A HOLIDAY IN COREA.*
WITH the hope of being able to shoot tigers and leopards, Captain Cavendish and Captain Goold-Adams determined to make a trip to Corea in 1891. The first of these gentlemen had but a bare two months' leave ; his companion, however, was not so much pressed for time, and intended to remain longer. The wonderful tales about the number, size, and ferocity of the feline wild beasts of Corea, and the beauty of their fur, " made the mouths of the travellers water ; " on the other hand, the mysterious " White Mountain " lured them onward, so that partly on that account, and partly by reason of the cowardice of their guides, who did not wish the haunts of the animals to be discovered, the shooting was rather a failure; but Captain Cavendish says, in the introduction to his little sketch of the country, that the time spent in Corea, amidst its strange people, wild scenery, and lovely climate, will never be regretted,—the small discomforts inseparable 'from such a journey having been greatly reduced by the civility of mandarins and officials.
It was at first intended that the book should be the joint production of the travellers, but as Captain Goold-Adams was in the Far East at the time of publication, this idea had to be abandoned, although he has contributed to the volume his account of the ascent of the " White Mountain ; " and the writer of the main portion describes his own work as a simple .amplification of the diary kept during the journey. The modest rec.& gives a clear and interesting idea of the little- known country and its people, much aided by sketches and photographs, and the very curious native illustrations, some of which are coloured. We see by the tracing on the maps that the route lay through the north-eastern portion of Corea, starting from Seoul, the capital, to Po-chlin, on the borders of Manchuria, and back again, the return journey being to some extent over new ground. Thirteen days were occupied in getting from Hong-kong to Ohemulpo, the maritime port of Corea, and on account of the very hot weather it was decided to take passage from thence to Seoul in the Japanese steam- launch, instead of making the distance, twenty-seven miles, by land. This, however, was rather a mistake, for the launch grounded so often that the impatient travellers transferred themselves to a Japanese junk, by means of which they got to the ferry of Hang-pai-do, about two miles from the river-port, Mapuh, and thence walked six miles through a fertile country to Seoul. There, of course, they met with great hospitality from the Consul-General, Mr. Hillier, and others, but having to make arrangements for the onward journey, and being weather-bound for a couple of days, they were not able to make a final start until September 5th, which was rather late in the year, as there was every chance of being prevented by snow from making the ascent of the Paik-tu-san or " White Mountain." Fortunately, however, this did not fall until Captain Goold-Adams had effected his object, and in des- (lending had reached the plateau, 6,200 ft, above the sea-level, from whence springs the mountain itself.
The means of transport in Corea are furnished by donkeys, cattle, coolies, and ponies. The first-named, from ten to 'eleven hands high, will canter at a good pace, and are also used for pack and draught purposes, as are cows and
• Korai and the Sacred White Mountain. By Captain A. E. J. Onvondloh, 2.11.G.9. London: G. Philip and Son. bulls, the latter being large, handsome beasts of a short- horned breed; one can be bought for about £3. The Omens are a beef-eating people, and export cattle to Japan and Siberia. Coolies carry a considerable amount of trade-goods, indeed, quite astounding loads, being trained to it from their infancy, and can walk thirty-three miles a day for weeks without effent. Ponies are employed by travellers, and posting-stations are established about ten miles apart along all the important routes. The "pony-man," usually the headman of the village, has to provide ponies and lodging for any official or other person provided with a letter authorising him to travel at the public expense, or should the traveller bring ponies with him, they, and the suite, must be accommodated at quite a nominal charge. The writer and his friend, under the queer names of " Goot-a- dam " and " Ka-fan-di-issl," had a document from the Minister for Foreign Affairs giving them authority to travel in the country, and to obtain lodging, ponies, money, and servants whenever they demanded them. Of course they paid well for everything; but as the currency of the country is copper cash, which are very cumbrous, and Japanese yen were not always accepted, they would have been often in difficulties but for having a " shoe " or ingot of pure silver, from which pieces can be cut off as required. The little ponies are wonderfully clever and sure-footed, though their pace is slow ; but it is not surprising that the two gentlemen declined to ride their steeds down the twenty steps leading from Mr. Hillier's door to hie entrance-gate, albeit the animals carrying their baggage made the descent with perfect ease. They had with them ten ponies, with their "Mapus," or attendants; a " Toonsah," or interpreter, who could neither speak nor understand English, but who, never- theless, was very useful ; a cook; and a servant named Yenng, a bumptious and not over-scrupulous personage, who had lived with an Englishman, and fairly mastered his language, and having travelled with him a good deal in the interior, was capable of giving a good deal of assistance to our country- men, though, like all town-bred Coreans, he looked upon Seoul as the only place worth living in, and treated pro- --facials of every grade with the utmost contempt, so far as h2, dared. Although Corea is, to use the expression of Captain Cavendish, "run by Japanese and Chinese," who compete eagerly for the lion's share in the direction of her affairs, and thus form a sort of protection against Russian aggression, the King—the Son of the Ten Thousand Islands, the Son of Heaven, the Father of his People—is supposed to vivify and enlighten every inhabitant of his capital, while the persons and property of his subjects are at his absolute dis- posal. He, however, is but a puppet in the hands of his strong-minded Queen and his Prime Minister, one of her near relatives; but he is also much influenced by his "Foreign Adviser" and his Military Adviser," both of them Americans, who have introduced foreign instructors of various nationalities to train the