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CHAPTER XV. 



HOUSEBOATS AND HOUSEBOATING. 



By Geo. Lanning, 

 Late Head Master Shatighai Public School. 



IF there is in the Far East one thing more than another which appeals to the "notice 

 board " foreigner from homelands it is the freedom with which, once he is outside a 

 settlement, he may move about. He goes North, South, East or West, and after a month's 

 journey he will not have found a single warning that " trespassers will be prosecuted," that 

 he must "keep off the grass," or that anybody will be in any way offended if he goes 

 anywhere he pleases. And go he does. Occasionally a city-bred — shall I say it? it smacks 

 rather of the country than of the city, yet no other word will do as well, — a city-bred boor or 

 churl presumes on this freedom, and respects neither sown seed nor tender sprout. If he 

 knew anything better be ought to be kicked, but he doesn't. The gentleman of rural 

 bringing up and tastes knows exactly where and how he may trespass upon crops without 

 damage. His city contemporary should learn. For the country Chinaman in ninety cases 

 out of a hundred is at heart a gentleman and a sport, and can appreciate the courtesy of a 

 kindly act as well as any one. This by the way. 



The boat is ready. Is it necessary to describe her ? I think not. No description be 

 it ever so wearisome will do the work of five minutes' personal inspection, and that you can 

 have at any time. The houseboat of to-day is the result of a combination of evolution and 

 necessity, the necessity being the width and height of the bridges. Suffice it to say that the 

 Skylark is as perfect as any boat on the river and that we are off in her. The lowdah, 

 literally "old, great" one — or captain has a crew of six or seven water coolies as boatmen, 

 to yuloh, pole, or track as circumstances require. They have no objection whatever to being 

 towed. We, however, are going to sail. 



It is a lovely night; the sky ablaze with diamonds, reflected one by one in the 

 gliding tide unruffled by the fair wind. On the way up we study "With Boat and Gun in 

 the Yangtze Valley," a book which no sportsman would ever dream of being without, since 

 it is almost impossible to imagine any practical up-country question of importance that is 

 not discussed in its pages. The old hand who knows by experience what is going to happen 

 almost instinctively turns up for the twentieth time the chapter of " Memorabilia" and reads 

 there of fine things done by men who in every sense of the word were sports indeed. He 



