Shooting in China

THE LIBRARY

OF

THE UNIVERSITY
OF CALIFORNIA

LOS ANGELES

SHOOTING IN CHINA

EQUIPPED FOR PHEASANT SHOOTING.

SHOOTING IN CHINA

BY

T. R. JERNIGAN

Author of China in Law and Commerce.

Methodist Publishing House

Shanghai, China

1908.

Z33

PREFACE

The following papers were written to give
the new shooter in China a general idea of
the equipments necessary for his success
and comfort, and I have also ventured to
submit some hints on the deportment
that should be observed while shooting in
the interior, but if I have succeeded in
recording any incident which may remind
the old " up-country " shooter of the
pleasure of a day forever gone I shall feel
gratified and compensated.

T. R. JERNIGAN
Shanghai, China.

CONTENTS

CHAPTER. PAGB

I. LANGUAGE— PEOPLE— MONEY - i

II. HOUSEBOAT— GUN— DOG 25

III. SMALL GAME 63

IV. BIG GAME 123

V. YANG-TZE RIVER - 141

VI. CH'IEN-TANG RIVER - - - - 161

VII. LAKES NEAR NINGPO ... 189

VIII. CHINESE SPORTSMAN AND WEAPONS 205

IX. CUSTOMS ------ 235

X. GOVERNMENT ----- 257

XL NOTES BY AN OLD SPORTSMAN - 279

XII. VOCABULARY ----- 303

ILLUSTRATIONS.

EQUIPPED FOR PHEASANT SHOOTING - Frontispiece

FACING PAGE.

FOREIGN HOUSEBOAT - 27

FAVORITE GREENER GUNS 33

"TEW," - - 47

RINGED-NECK PHEASANT 65

REEVES' PHEASANT - 65

GOLDEN PHEASANT 67

LADY AMHERST PHEASANT - - 69

BAMBOO PARTRIDGE - 71

MANDARIN DUCK - 105
RETURNING FROM A CHRISTMAS SHOOT - 149

ENTRANCE TO THE GORGES - - - 171

XIV ILLUSTRATIONS

FACING PAGB
CITY OF NITZK-FU - i?3

IN THE GARDEN OF THE MAG i STR ATE, NITZB-FU 1 75

OUR HOUSEBOAT IN THE GORGES - 181

BALES OF STICKS - 185

HAULING HOUSEBOAT OVER A DIKE - 191

SHOOTING DUCKS ON THE LAKES NEAR NINGPO 193

CHINESE SPORTSMAN - 209

CHINESE PUNT SHOOTER - - 213

EQUIPMENTS OF A CHINESE SPORTSMAN - 215

CHINESE DUCK CATCHER - - 223
NATIVES HAVING A " LOOK-SEE " AT FOREIGNER - 255

LANGUAGE— PEOPLE— MONEY

CHAPTER I.

LANGUAGE-PEOPLE-MONEY.

After an experience of several years as a
shooter in China I am convinced that the
special subjects of this chapter are not ir-
relevant to the main subject I have select-
ed to write about. Had I been informed
on these subjects when I first came to
China, as generally even as I am at present,
the information would have been of decided
practical convenience and the pleasures of
shooting materially promoted. It is not my
purpose to attempt to write technically of
the language, the people, or the money of
China, but rather to refer to some of the
peculiarities of each with the hope of
smoothing the way of the shooter who may
come to this empire to enjoy his sport.

Shortly after my arrival in China I at-
tended the session of a Chinese Ccurt and
soon observed that the judge was inter-
rogating a witness by the aid of an inter-
preter. As the judge, the interpreter, and
the witness were all of the same nationality
the reason for such a procedure was not
plain to me, and meeting the judge after

2 SHOOTING IN CHINA

the adjournment of the court I asked for
an explanation. He said that as I had lived
in China but a short time he could readily
appreciate my difficulty, and gave me this
explanation : that as a judge of China was
prohibited by law from holding court in
his native province, it was necessary for him
to have an interpreter familiar with the
dialect of the province in which the session
of the court might be held. I then inquir-
ed if China had no national language that
was spoken and understood alike in all her
provinces. He answered, that it was pro-
bable China did have a national language
but that it was certain each province had a
dialect peculiar to it and different from the
dialect of any other province. I further
inquired, if there was not a dialect or lan-
guage a foreigner could learn and which
would enable him to make himself under-
stood in any part of the empire. He thought
that the nearest approach to a national
dialect was that known as the mandarin
dialect, and if a foreigner or native was
proficient in it the proficiency would prove
of practical use in nearly all the provinces.
I reminded the judge that the dialect he
had named, as more widely spoken, was the

LANGUAGE-PEOPLE-MONEY 3

youngest of the dialects, and it was strange
that it should be the more national. He
assented with the remark, that it was an-
other of China's peculiarities, and that the
longer I lived in China the more I would
see of them. I inferred that the judge was
not fully convinced that China had a nation-
al language, but seemed persuaded that it
was not strictly accurate to say that there
were several dialects. He instanced the
fact : that the language of one of the pro-
vinces was as old as three thousand years,
and although it had served as the medium
of business and communication for so long
a time between the inhabitants it was not
spoken or understood outside of that par-
ticular province. But whether there be a
national language or many dialects, or
whether there be different languages, schol-
ars have no more agreed than they have as
to the origin of the Chinese, and after read-
ing the learned researches on both subjects
there is a feeling that the true sources have
not been discovered.

There is, however, a useful view of the
subjects which is of interest to the shooter
and more so to the business man, for unless
one is familiar, or has an interpreter who

4 SHOOTING IN CHINA

is, with the dialect of the province which
he wishes to visit, he had as well not go
there, if he goes to learn the customs of
the inhabitants. I do not mean that to
enjoy shooting in China the shooter
should understand the language, nor do
I mean that he must incur the expense
of an interpreter, but if he has an inter-
preter who knows the dialect of the neigh-
bourhood in which he decides to shoot
he will learn much that will be useful
to his enjoyment. And it should be
emphasized, that however proficient an
interpreter may be in the dialect of one
province he will probably be totally
ignorant of that spoken in another ; and
this is a peculiarity the judge very likely
had in mind when he intimated that I
would learn many if I resided in China long.
I was first impressed by the radical difference
in the dialects of the provinces when on a
visit to Chefoo during a summer season.
I took with me my Chinese servant boy,
who had been in my employment for
sometime, but I had not been in Chefoo a
day before becoming aware that he could
not understand a word of the Chefoo dialect,

LANGUAGE- PEOPLE-MONEY 5

or make himself understood, so dissimilar
were the dialects of Shanghai and Chefoo.

And not only are the provincial dialects
distinguished by radical differences, but of-
ten in the same province each neighborhood
has its own dialect, and frequently in the
same town or city those living on one street
do not understand the spoken language of
those living on another, although the streets
are so near together as to seem an extension
of the same street. The differences in the
spoken dialects are not superficial, but each
dialect is distinct in its rudiment and
pronunciation.

However fundamentally the spoken
dialects may differ, one learns another of
China's peculiarities in connection with the
language or dialects when written. While
the people who live in different provinces
or neighborhoods or on separate streets
cannot make themselves orally understood,
the written language or dialects is a medium
of intelligent communication throughout
the empire. If a resident of Peking were
to visit Canton he would find it extremely
difficult at best to converse orally with a
resident of the latter city, but if he reduced

6 SHOOTING IN CHINA

to writing what he wished to say the
Cantonese could read and understand it as
could the Pekinese any written answer.

No one will suppose that it is necessary
to speak Chinese, or employ an interpreter
who can, in order to shoot more accurately
a pheasant or a bamboo- partridge, but when
the weather is unfavorable and the shooter
has to remain on board his houseboat the
opportunity offers to inform himself about
many interesting customs. If the houseboat
be anchored near a village or town he can
easily have a few of the leading residents at
tea, and through a competent interpreter,
thus acquire a knowledge of such customs,
the observance of which will insure a
pleasant sojourn and successful shooting.
It is the minor customs that throw light on
the larger life of the people, for the true
history of China is the history of the family.

While the language and dialects really
appear to have been framed to debar all
intercourse between China and other na-
tions, and it is said that neither enters any
longer into the law and commerce of the
world, yet, in view of the possibilities of
Asiatic development, they never enjoyed a

LANGUAGE-PEOPI.E-MONEY J

more interesting and commanding place
than at this time. The language and
dialects are written and spoken by the
greatest number of the inhabitants of the
world, are the medium for transmitting
their ideas and are more widely diffused
than any other. The books written in it
have more readers than the books written
in any other, and there are no people so
completely under the influence of their
literature as are the Chinese. Confucius
lived twenty-four hundred years ago, but
his writings are still the classics of China,
the source and foundation of Chinese law,
and the standard by which all rights and
punishments are measured. The writings
of this author, among the Chinese, take the
place of the books on religion, and have
modeled the form of their government as
well as defined and regulated authority.

The foreigner who knows the mandarin
dialect has an advantage over the foreigner
in China who does not know it ; the former
acquires information by communicating
directly with the natives, which is to be
preferred, however proficient and reliable
may be the interpreter. And in undertaking

8 SHOOTING IN CHINA

to learn the language it should be
remembered that there is a material
difference between that spoken and that
written, for, as already stated, one may
speak the language without being able to
write it, or one may write it without being
able to comprehend it when spoken. Some
of the best authorities do not think it
difficult to learn the mandarin dialect if
mistakes, reaching the rudiments, are not
made at the beginning of the study. It is
easy to procure a qualified instructor.

It is probable that the first impression
received by the shooter will be that all the
Chinese speak the same language and that
all are alike, but the characteristics of the
inhabitants of the provinces are as unlike
as their dialects. If the Chinese have a
national language, or if they be of the same
race, there has certainly been an upheaval
of some kind which has scattered both.
They may be as united as the sea although
they appear more divided by dialects and
racial characteristics than its waves. A
native of Tientsin could not pass himself
as a native of Shanghai, and the converse
would be as true. If the dialect of a

LANGUAGE-PEOPLE-MONEY 9

native of north China did not indicate the
section from which he hailed his dress,
bearing and manner would locate his
nativity. Whatever direction one may
travel in China, whether north, south, east,
or west he will find that the inhabitants of
each geographical division have their
special customs to which they strictly
adhere as the guide of their daily in-
tercourse. And these customs are more
restricted in area than would appear implied
by the term geographical division. As
different dialects are spoken by the in-
habitants of the same province, so in the
same province customs materially different
may be found to prevail. The residents
of the same city are sometimes divided like
unto separate principalities, each princi-
pality being governed by its own particular
customs. And so deeply grounded is the
pride of provincial nationality, that a
resident of one province visiting another
is regarded almost in the same light as if he
were a foreigner. If the provinces should
adjoin, a similar reticence marks the in-
tercourse as if the provinces bounded
distant parts of the Empire.

10 SHOOTING IN CHINA

When such are some of the charac-
teristics of the people of China the shooter
need not be surprised if his reception is not
alike in all the provinces he may visit. In
one province he may be cordially received,
but as soon as he crosses the border into
another he may not be long in detecting an
unfriendly disposition in the sullen aspects
that greet him. But he must not be dis-
couraged, for if somewhat liberal he will
quickly perceive that he has friends only.
A Mexican dollar is the diplomat in China
before whose influence all difficulties dis-
appear as the mist before the rising sun.

It will be of interest to have an idea of
the distribution of the population, because
there are more native shooters than formerly
and it is not advisable to look for game
in the thickly populated sections of the
Empire. China is in no sense evenly
populated ; in some provinces the popu-
lation is dense while in some it is
sparse. The great plain of North China,
the Yangtse basin, the Szechu'an table-
land, the coast region and the Si-kiang
delta are the most densely populated parts
of the Empire. The provinces which have

LANGUAGE-PEOPLK-MONEY 1 1

the largest population are Szechu'an
Shantung, Hupeh, Kuangtung, Kiangsi
Kiangsu, Nganhuei and Fokien ; in each
of these eight provinces the number of
inhabitants ranges from sixty to twenty
millions. And the provinces which are
least populated are Yunnan, Chekiang,
Kansu, Shensi and Kweichow ; in each
of these the number of inhabitants ranges
from twelve to seven millions. The above
estimates are taken from Richard's ex
haustive and authoritative book entitled,
"Comprehensive Geography of the Chinese
Empire". In estimating the population of
China this authority admits the well nigh
impossibility of an accurate estimate, but
taking the number of households as a basis
the approximate population is put down at
four hundred and ten millions.

The shooter should not conclude that
he must shoot in the sparsely populated pro-
vinces only. In the Yangtse basin, which
is densely populated, pheasant and wild fowl
are plentiful and it may still be designated
as the "happy hunting ground. "

The money of China is another subject
the shooter should know something about or

12 SHOOTING IN CHINA

he will be continually annoyed as he travels
in the interior ; and the money has its
peculiar character as do the language and the
people. It is as different from the money of
any other nation as the language and people
of China are unique in their dissimilarity.
China has no currency of a standard value
like England and the United States. The
nearest approach to a currency is a copper
coin well known as " cash," and which has
n square hole in the middle for convenience
in stringing. "This coin, a generation ago
of the nominal value of one twenty-fifth of
a penny, and now representing the fortieth
of a penny, has a standard weight of fifty-
seven grains of metal of which it is made —
of copper and as much spelter of zinc (some-
times lead) as the copper will take up.
This copper coin, of which it takes 9,600
to make a pound sterling, is the currency
of the people ; in it the farmer receives the
price of his produce, and with it he buys
the things needed to satisfy the simple
wants of his family. The millions know no
other coin, and by its agency is carried
on the whole of the retail trade of the
Empire. Transactions which in England

LANGUAGE-PEOPLE-MONEY 13

are settled with the three metals are in
China settled with copper only ; and this
quaint coin is one of the most important of
the links which bind the Empire together.
Even in this coin the Chinaman shows his
inevitable tendency to create differences.
With the exception of one spot, Peking, the
coinage is uniform throughout China ; but
in the northern provinces, of which Shang-
hai and the metropolitan province, Chihli,
may be taken as examples, each coin counts
as two. The housekeeper does her market-
ing with six pounds weight of coppers ; in
mid-China and the south she calls this
amount one tiao (or 1,000 cash), and in
north China she calls it two tiao ; in the
south she will be asked 50 and in the north
100 cash for the same article, but in both
she will pay out 50 coins. The capital,
Peking, possibly from patriotic motives,
possibly because it was under the eye of the
government, was alone in accepting, and
continues to this day to use the token
coinage issued during the Taiping rebellion
(1856-63) ; of these coins of a nominal value
of 10 cash, it would take 100 to make the
tiao of 1000, but being in the north each

J4 SHOOTING IN CHINA

coin counts for twice its face value, and in
the tiao are only 50 coins. To prevent
misunderstanding it should be stated that
this patriotic acceptance of a depreciated
coinage does not involve any loss to
shopkeepers or customers ; the purchasing
power of the coin is rated very closely by
the amount of metal contained in it, and
the length of cotton sheeting bought by one
tiao at Shanghai would command a price of
eight or ten times at Peking" (Morse).
The above quotation is from a paper prepar-
ed, specially, on the currency of China, by
H. B. Morse who, for a long time, has been
at the head of the statistical department of
the Imperial Maritime Customs of China,
and is one of the very best authorities on the
subject. The shooter will now understand
why the currency that is most in general use
among the natives will prove inconvenient
as a medium of defraying his expenses, for
in the place of one Mexican silver dollar he
would have to carry six pounds weight of
copper as the fractional equivalent. If he
expected to travel or shoot for a month or
two it would require several ponies to carry
the "cash" he would need or an additional

LANGUAGE-PEOPLE-MONEY 15

houseboat to the one used for his comfort
and shooting equipments.

There has never been in China a govern-
ment coin of any other metal than copper,
and tlie currency of the Empire, other
than copper, is not a coin, but a weight,
and this weight is known by foreigners as
the " tael ", while the Chinese name it
u Hang ". The tael which has the great-
est degree of universal currency, and
which is best known to foreigners outside
of China, is the Haikwan, or custom's
tael. The Haikwan tael is the currency in
which duties are paid to the Imperial
Maritime Customs and is the one meriting
more special attention. " It is a weight of
583.3 grains of pure silver 1,000 fine;
expressed in terms of the silver dollar of
41 2 l/t grains 900 fine, one Haikwan tael
equals 1.5713 silver dollars. Introduced
under the treaty of Nanking, 1842, the
lapse of sixty years has not sufficed to
create modifications in this standard which,
moreover, is current for revenue purposes
in all the ports open to foreign trade.
Even with this currency, however, this
immutability has to be taken with scn:e

l6 SHOOTING IN CHINA

reservation. It seldom happens that the
merchant has at hand to pay his duties the
fine silver (1,000) which is, theoretically,
the standard of all payments to the govern-
ment ; and tendering other silver, coin
money the ordinary trade silver of the
place, the rate at which it shall be accepted
becomes a matter of arrangement with the
banker; the latter having to account to the
government for a certain weight of silver
1,000 fine will be careful to cover his
liability. Another element of variation,
even of this currency, is the difference
between receiving and paying rates in force
in all government treasuries, all banks, and
with those merchants of sufficiently strong
standing to make their own counting-house
rules; this difference, usually between a
quarter and a half per cent, is made, not by
charging a commission, but by boldly using
two sets of weights, one for receiving and
the other for paying, and is intended to
compensate for the labour of weighing
ingots and lumps of silver of no fixed
weight, and for the risk incurred and expert
knowledge requisite for taking in silver of
unknown degrees of fineness. The practice

LANGUAGE-PEOPLE-MONEY 17

is defended on the same grounds as that of
the foreign exchange banks in quoting
different buying and selling rates for bills
of exchange". (Morse). The Kuping, or
treasury tael, as its name would imply, is
the currency in which are collected all
other dues to the government other than
customs duties, excepting only those which
are levied in kind, such as the grain
tributes, or in copper. The Shanghai tael
is the standard of international exchange
for the trade of North China and the
Yang-tse basin, all other quotations in
local currencies being re-conversion from
the rate for Shanghai currency." A century
ago Germany was the paradise of the
money-changer with its countless coinages,
each circulating in its own principality,
but that was simplicity itself when com-
pared with China. In China every one
of the hundreds of the commercial centers
not only has its own tael weight, but in
many cases has its several standards side
by side ; and these taels of money will be
weighed out in silver which, even in one
place, will be of several degrees of fineness".
(Morse). An example of this confusion in

1 8 SHOOTING IN CHINA

the currency will be informing on the
subject, and one town may be taken to
typify many. " In the town of Chungking,
in the province of Szechu'an, in the far
west of China, the standard of weight of
the tael for silver transactions is 543.7
grains, and this is the standard for all
transactions in which the scale is not
specified. Usually, however, a modifica-
tion of the scale is provided for, depending
in some cases upon the place from which
the merchant comes or with which he trades,
and in others upon the goods in which he
deals. A merchant coming from Kwei-
chow, or trading with that place, will
probably, but not certainly use a scale on
which the tael weighs 537.3 grains. A
merchant from Kwei-fu, a town on the
Yangtse, a hundred miles from Chungking,
will buy and sell with a tael of 550.7
grains ; and between these two extremes are
at least ten topical weights of tael all
current at Chungking. In addition to
these twelve topical currencies, there are
others connected with commodities. One
of the most important products of Szechu'an
is salt, and dealings in this are settled by a

LANGUAGE-PEOPLE-MONEY 19

tael of 544.5 grains, unless it is salt
from a Szechu'an well, in which case the
standard is 545.7 grains. A transaction in
cotton cloth is settled with a tael of 543.1
grains, but for cotton yarn the tael is 544.1
grains. This seems confusion, but we are
not yet at the end ; up to this point we have
dealt only with the weight on the scale, but
now comes in the question of the fineness
of the silver with which payment is made.
At Chungking three qualities of silver are
in common use, "fine silver" 1,000 fine
current throughout the empire, "old silver"
about 995 fine, and "trade silver" between
960 and 970 fine ; and payment may be
stipulated in any one of these three qualities.
Taking the score of current tael weights
in combination with the three grades of
silver, we have at least sixty currencies in
this one town." (Morse).

A tael is supposed to weigh as much
as one ounce of silver, and as it requires
9,600 copper cash to make one pound sterl-
ing, the shooter need not be again reminded
how inconvenient it would prove if he
supplied himself with the amount in Chi-
nese money he might need. If the copper
cash or the tael possessed a fixed value

20 SHOOTING IN CHINA

throughout China the inconvenience would

Q

still be great, but when there are about
seventy local varieties of tael, each differing
slightly from every other, as one proceeds
from place to place, the shooter would have
more trouble in keeping up with the value
of his money than he would with the most
cunning of cock-pheasants.

But the shooter must not be discouraged
by the different dialects, the characteristics
of the people, or the confusion of the money,
for the difficulty of smoothing his way
through it all is not insurmountable. China
is still the "happy hunting ground," and
if one begins with a general idea of the
situation, and is a true sportsman, he will
soon experience that no country surpasses
China in the opportunities for real enjoy-
ment. If the services of a properly qualified
interpreter are engaged there need be no
serious thought of the peculiarities of the
language or the people, and as to the
money, in use among the Chinese, the
advice is not to trouble about it, for if the
shooter supplies himself with the requisite
number of Mexican dollars he will have no
reason to concern or perplex his mind by

LANGUAGE-PEOPLE-MONEY 21

calculating the value of a " cash " or a
"tael." There is scarcely a place in China
where the Mexican dollar is not current
either to be exchanged at the banks or to
purchase whatever may be needed. The
natives have a convenient system of bank-
ing, and in most any city or town the shooter
will find one or more native banks at which
he can exchange his silver or the bills of
any of the foreign banks doing business in
China, especially the bills on such well
known banks as the Hongkong and Shang-
hai Banking Corporation.

HOUSEBOAT— GUN— DOG

CHAPTER II.

HOUSEBOAT-GUN-DOG.

In the view that comfortable steamers
are running on the principal waterways of
China and travel by rail is annually more
convenient, it may be asked why should a
houseboat be considered a necessary equip-
ment to successful shooting? It is true
that one may travel with every reasonable
comfort on steamers more than 1,500
miles up the Yangtze River and see on
either side the plains and hills which are
the feeding grounds of the favorite game
birds, but that would not be shooting. If
the trip up the great river be undertaken
there must be some stopping place decided
upon and when the shooter has arrived at
it he will then fully understand why the
houseboat is an equipment essential not
only to his success but to the preservation
of health. The steamboat and the railway
will be a convenience as to reaching any
place on their lines, but these agencies of
commerce and civilization have always
proved destructive to game, because of the
facilities afforded the shooter for travelling.

26 SHOOTING IN CHINA

At this time there are comparatively few
miles of railway in China, but thus far
wherever the steam-engine has gone the
game birds have taken their flight from the
lines of travel. The pheasant, woodcock, and
the deer cannot live and prosper long when
they have to contend with the railways and
the breech loader. No country in the world
surpasses China in natural waterways.
However China may be interlaced in the
future with railways her inland creeks
and canals will prove the medium for
conveying to the markets the products of
the vast farming population ; and if the
shooter wishes to visit the best places for
shooting he will have to travel in a boat
suited for the inland waterways of the
Empire. It is, therefore, that the house-
boat is an essential equipment ; and now I
will describe such a one as the shooter will
find accomodating for comfort and travel.

If the shooter resides in China he will
probably own a boat — such a one as
will please his fancy and convenience ; but
if he comes to shoot for a month or so it
would be to his interest to hire a boat and
this he can do at one of the open ports.

HOUSEBOAT-GUN-DOG. 2J

Shanghai is usually the open port where
the shooter first enters, and at that port he
can with more intelligence take his latitude
and bearing. At Shanghai he will seldom
have any difficulty in hiring a boat that
will prove suitable and at a reasonable
price, as there are a larger number of
houseboats at this port than any of the
other open ports of the Empire and a
satisfactory selection is more easily made.

But in the words of an old shooter in
China, as " no three men agree about the
dimensions, build and fittings most suit-
able for a perfect shooting boat," I shall
give the general opinion only on the
subject.

The concensus of opinion among the
resident sportsmen is that a first class
houseboat should be at least forty-five feet
long and eleven and a half feet wide
outside of the guards, and with crew and
stores on board should not draw more than
fourteen inches of water. " The model
below the water should be like the elongat-
ed bowl of a spoon, point forward, but with
more fulness in the bilges, and the bow
should curve upwards and forwards and

28 SHOOTING IN CHINA

be four feet wide at the gunwale. The
frame-work should be of iron or steel ; the
planking of hull and decks of teak : and
the house and joiner-work of California red
pine or Japan cedar." If a houseboat should
be built with the details conforming to the
outline and description above indicated it
would doubtless prove a very satisfactory
boat for the shooter. It is absolutely
necessary for a houseboat to be of light
draft, as the water in many of the creeks
and canals is shallow, and if the boat is too
•wide or high it would be impossible for it
to pass under the numerous bridges that
span these little waterways which often
lead to the best shooting grounds. Such
a houseboat would afford room for a large
enough cabin for sleeping berths and for
sitting and eating purposes, bath and
toilet-room, cook house and pantry, and
dog kennels, — all the apartments to be
arranged, apportioned and fitted up accord-
ing to the judgment and taste of the
owner.

After the houseboat has been furnished
to please the owner or occupant, the greatest
care should be exercised in the selection of

HOUSEBOAT-GUN-DOG. 29

a crew, and the important member is the
loadah, the captain of the boat. The
pleasures of a shooting trip may be wholly
destroyed by an incompetent or unwilling
crew, and when the loadah refuses to enter
into the spirit of the trip and proves
stubborn the annoyance becomes exasperat-
ing. Perhaps the better way of dealing
with an incorrigible loadah is to stop the
boat, make him go ashore, and put some
other member of the crew in command.
My own experience is that on one occasion
such action resulted in a prompt corrective
to all future hindrances and troubles and
the loadah was glad enough to have permis-
sion to return to the boat. In an
interesting and excellent book entitled,
" With Boat and Gun in the Yangtze
Valley ", the author, H. T. Wade, gives in
detail the duties of a loadah, which show
that the success or failure of the shooting
largely depends upon him. A paramount
qualification is that the loadah should have
an accurate knowledge of the places where
it is proposed to shoot and that he should
know how to control his crew. Unless he
possesses these qualifications his efficiency
in other respects will be at a large discount.

30 SHOOTING IN CHINA

Of the duties of a loadah, the one ever
present is the careful management of the
boat and her preservation. Without this
attention the boat may be damaged in the
narrow waterways or by collision with the
native boats which, it would seem, fill every
stream as the carriers of the internal trade
and commerce of China. The management
of the boat also means that the loadah
should be ready at short notice to go from
place to place, and if familiar with the tides
and currents he will employ the means
calculated to ensure the fastest movement.
When there is a head tide or wind, some-
times it is necessary to " Yuloh " or
"Track". Yulohing is nothing more
than English sculling, except that the oar
in the former is fitted on a pivot, while in
the latter it is worked in a hole the shape
of a half circle. Under favorable circum-
stances the average rate by yulohing is
from 3 ^ to 4 miles per hour. When the
•wind or current is very strong ahead
tracking is the more certain means of
moving the boat expeditiously. One end
of a rope is made fast to the top of a bamboo
pole which is secured near the mast
about ten feet above the deck, and several

HOUSEBOAT-GUN-DOG. 3!

of the crew go ashore with the other end
and pull the boat along at the rate of 3 miles
per hour. When the wind is fair and the
nature of the waterway permits of course
the sail will be hoisted and unfurled to the
breeze.

If the shooter begins his shooting trip
from one of the open ports he will usually
be able to engage a steam launch to tow
his houseboat many miles inland. At
Shanghai there are several launches with
regular schedules and running as far into
the interior as the depth of the water in the
creeks and canals will allow ; and by means
of the tow launches the shooting grounds
can be more quickly reached. The usual
hour for leaving Shanghai is 4 o'clock in the
afternoon and, as a rule, the houseboat may
be unfastened from the launch the following
morning and her bow pointed up some
stream that empties into the main water-
way, but too narrow or shallow except for
the houseboat I have described or some
small cargo boat. But now houseboats
are being built and fitted with gasoline or
kerosene engines and the boats thus con-
structed are proving satisfactory. Soon the

32 SHOOTING IN CHINA

houseboat propelled by ytilohing will be
numbered with the hammer gun and live
only in the memory of the old sportsmen
who, when China was first opening her
ports to the westerners, were so often
glorious in the enjoyment of their sport
and, when "up country", "over all the ills
of life victorious". The commissary de-
partment is important, but the shooter
should know what he likes to eat and drink
and provide himself accordingly.

Gun : If the shooter intends to hunt for
big game he will of course understand that
he should have a rifle of the proper caliber
and such a one he can easily select, as there
are several first class makers who will
advise and fit him from long experience.
The rifle is undoubtedly the king of small
fire arms, for with it the farmer defends his
fields and flocks against the ravages of wild
beasts and with the same weapon the patriot
establishes and maintains his personal
liberty and the legal enjoyment of his pro-
perty. But it shall be my aim to describe
the kinds of shot guns the shooter will be
likely to find more useful during his shoot-
ing expeditions in China ; and in connection

FAVORITE GREENER GUNS.

HOUSEBOAT-GUN-DOG 33

with the subject I venture to believe that
my reader will not object if I indulge in a
brief description of the gun, as fashioned
many years ago, by the most skilfull gun-
builder the world ever produced. The true
sportsman has already anticipated me, for
to think of a gun the name of Joseph Man-
ton at once comes into the mind ; and there
is Peter Hawker the no less unrivalled
sportsman. Shooting one day, in company
with Manton, Col. Hawker writes thus in
his fascinating diary: "Joe shot like an
angel ; he discharged ten rounds and
pocketed his ten birds in brilliant style.
What care we for all Europe." It takes a
real sportsman to write like that, and,
better still, to feel it.

It is doubtful if there is a living gun-
maker of any note who will not readily
concede that Joseph Manton was the father
of the modern shot-gun. The guns built
by Manton and which, for symmetry and
balance, successfully passed the most
critical examination were of the flint-lock
pattern. It was on this pattern of a gun
he would seem to have exhausted his skill
in perfecting as nearly as art and invention

34 SHOOTING IN CHINA

would admit. There are a few of the
flint-lock guns, single and double, built by
Mauton which, on account of their ex-
quisite finish and proportion are treasured
away in gilded cases as too sacred to be
exposed in the field. The present day
shooter would have to practice for some-
time before succeeding with a right and left
of a flint-lock gun, but Col. Hawker tells
us that with such a gun he was successful
with fourteen consecutive rights and lefts
at partridges and fourteen consecutive
single barrel kills at snipe, and because he
shot with one of Mantcn's guns which he
was able to pitch quicker than any other.
Manton died in 1835, before the breech
loaders and choke bore came into fashion,
but if living his genius would no doubt
enable him to hold the first place in his
profession as when he was the acknowledg-
ed head of all gunmakers. In bend and
shape the modern gun is similar to that of
a Manton's, which proves that his fertile
and inventive mind was far ahead of his
time in knowledge as to how a gun should
be shaped in order that the shooter might
pitch it quicker and with more comfort. It
is interesting to read the opinions of this

HOUSEBOAT-GUN-DOG 35

master of gun building as they are written
by Hawker in his diary. "The late Joseph
Manton", says Hawker, "who knew more
about a gun than any man in Europe,
assured me, after innumerable experiments,
he has proved that two feet eight for a
twenty four guage barrel is the best pro-
portion for a sporting gun". There should
be plenty of metal near the breech end,
adds Hawker, not only for strong shooting
but for good elevation ; and the barrels
should be tapered like a bulrush, no
hollowing out as this injures their shooting.
One of the most skilf nil barrel borers of his
time was named Fullard, whose barrel-
manufactory was in Clarkenwell, and Man-
ton did not hesitate to admit that Fullard
could bore the best barrel for duck shoot-
ing. When Manton lived, writes Hawker,
" in those days we had but one gumnaker —
now they are all — all gunmakers !!!"

