Page:Through China with a camera.pdf/313

 We offered to supply them with rice; but that they would not accept, demanding an advance of money and leave of absence to spend it. This we steadfastly refused to concede, and threatened to cut off their captain's pay unless he brought his men to terms. The mutineers next hauled in the sails and sat themselves down for a smoke; but in about an hour, seeing no prospect of our yielding, the skipper consulted his sweet spouse, and then forthwith ordered the men to turn to, under penalty of letting the wife of his bosom loose on them. This prospect produced such a powerful effect on the men that they instantly resumed their work.

We were now fairly entering the mountainous region, and quitting the great alluvial plain that stretches hundreds of miles southward to the sea. We could just see the " Mountains of the Seven Gates" towering in dark masses above the horizon, as the evening closed in upon us and we cast anchor for the night. Our skipper determined to serve us out for our obstinacy. He assured us that the place was infested with pirates, and that it would be necessary to keep an armed watch all night. Perhaps he feared his men, who were certainly a dare-devil-looking set.

We noticed men fishing with trained otters on this part of the river. There were a number of boats, and each boat was furnished with an otter tied to a cord. The animal was thrust into the water and remained there until it had secured a fish; then it was hauled up, and the fisherman, placing his foot upon its tail, stamped vigorously until it had dropped its finny prey. We passed two prosperous-looking little towns, Po-yang and Chi-kiang; and on the morning of February 5th were sailing be- neath bold rocky bluffs backed by a chaos of fantastic mountain peaks. Here, on the highest pinnacle, a Buddhist monastery was perched, not far from the brink of the river. It was fronted