There were many
strange things upside down to be seen on efther hand--horses and cows
with bells on their tails instead of on their necks, the quadrupeds
well clothed, their masters without a scrap of covering, tailors
sewing from them instead of to them, a carpenter reversing the action
of his saw and plane. It looked just as if they had originally learned
the various processes in 'Alice's Looking-glass World' in some former
stage of their existence.
We had not long left the town before our men began to undress each
other; for their clothes were so tight that it required no
inconsiderable effort to remove them. Some of them were beautifully
tattooed. My wheeler had the root of a tree depicted on one foot, from
which sprang the trunk and branches, spreading gradually, until on his
back and chest they bore fruit and flowers, amongst which birds were
perched. On his other leg was a large stork, supposed, I imagine, to
be standing under the shadow of the same tree. Another man had human
figures tattooed all over him, in various attitudes.
[Illustration: A Drag across the Sand in a Jinrikisha.]
In less than an hour we reached the narrow strip of land which at low
water connects the island or peninsula of Inoshima with the mainland.
This isthmus was covered with natives gathering shells and seaweed,
casting their nets, and pushing off or dragging up their boats; whilst
an island rose fresh and green from the sea, with a background of
snowy mountains, stretching across the bay, above which Fujiyama
towered grandly.
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