376 DECEIT OF MANDARINS. [Cuar. XX 
might carry me oyer those low flats which were 
known to be still flooded. We got on pretty well 
for some time; but the tide beginning to rise, I soon 
found that I must either retrace my steps or make 
up my mind to disregard the water, as the whole of 
the paths in our route were flooded. Unwilling to 
return, I went on, often wading up to my middle; 
the same thing occurred during several successive 
days, and this under a burning sun, with a tempera- 
ture of at least 95° Fahr. in the shade. Few con- 
stitutions could stand this with impunity; and I 
suffered severely for it afterwards. 
I was now anxious to proceed further into the 
country, particularly into the hilly black tea 
district ; but the mandarins, who were informed of 
all my movements by their spies, did every thing 
in their power to dissuade me from making the 
attempt. They told the Consul, and induced him to 
believe them, that their only reason for wishing to 
prevent my going into the interior was, that the 
natives were in a state which made it unsafe for a 
foreigner to trust himself amongst them: that by 
and by they would communicate with the magis- 
trates in the district to which I wanted to go, and 
that after this was done I might proceed with safety. 
But I had had too much to do with the Chinese 
authorities in various parts of the country to place 
any reliance in what they said, more particu- 
larly when I knew that they had some end to gain. 
In the present instance, their object was to pro- 
crastinate matters from day to day until I should 
