Any one thinking of visiting the Diamond Mountains would do well to try and secure a competent Korean to go with them, who would be able to secure the daily fowl for dinner of which we heard, but which we never met, and to procure any other requisite. We saw no cultivation of vegetables, except small plots of onions, so that we had to rely entirely on the stores that we took with us for everything except eggs. We were told (too late) that a guide may easily be heard of at the Y.M.C.A. in Seoul. As to means of transit—there are only three; a _pony_, but let me add a warning on this score, namely, that one gets deadly tired of its slow walk; a _native chair_, consisting of a square box like an Indian dhoolie, with carriers who groan all the time; and _shanks’s pony_, which in the mountains is the only pleasant one. Residents in Korea have their own carrying chairs, but these are not to be hired. As regards the time of year most suitable for travelling in Korea, May is the most beautiful, or early autumn we were told, but in case of the former, mosquito curtains are a necessity. We found winter clothing requisite for April; thick tweeds and fur coat were none too warm. We had been told that the country districts were quite unsafe on account of Japanese vagrants, but we saw nothing of them, and as far as we could judge there is excellent order everywhere. Although Mr. Chiao was unable to communicate directly with the Koreans, his presence was of undoubted value to us in more ways than one. It lent prestige to our small party, for the Koreans hold the Chinese in great respect; and for them to see such a man as Mr. Chiao in a subordinate position to us, was equivalent to raising us to high rank. CHAPTER XIII Seoul to Dalny