106 



TEA DISTRICTS OF CHINA. 



Chap. VI. 



was coming up behind my chair, he had observed 

 another chair, in which there was a great general, 

 closely following mine, and that he suspected that 

 this man had some intention of seizing us and making 

 us prisoners. 



We plunged onwards, and saw no more of the 

 " great general," who was probably all the time 

 thinking much more of getting indoors from the 

 pelting storm than of molesting: us. Indeed I strongly 

 suspected that the whole affair was only a trick of 

 Wang's to get rid of the chairbearers, and to rob 

 them of their money, which ought to have been paid 

 to them on starting. 



We were now in the town of Tun-che, and, having 

 crossed the river by a bridge, soon reached our boat. 

 My bed and all my clothes were soaked with rain, 

 and I spent a most uncomfortable night. Early on 

 the following; morning the boat was pushed out into 

 the stream, and we proceeded rapidly down the 

 river. 



The storm of the previous night had entirely passed 

 away, and never had I seen a more beautiful morn- 

 ing. The sun shone gaily, the atmosphere was clear 

 and bracing, and everything wore a cheerful and 

 smiling aspect. With little exertion on the part of 

 our crew, we floated rapidly down the stream, passing 

 in quick succession the woods, towns, and villages 

 which lined its banks. Sometimes, as we looked 

 onwards, our course seemed to be stopped by moun- 

 tain-barriers, but as we approached them a way 

 opened out, and we glided rapidly through, between 



