82 



TEA DISTRICTS OF CHINA. 



Chap. IV. 



made up his mind to put into execution, and to which 

 he now begged that I would agree. 



I thought over the business for some few minutes, 

 and then came to the determination not to adopt his 

 suggestions. I was unwilling to leave behind me the 

 seeds of the tea-shrub and of the other new plants 

 which I had discovered, and I did not think the state 

 of the case so urgent as to force rne to the unworthy 

 measure of leaving the other man behind and the 

 boatman unpaid. " This plan of yours will not do," 

 said I ; "if you can leave the boat in an open man- 

 ner, taking your companion along with you and pay- 

 ing all charges, I have no objection either to go on 

 shore or to hire another boat, but I cannot consent to 

 go away in the manner you propose." I was very 

 glad afterwards that I was firm enough to pursue this 

 course. 



A day or two after this I was informed in the 

 morning that we were within thirty le of the town of 

 Tun-che, and that we should arrive there in the 

 evening. This was the destination of our boat, and 

 here we should leave it. In the afternoon, about two 

 o'clock, we were only four miles distant from this 

 place, and as the water was very shallow, and w T e 

 were making but little progress, most of the passen- 

 gers determined to walk onwards to the town. We 

 all began to pack up our luggage and make prepara- 

 tions for the journey. The opium-smoker, who, with 

 all his civility, was a man I could not trust, was now 

 very anxious to know to what part of the country we 

 were bound. My Chinese servants, who had learned 