The sportman will be interested in a
more detailed description of a Manton gun.
One is described as follows : " Stub twist 14
bore 29^ in. barrels, with flat top rib. The
stock is well bent, i^j in. at comb and 2^
in. at heel; the length 14^ in. and the gun

36 SHOOTING IN CHINA

weighs 7^ Ibs. The locks have an
ingenious arrangement to effect the alter-
ation from flint to percussion or vice
versa. The flash pans are pivoted and
carry nipples on their rear faces. They
can be secured in either of their dual
positions by means of thumbscrews
passing through them and engaging on
pivots. By slackening these screws and
turning the flash pan pieces about one-
eighth of a circle forward the nipples are
brought into position to be struck by the
recess shoulders of the cocks. The touch-
holes and vents are gold lined, and the gun
is lightly engraved with a bold scroll
ornament."

Another gun by the same maker is
one originally flint and altered to percussion
by new pivoted pieces carrying nipples
replacing original hammers and new cocks.
" Stub twist 20 bore barrels, 30-^ in. in
length. Bend of stock i^j in. 2^ in- >
length 14^$ in. The gun weighs 5^ Ibs.
The butt of stock is thickened towards the
toe, and the combs of cocks are very
short. "

Another of Manton's guns appears to

HOUSEBOAT-GUN-DOG 37

have been intended as a flint lock when
begun on and was altered to percussion ill
the course of manufacture. " The cocks
are flat with blued steel let in the noses.
The nipples are set in rare ends of breeches,
but the lock plates are cut away as for flint.
Stub twist 15 guage barrels, 29^ in. long;
bend of stock, i ^-2 % in. ; length of stock,
14^ in. ; weight of gun 6 Ibs. n ozs."

The genuineness and the accuracy of
the descriptions of the above guns are
vouched for by the highest authority ; and
one more by this celebrated maker may be
added : these are a pair of bar lock
percussion double guns. " Stub twist
barrels 29^ in. 18 bore; length of stocks
14^ in ; bend at combs i^ in ; bend at heel
2 in ; the pair weighs 6 Ibs. each."

It has been observed that Manton was
not an extremist either in the length of the
barrel or the bend of the stock, but shaped
both on medium lines, which experience
has attested as more effective for a sporting
gun. There is but one of those described
the bore of which is similar to that of a gun
now in use, a twenty bore, with barrels a
fraction more than two inches longer than

38 SHOOTING IN CHINA

the standard length for a twenty bore gun
of the present day. The most effective
twenty bore gun I ever owned had barrels
thirty two inches long and was built for me
by W. W. Greener as a special order.

An opposition as earnest was offered
when it was proposed to substitute the
hammer gun with percussion cap for the
flint gun as was manifested to the introduc-
tion of the hammerless gun. The flint gun
was put aside with the greatest reluctance
and apparently with genuine grief by some
sportsmen. Col. Hawker gives vent to his
feelings in unmistakable language and takes
the occasion to remind the gunmakers that
since the death of Manton they were without
a king. "The gunmakers in short, still
remain as I left them like the frogs without
a king ; and, as before, complaining bitterly
about the dullness of trade. But for this
they have to thank their introduction of the
detonating system, by which they got
caught themselves in the very trap that was
laid for their customers. When flint guns
were the order of the day, few sporting
gentlemen of distinction ever thought of
using anything but the gun of a first rate

HOUSEBOAT-GUN -DOG 39

maker, for the simple reason that on the
goodness of the work depended the
quickness in firing, and consequently the
filling of the bag. But, nowadays, every
common fellow in the market-town can
detonate an old musket, and make it shoot
as quick as can be wished ; insomuch that
all scientific calculations in shooting, at
moderate distances, are now so simplified
that we, every day, meet with —Jackanapes —
apprentice boys who can shoot flying and
knock down their eight birds out of ten."

But Col. Hawker was too public
spirited to be insensible to improvements in
mechanical science, and while he loved his
flint gun as an early companion he admits
that later on he was kidnapped into using
a detonator. He writes : " The detonators
have, of late years, been much improved in
shooting in consequence of their being bored
different from flint guns. They now detain
the shot longer in the barrel, in order that
the powder may have time to kindle, which
is done to such a degree as to occasion an
increase of recoil, and a liability to become
" leaded " with much firing. Many wad-
dings have been invented to counteract this,

4O SHOOTING IN CHINA

but still none of them will make a detonator,
of equal weight, shoot quite so strong and
regular as a flint gun. Though, like the
rest of the sporting world, I have long been
kidnapped into the constant use of
detonators, still, were my time to come over
again I might probably be content with the
flint." Notwithstanding Col. Hawker yields
in favor of the detonator he tenaciously
adheres to the opinion that the flint gun is
his choice for heavy wild fowl shooting.
He arrives at this conclusion, and says :
" from the results of very many experiments
I am of the opinion, that for neat shooting
in the field, or covert, and also for killing
single shots at wild fowl rapidly flying,
and particularly by night, there is not
a question in favor of the detonator, as
its trifling inferiority to the flint is ten
fold repaid by the wonderful accuracy it
gives in so readily obeying the eye. But
in firing a heavy charge among a large
flock of birds, the flint has the decided
advantage. Moreover, the sudden and ad-
ditional recoil of a detonator, with the full
charge of a duck gun is apt, if the shooter
be not careful, to strike the hand back and
give him a severe blow on the nose." As

HOUSKBOAT-GUN-DOG 41

Joseph Manton was the king of gunmakers
and Peter Hawker the prince of sportsmen
an apology will not be required for describing
some of the guns built by the former and
giving a few extracts from the opinion of the
latter on the subject of shooting. Whether
the shooter of the present day reads Col.
Hawker's notes with approval or disapproval
a large majority will agree that he was sound
in his opinion as to the requisites of a first
rate gun. He writes, that there should be
"( i ) soundness and perfect safety in guns,
( 2 ) the barrels correctly put together for
accurate shooting, ( 3 ) the elevation being
mathematically true, and raised strictly in
proportion to the length of the barrels, (4)
the stock properly cast off to the eye, and
well fitted to the hand and shoulder." It is
strange that such a sportsman as Col.
Hawker should dismiss another very es-
sential requisite of a gun in these words :
" I say nothing of the balance, because any
good carpenter, with some lead and a cen-
ter-bit, can regulate this to the shooter's
fancy." There are few shooters who would
purchase a gun unless properly balanced by
the maker, and there is not a first class
gunmaker who would allow one of his guns

42 SHOOTING IN CHINA

to leave his shop that did not balance in
every part. If there is too much weight at
the end of the barrel it can be counteracted,
as Col. Hawker says, with some lead and a
center-bit, but the counteracting lead should
be evenly distributed or the stock will feel
unduly heavy in certain parts, and the best
skill of the gunmaker is required to correct
deficiencies in the balance.

I repeat, that if the shooter intends to
hunt for big game he will provide himself
with a rifle of suitable caliber, and he will
know that for shooting tigers and bears a
rifle of larger caliber ought to be used than
would be necessary when hunting for deer.
And the bore of the shot gun will also de-
pend upon the kind of small game to be
hunted. If gunning for snipe, quail, par-
tridges, or woodcock a twenty bore gun, if
skilfully bored, will prove an efficient
weapon, and its light weight commends it
to those who are not physically strong. My
own experience is that a twenty bore is
more effective when loaded with No. 7 shot.
It will shoot No. 5 or No. 6 shot with
reasonable effect, but with No. 7 the shot
are more evenly distributed, and this is the

HOUSEBOAT-GUN-DOG 43

number I would advise to use when shoot-
ing woodcock and partridges, while for
sinpe and quail I would use No. 8 or No. 9,
perhaps the latter. This bore of gun is too
small for pheasants and wild fowl and often
proves disappointing when used on that
kind of game. The sixteen bore was a very
popular size at one time, but now when a
smaller bore than the twelve is preferred I
would make choice of the twenty. The
standard length of the barrel of the twenty
bore gun is 28 inches, and that of the six-
teen bore either 28 or 30 inches long. But
the bore which is now almost the universal
choice of the shooter for field shooting, and
which is the recognized standard, is the
twelve bore. The length of the barrel
should not be less than 28 inches, nor more
than 32 inches. Those who have experi-
mented with the twelve bore and tested its
shooting capabilities give it as their opinion
that a barrel 30 inches long is the required
length to bring out the highest shooting
capacity of this bore of a gun. The weight
of a twelve bore should not be less than 6
Ibs. nor more than 7^ Ibs. When of the
former weight i oz. of shot is enough, but
when of the latter I oz. is a deadlier load.

44 SHOOTING IN CHINA

Ordinarily No. 6 shot is the size mostly
used for the twelve bore, but when the gun
is of light weight and the shooter has a
steady hand and quick eye I would advise
him to have his cartridges loaded with No.
5 shot, as with this number there is less
strain and recoil. The heavier weight of
this bore of gun, when full choked, is an
excellent wild fowl weapon. It will shoot
No. i shot with remarkable accuracy, and
I have shot geese as far off with my heavy
weight twelve bore, loaded with 3*^ oz. of
smokeless powder and i ^ oz. No i shot,
perfect brass case, as I have with my eight
bore gun. For an all round wild fowl gun
I would select a twelve bore, full choked,
and weighing about 7^ Ibs.; for the field,
and general shooting a light weight twelve
bore, y^ choked would be my choice, and I
would have my cartridges loaded with 3
drm. of smokeless powder and i oz. of Nos.
5, 6 or 7 shot. When the season is late a
pheasant is quick and strong and No. 5 is
the best shot, but in the early part of the
season No. 7 is large enough. From some
cause I never cared to use a No. 6 shot, and
I am unaccountably prejudiced against all
shot of an even number. If the shooter

HOUSEBOAT-GUN -DOG 45

expects to hunt wild fowl as a speciality he
should by all means provide himself with
an eight bore gun, a four bore being too
heavy and unwieldy as a shoulder gun.
The eight bore should be full choked upon
the most scientific principle. Some prefer
the ten bore gun for wild fowl shooting, but
this bore appears to fill a place between the
eight and twelve bores similar to that of the
sixteen bore between the twelve and twenty.
If the twenty bore is too small the usual
drop is to the twelve and from a twelve it
is better to go to the eight. The eight bore
is built with barrels of different lengths,
and each length has its champion, but the
standard length for the barrels of the eight
bore is 36 in ; the medium length is 34 in.
and the proper minimum length 32 in.
Sometimes the barrels are longer than 36
in. and even shorter than 32 in., but it is
advisable to adhere to recognized standard
lengths. I have shot with barrels 36 in.
and 34 in. and with the same effectiveness.
The middle weight eight bore weighs about
13 Ibs, the maximum about 15 Ibs, and the
minimum about n Ibs. The load should
not be less than 6 drm, of smokeless powder
and from 2 oz. to 2 1/> oz. of shot. The heavy

46 SHOOTING IN CHINA

weight eight bore will shoot 7 drm. of
smokeless powder and 2 ^ oz. of shot with-
out unpleasant recoil. It is not efficient to
use for an eight bore shot smaller than No.
4, but this gun, whether of the maximum
or minimum weight, does its best work
with No. i shot. If the ten bore is the
shooter's favorite wild fowl gun then let
him use that bore and he will be better
contented than if he allows the opinion of
another to influence his choice. It contributes
wonderfully to success in the field when one
carries the gun of his choice and has con-
fidence in his cartridges. The shooter has
already concluded as to the bores of the guns
I would advise him to select for small game
shooting. He will find the twenty bore a
most useful little weapon at odd times, and
specially for afternoon shooting when
fatigued by his morning shoot ; the twelve
bore is indispensable, no prudent sports-
man will go to the shooting grounds
without it ; there is no other gun that
will fill so many requisites as this bore,
and as it is built of light or heavy weight
one of each might be taken along if not
too great a charge. The next in order is
the eight bore, and with the twenty, the

HOUSEBOAT-GUN-DOG 47

twelve and the eight bores the shooter will
be most efficiently equipped. It must be
understood that I am advising the shooter
to equip himself with double barrelled
hammerless guns and automatic or non-
automatic as he may prefer. A full me-
dium price gun would prove less liable to
get out of order and generally more satis-
factory.

Dog: The four dogs in general use in
China are retrievers, spaniels, setters and
pointers, and " what is the best kind of
dog for sporting purposes " is a question to
which various answers have been given.
My own dog is a half-breed German pointer,
medium size and liver colored. I have
shot over him for five years, and he has
always borne himself intelligently in the
field. He is now eight years old, slightly
deaf, eyesight somewhat impaired, but
otherwise strong and still useful. On this
particular subject I know of no authority
more competent to instruct than my friend
H. T. Wade, an old sportsman in China, a
close observer and whose opinion is based
on long experience. The following quot-
ation is from Wade's book entitled " With

48 SHOOTING IN CHINA

Boat and Gun in the Yangtze Valley."

" Retriever : It will be only necessary here
to take note of one kind of retriever, the
black, flat-coated kind, for the objection
that may be raised aganist him can only be
intensified when applied to the curly-coated
description.

" Admitting to the fullest that a retriever
is a wonderfully sagacious dog, and that
he is capable of affording lots of sport, yet
the following objections may be found to
weigh against him and long haired dogs
generally.

" In the first place, rheumatism is by no
means an uncommon complaint in China,
and no animal renders itself more liable
to this ailment than one that is difficult and
troublesome to dry. A dog has to negotiate
a lot of " water business " in the course of
a day's shooting in these provinces. He
often returns to the boat wet, only to be
turned over to the tender mercies of a
coolie, who performs the essential duties of
drying and grooming in any but a thorough
manner; so that the animal not only
may be sent to bed wet himself, but be an
active cause of discomfort to his kennel

HOUSEBOAT-GUN-DOG 49

companions. Besides, retrievers generally
hold so much water in their coats as to
render themselves a perfect nuisance when
crossing creeks in sampans or dinghies.
Further than this, the very nature of their
jackets renders them specially liable to
collect the grass and other seeds, " fruitful
cause of so much woe." Finally, retrievers
from their size and weight constantly find
themselves in trouble when working brambly
cover ; are invariably clumsy in their
attempts at extrication from tangled beans
and similar crops ; and, as a rule, are not
only slow in setting to work to bring back
a wounded bird, but slower still in return-
ing with the quarry. Such are the more
prominent objections to this class of dog.

" Still, should a sportsman elect to have
a retriever in this country, he might with
advantage have regard to the following
simple points : — The dog's coat should be
jet black and lie very flat, no curl whatever
being admissible. The head should be
long, with a squarish, not a pointed
muzzle, the ear small, the neck " airy,"
and the tail carried below the level of the
back. Above all he should stand low.

50 SHOOTING IN CHINA

" Spaniels : — By far the most numerous
class of sporting dogs in China are the
spaniel descriptions. They run in all sorts
of shapes and sizes and colours, and for the
most part are of the most mixed origin.
Seldom is a really well-shaped spaniel
seen out here, less frequently a well-broken
one. In the open country they are of but
little use, as the speedy pheasant can easily
run away from them ; in a cane-brake they
are not big enough to get over or strong
enough to force their way through the
thick tangle which lies at the foot of the
cane stalk ; and it is seldom that one comes
across a dog that will work a copse in any-
thing like systematic manner. Still, if
spaniels were taken in hand early, were
taught to work the covers properly, and
restricted to that particular kind of shoot-
ing, it might be just as well to own one. A
brace of busy well-broken spaniels is a
pretty sight, no doubt, but one quite un-
known in these parts. Yet should the
sportsman determine on a spaniel he would
probably be on the right track if he secured
a dog with some of the unmistakable
Clumber strain in him. Clumbers are
slow, but they are pretty sure and very

HOUSE BOAT-GUN-DOG 5!

strong, and being flat-coated, — for any curl
is indicative of a cross, — are better adapted
for working undergrowth than any other
kind of spaniel ; and the bigger and heavier
the dog the better, for a three-pound
fluttering cock pheasant is no mean mouth-
ful. Other great drawbacks to spaniels
are that their long ears and full coats are
certain seed-traps, and require a large
amount of care to keep clean and dry.

" Setters : — From time to time some
capital setters have been seen in China —
handsome, well-bred and in some instances,
well-broken dogs of nearly all the recognis-
ed breeds — Laveracks, Llewellyns, Gordons
and Irish ; of the last two kinds Shanghai
can still boast of some good examples, —
" surpassingly beautiful," as Idstone en-
thusiastically describes them. In a less
degree, because his coat lies flatter, but still
to some extent, the same objections that
have been advanced against the retriever
and spaniel apply to the graceful setter.
Seeds will find their way into his feet and
ears and armpits, and the thick hair between
his toes ; and when it is remembered that
one cruel grass seed between the toes is

52 SHOOTING IN CHINA

enough to lame a dog, and one seed in the
ear quite sufficient to set up an annoying
cankerous discharge, the reasonableness of
not shooting over a valuable animal until
the seeds have been rendered harmless by
the frosts should be willingly admitted ; and
if one's setter is only to be available for
shooting purposes for a couple of months
in the year at most, the question of expense
alone is one worth a passing consideration.
One point in favour of setters is that they
are hardier dogs than pointers, especially
the Irish dogs, and they are certainly more
companionable.

" Pointers: — The preceding objections
have been raised not against the virtues of
the dogs enumerated but against the unsuit-
ableness of their coats for work in this climate
until the cover lightens and the seeds are
down. Something may be done towards
mitigating the seed evil by working the
dogs in cankercaps, but still their necks
and feet are ever open to the reception of the
fell annoyance. Now, pointers may be said
to go harmless through these trials : seeds
very seldom get into their ears, and are
without much difficulty extracted from

HOUSEBOAT-GUN-DOG 53

their feet, while the "set" of the short hair
of their coats is not favourable to their
lodgement.

" What seems to be required for shooting
throughout a season is a strong, well-
broken, but, perhaps, not too highly-bred
pointer : one that will take the water, face
the thick covers, and possibly retrieve ;
and there are such dogs in the place. The
coats of some setters lie very flat, and they
are the next best dogs to pointers;
but the long-haired varieties, all good and
useful in their way, had better not be taken
up-country until they can work the covers
with impunity to themselves. A sentiment-
al objection to pointers is that they are not
so companionable as the other breeds, which
is true to a certain extent ; but it must be
remembered that when a pointer is on
business he means business, and that is
exactly what he is wanted for. In choosing
a pointer, always try to get one with sloping
shoulders, long, airy neck, a deep but not
broad chest, and a loin, arched, very wide,
strong and muscular. Some useful pointers
occasionally arrive here from Germany.
For the most part they are well educated

54 SHOOTING IN CHINA

and good at retrieving, but they run big
and heavy, and are too much given to
u pottering." A last word may be said in
favour of the pointer : he can be worked
from the beginning to the end of the shoot-
ing season, whereas it is little less than
cruelty to take a spaniel or a setter out
before December.

"If the foregoing considerations are any-
thing worth, the reasonable answer to the
question this chapter commenced with is
that the pointer is the best dog for shooting
purposes in North China."

Clothes : The condition of the weather
will suggest the thickness of the clothes
that should be worn. The color is very
important and must conform to the color
of the landscape. A shooting suit of some
light brown color will, as a rule, meet the
requirements at most any time of the season.
The hat or cap ought to be of a similar color
to the clothes ; I prefer the hat with a soft
crown and rather a stiff brim as being a
better protection to the face and back part
of the head. A cap, of course, may be made
to cover the back part of the head, but then
it interferes more or less with the ears

HOUSEBOAT-GUN-DOG 55

which should be uncovered and alert when
shooting in the field. It is a mistake to be
indifferent to the fit of the shooting clothes;
they should be fairly loose, not baggy, but
should fit. The shooter will shoot better
when he feels that his clothes, like his gun,
fit easy and comfortable. My choice for
foot wear is a boot and leg of the same
piece of leather, the leg as high as the large
part of the calf. The boot thus made can
be put on and off without the trouble of
unlacing or unbuckling which is a nuisance
sometimes. Most of the boots for shooters
are too heavy and become tiresome to the
wearer. The sole ought to be just thick
enough to protect the bottom of the feet
from being bruised, and have soft iron
nails set well apart ; steel nails will slip on
the rocks. It is probable that no one of
this day has given as much attention to the
equipment of a shooter as Sir Ralph Rayne-
Gallwey, and I will quote what he writes
with reference to clothing, reserving the
opinion, that as the shooter acquires ex-
perience he will equip himself as conduces
most to his comfort. Sir Ralph writes:
" For hard work on the hills a flannel shirt
should be worn. Tweed shooting jacket,

56 SHOOTING IN CHINA

with plenty of pockets covered by flaps,
otherwise things drop out in crawling,
especially when going down hill. Waist-
coat, with four pockets, one inside for the
watch. Knickerbockers loose, as they dry
more quickly, and when wet are less un-
comfortable. They should be double at
the knee, and made long enough to meet
the hose when required, or the midges will
dine freely. Cap close fitting so as to show
as little as possible above the head — this is
most important as shelter against sun and
rain. A plaid or short cape or cloak which
should be waterproof, color, neutral tint,
not too dark, but also not very light. The
color should be adapted to the aspect of
country and the ground. Stockings of
strong worsted ; the shoes or boots should
be strong and not too tight-fitting. They
should have soft iron nails set well apart ;
steel nails are most dangerous, as they slip
on the rocks. To prevent blistering soap
the stockings well in the morning for the
first day or two."

In a chapter on the dress of a shooter,
written in 1844, Col. Hawker expressed the
hesitation of writing anything on the sub-

HOUSEBOAT-G UN-DOG 57

ject at all, lest his book should fall into the
hands of some philosopher who might
censure him for introducing so frivolous a
subject ; but it gives the following advice :
" We all know that a jean, nankeen, or any
kind of thin jacket, is the pleasantest wear
for September, one of fustian for October,
and one of velveteen for the winter ; and
that for a man who, at all times, uses but
one kind of jacket, fustian would be about
the medium. That called baragan fustian
is by far the best and most useful. After
having tried almost everything that is com-
monly used, and some of the wretched
articles that are pulped by advertisement,
I have found nothing better for a light
summer jacket than what is made at
Manchester by the name of satteen, jeanet,
or florentine, which is printed on each side
in imitation of cloth. This stuff far surpas-
ses the others for lightness, comfort dur-
ability, and everything that can be required
for warm weather; but as there is no
particular interest in making it — rather the
reverse, it is most everywhere very easily
procured ; so that your tailor would probably
be obliged to order it, in doing which he
cannot choose it of too good a quality.

58 SHOOTING IN CHINA

With regard to the other parts of the dress,
but few persons appear to know what is
really comfortable, and I may, therefore
appear singular for considering as most
uncomfortable that which is commonly,
and was till of late years universally worn :
I mean shoes and gaiters. To say nothing
with being tormented with two or three
dozen buttons every morning and having
your ankles and knees in a state of
confinement through a hard day's exercise,
it need only be observed that, if you
step in the least puddle, you are wet ; if
you tread in moist ground your shoe is
pulled down at the heel ; and you are often
liable to be annoyed by your shoes untying,
and thorns and little bits of stick, etc,
getting into them or between the bottoms
of your gaiters. How much more comfort-
able, then, is the dress here recommended?
With lambswool stockings and flannel
drawers, put on a pair of overall boots, and
then draw over them a pair of trousers, which
may be made either of fustain or leather,
and so strongly defended inside the knee,
that no thorn can penetrate. Thus you are
equipped without trouble or loss of time ;
you have your muscles perfectly at liberty

HOUSEBOAT-GUN-DOG 59

for hard exercise, and are free from every
annoyance."

Being a true sportsman, Col. Hawker
has the reputation of experimenting practi-
cally and intelligently in all matters
connected with shooting and his views are
interesting if, in some instances, they are
not approved by the sportsman of the
present day. The last edition of his book
which went to press under his own supervi-
sion is the ninth and bears the publishers'
date of 1844.

SMALL GAME

CHAPTER III.

SMALL GAME.

China has long enjoyed the reputation as
a field offering to the sportsman the
opportunity of making a bag of small
game of a vastly varied nature. But this
might not have been the situation had that
great wave of sportsmen which swamped
the prolific shooting centres of Africa and
of India done other than but lightly touch-
ed these more eastern shores. Happily
shooting in China for many years past has
been comparatively free from the visits of
the wandering foreign sportsman ; but un-
happily sport is now seriously threatened
by the foe within the gates, for it is
impossible to believe that small game can
long withstand the organized raids of the
countless numbers of those who now go a
shooting. There are others far greater,
numerically, than the Anglo-Saxon ; the
Continentals and the Japanese, who can
repeat 'the reputed old dictum, " Here is a
fine day, let us go and kill something."
Unfortunately this "fine day" of theirs
occurs both in season and out of season,

64 SHOOTING IN CHINA

and but too frequently in the latter of these
periods. And so the regrettable fact is
indisputable that the visible game supply-
grows markedly less and less, and when a
few more years shall have rolled by it is
conceivable that it may be said of shooting,
from which category the migratory birds
must, of course, be eliminated, " the glory
has departed."

China is, and possibly for all time, will
be the congenial home of an infinite variety
of both flying and ground small game ; but
the China best known to the foreign
resident is limited to those districts which
are within the compass of the treaty ports.

Pheasants : — In writing of the small game
of China one's thoughts naturally and in-
stinctively turn to the family which is at
once the most numerous and most prolific,
the Phasiandae.

According to the highest known authori-
ty on the subject, Dr. Bowdler Sharpe, of
the British Museum, there are some seven-
teen different kinds of true pheasants, of
which the following are common if not
peculiar to China : —

RINGED-NECK PHEASANT.

REEVES' PHEASANT

SMALL GAME 65

The ringed-neck pheasant (Phasianus torquatus. )

The ringless ,, ( ,, decollates. )

The Golden ,, (Chrysolophus pictus. )

Darwin's ,, (Phasianus Darwini.)

Reeves' ,, ( ,, Reevesi.)

Strauch's ,, ( ,, Strauchi.)

Stone's ,, ( ,, elegans. )

Elliot's ,, (Chrysolophus Ellioti.)

L,ady Amherst ,, ( ,, Amherstiae. )

The ringed-necked or collared pheasant
is the bird so familiar not only in China
but in England and America. Food,
shelter and water are the sine qua non of a
pheasant's existence, " and where these do
most abound there the .pheasant will be
found." As far as north and mid China
are concerned birds are found in greatest
numbers on the rich grain lands watered by
the Whang-Ho and Yangtze rivers ; and a
similar condition possibly prevails in the
valley of the Sikiang or West River in the
south. But the pheasant by no means
confines itself to the plains, a fact recognis-
ed by the Chinese themselves who, in the
mountainous regions, term it the San Chi
or hill fowl. However, wherever met with,
the pheasant always affords sport, for it
possesses all those qualities, pluck, strength,
cunning and speed which command the

66 SHOOTING IN CHINA

strictest attention to business on the part
of the shooter. In what is called the
" pairing " season the cocks are very pug-
nacious, and so intent at times are they
upon their battle that even in the open they
may be approached with comparative ease.
When the " spring " love is over the male
is nothing loth to enjoy the alluring
amenities of the inviting farmyard. There
is no golden rule in pheasant shooting, but
he who would hope to be more successful
than his neighbours should have some
knowledge of woodcraft which is the main
secret in shooting, be in something like
fettle, keep an equal temper, taking alike
the bitter and the sweet, and above all
things hold the iron straight. The China
pheasant is by no means a difficult bird to
shoot, though it is often an uncommonly
difficult bird to recover ; for, once on the
ground, it soon gives ocular demonstration
of the possession of such powers as the
speed of the greyhound, the doubling of
the hare and the artfulness of the fox,
while if hard pressed it will take to the
water and swim, nay even dive, like a duck.
As for dogs, time was when reason suggest-
ed, for a variety of causes, that pointers

SMALL GAME 67

were the animals most likely to show sport.
In the changed condition of things, when
cotton fields in interminable continuity are
the order of the day, at least in the provinces
of Anwhei, Chekiang and Kiangsti, and the
sound of the foreigner's heavy footfall is
almost telephonically communicated to the
listening and expectant pheasant which,
forewarned, has ample time to make itself
scarce, the question arises, and is worth
some consideration, whether better results
would not be obtained if the fields were
walked through by sandal-shod beaters, the
guns well ahead flanking them, and the
coverts worked by a persevering spaniel
and for that matter the larger the animal,
the better.

The Chinese ringless pheasant, whose
habits doubtless are very similar to those of
the ringnecked variety, is chiefly found in
that mountainous region which has its north-
eastern extremity in southern Shensi, and
its most southerly in western Yunnan.

The Golden pheasant affects that portion
of China from Ichang on the Yangtze to the
west of Chungking. It is also said to have
been met with as far east as Shasi. Certain

68 SHOOTING IN CHINA

it is that many of these beautiful birds are
hawked about the streets of Haiikow,confined
in small reed baskets opened at each end
to allow freedom to the head and tail of the
prisoner, and may be readily bought for a
couple of Mexican dollars a piece.

Darwin's pheasant, comparatively rare, is
to be met with in the Chekiang hills from
Ningpo in the east to the mountainous
country to the south of Kiangsi.

Reeves' pheasant comes from the province
of Szechuen principally, though its range
extends as far east as Wanshan in Anwhei.
It is a bird unmistakable not only from its
colouring but from the length of its tail,
which normally is about five (5) feet, but
abnormal lengths of over six (6) feet are on
record. It was originally imported into
England by Mr. Reeves, a member of the
old China firm of Dent & Co.

Strauch's pheasant, very rarely seen by
foreigners, is found in the province of
Kansuh to the extreme north west of China ;
also often at a height of 10,000 feet above
sea level.

Stone's pheasant. There is no record

SMALL GAME 69

existing of its habits, but the bird is found
in western Yunnan and western Szechuen.

