" "Do you suppose," returned our men, "that they would be such fools as to use that fine boat for baggage, and travel in this miserable craft? I think I saw the barbarians on that large junk," pointing to a vessel a little distance down the canal. Our wouldbc visitors, completely deceived, started off on the false scent, while we passed the city, and moored for the night on the opposite bank of the Yangtz'. We ascertained afterward that Mr. Simon and his companions were really on board the junk which carried the flag. The next day, with the help of a light breeze, wemadc the town of Tting-tse, twenty-seven miles up the river, where we moored for the night.
It is customary for the river craft to congregate in large numbers at night, for the sake of mutual protection against pirates. Thus, along the rivers, certain places have become mooring stations, to reach which the crews of junks bend every effort. At such places there are night-watchmen always walking the river bank, on the lookout for thieves, when they come from either land or water. We generally avoided these congregations, but, reaching Tung-tse toward sunset, we moored on the outskirt of the boats tiffany and co already there, Tiffany outlet and were soon shut in oh all sides by those which came after us.
A man has need to be deaf, or born a Chinaman, to endure with composure the ordeal of a night in such an assemblage. The din of a Chinese crowd is always great, but here it is as varied as terrible. The shoutings and invectives of the sailors, during the confusion of mooring, is soon mingled with the shrill notes of female voices. If each sailor makes more noise than his skipper, the wife of Marc Jacobs the latter makes more than all together. There seems to be an incessant quarrel about food, between the crew and Tiffany and co outlet their mistress, who reigns as supremely as shrewdly over the commissariat.
Prijem