e pride of Japan, and which every native artist is sure to introduce
into his pictures, no matter where located.

As we passed near a humble cottage, a youthful mother was observed at
play with her little nude, brown baby. It lay upon its back on the green
sward with wild flowers clutched in either tiny fist, itself only a
blossom of humanity, crowing and laughing at its mother's pranks, as she
kneeled over it. It was difficult to say which exhibited the more
pleasure in the occupation. The Japanese become mothers frequently at
fourteen, and here was one who was certainly no older, as brown and
nearly as naked as her baby. We had surprised her at this maternal game,
and she rose to her feet folding her hands before her, while looking
half abashed at the passing strangers. It was a pretty tableau.

As we dashed over the smooth road at a lively pace the glowing sunset
painted scarlet the white turbaned head of the distant mountain, while
it bronzed and gilded the clouds in the west. Opal fires burned all over
the sky, as the twilight threw its amber hues about us, and presently
the men halted, each taking out a funny little painted paper lantern
from under the seat, and lighted a candle inside of it, which they hung
on the end of the shafts. We went on then along the narrow way in a
procession of six jinrikishas, the men on the full jump; for the
approaching lights of the city inspired them to extra exertion, and they
shouted cries of encouragement and emulation to each other, and pressed
forward with increased speed. Altogether it was a very characteristic
scene, as we rolled into Yokohama at a mad gallop that night, returning
from the Hakone Pass.

As a rule, one has little patience with the foreign jugglers who annoy
and importune travelers to witness performances of snake-charming,
sleight of hand, and deceptive tricks generally, to the sound of a fife
and drum, but we witnessed one exhibition at Yokohama in the open air,
which was remarkable, not for any mystery about it, but as showing to
what degree of adroitness and skill the human hands may be trained by
patient practice. The performer was a middle-aged man who had just
closed a series of the stereotyped tricks before the British Consulate.
It was a new exhibition to us, though one that is well known, and which
we saw indifferently imitated afterwards in China. As has been said it
was out-of-doors, but the air was perfectly still. The performer took a
sheet of