Fifteen Years Among the Top-Knots; Or, Life in KoreaUnderwood, Lillias H. (Lillias Horton)
Religion
Fifteen Years Among the Top-Knots; Or, Life in Korea
Underwood, Lillias H. (Lillias Horton)
Korea -- Description and travel; Missions -- Korea
After Mr. Underwood arrived, eleven people were baptized here. The
first public service for all was held in a hired room in the largest
inn in the place. The chief man, after listening to all that had been
said, arose and spoke to the crowd as follows: “We all know that what
we have heard is true, there is nothing left for us to say but that
from to-day on we will believe.” Some of the men who attended this
meeting remained outside the door at first, unwilling to be seen in
such company, as they were respectable gentlemen. After listening
awhile they condescended to step inside, and before the service was
over they had seated themselves in the front row, and admitted it was
very good.
Aside from our kitchen arrangements, and a little anxiety lest the cow
should conclude to visit us in our bedroom at night, and the persistent
cock crowing at my head from two in the morning, we had a lovely time
at Pung Chun.
Again at one of the little villages up in the mountains some of our
chair coolies deserted us, and there was nothing left for it but for
our two young ladies to ride in an ox-cart. They were a little doubtful
about this new mode of procedure, but the Koreans assured us it was
quite safe, and as our little son had traveled miles that way, we
encouraged them to try it, especially as it was a last resort. So with
many misgivings they perched themselves on top of the loads, and the
ox, a great spirited animal, was brought up. When Miss Chase asked if
he was to be trusted, they assured her with the statement that he could
fight any ox in the country. It was supposed a good deal of harnessing
would follow, but when a noose was merely slipped over a hook, and
with no warning the steed literally galloped off, we were all somewhat
startled, and the young ladies gave themselves up, with such a team
running away.
The ox-cart is extremely primitive, its two wheels have only the
clumsiest attempt at heavy wooden tires. The soft mud roads are full of
deep ruts, so that under the most favorable circumstances the bumping
and jolting are unspeakable. When therefore their mettlesome animal was
at length of a mind to pause a little in his mad career, they lost no
time in the order of their descent from that vehicle, and started off
at a brisk pace, evidently decided to walk all the way back to Seoul
rather than jeopardize their lives in such a contrivance and behind
such a creature again. However, the way was long, and before night
they changed their minds and resigned themselves to the ox-cart, when
his bovine spirits were a little subdued by his journey, and he was
somewhat less light and frisky than in the morning.
We arrived at Chil Pong, one of the villages perched up in the
mountains, early in the evening, but not so our loads, which the
country people manage in some miraculous way to drag up the steep
mountain roads on the ox-carts.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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