MYANOOSHTA. 347 



of a golden sunset. We passed through several clean 

 villages, — picturesque they all are in Japan, — where we 

 had birds and large game offered ; at one place a wild 

 boar was just being cut up, and I was invited to choose 

 the part I liked best ; however, darkness was fast 

 approaching, and I had to decline and hasten on, 

 tempting as the offer was. Pheasants also seemed to be 

 plentiful here, I saw a very handsome specimen with a 

 tail fully three feet long. 



We only just managed to reach Myanooshta before 

 complete darkness would have made it difficult to keep 

 to our path, which frequently ran along steep mountain 

 slopes. We took up our quarters at a capacious Cung- 

 gua, or licensed inn, and the room I was shown into 

 was neatly matted, no other furniture being required 

 by Japanese travellers ; but my interpreter soon managed 

 to unearth a stool or two and a low table, and before I 

 had time to open my traps a pleasant-looking girl 

 entered, and handed me a cup of tea and some delicious 

 small cakes upon a fresh leaf in lieu of a platter. 

 Another damsel presented me with a full-blown 

 camellia, and proceeded to pull off my boots, which had 

 to give way to slippers on account of the fine rice straw 

 matting ; and, feeling tolerably fatigued, I desired that 

 my bed should be prepared. A large mattress was 



