“Are you bantering, or are you in earnest?” cries the father, with a most solemn voice. “Indeed, sir,” answered Jones, “I scorn the character of a banterer. I came to you in most serious earnest […]

The last zone, lying beyond the Ch‘ang-pai mountains, was in special isolation and culturally as retarded as regions much farther north.

a torchlit procession

The things I previously seen as life's necessities—proper running water to drink and wash with, sanitary restrooms, and local medical help—were nowhere to be found in this God-forsaken little town.