engaged, a boat full of their enemies carefully disguised, made its approach, and one of the crew offered to buy their stock of fish. The two brothers falling into the snare, were thus carried off to the hostile village, and there killed and mutilated in an open space in front of the settlement. Aching's heart was cut out, boiled and eaten by his savage captors, under the notion that they would become more daring and bloodthirsty in conse- quence of this revolting deed. — Another example of native treachery and cunning will suffice. Two men of opposite clans had made up their minds to quit the province with the loot they had gained in war; they, both of them, went to Cheng-lin at the same time, in search of the same object, viz., a boat. The one, hearing of the other's presence, hired a number of ruffians to slay him, promising them six pounds for his enemy's head and heart. The gang, tempted to the crime by the pro- spect of this liberal reward, soon caught their man ; but he, enquiring how much they were to receive for his head, at once offered them, on better security, double terms for the capture of his crafty foe. They had no hesitation in accepting the proposal, and it was their first employer, therefore who fell a victim to their guile. In the end a small army was sent into the provinces, and all who refused to come to terms, and obey the law, were mercilessly put to the sword. So it came about that at the time I visited the place a well-dressed man might walk abroad, and no longer fear lest he should be stripped and sent adrift without a rag to cover him, or else be sold into slavery or even killed.
There is a hardy race of people found in this and several other districts. These are known as Hak-kas, and some are of opinion that they are a people distinct from the Chinese, as they speak a language of their own, and resemble Indians in
