frogs sit gravely on broad dew-spangled lotus-leaves ; or else where we discover some spacious open saloon, where a party of native gentlemen, seated on square, cool, marble-bottomed, ebony chairs, enjoy a repast of tea or cake, or listen to the strumming of a lute, and to the shrill song of some lady in attendance.
Juilin, who was governor of the province and of Kwangsi as well, was an officer who had seen distinguished service. A man of marked ability, who did much to promote the prosperity of the two provinces. It was he vv^ho organised a steam gunboat service, which made its presence felt among the pirates on the coast, and was also instrumental in suppressing the village clans in Cha-chow-fu, which had for many years set all authority at defiance. These villages were each inhabited by one family, or clan, and were at feud with all the other surrounding villages and clans.
When in Chao-chow-fu, in the Kwang-tung province, I visited several of these villages and got some notion of their style of fighting. Those unfortunates who were carried off as prisoners of war were frequently detained in slavery, or met with a fate even worse than this, for their captors would dispose of them to be sent, as involuntary emigrants, to foreign shores. At harvest-time one village would make a midnight raid upon its neighbour and carry off all the crops ; and at Sinchew I found an old feud existing between that village and a number of smaller hamlets. One Aching and his brother, tired at last of fighting, and of being constantly interrupted in more peaceful and profitable pursuits, resolved to go into the Fukien Province, and there to seek for work. With their bundles on their backs they started from their native place, but halted when not far on their journey to fish in a neighbouring stream. While thus