Elliot's pheasant. This truly magnifi-
cent bird was first discovered by a former
British Consul, the enthusiastic naturalist,
Mr. Swinhoe ; after whom the large migra-
tory snipe is named, in the mountains to
the back of Ningpo. Subsequently it was
met with by Pere David, the eminent priest
and naturalist, in the hills to the west of
Foochow. "Like the Silver Pheasant it lives
in the wooded mountains, and is far from
common, being constantly on the move,
and sometimes remains away for whole
years without revisiting its original habitat."

The Amherst pheasant. This is another
beautiful bird and in the fastnesses of the
mountains of western China happily finds
itself beyond the range of the ubiquitous
gunner.

There are besides two kinds of Tragopans
or horned pheasants, which are occasionally
on sale at Hankow. They are said to come
from Szechuen and are really gorgeous
birds. To the tongue of the Hankow dealer
rise as glibly the words "from Szechueu" in

70 SHOOTING IN CHINA

reply to the question whence the birds
came, as does the stereotyed phrase "from
Pootung" to the lips of the Shanghai
salesman when asked the source of his
supplies. The two descriptions of Trag-
opans best known in China are those named
after Temminck and Cabot. The former
are found in "southwestern and central
China, extending from the Mishmi hills
through Szechuen to southern Shensi and
Hupeh". The range of the latter is south-
eastern China, and the Fokien mountains
where it is said to be fairly abundant.

Detailed descriptions of these China
pheasants will be found in the various
natural histories. Particularly happy in
descriptions and illustrations is the edition
published by Edward Lloyd, Ltd., London.

Bamboo partridge (Bambuscola thorac-
ica) : This bird held in such high esteem as
a table luxury, and spoken alliteratively of
as "the table's toothsome tit-bit" is neither
a partridge, afrancolin or colin, but partakes
of the characteristics of all three. It is not
a partridge for its flesh is white and not dark,
it is found in the thick covert and in the
open, and it usually, but not invariably,

SMAU, GAME 71

roosts on trees. Again, it is much larger
than any of the American colins, with the
white collar less distinctly developed. In
the northern part of China, to which it seems
limited, this appreciated bird is ordinarily
found in small coveys, though as many as
fifteen have been counted in a single covey in
the pine and bamboo copses and frequently in
the high thick flag grass so often to be met
with on the borders of the creeks. A covey
will run unseen before the guns for an in-
credible distance, but when pushed to an
extreme will flush suddenly in all directions,
affording what has not been inaptly describ-
ed as a pyrotechnic display. But should
they rise in the wood itself they will be very
likely to settle on the branches, on which
they crouch so closely as to make discovery
very difficult. Sometimes, however, this
wily little bird is caught napping, and as
many as a dozen, squatting on the espaliered
branch of a Magnolia, have been known to
fall when the smoke from a single discharge
has cleared away,— an unsportsmanlike mas-
sacre ! When wounded the bamboo partridge
utters a cry piteous to hear, and long to be
remembered, if ever forgotten.

72 SHOOTING IN CHINA

Its food consists chiefly of grain, seeds,
the smaller pulses and beans. The call
note of the male in spring time is a lond
piercing challenge which the natives take
advantage of to catch them. " A country-
man once showed me how it was done, "
writes Mr. Styan in the " Ibis. " " We had
two birds in separate cages, one of which
he hid under a pile of brushwood. The
other was released, and his challenge being
answered by the hidden bird, the latter was
soon discovered, and a fight ensued through
the bars of the cage." The natives practise
the call with success, and there seems
reason to believe that as many birds are
captured by the fatal birdlime as fall to the
native gingal.

The partridge found at Foochow and
Canton is known as the Francolinus
sinensis. It is a rather larger bird than its
congener of the north, and is characterized
by its distinct markings of black, white and
brown spots. This bird once afforded good
sport in the valley of the Min river.
Possibly the present day sportsman located
at Foochow is not so enthusiastic as was
his predecessor five and twenty years ago.

SMALL GAME 73

The Chefoo or Red-legged partridge
( Caccabis chukor) seldom falls to the
sportsman's guns, though a good many find
their way into the northern markets,
whence they are largely shipped to the
markets of Port Arthur, Dalny and beyond.
It is a good sized bird and of the weight of
an average hen pheasant. Its flesh is white
and is considered a delicacy. The Chukor
may be found in different localities from
sea level to an elevation of 16,000 feet, as
in Thibet. It is of redder tint than the
Indian specimens, and its chief habitat is
some 30 miles W. N. W. of Chefoo at a
considerable height on the mountain sides.

Pallas' Sandgrouse. ( Syrrhaptes par-
adoxus). This genus is distinguished by
having only three toes. Its pale sandy
colour as much as its habitat seems to have
suggested its name. These birds are
gregarious, and move about in large flocks,
often traversing enormous distances in
search of water. Some years ago a few of
these birds used to find their way to the
Shanghai market, but of late they have
become an unknown quantity. Swinhoe
tells us that u in north China great numbers

74 SHOOTING IN CHINA

of these birds are sometimes caught after a
snow storm, when they arrive in large
numbers in search of food. Having cleared
the snow from a patch of ground, the
natives scatter a small green bean to attract
the birds, and sometimes manage to catch
a whole flock in their clap-nets."

The Snipes of China are seven in
number, and it would be difficult to furnish
any further information than is afforded
in Mr. Styan's valuable contribution on the
subject to be found in the pages of " With
Boat and Gun in the Yangtze Valley/'

The winter snipe (Gallinago caelestis),
identical with the bird of Great Britain
and northern Europe generally, is properly
so called for it lies scattered through the
country throughout the winter months,
though its numbers are largely increased in
spring and autumn. It is a smaller bird
than the other migratory snipes, and may
be easily recognised by its fourteen ordin-
arily full sized tail feathers, which have
gained for it the name of fantail in India.
There is really no saying where this bird
may not be met with, but its preference
seems to be for damp low-lying patches of

SMALL GAME 75

ground. It arrives in almost countless
numbers in north China towards the end of
the month of February, particularly on the
margins of such food supplying waters as
the Si Tai, Tai Hu, Tai Nan Hu, Poyaug
and Tungting lakes.

Of the three descriptions of snipes
known as Lathams (Gallinago Australis),
the solitary snipe (Gallinago solitaria ) and
the diminutive Jack snipe ( Gallinago
gallinula ), being so infrequently come
across, it is scarcely necessary to make other
than mere mention. Naturally the snipes
which have most attraction for the sports-
man, whether he be in the Malay Peninsula
or China, are the two large sized migratory
species known as Swinhoes' or the big
spring snipe, and the pin-tailed or lesser
spring snipe.

Swinhoe's snipe (Gallinago megala) is the
larger of the migratory snipes, and may
easily be recognised by its great size, its
comparatively thick short bill, and its tail
feathers which number twenty in all, that
is, eight broad central and twelve compar-
atively narrow feathers, six on each side of
the central fan. Its weight runs from 5 to

76 SHOOTING IN CHINA

8 or more ounces, and some of the larger
well nourished specimens might occasional-
ly be mistaken for woodcock.

The pin-tailed snipe (Gallinago stenura)
averages a couple of ounces less in weight
than the Swinhoe, and is of a lighter build
generally. Its tail feathers are twenty six
in number, ten comparatively broad plumes
forming the central fan, and sixteen very
narrow, very stiff, pin like feathers flanking
it, eight on either side.

In the spring, that is from the middle of
April till towards the end of May, both the
above migrants may be found in the fields
of young wheat, beans and rape, as also in
the short lush grass wherever they come
across it. In the autumn, that is in August
and September, the birds largely affect the
umbered buffalo grass, where they are a
sure find towards sundown.

Splendid bags were wont to be made in
days not long ago throughout the provinces
of Chekiang and Kiangsi, when paddy and
grass were more common than they are
now. Today so much land is diverted to
the cultivation of cotton that the birds pre-
sumably are compelled to seek their food in

WINTER .SNIPE, COMMON SNIPE

SCOLOPAX GALLINAGO
14 FEATHERS IN TAIL, ALL ORDINARY, BROAD.

GREATER SPRING SNIPE, SWINHOE'S SNIPE

GALLINAGO MEGALA

20 FEATHERS IN TAIL, 8 CENTRAL, ORDINARY, BROAD,
6 ON EACH SIDE, NARROW, STIFF.

IVESSER SPRING SNIPE, PIN-TAILED SNIPE

GALLINAGO STENURA

26 FEATHERS IN TAIL, 1O CENTRAL, ORDINARY, BROAD.
8 ON EACH SIDE, VERY NARROW, STIFF.

SMALL GAME 77

some more congenial soil beyond the radius
of the foreign sportsman.

Snipes should always be approached
down wind if possible. The bird, when not
feeding, sits with its back to the wind,
shoulders up and head depressed, and as the
wind is all necessary for it to rise alertly
and get underweigh it is obvious that the
bird must then rise more or less in the face
of the shooter and so afford a reasonably
close shot.

But the great migration from the Russian
Tundras in the north to the extremities of
the great peninsulas in the south, Malacca,
Burmah, India and Africa, goes on as it has
done in time past and will go probably for
all time to come : goes on in the same
grand, irresistible, mysterious manner in
spite of any changed conditions upon
earth's surface effected by the hand of man.

"The birds of passage transmigrating come
Unnumbered colonies of foreign wing
At Nature's summons "

The common woodcock (Scolopax rusti-
cula) is a favorite but fitful visitant, uncer-
tain as to the time of its arrival as in the
numbers in which it visits. As a rule they

78 SHOOTING IN CHIA

arrive towards the end of October or early
in November in the Yangtze valley, and are
scattered thinly over the country through-
out the winter. Some few birds probably
remain and breed here, for cock have been
shot locally in May. A fact not to be lost
sight of as regards woodcock is the undeni-
able persistency with which it yearly seeks
its old resorts. From the identical corners
of identical covers woodcock have been
flushed year after year, when not a single
bird could be found in equally suggestive
contiguous shelters. It is the easiest bird
to shoot in the world when forced into the
open, but given the umbrage of a friendly
copse and the long bill twists its way in
comparative safety. In China woodcock
run from 12 to 14 ounces in weight, the
females generally weighing the heavier.
Small as has been the sportsman's luck of
late years, the Shanghai market continues
to be fairly well supplied, and surprising is
the size of the " catch," whether by net or
gun, often made on the northern shore of
the Hangchow Bay from the Yangtze Cape
to the Tsientang river when a flight has
been greeted by the keen native market
shooter. Fifty to one hundred birds is no

SMALL GAME 79

uncommon result of a couple of days' and
nights' work. Unfortunately when wood-
cock are bagged in great numbers it
generally occurs in warm weather, with the
consequence that the birds are cast indis-
scriminately into the filthy native ice chest
to keep them fresh, but where they soon
become unfit for the table.

The Quail (Coturnix communis) was once
fairly common throughout the breadth of
north China, and for some years really pro-
lific on the islands in the reaches of the
river near Hankow. But though always a
favourite on the table it seems to have been
a bird that never had any attraction for the
sportsman, who often must think in these
days of its scarcity and of his many lost op-
portunities. These birds are usually found
singly or in very small companies of three
or four, never in the large coveys of old.
They are essentially running birds and only
take to flight when suddenly surprised,
when they offer, as a rule, comparatively
easy shots, as their flight is both level and
straight. Quail are seldom found in damp
ground, but may be looked for wherever
short buffalo grass abounds, in the long

80 SHOOTING IN CHINA

stubbles left by the Chinese sickles, and on
the marsh lands in the dry season. On open
grounds like these they readily fall victims
to the deadly drag-net. The captives are
then secured in low flat baskets, topped by
a cloth, and forwarded alive to the various
markets. Considerable numbers are also
sent south to Canton and other cities in the
south, where they are largely bought for
sporting purposes. The quail is a very
pugnacious little bird, and would seem to
like fighting for fighting's sake. After a
battle or two they become real experts, and
good fighting birds can always command
long prices at the hands of the lovers of the
main. Quail possess a very strong scent, as
evidenced by the great distance at which a
dog may at first point them, and lie well. A
light charge of No. 8 or No. 9 shot will be
found to be all that is necessary.

It is on record that quail in China once
" were often so numerous as to obscure the
sun in their flights, " but that time may
certainly be put down as prehistoric.

The Wild Turkey, sometimes called
the Turkey Bustard (Otisdybowski) is also
scientifically known as otis tarda from the

SMALL GAME 8l

sluggishness of its flight.

It is a large bird of a very dark greenish
bluish colour, almost black, and often
attains a weight of 10 Ibs. Throughout
the winter it is common enough in the
Yellow river and Yangtze valleys as attested
by its abundance in the markets. Formerly
it was rather despised as a table bird, but of
late years it has become, if not fashionable,
at least more appreciated. Its flesh is dark,
but very palatable when the bird has been
hung for some time.

It is now some years since the foreign
sportsman has accounted for any success
when after them, while the best record dates
from 1880, when five birds averaging about
9 Ibs weight fell to double shots from a
brace of guns.

The above list by no means exhausts
the category of birds that fall to the gun in
China. To enumerate but a few more,
there are the sandpipers, the stints, the
curlews, godwits and whimbrels, all
belonging to the great family of Scolopa-
cidae : the grey and golden plovers and the
lapwings of the family of the charadridae,
and the pigeons, the big bluish description

82 SHOOTING IN CHINA

(Turtur rupicula) which frequents the pine
woods on the hill sides, and the modest dove
without which no native village is complete
are the herons, the egrets and the bitterns.
And this catalogue fails to complete the
tale of feathered beauties indiscriminately,
inexcusably and inanely fired at.

China is singularly poor in the variety
of its ground game. Apart from the larger
ferals which, with the exception of the
tigers in the Amoy district, seldom if ever
fall to the gun of the average sportsman.
China game resolves itself literally and
simply into the two classes of deer and
hares.

Of the antlered deer there are but two
kinds, and so rarely are they met with,
living as they do so high up amongst the
thickly wooded mountain fastnesses, and
consequently far beyond the range of any
places accessible by houseboat, that it would
be a real red-letter day for that sportsman
who had the luck to account for even a
pair of horns.

The large deer of the Yangtze Valley,
named after a popular commissioner of
customs (Cervus Kopschi), is said to be

SMALL GAME 83

fairly abundant on those hill ranges in
Anwhei and Kiangsi to the south of the
Poyang lake. It frequents, according to
Mr. Styan, the hills, steep and covered with
the densest brushwood through which it is
very difficult to force a way without creating
a disturbing noise, and in which, as all who
enter Chinese hillside covers know, it is
well nigh impossible to obtain a reliable
shot. It would seem " to spend most of the
day hidden in the long grass at the bottom
of gullies where it can neither be seen from
afar nor approached quietly. A chance
shot might be obtained in the evening when
the deer come out to feed, but the usual
method employed by natives is to organize
a big drive. They line all the passes along
the head of the valley with guns, perhaps
a dozen or twenty gingals," and the beaters
work upwards, shouting and tapping the
trees, and driving as well as they can the
game to the hill crests. The Chinese
sportsmen know as well as their foreign
confreres that all ground game is adept in
the art of doubling back, and consequently
make such contingent provision as they
can to thwart the wily object. At the same
time they know that the deer have their

84 SHOOTING IN CHINA

runs just as surely as have pigs and hares,
and, knowing exactly where those runs are,
post themselves accordingly. There would
seem to be little doubt but that the
thoroughly organized beat by a party of
unjealous, fatigue-enduring foreign sports-
men, who followed implicitly the instruc-
tions of the indispensable shikari, would
meet with some of the success it deserves.
But it would have to be undertaken by a
new generation of sportsmen unspoiled by
the sybaritic luxuries which the present day
gunner appears to regard as absolute
necessities.

The Kopsch deer is a fairly large
animal as may be inferred from measure-
ments of a specimen in the Shanghai
Museum : — There are at least four varieties
of muntjacs, or small antlered deer, but the
number shot in a decade might easily be
counted on one's fingers.

There is the crying muntjac (Cervulus
lacrymans ) by no means rare on the steep
well wooded Chekiang hillsides. It is a
diminutive animal weighing a little more
than the average hare, and rarely conde-
scends to the plains. Still at Kashing, only

SMALL GAME 85

seventy miles to the west from Shanghai,
two specimens were shot in 1894. The few
who have ever come across them at the
table pronounce them a delicacy second to
none.

The common muntjac of India (Cer-
vulus Muntjac) is a very near relation, and
is often known as the ribbed-faced deer.
The muntjacs are peculiar in having short
horns five or six inches long growing out of
bony pedicules which protrude several
inches from the top of the skull in line with
the face. The coat is very glossy and the
colour of our species ( The Yangtze Valley
species, Styan ) is rich chestnut above, very
red on the tail, and belly white: two black
lines on the face, whence the Indian name.
It lives among thick covers and bamboo
copses on the hills and may be found at an
elevation of two or three thousand feet.

According to Mr. Styan, in " With
Boat and Gun in the Yangtze Valley,"
three other kinds of muntjacs are found in
the Chekiang hills.

Reeves' muntjac (Cervulus Reevesi) a
smaller and paler species. The hairy-front-
ed muntjac (Cervulus crinifrens) rather

86 SHOOTING IN CHINA

larger with a deep brown body, yellow
brown head, and a large tuft on the crown,
(whence its name) which conceals two very
short horns.

Michie's Muntjac (Elaphodus Michianus)
of a deep ground colour all over, except
white belly, white tips to the ears and pale
lines over the eyes. This species also has a
large tuft concealing very small horns.

But the deer too well known to sportsmen,
generally and most ignorantly spoken of as
the hog deer, a name applicable only to the
Indian species with small antlers, is the
hornless river deer (Hydropotes Inermis).
This animal possesses none of the character-
istics of the ubiquitous deer except the gift
of speed. The senses of hearing, sight and
smell are by no means accutely developed,
or the gunner would never obtain the
number of close easy shots he gets at these
animals. Again they differ from deer gener-
ally in as much as they are prolifically
parturient, often giving birth to five young
at a time, while the foetus of an ordinary
sized doe has been found to contain as many
as seven embryos ; while another marked
point of difference is the coarse, almost

SMALL GAME 87

bristly, nature of the hide.

For nearly twenty years after the Taiping
rebellion the low lying lands in the pro-
vince, especially known as the Kashing
Plain, and the endless reed beds to be met
with to the west of the Tai Hu, were the
favored haunts of the river deer, but now
an energetic cultivation and an acutely
active reclamation of the marsh lands have
driven them to the countless asylums which
the river Yangtze affords, and whence the
market supplies are derived. When the
river is in autumn flood, and the bordering
lands inundated, the loss of deer life must
be appalling, for though the deer is both a
quick and a strong swimmer, it stands but
a poor chance when it attempts to stem the
resistless current, as those best know who
from the deck of a river steamer have
witnessed the loss from drowning. As had
already been said, there is no skill required
in and no sport derived from killing the
local deer, which are always at the mercy
of a charge of No. 8 shot. But the natives
have a double view in its slaughter : the
first is protective, for there can be no shadow
of doubt that deer play havoc with the grain

88 SHOOTING IN CHINA

crops : the second, economical, for the deer
is always marketable, though it is difficult
to see where the "chance" is when deer are
freely sold in the Shanghai market at from
$1.50 to $2.50 a piece, which covers the by
no means insignificant profit of the native
market man.

A characteristic but rather cold blooded
way in which the native circumvents deer
may sometimes be seen on the Yangtze
River. The northern end of the Poyang
lake which debouches on to the river at
Hukow is fringed with long flat reed beds,
intersected by short cuttings which practi-
cally make them small islands. Herein
after their nocturnal feed on the mainland
the deer seek quiet and safety during the
day. With this knowledge the natives,
having cut off retreat from their quest,
proceed to beat the covers, which are easily
reached in their shallow boats. Driven to
extremes the deer take to the water, where
as often they are stunned by the heavy
bamboo as they are killed with the native
favorite load of mixed iron shot. And,
doubtless, similar systems obtain in other
parts of the country.

SMALL GAME 89

In this connection it may be interesting
to note a fact not too generally known.
The Chinaman shoots with iron shot which
do not acquire that perfect rotundity to
which the users of tower-dropped lead shot
are so well accustomed, and, as the sieve is
not used, only approximate uniformity of
size by hurried hand picking is obtained.
Sometimes this simple precaution is not
taken, and the charge may be found to be a
heterogeneous mass of spheroidal pellets,
ranging in sizes from number 9 to buckshot.
The native certainly is a believer in mixed
shot.

On excellent authority it may be stated
that over 2,500 deer are sold during the
season in the Shanghai markets, and that
seldom is the price of $2.00 per head
exceeded. Such venison as is afforded by
the river deer is by no means considered a
table luxury, but the flesh, nevertheless,
constitutes in conjunction with good beef
steak a valuable base fora game pie. And,
anomolus as it may sound, what might pass
as excellent jugged hare and hare soup may
be derived from the proper culinary treat-
ment of the river deer.

90 SHOOTING IN CHINA

The river Yangtze is the dividing line
between the ranges of the two species of
hares which are met with in China. On the
north bank and hinterland is found the
larger species which very closely resembles
its European congener in its habits, size and
coloring. It has its u runs " as surely as
ever has the English hare. A fair average
weight may be placed somewhere between
five and seven pounds, and the animal has
the distinctive black points and tips to the
ears, while the upper surface of the scut is
black. For long this hare was confounded
with the Mongolian species (Lepus tolai),
but it is now authoritatively stated to be a
distinct species, and has been named after
a late naturalist consul to China, Lepus
Swinhoei. Known also as the Shantung
hare, it is shipped in large quantities to the
Shanghai market, whose other great source
of supply is Nanking, from which place a
consignment of fifty brace is by no means
uncommon.

The other species, the one whose habitat
is to the south of the river, used to be
fairly plentiful throughout this and the
adjacent provinces. Comparatively, it is an

SMALL GAME 9!

insignificant, small reddish-brown animal
with a rufous patch at the base of the neck,
the ears and upper part of the tail much
the same colour as the back. It is generally
known as the Chinese hare (Leptis sinensis),
and weighs from two to three pounds.

Like the deer, the hare in China is a
prolific breeder often giving birth to a litter
of four or five leverets.

Wild fowl :

' ' Wedge their way

Intelligent of seasons, and set forth
Their aery caravan high over seas
Flying, and over lands, with mutual wing
Easing their flight."

Wild fowl begin to put in appearance
in North China generally towards the end
of September, that is those of the duck
tribe, for the arrival of the swans and geese
is always much later, and would seem to be
entirely dependent upon the climatic condi-
tions in the Far North.

In common with all the other varieties
of birds which participate in the Great
Asian migration scheme, the wild fowl that
visit China breed in the early summer
months in that dreary, swampy, treeless,

92 SHOOTING IN CHINA

mossgrown waste known as the Tundra,
which stretches from the Gulf of Obi on
the west to Bearing's straits on the east,
its northern limit being bounded by the
Arctic Ocean. During the open Arctic
season, in the countless tributaries of the
great rivers and in the innumerable lagoons
which characterize that region, wildfowl
find the food in which they delight, and it
is only when those food supplies are cut off
as they are when the ground become hid-
den in frozen snow and the waterways
covered with ice, that the instinct of self
preservation, chief amongst known causes,
impels migration to a kinder climate with
its more easily obtainable food.

The passage of most migrants is steady
from north to south, that is continually
progressive towards the limit of the mi-
gration. Not so is the case of wild fowl in
North China, for birds will be found to be
in numbers at a certain place at a certain
distance south one day only to be discover-
ed at a certain distance north on another,
a fairly conclusive proof that their move-
ments are largely influenced by the temper-
ature. Cold weather will drive the birds
in a southerly direction, a warm break will

SMALL GAME 93

incline them again to the northward. The
inland waters testify to this, for one day
they may be literally black with fowl, and
the next as bare as the proverbial billiard
table.

The line flight of wild fowl is nothing
like so extended as in the cases of many
other migrants. It is placed by Mr. Dixon,
in his "Migration of Birds," in the "mode-
rate range," that is, a range of 3,000 to
5,000 miles. But the Corncrake and the
Cuckoo fly from 6,000 to 7,000 miles, whilst
among the birds of the most extended
flight are the whimbrel, the curlew and the
well-known Asiatic Golden Plover which
traverse between 6,000 and 10,000 miles.
The mileage is, of course, approximate, and
represents a course almost due north and
south; but few, if any species, travel so direct,
so that the actual distances traversed may
be in excess of the actual figures given. A
point of interest is suggested by Mr. Dixon
and that is, the daily distance accomplished,
for it must be evident that the migrants
must settle somewhere in the twenty-four
hours for food and water and rest. " Pro-
bably," says this authority, "migrating
birds do not average more than 300 miles

94 SHOOTING IN CHINA

per day; but certainly birds travel quicker
northward in the spring than they do
southward in autumn."

As far as Chiaa is concerned, the wild fowl
after quitting their breeding grounds in the
region of the Arctic Circle, pass over
Siberia and Mongolia, and settle for the
winter months between the parallels of 40
and 20 north latitude. Shanghai should be
eminently well situated for the observation
of the migratory flightings, situated as it is
between the wide estuaries of the Yangtze
and Tsien Tang rivers, but very rarely
are the birds seen as they pass over, though
distinctly heard and apparently tantalizingly
near.

" Wild birds that change

Their season in the night, and wail their way
From cloud to cloud "

Wild fowl naturally put in their first
seasonal appearance near Tientsin two or
three weeks earlier than in the more south-
ern provinces. Hence their course is slowly
southwards, and as far as the sportsman is
concerned it terminates at Swatow. But
the flight line is a broad one, embracing
the area whose western limit may be defined
by the one hundredth meridian of east

SMALL GAME 95

longtitude, and the eastern by the coast line
of China.

Before making mention of those inland
waters and waterways where the sportsman
under ordinary conditions might be expect-
ed to come upon his quest, it may be useful
to acquaint him with the several varieties of
fowl he may possibly come across.

In the first place there are two kinds of
swans. The Whooper or Wild Swan,
somewhat scarce, and Bewick's Swan,
which is very common.

Then there are six descriptions of Geese;
the Grey-leg Goose and the White fronted
Goose, neither very common; the Bean
Goose, the lesser White fronted Goose, the
Swan Goose. The former very common
and the latter not infrequently met with ;
and finally the Pacific Brent Goose which
is better known in Japan but may be met
with among the many islands on the China
coast.

Of Duck, the better known are the
Mallard, Pintail, Sheldrake, Shoveller,
Pochard, Scaup, Golden eye, Velvet Scoter,
Widgeon and the Gad wall, while the Teal
include the Common Teal, the Spectacled

96 SHOOTING IN CHINA

Teal, the Falcate Teal and the most
beautiful of all, found only in China, the
Mardarin Duck.

There is also the Siberian White-eyed
duck, spasmodic in its appearance, but
when met with seems to be numerous.
Other birds uselessly shot are Cormorants,
Coots, Goosanders, Smews and Moorhen.

The Whooper or Wild Swan (Cygnus
ferns) is the largest of the genus and may
easily be recognised, not only by its unusual
size, but by the shape and colour of the
beak which is slender in form, black at
the tip and yellow at the base. It is a
comparatively rare bird in China but may
occasionally be seen in the hardest weather
in numbers of from ten to fifteen. Ordinary-
weights are from eighteen to twenty-two
pounds, while measurements from tip to
tip of extended wings run from seven to
eight feet.

Bewick's Swan (Cygnus minor) is very
common all along the coast. At certain
times these birds may be seen in hundreds
as they stand marshalled like soldiers on
the ooze round the islands of the Yangtze
Estuary. Its distinguishing mark is a
large patch of orange at the base of the

SMALI, GAME 97

beak. It is only about half the weight of
the Whooper, averaging about ten pounds.
The stretch of wing is from six feet to six
feet six inches.

For sake of discrimination, Geese may
be divided into two groups :

(a) Those having the " nail " at the tip
of the beak white or of a very pale flesh
colour.

(b) Those in which the " nail " is black
(Newton) .

The Grey-leg Goose (Anser cinereus) is
the largest of the Grey Geese, and weighs
from eight to ten pounds. The bill, legs
and feet are pale pink, the body buff with
brown bars.

The White-fronted Goose (Anser al-
bifrons) not common in China. Legs orange,
bill flesh colour, nail white. Breast plumage
shaded white with transverse bars of
brownish grey and black. Its distinctive
white-band on the forehead accounts for its
title Alba frons, white-fronted.

The lesser White-fronted Goose (Anser
erythropus). This is really the common
goose of China, and may readily be
distinguished by its bright orange bill and
legs and its mouse-coloured upper wing

98 SHOOTING IN CHINA

coverts, to say nothing of its very conspicious
white face and the broad black bars which
cross the belly. (Newton) . It is what may
be called an inland goose for it is found
throughout the breadth of China. Towards
evening it makes for the open waters where
it congregates in enormous gaggles as may
be witnessed by any who pay a visit to the
margins of the Hangchow Bay, the Great
South Lake, or any similar broad waters.

In the early morning it seeks its food on
the stubble, on the ploughed land, amongst
the younger winter wheat and in the bean
fields. It is a greedy feeder, and so intent
is it on this question of food that it often
may be very closely approached. The usual
plan adopted is for the gunner to walk as
unconcernedly towards the flock as possible,
and when it begins to show uneasiness to
run in twenty or thirty yards, select his bird
and fire. To shoot into the " brown " of
geese is about as useless as firing into teal
on the water. Weight from eight to ten
pounds.

The Bean Goose (Anser segetum) is to
be found in great numbers in the estuary
of the Yangtze and the upper reaches of the
river, and wherever there may be broad

SMALL GAME 99

running fresh water. It is easily identified
by its long bill, which is black at the base
and tip and orange in the middle, and its
orange legs. Weight seven and a fourth to
eight and a half pounds.

The Swan Goose (Anser cygnoides) is a
very large bird, and would seem to be the
stock whence the domestic geese of several
different countries have sprung. The
ganders of the reclaimed form are dis-
tinguished by the knob at the base of the
bill, but the evidence of many observers is
that this is not found in the wild race.
(Newton). The bill is black, and a con-
spicious dark stripe runs down the neck.
Moreover its neck is very swanlike.

The Pacific Brent Goose (Anser nigricans)
is distinguished by having the bill, head,
neck, breast, feet and tail a sooty black ; on
each side of the neck there is a patch of
white with a few black feathers intermixed.
It is the smallest of all geese, and is
practically the "blackbird" of the anseres.
Doubtless it is to be found round the Islands
of the China coast, for it is a seabird
entirely, never flying inland.

Unlike ducks, geese are of almost identical
colour in both sexes, and according to Sir

100 SHOOTING IN CHINA

R. Payne Gallwey " there is no perceptible
difference in plumage between the male and
female of any wild goose." In the case of
duck and teal the females are invariably of
so sombre a colour that in many cases and
at certain seasons it may not be so easy to
determine at once the species.

Though admittedly inadequate the
following description of the duck and teal
in China, based upon examination of typical
male specimens in the Shanghai museum
will, it is hoped, suffice to impress upon the
mind of the uninitiated some of those more
salient features and characteristics by which,
with comparative ease and certainty, a
species may be determined. And that is
all. For who shall attempt with any
realism to depict, " Artist in words "
though he be, the gorgeous sheen of the
cock pheasant's breast, or the iridescence of
the beautiful Mandarin duck?

