94 



STATE OF THE COUNTRY. 



Chap. VI. 



with me. I could go from valley to valley and 

 from hill to hill ; I could " bring up " when it was 

 necessary ; and when my labours were finished in 

 one place, I could go on, bag and baggage, to 

 another. Whenever the country was known to 

 me, or supposed to contain objects of little interest, 

 I used to travel by night and work during the 

 day. Thus my boatmen and myself worked alter- 

 nately ; they slept by day and sailed by night, 

 while I slept by night and worked by day. 

 At this time the country was in a very un- 

 settled state, owing to the rebellion which was 

 raging in many of the districts in the adjacent 

 provinces, and hundreds of loose characters, honest 

 enough when the Government was strong, were 

 now committing acts of robbery upon the quiet 

 and inoffensive natives. Yery few Chinese tra- 

 velled by night, unless in large bands, whose 

 numbers were considered a sufficient protection. 

 My boatmen often remonstrated when they got 

 the order to move on, telling me it was not the 

 labour they were afraid of, — they were willing to 

 work, — but that we should be attacked and robbed, 

 or perhaps murdered. These little scenes were to 

 me oftentimes exceedingly amusing. I would first 

 hear the boatman come to the bows where my 

 headman Tung-a was, and in a low whisper com- 

 municate his fears to him, and ask him at the 

 same time to use his influence with me in order 

 that we might remain where we were until day- 

 light. Then after a conference of this kind Mr. 



