Our Little Korean CousinPike, H. Lee M. (Henry Lee Mitchell)
General
Our Little Korean Cousin
Pike, H. Lee M. (Henry Lee Mitchell)
Children -- Korea -- Juvenile literature
As it was, Yung Pak slept soundly the whole night, and did not awake
until after daylight, when servants brought to his door a wooden bowl
and a brass vessel full of water for his morning bath. Quickly he sprang
up, and with his companions made ready for the day's journey, for they
were all anxious to be on their way.
[Illustration: "THE DAY WAS PASSED IN MUCH THE SAME MANNER AS THE
PRECEDING ONE"]
Breakfast was served in much the same manner as the supper of the
previous evening had been. Of this meal all heartily partook, for a
Korean is never guilty of having a poor appetite.
As usual, it took a long time to get the ponies properly loaded and
ready to start, and the forenoon was about half-gone when the procession
finally left the courtyard of the inn.
A twenty-mile march would bring the party to Rang-chyön, where it was
proposed to spend the second night of the journey.
The day was passed in much the same manner as the preceding one, though
of course new scenes proved ever interesting to Yung Pak. During this
day the party had to cross a river which was too deep to ford, and over
which there was no sort of bridge. For the assistance of travellers a
ferry-boat had been provided. This boat was a broad, flat-bottomed,
clumsy affair. It could carry but three ponies at a time, with several
men. The men in charge of the boat were slow and obstinate, and
consequently it took a long time for all to get across the river.
It was right here that an unfortunate, yet laughable, accident occurred.
As on the preceding day, the cook rode perched upon his pony's load of
kettles, pans, and pots. When riding along a good road his position was
precarious enough, requiring all his best efforts to maintain his
balance.
When his turn came to go upon the ferry-boat, Ki Pak advised him to
dismount and lead his pony across the plank which covered the watery
space between the bank of the river and the boat. But the cook was an
obstinate Korean, as well as a trifle lazy, and refused to get down,
thinking he could safely drive his beast across the gang-plank.
Ordinarily this would have been possible, but on this particular
occasion, just as the pony stepped upon the plank, the boat gave a
lurch, the plank slipped, and overboard went pony, cook, and all. For a
few moments there was enough bustle and excitement to suit any one.
Fortunately, the water was not deep, and quickly the drenched animal and
man were pulled from the water. The only permanent harm was to some of
the provisions that were a part of the pony's load. The cook was a wiser
as well as a wet man, and made up his mind that the next time he would
heed the advice to dismount when boarding a ferry-boat.
The day's journey was completed without further special incident, and at
night they rested in the inn at Rang-chyön under conditions much the
same as at Yong-pyöng.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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