2x6 Through the Yang-tse Gorges 



resting on narrow waterways, gives accommodation to the 

 crew and their stores, and contains the rice-boiler and 

 the kitchen, which is only opened at and immediately 

 before the meal hours, when, with the wind ahead, volumes 

 of acrid smoke stream through the opened cabin to the 

 great delectation of the hungry passengers. The stem 

 accommodates the skipper, who is usually the owner, and 

 therein the little cargo he usually carries as a private 

 venture' is stowed. On the present occasion our vessel 

 was laden with ducks' feathers, destined for sale in 

 Shanghai, and eventually, probably, for Mincing Lane. 

 These feathers were packed in huge bales of bamboo 

 matting, and reached to within three feet of the roof. Aft 

 a small depression had been left, just affording squatting- 

 room for our party of three round a dwarf table at meal- 

 times. Seeing that, unlike the voyage up, on the down- 

 stream journey there is no opportunity of quitting the boat, 

 except at night, and that I was anxious, too, to see some- 

 thing of the scenery going down, I at once made up my 

 mind that this vessel was impracticable. Chinese super- 

 cargoes are perfectly content with such accommodation ; 

 they ask nothing, better than to enjoy an earthly Nirvana 

 for a week, free from anxiety and undisturbed by anything 

 but the periodical call to meals. However, I waited to see 

 what my friends would say, knowing that there was no use 

 in protesting too soon, and that there was no likelihood of 

 our getting away that day. Sure enough, after scrambling 

 through the boat with no little difficulty, they all set upon 

 the unfortunate man who had been entrusted with the en- 

 gaging of our passages, and roundly abused him. The 

 passage was cried off, and it was decided to look out for 

 something better. As it would be impossible to find 

 private accommodation elsewhere that afternoon, and as I 



