Captain Anstruther--Kindness to marines--Mandarin's
questions--Chinese music--Jolly-boat
party arrive--Privations--Medical
treatment--Removed--Sedans--Town--Joshouse--Apartment--Guard-room.
Towards the middle of the day, there was a commotion in the yard, and
soon afterwards, the jailers and some other people came in, and I and
two more, a marine and a boy, were carried out; after waiting a short
time in the yard, our cages were again shouldered, and we were conveyed
through the town to the residence of a mandarin, but not the same house
we had been at two days before. We were taken into the entrance-hall,
which had the usual canopy at the farther end; being, I suppose, the
"Hall of Ancestors." I was released from my cage directly it was set
down, and found myself with the English prisoner I had previously seen.
He told me he was Captain Anstruther, and had been kidnapped at Chusan;
that our heads were in comparative security, but that perhaps we should
have a long imprisonment, as the Chinese would only consent to give
us up, if the English would evacuate Chusan; but to this condition we
could not hope the commander-in-chief would accede. However, he was, at
the desire of the mandarins, going to write to Chusan to this effect,
and by this means our countrymen would know where we were, and perhaps
be enabled to procure our release. Whilst I was walking with him, I
saw one of the marines, who had been brought to the mandarins with
me, lying behind a sedan on a grass-plot, and knowing that he had the
dysentery, I feared the poor fellow was dead; but Captain Anstruther
said he had desired him to be placed there, that he might have the
benefit of the sun; he had given him some cakes, and afterwards
procured him a pair of trowsers; he also caused a doctor to be sent for
him; in fact, he did everything that lay in his power to ameliorate our
condition.
In a short time I was summoned before the mandarin, and found the same
party assembled as before, with the interpreter in waiting. I expected
to be questioned concerning the strength of the fleet and army at
Chusan; but, on the contrary, the mandarins contented themselves with
asking me the most frivolous questions about myself, whether I was
married, how old I was, if I had a father or mother, and such like
inquiries. When this examination was over, Captain Anstruther was
brought in, and as he was a "great captain," was allowed to sit on the
floor of the room, whilst we sat outside on the stones. A plate of
cakes and a cup of tea were also handed to him. The mandarins could
not be made to understand how Captain Anstruther and our party, both
having come from Chusan, should not know each other; nor indeed would
they believe me, when I said I had never seen him until the day before.
They questioned and cross-questioned me, but to no purpose, as I had
never seen or even heard of such a person till then. They could not
comprehend the meaning of marines, till Captain Anstruther explained
it by calling them "sea soldiers," by which name the marines ever
afterwards went.
They made many inquiries about Captain Noble, his wife and child, and
showed that they knew much concerning our vessel, from the numerous
spies they had at Chusan. After a few more such questions, I was
dismissed; and, being lifted into my cage, was carried back to the
jail, where I had my supper, and was then locked up for the night. At
dark the usual serenade commenced, which noise, with my uncomfortable
position, drove all expectation of sleep, at least by night, out of my
head.
Soon after we had finished our breakfast the next morning, some of the
Chinese prisoners began to play on musical instruments, in different
parts of the yard, and independent of each other. One of these
instruments was something like a mandoline, and played in the same
way; but it was a most monotonous affair, with trifling variety in the
notes; and the song was as bad, a kind of sing-song noise, with very
little pretensions to the name of music. Another was a kind of small
violin, played with a bow; the player could only produce a wretched
noise. One man had a small fife; he was not a whit superior to his
fellows, though they seemed lost in rapture at their own performance,
and remained strumming and blowing all day long, barely allowing
themselves time for their meals.
The next morning, Wednesday, two more of our party were taken to the
mandarins, and on their return reported the arrival of Mrs. Noble,
Lieut. Douglas, Mr. Witts our chief mate, and the two Lascar boys,
who had escaped in the jolly-boat. They told us that Mrs. Noble was
in the same kind of cage that we were in. I could scarcely believe
them, till the two Lascar boys were brought in, and they confirmed the
statement They had not only put her in a cage, but had also put irons
on her, treating her in the same manner as they did the male prisoners;
and, indeed, in some instances even worse. The mandarins had not the
humanity to order her to be taken out of the cage, but let her remain
there.
