Oh. II.] FISHERMEN'S JOSS-HOUSE. 27 



now faded and weather-worn. They were arranged sym- 

 metrically upon a sort of altar, and upon the tables before 

 them were bundles of joss-sticks, packets of joss-papers, 

 rouleaux of paper dollars, lucky stones, gongs, tom-toms, 

 while around the building were grotesque wood carvings, 

 procession staves, and all the paraphernalia of the Chinese 

 devil-propitiators. We soon found, however, that they must 

 be handled with caution — they were rotting with damp and 

 decay, and harboured numbers of small scorpions, white 

 ants, and ugly-looking spiders, which commanded a certain 

 amount of respect from their malignant and venomous ap- 

 pearance. The blue-jackets especially, with their bare feet, 

 were very shy of walking about in a spot where scorpions 

 had their habitation, but fortunately no one suffered from 

 their stings. Among other offerings to Joss, were a number 

 of large model-ships, representing three-deckers, and made 

 of paper stretched upon frames of wood, now much torn and 

 dilapidated, but which showed plainly the piratical tendencies 

 of the frequenters of the temple, and their desire that Joss 

 should cast some barbarian ships upon the shore for them to 

 plunder. As far as we could judge, however, from the con- 

 dition of the place, it must have been three or four months 

 since anyone had visited the island. 



A slope of long, rank grass led down from the joss-house 

 to the shores of the shallow inlet, upon which, and in the 

 water, were strewed immense numbers of dead shells of 

 Cerithium vertaguSj some few of which were inhabited by 

 hermit crabs. From observations made at the island upon 

 the tide, it appeared that during the day of fuU moon it was 

 high water at 8 a.m., and ebbed untU 3.15 p.m., by which 

 time it had fallen three feet. It was not surprising, therefore, 

 that some of these deserted shells were high and dry ; but 



