The watchman and southron. [volume] (Sumter, S.C.) 1881-1930, 1910-10-05
"A Ride In Japan.
(By George Holt Allen.)

tin thing for safety" and we
bits in his mouth" to steer him.
he Psalmist didn't mean the Jap
Z aH.- horse-the rickshaw boy-when
wrote the phrases quoted up top
side.
Far be it from me to slander the
horse. He is a noble beast, but a
lot Of bother.
After you have fed him, and clean
ed him, and watered him, backed
him out of the stable put on the
breast plate. thrown on the back pad,
got the crupper under his tail Gin
safety-I'm speaking of gentle
horse), buckle up the belly band, TAX
en- off his halter, put on his bride
Copen up there, won't ye!"), run the
buggy out Of the barn, led the horse
out of 1t, backed him in between the
shafts. Carefully, best to say whoa"
and pull the buggy UP to him,-no
danger of cracking a shaft that way)
started thill on one side, ducked
around and started the other one,
pulled up the buggy or backed him
down, hooked on one trace, wound
the breeching strap (twice around
| and in the second hole), whipped
around and hooked on the other
trace, wound the breeching strap on
| that side and buckled it, (wasnt it
twice or three times around ?D-
ducked around to the other side to
see-it was two"-unbuckled it and
| take off cap and buckle it up
| again), buckled down the thills, snap
| ped the reins on to the bit, taken
down the lines Carefully not to cross
'em), cranked the buggy (whoa!
| stand still, won't you?"), got in.
gathered up the lines-after you've
done all that (you had washed and
! oiled the buggy and cleaned the har-
ness the night before). all you get out
or 1t Is ride. Except when the
horse takes fright at some trivial
| thing and runs away and breaks YOUR
neck, or escaping death, (you get
| around on crutches in a month) you
run the risk Of losing your immortal
soul ("the horse Is a vain thing for
safety") by passing him off onto some
other fellow as kind and gentle.
sound 80 far you know, and never did
mean trick in his life."
The Human Horse.
Now the Japanese horse-the rick
shaw boy-is different All the above
named details he does to himself and
his buggy. All you have to do is to
step in. No bits in his mouth to
steer him by-just a word at starting,
naming destination and he will turn
| hundred corners without a thought
or care on your part No bother
some lines to get under the tail. No
flies to make him kick. There are
no flies on the rickshaw boy. Fail
Ing to hitch him when you make a
| stop you don't have to go looking him
up when you want him again. In
| deed there are many instances on
! record Of this Japanese horse look
ing up his master, leading him into
his rickshaw and taking him home
and putting him to bed.
l find myself in a rickshaw, be-
! hind a rickshaw boy, bowling along a
! country road, just out of Shidzuoka.
| The farmers are working in their rice
| paddles, everything is fresh and
green and beautiful.
We come to a temple. My horse
looks back at me and asks, will
| stop?" nod Of assent is all that's
| needed, and my horse and I 20
through the temple, and he goes
| through the form Of worship, and
| shows me how the bell, hanging at
| the entrance Is rung to attract Bud
dha's attention to the worshiper. A
| five minutes stop and we are off
| again. The clouds obscure the tops
| Of the mountains OF the range lying
at our right. My horse travels at a
| rapid trot. We have a point to
| make, he has agreed to make it at
| a certain hour and we have lost a
little time at the temple.
The clouds obscuring the noun
tain top break in places and sud-
denly Fujiyami's peak bursts into
view-at that particular moment,
sunlight, clouds and snow-caped
| mountain all combining to make a
scene of wondrous grandeur and
beauty.
A Thriller!
My cooley, my horse, holds one