to a village four miles farther south. A large part of the distance I walked. About half-way there we came up with some men who had been to the market and were returning home. I talked to them, I should say, for half an hour, but took care to question them on everything I said to ensure their understanding me. I found that if I did so they got my meaning as a rule. But if I once put several sentences together consecutively their attention. was lost, and sometimes sentences which seemed perfectly plain to me they would not or could not understand. It is verily only line upon line that these country people can learn. That night and the following we spent at the house of a convert at HSIAO CHIA FU. The house has three rooms, the middle one of which serves as an entrance and kitchen, the other two are dwelling rooms. Here walls, floor, k'ang are all of mud, no ceiling, all being open to the roof. At one is kept the stock of millet, flour, cabbage, &c. One side of the room is taken up with boxes and tables, where are kept the household goods. The other side has a k'ang the whole length. From the roof are suspended hoes, ears of millet, small bags, &c. On the wall are pasted two or three pictures from home illustrated papers, and the 'Sunday Calendar.' This time we had the room to ourselves. I have

slept in that room with six Chinamen, but I prefer not so many. The duties of the toilet cannot be gone through with much comfort under such circumstances.

"Our first evening here we had a few of the converts present, with whom we had worship. Next morning, Sunday, we had a service, attended by about six or eight. About noon we visited a village nearly three miles off, to which one of the converts has removed. We took up a position on the platform of a small temple and spoke to the people for some time. The convert brought us tea and seats. He pressed us very much to take a meal with him, but we declined. The hearers were principally women and children, or rather, I should say, the lookers on. The men seemed to think it a subject which little concerned them.

"In the evening we had about twelve present at our service, and so ended a very pleasant Sunday. We feel very much the difficulty of reaching the women. It is contrary to their custom to be in the company of a number of people, as at our meeting. They are very much more isolated than in the city here. It is a pity that I should see so little of the female converts, but there seems no help for it until we have some other agency for reaching them."

"As we could get no good accommodation we started for HAN TS'UN, a bout six miles due south, there being a small market there next day. We travelled till after dark, and it seemed as though we should never get to the place. In this case, as in the morning, the six miles were really nine or ten. It is one of the usual questions in asking the distance of a place, 'Are the miles large or small?'

"At Han ts'un we got into a great bare yard round which were the rooms for guests. After searching all round we got rooms, but they were open under the roof: we found afterwards that the two k'angs had only one chimney, and as the wind was in the wrong direction, when one k'ang was fired the smoke all came out into the other room. The only relief was to lie flat down or go outside altogether.

"Next morning (16th) we woke up to find the wind blowing very strongly from the north-west. This means clouds of dust and much greater cold. How ever, we went to the market, which was almost at the door of the inn, and found a place sheltered from the wind. Here we got nearly all the people about us and for an hour preached in turn, selling our books at the same time. Meanwhile eyes, nose, mouth and ears were getting filled with dust, so we packed up and went on to Tung an hsien, about six miles away. These distances appear very short, I have no doubt, but then with carts we can only travel three miles an hour on an average, and if the road is sandy, as it very often is, not much more than two miles can be got over in that time.

"TUNG AN HSIEN is a town with mud walls around it. Not half the space inside is covered with houses, and what is not occupied with houses is mostly

under water. nearly deserted, under the influence of the north wind. Just at the west gate, by which we entered, a large mat shed had been put up, in which some priests were going through their prayers for some person just dead. They were making a fearful din with their gongs and cymbals. Next morning the priests paraded through the crowded streets to the sound of some small musical instruments. So empty, so heartless are all their performances; and yet, though ready to acknowledge this, no one is willing to die without them.

We found the streets

"We were very glad to get into what we called a snug room, it being the inner room of two, and so having less of the outside air then usual. The following morning was clear and sunny, though very cold. We waited till the streets were full, and then went out to our work. After exhausting one part we moved to another. One man takes a book to look at, and doubling it up in the Chinese fashion, sets to read. After about half an hour he returns it saying it is very good. I ask him what treatment that is-to take a book, spoil the look of it, and then return it. He produces his string of money, on which only a few cash are left, not enough for the price of the book. So I take the money, give him a smaller book, and send him away. Another man buys a book, giving less than the sum asked. I tell him to give the full amount. He says he has no more. 'Very well,' I reply, 'I cannot sell the book;' thinking most likely that he is telling a lie. He sees that I am in earnest, so he produces the rest of the money. I then tell him that if he reads the book and acts accordingly, he will cease to tell lies. He goes away amidst the laugh of the bystanders. Just after

commencing, a stone struck me on the hip, another stone struck a man on the head who was crouching by my side. This is one of the instances of ill-treatment of foreigners like those which appeared not long since in the home papers. Dressed up in newspaper language it looks quite formidable and threatening, but those on the spot know the other side of the question-the reasons for such treatment. In this case, I believe, it was only the freak of a youth. The action

taken by the people who saw the lad throw is sufficient evidence that there was no ill-will in the matter.

"In this city there are no baptised persons, but about one and a half miles from the city to the east, at the village Meng tung chuang, are a few. Thither we went to spend the night, and were heartily welcomed. We had service during the evening and inquired into the condition of affairs. One man in a neighbouring village is a candidate for baptism."

