diff options
Diffstat (limited to 'old/54402-0.txt')
| -rw-r--r-- | old/54402-0.txt | 9295 |
1 files changed, 0 insertions, 9295 deletions
diff --git a/old/54402-0.txt b/old/54402-0.txt deleted file mode 100644 index ddaf8c5..0000000 --- a/old/54402-0.txt +++ /dev/null @@ -1,9295 +0,0 @@ -The Project Gutenberg EBook of A Broken Journey, Illustrated, by Mary Gaunt - -This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere in the United States and most -other parts of the world 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. If you are not located in the United States, you'll have -to check the laws of the country where you are located before using this ebook. - - - -Title: A Broken Journey, Illustrated - Wanderings from the Hoang-Ho Yo the Island of Saghalien - and the Upper Reaches of The Amur River - -Author: Mary Gaunt - -Release Date: March 21, 2017 [EBook #54402] -Last Updated: March 12, 2018 - -Language: English - -Character set encoding: UTF-8 - -*** START OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK A BROKEN JOURNEY, ILLUSTRATED *** - - - - -Produced by David Widger from page images generously -provided by the Internet Archive - - - - - - - -A BROKEN JOURNEY - -Wanderings from the Hoang-Ho yo the Island of Saghalien and the Upper -Reaches of The Amur River - -By Mary Gaunt - -Author Of “Alone In West Africa” - -“A Woman In China,” Etc. - -London - -T. Werner Laurie Ltd. - -1919 - - -[Illustration: 0001] - -[Illustration: 0008] - -[Illustration: 0009] - - - -TO MY - -SISTER AND BROTHERS - -IN REMEMBRANCE OF THE DAYS BEFORE WE - -WANDERED - - - - -FOREWORD - -I have to thank my friend Mrs Lang for the drastic criticism which once -more has materially helped me to write this book. Other people also have -I to thank, but so great was the kindness I received everywhere I -can only hope each one will see in this book some token of my sincere -gratitude. - -Mary Gaunt. - -Mary Haven, New Eltham, Kent. - - - - - -A BROKEN JOURNEY - - - - -CHAPTER I--THE LURE OF THE UNKNOWN - -Each time I begin a book of travel I search for the reasons that sent -me awandering. Foolishness, for I ought to know by this time the -wander fever was born in my blood; it is in the blood of my sister and -brothers. We were brought up in an inland town in Victoria, Australia, -and the years have seen us roaming all over the world. I do not think -any of us has been nearer the North Pole than Petropaulovski, or to the -South Pole than Cape Horn--children of a sub-tropical clime, we do not -like the cold--but in many countries in between have we wandered. -The sailors by virtue of their profession have had the greater -opportunities, but the other five have made a very good second best of -it, and always there has been among us a very understanding sympathy -'with the desire that is planted in each and all to visit the remote -corners of the earth. - -Anybody can go on the beaten track. It only requires money to take -a railway or steamer ticket, and though we by no means despise -comfort--indeed, because we know something of the difficulties that -beset the traveller beyond the bounds of civilisation, we appreciate it -the more highly--still there is something else beyond comfort in life. -Wherein lies the call of the Unknown? To have done something that no -one else has done--or only accomplished with difficulty? Where lies -the charm? I cannot put it into words--only it is there, the “something -calling--beyond the mountains,” the “Come and find me” of Kipling. That -voice every one of the Gaunts hears, and we all sympathise when another -one goes. - -And that voice I heard loudly in China. - -“Come and find me! Come and find me!” - -The livelong day I heard it, and again and again and yet again I tried -to stifle it, for you who have read my _Woman in China_ will know that -travelling there leaves much to be desired. To say it is uncomfortable -is to put it in the mildest terms. Everything that I particularly -dislike in life have I met travelling in China; everything that repells -me; and yet, having unwisely invested $10 (about £1) in an atlas of -China, the voice began to ring in my ears day and night. - -I was living in an American Presbyterian mission station in the -western suburb of the walled town of Pao Ting Fu, just beyond European -influence, the influence of the Treaty Ports and the Legation quarter of -Peking. I wanted to see something of the real China, to get material for -a novel--not a novel concerning the Chinese; for I have observed that -no successful novel in English deals with anybody but the British or -the Americans; the other peoples come in as subordinates--and the -local colour was best got on the spot. There was plenty in Pao Ting Fu, -goodness knows. It had suffered severely in the Boxer trouble. In the -northern suburb, just about a mile from where we lived, was a tomb, -or monument rather, that had been raised to the missionaries massacred -then. They have made a garden plot where those burning houses stood, -they have planted trees and flowers, and set up memorial tablets in the -Chinese style, and the mission has moved to the western suburb, just -under the frowning walls of the town, and--is doubly strong. A God-given -fervour, say the missionaries, sends them forth.'Who am I to judge? But -I see that same desire to go forth in myself, that same disregard of -danger, when it is not immediate--I know I should be horribly scared -if it materialised--and I cannot claim for myself it is God-given, save -perhaps that all our desires are God-given. - -So there in the comfortable mission station I studied the local colour, -corrected my last book of China, and instead of planning the novel, -looked daily at the atlas of China, till there grew up in me a desire -to cross Asia, not by train to the north as I had already done, as -thousands of people used to do every year, but by the caravan route, -across Shensi and Kansu and Sinkiang to Andijan in Asiatic Russia, the -terminus of the Caspian Railway. Thousands and thousands of people go -slowly along that way too, but the majority do not go all the way, and -they do not belong to the class or nation whose comings and goings are -recorded. In fact, you may count on the fingers of one hand the people -who know anything of that road. The missionaries, particularly the -womenkind, did not take very cheerful view's about it. - -“If I wanted to die,” said one woman, meeting me as I was going round -the compound one day in the early spring of 1914, “I would choose some -easier way.” - -But the doctor there was keenly interested. He would have liked to -have gone himself, but his duty kept him alongside his patients and his -hospital in Pao Ting Fu, and though he pulled himself up every now and -then, remembering I was only a woman and probably couldn't do it, he -could not but take as great an interest in that map and ways and means -as I did myself. Then there was Mr Long, a professor at the big Chinese -college in the northern suburb--he was young and enthusiastic and as -interested as Dr Lewis. - -He too knew something about travel in unknown China, for he had been one -of the band of white men who had made their way over the mountains of -Shansi and Shensi in the depths of winter to go to the rescue of the -missionaries in Sui Te Chou and all the little towns down to Hsi An -Fu at the time of the Revolution. Yes, he knew something of the -difficulties of Chinese travel, and he thought I could do it. - -“The only danger would be robbers, and--well, you know, there mightn't -be robbers.” - -But Peking--the Peking of the Legations--that, I knew, held different -view's. I wrote to an influential man who had been in China over ten -years, who spoke the language well, and he was against it. - -“I was very much interested” (wrote he) “to read of your intention to -do that trek across country. You ask my opinion about it, but I can only -give you the same advice that _Punch_ gave many years ago, and that is, -_don't_. You must realise that the travelling will be absolutely awful -and the cost is very great indeed. You have not yet forgotten your -trip to Jehol, I hope, and the roughness of the road. The trip you -contemplate will make the little journey to Jehol look like a Sunday -morning walk in Hyde Park, particularly as regards travelling comfort, -to say nothing about the danger of the journey as regards hostile tribes -on the southern and western borders of Tibet. You will be passing near -the Lolo country, and I can assure you that the Lolos are _not_ a set of -gentlemen within the meaning of the Act. They are distinctly hostile to -foreigners, and many murders have taken place in their country that have -not been published because of the inability of the Chinese troops to -stand up against these people. What the peoples are like farther north -I do not know, but I understand the Tibetans are not particularly -trustworthy, and it will follow that the people living on their borders -will inherit a good many of their vices and few of their virtues. - -“If you have really made up your mind to go, however, just let me know, -and I will endeavour to hunt up all the information that it is possible -to collect as to the best route to take, etc., though I repeat I would -not advise the journey, and the Geographical Society can go to the -deuce.” - -This not because he despised the Geographical Society by any means, but -because I had advanced as one reason for going across Asia the desire to -win my spurs so and be an acceptable member. - -“My dear,” wrote a woman, “think of that poor young Brooke. The Tibetans -cut his throat with a sharp stone, which is a pleasant little way they -have.” - -Now the man's opinion was worth having, but the woman's is a specimen of -the loose way people are apt to reason--I do it myself--when they deal -with the unknown. The “poor young Brooke” never went near Tibet, and -was murdered about a thousand miles distant from the route I intended -to take. It was something as if a traveller bound to the Hebrides was -warned against dangers to be met upon the Rhone. - -One man who had travelled extensively in Mongolia was strongly against -the journey, but declared that “Purdom knew a great deal more about -travelling in China” than he did, and if “Purdom” said I might got--well -then, I might. Mr Purdom and Mr Reginald Farrer were going west to the -borders of Tibet botanising, and one night I dined with them, and Mr -Purdom was optimistic and declared if I was prepared for discomfort and -perhaps hardship he thought I might go. - -So it was decided, and thereupon those who knew took me in hand and gave -me all advice about travelling in China, how to minimise discomfort, -what to take and what to leave behind. One thing they were all agreed -upon. The Chinese, as a rule, are the most peaceable people upon earth, -the only thing I had to fear was a chance band of robbers, and if I fell -into their hands--well, it would probably be finish. - -“The Chinese are fiendishly cruel,” said my friend of Mongolian travel; -“keep your last cartridge for yourself.” - -I intimated that a pistol was quite beyond me, that that way of going -out did not appeal to me, and anyhow I'd be sure to bungle it. - -“Then have something made up at the chemist's and keep it always on your -person. You do not know how desperately you may need it.” - -I may say here that these remarks made no impression upon me whatever. -I suppose in most of us the feeling is strong that nothing bad -could possibly happen. It happens to other people, we know, but to -us--impossible! I have often wondered how near I could get to danger -without feeling that it really threatened--pretty close, I suspect. It -is probably a matter of experience. I cannot cross a London road with -equanimity--but then twice have I been knocked down and rather badly -hurt--but I gaily essayed to cross Asia by way of China, and would quite -certainly as gaily try again did I get the chance. Only next time I -propose to take a good cook. - -To some, of course, the unknown is always full of danger. - -The folks who walked about Peking without a qualm warned me I would die -of indigestion, I would be unable to drink the water, the filth would be -unspeakable, hydrophobia raged, and “when you are bitten, promptly cut -deep into the place and insert a chloride of mercury tabloid.” - -That last warning made me laugh. It reminded me of the time when as a -little girl, living in a country where deadly snakes swarmed--my eldest -brother killed sixty in a week, I remember, in our garden--I used to -think it would be extremely dangerous to go to Europe because there were -there mad dogs, things we never had in Australia! I think it was the -reference to hydrophobia and the chloride of mercury tabloid helped me -to put things in their proper prospective and made me realise that I was -setting out on a difficult journey with a possible danger of robbers; -but a possible danger is the thing we risk every day we travel in a -railway train or on an electric tramcar. I am always ready for possible -risks, it is when they become probable I bar them, so I set about my -preparations with a quiet mind. - -A servant. I decided I must have a tall servant and strong, because -so often in China I found I had to be lifted, and I had suffered from -having too small a man on my former journeys. The missionaries provided -me with a new convert of theirs, a tall strapping Northern Chinaman, who -was a mason by trade. Tsai Chih Fu, we called him--that is to say, he -came of the Tsai family; and the Chih Fu--I'm by no means sure that I -spell it right--meant a “master workman.” He belonged to a large firm of -masons, but as he had never made a dollar a day at his trade, my offer -of that sum put him at my service, ready to go out into the unknown. He -was a fine-looking man, dignified and courteous, and I had and have the -greatest respect for him. He could not read or write, of course. Now -a man who cannot read or write here in the West we look upon with -contempt, but it would be impossible to look upon Tsai Chih Fu with -contempt. He was a responsible person, a man who would count in any -company. He belonged to another era and another civilisation, but he -was a man of weight. A master of transport in Babylon probably closely -resembled my servant Tsai Chih Fu. - -[Illustration: 0027] - -My interpreter, Wang Hsien--that is, Mr Wang--was of quite a different -order. He was little and slight, with long artistic hands, of the -incapable artistic order, and he was a fool in any language; but good -interpreters are exceedingly difficult to get. He used to come and see -me every day for a fortnight before we started, and I must say my heart -sank when the simplest remark, probably a greeting, or a statement as -to the weather, was met with a “Repeat, please.” I found this was the -invariable formula and it was not conducive to brisk conversation. On my -way through the country things were apt to vanish before I had made -Mr Wang understand that I was asking, and was really in search of, -information. He had his black hair cut short in the progressive foreign -fashion (it looked as if he had had a basin put on his head--a good -large one--and the hair snipped off round), and he wore a long blue -cotton gown buttoned to his feet. Always he spoke with a silly giggle. -Could I have chosen, which I could not, he would have been about the -very last man I should have taken on a strenuous journey as guide, -philosopher and friend. - -And there was another member of the party, a most important member, -without whom I should not have dreamt of stirring--my little black and -white k'ang dog, James Buehanan, who loved me as no one in the world has -ever loved me, thought everything I did was perfect, and declared he was -willing to go with me to the ends of the earth. - -So I began my preparations. One thing only was clear, everyone was -agreed upon it, all my goods must be packed in canvas bags, because it -is impossible to travel by mule, or cart, or litter with one's clothes -in ordinary boxes. And I had, through the kindness of Messrs Forbes & -Company, to make arrangements with Chinese bankers, who have probably -been making the same arrangements since before the dawn of history, -to get money along the proposed route. These things I managed -satisfactorily; it was over the stores that, as usual, I made mistakes. -The fact of the matter is that the experience gained in one country is -not always useful for the next. When first I travelled in Africa I took -many “chop” boxes that were weighty and expensive of transport, and -contained much tinned meat that in a warm, moist climate I did not want. -I found I could live quite happily on biscuits and fruit and eggs, with -such relishes as anchovy paste or a few Bologna sausages for a change. -My expensive tinned foods I bestowed upon my servants and carriers, -greatly to my own regret. I went travelling in China, in Northern Chihli -and Inner Mongolia, I dwelt apart from all foreigners in a temple in the -western hills, and I found with a good cook I lived very comfortably off -the country, with just the addition of a few biscuits, tea, condensed -milk, coffee and raisins, therefore I persuaded myself I could go west -with few stores and do exactly the same. Thus I added considerably to my -own discomfort. The excellent master of transport was a bad cook, and a -simple diet of hard-boiled eggs, puffed rice and tea, with raisins for -dessert, however good in itself, is apt to pall when it is served up -three times a day for weeks with unfailing regularity. - -However, I didn't know that at the time. - -And at last all was ready. I had written to all the mission stations -as far west as Tihwa, in Sinkiang, announcing my coming. I had provided -myself with a folding table and chair--they both, I found, were given to -fold at inconvenient moments--some enamel plates, a couple of glasses, -a knife and fork, rudimentary kitchen utensils, bedding, cushions, rugs, -etc., and all was ready. I was to start the next week, ten days after Mr -Purdom and Mr Farrer had set out, for Honan, when there came a telegram -from Hsi An Fu: - -“Delay journey” (it read). - -“White wolf in Shensi. Shorrocks.” - -Was there ever such country? News that a robber was holding up the road -could be sent by telegram! - -China rather specialises in robbers, but White Wolf was considerably -worse than the average gentleman of the road. He defied the Government -in 1914, but the last time we of the mission station had heard of him -he was making things pleasant for the peaceful inhabitants of Anhwei, -to the east, and the troops were said to have him “well in hand.” But in -China you never know exactly where you are, and now he was in Shensi! - -I read that telegram in the pleasant March sunshine. I looked up at the -boughs of the “water chestnuts,” where the buds were beginning to swell, -and I wondered what on earth I should do. The roads now were as good -as they were ever likely to be, hard after the long winter and not yet -broken up by the summer rains. We discussed the matter from all points -that day at the midday dinner. The missionaries had a splendid cook, a -Chinese who had had his kitchen education finished in a French family, -and with a few good American recipes thrown in the combination makes a -craftsman fit for the Savoy, and all for ten Mexican dollars a month! -Never again do I expect to meet such salads, sweet and savoury! And here -was I doing my best to leave the flesh-pots of Egypt. It seemed foolish. - -I contented my soul with what patience I might for a week, and then I -telegraphed to Honan Fu, at which place I expected to be well away from -the railway. Honan Fu answered promptly: - -“The case is hopeless. Hsi An Fu threatened. Advise you go by T'ai Yuan -Fu.” - -Now the road from Honan Fu to Hsi An Fu is always dangerous. It is -through the loess, sunken many feet below the level of the surrounding -country, and at the best of times is infested with stray robbers who, -from the cliffs above, roll down missiles on the carts beneath, kill the -mules and hold the travellers at their mercy. The carters go in large -bodies and are always careful to find themselves safe in the inn-yards -before the dusk has fallen. - -These were the everyday dangers of the way such as men have faced for -thousands of years; if you add to them an organised robber band and a -large body of soldiers in pursuit, clearly that road is no place for a -solitary foreign woman, with only a couple of attendants, a little dog, -and for all arms a small pistol and exactly thirteen cartridges--all -I could get, for it is difficult to buy ammunition in China. Then to -clinch matters came another telegram from Hsi An Fu, in cipher this -time: - -“Do not come” (it said). - - -“The country is very much disturbed.” - -From Anhwei to Shensi the brigands had operated. They had burned and -looted and outraged by order of Pai Lang (White Wolf), leaving behind -them ruined homes and desolated hearths, and when the soldiers came -after them, so said Rumour of the many tongues, White Wolf, who was rich -by then, left money on the roads and so bribed the avenging army to come -over to him. - -But to the ordinary peaceful inhabitant--and curiously enough the -ordinary Chinese is extremely peaceful--it is not a matter of much -moment whether it be Pai Lang or the soldier who is hunting him who -falls upon the country. The inhabitants are sure to suffer. Both bandit -and soldier must have food, so both loot and outrage impartially, for -the unpaid soldiery--I hope I shall not be sued for libel, but most of -the soldiery when I was in China appeared to be unpaid--loot just as -readily as do the professional bandits. A robber band alone is a heavy -load for a community to carry, and a robber band pursued by soldiers -more than doubles the burden. - -Still the soldiers held Tungkwan, the gate into Shensi, the mountains on -either side blocked the way, and Hsi An Fu breathed for a moment till -it was discovered that Pai Lang in strategy was equal to anyone who had -been sent against him. He had taken the old and difficult route through -the mountains and had come out west of the narrow pass of Tungkwan and, -when I became interested in him, was within a day's march of Hsi An -Fu, the town that is the capital of the province of Shensi and was the -capital of China many hundreds of years ago. It is a walled city, but -the people feared and so did the members of the English Baptist Mission -sheltering behind those walls. And, naturally, they feared, for the -Society of the Elder Brethren had joined Pai Lang, and the Society of -Elder Brethren always has been and is markedly anti-foreign. This was -the situation, growing daily a little worse, and we foreigners looked -on; and the Government organs in Peking told one day how a certain Tao -Tai had been punished and degraded because he had been slack in putting -down White Wolf and possibly the next day declared the power of White -Wolf was broken and he was in full retreat. I don't know how many times -I read the power of White Wolf had been broken and yet in the end I -was regretfully obliged to acknowledge that he was stronger than ever. -Certainly Pai Lang turned my face north sooner than I intended, for the -idea of being a target for rocks and stones and billets of wood at -the bottom of a deep ditch from which there could be no escape did not -commend itself to me. True, in loess country, as I afterwards found, -there are no stones, no rocks and no wood. I can't speak for the road -through Tungkwan, for I didn't dare it. But, even if there were -no stones, loose earth--and there is an unlimited quantity of that -commodity in Northern China--flung down from a height would be -exceedingly unpleasant. - -Of course it all might have been rumour--it wasn't, I found out -afterwards; but unfortunately the only way to find out at the time -was by going to see for myself, and if it had been true--well, in -all probability I shouldn't have come back. That missionary evidently -realised how keen I was when he suggested that I should go by T'ai Yuan -Fu, the capital of Shansi, and I determined to take his advice. There -was a way, a little-known way, across the mountains, across Shansi, by -Sui Te Chou in Shensi, and thence into Kansu, which would eventually -land me in Lan Chou Fu if I cared to risk it. - -This time I asked Mr Long's advice. He and the little band of nine -rescuers who had ridden hot haste to the aid of the Shensi missionaries -during the revolution had taken this road, and they had gone in the -depths of winter when the country was frozen hard and the thermometer -was more often below zero, very far below zero, than not. If they had -accomplished it when pressed for time in the great cold, I thought' in -all probability I might manage it now at the best time of the year -and at my leisure. Mr Long, who would have liked to have gone himself, -thought so too, and eventually I set off. - -The missionaries were goodness itself to me. Dr Mackay, in charge of the -Women's Hospital, set me up with all sorts of simple drugs that I might -require and that I could manage, and one day in the springtime, when the -buds on the trees in the compound were just about to burst, and full -of the promise of the life that was coming, I, with most of the -missionaries to wish me “Godspeed,” and with James Buchanan under my -arm, my giggling interpreter and my master of transport following with -my gear, took train to T'ai Yuan Fu, a walled city that is set in the -heart of a fertile plateau surrounded by mountains. - -The great adventure had begun. - - - - -CHAPTER II--TRUCULENT T'AI YUAN FU - -But you mayn't go to T'ai Yuan Fu in one day. The southern train puts -you down at Shih Chia Chuang--the village of the Stone Family--and there -you must stay till 7.40 a.m. next morning, when the French railway built -through the mountains that divide Shansi from Shensi takes you on to -its terminus at T'ai Yuan Fu. There is a little Chinese inn at Shih -Chia Chuang that by this time has become accustomed to catering for the -foreigner, but those who are wise beg the hospitality of the British -American Tobacco Company. - -I craved that hospitality, and two kindly young men came to the station -through a dust-storm to meet me and took me off to their house that, -whether it was intended to or not, with great cool stone balconies, -looked like a fort. But they lived on perfectly friendly terms with -people. Why not? To a great number of the missionaries the B.A.T. is -_anathema maranatha_, though many of the members rival in pluck and -endurance the missionaries themselves. And why is it a crime for a man -or a woman to smoke? Many of the new teachers make it so and thus lay an -added burden on shoulders already heavily weighted. Personally I should -encourage smoking, because it is the one thing people who are far apart -as the Poles might have in common. - -And goodness knows they have so few things. Even with the animals the -“East is East and West is West” feeling is most marked. Here at the -B.A.T. they had a small pekinese as a pet. She made a friend of James -Buchanan in a high and haughty manner, but she declined to accompany him -outside the premises. Once she had been stolen and had spent over three -months in a Chinese house. Then one day her master saw her and, making -good his claim, took her home with him. Since that time nothing would -induce her to go beyond the front door. She said in effect that she got -all the exercise she needed in the courtyard, and if it did spoil her -figure, she preferred a little weight to risking the tender mercies of -a Chinese household, and I'm sure she told Buchanan, who, having the -sacred V-shaped mark on his forehead, was reckoned very beautiful and -was much admired by the Chinese, that he had better take care and not -fall into alien hands. Buchanan as a puppy of two months old had been -bought in the streets of Peking, and when we started on our journey -must have been nearly ten months old, but he had entirely forgotten his -origin and regarded all Chinese with suspicion. He tolerated the master -of transport as a follower of whom we had need. - -“Small dog,” Mr Wang called him, and looked upon him doubtfully, but -really not as doubtfully as Buchanan looked at him. He was a peaceful, -friendly little dog, but I always thought he did not bite Mr Wang simply -because he despised him so. - -Those two young men were more than good to me. They gave me refreshment, -plenty of hot water to wash away the ravages of the dust-storm, and good -company, and as we sat and talked--of White Wolf, of course--there -came to us the tragedy of a life, a woman who had not the instincts of -Buchanan. - -Foreign women are scarce at Shih Chia Chuang; one a month is something -to remark upon, one a week is a crowd, so that when, as we sat in the -big sitting-room talking, the door opened and a foreign woman stood -there, everyone rose to his feet in astonishment. Mr Long, who had been -up the line, stood beside her, and behind her was a Chinaman with a -half-caste baby in his arms. She was young and tall and rather pretty. - -[Illustration: 0037] - -[Illustration: 0038] - -“I bring you a lady in distress,” said Mr Long rather hastily, -explaining matters. “I met Mrs Chang on the train. She has miscalculated -her resources and has not left herself enough money to get to Peking.” - -The woman began to explain; but it is an awkward thing to explain to -strangers that you have no money and are without any credentials. I -hesitated. Eventually I hope I should have helped her, but my charity -and kindliness were by no means as ready and spontaneous as those of my -gallant young host. He never hesitated a moment. You would have thought -that women and babies without any money were his everyday business. - -“Why, sure,” said he in his pleasant American voice, “if I can be of any -assistance. But you can't go to-day, Mrs Chang; of course you will stay -with us--oh yes, yes; indeed we should be very much hurt if you didn't; -and you will let me lend you some money.” - -And so she was established among us, this woman who had committed the -unpardonable sin of the East, the sin against her race, the sin for -which there is no atoning. It is extraordinary after all these years, -after all that has been said and written, that Englishwomen, women of -good class and standing, will so outrage all the laws of decency and -good taste. This woman talked. She did not like the Chinese, she would -not associate with them; her husband, of course, was different. He was -good to her; but it was hard to get work in these troubled times, harder -still to get paid for it, and he had gone away in search of it, so she -was going for a holiday to Peking and--here she tumedto the young -men and talked about the society and the dances and the amusement she -expected to have among the foreigners in the capital, she who for so -long had been cut off from such joys in the heart of China among an -alien people. - -We listened. What could we say? - -“People in England don't really understand,” said she, “what being in -exile means. They don't understand the craving to go home and speak to -one's own people; but being in Peking will be something like being in -England.” - -We other five never even looked at each other, because we knew, and we -could hardly believe, that she had not yet realised that in marrying -a Chinese, even one who had been brought up in England, she had exiled -herself effectually. The Chinese look down upon her, they will have none -of her, and among the foreigners she is outcast. These young men who had -come to her rescue with such right good will--“I could not see a foreign -woman in distress among Chinese”--will pass her in the street with a -bow, will not see her if they can help themselves, will certainly object -that anyone they care about should see them talking to her, and their -attitude but reflects that of the majority of the foreigners in China. -Her little child may not go to the same sehool as the foreign children, -even as it may not go to the same school as the Chinese. She has -committed the one error that outclasses her, and she is going to pay for -it in bitterness all the days of her life. And everyone in that room, -while we pitied her, held, and held strongly, that the attitude of the -community, foreign and Chinese, was one to be upheld. - -“East is East and West is West and never the twain shall meet,” and yet -here and there one still comes across a foolish woman who wrecks her -life because she never seems to have heard of this dictum. She talked -and talked, and told us how good was her husband to her, and we -listeners said afterwards she “doth protest too much,” she was -convincing herself, not us, and that, of course, seeing he was a -Chinaman, he was disappointed that the baby was a girl, and that his -going off alone was the beginning of the end, and we were thankful that -she was “the only girl her mother had got,” and so she could go back to -her when the inevitable happened. - -The pity of it! When will the stay-at-home English learn that the -very worst thing one of their women can do with her life is to wed -an Oriental? But when I think of that misguided woman in that remote -Chinese village I shall always think too of those gallant young -gentlemen, perfect in courteous kindliness, who ran the B.A.T. in Shih -Chia Chuang. - -The next day Buchanan and I and our following boarded the luxurious -little mountain railway and went to T'ai Yuan Fu. - -This railway, to me, who know nothing of such things, is a very marvel -of engineering skill. There are great rugged mountains, steep and rocky, -and the train winds its way through them, clinging along the sides of -precipices, running through dark tunnels and cuttings that tower high -overhead and going round such curves that the engine and the guard's van -of a long train are going in exactly opposite directions. A wonderful -railway, and doubly was I interested in it because before ever I came to -China I had heard about it. - -When there are disturbances in China it is always well for the foreign -element to flee while there is yet time, for the sanctity of human life -is not yet thoroughly grasped there, and there is always the chance -that the foreigner may be killed first and his harmlessness, or even -his value, discovered later. So in the revolution in the winter of -1910-1911, though all train traffic had stopped, the missionaries from -T'ai Yuan Fu and those from the country beyond fled down this railway. -A friend of mine, an artist, happened to be staying at a mission station -in the mountains and made one of the party. It was the depth of a Shansi -winter, a Continental winter, with the thermometer generally below -15° -at the warmest part of the day, and the little band of fugitives came -fleeing down this line on trollies worked by the men of the party. -They stayed the nights at the deserted railway stations, whence all the -officials had fled, and the country people in their faded blue cotton -wadded coats came and looked at them and, pointing their fingers at -them exactly as I have seen the folks in the streets of London do at a -Chinaman or an Arab in an outlandish dress, remarked that these people -were going to their death. - -“Death! Death!” sounded on all sides. They, the country people, were -peaceful souls; they would not have killed them themselves; they merely -looked upon them as an interesting exhibit because they were foreign and -they were going to die. That the audience were wrong the people on show -were not quite as sure as they would have liked to be, and a single-line -railway through mountainous country is by no means easy to negotiate on -a trolly. They came to places where the line was carried upon trestles; -they could see a river winding its way at the bottom of a rocky ravine -far below them, and the question would be how to get across. It required -more nerve than most of them had to walk across the skeleton bridge. The -procedure seems to have been to give each trolly a good hard push, to -spring upon it and to trust to Providence to get safely across to the -firm earth upon the other side. The tunnels too, and the sharp curves, -were hair-raising, for they knew nothing of what was happening at the -other end of the line, and for all they could say they might have come -full butt upon a train rushing up in the other direction. - -Eventually they did get through, but with considerable hardship, and I -should hesitate to say how many days that little company went without -taking off their clothes. I thought of them whenever our train went into -a tunnel, and I thought too of the gay girl who told me the story -and who had dwelt not upon the discomfort and danger, but upon the -excitement and exhilaration that comes with danger. - -“I lived,” said she, “I lived,” and my heart went out to her. It is that -spirit in this “nation of shopkeepers” that is helping us to beat the -Germans. - -The scenery through which we went is beautiful--it would be beautiful -in any land--and this in China, where I expected not so much beauty -as industry. There were evidences of industry in plenty on every side. -These people were brethren of the bandits who turned me north and they -are surely the most industrious in the world. Wherever among these stony -hills there was a patch of ground fit for cultivation, though it was -tiny as a pocket handkerchief, it was cultivated. Everywhere I saw -people at work in the fields, digging, weeding, ploughing with a dry cow -or a dry cow and a donkey hitched to the primitive plough, or guiding -trains of donkeys or mules carrying merchandise along the steep and -narrow paths, and more than once I saw strings of camels, old-world -camels that took me back before the days of written history. They kept -to the valleys and evidently made their way along the river beds. - -Through mountain sidings and tunnels we came at length to the curious -loess country, where the friable land is cut into huge terraces that -make the high hills look like pyramids carved in great clay-coloured -steps, and now in April the green crops were already springing; another -month and they would be banks of waving green. The people are poor, -their faces were browned by the sun and the wind, their garments were -scanty and ragged, and the original blue was faded till the men and -the clothes were all the same monotonous clay colour of the surrounding -country. The women I saw here were few, and only afterwards I found the -reason. The miserably poor peasant of Shansi binds the feet of his -women so effectually that to the majority movement is a physical -impossibility. - -We climbed up and up through the mountains into the loess country, -and at last we were on the plateau, about four thousand feet above the -sea-level, whereon is T'ai Yuan Fu, the capital of the province. There -are other towns here too, little walled eities, and the train drew up at -the stations outside the grey brick walls, the most ancient and the most -modern, Babylon and Crewe meeting. Oh, I understand the need of those -walled eities now I have heard so much about Pai Lang. There is a -certain degree of safety behind those grey walls, so long as the robber -bands are small and the great iron-bound gates ean keep them out, but -dire is the fate of the city into which the enemy has penetrated, has -fastened the gates and holds the people in a trap behind their own -walls. - -But these people were at peace; they were thinking of no robbers. Pai -Lang was about five hundred miles away and the station platforms were -crowded with would-be travellers with their belongings in bundles, and -over the fence that shut off the platform hung a vociferating crowd -waving white banners on which were inscribed in black characters the -signs of the various inns, while each banner-bearer at the top of his -voice advocated the charms of his own employer's establishment. The -queue was forbidden for the moment, but many of these ragged touts and -many of the other peasants still wore their heads shaven in front, for -the average Chinaman, especially he of the poorer classes, is loath to -give up the fashions of his forefathers. - -Every railway platform was pandemonium, for every person on that -platform yelled and shrieked at the top of his voice. On the main line -every station was guarded by untidy, unkempt-looking soldiers armed with -rifles, but there on this little mountain railway the only guards were -policemen, equally unkempt, clad in very dusty black and white and -armed with stout-looking bludgeons. They stood along the line at regular -intervals, good-natured-looking men, and I wondered whether they would -really be any good in an emergency, or whether they would not take the -line of least resistance and join the attacking force. - -All across the cultivated plain we went, where not an inch of ground -is wasted, and at half-past five in the evening we arrived at T'ai Yuan -Fu--arrived, that is, at the station outside the little South Gate. - -T'ai Yuan Fu is a great walled city eight miles round, with five gates -in the walls, gates that contrast strangely with the modern-looking -macadamised road which goes up from the station. I don't know why I -should feel that way, for they certainly had paved roads even in the -days before history. Outside the walls are neat, perhaps forty feet high -and of grey brick, and inside you see how these city walls are made, for -they are the unfinished clay banks that have been faced in front, and -when I was there in the springtime the grass upon them was showing -everywhere and the shrubs were bursting into leaf. But those banks gave -me a curious feeling of being behind the scenes. - -[Illustration: 0047] - -I was met at the station by some of the ladies of the English Baptist -Mission who had come to welcome me and to offer me, a total stranger to -them, kindly hospitality, and we walked through the gate to the mission -inside the walls. It was only a short walk, short and dusty, but it was -thronged. All the roadway was crowded with rickshaws and carts waiting -in a long line their turn to go underneath the gateway over which -frowned a typical many-roofed Chinese watch tower, and as cart or -rickshaw came up the men along with it were stopped by the dusty -soldiery in black and grey and interrogated as to their business. - -When I got out on to the platform I had looked up at the ancient walls -clear-cut against the bright blue sky, and the women meeting me looked -askance at Tsai Chih Fu, who, a lordly presence, stood behind me, with -James Buchanan in his arms, a little black satin cap on his head and his -pigtail hanging down his back. - -“There is some little commotion in the town,” said Miss Franklin. “They -are cutting off queues.” - -The master of transport smiled tolerantly when they told him, and, -taking off his cap, he wound his tightly round his head. - -“I know,” he said in the attitude of a man of the world, “some people do -not wear them now. But I have always worn one, and I like it,” and his -manner said he would like to see the person who would dare dictate to -him in what manner he should wear his hair. He could certainly have put -up a good fight. - -It was not needed. He passed through unchallenged; he was a quietly -dressed man who did not court notice and his strapping inches were -in his favour. He might well be passed over when there were so many -slighter men more easily tackled. One man riding along in a rickshaw I -saw put up a splendid fight. At last he was hauled out of his carriage -and his little round cap tossed off his head, and then it was patent his -queue could not be cut, for he was bald as a billiard ball! The Chinese -do understand a joke, even a mob. They yelled and howled with laughter, -and we heard it echoing and re-echoing as we passed under the frowning -archway, tramping across many a dusty coil of coarse black hair roughly -shorn from the heads of the luckless adherents to the old fashion. The -missionaries said that Tsai Chih Fu must be the only man in T'ai Yuan Fu -with a pigtail and that it would be very useful to us as we went farther -west, where they had not yet realised the revolution. They doubted if -he would be able to keep it on so strict was the rule, but he did--a -tribute, I take it, to the force of my “master of transport.” - -The ladies lived in a Chinese house close under the walls. There is a -great charm about these houses built round courtyards in the Chinese -style; there is always plenty of air and sunshine, though, as most of -the rooms open into the courtyard only, I admit in rough weather they -must sometimes be awkward, and when--as is always the case in Shansi -in winter-time--the courtyard is covered with ice and snow, and the -thermometer is far below zero for weeks at a time, it is impossible to -go from bedroom to sitting-room without being well wrapped up. And yet, -because China is not a damp country, it could never be as awkward as -it would be in England, and for weeks at a time it is a charming -arrangement. Staying there in April, I found it delightful. Buchanan and -I had a room under a great tree just showing the first faint tinge of -green, and I shall always be grateful for the kindly hospitality those -young ladies gave me. - -From there we went out and saw T'ai Yuan Fu, and another kindly -missionary engaged muleteers for me and made all arrangements for my -journey across Shansi and Shensi and Kansu to Lan Chou Fu. - -But T'ai Yuan Fu is not a nice town to stay in. - -“The town,” said the missionaries, “is progressive and anti-foreign.” - It is. You feel somehow the difference in the attitude of the people -the moment you set foot inside the walls. It seems to me that if trouble -really came it would be an easy matter to seize the railway and cut off -the foreign missionaries from all help, for it is at least a fortnight -away in the mountains. - -They suffered cruelly at the Boxer time: forty men, women and little -helpless children were butchered in cold blood in the yamen, and the -archway leading to the hospital where Miss Coombs the schoolmistress -was deliberately burned to death while trying to guard and shelter -her helpless pupils still stands. In the yamen, with a refinement of -torture, they cut to pieces the little children first, and then the -women, the nuns of the Catholic Church the fierce soldiery dishonoured, -and finally they slew all the men. Against the walls in the street stand -two miserable stones that the Government were forced to put up to the -memory of the foreigners thus ruthlessly done to death, but a deeper -memorial is engraven on the hearts of the people. Some few years later -the tree underneath which they were slain was blasted by lightning and -half destroyed, and on that very spot, during the recent revolution, the -Tao Tai of the province was killed. - -“A judgment!” said the superstitious people. “A judgment!” say even the -educated. - -And during the late revolution the white people shared with the -inhabitants a terribly anxious time. Shut up in the hospital with a -raging mob outside, they waited for the place to be set on fire. The -newest shops in the principal streets were being looted, the Manchu -city--a little walled city within the great city--was destroyed, and -though they opened the gates and told the Manchus they might escape, -the mob hunted down the men as they fled and slew them, though, more -merciful than Hsi An Fu, they let the women and children escape. Men's -blood was up, the lust of killing was upon them, and the men and women -behind the hospital walls trembled. - -“We made up our minds,” said a young missionary lady to me, “that if -they fired the place we would rush out and mingle in the mob waiting -to kill us. They looked awful. I can't tell you how they looked, but it -would have been better than being burned like rats in a trap.” - -A Chinese crowd, to my Western eyes, unkempt, unwashed, always looks -awful; what it must be like when they are out to kill I cannot imagine. - -And then she went on: “Do you know, I was not really as much afraid as -I should have thought I would have been. There was too mueh to think -about.” Oh, merciful God! I pray that always in such moments there may -be “too much to think about.” - -The mob looted the city. They ruined the university. They destroyed the -Manehus. But they spared the foreigners; and still there flourishes in -the town a mission of the English Baptists and another of the Catholics, -but when I was there the town had not yet settled down. There was -unrest, and the missionaries kept their eyes anxiously on the south, on -the movements of Pai Lang. We thought about him at Pao Ting Fu, but here -the danger was just a little nearer, help just a little farther away. -Besides, the people were different. They were not quite so subservient, -not quite so friendly to the foreigner, it would take less to light the -tinder. - -For myself, I was glad of the instinct that had impelled me to engage -as servant a man of inches. I dared never walk in the streets alone as -I had been accustomed to in Pao Ting Fu. It marks in my mind the -jumping-off place. Here I left altogether the civilisation of the West -and tasted the age-old civilisation of the East, the civilisation that -was in full swing when my ancestors were naked savages hunting the deer -and the bear and the wolf in the swamps and marshes of Northern Europe. -I had thought I had reached that civilisation when I lived in Peking, -when I dwelt alone in a temple in the mountains, when I went to Pao -Ting Fu, but here in T'ai Yuan Fu the feeling deepened. Only the mission -stations stood between me and this strange thing. The people in the -streets looked at me askance, over the compound wall came the curious -sounds of an ancient people at work, the shrieking of the greased -wheel-barrows, the beating of gongs, the whir of the rattle of the -embroidery silk seller, the tinkling of the bells that were hung round -the necks of the donkeys and the mules, the shouting of the hucksters -selling scones and meat balls, all the sounds of an industrious city, -and I was an outsider, the alien who was something of a curiosity, but -who anyhow was of no account. Frankly, I don't like being of no account. -As a matter of fact, I shocked all Chinese ideas of correct deportment. -When a well-bred Chinese gentleman arrives at a strange place, he does -not look around him, he shows no curiosity whatever in his surroundings, -he retires to his room, his meal is brought to him and he remains -quietly in his resting-place till it is time for him to take his -departure, and what applies to a man, applies, of course, in an -exaggerated degree, to a woman. Now I had come to see China, and I made -every effort in my power to see all I could. I tremble to think what -the inhabitants of Shansi must have thought of me! Possibly, since I -outraged all their canons of decency, I was lucky in that they only -found me of no account. - -All the while I was in T'ai Yuan Fu I was exceedingly anxious about the -measure of safety for a foreign woman outside the walls, and opinions -differed as to the wisdom of my venture, but, on the whole, those I -consulted thought I would be all right. They rather envied me, in fact, -the power to go wandering, but on one point they were very sure: it was -a pity Dr Edwards, the veteran missionary doctor, was not there, because -he knew more about China and travelling there than all the rest of them -put together. But he had gone out on his own account and was on the way -to Hsi An Fu, the town I had given up as hopeless. He did not propose to -approach it through the Tungkwan, but from the north, and they did not -expect him to have any difficulty. - -Then I found I had not brought enough money with me and the missionaries -lent me more, and they engaged muleteers with four mules and a donkey -that were to take me across the thousand miles that lay between the -capital of Shansi and that of Kansu. Two men were in charge, and the -cost of getting there, everything included--the men to feed themselves -and their animals and I only to be responsible for the feeding and -lodging of my own servants--was exactly eighteen pounds. It has always -seemed to me ridiculously cheap. Money must go a long way in China for -it to be possible for two men to take four mules and a donkey laden a -thousand miles, and then come back unladen and keep themselves by the -way, for so small a sum. - -So I sent off my servants the day before, then Buchanan and I bade -good-bye to the missionaries and went the first day's journey back along -the line to Yu Tze, where the road started for the Yellow River, and -as I left the train and was taken by Tsai Chih Fu and Mr Wang to the -enclosure of the inn where they had spent the night I felt that I had -indeed left the West behind, and the only companion and friend I had was -James Buchanan. It was lucky he was a host in himself. - - - - -CHAPTER III--THE FIRST SIGN OF UNREST - -I was to ride a pack-mule. Now riding a pack-mule at any time is an -unpleasant way of getting along the road. I know no more uncomfortable -method. It is not quite as comfortable as sitting upon a table with -one's legs dangling, for the table is still, the mule is moving, and -one's legs dangle on either side of his neck. There are neither reins -nor stirrups, and the mule goes at his own sweet will, and in a very -short time your back begins to ache, after a few hours that aching is -intolerable. To get over this difficulty the missionary had cut the legs -off a chair and suggested that, mounted on the pack, I might sit in it -comfortably. I don't know whether I could, for the mule objected. - -It was a sunny morning with a bright blue sky above, and all seemed -auspicious except my mule, who expressed in no measured language his -dislike to that chair. Tsai Chih Fu had no sooner hoisted me into it -than up he went on his hind legs and, using them as a pivot, stood -on end pawing the air. Everybody in the inn-yard shrieked and yelled -except, I hope, myself, and then Tsai Chih Fu, how I know not, rescued -me from my unpleasant position, and thankfully I found myself upon -the firm ground again. He was a true Chinese mule and objected to all -innovations. He stood meekly enough once the chair was removed. - -I wanted to cross Asia and here I was faced with disaster at the very -outset! Finally I was put upon the pack minus the chair, Buchanan was -handed up to me and nestled down beside me, and the procession started. -My heart sank. I don't mind acknowledging it now. I had at least -a thousand miles to go, and within half-an-hour of the start I had -thoroughly grasped the faet that of all modes of progression a pack-mule -is the most abominable. There are no words at my command to express its -discomforts. - -Very little did I see of the landscape of Shansi that day. I was engaged -in hanging on to my pack and wondering how I could stick it out. We -passed along the usual hopeless cart-track of China. I had eschewed -Peking carts as being the very acme of misery, but I was beginning to -reflect that anyhow a cart was comparatively passive misery while the -back of a pack-mule was decidedly active. Buchanan was a good little -dog, but he mentioned several times in the course of that day that he -was uncomfortable and he thought I was doing a fool thing. I was much of -his opinion. - -[Illustration: 0057] - -[Illustration: 0058] - -The day was never ending. All across a plain we went, with rough fields -just showing green on either hand, through walled villages, through -little towns, and I cared for nothing, I was too intent on holding on, -on wishing the day would end, and at last, as the dusk was falling, the -muleteer pointed out, clear-cut against the evening sky, the long wralls -of a large town--Taiku. At last! At last! - -I was to stay the night at a large mission school kept by a Mr and Mrs -Wolf, and I only longed for the comfort of a bed, any sort of a bed so -long as it was flat and warm and kept still. We went on and on, we got -into the suburbs of the town, and we appeared to go round and round, -through an unending length of dark, narrow streets, full of ruts and -holes, with the dim loom of houses on either side, and an occasional -gleam of light from a dingy kerosene lamp or Chinese paper lantern -showing through the paper windows. - -Again and again we stopped and spoke to men who were merely muffled -shapeless figures in the darkness, and again we went on. I think now -that in all probability neither Tsai Chih Fu nor Mr Wang understood -enough of the dialect to make the muleteers or the people of whom we -inquired understand where we wanted to go, but at last, more probably by -good luck than good management, somebody, seeing I was a foreigner, sent -us to the foreigners they knew, those who kept a school for a hundred -and twenty-five boys in the lovely Flower Garden. It certainly was -lovely, an old-world Chinese house, with little courtyards and ponds -and terraces and flowers and trees--and that comfortable bed I had been -desiring so long. As we entered the courtyard in the darkness and Tsai -Chili Fu lifted me down, the bed was the only thing I could think of. - -[Illustration: 0057] - -[Illustration: 0058] - -[Illustration: 0059] - -And yet next day I started again--I wonder now I dared--and we skirted -the walls of Taiku. We had gone round two sides and then, as I always do -when I am dead-tired, I had a bad attack of breathlessness. Stay on that -pack I knew I could not, so I made my master of transport lift me down, -and I sat on a bank for the edification of all the small boys in the -district who, even if they had known how ill I felt, probably would -not have cared, and I deeided there and then that pack-mule riding was -simply impossible and something would have to be done. Therefore, with -great difficulty, I made my way baek to the mission school and asked Mr -Wolf what he would recommend. - -Again were missionaries kindness itself to me. They sympathised with my -trouble, they took me in and made me their guest, refusing to take any -money for it, though they added to their kindness by allowing me to pay -for the keep of my servants, and they strongly recommended that I should -have a litter. A litter then I decided I would have. - -It is, I should think, the very earliest form of human conveyance. It -consists of two long poles laid about as far apart as the shafts of an -ordinary cart, in the middle is hung a coarse-meshed rope net, and over -that a tilt of matting--the sort of stuff we see tea-chests covered -with in this country. Into the net is tumbled all one's small -impedimenta--clothes-bags, kettles, anything that will not conveniently -go on mule-back; the bedding is put on top, rugs and cushions arranged -to the future inmate's satisfaction, then you get inside and the -available people about are commandeered to hoist the concern on to the -backs of the couple of mules, who object very strongly. The head of the -one behind is in the shafts, and the ends rest in his pack-saddle, and -the hind quarters of the one in front are in the shafts, just as in an -ordinary buggy. Of course there are no reins, and at first I felt very -much at the mercy of the mules, though I am bound to say the big white -mule who conducted my affairs seemed to thoroughly understand his -business. Still it is uncomfortable, to say the least of it, to find -yourself going, apparently quite unattended, down steep and rocky paths, -or right into a rushing river. But on the whole a litter is a very -comfortable way of travelling; after a pack-mule it was simply heaven, -and I had no doubts whatever that I could comfortably do the thousand -miles, lessened now, I think, by about thirty, that lay before me. If I -reached Lan Chou Fu there would be time enough to think how I would go -on farther. And here my muleteers had me. When I arranged for a litter, -I paid them, of course, extra, and I said another mule was to be got to -carry some of the loads. They accepted the money and agreed. But I may -say that that other mule never materialised. I accepted the excuse when -we left Taiku that there was no other mule to be hired, and by the time -that excuse had worn thin I had so much else to think about that I bore -up, though not even a donkey was added to our equipment. - -Money I took with me in lumps of silver, sycee--shoes, they called -them--and a very unsatisfactory way it is of carrying cash. It is very -heavy and there is no hiding the fact that you have got it. We changed -little bits for our daily needs as we went along, just as little as -we could, because the change in cash was an intolerable burden. On one -occasion in Fen Chou Fu I gave Tsai Chih Fu a very small piece of silver -to change and intimated that I would like to see the result. That piece -of silver I reckon was worth about five shillings, but presently my -master of transport and one of the muleteers came staggering in and -laid before me rows and rows of cash strung on strings! I never felt -so wealthy in my life. After that I never asked for my change. I was -content to keep a sort of general eye on the expenditure, and I expect -the only leakage was the accepted percentage which every servant levies -on his master. 'When they might easily have cheated me, I found my -servants showed always a most praiseworthy desire for my welfare. And -yet Mr Wang did surprise me occasionally. While I was in Pao Ting Fu I -had found it useful to learn to count in Chinese, so that roughly I knew -what people at the food-stalls were charging me. On one occasion I saw -some little cakes powdered with sesame seed that I thought I should like -and I instructed Mr Wang to buy me one. I heard him ask the price and -the man say three cash, and my interpreter turned to me and said that -it was four! I was so surprised I said nothing. It may have been the -regulation percentage, and twenty-five per cent is good anywhere, but -at the moment it seemed to me extraordinary that a man who considered -himself as belonging to the upper classes should find it worth his while -to do me out of one cash, which was worth--no, I give it up. I don't -know what it was worth. 