248 



SMALL FEET OF WOMEN. 



Chap. XIL 



there were hawkers, with their cakes and sweet- 

 meats to tempt the yomig ; while now and then 

 passed a thrifty housewife, carrying a web of 

 cotton cloth, which had been woven at home, and 

 was now to be sold at the fair. More gaily dressed 

 than any of these were small parties of ladies 

 limping along on their small feet, each one having 

 a long staff in her hand to steady her, and to help 

 her along the mountain-road. Behind each of 

 these parties come an attendant coolie, carrying a 

 basket of provisions, and any other little article 

 which was required during the journey. On po- 

 litely inquiring of the several parties of ladies 

 where they were going to, they invariably replied 

 in the language of the district " Ta-pa-Busa-la," — 

 we are going to worship Buddha. Some of the 

 younger ones, particularly the good-looking, pre- 

 tended to be vastly frightened as I passed them on 

 the narrow road ; but that this was only pretence 

 was clearly proved by the joyous ringing laugh 

 which reached my ears after they had passed and 

 before they were out of sight. 



It is certainly a most barbarous custom that of 

 deforming the feet of Chinese ladies, and detracts 

 greatly from their beauty. Many persons think 

 that the custom prevails only amongst persons of 

 rank or wealth, but this is a great mistake. In 

 the central and eastern provinces of the empire it 

 is almost universal, — the fine ladies who ride in 

 sedan-chairs, and the poorer classes who toil from 

 morning till evening in the fields, are all deformed 



