At First He Always Used
Fellows For Men, As, "Will You Have One Or Two FELLOWS For Your
Kuruma?" "FELLOWS
And women." At last he called the Chief
Physician of the hospital here a FELLOW, on which I told him
That
it was slightly slangy, and at least "colloquial," and for two days
he has scrupulously spoken of man and men. To-day he brought a boy
with very sore eyes to see me, on which I exclaimed, "Poor little
fellow!" and this evening he said, "You called that boy a fellow, I
thought it was a bad word!" The habits of many of the Yokohama
foreigners have helped to obliterate any distinctions between right
and wrong, if he ever made any. If he wishes to tell me that he
has seen a very tipsy man, he always says he has seen "a fellow as
drunk as an Englishman." At Nikko I asked him how many legal wives
a man could have in Japan, and he replied, "Only one lawful one,
but as many others (mekake) as he can support, just as Englishmen
have." He never forgets a correction. Till I told him it was
slangy he always spoke of inebriated people as "tight," and when I
gave him the words "tipsy," "drunk," "intoxicated," he asked me
which one would use in writing good English, and since then he has
always spoken of people as "intoxicated."
He naturally likes large towns, and tries to deter me from taking
the "unbeaten tracks," which I prefer - but when he finds me
immovable, always concludes his arguments with the same formula,
"Well, of course you can do as you like; it's all the same to me."
I do not think he cheats me to any extent. Board, lodging, and
travelling expenses for us both are about 6s. 6d. a day, and about
2s. 6d. when we are stationary, and this includes all gratuities
and extras. True, the board and lodging consist of tea, rice, and
eggs, a copper basin of water, an andon and an empty room, for,
though there are plenty of chickens in all the villages, the people
won't be bribed to sell them for killing, though they would gladly
part with them if they were to be kept to lay eggs. Ito amuses me
nearly every night with stories of his unsuccessful attempts to
provide me with animal food.
The travelling is the nearest approach to "a ride on a rail" that I
have ever made. I have now ridden, or rather sat, upon seventy-six
horses, all horrible. They all stumble. The loins of some are
higher than their shoulders, so that one slips forwards, and the
back-bones of all are ridgy. Their hind feet grow into points
which turn up, and their hind legs all turn outwards, like those of
a cat, from carrying heavy burdens at an early age. The same thing
gives them a roll in their gait, which is increased by their
awkward shoes.
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