'1^ -»^" 
 
 Gfortiell Uttineraiti} ffiibrarg 
 
 CHARLES WILLIAM WASON 
 COLLECTION 
 
 CHINA AND THE CHINESE 
 
 THE OrFTOF 
 
 CHARLES WILLIAM WASON 
 
 CLASS OF 1878 
 
 1918 
 
Cornell University Library 
 DS 709.HS9 
 
 3 1924 023 225 463 
 
Cornell University 
 Library 
 
 The original of tiiis book is in 
 tine Cornell University Library. 
 
 There are no known copyright restrictions in 
 the United States on the use of the text. 
 
 http://www.archive.org/details/cu31924023225463 
 
AMONG THE SONS OF HAK 
 
AMO¥G THE mm OP HAK 
 
 NOTES OF A SIX YEARS' RESIDENCE IN VARIOUS 
 PARTS OF CHINA AND FORMOSA. 
 
 mUh JEap. 
 
 MES. THOMAS FEANCIS HUGHES. 
 
 TIFSLBY BEOTHEKS, 8, CATHERINE STEEET, STEAND. 
 
 1881. 
 [All rights reserved.2 
 
 4 
 
CHA.BLES SIOKBHS AND BTANS, 
 CSYSTA.L FALA.CB FBES3. 
 
PEEFACE. 
 
 The following notes make no pretensions to pro- 
 fundity of research or elegance of style ; they are 
 simple but faithful records of incidents, more or less 
 interesting, which came under my own personal 
 observation whUst accompanying my husband in his 
 travels, and were noted whilst the events were 
 fresh in my recollection. They were originally 
 written for my own amusement, to while away some 
 of the idle hours which hang so heavily on the 
 hands of many lady residents in the East ; and if 
 they are now given a publicity which was never 
 contemplated when they were penned, it is because, 
 in the opinion of others to whom they had been 
 submitted, there was some reason to hope that the 
 plain unvarnished tale of our experiences — which 
 turned out to be more varied and interesting than 
 I had reason to anticipate at the outset of our travels 
 — might possibly, by its very simplicity, attract 
 some readers who -have neither the time nor the 
 inclination to study more elaborate or more profound 
 
PBEFAOE. 
 
 treatises on the same subject, and that thus the notes 
 might be the humble means of contributing, however 
 slightly, to a better knowledge of China and the 
 Chinese. Two or three of the short sketches have 
 already appeared anonymously in a Shanghai news- 
 paper, and a few others formed the substance of an 
 article in a recent number of "Tinsleys' Magazine." 
 
 For the information of those who are not 
 sufficiently famihar with Chinese topics, it may be 
 advisable to explain, with reference to the title of 
 this book, that, as the Han dynasty, B.C. 202 to 
 A.D. 221 — contemporaneous with so much that is 
 memorable in Western annals — was one of the most 
 glorious epochs in Chinese history, so amongst 
 the various designations applied to Chinamen at 
 the present day, the most flattering' and the most 
 honourable, the synonym of all that is brave and 
 good, is the popular term Han tzu, or Son of Han. 
 
 The accompanying map shows at a glance the 
 extent of our wanderings in China, and the various 
 places — some of them but little known to Europeans 
 —visited by us and described in the following 
 pages. 
 
 THE AUTHOR. 
 
 Paris, 9th May, 1881. 
 
CONTENTS. 
 
 CHAPTBE I. 
 
 PAGB 
 
 THE VOYAGE OUT — MAESBILLBS — NAPLES — POET SAID — THE 
 SUEZ CANAL — MEETING BAKON LBSSEPS — THE BED SEA — 
 STOPPED BY AN ABAB^SHIP — ^ADEN — GALLE — SINGAPORE — 
 HONGKONG SAIGON — SHANGHAI 1 
 
 CHAPTER II. 
 
 SHANGHAI — THE BUBBLING WELL — " PIDGIN " ENGLISH — A 
 
 STREET RIOT 17 
 
 CHAPTER III. 
 
 OHBFOO — THE BAMBOO TEMPLE 27 
 
 CHAPTER rV. 
 
 SEVENTH MOON — MEMORIAL CEREMONIES FOB THE DEAD . 42 
 
 CHAPTER V. 
 
 PUNBBAL OBSEQUIES 51 
 
 CHAPTER VI. , 
 "joss-pidgin" 57 
 
 CHAPTER VII. 
 
 CHINESE THEATRICALS 65 
 
vi CONTENTS. 
 
 CHAPTER YIII. 
 
 PAOB 
 
 THE CLIMATE, AND PEOPLE OP CHEFOO — A VOICE IN THE NIGHT 
 
 A CHEFOO WINTER DEPARTURE FROM CHEFOO . . 73 
 
 CHAPTER IX 
 
 SHANGHAI — A CHINESE WEDDING . 
 
 82 
 
 CHAPTER X, 
 
 LUNG-HUA PAGODA AND TEMPLE — CHINESE PRIESTS AT THEIR 
 
 DEVOTIONS -^ DP-COUNTRY TRIPS — FUNG - SHAN PISHING 
 
 CORMORANTS — PARENTAL LOVE AMONGST THE CHINESE . 98 
 
 CHAPTER XL 
 
 FOO-CHOW KU-SHAN .110 
 
 CHAPTER XII. 
 
 AN INUNDATION A TYPHOON A SAD BEREAVEMENT — AN 
 
 EXTENSIVE FIRE 
 
 118 
 
 CHAPTER XIII. 
 
 WU-SHIH SHAN CHINESE STREETS HORSE-EACING — CHINESE 
 
 LEPERS CHINESE DOCTORS 135 
 
 CHAPTER XIT. 
 
 THE CANTON CLUB — A CHINESE DINNER . . . .144 
 
 CHAPTER XV. 
 
 SCENERY ON THE RIVER MIN PREPARATION OF THE TEA-LEAF 
 
 — A CHINESE STANCE — A BOAT EXCURSION — STARTLING 
 RUMOURS — DEPARTURE FROM FOO-CHOW. . . .152 
 
 CHAPTER XVI. 
 
 AMOY — CROSSING THE FORMOSAN CHANNEL — FISHER ISLAND 
 
 LIGHTHOUSE — ARRIVAL AT TAKOW 161 
 
CONTENTS. vii 
 
 CHAPTEB, XVII. 
 
 PAQB 
 
 SOUTH FORMOSA — LLANG-KIAO — FRIENDLY NATIVES — NIGHT- 
 DRILL — THE SOUTH CAPE— SAVAGES . . . .166 
 
 CHAPTER XVIII. 
 
 A SPANISH MISSION IN FORMOSA — THE CARE OP FOUNDLINGS 
 
 RATS AS AN ARTICLE OF DIET 178 
 
 CHAPTER XIX. 
 
 APE HILL GORGEOUS INSECTS APES ON THE ROCKS ^WATER 
 
 BUFFALOES 
 
 CHAPTER XX. 
 
 188 
 
 SOUTH-WEST MONSOON — DANGERS OF THE TAKOW BAR — A 
 
 WRECK AND A GALLANT RESCUE 196 
 
 CHAPTER XXI. 
 
 FORMOSAN CHINESE DIFFICULTIES WITH SERVANTS A CI- 
 DEVANT EXECUTIONER IN OUR KITCHEN — THE ABORIGINES 
 — STOEY OF A LITTLE ALBINO GIRL. 
 
 202 
 
 CHAPTER XXII. 
 
 FORMOSA A BEAUTIFUL ISLAND — ITS LONELINESS — I AM TAKEN 
 FOR A " SAVAGE " — SNAKES— EARTHQUAKES— BEAUTIFUL 
 SUNRISES AND SUNSETS — MY HAPPIEST HOUR . .213 
 
 CHAPTER XXIII. 
 
 DEPARTURE FROM TAKOW — VOYAGE IN A NATIVE STEAMER — 
 
 CAUGHT IN A HEAVY GALE SHORT OP PROVISIONS 
 
 ARRIVAL IN AMOY AND FOOCHOW — BETWEEN TWO FIRES — 
 WENCHOW — ARRIVAL IN SHANGHAI .... 224 
 
viii CONTENTS. 
 
 CHAPTER XXIY. 
 
 FASH 
 
 A TEIP UP THB TANG-TZE — CHINKIANG — SILVER AND GOLDEN 
 ISLANDS — A CHINESE NUNNERY — CRUELTY OF CHINESE 
 
 LAW A MANDARIN BEHEADED A SIMILAR CASE IN 
 
 FORMOSA — PARALLELS IN ENGLISH HISTORY — WDHU, 
 KIUKIANG, NANKING, AND HANKOW VISITED . . . 237 
 
 CHAPTER XXV. 
 
 POOTOO, THE SACRED ISLAND — TIFFIN IN A BUDDHIST TEMPLE 
 
 ^A SELF-IMPEISONED MONK — NINGPO .... 254 
 
 CHAPTER XXVI. 
 
 CHINESE AMAHS — A TYRANNICAL MOTHER-IN-LAW — STORY OF 
 
 YOUNG WANG AND THE HIGHWAYMAN . . . .267 
 
 CHAPTER XXVII. 
 
 STORY OF A JINRICKSHA COOLIE, CRUEL TREATMENT BY A 
 EUROPEAN SAILOR — MORE ABOUT AMAHS — INTELLIGENCE 
 SHOWN BY A LITTLE PET BIRD 279 
 
 CHAPTER XXVin. 
 
 CHINESE NEW YEAR — MANY NATIVE CUSTOMS EXACTLY THE 
 OPPOSITES OF OURS — KINDNESS AND POLITENESS OF THE 
 CHINESE PEOPLE 292 
 
 CHAPTER XXIX. 
 
 DEPARTURE FROM SHANGHAI — THE RETURN VOYAGE — HOME 
 
 AGAIN 301 
 
Zondon, Tinsley. Br others - 
 
 'S,<ivri-'Vf<ill£r.I.it/w. 
 
AMO]!fG THE SONS OF HAN. 
 
 CHAPTER I. 
 
 The voyage out — Marseilles — Naples — Port Said — ^The Suez Canal 
 — Meeting Baron Lesseps — The Eed Sea — Stopped by an 
 Arab ship — ^Aden — Galle — Singapore — Hongkong — Saigon — 
 Shanghai. 
 
 Leaving home for the first time, with the prospect 
 of a lengthened absence, is a sad and terrible 
 undertaking ; and when your destination lies at the 
 other side of the globe, thousands of miles removed 
 from those whose love and sweet companionship had 
 , hitherto been the very light of your existence, parting 
 seems to be a sorrow almost too great, too bitter, to 
 be borne. Duty, however, which makes the path 
 of life smooth to some, for others often necessi- 
 tates the sacrifice of their most cherished feelings ; 
 
AMONG TEE SONS OF EAN. 
 
 and it -was the fate of the writer and her husband 
 to be obliged to tear themselves away from the 
 homes and relations they loved, and commit them- 
 selves to a residence of several years in China, It 
 is simply impossible to describe the intense sorrow 
 which I experienced when the sad hour of parting 
 at last arrived, when I said good-bye to those 
 from whom I had never been separated for any 
 length of time before, and felt that years must 
 elapse before my eyes could rest on their loving 
 forms again. The scene is too sad and too sacred 
 to dwell upon at any length, and I shall there- 
 fore dismiss a subject which to me wiU ever be 
 a painful one, and turn at once to the main 
 facts of my narrative. 
 
 The overland route, as it used to be called, to 
 India and China has been so often described, and 
 the various stopping-places are now so well bnown^ 
 that I shaU not attempt any elaborate description 
 of the impressions produced on my mind at the time 
 of my visits to the interesting places we called at. 
 I shall merely touch briefly on some of the more 
 
THE VOYAGE OUT. 
 
 salient features of the voyage out, and hasten to the 
 immediate object of this book — the description of my 
 life in China. 
 
 We left London on the 12th March, 1874, and 
 crossing the Channel by Folkestone and Boulogne, 
 ■we arrived in Paris about midnight. Next day we 
 travelled as far as Lyons, where we had an oppor- 
 tunity I thoroughly appreciated of looking up old 
 places with which a previous residence in that town 
 had made me familiar. We arrived at Marseilles 
 on the evening of the following day, and on the day 
 after (the 15th) we embarked on board the Tigre, 
 one of the magnificent fleet of mail steamers 
 belonging to the Messageries Maritimes Compagnie. 
 As we went on board, preparations for an immediate 
 departure were going on : the bell was ringing 
 which announced to visitors that it was time to 
 go on shore; passengers were bidding their final 
 adieux to the friends who had come to witness 
 their departure ; and painful and touching were 
 the scenes we witnessed, as many, bound together 
 by the ties of family and affection, reluctantly 
 
 B 2 
 
AMONG THE SONS OF HAN. 
 
 tore themselves from each other. I remember 
 being particularly impressed with the parting from 
 her parents of one young lady who was going 
 with her husband to Singapore : the aged couple 
 lingered with their daughter to the last, and when 
 they were compelled by the ship's officers to 
 leave, the mother, placing her hands affectionately 
 on her child's head, raised her eyes reverently to 
 heaven, and then blessed her daughter with the 
 sign of the cross. In a few minutes we began 
 to move slowly away from the pier, the crowds 
 on shore waving hats and handkerchiefs, and 
 with a bright sky overhead and a smooth sparkling 
 sea beneath us, we auspiciously began our long 
 journey to China. One tall young sailor continued 
 to lean over the ship's side and to wave his 
 red cap long after the faces of the people on the 
 pier had ceased to be recognisable; and it was 
 only when the crowd on shore had completely 
 vanished from view that, with glistening tears in 
 his eyes, he relinquished his post of observation. 
 After a beautifully smooth passage we reached 
 
OFF NAPLES. 
 
 Naples early on the second morning after our 
 departure, and we had hardly anchored in the 
 beautiful bay before we were boarded by a 
 miscellaneous crowd of boatmen, hotel - runners, 
 fancy - dealers, and musicians. The last - named 
 were not less noisy, and, in spite of their pro- 
 fession, not more harmonious than the others. 
 Two of them were men who essayed an operatic 
 duet with much gesticulation and frowning at 
 each other ; in close proximity to them were two 
 others, an old blind man and a female, who 
 yelled at the top of their cracked voices the 
 well-known Neapolitan air, "Santa Lucia," to the 
 accompaniment of an excruciating guitar. The 
 result, as may be imagined, was anything but 
 gratifying. As we were only to remain at Naples 
 a few hours we did not venture on shore, but 
 remained on the steamer's deck, drinking in the 
 charm of the enchantingly lovely scenery which 
 surrounds the bay, with Mount Vesuvius frowning 
 over all, dark wreaths of smoke curling up from 
 its summit to the bright cloudless sky. Early in 
 
AMONG THE SONS OF HAN. 
 
 the afternoon we weiglied anchor, and all the 
 Neapolitans hurriedly packed up their treasures — 
 jewellery, gloves, articles manufactured from lava, 
 photographs, etc. — which had been spread out on 
 the deck a few minutes before, and left the ship. 
 They continued, however, to cluster round the 
 steamer in their little boats, and as we moved 
 slowly away the two male singers resumed their 
 duet, and the old blind man and his attendant, 
 female repeated a few more verses of " Santa 
 Lucia." The faster we moved away the more 
 frantic were the efforts of the several vocalists to 
 make themselves heard, and at the last their 
 favourite melodies were abandoned and a wild 
 improvised "Addio" was chanted forth with much 
 fervour and kissing of hands to the departing 
 vessel. 
 
 A pleasant run of four days took us to Port 
 Said, where we stopped to coal, and where we 
 anchored for the night. On the following momino- 
 we proceeded on our passage through the famous 
 Suez Canal, and when we reached Ismailia we 
 
BABON LESSEPS—SUUZ—BED SEA. 
 
 were boarded by no less important a personage than 
 the Baron de Lesseps, the energetic originator of 
 the Canal, who happened to be in the neighbour- 
 hood, and who looked hale and hearty, and ready 
 for any other great achievement that might demand 
 his attention. "We anchored all night at Ismailia, 
 and on the following day we passed in the Canal 
 the troopship Crocodile, with a large number of 
 troops and some women and children, returning 
 from India. In the evening we arrived at Suez, 
 and after a short delay proceeded on our voyage. 
 It was quite cold in the Gulf of Suez, and on the 
 following morning we observed snow on the Arabian 
 mountains which were in sight. This was, however, 
 to be our final experience of cold weather; we were 
 now nearing the much-dreaded Eed Sea, where the 
 heat is often more trying than in any other part 
 of the voyage, and we soon began to realise the 
 true meaning of a tropical temperature. On the 
 third day after we left Suez the heat was intense, 
 not even the faintest breath of wind stirred over 
 the surface of the water, and the sea looked like an 
 
AMONG TEE SONS OF HAN. 
 
 immense sheet of glistening crystal under the dazzling 
 rays of the noonday sun ; we were under double 
 awnings, and passengers crowded towards those 
 parts of the deck where the breeze made by the 
 motion of the ship was most likely to be felt. 
 Some little excitement was created by the appearance 
 of a large sailing vessel lying becalmed some miles 
 to the westward. Sailing vessels of the European 
 type are sufficiently rare in those breezeless waters 
 to be curiosities at any time, but on this occasion 
 our wonder was heightened when we discovered 
 that the signals which the strange vessel was flying 
 were read to be "We want a doctor!" Under 
 the circumstances our captain had, no alternative 
 but to put out of his course and steer towards 
 the other ship, and in a short time we were near 
 enough to discover that the decks of the vessel 
 to which we were approaching were crowded with 
 Arabs. When we stopped to lower a boat for 
 the doctor, the slight breeze which the motion of the 
 steamer had hitherto, created died away, and in addi- 
 tion to the oppressive heat which then supervened 
 
STOPPED BY AN ABAB 8EIP. 
 
 we were disturbed by the startling terrors which the 
 imaginations of our fellow-passengers raised amongst 
 us. Might not the strange craft with her cut- 
 throat-looking crew be a pirate in disguise, luring 
 us to our doom ? Or again, could it be any 
 disease, some others said, less terrible than cholera, 
 which had broken out amongst the crowded occupants 
 of the sailing vessel, and if so, might not the 
 infection quickly spread amongst ourselves ? It 
 was with the utmost suspense and anxiety, there- 
 fore, that we watched our small boat go alongside 
 the other vessel; we observed that the doctor 
 remained in the boat, whUst the chief officer who 
 had accompanied him boarded the sailing vessel, 
 whence, after remaining a few moments on board, 
 he returned to his boat apparently in a not very 
 amiable mood, and without any further delay rowed 
 back to the steamer. Greatly to our relief, and 
 to the extreme annoyance of our captain, it 
 transpired that there was no illness whatever on 
 board the other vessel, but that her crew and 
 numerous passengers were Arabs who had char- 
 
10 AMONG TEE SONS OF HAN. 
 
 tered a large vessel to convey them to Meccali, 
 that they were becalmed for several days, and 
 that being unable to make "observations," they 
 merely wanted to know where they were, and 
 adopted the best ruse they could think of to 
 insure their obtaining the required information from 
 a passing mail steamer, which they knew would 
 not stop, or go out of her course for anything less 
 pressing than the probable necessity of saving life ! 
 Two days later we passed Perim, and however 
 much that solitary fort may be prized, situated as 
 it is at the entrance of the Eed Sea, we could not 
 help sympathising with the unfortunate soldiers who 
 are condemned to dwell for a time in such a desolate 
 spot. Early next morning we found ourselves in 
 Aden, which someone has described as "the abomina- 
 tion of desolation ; " and, although it was a relief 
 from the monotony of the voyage to have a drive 
 on shore, and afterwards to watch the little nigger 
 boys diving and performing all sorts of clever antics 
 in the water, we were glad when we weighed anchor 
 and proceeded on our journey.' From Aden to Point 
 
ADEN^POINT BE OALLE. 11 
 
 de Galle is the longest stretch of unbroken voyage 
 between. Marseilles and Shanghai, and it required 
 aU our ingenuity to devise methods for whiling 
 away the time. It was interesting to watch the 
 sailors at their work; they appeared to be always 
 busy, some sewing, some splicing ropes, and others 
 scraping decks. There was one man who never 
 seemed to do anything else but roast coffee; all 
 day long he kept turning by a handle the machine 
 in which the coffee was roasted over a slow fire, 
 and as he turned the handle his constant and 
 unvarying song was "A che la morte," which 
 he trolled out in a nasal and most melancholy 
 tone. Our great amusement in the evening was 
 to stroll forward to the forecastle and watch the 
 sailors dancing, and hear them singing; some of 
 the sailors were very clever, and their improvised 
 entertainments enabled us to pass many a pleasant 
 evening. On the ninth day after we left Aden 
 we sighted the shores of Ceylon and entered the 
 harbour of GaUe, and it was again pleasant to 
 break the tedium of the voyage. We remained 
 
12 AMONG THE SONS OF EAN. 
 
 a day at Galle and then proceeded on our way 
 to Singapore, whicli we reached in six days after 
 a pleasant but uneventful passage. The approach to 
 Singapore, with its abundance of richly green trees, 
 some of them apparently growing out of the water, 
 is particularly refreshing after a sea voyage. Of 
 course we went on shore and drove to the Botanical 
 Gardens; we lunched at the hotel, and we could 
 not help contrasting the miserable fare supplied 
 to us there with the really excellent cuisine we 
 had been accustomed to on board the Tigre. 
 Whether it was owing to the change of food, or 
 some other cause, I do not pretend to say; but 
 towards evening a number of the passengers, on 
 their return to the steamer, found themselves very 
 ill, and the doctor pronounced the illness to be a 
 form of English cholera. Next morning, however, 
 we were at sea again, and the pure fresh breeze 
 soon helped to dispel all sickly feelings, and when 
 we arrived at Cape St. Jacques two days later, 
 the health of nearly all on board was completely 
 re-established. After remainirig a night at anchor 
 
SAIGON BIVEB. 13 
 
 off the cape, we proceeded up the Saigon river, and 
 ■were much struck with the wild jungle look of 
 the country through which we passed. The banks 
 of the river are completely covered with dense 
 forests, and one could not help fancying that every 
 species of wild animal prowled beneath the shade 
 of the thickly-interwoven foliage. We were told 
 that monkeys are frequently to be seen disporting 
 themselves amongst the trees on the river banks ; 
 but probably because the day was too far advanced, 
 and the heat of the sun too great, nothing of the 
 kind was seen by us ; the jungle was as silent, and 
 appeared to be as deserted, as if it did not give 
 shelter to a single living being. The farther we went 
 inland the more intense did the heat become ; not 
 a leaf stirred with the faintest breath of a breeze, 
 and a fierce sunshine beat down upon the earth 
 causing that shimmering appearance in the 
 atmosphere which one only notices in tropical 
 climates, and which seems to harmonise so well 
 with the constant buzzing of insects. Early in the 
 afternoon we arrived at Saigon, and if the great 
 
14 AMONG TEE SONS OF HAN. 
 
 heat made us uncomfortable whilst the steamer 
 moved slowly up the river, our condition was worse 
 than ever when we were moored alongside the wharf, 
 and were given over as a prey, not only to the heat, 
 but to the myriads of remorseless insects which 
 then swarmed in upon us, and crawled and crept 
 over us, and stung us to their hearts' content ; 
 if, indeed, such cruel tormentors can be said to 
 have hearts. I think if there be a purgatory 
 upon earth it must be Saigon. During the 
 sleepless twenty-four hours we spent there I 
 failed to see a single redeeming feature in the 
 place; and the French authorities would earn the 
 everlasting gratitude of aU who travel by the 
 French mail steamers — ^whether ofl&cers, crew, or 
 passengers— and the applause of all lovers of 
 common sense, if they would allow the tranship- 
 ment of cargo, mails, and passengers to take 
 place at the mouth of the Saigon river, instead 
 of compelling such enormous steamers, with all 
 on board, to crawl some thirty miles up a narrow, 
 winding, and dangerous river, and lose at least 
 
ABBIVAL AT EONOEONQ. 15 
 
 thirty-six hours of valuable time once a fortnight : 
 the trade and interests of the colony could hardly 
 suffer by the change, and the gain thereby would 
 be universally felt. It was with feelings of extreme 
 thankfulness that we steamed away from Saigon, 
 and when we fo|jnd ourselves once more at sea 
 we breathed again, and fairly revelled in the 
 enjoyment of the cool air and the refreshings 
 breeze. Four days after we left Saigon we arrived 
 at Hongkong, and, although we had still some 
 distance to go, I felt that we were at last in 
 Chinese waters, and that our long, but by no 
 means unpleasant, journey was virtually at an 
 end. Landing in a gig which had been sent off' 
 from shore for our use, we were received by some 
 friends of my husband in the kind and hospitable 
 manner which impresses all new arrivals in China 
 so favourably. I shall never forget the sensations 
 I felt when I first was persuaded to get into a 
 sedan-chair, and found myself raised to a level 
 with the shoulders of the coolies who bore me 
 along. The motion was so strange, and the 
 
16 AMONG THE SONS OF HAN. 
 
 position appeared to be so undignified and un- 
 pleasant, and the infliction of such a labour upon 
 two human beings seemed so cruel, that before 
 I had been carried any distance I insisted upon 
 being put down, and upon walking to the house 
 at which we were to stay, greatly to the amuse- 
 ment of my companions and the astonishment of 
 the coolies. It was some time before I could 
 divest myself of this feeling, and even when a 
 party of us went next day to Victoria Peak, the 
 top of the high mountain which overhangs Hong- 
 kong, I preferred walking the entire way, up and 
 down again, although the unwonted exercise proved 
 very fatiguing. After a very pleasant stay of 
 two days in Hongkong we proceeded on our way 
 to Shanghai, where we arrived three days later; 
 and, strange as it may appear to those who have 
 never made a long sea voyage in a large mail 
 steamer, I felt positively sorry when the time 
 came for going on shore and saying farewell to 
 the little cabin where I had been for the past 
 six weeks so comfortable and so happy. 
 
CHAPTER II. 
 
 Shanghai — The Bubbling Well —" Pidgin " English — 
 A street riot. 
 
 My first impressions of Shanghai were decidedly 
 favourable ; I had heard, of course, that the place 
 was a busy and important one, and that many 
 Europeans lived there ; but I was not prepared 
 to see such fine buildings — some of them almost 
 palatial in their size and appearance — such well- 
 kept streets, lighted with gas and watched over 
 by solemn-looking policemen, just as they are at 
 home, such handsome shops, such beautiful gardens, 
 and such pleasant society. Of course I allude only 
 to the foreign or European settlements, which, 
 though inhabited by many thousands of Chinese 
 as well as by the Europeans, are completely distinct 
 
18 AMONG THE SONS OF HAN. 
 
 from the Chinese city, and are altogether under 
 the direction of Europeans. The weather, too, 
 on our arrival at the end of April was simply- 
 charming; it was like the weather of an ideal 
 English June, with clear skies, and a bright but 
 not unpleasantly warm sun ; and an afternoon drive 
 into the country, under joverhanging trees and past 
 charming suburban villas, made one almost feel at 
 home again. 
 
 The favourite afternoon drive with Shanghai 
 residents is along the well-formed, weU-kept road, 
 which runs in a westerly direction past the race- 
 course to the Bubbling Well, four miles from the 
 settlement. What the park is to Londoners in 
 the season, the Bubbling Well road is to the 
 Shanghai-ites ; and it is a sight to see the motley 
 collection of vehicles — broughams, phaetons, gigs, 
 and dog-carts — many of them well appointed, with 
 native servants in livery, others driven in most 
 erratic fashion by young Chinese fops (who, cigar 
 in mouth, in this one particular ape the fashions 
 of the Western Barbarian), and the crowds of more 
 
THE BUBBLING WHLL. 19 
 
 or less efficient equestrians, male and female, which. 
 
 line the entire road on a pleasant afternoon, between 
 
 the hours of five and seven. The weU which gives 
 
 its name to this fashionable highway is in some 
 
 respects a curiosity, and is an object of superstitious 
 
 regard to the Chinese. It is square in shape, with 
 
 strong stone side walls, and a parapet about one 
 
 foot high round the top. The water, owing to 
 
 the presence of some gaseous matter, is always in 
 
 a slight ferment, and the natives watch the bubbling 
 
 fluid with awe, and invent the wUdest theories in 
 
 explanation of the phenomenon. The most popular 
 
 belief is that an enraged demon dwells beneath 
 
 the water, and that the bubbling is caused by 
 
 his frequent communication with some kindred 
 
 spirit. The Bubbling Well demon is held in 
 
 great dread, and the people frequently throw 
 
 their hard-earned " cash " into the water to appease 
 
 the angry spirit. 
 
 One of the first matters which occupied our 
 
 attention was the selection of some good servants, 
 
 and in the prosecution of this important task I 
 
 2 
 
20 AMONG THE SONS OF SAN. 
 
 became partially initiated into the mysteries of 
 that peculiar jargon which is almost universally 
 used in China between employers and servants, 
 and is known as "pidgin" English. At first it 
 sounded excessively childish, and many of the 
 expressions appeared to my untutored ear silly 
 and unmeaning, and it was not untU I had been 
 some time in the country, and found that the 
 patois, being to a great extent a literal translation 
 of the Chinese idiom, was the readiest way to 
 communicate my ideas to native ears, that I 
 consented to use such expressions as " Boy, I 
 wantchee you chop-chop go top-side catchee my 
 one piecey book ; supposey no can find that 
 side, maskee." In many instances the English 
 words are merely altered by the addition of 
 a final" vowel: the word "hole," for instance, 
 becomes "hole-o," or rather "one piecey hole-o," 
 and it is not surprising that many ludicrous 
 mistakes take place with such a clumsy and in- 
 adequate medium of communication. Two amusing 
 instances which came under my notice afterwards 
 
"PIDGIN" ENGLISH. 21 
 
 occur to me, and as illustrations of the humours 
 of "pidgin" English it may not be out of place to 
 insert them here. One day I happened to tell 
 our butler that a ham, or "that piecey ham-o," 
 as I described it, which he had kept perdu in 
 the pantry, ought to be placed on the sideboard 
 at luncheon time, and as he answered : " All right, 
 missisee," I assumed that he understood me. 
 What was my astonishment next day when I 
 found that the intelligent youth had actually 
 placed on a tray, neatly covered with a white 
 cloth, a large hammer, not a ham, in a con- 
 spicuous place on the sideboard ! Of course he 
 mistook ham-o for hammer, but I have often 
 wondered what object the man could have thought 
 I had in giving the order as he interpreted it. 
 Possibly he thought it was some "joss pidgin," 
 some western religious observance beyond his 
 powers of comprehension, and therefore to be 
 carried out without question on his part. This 
 mistake, however, was not as ludicrous as one of 
 which I was a witness at another house. I was 
 
22 AMONG TEE SONS OF HAN. 
 
 one of a party of ladies spending an afternoon 
 together, and the lady of the house wishing to 
 write a note rang for some paper, and told the 
 servant " one largey sheet can do ; " meaning, of 
 course, that one large sheet of notepaper would 
 be sufficient. I do not think that' a merrier peal 
 of laughter was ever heard than that which greeted 
 the " boy " as he entered the drawing-room 
 grinning from ear to ear over an immense sheet 
 which he had taken off one of the beds, and 
 now held extended at arm's length, saying : 
 "Missisee, no have got more largey sheet this 
 side." 
 
 As a pendant to the above I wiU venture 
 to add an anecdote I heard soon after my arrival 
 in China, describing a mishap which may have 
 been partly caused by the use of " pidgin " English. 
 The Chinese are, as is well known, very clever 
 imitators; this faculty of imitation renders them 
 highly useful as artisans and domestic servants, 
 but occasionally, as in the following "owre true" 
 tale, it places them in father embarrassing positions. 
 
"PIDGIN" ENGLISH. 23 
 
 Some years ago a gentleman stationed in China 
 received from England a piece of superfine cloth ■ 
 just large enough to make a coat, of which he 
 stood greatly in need ; being aware of the 
 imitative genius of the Chinese he called in a 
 native tailor, and handing him an old coat and 
 the new cloth, bade him turn the latter into a 
 garment exactly the same as the old one. The 
 Chinaman said : " Can secure makee alio same." 
 The tailor thereupon proceeded to make a coat 
 exactly the same in size and shape ; but observing 
 a large patch in the centre of the back of the 
 old coat, he cut a hole out of the new one 9,nd 
 very neatly fitted in a patch to correspond with 
 that in the old garment. As may be imagined 
 the gentleman was chagrined and disappointed, 
 and took care to be more explicit in his orders 
 to Chinese workmen in future. 
 
 As my husband on our arrival had received 
 orders to proceed to Chefoo, we remained only one 
 week in Shanghai, and as I shall have occasion 
 further on to write more at length about the place 
 
24 AMONG TEE SONS OF HAN. 
 
 I shall refrain for the present from giving any- 
 further account of the "Model Settlement" or its 
 surroundings. I must, however, advert to a rather 
 startling incident which came under my notice 
 during my short stay in Shanghai. 
 
 Oil the day after our arrival there was a good 
 deal of excitement, of which I was at first in happy 
 ignorance. It arose out of a serious disagreement 
 between the Ningpo residents on the French 
 concession and the French municipality, at whose 
 instigation a road was then being made which was 
 said to encroach upon the Ningpo cemetery. The 
 friends with whom we stayed lived on the French 
 Bund, and as the evening advanced I could not help 
 noticing a certain amount of haste and excitement 
 in the movements of the people about us. At 
 dinner it was stated that a street riot was antici- 
 pated, that the volunteers were told to be in 
 readiness to turn out on a preconcerted signal, that 
 certain French ladies had already gone for refuge 
 on board the mail steamer, and that the French 
 consul was barricading himself at his consulate 
 
A STREET RIOT. 25 
 
 in anticipation of an attack. All this sounded 
 strange to my ears, but as I had often heard at 
 home of the dangers attending a residence in the 
 Far East, I thought this was only an every-day 
 occurrence, and I steeled myself to endure as 
 bravely as I could a scene such as I thought I 
 should frequently have to meet with. I must 
 confess, however, that my courage began to 
 slacken when in the middle of dinner the guns 
 were fired which Avere to be the signal for the 
 volunteers to turn out. Immediately our host 
 jumped to his feet, and rushing into a neighbouring 
 room, he quickly returned with a revolver, which 
 he thrust into my husband's hands with a hurried 
 request to stay behind and "protect the ladies;" 
 he then rushed swiftly downstairs and into the 
 street. Frightened as some of us undoubtedly 
 were, we could hardly refrain from laughter when, 
 after the departure of our host, my husband ex- 
 amined the revolver and found that it was not 
 loaded, nor did any one in the house know where 
 the ammunition was kept; indeed, ammunition, 
 
26 AMONG TEE SONS OF HAN. 
 
 it so happened, would have been of very little use 
 at the time, for the revolver was so rusty and 
 damaged that, except for show, it was perfectly 
 useless. For a considerable time we were in a 
 state of great suspense and anxiety, and our ears 
 were on the stretch for any noise that might 
 sound like the approach of the angry mob. It 
 was midnight when, after many alarms which 
 turned out to be false ones, our host returned and 
 told us that the rioters were dispersed, but only 
 after they had set fire to some houses, and killed 
 two Frenchmen. I may add that this exciting 
 scene, so far froni being an every-day occurrence, 
 was the only one of the kind that came under 
 my notice during my stay in China. 
 
.CHAPTER III. 
 
 Chepoo — ^The Bamboo temple. 
 
 The voyage from Shanghai to Chefoo, by one of 
 the small coasting steamers, in the teeth of the 
 north-east monsoon, is a trying ordeal to any but 
 the most hardened sailor; and I found that all 
 the inconveniences I experienced on board the 
 Tigre put together were nothing compared with 
 the bitter discomforts I was obliged to undergo 
 during the two days I was on board the Sin 
 Nanzing. It was not until we had rounded 
 the Shantung promontory, and had got into com- 
 paratively smooth water, that I felt a pause in 
 my misery. The view from the steamer's deck 
 as you enter the Chefoo harbour is very pleas- 
 ing. Passing the group of islands which guard 
 
28 AMONG THE SONS OF HAN. 
 
 the entrance, on one of which stands the Luson 
 lighthouse, you are at once struck with the bold 
 outline of the lofty hills in the background; to 
 the north the Chefoo bluff attracts attention, and 
 as you glide quickly over the smooth waters of 
 the bay the European buildings on Yentai hill 
 become one by one visible. When the steamer 
 anchors at the entrance to the inner harbour, the 
 shabby appearance of the many Chinese junks, 
 the bleak appearance of the barren rocks, and the 
 apparent deficiency of trees and verdure, remind 
 one strongly of Aden, and a feeling of blank 
 disappointment creeps over the new arrival. These 
 gloomy impressions are completely removed, how- 
 ever, when the visitor has had time to explore 
 the many charms of the place ; the neat bunga- 
 lows with their pretty gardens and trim lawns; 
 the walks and rides along the sandy beach, and 
 on the picturesque wooded slopes known to the 
 residents as the " Bois de Boulogne ; " and the 
 rich aspect of the surrounding country. 
 
 In the neighbourhood of Chefoo there are some 
 
MOUNTAIN SGENHBY. 29 
 
 interesting places, to which pleasant little ex- 
 cursions are frequently made by the foreign 
 residents. The lofty hills which lie to the west 
 and south, and form such a magnificent back- 
 ground to the scenery of the place as viewed 
 from the sea, contain many attractive spots where 
 aU the beauty of sylvan scenery, of overhanging 
 trees, sparkling valley, and shining hill-side, cool 
 gurgling streamlets, and a profusion of lovely 
 wUd flowers, contributes to make a day spent in 
 that locality a bright and sunny one in the 
 recollection of the excursionist. Perhaps the most 
 popular of these picturesque resorts is a woody dell 
 on the southern slope of the chief mountain range, 
 through which a clear sparkling rivulet makes its 
 way, and in which stands the Chu Lin Miao, or 
 Bamboo temple. 
 
 As a specimen of the way in which the 
 journey there is accomplished, and to give some 
 idea of the place itself, the following short 
 description of a trip we once made to the 
 temple may contain some points of interest. 
 
