Page:A wandering student in the Far East vol.1 - Zetland.djvu/146

98 some 400 or 500 of which coins go to the shilling, a sum equivalent to about 15,000 cash is a very large one; but the Chinese never loses his head under any circumstances connected with money. "Are they pleased?" I asked of Joe. "They say, sir, that they had expected that you would have given them more," was the laconic reply. This sort of answer is somewhat staggering until one begins to comprehend some of the peculiarities of the Chinese mind.

The streets of Ch'ung-k'ing consist of narrow alleys of steep stone steps which, by reason of the ceaseless journeyings of countless water-carriers, are damp and unspeakably dirty. An attempt to erect water-works proved unsuccessful, and this useful reform was vetoed in order to enable the water-carriers to continue to carry their water-skins to and from the river, earning a few cash, and rendering the streets abominable to the rest of the community. Truly, China is a conservative country.

On the whole, Ch'ung-k'ing frowns rather than smiles upon the stranger, and a leaden sky,