30 
WANDERINGS IN CHINA. 
Chap. II. 
bathing in cold water, and perhaps more conducive to 
health. 
After I was dressed I received a cup of tea— tea in the 
strict sense of the word — without sugar or milk, these 
additions never being used in this part of China. About 
eight o'clock the cook had six large earthenware basins 
placed at the side of the rice-pot ; each of these he filled 
brim-full of cong^, and set them in the open air to cool. 
When it was cool enough to be eaten, the basins were 
placed in a row in the passage between our berths ; the 
passengers then arranged themselves into messes, four in 
each, and breakfast began. By this arrangement the 
dwarf, who occupied the berth opposite to mine, my two 
Chinese servants, and myself formed the mess nearest to 
the stern of the boat. Each man was furnished with a 
small basin and a pair of chopsticks ; a wooden ladle 
was placed in the earthen pan, with which each filled his 
basin. 
Having had little to eat the day before, except some 
sweet potatoes which one of my men brought me, I was 
hungry enough not only to eat the cong^, uninviting as 
it certainly was, but also to disregard the presence of the 
Chinese, or what they might think of the awkward way 
in which I used the chopsticks. I got on very well, 
however, and found that I had not quite forgotten the 
art of eating with these highly-civilised instruments. It 
is, however, easier to eat rice and cong^ with them 
than any other kinds of food, for the basin is generally 
brought quite close up to the mouth, and its contents 
partly sucked and partly shovelled in. 
The tide and wind were both fair, so that we glided up 
