^48 WITH BOAT AND GUN IN THE YANGTZE VALLil^Y. 



cabin, shut the windows and himself went ashore to buy " something " in the suburbs of 

 Wusieh. Mr. and Mrs. Greig returned to the boat rather earlier than they intended, for 

 their idea was to make a day of it out in the country, and found dead silence reigning, no 

 lowdah or boy to receive them. However, they went on board and on opening the cabin 

 door the cook was discovered on Mrs. Greig's bunk, his head comfortably placed on her 

 pillow, with her photographic album in his hands. Fast asleep they thought him. And 

 so he was, but it was his last sleep. He had been asphyxiated with the charcoal fumes. 

 But the trouble did not end here. The corpse had to be taken back to Shanghai, a coffin 

 had to be bought, and a boat engaged to carry it. On arrival of the cortege it was soon 

 discovered that the cook had more relations than fall to the lot of most chefs, and that each 

 individual relation wanted a solatium to lighten his grief. It was a short and costly 



shooting trip. 



» * * * 



In the autumn of 1867, Mr. Geo. W. Coutts and Mr. F. Hayley Bell, who in those days 

 were pretty keen with dog and gun, imported a couple of good looking black retrievers, 

 which they were very anxious to try. So a few days after their arrival the animals were 

 taken for a week-end trip. The day's shooting over, the dogs were put into the boat's 

 hold through the hatchway, and made snug for the night. By some curious chance the 

 cook found his way into the same sleeping quarters, and to keep himself warm took a 

 charcoal charpoy with him. In the morning as the boat pulled up alongside the Tien Chang 

 jetty Horror of horrors ! ! — Dogs and cook had all been suffocated. It was said at the time, 

 but this need not necessarily be believed, that regrets for the loss of the dogs were more 

 pronounced than those for the demise of the cook. 



« « « » 



I shall never forget a trip I made with Mr. George Butler in the winter of 1868. He 

 was tea-inspector at that time to the firm of Petrococchino & Co., and I was ditto for the firm 

 of Shaw Brothers & Co. We had long been be,nt on having a good shoot. The boat was well 

 provisioned for a three weeks' trip, and we started off with a fresh north easterly breeze 

 and a strong spring flood tide for Kashing. We were soon bowling along at the rate of 

 eight miles an hour, and to occupy the time began quite early to overhaul our things. When 

 we had a little more than cleared the Settlement Butler let slip a very short but very 

 emphatic monosyllable. On enquiring its occasion I learnt that he had forgotten his 

 cartridges. Here was a pretty state of things. Chafing at the knowledge that we should 

 lose both wind and tide — there were no steam launches in those days — there was no 

 alternative but to tie up the boat at the Tungkadoo Wharf and hail a sampan into which 

 poor Butler got. And then I watched the boat struggling against both wind and tide. 

 She ultimately fetched up opposite the Roman Catholic Cathedral in the City, and Butler 

 had to make his way to Mackenzie & Co., and wait while they loaded 500 cartridges for 

 him ; a longer operation than it is to-day. He did not return to the boat till late in the 

 afternoon, and we had to wait for the next flood before we finally started. 



For days we had varying sport, mostly good, until we struck the broad waters round 

 Eshing, and sailing across these we landed some distance from the city. As evening 

 was closing in Butler wisely made his way to the boat, but I more venturesome stayed 



