168 



TEA DISTRICTS OF CHINA. 



Chap. IX. 



against the wind, and now and then bright flashes of 

 fire lighted up the creek, and showed us the motley 

 groups by which we were surrounded. The boatmen 

 were shouting in angry tones as the different boats 

 came rudely in contact; children were screaming, 

 and the shrill voices of the women were heard in all 

 directions, giving orders to the men and scolding 

 each other. A person unacquainted with the habits 

 of these people would have thought that something 

 very dreadful was about to happen. I had seen such 

 scenes too often, however, to feel any alarm, and, 

 although the rain came through the roof of my boat 

 and soaked my bed, I confess I was rather amused 

 than otherwise. 



The Chinese had good reasons for the precautions 

 they had taken. In two hours the river came down 

 sweeping everything before it. Had any of our 

 boats been in the stream they would have been torn 

 from their anchors and probably dashed to pieces. 

 Such mountain-floods are not unfrequent on these 

 rivers, and the boatmen, who know them well, take 

 great care to be out of the stream before they come 

 down, particularly if this is likely to happen at night. 



We were all safely moored at last, and the conflict 

 of tongues, as well as of the elements, gradually 

 ceased. Now and then a remark was made upon 

 what had taken place, and the good-humoured laugh 

 which followed showed that the person bore no ill-will 

 against those with whom he had had a war of words 

 a few minutes before. 



In our boat the good lady was the only one who 



