Page:Enterprise and Adventure.djvu/146

126 moderate size, some of which were clothed with dwarf pines and the tea-shrub. Hence he proceeded to Nanking, passing through the fertile and beautiful province of Kiang-nan. Here he found Europeans objects of hatred and suspicion not only to the government, but to the people. He was in consequence compelled to assume the disguise of a native; and he gives a touching account of the difficulties which he had to encounter in adapting himself to Chinese usages, and the dangers of detection arising from the slightest deviation. Even the native Christians dreaded that his presence might be made a pretext for persecution, and endeavoured to compel him to return. Though his health was broken, his money almost gone, and his guides dispirited, the bishop still persevered, and pursued his route towards Tartary, sometimes in one of the rude vehicles of the country, but most frequently on foot. He passed the barriers of the province of Chang-Si in a chariot, and disguised as a mandarin. Thus, after wandering about for some months in perpetual fear of detection, the bishop was informed that he might obtain a safe asylum in Chinese Tartary until the Coreans were ready for his reception.

On the 7th of October, 1834, the poor bishop arrived at the famous great wall of China, and passed through the gate through which the Russians go on their road to Pekin. No one paid the least attention to him. The guards appeared to turn their backs, as if to encourage him and his followers. In fact the great wall, popularly supposed to be so powerful in keeping out invaders, might as well have been built of pasteboard; and did not even serve its chief object in those days—that of keeping out