Read Ebook: Around the World in Seven Months by Gillis Charles J

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NIKKO, JAPAN, Oct. 20, 1889.

The road was built hundreds of years ago by a Shinto king, and is an admirable example of engineering; well drained, and with an excellent foundation of small stones, which needed only a top-dressing and a steam roller to make it as good as any in Europe. It is lined on both sides with immense pine and cedar trees. Many of these trees are twelve feet in diameter; and often the roots are grown together, so that four or five trees look like one. They are sixty to eighty feet high, and afford an excellent shade.

We arrived at 4 P.M., delighted at the wonderful sights, but much fatigued and very cold. Rooms had been engaged for us in an excellent hotel, excellent in all respects except that there was no way of heating, unless with pans of charcoal. I suffered greatly from the cold, though I had warm clothing, including a heavy overcoat which had done me good service the previous winter at Montreal when the thermometer stood at thirty degrees below zero.

Near the hotel are a dozen, or more, costly and grotesque edifices, much adorned with carved wood statues of horrible-looking beasts and devils, covered with bronze and gold. There are temples of Buddha, and gorgeous mausoleums of kings who died five hundred years ago, situated in a park of big trees; but looking at them, though interesting, was not agreeable, and I was quite satisfied with one visit.

To-day we made an excursion to a lake among the mountains, five thousand feet high. I was furnished with a mountain horse which proved an ugly brute; kicked and stumbled, and put the bit between his teeth, so that I could not control him, and he nearly trotted the life out of me. We went up and along the winding paths, passing numerous water-falls, one of which was 750 feet high, and at last reached the lake, which is of great beauty. The mountains rise directly from the water's edge. They are covered to their very tops with green trees, the leaves of which have a singular feathery appearance.

The tea-houses where we stopped for lunch were models of cleanliness and comfort. We brought our own provisions as usual, but had in addition a boiled fish just taken from the lake.

We stopped in and around the tea-houses for some hours; and then I mounted my ugly brute of a horse and rode back to the hotel, a much used-up man. I was glad to get a bath and to retire early.

We returned to the railway station by the road we came, and again made the distance in four hours, with only one stop of fifteen minutes.

MIYNOSKITA.

MIYNOSKITA, JAPAN, Oct. 24, 1889.

We are here rather too late in the season to thoroughly enjoy the place and surroundings, it being cold and the methods of heating houses imperfect, but in summer it must be perfectly lovely.

There is another hotel being erected near the one we are in, and I was much interested watching their method of work. They required a lot of earth for filling in, and were transporting it in baskets from the mountains above. Two men would fill a basket, suspend it across their shoulders by a bamboo pole, dump it where wanted, and return for more. I longed to present them with a wheelbarrow, and show them how to move earth ten times faster than they were doing. It would appear that there are no saw-mills in this country, for the men were sawing out boards and timber by hand, to use in the construction of this hotel. A stick of timber a foot or two in diameter was arranged with one end resting on the ground, and the other placed on a wooden horse four or five feet high; a man then mounted the stick and laboriously sawed out boards with a hand-saw. The workmen had no clothing on except a breech cloth, and were all doing constant and faithful service for, as we were informed, ten hours a day; the pay being ten cents per day. For similar service in our country, as every one knows, mechanics are paid from .50 to .50 per day.

We left the hotel at nine this morning, and took a trip among the mountains to Lake Hakone. I selected my horse this time, and he proved an excellent animal, a small shaggy fellow, kind and easy trotting, but much given to stumbling and letting both heels fly if another horse came near, which little amusement of his nearly unseated me several times. We went up six thousand feet over the worst of mountain roads, but my animal walked carefully, often along narrow paths, where a fall would have tumbled us down hundreds of feet below. I enjoyed the ride very much. It took six horses and seven chairs to accommodate our party, each horse having a man to attend to him, and each chair carried by four men, making a large procession. We arrived in two or three hours at an hotel on the lake, and after an excellent lunch took boats and crossed over to near the foot of Fusiyama, the horses and men going around to meet us.

