y mourners, two of whom were
carrying a paper sedan chair, which would be burnt, and so, rendered
invisible, would be sent to the invisible world to bear the dead man's
spirit with becoming dignity. All day we were in the mountains
travelling up the bed of a creek with mountains on both sides of us. We
passed Chehki, ninety li from Tongchuan, and thirty li further were glad
to escape from the cold and snow to the shelter of a poor thatched mud
inn, where we rested for the night.

A hump-back was in charge. The only bedroom was half open to the sky,
but the main room was still whole, though it had seen better days. There
was a shrine in this room with ancestral tablets, and a sheet of
many-featured gods, conspicuous amongst them being the God of Riches,
who had been little attentive to the prayers offered him in this poor
hamlet. In a stall adjoining our bedroom the mule was housed, and
jingled his bell discontentedly all through the night. A poor man,
nearly blind with acute inflammation of the eyes, was shivering over the
scanty embers of an open fire which was burning in a square hole scooped
in the earthern floor near the doorway. He ate the humblest dishful of
maize husks and meal strainings. That night I wondered did he sleep out
in the open under a hedge, or did the inn people give him shelter with
my mule in the next room. My men and I had to sleep in the same room.
They were still on short rations. They ate only twice a day, and then
sparingly, of maize and vegetables; they took but little rice, and no
tea, and only a very small allowance of pork once in two days. Food was
very dear, and, though they were receiving nearly double wages to carry
half-loads, they must needs be careful. What admirable fellows they
were! In all my wanderings I have never travelled with more good-natured
companions. The attendant Laohwan was a powerful Chinese, solid and
determined, but courteous in manner, voluble of speech, but with an
amusing stammer; he had a wide experience of travel in Western China. He
seemed to enjoy his journey--he never appeared lovesick; but, of course,
I had no means of asking if he felt keenly the long separation from his
bride.

At the inn there was no bedding for my men; they had to cover
themselves, as best they could, with some pieces of felt brought them by
the hunchback, and sleep all huddled together from the cold. They had a
few hardships to put up with, but their lot was a thousand times better