TO PEKING AND HOME 
1257 
I passed my hand hurriedly over my disordered beard, 
shook off the thickest of the dust, and passed between the 
astonished sentries. 'I'o reach the Russian ambassador’s 
dwelling, I had to cross a garden by a stone-paved path. 
I rang the bell. A Chinese servant came and opened the 
door, and asked in Russian: “Whom do you want.?” I 
inquired if Mr. Pavloff, the chargd d'affaires, would receive 
visitors, for I knew that the ambas.sador. Count Cassini, 
had recently left Peking. Mr. Pavloff did receive visitors. 
He received me at once, and with the greatest possible 
cordiality. He had been expecting me a long time, having- 
been instructed from St. Petersburg, that I was on my way 
to the Chinese capital. A couple of rooms had been got 
ready for me, ancl had been at my disposal for a month 
past. 
This then was my incognito — a handsome room, fur^ 
nishedwith all the refinements of European luxury— costly 
carpets on the floor, Chinese silk embroideries on the 
walls, antique vases standing in niches and on pedestals, 
and— glorious sight !— actually a bed, in which I did not 
even dream of the wretched guest-houses in which I had 
spent the last few nights of my journey. The table in the 
middle of the room contained a perfect mountain of letters 
and newspapers from home, the oldest dated fully thirteen 
months back. How I devoured their precious contents, 
whilst the English-speaking Chinese tailor measured me 
for a new suit of clothes ! 
I subsequently called iit the various embassies, and was 
everywhere received with flattering hospitality. England’s 
representative. Sir Claude MacDonald, the French am- 
bassador M. Gerard, and his secretary the Comte de 
Sercey, Baron von Hey king, the German ambassador, the 
American, Mr. Demby, and Mr. Knobel, the Netherlands 
envoy, whom I had previously met in Teheran — all gave 
me the friendliest welcome, and congratulated me upon 
the successful accomplishment of my journey. I also 
received a congratulatory telegram from King Oscar 
But years of lonely wandering among the savage and 
semi-savage tribes of Asia cannot fail to have some effect 
11.-38 