80 AMONG THE SONS OF MAN. 
 
 We started about midday, taking with us for 
 my own accommodation, as I was the only lady 
 of the party, one sedan-chair, an open one, in 
 the body of which was packed away a suggestive 
 looking hamper, side-by-side with a sketch-book, 
 and some warm wrappers for the return journey 
 after sunset. After some little bustle and con- 
 fusion, the four chair coolies apparently deeming 
 it essential to shout all that they wanted to say 
 at the top of their voices, we got away, and 
 directing our journey at first in a southerly 
 direction, we passed through a plain exhibiting 
 all the various phases of Chinese rural and village 
 life. The day was one of those bright ones so 
 common during the autumn and winter months 
 in Northern China, and,, although .the crops had 
 all been gathered in, and the country stripped 
 of the rich aspect which waving fields of millet, 
 Indian corn, etc., had given to it some weeks 
 before, the bright yellow stubbles, the golden- 
 tinted trees, the picturesque-looking cottages — no 
 longer hidden by the tall standing crops— the 
 
WAYSIDE OBJECTS. 81 
 
 curling wreaths of smoke wMch told of the 
 approach of winter, and the bright cloudless Italian 
 sky above, all combined to render the surrounding 
 landscape charming, and to enliven our spirits as 
 we passed along. Our road carried us through the 
 walled village of Chi Shan So, which is a curiosity 
 in its way, being a perfect square, each side of 
 which is only about two-hundred-and-fifty yards 
 in length. It has four gates, facing the cardinal 
 points, the houses are substantially built, aud the 
 inhabitants are in more comfortable circumstances 
 than the ordinary Chinese. As usual in Chinese 
 streets, numbers of black pigs lay basking in the 
 sun, and plump little children, now doubly plump 
 with the accumulated clothes which the approach 
 of the cold weather called for, waddled about 
 the doors, or revelled in the enjoyment of mud 
 pies and dirty faces. Farther on in the country 
 we passed a couple of native Sportsmen, each 
 bearing a hawk on his arm, while a coolie walked 
 behind, having a number of hares whose mangled 
 remains gave evidence of the ferocity of the bird 
 
32 AMONG TEE SONS OF HAN. 
 
 which killed them. Soon afterwards a country 
 woman of the better class passed us, probably 
 on her way to visit some female friend in Chefoo. 
 She was seated on a mule, which was led by a 
 man; her gaudy garments and numerous cushions 
 displayed all the colours of the rainbow, and if 
 truth must be told, her not very attractive face 
 was profusely covered with roseate hues which 
 nature never implanted there. After a journey of 
 about four miles we arrived at the foot of the 
 mountain, and then commenced our toUsome climb 
 up the rugged path. Halfway up the ascent we 
 had a deep valley on our right, through the 
 midst of which ran a mountain stream, on whose 
 banks we could observe a number of natives 
 busily engaged in washing clothes, and spreading 
 them on the grass to dry; on the opposite hill 
 we observed some women and children gathering 
 herbs, and clad in the fanciful garments so much 
 affected by the better class of peasants, such as 
 loose dark-blue tunics and bright red trousers, or 
 light-blue tunics and pink trousers, and these 
 
THE MOUNTAIN PASS. 33 
 
 gaudy colours contrasted well with the dark hues 
 of the mountain-side, and the evergreens and 
 golden leaves that clustered plentifully around 
 them. 
 
 Along the narrow paths, some of them very 
 steep and dangerous, that led to the top of 
 the mountain pass to which we were going, 
 we saw a number of mules, accompanied by some 
 old Chinamen, toiling along up the almost per- 
 pendicular ascents. One could not help pitying 
 the jaded looks of both men and animals ; the 
 mules were laden with boughs, dried leaves, and 
 grass, which the old men had collected for fuel, 
 and the tinkling of the little bells which were 
 suspended round the necks of the animals seemed 
 to keep time to their weary footsteps. 
 
 Arrived at the top of the pass, we were struck 
 with the magnificence of the view which stretched 
 out before and behind us. Looking back on the 
 way by which we came, we could see Chefoo in 
 the distance, with its wide harbour and crowded 
 shipping, and the plain below seemed like one 
 
34 AMONG THE SONS OF BAN. 
 
 vast garden smiling in the glad sunshine; whilst 
 on the other side of the mountain a wilder and 
 less cultivated valley, plentifully supplied with 
 trees, extended for some distance to the foot of 
 another range of lulls which lay beyond. The 
 extreme narrowness of the pass has suggested to 
 the rulers of this region the erection of a warlike- 
 looking gate, surrounded by battlements, and on 
 the upper storey a couple of rusty cannons are left, 
 neglected and untended, to guard this important 
 approach. The cool breeze which met us on the 
 mountain-top was very refreshing after the climbing 
 we had accomplished, and when we had rested for 
 a while we commenced our descent of the southern 
 slope. A tolerably good path soon led us once 
 more to level ground; and for about half-a-mile 
 we passed through wild pasture-land where some 
 cattle were browsing, under the care of a native 
 who, Chinaman-like, seemed to be highly pleased 
 with an occupation which required so little physical 
 exertion. After a pleasant walk through the long 
 grass, we arrived at the foot of the hill on which 
 
THE BAMBOO TEMPLE. 35 
 
 the Bamboo temple stands. We passed through a 
 most pleasant grove, consisting principally of a 
 species of oak, the bark of which resembles cork, 
 and might very weU be substituted for it. 
 Quantities of mistletoe grew on these trees, and 
 the sight of the f^mUiar green leaves immediately 
 suggested merry meetings, cheery firesides,,, well- 
 remembered faces of dear ones at home, and the 
 festivities of Christmas-time in the old country 
 now far away. The brightness and warmth of 
 the sun, late as was the season, made the shade 
 of the trees quite desirable ; and when we came 
 to a pretty secluded place, near the bank of a 
 mountain stream, with an inviting greensward, 
 we unfolded our commissariat treasures, and in a 
 short time were in the enjoyment of a little 
 extemporised picnic, which the loneliness and 
 romantic beauty of the place rendered doubly 
 pleasant. Believed by the rest, and fortified by 
 the repast, we ascended still higher up the grove 
 untn we arrived at the temple. I must confess 
 that I was not much struck with the beauty of 
 
 D 2 
 
36 AMONG THE SONS OF HAN. 
 
 the architecture, or with the general aspect of 
 the temple. The rich colouring and elaborate 
 carving so common in such Chinese buildings were 
 conspicuous by their absence; in fact, were it not 
 for its romantic situation, the Bamboo temple 
 would not prove very attractive to the curious 
 traveller. On entering the principal gate we 
 found ourselves in a small courtyard in which- 
 are planted various kinds of trees, a clump of 
 bamboos on the left-hand side being probably 
 intended to give some colour to the temple's name, 
 there being no other bamboos near the place. 
 On either side of the courtyard there are a 
 number of small rooms, in each of which is 
 placed one or more idols, and opposite the 
 gate by which we entered the chief .temple 
 stands. The door is approached by two or three, 
 stone steps, and two very old bells, of antique 
 pattern and of excellent tone, are hung up on 
 each side of the entrance. The interior has a 
 dirty and neglected appearance ; in front above 
 the altar is a gilt statue of Buddha in a sitting 
 
BUBBHIST IBOLS, 'S7 
 
 posture, about four feet bigh; on the altar are 
 bronze vases witb gilt flowers and paper-leaves 
 in tbem ; four pink candles are placed on a table 
 in front, on wbicb a bronze um also stands filled 
 with incense. Hanging in front of Buddha is a 
 small oil lamp, and a number of Chinese lanterns, 
 and two banners, each having six streamers, are 
 suspended on either side ; a mat is placed on 
 the floor in front of the altar on which worshippers 
 may kneel and perform their prostrations. On the 
 right of the principal altar is a smaller one, on 
 which . stands the brazen image of some Chinese 
 deity "v^'ith eighteen arms, having an incense-urn 
 in front ; on the left is another small altar, 
 having a brazen statue of a female idol with a 
 baby in her arms, which we were informed was 
 the goddess to whom women pray for children. 
 On the side walls are painted various groups of 
 celestial or infernal beings. This temple is looked 
 after by two Buddhist priests, assisted by two 
 boyish candidates for the priesthood, aU with 
 heads completely shaved, and void of the caudal 
 
38 AMONG TEE SONS OF EAN. 
 
 appendage which usually ornaments the heads of 
 ^Chinamen, 
 
 Buddhist priests pretend to a degree of sanctity 
 ■which they can hardly be said to possess : if dirty 
 and forbidding looks be taken as symbols of 
 holiness, then I should say the priests of the 
 Bamboo temple are amongst the godliest of man- 
 kind. It seems the saintly custodians of, this 
 temple are not always particular to display before 
 the foreign unbeliever the strict observance of 
 their vows which Buddha enjoins. They are sworn 
 to abstain from the flesh of animals and from 
 ■spirituous liquors; but excursionists record that 
 these priests have not disdained to regale them- 
 selves with the remains of cold beef and mutton 
 which come in their way, and these pious men 
 have been seen more than once to exhibit the 
 potent influence which foreign spirits exercise on 
 those who indulge in them "not wisely, but too 
 well." 
 
 The shadows of evening were beginning to fall 
 as we set out on our return journey; following 
 
A FUNEBAL WAIL. 39 
 
 the same path by which we came, we arrived 
 €re long at the top of the mountain pass, and 
 were glad to have what glimmering of daylight 
 yet remained to accomplish our descent along the 
 craggy mountain paths. On oar way down the 
 hill , we saw an old , Buddhist priest seated by the 
 side of the path with a bundle by his side. 
 The wearied old man had probably been wandering 
 amongst the villages of the plain during the 
 live-long day, collecting alms from pious peasants, 
 and was now wending his way to the Bamboo 
 temple, with an occasional halt, which his age 
 a,nd his day's wandering rendered necessary. 
 
 We were thankful, when we arrived at the 
 foot of the mountain without any contretemps, 
 for by that time the short twUight had merged 
 into night. As we proceeded along the rough 
 road which leads from the mountain to the 
 nearest village, we heard behind us a long sad 
 chorus and dismal lamentations, which were re- 
 echoed from the neighbouring hills, and sounded 
 weird and awful in that lonely hour and place. 
 
40 AMONG TEE SONS OF EAN. 
 
 As we paused to listen, the doleful sounds died 
 away, but after a brief silence the wail of sorrow 
 was once more repeated, this time nearer than 
 before. Curious to know the cause of such 
 lamentation, we waited for some little time, th^ 
 cries coming nearer and nearer. Again there wa^ 
 silence all around, and we were almost beginning 
 to fancy that some mountain elves had been 
 playing upon our fears with noises not of earth, 
 when the cry of grief burst out suddenly once 
 more, this time quite close to us, and. in the 
 darkness we could see a number of unearthly- 
 looking beings dressed in white approaching us. 
 On they came, two and two, howling dismally ; 
 and as they passed quite close to us we found 
 that they were .real live Chinamen and boys, 
 clad from head to foot in the mourning garments 
 of their country, which is white, and proceeding 
 to the village where some friend or neighbour 
 had died. The funeral wail was solemn and sad 
 in the extreme, but the younger members of the 
 procession can hardly have experienced any genuine 
 
MIXED GBIEF. 41 
 
 feelings of grief, for as they passed us some of 
 them varied their lamentations with a hearty 
 laugh and a joke at seeing foreigners in such a 
 place and at such a time. When the mourners 
 had passed us we proceeded on our journey, and 
 in less than an hour we arrived at Chefoo with- 
 out any further adventure, and much pleased 
 with our little excursion. 
 
CHAPTER IV. 
 
 Seventh, moon — Memorial ceremonies for the dead. 
 
 The seventh. Chinese moon, which usually cor- 
 Tesponds with the latter portion of August and 
 the beginning of September, is in China specially- 
 dedicated to the God of Fire. At this time, too, 
 the Chinese are particularly mindful of their 
 deceased friends and relations, and quantities of 
 paper-clothes, paper-money, and even paper borses 
 and boats, are solemnly burned for the use in 
 the other world of the departed spirits. Old and 
 young may be seen at all hours, and in all 
 places, industriously engaged in this strange form 
 of devotion. I remember once seeing a veritable 
 mite of humanity, scarcely five years old, squatted 
 down outside a house-door, his little eyes full of 
 
A YOJJTEFUL BUVOTEE. 43 
 
 eager attention, his lips apart, Hs entire lieart 
 and soul evidently intent upon the conscientious 
 discharge of the duty he had imposed upon him- 
 self, which was to light a number of brown- 
 coloured sticks, known to Europeans by the name 
 of "joss-sticks," and wait patiently untU they 
 were entirely consumed. Whether the little fellow 
 had any other object but amusement in this 
 serious undertaking it would be difficult to say, 
 but, judging from the anxiety depicted in his 
 precocious little countenance, I should say he 
 was fully impressed with the importance, of his 
 occupation, and, in .sympathy with his parents 
 -and relatives, probably entertained some conviction 
 that the burning of the "joss-sticks," and the 
 arranging of them when lighted in a line with 
 the doorstep, precluded the approach of any 
 malignant evil spirits to the domestic hearth. 
 Whatever may be thought of the wisdom of the 
 task, it was impossible to avoid feeling an interest 
 in the little fellow, or being struck with the 
 prettiness of the scene when with his little 
 
44 AMONG TEE SONS OF EAN. 
 
 chubby bands be bad formed bis row of tiny 
 ligbtSj and remained watcbing tbe eflFect. Let us 
 bope tbe exorcism bad tbe desired result, and 
 tbat tbe little boy's dreams were undisturbed 
 tbat nigbt by tbe approach of any unfeeling 
 spirit or goblin. 
 
 During tbe seventh moon large feasts are 
 spreadfout for tbe enjoyment of departed relatives, 
 and bands of music are specially provided to 
 discourse " concord of sweet sounds " to the 
 friends who are no more. Processions, of which 
 tbe Chinese are so fond, line the streets, and 
 night and day gongs are beaten with a vigour 
 and perseverance worthy of a better cause. As a 
 rule, these processions and unearthly noises are 
 confined to the Chinese quarters, where no 
 foreigners reside, and where the accumulated filth, 
 concentrated odours, and loathsome sights, prohibit 
 close inspection on the part of sensitive strangers ; 
 they occasionally, however, emerge from the Chinese 
 streets, and the " Western Barbarian " may then 
 feast bis irreverent eyes on the curious spectacle. 
 
A MIDNIGET PB0CE8SI0N. 45 
 
 It was on a night in the beginning of 
 September that I beheld one of these strange 
 processions, and the sight will not easily fade 
 from my memory. The night being rather hot 
 and oppressive I sought the verandah for cool- 
 ness, and the brilliant flashes of lightning which 
 frequently lit np the otherwise gloomy sky, pre- 
 dicted a coming storm. Suddenly a sound of 
 gongs was heard in the midst of the Chinese 
 vUlaffe. and as I listened I found it came nearer 
 and nearer our dwelling ; the noise and the din 
 evidently proceeded from an approaching multitude, 
 and at last a torchlight procession emerged from 
 the streets into the open space in front of our 
 house. As they advanced like a band of un- 
 earthly beings, almost every man carrying a large 
 lantern with Chinese characters upon it, a num- 
 ber of little boys ran in front bearing blazing 
 torches, which they applied to little heaps of 
 paper-offerings scattered at intervals on the road, 
 giving the appearance, when ignited, of a chain 
 of fire running along the entire route. Amongst 
 
46 AMONG TEE SONS OF HAN. 
 
 the processionists many carried gongs, which they 
 belaboured with unflagging zeal ; and if their 
 object was, as I was informed, to lighten away 
 all evil spirits,^ and the spirits are at all gifted 
 with nerves, I am sure they must have succeeded. 
 I was strongly reminded of Drury Lane stage at 
 pantomime time as they all bent their course 
 down the jetty in front of our house, leaving a 
 train of fire behind similar to, what preceded 
 them; and when they arrived at the end of the 
 jetty they formed themselves into a square, which 
 at a distance looked like one massive blaze of 
 light. The deep roaring of distant thunder, and 
 the brilliant flashes of lightning which occasionally- 
 shot out of the murky sky, seemed fit accompani- 
 ments to the weird scene, and contributed to- 
 form a grand and solemn picture. After a delay 
 of a few minutes the mass of lamp and torck 
 bearers embarked in large sampans (native boats), 
 and a procession of five or six boats, aU brilliantly 
 lighted up, was then seen to glide slowly over 
 the waters of the bay, leaving a long chaia 
 
PBOPITIATING THE DEVIL. 4f 
 
 of glimmering light on the surface of the water 
 behind them. Slowly they passed along, the lights 
 gradually growing dimmer, and the constant noise 
 of the gongs becoming less distinct as the boats 
 proceeded farther and farther from the shore. At 
 last the lights /aded away in. the darkness, and 
 silence reigned around us; but only for a little 
 time, for far over the dark motionless waters 
 were soon seen the flashing lights returning, and 
 ere long the eternal gonging again pierced my 
 ears. Back they came along the jetty in the 
 order that they went ; and brilliant as was the 
 scene and curious, I felt relieved when the 
 procession disappeared in the Chinese streets, and. 
 silence was once more restored. 
 
 The main object of these enthusiastic pro- 
 cessionists was, it seems, to put themselves and 
 their families on as good terms as possible 
 with — ^the devil ! It . was for this purpose they 
 burnt the paper-money (imitation silver) with 
 which they strewed their course on land and 
 sea, and it was with the same sensible ' idea 
 
AMONG THE SONS OF HAN. 
 
 that they burnt, as I was told, a paper-boat 
 in the midst of the bay, so that if his Evil 
 Majesty should ever feel inclined to^ indulge in a 
 yachting excursion he would be provided with a 
 suitable craft by his ardent votaries on earth. It 
 is possible, however, that the intention of many 
 of those poor Chinamen (if they had any definite 
 intention, which is doubtful) was partly to assist 
 in the way which their superstition teaches them is 
 available, towards satisfying the wants of any of 
 their departed relations who might be contem- 
 plating a sea voyage in the other world. 
 
 In other parts of China I have observed similar 
 ceremonies at this time. On the river at Shanghai 
 many boats fuU of people, some beating gongs, 
 and others bearing torches, or throwing quantities 
 of lighted paper into the water, may be seen in 
 the evenings of August and September, and as 
 the fire-boats glide through the crowded harbour 
 lighting up the European vessels as they pass, the 
 sight is a strange and impressive one. These 
 ceremonies are, as a rule, of a public nature, and 
 
FIBE-BOATS. 49, 
 
 are probably got up to mark tbe season, and because 
 the natives think it is the correct thing to do at 
 that period. Occasionally a private ceremony is 
 arranged with reference to some special incident, 
 and then the presence of priests and a greater 
 formality give more solemnity to the affair. One 
 evening as we were strolling in the Shanghai public 
 garden, which adjoins the river, our attention was 
 attracted by the discordant sound of gongs, cymbals 
 and other Chinese musical instruments. Twilight 
 was fast dying away, and an accumulation of heavy 
 clouds overhead threw a dark shade over the 
 river and surrounding neighbourhood. Presently 
 two large native boats, brilliantly illuminated with 
 Chinese lanterns, were seen to approach; and as 
 they drew nearer to where we stood, I noticed 
 that on the deck of the leading boat was 
 erected an altar elaborately ornamented with 
 tinsel and artificial flowers, before which knelt 
 a venerable-looking Buddhist priest, who wore a 
 high hat and a long cloak or cape, and appeared 
 to be deeply engaged in prayer. Around him were 
 
Sa AMONG TKE SONS OF EAN. 
 
 grouped other priests in the usual yellow robes of 
 their calling. The entire scene looked strange 
 and weird, and as the boats, with their numerous 
 lights reflected in the still water, and the priests 
 with their devotional attitudes, moved slowly past 
 amidst the din of Chinese music, I could not help 
 fancying that some cleverly arranged panorama 
 was suddenly extemporised for our enjoyment. 
 We were told afterwards that the ceremony was 
 a sort of propitiatory one organised by the friends 
 of some sailors who were lost at sea a year 
 before. 
 
CHAPTER V. 
 
 Funeral obsequies. 
 
 In our immediate neighbourhood at Chefoo was 
 a one-storied buUding, extending from the street 
 back some fifty yards, which had been unoccupied 
 for several months, and which, with its closed 
 doors and windows, had always presented a 
 deserted and wo-begone appearance. One night 
 as we were passing on foot I was astonished to 
 find the front-doors thrown wide open, and the 
 whole place brilliantly lighted up ; the front-rooms 
 seemed devoid of furniture, but large Chinese 
 lanterns were profusely displayed, and numerous 
 scrolls of red paper with Chinese inscriptions on 
 them adorned walls, doorposts, and pillars ; two 
 long poles were also erected just outside the 
 
 B 2 
 
52 AMONG TEE SONS OF BAN. 
 
 door, Many decently dressed natives lounged 
 about the entrance or moved through the apart- 
 ments superintending the decorations; a passing 
 Chinaman grinned upon being asked what these 
 proceedings meant, and said it was a " Sing- 
 song ; " another told us it was " Joss-pidgin," 
 and we were fain to be satisfied for the time 
 with these vague explanations. Next morning we 
 were awakened early by the sound of guns and 
 most discordant music, and rushing to the window 
 we found that these unpleasant noises proceeded 
 from the adjacent house. A crowd of Chinese 
 idlers were gathered round the door, and as the 
 day advanced we observed numbers of the o£&cial 
 and better class of Chinese coming to the house- 
 in chairs or on horseback, amongst others the 
 Taotai of the district with his long retinue of 
 shabby followers. Curious to know the meaning 
 of all the noise and tumult, we passed the place 
 on going out for our evening's walk, and seeing; 
 but few Chinamen about, we made bold to enter 
 Having been courteously received by the first man 
 
FUNERAL OBSEQUIES. 63 
 
 ■who met us, we went on determinedly through 
 an empty room, and then through a long passage 
 until we arrived at a small courtyard, at the 
 back of which an altar was erected with a canopy 
 over it, from which two large square lamps were 
 suspended. The altar had on it lighted pink 
 candles, incense-urns, an honorary tablet, and the 
 usual paraphernalia of Chinese worship; a mat 
 was laid in front of the altar, and in the centre 
 was placed a cushion for kneeling on. On either 
 side of this temporary shrine a Buddhist priest 
 knelt, and in a low tone chanted some prayers 
 to the accompaniment of frequent strokes on an 
 instrument made of bamboo, and an occasional 
 sound of a muffled drum. The whole place had 
 an air of mystery and melancholy about it, and 
 we were glad to return to the open air of the 
 street. On our leaving the place we heard the 
 word given to fire, and immediately a coolie, with 
 a very shabby official uniform on, took up a 
 gingal (or small Chinese cannon, with four short 
 barrels and a long handle) and fired three shots 
 
54 AMONG THE SONS OF HAN. 
 
 in the air. Then our ears were tortured by the 
 screeching and braying and clamour of a native 
 orchestra, which was stationed in the little 
 verandah in front of the house, and now struck 
 up some specimens of Chinese music, which helped 
 to accelerate our departing footsteps. Never in 
 my life had I seen such pale decrepit-looking 
 mortals as were the members of the "orchestra," 
 and the instruments were not only old, worn, 
 and patched, but were covered with the un- 
 disturbed dirt of many years. Truly were the 
 musicians and instruments meet companions of the 
 hideous sounds they conjointly created. As we , 
 passed the house on our return home, the 
 orchestra, to our delight, was silent, and the 
 weary musicians were snatching a few minutes of 
 well-earned sleep, for they had been employed 
 during the whole of the previous night; but, true 
 to their professional tastes, continued to discourse 
 music of another kind hardly more disagreeable 
 or less noisy than that they were paid for. The 
 multifarious din proceeding from horns, drums 
 
FUNERAL OBSEQUIES. 55 
 
 etc., continued for three days and as many- 
 nights, and very thankful we were when our 
 neighbourhood was at last rid of such disturbers 
 of the peace, and the adjacent house once more 
 resumed its wonted deserted appearance. 
 
 The cause of all this noisy demonstration, we 
 were afterwards told, was the death of an old 
 lady in Swatow, in the south of China. Her son 
 held some official appointment in Chefoo, and on 
 receipt of the sad news of his mother's demise 
 he betook himself to retirement and mourning for 
 the space of a month. When it may be supposed 
 the first burst of his grief was over, he selected 
 our next-door house as a sort of reception-hall 
 for his numerous friends, who, on an appointed 
 day, came by invitation to express their sympathy 
 with him in his bereavement. On their arrival 
 at the reception-hall, clad in their official robes, 
 they proceeded through the outer rooms — which 
 were decorated, as has been stated, with inscrip- 
 tions appropriate to the occasion — to the courtyard 
 at the back, where the altar was erected, on 
 
66 AMONG THE SONS OF HAN. 
 
 which was placed the tablet of the deceased, 
 stating date of birth and death, and, there 
 prostrating themselves, waited in a kneeling position 
 until a voice from behind a partition — the voice 
 of the orphan himself or one of his relatives — 
 was heard to say : "I am grateful for your 
 Sympathy," or some such words. The visitor then 
 prostrated himself once more in front of the 
 altar and retired. In the adjoining rooms were 
 served tea and refreshments to the visitors; and 
 some of the more intimate friends of the mourner, 
 clad from head to foot in white, were constantly 
 in attendance to receive the sympathisers as they 
 arrived, to look after their requirements, and to 
 escort them to the door on their departure. 
 
CHAPTER VI. 
 
 " Joss-pidgin." 
 
 One pleasant September evening I was wandering 
 along the sea-shore at Chefoo, ' delighted with the 
 sights and sounds which surrounded me — the spark- 
 ling water breaking in tiny wavelets at my feet ; 
 the rocky islets at the entrance to the harbour 
 bathed in the warm ruddy tints of the evening 
 sunshine; the prattle and innocent diversions of the 
 children on the beach; and the music borne by the 
 balmiest of breezes from the band of a distant 
 foreign frigate; and for some time I could hardly 
 realise the fact that I was not in Europe, but 
 on the most easterly shores of Asia- After walk- 
 ing a short distance on the beach, the softness 
 of the sand rendered it advisable to take a path 
 
58 AMONG THE SONS OF SAN. 
 
 which led into the country. On either side long 
 millet and Indian corn grew, and in a short time 
 I arrived by a rustic path at a little "joss-house," 
 which I had often noticed before, but had never 
 particularly examined. It could hardly be said to 
 be a "joss-house," or a house of any kind, for 
 it was simply an enclosure about four yards 
 square, with no other roof but the azure vault 
 of heaven ; foreigners, however, pronounce all such 
 sanctuaries "joss-houses," and perhaps the name 
 is as good as any other. This humble shrine has 
 two circular doors, with steps from the road lead- 
 ing up to them, and just outside one of the 
 doors is a roughly-carved stone, intended to 
 represent some hideous fabulous monster. The 
 floor of the interior is covered with grass and 
 weeds, and a fir-tree rises from within and 
 spreads its branches over the walled enclosure. 
 At the farther end is a small altar, with a 
 hollow space in the wall above it, and on either 
 side of this niche the walls are adorned with 
 rough pictures of Buddhist deities. 
 
' joss-pibgin:' 59 
 
 Whilst I was noting the peculiarities of the 
 place, a Chinawoman, accompanied by a little boy, 
 approached. The woman, if not pretty, had nothing- 
 repulsive in her appearance; she was young, and 
 clean-looking: her costume consisted of a loose 
 light-blue jacket or tunic extending to her knees, 
 and a pair of loose trousers of the same material 
 and colour; her feet were of the natural size 
 (not dwarfed and deformed like those of even 
 the poorest Northern Chinawomen) and were 
 encased in white stockings, and shoes with thick 
 white soles. Her costume, as well as her simple 
 and becoming coiffure, proclaimed her to be a 
 native of Southern China. She was the usual 
 height of Chinawomen, about four feet six inches, 
 and her feminine vanity was evinced by the 
 large gold rings which decorated her ears. The 
 woman had evidently come with the purpose of 
 going through some religious ■ ceremony, and I 
 immediately resolved to watch her movements 
 without disturbing or embarrassing her. 
 
 She first took four " joss - sticks," lighted 
 
60 AMONG THE SONS OF BAN. 
 
 them, and stuck them round the stone figure 
 outside the door; then entering the enclosure 
 she advanced to the altar, lighted four small 
 pink candles, and placed them in the small 
 hollow space above the altar; then she lighted 
 more " joss-sticks," and placed them on the 
 altar, repeating . some prayers in a plaintive 
 tone the while. These preliminaries completed, 
 she knelt down and repeated more prayers for 
 the space of about three minutes, when she 
 performed the "kotow" by knocking her head 
 three times on the ground in front of the altar. 
 Having thus completed what may be termed the 
 propitiatory part of the ceremony, she proceeded 
 to make her petitions by unfolding a sheet of paper 
 covered with Chinese characters, and spreading it 
 on the ground in front of the altar; she then 
 handed a corresponding sheet of paper to her 
 juvenile attendant, who stood on her left and 
 again knelt before the shrine. Pausino- for a 
 few seconds in a suppliant attitude, and murmur- 
 ing more prayers, she named aloud one of the 
 
STRANGE DEVOTIONS. 61 
 
 characters on the paper in front of her, and let 
 what appeared to be a couple of small copper 
 coins drop on the ground, and immediately after- 
 wards the boy with a lighted "joss-stick" burned 
 or singed one of the characters on the paper 
 which he held. The dropping of the coins and 
 the burning with the " joss-stick " having been 
 several times repeated, the woman rose from her 
 kneeling position, satisfied no doubt that her 
 petition had been granted, and then commenced 
 what appeared to be the thanksgiving or con- 
 cluding portion of the rites. Holding in her 
 left hand a quantity of "joss-paper" — which is a 
 kind of roughly gilt or silvered paper, cut in small 
 squares, and which the "joss" is supposed ta 
 accept as real gold and silver — she applied a 
 light with her right hand, and after holding the 
 burning treasure for a few seconds, threw it blazing 
 to the right of the altar. Then with a final bow- 
 to the presiding deity she took her departure. 
 
 On entering the building afterwards, I found 
 the candles and "joss-sticks" still burning, and I 
 
62 AMONG TEE SONS OF HAN. 
 
 noticed for the first time a bush in one corner 
 of the enclosure almost covered with pieces of 
 rags, the relics, no doubt, of former worshippers; 
 and I could not help thinking of the holy 
 wells of Ireland, overhanging which the traveller 
 often sees trees bearing similar traces of the 
 visits of pious pilgrims. 
 
 I am sorry to have to add, what I sub- 
 sequently learned, namely, that the female whose 
 pious devotions I had witnessed, had no more 
 worthy object for her prayers than the assistance 
 of "joss" in some gambling speculation. The 
 Chinese are perhaps the most inveterate gamblers 
 in the world ; the lower classes seem to have 
 packs -of their tiny cards ever ready to produce, 
 by way of varying the monotony of their lazy 
 idle existence. The itinerant pastrycooks and 
 fruitsellers always, or nearly always, dispose of 
 their, wares by the throw of the dice; and 
 gambling-houses are everywhere to be found. The 
 mania for gambling extends to the gentler sex as 
 well, and the particular kind of gambling with 
 
PRATING FOB LUCK. 63 
 
 which the devotions described above were con- 
 nected, is one for which the Chinese, especially 
 the Southerns, as I am informed, have a decided 
 fondness. It is a kind of lottery, in which a 
 certain number of characters, selected out of a 
 paper given for the purpose, are chosen, and if 
 these characters correspond with those previously 
 chosen at random by the proprietor of the lottery, 
 the speculator wins, otherwise the money paid for 
 a chance is hopelessly lost. In the case of the 
 ceremonies I had witnessed, the woman came, it 
 is to be supposed, with two of the gambling 
 papers, and petitioned T'u Ti, the God of Earth 
 (who is believed by the lower classes to favour 
 their gambling speculations), to signify to hef. the 
 lucky characters she ought to choose in order to 
 win a prize in the lottery. By a prearranged 
 plan she accepted the manner in which the coins 
 alighted on the ground as an affirmative or negative 
 reply to the choice of the particular character she 
 named before she let them fall, and the boy 
 burned a mark in the paper which he held near 
 
64 AMONG THE SONS OF SAN. 
 
 any character which it was believed T'u Ti 
 recommended. 
 
 There could hardly be a more forcible example 
 of the unfathomable ignorance in which the lower 
 class of Chinese are steeped, and of the gross 
 superstition which regulates and pervades all their 
 actions. 
 
CHAPTER VII. 
 
 Chinese theatricals. 
 
 The theatre in China is a venerable and popular 
 institution; like everything else in the Celestial 
 Empire, it seems to have made no advance with 
 the lapse of time, and to be to-day what it was 
 hundreds of years ago. What the English stage 
 was in Shakespeare's time, such is the Chinese 
 theatre in the nineteenth century. The stage is 
 generally a roughly put together structure ; the 
 acting principally takes place in the open air ; 
 the female parts are performed by boys; and the 
 properties and paraphernalia are of the most 
 simple and primitive nature. Theatricals, however, 
 continue to attract immense audiences, and it is 
 interesting to observe the intense delight with 
 
66 AMONG THE SONS OF HAN. 
 
 which the Chinese attend to every action of the 
 performers, and to notice on the uplifted faces of 
 the crowd the varying effect which the alter- 
 nation of the scenes produces — 
 
 "From grave to gay, from lively to severe." 
 The plays are generally historical — ^tragedies with 
 a considerable dash of comedy in them-^and 
 abound with sensational and laughter-stirring 
 scenes ; but it is questionable whether the 
 popularity of these representations depends much 
 upon the merits of the pieces as attractive 
 literary productions. The greatest commendations 
 of Chinese theatrical critics seem to be bestowed 
 on the gorgeousness of the costumes, and the 
 " get-up " of the female characters. Another 
 great source of attraction, no doubt the greatest, 
 is the cheapness of the entertainment. The 
 ■Chinese, as is well known, are our antipodes in 
 aU social observances, and in . the matter of the 
 stage this national peculiarity is exemplified; for 
 whereas theatres at home are at most only 
 tolerated by religionists, and are tabooed by many 
 
GOING TO TSE PLAY. 67 
 
 pious people as tlie very worst invention of the 
 Evil One, in China, religious rites, if of any 
 magnitude, are almost invariably accompanied by 
 theatrical performances. On such occasions free 
 admission is almost always accorded to the public ; 
 and on the appointed day crowds of people flock 
 from all quarters to stand in front of the stage, 
 and enjoy for hours the dramatic treat provided 
 for them. It is a sight on such a day to see 
 the women hobbling along on their deformed 
 feet to the rendezvous, dressed up in gala costume, 
 their cheeks and lips profusely covered with 
 brightest rouge, and their hair heavily gummed, 
 and decorated with gs^j artificial flowers. Scores 
 of little children, dressed in all the colours of 
 the rainbow, are carried or led long distances to 
 be present at the entertainment ; and in the 
 vicinity of the stage, vendors of cakes, fruits, 
 and sweetmeats, drive, literally and metaphorically, 
 a "roaring" trade. It is considered a benevolent 
 act, and one highly pleasing to heaven, for a 
 Chinaman to give a public theatrical performance; 
 
 F 2 
 
68 AMONG THE SONS OF EAN. 
 
 and wealthy men who are ambitious, and who 
 cater for popularity, often expend considerable 
 sums in this way. 
 
 In Chefoo a rich Chinaman living in our 
 neighbourhood, who had of late years been very 
 successful in his commercial speculations, and had 
 recently obtained by purchase the rank of a 
 high-class mandarin, and the privilege of wearing 
 an opaque blue button on the top of his official 
 hat, gave an extensive thanksgiving performance- 
 in public to which we were invited. He selected a 
 large open space close to his own residence, and there 
 had a stage erected, opposite to which a large 
 temporary box was constructed for the use of 
 himself and his friends. On our arrival at the 
 place our host came forward and received us with 
 that formal politeness which is observable amongst 
 the Chinese better classes, and we soon found' 
 ourselves in a roomy and comfortable apartment' 
 where seats were at once provided for us. In the 
 middle of the box was placed a large table or altar 
 which groaned under the weight of the good' 
 
m A PBIVATE BOX. 69 
 
 things provided as thanksgiving oflFerings to Heaven. 
 The innumerable varieties of Chinese dishes were 
 here fully represented : roast ducks decorated with 
 gilt paper, sweetmeats of all kinds, cakes plentifully 
 bespangled with raisins and currants, imitation little , 
 pigs formed of pork,, fruits in great variety, pigs' 
 feet garnished with bruised potatoes, and a quantity 
 of dishes whose composition and names are un- 
 known to Europeans, were spread out in promiscuous 
 and rich profusion. Two large pink candles, about 
 three inches in diameter, and decorated with gold, 
 silver, and green leaves, stood one on each side of 
 the table, and in the centre a bronze basin con^- 
 taining burning incense was placed. The principal 
 compartment in which we sat was flanked on 
 either side by two small boxes, in front of which 
 were screens which, while concealing the inmates 
 from the vulgar gaze, permitted from within a 
 view of the stage and the movements thereon: 
 these were reserved for the native female connections 
 of the host and his friends. In the meantime tea 
 was ordered for us, and a servant placed a small 
 
70 AMONG TEE SONS OF HAN. 
 
 table or "tea-poy" in front of us, on which he 
 arranged Chinese cups and poured into them some 
 genuine Chinese tea as consumed by the natives 
 themselves. It is a weak and insipid production of 
 the colour of pale sherry, and tastes more of hot 
 water than of tea ; no milk or sugar is mixed 
 with it, and what with the awkward shape of the 
 cups with their embarrassing lids, and the uninviting 
 nature of the beverage, a cup of tea d la Chinoise is 
 not a boon much sought for by Europeans. On this 
 occasion we made as few faces over it as we could 
 in presence of our host, and we managed to sip 
 a little without much inconvenience. For some 
 time we sat and watched the actors, and listened to 
 their shrill voices. The stage had no. "wings" to 
 it, and the only entrances were two doors at the 
 back through which the actors entered when their 
 turn came round, and retired when they had 
 performed their allotted part. The imaginatioiffij 
 of the audience were not assisted by scenery or stage 
 accessories of any kind; indeed the entire back 
 of the stage was occupied by the orchestra, and 
 
CHINESE OPE^A BOUFFE. 71 
 
 by attendants and hangers-on who went about 
 their occupations as if nothing else were taking 
 place on the boards. The whole thing appeared 
 childish and stupid to us, but considering the 
 length of each principal actor's part, set as it is 
 to music — if the hic^eous din and jargon can be 
 called by that name — a vast amount of care and 
 trouble must have been bestowed on the. prepa- 
 rations. At aU events, judging from the attention 
 of the audience this Chinese opera houffe might 
 be pronounced a success. In a short time, how- 
 ever, we unconsciously became formidable rivals to 
 the actors; the box in which we sat was open 
 in front, and had not the advantage possessed 
 by the boxes in which the Chinese ladies sat un- 
 observed, so that in spite of the gorgeous dresses 
 on the stage, in spite of the vigorous strumming 
 of the orchestra, in spite of the falsetto shrieking 
 of the actors, and the intrinsic merits of the piece 
 itself (if it had any), a large proportion of the 
 audience turned their backs on the stage, and the 
 foreigners became the attraction on which the con- 
 
72 AMONG THE SONS OF HAN. 
 
 centrated gaze of the multitude was firmly set. 
 Whatever little interest we might have commenced 
 to J take in the performance being now completely 
 checked by this demonstrative attention on the 
 part of the crowd, we rose and quickly took our 
 departure, leaving the actors in undisputed possession 
 of their rights as caterers to the amusement of the 
 multitude. 
 
