52 EAMBLES OF A NATUEALI8T. [Oh. HI 



had, of course, to be satisfied ; but the lad who guided us to 

 his house had probably a pretty correct appreciation of the 

 situation, when he grinningly hinted, " Mandoli too muchee 

 fear." 



After three days' stay we quitted Makung, our chief 

 engineer, Mr. Sutton, an excellent photographer, having 

 taken some views in the town on the morning of our depar- 

 ture. On this occasion the crowd was with difficulty kept off 

 from the apparatus, their extreme curiosity proving rather 

 inconvenient. One man, whUe a picture was being developed, 

 and attention temporarily withdrawn, furtively drank the 

 contents of the bottle of glacial acetic acid, and it was well 

 for him it was not something even more deleterious. 

 Another, who was more impudent than most of his neigh- 

 bours, accepted the challenge to he painted with the nitrate 

 of silver solution. Accordingly he received a moustache, 

 beard, rings round his eyes, &c., which were beginning to 

 darken in the sunlight as we left the scene, greatly amused 

 at the surprise which awaited our forward friend when the 

 fuU effects of the solution should become developed; but, 

 unfortunately, we had no opportunity of seeing him in his 

 altered aspect, though we may imagine it would be a source 

 of no small embarrassament to him, and amusement to his 

 pitiless neighbours. 



A few months subsequent to our visit to the Pescadores, 

 two English ships were wrecked in the neighbourhood. The 

 first of these, as soon as she was observed to be upon a reef, 

 was surrounded by 30 boats, and some 300 natives boarded 

 her and looted the ship of every movable article. They do 

 not appear to have offered any personal molestation to the 

 Europeans, who were even accommodated with the shelter 

 of a joss-house; but their goods were taken as something 



