THE VALLEY OF THE SHADOW OF DEATH. 63 



to travelling in a dandy I can think of, is sitting in 

 a half -reefed topsail in a storm, with the head and 

 shoulders above the yard. It consists of a single 

 bamboo, about 9 or 10 feet long, with two pieces of 

 carpet slung from it one for the support of the 

 body, and the other for the feet. You rest on these 

 pieces of carpet, not in line with the bamboo, but at 

 right angles to it, with your head and shoulders 

 raised as high above it as possible ; and each end of 

 the pole rests on the shoulders of one or of two bearers. 

 The dandy is quite a pleasant conveyance when one 

 gets used to it, when the path is tolerably level and 

 the bearers are up to their work. The only draw- 

 backs then are that, when a rock comes bowling 

 across the road like a cannon-shot, you cannot dis- 

 engage yourself from the carpets in time to do 

 anything yourself towards getting out of the way; 

 and that, when the road is narrow, and, in conse- 

 quence, your feet are dangling over a precipice, it is 

 difficult for a candid mind to avoid concluding that 

 the bearers would be quite justified in throwing the 

 whole concern over, and so getting rid of then 1 un- 

 welcome and painful task. Eut when the path is 

 covered with pieces of rock, as usually happens to be 

 the case, and the coolies are not well up to their 

 work, which they almost never are, the man in the 

 dandy is not allowed much leisure for meditations of 

 any kind, or even for admiring the scenery around ; 

 for, unless he confines his attention pretty closely to 



