74 
WANDERINGS IN CHINA. 
Chap. V. 
time apologising for the poor reception they gave us, as 
they were so poor. I tried not to be outdone in polite^ 
ness, and we were soon on the best possible terms. 
The table was soon spread with our evening meal, and, 
chopsticks in hand, we went to work and did ample 
justice to the fare set before us. Shortly afterwards, 
the Chinese being early in their habits, we retired to 
rest. 
Next morning the rain was falling in torrents, so tliat 
it was impossible to stir out of doors. In these circum- 
stances a Chinese cottage is a most uncomfortable place 
of confinement. Four families resided in the building 
in which I was now located — two in the lower and two 
in the upper story. Each of these families had a separate 
kitchen, and, as there were no chimneys, the smoke had 
to make its escape through the doors, windows, and roof 
of the house. The natives were accustomed to this, and 
did not greatly mind it, but to me it was almost insup- 
portable. The smoke got into my eyes and almost drove 
me mad with pain. Go where I would it was all the 
same, for the house was quite full of it. I quite dreaded 
the approach of meal-time, when all the fires were 
lighted. There was no remedy, however, except going 
out into the heavy rain, so that I was obliged to suffer as 
patiently as I could. 
On the evening of the second day my coolie and the 
good old dwarf arrived with my luggage, and told Wang 
some wonderful stories about the narrow escapes they 
had had from his friends the boatmen. The coolie said 
he had been so much alarmed that he had spent the 
whole night in a temple, it being the only place 
