The Chinese form a large element in the population of San
Francisco--and I went to the Chinese Theatre.

A Chinese play often lasts two months. Commencing at the
hero's birth, it is cheerfully conducted from week to week
till he is either killed or married.

The night I was there a Chinese comic vocalist sang a
Chinese comic song. It took him six weeks to finish it--but
as my time was limited, I went away at the expiration of 215
verses. There were 11,000 verses to this song--the chorus
being "Tural lural dural, ri fol day"--which was repeated
twice at the end of each verse--making--as you will at once
see--the appalling number of 22,000 "tural lural dural, ri
fol days"--and the man still lives.

(Picture of) Virginia City--in the bright new State of
Nevada. (Virginia City itself is built on a ledge cut out
of the side of Mount Davidson, which rises some 9000 feet
above the sea level--the city being about half way up its
side. To Artemus Ward the wild character of the scenery,
the strange manners of the red-shirted citizens, and the
odd developments of the life met with in that uncouth
mountain-town were all replete with interest. We stayed
there about a week. During the time of our stay he explored
every part of the place, met many old friends from the Eastern
States, and formed many new acquaintances, with some of whom
acquaintance ripened into warm friendship. Among the latter
was Mr. Samuel L. Clemens, now well known as "Mark Twain."
He was then sub-editing one of the three papers published