62 
WANDERINGS IN CHINA. 
Chap. III. 
coolie could not be trusted, he must be left also. He did 
not intend even to pay what was due upon our passage- 
money ! Such was the plan which, after days and 
nights of deep thought, as he told me, he had at last 
made up his mind to put into execution, and to which 
he now begged that I would agree. 
I thought over the business for some few minutes, 
and then came to the determination not to adopt his 
suggestions. I was unwilling to leave behind me the 
seeds of the tea-shrub and of the other new plants which 
I had discovered, and I did not think the state of the 
case so urgent as to force me to the unworthy measure 
of leaving the other man behind and the boatman un- 
paid. " This plan of yours will not do,'' said I ; " if you 
can leave the boat in an open manner, taking your com- 
panion along with you and paying all charges, I have no 
objection either to go on shore or to hire another boat, 
but I cannot consent to go away in the manner you pro- 
pose.'' I was very glad afterwards that I was firm 
enough to pursue this course. 
A day or two after this I was informed in the morning 
that we were within thirty le of the town of Tun-che, 
and that we should arrive there in the evening. This 
was the destination of our boat, and here we should leave 
it. In the afternoon, about two o'clock, we were only 
■four miles distant from this place, and as the water was 
very shallow, and we were making but little progress, 
most of the passengers determined to walk onwards to 
the towQ. We all began to pack up our luggage and 
make preparations for the journey. The opium-smoker, 
who, with all his civility, was a man I could not trust, 
