gallop which the postillions were powerless to restrain. The street was very narrow, was paved with stone and consequently slippery, and had no pavement-only a sort of gutter or ditch at the side. Moreover, the road presently descended by a rather sharp incline. The welcoming shouts of the good people of Datia, who crowded the galleries and roofs of the houses, added to the fright of the horses, the big landau began to sway dangerously from side to side, and the end was manifestly near.

Suddenly one or other, I daresay more, of the horses slipped up and came with a crash to the ground, the vehicle turned over, and my next sensation was that of finding myself sitting on the top of the old Maharaja, in all his finery of silks and jewels, in the stone gutter. No harm was done: an intelligent A.D.C. sat on the head of the plunging horses; the traces were cut; the carriage was with difficulty dragged on one side; and, changing into a later vehicle in the procession, we resumed our state entry unhindered and unhurt. The old Maharaja was very crestfallen; but, being a sportsman, he took the matter in good part, and soon recovered his equanimity.

An amusing sequel occurred when I passed on from Datia to pay my next visit to the neighbouring state of Orcha. In the course of my ceremonial visit to the Maharaja of Orcha, who had heard of the contretemps and was inspired by feelings of amiable rivalry towards his princely colleague, I explained to him what had happened.

"At this stage," I said, "I found myself in the melancholy position of sitting upon the head of His Highness the Maharaja of Datia in the ditch." "And a very proper position for Your Excellency to occupy," was the immediate and courtly rejoinder of the old chief, who, it was suspected, viewed the mishap that had attended his neighbour with some subdued satisfaction.

VI

THE CURIOSITY OF LI HUNG CHANG

There are some things which men confess with ease, and others with difficulty.

TRA

EPICTETUS, "On Inconsistency," cap. xxi.

RAVELLERS in the East will be very familiar with one aspect of Oriental mentality, which is always amusing and often of value, if at times a little disconcerting. I allude to the idiosyncrasy which prompts the Eastern, even of the highest rank, to put and to answer, with equal good manners, and with a total lack of impertinence, the most searching and intimate questions as to age, profession, family history and income.

As a rule in the West you do not, on the first occasion that you meet a stranger, ask him how old he is, whether he is married, and if so how long he has borne the yoke, what is the size of his family, and what are the emoluments of his profession. There is a certain reserve about such matters, the discussion or disclosure of which is supposed to be the reward of intimacy and to mark the later rather than the opening stages of acquaintance. But the Eastern thinks and acts quite otherwise. He wants to know what manner of person he is encountering, and to place him fairly and squarely in his normal environment.

For this purpose it is important to learn the details of his domestic existence, when he entered the world, what he has done since, what are his present circumstances, and so forth.

The Oriental is much more concerned to ascertain these elemental conditions than he is to exchange opinions or to analyse character. He is not bad at the latter operation either, but it must come in its proper place. Thus, in all my travels, whether I was the guest of an Asiatic monarch,

a Kurdish chieftain, or a Persian satrap (though in the latter case the curiosity was apt to be veiled by an almost Gallic polish of manner), I was always prepared to be put through my paces in this respect, and to reveal the fullest details of my age and circumstances. I have related elsewhere how much I fell in the estimation of the Foreign Minister of Korea, when he learned that, though an ex-Minister, I was not married to a member of the British royal family!

Salary I found to be a perennial source of interest. The Eastern governor-who lives as a rule by successful spoliation of his subjects or subordinates, and who regards office not as the gratification of an honourable ambition, but as the opportunity of replenishing a depleted exchequer always wanted to know what an English Minister or ruler received or did in analogous conditions. What was his actual stipend? What were his perquisites? Was office a convenient and agreeable source of wealth? What powers did it enable the occupant to exercise? And did he