Page:The passing of Korea.djvu/339

 manifest cruelty of it, and you wish that the Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals might take him in hand ; but if you were to try it yourself, and should find that the hardy little pony is ready to carry you thirty miles a day as long as you wish to go, and that, too, without any visible evidences of overfatigue, you would change your mind. It is true, however, that the Koreans do treat their horses with great cruelty. They cherish no sentimental ideas about the animal ; and whether he be lame or spavined or otherwise incapable, he is given the usual load, and driven until there is absolutely no more to be gotten out of him. The Korean donkey is a very tiny animal, with a hoof that would go into a teacup. The rider's feet almost touch the ground. There can be but a very few pounds' difference between the weight of the animal and its load. In this case the servant usually carries the baggage on his back and trots along behind his master.

But, for all these different aids to travel, it must be said that by far the greatest part of it is done on foot. The Korean is a magnificent walker. Every foreigner who has visited this country has been struck at once by the erect carriage, the springy gait and the graceful action of the Korean in walking. In this he forms a striking contrast to almost every other denizen of the Far East. He can easily cover his thirty miles a day, and this is all he could do if he had a mount. He has no expense except for his three bowls of rice a day, and an occasional new pair of straw shoes. Thirty miles is his regular rate for long distances, but if necessary he can, and often does, cover his fifty miles a day. Most Koreans who travel for mere pleasure prefer to go afoot. Whether they get more pleasure out of it than we do out of our bicycles, automobiles and other mile-eaters is, of course, a question ; but it is a question to which they, at least, would reply in the affirmative without hesitation.

There are so many islands off the coast that the passenger traffic by boat is very considerable, but people who live on the mainland seldom patronise the junks, for it is generally found