The National tribune. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1877-1917, 1888-10-18

them and their great trunks rose 60 feet in
the air before they gave sign Of branch. Tho
road was not over 30 feet wide. 1t had high,
steep cmbankments caFpeted with wild flowers
and ferns on either side, and on the top of these
embanknents for Is mics were these wonder
ful trees. At each side OF the road ran streams
OF limpid water, and our jinrikshas raised our
heads just above the level of the banks. The
trees shaded the whole ride, and at places some
OF them leaned across the road, and interlock-
ing their arm-like branches, kept out the sun
By their embrace
Here and there the road was broken by
village or q ten house. and we often had to stop
to let pack horses carrying heavy loads bal
anced on the two sides Of their backs 90 by.
These horses were either led or ridden by
women, who, in case they saw us coming on the
run, rolled themselves off by a turn almost
head first over the horses necks. They were
queer looking horse women, and their costume
would create a sensation at one Of the fashion,
able Washington paper chases. They were as
brown as welI-roasted coffee, and their almond
eyed faces were covered with great round hats
Of straw, which were tied on by framework Of
straw braid as thick as clothesline, which came
in front OF their ears and under their chins.
/ They wore blue japanese cotton gowns, open
at the neck, and under these they had tights
which ended at The ankle On their feet were
bound sandals soles of straw. leaving the
top OF the foot and the ankle naked and 1
noted that the shoes of their horses were Of the
same material. Some were carrying copper
from the great copper mine of Japan TO the
railroad, and their wages were probably be-
tween 20 cents and 80 cents day. Others had
horses loaded with charcoal, and some quite
blocked up the way with their great bundles OF
/ grass
| at the tea-houses, as the wayside hotels hero
| are called, we usually saw one or more of them
/ sitting, and they looked at us as wonderingly
4 4
mon in Japan as hotels are ia Switzerland,
! and ] like the sitting down on their clean
floors and having the pretty japanese girls
/ hand ne a cup of straw-cooTed hot water
They kBeel down as they do H. and if bow
to them they respond by knocking their heads
against the floor, and bow and bow and bow
/ again.
On tbs ride to Nikko my wife and l took
meal at one Of these tea-houses. 1t was quite
| large hotel, and its two stories were covered
! with a sharp ridge Of a roof, which overhung the
| walls by al least three feet. The floor did not
| begin until two feet inside Of this roof, and
| il was about Is inches from the ground It
| had a groove an inch wide running around its
outer edge, in which to slide the closed frame
walls at night. And two feet back of this began
( the house proper, which was covered with mat
ting, or rather with mats ofstraw. The japanese
floor covering is made upof padded mats, each
about yard vide and two yards long. The
material Of these mats is Of the finest floor
matting-betteT than that sent 10 America.
Each mat is at least an inch thick, and its
edges are bound with black. The size Of a
house or room is not estimated by feet but by
the mats it takes to cover it. When the mats
are laid they make clean pretty carpet OF
stFaw-col0red panels, bordered with black
stripes, and ones foot sinks into it as though
on a velvet carpet The paper walls of this
tea-house were fine lattice screens with thin
rice paper OF white pasted over them, and they
ran IN groove just outside the mats. They
had been pushed back into casing, and the
whole sides Of the house seemed 10 have van
ished As We sat down the polished ledge
Of the floor outside the mating, we could see
ourselves in the mirror-like boards Every
thing was as clean rs though John Bunyau's
precept, Cleanliness is next TO Godliness was
the religion OF the owner, aud we took Off our
shoes and asked for dinner
In stocking-feet mo one ever wears shoes in