l these gentlemen that they are heartily
welcome on board Her Majesty's ship."

Ching nodded, and, bowing down humbly, gazed at the white deck, and
squeaked out a long speech to the contemptuous-looking Chinese official,
who stood in front of his attendants, each in his long, stiff,
embroidered silk dressing-gown; and what seemed the most comically
effeminate was that the gorgeous officers, with rat-tail moustachios and
armed with monstrous swords, each carried a fan, which he used
constantly.

"He's putting an awful lot of fat in the captain's speech," whispered
Barkins, who was just behind me.

Then the chief of the party said a few words, without condescending to
notice the interpreter, and Ching backed away, to turn to the captain.

"His most noble excellency the big-buttoned mandalin has come on board
the gleat fine ship with his genelals, and blavest of the blave, to
fetch the most wicked and double-bad plisoners whom the gleat sea
captain of the foleign devils--"

"Eh! what?" said Captain Thwaites. "Did he say that?"

"Yes. Come fetch allee bad bad plisoners velly much all together."

"Very well," said the captain; "tell him he can have them, and welcome."

Ching approached the mandarin again, in his former humble form, and made
another long speech; after which the great official turned to one of his
attendants and said something; this gorgeous being turned and spoke to
another; and he went to the gangway and stood fanning himself as he
squeaked out something to the soldiers in the second boat.

Then an order was given, and in a curious shambling way about forty
soldiers came up the steps, and ranged themselves in a double row,
something after the fashion of our drilling.

I was watching these men with their heavy swords and clumsy spears, when
there was a clanking sound, and a dozen more men came on deck with quite
a load of heavy chains, which at a word of command they banged down with
a crash upon the deck, and then stood waiting.

At the same moment the captain gave an order, and our marine officer
marched off with a strong detachment of his men right forward; and after
a pause, during which Englishmen and Chinamen stood staring at each
other and the grandees used their fans, the first prisoner was brought
forward by a couple of marines, strolling along in a heavy, careless way
till he was abreast of his fellow-countrymen.

Then at a word from an officer four soldiers seized the unfortunate
wr