56 DIFFICULTIES WITH NATIVES 



found the inhabitants very badly disposed towards 

 foreigners. 



Here I was stoned and insuUed, but getting away as 

 •quickly as possible, proceeded with the coolie in further 

 search of the lakes. He proved to be an utter impostor, 

 for I never saw a lake the whole day, and after another 

 walk of some distance found myself in a small village, 

 where I was told by the peasants that by means of a 

 stream near I could get down to the river in a sampan 

 to within a short distance of the place where the house- 

 boat lay. I have no hesitation in saying that I was 

 deliberately deceived by false information, for on pro- 

 ceeding in the direction indicated, no stream could be 

 found. I now found a fresh difficulty, for the coolie 

 threw down my things and refused to carry them any 

 further. 



A crowd quickly assembled, and I found myself in 

 a most disagreeable position, for they were anything but 

 friendly, and again stones and mud were thrown at me. 

 The man I had brought from the boat ultimately found 

 two men to do the work of the one who had struck, and 

 I engaged them at an exorbitant wage, for I was quite at 

 their mercy. Before they had gone far they put down 

 their loads and refused to proceed further unless paid 

 400 cash, and to this demand I felt obliged to yield. 

 A little further on they just put the loads down and left 



