102 



A CURSING WOMAN. 



Chap. VI. 



standing wide open. Her eldest child, a boy 

 about ten years of age, was trying to raise ber 

 from tbe floor ; bis sister, some two years younger, 

 was crying as if ber little beart would break ; 

 wbile an infant was playing witb its toy on tbe 

 floor quite unconscious of tbe sin and misery going 

 on around it. 



Tbese Cbinese termagants work tbemselves up 

 into sucb passions sometimes for very sligbt 

 tbings, and tbeir imprecations or curses are quite 

 fearful. One nigbt an old woman in Ningpo bad 

 a couple of fowls stolen. Next morning, wben 

 sbe discovered ber loss, sbe came outside ber door, 

 and began in tbe following strain : — " I bave lost 

 two fowls ; some one bas stolen my two fowls. 

 May be never tbrive wbo bas stolen my fowls ! " 

 — and tben a dead dog caugbt ber eye as it was 

 floating down tbe river — " May be die like tbat 

 dog ! May bis body never be buried ! May bis 

 children never visit his tomb ! " and so on. I 

 forget if this old lady went quite off ; many of 

 them stop short and get pacified before they reach 

 the climax. 



In the month of August I had a somewhat sud- 

 den and violent attack of fever. Whether this 

 was the result of exposure to tbe sun, or from 

 causes over which I bad no control, it is impos- 

 sible for me to say. Unfortunately I had no medi- 

 cine with me at the time, and as I was far from 

 foreign medical advice I was glad to put myself 

 into tbe bands of a Chinese practitioner. I con- 



