266 
WANDERINGS IN CHINA. 
Chap. XVI. 
some began to smoke opium and others tobacco, after 
which most of them went to bed again and were soon 
fast asleep. The Chinese when travelling do little else 
than eat, smoke, and sleep. During the whole time I 
was travelling in the country I never remember seeing 
one Chinese engaged in reading. 
About eleven in the forenoon we came to anchor in a 
muddy bay abreast of the city of Chapoo, where many 
of the junks are high and dry at low water. I had my 
luggage put into a small boat and rowed for the shore. 
" You had better take off your shoes and stockings, and 
draw up your trousers," said one of the Chinese boatmen 
as we were getting near the landing-place. The prudence 
and necessity of this advice were soon apparent ; for 
when the boat touched the beach, I found that I had to 
walk a quarter of a mile up to the knees in mud before 
I could get on firm ground. Now came the critical part 
of my expedition. When I had got through the mud, I 
inquired for the nearest spring, and commenced my 
ablutions ; making no attempt to disguise myself, as I 
was dressed in the common English garb. Long before 
I had finished washing I was surrounded by some 
hundreds of the natives, who seemed perfectly astonished 
at the sight of an Englishman, although this place had 
been attacked and taken during the late war. All sorts of 
inquiries were made regarding me ; " where had I come 
from?'' "where was I bound for?" "what were my 
objects?" and a hundred other questions were put to 
me, or to those who accompanied me. All were, how- 
ever, quite civil, and did not attempt to annoy me in 
the slightest degree. I now walked to some hills near 
