Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1889-02-02

OF course, il was useless to attempt to stop
him after that 90 / went quarter of mile
further, sent the baggage ponies on, and sat
down q little way from the road For an hour
he banged away, while 1 got few stragglers,
and by and by he reappeared. followed by
Corean boy staggering along under a load Of
feathers. looked reproaches at him, but who
could utter them? As it happened the delay
gave rs a remarkable experience.
KEEPING OFF TIGERS.
The red shades Of evening were now appear
ing and for the next two hours we logged
along at our best speed. When it was quite
dark we reached little Corean inn, where our
ugrooms had already aroused everybody. Out
OF house OF apparently two rooms twenty
white-robed travellers turned out and squatted
In row, like tired ghosts, to stare at us. Our
men were all for stopping-the road ahead was
very steep, the woods through which il passed
were infested with tigers, the ponies were tired
the monastery would be closed for the night
&C., &c. But we looked at those two rooms and
those twenty travellers and hardened our
hearts Then the soldiers seeing that we were
determined rose to the occasion. One of them
shouted to the inn-keeper to turn ont and
bring torches to light u.s. and his manner, re-
marked with interest, was peremptory. The
inn-keeper demurred in high tone Of voice
when, without another word, this excellent
klstou took one step toward him, and whack!
with tremendous slap in the face sent
denness of the blow took me fairly aback,
but nobody seemed in the least surprised or
annoyed, and the inn-keeper appeared min
ute later with blazing pine-knot and led the
way. We left the road at right angles, and
hfty yards from the inn we plunged into the
woods and began steep ascent along narrow
stone path. Then curious thing happened.
As soon as our last pony was out of sight a ST.
multaneous and blood-curdling howl arose from
the twenty travellers behind us, and was pro-
longed with series of yahl yah! YAH till the
hills echoed again, and when il ceased our six
men similarly exploded, each one putting his
back into the YELL till it rivaled the notes of a
Chicago mocking-bird. The travellers howled
again and our men answered, and so on till we
could no longer hear the former. "What on
earth is the natter" We asked Cha Sam. ITO
keep the tigers awayr' he replied. The cap
tain put two cartridges of duck-shot into his
gun and l strapped my revolver outside my
thick riding-coat, but il the noise was half as
dIsagreeable to proving tiger as it was to
US, no wonder he avoided our company, for
anything SO ingeniously ear-splitting as the
sounds our men kept up at intervals of three or
four minutes for an hour and a half never
heard
UP MOUNTAIN SIDE.
Meanwhile the road assembled rapidly and
the stony path grew narrower till at last we
were climbing mountain side. At one mo-
ment we were in thick woods, at another a
precipice of considerable depth yawned a yard
or two to our left, then we we're struggling up
a stone-heap on to a plateau where half a
dozen miserable houses formed village. No
European horse could have made a hundred
yards of the road, yet our ponies stepped dog
gedly over everything, never stumbling, and
catching themselves again instantly if they
fell. We soon learned that the less attempt
we made to guide them the safer we were. Be
fore leaving Gensan Mr. Creagh had said: .sIf
don't tha
find them very useful in other respects" And
L soon learned how. The theory of Corean
government is that the people exist for the
officials. And as had this escort was travel
ing as an official, and therefore entitled to de-
mand any services from the people to speed
me on my way. The night was pitch dark
and without torches we could not have gone a
yard.
FIRE CONSUMPTION.
Therefore the soldiers levied lights from the
people. As soon as they spied howell ahead
they shouted couple of words, the man carry
ing the torch helping Justify. I found later
the words were simply Po,d k'ird, Bring out
fre! and no matter how late the hour how
bad the weather, how far to the next house
an old woman or child, the torch of pine wood
Or dried millet stalks bound together must be
produced Instantly, the guide must hold it
flaming in his hand when we reach his door,
and woe betlde the unlucky being that keeps
Corean officialdom waiting, if il be only for
half a minute. Sometimes the stage to the
next house was two or three miles, sometimes
1t was only couple of hundred yards but
there are no exemptions to this fire conscrip-'
ton The general effect as | saw it from the
rear was extremely picturesque and striking
the line OF ponies with their sideways sway
ing loads, the ghostly figures of the men on
foot, the cries to each other and the animals
the recurring shout for fire, the yell to keep
of the tigers the dense wood. the precipice,
the flaming and flashing torch waved ahead or
beaten on the ground. dividing everything in
to blood-red lights and jet-black shadows, and
finally the thought that it really was just pos
slble the cleaning eyes of one of the great
striped cats might be choosing their victim at
a few feet from you. 1t was a new experience
SUPPER AT THE MONASTERY.
Our goal announced itself long beforehand
by gate after gate. and the instructive feeling
that We had got to the.top, whatever it was.
Then the edge of the ravine became paved
with stone slabs and a hundred yards along
it brought US to pair of great wooden doors
They were opened after a little parley, and
We found ourselves in a small courtyard, and
surrounded by a score of young priests, ap-
pareDtly delighted TO see US. We hastily I'M
packed our rugs, a braZier was brought, we
boiled the kettle, plucked and cooked one of
the birds We had shot, and then, while the
monks sat around us in a laughing ehattering
circle, We supped magnifcently off broiled
duck, bareback, and marmalade, washed down
by many basins of tea. Nobody but a traveller
knows the real value of tea.) At midnight we
were shown to a clean paper-windowed room
about six feet square, and turned in on the
floor. And when the morning came 1t showed
US how strange and romantic place we had
reached-one Of the most striking and pictur-
esque Of the unknown corners of the world
But must defer an account of il till my next
letter. For have not even seen it properly
yet, and my diary is blank ahead
HENRY NORMAN
Royal and Princely Dinners.
From the Paris Galois.
Tn orr dav roval bo,saboIds I-oox> . ....