aroundworldortra00peebiala-1

CHAPTER IX.
CHIKA.
" When thou haply seest
Some rare, noteworthy object in thy travels,
"Wish me partaker of thy happiness." — Shakspeare.
On Chinese soil at last ! Hong Kong, a rough borderisland
of the Flowery Land, has been under British control
since 1842. It is properly an English colony, though the
people are mostly Chinamen. The sweeping distance we
traversed from the southern portion of New Zealand to
China was nearly seven thousand miles, meeting necessarily
with islands, coral shoals, calms, tempests, burning equatorial
suns, — many bitter experiences ! The passage occupied
over two months.
I became heart-sick of hearing the guttural gabble, and of
looking at our China passengers, with their inevitable cues
dangling from their crowns, their shaven heads, almondshaped
eyes, flat noses, high cheek-bones, saffron-colored
complexions, and sack-hke clothing loosely, awkwardly
hung around them. Being from different portions of China,
they had among themselves one serious fight, using clubs,
bits of wood, and marline-pins, the blood flowing freely for a
few moments. While censuring, I ' must not forget that
these are coolies^ — the poorer classes.
Steaming up the harbor, and landing at Hong Kong, we
leaped into a " sam-pan," — a small
Chinese skiff, partially
roofed with bamboo. There were seven residents in this
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