Fusiyama is the brag mountain of Japan, the only one of much size in the Empire, and is universally known and photographed in all possible ways. It is fourteen thousand feet high, and is, as I write, covered with snow, and presents a beautiful appearance from the lake.

We landed and walked over the mountains to the place where the horses had been sent. The sun was terribly hot in some places, and in others the only path was along the bed of dry brooks. We passed over the crater of an active volcano, steam and smoke rushing out near the path. The guide said it was dangerous to wander from the path, and pointed out where two native guides had fallen through and had not been seen since. There was no wandering after this fact was stated. After two or three hours of dreadful fatigue, we found our horses, and I was very glad to mount my shaggy old fellow, who carried me safely over slippery rocks, along narrow paths, and a road as bad as a road could be, arriving at the hotel at six, much fatigued, but in good form and ready for the excellent dinner which was waiting our arrival.

KOB?.

KOB?, JAPAN, Nov. 7, 1889.

We left on the 4th by rail for Kioto, arriving there at 5 P.M., at a really splendid hotel, as fine as any in Europe. The city is a very old one, and one of the largest and most interesting in Japan; great numbers of temples and palaces, and, in and around it, most lovely scenery. Some of the temples were erected seven hundred years ago. In the evening I went with a party and called on the American missionaries, who were holding a monthly meeting at one of their houses. They have a large college building, and all seem greatly interested in their work.

We stopped once to rest, and then went through fields for a mile or two to the river Hodza, where we took three flat-bottomed boats, manned by three boatmen each, and passed down over numerous rapids, and through what in California would be called a ca?on--mountains from two thousand to three thousand feet high, clothed with verdure to their tops. The river is from two hundred to three hundred feet wide and full of rocks, and was really, it appeared to me, very dangerous; but the boatmen were skilful, and we did the distance, seven miles, in one and one half hours. We had lunch at a tea-house, and returned by another route to the city, passing through other fields and seeing an immense number of children everywhere. We arrived at the hotel at 5 P.M., the excursion being pronounced by all to have been the most interesting we had enjoyed in Japan.

OSAKA.

OSAKA, Nov. 8, 1889.

We left Kioto at 10 A.M. this morning by rail, and arrived in this remarkable city at 11.15. It is a most interesting place, having a large number of canals and bridges, in which respect it resembles Venice more than any other city. It is the second city in size and importance in the Empire, having about a million and a half of inhabitants, and numerous industries, such as cotton factories, etc.; also the imperial mint, which we visited.

The machinery of this mint was all made in France--with one or two exceptions, of English make--and is very fine. This is the most exclusively native city we have visited, there being only seven resident foreigners, and only one American, from Charlestown, Mass., who is here for two years to superintend the erection of a brush factory.

There are numerous large boats constantly passing through the canals, heavily loaded with cotton and all kinds of goods, showing an extensive commerce. Toward evening I took a walk across a long bridge, and rested myself on a seat in a small park overlooking the river; but the people stopped their work to look at me to such an extent as to make it disagreeable, and I returned to the hotel. The next morning we returned to our old quarters in the hotel at Kob?.

HONG-KONG.

HONG-KONG, Nov. 18, 1889.

On the 14th and 15th we were steaming through the famous inland sea, the beauty of which could hardly be exaggerated by a writer of a poetical turn of mind,--passing between Nipon, a large island, on one side, and many hundred smaller ones on the other. The channel would often be near the shores, where we could see the villages and cultivated land. The islands being volcanic, were in all sorts of fantastic shapes; one called the Asses'-ears was very funny-looking. The water is very clear and blue, the islands largely cultivated and clothed with green to the summits of their mountains.

On the morning of the 15th, the steamer dropped her anchor at Nagasaki, and we all went ashore sight-seeing and shopping. We rode about through long streets, and called at several factories and stores; among others, at a place where was made a variety of shell-work, which was very pretty. I made some purchases.

The owner of the place spoke English, and I recommended him to send an exhibition of his goods to the fair which was expected to be opened in New York in 1892, and he astonished me by asking what country New York was in? But life being too short for me to teach him the rudiments of geography, I paid for my purchase, and came away.

