Now, as in the great revolutions of England, America, and France, so in China, anarchy brought forth its great men; but foremost among them all stood Chin-Chi-Loong—a kind of Paul Jones, a pirate in the eyes of his enemies, a patriot in those of his friends.
Found starving when a boy, by the Portuguese priests at Macao, they took him under their care, taught him Christianity, and baptized him by the name of Nicholas Gaspard. While quite a youth, he took service on board a trading ship, in which humble position, the strength of his intellect and will so soon exhibited itself, that at an early age he became second in command, and his captain dying soon after, left him sole owner and commander of the vessel and its rich cargo.
Then it was that his true character began to develop itself; he sought to accumulate great wealth; for this purpose he traded with Japan, Siam, and the Europeans, so assiduously, that at the outbreak of the rebellion, he had become the richest merchant in an empire of rich merchants; but what to him was of far greater importance, a powerful sea-chief—for he then commanded and owned the greatest fleet that ever sailed in the Chinese seas, and as he had taken care to arm every ship, he became the terror of the three great contending parties; namely, the Emperor, the rebels, and the Tartars, who, all in turn, at times, offered great rewards for his head, and at others, for his services.
Remarkable, however, as were the fortunes of this sea-chief, they were less so than those of his distinguished son, the hero of this story.
The Author will only add, that, although many of the adventures here set down may not be found in the pages of Chinese history, if, entwining information with amusement, they bring vividly before the mind's eye of his young reader, the manners, laws, legends, superstitions, history, or character of that great, though quaint people in whom more than a thousand years have failed to make any material change, his satisfaction will be the greater that he has again deserved well of those to whom his gratitude is due for the kind, thorough, and hearty reception they gave to the Adventures of "The Wolf-Boy of China."
WILLIAM DALTON.
CONTENTS
| Chapter | Page | |
| [I.] | —The Young Sea Chief.—His Mission | 11 |
| [II.] | —The Demon Ship.—The Boy Chow | 19 |
| [III.] | —Adventures at Sea.—Rescue | 29 |
| [IV.] | —The Innkeeper.—Alarming News | 38 |
| [V.] | —Adventure in a Buddhist Monastery.—Chow's Encounter with a Bonze | 48 |
| [VI.] | —Thrashing the Gods.—The Boys taken Prisoners | 55 |
| [VII.] | —Treachery of the Bonzes.—Nicholas sent to Prison as a Traitor | 61 |
| [VIII.] | —Chow sets out to discover some Thieves | 69 |
| [IX.] | —Chow outwits a great Mandarin, and sets out to rescue his Master | 76 |
| [X.] | —Escape of Nicholas from Prison | 81 |
| [XI.] | —Pursued by the Yah-yu.—The Boat Wreck | 87 |
| [XII.] | —Nicholas again taken Prisoner | 94 |
| [XIII.] | —Pagodas, their Antiquity and Uses | 103 |
| [XIV.] | —A dangerous Descent | 109 |
| [XV.] | —Nicholas discovers a Conspiracy, and makes an unpleasant Entry into Pekin | 114 |
| [XVI.] | —The Boys again in Trouble | 126 |
| [XVII.] | —Nicholas resolves upon a dangerous Adventure | 136 |
| [XVIII.] | —The Imperial Gardens | 145 |
| [XIX.] | —The Princess of the Mings, and the Lady Candida | 150 |
| [XX.] | —Danger of the Princess.—Her Rescue by Nicholas | 154 |
| [XXI.] | —Assembly of the great Princes of the Empire | 163 |
| [XXII.] | —The Boy Prince and the Rival Generals | 170 |
| [XXIII.] | —Audience with the Son of Heaven.—Nicholas accuses a great Prince of Treason | 178 |
| [XXIV.] | —Nicholas unveils a Rebel Chief | 189 |
| [XXV.] | —Nicholas and the Prince have an Adventure, and save the Life of Chow | 197 |
| [XXVI.] | —Nicholas receives an important Command | 210 |
| [XXVII.] | —The Rebels attack Pekin.—Treachery of a General and the Fight | 214 |
| [XXVIII.] | —Attack on the palace.—Suicide of the Emperor, the Princess wounded | 221 |
| [XXIX.] | —The Secret Cavern.—The Princess saved by the Boys | 230 |
| [XXX.] | —A large Stock of Ladies, two taels per sack | 237 |
| [XXXI.] | —Chow makes a Discovery, and Nicholas a Surprise | 242 |
| [XXXII.] | —Nicholas punishes an ungrateful Innkeeper, and escapes from his treachery | 250 |
| [XXXIII.] | —An Overland Journey.—Attacked by Wolves, and stopped by a Serpent | 259 |
| [XXXIV.] | —Saved by a Musk Deer.—Stories of wonderful Mountains | 264 |
| [XXXV.] | —Treachery of the Guide.—The Princess seized by Robbers | 271 |
| [XXXVI.] | —Once more Prisoners, but with Friends.—The Guide's Mistake | 279 |
| [XXXVII.] | —Interview with the General.—Nicholas causes Soldiers to be sent in search of the Princess | 285 |
| [XXXVIII.] | —Cruel Death of the aged Woo.—A Battle.—Bravery of the Boys.—Chow taken by the Enemy | 293 |
| [XXXIX.] | —The Rebels beaten.—Artfulness of the Tartar King.—Chagrin and Disappointment of Nicholas | 300 |
| [XL.] | —The Great Boy Emperor.—Nicholas meets with a fearful Surprise | 305 |
| [XLI.] | —Nicholas has an Interview with his Father, and leaves Pekin forever | 309 |
| [XLII.] | —The Rival Sea Chiefs.—Re-appearance of an old Friend.—A comical Battle with the Tartars | 314 |
| [XLIII.] | —Chow discovers his Mother and the Princess.—Rescues them from the Tartars, and relates his Adventures | 320 |
| [XLIV.] | —A Sea Voyage.—The Colao relates the Adventures of the Princess | 329 |
| [XLV.] | —They reach the Palace of the Sea Chief Koshinga | 333 |
| [XLVI.] | —The King and Queen of Formosa.—Happy Termination of the Story | 336 |