10.53 dollars went to the pound when I was in -Shansi and about thirteen hundred cash to the dollar, so I leave it to -some better mathematician than I am to say what I was done out of on -that occasion. - -There was another person who was very pleased with the litter and that -was James Buchanan. Poor little man, just before we left the Flower -Garden he was badly bitten by a dog, so badly he could no longer walk, -and I had to carry him on a cushion alongside me in the litter. I never -knew before how dearly one could love a dog, for I was terrified lest he -should die and I should be alone in the world. He lay still and refused -to eat, and every movement seemed to pain him, and whenever I struck -a missionary--they were the only people, of course, with whom I could -converse--they always suggested his back was broken. - -I remember at Ki Hsien, where I was entertained most hospitably, and -where the missionary's wife was most sympathetic, he was so ill that I -sat up all night with him and thought he would surely die. And yet in -the morning he was still alive. He moaned when we lifted him into the -litter and whined pitifully when I got out, as I had to several times to -take photographs. - -“Don't leave me, don't leave me to the mercy of the Chinese,” he said, -and greeted me with howls of joy when I returned. It was a great day for -both of us when he got a little better and could put his pretty little -black and white head round the tilt and keep his eye upon me while I -worked. But really he was an ideal patient, such a good, patient little -dog, so grateful for any attention that was paid him, and from that time -he began to mend and by the time I reached Fen Chou Fu was almost his -old gay happy little self again. - -Taiku is a dying town over two thousand years old, and I have before -seen dead towns in China. Fewer and fewer grow the inhabitants, the -grass grows in the streets, the bricks fall away from the walls, the -houses fall down, until but a few shepherds or peasant farmers dwell -where once were the busy haunts of merchants and tradesmen. - -From Taiku I went on across the rich Shansi plain. Now in the springtime -in the golden sunshine the wheat was just above the ground, turning the -land into one vivid green, the sky was a cloudless blue, and all was -bathed in the golden sunshine of Northern China. The air was clear and -invigorating as champagne. “Every prospect pleases,” as the hymn says, -“and only man is vile.” He wasn't vile; really I think he was a very -good fellow in his own way, which was in a dimension into which I -have never and am never likely to enter, but he was certainly unclean, -ignorant, a serf, poverty-stricken with a poverty we hardly conceive of -in the West, and the farther away I found myself from T'ai Yuan Fu the -more friendly did I find him. This country was not like England, where -until the last four years has been in the memory of our fathers and our -fathers' fathers only peace. Even now, now as I write, when the World -War is on, an air raid is the worst that has befallen the home-staying -citizens of Britain. But Shansi has been raided again and again. Still -the land was tilled, well tilled; on every hand were men working hard, -working from dawn to dark, and working, to a stranger's eyes, for the -good of the community, for the fields are not divided by hedge or fence; -there is an occasional poplar or elm, and there are graves everywhere, -but there is nothing to show where Wang's land ends and Lui's begins. -All through the cultivated land wanders, apparently without object, the -zigzag track of sand and ruts and stones known as the Great South -Road, impossible for anything with wheels but a Chinese cart, and often -impossible for that. There are no wayside cottages, nothing save those -few trees to break the monotony, only here and there is a village -sheltering behind high walls, sometimes of mud, but generally of brick, -and stout, substantial brick at that; and if, as is not infrequent, -there is a farmhouse alone, it, too, is behind high brick walls, built -like a baronial castle of mediaeval times, with a look-out tower and -room behind the walls not only for the owner's family even unto the -third and fourth generation, but for all his hinds and his dependents -as well. The whole is built evidently with a view to defence, and built -apparently to last for hundreds of years. For Shansi is worth raiding. -There is oil and there is wheat in abundance. There is money too, much -of which comes from Mongolia and Manchuria. The bankers (the Shansi men -are called the Jews of China) wander across and trade far into Russian -territory while still their home is in agricultural Shansi, and certain -it is that any disturbances in these countries, even in Russia, affect -the prosperity of Shansi. I wonder if the Russian Revolution has been -felt there. Very probably. - -Shansi is rich in other things too not as yet appreciated by the -Chinaman. She has iron and copper and coal that has barely been touched, -for the popular feeling is against mining. They say that no part of the -globe contains such stores of coal. I hesitate about quoting a German, -but they told me that Baron Reichthoffen has said that this province has -enough coal to supply the world for two thousand years at the present -rate of consumption. I haven't the faintest notion whether the Baron's -opinion is worth anything, but if it is, it is no wonder that Germany, -with her eye for ever on the main chance, has felt deeply being thrust -out of China. - -With ample coal, and with iron alongside it, what might not Shansi be -worth to exploit! - -Ki Hsien is a little walled town five _li_ round. Roughly three _li_ -make a mile, but it is a little doubtful. For instance, from Taiku to Ki -Hsien is fifty li, and that fifty _li_ is sixteen miles, from Ki Hsien -to Ping Yao is also fifty li, but that is only fourteen English miles. -The land, say the Chinese, explaining this discrepancy, was measured in -time of famine when it wasn't of any value! A very Chinese explanation. - -The city of Ki Hsien is very, very crowded; there were hundreds of tiny -courtyards and flat roofs. In the picture of the missionary's house I -have not been able to get the roof in because the courtyard--and it -was a fairly large courtyard as courtyards in the city go--was not -big enough. I stood as far away as I possibly could. Mr and Mrs Falls -belonged to the Chinese Inland Mission and the house they lived in was -over three hundred years old. Like many of the houses in Shansi, it -was two storeys high and, strangely enough, a thing I have never seen -anywhere else, the floors upstairs were of brick. - -I do not know how I would like to live in such a crowded community, but -it has its advantages on occasion. At the time of the revolution, -when those missionaries who had come through the Boxer times were all -troubled and anxious about their future, the Falls decided to stay on -at their station, and a rich native doctor, a heathen, but a friend, who -lived next door, commended that decision. - -“Why go away?” said he. “Your courtyard adjoins mine. If there is -trouble we put up a ladder and you come over to us.” - -And there was hint of trouble then. As we sat at supper there came in -the Chinese postman in his shabby uniform of dirty blue and white, with -his large military cap pushed on the back of his head, and he brought -to the Falls a letter from Dr Edwards, the missionary doctor all foreign -T'ai Yuan Fu thought I ought to meet. - -When I was within reach of the Peking foreign daily papers they -mentioned Pai Lang as one might mention a burglar in London, sandwiching -him in between the last racing fixtures or the latest Cinema attraction, -but from a little walled town within a day's march of Hsi An Fu the -veteran missionary wrote very differently, and we in this other little -walled town read breathlessly. - -White Wolf had surrounded Hsi An Fu, he said; it was impossible to get -there and he was returning. - -The darkness had fallen, the lamp in the middle of the table threw a -light on the letter and on the faces of the middle-aged missionary -and his wife who pored over it. It might mean so much to them. It -undoubtedly meant much to their friends in Hsi An Fu, and it meant much -to me, the outsider who had but an hour ago walked into their lives. -For I began to fear lest this robber might affect me after all, lest in -coming north I was not going to outflank him. According to Dr Edwards, -he had already taken a little walled city a hundred li--about a day's -journey--north-west of Hsi An Fu, and when 'White Wolf took a town it -meant murder and rapine. And sitting there in the old Chinese room these -two people who knew China told me in no measured terms what might happen -to a woman travelling alone in disturbed country. - -Missionaries, they said, never left their stations when the country was -disturbed, they were safer at home, surrounded by their friends. Once -the country is raided by a robber band--and remember this is no uncommon -thing in China--all the bad characters in the country come to the fore, -and robber bands that have nothing to do with the original one spring -into existence, the cities shut their gates to all strangers, and -passports are so much waste paper. Between ourselves, I have a feeling -they always are in China. I could hardly tell the difference between -mine and my agreement with my muleteers, and I have an uneasy feeling -that occasionally the agreement was presented when it should have been -the passport. - -Now no one could be certain whether Pai Lang intended to take Lan Chou -Fu, but it looked as if that were his objective. If he took the city -it would not be much good my getting there, because the bankers would -certainly not be able to supply me with money; even if he only raided -the country round, it would be so disturbed that my muleteers would be -bound to take alarm. If they left me, and they certainly would leave me -if they thought there was a chance of their mules being taken, I should -be done. It would spell finish not only to the expedition but to my -life. A foreigner, especially a woman without money and without friends, -would be helpless in China. Why should the people help her? It takes -them all they know to keep their own heads above water. And Kansu was -always turbulent; it only wanted a match to set the fire alight. Air and -Mrs Falls--bless them for their kindness and interest!--thought I should -be mad to venture. - -[Illustration: 0068] - -[Illustration: 0069] - -[Illustration: 0070] - -So there in the sitting-room which had been planned for a merchant -prince and had come into the possession of these two who desired to -bring the religion of the West to China I sat and discussed this new -obstacle. After coming so far, laying out so much money, could I turn -back when danger did not directly press? I felt I could not. And yet my -hosts pointed out to me that if danger did directly threaten I would not -be able to get away. If Pai Lang did take Lan Chou Fu, or even if he -did not, it might well be worth his while to turn east and raid fertile -Shansi. In a little town like Ki Hsien there was loot well worth having. -In the revolution a banker there was held to ransom, and paid, as the -people put it, thirty times ten thousand taels (a tael is roughly three -shillings, according to the price of silver), and they said it was but -a trifle to him--a flea-bite, I believe, was the exact term--and I -ean well believe, in the multitude of worse parasites that afflict the -average Chinaman, a flea-bite means much less than it does in England. - -However, I didn't feel like giving up just yet, so I decided to go on to -Fen Chou Fu, where was a big American mission, and see what they had to -say about the matter. If then I had to flee, the missionaries would very -likely be fleeing too, and I should have company. - -And the very next day I had what I took for a warning. - -It was a gorgeous day, a cloudless blue sky and brilliant sunshine, and -I passed too many things of interest worth photographing. There were -some extraordinary tombs, there was a quaint village gateway--the Gate -of Everlasting Peace they call it--but I was glad to get back into my -litter and hoped to stay there for a little, for getting out of a litter -presents some difficulties unless you are very active indeed. It is -a good long drop across the shafts on to the ground; the only other -alternative is to drop down behind the mule's hind quarters and slip out -under those shafts, but I never had sufficient confidence in my mule to -do that, so that I generally ealled upon Tsài Chih Fu to lift me down. -I had set out full of tremors, but taking photographs of the peaceful -scenes soothed my ruffled nerves. I persuaded myself my fears had been -born of the night and the dread of loneliness which sometimes overtakes -me when I am in company and thinking of setting out alone, leaving -kindly faces behind. - -And then I came upon it, the first sign of unrest. - -The winding road rose a little and I could see right ahead of us a great -crowd of people evidently much agitated, and I called to Mr Wang to know -what was the matter. - -“Repeat, please,” said he as usual, and then rode forward and came baek -saying, “I do not know the word.” - -“What word?” - -“What is a lot of people and a dead man?” - -“Ah!” said I, jumping to conclusions unwarrantably, “that is a funeral.” - -“A funeral!” said he triumphantly. “I have learned a new word.” - -Mr Wang was always learning a new word and rejoicing over it, but, as I -had hired him as a finished product, I hardly think it was unreasonable -of me to be aggrieved, and to feel that I was paying him a salary for -the pleasure of teaching him English. However, on this occasion his -triumph was short-lived. . - -“Would you like to see the funeral?” he said. - -I intimated that I would. My stalwart master of transport lifted me down -and the crowded people made a lane for me to pass through, and half of -them turned their attention to me, for though there were missionaries in -the big towns, a foreigner was a sight to these country people, and, Mr -Wang going first, we arrived at a man with his head cut off! Mercifully -he was mixed up with a good deal of matting and planks, but still there -was no mistaking the poor dead feet in their worn Chinese shoes turned -up to the sky. - -Considering we are mortal, it is extraordinary how seldom the ordinary -person looks upon death. Always it comes with a shock. At least it did. -I suppose this war has accustomed some of us to the sight, so that we -take the result of the meeting of mortal man with his last friend on -earth more as a matter of eourse, as indeed it should be taken. Of -course I know this is one of the results of the war. - -My sister's son, staying with me after six months in hospital, -consequent upon a wound at Gallipoli, came home from a stroll one day -and reported that he had seen nothing, and then at dinner that night -mentioned in a casual manner that he had seen two dead men being carried -out of a large building and put in a motor ear. - -I said in astonishment: - -“They couldn't have been dead!” - -“Of course they were. Do you think I don't know dead men when I see -them? I've seen plenty.” - -So many that the sight of a couple in the streets of a quiet little -country town seemed not even an occasion for remark. - -But I was not even accustomed to thinking of dead men and I turned upon -Mr Wang angrily: - -“But that isn't a funeral. That's a corpse,” and once more to my -irritation he rejoiced over a new word. - -“Who killed him?” I asked. - -“They think an enemy has done this thing,” said he sententiously and -unnecessarily, as, ignorant as I am of tilings Chinese, I should hardly -think even they could have called it a friendly action. The body had -been found the day before, and the people were much troubled about it. -An official from Ping Yow--a coroner, I suppose we should call him--was -coming out to inquire about it, and because the sun was already hot the -people had raised a little screen of matting with a table and chairs -where he could sit to hold inquiry. - -And here was the thing the missionaries had warned me against. Trouble, -said they, always begins by the finding of dead bodies that cannot be -accounted for, and this body was on the Great South Road. It might -be only a case of common murder such as one might perchance meet in -Piccadilly, possibly it was due to the bands of soldiers that were -pouring into the country--to defend the crossings of the Yellow -River, some people said--but it was to me an emphatic reminder that the -warnings of Mr and Mrs Falls had not been given lightly, and I meditated -upon it all the way to Ping Yow. - -All day long the soldiers had been pouring through Ki Hsien, all night -long they poured through the suburbs of Ping Yow. Not through the town -itself--the townspeople were not going to allow that if they could help -themselves; and as it was evidently a forced march and the regiments -were travelling by night, they could help themselves, for every city -gate is shut at sundown. The China Inland Mission had a station at an -old camel inn in the eastern suburb, and there the missionary's young -wife was alone with five young children, babies all of them, and there I -found her. I think she was very glad to see me, anyhow I was someone to -discuss things with, and we two women talked and talked over our evening -meal. She was a tall, pretty young woman--not even the ugly Chinese -dress and her hair drawn back, not a hair out of place, Chinese fashion, -could disguise her pathetic beauty. And she was a countrywoman of mine, -born and brought up in the same state, Victoria, and her native town was -Ararat, green and fresh among the hills. And how she talked Australia! -What a beautiful land it was! And the people! The free, independent -people! The women who walked easily and feared no man! To thoroughly -appreciate a democratic country you should dwell in effete China. -But she feared too, this woman, feared for herself and her five tiny -children. It would be no easy job to get away. I told her of the dead -man I had seen--how should I not tell her?--and she trembled. - -“Very likely it is the soldiers,” she said. “I am afraid of the Chinese -soldiers.” And so am I in bulk, though taken singly they seem sueh -harmless little chaps. - -“When the willow is green and the apricot yellow in the fifth moon,” - said a metrical inscription on a stone dug up at Nankin in that -year--the fatal year 1914--“terrible things will happen in the land of -Han.” Terrible things, it seems to me, always happen in the land of Han; -but if it spoke for the great world beyond, truly the stone spoke truth, -though we did not know it then. - -In the evening back from the country where he had been preaching for the -last day or two came my Australian's husband, and there also came in to -see the stranger two missionaries from the other side of the town. -They sat there, these men and women of British race, dressed in the -outlandish costume of the people around them--a foolish fashion, it -seems to me, for a European in unadulterated Chinese dress looks as ugly -and out of place as a Chinese in a stiff collar and a bowler hat. And -all the evening we discussed the soldiers and the dead man I had seen, -and opinions differed as to the portent. - -It is true, said one of them who had been in the country many years, and -was a missionary pure and simple, with eyes for nothing but the work he -had in hand--which is probably the way to work for success--that a -dead body, particularly a dead body by the highroad, is often a sign of -unrest, but again, quite as often it means no more than a dead body -in any other place. If he had turned back for every dead body he had -seen---- - -Well, I thought I would not turn back either. Not yet, at least. - -Never was I sorrier for missionaries, I who have always written against -missionaries, than I was for this young countrywoman of mine who never -thought of being sorry for herself. It was a big ugly mission compound, -the rooms, opening one into another, were plain and undecorated, and the -little children as a great treat watered the flowers that struggled up -among the stones of the dusty courtyard, and the very watering-can was -made with Chinese ingenuity from an old kerosene tin. It seemed to me -those little children would have had such a much better chance -growing up in their mother's land, or in their father's land--he was a -Canadian--among the free peoples of the earth. But who am I, to judge? -No one in the world, it seems to me, wants help so much as the poorer -Chinese, whose life is one long battle with disease and poverty; and -perhaps these poorer missionaries help a little, a very little; but the -poorer the mission the poorer the class they reach, and the sacrifice, -as I saw it here, is so great. - -Next morning we arose early, and I breakfasted with my host and hostess -and their five children. The children's grace rings in my ears yet, -always I think it will ring there, the childish voices sung it with such -fervour and such faith: - - “Every day, every day, we bless Thee, we bless Thee, - - We praise Thy Name, we praise Thy Name, - - For ever and for ever!” - -There in the heart of China these little children, who had, it seemed to -me, so very little to be grateful for, thanked their God with all their -hearts, and when their elders with the same simple fervour went down on -their knees and asked their God to guide and help the stranger and set -her on her way, though it was against all my received canons of good -taste, what could I do but be simply grateful. - -Ping Yow is a large town set in the midst of a wheatgrowing country, and -it is built in the shape of a turtle, at least so I was told. I could -see for myself that its walls were not the usual four-square set to the -points of the compass, but seemed irregular, with many little towers -upon them. These towers, it seems, were built in memory of the teachers -of Confucius--this is the only intimation I have had that he -had seventy-two; and there were over three thousand small -excrescences--again I only repeat what I was told; I did not count them, -and if I had I would surely have counted them wrong--like sentry-boxes -in memory of his disciples. I do not know why Ping Yow thus dedicates -itself to the memory of the great sage. It needs something to commend -it, for it remains in my mind as a bare, ugly, crowded town, with an -extra amount of dust and dirt and heat, and no green thing to break the -monotony. - -And I set forth, and in spite of all I still faced West. - -[Illustration: 0079] - -[Illustration: 0080] - - - - -CHAPTER IV--A CITY UNDER THE HILLS - -In my wanderings across Shansi I came in contact with two missionary -systems run with the same object in view but carried out in -diametrically opposite ways. Of course I speak as an outsider. I -criticise as one who only looks on, but after all it is an old saw that -the onlooker sees most of the game. There are, of course, many missions -in China, and I often feel that if the Chinaman were not by nature a -philosopher he would sometimes be a little confused by salvation offered -him by foreigners of all sects and classes, ranging from Roman Catholics -to Seventh Day Adventists. Personally I have received much kindness -from English Baptists, from the China Inland Mission and from American -Presbyterians and Congregationalists. Amongst them all I--who frankly -do not believe in missions, believing that the children at home -should first be fed--found much to admire, much individual courage and -sacrifice, but for the systems, I felt the American missions were the -most efficient, far the most likely to attain the end in view. - -The Chinaman, to begin with, sees no necessity for his own conversion. -Unlike the ordinary black man, he neither admires nor envies the white -man, and is given to thinking his own ways are infinitely preferable. -But the Chinaman is a man of sound common-sense, he immensely admires -efficiency, he is a great believer in education, and when a mission -comes to him fully equipped with doctors, nurses and hospitals, teachers -and schools, he, once he has overcome his dread of anything new, begins -to avail himself first of the doctor and the hospital, for the sore need -of China is for medical attendance, and then of the schools. Then comes -conversion. They tell me that there are many genuine converts. I have -only noticed that the great rich American missions rake in converts by -tens and twenties, where they come dribbling in in units to the faith -missions, which offer no such advantages as medical attendance or -tuition. The faith missionaries work hard enough. I have seen a woman -just come in from a week's missionary tour in a district where, she -explained, she had slept on the k'angs with the other women of the -household, and she was stripping off her clothes most carefully and -combing her long hair with a tooth-comb, because all women of the class -she visited among were afflicted with those little parasites that we do -not mention. The Chinese have a proverb that “the Empress herself has -three,” so it is no shame. She thought nothing of her sacrifice, that -was what she had come for, everyone else was prepared to do the same; -but when so much is given I like to see great results, as in the -American missions. They are rich, and the Chinaman, with a few glaring -exceptions, is a very practical person. To ask him to change his faith -for good that will work out in another world is asking rather much of -him. If he is going to do so he feels he may as well have a God who will -give him something in return for being outcast. At least that is the way -I read the results. Look at Fen Chou, for instance, where the Americans -are thriving and a power in the town, and look at Yung Ning Chou, -farther west, where a Scandinavian faith mission has been established -for over twenty years. They may have a few adherents in the country -round, but in the city itself--a city of merchants--they have, I -believe, not made a single convert. - -Of course the China Inland Mission does not lay itself out to be rich. -However many subscriptions come in, the individual missionary gets no -more than fifty pounds a year; if more money comes, more missionaries -are established, if less, then the luckless individual missionary gets -as much of the fifty pounds as funds allow. The Founder of the Faith was -poor and lowly, therefore the missionaries must follow in His footsteps. -I understand the reason, the nobility, that lies in the sacrifice -implied when men and women give their lives for their faith, but not -only do I like best the results of the American system, but I dislike -exceedingly that a European should be poor in an Oriental country. If -missionaries must go to China, I like them to go for the benefit of the -Chinese and for the honour and glory of the race to which they belong, -and not for the good of their own souls. - -I came into Fen Chou Fu and went straight to the large compound of the -American missionaries, three men and three women from Oberlin College, -Ohio. They had a hospital, they had a school, they had a kindergarten, -the whole compound was a flourishing centre of industry. They teach -their faith, for that is what they have come out for, but also they -teach the manifold knowledge of the West. Sanitation and hygiene -loom large in their curriculum, and heaven knows, without taking into -consideration any future life, they must be a blessing to those men and -women who under cruel conditions must see this life through. These six -missionaries at Fen Chou Fu do their best to improve those conditions -with a practical American common-sense and thoroughness that won my -admiration. - -Fen Chou Fu, unlike T'ai Yuan Fu, is friendly, and has always been -friendly, to the foreigner; even during the Boxer trouble they were -loath to kill their missionaries, and when the order came that they were -to be slain, declined to allow it to be done within their walls, but -sent them out, and they were killed about seven miles outside the -city--a very Chinese way of freeing themselves from blood-guiltiness. - -The town struck me as curiously peaceful after the unrest and the -never-ending talk of riot, robbery and murder I had heard all along -the road. The weather was getting warm and we all sat at supper on the -verandah of Dr Watson's house, with the lamps shedding a subdued light -on the table, and the sounds of the city coming to us softened by the -distance, and Mr Watt Pye assured me he had been out in the country and -there was nothing to fear, nothing. The Chinaman as he had seen him had -many sins, at least errors of conduct that a missionary counts sin, but -as far as he knew I might go safely to the Russian border. He had not -been in the country very long, not, I fancy, a fifth of the time Dr -Edwards had been there, but, listening to him, I hoped once more. - -The town is old. It was going as a city in 2205 b.c., and it is quite -unlike any other I have come across in China. It is a small square city -about nine _li_ round, and on each of the four sides are suburbs, also -walled. Between them and the city are the gully-like roads leading to -the gates. The eastern suburb is nearly twice as large as the main city, -and is surrounded by a high brick wall, but the other suburbs have only -walls like huge banks of clay, on the top the grass grows, and on my way -in I was not surprised to see on top of this clay-bank a flock of sheep -browsing. It seemed a very appropriate place for sheep, for at first -sight there is nothing to show that this was the top of a town wall. - -When the Manehus drove out the Mings, the vanquished Imperial family -took refuge in this western town and rebuilt the walls, which had been -allowed to fall into disrepair, and they set about the job in a fashion -worthy of Babylon itself. The bricks were made seven miles away in the -hills, and passed from hand to hand down a long line of men till they -reached their destination and were laid one on top of another to face -the great clay-bank forty-six feet high that guards the city. According -to Chinese ideas, the city needs guarding not from human enemies only. -The mountains to the west and north overshadow it, and all manner of -evil influences come from the north, and the people fear greatly -their effect upon the town. It was possible it might never get a good -magistrate, or that, having got one, he might die, and therefore they -took every precaution they could to ward off such a calamity. Gods they -put in their watch tower over the gate, and they sit there still, carved -wooden figures, a great fat god--if a city is to be prosperous must not -its god be prosperous too?--surrounded by lesser satellites. Some are -fallen now, and the birds of the air roost upon them, and the dust and -the cobwebs have gathered upon them, but not yet will they be cleared -away. In a chamber below are rusty old-world cannon flung aside in a -heap as so much useless lumber, and, below, all the busy traffic of -the city passes in and out beneath the arches of the gateway. In that -gateway are two upright stones between whieh all wheeled traffic must -pass, the distance between these stones marking the length of the axle -allowed by the narrow city streets. Any vehicle having a greater length -of axle cannot pass in. No mere words can describe the awful condition -of the roads of Shansi, and to lessen as far as possible the chance of -an upset the country man makes his axle very wide, and, knowing this, -the town man notifies at his gates the width of the vehicle that can -pass in his streets. No other can enter. - -Besides the gods over the gateway, Fen Chou Fu, owing to its peculiar -position under the hills, requires other guarding, and there are two -tall bronze phoenixes on the wall close to the northern watch tower. I -was quite pleased to make the acquaintance of a phoenix, as, though I -have read about them, I had never met them before. In Fen Chou Fu it -appears that a phoenix is between thirty and forty feet high, built like -a comic representation of a chicken, with a long curly neck and a cock's -comb upon his head. It would indeed be a churlish, evil spirit who was -not moved to laughter at the sight. But though the form is crude, on -the bronze bases and on the birds themselves are worked beautifully the -details of a long story. Dragons and foxes and rabbits, and many strange -symbols that I do not understand come into it, but how they help to -guard the city, except by pleasing the gods or amusing the evil spirits, -I must confess I cannot imagine. Certainly the city fathers omit -the most necessary care: once the walls are finished, the mason is -apparently never called in, and they are drifting to decay. Everywhere -the bricks are falling out, and when I was there in the springtime the -birds of the air found there a secure resting-place. There were crows -and hawks and magpies and whistling kites popping in and out of the -holes so made, in their beaks straws and twigs for the making of their -nests. They would be secure probably in any case, for the Chinese love -birds, but here they are doubly secure, for only with difficulty and by -the aid of a long rope could any man possibly reach them. - -The ramps up to those walls were extremely steep--it was a -heart-breaking process to get on top--but Buchanan and I, accompanied by -the master of transport carrying the camera, and often by Mr Leete, one -of the missionaries, took exercise there; for in a walled city in the -narrow streets there is seldom enough air for my taste. The climate here -is roughly summer and winter, for though so short a while ago it had -been freezing at night, already it was very hot in the middle of -the day, and the dust rose up from the narrow streets in clouds. A -particularly bad cloud of dust generally indicated pigs, which travel a -good deal in Northern China, even as sheep and cattle do in Australia. -In Shantung a man sets out with a herd of pigs and travels them slowly -west, very slowly, and they feed along the wayside, though what they -feed on heaven only knows, for it looks to me as though there is -nothing, still possibly they pick up something, and I suppose the idea -is that they arrive at the various places in time for the harvest, or -when grain and products are cheapest. There are inns solely given over -to pigs and their drivers in Shansi, and the stench outside some of -those in Fen Chou Fu was just a little taller than the average smell, -and the average smell in a Chinese city is something to be always -remembered. There were other things to be seen from the top of the wall -too--long lines of camels bearing merchandise to and from the town, -donkeys, mules, carts, all churning up the dust of the unkempt roadway, -small-footed women seated in their doorways looking out upon the life of -the streets, riding donkeys or peeping out of the tilts of the carts. I -could see into the courtyards of the well-to-do, with their little -ponds and bridges and gardens. All the life of the city lay beneath us. -Possibly that is why one meets so very, very seldom any Chinese on the -wall--it may be, it probably is, I should think, bad taste to look into -your neighbour's courtyard. - -And the wall justified its existence, mediaeval and out of date as it -seemed to me. There along the top at intervals were little heaps of -good-sized stones, placed there by the magistrate in the revolution for -the defence of the town. At first I smiled and thought how primeval, but -looking down into the road nearly fifty feet below, I realised that a -big stone flung by a good hefty fist from the top of that wall was a -weapon by no means to be despised. - -But walls, if often a protection, are sometimes a danger in more ways -than in shutting out the fresh air. The summer rains in North China are -heavy, and Fen Chou Fu holds water like a bucket. The only outlets are -the narrow gateways, and the waters rise and rise. A short time before I -came there all the eastern quarter of the town was flooded so deep that -a woman was drowned. At last the waters escaped through the eastern -gate, only to be banked up by the great ash-heaps, the product of -centuries, the waste rubbish of the town, that are just outside the wall -of the eastern suburb. It took a long, long while for those flood waters -to percolate through the gateway of the suburb and find a resting-place -at last in a swamp the other side of that long-suffering town. I must -confess that this is one of the drawbacks to a walled town that has -never before occurred to me, though to stand there and look at those -great gates, those solid walls, made me feel as if I had somehow -wandered into the fourth dimension, so out of my world were they. - -There was a great fair in a Taoist temple and one day Mr Leete and -I, with his teacher and my servant, attended. A wonderful thing is a -Chinese fair in a temple. I do not yet understand the exact object of -these fairs, though I have attended a good many of them. Whether they -help the funds of the temple as a bazaar is supposed to help a church in -this country, I cannot say. A temple in China usually consists of a set -of buildings often in different courtyards behind one enclosing wall, -and these buildings are not only temples to the gods, but living-rooms -which are often let to suitable tenants, and, generally speaking, if -the stranger knows his way about--I never did--he can get in a temple -accommodation for himself and his servants, far superior accommodation -to that offered in the inns. It costs a little more, but everything is -so cheap that makes no difference to the foreigner. The Taoist temple -the day I went there was simply humming with life; there were stalls -everywhere, and crowds of people buying, selling or merely gossiping -and looking on. I took a picture of some ladies of easy virtue with gay -dresses and gaily painted faces, tottering about, poor things, on their -maimed feet, and at the same spot, close against the altar of the god, -I took a picture of the priest. With much hesitation he consented to -stand. He had in his hand some fortune-telling sticks, but did not -dare hold them while his portrait was being taken. However, Mr Leete's -teacher was a bold, brave, enlightened man--in a foreign helmet--and he -held the sticks, and the two came out in the picture together. I trust -no subsequent harm came to the daring man. - -[Illustration: 0089] - -[Illustration: 0090] - -In Fen Chou Fu I could have walked about the town alone unmolested. I -never did, because it would have been undignified and often awkward, as -I could not speak the language, but the people were invariably friendly. -On the whole, there was not very much to see. The sun poured down day -after day in a cloudless sky, and the narrow streets, faced with stalls -or blank grey brick walls enclosing the compounds, were dusty and -uneven, with the ruts still there that had been made when the ground was -softened by the summer rains of the year before. Away to the south-east -was a great pagoda, the second tallest in China, a landmark that can be -seen for many a long mile across the plain. This, like the phoenixes, is -_feng shui_. I have never grasped the inwardness of pagodas, which are -dotted in apparently a casual manner about the landscape. An immense -amount of labour must have been expended upon them, and they do not -appear to serve any useful purpose. This one at Fen Chou Fu is meant to -balance after a fashion the phoenixes on the northern wall and afford -protection for the southern approach to the city. I don't know that it -was used for any other purpose. It stood there, tall and commanding, -dwarfing everything else within sight. Neither do I know the purpose of -the literary tower which stands on the southeast corner of the wall. It -denotes that the town either has or hopes to have a literary man of high -standing among its inhabitants. But to look for the use in all things -Chinese would be foolish; much labour is expended on work that can be -only for artistic purposes. To walk through a Chinese town, in spite of -filth, in spite of neglect and disrepair, is to feel that the Chinaman -is an artist to his finger-tips. - -The gate to the American church in Fen Chou Fu, for instance, was a -circle, a thing of strange beauty. Imagine such a gate in an English -town, and yet here it seemed quite natural and very beautiful. They had -no bell, why I do not know, perhaps because every temple in China has -a plenitude of bells hanging from its eaves and making the air musical -when the faintest breath of wind stirs and missionaries are anxious to -dissociate themselves in every way from practices they call idolatry, -even when those practices seem to an outsider like myself rather -attractive. At any rate, to summon the faithful to church a man beats a -gong. - -But there is one institution of Fen Chou Fu which is decidedly -utilitarian, and that is the wells in the northwestern corner. A -Chinaman, I should say, certainly uses on the average less water than -the majority of humanity; a bath when he is three days old, a bath when -he is married, and after that he can comfortably last till he is dead, -is the generally received idea of his ablutions, but he does want -a little water to carry on life, and in this corner of the town are -situated the wells which supply that necessary. It is rather brackish, -but it is still drinkable, and it is all that the city gets. They were -a never-ending source of interest to me. They were established in those -far-away days before history began--perhaps the presence of the water -here was the reason for the building of the town--and they have been -here ever since. The mouths are builded over with masonry, and year in -and year out have come those self-same carts with solid wheels, drawn -by a harnessed ox or an ox and a mule, bearing the barrels to be filled -with water. Down through all the ages those self-same men, dressed in -blue cotton that has worn to a dingy drab, with a wisp of like stuff -tied round their heads to protect them from the dust or the cold or the -sun, have driven those oxen and drawn that water. Really and truly our -own water, that comes to us, hot and cold, so easily by the turning of a -tap, is much more wonderful and interesting, but that I take as a matter -of course, while I never tired of watching those prehistoric carts. It -was in rather a desolate corner of the town too. The high walls rose up -and frowned upon it, the inside of the walls where there was no brick, -only crumbling clay with shrubs and creepers just bursting into leaf and -little paths that a goat or an active boy might negotiate meandering up -to the top. And to get to that part I had to pass the ruins of the old -yamen razed to the ground when the Government repented them of the -Boxer atrocities, and razed so effectually that only the two gate-posts, -fashioned like lions, Chinese architectural lions, survive. A curse is -on the place, the people say; anyhow when I visited it fourteen years -later no effort had been made to rebuild. Not for want of labour, -surely. There are no trade unions in China, and daily from dawn to dark -in Fen Chou Fu I saw the bricklayers' labourers trotting along, bringing -supplies to the men who were building, in the streets I met men carrying -water to the houses in buckets, and now in the springtime there was a -never-ending supply of small boys, clad in trousers only, or without -even those, bearing, slung from each end of a bamboo, supplies of -firewood, or rather of such scraps as in any other land would have been -counted scarce worth the cost of transport. Any day too I might expect -to meet a coffin being borne along, not secretly and by night as we take -one to a house, but proudly borne in the open daylight, for everyone -knows a coffin is the most thoughtful and kindly as well as often the -most expensive of gifts. - -While here I attended a wedding. Twice have I attended a Chinese -wedding. The first was at Pao Ting Fu at Christmas time, and the -contracting parties were an evangelist of the church who in his lay -capacity was a strapping big laundryman and one of the girls in Miss -Newton's school. They had never spoken to one another, that would have -been a frightful breach of decorum, but as they went to the same church, -where there was no screen between the men and the women, as there is in -many Chinese churches, it is possible they knew each other by sight. It -is curious how in some things the missionaries conform to Chinese ideas -and in others decline to yield an inch. In Pao Ting Fu no church member -was allowed to smoke, but the women were kept carefully in retirement, -and the schoolmistress, herself an unmarried woman, and the doctor's -wife arranged marriages for such of the girls as came under their -guardianship. Of course I see the reason for that: in the present -state of Chinese society no other method would be possible, for these -schoolgirls, all the more because they had a little scholarship and -education, unless their future had been arranged for, would have been a -temptation and a prey for all the young men around, and even with their -careful education--and it was a careful education; Miss Newton was a -woman in a thousand, I always grudged her to the Chinese--were entirely -unfitted to take care of themselves. - -Still it always made me smile to see these two women, middle-class -Americans from Virginia, good-looking and kindly, with a keen sense of -humour, gravely discussing the eligible young men around the mission and -the girls who were most suitable for them. It was the most barefaced and -open match-making I have ever seen. But generally, I believe, they were -very successful, for this one thing is certain, they had the welfare of -the girls at heart. - -And this was one of the matches they had arranged. It is on record that -on this special occasion the bridegroom, with the consent and connivance -of the schoolmistress, had written to the bride exhorting her to -diligence, and pointing out how good a thing it was that a woman should -be well read and cultured. And seeing that she came of very poor people -she might well be counted one of the fortunate ones of the earth, for -the bridegroom was educating her. The ignorance of the average Chinese -woman in far higher circles than she came of is appalling. - -Christmas Day was chosen for the ceremony, and Christmas Day was a -glorious winter's day, with golden sunshine for the bride, and the air, -the keen, invigorating air of Northern China, was sparkling with frost. -Now, in contrast to the next wedding I attended, this wedding was on -so-called Western lines; but the Chinese is no slavish imitator, he -changes, but he changes after his own fashion. The church was decorated -by devout Chinese Christians with results which to 'Western eyes were -a little weird and outré. Over the platform that in an Anglican church -would be the altar was a bank of greenery, very pretty, with flowers -dotted all over it, and on it Chinese characters in cotton wool, “Earth -rejoices, heaven sings,” and across that again was a festoon of small -flags of all nations, while from side to side of the church were -slung garlands of gaily coloured paper in the five colours of the new -republic, and when I think of the time and patience that went to -the making of those garlands I was quite sorry they reminded me of -fly-catchers. But the crowning decoration was the Chinese angel that -hovered over all. This being was clad in white, a nurse's apron was -used, girt in at the waist, foreign fashion, and I grieve to say they -did not give her much breathing-space, though they tucked a pink flower -in her belt. Great white paper wings were spread out behind, and from -her head, framing the decidedly Mongolian countenance, were flowing -golden curls, made by the ingenious decorators of singed cotton wool. - -One o'clock was fixed for the wedding, and at a quarter to one the -church was full. - -They did not have the red chair for the bride. The consensus of opinion -was against it. “It was given up now by the best people in Peking. They -generally had carriages. And anyhow it was a ridiculous expense.” So -it was deeided that the bride should walk. The church was only a -stone's-throw from the schoolhouse where she lived. The bridegroom stood -at the door on the men's side of the church, a tall, stalwart Chinaman, -with his blaek hair sleek and oiled and cut short after the modern -fashion. He was suitably clad in black silk. He reminded me of -“William,” a doll of my childhood who was dressed in the remains of an -old silk umbrella--this is saying nothing against the bridegroom, for -“William” was an eminently superior doll, and always looked his very -best if a little smug occasionally. But if a gentleman who has attained -to the proud position of laundryman and evangelist, and is marrying the -girl he has himself at great expense educated for the position, has not -a right to look a little smug, I don't know who has. Beside him stood -his special friend, the chief Chinese evangelist, who had himself been -married four months before. At the organ sat the American doctor's -pretty young wife, and as the word was passed, “The bride is coming!” - she struck up the wedding march, and all the women's eyes turned to -the women's door, while the men, who would not commit such a breach of -decorum as to look, stared steadily ahead. - -But the wedding march had been played over and over again before she -did come, resplendent and veiled, after the foreign fashion, in white -mosquito netting, with pink and blue flowers in her hair, and another -bunch in her hand. The bridegroom had wished her to wear silk on this -great occasion, so he had hired the clothes, a green silk skirt and a -bronze satin brocade coat. - -A model of Chinese decorum was that bride. Her head under the white veil -was bent, her eyes were glued to the ground, and not a muscle of her -body moved as she progressed very slowly forward. Presumably she did put -one foot before the other, but she had the appearance of an automaton in -the hands of the women on either side--her mother, a stooping little old -woman, and a tall young woman in a bright blue brocade, the wife of the -bridegroom's special friend. Each grasped her by an arm just above -the elbow and apparently propelled her up the aisle as if she were on -wheels. Up the opposite aisle came the bridegroom, also with his head -bent and his eyes glued to the ground and propelled forward in the same -manner by his friend. - -They met, those two who had never met face to face before, before the -minister, and he performed the short marriage ceremony, and as he said -the closing words the Chinese evangelist became Master of Ceremonies. - -“The bridegroom and bride,” said he, “'will bow to each other once in -the new style.” - -The bride and groom standing before the minister bowed deeply to each -other in the new style. - -“They will bow a second time,” and they bowed again. - -“They will bow a third time,” and once more they bowed low. - -“They will now bow to the minister,” and they turned like well-drilled -soldiers and bowed to the white-haired man who had married them. - -“They will now bow to the audience,” and they faced the people and -bowed deeply, and everybody in that congregation rose and returned the -salutation. - -“And now the audience will bow to the bride and bridegroom,” and -with right good will the congregation, Chinese and the two or three -foreigners, rose and saluted the newly married couple, also I presume in -the new style. - -It was over, and to the strains of the wedding march they left the -church, actually together, by way of the women's entrance. But the bride -was not on the groom's arm. That would not have been in accord with -Chinese ideas. The bridegroom marched a little ahead, propelled forward -by his friend, as if he had no means of volition of his own--again -I thought of “William,” long since departed and forgotten till this -moment--and behind came the new wife, thrust forward in the same manner, -still with her eyes on the floor and every muscle stiff as if she too -had been a doll. - -“All the world loves a lover,” but in China, the land of ceremonies, -there are no lovers. This man had gone further than most men in the -wooing of his wife, and they were beginning life together with very fair -chances of success. But even so the girl might not hope for a home of -her own. - -That would have been most unseemly. The evangelist laundryman had not a -mother, but his only sister was taking the place of mother-in-law, and -he and his bride would live with her and her husband. - -[Illustration: 0099] - -[Illustration: 0100] - -The wedding I attended in Fen Chou Fu was quite a different affair. It -was spring, or perhaps I should say early summer, the streets through -which we drove to the old house of one of the Ming princes where dwelt -the bridegroom with his mother were thick with dust, and the sun blazed -down on us. The bridegroom belonged to a respectable well-to-do trading -family, and he wanted a Christian wife because he himself is an active -member of the church, but the Christian church at Fen Chou Fu has been -bachelor so long, and the division between the sexes is so strait, that -there are about fifty available girls to between eight and nine hundred -young men, therefore he had to take what he could get, and what he could -get was a pagan little girl about eighteen, for whom he paid thirty -Mexican dollars, roughly a little under three pounds. I, a Greek, who -do not care much what any man's religion is so long as he live a decent -life, understand the desire of that man for a Christian wife, for -that means here in the interior that she will have received a little -education, will be able to read and write and do arithmetic, and will -know something of cleanliness and hygiene. - -The great day arrived, and the missionaries and I were invited to the -bridegroom's house for the ceremony and the feast that was to follow. -The entertainment began about eight o'clock in the morning, but we -arrived a little after noon, and we two women, Miss Grace Maccomaughey -and I, were ushered through the courtyards till we came to the interior -one, which was crowded with all manner of folks, some in festive array, -some servants in the ordinary blue of the country, and some beggars -in rags who were anticipating the scraps that fall from the rich man's -table, and were having tea and cake already. Overhead the sky was shut -out by all manner of flags and banners with inscriptions in Chinese -characters upon them, and once inside, we made our way towards the house -through a pressing crowd. Opposite the place that perhaps answered for -a front door was a table draped in red, the colour of joy, and on the -table were two long square candles of red wax with Chinese characters -in gold upon them. They were warranted to burn a day and a night, and -between them was a pretty dwarf plant quaintly gnarled and bearing -innumerable white flowers. That table was artistic and pretty, but to -its left was a great pile of coal, and, beside the coal, a stove and a -long table at which a man, blue-clad, shaven and with a queue, was busy -preparing the feast within sight of all. I could have wished the signs -of hospitality had not been so much in evidence, for I could quite -believe that cook had not been washed since he was three days old, and -under the table was a large earthenware bowl full of extremely dirty -water in which were being washed the bowls we would presently use. - -Out came the women of the household to greet us and conduct us to the -bridal chamber, dark and draped with red and without any air to speak -of. It was crowded to suffocation with women in gala costumes, with -bands of black satin embroidered in flowers upon their heads, gay coats -and loose trousers, smiling faces and the tiny feet of all Shansi. It -was quite a relief to sit down on the _k'ang_ opposite to a stout and -cheerful old lady with a beaming face who looked like a well-to-do -farmer's wife. She was a childless widow, however, but she had attained -to the proud position of Bible-woman, receiving a salary of four Mexican -dollars a month, and consequently had a position and station of her -own. In my experience there is nothing like being sure of one's own -importance in the world. It is certainly conducive to happiness. I know -the missionaries, bless them! would say I am taking a wrong view, but -whatever the reason at the back of it all, to them is the honour of -that happy, comfortable-looking Bible-woman. And there are so few -happy-looking women in China! - -We sat on the _k'ang_ and waited for the bride, and we discoursed. My -feet--I never can tuck them under me--clad in good substantial -leather, looked very large beside the tiny ones around me, for even the -Bible-woman's had been bound in her youth, and of course, though they -were unbound now, the broken bones could never come straight, and -the-flesh could not grow between the heel and the toes. She looked at my -feet and I laughed, and she said sententiously, like a true Chinese: - -“The larger the feet the happier the woman.” - -I asked did it hurt when hers were bound. - -“It hurt like anything,” translated the missionary girl beside me, “but -it is all right now.” - -The bride was long in coming, and shortly after four we heard the gongs -and music and crackers that heralded her arrival, and we all went out -to greet her, or rather to stare at her. First came the bridegroom, and -that well-to-do tradesman was a sight worth coming out to see. He wore -a most respectable black satin jacket and a very pretty blue silk -petticoat; round his neck and crossed on his breast was a sash of -orange-red silk, set off with a flaring magenta artificial chrysanthemum -of no mean proportions, and on his head, and somewhat too small for him, -was--a rare headgear in China--a hard black felt hat. From the brim of -that, on either side, rose a wire archway across the crown, on which -were strung ornaments of brass, and I am bound to say that the whole -effect was striking. - -Before the bride came in to be married, out went two women to lift her -veil and smear her face with onion. They explained that the bridegroom's -mother should do this, but the fortune-teller had informed them that -these two women would be antagonistic--which I think I could have -foretold without the aid of any fortune-teller--therefore the rite was -deputed to two other women, one of whom was the kindergarten teacher at -the sehool. Then, with the teacher on one side and a lucky woman with -husband and children living on the other, down through the crowd came -the little bride to her marriage. She was clad in a red robe, much -embroidered, which entirely hid her figure, so that whether she were -fat or slim it was impossible to see, on her head was a brazen crown -entirely covering it, and over her face was a veil of thick bright red -silk. She could neither see nor be seen. Her feet were the tiniest I -have ever seen, they looked about suitable for a baby of twelve months -old. The tiny red shoes were decorated with little green tassels at the -pointed toe and had little baby high heels, and though they say these -feet were probably false, the real ones must have been wonderfully small -if they were hidden in the manifold red bandages that purported to make -the slender red ankles neat. - -Bride and bridegroom took their places in front of the minister, in -front of the plant and alongside the coals, and it made my back ache to -think of keeping any being standing for above a second on such feet. -The service began, all in Chinese, of course, though the officiating -minister was an American, a couple of hymns were sung, and the audience -laughed aloud because she was married by her baby name, her mother -having omitted to provide her with another. - -The good woman had yearned for a son so she had called this girl “Lead a -brother.” - -Half-way through the ceremony the bridegroom lifted the veil. He gave -it a hurried snatch, as if it were a matter of no moment, and hung it on -one of the projections of the brazen crown, and then he and we saw the -bride's face for the first time. They had done their best to spoil her -beauty with carmine paint, but she had a nice little nose and a -sweet little quivering mouth that was very lovable, and I think the -bridegroom, though he never moved a muscle, must have been pleased with -his bargain. - -When the service was ended, she and we, the principal guests, went back -to the _k'ang_ in the bride chamber; her crown and outer red robe were -taken off, all in public, and a small square box containing some of her -trousseau was brought in, and every woman and child there in that stuffy -little room dived into it and hauled out the silks and embroideries and -little shoes and made audible comments on them. - -“H'm! it's only sham silk,” said one. - -“How old are you, new bride?” asked another. - -“She's not much to look at,” said a third, which was a shame, for with -the paint washed off she must have been pretty though tired-looking. - -It was five o'clock before we went to the feast, all the women together, -and all the men together, four or five at a table, and the bridegroom, -without the absurd headgear, and his mother, in sober blue silk, came -round at intervals and exhorted us to eat plenty. - -We had one little saucer each, a pair of chopsticks and a china spoon -such as that with which my grandmother used to ladle out her tea, and -they served for all the courses. It was lucky I had had nothing since -seven in the morning, or I might not have felt equal to eating after I -had seen the cooking and the washing-up arrangements. As it was, I -was hungry enough not to worry over trifles. After she had sucked them -audibly, my friend the Bible-woman helped me with her own chopsticks, -and I managed to put up with that too. I tried a little wine. It -was served in little bowls not as large as a very small salt-cellar, -literally in thimblefuls, but one was too much for me. It tasted of -fiery spirit and earth, and I felt my companion was not denying herself -much when she proclaimed herself a teetotaller. What we ate heaven only -knows, but much to my surprise I found it very good. Chinese when they -have the opportunity are excellent cooks. - -The bride sat throughout the feast on the _k'ang_, her hands--three of -her finger-nails were shielded with long silver shields--hidden under -her lavender jacket and her plate piled before her, though etiquette -required that she should refuse all food. They chaffed her and laughed -at her, but she sat there with downcast eyes like a graven image. After -the feast two or three men friends of the bridegroom were brought in, -and to every one she had to rise and make an obeisance, and though the -men and women hardly looked at or spoke to each other, it was evident -that she was for this occasion a thing to be commented on, inspected -and laughed at. She was bearing it very well, poor little girl, when Kan -T'ai T'ai's cart--I was Kan T'ai T'ai--was announced, and we went home -through the streets as the shades of evening were falling. I had -fed bountifully and well, but the dissipation had worn me out, the -airlessness of the rooms was terrible, and even the dust-laden air of -the narrow street I drew into my lungs with a sigh of deep thankfulness. -It was good to be in the free air again. Better still to remember, -however I had railed against my fate at times, nothing that could ever -happen to me would be quite as bad as the fate of the average Chinese -woman. - -However, a new life was beginning for this girl in more ways than one. -The bridegroom was going back to his business, that of a photographer -in T'ai Yuan Fu, leaving his wife with his mother. She was to be sent to -the school for married women opened by the missionaries, and, of -course, her feet were to be unbound. Probably, I hope I do not do him an -injustice, the bridegroom would not have objected to bound feet, but he -did want an educated mother for his children, and the missionaries -will take no woman with bound feet. They will do the best they can to -retrieve the damage done, though she can never hope to be anything but -a maimed cripple, but at least she in the future will be free from pain, -into her darkened life will come a little knowledge and a little light, -and certainly her daughters will have a happier life and a brighter -outlook. - -Missions in China, if they are to do any good, are necessarily -patriarchal. They look after their converts from the cradle to the -grave. The kindergarten run by a Chinese girl under the maternal eye -of young Miss Grace Maccomaughey was quite a pretty sight, with all the -little tots in their quaint dresses of many colours and their hair done -or their heads shaved in the absurd fashion which seems good to the -proud Chinese parents--for Chinese parents are both proud and tender and -loving, though their ways seem strange to us. But babies all the world -over, yellow or black or white, are all lovable, and these babies at the -kindergarten were delicious. - -“Beloved guest, beloved guest,” they sang in chorus when I came in and -they were told to greet me. “Peace to thee, peace to thee.” - -And “Lao T'ai T'ai” they used to address me in shrill little voices as I -went about the compound. Lao T'ai T'ai (I shouldn't like to swear I'd -spelled it properly) means “Old lady”--that is, a woman of venerable -years who is rich enough to keep a servant--and it was the first time in -my life I had been so addressed, so I looked in the glass to see if I -had developed grey hair or wrinkles--riding on a mule-pack would be -enough to excuse anything--and then I remembered that if in doubt in -China it is erring on the side of courtesy to consider your acquaintance -old. I dare say to the children I was old. I remember as a very little -girl a maiden aunt asking me how old I thought her, and I, knowing she -was older than my mother, felt she must be quite tottery and suggested -in all good faith she might be about ninety. I believe the lady had just -attained her five and thirtieth year, and prided herself upon her -youthful appearance. At any rate her attitude on this occasion taught me -when guessing an age it is better to understate than to overestimate. At -least in the West. Here in the East I was “Old lady” by courtesy. - -And they begin the important things of life early in China. At the -kindergarten there were two little tots, a boy and a girl, engaged to be -married. The boy was the son of one of the mission cooks and the girl -was the daughter of his wife. He, a widower, sought a wife to look after -his little boy, and he got this young widow cheap. Her price was thirty -_tiaous_--that is, a little over one pound--and at first he said it was -too much and he could not afford it, but when he heard she had a little -girl he changed his mind and scraped together the money, for the child -could be betrothed to his little son and save the expense of a wife -later on. - -They were a quaint little pair, both in coats and trousers, shabby and -old, evidently the children of poor people, and both with their heads -shaven save for a tuft of hair here and there. The boy had his tufts cut -short, while the girl's were allowed to grow as long as they would and -were twisted into a plait. Such a happy little couple they were, always -together, and in the games at the kindergarten when they had to pair -these little ones always chose each other. Possibly the new wife in the -home was a wise and discreet woman. She might be glad too at the thought -that she need not part with her daughter. Anyhow I should think that in -Fen Chou Fu in the future there would be one married couple between whom -the sincerest affection will exist. - -I suppose Chinese husbands and wives are fond of each other -occasionally, but the Chinaman looks upon wedded life from quite a -different point of view from the Westerner. I remember hearing about a -new-made widow who came to sympathise with a missionary recovering from -a long illness. She was properly thanked, and then the missionary in her -turn said in the vernacular: - -“And you too have suffered a bitterness. I am sorry.” - -“I?” incredulously, as much as to say, Who could think I had a sorrow? - -“Why, yes. You have lost your husband, haven't you?” - -“Call that a bitterness?” smiled the relict cheerfully, and her would-be -consoler felt the ground cut away beneath her feet. - -But perhaps that sympathiser was not quite as much dismayed as another -lady who offered her condolences upon a similar occasion. The new-made -widow was a gay old thing, and she remarked blandly, with a toss of her -head: - -“All, we don't worry about things like that when we've got the Gospel!” - which left that well-meaning teacher a little uncertain as to whether -she had instructed her in the doctrines of her new faith quite -correctly. - -Fen Chou Fu is a town that lends itself to reform, that asks for it. -When I was there they had a magistrate who had been educated in Japan -and was ready to back any measures for the good of the town. He was too -much imbued with the spirit of modern thought to be a Christian, but -he was full of admiration for many of the measures advocated by these -enthusiastic young people from Oberlin College. There is a large -Government school here--you may see the courtyards with their lily ponds -and bridges from the wall--that has been in existence for hundreds of -years, and this magistrate appealed to the missionaries to take it over -and institute their modern methods. They might even, so he said, teach -their own faith there. The only thing that stood in the way was want -of funds, for though the school was endowed, money has still a way of -sticking to the hands through which it passes in China. The missionaries -were rather inclined, I think, to have hopes of his conversion, but I do -not think it is very easy to convert the broad-minded man who sees the -good in all creeds. This magistrate was anxious to help his people sunk -in ignorance and was wise enough to use every means that came in his -way, for he knows, knowing his own people, you will never Westernise -a Chinaman. He will take all that is good--or bad--in the West that -appeals to him, and he will mould it in his own way. This magistrate -was building an industrial school for criminal boys close to the mission -station and, more progressive than the West itself, he allowed his wife -to sit on the bench beside him and try and sentence women proved guilty -of crime. - - - - -CHAPTER V--“MISERERE DOMINE!” - -As I have said more than once, it seems to me the most intolerable -thing in life would be to be a Chinese woman. I remember when first I -began to write about China I asked a friend of mine to look over my -work and he objected to my making such a fuss about the condition of the -women. - -“Why, people will think you are a suffragette!” said he, searching for -some term of obloquy that he felt could not possibly apply to me. - -But I am a suffragist, an ardent suffragist, realising that a woman -is most valuable neither as an angel nor as a slave, but as a useful -citizen, and I saw then that he possibly knew little about the condition -of his own women, and probably absolutely nothing at all about the -condition of the women of the race who swarmed around him. Those he met -would be dumb, and at any rate no right-minded woman begins upon her -wrongs to a stranger. In any country it would be bad taste, in China no -words can tell what shocking bad taste. I had to seek further afield for -my information, and I got it from the medical missions. Now I went to -China with a strong prejudice against missionaries, and I found there -many people who backed me up. And then it occurred to me that I had -better go to a mission station and see what manner of people were these -I was judging so hastily and so finally. - -I went. And what I