&mdash;The King's house&mdash;Houses of dignitaries&mdash;The ground and summer
+pavilion&mdash;Colds&mdash;The funeral of a Japanese Minister&mdash;Houses of royal
+relations&mdash;The queen&mdash;The oldest man and woman&mdash;The King and his
+throne&mdash;Politics and royalty&mdash;Messengers and spies&mdash;Kim-Ka-Chim&mdash;-Falcons
+and archery&mdash;Nearly a St. Sebastian&mdash;The queen's curiosity&mdash;A royal
+banquet&mdash;The consequences.</div>
+<br />
+
+<p class="ctr"><a href="./images/26.jpg"><img src="./images/26_th.jpg"
+alt="THE PALACE GROUNDS AND SOUTH GATE FROM THE NEW PALACE"></a></p><p class="ctr">THE PALACE GROUNDS AND SOUTH GATE FROM THE NEW PALACE</p>
+
+<p>I had some more amusing experiences on the occasion of my first visit to
+the royal palace. The King had sent me a message one evening saying that
+any part of the royal palace and grounds would be opened to me, if I
+wished to make observations or take sketches, and that it would give him
+much pleasure if I would go there early the next morning and stay to
+dinner at the palace. This invitation to spend the whole day at the
+palace was so tempting that I at once accepted <a name='Page_183'></a>it, and next day,
+accompanied by one of the officials, a Mr. S., I proceeded early in the
+morning to the side entrance of the enclosure.</p>
+
+<p>The palace and grounds, as we have seen, are enclosed by a wall of
+masonry about twenty feet high, and from a bird's-eye point of vantage
+the &quot;compound&quot; has a rectangular shape. There are almost continuous moats
+round the outside walls, with stone bridges with marble parapets over
+them at all the entrances. At the corners of the wall <i>d'enceinte</i> are
+turrets with loopholes. There soldiers are posted day and night to mount
+guard, each set being relieved from duty at intervals of two hours during
+the night, when the hammer bell in the centre of the palace grounds
+sounds its mournful but decided strokes. At midnight a big drum is
+struck, the harmonic case of which is semi-spherical and covered with a
+donkey-skin first wetted and made tight. It is by the sound of this
+smaller bell within the palace grounds that the signal is given at sunset
+to the &quot;Big Bell&quot; to vibrate through the air those sonorous notes by
+which, as already stated, all good citizens of the stronger sex are
+warned to retire to their respective homes, and which give the signal for
+closing the gates of the town.</p>
+
+<p>When you enter the royal precinct, you run a considerable amount of risk
+of losing your way. It is quite a labyrinth there. The more walls and
+gates you go through, the more you wind your way, now round this
+building, then round that, the more obstacles do you seem to see in front
+of you. There are sentries at every gate, and at each a password has <a name='Page_184'></a>to
+be given. When you approach, the infantry soldiers, quickly jumping out
+of the baskets in which they were slumbering, seize hold of their rifles,
+and either point their bayonets at you or else place their guns across
+the door, until the right password is given, when a comical way of
+presenting arms follows, and you are allowed to proceed.</p>
+
+<p>In the back part of the enclosure is a pretty villa in the Russian style.
+A few years ago, when European ideas began to bestir the minds of the
+King of Cho-sen, he set his heart upon having a house built in the
+Western fashion. No other architect being at hand, his Majesty
+commissioned a clever young Russian, a Mr. Seradin Sabatin, to build him
+a royal palace after the fashion of his country. The young Russian,
+though not a professional architect, did his very best to please the
+King, and with the money he had at his command, turned out a very solid
+and well-built little villa, <i>&agrave; la Russe</i>, with <i>calorif&eacute;res</i> and all
+other modern appliances. The house has two storeys, but the number of
+rooms is rather limited. The King, however, seemed much pleased with it,
+but when it was on the point of completion, at the instigation of some
+foreign diplomat, he commissioned a French architect from Japan to
+construct another palace on a much larger scale at some distance from the
+Russian building. The estimates for this new ground structure were far
+too small, and by the time that the foundations were laid down, the cost
+already amounted to nearly three times the sum for which the whole
+building was to have been erected. The King, disgusted at what he thought
+to be foreign trickery, but what was really <a name='Page_185'></a>merciless robbery on the
+part of his own officials, decided to discontinue the new palace, which,
+in consequence, even now has reached only a height of about three feet
+above the level of the ground.</p>
+
+<p>The royal palace may be considered as divided into two portions, namely,
+the summer palace and the winter palace. An official, who came to meet me
+in the inner enclosure, informed me that His Majesty desired that I
+should begin by inspecting the summer palace&mdash;access to which is not
+allowed during the winter time&mdash;and that he had given orders for the
+gates leading to it, which had been nailed up and sealed, to await the
+next warm weather, to be opened for me. No one besides myself and the
+official to guide me was, however, to be allowed to enter. And so,
+preceded by a man with a heavy wooden mallet, we arrived at the gate,
+which, after a considerable amount of hammering and pegging away, was at
+last forced open. Accompanied by my guide, I straightway entered, two
+soldiers being left on guard to prevent any one else following. As I got
+within the enclosure, a pretty sight lay before me. In front was a large
+pond, now all frozen, in the centre of which stood a large square sort of
+platform of white marble. On this platform was erected the audience-hall,
+a colonnade of the same kind of white marble, supported by which was
+another floor of red lacquered wood with wooden columns, which in their
+turn upheld the tiled roof with slightly curled up corners. The part
+directly under the roof was beautifully ornamented with fantastic wood
+carvings painted yellow, red, green and blue. Red and white were the
+colours which predominated.<a name='Page_186'></a> A black tablet, with large gold characters
+on it, was at one side.</p>
+
+<p>The throne in the audience-hall was a simple raised scaffold in the
+centre of the room, with a screen behind it, and a staircase of seven or
+eight steps leading up to it. Access to this sort of platform-island from
+the gate at which we entered was obtained by means of a marble bridge,
+spanned across on two strong marble supports. The staircase leading to
+the first floor was at the end of the building, directly opposite to
+where the bridge was; so that, on coming from the bridge, we had to go
+through the whole colonnade to reach it.</p>
+
+<p>Having taken a sketch or two, I retraced my steps and again reached the
+entrance. The instant I was outside, the gate was again shut and nailed
+up, wooden bars being put right across it. I was then led to the inner
+enclosure. The gate of this was guarded by about a dozen armed men, I
+being now in front of the part of the house which was inhabited by the
+King himself. After all, however, his abode is no better than the houses
+of the noblemen all over Seoul. It is as simple as possible in all its
+details; in fact, it is studiously made so. There are no articles of
+value in the rooms, except a few screens painted by native artists; nor
+are there any signs marking it out in particular as the abode of a
+Sovereign. The houses of the high court dignitaries are infinitely more
+gaudy than the royal palace, for they are decorated externally in bright
+red and green colours.</p>
+
+<p>The morning was spent in prowling about the grounds and in sketching here
+and there. In front of the King's <a name='Page_187'></a>house, protected at a short distance
+by a low wall, is a second pond, in the middle of which, on a small
+island, the King has erected a summer pavilion of octagonal shape, in
+which during the warmer months he enjoys the reviving coolness of the
+still nights confabulating on State affairs with his Ministers and
+advisers (not foreign advisers), a pretty semi-circular, white wooden
+bridge joining, so to speak, the island to the mainland; but, besides
+this and the buildings provided for the accommodation of the Chinese
+envoys, when they come, I do not think there is anything in the royal
+enclosure worthy of special notice.</p>
+
+<p class="ctr"><a href="./images/27.jpg"><img src="./images/27_th.jpg"
+alt="THE SUMMER PAVILION"></a></p><p class="ctr">THE SUMMER PAVILION</p>
+
+<p>Near the main entrance of the palace is a small house for the
+accommodation of foreign Ministers, consuls and Chinese customs
+officials, when, on New Year's Day and other public occasions, they are
+received in audience by the King. The small room is actually provided
+with a stove, as several unfortunate ambassadors have been known to have
+<a name='Page_188'></a>caught dreadful colds through having to remain exposed to the natural
+temperature for hours until it was the King's pleasure to have them
+admitted to his presence. Indeed, I believe I am right when I state that
+one or two of these notabilities died in consequence of their experiences
+in this way. At all events, during my stay at Seoul, the Japanese
+Minister came by his death through a cold which he contracted by having
+to stand an inordinate time in the cold room, in his evening dress, and
+then walk minus his overcoat or wrappers, through the interminable paved
+passage leading to the audience-hall.</p>
+
+<p>Here let me digress. This ambassador's funeral, was, indeed, a comical
+sight. I am well aware that it is bad form to find entertainment among
+things pertaining to the dead. However, it was not the corpse that made
+the performance in question seem funny, but those that remained alive,
+and intended to honour his remains. Telegrams arrived from Japan to the
+effect that the body should be despatched to his native country;
+arrangements were therefore made by the Japanese indwellers to convey and
+escort the body of their representative from the capital to Chemulpo, a
+port about twenty-five miles distant. According to this plan, the loyal
+Japanese coolies were to carry the heavy hearse on their backs, while the
+King of Corea agreed to despatch four hundred soldiers of cavalry and
+infantry by way of escort, all the foreign residents being also intended
+to follow the procession part of the way in their sedan-chairs. So far so
+good, and all proceeded, as directed, in good order until the Mafu ferry
+was reached. The procession, <a name='Page_189'></a>having crossed the river here, at once
+proceeded to re-form on the large stretch of sand on the other side.
+While, then, the Japanese, who have always been fond of playing at
+soldiers, and had brought down to the river-side with them a couple of
+field-guns, were being treated by a Japanese attach&eacute;, clad in an
+exaggerated diplomatic uniform covered with gold braiding, and standing
+in dancing pumps in the sands that half-buried him, to a recapitulation
+of the virtues of the defunct, the coolies were bearing the hearse on
+their backs, the Corean cavalry and infantry forming two lines in good
+style. There stood the Corean horsemen, each supported by two men,
+apparently unconcerned at the long Japanese rigmarole, of which they did
+not understand a word; there rode as stiff as statues outside the ranks
+the officers of Cho-sen, on their little ponies. All of a sudden,
+however, the two field-guns went off, and with the most disastrous
+effects. Half the cavalrymen tumbled off their saddles at the unexpected
+bucking of their frightened ponies, and the whole band of horsemen was
+soon scattered in every direction, while the men who were carrying the
+hearse, following the example of the ponies, gave such a jerk at the
+sudden explosion, as to nearly drop their burden on the ground.
+By-and-by, the commotion subsided; the procession got into marching
+order, and all went well until the seaport was reached. The better class
+Japanese, I may mention, were dressed in stage uniforms, or in evening
+dress and tall hats, and that though the hour was 9 A.M. or soon after.</p>
+
+<p>But let us return to the royal palace. The King <a name='Page_190'></a>and Queen have
+numberless relations, but not all of these live in the royal &quot;compound.&quot;
+Those that do, have each a separate small house; those that do not, live
+in the immediate neighbourhood of the palace enclosure, so as to be
+within easy reach when wanted; it being one of the little failings of the
+Corean potentate to call up his relations at all hours as well of the
+night as of the day. In fact, nearly all the work done by the King, and
+nearly all the interviews which he grants to his Ministers take place
+during the dark hours, the principal reason given for which is that by
+this means, intrigue is prevented, and people are kept in utter ignorance
+as to what takes place at Court.</p>
+
+<p class="ctr"><a href="./images/28.jpg"><img src="./images/28_th.jpg"
+alt="THE KING"></a></p><p class="ctr">THE KING</p>
+
+<p>It is a great mistake to suppose that the good-natured King of Cho-sen,
+possesses a harem as big as that of the Sultan of Turkey; indeed, the
+contrary is the fact. He is quite satisfied with a single wife, <a name='Page_191'></a>that is
+to say, the Queen. Needless to say, however, were the custom otherwise,
+he certainly would not be the person to object to the institution, for
+his predecessors undoubtedly indulged in such an extravagance. The real
+truth is the King of Cho-sen has married a little lady stronger minded
+than himself, and is compelled to keep on his best behaviour, and see to
+it that he does not get into trouble. There are bad tongues in Seoul who
+say that the Queen actually rules the King, and therefore, through him,
+the country, and that he is more afraid of Her Gracious Majesty, his
+wife, than of the very devil himself. For the correctness of this
+statement I will not answer.</p>
+
+<p>The Queen is a very good-looking, youngish woman, younger than the King,
+and has all her wits about her. She is said to be much in favour of the
+emancipation of the Corean woman, but she has made no actual effort, that
+I am aware of, to modify the comparatively strict rules of their
+seclusion. She comes of one of the oldest families in Cho-sen, and by a
+long way the noblest, that of the Mins. She treats herself to countless
+Court ladies, varying in number between a score and three hundred,
+according to the wants of the Court at different times.</p>
+
+<p>One of the quaintest and nicest customs in Corea is the respect shown by
+the young for the old; what better, then, can the reigning people do but
+set the good example themselves? Every year the King and Queen entertain
+in the royal palace an old man and an old woman of over the age of
+ninety, and no matter from what class these aged specimens are drawn,
+they are <a name='Page_192'></a>always looked after and cared for under their own supervision
+and made happy in every way. Every year a fresh man and woman must be
+chosen for this purpose, those of the previous competition being <i>hors de
+concours</i>. These privileged individuals, if devoid of means, are well
+provided with all the necessaries of life and <i>cash</i> before they are sent
+home; and not infrequently they end by never leaving the royal palace, or
+by settling in the house of some prince or magistrate, by whom they are
+fed and clothed till the end of their days. Of course, in many cases it
+happens that the oldest man or woman in the town is a nobleman or a
+noblewoman; in which case, after the lapse of a certain space of time,
+further enjoyment of the royal hospitality is politely declined.</p>
+
+<p>Under the last-mentioned circumstances valuable presents are, however,
+given them as mementoes of the stay at the royal palace. This privilege
+is much thought of among the Coreans, and a family who has had a member
+royally entertained and treated as King's &quot;brothers&quot;&mdash;for I believe that
+is the name by which they go&mdash;is held in great respect by the community,
+and in perfect veneration by their immediate neighbours.</p>
+
+<p>The King dresses just like any other high official when the country is in
+mourning&mdash;that is to say, he has a long white garment with baggy sleeves,
+and the usual jewelled projecting belt, with the winged skull-cap; but
+when the land is under normal conditions, he dons a gaudy blue silk gown
+with dragons woven into the texture, while over his chest in a circular
+sort of plate a larger rampant fire-dragon is embroidered in <a name='Page_193'></a>costly
+silks and gold. When the latter dress is worn his cap is of similar shape
+to that worn when in mourning, only it is made of the finest black,
+instead of white, horse-hair, stiffened with varnish.</p>
+
+<p>The King's throne is simple but imposing. He sits upon three carved
+marble steps, covered with a valuable embroidered cloth, by the side of
+which, on two pillars, are two magnificent bronze vases. Behind him is a
+screen of masonry; for no king when in state must ever be either seen
+from behind, or looked down on by any one standing behind or beside him.
+Such an insult and breach of etiquette, especially in the latter way,
+would, until quite recently, probably have meant the loss of the
+offender's head. Tainted, however, unfortunately with a craze for Western
+civilisation, the King now seldom sits on his marble throne, adorned with
+fine carvings of dragons and tigers, preferring to show himself sitting
+in a cheap foreign arm-chair with his elbow reclining on a wretched
+little twopence-halfpenny table covered with a green carpet. He imagines
+that he thus resembles a potentate of Europe! His son generally sits by
+his side on these occasions.</p>
+
+<p>The King's relations take no active part in politics, as they consider it
+unfair and beneath them, but the King, of course, does, and, judging from
+appearances, he seems to take a great deal of interest in his country and
+his people. He is constantly despatching officials on secret missions to
+this or that province, often in disguise, and at a moment's notice, in
+order to obtain reliable information as to the state of those provinces,
+and the opinions of the natives regarding the magistrates <a name='Page_194'></a>appointed by
+him. The capital itself, too, contains practically a mass of detectives,
+who keep spying on everybody and one another, always ready to report the
+evil-doing of others, and often being caught <i>in flagrante delicto</i>
+themselves. Very often even nobles with whom I was well acquainted
+suddenly disappeared for days and weeks at a time, no one knowing either
+whither they had gone or what they were doing, except that they had left
+on a mission from the King. So little confidence has he in his special
+envoys that even when he has despatched one straight from the royal
+palace, with strict orders not to return home to tell his family whither
+he is gone, he soon after sends a second disguised messenger to look
+after the doings of the first, and see that he has well and faithfully
+carried out his orders. By the time the two have returned, some intrigue
+or accusations will have probably been instituted against them, in which
+case all the thanks they obtain for obeying His Majesty is either that
+they are degraded or that they are exiled to some outlandish province in
+the Ever White Mountain district or on the Russian frontier.</p>
+
+<p>The subject of politics is entrusted entirely to the nobles. It was my
+good fortune to get on the most friendly terms with the greatest
+politician in Corea, a man called Kim-Ka-Chim, of whom I give a picture,
+as he appeared in the horse-hair head-gear which he used to wear indoors.
+He was a man of remarkable intelligence, quick-witted, and by far the
+best diplomatist I have ever met&mdash;and I have met a good many. To entrap
+him was impossible, however hard you might try. For sharpness and
+readiness of reply, I <a name='Page_195'></a>never saw a smarter man. He was at one time Corean
+Ambassador to the Mikado's Court, and in a very short time mastered the
+Japanese language to perfection; while with Chinese he was as familiar as
+with his own tongue. I myself noticed with what facility he picked up
+English words, and, having taken it into his head that he wished to learn
+the English language, he set about it, and was able to understand, read,
+and speak a little, in a very short time&mdash;in fact, in a few days.</p>
+<p class="ctr"><a href="./images/29.jpg"><img src="./images/29_th.jpg"
+alt="KIM-KA-CHIM"></a></p><p class="ctr">KIM-KA-CHIM</p>
+<p>Not only is he talented, but also endowed
+with a wonderful courage and independence, which superiority over the
+narrow-minded officials and intriguers who, for the most part, surround
+the King, has often led him into scrapes with His Majesty of Cho-sen. As
+he jocosely said to me, it was a marvel to him that his head was still on
+his shoulders. It was too good, and some one else might wish to have it.
+He was an ardent reformer and a great admirer <a name='Page_196'></a>of Western ways. His great
+ambition was to visit England and America, of which he had heard a great
+deal. Strangely, on the very morning which succeeded the afternoon on
+which I had this conversation with him I received an intimation to the
+effect that he had, by order of the King, and for some trivial breach of
+etiquette, been sent by way of punishment to one of the most distant
+provinces in the kingdom.</p>
+
+<p>The most noteworthy point of the Corean Court etiquette is probably this,
+that the King is on no account allowed to touch any other metals than
+gold and silver; for which reason his drinking-cup is made of a solid
+block of gold, while other articles, again, are of silver.</p>
+
+<p>The native name by which the King calls himself is Im-gun (king,
+sovereign). He has a very valuable library of Chinese manuscripts and
+printed books in the palace compound, but those books are hardly ever
+opened or looked at nowadays, except by some rare student of noble rank.
+Archery and falconry are occupations which are deemed far more worthy of
+attention by the nobility than that of worrying their heads with attempts
+to interpret the mysteries of antiquated Chinese characters.</p>
+
+<p>The falcon is held in much veneration among the nobler classes, and a
+special retainer&mdash;a falconer&mdash;is usually kept to wait on the precious
+bird. The latter is taken out on the man's arm, with his head covered by
+a gaudy little hood. This hood is quickly removed whenever an opportunity
+arises to send him off after some unfortunate bird. Then, mounting aloft,
+and spreading his wings and whirling round his prey in <a name='Page_197'></a>concentric
+circles, he gradually descends in a spiral, until, at last, dashing down
+upon his victim, he seizes it with his pointed claws and brings it to his
+master. At other times the falcon is not flown, but only used to attract,
+with his mesmeric eyes, birds; these then, when within reach, being shot
+with old flint-lock guns. The other method is, however, the favourite
+form of this amusement, and large sums are often spent by the young
+nobles on well-trained birds. Entertainments are even given to witness
+the doings of these air-rovers, and the excitement displayed by the
+audience on such occasions is intense, especially when libations have
+been previously freely indulged in. Competitions between the falcons of
+different owners are frequent, and much betting takes place under such
+circumstances.</p>
+
+<p>The life of royalty and of the nobility is, taken all round, a very lazy
+one. Exercise is considered a degenerate habit, fit only for people who
+have to earn a living; and, as for manual labour, a Corean nobleman would
+much prefer suicide to anything so disgraceful.</p>
+
+<p>Archery is one of the few exceptions to the rule, and is declared a noble
+pastime. Princes and nobles indulge in it, and even become dexterous at
+it. The bows used are very short, about two-and-a-half feet long, and are
+kept very tight. The arrows are short and light, generally made of
+bamboo, or a light cane, and a man with a powerful wrist can send an
+arrow a considerable distance, and yet hit his target every time.
+Nevertheless, the noble's laziness is, as a rule, so great, that many of
+this class prefer to see exhibitions of skill by others, rather than have
+the trouble of taking <a name='Page_198'></a>part in such themselves; professional archers, in
+consequence, abounding all over the country, and sometimes being kept at
+the expense of their admirers. Both the Government and private
+individuals offer large prizes for skilful archers, who command almost as
+much admiration as do the famous <i>espadas</i> in the bull-fights of Spain.
+The King, of course, keeps the pick of these men to himself; they are
+kept in constant training and frequently display their skill before His
+Majesty and the Court.</p>
+
+<p>I well remember how, one day, through my incautiousness, I very nearly
+made the end of a St. Sebastian. It was near the drilling-ground at the
+East Gate. I was quietly walking along the earthern dyke which runs along
+the little river that crosses Seoul, when from down below I heard screams
+of &quot;<i>Chucomita! Chucomita!</i>&quot; (&quot;Wait! wait!&quot;) &quot;<i>Kidare!</i>&quot; (&quot;Stop!&quot;) I
+stopped, accordingly, and tried to look across the open ground, where I
+saw about a score of men, nearly two hundred yards away, apparently
+pointing at me. As the setting sun was glaring in my eyes, I could not
+well discern what they were doing, and, thinking that their shouts to me
+were only by way of joke, I made a step forward, but hardly had I done so
+when a noise like a rocket going past was heard, and a bunch of arrows
+became deeply planted in the earth, at a white circular spot marked on
+it, only about two yards in front of me. I counted them. They were ten in
+number. My danger, however, was, after all, practically of no account,
+for these archers, as I found out by repeated observation of them, hardly
+ever miss their target. Still, even in the case of these Cho-senese<a name='Page_199'></a>
+William Tells, it was by no means a pleasant sensation to hear that bunch
+of arrows whistling in front of my nose.</p>
+
+<p>As I was attentively listening to the information supplied me by the
+native gentleman who was accompanying me through the labyrinthian ways of
+the royal palace, young Prince Min appeared on the scene, and announced
+that His Majesty wished, through him, to welcome me to the royal palace,
+and that he wished me now to partake of dinner. First, however, he said,
+the King would be pleased if I would take a sketch from a particular spot
+to which he led me. As there was nothing specially worth sketching at
+that place, I suggested to the young prince that another spot would be
+preferable; but the latter insisted, in the King's name, that I should
+paint from there and left me. I noticed, however, that there was, just
+behind this spot, a window, that namely, of the queen's apartments, which
+led me at once to fancy that it was to satisfy her curiosity that I was
+made to work there; accordingly I began the sketch with my back to the
+window&mdash;for, it must be remembered, to look at the queen is an offence
+punishable by death. I had not been many minutes at work, nevertheless,
+before I heard the sliding window gently move. I knew what was coming,
+and tried to screen the sketch with my body, so as to compel the
+observer, whoever it was, to lean well out of the window if he wished to
+see it. A little way off were hundreds of soldiers, walking or squatting
+on the ground, and on the wall of the King's house and smaller trees the
+fat and repulsive eunuchs had perched themselves in order to watch the
+<a name='Page_200'></a>foreigner's doings. All of a sudden there was a piercing squeak and a
+quick change of scene. Every one standing fell flat on his chest, the
+soldiers to a man hid their faces in their hands on the ground, and the
+clumsy eunuchs dropped down pell-mell from their perches, like over-ripe
+fruit coming off the branch of a tree, and disappeared behind the wall.
+Then, for a moment, all was silence; then there followed another shriek.
+It was evidently a command to stand still until further notice. When I
+looked for my Corean companion I found that he, like the rest, was spread
+out with his face to the ground.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;I say, Mr. S.&quot; I whispered, touching him with my foot, &quot;what does all
+this mean?&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Please, sir,&quot; he murmured, &quot;do not look! do not speak! do not turn your
+head! or I shall be beheaded!&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Oh! I do not mind that at all,&quot; said I, laughingly, as my friend was
+squashing what he had in the shape of a nose into the dust.</p>
+
+<p>At this point there was another noise at the window, as if it were being
+pushed quite open, and I heard a whisper. The supreme moment had come,
+and I was bold. I turned quickly round. It was just as I had judged. The
+queen, with her bright, jet black eyes and refined features, was there,
+caught in the act of thrusting her head out of the window, while several
+ladies of different ages were in the background, apparently on the tips
+of their toes and peeping over Her Majesty's shoulders. I had just time
+to see her face; for, taken as she was by surprise at such an unbounded
+bit of forwardness on my part, she remained perplexed <a name='Page_201'></a>for a second, then
+quickly withdrew, coming into dreadful collision with her
+ladies-in-waiting, who were at the moment just moving forward. The
+sliding window was hurriedly closed; there were shrieks of laughter from
+inside&mdash;apparently they had enjoyed the fun&mdash;and by the sound of a shrill
+whistle the men who had been lying &quot;dead&quot; rose and fled, relieved from
+their uncomfortable position.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Do you know,&quot; said my Corean friend, as he got up and shook the dust and
+dirt off his beautiful silk gown, quite ignorant of what had happened,
+&quot;do you know that if you had turned your head round and looked, I would
+be a dead man to-morrow?&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Why; who was there?&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;The queen, of course. Did you not hear the two shrieks and the whistle?
+Those were the signs of her coming and going.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;If you were to be beheaded, Mr. S., would you be afraid of death?&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Oh, no, sir,&quot; he said emphatically. &quot;I am a brave man, and I come of a
+family of braves. I would die like a hero.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Oh,&quot; said I, changing the conversation, &quot;how pretty the queen looked!&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Did you see her?&quot; said he, horrified.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Yes, I did.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Oh, poor me, poor me, poor me!&quot; he cried in despair. &quot;You have seen her!
+I shall die! Oh, poor me, poor me, poor me!&quot; and he shivered and
+shuddered and trembled.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;I thought that you were not afraid of death, Mr. S.?&quot;</p><a name='Page_202'></a>
+
+<p>&quot;Now that you have seen her, I am!&quot; he mumbled pitifully.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;All right, Mr. S. Do not be afraid, I shall take all the blame on
+myself, and you will not be punished, I promise you.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>At this point Prince Min came to fetch me, and I told him the whole
+story, relieving Mr. S. of all responsibility for my cheeky action, after
+which, having made sure that he would not be punished, we proceeded to
+the feast. The hour, be it noted, was about noon. As we were passing
+along the wall of the King's apartment, His Majesty peeped over the wall
+and smiled most graciously to me. Shortly after he sent a messenger to
+the dining-room to express regret that he was not able to entertain me
+himself owing to pressing State affairs.</p>
+
+<p>For the dinner a long table had been arranged in the European style, at
+the head of which sat Prince Min, acting in the place of the King. The
+forks and spoons were of tin, and the knives had apparently been used,
+for they were by no means clean. Rust, therefore, reigned supreme. The
+glasses and tumblers were of the thickest and commonest kind, but they
+had cost His Majesty a fortune all the same.</p>
+
+<p>We all sat down gaily, Mr. S. having recovered his spirits on being
+assured that he would not be punished, and the feast began. It would be
+easier for me to tell you what was not on that table than what was. All
+the products of the country seemed to have been cooked and brought before
+me, including meats, fish, honey, sweets, vegetables and sauces, of
+which, mind you, one had to eat &quot;mountains,&quot; piled on our plates.<a name='Page_203'></a> Young
+pigs, in the puppy state, were also there, and were much appreciated by
+my princely entertainers; but, when I had got only half through, not
+being provided with an ever-expanding digestive apparatus, like my
+friends of Cho-sen, I really felt as if I was going to suffocate. It is a
+great insult to refuse what is offered you at table, and a greater
+insult, too, and gross breach of good manners, not to eat all that is on
+your plate; it can be easily imagined, then, how I was situated after
+having swallowed large quantities of beef, potatoes, barley, millet, not
+to mention about half a bushel of beans. Nevertheless, I was further
+treated to lily-bulbs and radishes dipped in the vilest of sauces,
+besides a large portion of a puppy-pig roasted, and fruit in profusion,
+foreign and native wines flowing freely. The dinner began at noon and was
+not brought to a legitimate close until the happy hour of 7 P.M.</p>
+
+<p>Talk of suffering! To those who appreciate the pleasure of eating, let me
+recommend a royal Corean dinner! No pen can describe the agonies I
+endured as I was carried home in the green sedan. Every jerk that the
+bearers gave made me feel as if I had swallowed a cannon-ball, which was
+moving mercilessly from one side of my body to the other. I could not
+help expecting an explosion at any moment, or, at all events, a rent in
+my overtight skin! On my way home I swore that as long as I lived I would
+never touch another mouthful of food, so disgusted was I with things
+eatable; but&mdash;needless to say, I have since many times broken my word.</p>
+
+
+
+<a name='Page_204'></a>
+<hr class="full" />
+<a name='CHAPTER_XIII'></a><h2>CHAPTER XIII</h2>
+
+<div class='Ptoc'>Students&mdash;Culture&mdash;Examination ground&mdash;The three degrees&mdash;The
+alphabet&mdash;Chinese characters&mdash;Schools&mdash;Astronomers&mdash;Diplomas&mdash;Students
+abroad&mdash;Adoption of Western ways&mdash;Quick perception&mdash;The letter &quot;f&quot;&mdash;A
+comical mistake&mdash;Magistrates and education&mdash;Rooted superstition&mdash;Another
+haunted palace&mdash;Tigers&mdash;A convenient custom.</div>
+<br />
+
+<p class="ctr"><a href="./images/30.jpg"><img src="./images/30_th.jpg"
+alt="THE EXAMINATION GROUNDS"></a></p><p class="ctr">THE EXAMINATION GROUNDS</p>
+
+<p>At the beginning of the New Year, and soon after the festivities are
+over, the streets of Seoul are crowded with students who come up to town
+for their examinations. Dozens of them, generally noisy and boisterous,
+are to be seen arm in arm, parading the principal streets, and apparently
+always eating something or other. Study and eating seem to go together in
+Cho-sen. They wear peculiar gauze caps like bakers' paper bags, and a
+large double apron, the latter hanging down front and back, and being
+tied above the waist with a ribbon. A large piece of rolled up paper is
+carried in the hand, and much excitement seems to reign among them. By
+students, one must <a name='Page_205'></a>not imagine only young men, for many among them are
+above the thirties, and some are even old men.</p>
+
+<p>At certain hours processions of them pass along the royal street, then
+round the palace wall, and finally enter the examination grounds,
+situated immediately behind the royal palace. This is a large open
+ground, on one side of which is a low building containing quite a large
+number of small cells, where the candidates are examined. The examination
+day is one of the sights of Seoul. It is more like a country fair than an
+exhibition of literary skill. The noise is something appalling. On the
+grounds, thousands of candidates, accompanied by their parents and
+friends, squat in groups, drinking, eating and gambling. Here is a group
+of them drinking each other's health; there on blankets a few are lying
+flat on their backs basking in the sun, and waiting for their turn to be
+called up before the examiners. Huge red and yellow umbrellas are planted
+in the ground by enterprising merchants, who sell sweets, a kind of
+pulled toffy being one of their specialities; while others, at raised
+prices, dispose of examination caps, ink, paper and aprons to those who
+have come unprovided. Astrologers, too, drive a roaring trade on such
+days, for the greatest reliance is placed on their prophecies by both
+parents and students, and much money is spent by the latter, therefore,
+in obtaining the opinion of these impostors. In many a case, the prophecy
+given has been known to make the happiness&mdash;temporarily, of course&mdash;of
+the bashful young student; and in many a case, also, by this means fresh
+vigour has been instilled into a nervous man, so that, being convinced
+that he <a name='Page_206'></a>is to be successful, he perseveres and very often does succeed.</p>
+
+<p>One of these examinations, the highest of all, is a real landmark in a
+man's career. If the student is successful, he is first employed in some
+lower official capacity either by the Government, the palace authorities
+or some of the magistrates. If he is plucked, then he can try again the
+following year. Some try year after year without success, in the hope of
+being permitted to earn an honest living at the nation's expense, and
+grow old under the heavy study of ancient Chinese literature.</p>
+
+<p>The King in person assists at the oral examinations of the upper degree.
+Those of the two lower degrees are superintended by princes who sit with
+the examiners, and report to His Majesty on the successes of the
+different candidates.</p>
+
+<p>It is generally the sons of the nobles and the upper classes all over the
+kingdom who are put up for these examinations; those of the lower spheres
+are content with a smattering of arithmetic and a general knowledge of
+the alphabet, and of the proper method of holding the writing brush,
+sometimes adding to these accomplishments an acquaintance with the more
+useful of the Chinese characters.</p>
+
+<p>The Corean alphabet is remarkable for the way in which it represents the
+various sounds. That this is the case, the reader will be able to judge
+by the table given opposite. The aim of the inventors, in only using
+straight lines and circles, has evidently been to simplify the writing of
+the characters to the highest possible degree.</p><a name='Page_207'></a>
+
+<a name='Page_208'></a>
+<p class="ctr"><a href="./images/31.jpg"><img src="./images/31_th.jpg"
+alt="THE COREAN ALPHABET"></a></p><p class="ctr">THE COREAN ALPHABET</p>
+
+<p>It will be at once noticed that an extra dot is used only in the case of
+the vowel <i>e</i> and the diphthong <i>oue</i>; nothing but straight lines and
+circles being employed in the other cases. The pronunciation of the
+consonants is <i>dental</i> in <i>l, r, t</i>, and <i>n</i>; <i>guttural</i> in <i>k</i> and <i>k</i>
+(aspirated); <i>palatal</i> in <i>ch, ch</i> (aspirated) and <i>s</i>; and <i>from the
+larynx</i> in <i>h</i> and <i>ng</i> when at the end of a word.</p>
+
+<p>The State documents and all the official correspondence are written in
+Chinese characters, and hardly at all in the native alphabet, an
+exception being occasionally admitted in the case of a difficult
+character, when the meaning is written with the Corean letters, side by
+side with the Chinese form. The Corean alphabet is rather despised by the
+male &quot;blue stockings&quot; of Cho-sen, and is considered as fit only for poor
+people, children and women; in short, those whose brains are unable to
+undergo the strain of mastering and, what is more, of remembering, the
+meaning of the many thousands of Chinese characters. Not only that, but
+the spoken language itself is considered inadequate to express in poetic
+and graceful style the deep thoughts which may pass through the Corean
+brains; and, certainly, if these thoughts have to be put down on paper
+this is never done in the native characters. The result is, naturally,
+that there is hardly any literature in the language of Cho-sen. Even the
+historical records of the land of the Morning Calm are written in
+Chinese.</p>
+
+<p>The great influence of the Chinese over the Corean literary mind is also
+shown in the fact that most of the principles and proverbs of Cho-sen
+have been borrowed <a name='Page_209'></a>from their pig-tailed friends across the Yalu River.
+The same may be said of numberless words in the Corean language which are
+merely corruptions or mispronounced Chinese words. The study of Chinese
+involves a great deal of labour and patience on the part of the Corean
+students, and from a very tender age they are made to work hard at
+learning the characters by heart, singing them out in chorus, in a
+monotonous tone, one after the other for hours at a time.</p>
+
+<p>The schools are mostly supported by the Government. In them great
+attention is given to etiquette and Chinese classics, to philosophic and
+poetic ideas, but very little importance is attached to mathematics or
+science, except by those few who take up the study of the stars as an
+ideal rather than scientific occupation. These astronomers might be more
+correctly termed magicians, for with the stars they invariably connect
+the fate and fortune of king and people; which fact will also explain why
+it is that in their practice of astronomy mathematics are really of very
+little use.</p>
+
+<p>In the written essays for the examinations, what is generally aimed at by
+the candidates is a high standard of noble ideas which they try to
+express in the most refined style. The authors of the most admired essays
+receive the personal congratulations of the King and examiners, followed
+by a feast given by their parents and friends. The diplomas of successful
+candidates are not only signed by the King, but have also his great seal
+affixed to them.</p>
+
+<p>I was told that the examinations of the present day <a name='Page_210'></a>are a mere sham, and
+that it is not by knowledge or high achievements, in literary or other
+matters, that the much-coveted degree is now obtained, but by the simpler
+system of bribery. Men of real genius are, I was informed further,
+sometimes sent back in despair year after year, while pigheaded sons of
+nobles and wealthy people generally pass with honours, and are never or
+very seldom plucked.</p>
+
+<p>Education, as a whole, is up to a very limited point pretty generally
+spread all over the Corean realm, but of thorough education there is very
+little. In former times students showing unusual ability were sent by the
+Government to the University of Nanking, to be followed up by Pekin, but
+this custom was abandoned until a few years ago, when it was in a measure
+revived by the sending of two noblemen, first to Shanghai and then to
+America, to learn and profit by Western studies. These seem to have shown
+themselves remarkably intelligent; in fact, exceeded all expectation; for
+one of them forged a cheque before leaving the Asiatic continent, and was
+forbidden to return to his country. He is not likely to do so now, for he
+is said to have been murdered&mdash;only quite lately. The other, however,
+cannot be accused of anything of that sort; indeed, he distinguished
+himself during the three years spent in America by learning English (as
+spoken in the States) to perfection, besides mastering mathematics,
+chemistry and other sciences, perfectly new to him, in a way that would
+have done credit to many a Western student. In the same short space of
+time he also succeeded in a marvellous way in shaking off the thick
+coating of his native superstition and in assuming <a name='Page_211'></a>our most Western ways
+as exhibited across the Atlantic. If anything, he became more American
+than the Americans themselves. What astonished me more, though, was how
+quickly, having returned from his journey, he discarded his civilised
+ways and again dropped into his old groove.</p>
+
+<p>There is not the least doubt that, though to the casual observer the
+majority of Coreans appear depressed and unintelligent, they are, as a
+matter of fact, far from stupid. I have met people in the land of
+Cho-sen, whose cleverness would have been conspicuous in any country,
+Western or otherwise. When they set their mind to learn something they
+never cease till their object is attained, and I can vouch for their
+quick comprehension, even of matters of which they have never before
+heard. Languages seem to come easy to them, and their pronunciation of
+foreign tongues is infinitely better than that of their neighbours, the
+Chinese and the Japanese. The only stumbling block is the letter &quot;<i>f</i>,&quot;
+which they pronounce as a &quot;<i>p</i>.&quot; I can give an instance of a Mr. Chang,
+the son of a noble, who was appointed by the king to be official
+interpreter to Mr. C.R. Greathouse. In less than two months, this youth
+of nineteen mastered enough English to enable him both to understand it
+and converse in it. I have seen him learn by heart out of a dictionary as
+many as two hundred English words in a day, and what is more, remember
+every one of them, including the spelling. Only once did I hear him make
+a comical mistake. He had not quite grasped the meaning of the word
+&quot;twin&quot;; for, in answer to a question I put to him, &quot;Yes, sir,&quot; said he,
+boisterously, <a name='Page_212'></a>proud apparently of the command he had attained over his
+latest language, &quot;Yes, sir, I have a <i>twin</i> brother who is three years
+older than myself.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>The Corean magistrates think that to over-educate the lower classes is a
+mistake, which must end in great unhappiness.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;If you are educated like a gentleman, you must be able to live like a
+gentleman,&quot; wisely said a Corean noble to me. &quot;If you acquire an
+education which you cannot live up to, you are only made wretched, and
+your education makes you feel all the more keenly the miseries of human
+life. Besides, with very few exceptions, as one is born an artist, or a
+poet, one has to be born a gentleman to be one. All the education in the
+world may make you a nice man, but not a noble in <i>the</i> strict sense of
+the word.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>Partly, in consequence of habits of thought like this, and partly,
+because it answers to leave the public in ignorance, superstition, which
+is one of the great evils in the country, is rather encouraged. Not alone
+the lower classes, but the whole people, including nobles and the King
+himself, suffer by it. It is a remarkable fact, that, a people who in
+many ways are extremely open-minded, and more philosophic than the
+general run of human beings, can allow themselves to be hampered in this
+way by such absurd notions as spirits and their evil ways.</p>
+
+<p>A royal palace, different to, but not very far from, the one described in
+the previous chapter, was abandoned not very long ago for the simple
+reason that it was haunted. Thus, there are no less than two palaces in
+the capital, that have been built at great <a name='Page_213'></a>expense, but deserted in
+order to evade the visits of those most tiresome impalpable individuals,
+&quot;the Ghosts.&quot; One of these haunted abodes we have inspected, with its
+tumble-down buildings; the other I will now describe.</p>
+
+<p class="ctr"><a href="./images/32.jpg"><img src="./images/32_th.jpg"
+alt="THE HAUNTED ROYAL PALACE"></a></p><p class="ctr">THE HAUNTED ROYAL PALACE</p>
+
+<p>The buildings comprising this palace are still in a very excellent state
+of preservation, and, being erected on hilly ground, form a very
+picturesque ensemble. The different houses are of red lacquered wood,
+with verandahs on the upper floors. The illustration shows a front view
+of one of the principal buildings, situated on the summit of the hill. At
+the foot of this hill, by a winding path and steps, a picturesque little
+gate and another house is reached. A little pond with water-plants in it,
+frozen in the midst of the thick ice, completes this haunted spot. The
+largest of all the structures is the audience-hall, richly and grandly
+decorated inside with wooden carvings, painted red, <a name='Page_214'></a>white, blue and
+yellow. The curled-up roofs are surmounted at each corner with curious
+representations of lucky emblems, among which the tiger has a leading
+place.</p>
+
+<p>Talking of tigers, I may as well speak of a strange custom prevailing in
+Corea. The country, as I have already pointed out, is full of these
+brutes, which, besides being of enormous size, are said to be very fierce
+and fond of human flesh. Even the walls of the town are no protection
+against them. Not unfrequently they make a nocturnal excursion through
+the streets, leaving again early in the morning with a farewell bound
+from the rampart, but carrying off inside their carcases some unlucky
+individual in a state of pulp.</p>
+
+<p>The Coreans may, therefore, be forgiven if, besides showing almost
+religious veneration for their feline friend&mdash;who reciprocates this in
+his own way&mdash;they have also the utmost terror of him. Whenever I went for
+long walks outside the town with Coreans, I noticed that when on the
+narrow paths I was invariably left to bring up the rear, although I was a
+quicker walker than they were. If left behind they would at once run on
+in front of me again, and never could I get any one to be last man. This
+conduct, sufficiently remarkable, has the following explanation.</p>
+
+<p>It is the belief of the natives, that when a tiger is suddenly
+encountered he always attacks and makes a meal of the last person in the
+row; for which reason, they always deem it advisable, when they have a
+foreigner in their company, to let him have that <a name='Page_215'></a>privilege. I, for my
+part, of course, did not regard the matter in the same light, and
+generally took pretty good care to retain a middle position in the
+procession, when out on a country prowl, greatly to the distress and
+uneasiness of my white-robed guardian angels.</p>
+
+
+
+<hr class="full" />
+<a name='CHAPTER_XIV'></a><h2><a name='Page_216'></a>CHAPTER XIV</h2>
+
+<div class='Ptoc'>Religion&mdash;Buddhism&mdash;Bonzes&mdash;Their power&mdash;Shamanism&mdash;Spirits&mdash;Spirits of
+the mountain&mdash;Stone heaps&mdash;Sacred trees&mdash;Seized by the
+spirits&mdash;Safe-guard against them&mdash;The wind&mdash;Sorcerers and
+sorceresses&mdash;Exorcisms&mdash;Monasteries&mdash;Temples&mdash;Buddha&mdash;Monks&mdash;Their
+customs and clothing&mdash;Nuns&mdash;Their garments&mdash;Religious ceremonies&mdash;The
+tooth-stone.</div>
+<br />
+
+<p>The question of religion is always a difficult one to settle, for&mdash;no
+matter where one goes&mdash;there are people who are religious and people who
+are not.</p>
+
+<p>The generality of people in Corea are not religious, though in former
+days, especially in the Korai-an era, between the tenth and fourteenth
+centuries, they seem to have been ardent Buddhists. Indeed, Buddhism as a
+religion seems to have got a strong hold in Cho-sen during the many
+Chinese invasions; it only passed over Cho-sen, however, like a huge
+cloud, to vanish again, though leaving here and there traces of the power
+it once exercised.</p>
+
+<p>The bonzes (priests) had at one time so much authority all over the
+country as to actually rule the King himself; and, as the reverend
+gentlemen were ready with the sword as well as with their bead
+prayer-rosaries, they became an unparalleled nuisance and dangerous to
+the constitution. After having, by their great power and capacity for
+agitation, roused the <a name='Page_217'></a>country to revolution and internal disputes, it
+was found necessary to put them down, and from that time forward, they
+became mere nonentities. The chief instrument which brought this about
+was a law, still in existence, by which no religion is, under any
+circumstances, tolerated or allowed within the walls of Corean cities,
+and all bonzes are forbidden to enter the gates of any city under pain of
+losing their heads.</p>
+
+<p>The influence which the priests had gained over the Court having been
+thus suddenly destroyed, and the offenders against the law in question
+having been most severely dealt with, Buddhism, so far as Corea was
+concerned, received its death blow. This was so: first, because, although
+it had prevailed without restraint for nearly five centuries, many of the
+primitive old superstitions were still deeply rooted in the minds of the
+Coreans, and because, with the fall of the priests, these sprang up again
+bolder than ever; then, too, because the law above-mentioned was so
+strictly enforced that many temples and monasteries had to be closed
+owing to lack of sufficient funds, the number of their supporters having
+become infinitesimal in a comparatively short time.</p>
+
+<p>Shamanism is at the present time the popular religion, if indeed there is
+any that can be so designated. The primitive worship of nature appears to
+be quite sufficient for the religious aspirations of the Corean native,
+and with his imaginative brain he has peopled the earth with evil and
+good spirits, as well as giving them to the elements, the sky, and the
+morning star. To these spirits he offers sacrifices, when somebody in his
+family dies, or when any great event <a name='Page_218'></a>takes place; and to be on good
+terms with these invisible rulers of his fate is deemed necessary, even
+by well-educated people who should know better.</p>
+
+<p>There are spirits for everything in Cho-sen. The air is alive with them,
+and there are people who will actually swear that they have come in
+contact with them. Diseases of all sorts, particularly paralysis, are
+invariably ascribed to the possession of the human frame by one of these
+unwholesome visitors, and when a death occurs, to what else can it be due
+than to their evil and invisible operation? To old age, to diseases
+natural and zymotic, the expiration of life is never ascribed; these
+everlasting evil spirits have to answer for it all.</p>
+
+<p>The most prominent spirits are probably those of the mountain. According
+to Corean accounts, the mountains and hills seem to be full of these
+heroes of witchcraft: this being probably due to the fact that the dead
+are buried on hilly ground and that their souls, therefore, are most
+likely to make their nocturnal hoverings in such neighbourhoods, until a
+fresh career is found for them in the body of some animal. They are not
+<i>gods</i> of the mountains, as some writers have been pleased to call them,
+for, so far as I could judge, the natives are more terror-stricken when
+thinking about them than inclined to worship them. No Corean, of sound
+mind and body, however brave and fearless of death in battle, can ever be
+induced to walk out at night on the mountain-slopes; and even in the
+day-time a great deal of uneasiness is manifested by the natives should
+they have to climb a hill. On such occasions they provide themselves
+<a name='Page_219'></a>with armfuls of stones, which, as they go up, they throw violently one
+by one at these imaginary beings, thus showing them that their company is
+neither required nor wished for, and that they had better keep aloof. If
+this simple precaution is used, the obliging and scorned spirits seldom
+interfere with the traveller's welfare. The hills close to the towns are
+simply covered with heaps of stones, so thrown at these mythical dwellers
+of the mountains. Such is the effect produced by terror on the people's
+imagination, that frequently in their imagination they feel the actual
+touch of the spirits. Probably, if there is any physical touch in those
+cases, it is only a leaf or a twig falling from a tree. Still, when that
+occurs a regular fight ensues, the men continuing to fire stones at their
+imaginary foes, until in their mental vision they see them disappear and
+fade away in the air. Others not so brave prefer an accelerated retreat,
+only stopping now and again to throw a stone at the pursuers.</p>
+
+<p>From their very childhood the Coreans are imbued with horrid and
+fantastic accounts of the doings of these spirits, and so vividly are the
+usual habits of these ghostly creatures depicted to them, that they
+cannot but remain for ever indelibly impressed on their minds.</p>
+
+<p>Another very common sight, besides the stone-heaps, are the sacred trees.
+These are to be found everywhere, but especially on hilly ground. Their
+branches are literally covered with rags, bits of glass, and other
+offerings given by the superstitious and frightened passers-by, lest
+these spirits might take <a name='Page_220'></a>offence at not being noticed. Women and men
+when compelled to travel on the hills go well provided with these rags,
+and when&mdash;for the sacred trees are very numerous&mdash;supplies run short,
+many a woman has been known to tear off a bit of her silk gown, and
+attach it to a branch of the tree among the other donations.</p>
+
+<p>A coolie, who was carrying my paint-box one evening, when I was returning
+home from the hills, was simply terrified at the prospect of being seized
+by the spirits. He kept his mouth tightly closed, and stoutly declined to
+open it, for fear the spirits should get into him by that passage; and
+when, with the cold end of my stick, I purposely touched the back of his
+neck&mdash;unperceived by him, of course&mdash;he fled frightened out of his life,
+supposing it to have been a ghost. He met me again on the high road in
+the plain, about half a mile farther on, and explained his conduct with
+the very truthful excuse, that &quot;a spirit had seized him by the throat and
+shaken him violently, meaning at all costs to enter his mouth, and that
+it was to escape serious injury that he had fled!&quot; When I told him that
+it was I who had touched him with the end of my stick, he sarcastically
+smiled, as if he knew better.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;No, sir,&quot; said he; &quot;honestly, I saw with my own eyes the spirit that
+assaulted me!&quot;</p>
+
+<p>The forms given to these spirits vary much, according to the amount of
+imagination and descriptive power of the persons who describe them.
+Generally, however, they assume the forms either of repulsively hideous
+human beings, or else of snakes. The best safeguard against them,
+according to Corean notions, <a name='Page_221'></a>is music, or rather, I should say, noise.
+When possessed with a spirit, a diabolical row of drums, voices, bells
+and rattles combined is set agoing to make him depart without delay;
+while, on the other hand, little bits of dangling glass, tied to strings,
+small sweet-toned bells and cymbals, hanging in a bunch from the corners
+of the roof or in front of the windows and door, often by means of their
+tinkling&mdash;a sound not dissimilar to that of an &AElig;olian harp&mdash;attract to
+the house the friendly spirits of good fortune and prosperity. The latter
+are always heartily welcomed.</p>
+
+<p>The very wind itself is supposed to be the breathing of a god-spirit with
+extra powerful lungs; and rain, lightning, war, thirst, food and so on,
+each possesses a special deity, who, if not invoked at the right moment,
+and in the right manner, may, when least expected, have his revenge
+against you.</p>
+
+<p>The spirits of Cho-sen are very sensitive, and insist on being taken into
+notice. Through astrologers, sorcerers and sorceresses they convey
+messages and threats to this person and to that&mdash;generally the richer
+people&mdash;whose errors may always be rectified or atoned for by paying a
+round sum down to these go-betweens, who are quite ready to assume the
+responsibility of guaranteeing a peaceful settlement of matters. There
+are regular establishments kept by these sorcerers and sorceresses&mdash;as a
+rule, outside the city walls&mdash;where witchcraft is practised with impunity
+in all its forms. These establishments are much patronised both by the
+poor and by the man of noble rank; and amidst the most excruciating
+howling, clapping of <a name='Page_222'></a>hands, violent beating of drums and other
+exorcisms, illnesses are got rid of, pains and troubles softened,
+calamities prevented and children procured for sterile people. The
+Government itself does not consider these houses as forming part of the
+religious gang, and one or two of them may be found even in Seoul within
+the wall. One, an extremely noisy house and mostly patronised by women,
+is situated not far from the West Gate along the wall. There are also one
+or two on the slope of Mount Nanzam.</p>
+
+<p>The exorcisms, with the exception of a few particular ones, are, for the
+most part, performed in the open air, on a level space in front of the
+house. A circle is formed by the various claimants, in the centre of
+which a woman, apparently in a trance, squats on her heels. The more
+money that is paid in, the greater the noise that takes place, and the
+longer does the performance last. Every now and then the woman in the
+centre will get up, and, rushing to some other female in the circle, will
+tap her furiously on her back and shake her, saying that <i>she</i> has an
+evil spirit in her which refuses to come out. She will also hint that
+possibly by paying an extra sum, and by means of special exorcisms, it
+may be induced to leave. What with the shaking, the tapping, the
+clapping, the drums and the howls, the wretched &quot;spotted&quot; woman really
+begins to feel that she has something in her, and, possessed&mdash;not by the
+spirits&mdash;but by the most awful fright, she disburses the extra money
+required, after which the spirit ultimately departs.</p>
+
+<p>These witches and sorceresses are even more numerous than their male
+equivalents. They are <a name='Page_223'></a>recruited from the riff-raff of the towns, and are
+generally people well-informed on the state, condition, and doings of
+everybody. Acting on this previous knowledge, they can often tell your
+past to perfection, and in many cases they predict future events&mdash;which
+their judgment informs them are not unlikely to occur. When ignorant,
+they work pretty much on the same lines as the Oracle of Delphi; they
+give an answer that may be taken as you please. Then, if things do not
+occur in the way they predicted, they simply make it an excuse for
+extorting more money out of their victim under the plea that he has
+incurred the displeasure of the spirits, and that serious evil will come
+upon him if he does not comply with their request. The money obtained is
+generally spent in orgies during the night. These sorceresses and male
+magicians are usually unscrupulous and immoral, and are often implicated,
+not only in the intrigues of the noblest families, but also in murders
+and other hideous crimes.</p>
+
+<p>Outside the towns, again, there are, only a grade higher than these, the
+Buddhist monasteries and nunneries. Within a few miles of Seoul, several
+of these are to be found. One thing that may be said for these
+institutions is that they are invariably built on lovely spots. Generally
+on the top, or high on the slopes of a mountain, they form not only homes
+for the religious, but fortified and impregnable castles. The monasteries
+are seldom very large, and, as a general rule, hold respectively only
+about two dozen monks.</p>
+
+<p>There is a small temple on a platform, with a figure of Pul or Buddha in
+the centre, two brass candlesticks <a name='Page_224'></a>by his side, and a small incense
+burner at his feet.</p>
+<p class="ctr"><a href="./images/33.jpg"><img src="./images/33_th.jpg"
+alt="THE INTERIOR OF A TEMPLE"></a></p><p class="ctr">THE INTERIOR OF A TEMPLE</p>
+<p>&quot;Joss sticks&quot; are constantly burned before him and fill the temple with scent
+and haze. Buddha, as found in Corea, has generally a sitting and
+cross-legged posture; the feet are twisted with the soles upwards, and,
+while the right arm hangs down, the left is folded, the forearm
+projecting, and the hand holding a bronze ball. By his side, generally on
+the left, is a small tablet in a frame of elaborate wood-carving. At the
+foot of the statue is a large collection box for the donations of the
+worshippers. The background is usually plain, or painted with innumerable
+figures of the minor gods, some with young white faces and good-natured
+expressions, probably the gods of confidence; others with rugged old
+faces and shaggy white eyebrows, moustache and hair, undoubtedly the
+various forms of the deity of wisdom. Then there is one with squinting
+ferocious eyes, black eyebrows and beard, dressed in a <a name='Page_225'></a>helmet and
+fighting robe, who, needless to remark, is the god of war. Others are the
+gods of justice, deference, and affection; the last being impersonated by
+two female figures who usually stand on each side of the Buddha. One
+curious thing about the Buddha is that the head is generally very large
+in proportion to the body, and that the ears are enormous for the size of
+the head. In the East it is considered lucky to possess large ears, but
+these Buddhas are often represented with their organs of hearing as long
+as the whole height of the head. In Europe such a thing would hardly be
+considered a compliment! The hair of the Buddha is carefully plastered
+down on his forehead, and is adorned with a jewel in the centre. The eyes
+are almost straight, like the eyes of Europeans, instead of being
+slanting, like those of the Mongolians, while the eyebrows, finely
+painted with a small brush, describe a beautiful semi-circular arch. The
+expression of the face, as one looks at it, is in most cases that of
+nobility and sleepiness.</p>
+
+<p>Out of the West Gate, and a good way past the Pekin Pass, a very
+interesting day can be spent in visiting a monastery which is to be found
+there among the hills. Previous to reaching it, a small tomb, that,
+namely, of the King's mother, is passed. On each flank is a stone figure,
+while on three sides a wall shuts in the mound of earth under which the
+body lies. On the right is a tablet to the memory of the deceased, and in
+front of the mound is placed a well-polished stone, also a small urn.</p>
+
+<p>High up, after following a zig-zag mountain path, we come to the
+monastery.</p><a name='Page_226'></a>
+
+<p>Monasteries as a rule consist of the temple and the mud huts and houses
+of the monks and novices. The temple always stands apart. Of the temples
+which I saw, none were very rich in interesting works of art or in
+excellent decoration, like the temples of Japan. The only parts decorated
+outside in the Corean houses of worship are immediately under the roof
+and above the doors, where elaborate, though roughly executed
+wood-carvings are painted over in red, white, green and yellow, in their
+crudest tones. Over each of the columns supporting the temple, projects a
+board with two enormous curved teeth, like the tusks of an elephant, and
+over the principal door of the temple is a black tablet, on which the
+name of the temple is written in gold Chinese characters. At each of the
+columns, both of the temple and of the common part of the dwellings, hang
+long wooden panels on which are written the names of supporters and
+donors with accompanying words of high praise.</p>
+
+<p>The doors of the temples are of lattice-work and are made up of four
+different parts, folding and opening on hinges. On some occasions, when
+the <i>concours</i> of the public is too great to be accommodated within the
+building itself, the whole of the front and sides of the temple are
+thrown open. Inside the lattice-work above mentioned tissue-paper is
+placed, to protect the religious winter visitors from the cold.</p>
+
+<p>Inside, the temples are extremely simple. With the exception of the
+statue of Buddha and the various representations of minor deities that we
+have already mentioned, there is little else to be seen. The
+prayer-books, certainly, are interesting; their leaves are <a name='Page_227'></a>joined
+together so as to form a long strip of paper folded into pages, but not
+sewn, nor fastened anywhere except at the two ends, to which two wooden
+panels are attached, and, by one side of the book being kept higher than
+the other, the leaves unfold, so to speak, automatically.</p>
+
+<p>In one temple of very small dimensions, perched up among the rocks near
+the South Gate of Seoul, are to be seen hundreds of little images in
+costumes of warriors, mandarins and princes, all crammed together in the
+most unmerciful manner. This temple goes by the name of the &quot;The
+Five-hundred Images.&quot; Adjoining it is a quaint little monastery and a
+weird cavern (<i>see</i> chap, xx., &quot;A Trip to Poo Kan&quot;).</p>
+
+<p>As to the monasteries themselves, these, though adjoining the temples,
+are built apart from them. Their lower portions are, like all Corean
+houses, of stone and mud, while the upper parts are entirely of mud. The
+roof is tiled on the main portion of the building, while over the kitchen
+and quarters for the novices it is generally only thatched.</p>
+
+<p>More interesting to me than the temples and buildings were the bonzes,
+who are, I may as well say at once, a very depraved lot. It is a strange
+fact in nature that the vicious are often more interesting than the
+virtuous. So it is with the Corean bonzes. Here you have a body of men,
+shrewd, it is true, yet wicked (not to say more) and entirely without
+conscience, whose only aim is to make money at the expense of weak-minded
+believers. Morals they have none; if it were possible, one might say even
+less than none. They lead a lazy and vicious life in these monasteries,
+<a name='Page_228'></a>gambling among themselves and spending much time in orgies. They feed
+themselves well at the expense of the charitable, and a great deal of
+their energy is expended in blackmailing rich persons, not of course
+openly, but through agents as disreputable as themselves. Whenever there
+are riots or revolutions in progress, their origin can invariably be
+traced to the monasteries. In other respects, excepting these few little
+faults, they seemed charming people. Their</p>
+<p class="ctr"><a href="./images/34.jpg"><img src="./images/34_th.jpg"
+alt="BUDDHIST BONZES AND TEMPLE"></a></p><p class="ctr">BUDDHIST BONZES AND TEMPLE</p>
+<p>dress consists of a long white padded gown with baggy
+sleeves; the usual huge trousers and short coat underneath; and a rosary
+of largeish beads round their necks. When praying, the rosary is held in
+the hands, and each bead counts for one prayer. A larger bead in the
+rosary is the starting-point. When petitions are being offered to Buddha
+on behalf of third parties&mdash;for rarely do they, if ever, pray on behalf
+of themselves&mdash;there is a scale of prices varying according to the
+<a name='Page_229'></a>wealth of the petitioners; so many prayers are worth so much <i>cash</i>; in
+other words, one buys them as one would rice or fruit. The bonzes shave
+their heads as clean as billiard balls; while the novices content
+themselves with cutting their hair extremely short, leaving it, probably,
+not longer than one-eighth of an inch. There are many different degrees
+of bonzes. We have, for example, the begging bonzes, who wear large
+conical hats of plaited split bamboos, or else hats smaller still and
+also cone-shaped but made of thick dried grass. They travel all over the
+district, and sometimes even to distant provinces, collecting funds and
+information from the people. Sometimes they impose their company on some
+well-to-do person, who, owing to the Corean etiquette in the matter of
+hospitality, has to provide them with food, money and promises of
+constant contributions before he can get rid of them. Then there are the
+stay-at-home bonzes, well-fattened and easy-going, who cover their heads
+with round, horse-hair, stiffened black caps of the exact shape of those
+familiar articles in French and Italian pastry-cook shops, used over the
+different plates to prevent flies from eating the sweets. Lastly, we have
+the military priests, who follow the army to offer up prayers when at war
+and during battles, and who don hats of the ordinary shape worn by every
+one else except that they have round crowns instead of almost cylindrical
+ones. These alone are occasionally allowed to enter the towns. Paper
+sandals are the foot-gear chiefly in use among them.</p>
+
+<p>Whenever I visited a monastery, I found the monks most civil and
+hospitable, although naturally they expect <a name='Page_230'></a>something back for their
+hospitality. I hardly had time to pay my chin-chins to all of them,
+folding my hands and shaking them in front of my forehead, bent forward,
+before a tray of eatables, such as beans, radishes and rice in pretty
+brass bowls would be produced, and a large cup of wine offered, out of
+which latter the whole company drank in turn. They took much interest in
+my sketching, and all insisted on being portrayed. Many of them possessed
+a good deal of artistic talent, and it is generally by their handiwork
+and patience that the images and statues in the temples are produced.
+Among them were some very intelligent faces, somewhat <i>abruties</i>, to use
+a French word, owing to the life they lead, but exceedingly bright and
+cheery withal, and often very witty, when one came to talk with them. As
+for shrewdness and quickness of perception I know no person who has these
+better at his command than the Corean Buddhist priest.</p>
+
+<p>There are also in Corea nunneries for women who desire to follow a
+religious life. Curiously enough, contrary to the rule with us, the
+Corean nuns are more emancipated than the rest of the native women. To
+begin with, they dress just in the same way as do the monks, shave their
+heads like them; and being, moreover, of a cast of countenance
+exceedingly ugly and not at all feminine, they might quite well, from the
+appearance of their faces, be taken to belong to the stronger sex. A good
+many of them, contrary to the case of the monks, impressed me as being
+afflicted with mental and bodily sufferings, and in several cases they
+even appeared to me to be bordering on idiocy. They always, however,
+received me kindly, and showed <a name='Page_231'></a>me their convents, with cells in which
+two or three nuns sleep together. They were not quite so careless as the
+monks about the duties of religion, and at the little temple close by
+there was a continual rattling of the gong, a buzzing, monotonous sound,
+enough to drive anybody out of his mind, if especially it was accompanied
+by the beating of drums. The temples attached to these nunneries seemed
+to be more elaborate inside</p>
+<p class="ctr"><a href="./images/35.jpg"><img src="./images/35_th.jpg"
+alt="A NUNNERY"></a></p><p class="ctr">A NUNNERY</p>
+<p>than those of the
+monasteries, and when a religious ceremony has to be performed, two nuns,
+one in white, the other draped in a long, black-greenish gown, and both
+wearing a red garment thrown over the left shoulder, passed under the
+right arm, and tied in front with a ribbon, walk up and down inside the
+temple, muttering prayers, while a third female goes on rattling on the
+drums with all her might. Offerings of rice, beans, etc., are placed in
+front of the gods, a candle or two is lighted&mdash;and the nun in dark
+clothing <a name='Page_232'></a>holds a small gong, fastened to the end of a bent stick, and
+taps on it with a long-handled hammer, first gently and slowly, then
+quicker and quicker, in a crescendo, till she manages to produce a long
+shrill sound. The person, for whom these prayers are offered, kneels in
+front of the particular deity whom she wants to invoke, though generally
+at the foot of the Great Buddha, and with hands joined in front of her
+nose, prays with the nuns, getting up during certain prayers, kneeling
+down again for others. For head-gear, the nuns wear the same grass
+conical hats which the travelling monks do. If a large oblation is
+offered, the service is still more noisy, and not only are the big drums
+played in the most violent manner, but the nuns squat in a body along the
+walls inside the temple, and keep hammering away on little gongs similar
+to that just described. Recall to your memory the sound of a blacksmith's
+forge with two men hammering a red-hot iron, magnify that sound a hundred
+times, and add to it the buzzing of the prayers, and you will then get a
+pretty fair idea of what one of these religious ceremonies sounds like to
+European ears.</p>
+
+<p>One of the best features of Confucianism is the inculcation of respect
+towards parents and old people, in which respect both monks and nuns do a
+deal of good; though, otherwise, I think the country might advantageously
+be without these institutions.</p>
+
+<p>Beliefs are comical when one does not believe in them.</p>
+
+<p>On the mountain slopes, just outside the city wall, and at no great
+distance from the West Gate, is a <a name='Page_233'></a>peculiar rock, which the action of the
+weather has worn out into the shape of a gigantic tooth. Whence comes its
+name of Tooth-stone. There would be nothing wonderful about this, if it
+were not for the fact that a visit to this freak of nature, has,
+according to Corean accounts, the property of curing the worst of
+tooth-aches. Though I was not myself afflicted with the complaint in
+question, I went one afternoon to witness the pilgrimage that takes place
+every day to this miraculous spot. A little altar stands at the foot of
+the huge tooth, and numberless tablets, certifying to cures, erected by
+thankful noble visitors and others, are fixed against the rock, with the
+name, date and year when the cures were effected.</p>
+
+<p>As I stood there, I could not help laughing at the sight of the crowds of
+men and women with swollen cheeks, bandaged up in cotton wool and
+kerchiefs, apparently undergoing excruciating agonies through coming out
+on so cold a day. One after the other they came up, first paying their
+chin-chins in front of the altar, and then depositing on it what <i>cash</i>
+they could afford; after which they proceeded to rub one cheek after the
+other on the Tooth-stone, just as &quot;puss&quot; rubs herself against your legs
+when you stroke her head. The bandages had, of course, to be removed
+before the balloon-like cheek could be rubbed on the frozen stone, and to
+watch the different expressions of relief or increased pain upon their
+ill-balanced, inflamed faces, gave me as much amusement as any show that
+I have ever witnessed. Should the pain have temporarily disappeared, the
+man in charge of the <i>miracle</i> would make it his duty to try and extract
+<a name='Page_234'></a>more money from the person cured; if, instead of that, the pain had
+increased, which was generally the case, then, again, he would impress on
+the agonised sufferer that had he paid a larger sum in the beginning the
+gods would not have been vexed at his meanness and the pain would have
+disappeared. Let him, therefore, now pay more <i>cash</i> by way of making up
+for it, and try again! It is wonderful, too, how shallow people are when
+they have a pain anywhere!</p>
+
+
+
+<hr class="full" />
+<a name='CHAPTER_XV'></a><h2><a name='Page_235'></a>CHAPTER XV</h2>
+
+<div class='Ptoc'>Police&mdash;Detectives&mdash;The plank-walk&mdash;The square board&mdash;The wooden blocks
+for hands and feet&mdash;Floggings&mdash;The bamboo rod&mdash;The stick&mdash;The flexible
+board&mdash;A flogging in Seoul&mdash;One hundred strokes for
+three-halfpence&mdash;Wounds produced&mdash;Tender-hearted
+soldiers&mdash;Imprisonment&mdash;Exile&mdash;Status of women, children and
+bachelors&mdash;Guilds and the law&mdash;Nobles and the law&mdash;Serfdom&mdash;A mild form
+of slavery.</div>
+<br />
+
+<p>Should you happen to be one of the tender-hearted sort, please pass this
+chapter and the next over, and I shall not bear you any malice. My
+present object is to describe some of the punishments inflicted on
+criminals, and, though they are, as a whole, quaint and original, I
+cannot say that they are pleasing, either to see or to read about.</p>
+
+<p>First of all, you may not be aware that there is in Seoul a sharp and
+well-regulated body of police, always ready to pounce on outlaws of any
+kind; and that there is hardly a crime committed, the delinquent in which
+fails to be immediately collared. These guardians of the peace do not
+wear any particular uniform, but are dressed just like the merchant
+classes; and thus it is that, unknown, they can mix with people of all
+sorts, and frequently discover crimes of which they would otherwise
+probably never hear. Instead of being mere policemen, they rather do the
+work of detectives and policemen combined; for, by ably <a name='Page_236'></a>disguising
+themselves, they try to get on familiar terms with people about whom they
+are suspicious; and in many a case, after having become a bosom-friend of
+one of these officials and acknowledged and confessed his evil deeds to
+him, the culprit finds himself arrested and very likely beheaded.</p>
+
+<p>In speaking of their mode of arrest, I purposely used the word
+&quot;collared&quot;; for no better term can express the action of the Corean
+policeman. The man is taken before the magistrate soon after his arrest,
+and should he offer resistance he is dragged before him by his top-knot
+or his pig-tail, according respectively as he is a married man or a
+bachelor. If he is strong and restive, a rope with a sliding knot is
+passed round his neck, after his hands have been firmly tied behind his
+back. After his interview with the magistrate at the <i>yamen</i>, if he be
+found guilty, he is generally treated with very great severity.</p>
+
+<p>If the crime has been only of the minor degree the culprit undergoes the
+plank-walk, a punishment tiresome enough, but not too harsh for Coreans.
