Chap. IV. 



FERRY-BOAT AND LADIES. 



77 



pretty and handsomely dressed young ladies, with 

 whom I was greatly amused. When they came into 

 the boat they seated themselves quietly by my side, 

 and began chatting to each other in high spirits. I 

 could not help contrasting their conduct with that of 

 any of their countrywomen at the five ports where 

 foreigners are permitted to trade. Eespectably 

 dressed females always fly from foreigners as they 

 would do from a wild and ferocious animal. Had 

 these pretty damsels known that a " barbarian" was 

 seated at their side, how astonished and frightened 

 they would have been ! 



About evening, just before dark, the boat arrived 



i and lay abreast of the town during the night. All 

 the men now applied for leave to go on shore to see 

 the play. Some of them appeared very anxious that 

 I should go with them, but, being quite contented 

 with the adventures of the day, I declined the invi- 

 tation. It was very late before they all came back ; 



: but this did not prevent us from getting under way 

 at the usual time next morning and proceeding on 

 our journey. 



After we had gone some distance the head boat- 

 man came round and informed the passengers that it 

 would be necessary to engage another boat to take 

 part of his cargo, as the river was too shallow to 



, allow him to get up so deeply laden as he was. 

 Moreover, he coolly proposed that the expenses of 



I the second boat should be defrayed by the passengers, 

 giving as his reason that by this means they would 



! get sooner to their destination. As the sum was not 