saw made me sorry that Great Britain and America, to -say nothing of Scandinavia, should be deprived of the services of these -men and women who are giving so much to an alien people. Of course I -know that many missionaries have the “call,” a “vocation” I suppose the -Catholics would call it. - -“It is a fine work,” said I, usually the unadmiring, “to teach these -women, but I do not like coming in contact with them, however much I -appreciate their virtues.” - -And the missionary girl looked at me pityingly. - -“Do you think,” said she, “we could come all this way to teach Chinese -women reading, writing and arithmetic?” - -It seems to me a great thing to do; if it be only to teach them to wash, -it is a great thing; but I who merely pitied would never have stayed -there to better the condition of those unhappy women. To her and her -comrades had come that mysterious call that comes to all peoples through -all the ages, the Crying in the Wilderness, “Prepare ye the way of the -Lord. Make His paths straight,” and she thought more, far more, of it -than I did of the undoubtedly good work I saw she was doing, saw as -I never should have seen had I not gone in the ways untrodden by the -tourist, or indeed by any white man. - -There are missionaries and missionaries, of course; there are even -backsliders who, having learned the difficult tongue under the ægis of -the missions, have taken up curio-buying or any other of the mercantile -careers that loom so temptingly before the man who knows China; but in -all classes of society there are backsliders, the great majority must -not be judged by them. Neither must their narrowness be laid too mueh -to heart when judging the missionary as a whole. Possibly only a fanatic -can carry through whole-heartedly the work of a missionary at a remote -station in China, and most fanatics are narrow. There are, too, the men -and women who make it a business and a livelihood, who reckon they have -house and income and position and servants in return for their services -to the heathen, but they too are faithful and carry out their contracts. -Having once seen the misery and poverty in which the great majority of -Chinese dwell, I can say honestly that I think every mission station -that I have seen is a centre from which radiates at least a hope of -better things. They raise the standard of living, and though I care -not what god a man worships, and cannot understand how any man can be -brought to care, it is good that to these people sitting in darkness -someone should point out that behind the world lies a great Force, God, -Love, call it what you will, that is working for good. That the more -educated Chinese has worked out a faith for himself, just as many in -the West have done, I grant you, but still the majority of the people -that I have seen sit in darkness and want help. From the missions they -get it. Taken by and large, the Chinaman is a utilitarian person, and if -the missions had not been helpful they would long ago have gone. And for -the missionaries themselves--I speak of those in the outstations--not -one, it seems to me, not one would stay among the Chinese unless he were -sure that his God had sent him, for the life is hard, even for the rich -missions there are many deprivations, and if therefore, being but human, -they sometimes depict their God as merciful and loving in a way that -seems small and petty, much must be forgiven them. They are doing their -best. - -There is another side to it too for the West. These missionaries -are conquering China by the system of peaceful penetration. They are -persecuted, they suffer, are murdered often, but that does not drive -them away. They come back again and again, and wherever the missionary -succeeds in planting his foot the hatred to foreigners and things -foreign, strong among the conservative Chinese, is weakened and finally -broken down. China is a rich country, she is invaluable to the nations -of the earth for purposes of trade, and though the missionary in many -ways, if he were asked, would oppose the coming of the white man, he -certainly is the pioneer. - -China is trying to reform herself, but the process is slow, and it seems -to me in Shansi and in the parts of Chihli that I know it would be a -long, long while before the good percolated to the proletariat, the -Babylonish slaves, if it were not for the missionaries; and particularly -do I admire the medical missionaries, for China is one huge sore. - -That is the word the woman doctor at Pao Ting Fu applied to it, and, -attending her clinic of a morning, I was inclined to agree with her. -Life is hard for everybody among the poor in China, but especially does -it press upon the women. They came there into the clean sun-lit room and -the reek of them went up to heaven--bald-headed, toothless old crones in -wadded coats out of which all semblance of colour had long since passed, -young girls and little children clad in the oldest of garments. There -were so many with ingrowing eyelashes that the doctor had one particular -day upon which she operated for this painful disfigurement, and she -showed me how, by making a little nick--I'm afraid I can't use proper -surgical terms--in the upper eyelid, she turned back the eyelashes and -made them grow in the direction they are intended to grow, and saved the -unfortunates' eyes. Why eyelashes should grow in in China I don't know. -Perhaps it is my ignorance, but I have never heard of their behaving in -such an unnatural fashion in any other part of the world, while in Pao -Ting Fu this ailment seemed to be as common as influenza in London. Then -there would be women with their mouths closed by sores, often so badly -they could only live by suction, and more than once a new mouth had to -be cut; there were cancerous growths--the woman depicted in the picture -had waited twenty years before she could arrange to come under one -hundred miles to the doctor--there were sores on the head, sores all -over the body, all, I suppose, including the ingrowing eyelashes, caused -by malnutrition, swollen glands, abscesses offensive and purulent, in -fact in that clinic were collected such an array of human woes, ghastly, -horrible, as well might make one wonder if the force behind all life -could possibly be anything but devilish and cruel. Wherein could the -good be found? Where? - -And yet there was good. Among these women moved the nurses. They were -comely girls in blue coats and trousers, with their abundant black hair -smoothly drawn back, neat white stockings and the daintiest of little -shoes. Their delicate artistic hands used sponge and basin very capably, -they were the greatest contrast to their patients, and yet they were -truly Chinese, had sprung from the people to whom they now ministered, -and one of them, though it was hardly observable, had an artificial -foot. So had she suffered from foot-binding that her own had had to be -amputated. - -Probably most of the ailments there treated were preventable, but worst -of all were the bound feet and the ailments the women suffered from in -consequence. It is not good manners to speak about a woman's feet, -and the women themselves rarely refer to them, but naturally I was -interested in the custom, and whenever the doctor got a “good” bound -foot, which probably meant a very bad one, she sent over for me to come -and see it. Anyone who has once seen a bound foot will never forget it. -It always smelt abominably when first the bandages were taken off, and -the first thing the nurses did was to provide a square kerosene tin of -hot water in which to soak the foot well. - -Well washed, the feet might be looked at. Shansi especially is the home -of the bound foot, most of the women have such small feet that they are -confined for the greater part of their lives to the _k'ang_. I remember -Dr Lewis in all seriousness saying that he thought on the whole a -Chinese woman was better without her feet. And I'm inclined to think he -was right. The toes, all except the big toe, are pressed back till they -touch the heel, the bandage is put on and drawn tighter and tighter -every day, and if the girl is healthy and big-boned, so much the worse -for her. No matter the size of the girl, the foot must conform to the -one standard. In Shansi when I was there the shoes were generally about -four inches long, and I have taken shoes of that length off a tall and -strapping woman who was tottering along with the aid of a stick. What -she must have suffered to get her feet to that size is too terrible -to imagine. She must have been suffering still for that matter. If the -instep after the tightest binding still sticks up the girl's marriage -chances are seriously interfered with, and then the mother or some -feminine relative takes a meat-chopper and breaks the bone till she can -bind the foot small enough. This information I got from the American -lady who looks after the women in the mission in Fen Chou Fu; and at -T'ai Yuan Fu the sister in the women's hospital added the gruesome -detail that they sometimes pull off the little girls' toe-nails so that -they may not interfere with the binding! - -And at the women's hospital at Pao Ting Fu I saw the finished product. -The big toe stuck straight out, red, possibly because of the soaking -in hot water--I never had courage to look at one unsoaked--and -ghastly-looking, the other toes were pressed back against the heel -and the heel went up and was exactly like the Cuban heels affected by -smartly dressed women, only this time it had been worked in flesh -and blood. The whole limb from the big toe to the knee was hard and -immovable as stone. If you press ordinary flesh anywhere it pits, just -yields a little, not so a Chinese woman's leg and foot. It is thin, -perished, literally hard as marble. Once having seen a foot unbound, it -is a wonder to me that any woman should walk at all. And yet they do. -They hold out their arms and walk, balancing themselves, and they use a -stick. Sometimes they walk on their heels, sometimes they try the toe, -but once I realised what those bandages concealed it was a painful and -dreadful thing to me to see a Chinese woman walking. In spite of the -hardness of the flesh, or probably because of it, they get bad corns on -the spot upon which they balance, and sores, very often tuberculous, eat -into the foot. - -[Illustration: 0117] - -[Illustration: 0118] - -But the evil does not stop at the foot. In Shansi it seemed to me every -woman's face was marked with the marks of patient suffering. Travelling -I often got a glimpse of one peering out of a cart or litter at the -foreigner, and that face invariably was patient, pallid and worn, for -foot-binding brings no end of evils in its train. The doctor at Fen Chou -Fu declared that nine-tenths of the women who came to him for treatment -suffered from tuberculosis in some form or another, and this in a -climate that in the winter must outrival in dryness Davos Platts. Not -a few, too, develop spinal curvature low down in the back, and often -because of the displacement of the organs they die in child-birth. A -missionary in one of the little towns I passed through, a trained nurse, -told me that when a woman suffered from what she (the woman) called -leg-waist pains--the doctor called it osteomalacia--her case was -hopeless, she could not give birth to a child. Often this nurse had been -called in to such cases, and she could do nothing to help the suffering -girl. She could only stand by and see her die. I could well believe -these tales of suffering. In Fen Chou Fu and in Pao Ting Fu the women -of the poorer classes freely walked the streets, and their crippled -condition was patent to all eyes. But in some towns it is not considered -seemly for any woman to be seen in the streets. Some reason established -this custom long ago: the reason passes, but China is the most -conservative of nations, and the custom remains. But the reason for -foot-binding is not very clear. There is something sexual at the bottom -of it, I believe, but why a sick and ailing woman should be supposed -to welcome the embraces of her lord more readily than one abounding in -health passes my understanding. Of course we remember that not so very -long ago, in the reign of Victoria, practically the delicate woman -who was always ailing was held up to universal admiration. Look at -the swooning heroines of Dickens and Thackeray. But let no man put the -compressed waist on the same plane as foot-binding. I have heard -more than one man do so, but I unhesitatingly affirm they are wrong. -Foot-binding is infinitely the worse crime. The pinched-in waist did not -begin till the girl was at least well on in her teens, and it was -only the extreme cases--and they did it of their own free will I -presume--who kept up the pressure always. There was always the night for -rest, whereas the Chinese women get no rest from torture. - -The missionaries at Fen Chou Fu, being very anxious to improve the -status of the women, used to arrange to have lectures in their large -hall to women only, and they raked the country-side for important people -to address them on subjects that were, or rather that should be, of -interest to women. They were not supposed to have anything to do with -religion, but they discussed openly women's position, were told about -hygiene and the care of children, and the magistrate's wife, she who had -been educated in Japan, told them some home-truths about the position of -women in China. - -“American women,” said she on one occasion, “go out into the world and -help in the world's development. We Chinese stay at home and are dragged -along by the men. The time has come when we must learn better things.” - -But I looked one day at over seventy women of the richer classes -assembled to listen to a young and enthusiastic Chinese with modern -views on the position of women and their equality with men. He was -passionate, he was eloquent, he was desperately in earnest, but it was -very evident he spoke to deaf ears. I do not think that any one of those -women grasped, or cared for that matter, what he was saying. In the -heart of China woman is very far from being the equal of man. These -women were pets and toys, and they came to the mission station probably -because it was the fashionable form of amusement just then, but they -listened to what was being said with deaf ears and minds incapable -of understanding. They were gaily clad in silks and satins, richly -embroidered; their hair when it was abundant was oiled and elaborately -dressed and decorated with gold and silver pins, and when it was scanty -was hidden under embroidered silken bands; there was not a skirt amongst -them, that was left to the lecturer, their blue and green and brilliant -red trousers were rather narrow, their feet were of the very tiniest -even in Shansi, and their faces, worn and suffering under their paint -and powder, were vacant. Some of them had brought their babies, and only -when a child cried, and they cried fairly frequently, did those faces -light up. That was something they really did understand. - -And yet that enthusiastic young scholar in his voluminous petticoats, -with his hair cut in the modern fashion, went on lecturing to them on -the rights of women, the position women ought to occupy! - -But the position of women! Toys or slaves are they, toys and slaves have -been their mothers and their grandmothers since the days before the -dawn of history, and very, very slowly is the idea of the possibility of -better things percolating through to the masses in China. It will come, -I suppose, because already there are Government schools for women, -though they are few and far between, and in some places, so far has -the desire for freedom gone, the girls have banded themselves into -societies, declaring that rather than marry a man they have never seen -they will commit suicide, and more than one has taken her own life. But -in the parts of Shansi and Chihli where I was so much light has not yet -penetrated. The wife and mother has influence because any living -thing with which we are closely associated--even if it be but a little -dog--must needs influence us, but all the same the Chinese women are as -a rule mere chattels, dependent entirely upon their menfolk. Amongst -the Chinese the five happinesses are: old age, a son, riches, official -position and a moustache; so slight a thing is a woman that she does not -come in in this connection. - -“As far as the heavens are above the earth, so far am I,” disdainfully -proclaimed a Chinese teacher, “above my wife.” And he only spoke as if -stating a self-evident fact, a thing that could not be questioned. “How -could she be my equal?” Just as I might have objected to being put on -the same plane as my mule or my little dog. Indeed I doubt very much -whether he gave the same consideration to his wife as I would do to my -little dog, who is much beloved. - -This is not to say, of course, that the men don't consider the women. -They do. - -I remember the gate-keeper at Pao Ting Fu mission paying up for his -daughter's schooling. He was a jovial old soul, so old that I was -surprised to hear he had a mother. - -“Short am I?” said he cheerfully. “Short? Oh, that dollar and a half!” - He paused to consider the matter, then added: “And I was thinking about -borrowing a dollar from you. My mother's dying, and I want to buy her a -skirt! Must be prepared, you know!” - -The old lady, said Miss Newton, had probably never owned such a luxury -as a skirt in her life, but that was her son's way of being good to -her, for the people have a proverb to the effect that the most important -thing in life is to be buried well, an idea that isn't entirely unknown -in Western and more enlightened lands. Poor old lady, whose one and -only skirt came to her to be buried in, or perhaps it would be taken off -before she was buried, for the Chinese are a careful people. I remember -one frugal man who celebrated the funeral of his mother and the marriage -of his son at the same time, so that the funeral baked meats did for -the marriage feast, and the same musicians did for both. The coffin, -of heavy black wood, tall as a mantelpiece, stood in the yard, with the -eldest son and his wife clad in white as mourners, and the rest of -the company made merry in the house over the bridal. It was the most -exquisite piece of thrift, but the Chinaman is _par excellence_ an -economist. - -It was in Pao Ting Fu that I met the only woman who made open complaint -against the position of women, and she only did it because, poor thing, -she was driven to it. - -She slipped through the mission compound gate while the gate-keeper was -looking the other way, a miserable, unkempt woman with roughened hair -and maimed feet. Her coat and trousers of the poorest blue cotton were -old and soiled, and the child she carried in her arms was naked save -for a little square of blue cotton tied round his body in front. She -was simply a woman of the people, deadly poor where all just escape -starvation, young and comely where many are unattractive, and she stood -under the shade of the trees watching eagerly the mission family and -their guest at breakfast on the porch! It was a June morning, the -sunshine that would be too fierce later on now at 7 a.m. was golden, and -a gentle breeze just whispered softly in the branches that China--even -Pao Ting Fu--in the early summer morning was a delightful place. - -But eager watching eyes glued to every mouthful are distinctly -disquieting, and in China, the land of punctilious etiquette, are rude. -Besides, she had no business to be there, and the doctor's wife turned -and spoke to her. - -“What custom is this?” said she, using the vernacular, “and how did you -get in here?” - -“I ran past”--ran, save the mark, with those poor broken cramped -feet--“when the gate-keeper was not looking. And it's not a day's hunger -I have. For weeks when we have had a meal we have not known where the -next was coming from.” - -“But you have a husband?” - -“And he was rich,” assented the woman, “but he has gambled it all away.” - -It was quite a likely story. Another woman working on the compound said -it was true. She had a bad husband--_hi yah!_ a very bad husband. He -beat her, often he beat her. Sometimes perhaps it was her fault, because -she was bad-tempered. Who would not be bad-tempered with maimed feet, an -empty stomach and two little hungry children? But often he beat her -for no reason at all. And everyone knows that a Chinese husband has a -perfect right to beat his wife. That he refrains from so doing is an act -of grace on his part, but a woman of herself is merely his chattel. She -has no rights. - -The hospital quilted bed-covers--_pel wos_, they called them--had to be -unripped and washed. The pay was twenty-five _t'ung tzus_ a day and keep -yourself. One hundred and thirty _t'ung tzus_ went to the dollar, and -10-35 dollars went to the sovereign at that time, so that the work -could not be considered overpaid; but this was China, and the women were -apparently rising up out of the ground and clamouring for it. It was -evidently looked upon as quite a recreation to sit under the trees on -the grass in the mission compound and gossip and unpick quilts. The new -recruit joined them and spent a happy day, sure of food for herself and -her children for that day at least--not food perhaps such as we would -appreciate, but at least a sufficiency of millet porridge. - -That day and the next she worked, and then on the third day at midday -she went away for her meal and did not come back till after two o'clock -in the afternoon. The doctor's wife was reproachful. - -“You have been away for over three hours. Why is this?” - -She was a true Chinese and found it difficult to give a direct answer. - -“I have been talking to my mother,” said she, rousing wrath where she -might have gained sympathy. - -“What excuse is this?” said the doctor's wife. “You go away, and when -I ask you why, you tell me you have been talking to your mother! Your -mother should have more sense than to keep you from your work!” - -“But my husband has sold me!” protested the culprit and then we saw that -her face was swollen with crying; “and I am a young woman and I don't -know what to do when my husband sells me. He keeps the children and -he sells me, and Tsao, the man who has bought me, is a bad man,” and -dropping down to the ground she let the tears fall on to the work in her -hands. - -“I am young and so I don't know what to do.” It was the burden of her -song. It may be she is wailing still, for the story was unfinished when -I left. She was young and she didn't know what to do. She would not have -minded leaving her husband if only the man to whom she had been sold had -been a better man, but he bore a worse reputation if anything than her -husband, and ignorant, unlearned in all things of this world as she was, -she and the women round her knew exactly what her fate would be. Tsao -would sell her when he tired of her, and her next purchaser would do -likewise, and as she gets older and her white teeth decay and her bright -eyes fade and her comeliness wanes her money value will grow less and -less, and beating and starvation will be her portion till death comes -as a merciful release. But, as she kept repeating pathetically, she is -young, and death is the goal at the end of a weary, weary, heartbreaking -road. - -For her husband was quite within his rights. He could sell her. It may -be, of course, he will be swayed by public opinion, and public opinion -is against the disposing of a wife after this fashion. - -“Let her complain to the official,” suggested my assurance. - -But the wise women who knew rose up in horror at the depths of ignorance -I was disclosing. - -“Go to the yamen and complain of her husband!” - -It is no crime for a man to sell his wife, but it is a deadly crime for -a woman to speak evil of her husband! She was not yet handed over. All -he would have to do would be to deny it, and then she would be convicted -of this crime and to her other ills would be added the wrath of the -official. No, something better than that must be thought of. - -She had been sold for a hundred _tiaou_--something under four -pounds--and when the money was paid she would have to go to her new -master, far away from all her friends. - -“_Hi yah!_” said the other women. “What a bad man!” So public opinion -was against it! - -It would do no good to buy her freedom unless the purchaser were -prepared to take upon himself the conduct of her future life. A woman -must belong to somebody in China; she is, except in very exceptional -cases and among the very advanced, considered incapable of guiding her -own life, and pay this and the man would still regard her as his wife -and sell her again. - -Then a woman wise with wisdom of the people arose. - -“There is only one thing to be done,” said she; “you must pretend you -know nothing about it, and when Tsao comes, and you are sold, then make -an excuse and run to the yamen. It may be the official will help, for it -is a wicked thing.” - -“Run to the yamen!” on feet on which she could just totter. But the wise -woman had taken that into consideration. - -“Mark well the way so you may hide in the turnings.” - -Such a forlorn, pitiful little hope! But with it she had to be content, -and that night she held her peace and pretended she did not know -the fate that hung over her, and when I left she was still ripping -bed-covers with the other women. She had had no hand in bringing about -her own fate, for she did not choose this man. She had never seen him -till she was handed over on her marriage day by her parents. - -“What,” said the women at one place when a new missionary came to them, -“forty and not married! What freedom! How did you manage it! What good -fortune!” - -In China there is no respectable word, so I am told, to denote a -bachelor, and there was almost never, at least under the old regime, -such a thing as an old maid. Every woman must belong to someone, and -few and far between are the families that can afford to keep unmarried -daughters, so the women regard as eminently fortunate those foreign -women they come across, missionary or otherwise, who are apparently free -to guide their own lives. - -Of course the average husband would no more think of selling his wife -than would an Englishman, but, unlike the Englishman, he knows that he -has the right to do so should he so please, even as he has the right -of life and death over her and his children. She is his chattel, to be -faithful to her would simply be foolishness. - -They tell a story of an angry father found digging a hole in which he -proposed to bury his son alive. That son had been insolent, and it was -a terrible thing to have an insolent son. His mother wept, but to her -tears the father paid no heed. A stranger passed along and questioned -the little company, and finding in his heart pity for the woman and the -lad, cast about how he might help them. He did not set about it as we of -the West would have done. - -He commiserated with the father. It was a terrible thing to have an -insolent son. Undoubtedly he deserved death. But it would be a bad thing -to have no son to worship at the ancestral tablet. - -That was provided for, said the irate parent. He had two other sons. - -That was well! That was well! And of course they had sons? - -No, they were young. They had no sons yet. - -A-a-ah! And suppose anything happened by which they both should die? - -The stranger let that sink in. He had struck the right chord. It -would be a terrible thing to have no son to worship at the ancestral -tablet--to think that he by his own act---- - -Chinese reasoning prevailed, and the son's life was spared. - -And yet the Chinese are fond of their children and, according to their -lights, good to their wives. It is that under the patriarchal system -children and women--a woman is always a child, a very ignorant child as -a rule--have no rights. They are dependent upon the good will of their -owners. - -And so the woman sitting waiting to see if her husband would complete -the bargain and sell her had no rights. She was just a chattel in the -eye of the law. And there was none to help. Miserere Domine! It was just -possible public opinion would save her. It was her only hope. Miserere -Domine! Miserere Domine! - -In Fen Chou Fu the missionaries had started an adult school for women. -First it was started, as they themselves put it, to teach the Gospel, -but then wisely they extended it and taught reading, writing and -arithmetic, and very eager indeed were the pupils. It is only fair to -say that very often husbands, or possibly fathers-in-law--for a woman -belongs to the head of her husband's family, or at least owes allegiance -to him--aided and abetted in every way, and when necessary sent the -pupils twenty and thirty miles in carts and in litters from away in -the mountains to attend. One woman with four little children, all under -five, with another coming, was a most eager pupil. Her children were -sent to the kindergarten, which is in charge of a young Chinese teacher -educated by the missionaries. - -Again I do not say the Chinese are not doing something to ameliorate the -condition of their women. I can only speak of what I saw, and what I saw -was, here in Shansi, the wives of the most miserable peasants sunk in -ignorance and hardly able to crawl from the _k'angs_ on which they spent -their lives. The men do the cooking because the women are incapable, and -the mortality among the children is terrible. A doctor told me that -very often he had attended a woman at the birth of her thirteenth or -fourteenth child and only one or two would be living! - -I don't know how many wives or concubines a man is allowed. Only the -first one has any standing, and the number of the others is probably -limited by his means. I remember hearing of one man, a Mr Feng, who had -just married his second wife to another man because she was making his -life too miserable for him. This was the man's side of the story; I had -heard the woman's the last time. I wonder how the case is put on these -occasions. Does a man say he is parting with the lady with extreme -regret because the climate does not suit her, or because his first wife -does not like her, or because a sudden reverse of fortune has compelled -him to reduce his household? He surely would never have given the real -reason. My friend Mr Farrer waxes enthusiastic over things Chinese, but -I must say what I have seen of their domestic life repels me, and I -am rather inclined to agree with a missionary of my acquaintance--a -bachelor though--that it would give nervous prostration to a brazen -statue. - -There can be little happiness where there is ignorance, and the majority -of the women of Shansi anyhow are the ignorant slaves of ignorant -slaves. Miserere Domine! - - - - -CHAPTER VI--BY MOUNTAIN AND RIVER - -Setting out on a long journey by road, moving along slowly, at the rate -of thirty miles a day, I find I do not have the end in view in my mind -all the time. I do subconsciously, of course, or I would never get on -at all, but I take a point a couple of days ahead and concentrate -on getting there. Having arrived so far, I am so pleased with the -performance I can concentrate on the next couple of days ahead. So -I pass on comfortably, with the invigorating feeling of, something -accomplished. - -Fen Chou Fu, then, was one of my jumping-off places. - -And at Fen Chou Fu my muleteers began to complain. Looked at from a -Western point of view, they ought to have complained long before, but -their complaint was not what I expected. They sent my interpreter to say -we were going the wrong way. This road would lead us out into a great -bare place of sand. When the wind blew it would raise the sand in great -clouds that would overwhelm us, and if the clouds gathered in the sky we -should not be able to see the sun, we would not know in which direction -to go and we should perish miserably. And having supplied me with this -valuable and sinister information they stood back to watch it sink in. - -It didn't have the damping and depressing effect they doubtless -expected. To begin with, I couldn't believe in a Chinese sky where you -couldn't see the sun. The clouds might gather, but a few hours would -suffice to disperse them, in my experience, and as for losing ourselves -in the sand--well, I couldn't believe it possible. Always in China, -where-ever I had been, there had been plenty of people of whom to ask -the way, and though every man's radius was doubtless short, still at -every yard there was somebody. It was like an endless chain. - -“Don't they want to go?” I asked Mr Wang. - -“Repeat, please,” said he, according to the approved formula. - -“Won't they go?” I felt I had better have the matter clear. - -“You say 'Go,' mus' go. You fear--you no go.” - -If I feared and wouldn't go on, I grasped, the money I paid them would -be forfeit. - -“But I must go. I am not afraid.” - -“They say you go by Hsi An Fu. That be ploper.” And the listening -muleteers smiled at me blandly. - -“But I cannot go by Hsi An Fu because of White Wolf.” I did not say that -also it would be going round two sides of a triangle because that would -not appeal to the Chinese mind. - -“They not knowing White Wolf,” said Mr Wang, shaking his head. - -“Well, I know White Wolf,” I said, departing a little from the truth, -“and I am going across the river to Sui Te Chou.” - -“You say 'Go,'” said Mr Wang sorrowfully, “mus' go,” and he looked at -the muleteers, and the muleteers looked at him sorrowfully and went -off the verandah sorrowfully to prepare for the lonely road where there -would be no people of whom to ask the way, only sand and no sun. - -There was plenty of sun when we started. It was a glorious summer -morning when my little caravan went out of the northern gate into the -mountains that threatened the town. It was unknown China now, China as -she was in the time of the Cæsars, further back still in the time of -the Babylonish kings, in the days before the first dynasty in Egypt. Out -through the northern gate we went, by the clay-walled northern suburb, -past great ash-heaps like little mountain ranges, the refuse of -centuries, their softly rounded sides now tinged with the green of -springtime, and almost at once my caravan was at the foot of the -hills--hills carved into terraces by the daily toil of thousands, but -looking as if they had been so carved by some giant hand. As we entered -them as hills they promptly disappeared, for the road was sunken, and -high over our heads rose the steep clay walls, shutting out all view -save the bright strip of blue sky above. - -I here put it on record--I believe I have done it before, but it really -cannot be repeated too often--that as a conveyance a mule litter leaves -much to be desired. Sitting up there on my bedding among my cushions, -with James Buchanan beside me, I was much more comfortable than I should -have been in a Peking cart, but also I was much more helpless. A driver -did take charge of the Peking cart, but the gentleman who sometimes led -my mule litter more often felt that things were safer in the charge of -the big white mule in front, and when the way was extremely steep or -rough he abandoned it entirely to its discretion. The missionaries had -told me whenever I came to a bad place to be sure and get out, because -the Chinese mules are not surefooted enough to be always trusted. They -are quite likely at a bad place to slip and go over. This was a cheering -reflection when I found myself at the bad place abandoned to the tender -mercies of those animals. The mule in the lead certainly was a capable -beast, but again and again, as I told Mr Wang, I would have preferred -that the muleteers should not put quite so much faith in him. I learned -to say “B-r-rrr, b-r-r-rrr!” when I wanted him to stop, but I did -not like to say it often, because I felt in a critical moment I might -seriously hamper him to my own disadvantage. I told Mr Wang I was to -be lifted out when we came to bad places, but that too was hardly -practicable, for we came to many places that I certainly could not have -negotiated on my own feet, and how the mules got a cumbersome litter -down or up them passes my understanding. Thinking it over, the only -advice I can give to anyone who wishes to follow in my footsteps is -to shut his eyes as I did and trust to the mule. And we went down some -places that were calculated to take the curl out of my hair. - -James Buchanan was a great comfort to me under these circumstances. He -nestled down beside me--he had recovered from his accident before we -left Fen Chou Fu--and he always assured me that everything would be all -right. One thing he utterly declined to do, and that was to walk with -the servants. I used to think it would be good for his health, but the -wisdom of the little Pekinese at the British American Tobacco Factory -had sunk in deep and he declined to trust himself with them unless I -walked too, when he was wild with delight. Put out by himself, he would -raise a pitiful wail. - -“Buchanan declines,” Mr Wang would say sententiously, and he would be -lifted baek into the litter by my master of transport as if he were a -prince of the blood at least. And if anyone thinks I make an absurd fuss -about a little dog, I must remind him that I was entirely alone among an -alien people, and the little dog's affection meant a tremendous deal -to me. He took away all sense of loneliness. Looking back, I know now I -could not have gone on, this book would never have been written, if it -had not been for James Buchanan. - -Roughly the way to the Yellow River is through a chain of mountains, -across a stony plateau in the centre of which is situated Yung Ning -Chou, quite a busy commercial city, and across another chain of -mountains through which the river forces its way. When first I entered -the ditch in the loess my objective was Yung Ning Chou. I looked no -farther. I wanted to get to that town in which seven Scandinavian -missionaries in twenty years had not effected a single convert. The -cliffs frowned overhead, and the effect to me was of wandering along an -extremely stony way with many pitfalls in it to the chiming of many -mule bells and an unceasing shouting of “_Ta, ta!_”--that is, “Beat, -beat!”--a threat by which the muleteer exhorts his animals to do their -best. Generally speaking, I couldn't see the man who had charge of -me because he was some way behind and the tilt shut him from my view. -Except for knowing that he was attending to his job and looking after -me, I don't know that I pined to look upon him. His appearance was -calculated to make me feel I had not wakened from a nightmare. Sometimes -he wore a dirty rag over his head, but just as often he went in his -plain beauty unadorned--that is to say, with all the front part of his -head shaven and the back a mass of wild coarse black hair standing out -at all angles. They had cut off his queue during the reforming fever at -T'ai Yuan Fu and I presume he was doing the best he could till it should -grow again. Certainly it was an awe-inspiring headpiece. - -[Illustration: 0135] - -[Illustration: 0136] - -And always we progressed to the clashing of bells, for on every possible -point on the trappings of the four mules and the donkey that made up the -caravan and on every available point on the harness of every mule and -donkey that passed us was a brass bell. For, for all my muleteers had -objected to going this way, it was a caravan route to the West, and it -was seldom we did not see someone on the road. Here in this ditch in the -loess I realised the stern necessity for these bells, for often the way -was narrow and when we could hear another caravan coming we could make -arrangements to pass or to allow them to pass. There were many caravans -of ragged camels, and to these my animals objected with all the spirit -a life on the roads had still left in them. When we met a string of -them at close quarters in the loess my white mule in the lead nearly had -hysterics, and his feelings were shared, so I judged by the behaviour of -the litter, by his companion behind, and they both endeavoured to -commit suicide by climbing the bank, having no respect whatever for my -feelings. - -On these occasions, with clenched teeth and concentrated energy, my -muleteer addressed himself to that leading mule: - -“Now! Who's your mother? You may count yourself as dead!” - -The mule evidently felt this was serious and made a desperate endeavour -to get a little higher, and his attendant became sarcastic. - -“Call yourself a mule! Call yourself a lord, sir!” - -By the jangling of the bells and the yells of the rest of the company I -knew that the other animals felt equally bad, and more than once I saw -my luckless interpreter, who evidently was not much of a hand at sitting -on a pack, ruefully picking himself up and shaking the dust from his -person, his mule having flung him as a protest against the polluting of -the road by a train of camels. - -The camels march along with a very supercilious air, but mules, horses -and donkeys all fear them so much that there are special inns for them -and they are supposed only to travel by night, but this rule is more -honoured, I imagine, in the breach than in the observance. Most parts -of the road I don't see that any caravan could pass along at night. The -special inns do not present any difference to my unprejudiced eyes from -the discomfort of an ordinary mule and donkey inn. I stopped at one one -day in the loess for tiffin, and it consisted of a courtyard round which -were rooms (_yaos_) that were simply caves with the mouths bricked up -and doors in them. Inside, the caves were dark and airless, with for all -furniture the universal, _k'ang_; a fireplace is either in the middle or -at one of the ends, and the flues underneath carry the hot air under -the _k'ang_ to warm it. I have never before or since seen such miserable -dwelling-places as these _yaos_, and in the loess country I saw hundreds -of them, inhabitated by thousands of people. Wu Ch'eng particularly -commended itself to my notice because here I first realised that in -expecting a room to myself I was asking too much of the country. - -We crossed the mountain pass the first day out of Fen Chou Fu. Steep it -was, steep as the roof of a house, and we scrambled down the other -side and, just as the dusk was falling, we came to Wu Ch'eng, a village -mostly of _yaos_ in the mountain-side. Wu Ch'eng, where hundreds of -people live and die, was short of most things that make life worth -living: water was very scarce indeed, and there were no eggs there. It -was necessary that our little company should move on with what speed we -might. Also the inn only had one room. - -“The _k'ang_ is large,” said my interpreter, as if he thought that a -woman who would come out on this journey would not mind sharing that -_k'ang_ with all the other guests, the innkeeper and his servants. It -was rather large. I looked into an earthen cave the end of which, about -thirty feet away, I could hardly make out in the dim light. There were -great cobwebs hanging from the ceiling--dimly I saw them by the light -that filtered through the dirty paper that did duty for a window--and -the high _k'ang_ occupied the whole length of the room, leaving a narrow -passage with hard-beaten earth for a floor about two feet wide between -the _k'ang_ and the left-hand wall. It was about as uninviting a room -as I have ever seen. Also it was clearly impossible that Buchanan and I -should turn out the rest of the company, so I decreed that I should have -it to myself for half-an-hour for the purposes of washing and changing, -for whieh privilege I paid about twenty cash, roughly a ha'penny, and -then we slept in the litter, as we did on many other occasions, outside -in the yard among the donkeys and mules. The last thing I saw was the -bright stars peeping down at me, and the last thing I heard was the -mules munching at their well-earned chaff, and I wakened to the same -stars and the same sounds, for early retiring is conducive to early -rising, and yet the muleteers were always before me and were feeding -their beasts. Always I went through the same routine. I went to bed -despairing and disgusted and a little afraid. I slept like the dead, if -I slept outside, and I wakened to watch the sun rise and renew my hopes. - -There are hundreds, probably thousands, of villages like Wu Ch'eng in -China. The winter in Shansi in the mountains is Arctic and no words can -describe what must be the sufferings of these people; especially must -the women suffer, for the poorest peasant binds his daughter's feet, his -wife can hardly crawl. In Chihli you may see the women tottering round -on their stumps grinding the corn, in Shansi lucky is the woman who can -do so much. The ordinary peasant woman is equal to nothing but a little -needlework, if she have anything to sew, or to making a little porridge, -if she can do so without moving off the _k'ang_. - -The getting something for the men to cook must be a hard job. Potatoes -are sold singly, other vegetables are cut in halves or quarters, a fowl -is always sold by the joint. There may be people who do buy a whole -fowl, but they are probably millionaires. I suppose a whole section of a -community could not possibly exist on other folks' old clothes, but that -is how the people of this part of Shansi looked as if they were clothed. -They had not second-hand clothes or third-hand, they were apparently the -remnants that the third buyer could find no use for. - -I shall never forget on one occasion seeing a ragged scarecrow bearing -on the end of a pole a dead dog, not even an ordinary dead dog, but one -all over sores, a most disgustingly diseased specimen. I asked Mr Wang -what he was carrying that dog away for and that young gentleman looked -at me in surprise. He would never get to the bottom of this foolish -foreigner. - -“For eat,” said he simply! - -The people of the loess cannot afford to waste anything save the health -of their women. A dog, a wonk, shares the scavenging work of the Chinese -towns with the black and white crows, and doubtless the citizens do not -care so much for eating them as they would a nice juicy leg of mutton, -but they would no more throw away a wonk that had found life in a -Chinese town too hard and simply died than I would yesterday's leg of -mutton in favour of the tender chicken I prefer. - -This, the first camel inn I particularly noticed, was not far from -Fen Chou Fu, and they told me how many years ago one of the medical -missionaries touring the country found there the innkeeper's wife with -one of her bound feet in a terrible condition. She had a little baby at -her breast and she was suffering horribly--the foot was gangrenous. The -doctor was troubled and puzzled as well. He had no appliances and no -drugs, but left as they were, mother and baby, already half starved, -were doomed. Therefore, like a brave man as he was, he took his courage -in both hands, made a saw of a piece of scrap iron from an American -packing-case and with this rude instrument and no anaesthetics he -amputated that foot. And the woman survived, lived to see her child grow -up, was living when I passed along that way, and I sat in her courtyard -and had my tiffin of hard-boiled eggs and puffed rice washed down by -tea. It was her son's courtyard then, possibly that very baby's whose -life the missionary had saved by saving his mother's. For the Chinese -have no milch cows or goats and know little about feeding infants -artificially. - -Always at midday the litter was lifted off the mules' backs, my table -and chair were produced from some recess among the packs, my blue cotton -tablecloth was spread and Tsai Chih Fu armed himself with a frying-pan -in which to warm the rice and offered it to me along with hard-boiled -eggs of dubious age. The excellent master of transport was a bad cook, -and it is not an exhilarating diet when it is served up three times -a day for weeks with unfailing regularity. I never grew so weary of -anything in my life, and occasionally I tried to vary it by buying -little scones or cakes peppered with sesame seed, but I'm bound to say -they were all nasty. It always seemed to me that an unfair amount -of grit from the millstones had got into the flour. Chinese are -connoisseurs in their cooking, but not in poor little villages in the -mountains in Western Shansi, where they are content if they can fill -their starving stomachs. To judge Chinese taste by the provisions of -these mountaineers is as if we condemned the food of London, having -sampled only those shops where a steak pudding can be had for fourpence. - -And all these little inns, these underground inns, very often had the -most high-sounding names. “The Inn of Increasing Righteousness”--I hope -it was, there was certainly nothing else to recommend it; but the “Inn -of Ten Thousand Conveniences” really made the greatest claim upon my -faith. The Ritz or the Carlton could hardly have claimed more than this -cave with the hard-beaten earth for the floor of its one room and for -all furnishing the _k'ang_ where landlord and guests slept in company. - -Yet all these uncomfortable inns between Fen Chou Fu and Yung Ning Chou -were thronged. The roads outside were littered with the packs of the -mules and donkeys, and inside the courtyard all was bustle, watering -and feeding the animals and attending to the wants of the men, who -apparently took most of their refreshment out of little basins with -chopsticks and when they were very wealthy, or on great occasions, had -tea without milk or sugar--which, of course, is the proper way to drink -it--out of little handleless cups. I don't know that they had anything -else to drink except hot water. I certainly never saw them drinking -anything intoxicating, and I believe there are no public-houses in China -proper. - -Every now and then the way through the loess widened a little and there -was an archway with a tower above it and a crowded village behind. -Always the villages were crowded. There was very often one or perhaps -two trees shading the principal street, but other hints of garden or -greenery there were none. The shops--open stalls--were packed together. -And in these little villages it is all slum: there is no hint of country -life, and the street was full of people, ragged people, mostly men and -children. The men were in rags in all shades of blue, and blue worn -and washed--at least possibly the washing is doubtful, we will say worn -only--to dun dirt colour. It was not picturesque, but filthy, and the -only hint of luxury was a pipe a yard long with a very tiny bowl which -when not in use hung round their necks or stuck out behind from under -their coats. Round their necks too would be hung a tiny brass tobacco -box with hieroglyphics upon it which contained the evil-smelling -compound they smoked. Sometimes they were at work in their alfresco -kitchens--never have I seen so much cooking done in the open -air--sometimes they were shoeing a mule, sometimes waiting for customers -for their cotton goods, or their pottery ware, or their unappetising -cooked stuff, and often they were nursing babies, little blaek-eyed -bundles of variegated dirty rags which on inspection resolved themselves -into a coat and trousers, whatever the age or the sex of the baby. And -never have I seen so many family men. The Chinaman is a good father and -is not ashamed to carry his baby. At least so I judge. - -Only occasionally was a woman or two to be seen, sitting on their -doorsteps gossiping in the sun or the shade, according to the -temperature. Men and women stared at the foreign woman with all their -eyes, for foreigners are rather like snow in June in these parts, and -my coming made me feel as if a menagerie had arrived in the villages -so great and interested were the crowds that assembled to look at and -comment on me. - -After we passed through the loess the track was up a winding ravine cut -in past ages by the agency of water. From five hundred to a thousand -feet above us towered the cliffs and at their feet trickled a tiny drain -of water, not ankle-deep, that must once have come down a mighty flood -to cut for itself such a way through the eternal hills. For this, unlike -the road through the loess, is a broad way where many caravans might -find room. And this trickle was the beginnings of a tributary to the -Yellow River. Along its winding banks lay the caravan route. - -And many caravans were passing. No place in China is lonely. There were -strings of camels, ragged and losing their coats--second-hand goods, -Mark Twain calls them--there were strings of pack-mules and still longer -strings of little donkeys, and there were many men with bamboos across -their shoulders and loads slung from either end. Some of these men had -come from Peking and were bound for far Kansu, the other side of Shensi; -but as I went on fewer and fewer got the loads from Kansu, most of them -stopped at Yung Ning Chou, the last walled town of any size this side of -the river. Always, always through the loess, through the deep ravines, -across the mountain passes, across the rocky plateau right away to the -little mountain city was the stream coming and going, bearing Pekingese -and Cantonese goods into the mountains, and coming back laden with -wheat, which is the principal product of these places. - -Ask the drivers where they were going, camel, mule or donkey, and the -answer was always the same, they were going east or west, which, of -course, we could see for ourselves. There was no possibility of going -any other way. Those in authority knew whither they were bound, but the -ignorant drivers knew nothing but the direction. At least that is one -explanation, the one I accepted at the time, afterwards I came to know -it is a breach of good manners to exhibit curiosity in China, and quite -likely my interpreter simply greeted the caravans and made his own -answer to my question. It satisfied or at least silenced me and saved my -face. - -One thing, however, grew more and more noticeable: the laden beasts were -coming east, going west the pack-saddles were empty. Fear was upon the -merchants and they would not send goods across the great river into -turbulent Shensi. - -Already, so said my interpreter, and I judged the truth of his statement -by the empty pack-saddles, they were fearing to send goods into the -mountains at all. It was pleasant for me. I began to think. I had only -Buchanan to consult, and he had one great drawback, he always agreed -that what I thought was likely to be right. It is an attitude of mind -that I greatly commend in my friends and desire to encourage, but there -are occasions in life when a little perfectly disinterested advice would -be most acceptable, and that I could not get. Badly I wanted to cross -Asia, but I should not cross Asia if I were stopped by _tufeis_, which -is the local term for robbers. Were these rumours anything, or were -they manufactured by my interpreter? There were the warnings of the -missionaries, and there were the empty pack-saddles, and the empty -pack-saddles spoke loudly. Still I thought I might go on a little -farther, and James Buchanan encouraged me. - -Truly the way to the great river through the mountains was hard. Taking -all the difficulties in the lump, it would seem impossible to overcome -them, but taking them one by one I managed it. And not the least of my -troubles were the dogs. - -Here in the mountains was a very handsome breed of large white dogs with -long hair, at least I am sure they would have been handsome if they had -been well fed and well eared for. If it had not been for Buchanan, whose -heart it would have broken, I should certainly have got a puppy to bring -home with me. These dogs one and all waged war on my little friend, -who had a great idea of his own importance and probably aggravated the -ill-fed denizens of the inn-yards. He would go hectoring down a yard, -head up, white plume waving, with a sort of “Well, here we are! Now what -have you got to say for yourselves?” air about him, and in two seconds -more a big white scarecrow of a dog would have him by the neck, dragging -him across the yard, designing to slay him behind the drinking troughs. -He would give one shriek for help, and I would fly to that dog's head, -catch him by the ears or the ruff round his neck and be dragged along in -my turn till Tsai Chih Fu the resourceful appeared on the scene with a -billet of wood, and then the unfortunate beast would be banished from -the yard or tied up till we had gone. I remembered often the warning -I had received on the subject of hydrophobia, but I never had time to -think of that till afterwards, when, of course, if anything had happened -it would have been too late. - -There is one thing about a Chinese inn in the interior: it may be -exceedingly uncomfortable, but it is also exceedingly cheap. A night's -lodging as a rule costs forty cash. Eleven cash roughly is equal to a -cent, and a cent, again roughly--it depends upon the price of silver--is -a little less than a farthing. Forty cash, then, is hardly a penny. -Hot water costs eight cash, eggs were six cash apiece and so were the -wheaten scones I bought in place of the bread my servant could not make, -and I could buy those last as low as three cash apiece. Of course -I quite understand that I as a rich traveller paid top price for -everything, probably twice or three times as much as the ordinary -traveller; the missionaries, indeed, were shocked at the price I paid -for eggs, and again I was always rooked in the matter of paper. For even -though I preferred it, it often happened that it was impossible to sleep -in my litter in the yard, it was too crowded with beasts--and it had to -be very crowded--and then I stripped off the paper from the window of -the room I occupied to let in the air, just a little air, and I was -charged accordingly from thirty to eighty cash for my destructiveness. -I found afterwards that a whole sheet of new paper can be had for ten -cash, and the paper I destroyed was not half-a-sheet and was grimed with -the dirt of ages! Glass, of course, in the mountains of Shansi is almost -unknown and the windows are covered with white paper. - -After the mountains came a high stony plateau, not dangerous but -difficult, for though this is a great trade route there was not an -inch of smooth roadway, every step had to be carefully picked among the -stones, and presently the stream that when we entered the mountains was -a trickle a hand's-breadth across was now a river meandering among the -stones. We began by stepping across it; wider it grew and there were -stepping-stones for the walking muleteers; then the mules waded and the -muleteers climbed on to the beasts or on to the front of the litter, -which last proceeding made me very uncomfortable, for I remembered my -special man was likely at most only to have been washed twice in his -life, and I was very sure his clothes had never been washed at all and -probably had never been taken off his back since last October. Finally -we crossed by bridges, fairly substantial bridges three planks wide, but -the mules required a deal of encouraging before they would trust them -and always felt the boards gingerly with their hoofs first as if they -distrusted the Chinaman and all his engineering works. The engineering -was probably all right, but as the state of repair often left much to be -desired I could hardly blame the mules for their caution. And one day we -crossed that river twenty-six times! - -There is no charm in the country in Shansi beyond the sunshine and the -invigorating air. There were fields, every patch of land that could -possibly be made to grow a blade of wheat was most carefully tilled, -there was not a weed, not a blade of grass out of place. In some -fields the crops were springing green, in others the farmers were still -ploughing, with a patient ox in the plough; but there were no divisions -between these fields; there were no hedges; few and scanty trees; no -gardens; no farmhouses, picturesque or otherwise. The peasants all live -huddled together, literally in the hill-sides, and of the beauty of life -there was none. It was toil, toil without remission and with never a -day off. Even the blue sky and the sunshine and the invigorating dry -air must be discounted by the dirt and darkness and airlessness of -the houses and the underground _yaos_. The Chinese peasant's idea in -building a house seems to be to get rid of the light and the air, the -only two things I should have thought that make his life bearable. And -in these dark and airless caves the crippled women spend their days. -The younger women--I met them occasionally gaily clad and mounted on -a donkey--looked waxen and had an air of suffering, and the older were -lined and had a look of querulousness and irritability that was not on -the men's faces. Many an old man have I seen whose face might stand for -a model of prosperous, contented, peaceful old age looking back on a -well-lived life, but never, never have I seen such a look on a woman's -face. - -At last, after crossing a long bridge across the river, we came to Yung -Ning Chou. The dark grey wall stood out against the blue sky and, unlike -most Chinese cities that I have seen, there is no watch-tower over the -gate. It has suburbs, suburbs like Fen Chou Fu enclosed in crumbling -clay walls that are fast drifting to their inevitable end. They could -not keep out a rabbit now, let alone a man, and yet they are entered -through great brick gateways with a turn in them, and going under the -archways I felt as usual as if I had gone back to Biblical days. -The walls of the city proper, the crowded little city, are in better -preservation, and tower high above the caravans that pass round them, -for there are no inns in Yung Ning Chou and all caravans must stay in -the eastern suburb. There are narrow, stony little streets of houses -pressed close together, and the rough roadways are crowded with traffic: -people, donkeys, laden mules and grunting camels are for ever passing -to and fro. Looking up the principal street between the eastern and -the western gate was like looking up a dark tunnel in which fluttered -various notices, the shop signs, Chinese characters printed on white -calico. Most of those signs, according to my interpreter's translation, -bore a strong resemblance to one another. “Virtue and Abundance,” it -seems they proclaimed to all who could read. But there was no one to -tell me whether there was really any wealth in this little mountain -city that is the same now as it probably was a thousand years ago. I -wondered, I could not help wondering, whether it would be worth Pai -Lang's while to attack. I wondered if he could get in if he did, for -the walls were high and the gates, rising up straight and sheer -without watch towers, such piles of masonry as might have been built by -conquering Nineveh or Babylon. Here and there, though, in the walls -the water had got under the clay and forced out the bricks in long deep -cracks, and here if they were not carefully guarded were places that an -invading force might storm, and in the suburbs and among the houses that -clustered close under the protecting walls terrible things might be -done. But the western gate, I should say, is well-nigh impregnable. -Nobody but a Chinaman would have built a gate in such a place. It opens -out on to a steep cliff that falls sheer sixty feet to the river below. -Chinese towns are always built symmetrically; there should be at least -one gate in each of the four walls, therefore a gate there is here. It -seems to have occurred to no one that a gate is placed in those walls -for the convenience of traffic, and that it is simple waste of time and -labour to make a gate in a place by which no one could possibly pass. -For that matter I should have thought a wall unnecessary on top of so -steep a cliff. - -The Scandinavian missionaries who have faithfully worked Yung Ning -Chou for the last twenty years with so little result were absent when I -passed through. Only two of them live here, the rest are scattered over -the mountains to the north, and when I was in Fen Chou Fu I met a woman, -a Norwegian, who was on her way to join them. She remains in my mind a -pathetic figure of sacrifice, a wistful woman who was giving of her very -best and yet was haunted by the fear that all she was giving was of very -little worth, surely the most bitter and sorrowful reflection in this -world. She had worked in China as a missionary in her girlhood. She -explained to me how hard it was for these northern peoples, for to learn -Chinese they have first to learn English. Then she married, and after -her little girl was born her husband died and so she took her treasure -home to educate her in Norway. But she died and, feeling her duty was -to the Chinese, back came the lonely mother, and when I met her she was -setting out for the little walled city in the hills where she dwelt -with some other women. A strangely lonely life, devoid of all pleasures, -theirs must have been. I was struck with the little things that pleased -this devoted woman, such little things, and we who may enjoy them -every day go calmly on our way and never appreciate them. She wore the -unbecoming Chinese dress, with her white hair drawn baek from her face, -and her blue eyes looked out wistfully as if she were loath to give up -hope that somewhere, somehow, in the world individual happiness, that -would be for her alone, would come to her. During the revolution they, -remembering the troubles and dangers of the Boxer time, had refugeed in -Tientsin, and the days there were evidently marked with a white stone in -her calendar. - -“It was so delightful,” she said in her pretty precise English, “to see -the European children in the gardens.” - -How her heart went out to those children. They reminded her, I suppose, -of the little girl she had left behind sleeping her last sleep among the -Norwegian mountains. - -“Oh, the children!” she sighed. “It brought a lump in your throat to -look at them!” - -It brought a lump in my throat to look at her as I saw her set out for -her home with two little black-eyed Chinese girls crowded in the litter -beside her. She was taking them home from the school at Fen Chou Fu. -The loneliness of her life! The sacrifice of it! I wonder if those three -women, shut away in that little walled town, made any converts. I doubt -it, for theirs, like the Yung Ning Chou mission, was purely a faith -mission. - -Unmarried women and widows were these three women. The Yung Ning Chou -mission consists of four old bachelors and three old maids. Not for a -moment do I suppose the majority of the Chinese believe they are what -they are, men and women living the lives of ascetics, giving up all -for their faith, and the absence of children in child-loving China must -seriously handicap them in their efforts to spread their faith. Think of -the weary years of those workers toiling so hopelessly in an alien land -among a poor and alien population, whose first impulse is certainly to -despise