"Vell, vat you say ish goot," a second voice responded, "but how can we catch her vitout kicking up a bobbery."

"I guess," said a third voice, "we'd better seize the junk, and take the crew prisoners, letting them off by delivering up the gal. But mind lads no killin or woundin, if ye can help it."

The drowsy boatmen, who had been asleep on watch, were now awakened and gave the alarm. Immediately a volley of shots roused and terrified every one on board. The cowardly crew, seeing that they were attacked by foreigners, escaped from the junk by jumping on shore and hiding themselves among the tall reeds. Meng-kee and Cut-sing resolutely stood at the entrance of the cabin, each with a revolver. They could not make out at first who their assailants were, imagining them to be Imperialists, from a gunboat. If so, they were doomed men, as there was every evidence on board that they were adherents of the rebels, and on their way to the head-quarters at Nanking. Presently, after discharging their volley, the boarders rushed towards the cabin. The band, consisting of six foreigners, was headed by a tall lanky fellow, whose language indicated his nationality.

"Hold hard," he said, "with them ere five-shooters, you tarnation Chinese. Ef you are gwine to fight, why here we air, three to one, and no flies. Now we don't want to hurt you, if you'll only let us take the pretty gal you have aboard."

"You be blowed," said his mate, whose nationality was easily recognizable in the doggrel English he spoke, “your Chinese don't understand that lingo. Now lookee here," addressing our adventurers, "this piecee men no wantchee makee kill Cheneeman, only wantchee that numpa one wifeo hab got topside."

FOREIGN RENEGADES ATTACK THE JUNK.

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To the amazement of Meng-kee, the invading captain no sooner saw Cut-sing than he broke into a loud laugh, and addressed him in the foreign doggrel: "My savee you massa Jack, and Long Tom, two velly good man, all same blong Taiping pidgin. You savee my name, Cut-sing, long time hab pay you plenty dolla for powda, cap, gun. Spose you now go Nanking, my go, my flind go, he chilo go, all same. What for you make plenty bobbery? All same flind blong you, you sabee."

Upon this sally and explanation, Jack gave a long whistle, which Tom prolonged, and held his hand out to the Taiping emissary, ejaculating, "Well, this is a pretty go; here we've been agoing to fight our friends! Give us a shake of your flipper, my hearty, and say no more about it."

Cut-sing accepted the invitation which followed to go on board, as he knew his men well; but he excused Meng-kee from accompanying him as he had to see and bring the frightened boatmen back. When he got on board the vessel he was delighted to see the cargo the Yankee skipper had mentioned. In explanation, it must be stated that these men were smugglers of articles contraband of war prohibited by the foreign Maritimes Customs. They were renegades of all nations-English, American, German, Portuguese, and French-who thought it no crime to sell weapons and ammunition to the Taipings. On the contrary, many of them excused the trade on the plea of propagating Christianity by the overthrow of the Imperialists, while at the same time they found it a lucrative trade. Not only did common sailors and others carry on the illegal traffic, but merchants at the treaty ports, calling themselves upright traders, found the ships and merchandise to carry it on.

Nanking, the capital of Taipingdom. -Great area of the city within the walls.-Desolate aspect.-Ruins of the famous Porcelain Tower. -The Taiping Wang and the Heavenly Kingdom of Great Peace.Procession of Worshippers.-Discourse on Taipingism. The party proceeds to the Tien Wang's Palace.-Introduction to the Kan Wang. He invites them to his Palace.

B

EFORE the rays of the rising sun had tipped the distant mountain peaks, the junk slipped her moorings and sailed up the river under the influence of the morning breeze from the sea. The junkmen were anxious to get away from the lorcha and her rowdy crew of foreigners, so they silently sculled the junk across the river as soon as they returned on board, and were well on their course by daylight.

When Cut-sing came back from inspecting the cargo of the lorcha, he explained the whole matter to Meng-kee, who thanked him for getting rid of such unruly visitors and settling so amicably a disturbance that at first threatened to be serious. A-Lee also joined her father in thanking the Taiping emissary, so that harmony was once more restored, and the slight jar of the previous day forgiven, if not forgotten.

The sun was well up in the bright, bracing air, when the party came in sight of Nanking, the famous "South Court"

NANKING, THE TAIPING CAPITAL.

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of the ancient dynasties, which at one time far excelled its rival Peking, or "North Court;" but now its grandeur has departed. Viewed from the river, its decay is not visible except here and there where breaches have been made in the massive walls that encompass the city during the assaults they have resisted. These walls can be traced by the eye over hill and plain in a triangular circuit of twentytwo miles, indicating the vast area comprised within its boundary. However, it must be understood that this immense space is not nor ever was covered with habitations and their ordinary amenities. In all Chinese cities a large tract of land is used for agricultural purposes for growing food in times of siege, and Nanking is no exception to the rule.

This ancient southern capital of the most populous empire on earth not only exceeds the northern modern metropolis in extent, but its natural situation is vastly superior in picturesqueness, and its central position in relation to the eighteen provinces-each in itself equal to a European kingdom of the first rank. Looking across the wide-flowing Yang-tsze, the spectator beholds its crenellated wall frowning along the southern bank, like a gigantic fortress, greater than any on the banks of the Rhine; while within these battlements rises a fortified hill higher than that of Ehrenbreitstein. And as the rock on which that fortress is built is the termination of a mountain chain that trends far beyond, so in the background of Nanking, mountains rise one above another of greater magnitude. In fine, both city and site, river and range, are upon a gigantic scale, unrivalled in Europe.

These natural and artificial features of the city and its surroundings impressed Meng-kee and his daughter favour

ably towards the capital of the so-called "Heavenly Kingdom of Great Peace." Alas! these favourable impressions were doomed to be disappointed when they beheld the devastation and ruin within its walls.

Their junk was steered up a creek leading to the Water Gate. Here their baggage was landed, and a conveyance hired to take them into the city. As they moved along a well-paved road through the fields, there was not much to be seen; but presently they came upon what was formerly called the "Tartar City," where not a brick or stone of its numerous buildings was left standing, with the exception of the Central Drum Tower, which is built on an eminence commanding an extensive prospect of the city. Passing this, they came to the inhabited portion adjoining the South Gate, outside of which once stood the famous Porcelain Tower. This was considered one of the "Seven Wonders of the World" in olden times. Meng-kee recollected having seen it when young, as its graceful proportions rose to a height of more than three hundred feet, divided into nine segments or stories, each with a projecting roof covered with glazed green, blue, and yellow tiles, while from the eaves depended a hundred and fifty bells hung on chains, which tinkled in harmonious cadence as they swung to and fro in the wind. Although the inner bricks of the edifice. were of ordinary manufacture, those which formed the basement and outer walls were of white porcelain, which gave the proportions of the tower a light and graceful form. It was erected by an emperor of the Ming dynasty to commemorate the goodness of the Empress Kao, his ancestor, and cost nearly a million sterling.

When Meng-kee went to look for this "Temple of Gratitude"-as the Nankingese fondly used to call it-the