Chap. I. 



A DISAPPOINTMENT. 



7 



duty it was to engage tlie boats we required for 

 the journey. Before he left me for this purpose 

 I desired him to take care the boatman knew 

 the road, as it would never do to find out after we 

 had started that no one knew which way to go. 

 He left me on this mission, and was absent about 

 two hours. When he returned he informed me 

 that he had made the requisite inquiries about the 

 sunken village, that such an occurrence had taken 

 place, but instead of the spot being up the river we 

 must go down in an opposite direction in order to 

 find it. At the same time he told me candidly he 

 did not think the boatman knew anything about 

 the matter, and said I had better not go until 

 something more satisfactory could be ascertained 

 concerning it. I w^as reluctantly compelled to 

 admit that his advice was good, and wrote to the 

 others saying we had better put off the journey. 

 And now it is worth while to mark the result of 

 all this in order to get an idea of the extraordinary 

 character of the people of China. A few days 

 afterwards we were told with the greatest coolness, 

 by the same parties who had formerly given the 

 information about the sunken village, that " it was 

 quite true such an occurrence had taken place, but 

 that it had happened about two hundred years 

 ago ! 



While these events were going forward the 

 rebellion in the interior of the country was caus- 

 ing the greatest excitement, not only amongst the 

 natives, but also amongst foreign residents. The 