them. All honour to those workers even though they have failed -in their object so far as human eye can see, and even though that object -makes no appeal to people like me. - -[Illustration: 0155] - -[Illustration: 0156] - -[Illustration: 0157] - -And I passed on through Yung Ning Chou, on across the stony plateau, and -at last, at a village called Liu Lin Chen, I was brought up with a sharp -turn with a tale of Pai Lang. - -I was having my midday meal. Not that it was midday. It was four -o'clock, and I had breakfasted at 6 a.m.; but time is of no account -in China. Liu Lin Chen was the proper place at which to stop for the -noonday rest, so we did not stop till we arrived there, though the -badness of the road had delayed us. I was sitting in the inn-yard -waiting for Tsai Chih Fu to bring me the eternal hard-boiled eggs and -puffed rice when Mr Wang came up, accompanied by the two muleteers, -and they--that is, the two muleteers--dropped down to the ground and -clamoured, so I made out from his excited statements that the gates of -Sui Te Chou had been closed for the last four days on account of Pai -Lang! And Sui Te Chou was the first town I proposed to stop at after I -crossed the river! If I would go to Lan Chou Fu and on through Sin Kiang -to the Russian border through Sui Te Chou I must go. There was no other -way. These days in the mountains had shown me that to stray from the -caravan road was an utter impossibility. Had I been one of the -country people conversant with the language I think it would have been -impossible. As it was, I had my choice. I might go on or I might go -back. Mr Wang apparently thought there should be no doubt in my mind. -He evidently expected I would turn tail there and then, and I myself -realised--I had been realising ever since round the table in the mission -station at Ki Hsien we had read Dr Edwards' letter--that my journey -across the continent was ended; but to turn tail in this ignominious -fashion, having seen nothing, within, I suppose, twenty-five miles of -the Yellow River, with the country about me as peaceful as the road in -Kent in which I live at present, how could I? It was more peaceful, -in fact, for now at night searchlights stream across the sky, within a -furlong of my house bombs have been dropped and men have been killed, -and by day and by night the house rocks as motors laden with armament -and instruments of war thunder past. But there in Shansi in the fields -the people worked diligently, in the village the archway over which they -held theatrical representations was placarded with notices, and in the -inn-yard where I sat the people went about attending to the animals as -if there was nothing to be feared. And I felt lonely, and James Buchanan -sat close beside me because at the other side of the very narrow yard a -great big white dog with a fierce face and a patch of mange on his side -looked at him threateningly. - -“I'll have none of your drawing-room dogs here,” said he. - -But Buchanan's difficulties were solved when he appealed to me. I--and -I was feeling it horribly--had no one to appeal to. I must rely upon -myself. - -And then to add to my woes it began to rain, soft, gentle spring rain, -growing rain that must have been a godsend to the whole country-side. - -It stopped, and Mr Wang and the muleteers looked at me anxiously. - -“We will go on,” I said firmly, “to the Yellow River.” - -Their faces fell. I could see the disappointment, but still I judged I -might go in safety so far. - -“Don't they want to go?” I asked Mr Wang. - -“Repeat, please,” said he. So I repeated, and he said as he had said -before: - -“If you say 'Go,' mus' go.” - -And I said “Go.” - - - - -CHAPTER VII--CHINA'S SORROW - -It is better, says a Chinese proverb, “to hear about a thing than to -see it,” and truly on this journey I was much inclined to agree with -that dictum. - -We were bound for Hsieh Ts'un. I can't pronounce it, and I should not -like to swear to the spelling, but of one thing I am very sure, not one -of the inhabitants could spell it, or even know it was wrongly set forth -to the world, so I am fairly safe. - -We went under the archway with the theatrical notices at Liu Lin Chen, -under the arched gateway of the village, out into the open country, and -it began to rain again. It came down not exactly in torrents but good -steady growing rain. The roads when they were not slippery stones were -appalling quagmires, and my mule litter always seemed to be overhanging -a precipice of some sort. I was not very comfortable when that precipice -was only twenty feet deep, when it was more I fervently wished that I -had not come to China. I wished it more than once, and it rained and it -rained and it rained, silent, soaking, penetrating rain, and I saw the -picturesque mountain country through a veil of mist. - -Hsieh Ts'un is a little dirty straggling village, and as we entered it -through the usual archway with a watch tower above the setting sun broke -through the thick clouds and his golden rays strcamed down upon the -slippery wet cobblestones that paved the principal street. The golden -sunlight and the gorgeous rainbow glorified things a little, and they -needed glorifying. The principal inn, as usual, was a fairly large yard, -roughly paved, but swimming now in dirty water; there were stalls for -animals all round it, and there was a large empty shed where they stored -lime. It was stone-paved, and the roof leaked like a sieve, but here I -established myself, dodging as far as possible the holes in the roof and -drawing across the front of the shed my litter as a sort of protection, -for the inn, as usual with these mountain inns, had but one room. - -It was cold, it was dirty, and I realised how scarce foreigners must -be when through the misty, soaking rain, which generally chokes off a -Chinaman, crowds came to stand round and stare at me. I was stationary, -so the women came, dirty, ragged, miserable-looking women, supporting -themselves with sticks and holding up their babies to look at the -stranger while she ate. By and by it grew so cold I felt I must really -go to bed, and I asked Mr Wang to put it to the crowd that it was not -courteous to stare at the foreign woman when she wished to be alone, -and, O most courtly folk! every single one of those people went away. - -“You can have a bath,” said he, “no one will look”; and, all honour -give I to those poor peasants of Western Shansi, I was undisturbed. I am -afraid a lonely Chinese lady would hardly be received with such courtesy -in an English village were the cases reversed. - -Next day the rain still teemed down. The fowls pecked about the yard, -drenched and dripping; a miserable, mangy, cream-coloured dog or two -came foraging for a dinner, and the people, holding wadded coats and -oiled paper over their heads, came to look again at the show that had -come to the town; but there was no break in the grey sky, and there was -nothing to do but sit there shivering with cold, writing letters on my -little travelling table and listening to my interpreter, who talked with -the innkeeper and brought me at intervals that gentleman's views on the -doings of Pai Lang. - -Those views varied hour by hour. At first he was sure he was attacking -Sui Te Chou. That seemed to me sending the famous robber over -the country too quickly. Then it was _tufeis_--that is, bands of -robbers--that Sui Te Chou feared, and finally, boiled down, I came to -the conclusion that Sui Te Chou had probably shut her gates because the -country round was disturbed, and that she admitted no one who had not -friends in the city or could not in some way guarantee his good faith. -It served to show me my friends in Ki Hsien had been right, such -disturbed country would be no place for a woman alone. I suppose it was -the rain and the grey skies, but I must admit that day I was distinctly -unhappy and more than a little afraid. I was alone among an alien -people, who only regarded me as a cheap show; I had no one to take -counsel with, my interpreter only irritated me and, to add to my misery, -I was very cold. I have seldom put in a longer or more dreary day than -I did at Hsieh Ts'un. There was absolutely nothing to do but watch the -misty rain, for if I went outside and got wetter than I was already -getting under the leaking roof--I wore my Burberry--I had no possible -means of drying my clothes save by laying them on the hot _k'ang_ in the -solitary living-room of the inn, and that was already inhabited by many -humans and the parasites that preyed upon them. Therefore I stayed where -I was, compared my feet with the stumps of the women who came to visit -me--distinctly I was a woman's show--gave the grubby little children -raisins, and wondered if there was any fear of Pai Lang coming along -this way before I had time to turn back. If it kept on raining, would my -muleteers compel me to stay here till Pai Lang swept down upon us? -But no, that thought did not trouble me, first, because I momentarily -expected it to clear up, and secondly, because I was very sure that -any rain that kept me prisoner would also hold up Pai Lang. I could not -believe in a Chinaman, even a robber, going out in the rain if he could -help himself, any more than I could believe in it raining longer than a -day in China. - -“The people are not afraid,” I said to my interpreter as I looked at -a worn old woman in a much-patched blue cotton smock and trousers, her -head protected from the rain by a wadded coat in the last stages of -decrepitude; her feet made me shiver, and her finger-nails made me -crawl, the odour that came from her was sickening, but she liked to see -me write, and I guessed she had had but few pleasures in her weary life. - -“They not knowing yet,” said he; “only travellers know. They tell -innkeeper.” - -Yes, certainly the travellers would know best. - -And all day long he came, bringing me various reports, and said that, -according to the innkeeper, the last caravan that had passed through -had gone back on its tracks. I might have remembered it. I did remember -it--a long line of donkeys and mules. - -But the day passed, and the night passed, and the next day the sun came -out warm and pleasant, and all my doubts were resolved. My journey was -broken beyond hope, and I must go back, but turn I would not till I had -looked upon the Yellow River. - -We started with all our paraphernalia. We were to turn in our tracks -after tiffin, but Mr Wang and the muleteers were certain on that point, -everything I possessed must be dragged across the mountains if I hoped -to see it again, and I acquiesced, for I certainly felt until I got back -to civilisation I could not do without any of my belongings. - -Almost immediately we left the village we began to ascend the mountain -pass. Steeper and steeper it grew, and at last the opening in my mule -litter was pointing straight up to the sky, and I, seeing there -was nothing else for it, demanded to be lifted out and signified my -intention of walking. - -There was one thing against this and that was an attack of -breathlessness. Asthma always attacks me when I am tired or worried, and -now, with a very steep mountain to cross and no means of doing it except -on my own feet, it had its wicked way. My master of transport and Mr -Wang, like perfectly correct Chinese servants, each put a hand under my -elbows, and with Buchanan skirmishing around joyfully, rejoicing that -for once his mistress was sensible, the little procession started. It -was hard work, very hard work. When I could go no longer I sat down and -waited till I felt equal to starting again. On the one hand the mountain -rose up sheer and steep, on the other it dropped away into the gully -beneath, only to rise again on the other side. And yet in the most -inaccessible places were patches of cultivation and wheat growing. I -cannot imagine how man or beast kept a footing on such a slant, and -how they ploughed and sowed it passes my understanding. But most of the -mountain-side was too much even for them, and then they turned loose -their flocks, meek cream-coloured sheep and impudent black goats, to -graze on the scanty mountain pastures. Of course they were in charge of -a shepherd, for there were no fences, and the newly springing wheat must -have been far more attractive than the scanty mountain grasses. - -And then I knew it was worth it all--the long trek from Fen Chou Fu, -the dreary day at Hsieh Ts'un, the still more dreary nights, this stiff -climb which took more breath than I had to spare--for the view when -I arrived at a point of vantage was beautiful. These were strange -mountains. The road before me rose at a very steep angle, and all around -me were hill-sides whereon only a goat or a sheep might find foothold, -but the general effect looked at from a distance was not of steepness. -These were not mountains, rugged, savage, grand, they were gentle hills -and dales that lay about me; I had come through them; there were more -ahead; I could see them range after range, softly rounded, green and -brown and then blue, beautiful for all there were no trees, in an -atmosphere that was clear as a mirror after the rain of the day before. -Beautiful, beautiful, with a tender entrancing loveliness, is that view -over the country up in the hills that hem in the Yellow River as it -passes between Shansi and Shensi. Is it possible there is never anyone -to see it but these poor peasants who wring a hard livelihood from the -soil, and who for all their toil, which lasts from daylight to dark all -the year round, get from this rich soil just enough wheaten flour to -keep the life in them, a hovel to dwell in, and a few unspeakable -rags to cover their nakedness? As far as I could see, everyone was -desperately poor, and yet these hills hold coal and iron in close -proximity, wealth untold and unexploited. The pity of it! Unexploited, -the people are poor to the verge of starvation; worked, the delicate -loveliness of the country-side will vanish as the beauty of the Black -Country has vanished, and can we be sure that the peasant will benefit? - -[Illustration: 0166] - -[Illustration: 0167] - -Still we went up and up, and the climbing of these gentle wooing hills -I found hard. Steep it was, and at last, just when I felt I could not -possibly go any farther, though the penalty were that I should turn back -almost within sight of the river, I found that the original makers of -the track had been of the same opinion, for here was the top of the pass -with a tunnel bored through it, a tunnel perhaps a hundred feet long, -carefully bricked, and when we, breathless and panting, walked through -we came out on a little plateau with a narrow road wandering down a -mountain-side as steep as the one we had just climbed. There was the -most primitive of restaurants here, and the woman in charge--it was a -woman, and her feet were not bound--proffered us a thin sort of drink -like very tasteless barley water. At least now I know it was tasteless, -then I found it was nectar, and I sat on a stone and drank it -thankfully, gave not a thought to the dirt of the bowl that contained -it, and drew long breaths and looked around me. - -The hills rose up on either hand and away in the distance where they -opened out were the beautiful treeless hills of forbidden Shensi, just -as alluring, just as peaceful as the hills I had come through. It was -worth the long and toilsome journey, well worth even all my fears. - -Then we went down, down, but I did not dare get into my litter, the way -was too steep, the chances of going over too great, for it seems the -Chinese never make a road if by any chance they can get along without. -They were driven to bore a tunnel through the mountains, but they never -smooth or take away rocks as long as, by taking a little care, an animal -can pass without the certainty of going over the cliff. - -And at last through a cleft in the hills I saw one of the world's great -rivers and--was disappointed. The setting was ideal. The hills rose -up steep and rugged, real mountains, on either side, pheasants called, -rock-doves mourned, magpies chattered, overhead was a clear blue sky -just flecked here and there with fleecy clouds, beyond again were the -mountains of Shensi, the golden sunlight on their rounded tops, purple -shadow in their swelling folds, far away in the distance they melted -blue into the blue sky, close at hand they were green with the green -of springtime, save where the plough had just turned up patches of rich -brown soil, and at their foot rolled a muddy flood that looked neither -decent water nor good sound earth, the mighty Hoang-Ho, the Yellow -River, China's sorrow. China's sorrow indeed; for though here it was -hemmed in by mountains, and might not shift its bed, it looked as if it -were carrying the soul of the mountains away to the sea. - -There is a temple where the gully opens on to the river, a temple and -a little village, and the temple was crowded with blue-clad, -shabby-looking soldiers who promptly swarmed round me and wanted to -look in my baggage, that heavy baggage we were hauling for safety over -fourteen miles of mountain road. Presumably they were seeking arms. We -managed to persuade them there were none, and that the loads contained -nothing likely to disturb the peace, and then we went down to the river, -crossing by a devious, rocky and unpleasant path simply reeking of human -occupancy, and the inhabitants of that soldier village crowded round me -and examined everything I wore and commented on everything I did. - -They were there to guard the crossing; and far from me be it to say they -were not most efficient, but if so their looks belied them. They did not -even look toy soldiers. No man was in full uniform. Apparently they -wore odd bits, as if there were not enough clothes in the company to go -round, and they were one and all dirty, touzly, untidy, and all -smiling and friendly and good-tempered. I only picked them out from -the surrounding country people--who were certainly dirty and -poverty-stricken enough in all conscience--by the fact that the soldiers -had abandoned the queue which the people around, like all these country -people, still affect. The soldier wore his hair about four or five -inches long, sticking out at all angles, rusty-black, unkempt and -uncombed, and whether he ran to a cap or not, the result was equally -unworkmanlike. - -I conclude Chun Pu is not a very important crossing. What the road is -like on the Shensi side I do not know, but on the Shansi side I should -think the pass we had just crossed was a very effective safeguard. He -would be a bold leader who would venture to bring his men up that path -in the face of half-a-dozen armed men, and they need not be very bold -men either. Those soldiers did not look bold. They were kindly, though, -and they had women and children with them--I conclude their own, for -they nursed the grubby little children, all clad in grubby patches, very -proudly, took such good care they had a good view of the show--me--that -I could not but sympathise with their paternal affection and aid in -every way in my power. Generally my good-will took the form of raisins. -I was lavish now I had given up my journey, and my master of transport -distributed with an air as if I were bestowing gold and silver. - -He set out my table on the cobble-stones of the inn-yard in the -sunshine. I believe, had I been a really dignified traveller, I should -have put up with the stuffiness and darkness of the inn's one room, but -I felt the recurrent hard-boiled eggs and puffed rice, with a certain -steamed scone which contained more of the millstone and less of the -flour than was usual even with the scones of the country, were trials -enough without trying to be dignified in discomfort. - -And while I had my meal everybody took it in turns to look through the -finder of my camera, the women, small-footed, dirty creatures, much to -the surprise of their menfolk, having precedence. Those women vowed they -had never seen a foreigner before. Every one of them had bound feet, -tiny feet on which they could just totter, and all were clad -in extremely dirty, much-patched blue cotton faded into a dingy -dirt-colour. Most of them wore tight-fitting coverings of black cloth to -cover their scalps, often evidently to conceal their baldness, for many -of them suffered from “expending too much heart.” Baldness is caused, -say the Chinese half in fun, because the luckless man or woman has -thought more of others than of themselves. I am afraid they do not -believe it, or they may like to hide their good deeds, for they are -anything but proud of being bald. Most of the mouths, too, here, and -indeed all along the road, were badly formed and full of shockingly -broken and decayed teeth, the women's particularly. Wheaten flour, which -is the staple food of Shansi, is apparently not enough to make good -teeth. The people were not of a markedly Mongolian type. Already it -seemed as if the nations to the West were setting their seal upon them, -and some of the younger girls, with thick black hair parted in the -middle, a little colour in their cheeks, and somewhat pathetic, -wistful-looking faces, would have been good-looking in any land. - -Then I had one more good look at the river, my farthest point west on -the journey, the river I had come so far to see. It was all so peaceful -in the afternoon sunlight that it seemed foolish not to go on. The hills -of Shensi beckoned and all my fears fell from me. I wanted badly to -go on. Then came reason. It was madness to risk the _tufeis_ with whom -everyone was agreed Shensi swarmed. There in the brilliant sunshine, -with the laughing people around me, I was not afraid, but when night -fell--no, even if the soldiers would have allowed, which Mr Wang -declared they would not--I dared not, and I turned sadly and regretfully -and made my way back to Fen Chou Fu. - -Had I gone on I should have arrived in Russia with the war in full -swing, so on the whole? am thankful I had to flee before the _tufeis_ -of Shensi. Perhaps when the world is at peace I shall essay that -fascinating journey again. Only I shall look out for some companion, and -even if I take the matchless master of transport I shall most certainly -see to it that I have a good cook. - - - - -CHAPTER VIII--LAST DAYS IN CHINA - -Well, I had failed! The horrid word kept ringing in my ears, the still -more horrid thought was ever in my mind day and night as I retraced my -footsteps, and I come of a family that does not like to fail. - -I wondered if it were possible to make my way along the great -waterways of Siberia. There were mighty rivers there, I had seen them, -little-known rivers, and it seemed to me that before going West again I -might see something of them, and as my mules picked their way across the -streams, along the stony paths, by the walled cities, through the busy -little villages, already China was behind me, I was thinking of ways and -means by which I might penetrate Siberia. - -At Fen Chou Fu they were kind, but I knew they thought I had given in -too easily, that I had turned back at a shadow, but at T'ai Yuan Fu I -met the veteran missionary, Dr Edwards, and I was comforted and did not -feel so markedly that failure was branded all over me when he thanked -God that his letter had had the effect of making me consider carefully -my ways, for of one thing he was sure, there would have been but -one ending to the expedition. To get to Lan Chou Fu would have been -impossible. - -Still my mind was not quite at ease about the matter, and at intervals -I wondered if I would not have gone on had I had a good cook. Rather -a humiliating thought! It was a satisfaction when one day I met Mr -Reginald Farrer, who had left Peking with Mr Purdom to botanise in Kansu -ten days before I too had proposed to start West. - -“I often wondered,” said he, “what became of you and how you had got on. -We thought perhaps you might have fallen into the hands of White Wolf -and then------” He paused. - -Shensi, he declared, was a seething mass of unrest. It would have -spelled death to cross to those peaceful hills I had looked at from -the left bank of the Hoang-Ho. We discussed our travels, and we took -diametrically opposite views of China. But it is impossible to have -everything: one has to choose, and I prefer the crudeness of the new -world, the rush and the scramble and the progress, to the calm of the -Oriental. Very likely this is because I am a woman. In the East woman -holds a subservient position, she has no individuality of her own, and -I, coming from the newest new world, where woman has a very high place -indeed, is counted a citizen, and a useful citizen, could hardly be -expected to admire a state of society where her whole life is a torture -and her position is regulated by her value to the man to whom she -belongs. I put this to my friend when he was admiring the Chinese ladies -and he laughed. - -“I admit,” said he, “that a young woman has a”--well, he used a very -strong expression, but it wasn't strong enough--“of a time when she is -young, but, if she has a son, when her husband dies see what a position -she holds. That little old woman sitting on a _k'ang_ rules a whole -community.” - -And then I gave it up because our points of view were East and West. -But I am thankful that the Fates did not make me--a woman--a member of -a nation where I could have no consideration, no chance of happiness, no -great influence or power by my own effort, where recognition only came -if I had borne a son who was still living and my husband was dead. - -[Illustration: 0176] - -[Illustration: 0177] - -[Illustration: 0178] - -On my way back to T'ai Yuan Fu I stayed at no mission station except -at Fen Chou Fu; I went by a different route and spent the nights at -miserable inns that kindly charged me a whole penny for lodging and -allowed me to sleep in my litter in their yards, and about eighty _li_ -from Fen Chou Fu I came across evidences of another mission that would -be _anathema maranatha_ to the Nonconformists with whom I had been -staying. It is curious this schism between two bodies holding what -purports to be the same faith. I remember a missionary, the wife of a -doctor at Ping Ting Chou, who belonged to a sect called The Brethren, -who spoke of the Roman Catholics as if they were in as much need of -conversion as the ignorant Chinese around her. It made me smile; yet I -strongly suspect that Mr Farrer will put me in the same category as I -put my friend from Ping Ting Chou! However, here under the care of the -Alsatian Fathers the country was most beautifully cultivated. The -wheat was growing tall and lush in the land, emerald-green in the May -sunshine; there were avenues of trees along the wayside clothed in the -tender fresh green of spring, and I came upon a whole village, men and -boys, busy making a bridge across a stream. Never in China have I seen -such evidences of well-conducted agricultural industry; and the Fathers -were militant too, for they were, and probably are, armed, and in the -Boxer trouble held their station like a fort, and any missionaries -fleeing who reached them had their lives saved. I found much to commend -in that Roman Catholic mission, and felt they were as useful to the -country people in their way as were the Americans to the people of the -towns. - -Outside another little town the population seemed to be given over to -the making of strawboard, and great banks were plastered with squares of -it set out to dry, and every here and there a man was engaged in putting -more pieces up. It wras rather a comical effect to see the side of a -bank plastered with yellow squares of strawboard and the wheat springing -on top. - -All along the route still went caravans of camels, mules and donkeys, -and, strangest of all modes of conveyance, wheel-barrows, heavily laden -too. A wheel-barrow in China carries goods on each side of a great -wheel, a man holds up the shafts and wheels it, usually with a strap -round his shoulders, and in front either another man or a donkey is -harnessed to help with the traction. Hundreds of miles they go, over the -roughest way, and the labour must be very heavy; but wherever I went -in China this was impressed upon me, that man was the least important -factor in any work of production. He might be used till he failed and -then thrown lightly away without a qualm. There were plenty glad enough -to take his place. - -I have been taken to task for comparing China to Babylon, but I must -make some comparison to bring home things to my readers. This journey -through the country in the warm spring sunshine was as unlike a journey -anywhere that I have been in Europe, Africa or Australia as anything -could possibly be. It was through an old land, old when Europe was -young. I stopped at inns that were the disgusting product of the -slums; I passed men working in the fields who were survivals of an old -civilisation, and when I passed any house that was not a hovel it was -secluded carefully, so that the owner and his womenkind might keep -themselves apart from the proletariat, the serfs who laboured around -them and for them. - -Within a day's journey of T'ai Yuan Fu I came to a little town, Tsui Su, -where there was an extra vile inn with no courtyard that I could sleep -in, only a room where the rats were numerous and so fierce that they -drove Buchanan for refuge to my bed and the objectionable insects that -I hustled off the _k'ang_ by means of powdered borax and Keating's, -strewed over and under the ground sheet, crawled up the walls and -dropped down upon me from the ceiling. Poor Buchanan and I spent a -horrid night. I don't like rats anyway, and fierce and hungry rats on -the spot are far worse for keeping off sleep than possible robbers in -the future. All that night I dozed and waked and restrained Buchanan's -energies and vowed I was a fool for coming to China, and then in the -morning as usual I walked it all back, and was glad, for Mr Wang came -to me and, after the best personally conducted Cook's tourist style, -explained that here was a temple which “mus' see.” - -I didn't believe much in temples in these parts, but I went a little -way back into the town and came to a really wonderful temple, built, I -think, over nine warm springs--the sort of thing that weighed down the -scales heavily on Mr Farrer's side. What has a nation that could produce -such a temple to learn from the West? I shall never forget the carved -dragons in red and gold that climbed the pillars at the principal -entrance, the twisted trees, the shrines over the springs and the bronze -figures that stood guard on the platform at the entrance gate. The -steps up to that gate were worn and broken with the passing of many feet -through countless years; the yellow tiles of the roof were falling and -broken; from the figures had been torn or had fallen the arms that they -once had borne; the whole place was typical of the decay which China -allows to fall upon her holy places; but seen in the glamour of the -early morning, with the grass springing underfoot, the trees in full -leaf, the sunshine lighting the yellow roofs and the tender green of the -trees, it was gorgeous. Then the clouds gathered and it began to rain, -gentle, soft, warm, growing rain, and I left it shrouded in a seductive -grey mist that veiled its imperfections and left me a 'memory only of -one of the beautiful places of the earth that I am glad I have seen. - -At T'ai Yuan Fu I paid Mr Wang's fare back to Pao Ting Fu and bade him -a glad farewell. There may be worse interpreters in China, but I really -hope there are not many. He would have been a futile person in any -country; he was a helpless product of age-old China. I believe he did -get back safely, but I must confess to feeling on sending him away -much as I should do were I to turn loose a baby of four to find his way -across London. Indeed I have met many babies of four in Australia -who struck me as being far more capable than the interpreter who had -undertaken to see me across China. - -I was on the loose myself now. I was bent on going to Siberia; but the -matter had to be arranged in my own mind first, and while I did so I -lingered and spent a day or two at Hwailu; not that I wanted to see that -town--somehow I had done with China--but because the personality of Mr -and Mrs Green of the China Inland Mission interested me. - -Hwailu is a small walled city, exactly like hundreds of other little -walled cities, with walls four-square to each point of the compass, and -it is set where the hills begin to rise that divide Chihli from Shansi, -and beyond the mission station is a square hill called Nursing Calf -Fort. The hill has steep sides up which it is almost impossible to take -any animal, but there are about one hundred acres of arable land on top, -and this, with true Chinese thrift, could not be allowed to go untilled, -so the story goes that while a calf was young a man carried it up on -his back; there it grew to maturity, and with its help they ploughed the -land and they reaped the crops. It is a truly Chinese story, and very -likely it is true. It is exactly what the Chinese would do. - -At Hwailu, where they had lived for many years, Mr and Mrs Green were -engaged in putting up a new church, and with them I came in contact with -missionaries who had actually suffered almost to death at the hands of -the Boxers. It was thrilling to listen to the tales of their sufferings, -sitting there on the verandah of the mission house looking out on to the -peaceful flowers and shrubs of the mission garden. - -When the Boxer trouble spread to Hwailu and it was manifest the mission -house was no longer safe, they took refuge in a cave among the hills -that surround the town. Their converts and friends--for they had many -friends who were not converts--hardly dared come near them, and -death was very close. It was damp and cold in the cave though it was -summer-time, and by and by they had eaten all their food and drunk all -their water, and their hearts were heavy, for they feared not only for -themselves, but for what the little children must suffer. - -“I could not help it,” said Mrs Green, reproaching herself for being -human. “I used to look at my children and wonder how the saints _could_ -rejoice in martyrdom!” - -When they were in despair and thinking of coming out and giving -themselves up they heard hushed voices, and a hand at the opening of -the cave offered five large wheaten scones. Some friends, again not -converts, merely pagan friends, had remembered their sufferings. -Still they looked at the scenes doubtfully, and though the little -children--they were only four and six--held out their hands for them -eagerly, they were obliged to implore them not to eat them, they -would make them so desperately thirsty. But their Chinese friends were -thoughtful as well as kind, and presently came the same soft voice -again and a hand sending up a basketful of luscious cucumbers, cool and -refreshing with their store of water. - -But they could not stay there for ever, and finally they made their way -down to the river bank, the Ching River--the Clear River we called it, -and I have also heard it translated the Dark Blue River, though it was -neither dark, nor blue, nor clear, simply a muddy canal--and slowly made -their way in the direction of Tientsin, hundreds of miles away. That -story of the devoted little band's wanderings makes pitiful reading. -Sometimes they went by boat, sometimes they crept along in the kaoliang -and reeds, and at last they arrived at the outskirts of Hsi An--not -the great city in Shensi, but a small walled town on the Ching River -in Chihli. Western cities are as common in China as new towns in -English-speaking lands--and here they, hearing a band was after them, -hid themselves in the kaoliang, the grain that grows close and tall as -a man. They were weary and worn and starved; they were well-nigh -hopeless--at least I should have been hopeless--but still their faith -upheld them. It was the height of summer and the sun poured down his -rays, but towards evening the clouds gathered. If it rained they knew -with little children they must leave their refuge. - -“But surely, I know,” said Mrs Green, “the dear Lord will never let it -rain.” - -And as I looked at her I seemed to see the passionate yearning with -which she looked at the little children that the rain must doom to a -Chinese prison or worse. In among those thick kaoliang stalks they could -not stay. - -It rained, the heavy rain that comes in the Chinese summer, and the -fugitives crept out and gave themselves up. - -“It shows how ignorant we are, how unfit to judge for ourselves,” said -the teller of the tale fervently, “for we fell into the hands of a -comparatively merciful band, whereas presently the kaoliang was beaten -by a ruthless set of men whom there would have been no escaping, and who -certainly would have killed us.” - -But the tenderness of the most merciful band was a thing to be prayed -against. They carried the children kindly enough--the worst of Chinamen -seem to be good to children--but they constantly threatened their elders -with death. They were going to their death, that they made very clear to -them; and they slung them on poles by their hands and feet, and the pins -came out of the women's long hair--there was another teacher, a girl, -with them--and it trailed in the dust of the filthy Chinese paths. And -Mr Green was faint and weary from a wound in his neck, but still they -had no pity. - -Still these devoted people comforted each other. It was the will of the -Lord. Always was He with them. They were taken to Pao Ting Fu, Pao -Ting Fu that had just burned its own missionaries, and put in the gaol -there--and, knowing a Chinese inn, I wonder what can be the awfulness -of a Chinese gaol--and they were allowed no privacy. Mrs Green had -dysentery; they had not even a change of clothes; but the soldiers were -always in the rooms with them, or at any rate in the outer room, and -this was done, of course, of _malice prepense_, for no one values the -privacy of their women more than the Chinese. The girl got permission -to go down to the river to wash their clothes, but a soldier always -accompanied her, and always the crowds jeered and taunted as she went -along in the glaring sunshine, feeling that nothing was hidden from -these scornful people. Only strangely to the children were they kind; -the soldiers used to give them copper coins so that they might buy -little scones and cakes to eke out the scanty rations, and once--it -brought home to me, perhaps as nothing else could, the deprivations of -such a life--instead of buying the much-needed food the women bought -a whole pennyworth of hairpins, for their long hair was about their -shoulders, and though they brushed it to the best of their ability with -their hands it was to them an unseemly thing. - -And before the order came--everything is ordered in China--that their -lives were to be saved and they were to be sent to Tientsin the little -maid who had done so much to cheer and alleviate their hard lot lay -dying; the hardships and the coarse food had been too much for her. In -the filth and misery of the ghastly Chinese prison she lay, and, bending -over her, they picked the lice off her. Think of that, ye folk who guard -your little ones tenderly and love them as these missionaries who feel -called upon to convert the Chinese loved theirs. - -After all that suffering they went back, back to Hwailu and the -desolated mission station under the Nursing Calf Fort, where they -continue their work to this day, and so will continue it, I suppose, -to the end, for most surely their sufferings and their endurance have -fitted them for the work they have at heart as no one who has not so -suffered and endured could be fitted. And so I think the whirligig of -Time brings in his revenges. - -I walked through a tremendous dust-storm to the railway station at -the other side of the town, and the woman who had suffered these awful -things, and who was as sweet and charming and lovable a woman as I have -ever met, walked with me and bade me God-speed on my journey, and when -I parted from her I knew that among a class I--till I came to China--had -always strenuously opposed I had found one whom I could not only -respect, but whom I could love and admire. - -Going back to Pao Ting Fu was like going back to old friends. They had -not received my letter. Mr Wang had not made his appearance, so when -James Buchanan and I, attended by the master of transport, appeared upon -the scene on a hot summer day we found the missionary party having their -midday dinner on the verandah, and they received me--bless their kind -hearts!--with open arms, and proceeded to explain to me how very wise a -thing I had done in coming back. The moment I had left, they said, they -had been uncomfortable in the part they had taken in forwarding me on my -journey. - -It was very good of them. There are days we always remember all our -lives--our wedding day and such-like--and that coming back on the warm -summer's day out of the hot, dusty streets of the western suburb into -the cool, clean, tree-shaded compound of the American missionaries at -Pao Ting Fu is one of them. And that compound is one of the places in -the world I much want to visit again. - -There is another day, too, I shall not lightly forget. We called it the -last meeting of the Travellers' Club of Pao Ting Fu. There were only -two members in the club, Mr Long and I and an honorary member, James -Buchanan, and on this day the club decided to meet, and Mr Long asked me -to dinner. He lived in the Chinese college in the northern suburb. His -house was only about two miles away and it could be reached generally -by going round by the farms and graves, mostly graves, that cover the -ground by the rounded north-west corner of the wall of the city. Outside -a city in China is ugly. True, the walls are strangely old-world and the -moat is a relic of the past--useful in these modern times for disposing -of unwanted puppies; Pao Ting Fu never seemed so hard up for food as -Shansi--but otherwise the ground looks much as the deserted alluvial -goldfields round Ballarat used to look in the days of my youth; the -houses are ramshackle to the last degree, and all the fields, even when -they are green with the growing grain, look unfinished. But round the -north-west corner of Pao Ting Fu the graves predominate. There are -thousands and thousands of them. And on that particular day it rained, -it rained, and it rained, steady warm summer rain that only stopped -and left the air fresh and washed about six o'clock in the evening. -I ordered a rickshaw--a rickshaw in Pao Ting Fu is a very primitive -conveyance; but it was pleasantly warm, and, with James Buchanan on my -knee, in the last evening dress that remained to me and an embroidered -Chinese jacket for an opera cloak, I set out. I had started early -because on account of the rain the missionaries opined there might be a -little difficulty with the roads. However, I did not worry much because -I only had two miles to go, and I had walked it often in less than -three-quarters of an hour. I was a little surprised when my rickshaw man -elected to go through the town, but, as I could not speak the language, -I was not in a position to remonstrate, and I knew we could not come -back that way as at sundown all the gates shut save the western, and -that only waits till the last train at nine o'clock. - -It was muddy, red, clayey mud in the western suburb when we started, -but when we got into the northern part of the town I was reminded of the -tribulations of Fen Chou Fu in the summer rains, for the water was up to -our axles, the whole place was like a lake and the people were piling -up dripping goods to get them out of the way of the very dirty flood. My -man only paused to turn his trousers up round his thighs and then went -on again--going through floods was apparently all in the contract--but -we went very slowly indeed. Dinner was not until eight and I had given -myself plenty of time, but I began to wonder whether we should arrive at -that hour. Presently I knew we shouldn't. - -We went through the northern gate, and to my dismay the country in the -fading light seemed under water. From side to side and far beyond the -road was covered, and what those waters hid I trembled to think, for -a road at any time in China is a doubtful proposition and by no means -spells security. As likely as not there were deep holes in it. But -apparently my coolie had no misgivings. In he went at his usual snail's -pace and the water swirled up to the axles, up to the floor of the -rickshaw, and when I had gathered my feet up on the seat and we were in -the middle of the sheet of exceedingly dirty water the rickshaw coolie -stopped and gave me to understand that he had done his darnedest and -could do no more. He dropped the shafts and stood a little way off, -wringing the water out of his garments. It wasn't dangerous, of course, -but it was distinctly uncomfortable. I saw myself in evening dress -wading through two feet of dirty water to a clayey, slippery bank at -the side. I waited a little because the prospect did not please me, and -though there were plenty of houses round, there was not a soul in sight. -It was getting dark too, and it was after eight o'clock. - -Presently a figure materialised on that clayey bank and him I beckoned -vehemently. - -Now Pao Ting Fu had seen foreigners, not many, but still foreigners, -and they spell to it a little extra cash, so the gentleman on the bank -tucked up his garments and came wading over. He and my original friend -took a maddeningly long time discussing the situation, and then they -proceeded to drag the rickshaw sideways to the bank. There was a narrow -pathway along the top and they apparently decided that if they could get -the conveyance up there we might proceed on our journey. First I had to -step out, and it looked slippery enough to make me a little doubtful. -As a preliminary I handed James Buchanan to the stranger, because, as he -had to sit on my knee, I did not want him to get dirtier than necessary. -Buchanan did not like the stranger, but he submitted with a bad grace -till I, stepping out, slipped on the clay and fell flat on my back, when -he promptly bit the man who was holding him and, getting away, expressed -his sympathy by licking my face. Such a commotion as there was! My two -men yelled in dismay. Buchanan barked furiously, and I had some ado to -get on my feet again, for the path was very slippery. It was long past -eight now and could I have gone back I would have done so, but clearly -that was impossible, so by signs I engaged No. 2 man, whose wounds had -to be salved--copper did it--to push behind, and we resumed our way.... - -Briefly it was long after ten o'clock when I arrived at the college. My -host had given me up as a bad job long before and, not being well, had -gone to bed. There was nothing for it but to rouse him up, because I -wanted to explain that I thought I had better have another man to take -me home over the still worse road that I knew ran outside the city. - -He made me most heartily welcome and then explained to my dismay that -the men utterly declined to go any farther, declared no rickshaw could -get over the road to the western suburb and that I must have a cart. -That was all very well, but where was I to get a cart at that time of -night, with the city gates shut? - -Mr Long explained that his servant was a wise and resourceful man and -would probably get one if I would come in and have dinner. So the two -members of the Travellers' Club sat down to an excellent dinner--a -Chinese cook doesn't spoil a dinner because you are two hours late--and -we tried to take a flash-light photograph of the entertainment. Alas! -I was not fortunate that day; something went wrong with the magnesium -light and we burnt up most things. However, we ourselves were all right, -and at two o'clock in the morning Mr Long's servant's uncle, or cousin, -or some relative, arrived with a Peking cart and a good substantial -mule. I confess I was a bit doubtful about the journey home because I -knew the state of repair, or rather disrepair, of a couple of bridges -we had to cross, but they were negotiated, and just as the dawn was -beginning to break I arrived at the mission compound and rewarded the -adventurous men who had had charge of me with what seemed to them much -silver and to me very little. I have been to many dinners in my life, -but the last meeting of the Travellers' Club at Pao Ting Fu remains -engraved on my memory. - -Yet a little longer I waited in Pao Ting Fu before starting on my -Siberian trip, for the start was to be made from Tientsin and the -missionaries were going there in house-boats. They were bound for Pei Ta -Ho for their summer holiday and the first stage of the journey was down -the Ching River to Tientsin. I thought it would be rather a pleasant -way of getting over the country, and it would be pleasant too to have -company. I am not enamoured of my own society; I can manage alone, but -company certainly has great charms. - -So I waited, and while I waited I bought curios. - -In Pao Ting Fu in the revolution there was a great deal of looting done, -and when order reigned again it was as much as a man's life was worth -to try and dispose of any of his loot. A foreigner who would take the -things right out of the country was a perfect godsend, and once it was -known I was buying, men waited for me the livelong day, and I only -had to put my nose outside the house to be pounced upon by a would-be -seller. I have had as many as nine men selling at once; they -enlisted the servants, and china ranged round the kitchen floor, and -embroideries, brass and mirrors were stowed away in the pantry. Indeed -I and my followers must have been an awful nuisance to the missionaries. -They knew no English, but as I could count a little in Chinese, when -we could not get an interpreter we managed; and I expect I bought an -immense amount of rubbish, but never in my life have I had greater -satisfaction in spending money. More than ever was I pleased when I -unpacked in England, and I have been pleased ever since. - -Those sellers were persistent. They said in effect that never before had -they had such a chance and they were going to make the best of it. We -engaged house-boats for our transit; we went down to those boats, we -pushed off from the shore, and even then there were sellers bent on -making the best of their last chance. I bought there on the boat a royal -blue vase for two dollars and a quaint old brass mirror in a carved -wooden frame also for two dollars, and then the boatmen cleared off the -merchants and we started. - -I expect on the banks of the Euphrates or the Tigris in the days before -the dawn of history men went backwards and forwards in boats like these -we embarked in on the little river just outside the south gate of Pao -Ting Fu. We had three boats. Dr and Mrs Lewis and their children had the -largest, with their servants, and we all made arrangements to mess on -board their boat. Miss Newton and a friend had another, with more of the -servants, and I, like a millionaire, had one all to myself. I had parted -with the master of transport at Pao Ting Fu, but Hsu Sen, one of the -Lewis's servants, waited upon me and made up my bed in the open part of -the boat under a little roof. The cabins were behind, low little places -like rabbit hutches, with little windows and little doors through which -I could get by going down on my knees. I used them only for my luggage, -so was enabled to offer a passage to a sewing-woman who would be -exceedingly useful to the missionaries. She had had her feet bound in -her youth and was rather crippled in consequence, and she bought her own -food, as I bought my water, at the wayside places as we passed. She -was a foolish soul, like most Chinese women, and took great interest in -Buchanan, offering him always a share of her own meals, which consisted -apparently largely of cucumbers and the tasteless Chinese melon. Now -James Buchanan was extremely polite, always accepting what was offered -him, but he could not possibly eat cucumber and melon, and when I went -to bed at night I often came in contact with something cold and clammy -which invariably turned out to be fragments of the sewing-woman's meals -bestowed upon my courtly little dog. I forgave him because of his good -manners. There really was nowhere else to hide them. - -They were pleasant days we spent meandering down the river. We passed by -little farms; we passed by villages, by fishing traps, by walled cities. -Hsi An Fu, with the water of the river flowing at the foot of its -castellated walls, was like a city of romance, and when we came upon -little marketplaces by the water's edge the romance deepened, for -we knew then how the people lived. Sometimes we paused and bought -provisions; sometimes we got out and strolled along the banks in the -pleasant summer weather. Never have I gone a more delightful or more -unique voyage. And at last we arrived at Tientsin and I parted from my -friends, and they went on to Pei Ta Ho and I to Astor House to prepare -for my journey east and north. - -And so I left China, China where I had dwelt for sixteen months, China -that has been civilised so long and is a world apart, and now I sit in -my comfortable sitting-room in England and read what the papers say of -China; and the China I know and the China of the newspapers is quite a -different place. It is another world. China has come into the war. On -our side, of course: the Chinaman is far too astute to meddle with a -losing cause. But, after all, what do the peasants of Chihli and the -cave-dwellers in the _yaos_ of Shansi know about a world's war? The -very, very small section that rules China manages these affairs, and -the mass of the population are exactly as they were in the days of the -Cæsars, or before the first dynasty in Egypt for that matter. - -“China,” said one day to me a man who knew it well commercially, just -before I left, “was never in so promising a condition. All the taxes are -coming in and money was never so easy to get.” - -“There was a row over the new tax,” said a missionary sadly, in the part -I know well, “in a little village beyond there. The village attacked the -tax-collectors and the soldiers fell upon the villagers and thirteen men -were killed. Oh, I know they say it is only nominal, but what is merely -nominal to outsiders is their all to these poor villagers. They must pay -the tax and starve, or resist and be killed.” - -He did not say they were between the devil and the deep sea, because he -was a missionary, but I said it for him, and there were two cases like -that which came within my ken during my last month in China. - -The fact of the matter is, I suppose, that outsiders can only judge -generally, and China is true to type, the individual has never counted -there and he does not count yet. What are a few thousand unpaid soldiers -revolting in Kalgan? What a robber desolating Kansu? A score or two of -villagers killed because they could not pay a tax? Absolutely nothing in -the general crowd. I, being a woman, and a woman from the new nations -of the south, cannot help feeling, and feeling strongly, the individual -ought to count, that no nation can be really prosperous until the -individual with but few exceptions is well-to-do and happy. I should -like to rule out the “few exceptions,” but that would be asking too much -of this present world. At least I like to think that most people have -a chance of happiness, but I feel in China that not a tenth of the -population has that. - -[Illustration: 0194] - -[Illustration: 0195] - -China left a curious impression upon my mind. The people are courteous -and kindly, far more courteous than would be the same class of people -in England, and yet I came back from the interior with a strong -feeling that it is unsafe, not because of the general hostility of the -people--they are not hostile--but because suffering and life count for -so little. They themselves suffer and die by the thousand. - -“What! Bring a daughter-in-law to see the doctor in the middle of the -harvest! Impossible!” And yet they knew she was suffering agony, that -seeing the doctor was her only chance of sight! But she did not get it. -They were harvesting and no one could be spared! - -What is the life then of a foreign barbarian more or less? These -courteous, kindly, dirty folk who look upon one as a menagerie would -look on with equal interest at one's death. They might stretch out -a hand to help, just as a man in England might stop another from -ill-treating a horse, though for one who would put himself out two -would pass by with a shrug of the shoulders and a feeling that it wras -no business of theirs. Every day of their lives the majority look upon -the suffering of their women and think nothing of it. The desire of the -average man is to have a wife who has so suffered. I do not know whether -the keeping of the women in a state of subserviency has reacted upon -the nation at large, but I should think it has hampered it beyond words. -Nothing--nothing made me so ardent a believer in the rights of women as -my visit to China. - -“Women in England,” said a man to me the other day, a foreigner, one -of our Allies, “deserve the vote, but the Continental women are babies. -They cannot have it.” So are the Chinese women babies, very helpless -babies indeed, and I feel, and feel very strongly indeed, that until -China educates her women, makes them an efficient half of the nation, -not merely man's toy and his slave, China will always lag behind in the -world's progress. - -Already China is split up into “spheres of influence.” Whether she likes -it or not, she must realise that Russian misrule is paramount in -the great steppes of the north; Japan rules to a great extent in -the north-east, her railway from Mukden to Chang Ch'un is a model of -efficiency; Britain counts her influence as the most important along -the valley of the Yang Tze Kiang, and France has some say in Yunnan. -I cannot help thinking that it would be a great day for China, for the -welfare of her toiling millions, millions toiling without hope, if she -were partitioned up among the stable nations of the earth--that is to -say, between Japan, Britain and France. And having said so much, I refer -my readers to Mr Farrer for the other point of view. It is diametrically -opposed to mine. - - - - -CHAPTER IX--KHARBIN AND VLADIVOSTOK - -At Tientsin I sweltered in the Astor House, and I put it on record that -I found it hotter in Northern China than I did on the Guinea coast in -West Africa. It was probably, of course, the conditions under which I -lived, for the hotel had been so well arranged for the bitter winter -it was impossible to get a thorough draught of air through any of -the rooms. James Buchanan did not like it either, for in the British -concessions in China dogs come under suspicion of hydrophobia and have -always to be on the leash, wherefore, of course, I had to take the poor -little chap out into the Chinese quarter before he could have a proper -run, and he spent a great deal more time shut up in my bedroom than he -or I liked. - -But Tientsin was a place apart, not exactly Chinese as I know -China--certainly not Europe; it remains in my mind as a place where -Chinese art learns to accommodate itself to European needs. All the -nations of the world East and West meet there: in the British quarter -were the Sikhs and other Indian nationalities, and in the French the -streets were kept by Anamites in quaint peaked straw hats. I loved -those streets of Tientsin that made me feel so safe and yet gave me a -delightful feeling of adventure--adventure that cost me nothing; and I -always knew I could go and dine with a friend or come back and exchange -ideas with somebody who spoke my own tongue. But Tientsin wasn't any -good to me as a traveller. It has been written about for the last sixty -years or more. I went on. - -One night Buchanan and I, without a servant--we missed the servant we -always had in China--wended our way down to the railway station and -ensconced ourselves in a first-class carriage bound for Mukden. The -train didn't start till some ungodly hour of the night, but as it was in -the station I got permission to take my place early, and with rugs and -cushions made myself comfortable and was sound asleep long before we -started. When I wakened I was well on the way to my destination. - -I made friends with a British officer of Marines who, with his sister, -was coming back across Russia. He had been learning Japanese, and I -corrected another wrong impression. The British do sometimes learn a -language other than their own. At Mukden we dined and had a bath. I find -henceforth that all my stopping-places are punctuated by baths, or by -the fact that a bath was not procurable. A night and day in the train -made one desirable at Mukden, and a hotel run by capable Japanese made -it a delight. The Japanese, as far as I could see, run Manchuria; must -be more powerful than ever now Russia is out of it; Kharbin is Russian, -Mukden Japanese. The train from there to Chang Ch'un is Japanese, and -we all travelled in a large open carriage, clean and, considering how -packed it was, fairly airy. There was room for everybody to lie down, -just room, and the efficient Japanese parted me from my treasured James -Buchanan and put him, howling miserably, into a big box--rather a dirty -box; I suppose they don't think much of animals--in another compartment. -I climbed over much luggage and crawled under a good deal more to see -that all was right with him, and the Japanese guards looked upon me as -a mild sort of lunatic and smiled contemptuously. I don't like being -looked upon with contempt by Orientals, so I was a little ruffled when I -came back to my own seat. Then I was amused. - -Naturally among such a crowd I made no attempt to undress for the night, -merely contenting myself with taking off my boots. But the man next me, -a Japanese naval officer, with whom I conversed in French, had quite -different views. My French was rather bad and so was his in a different -way, so we did not get on very fast. I fear I left him with the -impression that I was an Austrian, for he never seemed to have heard -of Australia. However, we showed each other our good will. Then he -proceeded to undress. Never have I seen the process more nattily -accomplished. How he slipped out of blue cloth and gold lace into a -kimono I'm sure I don't know, though he did it under my very eyes, and -then, with praiseworthy forethought, he took the links and studs out -of his shirt and put them into a clean one ready for the morrow, stowed -them both away in his little trunk, settled himself down on his couch -and gave himself up to a cigarette and conversation. I smoked too--one -of his cigarettes--and we both went to sleep amicably, and with the -morning we arrived at Chang Ch'un, and poor little Buchanan made the -welkin ring when he saw me and found himself caged in a barred box. -However that was soon settled, and he told me how infinitely preferable -from a dog's point of view are the free and easy trains of Russia and -China to the well-managed ones of Japan. - -These towns on the great railway are weird little places, merely -scattered houses and wide roads leading out into the great plain, and -the railway comes out of the distance and goes away into the distance. -And the people who inhabit them seem to be a conglomeration of nations, -perhaps the residuum of all the nations. Here the marine officer and -his sister and I fell into the hands of a strange-looking individual who -might have been a cross between a Russian Pole and a Chinaman, with a -dash of Korean thrown in, and he undertook to take us to a better hotel -than that usually-frequented by visitors to Chang Ch'un. I confess I -wonder what sort of people do visit Chang Ch'un, not the British tourist -as a rule, and if the principal hotel is worse than the ramshackle place -where we had breakfast, it must be bad. Still it was pleasant in the -brilliant warm sunshine, even though it was lucky we had bathed the -night before at Mukden, for the best they could do here was to show us -into the most primitive of bedrooms, the very first effort in the way of -a bedroom, I should think, after people had given up _k'angs_, and there -I met a very small portion of water in a very small basin alongside an -exceedingly frowsy bed and made an effort to wash away the stains of -a night's travel. Now such a beginning to the day would effectually -disgust me; then, fresh from the discomforts of Chinese travel, I found -it all in the day's work. - -I found too that I had made a mistake and not brought enough money with -me. Before I had paid for Buchanan's ticket I had parted with every -penny I possessed and could not possibly get any more till I arrived -at the Hong Kong and Shanghai Bank at Kharbin. I am rather given to a -mistake of that sort; I always feel my money is so much safer in the -bank's charge than in mine. - -We went on through fertile Manchuria and I saw the rich fields that -coming out I had passed over at night. This train was Russian, and -presently there came along a soldier, a forerunner of an officer -inspecting passengers and carriages. Promptly his eye fell on Buchanan, -who was taking an intelligent interest in the scenery--he always -insisted on looking out of the window--and I, seeing he, the soldier, -was troubled, tried to tell him my intentions were good and I would pay -at Kharbin; but I don't think I made myself understood, for he looked -wildly round the compartment, seized the little dog, pushed him in -a corner and threw a cushion over him. Both Buchanan and I were so -surprised we kept quite still, and the Russian officer looked in, saw a -solitary woman holding out her ticket and passed on, and not till he -was well out of the way did James Buchanan, who was a jewel, poke up his -pretty little head and make a few remarks upon the enormity of smuggling -little dogs without paying their fares, which was evidently what I was -doing. - -We arrived at Kharbin about nine o'clock at night, and as I stepped out -on to a platform, where all the nations of the earth, in dirty clothes, -seemed yelling in chorus, a man came along and spoke to me in English. -The soldier who had aided and abetted in the smuggling of Buchanan was -standing beside me, evidently expecting some little remembrance, and I -was meditating borrowing from the officer of Marines, though, as they -were going on and I was not, I did not much like it. And the voice in -English asked did I want a hotel. I did, of course. The man said he was -the courier of the Grand Hotel, but he had a little place of his own -which was much better and he could make me very comfortable. Then I -explained I could not get any money till the bank opened next day and -he spread out his hands as a Chinaman might have done. “No matter, no -matter,” he would pay, his purse was mine. - -Would I go to his house? - -Could I do anything else