should　do　so。　　The　bone　was　visible；　and　easily　removed　with　a
  crochet　needle。　　An　hour　later　the　mother　sent　a　tray　with　a
  quantity　of　cakes　and　coarse　confectionery　upon　it　as　a　present；
  with　the　piece　of　dried　seaweed　which　always　accompanies　a　gift。
  Before　night　seven　people　with　sore　legs　applied　for　〃advice。〃　　The
  sores　were　all　superficial　and　all　alike；　and　their　owners　said
  that　they　had　been　produced　by　the　incessant　rubbing　of　the　bites
  of　ants。
  On　this　summer　day　the　country　looks　as　prosperous　as　it　is
  beautiful；　and　one　would　not　think　that　acute　poverty　could　exist
  in　the　steep…roofed　village　of　Nojiri；　which　nestles　at　the　foot　of
  the　hill；　but　two　hempen　ropes　dangling　from　a　cryptomeria　just
  below　tell　the　sad　tale　of　an　elderly　man　who　hanged　himself　two
  days　ago；　because　he　was　too　poor　to　provide　for　a　large　family；
  and　the　house…mistress　and　Ito　tell　me　that　when　a　man　who　has　a
  young　family　gets　too　old　or　feeble　for　work　he　often　destroys
  himself。
  My　hostess　is　a　widow　with　a　family；　a　good…natured；　bustling
  woman；　with　a　great　love　of　talk。　　All　day　her　house　is　open　all
  round；　having　literally　no　walls。　　The　roof　and　solitary　upper　room
  are　supported　on　posts；　and　my　ladder　almost　touches　the　kitchen
  fire。　　During　the　day…time　the　large　matted　area　under　the　roof　has
  no　divisions；　and　groups　of　travellers　and　magos　lie　about；　for
  every　one　who　has　toiled　up　either　side　of　Kurumatoge　takes　a　cup
  of　〃tea　with　eating；〃　and　the　house…mistress　is　busy　the　whole　day。
  A　big　well　is　near　the　fire。　　Of　course　there　is　no　furniture；　but
  a　shelf　runs　under　the　roof；　on　which　there　is　a　Buddhist　god…
  house；　with　two　black　idols　in　it；　one　of　them　being　that　much…
  worshipped　divinity；　Daikoku；　the　god　of　wealth。　　Besides　a　rack
  for　kitchen　utensils；　there　is　only　a　stand　on　which　are　six　large
  brown　dishes　with　food　for　salesalt　shell…fish；　in　a　black
  liquid；　dried　trout　impaled　on　sticks；　sea　slugs　in　soy；　a　paste
  made　of　pounded　roots；　and　green　cakes　made　of　the　slimy　river
  confervae；　pressed　and　driedall　ill…favoured　and　unsavoury
  viands。　　This　afternoon　a　man　without　clothes　was　treading　flour
  paste　on　a　mat；　a　traveller　in　a　blue　silk　robe　was　lying　on　the
  floor　smoking；　and　five　women　in　loose　attire；　with　elaborate
  chignons　and　blackened　teeth；　were　squatting　round　the　fire。　　At
  the　house…mistress's　request　I　wrote　a　eulogistic　description　of
  the　view　from　her　house；　and　read　it　in　English；　Ito　translating
  it；　to　the　very　great　satisfaction　of　the　assemblage。　　Then　I　was
  asked　to　write　on　four　fans。　　The　woman　has　never　heard　of　England。
  It　is　not　〃a　name　to　conjure　with〃　in　these　wilds。　　Neither　has　she
  heard　of　America。　　She　knows　of　Russia　as　a　great　power；　and；　of
  course；　of　China；　but　there　her　knowledge　ends；　though　she　has　been
  at　Tokiyo　and　Kiyoto。
  July　1。I　was　just　falling　asleep　last　night；　in　spite　of
  mosquitoes　and　fleas；　when　I　was　roused　by　much　talking　and　loud
  outcries　of　poultry；　and　Ito；　carrying　a　screaming；　refractory　hen；
