Omaha daily bee., 1902-10-12
JAPAN'S SMILING RIKSHAMEN
Guide, Philosopher and Friend to Visitors
in New Ya~nkssdsm.
NGE NOUS LIAR UNDER POLICE PRESSURE
Can Run In a Day a. Far RH n Coed
Horseman Can Ride-A VorRciOus
Eater and Very short
Lived.
Downright. 1902. by Douglas sladen.l

Copyright. 1909. by Douglas Sladen)
The Japanese cabman is his own cab
horse. In this he differs from the Amert-
can rikshaman, nor could the latter be
called smiling.
The rikshaboy has a smile that outchris-
tians Christianity. Like the sun, he smiles
on the Just and the unjust, including those
who put justice before generosity.
/ have read in a Japanese book that
there are jinriksha men who have fallen
so low In their calling that they seem to
have lost all feeling of loyalty to their en-
ployer and only care selfshly for the pit
lance they gain. Such men are often found
in the treaty ports, eagerly seeking for
the rich foreigner from whom they can get
an extra fee" The writer is Mortified. But
as the rikshaboy is only entitled to 10 sen,
1. e., fifteen cents per hour II he is moving
and only 5 cents II he is waiting and may
have to do anything up to thirty miles in
any kind Of weather. there is some excuse
for his selfshness; even that pittance may
be reduced to a lump sum of so sen per
half day and 10 sen per day.
The rikshaboys are the sons OF peasants,
who come into the cities to better them
selves and see life. They are, therefore, &C
cused of all the drinking and gambling and
hAooABahAOh AhAN NopAA hNoAS oAAN" tANI ~
course. cannot have any manners.
The RishabOy's Ingenuity.
This is not the rikshaboy foreigners
know. He is more than your guide, phi
losopher and friend, If there is no police
man by. II any boy hustles or insults you
he charges into him with his riksha or
drops the shafts and goes for him, and no
Jap but a policeman or a wrestler is a
...AaH g. a.. -tb,Aaka, - z.,,.A ~ -
training and have strength and endurance.
1 don't know whether the Mikado made
much use Of these unmounted cavalry in
the Chinese war, but they can run as far
in a day as Beers ride and would be ready
to do it again the next morning.
If you want to enjoy Japan win the APP
probation Of some rikshaboy. He is not
e~xacting in the choice of his employer and
he takes you in and does for you as you
have never been done for before. He is
your horse. your valet, your interpreter
and will turn cook or waiter. II you tear
your clothes he will drop the shafts. You
have to get of before he can get his ward
robe, the place where he puts his needle
and tea strings, his lacquer box Of boiled
rice and his lantern during the daytime
and his clothing down to his drawers, If he
is hot and beyond the eagle eye of the city
policeman.
1 had such a rikshaboy at Kyoto. He
could even read. We took him for our ex-
petition to Nara, where they kept the
treasure collected by the Mikados in a
thousand years, and have a goggle-eyed
Buddha seventy feet high and old parks full
of great stone lanterns which cannot be
lighted and deer that walk up to be fed
and wild scarlet azaleas by the acre as
thick as heather in the north. Rikshaboys
draw the line at luggage. You have to
squeeze your belongings into a telescope
basket. 1 pleaded for my bag, but O-San
was inexorable.
We race off in great style; each riksha
with a human tandem. The front horse is
taken off to push behind, when you go
uphill. The God OF Rice's temple, with
its stone foxes, the Phoenix temple at
Biodoin, with it's wooden walls five cen
turtles older than the discovery Of Amer
lea; the Gardens Of Vii, where they grow
the tea which fetches a guinea a pound,
few behind us, and we congratulated our
selves on the prospect OF a long and happy
afternoon at Nara. But 1t was the rainy
season, and the deluge began. The riksha
hoods were drawn over our backs, and
their aprons up to our noses. The human
horses steamed like meat taken out Of the
oven. The hotel-a native one-had only
one room between three men and one
woman, who was not their sister, and a
Japanese policeman made his appearance
to demand our passport. We were the
only food for his notebook the day had
brought. Our passports were in that re-
jected bag. He said we must go to the
police station-not for lodgings, but to see
the head. Japanese always talk about "the
head" When we got there the rikshaboy
went In with us. His enemies, the police,
ordered him out.
"Can you speak EnglishT" he asked,
haughtily.
Silence means dissent In Japan.
"Then I must interpret for you"
He didn't really know much English ex-
cept the numerals, but he and l patched
up a pigeon language Of shreds Of English
and Japanese. The head was appalled, by
his learning, but ordered US back to Kyoto
might not we stay a single day."
asked.
The Lies He Told.
We could stay as long as we liked-ai
the police station.
The rikshaboy had the last word. HI
requested permission to bring in the notc'
board. On It was a respondent new no
tice stamped with the government crysan'
themum.
Would the head observe hat everyone
high OF low, was cautioned against doini
anything to annoy the English prince Ant
his party? l., he said, was one OF tn
princes party; he had himself driven M
at a picnic with the prince yesterday.
: must be a very great parsonage, because
1 had sat next to the princes wife at tifin
Was the honorable head able to calculate
the consequences OF what he was doing?
The honorable head was very badly dis
turbed. He asked ne with profound salaam
II what the miserable rikshaboy had sal
was true. ! said IL was true. l alloWe'
the question to refer to the picnic. Tn
! duke of Connaught was staying in GU
: hotel. and very good-naturedly invited m
TO accompany his party down the rapids
and the duchess had placed me, as tn
: only stranger, next to her at tifhn. ]
was marvellous. the change in that head
Il was too late to send us back to Kyot
: that night: II would do II We went bac
. the next day, and the head" gave tn
: genius OF the riksha to understand that tn
police would not notice what time we wen
back, which allowed US to stay as long a
u We ever meant to.
LIGHTNING Change Artist,