162 ATTACK OF THE CHINESE [Cuar. IX. 
dreds of the Chinese were congregated together ; 
some of them apparently respectable, but the 
greater part evidently nothing but thieves and 
robbers. The respectable part would not, or pro- 
bably durst not, render me any assistance. Stones 
were now flying about me in all directions, and a 
brick struck me with great force on the back, and 
nearly brought me to the ground. I was stunned 
for a few seconds, and leaned against the wall to 
breathe and recover myself, thinking that I] was 
now comparatively safe as I was out on the open 
road. I was soon undeceived, however, for the 
rascals again surrounded me, and relieved me of 
several articles which had escaped them before. 
As the whole neighbourhood was evidently a bad 
one, it would have been madness to have taken 
shelter in any of the houses, and I therefore had to 
struggle with the robbers for nearly a mile, some- 
times fighting, and sometimes running, until I got 
out of their territory, and near the more populous 
parts of the town. The plight I was now in may 
easily be conceived, but taking everything into 
account, I came off better than might have been 
. expected. 
On my way home, having neither hat nor um- 
brella, I suffered greatly from exposure to the sun, 
which, in the south of China, is very powerful on a 
clear day, eveninspring. I would have gladly gone 
intoa shop and bought a Chinese hat, but the rascals 
had not left me even a copper cash for the purpose. 
Fortunately I had left my watch at home, otherwise 