under the circumstances? And I promptly took -him at his word and asked for a rouble--Kharbin is China, but the rouble -was the current coin--and paid off the soldier for his services. I bade -farewell to my friends and in a ramshackle droshky went away through the -streets of Kharbin, and we drove so far I wondered if I had done wisely. -I had, as it turned out. - -But I heard afterwards that even in those days anything might have -happened in Kharbin, where the population consists of Japanese and -Chinese and Russians and an evil combination of all three, to say -nothing of a sprinkling of rascals from all the nations of the earth. - -“There is not,” said a man who knew it well, “a decent Chinaman in the -whole place.” - -In fact to all intents and purposes it is Russian. There were Russian -students all in uniform in the streets, and bearded, belted drivers -drove the droshkies with their extra horse in a trace beside the shafts, -just as they did in Russia. Anyhow it seems to me the sins of Kharbin -would be the vigorous primal sins of Russia, not the decadent sins of -old-world China. - -Kharbin when I was there in 1914 had 60,000 inhabitants and 25,000 -Russian soldiers guarding the railway in the district. The Russian -police forbade me to take photographs, and you might take your choice: -Chinese _hung hu tzes_ or Russian brigands would rob and slay you on -your very doorstep in the heart of the town. At least they would in -1914, and things are probably worse now. All the signs are in Russian -and, after the Chinese, looked to me at first as if I should be able to -understand them, but closer inspection convinced me that the letters, -though I knew their shape, had been out all night and were coming home -in not quite the condition we would wish them to be. There is a Chinese -town without a wall a little way over the plain--like all other Chinese -towns, a place of dirt and smells--and there is a great river, the -Sungari, a tributary of the Amur, on which I first met the magnificent -river steamers of these parts. Badly I wanted to photograph them, but -the Russian police said “No, no,” I would have to get a permit from -the colonel in command before that could be allowed, and the colonel in -command was away and was not expected back till the middle of next week, -by which time I expected to be in Vladivostok, if not in Kharbarosvk, -for Kharbin was hardly inviting as a place of sojourn for a traveller. -Mr Poland, as he called himself, did his best for me. He gave me a -fairly large room with a bed in it, a chair, a table and a broken-down -wardrobe that would not open. He had the family washing cleared out of -the bath, so that I bathed amidst the fluttering damp garments of his -numerous progeny, but still there was a bath and a bath heater that with -a certain expenditure of wood could be made to produce hot water; and -if it was rather a terrifying machine to be locked up with at close -quarters, still it did aid me to arrive at a certain degree of -cleanliness, and I had been long enough in China not to be carping. - -But it is dull eating in your bedroom, and I knew I had not done wisely, -for even if the principal hotel had been uncomfortable--I am not saying -it was, because I never went there--it would have been more amusing to -watch other folks than to be alone. - -The day after I arrived I called upon Mr Sly, the British consul, and I -was amused to hear the very dubious sounds that came from his room when -I was announced. - -I cleared the air by saying hastily: “I'm not a distressed British -subject and I don't want any money,” though I'm bound to say he looked -kind enough to provide me with the wherewithal had I wanted it. Then he -shook his head and expressed his disapproval of my method of arrival. - -“The last man who fell into Kharbin like that,” said he, “I hunted for -a week, and two days later I attended his funeral,” so badly had he been -man-handled. But that man, it seems, had plenty of money; it was wisdom -he lacked. My trouble was the other way, certainly as far as money was -concerned. It would never have been worth anyone's while to harm me for -the sake of my possessions. I had fallen into the hands of a Polish -Jew named Polonetzky, though he called himself Poland to me, feeling, I -suppose, my English tongue was not equal to the more complicated word, -and he dwelt in the Dome Stratkorskaya--remember Kharbin is China--and -I promised if he dealt well by me that I would recommend his -boarding-house to all my friends bound for Kharbin. He did deal well by -me. So frightened was he about me that he would not let me out of his -sight, or if he were not in attendance his wife or his brother was -turned on to look after me. - -“I am very good friends,” said he, “with Mr Sly at present. I do not -want anything to happen.” - -Mr Sly, we found, knew one of my brothers and he very kindly asked me -to dinner. That introduced me to the élite of the place, and after -dinner--Chinese cooks are still excellent on the borders--we drove in -his private carriage and ended the evening in the public gardens. -The coachmen here are quite gorgeous affairs; no matter what their -nondescript nationality--they are generally Russians, I think, though I -have seen Chinamen, Tartars, driving like Jehu the son of Nimshi--they -wear for full livery grey beaver hats with curly brims like Johnny -Walker or the Corinthians in the days of the Regent. It took my breath -away when I found myself bowling along behind two of these curly brimmed -hats that I thought had passed away in the days of my grandfather. - -The gardens at Kharbin are a great institution. There in the summer's -evening the paths were all lined with lamps; there were open-air -restaurants; there were bands and fluttering flags; there were the most -excellent ices and insidious drinks of all descriptions, and there were -crowds of gaily dressed people--Monte Carlo in the heart of Central -Asia! Kharbin in the summer is hot, very hot, and Kharbin in the winter -is bitter cold. It is all ice and snow and has a temperature that ranges -somewhere down to 40° Fahrenheit below zero, and this though the sun -shines brilliantly. It is insidious cold that sneaks on you and takes -you unawares, not like the bleak raw cold of England that makes the very -most of itself. They told me a tale of a girl who had gone skating and -when she came off the ice found that her feet were frozen, though she -was unaware of her danger and had thought them all right. Dogs are often -frozen in the streets and Chinamen too, for the Chinaman has a way of -going to sleep in odd places, and many a one has slept his last sleep in -the winter streets of Kharbin--the wide straggling streets with houses -and gardens and vacant spaces just like the towns of Australia. A -frontier town it is in effect. We have got beyond the teeming population -of China. - -And then I prepared to go first east to Vladivostok and then north -to Siberia, and I asked advice of both the British consul and my -self-appointed courier, Mr Poland. - -Certainly he took care of me, and the day before I started east he -handed me over to his wife and suggested she should take me to the -market and buy necessaries for my journey. It was only a little over -twenty-four hours so it did not seem to me a matter of much consequence, -but I felt it would be interesting to walk through the market. It was. - -This class of market, I find, is very much alike all over the world -because they sell the necessaries of life to the people and it is only -varied by the difference of the local products. Kharbin market was -a series of great sheds, and though most of the stalls were kept by -Chinamen, it differed from a market in a Chinese town in the fact that -huge quantities of butter and cheese and cream were for sale. Your true -Chinaman is shocked at the European taste for milk and butter and cream. -He thinks it loathsome, and many a man is unable to sit at table and -watch people eat these delicacies. Just as, of course, he is shocked at -the taste that would put before a diner a huge joint of beef or mutton. -These things Chinese refinement disguises. I suspect the proletariat -with whom I came in contact in Shansi would gladly eat anything, but -I speak of the refined Chinaman. Here in this market, whether he was -refined or not, he had got over these fancies and there was much butter -and delicious soured cream for sale. My Polish Jewess and I laboured -under the usual difficulty of language, but she made me understand I had -better buy a basket for my provisions, a plate, a knife, a fork--I had -left these things behind in China, not thinking I should want them--a -tumbler and a couple of kettles. No self-respecting person, according to -her, would dream of travelling in Siberia without at least a couple -of kettles. I laid in two of blue enamel ware and I am bound to say I -blessed her forethought many and many a time. - -Then we proceeded to buy provisions, and here I lost my way. She engaged -a stray Chinaman, at least I think he was a Chinaman, with a dash of the -gorilla in him, to carry the goods, and I thought she was provisioning -her family against a siege or that perhaps there was only one market -a month in Kharbin. Anyhow I did not feel called upon to interfere. It -didn't seem any concern of mine and she had a large little family. We -bought bread in large quantities, ten cucumbers, two pounds of butter, -two pounds of cream--for these we bought earthenware jars--two dozen -bananas, ten eggs and two pounds of tea. And then I discovered these -were the provisions for my journey to Vladivostok, twenty-seven hours -away! I never quite knew why I bought provisions at all, for the train -stopped at stations where there were restaurants even though there was -no restaurant car attached to it. Mr Sly warned me to travel first class -and I had had no thought of doing aught else, for travelling is very -cheap and very good in Russia, but Mr Poland thought differently. - -“I arrange,” said he, “I arrange, and you see if you are not -comfortable.” - -I am bound to say I was, very comfortable, for Buchanan and I had a -very nice second-class carriage all to ourselves. At every station a -conductor appeared to know if I wanted boiling water, and we had any -amount of good things to eat, for the ten eggs had been hard boiled -by Mrs “Poland,” and the bread and butter and cream and cucumbers and -bananas were as good as ever I have tasted. I also had two pounds of -loaf sugar, German beet, I think, and some lemons. - -And so we went east through the wooded hills of Manchuria. They were -covered with lush grass restfully green, and there were flowers, purple -and white and yellow and red, lifting their starry faces to the cloudy -sky, and a soft damp air blew in through the open window. Such a change -it was after China, with its hard blue skies, brilliant sunshine and -dry, invigorating air. But the Manchus were industrious as the Chinese -themselves, and where there were fields the crops were tended -as carefully as those in China proper, only in between were the -pasture-lands and the flowers that were a delight to me, who had not -seen a flower save those in pots since I came to China. - -I spread out my rugs and cushions and, taking off my clothes and getting -into a kimono--also bought in the Kharbin market; a man's kimono as the -women's are too narrow--I slept peacefully, and in the morning I found -we had climbed to the top of the ridge, the watershed, the pleasant -rain was falling softly, all around was the riotous green, and peasants, -Russian and Chinese, came selling sweet red raspberries in little -baskets of green twigs. - -And the flowers, the flowers of Siberia! After all I had heard about -them, they were still something more beautiful than I could have hoped -for; and then the rain passed, the life-giving rain, the rain that -smoothed away all harshness and gave such a charm and a softness to the -scenery. And it was vast. China was so crowded I never had a sense of -vastness there; but this was like Australia, great stretches of land -under the sky, green, rich lush green, and away in the distance was a -dim line of blue hills. Then would come a little corrugated-iron-roofed -town sprawled out over the mighty plain, a pathway to it across the -surrounding green, and then the sun came out and the clouds threw great -shadows and there was room to see the outline of their shapes on the -green grass. - -There were Chinese still on the stations, but they were becoming more -and more Russianised. They still wore queues, but they had belted -Russian blouses and top-boots, and they mixed on friendly terms with -flaxen-haired, blue-eyed Russians similarly attired. And the evening -shadows gathered again and in the new world we steamed into Vladivostok. - -The Russians I came across did not appreciate fresh air. The porter of a -hotel captured me and Buchanan, and when we arrived on a hot July night -I was shown into a bedroom with double windows hermetically sealed and -the cracks stopped up with cotton wool! - -I protested vehemently and the hotel porter looked at me in -astonishment. Tear down those carefully stopped-up cracks! Perish the -thought. However, I persuaded him down that cotton wool must come, and -he pulled it down regretfully. I called at the British consulate next -day and asked them to recommend me to the best hotel, but they told me -I was already there and could not better myself, so I gave myself up -to exploring the town in the Far East where now the Czech Slovaks have -established themselves. - -It is a beautifully situated town set in the hills alongside a narrow -arm of the sea, rather a grey sea with a grey sky overhead, and the -hills around were covered with the luxuriant green of midsummer, -midsummer in a land where it is winter almost to June. The principal -buildings in Vladivostok are rather fine, but they are all along the -shore, and once you go back you come into the hills where the wood-paved -streets very often are mere flights of steps. It is because of that -sheltered arm of the sea that here is a town at all. - -Along the shore are all manner of craft. The British fleet had come on -a visit, and grey and grim the ships lay there on the grey sea, like a -Turner picture, with, for a dash of colour, the Union Jacks. The Russian -fleet was there too, welcoming their guests, and I took a boat manned -by a native of the country, Mongolian evidently, with, of course, an -unknown tongue, but whether he was Gold or Gilyak I know not. He was a -good boatman, for a nasty little sea got up and James Buchanan told me -several times he did not like the new turn our voyaging had taken, and -then, poor little dog, he was violently sick. I know the torments of -sea-sickness are not lightly to be borne, so after sailing round the -fleets I went ashore and studied the shipping from the firm land. - -I was glad then that Mr Sly at Kharbin had insisted that I should see -the Russian port. The whole picture was framed in green, soft tender -green, edged with grey mist, and all the old forgotten ships of wood, -the ships that perhaps were sailed by my grandfather in the old East -India Company, seemed to have found a resting-place here. They were -drawn up against the shore or they were going down the bay with all -their sails set, and the sunlight breaking through the clouds touched -the white sails and made them mountains of snow. There was shipbuilding -going on too, naturally--for are there not great stores of timber in the -forests behind?--and there were ships unloading all manner of things. -Ships brought vegetables and fruit; ships brought meat; there were -fishing-boats, hundreds of them close against each other along the -shore, and on all the small ships, at the mast-heads, were little -fluttering white butterflies of flags. What they were there for I do -not know, or what they denoted. Oh, the general who commands the Czech -Slovaks has a splendid base. I wish him all success. And here were the -sealing-ships, the ships that presently would go up to the rookeries to -bring away the pelts. - -One of my brothers was once navigating lieutenant on the British ship -that guarded the rookeries “north of 53°,” and I remembered, as Buchanan -and I walked along the shore, the tales he had told me of life in these -parts. His particular ship had acquired two sheep, rather an acquisition -for men who had lived long off the Chinese coast, and had a surfeit of -chickens; so while they were eating one, thinking to save the other a -long sea voyage they landed him on an island, giving him in charge of -the man, an Aleut Indian, my brother called him, who ruled the little -place. Coming back they were reduced to salt and tinned food, but they -cheered themselves with thoughts of the mutton chops that should regale -them when they met again their sheep. Alas for those sailor-men! They -found the Indian, but the sheep was not forthcoming. - -His whilom guardian was most polite. He gave them to understand he was -deeply grieved, but unfortunately he had been obliged to slay the sheep -as he was killing the fowls! - -The ward-room mess realised all too late that mutton was appreciated in -other places than on board his Majesty's ships. - -I thought all the races of the earth met in Kharbin, but I don't know -that this port does not run it very close. There were Japanese, Chinese, -Russians, Koreans in horsehair hats and white garments; there were the -aboriginal natives of the country and there were numberless Germans. -And then, in July, 1914, these people, I think, had no thought of the -World's War. - -And here I came across a new way of carrying, for all the porters had -chairs strapped upon their backs and the load, whatever it was, was -placed upon the chair. Of all ways I have seen, that way strikes me as -being the best, for the weight is most evenly distributed. Most of the -porters, I believe, were Koreans, though they did not wear white; nor -did they wear a hat of any description; their long black, hair was -twisted up like a woman's, but they were vigorous and stalwart. We left -weakness behind us in China. Here the people looked as if they were -meat-fed, and though they might be dirty--they generally were--they all -looked as if they had enough. - -Always the principal streets were thronged with people. At night the -town all lighted up is like a crescent of sparkling diamonds flung -against the hill-sides, and when I went to the railway station to take -train for Kharbarosvk, thirty hours away, at the junction of the Ussuri -and the Amur, that large and spacious building was a seething mass of -people of apparently all classes and all nationalities, and they were -giving voice to their feelings at the top of their lungs. Everybody, I -should think, had a grievance and was makin the most of it. I had not -my capable Mr Poland to arrange for me, so I went first class--the exact -fare I have forgotten, but it was ridiculously low--and Buchanan and I -had a compartment all to ourselves. Indeed I believe we were the only -first-class passengers. I had my basket and my kettles and I had laid in -store of provisions, and we went away back west for a couple of hours, -and then north into the spacious green country where there was room and -more than room for everybody. - - - - -CHAPTER X--ONE OF THE WORLD'S GREAT RIVERS - -All the afternoon we went back on our tracks along the main line, the -sea on one side and the green country, riotous, lush, luxuriant, on the -other, till at last we reached the head of the gulf and took our last -look at the Northern Sea; grey like a silver shield it spread before us, -and right down to the very water's edge came the vivid green. And then -we turned inland, and presently we left the main line and went north. -Above was the grey sky, and the air was soft and cool and delicious. -I had had too much stimulation and I welcomed, as I had done the rains -after the summer in my youth, the soft freshness of the Siberian summer. - -There were soldiers everywhere, tall, strapping, virile Russians; there -were peasants in belted, blouses, with collars all of needlework; and -there were Chinese, Japanese, Koreans, and the natives of the country, -men with a strong Mongolian cast of countenance. The country itself was -strangely empty after teeming China, but these all travelled by train -or were to be found on the railway stations and at the fishing stations -that we passed, but apparently I was the only bloated aristocrat who -travelled first class. In normal times this made travelling fairly easy -in Russia, for it was very cheap and you could generally get a carriage -to yourself. - -Oh! but it was lovely; the greenness of the country was a rest to eyes -wearied with the dust and dirt of China. And there were trees--not trees -denuded of all but enough timber to make a bare livelihood possible, but -trees growing luxuriantly in abundant leaf after their own free will, -oaks and firs and white-stemmed, graceful birches bending daintily -before the soft breeze. At the stations the natives, exactly like -Chinamen, dirty and in rags, brought strawberries for sale; and there -were always flowers--purple vetches and gorgeous red poppies, tall -foxgloves and blue spikes of larkspur. The very antithesis of China it -was, for this was waste land and undeveloped. The very engines were run -with wood, and there were stacks of wood by the wayside waiting to be -burnt. I was sorry--I could not but be sorry. I have seen my own people -cut down the great forests of Western Victoria, and here were people -doing the same, with exactly the same wanton extravagance, and in this -country, with its seven months of bitter winter, in all probability the -trees take three times as long to come to maturity. But it is virgin -land, this glorious fertile country, and was practically uninhabited -till the Russian Government planted here and there bands of Cossacks -who, they say, made no endeavour to develop the land. The Koreans and -the Japanese and the Chinese came creeping in, but the Russians made -an effort to keep them out. But still the population is scanty. Always, -though it was before the war, there were soldiers--soldiers singly, -soldiers in pairs, soldiers in little bands; a horseman appeared on a -lonely road, he was a soldier; a man came along driving a cart, he was a -soldier; but the people we saw were few, for the rigours of this lovely -land in the winter are terrible, and this was the dreaded land where -Russia sent her exiles a long, long way from home. - -Farther we went into the hills; a cuckoo called in the cool and dewy -morning; there were lonely little cottages with wooden roofs and log -walls; there were flowering creepers round the windows, and once I saw -a woman's wistful face peeping out at the passing train, the new train -that at last was bringing her nearer the old home and that yet seemed to -emphasise the distance. We went along by a river, the Ussuri, that wound -its way among the wooded green hills and by still pools of water that -reflected in their depths the blue sky, soft with snow-white clouds. A -glorious land this land of exile! At the next station we stopped at -the people were seated at a table having a meal under the shade of the -trees. Then there was a lonely cross of new wood; someone had been laid -in his long last home in the wilderness and would never go back to -Holy Russia again; and again I thought of the woman's wistful face that -peered out of the flower-bordered window. - -This is a new line. Formerly the way to Kharbarosvk was down the Amur -river from the west, and that, I suppose, is why all this country of the -Amur Province south and east of the river is so lonely. - -As we neared Kharbarosvk came signs of settlement, the signs of -settlement I had been accustomed to in Australia. There were tree -stumps, more and more, and anything more desolate than a forest of -newly cut tree stumps I don't know. It always spells to me ruthless -destruction. I am sure it did here, for they cut down recklessly, -sweeping all before them. It seemed to cry out, as all newly settled -land that ever I have seen, and I have seen a good deal, the distaste of -the people who here mean to make their homes. These are not our trees, -they say; they are not beautiful like the trees of our own old home; let -us cut them down, there are plenty; by and by when we have time, when -we are settled, we will plant trees that really are worth growing. We -shall not see them, of course, our children will benefit little; but -they will be nice for our grandchildren, if we hold on so long. But -no one believes they will stay so long; they hope to make money and go -back. Meanwhile they want the timber, but they neglect to plant fresh -trees. - -They wanted the timber to build Kharbarosvk. This is a town of the -outposts, a frontier town; there are no towns like it in the British -Isles, where they value their land and build towns compactly, but I have -seen its counterpart many a time in Australia, and I know there must be -its like in America and Canada. It straggled all along the river bank, -and its wide streets, streets paved, or rather floored, here and there -with planks of wood, were sparsely planted with houses. In one respect -Australian towns of the frontier are much wiser. When there is a train -they do build their stations with some regard for the comfort and -convenience of the inhabitants. In Russia wherever I have been the -railway station is a long distance, sometimes half-an-hour's drive, from -the town it serves. I suppose it is one of the evils of the last bad -regime and that in the future, the future which is for the people, it -will be remedied, but it is difficult to see what purpose it serves. I -had to get a droshky to the hotel. We drove first along a country road, -then through the wide grass-grown streets of the town, and I arrived -at the principal hotel, kept by a German on Russian lines, for the -restaurant was perfectly distinct from the living-rooms. I put it on -record it was an excellent restaurant; I remember that cold soup--the -day was hot--and that most fragrant coffee still. - -From the windows of my bedroom I saw another of the world's great -rivers. I looked away over a wide expanse of water sparkling in the -sunshine: it was the junction of the Ussuri and the Amur, and it was -like a great lake or the sea. It was very, very still, clear as glass, -and the blue sky and white clouds were reflected in it, and there were -green islands and low green banks. All was colour, but soft colour -without outlines, like a Turner picture. - -The Amur is hard frozen for about five months of the year and for about -two more is neither good solid ice nor navigable water. It is made by -the joining of the Shilka and the Aigun in about lat. 53° N. 121° E., -and, counting in the Shilka, must be nearly three thousand miles in -length, and close on two thousand miles have I now travelled. I -don't know the Amur, of course, but at least I may claim to have been -introduced to it, and that, I think, is more than the majority of -Englishmen may do. And oh, it is a mighty river! At Kharbarosvk, over a -thousand versts--about six hundred and forty miles--from the sea, it -is at least a mile and a third wide, and towards the mouth, what with -backwaters and swamps, it takes up sometimes about forty miles of -country, while the main channel is often nearly three miles wide. It -rises in the hills of Trans-Baikal--the Yablonoi Mountains we used to -call them when I was at school. Really I think it is the watershed that -runs up East Central Siberia and turns the waters to the shallow Sea of -Okhotsk; and it cuts its way through wooded hills among rich land hardly -as yet touched by agriculture, beautiful, lovely hills they are, steep -and wooded. It climbs down into the flat country and then again, just -before it reaches the sea, it is in the hills, colder hills this time, -though the Amur falls into the sea on much the same parallel of latitude -as that which sees it rise, only it seems to me that the farther you get -east the colder and more extreme is the climate. For Nikolayeusk at the -mouth is in the same latitude as London, but as a port it is closed for -seven months of the year. True, the winter in Siberia is lovely, bright, -clear cold, a hard, bright clearness, but the thermometer is often down -below -40° - -Fahrenheit, and when that happens life is difficult for both man and -beast. No wonder it is an empty river. The wonder to me is that there -should be so much life as there is. For in those five months that it -is open fine large steamers run from Nikolayeusk by Ivharbarosvk to -Blagovesehensk, and smaller ones, but still rather fine, to Stretensk, -where river navigation, for steamers of any size at any rate, ceases. -There are the two months, April-May, September-October, when the river -cannot be used at all, and there are the winter months when it may be, -and is to a certain extent, used as a road, but with the thermometer -down far below zero no one is particularly keen on travelling. It has -its disadvantages. So most of the travelling is done in the summer -months and in 1914 the steamers were crowded. Now, I suppose, they are -fighting there. It is a country well worth fighting for. - -It was a curious contrast, the lonely empty river and the packed -steamer. It was an event when we passed another; two made a crowd; -and very, very seldom did we pass more than two in a day. But it was -delightful moving along, the great crowded steamer but a puny thing on -the wide river, the waters still and clear, reflecting the blue sky and -the soft white clouds and the low banks far, far away. When there were -hills they were generally closer, as if the river had had more trouble -in cutting a passage and therefore had not had time to spread itself as -it did in the plain country. The hills were densely wooded, mostly with -dark firs, with an occasional deciduous tree showing up brightly among -the dark foliage, and about Blagovesehensk there is a beautiful oak -known as the velvet oak, the wood of which is much sought for making -furniture. However dense the forest, every here and there would be a -wide swath of green bare of trees--a fire brake; for these forests in -the summer burn fiercely, and coming back I saw the valleys thick with -the curling blue wood smoke, smelt the aromatic smell of the burning fir -woods, and at night saw the hills outlined in flames. It was a gorgeous -sight, but it is desperately destructive for the country, especially -a country where the wood grows so slowly. But at first there were no -fires, and what struck me was the vastness and the loneliness of the -mighty river. I had the same feeling on the Congo in the tropics, a -great and lonely river with empty banks, but that was for a distance -under two hundred miles. Here in the north the great lonely river went -wandering on for ten times as far, and still the feeling when one stood -apart from the steamer was of loneliness and grandeur. Man was such a -small thing here. At night a little wind sighed over the waters or swept -down between the hills; round the bows the water rose white; there was a -waste of tossing water all round, under a lowering sky, and the far-away -banks were lost in the gloom. A light would appear, perhaps two lights -shining out of the darkness, but they only emphasised the loneliness. A -wonderful river! - -The navigation of the river is a profession in itself. There is a school -for the navigators at Blagoveschensk where they are properly trained. -All along we came across the red beacons that mark the way, while beside -them in the daytime we could see the cabins of the lonely men who tended -them. - -Truly a voyage down the Amur in summer is not to be easily forgotten, -and yet, sitting here writing about it in my garden in Kent, I sometimes -wonder did I dream it all, the vastness and the loneliness and the -grandeur that is so very different from the orchard land wherein is -set my home. You do not see orchards on the Amur, the climate is too -rigorous, and I doubt if they grow much beyond berries, a blue berry in -large quantities, raspberries, and coming back we bought cucumbers. - -Oh, but it was lovely on that river. Dearly should I like to share its -delights with a companion who could discuss it with me, but somehow it -seems to be my lot to travel alone. - -Not, of course, that I was really alone. Though the steamers were -few, perhaps because they were few, they were crowded. There were two -companies on the river, the Sormovo or quick-sailing company, and the -Amur Company; and I hereby put it on record that the Amur Company is -much the best. The _John Cockerill_, named after some long-dead -English engineer who was once on the Amur, is one of the best and most -comfortable. - -At Kharbarosvk, finding the steamer did not leave till the evening of -the next day, I had naturally gone to a hotel. It seemed the obvious -thing to do. But I was wrong. The great Russian steamship companies, -with a laudable desire to keep passengers and make them comfortable, -always allow a would-be traveller to spend at least two days on board -in the ports, paying, of course, for his food. And I, who had only come -about thirty-six hours too soon, had actually put up at a hotel, with -the _John Cockerill_ lying at the wharf. The Russo-Asiatic Bank, -as represented by a woman clerk, the only one there who could speak -English, was shocked at my extravagance and said so. These women clerks -were a little surprise for me, for in 1914 I was not accustomed to -seeing women in banks, but here in Eastern Siberia--in Vladivostok, -Kharbarosvk, and all the towns of the Amur--they were as usual as the -men. - -The _John Cockerill_ surprised me as much as I surprised the bank clerk. -To begin with, I didn't realise it was the _John Cockerill_, for I could -not read the Russian letters, and at first I did not recognise the name -as pronounced by the Russians. She was a very gorgeous, comfortable -ship, with a dining saloon and a lounge gorgeous in green velvet. And -yet she was not a post steamer, but spent most of her time drawing -barges laden with cargo, and stopped to discharge and take in at all -manner of lonely little ports on the great river. She was a big steamer, -divided into four classes, and was packed with passengers: Russians -in the first, second and third class, with an occasional German or -Japanese, and in the fourth an extraordinary medley of poorer Russians, -Chinese and Gilyaks and Golds, the aboriginals of the country, men with -a Mongolian east of countenance, long coarse blaek hair, very often -beards, and dirty--the ordinary poor Chinaman is clean and tidy beside -them. - -But the first class was luxurious. We had electric light and hot and -cold water. The cabins were not to hold more than two, and you brought -your own bedding. I dare say it could have been hired on the steamer, -but the difficulty of language always stood in my way, and once away -from the seaboard in North-Eastern Asia the only other European language -beside Russian that is likely to be understood is German, and I have no -German. I was lucky enough on the _John Cockerill_ to find the wife of -a Russian colonel who spoke a little English. She, with her husband, was -taking a summer holiday by journeying up to Nikolayeusk, and she very -kindly took Buchanan and me under her wing and interpreted for us. It -was very nice for me, and the only thing I had to complain of on that -steamer was the way in which the night watch promenading the deek shut -my window and slammed to the shutters. They did it every night, with a -care for my welfare I could have done without. In a river steamer -the cabins are all in the centre with the deck round, and the watch -evidently could not understand how any woman could really desire to -sleep under an open window. I used to get up early in the morning and -walk round the decks, and I found that first and second class invariably -shut their windows tight, though the nights were always just pleasantly -cool, and consequently those passages between the cabins smelt like -a menagerie, and an ill-kept menagerie at that. They say Russians age -early and invariably they are of a pallid complexion. I do not wonder, -now that I have seen their dread of fresh air. Again and again I was -told: “Draughts are not good!” Draughts! I'd rather sleep in a hurricane -than in the hermetically sealed boxes in which those passengers stowed -themselves on board the river steamers. On the _John Cockerill_ the -windows of the dining saloon and the lounge did open, but on the steamer -on which I went up the river, the _Kanovina_, one of the “Sormovo” - Company, and the mail steamer, there was only one saloon in the first -class. We had our meals and we lived there. It was a fine large room -placed for'ard in the ship's bows, with beautiful large windows of glass -through which we could see excellently the scenery; but those windows -were fast; they would not open; they were not made to open. The -atmosphere was always thick when I went in for breakfast in the morning, -and I used to make desperate efforts to get the little windows that ran -round the top opened. I could not do it myself, as you had to get on the -roof of the saloon, the deck where the look-out stood, and anyhow they -were only little things, a foot high by two feet broad. But such an -innovation was evidently regarded as dangerous. Besides the fact that -draughts were bad, I have been assured that perhaps it was going to -rain--the rain couldn't come in both sides--and at night I was assured -they couldn't be opened because the lights would be confusing to other -steamers! - -Nobody seemed to mind an atmosphere you could have cut with a knife. I -am sure if the walls had been taken away it would have stood there in -a solid block--a dark-coloured, high-smelling block, I should think. I -gave up trying to do good to a community against its will and used to -carry my meals outside and have them on the little tables that were -dotted about the deck. - -After all, bar that little difficulty about the air--and certainly if -right goes with the majority I have no cause of complaint, I was in a -minority of one--those steamers made the most comfortable and cheapest -form of travelling I have ever undertaken. From Kharbarosvk to -Nikolayeusk for over three days' voyage my fare with a first-class cabin -to myself was twelve roubles--about one pound four shillings. I came -back by the mail steamer and it was fifteen roubles--about one pound -ten shillings. This, of course, does not include food. Food on a -Russian steamer you buy as you would on a railway train. You may make -arrangements with the restaurant and have breakfast, luncheon, afternoon -tea and dinner for so much a day; or you may have each meal separate -and pay for it as you have it; or you may buy your food at the various -stopping-places, get your kettles filled with hot water for a trifling -tip, and feed yourself in the privacy of your own cabin. I found -the simplest way, having no servant, was to pay so much a day--five -shillings on the big steamers, four shillings on the smaller one--and -live as I would do at a hotel. The food was excellent on the Amur -Company's ships. We had chicken and salmon--not much salmon, it was too -cheap--and sturgeon. Sturgeon, that prince of fish, was a treat, -and caviare was as common as marmalade used to be on a British -breakfast-table. It was generally of the red variety that we do not see -here and looked not unlike clusters of red currants, only I don't know -that I have ever seen currants in such quantities. I enjoyed it very -much till one day, looking over the railing into the stern of the boat, -where much of the food was roughly prepared--an unwise thing to do--I -saw an extremely dirty woman of the country, a Gilyak, in an extremely -dirty garment, with her dirty bare arms plunged to the elbow in the red -caviare she was preparing for the table. Then I discovered for a little -while that I didn't much fancy caviare. But I wish I had some of that -nice red caviare now. - -The second class differed but little from the first. There was not so -much decoration about the saloons, and on the _John Cockerill_, where -the first class had two rooms, they had only one; and the food was much -the same, only not so many courses. There was plenty, and they only paid -three shillings a day for the four meals. The people were much the -same as we in the first class, and I met a girl from Samara, in Central -Russia, who spoke a little French. She was a teacher and was going -to Nikolayeusk for a holiday exactly as I have seen teachers here in -England go to Switzerland. - -But between the first and second and the third and fourth class was a -great gulf fixed. They were both on the lower deck, the third under the -first and the fourth under the second, while amidships between them were -the kitchens and the engines and the store of wood for fuel. The third -had no cabins, but the people went to bed and apparently spent their -days in places like old-fashioned dinner-wagons; and they bought their -own food, either from the steamer or at the various stopping-places, and -ate it on their beds, for they had no saloon. The fourth class was still -more primitive. The passengers, men, women and children, were packed -away upon shelves rising in three tiers, one above the other, and the -place of each man and woman was marked out by posts. There was no effort -made to provide separate accommodation for men and women. As far as I -could see, they all herded together like cattle. - -The ship was crowded. The Russian colonel's wife and I used to walk up -and down the long decks for exercise, with Buchanan in attendance, she -improving her English and I learning no Russian. It is evidently quite -the custom for the people of the great towns of the Amur to make every -summer an excursion up the river, and the poorer people, the third and -fourth class, go up to Nikolayeusk for the fishing. Hence those shelves -crowded with dirty folk. There were troughs for washing outside the -fourth class, I discovered, minor editions of our luxurious bathrooms -in the first class, but I am bound to say they did not have much use. -Washing even in this hot weather, and it certainly was pleasantly -warm, was more honoured in the breach than in the observance. The only -drawback to the bathrooms in the first class, from my point of view, was -their want of air. They were built so that apparently there was no means -of getting fresh air into them, and I always regarded myself as a very -plucky woman when in the interests of cleanliness I had a bath. The -hot water and the airlessness always brought me to such a condition of -faintness that I generally had to rush out and lie on the couch in my -cabin to recover, and then if somebody outside took it upon them to bang -to the window I was reduced to the last gasp. - -The _John Cockerill_ was run like a man-of-war. The bells struck the -hours and half-hours, the captain and officers were clad in white and -brass-bound, and the men were in orthodox sailor's rig. One man came -and explained to me--he spoke no tongue that I could understand, but his -meaning was obvious--that Buchanan was not allowed on the first-class -deck, the rules and regulations, so said the colonel's wife, said he -was not; but no one seemed to object, so I thought to smooth matters -by paying half-a-rouble; then I found that every sailor I came across -apparently made the same statement, and having listened to one or two, -at last I decided to part with no more cash, and it was, I suppose, -agreed that Buchanan had paid his footing, for they troubled me no more -about him. - -Three or four times a day we pulled up at some little wayside place, -generally only two or three log-houses with painted doors or windows, an -occasional potato patch and huge stacks of wood to replenish the fuel -of the steamer, and with much yelling they put out a long gangway, -and while the wood was brought on board we all went ashore to see -the country. The country was always exactly alike, vast and green and -lonely, the sparse human habitations emphasising that vastness and -loneliness. The people were few. The men wore belted blouses and high -boots and very often, though it was summer, fur caps, and the women very -voluminous and very dirty skirts with unbelted blouses, a shawl across -their shoulders and a kerchief on their unkempt hair. They were dirty; -they were untidy; they were uneducated; they belonged to the very -poorest classes; and I think I can safely say that all the way from -Kharbarosvk to Nikolayeusk the only attempt at farming I saw was in a -few scattered places where the grass had been cut and tossed up into -haycocks. And yet those people impressed upon me a sense of their -virility and strength, a feeling that I had never had when moving among -the Chinese, where every inch of land--bar the graves--is turned to good -account. Was it the condition of the women? I wonder. I know I never saw -one of those stalwart women pounding along on her big flat feet without -a feeling of gladness and thankfulness. Here at least was good material. -It was crude and rough, of course, but it was there waiting for the -wheel of the potter. Shall we find the potter in the turmoil of the -revolution and the war? - -We went on, north, north with a little of east, and it grew cooler and -the twilight grew longer. I do not know how other people do, but I count -my miles and realise distances from some distance I knew well in my -youth. So I know that from Kharbarosvk to Nikolaycusk is a little -farther away than is Melbourne from Sydney; and always we went by way of -the great empty land, by way of the great empty river. Sometimes far -in the distance we could see the blue hills; sometimes the hills were -close; but always it was empty, because the few inhabitants, the house -or two at the little stopping-places where were the piles of wood for -the steamer, but emphasised the loneliness and emptiness. You could have -put all the people we saw in a street of a suburb of London and lost -them, and I suppose the distance traversed was as far as from London to -Aberdeen. It was a beautiful land, a land with a wondrous charm, but it -is waiting for the colonist who will dare the rigours of the winter and -populate it. - -At last we steamed up to the port of Nikolayeusk, set at the entrance of -the shallow Sea of Okhotsk, right away in the east of the world. When I -set foot upon the wharf among all the barrels with which it was packed I -could hardly believe I had come so far east, so far away from my regular -beat. One of my brothers always declares I sent him to sea because my -sex prevented me from going, and yet here I was, in spite of that grave -disadvantage, in as remote a corner of the earth as even he might have -hoped to attain. - -It was a July day, sunny and warm. They had slain an Austrian archduke -in Serbia and the world was on the verge of the war of the ages, but -I knew nothing of all that. I stepped off the steamer and proceeded to -investigate Nikolayeusk, well satisfied with the point at which I had -arrived. - - - - -CHAPTER XI--THE ENDS OF THE EARTH - -Nikolayeusk seemed to me the ends of the earth. I hardly know why it -should have done so, for I arrived there by way of a very comfortable -steamer and I have made my way to very much more ungetatable places. I -suppose the explanation is that all the other places I have visited I -had looked up so long on the map that when I arrived I only felt I was -attaining the goal I had set out to reach, whereas I must admit I had -never heard of Nikolayeusk till Mr Sly, the British consul, sketched -it out as the end of my itinerary on the Siberian rivers, and ten days -later I found myself in the Far Eastern town. I remember one of my -brothers writing to me once from Petropaulovski: - -“I always said my address would some day be Kamseatkha and here I am!” - -Well, I never said my address would be Nikolayeusk because I had never -heard of it, but here I was nevertheless. The weather was warm, the sun -poured down from a cloudless blue sky, and in the broad, grass-grown -streets, such streets have I seen in Australian towns, when the faint -breeze stirred the yellow dust rose on the air. And the town straggled -all along the northern side of the river, a town of low, one-storeyed -wooden houses for the most part, with an occasional two-storeyed house -and heavy shutters to all the windows. There was a curious absence -of stone, and the streets when they were paved at all were, as in -Kharbarosvk, lines of planks, sometimes three, sometimes five planks -wide, with a waste of dust or mud or grass, as the case might be, on -either side. - -The Russians I found kindness itself. In Vladivostok I had met a man -who knew one of my brothers--I sometimes wonder if I could get to such -a remote corner of the earth that I should not meet someone who knew -one of these ubiquitous brothers of mine--and this good friend, having -sampled the family, took me on trust and found someone else who -would give me a letter to the manager of the Russo-Asiatic Bank at -Nikolayeusk. This was a godsend, for Mr Pauloff spoke excellent English, -and he and his corresponding clerk, a Russian lady of middle age who had -spent a long time in France, took me in hand and showed me the sights. -Madame Schulmann and I and Buchanan drove all over the town in one of -the most ancient victorias I have ever seen--the most ancient are in -Saghalien, which is beyond the ends of the earth--and she very kindly -took me to a meal at the principal hotel. I was staying on board the -steamer while I looked around me. The visit with this lady decided me -not to go there. It wras about four o'clock in the afternoon, so I don't -know whether our meal was dinner or tea or luncheon; we had good soup, -I remember, and nice wine, to say nothing of excellent coffee, but the -atmosphere left much to be desired. I don't suppose the windows ever -had been opened since the place was built, and no one seemed to see any -necessity for opening them. My hostess smiled at my distress. She said -she liked fresh air herself but that for a whole year she had lodged in -a room where the windows would not open. She had wanted to have one of -the panes--not the window, just one of the panes--made to open to admit -fresh air, and had offered to do it at her own expense, but her landlord -refused. It would spoil the look of the room. She advised me strongly -if I wanted fresh air to stay as long as I could on board the steamer at -the wharf, and I decided to take her advice. - -The Russo-Asiatic Bank was not unlike the banks I have seen in -Australian townships, in that it was built of wood of one storey and the -manager and his wife lived on the premises, but the roof was far more -ornamental than Australia could stand and gave the touch of the East -that made for romance. The manager was good enough to ask me to dinner -and to include Buchanan in the invitation because I did not like to -leave the poor little chap shut up in my cabin. This was really dinner, -called so, and we had it at five o'clock of a hot summer's afternoon, -a very excellent dinner, with delicious sour cream in the soup -and excellent South Australian wine, not the stuff that passes for -Australian wine in England and that so many people take medicinally, but -really good wine, such as Australians themselves drink. The house was -built with a curious lack of partitions that made for spaciousness, so -that you wandered from one room to another, hardly knowing that you had -gone from the sitting-room to the bedroom, and James Buchanan going on a -voyage of discovery unfortunately found the cradle, to the dismay of his -mistress. He stood and looked at it and barked. - -“Gracious me! What's this funny thing! I've never seen anything like it -before!” - -Neither had I; but I was covered with shame when a wail proclaimed the -presence of the son and heir. - -Naturally I expressed myself--truly--charmed with the town, and Mr -Pauloff smiled and nodded at his wife, who spoke no English. - -“She hates it,” said he; “she has never been well since we came here.” - -She was white, poor little girl, as the paper on which this is written, -and very frail-looking, but it never seemed to occur to anyone that it -would be well to open the double windows, and so close was the air of -the room that it made me feel sick and faint. - -“She never goes out,” said her husband. “She is not well enough.” - -I believe there was a time in our grandmothers' days when we too dreaded -the fresh air. - -And in this the town differed markedly from any Australian towns I have -known. The double windows were all tight shut these warm July days, with -all the cracks stopped up with cotton wool, with often decorations of -coloured ribbons or paper wandering across the space between. Also there -were very heavy shutters, and I thought these must be to shut out the -winter storms, but M. Pauloff did not seem to think much of the winter -storms, though he admitted they had some bad blizzards and regularly the -thermometer went down below -40° Fahrenheit. - -“No,” he said, “we shut them at night, at four in the winter and at nine -in the summer. Leave them open you cannot.” - -“But why?” I thought it was some device for keeping out still more air. - -“There is danger,” said he--“danger from men.” - -“Do they steal?” said I, surprised. - -“And kill,” he added with conviction. - -It seems that when the Japanese invaded Saghalien, the great island -which lies opposite the mouth of the Amur, they liberated at least -thirty thousand convicts, and they burnt the records so that no one -could prove anything against them, and the majority of these convicts -were unluckily not all suffering political prisoners, but criminals, -many of them of the deepest dye. These first made Saghalien an -unwholesome place to live in, but gradually they migrated to the -mainland, and Nikolayeusk and other towns of Eastern Siberia are by no -means safe places in consequence. Madame Schulmann told me that many -a time men were killed in the open streets and that going back to her -lodgings on the dark winter evenings she was very much afraid and always -tried to do it in daylight. - -Nikolayeusk is officially supposed to have thirteen thousand -inhabitants, but really in the winter-time, says Mr Pauloff, they shrink -to ten thousand, while in the summer they rise to over forty thousand, -everybody coming for the fishing, the great salmon fisheries. - -“Here is noting,” said he, “noting--only fish.” - -And this remark he made at intervals. He could not reiterate it too -often, as if he were warning me against expecting too much from this -remote corner of the world. But indeed the fish interested me. The -summer fishing was on while I was there, but that, it seems, is as -nothing to the autumn fishing, when the fish rush into the wide river in -solid blocks. The whole place then is given over to the fishing and the -other trades that fishing calls into being to support it. All the summer -the steamers coming down the river are crowded, and they bring great -cargoes of timber; the wharves when I was there were covered with -barrels and packing-cases containing, according to Mr Pauloff, “only -air.” These were for the fish. And now, when the humble mackerel costs -me at least ninepence or a shilling, I remember with longing the days -when I used to see a man like a Chinaman, but not a Chinaman, a bamboo -across his shoulder, and from each end a great fresh salmon slung, a -salmon that was nearly as long as the bearer, and I could have bought -the two for ten kopecks! - -He that will not when he may! - -But great as the trade was down the river, most eatables--groceries, -flour and such-like things--came from Shanghai, and the ships that -brought them took back wood to be made into furniture, and there -was, when I was there, quite a flourishing trade in frozen meat with -Australia, Nikolayeusk requiring about two hundred and forty thousand -pounds in the year. In winter, of course, all the provisions are frozen; -the milk is poured into basins, a stick is stuck in it and it freezes -round it, so that a milk-seller instead of having a large can has an -array of sticks on top of which is the milk frozen hard as a stone. -Milk, meat, eggs, all provisions are frozen from October to May. - -I do not know what Nikolayeusk is doing now war and revolution have -reached it. At least they have brought it into touch with the outer -world. - -And having got so far I looked longingly out over the harbour and -wondered whether I might not go to Saghalien. - -Mr Pauloff laughed at my desires. If there was nothing to see in -Nikolayeusk, there was less than nothing in Saghalien. It was dead. It -never had been much and the Japanese invasion had killed it. Not that he -harboured any animosity against the Japanese. Russians and Japanese, he -declared, were on very friendly terms, and though they invaded Saghalien -they did not disgrace their occupation by any atrocities. The Russian, -everybody declared in Nikolayeusk, bridges the gulf between the white -man and the yellow. Russian and Chinese peasants will work side by side -in friendliest fashion; they will occupy the same boardinghouses; the -Russian woman does not object to the Chinese as a husband, and the -Russian takes a Chinese wife. Of course these are the peasant classes. -The Russian authorities made very definite arrangements for keeping out -Chinese from Siberia, as I saw presently when I went back up the river. - -But the more I thought of it the more determined I was not to go -back till I had gone as far east as I possibly could go. The Russian -Volunteer fleet I found called at Alexandrovsk regularly during the -months the sea was open, making Nikolayeusk its most northern port of -call. I could go by the steamer going down and be picked up by the one -coming north. It would give me a couple of days in the island, and Mr -Pauloff was of opinion that a couple of days would be far too long. - -But the _John Cockerill_ was going back and Buchanan and I must find -another roof and a resting-place. According to the inhabitants, it would -not be safe to sleep in the streets, and I had conceived a distinct -distaste for the hotel. But the _Erivan_ lay in the stream and to -that we transferred ourselves and our belongings, where the mate spoke -English with a strong Glasgow accent and the steward had a smattering. -It was only a smattering, however. I had had a very early lunch and -no afternoon tea, so when I got on board at six in the evening I -was decidedly hungry and demanded food, or rather when food might be -expected. The steward was in a dilemma. It was distinctly too early for -dinner, he considered, and too late for tea. He scratched his head. - -“Lunch!” said he triumphantly, and ushered me into the saloon, where -hung large photographs of the Tsar, the Tsarina and the good-looking -little Tsarevitch. In the corner was an ikon, St Nicolas, I think, who -protects sailors. And there at six o'clock in the evening I meekly sat -down to luncheon all by myself. - -Lying there I had a lovely view of the town. At night, like Vladivostok, -it lay like a ring of diamonds along the shore of the river; and in -the daytime the softly rounded green hills, the grey-blue sky and the -grey-blue sea with the little white wavelets, and the little town just -a line between the green and the blue, with the spires and domes of the -churches and other public buildings, green and blue and red and white, -made a view that was worth coming so far to see. There were ships in the -bay too--not very big ships; but a ship always has an attraction: it has -come from the unknown; it is about to go into the unknown--and as I sat -on deck there came to me the mate with the Scots accent and explained -all about the ships in sight. - -The place was a fort and they were going to make it a great harbour, to -fill it up till the great ships should lie along the shore. It will -take a good time, for we lay a long way out, but he never doubted the -possibility; and meantime the goods come to the ships in the lighters -in which they have already come down the river, and they are worked by -labourers getting, according to the mate, twelve shillings a day. - -“Dey carry near as much as we do,” said he. - -Then there were other ships: a ship for fish, summer fish, for Japan, -sealers for the rookeries, and ships loading timber for Kamseatkha. I -thought I would like to emulate my brother and go there, and the Russky -mate thought it would be quite possible, only very uncomfortable. It -would take three months, said he, and it was rather late in the season -now. Besides, these ships load themselves so with timber that there -is only a narrow space on deck to walk on, and they are packed with -passengers, mostly labourers, going up for the short summer season. - -My old trouble, want of air, followed me on board the _Erivan_. On deck -it was cool, at night the thermometer registered about 55° Fahrenheit, -but in my cabin Buehanan and I gasped with the thermometer at over 90°, -and that with the port, a very small one, open. That stuffiness was -horrible. The bathroom looked like a boiler with a tightfitting iron -door right amidships, and having looked at it I had not the courage -to shut myself in and take a bath. It seemed as if it would be burying -myself alive. As it was, sleep down below I could not, and I used to -steal up on deck and with plenty of rugs and cushions lay myself out -along the seats and sleep in the fresh air; but a seat really does leave -something to be desired in the way of luxury. - -But the early mornings were delightful. The first faint light showed a -mist hanging over the green hills marking out their outlines, green -and blue and grey; then it was all grey mist; but to the east was the -crimson of the dawn, and we left our moorings early one morning and -steamed into that crimson. The sun rose among silver and grey clouds, -and rose again and again as we passed along the river and the mountains -hid him from sight. There were long streaks of silver on the broad -river; slowly the fir-clad hills emerged from the mist and the air was -moist and fragrant; the scent of the sea and the fragrance of the pines -was in it. A delicious, delicate northern sunrise it was; never before -or since have I seen such a sunrise. Never again can I possibly see one -more beautiful. - -And the great river widened. There were little settlements, the -five-pointed tents of the Russian soldiers and many places for catching -fish. No wonder the fish--fish is always salmon here--like this great --wide river. The brownish water flowed on swiftly and the morning -wind whipped it into never-ending ripples that caught the sunlight. A -wonderful river! A delightful river! I have grown enthusiastic over -many rivers. I know the Murray in my own land and the great rivers of -tropical Africa, the Congo, the Gambia, the Volta, grand and lovely -all of them. I felt I had looked upon the glory of the Lord when I had -looked upon them, but there was something in the tender beauty of the -Amur, the summer beauty veiled in mist, the beauty that would last so -short a time, that was best of all. - -Meanwhile the passengers and officers of the _Erivan_ were much -exercised in their minds over me. What could an Englishwoman want -in Saghalien? To my surprise I found that none had ever stayed there -before, though it was on record that one had once landed there from a -steamer. The mate was scathing in his remarks. - -“Dere are skeeters,” said he, “big ones, I hear,” and he rolled his -“r's” like a true Scotsman. - -“But where can I stay?” He shook his head. - -“In de hotel you cannot stay. It is impossible.” That I could quite -believe, but all the same, if the hotel was impossible, where could I -stay? - -However, here I was, and I did not intend to go back to Vladivostok by -sea. At Alexandrosvk, the town of Saghalien, I proposed to land and I -felt it was no good worrying till I got there. - -We entered De Castries Bay in a soft grey mist, a mist that veiled -the mountains behind. Then the mist lifted and showed us the string of -islands that guard the mouth of the bay, strung in a line like jewels -set in the sea, and the hills on them were all crowned with firs; and -then the mist dropped again, veiling all things. - -It was a lonely place, where I, being a foreigner, was not allowed to -land, and we did not go close up to the shore, but the shore came to us -in great white whale-boats. Many peasants and soldiers got off here, and -I saw saws and spades in the bundles, the bundles of emigrants. There -were a few women amongst them, women with hard, elemental faces, so -different from the Chinese, that were vacuous and refined. I remembered -the women who had listened to the lecturer at Fen Chou Fu and I drew -a long sigh of relief. It was refreshing to look at those big-hipped -women, with their broad, strong feet and their broad, strong hands and -the little dirty kerchiefs over their heads. Elemental, rough, rude, but -I was glad of them. One was suckling a child in the boat, calmly, as if -it were the most natural thing to do, and somehow it was good to see it. -The beginning of life. - -The morning brought a dense mist, and as it cleared away it showed us -a sparkling, smooth sea, greyish-blue like the skies above it, and a -little wooden town nestling against fir-clad hills. We had arrived at -Alexandrosvk and I wondered what would become of me. - -And then once again I learned what a kind place is this old world of -ours that we abuse so often. I had gone on board that steamer without -any introduction whatever, with only my passport to show that I was a -respectable member of society. I knew nobody and saw no reason -whatever why anyone should trouble themselves about me. But we -carried distinguished passengers on board the _Erivan_. There was the -Vice-Governor of Saghalien, his wife and son, with the soldiers in -attendance, and a good-looking young fellow with short-cropped hair and -dreamy eyes who was the Assistant Chief of Police of the island, and -this man, by command of the Governor, took me in charge. - -Never again shall I hear of the Russian police without thinking of the -deep debt of gratitude that I owe to Vladimir Merokushoff of Saghalien. - -I do not think as a rule that people land from steamers at Alexandrosvk -on to red tapestry carpets under fluttering bruiting to the strains of -a band. But we did; and the Chief of Police--he spoke no language but -Russian--motioned me to wait a moment, and when the Governor had been -safely despatched to his home he appeared on the scene with a victoria -and drove me and Buchanan to the police station, a charming little -one-storeyed building buried in greenery, and there he established us. -Buchanan he appreciated as a dog likes to be appreciated, and he gave -up to me his own bedroom, where the top pane of the window had actually -been made to open. His sitting-room was a very bower of growing plants, -and when I went to bed that night he