  and　a　man　and　woman　whom　he　had　with　difficulty　bribed　to　part　with
  it；　appeared　by　my　bed。　　I　feebly　said　I　would　have　it　boiled　for
  breakfast；　but　when　Ito　called　me　this　morning　he　told　me　with　a
  most　rueful　face　that　just　as　he　was　going　to　kill　it　it　had
  escaped　to　the　woods！　　In　order　to　understand　my　feelings　you　must
  have　experienced　what　it　is　not　to　have　tasted　fish；　flesh；　or
  fowl；　for　ten　days！　　The　alternative　was　eggs　and　some　of　the　paste
  which　the　man　was　treading　yesterday　on　the　mat　cut　into　strips　and
  boiled！　　It　was　coarse　flour　and　buckwheat；　so；　you　see；　I　have
  learned　not　to　be　particular！
  I。　L。　B。
  LETTER　XIV
  An　Infamous　RoadMonotonous　GreeneryAbysmal　DirtLow　LivesThe
  Tsugawa　YadoyaPolitenessA　Shipping　PortA　Barbarian　Devil。
  TSUGAWA；　July　2。
  Yesterday's　journey　was　one　of　the　most　severe　I　have　yet　had；　for
  in　ten　hours　of　hard　travelling　I　only　accomplished　fifteen　miles。
  The　road　from　Kurumatoge　westwards　is　so　infamous　that　the　stages
  are　sometimes　little　more　than　a　mile。　　Yet　it　is　by　it；　so　far　at
  least　as　the　Tsugawa　river；　that　the　produce　and　manufactures　of
  the　rich　plain　of　Aidzu；　with　its　numerous　towns；　and　of　a　very
  large　interior　district；　must　find　an　outlet　at　Niigata。　　In
  defiance　of　all　modern　ideas；　it　goes　straight　up　and　straight　down
  hill；　at　a　gradient　that　I　should　be　afraid　to　hazard　a　guess　at；
  and　at　present　it　is　a　perfect　quagmire；　into　which　great　stones
  have　been　thrown；　some　of　which　have　subsided　edgewise；　and　others
  have　disappeared　altogether。　　It　is　the　very　worst　road　I　ever　rode
  over；　and　that　is　saying　a　good　deal！　　Kurumatoge　was　the　last　of
  seventeen　mountain…passes；　over　2000　feet　high；　which　I　have
  crossed　since　leaving　Nikko。　　Between　it　and　Tsugawa　the　scenery；
  though　on　a　smaller　scale；　is　of　much　the　same　character　as
  hithertohills　wooded　to　their　tops；　cleft　by　ravines　which　open
  out　occasionally　to　divulge　more　distant　ranges；　all　smothered　in
  greenery；　which；　when　I　am　ill…pleased；　I　am　inclined　to　call　〃rank
  vegetation。〃　　Oh　that　an　abrupt　scaur；　or　a　strip　of　flaming
  desert；　or　something　salient　and　brilliant；　would　break　in；　however
  discordantly；　upon　this　monotony　of　green！
  The　villages　of　that　district　must；　I　think；　have　reached　the
  lowest　abyss　of　filthiness　in　Hozawa　and　Saikaiyama。　　Fowls；　dogs；
  horses；　and　people　herded　together　in　sheds　black　with　wood　smoke；
  and　manure　heaps　drained　into　the　wells。　　No　young　boy　wore　any
  clothing。　　Few　of　the　men　wore　anything　but　the　maro；　the　women
  were　unclothed　to　their　waists　and　such　clothing　as　they　had　was
  very　dirty；　and　held　together　by　mere　force　of　habit。　　The　adults
  were　covered　with　inflamed　bites　of　insects；　and　the　children　with
  skin…disease。　　Their　houses　were　dirty；　and；　as　they　squatted　on
  their　heels；　or　lay　face　downwards；　they　looked　little　better　than
  savages。　　Their　appearance　and　the　want　of　delicacy　of　their　habits
  are　simply　abominable；　and　in　the　latter　respect　they　contrast　to
  great　disadvantage　with　several　savage　peoples　that　I　have　been
