ing craft.

"Ching askee."

He entered into a short conversation with the boatmen, who smiled at
first, then scowled, stamped, and gesticulated.

Ching nodded and turned to us.

"Say, go to big steamy-ship and Queen Victolia jolly sailor, but no to
see pilate. 'Flaid cut off head."

"Then they must go; send them off."

The men laughed, nodded at us in the most friendly manner, then hoisted
their sail and went back up the river. Then, provisions being served
out, our lads sat eating and chatting, while our boat sped seaward
towards where the two junks lay windbound not many miles away, or else
waiting for some reason, one which Mr Brooke decided at last to be for
reinforcements.

"Yes," he said, as I sat munching away at some pleasantly sweet-tasted
bread which Ching had brought on board, "depend upon it, we shall see
boats or a small junk go out and join them by and by."

It is curious how old tunes bring up old scenes. Most people say the
same, but at the risk of being considered one who thinks too much of
eating, I am going to say that nothing brings up old scenes to my memory
more than particular kinds of food.

For instance, there is a flat, square kind of gingerbread which we boys
used to know as "parliament." I cannot ever see that without thinking
of going to school on sunny mornings, and stopping by one particular
ditch to bang the wasps with my school-bag, swung round by its string.
It was only the seniors who sported a strap for their books; and in
those days my legs, from the bottom of my drawers to the top of my white
socks, were bare, and my unprotected knees in a state of chip, scale,
and scar, from many tumbles on the gravelly path.

Then, again, pancakes will bring up going round the stables and cowhouse
in search of stray new-laid white eggs, which I bore off, greatly to the
disgust of the great black cock, with the yellow saddle-hackles and the
tall red serrated comb.

Fish naturally bring up the carp in the muddy pond which we used to
catch, and gloat over their golden glories; or the brazen small-scaled
tench, with all the surroundings at Norwood, where the builder has run
riot, and terraces and semi-detached villas--I hope well drained--cover
the pool whence we used to drag forth miniature alligators with a worm.

I could go on for pages about those recollections, but one more will
suffice:--Sweet cakey bread always brings up Mother Crissell, who must
have made a nice little indep