Chap. III. 
THREATENED ATTACK. 
49 
during the journey, and nearly the whole of them bore 
him a grudge. Things were in this very unsatisfactory 
state when we reached the city of Wae-ping. 
It was about eight o'clock in the evening, and quite 
dark, when we moored our boat close under the city 
walls. The boatmen went on shore, as they did every 
evening when we happened to stop near a town. One 
or two of their number, who had been left to take care 
of the boat, tired with the labours of the day, lay down 
to sleep, and the greater part of the passengers followed 
their example. I now observed my two men in close 
conversation, but as this was a matter of frequent 
occurrence I paid little attention to it. Tired with my 
day's rambles, I lay down upon my bed, and allowed 
my thoughts to wander to far distant lands. 
My meditations were gradually merging into dreams 
when I felt a hand touch me, and a voice, which I knew 
to be Wang's, informed me that I must not go to sleep. 
When I asked the reason, he informed me that he had 
just discovered that the boatmen had entered into a 
conspiracy against us, and that we were all to be 
drowned that night in the river. " They have now 
gone into the town to get some of their friends to assist 
them," said he, " and they are only waiting until they 
think we are fast asleep." 
I scarcely knew what to think of the business. We 
were now about three hundred miles from either Shang"- 
hae or Ning-po, the night was very dark, and if the 
threatened attempt should be made we had little chance 
of receiving any assistance from others. But I could 
not allow myself to believe that in the interior of this 
VOL. II. D 
