He did not, however, take his eyes from the man
with whom he was holding the conversation. He then dived into my
food-basket, wrenched off the top of a tin, and pulled therefrom two
beautifully-marked live pigeons, which flapped their wings helplessly to
get away, and resumed the conversation. Talk waxed furious, the birds
were placed by the side of the road, and T'ong, now white with seeming
rage, threatened to hit the man. It turned out that the plaintiff was
the seller of the birds, and that T'ong had got them too cheap.
"That man no savee. He thinkee you, master, have got plenty money. He
b'long all same rogue. I no b'long fool. I know, I know."
As the cover of the food-basket was closed down I noticed a cooked fowl,
two live pheasants with their legs tied together, a pair of my own muddy
boots, a pair of dancing pumps, and a dirty collar, all in addition to
my little luxuries and the two pigeons aforesaid. Reader, if thou
would'st travel in China, peep not into thy _hoh shih lan tsi_ if thou
would'st feed well.
T'ong, laughing derisively, waved fond and fantastic salutations to the
disappointed vendor of pigeons, and moved backwards on tiptoe till he
could see him no more; then we went noiselessly down a steep incline out
into an open space of distracted and dishevelled beauty on our way to
Chao-t'ong-fu.
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