Chap. III. 



WATEK-M1LLS. 



55 



nant. "I gave you a dollar," said he, "and you 

 said that was bad ; I changed it, and gave you copper 

 cash, and you return them ; pray what do you want ?" 

 The passengers now gathered round them, and there 

 was every prospect of a serious riot. After a great 

 deal of noise, however, the poor fellow pocketed his 

 cash, protesting, at the same time, that he had been 

 badly used, and threatening to have his revenge on 

 Wang at some future time. 



At the end of two days, the additional men having 

 been engaged, and all the purchases completed, we 

 passed up the river, and left the town of Yen-chow 

 behind us. Our course was now in a north-westerly 

 direction. The stream was very rapid in many parts, 

 so much so that it is used for turning the water- 

 wheels which grind and husk rice and other kinds of 

 grain. The first of these machines which I observed 

 was a few miles above Yen-chow-foo. At the first 

 glance I thought it was a steamboat, and was greatly 

 surprised. I really thought the Chinese had been 

 telling the truth when they used to inform our coun- 

 trymen in the south that steamboats were common in 

 the interior. As I got nearer I found that the 

 " steamboat " was a machine of the following descrip- 

 tion. A large barge or boat was firmly moored by 

 stem and stern near the side of the river, in a part 

 where the stream ran most rapidly. Two wheels, 

 not unlike the paddles of a steamer, were placed at 

 the sides of the boat, and connected with an axle 

 which passed through it. On this axle were fixed a 

 number of short cogs, each of which, as it came 