There can be no question that an ability
to discriminate between the several species
which may be found in the day's bag would
greatly enhance the interest in the sport, but
unfortunately, in the case of too many
shooters, the contents of the bag are birds

SMALL GAME IOI

and birds simply, and like the Words-
worthian flower " nothing more."

" A primrose by a river's brim
A yellow primrose was to him,
And it was nothing more."

Or as Sir R. Payne Gallwey puts it tersely
and emphatically : — " To most shooters a
duck is a duck, and a wild goose a wild
goose, but the successful fowler will tell you
of a dozen species of the former, and half
as many of the latter."

The advantages, therefore, of even a very
modest acquaintance with natural history
must be obvious in so far as birds and their
ways and their more marked features are
concerned. Such a knowledge, though
limited perhaps, could not fail to lead to a
closer observation of " winged beauties "
generally, naturally to a more intelligent
interest in sport, and consequently to
enjoyments unrevealed to those whose cup
of happiness is only full in proportion to
the weight of the bag.

And here it may not be out of place to
offer a suggestion. Let him who has never
done so before take a bird from the bag and
make but a rude sketch of it ; then let him
try his hand at a description of the plumage,

IO2 SHOOTING IN CHINA

and he shall discover countless com-
binations and permutations of the seven
primary colours, and such a variety of tints
as were never dreamt of in his philosophy.
The task, which after all should prove to be
a pleasure, would make such an indelible
impression upon the memory that he would
never be in doubt again as to the species of
the bird in question, and might possibly be
grateful for the hint here thrown out.

For all practical purposes duck and teal
may be divided into two well denned and
clearly distinct classes, u the surface feeding
species, or those that never dive to obtain
food, further than they can reach without
entirely submerging their bodies, or the
diving ducks, or those that do dive to pro-
cure food from the bottom of the water."
(Badminton.)

Of the eighteen varieties hereafter named
but five belong to the diving species.

The Mallard (Anas boschas) from its fre-
quency and popularity may well head the
list of the surface feeding ducks. Head and
neck rich glossy green, perfect collar round
the neck, and short crisp curly tail feathers.
Weight 2 Ibs to 2^ Ibs. There is also an-
other duck, locally known as the black or

SMALL GAME 103

yellow-nib duck (Anas zonorycha) a larger
bird with black bill and orange band across
it. Weight from 2^ to 3 Ibs.

The Ruddy Sheldrake (Cascara rutila)
is one of the handsomest of ducks, " vividly
marked in contrasts of chestnut, black and
white. " Head and neck glossy green,
white breast and belly, yellow bill, broad
rich rufous brown band from the lower end
of the back of the neck which crosses the
breast, tail white with black tips. Weight
3 Ibs and more.

The Widgeon (Mareca penelope) may be
recognised by its light fawn crest, rich
rufous neck, light reddish grey breast, grey
mottled back, white-barred wings, and long
tail. Weight from i ^ to i y2 Ibs.

The Pintail (Dafila acuta) one of the
largest of the duck family, sometimes called
the sea pheasant by reason of the great
length of the two central tail feathers of the
male. Its head and neck are a rich dark
brown, and its back pencilled with black
on a grey ground. Throat, breast and belly
snowy white. Weight 3 Ibs and up.

The Shoveller Duck (Spatula streperus)
is uncommonly like the ordinary greyducks
in appearance, and at Kiukiang it has more

104 SHOOTING IN CHINA

than once been shot by mistake. "The
breast feathers are covered with tiny crescent
shaped pencillings which are a sure means
by which to recognize the species. Ordin-
ary weight 2 Ibs.

The Common Teal (Querquedula crecca)
most delicious of table birds, is found in
great numbers throughout China. Its dis-
tinguishing marks are rich, chestnut brown
head, upper half of face dark, glossy green ;
lower half rich chestnut. Above and below
the eye run two narrow streaks of buff
sharply dividing the green and chestnuts.
Breast tinged with purple and covered with
circular black spots. Weight 14 oz. to i Ib.

The Garganey Teal (Querquedula circia)
is not a common bird in China, but still it
may now and again be met with. It is a
striking looking duck with its glossy green
black crest, black bill, white band from eye
to back of neck, breast mottled brown and
black : long fine wavy black feathers centred
with white. Weight i Ib to I ^ Ibs.

The Spectacled Teal (Eunetta formosa)
very common on the Yangtze, is not im-
properly named from its markings in the
region of the eye to chin. Its chin and

SMAU, GAME 105

crest are a dark green. The body, generally,
is of a pale buff colour. Weight about i Ib.

The Falcate Teal (Bunetta falcata) is
another very common bird in China. It is
a very graceful looking fowl, with its long
drooping grey back feathers. Head rufous
brown, bill black, chin white, breast and
belly beautifully mottled grey. Weight i Ib.

The Siberian White eyed duck (Fuligula
baeri) is described by Styan as "scarce in
its appearance, but when met with it seems
numerous."

The Mandarin Duck (Aix galericulata) is
the most gorgeously plumaged of any of
the ducks. Once it was fairly common in
both provinces of Kiaugsu and Chekiang,
but its numbers have been sadly thinned of
late years, largely for the feathers which
are chiefly exported to Paris.

Wood, in his natural history, offers this
word picture of this lovely bird: "The
crest of this beautiful bird is varied green
and purple upon the top of the head, the
long crest-like feathers being chestnut and
green. From the eye to the beak is a
warm fawn, and a stripe from the eye to
the back of the neck is a soft cream. The
sides of the neck are clothed with long

IO6 SHOOTING IN CHINA

pointed feathers of bright russet, and the
front of the neck and the breast are rich
shining purple. "The curious wing-fans
that stand erect like the wings of a but-
terfly are chestnut edged with the deepest
green, and the shoulders are banded with
four stripes, two black and two white. The
undersurface is white.

This completes the list of surface feeding
ducks, all of which are most excellent table
birds, each with its distinctive flavor, and
all with their respective champions. Truly
China is most fortunate in the abundance
of its wildfowl supplies.

The Diving Ducks in China are limited
in variety and not at all prominent in num-
bers. The species most frequently met
with is the Pochard (Fuligula ferina) which
may be recognized by the chestnut red of
the head and tipper part of the neck, and
the rich, deep velvet black of the lower
part. Its grey black is profusely sprinkled
with flecks of a darker tint. Its bill, and
this feature is very important, is black at
the point and base, and pale blue in the
middle. In Europe, it is variously called
" the Poker, Dunbird or simply Redhead."
Its weight runs from i ^ to 2 Ibs.

SMALL GAMP: 107

The Scaup (Fuligula marila) is a very
short, thickset bird. Its head is black as is
also its bill; breast grey mottled, wing
coverts black with white bars ; undersurface
greyish white. Weight i}4 to 2 Ibs.

The Tufted Duck (Fuligula cristata) so
named from the feathers on the back of the
head which form a drooping crest. Head,
breast, neck and all the upper plumage,
black with green, bronze and purple tints ;
under plumage white. It is said that with
the exception of the Pochard it is the only
diving duck that is fit for food, but those
who once have had an experience of the
" Fishy " flavor of any of the divers have
never been known to desire a repetition of
the dish.

The Golden-Eye (Clangula glaucion) is
one of the handsomest ducks that swim.
Its head is very dark brown or black,
beautifully shaded with violet and green.
The body generally is grey, the under-
surface grey terminating in white. The
wings are white barred.

The Velvet Scoter (Aedemia fusca) as
pictured in Badminton is of a rich, velvety
black plumage ; a white crescent-shaped
post under each eye, also a white patch on

108 SHOOTING IN CHINA

each wing. The bill is orange, edged with
black, and the lump at the base of the bill
is also black. Weight 2 to 2)4 Ibs.

It is hoped that the foregoing presenta-
tion of the chief distinguishing features of
the various species of wildfowl most com-
monly met with in China may be successful
in accomplishing even a small part of its
contemplated object, which mainly is to
foster a more enquiring and intelligent
observation on the part of the shooter, and
to provoke a keener interest in the beauty,
the mysteries and the study of bird life.

There is an old saying to the effect that
you must first catch your hare before you
cook it. Bear then with an attempt to
" catch our hare " or, in other words, to
indicate where and when and how one is
most likely to come upon his quest and
how we may best secure it.

Wildfowling in its sense has never what
is vulgarly termed "caught on" in China,
possibly for reasons among which may
be included the time necessary for its
successful prosecution, the expenses atten-
dant upon it, its many disappointments,
dread of the tricky nature of the currents
of the Yangtze estuary ; but, perhaps

SMALL GAME 109

beyond all these the absence of the
enthusiasm without which the fowler is
nothing worth. Fowling demands pluck,
endurance, patience and the keenest relish
for the sport at all times, in all conditions
of wind and weather, and that classical
aequa mens in rebus arduis, which is in-
dispensable.

As far as is known few attempts, other
than in the Yangtze estuary, have been
made to systematically circumvent wild-
fowl, and what I write must be limited
accordingly to that locality. Just outside
Shanghai is a line of islands stretching
towards the sea, Tsung-Ming, the largest
of them all and nearest, then in succession
Bush Island, Small Island, Block House
Island and House Island ; in fact twenty
miles of low land, shoals, swamps and reeds.
These islands are intersected by innumer-
able small tidal creeks. Opposite to these,
on the right bank of the river, are the well
known Beacon Flats, a long expanse of
mud at low water. On these shoals and in
the contiguous swampy reed beds fowl of
every description delight to congregate.

When the birds arrive in quantity, a fact
intimated by the "flying squadrons" outside

IIO SHOOTING IN CHINA

Woosung, it behoves the shooter to look
after both boat and gun. Respecting the
former the exact thing is be found at Woo-
sung in the native river sampan, a shallow,
keelless flat-bottomed boat about 30 feet
long, 8 broad, with a depth of about 4
feet. The craft is strengthened by trans-
verse bulkheads which form four absolutely
watertight compartments. A lug sail set
on a 30 feet mast will carry it gaily through
the water under favourable conditions.
When the wind falls recourse must be had
to the yuloh, a powerful scull which can
make a large boat travel much faster than
might be imagined. One's armoury is,
of course, merely a matter of choice. Mr.
Duncan Glass, in an invaluable contribution
to " With Boat and Gun in the Yangtze
Valley," advises the use of a 4 bore, if not
too heavy for the shooter, otherwise a
double-barrelled 8 bore, full choked and
an ordinary 12 bore as a cripple stopper.
As to shot, No. 2 will be large enough for
the 8 bore, No. 4 for the fowling piece.
Once started, your field glasses will soon
enlighten you as to the whereabouts of
your quest, when your boat should be put
into such a course as will enable you to

SMAU, GAME III

sail right down upon the gaggle or whatever
it may be. It might be even imperative
to drift upon the birds, but under no cir-
cumstances should they be approached by
tacking or any similar zig-zag course. As
fowl require the wind against them as a
fulcrum to raise them from the water, so
it naturally follows that when you are able
to sail "upon" the birds they will have
to pass your boat, either to the right or to
the left.

Nothing is here said of punts or swivel-
guns, for the Yangtze is too often too rough
to allow of the use of the one, while the
discharge of a pound of lead into the brown
of a company of birds, when the few only
are killed and the many wounded, is a
barbarity which happily may not be ex-
pected to be tolerated much longer.

But it may be that the shooter desires a
shore experience. The boat will then land
him at the mouth at one of the many little
intersecting creeks, in which the islands
abound, up which he may go, if so disposed,
in the inevitable attendant of these larger
boats, a small dingy, or at once make his
way through grass, and swamp and feeds
until he "happen " upon the unsuspecting

112 SHOOTING IN CHINA

fowl when he will find that his 12 bore
will answer every purpose.

At Hankow, 600 miles up the Yangtze,
geese may be seen in thousands upon the
great plain there. Time was when the
gunner used to ride up to the birds as near
as they would allow him. But neither that
mode of obtaining a shot nor by firing at
them with a rifle ever went much beyond
the experimental stage. At Ningpo, upon
the lakes, fairly successful bags have been
made by punting a dug-out or shallow craft
through the reeds ; but the difficulty of
recovering the cripples is a drawback,
for ducks and teal when dropped have a
happy knack of hiding among the tussocks,
or diving into the floating grass or weeds to
whose roots they cling with a tenacity only
terminated by death from drowning. But
luck in fowl shooting comes as often to him
who " happens " upon birds as to him who
systematically pursues them. When birds
are first sighted in a creek or circumscribed
waterway it would be well to take bearings
by some landmark of their exact position^
and then under cover of such shelter as
there may be advance unhesitatingly. How-
ever, in any case, the endeavour should be

SMAU, GAME 113

made to get the wind as much behind the
shooter's back as possible in order to ensure
a closer shot than were this precaution not
taken. This is a simple but a golden rule,
applicable alike to plover, snipes and wild-
fowl, and its neglect is the frequent cause
of a disappointment which otherwise had
been avoided.

Capital flight shooting may sometimes be
obtained as the birds top the neighbouring
low hills on their way to and from the lakes
at Ningpo ; but exciting and entrancing as
the sport is, it is but a short time pleasure,
never lasting more than an hour, and but
too often only a fractional part of that time.

All the arts of Chinese fowling which are
many, curious, and of ten eminently practical,
are exercised by the native punters, from
whom the foreigner has much to learn, upon
the broad waters of the Tai Hu, the Great
South, the Poyang and the Tungting lakes.
The river steamers bring to the Shanghai
market ample practical proofs of the suc-
cesses of the China " Shooty-man. "

At Wuhu, in Anwhei, 400 miles up the
Yangtze, the country for miles is protected
from inundation by huge dykes of great
length crossing each other at right angles,

114 SHOOTING IN CHINA

which give to that part of the country a
chess-board-like appearance, the sides of the
qtiadilateral being high banks, and the areas
grass and grain and reed fields in which
geese find abundant food. Sending, to the
rear of a large flock of geese feeding, their
third gun to startle them, the other two
guns of a shooting party concealed by the
embankments had a fine time with the
driven birds, securing no less than 32 head.
This was in December 1901, when in eleven
days on the Taiping marsh this same party
accounted for 270 head of wildfowl, viz :
176 geese, 58 duck, 56 teal.

With decoys judiciously placed, and
shooting from behind ordinary reed blinds,
an American sportsman, in February 1896,
on Block House Island, in the Yangtze
estuary, in ten tides bagged 362 duck, 42
geese, and 18 swan. "The swan gave
close shots ; 3 fell to as many No. 8
cartridges." Since 1900, the best authen-
ticated mixed bags are :

At Kashing, 70 miles W. of Shanghai,
for one gun in 9 days, 96 pheasants, n
woodcock, 5 hare and 9 partridges.

At Wuhu, 2 guns, 21^ days shooting,
1316 head, made up of 889 pheasants, 27

SMALL GAME 115

deer, 254 teal, 24 duck, 26 woodcock, 32
hares, 18 partridges, 9 geese, 32 snipes, i
bittern, 2 foxes, i wild cat, i ground hog.

Hangchow district, 3 guns, 3 days shoot-
ing, 150 head, made up of 39 pheasants, 27
partridges, 50 woodcock, 9 hare, i goose,
10 teal, 4 snipes, 10 quail.

On the Tsien-Tang river, near Hangchow,
in 1903, 5 guns, 14 days shooting, and 3
guns, 7 days' shooting, 640 head of a very
mixed nature, 334 pheasants, 115 partridges,
89 quail, 29 snipes, 15 woodcocks, n hares,
2 deer, i goose, 3 duck, 8 teal, 26 pigeon, i
plover, 2 foxes, i corncrake, i civet cat,
i wild cat, i coon dog.

These facts and figures are merely
adduced as evidence of the delightfully
various nature of the shooting still to be
obtained in China, though, unfortunately,
in rapidly diminishing quantity.

A few of the reflections that may not
unreasonably arise in the minds of those
who have been sufficiently interested, in
what has been written on the small game
of China to have given them some
little consideration, may now be briefly
summarized.

Il6 SHOOTING IN CHINA

The most important, but all too self-
evident fact is that the game supply, as far
as foreigners in China are concerned, is
visibly and rapidly diminishing. How,
then, may something like a status quo ante
be reestablished ? There is still plenty of
game in China, certainly in the northern
part, or there would not be such bountiful
supplies for sale at such moderate prices as
are asked in the market. To say that
"China is shot out" is not to generalize
but to localize. In a sense it is getting
shot out, but almost entirely in those
districts which foreigners have made their
dwelling centres, and where abound hosts
of indiscriminating, irresponsible, thought-
less shooters of all nationalities. The
question naturally arises how best to check
this irrational gunning, and then how to
resuscitate the local game supply? Moral
suasion and the imposition of a shooting
license might help towards the solution of
the first question. Some scheme might be
formulated including the importation of
game birds from the interior or from abroad,
the importation of eggs from foreign
countries, which might easily be done with
safety in these days when a temperature

SMALI, GAME

of any required average heat in the
splendidly equipped steamers of to-day
might be relied on. And in this connection
it may be here mentioned that eggs
purchased in Yokohama have been hatched
out in Glasgow, which eggs must have
been at least ten weeks old if the passage
time be allowed for and the three weeks
imperative for incubation. The scheme
might further provide for the safeguarding
of both eggs and game when located. To
some such scheme most of those who carry
a gun might reasonably be expected to
subscribe. The free-lances would possibly
not be so numerous as might be supposed.
There is nothing after all very empirical in
the suggestions.

Again stricter attention might be paid to
the observance of the " close " season. It
is shameful and pitiable that pheasants
should yet be found on certain tables in
July and August, but it is a fact, neverthe-
less. One thing is certain and that is that
some active steps will have to be taken in
the very near future, if there is to be any
game shooting within the radius of the
larger treaty ports, of which Shanghai is
chief.

Il8 SHOOTING IN CHINA

On the other hand Shanghai, to say no-
thing of some other places, enjoys a full
supply of varied yet very cheap game. On
the authority of the most influential and
largest game dealer in the place, whose
figures if they err at all err on the conser-
vative side, there were sold in the local
markets and shops in 1905 the following
quantities of game at the prices placed
against them : —

30,000 pheasants at from 60 cents to
$1.50 per brace.

35,000 snipes at from 25 cents to 35 each.

20,000 wild duck at from 80 cents to
$1.00 per couple.

10,000 teal at from 15 cents to 30 each.

2,000 wild geese at from 60 cents to

80 each.
3,000 woodcocks at from 70 cents to

$1.00 each.

3,000 hares at from 40 cents to 60 each.
500 wild turkeys at from $1.00 to

$1.10 each.

40,000 quail at from 16 cents to 20 each.
2,500 deer at from $1.50 to $2.00

each.

SMAU, GAME 119

And these figures are quite independent
of the heavy requisitions of mail steamers,
coast boats, and the various men-of-war that
visit the port. The percentage of game shot
by foreigners, when brought into comparison
with the figures given above, is insignifi-
cant in the extreme, and yet it is that very
percentage which gained for China her fair
name and reputation ; and which the foreign
sportsman legitimately and fondly de-
sires to see rather increased than lessened.
Whether the railway will eventually open
up any virgin shooting grounds is at pre-
sent a conjecture only. The railway, as so
far opened, simply traverses districts only
too well known to every sportsman. But
it may be that some more light will
be thrown upon this question now
the line is in working order between
Chingkiang and Nanking. That fair
country to the west and north of Hang-
chow at present holds out the brightest
promise of "fresh wood and pastures."
Further west again, to the west and south
of the Tungting lake, is that terra incog-
nita of which Kweichow may be termed
the centre.

BIG GAME

CHAPTER IV.

BIG GAME.

If the shooter is fond of hunting big game
he can enjoy the sport in China, but not in
the sense it may be enjoyed in Africa or
India. There are various kinds of wild
animals in China and they mostly abound
in the western section of the Empire.
Their principal haunts are in the province
of Kwei-chow, and the neighbouring
provinces of Hunan, Kuang-si, Yunnan
and Szechu'an. In Kuang-tung, Chekiang
and Fukien the shooter, if he looks closely,
will probably find a tiger or a bear, and if
he goes to either of the three provinces of
which Manchuria is composed he will
doubtless see more big game than elsewhere
in the Chinese Empire. But it is likely
that the greatest variety and the largest
number of wild animals abound in Kwei-
chow than in any of the eighteen provinces
of China proper, the three Manchurian
provinces not being included, for there the
mountains are well wooded and the fertile
valleys support the domestic animals on
which they love to feed ; and the towns and

124 SHOOTING IN CHINA

cities are not always exempt from the
visits of a man eating tiger, a panther or a
leopard.

Ljon : The Chinese name for lion is
Shih-tzu. This animal is seldom seen alive
except in Kuang-si and Kwei-chow, and
probably not at all now, although it is
believed that a long time ago lions were
numerous in Kuangtung, Kuang-si, Kwei-
chow and Hunan when these provinces
were not so densely populated as at present.
It is said that a Chinese General, Chao-T'o,
as Prince of Yiieh, in the second century,
B.C., was the founder of the famous old city
of Canton and had a pair of stone lions
carved and set up at the principal entrance
to his palace, the origin of a fashion which
has been followed to this date, for since
then it has been fashionable to erect a pair
of stone lions near the principal entrance
to all public offices and temples throughout
the Empire. The stone lions are carved to
sit on their haunches and placed so as to
look inwards and with one paw resting on
the globe as if it was intended to say, we
symbolize universal dominion, might and
power. In connection it may be noted that
Wei-t'o, the guardian angel of all Buddhist

BIG GAME 125

temples, is a vice-regal title of the ancient
and illustrious Chao-t'o. Another fact is
that from the Qth to the I5th., both inclu-
sive, of the first Moon, it is customary for
young men of good families to go about
town with a flexible image of a lion, made of
a bamboo frame work covered with orange
colored silk or cotton cloth, and worked by
three or more men, one of whom is dressed
and shaved like a Buddhist Priest and puts
his bald pate into the lion's mouth. In
western China this annual performance is
called Shua Shih-tzu, perform with the lion,
a fact which might indicate that performing
lions were brought to China by Buddhist
priests from some of the neighboring coun-
tries, Annam, Burmah, India or Siam.

During his first campaign in Kwei-
chow, 1867-74, General Mesney learned
that a large and ferocious animal called by
the natives Ma-hswing, house bear, was
occasionally met with by lion hunters, but
as often given a wide margin, and allowed to
roam about at its own will. This animal was
described as larger than the largest size bear
and with a mane like that of a horse, brown
as an ox and ferocious as a panther ; its roar
could be heard miles away and all other

126 SHOOTING IN CHINA

wild animals fled for fear of it. The
farmers were rather friendly disposed to-
wards the Ma-hswing as it kept away the
other wild beasts which devoured their
crops and domestic animals, as its favorite
food was the deer and the wild pig, — two of
the greatest and most persistent deprecators
known to the farmer. It would perhaps be
a reasonable supposition that the Ma-hswing
was a species of the African lion rather than
of the Asiatic, as the latter is supposed to
be maneless. It is certain that the lion
captured in Siam and taken to Paris did not
have any mane. And possibly the Ma-
hswing is not of the African species at all,
and different from the ordinary Asiatic
lion, may be a species new to science,
just as there are several very different
kinds of monkeys and pheasants in China,
not hitherto seen in other parts of the
world. There is a large monkey in lower
Kwei-chow called a Jen-hsuing, that is,
a man bear, and which may be akin to
what the Welshman called a Glen-tober,
which was declared to have " feet like hands
and hands like a people."

Tiger : The tiger is known as the Ta-
mao, which is the native name for big-cat,

BIG GAME 127

and are more numerous in Fukien, Kuang-
tung, Kuangsi and Kwei-chow, especially
in the last province. The proper Chinese
word for tiger is Hu or Tao-hu. The
climate of China has not abated the natural
viciousness of this animal, whose depreda-
tions are not confined to the country, but
one will daringly go into a town and de-
stroy human life. The spoon of a large
tiger has been seen under the walls of the
city of Kwei-yang, which is the provincial
capital of Kwei-chow, and was tracked
over the snow into the mountains, some
two miles from the city, where it had eaten
its prey. The depredations are usually
confined to carrying off of pigs, goats and
dogs, but frequently the animal will attack
an ordinary size ox and small ponies ; one
will seldom attack a water-buffalo, unless
two or more are hunting together. If the
water-buffalo has a calf one of the tigers
will seem to attack the mother so as to
give the other the better opportunity to
carry off the offspring. These attacks,
however, do not always prove successful,
for a dead tiger has been found on the
field of battle, as the result of the affection
and courage of the mother. In the case

128 SHOOTING IN CHINA

of ponies and mules, which are generally
from eleven to twelve hands high, a big
tiger will attack, and often successfully.
As many of the ponies are stallions, there is
a fight at once when a stallion is attacked,
and if but one tiger only the pony not
infrequently comes off victorious. A single
tiger will seldom attack a pony or mule in
a caravan, because the leader is invariably
a large stallion, a fact the tiger appears to
comprehend and appreciate. Some of the
tigers are fond of human flesh and do not
hesitate, when there is a chance, to attack
a man or woman. General Mesney was in-
formed by a French priest, who resided
near Cheng-an-chow, in upper Kwei-chow,
that one day some of the people in his
parish came and reported to him that a man-
eating tiger had just killed a young boy
and had carried the dead body to a neigh-
boring hill, where it had eaten a part, and
was still concealed among the rocks. The
good missionary, though not a sportsman,
acceded to the wishes of the parishsoners,
and with gun in hand went hunting for the
tiger. When he sallied forth in search of
the guilty animal he was followed by many

BIG GAME 129

of his native friends, also armed and equip-
ped, and upon arriving at the hill each was
assigned his position to guard ; soon the
priest discovered the tiger crouching at the
base of a rock on which he was standing
and shot the beast dead. Fortunately, how-
ever, for the priest the tiger was killed, as
the gun used was double barrelled and in
the excitement of the moment, both barrels
being discharged at the same time, the
priest was found on the other side of the
rock almost insensible from its recoil. I
hope my reader will not complain of the
details I may give in connection with the
inclinations of some of the animals whose
haunts I wish to locate in a general way.

Leopards : The province of Kwei-chow
in western China is the province in which
leopards are said to be more numerous.
This animal is named Piao by the natives,
but as it is sometimes confounded with the
name for the panther, Pao, the leopard is
also known as the Pao, or Pao-tzu. The
largest leopards are about the size of a
medium grown panther and are as ferocious
and active as the latter animal. Of all the
wild animals of China this one is a special

130 SHOOTING IN CHINA

terror to the flocks of the farmers, and a
reward is sometimes offered by the officials
for each leopard killed as an encourage-
ment to native shooters. The native
hunters eat the flesh of the leopard and
aside from its nourishment believe that it
makes them courageous. A foreign friend
informed me that he had the leg of a
leopared roasted, and after larding and
sticking it with garlic found it to be very
palatable, but that he preferred beefsteak.
If properly cured the skin can be made into
useful saddle bags and very pretty rugs for
the floor or for the bed. A nice rug of this
skin can be purchased for about four United
States dollars.

Bear : This animal is called Hsiung in
Chinese, and like most of the big game is
found in greater numbers in western China
and some parts of Manchuria ; the moun-
tain regions of upper Kwei-chow is said to
be the favorite haunts of bears. This re-
gion is the home of the Miaotzu and Lolo
aboriginals and which, in Anglo-Saxon,
may be described as Miaoland and Lololand,
a region into which the Chinese have as yet
been unable to successfully penetrate, and
where these aboriginals live under what

BIG GAME 131

may be termed home rule. If the shooter
visits the mountains on the frontiers of
Szechu'an, Yunnan and Kwei-chow he will
probably find two kinds of bears, one full
grown, the Hsiung, the other smaller and
known as the dog bear, Kow-hsiung. Both
kinds are black and have excellent fur, and
I hear that their flesh is good eating.
These bears are caught when young and
tamed without much difficulty ; they are
taught to perform and then taken to Han-
kow and other open ports and exhibited in
the ring. The bears on the Tibetan frontier
are larger than those in Kwei-chow. Some
of the Tibetan bears are said to weigh half
a ton, and occasionally one has been killed
that weighed as much as a ton. General
Mesney relates to me that one evening, in
1877, during his first journey in Tibet he
and his party camped at a Chinese military
station near a forest at the foot of some
mountains not far from the Tibetan town
Si -tang. During the night the party were
alarmed by the sentinels firing off their
matchlocks, and on inquiry it was learned
that one of the pack mules had been killed
and half eaten by a bear which was thought
to be one of the larger size, as an ordinary

132 SHOOTING IN CHINA

bear does not usually venture to attack
ponies or mules. I have read or heard of
no instance of a white bear having been
seen among the Tibetan mountains, al-
though some of these mountains are the
highest in the world and are always covered
with snow. The color is mostly reddish
or rusty looking, and probably the rusty
color is an evidence of old age. There was
a stuffed bear in the Lama temple, Yun-Ho-
Kung, at Peking, which was said to have
been killed by the Emperor Kien-lung, who
reigned over China from 1736 to 1796.
The gun used by the Emperor is described
as a double-barrelled matchlock, the barrels
being octagon in shape and were superim-
posed instead of round and mounted side
by side. This Emperor was fond of sport
and died in the hunting field.

Wild Boars (Yeh Chu) or Wild Pigs:
This animal may be found in various parts
of China and does not seem to have any
special ranges. Almost everywhere I have
hunted the natives tell me of wild pigs, and
the number depends upon the close search
of the native shooter and the accuracy of
his aim. The Yangtze Valley appears to
be more specially the favorite haunt, and

BIG GAME 133

there are many wild pigs to be also found
in western China. The shooter, while
shooting in the Yangtze Valley, will fre-
quently see the signs of depradation com-
mitted by the wild pig, as the Chinese
perfer to call this animal. Between Nan-
king and Tatung one may sometimes see
fields of sweet potatoes rooted up and the
tubers gone ; maize and millet fields with
their standing crops torn down, as well as
half ripe corn. So destructive in some
places are these wild pigs that the farmers
have their fields watched at night, and in
every field or two there is a hut perched on
bamboo or other poles some six or eight
feet above the ground. In these huts the
night watchman is placed, provided with
lighted lanterns, gongs and matchlock
muskets. When the wild pigs are heard or
seen the watchmen beat their gongs, swing
the lanterns and fire off their matchlocks ;
they also shout like madmen, all the
noise made with the idea to frighten the
depredators away and seldom upon the idea
that to kill is the surest guarantee of
protection. In some neighborhoods the pig
appreciates the situation by quietly proceed-

134 SHOOTING IN CHINA

ing with his meal. When wounded or
surrounded these animals, especially the
males, will fight their way to death or to
safety, and as if in contempt of the impres-
sion that they could be frightened away
from a luxuriant and inviting field of
cereal they have been known to attack a
watch-hut, tear it down and tusk the
unfortunate watchman. The old male
pigs are said to be specially ferocious, and
are aggressive in the maintenance of their
right to roam at pleasure. In western
China, especially in Kwei-chow, the natives
hunt the wild pig with perseverance and
courage and delight in the dangers of such
a chase. The weapons generally used by
the natives are the matchlock, and long
bladed spears with short handles, the blades
being of tough iron with a fine steel cope.
The most convenient places for foreigners
to " hunt the wild boar " is in the Yangtze
Valley, on the mountains near Ta-tung or
even across the river opposite Nanking.
Wild pigs are more numerous in upper Hu-
nan and lower Kwei-chow, but those places
are not so accessible.