+The following is a rough description of it. A heavy wooden plank, about
+twelve feet long and two feet wide, with an aperture in the centre, is
+used, the man's head being passed through the aperture and then secured
+in it in such a way that he cannot remove it. Thus arrayed he is made to
+walk through the streets of the town, his head distorted by the weight he
+has to carry, and his body restrained by the dragging of the plank either
+in front of him or at his back. The passers-by point at him the finger of
+scorn, as, in his helpless state, he is made to swing from one side of
+the road to the other <a name='Page_237'></a>with the slightest push, or else is pulled along
+mercilessly by people who seize the plank and begin to run. He is poked
+in the ribs with sticks, and gets his head smacked and smeared with dirt;
+yet has to bear it all patiently, until, twirled round, knocked about,
+and with his neck skinned by the friction of the heavy plank, he
+sometimes falls down in a dead faint.</p>
+
+<p class="ctr"><a href="./images/36.jpg"><img src="./images/36_th.jpg"
+alt="THE PLANK-WALK"></a></p><p class="ctr">THE PLANK-WALK</p>
+
+<p>Little or no compassion is shown to criminals by the Coreans. Rather than
+otherwise, they are cruel to them; and children, besides being cautioned
+not to follow their bad example, are encouraged to annoy and torture the
+poor wretches.</p>
+
+<p>A more severe punishment still is the square board, a piece of wood too
+heavy to allow of the man standing for any length of time, too wide to
+allow of his arms reaching his face, too big to allow of him resting his
+head on the ground and going to sleep, and too thick <a name='Page_238'></a>to allow of his
+smashing it and getting rid of it. Instances are on record of people thus
+punished having become lunatics after the fourth or fifth day. During the
+fly season I should think such an occurrence cannot be uncommon. Imagine
+half a dozen flies disporting themselves in a tickling walk on a man's
+nose, eyelids and forehead, without his being able to reach them, owing
+to this huge square wooden collar! It must be dreadful! Merely the
+thought of it is enough to give one the shivers.</p>
+
+<p>This last mode of punishment has, I think, been imported from China, for
+I have also seen it frequently in the Empire of Heaven. The other, which
+I first described, may also be a modification of this one, but I do not
+remember having seen it, as I have described it, anywhere except in
+Corea, at Seoul. There is also in Corea another machine of torture, in
+which the head and feet are tied between heavy blocks of wood.</p>
+
+<p>The principal, and most important, of all the lesser punishments,
+however, is flogging. It is that which has most effect on the people, and
+it is certainly by far the most painful. It is carried out in many ways,
+according to the gravity of the crime committed. The simpler and milder
+form is with a small bamboo rod, the strokes being administered on the
+hands, on the bare back or on the thighs, a punishment mostly for young
+people. Next in severity, is that with the round stick&mdash;a heavy
+implement&mdash;by which it was always a marvel to me, that all the bones of
+the body were not smashed, judging from the fearful blows which the
+powerful flogger bestowed on the poor wretches who lay stretched out
+flat, and face downward, <a name='Page_239'></a>on a sort of bench, to which they were
+fastened, and on which they generally fainted from pain after the first
+few strokes had been given. This is considered a low and degrading way of
+being flogged, and is chiefly limited to people of the lowest standing in
+society. The implement most generally in use in this line of sport is the
+paddle or flat board, a beating with which, when once received, is likely
+to be remembered for ever. I shall try to describe the way in which I saw
+it done one day in Seoul.</p>
+
+<p>I was walking along the main street when I saw a <i>kisso</i> (soldier), with
+his hands tied behind his back, being led with a rope and followed by
+about a score of cavalry soldiers in their picturesque hats and red
+tassels. A magistrate, in his long white gown and with a huge pair of
+circular spectacles on his nose, headed the procession. I asked a
+passer-by what they were going to do, and was soon informed, both by
+action and by word of mouth, that the man was going to be flogged,
+whereupon I at once slackened my pace, and joined the procession, that I
+might, if possible, see how they did this sort of thing in military
+circles. I had already seen ordinary floggings with the bamboo and the
+stick, but what attracted me more especially on this occasion, was a long
+wooden board which a soldier was carrying, and with which, the man who
+was walking by my side said, they were going to beat him. It was a plank
+about ten feet long, one foot wide and half an inch thick, probably less,
+and therefore very flexible. After walking for a short distance, the
+procession at last made a halt. The man to be performed upon, looked
+almost unconcerned; and, save <a name='Page_240'></a>that he was somewhat pensive, showed no
+signs of fear. His hands having been untied, he at once took off his
+hat&mdash;for in the land of Cho-sen a man does not mind losing his life as
+long as his hat is not spoilt! His padded trousers were pulled down so as
+to leave his legs bare, and he was then made to lie flat on the pebbly
+ground, using his folded arms as a sort of rest for his head. The
+magistrate, with his pompous strides, having found a suitable spot,
+squatted down on his heels, a servant immediately handing to him his
+long-caned pipe. The soldiers, silent and grave, then formed a circle,
+and the flogger; with his board all ready in his hand, took up a position
+on the left-hand side of his victim. The magistrate, between one puff and
+another of smoke, gave a long harangue on the evils of borrowing money
+and not returning it, however small the sum might be. The disgrace, he
+argued, would be great in anybody's case, but for a soldier of the King,
+not only to commit the great offence of borrowing money from a person of
+lower grade than himself&mdash;&quot;a butcher,&quot; but then also to add to his shame
+by not returning it&mdash;this was something that went beyond the limits of
+decency.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;How much was it you borrowed?&quot; he inquired in a roaring kind of voice.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;A hundred <i>cash</i>,&quot; answered the thread of a voice from the head on the
+ground buried in the coat-sleeves.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Well, then, give him a hundred strokes, to teach him to do better next
+time!&quot;</p>
+
+<p>As a hundred <i>cash</i> is equivalent to one penny-halfpenny, to my mind, the
+verdict was a little severe, <a name='Page_241'></a>but, as there is no knowing what is good
+for other people, I remained a silent spectator.</p>
+
+<p>The flogger then, grabbing at one end of the board with his strong hands,
+swung it two or three times over his head, and gave a tremendous whack on
+the man's thighs, causing them to bleed. Then immediately another and
+another followed, each being duly reckoned, the poor fellow all the while
+moaning pitifully, and following from the corners of his frightened eyes
+the quick movements of the quivering plank. Soon his skin became livid
+and inflamed, and, after a few more blows had been given, large patches
+of skin remained attached to the board. The pain must have been intense.
+The wretch bit his sleeves, and moaned and groaned, until, finally, he
+became faint. Meanwhile, I had produced my sketch-book, and had already
+with my pencil jotted down magistrate, flogger, flogged and soldiers,
+when the ill-natured official took offence at what I was doing and
+ordered the flogging to be at once stopped. Had I only known, I would
+have begun my sketch before. As it was&mdash;and the culprit had only received
+less than one-fifth of the number of blows to which he had been
+sentenced&mdash;the performance was bad enough. There was only one redeeming
+feature about it, and I must say no one was more astonished at it than
+myself. Nearly all the soldiers, friends of the offender, blubbered like
+children while his punishment lasted. This circumstance seemed to prove
+to me that the Easterns, though apparently cruel, are, after all, not
+quite so hard-hearted as one might be inclined to imagine. And, mind you,
+the soldier-classes in Cho-sen are probably the most cruel <a name='Page_242'></a>of all; that
+touch of sentiment on their part, therefore, impressed me much, and upset
+entirely those first ideas I had formed about their lack of sensitiveness
+and sympathy for others.</p>
+
+<p>The order to that effect being then given, two soldiers proceeded to help
+the man to rise. Calling to him was, however, of no avail. They had,
+therefore, to lift him up bodily, but when they tried to dress him they
+found his swollen bleeding legs to be as stiff as if they had been made
+of iron; wherefore, as they failed to bend them, two other men had to
+come to their assistance and carry him away. It not unfrequently happens
+in the case of this cruel method of flogging that a man's thighs are
+broken and himself ruined for life, and many have been known to have even
+died under the severity of the punishment.</p>
+
+<p>Imprisonment is not a favourite punishment with the Corean magistrates,
+for the infliction of such a penalty means considerable expense to the
+country, and would be but little punishment to the natives, who, by such
+confinement, would suffer little or nothing physically, and certainly not
+at all morally. Some, however, especially of the nobler classes, are kept
+confined, even for years, in expectation, for instance, of a sentence of
+capital punishment being carried out, or else in the hope that through
+influential friends they may obtain the royal pardon. As a rule,
+particularly with the better classes, exile is deemed a more impressive
+punishment than imprisonment, and when confiscation of land and property
+goes with this, the punishment is, of course, all the more severe.</p>
+
+<p>Of banishment there are several different kinds.<a name='Page_243'></a> Thus, there is not only
+banishment from the city to a distant province, but also that out of the
+kingdom altogether. Some banishments are for short periods, others for
+longer periods, others for life. Banishment from the country is generally
+for life and accompanied by confiscation.</p>
+
+<p>A curious custom prevails at Court, according to which, when a Minister,
+prince or magistrate incurs the royal displeasure, he is confined for two
+or three days to his own house, without being allowed to go out. Were the
+rule broken it would lead to serious trouble, for spies are generally
+sent to see that the rule is not transgressed. Such a punishment, mild as
+it is, is much felt by the nobles, and they take, therefore, a good deal
+of trouble to comply with the Court etiquette in all its minutest
+details.</p>
+
+<p>Corean law is very lenient to women and children, or unmarried men, which
+latter class, as we have seen, are classified in the same category as the
+former. The head of the family is supposed to punish smaller offences as
+he thinks fit, either by rod or fist, the law only providing the severer
+forms of punishment for the bigger crimes.</p>
+
+<p>The administration of the law in general is very strange. Some people are
+responsible, others are not. Certain tradesmen, like butchers,
+plasterers, innkeepers, carpenters, hatters, etc., have formed themselves
+into guilds, and in the case of offences committed by a member of one of
+these guilds he is held responsible to the head of the guild and not to
+the magistrates of the country. The same holds good in the case of the
+<i>mapus</i> (horsemen) and the coolie-carriers <a name='Page_244'></a>who constitute, probably, the
+best-formed and best-governed guild in the country. It has thousands of
+members all over the kingdom, and not only is the postal system carried
+on by them, but also the entire trade, so to speak, between the different
+provinces and towns of the realm. The chief of this guild, until late
+years, had actually the power of inflicting capital punishment on the
+members; now, however, the highest penalty he can inflict is a sentence
+of flogging. Thus it is, that a good deal of the justice of the country
+is administered by the people themselves, without the intervention of the
+legal authorities, in which respect they show themselves very sensible.
+The nobles, too, have the power of flogging their servants or followers,
+and this is usually done in their own <i>compounds</i>. Very often on passing
+a house the strokes of the paddle may be heard, the howls and screams of
+the victim testifying to the nature of what is going on. In other cases
+flogging is generally done in public, for then it is supposed to have
+more effect. If done in a private enclosure, then all the servants,
+soldiers and followers are summoned to witness it.</p>
+
+<p>This patient submission to these personal punishments is no doubt one of
+the last remains of feudalism. In not very remote times, serfdom which
+bordered on slavery was still in existence in Cho-sen. Men and women
+became private property either by the acquiring of the land on which they
+lived, or, by purchase, or by way of execution for non-payment of debts,
+for under this convenient law creditors could be paid with a man's
+relations instead of with ready money.</p><a name='Page_245'></a>
+
+<p>Slavery in Corea, even when it existed, was, however, always of a very
+mild form. The women were mostly employed as servants about the house,
+while the man tilled the ground, but in neither case was rough dealing
+the rule, and, far less, ill-treatment. They were, too, well fed and
+clothed; so much so, that many people used to sell themselves in order to
+acquire a comfortable living. In time of famine this must have very often
+occurred, and many families whose ancestors under such circumstances
+stood by the nobles and rich people are even to the present moment
+supported by them, though no longer as slaves, but rather as retainers
+and servants. They are perfectly happy with their lot and make no
+agitation for liberty; in fact, like the bird that has been born and bred
+in a cage, if left to themselves, they would probably soon come to a bad
+end.</p>
+
+
+
+<hr class="full" />
+<a name='CHAPTER_XVI'></a><h2><a name='Page_246'></a>CHAPTER XVI</h2>
+
+<div class='Ptoc'>Executions&mdash;Crucified and carried through the streets&mdash;The execution
+ground&mdash;Barbarous mode of beheading&mdash;Noble criminals&mdash;Paternal love&mdash;Shut
+out&mdash;Scaling the wall&mdash;A catastrophe&mdash;A nightmare.</div>
+<br />
+
+<p>In Cho-sen, as in other countries, we find not only pleasanter sights,
+but also those that are disagreeable or even revolting. That which I am
+about to describe is one which, I have little doubt, will make your blood
+curdle, but which is none the less as interesting as some of the others I
+have feebly attempted in this work to describe; I mean an execution as
+carried out in the Land of the Morning Calm. The penal form of death
+adopted is beheading, which is not, I believe, so pleasant a sensation
+as, for instance, that of being hanged&mdash;that is, when other persons are
+the sufferers. Of late years, executions have not been by any means an
+everyday occurrence in Corea, but here, as in other countries, there is
+always to be found a good share of people who are anxious to be &quot;off&quot;
+their heads. There is no reason why people should commit crimes, yet they
+do commit them and get punished in consequence. They are punished in this
+world for having broken the limits of society's laws, and yet again, if
+what one hears is correct, they are punished wherever they happen to go
+after their final departure from our very earthly regions. In Corea, <a name='Page_247'></a>as
+is the case all over the far East, the natives are not much concerned
+about this future existence and attach little importance to death and
+physical pain. I have no doubt, in fact I am positive, that the Eastern
+people feel pain much less than we do, partly because they are accustomed
+from childhood to be insensitive to bodily agony, but chiefly because
+they are differently constituted to us. In our case, the brain, by means
+of which it is that we judge of the amount of pain inflicted on us, has
+been trained to receive impressions so quickly, transmitted as they are
+in an instant from any part of the body to the centre of our system,
+that, indeed, many times we actually feel the pain before it has been
+physically communicated to us at all. With the Corean, as with the Manchu
+or the Chinese, a reverse action takes place. With them, the brain works
+so very slowly that, supposing a bad ache is taking place in any part of
+the body, whence is being conveyed to the drowsy brain the unpleasant
+news of the agony that that part is undergoing; well, what in that case
+happens in the Corean skull? By the time the brain has grasped the idea
+that the aforesaid part of the body is really in a state of suffering,
+the pain is almost gone. This, roughly stated, is I believe, a truthful
+explanation of their going to death with so much bravery.</p>
+
+<p>It is a common occurrence in China for criminals, kneeling in a row to be
+executed, to crack jokes among themselves, and even at the executioner's
+expense. In Corea, they cannot go quite so far as that, for things are
+done somewhat differently. In the latter country, the prisoners are
+detained in the gaols <a name='Page_248'></a>sometimes for months and even years, undergoing
+judgments and sentences, floggings and milder tortures innumerable, so
+that it is almost with a feeling of relief and gladness that, finally,
+being proved guilty, they receive the news of their fast approaching end.
+When their time is come, they are removed from prison, and dragged out
+into a courtyard, within which, with the first rays of light, have been
+brought some little carts with heavy and roughly-made wooden wheels, each
+drawn by a sturdy bull. On the ground some wooden crosses have been set
+up, and to each of these a criminal is tied with ropes, his chest and
+arms being bare, and cut into by the tightened cords, and only his padded
+trousers being left. Each cross with its human freight is then planted
+and made firm on a bull cart; and then, when all is ready, the ghastly
+procession, headed by the executioner, a few <i>kissos</i> (soldiers), armed
+with old fashioned flint locks or with spears, makes its way slowly
+through the streets of the town, one of the followers proclaiming aloud
+the crimes committed and the sentences passed on the crucified. Sleepy
+women and children, with uncombed hair, peep out of the paper windows,
+while the men hurry down to the street and join the procession in large
+numbers, making fun at the expense of the poor wretches, and even
+insulting them; while the latter, hang helpless and defenceless from
+their crosses, their bodies livid with cold, pain and starvation.
+Occasions such as these, are regular orgies for the soldiers, and those
+who follow the mournful <i>cort&eacute;ge</i>. Not a wine-shop on the road-side is
+left unvisited, and continual halts are made that wine may be freely
+drunk, and <a name='Page_249'></a>food swallowed, as only Corean soldiers know how to do it.
+Occasionally, a pious passer-by, moved to compassion, may, amid the howls
+of the crowd, raise his wine-cup to the lips of one of the sentenced, and
+help him thus to make death more merry. Once this sort of thing is
+started, the example is usually at once emulated by others, and, as the
+hours go by, a considerable amount of intoxicating stuff is consumed, not
+only by the executioner, soldiers and followers, but also by those to be
+executed. Before very long, however, the bodies of the victims thus
+carried become senseless and nearly frozen to death. Their heads then
+hang down pitifully, all blue and congested, and quivering with the
+jerking of the cart.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Era! Era! Picassa!&quot; (&quot;Get out! get away!&quot;) the drunken soldiers call out
+at intervals, as they swallow their last mouthful of rice, and order the
+<i>mapus</i> to move on to the next eating-place. Crowds of men and children
+collect round the miserable show and prudent fathers, pointing at the
+victims, show their heirs what will be the fate of those who do what is
+wrong. During the whole day are the poor wretches thus carted to and fro,
+in the streets of the town, stoppages being made at all the public
+eating-places, where feasting invariably takes place, though it is also
+almost as invariably left unpaid for.</p>
+
+<p>Only when sunset has come is it that the procession, having made its way
+towards one of the city gates, finally leaves the town and winds its way
+through the open country to a suitable spot for the chopping-off process.
+Executions are not held at any particular spot; and in former days, even
+a few years ago, it <a name='Page_250'></a>was not an uncommon occurrence to see the dead
+bodies of beheaded people lying about in the streets of Seoul. Now,
+however, they generally take the offenders outside the Wall, and inflict
+the capital punishment miles away from the town.</p>
+
+<p>The execution represented in the illustration, took place on the sixth of
+February, 1891, and is a reproduction of a picture which I have done from
+sketches taken on the spot. The men executed on this occasion numbered
+seven, and the crime committed, was &quot;high treason.&quot; They had conspired to
+upset the reigning dynasty of Cho-sen, and had devised the death of His
+Majesty the King. Unfortunately for them, the plot was discovered before
+its aims could be carried out, and the ringleaders arrested and
+imprisoned. For over a year they had remained in gaol, undergoing severe
+trials, and being constantly tortured and flogged to make them confess
+their crime, and betray the friends who were implicated with them. That,
+however, being of no avail, the seven men were at last all sentenced to
+death. Three of them were noblemen, and one a priest; while the others
+were commoner people, though well-to-do. Here are their names;
+Yi-Keun-eung, Youn-Tai-son, Im-Ha-sok, Kako (priest), Yi-sang-hik,
+Chyong-Hiong-sok, Pang-Pyong-Ku.</p>
+
+<p>Having undergone the final drive through the town, by the sound of the
+big bell at sunset the <i>cort&eacute;ge</i> passed through the &quot;Gate of the Dead;&quot;
+then, leaving the crowded streets of the capital, it made its way towards
+the spot where the execution was to take place. The place selected was on
+a naturally raised</p><a name='Page_251'></a>
+<p class="ctr"><a href="./images/37.jpg"><img src="./images/37_th.jpg"
+alt="A STUDY FROM STILL-LIFE"></a></p><p class="ctr">A STUDY FROM STILL-LIFE</p>
+<p>ground, nearly 20 lis (6&frac12; miles) from Seoul, a lonely spot, overlooking a
+deserted plain. The high road was only a few hundred yards distant, and
+could be plainly seen as a white interminable line, like a white tape, at
+the foot of the distant hills.</p>
+
+<p>The bull carts were stopped some little way below this spot on the flat
+ground, and then, one by one, the wretched creatures were taken down and
+removed from their crosses in a brutal manner, and handed over to the
+executioner. Senseless, they lay on the ground, with their arms tied
+behind their backs, and a long rope fastened to their top-knots in the
+hair; until they were carried one after another, and laid flat on their
+faces, with their chests on the little stools seen in the picture. When
+they had all been thus stationed, the executioner proceeded to administer
+blows with his blunt sword until the heads were severed from the bodies.
+On the occasion in question, several of the bodies were hacked about most
+mercilessly through the inexperience or drunkenness of this brute. The
+third man in the illustration, for example, had a good part of his left
+shoulder cut off as clean as a whistle, although the blow had been meant
+to strike the neck; but let this suffice for these horrible details. I
+have mentioned them, partly, that they may be compared with the dexterous
+doings of the neighbouring Chinese, whose skill in the chopping-off line
+is beyond description.</p>
+
+<p>The Chinese possess very long, sharp, well-balanced swords, a single blow
+of one of which will sever the head from the body. Besides, they
+administer their blows as neatly as the most fastidious of customers
+<a name='Page_252'></a>might desire, and the victim does not really undergo much pain. The
+executioners, too, are picked out from among the strongest men, and are
+so well trained that they never miss a blow. The whole affair,
+consequently, is over in less than no time; a few seconds being quite
+sufficient to do away with one comfortably. Truly enough, were it to be
+one's lot to be executed, I would desire nothing more delightful than to
+have one's head &quot;done&quot; by a Celestial executioner. The Coreans, on the
+contrary, have not developed the same skill in these difficult matters;
+and, what with their blunt and short swords, what with their misjudgment
+of distances, they bungle matters most cruelly. Of course, they are,
+nevertheless, supposed to kill their victims with single blows, instead
+of raining them down by the dozen, hacking the unfortunate creatures in a
+most fearful manner, and lopping off their arms or gashing their bodies
+before the heads are finally cut off.</p>
+
+<p>The little blocks, upon which the men were laid down, were so arranged
+that their chests rested on the upper portions, the head in consequence
+being raised several inches from the ground. The idea in this was to make
+things easier for the executioner; the same reason also explaining why
+the straw rope was tied to each man's top-knot; for in this way another
+man could hold him fast to the stool when the decapitation was to take
+place. A somewhat closer examination of the first body in the
+illustration will at once show how distorted it is. This is what must
+have happened: in the final struggle with death the owner had attempted
+to resist his fate, when several soldiers had immediately <a name='Page_253'></a>pounced upon
+him, with the inevitable result that, in his desperate struggling, the
+spine had been broken; a strange, yet very natural accident, under the
+circumstances. The arms being tied together at the elbows behind, the
+spine had been at great tension, like a set bow, so that a violent
+assault could not but result in its being fractured, especially
+considering the weak and frozen condition in which the derelict before us
+was. That I am probably correct in this explanation seems to be further
+proved by the fact that his head, when severed, had been taken up and
+swung to a distance by the angry executioner.</p>
+
+<p>Now, though this way of doing away with criminals may appear a very cruel
+one to European minds, it is, nevertheless, a decided improvement on the
+older method of executing prevalent in Corea, as practised for example,
+many years ago, on some French missionaries and their followers.</p>
+
+<p>The execution of these martyrs was preceded by terrible floggings and
+tortures, and when they were led to the execution-ground they had two
+arrows thrust into their flesh, like modern St. Sebastians.</p>
+
+<p>The executioner and soldiers, after having accomplished their bloody
+work, and converted the execution-ground for the time being into a
+shambles, retraced their steps to the nearest wine-shop, where the rest
+of the night was spent in drinking and gorging. The bodies were left as a
+repast for dogs and leopards; for no Corean with a sound mind could be
+induced to go near the spot where they lay, lest the spirits of their
+departed souls should play some evil trick upon them. So much, in fact,
+were they scared at the idea of passing <a name='Page_254'></a>at all near to the dead bodies
+that, though the execution took place a few hundred yards away from the
+high road, the superstitious Coreans preferred going miles out of their
+way on the other side of the hill range to being seen near (they called
+it &quot;near&quot;) a spot where so many people had perished.</p>
+
+<p>The morning following this execution I took many sketches of the ghastly
+scene and the mutilated bodies. I did not leave until darkness began to
+set in, when, as I was busy packing up my traps to return to Seoul, I was
+rather startled by the sudden appearance near me of an old man, sad,
+pale, and worn-out with anxiety. As he crept up to my side, in a most
+suspicious manner, he looked round, and then, with a violent effort,
+directed his gaze to the bodies lying a little way off. He was shivering
+like a leaf, his eyes were staring and his fingers outstretched, yet he
+could not remove his glance from the dreadful sight. As he was in this
+tragic position, two coolies, carrying a coffin, appeared cautiously on
+the scene; but, when still a long way from the bodies, they refused
+positively to approach any nearer, and all the expostulation of the old
+man who went down to meet them, all the extra strings of <i>cash</i>, the last
+ones he possessed, were not sufficient to induce them to stir another
+inch. This fright which had taken possession of them was thus great,
+partly because of the natural superstitions which all Coreans entertain
+regarding the souls of dead persons, and also because the fact of being
+seen or found near these political criminals might in all probability
+lead to the loss of their heads as well. At last, however, when their
+terror was somewhat overcome, they promised to <a name='Page_255'></a>go near the bodies if
+large sums should be paid them; whereupon the old man who had not another
+<i>cash</i> in the world, seemed to act as if he were in a state of thorough
+despair. I watched his face and thought that he was actually going to
+collapse. Not a word of complaint, however, did he utter to me. Intense
+grief was depicted on his face, and I had pity on him. He was old, too,
+and his features were refined. He opened his heart to me.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;That,&quot; lying dead there, with his head Heaven only knew where, was his
+son! He had been a nobleman; that one could see at a glance, but was poor
+now, &quot;cashless,&quot; having spent his fortune in his efforts to bribe the
+officials to let his son be released. His money had come to an end, and
+there his son lay dead. The risk he was running, he well knew, was very
+great, in thus coming to remove the body of the one he loved. Were the
+officials only to know that he had visited the spot, he would straightway
+be imprisoned, accused of complicity, tortured, and then put to death;
+notwithstanding this, however, he felt sure that darkness would protect
+him, and so in his anxiety he had come to remove his son's body, that he
+might during the night bury it on one of the distant hills. He had given
+the coolies the little money he had to help him in his enterprise, and
+now that he was only a few yards from his beloved he could not get them
+to proceed. He was himself too weak to move the body.</p>
+
+<p>I took him by the arm, and we approached the bodies. The near view of
+them made him shudder and turn pale, and as he rested on my arm he was
+<a name='Page_256'></a>shivering all over. Not a word did he utter, not a lamentation did he
+make, not a tear did he shed; for, to show one's feelings is considered
+bad form in the land of Cho-sen. I could well see, however, that his
+heart was aching. He bent over the bodies, one after the other; then,
+after a lengthy examination, he pointed to one, and murmured:</p>
+
+<p>&quot;This is my son, this is my son! I know him by his hands. See how they
+are swollen, and nearly cut by the rope?&quot;</p>
+
+<p>Next, after a good deal of uncertainty, for the face was smeared and
+streaked with blood, we found the head pertaining to the body. The old
+man, with paternal love, then proceeded, if he could, to stick the head
+on the body again, but&mdash;this was impossible.</p>
+
+<p>&quot;Please, sir,&quot; he begged of me, in a tone of lamentation, &quot;help me to
+take my son as far as the coffin.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>I consented, and, with the utmost trouble, we carried the body down the
+hill, afterwards coming back for the head. In two mats, which had been
+carried inside the hearse, we wrapped the corpse up as well as we could,
+and then bundled him into the coffin. All this time a careful look-out
+was maintained, to see that no one else was about to spy over the deed,
+but once the corpse was in its coffin, the coolies quickly took the
+hearse on their shoulders, and all sped away, not without repeated
+&quot;kamapsos&quot; (thanks) being given me by the old man.</p>
+
+<p>That was the only body which was removed, all the others being left to
+rot or to be eaten up by wild animals.</p><a name='Page_257'></a>
+
+<p>When I examined the expressions on the faces of the beheaded wretches, it
+did not seem as if any of them had at all enjoyed what had taken place;
+on the contrary, rather than otherwise, there was plainly depicted on
+their now immovable features an expression of most decided
+dissatisfaction. Without doubt, they had undergone a terrible agony. In
+some cases the eyes were closed, in others they were wide open, staring
+straight in front. The pupils had become extremely small. The lips of all
+were contracted, and the teeth showed between, tightly closed. Streaks of
+blood covered the faces, and it was very apparent that the noses, ears,
+and sometimes the outside corners of the eyes, had been bleeding, this
+being probably due to the violent blows received from the sword. In a
+word, the expression which had become stereotyped upon their faces was
+that of great pain and fright, although none of them, with the exception
+of the one who had resisted at the last moment, showed it in any other
+way. The muscles of the arms also were much contracted, and the swollen
+fingers were of a bluish colour with congested blood, and half-closed and
+stiff&mdash;as if made of wood.</p>
+
+<p>By the time that the old man, his coolies and their sad burden had got
+well out of sight, on their way up one of the distant hills, I had
+finished packing up my sketches and painting materials. Then, as I
+retraced my steps towards Seoul it became quite dark. On the way,
+however, I purchased, for the large sum of three <i>cash</i> (the tenth part
+of a penny), a small paper lantern, with a little candle inside&mdash;the
+latter leading me to the extravagance of an extra <i>cash</i>; <a name='Page_258'></a>and, armed
+with this lighting apparatus, all complete, I proceeded towards the East
+Gate.</p>
+
+<p>This little lantern, which was exactly similar to those used by the
+natives, came in very handy on this occasion. These lanterns are the most
+ingenious things that can be imagined for the money. Each has a wooden
+bottom, and a bent cane acts as a handle. A nail is provided in the
+centre of the wooden bottom, wherein to stick the candle, and the flame
+is protected by white tissue paper pasted all round the lantern.</p>
+
+<p class="ctr"><a href="./images/38.jpg"><img src="./images/38_th.jpg"
+alt="A NATIVE LANTERN"></a></p><p class="ctr">A NATIVE LANTERN</p>
+
+<p>In due course I reached the East Gate, but only to find it closed, for it
+was now long after sunset. I then tried the &quot;Gate of the Dead,&quot; having no
+objection to enter the town for once as a &quot;deceased&quot;; but, although the
+&quot;departed&quot; have the privilege of leaving the town after dark, they are
+not allowed to come in again; for which reason it really seemed as if I
+had before me the fine prospect of having to put up at one of the dirty
+native inns just outside the Gate until it should please Phoebus to show
+his welcome fire-face again above the mountain line.</p>
+
+<p>I had learned that there was, at no great distance away, a spot where, at
+the risk only of breaking one's neck, it was possible to scale the city
+wall; wherefore, having consulted a child as to the exact locality,
+besides tempting him with a string of <i>cash</i>, I proceeded to find it, and
+soon, under his guidance, reached it. The wall at this spot was, I may
+mention, about twenty feet high. Having, then, fastened my paint-box and
+<a name='Page_259'></a>sketches to my back by means of a strap, and slinging the paper lantern
+to my arm, I proceeded, hampered though I was, to make trial of my
+cat-like qualities in the matter of wall climbing. Placing the tips of my
+fingers and toes in the crevices between the stones and in other gaps in
+the wall, I managed with some little difficulty, to crawl up a certain
+height. The wall was nearly perpendicular, mind you, and, owing to the
+cold frozen nature of the stones, my fingers got so stiff that I had
+hardly any power left in them. Then, too, the weight of the heavy
+paint-box on my shoulders was more conducive to bringing me down again
+than to helping me up. In my mind's eye, accordingly, I saw myself at
+every moment coming down with a bang from my high position to the frozen
+ground below, and began to think that I should be fortunate if I
+succeeded in coming out of my wall-climbing experience with only half the
+ribs in my body reduced to atoms, and one or two broken limbs in
+addition. Making a special effort, however, I got a few feet higher, when
+I heard a mysterious voice below murmur: &quot;You have nearly reached the
+top.&quot; I received the news with such delight that, in consequence of the
+fresh vigour which it imparted to me and which made me try to hurry up,
+one of my feet slipped, and I found myself clinging to a stone, with the
+very ends of my fingers. Oh what a sensation! and what moments of
+anxiety, until, quickly searching with my toes, I got a footing again.</p>
+
+<p>That slip was fatal, for, owing to the jerk it gave me, the unsteady
+candle inside the paper lantern fell out of its perpendicular position
+and produced a conflagration.<a name='Page_260'></a> Then, indeed, was I placed in the most
+perplexing position, for, here was I, holding on to the wall, I do not
+know how, with the lantern and my sleeve on fire and my arm getting
+unpleasantly warm, and yet utterly unable to do anything to lessen the
+catastrophe. Only one thing could be done; and I can assure you, the few
+remaining feet which had to be climbed were got over with almost the
+agility of a monkey. Thus, at last, I was on the top.</p>
+
+<p>This adventure made a very good finish for what had been a most exciting
+day; and, now that the faithless lantern was burning itself out, and
+dwindling away down below, and that the fire in my sleeve was put out, I
+had to remain in darkness. I stumbled along the rampart of the wall until
+I could get down into one of the streets, where, having roused the
+people, I was able to purchase another light, and reach home again in
+safety. After the hearty meal which I then partook of, I need scarcely
+add that a greater part of the night was spent in dreaming of numberless
+bodyless heads rolling about around me, and of people being burned alive,
+until I finally woke up next morning with a fearful shock, and the
+thought that I was being precipitated from the top of the Tower of Babel.</p>
+
+
+<a name='Page_261'></a>
+
+<hr class="full" />
+<a name='CHAPTER_XVII'></a><h2>CHAPTER XVII</h2>
+
+<div class='Ptoc'>The &quot;King's procession&quot;&mdash;Removing houses&mdash;Foolhardy people&mdash;Beaten to
+death&mdash;Cavalry soldiers&mdash;Infantry&mdash;Retainers&mdash;Banners&mdash;Luxurious
+saddles&mdash;The King and his double&mdash;Royal palanquins&mdash;The return at night.</div>
+<br />
+
+<p class="ctr"><a href="./images/39.jpg"><img src="./images/39_th.jpg"
+alt="THE KING MEETING THE CHINESE ENVOYS"></a></p><p class="ctr">THE KING MEETING THE CHINESE ENVOYS</p>
+
+<p>The official life of the King of Corea is secluded. He rarely goes out of
+the royal palace, although rumours occasionally fly about that His
+Majesty has visited such and such a place in disguise. When he does go
+out officially, the whole town of Seoul gets into a state of the greatest
+agitation and excitement. Not more than once or twice a year does such a
+thing happen; and when it does, the thatched shanties erected on the wide
+royal street are pulled down, causing a good deal of trouble and expense
+to the small merchants, etc. People fully understand, however, that the
+construction of these shanties is only allowed on condition that they
+shall be pulled down and <a name='Page_262'></a>removed whenever necessity should arise; an
+event which may often occur, at only a few hours' notice. The penalty for
+non-compliance is beheading.</p>
+
+<p>The moment they receive the order to do so, the inhabitants hurriedly
+remove all their household goods; the entire families, and those friends
+who have been called in to help, carrying away brass bowls, clothes and
+cooking implements, amid a disorder indescribable. Everybody talks,
+screams and calls out at the same time; everybody tries to push away
+everybody else in his attempts to carry away his armful of goods in
+safety; and, what with the dust produced by the tearing the thatch off
+the roofs, what with the hammering down of the wooden supports, and the
+bustle of the crowd, the scene is pandemonium.</p>
+
+<p>I well remember how astonished I was when, passing in the neighbourhood
+of the royal palace, early one morning, I saw the three narrow, parallel
+streets which lead to the principal gateway being converted into one
+enormously wide street. The two middle rows of houses were thus
+completely removed, and the ground was made beautifully level and smooth.
+Crowds of natives had assembled all along the royal street, as well as up
+the main thoroughfare, leading from the West to the East gate; and the
+greatest excitement prevailed amongst the populace. The men were dressed
+in newly-washed clothes, and the women and children were arrayed in their
+smartest garments. Infantry soldiers, with muskets, varying from
+flint-locks to repeating-rifles, were drawn up in a line on each side to
+keep the road clear. There were others walking along with long, flat
+paddles, and some <a name='Page_263'></a>with round heavy sticks, on the look-out for those who
+dared to attempt to cross the road. As generally happens on such
+occasions, there were some foolish people who did not know the law, and
+others who challenged one another to do what was forbidden, well knowing
+that, if caught, severe blows of the paddle would be their portion. Every
+now and then, howls and shouts would call the attention of the crowd to
+some nonsensical being running full speed down the middle of the road, or
+across it, pursued by the angry soldiers, who, when they captured him,
+began by knocking him down, and continued by beating him with their heavy
+sticks and paddles, until he became senseless, if not killed. When either
+of the last-mentioned accidents happened, as occasionally was the result,
+the body would be thrown into one of the side drain-canals along the road
+and left there, no one taking the slightest notice of it.</p>
+
+<p class="ctr"><a href="./images/40.jpg"><img src="./images/40_th.jpg"
+alt="CAVALRY SOLDIER WITH UMBRELLA-HAT"></a></p><p class="ctr">CAVALRY SOLDIER WITH UMBRELLA-HAT</p>
+
+<p>Cavalry soldiers were to be seen in their picturesque blue and brown
+costumes, and cuirasses, and wide-awake black hats adorned with long red
+tassels hanging down to the shoulders, or, as an alternative, equipped
+with iron helmets and armed with flint-locks and spears. In their belts,
+on one side, they carried <a name='Page_264'></a>swords, and on the other, oil-paper
+umbrella-shaped covers. When folded, one of these hat-covers resembles a
+fan; and when spread out for use, it is fastened over the hat by means of
+a string. Those warriors who wore helmets carried the round felt hats as
+well, fastened to the butts of their saddles.</p>
+
+<p>This cavalry equipment was in great contrast, from a picturesque point of
+view, with the comical imitations of the European mode of equipment
+exhibited by the infantry soldiers. One peculiarity of these cavalrymen
+was their instability in the saddle. Each cavalier had a <i>mapu</i> to guide
+the horse, and another man by his side to see that he did not fall off,
+each having thus two men to look after him. A charge of such cavalry on
+the battle-field must, indeed, be a curious sight.</p>
+
+<p>In the olden time it was forbidden for any one to look down on the king
+from any window higher than the palanquins, but now the rule is not so
+strictly observed, although, even at the time when I witnessed these
+processions, nearly all the higher windows were kept closed and sealed by
+the more loyal people. The majority, therefore, witnessed the scene from
+the streets.</p>
+
+<p>The procession was headed by several hundred infantry soldiers, marching
+without the least semblance of order, and followed by cuirassed
+cavalrymen mounted on microscopic ponies in the manner above described.
+Then followed two rows of men in white, wearing square gauze white caps,
+similar to those which form the distinctive badge of the students when
+they go to their examinations; between which two rows of retainers, lower
+court officials, and <i>yamens</i>, perched on <a name='Page_265'></a>high white saddles, rode the
+generals and high Ministers of state, supported by their innumerable
+servants. Narrow long white banners were carried by these attendants, and
+a dragon-flag of large dimensions towered above them. Amid an almost
+sepulchral silence, the procession moved past, and after it came a huge
+white palanquin, propped on two long heavy beams, and carried on the
+shoulders of hundreds of men.</p>
+
+<p>When the court and country are not in mourning, the horses of the
+generals, high officials and eunuchs bear magnificent saddles,
+embroidered in red, green and blue; the ponies led by hand immediately in
+front of the King's palanquin being also similarly decked out.</p>
+
+<p>Curiously enough, when the first royal palanquin had gone past the
+procession repeated itself, almost in its minutest details, and another
+palanquin of the exact shape of the first, and also supported by hundreds
+of attendants, advanced before us. Puzzled at this strange occurrence, I
+inquired of a neighbour:</p>
+
+<p>&quot;In which palanquin is the King?&quot;</p>
+
+<p>&quot;No one knows, except his most intimate friends at Court,&quot; was the
+answer. &quot;In case of an attempt upon his life, he may thus be fortunate
+enough to escape.&quot;</p>
+
+<p>If such an attempt were made success would not in any case be an easy
+matter, except with a gun or a bomb; for the King's sedan is raised so
+high above the ground that it would be impossible for any one to reach it
+with his hands. Besides, it is surrounded by a numerous escort.</p>
+
+<p>The sedans were constructed after the model of a <a name='Page_266'></a>large square
+garden-tent with a pavilion roof, the front side being open. The
+King&mdash;somebody closely resembling him is selected for his double&mdash;sits on
+a sort of throne erected inside.</p>
+
+<p>On another occasion, when I saw a similar procession accompanying the
+King to the tomb of the queen-dowager, the two palanquins used were much
+smaller, and were fast closed, although there were windows with thick
+split bamboo blinds on both sides of each palanquin. The palanquins were
+covered with lovely white leopard skins outside, and were rich in
+appearance, without lacking in taste.</p>
+
+<p>When the King's procession returned to the palace after dark, the beauty
+and weirdness of the sight were increased tenfold. Huge reed-torches,
+previously planted in the ground at intervals along the line of route,
+were kindled as the procession advanced, and each soldier carried a long
+tri-coloured gauze lantern fastened to a stick, while the palanquins were
+surrounded with a galaxy of white lights attached to high poles. A
+continuous hollow moaning, to indicate that the King was a very great
+personage, and that many hundreds of men had undergone great fatigue in
+carrying him, was heard as the palace gate was approached, and a deep
+sigh of relief arose from thousands of lungs when he was finally
+deposited at his door. Propped up by his highest Ministers of state, who
+held him under the arms, he entered his apartments; after which the
+lights were quickly put out, and most of the crowd retired to their
+homes.</p>
+
+<p>On such occasions as these, however, the men are allowed out at night as
+well as the women.</p>
+
+
+
+<hr class="full" />
+<a name='CHAPTER_XVIII'></a><h2><a name='Page_267'></a>CHAPTER XVIII</h2>
+
+<div class='Ptoc'>Fights&mdash;Prize fights&mdash;Fist fights&mdash;Special moon for fighting&mdash;Summary
+justice&mdash;The use of the top-knot&mdash;Cruelty&mdash;A butcher
+combatant&mdash;Stone-fights&mdash;Belligerent children&mdash;Battle between two
+guilds&mdash;Wounded and killed&mdash;The end of the battle postponed&mdash;Soldiers'
+fights.</div>
+<br />
+
+<p>One of the characteristic sights in Cho-sen is a private fight. The
+natives, as a rule, are quiet and gentle, but when their temper is roused
+they seem never to have enough of fighting. They often-times disport
+themselves in witnessing prize-fights among the champions of different
+towns, or of different wards in the same town, and on these occasions
+large crowds assemble to view the performance. The combatants generally
+fight with their fists, but, like the French, are much given to use their
+knees and feet as well in the contest. Much betting, also, goes on
+amongst the excited spectators, and it is not seldom that a private
+contest of this kind degenerates into a free fight.</p>
+
+<p>The lower classes in the towns thoroughly enjoy this kind of sport, and
+the slightest provocation is sufficient to make them come to blows. The
+curious point about their fighting is that during the first moon of the
+new year all rows can be settled in this rough and ready manner, without
+committing any <a name='Page_268'></a>breach of the law. Hence it is that during that moon, one
+sees hardly anything but people quarrelling and fighting. All the anger
+of the past year is preserved until the New Year festivities are over,
+but then free play is straightway given to the bottled-up passions. Were
+a man even to kill his antagonist during a fight at this legalised
+season, I doubt whether he would be imprisoned or punished; very likely
+not.</p>
+
+<p>For about fifteen days, in truth, things are simply dreadful in the
+streets. Go in one direction, and you see people quarrelling; go in
+another, and you see them fighting. The original <i>causa movens</i> of all
+this is generally <i>cash!</i></p>
+
+<p>When a deadly fight takes place in the streets, you may at once set it
+down as having arisen over, say, a farthing! Debts ought always to be
+paid before the old year is over; and, occasionally, grace is allowed for
+the first fifteen days in the first moon; after that, the defaulting
+debtors get summary justice administered to them. Creditors go about the
+town in search of their debtors, and should they come face to face,
+generally a few unparliamentary remarks are passed, followed by a
+challenge. Hats are immediately removed, and given for safe keeping to
+some one or other of the spectators, a crowd of whom has, of course, at
+once assembled; and then the creditor, as is customary under such
+circumstances in all countries, makes a dash for his debtor. The main
+feature about these fights, so far as I could judge, was the attempt of
+each antagonist to seize hold of the other by his top-knot. Should this
+feat be successfully <a name='Page_269'></a>accomplished, a violent process of head-shaking
+would ensue, followed by a shower of blows and scratches from the free
+hand, the lower extremities meanwhile being kept busy distributing kicks,
+really meant for the antagonist, but, occasionally, in fact often,
+delivered to some innocent passer-by, owing to the streets of Cho-senese
+towns not being as a rule over-wide.</p>
+
+<p>When in a passion, the Coreans can be very cruel. No devices are spared
+which can inflict injury on the adversary, and scratching and biting
+during these fights are common concomitants. One afternoon, as I was
+returning from a call at the Japanese Legation, and was proceeding down a
+slight incline, riding Mr. Greathouse's horse, I witnessed a dreadful
+scene. A butcher and another tradesman were settling questions in their
+own delightful way, and were knocking each other about. At last, the
+butcher felled the other man with a blow of a short club&mdash;like a
+policeman's club&mdash;which is often made use of in these fights. As the man
+lay motionless on the ground, the other, far from being content with what
+he had done, seized a huge block of wood, one of those upon which they
+chop up the meat, and, lifting it up with a great effort, dropped it on
+his antagonist's head, with a dreadful sounding crack, which smashed his
+skull, as one would a nut. Then, sitting triumphantly on the wooden
+block, he solicited the compliments of the spectators.</p>
+
+<p>Special interest is taken when the women fight, that is, among the very
+lowest classes, and frequently the strings of <i>cash</i> earned during the
+day are lost or doubled on the odds of the favourite.</p><a name='Page_270'></a>
+
+<p>The better classes, it must be said to their credit, never indulge in
+fist-fighting in public, though occasionally they have competitions in
+their own compounds, champions being brought there at great expense and
+made to fight in their presence. I believe they consider it to be
+degrading, either first, to lose one's temper, or secondly, to administer
+justice in such a fashion.</p>
+
+<p>The most important contests of all are the stone and club-fights, which
+are a national institution, approved by the Government and patronised by
+everybody. They sometimes attain such large proportions as to be regular
+battles. Supposing that one town or village has, from motives of jealousy
+or other causes, reason to complain of a neighbouring city or borough, a
+stone-fight during the first moon is invariably selected as the proper
+method of settling the difference. Private families, with their friends,
+fight in this way against other private families and their allies; and
+entire guilds of tradesmen sometimes fight other guilds, several hundreds
+of men being brought into the field on either side.</p>
+
+<p>Children are much encouraged in this sport, it being supposed that they
+are thus made strong, brave and fearless; and I have actually seen
+mothers bring children of only eight or nine years old up to the scratch,
+against an equal number of lads urged on by their mothers on the other
+side. One boy on each side, generally the pluckiest of the lot, is the
+leader, and he is provided with a small club, besides wearing on his head
+a large felt hat with a sort of wreath round the crown, probably as a
+protection against the blows that might reach his head. After him come
+ten, <a name='Page_271'></a>twenty, or more other children in their little red jackets, some
+armed with a club like their leader, the others with armfuls of stones. A
+good mound of this ammunition is also, as a rule, collected in the rear,
+to provide for the wants of the battle. The two leaders then advance and
+formally challenge each other, the main body of their forces following in
+a triangle; and when, after a certain amount of hesitation, the two have
+exchanged a few sonorous blows with their clubs on each other's skulls,
+the battle begins in earnest, volleys of stones are fired and blows
+freely distributed until the forces of one leader succeed in pushing back
+and disbanding the others.</p>
+
+<p>A fight of this kind, even among children, lasts for several hours, and,
+as can well be imagined, at the end of it there are a great many bleeding
+noses and broken teeth, besides bruises in profusion. The victor in these
+fights is made much of and receives presents from his parents and the
+friends of the family. The principal streets and open spaces in Seoul,
+during the fighting period, are alive with these youthful combatants, and
+large crowds assemble to witness their battles, taking as much interest
+in them as do the Spaniards in their bull-fights, and certainly causing
+as much excitement.</p>
+
+<p>More serious than these, however, are the hostilities which occasionally
+take place between two guilds. When I was in Seoul, there was a great
+feud between the butchers and those practising the noble art of
+plastering the houses with mud. Both trades are considered by the Coreans
+to belong to the lowest grade of society; and, this being so, the contest
+would <a name='Page_272'></a>naturally prove of an envenomed and brutal character. A day was
+fixed, upon which a battle should take place, to decide whose claims were
+to prevail, and a battle-field was selected on a plain just outside the
+South Gate of the city. The battle-field was intersected by the same
+small frozen rivulet which also crosses Seoul; and it was on the western
+side, near the city wall, where stood a low hill, that on the day
+appointed I took up my position to view the fight, sketch and note-book
+in hand.</p>
+
+<p>The two armies duly arrived, and placed themselves in position, the
+butchers on one side of the stream, the plasterers on the other. There
+were altogether about eighteen hundred men in the field, that is to say,
+about nine hundred on each side. As I could not get a very good view from
+my high point of vantage, I foolishly descended to the valley to inspect
+the fighting trim of the combatants, with the result that when the signal
+for the battle to begin was given I found myself under a shower of
+missiles of all weights and sizes, which poured down upon me with
+incredible rapidity and solidity. Piles of stones had been previously
+massed together by the belligerent parties, and fresh supplies came
+pelting down incessantly. I must acknowledge I did not enjoy my position
+at all, for the stones went whistling past, above my head, fired as they
+were with tremendous force by means of slings.</p>
+
+<p>The confusion was great. Some men were busy collecting the stones into
+heaps again, while others were running to and fro&mdash;going to fetch, or
+carrying, fresh ammunition to the front; and all the time the <a name='Page_273'></a>two armies
+were gradually approaching one another until at last they came together
+on the banks of the narrow stream. Here, considering the well-directed
+pelting of stones, it was difficult to say which army would succeed in
+dislodging the other. Those on the opposite side to where I was made a
+rush upon us, but were fired upon with such increased vigour that they
+were repulsed; then, however, concentrating their forces on one point,
+they made a fresh attack and broke right into our ranks, fighting <i>corps
+&agrave; corps</i>, and pushing back the men on my side, until the whole of their
+contingent was brought over to our side of the stream. I was not, of
+course, taking any active part in the fighting, but, seeing the bad turn
+the struggle was assuming, I made up my mind that I was destined to have
+my own skull broken before the fray was over. Though the duelling was
+fierce, however, each man being pitted against his opponent with clubs
+and drawn knives, and hammering or stabbing at him to his heart's
+content, I, somehow, was in no way molested, except of course, that I was
+naturally much knocked about and bruised, and several times actually came
+in contact, and face to face, with the irate enemy.</p>
+
+<p>If you can imagine eighteen hundred people fighting by twos in a
+comparatively limited space and all crowded together; if you can form an
+idea of the screaming, howling, and yelling in their excitement; and if
+you can depict the whole scene with its envelopment of dust, then you
+will have a fair notion of what that stone-fight was like. The fighting
+continued briskly for over three hours, and many a skull was smashed.
+Some fell and were trampled to death; <a name='Page_274'></a>others had very severe knife
+wounds; a few were killed right out. When the battle was over, few were
+found to have escaped without a bruise or a wound, and yet, after all,
+very few were actually killed, considering how viciously they fought.
+Indeed, there were in all only about half a dozen dead bodies left on the
+battle-field when the combatants departed to the sound of the &quot;big bell&quot;
+which announced the closing of the city gates.</p>
+
+<p>After a long discussion on the part of the leaders, it was announced that
+the battle was to be considered a draw, and that it would, therefore,
+have to be renewed on the next afternoon. The argument, I was told, was
+that, though the other side had managed to penetrate the camp on my side,
+yet they had not been able to completely rout us, we having made a firm
+stand against them. For the following two or three days, however, it
+snowed heavily, and the fighting had to be postponed; and on the day it
+actually did take place, to my great sorrow, I was unable to attend,
+owing to a command to go to the palace. To my satisfaction I was
+subsequently informed that the plasterers, that is to say, my side, had
+ultimately come off victorious.</p>
+
+<p>The police generally attend these battles, but only to protect the
+spectators, and not to interfere in any way with the belligerents.
+Soldiers are prohibited from taking any active part in fights which have
+no concern for them; but they may fight as much as ever they please among
+themselves during the free period allowed by the law. The fights of the
+latter class are usually very fierce, and are invariably carried out with
+<a name='Page_275'></a>bare chest and arms, that their uniforms may not be spoiled.</p>
+
+<p>When that dreadful fortnight of fighting is over, the country again
+assumes its wonted quiet; new debts are contracted, fresh hatreds and
+jealousies are fomented, and fresh causes are procured for further
+stone-battles during the first moon of the next year.</p>
+
+<p>Such is life in Cho-sen, where, with the exception of those fifteen days,
+there is calm, too much of it, not only in the morning, in accordance
+with the national designation, but all through both day and night; where,
+month after month, people vegetate, instead of live, leading the most
+monotonous of all monotonous lives. It is not surprising, then, that once
+a year, as a kind of redeeming point, they feel the want of a vigorous
+re-action; and, I am sure, for such a purpose as this, they could not
+have devised anything wilder or more exciting than a stone-battle.</p>
+
+<p>The King himself follows with the utmost interest the results of the
+important battles fought out between the different guilds, and reports of
+the victories obtained are always conveyed to him at once, either by the
+leaders of the conquering parties, or through some high official at
+Court.</p>
+
+
+
+<hr class="full" />
+<a name='CHAPTER_XIX'></a><h2><a name='Page_276'></a>CHAPTER XIX</h2>
+
+<div class='Ptoc'>Fires&mdash;The greatest peril&mdash;A curious way of saving one's house&mdash;The
+anchor of safety&mdash;How it worked&mdash;Making an opposition wind&mdash;Saved by
+chance&mdash;A good trait in the native character&mdash;Useful friends.</div>
+<br />
+
+<p>I was one evening at a dinner-party, at one of the Consulates, when, in
+the course of the frugal repast, one of the servants came in with the
+news that a large conflagration had broken out in the road of the
+Big-bell, and that many houses had already been burnt down. The
+&quot;big-bell&quot; itself was said to be in great danger of being destroyed.</p>
+
+<p>Giving way to my usual curiosity, and thinking that it would be
+interesting to see how houses burn in Cho-sen, I begged of my host to
+excuse me, left all the good things on the table, and ran off to the
+scene of the fire.</p>
+
+<p>As the servant had announced, the fire was, indeed, in close proximity to
+the &quot;big-bell.&quot; Two or three large houses belonging to big merchants were
+blazing fast, the neighbouring dwellings being in great danger of
+following suit. There is in a Corean house but little that can burn,
+except the sliding doors and windows, and the few articles of furniture
+and clothing; so that, as a general rule, after the first big flare-up,
+the fire goes out of its own accord, unless, as was the case in <a name='Page_277'></a>the
+present instance, the roofs are supported by old rafters, which also
+catch fire. What the Coreans consider the greatest of dangers in such
+contingencies happens when the heavy beam which forms the chief support
+for the whole weight of the roof in the centre catches fire. Then, if any
+wind happens to be blowing, sparks fly on all the neighbouring thatched
+roofs, and there is no possibility of stopping a disaster. Such things as
+fire-engines or pumps are quite unknown in the country, and, even if
+there were any, they would be useless in winter time, owing to the severe
+cold which freezes all the water.</p>
+
+<p>On the night in question, that was practically what happened. Two houses
+adjoining one another were burnt out, and, the roofs having crumbled
+away, the long thick beams alone were left in position, supported at
+either end by the stone walls of the houses, and still blazing away, and
+placing the neighbouring houses that had thatched roofs in considerable
+danger.</p>
+
+<p>I was much amused at a Corean, the owner of one of these latter, who, to
+save his thatched shanty from the flames, pulled it down. His efforts in
+this direction were, however, of no avail in the end; for the inflammable
+materials, having been left in the roadway in the immediate neighbourhood
+of the conflagration, caught fire and were consumed.</p>
+
+<p>The King had been informed of the occurrence, a very rare one in Seoul,
+and had immediately dispatched a hundred soldiers to&mdash;look on, and to
+help, if necessary. Some individuals, too, more enterprising than the
+rest, exerted themselves to draw water from the <a name='Page_278'></a>neighbouring wells; but,
+by the time they had returned to the spot where it was required, it was
+converted into one big lump of ice. Finally, recourse was had to the old
+Corean method of putting out the fire, namely, by breaking the beam, not
+an easy job by any means, and then, when it had fallen, covering it with
+earth.</p>
+
+<p>The soldiers had brought with them&mdash;conceive what? A ship's anchor! To
+this anchor was tied a long thick rope. Their object was, of course, to
+fix the anchor to the burning beam, which being done, fifty, sixty or
+more strong men could pull the rope, and so break the beam in two and
+cause it to fall. Well and good; but where was the warrior to be found
+who would volunteer to go up on the summit of the frail mud-and-stone
+wall and hook the anchor in the right place The affair now wore a
+different aspect altogether, no one being willing to go; whereupon the
+officer in command reprimanded his troops for their lack of pluck.</p>
+
+<p>Among the soldiers, however, there was one man, stout and good-natured
+looking; and he, being taken aback apparently by the officer's remarks,
+at once asserted that he, at all events, was not lacking in courage, and
+would go. For him, accordingly, a ladder was provided, and up he went,
+carrying the anchor on his back. When he reached the last step, he
+stopped and, turning to harangue the people, told them that the beam was
+a solid one, and that a very hard pull would be required; after which,
+amid the applause and cheering of the spectators, he balanced himself on
+the wall and threw the anchor across the <a name='Page_279'></a>beam. A body of men, about a
+hundred strong, then seized the rope and kept it in tension. Next, in a
+commanding tone of voice, our brave hero on the wall gave the signal to
+start, when, all of a sudden, and much sooner than he had expected, with
+the vigorous pull the anchor dug a groove in the carbonised wood, and,
+slipping away, caught him in its barbs across his chest, and dragged him
+with a fearful bump on to the road, with a great quantity of burning
+straw and wood, amidst which he was dragged for nearly twenty yards
+before they were able to stop.</p>
+
+<p>After this compulsory and unexpected jump, it was a miracle that he was
+not killed; for the height was over fourteen feet, and the course
+traversed through the air over twenty. Notwithstanding this, however,
+when he was at length rescued from the grasp which the anchor kept on him
+with its benevolent arms, though considerably shaken, he did not seem
+much the worse. Still, being asked to go again and hook the ungrateful
+grapnel a second time to the still burning beam, he declined with thanks
+and a comical gesture which sent everybody into screams of laughter.</p>
+
+<p>After this another man volunteered, and he, being more cautious in his
+method of procedure, was successful in his efforts. So much time,
+however, had been wasted over these proceedings, that now another house
+was burning fast, and by-and-by others also got attacked.</p>
+
+<p>As ill-luck would have it, the wind rose, to the great horror of the
+inhabitants whose houses were to <a name='Page_280'></a>windward. Many of their abodes had
+thatched roofs, and these seemed certain to go. The sparks flew in
+abundance across the road, and nothing, except a change of the wind,
+could now save those houses. The simple-minded Coreans, however,
+attempted a curious dodge, which I heard afterwards is in general use
+under such circumstances. Numerous ladders having been procured, men and
+women climbed on to the roofs which were in peril. What do you suppose
+they intended to do? I am sure you will never guess. They went up for no
+less a purpose than to manufacture another wind by way of opposition to
+the strong breeze that was blowing towards them. Here is how they did it:
+they all stood in a row at intervals on the upper edges of the roofs,
+and, having previously removed, the men their coats and the women their
+cloaks, they waved these rapidly and violently together, in the full
+assurance that they were getting the upper hand in the contest against
+the unkind spirits who superintended gales and breezes. All this went on
+in the most ludicrous manner; and, as soon as one person was exhausted,
+he was immediately replaced by another, prayers at the same time being
+offered up to the spirits as well of the fires as of the wind. The
+loudness of these prayers, I may add, grew and decreased in intensity,
+according to the aspect which the fire took from moment to moment; if a
+flame rose up higher than usual, louder prayers were hurriedly offered,
+and if the fire at times almost went out, then the spirits were for the
+time being left alone.</p>
+
+<p>The conflagration went on for a considerable number of hours and
+destroyed several houses. No <a name='Page_281'></a>one sustained any serious injury, though
+one old man, who was paralytic and deaf, had a very narrow escape. He had
+got left, either purposely or by mistake, in one of the houses. Two out
+of three of the rooms had already burnt out, and he was in the third. And
+yet, when they had pulled down the outside wall and brought him safely
+out, he expressed himself as astonished at being so treated, having
+neither heard that any fire was in progress, nor being aware that
+two-thirds of his own house had already been destroyed!</p>
+
+<p>Here again, let me note a good trait in the Corean character. Whenever,
+through any unexpected occurrence, a man loses his house and furniture,
+and so gets reduced from comparative wealth, say, for seldom does a
+Corean possess more, to misery and want; in such circumstances his
+friends do not run away from him, as usually is the case in more
+civilised countries; no, instead of this, they come forward and help him
+to re-build his house, lend him clothes and the more necessary utensils
+of domestic use, and, generally speaking, make themselves agreeable and
+useful all round, until he can spread out his wings once again, and fly
+by himself. Thus it is, that when a man's house has been burnt out it is
+no uncommon occurrence for friends or even strangers to put him up and
+feed him in their own homes until he has re-constructed his nest.
+Looking, therefore, at both sides of the medal, the man of Cho-sen may
+have a great many bad qualities from our point of view, yet he also
+undoubtedly possesses some virtues on which we who are supposed to be
+more civilised and more charitable, <a name='Page_282'></a>cannot pride ourselves. Believe me,
+when things are taken all round, there is after all but little difference
+between the Heathen and the Christian; nay, the solid charity and
+generosity of the first is often superior to the advertised philanthropy
+of the other.</p>
+
+
+
+<hr class="full" />
+<a name='CHAPTER_XX'></a><h2><a name='Page_283'></a>CHAPTER XX</h2>
+
+<div class='Ptoc'>A trip to Poo-kan&mdash;A curious monastery.</div>
+<br />
+
+<p>One of the most interesting excursions in the neighbourhood of Seoul, is
+that to the Poo-kan fortress. The pleasantest way of making it is to
+start from the West Gate of Seoul and proceed thence either on horseback
+or on foot, along the Pekin Pass road, past the artificial cut in the
+rocks, until a smaller road, a mere path, is reached, which branches off
+the main road and leads directly to the West Gate of the Poo-kan
+fortress. This path goes over hilly ground, and the approaches to the
+West Gate of the fortress are exceedingly picturesque.</p>
+
+<p>The gate itself much resembles any of those of Seoul, only being of
+smaller proportions. It is, however, situated in a most lovely spot. As
+soon as we have entered, a pretty valley lies disclosed to our eyes, with
+rocky mountains surrounding it, the highest peak of which towers up
+towards the East. The formation of these hills is most peculiar and even
+fantastic. One of them, the most remarkable of all, is in the shape of a
+round dome, and consists of a gigantic semi-spherical rock.</p>
+
+<p>Following the path, then, which leads from the West to the South Gate,
+and which winds its way up steep hills, one comes at last to the temples.
+These <a name='Page_284'></a>are probably, the best-preserved and most interesting in the
+neighbourhood of the Corean capital. When I visited them, the monks were
+extremely polite and showed me everything that was of any note. The
+temples were in a much better state of preservation than is usual in the
+land of Cho-sen, and the ornaments, and paintings on the wooden part
+under the roof were in bright colours, as if they had been only recently
+restored. There are, near these temples, by the way, tablets put up in
+memory of different personages. In other respects, they were exactly
+similar to those I have already described in a previous chapter.</p>
+
+<p>At last, on the left hand side, I came upon the old palace. As with all
+the other palaces, so in this case there are many low buildings for the
+inferior officials besides a larger one in the centre, to which the King
+can retreat in time of war when the capital is in danger. The ravages of
+time, however, have been hard at work, and this place of safety for the
+crowned heads of Corea is now nothing but a mass of ruins. The roofs of
+the smaller houses have in most cases fallen through, owing to the
+decayed condition of the wooden rafters, and the main building itself is
+in a dreadful state of dilapidation. The <i>ensemble</i>, nevertheless, as one
+stands a little way off and looks at the conglomeration of dwellings, is
+very picturesque; this effect being chiefly due, I have little doubt, to
+the tumble-down and dirty aspect of the place. As the houses are built on
+hilly ground, roof after roof can be seen with the palace standing above
+them all in the distance, while the battlements of the ancient wall form
+a nice background to the picture.</p><a name='Page_285'></a>
+
+<p class="ctr"><a href="./images/41.jpg"><img src="./images/41_th.jpg"
+alt="A MONK"></a></p><p class="ctr">A MONK</p>
+
+<p>The most picturesque spot of all, however, is somewhat farther on, where
+the rivulet, coming out of the fortress wall, forms a pretty waterfall.
+After climbing a very steep hill, the South Gate is reached&mdash;the distance
+between it and the West Gate being about five miles&mdash;and near it is
+another smaller gate, which differs in shape from all the other gates in
+Corea, for the simple reason that it is not roofed over. Just outside the
+small South Gate, on the edge of a precipice, are constructed against the
+rocks a pretty little monastery and a temple. The access to these is by a
+narrow path, hardly wide enough for one person to walk on without danger
+of finding himself rolling down the slope of the rock at the slightest
+slip of the foot. The Buddhist priest must undoubtedly be of a cautious
+as well as romantic nature, for otherwise it would be difficult to
+explain the fact that he always builds his monasteries in picturesque and
+impregnable spots, which ensure him <a name='Page_286'></a>delightful scenery and pure fresh
+air in time of peace, combined with utter safety in time of war. In many
+ways, the monastery in question reminded me of the Rock-dwellers. Both
+temple and monastery were stuck, as it were, in the rocks, and supported
+by a platform and solid wall of masonry built on the steep incline&mdash;a
+work which must have cost much patience and time.</p>
+
+<p>The temple is crowded inside with rows of small images of all
+descriptions, some dressed in the long robes and winged hats of the
+officials, with dignified and placid expressions on their features;
+others, like fighting warriors, with fierce eyes and a ferocious look
+about them; but all covered with a good coating of dust and dirt, and all
+lending themselves as a sporting-ground to the industrious spider. The
+latter, disrespecting the high standing of these imperturbable deities,
+had stretched its webs across from nose to nose, and produced the
+appearance of a regular field of sporting operations, bestrewn with the
+spoils of its victims, which were lying dead and half eaten in the webs
+and on the floor.</p>
+
+<p>The place goes by the name of the &quot;Temple of the Five Hundred Images;&quot;
+but I think that this number has been greatly exaggerated, though there
+certainly may be as many as two or three hundred.</p>
+
+<p>The most interesting feature about this monastery is that at the back of
+the small building where the priests live is a long, narrow cavern in the
+rocks, with the ceiling blackened by smoke. This cavern is about a
+hundred feet in length, and at its further end is a pretty spring of
+delicious water. A little shrine, in <a name='Page_287'></a>the shape of an altar, with burning
+joss-sticks and a few lighted grease candles, stood near the spring, and
+there a priest was offering up prayers, beating a small gong the while he
+addressed the deities.</p>
+
+<p>The descent from the temple was very steep and rough, over a path winding
+among huge boulders and rocks for nearly three miles. Then, reaching the
+plain, I accomplished the remainder of the distance to Seoul, over a
+fairly good road, and on almost level ground, all the way to the North
+Gate, by which I again entered the capital.</p>
+
+
+
+<hr class="full" />
+<a name='CHAPTER_XXI'></a><h2><a name='Page_288'></a>CHAPTER XXI</h2>
+
+<div class='Ptoc'>Corean physiognomy&mdash;Expressions of pleasure&mdash;Displeasure&mdash;Contempt&mdash;Fear&mdash;Pluck&mdash;Laughter&mdash;Astonishment&mdash;Admiration&mdash;Sulkiness&mdash;
+Jealousy&mdash;Intelligence&mdash;Affection&mdash;Imagination&mdash;Dreams&mdash;Insanity&mdash;Its
+principal causes&mdash;Leprosy&mdash;The family&mdash;Men and women&mdash;Fecundity&mdash;Natural
+and artificial deformities&mdash;Abnormalities&mdash;Movements and attitudes&mdash;The
+Corean hand&mdash;Conservatism.</div>
+<br />
+
+<p>The physiognomy of the Coreans is an interesting study, for, with the
+exception of the Chinese, I know of few nations who can control the
+movements of their features so well as do the Coreans. They are trained
+from their infancy to show neither pain, nor pleasure, grief nor
+excitement; so that a wonderful placidity is always depicted on their
+faces. None the less, however, though slightly, different expressions can
+be remarked. For instance, an attitude peculiar to them is to be noticed
+when they happen to ponder deeply on any subject; they then slightly
+frown, and with a sudden movement incline the head to the left, after
+previously drawing the head backwards. If in good humour or very pleased,
+again, though the expression is still grave and sedate, there is always a
+vivid sparkle to be detected in the generally sleepy eyes; and, curiously
+enough, while in our case the corners of the mouths generally curl up
+under such circumstances, theirs, on the contrary, are drawn downwards.</p><a name='Page_289'></a>
+
+<p>Where the Coreans&mdash;and I might have said all Asiatics&mdash;excel, is in their
+capacity to show contempt. They do this in the most gentleman-like manner
+one can imagine. They raise the head slowly, looking at the person they
+despise with a half-bored, half &quot;I do not care a bit&quot; look; then,
+leisurely closing the eyes and opening them again, they turn the head
+away with a very slight expiration from the nose.</p>
+
+<p>Fear&mdash;for those, at least, who cannot control it&mdash;is to all appearance a
+somewhat stronger emotion. The eyes are wide open and become staring, the
+nostrils are spread wide, and the under lip hangs quivering, while the
+neck and body contract, and the hands, with fingers stiffly bent, are
+brought up nearly as high as the head. The yellowish skin on such
+occasions generally assumes a cadaverous whitish green colour which is
+pitiful to behold.</p>
+
+<p>On the other hand, when pluck is shown, instead of fear, a man will draw
+himself up, with his arms down and hands tightly closed, and his mouth
+will assume a placid yet firm expression, the lips being firmly shut (a
+thing very unusual with Coreans), and the corners tending downwards,
+while a frown becomes clearly defined upon his brow.</p>
+
+<p>Laughter is seldom indulged in to any very great extent among the upper
+classes, who think it undignified to show in a noisy manner the pleasure
+which they derive from whatever it may be. Among the lower specimens of
+Corean humanity, however, sudden explosions of merriment are often
+noticeable. The Corean enjoys sarcasm, probably more than anything else
+in the world; and caricature delights <a name='Page_290'></a>him. I remember once drawing a
+caricature of an official and showing it to a friend of his, who, in
+consequence, so lost the much-coveted air of dignity, and went into such
+fits, that his servants had to come to his rescue and undo his
+waist-girdle. This, having occurred after a hearty meal, led to his being
+seized by a violent cough, and becoming subsequently sick. Were I quite
+sure of not being murdered by my readers, I would like to call it
+<i>see</i>-sickness, for it was caused by&mdash;seeing a joke!</p>
+
+<p>Astonishment is always expressed by a comical countenance. Let me give
+you an illustration. When we anchored at Fusan in the <i>Higo-Maru</i>, many
+Coreans came on board to inspect the ship; and, as I looked towards the
+shore with the captain's powerful long-sight glasses, several natives
+collected round me to see what I was doing. I asked one of them to look
+through, and never did I see a man more amazed, than he did, when he saw
+some one on the shore, with whom he was acquainted, brought so close to
+him by the glasses as to make him inclined to enter into a very excited
+conversation with him. His astonishment was even greater when, removing
+his eyes from the lens, he saw everything resume its natural position.
