FROM TONKIN TO INDIA 



of tchaotiou, and joss-sticks. The joss-sticks duly burned, while 

 Buddha, like Don Caesar de Bazan behind the bars, was only 

 regaled by proxy. But the men made good cheer. 



At the last moment, of course, difficulties cropped up to 

 retard us. First, a squabble between the makotou and the 

 innkeeper over a sixpence, which I left them to settle. Then 

 a more serious difference arose in our own ranks. Some time 

 previously one of our fellows, a Mussulman, openly denounced 

 Frangois to me for peculation. The disclosure had fanned the 

 interpreter's existing- hatred of the followers of the Prophet, and, 

 notwithstanding that the man was a willing hand, he demanded 

 that I should summarily dismiss "the despiser of pork," on the 

 ground that he smoked opium. This was frivolous, seeing that 

 they all shared the vice. A violent altercation ensued between 

 Franqois, the makotou, and the Houi Houi (Mussulman), in the 

 course of which the last named vigorously and publicly landed 

 one of his tormentors a punch on the head, and the other a 

 kick behind. These straightway fled to me with their dishonour, 

 and declared themselves irreparably insulted, and unable to proceed. 

 Having witnessed the whole scene, our sympathies were all with 

 the spirited Mussulman, who had only given two rogues their 

 due ; but we could hardly dispense with the interpreter. Luckily, 

 the porter solved our embarrassment by himself requesting his 

 discharge. We found that, on the purchase of a couple of mules 

 here for a hundred and thirty taels, Francois and the makotou had 

 pocketed thirteen taels as commission ; and similar jobbery went on 

 in other matters. To be robbed with our eyes open seemed inevit- 

 able : we could get on ourselves without these knaves, but what 

 sort of information could we hojje to extract without them in 



this wretched country ! 



88 



