g his head covered
with a red hood. This was the great Mandarin. On entering, he scanned,
with a quick and searching glance, the interior of the inn. Perceiving
us, and remarking, above all, three camels at the end of the court, the
muscles of his lean face were suddenly contracted. When all the horsemen
had dismounted they invited him to descend from his vehicle. "What!"
cried he in a dry, angry voice; "who are those Tartars? what are those
camels? let the landlord be brought to me." On this unexpected summons
the host took to his heels, and white button remained for an instant like
one petrified: his face turned pale, then red, then olive-colour.
However, he made an effort, advanced to the carriage, put one knee to the
ground, then rose, and approaching the ear of his master, spoke to him
for some time, in an undertone. The dialogue ended, the great Mandarin
condescended to dismount, and after having saluted us with his hand in a
protecting manner, he retired like a simple mortal to the small room
which had been prepared for him.

The triumph we had thus obtained in a country, admission even to which
was prohibited to us under pain of death, {273} gave us prodigious
courage. These terrible Mandarins, who had formerly occasioned us such
alarm, ceased to be terrible to us the instant that we dared to approach
them, and to look at them closely. We saw men puffed up with pride and
insolence, pitiless tyrants towards the weak, but dastardly in the
extreme before men of energy. From this moment we found ourselves as
much at our ease in China as anywhere else, and able to travel without
fear, and with our heads erect in the open face of day.

After two days journey, we arrived at Tchong-Wei, on the banks of the
Yellow River, a walled town of moderate size. Its cleanliness, its good
condition, its air of comfort, contrasted singularly with the
wretchedness and ugliness of Ning-Hia; and judging merely from its
innumerable shops, all well stocked, and from the large population
crowding its streets, we should pronounce Tchong-Wei to be a place of
much commercial importance; yet the Chinese of this district have no
notion of navigation, and not a boat is to be seen on the Yellow River in
this quarter--a circumstance remarkable in itself, and confirmatory of
the opinion that the inhabitants of this part of Kan-Sou are of Thibetian
and Tartar origin; for it is well known that the Chinese are everywhere
passionately addi