& 
38 TRAVELS IN THE COUNTRY. [Cuar. III. 
short time I was surrounded with invalids’ of all 
classes and ages, begging assistance and advice. 
The number of persons who are diseased in a 
Chinese village is really astonishing. Many of 
_ them are nearly blind, and a much greater num- 
ber, in this part of the country at least, were 
affected with cutaneous diseases of the most loath- 
some description; originating probably in thei 
peculiar diet, and dirty habits. 
I was one day travelling amongst the hills in the 
interior of the island in places where I suppose no 
Englishman had ever been before. The day was 
fine, and the whole of the agricultural labourers 
were at work in the fields. When they first saw 
me, they seemed much excited, and from their ges- 
tures and language I was almost inclined to think 
them hostile. From every hill and valley they 
cried ‘“ Wyloe-Fokei,” or ‘* Wyloe-san-pan-Fokei,” 
that is, “ Be off to your boat, friend;” but on 
former occasions I had always found that the 
best plan was to put a bold face on the matter 
and walk in amongst them, and then try to get 
them into good humour. In this instance the plan 
succeeded admirably: we were in a few minutes — 
excellent friends; the boys were running in all 
directions gathering plants for my specimen-box, 
and the old men were offering me their bamboo- 
pipes to smoke. As I got a little nearer to the 
village, however, their suspicions seemed to return, 
and they evidently would have been better pleased, 
had I either remained where I was, or gone back 