CHAPTER VIII. 
 
 The climate and people of Chefoo — A voice in the night — 
 A Chefoo winter — Departure from Chefoo. 
 
 After a residence of ten months in Chefoo, my 
 husband received orders to proceed to Shanghai, 
 and although I rejoiced at the prospect of living 
 in the largest European settlement in China, where 
 the comforts and enjoyments of Western life are 
 more easily obtainable than in any other Chinese 
 port, I could not help experiencing feelings ' of 
 deep regret at being obliged to leave the pleasant 
 little community amongst whom we had lived so 
 happily. Chefoo is in many respects the most 
 desirable of all the open ports as a place of 
 residence; situated so far north, and on the sea- 
 . coast, the summer there is not nearly so long 
 
74 AMONG THE SONS OF EAN. 
 
 or so trying as at the southern ports, some of 
 which, moreover, lie inland far beyond the reach 
 of refreshing sea - breezes, and in the months of 
 July and August many Europeans fly from the 
 stifling heat of Shanghai to enjoy the cooler 
 atmosphere and sea-bathing of Chefoo. As it 
 usually happens, too, that more than one admiral's 
 flag-ship is anchored during a portion of the 
 summer in Chefoo harbour, the presence of a band,, 
 of which the frigate is almost certain to boaat„ at 
 once suggests picnics and evening dances. Besides 
 tha salubrity of the climate, and the occasional 
 amusements of Chefooi, the neighbourhood, as I 
 have already said, is not without its charms; 
 and after one gets accustomed to such national 
 peculiarities as must necessarily be found in, every 
 Chinese locality, there is a good deal in. the place 
 which is somehow suggestive of home. Indeed 
 the ruddy looks and the kindly disposition of the 
 inhabitants, the general aspect of the country, 
 the formation of the common houses, and in 
 some respects the climate, often, reminded me 
 
KINDNESS OF THE PEOPLE. 75 
 
 of Jersey. The natives invariably appeared kind 
 and good-humoured, and, so far from receiving 
 any rudeness or incivility at their hands, I 
 have ever been treated by them with respect and 
 studied politeness. I remember on one occasion 
 passing the cottage , of a poor man "who showed 
 great taste in the arrangement of flowers in pots 
 around his door. One exceedingly good specimen 
 of an aster had a particular attraction for me on 
 account of the delicacy of its hues, and by my 
 gesture I expressed my admiration to the owner. 
 The old man seemed pleased with my approval of 
 his pet, and I proceeded on my walk ; I had 
 forgotten all about the circumstance when, to 
 my surprise and delight, I found on my return 
 home the very aster I had admired, pot and all — 
 a present from an old Chinaman whom I had 
 
 never seen before ! 
 
 In spite, however, of its many advantages, 
 
 Chefoo was to me the place where I had to 
 
 undergo that inevitable awakening which must 
 
 come to those who settle down for the first 
 
76 AMONG THE SONS OF MAN. 
 
 time in a strange land, and amongst a strange 
 people, far from home and all the attractions 
 which make home dear to us. To be surrounded, 
 as we were, with Chinese . houses ; to witness 
 crowds of strangely-dressed beings constantly 
 passing your window; when the sight of one of 
 the European residents, or a stray sailor from 
 one of the ships in harbour, was a comparatively 
 rare event ; to hear nothing in the streets all 
 day long but the loud jabbering of coolies in a 
 loud, harsh, and unknown tongue — often caused a. 
 feeling of depression, which I suppose was only 
 natural under the circumstances. In reverting to 
 these early feelings I am reminded of an incident 
 which happened during the summer at Chefoo, 
 and which proves that from the sublime to the 
 ridiculous the transition is often rather startling. 
 One July night the heat was so oppressive that 
 sleep for some hours was out of the question, 
 and after several vain attempts to court the 
 drowsy deity, I calmly resigned myself to my 
 fate; and as I lay with open eyelids, a flood 
 
LONGING FOB HOME. 77 
 
 of thoughts came pouring upon me, and in the 
 almost awful stillness of the night my busy 
 imagination carried me hither and thither, to the 
 utter defiance of time and space. In the midst 
 of my distracted wanderings my memory called 
 vividly before me the events of the past few 
 months ; I thought of home and the dear ones 
 to whom I had so lately said farewell; I pictured 
 to myself the sweet faces whose loving smiles 
 seemed to beam upon me as brightly at that 
 moment as they were wont to do in the hours 
 of happy childhood. I remembered I was in a 
 strange land, inhabited by strange beings, whose 
 strange language sounded day after day harshly 
 in my ears. Oh for one sight of the old home, 
 one glimpse of the familiar faces, one whisper 
 of the well-remembered voices now so far away! 
 How musical would the most discordant street 
 cry have sounded in that lonely hour and place 
 if it were only framed in the language which I 
 had lisped in chUdhood! But the few straggling 
 streets which surrounded our house were composed 
 
"78 AMONG TEE SONS OF BAN. 
 
 entirely of Chinese dwellings ; the inhabitants 
 were, presumably, fast asleep, and even if one 
 as sleepless as myself had audibly expressed his 
 woes, night would have been made doubly hideous 
 "to me. Suddenly a murmur of voices at a little 
 distance startled me, a roar of laughter followed, 
 and then a sudden rush brought the stragglers 
 apparently beneath my open window. Now, 
 thought I, for a burst of Chinese eloquence, loud, 
 harsh, and unintelligible. Was I dreaming, or had 
 my ears for once deceived me ? Loud, indeed, rose 
 a voice outside, but not particularly harsh, and 
 certainly not unintelligible. "Axrah, be aisy," it 
 said, "shure it's an Irishman I am, although ye 
 may not think so. I'm a Koman Catholic, one 
 of the ould faith. Come here, John Chinaman, 
 
 « 
 
 till I make a Protestant of ye ; shure it's good 
 enough for the like of ye." Whereupon a roar 
 of laughter from the Celestials took place, then a 
 rapid retreat down the road with the tipsy Irish 
 sailor in hot pursuit, and stillness once more 
 reigned around. 
 
A CHEFOO WINTEB. 79 
 
 Although the heat of summer is not so 
 intense in the north of China as it is in the 
 south, it is sufficiently great to form a marked 
 contrast with the cold which is experienced during 
 the winter. The frost is often keen enough to 
 cover the sea for many miles with a thick coat- 
 ing of ice, and the northerly winds are often 
 bitter and violent. On these occasions the natives 
 ■adopt the precaution of covering their ears with 
 neatly-fitting ']i.ttle caps lined with fur, and the 
 men wear red hoods, which are tied under their 
 chins and cover their shoulders. At night they 
 guard themselves against the bitter cold by light- 
 ing fires under their sleeping places, which in 
 the north of China are buUt of brick, and are 
 called "kangs." 
 
 A residence, therefore, at Chefoo during the 
 winter season has its benefits as well as its 
 disadvantages. On the one hand the bracing 
 weather, when the wind is not too keen, has an 
 invigorating effect upon the system ; riding and 
 walking become necessary, and robust health and 
 
80 AMONG THE SONS OF MAN. 
 
 buoyancy of spirits are the rule and not the 
 exception. The lazy fireside, too, reminds one of 
 home ; and, owing partly to the loneliness of the 
 season, and partly to the general holiday which 
 ensues on account of the almost entire suspension 
 of business at that time, parties and merry-making 
 are events of constant occurrence. On the other 
 hand, it must be confessed that a northerly blow 
 at Chefoo in January or February, especially if 
 accompanied by snow, is not entitled to be ranked 
 amongst the comforts of existence. In the face 
 of such a visitation, double windows, closed 
 Venetians, and woollen rep curtains are all in- 
 adequate for the exclusion of the wintry air ; 
 and with an enormous fire in an ordinary-sized 
 dining-room, I have seen ladies shiver over their 
 soup, and call for shawls and wrappers to shield 
 them from the penetrating cold, which somehow 
 managed to effect an entrance in spite of all 
 precautions. On one occasion I remember the 
 gale from the north was unusually severe ; 
 immense waves were formed in the bay or rolled 
 
A VIOLENT STOBM. 81 
 
 in from the sea, and dashed themselves with fury 
 upon the beach, making a noise like thunder. 
 The European sailing vessels in harbour dragged 
 their anchors, and two of them were driven 
 through the fleet of Chinese junks high up on 
 the beach, where thev were obliged to remain for 
 days after the storm, until channels were cut for 
 their return to their natural element. 
 
 I must now close my remarks on Chefoo. In 
 a short time fresh scenes and faces were to dawn 
 upon me, and it was not my good fortune after- 
 wards to return to the little northern port; but 
 memory often recalls the happy days which 
 predominated during my stay there. 
 
CHAPTER IX. 
 Shanghai — ^A Chinese wedding. 
 
 Soon after our anival at Shanghai, in March, 1875, 
 we were invited to a Chinese wedding, and as the 
 ceremony is rarely witnessed by Europeans we 
 gladly availed ourselves of the opportunity afforded 
 to us, and I shall now endeavour to chronicle 
 as faithfully as I can all that was noticed on 
 the occasion. It may be premised that the bride 
 and bridegroom, though highly respectable, cannot 
 be said to belong to the very crime de la crime 
 of Chinese society, and to this circumstance, as 
 well as to the fact that the bridegroom had seen 
 a great deal of foreigners, may be attributed what 
 appear to have been certain relaxations of strict 
 Chinese etiquette which were made in our favour. 
 
A CniNESn WEDDING. 83 
 
 At noon on the auspicious day we repaired to 
 the bridegroom's house, and were received with 
 much ceremony and politeness by the host and 
 by his married sister, a well-dressed pleasant- 
 looking specimen of a Chinese woman, who was 
 doing the honours on the occasion, and seemed, 
 in quite a flutter of excitement over it. We 
 were first of all ushered into a room or hall, in 
 which, we were told, the ceremony was to take 
 place, and which was entirely open in front. 
 Four large oval lamps made of some gelatinous- 
 looking substance, and ornamented with tassels,. 
 hung across the entrance; four large Chinese 
 glass lamps were suspended from the ceiling, and 
 from the centre hung a more ornamental-looking 
 lamp covered with bead-work. Two ordinary 
 Chinese tables placed together did service as a 
 kind of altar, on which were placed a large 
 incense-um, flanked by a pair of large candle- 
 sticks to match. Another smaller urn and a 
 pair of candlesticks stood farther back, the 
 candlesticks being decorated with evergreens and 
 
 G 2 
 
AMONG TEE SONS OF SAN. 
 
 having large red candles in them ; v/hile on 
 the tables were ranged a number of small 
 saucers full of fruit, pieces of sugarcane, and 
 various highly - coloured but unwholesome - look- 
 ing cakes and condiments. One large picture 
 and some scrolls covered with Chinese characters 
 ornamented the wall opposite the entrance, and 
 the usual uncomfortable high - backed native 
 chairs were ranged along the sides of the room. 
 Having taken our seats, tea was brought to us, 
 so hot that it was a positive relief to think 
 it was only presented to us for form's sake, and 
 not for immediate consumption. Some of the 
 unwholesome - looking cakes were pressed upon us 
 with many encomiums as to their excellence, 
 and, our declining to partake of them being 
 attributed to our extreme modesty, a parcel of 
 the delectable morsels was made up and thrust 
 hospitably into our thankless hands, so that we 
 might enjoy an undisturbed treat on our retiring 
 to the solitude of our home. On either side 
 of the principal apartments was a room given 
 
TEE NATIVE GUESTS. 85 
 
 up to the use of the native guests, in one of 
 which were a number of exceedingly well-dressed 
 women, who were apparently much flattered 
 by the admiration which a foreign lady bestowed 
 upon their looks and costumes. And indeed they 
 were to a certain extent worthy of admiration — ; 
 their gay coiffures ornamented with pearls, their 
 robes of enibroidered silk and lined with softest 
 fur, their elaborate jewellery (some of them had 
 two sets of earrings let into their ears) all excited 
 a great deal of wonder. But their curiosity with 
 regard to the strange feminine attire which was 
 brought so close, was far greater even than that 
 bestowed upon themselves. A sealskin jacket 
 seemed to meet with their approbation, but their 
 amazement at a tightly-fitting pair of kid gloves 
 was unbounded. They seemed to marvel how the 
 gloves were got on, and on one of them being 
 taken off a peal of merry laughter rang round the 
 room, and one old lady grasped the ungloved 
 hand and gave it a most affectionate squeeze. The 
 opposite room was full of the male guests, who 
 
86 AMONG THE SONS OF SAN. 
 
 "were attired in their holiday costume, and were 
 Bmoking, drinking, and chatting away the time 
 ■whUst waiting for the bride's arriTal. 
 
 As the avant courier had not come to announce 
 the approach of the bridal procession the host 
 and his sister invited us to inspect the inner 
 apartments. The former, vrho speaks very good 
 English, led the way, and in a short time we 
 found ourselves in a very comfortable little room, 
 rather overcrowded with new and very good 
 Chinese furniture of dark polished wood inlaid 
 with ivory carvings of animals, trees, etc., which 
 was constructed apparently more with a view 
 to ornament than comfort. On a table were 
 spread out some of the bride's presents, most 
 ■of which seemed to be highly useful adjuncts 
 to the estabhshment of a young housekeeper, such 
 as a set of teacups on an ornamented tray, tea- 
 3)ots, candlesticks of various kinds, lamps, and 
 -above all a neat little dressing-case, containing a 
 mirror and a number of little drawers filled with 
 all kind:s of mysterious implements for the elabora- 
 
TEE BRIDE'S TEOUSSEAU, 87 
 
 tion of a Chinese lady's toilet. Three large red 
 boxes, quite new, piled one on the top of the other, 
 we were told, contained the bride's trousseau, and 
 had been conveyed to the house with much pomp 
 and ceremony the day before. Our host informed 
 us that the boxes .were locked, that his future 
 wife would bring the keys with her, and that 
 after the conclusion of the ceremony, not before, he 
 would be privileged to gaze upon the hidden treasures. 
 A slight pause and some confusion followed this 
 announcement, and, after some telegraphic glances 
 had passed between the brother and sister, the 
 former admitted to us in a whisper that curiosity had 
 got the better of him and his friends on the previous 
 night, and that a brass-smith had been summoned, 
 who in a short time provided the means of opening 
 the boxes ! And now that the secret was divulged 
 a false key was produced, one of the boxes was 
 opened, and almost before we could utter a gentle 
 protest against the apparent breach of good faith, 
 one after another out came the neatly-folded silk 
 robes, satin tunics, and all the other indescribable 
 
88 AMONG TEE SONS OF EAN. 
 
 garments of a Chinese lady's wardrobe, the costly 
 materials and elaborate embroidery of which were 
 pointed out to us with much pardonable pride. 
 Just as the article which had occupied the lowest 
 place in the last box had been taken out, and un- 
 folded for our inspection — all the other garments 
 being thrown about . the room at the time in 
 dreadful confusion — the loud clash of a gong, 
 and the shrill piping of a Chinese band of music 
 broke upon the startled ears of the expectant 
 bridegroom, and with a look of horror he 
 commenced flinging back the gorgeous dresses- 
 pell-mell into the box, and requested us in most 
 pathetic terms to retire, as the bride was 
 approaching ! Much concerned about the em- 
 barrassing condition in which we left our host 
 and his sister, we returned to the reception-hall, 
 and took up a favourable position for witnessing' 
 the ceremony, which, by the eager faces of the 
 native guests, and the near approach of the 
 discordant music, we knew to be imminent. 
 
 We had not long to wait. First came a 
 
ABBIVAL OF THE BRIDE. 89 
 
 number of respectably-dressed men, with official 
 bats on, who arranged tbemselves about tbe 
 entrance; tben came, two and two, about a 
 .dozen little boys, very clean and well dressed, 
 some playing ■- flutes almost as long as themselves, 
 and others keeping v^ry fair time on a kind of 
 small dull-sounding tambourine, which they beat 
 with a stick ; next came a set of more grown 
 up, more noisy, and far more discordant 'musicians, 
 and immediately after them the gorgeous closed 
 bridal-chair, all scarlet and tinsel, which was 
 deposited, facing inwards, at the entrance of the 
 hall. The red candles on the table, and the 
 candles in aU the pendent lamps were now lighted, 
 and a fussy-looking person, who turned out to 
 be master of the ceremonies, took his place on 
 the right side of the tables, and commenced to 
 repeat in a sing-song tone some set expressions 
 suited no doubt to the occasion. We noticed that 
 all the movements throughout the ceremony were 
 directed by this functionary, and his austere visage 
 and unbending countenance seemed to show that 
 
«0 AMONG THE SONS OF HAN. 
 
 he looked upon the event of tlie day as anything 
 but a joke, and to suggest that he would stand 
 no nonsense from anyone who dared to dispute 
 his authority. In a little time two middle-aged 
 matrons, who though clean gave one somehow the 
 idea of being poor relations, came forward each with 
 a small bowl of what appeared toibe stewed plums, 
 and stood beside the bridal-chair. At the bidding 
 of the austere Corypheus the matrpns partly raised 
 the curtain which hung in front of the chair, and 
 presented the (to us) invisible occupant with some 
 •of the plums — the latter delicacy having been 
 transferred froin the bowl towards the dehcate 
 lips of the bride on the point of a silver bodkin, 
 which each of the matrons drew gracefully from 
 her own chignon for the purpose. With a delicacy, 
 however, which we .could easUy appreciate, the 
 bride refused .the proffered dainty. The two 
 women thereupon lowered the curtain, and, turning 
 to the assembled guests, went about tempting 
 them in the same manner with the dainty refused 
 
TEE MAEBIAGU GEBUMONY. 91 
 
 hj the bride; and although, we were honoured 
 ■with an offer, and were assured that certain 
 happiness would follow our acceptance, we were 
 ■ungracious enough to politely but firmly decline. 
 Another sing-song solo by the master of the 
 ceremonies ensued, and before its conclusion our 
 eyes were attracted to the door leading to the 
 interior of the house, from which the young hero 
 •of the occasion was seen to issue with feigned 
 reluctance, the two matrons appearing to drag him 
 forth to the ceremony. 
 
 He had a preoccupied and uncomfortable look 
 about him, appearing to be anything but a 
 "happy man," and we could not help wondering 
 whether his thoughts were then with his sister 
 in the inner room, and whether he was specu- 
 lating as to the possibility of the trousseau being 
 rearranged in time to prevent detection by the 
 young lady in the bridal-chair, who might be a 
 Tartar in every sense of the word, for all the 
 bridegroom could tell, with the slender previous 
 
92 AMONG THE SONS OF SAN. 
 
 acquaintance which the stern customs of his 
 
 country allowed him. On, however, he came, 
 
 dragged by the relentless matrons, a carpet being 
 
 laid in front of him as he slowly progressed, 
 
 until he arrived at the side of the hall farthest 
 
 from, and opposite to, the entrance, where he 
 
 was left standing with his face to the wall. 
 
 Then followed more sing-song declamation from 
 
 the master of the ceremonies, and the two women 
 
 raised the curtain from the chair, and reaching ; 
 
 towards the bride, drew her gently from her 
 
 place of concealment into the full gaze of the 
 
 lookers-on. 
 
 A murmur of admiration escaped from the 
 assembled guests as the delicate young figure was 
 led along a carpeted path, like the bridegroom, 
 to the place where the latter stood, until they 
 were both side by side, with their faces to the 
 wall. The bride was attired in a long red 
 garment, profusely covered with gold lace and 
 embroidery; her head-dress was a most elaborate 
 
TEE MABBIAGE GEBEMONT. 93 
 
 affair, in shape . somewhat like a helmet, covered 
 with light-blue enamel work and studded plenti- 
 fully with pearls, while a long red silk veU fell 
 to her feet, completely concealing her counte- 
 nance. Standing together the bride and bridegroom 
 began "chin-chinning" first each other and then 
 the wall. Why the wall should have been 
 honoured with this attention did not seem clear, 
 but it is probable that an. ancestral tablet was 
 supposed to be there, and their devotional exercises 
 were perhaps directed to that imaginary object. 
 More mysterious words were uttered' by the leader 
 of the rites, more prostrations were made before 
 the invisible shrine, and then the happy pair 
 were turned round by the aid of the indefatigable 
 matrons, and were urged to kneel with their faces 
 towards the tables. The master of the ceremonies 
 thereupon tied two pieces of sUk ribbon together, 
 one red and the other green, and gave the green 
 end to be held by the bride, the bridegroom 
 taking hold of the red ; and with this mysterious 
 
94 AMONG TEE SONS OF SAN. 
 
 bond between them tbe ceremony "was continued. 
 The bride and groom then rose, the same useful 
 females assisting them as before^ turned once 
 more to the wall, and again made profound 
 inclinations to the wall and to each other, 
 then knelt down, rose, turned round again and 
 seated themselves side by side at the table. Food 
 and wine were then placed before them, and 
 were raised to their lips, as a matter of form 
 only, by the 'assistants. Another performer then 
 appeared upon the scene in the person of the 
 bridegroom's sister, who, in spite of the coldness 
 of ihe weather, looked very warm and flushed. 
 She must have had a busy time of it since we 
 saw her last, for, in addition to other labours 
 which we knew of, she had changed her costume, 
 and was now arrayed in a long red dress. With 
 modesty and confusion she approached the bride 
 and bridegroom, and "chin-chinned" them each 
 in turn, whilst some mystic words were uttered 
 by the director. At this point a number of fire- 
 
HUSBAND AND WIFE. 95- 
 
 crackers were diacharged in the courtyard, the 
 musicians struck up a lively air, gongs and 
 drums were beaten, and in the midst of the 
 discordant din the husband and wife — for it is to 
 be presumed they were by this time entitled to- 
 those honourable designations — ^were led away by 
 the attendants, the husband going first and moving 
 backwards so that he faced the bride, and in this 
 order they passed into the interior of the house. 
 The ceremony being now over, and the native 
 guests appearing intent upon the feasting which 
 was evidently about to commence, we, being the 
 only two foreigners present, were about to retire,, 
 when a messenger came to say that the bride would 
 be glad to see us in her own sanctum. We cheer- 
 fully accepted the invitation, and on entering we 
 found the young lady still arrayed in her ■ bridal 
 costume with her veil down, standing in the 
 middle of the room. With some hesitation we 
 asked if we might be permitted to gaze upon the 
 features of the bride, and a ready acquiescence 
 
96 AMONG. TEE SONS OF BAN. 
 
 having been given, the veU was raised, and the 
 pale face of an exceedingly modest-looking young 
 girl of seventeen or thereabouts was revealed' to 
 us. The ordeal which a Chinese bride has to go 
 through immediately after the removal of her veil 
 is generally a very trying one, for the female 
 critics who surround her are said to be often 
 inconsiderate and even rude in their remarks ; but 
 on this occasion ;the infliction must have been 
 aggravated^ by the presence of not only a Western 
 Barbarian female, but — shade of Confucius ! — the 
 Western Barbarian female's husband as well. 
 Whether our presence added to the discomfort 
 of the bride or not, certain it is that the poor thing 
 did not look very happy as she stood with bent 
 head and downcast eyes ; in fact her well- 
 powdered cheeks were furrowed with tears, and 
 neither our expressed hopes for her future happiness, ' 
 which were interpreted to her, nor the presenta- 
 tion of a little bridal gift, provoked the slightest 
 approach to a smile on her demure features. 
 
CONGRATULATIONS. 97 
 
 We soon took our leave, the bridegroom 
 escorting us with, much politeness to the outer 
 gate ; there we parted from him, and we gave 
 him our hearty congratulations and our best wishes 
 for his felicity in the happy state he had that 
 day so auspiciously gntered upon. 
 
 ■B. 
 
CHAPTER X. 
 
 LTmg-hna pagoda and temple — Chinese pnests at their deTotions 
 — Up-conntry trips — Fnng-shan — Fishing cormorants — 
 Patental love amongst the Chinese. 
 
 I HAD often desired to inspect a Chinese pagoda, 
 and having ascertained that the Lxing-hua pagoda, 
 situated a couple of miles to the south of the 
 Shanghai city, was easily accessible by water, I 
 started one bright afternoon in a steam-launch, 
 and after a short but pleasant trip up the river 
 past the city, the junk-anchorage, and the Anglo- 
 Chinese arsenal, I arrived at the landing-place 
 close to the pagoda. How is it that our precon- 
 ceived notions of things are so often fated to 
 be rudely crushed when we are brought face to 
 face with the reality? Certain it is that all the 
 
LUNG-HUA PAGODA. 99 
 
 ideas about pagodas which I had formed from 
 
 pictures, from description, and even from distant 
 
 views of the buildings themselves, vanished into 
 
 thin air as I stood at the foot of the Lung-hua 
 
 pagoda, and noted its rickety condition, its 
 
 dilapidated galleries,^ and its neglected, forlorn, 
 
 and uncouth appearance generally. It did not 
 
 look as if it had ever been a "thing of beauty," 
 
 and I should be very sorry to pronounce it a 
 
 "joy for ever." A smiling native stood at the 
 
 door with a bunch of keys in his hand, and judging 
 
 from the critical manner in which he surveyed us, 
 
 he was probably weighing in his mind the amount 
 
 of the " cumshaw " he was likely to receive from 
 
 us in return for his arduous task of turning a 
 
 key in the lock, and ushering us into the sacred 
 
 precincts of the pagoda. Being apparently satisfied 
 
 on this point the janitor opened the door and we 
 
 entered. The interior was even less prepossessing in 
 
 appearance than the exterior, and the dusty walls had 
 
 been rendered doubly objectionable by the host of 
 
 names which previous visitors, with a view to a 
 
 H 2 
 
100 AMONG THE SON'S OF HAN. 
 
 dubious immortality, had inscribed upon them. 
 "John Smith, 1865," "Ada Eobinson," "She is a 
 duck," and other interesting legends stared down 
 upon us from every side ; and as the walls looked 
 tottering, the floors shaky, and the staircase 
 unsound, I abstained from going to the top, whence 
 a good view of the surrounding country is said 
 to be obtained, and hurried back to the open air. 
 
 Close to the pagoda, and probably originally 
 connected with it, stands a small joss-house or 
 temple, and on our approaching the door of this 
 building *we found that service was going on. 
 In the centre of the temple, close to the wall 
 opposite the entrance, we noticed the altar, with 
 a large statue of Buddha upon it. On each side of 
 the altar a row of Buddhist priests, with their shaven 
 heads and long flowing yellow robes, were ranged 
 facing each other, droning out alternate verses of 
 some psalm-like prayers. On the right of the 
 altar was a priest, who struck a drum occasionally; 
 whUst another seemed to keep time with a stick on 
 a small round hollow instrument made of bamboo. 
 
A BUDDHIST SERVIGE. 101 
 
 Another priest stood in front of the altar, 
 prostrating himself occasionally, and at one portion 
 of the service he took from the altar a small 
 cup, containing what appeared to be water, and 
 after praying for some time, he carried the cup 
 outside, and po«red its contents slowly over a 
 square stone which stood near the temple door. 
 This mysterious operation over, he snapped his 
 fingers three times, and then forming a kind of 
 rino- with the fingers of both hands, he held 
 them for a moment extended towards the stone, 
 turned round, and proceeded once more to his 
 place before the altar, where he resumed his 
 prayers and prostrations. After some little time 
 all the priests began walking in procession round 
 and round the interior of the temple, murmuring 
 prayers, and headed by a lame old man, whose 
 appearance detracted greatly, so far as we were 
 concerned, from the gravity of the situation. His 
 under-lip protruded very considerably, and as he 
 limped along, busily manipulating a heavy string 
 of beads which he held in front, it was difficult 
 
102 AMONG THE SONS OF HAN. 
 
 to restrain a smile. I was curious to see the 
 last of tlie ceremony, but tlie evening was on 
 the wane, and as the monotonous procession still 
 continued, we retired to explore the other sights 
 of the place, none of which, however, are worthy 
 of special record. Passing the door of the temple 
 some time afterwards, we found the priests as 
 indefatigable as ever in making their rounds. 
 And so we left them in the gloaming, and 
 wondered when their pious peregrinations would, 
 come to an end. 
 
 In the neighbourhood of the Lung-hua pagoda 
 are many extensive peach-orchards, and in the 
 spring when the peach-trees are in bloom, the 
 appearance of the whole country-side is extremely 
 beautiful; viewed from an elevated position the 
 place looks like a sea of pink blossoms stretching 
 out on every side. At this season of the year 
 numbers of "house-boats," European and native, 
 filled with merry holiday-makers, may be seen in 
 the • little river leading to the pagoda. Some of 
 the European house-boats are fitted up with much 
 
HOUSE-BOATS. 103 
 
 taste and elegance; ttey are principally used for 
 shooting excursions, the country for many hundreds 
 of miles round Shanghai being full of game, and 
 altogether destitute of roads on which an ordinary 
 European vehicle could be driven. The absence 
 of roads, however, is compensated for by the 
 extraordinary network of "creeks," or canals, which 
 intersect the entire country, and a journey into 
 the interior of the Shanghai district as it is 
 frequently made by Europeans in their nicely-fitted 
 house-boats, is an exceedingly comfortable, not to 
 say pleasant, undertaking. My only experience 
 of such travelling was gained by a visit to the 
 Fung-shan hUls, some fifteen or twenty miles distant, 
 "the hills" as they are termed by the Shanghai resi- 
 dents, who, living in the midst of a vast plain, 
 are glad to feast their eyes occasionally on these 
 modest hillocks, which form the only break to the 
 dead level of the surrounding country. On the 
 occasion I refer to, the state of the tide, according 
 to the " low - dah," or head - boatman, necessi- 
 tated our sending the house-boat on in advance 
 
104 AMONG THE SONS OF HAN. 
 
 to Sikkawei, the site of a famous college managed 
 by French priests, and the farthest point to which 
 the European roads proceed from Shanghai. Fa- 
 voured by a bright moonlight we drove to Sikkawei 
 after dinner, and soon after embarking we pro- 
 ceeded on our journey. The night air was 
 sufficiently balmy to admit of our sitting on 
 deck, and as we glided along under the shadow 
 of the convent wall we heard the sweet solemn 
 tones of a bell calling the Carmelites to their 
 evening devotions, the bright moon shining from 
 a cloudless sky lighted up the surrounding land- 
 scape, and the entire scene, full of peace and 
 beauty, was one not easily forgotten. After we 
 had retired to rest, however, the peacefulness of the 
 night was occasionally broken rather rudely. The 
 creek was narrow, and as often as we met another 
 boat a series of slight collisions was certain to 
 ensue, followed by an interchange of compliments 
 between the sailors of the meeting boats which 
 sounded loud and harsh on our startled ears. 
 Sometimes, too, we were almost flung out of our 
 
UP-COUNTRY TRIPS. IO5 
 
 berths by an unusually violent bump against tbe 
 buttress of a bridsre, and on these occasions the 
 yellings of the boatmen -were neither soft nor 
 melodious. But in spite of these occasional 
 interruptions we managed to secure the requisite 
 amount of sleep, .and when we rose next morning 
 we found ourselves in the midst of a scene as 
 different as possible from that which we had left 
 the night before. The water round our boat, 
 unlike the muddy Shanghai river, was beautifully 
 bright and clear; picturesque-looking little cottages 
 stood close to the river-bank surrounded by 
 bamboos and overhanging trees ; in front of us 
 rose the hills looking fresh and green, and a 
 little mountain rill, forming tiny cascades as it 
 worked its way down the slopes, made what 
 appeared to us poor dwellers on the plains sweetest 
 of music in the bright morning air. To our 
 great disappointment the day turned out to be 
 one of those unusually hot ones which are 
 occasionally experienced in the month of May, 
 anticipating and rivalling the very hottest days 
 
106 AMONG THE SONS OF HAN. 
 
 in July and August. Unprepared as we were 
 for such a sudden burst of heat, we thought it 
 prudent not to expose ourselves to the fierce rays 
 of the sun; and thus we were debarred from 
 the pleasant scamper over the hills which on a 
 cooler day we should have enjoyed so thoroughly. 
 "We drew our boat under the shade of some large 
 trees, in a pleasant little nook where the banks 
 were covered with beautiful ferns and wild flowers, 
 and the wistaria in full bloom bent with its 
 white and purple clusters almost down to the 
 water's-edge, and in this charming retteat we 
 alternately read and lounged, like lotos-eaters as 
 we were, through the long scorching day. A 
 cormorant fishing boat coming close to us intro- 
 duced some little excitement, and for a time we 
 were amused by the movements of the fishing birds 
 and their master. The birds are ranged round 
 the sides of the little boat, to which they are 
 attached by a long string, and true to their 
 instinct, their eyes are intently fixed on the 
 water. When a fish is observed the cormorant 
 
FISHING CORMORANTS. 107 
 
 dives after it, and generally succeeds in bringing 
 it back to the boat ; but a ring which is tightly- 
 fitted to the bird's neck prevents the fish 
 from being swallowed, and thus the master 
 easily secures the prize which the cormorant 
 has brought to 4he surface. Towards evening we 
 were able to go for a short walk on shore, but as 
 we had arranged to be in Shanghai on the following 
 morning, we were obliged to start on our return 
 journey before sunset; and, travelling as before, 
 during the night, through the narrow creeks, we 
 found ourselves next morning once more sailing 
 through muddy waters, surrounded by an unbroken 
 plain, with no picturesque hill-side to enliven our 
 sight, no rippling mountain-stream to gladden our 
 ears. The mansions of the Shanghai merchant 
 princes presently burst upon our view, the various 
 tea clippers and mail steamers lying at anchor in 
 the river were passed in rapid succession, and in 
 a few minutes we were alongside the Shanghai 
 Bund, in the immediate neighbourhood of our 
 home. 
 
108 AMONG THE SONS OF HAN. 
 
 On arriving at the door of our house we 
 were attracted by the piteous sobs of a poor 
 native female whom we observed in the street, 
 holding some tiny clothes neatly folded in her 
 arms, and weeping over them as if her heart would 
 break. My first impression was that she was a 
 beggar, and had hit upon this expedient to attract 
 notice and arouse sympathy ; but having sent to 
 inquire, I found that the poor woman's grief was 
 really genuine, that her baby had that morning 
 been buried, and that, distracted with sorrow at 
 her loss, she pressed her departed darling's clothes 
 to her breast, and rushed with them into the 
 street, unconscious of all save the maddening 
 thought that her baby could never be restored to 
 her again. 
 
 This is only one of many instances of parental 
 fondness which have come under my observation; 
 even amongst the poorest people I have had frequent 
 opportunity of noticing the loving care bestowed 
 by mothers on their children, and the anguish 
 experienced on the death of an infant child; and 
 
PARENTAL LOVE. 109 
 
 witli regard to the better classes I have never 
 observed amongst them any less warm aflfection 
 for their children than that which prevails amongst 
 ourselves. I know it is customary to assert that 
 the Chinese, as a nation, are void of affection ; 
 and the habit of selling their children, or disposing 
 of them in some more reprehensible manner, through 
 stress of poverty or other causes — though by no means 
 so common in my opinion as some writers would 
 lead us to suppose — gives a colour to the belief that 
 parental love is not to be included amongst the 
 Chinese domestic virtues. But in this matter, as 
 in so many others, a great deal of misconception 
 arises from the habit of forming sweeping conclu- 
 sions from special and isolated cases, and if the 
 subject were sufficiently investigated it would 
 probably be found that with regard to domestic 
 affections, the Chinese are by no means our 
 inferiors. 
 
CHAPTEE XI. 
 
 Foo-CHOW — ^Ku-shan. 
 
 After a residence of fourteen months in Shanghai 
 "we were transferred to Foo-chow, and on the 10th 
 May, 1876, we left in the steamer Europe for 
 our new port. The voyage down the coast through 
 the numerous islands which, beginning with the 
 Chusan group, lie thickly along the Chinese shores, 
 was very pleasant, and on the evening of the 12th 
 May we anchored under the shelter of an island 
 at the mouth of the river Min. Soon after we 
 anchored the moon rose bright and full above 
 the hills of the island, and the effect was charming as 
 viewed from the steamer's deck, with Sharp Peak and 
 the mountains on the mainland standing out distinctly 
 against the clear sky, and the intervening sea 
 
FOO-OHOW. Ill 
 
 looking like a sheet of silver as the moon's bright 
 rays danced over the rippling water. Next morning 
 we proceeded up the river, and in the course of 
 the afternoon we landed at the foreign settlement, 
 which is situated on a hill overlooking the extensive- 
 city and suburbs of Foo-chow. 
 
 * 
 
 The scenery in the neighbourhood of Foo-chow 
 is justly celebrated; the hills are graceful in 
 form, and are generally plentifully covered with, 
 trees, lovely wild flowers, and ferns in endless, 
 variety. The inhabitants, too, are in some respects- 
 well-favoured. The men are as a rule sturdy and 
 muscular, and the peasant women have ruddy 
 cheeks and well-formed features, and with their- 
 bare arms and legs, and hair profusely decorated 
 with natural flowers, they look very picturesque. 
 One feature in the surroundings of Foo-chow is- 
 sure to impress itself upon a new arrival : whUst 
 the plains are almost entirely devoted to agricul- 
 ture, nearly aU the hill-sides are taken up with 
 the horseshoe - shaped graves which are peculiar 
 to the south of China. The hill on which the 
 
112 AMONG THE SONS OF HAN. 
 
 residences of Europeans are for the most part 
 built, is particularly favoured in this respect ; it 
 is in fact one vast cemetery, and until one gets 
 accustomed to the sight it is sure to have a 
 gloomy and depressing effect. The house in which 
 we lived was surrounded on all sides by graves, 
 and it was even impossible to enter the front 
 gate without first treading on the mound which 
 covered the remains of a Chinaman. 
 
 During the summer months I had often watched 
 from the verandah of our house a lofty mountain, 
 which is the most conspicuous object in the 
 surrounding landscape, and is called Ku-shan, 
 the "drum mountain." Besides the fact that it is a 
 favourite resort of foreigners, its appearance, its 
 proximity, its constant presence under my observa- 
 tion, giving it the character of an old friend, 
 made me long to attempt its ascent, and form a 
 closer acquaintance with its scenery. Hardly had 
 the cool weather set in before we organised a 
 small party, and starting at eight o'clock in the 
 morning, with the aid of a steam launch we 
 
KU-8HAN. 113 
 
 glided swiftly down the river, and in less than 
 an hour we reached the landing-place, near the 
 foot of the mountain, where sedan-chairs awaited 
 us. A short ride through paddy fields, and past 
 some comfortable-looking farmhouses, brought us 
 to the beginning .of the well-formed stone road 
 which leads up to the large Buddhist monastery 
 halfway up the mountain. Leaving our chairs 
 we proceeded to walk up the steps, but before 
 we had managed to climb to any great height 
 the unwonted exercise began to tell, and we were 
 delighted to see at a short distance above us a 
 small white resting-house, with the usual Chinese 
 painted eaves, to which we urged our faltering 
 footsteps, and when we took our seats in the 
 little halting-place we blessed the foresight of the 
 good monks who so wisely consulted for the 
 comfort of their wearied visitors. Again we 
 plodded up the stone steps, and again just as 
 our tired limbs began to demand a halt did a 
 little house, the facsimile of the first one, open 
 its Smiling portals and invite us to a most welcome 
 
114 AMONG THE SONS OF HAN. 
 
 pause in our climbing. Five of those useful little 
 resting-places are met with on the journey up 
 the mountain, and they reduce the labour of the 
 ascent considerably. At last we came to a com- 
 paratively level road ; steps, except at rare intervals, 
 were no longer required; large trees, showing 
 signs of much cultivation, began to replace the 
 wild fir-trees which clothe the loweir portions 
 of the mountain-side; the appearance of large 
 Chinese characters deftly cut into the rocks by 
 pious hands, and expressing some holy maxim, or 
 the Buddhist invocation: "0 me to Fu!" became 
 of more frequent occurrence, and we knew we 
 were close to the monastery. 
 
