Putnam patriot., 1912-11-08

chairmen. The East moves SLOWLY.
Although promised ten cents extra
apiece 10 get there early we had to sit
and realize il was getting hotter and
more hot with a nine. mile chair-ride
down TO the more heated plain. After
they arrived the customary controversy
took place as To whether we would
pay two cents extra because some of us
were heaVy. The ride over the noun
talns was beautiful beyond description.
we stopped at spring beside the way
and climbed the steepest paths on foot.
AT noon we reached the river bank
where two households, hired the week
before, were waiting for us. There sat
the some forty carrymen waiting for
their pay. Next time | shall know
what crowd like that means. We
were in hurry TO get off and had la.
ken all precautions to save the usual
'Jlang or bargaining. The regular
price carry is As cents Mexican or
20 cents gold, and a chairman gets 81
cents Mexican. There are special reg
ulations for special cases as to time,the
kind of chair, excess baggage, etc.
Evidently ii is not good custom for
Chinese to be satisfied with what be
gets or he thinks the foreigner may
give him more for there is always a
.jiang. . One-old fellow with queue.
not common article now unless one
Is all out of date, who was arguing for
more leash produced an old paper
with the rules written in English rs a
former missionary had made them out.
course he could not read them and
imagine his chagrin when we read
aloud from it that III reality he was en-
Titled to 10 cents less than we were Civ
ing him. After one full hour we were
glad to have the boats push of and
leave the noisy crowd, all trying TO
talk at once.
The twelve hour ride down the river
was most comfortable. Our beds we
had slept on all summer were easily
set up and after tiffin, or lunch, we
mad siesta. Perhaps you would not
call piece of canvas stretched and
tied over four poles, minus mattress
and springs, bed; but il does very
well here when one gets acclimated to
1t. This country-bed is so easy to
carry and make up and is cooler than
feather beds we were brought up on at
home. Meals on river boat are sery.
ed picnic fashion and with picnic APP
petite. Eight of US found one small
boat a comfortable lodging place for
the night in spite of a rain coming up.
which | could feel scattering against
my mosq uito-net under the edges of
the bamboo boat cover. We remarked
on how preferable this mode of travel
was to the Pullman cars in the States.
for there was air, GOODNESS and quiet.
AT 8 a. m. we were busy repacking
for the transfer to the river steamer
that took US the last stage of 40 miles.
Then another '.jiangn for the boatmen
insisted other people paid them 81 for
the trip down while we knew better as
we'll as they. The IS promised, and
given to them, was pocketed and they
proclaimed in loud voice that we had
not paid them. They were informed
In plain Chinese to start with that we
were "ten parts perfectly certain
We would not give one cash Ia tenth of
cent more than the So. But they
had the satisfaction that they had tried
to get more.
With favorable wind and tide we
reached Swatow at 10 q. m. to have all
baggage transferred TO two harbor
sampans and such 'lau-jiet'' as the
numerous burdens were moved again.
we watching ell the time that none
were appropriated At the jetty we