A Suburban Road. i77 



the narrow crowded streets was overcome by my companions 

 urging me to hurry on, as we were due at Shih-ma Tsao, 

 my host's home, where breakfast was awaiting us, at nine 

 o'clock. The collar of bells, with which all Chinese riders 

 surround their ponies' necks, warns, the foot-passengers 

 to stand aside, while their merry jingle gives a sense of 

 speed and adds to the festive air of the cavalcade. We 

 passed out of the north gate, descending by a winding stair- 

 case, narrowed by the encroachments of the shops and 

 booths bordering on it, to a width of barely six feet. It 

 was covered with black grime as usual, all the water used in 

 the city being carried out by these gates. My wonderful 

 little nag scrambled down without accident, though not 

 without considerably alarming its rider. This descent of 

 about 150 steps led us on to a terrace, a sort of cornice-road, 

 shaded by many fine old banyan trees ; the rushing water 

 being below on our left, and steep, treeless, grave-covered 

 hills on our right. The old stone parapet had fallen down 

 in places, and I was not sorry when we turned off inland 

 into the hills, along the road that I had previously traversed 

 in a chair. The traffic on this road is very great, but it is 

 well regulated by the all-pervading custom, and difficulties 

 seldom or never occur. Thus, everything gives way to 

 chairs, pedestrians to horsemen, and the toiling carrying- 

 coolies to all : where the path is narrow these unfortunates 

 have to step down into the neighbouring paddy-field, and 

 strings of them had often to stand aside in this way while 

 our cavalcade went by. Each of our ponies had its own 

 mafu, or groom, in attendance, besides which we had two 

 porters with our luggage ; my pony was the property of our 

 host, but the others were hired animals, the price being 180 

 cash (9^.) per diem, including the mafu, who supplied his 

 charge with fodder cut from the wayside at our halts. This 



N 