+When he had repeated this experiment several times, he put the glasses
+down, looked at them curiously with his eyebrows raised, his mouth
+pinched, and his hands spread apart at about the height of his waist, and
+then looked at me. Again did he glance at the optical instrument, with
+his mouth wide open; then, making a comical movement of distrust, he
+quickly departed whence he had come. When he had got <a name='Page_291'></a>fairly into his
+row-boat, he entered into a most animated conversation with his fellows,
+and, judging by his motions as he put his hands up to his eyes, I could
+see that the whole subject was his experience of what he had seen through
+the &quot;foreign devil's&quot; pair of glasses.</p>
+
+<p>Admiration is to a great extent, a modification of astonishment, and is
+by the Coreans expressed more by utterance than by any very marked
+expression of the face. Still, the eyes are opened more than usual, and
+the eyebrows are raised, and the lips slightly parted, sifting the
+breath, though not quite so loudly as in Japan.</p>
+
+<p>Another curious Corean expression is to be seen when the children are
+sulky. Our little ones generally protrude their lips in a tubular form,
+and bend the head forward, but the Cho-senese child does exactly the
+reverse. He generally throws his head back and hangs his lips, keeping
+the mouth open, and making his frown with the upper part of his face.
+Jealousy in the case of the women finds expression in a look somewhat
+similar to the above, with an additional vicious sparkle in the eyes.</p>
+
+<p>Notwithstanding the fact that it is not uncommon to hear Coreans being
+classified among barbarians, I must confess that, taking a liberal view
+of their constitution, they always struck me as being extremely
+intelligent and quick at acquiring knowledge. To learn a foreign language
+seems to them quite an easy task, and whenever they take an interest in
+the subject of their studies they show a great deal of perseverance and
+good-will. They possess a wonderfully sensible reasoning faculty,
+<a name='Page_292'></a>coupled with an amazing quickness of perception; a fact which one hardly
+expects, judging by their looks; for, at first sight, they rather impress
+one as being sleepy, and dull of comprehension. The Corean is also gifted
+with a very good memory, and with a certain amount of artistic power.
+Generally speaking, he is of an affectionate frame of mind, though he
+considers it bad form to show by outward sign any such thing as
+affection. He almost tends to effeminacy in his thoughtful attentions to
+those he likes; and he generally feels much hurt, though silently, if his
+attentions are not appreciated or returned. For instance, when you meet a
+Corean with whom you are acquainted, he invariably asks after the health
+of yourself, and all your relations and friends. Should you not yourself
+be as keen in inquiring after his family and acquaintances, he would
+probably be mortally offended.</p>
+
+<p>One of the drawbacks of the Corean mind is that it is often carried away
+by an over-vivid imagination. In this, they reminded me much of the
+Spaniards and the Italians. Their perception seems to be so keen that
+frequently they see more than really is visible. They are much given to
+exaggeration, not only in what they say, but also in their
+representations in painting and sculpture. In the matters both of
+conversation and of drawing, the same ideas will be found in Cho-sen to
+repeat themselves constantly, more or less cleverly expressed, according
+to the differently gifted individuality of the artist. The average Corean
+seems to learn things quickly, but of what they learn, some things remain
+rooted in their brains, while others appear to escape from it the moment
+they have been grasped.<a name='Page_293'></a> There is a good deal of volubility about their
+utterances, and, though visibly they do not seem very subject to strong
+emotions, judging from their conversation, one would feel inclined to say
+that they were. Another thing that led me to this suspicion was the
+observation that the average Corean is much given to dreaming, in the
+course of which he howls, shouts, talks and shakes himself to his heart's
+content. This habit of dreaming is to a large extent due, I imagine, to
+their mode of sleeping flat on their backs on the heated floors, which
+warm their spines, and act on their brains; though it may also, in
+addition to that be accounted for by the intensity of the daily emotions
+re-acting by night on over-excited nervous systems. I have often observed
+Coreans sleep, and they always impressed me as being extremely restless
+in their slumbers. As for snoring, too, the Coreans are entitled to the
+Championship of the world.</p>
+
+<p>The Coreans are much affected mentally by dreams, and being, as we have
+already seen, an extremely superstitious race, they attach great
+importance to their nocturnal visions. A good deal of hard <i>cash</i> is
+spent in getting the advice of astrologers, who pretend to understand and
+explain the occult art, and pleasure or consternation is thus usually the
+result of what might have been explained naturally either by one of the
+above-named causes, or by the victim having feasted the previous evening
+on something indigestible. Nevertheless, it must be acknowledged that the
+Corean mind is seldom thrown off its balance altogether. Idiocy is not
+frequent, and lunacy is uncommon.</p><a name='Page_294'></a>
+
+<p>Insanity, when it does exist, generally exhibits itself under the form of
+melancholia and dementia, and is more frequently found among the upper
+than among the lower classes. With the men it is generally due to
+intemperance and excesses, and is occasionally accompanied by paralysis.
+Among the women, the only cases which came under my notice were of wives
+whose husbands had many concubines, and of young widows. Suicide is not
+unfrequently practised among the latter; partly in consequence of the
+strict Corean etiquette, but often also caused by insanity when it does
+not follow immediately upon the husband's death. Another cause of
+melancholia&mdash;chiefly, however, among the lower classes&mdash;is a dreadful
+complaint, which has found its way among the natives in its most
+repulsive form. Many are affected by it, and no cure for it seems to have
+been devised by the indigenous doctors. The accounts one hears in the
+country of its ravages are too revolting to be repeated in these pages,
+and I shall limit myself to this. Certain forms of insanity are
+undoubtedly a common sequence to it.</p>
+
+<p>Leprosy also prevails in Cho-sen, and in the more serious cases seems to
+affect the brain, producing idiocy. This disease is caused by poverty of
+blood, and is, of course, hereditary. I have seen two forms of it in
+Cho-sen; in the one case, the skin turns perfectly white, almost shining
+like satin, while in the other&mdash;a worse kind, I believe&mdash;the skin is a
+mass of brown sores, and the flesh is almost entirely rotted away from
+the bones. The Coreans have no hospitals or asylums in which evils like
+these can be properly tended. Those affected with insanity are generally
+<a name='Page_295'></a>looked after by their own families, and, if considered dangerous, are
+usually chained up in rooms, either by a riveted iron bracelet, fastened
+to a short heavy chain, or, more frequently, by an anklet over the right
+foot.</p>
+
+<p>Families in Corea are generally small in number. I have no exact
+statistics at hand, for none were obtainable; but, so far as I could
+judge from observation, the males and females in the population are about
+equal in number. If anything, the women slightly preponderate. The
+average family seldom includes more than two children. The death-rate of
+Cho-sen infants is great, and many reasons can account for the fact. In
+the first place, all children in Corea, even the stronger ones who
+survive, are extremely delicate until a certain age is attained, when
+they seem to pick up and become stronger. This weakness is hereditary,
+especially among the upper classes, of whom very few powerful men are to
+be found, owing to their dissolute and effeminate life.</p>
+
+<p>Absolute sterility in women is not an uncommon phenomenon, and want of
+virile power in the male part of the community is also often the subject
+of complaint; many quaint drugs and methods being adopted to make up for
+the want of it, and to stimulate the sexual desire. A good many of the
+remedies resorted to by the Corean noblemen under such circumstances are
+of Chinese manufacture and importation. Certain parts of the tiger, dried
+and reduced to powder, are credited with the possession of wonderful
+strengthening qualities, and fetch large sums. Some parts of the donkey,
+also, when the animal is killed <a name='Page_296'></a>during the spring and under special
+circumstances, are equally appreciated. The lower classes of Cho-sen&mdash;as
+is the case in most countries&mdash;are more prolific than the upper ones. The
+parents are both healthier and more robust, and the children in
+consequence are stronger and more numerous, but even among these classes
+large families are seldom or never found. Taken as a whole, the
+population of Corea is, I believe, a slowly decreasing quantity.</p>
+
+<p>The Corean is in some respects very sensible, if compared with his
+neighbours. Deformities, artificially produced, are never found in Corea.
+In civilised Japan, on the other hand, as we all know, the women blacken
+their teeth and shave their eyebrows, while there are numberless people
+in the lower classes who are tattooed from head to foot with designs of
+all kinds. In China, too, people are occasionally deformed for the sake
+of lucre, as, for instance, to be exhibited at village shows, and the
+Chinese damsel would not consider herself fascinating enough if her feet
+were not distorted to such an extent as to be shapeless, and almost
+useless. The head-bands worn by the men in Corea are probably the only
+causes which tend to modify the shape of their heads, and that only to a
+very small degree. These head-bands are worn so very tightly from their
+earliest youth, that I have often noticed men&mdash;when the head-band was
+removed&mdash;show a certain flattening of the upper part of the forehead, due
+undoubtedly to the continuous pressure of this head-gear. In such cases,
+however, the cranial deformation&mdash;though always noticeable&mdash;is but
+slight, and, of course, unintentionally caused. The <a name='Page_297'></a>skull, as a whole,
+in the case of those who have worn the head-band is a little more
+elongated than it is in the case of those few who have not; the
+elongation being upwards and slightly backwards.</p>
+
+<p>Natural abnormalities are more frequent. I have seen numerous cases of
+goitre, and very often the so-called hare-lip. Webbed fingers also are
+frequently noticed; while inguinal hernia, both as a congenital and as an
+acquired affection, is unfortunately all too common. The natives do not
+undergo any special treatment until the complaint assumes alarming
+proportions, when a kind of belt is worn, or bandages of home manufacture
+are used. These are the more common abnormalities. To them, however,
+might also be added manifestations of albinism&mdash;though I have never seen
+an absolute albino in Corea&mdash;such as, large patches of white hair among
+the black. Red hair is rarely seen.</p>
+
+<p>The Corean, apart, that is, from these occasional defects, is well
+proportioned, and of good carriage. When he stands erect his body is
+well-balanced; and when he walks, though somewhat hampered by his padded
+clothes, his step is rational. He sensibly walks with his toes turned
+slightly in, and he takes firm and long strides. The gait is not
+energetic, but, nevertheless, the Coreans are excellent pedestrians, and
+cover long distances daily, if only they are allowed plenty to eat and
+permission to smoke their long pipes from time to time. Their bodies seem
+very supple, and like those of nearly all Asiatics, their attitudes are
+invariably graceful. In walking, they slightly swing their arms and bend
+their bodies forward, except, I <a name='Page_298'></a>should say, the high officials, whose
+steps are exaggeratedly marked, and whose bodies are kept upright and
+purposely stiff.</p>
+
+<p>One of the things which will not fail to impress a careful observer is
+the beauty of the Corean hand. The generality of Europeans possess bad
+hands, from an artistic point of view, but the average Corean, even among
+the lower classes, has them exceedingly well-shaped, with long supple
+fingers, somewhat pointed at the end; and nails well formed and prettily
+shaped, though to British ideas, grown far too long. It is not a powerful
+hand, mind you, but it is certainly most artistic; and, further, it is
+attached to a small wrist in the most graceful way, never looking stumpy,
+as so often is the case with many of us. The Coreans attach much
+importance to their hands; much more, indeed, than they do to their
+faces; and special attention is paid to the growth of the nails. In
+summer time these are kept very clean; but in winter, the water being
+very cold, the cleanliness of their limbs, &quot;<i>laisse un peu &agrave; desirer</i>.&quot; I
+have frequently seen a beautifully-shaped hand utterly spoilt by the
+nails being lined with black, and the knuckles being as filthy as if they
+had never been dipped in water. But these are only lesser native
+failings; and have we not all our faults?</p>
+
+<p>The two qualities I most admired in the Corean were his scepticism and
+his conservatism. He seemed to take life as it came, and never worried
+much about it. He had, too, practically no religion and no morals. He
+cared about little, had an instinctive attachment for ancestral habits,
+and showed a thorough dislike to <a name='Page_299'></a>change and reform. And this was not so
+much as regards matters of State and religion, for little or nothing does
+the Corean care about either of these, as in respect of the daily
+proceedings of life. To the foreign observer, many of his ways and
+customs are at first sight incomprehensible, and even reprehensible; yet,
+when by chance his mode of arguing out matters for himself is clearly
+understood, we will almost invariably find that he is correct. After all,
+every one, whether barbarian or otherwise, knows best himself how to
+please himself. The poor harmless Corean, however, is not allowed that
+privilege. He, as if by sarcasm, calls his country by the retiring name
+of the &quot;Hermit Realm&quot; and the more poetic one of the &quot;Land of the Morning
+Calm&quot;; &quot;a coveted calm&quot; indeed, which has been a dream to the country,
+but never a reality, while, as for its hermit life, it has been only too
+often troubled by objectionable visitors whom he detests, yet whom,
+nevertheless, he is bound to receive with open arms, helpless as he is to
+resist them.</p>
+
+<p>Poor Corea! Bad as its Government was and is, it is heart-rending to any
+one who knows the country, and its peaceful, good-natured people, to see
+it overrun and impoverished by foreign marauders. Until the other day,
+she was at rest, heard of by few, and practically forgotten by everybody,
+to all intents an independent kingdom, since China had not for many years
+exercised her rights of suzerainty,<a name='FNanchor_4_4'></a><a href='#Footnote_4_4'><sup>[4]</sup></a> when, to satisfy the ambition <a name='Page_300'></a>of
+a childish nation, she suddenly finds herself at the mercy of everybody,
+and with a dark and most disastrous future before her!</p>
+
+<p>Poor Corea! A sad day has come for you! You, who were so attractive,
+because so quaint and so retiring, will nevermore see that calm which has
+ever been the yearning of your patriot sons! Many evils are now before
+you, but, of all the great calamities that might befall you, I can
+conceive of none greater than an attempt to convert you into a civilised
+nation!</p>
+
+
+
+<a name='Footnote_4_4'></a><a href='#FNanchor_4_4'>[4]</a><div class='note'><p> After a cessation of many years a tribute was again exacted
+from Corea in 1890, in consequence of overtures being made to Corea by
+Japan, which displeased China.</p></div>
+
+
+
+<hr class="full" />
+<a name='INDEX'></a><h2><a name='Page_301'></a>INDEX</h2>
+
+Abnormalities, <a href='#Page_297'>297</a><br />
+Adoption of Children, <a href='#Page_86'>86</a><br />
+Adultery, <a href='#Page_159'>159</a><br />
+Alphabet, <a href='#Page_206'>206</a><br />
+Astronomers, <a href='#Page_209'>209</a><br />
+Archery, <a href='#Page_197'>197</a><br />
+Army instructors, <a href='#Page_174'>174</a><br />
+Aryan, <a href='#Page_45'>45</a><br />
+<br />
+Bachelors, <a href='#Page_48'>48</a><br />
+Beggars, <a href='#Page_93'>93</a><br />
+Beverages, <a href='#Page_143'>143</a><br />
+Big Bell, <a href='#Page_42'>42</a>, <a href='#Page_108'>108</a><br />
+Body-snatching, <a href='#Page_9'>9</a>-<a href='#Page_15'>15</a><br />
+Bonzes, <a href='#Page_216'>216</a>, <a href='#Page_227'>227</a>, <a href='#Page_285'>285</a><br />
+Bridges, <a href='#Page_125'>125</a><br />
+<span style='margin-left: 1.5em;'>&quot;&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp;  (crossing the), <a href='#Page_109'>109</a></span><br />
+Buddha, <a href='#Page_125'>125</a>, <a href='#Page_223'>223</a><br />
+Buddhism, <a href='#Page_216'>216</a><br />
+Burial ground, <a href='#Page_119'>119</a><br />
+<br />
+Cereals, <a href='#Page_42'>42</a><br />
+Chang, <a href='#Page_211'>211</a><br />
+Charity, <a href='#Page_281'>281</a><br />
+Chemulpo, <a href='#Page_17'>17</a>, <a href='#Page_20'>20</a>, <a href='#Page_25'>25</a>, <a href='#Page_32'>32</a><br />
+Children, <a href='#Page_78'>78</a><br />
+Chinese Customs Service, <a href='#Page_5'>5</a><br />
+Chinese invasions, <a href='#Page_28'>28</a>-<a href='#Page_30'>30</a><br />
+Chinese settlement, <a href='#Page_24'>24</a>, <a href='#Page_26'>26</a><br />
+Cho-sen, <a href='#Page_30'>30</a>, <a href='#Page_31'>31</a><br />
+City wall, <a href='#Page_117'>117</a>, <a href='#Page_124'>124</a>, <a href='#Page_259'>259</a><br />
+Clans, <a href='#Page_79'>79</a><br />
+Classes and castes, <a href='#Page_45'>45</a><br />
+Clothes, <a href='#Page_53'>53</a>-<a href='#Page_60'>60</a><br />
+Compradores, <a href='#Page_26'>26</a><br />
+Concubines, <a href='#Page_154'>154</a>, <a href='#Page_159'>159</a><br />
+Conflagrations, <a href='#Page_276'>276</a><br />
+Confucianism, <a href='#Page_232'>232</a><br />
+Conservatism, <a href='#Page_298'>298</a><br />
+Consulate (British), <a href='#Page_129'>129</a><br />
+<span style='margin-left: 1.5em;'>&quot;&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; (German), <a href='#Page_90'>90</a>, <a href='#Page_129'>129</a></span><br />
+Coolies, <a href='#Page_39'>39</a>, <a href='#Page_50'>50</a>, <a href='#Page_104'>104</a><br />
+Corea (the word), <a href='#Page_27'>27</a>-<a href='#Page_31'>31</a><br />
+Cotton production, <a href='#Page_7'>7</a>-<a href='#Page_9'>9</a><br />
+Crucifixion, <a href='#Page_248'>248</a><br />
+Cultivation, <a href='#Page_7'>7</a><br />
+Currency, <a href='#Page_38'>38</a><br />
+<br />
+Decorations, <a href='#Page_50'>50</a><br />
+Deformities, <a href='#Page_296'>296</a><br />
+Divorce, <a href='#Page_155'>155</a>, <a href='#Page_159'>159</a><br />
+Documents, <a href='#Page_156'>156</a>, <a href='#Page_208'>208</a><br />
+Dragons, <a href='#Page_115'>115</a><br />
+Drainage, <a href='#Page_149'>149</a><br />
+Dreams, <a href='#Page_294'>294</a><br />
+<br />
+Education, <a href='#Page_210'>210</a><br />
+Eunuchs, <a href='#Page_97'>97</a><br /><a name='Page_302'></a>
+Evil spirits, <a href='#Page_97'>97</a>, <a href='#Page_118'>118</a><br />
+Examinations, <a href='#Page_205'>205</a>, <a href='#Page_209'>209</a><br />
+Executions, <a href='#Page_246'>246</a>-<a href='#Page_257'>257</a><br />
+Exile, <a href='#Page_243'>243</a><br />
+Exorcisms, <a href='#Page_102'>102</a>, <a href='#Page_223'>223</a><br />
+Expressions, <a href='#Page_288'>288</a>-<a href='#Page_292'>292</a><br />
+Expression after Death, <a href='#Page_257'>257</a><br />
+<br />
+Falcons, <a href='#Page_196'>196</a><br />
+Families, <a href='#Page_81'>81</a>, <a href='#Page_295'>295</a><br />
+Features, <a href='#Page_47'>47</a><br />
+Feron (l'Abb&eacute;), <a href='#Page_11'>11</a>-<a href='#Page_13'>13</a><br />
+Fights, <a href='#Page_267'>267</a>, <a href='#Page_275'>275</a><br />
+<span style='margin-left: 1em;'>&quot;&nbsp; &nbsp; (Stone-), <a href='#Page_270'>270</a></span><br />
+Filial love, <a href='#Page_120'>120</a><br />
+Fire-signals, <a href='#Page_126'>126</a><br />
+Floggings, <a href='#Page_238'>238</a><br />
+Food, <a href='#Page_142'>142</a><br />
+Foreigners, <a href='#Page_26'>26</a><br />
+Free nights for men, <a href='#Page_110'>110</a><br />
+Funerals, <a href='#Page_118'>118</a><br />
+Furniture, <a href='#Page_140'>140</a><br />
+Fusan, <a href='#Page_4'>4</a>-<a href='#Page_7'>7</a><br />
+Fuyn race, <a href='#Page_28'>28</a>, <a href='#Page_46'>46</a><br />
+<br />
+Games, <a href='#Page_89'>89</a><br />
+Gardens, <a href='#Page_137'>137</a><br />
+Gates (City), <a href='#Page_117'>117</a>, <a href='#Page_124'>124</a><br />
+Gate of the Dead, <a href='#Page_118'>118</a>, <a href='#Page_250'>250</a>, <a href='#Page_258'>258</a><br />
+Ghosts, <a href='#Page_97'>97</a><br />
+Girls, <a href='#Page_86'>86</a><br />
+Gods (minor), <a href='#Page_224'>224</a><br />
+Graves, <a href='#Page_13'>13</a>, <a href='#Page_120'>120</a>, <a href='#Page_225'>225</a><br />
+Greathouse (Clarence R.), <a href='#Page_2'>2</a>, <a href='#Page_4'>4</a>, <a href='#Page_90'>90</a>, <a href='#Page_165'>165</a>, <a href='#Page_212'>212</a><br />
+Guechas or Geishas, <a href='#Page_21'>21</a>, <a href='#Page_75'>75</a><br />
+Guilds, <a href='#Page_241'>241</a><br />
+<br />
+Hair-dressing, <a href='#Page_48'>48</a>, <a href='#Page_49'>49</a>, <a href='#Page_65'>65</a>, <a href='#Page_157'>157</a><br />
+Hanabusa, <a href='#Page_20'>20</a><br />
+Hands, <a href='#Page_298'>298</a><br />
+Han River, <a href='#Page_42'>42</a><br />
+Haunted palaces, <a href='#Page_96'>96</a>, <a href='#Page_212'>212</a><br />
+Head-gear, <a href='#Page_50'>50</a>, <a href='#Page_193'>193</a>, <a href='#Page_204'>204</a>, <a href='#Page_232'>232</a>, <a href='#Page_263'>263</a><br />
+Hiaksai, <a href='#Page_29'>29</a>, <a href='#Page_31'>31</a><br />
+Hospitality, <a href='#Page_80'>80</a><br />
+Hotels, <a href='#Page_17'>17</a>, <a href='#Page_43'>43</a><br />
+Houses, <a href='#Page_136'>136</a><br />
+House-warming, <a href='#Page_139'>139</a><br />
+<br />
+Illumination (Modes of), <a href='#Page_148'>148</a><br />
+Inns, <a href='#Page_44'>44</a>, <a href='#Page_91'>91</a><br />
+Intelligence, <a href='#Page_211'>211</a><br />
+<br />
+Japanese, <a href='#Page_20'>20</a>, <a href='#Page_21'>21</a>, <a href='#Page_26'>26</a><br />
+<span style='margin-left: 1em;'>&quot;&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp;  settlements, <a href='#Page_5'>5</a>, <a href='#Page_6'>6</a>, <a href='#Page_129'>129</a></span><br />
+Jinrickshas, <a href='#Page_33'>33</a><br />
+Joss-houses, <a href='#Page_128'>128</a><br />
+<br />
+Kim-Ka-Chim, <a href='#Page_194'>194</a><br />
+King, <a href='#Page_190'>190</a>, <a href='#Page_191'>191</a>, <a href='#Page_261'>261</a><br />
+Kite-flying, <a href='#Page_83'>83</a><br />
+Kitchen, <a href='#Page_142'>142</a><br />
+Kiung-sang, <a href='#Page_6'>6</a><br />
+Korai, <a href='#Page_27'>27</a>, <a href='#Page_46'>46</a><br />
+Kung-wo, <a href='#Page_29'>29</a><br />
+<br />
+Language, <a href='#Page_209'>209</a><br />
+Lanterns, <a href='#Page_257'>257</a><br />
+Law, <a href='#Page_241'>241</a><br />
+Legations (American, Chinese, Japanese, Russian), <a href='#Page_129'>129</a><br />
+Le Gendre (General), <a href='#Page_165'>165</a><br />
+Leopards, <a href='#Page_99'>99</a><br />
+Leprosy, <a href='#Page_93'>93</a>, <a href='#Page_294'>294</a><br />
+Lin, <a href='#Page_115'>115</a><br />
+Lunacy, <a href='#Page_293'>293</a><br />
+<br /><a name='Page_303'></a>
+Mafu, <a href='#Page_42'>42</a><br />
+Maki, <a href='#Page_6'>6</a><br />
+Man of the Gates, The, <a href='#Page_134'>134</a><br />
+Mapu, <a href='#Page_35'>35</a>, <a href='#Page_293'>293</a><br />
+Marks, <a href='#Page_156'>156</a><br />
+Marriages, <a href='#Page_151'>151</a><br />
+Married Men, <a href='#Page_49'>49</a><br />
+Mats, <a href='#Page_138'>138</a>, <a href='#Page_181'>181</a><br />
+Messengers, <a href='#Page_193'>193</a><br />
+Metempsychosis, <a href='#Page_120'>120</a><br />
+Mile posts, <a href='#Page_34'>34</a><br />
+Min-san-ho, <a href='#Page_165'>165</a><br />
+Min-Young-Chun, <a href='#Page_166'>166</a><br />
+Min-Young-Huan, <a href='#Page_166'>166</a><br />
+Missionaries, <a href='#Page_11'>11</a>, <a href='#Page_30'>30</a>, <a href='#Page_129'>129</a><br />
+Monasteries, <a href='#Page_125'>125</a>, <a href='#Page_223'>223</a>, <a href='#Page_226'>226</a>, <a href='#Page_285'>285</a><br />
+Mongolian type, <a href='#Page_45'>45</a><br />
+Mono-wheeled chair, <a href='#Page_106'>106</a><br />
+Mourning, <a href='#Page_48'>48</a><br />
+Mulberry plantation, <a href='#Page_97'>97</a><br />
+Music, <a href='#Page_76'>76</a><br />
+<br />
+Names, <a href='#Page_88'>88</a><br />
+<span style='margin-left: 1em;'>&quot;&nbsp; &nbsp; (women's), <a href='#Page_66'>66</a></span><br />
+Nanzam (Mount), <a href='#Page_125'>125</a>, <a href='#Page_222'>222</a><br />
+New Year's festivities, <a href='#Page_22'>22</a><br />
+Nunneries, <a href='#Page_223'>223</a>, <a href='#Page_230'>230</a><br />
+<br />
+Offerings, <a href='#Page_231'>231</a><br />
+Oppert, <a href='#Page_10'>10</a>, <a href='#Page_11'>11</a><br />
+Oxen, <a href='#Page_37'>37</a><br />
+<br />
+Pagoda, <a href='#Page_111'>111</a><br />
+Phoenix, <a href='#Page_114'>114</a>, <a href='#Page_117'>117</a><br />
+Palaces, <a href='#Page_98'>98</a>, <a href='#Page_284'>284</a><br />
+Palace (Royal), <a href='#Page_105'>105</a>, <a href='#Page_108'>108</a>, <a href='#Page_183'>183</a><br />
+<span style='margin-left: 1.5em;'>&quot;&nbsp;  (Summer), <a href='#Page_185'>185</a></span><br />
+Palanquins, <a href='#Page_104'>104</a>, <a href='#Page_106'>106</a>, <a href='#Page_265'>265</a><br />
+Paternal love, <a href='#Page_254'>254</a><br />
+Pekin Pass, <a href='#Page_105'>105</a>, <a href='#Page_132'>132</a><br />
+Physiognomy, <a href='#Page_288'>288</a><br />
+Pipes, <a href='#Page_56'>56</a><br />
+Plank-walk (The), <a href='#Page_236'>236</a><br />
+Pockets, <a href='#Page_55'>55</a>, <a href='#Page_174'>174</a><br />
+Police, <a href='#Page_235'>235</a><br />
+Politics, <a href='#Page_194'>194</a><br />
+Ponies, <a href='#Page_34'>34</a>, <a href='#Page_36'>36</a><br />
+Poo-kan, <a href='#Page_283'>283</a><br />
+Port Hamilton, <a href='#Page_15'>15</a><br />
+Prayer-Books, <a href='#Page_226'>226</a><br />
+Procession (King's), <a href='#Page_261'>261</a>, <a href='#Page_264'>264</a><br />
+Proverbs, <a href='#Page_208'>208</a><br />
+Punishments, <a href='#Page_154'>154</a>, <a href='#Page_159'>159</a>, <a href='#Page_236'>236</a>-<a href='#Page_254'>254</a>, <a href='#Page_263'>263</a><br />
+<br />
+Queen (The), <a href='#Page_162'>162</a>, <a href='#Page_191'>191</a>, <a href='#Page_199'>199</a><br />
+<br />
+Religion, <a href='#Page_216'>216</a><br />
+Respect for the Old, <a href='#Page_191'>191</a><br />
+Rice, <a href='#Page_145'>145</a><br />
+Roads, <a href='#Page_32'>32</a><br />
+Rosary, <a href='#Page_228'>228</a><br />
+Royal Family, <a href='#Page_46'>46</a><br />
+Russian villa, <a href='#Page_184'>184</a><br />
+<br />
+Sacred Trees, <a href='#Page_219'>219</a><br />
+Sacrifices, <a href='#Page_217'>217</a><br />
+Saddles, <a href='#Page_35'>35</a>, <a href='#Page_265'>265</a><br />
+Satsuma ware, <a href='#Page_141'>141</a><br />
+Scenery, <a href='#Page_33'>33</a><br />
+Scepticism, <a href='#Page_298'>298</a><br />
+Schools, <a href='#Page_209'>209</a><br />
+Sea-lions or tigers, <a href='#Page_105'>105</a>, <a href='#Page_115'>115</a><br />
+Sedan-chairs, <a href='#Page_33'>33</a><br />
+Self-denial, <a href='#Page_142'>142</a><br /><a name='Page_304'></a>
+Seoul, <a href='#Page_42'>42</a><br />
+Seradin Sabatin (Mr.), <a href='#Page_90'>90</a>, <a href='#Page_184'>184</a><br />
+Serfdom, <a href='#Page_244'>244</a><br />
+Shamanism, <a href='#Page_217'>217</a><br />
+Shinra, <a href='#Page_29'>29</a>, <a href='#Page_31'>31</a><br />
+Shoes, <a href='#Page_55'>55</a><br />
+Shops, <a href='#Page_92'>92</a><br />
+Singers, <a href='#Page_163'>163</a><br />
+Smoke signals, <a href='#Page_127'>127</a><br />
+Snakes, <a href='#Page_114'>114</a><br />
+Soldiers, <a href='#Page_173'>173</a>, <a href='#Page_262'>262</a>, <a href='#Page_264'>264</a><br />
+Sorcerers, <a href='#Page_221'>221</a><br />
+Spectacles, <a href='#Page_58'>58</a><br />
+Spinning-tops, <a href='#Page_82'>82</a><br />
+Spirits, <a href='#Page_218'>218</a><br />
+Spirits of the mountains, <a href='#Page_218'>218</a><br />
+Square-board (The), <a href='#Page_237'>237</a><br />
+Sterility, <a href='#Page_295'>295</a><br />
+Stone-heaps, <a href='#Page_219'>219</a><br />
+Streets, <a href='#Page_104'>104</a>, <a href='#Page_108'>108</a>, <a href='#Page_149'>149</a>, <a href='#Page_262'>262</a><br />
+Students, <a href='#Page_204'>204</a><br />
+Studies, <a href='#Page_87'>87</a><br />
+Suicides, <a href='#Page_68'>68</a><br />
+Sunto, <a href='#Page_7'>7</a>, <a href='#Page_30'>30</a><br />
+<br />
+Tailors, <a href='#Page_53'>53</a><br />
+Tai-wen-kun, <a href='#Page_12'>12</a><br />
+Telephones, <a href='#Page_122'>122</a><br />
+Temples, <a href='#Page_125'>125</a>, <a href='#Page_223'>223</a>, <a href='#Page_226'>226</a>, <a href='#Page_227'>227</a>, <a href='#Page_283'>283</a>, <a href='#Page_285'>285</a><br />
+Throne, <a href='#Page_186'>186</a>, <a href='#Page_193'>193</a><br />
+Tide, <a href='#Page_15'>15</a><br />
+Tigers, <a href='#Page_66'>66</a>, <a href='#Page_112'>112</a>, <a href='#Page_214'>214</a><br />
+Tooth-stone, <a href='#Page_232'>232</a><br />
+Tortoise, <a href='#Page_112'>112</a>, <a href='#Page_113'>113</a><br />
+Toys, <a href='#Page_83'>83</a><br />
+<br />
+Umbrella hat, <a href='#Page_53'>53</a>, <a href='#Page_264'>264</a><br />
+<br />
+Wang, <a href='#Page_7'>7</a>, <a href='#Page_29'>29</a><br />
+Washing clothes, <a href='#Page_73'>73</a><br />
+Water-coolies, <a href='#Page_133'>133</a><br />
+Wedding ceremony, <a href='#Page_155'>155</a><br />
+Widows, <a href='#Page_158'>158</a><br />
+Wind-making, <a href='#Page_280'>280</a><br />
+Wives, <a href='#Page_158'>158</a><br />
+Women, <a href='#Page_59'>59</a><br />
+Women's looks, <a href='#Page_63'>63</a><br />
+Women's rights, <a href='#Page_65'>65</a>-<a href='#Page_67'>67</a><br />
+Wuju kingdom, <a href='#Page_28'>28</a><br />
+
+
+
+
+
+
+
+<pre>
+
+
+
+
+
+End of Project Gutenberg's Corea or Cho-sen, by A (Arnold) Henry Savage-Landor
+
+*** END OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK COREA OR CHO-SEN ***
+
+***** This file should be named 13128-h.htm or 13128-h.zip *****
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+Project Gutenberg's Corea or Cho-sen, by A (Arnold) Henry Savage-Landor
+
+This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere at no cost and with
+almost no restrictions whatsoever.  You may copy it, give it away or
+re-use it under the terms of the Project Gutenberg License included
+with this eBook or online at www.gutenberg.org
+
+
+Title: Corea or Cho-sen
+
+Author: A (Arnold) Henry Savage-Landor
+
+Release Date: August 7, 2004 [EBook #13128]
+
+Language: English
+
+Character set encoding: ASCII
+
+*** START OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK COREA OR CHO-SEN ***
+
+
+
+
+Produced by Michael Ciesielski, and the Online Distributed
+Proofreading Team at https://www.pgdp.net
+
+
+
+
+
+
+
+COREA
+
+OR CHO-SEN
+
+
+
+
+COREA
+
+OR CHO-SEN
+
+THE LAND OF THE MORNING CALM
+
+BY
+
+A. HENRY SAVAGE-LANDOR
+
+AUTHOR OF
+
+"ALONE WITH THE HAIRY AINU"
+
+With Numerous Text and Full-Page Illustrations
+from Drawings made by the Author
+
+[Illustration: A. HENRY SAVAGE-LANDOR.]
+
+[Illustration: SIGNATURE OF A. HENRY SAVAGE-LANDOR.]
+
+LONDON
+
+WILLIAM HEINEMANN
+
+1895
+
+[_All rights reserved_]
+
+
+
+
+BY GRACIOUS PERMISSION
+
+I Humbly Dedicate
+
+THIS WORK
+
+TO
+
+HER MAJESTY THE QUEEN
+
+
+
+
+PREFACE
+
+
+In this book I have sought to present the reader with some dry facts
+about Corea and the Coreans. I have attempted to describe the manners and
+customs of the people as accurately as possible from the impressions
+which my visit to their country left upon me, but of course I do not
+claim that these personal opinions expressed are absolutely infallible.
+My sojourn extended over several months, and I never during all that time
+neglected any opportunity of studying the natives, giving my observations
+as they were made a permanent form by the aid both of pen and of brush. I
+was afforded specially favourable chances for this kind of work through
+the kind hospitality shown me by the Vice-Minister of Home Affairs and
+Adviser to the King, Mr. C.R. Greathouse, to whom I feel greatly indebted
+for my prolonged and delightful stay in the country, as well as for the
+amiable and valuable assistance which he and General Le Gendre, Foreign
+Adviser to His Corean Majesty, gave me in my observations and studies
+among the upper classes of Corea. I am also under great obligations to
+Mr. Seradin Sabatin, Architect to His Majesty the King, and to Mr. Krien,
+German Consul at Seoul, for the kindness and hospitality with which they
+treated me on my first arrival at their city.
+
+The illustrations in this book are reproductions of sketches taken by me
+while in the country, and though, perhaps, they want much in artistic
+merit, I venture to hope that they will be found characteristic.
+
+For literary style I hope my readers will not look. I am not a literary
+man, nor do I desire to profess myself such. I trust, however, that I
+have succeeded in telling my story in a simple and straightforward
+manner, for this especially was the object with which I started at the
+outset.
+
+A. HENRY SAVAGE-LANDOR.
+
+
+
+
+CONTENTS
+
+
+CHAPTER I
+
+Christmas on board--Fusan--A body-snatcher--The Kiung-sang Province--The
+cotton production--Body-snatching extraordinary--Imperatrice
+Gulf--Chemulpo.
+
+
+CHAPTER II
+
+Chemulpo--So-called European hotels--Comforts--Japanese concession--The
+_Guechas_--New Year's festivities--The Chinese settlement--European
+residents--The word "Corea"--A glance at Corean history--Cho-sen.
+
+
+CHAPTER III
+
+The road to Seoul--The _Mapu_--Ponies--Oxen--Coolies--Currency--Mode of
+carrying weights--The Han River--Nearly locked out.
+
+
+CHAPTER IV
+
+The Coreans--Their faces and heads--Bachelors--Married
+men--Head-band--Hats--Hat-umbrellas--Clothes--Spectacles.
+
+
+CHAPTER V
+
+The Woman of Cho-sen--Her clothes--Her ways--Her looks--Her
+privileges--Her duties--Her temper--Difference of classes--Feminine
+musicians.
+
+
+CHAPTER VI
+
+Corean children--The family--Clans--Spongers--Hospitality--Spinning-tops
+--Toys--Kite-flying--Games--How babies are sent to sleep.
+
+
+CHAPTER VII
+
+Corean inns--Seoul--A tour of observation--Beggars--Lepers--Philosophy--An
+old palace--A leopard hunt--Weather prophets--The main street--Sedan
+chairs--The big bell--Crossing of the bridges--Monuments--Animal
+worship--The  Gate of the Dead--A funeral--The Queen-dowager's telephone.
+
+
+CHAPTER VIII
+
+Seoul--The City Wall--A large image--Mount Nanzam--The fire-signals--The
+women's joss-house--Foreign buildings--Japanese settlement--An
+anecdote--Clean or not clean?--The Pekin Pass--The water-carrier--The man
+of the Gates.
+
+
+CHAPTER IX
+
+The Corean house--Doors and windows--Blinds--Rooms--The
+"Kan"--Roasting alive--Furniture--Treasures--The
+kitchen--Dinner-set--Food--Intoxicants--Gluttony--Capacity for
+food--Sleep--Modes of illumination--Autographs--Streets--Drainage--Smell.
+
+
+CHAPTER X
+
+A Corean marriage--How marriages are arranged--The wedding ceremony--The
+document--In the nuptial chamber--Wife's conduct--Concubines--Widows
+--Seduction--Adultery--Purchasing a husband--Love--Intrigue--Official
+"squeezing"--The cause.
+
+
+CHAPTER XI
+
+Painting in Seoul--Messages from the King--Royal princes sitting for
+their portraits--Breaking the mourning law--Quaint notions--Delight and
+despair--Calling in of State ceremony--Corean soldiers--How they mount
+guard--Drill--Honours--A much-admired shoe--A gift.
+
+
+CHAPTER XII
+
+The royal palace--A royal message--Mounting guard--The bell--The royal
+precinct--The Russian villa--An unfinished structure--The Summer
+Palace--The King's house--Houses of dignitaries--The ground and summer
+pavilion--Colds--The funeral of a Japanese Minister--Houses of royal
+relations--The queen--The oldest man and woman--The King and his
+throne--Politics and royalty--Messengers and spies--Kim-Ka-Chim--Falcons
+and archery--Nearly a St. Sebastian--The queen's curiosity--A royal
+banquet--The consequences.
+
+
+CHAPTER XIII
+
+Students--Culture--Examination ground--The three degrees--The
+alphabet--Chinese characters--Schools--Astronomers--Diplomas--Students
+abroad--Adoption of Western ways--Quick perception--The letter "f"--A
+comical mistake--Magistrates and education Rooted superstition--Another
+haunted palace--Tigers--A convenient custom.
+
+
+CHAPTER XIV
+
+Religion--Buddhism--Bonzes--Their power--Shamanism--Spirits--Spirits of
+the mountain--Stone heaps--Sacred trees--Seized by the spirits--Safe-guard
+against them--The wind--Sorcerers and sorceresses--Exorcisms--Monasteries
+--Temples--Buddha--Monks--Their customs and clothing--Nuns--Their
+garments--Religious ceremonies--The tooth-stone.
+
+
+CHAPTER XV
+
+Police--Detectives--The plank-walk--The square board--The wooden blocks
+for hands and feet--Floggings--The bamboo rod--The stick--The flexible
+board--A flogging in Seoul--One hundred strokes for three-halfpence
+--Wounds produced--Tender-hearted soldiers--Imprisonment--Exile--Status
+of women, children, and bachelors--Guilds and the law--Nobles and the
+law--Serfdom--mild form of slavery.
+
+
+CHAPTER XVI
+
+Executions--Crucified and carried through the streets--The execution
+ground--Barbarous mode of beheading--Noble criminals--Paternal love--Shut
+out--Scaling the wall--A catastrophe--A nightmare.
+
+
+CHAPTER XVII
+
+The "King's procession"--Removing houses--Foolhardy people--Beaten to
+death--Cavalry soldiers--Infantry--Retainers--Banners--Luxurious
+saddles--The King and his double--Royal palanquins--The return at night.
+
+
+CHAPTER XVIII
+
+Fights--Prize fights--Fist fights--Special moon for fighting--Summary
+justice--The use of the top-knot--Cruelty--A butcher combatant Stone
+fights--Belligerent children--Battle between two guilds--Wounded and
+killed--The end of the battle postponed--Soldiers' fights.
+
+
+CHAPTER XIX
+
+Fires--The greatest peril--A curious way of saving one's house--The
+anchor of safety--How it worked--Making an opposition wind--Saved by
+chance--A good trait in the native character--Useful friends.
+
+
+CHAPTER XX
+
+A trip to Poo-kan--A curious monastery.
+
+
+CHAPTER XXI
+
+Corean physiognomy--Expressions of pleasure--Displeasure--Contempt
+--Fear--Pluck--Laughter--Astonishment--Admiration--Sulkiness--Jealousy
+--Intelligence--Affection--Imagination--Dreams--Insanity--Its principal
+causes--Leprosy--The family--Men and women--Fecundity--Natural and
+artificial deformities--Abnormalities--Movements and attitudes--The Corean
+hand--Conservatism.
+
+
+
+
+LIST OF PLATES
+
+PORTRAIT OF THE AUTHOR
+AN OFFICIAL GOING TO COURT
+THE PEKIN PASS
+A WATER-COOLIE
+H.R.H. PRINCE MIN-YOUNG-HUAN
+AN INFANTRY SOLDIER
+A STUDY FROM STILL-LIFE
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER I
+
+Christmas on board--Fusan--A body-snatcher--The Kiung-sang Province--The
+cotton production--Body-snatching extraordinary--Imperatrice
+Gulf--Chemulpo.
+
+
+[Illustration: CHEMULPO]
+
+It was on a Christmas Day that I set out for Corea. The year was 1890. I
+had been several days at Nagasaki, waiting for the little steamer,
+_Higo-Maru_, of the Nippon Yusen Kaisha (Japan Steamship Company), which
+was to arrive, I think, from Vladivostock, when a message was brought to
+me saying that she was now in port, and would sail that afternoon for
+Tsushima, Goto, and the Corean ports.
+
+I went on board, and, our vessel's anchor being raised at four o'clock,
+we soon steamed past Battenberg Island and got away from the picturesque
+Bay of Nagasaki. This was the last I saw of Japan.
+
+The little _Higo_ was not a bad seaboat, for, following good advice, her
+owners had provided her with rolling beams; but, mind you, she had by no
+means the steadiness of a rock, nor did she pretend to cut the water at
+the rate of twenty knots an hour. Still, taken all in all, she was a
+pretty good goer. Her captain was a Norwegian, and a jolly fellow; while
+the crew she carried was entirely Japanese, with the exception of the
+stewards in the saloon, who were two pig-tailed subjects of the Celestial
+Empire.
+
+"Numbel one Clistmas dinnel has got to-night, Mastel," expostulated John
+Chinaman to me in his pidgen English, as I was busy making my cabin
+comfortable. "Soup has got, fish has got, loast tulkey has got,
+plan-puddy all bulning has got. All same English countly. Dlink,
+to-night, plenty can have, and no has to pay. Shelly can have, Boldeau
+can have, polt, bea, champagne, blandy, all can have, all flee!"
+
+I must say that when I heard of the elaborate dinner to which we were to
+be treated by the captain, I began to feel rather glad that I had started
+on my journey on a Christmas Day.
+
+There were a few Japanese passengers on board, but only one European, or
+rather American, besides myself, and a most pleasant companion he turned
+out to be. He was Mr. Clarence R. Greathouse, formerly Consul-General for
+the United States at Yokohama--at which place I first had the pleasure of
+meeting him--who was now on his way to Corea, where he had been requested
+by the Corean Government to accept the high and responsible position of
+Vice-Minister of Home Affairs, as well as of legal adviser to the King in
+international affairs.
+
+Curiously enough, he had not been aware that I was to travel on the same
+ship, and I also never dreamt that I would have had the good fortune of
+being in such good and agreeable company during a voyage which otherwise
+would have been extremely dull. Accordingly, when we met again thus
+accidentally on the deck of the _Higo_, the event was as much to our
+mutual satisfaction as it was unexpected.
+
+The sea was somewhat choppy, but notwithstanding this, when the steward
+appeared on the companion-way, beaming all over, in his best silk gown
+and jacket, and rang the dinner-bell with all his might, we gaily
+responded to his call and proceeded below.
+
+Heavens! it was a Christmas dinner and no mistake! The tables and walls
+had been decorated with little paper flags and flowers made of the
+brightest colours that human fancy could devise, and dishes of almonds
+and raisins filled the centre of the table. There were little flags stuck
+in those dishes, and, indeed, everywhere. A big cake in the middle had
+prudently been tied to the table with a string, as the rolling motion of
+the ship was rather against its chances of keeping steady in the place
+that had been assigned to it, and the other usual precautions had been
+taken to keep the plates and glasses in their proper positions.
+
+Our dinner-party consisted of about eight. At one moment we would be up,
+with our feet on a level with our opposite companion's head; the next we
+would be down, with the soles of their boots higher than our skulls.
+
+It is always a pretty sight to see a table decorated, but when it is not
+only decorated but animated as well, it is evidently prettier still. When
+you see all the plates and salt-cellars moving slowly away from you, and
+as slowly returning to you; when you have to chase your fork and your
+knife before you can use them, the amusement is infinitely greater.
+
+"_O gomen kudasai_"--"I beg your pardon"--said a Japanese gentleman in
+rather a hurried manner, and more hurriedly still made his exit into his
+cabin. Two or three others of his countrymen followed suit during the
+progress of the dinner, and as number after number of the _menu_ was gone
+through, so that we who remained had a capital time. Not many minutes
+also elapsed without our having a regular fusillade of bottles of
+champagne of some unknown brand, and "healths" were drunk of distant
+friends and relatives.
+
+Mr. Greathouse, who, like many of his countrymen, has a wonderful gift
+for telling humorous stories, of which he had an unlimited supply, kept
+us in fits all evening, and in fact the greater part of the night, so
+that when we passed the islands of Goto and Tsushima we were still awake
+and in course of being entertained by his Yankee yarns.
+
+The next day we reached the Corean port of Fusan. I well remember how
+much I was struck when we entered the pretty harbour and approached the
+spot where we cast anchor, by the sight of hundreds of white spots moving
+slowly along the coast and on a road winding up a hill. As we drew
+nearer, the white spots became larger and assumed more and more the form
+of human beings. There was something so ghostly about that scene that it
+is still vividly impressed upon my mind.
+
+There is at Fusan not only a Japanese settlement, but also a Chinese one.
+About two and a half miles distant round the bay, the native walled town
+and fort can be plainly seen, while in the distance one may distinguish
+the city and castle of Tong-nai, in which the Governor resides. If I
+remember correctly, the number of Europeans at this port is only three or
+four, these being mainly in the employ of the Chinese Customs service.
+
+We had hardly come to a standstill when a curious-looking being, who had
+come to meet the steamer in a boat, climbed up the rope-ladder which had
+been let down on the starboard side and came on board. He was a European.
+
+"Do you see that man?" a voice whispered in my ear. "He is a
+body-snatcher."
+
+"Nonsense," I said; "are you joking, or what?"
+
+"No, I am not; and, if you like, I will tell you his story at luncheon."
+And surely what better time could be chosen for a "body-snatching" story
+than "luncheon." Meanwhile, however, I lost not my chance, and while
+conversing with somebody else, the snatcher found himself "snatched" in
+my sketch-book. It is not every day that one comes across such
+individuals! I went to speak to him, and I must confess that whether he
+had as a fact troubled the dead or not, he was none the less most
+courteous and polite with the living. He had, it is true, at times
+somewhat of a sinister look in his face; but for his unsteady eyes, you
+might almost have put him down as a missionary. He informed me that
+codfish was to be had in great abundance at Fusan, and that the grain
+export was almost entirely done by the Japanese, while the importation of
+miscellaneous articles was entirely in the hands of the Chinese.
+
+Fusan is situated at the most south-westerly extremity of the province of
+Kiung-sang, which words, translated into English mean, "polite
+compliment." The kingdom of Corea, we may here mention, is divided into
+eight provinces, which rejoice in the following names: Kiung-sang-do,[1]
+Chulla-do, Chung-chon-do, Kiung-kei-do, Kang-wen-do, Wang-hai-do,
+Ping-yan-do, Ham-kiung-do. The province in which Fusan is situated is,
+without exception, the richest in Corea after that of Chulla, for it has
+a mild climate and a very fertile soil. This being the case, it is not
+astonishing to find that the population is more numerous than in most
+other districts further north, and also, that being so near the Japanese
+coast, a certain amount of trading, mostly done by junks, is continually
+being transacted with the Mikado's subjects on the opposite shores. Fusan
+has been nominally in the hands of the Japanese from very ancient times,
+although it was only in 1876 that a treaty was concluded by which it was
+opened to Japanese trade. The spot on which the settlements lie is
+pretty, with its picturesque background of high mountains and the large
+number of little islands rising like green patches here and there in the
+bay. Maki, the largest island, directly opposite the settlement, is now
+used as a station for breeding horses of very small size, and it
+possesses good pastures on its high hills. In the history of the
+relations between Corea and Japan this province plays indeed a very
+important part, for being nearer than any other portion of the kingdom to
+the Japanese shores--the distance being, I believe, some 130 miles
+between the nearest points of the two countries--invasions have been of
+frequent occurrence, especially during the period that Kai-seng, then
+called Sunto, was the capital. This city, like the present capital,
+Seoul, was a fortified and walled town of the first rank and the chief
+military centre of the country, besides being a seat of learning and
+making some pretence of commercial enterprise. It lay about twenty-five
+miles N.E. of Seoul, and at about an equal number of miles from the
+actual sea. For several hundreds of years, Sunto had been one of the
+principal cities of Corea, when Wang, a warrior of the Fuyu race and an
+ardent Buddhist, who had already conquered the southern portion of the
+Corean peninsula, made it the capital, which it remained until the year
+1392 A.D., when the seat of the Government was removed to Seoul.
+
+To return to Fusan and the Kyung-sang province. It is as well to mention
+that the chief product cultivated is cotton. This is, of course, the
+principal industry all over Corea, and the area under cultivation is
+roughly computed at between eight and nine hundred thousand acres, the
+unclean cotton produced per annum being calculated at about 1,200,000,000
+lbs. In a recent report, the Commissioner of Customs at Fusan sets down
+the yearly consumption of cleaned cotton at about 300,000,000 lbs. The
+greater part of the cotton is made up into piece-goods for making
+garments and padding the native winter clothes. In the Kiung-sang
+province the pieces of cloth manufactured measure sixty feet, while the
+width is only fourteen inches, and the weight between three and four
+pounds. The fibre of the cotton stuff produced, especially in the
+Kiung-sang and Chulla provinces, is highly esteemed by the Coreans, and
+they say that it is much more durable and warmth-giving than that
+produced either in Japan or China.
+
+Of course the production of cotton could be greatly increased if more
+practical systems were used in its cultivation, and if the magistrates
+were not so much given to "squeezing" the people. To make money and to
+have it extorted the moment you have made it, is not encouraging to the
+poor Corean who has worked for it; therefore little exertion is displayed
+beyond what is necessary to earn, not the "daily bread," for that they do
+not eat, but the daily bowl of rice. There is much fertile land, which at
+present is not used at all, and hardly any attention, and much less
+skill, is manifested when once the seed is in the ground.
+
+The Neapolitan _lazzaroni_, of world-wide reputation for extreme
+laziness, have indeed worthy rivals in the Corean peasantry. The women
+are made to do all the work, for by them the crops are gathered, and by
+them the seeds are separated with the old-fashioned roller-gin. To borrow
+statistics from the Commissioners' Report, a native woman can, with a
+roller-gin, turn out, say, nearly 3 lbs. of clean cotton from 12 lbs. of
+seed-cotton; while the industrious Japanese, who have brought over modern
+machines of the saw-gin type, can obtain 35 lbs. of clean cotton from
+140 lbs. of seed-cotton in the same space of time. Previous to being
+spun, the cotton is prepared pretty much in the same way as in Japan or
+China, the cotton being tossed into the air with a view to separating the
+staple; but the spinning-wheel commonly used in Corea only makes one
+thread at a time.
+
+The crops are generally gathered in August, and the dead stalk is used
+for fuel, while the ashes make fairly good manure. The quantity of clean
+cotton is about 85 lbs. per acre, and of seed-cotton 345 lbs. per acre.
+
+But to return to my narrative, luncheon-time came in due course, and as I
+was spreading out my napkin on my knees, I reminded the person who had
+whispered those mysterious words in my ear, of the promise he had made.
+
+"Yes," said he, as he cautiously looked round, "I will tell you his
+story. Mind you," he added, "this man to whom you spoke a while ago was
+only one of several, and he was not the principal actor in that
+outrageous business, still he himself is said to have taken a
+considerable part in the criminal dealings. Remember that the account I
+am going to give you of the affair is only drawn in bold lines, for the
+details of the expedition have never been fully known to any one. For all
+I know, this man may even be perfectly innocent of all that is alleged
+against him."
+
+"Go on; do not make any more apologies, and begin your story," I
+remarked, as my curiosity was considerably roused.
+
+"Very good. It was on April 30th, 1867, that an expedition left Shanghai
+bound for Corea. The aims of that expedition seemed rather obscure to
+many of the foreign residents at the port of departure, as little faith
+was reposed in the commander. Still, it must be said for its members that
+until they departed they played their _role_ well. Corea was then
+practically a closed country; wherefore a certain amount of curiosity was
+displayed at Shanghai when three or four Coreans, dressed up in their
+quaint costumes and transparent horse-hair hats, were seen walking about,
+and being introduced here and there by a French bishop called Ridel. A
+few days later the curiosity of the foreign residents grew in intensity
+when the news spread that an American subject, a certain Jenkins,
+formerly interpreter at the U.S. Consulate, had, at his own expense,
+chartered a ship and hurriedly fitted out an expedition, taking under his
+command eight other Europeans, all of a more or less dubious character,
+and a suite of about 150 Chinamen and Manillamen, the riff-raff of the
+Treaty Port, who were to be the crew and military escort of the
+expedition. A man called Oppert, a North German Jew, and believed by
+everybody to be an adventurer under the guise of a trader, was in command
+of the 'fleet'--which was composed of a steamer, if I remember right, of
+about 700 tons, called the _China_, and a smaller tender of little over
+50 tons, called the _Greta_. Oppert flew the flag of his own country, and
+in due course gave the order to start."
+
+"Well, so far so good," I interrupted; "but you have not told me what
+connection there was between Bishop Ridel's four Coreans and your
+body-snatching friends?"
+
+"Well, you see, the American and Oppert took advantage of their
+appearance in Shanghai to let people believe that they were high
+officials sent over by the king, who was anxious to send an embassy to
+the different courts of Europe to explain the slaughter of foreigners
+which had taken place in his country, and also with the object of
+entering, if possible, into treaties with the different European
+monarchs--in fact to open his country to foreign trade and commerce. It
+seemed somewhat a large order to any one who knew of the retiring nature
+of the king, but everything was done so quickly that the expedition was
+gone before people had time to inquire into its real object.
+
+"The fleet, as I have remarked, in due time started, and after calling on
+its way at Nagasaki, where rifles and other firearms and ammunition were
+purchased with which to arm the military escort, steered a course to the
+mouth of the Han river. Among the eight Europeans of dubious character on
+board was a Frenchman, a Jesuit priest, who called himself Farout, but
+whose real name was Feron, and who played an important part in the
+piratical scheme, for, having lived some time previously in Corea, he had
+mastered the language. Besides, he had travelled a good deal along the
+river Han, so that he was entrusted with the responsible position of
+guide and interpreter to the body-snatchers!"
+
+"Curious position for a missionary to occupy," I could not help
+remarking.
+
+"Yes. They reached Prince Jerome's Gulf on the 8th of May, and the next
+day, sounding continually, slowly steamed up the river Han to a point
+where it was deemed advisable to man the tender and smaller rowing-boats
+with a view to completing the expedition in these.
+
+"This plan was successfully carried out, and during the night, under the
+command of Oppert, and escorted by the marauders, who were armed to the
+teeth, they proceeded to the point where l'Abbe Feron advised a landing.
+Here, making no secret of their designs, they ill-treated the natives,
+and pillaged their poor huts, after which they made their way to the
+tomb, where the relics lay of some royal personage supposed to have been
+buried there with mountains of gold and precious jewels, which relics
+were held in much veneration by the great Regent, the Tai-wen-kun. The
+impudent scheme, in a few words, was this: to take the natives by
+surprise, dig the body quickly out of its underground place of what
+should have been eternal rest, and take possession of anything valuable
+that might be found in the grave. The disturbed bones of the unfortunate
+prince were to be carried on board, and a high ransom was to be extorted
+from the great Regent, who they thought would offer any sum to get back
+the cherished bones of his ancestor.
+
+"The march from the landing-place to the tomb occupied longer than had
+been anticipated, and crowds of astonished and angry natives followed the
+procession of armed men. The latter finally reached the desired spot, a
+funny little semi-spherical mound of earth, with a few stone figures of
+men and ponies roughly carved on either side, and guarded by two stone
+slabs.
+
+"The 'abbe,' who, among other things, was said to have been the promoter
+of the scheme, pointed out the mound, and, rejoicing with Oppert and
+Jenkins at having been so far successful, gave orders to the coolies to
+proceed at once to dig. Spades and shovels had been brought for the
+purpose, and the little mound was rapidly being levelled, while the
+turbulent crowd of infuriated Coreans which had collected was getting
+more and more menacing. These seemed to spring out by hundreds from every
+side as by magic, and the body-snatchers were soon more than ten times
+outnumbered. No greater insult or infamous act could there be to a Corean
+mind than the violation of a grave. As spadeful after spadeful of earth
+was removed by the shaking hands of the frightened coolies, shouts,
+hisses, and oaths went up from the maddened crowd, but Oppert and the
+French abbe, half scared as they were, still pined for the hidden
+treasure, and encouraged the grave-diggers with promises of rewards as
+well as with the invigorating butt-ends of their rifles. At last, after
+digging a big hole in the earth, their spades came upon a huge slab of
+stone, which seemed to be the top of the sarcophagus."
+
+"I suppose that no oath was bad enough for the three leaders, then?" said
+I.
+
+"No; they were mad with fury, and more so when all the strength of their
+men combined was not sufficient to stir the stone an inch."
+
+"The crowd which till then had been merely turbulent, now became so
+exasperated at the cheek of the 'foreign white devils' that it could no
+more keep within bounds, and a wild attack was made on the pirates.
+Showers of stones were thrown, and the infuriated natives made a rush
+upon them; but, _helas!_ their attack was met by a volley of rifle-shots.
+Frightened out of their lives by the murderous effects of these strange
+weapons, they fell back for a time, only to return by-and-by with fresh
+ardour to the attack. The body-snatchers, having little confidence in the
+courage and fidelity of the ruffian lot that composed their military
+escort, and, moreover, seeing that all efforts were useless to remove the
+'blessed' stone, deemed it more than advisable to retreat to the
+tender--a retreat which, one may add, was effected somewhat hurriedly.
+This being done, they steamed full speed down the river, and once on
+board the _China_, began to feel more like themselves again.
+
+"They anchored opposite Kang-wha Island, and remained there for three
+days. Then as they were holding a parley on land near Tricauld Island,
+they were attacked again by the angry mob, the news of their outrageous
+deed having spread even hitherwards, and two or three of their men were
+killed. Realising, therefore, that it was impossible to carry out their
+plan, the body-snatchers returned to Shanghai, but here a surprise
+awaited them.
+
+"They were all arrested and underwent a trial. So little evidence,
+however, was brought against them, and that little was of such a
+conflicting character, that they were all acquitted. Oppert,
+nevertheless, was imprisoned in his own country, and even brought out a
+book in which he described his piratical expedition."
+
+"Yes," I remarked, "your story is a very good one; but what part did
+this particular man, now at Fusan, take in the marauding scheme?"
+
+"Oh, that I do not exactly know--in fact, no one knows more than this,
+that he was one of the eight Europeans who accompanied Oppert. Here at
+Fusan all the foreign residents look down on him, and his only pleasure
+is to come on board when a ship happens to call, that he may exchange a
+few words in a European tongue, for no one belonging to this locality
+will speak to him."
+
+I went on deck to look for the pirate, hoping to get, if possible, a few
+interesting and accurate details of the adventurous journey of the
+_China_, but he had already gone, and we were just on the point of
+raising our anchor, bound for Chemulpo.
+
+On December 27th we steamed past Port Hamilton, formerly occupied by the
+British, where fortifications and a jetty had been constructed and
+afterwards abandoned, a treaty having been signed by Great Britain and
+China, to the effect that no foreign Power was to be allowed to occupy
+either Port Hamilton or any other port in the kingdom of Corea at any
+future time.
+
+During that day we travelled mostly along the inner course, among
+hundreds of picturesque little islands of the Corean Archipelago, and in
+the afternoon of the 28th we entered the Imperatrice Gulf. On account of
+the low tide we had to keep out at sea till very late, and it was only
+towards sunset that we were able to enter the inner harbour where
+Chemulpo lies, protected by a pretty island on its western side. I bade
+good-bye to the jolly captain and mate, and getting my traps together,
+landed for the second time on Corean soil.
+
+FOOTNOTES:
+
+    [1] _Do_ means province.
+
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER II
+
+Chemulpo--So-called European hotels--Comforts--Japanese concession--The
+_Guechas_--New-Year's festivities--The Chinese settlement--European
+residents--The word "Corea"--A glance at Corean history--Cho-sen.
+
+
+[Illustration: THE DONKEY OF A COREAN OFFICIAL]
+
+When I land in a new country a strange sense of the unknown somehow takes
+possession of me. Perhaps in this, however, I am not alone. The feeling
+is in part, I think, due to one's new surroundings, though chiefly to the
+facial expressions of the people, with which one is not familiar and
+probably does not quite understand. One may be a student of human
+character in only a very amateurish way, and yet without much difficulty
+guess by the twinkle in the eye, or the quivering of the underlip,
+whether a person is pleased or annoyed, but when a strange land is
+visited one is apt to be at first often deceived by appearances; and if,
+as has happened in my case, the traveller has suffered in consequence of
+being thus deceived, he is rather apt to look upon all that he sees with
+a considerable amount of caution and even suspicion.
+
+It was then with some such feelings as these that I landed at Chemulpo.
+Hundreds of coolies running along the shore, with loads of grain on their
+backs, to be shipped by the _Higo-Maru_, had no compunction in knocking
+you down if you were in their way, and a crowd of curious native loafers,
+always ready to be entertained by any new arrival, followed you _en
+masse_ wherever you went.
+
+When I visited Chemulpo there were actually three European hotels there.
+These were European more in name than in fact, but there they were, and
+as the night was fast approaching, I had to make my choice, for I wanted
+a lodging badly.
+
+One of these hotels was kept by a Chinaman, and was called Steward's
+Hotel, for the simple reason that its owner had been a steward on board
+an American ship, and had since appropriated the word as a family name;
+the second, which rejoiced in the grand name of "Hotel de Coree," was of
+Hungarian proprietorship, and a favourite resort for sailors of
+men-of-war when they called at that port, partly because a drinking
+saloon, well provided with intoxicants of all descriptions, was the chief
+feature of the establishment, and partly because glasses were handed over
+the counter by a very fascinating young lady, daughter of the proprietor,
+a most accomplished damsel, who could speak fluently every language under
+the sun--from Turkish and Arabic to Corean and Japanese. The third
+hotel--a noble mansion, to use modern phraseology--was quite a new
+structure, and was owned by a Japanese. The name which had been given by
+him to his house of rest was "The Dai butzu," or, in English parlance,
+The Great God. Attracted by the holiness of the name, and perhaps even
+more by the clean look, outside only, of the place, I, as luck would have
+it, made the Dai butzu my headquarters. I know little about things
+celestial, but certainly can imagine nothing less celestial on the face
+of the earth than this house of the Great God at Chemulpo. The house had
+apparently been newly built, for the rooms were damp and icy cold, and
+when I proceeded to inspect the bed and remarked on the somewhat doubtful
+cleanliness of the sheets, "They are quite clean," said the landlord;
+"only two gentlemen have slept in them before." However, as we were so
+near the New Year, he condescended to change them to please me, and I
+accepted his offer most gracefully as a New-Year's gift.
+
+"O Lord," said I with a deep sigh when the news arrived that no meat
+could be got that evening, and the only provisions in store were "one
+solitary tin, small size, of compressed milk."
+
+"Mionichi nandemo arimas, Konban domo dannasan, nandemo arimasen":
+"To-morrow you can have anything, but to-night, please, sir, we have
+nothing." As I am generally a philosopher on such occasions, I satisfied
+my present cravings with that tin of milk, which, needless to say, I
+emptied, putting off my dinner till the following night.
+
+Corea, as everybody knows, is an extremely cold country, the thermometer
+reaching as low sometimes as seventy or even eighty degrees of frost; my
+readers will imagine therefore how delightfully warm I was in my bed with
+only one sheet over me and a sort of cotton bed-cover, both sheet and
+bed-cover, I may add, being somewhat too short to cover my feet and my
+neck at the same time, my lower extremities in consequence playing a
+curious game of hide-and-seek with the support of my head. I had ordered
+a cold bath, and water and tray had been brought into my room before I
+had gone to bed, but to my horror, when I got up, ready to plunge in and
+sponge myself to my heart's content, I found nothing but a huge block of
+solid ice, into which the water had thought proper to metamorphose
+itself. Bells there were none in the house, so recourse had to be made to
+the national Japanese custom of clapping one's hands in order to summon
+up the servants.
+
+"He," answered the slanting-eyed maid from down below, as she trotted up
+the steps. Good sharp girl that she was, however, she quickly mastered
+the situation, and hurried down to fetch fresh supplies of unfrozen
+liquid from the well; although hardly had she left the room the second
+time before a thick layer of ice again formed on the surface of the
+bucketful which she had brought. It was bathing under difficulties, I can
+tell you; but though I do not much mind missing my dinner, I can on no
+account bring myself to deprivation of my cold bath in the morning. It is
+to this habit that I attribute my freedom from contagious diseases in all
+countries and climates; to it I owe, in fact, my life, and I have no
+doubt to it, some day, I shall also owe my death.
+
+The evil of cold was, however, nothing as compared with the quality and
+variety of the food. For the best part of the week, during which I stayed
+at the Dai butzu, I only had an occasional glance at a slice of
+nondescript meat, served one day as "rosbif," and the next day as "mutin
+shops," but unfortunately so leathery that no Sheffield blade could
+possibly divide it, and no human tooth nor jaw, however powerful, could
+masticate it.
