22 



TEA DISTRICTS OF CHINA. 



Chap. II. 



dress of the country. I knew that this was indis- 

 pensable if I wished to accomplish the object in view, 

 and readily acceded to the terms. 



My servants now procured me a Chinese dress, 

 and had the tail which I had worn in former years 

 nicely dressed by the barber. Everything was soon 

 in readiness except the boat which had to be engaged 

 for the first stage of our journey. This was, just 

 then, a difficult matter, owing to some boatmen hav- 

 ing been severely punished by the Chinese autho- 

 rities for taking three or four foreigners some distance 

 inland to see the silk districts. These gentlemen 

 went in the English dress, and complaints were con- 

 sequently made by the officers in the districts through 

 which they passed to the mandarins in Shanghae. 

 On this account it was impossible to engage a boat as 

 a foreigner, and I desired my servant to hire it in 

 his own name, and merely state that two other per- 

 sons were to accompany him. He agreed to this 

 plan, and soon returned with a "chop," or agree- 

 ment, which he had entered into with a man who 

 engaged to take us as far as the city of Hang- 

 chow-foo. 



Thus far all was right; but now my two men 

 began to be jealous of each other, each wanting to 

 manage the concern, with the view, as it proved 

 ultimately, of getting as many dollars out of me 

 as possible. One of them had been engaged as a 

 servant and linguist, and the other was little better 

 than a common coolie. I therefore intrusted the 

 management of our affairs to the former, much to 



