1 70 Through the Yang-tse Gorges 



battlements and curled temple-roofs. Passing the parade- 

 ground in the north-west angle of the wall, and upon which 

 some local volunteers were exercising with bows and arrows, 

 I stopped to look on, and was offered a trial-shot by one of 

 the citizen soldiers. I shot as far, but as wide of the mark 

 as any of the rest. My civil volunteer now begged me to 

 adjourn to his house and drink tea. We descended, and 

 entering the gateway in a high wall close by, I found myself 

 in an extensive nursery-garden, my host proving to be a florist. 

 Dwarf mandarin oranges, about the size of walnuts, com- 

 posed his principal crop. There was a fine show of other 

 flowers and sub-tropical shrubs in addition, all in their full 

 April bloom. The good wife hobbled in with the teapot, 

 and after a refreshing drink we again set forth on our 

 rounds. The angle of the wall is composed of a large 

 square, three-storied stone fort, loop-holed in three stories ; 

 but the wooden platforms, originally built to support the 

 marksmen in position, were, like all other Government 

 institutions in China, in a state of utter decay. Continuing 

 on along the inland wall, and parallel to the river, the 

 rising ground outside on our left a confused mass of 

 ancient grave-mounds, such as universally cover the hill- 

 sides surrounding a Chinese city, we wound on, up and 

 down, until we passed the door of the " Ngai-teh Tang," or 

 " Hall of the Lovers of Virtue," in the courts of which I 

 had enjoyed a sumptuous feed on the previous day. After 

 passing, I found myself called back, and on turning round 

 I was surprised to find my late host advancing to meet 

 me. Some of the idlers or retainers, who throng the door- 

 ways of all the large Chinese houses, had informed him 

 of my presence. Mr. Wang was, my companion told 

 me, entertaining female guests, or Anglice, had a ladies' 

 party on; but I declined his invitation to come in and 



