The Forest Republican. [volume] (Tionesta, Pa.) 1869-1952, 1882-09-06
A Week in Chinese House.Boat.

To the uninitiated it may be said that a
Shanghai house boat is very much
more of home than arc the craft called
by the same name which are met with
occasionally upon the Thames; and the
"bosses OF the great banks and mer-
camille houses vie with each other in
the lavish decoration and luxurious
comfort of their house-boats. Many Of
them are, in fact, little floating draw
ing-rooms, ablaze with mirrors and
gliding, and very much better adapted
for '1oafing" purposes and entertain
ments than for shooting expeditions and
other rough work. The boat in which
we made our trip up the river was CON-
Portable and convenient enough; but it
was practical and not An ornamental
house boat. It was late summer when we
started; for although a house-boat is
generally tolerahle during the hot
season, when nothing else is, we were
not much given to lounging and the re-
ception of company. All told we were
six on board-including the 'lowdah"
or captain, the cook, and two coolies to
tow or work the boat. Scenery there is
none near Shanghai; and at the first
otdIblhS1 bu6 CTOWu VI DOhlbJ
junks and sampans which block up the
creek below bridge, the only sense it'll
lated to any extraordinary degree was
that of smelt. 1t was very slow work,
but we kept in the boat, and passed the
time agreeably if not proftably, in eat
ing, drinking and smoking, and listen.
ing to the old low dah's tales of his pirate
life. The cook did his duty manfully.
and varied our meals with the talent pc
c1liar to Frenchmen and Ohinamen.
Until we passed Sicawei, which may be
termed the boundary of the foreign do.
minion, the coolies cared the boat in
their peculiar fashion, the lowdah steer
ing-wih his feet when his hands were
busy with his 'chow" or his pipe. But
when we got into the open country the
tow rope was fastened, and the coolies
got out on the bank. 1t was curious
voyage.
Only one thing annoyed us, and it
was inevitable, it had to be borne-the
ceaseless attention paid to us by the
native dogs. Chinese dogs--in fact all
Chinese animals-possess an extraor-
dinary faculty of scenting out a foreigner,
aud the former invariably announce
their discovery by howlings and bark
ings, which only cease with the COM
plete disappearance of the obnoxions
intruder. Sometimes in the country
these dogs-which, like those of Con-
stantinople, are the public scavengers,
and are protected from harm by public
edict as we'll as by popular prejudice
are positively dangerous for although
singly they are arrant towards, and run
off at the mere action of picking up
stone, in groups they are apt to be a9-
giessive, especially il the foreigner be
alone. We could always tell when we
were approaching a village, when the
high banks hid it from view, by the ex-
element amongst the dogs and when
We anchored for the night-always in
mid-stream-their incessant barking
banished all notions of sleep. Another
annoyance was the mosquitoes; but at
night the curtains kept them out.
Everywhere we could see traces of the
horrible work of pillaRe and devastation
carried on during the TAPPING rebellion,
and, strange to say, in spite of the
more generous ideas of civilization
which are beginning to assert them
selves in China, as it is nobody's busi-
ness to remedy the appearance of mat.
ters, the bare and desolate character of
the country still remains. We must
have passed during our weeks trip at
least twenty villages utterly wrecked
and deserted, not to.speak of magnid-
cent porcelain bridges ruined, pagodas
tottering to their fall, roofess temples
and even desecrated graveyards.
Every evening we anchored in mid
stream and jumped overheard for a
swim and upon one occasion, when
the spot chosen was not far off from
town rejoicing in the euphonious name
of Sin Ka Kok, as we were espied jump.
ing overheard and striking out, the
whole population swarmed out to wit.
ness the sight, the bridge was mass of
human heads, and the banks were lined
with crowd of both sexes. Not far
from here are the only hills anywhere
near Shanghai, and being hills, they
are favorite pilgrimage OF foreigners
weary of the monotonous grsve-studded
latness of the country round the Euro
pean settlement. They are but mounds;
but there are actually some picturesque
copses at their base which are greatly
resorted to by picnic parties. We
ascended the hills, as in duty bound,
and then turned the prov of our boat
homeward--R proceeding which seemed
to please our coolies nightly, for they
took us back in half the time they oc-
cupied in bringing us.