  among。　　If　I　had　kept　to　Nikko；　Hakone；　Miyanoshita；　and　similar
  places　visited　by　foreigners　with　less　time；　I　should　have　formed　a
  very　different　impression。　　Is　their　spiritual　condition；　I　often
  wonder；　much　higher　than　their　physical　one？　　They　are　courteous；
  kindly；　industrious；　and　free　from　gross　crimes；　but；　from　the
  conversations　that　I　have　had　with　Japanese；　and　from　much　that　I
  see；　I　judge　that　their　standard　of　foundational　morality　is　very
  low；　and　that　life　is　neither　truthful　nor　pure。
  I　put　up　here　at　a　crowded　yadoya；　where　they　have　given　me　two
  cheerful　rooms　in　the　garden；　away　from　the　crowd。　　Ito's　great
  desire　on　arriving　at　any　place　is　to　shut　me　up　in　my　room　and
  keep　me　a　close　prisoner　till　the　start　the　next　morning；　but　here
  I　emancipated　myself；　and　enjoyed　myself　very　much　sitting　in　the
  daidokoro。　　The　house…master　is　of　the　samurai；　or　two…sworded
  class；　now；　as　such；　extinct。　　His　face　is　longer；　his　lips
  thinner；　and　his　nose　straighter　and　more　prominent　than　those　of
  the　lower　class；　and　there　is　a　difference　in　his　manner　and
  bearing。　　I　have　had　a　great　deal　of　interesting　conversation　with
  him。
  In　the　same　open　space　his　clerk　was　writing　at　a　lacquer　desk　of
  the　stereotyped　forma　low　bench　with　the　ends　rolled　overa
  woman　was　tailoring；　coolies　were　washing　their　feet　on　the　itama；
  and　several　more　were　squatting　round　the　irori　smoking　and
  drinking　tea。　　A　coolie　servant　washed　some　rice　for　my　dinner；　but
  before　doing　so　took　off　his　clothes；　and　the　woman　who　cooked　it
  let　her　kimono　fall　to　her　waist　before　she　began　to　work；　as　is
  customary　among　respectable　women。　　The　house…master's　wife　and　Ito
  talked　about　me　unguardedly。　　I　asked　what　they　were　saying。　　〃She
  says；〃　said　he；　〃that　you　are　very　politefor　a　foreigner；〃　he
  added。　　I　asked　what　she　meant；　and　found　that　it　was　because　I
  took　off　my　boots　before　I　stepped　on　the　matting；　and　bowed　when
  they　handed　me　the　tabako…bon。
  We　walked　through　the　town　to　find　something　eatable　for　to…
  morrow's　river　journey；　but　only　succeeded　in　getting　wafers　made
  of　white　of　egg　and　sugar；　balls　made　of　sugar　and　barley　flour；
  and　beans　coated　with　sugar。　　Thatch；　with　its　picturesqueness；　has
  disappeared；　and　the　Tsugawa　roofs　are　of　strips　of　bark　weighted
  with　large　stones；　but；　as　the　houses　turn　their　gable　ends　to　the
  street；　and　there　is　a　promenade　the　whole　way　under　the　eaves；　and
  the　street　turns　twice　at　right　angles　and　terminates　in　temple
  grounds　on　a　bank　above　the　river；　it　is　less　monotonous　than　most
  Japanese　towns。　　It　is　a　place　of　3000　people；　and　a　good　deal　of
  produce　is　shipped　from　hence　to　Niigata　by　the　river。　　To…day　it
  is　thronged　with　pack…horses。　　I　was　much　mobbed；　and　one　child
  formed　the　solitary　exception　to　the　general　rule　of　politeness　by
  calling　me　a　name　equivalent　to　the　Chinese　Fan　Kwai；　〃foreign；〃
  but　he　was　severely　chidden；　and　a　policeman　has　just　called　with
  an　apology。　　A　slice　of　fresh　salmon　has　been　produced；　and　I　think
  I　never　tasted　anything　so　delicious。　　I　have　finished　the