 The approach to the temple leads through an 
 avenue of stately trees, whose wide-spreading 
 branches meet overhead and afford a most delicious 
 shade. Thfe exterior of the building is not very 
 striking, but the large idols in the entrance-haU, 
 the spacious courtyard, and the principal hall of 
 worship are well worth seeing. Like some of "the 
 monks of old," the Ku-shan priests have accom- 
 
IN THE MONASTERY, 115 
 
 modation for visitors who may desire to spend 
 
 some tiine in that romantic spot, and in the 
 
 summer months a few of the guests* rooms are 
 
 occasionally rented by Europeans, who like the 
 
 place on account of its comparative coolness and 
 
 pleasant surroundings. A convenient room was at 
 
 once allotted to us, and with the wonderful power 
 
 of adapting themselves to circumstances which 
 
 Chinese servants show on an emergency, our 
 
 domestics had in a remarkably short time a 
 
 complete "tiffin" laid out for us; nothing seemed 
 
 to have been forgotten, and everything was in as 
 
 good order as if we were in our own dining-room. 
 
 After tiffin we sallied forth to explore the "lions" 
 
 of the place. First of aU we visited the belfry, 
 
 where two old priests, who looked quite happy 
 
 in their dismal tower, spent all their time in 
 
 tolling at intervals of a few minutes, day and 
 
 night, the solemn monastery bell. The priests 
 
 take this monotonous duty in turns, and they 
 
 consider their occupation a most praiseworthy and 
 
 heroic one. We were told of an old blind priest 
 
 I 2 
 
116 AMONG THE SONS OF EAN. 
 
 in a Pekin monastery who believed that every 
 time he tolled the bell he saved a soul! and it 
 is no doubt some such pious Relief which renders 
 endurable such dreary work. The pond where the 
 sacred fish are kept was next visited, and the 
 attendant priest having supplied us with strings 
 of little round biscuits, we threw a few into the 
 water, and in an instant the surface of the pond 
 near where we stood, which had been unruffled 
 before, became literally alive with thousands of 
 voracious fish, with their mouths wide open ready 
 to swallow any amount of biscuits we chose to 
 throw them. The fish must have been very 
 hungry on that occasion, for when a gentleman 
 of our party, wishing, as he said, to introduce 
 some variety into their food — rather cruelly I 
 thought — ^flung into the midst of the finny multi- 
 tude the end of his cigar, it was ravenously 
 swallowed, and I fancy at least one fish must 
 have retired in deep disgust with the "foreign 
 Barbarian." 
 
 After a hurried visit to a small temple con- 
 nected with the monastery, and situated in a 
 
THE ABBOT'S KINDNESS. 117 
 
 most romantic mountain dell, wliere a bell is 
 constantly tolled by the aid of [a water-wheel, we 
 returned to the. hall of worship in time to see the 
 priests assemble for their afternoon devotions. About 
 a hundred of these votaries of ^Buddha came troop- 
 ing in with their long yellow robes, their hands 
 joined in front of their breasts and clasping their 
 rosaries, and their shaven heads bent reverently 
 forward. The head priest, a jolly rosy-cheeked 
 individual, who looked as if he occasionally enjoyed 
 something better than mere Buddhist monastery 
 fare, and who had clung tenaciously to us from 
 the moment of our arrival, and was most ^attentive 
 in supplying aU our wants, did not join in the 
 service ; and when we, tired of the dreary chant- 
 ing turned to leave, the worthy abbot politely 
 escorted us to the gate, and with many a smile 
 he closed his chubby hand over the douceur, the 
 prospect of which had all day long filled his 
 pious soul with comfort, and stimulated his 
 amiability and good-nature. Our return journey was 
 soon accomplished, and we reached the foreign settle- 
 ment of Foo-chow just as darkness was setting in. 
 
CHAPTER XII. 
 
 An inundation — A typhoon — A sad iDereavement — 
 An extensive fiie. 
 
 In the June of 1876 Foo-cliow was visited hj 
 one of .the most disastrous floods that had taken 
 place in the valley of the Min within the memory 
 of the oldest inhabitant. Tradition teUs of dire 
 calamities inflicted by inundations in the remote past, 
 and the memories of many natives dimly recall the 
 horrors of a fearful flood which worked incalculable 
 misery on the inhabitants of the neighbourhood in 
 1834. But not even in 1834 did the river at 
 Foo-chow rise within one foot of its highest point 
 in the overflow of 1876, and it may be questioned 
 if ever the Water Demon dealt such a deadly 
 
AN INUNDATION. 119 
 
 blow on the Min district as the one which came 
 under our observation. 
 
 For two days rain had been falling steadily, 
 and the river continued to rise gradually until the 
 afternoon of the third day, when it flooded all 
 the low-lying streets along the river-bank on Nan- 
 tai, and washed over a portion of the more elevated 
 Bund in front of the riverside hongs. On the 
 succeeding night the freshet continued to in- 
 crease in volume and strength: — the flood-tide 
 after midnight adding to the bulk of water — until 
 three o'clock on the following morning, when the 
 river fairly washed over the top of the celebrated 
 " bridge of ten thousand ages," as well as the 
 smaller bridge connecting Nan-tai with Chung-chou 
 (Middle Island), and then the noise of the impetuous 
 torrent was like one long-continued peal of thunder. 
 It is marvellous how the bridge managed to sustain 
 the fearful pressure of water brought against it, 
 only a portion of the parapet having been washed 
 away. The bridge, which is about one quarter of 
 a mile long by fourteen feet wide, and rests upon 
 
120 AMONG THE SONS OF EAN. 
 
 forty solid stone buttresses, is said to liave been 
 built in tlie Sung dynasty, about the year 1000 a.d., 
 at a cost of five millions of dollars ; and the 
 superstitious character which the -Chinese are fond 
 of ascribing to its origin and erection will gain 
 new strength from this latest proof of its solidity, 
 whilst a fresh title to the fanciful name it bears 
 has now been acquired. 
 
 For hundreds of families, that night must have 
 been a fearful one. Many boats with their living 
 inmates are supposed to have been driven from 
 their moorings, and in' the height of the flood 
 carried beyond the hope of rescue by the force 
 of the torrent, until they were dashed against the 
 bridge or some other obstacle, and so perished. 
 How many of the immense boat population, and 
 of the people in charge of cargo-boats, lost their 
 lives in this way will probably never be known. 
 
 On shore the misery was still greater, as it was 
 more widespread. The country looked like one vast 
 lake ; and not only were all the young rice crops 
 in the fertile valleys which surround Foo-chow 
 
SOME WONDERFUL ESCAPES. 121 
 
 destroyed, but the houses in those localities had 
 either fallen in, or were swept bodily away, or 
 more than half submerged; and the fate of the 
 inhabitants in many cases can easily be surmised 
 by the many dead bodies — sometimes in groups of 
 families — that were seen floating down from the 
 upper part of the river. 
 
 Some wonderful escapes are chronicled. A large 
 wardrobe was observed floating down amongst the 
 debris of a household, and from the open door 
 a human hand was seen waving for assistance. 
 Fortunately the piece of furniture was not in the 
 very centre of the current, so that a sampan was 
 enabled to go at some risk to the rescue, and a 
 poor woman, half dead with fear and immersion, 
 was taken from the wardrobe, and brought safely 
 to the shore. Had the wardrobe been carried as 
 far as the bridge, certain death would of course 
 have overtaken her. 
 
 At another part of the river a tub was brought 
 to the shore, and in it were found two little 
 shivering children, having attached, to them a notice 
 
122 AMONG THE SONS OF KAN. 
 
 hurriedly written, setting fortli the whereabouts of 
 their former home, and requesting those who might 
 discover them to send the children back.- 
 
 When the flood was at its height, many 
 people noticed a native house containing a number 
 of people floating down the river, and a man 
 on the top wringing his hands in agony; no 
 help could be extended to them, on account of 
 the force of the torrent, and it was with terrible 
 suspense the spectators awaited the impending 
 tragedy at the bridge, to which the house was 
 being hurried. Just, however, as the house 
 reached the top of Chung-chou, it was borne by 
 a sudden turn of the current towards a tree 
 which projected considerably from , the top of the 
 island, and in an instant the man who was on 
 the roof flung himself into the branches of the 
 tree, and was saved; whilst the house with the 
 remaining victims was borne swiftly on to the 
 bridge, where it was dashed to pieces, and nothing 
 was seen of the unhappy inmates. 
 
 In the thickly-populated island of Chung-chou 
 
DAMAGE BY THE FLOOD. 125 
 
 much distress must have occurred. From the hill- 
 sides of the foreign settlement the inhabitants of 
 the island- could be seen congregated on the roofs- 
 of their houses, the water having apparently 
 reached even the upper apartments, and as no- 
 provision could have b^en made for such a sudden 
 calamity, and as articles of food were largely 
 destroyed, it is believed that the pangs of hunger 
 were added to the sufferings of the poor people,, 
 and some charitable natives at once organised such 
 measures as they could think of for their relief. 
 It was truly heart-rending to us to gaze upon a 
 scene so full of misery, and be unable to lend a 
 helping hand. 
 
 The damage -fo European buildings was com- 
 paratively small. One godown, fortunately without 
 much merchandise in it, and a foreign^built house 
 used by Chinese, collapsed; boundary walls were 
 washed down, gardens were destroyed, and some 
 tea waiting for shipment was slightly damaged; 
 but the more solid construction of their houses 
 secured Europeans from any very serious calamity. 
 
124 AMONG TEE SONS OF HAN. 
 
 Of course the residences of the great mcajority of 
 the Europeans, which are situated on " the hill," 
 entirely escaped from any injury. The godowns 
 of Hop Chune and Tung Hing, two of the leading 
 Chinese teamen, were however destroyed, together 
 with a very large quantity of tea that was stored 
 in them ; and when the damage to houses and 
 property in the city, and the loss of large boats 
 with their cargoes en route from the tea districts, 
 and the destruction of crops, are taken into 
 consideration, Chinamen do not hesitate to estimate 
 the entire loss caused by the floods at millions of 
 dollars. 
 
 At Pagoda Anchorage the force of the current 
 was so great that several of the tea steamers 
 dragged their anchors, and got up steam in case 
 of accident, and one steamer lost an anchor and 
 about thirty fathoms of chain, and was obliged to 
 drop below the shipping. 
 
 After three days the flood began to abate; 
 sampans no longer plied for hire between the 
 foot of the hill and the Bund, the lower roads 
 
A STERN GOVERNOR. 125 
 
 and streets once more appeared, and in a few- 
 days afterwards tlie river returned to its nor- 
 mal state. For some time, however, the appear- 
 ance of all the valleys in the neighbourhood was 
 sad in the extreme ; ruins were seen on every 
 side, and the plains which a week before were 
 clad in a mantle of most lovely green, were 
 now one mass of mud and rotting vegetation. 
 Although no reliable information with regard to 
 the extent of the damage done by the inundation 
 could be obtained, it was only too evident that 
 even in our immediate neighbourhood hundreds 
 of poor families became destitute, and hundreds, 
 some say thousands, of lives were lost. It is 
 said that the energetic Governor Ting spent 
 three days and three nights upon the city walls 
 during the continuance of the floods, aiding the 
 distressed, and repressing plunder. Seventeen 
 looters had their heads struck off by this stern 
 official, and the city magistrate himself was ordered 
 out to execution for laxity in supplying the 
 people's wants, and was only saved by the 
 
126 AMONG THE SONS OF SAN. 
 
 -earnest supplications of the other mandarins. 
 In fact, confusion and misery were seen on every 
 side, the homeless were crying for shelter, the 
 starving for food, and the orphans for protection, 
 and the sorrow and suffering which then visited 
 the " Banyan city " and its neighbourhood will 
 probably be felt whilst the present generation 
 ■endures. 
 
 Scarcely had four weeks elapsed since the 
 valley of the Min had been laid waste by the 
 disastrous inundation, and the inhabitants of Foo- 
 -chow and its neighbourhood bad barely had time 
 to recover from the effects of that calamity when 
 a violent storm, showing all the symptoms of a 
 "typhoon," broke over the same ill-starred region, 
 causing a fearful amount of misery on the river and 
 on shore. The summer months in the south of 
 China are often marked by these fierce gales known 
 in the East as "typhoons," a word intended 
 to represent the sound of two Chinese words 
 signifying "large wind," in Cantonese, "tai-foong." 
 Much serious damage by land and sea is inflicted 
 
A TYPHOON. 127 
 
 by these terrible storms, and during tbe typhoon 
 season those who "go down to the sea in ships" 
 are obliged to exercise a constant watch for what 
 experience has taught them to be the coming 
 signs of their most formidable enemy. Typhoons, 
 at least in their most violent form, rarely visit 
 places on the Chinese coast farther north than Swatow 
 or Amoy; but occasionally they extend as far as 
 Foo-chow, carrying the usual havoc and desolation 
 in their train. 
 
 The morning of the 31st July, 1876, looked 
 dark and threatening; and as the day advanced 
 the heavy clouds that were borne swiftly across 
 the sky began to assume a more gloomy and 
 ominous appearance; rain began to fall in tor- 
 rents, and by four o'clock in the afternoon 
 the wind, which had been gradually increas- 
 ing, blew in fearful gusts and with a fury 
 which baffles aU description. Large trees were 
 torn up from their roots, and their branches 
 carried through the air like so many scraps of 
 paper; many of the frail native dwellings were 
 
128 AMONG TEE SONS OF HAN. 
 
 completely destroyed, and the strong European 
 houses in some instances had portions of their 
 roofs carried away, and their interiors damaged 
 by the deluge of rain which came pouring in. 
 Europeans coming home from their offices found 
 to their disgust that sedan-chairs could not be 
 borne, and that umbrellas were impracticable ; so 
 they were obliged to battle their way as best 
 they could, unprotected from the heavy down- 
 pour, through flooded paths, in the teeth of the 
 blinding storm, at the risk of being brained by 
 falling tiles, or maimed by the broken branches 
 of trees. My husband returned home in a condition 
 so pitiable, his garments torn, mud-begrimed and 
 saturated with wet, that his nearest friends could 
 hardly recognise him. 
 
 On the river the disasters were many and serious : 
 cargo-boats and sampans were wrecked, and some 
 twenty or thirty up-country boats, laden with 
 tea, were driven against the bridge and destroyed. 
 It is difficult in China, on an occasion of this 
 kind, to arrive at a correct estimate of the 
 
A CRY OF DISTRESS. 129 
 
 number of lives lost ; but it is known that many 
 of the boat population were drowned, and the 
 loss of property, and the misery caused amongst 
 the poorer classes, must have been immense. 
 
 Whilst the typhoon was at its height, our 
 house, a two-storied bungalow in a much-exposed 
 situation, shook in an alarming manner, but 
 fortunately it withstood the violent storm bravely; 
 and although I narrowly escaped being stunned 
 once or twice by large pieces of the ceiling which 
 fell suddenly on the floor beside me, no serious 
 damage was sustained by the house or its 
 inmates. As evening set in the wind began to 
 abate, and the wild tempestuous day was succeeded 
 by a calm and peaceful night. 
 
 On the day after the storm I was touched by 
 the shrill cries of a female close to our bungalow. 
 Amongst people of sympathetic temperament a cry 
 of anguish is always sure to create a feeling of 
 pain in the hearer oftentimes as keen as that 
 •experienced by the actual sufi'erer. The whining 
 of a dog in pain, the plaintive wailing of any 
 
130 AMONG TEE SONS OF HAN. 
 
 afflicted animal, invariably strikes a tender chord 
 in the breasts of most people; but when the 
 sound of grief comes from one of our own species 
 : — from a tender infant, or still more from a fuU- 
 grown man or woman — our very heart-strings 
 seem to be touched, and the utmost sjTupathy 
 is felt for the afflicted one. The gloomy counte- 
 nance and mute sorrow of a man who has 
 met with some heavy calamity are sad to behold, 
 but the demonstrative grief of a woman under 
 similar circumstances, from the nature of things 
 touches us, as a rule, more acutely. In China 
 we have all listened with profound emotion to 
 the sad lamentations of native women for the loss 
 of some near relation, and in Foo-chow there are 
 almost daily opportunities for sympathising with 
 the many poor females who come to weep over 
 the graves of departed friends. Words fail to 
 describe the bitterness and the violence of the grief 
 sometimes exhibited, and the heart-rending cries 
 which ever and anon pierce the air on such 
 occasions. At first the hearing of such doleful 
 
A SAD BEREAVEMENT. 131 
 
 sounds had a most depressing effect on me, but 
 after a few months I became so familiar with, 
 the occurrence that my depression vanished, though 
 my sympathy remained. On this occasion, however, 
 the cries of the woman appeared to be more 
 piercing than usual; she groaned, howled, and 
 screeched in a manner which not only struck 
 terror into the hearts of all who heard her, 
 but left no doubt whatever as to the genuineness 
 of her grief. Without knowing it she was following 
 the advice of Malcolin in "Macbeth:" 
 
 Give sorrow words ; the grief that does not speak 
 Whispers the o'erfraught heart and bids it break. 
 
 I hastened to the verandah, full of earnest pity for 
 the poor creature, and wondering how many of 
 her nearest and dearest she could have recently 
 lost to account for the bitterness of her sorrow. 
 I called a servant to interpret for me the im- 
 passioned utterances which fell from the distracted 
 woman's lips. "Has she lost her husband?" 
 "No." "Her father or mother?" "No." "Her 
 
 [K 2 
 
132 AMONG TEE SONS OF MAN. 
 
 child?" "No." "What then is the cause of 
 her awful misery?" The answer came out slowly 
 but distinctly : " Yesterday that largey win come 
 she have loossee one smallo pig ! " 
 
 Foo-chow would seem to have been peculiarly 
 accursed during the year of grace 1876, or perhaps 
 there may have been some truth in the statement of 
 the native governor in one of his flowery pro- 
 clamations, that his sins had brought affliction 
 upon the people; for whilst the terrors of the 
 ■great flood and the disastrous typhoon were fresh 
 in the minds of all, another destroying element 
 appeared upon the scene; wind and water had 
 apparently done their worst, and now an alarming 
 fire broke out to complete the work of devastation. 
 Fortunately the fire took place during daylight, when 
 the weather was calm, for had it occurred during 
 the night, or had a strong wind been blowing 
 at the time, the disaster might have been much 
 greater. As it was, the conflagration spread in an 
 amazingly short time over a space of ground 
 
^iV" EXTENSIVE FIBE. 133 
 
 two miles in length, and thickly covered with 
 houses ; and the sight of such an immense fire, seen 
 from the hill overlooking the city, suggestive 
 though it was of so much misery, was tryly 
 grand and awful. Great misfortunes are often 
 brought about by^ trifling events, and this fearful 
 calamity was said to have been caused by an 
 unheeded spark which flew from the fire at which 
 an old woman was cooking her modest midday 
 meal, an incident which called forth from the 
 editor of the local newspaper the facetious remark : 
 " Woman, lovely woman, is at the bottom of every 
 evil." A fire in a Chinese city is all the more 
 dangerous on account of the inflammability of the 
 houses, composed as they are principally of wood, 
 and the narrowness of the streets, which not only 
 assists the progress of the flames, but impedes 
 the motions of the firemen with their clumsy 
 and ineffective fire-engines. Thieves take advantage 
 of such occasions to sally forth, armed with knives 
 and spears, in search of plunder; and what with the 
 
134 AMONG THE SONS OF MAN. 
 
 roaring of the flames, the din of gongs, and the 
 yelling of the excited populace, a fire in a 
 Chinese city is an event not likely to be soon 
 forgotten. 
 
CHAPTEE XIII. 
 
 Wu-shih Shan — Chinese streets — Horse-raeing — Chinese lepers 
 — Chinese doctors. 
 
 In the city of Foo-chow there is a building situated 
 on an eminence, and surrounded by park-like 
 grounds, which has since the opening of the port 
 to European trade been in the possession of the 
 British Government, and is known as Wu-shih 
 Shan (Five-rock Hill) ; it is used occasionally as 
 a residence by the British Consul, and its cool 
 situation, and the splendid views it commands 
 on every side, render it a favourable resort in the 
 summer months. Its great drawbacks are its 
 distance , from the foreign settlement, and the 
 disagreeable road by which it is approached. The 
 journey to the city is accomplished in sedan-chairs 
 
136 AMONG TEE SONS OF HAN. 
 
 borne by tbree coolies, who carry you tbrougb the 
 narrow crowded Chinese streets at a pace which 
 is really surprising, considering the number of 
 obstacles which are constantly met with. Here 
 an itinerant cook blocks up the road with his 
 movable restaurant, and oblivious of all save 
 his desire for customers, beats his tiny gong, 
 and invites all and sundry to come and partake 
 of his tempting viands ; farther on a wily gambler 
 has established a table, and commences to reap 
 a rich harvest from the unsophisticated natives 
 who crowd around him ; now a fruit- vendor's 
 stall protrudes inconveniently on the thoroughfare ; 
 now a fearfully maimed cripple occupies the very 
 centre of the street, and appeals loudly to the 
 sympathy of the passers-by; .or, as happened 
 to us on one occasion, the way is blocked by a 
 large crowd of natives surrounding an old Chinese 
 impostor, who, dressed in what he considers 
 European costume, all rags and tatters, appeals 
 to the half-believing half-doubting Chinamen, to 
 extend their sympathy to the poor distressed 
 
WU-SHIH SHAN. 137 
 
 " foreigner," far away from home and friends ; 
 then perhaps a mandarin's cortege comes from the 
 opposite direction, meets you in the very narrowest 
 part of the street, and necessitates your chair 
 being jammed into the open front of a pork 
 butcher's, or oil m^chant's, or coffin manufacturer's 
 establishment. All these, and a thousand other 
 obstacles, are, however, somehow disposed of; but 
 t^g^-6onstant yelling of your own coolies in their 
 desire to obtain a clear passage, the yells from 
 other chair-coolies equally anxious to clear a way 
 for themselves ; the cries of people jostled, and 
 in some instances upset, in their struggles to get 
 along ; the yelping of curs, and the screaming of 
 women and children, all raise a din which baffles 
 description. Add to all this the horrible smells which 
 are constantly encountered, and the inconveniences of 
 the two hours' journey to "Wu-shih Shan may be 
 partly understood. It must be said, however, that 
 the magnificent view which one obtains at the end 
 of the journey amply repays the trouble of getting 
 there. From the front verandah an immense valley 
 
138 AMONG TKE SONS OF BAN. 
 
 is to be seen studded with picturesque farmliouses, 
 the river Min winding along gracefully for miles,, 
 and reflecting from its surface the rays of . the 
 bright Eastern sun. From an elevation behind 
 the house an admirable birdseye view of Foo- 
 chow city is obtained, with its interminable net- 
 work of narrow streets, and its acres of tUed 
 roofs, interspersed here and there with the loftier 
 yamens and temples ; whUst aU round the horizon 
 the distant mountains make a graceful background 
 to the picture. The exploration of Wu-shih Shan 
 being completed, you take to your chair again, 
 and then commence the horrors of the return 
 journey, which are all the more intensified if 
 darkness have in the meantime supervened. After 
 emerging once more from the crowded, dirty, 
 narrow streets, it is with a feeling of relief and 
 thankfulness that one breathes again a purer atmo- 
 sphere, and seeks the comfort and repose of home. 
 
 The same long and disagreeable road which leads 
 to Wu-shih Shan has to be traversed by those 
 who desire to visit the Foo-chow racecourse. 
 
FOO-OHOW RACECOURSE. 139 
 
 Nearly every little community of Europeans in 
 China has its racecourse, and the periodical race 
 meetings are great events, which, for weeks before 
 and after the friendly contests, monopolise the 
 conversation of the port to the exclusion of all 
 other topics. The, residents of Foo-chow are quite 
 as ardent lovers of the turf as their compatriots in 
 other ports, and their ardour is all the more 
 remarkable as they have hitherto been unable to 
 provide themselves with a convenient racecourse,* 
 and are obliged to content themselves with the 
 temporary use of the Tartar parade-ground, kindly 
 lent to them annually by the Chinese authorities. 
 The distance, from the European settlement is so 
 great that, during training time, the owners of 
 racing ponies are obliged to live at the course, 
 and be satisfied with such quarters as they can 
 procure for themselves and their steeds amongst 
 the Chinese surroundings of the place. 
 
 * Since the above was written, a suitable course has, I believe, 
 been obtained in the immediate neighbourhood of the European 
 settlement. 
 
140 AMONG THE SONS OF HAN. 
 
 In the neighbourhood of the parade-ground is 
 a remarkable village entirely inhabited by lepers. 
 These loathsome beings are completely tabooed by 
 the other Chinese; they are obliged to live apart 
 from all others, they can only marry amongst 
 themselves, and the race is perpetuated and 
 established as so many despised outcasts, strangers 
 in the land of their birth. As no one would 
 use any implement, much less consume any article 
 of food, contaminated by the touch of these poor 
 wretches, they are obliged to seek a living in 
 the manufacture of mats, matting, and similar 
 articles, which are trodden upon and not handled; 
 and on the rare occasions when they are visited 
 by anyone desirous of making a purchase, a chair, 
 strictly reserved for the purpose, is drawn down 
 by a rope from the ceiling and placed at the 
 disposal of the customer, on whose departure the 
 chair is again drawn up, so as to be out of the 
 reach of the regular inmates of the house, whose 
 touch would defile it. 
 
 It is a custom ' almost universal in China, 
 
CHINESE LEPERS. li\ 
 
 for those who are comfortably circumstanced, 
 and who have not been blessed with children, 
 to purchase and bring up as their own the 
 children of poor parents. But so great is the 
 dread of leprosy in Foo-chow, that when a child 
 is brought for purchase, it has, in spite of the 
 healthy appearance it may present, to undergo 
 what is considered an infallible test as to whether 
 it possesses the seeds of the disease, before a 
 contract can be effected. The child is placed over 
 a fire, in which are burned certain herbs said to 
 have the property of at once developing on the skin 
 of a diseased person the spots which indicate the 
 malady; and if Chinese doctors are to be believed, 
 this is indeed a desperate ordeal, for they say 
 that if the victim be really a leper, he seldom 
 lives long after the spots have, under the strong 
 influence of the herbs, made their appearance. 
 
 The allusion to this unpleasant subject brings 
 to my mind an erroneous view which I, in 
 common I believe with many Europeans, formerly 
 entertained regarding Chinese doctors. Until I 
 
142 AMONG THE SONS OF HAN. 
 
 made inquiries on the subject in Foo-cliow, I was 
 under the impression that all native physicians were 
 in the habit of receiving fees according to results — 
 a fee in the event of the patient's recovery, and 
 no fee in case the sick person died. I find that 
 it is only the lowest class of quacks who adopt 
 such methods. In large cities there are many well- 
 known doctors who receive fees whatever be the 
 result of their 'professional aid; and in Foo-chow 
 the leading physician, as he may be termed, a 
 man named Ch'en, the scion of a highly respect- 
 able family in the neighbourhood, receives fees 
 which would be considered high even in this country. 
 The Chinese make almost the same distinction that 
 we do between physicians and surgeons ; they 
 have their Nei-k'o, or those who treat internal 
 complaints, and their Wai-k'o, or those who attend 
 to external ailments, and their Nei-k'o (physicians) 
 are held in much higher repute than practitioners 
 of the other class, and command much higher 
 fees. Physicians in good practice have their hours 
 for consultation at their houses, generally in the 
 
CHINESE DOGTORS. 143 
 
 morning, during which their valuable advice . may 
 be obtained by the poorer class of patients for 
 sums varying from 500 to 1,200 cash, or, say,, 
 two to five shillings of our money. Then at an 
 appointed hour the doctor in his sedan-chair starts 
 on his rounds, and for each visit he charges 
 something like a guinea ; but large sums are 
 required for visiting patients at a distance, the 
 fees being generally paid at the time of the visit. 
 The Chinese have also their Yen-k'o, or oculists, 
 and there is besides in large towns a class of 
 practitioners who devote themselves almost exclu- 
 sively to infantile disorders. I need hardly add 
 that, except in these distinctive titles, there i& 
 no similarity whatever between the Chinese system 
 of medicine and ours. In China anatomy is 
 unknown, and the most successful practitioner 
 there would undoubtedly fail to obtain the very 
 lowest certificate which the most lenient College 
 of Surgeons in Western countries could award. 
 
CHAPTER XIV. 
 
 The Canton Glut — ^A Chinese dinner. 
 
 In all large Chinese cities, the natives of the 
 various leading business centres own extensive build- 
 ings which answer the purposes of club, exchange, 
 theatre, and joss-house, as occasion may require, 
 and are known by the name of the district to 
 which the owners belong: for instance, the Ningpo : 
 Club, the Fukien Club. At Foo-chow the Canton 
 club-house is the best specimen of a Chinese buildr 
 ing I have y6t seen, whether its substantial 
 structure, its gorgeous — not to sav florid — orna- ' 1 
 mentation, or the excellent order in which it is 
 preserved, be taken into consideration. But it is 
 during the Chinese seventh moon, when, as I have 
 already stated, devotions in honour of deceased 
 
THE CANTON CLUB. 145 
 
 ancestors are practised, that this building shows 
 to greatest advantage. On such an occasion, 
 at the invitation of a respectable Cantonese, a 
 party of us visited the club-house. We went, 
 according to arrangement, after dinner, so as to 
 have an opportunity of viewing the place by 
 lamp-light, and I must say that my anticipations 
 were more than realised by the gorgeous scene 
 which we beheld. The extensive building was 
 profusely, and, on the whole, tastefully decorated 
 with flowers, natural and artificial, Japanese shrubs 
 trained to the most fantastic shapes, rich banners, 
 splendid vases, and handsome silk embroidery ; 
 whUst the entire scene was brilliantly illuminated 
 by lamps of all sizes and patterns. One immense 
 lamp hanging from the centre of the principal 
 apartment attracted a good deal of attention ; it 
 was decorated with a number of small figures 
 representing human beings, which, by some 
 mechanical contrivance, continued to move round 
 and round. Another lamp proved still more 
 attractive to the Chinese ; attached to it was a 
 
146 AMONG TEE SONS OF HAN. 
 
 large globe filled with water, in which, numbers 
 of tiny gold-fish swam about, and in the centre 
 of the globe was a smaller one in which two pretty- 
 little birds were hopping about unconcernedly, 
 so that birds and fishes appeared to be disporting 
 themselves in the most friendly manner in one 
 common element. The immense crowds which 
 thronged the various* apartments were exceedingly 
 well conducted, and although I was the only 
 female visible in the building at the time, no 
 rudeness of any kind was attempted during the 
 entire visit. 
 
 The building just described, amongst the many 
 useful purposes to which it is applied, is often 
 used by members or their friends as a place for 
 giving entertainments on a large scale. A gentle^ 
 man who was acquainted with the Fantai, or 
 provincial treasurer, of Foorchow — next to the 
 governor the highest mandarin in the province — 
 invited him to a dinner in the Canton Club, 
 and asked us and most of the Europeans in the 
 place to. meet him. I had often desired to par- 
 
A CHINESE DINNER. 147 
 
 take of a Chinese meal, and I was glad to avail 
 myself of this, the first opportunity which 
 presented itself of testing the virtues of an 
 Oriental menu. At the appointed hour about forty 
 Europeans, fourteen of whom were ladies, assembled, 
 and as the great man who was the principal guest 
 on the occasion thought it necessary to keep us 
 aU waiting, we had quite an hour at our disposal 
 for the purpose of inspecting the beauties of the 
 place. On the arrival of the Fantai, accompanied 
 by two smaller mandarins (one a Taotai, the head 
 of the local Board of Trade, and the other the 
 well known Tong King-Sing, the head of the 
 new Chinese steamer company), we took our places 
 at the long table prepared for us, and the long 
 expected Chinese viands soon began to appear. 
 No sooner were we seated than the servants set 
 about fin ing the little cups which stood in front 
 of the guests with a decoction which was described 
 to us as Shao Hsing wine ; it was poured from 
 earthenware pots which looked exactly like tea- 
 pots, and it was intended no doubt to whet our 
 
 L 2 
 
148 AMONG THE SONS OF HAN. 
 
 appetites for the good things that were to follow. 
 Whilst we were all amusing ourselves with efforts 
 at manipulating the " chop-sticks " — two narrow 
 pieces of ivory about nine inches long, which, 
 held between the fingers of one hand, were to do 
 the duty both of knife and fork — the first course 
 came on, a gelatinous-looking substance served up 
 in little Chinese bowls ; and now who has courage 
 enough to try the uninviting morsel for the 
 benefit of his neighbours ? One intrepid individual, 
 after eyeing his bowl for some time, boldly 
 plunged his chop-sticks in, extracted a tiny 
 portion, tasted it cautiously, and pronounced it 
 to be excellent birds'-nest ! Stimulated by his 
 example we all swallowed a small quantity, and 
 then we discovered that our first course consisted 
 of sharks'-fins and lobsters — a revealment which 
 shook our confidence in our first informant terribly.. 
 The second luxury was Szechuen fungus and shred- 
 fowl ; then came a sort of omelette, made of 
 pigeons'-eggs ; then soup, flavoured with the- 
 brains of the dog-fish ; then a kind of minced. 
 
CURIOUS DISHES. 149 
 
 dumpling ; and then came a dish which made 
 some of us almost jump from our seats — sea-slug, 
 known generally by the more euphonious name of 
 beche-de-mer. Up to this point the dishes were, 
 as a rule, removed untasted by the foreign guests, 
 and we amused ourselves with picking up by the 
 aid of our chop-sticks, the water-chestnuts and 
 other miscellaneous things left permanently on the 
 table. The sea-slugs were followed in succession 
 by pork sausages, fowl served with spinach, and 
 fried shrimps, and these, too, were passed by in a 
 manner hardly complimentary to our host's culinary 
 artist. We were next tempted with almond tea, 
 but without success ; then came more fungus, 
 and t*hen, to the joy of many, some plain roast 
 fowl, which, though rather oily, was, to anyone 
 with an appetite, eatable. At this stage of the 
 proceedings some kind Samaritan introduced 
 iced champagne, which in a crowded room, on a 
 Chinese summer day, proved a welcome addition 
 to the native feast. At the same time another 
 gentleman, who was probably guided by previous 
 
150 AMONG TEE SONS OF EAN. 
 
 experience, cautiously produced, and passed along 
 secretly under the table from hand to hand, a boz 
 of sandwiches, which were thoroughly appreciated 
 by a chosen few; and our Chinese friends at a 
 little distance from us, seeing that we were 
 enjoying the smuggled food, thought, no doubt, 
 we were showing a due regard for the flavour of 
 some of their own cherished dainties. 
 
 But the long list of dishes was not yet 
 complete ; the roast fowl was succeeded, by stewed 
 loquats (a kind of fruit), next came some greasy 
 mutton, then a roast sucking pig — which was 
 appreciated — and the sixteenth course consisted 
 of sliced roast duck. If the numerous dishes 
 were not freely partaken of by the Western 
 Barbarians, the Celestials who were present did 
 ample justice to everything. The Fantai had 
 prepared himself for the onslaught by divesting 
 himself of his state robes, and between the courses 
 he generally indulged in a pipe, which was handed 
 to him by one of his attendants; a further 
 specimen of Chinese etiquette was exhibited to 
 
END OF THE BANQUET. 151 
 
 at the close of the repast, when a servant brought 
 a dirty-looking wooden pail full of steaming hot 
 water, and a dark coarse cloth, which latter the 
 mandarins, whilst seated at table, each in turn 
 dipped in the water, and then mopped their 
 unctuous faces in the most unconcerned manner ! 
 On the whole I rose from the Chinese feast, pleased 
 that my curiosity had at last been satisfied, but 
 with the firm conviction that I should never 
 again be tempted to go through such a trying 
 ordeal. I ought, however, to add that my ex- 
 perience, as narrated above, is hardly a fair test 
 of the iherits of Chinese cookery in its highest 
 branches ; for I have often been told of the refined 
 little dinners which many Chinese officials know 
 how to give in their yam^ns to their European 
 male friends, at which every dish is thoroughly 
 enjoyable, and is served in a manner to satisfy 
 the most fastidious taste. 
 
CHAPTER XV. 
 
 Scenery on the river Min — Preparation of the tea-leaf — A Chinese 
 seance — ^A boat excursion — Startling rumours — ^Departure 
 from Foo-ohow. 
 
 The Min, the river on whicli Foo-cliow stands, 
 can boast of some of the most lovely scenery that 
 it is possible to conceive, and if the district 
 through which it flows were not so distant, the 
 Ehine would have to look to its laurels, and the 
 attractions of many famous European haunts would 
 find serious rivals in the many beautiful spots 
 which crowd the picturesque valley through w'hich 
 this lovely river flows. The European residents 
 often avail themselves of the opportunities they 
 have at their command of spending a few days 
 amongst such splendid scenery in the exceedingly 
 
SPLENDID SOENERT—TIIE TEA PLANT. 153 
 
 comfortable house-boats — yachts they might be 
 more correctly termed — which they keep for the 
 purpose. Two days, or three at the outside, are 
 sufficient to enable the tourist to visit the famous 
 Eapids, and the still more famous Buddhist monastery 
 at Yun-Foo, the journey thither being passed 
 amongst ever-varying scenes of tranquil beauty, 
 the glassy waters of the river reflecting the lofty 
 hills, which, covered from head to foot with waving 
 forests, rise abruptly from either side of the stream ; 
 the windings of the river and the mountainous 
 banks often cause the traveller to fancy that he 
 is in the midst of a lovely lake, surrounded on 
 all sides by picturesque hills, without any per- 
 ceptible outlet, and at such times a hushed quiet 
 seems to fall upon the scene, broken only by the 
 scream of some mountain bird roused from its 
 solitary reverie, or by the measured splash of 
 the oars and the quaint chorus of the boatmen, 
 as, in the almost certain absence of a breeze, they 
 urge the boat slowly along against the stream 
 under the shadows of the lofty hills. 
 
