148 
WANDERINGS IN CHINA. 
Chap. IX. 
umbrella over my liead I jogged along, consoling myself 
with the thought that, at least, I enjoyed a better view 
of town and country in this chair than if I had been shut 
up in a more comfortable one. 
I had now passed through the crowded street of 
Chang-shan, and was already in the open country. It 
had rained heavily during the night, but, as the morning 
was fine, the late showers had only tended to increase the 
natural beauty of the country. There was a coolness 
in the atmosphere too which was most agreeable. The 
grass on the hill-sides and the young rice in the valleys 
were of the liveliest green. Every bush and tree was 
loaded with heavy drops of rain which glistened in the 
sunshine. Altogether the scenery was delightful, and, 
with the freshness of the morning air, put me in the 
highest spirits. 
The road on which we were travelling was one of the 
broadest and best I had met with in the country. It was 
well paved with granite, about twelve feet in width, and 
perfectly free from weeds, which proved, if other proof 
had been wanting, that there was a great traffic upon it. 
The general aspect of the country was hilly, but there 
was abundance of good land in the valleys amongst the 
hills. It reminded me of some of the pretty islands in 
the Chusan archipelago. No mountain passes had to be 
crossed on our way, for the little hills seemed, as it were, 
to open up a passage for the road as we went along. 
For the first few miles after leaving Chang-shan we 
met with few people by the way. I was indulging in 
the hope that my day's journey would be through a 
quiet country district like what one sees on some of the 
