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Please -see the transcriber’s note at the end of this text for details regarding -the handling of any textual issues encountered during its preparation. - - - - - AN ENGLISH GIRL IN JAPAN - -[Illustration: (_Page_ 24. -A LITTLE NASAN APPEARED. -] - - AN ENGLISH GIRL - IN JAPAN - - BY - ELLA M. HART BENNETT - - - - - _SECOND EDITION_ - - - - - - - - - =Illustrated= - - - - - - - - - LONDON - WELLS GARDNER, DARTON & CO., LTD. - 3, PATERNOSTER BUILDINGS, E.C. - -[Illustration] - - _First Edition, May, 1904_ - _Second Edition, June, 1906_ - - - - - - - - - TO - - MY FRIEND MARY - - A SOUVENIR - - OF MANY PLEASANT DAYS - - ‘Though wide the ocean now dividing us, - Ne’er let its waters separate our souls.’ - (_Japanese quotation._) - - - - - PREFACE TO SECOND EDITION - - -The following sketches of life in Japan and the voyage there and back -are taken from a diary which I kept during my travels. - -Since writing my little book of personal reminiscences, which, thanks to -indulgent readers and kind friends, is now republished in a second -edition, many and great changes have taken place in the Far East. - -Japan has now become a great Power--not only in the East, but also in -the West. It is _little_ Japan no longer; or, rather, its greatness is -now understood and acknowledged by all the world. Western civilization -has taken a firm hold on the Japanese people. They have been rapidly -adopting, and, in fact, improving on, Western methods, customs, and -manners. The fear of the globe-trotter of to-day is whether he will be -in time to see the Japan of his dreams and of romance, before this great -Western wave of progress and reform has divested the Land of the Rising -Sun of its quaint originality and fascinating charm. - - E. H. B. - -1906. - - - - - PREFACE TO FIRST EDITION - - -The following sketches of life in Japan and the voyage there and back -are taken from a diary which I kept during my travels. - -As Japan and its wonderful little people have come so much before the -world during the last few years, and especially at this time are one of -the chief factors in the crisis in the Far East, I thought that these -reminiscences and anecdotes taken from real life might be of interest. - -I am indebted to the editors of the _Cornhill_, _Sketch_, _Sunday_, and -the _Buenos Aires Standard_ for the reproduction of some of the -following sketches. - - ELLA HART BENNETT. - -1904. - - - - - CONTENTS - - CHAPTER I - ON THE WAY - - PAGE - I start on my travels--A fair Theosophist--Life on an 1–12 - American liner--Arrival at New York--Delmonico’s---The - Hotel Waldorf--Niagara Falls--Across the Lakes--The - prairies--A quiet Sunday - - CHAPTER II - IN THE ROCKIES - - First sight of the Rockies--Stay at Banff--Indians and 13–22 - salmon--Arrival at Vancouver--The _Empress of - India_--Chinese passengers--The missing day--A - court-martial--First sight of Japan - - CHAPTER III - EARLY DAYS IN JAPAN - - A new friend--A Japanese dinner--Japanese temples--An 23–32 - earthquake--A fire in Yokohama - - CHAPTER IV - A JAPANESE HARROGATE - - A trip to the Japanese Harrogate--A curious travelling 33–50 - companion--A Japanese inn--A mountain ride--At the sulphur - springs--A sulphur bath--A night in a tea-house--Sad news - - CHAPTER V - AN IMPERIAL GARDEN-PARTY - - Silk dresses and frock-coats--A disappointed Colonel--The 51–65 - Royal procession--The chrysanthemums--I am presented--A - Japanese play--Japanese royal sport--The Mikado and his - subjects - - CHAPTER VI - JAPANESE LADIES - - Their habits and ways--Home life--The Honourable Bath--Count 66–82 - Ito and his wife--Old Japan--Loyalty to husbands--A mixed - marriage--Curious customs--Japanese sayings - - CHAPTER VII - JAPANESE CHILDREN - - Boys and girls--Games--The Feast of Dolls--School life--The 83–97 - ‘Hina Matsuri’--The Feast of the Carp--The ‘Bon Matsuri,’ - the festival for dead children - - CHAPTER VIII - SERVANTS IN JAPAN - - Their politeness--Frequency of their baths--Always ready for 98–108 - a nap--Mrs. Peter Potts - - CHAPTER IX - SOME FESTIVALS AND A FUNERAL - - The Imperial Silver Wedding--Parade of the troops--The 109–123 - wedding feast--The Chinese ball in Tokio--A gay - assembly--A Royal funeral--Strange customs - - CHAPTER X - CHANG, MY CHOW - - His first appearance--Adventures and mishaps--Companions in 124–140 - the Hospital--Chang goes to church--Facing the enemy - - CHAPTER XI - FURTHER ADVENTURES OF CHANG - - The tale of a tub--Sayonara--Board-ship acquaintance--Queer 141–163 - company - - CHAPTER XII - PAUL AND VIRGINIA - - Life on a tea-estate--My animal friends--Two brown 164–176 - bears--Brutus, the monkey--Always in mischief--The - Brazilian macaw - - - - - LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS - - - PAGE - A little Nasan appeared _Frontispiece_ - In the Heart of the Rockies 15 - ‘Tum adain soone! sayonara!’ 26 - One of the Shinto Temples 27 - The Great Bronze Buddha 28 - We start for Kodzu 35 - Idaka, the Guide 39 - Prepared for the Night 47 - Our Invitation-cards were very large and thick 53 - The Gardens are very beautiful 57 - Quaint Signboards in some of the Streets, Tokio: Butcher’s, 63 - Umbrella Shop - Quaint Signboards in some of the Streets, Tokio: Poultry 64 - and Egg Shop, Japanese Tailor - ‘Many are distinctly pretty when young’ 68 - A Japanese Lady of the Upper Class 69 - A Tea-house Veranda 72 - ‘How picturesque they looked!’ 84 - Japanese Children 87 - Japanese Servants 99 - That Delightful Hotel in the Hills 102 - Three Friends 125 - The Garden of the Little Tea-house 129 - The Kind Old ‘Isha-san’ 133 - The Little House in the Forest 137 - Chang’s First Appearance 140 - Yum-Yum and Dodo 141 - The Monastery in the Rock 143 - Mystical ‘Fuji-Yama’ 151 - The Lotus Flower of Japan 154 - Arara 173 - Initials, Tailpieces, etc. - -[Illustration] - - - - - An English Girl in Japan - - - - - CHAPTER I - ON THE WAY - -I start on my travels--A fair Theosophist--Life on an American - liner--Arrival at New York--Delmonico’s--The Hotel Waldorf--Niagara - Falls--Across the Lakes--The prairies--A quiet Sunday. - - -The visit to the Far East, where my father had business in Japan, was -taken when I was only eighteen. Being an only child, I had been his -constant companion since the death of my mother nine years previously. I -was never sent to school, and, after a succession of governesses, my -education was put into the hands of the old bachelor Rector of our -parish, whose ideas as to what a girl ought to know were somewhat -peculiar. However, in other ways I had more practical knowledge of life -than was usual for one of my age, as my father discussed subjects of all -kinds with me freely; and I grew up to take interest in topics of the -day, in animal life of all kinds, and in my garden, of which I was very -proud. - -Until the last moment I feared something might occur to prevent our -going; and it seemed almost too good to be true to think I was actually -to see the country from where my father had brought so many beautiful -curios on his former visit, and which I had always heard spoken of as an -earthly paradise. - -However, the day of departure came at last, and after many preparations -and tearful farewells from the two old servants, who were to keep house -for us during our absence, we started--two planet pilgrims bound for the -Land of the Rising Sun. - -I have always disliked books of travel with dates describing the day and -hour when the writer did this or that, and giving minute descriptions of -food, climate, feelings, etc. I don’t think it is in the least amusing -to read that on Monday, the 26th, the heroine was seasick, and on the -30th, at 6 p.m., was able to enjoy roast mutton and pudding. Or that she -landed on such a day at such a place, and exactly how she spent each -hour. I have decided only to write about the events and experiences -which have most impressed me during my travels, and to describe as well -as I can the characteristics of the people that I came across. - -We sailed from Southampton in the _Paris_, a huge American liner of -12,000 tons, more like a floating hotel than a ship. My first -impressions of life on board were not altogether enjoyable, as we -started in a gale, and I own to more than once wishing myself back again -in Old England. However, in a couple of days the weather calmed down, -and I soon recovered my sea-legs, and was able once again to enjoy life. - -There were a good number of passengers of every description and -nationality on board--a theatrical company, Mr. Carnegie (the -millionaire), the late Dr. Barnardo, Mrs. Annie Besant, a foreign -Ambassador and a Colonial Governor, besides many other well-known -people. Mrs. Besant was accompanied by two Indian Mahatmas, who were the -objects of much interest. They spent the greater part of their time -together, reclining in long deck-chairs, with pillows behind their -heads, and covered up to their chins with thick rugs. Sometimes they lay -for hours, hand in hand, with closed eyes; at other times they talked -earnestly in low tones. One Indian was very short and fat, the other -long and thin, with snake-like movements and curious piercing eyes. They -had thick black hair down to their shoulders, little red caps with -tassels on their heads, and long, rusty black frock-coats and white -trousers--a truly remarkable pair. I overheard the fat one remark to -Mrs. Besant that before they could disintegrate and assume their astral -shapes it was necessary to abstain from food for twelve hours, when -their bodies would be in a fit state to soar. The fat little man must -evidently have made up for his abstinence at other times, judging from -his portly appearance. We were told that the trio were going to lecture -on Theosophy in Chicago, and, after some little persuasion, Mrs. Besant -consented to give a lecture on board. Over three hundred of the -passengers assembled in the saloon, and the fair Theosophist held us -fascinated for more than an hour. She spoke very quietly, but with -intense earnestness, in a rich, deep voice, with hardly a moment’s -pause. The subject was evolution, and the manner in which the soul -passes from one body to another, either getting higher and more -spiritual, or deteriorating and becoming more animal. - -One of the audience got up and asked for the proofs of Buddhism being -superior to other religions, others followed suit, and the discussion -became somewhat heated, until the chairman, Mr. Carnegie, restored order -by saying that we were not at a debating society, but that Mrs. Besant -having been persuaded to speak for our pleasure and entertainment, he -thought the least we could do was to listen with respectful attention, -if not agreeing with the subject in question. (Loud applause.) - -The remainder of the voyage passed in the usual way--sports, -tournaments, concerts, the daily lottery on the run--the prize number -being sometimes worth between thirty and forty pounds. Various other -amusements were arranged by enterprising passengers and officers of the -ship. - -We were fortunate in arriving at New York up to time--in five days and a -half--as the week before the mails had been delayed by a severe cyclone, -from the effects of which New York was still suffering. On landing at -the Custom House the scene of confusion baffled description. We luckily -possessed a pass, so had not to open our trunks, but it seemed hours -before our thirty-five boxes and packages were collected together. -Meanwhile, I sat waiting on one of my boxes until my patience was quite -exhausted. - -My father had engaged rooms at the Hotel Waldorf, where we found a most -charming suite had been reserved for us. Each set of rooms in the hotel -is furnished in a different style--one Indian, one Japanese, another -Egyptian, and a special honeymoon suite, all pink, blue, and Cupids. -This hotel--probably the most luxurious in the world--was built by Mr. -Astor, the millionaire, costing £400,000, and £200,000 to furnish. The -State-rooms, fitted up for the Prince of Wales, who never went there -after all, are magnificent. The walls are hung with Gobelin tapestry, -and all the dinner-service is of solid silver. I was particularly -fascinated with the winter garden, which resembles a huge conservatory, -with fountains, palms, and little tables dotted about. A string band -played there every evening, and I saw a number of smartly-dressed -American women and girls, as well as men, enjoying their favourite -American drinks. I was not content until I had sampled a ‘corpse -reviver,’ drinking it through a long straw, but I cannot say the result -was altogether satisfactory. - -Everything about New York interested me immensely after the quiet -country life I had led at home. The crowds in the streets, the bustle, -the electric-cars and overhead railways, were at first bewildering. We -were given a box at the Opera Comique to see ‘Panjandrum,’ and there I -saw several American society beauties. The girls reminded me much of -Dana Gibson’s charming drawings. The men seemed insignificant in -comparison; but it is said they make ideal husbands, which is an -important consideration. - -After the theatre we went to a ‘roof garden,’ going up by lift to the -top of a large building, and through a door on to the roof. This had -been converted into a Café Chantant--plants, chairs, a small stage, and -a restaurant, all lit up with little coloured lamps. It was very -amusing, and a delightful way of spending a hot evening, as, although -the end of September, the weather in New York was still sultry. - -Before returning to the hotel, my father took me to Delmonico’s, the -famous New York restaurant, where we had an excellent supper, beginning -with hot, soft-shell crabs--a very favourite dish in America. They are -just like our crabs, but the shells are quite soft and crisp, and one -eats shell, legs, and all. Mrs. Besant and her two Mahatmas were sitting -at a table near us. They had evidently no immediate intention of -assuming their astral shapes, to judge by the number of dishes which -were placed before them and were carried away empty. A precocious little -American girl of about ten was having supper with her ‘poppa’ and -‘momma’ at the table next to us. Between the intervals of eating she -placed her elbows on the table, brandishing aloft her knife and fork, -and made comments on the people round in a loud, nasal voice. After some -especially indiscreet remark about the long, thin Indian, who turned and -looked at her with a melancholy gleam in his snake-like eye, ‘momma’ -exclaimed in equally strident tones: ‘I guess, Jemima, you had better -keep your remarks to your own _in_side, and not make them public, or -you’ll get yourself _dis_liked--say?’ For a few moments Jemima remained -silent, but soon began again. - -The next morning I was awakened to find a negro standing by my bedside -with a tray in his hands. He stood motionless in an attitude of -attention, his feet well turned out, a broad grin showing his white -teeth, apparently awaiting my commands. After receiving my orders, he -departed with another low bow, still smiling. Most of the house-work is -done in America by negroes, who are very quick and willing. - -After three delightful but most fatiguing days in New York, spent in -sight-seeing, we left by the night train for Niagara. I shall never -forget my first impressions of those wonderful Falls, which even -exceeded my expectations, they are so indescribably beautiful and -impressive. - -After lunch at the hotel where we were to stay the night, we walked to -various points on the American side, and at each the view seemed more -beautiful than the last. The Niagara River divides and forms three -islands. On one side are the American Falls; on the other, over a large -suspension-bridge, are the Canadian Horseshoe Falls. I persuaded my -father to take me down under the latter. We were first both arrayed in a -complete set of oilskins--coat, long boots, and pointed hood--and -presented most comical figures. A guide led the way, as the path in -places was very steep and slippery. At one spot the water poured down on -us like a shower-bath, and it required some strength of mind not to turn -back; but when we had once started we were determined to see all. We -came to a tunnel, lighted by lanterns, where the water dripped from the -roof and walls, forming deep puddles, through which we plunged; and I -was glad to find myself in the daylight again, safe and sound. The -sunshine on the water produced a rainbow at both Falls--a most beautiful -sight on the white foam. - -Almost more impressive, if possible, than the Falls are the whirlpool -rapids, which we visited next morning--the place where Captain Webb was -drowned, and where only lately a foolhardy woman lost her life -attempting to cross in a cask. The cask reached its destination safely, -after some hours’ buffeting with the current, but when opened, the woman -was found dead. - -I can only liken the scene to a tremendous storm on a rocky coast, as -the waves dashed over the rocks, throwing up foam and spray high into -the air, whilst the thunder of the water was deafening. The cliffs on -either side of the river were covered with grass and trees growing to -the water’s edge, calm and peaceful--a striking contrast to the Rapids -and their ceaseless tumult. - -From Niagara we went by train and boat to Toronto. On our arrival at the -hotel we found five reporters sitting in the hall awaiting us, ready to -pounce on my father, who, being well known in the literary world, was -doomed to be victimized. In vain did my unfortunate parent remind them -it was past nine o’clock, that we had had no dinner, and having only -that evening made our first acquaintance with the delights of Canada, it -was impossible fully to do justice either to himself or the country. All -was of no avail; a long string of questions had to be answered before we -were permitted to depart in peace, and the next morning in all the -leading papers appeared wonderful and totally untrue accounts of our -family history, appearance, and sentiments. - -From Owen Sound we went by steamboat across Lake Huron and Lake Superior -to Port William, which is in connection with the Canadian-Pacific -Railway. The lake scenery is very beautiful, and was a pleasant change -after the dusty train. We were three hours passing through the lock -which divides the two lakes. As the steamboats are run on strictly -temperance principles, and no wine or spirit of any description allowed -on board--although we were fed with such dainties as frogs’ legs and -soft-shell crab--the excitement was great on seeing a little shanty by -the lock where home-brewed beer could be obtained. There was a frantic -rush on shore, and the little inn must have reaped a harvest that day. -Whilst waiting at the lock I was much interested in seeing large -quantities of timber floating over the rapids, having come downstream -hundreds of miles from the Canadian forests. The wood is caught by huge -nets made of chains, and just by the side of the lock is a storage -depot, where the timber is collected and cut into planks. We had some -excellent lake trout for dinner, and in the evening watched the northern -lights, which illuminated the sky far into the night. - -The next morning we left Port William, a quaint little town which had -only been in existence three years, but already boasted of a church and -good shops and houses, and started westward on our four days’ train -journey to Vancouver. During the first twenty-four hours we passed -through the prairies, a vast stretch of yellow plain, with its deep -purple shadows, looking terribly desolate, but yet fascinating in its -loneliness. Here and there were prairie fires--some still smouldering, -others which had left only their charred and blackened marks behind -them. We passed many little settlements and farms--one farm was a -hundred miles in size--and an immense quantity of wheat is grown in this -district. At each station are huge elevators, and the grain is sucked up -into them through tubes by means of compressed air at marvellous -rapidity. It was harvest-time when we passed, but, being Sunday, none of -the men were at work. It seemed quite pathetic to see lines of buggies -and cars waiting outside some of the little settlement churches, and as -we passed we saw many of the settlers riding and driving to and from -service. Some must have come very long distances. At one place, far away -from any dwelling, there was a little cemetery--just a dozen white -stones and one little cross standing out against the sky--only divided -by a rough wooden rail from the rest of the prairie. In winter the -country is covered with snow to a depth of from twenty to thirty feet, -and the occupants of the farms have to dig their way out, leaving only -the front-door exposed. We saw large herds of cattle and horses, but the -buffalo is almost extinct. He, as well as the Indian, seems to disappear -as civilization advances. - -There are still some Indians left, however, and we passed several -encampments. Their wigwams looked more picturesque than comfortable, -composed of mud and sticks. The few specimens we saw were -miserable-looking creatures. The women’s cheeks were painted a bright -brick-red, long matted hair hung over their shoulders, and their -costumes consisted of the most extraordinary collection of old rags and -finery imaginable. They seemed quite harmless, but were much alarmed -when I attempted to snap-shot them, and slunk away, evidently warning -the others against us. The papooses, fastened like little mummies to -their mothers’ backs, had some of them quaint, almost pretty, faces, but -looked horribly dirty and uncomfortable, swathed tightly in their filthy -rags. - -The violent rocking of the train, the dust, the heat of the cars, all -combined to give me a bad attack of car-sickness, added to which I -knocked my head violently against the door of our car, and was almost -stunned. At each station the one thought of everyone on board was to get -out for some fresh air and to stretch one’s limbs, and I was almost left -behind at a little wayside station, where I had quite forgotten my -troubles looking at the glorious sunset lighting up the prairie. -Suddenly, to my horror, I saw the train slowly gliding off; had not the -guard cleverly caught me up in his arms as the end carriage was leaving -the platform, I should have been left to the tender mercies of the -station-master and signalman in the middle of the prairie until the next -train passed, twenty-four hours later. - -After this adventure and fright I became so thoroughly upset that my -father decided to break our journey at Banff for a couple of days. - - - - - CHAPTER II - IN THE ROCKIES - -First sight of the Rockies--Stay at Banff--Indians and salmon--Arrival - at Vancouver--The _Empress of India_--Chinese passengers--The - missing day--A court-martial--First sight of Japan. - - -After leaving the prairies the scenery became more hilly and the country -wooded and fertile. The maples had just turned, and their gorgeous -colouring of crimson and gold made the landscape appear like a gigantic -flower-garden. Ill as I felt, the beauty of the scene so fascinated me -that hours passed like minutes. Gradually the distant blue mountains -grew nearer and more distinct, and, almost without knowing it, we found -ourselves in the heart of the Rocky Mountains, four thousand feet above -the sea-level. - -At sunset a mist rolled across the valley, and above towered the great -Cathedral Rock, thirteen thousand feet high, tinged a lovely rose-colour -which gradually faded into soft pink and gray; then all was left in -shadow, with the young moon shedding her pale light upon the dark, -rugged outline of rock. It was a scene never to be forgotten. - -We spent three pleasant days at Banff. Oh, the joy of a quiet night’s -rest, a hot bath, and being clean again! I soon felt much better, though -still stiff and shaken. The hotel was very comfortable, built like a -huge Swiss chalet of pine-wood, with a big veranda, and beautifully -situated, overlooking lake, forest, and river, and surrounded by high -peaks in the distance. The hot, iron, and sulphur springs are a great -feature of the place, and I much enjoyed the warm, open-air bath, formed -out of the rocks, where I had a delightful swim each morning. The air at -Banff is most invigorating--so clear and pure. We spent a good deal of -our time on the Vermilion Lake, paddling about in a Canadian canoe, and -exploring the many little creeks, some only a few feet wide. Trout are -very abundant in the lake, and my father was fortunate in catching one -weighing nearly thirty-five pounds, much to the envy and admiration of -the other people at the hotel. - -After leaving Banff we travelled in the observation-car of the train as -far as Field, a little village five thousand feet up in the mountains, -where we stopped to dine. It was intensely cold, and snow was already on -the ground. The train after Field makes the most extraordinary turns and -twists, and is called the loop-line. In some places both ends of the -train were visible from the car. The skeleton iron bridges, hung from -rock to rock, shook as we passed over them, and I felt dizzy as I looked -down at the yawning chasms far below. - -After leaving the Rockies we passed into the Selkirk Range, and crossed -and recrossed the great Frazer River, with its high rocks and great -boulders. The river is full of salmon, and in a clear pool we saw at -least forty or fifty big fish basking. The Indians catch them in great -quantities, and we passed several little encampments where queer-looking -strings of red stuff were hanging from long sticks, which we were told -was the salmon. - -[Illustration: IN THE HEART OF THE ROCKIES.] - -Here and there were little wigwams by the river-bank, with Indians and -their papooses, forming picturesque groups, some wading in the creeks, -or busy at work hanging up the salmon to dry in the sun. - -The scenery as we neared Vancouver became less wild. Mount Baker, over -fifteen thousand feet high, rose up solitary and grand, its snow-capped -summit standing out like a white pyramid against the deep blue of the -sky. We were fortunate in seeing it in all its beauty, as it is -generally hidden in clouds. - -Vancouver is a clean, well-built town at the mouth of the Frazer River. -The harbour there is large enough for men-of-war to anchor in, and there -we found our steamer, the _Empress of India_, awaiting us--a fine boat -of 6,000 tons, painted white and built on the lines of a large yacht. We -spent Sunday, the day after our arrival, in visiting the park near -Vancouver, where the famous big trees are to be seen--cedars, firs, and -spruce; one, perhaps the largest in the world, measures sixty feet -round, and a carriage and pair of horses can go inside the trunk, which -is hollow. The forest is almost tropical with its luxuriant vegetation -and beautiful ferns. Wild animals are to be found there, such as deer, -panthers, and a kind of lion, but the latter are rarely seen now near -the town. - -The voyage between Vancouver and Yokohama takes fourteen days. I was -glad to find on board a very nice-looking set of passengers, mostly -English. The first day or two we took each other’s measure cautiously, -and limited the conversation to a few polite nothings, but before the -end of the voyage many of us were firm friends. - -There were about a hundred first-class passengers, and three hundred -miserable-looking Chinese in the steerage. Many of them looked -wretchedly ill, and we saw a number of long black boxes in the hold, -which we heard afterwards were coffins. It seems that the one desire of -a Chinaman is to be buried in his native land, otherwise he believes -that his soul will go into some low animal instead of to Paradise. Just -before sailing at midnight, I noticed a long line of Chinese passing up -the gangway to the steamer. Before being admitted, they were carefully -examined by the ship’s doctor. Many poor wretches were turned back, -discovered to be suffering from some fatal chest disease very prevalent -amongst the Chinese. As it was, I believe, there were several deaths on -board, in which case the steamship company was bound under contract to -convey the Chinese passenger, alive or dead, to his destination. - -Our stewards on board were all Chinamen, and most quick and willing. -They had all very long pigtails tied with black silk at the ends, and -little black caps with red tassels on their heads. When waiting at table -they wore butcher-blue garments down to their heels, white cuffs; and -their funny little feet were encased in white shoes with black rosettes. -They had sad, old-looking faces, but were really quite cheerful, and -talked incessantly in their queer pigeon-English. I longed to send one -home as a present to our old Rector, who always described our Norfolk -servants as ‘the curse of the age.’ - -An amusement committee was soon organized on board, and by the end of -the first week we were all busily engaged in Bridge, Chess, Halma, and -other tournaments--cricket matches, athletic sports, and one or two -dances when the weather was sufficiently calm. The Pacific Ocean rather -belies its name, as typhoons and severe storms prevail at times, and we -met one battered-looking sailing-ship, which reported very rough weather -off the Japanese coast. However, we were most fortunate during the whole -voyage in having nothing worse than a stiff breeze on one or two -occasions, although that was quite sufficient to send many of the -passengers, including myself, to their berths; but my fears of being -‘battened down’ were never realized. - -In consequence of continually travelling westward, when we reached the -meridian of 180° from Greenwich, we were told that a day would be -dropped to equalize matters. Consequently, after going to bed one Sunday -night, we woke up to find it was Tuesday morning, and our missing day -was never recovered until, on our voyage home to England, we sailed -eastward. As there was much variety of opinion as to the reason of the -missing day, one of the passengers offered a prize for the best poem -describing _why_ we must lose a day, _where_ it goes to, and _what_ is -done with it. About twenty of the passengers sent in verses, which were -read aloud by the Captain in the saloon and voted for. The prize was won -by an American missionary. Not that his was by any means the best poem, -but the entire missionary party--there was a large gathering of them on -board--all arranged beforehand to vote for their dear brother, a rather -unfair proceeding. - -During the voyage a stupid practical joke was played, of which I was one -of the chief victims. An Australian lady and her daughter sent out -invitations to a tea-party in honour of the daughter’s birthday. About a -dozen of us were invited, including the Captain and my father and me. A -sumptuous spread was prepared--cakes, sweets of all kinds, and a -delicious-looking soufflé, which our hostess particularly begged us to -try. I innocently put a spoonful into my mouth, when I discovered to my -disgust it was made of nothing but beaten-up soap--the most horrible -concoction imaginable. Two or three other people at the table followed -suit, and our feelings can be better imagined than described. It took, -indeed, some time before I recovered from the effects. - -Nemesis, however, awaited the originators of this unpleasant trick. A -trial by jury was decided upon. Judge, counsel, and jury were got -together, and large notices were placed about the ship saying that a -most cold-blooded attempt at wholesale murder by poison had been -attempted, but fortunately, with no fatal results; that the police had -every reason to believe that jealousy was at the bottom of it, and so -on. - -After this, the Australian lady and her daughter found life on board -ship not altogether so delightful as they had expected, but began to -realize that it is sometimes unwise to play practical jokes. The trial -took place two evenings later in the saloon, which was arranged as much -as possible like a court-room. The judge, an English Colonel, arrayed in -a long scarlet cloak and a wig, sat at a table. The prisoners were -placed in chairs on another table, guarded by a policeman. The counsel -for the plaintiffs and the defendants had wigs made by the ship’s -barber, a man of resource, who painted us up to represent our various -characters, making the three victims who had swallowed the soap appear -ghastly with white chalk. The jury was composed of seven ladies. There -were also six witnesses, an usher, and a clerk of the courts. - -The counsel on both sides spoke well. The defence was that soap was -harmless and good to eat, and a witness was called who was really a soap -manufacturer at Shanghai. After the jury had retired for some minutes, -they returned with the verdict ‘Guilty,’ at which the two prisoners -turned pale and dissolved into tears. The judge, looking very stern, -after a short speech on the iniquity of practical jokes, sentenced the -prisoners to be taken on their arrival at Yokohama to be tattooed on -their wrists with the words ‘Pears’ Soap.’ Needless to say, this threat -was not carried into effect; but I think the offenders were already -sufficiently punished. Early the following morning my father called me -to see the first glimpse of Japan--a faint outline of blue hills against -the horizon, which gradually became more and more distinct until by -mid-day we anchored in Japan waters, and our long, pleasant voyage was -at an end. - - * * * * * - -On landing at Yokohama, we took rickshaws to the Grand Hotel, a large -English building on the Bund facing the harbour. Never shall I forget my -first ride in the quaint little carriage resembling a small buggy, only -instead of having a horse in the shafts, there was a funny little brown -grinning man, dressed in a blue cotton garment, barefooted, with a large -white hat like a mushroom on his head, on which was printed his name and -number. He started off at a steady trot and, after the first feeling of -insecurity had passed, I thoroughly enjoyed the motion and was quite -sorry when we, with our luggage, which had followed us in a long line of -rickshaws, were deposited at the steps of the hotel. - -I was much amused the morning after my arrival before I was dressed to -receive visits from three Chinese tailors. They marched calmly into my -room at various times, without waiting for me to answer their knock, -bringing patterns and begging me to patronize them. The last had hardly -departed when another visitor appeared, in the shape of a dealer in -curios. He proceeded to strew my room with brocades, embroideries and -every conceivable knick-knack. I was unable to resist a quaint little -Japanese clock, a small bronze Buddha, and an embroidered silk kimono, -for which treasures I afterwards found I had paid about three times -their value, though I fondly imagined I had made excellent bargains. - -There was a charming view from the veranda of my room. The harbour was -gay with Japanese sanpans,[A] little sailing-boats,--here and there a -man-of-war and a couple of mail-steamers. Late that afternoon I saw the -_Empress of India_ steaming slowly out of the harbour, bound for -Hongkong. It seemed rather like saying good-bye to an old friend, and I -felt a little homesick as I watched my last link with the old world -disappear into the dim distance. - ------ - -Footnote A: - - Japanese boats. - ------ - - - - - CHAPTER III - EARLY DAYS IN JAPAN - -A new friend--A Japanese dinner--Japanese temples--An earthquake--A fire - in Yokohama. - - -The first few weeks after our arrival in Japan would have been rather -dull, as my father had to leave at once for Tokio on business, had I not -made the acquaintance of a girl staying in the hotel who was also -travelling with her father in Japan. Pauline, as she was called, was a -few years older than myself, a clever girl with very decided opinions on -most subjects. She was also an only child, and her father, who was an -invalid, gave way to her in everything. For some reason or other she -took a great fancy to me at first sight. We soon became good friends and -I was delighted to have someone to go about with as I had always longed -for a girl companion. We explored the streets of Yokohama together, -picking up a few words of Japanese which enabled us to make purchases -and direct our rickshaw coolies. What delightful drives we had, going -out sometimes far into the country with green rice-fields on either side -and here and there a little tea-house where we would stop to rest and -have a cup of the honourable tea! - -One evening my father took us both to dine at a Japanese restaurant to -have a real Japanese dinner. On arriving, we had to take off our shoes -before entering the house and were then taken to a room with absolutely -no furniture, but divided by screens. The floor was covered with -spotless matting and some little cushions on which we sat in various -attitudes. The Japanese way of sitting on one’s heels is far too -fatiguing to try for long. - -First a little nasan (servant) appeared bowing to the floor, bringing -tea in tiny cups and some cakes made of sweet beans; then three charming -little geishas (dancing girls) entered, dressed in scarlet-embroidered -kimonos and bright sashes. Their faces were carefully painted, and their -black hair decorated with many-coloured pins. They were the dearest -little people imaginable, not more than thirteen or fourteen years old, -with pretty little hands and feet and charming, graceful manners. A -lacquer tray was placed before each of us on the floor with a cup of -saké, the national drink--something like sherry and water, but with a -burning taste, and most intoxicating. As water-drinking is dangerous in -Japan we had to content ourselves with tea. Bowls of soup were first -brought us with large pieces of fish and some strange-looking morsels -floating in it. These we chased about with our chopsticks with little -success, much to the amusement of the geishas, who sat in a row watching -us, laughing merrily and evidently discussing our clothes and -appearance. - -The next dish was raw fish cut in slices, with some green and very nasty -sauce made from seaweed; then came a course of fried fish, after which -there was a dance by the two geishas--wonderfully graceful and pretty. -It consisted chiefly in the waving of fans and the revolving on one leg -to the melodious strains of a samisen, which resembles anything rather -than what we call music. Still, it seemed to suit the dance and the -strange surroundings. - -Shrimps in batter was the nicest dish that we tasted, followed by a -concoction of fermented turnip in slices and cabbage-stalks soaked in -vinegar; and finally a bowl of rice was served, always the last course -at a Japanese dinner. - -Spoons and forks were given us, but we stuck manfully to our chopsticks. -It was a polite way of not eating more than absolutely necessary. Two -more dances finished our entertainment. - -On leaving we were each presented with a fried fish in a little wooden -box for good luck, and the little geishas and nasans followed us to our -rickshaws, calling out as we left: ‘Tum adain soone! Sayonara!’ - -[Illustration: ‘TUM ADAIN SOONE! SAYONARA!’] - -The Shinto and Buddhist temples round Yokohama are curious and -interesting with their stone lanterns and little lacquer shrines. Most -of them are built of wood painted red. Those in the town are generally -crowded with people constantly coming and going, some buying prayers on -rice-paper for their own particular want, price one sen (quarter of a -farthing), others only gossiping and strolling about. - -[Illustration: ONE OF THE SHINTO TEMPLES.] - -Outside some of the temples is to be seen the bronze or wooden figure of -a god enclosed in a kind of cage covered with wire-netting. These -figures are literally plastered over with little pellets of paper -prayers which the people chew in their mouths and throw or spit at the -image. If the paper sticks on the figure their petition is answered; if, -on the other hand, it remains in the netting their prayer is not -heard--a true relic of old Japanese superstitions. The great bronze -Buddha at Kamakura is very wonderful, and contains a small temple. The -eyes of the figure are of solid gold. - -[Illustration: THE GREAT BRONZE BUDDHA.] - -At one of the temples which Pauline and I visited a sacred horse is kept -in a stall, and close by small trays of corn are sold and given to the -horse to do duty as prayers. Needless to say, the poor beast is almost -as broad as it is long. - -We had our first experience of an earthquake soon after our arrival in -Yokohama. It was not a severe shock, but quite enough to alarm the -visitors at the Grand Hotel, who came rushing out on the landings and -corridors in the strangest and most sketchy attires. I hardly like to -describe the appearance of one or two visions I met as I ran out of my -room to see what had happened. One lady was tearing downstairs followed -by her maid holding out a dressing-gown, which she vainly endeavoured to -persuade her mistress to put on. Two old maiden ladies, who had arrived -only the day before, insisted on the manager of the hotel hiring them -two rickshaws, although it was nearly midnight, and in them the two -agitated spinsters spent the rest of the night driving slowly up and -down the Bund (parade), to be prepared in case of further alarms. I saw -them the next morning looking very pale and weary, but still holding on -their laps bundles of underclothing, several bags and a miserable little -pet dog. - -One or two cracks in the ceilings and walls of the hotel was all the -damage done by the shock that night. - -A fire is almost as much dreaded as an earthquake in Japan, and, -unfortunately, is of common occurrence owing to the houses in the native -quarters of the towns being built entirely of wood and paper. - -A few nights after the earthquake scare I was awakened at about 2 a.m. -by a brilliant glare in my room and the noise of many hurrying footsteps -passing the hotel. Looking out of my window, I saw what was apparently -the entire native quarter of Yokohama in a blaze. Flames and sparks were -leaping high into the air and great clouds of smoke were pouring down -the street. Quickly flinging on a few clothes, I hurried to Pauline’s -room, which was next mine, and found her already half dressed. It needed -but little persuasion on her part to convince me that the one and only -thing to be done was to go and see what we could of the fire from a safe -distance. We crept downstairs and out of a side-door into the street, -which was by this time full of little figures running rapidly in the -same direction, all carrying lanterns in their hands. I then remembered -that our passports, which had been given us by the British Consul only a -few days previously, notified that no one was to attend a fire on -horseback, or without carrying a lantern. I could well understand the -danger there would have been riding amongst this excited crowd of little -Japs, but what were we to do without a lantern? Suddenly I remembered I -had my purse in my pocket, and seeing two shabby-looking boys carrying a -light just in front of me, I stopped them, and holding out a yen -(dollar), pointed to their precious lantern. They understood my signals -and, grinning broadly, snatched at the money, handed me the lantern and -scampered off. - -Pauline and I, clinging closely to each other, were swept on in the -crowd, which every moment grew denser, until we found ourselves on the -edge of the moat separating the native quarter from the settlement. - -As it seemed hopeless to attempt to put out the fire, which every moment -attacked fresh houses, figures of men could be seen jumping from roof to -roof and tearing down houses still untouched to stop the flames going -further. The fierce glare lit up the pale, excited faces of the -thousands of little spectators swaying in one moving mass backwards and -forwards, whilst the clashing of bells from every quarter of the -town--one of the regulations in case of a fire--the shouts of the crowd, -and the crackling of the burning wood, all added to the strangely -horrible, yet fascinating sight. The heat and smoke became almost -unbearable, sparks began to fall on us and one had even scorched my -hair. It seemed probable, unless the wind changed, that the fire might -cross the moat, in which case our lives would be in danger. I turned and -asked Pauline whether we had not better try to get out of the crowd and -return home. To my horror I found she was looking ghastly and ready to -faint. The heat and excitement had been too much for her. I was in -despair, knowing it would be impossible to help her out in such a crush. -At that moment, to my intense relief, I saw my father’s head and -shoulders towering above the crowd not far behind. I managed to call -loud enough to attract his attention, and he soon pushed his way through -to where we were standing. After some difficulty we managed to get poor -Pauline safely to a cooler and less crowded spot. When she had revived a -little, we returned to the hotel half dead with fatigue, our clothes -ruined, and both of us thoroughly ashamed of ourselves. I think my -long-suffering parent thought we had been punished sufficiently, as he -did not refer to our escapade, and Pauline’s father never knew in what -danger his idolized daughter had been that night. - -The next day we heard that over four hundred houses had been destroyed -in the fire and three lives lost. The loss of property was not great, as -the Japanese keep all their valuables in ‘go-downs’--small fireproof -buildings, which alone remained standing and unhurt when we visited the -spot a few days later. Even before the ashes were cold the plucky little -people were hard at work marking out fresh sites for new buildings, and -three or four months later it was difficult to believe that a fire could -ever have taken place in that neighbourhood. - -Shortly after this Pauline confided to me her great desire to see -something of Japanese life in the interior, far away from Treaty-port -towns and European hotels. Naturally, I also became seized with a -similar desire, so, after much persuasion and many entreaties, our -parents gave their consent to our making a ten days’ tour, accompanied -by a highly-recommended and most respectable guide and interpreter, by -name Idaka. He was a most superior person, with a fair knowledge of the -English language, and quite deliciously ugly. I liked that guide; he -told me I was a most intelligent walker, and had a noble foot. Pauline -insisted on calling him a fool--of course not to his face, as ‘bacha,’ -Japanese for fool, is a terrible term to apply to anyone in Japan--but -even she admitted he certainly was useful. - -During our absence Pauline’s father decided to remain quietly at -Yokohama, whilst mine had still much important business to do in Tokio. - - - - - CHAPTER IV - A JAPANESE HARROGATE - -A trip to the Japanese Harrogate--A curious travelling companion--A - Japanese inn--A mountain ride--At the sulphur springs--A sulphur - bath--A night in a tea-house--Sad news. - - -As our passports seemed to permit us to go anywhere we liked, except to -a fire on horseback, we decided, after much consultation with Idaka, to -go by train to Karuizawa, and from there to visit the hot sulphur baths -at Kusatzu, a place not generally known to globe-trotters, where we were -told we should see much to interest us. - -Accordingly the next morning we bade an affectionate farewell to our -parents and also to the kind little manager of the Grand Hotel at -Yokohama, and started for Kodzu in the quaint little train, which goes -at the rate of, at least, ten miles an hour. Oh what a hot, steamy, -journey it was! and we anything but looked forward to the five hours’ -journey which lay before us. However, we rejoiced in having the carriage -to ourselves, which was something to be thankful for. Idaka, very busy -and important, travelled third class in charge of the luggage, clad in a -marvellous costume, consisting of a scarlet and white blazer, thick -homespun shooting stockings, patent-leather shoes rather the worse for -wear, and a deer-stalking cap, all evidently ‘cast-offs’ of former -employers. We quite regretted that we had nothing to give him to add to -the collection. - -Just, however, as the train was starting, much to our annoyance a stout -little Japanese jumped into the carriage and took his seat at the -opposite end of the compartment to where we were sitting. He was a -pale-faced little man, dressed in a black frock-coat, dark trousers and -a top-hat. He appeared very much oppressed with the heat, but that was -not unnatural with a temperature of about 90° in the shade. - -[Illustration: WE START FOR KODZU (_p._ 33.)] - -Finding our companion very quiet and inoffensive, we paid no further -attention to him. An hour passed, Pauline was fast asleep, and I suppose -I also must have closed my eyes, for presently, looking across the -carriage, I saw to my astonishment, instead of the little black-coated -man, a somewhat slighter figure, in a set of gray dittos and cap to -match, quietly reading his Japanese papers as if nothing had happened, a -neatly-folded suit of clothes on the seat beside him. I was somewhat -startled at this curious transformation, and stories of disguised -criminals rushed into my mind, when up jumped the little man and -proceeded calmly to divest himself of his gray suit, folding up the -garments he took off and placing them beside the black pile. Feeling -extremely embarrassed, I gazed severely out of the window for several -minutes. Pauline still slept. On hearing the rustle of a paper, I -ventured to look round, and there sat our strange fellow-traveller, deep -in his ‘nichi-nichi shimbun’ (Japanese newspaper), clad from head to -foot in white duck and cricketing-cap to match. ‘Now,’ thought I, ‘I -should hope his toilette is completed.’ No such thing. After about half -an hour the little man again seemed restless and overcome with heat, and -after casting a despairing and perspiring glance around him, he got up -and reaching down from the rack a small black bag, he pulled out a -‘ukata’ and ‘obi’ (the national dress of a Japanese). Seeing the same -performance about to begin with regard to the white suit, I coughed -violently; but that having no effect and escape being impossible I -feigned sleep, and, when I again ventured to open my eyes, a little thin -figure sat in the corner in correct Japanese attire. Three neatly-folded -bundles lay at his side,--hat, boots, and all. - -Fortunately, this was the last metamorphosis that our strange companion -indulged in, and soon afterwards we changed trains, leaving him in full -possession of the carriage; so I shall never know whether he redressed -himself before the end of his journey, or how he disposed of the -remainder of his wardrobe. It was certainly a novel way of carrying -luggage. - -Pauline was very indignant when I told her of the occurrence. She said -had she been awake it would never have happened. - -At last, after crawling along for five hours across the burning plain, -we reached Kodzu; and after a short rest and a few little cups of yellow -tea and some peppermint sticks at the tea-house in the village, we -started off again in the little mountain train for Karuizawa. Thankful -enough we were, after passing through twenty-six pitch-black tunnels -reeking with sulphur and smoke, to arrive at last, exhausted and -half-choked, but safe and sound at our journey’s end. - -Karuizawa is situated on a large plain, formed by the lava from the -great volcano Asama, and is about four thousand feet above the -sea-level. - -It is the strangest and weirdest spot imaginable. For miles and miles in -every direction as far as the eye can reach stretches a vast plain -covered with pampas-grass and wild-flowers of every description, and -hemmed in by long ranges of blue mountains in the far distance. In the -centre of the plain rises Asamayama like a great black pyramid, -absolutely bare; and from the summit a thin column of smoke can be seen -and an occasional flame, as if to give warning of the fires down below. - -The village of Karuizawa, some little distance from the base, is -composed of a collection of hideous little wooden houses, principally -the summer residences of missionaries from all parts of Japan, a small -English church, only lately built, and a long, straggling village -street, with a few small native shops of a primitive nature. - -[Illustration: IDAKA, THE GUIDE.] - -Idaka had taken a room for us at the chief tea-house in the village, -and, although the smell of the ‘daikon’ (fermented turnip) which -permeated every corner was not conducive to appetite, we managed to make -a fair supper of the tinned food we had brought with us, supplemented by -some native rice and hot ‘saké’ (native drink). - -We were escorted to our bedroom by the landlord. Either from mistaken -politeness or curiosity, he declined to leave us, repeatedly bowing and -apologizing for the want of comfort in his miserable establishment, and -assuring us how highly he appreciated the honour of entertaining such -distinguished guests. All this in the most excruciating English. Hints -that we wished to retire to bed were of no avail; and at last Pauline, -unable to restrain her impatience any longer, drew back the ‘shoji’ -(sliding panel) and, with an imperious wave of her hand, pointed from -our little tormentor to the door, and said: ‘Go, wretch!’ This had the -desired effect. He departed, bowing even lower than before, still -murmuring to himself ‘honourable distinction.’ - -‘Well,’ I said to Pauline as, closing the panel carefully, she turned -towards me, ‘what about Japanese politeness? I thought it was the only -thing that really was important out here. You have put your foot in it.’ -Pauline’s face was a study. Notwithstanding her manner, which was most -impressive, she was at heart extremely nervous and highly strung. It was -some time before I could assure her that doubtless the little man was -quite as glad to go as we were to get rid of him, and that there was no -fear of his detaining us by force or showing any resentment. - -At last, however, we settled ourselves as comfortably as we could on our -‘futons’ (Japanese mattresses) on the floor, and slept the sleep of the -just. I have the impression that I saw a figure glide past the foot of -my bed during the night, but I was too sleepy to rouse myself, and it -may have been a dream. - -The next morning we were off at sunrise. Pauline was meekness itself; -and the little landlord had evidently made a very good thing out of us, -as he presented us with some poisonous-looking cakes of a bright green -colour to eat on the journey; the last we saw of him as we rode down the -village street was a quaint little form bowing backwards and forwards -repeatedly until we were well out of sight. - -Our cavalcade consisted of Pauline in a rickshaw drawn by three men, two -in the shafts and one pushing behind. I was on a solid-looking white -pony which we had hired from the village carpenter. Idaka and the cook -rode mules, and three other mules carried our provisions and baggage. - -What a glorious morning it was! The sun had just risen, and the woods -through which we passed for the first couple of hours of our journey -seemed alive with the songs of birds and the hum of myriads of insects. -The climb was a steep one, and we were glad to arrive on the open -moorland, which stretched for miles around, covered with -wild-flowers--poppies, marguerites, campanulas; red, yellow, and white -lilies, and waving pampas-grass, all in wild profusion--a perfect blaze -of colour. Certainly there is no place like Japan for wild-flowers. - -We halted at a little rest-house far away from any other habitation. The -air was very keen, and we sat round the open fire, built in the ground, -whilst we ate our breakfasts. Our coolies kept up an incessant chatter -the whole time as they gobbled up their little bowls of rice with their -chopsticks. I think Pauline rather regretted having chosen a rickshaw -instead of a pony, as the path was rough, and the springs of the -‘kurama’ had seen their best days; but after all, as I told her, a -rickshaw was far more Japanese, so she could not complain. - -After a few hours’ ride through a park-like country--quite different -from anything else we had as yet seen in Japan--we arrived at a curious -little village, and halted for tiffin in what is called the Town Hall of -the place--a wooden hut built on long posts over a deep ravine. Three -sides were open, except for a little balcony; the posts and the one wall -were covered with Japanese advertisements--such strange-looking -hieroglyphics. Here we rested an hour. Another steep climb, through -scenery which gradually became wilder and more and more desolate, -brought us about sunset to the village of Kusatzu (pronounced -‘Koosats’)--a place which has been noted for centuries for its mineral -springs and baths, and where thousands of sick little Japanese come -every year to try to get cured of various complaints. Foreigners rarely -come to Kusatzu, and, as we passed down the village street, half the -population turned out to look at us, staring with open eyes and mouths -at the mad Englishwomen. - -The village is built in a hollow and surrounded by bare and desolate -hills, on which no vegetation of any kind or description grows. In the -centre of the village a large enclosure is railed in, inside which is a -seething, steaming mass of sulphur rocks and water at boiling heat. -Round this enclosure are large open bath-houses, with water at different -temperatures and with different mineral properties, as all sorts of -diseases are treated here. The patients spend their entire day either in -the water or standing just outside awaiting their turn. From time to -time the most unearthly groans are to be heard proceeding from the -baths--a chorus of long-drawn ‘Ohs!’ as the master of the ceremonies, -the doctor of the bath-house, gives the word of command for the patients -to enter the water. Then a tremendous splashing ensues, which is caused -by the bathers beating the water to cool it. We were told that each -bather has to beat the water over a hundred times before entering or -leaving the bath. The temperature of the water in some of the baths is -almost incredible, and the poor creatures must suffer torments. In the -bath-house we passed, we saw rows of heads, each tied round with a blue -handkerchief, rising out of the steaming, yellow water, and -weird-looking figures were scrambling in and out, each holding a -‘beating board.’ It was a most depressing sight, and we were both glad -to pass to the outskirts of the village, where Idaka had taken rooms for -us. - -I understand there are about two thousand patients generally under -treatment in Kusatzu, chiefly for rheumatism and beri-beri. The lepers -are separately treated at some baths two miles away. - -Pauline was rather anxious to pay a visit to the lepers, as she -remarked, ‘When one is in for a thing it is best to miss nothing.’ But I -stoutly refused to go. The memory of the poor crippled, deformed and -suffering creatures I had seen in the streets of Kusatzu was quite -enough. In fact, I found sleep almost impossible that night. The groans -of the unfortunate bathers rang in my ears, and my dreams were peopled -with visions of horrors of every description. - -We were lodged in a quaint little cardboard house, innocent of -furniture, but, fortunately, comparatively clean, and we made ourselves -fairly comfortable on a couple of ‘futons’ which Idaka secured for us; -and we were too tired after our long day to find fault with our -quarters. - -The next morning I thought I would try the effects of a warm sulphur -swimming-bath attached to the house. Milky-looking water bubbled up out -of the white rocks, and the sensation as I plunged in was rather -pleasant. After swimming and floating about for a few minutes, I heard a -splash, and looking round, I saw, to my horror, a dark head rising out -of the water at the other end of the bath. What on earth to do I knew -not. As long as I was in the water at my end of the bath it was all very -well, but, unfortunately, I had left my clothes hanging on a nail on the -door at the other end! I waited, hoping the intruder might recognise my -predicament and have the grace to depart. On the contrary, he seemed -prepared to spend hours at his morning ablutions. Apparently he paid not -the smallest attention to poor me, but went through strange contortions -in the water, accompanying his movements with a weird incantation I -suppose he considered music. Feeling desperate, as the strong sulphur -water was rapidly making me faint, I waved my arms frantically in his -direction and pointed to my garments on the door. Then my companion -evidently grasped the situation, and a wide grin spread over his -countenance as he dived down into the water. I waited a moment, but, as -he did not reappear, I scrambled as fast as I could on to the rocks, -rushed to the door, tore on my clothes, and vanished. Whether the -grinning little face ever appeared again on the surface I know not, but -when I reached my room, breathless and exhausted, I vowed that nothing -on earth would again tempt me to take a sulphur bath. - -After breakfast, although still feeling very sleepy and tired from the -effects of my prolonged swim, Pauline and I started for a walk, escorted -by Idaka, to the ‘Valley of the Iced Winds.’ What a desolate spot it -was! The rocks were of every conceivable shade and colour--some orange, -some green, others bright yellow and red, encrusted with the mineral -deposit from the little streams with which they were intersected. Some -of the streams were boiling hot, others icy cold, but all had a strong -sulphurous smell; and we were surprised to see vegetation growing almost -to the edge of the water. In one place, however, the fumes of sulphur -were so strong that no bird could pass above without being killed, and -we were glad enough to get away, feeling half suffocated. - -During the rest of the day we explored the village and made friends with -some of the patient sufferers, who live most of their time when not at -the baths sitting on the rocks in the sun. Some come every year to -Kusatzu, spending all their hard-earned savings in the hope of deriving -benefit by the treatment; but many looked far too weak and feeble for -such drastic remedies. - -The following morning we left at 7 a.m. for the Shibu Pass, a stiff bit -of riding; and the cold at the summit was very piercing--a height of -over seven thousand feet. We were very glad of our tiffin in a little -rest-house, seated close to a peat fire. Pauline and I had at last -accomplished the trick of eating rice with chopsticks--not an easy -matter to the uninitiated. With that and some hard-boiled eggs and -sandwiches we managed to fortify ourselves for our downward journey. - -[Illustration: PREPARED FOR THE NIGHT (_p._ 49).] - -After a brisk tramp of about three hours, we reached Shibu, a pretty -little town situated in a valley, surrounded by mountains. We found the -tea-house so full, on account of the arrival of a party of pilgrims on -their way to Asamayama, the great sacred volcano, that we had to do with -very small accommodation--in fact, a large blue mosquito-like cage only -separated us from the rest of the lady visitors at the tea-house. There -being only two spare rooms, one was reserved for the ladies and the -other for the gentlemen of the party. - -How we laughed as we lay in our blue cage and watched the little ladies -preparing for the night! Sleep was practically impossible, owing to the -mosquitos and other lively inhabitants of the room and the incessant -tap-tap of the little Japanese pipes which, even in her slumbers, a -Japanese lady seems to require. - -However, as Pauline said, such an experience of the inner life of the -Japanese was worth a little discomfort, and in the abstract I fully -agreed with her. - -We were glad to be up betimes the next morning, and started off -again--all in rickshaws--for a pretty, though hot, ride down to Nagano, -where we took the train. The heat in the plains was intense, but -fortunately, ice was obtainable at all the stations, and by putting -pieces on our heads and in our mouths we managed to keep alive. - -It was evening again before we reached Yokohama, travel-stained, brown -and weary, but very well pleased with ourselves and our trip to the -Japanese Harrogate. - - * * * * * - -Soon after our return Pauline and her father left Yokohama for Shanghai. -I missed my friend terribly, and at first felt quite lost without her. -We parted with many promises to write every week to each other and made -numerous plans as to our future meetings in England. But, alas, how -little we can foresee or direct the future! After three or four long and -cheery letters from my friend, she suddenly ceased writing, and my -letters to her remained unanswered. Some time afterwards we learnt that -she had caught typhoid fever in Shanghai, and died after a week’s -illness. I suppose her poor old father had not the heart to write and -tell us the sad news, but we heard that he had left for England almost -immediately after his daughter’s death. - - - - - CHAPTER V - AN IMPERIAL GARDEN-PARTY - -Silk dresses and frock-coats--A disappointed Colonel--The Royal - procession--The chrysanthemums--I am presented--A Japanese - play--Japanese royal sport--The Mikado and his subjects. - - -We had been in Japan nearly three months when we were invited to attend -the chrysanthemum garden-party given by the Emperor and Empress each -November in honour of His Majesty’s birthday. Invitations are sent but a -few days beforehand, as the date of the party depends on the state of -the chrysanthemums. Only the Corps Diplomatique, Government officials, -and a few globe-trotters are invited; the latter obtain their -invitations through their own Legations. As it is almost the only -occasion when Their Imperial Majesties are seen in public, I was -delighted at the idea of going. - -Our invitation-cards were very large and thick, with the Imperial crest -at the top and a gold border of chrysanthemums. The writing was in -Japanese characters, but enclosed in the same envelope was a slip of -paper in French, saying that ladies were to appear in silk dresses and -gentlemen in frock-coats and top-hats. Not possessing a suitable -garment, I was puzzled at first to know what to wear, but I eventually -succeeded, with the assistance of one of the little Chinese tailors, in -converting a blue silk evening frock into one suitable for the -garden-party. - -The day was fortunately fine and exceptionally warm for November. We -started from the Imperial Hotel in Tokio, where we were staying, at -about half-past one, Colonel S. and his wife from Hongkong sharing a -carriage with us. - -Japanese horses are willing little beasts, not much larger than ponies. -Our coachman drove full gallop through the streets, and the ‘betto,’ or -footman, ran along in front shouting at the crowds to get out of the -way. How an accident was avoided I do not know, as the streets seem to -be the playground of all the children in Tokio; and I thought several of -the little doll-like figures must have been run over. Our driver and -betto wore dark blue linen with a crest embroidered on their backs, and -large white pith hats fastened under the chin with a strap. - -[Illustration: OUR INVITATION-CARDS WERE VERY LARGE AND THICK (_p._ -52).] - -Colonel S., who was only passing through Japan on his way to England, -had no frock-coat with him, but in his well-cut dark suit and top-hat we -all thought he could not fail to pass muster. We were mistaken, however. -On our arrival at the palace, we were ushered into a large hall where a -row of officials in blue-and-gold uniforms were waiting to inspect us. -As the gallant Colonel passed up the room, two of the officials stepped -up to him, pointed to his frockless coat, began gesticulating wildly and -talking rapidly in Japanese, of which the Colonel did not understand a -word. My father, who speaks Japanese, attempted to explain matters, but -without success. The discomfited and disappointed officer had to retire, -leaving his wife, who fortunately had on the required silk dress, to go -on with us alone. - -After walking about half a mile through the grounds, which are very -beautiful, over little bridges and up little winding paths, we arrived -at some large tents, where the chrysanthemums were on show. Numerous -groups of people were dotted about--Japanese officers and officials in -uniform; others in grotesquely-cut frock-coats and opera-hats; their -wives and daughters in European dress; also members of the different -legations and consulates. I could not help thinking how far better the -little Japanese ladies would have looked in their own national costume, -but European dress is the strict order at Court. The scene was a very -picturesque and animated one, and great excitement prevailed when, about -half-past two, the Emperor and Empress were announced to be coming. The -Corps Diplomatique arranged themselves in line--first the French -Minister as _doyen_, with his wife, daughters, secretaries, and Belgian -staff; then followed the English, German, American, Spanish, Dutch, -Italian, Russian, Chinese and Korean diplomats, the two latter looking -very picturesque in their quaint head-dresses and long robes. The -remainder of the guests stood in a group a little apart. - -As the Royal procession appeared in sight, walking slowly up the winding -paths, the band played the Japanese National Anthem and there was dead -silence amongst the crowd. - -The Emperor walked first in full General’s uniform, quite alone. He is a -tall man for a Japanese, stout and extremely plain. He had a stern, -somewhat forbidding expression, which he always wore in public; and as -Sir Edwin Arnold says, ‘The slightest bend of his brow in salutation -appears to be the result of superhuman effort of reluctant will.’ Yet he -is idolized by his people; it is said that his power is enormous, while -no one knows how he controls and rules the Empire from the privacy of -his walled-in palace. - -Behind him walked the Empress, quite alone also, dressed in crimson -brocaded satin with a little Paris bonnet to match, followed by her -ladies-in-waiting and the Court officials and Ministers of -State--amongst them the Marquess Ito, Count Oyama, and General Yamagata, -all well-known names in Europe at the present time. - -They bowed low as they passed us, and we kept up a succession of bobs -and curtsies until we joined into line and followed the procession into -the flower-tents. - -[Illustration: THE GARDENS ARE VERY BEAUTIFUL (_p._ 55).] - -Apparently the great feature at a chrysanthemum show, from a Japanese -point of view, is not the size and shape of each flower, but the number -of blossoms on a plant flowering at the same time. Three of the tents -contained but one enormous plant in each; with from one to two thousand -blooms all the same size and colour. We were told that one of these -plants alone requires a gardener’s entire time to look after it, as the -difficulty is to get all the flowers to perfection at once. In other -tents, chrysanthemums with small, different-coloured flowers had been -trained over wires to represent figures of people and animals, more -curious than beautiful. - -After the flowers had been inspected, the Emperor and Empress entered a -large tent, where the presentations were made. Each Legation went in -turn to felicitate the Emperor on his birthday and to bow to the -Empress. All had to walk backwards out of the tent past the Court ladies -and officials--not an easy task. With some the Emperor said a few words. -His face when smiling lighted up, changing his morose expression to one -of almost benevolence. I own to feeling horribly nervous when my turn -came to be presented by our Minister’s wife, and breathed a sigh of -relief when I returned safe and sound from the Royal tent without having -utterly disgraced myself by tumbling over my train, or knocking down one -of the little officials who were stationed at every available corner. - -Small tables were placed about on the grass, and we were offered -sandwiches of foie-gras, caviare and chicken, creams, ices, and -champagne. - -It was amusing to watch some of the Japanese guests, not only partaking -of a hearty meal, but quietly secreting sweetmeats and cakes in their -pockets, probably for some little child at home. - -The royal party, after having some light refreshment at a table a little -apart from the rest, then rose to leave. The National Anthem was again -played, and we all followed as we liked. - -At one end of the gardens a play was going on. No stage, only a ring of -chairs and a big sheet. The actors were being made up and dressed in -sight of everyone. Men clothed in black, with masks, arranged the -scenes, and were supposed to be invisible. The play was ‘The Forty-seven -Ronins.’ All the Japanese in the audience held handkerchiefs to their -eyes and wept copiously, although I failed to see anything at all -pathetic in the wild gesticulations of the actors. The famous Danjiro -was there--the Irving of Japan. Amongst the audience the poetess of the -Empress was pointed out to us, a curiously shrivelled-up little lady in -a stiff green-and-white brocade, with a large bustle, green shoes and -stockings, and a wonderful erection of flowers and feathers on her head. -This costume must have done duty on these occasions for many years, to -judge by its antique style; but the little lady was evidently very proud -of her toilette. Three of the young Princesses, pretty little girls, -with round, merry faces and bright dark eyes, were also spectators. We -did not see the Crown Prince, a delicate, consumptive youth, already -married and a father. The Empress is not his mother. She is childless, -but the Japanese law has sanctioned the adoption of this boy, the son of -one of the Emperor’s unofficial wives, as heir to the throne. I am told, -however, that the Crown Prince looks upon the Empress as his mother. - -The Emperor has five unofficial wives, all ladies of good family, who -have separate establishments in the palace grounds, but are never seen -in public; in fact, of the private life of the palace the outside world -knows nothing. Japan is one of the oldest dynasties in the world, and -the Japanese were living very much as they do now, except for electric -light and European dress, when we Westerners were savages in blue paint -and feathers. - -In another part of the palace grounds are the duck-ponds and decoys. The -killing of these wild duck, which come in great quantities every winter -to the moat and decoys, is held to be a royal sport in Japan, and they -are considered more or less sacred. The official who showed us the decoy -begged us to keep quite silent, and we walked on tiptoe, in single file, -up a narrow path to a small wooden hut, where we were allowed to peep at -the sacred birds through little slits in the wood. There were already -great numbers of them collected together, all apparently quite tame. The -‘sport’ is this: There are long dykes, with a high net at the end. The -‘sportsmen’ stand on either side with large hand-nets, and the duck are -driven into the dykes from the pond, and, not being able to get out, -rise, when they are caught in the nets and their necks wrung. It is -supposed to be a great disgrace to miss a bird. - -We were afterwards taken to the aviaries, where we saw a collection of -birds of every description, from a Cochin-China hen to an eagle. There -was a parrot there which is known to be a hundred and twenty years old, -possibly more. They were all beautifully kept and cared for. One of the -attendants amused us by saying: ‘Is it not a sign of the Emperor’s good -heart to have so many birds?’ But when we asked him how often His -Majesty came to see them, he said: ‘Oh, he never _comes_ here.’ - -The Imperial Palace is an enormous building of wood surrounded by a -moat. The rooms are decorated with valuable paintings, the walls hung -with ‘kakimomos’ by celebrated Japanese artists, and old embroideries; -the Emperor also possesses a priceless collection of gold lacquer and -ivories. The palace is fitted up with electric light, but the Emperor -considers it dangerous, so the rooms are lighted by thousands of -candles. - -The palace grounds cover many acres in the centre of Tokio--the highest -position in the city. Imperial etiquette forbids that the ruler of the -Land of the Rising Sun should be looked down upon from any point of -view; therefore from his palace windows _he_ can look down upon every -part of the city. For the same reason, on the rare occasions when His -Majesty passes through the streets of the city, orders are given for all -the upstair window-blinds to be lowered. - -[Illustration: BUTCHER’S.] - -[Illustration: - - UMBRELLA SHOP. - QUAINT SIGNBOARDS IN SOME OF THE STREETS, TOKIO. -] - -Formerly men, women, and children fell on their faces as the royal -carriage passed by; now they only bow low, in token of their awe and -respect. - -[Illustration: POULTRY AND EGG SHOP.] - -[Illustration: - - JAPANESE TAILOR. - QUAINT SIGNBOARDS IN SOME OF THE STREETS, TOKIO. -] - -Soon after our arrival in Tokio I had a rather startling experience. I -was standing in one of the streets to watch the Emperor drive past in -his carriage, when suddenly my hat was wrenched off my head, and I was -pushed forward violently by some heavy hand. On looking round, I saw an -officious little policeman glaring at me, my poor hat in his clutches. -Not until the procession had disappeared from view could I understand -what had happened, but remained meek and hatless. It seems the little -man considered my attitude towards his Sovereign was not sufficiently -humble, and took this somewhat drastic way of correcting me. I must say -this was the only occasion when I have experienced the slightest -rudeness or incivility in the streets of a Japanese town, although I do -not consider that foreigners are altogether beloved in Japan. - -An artist who painted the portraits of the Emperor and Empress told me -that he had been obliged to do them almost entirely from photographs, as -their Imperial Majesties are far too sacred to pose as models. On one -occasion he persuaded one of the Court officials to allow him to stand -behind a curtain at a Royal banquet. Through the curtain he made a -little hole, and was thus enabled to get a glimpse at the Emperor. -Another time he waited patiently for hours at some place where the -Empress was to pass; but on her arrival all present were obliged to bow -their heads in obeisance, and the poor man could see nothing. However, -the likenesses were considered good, and the artist received three -thousand dollars for each picture, as well as a large medal, of which he -is very proud. - - - - - CHAPTER VI - JAPANESE LADIES - -Their habits and ways--Home life--The Honourable Bath--Count Ito and his - wife--Old Japan--Loyalty to husbands--A mixed marriage--Curious - customs--Japanese sayings. - - -The fair sex in Japan are the most simple and, at the same time, the -most complicated creatures imaginable. In their general ideas and -knowledge of the world they are like children--delightful children, -too--and in their love of enjoyment and simple pleasures they retain -their youthful simplicity all their lives. - -But, on the other hand, it is almost impossible for a foreigner really -to understand their natures. Up to a certain point a Japanese lady is -apparently friendly, as she greets one on meeting with that easy grace -and courtesy which is one of her peculiar charms. But one seldom becomes -more intimate. There seems to be a wall of reserve, beyond which it is -impossible to penetrate. I have often attempted to fathom the cause of -this barrier, but without success; and I find it is the general -experience of those who, like myself, have lived amongst the Japanese -and known them well. - -Perhaps the natural antipathy which has so long existed between the -Eastern and Western races may somewhat account for this want of -intimacy; and also, I fear, we Europeans have often wounded the delicate -susceptibilities of our Eastern cousins by our want of tact, and our -tendency to treat their manners and customs with ridicule, if not -contempt. - -I am speaking more particularly of the ladies of the upper classes. The -little ‘musmee,’ generally considered by the ordinary globe-trotter to -be the recognised type of a Japanese woman, is no more so than is the -grisette the typical Frenchwoman, or the English ballet-girl the typical -Englishwoman. - -Nowhere, perhaps, in the world does one find a more ideal ‘lady’ than -amongst the wives and daughters in fair Japonica. - -A Japanese lady reminds me of a delicate sea-anemone, which at the first -approach of a rough hand shrinks into itself, avoiding contact with the -practical hardness of everyday life. - -She is almost morbidly sensitive, but her natural pride and politeness -forbid her in any way to retaliate. How little we understand her -feelings! A Japanese _never_ forgets. Sometimes revenge is impossible, -but I have heard of more than one case when a foreigner’s official -position has been lost owing to his wife’s indiscretion, though he and -his wife also may be entirely ignorant of the cause of his dismissal. - -In appearance, a Japanese woman is smaller and of slighter build than a -European. Many are distinctly pretty when young, but they age very -quickly, and with their youth every vestige of good looks departs. Their -complexions are very sallow, but their faces are generally thickly -painted and powdered, a hard line round the neck showing the point where -art stops and Nature begins. - -[Illustration: ‘MANY ARE DISTINCTLY PRETTY WHEN YOUNG.’] - -Beauty, from a Japanese standpoint, consists in a long, oval face, -regular features, almond-shaped eyes sloping slightly upwards, a high, -narrow forehead, and abundance of smooth, black hair. - -Their movements are graceful, although the style of their dress prevents -them walking with ease; their feet and hands are delicately formed, and -their manners unquestionably charming. - -[Illustration: A JAPANESE LADY OF THE UPPER CLASS (_p._ 68).] - -They take hardly any exercise, and one wonders sometimes how the little -ladies employ their time. There seems so little to be done in a Japanese -house. To begin with, there are no regular meals. The shops near at hand -supply daily numberless minute dishes, which seem to be eaten at all -hours of the day and night, a few pecks with those impossible chopsticks -at a time. Nothing is kept in the larder except some slices of ‘daikon’ -(fermented turnip), some rice, and sweet biscuits. - -‘The honourable live fish’ is sold by men who carry round large -water-tubs from house to house, and cut off as much as is required from -the unfortunate fish, replacing the sadly mutilated but still struggling -remains in the tub. - -Eggs are cheap and plentiful. Bread is never used, so there is no -necessity for an oven. - -The great stand-by is tea. A Japanese lady is seldom seen in her home -without the quaint little tea-tray by her side and the inevitable pipe, -containing one whiff of tobacco, which is in constant requisition. - -There is practically no furniture in a Japanese house. The beds consist -of large quilted rugs called ‘futons,’ which are rolled up every morning -and put in the cupboards concealed behind the ‘shoji,’ or panels, in the -walls. There are no carpets, curtains, tables, or chairs, only the straw -‘tatami,’ and a few small, flat cushions on the floor. - -Instead of our European fireplace, a brass or wooden ‘hibatchi’ -(fire-box) is substituted, containing charcoal. The boxes can be moved -about a room as desired. - -Everything is spotlessly clean. No muddy shoes are allowed inside a -house, and one can generally judge of the number of inmates by the row -of wooden clogs placed in a row outside the front-door. - -[Illustration: A TEA-HOUSE VERANDA.] - -It is all very quaint and strange in Japan, and the longer one lives in -the country, the more fascinated one becomes with the little people, -whose manners and customs differ so greatly from our own. - -Before the Chino-Japanese War broke out there was quite a revival of -cordiality between the Japanese and foreigners in the capital. Dinners -and garden fêtes were given and returned, and the wives of the Japanese -Ministers and officials had their ‘At Home’ days during the winter, when -nothing could have exceeded their dainty politeness and the apparent -interest they took in our European houses and dress--especially dress, I -remember. Sometimes, when conversation became rather strained, the -introduction of a _Lady’s Pictorial_ or _Queen_ would quite revive -flagging interest, and many a time have I been consulted in the choice -of some important item in their ‘toilette.’ I am glad to say there has -been a reaction the last year or two in favour of the national dress, -the long flowing kimonos and quaint obis being infinitely more becoming -to their slender little figures than the madly complicated and -ever-changing fashions of the West. - -But everyone must appear at Court in European dress, and many have been -the dilemmas of the little ladies when called upon to appear at some -function at the palace. - -It has been said that foreign clothes make a difference in a man’s -behaviour to his wife: ‘European dress, European manners.’ How far this -is correct I cannot say, but there may be some truth in it. As I -mentioned before, we were congratulating ourselves on the progress we -were making in our friendly relations with the little ladies. But when -the war broke out, the Japanese Ministers left in the Emperor’s train -for the headquarters of the army at Shimonoseki, the officers joined -their regiments and ships, leaving their wives behind, and for the next -eighteen months no Japanese lady crossed our thresholds, nor was to be -seen at home or abroad. - -Now, this was most disappointing. In vain we called at their houses. -‘“Arimazen” (‘Not at home’), said a smiling, and I fear untruthful, -nasan. - -The nearest approach we had to success was one afternoon, calling on the -wife of one of the Ministers of State. In answer to our inquiries if the -Countess was at home, the doors were drawn back--they don’t open in -Japan--and we were admitted, feeling very triumphant. We removed our -shoes, and were ushered down long corridors to a room evidently kept to -receive foreigners, having as its only furniture one small table and -four chairs. After waiting about ten minutes we heard a shuffling of -feet and much suppressed laughter; one of the panels of the room was -drawn aside, and to our great surprise our own Japanese coachman -appeared, followed by two nasans, who seemed immensely amused about -something. After some difficulty--for our coachman’s vocabulary in -English was extremely limited--we were given to understand that the -‘oksama’ (honourable lady of the house) was engaged in having her bath, -and unable to receive us. We beat a hasty and discomfited retreat, and -after that resisted our desire to renew the acquaintance of the -mysterious little people, who for some reason best known to themselves -had so completely given us the cold-shoulder. - -Some months later, the war being ended and the husbands having returned, -their wives reappeared in public as friendly and as smiling as before. -We asked them the reason of their apparent desertion, but all we could -gather was that their husbands had forbidden them to enter society -during their absence; I fancy, however, their own inclination had a good -deal to do with their retirement from European society. - -A Japanese lady is noted for her courage, her strength of mind and -self-possession. It is wonderful to think what physical trials and -dangers these fragile, delicate little creatures will undergo in an -emergency. The Prime Minister’s life was once saved by the courage and -presence of mind of his wife. - -Many years ago, when quite a young man, during a rebellion, Count Ito -was hiding from his enemies, who, having tracked him to his house, sent -a band of ‘soshis’ to assassinate him. On hearing his enemies -approaching, and trapped like a rat in its hole, the Count drew his -sword and prepared to die; but the Countess whispered, ‘Do not die; -there is hope still’; and removing the hibatchi, or fire-box, and -lifting up the mats and the planks beneath, she induced her husband to -conceal himself in the hollow space which exists under the floor of all -Japanese houses. The murderers broke into the room just as the fire-box -had been replaced, and demanded of the Countess their victim. In vain -they threatened and cruelly ill-treated her, dragging her about the room -by her long black hair. But it was of no avail; they could not shake her -resolute fidelity. Thanks to her courage Count Ito escaped, and has -lived to give to his country a new Constitution, and become one of the -greatest statesmen of modern Japan.[B] I often wondered when I saw the -Countess, now a delicate, gray-haired little lady, at the courage and -presence of mind that she displayed at that critical moment of her life. - ------ - -Footnote B: - - Sir Edwin Arnold. - ------ - -Another instance of the high spirit of Japanese women and their pride is -shown in the following anecdote, described by a German writer, entitled -‘A Japanese Lucretia’: - -In 1646 a nobleman named Jacatai was ordered to present himself before -the Mikado, and was obliged to leave his wife behind. During his absence -a former rejected suitor of the lady’s, taking advantage of his -successful rival’s absence, came, with his retinue, and by force carried -off the unfortunate bride to his castle. She, however, eventually -managed to escape, and instantly determined to be revenged. Holding out -distant hopes of pardon to the offender, she induced him to remain in -the neighbourhood of Saccai until her husband’s return, when she gave an -entertainment to all her relations and friends to welcome him back. In -the middle of the banquet, which was held on the housetop, Lucretia -suddenly rose up and stated what had occurred, saying: ‘I pray you to -take my life now that I have been dishonoured, for I do not care to -live.’ All present protested against the idea of punishing her for -another’s crime, and her husband assured her he loved her none the less -for what had happened. But her high sense of honour was not satisfied. -‘Will no one punish me?’ she said. ‘Then must I do it myself; but I pray -you to avenge me.’ With these words she flung herself head foremost from -the housetop and broke her neck. The culprit was instantly pursued, but -escaped, only, however, to commit ‘hara-kiri’--the honourable -despatch--by the dead body of the unfortunate lady whom he had wronged, -but did not desire to survive. - -From her youth a Japanese lady is taught to control her feelings, and -the strange immobility that is so noticeable in the Empress is -considered, from a Japanese point of view, the very highest mark of good -breeding. During the war, when one of the Japanese Princes was away -fighting in China, and exposed to every possible peril in that deadly -country, his wife was asked if she was not terribly anxious as to her -husband’s safety. ‘Oh no,’ she replied; ‘I am proud that my husband -should be fighting for his country. If he is killed in the service of -His Majesty, I should feel he was honoured above others who have not had -the opportunity of showing their loyalty.’ - -The Prince, however, returned in safety, and he and his wife are living -happily together; and one trusts the brave officer may have other ways -of showing his valour than by his death. - -Much has been said about mixed marriages in Japan. On rare occasions -they are a success, but this is not generally the case, especially if -the wife be the foreigner. - -I was much interested in a European lady I knew who had married a -Japanese officer. They were a very united couple, and, had it not been -for the husband’s mother, all might have been well. But in Japan a wife -is still entirely in subjection to her mother-in-law, who makes the most -of this authority, in some cases reducing her son’s wife into a sort of -upper servant. In the present instance, as long as her husband remained -at home his wife was able to do pretty much as she pleased. When, -however, the war broke out and he joined his regiment in China, the -mother-in-law entirely regained the upper hand. The unfortunate daughter -had to abandon her European customs, adopt Japanese dress for herself -and her child, sit on the floor, and live principally on Japanese food. -Nor was this all. During her husband’s absence the elder lady absolutely -forbade her victim to accept any invitations or to receive any visitors -except her Japanese relations and a few of their friends. - -I managed, however, to gain admittance one day, and found my friend very -miserable, shivering over a wretched charcoal ‘hibatchi,’ and without a -single book or paper to distract her thoughts from her anxiety as to her -husband’s safety. So great was the old lady’s power and influence that -the Western woman did not dare to disobey, but had to submit in silence -until her husband’s return home, when, I am glad to say, life once more -became bearable to her. - -The case is somewhat different when it is the wife who is Japanese. To -begin with, no Japanese lady of gentle birth would ever think of -marrying a foreigner. She would consider it a _mésalliance_ of the very -worst description. Therefore the Japanese wives whom one meets in -society are of very humble origin, and generally know no language but -their own. They are charming little creatures when young, pretty and -gentle; but they have nothing in common with their husbands, and are -looked upon more in the light of playthings than anything else. They -have often, though, great influence with their husbands in their -household, and succeed in bringing up their children as much like -Japanese and as little like foreigners as possible. I fancy it is -chiefly owing to the Japanese parent’s jealousy and the negligence of -the foreigner that this is the case. - -The social position of Japanese women has very much changed for the -better during the last few years, chiefly owing to foreign influence and -the spread of Christianity in the country. - -The Empress, too, has done much by promoting charitable work of all -kinds in the country, and through her influence the horrible custom of -blackening the teeth and shaving the eyebrows of married women has been -abolished. Her personal interest in the Red-Cross Society was especially -noticeable during the last war, when she and the wives of many of the -nobles visited, and some even nursed, the sick in hospital, and employed -their days making lint and bandages for the use of the wounded. - -A Japanese courtship and wedding are both very curious ceremonies, and -still somewhat savour of barbarism. - -‘When a young man has fixed his affections upon a maiden of suitable -standing, he declares his love by fastening a branch of a certain shrub -to the house of the damsel’s parents. If the branch be neglected, the -suit is rejected; if it be accepted, so is the suitor’ (Siebold). - -At the time of the marriage the bridegroom sends presents to his bride -as costly as his means will allow, which she immediately offers to her -parents, in acknowledgment of their kindness in infancy and of the pains -bestowed upon her education. The wedding takes place in the evening. The -bride is dressed in a long white silk kimono and white veil, and she and -her future husband sit facing each other on the floor. Two tables are -placed close by. On the one is a kettle with two spouts, a bottle of -saké, and cups; on the other table a miniature fir-tree, signifying -strength of the bridegroom; a plum-tree, signifying the beauty of the -bride; and lastly a stork, standing on a tortoise, representing long -life and happiness, desired by them both. - -At the marriage feast each guest in turn drinks three cups of the saké, -and the two-spouted kettle, also containing saké, is put to the mouths -of the bride and bridegroom alternately by two attendants, signifying -that they are to share together joys and sorrows. The bride keeps her -veil all her life, and at her death it is buried with her as her shroud. -The chief duty of a Japanese woman is obedience--whilst unmarried, to -her parents; when married, to her husband and his parents; when widowed, -to her son. - -In the ‘Greater Learning of Women’ we read: ‘A woman should look upon -her husband as if he were heaven itself, and thus escape celestial -punishment.... The five worst maladies that afflict the female mind are -indocility, discontent, slander, jealousy, and silliness. Without any -doubt these five maladies afflict seven or eight out of every ten women, -and from them arises the inferiority of women to men. A woman should -cure them by self-inspection and self-reproach. The worst of them all -and the parent of the other four is silliness.’ - -The above extract shows us very clearly the position which women have -until quite recently taken in Japan. As a German writer says, ‘Her -condition is the intermediate link between the European and the -Asiatic.’ On the one hand, Japanese women are subjected to no seclusion, -and are as carefully educated as the men, and take their own place in -society; but, on the other hand, they have absolutely no independence, -and are in complete subjection to their husbands, sons, and other -relations. They are without legal rights, and under no circumstances can -a wife obtain a divorce or separation from her husband, however great -his offence. Notwithstanding this, in no country does one find a higher -standard of morality than amongst the married women of Japan. -Faithlessness is practically unknown, although the poor little wives -must often have much to put up with from their autocratic lords and -masters. They bear all, however, silently and uncomplainingly, their -characteristic pride and reserve forbidding them show to the outer world -what they suffer. I read the other day that a Japanese poet has called a -Japanese wife ‘social glue,’ meaning, I suppose, that she had to cement -the happiness of everyone in the house together. - -We Europeans might well in many respects imitate, and have still much to -learn from, our little cousins in the Far East. - - - - - CHAPTER VII - JAPANESE CHILDREN - -Boys and girls--Games--The Feast of Dolls--School life--The ‘Hina - Matsuri’--The Feast of the Carp--The ‘Bon Matsuri,’ the festival for - dead children. - - -There is nothing more delightful in Japan than the children. Japan has -been called ‘the Paradise for Babies,’ and the Japanese ‘a nation at -play.’ Certainly these titles seemed to me appropriate as I took my -first drive through the narrow Japanese streets, and saw at every turn -the crowds of happy-faced little beings, either flying huge kites--whose -long strings got sadly in the way of our rickshaws, though no one seemed -to care--or spinning tops on the pavement, a fatal practice to -short-sighted pedestrians. - -How picturesque they looked toddling about in their bright-coloured -kimonos and high wooden clogs, with a baby almost as big as themselves -firmly secured on their backs, the rider and ridden sometimes so near of -an age that one almost fancied they must be taking turns and carrying -one another! - -[Illustration: ‘HOW PICTURESQUE THEY LOOKED!’] - -The babies, too, appeared to enjoy the fun as much as anyone, which was -fortunate, as, willing or unwilling, they had to join in all the games -of their elder brothers and sisters, and one wondered how on earth it -was their little heads didn’t roll off as they rocked backwards and -forwards, and up and down, in time to the rapid movements of the game -their elders were playing. - -Little girls, too small to carry real babies, had big dolls strapped on -their backs, and it was really difficult to distinguish the live article -from the imitation. No wonder their backs become bent nearly double by -the time they are old women--they age very quickly do the women in the -Far East--but they are wonderfully fascinating when young, with their -curious, old-fashioned manners, their marvellous self-possession, and -the politeness and dignity with which they comport themselves on every -occasion. They have but one drawback, and that I must confess is a very -serious one--namely, the total absence of pocket-handkerchiefs; and -somehow they always seem to have colds! I think I need say no more. - -There are many strange and original customs relating to the management -and bringing up of children in Japan. Boys are the most thought of, as -is universally the case all over the East, but not to the same extent as -in other Eastern countries. - -‘On the birth of a son there is great rejoicing in a family. Two fans -are presented to the infant by his godparent, representing courage. When -he is thirty days old he is taken to a temple to receive his name. Three -names are written on separate bits of paper and given to a priest, who, -asking the gods to direct the choice, throws the slips into the air, and -the first falling to earth is supposed to contain the name the gods -approve of, and is consequently given to the child. - -‘Other names are added during the boy’s life--on his fifteenth birthday, -on his marriage, and one is given to him after death by his relations. - -‘A boy’s head is clean-shaven until he is five years old, with the -exception of four little tufts of hair--one in front, one behind, and -one at each side of his head. On his fifth birthday the function of the -“hakama” takes place--the child, in other words, goes into trousers. A -godparent is appointed for this important event, who presents his godson -with three gifts--a false sword, a wooden spear, and a ceremonial dress -embroidered with storks, tortoises, branches of fir, bamboo-twigs, and -cherry-blossom--all emblems of good luck and long life. From that date -his hair is allowed to grow, though it is generally very closely cropped -in French fashion. - -‘On his fifteenth birthday the last and most important function is -celebrated--"the Ceremony of the Cap"--when a new godparent is chosen, -the boy receives his second name, and he attains his majority.’