+
+As luck would have it, I was asked out to dinner once or twice by an
+American gentleman--a merchant resident at Chemulpo--and so made up for
+what would have otherwise been the lost art of eating.
+
+Chemulpo is a port with a future. The Japanese prefer to call it Jinsen;
+the Chinese, In-chiang. It possesses a pretty harbour, though rather too
+shallow for large ships. The tide also, a very troublesome customer in
+that part of the world, falls as much as twenty-eight or twenty-nine
+feet; wherefore it is that at times one can walk over to the island in
+front of the settlement almost without wetting one's feet.
+
+Chemulpo's origin is said to be as follows: The Japanese government,
+represented at Seoul by a very able and shrewd man called Hanabusa, had
+repeatedly urged the Corean king to open to Japanese trade a port
+somewhat nearer to the capital. Though the king was personally inclined
+to enter into friendly negotiations, there were many of the anti-foreign
+party who would not hear of the project; but such was the pressure
+brought to bear by the skilful Japanese, and so persuasive were the
+king's arguments, that, after much pour-parleying, the latter finally
+gave way. Towards the end of 1880, the Mikado's envoy, accompanied by a
+number of other officials, proceeded from the capital to the Imperatrice
+Gulf and selected an appropriate spot, on which to raise the now
+prosperous little concession, fixing that some distance from the native
+city. In course of years it grew bigger, and when I was at Chemulpo there
+was actually a Japanese village there, with its own Jap policemen, its
+tea-houses, two banks, the "Mitsui-bashi" and "The First National Bank of
+Japan," and last but not least, a number of _guechas_, the graceful
+singers and posturing dancers of Nippon, without whom life is not worth
+living for the Nipponese.
+
+Like the Australians generally, who begin building a town by marking out
+a fine race-course, so the light-hearted sons of the Mikado's empire,
+when out colonising, begin as a first and necessary luxury of life by
+importing a few _guechas_ who, with their quaint songs, enliven them in
+moments of despair, and send them into ecstasies at banquets and
+dinner-parties with their curious fan-dances, &c, just as our British
+music-hall frequenting youth raves over the last song and skirt-dance of
+the moment.
+
+The _guechas_, mind you, are not bad girls. There is nothing wrong about
+them except that they are not always "quite right," for they are well
+educated, and possess good manners. They are generally paid by the hour
+for the display of their talent, and the prices they command vary from
+the low sum of twenty sens (sixpence) to as much as two or three yen
+(dollars), for each sixty minutes, in proportion, of course, to their
+capacity and beauty.
+
+As the New Year was fast approaching, and that is a great festivity among
+the Japanese, the _guechas_ at Chemulpo were hard at work, and from
+morning till night and _vice versa_ they were summoned from one house to
+the other to entertain with their--to European, ears excruciating--music
+on the Shamesens and Gokkins, while _sake_ and foreign liquors were
+plentifully indulged in.
+
+I walked up the main street. Great Scott! what a din! It was enough to
+drive anybody crazy. Each house, with its paper walls, hardly suitable
+for the climate, seemed to contain a regular pandemonium. Men and women
+were to be seen squatting on the ground round a huge brass _hibachi_,
+where a charcoal fire was blazing, singing and yelling and playing and
+clapping their hands to their hearts' content. They had lost somehow or
+other that look of gracefulness which is so characteristic of them in
+their own country, and on a closer examination I found the cause to be
+their being clad in at least a dozen _kimonos_,[2] put on one over the
+other to keep the cold out. Just picture to yourself any one wearing even
+half that number of coats, and you will doubtless agree with me that
+one's form would not be much improved thereby in appearance. The noise
+increased until New-Year's Eve, and when at last the New Year broke in
+upon them, it was something appalling. The air was full of false notes,
+vocal and otherwise, and I need scarcely say that at the "Dai butzu" also
+grand festivities went on for the greater part of the night.
+
+I was lying flat in bed on New-Year's Day, thinking of the foolishness
+of humanity, when I heard a tap at the door. I looked at the watch; it
+was 7.20 A.M.
+
+"Come in," said I, thinking that the thoughtful maid was carrying my
+sponge-bath, but no. In came a procession of Japs, ludicrously attired in
+foreign clothes with antediluvian frock-coats and pre-historic European
+hats, bowing and sipping their breath in sign of great respect. At their
+head was the fat proprietor of the hotel, and each of them carried with
+him in his hand a packet of visiting cards, which they severally
+deposited on my bed, as I, more than ten times astounded, stood resting
+on my elbows gazing at them.
+
+"So-and-so, brick-layer and roof-maker. So-and-so, hotel proprietor and
+shipping agent; so-and-so, Japanese carpenter; so-and-so, mat-maker; X,
+merchant; Z, boatman," &c. &c, were how the cards read as I inspected
+them one by one. I need hardly say, therefore, that the year 1891 was
+begun with an extra big D, which came straight from my heart, as I
+uncoiled myself out of my bed at that early hour of the morning to
+entertain these professional gentlemen to drinks and cigarettes. And yet
+that was nothing as compared with what came after. They had scarcely
+gone, and I was just breaking the ice in order to get my cold bath, when
+another lot, a hundredfold more noisy than the first, entered my room
+unannounced and depositing another lot of "pasteboards," as Yankees term
+them, in my frozen hands, went on wishing me all sorts of happiness for
+the New Year, though I for my part wished them all to a place that was
+certainly not heaven. In despair I dressed myself, and going out
+aimlessly, strolled in any direction in order to keep out of reach of
+the New-Year's callers. But the hours were long, and about eleven I went
+to pay a visit to Mr. T., the American merchant who had kindly asked me
+once or twice to dinner. If I considered myself entitled to complain of
+the calling nuisance, he must have had good reason to swear at it. Being
+the richest man in the place as well as the principal merchant, his place
+was simply besieged by visitors. Many were so drunk that they actually
+had to be carried in by coolies--a curious mode of going to call--while
+others had even to be provided with a bed on the premises until the
+effects of their libations had passed off. A well-known young Japanese
+merchant, I remember, nearly fractured his skull against a table, through
+losing his equilibrium as he was offering a grand bow to Mr. T.
+
+Wherever one went in the Japanese quarter there was nothing but drink,
+and the main street was full of unsteady walkers.
+
+Curiously enough, on proceeding a few yards further on towards the
+British Consulate, one came to the Chinese settlement, which was
+perfectly quiet, and showed its inhabitants not only as stern and
+well-behaved as on other occasions, but even, to all appearance, quite
+unconcerned at the frolic and fun of their merry neighbours. Here
+business was being transacted as usual, those engaged therein retaining
+their well-known expressionless and dignified mien, and apparently
+looking down disgusted upon the drunken lot, although prepared themselves
+to descend from their high pedestal when their own New-Year's Day or
+other festival occasions should arrive.
+
+I was much amused at a remark that a Chinaman made to me that day.
+
+I asked him how he liked the Japanese.
+
+"Pff!" he began, looking at me from under his huge round spectacles, as
+if he thought the subject too insignificant to waste his time upon.
+
+"The Japanese," he exploded, with an air of contempt, "no belong men. You
+see Japanese man dlunk, ol no dlunk, all same to me. He no can speak
+tluth, he no can be honest man. He buy something, nevel pay. Japanese
+belong bad, bad, bad man. He always speak lie, lie, lie, lie," and he
+emphasised his words with a crescendo as he curled up what he possessed
+in the shape of a nose--for it was so flat that it hardly deserved the
+name; indeed, to give strength to his speech, he spat with violence on
+the ground, as if to clear his mouth, as it were, of the unclean sound of
+the word "Japanese."
+
+Not even in those days could the Chinese and Japanese be accused of
+loving one another.
+
+The Chinese settlement is not quite so clean in appearance as the
+Japanese one, but if business is transacted on a smaller scale, it is, at
+all events, conducted on a firm and honest basis. Chemulpo has but few
+natural aptitudes beyond its being situated at the mouth of the river
+Han, which, winding like a snake, passes close to Seoul, the capital of
+the kingdom; and yet, partly because of its proximity to the capital, the
+distance by road being twenty-five miles, and partly owing to the fact
+that it is never ice-bound in winter, the town has made wonderful
+strides. As late as 1883 there were only one or two fishermen's huts
+along the bay, but in 1892 the settlement contained a score of Europeans,
+over 2800 Japanese souls, and 1000 Chinese, besides quite a
+respectable-sized native conglomeration of houses and huts.
+
+When I visited the port, land fetched large sums of money in the central
+part of the settlement. The post-office was in the hands of the Japanese,
+who carried on its business in a very amateurish and imperfect manner,
+but the telegraphs were worked by the Chinese. The commercial competition
+between the two Eastern nations now at war has of late years been very
+great in Corea. It is interesting to notice how the slow Chinaman has
+followed the footsteps of young Japan at nearly all the ports, especially
+at Gensan and Fusan, and gradually monopolised a good deal of the trade,
+through his honest dealings and steadiness. And yet the Chinese must have
+been, of course, greatly handicapped by the start of many years which the
+dashing Japanese had over them, as well as by the much larger number of
+their rivals. A very remarkable fact, however, is that several Japanese
+firms had employed Chinese as their _compradores_, a position entirely of
+trust, these being the officials whose duty it is to go round to collect
+money and cheques, and who are therefore often entrusted with very large
+sums of money.
+
+But now let us come to the foreigners stranded in the Corean kingdom. If
+you take them separately, they are rather nice people, though, of course,
+at least a dozen years behind time as compared with the rest of the
+world; taken as a community, however, they are enough to drive you crazy.
+I do not think that it was ever my good fortune to hear a resident speak
+well of another resident, this being owing, I dare say, to their seeing
+too much of one another. If by chance you come across a man occupying
+only a second-rate official position, you may depend upon it you will see
+airs! One hardly ventures to address any such personage, for so grand is
+he that, he will hardly condescend to say "How do you do?" to you, for
+fear of lowering himself. There are only about four cats in the place,
+and their sole subject of conversation is precedence and breaches of
+etiquette, when you would imagine that in such a distant land, and away,
+so to speak, from the outer world, they would all be like brothers.
+
+You must now consider yourselves as fairly landed in Corea, and having
+tried to describe to you what things and people that are not Corean are
+like in Corea, I must provide you--again of course only
+figuratively--with a tiny little pony, the smallest probably you have
+ever seen, that you may follow me to the capital of the kingdom, which I
+am sure will be interesting to you as being thoroughly characteristic of
+the country. First of all, however, we had better make sure of one point.
+
+The name Corea, or _K_orea, you may as well forget or discard as useless,
+for to the Corean mind the word would not convey any definite idea. Not
+even would he look upon it as the name of his country. The real native
+name now used is Cho-sen, though occasionally in the vernacular the
+kingdom goes by the name of Gori, or the antiquated Korai. There is no
+doubt that the origin of the word Corea is Korai, which is an
+abbreviation of Ko-Korai, a small kingdom in the mountainous region of
+the Ever White Mountains, and bordering upon the kingdom of Fuyu, a
+little further north, whence the brave and warlike people probably
+descended, who conquered old Cho-sen. The authorities on Corean history,
+basing their arguments on Chinese writings, claim that the present people
+of Cho-sen are the true descendants of the Fuyu race, and that the
+kingdom of Ko-Korai lay between Fuyu on the northern side and Cho-sen on
+the southern, from the former of which a few families migrated towards
+the south, and founded a small kingdom west of the river Yalu, electing
+as their king a man called Ko-Korai, after whom, in all probability, the
+new nation took its name. Then as their numbers increased, and their
+adventurous spirit grew, they began to extend their territory, north,
+south, and west, and in this latter direction easily succeeded in
+conquering the small kingdom of Wuju and extending their frontier as far
+south as the river Tatung, which lies approximately on parallel 38 deg. 30".
+
+During the time of the "Three Realms" in China, between the years 220 and
+277 A.D., the Ko-Korai people, profiting by the weakness of their
+neighbours, and therefore not much troubled with guerrillas on the
+northern frontier, continued to migrate south, conquering new ground, and
+so being enabled finally to establish their capital at Ping-yan on the
+Tatong River. After a comparatively peaceful time with their northern
+neighbours for over 300 years, however, towards the end of the sixth
+century, China began a most micidial war against the king of Ko-Korai, or
+Korai, as it was then called, the "Ko" having been dropped. It seems
+that even in those remote days the Chinese had no luck in the land of
+Cho-sen, and though army after army, and hundreds of thousands of men
+were sent against them, the brave Korai people held their own, and far
+from being defeated and conquered, actually drove the enemy out of the
+country, killing thousands mercilessly in their retreat, and becoming
+masters of the Corean Peninsula as far south as the River Han.
+
+To the south of Korai were the states of Shinra and Hiaksai, and between
+these and Korai, there was for a couple of centuries almost perpetual
+war, the only intervals being when the latter kingdom was suffering at
+the hands of the formidable Chinese invaders. But as I merely give this
+rough and very imperfect sketch of Corean history, to explain how the
+word Korai originated and was then applied to the whole of the peninsula,
+I must now proceed to explain in bold touches how the other states became
+united to Korai.
+
+After its annexation to China, the Korai state remained crippled by the
+terrible blow it had received, for the Ko-Korai line of kings had been
+utterly expelled after having reigned for over seven centuries, but at
+last it picked up a little strength again through fresh migrations from
+the north-west, and in the second decade of the tenth century a Buddhist
+monk called Kung-wo raised a rebellion and proclaimed himself king,
+establishing his court at Kaichow.
+
+One of Kung-wo's officers, however, Wang by name, who was believed to be
+a descendant of the Korai family, did away with the royal monk and sat
+himself on the throne, which he claimed as that of his ancestors. Coming
+of a vigorous stock, and taking advantage of the fact that China was weak
+with internal wars, Wang succeeded in uniting Shinra to the old Korai,
+thus converting the whole peninsula into a single and united realm, of
+which, as we have already seen in the first chapter, he made the walled
+city of Sunto the capital. Wang died 945 A.D., and was succeeded by his
+son Wu, who wisely entered into friendly relations with China, and paid
+his tribute to the Emperor of Heaven as if he ruled a tributary state. In
+consequence of this policy it was that Corea enjoyed peace with her
+terrible Celestial rival for the best part of two centuries.
+
+Cho-sen, then, is now the only name by which the country is called by the
+natives themselves, for the name of Korai has been entirely abandoned by
+the modern Coreans. The meaning of the word is very poetic, viz., "The
+Land of the Morning Calm," and is one well adapted to the present
+Coreans, since, indeed, they seem to have entirely lost the vigour and
+strength of their predecessors, the Koraians. I believe Marco Polo was
+the first to mention a country which he called Coria; after whom came the
+Franciscan missionaries. Little, however, was known of the country until
+the Portuguese brought back to Europe strange accounts of this curious
+kingdom and its quaint and warlike people. According to the story, it was
+a certain Chinese wise man who, when in a poetic mood, baptized Corea
+with the name of Cho-sen. But the student of Corean history knows that
+the name had already been bestowed on the northern part of the peninsula
+and on a certain portion of Manchuria, and that it was in the year 1392,
+when Korai was united to Shinra and the State of Hiaksai became merged in
+it, that Cho-sen became the official designation of united Corea. The
+word "Corea" evidently is nothing but a corruption of the dead and buried
+word "Korai."
+
+FOOTNOTES:
+
+    [2] Long gown, the national dress of Japan.
+
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER III
+
+The road to Seoul--The _Mapu_--Ponies--Oxen--Coolies--Currency--Mode of
+carrying weights--The Han River--Nearly locked out.
+
+
+[Illustration: THE WEST GATE, SEOUL]
+
+I left Chemulpo on January 2nd, but instead of making use of the
+minuscule ponies, I went on foot, sending my baggage on in advance on a
+pack-saddle on one of them. I was still suffering considerably from an
+accident I had sustained to my foot among the hairy folk of the Hokkaido,
+and I thought that the long walk would probably be beneficial to me, and
+would take away some of the stiffness which still remained in my ankle.
+At a short distance from the port I came to a steep incline of a few
+hundred yards, and crossing the hill-range which formed the background to
+Chemulpo as one looks at it from the sea, I soon descended on the other
+side, from which point the road was nearly level all the way to the
+capital. The road is not a bad one for Corea, but is, of course, only fit
+for riding upon; and would be found almost of impossible access to
+vehicles of any size. The Japanese had begun running _jinrickshas_,
+little carriages drawn by a man, between the capital and the settlements;
+but two, and even three men were necessary to convey carriage and
+passenger to his destination, and the amount of bumping and shaking on
+the uneven road was quite appalling.
+
+These little carriages, as every one knows, generally convey only a
+single person, and are drawn by two men, who run in a tandem, while the
+third pushes the _ricksha_ from the back, and is always ready at any
+emergency to prevent the vehicle from turning turtle. This mode of
+locomotion, however, was not likely to become popular among the Coreans,
+who, if carried at all, prefer to be carried either in a sedan-chair, an
+easy and comfortable way of going about, or else, should they be in a
+hurry and not wish to travel in grand style, on pony or donkey's back.
+Europeans, as a rule, like the latter mode of travelling best, as the
+Corean sedan-chairs are somewhat too short for the long-legged foreigner,
+and a journey of six or seven hours in a huddled-up position is
+occasionally apt to give one the cramp, especially as Western bones and
+limbs do not in general possess the pliability which characterises those
+composing the skeleton of our Eastern brothers.
+
+The scenery along the road cannot be called beautiful, the country one
+goes through being barren and desolate, with the exception of a certain
+plantation of mulberry trees, a wretched speculation into which the
+infantile government of Cho-sen was driven by some foreigners, the object
+of which was to enrich Corea by the products of silk-worms, but which, of
+course, turned out a complete failure, and cost the Government much money
+and no end of worry instead. Here and there a small patch might be seen
+cultivated as kitchen garden near a hut, but with that exception the
+ground was hardly cultivated at all; this monotony of landscape, however,
+was somewhat relieved by the distant hills covered with maples, chestnuts
+and firs, now unfortunately for the most part deprived of their leaves
+and covered with snow, it being the coldest time of the year in Corea.
+
+The mile-posts on the high roads of Cho-sen are rather quaint, and should
+you happen to see one for the first time at night the inevitable result
+must be nightmare the moment you fall asleep. They consist of a wooden
+post about eight feet in length, on the upper end of which a long ghastly
+face is rudely carved out of the wood and painted white and red; the eyes
+are black and staring, and the mouth, the chief feature of the mask, is
+of enormous size, opened, showing two fine rows of pointed teeth, which
+might hold their own with those of the sharks of the Torres Strait, of
+world-wide reputation. A triangular wedge of wood on each side of the
+head represents the ears. The directions, number of miles, &c, are
+written directly under the head, and the writing being in Chinese
+characters, runs from up to down and from right to left.
+
+It was pretty along the road to see the numerous little ponies,
+infinitely smaller than any Shetlands, carrying big fellows, towering
+with their padded clothes above enormous saddles, and supported on either
+side by a servant, while another man, the _Mapu_, led the steed by hand.
+The ponies are so very small that even the Coreans, who are by no means
+tall people, their average height being about 5 ft. 4 in., cannot ride
+them unless a high saddle is provided, for without these the rather
+troublesome process of dragging one's feet on the ground would have to be
+endured.
+
+This high saddle, which elevates you some twenty inches above the pony's
+back, naturally involves a certain amount of instability to the person
+who is mounted, the balancing abilities one has to bring out on such
+occasions being of no ordinary degree. The Corean gentleman, who is
+dignified to an extreme degree, and would not for the world run the risk
+of being seen rolling in the mud or struggling between the pony's little
+legs, wisely provides for the emergency by ordering two of his servants
+to walk by his side and hold him by the arms and the waist, as long as
+the journey lasts, while the _Mapu_, one of the stock features of Corean
+everyday life, looks well after the pony and leads him by the head as one
+might a big Newfoundland dog. The _Mapu_ in Corea occupies about the same
+position as Figaro in the "Barber of Seville." While leading your pony he
+takes the keenest interest in your affairs, and thinks it his business to
+talk to you on every possible subject that his brain chooses to suggest,
+abusing all and everybody that he thinks you dislike and praising up what
+he fancies you cherish, that he may perhaps have a few extra _cash_ at
+the end of the journey, which he will immediately go and lose in
+gambling. He speaks of politics as if he were the axis of the political
+world, and will criticise the magistracy, the noble, and the king if he
+is under the impression that you are only a merchant, while evil words
+enough would be at his command to represent the meanness and bad manners
+of the commercial classes, if his pony is honoured by being sat upon by a
+nobleman! Such is the world even in Cho-sen. The _Mapu_ will sing to you,
+and crack jokes, and again will swear at you and your servants, and at
+nearly every _Mapu_ that goes by. The greater the gentleman his beast is
+carrying, the more quarrelsome is he with everybody. The road, wide
+though it be, seems to belong solely to him. He is in constant trouble
+with citizens and the police, and it is generally on account of his
+insignificance, poverty, and ignorance that so many of his evil doings
+and wrongs are forgiven. None the less it must be said for them that they
+take fairly good care of their minuscule quadrupeds. They feed them,
+usually three times a day, with boiled chopped straw and beans, and grass
+in summer-time, and with this diet you see the little brutes, which are
+only about 10 hands high, and even less sometimes, go twenty-five or
+thirty miles a day quite easily, with a weight of a couple of hundred
+pounds on their backs, quickly toddling along without stopping, unless it
+be to administer a sound kick to some bystander or to bite the legs of
+the rider. These ponies have a funny little way of getting from under
+you, if you ride them with an English saddle. They bend their legs till
+they see you firmly planted on the ground, and then quickly withdraw
+backwards leaving you, with your legs wide apart and standing like a
+fool, to meditate on equine wickedness in the Realm of the Morning Calm.
+They are indeed the trickiest little devils for their size I have ever
+seen; and for viciousness and love of fighting, I can recommend you to no
+steed more capable of showing these qualities. The average price of an
+animal as above described varies from the large sum of five shillings to
+as much as thirty shillings (at the rate of two shillings per Mexican
+dollar), the price of course varying, as with us, according to the breed,
+age, training, condition, &c., of the animal.
+
+These ponies are much used all over the kingdom, for good roads for wheel
+traffic hardly exist in the country, and wide horse-tracks form
+practically the whole means of communication between the capital and the
+most important ports and cities in the different provinces of Corea. They
+are used both for riding purposes and as pack-ponies, "for light articles
+only," like the racks in our railway carriages, but when heavy loads are
+to be conveyed from one place to another, especially over long distances,
+the frail pony is discarded and replaced by the sturdy ox. These horned
+carriers are pretty much of a size, and fashioned, so far as I could see,
+after the style of our oxen, except that they are apparently leaner by
+nature, and almost always black or very dark grey in colour; their horns,
+however, are rather short. They carry huge weights on a wooden angular
+saddle which is planted on their backs, and a _Mapu_ invariably
+accompanies each animal when loaded; indeed, in the case of the ponies
+the man even carries on his own back the food both for himself and for
+his beast, the latter generally having the precedence in eating his
+share. The sleeping accommodation also is, as a rule, amicably divided
+between quadruped and biped, and, taken all round, it cannot be said that
+either is any the worse for their brotherly relations. I firmly believe
+that the _Mapus_ are infinitely better-natured towards their animals than
+towards their wives or their children, who, as you will find by-and-by,
+are often cruelly ill-treated.
+
+But let us now continue our journey towards Seoul. Here several coolies
+are to be seen approaching us, carrying heavy loads on their backs. A man
+of a higher position follows them. And, strange circumstance! they are
+carrying money. Yes; one, two, three, four, five, six, seven, eight--yes,
+actually eight men, bent under heavy loads of coins. Your first idea, I
+suppose, will be that these men are carrying a whole fortune--but, oh
+dear! no. You must know that the currency in Corea is entirely brass, and
+these brass coins, which go by the name of _cash_ are round coins about
+the size of a halfpenny, with a square hole in the centre, by which they
+are strung together, generally a hundred at a time. There are usually as
+many as two thousand to two thousand eight hundred _cash_ to a Mexican
+dollar, the equivalent of which is at present about two shillings; you
+can, therefore, easily imagine what the weight of one's purse is if it
+contains even so small a sum as a pennyworth in Corean currency. Should
+you, however, be under an obligation to pay a sum of, say, L10 or L20,
+the hire of two oxen or six or eight coolies becomes an absolute
+necessity, for a sum which takes no room in one's letter-case if in Bank
+of England notes, occupies a roomful of hard and heavy metal in the
+country of the Morning Calm. Great trouble has been and is continually
+experienced in the kingdom owing to the lack of gold and silver coins;
+but to the Corean mind to make coins out of gold and to let them go out
+of the country amounts to the same thing as willingly trying to
+impoverish the fatherland of the treasures it possesses; wherefore,
+although rich gold-mines are to be found in Cho-sen, coins of the
+precious metal are not struck for the above-mentioned reason.
+
+[Illustration: COOLIES' ARRANGEMENT FOR CARRYING LOADS]
+
+So much for Corean political economy. The coins used are of different
+sizes and value. They range, if I remember right, from two _cash_ to
+five, and an examination of a handful of them will reveal the fact that
+they have been struck off at different epochs. There is the so-called
+current treasure coin of Cho-sen, one of the more modern kinds, as well
+as the older coin of Korai, the Ko-ka; while another coin, which seems to
+have been struck off in the Eastern provinces, is probably as old as any
+of these, and is still occasionally found in use. The coins, as I have
+said, are strung together by the hundred on a straw rope; a knot is tied
+when this number is reached, when another hundred is passed through, and
+so on, until several thousands are sometimes strung to one string. As
+curious as this precious load itself was the way in which it was carried.
+It is, in fact, the national way which all Corean coolies have adopted
+for conveying heavy weights, and it seems to answer well, for I have
+often seen men of no very abnormal physique carry a burden that would
+make nine out of ten ordinary men collapse under its heavy mass. The
+principle is much the same as that used by the porters in Switzerland,
+and also in some parts of Holland, if I am not mistaken. A triangular
+wooden frame rests on the man's back by means of two straps or ropes
+passed over the shoulders and round the arms. From this frame project two
+sticks, about 35 inches in length, on which the weight rests, and by
+bending the body at a lower or higher angle, according to the height or
+pressure of the load, a perfect balance is obtained, and the effort of
+the carrier considerably diminished. For heavy loads like wood, for
+instance, the process of loading is curious. The frame is set upon the
+ground, and made to remain in position by being inclined at an angle of
+about 45 deg. against a stick forked at the upper end, with which every
+coolie is provided. When in this position, the cargo is put on and tied
+with a rope if necessary; then, the stick being carefully removed,
+squatting down gently so as not to disturb the position of the load, the
+coolie quickly passes his arms through the straps and thus slings the
+thing on to the back, the stick being now used as a help to the man to
+rise by instalments from his difficult position without collapsing or
+coming to grief. Once standing, he is all right, and it is wonderful what
+an amount of endurance and muscular strength the beggars have, for they
+will carry these enormous loads for miles and miles without showing the
+slightest sign of fatigue. They toddle along quickly, taking remarkably
+short steps, and resting every now and then on their forked stick, upon
+the upper end of which they lay their hands, forcing it against the chest
+and the ground, and so making it a sort of _point d'appui._
+
+Just a word as to the coolie's moral qualities. He much resembles in this
+the Neapolitan _lazzarone_--in fact, I do not know of any other
+individual in Eastern Asia that is such a worthy rival of the Italian
+macaroni-eater. The coolie will work hard when hungry, and he will do his
+work well, but the moment he is paid off the chances are that, like his
+_confrere_ on the Gulf of Naples, he will at once go and drink a good
+part of what he has received; then, in a state of intoxication, he will
+gamble the next half; and after that he will go to sleep for twenty-four
+hours on a stretch, and remain the next twelve squatting on the ground,
+basking in the sun by the side of his carrying-machine, pondering, still
+half asleep, on his foolishness, and seeking for fresh orders from
+passers-by who may require the services of a human beast of burden. Then
+you may see them in a row near the road-side drinking huts, either
+smoking their pipes, which are nearly three feet in length, or if not in
+the act of smoking, with the pipe stuck down their neck into the coat and
+down into the trousers, in immediate contact with the skin.
+
+Going along at a good pace I reached the half-way house, a
+characteristically Corean building, formerly used as an inn, and now
+being rented by a Japanese. Having entertained myself to tea and a few
+items of solid food, I proceeded on my pedestrian journey towards the
+capital. And now, as I gradually approached the river Han, more attention
+seemed to be given to the cultivation of the country. The staple product
+of cereals here is mainly buckwheat, beans and millet, a few rice-fields
+also being found nearer the water-side. Finally, having arrived at the
+river-side, after shouting for half an hour to the ferry boatman to come
+and pick me up, I in due course landed on the other side. The river Han
+makes a most wonderful detour between its estuary and this point. As the
+river was left behind, more habitations in the shape of miserable and
+filthy mud-huts, with thatched roofs, became visible; shops of eatables
+and native low drinking places following one another in continuation; and
+crowds of ponies, people, and oxen showed that the capital was now being
+fast neared; and sure enough, after winding along the dirty, narrow road,
+lined by the still dirtier mud huts for nearly the whole of the distance
+between Mafu, the place where the Han river was ferried, and here, a
+distance of about three miles, I found myself at last in front of the
+West Gate of the walled city of Seoul.
+
+I could hear quite plainly in the distance, from the centre of the town,
+the slow sound of a bell; and men, women and children, on foot or riding,
+were scrambling through the gate in both directions. As I stopped for a
+moment to gaze upon the excited crowd, it suddenly flashed across my mind
+that I had been told at Chemulpo, that to the mournful sound of what is
+called the "Big bell" the heavy wooden gates lined with iron bars were
+closed, and that no one was thereafter allowed to enter or go out of the
+town. The sun was just casting his last glorious rays on the horizon, and
+the excitement grew greater as the strokes of the bell became fainter
+and fainter, and with the mad crowd of men and beasts mixed together upon
+it, the road might be compared with the tide entering the mouth of a
+running river. I threw myself into the thick of the in-going flow, and
+with my feet trampled upon by passing ponies; now knocking against a
+human being, now face to face with a bull, I finally managed to get
+inside. Well do I remember the hoarse voices of the gate-keepers, as they
+shouted out that time was up, and hurried the weary travellers within the
+precincts of the royal city; well also do I recollect, as I stood
+watching their doings from the inside, how they pushed back and
+ill-treated, with words and kicks, the last people who passed through,
+and then, out of patience, revolved the heavy gates on their huge and
+rusty hinges, finally closing the city until sunrise next day. Shouts of
+people, just too late, on the other side, begging to be let in, remained
+unacknowledged, and the enormous padlocks and bolts having been
+thoroughly fastened, Seoul was severed from the outer world till the
+following morning. Adjoining the gate stood the gatekeeper's house, and
+in front of the door of this, a rack with a few rusty and obsolete spears
+standing in a row, was left to take care of the town and its inhabitants,
+while the guardians, having finished the work of the day, retreated to
+the warm room inside to resume the game or gambling which the setting sun
+had interrupted, and which had occupied their day. With the setting of
+the sun every noise ceased. Every good citizen retired to his home, and
+I, too, therefore, deemed it advisable to follow suit.
+
+There are no hotels in Seoul, with the exception of the very dirty
+Corean inns; but I was fortunate enough to meet at Chemulpo a Russian
+gentleman who, with his family, lived in Seoul, where he was employed as
+architect to His Majesty the King of Corea, and he most politely invited
+me to stay at his house for a few days; and it is to his kind
+hospitality, therefore, that I owe the fact that my first few nights at
+Seoul were spent comfortably and my days were well employed, my
+peregrinations round the town being also conducted under his guidance.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER IV
+
+The Coreans--Their faces and heads--Bachelors--Married
+men--Head-band--Hats--Hat-umbrellas--Clothes--Spectacles.
+
+
+Being now settled for the time being in Seoul, I must introduce you to
+the Corean, not as a nation, you must understand, but as an individual.
+It is a prevalent idea that the Coreans are Chinese, and therefore
+exactly like them in physique and appearance, and, if not like the
+Chinese, that they must be like their neighbours on the other side--the
+Japanese. As a matter of fact, they are like neither. Naturally the
+continuous incursions of both Chinese and Japanese into this country have
+left distinct traces of their passage on the general appearance of the
+people; and, of course, the distinction which I shall endeavour to make
+is not so marked as that between whites and blacks, for the Coreans,
+speaking generally, do bear a certain resemblance to the other peoples of
+Mongolian origin. Though belonging to this family, however, they form a
+perfectly distinct branch of it. Not only that, but when you notice a
+crowd of Coreans you will be amazed to see among them people almost as
+white and with features closely approaching the Aryan, these being the
+higher classes in the kingdom. The more common type is the yellow-skinned
+face, with slanting eyes, high cheek-bones, and thick, hanging lips.
+But, again, you will observe faces much resembling the Thibetans and
+Hindoos, and if you carry your observations still further you will find
+all over the kingdom, mostly among the coolie classes, men as black as
+Africans, or like the people of Asia Minor.
+
+For any one interested in types and crosses, I really do not know of a
+country more interesting than Cho-sen. It seems as if specimens of almost
+every race populating Asia had reached and remained in the small
+peninsula, which fact would to some degree disprove the theory that all
+migrations have moved from the east towards the west and from north to
+south, and never _vice versa_.
+
+If you take the royal family of Corea, for instance, you will find that
+the king and queen, and all the royal princes, especially on the queen's
+side (the Min family), are as white as any Caucasian, and that their eyes
+are hardly slanting at all, and in some cases are quite as straight as
+ours. Members of some of the nobler families also might be taken for
+Europeans. Of course the middle classes are of the Mongolian type, though
+somewhat more refined and stronger built than the usual specimens of
+either Chinese or Japanese; they are, however, not quite so wiry and tall
+as their northern neighbours the Manchus, with whom, nevertheless, they
+have many points in common. The large invasions, as we have seen, of the
+Ko-korais and Fuyus may account for this.
+
+[Illustration: A BACHELOR]
+
+Taken altogether, the Corean is a fine-looking fellow; his face is
+oval-shaped, and generally long when seen full face, but it is slightly
+concave in profile, the nose being somewhat flat at the bridge between
+the eyes, and possessing wide nostrils. The chin is generally small,
+narrow and receding, while the lips, usually the weaker part in the
+Corean face, are as a rule heavy, the upper lip turned up and showing the
+teeth, while the lower one hangs pitifully downwards, denoting,
+therefore, little or no strength of character. They possess good teeth
+and these are beautifully white, which is a blessing for people like them
+who continually show them. The almond-shaped, jet-black eyes, veiled by
+that curious weird look peculiar to Eastern eyes, is probably the
+redeeming part of their face, and in them is depicted good-nature, pride
+and softness of heart. In many cases one sees a shrewd, quick eye, but it
+is generally an exception among this type, while among the lower
+classes, the black ones, it is almost a chief characteristic. The
+cheek-bones are prominent. The hair is scanty on the cheeks, chin, and
+over and under the lips, but quite luxuriant on the head. There is a very
+curious custom in Corea as to how you should wear your hair, and a great
+deal of importance is attached to the custom. If by chance you are a
+bachelor--and if you are, you must put up with being looked down upon by
+everybody in Corea--you have to let your hair grow long, part it
+carefully in the middle of your skull, and have it made up into a thick
+tress at the back of your head, which arrangement marks you out as a
+single man and an object of sport, for in the Land of the Morning Calm it
+seems that you can only be a bachelor under the two very circumstances
+under which we, in our land of all-day restlessness, generally marry,
+viz., if you are a fool and if you have not a penny to live upon! When
+thus unhappily placed you rank, according to Corean ideas, as a child, no
+matter what your age is, and you dress as a child, being even allowed to
+wear coloured coats when the country is in mourning, as it was, when I
+visited it, for the death of the dowager-Queen Regent, and everybody is
+compelled to wear white, an order that if not quickly obeyed by a married
+man means probably to him the loss of his head. Thus, though looked down
+upon as outcasts and wretches, bachelors none the less do enjoy some
+privileges out there. Here is yet another one. They never wear a hat;
+another exemption to be taken into consideration when you will see, a
+little further on, what a Corean hat is like.
+
+[Illustration: THE "TOP-KNOT" OF THE MARRIED MEN]
+
+Married men, on the other hand--and ninety-nine per hundred are married
+in Cho-sen--wear their hair done up in a most wonderful fashion. It is
+not as long as that of bachelors, for it is cut. It is combed, with the
+head down, in the orthodox fashion, as women do, I suppose, when they
+comb it by themselves, and then passing the left hand under it, along the
+forehead, it is caught close to the head just about the middle of the
+skull. This being satisfactorily done, what remains of the hair above the
+hand is twisted round into the shape and size of a sausage, which then
+remains sticking up perpendicularly on the top of the head, and which, in
+the natural order of things, goes by the sensible name of top-knot.
+Occasionally a little silver or metal bead is attached to the top of the
+knot, and a small tortoiseshell ornament fastened to the hair just over
+the forehead. This completes the married man's hair-dressing, with which
+he is always most careful, and I must say that the black straight hair
+thus arranged does set off the head very well. The illustration shows the
+profile of a married man of the coolie class, who, of course, wears the
+hair dressed just like the others, it being a national custom; only the
+richer and smarter people, of course, wear it more tidily, and, probably,
+not quite so artistically. Besides, the better class of people are not
+content with the process of beautifying themselves which I have just
+described, but surround the forehead, temples and back of the head with a
+head-band, a curious arrangement made of woven black horse-hair, which
+keeps the real hair tight under it, and not only prevents it from being
+blown about, but forms a more solid basis for the wonderful hats they
+wear. The nobler classes, upon whom the king has bestowed decorations in
+the shape of jade, gold or silver buttons, according to the amount of
+honour he has meant to accord them, wear these decorations, of all
+places, behind the ears, and fastened tight to the head-band.
+
+Thus much on the subject of the Corean's head. I shall spare you, my dear
+readers, the description of his body, for it is just like any other body,
+more or less well made, with the exception that it is invariably
+unwashed. Instead, I shall proceed to inspect with you his wardrobe and
+his clothing, which may be to you, I hope, much more interesting. To do
+this, let us walk along the main street of the town, where the traffic is
+generally great, and examine the people who go by. Here is a well-to-do
+man, probably a merchant. Two features at once strike you: his hat, the
+_kat-si_, and his shoes; and then, his funny white padded clothes. But
+let us examine him carefully in detail. It is a little difficult to
+decide at which end one should begin to describe him, but I imagine that
+it is the customary thing to begin with the head, and so, coming close to
+him, let us note how curiously his hat is made. It is just like a
+Welshwoman's hat in shape, or, in other words, like a flowerpot placed on
+a flat dish, as seen in the illustration; but the extraordinary thing
+about the Corean hat is that it is quite transparent, and has none of the
+virtues that, according to our ideas, a hat ought to possess. It is a
+wonderful work of art, for it is made of horse-hair, or, more commonly,
+of split bamboo so finely cut in threads as to resemble white horse-hair,
+and then woven into a fine net in the shape described. A thin bamboo
+frame keeps it well together, and gives to it a certain solidity, but
+though varnished over, it protects one's head from neither sun, wind, nor
+rain. It is considered a rude thing in Corea to take one's hat off, even
+in the house, and therefore the _kat-si_, not requiring instant removal
+or putting on, is provided with two hooks at the sides of the central
+cone, to each of which a white ribbon is attached, to be tied under the
+chin when the hat is worn, the latter resting, not on the hair itself,
+but on the head-band. This shape of hat is never worn without the
+head-band.
+
+The hat just described is that most commonly worn in the Land of the
+Morning Calm, and that which one sees on the generality of people. But
+there! look at that man passing along leading a bull--he has a hat large
+enough to protect a whole family. It is like a huge pyramid made of
+basket-work of split bamboo or plaited reeds or rushes, and it covers him
+almost half way down to his waist. Well, that poor man is in private
+mourning for the death of a relation, and he covers his face thus to show
+his grief.
+
+[Illustration: THE HEAD-BAND AND TRANSPARENT HAT]
+
+Here, again, comes another individual with a transparent hat like the
+first, only worn over a big hood open at the top over the head and
+falling rounded over the shoulders, thus protecting the ears from the
+severe cold. This is lined with fur, with which it is also trimmed, and
+looks quite furry and warm, if not exactly becoming. Ah! but here is
+something even more curious in the shape of head-gear. It is just
+beginning to snow, and, one after the other, our transparent _kat-sis_
+are undergoing a transformation. I daresay, as we stand watching the
+people go by, it will be noticed that nearly each one who has a
+transparent hat, also wears in his girdle round his waist a triangular
+object made of yellow oil-paper which resembles a fan. Well, now, you
+will see what it is. An oldish man turns up his nose to scrutinise the
+intentions of the weather-clerk, and, apparently little satisfied at the
+aspect of the threatening clouds, stops, and unsheathing his fan-like
+object from his belt, opens it, when it is seen to become like a small
+umbrella without the stick and handle, about two and a half feet only in
+diameter, which, by means of a string, he fastens over his brand new hat.
+When thus used, it takes the shape of a cone, except, of course, that
+there will be a multitude of folds in it. It is called _kat-no_. The idea
+is not at all bad, is it? for here you have an umbrella without the
+trouble of tiring your arms in carrying it.
+
+One cannot help being considerably puzzled by the differences in the
+various classes and conditions of the men. To all appearance, the
+generality of men seem here dressed alike, with this difference, that
+some are dirtier than others; occasionally one has an extra garment, but
+that is all. Yes, there is, indeed, difficulty at first in knowing who
+and what any one is, but with a little trouble and practice the
+difficulty is soon overcome. In the main the clothes worn by the men are
+the same, only a great difference is to be found in the way these
+garments are cut and sewn, just as we can distinguish in a moment the cut
+of a Bond Street tailor from that of a suburban one. In Corea, the
+tailor, as a rule, is one's wife, for she is the person entrusted with
+the cares of cutting, sewing, and padding up her better-half's attire. No
+wonder, then, that nine-tenths of the top-knotted consorts look regular
+bags as they walk about. The national costume itself, it must be
+confessed, does rather tend to deform the appearance of the human body,
+which it is supposed to adorn. First, there is a huge pair of cotton
+trousers, through each leg of which one can pass the whole of one's body
+easily, and these trousers are padded all over with cotton wool, no
+underclothing being worn. When these are put on, they reach from the chin
+to the feet, on to which they fall in ample and graceful folds, and you
+don them by holding them up with your teeth, and fastening them anywhere
+near and round your waist with a pretty, long silk ribbon with tassels,
+which is generally let hang down artistically over the right side. When
+this has been successfully accomplished, the extra length of trousers is
+rolled up so as to prevent the "unmentionables" from being left behind as
+you walk away, and a short coat, tight at the shoulders and in the shape
+of a bell, with short but wide sleeves, is put on to cover the upper part
+of the body. This coat also, like the trousers, is padded, and reaches
+almost to the haunches. It overlaps on the right hand side, two long
+ribbons being tied there into a pretty single-winged knot and the two
+ends left hanging. In winter time, the forearm, which in summer remains
+bare, is protected by a separate short muff, or sleeve, through which the
+hand is passed, and which reaches just over the elbow.
+
+Then come the padded socks, in which the huge trousers are tucked, and
+which are fastened round the ankle with a ribbon. And, lastly, now we
+come to the shoes. Those used by the better classes are made of hide, and
+have either leather soles with nails underneath, or else wooden soles
+like the Chinese ones with the turned-up toes. The real Corean shoe,
+however, as used every day for walking and not for show, is truly a
+peculiar one. The principal peculiarity about it is that it is made of
+paper; which sounds like a lie, though indeed it is not. Another
+extraordinary thing is that you can really walk in them. If you do not
+believe it, all you have to do is to take the first steamer to Corea and
+you can easily convince yourself of the fact. The greater part of the
+population wears them, and the _Mapus_ especially walk enormous distances
+in them. They are scarcely real shoes, however, and one should, perhaps,
+classify them rather as a cross between a shoe and a sandal, for that is
+just what they are. The toes are protected by numberless little strings
+of curled untearable paper, which, when webbed, make the sole, heel, and
+back of the sandal, and this is joined to the point of the shoe by a
+stouter cord going right round, which is also made of the same kind of
+twisted paper. This cord can be fastened tighter or looser to suit the
+convenience of the wearer of the sandal-shoe.
+
+The Corean is an unfortunate being. He has no pockets. If his hands are
+cold he must warm them by sticking them down his belt into his trousers,
+and if he be in company with people, he can generate a certain amount of
+heat by putting each into the other arm's sleeve. As for the money,
+tobacco, &c, that he wants to carry, he is compelled to provide himself
+with little silk bags, which he attaches to his waist-band or to the
+ribbon of his coat. These bags are generally of orange colour or blue,
+and they relieve a little the monotony of the everlasting white dresses.
+
+The clothing, so far as I have described it, is, with the exception of
+the shoes, that which is worn habitually in the house by the better
+classes of the people; the officials, however, wear a horse-hair high cap
+resembling a papal tiara on the head, instead of the other form of hat.
+Indoors, the shoes are not worn, the custom of Japan being prevalent,
+namely, to leave them at the door as one mounts the first step into the
+room. The middle lower classes and peasantry are seldom found parading
+the streets with anything besides what I have described, with the
+exception of the long pipe which they, like the _Mapu_ or the coolies,
+keep down the back of the neck when not using it. Merchants, policemen,
+and private gentlemen are arrayed, in winter especially, in a long cotton
+or silk gown similarly padded, an overall which reaches below the knees,
+and some, especially those in the Government employ, or in some official
+position, wear either without this or over this an additional sleeveless
+garment made of four long strips of cotton or silk, two in front and two
+at the back, according to the grade, almost touching the feet and divided
+both in front and at the back as far up as the waist, round which a
+ribbon is tied. This, then, is the everyday wardrobe of a Corean of any
+class. You may add, if you please, a few miscellaneous articles such as
+gaiters and extra bags, but never have I seen any man of Cho-sen walk
+about with more habiliments than these, although I have many times seen
+people who had a great deal less. The clothes are of cotton or silk
+according to the grade and riches of the wearer. Buttons are a useless
+luxury in Cho-sen, for neither men nor women recognise their utility; on
+the contrary, the natives display much amusement and chaff at the stupid
+foreign barbarian who goes and cuts any number of buttonholes in the
+finest clothing, which, in their idea, is an incomprehensible mistake and
+shows want of appreciation.
+
+Their method of managing things by means of loops and ribbons, has an
+effect which is not without its picturesqueness, perhaps more so than is
+our system of "keeping things together" in clothing matters. After all it
+is only a matter of opinion. The inhabitants of the land of Cho-sen, from
+my experience, are not much given to washing and still less to bathing. I
+have seen them wash their hands fairly often, and the face occasionally;
+only the very select people of Corea wash it daily. One would think that,
+with such a very scanty and irregular use of water for the purpose of
+cleanliness, they should look extremely dirty; but not a bit. It was
+always to me irritating to the last degree to see how clean those dirty
+people looked!
+
+But let us notice one or two more of the people that are passing by. It
+is now snowing hard, and every one carries his own umbrella on his head.
+Boys do not wear hats, and are provided with a large umbrella with a
+bamboo-frame that fits the head, as also are the bachelors. Here comes
+one of the latter class. His face is a finely cut one, and with his hair
+parted in the middle, and the big tress hanging down his back, he has
+indeed more the appearance of a woman than that of a man; hence the
+mistake often made by hasty travellers in putting down these bachelors as
+women, is easy to understand. When one is seen for the first time, it is
+really difficult to say to which sex he belongs, so effeminate does he
+look.
+
+It is part of the ambition of the male Corean to look wise, no matter
+whether he is or not as a matter of fact. And to assume the coveted air
+of wisdom what more is necessary than to put on a huge pair of round
+spectacles of Chinese origin with smoked glasses enclosed in a frame of
+gold or tortoiseshell, and with clasps over the ears? Oh how wise he
+looks! He does indeed! And you should see his pomposity as he rides his
+humble donkey through the streets of Seoul. There he sits like a statue,
+supported by his servants, looking neither to one side nor to the other,
+lest he should lose his dignity.
+
+"Era, Era, Era!" ("Make way, Make way!") cry out the servants as he
+passes among the crowd, which is invariably respectful and ready to obey
+this hero who looks down upon them. The lesser the official, of course
+the greater the air, and you should see how the people who stand in the
+way are knocked to one side by his servants, should they not be quick
+enough to make room for the dignitary and his donkey. His long gown is
+carefully arranged on the sides and behind, covering the saddle and
+donkey's back in large folds; for most things in Corea, as in other parts
+of the world, are done for the sake of appearance. What a dreadful thing
+it would be, were he to ride about with his gown crumpled up under his
+seat! It would be the cause of lifelong unhappiness, remorse and shame,
+and no doubt cost his servants a sound flogging for their unpardonable
+carelessness.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER V
+
+The Woman of Cho-sen--Her clothes--Her ways--Her looks--Her
+privileges--Her duties--Her temper--Difference of classes--Feminine
+musicians.
+
+
+It will now be proper, I think, since I have given you a rough sketch of
+the man of Cho-sen and his clothes, to describe in a general way to you
+the weaker sex--not an easy task--and what they wear--a much more
+difficult task still,--for I have not the good fortune to be conversant
+with the intricacies of feminine habiliments, and therefore hope to be
+excused if, in dealing with this part of my subject, I do not always use
+the proper terms applicable to the different parts that compose it.
+Relying, then, upon my readers' indulgence in this respect, I shall
+attempt to give an idea of what a Corean female is like. It has always
+been a feature in my sceptical nature to think that the more one sees of
+women the less one knows them; according to which principle, I should
+know Corean women very well, for one sees but little of them. Be that as
+it may, however, I shall proceed to give my impressions of them.
+
+As is pretty generally known, the women of Cho-sen, with the exception of
+the lower classes, are kept in seclusion. They are seldom allowed to go
+out, and when they do they cover their faces with white or green hoods,
+very similar in shape to those worn by the women at Malta. They appear,
+or pretend to be, shy of men, and foreigners in particular, and generally
+hide when one is approaching, especially if in a solitary street. I
+remember how astonished I was the first few days I was in Seoul, at the
+fact that every woman I came across in the streets was just on the point
+of opening a door and entering a house. It seemed so strange to me that
+damsel after damsel whom I met should just be reaching home as I was
+passing, that I began to think that I was either dreaming, or that every
+house belonged to every woman in the town. The idea suddenly dawned upon
+me that it was only a trick on their part to evade being seen, and on
+further inquiry into the matter from a Corean friend, I discovered that a
+woman has a right to open and enter any door of a Corean house when she
+sees a foreign man appearing on the horizon, as the reputation of the
+masculine "foreign devil" is still far from having reached a high
+standard of morality in the minds of the gentler sex of Cho-sen. In the
+main street and big thoroughfares, where at all times there are crowds of
+people, there is more chance of approaching them without this running
+away, for in Corea, as elsewhere, great reliance is placed on the saying
+that there is safety in numbers. So it was mainly here that I made my
+first studies of the retiring ways and quaint costumes of the Corean
+damsel.
+
+[Illustration: A COREAN BEAUTY]
+
+Yes, the costume really is quaint, and well it deserves to be described.
+They wear huge padded trousers, similar to those of the men, their socks
+also being padded with cotton wool. The latter are fastened tightly
+round the ankles to the trousers by means of a ribbon. You must not
+think, however, that the dame of Cho-sen walks about the streets attired
+in this manly garment, for over these trousers she wears a shortish skirt
+tied very high over the waist. Both trousers and skirt are generally
+white, and of silk or cotton according to the grade, position in life,
+and extravagance of those who wear them. A tiny jacket, usually white,
+red, or green, completes the wardrobe of most Corean women; one
+peculiarity of which is that it is so short that both breasts are left
+uncovered, which is a curious and most unpractical fashion, the climate
+of Corea, as we have already seen, being exceedingly cold--much colder
+than Russia or even Canada. The hair, of which the women have no very
+great abundance, is very simply made up, plastered down flat with some
+sort of stenching oil, parted in the middle, and tied into a knot at the
+back of the head, pretty much in the same way as clergymen's wives
+ordinarily wear it. A heavy-looking silver or metal pin, or sometimes
+two, may also be found inserted in this knot as an ornament. I have often
+seen young girls and old women wear a curious fur cap, especially in
+winter, but this cannot be said to be in general use. It is in the shape
+of the section of a cone, the upper part of which is covered with silk,
+while the lower half is ornamented with fur and two long silk ribbons
+which hang at the back and nearly reach the ground when the cap is worn.
+The upper part of this cap, curiously enough, is open, and on either side
+of the hole thus formed there are two silk tassels, generally red or
+black in colour. When smartly worn, this cap is quite becoming, but
+unfortunately, whether this be worn or not, the modest maiden of Cho-sen
+covers her head and face with a long green sort of an overall coat which
+she uses as a _mantilla_ or hood, throwing it over the head and keeping
+it closed over the face with the left hand.
+
+It must not on this account be imagined that there are not in Cho-sen
+women as coquettish as anywhere else, for, indeed, the prettier ones,
+either pretending that the wind blows back the hood, or that the hand
+that holds it over the face has slipped, or using some other excuse of
+the kind with which a woman is always so well provided, take every
+opportunity of showing you how pretty they are and of admiring them,
+particularly when they get to know who you are, where you hail from, and
+who your Corean friends are. The ugly ones, of course, are always those
+who make the most fuss, and should you see a woman in the street hide
+her face so that you cannot see it at all, you may be very sure that her
+countenance is not worth looking at, and that she herself is perfectly
+conscious of Nature's unkindness to her.
+
+As for several months I was seen day after day sketching in the streets,
+the people got to know me well, and since the Coreans themselves are very
+fond of art, although they are not very artistic themselves, I made
+numerous friends among them, and even, I might say, became popular.
+
+Vanity is a ruling characteristic of all people, and acting on this
+little weakness I was able to see more of the Corean damsel than most
+casual travellers.
+
+[Illustration: A LADY AT HOME]
+
+We find, it is true, _pros_ and _cons_ when we come to analyse her
+charms, but taking the average maid, she cannot be said to be worse in
+Corea than she is in other countries. She can be pretty and she can be
+ugly. When she is pretty, she is as pretty as they make them, and when
+she is the other way she is as ugly as sin, if not even worse. But let us
+take a good-looking one. Look at her sad little oval face, with arched
+eyebrows and with jet black, almond-shaped eyes, softened by the long
+eyelashes. Her nose is straight, though it might to advantage be a little
+less flat, and she possesses a sweet little mouth, just showing two
+pretty teeth as white as snow. There seems to be so much dignity and
+repose about her movements when you first see her, that you almost take
+her for a small statue. Hardly will she condescend to turn her face round
+or raise it up to look at you and even less inclined does she seem to
+smile, such is her modesty; once her shyness has worn off, however, she
+improves wonderfully. Her face brightens, and the soft, affectionate,
+distant look in her eyes is enough to mash into pulp the strongest of
+mankind. She is simple and natural, and in this chiefly lies her charm.
+She would not compare in beauty with a European woman, for she is neither
+so tall nor so well developed, but among women of far-Eastern nationality
+she, to my mind, takes the cake for actual beauty and refinement. The
+Japanese women of whom one hears so much, though more artistically clad,
+are not a patch on the Venuses of Cho-sen, and both in respect of
+lightness of complexion and the other above-named qualities they seemed
+to me to approach nearest to the standard of European feminine beauty.
+Their dress, as you may have judged by my rough description, is more
+quaint than graceful, and cannot be said to be at all becoming;
+nevertheless, when one's eyes have got accustomed to it, I have seen
+girls look quite pretty in it. I remember one in particular, a concubine
+of one of the king's ministers, whom I was fortunate enough to get to sit
+for me. She did not look at all bad in her long blue veil gown, much
+longer than the white one usually worn, which it covered, the white silk
+trousers just showing over the ankles, and a pretty pair of blue and
+white shoes fitting her tiny feet. She wore a little red jacket, of which
+she seemed very proud, and she smoked cigarettes and a pipe, though her
+age, I believe, was only seventeen.
+
+Women of the commoner classes can always be detected, not only by the
+coarser clothes they wear, but also by the way their hair is made up. Two
+long tresses are rolled up on the back of the head into a sort of turban,
+and though to my eye, innocent of the feminine tricks of hair-dressing,
+it looked all real and genuine, and a curious contrast to the infinitely
+less luxuriant growth of the better classes of women, I was told that a
+good deal of braids and "stuffing" was employed to swell their coiffures
+into the much-coveted fashionable size.
+
+One very strange custom in Corea is the privilege accorded to women to
+walk about the streets of the town at night after dark, while the men are
+confined to the house from about an hour after sunset and, until lately,
+were severely punished both with imprisonment and flogging, if found
+walking about the streets during "women's hours." The gentler sex was and
+is therefore allowed to parade the streets, and go and pay calls on their
+parents and lady friends, until a very late hour of the night, without
+fear of being disturbed by the male portion of the community. Few,
+however, avail themselves of the privilege, for unfortunately in Corea
+there are many tigers and leopards, which, disregarding the early closing
+of the city gates, climb with great ease over the high wall and take
+nightly peregrinations over the town, eating up all the dogs which they
+find on their way and occasionally even human beings. Tigers have
+actually been known to rudely run their paws through the invulnerable
+paper windows of a mud house, drag out a struggling body roughly awoke
+from slumber, and devour the same peacefully in the middle of the street.
+
+Since then a _rencontre_ with a hungry individual of this nature during a
+moonlight walk is sure to be somewhat unpleasant, it is not astonishing
+that it is but very, very rarely that at any hour of the night the
+Cho-sen damsel avails herself of the privilege accorded her. The woman,
+as I have already mentioned, is considered nothing in Corea. The only
+privilege she has, as we have just seen, is the chance of being torn to
+pieces and eaten up by a wild beast when she is out for a constitutional,
+and that we may safely say is not a privilege to be envied. The poor
+thing has no name, and when she is born she goes by the vague
+denomination of "So-and-so's" daughter. When there are several girls in
+the family, to avoid confusion, surnames are found convenient enough, but
+they are again lost the moment she marries, which, as we shall see in
+another chapter, often happens at a very early age. She then becomes
+"So-and-so's" wife. The woman in Corea has somewhat of a sad and dull
+life, for from the age of four or five she is separated even from her
+brothers and brought up in a separate portion of the house, and from that
+time ideas are pounded into her poor little head as to the disgrace of
+talking, or even being looked at by humans of a different gender. The
+higher classes, of course, suffer most from the enforcement of this
+strict etiquette, for in the very lowest grades of society the woman
+enjoys comparative freedom. She can talk to men as much as she pleases,
+and even goes out unveiled, being much too low a being to be taken any
+notice of; the upper classes, however, are very punctilious as to the
+observance of their severe rules. The Corean woman is a slave. She is
+used for pleasure and work. She can neither speak nor make any
+observations, and never is she allowed to see any man other than her
+husband. She has the right of the road in the streets, and the men are
+courteous to her. Not only do the men make room for her to pass, but even
+turn their faces aside so as not to gaze at her. There are numberless
+stories of a tragic character in Corean literature, of lovely maidens
+that have committed suicide, or have been murdered by their husbands,
+brothers, or fathers, only for having been seen by men, and even to the
+present day a husband would be considered quite justified in the eye of
+the law if he were to kill his wife for the great sin of having spoken to
+another man but himself! A widow of the upper class is not allowed to
+re-marry, and if she claims any pretence of having loved her late
+husband, she ought to try to follow him to the other world at the
+earliest convenience by committing the _jamun_, a simple performance by
+which the devoted wife is only expected to cut her throat or rip her
+body open with a sharp sword. They say that it is a mere nothing, when
+you know how to do it, but it always struck me, that practising a little
+game of that sort would not be an easy matter. For the sake of truth, I
+must confess that it was a husband who depreciated the worthy act. The
+lower people are infinitely more sensible. Though a woman of this class
+were to lose twenty husbands, she would never for a moment think of doing
+away with herself, but would soon enter into her twenty-first matrimonial
+alliance.
+
+Women, somehow or other, are scarce in Corea, and always in great demand.
+The coolies, and people of a similar or lower standing, cannot do without
+a female companion, for it is she who prepares the food, washes the
+clothes, and sews them up. She is beaten constantly, and very often she
+beats the man, for the Corean woman can have a temper at times. Jealousy
+_en plus_ is one of her chief virtues. I have seen women in Seoul nearly
+tearing one another to pieces, and, O Lord! how masterly they are in the
+art of scratching. The men on such occasions stand round them,
+encouraging them to fight, the husbands enjoying the fun more than the
+other less interested spectators. The women of the lower classes seem to
+be in a constant state of excitement and anger. They are always insulting
+one another, calling each other names, or scolding and even ill-treating
+their own children. What is more extraordinary still to European ears, is
+that I once actually saw a wife stand up for her husband, and she did it
+in a way that I am not likely soon to forget.
+
+A soldier was peacefully walking along a narrow street, half of which
+was a sort of drain canal, the water of which was frozen over, when a man
+came out of a house and stopped him. The conversation became hot at once,
+and with my usual curiosity, the only virtue I have ever possessed, I
+stopped to see the result.
+
+"You must pay me back the money I lent you," said the civilian in a very
+angry tone of voice.
+
+"I have not got it," answered the military man, trying to get away.
+
+"Ah! you have not got it?" screamed a third personage, a woman emerging
+from the doorway, and without further notice hit the soldier on the head
+with the heavy wooden mallet commonly used for beating clothes.
+
+The husband, encouraged by this unexpected reinforcement, boldly attacked
+the soldier, and, whilst they were occupied in wrestling and trying to
+knock each other down, the infuriated woman kept up a constant
+administration of blows, half at least of which, in her aimless hurry,
+were received by the companion of her life for whom she was fighting.
+Once she hit the poor man so hard--by mistake--that he fell down in a
+dead faint, upon which the soldier ran for his life, while she, jumping
+like a tiger at him, caught him by the throat, spinned him round like a
+top, and floored him, knocking him down on the ice. Then she pounced on
+him, with her eyes out of her head with anger, and giving way to her
+towering passion, pounded him on the head with her heels while she was
+hitting him on the back with her mallet.
+
+"You have killed my husband, too, you scoundrel!" she cried, while the
+defeated warrior was struggling hard, though in vain, to escape.
+
+As she was about to administer him a blow on the head that would have
+been enough to kill a bull, she fortunately slipped on the ice and went
+sprawling over her victim. The soldier, more dead than alive, had raised
+himself on his knees, when that demon in female attire rose again and
+embracing him most tenderly, bit his cheek so hard as to draw a regular
+stream of blood. I could stand it no longer, and proceeded on to the
+slippery ice to try to separate them, but hardly was I within reach than
+I was presented with a sound blow on my left knee from the mallet which
+she was still manipulating with alarming dexterity, by which I was at
+once placed _hors de combat_ before I had time even to offer my services
+as a peace-maker. Not only that, but besides the numberless "stars" which
+she made me see, the pain which she caused me was so intense that,
+hopping along as best I could on to the street again, I deemed it prudent
+to let them fight out their own quarrel and go about my own business.
+
+"Never again as long as I live," I swore, when I was well out of sight,
+as I rubbed my poor knee, swollen up to the size of an egg, "never shall
+I interfere in other people's quarrels. Who would have foreseen this? and
+from a woman, too!"
+
+It is, indeed, easy to be a philosopher after the event, but it is
+strange how very often one gets into fearful rows and trouble without
+having had the slightest intention either to offend or to annoy the
+natives. Here is another little anecdote which I narrated some months ago
+in the _Fortnightly Review_, and which is a further proof of the violent
+temper of the women-folk, of the lower classes in Cho-sen. The Coreans in
+general, and the women in particular, are at times extremely
+superstitious, which partly accounts for the violent scene in question,
+which arose out of a mere nothing, and nearly resulted in a most serious
+case of wilful infanticide. This is how things stood.
+
+I was sketching one day outside the east gate of Seoul, and, as usual,
+was surrounded by a large crowd of natives, when a good-natured old man
+with a kindly face attracted my attention, as he lifted up in his arms a
+pretty little child, on whose head he had placed his horse-hair
+transparent hat, and asked me whether I would like to paint the little
+one so attired in my picture. I was tempted by the offer, and, having
+taken up a fresh panel, proceeded to dash off a sketch of my new model in
+his pretty red frock, his tiny padded socks, and his extra large hat, to
+the great amusement of the audience, who eagerly watched every stroke of
+my brush, and went into ecstasies as they saw the likeness come out more
+and more plainly. The Coreans, like the Japanese, are extremely quick at
+understanding pictures and drawings, and I was much gratified to notice
+the interest displayed by my _auditorium_, for never before had I seen a
+crowd so pleased with work of mine. My last experiences in the sketching
+line had been among the hairy savages of the Hokkaido, among whom art was
+far from being appreciated or even tolerated, and portrait-painting was
+somewhat of a risky performance; so that when I found myself lionised,
+instead of being under a shower of pelting stones and other missiles, it
+was only natural that I felt encouraged, and really turned out a pretty
+fair sketch so far as my capabilities went. "Beautiful!" said one; "Very
+good!" exclaimed another; "Just life-like!" said they all in a chorus as
+I lifted up the finished picture to show it to them, when--there was a
+sudden change of scene. A woman with staring eyes, and as pale as death,
+appeared on the door-step of a house close by, and holding her forehead
+with her hands, as if a great calamity was to befall her, made a step
+forward.
+
+"Where is my child?" cried she in a voice of anger and despair.
+
+"Here he is," answered one of the crowd. "The foreigner is painting a
+picture of him."
+
+There was a piercing yell, and the pale woman looked such daggers at me
+that I nearly dropped the sketch, brushes and palette out of my hands.
+Oh, it was such a look! Brrr! how I shivered. Then, with another yell,
+tenfold more piercing than the first, she made a dash into the crowd, and
+tried to snatch the child away. I have heard people say that I am
+sensitive, and I believe that I really was on that occasion, for I
+involuntarily shuddered as I saw at a glance what was coming. The crowd
+had got so interested in the picture that they would not hear of letting
+the child go; so the mother, scorned and pushed back, was unsuccessful in
+her daring attempt. Boldly, however, making a fresh attack, she dashed
+into the midst of them and managed to grasp the child by the head and one
+arm; which led to the most unfortunate part of the business, for the
+angry mother pulled with all her might in her efforts to drag her sweet
+one away, while the people on the other hand pulled him as hard as they
+could by the other arm and the legs, so that the poor screaming mite was
+nearly torn to pieces, and no remonstrances of mine had the least effect
+on this human yet very inhuman tug-of-war.
+
+Fortunately for the child, whose limbs had undergone a good stretching,
+the mother let go; but it was certainly not fortunate for the others,
+for, following the little ways that women have, even in Corea, she
+proceeded to scratch the faces of all within her reach, and I myself came
+within an inch of having my eyes scratched out of my head by this
+infuriated parent, when to my great relief she was dragged away. As she
+re-entered the door of her domicile, she shook her fist and thrust her
+tongue out at me, a worthy finish to this tragic-comic scene.
+
+I do not wish you to think, however, that all women are like that in
+Corea; for, indeed, they are not. In fact, the majority of them may be
+said to be good-mannered and even soft in nature, besides being painfully
+laborious. You should see the poor things on the coldest days and nights
+of winter, smashing the thick ice in the rivers and canals, and spending
+hour after hour with their fingers in the freezing water, washing the
+clothes of their lords and masters, who are probably peacefully and
+soundly asleep at home. You should see them with their short, wooden
+mallets, like small clubs, beating the dirt out of the wet cotton
+garments, soap being as yet an unknown luxury in the Corean household.
+The poorer women, who have no washing accommodation at home, have to
+repair to the streams, and, as the clothes have to be worn in the day,
+the work must be done at night. Sometimes, too, three or more join
+together and form washing parties, this, to a certain extent, relieving
+the monotony of the kneeling down on the cold stone, pounding the clothes
+until quite clean, and constantly having to break the ice that is
+continually reforming round their very wrists. The women who are somewhat
+better off do this at home, and if you were to take a walk through the
+streets of Seoul by night you soon get familiar with the quick tick,
+tick, tick, the time as regularly marked as that of a clock, heard from
+many houses, especially previous to some festivity or public procession,
+when everybody likes to turn out in his best. If a woman in our
+country were sent out to do the washing under similarly trying
+circumstances--and, mind, a suit of clothes takes no less than a couple
+of hours to wash properly--I have no doubt that she might be tempted to
+ask for a divorce from her husband for cruelty and ill-treatment; but the
+woman of Cho-sen thinks nothing of it, and as long as it pleases the man
+whom she must obey she does it willingly and without a word of complaint.
+In fact, I am almost of opinion that the Corean woman likes to be made a
+martyr, for, not unlike women of other more civilised countries, unless
+she suffers, she does not consider herself to be quite happy!
+
+It sounds funny and incongruous, but it really is so. While studying the
+women of Corea, a former idea got deeply rooted in my head, that there is
+nothing which will make a woman happier than the opportunity of showing
+with what resignation she is able to bear the weight and drudgery of her
+duty. If to that she can add complaint of ill-treatment, then her
+happiness is unbounded. The woman of Cho-sen gets, to my mind, less
+enjoyment out of life than probably any other woman in Asia. This life
+includes misery, silence, and even separation from her children--the male
+ones--after a certain age. What things could make a woman more unhappy?
+Still, she seems to bear up well under it all, and even to enjoy all this
+sadness, I suppose one always enjoys what one is accustomed to do,
+otherwise I do not see how the phenomenon is to be explained.
+
+[Illustration: A SINGER]
+
+A few words must be added about that special class of women, the singers,
+who, as in Japan, are quite a distinct guild from the other women. A
+similar description to that of the _geishas_ of Japan might apply to
+these gay and talented young ladies, who are much sought after by high
+officials and magistrates to enliven their dinner-parties with chanting
+and music. They are generally drawn from the very poorest classes, and
+good looks and a certain amount of wit and musical talent is what must be
+acquired to be a successful singer. They improvise or sing old national
+songs, which never fail to please the self-satisfied and well-fed
+official, and if well paid, they will even condescend to pour wine into
+their employer's cups and pass sweets to the guests. If beautiful and
+accomplished, the "Corean artistes" make a very good living out of their
+profession, large sums of money being paid for their services. But if at
+all favoured by Nature, they generally end by becoming the unofficial
+wives of some rich minister or official. These women chalk their faces
+and paint their lips; they wear dresses made of the most expensive silks,
+and, like people generally who have sprung from nothing and find
+themselves lodged among higher folks than themselves, they give
+themselves airs, and cultivate a sickening conceit. Among the Coreans,
+however, they command and receive much admiration, and many an intrigue
+and scandal has been carried out, sometimes at the cost of many heads,
+through the mercenary turn of mind of these feminine musicians.
