The morning call., 1895-02-03

the size of a two-bushel bag, and he con-
sidered himself much above these Govern
ment clerks.
despair of being able to describe my
experiences with these Government clerks
and the magistrates in the trip which L
took right across Korea from the capital to
the east coast. The letter of introduction
which l had from the King was in a great
blue envelope and it described me as a
mighty American, who was travelling for
pleasure. | would not wish to say that
General PAX was most accomplished liar,
but fear that he stretched matters in
presenting me to the magistrates. do
not know what he told them. He may
have said that l was the son of the King of
America or the nephew OF the President of
the United States, but at any rate the Off
Gals almost got down on their knees to
me, and my treatment was that of prince.
General PAX told them how l had visited
the King at the capital, and had had the
honor of going through the Kings gate of
the palace, and I could see that he enforced
their respect when they did not voluntarily
tender it.
The magistrates establishments are
usually at one end of the village, and we
rode with our retinue right into the Gov
eminent courtyards and turned out the
Government clerks from the best apart
ments. Each establishment consisted of
half dozen or more one-story buildings
with heavy tiled roofs. There was the big
house IN which the magistrate lived, and
near this, surrounded by a wall. another
set of houses where he kept his wives and
his concubines. There were also other
houses for the Government clerks, and a
lot of dwellings, which looked more like
pigpens or cowsheds than the homes of
human beings, which were filled with
slaves and servants. There were scores of
pot-bellied, half-naked children squalling
about. There were babies by scores tied
on the backs of their sisters or servants,
and Government clerks were everywhere.
Each magistrate has a number of large
rooms which are devoted to these clerks.
In these they do their writing, using paint
brushes and India ink, and the rafters of
the roof were all covered with lists of
names and accounts. General PAX always
rode to the best of these establishments
and cleared out the clerks. He put on all
sorts of airs and strutted about as he
the time pointing to me. The clerks made
up beds of rice bags for me to sleep on,
and the servants cleaned up the rooms for
us. Under each floor there werehues, and
these were filed with straw and lighted,
so that the houses soon became com
fortably warm.
1t was queer to see PAX swell about with
these officers. He had bought a new suit
of clothes for the occasion and he always
put on these before he went to call on the
magistrates. He would first send my
Chinese visiting card and the letter from
the King and then would go on with his
toilet There were usually about twenty
clerks looking on and forty almond eyes
were watching his every motion with in
terest. Still he got out of one suit into an
other without loss of dignity. First he
would take off his gown and then his
jacket, leaving himself bare to the waist.
He had fine silk vest which took the
place of the jacket, and his gown of the
most delicate sky blue went on above this.
The next was the changer his pantaloons.
These were so large that they would have
made suit of underclothes for Barnum's
fat woman and PAX tied them so they
hung down in zouave style at the ankles.
Next he had wadded stockings and kid
shoes of light color. Now putting on his
hat he would take pipe as long as him
self and squat on the floor and smoke as
he talked to the clerks. He moved back
ward and forward as he talked, never tax
ing the pipe out Of his mouth, but letting
the bowl rest on the floor and propping the
stem against his lower front teeth. He
was,a regular Korean dude for the time
and [ could see that the scribes were
greatly impressed. The chief trouble was
with cooking. He thought it was beneath
him to do any labor if there were any