OF ROBINSON CRUSOE. 44

 

 

man of common sense; and, leaving the poor wretch to please himself
with our looking at him, as if we admired his pomp, whereas we really
pitied and contemned him, we pursued our journey; only Father Simon
had the curiosity to stay, to inform himself what dainties the country
justice had to feed on, in all his state, which he said he had the honour
to taste of, and which was, I think, a dose that an English hound
would scarce have eaten, if it had been offered him, namely, a mess
of boiled rice, with a great piece of garlic in it, and a little bag filled
with green pepper, and another plant which they have there, something
like our ginger, but smelling like musk, and tasting like mustard,—all
this was put together, and a small lump or piece of lean mutton boiled
in it; and this was his worship’s repast, four or five servants more
attending at a distance. If. he fed them meaner than he was fed
himself, the spice excepted, they must fare very coarsely indeed.

As for our mandarin with whom we travelled, he was respected like
a king: surrounded always with his gentlemen, and attended, in all his
appearances, with such pomp that I saw little of him but at a dis-
tance; but this I observed, that there was not a horse in his retinue, —
but that our carriers’ packhorses in England seem to me to look much
better; but they were so covered with equipage, mantles, trappings,.
and such like trumpery, that you cannot see whether they are fat or
lean. In a word, we could scarce see any thing but their feet and
their heads.

I was now light-hearted, and all my trouble and perplexity that I
had given an account of being over, I had no anxious thoughts about
me, which made this journey much the pleasanter to me; nor had I
any ill accident attended me, only in the passing or fording a small
river, my horse fell, and made me free of the country, as they call it;
that is to say, threw me in: the place was not deep, but it wetted me .
all over: I mention it, because it spoiled my pocket-book, wherein I
had set down the names of several people and places which I had ocea-
sion to remember, and which, not taking due care of, the leaves rotted,
and the words were never after to be read, to my great loss as to the
names of some places which I touched at in this voyage.

At length we arrived at Pekin: J had nobody with me but the youth,
whom my nephew the captain had given me to attend me as a servant, —
and who proved very trusty and diligent; and my partner had nobody ;
with him but one servant, who was a kinsman.” As for the Portuguese ,
pilot, he being desirous to see the court, we gave him his passage, that
is to say, bore his charges for his company; and to use him as an
interpreter, for he understood the language of the country, and spoke
good French and a little English; and, indeed, this old man was a most