22 CONCERNING CHINESE ROADS 



bits of pottery and glazed earthenware which were 

 dug up dining the construction of the railway and 

 were said to be anything from one to two thousand 

 years old. We saw camels, horses, human figures, 

 some of them with quite a Hebraic cast of feature, 

 and vases. One of the latter was really beautiful. 

 Later on we saw similar specimens elsewhere. 

 The luxurious mode of travel adopted by the 

 Chinese official — though to Europeans large carts 

 are far more comfortable — is the chair. In this, 

 borne by four men, he sits upright, staring straiglit 

 before him, with something strangely reminiscent 

 of a lethargic tortoise in his mien. Next comes 

 the mule litter, a kind of low couch slung on poles 

 and harnessed to a couple of mules. Then the 

 small cart, usually known as the Peking cart, and 

 one of the most bone-shaking contrivances ever 

 invented ; then the larger carts, drawn by four 

 mules, one in the shafts and three abreast, hooded 

 and capable of carrying loads of two thousand 

 catties (2,666 lbs.) ; and lastly a mule, horse or 

 pony. Female mules are used almost invariably 

 to draw carts, the males being engaged with pack 

 trains. We used the larger carts. Our beds were 

 unrolled in the middle, and, the sides being well- 

 padded, made comfortable seats. The drivers 

 managed their teams extraordinarily well by voice 

 and whip. They hardly ever touch tlieir animals 

 and, though the open sores on the latter appal a 

 foreigner, they are, on the whole, kindly treated 

 and well fed. It is, of course, a matter of stern 

 necessity to the muleteer that his animals should 

 be in good condition, for they constitute his source 

 of livelihood. 