154 AMONG TEE SONS OF HAN. 
 
 Another trip which occupies about the same 
 length of time, and which is equally remarkable 
 for the- variety of lovely scenery it affords, is one 
 
 i. 
 
 to Pei-ling, the nearest tea .district, where the tea 
 plant may be seen flourishing, and where, at the 
 proper seasons, the various preparations of the tea- 
 leaf, the picking, the drying, the sifting, etc., may 
 be witnessed. I have often thought that, if people 
 at home, who sip with such satisfaction their cup 
 of favourite Bohea, were to see the manipulation 
 which the tea-leaf is obliged to undergo before it 
 leaves the Flowery Land, they would hardly relish 
 their beverage as much as they do. In fact, mani- 
 pulation is not always the correct word to use in 
 this connection ; for, certainly as far as the cheaper 
 kinds of tea are concerned, natives do not always 
 find it convenient to use their hands in the various 
 processes of turning, mixing, and packing the leaf. 
 But I must desist, lest I should be the means of 
 robbing some afternoon meetings of such innocent 
 pleasure as may be derived from "the cup that 
 cheers, but not inebriates." 
 
ACROSS THE ISLAND— A " SSANGE." 155 
 
 Some miles above tlie city the Min separates into 
 two branches, wbicli however meet again at Pagoda 
 Anchorage, where the European vessels lie, thus form- 
 ing the island, some twenty miles long by five or six 
 miles wide, on which the majority of the European 
 residents live. A fairly well-kept road extends about 
 two miles into the hUly country to the south of the 
 settlement, and along this road of an afternoon may 
 be seen almost the entire community — some on foot, 
 some on horseback, others in open sedan-chairs — enjoy- 
 ing the cool fresh breeze and the charming views of 
 the surrounding country, A little beyond the ravine 
 which generally forms the farthest limit of an even- 
 ing's stroll, the road joins the native highway — 
 formed of large blocks of granite, many of them 
 loose and uneven — which leads through the paddy 
 fields to Yung-kee, at the opposite side of the island. 
 When up-country trips are undertaken, it is generally 
 along this path the excursionists first proceed, so as 
 to join their boats at Yung-kee, whence they can 
 proceed without any impediments from tides or 
 bridges to the places they wish to visit. 
 
156 AMONG TEE SONS OF EAN. 
 
 On one of the excursions made by us across the 
 island, our attention was drawn to a small joss-house, 
 or temple, on the roadside, round the door of which 
 a crowd of excited natives, male and female, stood. 
 Curious to see what was going on at that early hour 
 (6 A.M.), we stopped our little procession of chair-bearers 
 and coolies, and hastened to the door of the temple, 
 where a strange scene was revealed to us. Inside the 
 door sat a native with his back to the altar and with 
 his eyes closed, gesticulating in a most frantic manner, 
 and in an affected tone, such as actors use on the 
 Chinese stage, giving utterance to words that were 
 eagerly listened to by all, and were written down by a 
 man who stood at the speaker's right. The central 
 figure was a medium, supposed to be for the time 
 "possessed" by some deity, who adopted this manner 
 of replying to the eager questions of a votary; and 
 the peculiar tone and gesture of the speaker were 
 supposed to be those of the deity. The power of 
 becoming thus the representative and the mouthpiece 
 of some particular "joss" is said to be an uncommon 
 gift, and it is only after much prayer and ceremony 
 
SPIRITUALISM ABROAD. 157 
 
 that the inspiration, ecstasy, or whatever it may- 
 be called, comes on. Whilst in his ecstatic 
 state the medium, often works himself up to 
 a pitch of frenzy which awes the ignorant lookers- 
 on, and adds fuel to their superstitious belief. 
 On some occasions the medium cuts his tongue, and 
 with the blood which flows from the wound writes, 
 or has written for him, his oraciilar decisions. It 
 may perhaps be some consolation to know that 
 ours is not the only country in the world where 
 spiritualism has its eccentric admirers, and where a 
 clever and not over-scrupulous medium can manage 
 to eke out a living from the credulity or supersti- 
 tion of a weak-minded public. 
 
 It was a positive relief to get away from a scene 
 so harrowing to our common sense, to breathe again 
 the fresh pure air of morning, and revel in the 
 joyous surroundings which accompanied us on our 
 onward journey — the merry singing of birds welcom- 
 ing the glad sunshine, the bright gleams lighting up 
 the neighbouring hills, the banks of white mist which 
 still hung over some of the deeper valleys, half 
 
158 AMONG THE SONS OF HAN. 
 
 concealing, half revealing the little hamlets that 
 nestled there, the plaintive lowing of cattle calling 
 on their lagging ofispring to follow up the hill, the 
 loud barking of the village watch-dogs startled at 
 the approach of strangers, and a thousand other glad 
 sights and sounds proclaiming the awakening of 
 Nature and Nature's children to another day of life 
 and duty. Arriving at Yung-kee we found our house- 
 boat awaiting us, and after embarking we sped along 
 under the influence of a light breeze past some very 
 pretty scenery, until we came to "the island joss-house," 
 a picturesque little temple built on a rock in the 
 middle of the stream. Turning soon after into the left 
 branch of the river we glided down with the current ' 
 in our favour until we reached the bridge of the 
 •Cloudy Hills. The evening being then far advanced 
 we anchored and dined, after which we got under 
 way again, and the night being calm and balmy 
 -with a bright moon overhead we sat on deck, and 
 -with song and story beguiled the time in which the 
 Jast six miles of our little trip were accomplished. 
 Occasionally startling rumours, some of them 
 
STARTLING RUMOURS. 159 
 
 of such a circumstantial nature as to make them 
 doubly alarming, were circulated at Foo-chow which 
 unhinged my nerves for the time. Troubles, trivial 
 enough in themselves but calculated to excite an igno- 
 rant rabble, had arisen, and these being exaggerated 
 were said to have , inflamed the angry passions 
 of the Chinese mob to such an extent that a 
 general massacre of all Europeans was resolved 
 upon. On one occasion a few inflammatory placards 
 were posted on the city walls, and it was said that 
 even a day was appointed for the destruction of 
 us aU; and when we reflected on our helpless 
 and isolated state, a mere handful of Europeans 
 (including' a number of women and children), whose 
 unprotected houses are scattered over an extensive 
 hill, with an immense and often turbulent native 
 population in our immediate neighbourhood, it is 
 not to be wondered that, with ever so slight a 
 foundation, a state of alarm should at times be 
 experienced. On the occasion referred to, the 
 arrival of an English man-of-war, brought up 
 from her usual anchorage twelve miles down the 
 
160 AMONG THE SONS OF HAN. 
 
 river, tended to allay our apprehensions, and the 
 day said to be appointed for our extermination 
 passed without any unpleasant result. 
 
 After a stay of six months in Foo-chow, we 
 learned that we had to proceed to Takow in 
 South Formosa, and it was with much regret that 
 we said farewell to the pleasant little circle of 
 acquaintances we had formed during our com- 
 paratively short residence on the banks of the Min. 
 On the morning of our departure, as we were in 
 the act of saying good-bye to the friends who had 
 come to see us off at the jetty, long strings of fire- 
 crackers, with which the Custom House raUinss 
 had been festooned, were discharged, and the noise 
 for at least ten minutes was positively deafening. 
 Our kind native friends had adopted this form of 
 showing their respect and wishing us God-speed 
 on our journey. 
 
Chapter xvi. 
 
 Amot — Crossing the rormosan Channel — Fisher Island light- 
 house — Arrival at Takow. 
 
 "We left Foo-chow on the 5tli of December, 1876, 
 and our journey to Amoy, which was accomplished 
 in one of Douglas Lapraik and Oo.'s comfortable 
 steamers, occupied about nineteen hours. I was 
 much struck with the beauty of Amoy; the 
 Europeans reside on a small island called Kulang- 
 soo, and many of the bungalows command charming 
 views of the bay, and are surrounded by well laid- 
 out gardens, full of rare plants and exquisite flowers. 
 After spending a pleasant ten days in Amoy, we 
 said good-bye to our kind host and hostess, and 
 left in the Chinese Government cruiser, lAng-f^ng, 
 for Takow. Unfortunately the winter gales in the 
 
162 AMONG TEE SONS OF HAN. 
 
 Formosan channel, which, we were about to cross, 
 are often very severe, and the Idng-fSng, though 
 the pink of neatness and comfort, is not a very 
 'large or powerful steamer, so we were not much 
 ■surprised, when we got as far as the mouth of 
 the Amoy harbour, to find that the wind and sea 
 were too formidable for our little craft, and that 
 we were obliged to anchor for the night under the 
 shelter of a friendly island. Next morning the 
 wind showed no signs of abating, and as there 
 was no prospect of our being able to put to sea 
 for another twenty-four hours, we steamed back 
 ■to Amoy, and in the early morning greeted once 
 more the friends to whom we had bidden adieu the 
 day before. We went on board again, however, the 
 same night, and when we awoke next morning we 
 knew by the motion of the vessel that we were 
 bravely battling with the foaming waters of the 
 Formosan channel. Towards evening, after a rather 
 lough passage, we arrived at Fisher Island, one of 
 .the Pescadores group, and anchored for the night. 
 At daybreak we were up and dressed ready for 
 
FI8EEB ISLAND. 163 
 
 a run on the island. Our good captain, knowing 
 we had mapped out for ourselves a good two 
 hours' walk, and that the vessel had to make the 
 difficult entrance to the Takow harhour — sixty or 
 seventy miles away-— before dark that same evening, 
 hurried our movements as urgently as his extreme 
 politeness would allow him, and we were soon 
 seated in the captain's gig and on our way to the 
 shore. We landed, as the first rays of the sun 
 were beginning to make themselves felt, in front 
 of a village, the inhabitants of which flocked out 
 en masse to behold the rare sight of a "foreign" 
 lady on their beach. 
 
 The path which leads up to the lighthouse is 
 steep and rough, and taxed our strength and shoe- 
 leather severely. The hUl consists almost entirely 
 of coraline rocks, the sharp edges of which were by 
 no means pleasant to walk upon ; but by carefuUy 
 picking our steps we mounted higher and higher, 
 untU, on looking back, our little steamer appeared 
 like a pretty toy almost immediately beneath us. 
 
 An hour's hard climbing brought us to the light- 
 
 u 2 
 
164 AMONG THE SONS OF HAN. 
 
 house, which is a new building on the top of the 
 barren hill, with no human habitation nearer than 
 the village at which we landed. The keeper who 
 came out to meet us had a most melancholy 
 apiJearance ; and no wonder, poor fellow ! for what 
 occupation could be more doleful for a European 
 than that of a lighthouse-keeper on a barren Chinese 
 island ? 
 
 After examining the lighting apparatus, and 
 signing our names in the visitors'-book, we 
 commenced our descent, and at eight o'clock we 
 were back on board the steamer. Hardly had we 
 arrived when the order was given to heave the 
 anchor, and in a few minutes we were under way 
 again. We were now in comparatively sheltered 
 waters, and the steamer ploughed her way through 
 those sunny Eastern seas without any disagreeable 
 movement. Early in the afternoon we began to 
 look out for Formosa, which in the winter months 
 it is difiBcult to see from a distance, on account 
 of the dense clouds at that season completely 
 obscuring the high mountains of the interior. At 
 
TAKOW. 165 
 
 last a single tree, growing on the top of an old 
 ruined Dutcli fort, told our wary captain that we 
 were off Anping, and we immediately turned our 
 course towards the south, and in three hours 
 afterwards we were rolling about outside the Takow 
 bar under the shadow of Ape's HUl waiting for 
 the pilot. In another half-hour we were on shore 
 surrounded by the tropical vegetation of South 
 Formosa. ^ 
 
CHAPTER XVII. 
 
 South Formosa — Liamg-Kiao — Friendly natives— Mght-drill— 
 The South Cape — Savages. 
 
 It was a lovely December morning when we 
 started in the Idng-fSng from Takow on a cruise 
 to the most southerly point in the island of 
 Formosa, known as the South Cape. 
 
 Christmas was near at hand, but instead of 
 the cold and snow which usher in the festive season 
 at home, we had now a soft balmy atmosphere 
 around us, and a bright but not too hot sun above 
 us. Crossing the bar by the south channel we 
 touched twice, each time causing a slight but 
 disagreeable shock to our unaccustomed nerves. 
 The bottom, however, consists of soft sand only. 
 
LIANG-KIAO. 16T 
 
 and we went on our way towards the sunny south 
 as if nothing had happened. We soon passed 
 Lambay Island, looking gloomy and uninviting in. 
 the midst of the bright waters, and then,, 
 coasting along the Formosan shores, we proceeded 
 under the shadow of the lofty mountains which 
 here rise abruptly from the sea. About noon we 
 anchored in the Liang-Kiao bay, where the Japanese 
 troops disembarked in 1874 for the purpose of 
 inflicting punishment upon some of the neighbour- 
 ing aborigines, a proceeding which almost caused 
 a rupture with the Chinese, the real lords of the 
 soil. Since then the Chinese Government has 
 taken active steps to make the law respected in 
 South Formosa, and a district city has now been, 
 established some four or five miles inland from 
 Liang-Kiao. It was partly to visit the magistrate 
 of the new city on official business that my 
 husband and a colleague had come to the place, 
 and accordingly they soon left us and we watched 
 them in the cutter bounding over the waves untU 
 they reached the land. The view from the deck 
 
168 AMONG THE SONS OF HAN. 
 
 of the steamer was truly lovely, the country 
 before our eyes was plentifully covered with tropical 
 plants and trees, the white crests of the waves shone 
 like silver in the sunshine, and Wxe background con- 
 sisted of massive mountains, whose uneven tops 
 formed a most effective and picturesque sky-line. 
 One peak, shaped like a cone, is most remarkable, 
 and must be an excellent landmark for vessels 
 approaching Liang- Kiao. At four o'clock in the 
 
 afternoon I went on shore with Captain C in 
 
 the hopes of soon meeting the party who had left 
 us three hours before. Owing to the heavy surf, 
 which did not look so formidable from the vessel's 
 deck two miles away, we had some difficulty in land- 
 ing without getting wet ; but, owing to the dexterity 
 of the gallant captain, we managed to avoid the 
 breakers, and landed on the sandy beach without 
 any mishap. 
 
 As there were as yet no signs of the others we 
 strolled along the shore, picking up curious stones, 
 until we met some natives, who could hardly contain 
 themselves when they beheld such a curious object 
 
FRIENDLY NATIVES. 169 
 
 as a foreign lady, probably the first who had ever 
 visited the district. With uniform and gold lace 
 they were apparently familiar, but the mysteries of 
 Western female garniture were evidently caviare to 
 the good people of Liang-Kiao. 
 
 The crowd at first kept at a respectable distance, 
 but the curiosity of their sex inspired two women 
 with the courage to approach, and then I had to 
 undergo the ordeal of a friendly, but almost too rigid, 
 examination. First of all I was flattered to find by 
 signs which they made that they considered me a 
 woman and a sister, then I was obliged to show my 
 feet in order to prove that I was not deformed in that 
 quarter, as aU Chinese ladies are, and my hands, hair, 
 and dress, next underwent a minute examination. 
 Meantime the male portion of the crowd, instigated 
 by the courageous example of the two females, began 
 to bestow their attentions upon my companion. As 
 well as gestures permitted them they plied him with 
 questions as to himself, his vessel, where he came 
 from, and where he was going to, and at last, to show 
 how satisfied they were with all the information they 
 
170 AMONG TEE SONS OF EAN. 
 
 gleaned from Mm — wMch I fear was neither full nor 
 very authentic — they offered him their old pipes to 
 smoke, a compliment which with a shudder he de- 
 clined. They then asked us by signs to follow them 
 and partake of some refreshment, and on our begging 
 to be excused they left us, evidently much pleased 
 with the interview. 
 
 The evening was by this time far advanced, and 
 the absentees as yet showed no signs of returning. 
 I began to be a little alarmed, for the country through 
 which my husband and his companions had to pass 
 was a sort of border-land between the " savage " and 
 Chinese territories, in which every man congidfiKS it 
 necessary for his safety to go about with a weapon of 
 some sort, and the approaching darkness began to 
 bring all kinds of imaginary terrors to my mind ; my 
 courage seemed to fade with the twilight, and an 
 occasional shot heard in the distance did not tend to 
 allay my alarm. The interval between bright daylight 
 and the darkness of night in those latitudes is of 
 brief duration, and in a short time we could scarcely 
 see the boats that lay quite close to us, and a faint 
 
BETUBN OF TEE WANBEBEBS. 171 
 
 light burning far out to seaward was the only guide 
 we had to the whereabouts of the steamer. Suddenly 
 the hills were lighted up with a bright flame, which 
 began to spread with wonderful rapidity until the 
 entire mountain-side presented one magnificent blaze 
 of light. I was thunderstruck with astonishment at 
 this formidable but really splendid sight which, 
 
 Captain C informed me, was only caused by the 
 
 burning of a highly-combustible brushwood which 
 the natives set fire to periodically, either to destroy 
 the cover where savages might conceal themselves, or 
 to leave an open space for their cattle to graze upon. 
 Presently we heard shouting in the distance, and our 
 boatmen began to respond and to display lights, and 
 in a few minutes, to my great joy, the wanderers re- 
 turned, wearied and footsore — for they had walked 
 all the way — ^but safe and sound. We lost no time 
 in getting into the boats, and as we proceeded 
 towards the vessel, a bright lime-light was burned on 
 board, which turned the gloomy darkness of night 
 into the brightness of day. We were all glad to 
 get on board again, and during dinner the travellers 
 
172 AMONG THE SONS OF BAN. 
 
 had much to tell us of what they saw at the new- 
 mountain city, and on the road. 
 
 After dinner, as the gentlemen were enjoying 
 
 their cigars on deck, I was mysteriously invited 
 
 to go on the bridge, and no sooner had I found 
 
 myself in that elevated position than the order 
 
 was given "to. prepare for action," and in a few 
 
 seconds the whole ship was in motion, armed 
 
 officers and sailors ran quickly to and fro, the 
 
 big guns were got into position, and before I had 
 
 time to realise what all the commotion was about, 
 
 my ears were deafened by the booming of the 
 
 cannon. It was only a night -drill, but I was 
 
 much relieved when all the noise and turmoil 
 
 were over. I thought a peaceful night was now 
 
 before us; but no, before the sailors could have 
 
 settled down in their hammocks, a stentorian 
 
 voice cried out "Fire on the quarterdeck!" and 
 
 the bell was tolled vigorously; up rushed the men 
 
 once more, each one to his allotted place, and the 
 
 task of extinguishing an imaginary fire was gone 
 
 through with regularity and precision. At kst 
 
TEE "ROVEB" TBAGEBY. 173 
 
 all was quiet; tlie captain assured us that for that 
 night at least there would be no more enemies to 
 fight, and no more fires to extinguish, on the 
 quarterdeck or elsewhere, so we said good-night, 
 and retired to rest. 
 
 Next morning at daylight we started for the 
 South Cape. As we kept pretty close to the shore 
 we had an opportunity of observing the Oriental 
 scenery which characterises the south of the 
 island. One spot on the coast which was pointed 
 out to us has sad associations connected with 
 it. There the American barque Rover was 
 driven ashore some ten or twelve years before, 
 and the captain, his wife, and the crew were 
 murdered in cold blood by the ruthless savages 
 who live in the adjoining hills. The sight of the 
 place made me shudder when I thought of 
 the cruel massacre. Things have changed much 
 for the better since that tragedy was enacted; 
 the savages have been more than once made to 
 feel that murder cannot be committed with im- 
 punity, and Europeans can now trust their lives with 
 
174 AMONG TSE SONS OF HAN. 
 
 comparative safety amongst tlie aborigines of South 
 Formosa. So long ago as 1870 my husband and 
 two others penetrated the savage territory iu this 
 very neighbourhood, and were treated kindly by the 
 very tribe that perpetrated the Rover outrage a short 
 time previously.* The establishment of the new 
 city, with a magistrate having direct jurisdiction over 
 them, and having a Chinese garrison at his back, 
 has tended to subdue stUl further those wild 
 mountaineers, and a wholesome respect for Chiriese 
 law is now making itself felt in places where a few 
 years ago the most potent mandarin in the empire 
 dared not show himself. About eleven o'clock we 
 anchored quite close to the shore, in a small bay 
 under the shelter of the promontory which forms the 
 South Cape. 
 
 The hills, covered down to the water's edge with 
 dense forests, rose abruptly from the sea, except at 
 one point where a small crescent of sandy beadi, 
 looking dazzlingly white under the bright sunshine, 
 
 * An acoount of this trip is given in No. 3, Vol. xvi. of the 
 " Transitions of the Eoyal Geographical Society." 
 
FOBMOSAN SAVAGBS. 175 
 
 and by contrast with the dark foliage in the im- 
 mediate background, indicated what appeared to be 
 the only feasible landing-place. To this point our 
 attention was now directed, but for some little time 
 no sign of life was -visible, a universal stillness seemed 
 to pervade the entire scene, not a leaf appeared to 
 stir, and the whole place looked as deserted as if it 
 had never before been visited by human beings. 
 After the lapse of a few minutes, however, a sudden 
 change took place; first a quivering movement was 
 noticed amongst the bushes immediately behind the 
 white beach, then a number of armed semi-nude 
 savages sprang from the jungle into the open as if by 
 word of command, and squatting themselves on their 
 haunches ranged themselves in a semicircle on the 
 beach. These were the leading members of the 
 neighbouring tribes, who had been apprised of our 
 coming, and had been waiting in the shade of the 
 forest for our arrival. My husband and three 
 others went at once towards the shore, accom- 
 panied by another boat containiflg an armed escort, 
 which our cautious captain thought it prudent to 
 
176 AMONG TEE SONS OF HAN. 
 
 send with the party. But the escort remained a short 
 distance from the shore and were not landed, lest 
 the savages should feel hurt at such a precaution, 
 and in a short time we noticed the small handful 
 of Europeans surrounded by a band of as ill-favoured 
 individuals as can well be imagined. A piece of 
 ground had been bought some time before in the 
 neighbourhood for a public purpose, and it was 
 thought advisable to show an interest in the 
 purchase by inspecting the place and the srnaH 
 tenements which had been erected there. We observed 
 the crowd moving for some time along the beach and 
 then disappearing in the woods, and everything 
 seemed so quiet, and the beach looked so lovely that 
 I asked to go on shore ; but, as my curiosity was 
 about to be gratified, a sudden shower of tropical 
 rain fell, which quickly scattered all my hopes of a 
 run on the beach. In a little more than half-an-hour 
 I was delighted to see the motley group return, and 
 when our little party came on board, drenched with 
 rain, they brought with them numbers of most lovely 
 
80UTE GAPE. 177 
 
 stells and pieces of coral picked up in their hurried 
 scamper on shore. Our brief visit to the South Cape 
 being now over, we weighed anchor, and turned once 
 more in the direction of Takow, at which place we 
 landed in safety the same evening. 
 
CHAPTER XVIII. 
 
 A Spanish Mission in Formosa — The Care of Foundlings — Eats as 
 an Article of Diet. 
 
 About two miles from Takow is a Spanish missionary 
 establisliment, consisting of a cliurcli, a school for 
 native boys, and the residence of the Padre ; it is 
 situated a short distance from the east bank of the 
 lagoon, Tip a narrow creek, in the township called 
 in the local dialect Tsan-Kin, and though the 
 situation is rather low, the buildings with their 
 clean white walls, as seen from Takow, present 
 rather a picturesque appearance, amid the sur- 
 rounding paddy fields, bamboo groves, and native 
 homesteads. 
 
 The afternoon was a bright sunny one, with a 
 clear sky overhead, when we started by boat on 
 
A SPANI8E PADEE. 179 
 
 our first ■visit to the Padre, whose life would be a 
 very lonely and monotonous one, living as he doesr 
 with none but Chinese around him, were it not 
 that members of the small European community 
 occasionally call upon him, and invite him to their 
 houses. The pull down the lagoon was exceedingly 
 pleasant, but when we turned into the creek which 
 leads to the Padre's residence the intricacies of the 
 navigation were such that nearly aU our attention 
 had to be devoted to the steering of our boat 
 through the numerous oyster-beds and sand- 
 banks which abound in the neighbourhood. Our- 
 difficulties were enhanced by the low state of the- 
 tide and the large size of our boat; but after 
 a considerable amount of bumping and grating 
 we at last got into deeper water, with mangrove 
 swamps like miniature forests on either side of 
 us; and in a little time we were landed and. 
 picking our steps along the muddy path which was 
 the most direct route to the church. The Padre, a, 
 strong, healthy, and very handsome man of forty^ 
 or thereabouts, was dressed in complete Chinese 
 
 N 2 
 
180 AMONG TEE SONS OF BAN. 
 
 costume and sported as. luxuriant a pigtail as the 
 most exacting son of Han could desire. He re- 
 ceived us very kindly in his clean though sparsely 
 furnished apartment, and was evidently pleased to 
 have an opportunity of chatting with Europeans. 
 Conversation was, however, carried on under 
 difficulties, for we could not speak either Spanish 
 or the local Chinese dialect which the Padre 
 had been in the habit of using constantly for 
 sixteen years ; he, on the other hand, knew very 
 little English, and less French, but by a judicious 
 mixture of these languages, with a little Latin 
 thrown in, we succeeded in making ourselves 
 tolerably understood ; and, although the result 
 was an olla podrida which would make a critical 
 philologist stare, it answered all our purpose, and 
 our linguistic blunders were made up for by 
 much enjoyment and good-humour. 
 
 We were then shown over the garden, which, 
 with the exception of some splendid white lUies, 
 had but few floral beauties to boast of. The Padre 
 afterwards conducted us over his church, which 
 
A CHRISTIAN MATRON. 181 
 
 was more commodious and complete than we had 
 anticipated; but the flimsy decorations which 
 Spanish taste, and probably a scanty exchequer, 
 were accountable for, were not much to our 
 liking. A partition about four or more feet in 
 height divided the church into two parts — one 
 for the women, the other for the men — and 
 each division had a separate entrance. We next 
 visited the house of a Christian matron adjoining 
 the church, where the Padre told us female 
 neophytes were trained in the groundwork of 
 their religion. The old woman who ruled this 
 establishment was clean and tidy in appearance, and 
 seemed much pleased and flattered by our visit. 
 The principal apartment where we entered had 
 the usual scanty furniture of a Chinese cottage, 
 a common table, a straight-backed chair or two, and 
 a couple of rough benches, which the old lady, with 
 ihany smUes and curtsies, continued to dust for 
 us with a corner of her dress. On the wall opposite 
 the door, where in ordinary Chinese houses an 
 idol or the ancestral tablets stand, was a cheap 
 
182 AMONG TEB SONS OF HAN. 
 
 small picture of St. Joseph, with a couple of wax 
 'Candles in front, and on either side was a black 
 ^bottle intended either for ornament or to act as extra 
 candlestick on special occasions; one of the bottles 
 looked like an empty sherry bottle, on the other 
 was a label beajring the familiar words, "Bass's Pale 
 .Ale." 
 
 Before leaving the house I bethought me of 
 i;he few works in the local dialect at my command 
 >to express my admiration of the room and its 
 -ornaments, and I uttered the only expression I 
 -could think of, "Chingsui" — very pretty. Whether 
 the old woman thought I was alluding to her own 
 somewhat faded charms, or whether she was amused 
 at my attempt to speak her language, I cannot say ; 
 but my well-meant compliment was received with 
 a burst of laughter, and the old woman, as she saw 
 us to the door, kept on repeating as weU as her 
 Jaughter would allow her, and as if it were the best 
 joke she had heard for many a day : " Ching sui — ^ai 
 yah, ching sui." We next visited the boys' school, 
 ■whose whereabouts we could tell pretty accurately 
 
THE MISSION SCHOOL. 183 
 
 long before we arrived at the place by tbe constant 
 buzz of the boys repeating their lessons. The noisy 
 jabbering of the boys ceased as we entered the 
 school, and one little boy about nine years old 
 was chosen to show us how far his teaching had 
 benefited him. A Chinese book was handed to 
 him, and the urchin, putting his intelligent little 
 head on one side, and pointing with his finger to 
 the passage he was asked to read, commenced his 
 lesson with aU the rapidity of a mechanical toy 
 after it has been duly wound up ; like the toy he 
 soon came to a dead stop, but, on his being asked 
 to read a more famUiar paragraph, he rattled away 
 again, as if he had been newly wound up, and 
 continued his rapid pace until the machinery was 
 once more exhausted, and an abrupt pause was the 
 result. 
 
 The Padre told us that the care of infant children 
 is sometimes thrust upon him by the Chinese, and 
 that a number of little innocents who would otherwise 
 have perished were then being brought up at the 
 expense of the mission by nurses in various parts 
 
184 AMONG THE SONS OF HAN. 
 
 of the country. Many natives, who from poverty 
 or other causes are desirous to get rid of their 
 children, knowing the benevolent nature of the 
 foreign- missionaries, expose their newly-born infants 
 in places where the Padre or some members of his; 
 household are sure to find them, feeling assured that 
 in his hands they wUl meet with tender care. 
 When the infants have been for some time in the 
 hands of kind nurses, they are transferred to a» 
 orphanage which has been established by the mission 
 in the principal city of the island — Taiwanfoo. 
 When we left the school the Padre invited us once- 
 more to his own apartment, where we found the 
 principal table covered with a snow-white cloth,, 
 and cups of chocolate were placed for each of us, 
 flanked by tumblers of clear sparkling water, withi 
 a plate of nice crisp toast as a substantial additicin 
 to the repast. To say the truth, the little excursion 
 had given me an appetite which enabled me to 
 do justice to the Padre's toast and excellent 
 chocolate. 
 
 The Padre entertained us with some excellent 
 
A BABU DAINTY. 185 
 
 anecdotes concerning his flock ; one of these stories 
 was a complete revelation to me, for although I 
 came out to China fully imbued with the notion 
 that the Chinese were in the habit of regaling 
 themselves daUy on cats, dogs, and other disgusting 
 things, I had, during my first three years' residence, 
 seen nothing to confirm my early impressions. I 
 had carefully scrutinised provision-shops and the 
 stock-in-trade of itinerant provision-dealers as I 
 passed through crowded Chinese streets, but I had 
 iiever noticed anything that would arouse more 
 than a transient suspicion. Our servants also in- 
 variably showed a great repugnance to animals 
 ■considered by ourselves unclean, so I had almost 
 made up my mind to consign the cat and rat 
 question to the limbo of exploded theories, when the 
 Padre communicated the following extraordinary fact : 
 
 A Chinese Christian came one day in the 
 previous Lent to ask the Padre if his son, who 
 was ill, might be allowed to eat meat. 
 
 "Certainly," said the Padre, "if the boy is ill, 
 lie can eat meat to make him strong." 
 
186 AMONG TEE SONS OF HAN. 
 
 "I am very glad," replied the anxious father, 
 *'for I have got a nice plump rat for him, and I 
 am sure that it will do my son a world of good!" 
 
 Before we left, our kind host made his servants 
 collect a quantity of lUies and other flowers, and 
 laden with our floral spoil we returned to our boat. 
 The tide had in the meantime risen, and on our 
 return we experienced none of the difiStculties which 
 beset us on our approach to the Padre's residence.. 
 The evening was one of those delightful ones which 
 help to compensate for the loneliness of life in 
 South Formosa. The air was stUl and balmy, not 
 a ripple disturbed the placid surface of the lagoon; 
 thousands of bright insects flitted over the water, 
 ofiering only too tempting baits to the fish which 
 swarmed beneath ; ever and anon a bright flash 
 of silver, succeeded by a splash, showed the eagerness 
 with which the finny tribe bounded from their 
 native element in pursuit of their prey, and one 
 large fish paid the penalty of his rashness by 
 falling, after his aerial flight, plump into our boat, 
 greatly to the delight of our boatmen, who greeted 
 
A BRILLIANT SUNSET. 187 
 
 the intruder as a not unwelcome addition to the 
 supper they were soon to enjoy. 
 
 The sun had just gone down in splendour 
 beneath the sea on the western horizon, leaving 
 behind a host of brilliant hues across the entire 
 expanse of the sky most lovely to behold ; and the 
 moist sands on the shores of the lagoon, sparkling 
 with a bright iridescence, helped to strengthen the 
 fancy suggested by the fairy-like scene that we 
 were gliding over some lovely enchanted lake whose 
 waters were of crystal, and whose banks were of 
 the purest brightest pearl. 
 
CHAPTER XIX. 
 
 Ape Hill — Gorgeous Insects — Apes on the Eoeks — ^Water Biiffaloes. 
 
 The most conspicuous object whidi strikes a stranger's 
 eye on his approach to Takow is the high conical- 
 shaped mountain which stands on the northern 
 side of the entrance to the harbour. It is called 
 Ape Hill by foreigners on account of the apes 
 which" are frequently seen upon it. On a com- 
 paratively cool afternoon in September we determined 
 to scale a portion of the mountain, and, taking the 
 path by the shore of the lagoon, we came to the 
 foot of the rough road which leads to the summit. 
 Here our difficulties began, for the path was literally 
 strewn with sharp rough stones which made walking 
 anything but pleasant. Prickly bramibles and the 
 objectionable Euphorbia plant had to be thrust 
 
GOBGEOUS INSECTS. 189 
 
 aside as we made our way upward. Occasionally 
 the path became invisible owing to the long grass 
 which grew over it, and which suggested possible 
 snakes underneath; higher up we had to clamber 
 over a huge rough rock which might afford tolerably 
 secure footing for a goat, but displayed many 
 objectionable points to the human climber. After 
 a good hour's scrambling through these and similar 
 difficulties, we arrived, hot, weary, and footsore, on 
 more level ground, where the grass was green and 
 not too long, where the prickly shrubs ceased to 
 torture us, and sharp stones no longer made 
 walking a penance. 
 
 In the course of our difficult climbing our labours 
 were agreeably diverted by the sight of a multitude 
 of gorgeous-looking butterflies and other insects, 
 which swarmed amongst the bushes with which the 
 hillside was covered; butterflies of all conceivable 
 colours — ^pink, black, light yellow, and red-spotted 
 — and large moths with velvety coats of dark green. 
 dark purple, or saffron hues, sported about from 
 bramble to bramble as if vain of their gaudy vesture; 
 
190 AMONG TEE SONS OF HAN. 
 
 and as they continually perched within easy reach 
 of us, it was difficult to restrain the temptation they 
 afforded for their easy capture. I noticed, too, a 
 large species of spider with a body the colour of gold, 
 keeping watch over a splendid circular web he had 
 spun about a yard in diameter ; natives say that 
 this spider is poisonous, and they carefully abstain 
 from coming in contact with it. 
 
 In a short time we reached the plateau, an 
 extensive plain covered for the most part with 
 waving grass, which gave the place an appearance 
 of one vast meadow halfway up the mountain. 
 The view from the plateau is magnificent ; on the 
 one side the rich plains of South Formosa lay like 
 a beautiful garden stretching out for mUes to the 
 south, and eastward towards the lofty range of moun- 
 tains which skirt the further shores of the island. 
 The pale green of the paddy-fields relieved by the 
 darker hue of the sugar and other crops, the clusters 
 of trees, and the peaceful-looking hamlets surrounded 
 by groves of bamboo, formed a charming picture 
 from our lofty standpoint; and, turning in the 
 
APB8 ON THE BOOKS. 191 
 
 opposite direction, we beheld the glorious sea re- 
 flecting what appeared to be myriads of bright 
 stars from its glassy surface, as the waters danced 
 and heaved under the bright rays of the even- 
 ing sun. The remarkable stillness which per- 
 vaded the atmosphere was only broken by the 
 occasional lowing of some wild cattle browsing 
 on a distant part of the plain, and the thrill- 
 ing notes of a kind of thrush which perched 
 upon a neighbouring rock and cheered us with 
 its song. A deliciously cool breeze fanned our 
 heated temples, and added one more charm to 
 a scene contrasting so widely with what we had 
 been accustomed to see on the plains below. 
 As we were feasting our eyes on aU the varied 
 beauties of the scenery, we caught sight of a dark 
 object on a rock close by, which, on closer inspection, 
 turned out to be a large ape about the size of a child 
 twelve years old ; it soon discovered us, and no 
 sooner did it do so than it scampered over the 
 rocks with all the agility of its species, and was 
 in a few moments lost to sight. The apes very 
 
192 AMONG THE SONS OF HAN. 
 
 rarely show themselves so far down the rQountain, 
 their favourite haunts by day being amongst the 
 steep crags at the very summit, where they are 
 sometimes seen by hundreds running along the rocks, 
 far beyond the reach of human interference. In 
 the neighbourhood of our resting-place, however, 
 there were evident traces of the frequent presence of 
 the apes, and well-beaten paths could be traced, 
 leading to holes amongst the rocks which were used, 
 most probably, as homes or hiding-places by the 
 animals. After nightfall the apes are said to come 
 down in great numbers to the plains below the 
 mountain, and farmers complain of the havoc 
 they make amongst the sweet potatoes and other 
 crops. 
 
 The lateness of the hour prevented us on that 
 occasion from crossing the plateau, and ascending the 
 higher portions of the mountain, which are in many 
 respects worth exploring. A hollow at the extreme 
 top looks like the crater of an extinct volcano, whilst 
 the numerous shells and marine deposits found on 
 the summit, together with the loose surface-rocks. 
 
WATEB BUFFALOES. 193 
 
 composed of a conglomerate of coral and limestone, 
 "which, are strewn plentifully over the side of the 
 mountain, prove that some violent upheavals and 
 convulsions must at one time have taken place in 
 the locality. In the lower parts of the mountain 
 I have dug out many petrified specimens of marine 
 objects — shells, jelly-fish, etc. — and with plenty of 
 time and patience at one's command one could 
 easily form a large collection of such things. 
 
 But we had now no time for investigation or 
 research ; the sun was fast setting, and knowing as 
 we did how short the tropical twilight is, and what 
 a long troublesome descent we had before us, we 
 hastened our departure. We had got more than 
 halfway down the ^mountain when our movements 
 were retarded for a time by a group of formidable- 
 looking water-bufi"aloes, standing in a little rivulet 
 just at the only point where we could conveniently 
 cross, thus completely blocking our path. These 
 immense animals, though quiet and docile enough 
 with the natives, seem to have a decided objec-' 
 tion to Europeans, at whose appearance they gene- 
 
134 AMONG TEE SONS OF HAN. 
 
 (rally become almost paralysed with, fear, and in 
 tkeir excitement they are positively dangerous ; 
 in a few instances at Foochpw and in Formosa, 
 •acquaintances of ours had narrow escapes when 
 pursued by these formidable beasts. On the 
 present occasion, whilst I stood at a safe distance 
 anxiously watching my husband, whose efforts to 
 drive the brutes away appeared only to infuriate 
 them, I was delighted to see the approach of a 
 tiny native boy, whose shrill screaming at once 
 had an effect upon the buffaloes which the most 
 energetic waving of an umbrella had failed to 
 produce ; and in a moment the gigantic quadrupeds, 
 obeying their juvenile keeper, rushed away, and left 
 us free to continue our journey in peace. As we 
 proceeded down the hill, we noticed what a change 
 had come over the scene with the approach of 
 nightfall; the lovely butterflies no longer flitted 
 -about, the golden spider had disappeared, the harsh 
 note of the scissor-grinder now grated on our ears, 
 and from below the hoarse croaking of frogs greeted 
 us in a loud dissonant chorus. One beautiful creeper. 
 