"Going south-east from Lao fu, distant six miles, we reached HUANG HWA TIEN, a small market town. About two months after my arrival in North China I spent a night at this place. It was about the most wretched night I have ever had in China. This time we found that a new inn had been opened, and everything was good about this as was bad about the other. It was still early when we arrived, so we took our books out to the streets after a little, and sold a few. The shopkeepers were at leisure, and many came about us to listen to our preaching. We took our stand at the foot of a three-storied kind of tower; each story has one or more idols. This building is conspicuous for a long distance round. After returning to the inn, a man came in who said he was baptised by Mr. Edkins some eight years ago. He had been quite lost sight of. We were very glad to find that he still held to his profession. The following morning we were out

betimes, and spent about five hours at the market. We divided our forces and went to all parts so that all might have an opportunity of seeing and hearing. We were very well received and treated, all through the day. Thoroughly tired with standing and talking for so long, we were glad to return to our inn and rest out of sight of the people. It is quite a luxury at

such times to think that no one is looking at one. In the evening a few belonging to the inn came in, and one of the helpers preached to them the truth.

"We had been so well treated at this inn, that we signified our appreciation by giving the waiter more than double the usual amount of wine money. Presently we had a present from the innkeeper, of several packets of tea, enough to last us nearly a a week. We returned the compliment by presenting a copy each of the better books that we had.

"On the 20th we turned westward,

intending to spend the night at one of our stations. We started some time before sunrise, in order to reach a small market village called Mat'ou. The sellers of firewood were just coming into the town with their burdens, looking very strange in the dim light; for often there was nothing to be seen but a head, and below a great mass moving along. The horse in my cart also thought them very strange, as he several times shied.

"Mat'ou we found very small, and at best not many attended the market. The day was spoilt by a cold wind blowing. However, we stayed for about two hours, and then proceeded on our way. We called at a village where lives one of the converts, the only family of Christians in the neighbourhood. The wife seems a very earnest, hearty Christian. Their son, a young man of twenty, went with us to our destination, Ka la chiang. He had not been baptized as yet.

"We were welcomed to the house of one of the converts Li jen by name. In the evening we had two or three at service, but many did not know of our arrival, and so came next morning (Sunday). Then I baptized the young man who had come with us, and the infant son of our host. The converts were pretty well represented.

One

had removed to another village, another was ill, and, except the women, I think all the rest were present. It was a very interesting service, and gave quite a Sunday feeling to the day. Service over we had breakfast, and went on about four miles to another station. Here we held a service with several converts, spent the night, and next morning went about four or five miles further west to Hou-i. I think we were the first foreigners who had been to this place. We at once commenced to sell our books, and preach, and continued about two hours, when it was necessary to leave for Hsin an, to the south. We were in good time for the helper to go to the converts and call them together for the evening at our inn. Two men, father and son, who keep a small inn in the place, also came for baptism. They had both shown considerable knowledge when I had seen them on a former occasion. Since then, they have passed through a good deal of trouble, partly arising out of their pro-Christian tendencies. To-night, after further examination and a good confession, they were baptised. The son I sent up to the city (Peking) to have some time at study. Another man I also sent up from Ka la chiang, as patient to the Hospital."

fore feet on the boat, and the hind ones in the river, here about four feet deep. After one or two ineffectual attempts to get on, he rolled over on his back into the water. Then righting himself he was led up the bank, but he would not go on again, not he. At last, a rope was brought round behind, and, while I pulled the boat close in shore, the animal was pulled on to the boat by main force. The mule of the other cart was also reluctant, but the same tactics were used, and that successfully. Meanwhile, it was blowing hard, the river being partly covered with ice. It was cold. A rope was attached to the boat from the other side, and we were then pulled across. Thus passed about an hour in getting across a river not more than thirty yards wide.

"At dark, we reached Ko-er-ch'eng. The only quarter we could find was one room with two k'angs which had to accommodate our carters as well as ourselves. What with the going out and in of the carters to see after their animals, the occasional conversation of the men, their smoking their pipes and spitting, and the inroads of a mouse rattling among some cups to get at a piece of bread there,-what with all these we had rather a disturbed night. Next morning it was decided that we should cook our own food, rather than have it in inferior manner from a shop outside. The room had two large boilers. In one of these rice was boiled; in the other, the meat after being cut fine was stewed together with onions, oil, &c. The meat cooked, a soup or broth in which cabbage was the principal element was made. By the time all was ready my appetite was almost gone, the smell of the various compounds being not at all helpful. However, the men seemed to enjoy it.

"By the time this was over, we got

our books ready and went out to the market. One of the assistants went with me, and we did very well. The better class of people gathered about us well, and listened and bought. When we had finished we found that our companions had not done so well as ourselves, not having found good standing room. We left this town after a disturbance with the landlord as to the rent we ought to pay, he wanting about two shillings, and we wanting to give about ninepence. last we gave him what was equal to about one shilling. This, however, was much more than the ordinary price. We usually gave about fourpence for a night's lodging.

At

"From here we went to Wang hsingt'o. To our dismay, we found we had to cross the Hun River again. The horse had to be persuaded on to the boat by means of a rope passed round him, and he was pulled on notwithstanding a good deal of rearing and plunging. When all was ready to start there was a pause, and an inquiry how much would we give. We had only a little money left, equal to about ninepence. This I handed to the head man, saying it was all we had. They demurred at first, but we assured them it was all, and then I told them I would leave my top coat if they really insisted on having more. This joke, together, with a few cash borrowed from the carter satisfied them, and we got over all right. Strange carts-that is, carts coming from a distance-have often to pay exorbitantly; sometimes as much as £1 to get across this river. They do not attempt to squeeze foreigners in that way, however.

"Arrived at WANG HISING T'o, about four miles, we found a pretty comfortable inn. This is a large town, with several thousand inhabitants. It is seventeen miles from Tientsin."