482 A NATURALIST ON THE "CHALLENGER 



M 



power being only auxiliary, and coal being short, we had to lie 

 still and wait, or creep along occasionally only at the rate of a 

 mile an hour. 



When the ship was about 400 miles distant from the 

 Japanese coast, a flock of about 20 Swallows (Eirundo rustica) 

 came to rest on the rigging. They were very tired, and allowed 

 themselves to be caught with the hand. Yokohama was at 

 length reached on April 11th. 



At Japan I had the good fortune to become acquainted with 

 Mr. F. V. Dickins, a barrister, practising at Yokohama, who is 

 an accomplished Japanese scholar, and at the same time deeply 

 versed and interested in all branches of science. I am mainly 

 indebted to him for what little knowledge I gained of the 

 country. I travelled with him overland from Kioto to Yokohama. 

 I have never met with any persons, whether naval officers or 

 members of other professions, or ordinary travellers who have 

 been to Japan, who did not wish to go there again, so charming 

 are the people, and so full of interest to everyone is the country 

 and its belongings. 



No traveller can fail to be impressed by the great powers 

 of endurance shown by the Japanese coolies. Two coolies will 

 drag a man in a jinriksha a distance of 30 miles in six hours, 

 along a road anything but good. The same two men dragged 

 me at a fair pace 30 miles on each of two successive days. 



When great speed is required, three coolies are taken, and as 

 they run they encourage one another all the way with shouts, 

 " quickly," "quickly," "now pull up," and so on, and when 

 several jinrikshas are travelling together, the shouting reminds 

 one of a pack of hounds in cry. The coolies only get from four 

 to six shillings a piece for such a day's hard work. 



I travelled more than 200 miles in this way with Mr. 

 Dickins along the great military road between the two capitals, 

 called the Tokaido (East sea road). The start was from Kobe. 

 Here I was delighted to see a Sacred White Horse kept in a stall at 

 one of the temples. The Japanese came up one after another 

 and uttered a short prayer before the horse, clapping their hands 

 reverently together in the attitude of prayer. Close by an old 

 man sold small measurefuls of boiled maize to be given as 