THE SCENE GHANGEB. 195 
 
 a species of convolvulus, had undergone a com- 
 plete metamorphosis ; its flowers, which were dis- 
 tinctly white in the bright sunshine, were now 
 as unmistakably pink, and on being plucked they 
 shrunk away and seemed to lose all shape and life 
 and colour. Darkness was just setting in as we 
 overcame the last of our difficulties, and stood once 
 more on level ground at the foot of Ape Hill. 
 
 2 
 
CHAPTER XX. 
 
 South-west Monsoon ; dangers of the Takow bar ; a wreck, anJ 
 a gallant rescue. 
 
 In the summer months, from May to September, a 
 strong steady south-west wind blows all over the 
 southern parts of Asia, and its influence is par- 
 ticularly felt along the south-west coast of Formosa,, 
 on which, during those five months, the long rollers,, 
 driven almost without interruption from the Straits. 
 of Malacca up through the Chinese Sea, break with 
 a loud and constant roar. It is wonderful to watch 
 at Takow the mighty billows come tumbling in, one- 
 after the other, upon the sandy beach to the south 
 of Saracen Head, or dashing against the huge rocks- 
 and breaking into feathery spray ; but the unceasing 
 noise is monotonous in the extreme, the loneliness, 
 of the place rendering the monotony all the more 
 
A THRILLING SCENE. 197 
 
 painful. For weeks I have listened to the same dull 
 sound, night and day, and I cannot imagine anything 
 more sad or more depressing. It frequently happened 
 that, owing to a more severe blow than usual farther 
 south, the sea rises suddenly and without warning ; 
 even the weather-wise fishermen of the place, who 
 generally know so well when it is prudent to venture 
 any distance from the land in their safe but tiny 
 catamarans, are occasionally caught outside an un- 
 expected and tremendous surf which they are obliged 
 to pass through, on their return, at their peril. On 
 one occasion two fishermen, a father and son, went 
 out in the early morning to fish ; the sky being 
 clear, the sea calm, and the monsoon season being 
 almost over, they ventured out a considerable 
 distance from the shore perfectly sure that no danger 
 threatened them. But a sudden swell having set 
 in from the south they hastened homeward, and 
 found to their horror on their return that the sea 
 was breaking in gigantic crested billows on the bar. 
 There was no room for hesitation, however ; the sea 
 was momentarily getting worse, its fury might last 
 
198 AMONG THE SONS OF HAN. 
 
 for days ; and the catamaran — ^which is only a tiny 
 bamboo raft — even if it could live outside, had no 
 accommodation for food or sleep. Waiting for what 
 appeared to be a slight lull in the breaking of 
 the waves, the father and son pushed quickly and 
 bravely on; another minute and they would be 
 once more safe in comparatively smooth water. 
 But it was not to be ; a tremendous wave, coming 
 behind them like a huge mountaJB, caught up the 
 little raft, and flung it like a feather, men and all, 
 high into the air; the lashings of the bamboo 
 snapped with the violence of the blow, and father 
 and son, with the remnants of their catamaran, were 
 precipitated amongst the seething billows. Fortunately 
 both men managed to get hold of the same bamboo, 
 to which they clung with all the tenacity of men 
 strugghng for dear life, and, as a strong ebb tide 
 was running out of the harbour at the time, they 
 were carried — almost miraculously, as it seemed 
 to the lookers-on — out beyond the breakers once 
 more. The feelings of those who watched the 
 accident, and who were unable to afford any aid. 
 
A GALLANT BUSGJTE. 199- 
 
 can hardly be imagined ; rewards were offered by 
 the Europeans 'present to any catamaran men who 
 would venture out to the rescue of the poor-fishermen,, 
 but none could be found who would risk their lives 
 in such an attempt. Chinamen are said to shrink 
 from the task of saving human life, even when no 
 risk to themselves presents itself, but in this case 
 it did almost seem as if it would be a throwing 
 away of more lives if any dared to venture to the 
 rescue of the floating men. Presently, and whilst 
 the lookers-on were wondering what was to be 
 done, a catamaran, puUed by four strong young 
 ■fishermen from the opposite shore of the lagoon, 
 was seen shooting through the mouth of the harbour 
 straight out towards the deadly breakers. Can 
 we believe our eyes, that these are four Chinamen — 
 all poor men, with wives and children to think 
 of, no doubt — agoing forth like heroes, as they 
 were, in the face of possible, nay probablei 
 destruction to rescue the lives of two others a:, 
 poor and as humble as themselves ? All honour 
 to the brave chivabous fellows ! No hope of 
 
200 AMONG THE SONS OF BAN. 
 
 reward had they beyond the conviction that they 
 were doing a noble duty, and, without looking to 
 the right or the left, the four Chinamen drove 
 their little craft nearer and nearer to the breakers, 
 but not to the place where the unfortunate father 
 and son, ignorant of the real force of the waves 
 at the place, had tried to cross. Farther north 
 the billows seemed to break with less regularity, 
 and there the brave fellows waited for what seemed 
 a good opportunity, and then with a will they 
 rushed towards the bar ; but, before they had 
 got too far for retreat, they saw an immense wave 
 commence to rear its awful front a short distance 
 ahead of them, and with wonderful dexterity the 
 catamaran was driven quickly backwards just in 
 time to escape the breakers, which would probably 
 bave dashed the little craft to pieces. Will they 
 succeed in crossing^ to the rescue? was the query 
 which sprung to the lips of every looker-on. Again 
 they waited patiently for their opportunity, and 
 again they dashed towards the bar, this time with 
 success, and then with all their might they pulled 
 
niSINTEEESTED BBAVERY. 201 
 
 quickly towards the spot wliere the two men were 
 clinging to the floating bamboo. To the great 
 joy of everyone the two castaways were safely 
 picked up, and their brave rescuers, adopting the 
 same cautious tactics as before, carried their 
 catamaran safely once more again through the 
 breakers, and had the satisfaction of delivering up 
 to their relations the father and son, who were so 
 heroically rescued from a watery grave. 
 
 The four brave men were sent for on the 
 following day by my husband, and offered a reward, 
 which they politely declined, saying that they had. 
 only done their duty, and that the rescued men 
 were their own relatives, or belonged to the same 
 clan as themselves ; but, at their suggestion, the 
 sum intended for them was devoted to the pur- 
 chase of a new catamaran, to replace the one lost 
 by the two poor fishermen. 
 
CHAPTER XXL 
 
 Formosan Chinese — Difficulties •with servants — A ci-devant execu- 
 tioner in our kitchen — The aborigiaes — Story of a little 
 albino girl. 
 
 The Chinese settlers in Formosa are a sturdy- 
 independent race, rough in manner, but cordial 
 and, as a rule, good-natured to strangers- In some 
 places in the interior of the island their indepen- 
 dence of character at times gives a good deal of 
 trouble to their rulers, but Europeans have rarely, 
 if ever, had to complain of the ill-feeling of the 
 Eormosan Chinese. In such an isolated place as 
 Takow it is sometimes very diflBcult to get a well- 
 trained servant, and soon after my arrival there 
 I was obliged to be satisfied with a rough native 
 of the place a,s a temporary house-coolie. He was 
 tall for a Chinaman, straight, strong, and toler- 
 
A GEILB OF NATUBE. 203 
 
 ably clean-looking, but rough and uncouth to a 
 degree, a thorough child of Nature. The poor 
 fellow did his best to please, but I was delighted 
 when I found at last a competent man who spoke 
 English, to do the work of coolie. The super- 
 seded Formosan, when first told that another coolie 
 was coming, received the news with a frown and 
 in silence ; but some days afterwards, when I was 
 seated in my room writing, I heard a noise behind 
 me, and, turning round in some alarm, I saw the 
 Formosan moving about in an infuriated manner, 
 gesticulating, and speaking rapidly in his own 
 language words which of course I could not under- 
 stand ; so far as I could unravel the meaning of 
 his gestures he seemed to be imitating the action 
 of tearing out his heart, throwing it on the ground, 
 and trampling upon it. Following my first im- 
 pression, I asked him in English, " Are you ill ? " 
 but, parrot-like, he simply repeated, " Are you ill ? " 
 the meaning of which he evidently did not know, 
 and went on with his gesticulations. Becoming 
 more and more alarmed at such extraordinary pro- 
 
204 AMONG TEE SONS OF BAN. 
 
 ceedings, I got up and rang for the house-toy; 
 and when that individual appeared I demanded 
 the meaning of the coolie's strange behaviour; after 
 
 It 
 
 hearing the coolie's explanation, the boy told me 
 the Formosan was almost distracted at the thoughts 
 of losing his situation. " I have always worked 
 hard," the poor fellow said; "I have always done 
 what I was told to do ; from early morning until 
 late at night I have always slaved for you, and 
 is this to be the result ? am I to be cast away as 
 of no account, to starve 1 " In answer to this 
 eloquent appeal I explained, through the boy, that 
 the coolie was only taken on as a temporary 
 measure pending the arrival of one who could 
 speak English and who was accustomed to the 
 work ; but that if he, the Formosan, understood 
 gardening, I would get him the post of gardener, 
 which was soon to be vacant. The look of dis- 
 contentment which had hitherto sat upon the 
 Formosan's face vanished when my words were 
 translated to him, and in its place came a look of 
 radiant delight. It was the very thing that suited 
 
A GEIM DOMESTIC. 205 
 
 him, he said; he had been brought up as a gar- 
 dener, and he would be sure to give satisfaction 
 in that capacity, etc. ; so the matter was arranged : 
 and a few days afterwards, on returning from my 
 walk, I was surprised to find a number of beautiful 
 little bouquets of flowers in the drawing-room, and 
 hanging over the entrance Avas a very pretty fancy 
 basket, constructed of, and filled with, sweetly- 
 scented flowers, which threw a delicious fragrance 
 through the entire apartment. On inquiring who 
 our kind and tasteful benefactor was, I discovered 
 that the flowers and basket were brought by the 
 new gardener as offerings, to show his gratitude 
 for the new appointment we had given him. 
 
 Another instance occurs to me which illustrates 
 the peculiar straits to which we were occasionally 
 driven in Formosa for want of suitable servants. 
 Our cook, whom we had brought with us from the 
 mainland, considering it necessary for his dignity to 
 have an assistant, I left the appointment in his own 
 hands, and, feeling quite satisfied with the cAe/" him- 
 self, I did not trouble myself about his subordinate. 
 
206 AMONG THE SONS OF HAN. 
 
 until one day in passing close to the kitchen I 
 noticed a native, hatchet in hand, decapitating a 
 fowl for culinary purposes in a manner which struck 
 me with much astonishment. There seemed to be 
 such a professional air about the fellow, and he 
 appeared to be so pleased with his cruel task, that 
 I at once made inquiries about him, and found, to 
 my horror, that he had formerly been an executioner 
 in Taiwanfoo, and that, growing tired of his former 
 employment, or desiring a change, he thought he 
 would try what service in a European household 
 was like ! I need hardly say that I at once got rid 
 of the executioner, who, disgusted with the summary 
 manner in which he was dismissed, returned to the 
 more congenial duties of his original profession. 
 
 In the Chinese settlements along the west coast 
 of Formosa the chance of seeing any of the aborigines 
 from the hills — " Savages," as it is the custom to 
 caU. them — does not often present itself. Occasionally 
 a batch of these unfortunates, taken in one of their 
 frequent collisions with the authorities, are brought 
 by steamer from the southern or south-western 
 
A FOBMOSAN WOMAN. 207 
 
 coast, and landed at Takow ; but on these occasions 
 they are kept in such close confinement, and they 
 are hurried through the place so quickly that there 
 is hardly any possibility of seeing them. Pei-po-huans, 
 or savages of the plains, are frequently to be met 
 with; but they are so tractable and mix so much 
 with Chinese, to whom they have become more or 
 less assimilated, that they possess but few points of 
 special interest. In Takow, however, there lives a 
 poor woman who is a very favourable specimen of the 
 pure Formosan breed, tall, straight as an arrow, and 
 powerful as an Amazon. Her short closely-fitting 
 costume, her long dark hair, with red tape interwined, 
 coiled round her head like a turban, her high cheek-^ 
 bones and dark flashing eyes, and her commanding 
 beight and splendid figure, in a country where the 
 women are so small and puny, make her conspicuous 
 wherever she goes. It was said that she had 
 wandered at the age of fourteen too far from the 
 hills where her people lived into a territory whose 
 inhabitants were in a state of constant war 
 •with the aborigines, and being taken prisoner, 
 
208 AMONG THE SONS OF HAN. 
 
 she was afterwards sold to a Takow fisherman, who' 
 made her his wife. Her house, formed of rough 
 stones, and covered with loose thatch, though close 
 to where we lived, was built in such an awkward 
 spot amongst the cliffs overhanging the sea that I 
 was never able to satisfy my curiosity by visiting this 
 remarkable being in her own home, but she used to 
 come frequently to our house, and in return for 
 whatever attempts I made occasionally to relieve her 
 poverty, she would show her gratitude by bringiag 
 with her beautiful sea-shells, of which she knew I was 
 making a collection. 
 
 Some of the more objectionable phases of native 
 character are exemplified by the history of a 
 poor little Chinese girl with whose career I was 
 in some degree connected, and in whom I took 
 a great interest. Little Su-a, when she first came 
 under my notice, was about eleven — though she 
 did not look more than seven — years old ; she 
 was beautifully formed and rather pretty, but, 
 unlike other natives, she was painfully fair. Her 
 hair was of a very pale golden colour, almost 
 
UNNATUBAL PARENTS. 209 
 
 white, and her eyes, which she could never open 
 to their full extent in a bright light, were of a 
 pinkish blue ; in fact she was that rara avis 
 amongst the dark-haired Chinese, an albino. 
 
 Her parents were poor ignorant people who 
 lived near Tamsui, in the north of the island, and 
 when they found that one of their children was 
 born . without the dark hair so characteristic of 
 their race, they thought a heavy punishment had 
 been inflicted upon them, no doubt for the misdeeds 
 ©f some remote ancestor. As the girl grew up and 
 her light hair and pink eyes attracted more and 
 more attention, her parents shrank from her as 
 *' a foreign devil," and an unnatural monster. They 
 did not care to murder her by direct means, but 
 they wished her to die, and they began to adopt 
 towards her a species of slow persecution which 
 they hoped would lead to her early death. It were 
 painful to dwell on the cruel treatment which I 
 was credibly informed the poor chUd was obliged 
 to undergo at the hands of her unnatural parents ; 
 but, fortunately for her, a poor old Portuguese who 
 
210 AMONG TEH SONS OF HAN. 
 
 was employed by an English firm in the neigh- 
 bourhood, happened to hear of her wrongs, and io 
 order to save the little girl's life he offered to 
 purchase her for ten dollars, and the parents, glad 
 to be rid of what they looked upon as an uncanny 
 thing, cheerfully accepted the offer. Little Su-a 
 now entered upon- what promised to be a com- 
 paratively happy life. She was better clothed and 
 fed than before, and her adopted father treated her 
 as tenderly as if she had been his own child ; but 
 just as she was beginning to realise the comforts of 
 her new surroundings the poor old Portuguese fell 
 iU and died, bequeathing, on his deathbed, the 
 little albino to the care of the Spanish missionary 
 at Takow, of whom I have abeady made mention, 
 and leaving the sum of one hundred dollars to 
 meet the expenses of Su-a's bringing up. When 
 the child was sent to the Padre, he was naturally 
 embarrassed with such a proUg^e — ^the refuge attached 
 to the mission being only intended for deserted 
 children without means — and he finally resolved to 
 place Su-a under the care of some Spanish nuns 
 
LITTLE 8U-A'S GBATITUDE. 211 
 
 who lived in Amoy. Hearing that we were soon 
 about to go to the latter place, the Padre asked me 
 to convey Su-a there, which I gladly consented to 
 do. We had to wait three weeks for a steamer to 
 take us from Takow, during which time the little 
 albino was under my charge. She proved to be 
 a good affectionate little thing, and she was anxious 
 to do all she could to please me and to show her 
 gratitude. 
 
 During our very rough and protracted voyage- 
 to the mainland, Su-a, although she tvas very ill, 
 and must have been frightened at the storm we- 
 encountered, neither wept nor complained. On our 
 arrival at Amoy, knowing that the time for parting 
 was at hand, she looked grieved and unhappy, 
 and just before she left for the convent she pressed 
 my hand closely in hers, and looking up to me 
 
 with a most sorrowful expression she uttered in a 
 tremulous voice some words in her native tongue 
 which I could not understand, and big tears began: 
 to roll down her fair placid face. At last I said 
 good-bye, and consigned her to the kind protection 
 
 p 2 
 
212 AMONG THE SONS OF HAN. 
 
 of the nuns, who promised to watch over and train 
 the little friendless one. 
 
 From inquiries I have since made, I learn that 
 Su-a has exhibited signs of cleverness, that she is 
 making great progress with her early education, 
 and that she promises to be a good, intelligent, and 
 religious girl. 
 
CHAPTER XXII. 
 
 * 
 
 Formosa a beautiful island — Its loneliness — I am taken for a 
 "Savage" — Snakes — Earthquakes — Beautiful sunrises and 
 sunsets — My happiest hour. 
 
 Formosa, as its name indicates, is indeed an 
 island of exceeding beauty, and its charming 
 scenery is only equalled by the extreme fertility of 
 its soil. But when so much has been said the 
 catalogue of its merits becomes exhausted, for in 
 other " respects it is dtfi&cult to imagine a more 
 dreary, a more melancholy, or a more unhealthy 
 spot for a European, especially a European lady, 
 to be compelled to live in. During the eleven 
 months we spent in Takow I was the only lady 
 resident, and I shall never forget the joy I ex- 
 perienced when a lady from another port came to 
 me for a short visit. After I had been two 
 
214 AMONG TEE SONS OF MAN. 
 
 months in the island without seeing even a strange 
 European of my own sex, I was one day seated 
 on the verandah watching a small German schooner 
 which had just arrived, and was lying opposite 
 to our house, when suddenly I noticed a female, 
 probably the captain's wife, coming on shore, and 
 the sight almost made me weep with joy ; my first 
 impulse was to rush off and embrace the woman, 
 and, although the comely frau never knew it, 
 she was the object of my most sincere regard 
 and friendly admiration during her brief stay at 
 our little port. So unusual is the sight of a 
 European female, that on one occasion my head-dress 
 created a sensation far different from any contem- 
 plated by my milliner ; I was amusing myself in 
 a garden in which I took particular pride, as it 
 had been laid out, after many difiSculties, under 
 my immediate superintendence, when, as I ap- 
 proached a corner, separated by a low hedge from 
 a well much frequented by the villagers, I heard a 
 scream, and looking up saw that a stalwart young 
 Ohinaman had thrown down his water-buckets in. 
 
I AM TAKEN FOB A "SAVAGE." 215 
 
 alarm, and was gazing at me with open mouth, 
 apparently transfixed with astonishment. Terror 
 was depicted in every feature of the man's coun- 
 tenance ; his limbs trembled, and before I could 
 realise what the matter was he turned sharply 
 round, and, crying aloud in the utmost fear and 
 horror, fled at the top of his speed towards the 
 village, leaving his buckets behind him. One of 
 our servants who spoke English happening to be 
 near me, I asked him if he could account for the 
 man's strange behaviour, and to my astonishment 
 I learned that the frightened native, who had never 
 seen a European lady before, observing some 
 feathers in my hat, thought I was one of the 
 " savages " from the hills — of whom many Chinese 
 are in constant dread — and fled before there was 
 any possibility of his being eaten or flayed alive. 
 
 Besides the absence of civilised society, which 
 is perhaps the greatest drawback to the place, 
 there is a want of good roads which prevents 
 anything like regular exercise ; as a visitor once 
 observed, there is only one attempt at a road in 
 
216 AMONG TEE SONS OF HAN. 
 
 Takow, and that leads to the little cemetecj.; so 
 that a quiet walk along the shores of the lagoon 
 was not always conducive to the raising of one's 
 spirits. Then again you feel yourself at times 
 strangely cut off from all communication with the 
 outer world ; for weeks we have been anxiously on 
 the look-out for a steamer, and often, when my husband 
 was engaged in his office, have I wandered alone to 
 the beach near our house, and, turning from the rough 
 dark rocks behind me to the wide waste of waters 
 in front, I have thoroughly realised the feelings of 
 Alexander Selkirk, as expressed in the well-known 
 lines in which he bemoans his solitary state. The 
 long delays which sometimes took place in the 
 arrival of vessels, not only deprived us for the time 
 of our letters and newspapers, but as we depended 
 on the mainland for our supplies of beef, mutton, 
 vegetables, butter, and miscellaneous household 
 stores, and as large quantities of these articles 
 could not be preserved in such a climate, the non- 
 arrival of our provisions was often highly em- 
 barrassing. Fowls we always had in abundance. 
 
AN UNENVIABLE ABODE. 217 
 
 and a special variety, with black bones and white 
 flesh, we used to consider sweet and tender ; but 
 when for days together fowls in some shape or 
 another figure as the principal dish at breakfast^ 
 tiffin, and dinner, it is not to be wondered at that 
 a time at last arrives when the weary iteration 
 becomes highly unpleasant, when the tired palate 
 rebels, and a change of some kind is eagerly sought 
 after. For months after I left Formosa no amount 
 of persuasion could induce me to touch a fowl, 
 no matter how nicely served or how artistically 
 prepared. 
 
 In alluding to the want of variety in the food 
 procurable at Takow I must, in justice to the place, 
 say a word of praise in favour of the oysters, which 
 are very plentiful, and, though small, are of very 
 good . flavour ; - they are cultivated in the long 
 shallow lagoon,' which I have had reason to mention 
 so frequently, and, '-as if even the shell-fish of this 
 portion of the Chinese dominions were in the plot 
 to develop the rule of contraries which applies to 
 most Chinese things as opposed to European, the Takow 
 
218 AMONG TEE SONS OF EAN. 
 
 oysters are not in season during those months of 
 ours in whose names the letter r appears, and 
 they are at their best in the summer, when the 
 home-oyster is never eaten. 
 
 Amongst the annoyances of life in Formosa may 
 be reckoned the prevalence of snakes and centipedes : 
 to guard against the approach of the latter during 
 one's sleeping moments it is usual to place the 
 feet of bedsteads in pans of lime, a precaution 
 which effectually prevents the insects from crawling 
 up the bedposts. Some of the snakes are very 
 large, and as doors and windows are constantly, 
 open on account of the heat, snakes are occasionally 
 attracted by the lights, and intrude _^their unwelcome 
 presence in the house after dark. A missionary 
 once told me that, on retiring for the night on 
 one occasion, he found an immense snake quietly 
 coiled beneath the bedclothes, and a fellow-worker 
 of his was wakened one night to find one of these 
 enormous reptiles crawling over the top of his 
 mosquito-net, hissing and darting its fangs through 
 the network. The missionary called loudly for 
 
EARTHQUAKE SE0GK8. 219 
 
 his servants, who came armed with hatchets and 
 other implements, and with some difficulty des- 
 patched the ugly visitor. In our own house we 
 were not free from these pests, and one evening, 
 about ten o'clock, my husband killed in my bed- 
 room a snake whiph measured five feet four inches 
 in length. 
 
 Formosa, like the islands of the neighbouring 
 Philippine group, is occasionally visited by 
 earthquakes which have, in years gone by, on 
 more than one occasion, been attended with 
 disastrous consequences. The last very violent 
 earthquake occurred many years ago, before 
 Europeans came to reside in the island ; and 
 then incalculable damage was done to buildings, 
 the wall of the principal city fell to the ground, 
 and many human lives were lost. During our 
 residence three distinct shocks were felt; during 
 the first we happened to be on the water, and 
 we did not experience any sensation then ; but 
 on the 28th of June, 1877, about three o'clock 
 in the afternoon, we felt the unmistakable 
 
220 AMONG THE SONS OF HAN. 
 
 trembling of the earth, which, when once ex- 
 perienced, can. never be forgotten ; at first the 
 tremor wa^ slight, but it gradually increased 
 in intensity until our entire house shook, and 
 our native servants ran into the open air with 
 cries of " Wah ! Wah .' " . The shock .. lasted 
 several seconds. On the 23rd July, at one o'clock 
 in the morning, a sharper shock, though of shorter 
 duration, occurred. The whole earth shook vio- 
 lently, the roof of our house creaked as though 
 it were about to. fall upon us, and a roaring noise 
 was heard which startled us very much. The 
 violence of . the shock, occurring as it did in the 
 dead of night, and .wakening us from sleep, 
 inspired us and all the other residents with terror, 
 and by a sudden impulse everybody rushed into 
 the open air panic-stricken. . The sensation re- 
 sembled what would be experienced by anyone 
 standing on an iron tunnel whilst an express train 
 dashed through it. 
 
 In looking back upon the days I spent in Formosa, 
 I try to drive from my mind as much as possible the 
 
VIEWING THE BBIGET SIDE. 221 
 
 disagreeable aspects of ojir .existence there, and to 
 dwell rather on the few pleasant features connected 
 with that period of my life — to gloss over the dark, 
 and dwell only on the bright side of the picture. I 
 often think of our pleasant little evening excursions 
 on the peaceful waters of the lagoon, or up one of 
 the winding creeks which flow through the fertile 
 plains of the neighbourhood ; of the bamboo groves, 
 and wilder thickets where the banyan spreads its 
 gigantic branches far and wide, forming in the earth 
 new stems for its support in its onward progress ; of 
 the bright skies and the gorgeous appearances which 
 mark the approach and the decline of day. In truth 
 the sight of a Formosan sunrise in August is one 
 which amply repays the trouble and inconvenience 
 of getting up to look at it. Soon after four o'clock a 
 faint streak of light begins to show itself over the 
 summits of the distant mountains ; imperceptibly the 
 streak grows brighter, until the dark outlines of the 
 hills begin to show themselves distinctly ; then a 
 faint blush spreads gradually over the eastern 
 heavens, followed by a brilliant glow which illu- 
 
222 AMONG TEE SONS OF HAN. 
 
 minates the entire horizon, whilst the raritj 
 of the atmosphere makes the hills, though thirty 
 miles distant, stand out as distinctly as if they were 
 only half-a-mile away. I have sometimes fancied I 
 could see objects moving about amongst the trees on 
 the mountains, so close did the latter seem. But 
 if the sunrise is splendid, no pen can depict, no 
 language can describe, the extreme beauty of the 
 summer sunset at Takow. Often have I sat gazing 
 spell-bound at the brilliant transformations which 
 accompany and succeed the sinking of the glorious 
 orb of day beneath the sea ; there is hardly a colour^ 
 or the shade of a colour, which is not represented in 
 the magnificent scene — ^pink intermingled with pale 
 blue, red with dark blue, pale green with light yellow, 
 light gray with dark gray, dark yellow with red, then 
 crimson with purple, and finally, when the centre and 
 origin of all this glory disappears, a lovely red. 
 suffuses the entire western sky, which gradually, and 
 as it were reluctantly, melts away at the approach, 
 of night. Often, too, when the hues of sunset have 
 faded, the bright pale moon comes out to rival with 
 
MY HAPPIEST HOTTB. 223 
 
 her serene beauty the glories that have lately passed 
 away. Never have I seen elsewhere such lovely 
 moonlight nights as those I have witnessed in South 
 Formosa during the summer and autumn months. 
 The brightness which pervades the atmosphere almost 
 equals that of day ; I have read with ease by moon- 
 light, and if the heat of the day had not made me 
 languid I should often have carried out my wish to 
 play croquet after dinner ; on such nights everything 
 on sea and on shore is revealed almost as distinctly as 
 if daylight still remained. 
 
 It is pleasant to recall those bright scenes and 
 remember that, even in places otherwise unattractive, 
 Nature often generously unfolds her most radiant 
 charms. Candour, however, compels me to say that 
 one particular hour stands forth fresh and bright 
 ia my memory as the sweetest and happiest of the 
 many passed in Formosa ; it came to me in the 
 gray dawn of a November morning, when my husband 
 wakened me to say that a mail had just arrived, 
 bringing with it the delightful news that we were 
 to leave the island, and proceed without delay to 
 Shanghai. 
 
CHAPTER XXIII. 
 
 Departure from Takow — Voyage in a native steamer — Caught in 
 a heavy gale — Short of provisions — ^Arrival in Amoy 
 and Fooohow — Caught between two fires — ^WSnchow — 
 Arrival in Shanghai. 
 
 At seven o'clock on a bright warm sunny morning 
 in November, we embarked in the gig which was 
 to take us on board the departing steamer for the 
 mainland, and, although we were in November, the 
 days were yet hot and sultry. With six sturdy 
 natives at the oars we glided swiftly along the 
 smooth waters of the inner harbour, until we passed 
 through the narrow entrance, and proceeded towards 
 the formidable bar which forms a semicircle from 
 the base of Ape Hill on the north to Saracen's 
 Head on the south. Here we found the water no 
 longer smooth ; immense billows came roUing towards 
 
IN A NATIVE STEAMER. 225 
 
 the shore ; and as our little boat rose and fell with 
 the surging waves we felt at times as if we were 
 suspended in mid-air, and at other times we seemed 
 to be hopelessly engulfed between mountains of 
 water which threatened every instant to overwhelm 
 ns. Our steamer lay two miles from the shore, 
 and I shall never forget the feeling of thankfulness 
 and relief which I experienced when we at last 
 reached the vessel. 
 
 The steamer which was to take us to Amoy 
 was a Chinese transport, officered and manned 
 entirely by Chinese. The captain and his officers 
 received us on the quarter-deck, and we were at 
 once shown to a private saloon, with cabins opening 
 off it, which was generally reserved for travelling 
 mandarins, but was courteously placed at our disposal 
 for the voyage. 
 
 The accommodation was somewhat rough, and 
 the furniture and fittings were in the Chinese 
 style, but we were thoroughly private, and had 
 plenty of room for ourselves and our belongings. 
 Our course was first directed to- the Pescadores, a 
 
 Q 
 
■-226 AMONG TEE SONS OF EAN. 
 
 group of islands lying to the west of Taiwanfoo, 
 •and in a well-slieltered harbour there we anchored 
 for the purpose of coaUng. As evening advanced 
 ithe wind began to freshen, large black clouds 
 commenced to gather ominously overhead, and 
 rthere was every indication of a coming storm. Our 
 -captain and some of his officers had been exchanging 
 visits with the officers of other Chinese men-of-war 
 which happened to be in the harbour at the time, 
 and, although none of them could be said to be 
 tipsy, it was evident that some beverage more 
 potent than tea had passed amongst the nautical 
 acquaintances. The captain showed the change that 
 had come over him principally by dropping the 
 native court dialect in which he had hitherto 
 addressed my husband, and by adopting the less 
 dignified " pidgin English " he had acquired in some 
 former capacity before he became a naval officer. 
 In answer to some remarks about the threatening 
 aspect of the weather, this doughty mariner said : 
 "Oh! my no fear that largey win, my aUo some 
 you English man; maskee largey win, no fear, 
 
CAUGHT IN A GALE. 227 
 
 can walkey alio same ; " so in spite of the threatening 
 storm we left our comfortable anchorage, and in 
 an hour or two, when darkness had set in, we had 
 got clear of Fisher Island, and were in the very 
 thick of a furious north-east gale, blowing as it only 
 can blow in the Formosan Channel. Never shall 
 I forget the horrors of that dreadful night ! The 
 steamer had, it appeared, left her ballast behind in 
 Formosa, and was not at aU prepared for bad 
 weather ; so that when we were exposed to the fuU 
 fury of the storm, we were pitched about in such a 
 manner that the ship almost became unmanageable, 
 and we were in constant danger of being capsized ; 
 at times we heeled over to such an extent that it 
 really seemed as if we could never regain an upright 
 -position; the wind howled frantically through the 
 rigging, the sea broke constantly over the vessel, 
 and came pouring in torrents into the cabins ; and 
 above the din of the storm were heard the un- 
 earthly yelling of the Chinese crew, the flapping 
 of saUs which had broken away from their 
 fastenings, and the smashing of all kinds of articles 
 
228 AMONG TEE SONS OF HAN. 
 
 as they were dashed about in the cabins and on 
 the decks. When we considered that the vessel 
 (unprepared as she was for such a storm) and her 
 machinery were entirely in the hands of Chinese, 
 our feelings may be more easily imagined than 
 described. Fortunately the captain managed to 
 turn his steamer round, and it was with sincere 
 thankfulness that I found we were on our way 
 back to Fisher Island, where we at last found 
 rest and a secure anchorage, after the most anxious 
 time I ever passed in my life. Many a time 
 since, when sitting quietly in my room, have my 
 thoughts run back to that dreadful night, and 
 again have I heard those roaring waves, the 
 howling wind, and the fearful cries of the Chinese 
 on board. For three days the gale continued to 
 blow with unabated fury, and, although we were 
 anchored close to the shore, such was the force 
 of the storm that we were unable to communicate 
 with the island. As we had not anticipated 
 that the voyage to Amoy would last more 
 than a day, or two days at the outside, our 
 
SEOBT OF PB07ISI0N8. 229 
 
 private stock of provisions became exhausted, 
 and our kind captain, who had of course only 
 Chinese food on board, was at his wits' ends to 
 provide us with suitable viands. The ship was 
 ransacked on our account, and, after an industrious 
 search, an old Chinaman, a passenger, managed to 
 drag out from the bottom of one of his trunks a 
 box of sardines, which he was probably conveying 
 as a great curiosity and treat to his friends at 
 home, and presented it to us with a kindness and 
 cordiality which, under the circumstances, were 
 highly appreciated. But one box of sardines could 
 not suffice to satisfy for any lengthened period 
 the cravings of two hungry Europeans ; and our 
 friend the captain, continuing to investigate the 
 resources of his ship, discovered another native pas- 
 senger, who undertook to manufacture a cake "in 
 foreign fashion," if he were only provided with the 
 requisite materials. The possession of this talent on 
 such an occasion at once raised this passenger from 
 the obscurity in which he had hitherto remained 
 to the dignity of a hero, and he was not slow to 
 
230 AMONG TEE SONS OF EAN. 
 
 take advantage of the eminence to which his genius 
 had suddenly raised him ; he gesticulated to the 
 crowd of admirers who gathered round him, and, 
 in obedience to the orders which he administered 
 right and left, sugar, flour, and eggs quickly made 
 their appearance, and the artist commenced his 
 work with the captain, officers, passengers, and 
 crew forming a critical crowd around him. Anxious 
 to assist in the piroduction of food for the foreign 
 guests, some of the crew busied themselves with 
 providing the necessary implements for cookings 
 others amused themselves with beating up the eggs, 
 and a good half-dozen struggled [for the honour of 
 mixing the sugar and flour together. At last the 
 volunteer cook pronounced the operation to be com- 
 plete, and a short time afterwards, to our surprise 
 and delight, a sponge-cake was produced which 
 would have done justice to any culinary artist ; and 
 it would be difficult to say who were most pleased 
 — we, at the prospect of being so pleasantly relieved 
 from the necessity of eating exclusively Chinese 
 " chow-chow ; " or the captain, at being able to 
 
ABBIVAL AT AMOT. 23V 
 
 provide us at all events with one kind of food- 
 which we could thoroughly enjoy. For the next few 
 days, and untU we left the vessel, sponge-cakes 
 were constantly on our table, and the captain and 
 officers had also some manufactured specially for 
 themselves. 
 
 On the morning of the fifth day after oui 
 departure from Takow, we got once more under way 
 for Amoy, and, although the .sea stUl continued- 
 rough, it was very much better than on the first 
 dreadful night we attempted to cross. After nine 
 hours' tossing about, we were delighted to find our- 
 selves once more in smooth water, and as we 
 steamed up the Amoy harbour, the sight of the 
 numerous ships, and of the picturesque foreign 
 bungalows scattered over the island of Kulangsoo, 
 gladdened ovir hearts, and I was indeed thoroughly 
 grateful and happy when my first (and last) voyage 
 in a Chinese man-of-war was over, and I set my foot- 
 once more on terra Jirma. 
 
 After a most delightful week in Amoy, where 
 our kind host and his charming wife did every- 
 
232 AMONG THE SONS OF HAN. 
 
 thing to make us happy, we left in the steamer 
 Yesso'' for Foochow, where we were to stay a 
 week, and after that time meet the steamer for 
 Shanghai 
 
 Foochow looked as pretty as ever, and it was 
 pleasant to associate once more with old acquaint-' 
 ances, and visit again scenes that were so familiar 
 to us. One evening my husband and I strolled 
 over the hill to have a farewell look at our old 
 house, which stood at the farthest end of the 
 European settlement, and on our return in the dusk 
 by the lower path we were startled by loud cries at 
 a most lonely part of the road where it leads 
 through a grove of fir-trees. 
 
 Presently a number of natives rushed madly 
 past us, followed by a band of armed Mandarin 
 runners, who commenced firing at the retreating 
 opium- smugglers — as they turned out to be — and, 
 as the attacked party began to retaliate on the 
 
 * The Yesso was afterwards very unfortunate; on her return 
 voyage her boiler burst at Hong-kong, killing over 100 persons, and 
 a short time afterwards she was totally lost near Swatow. 
 
BETWEEN TWO FIBES. 233 
 
 officials, we were for a few minutes in the dis- 
 agreeable position of being between two fires. We 
 beard some of the bullets striking trees near us 
 with a dull thud, and, as we could not be 
 recognised in the darkness, we were for a 
 short period in considerable danger, and lost no 
 time in hurrying to a place of safety. I had 
 often heard of collisions, frequently attended with 
 loss of life, in that neighbourhood between the 
 daring men, who try to convey to Foochow opium 
 landed on the farther side of the island, and 
 the native custom-house officers; but so far as I 
 know we are the only Europeans who have ever 
 encountered any risk in these desperate affrays. 
 
