, and in chasing her knocked over the pun of pots
aforesaid. The place became a Bedlam. Men rose from their seats, and
with their mouths full of rice expostulated in vainest mediation, waving
their chopsticks in the air, and whilst the mother turned upon them in
grossest abuse the daughter cleared out at the back of the premises. I
left the irate parent brandishing the bamboo; her voice was heard beyond
the town.

But I was not allowed to leave the town. All the intellect of the place
had assembled in one of the shops, into which I was gently drawn by the
coat sleeve by a good-natured, well-dressed humpback, and all of the men
assembled began an examination as to who the dignitary was, his
honorable age, the number of the wives, sons and daughters he possessed,
with inevitable questioning into the concerns of his patriarchal
forbears. Accordingly I once again searched the archives of my elastic
memory, and there found all information readily accessible, so that in
a few moments, by the aid of Bailer's _Primer_, I had explained that I
was a stranger within their gates, wafted thither by circumstances
extraordinarily auspicious, and had satisfied them concerning my
parentage, birthplace, prospects and pursuits, with introspective
anecdotal references to various deceased members of my family tree. I
did not tell them the truth--that I was a pilgrim from a far country,
footsore and travel-soiled, that I had been well-nigh poisoned by their
bad cooking and blistered with their bug-bites!

I rose to go. Like automotons, everyone in the company rose with me. The
humpback again caught me, this time by both hands, and warmly pressed me
to stay and "uan" ("play") a little. "Great Brother," he ejaculated,
"why journeyest thou wearisomely towards Yung-ch'ang? Tarry here." And
he had pushed me back again into my chair, he had re-filled my teacup,
and invited me to tell more tales of antiquarian relationship. And
finally I was allowed to go. Greater hospitality could not have been
shown me anywhere in the world.

The day had been hard going. We pursued our way unheedingly, as men
knowing not whither we went; and at 4:00 p.m., fearing that we should
not be able to make Ban-chiao, where we intended stopping, I decided to
go no farther than Tali-shao. The evening was one of the happiest I
spent in my journeys, although personal comfort was entirely lacking.
The place is made up of just a few hovels; people were hostile, and
turned a