But I married his good and faithful daughter, and blessing us, he died peacefully and contentedly, knowing that through all the years of his prosperity he had eluded the crafty vigilance of these mandarins, and that his little Ah Ghan was safe and happy in the care of one whom he had learned to trust and honour with his friendship.

I may add that she has since proved herself to be one of the noblest and best of wives: a loyal companion, a cheerful helpmate and a most trusty adviser. As I write these lines, of which she is unconscious, she sits near me in the arm-chair, her deft little. fingers making the most exquisite embroidery.

The screen, like the "old clock on the stairs," never would work again when the old man died. But, nevertheless, we kept it for years, until leaving for England, as a dear old cherished relic of bygone days.

XIV. ADVENTURE WITH SMUGGLERS.

THE

HE Chinese are inveterate and accomplished smugglers. Opium is the chief contraband article smuggled in the south, and arms and sulphur in the north, where salt is very cheap, and therefore heavily taxed at the southern ports, to where it is carried and sold at a large profit by evading the duty. Large quantities of arms and other munitions of war are purchased by the powerful secret societies, even old muskets and primitive horse-pistols fetching a good price in the north. Consequently many of the captains and officers on coasting steamers there find it pays to invest in these enterprises, the compradore and tallymen being responsible for the outlay and delivery, and arranging all operations. Sometimes the whole crew, from captain to cook's boy, are "in the swim," especially on German steamers, where the officers usually receive very small salaries, signing on at home, and not receiving the usual China Coast stipend. Under the circumstances, they can hardly be blamed for trying to make a few extra dollars. In nine cases out of ten the captains and chief officers of coasting boats are paid to "not savee" anything about the "smuggle pidgin" that goes on aboard. All they have to do is to say nothing, be a little deaf and short-sighted at times, hospitably entertain the "Haikwan man," and merely pocket the 200 dollar note which is laid every month under their pillow or plate, as a "cumshaw" or present from the chief of the smuggling gang.

Some steamers come up from Swatow and Amoy to Chefoo,

Newchwang, and Tientsin with two or three hundred halfpicul bags of sulphur secreted on board, perhaps in the forepeak, which is then filled up with water which has all to be baled out before the sulphur can be got at. They even go to the trouble of hauling the whole of the cable out of the chainlockers, stowing fifty or a hundred bags there, and coiling it all back again, and yet think nothing of the enormous trouble and fatigue providing they can ensure a fair chance of "running" free. Arms, cartridges, and dynamite are frequently concealed in sail-lockers, carefully rolled up in spare topsails, foresails, and staysails, which have to be taken out, untied, and unrolled before the goods can be got at. And then perhaps they are not there at all, but stowed away in the bunt of some sail on one of the masts, and, besides being hard to reach, are generally protected by the officers on deck, who can compel any one who unfurls those sails to furl them again, or pay the sailors to do so.

Having heard that no important seizures had been made by the Customs search parties for many years, and being confident, from what had come to my knowledge, that a vast amount of smuggling was actually being carried on with impunity, I inquired very fully into the matter. At that time I was constantly employed in the Returns Office, preparing reports and despatches, so had very little time for other work. I learned from some of the tidewaiters that a few small seizures had been made a month or two previous, but that lately nothing had apparently been "run." I thought differently, however.

One morning the Commissioner, when talking to me, said that he had heard from some high Chinese official that large quantities of arms and sulphur had been brought into the place and carried inland. It was a profitable venture, as sulphur fetches 8 taels per picul there, and can be bought in the south of China for less than half that price. I said to the Commissioner, who was a very energetic, hard-working man, that if he would put me off duty, and let me go about the business with an entirely free hand, I would undertake to unravel the mystery, if it were possible to do so, for the smugglers evidently landed the goods somewhere at no great distance; where, and how, remained to be