 Although we were anxious to get to the end 
 of our journey, we were pleased when we found 
 that the steamer was to call at Wenchow on its 
 way to Shanghai, and thus give us an opportunity 
 we had not anticipated — of visiting one of the 
 newly-opened ports. Our voyage down the river Min 
 from Pagoda anchorage was slow, as our captain 
 had undertaken to tow a tea-laden sailing vessel 
 
234 AMONG THE SONS OF BAN. 
 
 out to sea. It was evening when we had cleared 
 all the dangers which lie at the mouth of the Min, 
 and the hawser having been let go, the gallant 
 tea-clipper, with all sails set, turned her head 
 southward, and in a short time was bounding 
 swiftly along with a favourable breeze on her way 
 to old England. Our course lay north, through 
 the labyrinth of islands which are scattered along 
 that part of the Chinese coast, and, after a rough 
 voyage, during which oiir little steamer tossed 
 about a great deal more than was compatible 
 with my comfort, I was glad when, on the morning 
 of the third day, we glided into smooth water, 
 under the lofty headlands which mark the entrance 
 to W^nchow. 
 
 The approach to the city is very picturesque, 
 and from the time the steamer enters the river there 
 is one succession of charming views ; neat white 
 cottages, surrounded with lofty trees, are thickly 
 dotted over the fertile plains, which stretch for 
 a short distance from the banks on either side ; 
 
WJSNGEOW. 235 
 
 and stately Mils, from whose dark recesses many 
 a quaint little temple peeps, fill in the background. 
 On nearing Wenchow a number of pagodas are seen, 
 two of them being very remarkable from their re- 
 semblance to the funnels of a two -funnelled steamer. 
 The city of Wenchpw is celebrated for a quality which 
 is rarely associated with Chinese cities — it is remark- 
 ably clean. The streets are wide for China, well 
 paved and well swept, and the houses, as a rule, 
 are buUt of stone. The city walls are massive, 
 and are covered in a great many places with 
 beautiful ferns. Although the port had been only 
 a few months opened we found the people very 
 polite, and, although the presence of a foreign lady 
 in the midst of their city attracted a large concourse 
 of people, no rudeness of any kind was attempted. 
 After spending a very pleasant day, visiting 
 the curio-shops and other places of interest, we em- 
 barked once more, and next morning we proceeded 
 on our voyage to Shanghai. We arrived at night 
 at the " Model Settlement," and the brilliancy of 
 
236 AMONG TEE SONS OF EAN. 
 
 -■ 1 — 
 
 the gas-lit streets was like a glimpse of Paradise 
 after our sojourn of eighteen months in the south. 
 
 I was truly grateful to be again in a place 
 where nearly all the comforts of civilised life are 
 attainable, and where the charms of European society 
 once more awaited us. 
 
CHAPTER XXIV. 
 
 A Trip up the Yang-tze — Chinkiang — Silver and Golden Islands — 
 A Chinese nunnery — Cruelty of Chinese law — A Mandarin 
 beheaded — ^A similar case in Formosa — Parallels in English 
 history — ^^Vuhu, Kiukiang, Nanking, and Hankow visited. 
 
 I HAD often longed for an opportunity to make an 
 excursion up the Yang-tze, and to visit some of 
 the cities which stand on the banks of that majestic 
 river. Such an opportunity presented itself to us 
 in October, 1878, and, having taken our places the 
 night before on board one of the magnificent river- 
 steamers, built on the American model, which ply 
 between Shanghai and Hankow, we left the former 
 place at five o'clock in the morning, and before the 
 breakfast-hour we had crossed the Wusung bar, 
 and were ploughing our way up through the muddy 
 waters of the Yang-tze, 
 
238 AMONG THE SONS' OF HAN. 
 
 During tlie entire first day after our departure 
 the rain fell in torrents, and we steamed slowly and 
 wearily against the strong current, still swollen with 
 the floods of the preceding summer. The day was 
 dark and gloomy, and as it was impossible to read 
 in the cabin, and equally impossible to venture out 
 on deck in the pouring rain, the time hung very 
 beavily on our hands. The river in many places 
 overflowed the banks as far as the eye could see, 
 and, were it not for an occasional tree which here 
 and there showed itself, we could easily have 
 imagined ourselves in another Noah's Ark, floating 
 along in the midst of a universal deluge. 
 
 At midnight we arrived at Chinkiang, the first 
 stage of our journey, and although we saw but 
 little of it during the first two days after our arrival, 
 owing to the heavy rain which continued to fall, 
 we were charmed with the appearance of the place 
 when the rain ceased, and the sun shone out from 
 a clear cloudless sky. The Bund, on which most 
 of the foreign houses are built, is planted with 
 trees, and forms an agreeable promenade along the 
 
SILVEB ISLAND. 239 
 
 river for about a quarter-of-a-mile. The back streets 
 are well laid out and cared for, and some very good 
 roads, constructed by foreigners, lead for miles 
 across the picturesque country at the back of the 
 settlement, so that on fine days we had ample 
 opportunities for walking and riding through some 
 really pretty scenery, and the numerous interesting 
 places in the neighbourhood afi'ord fresh objects 
 every day to the excursionist. 
 
 One of the most picturesque spots on the 
 Yang-tze is Silver Island, which stands in mid- 
 river about three miles below Chinkiang. It is 
 covered with trees, and a number of temples peep 
 through the dark foliage. We were unable, un- 
 fortunately, to visit the place, but its pretty 
 a,ppearance always attracted our admiration, whether 
 we viewed it from the deck of a passing steamer 
 or from some elevated position in the neighbourhood. 
 
 About two miles from Chinkiang, farther up 
 the river, stands a pretty eminence known as Golden 
 Island, the site of a large monastery. Thirty years 
 ago the island stood in the middle of the river, 
 
240 AMONG THE SONS OF HAN. 
 
 and it is said that in 1842 the British Fleet, when 
 on its way^ to Nanking anchored between Golden 
 Island and the southern bank of the river. Now, 
 however, owing to the great change which has taken 
 place in the course of the Yang-tze at this point. 
 Golden Island stands on the southern bank, gazing 
 placidly down on the waters which have on all 
 sides but one deserted it, and is approached by a 
 pleasant road leading through green fields, and by 
 poor but picturesque Chinese dwellings. 
 
 We started about three o'clock one lovely after- 
 noon to visit the place. The sun was shining 
 brightly, and everything around looked gay and 
 cheerful. Occasionally, as we journeyed along towards 
 our destination, we could hear the deep booming 
 of the monastery bell on Golden Island, and the 
 effect was wonderfully solemn as the sweet tones 
 rose and fell on the calm evening air, and were 
 faintly echoed amongst the distant hills. As we 
 neared the creek which flows into the Yang-tze at 
 the foot of the monastery, and in which numbers 
 of small native craft were moored, we heard the 
 
GOLDEN ISLAND. ?41 
 
 loud wailing of a woman; and on arriving at the 
 place from which the cries proceeded we saw a 
 pitiful sight — a poor boat-woman kneeling on the 
 deck of a small boat, and weeping over the body 
 of her little dead infant stretched out before her. 
 The tiny marble , form looked so white, and oh ! 
 so still, in front of its mother, whose grief was 
 bitter to behold. Passing on from this sorrowful 
 sight, we soon came to the monastery, and, as is 
 usual with such places in China when Europeans 
 visit them, the gates flew open at our approach, 
 and we were cordially welcomed by an old Buddhist 
 priest, who at once constituted himself our cicerone, 
 no doubt encouraged with the hope that his labours 
 would on their conclusion be amply rewarded. We 
 had to cHmb a good number of steps, all formed 
 •of massive stones, before we reached the principal 
 ■hall of the temple, where we saw the usual array 
 of gilded idols, and the ordinary paraphernalia of 
 a Buddhist temple; but with the exception of a 
 very pretty view of the surrounding country which 
 ■can be obtained from the top of the hill, and the 
 
242 AMONG TEE SONS OF HAN. 
 
 massive stone steps already alluded to, there is 
 nothing specially remarkable about the Golden 
 Island monastery. On returning by the place 
 where we had seen the dead child, we saw nothing 
 but a rude coflfin, already uaUed up, and waiting 
 for burial, and at the same moment the monastery 
 bell sent forth one of its long solemn sounds, 
 which came upon our ears like a funeral knell 
 for the poor little baby that had lately passed 
 away. 
 
 One evening in the month of August we were 
 returning from the hills behind the settlement, when 
 we were overtaken by a thunderstorm which burst 
 suddenly above our heads. As it was beautifully 
 clear and bright, without any foreshadowing of the 
 coming storm, when we set out on our little 
 excursion an hour or two before, we were un- 
 provided with wraps or umbrellas, and we were 
 glad to take shelter in the first house we met, 
 which happened to be a nunnery. I had never 
 been in a place of the kind in China before, 
 and for some time I could scarcely believe that 
 
A BUDDHIST NUNNEBT. 245 
 
 tlie beings with dosely-shaven heads, and long dirty- 
 yellow garments, who quickly surrounded us on our 
 arrival amongst them, were of the gentler sex at 
 aU : they looked so like diminutive Buddhist priests, 
 that I at first took them to be members of that 
 august body. Xhe principal hall of the buUding. 
 in which we were received was dark and gloomy,, 
 the two or three flickering oil-lamps serving rather 
 to heighten than diminish the prevailing gloom. 
 One old nun, who was probably the abbess or lady 
 superior of the convent, remained in the farthest 
 and darkest corner of the haU, dreading perhaps 
 to come in too close contact with the unbelieving 
 barbarians who had invaded the sacred precincts ; 
 but the four younger sisters had no such dread 
 of their strange visitors, and were almost too- 
 demonstrative in their weU-meant attentions. They 
 quickly produced a couple of common little Chinese 
 stools, and, after dusting them with their robes, _ 
 invited us to sit down ; they then offered us some 
 hot tea, and when they noticed that the close 
 
 atmosphere of the place made me feel very imcom- 
 
 B 2 
 
244 AMONG THE SONS OF HAN. 
 
 fortable, two of them armed themselves with fans 
 and began vigorously fanning me. Then came the 
 inevitable critical examination of my dress and 
 ornaments, and the comments made by the nuns 
 as each garment or trinket passed under review 
 were highly amusing. 
 
 Hearing us speak to each other, one very wise 
 young nun said to the others : " Just listen ; they talk 
 much in the same way that we do." " Of course," 
 said the enlightened abbess in the corner, " don't 
 you know they have a language of their own." As 
 it was getting late and the rain had somewhat 
 abated, we got up to retire ; but before we left the 
 nuns kindly supplied us with native umbrellas, which 
 we were very glad to have. Just before leaving, my 
 husband thanked our kind entertainers in their own 
 language, and their astonishment was great at finding 
 that their freely - uttered remarks made in our 
 presence must have been understood by at least 
 one of our party. 
 
 During my visit to Chinkiang an incident occurred 
 which illustrates the arbitrary and, according to our 
 
A MANBAEIN BEEEABED. 245 
 
 ideas, cruel manner in which the law is often ad- 
 ministered in China. I was out one afternoon with 
 some friends on the hills behind the settlement, and 
 as we were borne along in our chairs over a path 
 which overlooked the river and the low-lying lands 
 along its banks, ^ one of the party called attention 
 to a fearful-looking object which was to be seen in 
 the valley below — the headless trunk of a mandarin 
 who had just been executed. Fortunately for me 
 (for the sight would have been a fearful shock to 
 my nerves) I did not at once look in the right direc- 
 tion, and before I could look a second time my chair- 
 coolies had carried me out of sight of the place. On 
 our return about an hour afterwards we could see 
 nothing but an ordinary plain coffin lying on the 
 ground near a grave Avhich was being prepared on 
 the very spot where the unfortunate man was 
 beheaded. The particulars of the case, so far as I 
 could learn, were as follow : The man who met with 
 such a fearful fate was an official high in office — a 
 red-buttoned mandarin, I was told — at Nanking. 
 For some time he had been taking advantage of his 
 
-246 AMONG TEE SONS OF BAN. 
 
 ■position to rob and injure the people, and it was said 
 4liat on some occasions lie had cruelly murdered those 
 ■who were in any way a bar to his wicked projects; 
 For some time his career of villainy went on unchecked, 
 but eventually private information was forwarded to 
 Peking with ample proof of the man's crimes, and an 
 -order was at once issued by the Government for the 
 immediate degradation and execution of the mandarin, 
 'The murderer having got a hint of the fate that was 
 about to befall him, made his escape from Nanking 
 and succeeded in reaching Chinkiang, in the neigh- 
 l)Ourhood of which place he secreted himself in a 
 small house ; but a detachment of soldiers tracked 
 him to his hiding-place, dragged him out, and with- 
 out any further warning stripped him of his robes, 
 and, when he was naked to the waist, made him kneel 
 down, and there and then decapitated him. 
 
 Whilst I was in Formosa I was told of a still 
 more cruel case, the sad d^no-Ament of which took 
 place in Taiwanfoo. Many years ago in Canton a 
 military mandarin committed some capital offence, 
 .the particulars of which I have never heard clearly 
 
ANOTEEB GBUEL EXEOUTION. 247 
 
 explained, and by some means or other — bribery 
 probably — managed to escape punishment. Years 
 elapsed, during which, promotion came in due course, 
 and at the time I write of the mandarin held a high 
 position at Anping in Formosa, and lived a happy life 
 quite free from fear of any punishment for his 
 almost-forgotten crime. Some hitch must have 
 occurred, however, in the arrangement he had made 
 for concealment so long ago ; and, having been 
 reported to the central government. Nemesis, in 
 the shape of a peremptory death-warrant from 
 Peking, pursued him to his distant Formosan 
 station. The official, whose duty it was to have 
 the Peking warrant executed, whilst he dared not 
 disobey, felt the difficulty of his position ; the 
 military mandarin was very popular, especially 
 amongst the soldiers he commanded, and any delay 
 or premature disclosure of the Peking sentence 
 might bring about a riot, for which, according to 
 Chinese law, the civU authorities would be held 
 responsible. Accordingly, the mandarin charged 
 with the carrying out of the law, invited a number 
 
248 AMONG TEE SONS OF HAN. 
 
 of his brother - officials, including the intended: 
 victim, to a feast, and when at a late hour the 
 guests got up to take their leave, the military 
 mandarin was prevailed upon, as a special favourite, 
 to remain behind and share another friendly glass; 
 with his entertainer. It was almost daybreak when 
 the now inebriated military mandarin was allowed 
 to retire, and, staggering across the courtyard to 
 the place where he had deposited his official robes 
 before the feast began, he was astonished to find 
 himself surrounded and apprehended by his host's 
 retainers, and, without a word of explanation other 
 than that the Emperor's orders were being carried 
 out, the wretched man was hurried oflf to the exe- 
 cution-ground, where, in the gray dawn of the 
 morning, he was summarily beheaded. 
 
 In a country like China where the Government is 
 purely despotic, and where the force of public opinion 
 is as yet xmknown, such barbarous acts must be 
 expected to occur from time to time. I have said 
 elsewhere that, so far as the theatre is concerned, 
 China is to-day what England was in the time of 
 
EIST0B7 REPEATS ITSELF. 249 
 
 Shakespeare ; and if we desire to find the harsh 
 Chinese system of administering justice paralleled in 
 the annals of English history, it will be necessary 
 for ns to travel back to the reign of him whose 
 character, Macaulay tells us, " may be best described 
 by saying that he was despotism itself personified." 
 To select one instance out of many, it is said that 
 Henry YIII., having taken a violent dislike against 
 John Becchi, Abbot of Colchester, issued a warrant for 
 his immediate execution ; the magistrate to whom the 
 carrying out of this harsh sentence was entrusted, 
 considered that stratagem ought to be employed 
 in order to ensure the swift and sure accomplish- 
 ment of his odious task. For this purpose he 
 invited the unsuspecting abbot to a feast, and, 
 ■when the guest arrived, he was seized by the 
 minions of his treacherous host, and hanged with- 
 out mercy. So far as we are concerned, those 
 wretched times have gone, never more to return, 
 and let us hope that for China too the dawn of 
 a brighter day is approaching, when such cruelties 
 as those recorded will be no longer possible, and 
 
250 AMONG THE SONS OF HAN. 
 
 when she shall have flung aside the ancient but 
 effiete system to which her rulers stUl pertinaciously 
 cling — a system which is now as much behind, as 
 it was once in advance of. Western civilisation. 
 
 After leaving Chinkiang on the upward 
 voyage, the most remarkable places are Nanking, 
 the southern capital ; Wuhu, one of the recently- 
 opened "Treaty Ports;" Kiukiang; and Hankow, 
 We did not land at Nanking, the steamer only 
 stopping long enough to drop Chinese passengers 
 and take others on board; but we could see from 
 the immense straggling city wall, which exitended 
 for miles over hill and valley, what a large and 
 important place it was. 
 
 Wuhu is a port which as yet exhibits no 
 attractions for Europeans. The few foreigners who 
 reside there are obliged to live in Chinese houses, 
 and dispense with many of the comforts which are 
 plentiful in other ports. To add to the wretched 
 appearance of the place, it rained heavUy on the 
 occasion of our landing there, and when the weather 
 cleared up and we sallied forth to see something of 
 
WUHU—KIUKIANG. 251 
 
 the streets, we floundered along through, oceans of 
 mud, so that shopping was by no means the most 
 pleasant of occupations under the circumstances. 
 The people, too, not being as yet much accustomed 
 to the appearance of foreigners in their midst, 
 followed us in large numbers; and although they 
 were not rude in any way, still the close proximity 
 of a Chinese crowd ia narrow dirty streets is a 
 thing to be avoided ; and after making a few purchases 
 we were not sorry to make our way back to the 
 jetty, where a gig was waiting to take us on board 
 the steamer. 
 
 We went on shore at Kiukiang both on our 
 journey up the Yang-tze and on our return. It was 
 evening when we first arrived, and as it was dinner- 
 time, and we had rather less than an hour to stay, 
 we did not care to disturb any of the residents in 
 their houses, but contented ourselves with a stroll 
 along the Bund, or riverside promenade, which is 
 kept in good order, is planted with trees on either 
 side, and is one of the attractions of the place. 
 Owing to a regulation, useful in many respects, 
 
252 AMONG THE SONS OF HAN. 
 
 wMch exists at Kiukiang, prohibiting the use of 
 the Bund as a thoroughfare for Chinese, the place 
 looked thoroughly dismal and deserted, and over- 
 hanging trees gave a melancholy aspect to the 
 entire scene. On our return journey from Hankow 
 it was bright daylight, and things looked a little 
 more cheerful ; we visited some friends, and under 
 the escort of one of the foreign residents we 
 penetrated the Chinese streets, and came away 
 possessed of some specimens of the chinaware for 
 which the place is celebrated. We regretted not 
 being able to make ' an excursion into the country 
 at the back of Kiukiang, which is said to be very 
 charming ; but from the deck of the steamer we 
 could see the magnificent range of hiUs, the Lushan, 
 some dozen miles away, and the country lying 
 between seemed picturesque and full of pastoral 
 beauty. 
 
 Hankow, about six hundred miles from Shanghai, 
 was the farthest limit of our journey up the Yang-tze. 
 The settlement of Hankow has to boast of the 
 finest Bund in China. The streets were laid out 
 
EANKOW. 253 
 
 and the foreign buildings erected at a time when 
 hopes were entertained of a gigantic development 
 of the foreign trade — hopes which have not been 
 fully realised. Many of the houses, partly from 
 disuse and neglect, and partly from the ravages of 
 the inundations to which the place is subject, were, 
 on the occasion of our visit, showing signs of 
 premature decay. Having remained three days in 
 Hankow, we started on our return voyage, and 
 when we at last reached Shanghai, after a three 
 weeks' absence, we looked back with pleasure and 
 satisfaction to our trip on the great river Yang-tze. 
 
CHAPTER XXV. 
 
 Pootoo, the Sacred Island — Ti£Gn in a Buddhist temple — A. 
 self-imprisoned monk — !Ningpo. 
 
 In the summer of 1879, we made an excursion 
 to Pootoo, an island in the Chusan Archipelago, 
 known as the Sacred Island, inhabited almost 
 entirely by Buddhist priests, and covered with 
 Buddhist monasteries and Buddhist shrines. We 
 left Shanghai about five o'clock in the afternoon; 
 it was rather stormy in the river, but the wind 
 was delightful to us after enduring for several days 
 the close clammy heat nearly always felt in 
 Shanghai during July ; the farther we went the 
 more exhilarating the air became, and we felt 
 already stronger and better ere we had gone out 
 to sea. When we had reached GutzlaflF, we ex- 
 
POOTOO. 255 
 
 perienced a delicious lariny odour, and the unmis- 
 takable glorious sea-breeze, blowing, as it were, all 
 care away. We passed many islands and pretty 
 bits of scenery; but I was much, disappointed to 
 find that the water was as muddy as though we 
 were still in the Whang-poo, so far does the colour- 
 ing matter extend beyond the mouth of the great 
 Tang-tze, whose waters are so thick and yeUow 
 with mud. About eleven at night the moon rose 
 full and beautiful, its bright rays revealing the 
 outlines of aU the numerous islands which we 
 should otherwise have missed seeing altogether. 
 About half-past five the next morning we arrived 
 at Ningpo, and, leaving again in about an hour's- 
 time, we reached Pootoo about midday. 
 
 Our passage from the steamer to the shore was 
 far from being pleasant ; our boat was not a very 
 large one, and in it were crowded nine passengers^ 
 besides the captain and the Chinese crew. The 
 sea was rather rough, and when we approached 
 the shore, and got into such shallow water that the 
 boat could not rise with the waves, the sea broke 
 
256 AMONG THE SONS OF EAN. 
 
 over our tiny craft, and not only drenclied our 
 clothes, but left a quantity of water in the bottom, 
 of the boat, in which our feet were well soaked 
 before we reached the shore. Our difficulties in 
 landing were not over until we had clambered across 
 a number of slippery rocks, but we at last found our- 
 selves on a tolerably good path which leads up from 
 the shore to the more elevated parts of the island. 
 
 Following this road we walked along, hoping 
 that the exercise would keep us from catching cold 
 in our wet clothes, whilst the sun's warm rays 
 would dry the dripping garments. But I found 
 walking with such a weight clinging about one's 
 person rather difficult, and when we had reached 
 the top of the first hill, where a pavilion is 
 erected, I was glad to take advantage of the 
 privacy it affijrded to divest myself of some of my 
 damp habiliments, and, wrapping myself in a cloak 
 I had brought with me, and which fortunately had 
 not got very much wet in the boat, I seated myself 
 in the sedan-chair which was prepared for me, and 
 so continued my journey through the island. 
 
TIFFIN IN A TEMPLE. 257 
 
 The scenery as we proceeded was very grand ; 
 we passed through long narrow lanes overcanopied 
 with trees, and from the mossy banks on either 
 side of the path peeped out pretty wild flowers, 
 graceful ferns, and tiny shrubs, whose leaves, tipped 
 with brown and scarlet, contrasted beautifully with 
 the green leaves of the ferns. " Oh Nature," 
 thought I, "how artistically, and with what 
 exquisite taste, all your works are executed ! " 
 Some of the trees we passed were of immense size, 
 the trunk of one in particular was at least twenty 
 feet in circumference. After a very pleasant 
 journey we reached the temple, where the servants 
 from the steamer had already commenced to pre- 
 pare tiffin for VLs; the temple was situated on the 
 very brink of a precipitous cliff overlooking the 
 sea, and commanding splendid views of the adjacent 
 islands ; it had no pretensions to architectural 
 beauty, but was a plain solid structure, built on 
 and against the sides of the solid rock, and, on a 
 closer inspection, we found that some of the inner 
 rooms had the appearance of having been cut into 
 
:258 AMONG TEE SONS OF HAN. 
 
 the rock itself. Several of the small rough Chinese 
 tables belonging to the monastery were joined 
 'together so as to form one long table, now covered 
 ■with a snowy white cloth, on which the servants 
 were placing aU sorts of tempting dainties.. It was 
 •a curious sight, in that out-of-the-way comer of the 
 world, to see in a dingy little Buddhist chapel a weU- 
 Haid out table, covered with many of the delicacies 
 which Europeans appreciate, and surrounded by a 
 group of Western strangers, as much at their ease 
 ■as if they were seated at a luncheon-table ia 
 London, the old Buddhist priests whose sanctuary 
 ihad been invaded smiling blandly on, and the 
 tawdry gilded idol looking down benignly on the 
 scene, as if it was some new ceremony designed for 
 his special honour. 
 
 One of the priests was evidently of opinion that 
 the sight of so many unbelievers devouring viands, 
 some of which were prohibited according to the 
 -ancient ordinances of Buddha, was not a ' proper 
 •one to meet the eyes of their idol ; for, no sooner 
 had we commenced our meal, than the holy man 
 
GLANBESTINE SIPS. 259 
 
 hung up a piece of red cloth, in the manner of a 
 screen, before the face of the gilded image. The 
 priests must have really believed that their own 
 actions were no longer visible to their deified 
 patron, for,- on our presenting them with some 
 champagne, they each sipped a little in turn, pass- 
 ing the forbidden liquid on from hand to hand with 
 many a leer and wink, and with much smacking 
 of lips, as if they appreciated it thoroughly. One 
 very pious old gentleman put down his beads to 
 clasp with both hands a half-emptied bottle that 
 was given him, and with a sly glance up at the 
 red curtaia to make sure that the idol was not 
 peeping, he applied the bottle to his holy Hps, nor 
 did he remove it until it was quite empty. 
 
 The pleasant society, quaiat surroundings, and, 
 indeed, the excellence of the t iffin itself, made 
 our meal a most enjoyable one, and our jocular 
 captain, who presided as host, by his wit and 
 humour made the time pass so quickly that, when 
 we broke up our sitting, the sun had lost much of 
 
 its fierceness, and we were free to roam about the 
 
 s 2 
 
260 AMONG THE SONS OF HAN. 
 
 hills, along the pleasant paths, without danger of 
 
 sunstroke. In the course of our rambles we visited 
 
 some of the other monasteries of the island; in 
 
 one of these we saw a Buddhist priest shut up ia 
 
 a close cell, where he had been, by his own wish,. 
 
 immured for three years. The door leading intO' 
 
 the hermit's room was locked with a padlock, and 
 
 strips of paper covered with Chinese characters were 
 
 pasted across so that the door could not be opened 
 
 without the paper being broken. The monk's hair 
 
 and beard were quite long, and although his face 
 
 was pale he seemed to enjoy good health, and he 
 
 looked perfectly happy. Peeping through the hole 
 
 in the wall through which he communicated with 
 
 the outer world,'we could see the scanty furniture 
 
 of the little cell : a few boards stretched across two 
 
 stools arid covered with matting represented his 
 
 bed, on the right was a little table with a broken 
 
 pitcher and a small earthenware teapot upon it, 
 
 and on the left was a little altar on which stood a 
 
 small brazen image. The self-imprisoned monk came 
 
 from Nanking, and his native dialect was therefore 
 
A SELF-IMPEISONEB MONK. 261 
 
 one somewhat similar to the language learned by 
 foreign officials, so that my husband had no difficulty 
 in carrying on a conversation with him. He told 
 us that his reasons for shutting himself up were 
 that whilst he was in the world his mind was 
 disturbed ; now he enjoyed peace and sweet content, 
 there was nothing to worry him, "to make his 
 heart sad," and his daily wants were supplied 
 without any efforts on his part. 
 
 It is not an unusual thing for Buddhist priests 
 to undergo voluntary confinement in this way ; it 
 brings their monastery under notice, and attracts 
 visitors, none of whom leave without depositing an 
 "offering," and when, after three or four years, 
 seclusion, the hermit emerges with long unkempt 
 iocks and flowing beard, he is generally sent out 
 on a begging expedition, when his appearance and 
 his reputation as an ascetic are sure to bring in a 
 good supply of "cash"'^'' for the wants of his 
 monastery. 
 
 * The small Chinese copper coins are in English called casli ; 
 about twenty of them equal one penny. 
 
262 AMONG THE SONS OF HAN. 
 
 A little farther on we entered another monastery, 
 inside the door of which, on the left as you entered, 
 was a stone basin containing water ; in the principal 
 hall twenty-six images were ranged, thirteen on 
 each side, and in the centre a chubby-faced benign- 
 looking deity smUed on us as we entered. A 
 dirty-looking young priest was seated in one corner 
 of the buUding, where he had charge of the little 
 pieces of yellow paper with oracular statements 
 printed on them which are presented to the people 
 who come to discover the will of " Joss " regarding 
 their earthly concerns. One of these curious little 
 documents was drawn for me and another for my 
 husband, and if, half the good things they promised 
 us ever come to be fulfilled we shall have no reason 
 to murmur at our future lot. After visiting one 
 or two other temples, we strolled down to a lovely 
 beach, in a secluded corner of which our kind 
 captain had erected a tent for my own special 
 comfort, I being the only lady of the party, and 
 having attired myself in a bathing costume, I 
 indulged in a most refreshing sea-bath. When I 
 
NINGPO. 263- 
 
 was again dressed it was getting late, and having 
 joined the others, who had been bathing in another 
 part of the beach, we all proceeded towards the 
 landing-place, where a larger boat than the one 
 which brought us on shore in the early part of the 
 day awaited us. The steamer was not far distant 
 from the shore, but as the boat was heavy, and as w& 
 had to make our way against a strong wind that 
 had arisen and a head sea, it would have taken us 
 a long time to traverse the distance had not some 
 of the passengers lent a hand at the oars, and. 
 puUed away with a will that had more strength 
 than skill to recommend it. Indeed it was rather 
 ludicrous to observe the style of the oarsmen, all 
 pulling out of time, as we pitched, tossed, rolled,, 
 and plunged all the way to the ship. 
 
 Both in going to and returning from Pootoo- 
 we put in to the Treaty Port of Ningpo. The 
 entrance to the river is very picturesque ; on one 
 side rises a steep hill, on the summit of which 
 stands a monastery; a short distance out seaward 
 on a little island may be seen a lighthouse, its- 
 
■264 AMONG TEE SONS OF HAN. 
 
 white tower and numerous windows glistening in the 
 bright sunshine ; and inside the mouth of the river, 
 opposite the village of Chinhai, we observed a large 
 fleet of junks lying at anchor, some preparing to 
 brave the dangers of the deep, others just arrived 
 from their perilous wanderings over the stormy- 
 sea. About two hours' steaming up the winding 
 river brought us to the foreign settlement which 
 is situated on the river-bank outside the Chinese 
 City of Ningpo. On one occasion I availed myself 
 of the few hours' stay which the steamer had to 
 make to go on shore and purchase a few curiosities. 
 The weather was hot, and as I was carried in 
 my sedan-chair through the narrow streets, the 
 inhabitants, with very scanty clothing on, were 
 hanging listlessly about their doors and windows, 
 fanning themselves, and endeavouring to get a 
 breath of cool air. Ningpo does not enjoy a better 
 reputation for cleanliness than the majority of 
 Chinese cities, but on this occasion, whether it 
 was that, in the absence of recent rain, the streets 
 
COUNTEE-IBBITATION. 265 
 
 were unusually dry, or whether it was that I 
 was taken through the most presentable of the 
 thoroughfares, I found the streets well paved and 
 clean. After going some distance we came to 
 one of the city gates, a small low archway, 
 through which we entered, and immediately after- 
 wards found ourselves in a bustling street with 
 shops on either side. At a doorstep as we passed 
 I noticed a sight common enough in China, but one 
 which shocks our Western feelings ; a child about 
 a year old lay on its mother's knees, and its 
 little head was held back whilst its mother pinched 
 its tender neck until a number of red marks 
 were left behind. This system of counter-irritation 
 is universally practised in China, and is considered 
 a sovereign remedy for many ailments, and the 
 disfigurement on the neck lasts for several days. 
 I had never before seen a child subjected to this 
 ordeal, and the poor little thing screamed and 
 became purple in the face with the painful treat- 
 ment it was undergoing. Having purchased some 
 
266 AMONG THE SONS OF SAN. 
 
 pretty silk embroidery and some wood carvings 
 for which the place is famous, we returned to the 
 steamer, glad to breathe once more the pure cool 
 air from the river. 
 
CHAPTER XXVI. 
 
 Chinese amahs — A tyrannical mother-in-law — Story of young 
 Wang and the highwayman. 
 
 If the possession of a fuUy-competent maid at home 
 be one of those blessings which are constantly 
 prayed for and rarely obtained, what must be 
 said of the difficulties which are to be met with 
 in the pursuit of a capable Abigail in China ? 
 On account of our frequent change of residence, 
 I have had a varied experience in this respect, and 
 it is amusing sometimes to recall the characteristics 
 of the amahs I have known. 
 
 During my stay in Shanghai I had an amah 
 who was a Christian, and, having been trained in 
 a missionary school, could speak English very 
 fairly without having to adopt "pidgin English." 
 
268 AMONG THE SONS OF HAN. 
 
 In the course of her daily duties she used to 
 entertain me witli scraps of " Happy Land," and 
 other hymns which she had learned, and she 
 would vary the entertainment at times by explain- 
 ing to me some of the domestic customs which 
 obtain amongst the Chinese, as exemplified by her 
 own particular experiences. The amah, who was 
 by no means devoid of good looks, had been 
 married very young, and, before she had arrived 
 at what we should consider a marriageable age, 
 she was left a widow with two children. Chinese 
 custom compels females when they marry to cherish, 
 even more than their own, the parents of the 
 husband, and on the demise ,Gf the latter it devolves 
 upon the widow to support, if necessary, her parents- 
 in-law. 
 
 My amah was obliged therefore, on the death 
 of her husband, to seek means of subsistence, not 
 only for herself and her children, but for a stern 
 mother-in-law, who looked upon her son's widow 
 as her slave, who could be ignominiously punished 
 without daring to remonstrate, and who was bound 
 
A STERN MOTHER-IN-LAW. 269 
 
 to toil witliout ceasing for the support of the 
 household. 
 
 Chinese old women frequently take advantage 
 of their position to behave most cruelly towards 
 those whom the law places in their power. The 
 amah was not only obliged to hand over to her 
 mother-in-law all her wages, and crave as a boon 
 food for her children and clothing for them and 
 for herself, but if by any accident she happened to 
 displease her stern task-mistress she was sure to be 
 furiously set upon by the latter, beaten with sticks, 
 and to have patches of hair dragged remorselessly 
 from her unfortunate head ; under the circumstances 
 the amah's visits to her children were always made 
 in fear and trembling, and the poor thing's struggles 
 between her desire to see her offspring and her 
 dread of her mother-in-law were sad to witness. 
 She was by far the best specimen of a Chinese 
 servant I had seen, and when we were obliged to 
 leave for a southern port I was anxious for her 
 to continue in my service; but her mother-in-law, 
 who was always dreading lest the amah should run 
 
270 AMONG TEE SONS OF BAN. 
 
 awaj and get mamed again, and thus cut off the 
 bountiful supplies she was enjoying, would not hear 
 of her departure; an offer of higher wages was 
 without effect, and the only terms on which the 
 old tyrant would part from her slave were the 
 impossible ones that I shoidd purchase her for the 
 sum of three hundred doUaxs, and then it would 
 not have mattered if the amah had never shown 
 her face to her mother-in-law again. 
 
 Amongst the stories illustrative of Chinese 
 manners and customs told by the amah, the 
 following may be taken as a favourable specimen. 
 I was assured that the hero of the tale was a well- 
 known individual, and that the leading incidents 
 could all be vouched for. 
 
 In the neighbourhood of Shanghai some years 
 ago lived an old farmer named Wang, who, by 
 his industry and frugality, had, in the course of 
 a somewhat chequered life, managed to accumulate 
 the sum of six hundred dollars; his family in his 
 old age consisted only of two sons, but the satis- 
 faction which he naturally felt in having male 
 
TEE TWO BBOTHEBS. 271 
 
 representatives to succeed him was somewhat 
 weakened by the violent antipathy which his 
 elder son constantly displayed towards the 
 younger one. The cause of this animosity was 
 not far to seek, for it was impossible to look 
 upon the comely appearance of the younger son, 
 •and contemplate his erect gait and intelligent 
 bearing, without feeling that there was an object 
 at hand for the envy and iU-will of the elder son, 
 who was as repulsive in appearance, and as vin- 
 dictive in disposition, as his brother was handsome 
 and amiable. The characters of the brothers, too, 
 might have been estimated by the different manner 
 in which they were regarded by their neighbours ; 
 for the elder was studiously avoided by grown-up 
 people, and the village children hooted at him when 
 he appeared in public, whilst the younger one was 
 flattered and caressed by all who knew him. In 
 due time old Wang was gathered to his fathers, 
 leaving the entire management of his little property 
 to his firstborn, with the understanding, however, 
 that the younger son was to be as well provided 
 
272 AMONG THE SONS OF HAN. 
 
 for as tlie means at hand would allow. When the 
 ceremonies connected, with the interment of old 
 Wang were concluded, the elder brother called the 
 younger one to his presence and thus addressed 
 him : " For years I have hated you ; you haye 
 been a thorn in my path, an eyesore in my sight ; 
 I have longed for a deliverance from you, and the 
 wished-for time has come at last when I can rid 
 myself once for all of your loathsome presence. 
 Listen to me : I have unlimited control over the 
 money our father has left behind him ; leave this 
 place at once, swear that you wiU never again 
 darken my door, and I will give you half of my 
 father's money — three hundred dollars will be 
 yours. But, refuse my offer, remain in this neigh- 
 bourhood, and not a single cash shall be given to 
 you — no food of mine shall touch your lips ; you 
 will be a beggar, and every effort of mine will be 
 directed towards the achievement of your utter 
 ruin." 
 
 The amiable brother having thus delivered 
 himself of his feelings, lit occurred to the younger 
 
YOUNG WANG'S BEPABTUBE. 273 
 
 one that separation from such an implacable foe, 
 and the possession of three hundred dollars, were 
 infinitely preferable to living at home in persecu- 
 tion and beggary ; so the bargain was at once 
 agreed to, the dollars were counted out, and next 
 morning the youth was ready for his journey. 
 Secure in the possession of his little fortune, the 
 handsome young man bade an eternal farewell to 
 the only place he had ever known — the scene of 
 his early joys, the spot sanctified with the recollec- 
 tions of his parents and his boyhood's years ; no 
 tears of regret fell as he separated himself from his 
 scowling ill-favoured brother, but his emotion was 
 great when it was necessary to part from the sym- 
 pathising friends, who escorted him a considerable 
 distance on his way. His destination was Soochow, 
 which he had often longed to see, ever since the 
 days of his infancy, when his little eyes used to 
 ■dilate with amazement at the tales which were then 
 told to him of that wonderful city, of its wealth 
 and splendour, its gorgeous temples, its magnifi- 
 cent yamens, the rare beauty of its women, and 
 
274 AMONG TEE SONS OF EAN. 
 
 tlie heroic deeds of its men ; and he now hoped, 
 with the aid of his talents and his money, to win 
 his way in that city of romance to competency, if 
 not to fame. Knowing, however, the absolute need 
 of a fair supply of money at the outset of his 
 career in a strange city, he husbanded his resources 
 during his journey, determined to walk every inch 
 of the road, and to stop only at the most unpre- 
 tending wayside inns for rest and refreshment. 
 
