( 93 ) 



arrived earlier than was expected, and consequently everything 

 was in a state of confusion. Carpets, however, were soon spread 

 on benches, and tea and pipes handed round until the Mandarin 

 was ready to receive us. The entertainment was in the temple, 

 and prayer was being conducted in the chamber, over the entrance 

 to the inner court, when we arrived. The ceremony apparently 

 gave employment to four priests : one was reading the law out in a 

 loud voice for the benefit of those busy in the court below ; another 

 punctuated the sentences, by knocking a couple of ebony rales 

 against one another ; a third rang a bell at given intervals ; and the 

 fourth was engaged, fumigating the chamber with incense. 



After an interval of a good half-hour, the Mandarin sent 

 word to say he would be glad to see us. He was living up-stairs 

 in one of the guest-rooms round the outer court of the temple ; and 

 a filthy, dirty little den it was ; filled with all sorts of lumber, our 

 host's bed and table, occupying an extreme corner. After more tea, 

 pipes and sweets, we sallied forth to watch the procession, pass down 

 the main street, which it occupied two hours in doing. Some 

 twenty yards in advance of the principal group were a few skir- 

 mishers, who kept the way clear by discharging blunderbusses, load- 

 ed with sufficient powder to give the report of a cannon ; next in 

 order came a body of gaily-dressed men, marching at a slow, mea- 

 sured pace, with eyes fixed on the ground, and carrying the differ- 

 ent insignia of office, referred to at page 51 ; then followed the 

 expounders of the law, the senior priest reading aloud from a roll 

 of paper, and the others either ringing bells, striking sticks 

 together, or swinging the incense-pot to and fro, as they progressed. 

 There was a break now of about five yards, and then came the 

 band, which consisted of fifes and bones, making the most dis- 

 cordant noise possible to conceive ; I was astonished to find that 

 a people in other respects so civilized should continue to have such 

 a barbarous idea of music. A group that presented themselves to 

 my mind as jesters, were the next in the train ; their faces were 

 disfigured by paint, false moustaches of unnatural length, and 

 large round spectacles, while their costume was equally ludicrous 

 with the rest of the get up ; their principal office appeared to 

 consist in trying to excel one another in buffoonery, and apparently 

 they were commanded by a stout party mounted on a pony, who would 

 have made a capital Guy Fawkes. Perched on a bamboo about 

 fifteen feet long, was a boy disguised as a girl, he looked quite 

 pretty as he gracefully kept fanning himself, and smiled on the 

 admiring crowd. He was in a standing position, and borne in 

 turns by volunteers from the crowd ; but the surprising part to me 



