318 



THE EAGRE, OK BORE. 



Chap. XV. 



at right angles with the Tsien-tang, but at safe 

 distances. My position was a terrace in front of 

 the Tri-wave temple, which afforded a good view 

 of the entire scene. On a sudden all traffic in the 

 thronged mart was suspended ; porters cleared the 

 front street of every description of merchandise, 

 boatmen ceased lading and unlading their vessels, 

 and put out into the middle of the stream, so that 

 a few minutes sufficed to give a deserted appear- 

 ance to the busiest part of one of the busiest cities 

 in Asia. The centre of the river teemed with 

 craft, from small boats to large barges, including 

 the gay * flower-boats.' Loud shouting from the 

 fleet announced the appearance of the flood, which 

 seemed like a glistening white cable stretched 

 athwart the river at its mouth, as far down as the 

 eye could reach. Its noise, compared by Chinese 

 poets to that of thunder, speedily drowned that of 

 the boatmen, and as it advanced with prodigious 

 velocity — at the rate, I should judge, of twenty- 

 five miles an hour — it assumed the appearance of 

 an alabaster wall, or rather of a cataract four or 

 five miles across and about thirty feet high, mov- 

 ing bodily onward. Soon it reached the advanced 

 guard of the immense assemblage of vessels await- 

 ing its approach. Knowing that the Bore of the 

 Hoogly, which scarce deserved mention in connec- 

 tion with the one before me, invariably overturned 

 boats which were not skilfully managed, I could 

 not but feel apprehensive for the lives of the float- 

 ing multitude. As the foaming wall of water 



