Passage in a Cargo Junk 2 1 5 



a small boat carrying a light freight, and with good luck we 

 might hope to be back in Ichang in a week's time. A fare- 

 well dinner was given me in the evening by a piece-goods 

 hong with whom I had arranged some business, the hour, as 

 customary, being four o'clock. We sat down, a mixed party 

 of sixteen ; a party of eight at each of the two square tables, 

 including two Mohammedans, of whom there are a goodly 

 number scattered throughout the West of China. The " Hui 

 hui" (literally, "returners") are not recognizable from the 

 other Chinese, in whose customs and worship they freely 

 join J but they are rigid abstainers from swine's flesh, and in 

 consequence at our to-day's feast beef was substituted. 



The last day of April had now come, and after breakfast at 

 ten o'clock, the customary hour, we managed to effect a start. 

 We set out on foot to the Tai-ping gate, accompanied by a 

 train of friends who had assembled to see us off. At the 

 foot of the long staircase of 220 steps, which leads down 

 from the gate to the river, and is of the respectable width of 

 fully twenty feet, a small cargo boat was in waiting, with our 

 luggage, to convey us on board our river-going junk, which 

 was moored ready laden a short distance up the Kia-ling 

 or Siao river, in which safe anchorage the vessels loading 

 general cargo lie, the marvellous natural harbour in the 

 main river, situated just below Kiang-peh ting, being appro- 

 priated by the huge, almost unmanageable salt-junks. 

 Descending the stream past the city walls, a few minutes 

 brought us to the mouth of the Siao river, up against the 

 current of which a short pull soon put us alongside our 

 craft. She turned out to be a shen po tze, a little larger 

 than that in which I had ascended, with the difference on 

 the present occasion of her being fully laden and apparently 

 offering no accommodation for passengers whatever. The 

 forehold, which is decked with loose planks, their edges 



