138 
WANDERINGS IN CHINA. Chap. VIII. 
called for his pipe, and began to smoke. Soon afterwards 
he started for Nan-che to try and raise some money to 
satisfy his creditor. 
About mid-day my servant arrived with a small boat 
which he had brought to take me on to Nan-che. A 
dispute now arose between him and the captain's wife 
about four hundred cash — one shilling and sixpence — 
which he had agreed to pay for the small boat. Accord- 
ing to his ideas of justice the proprietors of the large 
boat were bound either to take us on to Nan-che them- 
selves, or to pay for our conveyance thither. As they did 
not do the former, he determined to deduct the charge 
for the small boat from the amount of the bill which was 
presented for the food with which they had supplied 
us on our way up. I saw plainly enough we should have 
a great disturbance if the money was not paid, and 
advised him to pay it at once. This, however, he 
strongly protested against, and began getting our lug- 
gage out into the small boat. In the mean time the 
woman declared she would rather go with us than lose 
her four hundred cash. As good as her word, she 
scrambled into the small boat, and called to one of her 
people to hand in her child, a young thing about a year 
old. The whole scene, to one not concerned, must have 
been highly amusing. It would have been very incon- 
venient for me to travel with such baggage, so, to cut 
the matter short and stop all further proceedings, I 
ordered Sing-Hoo to pay the money. Our luggage being 
removed into the small boat, we shoved her off, and by 
dint of sculling and tracking got up to Nan-che about 
six o'clock the same evening. 
