SIX WEEKS IX A TOWER. 59 



sent to meet us by Wong a Shui, the landed pro- 

 prietor with whom we were going to stay. They 

 had been despatched in order to escort us on the 

 road, and to inform us that danger was to be appre- 

 hended at a certain place among the hills. Besides 

 the money already referred to, we had a number of 

 articles for presents, stores for our own use, clothing, 

 &c., and so would have been a very acceptable prize. 

 A Shui's man told us that a number of disreputable 

 characters proposed to collect at a theatre which was 

 being erected on the road, and there seize our valuables 

 along with my companion's Chinese agents ; but we 

 had had far too much experience of Chinese stories to 

 place much reliance upon them, and were somewhat 

 suspicious of the proposal which was made, that we 

 should take an unfrequented route through the hills. 

 If there was any such danger, there could be little 

 hope of evading it by going out of our way, and the 

 most dangerous thing would be to appear afraid of it. 

 Our path led first along the banks of the creek, 

 and then over a rocky pass, with deep pools beneath, 

 down to a plain where there were many villages 

 buried in trees, at one of which I procured a chair 

 and coolies to carry me on, my companion being 

 already provided in that way. I have tried many 

 ways of travelling in carriages, in palanquins, on 

 foot, on horseback, on camels, and, I may add, on 

 donkeys, for I once rode eighty miles in thirty hours 

 on an Egyptian ass but as to real enjoyment, I think 



