odness of God. Our
Tartar host, who insisted upon escorting us out of the town, led us to an
elevation whence we could see in the distance a long line of thick vapour
which seemed journeying from west to east; it marked the course of the
Yellow River. "Where you see that vapour," said the old man, "you will
find a great dike, which serves to keep the river in bounds, except upon
any extraordinary rise of the waters. That dike is now dry; when you
come to it, proceed along it until you reach the little pagoda you see
yonder, on your right; there you will find a boat that will convey you
across the river. Keep that pagoda in sight, and you can't lose your
way." We cordially thanked the old man for the kindness he had shown us
and proceeded on our journey.

We were soon up to the knees of the camels in a thick slimy compost of
mud and water, covering other somewhat firmer mud, over which the poor
animals slowly slid on their painful way; their heads turning alternately
right and left, their limbs trembling, and the sweat exuding from each
pore. Every moment we expected them to fall beneath us. It was near
noon ere we arrived at a little village, not more than a couple of miles
from the place where we had left the old man. Here a few wretched
people, whose rags scarce covered their gaunt frames, came round us, and
accompanied us to the edge of a broad piece of water, portion of a lake,
which they told us, and which, it was quite clear, we must pass before we
could reach the dike indicated by the Tartar. Some boatmen proposed to
carry us over this lake to the dike. We asked them how many sapeks they
would charge for the service:--"Oh, very little; next to nothing. You
see we will take in our boats you, and the baggage, and the mule, and the
horse; one of our people will lead the camels through the lake; they are
too big to come into the boat. When one comes to reckon on all this
load, and all the trouble and fatigue, the price seems absolutely less
than nothing." "True, there will be some trouble in the affair, no one
denies it; but let us have a distinct understanding. How many sapeks do
you ask?" "Oh, scarcely any. We are all brothers; and you, brothers,
need all our assistance in travelling. We know that; we feel it in our
hearts. If we could only afford it, we should have pleasure in carrying
you over for nothing; but look at our clothes. We poor fellows are very
poor. Our boat is all we have to depend