Having made up my mind, I curled myself up in the brushwood and lay undisturbed, rather hungry and excessively miserable, until kind sleep overtook me about midnight.
As soon as daylight enabled me to see, I examined my dress and pockets, and found that, with the exception of a sum of money in my belt, I had been regularly "cleaned out." Everything of any value, except the belt, had been stolen, and I marvelled how the thief had succeeded. Perhaps the liquor which he had given me had stupefied me; the "rice spirit" is somewhat "heady." At anyrate there I stood, a coolie in appearance, untidy, unshaven, bedraggled, cold and hungry, and quite unable to help myself. I could only draw in my belt tightly to appease my hunger, and prevent the qualms I dreaded. Luckily I found a stream, washed and drank of it, and then made my cast south-east again.
The air was frosty and fresh, and I walked rapidly to warm my chilled frame, but had not proceeded more than two miles, as I judged, when three men who were coming across an adjacent path from another direction espied me. I had no chance of retreat, they saw me at once, and to my dismay I perceived others behind them. No doubt a village was near, or a large farm perhaps, though single farms are not frequent in China. The villages are walled, and every foot of ground belonging to these farmers is utilised and fertilised, so that the best results are obtained by continual attention; and the land is of course taxed, the taxes being paid to the public exchequer. "Anything," even the shaven hair of the villagers, is put into the ground; vegetable and animal refuse is of course in request. Tobacco is used to kill insects, and the zebu, or buffalo of the country, is the labouring animal, which takes the place of the horse or ox; and milk, butter, etc., are almost unknown. There are ducks, and fowls, and hogs, the last especially are plentiful, and in China the "black hog," instead of the "black dog" of the British nursery, may very likely "get upon the children's backs," and cause ill tempers. The dog and the cat here pass their time pleasantly, but the stranger must _cave canem_.
The villagers--farmers--came upon me, and stood a little away, staring in wonderment at me. Then they surrounded me, and made inquiries which I ignored,--not from pride,--and then they tried more questions, and searching ones. Fortunately they found nothing, but they conferred together, and indicated that I must return with them to the village. Of course I had no alternative, and accompanied them, where, in a kind of shed, I was commanded to strip! In the most emphatic fashion I declined, folding my arms and exclaiming, "Englishman," and added--what they knew already--"Fan Quei" (foreign devil).