Gloucester County Democrat. (Woodbury, N.J.) 1878-1932, 1883-06-14

activity and excitement getting greater.
The mandarin drank whisky, took
snuff, and wrote acquisitions borrow
ing horses, carpets and felts from his
neighbors all round, while the women
of his family rushed about with sewing
that had been forgotten, half COM
manding, half entreating the neigh
boring females to help them to be ready
in time.
Preparations were at length COM
pleted, and feasting began. l have
now only an indistinct idea of how
many days the feast lasted, and as
great part of the fun consisted in
drinking whisky, did not visit the
revelers often. I was once taken to
see tentful of ladies in full dress.
They were fully dressed indeed The
most striking thing was the gown,
glaring with colors and fierce with en-
broidered dragons, whose eyes seemed
ready to start from their heads. Though
inside a tent they ali wore great fur caps
exactly like those worn by men. At
their side they each had a hanging of
silk, silver and gilt ornaments, but the
most curious part of adornment was
the headdress of beads, which seemed
to hang down all round, and made it
matter of some difficulty for the fair
danes to convey the cups to their
mouths. 1 watched the process of
drinking tea under difficulties for some
time, then withdrew, trying to calcu-
late how many oxen each of these
women carried about on her person.
The silver ornaments were of native
workmanship, the dresses, the caps,
the beads, were purchases from
Peking, and with Chinese Interpreters,
squeezes, merchants profits, and al
lowance for the time that the bill
would lie unpaid, must have cost a
great sum.
One morning was informed that
the young bridegroom would come
that day. Soon after when out walk
ing saw a troop of horses tied at
some tents on rising ground about a
mile off. Presently the riders issued
from the tents, mounted their steeds,
and rode directly for our cluster of
tents. They came on in beautiful
style, till brought to halt by steep
sided ravine cut out in the plain by the
water of the summer rains. For a
moment they halted, confused, on the
farther edge, till some one discovered
the pass; they then converged on one
point, and one after another disap-
peared below the level of the plain. A
few moments more and bonnets, then
heads, then horses, rose up into view
again. The troop widened out once
more, and the twenty horsemen, pic
turesque with their bright costumes,
and mounted on their best steeds,
swept past at full gallop. The bride
groom, conspicuous by the bow-and-
arrow case he carried slung from his
shoulder, seemed a mere boy fourteen
or fifteen years old. but he was mount
ed on perhaps the finest animal in the
troop, and rode well, keeping side by
side with his father.
The company dismounted at the
poles a little way in front of the tents,
where horses are generally tied, put
themselves in order, and advanced
formally toward the principal tent
Every one seemed to carry something
in his hand, and noticed that severa
who carried little open casks of whisky
asked eagerly what they were to do
with it. Isuppose they brought it in
bladders on horseback, then filed it
into the casks when they dismounted.
As they stood before the tent, each
man holding his present with both his
hands, the brides big brother, tall,
broad man, with a good-natured face
came out and planted himself in front
Of the door, demanding Of the strangers
what brought them there. eve want
to enter your tent" they replied.
"Then you'll have to fight for it p an
swered the giant; and, suiting the
action to the word, the strangers and
the mandarin's followers instantly be-
gan scuffie, pulling each other about
good DEAL but, as could not help
remarking. taking good care not to
spill the whisky.
The sham fight lasted few seconds,
when the defenders gave in, and in
yited the assailants to enter the tent.
But now another struggle began. No
one would enter first. The two head
men stood bowing each other in,
neither entering, till at last the stranger
allowed himself to be pushed in, and
his host followed. The second pair
had the same struggle, settled in the
same way. and finally, after a great
ado, the whole crowd entered and
business began.
I did not enter, but was told that
the marriage contract was there and
then made, the bridegroom-or his
father, rather-promising to treat
the bride well, and make such and
such provision for her. Consuming
whisky seemed to form an important