ording to
their teachings, it seemed better to obey our guide, though we were all
bitten by the same desire to stop and inspect the various shops and
stores we passed.

Ching led us farther and farther away from the riverside, and past
enclosures at whose gates stood truculent-looking, showily-dressed men,
who carried swords hung from a kind of baldrick, and scowled at us from
beneath their flat, conical lacquered hats. And I noticed that our
guide always hurried us past these gateways, peeps through which were
wonderfully attractive, showing as they did glimpses of gardens which
looked like glorified, highly-coloured representations of our old
friends the willow-pattern plates.

One in particular was so open that Smith stopped short, heedless of the
presence of three fierce-looking Chinamen, with showy robes and long
pendent moustachios.

"Look here, boys," he cried. "What a game! Here's the old bridge over
the water, and the cannon-ball tree, and the gold-fish pond, and--"

"Come 'long," whispered Ching hurriedly; and he caught our comrade by
the arm, forcing him onward as the guards scowled at us fiercely.

"Here, what are you up to?" cried Smith, resenting the interference.

"Take velly much care of Englis' offlicers. Big mandalin live there.
Men sword velly sharp--cut off head."

"Bosh!" said Smith shortly; "they'd better."

"Oh no, they hadn't," cried Barkins. "We don't want to take you on
board without any head."

"But they daren't hurt us," cried Smith bumptiously. "We're Englishmen,
and our gunboat is in the river. I'm not afraid. Why, there'd be a war
if one of these men interfered with us. Our people would land and burn
up the place."

"No," said Ching quietly. "Send letter to mandalin. Why you men cut
off little offlicer head?"

"Here, who are you calling little officer, Pigtail?" cried Smith
indignantly.

"Mean young offlicer," cried Ching hastily. "Say, Why you men cut chop
young offlicer head off? Mandalin say, Velly solly. He find out who
blave was who chop young offlicer head, and give him lichi."

"You mean toco?" said Barkins.

"No; lichi."

"What's lichi?" I said.

"Tie blave up along post, and man come velly sharp sword, cut him all in
'lit pieces while he live."

"And do they do that?" I asked, in horror.

"Neve' find out blave who chop off head," said Ching, with a queer
twinkle of the eyes. "No find blave, no can give him lichi."

"Sounds pleasant, Poet,