+
+This music is to the average European ear more than diabolical, this
+being to a large extent due to the differences in the tones, semi-tones,
+and intervals of the scale, but personally, having got accustomed to
+their tunes, I rather like its weirdness and originality. When once it is
+understood it can be appreciated; but I must admit that the first time
+one hears a Corean concert, an inclination arises to murder the musicians
+and destroy their instruments. Of the latter they have many kinds,
+including string and brass, and drums, and cymbals, and other sorts of
+percussion instruments. The flutes probably are the weirdest of all their
+wind category, but the tone is pleasant and the airs played on them
+fascinating, although somewhat monotonous in the end, repetitions being
+continually effected. Then there is the harp with five strings, if I
+remember right, and the more complicated sort of lute with twenty-five
+strings, the _kossiul_; a large guitar, and a smaller one; the _kanyako_
+being also in frequent use. Most of these instruments are played by
+women; the flutes, however, are also played by men.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER VI
+
+Corean children--The family--Clans--Spongers--Hospitality--Spinning-tops
+--Toys--Kite-flying--Games--How babies are sent to sleep.
+
+
+One great feature of Cho-sen life are the children. One might almost say
+that in Cho-sen you very seldom see a boy, for boyhood is done away with,
+and from childhood you spring at once to the sedate existence of a
+married man. Astonishing as this may sound, it is nevertheless true. The
+free life of a child comes to an end generally when he is about eight or
+nine years of age. At ten he is a married man, but only, as we shall see
+later, nominally. For the present, however, we shall limit ourselves to a
+consideration of his bachelor days.
+
+[Illustration: COREAN MARRIED MAN, AGE 12]
+
+It must be known that in Corea, just as here, boys are much more
+cherished than girls, and the elder of the boys is more cherished than
+his younger brothers, should there be more than one in a family,
+notwithstanding that the younger are better-looking, cleverer and more
+studious. When the father dies, the eldest son assumes the reins of the
+family, and his brothers look to him as they had before done to their
+father. He it is who inherits the family property and nearly all the
+money, though it is an understood rule that he is bound either to divide
+the inheritance share and share alike with the rest of the family, or
+else keep them as the father had done. Thus it is that Corean families
+are, for the most part kept together; one might almost say that the
+kingdom is divided into so many clans, each family with the various
+relations making, so to speak, one of them. Family ties are much regarded
+in the Land of the Morning Calm, and great interest is taken by the
+distant relations in anything concerning the happiness and welfare of the
+family. What is more, if any member of the clan should find himself in
+pecuniary troubles, all the relations are expected to help him out of
+them, and what is even more marvellous still, they willingly do it,
+without a word of protest. The Corean is hospitable by nature, but with
+relations, of course, things go much further. The house belonging to one
+practically belongs to the other, and therefore it is not an uncommon
+occurrence for a "dear relation" to come to pay a visit of a few years'
+duration to some other relation who happens to be better off, without
+this latter, however vexed he may be at the expense and trouble caused by
+the prolonged stay of his visitor, even daring to politely expel him from
+his house; were he to do so, he would commit a breach of the strict rules
+of hospitality enjoined by Corean etiquette. Even perfect strangers
+occasionally go to settle in houses of rich people, where for months they
+are accommodated and fed until it should please them to remove their
+quarters to the house of some other rich man where better food and better
+accommodation might be expected. There is nothing that a Corean fears so
+much as that people should speak ill of him, and especially this is the
+bugbear under which the nobleman of Cho-sen is constantly labouring, and
+upon which these black-mailers and "spongers" work. High officials, whose
+heads rest on their shoulders, "hung by a hair," like Damocles' sword,
+suffer very much at the hands of these marauders. Were they to refuse
+their hospitality it would bring upon them slander, scandal and libel
+from envenomed tongues, which things, in consequence of the scandalous
+intriguing which goes on at the Corean court, might eventually lead to
+their heads rolling on the ground, separated from the body--certainly not
+a pleasant sight. In justice to them, nevertheless, it must be
+acknowledged that these human leeches are occasionally possessed with a
+conscience, and after kindness has been shown them for many months they
+will generally depart in search of a new victim. Whence it would appear
+that the people of Cho-sen carry their hospitality to an extreme degree,
+and in fact it is so even with foreigners, for when visiting the houses
+of the poorest people I have always been offered food or drink, which you
+are invariably asked to share with them.
+
+But let us return to the Corean family. The mother, practically from the
+beginning, is a nobody in the household, and is looked upon as a piece of
+furniture or a beast of burden by the husband, according to his grade,
+and as an ornament to the household, but nothing more by her own sons.
+Her daughters, if she has any, regard her more as a friend or a
+companion, sharing the lonely hours and helping her with her work. The
+women never take part in any of the grand dinners and festivities in
+which their husbands revel, nor are they allowed to drink wine or
+intoxicants. They may, however, smoke.
+
+When the children get to a certain age, the males are parted from the
+females, and the first are constantly in the company of their father,
+while the latter, as we have seen, share the dull fate of the mother. The
+first thing a male child is taught is love, deep respect, and obedience
+to his governor, and in this he is, as a general rule, a paragon. If the
+father be ill, he will lie by his side day and night, nursing him, and
+giving him courage; and if any misfortune befalls him, the duty of a good
+son is to share it with his genitor.
+
+I cannot quite make up my mind on the point, whether the Corean child has
+a good time of it or not, and whether he is properly cared for, as there
+is much to be said on both sides of the question. Taken as a whole, the
+children of the noblemen and rich people, though strictly and even
+severely brought up, cannot, I think, be said to be ill-used; but the
+brats of the poorer people are often beaten in a merciless manner. I
+remember seeing a father furiously spanking a son of about five years
+old, who was pitifully crying so as to break one's heart, and as if that
+were not punishment enough, he shook him violently by his little
+pig-tail, and pounded him on the head with his knuckles, a performance
+that would have killed, or, at all events, rendered insensible nine
+children out of ten of other nationalities; but no, to my utter
+astonishment, the moment the father, tired of beating, retired into the
+house, the little mite, wiping his streaming tears with the backs of his
+hands and pulling himself together, quietly sat down on the ground, and
+began playing with the sand, as if nothing had happened!
+
+"Well!" I remember saying, as I stood perplexed, looking at the little
+hero, "if that does not beat all I have seen before, I do not know what
+can!"
+
+Yes, for hard heads and for insensibility to pain, I cannot recommend to
+you better persons than the Coreans. There are times when the Cho-sen
+children actually seem to enjoy themselves, as, for instance, during the
+month of January, when it is the fashion to have out their whipping- and
+spinning-tops. With his huge padded trousers and short coat, just like a
+miniature man, except that the colour of his coat is red or green, and
+with one or two tresses hanging down his back, tied with long silk
+ribbons, every child you come across is at this season furnished with a
+big top and a whip, with which he amuses himself and his friends,
+slashing away from morn till night, until, tired out by the exertion, he
+goes to rest his weary little bones by his father's side, still hanging
+on to the toys that have made his day so happy. The Corean child is quiet
+by nature. He is really a little man from the moment he is born, so far
+as his demeanour is concerned. He is seldom rowdy, even when in the
+company of other children, and, if anything, rather shy and reserved. He
+amuses himself with his toys in a quiet way, and his chief pleasure is to
+do what his father does. In this he is constantly encouraged, and those
+who can afford it, provide their boys with toys, representing on a
+smaller scale the objects, &c., used in the everyday life of the man. He
+has a miniature bow-and-arrow, a wooden sword, and a somewhat realistic
+straw puppet, which he delights in beheading whenever he is tired of
+playing with it and shooting his arrows into it. He possesses a
+fishing-rod, and on windy days relishes a good run with the large paper
+pinwheels, a world-wide familiar toy in infantile circles. Naturally,
+too, musical instruments, as well as the national means of conveyance,
+such as palanquins and wheel-chairs, have not escaped the notice of the
+Corean toy-manufacturer, who, it must be said, imitates the different
+objects to perfection in every detail, while, of course, considerably
+reducing them in size. Other various articles of common use in the
+household are also often reproduced in a similar way. The games that the
+children seem to enjoy most, however, seem to be the out-of-door ones.
+Kite-flying is probably the most important. Indeed, it is almost reduced
+to an art in Corea, and not only do small children go in for it
+extensively, but even the men take an active part in this infantile
+amusement. The Corean kite differs from its Japanese or Chinese relative
+in that it is very small, being only about twenty inches long by fourteen
+wide. Besides, instead of being flat on the frame, the Cho-senese kite is
+arched, which feature is said by the natives to give it a much greater
+flying capacity.
+
+The string is wound round a framework of wood attached to a stick, which
+latter revolves in the hands or is stopped at the will of the person who
+flies the kite. It is generally during the north winds that the kites are
+flown, and it is indeed a curious thing during those days to watch
+regular competitions, fights, and battles being fought among these paper
+air-farers. As soon as the kite is raised from the ground and started in
+the orthodox way, the tactics used by the Corean boy in his favourite
+amusement become most interesting. He lets it go until it has well caught
+the wind, and by sudden jerks given to it in a funny way, knocking and
+clapping the thread-wheel on his left knee, he manages to send the kite
+up to a very great height. Hundreds and hundreds of yards of string are
+often used. When high enough, sailing gaily along among hundreds of other
+kites, it is made to begin warlike tactics and attack its nearest
+neighbour. Here it is that the Corean shows his greatest skill in
+manoeuvring his flying machine, for by pulls, jerks, and twists of the
+string he manages to make his kite rise or descend, attack its enemy or
+retreat according to his wish. Then as you break your neck watching them,
+you see the two small squares of paper, hundreds of yards above you in
+mid-air, getting closer to one another, advancing and retreating, as
+would two men fighting a duel; when, suddenly, one takes the offensive,
+charges the other, and by a clever _coup de main_ makes a rent in it,
+thus dooming it to a precipitous fall to the earth. Thus victorious, it
+proudly proceeds to attack its next neighbour, which is immediately made
+to respond to the challenge; but this time kite number three, whose
+leader has profited by the end of kite number two, keeps lower down than
+his adversary, gets round him in a clever way, and when the strings meet,
+by a hard pull cuts that of kite number one, which, swinging slowly in
+the air, and now and then revolving round itself in the air, gently
+descends far away from its owner, and is quickly appropriated by some
+poor kiteless child, who perhaps has been in company with many fellows,
+watching and pining for hours for such a happy moment. Pieces of broken
+glass are often tied to the string at intervals, being of great help in
+cutting the adversary's cord.
+
+The people of Cho-sen seem to take as much interest in kite-flying as the
+Britisher does in racing. The well-grown people bet freely on the
+combatants, and it is not an uncommon thing for the excitement to reach
+such a pitch that the battle begun in mid-air terminates with sound blows
+in less aerial regions.
+
+It is quaint to see rows of children with their little red jackets,
+standing on the high walls of the city, spending hours in this favourite
+amusement. They have barely room to stand upon, as the wall is hardly
+more than a couple of feet wide, and it was always a surprise to me
+that, amid the constant jerking and pulling the young folks were never
+precipitated from their point of vantage to the foot, which in many
+places would be as much as thirty feet in height. I have watched them for
+hours in the expectation of seeing one of them have an accident, but
+unfortunately for me they never did!
+
+The little girls under ten years of age are exceedingly pretty. With the
+hair carefully parted in the middle and tied into two tresses at the
+back, a little green jacket and a long red skirt, they do indeed look
+quaint. You should see how well-behaved and sedate, too, they are. It is
+impossible to make one smile. You may give her sweets, a toy, or anything
+you please, but all you will hear is the faintest "Kamapso," and away she
+runs to show the gift to her mother. She will seldom go into fits of
+merriment in your presence, but, of course, her delight cannot fail to be
+at times depicted in her beaming eyes. She is more unfortunate than her
+brother in the number of toys she receives, and though her treatment is
+not so very severe, she begins from her earliest years a life of drudgery
+and work. As soon as her little brain begins to command her tiny fingers,
+she is compelled to struggle with a needle and thread. When her fragile
+arms get stronger she helps her mother in beating the clothes, and from
+the moment she rises to the time she goes to rest, ideas as to her future
+servility, humility, and faithfulness to man are duly impressed upon her.
+
+As in Japan, so in Corea, a custom prevails of adopting male children by
+parents who have none of their own. The children adopted are generally
+those of poorer friends or of relations who chance to have some to spare.
+When the adoption is accomplished, with all the rules required by the law
+of the country, and with the approval of the king, the adopted son takes
+the place of a real son, and has a complete right of succession to his
+adoptive father in precedence to the adoptive mother and all the other
+relations of the defunct.
+
+The Corean boy begins to study when very young. If the son of a rich man,
+he has a private tutor; if not, he goes to school, where he is taught the
+letters of the Corean alphabet, and Chinese characters. All official
+correspondence in Corea is done with Chinese characters, and a lifetime,
+as everybody knows, is hardly enough to master these. The native Corean
+alphabet, however, is a most practical and easy way of representing
+sounds, and I am not sure but that in many ways it is even more practical
+than ours. I will give the reader the opportunity of judging of this for
+himself by-and-by (_see_ chapter xiii.). Arithmetic is also pounded into
+the little heads of the Cho-sen mites by means of the sliding-bead
+addition-board, the "chon-pan," a wonderful contrivance, also much used
+in Japan and China, and which is of invaluable help in quick calculation.
+The children are made to work very hard, and I was always told by the
+natives that they are generally very diligent and studious. A father was
+telling me one day that his son was most assiduous, but that he (the
+father) every now and then administered to him a good flogging.
+
+"But that is unfair," said I. "Why do you do it?"
+
+"Because I wish my son to be a great man. I am pleased with his work, but
+I flog him to encourage(?) him to study better still!"
+
+I felt jolly glad that I was never "encouraged" in this kind of way when
+I was at school.
+
+"I have no doubt that if you flog him enough he will one day be so clever
+that no one on this earth will be able to appreciate him."
+
+"You are right," said the old man, perceiving at once the sarcasm of my
+remark, "you are right. I shall never beat my son again."
+
+The children of labourers generally attend night-schools, where they
+receive a sound education for very little money and sometimes even
+gratis.
+
+I am sure you will be interested to learn after what fashion children are
+named in the Land of the Morning Calm, as baptism with holy water is not
+yet customary. To tell you the truth, however, I am not quite certain how
+things are managed, and I rather doubt whether even the Coreans
+themselves know it. The only rule I was able to establish is that there
+was no rule at all, with the exception that all the males took the family
+name, to which followed (not preceded, as with us) one other name, and
+then the title or rank. Nicknames are extremely common, and there is
+hardly any one who not only has one, but actually goes by it instead of
+by his real name. Foreigners also are always called after some
+distinguishing mark either in the features or in the clothing. I went by
+the name of "disguised Corean," for I was always mistaken for one,
+notwithstanding that I dressed in European clothes. I will not say that
+I was very proud of my new name.
+
+The Corean noblemen, during their many hours of _dolce far niente_, often
+indulge in games of chess, backgammon and checkers, and teach these games
+to their sons as part of a gentleman's accomplishments. Cards, besides
+being forbidden by order of the king, are considered vulgar and a low
+amusement only fit for the lowest people. The soldiers indulge much in
+card-playing and gambling with dice-throwing and other ways.
+
+But to return to the children of Cho-sen: do you know what is the system
+employed by the yellow-skinned women to send their babies to sleep?
+
+They scrape them gently on the stomach!
+
+The rowdiest baby is sent to sleep in no time by this simple process. I
+can speak from experience, for I once tried it on a baby--only a few
+months old--that I wanted to paint. He was restless, and anything but a
+good sitter. It was impossible to start work until he was quiet, so I
+decided to experiment on the juvenile model the "scraping process" that I
+had seen have its effect a day or two previously. At first the baby
+became ten times more lively than before, and looked at me as if it meant
+to say, "What the devil are you doing?" Then, as I went on scraping his
+little stomach for the best part of ten minutes, he became drowsy, was
+hardly able to keep his eyes open, and finally, thank Heaven, fell
+asleep!
+
+He was, indeed, he was so much so that I thought he was never going to
+wake up again.
+
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER VII
+
+Corean inns--Seoul--A tour of
+observation--Beggars--Lepers--Philosophy--An old palace--A leopard
+hunt--Weather prophets--The main street--Sedan chairs---The big
+bell--Crossing of the bridges--Monuments--Animal worship--The Gate of the
+Dead--A funeral--The Queen-dowager's telephone.
+
+
+[Illustration: THE DRILLING GROUND, SEOUL]
+
+During the time that I was in Seoul--and I was there several months--most
+of my time was spent out of doors, for I mixed as much as possible with
+the natives, that I might see and study their manners and customs. I was
+very fortunate in my quarters: for I first stayed at the house of a
+Russian gentleman, and after that in that of the German Consul, and to
+these kind friends I felt, and shall always feel, greatly indebted for
+the hospitality they showed me during the first few weeks that I was in
+the capital; but, above all, do I owe it to the Vice-Minister of Home
+Affairs in Corea, Mr. C.R. Greathouse, in whose house I stayed most of
+the time, that I saw Corea as I did see it, for he went to much trouble
+to make me comfortable, and did his best to enable me to see every phase
+of Corean life. For this, I need not say, I cannot be too grateful.
+
+The great difficulty travellers visiting the capital of Corea
+experience--I am speaking of four years ago--is to find a place to put up
+at, unless he has invitations to go and stay with friends. There are no
+hotels, and even no inns of any sort, with the exception of the very
+lowest _gargottes_ for soldiers and coolies, the haunts of gamblers and
+robbers. If then you are without shelter for the night, you must simply
+knock at the door of the first respectable house you see, and on demand
+you will heartily be provided with a night's domicile and plentiful rice.
+This being so, there is little inducement to go to some filthy inn
+entirely lacking in comforts, and, above all, in personal safety.
+
+The Corean inns--and there are but few even of those--are patronised only
+by the scum of the worst people of the lowest class, and whenever there
+is a robbery, a fight, or a murder, you can be certain that it has taken
+place in one of those dens of vice. I have often spent hours in them
+myself to study the different types, mostly criminal, of which there are
+many specimens in these abodes. There it is that plots are made up to
+assassinate; it is within those walls that sinners of all sorts find
+refuge, and can keep well out of sight of the searching police.
+
+The attractions of Seoul, as a city, are few. Beyond the poverty of the
+buildings and the filth of the streets, I do not know of much else of any
+great interest to the casual globe-trotter, who, it must be said, very
+seldom thinks it advisable to venture as far as that. No, there is
+nothing beautiful to be seen in Seoul. If, however, you are on the
+look-out for quaintness and originality, no town will interest you more.
+Let us go for a walk round the town, and if your nose happens to be of a
+sensitive nature, do not forget to take a bottle of the strongest salts
+with you. We might start on our peregrinations from the West Gate, as we
+are already familiar with this point. We are on the principal
+thoroughfare of Seoul, which we can easily perceive by the amount of
+traffic on it as compared with the other narrower and deserted streets.
+The mud-houses on each side, as we descend towards the old royal palace,
+are miserable and dirty, the front rooms being used as shops, where
+eatables, such as rice, dried fruit, &c, are sold. A small projecting
+thatched roof has been put up, sustained by posts, at nearly each of
+these, to protect its goods from sun and snow. Before going two hundred
+yards we come to a little stone bridge, about five feet wide, and with no
+parapet, over a sewer, in front of which is an open space like a small
+square. But look! Do you see that man squatting down there on a mat? Is
+he not picturesque with his long white flowing robe, his large pointed
+straw hat and his black face? As he lies there with outstretched hands,
+dried by the sun and snow, calling out for the mercy of the passers-by,
+he might almost be mistaken for an Arab. His face is as black as it could
+be, and he is blind. He is one of the personalities of Seoul, and rain or
+shine you always see him squatting on his little mat at the same spot in
+the same attitude.
+
+[Illustration: THE BLIND BEGGAR: SEOUL]
+
+It is only seldom that beggars are to be seen in Cho-sen, for they are
+not allowed to prowl about except on certain special occasions, and
+festivities, when the streets are simply crammed with them. It is then
+that the most ghastly diseases, misfortunes, accidents, and deformities
+are made use of and displayed before you to extract from your pockets the
+modest sum of a _cash_. I cannot say that I am easily impressed by such
+sights, and far less horrified, for in my lifetime it has been my luck to
+see so many that I have got accustomed to them; but I must confess to
+being on one occasion really terrified at the sight of a Corean beggar. I
+was sketching not very far from this stone miniature bridge on which we
+are supposed to be still standing, when I perceived the most ghastly
+object coming towards me. It looked like a human being, and it did not;
+but it was. As he drew nearer, I could not help shivering. He was a
+walking skeleton, minus toes and fingers. He was almost naked, except
+that he had a few rags round his loins; and the skin that hardly covered
+his bones was a mass of sores. His head was so deformed and his eyes so
+sunken that a Peruvian mummy would have been an Adonis if compared with
+him. Nose he had none--_et ca passe_--for in Seoul it is a blessing not
+to have one; and where his mouth should have been there was a huge gap,
+his lower jaw being altogether missing. A few locks of long hair in
+patches on his skull, blown by the wind, completed a worthy frame for
+this most unprepossessing head.
+
+Oh, what a hideous sight! He hopped along a step or two at a time on his
+bony legs and toeless feet, keeping his balance with a long crutch, which
+he held under his arm, and he had a sort of wooden cup attached by a
+string to his neck, into which people might throw their charities. "He is
+a leper," a Corean, who stood by my side and had noticed the
+ever-increasing expression of horror on my face, informed me.
+
+The man, or rather the scarecrow, for he hardly had any more the
+resemblance to a human being, hearing the noise of the crowd that was
+round me, moved in my direction. He staggered and dragged himself till he
+got quite close, then bending his trembling head forward, made the utmost
+efforts to see, just as a bat does when taken out into the daylight. Poor
+fellow! he was also very nearly blind. His efforts to speak were painful
+beyond measure. A hoarse sound like the neighing of a pony was all that
+came out of his throat, and each time he did this, shrieks of laughter
+rose from the crowd, while comical jokes and sarcastic remarks were
+freely passed at the thinness of his legs, the condition of his skin, and
+the loss of the lower half of his face. Oh! it was shocking and
+revolting, though it must be said for them that the same people who
+chaffed him were also the first ones to fill his little pot with cash.
+
+Now, you must not think that I have told you this story to make your hair
+stand on end, for that is not my intention at all; but simply to prove to
+you the anomaly that a Corean is not really cruel when he is cruel, or
+rather when he appears to us to be cruel. This sounds, I believe, rather
+extraordinary to people who cannot be many-sided when analysing a
+question, but what I mean is this: It must not be forgotten that
+different people have different customs and different ways of thinking;
+therefore, what we put down as dreadful is often thought a great deal of
+in the Land of the Morning Calm.
+
+"Why not laugh at illnesses, death, and deformity?" I once heard a Corean
+argue.
+
+"It does not make people any better if you sympathise with them; on the
+contrary, by so doing you simply add pain to their pain, and make them
+feel worse than they really are. Besides, illnesses help to make up our
+life, and it is our duty to go through them as merrily as through those
+other things which you call pleasures. We people of Cho-sen do not look
+upon illnesses, accidents, or death as misfortunes, but as natural things
+that cannot be helped and must be bravely endured; what better, then, can
+we do than laugh at them?"
+
+"So your argument is," I dared put in, "that if one may laugh at one's
+own misfortunes, there is all the more title to laugh at those of other
+people?"
+
+"That is so," retorted the man of Cho-sen, with an air of
+self-conviction.
+
+I at once agreed with him that I did not find much real harm in laughing
+at other people's misfortunes, except that if it did not do anybody any
+harm, it neither did them any good; but I acknowledge that it took me
+some minutes before I could make up my mind as to one's own misfortunes.
+In the end, however, I had to agree with him even about this point. He
+proved to me that Coreans are at bottom very good-hearted and unselfish,
+and always ready to help relations and neighbours, always ready to be
+kind even at their own discomfort. This good-nature, however, lacks in
+form from our point of view, though the substance is always the same, and
+probably more so than with us. They are a much simpler people, and
+hypocrisy among them has not yet reached our civilised stage. In the case
+of our poor leper friend, we have seen that the people who laughed at him
+were the first to help him; whereas, I have no doubt that among us who
+are good Christians, and nothing else but charitable, the majority would
+not have laughed; indeed, I am not quite sure but that, on the contrary,
+many would have run to the nearest church to pray for the man, meantime
+leaving him "cashless," if not to die of starvation.
+
+Now let us continue our walk and leave the blind man and leper behind. On
+our left-hand side there is a huge gateway with a red wooden door--in
+rather a dilapidated condition--though apparently leading to something
+very grand. Since we are here we may as well go in. Good gracious! it is
+a tumble-down place. In olden days it used to be the king's palace, and
+if you follow me you can see how big the grounds are. For some reason or
+other this place, with all its accessories, buildings, &c., has been
+abandoned by the Court simply because of rumours getting abroad that
+ghosts haunted it. Evil spirits were reported to have been seen prowling
+about the grounds, and in the royal apartments, and it would never have
+done for a king to have been near such company; so the Court went to
+great expense to build a fresh abode for the royal personage, and the old
+palace was abandoned and left to decay. The grounds that were laid out as
+pretty gardens were, many years later, used for a plantation of
+mulberries, a foreign speculation which was to enrich the King and the
+country, but which turned out instead a huge _fiasco_. The mulberry trees
+are still there, as you may see. Let us, however, proceed a little way up
+this hill and go and pay a visit to the two eunuchs who are the sole
+inhabitants of this huge place, and who will take us round it. These
+eunuchs occupy a little room about ten feet square and of the same height
+in the inner enclosure. They are very polite, and joining their hands by
+way of salute to you, invite you to go in--to drink tea and smoke a pipe.
+Poor wretches! One of them, a fat fellow of an unwholesome kind, as if he
+were made of putty, having learnt the European way of greeting people,
+insisted on shaking hands with me, but, oh, how repulsive it was! His
+cold, squashy sort of boneless hand, gave you the impression that you had
+grasped a toad in your hand. And his face! Did you ever see a weaker,
+more depraved and inhuman head than that which was screwed on his
+shoulders? His cadaverous complexion was marked with the results of
+small-pox, which were certainly no improvement to his looks; his eyes had
+been set in his head anyhow, and each seemed to move of its own accord;
+his mouth seemed simply to hang like a rag, showing his teeth and his
+tongue.
+
+His fellow was somewhat better, for he was of the thin kind of that type,
+and though possessing the effeminate, weak characteristics of his friend,
+one could at least see that he was built on a skeleton, like the
+generality of people! But the features of these eunuchs were as nothing
+to their voices. The latter were squeaky like those of girls of five; and
+more especially when the fat man spoke, it almost seemed as if the thread
+of a voice came from underground, so imperceptible was the sound that he
+could produce after he had spoken a few minutes. Having profited by the
+notions of my Corean philosopher of a little while ago, I simply went
+into screams of merriment at the misfortune of these poor devils, but
+really it was difficult to help it.
+
+Preceded by these eunuchs, let us now go over the tumble-down ruins of
+the palace. On the top of the small hill stands the main building of red
+painted wood and turned up roof _a la Chinoise_, and inside this, in the
+audience hall, can yet be seen the remains of the wooden throne raised up
+in the centre, with screens on the sides. There is nothing artistic about
+it, no richness, and nothing beautiful, and with the exception of the
+ceiling, that must have been pretty at one time with native patterns and
+yellow, red and green ornaments, there is absolutely nothing else worth
+noticing. Outside, the three parallel flights of steps leading up to the
+audience hall have a curious feature. It is forbidden to any one but the
+King to go up on the middle steps, and he of course is invariably
+carried; for which reason, in the middle part of the centre staircase a
+carved stone table is laid over the steps in such a way that no one can
+tread on them except quite at the sides where the men who carry the King
+have to walk.
+
+The houses where the King and royal family used to live with their
+household have now been nearly all destroyed by the weather and damp, and
+many of the roofs have fallen in. They were very simple, only one story
+high, and little better than the habitations of the better classes of
+people in Cho-sen. Coming out again of the inner enclosure, one finds
+stables and other houses scattered here and there in the _compound_,[3]
+and lower down we come to a big drain of masonry. But let me tell you a
+funny story.
+
+As you know, the Land of the Morning Calm is often troubled at night by
+prowling leopards and huge tigers which make their peregrinations through
+the town in search of food. A big leopard was thus seen by the natives
+one fine day taking a constitutional in the grounds of this haunted
+palace. Perplexed and even terrified, the unarmed natives ran for their
+lives, except one who, from a distant point of vantage, watched the
+animal and saw him enter the drain just mentioned. There happened to be
+staying in Seoul an Englishman, a Mr. S., who possessed a rifle and who
+had often astonished the natives by his skill in never missing the bull's
+eye; so to him they all went in a deputation, begging him to do away with
+the four-legged, unwelcome visitor. Mr. S., who wished for nothing
+better, promised that he would go that same night, and, accompanied by
+his faithful native servant, went and hid himself in proximity to the
+hole whence the leopard was likely to spring. It was a lovely moonlight
+night, and several hours had been passed in perfect silence and vain
+waiting for the chance of a shot, when a bright idea struck the native
+servant. Certain that the leopard was no longer there, and wishing to
+retire to his warm room, he addressed his master in poetic terms somewhat
+as follows:--
+
+"Sir, I am a brave man, and fear neither man nor beast. I am your
+servant, and for you am ready to give my life. I have brought with me two
+long bamboos, and with them I shall go and poke in the drain, rouse the
+ferocious beast, and as he jumps out you will kill him. If I shall lose
+my life, which I am ready to do for you, please think of my wife and
+child."
+
+"Very good," said the Englishman, who was getting rather tired of the
+discomfort and cold, and who, though he did not say so, also shared the
+opinion that the brute had gone.
+
+Thus encouraged, the servant at once proceeded to tie the two bamboos
+together, and again reminding his master of the brave act he was going to
+accomplish, proceeded with firm step to the drain, about thirty yards
+off. When he reached the opening he seemed to hesitate. He stood and
+listened. He carefully peeped in and listened again. He heard nothing.
+Then, bringing all his courage to bear, he lifted his bamboo and began
+poking in the drain. Two or three times, as he thought, he had touched
+something soft with the end. He dropped his bamboo as if it had been a
+hot iron, and ran full-speed back to his master, imploring his
+protection.
+
+"Has got--has got--kill--master--kill--kill!" and he lay by his side,
+shivering with fright.
+
+"You are frightened, you coward; there is nothing. Go again."
+
+After a few minutes the faithful valet, who had then made quite sure that
+there was no leopard in the drain and that he had shown himself a coward,
+unwillingly and slowly returned to the charge and picked up his bamboo.
+
+"I am trembling with cold, not with fear," he had said as he was getting
+up again. "I shall enter the drain this time and rouse the animal
+myself!"
+
+So he really did. He went in, holding the bamboo in front of him, and
+pausing at each step. The farther in he went, the more his
+self-confidence failed him. The drain was high enough to allow of his
+standing in it with his back and head bent down; wherefore, if an
+encounter with the spotted fiend were to take place, the retreat of the
+man would not be an easy matter.
+
+"Master must think me very brave," he was soliloquising on his
+subterranean march, when he received a sudden shock that nearly stopped
+his heart and froze the blood in his veins. He had actually touched
+something soft with the end of his bamboo, and not only that, but he
+fancied he heard a growl.
+
+He quickly turned round to escape, when a violent push knocked him down,
+and he fell almost senseless and bleeding all over.
+
+"Bang!" went the rifle outside just as the screams of: "Master, aahi,
+aahi, kill, kill, kill," were echoing in the drain; and the leopard with
+a broken hind leg rolled over on the ground groaning fiercely, by-and-by
+trying to retrace its steps to its domicile. The poor Corean lay
+perplexed, looking at the scene, all lighted up by the beautiful
+moonlight; and his heart bounded with joy, when, after the second or
+third report of the gun, he saw shot dead the animal that had already
+reached the opening of the drain.
+
+As his master appeared, rifle in hand, and touched the dead beast, his
+valiant qualities returned to him in full, and he got out of the drain.
+He was badly scratched all over, I dare say, by the paws of the beast,
+for it had sprung violently out the moment the bamboo tickled it, though
+otherwise he was not much the worse for his narrow escape.
+
+Such is the last story connected with that drain. The grounds, as you
+see, extend towards the west as far as the city wall. As we go out of the
+gate which we entered, you can see a sort of a portico on the left-hand
+side as you approach it. Well, under that, as the spring is approaching,
+there are often to be heard the most diabolical noises for several days
+in succession. If the season has been a very dry one, you will see
+several men and numberless children beating on three or four huge drums
+and calling out at the top of their voices for rain. From sunrise until
+sunset this goes on, unless some stranded cloud happens to appear on the
+horizon, when the credit of such a phenomenon is awarded to their
+diabolical howls, and _cash_ subtracted from landed proprietors as a
+reward for their having called the attention of the weather-clerk. A
+spectacled wise-man, a kind of astrologer, on a donkey and followed and
+preceded by believers in his extraordinary powers of converting fine
+weather into wet, and _vice versa_, rides through the main streets of the
+capital, with lanterns and festoons, on the same principle as does our
+Salvation Army, namely, to collect a crowd to the spot where his
+mysterious rites are to be performed. Here, supported by his servants, he
+dismounts from his high saddle, and, still supported under his arms--the
+idea being that so great a personage cannot walk by himself--he at last
+reaches the spot, apparently with great fatigue. "To carry all his
+knowledge," argue the admiring natives, "must indeed entail great
+fatigue."
+
+When rain is to be summoned, our astrologer addresses his first
+reproaches to the sun, stretching out his hands and using the strongest
+of invectives, after which, when he has worked himself into a towering
+rage against the orb of day, an execrable beating on the drums begins,
+accompanied by the howling of all the people present. The god of rain
+gets his share of insults, and is severely reprimanded for the casual way
+in which he carries on his business, and so, partly with good, partly
+with bad manners, this satanic performance goes on day after day, until,
+eventually, it does begin to rain.
+
+The portico in this old haunted palace was a favourite spot for these
+rites, and as the house of the Vice-Minister of Home Affairs, where I
+stayed as a guest, was close by, I suffered a good deal at the hands of
+these fanatics, for the noise they made was of so wild a nature as to
+drive one crazy--if not, also, quite sufficient to bring the whole world
+down.
+
+We may now continue our peregrination along the main street. There along
+the wall squat dozens of coolies, with their carrying arrangement,
+sitting on their heels, and basking in the sun. Further on, one of them
+is just loading a huge earthenware vase full of the native beverage. The
+weight must be something enormous. Yet see how quickly and cleverly he
+manages to get up with it, and walk away from his kneeling position by
+first raising one leg, then the other, and after that a push up and it is
+done.
+
+Here, again, coming along, is another curiosity. It is a blue palanquin,
+carried on the back of two men. They walk along quickly, with bare feet,
+and trousers turned up over the knees. Instead of wearing a transparent
+head-gear, like the rest of the people, these chair-bearers have round
+felt hats. In front walks a _Maggiordomo_, and following the palanquin
+are a few retainers. Heading the procession are two men, who, with rude
+manners, push away the people, and shout out at the top of their voices:
+
+"Era, Era, Era; Picassa, Picassa!" ("Out of the way; get out, get away!")
+were the polite words with which these roughs elbowed their way among the
+crowd, and flung people on one side or the other, in order to clear the
+road for their lord and master. From the hubbub they made, one might have
+imagined that it was the King himself coming, instead of a mere
+magistrate.
+
+A few hundred yards further on, one finds on one's left a magnificent
+street departing at right angles to the main thoroughfare. It is
+certainly the widest street in the Corean capital. So wide is it, in
+fact, that two rows of thatched houses are built in the middle of the
+road itself, so to speak, forming out of one street three parallel
+streets. These houses are, however, pulled down and removed altogether
+once or twice a year, when His Majesty the King takes it into his head to
+come out of his palace and go in his state chair, preceded by a grand
+procession, to visit the tombs of his ancestors, some miles out of the
+town, or to meet the envoys of the Chinese Emperor, a short way out of
+the west gate of the capital, at a place where a peculiar triumphal arch,
+half built of masonry and half of lacquered wood, has been erected, close
+to an artificial cut in the rocky hill, named the "Pekin Pass" in honour
+of the said Chinese messengers.
+
+I witnessed two or three of these king's processions, and I shall
+describe them to you presently. In the meantime, however, let us walk up
+the royal street.
+
+The two rows of shanties having been pulled down, its tremendous width is
+very conspicuous, being apparently about ten times that of our
+Piccadilly. The houses on both sides are the mansions in which the
+nobles, princes, and generals live, and are built of solid masonry. They
+are each one story high, with curled-up roofs, and here and there the
+military ensign may be seen flying. Facing us at the end, a pagoda-like
+structure, with two roofs, and one half of masonry, the upper part of
+lacquered wood, is the main entrance to the royal palace. Two sea-lions,
+roughly carved out of stone, stand on pedestals a short distance in front
+of the huge closed gate, and there, squatting down, gambling or asleep,
+are hundreds of chair-carriers and soldiers, while by the road-side are
+palanquins of all colours, and open chairs, with tiger and leopard skins
+thrown over them, waiting outside the royal precincts, since they are not
+allowed inside, for their masters, who spend hours and days in
+expectation of being invited to an audience by, or a confabulation with,
+His Majesty. People of different ranks have differently coloured
+chairs--the highest of the palanquin form being that covered with green
+cloth and carried by four men. Foreign consuls and legal advisers of the
+King are allowed the honour of riding in one of these. The privilege of
+being carried by four men instead of by two is only accorded to officials
+of high rank. The covered palanquins are so made that the people squat in
+them cross-legged. A brass receptacle, used for different purposes, is
+inside, in one corner of the conveyance. Some of them are a little more
+ornamented than others, and lined with silk or precious skins, but
+generally they are not so luxurious as the ones in common use in China.
+
+[Illustration: AN OFFICIAL GOING TO COURT IN A MONO-WHEELED CHAIR]
+
+But if you want to see a really strange sight, here at last you have it.
+It is a high official going to Court in his state mono-wheeled chair. You
+can see that he is a "somebody" by the curious skull-cap he is wearing,
+curled up over the top of his head and with wings on each side starting
+from the back of his head-gear. His flowing silk gown and the curious
+rectangular jewelled stiff belt, projecting far beyond his body, denote
+that he is holding a high position at the Corean Court. A coolie marches
+in front of him, carrying on his back a box containing the court clothes
+which he will have to don when the royal palace is reached, all
+carefully packed in the case, covered with white parchment. Numerous
+young followers also walk behind his unsteady vehicle. There you see him
+perched up in a kind of arm-chair at a height of about five feet--sitting
+more or less gracefully on a lovely tiger skin, that has been
+artistically thrown upon it, leaving the head hanging down at the back.
+Under the legless chair, as it were, there are two supports, at the lower
+end of which and between these supports revolves a heavy, nearly round
+wheel, with four spokes. Occasionally the wheel is made of one block of
+wood only, and is ornamented at the sides with numerous round-headed iron
+nails. There may be also two side long poles to rest on the shoulders of
+the two carriers--one in front and one at the back--a few extra
+strengtheners on each side, and then you have the complete "_attelage_."
+So you see, it may be a great honour to be carried about in a similar
+chair, though to the eyes of barbarians like ourselves it looks neither
+comfortable nor safe. India-rubber tyres and, still less, pneumatic ones,
+have not yet been adopted by the Corean chair-maker, and it appeared to
+me that a good deal of "holding on" was required, especially when
+travelling over stony and rough ground, to avoid being thrown right out
+of one's high position. The grandees whom I saw carried in them seemed to
+me, judging by the expression on their faces, to be ever looking forward
+patiently and hopefully to the time for getting out of these perilous
+conveyances. Certainly when going round corners or on uneven ground I
+often saw them at an angle that would make the hair of anybody but a
+grave and sedate Corean official stand on end. The palace gate reached,
+he is let down gently, the front part of the chair being gradually
+lowered, and, with a sigh of relief, steps out of it. Immediately he is
+supported on each side by his followers, and thus the palace is entered,
+the mono-wheeled chair being left outside standing against the wall, and
+the tired carriers squatting down to a quiet gamble with the
+chair-bearers of other noblemen.
+
+Here let us leave him for the present, since the huge gates are closed
+again upon our very noses.
+
+The royal palace is enclosed by a high wall, at the corners of which
+there are turrets with sentries and soldiers. In each of the sections of
+the wall also there is a gate, the principal one of course being that
+which we have already described.
+
+We shall now retrace our steps down the royal avenue, but before leaving
+it we must once again look back upon the royal enclosure. It is not a
+very grand sight, but it is pretty to see a high hill towering at the
+back of the royal palace. Undoubtedly the position where the palace is
+now situated is the best in Seoul, both through being in the very centre
+of the town and through the prettiness of its situation. The inside of
+the royal enclosure we shall presently describe.
+
+Continuing our way, then, towards the east gate, we soon come to another
+big thoroughfare on our right-hand side, at one corner of which is a
+picturesque ancient pavilion, with a railing round it. This is one of the
+sights of Seoul, "the big bell."
+
+It is a huge bronze bell raised from the ground only about a foot. It
+possesses a fine rich tone when it is hammered upon by the bell-ringer,
+but a good deal of the sonorousness is lost and the sound made dreary and
+monotonous by its being so low down. The man rings it by striking heavy
+blows at it with a big wooden mallet, and its first note in the early
+morning makes the drowsy gate-keepers of the town begin to make
+preparations for establishing communication once more between the capital
+and the outer world; while at sunset, as its last melancholy notes are
+blown away in dying waves by the wind, the heavy gates are closed, and
+every man--though not every woman, as we shall see--has to retire to his
+home until dawn the next morning, if he wishes to escape a severe
+flogging, or even the risk of losing his head. The laws and rules in this
+respect have not been very severely enforced of late years; yet one never
+sees even now a Corean male walking about the streets after dark. Though
+capital punishment might not be inflicted on the offender, a very sound
+spanking would very probably be the result of a native being caught
+_flagrante delicto_ during a nocturnal peregrination. Wherefore, the
+Corean male is, _a raison_, very careful not to be seen out after dark.
+On one or two occasions, nevertheless, the male community is allowed a
+prowl by night, and seem to enjoy it to their heart's content. The
+principal of these great events is the night for "crossing the bridges,"
+a festivity in which men and children are allowed to take part, and in
+the course of which they spend the whole night in prowling about the
+streets, and crossing over the bridges and back again. At such a time the
+streets are alive with story-tellers, magicians and comedians, who
+delight the nocturnal sight-seers with wonderful fairy-tales, jokes and
+fantastic plays.
+
+A moonlight night is always chosen for the "crossing of the bridges"
+outing, a rather sensible precaution when one sees what the bridges are
+like. There are the stone supports of course, and over these huge flat
+broad stones on which one treads. The width of the bridges is generally
+about six feet, but no parapet or railing of any kind is provided for the
+safety of the wayfarer. Through age and weather, these stones have been
+considerably worn out, and are here and there disconnected, besides being
+slippery to an extreme degree; so that even in broad daylight, one has to
+keep all his wits about him, in this sort of tight-rope performance, not
+to find himself landed in the river down below, in which, however, there
+is no water running. Altogether, the days in which the men of Cho-sen
+enjoy liberty at night are five.
+
+The last day of the year is probably the one when the larger crowds can
+be seen hurrying along through the streets, for a custom prevails among
+the Coreans to visit during that night and the following one, all one's
+relations and best friends, congratulations and good wishes being freely
+exchanged and presents of sweets brought and gracefully received. New
+Year's night is also a night of independence, but the greater number of
+the male community are so "well on" with wine-drinking and excitement,
+that staying at home is generally deemed advisable.
+
+There are two free nights, besides, on the fourteenth and fifteenth days
+of the first moon, and on one of the days at "half-year" in the sixth
+moon. That is all.
+
+[Illustration: THE MARBLE PAGODA]
+
+At no great distance from the "big bell," down a tortuous little lane, we
+come to what is undoubtedly a very ancient work of art. This is a pagoda,
+made of solid marble, and adorned with beautiful carvings all the way up
+to the top. To me this pagoda seemed to be of Chinese origin, but, though
+much speculation has been exercised in Seoul as to how so strange a
+monument came to be placed in the Corean capital, no reliable data, or
+facts that might be considered of historical value, have as yet been
+forthcoming to explain satisfactorily its presence there. Beyond
+wondering at its antiquity, therefore, and admiring the skilful
+bas-relief upon it, there is little more for us to do; so, moving out of
+the courtyard in which this pagoda is situated, we proceed to inspect
+another monument, equally curious from an archaeological point of view.
+
+It cannot but seem strange that the Coreans should be ignorant regarding
+the little pagoda above mentioned. I call it "little," for I do not
+think it stands more than fifteen or twenty feet from the base to the
+top. Probably in Seoul itself there is not more than one man out of fifty
+who knows of its existence, and those who are acquainted with it, beyond
+telling you emphatically that it is not a Corean work, can give you no
+information about it. It is not improbable that, in the course of some
+friendly or unfriendly intercourse between the Chinese and the Coreans,
+this pagoda was brought or sent over from China.
+
+The other curiosity is a huge stone tortoise carrying a tablet on its
+back.
+
+As I have already mentioned, the Coreans in many ways resemble, and have
+appropriated or carried with them to their place of settlement some ideas
+which are common to the Manchus, the Mongols, and the Northern and
+Southern Chinese. Among these may be instanced the great respect for, if
+not worship of, fetishes and rudely made images of animals, both
+imaginary and real, which are supposed to be embodied there with all
+their good and evil qualities. The Coreans have an especial veneration
+for the tiger, the emblem of supernatural strength, courage and dignity.
+Now when veneration comes into play, the extraordinary, as a rule, soon
+takes the place of the ordinary, especially in the Eastern mind, which is
+rather addicted to letting itself be run away with by its imagination. So
+the tiger, as though it were not sufficiently gifted already with evil
+qualities of a more mundane order, is often depicted by native geniuses,
+as having also the power of flying, producing lightning, and spitting
+fire; and not only that, but as able to walk on flames without feeling
+the slightest inconvenience, and manipulate blazing fire as one would a
+fan in everyday use. On flags, pictures, and embroideries the tiger is
+often represented by native artists.
+
+Next to the tiger, the animal most cherished by the Coreans is the
+tortoise. To it are applied all the good qualities that the tiger wants;
+for example, thoughtfulness, a retiring nature, humility, gentleness,
+steadiness, and patience; these being all symbolised by this shelled
+amphibious animal, which, in the minds of many Eastern Asiatics, was the
+basis upon which, in later times, were built the rudiments of mathematics
+and wisdom. In Corea, the principal quality attributed to the tortoise is
+long life; wherefore, it has been handed down from early times to the
+present day as the emblem of longevity.
+
+This, then, explains the signification of the tortoise in front of which
+we are now standing. Those tortoises that are made to carry tablets on
+their backs are, as a general rule, erected in honour and remembrance of
+some benevolent prince or magnanimous magistrate--the tablets being
+placed over these favourite creatures to signify that it was by relying
+upon all the good qualities attributed to the tortoise that the person
+whose praises are celebrated on them, attained to the virtues which are
+deemed so worthy an example to the world.
+
+There are many species of semi-sacred tortoises in Corea, to all
+appearance the product of imaginary intermarriages between the slow
+amphibious animal in question and the fire-spitting dragon, silver-tailed
+phoenix, and other animals; and these mixed breeds of idols, so to
+speak, are occasionally to be seen in the houses of rich people and
+princes near the entrance gate. In the Royal Palace, too, some may be
+seen, among the more important being the old Seal of State, which
+consists of a tortoise cleverly carved out of marble with the impression
+of the Royal Seal engraved on the under side.
+
+A curious thing which strikes visitors to Corea who notice it is that,
+although the tortoise runs a close race with the tiger in the respect of
+the natives, nevertheless, the larger and fiercer animal is much more
+frequently represented than its smaller and gentler competitor. For
+instance, one invariably sees on the roofs of the city gates, fixed on
+the corners, five small representations of the tiger, all reclining in a
+row one after the other. On many of the larger buildings also the same
+thing can be observed; while, on the other hand, it is only rarely that
+the tortoise is seen in such a situation. When representations of the
+latter are thus attached, they are generally placed at the four lower
+corners of the buildings, as if by way of support.
+
+It is curious, again, to note--and, indeed, it almost seems as if the
+Cho-sen people are in all their ideas opposed to us--that in Corea the
+snake is greatly revered; and, should it enter a household, it receives a
+hearty welcome, for this reptile is supposed to bring with it everlasting
+happiness and peace, a very different conception to that which we
+generally form of it, for, if I mistake not, in our minds it is generally
+associated with sneakishness, treachery and perfidy.
+
+With regard to the snake, it is noteworthy that the Coreans have allowed
+their fancies to run riot in pretty much the same direction as
+imaginative people in our own country have done, and have not only added
+wings to their serpents to send them air-faring, but have also invented a
+near relation to these in the shape of a travelling sea-serpent, which is
+not, however, of such large dimensions as those with which we are
+familiar. From this it is only a short step to the well-known half-human,
+half-fish being and the sea-lion or tiger; stone representations of which
+are to be seen at the entrance of the Royal Palace. The principal
+peculiarity of the sea-tiger is its ugliness. It is represented as having
+a huge mouth, wide open, showing two rows of pointed teeth, and a mane
+and tail curled up into hundreds of conventional little curlets. If the
+statues of these sea-tigers are divided in three sections perpendicular
+to the base, the head will occupy the whole of one of these sections,
+which, in other words, means that the body is made only twice the size of
+the head.
+
+The _lin_ is also frequently found figuring in Corean mythology, but this
+fanciful creature is undoubtedly an importation from the well-known
+_ki-lin_ of China, being half ox, half deer, and having but a single horn
+in the centre of the head. It is the symbol of good nature and well-being
+Another borrowed individual of this class is the dragon, a monster which
+is a great favourite and much cherished all over the East, though
+principally by the Emperor of Heaven and his subjects. This popularity of
+the dragon in the kingdom of the Morning Calm is due, I suppose, in a
+large measure to the frequent Chinese invasions and constant intercourse
+of the Chinese with Corea. And yet, upon a less appropriate country, to
+my belief, he could hardly have been stranded, for, although he possesses
+all the good virtues of the other mythical creatures of which I have made
+mention taken together, he certainly is never presented as gifted with
+that delightful faculty which goes by the name of tranquillity. Restless
+in the extreme, this genius of the East is said to penetrate through
+mountains into the ground, skip on the clouds, produce thunder and
+lightning, and go through fire and water. It can, moreover, make itself
+visible or invisible at pleasure, and, in fact, can to all intents and
+purposes do what it pleases, except--remain quiet.
+
+Of dragons there are many kinds, but the most respectable of them all is,
+as in China, the yellow one, which is as represented on the Chinese
+flags. Next to the yellow one in popularity comes the green one. In
+shape, as the natives picture it, the dragon is not unlike a huge lizard,
+with long-nailed claws, and a flat long head like the elongated head of a
+neighing horse, possessed, however, of horns, and a long mane of fire, or
+lightning. The tail is like that of a serpent, with five additional
+pointed ends. It is, too, rather interesting to note that the king,
+princes, and highest magistrates, when the country is not in mourning,
+wear upon their breasts pieces of square embroidery ornamented in the
+centre with representations of the dragon, having the jewel on its head
+which is supposed to be a certain cure for all evils. The officials of
+lesser degree wear, instead of this emblem, the effigy of a flying
+phoenix, the symbol of pride, friendship, and kind ruling power.
+
+The phoenix is also occasionally to be seen standing on a tortoise's
+back, the combination being emblematic of the combined virtues of these
+two mythical creatures.
+
+Returning to the main street, we can walk a long way without finding
+anything interesting in the way of architecture, or of a monumental
+character until we reach the East Gate, which is probably the largest
+gate of all. One of the peculiarities of this gate is that on the outside
+it has a semi-circular wall protection, and in this wall a second gate
+which renders it, therefore, doubly strong in time of war. The outer wall
+is very thick, and a wide space is provided which can be manned with
+soldiers, when the town happens to be besieged. If my memory serves me
+rightly, yet another gate in Seoul is provided with a similar
+contraffort, but of this I am not quite certain, for the part of my diary
+in which the wall of Seoul is described has been, I regret to say,
+unfortunately mislaid. Near the gate above mentioned, is a large open
+space, on the centre of which stands a somewhat dilapidated pavilion
+_pour facon de parler_, and, on inquiry, I was told that this place was
+the drilling-ground of the king's troops, the pavilion being for the use
+of the king and high officials, when on very grand occasions they went to
+review the soldiery. Of late years, I believe, a new drilling-ground has
+been selected by the foreign military instructors, which explains why the
+pavilion has been allowed to rot and tumble down. (See Illustration p.
+90.)
+
+As already remarked, all the gates of Seoul, as well as those of every
+other city in Corea, are closed at sunset; but, like all rules, this
+one, too, has its exception. Thus, there is a small gate, called the
+"Gate of the Dead," which is opened till a late hour at night. Its name
+explains its object fairly well, but for the benefit of those who are
+unaccustomed to Corean customs I may as well put the matter a little
+clearer. Funerals, in Corea, nearly always take place at night, and the
+bodies are invariably carried out of the town to be buried. In lifetime
+it is permitted to enter or leave the town through any gate you please,
+but this freedom of choice is not accorded to the dead, when their final
+exit is to be made, for this is only by way of the smaller gate just
+mentioned.
+
+A funeral is in all countries, to me, a curious sight, but in Seoul, a
+performance of this description is probably more curious than elsewhere,
+and that, because, to a European eye, it appears to be anything but a
+funeral. The procession is headed by two individuals, each of whom
+carries an enormous yellow umbrella, on the stick of which, about half
+way up, there is a very large tri-coloured ball. After these, under a
+sort of baldachin held up by four long poles, is the coffin, carried by
+two, four, or more men, according to the social position of the deceased;
+and by the side of this and following close after it are numberless
+people each carrying a paper lantern stuck on a pole, who scuttle along,
+singing, after a fashion, and muttering prayers and praises on behalf of
+their deceased countryman. Frequently, if the latter is supposed to have
+been possessed by evil spirits, and to have been carried off by them, a
+man is hired, if no relation is willing to do it, to ring a hand-bell for
+several consecutive days, near the house which the late unfortunate had
+occupied, the shrill sound being supposed to have the power of showing
+the unwelcome guests, that their presence has been noticed, and that they
+had better retire and leave the house to its rightful owners. I need
+hardly remark that a few hours of this noise is quite enough to turn the
+best of good spirits into an evil one.
+
+But to return to our funeral procession; this, when the "Gate of the
+Dead" is reached, becomes broken up; the friends who were following the
+hearse putting out their lights and ceasing from their singing and
+praying. Only two or three of the nearest relations continue to follow
+the coffin, still carried by the paid bearers, and when a suitable spot
+is reached these proceed to bury the remains. A hilly ground is usually
+preferred by the Coreans for the last resting place of the bones of their
+dear ones. The coffin having been buried, a small mound of earth is
+heaped up over it.
+
+The spot for inhumation is generally chosen on the advice of magicians
+who are supposed to know the sites which are likely to be most favourable
+to the deceased. Sometimes the body is exhumed at great expense, still on
+the advice of the same magicians, who, being in direct communication with
+both earthly and unearthly spirits, get to know that the spot which had
+been originally selected was not a favourable one. Under such
+circumstances, a speedy removal is necessary, which, of course entails
+both worry and money-spending and special fees for the reporting of the
+ill-faring of the buried.
+
+The relations and friends of a deceased person constantly visit the tomb,
+and many a good son has been known to spend months watching his father's
+grave, lest his services might be required by the parent underground.
+
+The hills round the towns are simply covered with these little mounds of
+earth, and the greatest respect is shown by the natives for all places of
+sepulture. In course of time, many disappear by being washed away by the
+rain, but never by any chance are they interfered with by the people. The
+Coreans are extremely superstitious, and they are much afraid of the
+dead. Metempsychosis is not an uncommon trait of their minds, especially
+among the better classes; thus, for instance, the soul of the dead man is
+sometimes supposed to enter the body of a bird, in which case the
+relatives carefully build a semi-circular stone railing round the mound,
+so that the winged successor of the deceased may have whereon to perch.
+
+The grave of one of the richer people is especially noteworthy. First,
+there is the mound in the centre as usual, but nearly twice the size of
+that which covers a poorer person. Then there is a stone railing a little
+way off; and between that and the mound stand in double rows, at the
+sides, rough images of human beings and horses carved in stone. The
+general rule is, in the case of a rich man, to have two men and two
+ponies on either side and a small column at the end; while in the case of
+a man not so much distinguished only a single horse and man respectively
+are placed on either side. The short column with a slab at the top is
+nearly always a feature. The stone images so placed are, as a rule, so
+badly carved that, unless one is told what they are meant to represent,
+it is really difficult to decide the point. The horses, especially, might
+easily be mistaken for sheep, dogs, or any other animal, the small
+stature of the native ponies being imitated in these images, to an
+exaggerated degree. As for the stone human-shaped images, these are
+usually made dressed in a long sort of gown and with the arms folded in
+front and the head covered by a curled up skull-cap, of the kind worn by
+Corean officials even at the present day, and formerly worn by all the
+high officials in China, whence probably the fashion has been imported.
+
+A curious feature which I often noticed about the graves of people who
+had not been over well-off, and whose friends could not afford a large
+number of statues or figures of men and animals, was this:--If only one
+or two monuments were put up by the side of the mound, these invariably
+consisted of representations either of two horses or else of a horse and
+a ram, that is, if I am right in fixing the latter's identity by the
+curled horns on the side of its head. If, on the other hand, the
+monuments were more than two in number, the others were, just as
+invariably, representations of human figures, the number of these being
+the same as that of beasts in the other case.
+
+A ceremony is to be found in the Land of the Morning Calm which
+corresponds pretty closely to "_Tutti i morti_" of Italy; I mean, the
+merry picnicking of distressed parents and relatives when they go and
+pray on the tombs of their dead. In Corea the occasion is usually
+celebrated on the first day of the first moon, or, in other words, on
+New Year's Day. The family goes soon after sunrise, _en masse_, to the
+burial-place, where prayers are offered, and long sticks of incense burnt
+filling the air with the perfume so familiar to all who know the East.
+Food and drink are also generally brought and consumed by the mourners on
+such expeditions, with the result that the day which begins with praying
+generally ends with playing. Similar rejoicings are again indulged in
+during the third moon, when the tombs are usually cleaned and repaired,
+and the stone figures and horses washed and scrubbed, amidst the
+hilarious screams of the children and the less active picnickers.
+
+The tombs of the kings do not differ very much from those of the richest
+noblemen, except that they have a kind of temple near them. At one time
+it was believed that the coffins in which the royal bodies were buried,
+consisted of solid gold. People who are well informed, however, maintain
+that there is no foundation for this statement about the royal graves,
+and that, on the contrary, they are almost as simple as those of the
+richer noblemen.
+
+A strange tale was told me, which I shall repeat, as I know it to be
+true. It is to this effect: A few months previous to my visit to Seoul, a
+foreigner had visited the king soliciting orders for installations of
+telephones. The king, being much astounded, and pleased at the wonderful
+invention, immediately, at great expense, set about connecting by
+telephone the tomb of the queen dowager with the royal palace--a distance
+of several miles! Needless to say, though many hours a day were spent by
+His Majesty and his suite in listening at their end of the telephone,
+and a watchman kept all night in case the queen dowager should wake up
+from her eternal sleep, not a message, or a sound, or murmur even, was
+heard, which result caused the telephone to be condemned as a fraud by
+His Majesty the King of Cho-sen.
+
+I should mention that a very good specimen of a Corean tomb is to be seen
+a few _lis_ outside the East Gate, on the hillside, and that another,
+somewhat smaller, exists a short distance beyond the Pekin Pass outside
+the West Gate. It may also be noted that trees are frequently planted,
+and tablets erected, in proximity to Corean graves.
+
+FOOTNOTES:
+
+    [3] Word used in the East for a conglomeration of houses
+        enclosed by a wall.
+
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER VIII
+
+Seoul--The City Wall--A large image--Mount Nanzam--The
+fire-signals--women's joss-house--Foreign buildings--Japanese
+settlement--An anecdote--Clean or not clean?--The Pekin Pass--The
+water-carrier--The man of the Gates.
+
+
+[Illustration: MOUNT NANZAM]
+
+The ground in and around Seoul is very hilly. The wall that surrounds the
+capital uncoils itself, like a gigantic snake, up and down the slopes of
+high bluffs, and seems a very marvellous work of patient masonry when it
+is borne in mind that some of the peaks up which it winds its way are so
+steep that even climbing on foot is not an easy task. The height is not
+uniform, but where it is highest it reaches to over thirty feet. The
+North Gate, for instance, is at a much higher level than the town down
+below, and it is necessary to go up a steep road to reach it. From it, a
+very good idea is obtainable of the exact situation of Seoul. Down in
+the valley, a narrow one, lies the town itself, completely surrounded by
+hills, and even mountains, covered with thick snow during the winter
+months.
+
+The wall, several miles long, goes over the hill ridges far above the
+level of the town, except towards the west, where it descends to the
+valley, and is on almost level ground, as far as the East Gate. It has a
+rampart in which holes have been pierced, for the defence of the town by
+archers and gunners; and, to let out the water of the streams, which
+intersect the town, low arches have been cut in the wall, provided with
+strong iron bars, and a solid grating through which no man can penetrate.
+Outside the town, bridges of masonry have been constructed; for instance,
+there is one of four arches, a short distance from the North Gate, being
+the continuation of a portion of the wall protecting the river valley on
+the north of Seoul. Not far from this bridge, is a monastery, and a small
+temple with curled-up roof supported by columns, painted red and green.
+The latter protects an enormous block of stone upon which has been carved
+a large image of Buddha, the surface of which has been painted white.
+When I saw it, close by the river side, with the sun shining on it, and
+its image reflected in the limpid ice of the frozen river, the sight was
+indeed quite a picturesque one.
+
+Towards the south side of Seoul, and within the city wall, rises in a
+cone-like fashion a high hill called Mount Nanzam. One cannot help
+feeling interested about this hill, and for many reasons. In the first
+place, it is most picturesque; secondly, it is a rare thing to find a
+mountain rising in the centre of a town, as this one does; thirdly, from
+the summit of this particular hill a constant watch is kept on the state
+of affairs all over the kingdom.
+
+The mode of accomplishing the last-mentioned object is as ingenious as it
+is simple. It is shortly this. On the summit of Mount Nanzam a signal
+station is placed--a miserable shed, in which the watchmen live. In front
+of this, five piles of stones have been erected, upon which, by means of
+the "Pon-wa," or fire-signals, messages are conveyed and transmitted from
+one end of the Corean kingdom to the other. Now, it is on these five
+piles of stones that the safety of the Land of the Morning Calm depends,
+and it is a pretty and weird sight to watch the lights upon them, playing
+after dark, in the stillness of the night. Similarly appointed stations
+on the tops of all the highest peaks in Corea issue, transmit, and
+answer, by means of other lights, messages from the most distant
+provinces, by which means, in a very few minutes, the King in his royal
+palace is kept informed of what happens hundreds of miles from his
+capital. It is from the royal palace itself that fire-messages start in
+the first instance, and that too is the place which lastly receives them
+from other mountain tops. All along the coast line of Corea, on the
+principal headlands, fire-stations have long been in use in order to give
+the alarm in the capital, should marauders approach the coast or other
+invasions take place.
+
+Until quite lately, the coast villages and towns used to suffer much at
+the hands of Chinese pirates, who, though well aware that they would, if
+caught, most certainly find themselves in the awkward position of having
+their heads cut off, nevertheless used to approach the coast by night in
+swift junks, make daring raids, and pillage the villages, and even some
+of the smaller towns. So suddenly were these incursions usually made that
+by the time the natives had managed to get over their astonishment at the
+attack of these unpleasant and greedy visitors, the acute Chinamen, with
+their booty, were well out at sea again.
+
+
+[Illustration: THE FIRE-SIGNAL STATION AND JOSS-HOUSE]
+
+The great drawback to fire-signalling is, that messages can only be
+clearly conveyed at night. In the day-time, when necessary,
+smoke-signals are transmitted, though never with the same safety as are
+the fire-signals. By burning large torches of wet straw, masses of white
+smoke are produced, upon which the alarm is raised that the country is
+in danger. The code of smoke signalling, however, is almost limited to
+that one signal; for, on a windy or rainy day, it would be quite
+impossible to distinguish whether there were one or more torches
+smoking, unless, of course, they could be set very far apart, which
+cannot be done on Nanzam. Prior to sending a message, a bell is rung in
+the royal palace to attract the attention of the Mountain Watchmen. The
+whole code, for they have a really systematic way of using their
+pyrographs, is worked with five burning fires only, and more than that
+number of lights are never shown, though, of course, many times there
+are less. The five-lights-together signal, I believe, indicates that the
+country is in imminent danger; there are other signals to meet the cases
+of rebellions, recalling of magistrates from distant provinces, orders
+to them to extort money from their subjects, the despatch or recall of
+troops, &c. &c.
+
+A few yards from the signal station, though still on Mount Nanzam, there
+is a picturesque red joss-house with a shrine in close proximity to it.
+The story goes--and the women of Cho-sen find it convenient to believe
+it--that a visit to this particular joss-house has the wonderful effect
+of making sterile women prolific. A few strings of _cash_ and a night's
+rest at the temple--preceded, if I remember rightly, by
+prayers--constitute sufficient service to satisfy the family duties, and
+I was certainly told that in many cases the oracle worked so well that in
+due time the _chin-chins_ got rewarded with the birth of babies. I may
+mention incidentally that the caretaker of the joss-house was a strong,
+healthy, powerful man.
+
+As we are now on a splendid point of vantage for a bird's-eye view of the
+town we may as well take a glance over it.
+
+Very prominent before us, after the large enclosure of the royal Palace,
+are the foreign buildings, such as the Japanese Legation on a smaller
+hill at the foot of Nanzam, and overlooking the large Japanese
+settlement; the abode of the Chinese Minister resident, with its numerous
+buildings around it; the British Consulate with its new red brick house
+in course of construction; and, by the side of the last mentioned, the
+_compounds_ of the American and Russian legations. Farther on, nearer the
+royal Palace, the German flag may be seen surmounting the German
+Consulate, which is situated in an enclosure containing several Corean
+houses which have been reduced _a l' Europeenne_ and made very
+comfortable. Then the large house with a glass front is the one now
+inhabited by the Vice-Minister for Home Affairs, but the grounds
+surrounding this are very restricted. A nunnery and a few houses of
+missionaries also stand prominent, mostly in the neighbourhood of the
+Japanese settlement.
+
+The Japanese settlement, into which we will now descend, is noteworthy
+for the activity and commercial enterprise shown by the subjects of the
+Mikado. It is remarkable, also, to notice the curious co-existence of
+sense and nonsense in the Jap's adoption of foreign customs. For
+instance, you see the generality of them dressed in European clothes, but
+nevertheless still sticking to the ancient custom of removing their
+boots on entering a house; a delightful practice, I agree, in Japan,
+where the climate is mild, but not in a country like Corea, where you
+have an average of sixty degrees of frost. Then again, the Japanese
+houses, the outer walls of which consist of tissue paper, seem hardly
+suited to such a climate as that of Corea. It is really comical to watch
+them as they squat in a body round a brass brasier, shivering and blue
+with cold, with thin flat faces and curved backs; reminding one very much
+of the large family of quadrumans at the Zoo on a cold day. Nevertheless,
+they are perfectly happy, though many die of pleurisy, consumption, and
+cold in the chest.
+
+The Japanese women dress, of course, in their national _kimonos_, and
+just as it is in Japan the fashion to show a little of the chest under
+the throat, so in Cho-sen the same custom is adopted; with the result
+that many are carried off by bronchitis to the next world.
+
+One cannot but admire the Japanese, however, for the cleanliness of their
+houses and for the good-will--sometimes too much of it--which they
+display as well in their commercial dealings as in their colonising
+schemes. The custom of daily bathing in water of a boiling-point
+temperature is carried on by them in Corea as in their own country,
+notwithstanding which I venture to say that the Japanese are very dirty
+people. This remark seems non-coherent and requires, I am afraid, some
+explanation.
+
+"How can they be dirty if they bathe every day? I call that being very
+clean," I fancy I hear you reply.
+
+So they would undoubtedly be, if they bathed in clean water; but,
+unfortunately, this is just what they do not do, and, to my uncivilised
+mind, bathing in filthy water seems ten times more dirty than not bathing
+at all. Just imagine a small tank of water in which dozens, if not
+hundreds, of people have been already boiled before you in your turn use
+it, and upon which float large "eyes" of greasy matter. Well, this is
+what every good Japanese is expected to immerse himself in, right up to
+his nose, for at least half an hour at a time! I cannot but admire them
+for their courage in doing it, but, certainly, from the point of view of
+cleanliness my view is quite different; for, really and truly, I have
+always failed to see where the "cleanliness" comes in. Persons belonging
+to the wealthier classes have small baths of their own, in the steaming
+hot liquid of which bask in turns the family itself, their friends, the
+children and servants; and probably the same water is used again and
+again for two or three days in succession.
+
+I remember well how horrified I was one evening, in the Land of the
+Rising Sun, when, on visiting a small village, I was, as a matter of
+politeness on their part, requested to join in the bath. Being a novice
+at Japanese experiences, and as their request was so pressing, I thanked
+them and accepted; whereupon, I was buoyantly led to the bath. Oh what a
+sight! Three skinny old women, "disgraces," I may almost call them, for
+certainly they could not be classified under the designation of "graces,"
+were sitting in a row with steaming water up to their necks, undergoing
+the process of being boiled. What! thought I, panic-stricken--am I to
+bathe with these three ... old lizards? Oh no, not I! and I made a rush
+for the door, greatly to the annoyance of the people, who not only
+considered me very dirty, but also very rude in not availing myself of
+their polite invitation! The next morning as I took my cold bath as usual
+in beautifully clean spring water, I was condemned and pitied as a
+lunatic! Such are the different customs of different people.
