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The boy travellers in the Far East : adventures of two youths ... - Library

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RURAL SCENES. 333<br />

PLODGHING WITH A BUFrALO.<br />

Labor is so cheap <strong>in</strong> Ch<strong>in</strong>a that <strong>the</strong>y don't want any mach<strong>in</strong>ery to save<br />

it; when you can hire a man for iive cents a day, and even less,<br />

you haven't any occasion to econ-<br />

omize.<br />

" Tlie man who brought tiie<br />

bundles <strong>of</strong> gra<strong>in</strong> to <strong>the</strong> thresher<br />

had <strong>the</strong>m slung over his shoulder,<br />

as <strong>the</strong>y carry everyth<strong>in</strong>g <strong>in</strong> this<br />

country ; <strong>two</strong> bundles made a load<br />

for him, and <strong>the</strong>y were not large<br />

bundles ei<strong>the</strong>r. Such a th<strong>in</strong>g as a<br />

farm - wagon is as unknown as a<br />

thresh<strong>in</strong>g-mach<strong>in</strong>e, and would not<br />

be useful, as <strong>the</strong> paths among <strong>the</strong><br />

fields are verj' narrow, and a wag-<br />

on couldn't run on <strong>the</strong>m at all.<br />

Land is very valuable <strong>in</strong> tlie neigh-<br />

borhood <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> towns, and <strong>the</strong>y<br />

would consider it wasteful to have<br />

a wide strip <strong>of</strong> it taken up for a<br />

road. And, as I have just said, la-<br />

TlIHESniNG GKAIN NEAR CHIN-KIANG<br />

bor is very cheap, especially <strong>the</strong> labor <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> coolies who carry burdens.<br />

All <strong>the</strong> men I saw at work <strong>in</strong> <strong>the</strong> field were barefooted, and probably

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