Across the Roof of the World. 



being provided with chop sticks, hut out of consideration for my 

 barbaric up-bringing the Amban had furnished me with knife 

 and fork. The acme of pohteness at a Chinese feast is for the 

 host and others to single out any choice morsels on their own plates, 

 or from the table, and deposit it on the plate of the chief guest. 

 As I had the doubtful honour of fulfilling that idle, everyone 

 proceeded to bombard me with questionable tit-bits in a manner 

 highly gratifying to them but not conducive to the well-being 

 of my stomach. 



Whatever the various ingredients may be there is no doubt 

 the actual cooking is excellent, the preparation of the dishes 

 calling for considerable skill on the part of the chef. The wine 

 list was limited, consisting of Chinese brandy served hot — evil 

 stuff — the very smell of which is sufficient to make one seasick. 

 B}^ 5 o'clock the guests were in hilarious mood, an orgy beside 

 which the rowdiest night at Mess would pale into insignificance. 



Some strange tricks were pla3^ed at this Chinese banquet, 

 one of them being to hand round a lighted match stuck in the end 

 of a match box, and the unfortunate guest in whose hand 

 it goes out has to quaff more brandy, the result in some 

 cases being highly exciting. Then one of the guests will extend 

 three or four fingers to another, and yell something in Chinese, 

 he responding by thrusting his hand across the table with a 

 similar yell that sounds like the crack of doom, the loser in this 

 fast and furious game then lowering more brandy. The old 

 Colonel, who sat on my right, excelled at this pastime, and I 

 imagine his experience in this connection obviated easy defeat. 



At 6 o'clock the Amban announced that, as so far we had not 

 enjoyed anything substantial, he proposed giving us a spread, 

 upon which bowls of meat and rice were brought in, the Chinese 

 guests, whose capacity seemed unlimited, doing ample justice to 

 them. At the close of this Gargantuan repast all present took 

 their departure, one of the customs at a Chinese dinner being for 

 the guests to leave immediately after the function. Having 

 bade adieu to everyone I also retired, and mounting my charger, 



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