Wolves : These animals are numerous in
various parts of China, and the natives call

BIG GAME 135

them Lang Chai-lang and Chai-kow. In
Kwei-chow and Yunnan two kinds have
been seen, but they are not as large as those
in Shansi. They have the reputation of
being quite bold in their depradations and
will venture into a farmyard or a village
in broad daylight to seize their prey. I am
informed by one who has travelled much in
China that during a forenoon, as he was
travelling in upper Kwei-chow, he came to
a market-place where were assembled sever-
al hundred natives ; not far off, toiling in a
field, he saw a woman who suddenly began
to cry out and then ran towards him calling
loudly Chai-kow, and at the same time a
large brown animal passed near him and
ran up the mountainside ; it was a wolf.
Afterwards it appeared that the woman had
laid her baby near the roadside while she
toiled in her field and doubtless this brute
was watching for an opportunity to carry
off the child. General Mesney related to
me this incident : that on one occasion he
was taking a nap on his camp bed inside of
his tent when something awoke him and
his eyes met a pair of fierce eyes looking at
him ; the general drew his revolver from
under his pillow and fired at the invader

136 SHOOTING IN CHINA

of his tent and upon examination found
that he had shot dead an old male wolf
which had often been seen in the neighbor-
hood. In Kwei-chow and Yunnan the
country people carry tobacco pipes the
heads of which are made of iron or brass
and weigh several ounces ; these pipes are
used as defensive weapons against the
attacks of wild beasts. In Shan-tung,
Shansi, Honan and Kansu it is a common
custom for the country people to take
with them some weapon of defense, usually
a heavy cudgel, to protect themselves
against the attacks of wolves.

On one occasion I was shooting ducks on
the lakes near Ningpo, and while standing
on a dike which connected two of the
mountain ranges two large wolves passed
near me and I shot both dead ; they fell not
more than ten yards apart. I do not think
they saw me until too near to make their
escape, although I was shooting with a light
weight twelve bore gun loaded with No. 5
shot.

In China the shooter will find, in addition
to the animals more particularly referred to
above, the Wild Cat (Yah-mao) : the Badger

BIG GAME 137

(Huan-tzu) : the Fox (Hu or Phu-le) : the
Porcupine (Chien-chti) : the Jackal (Chai-
kow): the Water Otter (Shin-tah), and
there are several varieties of Monkeys in the
regions bordering on Tibet. It may be said
that neither the lion, elephant — (except in
southern Yunnan) or Rhinocerous are now
met with in China. In the southeastern
mountains near Tibet the Yak or grunting
ox exists.

YANG-TZE RIVER

CHAPTER V.

YANG-TZE RIVER

Although the valley of the Yang-tze is
the most populous region of China it has
long been the favorite shooting ground of
the sportsman. The valley takes its name
from the river that runs through it and the
area of the former is in creditable propor-
tion to the imperial waterway of the latter ;
and it is the richest, and the most favored
by the facility of its communications. In
this central region of China the Yang-tze
river drains an area of 700,000 square
miles, and the population of its basin is
estimated at 200,000,000. The climate is
temperate and free from the great variations
of the north. While the summer is hot the
excessive cold of winter is not experienced,
and the crops are less irregular than in
other parts of the Empire. The agricultural
products are tea, rice, silk, wheat, cotton,
and buckwheat. The maunfacturing in-
dustries are mostly of silk, yarn, cotton,
cloth, indian ink, porcelain ware, salt, and
oil. Its mineral wealth may be said to be
great, but it is less rich in coal beds than

142 SHOOTING IN CHINA

the north and south. In this region the
shooter may find almost every variety of
small and large game. He can enjoy
shooting on the mountains or the plains as
the crops cultivated are tempting to both
birds and animals.

The source of the Yang-tze river has
never been explored, but it rises in the
mountains of Tibet and runs a course of
3,200 miles before it empties its waters into
the sea near the port of Shanghai. In the
"Comprehensive Geography of the Chinese
Empire " this river is divided by Richard
into three principal parts : the first, tor-
rential ; the second, semi-navigable ; and
the third, navigable throughout. By the
same high authority the torrential part
extends from the source to a short distance
above Hsuchow-Fu ; the semi-navigable
extends from Hsuchow to Ich'ang-Fu ;
and the navigable part extends from Ich'ang
to the sea. The course of the river is
not influenced by the affluents flowing into
it, but by the slope of the land surface.
While the Yang-tze river is the central
artery of communication there is a net
work of navigable streams flowing into it,
and the shooter will have no difficulty in

YANG-TZE RIVER 143

travelling on a comfortable steamboat for
more than 1,500 miles up the river, but he
may go farther on in native boats, or he
can stop at any of the ports on the river,
and with a native or foreign houseboat
reach the interior in almost any direction
by means of the creeks and canals which
interlace the whole region and often flow
from large and beautiful lakes.

If the shooter goes up the river on one
of the steamers leaving Shanghai he can
stop at either of the following places, the
distance being computed from the mouth
not far from Shanghai : Kiangyin, 105
miles ; Chekiang, 165 miles ; Nanking, 243
miles ; Wuhu, 264 miles ; Ngank'ing, 370
miles ; Kiukiang, 458 miles ; Hankow, 600
miles; Ich'ang, 1,000 miles; Hsu chow,
1,500 miles ; and he can make his choice of
a steamer belonging to either of the follow-
ing steamboat companies trading on the
Yang-tze river : The China Merchant
Steam Navigation Company (Chinese) ;
Indo-China Steam Navigation Company
(Jardine, Matheson and Company) ; China
Navigation Company (Butterfield and
Swire) ; Norddeutscher Lloyd (Melchers
and Company) ; Hamburg Amerika Linie

144 SHOOTING IN CHINA

(Arnhold, Karberg and Company) ; Osaka
Sbosen Kaisha and Yang-tze Shipping
Company (Japanese) ; Compagnie Asiatique
de Navigation (Racine, Ackermann and
Company).

This great river traverses the Chinese
Empire from west to east and divides the
eighteen provinces of China proper into
two nearly equal portions. Eight of the
provinces are situated on its left bank with
the same number on the south, while the
two others, Nanghin and Kiang-su are
partly on both banks. I have been as far
up the river as Hankow which is 600 miles
from its mouth, but there is little to be seen
of scenery until Nanking has been passed.
The approach to Chinkiang is pretty, but
after passing Nanking and when nearing
Wuhu it is then that the scenery is beautiful
on both banks of the river. Often the base
of a mountain is washed by the water, and
between the ranges of these high hills,
which start from the river's edge and run
far into the interior, there are ravines which
are highly cultivated and afford good
feeding ground for the pheasant and the
woodcock. The alluvial plains made by
the deposits of the river will arrest the

YANG-TZE RIVER 145

attention of the traveller and convince him
that China is not so thickly populated as
represented by some writers on the subject.
He will see plains of the width of several
miles and a soil of unequalled productive
capacity producing nothing but reeds and
grass, but which could be made to produce
Indian corn and rice in quantities sufficient
to feed the population of a small nation.
Here on these uncultivated plains valuable
crops could be produced and centuries of
the rich deposits of the great river have
fertilized the soil for several feet. Year
after year these plains could be cultivated
with the aid of very little nature and yet
they are utilized for grazing shaggy looking
ponies and cattle of the most ancient
pedigree and appearance. The reeds grow
from 15 to 20 feet high and are larger than
a man's thumb. When ripe they are cut
for fuel and are often used to build small
huts which are frequently seen dotting the
plains from the deck of a steamer.

The valley is the feeding ground for wild
fowl during the fall and winter months.
The river and lakes and valley between
Wuhu and Hankow appear as the favorite

146 SHOOTING IN CHINA

feeding places for wild geese and ducks.
There are but few wild fowl below Wuhu
in comparison with the number seen above
that port, and if the shooter has loaded his
gun for wild fowl only he should get on
board his houseboat at Wuhu and travel up
the river. There are many small lakes
some distance from the shores of the river
which the geese and ducks haunt. If the
reeds have not been cut and the shooter
has a loadah familiar with the little canals
the farmers have cut from their fields to the
river he can reach some of these lakes
under cover and he will be well rewarded
if he has a steady nerve and a quick eye.
Not far from the lakes, as a rule, the land
is cultivated and the geese and ducks feed on
the young crops ; and sometimes it looks as
if the whole country was covered with wild-
fowl. Another excellent feeding ground for
geese and ducks is up the Tai-ping-fu river.
This river flows into the Yangtze about 20
miles below Wuhu and at the lower end of
Wade's island. If the shooter will examine
a map of China he will see, some distance
up the Tai-ping-fu river, large tracts of
marsh land and here it is the wild fowl in
great numbers feed during the entire season.

YANG-TZE RIVER 147

About sunset the geese fly from the marshes
to roost in the dry plains, and then if the
shooter is properly concealed he may enjoy
an hour of first class flight shooting.

It is not advisable to undertake to shoot
wildfowl in the Yangtze river. They
always seem unusually wild, and it is
almost impossible to approach them within
shooting distance. The shooter will be far
more successful if he shoots about the small
lakes and the marshes, and he should have
with him a pair of long legged rubber boots
as these will invariably prove convenient.

When the ducks and geese are very
clever and can see for half a mile that a
gun is not a bamboo pole the shooter can
take advantage of such intervals of wisdom
and shoot deer and pheasants.

There are many deer in the valley, but
they are small and the average weight is
scarcely more than 30 Ibs. Some of them
have tusks like a wild-boar and hence the
Chinese call them hog deer. They feed on
the young grass in the plains and I have
seen, from the deck of a steamer, several
feeding together. When one is out, spe-
cially after pheasants, these little deer are

148 SHOOTING IN CHINA

really an annoyance at times. During the
day they seek the tall grass for resting
places and will not get up unless almost
stepped upon, and then they run as fast as
they can, diverting the bird dog from his
work and frightening away the pheasants.
These deer are brown colored with thick
hair and- rather coarse, but the meat is very
good to eat. They are easily killed, and the
ordinary load of No. 5 shot is ample enough
to bring one to bag. Very few have any
horns at all, and such as do grow are quite
short. There is nothing about them to
remind one of the broad antlers and the
majestic step of the American forest deer.

I do not know if there is any reason for it,
but the pheasants are found almost ex-
clusively on the right bank of the Yangtze
river. Both sides of the river are cultivated,
but from some cause they prefer the right,
and the shooters who have shot on the left
bank have never made very large bags.

The shooter must be careful in the selec-
tion of his houseboat for the Yangtze.
There he will soon experience that his boat
should be more sea-worthy, as the prevailing
winds on the river are strong at times and
the current swift and turbulent. The lower

YANG-TZE RIVER 149

end of the river is several miles wide, and
the waves often cause the large ocean going
steamships to move unsteadily. My own
experience confirms the above suggestion
given me by a friend when he heard that I
was preparing for a shoot on the Yangtze
river. I well remember that on one occasion
if I had not heeded the suggestion I would
probably have beeu compelled to try the
temperature of the Yangtze water one cool
afternoon in the month of February.

My longest shoot up the Yangtze was in
the early part of the month of December. I
travelled on one of the large river steamers
from Shanghai to Wuhu, and there a friend
had ready for me a splendid houseboat and
a full crew. By arrangement the American
Consul General at Hankow and his friend
met me, and we at once started in separate
houseboats for Wuhu creek and yulohed
during the night in order to be on the shoot-
ing ground early next morning. The trip
was not successful. Nearly all the cover
had been cut and the pheasants had left
the usual feeding places and we bagged
only a few. The trip, however, was not
devoid of incident and some amusement.
We were shooting in the country back of

150 SHOOTING IN CHINA

Wuhu and about fifty miles inland. Our boat
loadahs were not familiar with the country,
but before we were aware of the fact they
had taken the boats to a place which was
not marked on the map and so we did not
know where we were. We wanted to
enter the upper portion of the Taiping-fu
river, travel down it and shoot wildfowl on
the way. Fortunately we were near a small
town and I suggested to the consul general
to send his card to the Chinese magistrate
and ask him to supply us with a pilot.
Soon the magistrate called and was cordial
and courteous in complying with our wishes.
Sails were hoisted and with a fair wind the
boats were headed towards the Taiping-fu
river. But during the night, my boat being
the faster sailer, we became separated, and
to add to the disappointment the pilot on
the boat of the consul general had a different
idea as to the proper route to the river than
my pilot, and so when we awoke the follow-
ing morning neither of our sails could be
seen. We had agreed, however, that Wade's
island in the Yangtze should be the objec-
tive point, and I believed we would meet
again. I spent part of the day trying to stalk
geese and ducks, hoping that the consul

YANOTZE RIVER 151

general would overtake me, but I did not
see him until the next morning, when I
found his boat near mine at the lower end of
Wade's island. He came on board and said
that I had alarmed the surrounding country
and that he had happened along just in time
to be held responsible. The alarm was
caused in this way : About five miles from
the mouth of the Tai-ping-fu river there are
two bridges made of boats a hundred yards
or more apart. They are for the convenience
of the residents of the towns situated on
opposite banks of the river, and are made so
as to open in the middle for the free passage
of junks and other boats. The current at
this point is very strong, about three miles
an hour, and as my houseboat approached
the first bridge I gave notice and the keeper
opened the way and as I passed through I
threw him a "cumsho". When within
twenty yards of the other bridge the proper
notice was given but the keeper of this
bridge would not open the way. The cur-
rent was too strong to stop the large house-
boat so, with head on, we charged the bridge
and took away a part of it. When the
collision took place I was standing on deck
and the houseboat trembled like a leaf. One

152 SHOOTING IN CHINA

would have supposed from the noise made by
the Chinese that the town on both sides of the
river had been pulled into it. The alarm
was deafening, but I could not stop my boat
which continued down the river as under a
full head of steam. About two hours after
the bridge had been knocked aside the
consul general came along, but one cannot
properly appreciate his situation unless he
knows something of Chinese character. So
far as I was concerned I supposed the in-
cident was closed, but while at dinner I felt
my boat suddenly jar, and upon inquiry as
to the cause learned that a large Chinese
boat with ten Chinese on board had made
fast to mine and that three were on board
to arrest the loadah. I at once left the table,
took my pistol in my hand, walked to the
aft of the houseboat and through my serv-
ant boy gave notice that if they did not
leave my boat at once I would shoot them
down on its deck. But the gleam of the
pistol in the lamplight was sufficient, for as
soon as they saw it they did not stand upon
the order of going. I then asked what
damage had been sustained and they thought
that six dollars would replace the rope and
timber lost. I gave them four dollars and

YANG-TZE RIVER 153

they left singing. To have been afraid
would have proved serious, not to have been
just would have been wrong. If my friend
Dr. Wilcox should read this page he will
doubtless recall the incident here related,
as he will remember the miserable luck we
had during the entire trip.

At another time, while shooting on the
large island below Chinkiang, I was made
to feel uncomfortable for a few moments. I
knew that I was in the territory and waters
of the Yangtze pirates but as usually
happens game is more abundant near such
places. It was a dark night and I was read-
ing when I felt the jar of a boat against
mine and immediately after two men jumped
on the front deck. As I looked up I saw
through the glass panel in the door that one
of them wore a sword. The scabbard dis-
tinctly gleamed through the glass, and my
servant boy who was near became nervous-
I was alone but neither of the men had seen
me, and I placed my eight bore fowling gun,
each barrel loaded with 2^ oz. of buck shot,
convenient, as I did not intend to be robbed
and carried off a captive by Chinese river
pirates. Soon one of the men stepped in
front of the glass panel and I saw that he

154 SHOOTING IN CHINA

had on the uniform of a Chinese naval offi-
cer. I put a pistol in my pocket, opened
the door and asked his business. He was
a bright and clever looking young officer,
graceful and courteous in manner, and
answered that he had been sent by the
commanding officer of a Chinese gunboat,
anchored about a mile away, to advise me
not to go any higher up the river during the
night as it might prove unsafe. He added
that they had seen me shooting on the island
during the day, and had orders to apprise me
that the neighborhood was dangerous after
sunset. I invited him to a seat in my cabin,
had a pleasant chat with him, and intimated
that, with his consent, I would move my
boat near his gunboat, to which he readily
assented, saying that the commanding offi-
cer would be pleased if I did so. I was not
afraid, but somehow I got pirates on my
mind and I had no objection whatever to
being near a gunboat. When he left he
remarked that he would go ahead and run
up a light so that I could distinguish the
gunboat. The night was quiet and I slept
soundly, and the thoughtful and friendly
consideration of this Chinese naval officer is
pleasantly remembered.

YANG-TZE RIVER 155

I have not found the Yangtze valley the
paradise of the sportsman" as some writers
have described it. My most successful
pheasant shooting has been in the inland
country, where rice, peas, and buckwheat
are the principal crops and where the fields
in which these crops are cultivated are near
the low lying hills and mountains. On the
Yangtze I have made larger bags when
shooting near the patches of reeds that grow
between the river and the cultivated fields.
After the morning feed the pheasants are
fond of resting, during midday, among the
reeds, and one can walk along the dykes
and get in some effective rights and lefts if
he has a well trained dog. The ravines that
make inland from the river are also the
favorite resort of the pheasant and woodcock.
If the tide in the river is high the shooter
should engage a small boat and go up the
little creeks that flow into it. Often he will
find on both sides pheasants and woodcock,
and these are slow to rise from such coves
and restful places. Another resort for
pheasants is on the hillsides where the acorn
bearing scrub-oaks grow. They are fond
of acorns, the walking is not very incon-
venient and the oaks are not tall enough to

156 SHOOTING IN CHINA

obstruct the view of the shooter. These
oak groves are also the resting places of the
deer, and at the foot of the hills wherever
the ground is moist the dog will occasionally
put up a woodcock or snipe. The ex-
perienced shooter well knows that the
pheasant changes his feeding ground quite
often. The places that knew him in
abundance one season will not know him
the next.

The sport I am now writing about is far
more healthy and exciting than that of
shooting driven birds. The system of
agriculture in England renders almost
necessary the latter as the only way of
shooting pheasants, and those are not bad
marksmen who can bring down a high
flying pheasant whether driven or other-
wise, but the endurance and skill of the
shooter are better tested when, with gun
and dog, he finds this game bird on his
native hills and plains. Here there is full
liberty for each. No taming process has
dulled the vitality of the pheasant, and when
he rises his flight is masterful and strong.
There is no sympathy that the bird was
raised near a barn-door and is driven over
the guns while the shooters sit at ease on

YANG-TZE RIVER 157

stools. There is the knowledge that he is
untamed and the feeling that it is a fair
trial.

Whether the bag be large or small it is
pleasant to shoot in the Yangtze valley.
There is something in the flow of the great
river that stirs the mind to active reflection.
Its source is among the mountains which
form the roof of the world, and for centuries
it has borne on its bosom a valuable share
of the commerce of China. Its valley must
indeed have been the " paradise of the
sportsman," but since the advent of the
westerner with his steamboats and hammer-
less guns the shooter when he now steps
ashore should wear his best fitting hunting
boots, for he will have to walk long and
look well for his pheasant. The inhabit-
ants of the valley are peaceful and friendly
inclined, and there need not be any trouble
if one has a few Mexican dollars in his
pocket and knows in what size doses to
administer such medicine.

CH'IEN-T'ANG RIVER

CHAPTER VI.
CH'IEN-T'ANG RIVER.

In January 1906 I shot in company with
two friends on the banks of this river
which is the most important of the fourteen
principal rivers in the province of Chekiang,
and a diary kept at the time is before me as
I write. I have thought that possibly my
reader would receive a better idea of this
shooting ground if I placed before him the
impressions made upon me and the ex-
periences through which I passed.

I shall never forget my shoot on the
Ch'ien-t'ang river. I am sure that I touch-
ed all the extremes of vexation and that the
very best boat on this river was specially
built for discomfort, yet, there are many
incidents which it is pleasant to remember
as well as to serve as warnings against the
numerous mistakes that were made.

My shooting companions and I had
understood that the banks of the river
were " virgin shooting grounds," and on
the first day of January 1906 we got on
our houseboat at Shanghai and were

162 SHOOTING IN CHINA

towed by a steam launch to Hang-
chow, which is situated at the southern
terminus of the grand canal and one
hundred and fifty miles from Shanghai.
Arriving at Hangchow it was necessary
to transport our baggage and shooting
equipments several miles across the country
before reaching our boat on the river
which the courtesy of friends at Haugchow
had previously engaged for us. And now
the diary begins with such comments
interspersed as the occasion and the state of
mind prompted.

As it was 8 p.m. when we arrived at
Hangchow we slept on our houseboat the
first night, after preparing for an early start
next day. When we awoke the clouds were
hanging low and heavy, but we did not
delay on account of the weather outlook
and at once began to pack our effects in such
shape as they could be easily carried
across the country by the coolies engaged
for the purpose. By n a.m. the coolies had
started, but we took a different route and
one that led us direct to the lake near
Hangchow. I had never seen this lake, but
had read many descriptions of it and soon
realized that its beauty and the restfulness

CH'IEN-T'ANG RIVER 163

of the surrounding country had not been
overdrawn. We engaged a small boat,
crossed the lake, and after walking through
the country for about ^ of an hour we
came to the river at the point where our
boat was anchored. The coolies with our
effects were there waiting for us, and we at
once took possession of our new boat on
which we had arranged to live for at least
20 days ; and here was our first vexation.
We supposed that the hire of the coolies
for carrying our effects across the country
would not exceed five dollars, but when we
looked around and counted the number
engaged we paid the twenty dollars
demanded rather than have a row at the
outset of our expedition. As we understood
that foreigners were not in the habit of
shooting in that part of the country it was
quite clear that the Chinese were taking
advantage of the three strangers who had
come among them. And yet one of these
strangers was born in China and the other
two had lived many years in the Empire.
There was no reason why they should have
allowed themselves to be thus imposed upon.
Had we acted as a little common sense
would have dictated we would have arranged

164 SHOOTING IN CHINA

every price in advance and have had it
set down to the "cash" the sum to be paid.
However time was passing and no one
knew it better than our Chinese creditors
who were pressing for immediate payment.
As soon as our effects were put on board
of the boat we had engaged and we had
given the word to weigh anchor the loadah
refused to sail unless we paid him fifty
cents per day more than the sum we had
just agreed upon, which was two dollars
and fifty cents per day. Rather than be
delayed any longer we added the fifty cents
believing that it would compensate for the
night work we should require, and finally
the boat left her mooring with her bow
pointing to the opposite bank of the river.
At last we supposed that an actual start
had been made for the virgin shooting
grounds. The current of the river was
against us and as we were going up the
stream the progress of the boat was very
slow, being propelled by two long slender
oars used for yulohing. But the surround-
ings were interesting. We had never been
on the waters of this river, and just before
the evening shades the sun streaked the
western clouds with golden brightness.

CH'IEN-T'ANG RIVER 165

We felt as if tomorrow would be a bright
day for shooting and we began to put our
guns in order and select the cartridges we
should need for pheasants and woodcock.
The opposite shore was reached in the
early part of the night and the boat made
fast for the crew to eat their dinner and for
the cook to prepare ours. Our intention
was to proceed up river during the night
and when the order was given we soon
perceived that our crew had decided not to
obey it but to go or not go whenever they
wished. We again made a mistake and
humored them and so rested for the night,
thinking that the country around might
be suitable for game. Early the following
morning we went on shore but soon
returned as all the cover had been cut and
there could be but little if any game where
we then were.

This was January 6th., and we were under
way by 8 a.m. About 10 a.m. we stopped at
the city of Mo-ka-nie and sent the boy
ashore to purchase some kerosene oil. It
was while stopping at this city that we first
fully realized that the loadah and the crew
were the most obstinate fellows ever found
on any boat, and that they had made

1 66 SHOOTING IN CHINA

their minds to command and dictate when
and where we should go. After exhausting
all diplomatic means, and being convinced
that the sole object was to extort additional
compensation, day after day, I sent for the
loadah and read the riot act to him. In
another chapter I have advised the shooter
that when the loadah of his houseboat
became sullen and unwilling the best
course was to put him ashore, and so I told
this loadah that if he did not mend his
ways he should at once be put on shore.
Doubtless he informed the crew of my
threat and soon we saw that all, loadah
and crew, had conspired for the crew to go
ashore and the latter were actually prepared
to do so. But we gave them a word of
positive command, with a look that showed
what we meant, and the conspirators soon
appeared quite humble. Proceeding up
the river, we saw a place that looked
favorable for shooting, and at 2 p.m. stopped
the boat, and with dogs and guns made our
first appearance on the banks of the river
in shooting uniform. There was no game
here and we returned to the boat at 7 p.m.,
•weighed anchor and gave orders to go up

CH'IEN-T'ANG RIVER 167

higher. The crew refused to obey, and one
of us remained awake most of the night to
enforce the order.

On the morning of the 7th., the boat was
at anchor near the city of Fu-Yang. The
day was bright and the air clear and invi-
gorating, and notwithstanding the annoy-
ances caused us by our crew we still were
hopeful that all would end well, and we
gave ourselves up in admiration of the
scenery. On a hill, shaded with somber
looking trees stood a temple, built near
the river as if intended to appease dragons
which, when incensed, the natives say
would lash its waters into fury. Near this
city we went ashore, on both sides of the
river, and although the cover was all that
could be desired the pheasants were very
scarce.

We were still in bad luck, but we were
only at the beginning of our plan of
campaign, and our minds were fully made
up to see the end of it. As twilight came
on there came with it a refreshing wind
from the direction of the bay and directly
up the river in our favor. The sail was
hoisted, and under the impression that the
boat would sail on for the night I retired

1 68 SHOOTING IN CHINA

to my bunk for a nap. I had not been long
asleep before I experienced that the boat
was either sailing unusually smooth or had
stopped. I immediately got up to learn
that both of my friends had agreed with
the loadah that the wind was blowing too
hard and that it was prudent to anchor. I
went on deck ; the moon was riding in a
clear sky and her silvery light brightened
almost with the brightness of day the water
and the land about. There was a delight-
ful breeze and I directed that the anchor
be pulled aboard and that the sail be thrown
to the wind, and soon we knew that the
boat was capable of bearing her canvass and
was moving ahead at the rate of five miles
per hour. When time was so essential,
we had lost several hours by the laziness
of the loadah and the fear of my friends of
a bath in the river on a January night. I
pointed them to the example of the bee and
the honeysuckle and advised them to study
the way of the ant, tried to impress upon
them that courage and perseverance were
the virtues that won success on every arena
of life. At no other time of the trip did I
find them afraid of the wind or of a bath
which we all very much needed. In this

CH'IEN-T'ANG RIVER 169

connection I thought of these lines from
Horace :

For thus the little ant (to human lore
No mean example) forms her frugal store,
Gathered, with mighty toil, on every side,
Nor ignorant, nor careless to provide
For future wants.

Yet, when the stars appear
That darkly sadden the declining year,
No more she comes abroad but wisely lives
On the fair store industrious summer gives.

The 8th., Qth., and loth., were spent in
surveying the country, as it were, for after
the closest search, and mile after mile of
walking over hills and mountains and the
little plains between them, we had failed to
make a bag approaching respectability and
we retired, on the evening of the ioth.,
under a downpour of rain and in the face
of a heavy gale. The boat was anchored in
the shelter of a side creek, near a village
called Chong-ka-poa, and there we remain-
ed until the weather was more promising
and then got under way. On the morning
of the nth., we anchored opposite Psiang-
ka-poo. Early in the afternoon another
attempt was made to find some pheasants,
but they were not to be found. The cover
of the country we had hunted appeared
excellent, and the rice fields between the

170 SHOOTING IN CHINA

mountains would seem sufficient for feeding
purposes, but thus far we had bagged a few
only, and as we expected to add to our
commissary department by our skill as
shooters, prudence dictated that we hold a
conference in the interest of the economy
of our table. We were feeling quite des-
pondent over our luck, but we were not
wholly discouraged, and on the morning of
the r 2th., we started higher up the river,
but the current being very strong against
us we anchored at the entrance of the
gorge. While here we had a full view of
the beginning of the magnificent scenery
ahead. The mountains rose almost per-
pendicular on both sides of the river and
their tops were covered with snow. While
waiting a fresh wind began to blow up the
gorge, and availing ourselves of it we
hoisted sail and soon found it steady enough
to drive the boat ahead, although the
current continued strong and swift against
us. The scenery through which we passed
was really beautiful. I do not know that I
ever saw prettier. Some of the mountains
were shaded with large pretty trees, and
the temples and villages built at their bases
or on their sides seem to give a repose to

CH'IEN-T'ANG RIVER 171

the grandeur of the landscape. At 2 p.m.
we were near the city of Nitze-fu, when
the boat was stopped on a flat in view of
the city, which was the largest yet seen
while going up the river. With our glasses
we could see that the country around
afforded plenty of cover and we began to
recover our spirits with the hope that
success would ultimately crown our efforts.
We retired early with all the stars shining
brightly above and for the first night slept
under the influence of even tempers
and pleasant dreams. Early the next
morning, being the I3th., we were in the
field fully equipped for the day's sport, and
while it was, practically, the first full day's
shooting we had enjoyed, it was also the
first day we had had any substantial success.
The boat was moved higher up and nearer
to the city, which has a pretty location be-
tween the river and hills, and the shooting
in the afternoon also proved good. We
found most of the pheasants on the right
bank of the river. The natives said that
there were many wild pigs among the
mountains and one was seen, but too far
off to shoot. We were beginning to feel

172 SHOOTING IN CHINA

that we were ourselves again when we
returned to the boat for dinner. Our bag
was not very large, but we were improving
and our hopeful spirits had come back to us.