[C] - ------ - -Footnote C: - - Siebold. - ------ - -[Illustration: JAPANESE CHILDREN.] - -We are also told by Siebold that it was the custom of the ancients, on -the birth of a female child, to let it lie on the floor for the space of -three days, and in this way to show the likening of the man to heaven -and the woman to earth. This custom has fortunately been abolished, with -many other cruel and barbarous practices, and female children are no -longer neglected. - -When a daughter is born in a house, a godparent is chosen, who presents -the baby with a shell of paint, implying beauty. A pair of ‘hina,’ or -images, are also purchased for the little girl, which she plays with -until she is grown up. When she is married her hina are taken with her -to her husband’s house, and she gives them to her children, adding to -the stock as her family increases. - -Dolls occupy a very important part in the life of a little girl. They -are not merely playthings to be thrown away and discarded at will; on -the contrary, they are considered ‘heirlooms’ in a family, and carefully -guarded and treasured for generations. I really think an ‘ichi ban,’ or -best doll, receives much more care and attention than the real baby, who -from its earliest infancy, as I have before remarked, is made to share -in all the work and play of its elders, with no regard to its own -feelings or wishes. - -The ‘Hina Matsuri,’ or the Feast of Dolls, takes place annually on March -3, and lasts about a week. I remember paying a very interesting visit to -the wife of the late Japanese Minister of Marines in Tokio, when I was -invited to see her little girl’s show of dolls. - -O Haru San--the Honourable Miss Spring--who was an only child, and -adored by her parents, greeted me with charming politeness and dignity, -placing her tiny white hands on her knees and bowing her head down to -the ground. She was a delightful little creature of eight years of age, -very small and slender, with manners quite equal to the Countess, her -mother, who is one of the most charming women I have met in the East. O -Haru San was dressed in a fascinating gray silk crape kimono, with a -fold of scarlet crape round the neck and a gold brocaded obi. Her face -and throat were much whitened, the paint terminating in three points at -the back of the neck; her lips were reddened and slightly touched with -gold. Her hair was drawn back, raised in front and gathered into a -double loop, into which a band of scarlet crape was twisted. On her feet -she wore ‘tabi,’ little white linen socks hooked up at the side, with a -separate place for the great toe, and I noticed her little lacquered -‘geta’ (clogs) were placed neatly together just outside the door. The -whole effect reminded me of an exquisite wax model, and it was -impossible to imagine that tiny delicate being capable of any mental or -physical exertion. - -To my surprise, however, she tripped gaily in front of me up the wooden -staircase and down a long corridor to a large room where the Hina -Matsuri was being held. She appeared perfectly at her ease, and chatted -away, asking me many intelligent questions, through the interpreter, -about little English girls, their games, dolls, etc. - -On the landing a dolls’ garden was arranged, with small houses, bridges, -miniature fir-trees--the latter a great speciality in Japan--a river -with real water, even a minute pond with three gold-fish--the whole -arrangement very artistically planned and set out. As O Haru San drew -back the lacquered panels of her room, she looked at me anxiously to see -how I should be impressed. I certainly had no cause to feign surprise. -The sight was a most unusual one. The room was literally packed with -dolls of every sort and description; almost every nationality was -represented, some nearly life-size, others the length of one’s little -finger; all were arranged in groups, standing, sitting, propped up -against cushions, in every conceivable attitude. - -On a kind of daïs were two dolls on thrones, representing the Emperor -and Empress of Japan. As far as I could see every doll was in perfect -order, every detail of their costumes correct--no broken noses, arms, or -legs--no pins! Even in the hospital, where several pale-faced dolls were -lying in bed, I noticed the splints and bandages were not to hide, but -to represent, injuries. - -My small hostess darted hither and thither, pointing out special -favourites, rearranging some of the groups with her delicate little -white hands with great care and precision. I thought of my favourite -rag-doll Sally, with no features and destitute of legs, that I used to -hug in my arms as a child when I went to sleep; and I wondered what O -Haru San’s feelings would have been if I had suggested adding that -mutilated remnant to her collection. What havoc a few English children -would have made in that room! But a Japanese child is perfectly content -to look and admire; and I imagine such a thing as breaking a doll would -be considered almost a crime. Many of these toys, I was told, were over -two hundred years old; some represented warriors and ‘samuri’ of the -seventeenth century--uniforms, weapons, complete. I must not forget the -dinner-service which was spread on one of the tables, and from which -every day during the Matsuri food was served to the more important of -the dolls by their young mistress. - -How comic it all seemed, and yet how real and serious it was to little -Miss Spring! She told me that at the end of the week every doll was -carefully wrapped in paper and locked away until the following year, -although one or two special favourites were occasionally brought out for -change of air. - -Before leaving O Haru San presented me with about a thimbleful of tea in -a tiny transparent cup of white and gold, saying in her pretty little -way: ‘This tea is worthless indeed, and green, but deign to moisten your -honourable lips with it.’ I did as she requested, assuring her that -never before had I tasted its equal in delicious fragrance. - -One _must_ be polite to avoid hopelessly disgracing one’s self in -Japanese society. - -I felt strongly inclined to kiss the tiny piquant face, white paint and -all, as we said good-bye; but that would have been far too great a -breach of etiquette to be tolerated by the little lady, who, bowing low -as I left the house, begged ‘to be very kindly remembered to my most -honourable father, of whom she had heard so much.’ - -The following extract, taken from a German book written in 1841, shows -us how much importance has always been attached to the rules of -politeness and etiquette in Japan. It says, speaking of education: -‘Children of the higher orders are carefully instructed in morals and -manners, including the whole science of good-breeding, the minutest laws -of etiquette, and the forms of behaviour as graduated towards every -individual of the whole human race, by relation, rank, and station.’ - -Compulsory education exists all over the country, even in remote country -villages in the interior. A drum beats at seven o’clock in the morning -to summon the children to school, and if one is energetic enough to be -about at that early hour, one sees troops of quaint little figures -wending their way to the school-house with satchels on their backs, very -possibly flying kites or spinning tops, according to the time of year, -as they go along. - -On a wet morning, instead of the merry little faces, nothing is visible -but a long procession of large yellow parchment umbrellas, and bare -brown legs and feet. With one hand the kimono is carefully held up high -out of harm’s way, with no respect to appearances; in the other hand the -children carry their ‘geta’ (clogs), which are only used in fine -weather. - -As Miss Bird says, describing a Japanese school: - -‘The model behaviour of the children during school-hours is quite -remarkable; they are so imbued with the spirit of obedience that their -teachers have no difficulty in securing quiet and attention. In fact, -they are almost too good; and their little old-fashioned faces look -painfully serious sometimes as they pore over their books or repeat -verses and lessons in their monotonous voices.’ - -One of their recitations, which I have since seen translated, ran as -follows: - - ‘Colour and perfume vanish away; - What can be lasting in this world? - To-day disappears in the abyss of nothingness. - It is but the passing image of a dream, and causes only a slight - trouble.’ - -In other words, ‘vanity of vanities’--a dismal ditty for young children, -but very characteristic of the spirit of fatalism in the East. - -‘The penalties for bad conduct used to be a few blows with a switch on -the leg, or a slight burn with the “moxa” on the forefinger, but now the -usual punishment is detention after school-hours. - -‘The cost of education is not expensive--from a halfpenny to three -halfpence a month, according to the means of the parent.’ - -Besides the national schools, there are many excellent colleges and -schools for the children of the nobles and upper classes in Japan. In -Tokio alone there are military, naval, and engineering colleges, besides -a large University. Japanese students, however, frequently finish their -education at foreign Universities, where they often take high degrees. - -A girl generally leaves school when she is fifteen, but she continues -her studies until she marries. An important part in her education is the -arrangement of flowers, an art cultivated into a veritable science in -Japan. I was anxious to take a few lessons, but was told that no -satisfactory result could be obtained under three years’ constant study, -so decided to leave that accomplishment to those who had more time and -patience at their disposal. - -I must not forget to mention some of the games and fêtes which take such -an important place in the lives of Japanese children. I have described -the Hina Matsuri, the festival for girls, which is celebrated on the 3rd -of March. The feast for boys is held on the 5th of May at the festival -of Hachman, the god of war. The towns and villages on that date present -a most curious spectacle. Where there are any boys in the family, large, -hollow, canvas kites in the form of a carp are hung at the end of long -poles from every home; the number and size of the fish corresponding to -the number and age of the boys in the family. - -These fish used to be made large enough to carry a man up in the air, -and have been known to be employed in time of war to spy into the -interior of an enemy’s castle. On one occasion a robber was caught by -means of their help, and killed, but they are no longer used for these -practices. - -The carp is chosen as an emblem at the feast of boys on account of its -strength and power to swim up against stream. In like manner a boy is -supposed to push his way along the stream of life and combat -difficulties. - -There is a very picturesque, and at the same time curiously pathetic, -festival which takes place annually at the end of August at -Nagasaki--the ‘Bon Matsuri,’ or festival to dead children. Every day -during the week children in gorgeous costumes parade the streets of the -town, carrying fans, banners and lanterns, collecting subscriptions. On -the last day of the festival, at sunset, whole fleets of little straw -sailing-boats, with food and a light on board each, are launched on the -beach for the souls of the little children who have died. - -How well I remember the scene! The sun was sinking like a ball of fire -into the purple sea, tinging the mountains, the islands, and the yellow -sand a delicate rose colour. - -As far as the eye could reach numberless little figures were hurrying to -and fro on the beach, fitting out their tiny crafts ready to launch into -the water. As the sun sank behind the horizon the murmur of many voices -broke the stillness, gradually resolving into a weird incantation, which -echoed from hill to hill. This was the signal for the lighting and -launching of the boats; a few minutes later, when night had fallen, the -sea seemed ablaze with countless flickering lights; and on the shore, -thousands of little figures, fast disappearing into the darkness, could -be seen kneeling on the sand offering up their prayers and petitions for -the welfare of the little ones they had lost, in whose memory the -festival had been celebrated. - -Since the opening up of the country to foreigners and the introduction -of Western civilization, many of the quaint manners and customs in Japan -are fast disappearing, and the Japanese children, especially in the -Treaty-port towns, cannot be said to have benefited by the change. - -Nothing can be more delightful than a Japanese child with Japanese -manners; nothing, I grieve to say, more objectionable than one with -European manners. Why is it, I wonder, that bad habits are so much more -easily learnt than good ones? - -In spite of all this, however, one must admit that much still remains, -especially amongst the girls, of that grace, that gentle politeness and -courtesy, which has ever given such a charm and attracted one so much to -the children of Japonica. - - - - - CHAPTER VIII - SERVANTS IN JAPAN - -Their politeness--Frequency of their baths--Always ready for a nap--Mrs. - Peter Potts. - - -The Japanese make good servants--willing and obliging and quick to learn -English ways. They cost very little to feed, living chiefly on rice and -vegetables, although they are fond of European food when they can get -it. Their honesty depends chiefly on their masters and mistresses. Where -they attach themselves they are faithful and trustworthy. On the other -hand, an unpopular English house is often servantless, and many are the -stories I have been told, especially in the English settlements in -Yokohama and Kobé, of the extravagance and theft of the Japanese -‘boy’--a word always employed in the Far East for all male servants. - -The head boy of our establishment in Tokio, where we had a house for -some time, was a Japanese who in more prosperous days had been a -_samuri_, or two-sworded man. He had a fair knowledge of English, was -responsible for the payment of the weekly bills, looked after the other -servants, and always accompanied us when travelling in the interior. -Yami was a little shrivelled-up-looking man who might have been any age -between thirty-five and sixty. He possessed a father and mother as well -as a wife and large family, all of whom lived together in two small -rooms in the Japanese quarter of our house. Except on the occasion of a -shock of earthquake, when the garden seemed full of small quaintly-robed -figures running in every direction, I saw little or nothing of some of -the members of our household; and on those unpleasant occasions I was -much too agitated to think of anything but my own safety. - -[Illustration: JAPANESE SERVANTS.] - -The only other time that our domestic staff appeared in force was on -Christmas Day, when my father summoned everyone to his study, beginning -with Yami and his family down to the rickshaw and water coolies, their -wives and children. There seemed an endless number of little bowing -figures as they appeared in a long line, all dressed in their best, and -apparently much impressed with the importance of the occasion. - -Politeness in Japan is proverbial, and extends to the lowest classes of -the community. However much Japanese servants are scolded and abused, -they will listen with apparent submission and repentance, seemingly -never taking offence, although they really hide a good deal of feeling -under their humble demeanour. I have known a servant, after being -severely reprimanded by his master, attempt to commit suicide. On the -other hand, however, when once roused to hatred, a Japanese is very -vindictive and will stop short of nothing for revenge. They have, as a -nation, wonderful control over their feelings, and on no account would -they like to appear anything but happy and contented in public. - -I remember one day asking Yami about the health of his old father, who -had not been well. With the broadest of grins and every sign of -pleasure, Yami told me that only that morning his honourable parent had -‘condescended to die’ and was about to be buried that afternoon. He then -apologized profusely for mentioning such a trivial matter. I believe, as -a matter of fact, the death of the old man was a great grief to his son, -as there is much filial affection existing between parents and children -in Japan. - -Yami was very devoted to me, and when travelling always considered his -duties embraced those of maid. On arriving at our destination, his first -thought was to unpack my clothes and put out on my bed whatever he -considered suitable for me to wear--a somewhat strange selection -occasionally. Wherever we were staying, he always brought me my morning -cup of tea, saying as he entered the room: ‘Good-morning, everybody.’ -Poor Yami died of pneumonia just before we left Japan. I went to see him -a few hours before his death. On the floor by his side were two little -wooden frames with photographs of my father and myself. He was too weak -to speak, but pointed to the photos, and then put his hand to his heart -to show us his affection, poor fellow! - -Japanese servants, if left to themselves, are lazy little beings. Their -chief joy in life seems to be their bath. How often have I had to wait -to go for my drive until the betto returned from the bathhouse! Their -horror of a drop of rain seems strange, considering this; but not for -one minute will a coolie continue work in the garden if there is the -slightest indication of wet weather. - -[Illustration: THAT DELIGHTFUL HOTEL IN THE HILLS.] - -They are ready to sleep on all possible occasions. I remember we were -staying in a little Japanese house near Lake Chiunsenji, and having -started out for the day, we left orders that certain things were to be -done in the way of cleaning, during our absence. We had not left a -quarter of an hour, when we discovered our lunch-basket had been -forgotten, and my father hastened back to fetch it. On entering the -little hall, he heard a noise proceeding from a large cupboard in which -was a shelf kept for boots and fishing-tackle. Looking in, he discovered -our four servants--cook, maid, house-boy and water-coolie--all stretched -out on the shelf among the contents of the cupboard, evidently just -preparing for a pleasant siesta. They scurried away like rabbits on -seeing my father, and seemed overwhelmed with shame when we spoke to -them seriously the next morning on the sin of laziness. - -Some of the nasans at the up-country hotels are charming little -creatures. How well I can still see the row of merry, laughing faces -that always greeted us when we arrived at the delightful hotel up at -Myanoshita, where we went sometimes for a change of air and rest after -the gaieties of Tokio. Before we knew it, our muddy boots would be taken -off, warm slippers given us, hot baths prepared; to say nothing of an -excellent meal always ready at whatever hour we arrived--and all without -any fuss or noise but the patter of small feet up and down the long -corridors, as the little maidens hastened to do our bidding. - -Once or twice at Christmas time, when games were the order of the -evening, we would request the company of half a dozen of our little -handmaidens to join in a game of ‘hunt the slipper,’ How they laughed -and entered into the fun, and yet never forgot their polite manners, nor -failed to treat us with the greatest deference and respect! - -Soon after our arrival in Tokio we had a difficulty in getting servants, -and it was suggested that we should obtain the services of Mrs. Peter -Potts, whose duties as ‘charwoman’ at the English Legation only occupied -her one day a week. When I first made the old lady’s acquaintance she -was about sixty-five years old, still hale and hearty, in spite of a -somewhat strong predilection, I grieve to say, for ‘old Tom.’ Her face -always reminded me of a dried russet apple, furrowed and lined by years -of toil and constant exposure. Her complexion was fresh and ruddy, and -shone from a lavish application of soap-suds and much polishing. Her -scanty gray locks were generally hidden in the house by a red cotton -handkerchief, tied under the chin, out of doors by an appalling erection -which was once a bonnet, but which the ravages of time and weather had -reduced to a confused jumble of faded blue velvet, jellow flowers, and -souvenirs from a deceased rooster’s tail. - -Her clothes, though shabby through much wear and faded from many -introductions to the wash-tub, were always scrupulously clean and neat. -A rusty black silk dress and mantle, relics of former mistresses, only -appeared at weddings and funerals; and the wonderful violet silk garment -kept expressly for Royal functions--for the old lady was nothing if not -loyal--was the above-mentioned garment turned inside out! - -From many years’ employment at the Legation, Mrs. Peter Potts had come -to consider herself one of the ‘staff,’ and expected to be treated as -such. Her respect for the authorities, from the English Minister -downwards, was immense, and she had a scale of reverence with which she -greeted them--the Court curtsey to His Excellency was a sight to be -remembered and wondered at. It could hardly be properly accomplished in -an ordinary-sized room, although I have seen the old woman, interrupted -in the midst of cleaning a grate, her face and hands black with soot, -rise to her feet, catch a piece of rough holland apron in either hand, -and sweep backwards across the room in a style a Duchess of the -eighteenth century could not have surpassed. - -History, however, relates that a former Minister many years previously -had come under ban of Mrs. Peter Potts’ displeasure, and, in a moment of -indignation too strong to be suppressed, she grasped His -‘Excurrency’--as she called His Excellency--by the beard and shook it -violently, much to the great man’s surprise and alarm. Since then, -either the Corps Diplomatique became more cautious as to their dealings -with their ‘colleague,’ or our friend learnt prudence with age. In any -case, of late years the Legation has had no firmer ally than Mrs. Potts. -‘I allus makes my h’inclinations to them of the Corps ’cause I knows my -dooty, Miss,’ she said to me one day. - -The late lamented Mr. Peter Potts had departed this life some years -before our arrival in Japan. He was a pensioner, having been sent out as -gate-keeper to the Legation, then in Yokohama, early in the sixties. -Mrs. Potts surrounded the memory of her ‘poor Peter’ with such a halo of -romance, and attributed his death to such a marvellous number of mortal -diseases, that the ex-sergeant of Marines became a glorified figure in -her imagination. As a matter of fact, I believe he was a weak sort of -creature, very hen-pecked, who died from too great an affection to the -gin bottle. - -Mrs. Potts has no family living, and seems to rejoice in the fact. - -‘I did once ’ave a little bit of a thing not worth mentioning, but, -thank the Lord, it was took arter three days. My mother, she ’ad eleven -of us, pore soul! all told, and I was the only one as lived to grow up. -I was a twin, too, and born with three teeth, and they do say as ’ow -they allus are vixens--I know I was when a gal.’ - -She treated our little Japanese maid-servants with condescension and -secret contempt. How could anyone under sixty know how to do things in -the proper way? - -‘It’s comfort, not style, as you wants, my good young lidy,’ she would -say as she bustled about. ‘Them slips of Jap things can’t know your ways -as I does.’ - -Once a week she used to have her mid-day meal with us, and a glass of -stout. Then how her tongue would wag! I asked her one day how she had -enjoyed her dinner. - -‘Why, miss, I fancied as ’ow I was at the Gilt ’All (Guild Hall). Them -young gals was that pressing I thought as ’ow I should never ’ave done.’ - -The memories of her early courtship and marriage always brought a blush -to her withered cheek, as she would tell us how she met her ‘pore -Peter,’ for the first time, on the Thames Embankment--‘Jist by one of -them little trees in cages, you know, my good young lidy.’ (This, you -will remember, was forty years ago; the trees have grown since then.) -‘He did look a proper dook, did Peter, in ’is red uniform--the dead -split of the Colonel ’e were.’ - -They were married at the Tower, and soon afterwards came out to Japan, -Mrs. Potts as temporary maid to the wife of the English Minister. - -‘Law, miss,’ she said to me one day, ‘His Excurrency used to get real -Victoria Cross sometimes, and stamp, ’e did, fit to scare you into next -week, but ’e was a kind master, ’e was. He’d say, “Come along, Mrs. -Potts, and choose a drink for yourself,” and when I said I kind o’ -fancied a glass o’ beer, he’d go and draw it with ’is own ’ands, ’e -would.’ - -The old lady had a great admiration for my father. I overheard her -saying to Yami one day: ‘I think as ’ow the master represents the one -from above. He’s no respecter of persons, ’e isn’t, but treats us all -alike--so perlite and consid’rate, ’e is. He says, “Thank you, Mrs. -Potts,” as if I was a Duchess, he do.‘ - -She was a perfect walking _Court Circular_. Every event connected with -Royalties was of the greatest personal interest to her, and she -invariably took a holiday to celebrate any Royal birthday, and hung a -little Union Jack out of her cottage window. Just before the Coronation -of the King we were all busy preparing for the festivities, but for some -reason best known to herself Mrs. Potts refused to share in the general -rejoicings, although as a rule she was the gayest of the gay on these -occasions. - -‘I don’t somehow feel like jubilating, my dears,’ was all she would say. - -When the news of the King’s illness reached Tokio, she said to my -father, ‘You see, sir, I ’ad a “presentimum” that there was something -wrong, and I thank the Lord that I wasn’t thinking of merry-making with -His Blessed Majesty ill-a-bed and like to die.’ - -Whether this was a strange coincidence, or second sight I know not, but -it was a fact. - - - - - CHAPTER IX - SOME FESTIVALS AND A FUNERAL - -The Imperial Silver Wedding--Parade of the troops--The wedding - feast--The Chinese ball in Tokio--A gay assembly--A Royal - funeral--Strange customs. - - -It seems curious at first to think of an Emperor with six wives having a -silver wedding, but, as I have previously mentioned, His Majesty has but -one wife who is recognised officially--the present Empress of Japan. My -father and I were staying at Tokio at the time of this ceremony, and -were fortunate in receiving invitations, as, out of the three thousand -guests invited to the palace, only about a hundred were foreigners. - -The event caused great excitement in the capital, for the Japanese are -most loyal and devoted subjects. Every street was decorated with flags -and garlands of flowers, whilst on the auspicious day, March the 9th, -everyone donned their best attire and there was a public holiday all -over Japan. Thousands of peasants came from the country on the chance of -getting a glimpse at the ‘Ruler of the Rising Sun,’ who was to review -his troops on the parade-ground just outside the walls of the city. The -cherry and peach trees were also _en fête_ for the occasion, their pink -and white blossoms adding much to the charm of the scene, whilst the -wind scattered their petals on the passers-by, covering the ground like -newly-fallen snow. By two o’clock over ten thousand troops had -assembled, as smart and well-turned-out a set of men as one could wish -to see. The cavalry left something to be desired, as the horses were -small and mostly in poor condition, but they are strong, willing little -beasts, and very serviceable for rough-riding. - -Three large tents had been erected on the parade-ground, one for the -Royal party, another for the staff and Ministers of State, and the third -for the Corps Diplomatique and a few favoured foreigners. - -At mid-day a loud fanfare of trumpets was heard, the massed bands struck -up the Japanese National Anthem and the Royal procession arrived in -sight. The Emperor and Empress were in a golden coach drawn by six -horses, followed by eight other carriages containing Royalties and -officials. As usual, on their arrival there was dead silence, and their -Majesties’ expressions were perfectly impassive, as if carved in stone; -in fact, during the whole afternoon and the march-past of the troops, I -never saw a smile or the slightest sign of interest on either of those -statuesque faces. When the review was over, we had barely time to rush -back to the hotel to dress for the banquet and reception at the Palace. -On this important occasion I wore my first Court train, and very proud I -felt as I drove off with my father in the carriage. - -The Palace grounds were brilliantly lighted by thousands of coloured -lanterns and little lamps. As I stepped out of the brougham into the -large entrance-hall, where already many of the guests had assembled, and -had my train arranged by two of the gold-laced attendants, I felt as if -I were living in some other age, being no longer only an English country -girl, but some Japanese Princess of old Japan. - -After passing down endless corridors brilliantly lit with countless -candles, along highly polished and very slippery floors, we arrived at -the banqueting-hall. I presently found myself sitting with the Chinese -Minister, Mr. Wong, on my right and a little Japanese Admiral on my -left. My father was some way down on the other side. - -It was a never-to-be-forgotten sight. Over five hundred guests were -present, seated at long tables, which were exquisitely decorated with -orchids, roses, ferns, and every kind of fruit in silver dishes. All the -dinner-service was also of solid silver. At one end of the hall, a -little raised and apart, sat the Emperor and Empress. The latter wore a -European dress of rich white satin embroidered all over with silver; and -masses of priceless diamonds were round her neck and in her dress. On -her head was a small crown studded with precious stones. On either side -sat the Royal Princes and Princesses; they all wore the Grand Cross -Order of Japan--a broad orange and white ribbon. Every conceivable -uniform seemed to be represented--Diplomats, Generals, Admirals, and a -few foreigners in Court dress. - -The dinner lasted nearly three hours, and, to judge by the manner His -Excellency Mr. Wong appreciated every dish, it must have been a very -good one. Mr. Wong was a tall, oldish man with a shrewd, parchment-like -face. He spoke English well and said he was a natural philosopher. He -had gorgeous brocades and thick furs lining his long robes. I asked him -why he did not wear these brocades outside at night for variety, which -idea seemed much to amuse him. He told me his jade ring was worth five -thousand dollars. It certainly was a lovely green stone. - -The little Japanese Admiral, who spoke no English, tried to entertain me -by making all sorts of figures out of his bread. At each course he asked -for a fresh roll, and, by the end of dinner, we had an array of minute -bread soldiers, ladies and animals on the table before us, really most -cleverly contrived. - -Before the banquet was half finished I felt I could eat no more, but my -two neighbours seemed so distressed when I passed a dish, that I felt -obliged to taste everything. - -Each guest had before his plate a stork made of solid silver, -beautifully chased, standing on a little silver box, with two tortoises -at the foot, also in silver. These were presented by their Majesties as -souvenirs of their silver wedding. The stork is the emblem of happiness -in Japan and the tortoise of long life. Before leaving, we were also -presented with silver medals, coined especially for the occasion with an -inscription, and enclosed in a black and silver lacquer box. - -After the banquet we went to the throne-room, where seats were arranged -for two thousand guests, many being present who had not attended the -dinner. There was a stage, and some very curious acting was -performed--old Japanese plays, with weird Japanese music, which -resembled cats on a roof more than anything I have ever heard. - -The solemnity of the large audience, the weird acting and the appalling -music suddenly inspired me with a wild desire to laugh, and I only saved -myself from disgrace by bending my head low and trying to think of -everything sad I could recollect. It was no use; I was rapidly becoming -hysterical, when a kind little Japanese lady, thinking I was feeling -faint, offered me her scent-bottle. This restored me to my senses, and I -repressed my feelings until the end of the entertainment. - -The Emperor and Empress were present, sitting in state together on their -thrones. During the whole performance they hardly moved a muscle of -their faces, the sign of high breeding in Japan, but the poor Empress -looked very pale and exhausted before the end, and neither she nor the -Emperor attended the supper to which we were all bidden before leaving -the palace. - -Truly it was a strange and unique ceremony. - - * * * * * - -Another entertainment of interest to which we went some time later was a -ball given at the Chinese Legation by their Excellencies the Minister -and Lady Yü, who had succeeded my old friend and philosopher, Mr. Wong, -in Tokio. Looking at the large cosmopolitan company gathered together, -all apparently on the most friendly and cordial terms, it was hard to -believe that there had ever been war between China and Japan, or that -even then there were strained relations between several of the countries -whose representatives were there on apparently the most friendly and -cordial terms. However, I suppose even the most zealous statesman must -at times put aside his official capacity and yield to the enjoyment of -the moment, and this they certainly seemed to be doing on the present -occasion. - -The Chinese Legation is a large European building of red brick, -commanding one of the best situations in Tokio. But for its yellow flag -flying aloft on fête-days and a few Chinese ‘monban,’ or guards, at the -gates, there is nothing to distinguish it from any of the other official -residences in the capital. The Legation is furnished in European style, -with curtains and coverings of bright-coloured brocades, and has a large -ball-room, with a parquet floor and electric light. On this important -evening the walls were decorated with Chinese weapons and flags, -arranged very effectively. The guests, who numbered between two and -three hundred, arrived shortly after nine o’clock; they included nearly -all the Japanese Ministers of State and high officials, the various -Corps Diplomatiques and their staffs, the Russian Admiral and a number -of Russian officers, and also the greater part of the foreign community -of Tokio. - -On arrival, we were met at the entrance by an imposing group of Chinese -officials, who escorted us two by two across the hall and up a long -flight of stairs to the dressing-room. After delivering over our cloaks -and wraps to the quaintest and most picturesque-looking little -maid-servants, we were marched arm in arm solemnly in procession -downstairs to the drawing-room, where the Minister and Lady Yü were -waiting to receive us. Lady Yü wore a European dress of violet satin and -lace, and had a Court train trimmed with ostrich-feathers; although she -is usually seen in her national costume. She is a nice-looking woman, -with a kind, pleasant face. By birth she is American-Japanese, her -father having married and settled in Shanghai. Her two daughters, Miss -Lizzie and Miss Nelly Yü, were also in European dresses of white silk. -They are bright-looking girls, very popular in Tokio society. All three -speak English fluently. The Minister, however, speaks only Chinese, but, -I believe, understands a good deal of the conversation going on around -him. He is a native of the province of Manchu, in the North of China, -and, like most of the inhabitants of that part of the country, is above -the average height and a powerfully-made man. He adheres entirely to his -Chinese dress, and was attired in a long coat of yellow brocade, lined -with white Mongolian fur. - -There are two sons, the eldest about twenty-one years of age, who is -already married, and is a proud father--the other a boy of about -seventeen. They both seemed thoroughly to enjoy the dancing, although -their long satin petticoats and curious high shoes must have been -somewhat inconvenient. They are being educated by French and English -governesses, and one of them confided to me that his mother fines him 10 -sen (= 2½d.) whenever he speaks Chinese! - -A number of Chinese guests were present, their gorgeous, embroidered -garments adding much to the general effect of the ballroom, as did also -the gay uniforms of the various naval and military officers. There was a -curious mixture of costumes. Chinese in Chinese dress, Chinese in -European dress, Japanese _à l’Anglaise_, Japanese _à la Japonaise_, and -Europeans in every imaginable combination of colour and style; some -toilettes as much ‘up-to-date’ as the distance from the land of fashions -permitted, others evidently desirous of striking out a line of their -own. One American lady had actually draped herself in a Japanese kimono, -but in a way that no Japanese lady would dream of appearing. I also -noticed a German lady in a dress of pure white. - -Perhaps, however, they imagined it was a fancy-dress ball! Contrary to -the Chinese dress, which is a combination of the most vivid colouring, -the Japanese ladies over twenty--in fact, even younger--wear nothing but -the most sober colours--grays, drabs, fawns; and the elderly ladies are -generally seen in black, the only adornment being their crest -embroidered on the back of their kimonos. The men and boys wear gray, -dark blue, and black ukatas. - -The cotillon was led by Miss Yü and a secretary of the Russian Legation, -and included some pretty and original figures. The Russian -_contredanses_ seemed to be especially appreciated, and the fun had -waxed fast and furious towards the small hours of the morning when we -took our departure. In fact, the ball was a great success in every way, -and the general originality of the entertainment added much to its -charm. - -Some of the guests were a little disappointed in not having a real -Chinese supper; but when I mention a few of the palatable dishes that -were served to us at a Chinese dinner at which we were once present, I -think you will agree with me that we had a lucky escape. - -The chief dainties at that delectable feast--which, by-the-by, lasted -three hours and a half--were swallows’-nest soup, a very expensive dish, -I believe; sharks’ fins, more or less eatable; eggs, which had been -buried for several months and had become the consistency and colour of -old Stilton cheese; and many other similar dainties which I fail to -remember, but all swimming in the inevitable and savoury Chinese sauce -made of pig and goose fat. Of course, tastes differ, but I own to -preferring the more commonplace chicken-and-ham supper menu to the above -delicacies. - - * * * * * - -Another ceremony of a very different character at which I was soon -afterwards present, was the Shinto funeral of His Imperial Highness -Prince Arizugawa, uncle to the present Emperor. There is a most -remarkable custom in Japan--that any person of Royal blood who dies away -from home must have his death concealed until his body can be removed to -his own palace. On this occasion, for several days after the Prince’s -death was an open secret, official bulletins were issued describing his -condition as very critical. On the arrival of the coffin at the Imperial -Palace in Tokio, however, his death was publicly announced to have taken -place--quite a week later than was really the case. - -By an early hour the streets of Tokio were thronged with an expectant -crowd, all in their best attire--a picturesque gathering, very different -from our sober-coloured crowd in England. Death to a Japanese does not -inspire the same dread and awe with which we are accustomed to associate -it. - -The day was all one could desire--one of those brilliant frosty days -which make the winter of Japan so delightful. The funeral procession -left the palace about 9 a.m., preceded by a large number of mounted -troops; and the roads were lined by the infantry to keep back the crowd. -Not wishing to follow the procession at a foot-pace for over two -hours--the Imperial burial-ground being nearly five miles from the -Prince’s palace--my father and I started an hour later and, driving by a -shortcut, reached our destination in good time. Only those having -tickets were admitted into the Temple grounds, but there was a very -large gathering--almost every nation being represented. The gay uniforms -of the Japanese Officials, Admirals, and Generals; the entire Corps -Diplomatique, Consuls from Yokohama, the officers from the Russian and -German men-of-war, and the Chinese and Koreans in their quaint dress, -all formed a brilliant gathering, standing out against the dark -background of the great cryptomeria trees. - -Several ladies were present, all in deep mourning; among them we noticed -two of the Royal Princesses. Refreshments were provided in a small -Japanese house in the grounds; and the hot coffee and sandwiches seemed -much appreciated by many who had come up by an early train from Yokohama -that morning. As the faint notes of the bugle announced the approach of -the procession, we all formed into a long line near the entrance-gate. - -The priests walked first, arrayed in white silk kimonos, with curious -erections of stiff black silk on their heads, somewhat resembling the -helmet of Britannia. Then followed the choir, playing a weird -incantation on their curious instruments. As I have said before, those -who have not heard Japanese music can hardly realize how utterly unlike -it is to the music of the West. Harmony it has none, and the wailing, -dirge-like sounds are somewhat trying to the uninitiated. -Notwithstanding, I noticed a solemn dignity in the mournful strains -which had never struck me before. - -Great numbers of wreaths, also enormous erections of artificial and -natural flowers in bamboo stands, were carried by men in white cloaks. -Some of these offerings were over twelve feet in height and required two -men to carry them. These were followed by the late Prince’s servants, -his horses, then more priests--one carrying on a wooden stand a pair of -shoes for the use of the departed spirit on its journey to Paradise or -Hades, as the case might be. Then came the coffin, enclosed in a plain -white wood sarcophagus, from which appeared a piece of the sleeve of the -dead Prince’s kimono, which, I must own, produced a most uncanny effect. - -A Shinto corpse is always buried in a sitting position, fully dressed, -with head bent to the knees in attitude of prayer. The coffin was -carried by a dozen men, all in white and bare-headed. Young Prince -Arizugawa followed immediately after his father’s coffin. He was in old -Court dress--a petticoat of black silk, very full, giving the appearance -of a divided skirt and a white silk kimono. He carried a long, narrow -piece of wood, which he held in front of him, on which, doubtless, were -inscribed prayers. His head-dress was somewhat similar to that worn by -the priests, but at the back of the head was fastened a large black wire -hoop covered with silk. In appearance the Prince is a small man, even -for a Japanese, but very dignified in manner, with a clever, rather sad -face. The ceremony must have been a trying one for him, as he marched on -foot in the centre of the procession from one end of Tokio to the other, -and the Shinto funeral rites, as far as the immediate relatives of the -dead are concerned, compelled them to remain by the coffin until after -sunset. - -Princess Arizugawa, the Empress’s messenger and the late Prince’s mother -were also in old Japanese Court dress--enormous trousers of bright-red -material and white silk kimonos. Their hair was dressed in the most -fantastic style, part of it standing out on either side of the head in -stiff wings, the back view of the head resembling a heart in shape, the -rest of the hair falling loosely down the back. The poor little ladies -seemed to experience some difficulty in walking in their high clogs and -stiff trousers. I imagine they must prefer even European dress to this -quaint, but unpractical style. - -After waiting about an hour, while the coffin and floral offerings were -being arranged, we were conducted to the other end of the Temple -grounds, where a temporary altar had been erected. The priests, who were -eight in number, after clapping their hands before the altar to call the -attention of the gods and bowing to the ground repeatedly, chanted -several long prayers, and the choir again began its dirge-like wailing. -Then the priests in turn placed a small white wooden stand in front of -the altar-steps, on each of which was a dish containing different sorts -of food. First, two fish were presented, then a pair of wild duck, game, -meat, rice, bread, fruits, and lastly, a bottle of saké. Food is always -offered at a Shinto funeral for use of the spirit of the departed, who -is supposed to travel for fifty days before his fate is finally decided -by the gods; and during that period prayers are incessantly offered up -by the priests and the family of the deceased until the fiftieth day, -when judgment is supposed to be pronounced as to his future state. - -Before leaving, each guest in turn, beginning with the messengers of the -Emperor and Empress, placed before the coffin a small branch of a tree, -from which hung strips of white paper cut into little angular bunches, -intended to represent the offerings of cloth which in ancient days were -tied to the branches of the ‘cleyera’ tree in festival time. When our -turn came, over a hundred branches had been presented, and, on leaving, -we passed a large crowd with their offerings in their hands. The whole -ceremony was exceedingly simple. Indeed, the chief characteristic of the -Shinto religion is its simplicity; and ‘to follow the dictates of your -own conscience and to obey the Mikado’ embraces the whole of its -religious teaching. The present religion of the country is Shinto, but -many of the Buddhist ceremonies have become mingled with it, although -each religion has its distinctive marks. - -[Illustration] - - - - - CHAPTER X - CHANG, MY CHOW - -His first appearance--Adventures and mishaps--Companions in - Hospital--Chang goes to Church--Facing the enemy. - - -Among all the reminiscences of my life in Japan I think those in which -my Chinese chow dog played a part are perhaps the most vivid in my -memory. - -We had some good times together, Chang and I, and I fear the chief blame -lies at his mistress’s door for not training him up in the way he should -go. But who can teach a chow what he doesn’t want to learn? A cleverer -person than I. - -How well I remember Chang’s first appearance on the scene--a Sunday -afternoon in Tokio. Enter Yami, very hot and agitated, holding a -struggling yellow ball in his arms. Here was the much-longed-for chow -puppy, sent me by a friend from Hong Kong. What a queer little chap he -was, with his bright brown eyes and black tongue. Exceedingly dirty, -too, I am sorry to have to confess, in spite of several baths on his -arrival at Yokohama, to which I was told he much objected. - -As Chang grew up he became the very finest chow dog seen out of China. -What high-class specimens may be reserved for the special consumption of -the yellow-jacketed and peacock-befeathered Chinese mandarin I know not, -but in the ‘Land of the Rising Sun’ he decidedly held his own. - -[Illustration: THREE FRIENDS (_p._ 127).] - -Which reminds me--and I have it on the best authority, that of His -Excellency Mr. Wong, late Chinese Minister in Tokio, since -beheaded--that chow dogs are _not_ eaten in China. - -I had two little Japanese chins at that time--Yum-Yum and Dodo--which -ran Chang very close in my affections. What pretty little things they -were! Yum-Yum, no bigger than a fair-sized kitten, but almost human in -intelligence and powers of affection, with her pretty little bird-like -ways. I fancy even Chang’s stony heart now and then felt a pang of -jealousy when he saw her sitting on my shoulder, nibbling a bit of -lettuce, or chin-chinning to an admiring audience on the dining-room -table for a grape or wee bit of apple. - -Then the fat, sturdy Dodo too, with his long, black-and-white, silky -coat and inquiring mind. I can see him now, gazing, with head on one -side, like a pert cock-robin, at that funny, immovable little policeman -outside the gates. I sometimes almost wondered myself if that small -wooden figure were really alive, or only a dummy in uniform and sword, -for surely it would have made a cat laugh to see Dodo’s never-ending -astonishment and curiosity. - -One constant source of excitement in Chang’s life at Tokio were the -black crows. What games he used to play with them, feigning sleep, until -those wary thieves would venture to make a raid on a half-finished bone; -then up he would jump, and a mad chase would follow. But those wily old -birds somehow always got the best of it, and would sit, cawing away -triumphantly, in the twisted pine-tree just out of his reach. - -But Chang was a great source of anxiety to me sometimes in those days, -to say nothing of expense. Only the other evening, looking over some old -papers, I came across the following bill, for which he is responsible: - - BILL FOR MEDICAL TREATMENT OF THE CHOW DOG. - - Consultation 1 yen. - Examination 75 sen. - Operation 2 yen 25 sen. - Lodging, milk-and-egg diet for 4 yen 50 sen. - above-named animal during one month - ‒‒‒‒‒‒‒‒‒‒‒ - Total 8 yen 50 sen.[D] - ‗‗‗‗‗‗‗‗‗‗‗ - _First-class Veterinary Institution,_ - _Komobar, Tokio._ - ------ - -Footnote D: - - Equals about 17s. 6d. - ------ - -[Illustration: THE GARDEN OF THE LITTLE TEA-HOUSE (_p._ 131).] - -Ah! had it not been for the kind care and skill of those clever little -Japs, he would not now be basking in luxury by the fire. - -One day I found him lying, to all appearance, dead under the pink -camellia-bush in the garden of that little tea-house far away from Tokio -in the interior where we were staying. What could be the matter? - -‘Poison, evidently,’ suggested one would-be comforter. Had he not barked -at that melancholy-looking individual, who had apparently come to this -far-off, secluded spot, in search of quiet and repose? No wonder, then, -a foreigner’s dog--and such a dog--should be quietly, but surely, -condemned! - -I was in despair. What was to be done? - -‘Consult a city magistrate?’ There was no city, and certainly no -magistrate. - -‘The village doctor’--brilliant suggestion from our faithful -interpreter, Idaka. A rickshaw was summoned, and with many injunctions -and--let me confess--a few tears, the poor, unconscious treasure was -sent off in Yami’s watchful charge. - -Three hours’ waiting, whilst a long line of patient and sick little -Japanese went up for consultation to the kind old ‘isha-san’ (doctor), -who lived in the little wooden house at the end of the narrow street, -with the big tiger-lily before the door. There he sat upon his mat on -the floor, clad in his blue kimono, with spectacles and pipe, waiting to -receive his patients, with a little brass hibatchi burning away beside -him. - -Chang’s pulse and tongue having been both examined, Yami was given a -small cardboard box containing six minute pills. - -‘One every two hours until the patient is better.’ By mistake the pills -all falling into his bread-and-milk, were swallowed in one dose, but -fortunately no fatal result ensued. - -The next day we returned to Tokio. How were we to dispose of the poor -suffering one during the four hours’ rickshaw drive? Finally Chang was -rolled up in a rug at my feet and all went well for the first twelve -miles or so, when our rickshaw coolie in the shafts took it into his -head to bolt down a steep hill. Result, a smash--a confused heap of -mistress and dog on the ground, a broken-kneed coolie, to say nothing of -the telescoping of the other rickshaws in the rear, which, not being -able to stop in their downward course, were literally jammed together, -the shafts of one going straight through the back of the one in front. -Stiff and shaken as I was, I have seldom laughed more than at the sight -the unfortunate occupants presented in their original prison. However, -after some difficulty, at last we arrived home, and the next day Chang -was sent off to that most excellent Japanese institution, the Komobar, -where, after a month’s residence and the previously mentioned bill, he -returned home convalescent, not, however, in his former unblemished -condition. Having had inflammation of both lungs, it was thought -necessary to blister his sides, and the absence of hair was replaced by -a blue linen wadded coat, tied on with tape, and with two holes for the -front-legs. - -[Illustration: THE KIND OLD ‘ISHA-SAN’ (_p._ 131).] - -Poor Chang, how he hated being the laughing-stock of those odious curs -in the neighbourhood. But we tried our best to console him by making him -a coat of yellow iron-cloth, which we likened to the late Li Hung -Chang’s renowned yellow jacket. - -Chang’s little friends, the Japanese spaniels, were also his companions -in hospital. Strange to say, about this time Dodo caught small-pox, or -what Dr. Hitchikito pronounced to be such, and was promptly bundled off -to the hospital for a three-weeks’ residence in a large wicker cage, -with strict quarantine, whence he returned somewhat thinner, but just as -pompous as ever. - -Little Yum-Yum’s illness was of a different nature. During our absence -from Tokio she pined to such an extent that her little brain could no -longer stand the strain, and she developed brain-fever. We received one -morning a frantic telegram from the cook to say ‘Yum-Yum seriously ill; -under treatment.’ On our return, we found the patient better, looking -very interesting, lying in a small brown basket before the kitchen fire. -She had sufficient strength to give a weak little bark of joy, and -feebly lick our hands with her tiny red tongue. We were told she had -literally been packed in ice to reduce the fever, until her silken coat -stood out stiff and straight like frozen snow. - -They are clever men those Japanese veterinaries. Where else in the world -would an animal have been treated in that scientific and up-to-date -fashion? - -I think there were moments when Chang must have been possessed of an -evil spirit, otherwise what can have put it into his disobedient head to -follow me to church one Sunday morning, in spite of strict orders to -remain at home? - -After he had been three times removed from the aisle by the irate -churchwarden, I was at last obliged to escort him myself to what I -thought was a safe distance, and, leaving him trotting sadly away up the -little path towards the house, I returned to church and my devotions -quite happy in my mind. - -All went well until the sermon. The curate was just going up into the -pulpit when I saw him suddenly start back, very nearly falling over as -he did so, and then beckon to one of the choir-boys. An animated -discussion followed, then the boy, looking somewhat pale, mounted the -steps, dived down into the pulpit, and, to my horror, I saw Chang being -dragged out, much against his will, looking extremely cross, but -otherwise perfectly regardless of the commotion he was causing. - -When he had been safely marched out through the vestry, and the door -firmly closed, the service was resumed, but I noticed that the sermon -was somewhat dogmatic that morning. A thousand pardons! - -[Illustration: THE LITTLE HOUSE IN THE FOREST (_p._ 139).] - -On investigation, I discovered that Chang, as soon as my back was -turned, had followed me quietly at some little distance, and, entering -the church unperceived by the vestry door, decided to take his morning -nap on the pulpit mat until it should be time to escort me home. - -The next morning I received a polite note from the curate asking me -kindly to abstain in future from bringing my dog to church, as, although -he admired him immensely, he thought a dog a somewhat disturbing element -on such occasions. In future, on Sunday mornings, before our departure -to church, the offender was firmly secured to the leg of the kitchen -table, and we had no more startling apparitions to distract us. - -I think life would have been quite ideal in our summer quarters at -Karuizawa had it not been for that odious black chow that lived in the -other little house in the forest, just across the stream down below. - -He was not to be compared to Chang in beauty, and, I must confess, in a -tooth-to-tooth fight, Chang invariably got the worst of it. After a -daily encounter on neutral grounds, affairs reached a crisis when, one -day, in a fit of bravado, my hero ventured into the enemy’s camp, and a -terrific and sanguinary battle followed. In one last, desperate -struggle, they fell together into the gold-fish pond, and were only -rescued from a watery grave by the gallant exertions of the black chow’s -master, who dragged them out dripping, half dead, but still locked in a -deadly embrace, only to be loosened by the repeated application of -buckets of water and finally pepper on their respective noses. - -The appearance of my friend for the next few days resembled that of a -victim to mumps, combined with a black and swollen eye and a somewhat -mangy condition of his naturally glossy coat. - -Even that, alas! did not cure Chang’s pugilistic tendencies. How often -has he returned home a sadder, though I fear not a wiser, dog! On one -occasion with but three sound legs; on another, with a hole the size of -a bullet-wound in his throat from a mastiff’s fang. But enough of these -painful reflections. - -[Illustration: CHANG’S FIRST APPEARANCE.] - - - - - CHAPTER XI - FURTHER ADVENTURES OF CHANG - - The tale of a tub--Sayonara--Board-ship acquaintance--Queer company. - - - - -[Illustration: YUM-YUM AND DODO.] There is one more reminiscence of that -happy summer I must recall; I recollect it very nearly ended -disastrously for my hero. - -We started one morning at sunrise, a party of four foreigners, twelve -coolies, a guide, and one wildly-excited yellow dog, to the little -island of M----, where there is a curious old monastery inhabited by -Buddhist monks. After a steep descent of nearly two hours, we reached -the valley, and drove off gaily, three coolies to each rickshaw, two -pulling tandem in front and one pushing behind. - -Our road lay close along the coast: on one side the blue waters of the -Inland Sea, with the waves rippling upon the yellow sand; on the other, -the green rice-fields, with the women hard at work at their monotonous -labour, looking, nevertheless, very picturesque in their short blue -linen kimonos and white handkerchiefs tied over their black hair. A -peculiarity we noticed in this locality was that the female portion of -the population seemed to do all the work. Women, mares, and cows are be -seen everywhere as beasts of burden, whereas the masculine element -appears to enjoy comparative leisure. - -This is by the way, however. - -After a three hours’ ride, at the rate of about five and a half to six -miles an hour, during which time the sun had risen and become very -powerful, whilst we felt the change from the invigorating mountain air -we had come from, we at last arrived at a small and exceedingly dirty -tea-house. The first stuff they brought us we could not drink. It was -only daikon, our guide assured us; wholesome possibly, but very nasty. - -After partaking of some honourable tea and being supplied with ‘waragi’ -(straw sandals) and long sticks, as the road was bad, we left our -jinrickshaws and coolies to wait our return, and started off on foot. - -The island is only accessible at low tide, so we waited patiently on the -beach for an hour, and watched the innumerable little ‘sampans,’ with -their curious square sails, plying their way through the surf. - -As soon as the tide was sufficiently low, we were carried across to the -island on the backs of some funny brown-skinned fishermen--an experience -more exciting than comfortable. - -[Illustration: THE MONASTERY IN THE ROCK.] - -Then up the narrow street, with quaint little shops on either side, -where we spent all our ‘sens’ buying curious shell ornaments, dried -sea-horses and endless rubbish; and where I distinguished myself by -purchasing what I fondly imagined to be the red, painted shell of a -small crab. On putting it, for safety, in the crown of my hat, I -discovered, to my horror, the brute was still alive and capable of using -its claws! - -Then a steep climb up the rocks, at every turn getting the most glorious -peeps of the sea down below, until we arrived, hot and breathless, at -the monastery. There we found two smiling monks, ‘all shaven and shorn,’ -standing at the door waiting to receive us, who begged us ‘to be kind -enough to favour their wretched dwelling by reposing our honourable -forms on a mat.’ In a weak moment, I suggested a bath, always a great -institution in Japan on every possible occasion, and our guide, -translating my request to the monks, was informed that one should be -prepared immediately for the ‘ojo-sama’ (honourable young lady) at -whatever temperature she required. - -In the meantime, we decided to climb to the topmost rock and inspect the -view. On our return, I was told that my bath was ready, and, with many -smiles and the lowest of bows, I was conducted by two of the monks to a -large open quadrangle, in the centre of which was a big wooden tub, -about four feet high, out of which clouds of steam were issuing. Groups -of monks stood about the quadrangle. The advent of visitors was a great -event in their monotonous lives and the idea that I might not appreciate -their presence had not occurred to them for a moment. - -What on earth was I to do? - -I explained as well as I could, to our guide, that foreign ladies were -not accustomed to take their baths in public, and at length, after an -animated conversation, of which I did not understand a word, to my great -relief, I saw that terrible and still steaming tub being slowly but -surely removed from its place of honour. - -What a strange ‘tiffin’ those kind monks gave us, and what a merry party -we were sitting on the floor, round a little table one foot high and -trying to eat with chopsticks! How our hosts laughed at our awkwardness. -I think Chang got most of those queer-looking little dishes. I can -remember the menu now. - -First we had raw fish, with soy and pickled turnip; then seaweed soup -and young rushes; prawns, bamboo-shoots, and lotus-root; rice, in bowls, -which we found absolutely maddening to eat with chopsticks; hot saké, -tea, and pipes. I believe there were also some unwholesome-looking -little biscuits and arsenic-coloured bean-cakes. Without these -delicacies no Japanese banquet is complete. - -Then, after an hour’s rest, off we started again to the caves down by -the sea. How clear the water was! We could distinctly see the beds of -coral far, far down below. A shoal of sardines flitted hither and -thither like a long line of silver. A school of porpoises were splashing -about at a little distance; and we fancied we saw the black fin of a -shark rising out of the water not very far off. - -As we sat there watching the waves dashing up over the rocks, two -strange, brown, naked beings suddenly appeared from one of the caves and -offered to dive for some live lobsters, if we would give them a few sen. -Down they plunged, and so long were they gone that we began to think, -they really must be demons from the sea, and not men at all. Suddenly, a -dripping creature stood before us, with surely a lobster in its mouth, -which it put down on the rocks with a grin of triumph. Then, what must -Chang do but examine this strange-looking sea-trophy, with the result -that we heard a yell of pain and saw him dancing madly about with a -black lobster firmly fastened to his nose! Before we could come to his -help over he fell, backwards, into the sea below, and was borne rapidly -away by the swift current. The two brown demons plunged in after him, -and with some difficulty he was restored to land, gasping and stunned, -but safe. - -Full of gratitude, I presented the rescuers with a yen (Japanese -dollar), which they received with many bows, rubbing their knees with -their claw-like fingers and hissing through their teeth in the most -polite Japanese manner. We noticed, however, they seemed much -entertained about something as they scrambled off to their caves, -chattering and laughing. - -What could have so amused them? - -After some hesitation, our guide confessed that they were saying that -the ‘ojo-san’ must be a silly fool to have given so much for saving a -dog, when, on a previous occasion, having rescued a child at the same -spot, the grateful parents had presented them with only ten sen (2½d.)! - - * * * * * - -I have not forgotten how Chang was once the means of saving my life. How -well I remember that night in January! The snow lay thick on the ground -and there was every appearance of a continued hard frost as I looked out -of my bedroom window on the moonlit scene below. - -Chang had been very restless all the evening, jumping up and giving an -impatient bark from time to time, as if something were disturbing him. I -had induced him, however, to lie down on the mat in my room, where he -always slept, and jumping into bed myself, I was soon fast asleep. - -It was about midnight, when I was suddenly awakened by something pulling -at my bed-clothes and heard a low whine at my side. Wondering what could -be the matter, I sprang out of bed, and had just hastily slipped on my -dressing-gown and slippers, when there was a loud roar like thunder, -followed immediately by a terrific crash, and the whole house seemed to -be falling. In less time than it takes me to tell you, I was out of my -room, flying as fast as my feet would carry me down the stairs, which -were rocking so violently I could hardly stand. On I rushed, out through -the veranda into the garden, until I found myself--how I know -not--clinging desperately to the branches of the twisted pine-tree. - -The earth was still trembling, though much less violently, but I -expected at any moment another, and possibly a stronger, shock to follow -and the ground to open and swallow me up. However, all gradually became -still, and I was able to look around me and realize what had happened. - -What a strange scene it was! - -The black crows, which had been much disturbed by my sudden intrusion to -their roosting-place, cawed harshly as they flapped down from the -branches above me, brushing heavily against me with their great black -wings in their flight. The ground all around was covered with its pure -mantle of snow, white and peaceful, as if no terrific force of nature -lay below, ready at any moment to blot it out for ever. - -The moon, shining through the fleecy clouds, looked down calm and cold. -The cries of children, the barking of many dogs, the twittering of birds -awakened from their slumbers, were heard on all sides, whilst, as I -climbed down from my perch, I discovered it was decidedly cold, and that -a tree is not the most agreeable place in which to spend a winter’s -night. - -On approaching the house, which I found, almost to my surprise, to be -still standing, I was greeted with many anxious inquiries as to my -disappearance, and by loud barks of joy from my faithful Chang. Later on -I realized how much I owed to him, as, on going up to my room, I -discovered that a large piece of plaster from the ceiling had fallen on -my bed and, had I not been warned in time, I should most certainly have -been severely injured, if not killed. - -Slight shocks continued at intervals, and I spent the remainder of the -night on the drawing-room sofa. The earthquake had evidently unhinged -Dodo’s inquiring mind, as at each recurring tremor he rushed frantically -round and round in a circle, howling dismally, and would not be -pacified. - -Chang, being more philosophic--like all Celestials--considered that his -duty lay in defending his mistress from that ‘terrible subterranean -fish, whose tail was the cause of so much disturbance’--Japanese -superstition--and lay down calmly at my feet; with one ear, however, -well on the alert, to be prepared for all emergencies. - -The next morning we found the town was a scene of desolation, and had -the appearance of a bombarded city. There were cracks in the ground in -some places five feet wide, walls down, roofs off, chimneys shattered, -our dear little church destroyed, and, worse than all, the reported loss -of many lives, though, happily, of no Europeans. - -An earthquake evidently takes people differently. Several persons I -heard of afterwards, mad with fear, had jumped from the upper windows of -their houses, and were more or less seriously injured. One lady I knew, -had retired under her bed, whilst her husband, in the act of running -from the house, suddenly remembered he had left behind him, not his -wife, but his favourite cigar-case, which he promptly returned for and -rescued! One of the servants took refuge on the roof, another in the -arms of her more-valiant half in violent hysterics. Others flew wildly -hither and thither, whilst a few had sufficient presence of mind to -station themselves in the doorways. - -Buildings and furniture have also the strangest vagaries on these -occasions. A solidly-built house close by us was literally in ruins, -whereas ours sustained little or no injury. I remember finding a heavy -clock on the ground, which had fallen off the mantelpiece, and was still -ticking away merrily, while, in some cases, every possible ornament that -could get smashed did so with a thoroughness that defied mending. - -‘But,’ as the French say, ‘one must suffer to be beautiful,’ and had it -not been for those terrible volcanic eruptions, and those awful -earthquake convulsions, where would be that wonderful, that mystical -‘Fuji-yama’ the Sacred Mountain--those picturesque valleys and -hills--those fantastically-shaped rocks and mountain ranges, which add -such a charm and beauty to the islands of Japan? - - * * * * * - -Oh, what good times we had that summer in the little wooden house in the -midst of the forest of fir-trees far away in the mountains of Japan! - -What gallops over the hills in the early mornings, with the dew still on -the grass and the larks singing overhead! - -[Illustration: MYSTICAL ‘FUJI-YAMA.’] - -Sometimes Chang would escort us--though without permission, I grieve to -say--on our riding expeditions. When we had gone two or three miles -along the plain, after leaving strict injunctions that he was to be shut -up until our return, a little speck would be seen in the distance, -rapidly developing into a panting, disobedient, yellow dog. Even then, I -fear, he did not get the punishment he deserved. Who could be severe for -long, with the delicious mountain air fanning our cheeks, the blue sky -above, and, on either side of the narrow path, a dazzling confusion of -the most lovely wild-flowers--from the tall white and orange lilies, -waving their stately heads in the summer breeze, down to the little -Japanese mountain edelweiss, which seemed to flourish equally well under -the hot Eastern sun as does its sister in the West amongst the Alpine -snows? - -But I really believe the chief reason of the wily one’s appearance was -due to the thoughts of that delectable and oily sardine-box, of which he -was so fond, and the tit-bits and scraps, which tasted so much better -out in the open than at home. - -Sometimes, too, after dinner, we would start off to pay an evening call -on one of our friends staying in the village, each carrying a little -paper lantern to light the way. Here and there, in the opening between -the dark fir-trees, we could distinctly see the outline of ‘Asamayama,’ -the great volcano, rising up like a black pyramid against the star-lit -sky, a crimson cloud concealing the summit, and an occasional flame -shooting up, as if to remind one of the fires down below. The path -through the forest was so narrow we were obliged to go in single file, -our ‘four-runner,’ as we called Chang, trotting along in front to guide -us. - -One evening, as we were warily picking our way over the stepping-stones -across the stream at the edge of the forest--a somewhat difficult matter -in the darkness--Chang suddenly stopped short, uttered a low growl, and -we distinctly heard the rustle of something in the long grass close by. -Peering down with our lanterns, we saw the outline of a large snake, and -heard the reptile hiss viciously as it disappeared into the brushwood. -In spite of many assurances that these large snakes in Japan were -perfectly harmless, and only the little flat-headed ‘mamushi’ deadly, I -always chose to consider that, but for Chang’s timely warning, one of us -would certainly have been poisoned. - -Alas! those happy days in Japan are over now. All things must come to an -end, and we, too, at last, had to say good-bye to fair Japonica, with -its flowers, its sunshine, its dear, kindly, merry little people, and -sail away westward. I look back and see it all again: the quaint little -streets; the children flying their kites, with their small brothers and -sisters firmly secured on their backs; the never-ceasing murmur of -‘Houdah-huydah,’ as the patient coolies slowly drag their heavy burdens -up the hills; and all the countless sights and sounds only to be seen in -that delightful land. - -Even the earthquakes, the typhoons, and the terrible floods seem to lose -half their terrors viewed across that mighty expanse of ever-rolling -ocean that separates us now from all things Japanese. - -[Illustration: THE LOTUS FLOWER OF JAPAN.] - -Sometimes, at night, as I lie awake in my Norfolk home and listen to the -murmur of the surf breaking against the cliffs far below, I fancy I can -hear the whispered Sayonaras, borne on the waves from my friends far -away; and as the wind sighs round the house like a soul in trouble, I am -reminded of those charming lines from ‘The Light of Asia’: - - ‘Ye are the voices of the wandering wind, - Who seek for rest, and rest can never find,’ - -and I wonder if perchance in their restless journeyings they will bear -back my answering message: ‘Sayonara! Farewell, farewell!’ - - * * * * * - -But I am moralizing. This will never do. I must not forget our journey -to Assam, nor the disaster that befell us at Hong Kong. Up to there all -went well. At Kobé we were fêted and made much of by the kind friend who -rescued Chang from drowning in the gold-fish pond. No dog could have -behaved better. His meekness and propriety were such that I inwardly -marvelled at the change, and our hospitable host and hostess were almost -in tears at his departure. ‘Such a sweet, gentle creature, and so good!’ -I knew better; but ‘sufficient for the day.’ - -At Nagasaki we had only a few hours on shore, but, wishing to give Chang -exercise, I took him for a walk along the Bund, and we wandered about -the quaint streets of that most picturesque town immortalized by Pierre -Loti. - -There, in spite of many temptations--such as tailless cats and mangy -curs, that looked only made to be annihilated--my hero returned to -the steamship _Hohenzollern_, having resisted all except a -villainous-looking coolie’s legs and a half-blind mongrel -puppy--they hardly count. - -Our next port was Hong Kong, where we changed steamers and spent a -couple of days in that charming Blue Bungalow away up on the hill. What -a lovely spot it was, with its trailing creepers and tropical -vegetation, though terribly hot in summer, I believe. There, too, Chang -was admired and made much of by all, except the five Siamese cats, who -were banished to the kitchen regions, much to their disgust. It was a -necessary removal, though, and the one and only meeting between him and -those strange-looking, mouse-coloured, blue-eyed quadrupeds was rather -disastrous to the drawing-room furniture; but one must draw the line -somewhere, and he evidently considered--at a Siamese cat. - -The morning of our departure on board the North German Lloyd’s steamship -_Kaiser_ was one of those days in a Hong Kong spring when the air seems -full of the scent of delicious flowers. The twining bougainvillea was a -blaze of brilliant crimson in the morning sunlight; the waxen flowers of -the stephanotis and gardenia glistened like snow against their -dark-green foliage; masses of delicate tropical ferns grew all around in -rich profusion; gorgeous butterflies flittered hither and thither across -our path. - -A delicate gossamer mist hung over the harbour, converting those great -iron monsters of civilization into phantom ships, as we were rowed -across the water to our steamer, bound for Colombo. - -Oh, what was it induced Chang, the now virtuous and reformed dog, to -bolt down the gangway and on to the quay just as we were about to sail -from Hong Kong? Heedless of all else but that my well-beloved was -leaving me, I tore after him, on and on along the quay, into the hot and -steaming town. What cared I for the frantic shouts from my father on -board, or the wild excitement of John Chinaman, who, seeing the mad -chase, added yet to the general confusion by his hideous yells? - -At last I captured the runaway, and, breathless and spent, we sank -together in a heap on the muddy road. A few minutes later, an exhausted -and disreputable pair were to be seen wending their way back to the -quay, the deserter firmly secured by a chain. - -I wonder if that wicked dog had any self-reproach for my feelings when, -on arriving at the docks, I saw to my horror the _Kaiser_ had departed -with all my worldly possessions on board, including money; and was -slowly, but surely, steaming out of the harbour. - -What was to be done? - -In the distance I saw my friends rushing up and down the deck, -gesticulating wildly. I could even hear a faint shout from the captain, -but what good was that? - -I was just considering whether to jump in and swim--such was my state of -mind at the moment--or to accept the inevitable, and throw myself on the -mercy of some kind friend in Hong Kong until the next steamer, a -fortnight later, when, suddenly, I heard a shout from one of the -steamers close by, and to my joy, perceived the kind, jolly face of the -captain of the _Hohenzollern_. He shouted to me to wait until he could -fetch me in his steam-launch, luckily near at hand, and a few minutes -later the captain and I, with Chang securely fastened up in the bows, -were steaming along merrily towards the great mail steamer; I fear, -laughing heartily over the adventure. - -When, however, the _Kaiser_ stopped, and let down a ladder to take the -two runaways on board, I own to a certain feeling of dread as to what -punishment might be in store for us. - -Luckily the captain was merciful and, in fact, treated the affair as a -good joke, which was far more than we deserved, as it is considered -rather a serious matter to stop a steamer carrying mails, if even for -only a short time. We had to stand a good deal of chaff during the -voyage home, but somehow I don’t think either of us minded much. - -The funniest part of it all was that Florence, my friend from the Blue -Bungalow, who had come on board to see us off, in the excitement of the -moment was nearly carried off in my place, and had to be lifted over the -side of the ship, and into a boat below, as the steam-launch, with all -the other people on board returning to Hong Kong, had already left some -minutes. - -The time that elapsed between our sensational ‘send off’ and our arrival -at Colombo was a little over three weeks. - -At first Chang was regarded rather as a pet lamb among the children and -babies--there were seventy-five little olive-branches on board. Then an -officious and quarrelsome German made a request to the captain--who, -poor man, always tried to please everybody--that dogs on the promenade -deck were dangerous to the community at large; so my poor, harmless -chow, and also a minute canine specimen--a Chinese sleeve-dog I believe -it was called--were banished to the charge of the butcher and steerage -passengers, in spite of many tears on the part of the sleeve-dog’s owner -and remonstrances from myself. - -Sometimes, however, before the ‘disagreeable man,’ as he was called, -appeared in the morning, we would bribe the jolly old quarter-master to -bring Chang up on deck. - -‘Zo,’ he would say, ‘vat dee kinders dee hund vant for to play vith? -Ferry vell, I vill him up bringen for a leetle.’ And then what romps he -used to have with his little playmates, chasing each other round the -deck, when the sailors would stop in their never-ending work of -polishing to watch the fun. - -How well I remember that strange little being, half child, half demon, -who used to fondle and caress Chang so much! What a pretty pair they -made, sitting side by side, their heads close together, her red-brown -curls mingling with his thick yellow coat, and her little brown arms -thrown round his neck. - -What was it, I wonder, made him start away with a yelp of pain, and look -reproachfully at her from under the refuge of my chair, safe from her -wicked little fingers? - -I think the ‘fiend,’ as we called her, was quite the most beautiful -child I had ever seen; she was about eight years old, and was being sent -to England, under the charge of the captain, to be educated. - -Her father was an Englishman and her mother a Cingalese, which accounted -for the curious combination of olive skin, red-brown hair and deep blue -eyes with their long lashes. She was marvellously graceful, too. Her -movements often reminded me of a young tiger. Her moods were various. -Sometimes, if the spirit moved her, she would organize strange games of -her own invention, in which the children--who were all completely under -her influence--would be commanded to join. Woe betide any child who -dared to disobey her instructions. ‘Fiend’ would stamp her foot, her -eyes would flash, and the unfortunate little offender would retire -howling to its indignant ayah. In vain were the complaints of fond -parents to the captain. Such a spell did the strange, beautiful child -cast over the other children, that neither threats nor entreaties could -keep them away when the next wild game was organized. Even I fell under -her strange fascination, although, I regret to say, I, too, had to pay -the penalty. - -I think, in her half-savage way, she was fond of me; and I had for that -reason more influence with her than had most people on board. - -But one morning, as I was sitting in my deckchair with Chang at my side -enjoying the sweet, sleepy existence of a morning in the tropics, I -suddenly felt a little hand stroking my hair and a soft cheek rubbing -against my arm. Knowing well what those cat-like caresses meant, and -that I was probably about to be asked some favour, I continued reading -until a sharp pain in my shoulder caused me to jump to my feet, and -there I saw my tormentor, a truly wicked expression on her lovely face, -poised on the glass roof of the saloon well out of my reach, and -indignant Chang, evidently knowing from experience what had happened, -vainly trying to reach the bare legs of the culprit. She had calmly -bitten my shoulder through my thin cotton blouse, and it was some time -before the marks of her sharp little teeth disappeared. - -For the rest of the day I completely ignored her existence. I think my -plan was effective. - -That evening I came upon a solitary little figure in the stern of the -ship leaning against the rails, her hands clasped, her eyes gazing far -away at the still crimson sunset. - -‘Oh God,’ I heard her say, ‘I know I am very wicked, but somehow I can’t -help it! _Please_ wash me with that stuff you always use to make bad -people good, for I am sorry, _really_!’ - -Poor child! There was much that was good in her nature, but she needed a -strong, yet loving and patient, hand to guide her. I fear her life may -be a hard one. What a change from the wild, unfettered existence in the -East, where she ruled the natives on her father’s estate with a rod of -iron, and rode bare-backed where her fancy chose over the hills, to the -stiff, conventional life, however advanced and modified, of an English -boarding-school! - -Soon after the incident just mentioned poor Chang was seen on deck by -the ‘disagreeable man,’ who for some reason best known to himself had -risen earlier than usual that morning. Furious at having his commands -disregarded, he strode up to the captain’s cabin, and, after abusing -everyone on board, from the skipper downwards, informed him that he -should lodge a complaint against the North German Lloyd Steamship -Company if that abominable Chinese cur was seen again on deck. - -So from that day poor Chang was banished from civilized society; not but -what I consider--I speak reservedly--that his steerage companions were -infinitely the more entertaining. - -What a strange collection they were! First, the Burmese--quiet, gentle, -brown-eyed creatures. They were on their way to the Indian Exhibition, -where I afterwards saw them selling cigars and going through their -various performances. At first they did not know me; but when I -mentioned a certain yellow dog named Chang they remembered at once, and -were much delighted at hearing of their old board-ship companion. - -Then there was the Buddhist priest in his quaint garb, likewise on his -way to the Exhibition; some Cingalese rickshaw coolies--merry, -indolent-looking fellows, who seemed to take life very easily; also -several Chinamen, who sat all day long smoking their long pipes or -playing cards. I must not forget those most uncanny-looking -ourang-outangs, too, which, as the weather became colder, were dressed -up in some cast-off sailors’ clothes, and looked more horribly human -than ever; nor that dear little white bear, which was always curled up -fast asleep--and such heaps of small, chattering monkeys; fowls, birds -of all descriptions--a true ‘happy family.’ - -I would often go down to pay Chang a visit and find him the centre of an -admiring group, looking rather melancholy, but patiently submitting to -the unconscious teasing of those pretty little Burmese children who so -adored him. - -Sometimes he would be ‘down below’ in the butcher’s quarters in company -with a Siamese cat. ‘Friends in affliction’ they certainly had become, -sitting close together, puss purring away contentedly, and rubbing her -brown head against her companion’s yellow coat as if they had been chums -all their lives, and the Siamese cat’s mistress and I would watch them -both unperceived, and wonder at the sight. - - - - - CHAPTER XII - PAUL AND VIRGINIA - -Life on a tea-estate--My animal friends--Two brown bears--Brutus, the - monkey--Always in mischief--The Brazilian Macaw. - - -At Colombo I basely deserted Chang, leaving him to the charge of his -kind friend the butcher, who dispatched him, on the steamship _Kaiser’s_ -arrival at Southampton, to my cousin at Aldershot; and for some weeks I -heard no more of my old favourite. - -We stayed a few days at Colombo, and from there took a small steamer up -to Assam, where my father had a tea-estate, which needed his personal -supervision for a time. The change after my gay and busy life in Japan -was very great. My father was away riding all day, and I was left alone -at the bungalow except for the natives belonging to the estate, who -could hardly be considered companions. - -At first I felt rather forlorn and desolate, and longed more than ever -for some girl friend to keep me company, but gradually I became very -dependent upon the society of a large and strange variety of animals, to -which I grew very much attached. Endless are the tales I could relate -about the faithfulness and sagacity of various of my horses and dogs--to -say nothing of birds of all descriptions, from the macaw--which saved my -life from a desperate thief one night by his keen sense of hearing when -I was alone in the bungalow--to the little bantam hen that laid an egg -for my breakfast every morning on my bed. - -My strangest companions, I think, however, were two brown bears who went -by the names of Paul and Virginia. Why they were thus called I forget. -My father found them as little cubs about three weeks old in the jungle, -their mother having been killed a day or so previously by one of the men -on the estate. The poor little beasts were nearly starved when I first -saw them, but they rapidly recovered after having a few pints of warm -milk poured down their throats. We fed them out of an old soda-water -bottle wrapped in flannel, and it answered the purpose admirably. - -As the cubs grew older they became the most delightful little creatures, -and as playful as two kittens. Paul was always the larger and stronger -of the two, but little Virginia was like a ball of brown fur, and had -the gentlest and most winning ways imaginable. Like all bears, they -dearly liked water, and we had a zinc bath made for them in the -compound, in which they would sit for hours during the heat of the -day--one at one end of the tub, and one at the other; swaying their -bodies backwards and forwards as if they loved to hear the splash of the -water against the sides. - -As Paul grew bigger, however, he found that there was not sufficient -room for him and Virginia to bathe together; so, hurrying to the bath a -little before the appointed bathing hour, he would jump in, lie down -flat at the bottom of the tub, and effectually prevent his sister from -taking her morning ablutions until he had finished, and the water had -become most distinctly muddy. Poor Virginia’s face was a study. Round -and round the bath she used to pace, uttering from time to time a -plaintive whine, but all of no avail; Paul ignored her existence -completely until his morning bath was finished, although at other times -they were excellent friends--in fact, a most devoted couple. - -They had a constant companion in the shape of a small gray monkey named -Brutus. Now, Brutus may have been ‘an honourable man,’ but my Brutus was -a most dishonest monkey. Had it not been for his strange friendship with -the bears, I think I could not have stood his vagaries. Nothing was -sacred to him. Once my brush and comb disappeared, and when all efforts -to find them had been unavailing, I heard a mocking chuckle, and -discovered Brutus on the roof calmly brushing and combing himself with -my lost property, just as he had, doubtless, observed me doing. Needless -to say, when my brush and comb came into my possession, they were not of -much further use to me. - -I cannot mention a quarter of Brutus’s many offences and mischievous -ways. If only he had exercised his talents in some useful capacity, he -would have been, indeed, a valuable addition to the family. He nearly -put an end to himself one day by trying to shave his little gray chin -with my father’s razors; and had I not been near at the time and heard -his piteous and truly human yells, he would certainly have bled to -death, as he had given himself a frightful gash behind the neck, -completely severing one ear. His appearance for several weeks afterwards -resembled an old woman with the toothache, and it was a long time before -he ventured into my father’s room again, although he made up for it by -persecuting the cook almost to distraction. He was an intensely jealous -little beast, and took a most violent dislike to a black kitten -belonging to the kitchen regions. One day the kitten disappeared, and -the poor little thing’s body was found in a saucepan of boiling soup. -Brutus, in a fit of jealous rage, had thrust his victim into the -saucepan on the fire, carefully replacing the lid so that no escape was -possible. - -The monkey’s friendship with the bears was purely mercenary. He was a -lazy little beast, and found that riding was the pleasantest way of -getting about the country. He therefore used to accompany Paul and -Virginia in all their expeditions, springing lightly on the back of one -or the other, holding on by their thick brown fur, and sticking to his -seat like any jockey. - -It was the funniest thing in the world to see the trio starting off for -a long excursion into the jungle; and I think in time that Bruin and his -sister got quite fond of their little master. - -The bears’ favourite sleeping-place was at the top of a short, stunted -tree just outside my room. This had its disadvantages, as their presence -attracted other bears from the neighbourhood, which had not the friendly -and harmless dispositions of Paul and Virginia. From time to time -numerous ducks and chickens began to disappear in a mysterious way. A -small and favourite dog also vanished, and, during the night, we -frequently heard sounds of stealthy footsteps on the veranda, and, -although my father rushed out with his gun to investigate, nothing was -visible. In the morning, however, the invaders were tracked right into -the jungle, as, wherever they had come, they had left devastation -behind, tearing up roots, breaking down hedges, and doing terrible -damage in our vegetable garden. In vain were traps laid, and coolies set -to watch round the house. All was of no avail. Our live-stock grew -gradually less and less, one by one the fowls disappeared, and we were -in despair. Affairs reached a climax, however, one morning, when one of -our coolies was missing, and, after a long search, his mangled remains -were discovered some distance from the house, evidently the victim of -the midnight invaders. - -This settled the question. Paul and Virginia must go--but where? -Although they would have been accepted at the Zoological Gardens in -Calcutta, we did not like the idea of subjecting them to confinement in -a cage. At last my father reluctantly decided to shoot them; and one -morning a court-martial was held in the compound, attended by all the -coolies on the estate; a grave was dug, the condemned were led out, two -reports resounded through the still morning air--one following quickly -after another--two brown heaps lay on the ground motionless, and now -nothing is left of poor Paul and his sister but a grassy mound, with a -little wooden inscription bearing their names and the date. - -Poor Brutus felt the loss of his companions keenly, and for several days -refused to take food. In fact, I quite thought he would have died. But -one morning, on looking for him in his box where he always slept, I -found he had disappeared. I hunted for him in vain, and had just come to -the conclusion that he must have committed suicide from grief, when one -of the coolies came to me in great excitement to say Brutus had been -seen riding one of the goats. True enough, riding in state on one of the -largest goats in the herd was seen the truant, looking very proud of -himself, and seemingly perfectly content with his new companions. How -the goats approved of their rider I cannot say; anyhow, willing or -unwilling, they had to put up with his company. Every morning, as soon -as the herd were released from the enclosure where they passed the night -and turned out on the hills, Brutus would spring on to the back of the -foremost goat and disappear with them for the day, only returning at -evening for his supper. - -About this time my supply of goat’s milk, which I always took for my -breakfast and supper, began to diminish. I inquired the reason of the -cook, but could get no satisfactory solution. The quantity became less -and less, and one day I was informed with many apologies that there was -none, as Brutus had taken it all! - -Thinking that probably the coolies were cheating me and selling the -milk, I abused every member of the household roundly, and threatened, if -no milk were forthcoming for my supper that evening, they would one and -all be dismissed. - -At sunset that evening, however, my cook came and begged me to come with -him to the enclosure where the goats were being milked. On my arrival -there, what was my amazement to see Brutus calmly milking one of the -goats, drinking a little from time to time with much relish, whilst the -remainder trickled along the ground in a long white stream. The goat -seemed perfectly unconcerned, and stood quietly nibbling some grass as -if nothing unusual was occurring. We then discovered that all the other -goats had already been milked, probably at intervals during the day, -whenever it suited the pleasure and wishes of Master Brutus, who -evidently seemed to consider that he was performing a very meritorious -action. I thought differently, however. I was particularly fond of -goat’s milk, and I was in a country where good things were not to be had -for the asking, nor for money either, for that matter. - -So after this I decided to shut Brutus up in a large cage, anyhow for a -time, until I could find some other plan to keep him out of mischief. -For the next few days I was away from home a good deal riding in the -district with my father, and did not notice Brutus particularly. -Naturally he would be feeling somewhat bored, but a little punishment -would do him good. - -One evening about a week later, on returning home from a long ride, I -went as usual to take the little prisoner his supper. I thought the cage -seemed unusually quiet, but supposed he was asleep. On looking in, -however, I saw a tragic sight. How it had happened, to this day I know -not, but suspended by a long string from the top of his cage hung Brutus -quite dead, evidently strangled. One end of the string still fastened -together a portion of the roof of his wooden prison; the other end was -tightly wound round and round his little gray throat. - -I have never kept another monkey. They are too human. - - * * * * * - -The only other member of my happy family that I brought home to England -was the Brazilian macaw, which I have already mentioned. Arara is, -without exception, the most beautiful and by far the most intelligent -bird I have ever seen. I have him still, and long may he live, for he -will never have an equal. I believe he is about a hundred and fifteen -years old; but as the macaw belonging to the Emperor of Japan is on the -best authority a hundred and thirty years old, there is every hope my -old favourite may still have many years before him. Arara formerly -belonged to a naval officer, who brought him from Rio de Janeiro, where -his ship was stationed. On leaving there Captain R---- brought the macaw -with him to Colombo, but the long confinement in a cage much too small, -and indifferent food and treatment, affected his health and temper so -much that my friend decided to part with him, and I became the happy -possessor of Arara. It is difficult to describe his plumage and its -wonderful combination of different colouring. His back and breast are -bright crimson, his tail feathers a vivid electric blue, and his wings -emerald green. His eye is a bright yellow--I say eye advisedly, as he -possesses but one, owing to a fight on board ship with a young eagle. -This loss, however, rather adds to his personal appearance, giving him a -most cunning expression as he gazes down from his perch, always on the -alert as to what is going on. - -[Illustration: ARARA] - -Although Arara’s vocabulary is not large--these macaws are rarely taught -to speak--he says a few words very distinctly, and his imitation of -other animals is quite extraordinary. - -Often I have hunted vainly for a cat in my room, hearing a piteous -mewing, and thinking one must be imprisoned in some cupboard, and all -the time it was Arara sitting on a branch of a tree below my window. His -imitation of the bleating of sheep, the cackling of hens, and the -crowing of cocks would puzzle the most observant. - -I must not forget to mention what happened to that Chinese rascal Chang -after we left him at Colombo. Hearing nothing of him for over two -months, I fondly imagined he had settled down in England a respectable -and civilized dog. Alas, this was anything but the case. - -One morning a letter arrived from my cousin at Aldershot, saying that, -after fighting with every dog in the regiment and mortally wounding two -pedigree poodles, that terrible chow-dog had finally and hopelessly -disgraced himself by appearing one morning on parade, completely -disorganizing the men, who were drawn up at attention, by wildly -careering, up and down between the lines, and jumping up at any he -chanced to recognise--a performance which did not improve the appearance -of their spotless pipe-clayed belts and clean tunics, the morning -happening to be rather muddy. - -Finding that his affectionate greetings were not appreciated, Chang next -turned his attention to the legs of the Colonel’s horse, thereby much -disturbing that noble steed and his rider. - -‘Whose dog is that?’ roared the Colonel, casting an infuriated glance -upon him. - -‘Captain X----’s, sir,’ replied the orderly. - -‘Confound it! what does he mean by keeping such a brute? Tell Captain -X---- to have the dog removed from the barracks immediately.’ - -Oh, I blush now to think of Chang’s disgrace. He was promptly billeted -at a neighbouring inn; but an evil spirit seems again to have possessed -his Celestial brain, and he was returned a few days later ‘with thanks,’ -and an alarming bill for the slaughter of numerous chickens and ducks. - -His subsequent career, I grieve to say, was a long succession of -iniquities. On our arrival in England we took him down with us to -Norfolk, thinking there he must be out of harm’s way. At first all went -well. He spent his time meekly lying under the dining-room table, -looking as pious as a China pug. But, alas! he chanced one day to -observe one of those irresistible pheasants he used to chase in the -mountains of Japan. From that moment he was lost. Furious keepers -brought tales of a ‘great yallow, savage baste havin’ scared them thur -burds, ‘til there’s no doin’ northin’ with ‘em’; of nests destroyed, -coops overturned, and countless other offences too numerous to recount. -Chang narrowly escaped being shot on more than one occasion; and from -that time until his departure from the land of game he was securely -imprisoned in the stable, there to repent his sins in solitude. - -What was I to do with such a dog? My friends urged me to sell him, and I -had several excellent opportunities of doing so, but I could not in that -mercenary fashion part with my old companion. - -Looking back on those days now, I marvel that we were not banished from -civilized society; but it is a long lane that has no turning, and at -last Chang began to reform. Whether it was the wire-muzzle I made him -wear, or the recollection of the well-deserved and severe thrashing he -received on the terrible occasion when he worried a flock of sheep, I -know not; but slowly and surely he gave up his many evil ways, until at -length he became the steady, sober watch-dog and ever constant and -faithful companion he is now. - -As I look at my old favourite stretched out on the hearthrug at my feet -in a way peculiar to chows, I realize that we ran a great risk of -getting ourselves disliked in those days. It is of no use for him to -pretend he does not understand me, as I know by the placid smile on his -wicked old face and the sly wink in his sleepy eye that he does so -perfectly. - -But I often wonder if dogs have any memories of the past, and if Chang -sometimes thinks, as I so often do, of those happy, far-off days in fair -Japonica. - -[Illustration] - - ----------------------------------------------- - - WELLS GARDNER, DARTON AND CO., LTD., LONDON - ------------------------------------------------------------------------- - - Transcriber’s Note - -There was only one error detected during the preparation of this text, -which has been corrected, and is noted here. The reference is to the -page and line in the original. - - 110.1 of those statuesque faces[.] Added. - - -*** END OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK 54591 ***
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