38 



TEA DISTEICTS OF CHINA. 



Chap. II. 



my surprise and pleasure, however, another chair 

 was brought me, and I was informed that I was to 

 proceed in it. I now understood how the business 

 had been managed. The innkeeper had intrusted 

 the first bearers with a sum of money sufficient to 

 hire another chair for the second stage of the journey. 

 Part of this sum, however, had been spent by them 

 in tea and tobacco as we came along, and the second 

 bearers could not be induced to take me on for the 

 sum which was left. A brawl now ensued between 

 the two sets of chairmen, which was noisy enough ; 

 but as such things are quite common in China, it 

 seemed, fortunately for me, to attract but little notice. 

 The situation in which I was now placed was rather 

 critical, and far from an enviable one. Had it been 

 known that a foreigner was in the very heart of the 

 city of Hang-chow-foo, a mob would have soon col- 

 lected, and the consequences might have been 

 serious. 



" Take things coolly and never lose your temper" 

 should be the motto of every one who attempts to 

 travel in China. This is always the best plan, for, if 

 you allow things to take their course, ten to one you 

 will get out of a dilemma like that in which I was now 

 placed ; but if you attempt to interfere, you will pro- 

 bably make matters worse. These were the prin- 

 ciples on which I generally acted ; but in the present 

 instance I was not allowed to carry them out to their 

 fullest extent. 



I had taken my seat in the second chair, and was 

 patiently waiting until such time as the first men 



