56 DIFFICULTIES WITH NATIVES 
found the inhabitants very badly disposed towards 
foreigners. 
Here I was stoned and insulted, 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 