 On the first evening after his departure, as 
 he sat in front of a tea-house refreshing himself 
 with a cup of the national beverage, a poor old 
 man came forward with every sign of fatigue and 
 want upon him, and requested assistance. The 
 young man, whose generosity was as celebrated as 
 his other good qualities, immediately felt touched 
 at the poor man's appearance and condition, and, 
 telling him to take a seat at the table beside him, 
 he called one of the attendants, and forthwith 
 ordered a substantial meal for the mendicant. The 
 latter was most profuse in his gratitude, and 
 
m A DEN OF THIEVES. 2?5. 
 
 devoutly prayed that tlie Five Blessings* miglit 
 descend upon our young adventurer, who, being 
 anxious to avoid notice, picked up his wallet 
 quickly, paid his biU, told the old man to enjoy 
 himself, and proceeded on his journey. Three- 
 hours' steady walking brought him to the village- 
 where he had decided to spend the night ; and, 
 having secured a comfortable bed, he retired at an. 
 early hour, and was soon buried in the refreshings 
 sleep which is the invariable result of a moderately 
 exhausted frame, a healthy system, and a clear 
 conscience. 
 
 His sound sleep was his salvation ; for, as he 
 slumbered, weU-armed robbers, who would have had 
 no scruple in killing him had he wakened, were at 
 work in his room, stealthily removing his wallet. 
 and his much-prized dollars, and it was weU-nigh 
 morning when a friendly touch was laid upon his 
 
 * The five blessings are commonly emimerated as follow: 
 lont'evity, honour, wealth, posterity, and a natural death. China- 
 men however, use the phrase in ,a general sense to mean aU 
 blessings. 
 
 T 2 
 
276 AMONG THE SONS OF HAN. 
 
 arm, and a voice that had no unkindness in it 
 whispered into his ear that the slightest sound of 
 alarm would be his ruin, that he was in a den of 
 thieves who were even then planning the readiest 
 and safest means of murdering him, and that his 
 only chance of safety lay in immediate and noise- 
 less flight. " Rely upon me," said the mysterious 
 visitor, "I am one of the gang, but you behaved 
 kindly to me at the tea-house when I was disguised 
 as a beggar, and I never forget a kindness." "But 
 my wallet ! my dollars ! where are they ? " whis- 
 pered the alarmed young man. "Be at ease on 
 that score," said the robber ; " your waUet has 
 been stolen, but your dollars turn out to be 
 worse than useless — they are only copper 
 silvered over — and it is on account of their 
 disappointment and vexation at the trick which my 
 mates believe you have played upon them, that they 
 have made up their minds to murder you. Fly then 
 before it is too late, return to your home ; here is a 
 little money to help you on your way, and remember 
 that even a robber can be grateful for an act of kind- 
 
A NABBOW ESCAPE. 277 
 
 nes3." The young man thanked his preserver and 
 hurried from the scene of danger, and if he shuddered 
 at the fearful fate which had so nearly befallen him, 
 he was also horrified at the unmanly attempt which 
 his unscrupulous brother had made to put him into 
 the hands of justice, and have him thrown into a 
 felon's prison in a strange place, where, without 
 friends or acquaintances, it would have been next to 
 impossible to prove that the counterfeit coin — the 
 circulation of which in China is a very serious crime 
 — was obtained in ignorance of its real nature. 
 
 Little remains to be said, except that the youngest 
 brother presented himself soon after at the home 
 he had thought he would never see again, the 
 elder brother's treachery having released him from 
 the promise he had made never to return ; and 
 having accused his brother of his perfidious conduct, 
 and threatened to make the matter public, the 
 guilty man quailed before the prospect of a just 
 retribution, confessed his crimes, threw himself on 
 the mercy of his intended victim, and offered him 
 any portion he chose to accept of the money their 
 
278 AMONG TEE SONS OF HAN. 
 
 father had left them. The young man, not wishing 
 "to publish the iniquity of one who, however guilty, 
 was so closely allied to him, took three hundred 
 •dollars, making sure this time that they were real 
 ■ones, and before any of his friends had heard of his 
 xeturn, or could begin to speculate on the cause, he 
 quietly started once more on his journey, reached 
 ^oochow in safety, and after several adventures 
 succeeded in obtaining an honourable position, which 
 he holds to the present day, with much credit to him- 
 self, and with the entire good-wiU and respect of the 
 numerous friends he has acquired in his adopted 
 home. 
 
CHAPTER XXVII 
 
 Story of a jinricksha coolie, cruel treatment by a European sailor — 
 More about amahs — Intelligence shown by a little pet bird. 
 
 I EEMEMBER being much touched by my amah's 
 
 account of the misfortunes which befell a cousin 
 
 of her own; and as some of the incidents, reflecting 
 
 on the conduct of the lower class of Europeans 
 
 towards Chinese tally with much I had frequently seen 
 
 myself in the streets of Shanghai, I am sorry to say 
 
 I do not consider the case either an exaggerated or an 
 
 exceptional one. The amah's cousin was a young 
 
 man living in a country vUlage some miles distant 
 
 from Shanghai ; he had learned the trade of 
 
 shoemaking, but being naturally of a delicate 
 
 temperament, and having a weak chest, the close 
 
 confinement and constant stooping over his work 
 
 began to have an injurious eflfect upon his health. 
 
280 AMONG TEE SONS OF HAN. 
 
 and he was obliged to give up his trade, and 
 remain at home in his father's house. His friends 
 were very poor, and the young man felt ashamed 
 at being compelled to eat the bread of idleness, 
 and to add to the expense of the little household 
 to whose resources he could himself contribute 
 nothing. His health, too, instead of improving, 
 began to grow gradually worse, and the native 
 doctor, with more sense than would be generally 
 ascribed to members of his profession in China, 
 pronounced the ordinary nostrums to be of no 
 value in the case, and that the only remedy 
 was regular occupation which allowed of exercise 
 in the open air. On the receipt of this decision 
 a family council was held, at which it was decided 
 that the young invalid should be sent to Shanghai 
 provided with a jinricksha — a small hackney carriage 
 drawn by a man — and with this as his stock-in- 
 trade gain health and, it was hoped, fortune in 
 conveying passengers about through the streets 
 of the foreign settlement. For some time the 
 jinricksha man plied his new trade with all the 
 
HOPS BEFEBRED. 281 
 
 zeal of a novice, and, although the work was 
 at times fatiguing and very trying to his weak 
 constitution, the general result justified the doctor's 
 prediction, and the lad's frame began to acquire 
 new strength, and his health day by day improved. 
 But if fresh bloom began to return to his cheeks, 
 fresh brightness to his eyes, and fresh development 
 to his muscles, the other half of the hopes enter- 
 tained by his friends was stiU far from fulfilment ; 
 his fortune had yet to be made, and so far his 
 experience checked, rather than encouraged, his 
 dreams of future prosperity. A long^ succession 
 of bright, dry, frosty days, such as one frequently 
 sees during the winter months in northern and 
 central China, when walking was much more 
 enjoyable for short distances than sitting in an 
 open vehicle, told against the poor jinricksha man, 
 and the very weather which added to his health 
 and strength operated against him in other respects, 
 and left . his pockets empty. One morning, in 
 weather such as this, he was walkiug leisurely, 
 his jinricksha behind him, along the French Bund ; 
 
282 AMONG THE SONS OF HAN. 
 
 he was utterly depressed and miserable, for Ms 
 receipts had latterly been insufficient to meet his 
 modest wants, and, having now expended his last 
 cash, he began seriously to contemplate the sad ne- 
 cessity of selling his jinricksha, the only property he 
 possessed, in order to stave off for the moment the 
 pangs of hunger. Indeed he felt already the craving 
 for a substantial meal, as he had been economising for 
 some days and had only dared to indulge in the 
 barest necessaries ; so that it was with intense 
 eagerness he watched on every side for some chance 
 passenger, whose fee, were it ever so small, would 
 be the means of saving bim from the misfortunes 
 with which he now was menaced. Presently his 
 heart gave a great jump of joy as he observed a 
 stalwart specimen of the British tar, evidently come 
 on shore for a day's holiday, jump from a sam-pan* 
 on a wharf, and heard him calling lustily for a 
 jinricksha. The wished-for happiness had come 
 at last ; now the longed-for money would speedily 
 
 * The small boats plying for hire in China are called sam-pans, 
 literally, " three boards," probably from the primitive manner in 
 T^hioh they used to be constructed. 
 
THE BUNEWAL OF HOPE. 283 
 
 be earned, and a good meal would reward the 
 poor native for all his anxious waiting. With the 
 renewal of bright hopes the jinricksha man's energies 
 were restored, and at first he bowled the heavy- 
 sailor along at a pace to which even the inconsiderate 
 Jack could make no objection. It is needless to 
 say that the jinricksha was directed to the low 
 grog-shops, which intrude their loathsome presence 
 on the notice of poor weak-minded sailors in all 
 seaports, no matter how remote the country, or 
 how deadly the climate may be. As the sailor went 
 about from one vile den to another, the poor 
 jinricksha man began to feel anxious about his 
 fee, he began also to feel very weak and hungry, 
 and every time his fare came out of a house he 
 implored him with increasing earnestness to pay him 
 something and let him go. But Jack was determined 
 to make a day of it ; he would keep the jinricksha 
 until he had completed his jovial rounds, and whether 
 the unfortunate "nigger," who had to drag him 
 about, couched his piteous entreaties in his own 
 language, or pointed to his mouth as a sign that 
 
234 AMONG TEE SONS 'OF BAN. 
 
 he wanted something to eat, it was all the same to 
 the sailor; the whole affair was only a "lark," and 
 the "nigger" was laughed at, and ordered to run 
 on to the next tavern. At length the constant 
 drinking of poisonous liquor began to have its 
 inevitable effect upon the sailor, just as the hard 
 work was beginning to tell on the famishing 
 Chinaman ; and as evening advanced the tipsy 
 passenger began to swear at and beat the staggering 
 jinricksha man for the slowness of his movements. 
 Hope, however, still sustained the poor native, and 
 urged him to put forth what little strength remained 
 to earn a full day's wages ; a whole dollar would at 
 least be given him, he thought, and on the morrow he 
 could afford to rest a little, and regale himself to his 
 heart's content. As darkness had set in, the end 
 must, he thought, be near ; but it was not until 
 the night was far advanced that the jinricksha man, 
 almost fainting with fatigue and hunger, drew the 
 now thoroughly intoxicated sailor to the wharf, from 
 which he was to leave for his vessel. At last the 
 day's weary work was over, the sailor left the 
 
TEE SAB jREALISATION. 285 
 
 jinricksha, and the weak, starving, bruised, patient 
 Chinaman held his hand out for the dollar which 
 was to be the reward of all his sufferings, I 
 blush to tell what followed. The brutal sailor 
 had probably spent all his money, at all 
 events he refused with an oath to pay for the 
 jinricksha. But worse was to follow : when the 
 poor young native pursued the drunken man towards 
 the boat with the earnestness of despair, beseeching 
 some small return for his labours, he was turned 
 upon, felled to the ground, and kicked as he lay 
 there, and, as if a very demon had entered the 
 heart of the, infuriated sailor, the jinricksha was 
 next seized, broken to pieces, and flung into the 
 deep river, where its fragments were soon lost 
 beyond all hope of recovery. The sailor, having 
 completed his savage work, went unmolested to 
 his vessel, and next day, probably, he entertained 
 his messmates with a lively description of whatever 
 he remembered of his adventures on shore. The 
 lazy good-for-nothing Chinaman might have died, 
 kicked to death where he lay, or he might have 
 
286 AMONG TEE SONS OF HAN. 
 
 ended his misery by one wild plunge after his lost 
 jinricksha, for aU Jack cared. Neither sad event 
 occurred, however; the jinricksha man was unable 
 for some minutes to move, but after a time he was 
 found by one of his fellow-countrymen, almost as 
 poor and destitute as himself, who helped him to 
 a poor shelter, shared with him his humble supper 
 of rice and fish, cheered him with some words of 
 comfort, and gave him a mat, on which to rest his 
 aching feeble limbs. Next day the jinricksha man 
 crawled away as best he could from the town where 
 he had met with such cruel treatment, and in the 
 evening arrived, half-dead with fatigue and pain 
 and disappointment, at his father's house, where 
 for some days he lay, tended with anxious care, 
 hovering between life and death. He ultimately 
 recovered, but he is stUl more or less of an invalid ; 
 and who can wonder if he himself cherishes, and 
 tries his utmost to instil into the minds of his 
 sympathising neighbours, a deadly animosity against 
 the foreign barbarian? 
 
 It is not without an object that I tell this little 
 
MORE ABOUT AMAHS. 287 
 
 story. I know there are amongst the wretched 
 jinricksha coolies of Shanghai many of the outcasts 
 of society, gamblers, cheats, opium-smokers; I 
 know, too, that drunken sailors are sometimes 
 imposed upon, and, I suspect, even robbed by these 
 men. But to the most superficial observer the 
 other side of the picture is constantly proved to 
 be only too true, and I wiU venture to assert that 
 for one honest tar who gets led astray or injured by 
 the jinricksha men, fifty of the latter are crueUy 
 beaten by sailors, and are thankful if they receive 
 any reward from their inhuman employers. For mis- 
 guided Jack there are amongst his countrymen every- 
 where hosts of sympathisers ; from Shanghai residents 
 specially I would fain bespeak a portion of the sym- 
 pathy for the weak, despised, though not always despic- 
 able objects of Jack's harsh and often cruel treatment. 
 To resume my gossip about amahs. At Foochow 
 I was induced to try a servant who could not speak 
 even " pidgin " English, and as she was recommended 
 for her intelligence, I thought it would be possible to 
 train her in the manner which would suit me best. I 
 
288 AMONG THE SONS OF HAN. 
 
 need hardly say that the experiment ended in failure. 
 I succeeded in teaching her a little English, and one 
 phrase which I was in the habit of using when 
 I no longer wanted her services — '"Can do, amah, 
 no wanchee, amah, just now ; amah can go " — 
 evidently impressed itself upon her memory, without, 
 however, conveying the exact meaning; for when 
 one day I went to her room to see how she was 
 performing some work I had given her, she said, 
 to my astonishment: "No wanchee, mississee, just 
 now; mississee can go!" She meant to assure me 
 that she could do the work I had given her without 
 supervision, and I could see that no impertinence 
 was intended. 
 
 Another amah, in answering my question as 
 to when she returned from a little party to which 
 she had been invited, said : " My have come home 
 very early; Chinaman no have got 'sing-song,' 
 no makee play that nonsensee, alio same master 
 and mississee, finishee dinner." Such was her way 
 of describing the after-dinner amusements of 
 Europeans. 
 
A BIBB'S INTELLIGENCE. 289' 
 
 Writing of the amahs I have known, reminds me- 
 of a little incident, brought about by the carelessness^ 
 of one of these servants, which showed a wonderful 
 power of memory on the part of a little pet bird. I 
 had j^laced in the charge of my amah two very pretty 
 little birds, the last of six which I had brought 
 with me from Formosa. They were very small, 
 delicate things, with rather strong beaks, and rich' 
 brown plumage, and were of a species altogether- 
 unknown in the northern part of China, to the- 
 severe winter of which four of them had already 
 succumbed. I tended the remaining pair with as 
 much care as 1 could, but the amah occasionally 
 supplied them with food and water. One day the- 
 amah left the cage-door open for a few minutes,, 
 and one of the little birds made its escape, and 
 flew away through an open window. It was then- 
 late autumn, and soon afterwards the winter, as- 
 is often the case in Shanghai, set in suddenly 
 and severely ; aU our windows had to be fastened, 
 up for the season, and for five months the cold, 
 was unusually great, such heavy frost and snow 
 
290 AMONG THE SONS OF HAN. 
 
 having never before been seen by " the oldest 
 inhabitant;" and our thoughts and our pity were 
 often bestowed on the poor little wanderer, about 
 whose fate in such severe weather there could 
 hardly be a question. With the return of spring 
 windows were again thrown open, and one morning, 
 nearly six months after the loss of the bird, 
 when I was visiting my pets on the verandah, 
 I was astonished to find the little solitary 
 Formosan bird in a great state of excitement, and 
 on closer inspection I saw to my great delight 
 that the cause of the commotion was the return 
 of the wanderer, which was flutterinof about the 
 outside of the cage, and evidently wanted to 
 rejoin its old companion. On the cage-door 
 being opened the returned prodigal eagerly flew 
 in, and the restored friends seemed quite happy 
 to be once more together. It has always been a 
 wonder to me how the little bird managed to 
 survive out of doors the bitter winter cold, or to 
 eke out a living amongst the other birds, who 
 
THE BIBB'S BETUBN. 291 
 
 must have looked upon him as a stranger, and 
 an intruder. Probably he had become acclimatised 
 before his flight, and no doubt his strong beak 
 proved a valuable defence against the enmity of 
 other birds. 
 
 u 2 
 
CHAPTER XXVIII. 
 
 Chinese N"ew Year — Many native customs exactly the opposites of 
 ours — Kindness and politeness of the Chinese people. 
 
 Amongst the most remarkable of Chinese customs 
 are those which are observed at New Year time. 
 Chinese New Year generally falls somewhere about 
 the beginning of our February, and is undoubtedly 
 the great festival of the year, the only real 
 holiday enjoyed by the toiling industrious millions 
 scattered over the vast Celestial Empire; for 
 although there are in nearly every month certain 
 holidays which are observed by the better classes 
 with more or less ceremony, it is only at 
 New Year that high and low, rich and poor, put 
 aside for the time their ordinary avocations, and 
 give themselves up without restraint to the due 
 
THE APPROACH OF NEW 7EAB. 293 
 
 celebration and full enjojrment of the festive time. 
 Long before the eventful period arrives great 
 preparations are in progress, extra bustle is 
 observable in the streets, and extra animation is 
 apparent in every countenance. The shops — 
 especially the provision - shops — are filled with 
 tempting wares, the display of daughtered pigs 
 hung up ia front of the pork-butchers' being 
 particularly remarkable. Lamps are suspended over 
 doors and windows, and attached to the door- 
 posts and window-frames are long strips of red 
 paper, having boldly inscribed upon them mottoes 
 appropriate to the season : " May the Five Blessings 
 come to this door," " New Year, New Happiness," 
 etc. Business people are particularly active at 
 this period squaring up their accounts, for a 
 Chinaman considers it de rigueur to pay off aU 
 outstanding debts before the old year is out, and 
 thus commence the new year without any arrears, 
 and with a clear conscience. Houses are made 
 clean — a rare event in China — and few indeed are 
 those who do not supply themselves, or who are 
 
294 AMONG THE SONS OF HAN. 
 
 not supplied by their husbands, fathers, or other 
 friends, with some new article of dress for the 
 great occasion. Children are in a fever of excite- 
 ment, for besides the new clothes they are likely 
 to have, are there not wonderful toys to be presented 
 to them, or, better stUl, to be purchased with their 
 own money, during that much-longed-for stroll 
 through the gay streets which they are to enjoy 
 presently with their father or elder brother as their 
 guide ? Fresh ornaments, flowers, and candles are 
 placed round the little shrine which every house 
 possesses, and every tradesman and shopkeeper 
 decorates his signboard with cloth of flaring red 
 — the Chinese festive colour. 
 
 At last the happy day dawns. With the first 
 glimpse of light a host of boys, who have been 
 eagerly on the watch for the break of day, com- 
 mence discharging their huge stock of fireworks ; the 
 fusilade is taken up by the entire row of houses 
 lining the narrow streets, and the New Year is 
 ushered in with a din and uproar which render 
 sleep for the remainder of the morning impossible. 
 
GOT UP FOB THE OGOASION. 295 
 
 The first duty of the day is then performed; chil- 
 dren do reverence to their parents, "wives to their 
 husbands, servants to their masters, wishing them 
 on bended knee "a happy new year." Early 
 breakfast is quickly disposed of, and then com- 
 mences the serious duty of making calls. Old men 
 remain at home in state to receive the congratulations 
 and good wishes of those who have not yet attained 
 the happy and privileged state of old age ; but 
 the younger men, clad in their very best raiment, 
 sally forth on their round of visits, in sedan-chairs 
 with an attendant card-bearer if they are well off, 
 or on foot, carrying their own large leather card- 
 case, if they are in less easy circumstances. It is 
 amusing to see the "get up" of your old native 
 acquaintances on these occasions. You wonder at 
 first who the swaggering individual can be who 
 comes strutting along the street towards you in all 
 the glory of a mandarin hat and long silken robe, 
 his left hand placed across his breast and his right 
 arm, with a sleeve half-a-foot too long for it, 
 extended at full length, and swaying backwards 
 
296 AMONG THE SON'S OF MAN. 
 
 -and forwards in the most approved official fashion. 
 
 Presently" the gorgeous creature stops suddenly 
 
 ^before you, joins his sleeve-covered hands in front 
 
 of him, raises them to his chin, and with a low 
 
 ■bow and a grin wishes you, in "pidgin English," 
 
 • a happy new year. Then for the first time it dawns 
 
 ■upon you that you are addressed by your old 
 
 house-boy, who left you last year to get married 
 
 and set up in business, and who was reproved by 
 
 you when last you saw him for wearing such a 
 
 greasy cap and such a slovenly cotton gown. 
 
 A-ping tells you in a few hurried words — for he 
 
 " wanchee chin-chin too muchey- piecey man" — 
 
 ^that he is doing weU, and wishing you "plenty 
 
 1^0. 1 good chancey this year," makes another bow 
 
 and passes on. Children arrayed in aU the colours 
 
 of the rainbow, and displaying with pardonable 
 
 pride their recently-purchased gew-gaws, are p^traded 
 
 up and down the busy streets ; friends meeting 
 
 each other in the street salute in the most formal 
 
 manner ; faces beaming with smiles and contentment 
 
 are seen on every side, but go where you wUl, in 
 
THE CHINESE OUB OPPOSITES. 297 
 
 country or in town, in the richest streets or in the 
 poorest, great and universal though the holiday 
 1)6, your eara wUl not be offended by the drunkard's 
 maniacal screech, and rarely, if ever, will you see 
 the staggering form of an inebriate. 
 
 For some days the shops are closed, and the 
 streets remain en fite, and it is only gradually, 
 and with a certain amount of reluctance, that the 
 ordinary state of affairs is resumed, and things get 
 back to their old groove for one long year more. 
 
 In the various parts of China in which I lived 
 I had abundant opportunities for observing the 
 peculiar manners and customs of the people,, many 
 of them exactly the opposite of those which obtain 
 amongst ourselves. Just as the needle of our 
 compass points to the north, whereas the same 
 instrument in China points to the south, so do 
 our habits of thought, and modes of action, often 
 seem to take directions exactly the reverse of those 
 which prevail amongst the Chinese people. Our 
 men consider it rude to keep their hats on in 
 company ; Chinamen think it rude, under the 
 
298 AMONG TEE SONS OF EAN. 
 
 circumstances, to take theirs off. We, especially 
 those of us who belong to the gentler sex, dread 
 to be thought old, and endeavour to retain as 
 long as possible the manners arid appearance of 
 youth ; Chinese of both sexes are glad to be con- 
 sidered old, and deem it a compliment to be told 
 they look older than they really are. The most 
 reckless man amongst us would never think of 
 marrying a woman with whose face he was not 
 perfectly familiar; no respectable Chinaman, who 
 had any regard for propriety, would think of 
 gazing upon his bride's face until the conclusion 
 of the marriage ceremony. Our children play 
 shuttlecock with their hands; Chinese children 
 play the same game with their feet. The exciting 
 pastime of flying kites is only practised by juveniles 
 amongst us; in Chiiia the majority of kite-flyers 
 are grown-up, and even very old, men, A snow- 
 white tablecloth, which we consider a necessary 
 adjunct to every meal, would have the same effect 
 upon the nerves and appetite of a Chinaman unused 
 
KINBNESS OF THE CHINESE. 299 
 
 to our ways as a funeral-pall spread upon the 
 table would have upon ours. Chinese writing, 
 as everyone knows, proceeds from right to left, 
 and they begin their books at what we consider 
 the end; and so in various other respects their 
 methods, as has frequently been pointed out by 
 writers, are exactly the opposite of what ours 
 would be under similar conditions. But by degrees 
 all these peculiarities ceased to be remarkable, 
 and, after my six years' residence amongst them, 
 I have nothing but the most agreeable recollections 
 of the Chinese people ; whether as acquaintances, 
 servants, or tradesmen, I found them almost 
 invariably kind, thoughtful, and obliging. They 
 have their faults of course, as all other people 
 have ; but my own experience is that Chinamen 
 and Chinawomen, if treated kindly, will serve 
 you at least as honestly and as faithfully as natives 
 of any other country. In all my wanderings through 
 China I never received an insult from the natives ; 
 on the contrary, kind words, pleasant smiles, ^ 
 
300 AMONG TEE SONS OF EAN. 
 
 hospitable offers, greeted me on every side; 
 and it cannot be wondered at that, with such a 
 delightful experience, I cherish a fond remembrance 
 of the many happy days and hours I have passed 
 "Among the Sons of Han." 
 
CHAPTER XXIX. 
 
 Departure from Shanghai — ^The return, voyage — Home again I 
 
 The morning of Good Friday, 26th March, 1880,, 
 dawned fair and beautiful, and though we had 
 been up late the night before we were stirring 
 betimes, and busy making our final preparations 
 for our voyage home. At eleven o'clock, accom- 
 panied by a number of friends, we left the wharf 
 in a steam-launch, and directed our way towards 
 the splendid mail steamer Djemnah, now swinging 
 to the flood-tide in mid-river, and flying the 
 flag which showed that the mails were on board, 
 and that everything was in readiness for an 
 early departure. Glad as I felt at the prospect 
 of a return to Europe, I was heartily sorry at 
 
302 AMONG TEE SONS OF HAN. 
 
 parting from so many well-wishers, and from a 
 place where I had lived so long and so happily; 
 and as if to increase my regrets, Shanghai never 
 appeared to better advantage than it did that 
 bright March morning, with its magnificent show 
 of buildings along the river-banks and its pretty 
 public garden, bathed in a flood of glorious 
 sunshine. The last farewells having been spoken 
 and the decks cleared of visitors, the great steamer 
 began to move slowly away, dipping her ensign 
 as a parting homage to those we were leaving 
 behind us. The steam-launch, with our special 
 friends on boardj followed us as long as she 
 could keep pace with the Djemnah ; but our 
 speed soon quickened, and before long we could 
 distinguish nothing but the waving of white 
 handkerchiefs, which continued until we had passed 
 the last of the riverside bungalows, and Shanghai 
 itself had faded from our view. Taking the bright 
 sunshine which greeted our departure as a happy 
 omen, we looked forward with certainty to a 
 pleasant voyage in the superb steamer which bore 
 
EOMEWABD BOUNB. 303 
 
 us along, and the hopes thus created were more 
 than realised in the result. 
 
 Our voyage to Hongkong was a quick and 
 pleasant one ; so smooth was the sea that we 
 were able to indulge in a little dancing in the 
 saloon. At Hongjiong we felt that we had already 
 entered that belt of heat which at all seasons of 
 the year must be passed through on the voyage 
 to or from the East; and after the bright but 
 crisp weather we had lately been enjoying in 
 Shanghai, the contrast was very noticeable. Two 
 pleasant days, during which we were glad to meet 
 several of our friends, soon passed, and we started 
 on our voyage to Saigon. We arrived at the 
 latter place early in the morning, and, the tide 
 being favourable, we at once proceeded up the 
 river. Before, however, we had accomplished any 
 great distance, the truth of some remarks I ventured 
 to make in my opening chapter became apparent, 
 and the danger of dragging such large steamers up 
 such a narrow winding river was fuUy demonstrated. 
 At five o'clock in the morning I was in my 
 
304 AMONG THE SONS OF EAN. 
 
 cabin, gazing out of my window at the dense 
 green forest on the river-bank, when I was 
 startled by a strange noise as if some part of the 
 ship's machinery had broken; then followed a 
 confused din, the loud cries of sailors, and the 
 rapid running of feet overhead. Presently th& 
 vessel tilted over on her side, until our cabia 
 wdndow was quite close to the water, but in a 
 few minutes she regained,, greatly to my relief, an 
 upright position. AU the passengers were speedily 
 on deck to inquire what was the matter, and it 
 was then found that, in turning a sharp bend of 
 the river, the steering apparatus had yielded to 
 the enormous strain, and broken, and the steamer, 
 no longer manageable, ran, stern on, amongst the 
 trees and brushwood of the jungle. Fortunately no 
 serious damage was done to the vessel, but it was 
 two hours before the necessary repairs were effected 
 and we managed to get clear of our difficulties. 
 We then continued our voyage up the river, 
 the Djemnah bearing proudly on . her bow some 
 branches of a tree she had come in contact with 
 
SAIGON AGAIN. 305 
 
 during her visit to the jungle. All the horrors of 
 our previous visit to Saigon were repeated on 
 this occasion ; the intense heat, unmitigated by 
 the faintest breath of air, prostrated us; insects 
 great and small invaded the sacred precincts of 
 our cabins and berths ; and during the wretched 
 .night of our stay sleep resolutely refused to visit 
 our wearied eyelids. 
 
 During the afternoon after our arrival, we 
 drove out to what appeared to be; with the ex- 
 ception perhaps of the Governor's grounds, the 
 only pleasant spot in the surrounding wilderness, 
 the public gardens. Here we wandered about 
 under lofty trees, amongst an endless variety of 
 tropical plants, some of them very beautiful ; but 
 the large aviary fuU of lovely birds, and the 
 collection of wild animals, most of them natives 
 of the neighbouring country, form the chief 
 attractions of the place. The lions and tigers 
 were, I think, the only living beings looking at 
 aU comfortable or happy in Saigon. Nothing could 
 be more melancholy or wobegone than the 
 
306 AMONG THE SONS OF HAN. 
 
 appearance of the soldiers and other Europeans 
 whose fate it is to reside in such a trying climate ; 
 they all looked, without exception, pale, thin and 
 miserable. As before, I was indeed thankful when 
 we steamed away from Saigon, and breathed once 
 more the fresh pure air which met us on our way 
 towards the sea. A short pleasant run brought us 
 to Singapore, where we enjoyed a charming drive 
 along the beautiful road which leads to the 
 botanical gardens, returning to the hotel, where 
 we dined and slept. On account of the great heat 
 we left our door and windows open during the 
 night, and, with the confidence which my residence 
 in China had taught me, I left my jewellery and 
 little valuables lying unprotected on my dressing- 
 table. As it happened, however, this was not a 
 wise act in a Singapore hotel, for next morning 
 we heard that an adjoining room had been entered 
 during the night, and one of our fellow-passengers 
 who slept there was robbed of his purse and his 
 revolver. Fortunately for me the thief did not 
 extend his researches to my room. 
 
MUSICAL PASSENGERS. 307 
 
 From Singapore to Galle, and from Galle to Aden, 
 our voyage continued to be as pleasant as a sea- 
 voyage could possibly be, and tbe weather was so 
 propitious tbat we had the piano all the time on the 
 quarter-deck, and every evening we were able to get 
 up a dance or a concert or some other amusement. 
 Of music we had sometimes a little more than we 
 admired, and I can still fancy I hear the frantic 
 efforts made by two of the male passengers to learn 
 the instruments they had purchased for the purpose 
 of whiling away the tedium of the voyage. One 
 devoted all his energies to the learning of the flute, 
 the other struggled hard in his efforts to acquire 
 the ability to strum the guitar ; the former had his 
 daily practice outside, the latter inside, the saloon 
 at the same hour. Each musician had apparently 
 made up his mind to stick to one air until it was 
 thoroughly mastered; the flautist had selected 
 " Home, Sweet Home," as an appropriate piece with 
 which to charm the domestic circle he was so soon 
 to join, whiJst the guitarman's ambition seemed to 
 aim at being able some day to overcome the diffi- 
 
308 AMONG TKE SONS OF HAN. 
 
 culties of " The Last Eose of Summer." It would 
 have been hard perhaps to have chosen two more 
 beautiful airs, but even these, when practised by- 
 two bunglers within hearing of each other, on an 
 afternoon on board ship, in a tropical climate, 
 when one is probably trying to get a refreshing 
 nap, are anything biit soothing ; and though music 
 has always had great attractions for me, I must 
 confess I was delighted when these performers 
 were at last voted a nnisance, and requested by 
 the captain to practise their solos in a more 
 obscure corner of the vessel. 
 
 At Aden we drove to the famous water-tanks, 
 a number of large reservoirs formed at the foot 
 of the hills, and so arranged that they can catch 
 as much water as possible on the very rare 
 occasions when rain faUs in those arid regions. 
 The tanks were quite empty when we visited 
 them, and the caretaker told us that for nearly 
 four years not a drop of rain had fallen in the- 
 place ! Under the circumstances Aden has to 
 look for its water supply to the distant interior. 
 
AT POET SAIJD. 309 
 
 whence the needful element is conveyed across 
 the desert in small leather bags shaped like 
 gourds, on the backs of camels. In spite of its 
 constant heat and aridity the place is said to be 
 healthy, and the troops in the garrison looked 
 strong and ruddy as compared with the poor 
 sickly-looking French soldiers we had seen in 
 Saigon. In the Red Sea we were fortunate 
 enough to meet with a head wind, and in the 
 very place where the heat is most dreaded we 
 were positively cool. At Suez our boxes had to 
 be ransacked for winter clothing and wraps, and 
 the extremely hot weather was now a thing of the 
 past. I shall not forget the delight I experienced 
 at seeing once more at Suez a railway train, the 
 first I had witnessed for more than six years ; 
 the sight made me realise more than anything 
 else what a vast gap lies between the systems 
 which prevail in the country where I had passed 
 such a lengthened period, and the highly-civilised 
 lands to which I was now returning. Arriving 
 at Port Said in the afternoon, we went for a 
 
310 AMONG THE SONS OF HAN. 
 
 stroll on shore, and as we passed the various 
 cafes with which the place is plentifully supplied, 
 we enjoyed the lively music which proceeded 
 from these places of amusement; and as the 
 doors and windows were generally open, we 
 could see that the musicians forming the 
 orchestras were females, the conductors, however, 
 being invariably of the sterner sex. Soon after we 
 left Port Said we fell in with a little rouo-h 
 weather, the first we had experienced since we left 
 Shanghai ; those who have ever made a long sea- 
 voyage will at once understand the smoothness of 
 our passage when I mention that, with the 
 exception of these few hours in the Mediterranean, 
 our cabin "port" remained open all the time. 
 As we approached the coast of Italy the excite- 
 ment on board was great, and all were eager 
 to catch the first glimpse of Europe. The scenery 
 which soon met our gaze was grand in the 
 extreme, and the bold mountain-peaks, the graceful- 
 looking valleys, and the many little hamlets 
 nestling on the mountain -side, made Calabria 
 
FIB8T GLIMPSE OF EUROPE. 311 
 
 appear in our eyes like some fair vision of the 
 Promised Land. But a still more lovely sight 
 was to greet us later on. As evening advanced 
 we approached the Straits of Messina, and then 
 commenced one contiu nation of the most charming 
 views, each one seeming more delightful than 
 the one preceding it; by the time night came 
 on, and the full moon, attended by myriads of 
 twinkling stars, lighted up the clear sky, we were 
 passing Messina, and the brUliantly-lighted houses 
 on shore shone out in rivalry to the stars above, 
 and completed the most enchanting picture it had 
 ever been my lot to see. 
 
 Next morning we anchored in the lovely Bay 
 of Naples, and our long sea-journey was now at 
 an end. On the Djemnah we had been as com- 
 fortable as it was possible to be on board ship ; 
 for not only had the weather been favourable, 
 but the captain, who was the personification of 
 kindness and courtesy, and all his officers were 
 most attentive and considerate throughout the 
 entire voyage. With many regrets we parted from 
 
312 AMONG TEE SONS OF HAN. 
 
 them all, and within half-an-hour we stood once 
 more on European soU, surrounded by a yelling 
 mob of boatmen, custom-house ,ofl&cers, flower- 
 girls, cabmen, hotel-touts, and beggars. 
 
 It is no part of my design to enter into a 
 description of the many interesting sights we 
 saw during our leisurely journey through Italy. 
 Suffice it to say that we basked in the sunshine 
 of Naples, and wandered over the ruins of 
 Herculaneum and Pompeii ; we stood beneath the 
 dome of St. Peter's, and revelled in the artistic 
 glories of the Vatican ; we climbed the loffcy ruins 
 of the Colosseum, and penetrated the dark vaults 
 of the Catacombs ; we looked down from the heights 
 of Fiesole on the fair city of Dante, and gazed 
 with rapture, on the marvellous art -treasures which 
 adorn the Pitti and Uffizi collections ; we glided 
 in a gondola through the silent thoroughfares of 
 Venice beneath the Bridge of Sighs, and beheld the 
 stately Palace of the Doges ; we were charmed 
 with the graceful outlines of Milan's grand Cathedral, 
 and enchanted with the quiet beauty of the lovely 
 
BOME AGAIN. 313 
 
 Lake Como; we shot througli tlie Alps by the 
 Mount Cenis tunnel, and at last found ourselves 
 in the gay city of Paris, where we rested for some 
 days before completing the final stage of our 
 travels. 
 
 I may mention that amongst our fellow-pas- 
 sengers on the little steamer by which we travelled 
 on Lake Como, there was one lady whose sweet 
 kind face and gentle unassuming manner attracted 
 our particular attention as she sat in the midst 
 of us with her children grouped around her. We 
 ascertained afterwards that the lady we admired 
 so much was the Crown Princess of Germany, who 
 happened at the time to be travelling quietly with 
 some of her family in that part of Italy. 
 
 The time at length arrived for which I had so 
 often yearned, and I was again amongst my friends 
 AT HOME. Some of the bright hopes which had 
 cheered me on parting from those I held most 
 dear were not to be realised, and words of loving 
 welcome, which had often been whispered to me 
 in my dreams when far away, could never now 
 
 T 
 
314 AMONG THE SONS OF HAN, 
 
 be addressed to me. But though. . the joy of my 
 return was robbed of much of its sweetness, there 
 was still a great deal left for thankfulness, and it 
 was with feelings of sincere gratitude that we 
 found ourselves once more in the old country, 
 amongst our own people, and saved from all the 
 perils which beset us in our wanderings beyond the 
 seas, 
 
 THE END. 
 
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NOW READY, 
 
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 SIX MONTHS IN MECCAH: 
 
 AN ACCOUNT OF 
 
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 performed by an Englishman professing 
 
 Mohammedanism, 
 
 By J. F. KEANE (Hajj Mohammed Amin). 
 
 At all lAhraries and Booksellers^, 
 
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 The style of the work, if something eccentric and unconventional, is amusingly direct- 
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 His whole narrative^ Indeed, is a series of pictures." 
 
 The HTBBABY WORLD says: 
 
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 TINSLEY BEOTHEES, 8, CATHEEINE STEEET, STEAND. 
 
G 
 
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