rison of Japanese soldiers, both at Napha and Sheudi; but, if so, they were
carefully kept out of the way.
The Pe-ehing, who soon afterwards came up, informed us that we had
come 30 li, and that Sheudi was still 60 li distant, and we could not reach it
on the following day. Learning, however, that there was another Cung-quA
20 li further, we decided to rest an hour or two, and push on to it the same
evening. The people brought two fowlB, with abundance of eggs and cucumbers,
and, hungry and tired as we were, we made a most palatable meal.
We left again at half-past four. The road was broad, well beaten, and
shaded by a double row of pine trees. I t ran in a southeastern direction,
parallel with the coast and about two miles inland. The country continued
open, slightly undulating, and pleasantly diversified with groveB of pine for
four miles, when we came suddenly upon a deep glen, traversed by much the
largest stream we had seen upon the island. The road was crossed by a massive
stone bridge of three arches, remarkable for the size and rude strength of the
piers, each of which had, on the inner side, in order to protect it from floods,
a triangular abutment, projecting ten or twelve feet. The sides of the glen
were nearly perpendicular, and covered with wild and luxuriant vegetation.
Towards the sea, under a range of broken limestone crags that hung high
over the stream, were several ancient excavated tombs. A spring of excellent
water gushed out from the foot of one of these crags. Mr. Heine took
a sketch of the place, which was remarkable for its seclusion and picturesque
beauty. The natives called the stream the “ Fi-ija
On reaching a height overlooking the sea, we were agreeably surprised
with the sight of the sqnadron, lying off the furthest point to the southwest,
and between fifteen and twenty miles distant in a straight line. This encouraged
us to believe that we could reach Napha at the time appointed, and we
pushed on rapidly and cheerily, for it was jjow growing dark, and no appearance
of the Cung-quA. The road approached the shore, and became a raised
causeway, passing through rich rice-swamps. The natives whom we met in the
dusk of the evening took to flight on seeing us. At last, at half-past seven,
weary and spent with a tramp of twenty-seven miles, the native herald who
ran before us turned into a gateway, over which towered a magnificent banyan
tree. We followed, and discharged our pieces in a general feu-de-joie, on seeing
a Cung-qua with the lamps lighted, attendants waiting with their trays
of tea-cups, and a polite old gentleman standing in the verandah to receive
us. The Lew Chew mats were never so soft, nor the cups of unsugared native
tea so refreshing, as on that evening. Eggs, cucumbers, rice, and fowls
were immediately forthcoming, and our men concocted a soup which, to our
minds, could not have been improved. The old Pe-ching made his appearance
at a late hour, nearly as fatigued as ourselves, but overflowing with cordiality
and good humor. A company of native guards kindled a fire under
the banyan tree, and prepared to spend the night there. Our men were so
fatigued that, in anticipation of another hard journey on the morrow, we dispensed
with the usual watch. I t was the less important, as we had found the
native guard exceedingly vigilant in keeping away all stragglers from our
vicinity. The light of the ruddy camp-fire, playing over the spreading boughs
of the banyan tree, brought into strong relief the groups of swarthy faces
clustered around it, and presented a picture so fantastic and peculiar, that I
sat looking at it long after I ought to have been asleep.
The sound of rain upon the tiles of our Cung-quá awoke us frequently during
the night, and when we arose at daybreak the sky was overcast, the
roads flooded, and a steady dismal storm had set in. The Pe-ching and his
associates wished us to stay at “ Pi-ko,” as the Cung-quá was called, until
the next day, slapping their legs to indicate how tired they were, and making
signs of slipping up and falling down in the mud. But we were inexorable,
and they sent for a new set of coolies to carry our baggage. We had another
discussion about the distance, which ended in their declaring that Sheudi was
65 li and Napha 30 li distant. This was absurd, and probably ought to be
attributed to the ignorance of the Chinese, through whom we communicated
with them. The coolies prepared themselves for the rain by putting on
shaggy jackets of grass, resembling the sheep-skin garments of the Roman
herdsmen. Our men had their pea-jackets, and we were partially protected
by ponchos of gutta-percha and oilcloth. We were delayed in getting breakfast,
and did not break up our camp until half-past nine, when we set out,
everybody stiff and sore from the previous day’s travel. The rain was still
falling, though not so heavily as at first, and the road was an alternation of
water and stiff mud, through which we trudged with difficulty, and at the
risk of leaving our boots behind us. After rounding the head of the bight,
we struck on over the hills to the southwest, and in an hour and a half came
upon another deep glen, in the bottom of which were two massive bridges
over a stream so broad and deep that it was doubtless a frith of the sea. We
stopped an hour to rest and enable Mr. Heine to take a sketch of the place.
I noticed that the heavy triangular abutments to the piers were here placed
on the side next the sea. The natives gave the glen, or river, the name of
“ Machinatoo.”
The rain had ceased by this time, except an occasional sprinkle, and the
road improved. After another hour the roads branched, that on the left
striking off up the hills to Sheudi. We kept on over the hills toward Napha,
the scenery gradually assuming a familiar appearance, till finally, from a height
covered with pine trees, we looked down upon the harbor and the American
squadron. After fording a broad salt creek and crossing another ridge, we
descended to the village of Turné, opposite Napha. We reached our starting
point, the house of Dr. Bettelheim, at 2 p. m., and there took leave of our
worthy Pe-ching and his two assistants, after having appointed a time to
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