brought his elderly working -housekeeper, a plain-faced woman whom he called “Stera,” and made -her bring her bed and lay it across my door, which opened into the -sitting-room. It was no good my protesting; there she had to sleep. Poor -old thing, she must have been glad my stay was not long. Every day she -wore a blue skirt and a drab-coloured blouse, unbelted, and her grey -hair twisted up into an untidy knot behind, but she was an excellent -cook. That young man got himself into his everyday holland summer coat -and to entertain me proceeded to lay in enough provisions to supply a -hungry school. He showed me the things first to see if I liked them, as -if I wouldn't have liked shark when people were so kind. But as a matter -of fact everything was very good. He produced a large tin of crawling -crayfish, and when I had expressed not only my approval but my delight, -they appeared deliciously red and white for dinner, and then I found -they were only _sakouska_--that is, the _hors d'ouvre_ that the Russians -take to whet their appetites. I have often lived well, but never better -than when I, a stranger and a sojourner, was taken in charge by the -hospitable Russian police, who would not let me pay one penny for my -board and lodging. We fed all day long. I had only to come in for a -bottle of wine or beer to be produced. I was given a _gens d'arme_ to -carry my camera and another to take care of Buchanan. Never surely was -stranger so well done as I by hospitable Saghalien. The policeman -made me understand he was an author and presented me with a couple of -pamphlets he had written on Saghalien and its inhabitants, but though -I treasure them I cannot read them. Then the Japanese photographer was -sent for and he and I were taken sitting side by side on the bench in -his leafy porch, and, to crown all, because I could speak no Russian, he -sent for two girls who had been educated in Japan and who spoke English -almost as well as I did myself, though they had never before spoken to -an Englishwoman. Marie and Lariss Borodin were they, and their father -kept the principal store in Alexandrosvk. They were dainty, pretty, -dark-eyed girls and they were a godsend to me. They had a tea in my -honour and introduced me to the manager of the coal mine of Saghalien -and took care I should have all the information about the island it was -in their power to supply. - -There were then about five thousand people there, one thousand in -Alexandrosvk itself, but they were going daily, for the blight of the -convict was over the beautiful land. The best coal mine is closed down -on fire and the one whose manager I met was leased to a company by the -year and worked by Chinese on most primitive lines. There is gold, -he told me, this business man who surprised me by his lavish use of -perfume, but he did not know whether it would pay for working--gold -and coal as well would be almost too much good luck for one island--and -there is naphtha everywhere on the east coast, but as it has never been -struck they think that the main vein must come up somewhere under the -sea. Still it is there waiting for the enterprising man who shall work -it. - -Saghalien used to be as bad as Nikolayeusk, they told me, after the -Japanese had evacuated the northern part; but now the most enterprising -section of the convicts had betaken themselves to the mainland, and -though the free settlers were few and far between, and the most of the -people I saw were convicts, they were the harmless ones with all the -devilment gone out of them. - -Alexandrosvk is a place of empty houses. When the Japanese came the -people fled, leaving everything exactly as it was; and though the -Japanese behaved with admirable restraint, considering they came as -an invading army, many of these people never came back again, and the -alertness in a bad cause which had sent many of the convicts there -against their will sent them away again as soon as they were free. All -down by the long wooden pier which stretches out into the sea are great -wooden storehouses and barracks, empty, and a monument, if they needed -it, to the courteous manner in which the Japanese make war. They had -burnt the museum, they told me, and opened the prison doors and burnt -the prison, but the other houses they had spared. And so there were -many, many empty houses in Alexandrosvk. - -All the oldest carriages in the world have drifted to Saghalien. - -They are decrepit in Western Siberia, they are worse, if possible, in -the East, but in the island of Saghalien I really don't know how they -hold together. Perhaps they are not wanted very often. I hired the most -archaic victoria I have ever seen and the two girls came for a drive -with me all round the town and its neighbourhood. It was a drive to be -remembered. The early summer was in all its full freshness, the red and -white cows stood knee-deep in grass that was green and lush everywhere. -There were fir-trees on the hills and on every spur of the hills, and -there were hedges with dog-roses blossoming all over them; there were -fields of dark blue iris; there were little red tiger lilies and a -spiked heliotrope flower like veronica, only each bloom grew on a single -stalk of its own; there were purple vetches and white spiræa growing in -marshy places, and the land was thick with sweet-scented clover among -which the bees were humming, and in a little village there was a Greek -church that, set in its emerald-green field, was a very riot of colour. -There were balls on the roof of royal blue, the roof itself was of pale -green, the walls were of brown logs untouched by paint and the window -edges were picked out in white. I photographed that picturesque little -church, as I did the peasant women standing at the doors of their log -huts and the queer old shandrydan in which we drove, but alas! all my -photographs perished miserably in Russia. The girls wondered that I -liked town and country so much, that I saw so much beauty in everything. - -“Ah! Madame,” they sighed, “but you can go away tomorrow! If only we -could go!” - -They had been educated at a convent and they produced the English books -they had read. They were very apologetic but they had found them rather -tame. Had I read them? I smiled, for they all turned out to be the -immortal works of Charles Garvice! - -And we had tea in the dining-room, where father slept because they were -rather crowded, the store took up so much room; and it was a very nice -tea too, with raspberry jam in saucers, which we ate Russian -fashion with a spoon, and the roses in the garden tapped against the -window-panes, asking to come in and join us, and Buchanan got what his -soul loved, plenty of cake. They apologised because there was no fruit. -No fruit save berries ripen in Saghalien and the strawberries would not -be ready till well on in August. No words of mine can tell how kind they -were to the stranger. - -I went back in the long twilight that was so cool and restful and sat -outside the leafy shaded police station and killed mosquitoes, for the -mate had heard aright, there were “skeeters” and to spare, the sort to -which Mark Twain took a gun. I watched the grey mist creeping slowly -down, down the beautiful mountains, and when it had enveloped them the -night was come and it was time to go in and have dinner and go to bed. - -Perhaps it would not do to stay long in Saghalien. There is nothing to -do. She lies a Sleeping Beauty waiting the kiss of the Prince. Will this -war awaken her? The short time I was there I enjoyed every moment. - -The people seemed nondescript. The upper class were certainly Russians, -and all the men wore military caps and had their hair clipped so close -it looked shaven, but it would be utterly impossible to say to what -nationality the peasant belonged. There were flaxen-haired Russians -certainly, but then there were dark-bearded men, a Mongolian type, and -there were many thrifty Chinese with queues, in belted blouses and -high boots, generally keeping little eating-shops. There may have been -Japanese, probably there were, seeing they hold the lower half of the -island, but I did not notice them, and there is, I am afraid, in that -place which is so full of possibilities absolutely nothing for that -go-ahead nation to do. - -My pretty girls complained dreadfully. They looked after the shop and -then there was nothing. In the winter they said they had skating and -they liked the winter best, but the really bad time in places like -Saghalien and Nikolayeusk were the two months when it was neither -winter nor summer. Then their only means of communication with the -outside world, the river and the sea, was too full of ice to admit of -navigation and yet was not solid enough for dog-sled, so that if the -telegraph broke down, and it very often did, they are entirely cut off -from the world. Saghalien, of course, is worse off than the town, for on -the mainland presumably there are roads of sorts that can be negotiated -in case of necessity, but the island is entirely isolated. In the winter -the mails take five days coming across the frozen sea from the mainland, -and often when there are storms they take much longer. Fancy living on -an island that stretches over nearly ten degrees of latitude, which -for five months in the year gets its mails by dog-sled and for two goes -without them altogether! On the whole, there may be drawbacks to living -in Saghalien! - -I left it at nine o'clock in the evening, after the darkness had fallen, -and the police officer and the pretty girls saw me on board the steamer -which was to take me back to Nikolayeusk. - -They loaded me with flowers and they were full of regrets. - -“Oh, Madame, Madame, how lucky you are to get away from Saghalien!” - -But I said truly enough that I felt my luck lay in getting there. And -now that I sit in my garden in Kent and watch the beans coming into -blossom and the roses into bloom, look at the beds gay with red -poppies and violas, cream and purple, or wander round and calculate the -prospects of fruit on the cherry and the pear trees, I am still more -glad to think that I know what manner of island that is that lies so far -away in the Eastern world that it is almost West. - - - - -CHAPTER XII--FACING WEST - -On the 25th July 1914, at nine o'clock in the evening, I left -Saghalien, and as the ship steamed away from the loom of the land into -the night I knew that at last, after eighteen months of voyaging in the -East, I had turned my face homeward. I had enjoyed it, but I wanted to -go home, and in my notebook I see evidences of this longing. At last -I was counting the days--one day to Nikolayeusk, three days to -Kharbarosvk, three days more to Blagoveschensk--and I was out in my -calculations in the very beginning. The ships of the Volunteer fleet -take their time, and we took three days wandering along the island of -Saghalien and calling at ports I should think mail steamer had never -before called at before we turned again towards the mainland. - -And yet in a way it was interesting, for I saw some of the inhabitants -of the island, the aboriginal inhabitants, I should never have otherwise -seen. Gilyaks they are, and the water seems their element. They have the -long straight black hair of the Mongolian, and sometimes they were -clad in furs--ragged and old and worn, the very last remains of -furs--sometimes merely in dirty clothes, the cast-offs of far-away -nations. - -They live by the fish. There is nothing else. - -I tried hard to photograph these aborigines, using all sorts of guile to -get them into focus. I produced cigarettes, I offered sugar, but as soon -as they found out what I was about they at once fled, even though their -boat was fastened against the gangway and it meant abandoning somebody -who was on board. I did eventually get some photographs, but they shared -the fate of the rest of my Russian pictures, and I am sorry, for I do -not suppose I shall ever again have the chance of photographing the -Gilyak in his native haunts. He belongs to a dying race, they told me, -and there are few children amongst them. - -And though we lay long at De Castries Bay they would not let me take -pictures there at all. It was forbidden, so I was reduced to doing the -best I could through my cabin port. In Alexandrosvk the police officer -had aided and abetted my picture-making, but in Nikolayeusk it was a -forbidden pastime, for the town, for purposes of photography, was a -fort, and when I boarded the _Kanovina_ on the river, the post steamer -bound for Blagoveschensk, I met with more difficulties. - -There was on board a Mrs Marie Skibitsky and her husband, the headmaster -of the Nikolayeusk “Real” School, and she spoke very good English and -was a kind friend to me. Through her came a message from the captain to -the effect that though he did not mind my photographing himself, it -was forbidden in Russia, and he begged me not to do it when anyone was -looking on. That made it pretty hopeless, for the ship was crowded and -there was always not one person but probably a score of people taking a -very great interest. The captain was not brass-bound as he had been in -the _John Cockerill_, but he and all his officers were clad in khaki, -with military caps, and it was sometime before I realised them as the -ship's officers. The captain looked to me like a depressed corporal who -was having difficulties with his sergeant, and the ship, though they -charged us three roubles more for the trip to Blagoveschensk than the -Amur Company would have done, was dirty and ill-kept. It was in her I -met the saloon the windows of which would not open, and the water in my -cabin had gone wrong, and when I insisted that I could not be happy till -I had some, it was brought me in a teapot! They never struck the hours -on this steamer as they had done on the _John Cockerill_, and gone was -the excellent cook, and the food consisted largely of meat, of which I -am bound to say there was any quantity. - -But in spite of all drawbacks the ship was crowded; there were many -officers and their wives on board, and there were many officers on board -with women who were not their 'wives. These last were so demonstrative -that I always took them for honeymoon couples till at last a Cossack -officer whom I met farther on explained: - -“Not 'wives. Oh no! It is always so! It is just the steamer!” - -Whether these little irregularities were to be set down to the -discomforts of the steamer or to the seductive air of the river, I do -not know. Perhaps I struck a particularly amorous company. I am bound to -say no one but me appeared to be embarrassed. It seemed to be all in the -day's work. - -It was pleasant going up the river again and having beside me one who -could explain things to me. Every day it grew warmer, for not only was -the short northern summer reaching its zenith, but we were now going -south again. And Mrs Skibitsky sat beside me and rubbed up her English -and told me how in two years' time she proposed to bring her daughters -to England to give them an English education, and I promised to look out -for her and show her the ropes and how she could best manage in London. -In two years' time! And we neither of us knew that we were on the -threshold of the greatest war in the world's history. - -I took the breaking out of that war so calmly. - -We arrived at Kharbarosvk. I parted from Mrs Skibitsky, who was going to -Vladivostok, and next day I looked up my friend the colonel's wife with -whom I had travelled on the _John Cockerill_. She received me with open -arms, but the household cat flew and spat and stated in no measured -terms what she thought of Buchanan. The lady caught the cat before I -realised what was happening and in a moment she had scored with her -talons great red lines that spouted blood on her mistress's arms. She -looked at them calmly, went into the kitchen, rubbed butter on her -wounds and came back smiling as if nothing in the world had happened. -But it was not nothing. I admired her extremely for a very brave woman. -Presently her husband came in and she just drew down her sleeves to -cover her torn arms and said not a word to him. He was talking earnestly -and presently she said to me: - -“There is war!” - -I thought she meant between Buehanan and the cat and I smiled feebly, -because I was very much ashamed of the trouble I and my dog had caused, -but she said again: - -“There is war! Between Austria and Serbia!” - -It did not seem to concern me. I don't know that I had ever realised -Serbia as a distinct nationality at all before, and she knew so little -English and I knew no Russian at all, so that we were not able to -discuss the matter much, though it was evident that the colonel was very -much excited. That, I thought, might be natural. He was a soldier. War -was his business, though here, I think, he was engaged in training boys. - -After the midday meal--_déjeuner_, I think we called it--she and I went -for a walk, and presently down the wide streets of Kharbarosvk came a -little procession of four led by a wooden-legged man bearing a Russian -naval flag, the blue St Andrew's Cross on a white ground. I looked at -them. - -They meant nothing to me in that great, empty street where the new -little trees were just beginning to take root and the new red-brick post -office dominated all minor buildings among many empty spaces. - -“They want war! They ask for war!” said my friend. I was witnessing my -first demonstration against Germany! And I thought no more of it than I -do of the children playing in the streets of this Kentish village! - -She saw me on to the steamer and bade me farewell, and then my troubles -began. Not a single person on that steamer spoke English. However, I -had always found the Russians so kind that the faet that we could not -understand one another when the going was straight did not seem to -matter very much. But I had not reckoned with the Russians at war. - -At Kharbarosvk the river forms the Chinese-Russian boundary and a little -beyond it reaches its most southern point, about lat. 48°. But the China -that was on our left was not the China that I knew. This was Manchuria, -green and fresh as Siberia itself, and though there was little or no -agriculture beyond perhaps a patch of vegetables here and there, on both -sides of the broad river was a lovely land of hills and lush grass and -trees. Here were firs and pines and cedars, whose sombreness contrasted -with the limes and elms, the poplars and dainty birches with whieh they -were interspersed. The Russian towns were small, the merest villages, -with here and there a church with the painted ball-like domes they -affect, and though the houses were of unpainted logs, always the windows -and doors were painted white. - -And at every little town were great piles of wood waiting for the -steamer, and whenever we stopped men hastily set to work bringing in -loads of wood to replace that which we had burnt. And we burnt lavishly. -Even the magnificent forests of Siberia will not stand this drain on -them long. - -The other day when the National Service papers came round one was sent -to a dear old “Sister” who for nearly all her life has been working for -the Church in an outlying district of London. She is past work now, but -she can still go and talk to the old and sick and perhaps give advice -about the babies, but that is about the extent of her powers. She -looked at the paper and as in duty bound filled it in, giving her age -as seventy. What was her surprise then to receive promptly from the -Department a suggestion that she should volunteer for service on the -land, and offering her, by way of inducement, good wages, a becoming -hat and high boots! That branch of the Department has evidently become -rather mechanical. Now the Russians all the way from Saghalien to -Petrograd treated me with sueh unfailing kindness that I was in danger -of writing of them in the stereotyped fashion in which the National -Service Department sent out its papers. Luckily they themselves saved -me from such an error. There were three memorable, never-to-be-forgotten -days when the Russians did not treat me with kindness. - -The warmest and pleasantest days of my trip on the Amur we went through -lovely scenery: the river was very wide, the blue sky was reflected in -its blue waters and the green, tree-clad hills on either side opened -out and showed beyond mountains in the distance, purple and blue and -alluring. It was the height of summer-time, summer at its best, a green, -moist summer. We hugged the Russian bank, and the Manchurian bank seemed -very far away, only it was possible to see that wherever the Russians -had planted a little town on the other side was a Chinese town much -bigger. The Russian were very little towns, and all the inhabitants, it -seemed, turned out to meet us, who were their only link with the outside -world. - -The minute the steamer came close enough ropes were flung ashore to moor -it, and a gangway was run out very often--and it was an anxious moment -for me with Buchanan standing on the end, for he was always the first -to put dainty little paws on the gangway, and there he stood while -it swayed this way and that before it could make up its mind where to -finally settle down. Then there was a rush, and a stream of people going -ashore for exercise passed a stream of people coming on board to sell -goods. Always these took the form of eatables. Butter, bread, meat, -milk, berries they had for sale, and the third and fourth class -passengers bought eagerly. - -I followed Buchanan ashore, but I seldom bought anything unless the -berries tempted me. There were strawberries, raspberries and a blue -berry which sometimes was very sweet and pleasant. - -At first the people had been very kind and taken a great deal of -interest in the stranger and her pretty little dog, but after we left -Kharbarosvk and I had no one to appeal to a marked change came over -things. If I wanted to take a photograph, merely a photograph of the -steamer lying against the bank, my camera was rudely snatched away and -I was given to understand in a manner that did not require me to know -Russian that if I did that again it would be worse for me. Poor little -Buchanan was kicked and chunks of wood were flung at him. As I passed -along the lower decks to and from the steamer I was rudely hustled, and -on shore not only did the people crowd around me in a hostile manner, -but to my disgust they spat upon me. - -I could not understand the change, for even in the first-class saloon -the people looked at me askance. And I had ten days of the river before -I reached Stretensk, where I was to join the train. It is terrible to -be alone among hostile people, and I kept Buchanan close beside me for -company and because I did not know what might happen to him. If this had -been China I should not have been surprised, but Russia, that had always -been so friendly. I was mightily troubled. - -And then came the explanation, the very simple explanation. - -Just as the river narrowed between the hills and looked more like a -river, and turned north, there came on board at a tiny wayside town a -tall young Cossack officer, a _soinik_ of Cossacks, he called himself. -He wore a khaki jacket and cap, and dark blue breeches and riding-boots. -He had a great scar across his forehead, caused by a Chinese sword, and -he had pleasant blue eyes and a row of nice white teeth. He was tall and -goodly to look upon, and as I sat at afternoon tea at a little table on -deck he came swaggering along the deck and stood before me with one hand -on a deck-chair. - -“Madame, is it permitted?” he asked in French. - -Of course Madame permitted and ealled for another glass and offered -him some of her tea and cake. Possibly he had plenty of his own, but no -matter, it was good to entertain someone in friendly fashion again after -being an outcast for three days. And it took a little while to find out -what was wrong, he was so very polite. - -“Madame understands we are at war?” - -Madame opened her eyes in astonishment. What could a war in the Balkan -Provinces have to do with her treatment on the Amur river thousands of -miles in the East? - -However, she said she did. - -“And Madame knows------” He paused, and then very kindly abandoned his -people. “Madame sees the people are bad?” - -Madame quite agreed. They were bad. I had quite an appetite for my tea -now that this nice young man was sympathising with me on the abominable -behaviour of his countrymen. - -He spread out his hands as if deprecating the opinion of sueh foolish -people. “They think--on the ship--and on the shore--that Madame is a -GERMAN!” - -So it was out, and it took me a moment to realise it, so little had I -realised the war. - -“A German!” I did not put it in capital letters as he had done. I had -not yet learned to hate the Germans. - -“A--spy!” - -“Oh, good gracious!” And then I flew for my passports. - -In vain that young man protested it was not necessary. He had felt sure -from the moment he set eyes upon her that Madame was no German. He had -told the captain--so the depressed corporal had been taking an interest -in me--she might be French, or even from the north of Spain, but -certainly not German. But I insisted on his looking at my passports and -being in a position to swear that I was British, and from that moment we -were friends and he constituted himself my champion. - -“The people are bad,” he told me. “Madame, they are angry and they are -bad. They may harm you. Here I go ashore with you; at Blagoveschensk -you get a protection order from the Governor written in Russian so that -somebody may read.” - -Then he told me about the war. Russia and France were fighting Germany. -He had come from Tsitsihar, on the Mongolian border, across Manchuria, -and before that he had come from Kodbo, right in the heart of the great -Western Mongolian mountains, and he was going as fast as he could to -Chita, and thence he supposed to the front. - -“C'est gai a la guerre, Madame, c'est gai!” I hope so. I earnestly hope -he found it so, for he was a good fellow and awfully good to me. - -He was a little disquieting too, for now it dawned upon me it would be -impossible to go back through Germany with Germany at war with Russia, -and my friend was equally sure it would be almost impossible to go by -way of St Petersburg, as we called Petrograd then. Anyhow we were still -in the Amur Province, in Eastern Siberia, so I did not worry much. Now -that the people were friendly once more it all seemed so far away, and -whenever we went ashore my Cossack friend explained matters. - -But he was a little troubled. - -“Madame, why does not England come in?” he asked again and again, and I, -who had seen no papers since I left Tientsin, and only _The North China -Herald_ then, could not imagine what England had to do with it. The idea -of a world war was out of the question. - -It was more interesting now going up the beautiful river, narrowed till -it really did look like a river. I could see both banks quite plainly. -My friend had been stationed here a year or two before, and he told me -that there were many tigers in the woods, and wild boar and bear, but -not very many wolves. And the tigers were beautiful and fierce and -dangerous, northern tigers that could stand the rigours of the winter, -and they did not wait to be attacked, they attacked you. There was a -German professor in Blagoveschensk a year or two ago who had gone out -butterfly-hunting, which one would think was a harmless and safe enough -pastime to satisfy even a conscientious objector, and a tiger had got -on his tracks and eaten him incontinently. They found only his butterfly -net and the buttons of his coat when they went in search of him. - -The plague had broken out during this officer's stay on the river, -and the authorities had drawn a cordon of Cossacks round to keep the -terrified, plague-stricken people from fleeing and spreading the disease -yet farther, and he pointed out to me the house in which he and two -comrades had lived. It was merely a roof pitched at a steep angle, and -the low walls were embedded in earth; only on the side facing the river -was a little window--it did not open--and a door. A comfortless-looking -place it was. - -“But why the earth piled up against the sides?” I asked. It was -sprouting grass now and yellow buttercups and looked gay and pretty, the -only attractive thing about the place. - -“Madame, for the cold,” said he, “for the cold.” And remembering -what they had told me about the cold of Kharbin, what I myself had -experienced at Manchuria on the way out in much the same latitude as -this, I could quite well believe that even sunk in the earth this poor -little hut was not a very good protection against the cold. - -The river widened again, winding its way across a plateau. On the -Chinese side were great oak forests where my Cossack told me were many -pig that gave them good hunting and many bees, but this was not China -as I knew it. It was inhabited, he said, by nomad tribes who were great -horsemen, and we saw occasional villages and--a rare sight--cattle, red -and white, standing knee-deep in the clear water. Particularly was I -struck by the cattle, for in all those thousands of miles of travel -I could count on my fingers--the fingers of one hand would be too -many--the numbers of times I saw herds of cattle. Once was in Saghalien, -and twice, I think, here, curiously enough, for the pure Chinese does -not use milk or butter on the Chinese side of the river. Of course there -must have been cows somewhere, for there was plenty of milk, cream and -butter for sale, but they were not in evidence from the river. - -On the Russian side the landing-places did not change much, only now -among the women hawkers were Chinese in belted blouses, green, yellow, -blue, pink, red; they rioted in colour as they never did in their own -land, and they all wore sea-boots. - -And still over twelve hundred miles from the sea it was a great -river. And then at last I saw what I had been looking for ever since I -embarked--fields of corn, corn ripe for the harvest. This was all this -lovely land needed, a field of corn; but again it was not on the Russian -side, but on the Chinese. - -The spires and domes of Blagoveschensk, the capital of the Amur -Province, came into view. All along the Russian bank of the river lay -this city of Eastern Siberia. Its buildings stood out against the clear -sky behind it, and approaching it was like coming up to a great port. -The river, I should think, was at least a mile wide. I am not very good -at judging distances, but it gave me the impression of a very wide river -set here in the midst of a plain--that is, of course, a plateau, for we -had come through the hills. - -And here my Cossack friend came to bid me good-bye and to impress upon -me once again to go straight to the Governor for that protection order. -He was sorry he could not see me through, but his orders were to go -to Chita as fast as he could, and someone would speak English at -Blagoveschensk, for it was a great city, and then he asked for the last -time: - -“But, Madame, why does not England come in?” - -And then the question that had troubled me so was answered, for as we -touched the shore men came on board wild with excitement, shouting, -yelling, telling the war news, that very day, that very moment, it -seemed, England had come in! - -And I appeared to be the only representative of Britain in that corner -of the world! Never was there such a popular person. The sailor-men who -worked the ship, the poorer third and fourth class passengers all came -crowding to look at the Englishwoman. I had only got to say “Anglisky” - to have everyone bowing down before me and kissing my hand, and -my Cossack friend as he bade me good-bye seemed to think it hardly -necessary to go to the Governor except that a member of a great Allied -nation ought to be properly received. - -But I had been bitten once, and I determined to make things as safe as -I could for the future. So I got a droshky--a sort of tumble-down -victoria, held together with pieces of string, and driven by a man who -might have been Russian or might have been Chinese--and Buchanan and -I went through the dusty, sunny streets of the capital of the Amur -Province to the viceregal residence. - - - - -CHAPTER XIII--THE UPPER REACHES OF THE AMUR - -Blagoveschensk is built on much the same lines as all the other -Siberian towns that I have seen, a wooden town mostly of one-storeyed -houses straggling over the plain in wide streets that cut one another -at right angles. Again it was not at all unlike an Australian town, a -frontier town to all intents and purposes. The side-roads were deep in -dust, and the principal shop, a great store, a sort of mild imitation of -Harrod's, where you could buy everything from a needle to an anchor--I -bought a dog-collar with a bell for Buchanan--was run by Germans. It was -a specimen of Germany's success in peaceful penetration. It seemed as if -she were throwing away the meat for the shadow, for they were interning -all those assistants--400 of them. Now probably they form the nucleus of -the Bolshevist force helping Germany. - -The Governor's house was on the outskirts of the town, and it was -thronged with people, men mostly, and Buchanan and I were passed from -one room to another, evidently by people who had not the faintest -notion of what we wanted. Everybody said “Bonjour,” and the Governor and -everybody else kissed my hand. I said I was “Anglisky,” and it seemed -as if everybody in consequence came to look at me. But it didn't advance -matters at all. - -I began to be hungry and tired, and various people tried questions upon -me, but nothing definite happened. At last, after about two hours, when -I was seriously thinking of giving up in despair, a tall, good-looking -officer in khaki came in. He put his heels together and kissed my hand -as courteously as the rest had done, and then informed me in excellent -English that he was the Boundary Commissioner and they had sent for him -because there was an Englishwoman arrived, and, while very desirous of -being civil to the representative of their new Ally, nobody could make -out what on earth she was doing here and what she wanted! - -I told my story and it was easy enough then. He admired Buchanan -properly, drove us both to his house, introduced me to his wife and made -me out a most gorgeous protection order written in Russian. I have it -still, but I never had occasion to use it. - -Opposite Blagoveschensk is a Chinese town which is called Sakalin, -though the maps never give it that name, and in Vladivostok and Peking -they call it various other names. But its right name is Sakalin, I know, -for I stayed there for the best part of a week. - -At Sakalin the head of the Chinese Customs is a Dane, Paul Barentzen, -and to him and his wife am I greatly beholden. I had been given letters -to them, and I asked my friend the kindly Russian Boundary Commissioner -if he knew them. He did. He explained to me I must have a permit to -cross the river and he would give me one for a week. A week seemed -overlong, but he explained the Russian Government did not allow free -traffic across the river and it was just as well to have a permit that -would cover the whole of my stay. Even now, though I did stay my week, I -have not fathomed the reason of these elaborate precautions, because -it must be impossible to guard every little landing-place on the long, -long, lonely river--there must be hundreds of places where it is easy -enough to cross--only I suppose every stranger is liable sooner or later -to be called upon to give an account of himself. - -The ferries that crossed the Amur to the Chinese side were great boats -built to carry a large number of passengers, but the arrangements -for getting across the river did justice to both Chinese and Russian -mismanagement. Unlike the efficient Japanese, both these nations, -it seems to me, arrive at the end in view with the minimum amount of -trouble to those in authority--that is to say, the maximum of trouble -to everybody concerned. The ferry-boats owing to local politics had a -monopoly, and therefore went at their own sweet will just exactly when -they pleased. There was a large and busy traffic, but the boats -never went oftener than once an hour, and the approaches were just as -primitive as they possibly could be. There was one little shed with a -seat running round where if you were fortunate you could sit down with -the Chinese hawkers and wait for the arrival of the boat. And when it -did come the passengers, after a long, long wait, came climbing up the -rough path up the bank looking as if they had been searched to the -skin. They let me through on the Chinese side and I found without -any difficulty my way to Mr Paul Barentzen's house, a two-storeyed, -comfortable house, and received a warm invitation from him and his wife -to stay with them. - -It was a chance not to be missed. I was getting very weary, I was tired -in every bone, so a chance like this to stay with kindly people who -spoke my own language, on the very outskirts of the Chinese Empire, was -not to be lightly missed, and I accepted with gratitude, a gratitude I -feel strongly. Mr Barentzen was a Dane, but he spoke as good English as -I do, and if possible was more British. His wife was English. And that -night he celebrated the coming into the war of Britain. He asked me -and the Russian Boundary Commissioner and his wife and another Russian -gentleman all to dinner in the gardens at Blagoveschensk. - -The place was a blaze of light, there were flags and lamps and bands -everywhere, the whole city was _en fête_ to do honour to the new -addition to the Grande Entente. When we were tired of walking about the -gardens we went inside to the principal restaurant that was packed with -people dining, while on a stage various singers discoursed sweet music -and waved the flags of the Allies. But the British flag had not got as -far as the capital of the Amur Province. Indeed much farther west than -that I found it represented by a red flag with black crosses drawn on -it, very much at the taste of the artist, and “Anglisky” written boldly -across it to make up for any deficiency. - -Mr Barentzen had foreseen this difficulty and had provided us all with -nice little silk specimens of the Union Jack to wear pinned on our -breasts. About ten o'clock we sat down to a most excellent dinner, -with sturgeon and sour cream and caviare and all the good tilings that -Eastern Siberia produces. A packed room also dined, while the people on -the stage sang patriotic songs, and we were all given silk programmes -as souvenirs. They sang the Belgian, the French and the Russian national -anthems, and at last we asked for the British. - -Very courteously the conductor sent back word to say he was very sorry -but the British national anthem was also a German hymn and if he dared -play it the people would tear him to pieces. Remembering my tribulations -a little way down the river, I quite believed him, so I suggested as an -alternative _Rule, Britannia_, but alas! he had never heard of it. It -was a deadlock, and we looked at one another. - -Then the tall Russian who was the other guest pushed his chair from -the table, stood up, and saluting, whistled _Rule, Britannia!_ How the -people applauded! And so Britain entered the war in Far Eastern Siberia. - -We certainly did not go home till morning that day. For that matter, I -don't think you are supposed to cross the river at night, not ordinary -folk, Customs officials may have special privileges. At any rate I came -back to my bunk on the steamer and an anxious little dog just as the -day was breaking, and next day I crossed to Sakalin and stayed with the -Barentzens. - -The Russians then took so much trouble to keep the Chinese on their own -side of the river that the Russian officers and civil servants, much to -the chagrin of their wives, were nowhere in the province allowed to have -Chinese servants. The fee for a passport had been raised to, I think, -twelve roubles, so it was no longer worth a Chinaman's while to get one -to hawk a basket of vegetables, and the mines on the Zeya, a tributary -of the Amur on the Russian side, had fallen off in their yield because -cheap labour was no longer possible. The people who did get passports -were the Chinese prostitutes, though a Chinese woman has not a separate -identity in China and is not allowed a passport of her own. However, -there are ways of getting over that. A man applied for a passport and it -was granted him. He handed it over to the woman for a consideration, and -on the other side any Chinese document was, as a rule, all one to the -Russian official. Remembering my own experience and how I had difficulty -in deciding between my passport and my agreement with my muleteers, I -could quite believe this story. - -Blagoveschensk is a regular frontier town and, according to Mr -Barentzen, is unsafe. On the first occasion that I crossed the river -with him I produced a hundred-rouble note. Almost before I had laid it -down it was snatched up by the Chinese Commissioner of Customs. - -“Are you mad?” said he, and he crumpled up the note in his hand and -held out for my acceptance a rouble. I tried to explain that not having -change, and finding it a little awkward, I thought that this would be a -good opportunity to get it, as I felt sure the man at receipt of custom -must have plenty. - -“I dare say,” said my host sarcastically. “I don't want to take away -anybody's character, but I'll venture to say there are at least ten -men within hail”--there was a crowd round--“who would joyfully cut your -throat for ten roubles.” - -He enlarged upon that theme later. We used to sit out on the balcony of -his house looking out, not over the river, but over the town of Sakalin, -and there used to come in the men from the B.A.T. Factory, a Russian in -top-boots who spoke excellent English and a young American named Hyde. -They told me tales, well, something like the stories I used to listen -to in my childhood's days when we talked about “the breaking out of the -gold” in Australia, tales of men who had washed much gold and then -were lured away and murdered for their riches. Certainly they did not -consider Blagoveschensk or Sakalin towns in which a woman could safely -wander. In fact all the Siberian towns that they knew came under the -ban. - -But of course mostly we talked about the war and how maddening it was -only to get scraps of news through the telegraph. The young American was -keen, I remember. I wonder if he really had patience to wait till his -country came in. He talked then in the first week of the war of making -his way back to Canada and seeing if he could enlist there, for even -then we felt sure that the Outer Dominions would want to help the -Motherland. And the Germans were round Liège--would they take it? -Association is a curious thing. Whenever I hear of Liège I cannot -help thinking, not of the Belgian city, but of a comfortable seat on a -balcony with the shadows falling and the lights coming out one by one -on the bath-houses that are dotted about a little town on the very -outskirts of the Chinese Empire--the lights of the town. There are the -sounds and the smells of the Chinese town mingling with the voices of -the talkers and the fragrance of the coffee, and the air is close with -the warmth of August. There comes back to me the remembrance of the -keen young American who wanted to fight Germany and the young Russian in -top-boots who was very much afraid he would only be used to guard German -prisoners. - -Sakalin was cosmopolitan, but it had a leaning toward Russia, hence the -bath-houses, an idea foreign to Chinese civilisation; and when I got a -piece of grit in my eye which refused to come out it was to a Japanese -doctor I went, accompanied by my host's Chinese servant, who, having -had the trouble stated by me in English, explained it to another man in -Chinese, who in his turn told the doctor what was the matter in Russian. -Luckily that man of medicine was very deft and I expect he could have -managed very well without any explanation at all. I have the greatest -respect for the Japanese leech I visited in Sakalin. - -On the Sunday we had a big picnic. The Russian Boundary Commissioner -came across with his wife and little girls, Mrs Barentzen took -her little girl and the Chinese Tao Tai lent us the light of his -countenance. He was the feature of the entertainment, for he was a very -big man, both literally and socially, and could not move without a large -following, so that an escort of mounted police took charge of us. The -proper portly Chinaman of whom this retinue was in honour spoke no -English, but smiled at me benevolently, and wore a petticoat and a -Russian military cap! The picnic was by a little brook about seven miles -from the town and I shall always remember it because of the lush grass, -waist-high, and the lovely flowers. I had looked at the Siberian flowers -from the steamer when they were ungetatable, I had gathered them with -joy in Saghalien, and now here they were again just to my hand. In June -they told me there were abundant lilies of the valley, and I regretted -I had not been there in June. Truly I feel it would be a delight to -see lilies of the valley growing wild, but as it was, the flowers were -beautiful enough, and there were heaps of them. There were very fine -Canterbury bells, a glorious violet flower and magnificent white -poppies. Never have I gathered more lovely flowers, never before have I -seen them growing wild in such amazing abundance. No one is more truly -artistic than the average Chinese, and I think the Tao Tai must have -enjoyed himself, though it is against the canons of good taste in China -to look about you. - -Presently I was asking the chief magistrate's good offices for Buchanan, -for he, my treasured Buchanan, was lost. In the Barentzens' house -there was, of course, as in all well-regulated Chinese houses run by -foreigners, a bathroom attached to every bedroom, and when I wanted a -bath the servants filled with warm water the half of a large barrel, -which made a very excellent bath-tub. And having bathed myself, I bathed -Buchanan, whose white coat got very dirty in the dusty Chinese streets. -He ran away downstairs and I lingered for a moment to put on my dress, -and when I came down he was gone. High and low I hunted; I went up and -down the street calling his name, and I knew he would have answered, he -always did, had he been within hearing. All the Customs men were turned -out and I went to the Chinese Tao Tai, who promptly put on all the -police. But Buchanan was gone for a night and I was in despair. Mr -Barentzen's head boy shook his head. - -“Master saying,” said he, “mus' get back that dog.” So I realised I was -making a fuss, but for the moment I did not care. The Tao Tai gave it -as his opinion that he had not been stolen. There were many little dogs -like him in the town, said he, no one would steal one, which only shows -a Chinese magistrate may not be infallible, for I was sure Buchanan -would not stay away from me of his own free will. - -And then at last the servants turned up triumphant, Buchanan, in the -arms of the head boy, wild with delight at seeing his mistress again. -The police had searched everywhere, but the servants, with their -master's injunction in mind and my reward to be earned, had made further -inquiries and found that a little boy had been seen taking the dog into -a certain house occupied by an official, the man who was responsible for -the cleaning of the streets. This was the first intimation I ever had -that the Chinese did clean their streets: I had thought that they -left that job to the “wonks” and the scavenger crows. The police made -inquiries. No, there was no little dog there. But the servants--wise -Chinese servants--made friends with the people round, and they said: -“Watch. There is a dog.” So a junior servant was put to watch, and when -the gate of the compound was opened he stole in, and there was poor -little James Buchanan tied up to a post. That servant seized the dog and -fled home in triumph. - -The T'ai T'ai (the official's wife), said the people round, had wanted -the pretty little dog. - -I was so delighted to get my little friend back that I should have been -content to leave things there. Not so Mr Barentzen. He sent for that -official, and there in his drawing-room he and I interviewed a portly -Chinese gentleman in grey petticoats, a long pigtail, a little black -silk cap and the tips of the silver shields that encased the long nails -of his little fingers just showing beyond his voluminous sleeves. - -“An officious servant,” he said. He was extremely sorry the Commissioner -of Customs and his friend had been put to so much inconvenience. The -servant had already been dismissed. And so we bowed him out, face was -saved, and all parties were satisfied. It was very Chinese. And yet we -knew, and we knew that he must have known we knew, that it was really -his wife who received the little dog that everyone concerned must have -realised was valuable and must have been stolen. - -Here in Sakai in I heard about the doings of the only wolves that came -into my wanderings. In the little river harbour were many small steamers -flying the Russian flag and loading great barrels with the ends painted -bright red. These barrels, explained the Customs Commissioner, contained -spirits which the Russians were desirous of smuggling into Russian -territory. The Chinese had not the least objection to their leaving -China after they had paid export duty. They were taken up and down the -river and finally landed at some small port whence they were smuggled -across. The trade was a very big one. The men engaged in it were known -as the wolves of the Amur and were usually Caucasians and Jews. In -1913, the last year of which I have statistics, no less than twenty-five -thousand pounds export was paid on these spirits, and in the years -before it used to be greater. I wonder whether with the relaxing of -discipline consequent on the war and the revolution the receipts for the -export have not gone up. - -The wide river was beautiful here, and Blagovesehensk, lying across the -water, with its spires and domes, all the outlines softened, standing -against the evening sky, might have been some town of pictured Italy. I -am glad I have seen it. I dare not expiate on Mr Barentzen's kindness. -My drastic critic, drastic and so invaluable, says that I have already -overloaded this book with tales of people's kindness, so I can only say -I stayed there a week and then took passage on the smaller steamer which -was bound up the Amur and the Shilka to Stretensk and the railway. - -I had, however, one regret. I had inadvertently taken my plates and -films on which I had all my pictures of the Amur and Saghalien across -the Sakalin and I could not take them back again. The Russian rule was -very strict. No photographs were allowed. Everything crossing the river -must be examined. Now to examine my undeveloped films and plates would -be to ruin them. I interviewed a Japanese photographer on the Sakalin -side, but he appeared to be a very tyro in the art of developing, and -finally very reluctantly I decided to leave them for Mr Barentzen to -send home when he got the chance. He did not get that chance till the -middle of 1916, and I regret to state that when we came to develop them -every single one of them was ruined. - -The steamer that I embarked on now was considerably smaller, for the -river was narrowing. The deck that ran round the cabins was only thirty -inches wide and crowded with children; worse, when James Buchanan and -I went for our daily promenades we found the way disputed by women, -mothers, or nursemaids, I know not whieh, propelling the children who -could not walk in wheeled chairs, and they thought Buchanan had been -brought there for their special benefit, a view which the gentleman -himself did not share. However, he was my only means of communication -with them, for they had no English or French. - -But I was lucky, for one of the mates, brass-bound and in spotless -white, like so many Russians had served in British ships and spoke -English very well with a slight Scots accent. With him I used to hold -daily conversations and always we discussed the war. But he shook his -head over it. It was not possible to get much news at the little wayside -places at which we stopped. There were no papers--the Russian peasant -under the beneficent rule of the Tsar was not encouraged to learn to -read--and for his part he, the mate, put no faith in the telegrams. All -would be well, of course, but we must wait till we came to some large -and influential place for news upon which we could rely. - -But that large and influential place was long in coming, in fact I may -say it never materialised while I was on the river. There are at least -eleven towns marked on the way between Blagoveschensk and Stretensk, but -even the town at the junction where the Aigun and the Shilka merge into -the Amur is but a tiny frontier village, and the rest as I know the -river banks are only a few log huts inhabited by peasants who apparently -keep guard over and supply the stacks of wood needed by the steamers. - -It was a lovely river now going north, north and then west, or rather -we went north, the river flowed the other way, it was narrower and wound -between wooded hills and it was very lonely. There were occasional, very -occasional, little settlements, on the Chinese side I do not remember -even a hut, though it was a lovely green land and the river, clear as -crystal, reflected on its breast the trees and rocks among which we made -our way. - -Once on the Russian side we landed from a boat a woman with two little -children and innumerable bundles. They had been down, I suppose, to -visit the centre of civilisation at Blagoveschensk and now were -coming home. In the dusk of the evening we left her there looking down -thoughtfully at her encumbrances, not a living creature in sight, not -a sign of man's handiwork anywhere. I hoped there were no tigers about, -but she has always lived in my memory as an unfinished story. I suppose -we all of us have those unfinished stories in our lives, not stories -left unfinished because they are so long drawn out we could not possibly -wait for developments, but stories that must finish suddenly, only -we are withdrawn. Once I looked from a railway carriage window in the -Midlands and I saw a bull chasing a woman; she was running, screaming -for all she was worth, for a fence, but whether she reached it or not -I have no means of knowing. Another time I saw also from a railway -carriage window two men, mother naked, chasing each other across the -greensward and left them there because the train went on. Of course I -have often enough seen men without clothes in the tropics, but in the -heart of England they are out of the picture and want explaining. -That explanation I shall never get. Nor is it likely I shall ever know -whether that unknown woman and her little children ever reached their -unknown home. - -We were luxuriously fed upon that little steamer. The Russian tea with -lemon and the bread and butter were delicious, and we had plenty of -cream, though gone was the red caviare that farther east had been so -common. But I was tired and at last feeling lonely. I began to count the -days till I should reach home. - -On the Amur the weather had been gorgeous, but when we entered the -Shilka we were north of 53° again and well into the mountains, and -the next morning I awoke to a grey day. It rained and it rained, not -tropical rain, but soft, penetrating rain; the fir-clad hills on either -side were veiled in a silvery mist. The river wound so that as we looked -ahead we seemed to be sailing straight into the hills. The way looked -blocked with hills, sometimes all mist-covered, sometimes with the green -showing alluringly through the mist, and occasionally, when the mist -lifted and the sun came out, in all the gullies would linger little grey -cloudlets, as if caught before they could get away and waiting there -screened by the hills till the mist should fall again. Occasionally -there were lonely houses, still more occasionally little settlements of -log huts with painted windows hermetically sealed, and once or twice a -field of corn ripe for the harvest but drowned by the persistent rain. -But the air was soft and delicious, divine; only in the cabins on board -the crowded steamer was it pestilential. The mate told me how, six weeks -before, on his last trip up, an Englishman had come selling reapers and -binders, and he thought that now I had made my appearance the English -were rather crowding the Amur. - -Sometimes when we stopped the passengers went ashore and went berrying, -returning with great branches laden with fruit, and I and Buchanan too -walked a little way, keeping the steamer 'well in sight, and rejoicing -in the flowers and the green and the rich, fresh smell of moist earth. I -do not know that ever in my life do I remember enjoying rain so much. -Of course in my youth in Australia I had always welcomed the life-giving -rain, but thirteen years in England, where I yearned for the sunshine, -had somehow dimmed those memories, and now once again the rain on the -river brought me joy. The mist was a thing of beauty, and when a ray of -sunshine found its way into a green, mist-veiled valley, illuminating -its lovely loneliness, then indeed I knew that the earth was the Lord's -and the fullness thereof. - -Sometimes we passed rafts upon the river. They were logs bound together -in great parallelograms and worked with twelve long sweeps fixed at each -end. Twelve men at least went to each raft, and there were small houses -built of grass and canvas and wood. They were taking the wood down to -Nikolayeusk to be shipped to Shanghai and other parts of the world for -furniture, for these great forests of birch and elm and fir and oak must -be a mine of wealth to their owners. I do not know whether the wood is -cut on any system, and whether the presence of these great rafts had -anything to do with the many dead trees I saw in the forests, their -white stems standing up ghostlike against the green hill-side. - -I have no record of these lovely places. My camera was locked away now -in my suit-case, for it was war, and Russia, rightly, would allow no -photographs. - -Seven days after we left Blagoveschensk we reached Stretensk and I came -in contact for the first time with the World's War. - - - - -CHAPTER XIV--MOBILISING IN EASTERN SIBERIA - -At Stretensk I awakened to the fact that I was actually in Siberia, -nay, that I had travelled over about two thousand miles of Siberia, that -dark and gloomy land across which--I believed in my youth--tramped long -lines of prisoners in chains, sometimes amidst the snow and ice of a -bitter winter, sometimes with the fierce sun beating down upon them, but -always hopeless, always hungry, weary, heartbroken, a sacrifice to the -desire for political liberty that was implanted in the hearts of an -enslaved people. - -It is an extraordinary thing that, though for many years I had believed -Saghalien was a terrible island, a sort of inferno for political -prisoners, something like Van Diemen's Land used to be in the old -convict days one hundred and ten years ago, only that in the Asiatic -island the conditions were still more cruel and it was hopeless to think -of escaping, while I was actually in that beautiful island I was so -taken up with its charm, it was so extremely unlike the place of which I -had a picture in my mind's eye, that I hardly connected the two. All -up the Amur river was a new land, a land crying out for pioneers, -pastoralists and farmers, so that the thought that was uppermost in my -mind was of the contrast between it and the old land of China, where I -had spent so long a time; but at Stretensk I suddenly remembered -this was Siberia, the very heart of Siberia, where men had suffered -unutterable things, might still be so suffering for all I knew, and I -stepped off the steamer and prepared to explore, with a feeling that at -any moment I might come across the heavy logs that made up the walls of -a prison, might see the armed sentries, clad to the eyes in furs, who -tramped amidst the snow. But this was August and it was fiercely hot, so -the snow and the sentries clad in furs were ruled out, and presently -as Buchanan and I walked about the town even the lonely prison built of -logs had to go too. There may have been a prison, probably there was, -but it did not dominate the picture. Not here should I find the Siberia -I had been familiar with from my youth up. - -Stretensk is like all other Siberian towns that I have seen. The houses -are mostly of one storey and of wood, of logs; the streets are wide and -straight, cutting each other at right angles, and the whole is flung out -upon the plain; it is really, I think, rather high among the mountains, -but you do not get the sensation of hills as you do from the steamer. - -The rain had cleared away and it was very hot, though we had started -out very early because I was determined to go west if possible that very -afternoon; We went gingerly because the dangers of Siberian towns -for one who looked fairly prosperous had been impressed upon me at -Blagoveschensk, and I hesitated about going far from the steamer, where -the mate could speak English. Still we went. I was not going to miss the -Siberia of my dreams if I could help it. - -I saw something more wonderful than the Siberia of my dreams. - -In consequence of the ceaseless rain the roads between the log-houses -with their painted windows were knee-deep in mud, a quagmire that looked -impassable. In the air was the sound of martial music, and up and -down in what would have been reckless fashion but for the restraining -glue-like mud galloped officers and their orderlies. It was the war, the -first I had seen of it. The war was taking the place of the political -exiles, and instead of seeing Siberia as a background for the exiles as -I had dreamed of it for so many years, I saw it busy with preparations -for war. The roads were like sloughs out of which it would have been -impossible to get had I ever ventured in. Naturally I did not venture, -but took all sorts of long rounds to get to the places I wanted to -reach. It is not a bad way of seeing a town. - -The heavily built houses, built to defy the Siberian winter, might have -come out of Nikolayeusk or Kharbarosvk, and though the sun poured down -out of a cloudless sky, and I was gasping in a thin Shantung silk, they -were hermetically sealed, and the cotton wool between the double windows -was decorated with the usual gay ribbons. I dare say they were cool -enough inside, but they must have been intolerably stuffy. The sidewalks -too had dried quickly in the fierce sunshine. They were the usual -Siberian sidewalks, with long lines of planks like flooring. Had -they ever been trodden, I wonder, by the forced emigrant looking with -hopeless longing back to the West. Finally we wandered into the gardens, -where I doubt not, judging by the little tables and many seats, -there was the usual gay throng at night, but now early in the morning -everything looked dishevelled, and I could not find anyone to supply me -with the cool drink of which I stood so badly in need, and at last we -made our way back to the steamer, where the mate, having got over the -struggle of arrival--for this was the farthest the steamer went--kindly -found time enough to give himself to my affairs. I wanted a droshky to -take me to the train, and as nowhere about had I seen any signs of a -railway station I wanted to know where it was. - -The mate laughed and pointed far away down the river on the other side. -I really ought to have known my Siberia better by now. Railways are not -constructed for the convenience of the townsfolk. There was nothing -else for it. I had to get there somehow, and as the train left somewhere -between five and six, about noon, with the mate's assistance, I engaged -a droshky. The carriages that are doing a last stage in this country -are not quite so elderly here as they are in Saghalien, but that is -not saying much for them. The one the mate engaged for me had a sturdy -little ungroomed horse in the shafts and another running in a trace -alongside. On the seat was packed all my baggage, two small suit-cases -and a large canvas sack into which I dumped rugs, cushions and all odds -and ends, including my precious kettles, and the rough little unkempt -horses towed us down through the sea of mud to the ferry, and then I saw -the scene had indeed shifted. It was not long lines of exiles bearing -chains I met, that was all in the past, at least for an outsider like -me, but here in the heart of Asia Russia in her might was collecting her -forces for a spring. The great flat ferry was crossing and recrossing, -and down the swamp that courtesy called a road came endless streams of -square khaki-coloured carts, driven by men in flat caps and belted -khaki blouses, big fair men, often giants with red, sun-tanned faces and -lint-white hair, men who shouted and laughed and sang and threw up their -caps, who were sober as judges and yet were wild with excitement; they -were going to the war. I could not understand one word they said, but -there is no mistaking gladness, and these men were delighted with their -lot. I wondered was it a case of the prisoner freed or was it that life -under the old regime in a Russian village was dull to monotony and to -these recruits was coming the chance of their lifetime. - -Some will never come east again, never whether in love or hate will they -see the steppes and the flowers and the golden sunshine and the snow of -Siberia, they have left their bones on those battle-fields; but some, I -hope, will live to see the regeneration of Russia, when every man shall -have a chance of freedom and happiness. I suppose this revolution was in -the air as cart after cart drove on to the ferry and the men yelled and -shouted in their excitement. A small company of men who were going east -looked at them tolerantly--I'm sure it was tolerantly--and then they too -caught the infection and yelled in chorus. - -I watched it all with interest. - -Then half-an-hour passed and still they came; an hour, and I grew a -little worried, for they were still pouring over. Two hours--I comforted -myself, the train did not start till late in the afternoon--three horns, -and there was no cessation in the stream. And of course I could make no -one understand. It looked as if I might wait here all night. At last -a man who was manifestly an officer came galloping along and him I -addressed in French. - -“Is it possible to cross on the ferry?” - -He was very courteous. - -“It is not possible to cross, Madame. It is not possible. The soldiers -come first.” - -I took another look at the good-humoured, strapping, fair-haired -soldiers in khaki, with their khaki-coloured carts. The ferry crossing -was laden with them, hundreds of others were waiting, among them numbers -of country