The 1 3th. was a lovely day. The water
was as clear as I ever saw it in a river, and
the city seemed to sleep in the distance,
while the surrounding mountains upheld
the soft hazy atmosphere, which reminded
us so much of spring. I stood on deck for
some time and looked long at the two
pagodas which topped the hills, one on
each side of the river, and which appeared
to give softness to the whole scenery. The
native boats, engaged in commerce, were
passing in different directions, and the
farmers were busy in the fields. And thus
it had been going on for centuries, and the
people were satisfied. Our sleep had been
refreshing the previous night and our
thoughts were charitable. We did not admit
the right of the westerner to disturb the
contentment we saw by the intrusion of him-
self and his ideas. Why go and tear down
the ancestral temples at whose shrines four
hundred million peoples have worshipped
for thousands of years? Was not Carlyle

CH'IEN-T'ANG RIVER 173

right when he said there must be some-
thing in all that ? But on the I4th, about
noon, we were convinced that our philo-
sophical mood would have to give way to
one more practical. After a morning shoot
we returned to the boat about noon and
found that the entire crew had deserted.
When we saw that our situation was getting
desperate we at once admitted that some
reforming agency, in the interest of fair
dealing, was imperatively needed in China
It appeared that the loadah had been in
arrear to the crew for several weeks, and
after they had succeeded in getting what was
due they would not remain on the boat any
longer without security for the future
which he could not give. Had we known of
what was going on the trouble could have
been avoided. There was nothing to do but
remain where we were during the night
and to find a district magistrate the follow-
ing morning and place our case before him.
Early next morning we sent a boy to find
a magistrate, and soon there came two
Chinese from his official residence. We
were told that the magistrate would receive
us, and so we put on our best shooting
clothes and made an early start for his

174 SHOOTING IN CHINA

Yaraen, the name for the official residence.
We had been sitting in a room for a few
moments when a very pleasant young
Chinese entered and said that the magis-
trate would be in very soon. During the
interval we had some conversation with the
young gentleman and noticed that he spoke
English plainly. I inquired where he
learned to speak the English language, and
he answered that he had been taught by
Dr. Gilbert Reid at Peking. I then told
him that we all knew Dr. Reid, and he
expressed pleasure in meeting us and said
that the magistrate was his father and he
knew would be glad to convenience us in
every way he could. Soon the magistrate
came in, a fine looking specimen of the
Manchu gentleman, and he made us feel at
perfect ease. After the situation had been
explained, he promptly replied that we
should have a new crew and that he would
have those who had deserted arrested.
I thereupon said that we were shooting for
pleasure and did not wish to cause trouble
or to be troubled, and that if he would have
us provided with a competent crew we did
not care to see again the fellows who had
deserted. After drinking tea and eating

CH'IEN-T'ANG RIVER 175

cake, we intimated that our expenses had
been larger than was expected and that our
silver was exhausted, though we had some
paper money on a Shanghai bank. He
directed one of his clerks to exchange the
paper money for the amount we wanted in
silver, and this was done. Before leaving
this courteous gentleman and his interest-
ing son, one of my friends took their
photographs, as they stood together in the
door of a small pavilion in the yard of the
Yamen. All the Chinese officials I ever
met, under similar circumstances, have been
obliging, but the magistrate of the city of
Nitze-fu won our respect by his dignified
bearing, and our gratitude and friendship
by the pleasing manner in which he
relieved our distress and wants. Soon after
returning to the boat, the new crew came
on board and we spent the remainder of
the day in shooting on both sides of the
river, but with little success. It was now
the i yth., and we must soon return. The
boat was moved about four miles above the
city, when navigation became very difficult
on account of the low water and sand bars.
The cover at this point was good, but there
were many native sportsmen who supplied

176 SHOOTING IN CHINA

the city with game and pheasants were not
plentiful. In the afternoon between 3 and
5 o'clock, my dog found ten pheasants and
I bagged seven. Our boat, being rather
large to go much higher up the river, we
decided to turn her bow towards Hangchow,
and on the i8th., we again anchored near
Nitze-fu. The new crew provided us by
the magistrate were engaged for the up
river trip, and when we returned to Nitze-fu
we had to enter into another agreement
with them to take the boat to Hangchow,
which was effected without delay. The
price was two Mexican dollars per head for
the trip. After shooting on the right bank
of the river until about noon, we pulled up
anchor and started for Psiang-Ka-poo which
we reached, thanks to a fair wind, at 5.30
in the afternoon. The weather was quite
warm and we expected more rain, but when
the i Qth. came there was instead of rain
a strong adverse wind which steadily blew
during the entire day, and we remained at
anchor until the aoth. But notwithstand-
ing the cold wind we went on shore and had
fairly good luck. The cover was very good,
but we had been anticipated by the native
sportsmen. On the morning of the aoth we

CH'IEN-T'ANG RIVER 177

resumed our journey towards Hangchow.
Soon after lunch the weather cleared up
and we went on shore again. We did not
succeed in bagging a single pheasant but
the scenery was lovely to look upon. There
was an apricot orchard of fully seven
acres on the left bank of the river and near
to the place where the boat was anchored.
The trees were in full bloom and the
air was heavy with the fragrance of the
blossoms. It was at this place that we
saw so many pretty holly trees in shape
and size and we cut a few and brought
them aboard. The wind was still blowing
a steady gale, but we weighed anchor and
pushed on toward Hangchow. On the 2ist.
we made an early start, and although it
was raining heavily, the wind being in our
favor we made some progress and passed
Fu-Yang about n a.m. When night came
on the loadah demanded more money, but
soon after we refused to be thus imposed
upon he deliberately ran the boat on a sand
bar. For this wilful act he was made to
feel the full consequences. Most of the
crew were willing and did what they could
to move the boat into deep water, but the
loadah lit his opium pipe and was preparing

178 SHOOTING IN CHINA

for pleasant dreams. We called him on
deck, compelled him to disrobe, and made
him jump overboard where the water was
waist deep and as cold as a January night
could make it. Nor was he allowed to be
idle. We made him put his shoulder
against the boat and kept him exercised at
his work for a quarter of an hour. But he
had run her so high up on the sand bar that
it was then impossible to remove her and
we waited until the following morning
when we succeeded in getting off. When
the loadah came on board from his cold
bath he poured hot water over his feet and
legs, wiped the water off with a rag, lit his
opium pipe again and in an hour was sound
asleep. But I do not think he will ever
again land his boat on a sand bar when there
are foreigners on board. The following day
he was quite obedient and willing. In this
connection I recall another instance when a
little force proved beneficial, but it took
place when the boat was some distance up
the river and before we started back to
Hangchow. We had been noticing that the
loadah, who was an inveterate opium smo-
ker, was under the influence of one who
turned out to be his brother, but who exer-

CH'IEN-T'ANG RIVER 179

cised the authority of a loadah. It was this
fellow who was constantly applying for
advance and extra pay. He proved the
disturbing element among the crew and
was continually delaying the boat to our
great annoyance. One morning early this
scoundrel came into the apartment in
which we slept, and in a bullying manner
began to repeat his demands. I was lying
in my bunk and ordered him out of the
room. With an insolent bearing he walked
to the front door of the boat, opened it wide,
and stepped out on the bow without closing
the door. The wind was chilly and blew into
my face. I jumped out of the bunk, went
on the bow where he was standing and
inciting the crew not to work, gave him a
good shaking up until he agreed to go to
his work, as it was his duty. We had no
more trouble with this scamp, and the first
village we arrived at after the occurrence
he was put on shore and not allowed to come
on board any more. On the 22nd., we were
at Hangchow, and it was raining and snow-
ing and the weather was very cold. We
were compelled to remain at Hangchow
until the following afternoon, and were the
guests of that courteous gentleman, Mr.

l8o SHOOTING IN CHINA

Smith, the British Consul at that port. We
arrived at Shanghai on the 24th., about 4
p.m. with a full bag of experience, but with
seventy-two pheasants only.

The boat we lived in for more than two
weeks may be described as follows : It was
built of ordinary Chinese pine timber, and
the boards were oiled so as to keep out the
water. The length was nearly fifty feet, the
width, at the middle, was in proportion to
the length, but the stern and bow were
pointed and both high up from the water
similar to a Venetian gondola. There were
two bunks on each side, made of hard wood,
which could be felt through a mattress a
foot thick. Beneath the floor to our room
was a sleeping room for the crew, and
between the flooring planks there were open
spaces so that the smell of a Chinese sleeping
room came up into ours and settled around
our bunks like a fog. The after part of our
sleeping room was open and we were fully
exposed until we found a piece of old sail
and partly closed it, but this did not keep
out the wind. There was a door in the front
part, but the top of the boat was so construct-
ed as to prevent the loadah from seeing how
to steer unless it was kept open. We,

CH'IEN-T'ANG RIVER l8l

therefore, had to decide between freezing
and the risk of not going straight, and we
took the latter. The top or cover to the
boat was made of thin slips of bamboo be-
tween which were nicely interwoven large
leaves of some kind, and this proved almost
impenetrable to wind and rain. But on at
least one occasion, the rain came down in
torrents and we had to dry our bed-clothes
as best we could. On another occasion we
were overtaken by a snow-storm, which
covered the ground for several inches deep
and filled the ravines between the hills.
The cooking was done in the aft of the boat
on Chinese stoves, and if we had not,
fortunately, brought with us two oil stoves
there would have been no means of keeping
our room even moderately warm. It was so
dark when we were aboard, with the door
necessarily closed, a lamp was kept burning
nearly all the time. The top, which is
ingeniously constructed, is held fast to the
hull of the boat by means of wide bamboo
slips, some extending from side to side like
a hoop and holding down others which are
placed lengthwise the boat. The fastening
is quite secure and at no time did we fear
that the top would blow off, although we

l82 SHOOTING IN CHINA

passed through more than one severe gale
of wind.

If I should ever again decide to shoot on
the Chi'en-t'ang river, or to revisit the places
I have named above, I should take with me
several yards of thick canvass, a medium
size rug, a cooking stove, a small heating
stove, and certainly a folding bedstead and
mattress and warm blankets. If we had had
these articles our trip would have been far
more comfortable. I do not suppose it would
be possible to engage a boat better than the
one we had, and as a proper houseboat could
not conveniently be carried several miles
across the country and put into the river,
let the shooter, who goes where we did, be
sure to arrange in advance every detail with
reference to his boat and crew, and to have
the agreement in writing and signed in the
presence of some Chinese official. Such a
course will save him a great deal of trouble,
and I would advise him to make the trip
during the latter part of November,
as undoubtedly we had delayed too long.

The country in which we had been shoot-
ing was mostly agricultural. There were
some beautiful plains on the right bank of

CH'IEN-T'ANG RIVER 183

the river extending as far back as one or two
miles before reaching the ranges of moun-
tains which were always in full view. The
crop on this bank was principally wheat.
In some places the fields were bordered on
one side by the shore of the river and the
wheat was cultivated near to the water. It
was then about three inches high and looked
very promising. In some of these wheat
fields, dotting here and there, were oak
groves the trees of which were of uniform
size, not large, but tall and appeared to
receive special attention from the natives.
The plains were not so wide on the left bank,
and it was on this bank that we observed
that rice was mostly cultivated. The
mountains were, as a rule, nearer to the
river, and the narrow plains between them
were selected to grow rice.

There .were large paper industries near
some of the cities and towns we passed or
visited, and the natives in the country seem-
ed to be also engaged in making paper. The
product which we saw was a coarse, brown
material and which we understood was
shipped in large quantities to far off markets.
When the sun was shining bright and warm
sheets of this paper were spread on the sides

1 84 SHOOTING IN CHINA

of the hills and in the plains to dry. When
ready for the market it was gathered and
packed into small bales convenient for
handling, and we saw large boats loaded
with it sailing towards Hangchow, which
appeared to be the largest market for sale
and distribution.

Another industry was the gathering of
small sticks of wood and baling them for
shipment. At many places on the banks
there were quantities of these bales awaiting
buyers or boats for the markets. It is quite
an industry and one in which the services
of children are profitably employed.

There are a few small steam launches on
the river the depth of the water being
mostly shallow. The commerce of the
river is carried on, as a rule, in native boats
of various and suitable sizes, which are
propelled by yulohing, or by sail when the
wind is favorable.

We saw some pretty fruit orchards. At
the proper season of the year fruit is
plentiful, and we learned of good flavor.
The apricot seemed to be principally
cultivated, but the peach and plum grow to
maturity, and are sweeter than those grown
nearer to the sea or the bay.

CH'IEN-T'ANG RIVKR 185

The people are not wealthy, and this is
evidenced by occular proofs of the value of
their river commerce and the size of their
fields and their small industries. But they
impressed us as being contented and satis-
fied with their lot.

During the interview with the magistrate
I said to him that he presided over a
beautiful district and I thought he had
little or no trouble in governing as the
people looked happy. He replied that the
people were not difficult to control, but that
they were poor and took life easy.

The province of Chekiang is the smallest
of the eighteen provinces of China. The
province is poor in minerals, but agriculture
is in a prosperous state and the productions
from that industry are valuable, more so on
account of the net work of navigable streams
suitable for native commerce. The part of
the province lying south of Tayii-ling is
mountainous, but between Ningpo and
Hangchow, and to the west and north and
northeast of Hangchow are large and fertile
plains. The central and upper regions are
mountainous with broken and picturesque
hills, and some parts of the western region
are fairly well wooded. The agricultural

186 SHOOTING IN CHINA

products consist chiefly of tea, rice, silk,
cotton, indigo and fruit.

Hangchow is the principal city of the
Chekiang province and contains about
350,000 inhabitants. It is now a treaty port,
and at one time was considered the finest
and most favored city of China. Situated
on the left-bank of the river, and near the
famous west-lake (Si-hu), with graceful
hills to its rear, the city is still beautiful in
its situation, and one can easily appreciate
the glowing accounts given of it by Marco
Polo and subsequent writers.

During the Taiping rebellion it was
almost devastated and has never recovered
from that act of vandalism. In 1905 the
total net value of the exports and imports
was Taels 17,496,980. — Hangchow was the
capital of the Chinese Empire during the
last half of the Sung dynasty, A. D. 1127-
1280.

LAKES NEAR NINGPO.

CHAPTER VII.

LAKES NEAR NINGPO.

My first shoot in China was on these
lakes. The lakes are about 20 miles south
east of the city of Ningpo which is situated
on the Yang-kiaug river and 15 miles from
its mouth.

If the shooter starts from Shanghai the
journey should be comfortable all the way,
and there will be no delay, after his arrival
at Ningpo, if he will arrange for a houseboat
in advance of his going.

On every day, Sundays excepted, a large
and comfortable steamer leaves Shanghai
for Ningpo and Ningpo for Shanghai at
4 p.m. and the distance is only a 12 hours
run. But after arriving at Ningpo it will
be necessary to secure a houseboat in order
to travel to the lakes, and, therefore, the
precaution should be taken to engage the
boat a day or so ahead. If this arrange-
ment is made the shooter will find at the
steamer's wharf a properly fitted up house-
boat with a competent crew and ready to
leave at once. After he has put on board
his equipments the houseboat is then
yulohed a short distance up the river

190 SHOOTING IN CHINA

when, by means of a most primitive wind-
lass, it is pulled over the river embankment
into the creek which leads to the lakes.
If the start from Ningpo is made im-
mediately on the arrival of the steamer the
lakes should be reached at n a.m., giving
time to have lunch prepared and the entire
afternoon for shooting.

If the shooter wishes to take his house-
boat into the lakes the loadah will inform
him which branch of the creek to travel,
but unless the weather is warm it is
advisable to stop the boat near the lower
end of the lakes and in the creek, and he
will be within a few hundred yards of the
best feeding grounds for ducks. As the
lakes are small, and in reality make but
one sheet of water, the houseboat looms up
quite largely in contrast to the small
canoes which are in use by the fishermen
and farmers of the surrounding country.

My first day on the lakes was a bright
and calm day in the early part of November.
I entered by way of the upper end, and by
the use of another primitive windlass the
houseboat was pulled out of the creek into
the lakes over a high embankment which
divides the two waters.

LAKES NEAR NINGPO 191

All around there were high hills and
mountains, and as there had not been much
rain the water in the lakes was clear and
the bottom could be easily seen covered
with the grass the ducks are so fond of.
The sides of many of the hills and moun-
tains were terraced and beautifully cultivat-
ed and the industrious farmers were busy
at work. Sometimes I could see an entire
hillside, green with vegetable growth,
reflected in the water. So clear could
all this be seen that it looked as if
the farmers who were moving about
between the turnip and cabbage rows were
walking on the bottom of the lakes. There
are several villages built on the narrow
plains which separate the hills from the
water, but the inhabitants are peacefully
disposed and the shooter can easily buy
all the vegetables, eggs, and chickens he
may need. I have been shooting on the
lakes for several seasons and have always
found the natives friendly. The best sweet
potatoes I have seen in China were grown
on a small island in the lakes. The
principal products are vegetables, which
are sold in the Ningpo city markets, and
early every morning the creeks leading

192 SHOOTING IN CHINA

from the lakes and the surrounding country
are covered with small boats, loaded with
vegetables, and bound for the city markets.
Another industry is the granite quarries,
which are worked by a large number of the
natives, and the rock slabs which are there
prepared find ready sale in the markets
wherever offered.

When the shooter arrives at the lakes, he
engages a small boat large enough to move
about steadily with himself and another
man on board. He will have no trouble in
engaging such a boat, for as soon as his
houseboat is anchored there will be several
around it for employment. But he should
be careful to get a boat whose owner knows
something of the habits of wildfowl and
how to approach them. In the early part
of the season the lower end of the lakes is
covered with rush grass which grows three
or five feet high above the water, and in
this grass the mallards mostly feed. At
times it is difficult to push the boat through
the tall and thick grass, but if the native
owner knows his business he will be
familiar with the many little openings
through which he can quietly propel his
boat. He sits in the stern with a bamboo

LAKES NEAR NINGPO 193

pole about eight feet long and pushes it
along so as to make as little noise as
possible while the shooter is firmly seated
near the bow, and if the season is fairly
favorable a bag of 20 or 30 mallards should
be made for a morning or afternoon shoot.
Decoys are not used ; as the boat is made
to move through the grass the ducks fly up
from their feeding places, and usually not
more than 30 or 40 yards, giving the
shooter the best chances a sportsman could
wish for. The ducks cannot as a rule be
seen while feeding, and if they could should
not be fired at while in the water. I have
seen as many as 50 large mallards rise from
the water and fly slowly over the tall grass
and not more than 30 yards from my boat.
It is then that the shooter ought to get in
a good right and left, and if he missed
should be put on short rations. I have
never seen a canvass-back duck in any of
the waters of China, but in addition to the
mallard, the wigeon, the pintail, and the
teal can be found in the greatest abundance.
On the lakes also the wigeon and teal can
be found in large flocks and large bags of
these ducks are often made on a favorable
day. About five years ago flocks of

SHOOTING IN CHINA

geese would come in from the sea late in
the afternoon to roost in the lakes,
but for the past season or so there
have been scarcely any geese seen in
the lakes, and this may be owing to
the increased number of fishermen who
have recently been visiting there for the
purpose of cormorant fishing. I have seen
as many as a dozen small boats, each boat
with 10 or 15 cormorants, moving over the
lakes from sunrise to sunset. I have also
seen large flocks of ducks and geese
hovering in the air above its waters, and
finally flying away from the noise made by
these cormorant fishers. It is impossible to
feel in good humour when such things are
going on in full view of the shooter.

I have been on the lakes when flight
shooting was very good, but it only lasted
for a short time when the ducks were
flying in from the seacoast to roost, or
early in the morning when they were
leaving to feed on the shores of the seas
which are not far from the lakes. If the
shooter knows the favorite roosting places
he has only to conceal his boat in the tall
grass about an hour before sunset and
cover the bottom with grass and wear a

LAKES NEAR NINGPO 195

suit of clothes as near its color as possible.
In such a cover he will probably bag 10 or
15 to add to the number shot in the earlier
part of the day.

Since I have been in China I visit the
lakes at least once during each season. I
love to go there, because the bright waters
and beautiful scenery seem to shut one out
from the noise of the great outer world and
is so restful to look upon. It is true that
shooting there is not on any grand scale,
but it is sufficient for genuine amusement,
and when the shooter tires of shooting
wildfowl he can look for pheasants on the
hillsides. If he has been thoughtful and
brought his bird dog he should bag a
couple of brace of strong mountain
pheasants on his way to his houseboat.
The pheasants I have shot in mountainous
places are larger and stronger than those
found on the plains. They are quicker in
flight and to bring them down requires
a steady nerve and clear eye.

In February 1906, I was shooting on the
lakes in company with a friend. The ducks
were scarce and neither of us were in a
pleasant humor when we returned to the
houseboat one evening with scarcely enough

196 SHOOTING IN CHINA

game to gratify our appetites. I was suf-
fering from a neuralgic pain in the face,
and on retiring for the night I remarked to
my friend that he could have the whole of
the lakes to himself the next day as I would
remain aboard the houseboat and not
expose myself to the cold wind. Early
next morning he equipped himself and
I said goodbye and wished him better luck.
About 8 o'clock my Chinese servant
came to my bunk and said the sun was
shining brightly and he thought I would
feel better by taking some out-door
exercise. I dressed, drank a cup of coffee,
and took my light 12 bore gun, loaded
with No. 5 shot, and walked towards the
dikes which hold back the waters of the
lakes and prevent them from overflowing
the little fields of the Chinese farmers. The
particular dike I was walking towards
connected two mountain ranges and was
quite high and nearly half a mile in length.
I had just reached it and was looking
across the lake when my servant boy, who
was walking behind, shouted out at the
top of his voice, in Chinese, the name of
the animal to which he wished to direct
my attention. I knew that something

LAKES NEAR NINGPO 197

unusual was going on, and as I turned to
see what it was I saw a large wolf on top
of the dike and running directly towards
me. The animal did not see me until it
was within a few yards of where I stood,
and then it increased its speed and, with a
vicious growl, attempted to jump pass me,
but when it touched the ground it fell stone
dead. I do not know whether I hit it when
I fired the first barrel, but I took no risk
and the second quickly followed the first.
In the meantime the boy was near me
with a heavier 12 bore, used for duck
shooting, and I heard him shout out again
the same Chinese sound, and as I looked up
there was another wolf, larger than the first,
coming towards me from the same direction.
I could see that the wolf I had shot was
a female and the one coming towards me
was the male. I exchanged guns and
awaited his coming ; he was a daring
fellow and approached, plainly showing his
teeth, but I knew he could not escape. He
made a similar jump, but on the opposite side
of the dike from where his mate lay dead,
and when he touched the ground he rolled
over also stone dead. Not more than half
a minute was consumed in killing the two

198 SHOOTING IN CHINA

wolves and both lay dead on the ground
not more than ten yards apart. I did not
have any scales convenient and can only
approximate the weight of the male, which
my friend and I guessed as from the tip
end of the tail to the nose the male
measured 62J<£ inches, and the skin across
the body measured 25 inches. The color
was of light brown, but of a darker shade
along the middle of the back.

As soon as it became known that two
wolves had been shot a great many natives
came to the houseboat to see them, and
there was much rejoicing that two cf the
enemy of their flocks of sheep and goats
had been killed. Of course a wolf should
be shot in any condition, but I became
somewhat sympathetic when I observed
what appeared to be the true condition of
the female. The day being rather warm
I decided to have the entrails taken
out so as to preserve the hides the best I
could, and when the female was cut
open there rolled out half of a young
goat which she had caught and eaten
probably not more than a few hours before
she was shot. When the natives saw that
the wolves had been shot so soon after the

LAKES NEAR NINGPO 199

killing and eating of the little goat their
expression of gladness was intense at the
just retribution. They walked around the
carcasses again and again as if saying,
u You remorseless tyrants of our meadows,
your nights of pillage are ended."

I do not know the moment the neuralgic
pain left me, but I did not feel it again
after I saw the first wolf. The male wolf
looked as if there might be some fight in
him. He must have heard the two barrels
fired into the body of his comrade and seen
her outstretched on the ground, and still he
did not change his course, but seemed intent
upon facing me. Somehow I was perfectly
calm and collected, and with a Greener gun
that had often proved trustworthy I felt
as if my aim would be sure.

After the wolves had been put on board
of the houseboat, I was feeling so much
better I got aboard a canoe and had the
boatman to push it to one of the islands in
the lakes where I thought I might find a
pheasant or a woodcock. Almost immediate-
ly after going ashore my dog put up a
large cock pheasant which I bagged with
the first barrel. I then looked up the lakes
and saw my friend returning from his

2OO SHOOTING IN CHINA

morning shoot, and I pushed out to meet
him. He had shot a hen-pheasant and one
or two ducks and felt the need of a cup of
strong coffee. I told him that I had shot
two large animals but would not name
them which excited his curiosity, and he
proposed that we return to the houseboat
and rest until the hour for afternoon shoot-
ing.

One of my most pleasant trips to the lakes
was in company with another friend. Each
of us owned a new 8 bore Greener gun and
was anxious to put it to the test. We left
Shanghai at 4 p.m. on one of the regular
mail steamers, but did not reach the lakes
until about 2 p.m. the following day. We
had our houseboat pulled over into the
lakes and had not yulohed far towards the
lower end when we saw that the water in
that direction was almost covered with
geese and ducks. The 8 bores were at once
taken out of the cases, cleaned of oil, and
each had his small boat ready for the even-
ing shoot. I was the first to fire and with a
right and left brought down two large
geese. As my friend had never stalked
wild geese, he did not get any the first
afternoon, but on the second he made a

LAKES NEAR NINGPO 2OI

good bag of geese and ducks. The weather
was favorable and we had been fortunate
in arriving at the lakes at the proper time.
Our bag during the two full days we shot
counted 120 large ducks and 30 geese. It
was the largest bag ever made by any
shooter on the lakes within so short a time.
It was larger than any I had made previous-
ly or since, and a pleasing feature was that
the count to each gun was practically the
same.

Within the past three or four years the
foreign population of Ningpo has material-
ly increased and there are many more
shooters on the lakes than in former years,
but the lovely scenery and clear waters are
still inviting as a place for a few days of
recreation.

The city of Ningpo has a population of
260,000, and is one of the five ports opened
to foreign trade by the Nanking treaty of
1842. It is built in a plain and, as stated,
on the left bank of the Yang-kiang river
about fifteen miles from the sea. The
plain in which the city is built is fertile
and produces good crops of rice and wheat.
The principal imports are kerosene oil, cot-
ton piece goods, matches, sugar, coal, opium,

202 SHOOTING IN CHINA

tin, iron, soap and candles. The exports
are rush hats, matting, paper fans and um-
brellas, green tea, carpets, raw cotton and
groundnut oil. Ice preserved fish is a con-
siderable article of commerce. A few years
ago the Ningpo plain was excellent shoot-
ing ground for pheasants, and the small
ponds in the fields were favorite places of
wild ducks, but now the game is not so
plentiful, as the foreign population of the
port in recent years has materially increased
and the breechloader has proved as destruc-
tive there as it has elsewhere in China.

CHINESE SPORTSMAN
AND WEAPONS.

CHAPTER VIII.

CHINESE SPORTSMAN AND WEAPONS.

The foreign shooter who is a stranger to
the shores of China will naturally inquire
if the Chinese are fond of the sport and
will wish to know something about the
pattern of the gun they use for sporting
purposes. The illustrations will give a
more accurate idea of the native sportsman
and his weapons than any written descrip-
tion, but it is hoped that by the aid of both
to leave a fairly correct impression.

The Chinese have always been fond of
hunting and shooting. In the early centuries
the emperors, the princes, and the nobles
furnished their proportion of sportsmen and
the enjoyable recreation was participated in
by the ruler and the ruled with zeal and
perseverance. At stated periods of the
year, when the crops had been gathered
and the farmers were at leisure to assist in
" beating " up the game, the sport began.
According to their respective ranks the
sportsmen would meet at some appointed
place either in the valley or on the plain ;
the higher in rank travelling in chariots,

206 SHOOTING IN CHINA

others on horseback and others on foot.
When thus assembled the peasantry would
begin to drive the animals out of their
hiding places towards the hunters and then
the real sport would commence. It appears
that each hunting party had its distinct
preserve and was not allowed to go beyond
the limits of it. The weapons chiefly used
in the early days were bows and arrows,
spears and slings. The arrow heads were
made of bronze which at that date was a
very valuable metal, and with his natural
keenness for profit the Chinese follower of
the sportsman made it a profitable business
to pick up arrows which missed their mark
and returning them for the reward usually
given for such finds. It was customary to
divide the meat of the animals slain among
the people who were assisting the sportsmen
by driving out the game, while the skins
and horns were retained as trophies of the
hunt.

When the princes and nobles neglected
to organize the customary hunting ex-
peditions they were considered by the
people as indolent and lazy. As the wild
animals were destructive to the crops of
the fanners this class of the population

CHINESE SPORTSMAN AND WEAPONS 207

especially looked to their officials to protect
them from all depredations, and the neglect
to do so has been known to provoke the
most serious discontents. It was an argu-
ment that the people did not have any use for
weapons because of the organized hunts by
the officials, but later on when such hunts
became less frequent the people gradually
began to procure weapons to defend their
property. It is related that the great
Chinese Sage, Confucius, who lived in the
third century of the Christian Era, practiced
archery on foot, if not on horseback or
from his travelling chariot. He declared
that it was the duty of the superior man to
learn the use of weapons in order to be able
to defend himself, his family, and his
property against man or beast, and to be
better qualified to assist the state against
its enemies. But here at least is one advice
and example of Confucius which has not
been very well observed by succeeding
generations of his countrymen. His advice
with reference to the women of China
resulted in the enslavement of their sex to
the baser feelings of man, and his male
countrymen have strictly followed it, but
on the theatre of true manhood they have

208 SHOOTING IN CHINA

been powerless to defend China from
aggression and insult, and all because of
their want of patriotism.

During the thirteenth century of our era
the emperors of the Yuan dynasty, being
Mongolians, were hardy sportsmen as well
as warriors, and were accustomed to or-
ganize hunting expeditions on a large scale
and took an active part, themselves, in
the chase. These emperors established
immense parks and preserves for wild
animals, including many varieties of beasts
and birds, where they and the nobles went
every winter to hunt them. Aside from
the healthy exercise of the mind and body,
resulting from the active participation in
the sport, it taught the practical use of
weapons, and they also became inured to
the hardships of long journeys, camp life
and the use of the saddle.

The earliest emperors of the present
dynasty (Ta-ching) were also ardent sports-
men and fond of other field exercise. These
emperors were Manchurians, and followed
the examples of their Mongolian predeces-
sors by organizing hunting expeditions,
establishing Imperial Parks and game
preserves beyond the Great Wall. During

-^ a

C H I N KS K bPO RTS M A N .

CHINESE SPORTSMAN AND WEAPONS 2OQ

each winter season immense quantities of
game were killed, which included animals
of the most ferocious nature, — such as the
royal tiger and the imperial bear. Thus it
happened that the Emperor Chien-lung
lost his life, after slaying an enormous bear,
on one of these hunting expeditions.

Those were the days of sportsmen who
were really fond of sport, and the days, too,
when China and the Chinese were in the
foremost rank of art, science and literature,
and when the civilization of China was
abreast of the times. But since those days
sport and sportsmen have greatly declined in
the good estimation of Chinese. The study
of science, art and literature has been much
neglected, or not advanced as it should have
been to have maintained the supremacy of
China over eastern countries, as when sport
and sportsmen were held in esteem. No
people in the world enjoy sport as keenly
as the English, and this has been true since
that people became known to history. It
is also true that no people has accomplished
more in art, science, literature and govern-
ment, or ever fashioned a more perfect
system of laws than the English speaking
race.

