The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1878-10-30
A Chinese Inn.

was anxious to see Chinese inn
(writes travelerin the Celestial empire)
and accordingly waited with much in
terest for one to be reached. Presently
we stopped before gate in a mud wall.
The driver howled the gate opened,
and the cortege filed in. It was an open
courtyard of rectangular shape, with
long, low, one-story building on two
sides, an open shed for the animals on
the third side, and the mud wall with it's
somewhat heavy gate on the fourth
side. A closer examination discovered
the long building to be series of rooms,
ranging in size from twelve feet square
to twelve by twenty feet, according as
each contained one or two beds. or kongs
as they are called in Chinese. These
beds-but no, not to bring discredit on
the name, let us too call them kongs.
These longs, then, are of generous di-
mensions, extending the full width of
the room and being not less than six
feet wide. The height from the floor is
about two feet. Let no mans imagina-
ton carry him away. There were no
mammoth sheets, blankets nor pillows
on these kongs. They were built of
bricks and mud, and presented hard,
smooth surface of the latter material as
the place whereon to lie. A square
hole in the side of each kong attracted
my attention, and upon asking I learned
that in there o fire was built to secure
warmth for the sleeper; putting the
b. d clothes underneath instead OF on
the bed as it were. Imagine getting too
much fire on and waking up in the
morning all cooked
AS there was no hotel clerk to bawl
out "Front, take this gentleman to
Number $780," made tour to select
the best room for myself. Finally TAX
ing room that had the appearance of
being shade less dirty than the others,
I pronounced to Cheong, my servant,
that I would be ready as soon as chow
chow was. sat on my kong and looked
at my room. 1t was oil mud, from the
bed I sat on to the roof over my head.
There were no chairs, no table, nothing
in fact but mud kong and a mud room,
and not clean mud either. After dinner,
when it began to grow dark, called
for light, and received a piece of pith
floating in saucer of oil. Que end Of
the pith hung over the saucer and when
Lighted sputtered deprecatingly, and
looked az if cross word would make it
go out. Some books might have tempted
me to read by such light !; but the one
I had was not of that sort, 30 said
"psbaw /" and the pith slid down into
the oil and burned no more. Then I
tried meditation, and marched up and
down my room for about five minutes.
All at once I gaped. won't say did
not encourage it /; but at any rate I
acted on the hint and called ont to
Cheong to bring my blankets. One I
was to lie on, and two I was to cover me
with. Turning up the collar Of my ul-
ster and pulling my hat down to my
cars, without other preparation l got in
kong. As an indication of how com.
Portable I found the kong, I may cay I
got up at five the next morning without
being called. Eggs, coffee and toast
made my breakfast. It had to be cafe
noir, however, for milk was an unknown
quantity in those regions. Cows indeed
they had. but only used them as beasts
Of burden. It was very ordinary
sight to sec n COW and donkey hitched to
one plow and if l were not afraid of
having my word doubted, [ would add
that have seen several times woman
and donkey hitched together.