+
+[Illustration: THE PEKIN PASS]
+
+When visiting Seoul, it is well worth one's while to take a walk to the
+Pekin Pass, a _li_ or two outside the West Gate. The pass itself, which
+is cut into the rock, is situated on the road leading from Seoul to
+Pekin; which, by the way, is the road by which the envoys of the Chinese
+Emperor, following an ancient custom, travel overland with a view to
+claiming the tribute payable by the King of Corea. As a matter of fact,
+this custom of paying tribute had almost fallen into disuse, and China
+had not, for some years, I believe, enforced her right of suzerainty over
+the Corean peninsula, until the year 1890, when the envoys of the
+Celestial Emperor once again proceeded on their wearisome and long
+journey from Pekin to the capital of Cho-sen. It was here at the Pekin
+Pass, then, that, according to custom, they were received with great
+honour by the Coreans, and led into Seoul. It was at a large house,
+surrounded by a wall, on the road side, that these envoys were usually
+received and welcomed, either by the king in person or by some
+representative; and it was here that they were treated with refreshments
+and food, previously to being conducted in state into the capital, this
+being accomplished amidst the cheers of a Corean crowd, which, like
+other crowds, is always ready to cheer the last comer. At the Pekin Pass,
+a "triumphal arch"--for want of a better word--could be seen. It was a
+lofty structure, composed of two high columns, the lower part of these
+being of masonry, and the upper of lacquered wood, which supported a
+heavy roof of the orthodox Corean pattern, under which, about one-fourth
+down the columns, was a portion decorated with native fretwork of a
+somewhat rough type. The illustration represents this monument as it
+appeared in winter time, when the ground was covered with snow, beyond it
+being the square cut in the rocks, through which the road leads to
+Newchuang and Pekin.
+
+There are two types of individuals that are very interesting from a
+picturesque point of view; viz., the water-coolie, and the man who
+carries the huge locks and keys of the city gates.
+
+The water-coolie is almost as much of a "personality," as the _mapu_, in
+his rude independent ways. He displays much patience, and certainly
+deserves admiration for the amount of work he daily does, for very little
+pay. His work consists in carrying water, from morning until night, to
+whoever wants it. This is a simple enough process in summer time, but in
+winter matters are rather different, for now nearly all the fountains are
+frozen, and the water has to be drawn from a well. The water-coolie
+carries a peculiar arrangement on his shoulders, a long pole fastened
+cross-wise upon his shoulder-blades, by straps going under and round the
+arms; by which means he is enabled to carry two buckets of water at a
+time. The arrangement, though more complicated, is not dissimilar to
+that used for the same purpose, by women in Holland, or to that for
+carrying milk in many parts of Switzerland. In winter time the buckets of
+water become buckets of ice the moment they are drawn from the well, and
+then it is really pitiable to see these poor beggars with the skin of
+their hands all cracked and bleeding with the cold. They run along at a
+good pace when loaded, and show great judgment in avoiding collision,
+sighing as they go a loud _hess! hess! hess! hess!_ to which they keep
+time with their steps. They are considered about the lowest creatures in
+the kingdom, and enjoy some of the privileges of children and unmarried
+men as regards clothing; for instance, they generally wear a light blue
+jacket even when the country is in mourning. When on duty they never wear
+hats, and often no head-bands, having, instead, blue kerchiefs wrapt
+round the head. The inevitable long pipe is not forgotten, and is
+carried, after the fashion of the _mapu_, stuck down the back.
+
+[Illustration: A WATER-COOLIE]
+
+The lock-carrier, again, is by no means the dirtiest individual in the
+land of Cho-sen, at least as far as it was my good fortune to see.
+Nevertheless, his clothes are invariably in a state of dilapidation, and,
+though intended to be white, are usually black with grease and dirt. As
+he is employed by the Government he wears the deepest mourning; his face,
+and one half of his body being actually hidden under the huge hat
+provided for deep mourners. He seldom possesses a pair of padded socks
+and sandals, and in the coldest days walks about bare-footed with his
+trousers turned up to the knees. He is visible only at sunrise and
+sunset, when he goes on his round to all the city gates in order to
+inspect the locks and bring or take away the keys. Slung down his back,
+he carries a large leather bag, something like a tennis bag, which
+contains numberless iron implements of different shapes and weights. He
+appears to be friendless and despised by everybody, and I have never seen
+him talk to any one. I rather pitied the poor fellow as I saw him go
+night after night, with his long unwashed face and hands, along the
+rampart of the wall from one gate to another. _Apropos_ of this I once
+made a Corean very angry by remarking that "really the safety of the city
+could not be in dirtier hands."
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER IX
+
+The Corean house--Doors and windows--Blinds--Rooms--The "Kan"--Roasting
+alive--Furniture--Treasures--The kitchen--Dinner-set--Food--Intoxicants
+--Gluttony--Capacity for food--Sleep--Modes of illumination--Autographs
+--Streets--Drainage--Smell.
+
+
+Let us now see what a Corean household is like. But, first, as to the
+matter of house architecture. Here there is little difference to be
+observed between the house of the noble and that of the peasant, except
+that the former is generally cleaner-looking. The houses in Corea may be
+divided into two classes--those with thatched roofs of barley-straw, and
+those with roofs of tiles, stone and plaster. The latter are the best,
+and are inhabited by the well-to-do classes. The outside walls are of mud
+and stone, and the roof, when of tiles, is supported by a huge beam that
+runs from one end of the house to the other. The corners of the roof are
+usually curled up after the Chinese fashion. A stone slab runs along the
+whole length of the roof, and is turned up at the two ends, over the
+upper angle of the roof itself. The tiles are cemented at the two sides
+of this slab, and likewise at the lower borders of the roof. The windows,
+again, are rectangular and are placed directly under the roof, being in
+consequence well protected from the rain.
+
+Corean houses are never more than one storey high. The houses of
+officials and rich people are enclosed by a wall of masonry, the gate of
+which is surmounted by a small pagoda-like roof. In the case of the
+houses of great swells, like generals and princes, it is customary to
+have two and even three gates, which have to be passed through in
+succession before the door of the house is reached. The outer wall
+surrounding the _compound_ is seldom more than six or eight feet high,
+and, curiously enough, all along the top of the wall runs a narrow roof,
+the width of two tiles. This, besides being a sort of ornament, is of
+practical use in protecting it from the damp.
+
+One cannot call the Coreans great gardeners, for they seem to take
+comparatively little interest in the native _flora_. The richer people
+do, as a rule, have small gardens, which are nicely laid out with one or
+two specimens of the flowers they esteem and care to cultivate; but
+really ornamental gardens are few in number in the Land of Cho-sen.
+Kitchen gardens naturally are frequently found, even near the houses of
+the poorer people.
+
+One peculiarity, which characterises the majority of Corean houses of the
+better sort is that they are entered by the windows; these being provided
+with sliding latticed frames covered with tissue paper, and running on
+grooves to the sides, like the _Shojis_ of Japan. The tissue paper is
+often dipped in oil previous to being used on the sliding doors and
+windows, as it is then supposed to keep out the cold better than when
+left in its natural state. As the doors and windows of Cho-sen, however,
+very seldom have the quality of fitting tight, a Corean house is
+therefore quite a _rendezvous_ for draughts and currents of air.
+
+In summer time the windows and doors are kept open, or even removed
+altogether during the day-time, and then, in order to preserve that
+privacy of which every Corean is so proud, recourse is had to a capital
+dodge. At the end of the projecting roof, and immediately in front of the
+window or entrance, at the distance of a couple of feet, is hung a shade
+in the shape of a fine mat, made of numberless long strings of split
+bamboo, tied together in a parallel position by several silk strings
+which vary in number with the size of the mat. The use of these
+curtain-like barriers has several advantages. They protect the house from
+those troublesome visitors the flies; they let in the air, though not the
+sun, and, while the people who are in the house can plainly see through
+them what goes on in the street, no one on the outside can distinguish
+either those inside, or what is doing in the house. Good mats are very
+expensive, and difficult to obtain; therefore, it is only the better
+classes that can use them. Poorer folk are satisfied with very rough mats
+of rushes. It is also the custom for good citizens of the provinces to
+send the king at the New Year presents of a certain number of these mats,
+which, like the Indian shawls of Her Britannic Majesty, are given out
+again by him to the royal princes and highest officials. I was fortunate
+enough to be presented with two of these blinds by a high official, who
+was closely related to the king. They are a marvel of patient and careful
+work, as accurately and delicately done as if some machine had been
+employed. They are nearly six feet high, by five wide, and are yellow in
+colour with black, red, and green stripes painted at the top and bottom.
+In the centre is a very pretty, simple frieze, on the inside of which are
+some Corean characters.
+
+If a Corean house does not look very inviting when you look at it from
+the outside, still less does it when you are indoors. The smallness of
+the rooms and their lack of furniture, pictures, or ornaments are
+features not very pleasant to the eye. The rooms are like tiny boxes,
+between eight and ten feet long, less than this in width and about seven
+feet high. They are white all over with the exception of the floor, which
+is covered with thick, yellowish oil-paper. The poorest kind of Corean
+house consists of only a single room; the abode of the moderately
+well-off man, on the other hand, may have two or three, generally three
+rooms; though, of course, the houses of very high offices are found with
+a still larger number.
+
+The Corean process of heating the houses is somewhat original. It is a
+process used in a great part of Eastern Asia--and, to my mind, it is the
+only thoroughly barbaric custom which the Corean natives have retained.
+The flooring of the rooms consists of slabs of stone, under which is a
+large oven of the same extent as the room overhead, which oven, during
+the winter, is filled with a burning wood-fire, which is kept up day and
+night. What happens is generally this: The coolie whose duty it is to
+look after this oven, to avoid trouble fills it with wood and dried
+leaves up to the very neck, and sets these on fire and then goes to
+sleep; by which means the stone slabs get heated to such an extent that,
+sometimes, notwithstanding the thick oil paper which covers them, one
+cannot stand on them with bare feet.
+
+The Corean custom is to sleep on the ground in the padded clothes, using
+a wooden block as a pillow. The better classes, however, use also small,
+thin mattresses, covered with silk, which they spread out at night, and
+keep rolled up during the day-time. As the people sleep on the ground, it
+often happens that the floor gets so hot as to almost roast them, but the
+easy-going inhabitant of Cho-sen, does not seem to object to this
+roasting process--on the contrary, he seems almost to revel in it, and
+when well broiled on one side, he will turn over to the other, so as to
+level matters. While admiring the Coreans much for this proceeding, I
+found it extremely inconvenient to imitate them. I recollect well the
+first experience which I had of the use of a "Kan," which is the native
+name of the oven. On that occasion it was "made so hot" for me, that I
+began to think I had made a mistake, and that I had entered a crematory
+oven instead of a sleeping-room. Putting my fist through one of the paper
+windows to get a little air only made matters ten times worse, for half
+my body continued to undergo the roasting process, while the other half
+was getting unpleasantly frozen. To this day, it has always been a marvel
+to me, and an unexplainable fact that, those who use the "Kan" do not
+"wake up--dead" in the morning!
+
+The furniture of a Corean house, as I have hinted above, is neither over
+plentiful nor too luxurious. In fact, at the first glance, one is almost
+inclined to say that there is, so to speak, no furniture at all there.
+Possibly, a tiger or a leopard-skin may be found spread on the ground in
+the reception room; there may even be a rough minuscule chest of drawers
+in a corner, and a small, low writing-table near it, upon which probably
+rests a little jar with a flower or two in it; but rarely will you find
+much more. The bedrooms usually contain chests, in which the clothing is
+kept, but there is also a custom by which these are hung on pegs in a
+recess in the wall. The chests are covered with white parchment studded
+all over with brass nails, and further adorned with a brass lock and two
+handles of the same metal. When voyaging, the Coreans use these as
+trunks. Besides the rooms I have mentioned, the richer Corean has a
+special room, generally kept locked up, in which the treasures of the
+family are jealously safeguarded. The latter are in the shape of ancient
+native pictures, rolled up like the _Kakemonos_ of Japan, painted screens
+and vases of the Satsuma ware, the art of making which was taught to the
+Japanese by the Coreans, although now those who were formerly masters in
+the art cannot produce it. Some Coreans also possess valuable specimens
+of lacquer work, both of Chinese and Japanese origin, as well as a
+rougher kind of native production. None of these heirlooms are, however,
+ever brought to light, and it is only on rare and very grand occasions,
+such as marriages, deaths, or national rejoicings, that one or two
+articles are brought into the reception-room for the day, to be again
+carefully packed up and stored away at night. The idea, which prevails in
+Japan, is also current here, namely, that it is bad form to make a great
+show of what one possesses, and that the wealthier a man is, the less
+should he disclose the fact and the simpler should he live, that he may
+not so excite the envy of his fellow countrymen. Self-denial and
+self-inflicted discomforts are virtues much appreciated in the Land of
+Cho-sen, and when a nobleman sets a good example in this respect it is
+invariably thought highly of, and emulated by others. Indeed, the
+conversation of the whole town is often concentrated on some small act of
+benevolence done by such and such a prince, nobleman or magistrate.
+
+But the kitchen must not be forgotten. Its most striking contents are the
+large earthenware vases, similar in shape and size to the _orcis_ of
+Italy, in which the top-knotted native keeps his wine, water, barley and
+rice. Then there are numberless shining brass cups, saucers, and bowls of
+various sizes. The latter forms the Corean dinner-service. Every piece of
+this is made of brass. The largest bowls are used, one for soup, and the
+other for rice; the next in size, for wine and water respectively; while
+the smaller ones are for bits of vegetables and sauces--which latter are
+used by the natives in profusion. Curiously enough, in the Land of the
+Morning Calm they manufacture a sauce which is, so far as I could judge,
+identical in taste and colour with our well-known Worcester sauce.
+
+The Coreans eat their food with chopsticks, but contrary to the habits of
+their neighbours, the Chinese and the Japanese, spoons also are used. The
+chopsticks are of very cheap wood, and fresh ones are used at nearly
+every meal. The diet also is much more varied than in either of the
+neighbouring countries, and game, venison, raw fish, beef, pork, fowls,
+eggs, and sea-weed are much appreciated. As for fruits, the Coreans get
+simply mad over them, the most favourite being the persimmons, of which
+they eat large quantities both fresh and dried. Apples, pears and plums
+are also plentifully used.
+
+The Cho-sen people have three meals a day. The first is partaken of early
+in the morning, and is only a light one; then comes lunch in the middle
+of the day, a good square meal; and finally the Tai-sek, a great meal, in
+the evening, at which Corean voracity is exhibited to the best advantage.
+The climate being so much colder than that of Japan, it is only natural
+that the Cho-senese should use more animal food and fat than do the
+landsman of the Mikado. Pork and beef, barely roasted and copiously
+condimented with pepper and vinegar, are devoured in large quantities.
+The Coreans also have a dish much resembling the Italian maccaroni or
+vermicelli. Of this large bowls may be seen at all the eating-shops in
+Seoul, and it is as a food apparently more cherished by members of the
+lower than by those of the upper classes. Previous to being eaten, it is
+dipped in a very flavoury sauce, and, although they are not quite so
+graceful in the art of eating as are the Neapolitan _Lazzaroni_, still
+with the help of a spoon and as many fingers as are available, the Corean
+natives seem to manage to swallow large quantities of this in a very
+short time.
+
+Among the lower classes in Corea tea is almost unknown as a beverage. In
+its stead they delight in drinking the whitish stuff produced by the rice
+when it has been boiled in water, or as an alternative, infusions of
+ginsang. They also brew at home two or three different kinds of liquor of
+different strengths and tastes, by fermenting barley, rice and millet.
+The beer of fermented rice is not at all disagreeable, and their light
+wine also is, so far as wines go, even palatable. However, I may as well
+state once for all that I am no judge of these matters, and, as my time
+is chiefly employed in the art of oil-painting, and not in that of
+drinking, I hope to be excused if I think myself better up in "oils" than
+in wines!!
+
+Presuming that my reader has survived this pun, I will now go on to state
+that it is a common thing in Corea to begin a dinner with sweets, and
+that another curious custom is for all present to drink out of the same
+bowl of wine passed round and of course re-filled when empty. The dinner
+is served on tiny tables rising only a few inches above the ground, and
+similar to those of Japan. Fish, as is the case with most Easterners, are
+eaten raw; first, however, being dipped in the liquid which resembles
+Worcestershire sauce. To cook a fish is simply looked upon as a shameful
+way of, spoiling it, unless it has gone bad, when, of course, cooking
+becomes necessary. Fish are, however, most prized by the Coreans when
+just taken out of the water.
+
+Hard-boiled eggs form another favourite dish in the land of Cho-sen, and
+turnips, potatoes, and a large radish similar to the _daikon_ of Japan,
+are also partaken of at Corean dinners. The poorer classes seem to relish
+highly a dreadful-looking salad, of a small fish much resembling
+whitebait, highly flavoured with quantities of pepper, black sauce and
+vinegar, with bits of pork-meat frequently thrown in. The whole thing
+has an unpleasant brownish colour, and the smell of it reminded me much
+of a photographer's dark room when collodion is in use, except that the
+smell of the fish-salad is considerably stronger.
+
+The Coreans excel and even surpass themselves in cooking rice. This is
+almost an art with them, and the laurels for high achievements in it
+belong to the women, for it is to them that work of this kind is
+entrusted. Sometimes the Cho-senese make a kind of pastry, but they have
+nothing at all resembling our bread. Rice takes the place of the last
+mentioned, and though, so far as I could see, the fair ladies of Cho-sen
+were somewhat casual in the exercise of the culinary art, they really
+took enormous trouble to boil the rice properly. It is first well washed
+in a large pail, and properly cleaned; then it undergoes a process of
+slow boiling in plenty of water in such a way that, while quite soft and
+delicious to the taste, each grain retains its shape and remains
+separate, instead of making the kind of paste produced by our method of
+boiling it. The whitish water left behind after the rice has been removed
+is, as we have seen, used as a cooling beverage. In some respects the
+Corean diet approaches the Chinese and the Indian, rather than the
+Japanese; for many a time have I seen men in Corea eat their rice mixed
+with meat and fish, well covered with strong sauce, in the shape of a
+_curry_; whereas in Japan the boiled rice is always in a bowl apart and
+eaten separately.
+
+The Corean mind seems to lay great stress upon the quantity of food that
+the digestive organs will bear. Nothing gives more satisfaction to a
+Corean than to be able to pat his tightly-stretched stomach, and, with a
+deep sigh of relief, say: "Oh, how much I have eaten!" Life, according to
+them, would not be worth living if it were not for eating. Brought up
+under a regime of this kind, it is not astonishing that their capacity
+for food is really amazing. I have seen a Corean devour a luncheon of a
+size that would satisfy three average Europeans, and yet after that, when
+I was anxiously expecting to see him burst, fall upon a large dish of
+dried persimmons, the heaviest and most indigestible things in existence.
+"They look very good," said he, as he quickly swallowed one, and with his
+supple fingers undid the beautiful bow of his girdle and loosened it,
+thus apparently providing for more space inside. "I shall eat one or
+two," he murmured, as he was in the act of swallowing the second; and, in
+less than no time the whole of the fruit had passed from the dish into
+his digestive organs, and he was intently gathering up, with the tips of
+his licked fingers, the few grains of sugar left at the bottom of the
+dish.
+
+"I was unwell and had no appetite to-day," he then innocently remarked,
+as he lifted up his head.
+
+"Oh, I hope you will come again when you are quite well," said I, "but
+you must promise not to eat the table, because it does not belong to me."
+
+A good deal of the native voracity is due, however, not to this
+insatiable appetite and gluttony alone, but also to Corean etiquette,
+according to which it shows a want of respect to the host and is a mark
+of great rudeness not to eat all that is placed before one. If all is not
+eaten they argue that you do not like it and consider it to be badly
+cooked or inferior to what you have at home. The notion of a normal
+capacity is strange to them, and never even enters their mind. They are
+trained from childhood to eat huge quantities of food, and to take
+heartily all that they can get. I have seen children with thin little
+bellies so extended after a meal, in the course of which they had been
+stuffed with rice and barley, that they could hardly walk or even
+breathe. I recollect on one occasion remarking to a mother, who was
+beamingly showing me her child in a similar condition: "Are you not
+afraid that his skin will give way?" "Oh no! Look!" Upon which she
+stuffed down his little throat three or four more spoonfuls of rice. I
+have been thankful ever since that I was not born a Corean child.
+
+When the Coreans eat in their own houses, the men of the family take
+their meals first, being waited on by their wives and servants; after
+which the females have their repast in a separate room. The women seldom
+drink intoxicants, and have to be satisfied with water and rice-wash.
+
+It is the duty of the wife to look after the welfare of her husband, and
+when she has fed him, and he has drowsily laid himself down on the
+ground, or on his little mattress, as the case may be, she retires, and
+after having had her food either goes to see her friends or to wash her
+master's clothes, or else goes to sleep.
+
+The people of Cho-sen are fond of keeping late hours; and yet I believe
+there are no people in the world who are more fond of sleep. So far as my
+observations go, the richer people spend their lives entirely in eating
+and sleeping. Whenever I went to call on a Corean gentleman, I
+invariably found him either gorging or in the arms of Morpheus. Naturally
+a life of this sort makes the upper classes soft, and somewhat
+effeminate. They are much given to sensual pleasures, and many a man of
+Cho-sen is reduced to a perfect wreck when he ought to be in his prime.
+The habit of drinking more than is proper is really a national
+institution, and what with over feeding, drunkenness, and other vices it
+is not astounding that the upper ten do not show to great advantage. The
+Coreans are most irregular in their habits, for, slumbering as they do at
+all hours of the day, they often feel sleepless at night, and are
+compelled in consequence to sit up. On these occasions songs are roused,
+and dominoes (san-pi-yen), chess (chan-kin), or occasionally card games
+are started until another _siesta_ is felt to be required. Cards,
+however, are seldom played by the upper classes; for they are considered
+a low amusement, only fit for coolies and soldiers. On grand occasions it
+is not unusual for the _bon-vivant_ of Cho-sen to sit up all night, with
+his friends, feasting to such an extent that he and his guests are ill
+for months afterwards.
+
+The Corean nobleman, as may well be imagined, suffers from chronic
+indigestion, and whenever one happens to inquire after his health the
+answer invariably is: "I have eaten something that has disagreed with me,
+I have a pain here." And the hand is placed on the chest, in a mournful
+but expressive enough attitude.
+
+The modes of illumination adopted in the Corean household are few and
+simple. The most common illuminant consists of grease candles, supported
+on high candlesticks, of wood or brass, but sometimes oil cup-lamps are
+found, like those we use for night-lights. The latter, however, do not
+give out much light, and so candles, which are marvellously cheap, are
+preferred, although unfortunately they melt quickly, and smoke and smell
+in a dreadful fashion.
+
+Besides the various articles of domestic furniture which I have
+mentioned, I don't think I saw any others worth noticing, except perhaps
+the "autograph" of some great man, to which the Coreans attach much
+importance. The paper, on which the "character" is written, is stretched
+on a wooden frame and hung in a prominent place, generally over the
+entrance, and whenever a new visitor enters the house, the first thing
+shown him is the "autograph," and it is his duty then to compliment his
+host on his good fortune of possessing it.
+
+We have now examined all the various striking features characteristic of
+the Corean household. Let us, then, now go outside again. The streets of
+the town could not be more tortuous and irregular. With the exception of
+the main thoroughfares, most of the streets are hardly wide enough to let
+four people walk abreast. The drainage is carried away in uncovered
+channels alongside the house, in the street itself; and, the windows
+being directly over these drains, the good people of Cho-sen, when inside
+their homes, cannot breathe without inhaling the fumes exhaled from the
+fetid matter stagnant underneath. When rain falls, matters get somewhat
+better; for then the running water cleans these canals to a considerable
+extent. During the winter months, also, things are passable enough, for
+then everything is frozen; but, in the beginning of spring, when frozen
+nature undergoes the process of thawing, then it is that one wishes to be
+deprived of his nose. At the entrance of each house a stone slab is
+thrown across to the doorway so as to cover the ditch. Only the
+foundations of the town houses are made of solid stone, well cemented,
+but in the case of country dwellings these are extended upwards so as to
+make up one-half of the whole height, the upper part being of mud, stuck
+on to a rough matting of bamboos and split canes.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER X
+
+A Corean marriage--How marriages are arranged--The wedding ceremony--The
+document--In the nuptial-chamber--Wife's conduct--Concubines--Widows
+--Seduction--Adultery--Purchasing a husband--Love--Intrigue--Official
+"squeezing"--The cause.
+
+
+Among the several misfortunes, or fortunes, if you prefer the word, with
+which a Corean man has to put up is an early marriage. He is hardly born,
+when his father begins to look out for a wife for him, and scarcely has
+he time to know that he is living in the world at all than he finds
+himself wedded.... The Coreans marry very young. I have seen boys of ten
+or twelve years of age who had already discarded the bachelor's long
+tress hanging down the back, and were wearing the top-knot of the married
+man. It must not be supposed, however, that these youthful married men
+are really wedded in the strict sense of the word, for, as a matter of
+fact, though husband and wife in the eyes of the world, the two do not
+live together till the age of puberty is reached. In other words, the
+marriage is for several years only a nominal one, and corresponds rather
+to our "engagement." There are duties, none the less, which a married man
+must perform, no matter how youthful he may be. From the moment he is
+wedded he must be a man, however childlike in years, and henceforth he
+can associate only with men. His infantile games, romps with other
+children who are still bachelors, spinning tops and all other amusements,
+which he so much enjoyed, are suddenly brought to an end and he is now
+compelled to be as sedate as an old man.
+
+The illustration (p. 79) shows a young married man of the age of twelve,
+a relation of the queen. As I was taking his portrait, I asked him how he
+liked his wife and what her appearance was.
+
+"I do not know," he said, "for I have only seen her once, and I have as
+yet never spoken to her."
+
+"But, then, how can you like her?"
+
+"Because it is my father's wish that I should, and I must obey my
+father."
+
+"Does your father know the girl well?"
+
+"No, but he knows her father."
+
+"And what does your mother say?"
+
+"She says nothing."
+
+"Why?"
+
+"Because she is dead."
+
+I found this an excellent reason for the silence on the mother's side and
+I proceeded with the picture, but once again attacked him with the view
+of, if possible, obtaining further information.
+
+"When will you go and live with your wife?"
+
+"When I shall be nineteen or twenty years old."
+
+The whole arrangement seemed to me so strange that I naturally longed for
+further details about marital relations in Cho-sen. The facts as told to
+me are as follows: In Cho-senese weddings the two people least concerned
+are the bride and bridegroom. Everything, or at least nearly everything,
+is done for them, either by their relations or through the agency of a
+middle-man. When both the persons to be wedded possess fathers, a
+friendly _pourparler_ takes place between the two papas and in the course
+of repeated libations of wine, the terms are settled, and with the help
+of a "wise man" a lucky day is named, upon which the wedding shall take
+place. On the other hand, should the bridegroom have no father, then a
+middle-man is appointed by the nearest relations to carry on the
+transaction with the girl's progenitor. It is not uncommon for two
+persons to be married several years without ever having seen each other.
+This, for instance, may be the case when the young lady resides in a
+distant province, and a journey of inspection would be too expensive.
+Under such circumstances the bridegroom must just patiently wait until,
+perhaps, years after, the bride undertakes the journey herself and comes
+to live with him in his house.
+
+After all, on thinking the matter over and bearing in mind that with us a
+marriage is indeed _a_ lottery, I cannot see why the Corean wedding
+should not be equivalent to _two_ lotteries! Very often, weddings are
+arranged by letter, in which case misunderstandings frequently occur. For
+instance, a father who has two daughters, a sound one and a cripple, may
+have arranged for the one in good condition to be married to a charming
+young man of good education and means. When the day of the wedding,
+however, arrives, judge of the surprise of the bridegroom to see himself
+on the point of being united in matrimony with a humpback lame creature,
+with a face and limbs all out of drawing--in place of the ideal beauty
+whom he had expected to obtain. What is to be done? There is the written
+agreement, down in black and white, and signed by his incautious father,
+and there the father of the maid swearing that it was "this" daughter he
+meant to give him, not the beautiful one! What is to be done under such
+circumstances so as not to cause grief to his parent, except to go
+through with the wedding with courage and dignity, and to provide himself
+with some good-looking concubines at the earliest opportunity?
+
+The practice of having concubines is a national institution and of the
+nature of polygamy. These second wives are not exactly recognised by the
+Government, but they are tolerated and openly allowed. The legal wife
+herself is well aware of the fact, and, though not always willing to have
+these rivals staying under the same roof, she does not at all object to
+receiving them and entertaining them in her own quarters--if her lord and
+master orders her to do so. There are, nevertheless, strong-minded women
+in the land of Cho-sen, who resent the intrusion of these thirds, and
+family dissension not unfrequently results from the husband indulging in
+such conduct. Should the wife abandon her master's roof in despair he can
+rightfully have her brought back and publicly spanked with an instrument
+like a paddle, a somewhat severe punishment, which is apt to bring back
+to reason the most ill-tempered and strong-willed woman. Such a thing,
+though, very seldom happens, for, as women go, the Corean specimens of
+feminine humanity seem to be very sensible, and not much given to
+jealousy or to worrying their little heads unnecessarily about such
+small failings. They are perfectly well aware that their husbands cannot
+easily divorce them, when once the fatal knot has been tied, and that,
+though practically inferior beings and slaves, they nevertheless come
+first, and are above their rivals in the eye of the law; which, I
+suppose, is satisfaction enough for them. Even when on friendly terms
+with her husband's second loves, the wife number one never forgets to
+impress them with the fact that, though tolerated, they are considered by
+her to be much lower beings than herself; which makes them feel all the
+more her studied politeness to them. Occasionally, however, even the
+cool-headed Corean woman gets possessed with the vice of envy--sometimes
+mixed with hatred--with the result that reciprocal scratches and tearings
+of the hair become _l'ordre du jour_. But to condescend to such means of
+asserting one's authority is looked down upon by the more respectable
+women; and suffering in silence is pronounced to be a nobler way of
+acting under the circumstances, the woman thus setting an example of good
+nature eliciting the admiration of all her neighbours.
+
+The wedding ceremony in Cho-sen is simple. It is not celebrated as with
+us, in the house of the bride, but in that of the bridegroom. The bride
+it is, who--carried in a palanquin, if a lady of means and good family,
+or on pony or donkey back, if she belongs to the lower classes--goes,
+followed by parents, relations and friends, to the house of the
+bridegroom. Here she finds assembled his friends and relations, and,
+having been received by the father of the bridegroom, she mounts a small
+platform erected for the purpose in the centre of the room and squats
+down. Her father follows suit, placing himself just behind her. The
+bridegroom, apparently unconcerned by the serious change in his life that
+is in prospect, sits on his heels in front of her on the platform. A
+document is then produced and unrolled, on which, in hundreds of
+fantastic Chinese characters, it is certified that the performance taking
+place is a _bona-fide_ marriage between Mr. So-and-so and the daughter of
+So-and-so; the weaker sex, as we have already seen, not being entitled to
+a personal name. The two contracting parties having signed the document,
+the fathers of the bride and bridegroom and the nearest relations, follow
+suit. If, as happens in many cases, the woman is able neither to read nor
+write, she can make "her mark" on the roll of paper in question; and I
+must confess that of all the ingenious marks I have seen, this one is the
+most ingenious of all. If she be a lady of rank and illiterate, her
+little hand is placed on the paper and the outline drawn round the
+fingers and wrist with a fine brush dipped in Chinese ink; but if she
+happens to have no blue blood in her veins, and is, therefore, of less
+gracious manners, the simpler process of smearing her hand with black
+paint and hitting the document with it is considered to render the
+ceremony more impressive. A more or less vivid impression of the wife's
+fleshly seal having been affixed in this way to some part or other of the
+document according to her skill in aiming, the two unfortunates resume
+their dignity on the platform, sitting face to face without a word or
+motion. The bridegroom then makes four grand bows to his wife, in sign of
+resignation or assent, I suppose; and she returns two, while she treats
+her father-in-law with double that amount of reverence. This constitutes
+the marriage ceremony proper, but much further bowing has to be gone
+through by both the parties to each of the people present, who,
+accompanying their wedding-gifts of birds and fish with pretty
+compliments, come forward, one by one, to the platform and drink the
+health, happiness and joy of the wedded pair. It is the duty of the bride
+to remain perfectly mute and apparently unconcerned at all the pretty
+speeches addressed to her by the bridegroom and his friends until the
+nuptial-chamber is entered later in the evening. Previous to this,
+however, the bridegroom is taken away into the men's apartment, while, on
+the other hand, the wife is led into the ladies' own room. The former
+then has his tress cut off and tied into a top-knot--an operation
+entrusted to his best friend; while the latter also has her hair changed
+from the fashion of the maiden to that of a married woman, by her most
+intimate friend. It is only after this change in the coiffure that a man
+begins to be taken notice of in the world, or is regarded as responsible
+for his own conduct.
+
+After being arrayed in the fashion just mentioned, and having gone
+through a good deal of feasting, husband and wife are led off to the
+nuptial-chamber. Here, numerous straw puppets, which had better be left
+undescribed, are placed, with a certain implication, which need not be
+explained. With these, then, the two poor wretches are shut in, while all
+the relations and servants sit outside giggling and listening at the
+door. The wife is not supposed to utter a sound, and if by chance her
+voice is heard she can fully expect to have her life chaffed out of her,
+and to be the talk and the cause of good-natured fun all over the
+neighbourhood. The middle-men--either the fathers or others--are entitled
+to assist at the first-night business, and to report to the relations and
+friends whether the marriage is to turn out a happy one or not. They
+generally act their part behind a screen placed for the purpose in the
+nuptial-chamber.
+
+What happens is generally this: the man either takes a violent fancy for
+his new bride or else he does not care for her. If the former is the
+case, the first fortnight or so is a very happy one for the couple, and
+the two are continually by each other's side; but, by-and-by, of course,
+the ardour of these days gets quieted down, and, to show his wife that
+after all he does not think much of her, the man will even proceed to
+enter into relationship with a second wife, and probably soon after that
+also with a third or even a fourth, according to his means. After a time,
+he will again return to the first and principal wife, and repeat to her a
+certain amount of affection, though never quite so much as is displayed
+towards the last love. The Corean treats his wife with dignity and
+kindness, and feeds her well, but she is never allowed to forget that she
+is an inferior personage. To this, however, the women of Cho-sen seem
+quite resigned, and it is marvellous how faithful they are to their
+husbands, and how much they seem to think of them and their welfare and
+happiness, their own selves being quite forgotten. Should a woman of the
+better classes be left, a widow, she must wear mourning as long as she
+lives, and ever shed tears over the loss of her husband. To re-marry she
+is not permitted. Women of the lower classes, it is true, do not always
+observe this rule--which is not law, but merely etiquette.
+
+Many a Cho-sen lady, also, on finding herself deprived of her better half
+when she is still young in years and physique voluntarily puts an end to
+her days, that she may join her husband, wherever he may have gone,
+rather than go through life alone. If, however, a son is born, she will
+nurse him, and look upon him as her master when he grows older and
+becomes the head of the family.
+
+To obtain a divorce in Corea is not an easy matter. Large sums of money,
+however, often obtain what right cannot. The principal causes for which,
+if proved, a divorce can be obtained, are: infidelity, sterility,
+dishonesty, and incurable malady. These faults, be it understood, only
+apply to women, for against the men the weaker sex has, unfortunately, no
+redress. Indeed, by the law of Corea a man becomes the owner of a woman
+if he can prove that he has had intimate relations with her. In such a
+case as this, even though it has been against her parents' and her own
+will, he has a perfect right to take her to his house, and make her a
+wife or a concubine.
+
+Adultery until lately was punished in Corea with flogging and capital
+punishment. Now the law is more lenient, and wives accused of such a
+dreadful offence are beaten nearly to death, and when recovered, if they
+do recover, are given as concubines to low officials in the Palace or at
+some of the _Yamens_.
+
+Women who are much deformed and have reached a certain age without
+finding a husband are allowed the privilege of purchasing one, which, in
+other words, corresponds to our marriage for money. In Corea, however,
+the money is paid down as the consideration for the marriage. But this
+sort of thing is not very frequent, and husbands in such cases are
+generally recruited from among ruined gentlemen or from the middle
+classes, among whom with money anything can be done. It is not considered
+quite honourable, and the Cho-senese despise such conduct on the part of
+a man.
+
+When a woman marries she becomes co-proprietress of all her husband's
+fortune and property, and should he die without having any sons, money
+and land descend to her. When this happens, however, the larger part of
+the fortune is swallowed up by the astrologers and priests, who give the
+woman to understand that they are looking after the welfare of her
+deceased beloved. In matters concerning the dead, the Coreans are
+heedless of expense, and large sums are spent in satisfying the wishes
+that dead people convey to the living through those scamps, the
+astrologers.
+
+The life of a Corean woman, though that of a slave kept in strict
+seclusion, with prospects of floggings and head-chopping, is not always
+devoid of adventures. Love is a thing which is capricious in the extreme,
+and there are stories current in Cho-sen about young, wives being
+carelessly looked after by their husbands, and falling in love with some
+good-looking youth, of course married to some one else. Having, perhaps,
+against her master's orders, made a hole through the paper window, and
+been peeping at the passers-by in the street, after months, or even years
+of drudgery and sleepless nights thinking of her ideal--for Corean women
+are passionate, and much given to fanciful affections--she at last
+chances to see the man of her heart, and manages, through the well-paid
+agency of some faithful servant, to enter into communication with him. If
+the man in question happens to be a high official or a nobleman, what
+happens generally is that the lady's husband either gets suddenly packed
+off by order of the King to some distant province, or is sent upon some
+travelling employment which probably necessitates his leaving his wife
+behind for several years, during which period, under the old-fashioned
+excuse of news received of the husband's death, or the plea of poverty,
+she very likely becomes the concubine of the man she loves. In Corean
+literature, there are many stories of the burning affections of the fair
+sex, some being said to have committed crimes, and even suicide, to be
+near the man they loved.
+
+To a European mind, certainly, the native way of arranging marriages does
+not seem very likely to make the contracting parties happy, for neither
+the tastes nor respective temperaments of the young couple are regarded.
+Still, taking everything into consideration, it is marvellous how little
+unhappiness--comparatively--there is in a Corean household. Besides, it
+must not be supposed that, slave though she be, the Corean woman never
+gets things her own way. On the contrary, she does, and that as often as
+she likes. Among the upper classes, especially those about the Court,
+half the trouble in the kingdom is caused by the women, not openly,
+indeed, but in a clever underhand way through their _enerve_ husbands,
+whom, instead of being the governors, they rule and lead by the nose.
+Promotions, punishments, and beheadings are generally the consequence of
+the work of some female fiend. There is probably no place in the world in
+which intrigue is so rampant as in the Corean Capital. The Queen herself
+is said to exercise an enormous influence over the King, and, according
+to Corean reports, it is really she, and not the King, that rules
+Cho-sen. She is never either seen or heard of; and yet all the officials
+are frightened out of their lives if they think they have incurred her
+displeasure. For no plausible reason whatever men are sometimes seen
+deprived of their high position, degraded and exiled. Nobody knows why it
+is; the accused themselves cannot account for it. There is only one
+answer possible, namely, _Cherchez la femme_. The fact is, a Corean woman
+can be an angel and she can be a devil. If the former, she is soft, good,
+willing to bear any amount of pain, incredibly faithful to her husband,
+painstaking with her children, and willing to work day and night without
+a word of reproach. If, however, she is the other thing, I do not think
+that any devils in existence can beat her. She then has all the bad
+qualities that a human body can contain. I firmly believe that when a
+Corean woman is bad she is capable of anything! Much of the distress,
+even, which prevails all over the country is more or less due to the
+weakness of the stronger sex towards the women. Everybody, I suppose, is
+aware of the terrible system of "squeezing"; that is to say, the
+extortion of money from any one who may possess it. It is really painful
+all over Corea to see the careworn, sad expression on everybody's face;
+you see the natives lying about idle and pensive, doubtful as to what
+their fate will be to-morrow, all anxious for a reform in the mode of
+government, yet all too lazy to attempt to better their position, and
+this has gone on for generations! Such is human nature. It is hard to
+suffer, but this is considered to be nothing compared with the trouble of
+improving one's position.
+
+"What is the use of working and making money," said a Corean once to me,
+"if, when the work is done and the money made, it is taken from you by
+the officials; you are worn out by the work you have done, yet are as
+poor as before, that is, mind you, if you are fortunate enough not to be
+exiled to a distant province by the magistrate who has enriched himself
+at your expense?" "Now," added the Cho-senese, looking earnestly into my
+face, "would you work under those circumstances?" "I am hanged if I
+would," were the words which, to the best of my ability, I struggled to
+translate into the language of Cho-sen, in order to show my approval of
+these philosophic views; "but, tell me, what do the officials do with all
+the money?"
+
+"It is all spent in pleasure. Women are their ruin. The feasts which they
+celebrate with their singers and their concubines cost immense sums of
+money. Besides, their women are like leeches, and continually incite them
+to extort more and more from the public to satisfy their ambition and
+evil habits. They are women mostly born in dirt, but who now find
+themselves in lavishness and luxury. People who spring up from nothing
+never are satisfied with what they possess, and it is always a pleasure
+to them to see other people suffering as they formerly did."
+
+There is little doubt that what the Corean said is perfectly true, and
+that the system of "squeezing" is carried on by the magistrates to such
+an extent as to entirely ruin the people; wherefore, it is only natural
+that its depressing effects should be impressed upon the people
+"squeezed." I also believe that there is a good deal of truth in what he
+said about their females being supplied with large funds by the
+magistrates. The money must come from some part, and since, personally,
+they are poor and only receive a small pay, there is no doubt that the
+money in question is extorted as described. But let this suffice for the
+good and bad qualities of the Cho-sen fairies and their funny way of
+being married.
+
+[Illustration: THE MARK]
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XI
+
+Painting in Seoul--Messages from the king--Royal princes sitting for
+their portraits--Breaking the mourning law--Quaint notions--Delight and
+despair--Calling in of State ceremony--Corean soldiers--How they mount
+guard--Drill--Honours--A much admired shoe--A gift.
+
+
+I had made so many sketches in Seoul, that at last a rumour reached the
+Court of the rapidity with which I portrayed streets and people. The
+consequence was that both king and princes were very anxious to see what
+"European painting" was like, as they had never yet seen a picture
+painted by a European; so one fine day, to my great astonishment, through
+the kindness of Mr. Greathouse and General Le Gendre, I was able to
+induce one of the Queen's nephews, young Min-san-ho, to sit for his
+likeness in his Court dress. The picture, a life-size one, was painted in
+the course of an afternoon and was pronounced a success by my Corean
+critics. In Cho-senese eyes, unaccustomed to the effects of light, shade,
+and variety of colour in painting, the work merited a great deal of
+admiration, and many were the visitors who came to inspect it. It was
+not, they said, at all like a picture, but just like the man himself
+sitting donned in his white Court robes and winged cap. So great was the
+sensation produced by this portrait, that before many days had passed
+the King ordered it to be brought into his presence, upon which being
+done he sat gazing at it, surrounded by his family and whole household.
+The painting was kept at the Palace for two entire days, and when
+returned to me was simply covered with finger marks, royal and not royal,
+smeared on the paint, which was still moist, and that, notwithstanding
+that I had been provident enough to paste in a corner of the canvas a
+label in the Corean language to the effect that fingers were to be kept
+off. The King declared himself so satisfied with it that he expressed the
+wish that before leaving the country I should paint the portraits of the
+two most important personages in Cho-sen after himself, viz.: the two
+Princes, Min-Young-Huan, and Min-Young-Chun, the former of whom was
+Commander-in-chief of the Corean land forces, and the other, Prime
+Minister of the kingdom, in fact, the Bismarck of Cho-sen.
+
+No sooner had I answered "yes" to this request than the sitting was fixed
+for the next morning at 11 o'clock. The crucial matter, of course, was
+the question of precedence, and this would have been difficult to settle
+had not the Prime Minister caught a bad cold, which caused his sitting to
+be delayed for some days. Hence it was that at 11 o'clock punctually I
+was to portray prince Min-Young-Huan, the commander-in-chief of the
+Corean troops.
+
+[Illustration: H.R.H. PRINCE MIN-YOUNG-HUAN]
+
+General Le Gendre, with his usual kindness, had offered me a room in his
+house, in which I could receive, and paint His Royal Highness. The
+excitement at Court on the subject of these pictures, had apparently been
+great, for late at night a message was brought me from the palace to
+the effect that the King, having heard that I preferred painting the two
+princes in their smartest dark blue gowns of lovely silk instead of in
+their white mourning ones, had given Min orders to comply with my wish.
+The grant of such a privilege was, indeed, remarkable, when it is
+remembered how strict the rules as to mourning were, not only at Court,
+but all over the country; for so strict are the mourning rules of the
+country, that the slightest exception to them may mean the loss of one's
+head. The precaution, however, was taken to bind me to secrecy, on the
+ground that a bad example of this kind coming from royalty might actually
+cause a revolutionary outbreak. It was naturally with the greatest
+pleasure, at my success, and the courtesy shown me, that I went to bed,
+not, however, without having received yet another message from General Le
+Gendre, asking me to be in attendance punctually at 11 A.M.
+
+It was just 6.30 in the morning, when there was a loud tap at my door,
+and the servant rushed in, in the wildest state of excitement, handing me
+a note from General Le Gendre. The note read somewhat as follows: "Dear
+Mr. Landor, Prince Min has arrived at my house to sit for his picture.
+Please come at once."
+
+That is punctuality, is it not? To make an appointment, and go to the
+place to keep it four-and-a-half hours before the time appointed!
+
+In less than no time I was on the spot. Le Gendre's house was, as it
+were, in a state of siege, for hundreds of armed soldiers were drawn up,
+in the little lane leading to it, while the court of his compound was
+crammed with followers and officers, in their smartest clothes. The
+warriors, who had already made themselves comfortable, and were squatting
+on their heels, playing cards and other games, got up most respectfully
+as I passed, and, by command of one of the officers, rendered me a
+military salute, which I must confess made me feel very important. I had
+never suspected that such an armed force was necessary to protect a man
+who was going to have his portrait painted, but of course, I am well
+aware that artists are always most unreliable people. When the real
+reason of this display was explained, I did indeed feel much flattered.
+
+The Prince had, in fact, come to me in his grandest style, and with his
+full escort, just as if his object had been to call on some royal
+personage, such as the King himself. The compliment was, I need hardly
+say, much appreciated by me. I was actually lifted up the steps of the
+house by his servants, for it was supposed that the legs of such a grand
+personage must indeed be incapable of bearing his body, and thus I was
+brought into his presence. As usual, he was most affable, and full of wit
+and fun. So great had been his anxiety to be down on canvas, that he had
+been quite unable to sleep. He could only wish for the daylight to come,
+which was to immortalise him, and that was why he had come "a little"
+before his time.
+
+Having assured himself that there was no one else in the room, he
+discarded his mourning clothes, and put on a magnificent blue silk gown
+with baggy sleeves, upon which dragons were depicted, in rather lighter
+tones. On his chest, he wore a square on which in multicoloured
+embroideries were represented the flying phoenix and the tiger, and the
+corners of which were filled in artistically with numerous scrolls. He
+had also a rectangular jewelled metal belt, projecting both at his chest
+and at the back, and held in position by a ribbon on both sides of his
+body. His cap was of the finest black horse-hair with wings fastened at
+the back. He seemed most proud of his three white leather satchels, and a
+writing pad, which hung down from his left side, by wide white straps.
+Into these straps, in time of war, is passed the sword of supreme
+command, and by them in time of peace is his high military rank made
+known. His sword was a magnificent old blade, which had been handed down
+from his ancestors, and naturally he was very proud of it. While showing
+it to me, he related the noble deeds, which had been accomplished by its
+aid, his eyes glistening all the time, but, as he was about to
+graphically describe in what way such and such an ancestor had done away
+with his foe, I, who am not at all fond of playing with razor-edged
+swords, thought it prudent to interrupt him by placing him in position
+for the picture. As I posed him, he did not utter a word, nor wink an
+eye. And during the whole of a sitting of nearly three hours he sat
+motionless and speechless, like a statue.
+
+"It is finished," I finally said, and he sprang up in a childish fashion
+and came over to look at the work. His delight was unbounded, and he
+seized my hand and shook it for nearly half an hour; after which, he
+suddenly became grave, stared at the canvas, and then looked at the back
+of it. He seemed horrified.
+
+"What is it?" I inquired of His Royal Highness.
+
+"You have not put in my jade decoration," said he, almost in despair.
+
+I had, of course, painted his portrait full face, and as the Coreans have
+the strange notion of wearing their decorations in the shape of a small
+button of jade, gold, silver or amber, behind the left ear, these did not
+appear thereon. I then tried to remonstrate, saying that it was
+impossible in European art to accomplish such a feat as to show both
+front and back at once, but, as he seemed distressed at what to him
+seemed a defect, I made him sit again, and compromised the matter by
+making another large but rapid sketch of him from a side point of view,
+so as to include the decoration and the rest rather magnified in size. It
+is from this portrait that the illustration is taken; for I corrected it
+as soon as he was out of sight. But with this second portrait my Corean
+sitter was more grieved than ever, for, he remarked, now he could see the
+decoration, but not his other eye!
+
+These difficulties having, with the exercise of a good deal of patience
+and time, been finally overcome by my proving to him that one cannot see
+through things that are not transparent, we were entertained by General
+Le Gendre to an excellent lunch, during which toasts to the health of
+everybody under the sun were drunk in numberless bottles of champagne.
+Then he began to wax quite enthusiastic about his likeness. He called in
+his officers and followers; by this time, of course, he had got into his
+mourning clothes again, and donned his semi-spherical crane-surmounted
+hat; and they all showed great admiration of the work, although many went
+round, as he had done, to look at the backs of the two canvases to find
+"the eye," or the other missing "button."
+
+He wanted to purchase both pictures there and then, but I declined,
+saying that I would be pleased to present him with a smaller copy when
+completed. With this promise he departed happy.
+
+Now it was the turn of his Prime Minister brother, Prince Min. He also
+came in full state, with hundreds of servants and followers, hours before
+his time; was a most restless model; and, having profited by his
+brother's experience, was continually coming over to examine the painting
+and reminding me not to forget this and that and the other
+thing--generally what was on the other side of his body, or what from my
+point of vantage I could not see. This time, however, I had chosen a
+three-quarter face pose, and he expressed the fullest satisfaction with
+the result, until, going to poke his nose into the canvas, which was
+about 4 feet by 3, he began to take objections to the shadows. He
+insisted that his face was all perfectly white; whereas I had made
+one-half his nose darker in colour than the other; also that there was
+the same defect under the chin; his untrained mind being unable to grasp
+the fact that the same colour under different lights becomes lighter or
+darker in tone. I would have lost my patience with him if I had had any
+to lose, but, remaining silent, I smiled idiotically at his observations,
+and did exactly the reverse of what he wished me to do. The beautifying
+touches having been duly added, and the high lights put in where it
+seemed proper that they should go, I summoned the Prince to see the
+effect, this time building up a barricade of chairs and tables in front
+of the canvas, in order that His Royal Highness might be compelled to
+conduct his examination of it at the right distance. This had the desired
+effect, and, as he now gazed at it, he found the likeness excellent and
+to use his words "just like a living other-self." It seemed to him a most
+inexplicable circumstance that when he got his nose close to the canvas
+the picture appeared so different from what it was when inspected at the
+right distance. This sitting also ended with a feast, and everything
+passed off in the best of ways.
+
+The result of this amicable intercourse with the Royal Princes was that
+calls had to be duly exchanged according to the rules of Corean
+etiquette. Both Princes came again in their state array to call upon me
+in person, a privilege which I was told had never before been bestowed on
+any Europeans, not even the Diplomatic Agents in the land, after which
+upon the following day I proceeded to return their calls.
+
+The morning was dedicated to the commander-in-chief, Prince
+Min-Young-Huan. Since to go on foot, even though the distance was only a
+few hundred yards from Mr. Greathouse's, where I was living, would have
+been, according to Corean etiquette, a disgrace and an insult, I rode up
+to his door on horseback. His house stood, surrounded by a strong wall of
+masonry and with impregnable iron-banded gates, in the centre of a large
+piece of ground. His ensign flew at one corner of the enclosure, and a
+detachment of picked troops was always at his beck and call in the
+immediate neighbourhood. At the door were sentries, and it was curious to
+note the way in which guard is mounted in the land of Cho-sen.
+
+I suppose what I am going to narrate will not be believed, but it is none
+the less perfectly true. The Corean Tommy Atkins mounts guard curled up
+in a basket filled with rags and cotton-wool! Even at the royal palace
+one sees them. The Cho-senese warrior is not a giant; on the contrary, he
+is very small, only a little over five feet, or even less, so that the
+round basket which contains him is made only about four feet in diameter,
+and three-and-a-half feet deep. In the inner enclosures of the royal
+palace, where two soldiers at a time are on guard, the baskets are
+bigger, and the two men contained in them squat or curl up together like
+two birds in a nest. Their rifles are generally left standing against the
+wall; but, occasionally, when the position to be guarded is a very
+responsible one, they are nursed in the basket.
+
+The infantry soldier, seen at his best, is a funny individual. He thinks
+he is dressed like a European soldier, but the reader can imagine the
+resemblance. His head-gear consists of a felt hat with a large brim,
+which he keeps on his head by means of two ribbons tied under his chin;
+for the fashion is, in military circles, to have a head-gear many times
+too small for his head. He wears a pair of calico trousers of a
+nondescript colour resembling green and black, under which his own padded
+"unmentionables" are concealed, a fact which of itself is sufficient to
+make him look a little baggy. Then there is his shortish coat with large
+sleeves and woollen wristlets; and a belt, with a brass buckle, somewhere
+about five inches above or below his waist, according to the amount of
+dinner he has eaten and the purses he has stuffed under his coat. Yes,
+the Coreans are not yet civilised enough to possess pockets, and all that
+they have to carry must be stuffed into small leather, cloth, or silk
+purses with long strings. By ordinary individuals these purses are
+fastened inside or outside the coat, but among the military it is
+strictly forbidden to show purses over the coat; wherefore the regulation
+method is to carry these underneath, tied to the trouser's band.
+Accordingly, as the number of purses is larger or smaller, the belt over
+the jacket is higher or lower on the waist, the coat sticking out in the
+most ridiculous manner.
+
+In the illustration a Corean warrior of the latest fashion may be seen in
+his full uniform. He is an infantry soldier.
+
+[Illustration: AN INFANTRY SOLDIER]
+
+The guns with which these men are armed, are of all sorts, descriptions
+and ages, from the old flint-locks to repeating breech-loaders, and it
+can easily be imagined how difficult it must be to train the troops,
+hardly two soldiers having guns of even a similar make! A couple of
+American Army instructors were employed by the King to coach the soldiery
+in the art of foreign warfare, and to teach them how to use their
+weapons, but, if I remember rightly, one of the greatest difficulties
+they had to contend with was the utter want of discipline; for to this
+the easy-going Corean Tommy Atkins could on no account be made to
+submit. They are brave enough when it comes to fighting; that is, when
+this is done in their own way; and rather than give way an inch they will
+die like valiant warriors. It is an impossibility, however, to make them
+understand that when a man is a soldier, in European fashion, he is no
+more a man, but a machine.
+
+"Why not have machines altogether?" seemed to be pretty much what they
+thought when compelled to go through the, to them, apparently useless and
+tiresome drill.
+
+The target practice amused and interested them much when it took place,
+which was but seldom, for the cost of the ammunition was found to be too
+much for the authorities; there being, besides, the further difficulty of
+providing different cartridges for the great variety of rifles used. Thus
+it was that, though nearly every infantry soldier possessed a gun, he
+hardly ever had a chance of firing it. So rarely was even a round of
+blank cartridges fired in the capital, that, when this event did take
+place for some purpose or other, the King invariably sent a message to
+the few foreign residents in the town requesting them not to be
+frightened or alarmed at the "report," or to suppose that a revolution
+had broken out.
+
+Having examined Tommy Atkins at his best, I sent in my name to the
+Prince, and was waiting outside, when suddenly a great noise was heard
+inside, the squeaky locks were unbolted, and gate after gate was thrown
+open. The pony had to be left behind at the gate, and as I entered the
+court, among the chin-chins of the courtiers, I saw the
+Commander-in-chief waiting on the door-step to greet me with
+outstretched arms. Honour after honour was bestowed upon me; which
+extreme politeness amazed me, for Foreign Ministers and Consuls are never
+received in this way, but are led into his presence, while he remains
+comfortably seated in his audience chamber.
+
+He took me by the hand, and, leading me into his reception room,
+maintained a long and most friendly conversation with me, taking the most
+unbounded interest in all matters pertaining to Western civilisation. As
+we were thus busily engaged, "pop," went the cork of a champagne bottle
+with a frightful explosion, through the paper window, and my interlocutor
+and myself had a regular shower bath, as sudden as it was unexpected.
+Then out of this healths were drunk, the servant who had opened the
+bottle so clumsily, being promised fifty strokes of the paddle at the
+earliest opportunity; after which I rose and bade his Royal Highness
+good-bye. Again, his politeness was extreme, and he accompanied me to the
+door, where, amidst the chin-chins of his followers and the "military
+honours" of the assembled troops, I re-mounted my pony and galloped off
+home.
+
+The same afternoon I paid my visit to the Royal Prime Minister. This
+time, being grown conceited, I suppose, by virtue of the honour received
+in the course of the morning, though in part, perhaps, owing to the
+advice of my friend Mr. Greathouse, who insisted upon my going in grand
+state, I was carried in the "green sedan chair," the one, namely, which
+is only brought out for officials and princes of the highest rank. I was
+also accorded the full complement of four chair-bearers, and,
+accompanied by the _Kissos_ (soldiers) and servants who were summoned to
+form my escort, I gaily started.
+
+"Oooohhhh!" my bearers sighed in a chorus, as they lifted me into the
+sedan and sped me along the crowded streets; while the soldiers shouted
+"Era, Era, Era, Picassa, Picassa!" thrusting to one side the astonished
+natives that stood in the way. As I approached the palace, I noticed that
+rows of other sedan-chairs, but yellow and blue ones, were waiting, their
+official occupants anticipating an audience with the Prince and Prime
+Minister. All these, however, had to make way before me, and a soldier
+having been despatched in advance to inform His Royal Highness of my
+coming, the gates were banged open as I approached them and closed again
+so soon as I was within. The cordial reception which I had received from
+the other prince, was now repeated; and Min Young Chun and his court were
+actually standing on the door-step to receive me.
+
+As I always complied with the habits of the country, I proceeded to take
+off my shoes before entering the house, but the prince, having been
+informed some time or other that such was not the custom in England,
+insisted on my abstaining from doing so. I had already taken off one shoe
+and was proceeding to untie the other when, catching me by one arm and
+his followers by the other, he dragged me in. You can imagine how comical
+and undignified I looked, with one shoe on and the other off! Still, I
+managed to be equal to the occasion, and held a long _pourparler_ with
+the Prince, his courtiers standing around, in a room which he had
+furnished in the European style, with two Chinese chairs and a table!
+
+As we were thus confabulating and I was being entertained with native
+wine and sweets, I received a dreadful blow--that is to say, a moral one.
+A youth, a relation of the prince, ran into the room and whispered
+something in the royal ears, whereupon his eyes glittered with
+astonishment and curiosity, and in a moment there was a general stampede
+out of the room on the part of all the courtiers and eunuchs. A minute
+after, amidst the deepest silence, was brought triumphantly into the
+audience-room and deposited in the middle of the table:--what do you
+think?--my shoe, that, namely, which I had left outside!
+
+Such a blow as this I had never experienced in my life, for the man I was
+calling upon, you must remember, held a position in Corea equal to that
+of the Prince of Wales and Lord Rosebery combined, and if you can imagine
+being entertained by a dignitary of this high order with one of your
+shoes in its right place and the other on the table, you will agree that
+my position was more than comical. It appeared that this special state of
+sensation was produced entirely by the fact that my unfortunate foot-gear
+was made of patent leather, and that, being almost new, it shone
+beautifully. Neither Prince nor Court had ever seen patent leather
+before, and much ravishment, mingled with childish surprise, was on the
+face of everybody, when it was whispered round and believed that the shoe
+was covered with a glass coating. The Prince examined it carefully all
+over, and then passed it round to his courtiers, signs of the greatest
+admiration being expressed at this wonderful object.
+
+[Illustration: H.R.H. PRINCE MIN-YOUNG-CHUN]
+
+I, on my, side, took things quite philosophically, after having recovered
+from the first shock; and, taking off the other shoe, put it also on the
+table, gracefully, and quite in the Eastern fashion, begging the Prince
+to accept the pair as a gift, if he was agreeable to have them.
+Fortunately for me, however, he even more gracefully declined the offer,
+though, as long as our interview lasted, I noticed that his eyes were
+constantly fixed on them and that every now and then he again went into
+raptures over them!
+
+On the occasion of this visit I presented him with a portrait of himself
+reproduced on a small scale from the larger painting which I had made. He
+seemed to much appreciate this picture so far as the painting was
+concerned, but was much taken aback when he discovered that it was on the
+surface of a wooden panel and could not, therefore, be rolled up. The
+Eastern idea is that, to preserve a picture, it should always be kept
+rolled, and unrolled as seldom as possible, that is to say, only on grand
+solemnities.
+
+When it was time to go, the Prince conducted me to the door in person,
+and, having had my shoes put on and laced by one of his pages, I finally
+took my leave of him.
+
+A very curious episode, the direct consequence of my having portrayed
+these Princes, occurred some days afterwards. I was walking in the
+grounds of Mr. Greathouse's residence, when I perceived a number of
+coolies, headed by two soldiers and a sort of _Maggiordomo_, coming
+towards the house. They were carrying several baskets, while the
+_Maggiordomo_ himself gracefully held a note between two fingers. As soon
+as they saw me, the _Maggiordomo_ made a grand bow, and, delivering the
+letter into my hands, said that it came from Prince Min-Young-Huan, the
+Commander-in-chief of the Corean army. What astonished me even more was
+that he placed at my feet the different baskets and parcels, announcing
+that they were now my property. The letter ran as follows:
+
+
+    "MY DEAR MR. LANDOR,--I send you some Corean hens, and some eggs,
+    and some persimmons, and some beef, and some pork, and some nuts,
+    and some screens, and a leopard skin. I hope that you will
+    receive them. I thank you very much for the beautiful picture you
+    have done of me, and I send you this as a remembrance of
+    me.--Your friend,
+
+    "MIN-YOUNG-HUAN."
+
+Greathouse and all the household having been at once summoned, the gifts
+were duly displayed and admired. The eggs numbered four hundred; then,
+there were ten live native hens with lovely feathers, about forty pounds
+of beef and pork, and two full bags, the one of nuts and the other of
+persimmons. There was enough to last one a month. The part of the present
+which pleased me most, however, was that containing the split bamboo
+window screens, which are only manufactured for, and presented to the
+King and royal princes by faithful subjects, and can scarcely be obtained
+for love or money under ordinary circumstances. The leopard skin, also,
+was a lovely one of its kind, with long fur and fat long tail,
+beautifully marked, in short an excellent specimen of what is called, I
+believe, a snow-leopard. Never before had I made so good a bargain for
+any picture of mine, and I could not but wonder whether I should ever
+again have another like it.
+
+I am sorry to say that a large portion of the eggs were consumed in
+making egg-noggs, an excellent American drink, at the concocting of which
+Greathouse was a master, a sustaining "refresher" which helped us much in
+passing away the long dull winter evenings. The hens, whose plumage we
+much admired, were let loose for some days, but they created such a
+nuisance with their early crowing, that they were soon condemned, like
+most hens, to suffer from an overstretch of neck. The screens and
+leopard-skins I brought back with me to England as a memento of my
+portrait-painting experiences in Corea, and these I still possess.
+
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XII
+
+The royal palace--A royal message--Mounting guard--The bell--The royal
+precinct--The Russian villa--An unfinished structure--The Summer
+Palace--The King's house--Houses of dignitaries--The ground and summer
+pavilion--Colds--The funeral of a Japanese Minister--Houses of royal
+relations--The queen--The oldest man and woman--The King and his
+throne--Politics and royalty--Messengers and spies--Kim-Ka-Chim---Falcons
+and archery--Nearly a St. Sebastian--The queen's curiosity--A royal
+banquet--The consequences.
+
+
+[Illustration: THE PALACE GROUNDS AND SOUTH GATE FROM THE NEW PALACE]
+
+I had some more amusing experiences on the occasion of my first visit to
+the royal palace. The King had sent me a message one evening saying that
+any part of the royal palace and grounds would be opened to me, if I
+wished to make observations or take sketches, and that it would give him
+much pleasure if I would go there early the next morning and stay to
+dinner at the palace. This invitation to spend the whole day at the
+palace was so tempting that I at once accepted it, and next day,
+accompanied by one of the officials, a Mr. S., I proceeded early in the
+morning to the side entrance of the enclosure.
+
+The palace and grounds, as we have seen, are enclosed by a wall of
+masonry about twenty feet high, and from a bird's-eye point of vantage
+the "compound" has a rectangular shape. There are almost continuous moats
+round the outside walls, with stone bridges with marble parapets over
+them at all the entrances. At the corners of the wall _d'enceinte_ are
+turrets with loopholes. There soldiers are posted day and night to mount
+guard, each set being relieved from duty at intervals of two hours during
+the night, when the hammer bell in the centre of the palace grounds
+sounds its mournful but decided strokes. At midnight a big drum is
+struck, the harmonic case of which is semi-spherical and covered with a
+donkey-skin first wetted and made tight. It is by the sound of this
+smaller bell within the palace grounds that the signal is given at sunset
+to the "Big Bell" to vibrate through the air those sonorous notes by
+which, as already stated, all good citizens of the stronger sex are
+warned to retire to their respective homes, and which give the signal for
+closing the gates of the town.
+
+When you enter the royal precinct, you run a considerable amount of risk
+of losing your way. It is quite a labyrinth there. The more walls and
+gates you go through, the more you wind your way, now round this
+building, then round that, the more obstacles do you seem to see in front
+of you. There are sentries at every gate, and at each a password has to
+be given. When you approach, the infantry soldiers, quickly jumping out
+of the baskets in which they were slumbering, seize hold of their rifles,
+and either point their bayonets at you or else place their guns across
+the door, until the right password is given, when a comical way of
+presenting arms follows, and you are allowed to proceed.
+
+In the back part of the enclosure is a pretty villa in the Russian style.
+A few years ago, when European ideas began to bestir the minds of the
+King of Cho-sen, he set his heart upon having a house built in the
+Western fashion. No other architect being at hand, his Majesty
+commissioned a clever young Russian, a Mr. Seradin Sabatin, to build him
+a royal palace after the fashion of his country. The young Russian,
+though not a professional architect, did his very best to please the
+King, and with the money he had at his command, turned out a very solid
+and well-built little villa, _a la Russe_, with _caloriferes_ and all
+other modern appliances. The house has two storeys, but the number of
+rooms is rather limited. The King, however, seemed much pleased with it,
+but when it was on the point of completion, at the instigation of some
+foreign diplomat, he commissioned a French architect from Japan to
+construct another palace on a much larger scale at some distance from the
+Russian building. The estimates for this new ground structure were far
+too small, and by the time that the foundations were laid down, the cost
+already amounted to nearly three times the sum for which the whole
+building was to have been erected. The King, disgusted at what he thought
+to be foreign trickery, but what was really merciless robbery on the
+part of his own officials, decided to discontinue the new palace, which,
+in consequence, even now has reached only a height of about three feet
+above the level of the ground.
+
+The royal palace may be considered as divided into two portions, namely,
+the summer palace and the winter palace. An official, who came to meet me
+in the inner enclosure, informed me that His Majesty desired that I
+should begin by inspecting the summer palace--access to which is not
+allowed during the winter time--and that he had given orders for the
+gates leading to it, which had been nailed up and sealed, to await the
+next warm weather, to be opened for me. No one besides myself and the
+official to guide me was, however, to be allowed to enter. And so,
+preceded by a man with a heavy wooden mallet, we arrived at the gate,
+which, after a considerable amount of hammering and pegging away, was at
+last forced open. Accompanied by my guide, I straightway entered, two
+soldiers being left on guard to prevent any one else following. As I got
+within the enclosure, a pretty sight lay before me. In front was a large
+pond, now all frozen, in the centre of which stood a large square sort of
+platform of white marble. On this platform was erected the audience-hall,
+a colonnade of the same kind of white marble, supported by which was
+another floor of red lacquered wood with wooden columns, which in their
+turn upheld the tiled roof with slightly curled up corners. The part
+directly under the roof was beautifully ornamented with fantastic wood
+carvings painted yellow, red, green and blue. Red and white were the
+colours which predominated. A black tablet, with large gold characters
+on it, was at one side.
+
+The throne in the audience-hall was a simple raised scaffold in the
+centre of the room, with a screen behind it, and a staircase of seven or
+eight steps leading up to it. Access to this sort of platform-island from
+the gate at which we entered was obtained by means of a marble bridge,
+spanned across on two strong marble supports. The staircase leading to
+the first floor was at the end of the building, directly opposite to
+where the bridge was; so that, on coming from the bridge, we had to go
+through the whole colonnade to reach it.
+
+Having taken a sketch or two, I retraced my steps and again reached the
+entrance. The instant I was outside, the gate was again shut and nailed
+up, wooden bars being put right across it. I was then led to the inner
+enclosure. The gate of this was guarded by about a dozen armed men, I
+being now in front of the part of the house which was inhabited by the
+King himself. After all, however, his abode is no better than the houses
+of the noblemen all over Seoul. It is as simple as possible in all its
+details; in fact, it is studiously made so. There are no articles of
+value in the rooms, except a few screens painted by native artists; nor
+are there any signs marking it out in particular as the abode of a
+Sovereign. The houses of the high court dignitaries are infinitely more
+gaudy than the royal palace, for they are decorated externally in bright
+red and green colours.
+
+The morning was spent in prowling about the grounds and in sketching here
+and there. In front of the King's house, protected at a short distance
+by a low wall, is a second pond, in the middle of which, on a small
+island, the King has erected a summer pavilion of octagonal shape, in
+which during the warmer months he enjoys the reviving coolness of the
+still nights confabulating on State affairs with his Ministers and
+advisers (not foreign advisers), a pretty semi-circular, white wooden
+bridge joining, so to speak, the island to the mainland; but, besides
+this and the buildings provided for the accommodation of the Chinese
+envoys, when they come, I do not think there is anything in the royal
+enclosure worthy of special notice.
