RECORDS OF THE JOURNEY
Yang and the staff of instructors arrived. A circular from Peiping had conveyed orders for the establishment of 3o new schools in the province of Sinkiang, but lack of funds was proving a serious obstacle to carrying out all these reforms. In talking of the late war he expressed the view that Russia would certainly have proved victorious, had the war gone on for some time longer. He also seemed to consider that Japan's unity and concord were not securely founded.
The day before yesterday Gui informed me that on the following day I might expect August 2nd. a combined visit from no less than eight mandarins, i.e., all those whom I had called on Urumchi. with the Governor at their head. As there was not much time to make the necessary preparations, I resorted to the customary Chinese expediént and announced that I was ill, requesting them to postpone their visit, if possible, for a day. My request was granted and to-day I had the pleasure of seeing a numerous company of mandarins collected round my table, from the Fantai downwards. The Governor was unwell, possibly as a result of an attempt on his life yesterday, when a Chinese armed with a knife forced his way into the yamen.
The consul had detailed a couple of dozen Cossacks to protect his flower beds from the attentions of litter bearers, drivers and other unemployed Chinese. The courtyard of the consulate presented a lively appearance with numbers of Chinese cabs and three comfortable palanquins. The horses are unharnessed while the owner is paying a call, which makes the courtyard look like a camp. The conversation was more difficult than usual. Gui was more than ordinarily impossible in the company of such high officials. Frequently he did not hear what was said to him and perhaps it was just as well, for his interpreting went to pieces completely to-day. Tchao has been down with a temperature of 39° for the last three days, so that I was entirely at the mercy of Gui's incapacity.
The Fantai started a discussion of Swedish and Russian history that promised to be interesting and might easily have been guided into other channels, but my efforts proved fruitless in the face of Gui's stupidity. It was curious to watch the peculiar discipline observed among the mandarins in all situations. There is not a moment's hesitation when the guests sit down to table, which is convenient for the host, who is relieved of the trouble of seating them. If they had to pass through a door, they were just as quick in forming up according to rank. A junior would never venture to go through a door until all his superiors in rank had preceded him. He stands patiently and waits, if by chance one of his. seniors happens to be at some distance from the door. The palanquin carriers are wonderfully trained. The instant a mandarin makes a movement to seat himself in the palanquin, the leader gives an order and the palanquin is lifted halfway towards the mandarin and they move off at once with rapid, elastic steps.
The yigit, who had been engaged in Qarashahr, developed a temperature of 39.2° this morning. This place, which seems to enjoy a salubrious climate, is apparently suffering from some kind of local fever of a gastric nature. — I have experienced another piece of bad luck, as the grey, the better of the two horses that have accompanied me here from Osh, is suffering from glanders. The symptoms (evil smelling discharge from the left
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