GGt THE VOYAGE OF THE VEGA. [ciiAr. 



The landscape here is e-xtraordinarily beautiful, perhaps un- 

 matched in the whole world. The road has been made here 

 with great difficulty between wild, black, rocky masses, al9ng 

 deep clefts, whose sides are often covered with the most luxuriant 

 vegetation. No fence protects the jinrildsha in its rapid progress 

 down the mountains from the bottomless abysses by the wayside. 

 A man must therefore not be weak in the nerves if he is to derive 

 pleasure from the journey. He must rely on the coolie's keen 

 eye and sure foot. On all sides one is surrounded by a confused 

 mass of lofty shattered mountain tops, and deep down in the 

 valleys mountain stream-S rush along, whose crystal-clear water 

 is collected here and there into small lakes confined between 

 heights covered with greenery. Now the traveller passes a 

 dizzy abyss by a bridge of the most defective construction, now 

 he sees a stream of water rushing down from an enormous 

 height by the wayside. Thousands of foot-passengers, crowds of 

 pilgrims, long rows of coolies, oxen and horses bearing heavy 

 burdens meet the traveller, who during frequent rests at the 

 foot of the steep slopes has an opportunity of studying the 

 variegated life of the people. He is always surrounded by 

 cheerful and friendly faces, and the pleasant impression is never 

 disturbed by the expressions of coarseness in sjDeech and 

 behaviour which so often meet us in Europe. 



It is not until the traveller has passed the mountain ridge 

 and descended to a height of only 300 metres above the sea 

 that the road becomes passable for a carriage. While we ex- 

 changed, not without regret, our clean, elegant jinrihishas for 

 two inferior vehicles drawn by horses, I saw two men wandering 

 from shop to shop, standing some moments at each place, ringing 

 a bell and passing on when they were not attended to. On my 

 inquiry as to what sort of people they were, I was informed 

 that they were wandering players. For me of course they did 

 not ring in vain. For a payment of fifty cents they were ready 

 immediately to show in the street itself a specimen of their art. 

 One of them put on a well-made mask, representing the head 

 of a monster, with a movable jaw and terrible teeth. To the 

 mask was fastened a cloak, in which the player wrapt himself 

 during the representation. He then with great skill and supple 

 tasteful gestures, which would have honoured a European 

 danseune, represented the monster now creeijing forward fawn- 

 mgly, now rushing along to devour its prey. A numerous crowd 

 of children collected around us. The small folks followed the 

 representation with great glee, and gave life to the play, or 

 rather formed its proper background, by the feigned terror with 

 which they fled when the monster approached with open mouth 

 and rolling eyes, and the eagerness with which they again 

 followed and mocked it when its back was turned. 



