The slowness and discomfort of the journey from Manchuria by railway to Seoul determined us to take another route on our return, and as there was a boat going from Chemulpo to Dalny about the time we wanted to start we decided to take it. We booked our places in good time, paid for tickets, and the agent promised to wire at once to Yokohama to have the berths reserved for us. On our return to Seoul, however, after our trip across the country, we saw that another steamer was advertised to sail the day following the one for which we had booked. This was not only a larger steamer, but also boasted European food, instead of Japanese, no small matter when one is sea-sick. We at once decided to change our tickets if possible, and went to the agent from whom they had been obtained. He said it was impossible to make any alteration as the berths had been already secured on the other steamer; however, after some demur, he telephoned to the agent at Chemulpo to ascertain what answer he had received from Yokohama. The agent declared that he had never been asked to secure any berths, and that none had been reserved. This made the way plain for us, and we were glad for once of the hopelessly unbusinesslike habits prevailing in Korea. I have related this incident to show how difficult it is to travel comfortably; for our friends said that ours was no uncommon experience, and that various of their friends, with places already engaged, had gone to take their boat at Chemulpo, as we should have done, and found that all the berths were full, so that they were obliged to return to Seoul and wait for the next. As boats only run to Dalny once in three or four weeks this is a serious matter. We started in the early afternoon and found a large crowd of passengers waiting to go by the train; it duly came into the station, and the luggage was put in the van, but the passengers were kept cooped up within railings for fifteen minutes, actually to within five minutes of the starting of the train. When they were at last allowed on the platform there was a perfect stampede, and the discovery was made that there were no first-class carriages, though we and other passengers had first-class tickets. The officials were applied to, but they said if we wanted first-class accommodation we could wait a couple of hours and take the next train. We were not sorry when our short journey of one and three quarter hours came to an end to think that it was our last experience of Korean railways. On arrival at Chemulpo we passed through a door labelled “wicket,” which was surely strangely unlike the wicket gate with which we are all so familiar by name from the days of our childhood, though we certainly felt like pilgrims.