PAST AND PRESENT. 227 



with wonderful regularity at twelve at night, two, and 

 four. In China they are equally valuable, and even 

 more used for the purpose of time-keeping. Every 

 fishing-junk carries a bird in a small cage, hung over 

 the high-peaked stern, for this purpose alone. 



I had hove-to for lunch one day on a lovely white 

 sandy beach in the Inland Sea, not thirty yards long, 

 bound in by fir woods. Strolling a little way up the 

 small valley I found a charming grassy spot, and here I 

 remained an hour. Two natives had approached, and, 

 respectfully remaining some twenty yards off, watched 

 the wonderful sight of a foreigner eating. No European 

 had ever been there. One of my men presented the elder 

 of the two Japanese with an empty preserved-meat tin, 

 which we had just flung from us. It was a wonderful 

 thing, evidently. How they examined it ! How they 

 both thanked us, then spoke earnestly together for a 

 few minutes, and away ran the younger, returning in a 

 very short time with a live cock, which the older man 

 took from him, and with many bows and apologies 

 begged me to accept the bird, as a return for the hand- 

 some present of an empty meat-tin. This cock was, I 

 doubt not, almost the most valuable thing the poor 

 kind-hearted native possessed. They are the only 

 time-piece the poorer class of Japanese have, and are. 



