To show the economy of its construction, I may state, that it is brought across a small stream, through bamboo troughs, so loosely attached that sufficient water is wasted in its passage to turn a small mill in Yankee land.
The first day of June weighed anchor, and stood up the Straits; and a busy time, too, we had in getting through. It was "Let go the anchor!" "Furl sails!" "All hands up anchor!" "Make sail!" for several days. At last, this channel and the Straits of Gaspar being passed, we entered safely the China Sea.
CHAPTER IV.
China Sea—Anchor off Macào—Canton River—Whampoa—Trip to Canton—The San-pan—Pagodas—Lob Creek—Salt Junks—Description of a Junk—Mandarin, or Search Boats—Pirates—Crowded state of River at Canton—Land at Factory Stairs—Visit Vice-Consul—New China Street—A Cow-House—Wonders of Canton—Factory Gardens—Water Parties—Buddhist Temples, and Holy Pigs—Dock-yard at Whampoa—American Missionary at Newtown—Bethel, and its Pastor—Fourth of July—Back to Macào—The Typa—The Barrier.
The southwest monsoon wafted us quietly and quickly over the China Sea, and upon the nineteenth of June we came to anchor off Macào, in the outer roads. Not finding the flag-ship there, as was expected, after taking in some provisions from the naval depôt, weighed anchor, and proceeded up the Canton River to Whampoa, where we moored ship in the "American Reach" to undergo necessary repairs. Whilst these were going on, I procured a "fast boat," and went up to Canton, about nine miles above that part of the "Reach" in which we lay.
These boats—the "San-pan," or boat of this country—are used expressly for the conveyance of passengers and their effects, and are kept scrupulously clean for that purpose. They pull from three to six oars, according to their size. The oarsmen are all seated forwards, whilst a woman, generally with a child fastened to her back, both propels and steers with a long oar from the stern, which she manages with great dexterity, appearing to work harder, and with better effect, than her lazy lord, (who has generally the bow oar,) at the same time keeping a bright lookout ahead, and giving warning in her guttural chant of any obstruction.
Passed two Pagodas, each of nine stories, and made a romantic cut-off, via Lob Creek. Soon we came upon a large number of junks at anchor, with huge manilla cables,—one of which our interpreter pointed out as "Salt Junk." We had seen enough of that during our passage out, but this kind of junk interested us; for a more clumsy piece of naval architecture could hardly have been invented to annoy the eye of a sailor. With her perpendicular masts of one stick, no bowsprit, only an opening where it should be, to receive an anchor, made of part of a crooked tree; poop sticking up like a game fowl's tail, and immense red and white eyes painted on each bow:—for the Chinese sailor says: "No have eyes, how can see? no can see, how can walkee?"—make such a picture of a thing to float in, and wherewith to transport worldly effects, that the question naturally arises, What would be the probable per centage a Chinese underwriter would demand as premium to insure in such a bottom? Indeed, I must do the memory of the patriarch Noah the justice to believe, that his craft was put together with a better adaptation to the principles of flotation than this, or it would never have lived through that gale of forty days and forty nights, logged in the Good Book.
Soon, however, we came across some better-looking specimens, which we were told were the "Mandarin," or "Search Boats," belonging to the Chinese Customs. Their models appeared better adapted to "make walkee," and, in addition to sails, they had double banks of oars.