pounders and half-a-dozen primitive muskets and cutlasses. The second trip I made was from Hongkong to Shanghai; and a great portion of our cargo consisted of raw Indian opium.

"I left port at five a.m. in the morning, and, as I got out of the Lyemoon Pass, two large junks that had been anchored close to the shore, drew out, and hoisting their huge lateen sails-one hand continually wetting them as they went up-shaped their course after us.

"I did not like the look of them, but I depended on the swiftness of my craft. As we got clear of the land, the sou-west breeze increased, and, with the wind on the quarter, away we went-soon leaving the two questionable junks behind and out of sight.

"Throughout the whole of that day and night, the wind kept steady and favourable; but towards morning on the second day it hauled ahead; and bracing up on the port tack, we lay to the eastward, clear of the land. In this manner we sailed all that day until midnight, when I brought her round on the inshore tack.

"About two o'clock that afternoon the wind fell light, but there was a bank of clouds slowly rising above the horizon to the south-west. I had been enjoying my usual afternoon siesta whenjust as I awoke, and was lying in a half conscious state in my bunk-the mate rushed down and said that two large junksevidently those that had left Hong Kong with us—were quickly overhauling us, coming from the southward.

"Hurrying up on deck, I at once descried the two vessels which were not more than four miles astern. It was so calm that we hardly had steerage way.

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"Those fellows mean to attack us before night comes on; said the mate, who was also intently regarding them through his binoculars.

"It is not generally their way-to attack by daylight; they usually prefer to creep up in the dark-throw their stinkpots aboard-and follow up with a murderous rush. But I agreed with the mate-they evidently meant on this occasion to attack us before nightfall. They were smart-they knew as well as we did

that there was wind in that fast-rising bank of clouds to the southward, and that, once it got up to our little schooner, she would spread her wings and show them her stern in double quick time.

"There was no time to be lost-and I thought very thoroughly for a few minutes.

"Mr. Mate,' I then said, 'call all hands on deck, charge the two nine-pounders with slugs, load the muskets, and tell the carpenter to come aft immediately. Have you any black paint?' "Yes, sir,-nearly a pot full;' he replied.

"Very well, that will do,' I said. The carpenter then came aft, and to the very evident surprise of himself and all hands-I told him to at once commence cutting one of our long round spare booms into five-foot lengths.

"They all thought me mad-but I said nothing. The work went on with a will, and as the round lengths were cut off, I had them painted black.

*

"Not even a catspaw disturbed the surface of the sea; the sails flapped idly to and fro, and closer drew the two junks. As they came nearer, we could see all hands yuhloaing away at the great stern sweeps which propelled the junks fully two knots an hour. They were also bringing up a little wind with them, and the great bank of clouds was rising. It was a race between wind and junks, which should strike us first.

"Suddenly I saw a sampan lowered from one of the junks, and cross over to the other one with a line. And, as from bow to bow a large hawser, was drawn, I at once knew their plan of attack.

"It was an old Yangtsze pirate dodge, and a good one, too. They meant to sail along at some distance apart, but parallel with each other, and as they approached our craft, draw in on the hawser until it caught across our stern-as we were stern on to them when both junks would swing round alongside, with us between, and board simultaneously.

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"Though I had every confidence in my crew, which consisted

* Nautical term used to describe a light wind that only faintly ruffles the surface of the water..

of Manila and Ningpo* men, it was a very anxious time, and no doubt some of them thought I was temporarily bereft of my senses, especially when I brought out a dozen of my white shirts and all the straw hats we could muster, and made them dress up in them. They were also quite at a loss to account for the painted logs. But when these were all in readiness, I had them rested against the closed side-ports, and stationed a man, armed with musket and cutlass, at each. I now served out to every man three dozen rounds of ammunition, and had the two loaded nine-pounders, which I intended to work myself, placed aft, and partially trained them in readiness.

"The sun was slowly sinking, and it began to grow a little dusk. Nearer and nearer came the two pirate junks, the large hawser from bow to bow being gradually drawn in, and the stern sweeps plied more vigorously to give the necessary speed for their diabolical scheme. Now a great beating of loud-sounding gongs and the firing of crackers commenced, and wild, bloodcurdling yells of fierce hatred and defiance made every man grasp his weapon more firmly, and prepare to sell his life dearly.

"All was oppressively silent aboard my little schooner, and the hands, standing in readiness at their respective ports, one and all looked towards me, awaiting my orders.

"Calmness was everything. So I chewed away at my lighted cigar, and calculated the distance.

"Six hundred yards-five hundred-about three hundred. Now they were about two hundred yards; the din was fearful; the time had come. I gave the first order: 'Raise the ports, men!' "The large square side-ports were triced up-I stood with the fuse-strings of my two guns in hand. I pulled and shouted. 'Shove out the spars!'

"The shot from the nine-pounders simply raked their decks, and, with the last command, out went my mummy guns.

"Another minute and the pirates would have swept alongside; but the great hawser was slackened away and hauled aboard, and they sheered off as they saw our formidable array of guns and *Ningpo and Cantonese men are considered the best seamen on the coast of China.

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the white-bloused marines, as they thought, ready to work them. 'Bing seun! bing seun!' (man-of-war! man-of-war!) I heard them shout as they manoeuvred out of the way, expecting a broadside from us every moment. Getting my men aft, I fired volley after volley into them; and, while doing this, a breeze of wind came rustling along-the cloud-bank had reached us-the sails filled out, and away we went scudding before it.

"It was a mighty narrow shave! And you may be sure I took good care to be properly armed next voyage. But my dummy guns did their work-they saved a good little ship and her crew.” This ended that series of yarns. The captain went up on the bridge, and I took a stroll on deck until dinner, after which I turned in for the night. Next morning we kept in near the land. and at noon the day after arrived at Chefoo, and I took leave of the hospitable captain after a very pleasant passage.

XI. CHEFOO AND THE FAMINE.

WING to the salubrity of the climate of Chefoo, which combines the advantages of invigorating air, sea-bathing, absence of tropical heats, and a dry, healthy atmosphere, it has become the summer resort of residents from the Southern ports who have very appropriately denominated it "The Brighton of China."

The proper name of Chefoo is Yentai, and, as a writer says, "the city actually designated by the Treaty of Tientsin as that to be thrown open is Têng-chow Fu, the seat of government for the prefecture in which Yen-tai is situated; but as its harbour is merely an open roadstead, the establishment of a port for foreign trade was fixed early in 1861, at the bay of Yen-tai, which was already occupied as a naval station by the French portion of the expedition despatched against Pekin in 1860, the British headquarters having been fixed at the Miao Tao Islands. about 35 miles to the eastward and almost opposite the city of Têng-chow Fu." The name of Chefoo, or, to speak more correctly, Chi-fu, is really derived from the name of a harbour in the same bay, but unconnected with Yen-tai.

The province of Shantung, in which Chefoo is situated, was comparatively unknown to and unexplored by foreigners until, through the Tientsin Treaty, it was opened to foreign trade and travel. Its climate much resembles that of the Northern States of America, with their awful blizzards in winter; and its area is estimated at upwards of 66,000 square miles, with a population of quite 30,000,000. The interior of this province is almost a vast plain traversed from south to north by the Grand Canal, and