Soon after the boys had come in, Lieut. Douglas and Mr. Witts were
brought into the jail, not to our place, but to the rooms on the other
side of the yard; and though we could see them, we had no opportunity
of speaking. They had been drifting about in the boat for three days,
in great misery, not having had any food, except a little dry rice,
and some water, out of a junk which they boarded; till at last, being
obliged to go on shore, they were made prisoners. I had hoped they
might have reached Chusan, and given an account of the loss of the
Kite, and the probability of our being prisoners.
Next day, Saturday, Lieut. Douglas and Mr. Witts, who were kept on the
opposite side to us, were taken out of their cages in the daytime, and
allowed to walk about the yard; and as they were not prevented coming
over to us, they heard our tale, and related theirs in return. Captain
Anstruther and Mrs. Noble were kept in separate rooms in another yard;
they also were allowed their liberty by day, but when night came,
all were locked down in their cages. Through Captain Anstruther's
entreaties (who had many opportunities of seeing the mandarins, besides
having the advantage of the captured interpreter's company) a doctor
came to see some of the prisoners, two of whom had the dysentery very
badly, besides several who had spear wounds, and others whose flesh
the irons had galled and worked into sores; to the latter he applied
plasters, with a pink powder, which healed them in a short time; but
as for those who had the dysentery, he merely felt the pulse, looked at
them, and went away, leaving orders that the lids of their cages should
always be left open, and the irons taken off their hands.
On Monday morning, Lieut. Douglas came over, and told us we were all
going to be removed to a more comfortable place; he and Mr. Witts very
soon after were taken away. We had an early supper, and as soon as we
had finished, some mandarin officers arrived, one carrying a small
board, with some Chinese characters upon it. Their arrival caused a
great bustle, and the jailer came in, unlocked the long chain that
went through all the cages, and took five of the prisoners away with
him. They walked out of the yard, and soon after he returned and took
five more, and so on till it came to my turn; I was then lifted out
of the cage, and walked out of our yard into a smaller one, where the
ring was taken off my neck, and the irons off my hands, my legs still
remaining chained. I was here motioned to sit down on a small form,
and on looking round I perceived Mrs. Noble standing at a gate in one
corner. I had not seen her since the wreck, so wishing to speak to her,
I got up, and was going towards her, but my keepers immediately stopped
me, and one, to my surprise, said, "Must not, must not." I turned to
him directly, and said, "Do you speak English?" he replied, "Yes,
sare;" though on my asking him some other questions, he either would
not or could not answer me. On my again attempting to go to Mrs. Noble,
he repeated his former expression, and put his hand on my shoulder to
prevent my rising. I was obliged, therefore, to content myself with
exchanging a few signs with her.
I did not remain long in this place, for I was soon walked out into the
open space before the prison, where I found some sedans, into one of
which I stepped. They were open in front, and the ends of the bamboos
were fastened together by a crosspiece of the same material, which the
bearers, by stopping, placed on their shoulders, and raising the sedan
from the ground, trotted off with us at a great rate; several soldiers
going before to clear the way.
Some of the streets through which I passed were rather broad, and all
were paved with loose flags, not cemented together. The different
trades appeared to have their particular streets; the dyers were in
one part of the town, the braziers in another, and so on: some of the
shops were very well set off, and all quite open to the street. The
houses were mostly built of wood, and the names and occupations of the
owners were painted up and down the door-posts, in yellow and other
bright colours, some being gilded, giving the streets a gay appearance.
Here and there was an opening where a joshouse stood; the pillars and
other parts of the front gaudily painted and ornamented; and on the
roof were placed several images. I passed several open doors, which led
into courtyards belonging to apparently large houses; the courts were
thronged with women and children, who all crowded to the entrance as I
passed. Neither in this, nor in any other instance did they appear to
be deprived of liberty, or to live secluded. The streets had generally
a door at each end, in an archway; and this being shut at night,
relieves the shopkeepers from the fear of thieves, to whom their open
houses would otherwise be very easy of access. The butchers' shops
were well fitted up with huge wooden slabs and blocks, and quarters
of immensely fat pork hung up for sale; geese, ducks, vegetables, and
fish, were all exposed in the broad open streets, as if in a market. I
was carried across several bridges, which were built over black, slimy,
sewer-looking places, from which, and from the streets themselves,
arose even more than the two and seventy several stenches of Cologne.
[Illustration: _Drawn by C. H. Greenhill_ _Engraved by W. Lee._]
My bearers trotted on through innumerable streets, the soldiers
clearing the way before them, not a difficult task, as the curiosity
of the inhabitants seemed satisfied, and there was little or no crowd,
the people merely coming to their doors and looking at me as I passed.