people. They had bundles and laden baskets and looked people -who had shopped and wanted to go home again. Were these exiles? I did -not know. They looked simple peasants. Whoever they were, there did not -seem much chance for them or me, and I said the one Russian word I -knew, “steamer,” and indicated that I wanted to go back there. Much as -I wanted to go home, tired as I was of travelling, I decided I would -postpone my railway journey for a day and take advantage of that -comfortable Russian custom that allows you to live on a steamer for -two days while she is in port. The _ishvornik_ nodded, back we went -helter-skelter to the wharf and--the steamer was gone! - -I have had some bad moments in my life, but that one stands out still. -Why, I hardly know, for sitting here in my garden it does not seem a -very terrible thing. I had plenty of money in my pocket and there were -hotels in the town. But no! more than ever, safe here in Kent, do I -dread a Siberian hotel! Then I was distinctly afraid. I might so easily -have disappeared and no one would have asked questions for months to -come. I tried to tell the boy I wanted to go to one of those dreaded -hotels--I felt I would have to risk it, for I certainly could not spend -the night in a droshky--and I could not make him understand. Perhaps, as -in Saghalien, there were no hotels to accommodate a woman of my class, -or perhaps, as is most probable, they were all full of soldiers, anyhow -he only looked at me blankly, and Buchanan and I looked at each other. -Buchanan anyhow had no fears. He was quite sure I could take care of -him. I looked at the boy again and then, as if he had suddenly had an -inspiration, he drove me back to the place opposite the ferry whence we -had come. The soldiers were there still, crowds and crowds of them, -with their little carts and horses, and they were amusing themselves by -stealing each other's fodder; the ferry had come back, but there were no -soldiers on it, only the country people were crowding down. I had been -forbidden to go upon it, and never should I have dreamt of disobeying -orders, but my driver had different views. He waited till no officer was -looking, seized my baggage and flung it down on the great ferry right -in front of the military stores, beside the refreshment stall where they -were selling sausages and bread in round rings such as peasants eat, and -tea and lemonade. I had not expected to find so commonplace a thing on -a river in Siberia. Now I had sat in that dilapidated carriage for -over four hours and I was weary to death, also I could not afford to be -parted from my luggage, so I put Buchanan under my arm--it was too muddy -for him to walk--and followed as fast as I could. My good angel prompted -me to pay that driver well. I paid him twice what the mate had said it -ought to cost me if I waited half-a-day, and never have I laid out money -to better advantage. He turned to a big man who was standing by, a man -in sea-boots, a red belted blouse and the tall black Astrakhan cap that -I have always associated in my own mind 'with Circassians, and spoke to -him, saying “Anglisky.” Evidently he said it might be worth his while to -look after me. I don't know whether this gentleman was a Caucasian, one -of the “wolves of the Amur,” but whoever he was, he was a very hefty and -capable individual, with a very clear idea of what a foreign lady ought -to do, and he promptly constituted himself my guardian. - -After all, the world, take it on the whole, is a very kindly, honest -place. So many times have I been stranded when I might quite easily have -been stripped of everything, and always some good Samaritan has come -to my aid, and the reward, though I did my best, has never been -commensurate with the services rendered. - -The ferry across the Shilka at Stretensk is a great affair, like a young -paddock afloat, and beside the horses and carts upon it were a number -of country people with their bundles. I sat there a little uncomfortably -because I did not know what would happen, only I was determined not to -be parted from my baggage. Presently the huge float drifted off, amidst -wild shouts and yells. When I was there, a great deal in Russia was -done to the accompaniment of much shouting, and I rather fancy that this -ferry was going off on an unauthorised jaunt of its own. The Shilka is a -broad river here, a fortnight's steamer journey from its mouth, but the -ferry came to a full stop in the middle of the stream and a motor boat -which did not look as if it could hold half the people came alongside. - -“Skurry! Skurry!” was the cry, and the people began leaping overboard -into the boat. The military were getting rid summarily of their civilian -crowd. In a few seconds that boat was packed to the gunwales and I was -looking over at it. I had Buchanan under my arm; he was always a good -little dog at critical moments, understanding it was his part to keep -quiet and give as little trouble as possible. In my other hand I had my -despatch-case, and, being anything but acrobatic by temperament, I felt -it was hopeless to think of getting into it. If the penalty for not -doing so had been death, I do not think I could have managed it. -However, I didn't have a say in the matter. The big Russian in the red -blouse picked me up and dropped me, little dog, box and all, into the -boat, right on top of the people already there. First I was on top, and -then, still hanging on to my little dog, I slipped down a little, but my -feet found no foothold; I was wedged between the screaming people. After -me, with my luggage on his shoulder, came my guardian, and he somehow -seemed to find a very precarious foothold on the gunwale, and he made me -understand he wanted two roubles for our fares. If he had asked for ten -he would have got it, but how I managed to get at my money to this day I -do not know. The boat rocked and swayed in a most alarming manner, and I -thought to myself, Well, we are on top now, but presently the boat will -upset and then we shall certainly be underneath. I gathered that the -passengers were disputing with the boatman as to the price to be paid -for the passage across, though this was unwise, for the ferry was -threatening momentarily to crush us against the rocky bank. He was -asking sixty kopecks--a little over a shilling--and with one voice they -declared that forty was enough. Considering the crowd, forty I should -have thought would have paid him excellently. That I had given my -guardian more did not trouble me, because any extra he earned was more -than justified, for one thing was certain, I could never have tackled -the job by myself. - -Just as I was growing desperate and Buchanan began to mention that he -was on the verge of suffocation the difficulty of the fares was settled -and we made for the bank. But we did not go to the usual landing-stage; -that, I presume, was forbidden as sacred to the soldiers, and we drew up -against a steep, high bank faced with granite. - -“Skurry! Skurry!” And more than ever was haste necessary, for it -looked as if the great ferry would certainly crush us. The people began -scrambling up. But I was helpless. Whatever happened, I knew I could -never climb that wall. I could only clutch my little dog and await -events. My guardian was quite equal to the situation. The boat had -cleared a little and there was room to move, and, dropping the baggage, -he picked me up like a baby and tossed me, dog and all, up on to the -bank above. Whether that boat got clear away from the ferry I do not -know. When I visited the place next morning there were no remains, so -I presume she did, but at the time I was giving all my attention to -catching a train. - -My guardian engaged a boy to carry the lighter baggage, and shouldering -the rest himself, he took me by the arm and fairly raeed me up the steep -incline to the railway station that was a seething mass of khaki-clad -men. - -“Billet! Billet!” said he, raping the sweat from his streaming face -and making a way for me among the thronging recruits. There was a train -coming in and he evidently intended I should catch it. - -Such a crowd it was, and in the railway station confusion was worse -confounded. It was packed with people--people of the poorer class--and -with soldiers, and everyone was giving his opinion of things in general -at the top of his voice. My stalwart guardian elbowed a way to the -pigeon-hole, still crying, “Billet! Billet!” and I, seeing I wanted -a ticket to Petrograd, produced a hundred-rouble note. The man inside -pushed it away with contumely and declined it in various unknown -tongues. I offered it again, and again it was thrust rudely aside, my -guardian becoming vehement in his protests, though what he said I have -not the faintest idea. I offered it a third time, then a man standing -beside me whisked it away and whisked me away too. - -“Madame, are you mad?” he asked, as Mr Barentzen had asked over a -week before, but he spoke in French, very Russian French. And then he -proceeded to explain volubly that all around were thieves, robbers and -assassins--oh! the land of suffering exiles--the mobilisation had called -them up, and any one of them would cut my throat for a good deal less -than a ten-pound note. And he promptly shoved the offending cash in his -pocket. It was the most high-handed proceeding I have ever taken -part in, and I looked at him in astonishment. He was a man in a green -uniform, wearing a military cap with pipings of white and magenta, and -the white and magenta were repeated on the coat and trousers. On the -whole, the effect was reassuring. A gentleman so attired was really too -conspicuous to be engaged in any very nefarious occupation. - -He proceeded to explain that by that train I could not go. - -It was reserved for the troops. They were turning out the people already -in it. This in a measure explained the bedlam in the station. The people -who did not want to be landed here and the people who wanted to get away -were comparing notes, and there were so many of them they had to do it -at the top of their voices. - -“When does the next train go?” I asked. - -My new friend looked dubious. “Possibly to-morrow night,” said he. That -was cheering. - -“And where is there a hotel?” - -He pointed across the river to Stretensk. - -“Are there none this side?” - -“No, Madame, not one.” - -I debated. Cross that river again after all it had cost me to get here I -could not. - -“But where can I stay?” - -He looked round as if he were offering palatial quarters. - -“Here, Madame, here.” - -In the railway station; there was nothing else for it; and in that -railway station I waited till the train came in the following evening. - -That little matter settled, I turned to reward my first friend for his -efforts on my behalf, and I felt five roubles was little enough. My new -friend was very scornful, a rouble was ample, he considered. He had my -ten-pound note in his pocket, and I am afraid I was very conscious -that he had not yet proved himself, whereas the other man had done me -yeoman's service, and never have I parted with ten shillings with more -satisfaction. They were certainly earned. - -After, I set myself to make the best of the situation. The station was -crowded with all sorts and conditions of people, and a forlorn crowd -they looked, and curious was the flotsam and jetsam that were their -belongings. Of course there was the usual travellers' baggage, but -there were other things too I did not expect to come across in a railway -station in Siberia. There was a sewing-machine; there was the trumpet -part of a gramophone; there was the back of a piano with all the wires -showing; there was a dressmaker's stand, the stuffed form of a woman, -looking forlorn and out of place among the bundles of the soldiers. - -But the people accepted it as all in the day's work, watched the -soldiers getting into the carriages from which they were debarred, and -waved their hands and cheered them, though the first train that started -for anywhere did not leave till one-fifteen a.m. next morning. They -were content that the soldiers should be served first. They -settled themselves in little companies on the open platform, in the -refreshment-room, in the waiting-rooms, fathers, mothers, children and -dogs, and they solaced themselves with kettles of tea, black bread and -sausages. - -It was all so different from what I had expected, so very different, but -the first effect was to bring home to me forcibly the fact that there -was a great struggle going on in the West, and Eastern Siberia was being -drawn into the whirlpool, sending her best, whether they were the exiles -of my dreams or the thieves and robbers my newest friend had called -them, to help in the struggle! To wait a night and day in a railway -station was surely a little sacrifice to what some must make. How -cheerfully and patiently that Siberian crowd waited! There were no -complaints, no moans, only here and there a woman buried her head in her -shawl and wept for her nearest and dearest, gone to the war, gone out -into the unknown, and she might never see him again, might never even -know what became of him. Truly “They also serve who only stand and -wait.” - -I went into the refreshment-room to get some food, and had soup with -sour cream in it, and ate chicken and bread and butter and cucumber and -drank _kvass_ as a change from the eternal tea. I watched the people -on the platform and as the shades of night fell began to wonder where I -should sleep. I would have chosen the platform, but it looked as if -it might rain, so I went into the ladies' waiting-room, dragged a -seat across the open window, and spread out my rugs and cushions and -established myself there. I wanted to have first right to that window, -for the night up in the hills here was chilly and I felt sure somebody -would come in and want to shut it. My intuitions were correct. Buchanan -and I kept that open window against a crowd. Everybody who came in--and -the room was soon packed--wanted to shut it. They stretched over me and -I arose from my slumbers and protested. For, in addition to a crowd, -the sanitary arrangements were abominable, and what the atmosphere would -have been like with the window shut I tremble to think. I remembered the -tales of the pestilential resthouses into which the travelling exiles -had been thrust, and I was thankful for that window, thankful too that -it was summer-time, for in winter I suppose we would have had to shut -it. At last one woman pulled at my rugs and said--though I could not -understand her language her meaning was plain enough--that it was all -very well for me, I had plenty of rugs, it was they who had nothing. -It was a fair complaint, so with many qualms I shared my rugs and the -summer night slowly wore to morning. - -And morning brought its own difficulties. Russian washing arrangements -to me are always difficult. I had met them first in Kharbin in the house -of Mr Poland. I wrestled with the same thing in the house of the Chief -of Police in Saghalien, and I met it in an aggravated form here in the -railway station waiting-room. A Russian basin has not a plug--it is -supposed to be cleaner to wash in running water--and the tap is a twirly -affair with two spouts, and on pressing a little lever water gushes -out of both and, theoretically, you may direct it where you please. -Practically I found that while I was directing one stream of water down -on to my hands, the other hit me in the eye or the ear, and when I got -that right the first took advantage of inattention and deluged me round -the waist. It may be my inexperience, but I do not like Russian basins. -It was running water with a vengeance, it all ran away. - -However, I did the best I could, and after, as my face was a little -rough and sore from the hot sun of the day before, I took out a jar of -hazeline cream and began to rub it on my cheeks. This proceeding aroused -intense interest in the women around. What they imagined the cream was -for I don't know, but one and all they came and begged some, and as long -as that pot held out every woman within range had hazeline cream daubed -on her weather-beaten cheeks, and they omitted to rub it off, apparently -considering it ornamental. However, hazeline cream is a pleasant -preparation. - -Having dressed, Buchanan and I had the long day before us, and I did not -dare leave the railway station to explore because I was uneasy about my -luggage. I had had it put in the corner of the refreshment-room and as -far as I could see no one was responsible for it, and as people were -coming and going the livelong day I felt bound to keep an eye upon it. -I also awaited with a good deal of interest the gentleman with the -variegated uniform and my ten-pound note. He came at last, and explained -in French that he had got the change but he could not give it to me till -the train came in because of the thieves and robbers, as if he would -insist upon tearing the veil of romance I had mapped round Siberia. And -God forgive me that I doubted the honesty of a very kindly, courteous -gentleman. - -It was a long, long day because there was really nothing to do save to -walk about for Buchanan's benefit, and I diversified things by taking -odd meals in the refreshment-room whenever I felt I really must do -something. But I was very tired. I began to feel I had been travelling -too long, and I really think if it had not been for Buchanan's sympathy -I should have wept. No one seemed at all certain when the next train -west might be expected, opinions, judging by fingers pointing at the -clock, varying between two o'clock in the afternoon and three o'clock -next morning. However, as the evening shadows were beginning to fall -a train did come in, and my friend in uniform, suddenly appearing, -declared it was the western train. Taking me by the hand, he led me into -a carriage and, shutting the door and drawing down the blinds, placed in -my hands change for my ten-pound note. - -“Guard your purse, Madame,” said he, “guard your purse. There are -thieves and robbers everywhere!” - -So all the way across Siberia had I been warned of the unsafe condition -of the country. At Kharbin, at Nikolayeusk, at Blagoveschensk men -whose good faith I could not doubt assured me that a ten-pound note and -helplessness was quite likely to spell a sudden and ignominious end to -my career, and this was in the days when no one doubted the power of the -Tsar, a bitter commentary surely on an autocracy. What the condition of -Siberia must be now, with rival factions fighting up and down the land, -and released German prisoners throwing the weight of their strength in -with the Bolshevists, I tremble to think. - -When he made sure I had carefully hidden my money and thoroughly -realised the gravity of the situation, my friend offered to get my -ticket, a second-class ticket, he suggested. I demurred. I am not rich -and am not above saving my pennies, but a first-class ticket was so -cheap, and ensured so much more privacy, that a second-class was an -economy I did not feel inclined to make. He pointed round the carriage -in which we were seated. Was this not good enough for anyone? It was. -I had to admit it, and the argument was clinched by the fact that there -was not a first-class carriage on the train. The ticket only cost about -five pounds and another pound bought a ticket for Buchanan. We got -in--my friend in need got in with me, that misjudged friend; it seemed -he was the stationmaster at a little place a little way down the -line--and we were fairly off on our road to the West. - - - - -CHAPTER XV--ON A RUSSIAN MILITARY TRAIN - -I was in the train at last, fairly on my way home, and I was glad. But -I wasn't glad for very long. I began to wish myself back in the railway -station at Stretensk, where at least I had fresh air. At first I had the -window open and a corner seat. There are only two people on a seat in a -Russian long-distance train, because when night falls they let down the -seat above, which makes a bunk for the second person. But I was -second class and my compartment opened without a door into the other -compartments in the carriage, also two more bunks appeared crossways, -and they were all filled with people. We were four women, two men who -smoked, a baby who cried, and my little dog. I spread out my rugs and -cushions, and when I wanted the window open the majority were against -me. Not only was the window shut, but every ventilating arrangement was -tightly closed also, and presently the atmosphere was pestilential. -I grew desperate. I wandered out of the carriage and got on to the -platform at the end, where the cold wind--for all it was August--cut me -like a knife. The people objected to that cold wind coming in, and the -next time I wandered out for a breath of fresh air I found the door -barred and no prayers of mine would open it. In that carriage the people -were packed like sardines, but though I was three-quarters suffocated -no one else seemed at all the worse. I couldn't have looked at breakfast -next morning, but the rest of the company preened themselves and fed -cheerfully from the baskets they carried. Then at last I found a student -going to a Western Siberian university who spoke a little French and -through him I told the authorities that if I could not be transferred -to a first-class carriage I was to be left behind at the next station. I -had spent a night in a station and I knew all about it; it wasn't nice, -but it was infinitely preferable to a night in a crowded second-class -carriage. - -After a little while the train master came and with the aid of the -student informed me that there would be a first-class carriage a little -farther on and if there was room I should go in it, also we would know -in an hour or so. - -So I bore up, and at a little town in the hills I was taken to a -first-class compartment. There were three--that is, six bunks--making -up half of a second-class carriage, and they were most luxurious, with -mirrors and washing arrangements complete. The one I entered was already -occupied by a very stout woman who, though we did not know any tongue in -common, made me understand she was going to a place we would reach next -morning for an operation, and she apologised--most unnecessarily but -most courteously--for making me take the top bunk. She had a big Irish -setter with her whom she called “Box”--“Anglisky,” as she said--and -“Box” was by no means as courteous and friendly as his mistress, and not -only objected to Buchanan's presence but said so in no measured terms. -I had to keep my little dog up on the top bunk all the time, where -he peered over and whimpered protestingly at intervals. There was one -drawback, and so kind and hospitable was my stable companion that I -hardly liked to mention it, but the atmosphere in that compartment you -could have cut with a knife. Wildly I endeavoured to open the windows, -and she looked at me in astonishment. But I was so vehement that the -student was once more brought along to interpret, and then everybody -took a turn at trying to open that window. I must say I think it was -exceedingly kind and hospitable of them, for these people certainly -shrank from the dangers of a draught quite as much as I did from the -stuffiness of a shut window. But it was all to no purpose. That window -had evidently never been opened since the carriage was made and it held -on gallantly to the position it had taken up. They consulted together, -and at length the student turned to me: - -“Calm yourself, Madame, calm yourself; a man will come with an -instrument.” And three stations farther down the line a man did appear -with an instrument and opened that window, and I drew in deep breaths of -exceedingly dusty fresh air. - -The lady in possession and I shared our breakfast. She made the tea, and -she also cleaned out the kettle by the simple process of emptying the -tea leaves into the wash-hand basin. That, as far as I saw, was the -only use she made of the excellent washing arrangements supplied by -the railway. But it is not for me to carp, she was so kind, and bravely -stood dusty wind blowing through the compartment all night just because -I did not like stuffiness. And when she was gone, O luxury! Buchanan and -I had the carriage to ourselves all the way to Irkutsk. - -And this was Siberia. We were going West, slowly it is true, but with -wonderful swiftness I felt when I remembered--and how should I not -remember every moment of the time?--that this was the great and -sorrowful road along which the exiles used to march, that the summer -sun would scorch them, these great plains would be snow-covered and the -biting, bitter wind would freeze them long before they reached their -destination. I looked ahead into the West longingly; but I was going -there, would be there in less than a fortnight at the most, while their -reluctant feet had taken them slowly, the days stretched into weeks, the -weeks into months, and they were still tramping east into an exile that -for all they knew would be lifelong. Ah! but this road must have been -watered with blood and tears. Every river, whether they were ferried -over it or went across on the ice, must have seemed an added barrier to -the man or woman thinking of escape; every forest would mean for them -either shelter or danger, possibly both, for I had not forgotten the -tigers of the Amur and the bears and wolves that are farther west. And -yet the steppes, those hopeless plains, must have afforded still less -chance of escape. - -Oh! my early ideas were right after all. Nature was jailer enough here -in Siberia. Men did escape, we know, but many more must have perished -in the attempt, and many, many must have resigned themselves to their -bitter fate, for surely all the forces of earth and air and sky had -ranged themselves on the side of the Tsar. This beautiful country, and -men had marched along it in chains! - -At Chita, greatly to my surprise, my _sotnik_ of Cossacks joined the -train, and we greeted eaeh other as old friends. Indeed I was pleased to -see his smiling face again, and Buchanan benefited largely, for many -a time when I was not able to take him out for a little run our friend -came along and did it for us. - -The platforms at Siberian stations are short and this troop train, -packed with soldiers, was long, so that many a time our carriage never -drew up at the platform at all. This meant that the carriage was usually -five feet from the ground, and often more. I am a little woman and -five feet was all I could manage, when it was more it was beyond me. Of -course I could have dropped down, but it would have been impossible to -haul myself up again, to say nothing of getting Buchanan on board. A -Russian post train--and this troop train was managed to all intents and -purposes as a post train--stops at stations along the line so that the -passengers may get food, and five minutes before it starts it rings a -“Make ready” bell one minute before it rings a second bell, “Take your -seats,” and with a third bell off the train goes. And it would have gone -inexorably even though I, having climbed down, had been unable to climb -up again. Deeply grateful then were Buehanan and I to the _sotnik_ of -Cossacks, who recognised our limitations and never forgot us. - -I liked these Russian post trains far better than the train _de luxe_, -with its crowd and its comforts and its cosmopolitan atmosphere. A -Russian post train in those days had an atmosphere of its own. It was -also much cheaper. From Stretensk to Petrograd, including Buehanan, the -cost was a little over nine pounds for the tickets, and I bought my food -by the way. It was excellent and very cheap. All the things I had bought -in Kharbin, especially the kettles, came into use once more. The moment -the train stopped out tumbled the soldiers, crowds and crowds of them, -and raced for the provision stalls and for the large boilers full of -water that are a feature of every Russian station on the overland line. -These boilers are always enclosed in a building just outside the railway -station, and the spouts for the boiling water, two, three and sometimes -four in a row, come out through the walls. Beside every spout is an iron -handle which, being pulled, brings the boiling water gushing out. -Russia even in those days before the revolution struck me as strangely -democratic, for the soldiers, the non-commissioned officers, the -officers and everyone else on the train mingled in the struggle for hot -water. I could never have got mine filled, but my Cossack friend always -remembered me and if he did not come himself sent someone to get my -kettles. Indeed everyone vied in being kind to the Englishwoman, to -show, I think, their good will to the only representative of the Allied -nation on the train. - -It was at breakfast-time one warm morning I first made the acquaintance -of “that very great officer,” as the others called him, the captain of -the _Askold_. He was in full naval uniform, and at that time I was not -accustomed to seeing naval officers in uniform outside their ships, and -he was racing along the platform, a little teapot in one hand, intent -on filling it with hot water to make coffee. He was not ashamed to -pause and come to the assistance of a foreigner whom he considered the -peasants were shamefully overcharging. They actually wanted her to pay a -farthing a piece for their largest cucumbers! He spoke French and so we -were able to communicate, and he was kind enough to take an interest in -me and declare that he himself would provide me with cucumbers. He got -me four large ones and when I wanted to repay him he laughed and said -it was hardly necessary as they only cost a halfpenny! He had the -compartment next to mine and that morning he sent me in a glass of -coffee--we didn't run to cups on that train. Excellent coffee it was -too. Indeed I was overwhelmed with provisions. One woman does not want -very much to eat, but unless I supplied myself liberally and made it -patent to all that I had enough and more than enough I was sure to be -supplied by my neighbours out of friendship for my nation. From the -Cossack officer, from a Hussar officer and his wife who had come up -from Ugra in Mongolia, and from the captain of the _Askold_ I was always -receiving presents. Chickens, smoked fish--very greasy, in a sheet of -paper, eaten raw and very excellent--raspberries and blue berries, to -say nothing of cucumbers, were rained upon me. - -At some stations there was a buffet and little tables set about -where the first and second class passengers could sit down and have -_déjeuner_, or dinner, but oftener, especially in the East, we all -dashed out, first, second and third class, and at little stalls presided -over by men with kerchiefs on their heads and sturdy bare feet, women -that were a joy to me after the effete women of China, bought what we -wanted, took it back with us into the carriages and there ate it. I had -all my table things in a basket, including a little saucer for Buchanan. -It was an exceedingly economical arrangement, and I have seldom enjoyed -food more. The bread and butter was excellent. You could buy fine white -bread, and bread of varying quality to the coarse black bread eaten by -the peasant, and I am bound to say I very much like fine white bread. -There was delicious cream; there were raspberries and blue berries to -be bought for a trifle; there were lemons for the tea; there was German -beet sugar; there were roast chickens at sixpence apiece, little pasties -very excellent for twopence-halfpenny, and rapchicks, a delicious little -bird a little larger than a partridge, could be bought for fivepence, -and sometimes there was plenty of honey. Milk, if a bottle were -provided, could be had for a penny-farthing a quart, and my neighbours -soon saw that I did not commit the extravagance of paying three times as -much for it, which was what it cost if you bought the bottle. - -The English, they said, were very rich! and they were confirmed in their -belief when they found how I bought milk. Hard-boiled eggs were to be -had in any quantity, two and sometimes three for a penny-farthing. I am -reckoning the kopeck as a farthing. These were first-class prices, the -soldiers bought much more cheaply. Enough meat to last a man a day could -be bought for a penny-farthing, and good meat too--such meat nowadays I -should pay at least five shillings for. - -Was all this abundance because the exiles had tramped wearily across the -steppes? How much hand had they had in the settling of the country? I -asked myself the question many times, but nowhere found an answer. The -stations were generally crowded, but the country round was as empty as -it had been along the Amur. - -And the train went steadily on. Very slowly though--we only went at the -rate of three hundred versts a day, why, I do not know. There we stuck -at platforms where there was nothing to do but walk up and down and look -at the parallel rails coming out of the East on the horizon and running -away into the West on the horizon again. - -“We shall never arrive,” I said impatiently. - -“Ah! Madame, we arrive, we arrive,” said the Hussar officer, and he -spoke a little sadly. And then I remembered that for him arrival meant -parting with his comely young wife and his little son. They had with -them a fox-terrier whom I used to ask into my compartment to play with -Buchanan, and they called him “Sport.” - -“An English name,” they said smilingly. If ever I have a fox-terrier -I shall call him “Sport,” in kindly remembrance of the owners of the -little friend I made on that long, long journey across the Old World. -And the Hussar officer's wife, I put it on record, liked fresh air as -much as I did myself. As I walked up and down the train, even though -it was warm summer weather, I always knew our two carriages because in -spite of the dust we had our windows open. The rest of the passengers -shut theirs most carefully. The second class were packed, and the third -class were simply on top of one another--I should not think they could -have inserted another baby--and the reek that came from the open doors -and that hung about the people that came out of them was disgusting. - -I used to ask my Cossack friend to tea sometimes--I could always buy -cakes by the wayside--and he was the only person I ever met who took -salt with his tea. He assured me the Mongolians always did so, but I -must say though I have tried tea in many ways I don't like that custom. - -In Kobdo, ten thousand feet among the mountains in the west of Mongolia, -was a great lama, and the Cossack was full of this man's prophecy. - -Three emperors, said the lama, would fight. One would be overwhelmed and -utterly destroyed, the other would lose immense sums of money, and the -third would have great glory. - -“The Tsar, Madame,” said my friend, “the Tsar, of course, is the third.” - -I wonder what part he took in the revolution. He was a Balt, a man from -the Baltic Provinces, heart and soul with the Poles, and he did not even -call himself a Russian. Well, the Tsar has been overwhelmed, but which -is the one who is to have great glory? After all, the present is no very -great time for kings and emperors. I am certainly not taking any stock -in them as a whole. Perhaps that lama meant the President of the United -States! - -We went round Lake Baikal, and the Holy Sea, that I had seen before one -hard plain of glittering ice, lay glittering now, beautiful still in the -August sunshine. There were white sails on it and a steamer or two, and -men were feverishly working at alterations on the railway. The Angara -ran swiftly, a mighty river, and we steamed along it into the Irkutsk -station, which is by no means Irkutsk, for the town is--Russian -fashion--four miles away on the other side of the river. - -At Irkutsk it seemed to me we began to be faintly Western again. And the -exiles who had come so far I suppose abandoned hope here. All that they -loved--all their life--lay behind. I should have found it hard to turn -back and go east myself now. What must that facing east have been for -them? - -They turned us out of the train, and Buchanan and I were ruefully -surveying our possessions, heaped upon the platform, wondering how on -earth we were to get them taken to the cloakroom and how we should -get them out again supposing they were taken, when the captain of the -_Askold_ appeared with a porter. - -“Would Madame permit,” he asked, not as if he were conferring a favour, -“that her luggage be put with mine in the cloakroom?” - -Madame could have hugged him. Already the dusk was falling, the -soft, warm dusk, and the people were hastening to the town or to the -refreshment-rooms. There would be no train that night, said my kind -friend, some time in the morning perhaps, but certainly not that night. -I sighed. Again I was adrift, and it was not a comfortable feeling. - -If Madame desired to dine---- Madame did desire to dine. - -Then if Madame permits---- Of course Madame permitted. - -She was most grateful. And we dined together at the same table outside -the station restaurant--I like that fashion of dining outside--under the -brilliant glare of the electric light. He arranged everything for me, -even to getting some supper for Buchanan. And I forgot the exiles who -had haunted me, forgot this was Siberia. Here in the restaurant, save -for the Tartar waiters, it might almost have been France. - -“Perhaps,” said my companion courteously as we were having coffee, -“Madame would care to come to my hotel. I could interpret for her and -here no one speaks anything but Russian.” - -Again I could have hugged him. I intimated my dressing-bag was in the -cloakroom, but he smiled and shrugged his shoulders. - -“For one night!” - -He himself had nothing, so there and then we got into one of the usual -decrepit landaus and went to the town, to Irkutsk on the Angara, in the -heart of Siberia. If in my girlish days when I studied the atlas of the -world so carefully I could have known that one day I should be driving -into Irkutsk, that map would have been glorified for ever and a day; -but I could never have realised, never, that it would be set in a summer -land, warm as my own country, and that I should feel it a great step on -towards the civilisation of the West. - -It was night, and here and there clustering electric lights glittered -like diamonds, making darker the spaces in between. In the morning I saw -that the capital of Eastern Siberia, like all the other towns of that -country, is a regular frontier town. There were the same wide streets -grass-grown at the edges, great houses and small houses side by side, -and empty spaces where as yet there were no houses. We went to the -Central Hotel. - -“I do not go to an expensive hotel,” my companion told me, “this is a -moderate one.” - -But if it were moderate it certainly was a very large and nice hotel. -Russian hotels do not as a rule provide food, the restaurant is -generally separate, but we had already dined. That naval officer made -all arrangements for me. He even explained to an astonished chamber-maid -with her hair done in two long plaits that I must have all the windows -open and when I tried for a bath did his best for me. But again, he -explained, Russians as a rule go to a bath-house, and there was only -one bathroom in this hotel; it had been engaged for two hours by a -gentleman, and he thought, seeing I should have to start early in the -morning, it might be rather late for me to have a bath then, but if I -liked in the morning it would be at my service. - -If anyone had told me in the old days that going to Irkutsk I should be -deeply interested in a bath! - -I engaged that bath for an hour in the morning as that seemed to be the -correct thing to do. Then I went to bed and heartily envied Buchanan, -who did not have to bother about toilet arrangements. - -In the morning early there was a knock at the door and when I said “Come -in,” half expecting tea, there was my naval officer in full uniform -smilingly declaring my bath was ready, he had paid the bill, and I could -pay him back when we were on board the train. The chamber-maid, with -her hair still done in two plaits--I rather fancy she had slept in -them--conducted me to the bathroom, and I pass over the difficulty of -doing without brush and comb and tooth-brush. But I washed the dust -out of my hair, and when I was as tidy as I could manage I joined -the captain of the _Askold_ and we drove back through the town to the -railway station. - -The station was a surging mass of people all talking at once, and all, -I suppose, objurgating the railway management, but we two had breakfast -together in the pleasant sunlight. We had fresh rolls and butter and -coffee and cream and honey--I ask no better breakfast when these things -are good--and meanwhile people, officials, came and went, discussing -evidently some important matter with my friend. He departed for a -moment, and then the others that I had known came up, my Cossack friend -and the Hussar officer, and told me that the outgoing train was a -military train, it would be impossible for a woman, a civilian and a -foreigner at that, to go on it. I said the captain of the _Askold_ had -assured me I could, and they shook their heads and then said hopefully, -well, he was a very great officer, the captain of a ship, and I realised -that no lesser authority could possibly have managed this thing for -me. And even he was doubtful, for when he came back and resumed his -interrupted breakfast he said: - -“The train is full. The military authorities will not allow you on -board.” - -That really did seem to me tragedy at the moment. I forgot the sorrowful -people who would gladly enough have stayed their journey at Irkutsk. But -their faces were set East. I forgot that after all a day or two out of a -life would not matter very much, or rather I think I hated to part from -these kindly friends I had made on the train. I suppose I looked my -disappointment. - -“Wait. Wait. It is not yet finished,” said my friend kindly. “They give -me two compartments”--I felt then he was indeed “a very great officer,” - for the people were packed in that train, tier upon tier, like herrings -in a barrel--“and I cannot sleep in four bunks. It is ridiculous.” - -That may have been, but it was kindness itself of him to establish a -stranger in one of those compartments. It was most comfortable, and -Buchanan and I being established, and my luggage having come safely to -hand, I proceeded to make the most of the brush and comb that had come -once more into my possession, and I felt that the world was a very good -place indeed as we sped across the green plain in the sunny morning. I -could hardly believe that this goodly land was the one to which I had -always been accustomed to think men went as to a living death. - -And then I forgot other folks' troubles in my own, for envious eyes were -cast upon the spare bunk in my compartment. No one would have dreamt of -interfering had the sailor insisted upon having all four for himself, -but since he had parted with the rights of one compartment to a foreign -woman, it was evident that other people, crowded out, began to think -of their own comfort. Various people interviewed me. I am afraid -I understood thoroughly what they wanted, but I did not understand -Russian, and I made the most of that disability. Also all my friends who -spoke French kept out of the way, so I suppose they did not wish to -aid and abet in upsetting my comfort. At last a most extraordinary -individual with a handkerchief tied round his neck in lieu of a collar -and a little tourist cap on the back of his head was brought, and he -informed me in French that there was a doctor in the hospital section -of the train who had not been in bed for a week, they could not turn -the soldiers out, they must have rest, would I allow him to sleep in my -compartment? - -“Madame,” he said, and the officials standing round emphasised the -remark, if it needed emphasis, “it is war time. The train is for the -soldiers.” - -Certainly I was here on sufferance. They had a right to turn me out if -they liked. So the doctor came and turned in in the top bunk, and his -long-drawn snores took away from my sense of privacy. - -I don't think he liked it very much, for presently he was succeeded by -a train official, very drunk, though I am bound to say he was the only -drunken man I saw on all that long train journey from Stretensk to -Petrograd. It was a little unlucky we were at such close quarters. -Everyone, too, was very apologetic. - -He was a good fellow. It was an unfortunate accident and he would be -very much ashamed. - -I suppose he was, for the next day he too disappeared and his place -was taken by a professor from one of the Siberian universities who was -seeking radium. He was a nice old gentleman who had learned English -but had never had the chance of hearing it spoken. Where he went in the -daytime I do not know, probably to a friend's compartment, and Buchanan -and I had the place to ourselves. We could and did invite the Cossack -officer and the Hussar officer and his belongings and the naval man to -tea, and we had great games with the little fox-terrier “Sport” from -next door, but when night fell the professor turned up and notified me -he was about to go to bed. Then he retired and I went to bed first on -the lower seat. He knocked, came in and climbed up to his bunk, and -we discoursed on the affairs of the world, I correcting his curious -pronunciation. He really was a man of the world; he was the sort of man -I had expected to meet in Siberia, only I had never imagined him as free -and sharing a railway compartment with me. I should have expected to -find him toiling across the plains with the chains that bound his ankles -hitched to his belt for convenience of carrying. But he looked and -he spoke as any other cultivated old gentleman might have spoken, -and looking back I see that his views of the war, given in the end of -August, 1914, were quite the soundest I have ever listened to. - -“The Allies will win,” he used to say, “yes, they will win.” And he -shook his head. “But it will be a long war, and the place will be -drenched in blood first. Two years, three years, I think four years.” I -wonder if he foresaw the chaos that would fall upon Russia. - -These views were very different from those held by the other men. - -“Madame,” the Cossack would say, laughing, “do you know a good hotel in -Berlin?” - -I looked up surprised. “Because,” he went on, “I engage a room there. We -go to Berlin!” - -“Peace dictated at Berlin,” said they all again and again, “peace -dictated at Berlin.” This was during the first onward rush of the -Russians. Then there came a setback, two towns were taken and the -Germans demanded an indemnity of twenty thousand pounds apiece. - -“Very well,” said the Cossack grimly, and the Hussar nodded his head. -“They have set the tune. Now we know what to ask.” - -But the professor looked grave. “Many towns will fall,” said he. - -Another thing that struck me was the friendly relations of the officers -with those under them. As the only representative of their Western -Ally on the train, I was something of a curiosity, and soldiers and -non-commissioned officers liked to make excuse to look at me. I only -wished I had been a little smarter and better-looking for the sake of my -country, for I had had no new clothes since the end of 1912. However, I -had to make the best of it, and the men came to me on the platforms or -to my compartment without fear. If by chance they knew a little French -they spoke to me, helped out by their officers if their vocabulary ran -short. - -“Madame, Madame,” said an old non-commissioned officer, “would you be -so good as to tell me how to pronounce the English 'zee'? I teach myself -French, now I teach myself English.” - -Well, they had all been good to me and I had no means of repaying their -kindness save vicariously, so I took him in hand and with the aid of a -booklet published by the Wagons Lit Train du Luxe describing the journey -across Siberia we wrestled with the difficulties of the English “th.” - -It was a long long journey. We crept across the great steppes, we -lingered by stations, sometimes there were lakes, sometimes great -rivers, but always the great plains. Far as the eye could see rolled the -extent of green under the clear blue sky; often we saw herds of cattle -and mobs of horses, and again and again companies of soldiers, and -yet so vast is the country the sensation left upon the stranger is of -emptiness, of a rich and fertile land crying out for inhabitants. I -looked at it from the train with eager eyes, but I began to understand -how there had grown up in my mind the picture of this lovely land as -a dark and terrible place. To the prisoners who came here this plain, -whether it were green and smiling, or whether it were deep in white -snow, could only have been the barrier that cut them off from home and -hope, from all that made life dear. How could they take up their broken -lives here, they who for the most part were dwellers in the cities? - -Here was a regiment of soldiers; it was nothing, nothing, set in the -vast plain. The buttercups and daisies and purple vetches were trampled -down for a great space where men had been exercising or camping; but it -was nothing. There were wide stretches of country where the cattle were -peacefully feeding and where the flowers turned up smiling faces to the -blue sky for miles and miles, making me forget that this had been the -land of shadowed lives in the past and that away in the West men were -fighting for their very existence, locked in a death-grip such as the -world has never before seen. - -It was well there was something to look out upon, for that train was -horrid. I realised something of the horrors of the post-houses in which -the prisoners had been locked at night. We could get good food at every -station, but in the train we were too close on the ground and the -reek of us went up to heaven. I felt as if the atmosphere of the train -desecrated the fresh, clear air of the great plain over which we passed, -as if we must breed disease. The journey seemed interminable, and what -I should do when it ended I did not know, for opinion was fairly -unanimous: they were sure I could not get to England! - -With many apologies the captain of the _Askold_ permitted himself to ask -how I was off for money. I was a total stranger, met on a train, and a -foreigner! I told him I had a little over forty pounds and if that were -not enough I had thought to be able to send to London for more. - -He shook his head. - -“I doubt if even letters can get through.” - -And I sighed that then I did not know what I should do, for I had no -friends in Petrograd. - -“Pardon, Madame,” said he remonstrantly, and he gave me the address of -his wife and daughters. He told me to go and see them; he assured me -that everybody in Russia now wanted to learn English, that I would have -no difficulty in getting pupils and so do myself very comfortably “till -we make a passage to England again.” - -Just before we reached Cheliabynsk he came and told me that he had heard -there was a west-bound express with one place vacant, a ship awaited him -and speed was very necessary, therefore he was leaving this train. Then -at one of the greater stopping-places he bowed low over my hand, bade me -farewell, made a dash and caught the express. I have never either seen -or heard of him since, but he remains in my mind as one of the very -kindly men I have met on my way through the world. - -At Cheliabynsk we spent the livelong day, for there the main part of the -train went on to Moscow with the soldiers, while we who wanted to go -to Petrograd caught a train in the evening. I was glad to find that the -Hussar officer and the Cossack were both bound for Petrograd. And here -we came in touch once more with the West. There was a bookstall, and -though I could not buy an English paper I could and did buy an English -book, one of John Galsworthy's in the Tauchnitz edition. It was a great -delight to come in contact once more with something I could read. There -was a big refreshment-room here with all manner of delectable things to -eat, only we had passed beyond the sturgeon, and caviare was no longer -to be had save at a price that was prohibitive to a woman who had had as -much as she could eat and who anyhow was saving her pennies in case of -contingencies. - -But one thing I did have, and that was a bath. In fact the whole train -bathed. Near the station was a long row of bath-houses, but each one -I visited--and they all seemed unpleasant places--was crowded with -soldiers. After a third attempt to get taken in my Cossack friend met -me and was shocked at the idea of my going to such a place; if I would -trust him he would take me to a proper place after _déjeuner_. - -Naturally I trusted him gladly, and we got into one of the usual -broken-down landaus and drove away to the other side of the town to a -row of quite superior bath-houses. My friend declared he knew the -place well, he had been stationed here in “the last revolution,” as if -revolutions came as regularly as the seasons. - -It was a gorgeous bath-house. That young man bought me soap; he bought -me some sort of loofah for scrubbing; he escorted me to three large -rooms which I engaged for a couple of hours and, much to the surprise of -the people, having had the windows opened, he left me, assuring me that -the carriage should return for me in two hours. There was plenty of hot -water, plenty of cold, and any amount of towels, and both Buchanan and -I washed the grime of the journey from us and then rested on the sofa in -the retiring-room. I read John Galsworthy and punctually to the moment -I descended to the street, clean and refreshed, and there our carriage -awaited us. - -We bought water-melons on our way back to the train, for the streets -were heaped up with the great dark green melons with the pink flesh that -I had not seen since I left Australia. Autumn was on the land and here -were watermelons proof thereof. - -Ever as we went west the cornfields increased. Most of the wheat was cut -and standing in golden-brown stooks waiting to be garnered by old men -and boys and sturdy country women and those who were left of her young -men, for Russia had by no means called out her last lines in 1914. There -were still great patches of forest, primeval forest, of dense fir, and I -remembered that here must be the haunts of the wolves and the bear with -which I had always associated Russia. More, though why I know not, -my mind flew back to the times of the nomad hordes who, coming out of -Central Asia, imposed their rule upon the fair-haired Aryan race that -had settled upon the northern plain of Europe. Those forests for me -spelled Romance; they took away from the feeling of commonplaceness that -the breaking down of my preconceived ideas of Siberia had engendered. -Almost anything might happen in a land that held such forests, and such -rivers. Not that I was allowed to see much of the rivers now. Someone -always came in and drew down the blinds in my compartment--I had one to -myself since leaving Cheliabynsk--and told me I must not go out on -the platform whenever we crossed a bridge. They were evidently taking -precautions against spying though they were too polite to say so. There -were big towns with stations packed to overflowing. At Perm we met some -German prisoners of war, and there were soldiers, soldiers everywhere, -and at last one day in the first week in September we steamed into -Petrograd. - - - - -CHAPTER XVI--THE WAYS OF THE FINNS - -It was evening and we had arrived at Petrograd. For many years I -had wanted to see the northern capital. I had thought of it as a town -planned by a genius, slowly growing amid surrounding swamps, and in -my childhood I had pictured that genius as steadily working as a -carpenter--in a white paper cap--having always in his mind's eye the -town that was to grow on the Baltic Sea, the seaport that should give -his country free access to the civilisation of the West. He was a great -hero of mine because of his efficiency; after all I see no reason why I -should dethrone him now that I realise he had the faults of his time and -his position. - -But in life I find things always come differently to what one pictures -them. The little necessities of life will crop up and must be attended -to first and foremost. The first thought that came to me was that I had -to part with the friends I had made on the journey. Right away from the -borders of China the Cossack officer and I had travelled together; I had -met the Hussar officer and his wife soon after I had joined the train, -and we seemed to have come out of one world into another together. It -made a bond, and I for one was sorry to part. They were going to their -own friends or to a Russian hotel, and the general consensus of opinion -was that I would be more comfortable in a hotel where there were English -or at least French people. - -“Go to the Grand Hotel, Madame,” suggested the Hussar officer's wife, -she who spoke perfect French. - -So Buchanan and I loaded our belongings on to a droshky that looked -smart after the ones I had been accustomed to in Asia, bade farewell to -our friends “till after the war”--the Cossack was coming to England then -“to buy a dog”--and drove to the Grand Hotel. - -The Grand Hotel spoke perfect English, looked at me and--declined to -take me because I had a little dog. I was very much astonished, -but clearly I couldn't abandon Buehanan, so I went on to the Hotel -d'Angleterre, which also declined. I went from hotel to hotel and -they all said the same thing, they could not think of taking in anyone -accompanied by a dog. It was growing dark--it was dark, and after a -fortnight on the train I was weary to death. How could I think of the -glories of the Russian capital when I was wondering where I could find -a resting-place? I couldn't turn Buchanan adrift in the streets, I -couldn't camp in the streets myself, and the hotel porters who could -speak English had no suggestions to make as to where I could bestow my -little friend in safety. Six hotels we went to and everyone was firm and -polite, they could not take a dog. At last a hotel porter had a great -idea, the Hotel Astoria would take dogs. - -“Why on earth didn't someone tell me so before?” I said, and promptly -went to the Hotel Astoria. It was rather like going to the Hotel Ritz, -and though I should like to stay at the Hotel Ritz I would not recommend -it to anyone who was fearing an unlimited stay in the country, who had -only forty pounds to her credit and was not at all sure she could get -any more. Still the Hotel Astoria took little dogs, actually welcomed -them, and charged four shillings a day for their keep. I forgot Peter -the Great and the building of the capital of Russia, revelling in the -comforts of a delightful room all mirrors, of a bathroom attached and -a dinner that it was worth coming half across the world to meet. My -spirits rose and I began to be quite sure that all difficulties would -pass away, I should be able to get back to England and there would be -no need for that desperate economy. It was delightful to go to bed in -a still bed between clean white sheets, to listen to the rain upon the -window and to know that for this night at least all was well. I had seen -no English papers; I knew nothing about the war, and it is a fact one's -own comfort is very apt to colour one's views of life. Buchanan agreed -with me this was a very pleasant world--as a rule I do find the world -pleasant--it was impossible anything could go wrong in it. - -And the next day I received a snub--a snub from my own people. - -I went to the British Consulate full of confidence. Every foreigner I -had met all across the world had been so pleased to see me, had been so -courteous and kind, had never counted the cost when I wanted help, so -that I don't know what I didn't expect from my own countrymen. I looked -forward very mueh to meeting them. And the young gentleman in office -snubbed me properly. He wasn't wanting any truck with foolish women who -crossed continents; he didn't care one scrap whether I had come from -Saghalien or just walked down the Nevsky Prospekt; I was a nuisance -anyway, his manner gave me to understand, since I disturbed his peace -and quiet, and the sooner I took myself out of the country the better -he would be pleased. He just condescended to explain where I could get a -ticket straight through to Newcastle-on-Tyne; people were doing it every -day; he didn't know anything about the war, and his manner gave me to -understand that it wasn't his business to supply travellers with news. -I walked out of that office with all the jauntiness taken out of me. -Possibly, I have thought since, he was depressed at the news from -France, perhaps someone was jeering him because he had not joined up, or -else he had wanted to join up and was not allowed. It was unlucky that -my first Englishman after so long should be such a churlish specimen. I -felt that unless my necessity was dire indeed I should not apply to the -British Consulate for help in an emergency. I did not recover till I -went to the company who sold through tickets, across Finland, across -Sweden and Norway, across the North Sea to Newcastle-on-Tyne. There I -bought a ticket for fifteen pounds which was to carry me the whole -way. It was a Swedish company, I think, and the office was packed with -people, Poles, Letts, Lithuanians and Russians, who were naturalised -Americans and who wanted to go home. Everybody took the deepest interest -in Buchanan, so much interest that the man in charge asked me if I was -going to take him, I said “Of eourse,” and he shook his head. - -“You will never get him through Sweden. They are most strict.” - -Poor Buchanan! Despair seized me. Having been to the British Consulate, -I knew it was no use seeking advice there. I suppose I was too tired or -I should have remembered that Americans are always kind and helpful and -gone there or even dared the British Embassy. But these ideas occurred -to me too late. - -You may travel the world over and the places you visit will often remain -in your mind as pleasant or otherwise not because of any of their own -attributes, but because of the emotions you have suffered in them. Here -was I in St Petrograd, and instead of exploring streets and canals and -cathedrals and palaces my whole thoughts were occupied with the fate -of my little dog. I “had given my heart to a dog to tear” and I was -suffering in consequence. All the while I was in Petrograd--and I stayed -there three days looking for a way out--my thoughts were given to James -Buchanan. I discussed the matter with the authorities in the hotel who -could speak English, and finally Buchanan and I made a peregrination to -the Swedish Consulate. And though the Swedish Consulate was a deal more -civil and more interested in me and my doings than the English, in -the matter of a dog, even a nice little dog like Buchanan, they were -firm--through Sweden he could not go. - -I read in the paper the other day that the world might be divided into -men and women and people-who-hate-dogs, and these last will wonder what -I was making such a fuss about, but the men and women will understand. -My dear little companion and friend had made the lonely places pleasant -for me and I could not get him out of the country save by turning round -and going back across Europe, Asia and America! - -I went back to the place where I had bought my ticket. They also were -sympathetic. Everyone in the office was interested in the tribulations -of the cheerful little black and white dog who sat on the counter and -wagged a friendly tail. I had many offers to take care of him for me, -and the consensus of opinion was that he might be smuggled! And many -tales were told me of dogs taken across the borders in overcoats and -muffs, or drugged in baskets. - -That last appealed to me. Buchanan was just too big to cany hidden -easily, but he might be drugged and covered up in a basket. I went back -to the Astoria and sent for a vet. Also I bought a highly ornamental -basket. The porter thought I was cruel. He thought I might leave the dog -with him till after the war, but he translated the vet's opinion for me, -and the vet gave me some sulphonal. He assured me the little dog would -be all right, and I tried to put worrying thoughts away from me and to -see Petrograd, the capital of the Tsars. - -But I had seen too much. There comes a moment, however keen you are on -seeing the world, when you want to see no new thing, when you want only -to close your eyes and rest, and I had arrived at that moment. The wide -and busy streets intersected with canals, the broad expanse of the Neva, -the cathedral and the Winter Palace were nothing to me; even the wrecked -German Embassy did not stir me. - -I was glad then when the fourth morning found me on the Finland station. -The Finland station was crowded and the Finland train, with only second -and third class carnages and bound for Raumo, was crowded also, and it -appeared it did not know its way very well as the line had only just -been opened to meet the traffic west diverted from Germany. A fortnight -before no one had ever heard of Raumo. - -And now for me the whole outlook was changed. This was no military -train, packed as it was, but a train of men, women and children -struggling to get out of the country, the flotsam and jetsam that come -to the surface at the beginning of a war. And I heard again for the -first time since I left Tientsin, worlds away, English spoken that was -not addressed to me. To be sure it was English with an accent, the very -peculiar accent that belongs to Russians, Lithuanians, Poles and Letts -Americanised, and with it mingled the nasal tones of a young musician -from Central Russia who spoke the language of his adopted land with a -most exaggerated accent and the leisurely, cultivated tones of Oxford. - -I had come from the East to the West! - -The carriage was open from end to end and they would not allow Buchanan -to enter it. He, poor little man, in the gorgeous basket that he -objected to strongly, was banished to the luggage-van, and because the -carriage was hot, and also because I felt he would be lonely separated -from me, I went there and kept him company. - -And in that van I met another Russian naval officer and deepened my -obligations to the Russian navy. He sat down beside me on one of the -boxes, a tall, broad-shouldered, fair man who looked like a Viking with -his moustache shaved off. I found to my joy he spoke English, and I -confided to him my difficulties with regard to breakfast. I was so old -a traveller by now I had learned the wisdom of considering carefully the -commissariat. He was going to the forts on the Finnish border of which -he was in command, but before he left the train we would arrive at a -refreshment-room, and he undertook to arrange matters for me. And so he -did. - -Petrograd does not get up early, at least the Hotel Astoria did not, and -the most I could manage before I left was a cup of coffee, but I made -up for it at that first refreshment-room. The naval officer took entire -charge and, revelling in his importance, I not only had a very good -breakfast but made the most of my chances and, filling up my basket with -a view to future comforts, bought good things so that I might be able -to exchange civilities with my fellow-passengers on the way to Raumo. I -had eggs and sausages and new bread and scones and a plentiful supply -of fruit, to say nothing of sugar and lemons and cream and meat for -Buehanan--the naval man looking on smiling--and when I had really done -myself well I turned to him and demanded what I ought to pay. - -“Nothing, Madame. In Russia when a gentleman takes a lady for -refreshment he pays!” - -Imagine my horror! And I had stocked my basket so lavishly! - -My protests were useless. I was escorted back to our luggage-van and -my thoughts led gently from the coffee and eggs I had consumed and the -sausages and bread I had stowed away in my basket to the state of the -war as it struck the Russian naval mind. - -Had I heard about the sea fight in the Mediterranean? Not heard about -the little _Gloucester_ attacking the _Goeben_, the little _Gloucester_ -that the big German battleship could have eaten! A dwarf and a giant! -Madame! Madame! It was a sea fight that will go down through the ages! -Russia was ringing with it! - -“Do you know anyone in the English navy?” - -I said I had two brothers in the senior service, a little later and I -might have said three. - -“Then tell them,” said he earnestly, “we Russian sailors are proud to be -Allies of a nation that breeds such men as manned the _Gloucester!