Chap. V. 
RAPID TIDE. 
85 
when the weather had moderated, and we proceeded on 
our voyage. 
In three days we arrived at the city of Yen-chow-foo 
— a journey which occupied twelve days in going up ; 
and in three days more, that is on the sixth day after 
leaving Tun-che, we arrived at the town of Nechow. 
Nechow is a small but busy town, a few miles higher 
up the river than the city of Hang-chow-foo. It is a 
place of some importance, as it stands on the main road 
between Hwuy-chow and Ning-po. Large numbers of 
river boats were at anchor abreast of the town, some 
from Hmiy-chow, Yen-chow, and the other towns up the 
river, and many from the city of Hang-chow. I suppose 
the population of the town and boats may amount to 
twenty or thirty thousand. 
I had frequently heard of the rapidity of the tides in 
the river, but had never seen anything remarkable about 
them until this evening. We were all seated at dinner, 
or rather supper, for it was the third and last meal of 
the day, when I heard a rush of water and a great noise 
amongst the boats with which we were moored. " Jan- 
shui ! jan-shui ! (the flood-tide ! the flood-tide !) ex- 
claimed a hundred voices ; and two or three of our 
men jumped up, and ran out to guide the boat. I went 
out also to see what was going on, and observed a large 
wave coming rolling up towards us. Taking boat after 
boat in its progress, it whirled it round in an instant, 
until the whole fleet were "riding to the flood." I 
can only compare the scene to that presented by some 
highland river, which, swelled after a storm by many 
mountain-streams, comes roUing down to the lowlands, 
