ClIAP. V. 
CHINESE SQUEEZING. 
79 
The sum which I had brought with me was reduced to 
about thirty dollars. I had been obliged to pay very 
high prices for everything during the journey, and felt 
convinced that the Chinese system of squeezing had 
been in full operation. Up to the present time I had 
submitted to it with a good grace, knowing that this was 
the only way by which I was likely to attain the object I 
had in view. But now it was absolutely necessary for 
me to rebel. The place to which we were to be taken 
by this boat was at least one hundred miles from any of 
the ports where the English resided, and where money 
could be procured, and I had every reason to expect that 
a sum equal to this would be demanded for taking me 
on from Nechow to Ning-po — and this latter demand I 
should not have been able to pay. Besides, I knew very 
well, or at least I had every reason to suspect, that the 
sum stated to me by Wang was much more than his 
father had agreed for with the boatmen. I therefore said 
to him that I was quite sure the chop was not correct, 
and that, whether it was or not, I could not pay such a 
large sum, and must devise some other means of pro- 
ceeding down the country. He pretended to be highly 
indignant at my even suspecting his veracity, and was 
entering into a long explanation, when I cut the matter 
short by sa3dng that my mind was made up upon the 
subject, and that, as the sum he named was out of the 
question, I should endeavour to engage another boat 
myself or through the coolie. Moreover I hinted that, if 
things could not be managed in that way, I would call 
upon the mandarin of Tun-che, and ask his assistance to 
enable me to engage a boat at a fair and proper price* 
