behind a screen of rushes. Without making any pretence of knowledge,
this person will explain the facts of the case to him and place
himself without limit in his hands."

For this purpose he therefore detained the Chief of Bowmen when the
others departed, and complimented him, with many expressive phrases,
on the excellence of his appearance, as the thought occurred to him
that by this means, without disclosing the full measure of his
ignorance, the person in question might be encouraged to speak
unrestrainedly of the nature of his exploits, and perchance thereby
explain the use of the appliances employed and the meaning of the
various words of order, in all of which details the Commander was as
yet most disagreeably imperfect. In this, however, he was
disappointed, for the Chief of Bowmen, greatly to Ling's surprise,
received all his polished sentences with somewhat foolish smiles of
great self-satisfaction, merely replying from time to time as he
displayed his pigtail to greater advantage or rearranged his gold-
embroidered cloak:

"This person must really pray you to desist; the honour is indeed too
great."

Disappointed in his hope, and not desiring after this circumstance to
expose his shortcomings to one who was obviously not of a highly-
refined understanding, no matter how great his valour in war or his
knowledge of military affairs might be, Ling endeavoured to lead him
to converse of the bowmen under his charge. In this matter he was more
successful, for the Chief spoke at great length and with evilly-
inspired contempt of their inelegance, their undiscriminating and
excessive appetites, and the frequent use which they made of low words