Life and Adventure in the South Pacific

by John D. Jones

“No proper; s’pose you cum my shop, buy plenty, you catchee him one dollar.”

“Oh, certainly. I shall buy you out before I leave.”

Accordingly, he picked up the board, and threw down the same piece he had received from this merchant the day previous. On seeing this the Chinaman flew into a great passion, and called for his board to be returned to him; but it was too late; the purchaser had departed with it under his arm. However, he was not to be got rid of so easily; after the sailor he went, shouting after him to give up his board. The sailor heeded him not, but proceeded to his boarding-house, threw the board into his chest, closed it, and sat down on the lid. Presently in came the Chinaman in a hot rage, and demanded his backgammon-board. Upon this the sailor jumped up, seized the Chinaman by the collar, who commenced turning pale, and, shaking him rather roughly, demanded why he gave him “that bad dollar.” The poor fellow protested his innocence, denying the charge. This dodge would not do; so, shouting to a landlord to bring in a policeman, the Chinaman darted for the door, and retraced his steps with all possible speed.

The females are kept under great subjection, being looked upon as little better than slaves. They are not allowed to be educated, but are kept in ignorance. The higher classes dress very richly, wearing many ornaments of gold. In some things we think they show much more good sense than our American ladies. Fashion, with them, does not change every month, yet they all dress in good taste. Their manner of dressing the hair is decidedly superior to that of our own fair countrywomen. On their wrists they wear heavy gold bracelets, generally placed there when quite young, and, were it not for their small feet, they would make a good appearance. This deformity, for we can call it nothing less, causes them to walk as though they were crippled. Many of them are obliged to use the cane to assist them, and they always appear as if it caused them pain to walk. The small feet, we were credibly informed, are confined to the aristocracy. They appear more like club-feet than natural ones, the ankle and foot having both become one. The females are much better-looking than the men. We seldom noticed the high cheek-bones, or eyes so wide apart; and, moreover, their heads are covered by nature’s covering—fine black hair. In complexion they resemble the brunette.

We noticed one very singular fact. As many times as we visited the shops of the merchants, we never saw any females in them, not even belonging to the merchant’s family, who generally reside in the same building. We often wondered at this, so different from our own customs; but then we recollected that we were “outside barbarians,” and could not, of course, be expected to know what was right. On inquiring of “Acowo,” a merchant of high standing, the reason of this custom, his only answer was, “No proper alla same that pigeon; no good.” Very satisfactory, truly!

On Sunday the stores and shops of the Chinese are kept open as usual. They regard no day as a Sabbath. Gambling is carried on to a very great extent among all classes. On entering a shop at almost any time, you will see a number of persons engaged in gambling in the rear portion of the room. The cards are long, narrow slips of pasteboard, with numerous Chinese characters or devices inscribed upon them. The countenances of the players betrayed all the varieties of expression, from that of the fortunate to the unlucky gamester. One may behold the happy and contented look of the winner; again may be seen the countenance livid, lips compressed, eyes glaring, and the whole face betraying the intense excitement of the loser.

It was unsafe at this time to walk the streets of Hong Kong at night, particularly in Typen-shang, or the Chinese portion, or among the boatmen who congregate on the wharves. Although the police were extremely vigilant, very frequently was the pedestrian waylaid, knocked down, and robbed. The boatmen were not to be trusted, as many cases occurred where seamen, returning from the shore to their respective ships at night, were either drugged or knocked in the head, their pockets rifled, and bodies thrown overboard. An officer attached to the steam frigate Susquehanna, while returning to the ship, was thus treated. His body was stripped of its clothing, and then thrown overboard, his murderers supposing him dead. However, the water revived him, and, being an excellent swimmer, he gained the nearest vessel in a weak and nearly exhausted state. Another instance came to our notice while there. The master of one of the American merchantmen in port, while walking through the streets of the Chinese portion of the town in broad daylight, was seized from behind, and his gold watch taken from him. As soon as possible he gave the alarm, and the rascal attempted flight. He was soon captured; not, however, until, seeing escape impossible, he dashed the watch against a stone building, thus destroying it. The punishment for theft, we were informed, is cutting off the hair of the culprit. As this is their greatest pride, they are disgraced forever when they lose their “tails;” and some of them have been known, feeling the disgrace so keenly, to proceed to the grave of a recently-interred Chinaman, rob the dead of its ornamental appendage, and splice or fasten it upon their own in such a manner as to escape detection; then remove to some place where they were not known. Many are seen, however, with no tails, and, like the fox in the fable, are shunned even by their own companions, who have the same desire for plunder, yet lack the courage to carry it out.

While walking through the streets of the city in search of adventure one day, we were startled by a most horrid din, and, looking up, saw approaching a band of musicians, blowing and beating their instruments for dear life. Following this were the bearers of a coffin, which was placed upon a bier, the coffin resembling very much in shape the trunk of a tree, with the larger or spreading part for the head of the deceased, who, we were informed, was the “head” of a family. Next came the mourners—the wife and children of the deceased—dressed in pure white, which is their color for mourning. A number of the friends of the deceased, with about twenty American sailors, “slightly elevated,” brought up the rear. The whole procession was going on “a run”—music, mourners, and all hands—“running away from Josh,” as Boston Jack informed us. “Josh” is their evil spirit, and they believe that if they can get the deceased into the ground “in a hurry,” Josh will not trouble him, especially if music is used to frighten him; and we could not but think that the “music by the band,” together with the shouts and yells of the drunken sailors, was enough to frighten his Satanic majesty himself, and drive him out of the city. We stood viewing the procession until they passed from sight, and then came to the sage conclusion that “it takes all kinds of people to form a world.”

They are very strict in their laws about marriage in one sense, and rather loose in another. A Chinaman can have but one wife, who, in marrying, assumes his name; but he is allowed as many handmaids as he chooses to have. Thus they avoid polygamy, and still practice it. Marriage, also, between those bearing the same name is unlawful. The grounds of divorce are seven, some of which are rather amusing. The first is barrenness; the others are adultery, disobedience to the husband’s parents, talkativeness, thieving, ill-temper, and inveterate infirmities. Any of these, however, may be set aside by three circumstances: the wife having mourned for the husband’s parents; the family, since marriage, having acquired wealth; and the wife having no parent to receive her back. It is, in all cases, disreputable for a widow to marry again, and in some instances, especially those of a particular rank, it is illegal.

From the age of ten the females are kept very secluded, and have no opportunity of intercourse with the other sex until they are married. In fact, they never see their intended until the time of marriage. Some of them, we should judge, would be sadly disappointed when they come to look at each other for the first time. All that they know of each other before marriage is through their fathers, mothers, or aunts, which, we should think, would be rather unsatisfactory. Yet we are inclined to the belief that they do, by some hook or crook, manage sometimes to get a glimpse of each other’s faces before marriage, else how could the following lines have come into existence, especially the third line of the third verse? It is said to be Chinese, though we rather incline to the contrary: