280 
WANDERINGS IN CHINA. Chap. XVIT. 
The next morning our pilot got the ship under weigh, 
and took us into the river Min by a passage not marked 
in our charts ; he evinced the most perfect acquaintance 
with the depth of water at every part, and at last an- 
chored us in safety abreast of a small temple, a few miles 
from the mouth of the river. Before we came to the 
most dangerous point, where we had to pass between two 
sand-banks, the captain very quietly informed him that 
if he made any mistake and got the ship aground, he 
should have his tail cut off — a punishment very nearly 
the greatest which can be inflicted on a Chinaman. 
When told, he shrugged up his shoulders, gave a sly 
look, and said ; " Very well, we shall see by and by/' 
The anchorage being reached in safety, the old man 
thought it was now his time for a joke, and, turning tri- 
umphantly round with his tail in one of his hands, 
exclaimed, " Now, what about the tail ? is it to be cut off 
or not ; or are you satisfied ?" 
The passage by which we entered the river is called by 
the natives the Woo-hoo-mun, or " the five-tiger gate 
and here we saw a most singular rock, or island, which 
is cleft, as it were, into five pyramids, and is much 
revered by the Chinese sailor. In fact, he seems to look 
upon it as representing the gods of the ocean, and he 
fails not to offer up his thanks and his offerings every 
time he passes by it on returning from the sea. The 
Chinese are often taunted with their indifference to the 
religion which they profess ; and yet the earnest and 
devout manner in which they bum incense, and worship 
at their holy places, would put to the blush many of the 
professors of a holier and purer faith. 