Army. Captain Cavendish enters into some amusing particulars with regard to military matters, and gives curious instances of the King's extravagance and of the corruption that exists in every department of State affairs, though trade is steadily increasing, as also are some industries,—notably the making of durable, strong paper from the fibre of Broussonetia papyrafera. The Coreans also make coarse cloth for their rough garments from the Holm Sorghun, but Manchester shirtings are much used. Captain Cavendish describes Corean boys and men as good-looking— even handsome—but the women and girls as hideous ; but it must be remembered that he saw only the lower classes of the latter, who have to labour from early morning till late night in the fields, the gardens, the house, and the stables ; while except during the four months of seed-time and harvest, the male peasant does nothing but gossip and smoke. A man's chief sources of expense lie in his clothes and his pipe—the former, being white, are soon worn out by washing—and their hats are very dear. A Corean, though he has a distaste for personal ablution, will have his clothes scrupulously clean and . beautifully glazed. The mandarins were remarkable for scrupulously clean, carefully tended, well-shaped, soft white hands, without the long nails affected by the Chinese ; they lay great stress upon small hands and feet as points of beauty and showing high breeding,—and Coreans are said to be great pedestrians and lovers of scenery, the men often making pilgrimages to places whence a fine view may be obtained. Until he is engaged to be married, a. man, what- ever be his age, wears his hair in a pigtail, and may not cover his head ; but as soon as his betrothal takes place, which often happens in childhood, the boy's head is partly shaven, and his hair twisted into a knot on the top of it, and he may then wear one of the many kinds of masculine hats. The illustrations we have mentioned, which are the work of a Corean gentleman, show his country-people in pursuit of many avocations in the house, the field, the workshop, the school, &c., as also marriage and funeral processions and entertainments, one representing a hawking-party, that being a favourite form of sport in Corea.
As a rule, the travellers passed the night in their tent, and found they were quite right in disregarding the warning that a tiger would come and carry them off. Of these animals, indeed, they appear to have seen nothing more than the tracks, although in every province there are " hunters" in the pay of the King, who are supposed to repay him by the skins and bodies of the game they slay, but their reluctance to face a tiger is so great that when a man- eater commits great ravages, the hunters of several districts have to be compelled to join forces, and go against him ; but tigers, as well as leopards, are often caught in traps when they come down from the mountains for food. Captain Cavendish tells us that undoubtedly there is a great quantity of game in Corea, and he gives a long list of the different kinds he saw or heard of, but adds that with regard to tigers or leopards there is only one way to get at them, and that is to let them come to you, as it is only by luck you will fall in with them. The natives are so lazy, cowardly, and untruthful that no per- suasion will induce them to act as beaters. The beasts hide themselves in the rugged, forest-clad mountains during three- fourths of the year, and only appear by night near the habi- tations in search of food. Yet he adds, that if any one would face the hardship and discomfort of a Corean winter in a well- selected district, he would certainly obtain good sport with tigers, leopards, and bears. Deer are very numerous and easily obtained, pheasants abound, and wild-fowl are in mil- lions ; all you need do is to dress in white like a Corean and have a good retriever with you.
To return to our travellers, after a month'sljourney across wild mountains, some bare and rocky, others covered with splendid timber, in which the autumnal tints formed a blaze of colouring that beggars description, along fertile valleys or deep gorges, where the rivers had to be crossed by crazy plank-bridges or by means of clumsy ferry-boats, with here and there a village and the doleful creaking of a primitive water-mill, and at farther intervals a town where one or two Europeans were glad to offer kindness and assistance, or a friendly Pusa or Prefect, seated on a black wood stool covered by a leopard-skin, would facilitate arrangements for further progress, the two friends arrived at Po-chOn, within eight of the " White Mountain," and there had reluctantly to separate, Captain Cavendish returning towards Japan and Captain Goold-Adams, provided with six coolies in deer-skin breeches and coats, with conical felt hats with broad brims, and accompanied by town-swell Yeung, proceeding towards the mysterious mountain, " two hun- dred miles high," the abode of spirits who, even when duly propitiated by offerings of rice, might by no means be willing to allow those who invaded their domains to return in safety to their homes. It seems to have been a twelve days' march through the forest which surrounds the mountain, and as it was impossible to carry large loads, for a great part of the journey going and returning, Captain Goold-Adams had to subsist on no better food than boiled millet. However, he duly reached the lake that fills the extinct crater on the summit, and took a number of photographs. " It was," he says, "a striking scene ; the absolute stillness and intense blueness of the lake contrasted strongly with the hurricane raging about me and the grey and white slopes beneath me. The stillness of the surface was accounted for by the protection afforded by the peaks, for the lake lay 250 ft. or 300 ft. below the rim of the crater." Not a living thing of any description was to be seen ; but the view is described as magnificent, as the mountain towers far above the surrounding country. Speaking of a distant view of the mountain, Captain Cavendish ex- presses himself as at first somewhat disappointed ; but when he afterwards saw it from the top of the ridge above the Yalu river, the extinct volcano towered above everything else, the rest of the country appearing like an unbroken pine-clad plain, and he says he could well understand how the mysterious isolation of the Paik-tu.san had given birth to so many legends concerning it among the nature-worshipping peoples in its vicinity.
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