y quite in state. It was amusing to us to see
the way in which the runners made use of their tails. When the street
was blocked by the crowd, they turned them into whips, and laid them
about the people's shoulders to right and left!

We had a little trouble in finding our wheel-barrows; but eventually
succeeding, we paid off the chair coolies, mounted our humble vehicles,
and returned to the river, accompanied for fully half the distance by an
attendant from the magistrate's office. Early in the evening we got back
to the boats in safety, sincerely thankful to our Heavenly FATHER for
His gracious protection and aid.

[Illustration]

CHAPTER XI

WITH THE REV. WILLIAM BURNS

AFTER the retaking of Shanghai by the Imperialists, in February 1855, I
was enabled to rent a house within the walls of the native city, and
gladly availed myself of this opportunity to reside amidst the crowded
population left to inhabit the ruins that had survived the war. Here I
made my headquarters, though often absent on more or less prolonged
itinerations.

At the suggestion of the Rev. Dr. Medhurst, the veteran leader of the
London Mission, I was led at about this period to adopt the native
costume in preference to foreign dress, to facilitate travel and
residence inland. The Chinese had permitted a foreign firm to build a
silk factory some distance inland, with the proviso that the style of
building must be purely Chinese, and that there should be nothing
external to suggest that it was foreign. Much benefit was found to
result from this change of costume; and I, and most of those associated
with me, have continued to use native dress.

The T'ai-p'ing rebellion, commenced in 1851, had by this time reached
the height of its ephemeral success. The great city of Nan-king had
fallen before the invading host; and there, within two hundred miles of
Shanghai, the rebels had established their headquarters, and proceeded
to fortify themselves for further conquests. During the summer of 1855
various attempts were made to visit the leaders of the movement, in
order to bring to bear some decidedly Christian influence upon them; but
so little success was met with, that these efforts were abandoned.

I, amongst others, had sought to reach Nan-king; but finding it
impossible to do so, turned my attention again to evangelistic work on
the island of Ts'ung-ming. After some time I was enabled so far to
overcome the prejudice and fears of the p