s, on account of the numerous pirates who occasionally ship
in disguise among the crowd, murder the passengers and crew, and take
possession of the steamer. Not quite two years ago a vessel belonging
to this same company was assailed in that way. Every one on board was
murdered, and the ship taken to Macao.[19] But this voyage was more
prosperous, the captain was most kind and polite, and the boat clean
and comfortable. An excellent breakfast and an elaborate tiffin were
served at noon, all for the sum of four dollars a head, including
wine, beer, and spirits _ad libitum_.

[Footnote 19: I have since been told that only the captain and one or
two passengers were killed, and the vessel run ashore near, not at
Macao.]

On first leaving Hankow the course lies between islands and through
fine mountain passes. Later on the country becomes flat and
uninteresting till the Bogue Forts are reached. Here are to be seen
the remains of the old forts knocked down by the French and English
guns.

[Illustration: Bogue Forts.]

About one o'clock we reached Whampoa, the leading port of Canton. The
Pearl River is too shallow for large steamers to go up any higher; so
we stopped here only a few minutes to disembark some of the Chinese
passengers, and from this point the interesting part of the voyage
began. The river, as well as all the little supplementary creeks, was
alive with junks and sampans--masts and sails stuck up in every
direction, gliding about among the flat paddy-fields. Such masts and
sails as they are! The mandarins' boats, especially, are so
beautifully carved, painted, and decorated, that they look more as if
they were floating about for ornament than for use. Just about two
o'clock our large steamer was brought up close alongside the wooden
pier as easily as a skiff, but it must require some skill to navigate
this crowded river without accident. On the shore was an excited,
vociferating crowd, but no one came to meet us; and we had begun to
wonder what was to become of us--what we should do, and whither we
should go in a strange city, where we did not know a soul--when we
were relieved from our embarrassment by the appearance of the
Vice-Consul, who came on board to meet a friend. He told us that,
owing to an expected ball, all the houses were unusually full, and
that not one of the people who had been written to could take us in.
This was rather bad news, but we felt sure that something would turn
up.

[Illustr