doubt that that statement was made to me in good faith, although since then I think I have discovered that M. Pavlov ought to have been aware that such an order was obtained by Dr. Sven Hedin, the Swedish explorer.

Accepting M. Pavlov's statement as made in good faith, and knowing that if I did not get the order my journey would be much slower than I desired, I naturally proceeded, conversationally, to ask M. Pavlov's advice. That advice, given with an appearance of much diplomatic reluctance, amounted in substance to an informal suggestion that I should invite Sir Claude Macdonald to write a private note to M. Pavlov requesting M. Pavlov to support at the Tsung-li-Yamen the formal application that Sir Claude would make for me. When we got to that point of the conversation, it occurred to me that M. Pavlov was simultaneously underrating my patriotism and Sir Claude Macdonald's intelligence, and I forthwith proceeded to change the conversation to the weather and the crops.' Although I told Sir Claude Macdonald of M. Pavlov's remarkable suggestion, I certainly did not have the folly to hint that it should be acted on. On the contrary, I was quite content that my application to the Tsungli-Yamen should be made by the British Minister, and all the explanation that I thought that application needed I myself made in conversation with Li-Hung-Chang. But I thanked M. Pavlov for his

advice, and before I left Peking I had the pleasure to call to thank him again for various letters of introduction to Siberian officials, and to explain how glad I was that it had not been necessary to trouble him further with my little affair.

Before passing from the foreign community of Peking, it may be convenient to say something of the danger that they are supposed to incur from Chinese hatred to foreigners.

While I am writing this book, foreign troops, as we all know, are stationed at the legations in Peking for the protection of the ministers. Now, I am not prepared to suggest that the presence of these foreign troops is unnecessary. Since I left Peking the palace revolution (or shall we call it the Manchu revolution?) has materially changed the situation. But when I was in Peking the foreigner alone in Peking streets at nightfall was as safe as he would be in Piccadilly, and a great deal safer than he would be in some districts of London. I dined out occasionally in Peking, and after dinner, the nights being calm and pleasant, I usually walked home. alone, save for the presence of a Chinese boy with a lantern. The boy, it is pretty obvious, was not there as an escort, but merely to show the path, so that one might not tumble into some ditch or mud puddle. Nor did this walking the streets of Peking at night arise from any foolhardiness on my part. Other people were doing the same. No one

dreamt of imagining that there was any danger. The town was considered to be perfectly safe; and it was safe. The feeling of the people was supposed to be quite friendly; and it was friendly. Foreigners moved about with all the ease, freedom, and safety with which they might move in their own native streets.

Thus, with a fairly mixed and pleasant society, with hill and seaside resorts, with some amusements, and with frequent changes of personality, the foreigners of Peking lead their lives. If I am asked whether that life be desirable as a whole, I can, perhaps, best reply by quoting and adapting the words that Sir Edwin Arnold addressed to me years ago.

'I think,' said Sir Edwin, speaking with that fulness of style that used to characterize the Daily Telegraph leaders-'I think that you will not regret having chosen to adopt the journalistic life. It may not always be profitable. It may not always be happy. But it is always interesting.'

CHAPTER III.

TO THE OUTER WALL.

THE first portion of the great overland journey from East to West was at once the shortest, the easiest and the slowest. From Peking we set forth as a caravan of three Europeans, one Chinese servant, six Chinese mule-drivers, and thirteen ponies, mules and donkeys. That was on August 24, with a shade temperature, in the early morning, of 72° Fahrenheit. Although our personal baggage had been cut down as low as possible, yet it had to be maintained at such a quantity as would, at a later date, permit us to face the colder weather of the Mongolian heights. Further, we carried all the European provisions and liquors that we expected to need until we arrived at Irkutsk, 1,450 miles distant, nor could we expect any change of transport animals till we should reach Kalgan (or Chan-kia-kow), the City of the Wall," from 130 to 135 miles distant, to the north and west.

66

To get ahead of our baggage and food-stuffs would have been useless, so that our progress was

measured by that of the loaded mules, conditioned as that was by the state of the roads. The distances covered in miles each day were about twenty for the first day (when we started late), twenty-five for the second day, thirty-three miles each for the third and fourth, and twenty for the half-day on which we finished.

Given a knowledge of the road and of the ways of the people-even such a knowledge as I now possess I would regard four days as the maximum period for that part of the journey, while with a more thorough knowledge of the people and the language, and an extra courier or servant to precede one in the very early morning, the distance could be comfortably covered in three days. But, in noting the time taken by this journey from Peking to Petersburg, it should be observed that neither my travelling companions nor myself had any previous knowledge of the districts in which we were journeying, or of the language of the people, or of the methods of transport; and that from Peking to Kalgan we did not meet, nor did we expect to meet, anyone who spoke any European language. It is only fair to add that neither did we expect to meet so much helpfulness, civility, and general goodnature as we did meet.

For the first two days of our journey we were within the 'tourist belt,' because our road lay towards the Ming tombs and the so-called Great Wall at