l. The one ray of hope for China lies in the
fact that there are so many foreign nations trying to gain control of
her. One could do it, two could do it, three could do it, but a dozen!
China plays off one greedy predatory power against another. One
"adviser" arranges everything nicely in the interests of his country,
and then what does the "corrupt" Chinese official do? Runs off and
tattles it all to some other "adviser," whose interests will be damaged
if the advice of Number One goes through. It is a tremendous game, each
foreign power striving to cut the ground from under the next foreign
power and to gain the ascendency for itself. Diplomatic Peking is a
great, silent battle-ground; on the surface Oriental politeness and
suave political courtesies but underneath a seething sea of strife.

The Chinese attitude toward all this reminds me of a story I heard long
ago. Two negroes were discussing a negro girl.

"Trus' dat niggah?" said one; "trus' dat niggah? I wouldn't trus' her
'hind a cornstalk!"

Yes, many of the Chinese are corrupt. They have their price. For
example, the old palace in the Forbidden City is now a museum, holding
one of the most superb collections of Chinese treasures in the world,
all that remains from the imperial go-downs. This collection is not
catalogued, however, and every few months the exhibits are changed and
others substituted; for the collection is too large, they say, for
everything to be kept on view at one time. At such times as the
exhibits are changed, current Peking gossip has it, certain of the
finest treasures disappear. They are said to find their way into the
currents of trade, to enrich the museums of Europe and America. Put
this down as you like, however, the conventional explanation for this
is that the Chinese are so corrupt!

IX

CHINESE HOUSES

We are really, seriously looking for a house in Peking, in which to set
up a Peking cart, a white mule, a camel, and a Mongolian dog! That shows
what the Orient does to one in a few short weeks, how it changes one's
whole point of view. A month ago neither of us had any idea of staying
in Peking for more than two or three weeks; we had intended to stop long
enough to see the obvious things, temples and such, and then go down to
the tropics for the winter. Now we are on the verge of giving up our
trip to Angkor and of settling right here--I was almost going to say for
life! And all in a few short weeks!

There is so