The Dawson news. (Dawson, Ga.) 1889-current, 1890-11-26

steward to be instructed in his duties.
When he came on deck again in the af
ternoon he beheld an animated scene
Two long, pull away boats were along
side the bark. They carried masts with
mating sails, and besides pulled about
twenty oars on each side. They were
armed with gingals fixed in swivels on
the gunwale; these were Chinese fire
arms, carrying large ball.
A number of Chinese of mercantile an
pearance were on deck earnestly con
versing with Capt. DenviIle. A great
many small chests of mango wood. GOV.
cred with rawhide, We're piled near bv.
One of these was open, and A-sung saw
that the upper half of the chest was di-
vlded into twenty compartments, in each
OF which was a dark brown ball of pecu-
liar appearance and smell. Evidently
there was the same number of balls in
the lower part of the chest.
A-sun; soon found out that this was
crude opium, and that the merchants
were Lying it. He was on an opium
slil.
IL purchasers paid for the drug some
tt with Spanish or Mexican dollars
and sometimes with silver ingots called
sycee. The coins had all been stamped
over and over again with Chinese stamps
until they were completely defaced
These were called chop dollars" The
Yalue OF both coins and sycee was ascer
tanned by weight
AS the merchant paid the silver it was
passed over to the "shroff," grave,
! specialized Chinaman, who sat at his
table under the awning on the quarter
deck, and with his brass balances care.
FULLY ascertained the value of it. He
had need of care, for he was under heavy
bonds for the correct performance of his
duty.
After A-sung had been on board the
Harlequin a week he was much puzzled
at the difference in the behavior of these
people who came to buy opium.
Some boats came in broad daylight
and took the drug away openly, while
others came stealthily at night, in haste
and fear, and sometimes the ships boat
cautiously took away a chest or two up
some less frequented inlet, carefully
avoiding the mandarin boats that pa
trolled the river.
A-sung asked the steward for an ex
PLANTATION of this difference, and learned
that the ex,!ted emperor at Peking OBJ
Jected to opium being imported into the
land, and therefore it was sometimes
struggled
As for the boats that came openly he
! supposed that they found means "to
cover up mems ears and eyes" meaning
| perhaps, that they bribed the mandarins
This was in 1843, and the stewards ex-
PLANTATION was probably correct.
! A-sung was much interested in the
boarding MEETINGS, which were triced up
every night from the rail to the rigging.
These were for protection against night
attacks by Chinese pirates, who were
many and dangerous in those waters
But what excited his greatest interest
was the practice at the big guns
At first the loud reports nearly made
him jump out of his blue and gold slip
| pers, but he soon became accustomed to
the noise. The cannon were touched of
with u joss stick, in primitive fashion,
and at night some of these were al.
ways kept burning near the mainlnast
in readiness for sudden attack.
Venerable young brother" said the
steward one day to A-sung, chow many
dollars worth of opium do you think are
IN this barbarian ship"
Venerable elder brother, 1 do not
know" replied A-sung.
"There are four hundreds of thou.
sands" said the steward. Verify il
would be rich prize for the pirates"
Two weeks after A-sung Joined the
Harlequin he asked the captains per
mission to go and pay his respects to his
father. Capt. Denville granted his re.
quest, and he went ashore in the com.
prador's boat. With a light heart he
trudged away toward the village, where
he was received with great joy by his
father and by his young friends and
schoolmates.
lie spent very happy day. All the
children Of the village were eagerly pre-
pairing for their Lantern Feast" which
was to take place that night. This is
the children's festival in the spring,
when they are allowed to have their own
way IN everything and indulge in merry
A-sung wished to stay ashore that
night in order to take part in the festivi-
ties, but as Capt. Denville would expect
him to come on board he resolved to go
out to the ship with the comprador in
the evening and ask leave of absence till
the next day. SO at evening he walked
back to the landing.
On the way be saw two men approach
ing him, one Of whom he thought was
the rufian who had beaten the slave
glrl. He was not sure of this, however,
d. t~-aoa took another path and
soon disappeared.
The other man came on and met him
He was a portly, well dressed China
man, and saluted A-sung politely, with
an engaging smile. He stopped and pro-
ceeded to address many fowery and fat
tering remarks TO the boy, in the course
of which he alluded to his connection
with the Harlequin, claiming to be him
self an old friend of Capt. Denville's.
Although A-sung was in hurry he
listened with pleasure to one who had
evidently formed such a high opinion of
him at sight and he replied unsuspect-
lngly to some adroit questions regarding
the armament and regulations of the
= ship
At last the stranger took leave of him,
courteously wishing him abundant felic-
ity and the highest honors and promo
ton. Then, as if with a sudden thought
he took from the breast of his rich over
garment small bundle tied up in a silk
handkerchief
Venerable younger brother" he said,
here are some excellent cheroOts with
which to regale the sailors and officials
OF the barbarian ship, They are espe-
cially choice for those who watch ut
night, us they will Danish the god of
drowsiness."
He gave the boy the bundle and again
fool. IaLitn l.n..n 4 -....-- -