He had made the agreement "out of consideration for me," and his own pocket; he had made an agreement which gave him wider scope for a little private arrangement of his own with the chair-coolies.

For two days I was paying fifteen cash a li for a chair and walking alongside of it charmed by the good humour of the coolies, and unaware that they were laughing in their sleeves at my folly.

Trifling mistakes like this are inevitable to one who travels in China without an interpreter.
My two coolies were capital fellows, full of good humour, cheerful, and untiring.

The elder was disposed to be argumentative with his countrymen, but he could not quarrel.

Nature had given him an uncontrollable stutter, and, if he tried to speak quickly, spasm seized his tongue, and he had to break into a laugh.