Chap. II. 
TRAVELS IN THE COUNTRY. 
23 
either remained where I was, or gone back again. This 
procedure did not suit my plans, and, although they 
tried very hard to induce me to *'wyloe/' to my " san- 
pan," it was of no use. They then pointed to the 
heavens, which were very black at the time, and told me 
that it would soon be a thunder-storm, but even this 
did not succeed. As a last resource, when they found 
that I was not to be turned out of my way, some of the 
little ones were sent on before to apprize the villagers 
of my approach, and, when I reached the village, every 
living thing, down even to the dogs and pigs, were out 
to have a peep at the " Fokei.'' I soon put them all, 
the dogs excepted,* in the best possible humour, and at 
last they seemed in no hurry to get rid of me. One of 
the most respectable amongst them, seemingly the head 
man of the village, brought me some cakes and tea, 
which he politely offered me. I thanked him and began 
to eat. The hundreds who now surrounded me were 
perfectly delighted. " He eats and drinks like our- 
selves," said one ; " Look," said two or three behind me, 
who had been examining the back part of my head 
rather attentively, "look here, the stranger has no 
tail ;" and then the whole crowd, women and children 
included, had to come round me, to see if it was really 
a fact that I had no tail. One of them, rather a dandy 
in his way, with a noble tail of his own, plaited with 
silk, now came forward, and, taking off a kind of cloth, 
which the natives here wear as a turban, and allowing 
his tail to fall gracefully over his shoulders, said to me 
* The Chinese house-dog has a great antipathy to foreigners, and 
will scarcely make friends with them. 
