Show ORIE ORIENTAL A NEF ANIOUS BUSINESS IN THC CHINA SEA z amous quantities of opium hold to he 1110 natira and immediately stolen from them if of an cruise crul it u as in october 1850 that I 1 found on cach eh or in plain en alish aleh almost penniless in hong kong hong I 1 lind had been mato on board of a country thip but had quarreled with my skip per and gone ashore with only a few lollar dollars in my pocket time times were lard hard wages low and tired of haunting the go down downs or merchant merchants day utter after day in search of it berth 1 I iad had almost made up my illy mind to ship eforo th alio mast 11 tho ile boarding mae mas ter or ciul gh en mo some pretty strong hinte that it was about timo time I 1 chipped 11 w I 1 was not in a very good humor as its I 1 strolled etro llod alon along g tho the water front that day I 1 wai watching it big junk m which wits juet hol hoisting stIng alien a eburt white ditc painted gal cy pulling eight oara ours and manned jtb a crew of millie 9 wearing rod red urbane turbans and gaudy sa came dashing up tip to the landing place aid and a tall fallor bikeman who had been steering her tier jumped ashore ae As ho he saoko to hie his boata cm croft in I 1 clipped foru aid and asked him if it there was any chanco for a second mates balat on boat d hie his ship not at present iry try man I 1 eald said ho he butu but what hat employ ha hao a 3 ou oil been in gnp 41 1 I told him tho the naino of my luat ship and tho the acason I 1 and loft her adding that I 1 m vaa as anxious t to get to ma as soon as its possibly pos 11 well said he lie J want a gunner and I 1 auces 1 sult me as buo ouo been used to lascara inseam ha 0 M 0 a month and a commission on every chest of opium I 1 suppose ou know tho the trade what do ou on sa soa P I 1 I 1 was net long making up my mind ao an wo went up to tho the shipping office u here I 1 signed tho the articles as at gunner of THE ME alah 4 L and with a months advance in my pocket I 1 started off to tho the beardin 9 house paid my bill bought somo some to beco etc called a oaple of collies to take my traps dow don n to tho the wharf and then jumping into a sampan I 1 put off tor for my now vessel which ns us the capt caplinn aln told me was roada road to sail with the next udo when I 1 on dock a tout built eun sun burnad young fellow in a blue silk jacket and panama hat lint aho vho ho u was as tho the officer in charge met ino me with a pleasant nod 1 I suppose boum ouro the now new gunner here quartermaster tako take a couple of lamears lascars la scars sears show the gunner his cabin and have hie his traps carried there at once I 1 followed my guide through tho the poop cabin and having stowed away my belongings in the berth pointed out to me I 1 returned to tho the deck dock at daybreak wo we weighed anchor and steered westward until wo we sighted 7 the land of yang ring a little to tho north ol 01 foo chow there them we hove to and the went ashore and bargained for the dali cry of a hundred cle clata ts of opium when he came on board all hands were set to work at once yard ropes were rove and led along strips of canvass paired white were made ready the guns and cast loose while cutlasses and bo boarding alkes were range in readi readiness nebs about the masts just before dat dark k a smuggling boat camo came off and the opium was tran shipped when the last cheat chest waa was delivered deo and the silver in exchange 0 had been duly received our skipper shouted in hands clear boat and in an instant the Manil lamen and malays balays headed by the second offie officer cr jumped aboard the smuggling craft emt and before her astonished crew could offer any resistance the lately purchased opium was pas ed up again to the ariel our men sprang up the side and in a moment wo slipping off the land at the rato of six knots an hour it did not tako cry long when all hands were at work to send down the yards so before morning a smart fore for and oa aft se schooner booner had the place of the brigantine wo repeated this at chin chew ond and then having resumed ita its original rig riz the ariel atiel anchored at aratow whore where the remain remaining inc opium woe duly sold and ered thennie then v e returned to hong kong for a fresh cargo but on arri ing there them we were ordered to p at once to calcutta utta and take in opium there them accordingly wo we sailed in company alth u 1 ho he sylph which was bound to the same port and carided can led in silver we stood to tho the southward keeping close to the shore to abold the full force of tho the monsoon but when ho he had p bcd between hainan end nd tho the mainland into tho the gulf cl tong king wo fur for two day days enve envelope lopel in a dense fog tog and were obliged to lie to firing guns and ringing the boll bell to acquaint the S alph lph with our r position on tho ahw morning in the weather cleared and we wo found ourselves in n the blent bight of the tile gulf wilb the elph inshore of ua uj while to seaward ard was as quite a varge squadron Hu adron of war junks fl a ing the deagon nag gag we thought this might bo be a division of the imperial fleet but w m ore em soon undeceived as they be began bean an to bear down on us anu opened firo at once our captain was not to bo be r i napping shente was hauled M additional cannoa spread aspre and wo rushed along 1 on m a coune course nearly parallel to the lino line of junk junks which rumo do botn bolero bolom ho 1116 wind firing aa occasionally and wita their crow crows boating bing gongs as they stood crowding the docks on ov bowd the tho nil all hands were lying down but tho the mars at tho the wheel with tho the captain el anding by tho the amther niala rigging while bo he enema shot camo whittling around us but fortunately we received no n damage except a few holes in our ball and tho the cutting ca 0 some unimportant roam molt thor ther emoke smoke from their rune guns dalf drifted ted down on ont its in clouds but at lost last we emerged frons this ae tia wo we cleared the tha outside juner unc up with our holm helm hard bard apt tho the capin I 1 n quick my lade inck of off tacks and sheets and ilio ibia arid aziel camo came up in tho the wind with all her li orealL salU slinking link li cap cl on and liau laft hiir sheets 11 and tho the antica bulb crad taking tho the liveze bi cozo on her benm cubed off I 1 to tho open ben I 1 I now INOW 91 0 them a oneto ot our lorz tom mr gunner crieda und and I 1 sent an olgh eighteen teon pound eliot shot plunging 11 laff right among the jenid juni which had crowded up in a confused grotan with their moat masts croaking creaking and tha mat sails clattering as thoy tho strove to wear round in pill ault of ua us the sylph wae was not BO so fortunate foi lunato ns as wham licot 1 wo we caught n of tier the tn biln janks ks encircled her in a dense mass tho the firing had acab ll 11 J und oar our had cv been Tap wo we continued our to tho southwest and on reaching singapore reported tho the occur occurrence renco to the adm admiral irta in ahat station thence w no ailed for calcutta where wo in duo lima time |