We went to see more temples. In the grounds near one of them were two small trees and on a stone near it was engraved, "Planted by Mr. and Mrs. Gen. Grant, 1879."

We had an excellent lunch at the Hotel Bellevue, took another trip around the city, and came back to the ship at 6 P.M.

The harbor is one of great beauty, nearly landlocked, and surrounded by hills covered with verdure. It was crowded with ships, three Russian men-of-war, one American, and several English.

Nothing could have been more lovely than the trip from Nagasaki to this port--the sea as smooth as a pond, weather warm, and every thing quite agreeable and comfortable.

We came up the bay last evening between four and six. It was a splendid show. One of the finest harbors in the world, eleven miles long and from two to five wide. The islands and mountains covered with verdure.

The island of Hong-Kong was taken possession of by the British after the war with China in 1842, and now has a population of one hundred and forty thousand.

We left the steamer after dark in a tug, and had a fine view of the city of Victoria; the streets and buildings covering the hills for a long distance, and the vessels in the harbor being brilliantly lighted, presented a splendid appearance as we approached.

We soon took possession of rooms previously engaged at the Hong-Kong Hotel, and found it to be in all respects first-class, including an Otis elevator furnished by their London house. The waiters are all Chinese, tall and good-looking, and dressed in long blue night-gowns or frocks.

This city surpasses Gibraltar in the number of nationalities one sees in the streets; every nation on earth appearing to be represented, and I am much interested in looking at them as they pass.

The policemen are a sight--tall, black fellows from the Malay Peninsula. Their uniform is the same as worn by those in New York, except a large red turban, which gives them a very imposing appearance.

Passing for a mile or so alongside the water front between 5 and 6 P.M. I found that hundreds of boats had returned from fishing, or other business, and were tied to the piers, bows on, giving me a chance to see this phase of Chinese life, which had always interested me when reading about it. They were all having their suppers,--a family of ten, sitting in a circle with a big bowl of food, apparently rice, in the centre. Each person had a small bowl, which was often replenished, and the food eaten with chopsticks. The boat was their home, their sole residence. In one case a small boy was eating and his mother was boxing his ears very roughly. Except the children, no one paid any attention to me; this being an English city the people are accustomed to foreigners.

The island is a series of mountains, over, around, and through which are built splendid roads, near which are many beautiful residences, where the governor and wealthy people reside.

We looked about for a couple of hours and then took the tramway down. Some of the more timid of the party preferred to come all the way down in the sedans, and said they had a delightful trip.

The sedan I was in was carried by two men, who were very picturesque, their bronze bodies shining in the sun. Their bare feet pressed the ground with a sure tread. Sometimes I have seen a sedan carried by four men with white trousers and red sacks, their heads covered by large bamboo hats, and altogether presenting a very attractive appearance.

The thermometer on the top of Mount Victoria registered only sixty-five degrees, but I never felt such heat in July at home. However, when in Japan I suffered so much from cold weather that I am quite glad to have some of the other kind now.

CANTON.

CANTON, CHINA, Nov. 21, 1889.

There being but one hotel here, the Oriental, and that a very poor one at that, we made use of the English passenger boats as hotels during our stay, and found them excellent in all ways; large, clean rooms and table very fine, including all kinds of wines and beer furnished gratis, and wood-cock, and snipe every day.

As we approached Canton the river narrowed to about a thousand feet, and I was able to closely observe the country. Banana trees lined the shores for many miles, sugar-cane and rice fields stretched as far as I could see. Scattered all along the country and in the city big brick buildings one hundred feet square and six stories high were very prominent. These were pawnbrokers' establishments.

As we approached the city, the largest building seen was a Catholic cathedral, with two great towers; a splendid edifice, but not yet finished.

We had an excellent lunch on the steamer, and then went in sedan chairs to call on Mr. Charles Seymour, the United States Consul, and his wife. After being kindly entertained in their beautiful residence, we returned to the boat, and spent the remainder of the day and evening watching the wonderful life on the river.

There was a ferry-house near, and I learned that the cost of ferrying across the river was one fifth of a cent, and that a howling swell could have a boat alone for one and a half cents.

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