224 TREATMENT OF A CROWD. Chap. XIV. 
out, and we were fully exposed to the sea-breeze 
and to a crowd of natives of both sexes and of all 
ages who crowded the road in front of the inn. 
After dinner we sat on a ledge at the window, and 
amused ourselves with the crowd below. Strange 
questions were put to us on many subjects ; and as 
the Japanese, as a people, have not our ideas of 
morality, many of their questions and remarks 
were not such as I can repeat here. Our landlord, 
who was probably better acquainted with our 
manners and customs than the crowd under his 
windows, several times expostulated with them in 
an angry tone, but produced no effect. Once or 
twice a bucket of water was added to his argu- 
ments ; but although this induced them to scamper 
away for an instant, they soon came back again. 
As the night wore on the crowd gradually dis- 
persed, and, intending to be up early next morning, 
we followed their example and retired to rest. 
The floors of our bedrooms were covered with 
clean matting, and a padded counterpane was laid 
in the middle of each room, with a wooden pillow 
for the head to rest upon. Ample mosquito cur- 
tains, nearly as large as the room itself, reached 
from the ceiling to the floor. 
Next morning at daylight we were up, and, in 
order to refresh ourselves, we had a plunge in the 
bay. As we intended to proceed immediately after 
breakfast across the hills to the ancient town of 
Kamakura, I employed the time before our meal 
was ready in visiting several places of interest in 
