uvres.

After all it was deemed advisable to shift out of our present unsafe
anchorage to a more secure one inside the bar, and, as the "Modeste" was
about to leave for Chusan, she came alongside and took us in tow. We
have met with no heavy weather here yet; but we shall be fortunate
indeed if we don't get a "brew" at this season.

We had been here somewhere about ten days when the Chinese governor came
on board, attended, as is the custom in China, by a numerous suite of
lesser mandarins and their retainers. Chefoo is an important military
command, as well as one of the chief naval ports in the empire; hence
the governor is a high military mandarin. From the governor downwards
they were all dressed pretty much alike. The mandarins were
distinguishable only by a button, worn on the top of their mushroom
hats. The colour and material of this button, like the "tails" of a
pasha, indicate the position of the wearer, the red being considered the
highest of all. In addition to the button the military insignia of a
tuft of horse hair, dyed scarlet, depended from the top of the hat of
each, whilst some of the more fortunate wore a peacock's feather stuck
jauntily under the button. I say more fortunate because, like our
K.C.B.'s, only a very few can ever hope to attain to such a mark of the
sovereign's favor. These feathers are bestowed by the emperor, generally
in person, on such of his subjects as have achieved some renown, either
as a soldier or in the equally honorable province of letters. We may
well believe, then, that amongst such a people as the Chinese, whose
very breath almost is at the emperor's pleasure, such a distinction is
the chiefest ambition of every man; for _all_ may aspire to it.

A day or so subsequent to the events I have described before, the
captain of a trading junk from Tientsin reported that the "Vigilant" had
grounded in the Pei-ho, and had sustained considerable damage to her
rudder and stern-post, a report which was strictly true; for soon the
admiral returned, and at once ordered the "Vigilant" to Hong Kong for
repairs.

Shortly before sailing the admiral inspected the ship. On this occasion
"Sailor," our widowed cat, was decked out in all the gay and gaudy
trappings of a field officer on parade, and, what is more to the point,
he was seemingly quite aware that he was looking smart. I suppose
"Sailor" can never have read the "Jackdaw of Rheims," but he certainly
_looked_ the words of that co