EXPLORING UNKNOWN CORNERS OF THE "HERMIT KINGDOM' 



33 



or those of the Japanese. Although they 

 had heard of the blue-eyed men (Rus- 

 sians) who had come to Musan, one had 

 never been seen at Nonsatong. They 

 were curious to know if I could see well, 

 and in order to test my sight would hold 

 objects at various distances or select a 

 tree or rock a few hundred yards away 

 and ask me to tell them what it was. 



As a matter of fact, their doubt as to 

 my ability to see perfectly is not so curi- 

 ous after all. I remember distinctly that 

 when as a boy I visited the "dime side- 

 show'' of a traveling circus and saw an 

 albino man, the first question I asked was 

 whether or not he could see as well as 

 others. My lighter complexion did not 

 cause comment, for many of the Korean 

 women and girls, especially those of the 

 higher classes, have skins almost as white 

 as a European. 



While the eye-tests were going on, a 

 dog stopped upon the summit of a hill 

 about 250 yards away, and they asked if 

 I could see it. I said "Yes," and more- 

 over that it could be killed from where 

 we stood. They laughed incredulously, 

 and, since the owner of the dog was not 

 present, suggested that the experiment be 

 tried. 



Resting the heavy repeating rifle on a 

 stump, I shot the animal through the 

 fore quarters. The Koreans gasped, and 

 when they saw the dog's body, torn and 

 mangled by the soft-point bullet, their 

 astonishment was ludicrous. It was not 

 a useless sacrifice of canine life, for it in- 

 spired the greatest respect for my fire- 

 arms, and, moreover, what remained of 

 the dog was quickly boiling for the din- 

 ner of four hungry natives. 



DOGS BRED FOR FOOD 



Dogs are bred for food, since the Ko- 

 reans are great meat eaters. At one time 

 they did much hunting ; but the Japanese 

 confiscated all fire-arms, and now wild 

 game is caught only in traps and pits. 

 Like all the natives of the interior, the 

 people at Nonsatong are dependent for 

 food upon what they grow. They are 

 much more industrious farmers than the 

 Koreans of the south and raise quantities 

 of oats and millet, but it seems to be im- 

 possible to cultivate rice successfully in 

 the Tmnen River Valley. 



Their dress was like that of the south- 

 ern natives. The men wear loose, baggy 

 trousers tied at the ankle, a short jacket, 

 a long, flowing kimona. and a peculiar 

 horse-hair hat, which is the pride of 

 every Korean's heart. The hat is always 

 worn in the house as well as out of it. 

 but only by those men who are married 

 and have thus obtained a definite social 

 position in the community. 



A "MAN" II YEARS OLD AXD A "BOY" 



OF 47 



One day when on the way to the Yula 

 River we passed through a village where 

 I noticed a little fellow wearing a hat, 

 with his hair knotted on the top of his 

 head. He was only a child, and I said to 

 the cook, "Is that little boy really mar- 

 ried ?" "Whom do you mean," he asked, 

 "that man ?-" pointing to the child. 



I said, "Yes," and learned that the little 

 fellow was only 11 years old and had a 

 wife of 10. They were legally married, 

 but were both living with their parents, 

 and would continue to do so for the next 

 two or three years. The boy was re- 

 ferred to as a "man," however, and had 

 all the privileges in the community of a 

 full-grown member (see page 26). 



Near the "man" was a fellow of 47 

 wearing his hair parted in the middle and 

 hanging in a long braid down his back. 

 He was unmarried, could not wear a hat 

 or tie up his hair, and would always be 

 considered a boy, no matter what age he 

 reached. The two were photographed 

 side by side, to the great displeasure of the 

 1 1 -year-old-man. 



When we first arrived at Nonsatong 

 one of the natives was ill with malarial 

 fever and came to my camp in a pitiable 

 condition. Just under the collar of his 

 jacket he was wearing a slip of paper on 

 which was written a prayer petitioning 

 the god of the valley to bring him health 

 again. I gave the boy a five-grain tablet 

 of quinine, telling him to swallow it at 

 once, which he did. I then wrapped five 

 other tablets in a bit of paper and told 

 him to take one every two hours ; but 

 hardly was my back turned before he 

 swallowed all five at once ; he thus got 30 

 grains of quinine in less than 10 minutes. 



We spent some time at Nonsatong and 

 found the shooting good. On the fifth 