+
+[Illustration: THE SUMMER PAVILION]
+
+Near the main entrance of the palace is a small house for the
+accommodation of foreign Ministers, consuls and Chinese customs
+officials, when, on New Year's Day and other public occasions, they are
+received in audience by the King. The small room is actually provided
+with a stove, as several unfortunate ambassadors have been known to have
+caught dreadful colds through having to remain exposed to the natural
+temperature for hours until it was the King's pleasure to have them
+admitted to his presence. Indeed, I believe I am right when I state that
+one or two of these notabilities died in consequence of their experiences
+in this way. At all events, during my stay at Seoul, the Japanese
+Minister came by his death through a cold which he contracted by having
+to stand an inordinate time in the cold room, in his evening dress, and
+then walk minus his overcoat or wrappers, through the interminable paved
+passage leading to the audience-hall.
+
+Here let me digress. This ambassador's funeral, was, indeed, a comical
+sight. I am well aware that it is bad form to find entertainment among
+things pertaining to the dead. However, it was not the corpse that made
+the performance in question seem funny, but those that remained alive,
+and intended to honour his remains. Telegrams arrived from Japan to the
+effect that the body should be despatched to his native country;
+arrangements were therefore made by the Japanese indwellers to convey and
+escort the body of their representative from the capital to Chemulpo, a
+port about twenty-five miles distant. According to this plan, the loyal
+Japanese coolies were to carry the heavy hearse on their backs, while the
+King of Corea agreed to despatch four hundred soldiers of cavalry and
+infantry by way of escort, all the foreign residents being also intended
+to follow the procession part of the way in their sedan-chairs. So far so
+good, and all proceeded, as directed, in good order until the Mafu ferry
+was reached. The procession, having crossed the river here, at once
+proceeded to re-form on the large stretch of sand on the other side.
+While, then, the Japanese, who have always been fond of playing at
+soldiers, and had brought down to the river-side with them a couple of
+field-guns, were being treated by a Japanese attache, clad in an
+exaggerated diplomatic uniform covered with gold braiding, and standing
+in dancing pumps in the sands that half-buried him, to a recapitulation
+of the virtues of the defunct, the coolies were bearing the hearse on
+their backs, the Corean cavalry and infantry forming two lines in good
+style. There stood the Corean horsemen, each supported by two men,
+apparently unconcerned at the long Japanese rigmarole, of which they did
+not understand a word; there rode as stiff as statues outside the ranks
+the officers of Cho-sen, on their little ponies. All of a sudden,
+however, the two field-guns went off, and with the most disastrous
+effects. Half the cavalrymen tumbled off their saddles at the unexpected
+bucking of their frightened ponies, and the whole band of horsemen was
+soon scattered in every direction, while the men who were carrying the
+hearse, following the example of the ponies, gave such a jerk at the
+sudden explosion, as to nearly drop their burden on the ground.
+By-and-by, the commotion subsided; the procession got into marching
+order, and all went well until the seaport was reached. The better class
+Japanese, I may mention, were dressed in stage uniforms, or in evening
+dress and tall hats, and that though the hour was 9 A.M. or soon after.
+
+But let us return to the royal palace. The King and Queen have
+numberless relations, but not all of these live in the royal "compound."
+Those that do, have each a separate small house; those that do not, live
+in the immediate neighbourhood of the palace enclosure, so as to be
+within easy reach when wanted; it being one of the little failings of the
+Corean potentate to call up his relations at all hours as well of the
+night as of the day. In fact, nearly all the work done by the King, and
+nearly all the interviews which he grants to his Ministers take place
+during the dark hours, the principal reason given for which is that by
+this means, intrigue is prevented, and people are kept in utter ignorance
+as to what takes place at Court.
+
+[Illustration: THE KING]
+
+It is a great mistake to suppose that the good-natured King of Cho-sen,
+possesses a harem as big as that of the Sultan of Turkey; indeed, the
+contrary is the fact. He is quite satisfied with a single wife, that is
+to say, the Queen. Needless to say, however, were the custom otherwise,
+he certainly would not be the person to object to the institution, for
+his predecessors undoubtedly indulged in such an extravagance. The real
+truth is the King of Cho-sen has married a little lady stronger minded
+than himself, and is compelled to keep on his best behaviour, and see to
+it that he does not get into trouble. There are bad tongues in Seoul who
+say that the Queen actually rules the King, and therefore, through him,
+the country, and that he is more afraid of Her Gracious Majesty, his
+wife, than of the very devil himself. For the correctness of this
+statement I will not answer.
+
+The Queen is a very good-looking, youngish woman, younger than the King,
+and has all her wits about her. She is said to be much in favour of the
+emancipation of the Corean woman, but she has made no actual effort, that
+I am aware of, to modify the comparatively strict rules of their
+seclusion. She comes of one of the oldest families in Cho-sen, and by a
+long way the noblest, that of the Mins. She treats herself to countless
+Court ladies, varying in number between a score and three hundred,
+according to the wants of the Court at different times.
+
+One of the quaintest and nicest customs in Corea is the respect shown by
+the young for the old; what better, then, can the reigning people do but
+set the good example themselves? Every year the King and Queen entertain
+in the royal palace an old man and an old woman of over the age of
+ninety, and no matter from what class these aged specimens are drawn,
+they are always looked after and cared for under their own supervision
+and made happy in every way. Every year a fresh man and woman must be
+chosen for this purpose, those of the previous competition being _hors de
+concours_. These privileged individuals, if devoid of means, are well
+provided with all the necessaries of life and _cash_ before they are sent
+home; and not infrequently they end by never leaving the royal palace, or
+by settling in the house of some prince or magistrate, by whom they are
+fed and clothed till the end of their days. Of course, in many cases it
+happens that the oldest man or woman in the town is a nobleman or a
+noblewoman; in which case, after the lapse of a certain space of time,
+further enjoyment of the royal hospitality is politely declined.
+
+Under the last-mentioned circumstances valuable presents are, however,
+given them as mementoes of the stay at the royal palace. This privilege
+is much thought of among the Coreans, and a family who has had a member
+royally entertained and treated as King's "brothers"--for I believe that
+is the name by which they go--is held in great respect by the community,
+and in perfect veneration by their immediate neighbours.
+
+The King dresses just like any other high official when the country is in
+mourning--that is to say, he has a long white garment with baggy sleeves,
+and the usual jewelled projecting belt, with the winged skull-cap; but
+when the land is under normal conditions, he dons a gaudy blue silk gown
+with dragons woven into the texture, while over his chest in a circular
+sort of plate a larger rampant fire-dragon is embroidered in costly
+silks and gold. When the latter dress is worn his cap is of similar shape
+to that worn when in mourning, only it is made of the finest black,
+instead of white, horse-hair, stiffened with varnish.
+
+The King's throne is simple but imposing. He sits upon three carved
+marble steps, covered with a valuable embroidered cloth, by the side of
+which, on two pillars, are two magnificent bronze vases. Behind him is a
+screen of masonry; for no king when in state must ever be either seen
+from behind, or looked down on by any one standing behind or beside him.
+Such an insult and breach of etiquette, especially in the latter way,
+would, until quite recently, probably have meant the loss of the
+offender's head. Tainted, however, unfortunately with a craze for Western
+civilisation, the King now seldom sits on his marble throne, adorned with
+fine carvings of dragons and tigers, preferring to show himself sitting
+in a cheap foreign arm-chair with his elbow reclining on a wretched
+little twopence-halfpenny table covered with a green carpet. He imagines
+that he thus resembles a potentate of Europe! His son generally sits by
+his side on these occasions.
+
+The King's relations take no active part in politics, as they consider it
+unfair and beneath them, but the King, of course, does, and, judging from
+appearances, he seems to take a great deal of interest in his country and
+his people. He is constantly despatching officials on secret missions to
+this or that province, often in disguise, and at a moment's notice, in
+order to obtain reliable information as to the state of those provinces,
+and the opinions of the natives regarding the magistrates appointed by
+him. The capital itself, too, contains practically a mass of detectives,
+who keep spying on everybody and one another, always ready to report the
+evil-doing of others, and often being caught _in flagrante delicto_
+themselves. Very often even nobles with whom I was well acquainted
+suddenly disappeared for days and weeks at a time, no one knowing either
+whither they had gone or what they were doing, except that they had left
+on a mission from the King. So little confidence has he in his special
+envoys that even when he has despatched one straight from the royal
+palace, with strict orders not to return home to tell his family whither
+he is gone, he soon after sends a second disguised messenger to look
+after the doings of the first, and see that he has well and faithfully
+carried out his orders. By the time the two have returned, some intrigue
+or accusations will have probably been instituted against them, in which
+case all the thanks they obtain for obeying His Majesty is either that
+they are degraded or that they are exiled to some outlandish province in
+the Ever White Mountain district or on the Russian frontier.
+
+[Illustration: KIM-KA-CHIM]
+
+The subject of politics is entrusted entirely to the nobles. It was my
+good fortune to get on the most friendly terms with the greatest
+politician in Corea, a man called Kim-Ka-Chim, of whom I give a picture,
+as he appeared in the horse-hair head-gear which he used to wear indoors.
+He was a man of remarkable intelligence, quick-witted, and by far the
+best diplomatist I have ever met--and I have met a good many. To entrap
+him was impossible, however hard you might try. For sharpness and
+readiness of reply, I never saw a smarter man. He was at one time Corean
+Ambassador to the Mikado's Court, and in a very short time mastered the
+Japanese language to perfection; while with Chinese he was as familiar as
+with his own tongue. I myself noticed with what facility he picked up
+English words, and, having taken it into his head that he wished to learn
+the English language, he set about it, and was able to understand, read,
+and speak a little, in a very short time--in fact, in a few days. Not
+only is he talented, but also endowed with a wonderful courage and
+independence, which superiority over the narrow-minded officials and
+intriguers who, for the most part, surround the King, has often led him
+into scrapes with His Majesty of Cho-sen. As he jocosely said to me, it
+was a marvel to him that his head was still on his shoulders. It was too
+good, and some one else might wish to have it. He was an ardent reformer
+and a great admirer of Western ways. His great ambition was to visit
+England and America, of which he had heard a great deal. Strangely, on
+the very morning which succeeded the afternoon on which I had this
+conversation with him I received an intimation to the effect that he had,
+by order of the King, and for some trivial breach of etiquette, been sent
+by way of punishment to one of the most distant provinces in the kingdom.
+
+The most noteworthy point of the Corean Court etiquette is probably this,
+that the King is on no account allowed to touch any other metals than
+gold and silver; for which reason his drinking-cup is made of a solid
+block of gold, while other articles, again, are of silver.
+
+The native name by which the King calls himself is Im-gun (king,
+sovereign). He has a very valuable library of Chinese manuscripts and
+printed books in the palace compound, but those books are hardly ever
+opened or looked at nowadays, except by some rare student of noble rank.
+Archery and falconry are occupations which are deemed far more worthy of
+attention by the nobility than that of worrying their heads with attempts
+to interpret the mysteries of antiquated Chinese characters.
+
+The falcon is held in much veneration among the nobler classes, and a
+special retainer--a falconer--is usually kept to wait on the precious
+bird. The latter is taken out on the man's arm, with his head covered by
+a gaudy little hood. This hood is quickly removed whenever an opportunity
+arises to send him off after some unfortunate bird. Then, mounting aloft,
+and spreading his wings and whirling round his prey in concentric
+circles, he gradually descends in a spiral, until, at last, dashing down
+upon his victim, he seizes it with his pointed claws and brings it to his
+master. At other times the falcon is not flown, but only used to attract,
+with his mesmeric eyes, birds; these then, when within reach, being shot
+with old flint-lock guns. The other method is, however, the favourite
+form of this amusement, and large sums are often spent by the young
+nobles on well-trained birds. Entertainments are even given to witness
+the doings of these air-rovers, and the excitement displayed by the
+audience on such occasions is intense, especially when libations have
+been previously freely indulged in. Competitions between the falcons of
+different owners are frequent, and much betting takes place under such
+circumstances.
+
+The life of royalty and of the nobility is, taken all round, a very lazy
+one. Exercise is considered a degenerate habit, fit only for people who
+have to earn a living; and, as for manual labour, a Corean nobleman would
+much prefer suicide to anything so disgraceful.
+
+Archery is one of the few exceptions to the rule, and is declared a noble
+pastime. Princes and nobles indulge in it, and even become dexterous at
+it. The bows used are very short, about two-and-a-half feet long, and are
+kept very tight. The arrows are short and light, generally made of
+bamboo, or a light cane, and a man with a powerful wrist can send an
+arrow a considerable distance, and yet hit his target every time.
+Nevertheless, the noble's laziness is, as a rule, so great, that many of
+this class prefer to see exhibitions of skill by others, rather than have
+the trouble of taking part in such themselves; professional archers, in
+consequence, abounding all over the country, and sometimes being kept at
+the expense of their admirers. Both the Government and private
+individuals offer large prizes for skilful archers, who command almost as
+much admiration as do the famous _espadas_ in the bull-fights of Spain.
+The King, of course, keeps the pick of these men to himself; they are
+kept in constant training and frequently display their skill before His
+Majesty and the Court.
+
+I well remember how, one day, through my incautiousness, I very nearly
+made the end of a St. Sebastian. It was near the drilling-ground at the
+East Gate. I was quietly walking along the earthern dyke which runs along
+the little river that crosses Seoul, when from down below I heard screams
+of "_Chucomita! Chucomita!_" ("Wait! wait!") "_Kidare!_" ("Stop!") I
+stopped, accordingly, and tried to look across the open ground, where I
+saw about a score of men, nearly two hundred yards away, apparently
+pointing at me. As the setting sun was glaring in my eyes, I could not
+well discern what they were doing, and, thinking that their shouts to me
+were only by way of joke, I made a step forward, but hardly had I done so
+when a noise like a rocket going past was heard, and a bunch of arrows
+became deeply planted in the earth, at a white circular spot marked on
+it, only about two yards in front of me. I counted them. They were ten in
+number. My danger, however, was, after all, practically of no account,
+for these archers, as I found out by repeated observation of them, hardly
+ever miss their target. Still, even in the case of these Cho-senese
+William Tells, it was by no means a pleasant sensation to hear that bunch
+of arrows whistling in front of my nose.
+
+As I was attentively listening to the information supplied me by the
+native gentleman who was accompanying me through the labyrinthian ways of
+the royal palace, young Prince Min appeared on the scene, and announced
+that His Majesty wished, through him, to welcome me to the royal palace,
+and that he wished me now to partake of dinner. First, however, he said,
+the King would be pleased if I would take a sketch from a particular spot
+to which he led me. As there was nothing specially worth sketching at
+that place, I suggested to the young prince that another spot would be
+preferable; but the latter insisted, in the King's name, that I should
+paint from there and left me. I noticed, however, that there was, just
+behind this spot, a window, that namely, of the queen's apartments, which
+led me at once to fancy that it was to satisfy her curiosity that I was
+made to work there; accordingly I began the sketch with my back to the
+window--for, it must be remembered, to look at the queen is an offence
+punishable by death. I had not been many minutes at work, nevertheless,
+before I heard the sliding window gently move. I knew what was coming,
+and tried to screen the sketch with my body, so as to compel the
+observer, whoever it was, to lean well out of the window if he wished to
+see it. A little way off were hundreds of soldiers, walking or squatting
+on the ground, and on the wall of the King's house and smaller trees the
+fat and repulsive eunuchs had perched themselves in order to watch the
+foreigner's doings. All of a sudden there was a piercing squeak and a
+quick change of scene. Every one standing fell flat on his chest, the
+soldiers to a man hid their faces in their hands on the ground, and the
+clumsy eunuchs dropped down pell-mell from their perches, like over-ripe
+fruit coming off the branch of a tree, and disappeared behind the wall.
+Then, for a moment, all was silence; then there followed another shriek.
+It was evidently a command to stand still until further notice. When I
+looked for my Corean companion I found that he, like the rest, was spread
+out with his face to the ground.
+
+"I say, Mr. S." I whispered, touching him with my foot, "what does all
+this mean?"
+
+"Please, sir," he murmured, "do not look! do not speak! do not turn your
+head! or I shall be beheaded!"
+
+"Oh! I do not mind that at all," said I, laughingly, as my friend was
+squashing what he had in the shape of a nose into the dust.
+
+At this point there was another noise at the window, as if it were being
+pushed quite open, and I heard a whisper. The supreme moment had come,
+and I was bold. I turned quickly round. It was just as I had judged. The
+queen, with her bright, jet black eyes and refined features, was there,
+caught in the act of thrusting her head out of the window, while several
+ladies of different ages were in the background, apparently on the tips
+of their toes and peeping over Her Majesty's shoulders. I had just time
+to see her face; for, taken as she was by surprise at such an unbounded
+bit of forwardness on my part, she remained perplexed for a second, then
+quickly withdrew, coming into dreadful collision with her
+ladies-in-waiting, who were at the moment just moving forward. The
+sliding window was hurriedly closed; there were shrieks of laughter from
+inside--apparently they had enjoyed the fun--and by the sound of a shrill
+whistle the men who had been lying "dead" rose and fled, relieved from
+their uncomfortable position.
+
+"Do you know," said my Corean friend, as he got up and shook the dust and
+dirt off his beautiful silk gown, quite ignorant of what had happened,
+"do you know that if you had turned your head round and looked, I would
+be a dead man to-morrow?"
+
+"Why; who was there?"
+
+"The queen, of course. Did you not hear the two shrieks and the whistle?
+Those were the signs of her coming and going."
+
+"If you were to be beheaded, Mr. S., would you be afraid of death?"
+
+"Oh, no, sir," he said emphatically. "I am a brave man, and I come of a
+family of braves. I would die like a hero."
+
+"Oh," said I, changing the conversation, "how pretty the queen looked!"
+
+"Did you see her?" said he, horrified.
+
+"Yes, I did."
+
+"Oh, poor me, poor me, poor me!" he cried in despair. "You have seen her!
+I shall die! Oh, poor me, poor me, poor me!" and he shivered and
+shuddered and trembled.
+
+"I thought that you were not afraid of death, Mr. S.?"
+
+"Now that you have seen her, I am!" he mumbled pitifully.
+
+"All right, Mr. S. Do not be afraid, I shall take all the blame on
+myself, and you will not be punished, I promise you."
+
+At this point Prince Min came to fetch me, and I told him the whole
+story, relieving Mr. S. of all responsibility for my cheeky action, after
+which, having made sure that he would not be punished, we proceeded to
+the feast. The hour, be it noted, was about noon. As we were passing
+along the wall of the King's apartment, His Majesty peeped over the wall
+and smiled most graciously to me. Shortly after he sent a messenger to
+the dining-room to express regret that he was not able to entertain me
+himself owing to pressing State affairs.
+
+For the dinner a long table had been arranged in the European style, at
+the head of which sat Prince Min, acting in the place of the King. The
+forks and spoons were of tin, and the knives had apparently been used,
+for they were by no means clean. Rust, therefore, reigned supreme. The
+glasses and tumblers were of the thickest and commonest kind, but they
+had cost His Majesty a fortune all the same.
+
+We all sat down gaily, Mr. S. having recovered his spirits on being
+assured that he would not be punished, and the feast began. It would be
+easier for me to tell you what was not on that table than what was. All
+the products of the country seemed to have been cooked and brought before
+me, including meats, fish, honey, sweets, vegetables and sauces, of
+which, mind you, one had to eat "mountains," piled on our plates. Young
+pigs, in the puppy state, were also there, and were much appreciated by
+my princely entertainers; but, when I had got only half through, not
+being provided with an ever-expanding digestive apparatus, like my
+friends of Cho-sen, I really felt as if I was going to suffocate. It is a
+great insult to refuse what is offered you at table, and a greater
+insult, too, and gross breach of good manners, not to eat all that is on
+your plate; it can be easily imagined, then, how I was situated after
+having swallowed large quantities of beef, potatoes, barley, millet, not
+to mention about half a bushel of beans. Nevertheless, I was further
+treated to lily-bulbs and radishes dipped in the vilest of sauces,
+besides a large portion of a puppy-pig roasted, and fruit in profusion,
+foreign and native wines flowing freely. The dinner began at noon and was
+not brought to a legitimate close until the happy hour of 7 P.M.
+
+Talk of suffering! To those who appreciate the pleasure of eating, let me
+recommend a royal Corean dinner! No pen can describe the agonies I
+endured as I was carried home in the green sedan. Every jerk that the
+bearers gave made me feel as if I had swallowed a cannon-ball, which was
+moving mercilessly from one side of my body to the other. I could not
+help expecting an explosion at any moment, or, at all events, a rent in
+my overtight skin! On my way home I swore that as long as I lived I would
+never touch another mouthful of food, so disgusted was I with things
+eatable; but--needless to say, I have since many times broken my word.
+
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XIII
+
+Students--Culture--Examination ground--The three degrees--The
+alphabet--Chinese characters--Schools--Astronomers--Diplomas--Students
+abroad--Adoption of Western ways--Quick perception--The letter "f"--A
+comical mistake--Magistrates and education--Rooted superstition--Another
+haunted palace--Tigers--A convenient custom.
+
+
+[Illustration: THE EXAMINATION GROUNDS]
+
+At the beginning of the New Year, and soon after the festivities are
+over, the streets of Seoul are crowded with students who come up to town
+for their examinations. Dozens of them, generally noisy and boisterous,
+are to be seen arm in arm, parading the principal streets, and apparently
+always eating something or other. Study and eating seem to go together in
+Cho-sen. They wear peculiar gauze caps like bakers' paper bags, and a
+large double apron, the latter hanging down front and back, and being
+tied above the waist with a ribbon. A large piece of rolled up paper is
+carried in the hand, and much excitement seems to reign among them. By
+students, one must not imagine only young men, for many among them are
+above the thirties, and some are even old men.
+
+At certain hours processions of them pass along the royal street, then
+round the palace wall, and finally enter the examination grounds,
+situated immediately behind the royal palace. This is a large open
+ground, on one side of which is a low building containing quite a large
+number of small cells, where the candidates are examined. The examination
+day is one of the sights of Seoul. It is more like a country fair than an
+exhibition of literary skill. The noise is something appalling. On the
+grounds, thousands of candidates, accompanied by their parents and
+friends, squat in groups, drinking, eating and gambling. Here is a group
+of them drinking each other's health; there on blankets a few are lying
+flat on their backs basking in the sun, and waiting for their turn to be
+called up before the examiners. Huge red and yellow umbrellas are planted
+in the ground by enterprising merchants, who sell sweets, a kind of
+pulled toffy being one of their specialities; while others, at raised
+prices, dispose of examination caps, ink, paper and aprons to those who
+have come unprovided. Astrologers, too, drive a roaring trade on such
+days, for the greatest reliance is placed on their prophecies by both
+parents and students, and much money is spent by the latter, therefore,
+in obtaining the opinion of these impostors. In many a case, the prophecy
+given has been known to make the happiness--temporarily, of course--of
+the bashful young student; and in many a case, also, by this means fresh
+vigour has been instilled into a nervous man, so that, being convinced
+that he is to be successful, he perseveres and very often does succeed.
+
+One of these examinations, the highest of all, is a real landmark in a
+man's career. If the student is successful, he is first employed in some
+lower official capacity either by the Government, the palace authorities
+or some of the magistrates. If he is plucked, then he can try again the
+following year. Some try year after year without success, in the hope of
+being permitted to earn an honest living at the nation's expense, and
+grow old under the heavy study of ancient Chinese literature.
+
+The King in person assists at the oral examinations of the upper degree.
+Those of the two lower degrees are superintended by princes who sit with
+the examiners, and report to His Majesty on the successes of the
+different candidates.
+
+It is generally the sons of the nobles and the upper classes all over the
+kingdom who are put up for these examinations; those of the lower spheres
+are content with a smattering of arithmetic and a general knowledge of
+the alphabet, and of the proper method of holding the writing brush,
+sometimes adding to these accomplishments an acquaintance with the more
+useful of the Chinese characters.
+
+The Corean alphabet is remarkable for the way in which it represents the
+various sounds. That this is the case, the reader will be able to judge
+by the table given opposite. The aim of the inventors, in only using
+straight lines and circles, has evidently been to simplify the writing of
+the characters to the highest possible degree.
+
+[Illustration: THE COREAN ALPHABET]
+
+It will be at once noticed that an extra dot is used only in the case of
+the vowel _e_ and the diphthong _oue_; nothing but straight lines and
+circles being employed in the other cases. The pronunciation of the
+consonants is _dental_ in _l, r, t_, and _n_; _guttural_ in _k_ and _k_
+(aspirated); _palatal_ in _ch, ch_ (aspirated) and _s_; and _from the
+larynx_ in _h_ and _ng_ when at the end of a word.
+
+The State documents and all the official correspondence are written in
+Chinese characters, and hardly at all in the native alphabet, an
+exception being occasionally admitted in the case of a difficult
+character, when the meaning is written with the Corean letters, side by
+side with the Chinese form. The Corean alphabet is rather despised by the
+male "blue stockings" of Cho-sen, and is considered as fit only for poor
+people, children and women; in short, those whose brains are unable to
+undergo the strain of mastering and, what is more, of remembering, the
+meaning of the many thousands of Chinese characters. Not only that, but
+the spoken language itself is considered inadequate to express in poetic
+and graceful style the deep thoughts which may pass through the Corean
+brains; and, certainly, if these thoughts have to be put down on paper
+this is never done in the native characters. The result is, naturally,
+that there is hardly any literature in the language of Cho-sen. Even the
+historical records of the land of the Morning Calm are written in
+Chinese.
+
+The great influence of the Chinese over the Corean literary mind is also
+shown in the fact that most of the principles and proverbs of Cho-sen
+have been borrowed from their pig-tailed friends across the Yalu River.
+The same may be said of numberless words in the Corean language which are
+merely corruptions or mispronounced Chinese words. The study of Chinese
+involves a great deal of labour and patience on the part of the Corean
+students, and from a very tender age they are made to work hard at
+learning the characters by heart, singing them out in chorus, in a
+monotonous tone, one after the other for hours at a time.
+
+The schools are mostly supported by the Government. In them great
+attention is given to etiquette and Chinese classics, to philosophic and
+poetic ideas, but very little importance is attached to mathematics or
+science, except by those few who take up the study of the stars as an
+ideal rather than scientific occupation. These astronomers might be more
+correctly termed magicians, for with the stars they invariably connect
+the fate and fortune of king and people; which fact will also explain why
+it is that in their practice of astronomy mathematics are really of very
+little use.
+
+In the written essays for the examinations, what is generally aimed at by
+the candidates is a high standard of noble ideas which they try to
+express in the most refined style. The authors of the most admired essays
+receive the personal congratulations of the King and examiners, followed
+by a feast given by their parents and friends. The diplomas of successful
+candidates are not only signed by the King, but have also his great seal
+affixed to them.
+
+I was told that the examinations of the present day are a mere sham, and
+that it is not by knowledge or high achievements, in literary or other
+matters, that the much-coveted degree is now obtained, but by the simpler
+system of bribery. Men of real genius are, I was informed further,
+sometimes sent back in despair year after year, while pigheaded sons of
+nobles and wealthy people generally pass with honours, and are never or
+very seldom plucked.
+
+Education, as a whole, is up to a very limited point pretty generally
+spread all over the Corean realm, but of thorough education there is very
+little. In former times students showing unusual ability were sent by the
+Government to the University of Nanking, to be followed up by Pekin, but
+this custom was abandoned until a few years ago, when it was in a measure
+revived by the sending of two noblemen, first to Shanghai and then to
+America, to learn and profit by Western studies. These seem to have shown
+themselves remarkably intelligent; in fact, exceeded all expectation; for
+one of them forged a cheque before leaving the Asiatic continent, and was
+forbidden to return to his country. He is not likely to do so now, for he
+is said to have been murdered--only quite lately. The other, however,
+cannot be accused of anything of that sort; indeed, he distinguished
+himself during the three years spent in America by learning English (as
+spoken in the States) to perfection, besides mastering mathematics,
+chemistry and other sciences, perfectly new to him, in a way that would
+have done credit to many a Western student. In the same short space of
+time he also succeeded in a marvellous way in shaking off the thick
+coating of his native superstition and in assuming our most Western ways
+as exhibited across the Atlantic. If anything, he became more American
+than the Americans themselves. What astonished me more, though, was how
+quickly, having returned from his journey, he discarded his civilised
+ways and again dropped into his old groove.
+
+There is not the least doubt that, though to the casual observer the
+majority of Coreans appear depressed and unintelligent, they are, as a
+matter of fact, far from stupid. I have met people in the land of
+Cho-sen, whose cleverness would have been conspicuous in any country,
+Western or otherwise. When they set their mind to learn something they
+never cease till their object is attained, and I can vouch for their
+quick comprehension, even of matters of which they have never before
+heard. Languages seem to come easy to them, and their pronunciation of
+foreign tongues is infinitely better than that of their neighbours, the
+Chinese and the Japanese. The only stumbling block is the letter "_f_,"
+which they pronounce as a "_p_." I can give an instance of a Mr. Chang,
+the son of a noble, who was appointed by the king to be official
+interpreter to Mr. C.R. Greathouse. In less than two months, this youth
+of nineteen mastered enough English to enable him both to understand it
+and converse in it. I have seen him learn by heart out of a dictionary as
+many as two hundred English words in a day, and what is more, remember
+every one of them, including the spelling. Only once did I hear him make
+a comical mistake. He had not quite grasped the meaning of the word
+"twin"; for, in answer to a question I put to him, "Yes, sir," said he,
+boisterously, proud apparently of the command he had attained over his
+latest language, "Yes, sir, I have a _twin_ brother who is three years
+older than myself."
+
+The Corean magistrates think that to over-educate the lower classes is a
+mistake, which must end in great unhappiness.
+
+"If you are educated like a gentleman, you must be able to live like a
+gentleman," wisely said a Corean noble to me. "If you acquire an
+education which you cannot live up to, you are only made wretched, and
+your education makes you feel all the more keenly the miseries of human
+life. Besides, with very few exceptions, as one is born an artist, or a
+poet, one has to be born a gentleman to be one. All the education in the
+world may make you a nice man, but not a noble in _the_ strict sense of
+the word."
+
+Partly, in consequence of habits of thought like this, and partly,
+because it answers to leave the public in ignorance, superstition, which
+is one of the great evils in the country, is rather encouraged. Not alone
+the lower classes, but the whole people, including nobles and the King
+himself, suffer by it. It is a remarkable fact, that, a people who in
+many ways are extremely open-minded, and more philosophic than the
+general run of human beings, can allow themselves to be hampered in this
+way by such absurd notions as spirits and their evil ways.
+
+A royal palace, different to, but not very far from, the one described in
+the previous chapter, was abandoned not very long ago for the simple
+reason that it was haunted. Thus, there are no less than two palaces in
+the capital, that have been built at great expense, but deserted in
+order to evade the visits of those most tiresome impalpable individuals,
+"the Ghosts." One of these haunted abodes we have inspected, with its
+tumble-down buildings; the other I will now describe.
+
+[Illustration: THE HAUNTED ROYAL PALACE]
+
+The buildings comprising this palace are still in a very excellent state
+of preservation, and, being erected on hilly ground, form a very
+picturesque ensemble. The different houses are of red lacquered wood,
+with verandahs on the upper floors. The illustration shows a front view
+of one of the principal buildings, situated on the summit of the hill. At
+the foot of this hill, by a winding path and steps, a picturesque little
+gate and another house is reached. A little pond with water-plants in it,
+frozen in the midst of the thick ice, completes this haunted spot. The
+largest of all the structures is the audience-hall, richly and grandly
+decorated inside with wooden carvings, painted red, white, blue and
+yellow. The curled-up roofs are surmounted at each corner with curious
+representations of lucky emblems, among which the tiger has a leading
+place.
+
+Talking of tigers, I may as well speak of a strange custom prevailing in
+Corea. The country, as I have already pointed out, is full of these
+brutes, which, besides being of enormous size, are said to be very fierce
+and fond of human flesh. Even the walls of the town are no protection
+against them. Not unfrequently they make a nocturnal excursion through
+the streets, leaving again early in the morning with a farewell bound
+from the rampart, but carrying off inside their carcases some unlucky
+individual in a state of pulp.
+
+The Coreans may, therefore, be forgiven if, besides showing almost
+religious veneration for their feline friend--who reciprocates this in
+his own way--they have also the utmost terror of him. Whenever I went for
+long walks outside the town with Coreans, I noticed that when on the
+narrow paths I was invariably left to bring up the rear, although I was a
+quicker walker than they were. If left behind they would at once run on
+in front of me again, and never could I get any one to be last man. This
+conduct, sufficiently remarkable, has the following explanation.
+
+It is the belief of the natives, that when a tiger is suddenly
+encountered he always attacks and makes a meal of the last person in the
+row; for which reason, they always deem it advisable, when they have a
+foreigner in their company, to let him have that privilege. I, for my
+part, of course, did not regard the matter in the same light, and
+generally took pretty good care to retain a middle position in the
+procession, when out on a country prowl, greatly to the distress and
+uneasiness of my white-robed guardian angels.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XIV
+
+Religion--Buddhism--Bonzes--Their power--Shamanism--Spirits--Spirits
+of the mountain--Stone heaps--Sacred trees--Seized by the
+spirits--Safe-guard against them--The wind--Sorcerers and
+sorceresses--Exorcisms--Monasteries--Temples--Buddha--Monks--Their
+customs and clothing--Nuns--Their garments--Religious ceremonies--The
+tooth-stone.
+
+
+The question of religion is always a difficult one to settle, for--no
+matter where one goes--there are people who are religious and people who
+are not.
+
+The generality of people in Corea are not religious, though in former
+days, especially in the Korai-an era, between the tenth and fourteenth
+centuries, they seem to have been ardent Buddhists. Indeed, Buddhism as a
+religion seems to have got a strong hold in Cho-sen during the many
+Chinese invasions; it only passed over Cho-sen, however, like a huge
+cloud, to vanish again, though leaving here and there traces of the power
+it once exercised.
+
+The bonzes (priests) had at one time so much authority all over the
+country as to actually rule the King himself; and, as the reverend
+gentlemen were ready with the sword as well as with their bead
+prayer-rosaries, they became an unparalleled nuisance and dangerous to
+the constitution. After having, by their great power and capacity for
+agitation, roused the country to revolution and internal disputes, it
+was found necessary to put them down, and from that time forward, they
+became mere nonentities. The chief instrument which brought this about
+was a law, still in existence, by which no religion is, under any
+circumstances, tolerated or allowed within the walls of Corean cities,
+and all bonzes are forbidden to enter the gates of any city under pain of
+losing their heads.
+
+The influence which the priests had gained over the Court having been
+thus suddenly destroyed, and the offenders against the law in question
+having been most severely dealt with, Buddhism, so far as Corea was
+concerned, received its death blow. This was so: first, because, although
+it had prevailed without restraint for nearly five centuries, many of the
+primitive old superstitions were still deeply rooted in the minds of the
+Coreans, and because, with the fall of the priests, these sprang up again
+bolder than ever; then, too, because the law above-mentioned was so
+strictly enforced that many temples and monasteries had to be closed
+owing to lack of sufficient funds, the number of their supporters having
+become infinitesimal in a comparatively short time.
+
+Shamanism is at the present time the popular religion, if indeed there is
+any that can be so designated. The primitive worship of nature appears to
+be quite sufficient for the religious aspirations of the Corean native,
+and with his imaginative brain he has peopled the earth with evil and
+good spirits, as well as giving them to the elements, the sky, and the
+morning star. To these spirits he offers sacrifices, when somebody in his
+family dies, or when any great event takes place; and to be on good
+terms with these invisible rulers of his fate is deemed necessary, even
+by well-educated people who should know better.
+
+There are spirits for everything in Cho-sen. The air is alive with them,
+and there are people who will actually swear that they have come in
+contact with them. Diseases of all sorts, particularly paralysis, are
+invariably ascribed to the possession of the human frame by one of these
+unwholesome visitors, and when a death occurs, to what else can it be due
+than to their evil and invisible operation? To old age, to diseases
+natural and zymotic, the expiration of life is never ascribed; these
+everlasting evil spirits have to answer for it all.
+
+The most prominent spirits are probably those of the mountain. According
+to Corean accounts, the mountains and hills seem to be full of these
+heroes of witchcraft: this being probably due to the fact that the dead
+are buried on hilly ground and that their souls, therefore, are most
+likely to make their nocturnal hoverings in such neighbourhoods, until a
+fresh career is found for them in the body of some animal. They are not
+_gods_ of the mountains, as some writers have been pleased to call them,
+for, so far as I could judge, the natives are more terror-stricken when
+thinking about them than inclined to worship them. No Corean, of sound
+mind and body, however brave and fearless of death in battle, can ever be
+induced to walk out at night on the mountain-slopes; and even in the
+day-time a great deal of uneasiness is manifested by the natives should
+they have to climb a hill. On such occasions they provide themselves
+with armfuls of stones, which, as they go up, they throw violently one
+by one at these imaginary beings, thus showing them that their company is
+neither required nor wished for, and that they had better keep aloof. If
+this simple precaution is used, the obliging and scorned spirits seldom
+interfere with the traveller's welfare. The hills close to the towns are
+simply covered with heaps of stones, so thrown at these mythical dwellers
+of the mountains. Such is the effect produced by terror on the people's
+imagination, that frequently in their imagination they feel the actual
+touch of the spirits. Probably, if there is any physical touch in those
+cases, it is only a leaf or a twig falling from a tree. Still, when that
+occurs a regular fight ensues, the men continuing to fire stones at their
+imaginary foes, until in their mental vision they see them disappear and
+fade away in the air. Others not so brave prefer an accelerated retreat,
+only stopping now and again to throw a stone at the pursuers.
+
+From their very childhood the Coreans are imbued with horrid and
+fantastic accounts of the doings of these spirits, and so vividly are the
+usual habits of these ghostly creatures depicted to them, that they
+cannot but remain for ever indelibly impressed on their minds.
+
+Another very common sight, besides the stone-heaps, are the sacred trees.
+These are to be found everywhere, but especially on hilly ground. Their
+branches are literally covered with rags, bits of glass, and other
+offerings given by the superstitious and frightened passers-by, lest
+these spirits might take offence at not being noticed. Women and men
+when compelled to travel on the hills go well provided with these rags,
+and when--for the sacred trees are very numerous--supplies run short,
+many a woman has been known to tear off a bit of her silk gown, and
+attach it to a branch of the tree among the other donations.
+
+A coolie, who was carrying my paint-box one evening, when I was returning
+home from the hills, was simply terrified at the prospect of being seized
+by the spirits. He kept his mouth tightly closed, and stoutly declined to
+open it, for fear the spirits should get into him by that passage; and
+when, with the cold end of my stick, I purposely touched the back of his
+neck--unperceived by him, of course--he fled frightened out of his life,
+supposing it to have been a ghost. He met me again on the high road in
+the plain, about half a mile farther on, and explained his conduct with
+the very truthful excuse, that "a spirit had seized him by the throat and
+shaken him violently, meaning at all costs to enter his mouth, and that
+it was to escape serious injury that he had fled!" When I told him that
+it was I who had touched him with the end of my stick, he sarcastically
+smiled, as if he knew better.
+
+"No, sir," said he; "honestly, I saw with my own eyes the spirit that
+assaulted me!"
+
+The forms given to these spirits vary much, according to the amount of
+imagination and descriptive power of the persons who describe them.
+Generally, however, they assume the forms either of repulsively hideous
+human beings, or else of snakes. The best safeguard against them,
+according to Corean notions, is music, or rather, I should say, noise.
+When possessed with a spirit, a diabolical row of drums, voices, bells
+and rattles combined is set agoing to make him depart without delay;
+while, on the other hand, little bits of dangling glass, tied to strings,
+small sweet-toned bells and cymbals, hanging in a bunch from the corners
+of the roof or in front of the windows and door, often by means of their
+tinkling--a sound not dissimilar to that of an AEolian harp--attract to
+the house the friendly spirits of good fortune and prosperity. The latter
+are always heartily welcomed.
+
+The very wind itself is supposed to be the breathing of a god-spirit with
+extra powerful lungs; and rain, lightning, war, thirst, food and so on,
+each possesses a special deity, who, if not invoked at the right moment,
+and in the right manner, may, when least expected, have his revenge
+against you.
+
+The spirits of Cho-sen are very sensitive, and insist on being taken into
+notice. Through astrologers, sorcerers and sorceresses they convey
+messages and threats to this person and to that--generally the richer
+people--whose errors may always be rectified or atoned for by paying a
+round sum down to these go-betweens, who are quite ready to assume the
+responsibility of guaranteeing a peaceful settlement of matters. There
+are regular establishments kept by these sorcerers and sorceresses--as a
+rule, outside the city walls--where witchcraft is practised with impunity
+in all its forms. These establishments are much patronised both by the
+poor and by the man of noble rank; and amidst the most excruciating
+howling, clapping of hands, violent beating of drums and other
+exorcisms, illnesses are got rid of, pains and troubles softened,
+calamities prevented and children procured for sterile people. The
+Government itself does not consider these houses as forming part of the
+religious gang, and one or two of them may be found even in Seoul within
+the wall. One, an extremely noisy house and mostly patronised by women,
+is situated not far from the West Gate along the wall. There are also one
+or two on the slope of Mount Nanzam.
+
+The exorcisms, with the exception of a few particular ones, are, for the
+most part, performed in the open air, on a level space in front of the
+house. A circle is formed by the various claimants, in the centre of
+which a woman, apparently in a trance, squats on her heels. The more
+money that is paid in, the greater the noise that takes place, and the
+longer does the performance last. Every now and then the woman in the
+centre will get up, and, rushing to some other female in the circle, will
+tap her furiously on her back and shake her, saying that _she_ has an
+evil spirit in her which refuses to come out. She will also hint that
+possibly by paying an extra sum, and by means of special exorcisms, it
+may be induced to leave. What with the shaking, the tapping, the
+clapping, the drums and the howls, the wretched "spotted" woman really
+begins to feel that she has something in her, and, possessed--not by the
+spirits--but by the most awful fright, she disburses the extra money
+required, after which the spirit ultimately departs.
+
+These witches and sorceresses are even more numerous than their male
+equivalents. They are recruited from the riff-raff of the towns, and are
+generally people well-informed on the state, condition, and doings of
+everybody. Acting on this previous knowledge, they can often tell your
+past to perfection, and in many cases they predict future events--which
+their judgment informs them are not unlikely to occur. When ignorant,
+they work pretty much on the same lines as the Oracle of Delphi; they
+give an answer that may be taken as you please. Then, if things do not
+occur in the way they predicted, they simply make it an excuse for
+extorting more money out of their victim under the plea that he has
+incurred the displeasure of the spirits, and that serious evil will come
+upon him if he does not comply with their request. The money obtained is
+generally spent in orgies during the night. These sorceresses and male
+magicians are usually unscrupulous and immoral, and are often implicated,
+not only in the intrigues of the noblest families, but also in murders
+and other hideous crimes.
+
+Outside the towns, again, there are, only a grade higher than these, the
+Buddhist monasteries and nunneries. Within a few miles of Seoul, several
+of these are to be found. One thing that may be said for these
+institutions is that they are invariably built on lovely spots. Generally
+on the top, or high on the slopes of a mountain, they form not only homes
+for the religious, but fortified and impregnable castles. The monasteries
+are seldom very large, and, as a general rule, hold respectively only
+about two dozen monks.
+
+[Illustration: THE INTERIOR OF A TEMPLE]
+
+There is a small temple on a platform, with a figure of Pul or Buddha in
+the centre, two brass candlesticks by his side, and a small incense
+burner at his feet. "Joss sticks" are constantly burned before him and
+fill the temple with scent and haze. Buddha, as found in Corea, has
+generally a sitting and cross-legged posture; the feet are twisted with
+the soles upwards, and, while the right arm hangs down, the left is
+folded, the forearm projecting, and the hand holding a bronze ball. By
+his side, generally on the left, is a small tablet in a frame of
+elaborate wood-carving. At the foot of the statue is a large collection
+box for the donations of the worshippers. The background is usually
+plain, or painted with innumerable figures of the minor gods, some with
+young white faces and good-natured expressions, probably the gods of
+confidence; others with rugged old faces and shaggy white eyebrows,
+moustache and hair, undoubtedly the various forms of the deity of wisdom.
+Then there is one with squinting ferocious eyes, black eyebrows and
+beard, dressed in a helmet and fighting robe, who, needless to remark,
+is the god of war. Others are the gods of justice, deference, and
+affection; the last being impersonated by two female figures who usually
+stand on each side of the Buddha. One curious thing about the Buddha is
+that the head is generally very large in proportion to the body, and that
+the ears are enormous for the size of the head. In the East it is
+considered lucky to possess large ears, but these Buddhas are often
+represented with their organs of hearing as long as the whole height of
+the head. In Europe such a thing would hardly be considered a compliment!
+The hair of the Buddha is carefully plastered down on his forehead, and
+is adorned with a jewel in the centre. The eyes are almost straight, like
+the eyes of Europeans, instead of being slanting, like those of the
+Mongolians, while the eyebrows, finely painted with a small brush,
+describe a beautiful semi-circular arch. The expression of the face, as
+one looks at it, is in most cases that of nobility and sleepiness.
+
+Out of the West Gate, and a good way past the Pekin Pass, a very
+interesting day can be spent in visiting a monastery which is to be found
+there among the hills. Previous to reaching it, a small tomb, that,
+namely, of the King's mother, is passed. On each flank is a stone figure,
+while on three sides a wall shuts in the mound of earth under which the
+body lies. On the right is a tablet to the memory of the deceased, and in
+front of the mound is placed a well-polished stone, also a small urn.
+
+High up, after following a zig-zag mountain path, we come to the
+monastery.
+
+Monasteries as a rule consist of the temple and the mud huts and houses
+of the monks and novices. The temple always stands apart. Of the temples
+which I saw, none were very rich in interesting works of art or in
+excellent decoration, like the temples of Japan. The only parts decorated
+outside in the Corean houses of worship are immediately under the roof
+and above the doors, where elaborate, though roughly executed
+wood-carvings are painted over in red, white, green and yellow, in their
+crudest tones. Over each of the columns supporting the temple, projects a
+board with two enormous curved teeth, like the tusks of an elephant, and
+over the principal door of the temple is a black tablet, on which the
+name of the temple is written in gold Chinese characters. At each of the
+columns, both of the temple and of the common part of the dwellings, hang
+long wooden panels on which are written the names of supporters and
+donors with accompanying words of high praise.
+
+The doors of the temples are of lattice-work and are made up of four
+different parts, folding and opening on hinges. On some occasions, when
+the _concours_ of the public is too great to be accommodated within the
+building itself, the whole of the front and sides of the temple are
+thrown open. Inside the lattice-work above mentioned tissue-paper is
+placed, to protect the religious winter visitors from the cold.
+
+Inside, the temples are extremely simple. With the exception of the
+statue of Buddha and the various representations of minor deities that we
+have already mentioned, there is little else to be seen. The
+prayer-books, certainly, are interesting; their leaves are joined
+together so as to form a long strip of paper folded into pages, but not
+sewn, nor fastened anywhere except at the two ends, to which two wooden
+panels are attached, and, by one side of the book being kept higher than
+the other, the leaves unfold, so to speak, automatically.
+
+In one temple of very small dimensions, perched up among the rocks near
+the South Gate of Seoul, are to be seen hundreds of little images in
+costumes of warriors, mandarins and princes, all crammed together in the
+most unmerciful manner. This temple goes by the name of the "The
+Five-hundred Images." Adjoining it is a quaint little monastery and a
+weird cavern (_see_ chap, xx., "A Trip to Poo Kan").
+
+As to the monasteries themselves, these, though adjoining the temples,
+are built apart from them. Their lower portions are, like all Corean
+houses, of stone and mud, while the upper parts are entirely of mud. The
+roof is tiled on the main portion of the building, while over the kitchen
+and quarters for the novices it is generally only thatched.
+
+[Illustration: BUDDHIST BONZES AND TEMPLE]
+
+More interesting to me than the temples and buildings were the bonzes,
+who are, I may as well say at once, a very depraved lot. It is a strange
+fact in nature that the vicious are often more interesting than the
+virtuous. So it is with the Corean bonzes. Here you have a body of men,
+shrewd, it is true, yet wicked (not to say more) and entirely without
+conscience, whose only aim is to make money at the expense of weak-minded
+believers. Morals they have none; if it were possible, one might say even
+less than none. They lead a lazy and vicious life in these monasteries,
+gambling among themselves and spending much time in orgies. They feed
+themselves well at the expense of the charitable, and a great deal of
+their energy is expended in blackmailing rich persons, not of course
+openly, but through agents as disreputable as themselves. Whenever there
+are riots or revolutions in progress, their origin can invariably be
+traced to the monasteries. In other respects, excepting these few little
+faults, they seemed charming people. Their dress consists of a long white
+padded gown with baggy sleeves; the usual huge trousers and short coat
+underneath; and a rosary of largeish beads round their necks. When
+praying, the rosary is held in the hands, and each bead counts for one
+prayer. A larger bead in the rosary is the starting-point. When petitions
+are being offered to Buddha on behalf of third parties--for rarely do
+they, if ever, pray on behalf of themselves--there is a scale of prices
+varying according to the wealth of the petitioners; so many prayers are
+worth so much _cash_; in other words, one buys them as one would rice or
+fruit. The bonzes shave their heads as clean as billiard balls; while the
+novices content themselves with cutting their hair extremely short,
+leaving it, probably, not longer than one-eighth of an inch. There are
+many different degrees of bonzes. We have, for example, the begging
+bonzes, who wear large conical hats of plaited split bamboos, or else
+hats smaller still and also cone-shaped but made of thick dried grass.
+They travel all over the district, and sometimes even to distant
+provinces, collecting funds and information from the people. Sometimes
+they impose their company on some well-to-do person, who, owing to the
+Corean etiquette in the matter of hospitality, has to provide them with
+food, money and promises of constant contributions before he can get rid
+of them. Then there are the stay-at-home bonzes, well-fattened and
+easy-going, who cover their heads with round, horse-hair, stiffened black
+caps of the exact shape of those familiar articles in French and Italian
+pastry-cook shops, used over the different plates to prevent flies from
+eating the sweets. Lastly, we have the military priests, who follow the
+army to offer up prayers when at war and during battles, and who don hats
+of the ordinary shape worn by every one else except that they have round
+crowns instead of almost cylindrical ones. These alone are occasionally
+allowed to enter the towns. Paper sandals are the foot-gear chiefly in
+use among them.
+
+Whenever I visited a monastery, I found the monks most civil and
+hospitable, although naturally they expect something back for their
+hospitality. I hardly had time to pay my chin-chins to all of them,
+folding my hands and shaking them in front of my forehead, bent forward,
+before a tray of eatables, such as beans, radishes and rice in pretty
+brass bowls would be produced, and a large cup of wine offered, out of
+which latter the whole company drank in turn. They took much interest in
+my sketching, and all insisted on being portrayed. Many of them possessed
+a good deal of artistic talent, and it is generally by their handiwork
+and patience that the images and statues in the temples are produced.
+Among them were some very intelligent faces, somewhat _abruties_, to use
+a French word, owing to the life they lead, but exceedingly bright and
+cheery withal, and often very witty, when one came to talk with them. As
+for shrewdness and quickness of perception I know no person who has these
+better at his command than the Corean Buddhist priest.
+
+[Illustration: A NUNNERY]
+
+There are also in Corea nunneries for women who desire to follow a
+religious life. Curiously enough, contrary to the rule with us, the
+Corean nuns are more emancipated than the rest of the native women. To
+begin with, they dress just in the same way as do the monks, shave their
+heads like them; and being, moreover, of a cast of countenance
+exceedingly ugly and not at all feminine, they might quite well, from the
+appearance of their faces, be taken to belong to the stronger sex. A good
+many of them, contrary to the case of the monks, impressed me as being
+afflicted with mental and bodily sufferings, and in several cases they
+even appeared to me to be bordering on idiocy. They always, however,
+received me kindly, and showed me their convents, with cells in which
+two or three nuns sleep together. They were not quite so careless as the
+monks about the duties of religion, and at the little temple close by
+there was a continual rattling of the gong, a buzzing, monotonous sound,
+enough to drive anybody out of his mind, if especially it was accompanied
+by the beating of drums. The temples attached to these nunneries seemed
+to be more elaborate inside than those of the monasteries, and when a
+religious ceremony has to be performed, two nuns, one in white, the other
+draped in a long, black-greenish gown, and both wearing a red garment
+thrown over the left shoulder, passed under the right arm, and tied in
+front with a ribbon, walk up and down inside the temple, muttering
+prayers, while a third female goes on rattling on the drums with all her
+might. Offerings of rice, beans, etc., are placed in front of the gods, a
+candle or two is lighted--and the nun in dark clothing holds a small
+gong, fastened to the end of a bent stick, and taps on it with a
+long-handled hammer, first gently and slowly, then quicker and quicker,
+in a crescendo, till she manages to produce a long shrill sound. The
+person, for whom these prayers are offered, kneels in front of the
+particular deity whom she wants to invoke, though generally at the foot
+of the Great Buddha, and with hands joined in front of her nose, prays
+with the nuns, getting up during certain prayers, kneeling down again for
+others. For head-gear, the nuns wear the same grass conical hats which
+the travelling monks do. If a large oblation is offered, the service is
+still more noisy, and not only are the big drums played in the most
+violent manner, but the nuns squat in a body along the walls inside the
+temple, and keep hammering away on little gongs similar to that just
+described. Recall to your memory the sound of a blacksmith's forge with
+two men hammering a red-hot iron, magnify that sound a hundred times, and
+add to it the buzzing of the prayers, and you will then get a pretty fair
+idea of what one of these religious ceremonies sounds like to European
+ears.
+
+One of the best features of Confucianism is the inculcation of respect
+towards parents and old people, in which respect both monks and nuns do a
+deal of good; though, otherwise, I think the country might advantageously
+be without these institutions.
+
+Beliefs are comical when one does not believe in them.
+
+On the mountain slopes, just outside the city wall, and at no great
+distance from the West Gate, is a peculiar rock, which the action of the
+weather has worn out into the shape of a gigantic tooth. Whence comes its
+name of Tooth-stone. There would be nothing wonderful about this, if it
+were not for the fact that a visit to this freak of nature, has,
+according to Corean accounts, the property of curing the worst of
+tooth-aches. Though I was not myself afflicted with the complaint in
+question, I went one afternoon to witness the pilgrimage that takes place
+every day to this miraculous spot. A little altar stands at the foot of
+the huge tooth, and numberless tablets, certifying to cures, erected by
+thankful noble visitors and others, are fixed against the rock, with the
+name, date and year when the cures were effected.
+
+As I stood there, I could not help laughing at the sight of the crowds of
+men and women with swollen cheeks, bandaged up in cotton wool and
+kerchiefs, apparently undergoing excruciating agonies through coming out
+on so cold a day. One after the other they came up, first paying their
+chin-chins in front of the altar, and then depositing on it what _cash_
+they could afford; after which they proceeded to rub one cheek after the
+other on the Tooth-stone, just as "puss" rubs herself against your legs
+when you stroke her head. The bandages had, of course, to be removed
+before the balloon-like cheek could be rubbed on the frozen stone, and to
+watch the different expressions of relief or increased pain upon their
+ill-balanced, inflamed faces, gave me as much amusement as any show that
+I have ever witnessed. Should the pain have temporarily disappeared, the
+man in charge of the _miracle_ would make it his duty to try and extract
+more money from the person cured; if, instead of that, the pain had
+increased, which was generally the case, then, again, he would impress on
+the agonised sufferer that had he paid a larger sum in the beginning the
+gods would not have been vexed at his meanness and the pain would have
+disappeared. Let him, therefore, now pay more _cash_ by way of making up
+for it, and try again! It is wonderful, too, how shallow people are when
+they have a pain anywhere!
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XV
+
+Police--Detectives--The plank-walk--The square board--The wooden blocks
+for hands and feet--Floggings--The bamboo rod--The stick--The flexible
+board--A flogging in Seoul--One hundred strokes for three-halfpence
+--Wounds produced--Tender-hearted soldiers--Imprisonment--Exile--Status
+of women, children and bachelors--Guilds and the law--Nobles and the
+law--Serfdom--A mild form of slavery.
+
+
+Should you happen to be one of the tender-hearted sort, please pass this
+chapter and the next over, and I shall not bear you any malice. My
+present object is to describe some of the punishments inflicted on
+criminals, and, though they are, as a whole, quaint and original, I
+cannot say that they are pleasing, either to see or to read about.
+
+First of all, you may not be aware that there is in Seoul a sharp and
+well-regulated body of police, always ready to pounce on outlaws of any
+kind; and that there is hardly a crime committed, the delinquent in which
+fails to be immediately collared. These guardians of the peace do not
+wear any particular uniform, but are dressed just like the merchant
+classes; and thus it is that, unknown, they can mix with people of all
+sorts, and frequently discover crimes of which they would otherwise
+probably never hear. Instead of being mere policemen, they rather do the
+work of detectives and policemen combined; for, by ably disguising
+themselves, they try to get on familiar terms with people about whom they
+are suspicious; and in many a case, after having become a bosom-friend of
+one of these officials and acknowledged and confessed his evil deeds to
+him, the culprit finds himself arrested and very likely beheaded.
+
+In speaking of their mode of arrest, I purposely used the word
+"collared"; for no better term can express the action of the Corean
+policeman. The man is taken before the magistrate soon after his arrest,
+and should he offer resistance he is dragged before him by his top-knot
+or his pig-tail, according respectively as he is a married man or a
+bachelor. If he is strong and restive, a rope with a sliding knot is
+passed round his neck, after his hands have been firmly tied behind his
+back. After his interview with the magistrate at the _yamen_, if he be
+found guilty, he is generally treated with very great severity.
+
+If the crime has been only of the minor degree the culprit undergoes the
+plank-walk, a punishment tiresome enough, but not too harsh for Coreans.
+The following is a rough description of it. A heavy wooden plank, about
+twelve feet long and two feet wide, with an aperture in the centre, is
+used, the man's head being passed through the aperture and then secured
+in it in such a way that he cannot remove it. Thus arrayed he is made to
+walk through the streets of the town, his head distorted by the weight he
+has to carry, and his body restrained by the dragging of the plank either
+in front of him or at his back. The passers-by point at him the finger of
+scorn, as, in his helpless state, he is made to swing from one side of
+the road to the other with the slightest push, or else is pulled along
+mercilessly by people who seize the plank and begin to run. He is poked
+in the ribs with sticks, and gets his head smacked and smeared with dirt;
+yet has to bear it all patiently, until, twirled round, knocked about,
+and with his neck skinned by the friction of the heavy plank, he
+sometimes falls down in a dead faint.
+
+[Illustration: THE PLANK-WALK]
+
+Little or no compassion is shown to criminals by the Coreans. Rather than
+otherwise, they are cruel to them; and children, besides being cautioned
+not to follow their bad example, are encouraged to annoy and torture the
+poor wretches.
+
+A more severe punishment still is the square board, a piece of wood too
+heavy to allow of the man standing for any length of time, too wide to
+allow of his arms reaching his face, too big to allow of him resting his
+head on the ground and going to sleep, and too thick to allow of his
+smashing it and getting rid of it. Instances are on record of people thus
+punished having become lunatics after the fourth or fifth day. During the
+fly season I should think such an occurrence cannot be uncommon. Imagine
+half a dozen flies disporting themselves in a tickling walk on a man's
+nose, eyelids and forehead, without his being able to reach them, owing
+to this huge square wooden collar! It must be dreadful! Merely the
+thought of it is enough to give one the shivers.
+
+This last mode of punishment has, I think, been imported from China, for
+I have also seen it frequently in the Empire of Heaven. The other, which
+I first described, may also be a modification of this one, but I do not
+remember having seen it, as I have described it, anywhere except in
+Corea, at Seoul. There is also in Corea another machine of torture, in
+which the head and feet are tied between heavy blocks of wood.
+
+The principal, and most important, of all the lesser punishments,
+however, is flogging. It is that which has most effect on the people, and
+it is certainly by far the most painful. It is carried out in many ways,
+according to the gravity of the crime committed. The simpler and milder
+form is with a small bamboo rod, the strokes being administered on the
+hands, on the bare back or on the thighs, a punishment mostly for young
+people. Next in severity, is that with the round stick--a heavy
+implement--by which it was always a marvel to me, that all the bones of
+the body were not smashed, judging from the fearful blows which the
+powerful flogger bestowed on the poor wretches who lay stretched out
+flat, and face downward, on a sort of bench, to which they were
+fastened, and on which they generally fainted from pain after the first
+few strokes had been given. This is considered a low and degrading way of
+being flogged, and is chiefly limited to people of the lowest standing in
+society. The implement most generally in use in this line of sport is the
+paddle or flat board, a beating with which, when once received, is likely
+to be remembered for ever. I shall try to describe the way in which I saw
+it done one day in Seoul.
+
+I was walking along the main street when I saw a _kisso_ (soldier), with
+his hands tied behind his back, being led with a rope and followed by
+about a score of cavalry soldiers in their picturesque hats and red
+tassels. A magistrate, in his long white gown and with a huge pair of
+circular spectacles on his nose, headed the procession. I asked a
+passer-by what they were going to do, and was soon informed, both by
+action and by word of mouth, that the man was going to be flogged,
+whereupon I at once slackened my pace, and joined the procession, that I
+might, if possible, see how they did this sort of thing in military
+circles. I had already seen ordinary floggings with the bamboo and the
+stick, but what attracted me more especially on this occasion, was a long
+wooden board which a soldier was carrying, and with which, the man who
+was walking by my side said, they were going to beat him. It was a plank
+about ten feet long, one foot wide and half an inch thick, probably less,
+and therefore very flexible. After walking for a short distance, the
+procession at last made a halt. The man to be performed upon, looked
+almost unconcerned; and, save that he was somewhat pensive, showed no
+signs of fear. His hands having been untied, he at once took off his
+hat--for in the land of Cho-sen a man does not mind losing his life as
+long as his hat is not spoilt! His padded trousers were pulled down so as
+to leave his legs bare, and he was then made to lie flat on the pebbly
+ground, using his folded arms as a sort of rest for his head. The
+magistrate, with his pompous strides, having found a suitable spot,
+squatted down on his heels, a servant immediately handing to him his
+long-caned pipe. The soldiers, silent and grave, then formed a circle,
+and the flogger; with his board all ready in his hand, took up a position
+on the left-hand side of his victim. The magistrate, between one puff and
+another of smoke, gave a long harangue on the evils of borrowing money
+and not returning it, however small the sum might be. The disgrace, he
+argued, would be great in anybody's case, but for a soldier of the King,
+not only to commit the great offence of borrowing money from a person of
+lower grade than himself--"a butcher," but then also to add to his shame
+by not returning it--this was something that went beyond the limits of
+decency.
+
+"How much was it you borrowed?" he inquired in a roaring kind of voice.
+
+"A hundred _cash_," answered the thread of a voice from the head on the
+ground buried in the coat-sleeves.
+
+"Well, then, give him a hundred strokes, to teach him to do better next
+time!"
+
+As a hundred _cash_ is equivalent to one penny-halfpenny, to my mind, the
+verdict was a little severe, but, as there is no knowing what is good
+for other people, I remained a silent spectator.
+
+The flogger then, grabbing at one end of the board with his strong hands,
+swung it two or three times over his head, and gave a tremendous whack on
+the man's thighs, causing them to bleed. Then immediately another and
+another followed, each being duly reckoned, the poor fellow all the while
+moaning pitifully, and following from the corners of his frightened eyes
+the quick movements of the quivering plank. Soon his skin became livid
+and inflamed, and, after a few more blows had been given, large patches
+of skin remained attached to the board. The pain must have been intense.
+The wretch bit his sleeves, and moaned and groaned, until, finally, he
+became faint. Meanwhile, I had produced my sketch-book, and had already
+with my pencil jotted down magistrate, flogger, flogged and soldiers,
+when the ill-natured official took offence at what I was doing and
+ordered the flogging to be at once stopped. Had I only known, I would
+have begun my sketch before. As it was--and the culprit had only received
+less than one-fifth of the number of blows to which he had been
+sentenced--the performance was bad enough. There was only one redeeming
+feature about it, and I must say no one was more astonished at it than
+myself. Nearly all the soldiers, friends of the offender, blubbered like
+children while his punishment lasted. This circumstance seemed to prove
+to me that the Easterns, though apparently cruel, are, after all, not
+quite so hard-hearted as one might be inclined to imagine. And, mind you,
+the soldier-classes in Cho-sen are probably the most cruel of all; that
+touch of sentiment on their part, therefore, impressed me much, and upset
+entirely those first ideas I had formed about their lack of sensitiveness
+and sympathy for others.
+
+The order to that effect being then given, two soldiers proceeded to help
+the man to rise. Calling to him was, however, of no avail. They had,
+therefore, to lift him up bodily, but when they tried to dress him they
+found his swollen bleeding legs to be as stiff as if they had been made
+of iron; wherefore, as they failed to bend them, two other men had to
+come to their assistance and carry him away. It not unfrequently happens
+in the case of this cruel method of flogging that a man's thighs are
+broken and himself ruined for life, and many have been known to have even
+died under the severity of the punishment.
+
+Imprisonment is not a favourite punishment with the Corean magistrates,
+for the infliction of such a penalty means considerable expense to the
+country, and would be but little punishment to the natives, who, by such
+confinement, would suffer little or nothing physically, and certainly not
+at all morally. Some, however, especially of the nobler classes, are kept
+confined, even for years, in expectation, for instance, of a sentence of
+capital punishment being carried out, or else in the hope that through
+influential friends they may obtain the royal pardon. As a rule,
+particularly with the better classes, exile is deemed a more impressive
+punishment than imprisonment, and when confiscation of land and property
+goes with this, the punishment is, of course, all the more severe.
+
+Of banishment there are several different kinds. Thus, there is not only
+banishment from the city to a distant province, but also that out of the
+kingdom altogether. Some banishments are for short periods, others for
+longer periods, others for life. Banishment from the country is generally
+for life and accompanied by confiscation.
+
+A curious custom prevails at Court, according to which, when a Minister,
+prince or magistrate incurs the royal displeasure, he is confined for two
+or three days to his own house, without being allowed to go out. Were the
+rule broken it would lead to serious trouble, for spies are generally
+sent to see that the rule is not transgressed. Such a punishment, mild as
+it is, is much felt by the nobles, and they take, therefore, a good deal
+of trouble to comply with the Court etiquette in all its minutest
+details.
+
+Corean law is very lenient to women and children, or unmarried men, which
+latter class, as we have seen, are classified in the same category as the
+former. The head of the family is supposed to punish smaller offences as
+he thinks fit, either by rod or fist, the law only providing the severer
+forms of punishment for the bigger crimes.
+
+The administration of the law in general is very strange. Some people are
+responsible, others are not. Certain tradesmen, like butchers,
+plasterers, innkeepers, carpenters, hatters, etc., have formed themselves
+into guilds, and in the case of offences committed by a member of one of
+these guilds he is held responsible to the head of the guild and not to
+the magistrates of the country. The same holds good in the case of the
+_mapus_ (horsemen) and the coolie-carriers who constitute, probably, the
+best-formed and best-governed guild in the country. It has thousands of
+members all over the kingdom, and not only is the postal system carried
+on by them, but also the entire trade, so to speak, between the different
+provinces and towns of the realm. The chief of this guild, until late
+years, had actually the power of inflicting capital punishment on the
+members; now, however, the highest penalty he can inflict is a sentence
+of flogging. Thus it is, that a good deal of the justice of the country
+is administered by the people themselves, without the intervention of the
+legal authorities, in which respect they show themselves very sensible.
+The nobles, too, have the power of flogging their servants or followers,
+and this is usually done in their own _compounds_. Very often on passing
+a house the strokes of the paddle may be heard, the howls and screams of
+the victim testifying to the nature of what is going on. In other cases
+flogging is generally done in public, for then it is supposed to have
+more effect. If done in a private enclosure, then all the servants,
+soldiers and followers are summoned to witness it.
+
+This patient submission to these personal punishments is no doubt one of
+the last remains of feudalism. In not very remote times, serfdom which
+bordered on slavery was still in existence in Cho-sen. Men and women
+became private property either by the acquiring of the land on which they
+lived, or, by purchase, or by way of execution for non-payment of debts,
+for under this convenient law creditors could be paid with a man's
+relations instead of with ready money.
+
+Slavery in Corea, even when it existed, was, however, always of a very
+mild form. The women were mostly employed as servants about the house,
+while the man tilled the ground, but in neither case was rough dealing
+the rule, and, far less, ill-treatment. They were, too, well fed and
+clothed; so much so, that many people used to sell themselves in order to
+acquire a comfortable living. In time of famine this must have very often
+occurred, and many families whose ancestors under such circumstances
+stood by the nobles and rich people are even to the present moment
+supported by them, though no longer as slaves, but rather as retainers
+and servants. They are perfectly happy with their lot and make no
+agitation for liberty; in fact, like the bird that has been born and bred
+in a cage, if left to themselves, they would probably soon come to a bad
+end.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XVI
+
+Executions--Crucified and carried through the streets--The execution
+ground--Barbarous mode of beheading--Noble criminals--Paternal love--Shut
+out--Scaling the wall--A catastrophe--A nightmare.
+
+
+In Cho-sen, as in other countries, we find not only pleasanter sights,
+but also those that are disagreeable or even revolting. That which I am
+about to describe is one which, I have little doubt, will make your blood
+curdle, but which is none the less as interesting as some of the others I
+have feebly attempted in this work to describe; I mean an execution as
+carried out in the Land of the Morning Calm. The penal form of death
+adopted is beheading, which is not, I believe, so pleasant a sensation
+as, for instance, that of being hanged--that is, when other persons are
+the sufferers. Of late years, executions have not been by any means an
+everyday occurrence in Corea, but here, as in other countries, there is
+always to be found a good share of people who are anxious to be "off"
+their heads. There is no reason why people should commit crimes, yet they
+do commit them and get punished in consequence. They are punished in this
+world for having broken the limits of society's laws, and yet again, if
+what one hears is correct, they are punished wherever they happen to go
+after their final departure from our very earthly regions. In Corea, as
+is the case all over the far East, the natives are not much concerned
+about this future existence and attach little importance to death and
+physical pain. I have no doubt, in fact I am positive, that the Eastern
+people feel pain much less than we do, partly because they are accustomed
+from childhood to be insensitive to bodily agony, but chiefly because
+they are differently constituted to us. In our case, the brain, by means
+of which it is that we judge of the amount of pain inflicted on us, has
+been trained to receive impressions so quickly, transmitted as they are
+in an instant from any part of the body to the centre of our system,
+that, indeed, many times we actually feel the pain before it has been
+physically communicated to us at all. With the Corean, as with the Manchu
+or the Chinese, a reverse action takes place. With them, the brain works
+so very slowly that, supposing a bad ache is taking place in any part of
+the body, whence is being conveyed to the drowsy brain the unpleasant
+news of the agony that that part is undergoing; well, what in that case
+happens in the Corean skull? By the time the brain has grasped the idea
+that the aforesaid part of the body is really in a state of suffering,
+the pain is almost gone. This, roughly stated, is I believe, a truthful
+explanation of their going to death with so much bravery.
