82 
WANDERINGS IN CHINA. 
Chap. V. 
he ; " leave the chair where it is, and let us hurry on- 
wards/' I got out, thinking that something very- 
serious was about to happen, and plunged onwards 
through the mud and rain. We had not gone many 
yards when the chairmen gave chase, and, coming up 
with us, collared Wang and demanded their fare. 
" What is the meaning of this proceeding ? said I : 
" you received money from me to pay these men before 
we started, and now you want to run off without paying 
them at all." " Do not make any noise," he replied ; 
"I will account for the money afterwards, but give me 
some more now to get rid of these men." I did so, and 
we then went on. 
When the chairmen left us I was bringing Wang to 
task for dishonesty. He then told me that, as he was 
coming up behind my chair, he had observed another 
chair, in which there was a great general, closely follow- 
ing mine, and that he suspected that this man had some 
intention of seizing us and making us prisoners. 
We plunged onwards, and saw no more of the 
" great general,'' who was probably all the time think- 
ing much more of getting indoors from the pelting 
storm than of molesting us. Indeed I strongly sus- 
pected that the whole affair was only a trick of Wang's 
to get rid of the chairbearers, and to rob them of 
their money, which ought to have been paid to them on 
starting. 
We were now in the town of Tun-che, and, having 
crossed the river by a bridge, soon reached our boat. My 
bed and all my clothes were soaked with rain, and I 
spent a most uncomfortable night. Early on the follow- 
