Highland recorder. (Monterey, Highland County, Va.) 1877-1972, 1908-02-21
A Weekly Letter From the Orient
FURNISHED BY THE RECORDER sSPzC-
IAL CORRESPONDENT, WE0 Is
MAKING A TCUR OF THE EAST
ERIN COUNTRIES.
Especial to Recorder J

Especial to Recorder
Chemulpo, Korea, September
20:- Korea is undoubtedly the
queerest country it has been nv
fortune to visit. For ages it has
been known rs the "lIermit King
DOM" but the name hardly gives
an idea of what is here. 1t is be-.
ing dragged out of its seelnsion
now, but il one 90 into the inter-
ior he will find that there is no
change in the habits since so far
back in the past that memory OF
man runneth not contrary. Chem
ulpo, the seaport of Seoul, has
many modern improvements, tele-
phones, street cars, and dozens OF
other conveniences, which we OF
civilization think are necessities,
yet il one 90 a few miles away he
will be in dtnsest wildness, not
only Of nature, but~of man. At
the invitation of some friends |
took a trip Of about fifty miles up
the river toward the mountains.
We Travelled quietly along for a
few hours then we came to a Wiz
lage where the people were dressed
in Almost fantastic garb,, and it
was with greatest difficulty that
our guard induced the people to
permit MS to land. They did not
like the looks of white men and
said they were afraid we would
bring disease among them.
After leaving this village we APP
preached the defiles Of the noun.
tains. and here we found that the
people alwass travelled i'll eompa-
MES and went heavily armed.
asked the reason for this and was
told that tigers were numerous and
very dangerous. The Korean ii,
ger is different from all other IT,
gers. He is much larger and
stronger as we'll rs more blood
thirsty. In other countries the IL
ger is jungle beast lurking IN
dense underground along rivers,
and Swinging from ambush upon
its victims. The Korean is largest
of all, beins nearly twice as large
as any but the royal Bengal tiger
and instead Of skulking he stalks
boldly forth and attacks man and
beast. He inhabits the high lands,
living principally in the cold
snow covered slope>of the noun
tains. He is not afraid OF man,
and as he has had little or no ex'
perience with fire arms. is not
afraid to attack anything he meets
NV reason for going into such
minute detail regarding the Korean
tiger is because we had an exper
fence with one during the night as
we were passing along the river
| was sleeping soundly when | was
awakened by a eudden scramblInR
of men overhead, and then the
boat bumped against the bank and
almost threw me out of my bunk
Immediately there was heavy
thump on deck as it some large
BODY had fallen. Iarose and start
I'd for the deck when was stopped
nv a terror stricken boatman who
,eIltd something unintelligible al
| me in Korean, II was only when
my friend with whom was travel
ine came out that | learned that {
tiger had taken possession OF tn
boat. He had jumped from shor'
to boat, fortunately not strlk'n'
any Of the men, and would remain
there until he was satisfied b
could get nothing. After Ions
time one of the boatnen- venture'
to peep out and said the tiger ha'
gone away. The men ,cautiousl.
crept out and got the boat unde
way again, and the rest OF tn
night was devoid of further Incl
dent.
The interior Of Korea is vast
barren. sterial waste. 1t i, sparse
" inhabited, and the natives rails
scarcely enough grain to keep then
alive. Along the water courses
is more populous but there is con
slant Savage warfare between tn
clans or tribes, and there is ais
constant fear of attack from vii
beasts. In addition to tigers Their