+
+It is a common occurrence in China for criminals, kneeling in a row to be
+executed, to crack jokes among themselves, and even at the executioner's
+expense. In Corea, they cannot go quite so far as that, for things are
+done somewhat differently. In the latter country, the prisoners are
+detained in the gaols sometimes for months and even years, undergoing
+judgments and sentences, floggings and milder tortures innumerable, so
+that it is almost with a feeling of relief and gladness that, finally,
+being proved guilty, they receive the news of their fast approaching end.
+When their time is come, they are removed from prison, and dragged out
+into a courtyard, within which, with the first rays of light, have been
+brought some little carts with heavy and roughly-made wooden wheels, each
+drawn by a sturdy bull. On the ground some wooden crosses have been set
+up, and to each of these a criminal is tied with ropes, his chest and
+arms being bare, and cut into by the tightened cords, and only his padded
+trousers being left. Each cross with its human freight is then planted
+and made firm on a bull cart; and then, when all is ready, the ghastly
+procession, headed by the executioner, a few _kissos_ (soldiers), armed
+with old fashioned flint locks or with spears, makes its way slowly
+through the streets of the town, one of the followers proclaiming aloud
+the crimes committed and the sentences passed on the crucified. Sleepy
+women and children, with uncombed hair, peep out of the paper windows,
+while the men hurry down to the street and join the procession in large
+numbers, making fun at the expense of the poor wretches, and even
+insulting them; while the latter, hang helpless and defenceless from
+their crosses, their bodies livid with cold, pain and starvation.
+Occasions such as these, are regular orgies for the soldiers, and those
+who follow the mournful _cortege_. Not a wine-shop on the road-side is
+left unvisited, and continual halts are made that wine may be freely
+drunk, and food swallowed, as only Corean soldiers know how to do it.
+Occasionally, a pious passer-by, moved to compassion, may, amid the howls
+of the crowd, raise his wine-cup to the lips of one of the sentenced, and
+help him thus to make death more merry. Once this sort of thing is
+started, the example is usually at once emulated by others, and, as the
+hours go by, a considerable amount of intoxicating stuff is consumed, not
+only by the executioner, soldiers and followers, but also by those to be
+executed. Before very long, however, the bodies of the victims thus
+carried become senseless and nearly frozen to death. Their heads then
+hang down pitifully, all blue and congested, and quivering with the
+jerking of the cart.
+
+"Era! Era! Picassa!" ("Get out! get away!") the drunken soldiers call out
+at intervals, as they swallow their last mouthful of rice, and order the
+_mapus_ to move on to the next eating-place. Crowds of men and children
+collect round the miserable show and prudent fathers, pointing at the
+victims, show their heirs what will be the fate of those who do what is
+wrong. During the whole day are the poor wretches thus carted to and fro,
+in the streets of the town, stoppages being made at all the public
+eating-places, where feasting invariably takes place, though it is also
+almost as invariably left unpaid for.
+
+Only when sunset has come is it that the procession, having made its way
+towards one of the city gates, finally leaves the town and winds its way
+through the open country to a suitable spot for the chopping-off process.
+Executions are not held at any particular spot; and in former days, even
+a few years ago, it was not an uncommon occurrence to see the dead
+bodies of beheaded people lying about in the streets of Seoul. Now,
+however, they generally take the offenders outside the Wall, and inflict
+the capital punishment miles away from the town.
+
+The execution represented in the illustration, took place on the sixth of
+February, 1891, and is a reproduction of a picture which I have done from
+sketches taken on the spot. The men executed on this occasion numbered
+seven, and the crime committed, was "high treason." They had conspired to
+upset the reigning dynasty of Cho-sen, and had devised the death of His
+Majesty the King. Unfortunately for them, the plot was discovered before
+its aims could be carried out, and the ringleaders arrested and
+imprisoned. For over a year they had remained in gaol, undergoing severe
+trials, and being constantly tortured and flogged to make them confess
+their crime, and betray the friends who were implicated with them. That,
+however, being of no avail, the seven men were at last all sentenced to
+death. Three of them were noblemen, and one a priest; while the others
+were commoner people, though well-to-do. Here are their names;
+Yi-Keun-eung, Youn-Tai-son, Im-Ha-sok, Kako (priest), Yi-sang-hik,
+Chyong-Hiong-sok, Pang-Pyong-Ku.
+
+[Illustration: A STUDY FROM STILL-LIFE]
+
+Having undergone the final drive through the town, by the sound of the
+big bell at sunset the _cortege_ passed through the "Gate of the Dead;"
+then, leaving the crowded streets of the capital, it made its way towards
+the spot where the execution was to take place. The place selected was on
+a naturally raised ground, nearly 20 lis (61/2 miles) from Seoul, a
+lonely spot, overlooking a deserted plain. The high road was only a few
+hundred yards distant, and could be plainly seen as a white interminable
+line, like a white tape, at the foot of the distant hills.
+
+The bull carts were stopped some little way below this spot on the flat
+ground, and then, one by one, the wretched creatures were taken down and
+removed from their crosses in a brutal manner, and handed over to the
+executioner. Senseless, they lay on the ground, with their arms tied
+behind their backs, and a long rope fastened to their top-knots in the
+hair; until they were carried one after another, and laid flat on their
+faces, with their chests on the little stools seen in the picture. When
+they had all been thus stationed, the executioner proceeded to administer
+blows with his blunt sword until the heads were severed from the bodies.
+On the occasion in question, several of the bodies were hacked about most
+mercilessly through the inexperience or drunkenness of this brute. The
+third man in the illustration, for example, had a good part of his left
+shoulder cut off as clean as a whistle, although the blow had been meant
+to strike the neck; but let this suffice for these horrible details. I
+have mentioned them, partly, that they may be compared with the dexterous
+doings of the neighbouring Chinese, whose skill in the chopping-off line
+is beyond description.
+
+The Chinese possess very long, sharp, well-balanced swords, a single blow
+of one of which will sever the head from the body. Besides, they
+administer their blows as neatly as the most fastidious of customers
+might desire, and the victim does not really undergo much pain. The
+executioners, too, are picked out from among the strongest men, and are
+so well trained that they never miss a blow. The whole affair,
+consequently, is over in less than no time; a few seconds being quite
+sufficient to do away with one comfortably. Truly enough, were it to be
+one's lot to be executed, I would desire nothing more delightful than to
+have one's head "done" by a Celestial executioner. The Coreans, on the
+contrary, have not developed the same skill in these difficult matters;
+and, what with their blunt and short swords, what with their misjudgment
+of distances, they bungle matters most cruelly. Of course, they are,
+nevertheless, supposed to kill their victims with single blows, instead
+of raining them down by the dozen, hacking the unfortunate creatures in a
+most fearful manner, and lopping off their arms or gashing their bodies
+before the heads are finally cut off.
+
+The little blocks, upon which the men were laid down, were so arranged
+that their chests rested on the upper portions, the head in consequence
+being raised several inches from the ground. The idea in this was to make
+things easier for the executioner; the same reason also explaining why
+the straw rope was tied to each man's top-knot; for in this way another
+man could hold him fast to the stool when the decapitation was to take
+place. A somewhat closer examination of the first body in the
+illustration will at once show how distorted it is. This is what must
+have happened: in the final struggle with death the owner had attempted
+to resist his fate, when several soldiers had immediately pounced upon
+him, with the inevitable result that, in his desperate struggling, the
+spine had been broken; a strange, yet very natural accident, under the
+circumstances. The arms being tied together at the elbows behind, the
+spine had been at great tension, like a set bow, so that a violent
+assault could not but result in its being fractured, especially
+considering the weak and frozen condition in which the derelict before us
+was. That I am probably correct in this explanation seems to be further
+proved by the fact that his head, when severed, had been taken up and
+swung to a distance by the angry executioner.
+
+Now, though this way of doing away with criminals may appear a very cruel
+one to European minds, it is, nevertheless, a decided improvement on the
+older method of executing prevalent in Corea, as practised for example,
+many years ago, on some French missionaries and their followers.
+
+The execution of these martyrs was preceded by terrible floggings and
+tortures, and when they were led to the execution-ground they had two
+arrows thrust into their flesh, like modern St. Sebastians.
+
+The executioner and soldiers, after having accomplished their bloody
+work, and converted the execution-ground for the time being into a
+shambles, retraced their steps to the nearest wine-shop, where the rest
+of the night was spent in drinking and gorging. The bodies were left as a
+repast for dogs and leopards; for no Corean with a sound mind could be
+induced to go near the spot where they lay, lest the spirits of their
+departed souls should play some evil trick upon them. So much, in fact,
+were they scared at the idea of passing at all near to the dead bodies
+that, though the execution took place a few hundred yards away from the
+high road, the superstitious Coreans preferred going miles out of their
+way on the other side of the hill range to being seen near (they called
+it "near") a spot where so many people had perished.
+
+The morning following this execution I took many sketches of the ghastly
+scene and the mutilated bodies. I did not leave until darkness began to
+set in, when, as I was busy packing up my traps to return to Seoul, I was
+rather startled by the sudden appearance near me of an old man, sad,
+pale, and worn-out with anxiety. As he crept up to my side, in a most
+suspicious manner, he looked round, and then, with a violent effort,
+directed his gaze to the bodies lying a little way off. He was shivering
+like a leaf, his eyes were staring and his fingers outstretched, yet he
+could not remove his glance from the dreadful sight. As he was in this
+tragic position, two coolies, carrying a coffin, appeared cautiously on
+the scene; but, when still a long way from the bodies, they refused
+positively to approach any nearer, and all the expostulation of the old
+man who went down to meet them, all the extra strings of _cash_, the last
+ones he possessed, were not sufficient to induce them to stir another
+inch. This fright which had taken possession of them was thus great,
+partly because of the natural superstitions which all Coreans entertain
+regarding the souls of dead persons, and also because the fact of being
+seen or found near these political criminals might in all probability
+lead to the loss of their heads as well. At last, however, when their
+terror was somewhat overcome, they promised to go near the bodies if
+large sums should be paid them; whereupon the old man who had not another
+_cash_ in the world, seemed to act as if he were in a state of thorough
+despair. I watched his face and thought that he was actually going to
+collapse. Not a word of complaint, however, did he utter to me. Intense
+grief was depicted on his face, and I had pity on him. He was old, too,
+and his features were refined. He opened his heart to me.
+
+"That," lying dead there, with his head Heaven only knew where, was his
+son! He had been a nobleman; that one could see at a glance, but was poor
+now, "cashless," having spent his fortune in his efforts to bribe the
+officials to let his son be released. His money had come to an end, and
+there his son lay dead. The risk he was running, he well knew, was very
+great, in thus coming to remove the body of the one he loved. Were the
+officials only to know that he had visited the spot, he would straightway
+be imprisoned, accused of complicity, tortured, and then put to death;
+notwithstanding this, however, he felt sure that darkness would protect
+him, and so in his anxiety he had come to remove his son's body, that he
+might during the night bury it on one of the distant hills. He had given
+the coolies the little money he had to help him in his enterprise, and
+now that he was only a few yards from his beloved he could not get them
+to proceed. He was himself too weak to move the body.
+
+I took him by the arm, and we approached the bodies. The near view of
+them made him shudder and turn pale, and as he rested on my arm he was
+shivering all over. Not a word did he utter, not a lamentation did he
+make, not a tear did he shed; for, to show one's feelings is considered
+bad form in the land of Cho-sen. I could well see, however, that his
+heart was aching. He bent over the bodies, one after the other; then,
+after a lengthy examination, he pointed to one, and murmured:
+
+"This is my son, this is my son! I know him by his hands. See how they
+are swollen, and nearly cut by the rope?"
+
+Next, after a good deal of uncertainty, for the face was smeared and
+streaked with blood, we found the head pertaining to the body. The old
+man, with paternal love, then proceeded, if he could, to stick the head
+on the body again, but--this was impossible.
+
+"Please, sir," he begged of me, in a tone of lamentation, "help me to
+take my son as far as the coffin."
+
+I consented, and, with the utmost trouble, we carried the body down the
+hill, afterwards coming back for the head. In two mats, which had been
+carried inside the hearse, we wrapped the corpse up as well as we could,
+and then bundled him into the coffin. All this time a careful look-out
+was maintained, to see that no one else was about to spy over the deed,
+but once the corpse was in its coffin, the coolies quickly took the
+hearse on their shoulders, and all sped away, not without repeated
+"kamapsos" (thanks) being given me by the old man.
+
+That was the only body which was removed, all the others being left to
+rot or to be eaten up by wild animals.
+
+When I examined the expressions on the faces of the beheaded wretches, it
+did not seem as if any of them had at all enjoyed what had taken place;
+on the contrary, rather than otherwise, there was plainly depicted on
+their now immovable features an expression of most decided
+dissatisfaction. Without doubt, they had undergone a terrible agony. In
+some cases the eyes were closed, in others they were wide open, staring
+straight in front. The pupils had become extremely small. The lips of all
+were contracted, and the teeth showed between, tightly closed. Streaks of
+blood covered the faces, and it was very apparent that the noses, ears,
+and sometimes the outside corners of the eyes, had been bleeding, this
+being probably due to the violent blows received from the sword. In a
+word, the expression which had become stereotyped upon their faces was
+that of great pain and fright, although none of them, with the exception
+of the one who had resisted at the last moment, showed it in any other
+way. The muscles of the arms also were much contracted, and the swollen
+fingers were of a bluish colour with congested blood, and half-closed and
+stiff--as if made of wood.
+
+By the time that the old man, his coolies and their sad burden had got
+well out of sight, on their way up one of the distant hills, I had
+finished packing up my sketches and painting materials. Then, as I
+retraced my steps towards Seoul it became quite dark. On the way,
+however, I purchased, for the large sum of three _cash_ (the tenth part
+of a penny), a small paper lantern, with a little candle inside--the
+latter leading me to the extravagance of an extra _cash_; and, armed
+with this lighting apparatus, all complete, I proceeded towards the East
+Gate.
+
+This little lantern, which was exactly similar to those used by the
+natives, came in very handy on this occasion. These lanterns are the most
+ingenious things that can be imagined for the money. Each has a wooden
+bottom, and a bent cane acts as a handle. A nail is provided in the
+centre of the wooden bottom, wherein to stick the candle, and the flame
+is protected by white tissue paper pasted all round the lantern.
+
+[Illustration: A NATIVE LANTERN]
+
+In due course I reached the East Gate, but only to find it closed, for it
+was now long after sunset. I then tried the "Gate of the Dead," having no
+objection to enter the town for once as a "deceased"; but, although the
+"departed" have the privilege of leaving the town after dark, they are
+not allowed to come in again; for which reason it really seemed as if I
+had before me the fine prospect of having to put up at one of the dirty
+native inns just outside the Gate until it should please Phoebus to show
+his welcome fire-face again above the mountain line.
+
+I had learned that there was, at no great distance away, a spot where, at
+the risk only of breaking one's neck, it was possible to scale the city
+wall; wherefore, having consulted a child as to the exact locality,
+besides tempting him with a string of _cash_, I proceeded to find it, and
+soon, under his guidance, reached it. The wall at this spot was, I may
+mention, about twenty feet high. Having, then, fastened my paint-box and
+sketches to my back by means of a strap, and slinging the paper lantern
+to my arm, I proceeded, hampered though I was, to make trial of my
+cat-like qualities in the matter of wall climbing. Placing the tips of my
+fingers and toes in the crevices between the stones and in other gaps in
+the wall, I managed with some little difficulty, to crawl up a certain
+height. The wall was nearly perpendicular, mind you, and, owing to the
+cold frozen nature of the stones, my fingers got so stiff that I had
+hardly any power left in them. Then, too, the weight of the heavy
+paint-box on my shoulders was more conducive to bringing me down again
+than to helping me up. In my mind's eye, accordingly, I saw myself at
+every moment coming down with a bang from my high position to the frozen
+ground below, and began to think that I should be fortunate if I
+succeeded in coming out of my wall-climbing experience with only half the
+ribs in my body reduced to atoms, and one or two broken limbs in
+addition. Making a special effort, however, I got a few feet higher, when
+I heard a mysterious voice below murmur: "You have nearly reached the
+top." I received the news with such delight that, in consequence of the
+fresh vigour which it imparted to me and which made me try to hurry up,
+one of my feet slipped, and I found myself clinging to a stone, with the
+very ends of my fingers. Oh what a sensation! and what moments of
+anxiety, until, quickly searching with my toes, I got a footing again.
+
+That slip was fatal, for, owing to the jerk it gave me, the unsteady
+candle inside the paper lantern fell out of its perpendicular position
+and produced a conflagration. Then, indeed, was I placed in the most
+perplexing position, for, here was I, holding on to the wall, I do not
+know how, with the lantern and my sleeve on fire and my arm getting
+unpleasantly warm, and yet utterly unable to do anything to lessen the
+catastrophe. Only one thing could be done; and I can assure you, the few
+remaining feet which had to be climbed were got over with almost the
+agility of a monkey. Thus, at last, I was on the top.
+
+This adventure made a very good finish for what had been a most exciting
+day; and, now that the faithless lantern was burning itself out, and
+dwindling away down below, and that the fire in my sleeve was put out, I
+had to remain in darkness. I stumbled along the rampart of the wall until
+I could get down into one of the streets, where, having roused the
+people, I was able to purchase another light, and reach home again in
+safety. After the hearty meal which I then partook of, I need scarcely
+add that a greater part of the night was spent in dreaming of numberless
+bodyless heads rolling about around me, and of people being burned alive,
+until I finally woke up next morning with a fearful shock, and the
+thought that I was being precipitated from the top of the Tower of Babel.
+
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XVII
+
+The "King's procession"--Removing houses--Foolhardy people--Beaten to
+death--Cavalry soldiers--Infantry--Retainers--Banners--Luxurious
+saddles--The King and his double--Royal palanquins--The return at night.
+
+
+[Illustration: THE KING MEETING THE CHINESE ENVOYS]
+
+The official life of the King of Corea is secluded. He rarely goes out of
+the royal palace, although rumours occasionally fly about that His
+Majesty has visited such and such a place in disguise. When he does go
+out officially, the whole town of Seoul gets into a state of the greatest
+agitation and excitement. Not more than once or twice a year does such a
+thing happen; and when it does, the thatched shanties erected on the wide
+royal street are pulled down, causing a good deal of trouble and expense
+to the small merchants, etc. People fully understand, however, that the
+construction of these shanties is only allowed on condition that they
+shall be pulled down and removed whenever necessity should arise; an
+event which may often occur, at only a few hours' notice. The penalty for
+non-compliance is beheading.
+
+The moment they receive the order to do so, the inhabitants hurriedly
+remove all their household goods; the entire families, and those friends
+who have been called in to help, carrying away brass bowls, clothes and
+cooking implements, amid a disorder indescribable. Everybody talks,
+screams and calls out at the same time; everybody tries to push away
+everybody else in his attempts to carry away his armful of goods in
+safety; and, what with the dust produced by the tearing the thatch off
+the roofs, what with the hammering down of the wooden supports, and the
+bustle of the crowd, the scene is pandemonium.
+
+I well remember how astonished I was when, passing in the neighbourhood
+of the royal palace, early one morning, I saw the three narrow, parallel
+streets which lead to the principal gateway being converted into one
+enormously wide street. The two middle rows of houses were thus
+completely removed, and the ground was made beautifully level and smooth.
+Crowds of natives had assembled all along the royal street, as well as up
+the main thoroughfare, leading from the West to the East gate; and the
+greatest excitement prevailed amongst the populace. The men were dressed
+in newly-washed clothes, and the women and children were arrayed in their
+smartest garments. Infantry soldiers, with muskets, varying from
+flint-locks to repeating-rifles, were drawn up in a line on each side to
+keep the road clear. There were others walking along with long, flat
+paddles, and some with round heavy sticks, on the look-out for those who
+dared to attempt to cross the road. As generally happens on such
+occasions, there were some foolish people who did not know the law, and
+others who challenged one another to do what was forbidden, well knowing
+that, if caught, severe blows of the paddle would be their portion. Every
+now and then, howls and shouts would call the attention of the crowd to
+some nonsensical being running full speed down the middle of the road, or
+across it, pursued by the angry soldiers, who, when they captured him,
+began by knocking him down, and continued by beating him with their heavy
+sticks and paddles, until he became senseless, if not killed. When either
+of the last-mentioned accidents happened, as occasionally was the result,
+the body would be thrown into one of the side drain-canals along the road
+and left there, no one taking the slightest notice of it.
+
+[Illustration: CAVALRY SOLDIER WITH UMBRELLA-HAT]
+
+Cavalry soldiers were to be seen in their picturesque blue and brown
+costumes, and cuirasses, and wide-awake black hats adorned with long red
+tassels hanging down to the shoulders, or, as an alternative, equipped
+with iron helmets and armed with flint-locks and spears. In their belts,
+on one side, they carried swords, and on the other, oil-paper
+umbrella-shaped covers. When folded, one of these hat-covers resembles a
+fan; and when spread out for use, it is fastened over the hat by means of
+a string. Those warriors who wore helmets carried the round felt hats as
+well, fastened to the butts of their saddles.
+
+This cavalry equipment was in great contrast, from a picturesque point of
+view, with the comical imitations of the European mode of equipment
+exhibited by the infantry soldiers. One peculiarity of these cavalrymen
+was their instability in the saddle. Each cavalier had a _mapu_ to guide
+the horse, and another man by his side to see that he did not fall off,
+each having thus two men to look after him. A charge of such cavalry on
+the battle-field must, indeed, be a curious sight.
+
+In the olden time it was forbidden for any one to look down on the king
+from any window higher than the palanquins, but now the rule is not so
+strictly observed, although, even at the time when I witnessed these
+processions, nearly all the higher windows were kept closed and sealed by
+the more loyal people. The majority, therefore, witnessed the scene from
+the streets.
+
+The procession was headed by several hundred infantry soldiers, marching
+without the least semblance of order, and followed by cuirassed
+cavalrymen mounted on microscopic ponies in the manner above described.
+Then followed two rows of men in white, wearing square gauze white caps,
+similar to those which form the distinctive badge of the students when
+they go to their examinations; between which two rows of retainers, lower
+court officials, and _yamens_, perched on high white saddles, rode the
+generals and high Ministers of state, supported by their innumerable
+servants. Narrow long white banners were carried by these attendants, and
+a dragon-flag of large dimensions towered above them. Amid an almost
+sepulchral silence, the procession moved past, and after it came a huge
+white palanquin, propped on two long heavy beams, and carried on the
+shoulders of hundreds of men.
+
+When the court and country are not in mourning, the horses of the
+generals, high officials and eunuchs bear magnificent saddles,
+embroidered in red, green and blue; the ponies led by hand immediately in
+front of the King's palanquin being also similarly decked out.
+
+Curiously enough, when the first royal palanquin had gone past the
+procession repeated itself, almost in its minutest details, and another
+palanquin of the exact shape of the first, and also supported by hundreds
+of attendants, advanced before us. Puzzled at this strange occurrence, I
+inquired of a neighbour:
+
+"In which palanquin is the King?"
+
+"No one knows, except his most intimate friends at Court," was the
+answer. "In case of an attempt upon his life, he may thus be fortunate
+enough to escape."
+
+If such an attempt were made success would not in any case be an easy
+matter, except with a gun or a bomb; for the King's sedan is raised so
+high above the ground that it would be impossible for any one to reach it
+with his hands. Besides, it is surrounded by a numerous escort.
+
+The sedans were constructed after the model of a large square
+garden-tent with a pavilion roof, the front side being open. The
+King--somebody closely resembling him is selected for his double--sits on
+a sort of throne erected inside.
+
+On another occasion, when I saw a similar procession accompanying the
+King to the tomb of the queen-dowager, the two palanquins used were much
+smaller, and were fast closed, although there were windows with thick
+split bamboo blinds on both sides of each palanquin. The palanquins were
+covered with lovely white leopard skins outside, and were rich in
+appearance, without lacking in taste.
+
+When the King's procession returned to the palace after dark, the beauty
+and weirdness of the sight were increased tenfold. Huge reed-torches,
+previously planted in the ground at intervals along the line of route,
+were kindled as the procession advanced, and each soldier carried a long
+tri-coloured gauze lantern fastened to a stick, while the palanquins were
+surrounded with a galaxy of white lights attached to high poles. A
+continuous hollow moaning, to indicate that the King was a very great
+personage, and that many hundreds of men had undergone great fatigue in
+carrying him, was heard as the palace gate was approached, and a deep
+sigh of relief arose from thousands of lungs when he was finally
+deposited at his door. Propped up by his highest Ministers of state, who
+held him under the arms, he entered his apartments; after which the
+lights were quickly put out, and most of the crowd retired to their
+homes.
+
+On such occasions as these, however, the men are allowed out at night as
+well as the women.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XVIII
+
+Fights--Prize fights--Fist fights--Special moon for fighting--Summary
+justice--The use of the top-knot--Cruelty--A butcher combatant
+--Stone-fights--Belligerent children--Battle between two guilds--Wounded
+and killed--The end of the battle postponed--Soldiers' fights.
+
+
+One of the characteristic sights in Cho-sen is a private fight. The
+natives, as a rule, are quiet and gentle, but when their temper is roused
+they seem never to have enough of fighting. They often-times disport
+themselves in witnessing prize-fights among the champions of different
+towns, or of different wards in the same town, and on these occasions
+large crowds assemble to view the performance. The combatants generally
+fight with their fists, but, like the French, are much given to use their
+knees and feet as well in the contest. Much betting, also, goes on
+amongst the excited spectators, and it is not seldom that a private
+contest of this kind degenerates into a free fight.
+
+The lower classes in the towns thoroughly enjoy this kind of sport, and
+the slightest provocation is sufficient to make them come to blows. The
+curious point about their fighting is that during the first moon of the
+new year all rows can be settled in this rough and ready manner, without
+committing any breach of the law. Hence it is that during that moon, one
+sees hardly anything but people quarrelling and fighting. All the anger
+of the past year is preserved until the New Year festivities are over,
+but then free play is straightway given to the bottled-up passions. Were
+a man even to kill his antagonist during a fight at this legalised
+season, I doubt whether he would be imprisoned or punished; very likely
+not.
+
+For about fifteen days, in truth, things are simply dreadful in the
+streets. Go in one direction, and you see people quarrelling; go in
+another, and you see them fighting. The original _causa movens_ of all
+this is generally _cash!_
+
+When a deadly fight takes place in the streets, you may at once set it
+down as having arisen over, say, a farthing! Debts ought always to be
+paid before the old year is over; and, occasionally, grace is allowed for
+the first fifteen days in the first moon; after that, the defaulting
+debtors get summary justice administered to them. Creditors go about the
+town in search of their debtors, and should they come face to face,
+generally a few unparliamentary remarks are passed, followed by a
+challenge. Hats are immediately removed, and given for safe keeping to
+some one or other of the spectators, a crowd of whom has, of course, at
+once assembled; and then the creditor, as is customary under such
+circumstances in all countries, makes a dash for his debtor. The main
+feature about these fights, so far as I could judge, was the attempt of
+each antagonist to seize hold of the other by his top-knot. Should this
+feat be successfully accomplished, a violent process of head-shaking
+would ensue, followed by a shower of blows and scratches from the free
+hand, the lower extremities meanwhile being kept busy distributing kicks,
+really meant for the antagonist, but, occasionally, in fact often,
+delivered to some innocent passer-by, owing to the streets of Cho-senese
+towns not being as a rule over-wide.
+
+When in a passion, the Coreans can be very cruel. No devices are spared
+which can inflict injury on the adversary, and scratching and biting
+during these fights are common concomitants. One afternoon, as I was
+returning from a call at the Japanese Legation, and was proceeding down a
+slight incline, riding Mr. Greathouse's horse, I witnessed a dreadful
+scene. A butcher and another tradesman were settling questions in their
+own delightful way, and were knocking each other about. At last, the
+butcher felled the other man with a blow of a short club--like a
+policeman's club--which is often made use of in these fights. As the man
+lay motionless on the ground, the other, far from being content with what
+he had done, seized a huge block of wood, one of those upon which they
+chop up the meat, and, lifting it up with a great effort, dropped it on
+his antagonist's head, with a dreadful sounding crack, which smashed his
+skull, as one would a nut. Then, sitting triumphantly on the wooden
+block, he solicited the compliments of the spectators.
+
+Special interest is taken when the women fight, that is, among the very
+lowest classes, and frequently the strings of _cash_ earned during the
+day are lost or doubled on the odds of the favourite.
+
+The better classes, it must be said to their credit, never indulge in
+fist-fighting in public, though occasionally they have competitions in
+their own compounds, champions being brought there at great expense and
+made to fight in their presence. I believe they consider it to be
+degrading, either first, to lose one's temper, or secondly, to administer
+justice in such a fashion.
+
+The most important contests of all are the stone and club-fights, which
+are a national institution, approved by the Government and patronised by
+everybody. They sometimes attain such large proportions as to be regular
+battles. Supposing that one town or village has, from motives of jealousy
+or other causes, reason to complain of a neighbouring city or borough, a
+stone-fight during the first moon is invariably selected as the proper
+method of settling the difference. Private families, with their friends,
+fight in this way against other private families and their allies; and
+entire guilds of tradesmen sometimes fight other guilds, several hundreds
+of men being brought into the field on either side.
+
+Children are much encouraged in this sport, it being supposed that they
+are thus made strong, brave and fearless; and I have actually seen
+mothers bring children of only eight or nine years old up to the scratch,
+against an equal number of lads urged on by their mothers on the other
+side. One boy on each side, generally the pluckiest of the lot, is the
+leader, and he is provided with a small club, besides wearing on his head
+a large felt hat with a sort of wreath round the crown, probably as a
+protection against the blows that might reach his head. After him come
+ten, twenty, or more other children in their little red jackets, some
+armed with a club like their leader, the others with armfuls of stones. A
+good mound of this ammunition is also, as a rule, collected in the rear,
+to provide for the wants of the battle. The two leaders then advance and
+formally challenge each other, the main body of their forces following in
+a triangle; and when, after a certain amount of hesitation, the two have
+exchanged a few sonorous blows with their clubs on each other's skulls,
+the battle begins in earnest, volleys of stones are fired and blows
+freely distributed until the forces of one leader succeed in pushing back
+and disbanding the others.
+
+A fight of this kind, even among children, lasts for several hours, and,
+as can well be imagined, at the end of it there are a great many bleeding
+noses and broken teeth, besides bruises in profusion. The victor in these
+fights is made much of and receives presents from his parents and the
+friends of the family. The principal streets and open spaces in Seoul,
+during the fighting period, are alive with these youthful combatants, and
+large crowds assemble to witness their battles, taking as much interest
+in them as do the Spaniards in their bull-fights, and certainly causing
+as much excitement.
+
+More serious than these, however, are the hostilities which occasionally
+take place between two guilds. When I was in Seoul, there was a great
+feud between the butchers and those practising the noble art of
+plastering the houses with mud. Both trades are considered by the Coreans
+to belong to the lowest grade of society; and, this being so, the contest
+would naturally prove of an envenomed and brutal character. A day was
+fixed, upon which a battle should take place, to decide whose claims were
+to prevail, and a battle-field was selected on a plain just outside the
+South Gate of the city. The battle-field was intersected by the same
+small frozen rivulet which also crosses Seoul; and it was on the western
+side, near the city wall, where stood a low hill, that on the day
+appointed I took up my position to view the fight, sketch and note-book
+in hand.
+
+The two armies duly arrived, and placed themselves in position, the
+butchers on one side of the stream, the plasterers on the other. There
+were altogether about eighteen hundred men in the field, that is to say,
+about nine hundred on each side. As I could not get a very good view from
+my high point of vantage, I foolishly descended to the valley to inspect
+the fighting trim of the combatants, with the result that when the signal
+for the battle to begin was given I found myself under a shower of
+missiles of all weights and sizes, which poured down upon me with
+incredible rapidity and solidity. Piles of stones had been previously
+massed together by the belligerent parties, and fresh supplies came
+pelting down incessantly. I must acknowledge I did not enjoy my position
+at all, for the stones went whistling past, above my head, fired as they
+were with tremendous force by means of slings.
+
+The confusion was great. Some men were busy collecting the stones into
+heaps again, while others were running to and fro--going to fetch, or
+carrying, fresh ammunition to the front; and all the time the two armies
+were gradually approaching one another until at last they came together
+on the banks of the narrow stream. Here, considering the well-directed
+pelting of stones, it was difficult to say which army would succeed in
+dislodging the other. Those on the opposite side to where I was made a
+rush upon us, but were fired upon with such increased vigour that they
+were repulsed; then, however, concentrating their forces on one point,
+they made a fresh attack and broke right into our ranks, fighting _corps
+a corps_, and pushing back the men on my side, until the whole of their
+contingent was brought over to our side of the stream. I was not, of
+course, taking any active part in the fighting, but, seeing the bad turn
+the struggle was assuming, I made up my mind that I was destined to have
+my own skull broken before the fray was over. Though the duelling was
+fierce, however, each man being pitted against his opponent with clubs
+and drawn knives, and hammering or stabbing at him to his heart's
+content, I, somehow, was in no way molested, except of course, that I was
+naturally much knocked about and bruised, and several times actually came
+in contact, and face to face, with the irate enemy.
+
+If you can imagine eighteen hundred people fighting by twos in a
+comparatively limited space and all crowded together; if you can form an
+idea of the screaming, howling, and yelling in their excitement; and if
+you can depict the whole scene with its envelopment of dust, then you
+will have a fair notion of what that stone-fight was like. The fighting
+continued briskly for over three hours, and many a skull was smashed.
+Some fell and were trampled to death; others had very severe knife
+wounds; a few were killed right out. When the battle was over, few were
+found to have escaped without a bruise or a wound, and yet, after all,
+very few were actually killed, considering how viciously they fought.
+Indeed, there were in all only about half a dozen dead bodies left on the
+battle-field when the combatants departed to the sound of the "big bell"
+which announced the closing of the city gates.
+
+After a long discussion on the part of the leaders, it was announced that
+the battle was to be considered a draw, and that it would, therefore,
+have to be renewed on the next afternoon. The argument, I was told, was
+that, though the other side had managed to penetrate the camp on my side,
+yet they had not been able to completely rout us, we having made a firm
+stand against them. For the following two or three days, however, it
+snowed heavily, and the fighting had to be postponed; and on the day it
+actually did take place, to my great sorrow, I was unable to attend,
+owing to a command to go to the palace. To my satisfaction I was
+subsequently informed that the plasterers, that is to say, my side, had
+ultimately come off victorious.
+
+The police generally attend these battles, but only to protect the
+spectators, and not to interfere in any way with the belligerents.
+Soldiers are prohibited from taking any active part in fights which have
+no concern for them; but they may fight as much as ever they please among
+themselves during the free period allowed by the law. The fights of the
+latter class are usually very fierce, and are invariably carried out with
+bare chest and arms, that their uniforms may not be spoiled.
+
+When that dreadful fortnight of fighting is over, the country again
+assumes its wonted quiet; new debts are contracted, fresh hatreds and
+jealousies are fomented, and fresh causes are procured for further
+stone-battles during the first moon of the next year.
+
+Such is life in Cho-sen, where, with the exception of those fifteen days,
+there is calm, too much of it, not only in the morning, in accordance
+with the national designation, but all through both day and night; where,
+month after month, people vegetate, instead of live, leading the most
+monotonous of all monotonous lives. It is not surprising, then, that once
+a year, as a kind of redeeming point, they feel the want of a vigorous
+re-action; and, I am sure, for such a purpose as this, they could not
+have devised anything wilder or more exciting than a stone-battle.
+
+The King himself follows with the utmost interest the results of the
+important battles fought out between the different guilds, and reports of
+the victories obtained are always conveyed to him at once, either by the
+leaders of the conquering parties, or through some high official at
+Court.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XIX
+
+Fires--The greatest peril--A curious way of saving one's house--The
+anchor of safety--How it worked--Making an opposition wind--Saved by
+chance--A good trait in the native character--Useful friends.
+
+
+I was one evening at a dinner-party, at one of the Consulates, when, in
+the course of the frugal repast, one of the servants came in with the
+news that a large conflagration had broken out in the road of the
+Big-bell, and that many houses had already been burnt down. The
+"big-bell" itself was said to be in great danger of being destroyed.
+
+Giving way to my usual curiosity, and thinking that it would be
+interesting to see how houses burn in Cho-sen, I begged of my host to
+excuse me, left all the good things on the table, and ran off to the
+scene of the fire.
+
+As the servant had announced, the fire was, indeed, in close proximity to
+the "big-bell." Two or three large houses belonging to big merchants were
+blazing fast, the neighbouring dwellings being in great danger of
+following suit. There is in a Corean house but little that can burn,
+except the sliding doors and windows, and the few articles of furniture
+and clothing; so that, as a general rule, after the first big flare-up,
+the fire goes out of its own accord, unless, as was the case in the
+present instance, the roofs are supported by old rafters, which also
+catch fire. What the Coreans consider the greatest of dangers in such
+contingencies happens when the heavy beam which forms the chief support
+for the whole weight of the roof in the centre catches fire. Then, if any
+wind happens to be blowing, sparks fly on all the neighbouring thatched
+roofs, and there is no possibility of stopping a disaster. Such things as
+fire-engines or pumps are quite unknown in the country, and, even if
+there were any, they would be useless in winter time, owing to the severe
+cold which freezes all the water.
+
+On the night in question, that was practically what happened. Two houses
+adjoining one another were burnt out, and, the roofs having crumbled
+away, the long thick beams alone were left in position, supported at
+either end by the stone walls of the houses, and still blazing away, and
+placing the neighbouring houses that had thatched roofs in considerable
+danger.
+
+I was much amused at a Corean, the owner of one of these latter, who, to
+save his thatched shanty from the flames, pulled it down. His efforts in
+this direction were, however, of no avail in the end; for the inflammable
+materials, having been left in the roadway in the immediate neighbourhood
+of the conflagration, caught fire and were consumed.
+
+The King had been informed of the occurrence, a very rare one in Seoul,
+and had immediately dispatched a hundred soldiers to--look on, and to
+help, if necessary. Some individuals, too, more enterprising than the
+rest, exerted themselves to draw water from the neighbouring wells; but,
+by the time they had returned to the spot where it was required, it was
+converted into one big lump of ice. Finally, recourse was had to the old
+Corean method of putting out the fire, namely, by breaking the beam, not
+an easy job by any means, and then, when it had fallen, covering it with
+earth.
+
+The soldiers had brought with them--conceive what? A ship's anchor! To
+this anchor was tied a long thick rope. Their object was, of course, to
+fix the anchor to the burning beam, which being done, fifty, sixty or
+more strong men could pull the rope, and so break the beam in two and
+cause it to fall. Well and good; but where was the warrior to be found
+who would volunteer to go up on the summit of the frail mud-and-stone
+wall and hook the anchor in the right place The affair now wore a
+different aspect altogether, no one being willing to go; whereupon the
+officer in command reprimanded his troops for their lack of pluck.
+
+Among the soldiers, however, there was one man, stout and good-natured
+looking; and he, being taken aback apparently by the officer's remarks,
+at once asserted that he, at all events, was not lacking in courage, and
+would go. For him, accordingly, a ladder was provided, and up he went,
+carrying the anchor on his back. When he reached the last step, he
+stopped and, turning to harangue the people, told them that the beam was
+a solid one, and that a very hard pull would be required; after which,
+amid the applause and cheering of the spectators, he balanced himself on
+the wall and threw the anchor across the beam. A body of men, about a
+hundred strong, then seized the rope and kept it in tension. Next, in a
+commanding tone of voice, our brave hero on the wall gave the signal to
+start, when, all of a sudden, and much sooner than he had expected, with
+the vigorous pull the anchor dug a groove in the carbonised wood, and,
+slipping away, caught him in its barbs across his chest, and dragged him
+with a fearful bump on to the road, with a great quantity of burning
+straw and wood, amidst which he was dragged for nearly twenty yards
+before they were able to stop.
+
+After this compulsory and unexpected jump, it was a miracle that he was
+not killed; for the height was over fourteen feet, and the course
+traversed through the air over twenty. Notwithstanding this, however,
+when he was at length rescued from the grasp which the anchor kept on him
+with its benevolent arms, though considerably shaken, he did not seem
+much the worse. Still, being asked to go again and hook the ungrateful
+grapnel a second time to the still burning beam, he declined with thanks
+and a comical gesture which sent everybody into screams of laughter.
+
+After this another man volunteered, and he, being more cautious in his
+method of procedure, was successful in his efforts. So much time,
+however, had been wasted over these proceedings, that now another house
+was burning fast, and by-and-by others also got attacked.
+
+As ill-luck would have it, the wind rose, to the great horror of the
+inhabitants whose houses were to windward. Many of their abodes had
+thatched roofs, and these seemed certain to go. The sparks flew in
+abundance across the road, and nothing, except a change of the wind,
+could now save those houses. The simple-minded Coreans, however,
+attempted a curious dodge, which I heard afterwards is in general use
+under such circumstances. Numerous ladders having been procured, men and
+women climbed on to the roofs which were in peril. What do you suppose
+they intended to do? I am sure you will never guess. They went up for no
+less a purpose than to manufacture another wind by way of opposition to
+the strong breeze that was blowing towards them. Here is how they did it:
+they all stood in a row at intervals on the upper edges of the roofs,
+and, having previously removed, the men their coats and the women their
+cloaks, they waved these rapidly and violently together, in the full
+assurance that they were getting the upper hand in the contest against
+the unkind spirits who superintended gales and breezes. All this went on
+in the most ludicrous manner; and, as soon as one person was exhausted,
+he was immediately replaced by another, prayers at the same time being
+offered up to the spirits as well of the fires as of the wind. The
+loudness of these prayers, I may add, grew and decreased in intensity,
+according to the aspect which the fire took from moment to moment; if a
+flame rose up higher than usual, louder prayers were hurriedly offered,
+and if the fire at times almost went out, then the spirits were for the
+time being left alone.
+
+The conflagration went on for a considerable number of hours and
+destroyed several houses. No one sustained any serious injury, though
+one old man, who was paralytic and deaf, had a very narrow escape. He had
+got left, either purposely or by mistake, in one of the houses. Two out
+of three of the rooms had already burnt out, and he was in the third. And
+yet, when they had pulled down the outside wall and brought him safely
+out, he expressed himself as astonished at being so treated, having
+neither heard that any fire was in progress, nor being aware that
+two-thirds of his own house had already been destroyed!
+
+Here again, let me note a good trait in the Corean character. Whenever,
+through any unexpected occurrence, a man loses his house and furniture,
+and so gets reduced from comparative wealth, say, for seldom does a
+Corean possess more, to misery and want; in such circumstances his
+friends do not run away from him, as usually is the case in more
+civilised countries; no, instead of this, they come forward and help him
+to re-build his house, lend him clothes and the more necessary utensils
+of domestic use, and, generally speaking, make themselves agreeable and
+useful all round, until he can spread out his wings once again, and fly
+by himself. Thus it is, that when a man's house has been burnt out it is
+no uncommon occurrence for friends or even strangers to put him up and
+feed him in their own homes until he has re-constructed his nest.
+Looking, therefore, at both sides of the medal, the man of Cho-sen may
+have a great many bad qualities from our point of view, yet he also
+undoubtedly possesses some virtues on which we who are supposed to be
+more civilised and more charitable, cannot pride ourselves. Believe me,
+when things are taken all round, there is after all but little difference
+between the Heathen and the Christian; nay, the solid charity and
+generosity of the first is often superior to the advertised philanthropy
+of the other.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XX
+
+A trip to Poo-kan--A curious monastery.
+
+
+One of the most interesting excursions in the neighbourhood of Seoul, is
+that to the Poo-kan fortress. The pleasantest way of making it is to
+start from the West Gate of Seoul and proceed thence either on horseback
+or on foot, along the Pekin Pass road, past the artificial cut in the
+rocks, until a smaller road, a mere path, is reached, which branches off
+the main road and leads directly to the West Gate of the Poo-kan
+fortress. This path goes over hilly ground, and the approaches to the
+West Gate of the fortress are exceedingly picturesque.
+
+The gate itself much resembles any of those of Seoul, only being of
+smaller proportions. It is, however, situated in a most lovely spot. As
+soon as we have entered, a pretty valley lies disclosed to our eyes, with
+rocky mountains surrounding it, the highest peak of which towers up
+towards the East. The formation of these hills is most peculiar and even
+fantastic. One of them, the most remarkable of all, is in the shape of a
+round dome, and consists of a gigantic semi-spherical rock.
+
+Following the path, then, which leads from the West to the South Gate,
+and which winds its way up steep hills, one comes at last to the temples.
+These are probably, the best-preserved and most interesting in the
+neighbourhood of the Corean capital. When I visited them, the monks were
+extremely polite and showed me everything that was of any note. The
+temples were in a much better state of preservation than is usual in the
+land of Cho-sen, and the ornaments, and paintings on the wooden part
+under the roof were in bright colours, as if they had been only recently
+restored. There are, near these temples, by the way, tablets put up in
+memory of different personages. In other respects, they were exactly
+similar to those I have already described in a previous chapter.
+
+At last, on the left hand side, I came upon the old palace. As with all
+the other palaces, so in this case there are many low buildings for the
+inferior officials besides a larger one in the centre, to which the King
+can retreat in time of war when the capital is in danger. The ravages of
+time, however, have been hard at work, and this place of safety for the
+crowned heads of Corea is now nothing but a mass of ruins. The roofs of
+the smaller houses have in most cases fallen through, owing to the
+decayed condition of the wooden rafters, and the main building itself is
+in a dreadful state of dilapidation. The _ensemble_, nevertheless, as one
+stands a little way off and looks at the conglomeration of dwellings, is
+very picturesque; this effect being chiefly due, I have little doubt, to
+the tumble-down and dirty aspect of the place. As the houses are built on
+hilly ground, roof after roof can be seen with the palace standing above
+them all in the distance, while the battlements of the ancient wall form
+a nice background to the picture.
+
+[Illustration: A MONK]
+
+The most picturesque spot of all, however, is somewhat farther on, where
+the rivulet, coming out of the fortress wall, forms a pretty waterfall.
+After climbing a very steep hill, the South Gate is reached--the distance
+between it and the West Gate being about five miles--and near it is
+another smaller gate, which differs in shape from all the other gates in
+Corea, for the simple reason that it is not roofed over. Just outside the
+small South Gate, on the edge of a precipice, are constructed against the
+rocks a pretty little monastery and a temple. The access to these is by a
+narrow path, hardly wide enough for one person to walk on without danger
+of finding himself rolling down the slope of the rock at the slightest
+slip of the foot. The Buddhist priest must undoubtedly be of a cautious
+as well as romantic nature, for otherwise it would be difficult to
+explain the fact that he always builds his monasteries in picturesque and
+impregnable spots, which ensure him delightful scenery and pure fresh
+air in time of peace, combined with utter safety in time of war. In many
+ways, the monastery in question reminded me of the Rock-dwellers. Both
+temple and monastery were stuck, as it were, in the rocks, and supported
+by a platform and solid wall of masonry built on the steep incline--a
+work which must have cost much patience and time.
+
+The temple is crowded inside with rows of small images of all
+descriptions, some dressed in the long robes and winged hats of the
+officials, with dignified and placid expressions on their features;
+others, like fighting warriors, with fierce eyes and a ferocious look
+about them; but all covered with a good coating of dust and dirt, and all
+lending themselves as a sporting-ground to the industrious spider. The
+latter, disrespecting the high standing of these imperturbable deities,
+had stretched its webs across from nose to nose, and produced the
+appearance of a regular field of sporting operations, bestrewn with the
+spoils of its victims, which were lying dead and half eaten in the webs
+and on the floor.
+
+The place goes by the name of the "Temple of the Five Hundred Images;"
+but I think that this number has been greatly exaggerated, though there
+certainly may be as many as two or three hundred.
+
+The most interesting feature about this monastery is that at the back of
+the small building where the priests live is a long, narrow cavern in the
+rocks, with the ceiling blackened by smoke. This cavern is about a
+hundred feet in length, and at its further end is a pretty spring of
+delicious water. A little shrine, in the shape of an altar, with burning
+joss-sticks and a few lighted grease candles, stood near the spring, and
+there a priest was offering up prayers, beating a small gong the while he
+addressed the deities.
+
+The descent from the temple was very steep and rough, over a path winding
+among huge boulders and rocks for nearly three miles. Then, reaching the
+plain, I accomplished the remainder of the distance to Seoul, over a
+fairly good road, and on almost level ground, all the way to the North
+Gate, by which I again entered the capital.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XXI
+
+Corean physiognomy--Expressions of pleasure--Displeasure--Contempt--Fear
+--Pluck--Laughter--Astonishment--Admiration--Sulkiness--Jealousy
+--Intelligence--Affection--Imagination--Dreams--Insanity--Its
+principal causes--Leprosy--The family--Men and women--Fecundity--Natural
+and artificial deformities--Abnormalities--Movements and attitudes--The
+Corean hand--Conservatism.
+
+
+The physiognomy of the Coreans is an interesting study, for, with the
+exception of the Chinese, I know of few nations who can control the
+movements of their features so well as do the Coreans. They are trained
+from their infancy to show neither pain, nor pleasure, grief nor
+excitement; so that a wonderful placidity is always depicted on their
+faces. None the less, however, though slightly, different expressions can
+be remarked. For instance, an attitude peculiar to them is to be noticed
+when they happen to ponder deeply on any subject; they then slightly
+frown, and with a sudden movement incline the head to the left, after
+previously drawing the head backwards. If in good humour or very pleased,
+again, though the expression is still grave and sedate, there is always a
+vivid sparkle to be detected in the generally sleepy eyes; and, curiously
+enough, while in our case the corners of the mouths generally curl up
+under such circumstances, theirs, on the contrary, are drawn downwards.
+
+Where the Coreans--and I might have said all Asiatics--excel, is in their
+capacity to show contempt. They do this in the most gentleman-like manner
+one can imagine. They raise the head slowly, looking at the person they
+despise with a half-bored, half "I do not care a bit" look; then,
+leisurely closing the eyes and opening them again, they turn the head
+away with a very slight expiration from the nose.
+
+Fear--for those, at least, who cannot control it--is to all appearance a
+somewhat stronger emotion. The eyes are wide open and become staring, the
+nostrils are spread wide, and the under lip hangs quivering, while the
+neck and body contract, and the hands, with fingers stiffly bent, are
+brought up nearly as high as the head. The yellowish skin on such
+occasions generally assumes a cadaverous whitish green colour which is
+pitiful to behold.
+
+On the other hand, when pluck is shown, instead of fear, a man will draw
+himself up, with his arms down and hands tightly closed, and his mouth
+will assume a placid yet firm expression, the lips being firmly shut (a
+thing very unusual with Coreans), and the corners tending downwards,
+while a frown becomes clearly defined upon his brow.
+
+Laughter is seldom indulged in to any very great extent among the upper
+classes, who think it undignified to show in a noisy manner the pleasure
+which they derive from whatever it may be. Among the lower specimens of
+Corean humanity, however, sudden explosions of merriment are often
+noticeable. The Corean enjoys sarcasm, probably more than anything else
+in the world; and caricature delights him. I remember once drawing a
+caricature of an official and showing it to a friend of his, who, in
+consequence, so lost the much-coveted air of dignity, and went into such
+fits, that his servants had to come to his rescue and undo his
+waist-girdle. This, having occurred after a hearty meal, led to his being
+seized by a violent cough, and becoming subsequently sick. Were I quite
+sure of not being murdered by my readers, I would like to call it
+_see_-sickness, for it was caused by--seeing a joke!
+
+Astonishment is always expressed by a comical countenance. Let me give
+you an illustration. When we anchored at Fusan in the _Higo-Maru_, many
+Coreans came on board to inspect the ship; and, as I looked towards the
+shore with the captain's powerful long-sight glasses, several natives
+collected round me to see what I was doing. I asked one of them to look
+through, and never did I see a man more amazed, than he did, when he saw
+some one on the shore, with whom he was acquainted, brought so close to
+him by the glasses as to make him inclined to enter into a very excited
+conversation with him. His astonishment was even greater when, removing
+his eyes from the lens, he saw everything resume its natural position.
+When he had repeated this experiment several times, he put the glasses
+down, looked at them curiously with his eyebrows raised, his mouth
+pinched, and his hands spread apart at about the height of his waist, and
+then looked at me. Again did he glance at the optical instrument, with
+his mouth wide open; then, making a comical movement of distrust, he
+quickly departed whence he had come. When he had got fairly into his
+row-boat, he entered into a most animated conversation with his fellows,
+and, judging by his motions as he put his hands up to his eyes, I could
+see that the whole subject was his experience of what he had seen through
+the "foreign devil's" pair of glasses.
+
+Admiration is to a great extent, a modification of astonishment, and is
+by the Coreans expressed more by utterance than by any very marked
+expression of the face. Still, the eyes are opened more than usual, and
+the eyebrows are raised, and the lips slightly parted, sifting the
+breath, though not quite so loudly as in Japan.
+
+Another curious Corean expression is to be seen when the children are
+sulky. Our little ones generally protrude their lips in a tubular form,
+and bend the head forward, but the Cho-senese child does exactly the
+reverse. He generally throws his head back and hangs his lips, keeping
+the mouth open, and making his frown with the upper part of his face.
+Jealousy in the case of the women finds expression in a look somewhat
+similar to the above, with an additional vicious sparkle in the eyes.
+
+Notwithstanding the fact that it is not uncommon to hear Coreans being
+classified among barbarians, I must confess that, taking a liberal view
+of their constitution, they always struck me as being extremely
+intelligent and quick at acquiring knowledge. To learn a foreign language
+seems to them quite an easy task, and whenever they take an interest in
+the subject of their studies they show a great deal of perseverance and
+good-will. They possess a wonderfully sensible reasoning faculty,
+coupled with an amazing quickness of perception; a fact which one hardly
+expects, judging by their looks; for, at first sight, they rather impress
+one as being sleepy, and dull of comprehension. The Corean is also gifted
+with a very good memory, and with a certain amount of artistic power.
+Generally speaking, he is of an affectionate frame of mind, though he
+considers it bad form to show by outward sign any such thing as
+affection. He almost tends to effeminacy in his thoughtful attentions to
+those he likes; and he generally feels much hurt, though silently, if his
+attentions are not appreciated or returned. For instance, when you meet a
+Corean with whom you are acquainted, he invariably asks after the health
+of yourself, and all your relations and friends. Should you not yourself
+be as keen in inquiring after his family and acquaintances, he would
+probably be mortally offended.
+
+One of the drawbacks of the Corean mind is that it is often carried away
+by an over-vivid imagination. In this, they reminded me much of the
+Spaniards and the Italians. Their perception seems to be so keen that
+frequently they see more than really is visible. They are much given to
+exaggeration, not only in what they say, but also in their
+representations in painting and sculpture. In the matters both of
+conversation and of drawing, the same ideas will be found in Cho-sen to
+repeat themselves constantly, more or less cleverly expressed, according
+to the differently gifted individuality of the artist. The average Corean
+seems to learn things quickly, but of what they learn, some things remain
+rooted in their brains, while others appear to escape from it the moment
+they have been grasped. There is a good deal of volubility about their
+utterances, and, though visibly they do not seem very subject to strong
+emotions, judging from their conversation, one would feel inclined to say
+that they were. Another thing that led me to this suspicion was the
+observation that the average Corean is much given to dreaming, in the
+course of which he howls, shouts, talks and shakes himself to his heart's
+content. This habit of dreaming is to a large extent due, I imagine, to
+their mode of sleeping flat on their backs on the heated floors, which
+warm their spines, and act on their brains; though it may also, in
+addition to that be accounted for by the intensity of the daily emotions
+re-acting by night on over-excited nervous systems. I have often observed
+Coreans sleep, and they always impressed me as being extremely restless
+in their slumbers. As for snoring, too, the Coreans are entitled to the
+Championship of the world.
+
+The Coreans are much affected mentally by dreams, and being, as we have
+already seen, an extremely superstitious race, they attach great
+importance to their nocturnal visions. A good deal of hard _cash_ is
+spent in getting the advice of astrologers, who pretend to understand and
+explain the occult art, and pleasure or consternation is thus usually the
+result of what might have been explained naturally either by one of the
+above-named causes, or by the victim having feasted the previous evening
+on something indigestible. Nevertheless, it must be acknowledged that the
+Corean mind is seldom thrown off its balance altogether. Idiocy is not
+frequent, and lunacy is uncommon.
+
+Insanity, when it does exist, generally exhibits itself under the form of
+melancholia and dementia, and is more frequently found among the upper
+than among the lower classes. With the men it is generally due to
+intemperance and excesses, and is occasionally accompanied by paralysis.
+Among the women, the only cases which came under my notice were of wives
+whose husbands had many concubines, and of young widows. Suicide is not
+unfrequently practised among the latter; partly in consequence of the
+strict Corean etiquette, but often also caused by insanity when it does
+not follow immediately upon the husband's death. Another cause of
+melancholia--chiefly, however, among the lower classes--is a dreadful
+complaint, which has found its way among the natives in its most
+repulsive form. Many are affected by it, and no cure for it seems to have
+been devised by the indigenous doctors. The accounts one hears in the
+country of its ravages are too revolting to be repeated in these pages,
+and I shall limit myself to this. Certain forms of insanity are
+undoubtedly a common sequence to it.
+
+Leprosy also prevails in Cho-sen, and in the more serious cases seems to
+affect the brain, producing idiocy. This disease is caused by poverty of
+blood, and is, of course, hereditary. I have seen two forms of it in
+Cho-sen; in the one case, the skin turns perfectly white, almost shining
+like satin, while in the other--a worse kind, I believe--the skin is a
+mass of brown sores, and the flesh is almost entirely rotted away from
+the bones. The Coreans have no hospitals or asylums in which evils like
+these can be properly tended. Those affected with insanity are generally
+looked after by their own families, and, if considered dangerous, are
+usually chained up in rooms, either by a riveted iron bracelet, fastened
+to a short heavy chain, or, more frequently, by an anklet over the right
+foot.
+
+Families in Corea are generally small in number. I have no exact
+statistics at hand, for none were obtainable; but, so far as I could
+judge from observation, the males and females in the population are about
+equal in number. If anything, the women slightly preponderate. The
+average family seldom includes more than two children. The death-rate of
+Cho-sen infants is great, and many reasons can account for the fact. In
+the first place, all children in Corea, even the stronger ones who
+survive, are extremely delicate until a certain age is attained, when
+they seem to pick up and become stronger. This weakness is hereditary,
+especially among the upper classes, of whom very few powerful men are to
+be found, owing to their dissolute and effeminate life.
+
+Absolute sterility in women is not an uncommon phenomenon, and want of
+virile power in the male part of the community is also often the subject
+of complaint; many quaint drugs and methods being adopted to make up for
+the want of it, and to stimulate the sexual desire. A good many of the
+remedies resorted to by the Corean noblemen under such circumstances are
+of Chinese manufacture and importation. Certain parts of the tiger, dried
+and reduced to powder, are credited with the possession of wonderful
+strengthening qualities, and fetch large sums. Some parts of the donkey,
+also, when the animal is killed during the spring and under special
+circumstances, are equally appreciated. The lower classes of Cho-sen--as
+is the case in most countries--are more prolific than the upper ones. The
+parents are both healthier and more robust, and the children in
+consequence are stronger and more numerous, but even among these classes
+large families are seldom or never found. Taken as a whole, the
+population of Corea is, I believe, a slowly decreasing quantity.
+
+The Corean is in some respects very sensible, if compared with his
+neighbours. Deformities, artificially produced, are never found in Corea.
+In civilised Japan, on the other hand, as we all know, the women blacken
+their teeth and shave their eyebrows, while there are numberless people
+in the lower classes who are tattooed from head to foot with designs of
+all kinds. In China, too, people are occasionally deformed for the sake
+of lucre, as, for instance, to be exhibited at village shows, and the
+Chinese damsel would not consider herself fascinating enough if her feet
+were not distorted to such an extent as to be shapeless, and almost
+useless. The head-bands worn by the men in Corea are probably the only
+causes which tend to modify the shape of their heads, and that only to a
+very small degree. These head-bands are worn so very tightly from their
+earliest youth, that I have often noticed men--when the head-band was
+removed--show a certain flattening of the upper part of the forehead, due
+undoubtedly to the continuous pressure of this head-gear. In such cases,
+however, the cranial deformation--though always noticeable--is but
+slight, and, of course, unintentionally caused. The skull, as a whole,
+in the case of those who have worn the head-band is a little more
+elongated than it is in the case of those few who have not; the
+elongation being upwards and slightly backwards.
+
+Natural abnormalities are more frequent. I have seen numerous cases of
+goitre, and very often the so-called hare-lip. Webbed fingers also are
+frequently noticed; while inguinal hernia, both as a congenital and as an
+acquired affection, is unfortunately all too common. The natives do not
+undergo any special treatment until the complaint assumes alarming
+proportions, when a kind of belt is worn, or bandages of home manufacture
+are used. These are the more common abnormalities. To them, however,
+might also be added manifestations of albinism--though I have never seen
+an absolute albino in Corea--such as, large patches of white hair among
+the black. Red hair is rarely seen.
+
+The Corean, apart, that is, from these occasional defects, is well
+proportioned, and of good carriage. When he stands erect his body is
+well-balanced; and when he walks, though somewhat hampered by his padded
+clothes, his step is rational. He sensibly walks with his toes turned
+slightly in, and he takes firm and long strides. The gait is not
+energetic, but, nevertheless, the Coreans are excellent pedestrians, and
+cover long distances daily, if only they are allowed plenty to eat and
+permission to smoke their long pipes from time to time. Their bodies seem
+very supple, and like those of nearly all Asiatics, their attitudes are
+invariably graceful. In walking, they slightly swing their arms and bend
+their bodies forward, except, I should say, the high officials, whose
+steps are exaggeratedly marked, and whose bodies are kept upright and
+purposely stiff.
+
+One of the things which will not fail to impress a careful observer is
+the beauty of the Corean hand. The generality of Europeans possess bad
+hands, from an artistic point of view, but the average Corean, even among
+the lower classes, has them exceedingly well-shaped, with long supple
+fingers, somewhat pointed at the end; and nails well formed and prettily
+shaped, though to British ideas, grown far too long. It is not a powerful
+hand, mind you, but it is certainly most artistic; and, further, it is
+attached to a small wrist in the most graceful way, never looking stumpy,
+as so often is the case with many of us. The Coreans attach much
+importance to their hands; much more, indeed, than they do to their
+faces; and special attention is paid to the growth of the nails. In
+summer time these are kept very clean; but in winter, the water being
+very cold, the cleanliness of their limbs, "_laisse un peu a desirer_." I
+have frequently seen a beautifully-shaped hand utterly spoilt by the
+nails being lined with black, and the knuckles being as filthy as if they
+had never been dipped in water. But these are only lesser native
+failings; and have we not all our faults?
+
+The two qualities I most admired in the Corean were his scepticism and
+his conservatism. He seemed to take life as it came, and never worried
+much about it. He had, too, practically no religion and no morals. He
+cared about little, had an instinctive attachment for ancestral habits,
+and showed a thorough dislike to change and reform. And this was not so
+much as regards matters of State and religion, for little or nothing does
+the Corean care about either of these, as in respect of the daily
+proceedings of life. To the foreign observer, many of his ways and
+customs are at first sight incomprehensible, and even reprehensible; yet,
+when by chance his mode of arguing out matters for himself is clearly
+understood, we will almost invariably find that he is correct. After all,
+every one, whether barbarian or otherwise, knows best himself how to
+please himself. The poor harmless Corean, however, is not allowed that
+privilege. He, as if by sarcasm, calls his country by the retiring name
+of the "Hermit Realm" and the more poetic one of the "Land of the Morning
+Calm"; "a coveted calm" indeed, which has been a dream to the country,
+but never a reality, while, as for its hermit life, it has been only too
+often troubled by objectionable visitors whom he detests, yet whom,
+nevertheless, he is bound to receive with open arms, helpless as he is to
+resist them.
+
+Poor Corea! Bad as its Government was and is, it is heart-rending to any
+one who knows the country, and its peaceful, good-natured people, to see
+it overrun and impoverished by foreign marauders. Until the other day,
+she was at rest, heard of by few, and practically forgotten by everybody,
+to all intents an independent kingdom, since China had not for many years
+exercised her rights of suzerainty,[4] when, to satisfy the ambition of
+a childish nation, she suddenly finds herself at the mercy of everybody,
+and with a dark and most disastrous future before her!
+
+Poor Corea! A sad day has come for you! You, who were so attractive,
+because so quaint and so retiring, will nevermore see that calm which has
+ever been the yearning of your patriot sons! Many evils are now before
+you, but, of all the great calamities that might befall you, I can
+conceive of none greater than an attempt to convert you into a civilised
+nation!
+
+FOOTNOTES:
+
+    [4] After a cessation of many years a tribute was again exacted
+        from Corea in 1890, in consequence of overtures being made to
+        Corea by Japan, which displeased China.
+
+
+
+
+INDEX
+
+Abnormalities
+Adoption of Children
+Adultery
+Alphabet
+Astronomers
+Archery
+Army instructors
+Aryan
+
+Bachelors
+Beggars
+Beverages
+Big Bell
+Body-snatching
+Bonzes
+Bridges
+   "       (crossing the)
+Buddha
+Buddhism
+Burial ground
+
+Cereals
+Chang
+Charity
+Chemulpo
+Children
+Chinese Customs Service
+Chinese invasions
+Chinese settlement
+Cho-sen
+City wall
+Clans
+Classes and castes
+Clothes
+Compradores
+Concubines
+Conflagrations
+Confucianism
+Conservatism
+Consulate (British)
+   "      (German)
+Coolies
+Corea (the word)
+Cotton production
+Crucifixion
+Cultivation
+Currency
+
+Decorations
+Deformities
+Divorce
+Documents
+Dragons
+Drainage
+Dreams
+
+Education
+Eunuchs
+Evil spirits
+Examinations
+Executions
+Exile
+Exorcisms
+Expressions
+Expression after Death
+
+Falcons
+Families
+Features
+Feron (l'Abbe)
+Fights
+  "    (Stone-)
+Filial love
+Fire-signals
+Floggings
+Food
+Foreigners
+Free nights for men
+Funerals
+Furniture
+Fusan
+Fuyn race
+
+Games
+Gardens
+Gates (City)
+Gate of the Dead
+Ghosts
+Girls
+Gods (minor)
+Graves
+Greathouse (Clarence R.)
+Guechas or Geishas
+Guilds
+
+Hair-dressing
+Hanabusa
+Hands
+Han River
+Haunted palaces
+Head-gear
+Hiaksai
+Hospitality
+Hotels
+Houses
+House-warming
+
+Illumination (Modes of)
+Inns
+Intelligence
+
+Japanese
+  "       settlements
+Jinrickshas
+Joss-houses
+
+Kim-Ka-Chim
+King
+Kite-flying
+Kitchen
+Kiung-sang
+Korai
+Kung-wo
+
+Language
+Lanterns
+Law
+Legations (American, Chinese, Japanese, Russian)
+Le Gendre (General)
+Leopards
+Leprosy
+Lin
+Lunacy
+
+Mafu
+Maki
+Man of the Gates, The
+Mapu
+Marks
+Marriages
+Married Men
+Mats
+Messengers
+Metempsychosis
+Mile posts
+Min-san-ho
+Min-Young-Chun
+Min-Young-Huan
+Missionaries
+Monasteries
+Mongolian type
+Mono-wheeled chair
+Mourning
+Mulberry plantation
+Music
+
+Names
+  "    (women's)
+Nanzam (Mount)
+New Year's festivities
+Nunneries
+
+Offerings
+Oppert
+Oxen
+
+Pagoda
+Phoenix
+Palaces
+Palace (Royal)
+   "   (Summer)
+Palanquins
+Paternal love
+Pekin Pass
+Physiognomy
+Pipes
+Plank-walk (The)
+Pockets
+Police
+Politics
+Ponies
+Poo-kan
+Port Hamilton
+Prayer-Books
+Procession (King's)
+Proverbs
+Punishments
+
+Queen (The)
+
+Religion
+Respect for the Old
+Rice
+Roads
+Rosary
+Royal Family
+Russian villa
+
+Sacred Trees
+Sacrifices
+Saddles
+Satsuma ware
+Scenery
+Scepticism
+Schools
+Sea-lions or tigers
+Sedan-chairs
+Self-denial
+Seoul
+Seradin Sabatin (Mr.)
+Serfdom
+Shamanism
+Shinra
+Shoes
+Shops
+Singers
+Smoke signals
+Snakes
+Soldiers
+Sorcerers
+Spectacles
+Spinning-tops
+Spirits
+Spirits of the mountains
+Square-board (The)
+Sterility
+Stone-heaps
+Streets
+Students
+Studies
+Suicides
+Sunto
+
+Tailors
+Tai-wen-kun
+Telephones
+Temples
+Throne
+Tide
+Tigers
+Tooth-stone
+Tortoise
+Toys
+
+Umbrella hat
+
+Wang
+Washing clothes
+Water-coolies
+Wedding ceremony
+Widows
+Wind-making
+Wives
+Women
+Women's looks
+Women's rights
+Wuju kingdom
+
+
+
+
+
+End of Project Gutenberg's Corea or Cho-sen, by A (Arnold) Henry Savage-Landor
+
+*** END OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK COREA OR CHO-SEN ***
+
+***** This file should be named 13128.txt or 13128.zip *****
+This and all associated files of various formats will be found in:
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