196 A COLLECTING TRIP __ 
‘ 
forts which where bombarded by the ‘‘combined sea 
might of the powers of the world’’ during the Boxer 
fuss, but which might have been taken with a gatling 
gun just as well, to Tientsin. Here we remained a day 
and then took a train for Pekin. This was our first 
railroad ride in China and it was very interesting. The 
viceroy of Pechili was going to Pekin on business and 
he got a great send-off. There were madarins by the 
dozen dressed in all colors of the rainbow. Some of 
the big swells sported peacock feathers. Such music ( ?) 
you have never heard and such bowing and scraping 
you have never seen. The cars are now made in Chin- 
ese shops and are like our Pullman ears only with 
several compartments at each end. The Chinese pas- 
sengers are accommodated on flat cars and each pas- 
senger piles up his luggage, sticks up a flag with his 
name on it and camps out on top of the heap. They 
are required to pay more if they wish to ride in box 
cars. The railroad is very popular with all who use 
it but the eountry people have not grown to lke it 
yet. 
As we pulled out of Tsien T'sin we passed through 
acres of graveyards, mostly with coffins open and rot- 
ting as the rains wash them out. They always bury on 
a sloping bit of ground and rain and pigs do the rest. 
[t is not a very pretty sight and you are apt to loose 
your appetite for pork. 
Over a good roadbed they brought us to Pekin, a 
great sight I can assure you. The modern railroad 
runs you right up through the Chinese city wall to the 
Chien Men gate of the Tartar city. Here were hund- 
reds of camels, carts, mule litters, sedan chairs, rick- 
shaws, coolies carrying all sorts of things, horsemen of 
