is left side, and stupefies himself with the divine
drug. He is then quite sure that he will be transported in a comatose
condition to the occult reunion. When the doctor reached Shanghai, he
experienced some hesitation before he attempted an adventure so
uncertain in its issue. He remembered, however, that he was possessed of
a miraculous medal of St. Benedict, which he regarded as his trump
card, a species of passport or return ticket, available at any date and
by any line of Devildom. He determined to get drunk accordingly; but
even as he entered Masonry with a becoming reservation of conscience, so
he entered the drug-shop with a reservation as to the degree of his
drunkenness, in spite of which he fell, however, into a deep sleep, and
awoke in the assembly of The Secret Avengers, one of whom, to facilitate
proceedings, had a good knowledge of English, and a perfect familiarity
with all Charleston passwords. The Baphomet, of course, presided, but it
appears that the Chinese have certain conscientious scruples on the
subject of Goats, and hence a Dragon's head was substituted for that of
the ordinary image. The doctor was not the only European present at the
proceedings of the celestial assembly; but while he was the sole
representative of his own nation, it goes without saying that there was
a fair sprinkling of the abominable British.

So complete is the unanimity which obtains between the initiates of
China and Charleston that the bulk of the proceedings takes place in
the English language; but for this disposition of Providence, the doctor
would have been at a serious disadvantage. The first object of the
company was to encompass the destruction of missionaries, and for this
purpose a coffin was presently brought in, containing the skeleton of a
deceased brother, who had so far diverged from duty that he had entered
in league with the Jesuits, and had dared to act as a spy upon the
august proceedings of the Sublime Society of Avengers. The first act may
be regarded as somewhat bizarre in character; it consisted in evoking an
evil spirit to animate the skeleton, and to answer certain questions.
This was accomplished with absolute success. The bones of the departed
brother had, however, been so consecrated by his Jesuitical proclivities
that, even when animated by a devil, they discovered extreme reluctance
in disclosing the number and quality of certain Franciscan zealots who
had just started from Paris to convert