I arrived at length at the end of my journey, the sedan stopped, and I
walked out; then turned to my left up a narrow courtyard, and at the
end found several mandarins sitting with their officers. I ought to
have said before that we knew the mandarins by the balls or buttons
on the top of their caps, there being four kinds that I saw--red,
blue, white, and crystal; red, I believe, being the highest rank. The
officers were distinguished by gilded balls, having one or two tails
of fur appending to them, according to their rank. I made a bow on
passing, which they all returned; and I was led across a small yard,
where I observed large earthen pans for catching water. I walked into
a small square room, and again joined the Englishmen who had preceded
me. The floor was covered with mats, and the change from our cages was
most agreeable. In a short time some more of the prisoners arrived,
and the room was filled with eleven Europeans and four Lascars, making
fifteen in all, just as many as the room would hold; nine being on one
side, and six on the other, the rest of this side being occupied by a
water-bucket, and two small washing-tubs. It being now dark, we began
to think of sleep, so we lay down, which there was just room enough to
do, each man lying on his back, and the feet of both rows meeting in
the centre; so that we had little space to toss about in; however, this
was paradise to the cages, and thinking we should not remain here long,
we made ourselves as comfortable as circumstances would allow.
The next morning a servant brought us some water to wash ourselves,
(the first time we had been allowed this luxury,) fine white rice
boiled in water, and served up in small wooden tubs. We had as much
rice as we wished for, and a kind of stew, very much like old rags
boiled, in one dish, and salt-fish in another; the dishes were of
common earthenware, and shaped like a bowl. There being fifteen of us,
we divided ourselves into three messes, five in each, and to each mess
was brought a tub full of rice, one dish of stew, and one of very small
fish, salted, and served up raw; but I could not make out what they
were.
After this meal I began to look about me; the night previous having
been too dark for me to notice any of the surrounding objects.
The room I was in, I found, was partitioned off from another, in which
was a bed, with two or three chairs, and a small table. In this room
lived an old officer, of some rank, I suppose, as all the soldiers, and
our jailer, paid him great respect. Two young men came to him every
day; whom we used to see, standing up before him, with their hands
behind their backs, like schoolboys, saying their lessons to him. It
looked, as ours did, into a small court, in which, also, were some of
the same kind of large pans for catching rain water, as those before
mentioned. Two sides of the apartment in which I was placed, were of
wood, and the other two of white bricks; but they were so thin, and
so insecurely placed together, that it would have required little
strength to shove them down. The floor was an inch thick in dirt, and
the ceiling (which was a great height) covered with cobwebs. It was a
place that we might have got out of with very little trouble; but when
out, we should not have known which way to turn, if escape had been our
object, and our dress and looks would have betrayed us instantly. The
consequence of such an attempt might have been fatal; so that they had
us as safely confined in this insecure building, as when we were in the
cages, fettered and chained to one another.
In front of our room was one appropriated to the use of one of the
keepers. An old man, hasty at times, when rather fou, but who always
behaved civilly, and in general very kindly towards us. To the left
of his dormitory was a passage that led to the cook-house; and to
the right, another that led into a large yard, on each side of which
was a spacious apartment, where their jos-ceremonies were performed.
Outside our door was a passage, and a staircase that led to the upper
story. The passage led down to another large yard, one side of which
was walled up, and on the other was a large open room, containing
chairs, tables, and sleeping couches, with cane bottoms: this seemed
the guard-room, as soldiers were always there, playing with dice and
dominoes; and their arms (match-locks, and bows and arrows,) were
scattered about. Beyond this room was another passage, which led to the
room where the sixteen Lascars were confined; a smaller and far less
comfortable place than ours.
What opportunities I had of seeing the building caused me to conclude,
that it was a jos-house, and of spacious dimensions; but I saw no
images, nor any religious ceremonies performed.[9]
The day passed on, and supper-time came; this meal was the same as
the morning's: after it was over, and the room swept, an officer came
in, and distributed rugs amongst us; one rug between two. These were
a great improvement upon the mats, being soft to lie upon during the
hot weather, and warm to cover us, in case of our remaining there the
winter. At dark, the watch was set, the same as down at the jail, only
here the noise was not so incessant; and indeed the watchmen very often
fell asleep, and left us undisturbed a long time.
FOOTNOTE:
[9] Note 8.