210 SHOOTING IN CHINA

The Chinese sportsman of the present
day is, in every essential equipment, as far
behind the western sportsman as China is
behind western nations in civilization. He
shoots with an old pattern muzzle loading
matchlock gim which he calls Niao-chiang.
The barrels may be from four to six feet
long, sometimes longer, and is mounted on
a stock something like an old fashioned
horse pistol. The gun barrels are usually
round, except in Kweichow where the
barrel is generally octagon in shape and
from five to seven feet long. All occupa-
tions in China are classified, and the son
invariably follows the occupation of his
father; the sportsman or shooter is, therefore,
a professional, especially in western China
where many of them are pious men. There
they worship Loa Tien Yah, the old heaven-
ly sire, and beseech him to preserve them
from all harm and grant them success in
their perilous undertakings among the
beasts of the forest. The Chinese soldiers,
who are stationed as military colonists in
Miaoland, or their offspring, sons of Miao
maids, engage in sport as a pastime, and
some of them are expert in the use of their
weapons. They hunt big game, not alone

CHINESE SPORTSMAN AND WEAPONS 211

for the sport, but for the reward paid by
the officials for the capture or killing of a
beast of prey. There is a profit also deriv-
ed from the sale of the skins and horns of
wild animals. The means employed to
capture big game is not sportsmanlike
according to the modern definition. Traps
and snares of many conceivable designs are
used, one of which is a cross-bow loaded
with poison arrows which are discharged
into the body of the animal that happens to
touch'the simple trigger lying across the path
to some watering place. The poison used
is a secret but it is believed by Chinese to
be derived from snakes, lizards, toads and
centipedes combined with some metal sub-
stance like phosphorous. It is deadly in
its effect to man or beast. Another snare,
used by the Miao sportsman, is made by
bending stout bamboos or young pine-trees
and tying them down to other trees near
the ground with a running noose into which
the animal gets caught by the neck and, in
struggling to get away, detaches the
trigger, when the tree springs upright and
thereby hangs and strangles the animal to
death, a method that has the advantage
of leaving the flesh free from poison.

212 SHOOTING IN CHINA

Pits are sometimes dug, with sloping sides
broader at bottom than top, and which are
covered with brushwood overlaid with
earth and grass, and over which an un-
suspecting animal will attempt to walk and
consequently fall into the pit, there to
remain until his captor comes, as owing to
the inward slope of the pit the animal
cannot get out. In the Yang-tze Valley,
where there are a great many wild fowl,
the native sportsman provides himself with
a small punt on the forepart of which he
mounts a heavy matchlock musket, which
is known as the gingal, something like the
ancient blunderbusses or wall pieces used
in the defense of ancient castles.

For ammunition the sportsman uses a
common grade of black powder and cast
iron shot, and is not particular as to the
quantity of powder or shot he wads into
his gun as long as he believes that it will
not be damaged by the discharge. When
the gun is loaded the shooter disguises
himself and punt as a floating bush by
tying branches of trees and plants over all
in such a manner as the wild fowl may not
suspect and fly away. He then embarks
on his frail punt with a paddle, a pole and

CHINESE SPORTSMAN AND WEAPONS 213

a landing net, and gently propels his
boat into the lake, some distance from
the shore, where the wild fowl are expected
to come. After thus being stationed he
conceals himself and keeps a lookout for
the expected game, and when all is ready
the gingal is fired off with a slow match,
and the dead ducks or geese are picked up
with the landing net and put into the after
part of the punt. The kill is sometimes
quite large, but the Chinese are not
ambitious to make big bags, and thus at
least they have one idea of true sportsman-
ship. In Kwei-chow there are many of
the sportsmen who will not shoot at a bird
while it is on the ground. They shoot
their game on the wing, an act not so easy
to accomplish with a matchlock as it is
with a modern breech loader.

The Miaotzu sportsman generally makes
or helps to make such a gun as he wishes
to use, not only the lock, stock and barrel,
but his ammunition as well. He first
provides the necessary quantity of good
scrap iron and charcoal, builds a forge near
his house and erects a light shed of mats or
branches over it, and then invites some
famous smith of the district to come and

214 SHOOTING IN CHINA

forge the barrels for the intended gun.
This is done by welding the scrap iron into
several bars, each about one inch broad and
a quarter of an inch thick. Each of these
bars is then coiled spirally on a small
mandrie and afterwards welded iuto as many
cylinders or tubes, each about one foot
long. These tubes are joined together by
welding end to end and thus united form the
barrel of the gun, which is a twist barrel
of good material and manufacture. The
barrel is now fastened by wedging into a
log of timber, the muzzle end downwards
and bored out by hand with square steel
rimmers. These rimmers are made of
different lengths and diameters and have
a wood cross bar at the top which is
turned slowly and steadily until the whole
length of the gun barrel has been bored out
into a uniform and satisfactory manner. The
work may occupy months of the shooter's
spare time, but when finished the long
barrel has been bored true and straight and
smooth, and he has the satisfaction of
knowing that his gun was built directly
under his own supervision and materially
with his own hands. The breech is closed
by welding a prepared plug of iron therein.

CHINESE SPORTSMAN AND WEAPONS 215

The bend is carefully filed on the outside
and the vent spliced in a suitable place.
The priming pan is added in such a man-
ner as to meet the special requirements of
the shooter, whether right-handed or left-
handed. The barrel is mounted on a pistol
stock, fitted with a spring cock and trigger
and fastened on the outside of the stock
near the breech, the barrel being fastened
to the stock by moveable thin silver bands,
each from a half to one inch in width.
The barrel is then removed from the stock,
made red hot over a slow fire and rubbed
over with some wild grass which, on
touching the barrel, turns it a fine dark
blue. After this process the barrel is
again mounted on its simple stock and
presents rather a handsome appearance.

Now that the shooter has his new gun
ready for use he loads it with home made
powder and shot and fires it by a slow match
ingenously applied to the priming powder
by the beak of the cock when the trigger
is pulled. As stated, the ammunition as
well as the gun, and as well as the imple-
ments for carrying the ammunition, are all
of home manufacture, and usually made by
the shooter. The powder is made almost

2l6 SHOOTING IN CHINA

in the same manner and with similar
ingredients as in western nations, but with
about five per cent more of saltpeter and
with a little less sulphur and charcoal. It
is imperfectly granulated and is slow
burning. The priming powder is made by
moistening a quantity of the ordinary
charging powder with alcohol and rework-
ing it, drying and pulverizing it very
finely. The powder horn is also fashioned
by the hand of the shooter. He gets the
horn of a water-buffalo, saws off the small
end, and with the remainder he fashions a
horn for his powder holding from a half to
one pound. For general shooting the
charge of powder is measured in a tube and
somewhat heavier than the charge used for
an Enfield rifle. The bullets are made of
fine lead cast in bamboo tubes about six in-
ches long and a little larger in diameter than
the bore of the gun. The lead is then roll-
ed between two boards until it is reduced to
proper diameter. It is then cut in lengths of
four diameters each for bullets and one
diameter for slugs, so each bullet is equal to
four slugs. These leaden bolts or bullets
and slugs carry farther than spherical bullets
or slugs because, being the diameter of the

CHINESE SPORTSMAN AND WEAPONS 217

bore and slugs being superimposed, the full
force of the powder acts on the flat base of
bullet or slug and drives it forward, the
speed being accelerated by the slow burning
large charge of powder in the long barrel
smooth bore or cylinder gun. Loading is,
however, very slow work. The charge of
powder is rammed home into the powder
chamber which is slightly larger in diameter
than the muzzle of the gun. For ramming
purposes an iron ramrod is used, a fraction
smaller than the bore of the gun. There is
no wad of any kind between the powder and
the bullets, but on top of the latter a bit of
paper or grass is rammed to prevent them
from falling out. When the priming
powder has been poured into the pan near
the vent it is pressed down with the thumb
nail, in order that it may not fall off when
the shooter is moving about or blown off
by the wind. The slow match is made of
coarse hemp rope about half an inch in
diameter, steeped in a strong solution of
saltpeter and dried in the sun. This rope
is an average of ten feet long and made into
a small coil, which the shooter carries around
his right or left wrist as most convenient to
him when firing his gun. The end of the

2l8 SHOOTING IN CHINA

rope is lighted by flint and steel and a
vegetable punk. When about to fire the
shooter blows on the burning match, fixes
it suitably in the open beak and takes his
aim at the object he wishes to shoot. The
pistol like stock of the gun usually rests
against the hip of the shooter when firing,
and he fixes both eyes on the object,
although he appears not to be taking any
aim at all. It would seem that the principle
of shooting with both eyes open and fixed
on the game has been long known to the
Chinese and other Asiatics who have made
use of the gun either when engaged in sport
or war. The short pistol like stock clearly
indicates that it was not intended to shoot
from the shoulder, and that the most skilfull
of these marksmen recognized the advant-
ages of using both eyes when aiming their
guns.

There is no character in the sporting
field as unique and original as a Chinese
sportsman. Although his dress and other
equipments appear wanting in every essen-
tial to ensure success and comfort, never-
theless, the result of a day's shooting will
sometimes suggest whether the breech
loader is really more effective than the

CHINESE SPORTSMAN AND WEAPONS 219

matchlock. During the season of 1904, I
was shooting on the Yangtze river and on
one occasion anchored my houseboat near
the bank on which stood a small straw
thatched hut. Early the following morn-
ing there came on board a young China-
man of splendid physique and at once
began an animated conversation with my
Chinese boy servant. As the latter spoke
English I soon learned that my boat was
anchored near the hunting ground of my
visitor, but he extended a cordial invitation
of welcome because, he said, that he was
out of ammunition and hoped that I would
give him a few loads for his gun. Appreciat-
ing the somewhat selfish element in his
welcome, I made the condition that I
would comply with his request if he would
pilot me to the best shooting ground, and to
which he readily consented. I opened
several cartridges and gave him the con-
tents and soon we were on our way to the
happy hunting fields. His gun was of the
matchlock pattern, with an iron barrel
about five feet long, and weighing as much
as sixteen pounds. The stock was made of
wood and of the shape of a carpenter's
plane. At the breech the barrel was

220 SHOOTING IN CHINA

provided with a small aperture into which
a bit of iron plate was inserted to serve the
purpose of a pan,the ignition being affected
by means of a smouldering match rope.
The bore at the muzzle was smaller than at
the breech, evidencing that the Chinese
knew the advantage of shooting with a
choke bore gun long before the idea was
developed by western gun-makers. The
powder which my new acquaintance had
been accustomed to use was of home manu-
facture, and already referred to, but, to be
more specific, it is usual to mix three
catties of ground charcoal, three catties of
saltpetre, ten of sulphur, and after putting
it all in a pan, and pouring over it a jar of
Kaoliang spirits, the pan would be placed
over a slow charcoal fire and the mixture
well stirred with a stick until it became of
the consistence of paste ; it would then be
laid out on paper in the sun to dry. The
quality of the powder thus made is not
good, but this can be materially improved
by the quality of the ingredients, and when
a finer quality is wanted rattan charcoal is
used. However the powder manufactured
in China for sporting purposes is black and
dirty and necessitates the constant washing

CHINESE SPORTSMAN AND WEAPONS 221

out of the gun barrel, but the barrels are
seldom cleaned until the end of the season,
and sometimes never cleaned.

The dress of the sportsman is as primitive
as his gun. He usually wears a pair of
straw sandals for boots and his clothing is
made of a very inferior grade of cloth. I
could not see that the sandals were any
protection against the scrub oaks and
briars which grew on the hillsides or the
swordlike grass of the plains, but there was
a lightness and noiselessness in the step
which showed that the heavy boot of the
foreigner would not serve him so well. The
clothing was no protection either. It seem-
ed that one so thinly clad would soon get
chilled through by the cold winds that
sweep the low lying plains between the
hills and shores of the river.

It is seldom that the native sportsman
shoots over a dog. Occasionally a sports-
man will be accompanied with beaters, but
oftener his noiseless step and quick eye
find the game and bag it. A friend in-
formed me that on one occasion, at the
close of a cold December day, he was
walking near a lake when he saw a China-
man who was beckoning to him. As he

222 SHOOTING IN CHINA

approached he was asked not to shoot the
ducks which were in the lake, as a Chinese
sportsman was in the water ; awaiting to
see what would happen, he saw the sports-
man, nearing the shore, wearing a large
bamboo collar. He was carrying a basket
in which were a few wild and three tame
ducks secured together by a string. His
dress was of goatskin with the wool inside;
the stockings were stitched to his clothing,
and thus accoutred he immersed his body,
using the cangue as a float. On his hat
were placed bunches of grass, and on the
cangue two or three decoy ducks. He
would thus approach the wildfowl and,
when near enough, dexterously catch the
unsuspecting duck by the leg and drag it
under the water. My friend states that he
watched the sportsman until he had filled
his basket with wild ducks.

Reference has been made to some of the
emperors of China who were fond of sport.
Fortunately there is an account in Marco
Polo's writings of a hunting expedition of
the Emperor Kuhblai Khan, and as the des-
cription may prove interesting I reproduce
it in the words of Polo who writes as an eye
witness. The Venetian writes as follows :

CHINESE SPORTSMAN AND WEAPONS 223

" After he has stopped at his capital city
(Peking) those three months that I men-
tioned, to wit, December, January, Febru-
ary, he starts off the first day of March, and
travels southward towards the Ocean Sea,
a journey of two days. He takes with him
full 10,000 falconers, and some 500 gerfal-
cons besides peregrines, sakers, and other
hawks in great numbers, and goshawks also
to fly at the water-fowl. But do not suppose
that he keeps all these together by him ;
they are distributed about, hither and
thither, one hundred together, or two hun-
dred at the utmost, as he thinks proper.
But they are always fowling as they ad-
vance, and the most part of the quarry taken
is carried to the emperor. And let me tell
you when he goes thus a-fowling with his
gerfalcons and other hawks he is attended
by full 10,000 men who are disposed in
couples, and these are called Toscaol, which
is as much as to say, "Watchers." And the
name describes their business. They are
posted from spot to spot, always in couples,
and thus they cover a great deal of ground.
Every man of them is provided with a
whistle and hood, so as to be able to call
in a hawk and hold it in hand. And when

224 SHOOTING IN CHINA

the emperor makes a cast there is no need
that he follow it up, for those men I speak
of keep so good a look out that they never
lose sight of the birds, and if these have
need of help they are ready to render it.

" All the emperor's hawks, and those of
the barons as well have a little label at-
tached to the leg to mark them, on which
is written the names of the owner and the
keep of the bird. And in this way the
hawk, when caught, is at once identified
and handed over to its owner. But if not,
the bird is carried to a certain baron, who
is styled the Bularguchi, which is as much
as to say " The Keeper of Lost Property."
And I tell you that whatever may be fouud
without a known owner, whether it be a
horse, or a sword, or a hawk, or what not, it
is carried to that baron straightway, and
he takes charge of it. And if the finder
neglects to carry his trover to the baron, the
latter punishes him. Likewise the loser of
any article goes to the baron, and if the thing
be in his hands it is immediately given up
to the owner. Moreover, the said baron
always pitches on the highest spot of the
camp, with his banner displayed, in order
that those who have lost or found anything

CHINESE SPORTSMAN AND WEAPONS 225

may have no difficulty in finding their way
to him. Thus nothing can be lost but it
shall be incontinently found and restored.

"And so the Emperor follows this road
that I have mentioned, leading along in
the vicinity of the Ocean Sea (which is
within two days' journey of his capital city,
Cambulae), and as he goes there is many a
fine sight to be seen, and plenty of the very
best entertainment in hawking; in fact
there is no sport in the world to equal it.

" The emperor himself is carried upon
four elephants in a fine chamber made of
timber, lined inside with plates of beaten
gold, and outside with lions' skins (for he
always travels in this way on his fowling
expeditions, because he is troubled with
gout). He always keeps beside him a
dozen of his choicest gerfalcons, and is at-
tended by several of his barons, who ride
on horseback alongside. And sometimes,
as they may be going along, and the em-
peror from his chamber is holding discourse
with the barons, one of the latter shall ex-
claim : " Sire ! Look out for cranes." Then
the emperor instantly has the top of his
chamber thrown open, and having marked
the cranes he casts one of his gerfalcons,

226 SHOOTING IN CHINA

whichever he pleases, and often the quarry
is struck within his view, so that he has
the most exquisite sport and diversion,
there as he sits in his chamber or lies on
his bed, and all the barons with him get
the enjoyment of it likewise. So it is not
without reason I tell you that I do not
believe there ever existed in the world or
ever will exist, a man with such sport and
enjoyment as he has, or with such rare
opportunities.

"And when he has travelled till he
reaches a place called Cachar Modun, there
he finds his tents pitched, with the tents of
his sons, and his barons, and those of his
ladies and theirs, so that there shall be
full 10,000 tents in all, and all fine and rich
ones. And I will tell you how his own
quarters are disposed. The tent in which
he holds his courts is large enough to give
cover easily to a thousand souls. It is
pitched with its doors to the south, and the
barons, and knights remain in waiting in
it, whilst the lord abides in another close
to it on the west side. When he wishes
to speak with any one he causes the person
to be summoned to that other tent. Im-
mediately behind the great tent there is a

CHINESE SPORTSMAN AND WEAPONS 227

fine large chamber where the lord sleeps,
and there are also many other tents and
chambers, but they are not in contact with
the great tent as these are. The two
audience-tents and the sleeping-chamber
are constructed in this way. Each of the
audience tents has three poles, which are
of spice-wood, and are most artfully covered
with lions' skins, striped with black and
white and red, so that they do not suffer
from any weather. All three apartments
are also covered outside with similar skins
of striped lions, a substance that lasts for-
ever. And inside they are all lined with
ermine and sable, these two being the finest
and most costly furs in existence. For a
robe of sable, large enough to line a mantle,
is worth 2,000 bezants of gold, or 1,000 at
least, and this kind of skin is called by the
Tartars "The King of Furs." The beast
itself is about the size of a marten. These
two furs of which I speak are applied and
inlaid so exquisitely that it is really some-
thing worth seeing. All the tent-ropes are
of silk. And in short I may say that those
tents, to wit, the two audience-halls and the
sleeping chamber, are so costly that it is
not every king could pay for them.

228 SHOOTING IN CHINA

" Round about these tents are others, also
fine ones and beautifully pitched, in which
are the emperor's ladies, and the ladies of
the other princes and officers. And then
there are the tents for the hawks and their
keepers, so that altogether the number of
tents there on the plain is something won-
derful.

" To see the many people that are throng-
ing to and fro on every side and every day
there, you would take the camp for a good
big city. For you must reckon the leeches,
and the astrologers, and the falconers, and
all the other attendants on so great a com-
pany, and add that everybody there has his
whole family with him, for such is their
custom.

" The lord remains encamped there un-
til the spring, and all that time he does no-
thing but go hawking round about among
the cranebrakes along the lakes and rivers
that abound in that region, and across fine
plains on which are plenty of cranes and
swans, and all sorts of other fowl. The
other gentry of the camp also are never
done with hunting and hawking, and every
day they bring home great store of venison
and feathered game of all sorts. Indeed,

CHINESE SPORTSMAN AND WEAPONS 229

without having witnessed it, you would
never believe what quantities of game are
taken, and what marvellous sport and diver-
sion they all have whilst they are in camp
there.

" There is another thing I should men-
tion : to wit, that for twenty days' journey
round the spot nobody is allowed, be he
who he may, to keep hawks or hounds,
though anywhere else whosoever list may
keep them. And furthermore throughout
all the Emperor's territories, nobody how-
ever audacious dares to hunt any of these
four animals, to wit, hare, stag, buck, and
roe, from the month of March to the month
of October. Anybody who should do so
would rue it bitterly. But those people
are so obedient to their lord's command,
that even if a man were to find one of those
animals asleep by the roadside he would
not touch it for the world ! And thus the
game multiplies at such a rate that the
whole country swarms with it, and the
emperor gets as much as he could desire.
Beyond the term I have mentioned, how-
ever, to wit, that from March to October,
everybody may take these animals as he
list.

230 SHOOTING IN CHINA

u After the emperor has tired in that
place, enjoying his sport as I have related,
from March to the middle of May, he moves
with all his people, and returns straight to
his capital city of Cambulae (which is also
the capital of Cathay, as you have been
told), but all the while continuing to take
his diversion in hunting and hawking as
he goes along."

There are some interesting notes by Yule
on the above quotation from Marco Polo.
The accuracy of the description on the
route is doubted and difficult to reconcile
with truth, but the direction of the excur-
sion is admitted to be correct. As the crow
flies, Peking, which was Kuhblai's capital,
is about one hundred miles from the near-
est point of the coast in a southeast direc-
tion, and for such a camp, as Polo has des-
cribed, to reach the point of destination at
least five or six days would be consumed.
Yule further thinks that the "Ocean Sea"
referred to would be struck at Shan-hai-
kuan, near the terminus of the Great Wall,
and that the site of the standing hunting
camp is to the north of that point. In
1682 the Jesuit Verbiest accompanied the
Emperor Kanghi in a tour in the same

CHINESE SPORTSMAN AND WEAPONS 231

direction, and almost immediately after
passing the Great Wall the emperor and
his party seem to have travelled to the left
for sport

But the Emperor Kuhblai was not the
only oriental ruler whose hunting expedi-
tions were of lavish proportions. The
Emperor Kanghi was fond of sport, and
imitated his predecessor in the splendor of
his hunting equipments. It is recorded
that Bajazet had 7,000 falconers and 6,000
dog keepers, whilst the Sultan Mohomed
Inghlaka, India, in the generation of Polo,
is said to have had 10,000 falconers, and
3,000 other attendants as beaters.

CUSTOMS.

CHAPTER IX

CUSTOMS.

If there be one custom which is gene-
ral in China it is what the westerner would
call the custom of living in discomfort.
Probably no people in the world can offer
fewer comforts to a traveller from the west
than the Chinese, and the shooter who
leaves an open port with the expectation of
finding accomodation in native houses will
soon learn that he has wholly miscalculated.
It sometimes happens that during a day's
shoot one is overtaken by night when some
distance from his houseboat, and it would
be restful to stop at a native house in order
to be on the shooting ground early the
following morning, but such an idea had
better not be entertained. However far the
shooter may be from his houseboat when so
overtaken it will be invariably necessary for
him to return for refreshment and sleep or
shoot the next day with unsteady nerves. It
is therefore supposed that when the shooter
gets aboard his houseboat and points her
bow towards the interior he understands
that he has left domestic and social comforts

236 SHOOTING IN CHINA

behind in so far as he has not provided
himself with them.

There are public inns in China where
the natives appear to find the comforts
which satisfy them, but the experience of a
night at a Chinese inn will leave the
westerner with an impression never to be
gotten rid of. As a rule the food is so
prepared and of such a character that it is
really uneatable, and unless the traveller
has been thoughtful in providing both food
and drink he will surfer much in conse-
quence; and the sleeping arrangements at a
Chinese inn are as repelling as the food on
the table. Occasionally an egg may be
bought, but the shooter must remember that
the age of an egg adds greatly to its value
and appreciation by the Chinese. The bed-
stead in an inn is known as the kang, which
is a kind of platform, and when the weather
is cold it is heated so as to keep the sleeper
warm. This platform is built of brick and
will measure in width more than two full
size English bedsteads, and when necessary
will accomodate several sleepers. The
kang is about two feet high, the top being
covered with large and thin red bricks
presents a smooth surface. The interior is

CUSTOMS 237

not solid, but is permeated by a tunnel or
flue which begins at the side or end and
after passing back and forth in its interior
connects with a chimney on an opposite
end or side. A short time before the plat-
form is to be used for sleeping purposes,
provided the weather is cold, a small quan-
tity of dry fuel is set on fire in the accessible
parts of the outer extremities of the flue,
and the flame, hot smoke, and heated air
passing through the flues warms the kang.
The traveller then places his bedding on
this hard and slightly heated platform and
retires to rest at his convenience. The
keeper of an inn is not always thoughtful
as to who are made sleeping companions,
and if the westerner is not careful in his
preparations for a night's sleep he may
awake to find himself wedged in between the
most disagreeable characters for bedfellows.
And as a rule the homes of the people
are as uncomfortable as their inns. There
are a few substantial brick houses, but the
houses of the Chinese are usually built of
wood, or bamboo slats which are covered
with mud, and are mostly one storey high,
covered with earthen tiles burned in kilns,
or with rice or wheat straw. The flooring

238 SHOOTING IN CHINA

of most houses among the poorer classes is
made of a cement composed of clay, sand
and lime, and is hard and smooth when
properly prepared, or it is simply the earth
pounded down. The wooden floors, even in
the better class of houses, are very poor,
uneven and unplaned. No carpets are used
and seldom is matting spread upon the
flooring. Oftentimes there is no ceiling
overhead, the room extending to the roof. A
large number of Chinese live in boats of
various sizes, and in such boats children are
born, brought up, marry and die. Even in
the houses of wealthy families one seldom
sees a glass window, the windows being of
wood, though sometimes they have a kind
of a transparent shell arranged in rows.
When the weather is cold the wooden win-
dows are closed and the houses are then
very dark inside. When light is needed the
windows are partially opened, but this
admits the cold as well as the light, and for
purposes of ventilation such windows are
insufficient. The houses, as a rule, have no
fireplaces, furnaces and stoves as in western
lands, and as the windows and doors appear
never to be tightly fitted one can readily
understand how uncomfortable must be a

CUSTOMS 239

Chinese house during cold weather. It is a
custom, however, that when a Chinaman
begins to feel the cold he will put on an
additional suit of clothes, and when he feels
the approach of warm weather he will begin
to disrobe as the temperature becomes
warmer.

But if the shooter could find an inn or
private house that appeared comfortable
inside the smell around either would very
likely cause him to turn away. It is
difficult to understand the keen appreciation
the Chinese have for bad smells. However
neat the outer appearance of a house may
be the atmosphere about it is invariably
filled with the most repelling scents. In
the " Social Life of the Chinese " Doolittle
has given a more detailed account of the
customs than any other writer, and makes
a nearer approach to covering the entire
subject, but after all his industry and
research and the closest observation a
partial view has been presented, and the
subject, like the great country itself, is
still exhaustless. In the " Chinese Char-
acteristics " Smith has interested and
instructed, but the information he gives
relates mostly to one part of China, and

240 SHOOTING IN CHINA

could not be said to be more than generally
accurate if closely studied in its application
to other parts. When every province, city,
town, village and neighborhood has its own
peculiar customs, and different from what
prevails anywhere else, the impossibility of
applying any general rule to the whole of
the Empire is readily apparent. No one
has yet seen every part of China and until
that is done no one can write a book that
will contain a complete account of the
customs of the Chinese. If the shooter
should feel an interest in the general and
more important customs he can learn them
by reading the books I have referred to.
In the details Doolittle has successfully
stood the test as the highest authority, but
in the pleasures of style Smith is more
entertaining.

But there are some minor customs which
have come under my observation at Shang-
hai and Soochow, and as such often prove
the unerring index to the habits of thought
and the social life of a people, I hope that I
am not digressing too far by writing about
them in this connection. At one period of
the history of China Soochow was the
educational center and still retains some of

CUSTOMS 241

its former reputation, and Shanghai is to-
day the commercial metropolis of the
Chinese Empire. I have selected a few of
the minor customs of these two cities to
write of because, in the one city the classic
thought of China has not opposed them, as
in the other they have not become obsolete,
although in daily contact with the spirit of
modern commerce.

Most of the customs have a basis in the
history of China, but in many cases the
facts on which they are founded have been
forgotten. Often diametrically opposite
explanations are given of the same custom
by those who possess exact knowledge as to
its history, and thus do doubts increase as
one inquires. It is, however, certain that
superstition and a false belief in regard to
the supernatural element in human life are
responsible for the mistaken notions of the
Chinese as expressed by many of their
curious customs.

Beginning somewhat at random, there is
a custom which prevails at both Soochow
and Shanghai that when one sends a cat to
his neighbor as a present the latter in
return sends a small quantity of salt. The
reason is that to give a cat is bad luck and

242 SHOOTING IN CHINA

will bring harm to both the giver and
receiver and to counteract the evil it is
necessary to return a present of salt.

Without hesitation a Chinese will believe
in things of the most inconsistent and con-
tradictory character. Here is a Buddhist
priest, who represents the religion in which
a majority of the Chinese believe, and who
officiates at funerals and says mass for
the dead, yet, the priest is not always held
in esteem. Often the people laugh at his
mummeries, despise his laziness, and will
attribute to him almost every vice. At
Soochow this contradictory belief is founded
upon the fact that it is bad luck if, on
leaving home in the morning, the first
person met with is a Buddhist priest.
The fear is that it will bring calamity, but
the ingenuity of the Chinese has invented a
way out of the trouble, and when one so
meets a priest he has only to raise his hand
above his head when all calamities and bad
influences vanish.

While passing along the streets of a
Chinese city there may frequently be seen
walls erected in front of the doors of
residences. The size of these screen like
walls measure according to the financial

CUSTOMS 243

condition of the inmate of the house.
Sometimes the screen wall is erected close
to the opposite side of the street in front of
the door, or it may extend several feet from
the street and is made somewhat in the shape
of an amphitheatre ; the space enclosed is
usually paved and shaded by trees or
shrubs. A careful inquiry as to the cause
for erecting the screen wall elicits the
information that it is built to protect the
house from evil spirits.

The shooter will not be long in observing
that to the Chinese mind the whole
atmosphere is filled with evil spirits seek-
ing to harm the people, but as a defense to
the evil intents these spirits can only travel
in a straight line and have no power to
turn a co; ier, and by building a wall in
front of the door entrance into the house is
made impossible.

Another peculiarity with reference to the
front doors of Chinese houses, facing the
streets, is that no two doors are placed
opposite each other across a street. To
place the door of one house opposite the
door of another across a street is consider-
ed bad luck, because if an evil spirit
should happen to get into one house it

244 SHOOTING IN CHINA

would have easy access to the house on
the other side. Occasionally the ex-
igencies of the location require the doors
to be placed opposite each other, but
when such is the case it will be observ-
ed that one of the doors is turned a
little to the side or set back and not
parallel with the wall.

Another custom based on the fear of evil
spirits is that when a new house is being
built it is of the utmost importance that
the comb of the roof should not point to
the door or window of any neighboring
house, otherwise it may lead the evil spirits
into that house and bring sickness and
death and other calamaties to the inmates.
This particular superstition is widespread
among the Chinese, is a deep seated belief
and difficult to eradicate from their minds.