_” - -The Finnish border was soon reached and he left us, and the day went -on and discipline I suppose relaxed, for I brought Buchanan into the -carriage and made friends with the people who surrounded me. And then -once again did I bless the foresight of the Polish Jewess in Kharbin who -had impressed upon me the necessity for two kettles. They were a godsend -in that carriage. We commandeered glasses, we got hot water at wayside -stations and I made tea for all within reach, and a cup of tea to a -thirsty traveller, especially if that traveller be a woman, is certainly -a road to that traveller's good graces. - -Finland is curiously different from Russia. They used to believe in the -old sailing-ship days that every Finn was a magician. Whether they are -magicians or not, they have a beautiful country, though its beauty is -as different from that of the Amur as the Thames is from the Murray -in far-away Australia. Gone were the wide spaces of the earth and the -primitive peoples. We wandered through cultivated lands, we passed lake -and river and woods, crossed a wonderful salmon river, skirted Finland's -inland sea: here and there was a castle dominating the farmhouses and -little towns, the trees were turning, just touched gently by Autumn's -golden fingers, and I remembered I had watched the tender green of -the spring awakening on the other side of the world, more, I had been -travelling ever since. It made me feel weary--weary. And yet it was good -to note the difference in these lands that I had journeyed over. The air -here was clear, clear as it had been in China; it had that curious -charm that is over scenery viewed through a looking-glass, a charm I can -express in no other words. Unlike the great rivers of Russia, the little -rivers brawled over the stones, companionable little streams that 'made -you feel you might own them, on their banks spend a pleasant afternoon, -returning to a cosy fire and a cheery home when the dusk was falling. - -And this evening, our first day out, we, the little company in my -carriage, fell into trouble. - -We spoke among us many tongues, English, French, German, Polish, -Russian, Lettish, and one whose tongue was polyglot thought in Yiddish -and came from the streets, the “mean streets” of London, but not one -amongst us spoke Finnish, the language of the magicians, or could even -understand one word of it. This was unfortunate, for the Films either -spoke no language but their own or had a grudge against us and declined -to understand us. That didn't prevent them from turning us out that -night in a railway station in the heart of Finland and leaving us to -discover for ourselves that every hotel in the little town was full -to overflowing! Once more I was faced with it--a night in a railway -station. But my predicament was not so bad shared with others who spoke -my language. There was the Oxford man and the musician with a twang, -there was the wife of an American lawyer with her little boy and the -wife of an American doctor with her little girls--they all spoke English -of sorts, used it habitually--and there were four Austrian girls making -their way back to some place in Hungary. Of course, technically, they -were our enemies, while the Americans were neutral, but we all went in -together. The Russian-American musician had been in Leipsic and was most -disgustingly full of the mighty strength of Germany. - -The refreshment-rooms were shut, the whole place was in darkness, but -it was a mild night, with a gorgeous September moon sailing out into the -clear sky, and personally I should not have minded spreading my rugs and -sleeping outside. I should have liked it, in fact, but the tales of the -insecurity of Siberia still lingered in my consciousness, and when the -Oxford man said that one of the porters would put us up in his house I -gladly went along with all the others and, better still, took along my -bundles of rugs and cushions. - -The places that I have slept in! That porter had a quaint little wooden -house set in a garden and the whole place might have been lifted bodily -out of Hans Andersen. We had the freedom of the kitchen, a very clean -kitchen, and we made tea there and ate what we had brought in our -baskets. The Austrian girls had a room to themselves, I lent my rugs to -the young men and they made shift with them in the entrance porch, and -the best sitting-room was turned over to the women and children and me. -Two very small beds were put up very close together and into them -got the two women and three children, and I was accommodated with a -remarkably Lilliputian sofa. I am not a big woman, but it would not hold -me, and as for Buchanan, he looked at me in disgust, said a bed was a -proper place for a dog and promptly jumped on it. But it was full to -overflowing of women and children sleeping the sleep of the utterly -weary and he as promptly jumped off again and the next moment was -sitting up in front of my sofa with his little front paws hanging down. -He was a disgusted dog. He always begged when he wanted me to give him -something, and now he begged to show me he was really in need of a bed. -There were great uncurtained windows on two sides of that room, there -were flowers and ferns in pots growing in it, and the full moon strcamed -in and showed me everything: the crowded, rather gimcrack furniture, the -bucket that contained water for us to wash in in the morning, the bed -full of sleeping women and children and the little black and white dog -sitting up in protest against what he considered the discomforts of -the situation. What I found hard to bear were the hermetically sealed -windows--the women had been afraid of draughts for the children--so as -soon as that night wore through and daylight came stealing through the -windows I dressed quietly and, stepping across the sleeping young men at -the door, went outside with Buchanan to explore Finland. - -Our porter evidently ran some sort of tea gardens, for there were large -swings set up, swings that would hold four and six people at once, and -we tried them, much to Buchanan's discomfiture. We went for a walk up -the street, a country town street of little wooden houses set in little -gardens, and over all lay a Sabbath calm. It was Sunday, and the people -slept, and the autumn sunlight made the whole place glorious. There is -such rest and peace about the autumn: everything has been accomplished -and now is the fullness of time. I never know which season I like best, -each has its own beauty, but I shall always think of Finland as a land -of little things, charming little things bathed in the autumn sunlight. - -When the whole party were awake we found some difficulty in getting -something to eat. The porter could not supply us, and at the station, -where they were vigorously sweeping--the Finns are very clean--they -utterly declined to open the first-class refreshment-rooms. We could -only get something to eat in the third-class. There was a great feeling -of camaraderie and good-fellowship among us all, and here I remember the -lawyer's wife insisted upon us all having breakfast at her expense, for -according to her she owed us all something. It was she who added to our -party the Yiddish woman, a fat, square little person hung round with -innumerable bundles, carrying as she did a month's provisions, enough to -last her across to America, for she was a very strict Jew and could eat -nothing but _kosher_ killed meat and _kosher_ bread, whatever that may -be. I know it made her a care, for a month's provisions make something -of a parcel, and when bedding and a certain amount of clothing has to be -carried as well, and no porters are available, the resulting baggage -is apt to be a nuisance. All along the line this fat little person was -liable to come into view, toiling under the weight of her many bundles. -She would be found jammed in a doorway; she would subside exhausted in -the middle of a railway platform--the majority of her bundles would be -retrieved as they fell downstairs--or she blocked the little gateway -through which passengers were admitted one by one, and the resulting -bad language in all the tongues of Northern Europe probably caused the -Recording Angel a good deal of unnecessary trouble. But the Oxford -man and the musician were always ready to help her, and she must have -blessed the day the American lawyer's wife added her to a party which -had such kindly, helpful young men among its members. - -I found presently that the Oxford man and I were the moneyed members of -the party, the only ones who were paying our way; the others, far richer -people than I, I daresay, had been caught in the whirlpool of the war -and were being passed on from one American consul to another, unable -to get money from their own country. Apparently this was rather an -unpleasant process, meaning a certain scarcity of cash, as an American -consul naturally cannot afford to spend lavishly on his distressed -subjects. It was the irony of fate that some of them were evidently not -accustomed to looking too carefully after the pennies. - -It took us two days to cross Finland, and towards the end of the -journey, after we had got out to have tea at a wayside station that -blossomed out into ham and tea and bread and honey, we made friends with -a certain Finn whose father had been a Scotsman. At last we were able to -communicate with the people of the country! Also I'm afraid we told him -in no measured terms that we did not think much of his compatriots. -That was rather a shame, for he was exceedingly kind. He was going to -England, he told us, to buy sheepskins for the Russian army, and he took -great interest in my trouble about Buchanan. He examined him carefully, -came to the conclusion he was a perfectly healthy little dog and -suggested I should lend him to him till we reached Sweden, as he was -perfectly well known to the authorities, and Finnish dogs would be -allowed to enter Sweden, while a dog that had come from Russia would -certainly be barred. I loved that man for his kindly interest and I -handed over Buchanan in his basket without a qualm. - -We were really quite a goodly company when in the dusk of the evening -we steamed into Raumo. The station seemed deserted, but we didn't worry -much about that, as our new Finnish friend suggested the best thing to -do was to go straight down to the steamer, the _Uleaborg_, a Finnish -ship, and have our dinner and spend the night there. Even if she did not -go that night, and he did not think she would, we could rest and sleep -comfortably. We all agreed, and as the train went on down to the wharf -we appointed him our delegate to go on board and see what arrangements -he could make for us. The minute the train stopped, off he went, and -Buchanan went with him. I was getting easier in my mind about Buchanan -now, the thought of drugging him had been spoiling my pleasure in the -scenery. And then we waited. - -It began to rain, and through the mist which hid the moonlight to-night -we could see the loom of the ships; they were all white and the lights -from the cabin ports showed dim through the misty rain. The wharf was -littered with goods, barrels and bales, and as there was more than one -steamer, and apparently no one to guide us, or the Scots Finn had not -returned, we tackled the Russian _gens d'arme_ who seemed to be in -charge of the wharf and who was leaning up against the train. - -“Can you speak Finnish?” - -“Ah! now you have my secret first shot,” said he, with a smile. He, -their guardian, was no more equal to communicating with these people -than we were. And then, to our dismay, before our messenger could -return, the train which considered not a parcel of refugees put on steam -and started back to Raumo! - -A dozen voices were raised in frantic protest, but we might as well have -spared our breath, the train naturally paid no attention to us, but went -back at full speed to the town proper. It was a comfort when it stopped, -for, for all we knew, it might have gone straight back to Petrograd -itself. And Buchanan, shut up in a basket, was left behind, I knew not -where! They dumped us on that station, bag and baggage, in the rain. We -were worse off here than we were at the wharf, for there the steamer and -comfort at least loomed in the distance. Here was only a bare and empty -station, half-a-dozen men who looked at us as if we were so many wild -beasts on show, and a telephone to the wharf which we were allowed to -use as long as we pleased, but as far as I could gather the only result -was a flow of bad language in many tongues. We might be of many nations, -but one and all were we agreed in our dislike of the Finns and all -things Finnish. If I remember rightly, in the Middle Ages, most people -feared and disliked magicians. - -We managed to get our baggage into the hall of the station, whieh was -dimly lighted by electric lights, and in anticipation of our coming they -had filled up the station water-carafes. But that was all the provision -they had made. If there was a refreshment-room it had been locked up -long ago, and as far as we could make out, now our interpreter had gone, -there were no hotels or boarding-houses. Our Scots Finn had said it was -impossible to stay in Raumo. We looked at one another in a dismay in -which there was, after all, something comic. This that had befallen us -was the sort of aggravating thing a mischievous magician would cause -to happen. We were tired and hungry and bad-tempered, and I for one was -anxious about my little dog and I began to seek, with cash in my hand, -somebody who would find me Buchanan. - -How I made my wants known I don't now realise, but money does wonders, -and presently there came in a man bearing his basket and a rapturous -little dog was let out into the room. Where he had been I have not the -faintest idea, and I could not ask, only I gathered that the man who -brought him professed himself perfectly willing to go on fetching little -dogs all night at the same rate, and the musician remarked in his high -nasal twang that he supposed it was no good expecting any more sympathy -from Mrs Gaunt, she was content now she had her little dog. As a -matter of fact, now that my mind was at ease, I was equal to giving my -attention to other people's woes. - -We tackled the men round us. - -Where was our messenger? - -No one knew. - -Where could we get something to eat? - -Blank stare. They were not accustomed to foreigners yet at Raumo. The -station had only just been opened. The musician took out his violin -and its wailing tones went echoing and re-echoing through the hall. The -audience looked as if they thought we had suddenly gone mad, and one man -came forward and by signs told us we must leave the station. That was -all very well, we were not enamoured of the station, but the port we -judged to be at least four miles off, and no one was prepared to start -down an unknown road in the dark and pouring rain. There was a long -consultation, and we hoped it meant food, but it didn't. Out of a -wilderness of words we at last arrived at the interesting fact that if -we cared to subscribe five marks one of these gentlemen was prepared to -conduct us to the police station. There appeared to be no wild desire on -the part of any of us to go to the police station, the violin let out a -screech of scornful derision, and one of the officials promptly turned -off the electric lights and left us in darkness! - -There were many of us, and vexations shared are amusing. We laughed, -how we laughed, and the violin went wailing up and down the octaves. No -wonder the Finns looked at us askance. Even the darkness did not turn us -out, for we had nowhere else to go, and finally a man who spoke English -turned up, the agent for the Swedish steamer. He had thought there would -be no passengers and had gone to bed, to be roused up, I presume by the -stationmaster, as the only person likely to be capable of dealing with -these troublesome people who were disturbing the peace of this Finnish -village. - -We flew at him--there were about a dozen of us--and showed our tickets -for the Finnish steamer, and he smiled in a superior manner and said we -should be captured by Germans. - -We didn't believe much in the Germans, for we had many of us come -through a country which certainly believed itself invulnerable. Then -a woman travelling with her two daughters, Americans of the Americans, -though their mother spoke English with a most extraordinary accent, -proclaimed aloud that if there was a Swedish steamer she was going by it -as she was afraid of “dose Yarmans.” She and her daughters would give up -their tickets and go by the Swedish steamer. Protest was useless. If -we liked to break up the party we could. She was not going by the -_Uleaborg_. Besides, where were we to sleep that night? The Finnish -steamer was three or four miles away down at the wharf and we were here -along with the Swedish agent. - -The Swedish agent seized the opening thus given. There were no hotels; -there were no boarding-houses; no, it was not possible to get anything -to eat at that hour of the night. Something to drink? Well, in surprised -tones, there was surely plenty of water in the station--there was--and -he would arrange for a train for us to sleep in. The train at ten -o'clock next morning would take us down to the steamer. - -We retired to that train. Only one of the carriages was lighted, and -that by general consent we gave up to the lady whose fear of the Germans -had settled our affairs for us, and she in return asked us to share -what provisions we had left. We pooled our stores--I don't think I -had anything left, but the others shared with me--and we dined, not -unsatisfactorily, off sardines, black bread, sausages and apples. The -only person left out of the universal friendliness was the Yiddish lady. -Out of her plenty she did not offer to share. - -“She cannot,” said the musician. “She is saving for the voyage to -America. You see, she can eat none of the shipboard food.” He too came -of the same strict order of Jew, and his grandparents, with whom he -had been staying in Little Russia, had provided him with any amount of -sausage made of _kosher_ meat, but when he was away from his own people -he was evidently anything but strict and ate what pleased him. He shared -with the rest of us. Possibly he was right about the Yiddish woman, -and I suppose it did not really do us any harm to go short till next -morning, but it looked very greedy, and I still wonder at the nerve of -a woman who could sit down and eat sausage and bread and all manner -of such-like things while within a stone's-throw of her people who had -helped her in every way they could were cutting up apples and pears into -quarters and audibly wishing they had a little more bread. The Oxford -man and musician had always helped her, but she could not find it in her -heart to spare them one crumb. I admire her nerve. In America I doubt -not she will acquire wealth. - -After supper Buchanan and I retired to a dark carriage, wrapped -ourselves in my eiderdown and slept till with break of day two capable -but plain Finnish damsels came in to clean the train. I think the -sailors' ideas must have been wrong: every Finn cannot be a magician -else they would not allow all their women to be so plain. I arose and -dressed and prepared to go out and see if Raumo could produce coffee -and rolls, but as I was starting the violinist in the next compartment -protested. - -“I wouldn't. Guess you haven't got the hang of these Finnish trains. It -might take it into its head to go on. Can't you wait till we reach the -steamer.” - -I gave the matter my consideration, and while I was considering the -train did take it into its head to go on four hours before its appointed -time. On it went, and at last in the fresh northern dewy morning, with -the sun just newly risen, sending his long low rays streaming across the -dancing waters of the bay, we steamed up to the wharf, and there lay the -white ships that were bound for Sweden, the other side of the Baltic. - - - - -CHAPTER XVII--CAPTURED BY GERMANS - -But we couldn't get on the steamer at once. For some reason or other -there were Customs delays and everything we possessed had to be examined -before we were allowed to leave the country, but--and we hailed them -with delight--under the goods sheds were set out little tables where we -could buy coffee and rolls and butter and eggs. It was autumn now, and -for all the sunshine here in such high latitudes there was a nip in the -air and the hot coffee was welcome. We met, too, our friend of the night -before, the Scots Finn, but the glamour had departed from him and we -paid no attention to his suggestion that the _Goathied_, the Swedish -steamer, was very much smaller than the _Uleaborg_ and that there was -a wind getting up and we would all be deadly sick. We said we preferred -being sick to being captured by the Germans. And he laughed at us. There -was no need to fear the Germans in the Baltic so far north. - -It was midday before we were allowed on board the little white ship, -but still she lingered. I was weary, weary, even the waiting seemed a -weariness so anxious was I to end my long journeying and get home. And -then suddenly I felt very near it, for my ears were greeted by the good -broad Doric of Scotland, and there came trooping on board five and fifty -men, part of the crews of four English ships that had been caught by the -tide of war and laid up at Petrograd and Kronstadt. An opportunity had -been found and they were going back by way of Sweden, leaving their -ships behind till after the war. We did not think the war _could_ last -very long on board that steamer. - -The Scotsmen had evidently been expected, for on the deck in the bows -of the little steamer--she was only about three hundred tons--were laid -long tables spread with ample supplies of boiled sausages, suet pudding -and potatoes, and very appetising it looked, though in all my wanderings -I had never met boiled sausages before. Down to the feast sat the -sailor-men, and our Yiddish friend voiced aloud my feelings. - -“Anglisky,” said she unexpectedly, “nice Anglisky boys. Guten appetite, -nice Anglisky boys!” - -They were very cheery, poor boys, and though they were not accustomed to -her sort in Leith, they received her remarks with appreciative grins. - -As we started the captain came down upon me. - -“Who does that dog belong to?” he asked angrily. Everyone on board spoke -English. And before I could answer--I wasn't particularly anxious to -answer--he added: “He can't be landed in Sweden.” - -My heart sank. What would they do to my poor little dog? I was -determined they shouldn't harm him unless they harmed me first, and if -he had to go back to Russia--well, I would go too; but the thought of -going back made me very miserable, and I made solemn vows to myself -that if I by some miracle got through safely, never, never again would I -travel with a dog. - -And while I was thinking about it there came along a junior officer, -mate, purser, he might have been the cook for all I know, and he said: -“If you have bought this dog in Finland, or even on board the steamer, -he can land.” - -It was light in darkness, and I do not mind stating that where my dog is -concerned I have absolutely no morals, if it is to save him from -pain. He had been my close companion for over a year and I knew he was -perfectly healthy. - -“I will give you a good price for him,” said I. “He is a pretty little -dog.” - -“Wait,” he said, “wait. By and by I see.” - -Just as we got out of the bay the captain announced that he was not -going to Stockholm at all, but to Gefle, farther north. Why, he did not -know. Such were his orders. In ordinary times to find yourself being -landed at Liverpool, say, when you had booked for London might be -upsetting, but in war time it is all in the day's work, and sailors and -crowded passengers only laughed. - -“Let's awa',” said the sailors. “Let's awa'.” - -The air was clear and clean, clean as if every speck of dust had been -washed away by the rain of the preceding night; the little islands at -the mouth of the bay stood out green and fresh in the blue sea, but the -head wind broke it up into little waves, and the ship was empty of cargo -and tossed about like a cork. The blue sea and snow-white clouds, the -sunlight on the dancing waves mattered not to us; all we wanted, those -of us who were not in favour of drowning at once and so ending -our misery, was to land in Sweden. Buchanan sat up looking at me -reproachfully, then he too subsided and was violently sick, and I -watched the passengers go one by one below to hide their misery, even -those who had vowed they never were sea-sick. I stayed on deck because I -felt I was happier there in the fresh air, and so I watched the sunset. -It was a gorgeous sunset; the clouds piled themselves one upon the other -and the red sun stained them deepest crimson. It was so striking that I -forgot my sea-sick qualms. - -And then suddenly I became aware there were more ships upon the sea -than ours, one in particular, a black, low-lying craft, was steaming -all round us, sending out defiant hoots. There were three other ships -farther off, and I went to the rail to look over the darkening sea. - -Between us and the sunset was the low-lying craft, so close I could see -the gaiters of a man in uniform who stood on a platform a little higher -than his fellows; the little decks were crowded with men and a long gun -was pointed at us. It was all black, clean-cut, silhouetted against the -crimson sunset. - -We were slowed down, barely moving, the waves slop-slopped against our -sides, and the passengers came scrambling up. - -“Germans! Yarmans!” they cried, and from the torpedo boat came a voice -through a megaphone. - -“What are you doing with all those fine young men on board?” it asked in -excellent English, the language of the sea. - -The black torpedo boat was lying up against us. - -Sea-sickness was forgotten, and the violinist came to me. - -“They are going to take the young men,” he said, and he was sorry and -yet pleased, because all the time he had been full of the might of the -Germans. - -I thought of the Oxford man in the very prime of his manhood. - -“Have you told him?” - -“Guess I didn't dare,” said he. - -“Well, I think you'd better, or I'll go myself. They are going to search -the ship and he won't like being taken unawares.” - -So he went down, and presently they came up together. The Oxford man -had been very sea-sick and he thought all the row was caused by the ship -having struck a mine, and he felt so ill that if things were to end -that way he was accepting it calmly, but being captured by Germans was -a different matter. He was the only Englishman in the first class, and -when we heard they were coming for the young men we felt sure he would -have to go. - -Leaning over the rail of the _Goathied_, we could look down upon the -black decks of the torpedo boat, blacker than ever now in the dusk of -the evening, for the sun sank and the darkness was coming quickly. A -rope ladder was flung over and up came a couple of German officers. They -spoke perfect English, and they talked English all the time. They went -below, demanded the passenger list and studied it carefully. - -“We must take those Englishmen,” said the leader, and then he went -through every cabin to see that none was concealed. - -The captain made remonstrance, as much remonstrance as an unarmed -man can make with three cruisers looking on and a torpedo boat close -alongside. - -“It is war,” said the German curtly, and in the dusk he ranged the -sailor-men along the decks, all fifty-five of them, and picked out -those between the ages of nineteen and forty. Indeed one luckless lad of -seventeen was taken, but he was a strapping fellow and they said if he -was not twenty-one he looked it. - -It was tragic. Of course there must have been treachery at work or how -should the German squadron have known that the Englishmen were crossing -at this very hour? But a few moments before they had been counting -on getting home and now they were bound for a German prison! In the -gathering darkness they stood on the decks, and the short, choppy sea -beat the iron torpedo boat against the ship's side, and the captain -in the light from a lantern hung against the little house looked the -picture of despair. - -“She cannot stand it! She cannot stand it much longer!” - -Crash! Crash! Crash! - -“She cannot stand it! She was never built for it! And she is old now!” - -But the German paid no attention. The possible destruction of -a passenger ship was as nothing weighed in the balance with the -acquirement of six and thirty fighting men. - -They were so quiet. They handed letters and small bundles and sometimes -some of their pay to their comrades or to the passengers looking on and -they dropped down that ladder. No one but a sailor could have gone down, -for the ships heaved up and down, and sometimes they were bumping and -sometimes there was a wide belt of heaving dark water between them, -bridged only by that frail ladder. One by one they went, landing on the -hostile deck, and were greeted with what were manifestly jeers at their -misfortune. The getting down was difficult and more than once a bundle -was dropped into the sea and there went up a sigh that was like a wail, -for the passengers looking on thought the man was gone, and I do not -think there would have been any hope for him between the ships. - -Darker and darker it grew. On the _Goathied_ there were the lighted -decks, but below on the torpedo boat the men were dim figures, German -and English undiscernible in the gloom. On the horizon loomed the sombre -bulk of the cruisers, eaeh with a bright light aloft, and all around -was the heaving sea, the white tops of the choppy waves showing sinister -against the darker hollows. - -“Anglisky boys! Anglisky boys!” wailed the Yiddish woman, and her voice -cut into the waiting silence. It was their dirge, the dirge for the -long, long months of imprisonment that lay before them. And we were -hoping for a short war! I could hear the Oxford man drawing a long -breath occasionally, steeling himself against the moment when his turn -would come. - -It never came. Why, I do not know. Perhaps they did not realise his -nationality, for being a Scotsman he had entered himself as “British” on -the passenger list, and “British” was not such a well-known word as the -sons of Britain gathering from all corners of the earth to fight the -common foe have made it to-day. - -“Puir chappies! Puir chappies! A'm losin' guid comrades,” sighed an -elderly man leaning over the side and shouting a farewell to “Andra'.” - -I murmured something about “after the war,” but he cut me short sternly. -The general opinion was that they would be put to stoke German warships -and as the British were sure to beat them they would go down and be -ingloriously lost. The thought must have been a bitter one to the men on -that torpedo boat. And they took it like heroes. - -The last man was gone, and as the torpedo boat drew away a sort of -moan went up from the bereft passenger ship and we went on our way, the -captain relieved that we were free before a hole had been knocked in our -side. - -He was so thankful that no worse thing had befallen him that he became -quite communicative. - -“They are gone to take the _Uleaborg_,” he said, “and they will blow her -up and before to-morrow morning Raumo will be in flames!” - -In those days Sweden had great faith in the might of Germany. I hope -that faith is getting a little shaken at last. Still that captain -declared his intention of warning all the ships he could. There were two -Finnish ships of which he knew that he said were coming out of Stockholm -that night and he was going to look for them and warn them. - -And so the night was alive with brilliant electric light signals and -wild hootings from the steam siren, and he found them at last, all -honour to him for a kindly sailor-man, and the Finnish ships were warned -and went back to Sweden. - -But no matter how sorry one is for the sufferings of others, the feeling -does not in any way tend to lessen one's own private woes. Rather are -they deepened because sympathy and help is not so easily come by when -men's thoughts are occupied by more--to them more--important matters. -And so I could not go to sleep because of my anxiety about my little -dog. Only for the moment did the taking of the men and my pity for them -drive the thought of his predicament from my mind. - -We were nearing Sweden, every moment was bringing us closer, and as yet -I had made no arrangements for his safety. He lay curled up on the seat, -hiding his little snub nose and his little white paws with his bushy -tail, for the autumn night was chilly, and I lay fearing a prison for -him too, when he would think his mistress whom he had trusted had failed -him. All the crew were so excited over the kidnapping of the men that my -meditated nefarious transaction was thrust into the background. It was -hopeless to think that any one of them would give ear to the woes of -a little dog, so at last, very reluctantly, I gave him, much to his -surprise, a sulphonal tablet. I dozed a little and when by my watch it -was four o'clock Buchanan was as lively as a cricket. Sulphonal did not -seem to have affected him in any way. I gave him another, and he said it -was extremely nasty and he was surprised at my conduct, but otherwise it -made no difference to him. - -In the grey of the early morning we drew up to the wharf and were -told to get all our belongings on to the lower deck for the Customs to -examine them, and Buchanan was as cheerful and as wide awake as if he -had not swallowed two sulphonal tablets. With a sinking heart I gave him -another, put him in his basket and, carrying it down to the appointed -place, threw a rug over it and piled my two suit-cases on top of it. How -thankful I was there was such a noisy crowd, going over and over again -in many tongues the events of the night. They wrangled too about their -luggage and about their places, and above all their din I could hear -poor little James Buchanan whining and whimpering and asking why his -mistress was treating him so badly. - -Then came the Customs officer and my heart stood still. He poked an -investigatory hand into my suit-case and asked me--I understood him -quite well--to show him what was underneath. I could hear Buchanan if he -could not, and I pretended that I thought he wanted to know what was at -the bottom of my suit-case and I turned over the things again and again. -He grew impatient, but luckily so did all the people round, and as a -woman dragged him away by force to look at her things so that she could -get them ashore I noticed with immense relief that the sailors were -beginning to take the things to the wharf. Luckily I had taken care the -night before to get some Swedish money--I was taking no chances--and a -little palm oil made that sailor prompt to attend to my wants. Blessings -on the confusion that reigned around! Two minutes later on Swedish -soil I was piling my gear on a little hand-cart with a lot of luggage -belonging to the people with whom I had come across Finland and it was -bound to the railway station. - -“You have left your umbrella,” cried the violinist. - -“I don't care,” said I. I had lost my only remaining hat for that -matter, goodness knows what had become of it, but I was not going to put -myself within range of those Customs men again. What did I care about -appearances! I had passed the very worst milestone on my journey when I -got James Buchanan into Sweden; I had awakened from the nightmare that -had haunted me ever since I had taken my ticket in Petrograd, and I -breathed freely. - -At the railway station we left our luggage, but I got Buchanan's basket, -and we all went across the road to a restaurant just waking to business, -for we badly wanted breakfast. I loved those passengers. I shall always -think of them with gratitude. They were all so kind and sympathetic and -the restaurant folks, who were full of the seizing of the Englishmen on -a Swedish ship--so are joys and sorrows mingled--must have thought -we were a little mad when we all stood round and, before ordering -breakfast, opened a basket and let out a pretty little black and white -dog. - -And then I'm sorry to say we laughed, even I laughed, laughed with -relief, though I there and then took a vow never again to drug a dog, -for poor little James Buchanan was drunk. He wobbled as he walked, and -he could not make up his mind to lie down like a sensible dog and sleep -if off; he was conversational and silly and had to be restrained. Poor -little James Buchanan! But he was a Swedish dog, and I ate my breakfast -with appetite, and we all speculated as to what had become of the Scots -Finn who had failed me. - -Gefle reminded me of Hans Andersen even more than Finland had done. It -had neat streets and neat houses and neat trees and neat and fair-haired -women, and Gefle was seething with excitement because the _Goathied_ -had been stopped. It was early days then, and Sweden had not become -accustomed to the filibustering ways of the German, so every poster had -the tale writ large upon it, in every place they were talking about it, -and we, the passengers who walked about the streets, were the observed -of all observers. - -I was nearing the end of my long journey, very near now, and it did not -seem to me to matter much what I did. We were all--the new friends I had -made on the way from Petrograd--pretty untidy and travel-stained, and -if I wore a lace veil on my hair, the violinist had a huge rent in his -shoe, and, having no money to buy more, he went into a shoe-shop and had -it mended. I, with Buchanan a little recovered, sat beside him while it -was done. - -And in the afternoon we went by train through the neat and tidy country, -Selma Lagerlof's country, to Stockholm. I felt as if I were resting, -rested, because I was anxious no longer about Buchanan, who slumbered -peacefully on my knee; and if anybody thinks I am making an absurd fuss -about a little dog, let them remember he had been my faithful companion -and friend in far corners of the earth when there were none but -alien faces around me, and had stood many a time between me and utter -loneliness and depression. - -We discussed these sturdy Swedes. The Chicago woman's daughter, with the -pertness and aptness of the American flapper, summed them up quickly. - -“The men are handsome,” she said, looking round, “but the women--well, -the women lack something--I call them tame.” - -And I knew she had hit them off to a “T.” After that I never looked at -a neat and tidy Swedish woman with her hair, that was fair without that -touch of red that makes for gold--gives life--coiled at the back of -her head and her mild eyes looking out placidly on the world around her -without feeling that I too call her tame. - -Stockholm for the most of us was the parting of the ways. The American -consul took charge of the people who had come across Finland with us -and the Oxford man and I alone went to the Continental Hotel, which, I -believe, is the best hotel in that city. We had an evening meal together -in a room that reminded me very much of the sort of places we used to -call coffee palaces in Melbourne when I was a girl, and I met here again -for the first time for many a long day tea served in cups with milk and -cream. It was excellent, and I felt I was indeed nearing home. Things -were getting commonplace and the adventure was going out of life. But I -was tired and I didn't want adventure any more. There comes a time when -we have a surfeit of it. - -I remember my sister once writing from her home somewhere in the Malay -jungle that her husband was away and it was awkward because every night -a leopard came and took up his position under the house, and though she -believed he was only after the fowls she didn't like it because of the -children. If ever she complains that she hasn't had enough adventure -in her life I remind her of that and she says that is not the sort of -adventure she has craved. That is always the way. The adventure is -not always in the form we want. I seemed to have had plenty, but I was -weary. I wanted to sit in a comfortable English garden in the autumn -sunshine and forget that such things as trains and ships--perish the -thought of a mule litter--existed. I counted the hours. It couldn't be -long now. We came down into the hall to find that I had been entered on -the board containing the names of the hotel guests as the Oxford man's -wife. Poor young man! It was a little rough on him, for I hadn't even a -hat, and I felt I looked dilapidated. - -I was too. That night in the sleeper crossing to Christiania the woman -who had the bottom berth spoke excellent English. She was going to some -baths and she gave some advice. - -“You are very ill, Madame,” said she, “very ill.” - -I said no, I was only a little tired. - -“I think,” she went on, “you are very ill, and if you are wise when you -get to Christiania you will go to the Hotel Victoria and go to bed.” - -I was horrified. Because I felt I must go to England as quickly as -possible, and I said so. - -“The train does not go to Bergen till night,” said she. “Stay in bed all -day.” And then as we crossed the border a Customs officer came into the -carriage. Now I could easily have hidden Buchanan, but I thought as -a Swedish dog all his troubles were over, and he sat up there looking -pertly at the uniformed man and saying “What are you doing here?” - -“Have you got a certificate of health for that dog?” asked the man -sternly. - -I said “No,” remembering how very carefully I had kept him out of the -way of anybody likely to be interested in his health. - -“Then,” said he, “you must telegraph to the police at Christiania. They -will meet you and take him to a veterinary surgeon.” - -“And after?” I asked, trembling, my Swedish friend translating. - -“If his health is good they give him back to you. You take a room at -a hotel and if his health is good he will be allowed to skip about the -streets.” - -I felt pretty sure he would be allowed to skip about the streets and -I took a room at the Victoria, the Oxford man kindly seeing us -through--they put us down as Mr and Mrs Gaunt here--and James Buchanan, -who had been taken possession of by the police at the station, came back -to me, accompanied by a Norwegian policeman who demanded five shillings -and gave me a certificate that he was a perfectly healthy little dog. - -I want to go back to Norway when I am not tired and fed up with -travelling, for Christiania struck me as a dear little home-like town -that one could love; and the railway journey across the Dovrefield and -even the breakfast baskets that came in in the early morning were things -to be remembered. I saw snow up in those mountains, whether the first -snow of the coming winter or snow left over from the winter before, I -do not know, but the views were lovely, and I asked myself why I went -wandering in far-away places when there were places like this so close -at home and so easily reached. So near home. We were so near home. I -could think of nothing else. I told Buchanan about it and he licked my -hand sympathetically and told me always to remember that wherever I was -was good enough for him. And then we arrived at Bergen, a little wooden -city set at the head of a fiord among the hills, and we went on board -the _Haakon VII._, bound for Newcastle-on-Tyne. - -And then the most memorable thing happened, the most memorable thing -in what for me was a wondrous journey. All across the Old World we had -come, almost from the very farthest corner of the Old World, a wonderful -journey not to be lightly undertaken nor soon forgotten. And yet as I -went on board that ship I felt what a very little thing it was. I have -been feeling it ever since. A Norwegian who spoke good English was -there, going back to London, and, talking to another man, he mentioned -in a casual manner something about the English contingent that had -landed on the Continent. - -It startled me. Not in my lifetime, nor in the lifetime of my father, -indeed I think my grandfathers must have been very little boys when the -last English troops landed in France. - -“English troops!” I cried in astonishment. - -The Norwegian turned to me, smiling. - -“Yes,” he said. “But of course they are only evidence of good will. -Their use is negligible!” - -And I agreed. I actually agreed. Britain's rôle, it seemed to me, was on -the sea! - -And in four years I have seen Britain grow into a mighty military power. -I have seen the men of my own people come crowding across the ocean to -help the Motherland; I have seen my sister's young son pleased to be a -soldier in that army, just one of the proud and humble crowd that go to -uphold Britain's might. And all this has grown since I stood there at -the head of the Norwegian fiord with the western sun sparkling on the -little wavelets and heard a friendly foreigner talk about the little -army that was “negligible.” - -I was tired. I envied those who could work and exert themselves, but I -could do nothing. If the future of the nation had depended on me I could -have done nothing. I was coming back to strenuous times and I longed -for rest. I wanted a house of my own; I wanted a seat in the garden; I -wanted to see the flowers grow, to listen to the birds singing in the -trees. All that our men are fighting for to keep sacred and safe, I -longed for. - -And I have had it, thanks to those fighting men who have sacrificed -themselves for me, I have had it. It is good to sit in the garden -where the faithful little friend I shall never forget has his last -resting-place; it is good to see the roses grow, to listen to the lark -and the cuckoo and the thrush; but there is something in our race that -cannot keep still for long, the something, I suppose, that sent my -grandfather to the sea, my father to Australia, and scattered his sons -and daughters all over the world. I had a letter from a soldier brother -the other day. The war holds him, of course, but nevertheless he wrote, -quoting: - - “Salt with desire of travel - - Are my lips; and the wind's wild singing - - Lifts my heart to the ocean - - And the sight of the great ships swinging.” - - -And my heart echoed: “And I too! And I too!” - - - - - - - -End of Project Gutenberg's A Broken Journey, Illustrated, by Mary Gaunt - -*** END OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK A BROKEN JOURNEY, ILLUSTRATED *** - -***** This file should be named 54402-0.txt or 54402-0.zip ***** -This and all associated files of various formats will be found in: - http://www.gutenberg.org/5/4/4/0/54402/ - -Produced by David Widger from page images generously -provided by the Internet Archive - - -Updated editions will replace the previous one--the old editions will -be renamed. - -Creating the works from print editions not protected by U.S. copyright -law means that no one owns a United States copyright in these works, -so the Foundation (and you!) can copy and distribute it in the United -States without permission and without paying copyright -royalties. Special rules, set forth in the General Terms of Use part -of this license, apply to copying and distributing Project -Gutenberg-tm electronic works to protect the PROJECT GUTENBERG-tm -concept and trademark. Project Gutenberg is a registered trademark, -and may not be used if you charge for the eBooks, unless you receive -specific permission. If you do not charge anything for copies of this -eBook, complying with the rules is very easy. You may use this eBook -for nearly any purpose such as creation of derivative works, reports, -performances and research. They may be modified and printed and given -away--you may do practically ANYTHING in the United States with eBooks -not protected by U.S. copyright law. Redistribution is subject to the -trademark license, especially commercial redistribution. - -START: FULL LICENSE - -THE FULL PROJECT GUTENBERG LICENSE -PLEASE READ THIS BEFORE YOU DISTRIBUTE OR USE THIS WORK - -To protect the Project Gutenberg-tm mission of promoting the free -distribution of electronic works, by using or distributing this work -(or any other work associated in any way with the phrase "Project -Gutenberg"), you agree to comply with all the terms of the Full -Project Gutenberg-tm License available with this file or online at -www.gutenberg.org/license. - -Section 1. General Terms of Use and Redistributing Project -Gutenberg-tm electronic works - -1.A. By reading or using any part of this Project Gutenberg-tm -electronic work, you indicate that you have read, understand, agree to -and accept all the terms of this license and intellectual property -(trademark/copyright) agreement. If you do not agree to abide by all -the terms of this agreement, you must cease using and return or -destroy all copies of Project Gutenberg-tm electronic works in your -possession. If you paid a fee for obtaining a copy of or access to a -Project Gutenberg-tm electronic work and you do not agree to be bound -by the terms of this agreement, you may obtain a refund from the -person or entity to whom you paid the fee as set forth in paragraph -1.E.8. - -1.B. "Project Gutenberg" is a registered trademark. It may only be -used on or associated in any way with an electronic work by people who -agree to be bound by the terms of this agreement. There are a few -things that you can do with most Project Gutenberg-tm electronic works -even without complying with the full terms of this agreement. See -paragraph 1.C below. There are a lot of things you can do with Project -Gutenberg-tm electronic works if you follow the terms of this -agreement and help preserve free future access to Project Gutenberg-tm -electronic works. See paragraph 1.E below. - -1.C. The Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation ("the -Foundation" or PGLAF), owns a compilation copyright in the collection -of Project Gutenberg-tm electronic works. Nearly all the individual -works in the collection are in the public domain in the United -States. If an individual work is unprotected by copyright law in the -United States and you are located in the United States, we do not -claim a right to prevent you from copying, distributing, performing, -displaying or creating derivative works based on the work as long as -all references to Project Gutenberg are removed. Of course, we hope -that you will support the Project Gutenberg-tm mission of promoting -free access to electronic works by freely sharing Project Gutenberg-tm -works in compliance with the terms of this agreement for keeping the -Project Gutenberg-tm name associated with the work. You can easily -comply with the terms of this agreement by keeping this work in the -same format with its attached full Project Gutenberg-tm License when -you share it without charge with others. - -1.D. The copyright laws of the place where you are located also govern -what you can do with this work. Copyright laws in most countries are -in a constant state of change. If you are outside the United States, -check the laws of your country in addition to the terms of this -agreement before downloading, copying, displaying, performing, -distributing or creating derivative works based on this work or any -other Project Gutenberg-tm work. The Foundation makes no -representations concerning the copyright status of any work in any -country outside the United States. - -1.E. Unless you have removed all references to Project Gutenberg: - -1.E.1. The following sentence, with active links to, or other -immediate access to, the full Project Gutenberg-tm License must appear -prominently whenever any copy of a Project Gutenberg-tm work (any work -on which the phrase "Project Gutenberg" appears, or with which the -phrase "Project Gutenberg" is associated) is accessed, displayed, -performed, viewed, copied or distributed: - - This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere in the United States and - most other parts of the world 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. If you are not located in the - United States, you'll have to check the laws of the country where you - are located before using this ebook. - -1.E.2. If an individual Project Gutenberg-tm electronic work is -derived from texts not protected by U.S. copyright law (does not -contain a notice indicating that it is posted with permission of the -copyright holder), the work can be copied and distributed to anyone in -the United States without paying any fees or charges. If you are -redistributing or providing access to a work with the phrase "Project -Gutenberg" associated with or appearing on the work, you must comply -either with the requirements of paragraphs 1.E.1 through 1.E.7 or -obtain permission for the use of the work and the Project Gutenberg-tm -trademark as set forth in paragraphs 1.E.8 or 1.E.9. - -1.E.3. If an individual Project Gutenberg-tm electronic work is posted -with the permission of the copyright holder, your use and distribution -must comply with both paragraphs 1.E.1 through 1.E.7 and any -additional terms imposed by the copyright holder. Additional terms -will be linked to the Project Gutenberg-tm License for all works -posted with the permission of the copyright holder found at the -beginning of this work. - -1.E.4. Do not unlink or detach or remove the full Project Gutenberg-tm -License terms from this work, or any files containing a part of this -work or any other work associated with Project Gutenberg-tm. - -1.E.5. Do not copy, display, perform, distribute or redistribute this -electronic work, or any part of this electronic work, without -prominently displaying the sentence set forth in paragraph 1.E.1 with -active links or immediate access to the full terms of the Project -Gutenberg-tm License. - -1.E.6. You may convert to and distribute this work in any binary, -compressed, marked up, nonproprietary or proprietary form, including -any word processing or hypertext form. However, if you provide access -to or distribute copies of a Project Gutenberg-tm work in a format -other than "Plain Vanilla ASCII" or other format used in the official -version posted on the official Project Gutenberg-tm web site -(www.gutenberg.org), you must, at no additional cost, fee or expense -to the user, provide a copy, a means of exporting a copy, or a means -of obtaining a copy upon request, of the work in its original "Plain -Vanilla ASCII" or other form. Any alternate format must include the -full Project Gutenberg-tm License as specified in paragraph 1.E.1. - -1.E.7. Do not charge a fee for access to, viewing, displaying, -performing, copying or distributing any Project Gutenberg-tm works -unless you comply with paragraph 1.E.8 or 1.E.9. - -1.E.8. You may charge a reasonable fee for copies of or providing -access to or distributing Project Gutenberg-tm electronic works -provided that - -* You pay a royalty fee of 20% of the gross profits you derive from - the use of Project Gutenberg-tm works calculated using the method - you already use to calculate your applicable taxes. The fee is owed - to the owner of the Project Gutenberg-tm trademark, but he has - agreed to donate royalties under this paragraph to the Project - Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation. Royalty payments must be paid - within 60 days following each date on which you prepare (or are - legally required to prepare) your periodic tax returns. Royalty - payments should be clearly marked as such and sent to the Project - Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation at the address specified in - Section 4, "Information about donations to the Project Gutenberg - Literary Archive Foundation." - -* You provide a full refund of any money paid by a user who notifies - you in writing (or by e-mail) within 30 days of receipt that s/he - does not agree to the terms of the full Project Gutenberg-tm - License. You must require such a user to return or destroy all - copies of the works possessed in a physical medium and discontinue - all use of and all access to other copies of Project Gutenberg-tm - works. - -* You provide, in accordance with paragraph 1.F.3, a full refund of - any money paid for a work or a replacement copy, if a defect in the - electronic work is discovered and reported to you within 90 days of - receipt of the work. - -* You comply with all other terms of this agreement for free - distribution of Project Gutenberg-tm works. - -1.E.9. If you wish to charge a fee or distribute a Project -Gutenberg-tm electronic work or group of works on different terms than -are set forth in this agreement, you must obtain permission in writing -from both the Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation and The -Project Gutenberg Trademark LLC, the owner of the Project Gutenberg-tm -trademark. Contact the Foundation as set forth in Section 3 below. - -1.F. - -1.F.1. Project Gutenberg volunteers and employees expend considerable -effort to identify, do copyright research on, transcribe and proofread -works not protected by U.S. copyright law in creating the Project -Gutenberg-tm collection. Despite these efforts, Project Gutenberg-tm -electronic works, and the medium on which they may be stored, may -contain "Defects," such as, but not limited to, incomplete, inaccurate -or corrupt data, transcription errors, a copyright or other -intellectual property infringement, a defective or damaged disk or -other medium, a computer virus, or computer codes that damage or -cannot be read by your equipment. - -1.F.2. LIMITED WARRANTY, DISCLAIMER OF DAMAGES - Except for the "Right -of Replacement or Refund" described in paragraph 1.F.3, the Project -Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation, the owner of the Project -Gutenberg-tm trademark, and any other party distributing a Project -Gutenberg-tm electronic work under this agreement, disclaim all -liability to you for damages, costs and expenses, including legal -fees. YOU AGREE THAT YOU HAVE NO REMEDIES FOR NEGLIGENCE, STRICT -LIABILITY, BREACH OF WARRANTY OR BREACH OF CONTRACT EXCEPT THOSE -PROVIDED IN PARAGRAPH 1.F.3. YOU AGREE THAT THE FOUNDATION, THE -TRADEMARK OWNER, AND ANY DISTRIBUTOR UNDER THIS AGREEMENT WILL NOT BE -LIABLE TO YOU FOR ACTUAL, DIRECT, INDIRECT, CONSEQUENTIAL, PUNITIVE OR -INCIDENTAL DAMAGES EVEN IF YOU GIVE NOTICE OF THE POSSIBILITY OF SUCH -DAMAGE. - -1.F.3. LIMITED RIGHT OF REPLACEMENT OR REFUND - If you discover a -defect in this electronic work within 90 days of receiving it, you can -receive a refund of the money (if any) you paid for it by sending a -written explanation to the person you received the work from. If you -received the work on a physical medium, you must return the medium -with your written explanation. The person or entity that provided you -with the defective work may elect to provide a replacement copy in -lieu of a refund. If you received the work electronically, the person -or entity providing it to you may choose to give you a second -opportunity to receive the work electronically in lieu of a refund. If -the second copy is also defective, you may demand a refund in writing -without further opportunities to fix the problem. - -1.F.4. Except for the limited right of replacement or refund set forth -in paragraph 1.F.3, this work is provided to you 'AS-IS', WITH NO -OTHER WARRANTIES OF ANY KIND, EXPRESS OR IMPLIED, INCLUDING BUT NOT -LIMITED TO WARRANTIES OF MERCHANTABILITY OR FITNESS FOR ANY PURPOSE. - -1.F.5. Some states do not allow disclaimers of certain implied -warranties or the exclusion or limitation of certain types of -damages. If any disclaimer or limitation set forth in this agreement -violates the law of the state applicable to this agreement, the -agreement shall be interpreted to make the maximum disclaimer or -limitation permitted by the applicable state law. The invalidity or -unenforceability of any provision of this agreement shall not void the -remaining provisions. - -1.F.6. INDEMNITY - You agree to indemnify and hold the Foundation, the -trademark owner, any agent or employee of the Foundation, anyone -providing copies of Project Gutenberg-tm electronic works in -accordance with this agreement, and any volunteers associated with the -production, promotion and distribution of Project Gutenberg-tm -electronic works, harmless from all liability, costs and expenses, -including legal fees, that arise directly or indirectly from any of -the following which you do or cause to occur: (a) distribution of this -or any Project Gutenberg-tm work, (b) alteration, modification, or -additions or deletions to any Project Gutenberg-tm work, and (c) any -Defect you cause. - -Section 2. Information about the Mission of Project Gutenberg-tm - -Project Gutenberg-tm is synonymous with the free distribution of -electronic works in formats readable by the widest variety of -computers including obsolete, old, middle-aged and new computers. It -exists because of the efforts of hundreds of volunteers and donations -from people in all walks of life. - -Volunteers and financial support to provide volunteers with the -assistance they need are critical to reaching Project Gutenberg-tm's -goals and ensuring that the Project Gutenberg-tm collection will -remain freely available for generations to come. In 2001, the Project -Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation was created to provide a secure -and permanent future for Project Gutenberg-tm and future -generations. To learn more about the Project Gutenberg Literary -Archive Foundation and how your efforts and donations can help, see -Sections 3 and 4 and the Foundation information page at -www.gutenberg.org Section 3. Information about the Project Gutenberg -Literary Archive Foundation - -The Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation is a non profit -501(c)(3) educational corporation organized under the laws of the -state of Mississippi and granted tax exempt status by the Internal -Revenue Service. The Foundation's EIN or federal tax identification -number is 64-6221541. Contributions to the Project Gutenberg Literary -Archive Foundation are tax deductible to the full extent permitted by -U.S. federal laws and your state's laws. - -The Foundation's principal office is in Fairbanks, Alaska, with the -mailing address: PO Box 750175, Fairbanks, AK 99775, but its -volunteers and employees are scattered throughout numerous -locations. Its business office is located at 809 North 1500 West, Salt -Lake City, UT 84116, (801) 596-1887. Email contact links and up to -date contact information can be found at the Foundation's web site and -official page at www.gutenberg.org/contact - -For additional contact information: - - Dr. Gregory B. Newby - Chief Executive and Director - gbnewby@pglaf.org - -Section 4. Information about Donations to the Project Gutenberg -Literary Archive Foundation - -Project Gutenberg-tm depends upon and cannot survive without wide -spread public support and donations to carry out its mission of -increasing the number of public domain and licensed works that can be -freely distributed in machine readable form accessible by the widest -array of equipment including outdated equipment. Many small donations -($1 to $5,000) are particularly important to maintaining tax exempt -status with the IRS. - -The Foundation is committed to complying with the laws regulating -charities and charitable donations in all 50 states of the United -States. Compliance requirements are not uniform and it takes a -considerable effort, much paperwork and many fees to meet and keep up -with these requirements. We do not solicit donations in locations -where we have not received written confirmation of compliance. To SEND -DONATIONS or determine the status of compliance for any particular -state visit www.gutenberg.org/donate - -While we cannot and do not solicit contributions from states where we -have not met the solicitation requirements, we know of no prohibition -against accepting unsolicited donations from donors in such states who -approach us with offers to donate. - -International donations are gratefully accepted, but we cannot make -any statements concerning tax treatment of donations received from -outside the United States. U.S. laws alone swamp our small staff. - -Please check the Project Gutenberg Web pages for current donation -methods and addresses. Donations are accepted in a number of other -ways including checks, online payments and credit card donations. To -donate, please visit: www.gutenberg.org/donate - -Section 5. General Information About Project Gutenberg-tm electronic works. - -Professor Michael S. Hart was the originator of the Project -Gutenberg-tm concept of a library of electronic works that could be -freely shared with anyone. For forty years, he produced and -distributed Project Gutenberg-tm eBooks with only a loose network of -volunteer support. - -Project Gutenberg-tm eBooks are often created from several printed -editions, all of which are confirmed as not protected by copyright in -the U.S. unless a copyright notice is included. Thus, we do not -necessarily keep eBooks in compliance with any particular paper -edition. - -Most people start at our Web site which has the main PG search -facility: www.gutenberg.org - -This Web site includes information about Project Gutenberg-tm, -including how to make donations to the Project Gutenberg Literary -Archive Foundation, how to help produce our new eBooks, and how to -subscribe to our email newsletter to hear about new eBooks. - |