failed, and I think the line of preaching that seemed to impress
the hearers most was one that reasoned with them about the growth,
manufacture, and use of these three, being so contrary to Heaven's
design in giving land and rain to grow food, that it was not to be
wondered at if, seeing how the land and rain were perverted, God
should send short rations. Evil speaking, vile language, made a
fourth subject which naturally came in for notice, and on all these
four subjects I scarcely ever spoke without gaining the nearly
universal concurrence of my little audiences.

'The great theme, however, was Christ, and I think that most men in
that little market town, and a great many of those who used to
come to the fair, both heard and understood the great gospel truth
of salvation in Jesus.

'Eager to see some more of the country, and in the hope that I
might be able to talk to him on the way, I hired a Mongol to carry
my bedding and books, and made a descent on a village thirty miles
away. The general cold of the winter was aggravated by a snowstorm
which overtook us at the little market town, and I have no words to
tell you how the cold felt that day as I paraded that one street. I
sold a fair number of books, though my hands were too much benumbed
almost to be able to hand the books out. I made some attempts at
preaching, but the muscles were also benumbed--that day _was_ a
_cold_ day.

'I was turned out of two respectable inns at Bull Town because I
was a foot traveller, had no cart or animal, that is, and had to
put up in a tramps' tavern because I came as a tramp!

'Next journey I made I hired a man and a _donkey_. The donkey was
my passport to respectability, and I was more comfortable too,
being able to take more bedding with me. I was warned against going
to Ch'ao Yang, sixty miles, the roads being represented as unsafe;
but I went and found no trouble, though there was a severe famine
in the district. I spent a day each at two market towns on the way,
and two days in Ch'ao Yang itself.

'The journey home I made on foot, a donkey driven by a Mongol
carrying my bedding and books. I adopted this plan mainly to bring
myself into close contact with the Mongol. He proved himself a
capital fellow to travel with, but as yet has shown no si