The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1904-02-14

started without a guide, leaving ser
wants TO follow with the baggage or
pack mules. The way was icy and oui
horses We're smooth shod, so little prog
reSS was made. Five miles, ten miles
and then twelve miles were traversed
but there was no sign of the General OF
the advance guard. Finally we reached
a Chinese village, where our presence
! caused such fright that we rightly
guessed that no troops had passed that
way. A mountain range was near by
a lift Of perhaps a thousand feet. We
I rode UP to get look, following foot
paths to the summit. There was moth
ing beyond but white. rolling, treeless
country, a checSerboard of ditched and
:terraced farms, few stone villages and
here and there in the distance hurrying
groups of natives-over all the solemn
stiffness of winter sunset. We were
far astray.
Going back was slow and cold work
Neither we nor our horses had anything
to eat. Near 10 O'Clock our servants
hailed us. They knew we had gone
wrong and We're huddled under hill
waiting for something to turn up. Tired
and chilled as we all We're, a~further
search that night for headquarters was
out of the question and we could not
camp in the snow. Nothing was left
but the resource of billeting the party
on the nearest village whether the peo-
pie were hOspitable or otherwise
A mile away was a line of stone cot
tages with a Buddhist temple at one
end, and that way we turned. Enter
ing the place by it's one narrow and
crooked street-in that part of China
every house 1rojaPtS Iit+Ia hox1on1 bo
next one, presenting angles to scare
devils away and giving every street a
rough curve ending at point--we clat-
tered along amid the bowling of dogs
and the slamming of doors. AS we
neared the temple, where we wanted to
stay, three priests ran out. Entering.
we found small buildings on each side
of the gate, a spacious high-w walled
courtyard beyond, and at the further
end of the enclosure a long, gabled
building. tiled, surmounted by iron
dragons, hung with wind bells and hav-
ing the characteristic Buddhist portal.
Within was a single room, dominated
by great central altar with trinity
of gigantic wooden gods, slant-eyed
and blue-faced before whom joss sticks
were still burning and New Year dishes
Of aromatic food We're set. From the
black, ancient rafters hung rusty iron
lanterns and on the walls were silk
and paper banners. The solid furniture
Of the temple, very like mahogany,
was highly Iolished-square, wide ia
bles, arm chairs and low benches. At
)ne end of the room was the usual brick
bed with charcoal embers smouIdering
N it's furnace opening. On a shelf was
/ tall porcelain jar, cylindrical in shape,
with blue hieroglyphics and
almost transparent. For some days
thereafter until one of our coolies got
tired of carrying it and threw the bur-
len into ravine this beautiful work
# art was used to soak beans and millet
n for kind of stew we made when
he food could be found.
We levied that night on a nearby
1aystack for horse fodder and our own
bedding, but we could find no wood for
fire. But a fire we must have. our
lands and feet were numb; our bodies
,hilled to the bone. Besides, a basket
If frozen yams and a piece of goats
iesh had been found and there was a
nance for warm meal No help for
THE temple fittings had to go. Chair
Lfter chair and table after table was
and just as 1 was about to turn
n I saw our japanese coolies, Buddhists
hough they We're, pile the wooden gods
lpon the flames. Nothing suited a
Buddhist from Japan better than a
hance to burn the idols and wreck the