"CONVERSATION AFTER ANOTHER KICK. 
219 
this second argument was urged with even more spirit 
and detez’mination than the first, simply from the fact 
that we now felt convinced there would be no fighting, 
whereas, in the first attempt, no one knew but that we 
might have been “catching a tartar** instead of kicking 
a Japanese. This second afiair occurred some miles 
from Si-mo-da, near another roadside inn. I take the 
following extract, as to what followed it, from my 
papers : — 
“Having thus, by a healthy kick and a show of further 
violence, relieved ourselves of our noble companions, we 
now passed a quiet hour with our plebeian friends and 
then continued our now unmolested walk. Our conver- 
sation with said ^ scum of the earth’ (as the officers call 
all of the swordless class) was necessarily carried on by 
the usual signs, grimaces, &c., sprinkled hero and there 
by a few woi'ds which we knew by heart or had written 
on paper; and yet one would be astonished to see how 
well people can often get along in that way. Among 
other things, we had no difficulty in comprehending the 
following pieces of information : — 
“ AYe are very glad that you kicked him ; but, had one 
of us done so, his head would have been cut off.’ 
work, and they walk around. We have to give 
them money to buy food with.’ 
TFe would like very much to know all about you, to 
buy and sell with you, but they won't let us.’ 
“AVe cannot do what the officials do not want us 
to,’ &c. &c.” 
How, from the above and various other remarks, — 
which I do not remember, — we could not but conclude 
