The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1904-04-10
Jack London Says They Are at
Their Best as Pack
Horses.
GREAT ENTHUSIASM STlRs
MANY RUSSIAN HEARTS,
General Kuropatkin's Visit t
New Chwang Inspires Conf
dcnce asaNothing Else Could.
q New General in Command
There japanese Fleet
Leaves Port Arthur.

(sDecial Cablegram to The rlmes-DJiis
; Il match, BY Jack London, Copyrighted)
PING YANG, April 9.-If age and his
tory arc TO be taken Into account. y IS
royal road that leads out Of scoui
through the gap OF Pekln Pass Norlh,
8,t9,eads half the length Of tho peninsula
10 the Yalu, and then. sweeping westWt afa,
rounds the head Of the Yellow sea, ana
finally arrives at Pekin Up the len u
OF this road and down have passed count
less Chinese imperial envna's in splenlnt q Or
OF tinSel and barbaric trappings.
53 indeed a royal road. and yet, 70 the
" estern eye and Judgment "a bog hole
ana n travesty# OF what he has understood 9,
la ..road., 10 mean. The least ram, Ahu
1t 4Is river OF mud Horse ana roe! lo1,
must beware on It's crazy bridges any ny
large opportunity Is given steed -
break a leg anywhere along us ichs IA ~
II Is dirt road. TO begin with, ara
the Korean method Of repairing It IS 10
shove, In more dirt, ! use In ADVISED
~. for too many a weary mile OF " IS
worn far down beneath the level OF th the
rice fields on either side.
e vet up this qua gn,iro the Japanese are
showing their5troops and supplies With
pat,ence and speed which Is, 70 say the
least. comrnendanle-, he any j,
IA SIS ed was making eighty y a. "a ~ -
roughly, twenty-five miles. When the Ice
dies out Of the bay. at ch 'i .ns
troops may be landed there and when
the Tai Tong River clears Itself OF ice
they can be towed up by steam launches
5 to Ping Yang. q Z, z, 1si $8- e I. u
felt like an army myself as rode
\ out OF Seoul and took atte Pekin road.
NV outfit, loaded on three Korean ponies
E(he latter scarcely larger than New
foundland dogs) was cared for BY two
Mapus, or grooms. On the llghtest loaded
pony rode my Korean cook, interpreter.
treasurer. manager and what not. On q
Chinese pony rode my japanese ,hterpte-
ter. Mr. Yamada while l rode the horse
which the Russian minister had been
wont to ride before his hasty departure
from Seoul.
All told we numbered seventeen horses
Ia puzzling parcel to deposit In chance
livery stables along the way. And sta
bles were n necessity: First because OF
impossibilty Of carrying horse food or
OF grazing horses ut night IN the snow
and second, because Korean ponies are
only fed on cooked beans and soup pip
Ing hot. No explanation IS given except >,
that Is the way they have been fed all
their lives. Nor. for that matter, are
they given water to drink. The soup at
mealtime suffices them.
The road was crowded with cavalry IN
fantry and stores. Pack trains and huge
bullock carts plodded along, and long
lines of coolies clad in white, sweeping
garments. and burdened wtthGrlce. tolled
through the sush and mud. On the LETT
cheek OF each eool.e a scarlet or purple
smear Of paint advertised bis employ with
/ the Japanese army transport.
The Korean is stalwart and muscular.
but Is certainly the most Ineffective OF
human lures lacking all initiative
and ambition, and the only thing in which
ho shines is the carrying Of burdens on
s. is hack. AS n draught animal and pack
horse he Is a success. And yet am con-
fIdent-yea, willing to lay odds-that my
own breed can heat him at his own game {;
can outwalk him. outpack him and out-
work him at coolie labor.
Stunning the Light.
(By Associated Press)
PARIS, April o.. 5:35 P. Ma dispatch
to the Temps from st. Petersburg Gays