160 VOYAGE TO THE 



house was built of wood, and roofed with tiles in the 

 Chinese style; the floor was raised about two feet 

 from the ground, and the rooms, though small, were 

 capable of being thrown into one by means of shifting 

 panels. To the right of the house there was a large 

 brass bell, which was struck with a wooden club, and 

 had a very melodious tone ; at the further end of the 

 garden was a jos house, a place of worship, which, as 

 it has been described by Captain Hall, I shall notice 

 only by the mention of a screen that was let down 

 before the three small images on the inside. It was 

 made of canvas stretched upon a frame forming two 

 panels, in each of which was a figure ; one represent- 

 ing a mandarin with a yellow robe and hatchee- 

 matchee seated upon a bow and quiver of arrows, and 

 a broad sword ; the other, a commoner of Loo Choo 

 dressed in blue, and likewise seated upon a bow and 

 arrows. The weapons immediately attracted my at- 

 tention, and I inquired of my attendant what they 

 were, for the purpose of learning whether he was ac- 

 quainted with the use of them, and found that he was 

 by putting his arms in the position of drawing the 

 bow, and by pointing to the sword and striking his 

 arm forward ; but he implied that that weapon be- 

 longed to the mandarins only. A great many pieces 

 of paper were suspended on each side of the picture, 

 some of them marked with Chinese characters, and 

 were, no doubt, invocations to the deities for some 

 temporary benefits, as all the sects are in the habit of 

 writing inscriptions of this kind, and depositing them 

 in the jos houses, or placing them upon stones, of 

 which there are several in Loo Choo under the name 

 of Karoo. Under a veranda which surrounded the 

 temple there were several wooden forms strewed with 



