Herald and news. [volume] (West Randolph, Vt.) 1878-1943, 1888-12-20
TRICKS OF THE JAPS.
Methods They Employ TO Take In
the Unwary Traveller.


Tn the tricks that signalize most al
trades the FLAPS are by no means with
ont their little devices, and when II
comes right down to an appearance .,
;ngenuons Innocence, these arttul
or;entals can enact the role in manner
that would completely eclipse even thai
of Maine prohibitionist
OF the little devices they use 20 take
in the ordinary stranger, OF their over
bearing politeness in all business iran
sactions, aud their almost chlldiiKe IN.
nocence, apparently, in all matters OF
barter and trade, / will not speak.
[ will simply speak of two classes that
tbe foreigner first meets with on strik-
inc Yokohama or any other japanese
port. These are the boatmen ana the
men who pull the ''jinricksbaws.
On landing at Yokohama the steamer
anchors about mile from shore, and
most of the travelling TO and from the
ship is done in boats that are worked
something like gondolas. These crowd
around the steamer in swarms, the boat
men Offering in very fair English to take
Won to shore and back for cents. l am
now speaking of passengers who only
stop at Yokohama en- route for some
other port. / engaged one of these boat
men, who seemed TO understand Engllsh
very we'll, shortly after my arrival at
Yokohama some few months ago, agree
ing to pay him cents for the round
trip. On my return / handed him
Mexican dollar and demanded the
change, but he had forgotten his Eng
Ill, laayspo, fha chin
"No savvy," said he. :,
"Here," said /, 81 gave you 81, and
you owe me "a cents change 1t was no
use; no amount of argument could con-
vince the Jap, or make him understand
what l wanted, and singularly enough,
no other Jap could act as interpreter.
This. learned, was an old trick OF
theirs.
Another trick was to lose an oar over
board and charge 81 to jump over after
it. My experience in this, rs in other
matters, was similar to that OF every other
stranger on the ship. Have the right
change, l learned, or you'll suffer for it.
| hired "rickshaw" on landing, and
the Jap agreed to "tote" me about for
90 minutes an hour. After had ridden
for about five minutes another Jap
wanted to help the first one by pushing
the concern. / didn't want him, and
said so, but as couldn't by any means,
including profanity, make him under
stand this fact l had TO give in, and
what is more, had four of them attach
ell to the cart before l had finished my
ride.
remained two weeks at Yokohama be-
fore caught on, !" for after that, when
another man came up with 'pushee,
pushee" proposition / signified assent
and then quietly got out and walked till
the men had settled the matter between
them. As soon as my "rickshaw" man
saw that ''lSnew the ropes l was not
further molested. got my right change
after that also, as | got it in advance or
them the correct amount in the first
place. A boatman played the "oar over
board" act with me the second time, but
he didn't get his 81, as l simply showed
him revolver, as had been told to do
by one of the initiated. He got the oar
very quick when he saw the weapon.
The boatmen, as IA rule, are powerful
fellows, SO that any physical argument
might be very Improbable. They are
afraid of firearms, however, and will all
ways give in at the sight of pistol
AeO York Herald.