hour of the last two days and nights has been to
me like months and months. Every wash of the
sea would sink the ship I thought, or the
Chinese pirate boats would board us."

"Tell me when and how did this occur."

"We were bound from Whampoa to the West
Indies, with emigration coolies on board; we
were in ballast, and going to call on the coast at
Swatow to load some freight; when a squall
struck the ship in the night, and before any one
below was aware, she was what you see her. I
was the second mate, and the only Englishman
on board. Directly the accident occurred, the
captain and all hands took to the boats. It was
every man for himself, you may be sure. Many
were drowned. I have been down with fever and
dysentery. I'm not long for this world; and
you'd better go and leave me here."

"Nonsense, my friend!"

A confusion and noise on deck proclaimed
the return of the lifeboat, and she was rapidly
loaded with eager and grateful Chinamen. The
next task was to convey the sick man to the
boat: which was by no means an easy one under
the circumstances. At last, by contriving a
stretcher from part of the cabin table, and using
the greatest care and caution, we passed him into
the lifeboat, and left the Bon Aventuro to go
down to the fishes with her colours flying.

In five minutes we were alongside the Queen,
the boat was hooked on and run up, and the ship
was going ahead full speed. The rescued Chinamen
stood up in a row as soon as they were on
board, and prostrated themselves, with their
heads to the deck, to show their gratitude. They
had reason to be doubly thankful. Not only had
we rescued them from death, but the accident to
their ship had rescued them from slavery.

The weather, while this was a doing, had been
getting decidedly worse; had it been finer, we
might have tried to take the capsized ship in tow;
and if we had been able to get her into a port,
the salvage money would have been worth having.
Like many other good actions in the world,
however, ours was its own reward, and we continued
our course for Amoy: making every preparation
for the typhoon, which was evidently coming,
and trusting to our speed to arrive in port
before the storm should break in its full violence.
Night came on, dark and thick, and the wind
and sea roared at us; but the direction of the wind
was still in our favour, and, with reefed sails, the
Queen ran like a racehorse to her winning post.
We mustered the rescued Chinamen on deck, and
sending for one of our boatmen, by name Akow,
to interpret, found that most of them had been
kidnapped at Chang chow (or Whampoa) and
forcibly put on board the Bon Aventuro; that
they were victims, in fact, of a regular slave
trade, carried on, not only under Peruvian colours,
but by other nations that ought to know better.

"Well, Akow, what does this one say?—-
what's his name?" said we, after examining
several who had pretty nearly the same story
to tell. He belonged, we learnt, to Canton, his
name Pang a shing. He had been induced to
accompany a pretended friend, who said he could
procure him six dollars a month, if he would
enlist as a " brave" for the Western River. Under
this pretence, he was taken in a boat to Chang
chow, where his companion said he wanted him,
to go as a coolie to Taluson (Spain). Refused,
but was eventually forced, by a severe beating,
to go on board a foreign vessel, but under what
flag he did not know.

Another, called Ling a shun, lived outside
the West Gate, Canton. Having nothing
particular to do one day, he was buying some
refreshment in the street, when two men, who
were strangers to him, came up. One of them
had a bundle, and engaged him for two hundred
cash to carry it to the commissariat wharf. He
did so, was induced to go on board ship for his
money, and was thence taken to a floating depot
at Whampoa, where he was maltreated until he
would consent to go abroad, and was accordingly
sent with the rest.

Another, Leong a tsen by name, a hawker
by trade, went to Whampoa, induced by an
apparent friend, to set up in business there; was
taken on board a coolie broker's boat, tied by
the tail and thumbs, and beaten till he
consented to go abroad as a coolie.

Chin yun tsing said he was an agricultural
labourer. Lived alone, in a little hovel, which
was entered in the night by four men, who
carried him off.

Tseang a yeu, native of Ying tih, by trade a
smith, was told there was some iron to be sold
cheap at Ting kuan: set out for that place in a
boat, but, passing Whampoa, was attacked by
kidnappers, and compelled to consent to go
abroad as a coolie in a foreign ship.

In some cases it appeared that women were
employed as agents in this detestable traffic.

Ma a kong (one of the coolies) said he lived
outside the little South Gate, Canton; was
engaged as a servant by a woman, a neighbour of
his, who took him in a boat to Whampoa, where
he was put on board a broker's boat, beaten,
and taken to a foreign ship.

Chin a kwang, Chin yu moo, Kwan a fut, and
Lo a kang, described the way they were all
kidnapped as follows:

A woman, with a child packed on her back,
passed them; she designedly caused the child's
bonnet to drop from its head; one of them
picked it up and brought it to the woman. She
expressed her sincere thanks, and offered the
men some cakes (which must have been drugged)
for their civility. They ate the cakes, and shortly
afterwards became so stupified as to be obliged
to sit down by the roadside. Two other men
came up, and inquired what was the matter.
The invalids incoherently requested to be
carried to their homes, instead of which they
were carried on board ship. Six men had been
intoxicated and kidnapped, by means of these
narcotic cakes. The rest of the coolies had each
some equally abominable story to relate, before
we dismissed them to the " between decks," to
be made as comfortable as they could. Then,
after seeing to the poor second mate, of whose
recovery, however, very little hopes were