There is a custom which relates specially
to the beggars and is strictly adhered to by
them. The beggars have a trade of their
own and, like many other trades in China,
is organized into a regular guild, having a
headman known to foreigners as the
" Beggar King." When one gets too lazy
to work or is rendered incapable by disease

CUSTOMS 245

or is crippled he can join the beggar
fraternity by paying thirty dollars which
ensures having his name enrolled on the book
kept for the purpose. After paying his dues
and being enrolled he is then permitted to
exercise his calling on certain streets of a
city or some other designated place ; but he
must keep within the bounds which will
be marked out or suffer a severe punish-
ment for any transgression. At stated
periods there must be paid to the beggar
king a certain per cent of all sums collected.
Many parts of a city, especially entrances
to the larger temples, are infested by
beggars who are often persistent in their
clamor for alms from the passer by. They
seem to be instinctively aware that those
who visit the temples to worship are in a
more religious frame of mind and con-
sequently more ready to yield to their
solicitations for money. The Chinese
government does not appear to have any
method to deal with these indigent people
of the country and they go at will seeking
a precarious living and sometimes proving
very irritating. The annoyance they cause
to the shopkeepers of a city is sometimes
of extreme irritation, as from one to a

246 SHOOTING IN CHINA

dozen will collect in front of a shop and
sing and beat on a broken gong or anything
else that will make a noise and worry the
the shopkeepers until in sheer desperation
a small piece of money is thrown to them,
when the gang will move on to another
shop to repeat the provoking song and
noise. If the shopkeeper should report to
the police the beggars would possibly be
arrested and punished by the magistrate,
but such a proceeding would prove ulti-
mately expensive, and the more effective
way has been adopted by the shopkeepers
of paying an annual tribute to the beggar
king. The amount having been agreed
upon and paid the beggar king sends a
representative who posts on each of the
tributary shops the Chinese character " to
see." All shops that have this character
so posted are exempt from further solicita-
tions, and a beggar will not importune that
shop so long as the notice remains where
he can see it.

Somewhat allied to the beggar question
is the thief question, for in the country it
is understood that the beggar of the day
is the thief of the night.

CUSTOMS 247

The theives are also organized and have
a head man, though the organization should
not be confounded with that of the beg-
gars. Each thief is assigned by the head
mail to a definite destrict and is thereto
restricted under a penalty if he violates
his instructions. If there has been much
stealing in a neighborhood it will stop at
once if the neighbors will pay tribute to
the "king of the thieves." It does happen
that this head man falls into the clutches of
some greedy official and is made to dis-
gorge, and if obstinate he is "put to the
question."

Perhaps no people in the world are
more completely subjected to the belief in
good and bad luck than the Chinese. Every
phase of their life shows that the idea of
fate or luck permeates and influences the
entire fabric of their society from the Em-
peror to the peasant ; a fact that has been
noted by writers on "things Chinese" as a
marked characteristic of the people ; their
confidence is every day a striking mani-
festation of this belief. The luck day in
the year and almost every hour of the day
is good or bad for something, and the lucky

248 SHOOTING IN CHINA

and unlucky day has been, as near as pos-
sible, reduced to a science. The main object
of a Chinese almanac is to give information
on what is lucky and what is unlucky for
every day of the year, so that when the
almanac is obeyed there results a feeling of
assurance that bad luck has been avoided
on one hand and on the other good luck
has been secured. And not only are the
most important affairs of life governed by
this principle, but all the little details are
rigidly brought under its control — the domi-
nation of the almanac.

Lucky days are selected, not only for
marriage and funerals but for the small
incidents of daily life, such as shaving the
head, buying a new suit of clothes, taking
a bath, starting on a journey, breaking
ground for the foundation of a new house,
and starting a child to school. Days are
selected for these affairs of life and even
the hour of the day must also be chosen
with care.

Good or bad luck follows the student
when he goes to the classic examination
halls to apply for a degree. If he succeeds
he will leave convinced that good luck was
the potent factor in his success, but if he

CUSTOMS 249

fails it is attributed to his bad luck. And
so this thing, not worthy to be called a
principle, is instilled as a part of Chinese
education and recognized as fundamental
in shaping character.

It is not unusual to see among the poorer
classes, especially the farmers, a small boy
with a ring in one of his ears. The pur-
pose of wearing the ring is to deceive the
evil spirits into believing that the boy is a
girl so that they will not take him away ; it
is believed that evil spirits delight more in
causing the death of a son, who is appre-
ciated in the Chinese family far more than
a daughter, and these spirits are supposed
to care nothing for girls.

Travellers along the roads around Shang-
hai are familiar with the sight of holes in
the brick vaults built over coffins scattered
over the country. The holes are to allow
the spirits of the dead egress and ingress at
will. The Chinese believe that every person
has six ghosts and three spirits. The ghosts
apparently perish when the body dies, but
the spirits continue to live, one going to
purgatory to suffer the penalties due for the
sins committed in this life; the second spirit
goes into the tablet placed in the ancestral

25O SHOOTING IN CHINA

hall where the sons of the deceased
worship at stated intervals throughout
the year, and the third spirit remains with
the coffin and goes to the grave. As holes
are left in the vault it would appear that
the number three spirit may want to come
out sometimes and go about, but the
Chinese believe that when this spirit comes
out it is for mischief.

A curious custom prevails in the city of
Huchow in connection with a bridge which
spans the principal canal which runs
through that city. When a boat passes
under this bridge no one in the boat is
allowed to speak ; when a boat is approach-
ing the bridge the boatman will stamp
on the deck or make a noise to direct the
attention of all on board to the fact that
the boat is about to pass under the bridge
and all maintain the strictest silence until
the bridge is passed. There is no doubt in
the belief in the country around and in the
city also that if anyone speaks while passing
under the bridge he, or some one related to
him, is sure to be overtaken by some great
calamity, and if the boat should meet with
an accident it is immediately concluded

CUSTOMS 251

that some one spoke while it was passing
under the bridge.

One will frequently meet Chinese of both
sexes with very long ringer nails. As a
rule they are members of the better class of
society, and the long ringer nails are the
badges of respectability. In order to protect
the finger nails and promote their growth
they are sheathed in tubes made of bamboo,
silver or gold; they show that the owner
does not have to do manual labor for a
living.

The Chinese have a great fear of
conflagration and yet their houses are built
in such an inferior manner as to invite the
element they so much fear. In their cities
and towns the houses are close together,
and their protection against fire is wholly
inadequate. They believe that the god of
fire causes conflagration, hence in every city
or town may be seen one or more temples
to the god of fire. There is a superstition
among the people that it is dangerous to
talk about a conflagration in ordinary
conversation, fearing that the god of fire
might hear it. This is the same feeling
that prevents them from speaking about

252 SHOOTING IN CHINA

dying during the first days of their New
Year, believing that if one uses the word
" to die " during these days it will bring
sickness and death either to the one who
spoke the words or to some one who
heard them.

Turning from fire to water which,
according to Chinese philosophy, overcomes
fire in the battle of the elements constantly
going on, the belief is practically universal
in China that the water system of the world
is under the control of the two dragons, one
called the long, which governs the rain,
snow and hail, and the other called the kiao,
which governs the water on and under the
earth. During a rain storm, or it may be
before it comes, people often say they can
see the dragon (long) in the sky. Some
fantastic shaped cloud attracts their atten-
tion and they say it is the dragon making
rain. On the other hand when a great
flood occurs, sweeping away towns and
villages and crops in the plains, it is then
said that the earth dragon (kiao) has broken
out and caused the flood. The earth dragon
appears to keep himself concealed, but if in
the neighborhood of the flood a lizard or

CUSTOMS 253

peculiar kind of water snake is seen the
people say it is the dragon.

This belief in the dragons seems to have
a strong hold upon the mind of the
Chinese. Even at Shanghai, in the pre-
sence of the highest conditions of western
civilization, the dragon festival is strictly
observed, and at the appointed period the
river and creek are covered with boats rilled
with the votaries of the belief.

It is attested by the observation of many
residents in China that when one has
committed a crime or is plotting to do so a
thunder-storm will sometimes frighten him
into a confession of the intended act, and
the confession is made under the belief that
it will tend to avert the wrath of the god of
thunder. If one is struck down by lighten-
ing the Chinese say that it is a punishment
for some crime secretly committed. The
god of thunder has his temple also and
worshippers at its shrine, and often the
worshippers will abstain from eating animal
food for a certain number of days in loyal
obedience to their god.

Among the strange things that impress a
student of Chinese life is that the most

254 SHOOTING IN CHINA

contradictory and self-destructive beliefs
appear to exist side by side in the mind
of the same person, and of the most
opposite character mentally and morally.
In many ways the Chinese are kind
hearted and considerate and at times
the most callous hearted. If a man or
boy catches a rat he will nail its feet fast
to a board and keep it there until the rat
starves to death, and if one falls into the
water and is in danger of drowning, no
matter how many Chinese are near or how
many boats may be passing, no one will lend
a helping hand to get the man out of the
water. The reason for such callous indiffer-
ence is the belief that an evil spirit has got
hold of the man and that if anyone goes to
his rescue the evil spirit will also attack
the would-be rescuer and cause him to
be drowned.

The Buddhists have a way of destroying
the power of the evil spirits of the water.
Passing along the canal at Soochow one
may see stone posts, each with eight sides,
planted in the ground on the shore of the
canal, and on each face of a post there is the
name of a Buddhist saint. The posts are
planted along the banks of the canal where

CUSTOMS 255

persons have been drowned, and the belief
is that the evil spirits are afraid to go again
to the place guarded by one of these posts,
and that no one can be drowned near where
a post is planted.

There are so many curious customs in
China that a large book could be written
about them, but I have referred to a few
only, and the shooter will observe many
more if he shoots in China for any length
of time. He should remember that the
Chinese are the antipodes of the westerner,
not only geographically, but socially, moral-
ly, mentally and politically. Their manner
of life naturally seems upside down to a
westerner, for where the latter wears black
for mourning purposes the Chinese wear
white, and, in meeting, a Chinaman shakes
his own hand and not the hand of his friend
as in the west. At the table or elsewhere
the place of honor in China is on the left
hand and not the right as in the west. They
read their books from top to bottom, be-
ginning at the right and reading to the left.
In the west the notes of an author or a
commentator are written at the bottom of
the page while Chinese authors or com-
mentators write theirs at the top.

256 SHOOTING IN CHINA

Their entire social fabric and the idioms
of their language are materially the reverse
of what it is in the west. And when the
Chinese are reminded of such a radical
difference they answer, that China is the
oldest nation in the world, knows her
interest, and that the young nations of the
west can learn lessons from China.

GOVERNMENT

CHAPTER X.

GOVERNMENT.

In the first chapter I suggested to the
shooter that if he began shooting in China
with some idea of the peculiarities of the
language, the people, and the money he
would sometimes experience an advantage
which would more readily enable him to
overcome a real or avoid an apparent
difficulty.

In this chapter I will submit a few
general observations on the government of
China, and the law the foreign shooter will
be amenable to, should he offend, and the
legal remedy that will be employed against
him while in China. If I succeed in
presenting a practical view of this subject
I shall not feel that I have materially
digressed from the title of this book ; and
it is proper and interesting to know
something of the government of the
country in which a sojourn, even for
a short time, is made.

In theory and practice the government of
China is as peculiar and as mixed as the

260 SHOOTING IN CHINA

people and the language. Probably, in
theory, there was never devised a more
symmetrical and harmonious system for any
monarchical form, ancient or modern.
When solely studied, as a theoretical plan
of government, one is compelled to admit
and admire the nicely adjusted proportions
and the evenly distributed duties and
responsibilities, but when the practical
workings are studied there appear many
inconsistencies and much to condemn.

For territorial administration China is di-
vided into about thirteen hundred districts,
exclusive of Manchuria, and in each dis-
trict there is an official known as the district
magistrate (Che-hien). This officer is the
last connecting link between official China
and the people, and one of the most
important in the entire administrative
system. He is the nearest to the people ;
his relations to them more intimately
concern their welfare, as the daily life of the
people of the district are under his im-
mediate supervision. When the magistrate
of a district is just and upright in the
performance of his duties the inhabitants
are usually peaceful and prosperous, but an
evil disposed and dishonest magistrate is a

GOVERNMENT 261

disturber of the public peace and may cause
much annoyance and trouble to a foreigner
travelling through or shooting in his
district. It is, therefore, important for the
shooter, should he have real trouble with
the natives, to ascertain the temperament of
the magistrate and thus be prepared to
approach him through a channel that will
conciliate him, or an agency he fears.

If the shooter should be shooting in the
interior, some distance from his consular
representative, he ought to go at once, in the
event of trouble, to the district magistrate,
and in a friendly and pleasant manner
inform the magistrate of the exact nature
of his trouble. And, in this connection, I
will state that I have never met a magistrate
in China who was not ready to listen
attentively to any statement I might have
to make, and as ready to redress any wrong.
I recall with pleasure the occasion when I
was shooting more than two hundred miles
from any open port, and could not use the
paper money I had, and a magistrate
provided me with the amount I needed in
silver. I know that some of the troubles
between foreigners and natives are provoked
by the foreigner, and there are others that

262 SHOOTING IN CHINA

could have been prevented or greatly
modified if the foreigner had behaved as a
gentleman should at all times.

Proceeding from the base to the apex of
the administrative system, the next in
order, after the district, is the department,
which division includes several districts.
There are about one hundred and eighty
departments, and each is presided over by
an officer officially styled the prefect (Che-
fu). This is said to be the earliest division
of the administrative system, the duties of
the prefect removing him farther from the
people than do the duties of the magistrate,
and making his office the court of appeal
from the magistrate.

After the department comes the circuit,
which is formed by the grouping of
several departments, and is presided over
by an officer whom the Chinese designate
as the intendant of circuit (fen sun tao or
taotai). To foreigners, however, the in-
tendant of circuit is better known as the
taotai, and it is this official who sustains,
at the treaty ports of China, the more
intimate relations with the consular re-
presentatives of western nations which

GOVERNMENT 263

have treaties with China. There are eighty
circuits, but the more important include
the principal treaty ports, and if the
shooter should become involved in a dif-
ficulty, which he thought necessary to
refer to his consular representative, it is
probable that such representative would
first communicate with the taotai on the
subject. This officer, when residing at a
large treaty port, like Shanghai, is expected
to keep himself well informed about foreign
affairs, as his official superiors frequently
demand of him lengthy reports as what
appears to be the policy of the westerners
residing at his port. When away from an
open port, and the shooter believes that the
district magistrate is indifferent to his
representations it would be advisable, if a
taotai is near by, to ask permission to see
him, and should the magistrate hear that
such was the intention of the shooter it is
very likely that he would promptly afford
the proper relief. An under official sincere-
ly deprecates having his action reviewed
by a superior.

It has been stated that China proper was
divided into eighteen provinces, and the
territorial division, for administrative pur-

264 SHOOTING IN CHINA

poses, after the circuit, is the province.
Over each province an officer presides
with the title of governor (sun-fu), and
his official residence is in the chief
city of the province, which then is
known as the provincial capital. There
are several officials under the governor
and whose duties are carefully prescribed,
but the shooter will have nothing to do
with these officials, but go direct to the
governor, should the urgency of his business
justify appealing to such a high officer,
and there may arise occasions when the
appeal is necessary. The several officials,
as many as five, referred to, together with
the governor as the head, form the bureau
of provincial administration. As the dis-
trict magistrate is the last connecting link
between the throne and the people, so the
governor is the essential link between the
central and the administrative system.

And there is another fact which proves
the influence of the governor, for up to
about three hundred years ago he was the
officer of highest rank in a province, and
practically supreme therein. But sub-
sequently two or more provinces have been
imited under the executive authority of an

GOVERNMENT 265

official who is styled the governor-general
(tsung-tuh), but better known to foreigners
as the viceroy. Both in theory and
practice the viceroy is really the superior
of the governor, but it is very seldom that
he asserts it. On the other hand these two
officials are extremely courteous and con-
siderate, and one seldom withholds his
approval from the known wishes of the
other. A viceroy has his personal staff and
subordinate officers whose duties are more
or less clerical. If the shooter should
believe that he was compelled to see a
governor or viceroy he would find his way
smoother if he made the acquaintance of
some favorite secretary and was pleasant to
him.

Although a governor and viceroy are
officials of high rank and great influence,
the shooter will not fail to notice the
military establishments in the provinces.
And here I should inform him that the
present ruling dynasty of China is not
native but of tartar origin, and for that
reason the military establishments are
under the command of military officials of
tartar extraction, and known as tartar-

266 SHOOTING IN CHINA

generals. These tartar-generals appear to
outrank both the governors and the vice-
roys, for the imperial edicts are addressed
to the tartar-general, the governor-general,
and the governor, thus showing that the
emperor regards the tartar-general as the
first in grade, as his name appears first in
the edicts.

But let the shooter keep away from the
military establishments. He will have no
business with a tartar-general if he attends
to his own.

Now I have introduced the shooter to
the territorial divisions for administrative
purposes, and indicated the head officials of
each division. If he should get into trouble,
I have pointed out the officer to whom he
should apply for relief, if he is too far from
his own consular representative to make
the application direct to him.

The divisions to which attention has
been directed form the practical agencies
by which China is governed. I have stated
that the government, when contrasted in
theory and practice, was as peculiar and as
mixed as the people and their dialects.

The Emperor, in theory, is absolutely
supreme, but in practice the provinces are

GOVERNMENT 267

as so many independent sovereignties with
their viceroys in command. If a requisi-
tion is made on a viceroy for a certain
amount of money the viceroy proceeds to
collect the amount he may wish, and after
paying the requisition of the emperor
accounts to himself for any balance. If
money is scarce in a province, and the
viceroy desires to do so, he establishes a
mint and coins what he wants. In theory,
the taxes are levied in accordance with
equity, but in practice the amount is fixed
and collected as the provincial officials may
need a large or a small sum. This illus-
tration will suffice to prove the statement,
that the theory and practice of the govern-
ment are materially different, for a chief
function of an absolute ruler is the regula-
tion of the money of his empire, how it
shall be coined, and how taxes shall be
collected, two of the most important
attributes of sovereignty, and with which,
in China, the emperor practically does not
appear to concern himself.

In practice, each province exists as an
independent unit and is sufficient unto it-
self, and this is a pivotal fact which should
be constantly kept in mind when studying

268 SHOOTING IN CHINA

the government of China. If the admin-
istration goes on smoothly in the provinces
the officials therein do about as they please.
But there have been occasions when the
people of a province have felt themselves
oppressed by their provincial officials, and
they have very summarily resented it. It is
an unwritten law of China that the people
have the right to dethrone their Emperor
when he does not govern wisely and justly.
While they recognize the Emperor as the
son of heaven, they say that he ceases to be
such when he fails to live up to the dignity
and requirements of his high station.
There is a beautiful idea in this principle,
for it means that a ruler ought to govern
by the highest standards of virtue and
equity.

The shooter will rarely, if ever, have
such a case as will necessitate his going
to Peking to enlist the support of his
diplomatic representative. But as I have
presented an outline of the divisions of the
territorial administrative system, a brief
reference to the administration of the
system of the central government may be
added.

GOVERNMENT 269

The Emperor is the source of all power,
but the administration of the central
government is entrusted to two councils,
known as the grand secretariat (Nui-Koh)
and the grand council (Kiun Ki-ch'u). The
grand secretariat is of greater antiquity
than the grand council, and has been the
more important division of the cabinet
from early times. This grand secretariat
is composed of four members who sustain
the closest official relations to the Emperor ;
they submit to him all papers relating
to the affairs of the empire and receive
from him the instructions necessary to the
preparation of official edicts ; they keep the
seals used for the departments and docu-
ments, and are the four officials whom it is
supposed the Emperor more frequently con-
sults. The grand council was provided for
in 1730. The members are generally chosen
from among those of the grand secretariat,
the presidents and vice-presidents of the
boards, and the principal officers of all the
courts in the city of Peking. This is the
division before which the boards of the
departments appear when the Emperor is to
be consulted. In theory both the grand
secretariat and the grand council have daily

27O SHOOTING IN CHINA

audiences with the Emperor, and practically
such audiences are necessary to facilitate
the transaction of business. In recent times
the grand council has superseded the grand
secretariat in the transaction of business,
and has become the imperial chancery or
court of appeals. Under the two councils
there are six administrative boards (sin pu)
and each board has an organized staff of
clerks, and is otherwise equipped for the
business it was formed to transact.

There is certainly a special and imper-
ative reason why the foreign shooter should
behave himself while shooting in China,
and it is because he is not as a rule under
Chinese law. Whatever offense he may
commit, and however heinous in its nature,
against life and property in China, the
courts of China are powerless to arrest or to
punish. This is in accordance with the
treaties which China has entered into with
certain western nations. If the offender is
the citizen or subject of a nation having
treaty relations with China he will be ex-
empt from Chinese law, but not otherwise
if his country has no such treaty relations,
for then he would be amenable to that law.

GOVERNMENT 271

If the shooter should be in the interior
when he offends and it is not convenient
to complain to his consular representative,
the Chinese authorities may bring him be-
fore such consular representative, but they
cannot arrest or punish him by any legal
process of their own. The shooter should
not hesitate to see his consul, and if he has
any doubt as to the justice of the demand
against him when made while in the in-
terior let him give the benefit of it against
himself, and go and put himself and his
interest in the hands of his consul.

The authority with which each consular
represntative is invested by the treaties is
the origin and foundation of the doctrine of
extra-territoriality as applied to China, and
although Chinese statesmen have of late
years complained of the injustice of this
doctrine the facts of history do not warrant
the complaint. Before western nations had
relations of any kind with China there were
foreigners residing within the empire who
were not subject to her laws. During the
eighth century Arab traders resided at
Canton, and with China's willing consent
governed themselves by their own laws. In

272 SHOOTING IN CHINA

his commentaries on the criminal law of
China, Alabaster maintains that the
Mohammedans have also long resided in
China as a distinct element of the popula-
tion and amenable only to a separate law as
administered by their own authorities. At
Macao, not far from the present island of
Hongkong, the Portuguese settled centuries
ago, and carried on trade subject, all the
time, to their own laws. And when the
Dutch, the Spaniards, the English and other
nationalities made their advent into China,
and were assigned trading places at Canton,
all were left to manage their own affairs
in their own way.

But, on July 3rd, 1844, China surrendered
in regular legal form the jurisdiction she
might have thought to have reserved over
all foreigners within the empire whose
nations were in treaty relations with her.
The treaty I specially refer to was that
made between China and the United States,
the latter country being represented by
Caleb Gushing. As this treaty has served as
a model for subsequent treaties I will copy
the words which directly applied to China
the doctrine of extra-territoriality. They

GOVERNMENT 273

are found in article XXI and are as
follows :

" Subjects of China, who may be guilty
of any criminal act towards citizens of the
United States, shall be arrested and punish-
ed by the Chinese authorities according to
the laws of China. And citizens of the
United States who may commit any crime
in China, shall be subject to be tried and
punished only by the consul, or other public
functionary of the United States thereto
authorized, according to the laws of the
United States. And in order to the pre-
vention of all controversy and disaffection,
justice shall be equitably and impartially
administered on both sides."

Four months later France made a treaty
with China in which was substantially
embodied the article above quoted from the
American treaty, and in 1858 it was literally
copied into the treaty entered into between
China and Great Britain. By virtue of the
" most favored nation clause," which ap-
peared in the subsequent treaties, entered
into by China with western nations, the
benefits of the article of the American
treaty have accrued to the latter. Certainly

274 SHOOTING IN CHINA

the United States is the first western nation
that negotiated a treaty with China in
which it was expressly stipulated that a
westerner, although residing in China,
should remain amenable only to the laws
of his own country.

And this principle in the American treaty
was not extorted from China, although
China has of late years contended that she
was forced to yield the principle. The fact
is, China's whole history proves that she
has, at all times, acted upon the policy not
to interfere with the person or property of
foreigners, and adhering so blindly to this
policy she entered into the treaties referred
to without due consideration of the far-
reaching influence of the principle to which
she then so readily subscribed.

But western nations would not have
allowed China jurisdiction over the lives
and property of their citizens or subjects.
In many respects the law of China was just,
but the way in which it was and is still
administered is neither just nor humane, and
the principle of extra-territoriality should
be maintained against China, until she
reforms her judicial s)-stem by the standard
of enlightened jurisprudence and humanity.

GOVERNMENT 375

As stated, the citizens or subjects of the
nations having treaty relations with China
and who reside in the empire, or who may
offend while sojourning therein, are only
amenable to the laws of their respective
nations, and must be proceeded against
before their own representatives in China
in strict accordance with the laws of their
own countries. And because of this fact
the foreigner in China should be more
considerate of the laws and customs of the
Empire.

NOTES BY AN OLD SPORTSMAN

CHAPTER XI.

NOTES BY AN OLD SPORTSMAN.

As I was anxious to conclude these papers
with a reminiscence of the early years when
the westerner shot in China I turned to my
friend H. T. Wade, who was an early day
sportsman and one of the best informed on
the subject, for the information desired, and
he has very kindly given me the following
interesting notes :

The looking up of old sporting records
is at best but a sad and sorry occupation for
so many of the participators in the sporting
incidents of earlier years have long since
passed over into the dark, lone land. Yet
a few notes from a diary kepi with some
regularity for the past forty years may,
perchance, still possess some little interest
for the enthusiast of to-day.

I remember my first shooting trip in
China as clearly and distinctly as if it were
but an event of yesterday. It was in
December 1866, a few days after my arrival
in Shanghai. Our party consisted of three
guns, and our houseboat, comfortable, nay
even luxurious as we considered in those

280 SHOOTING IN CHINA

days, would have been laughed to scorn at
the present time. There was no stove in the
boat, and our washstand was but a pewter
basin dumped down upon the deck. Fagged
out after a hard day's tramp our first care
was to pump out our muzzle-loading guns
with ice cold water, a very dirty operation ;
and the second to clean ourselves, also in
cold water, before getting into our thick
flannel dressing gowns and drawing on our
skin-lined mandarin boots. Kashing, I
remember, was our centre of operations, all
amongst the ruins around the city walls,
before the tens of thousands of tons of
rubble were thought of for macadamizing
the roads of the Settlement of Shanghai.
It snowed hard during the week of our
short trip, and the innumerable ponds were
alive with wild fowl on such ice free water
as could be found. There was nothing very
remarkable about our sport for our bag
rarely exceeded double figures per gun per
day, but there was a keenness, an enthusiasm,
a je ne sais qnoi about the outing which, I
take it, scarcely exist to-day. Perhaps I
may explain what keenness meant. I had
just arrived from home with no shooting
boots, of course, but only some half dozen

NOTES BY AN OLD SPORTSMAN 281

pairs of ordinary walking boots. Long
before our week's holiday was up not a
single pair of my boots could boast of a
sole. The binding snow and the sticky
mud, when the thaw came, left me minus
of all but the uppers.

Two shooting trips memorable from the
aquatic incidents of each come vividly
before me.

In the winter of 1867 I started off on the
Grand Tour which, at that time, included
visits to Kashing, Soochow and the Nadoo
country. My companion was Mr. George
Butler, who is still alive and here to con-
firm the story. Our trip was to be an affair
of three weeks at least. The boat was
well stocked, and off we started at 8 o'clock
one morning, a strong northeasterly wind
driving up the spring flood tide. No
sooner were we under weigh than an
examination of our shooting paraphernalia
took place, when to our early and intense
disgust it was discovered that my comrade
had come away minus his cartridges. There
was no help for it but to tie up the boat on
the Pootung side of the river opposite to the
French Concession, cross the racing stream

282 SHOOTING IN CHINA

in a very uncertain sampan, and make our
way to Mackenzie's store where we had to
wait until 400 cartridges were loaded,
which took a longer time in those inexpert
days than would be required now. By the
time we got back to our boat the tide had
turned, and nilly willy we had to remain at
anchor until that night. The loss of a day
in a three weeks' trip does not appear much
in these more philosophical times, but then
it seemed an eternity. Nothing unusual
occured during the trip until we arrived at
E-Shing. As evening drew on we saw our
masthead light at no great distance. Butler
made straight for it, while I making a
longer and circuitous route found finally
that a broad bridgeless creek cut me off
from our craft. It was now quite dark ; no
native boats were about, and it became a
question of seeking the shelter of a native
hut or breasting the water. There was I
with four brace of pheasants slung over one
shoulder, my cartridge bag over the other,
and my gun. There was not much time
for reflection and an icy cold swim was the
result. And when I landed in the dark
how heavy everything was, pound weights
seemed to be hundred weights. However,

NOTES BY AN OLD SPORTSMAN 283

an end comes to all things and a half hour's
trudge found me in the enjoyment of that
comfort which only a houseboat grants. It
goes without saying that I should hesitate
to repeat such foolhardiness to-day.

Shooting not long ago to the north of the
Mowsan, a high range of hills a few miles
distant from the city of Kiulang, I happened
to strike a small strip of country unusually
favoured with water considering the
droughtiness of the season. Where water
was there were pheasants. I had made a
good bag, eight brace during the morning,
and things were going along nicely enough
until put a stop to by an untoward incident.
I had dropped a cock pheasant across a
creek into the open plough, and my dog
went after it. On his attempting to scram-
ble up the precipitous bank, a native dog,
showing an enviable set of ivories, put so
much fear into him that my animal was
compelled to give up the quest and return
to me. A couple of natives saw my pre-
dicament and offered to punt me across.
On landing the native dog, a mighty fine
specimen of his kind, again began to worry
my pointer, but a luckily directed " half-
brick " diverted his attention for a time.

284 SHOOTING IN CHINA

Freed from his annoyer my dog began work-
ing out the scent of the bird which by this
time had gained the shelter of a small strip
of reeds, but no sooner had he entered the
cover than the wonk attacked him in the
rear, biting through his foot and rendering
my favourite useless for three whole days.
And he then began to savage him in that
way for which native dogs have an un-
enviable notoriety. By this time half a
dozen reed cutters came upon the scene. I
begged of them to get their dog away, but
either they did not or would not under-
stand me, but seemed to enjoy the situation
immensely. And there was I with the
prospect of a ruined trip before me, a
maimed dog and no possibility of redress. So
after giving them a fair warning, in order
to save my own dog I had no recourse but
to sacrifice theirs. Now the music began
in earnest. I had killed tne best dog in
China, and they swore by all their nine
gods that they would do both for me and
my belongings. My situation was — well,
to say the least — awkward, for their busi-
ness like sickles were horribly ugly looking,
and I found to my horror that I was upon
an island. There was no time for delay so

NOTES BY AN OLD SPORTSMAN 285

I gradually made my way to the punt. But
here again another trouble arose for the
punt evidently was family owned, and the
craft was being rapidly shoved out into a
wide lagoon. Again addressing them in
language, more forcible I fear than polite,
I shouldered my gun butt upwards, walked
into the water, and swam the 40 feet of
creek. The dervishes were dumb for a
moment, then calling for the punt, they
made a rush to get into her simultaneously,
with the result that she turned turtle, and
it was some minutes before she had been
baled out and was ready for use, when to
my joy prudence had enjoined them to
cross over two at a time. This, of course,
gave me a chance to "get" and I got, but
a keen north west win in my face, my
garments almost freezing on me, and no
hope of a change until a three mile walk had
been accomplished was not the pleasantest
of experiences. Well, the long and short
of it was, that I finally got out of an ugly
mess, and I still wonder what anyone else
could have done under the circumstances.
It seemed a cruel thing to shoot the native
dog. But I had no alternative if I would
save my own.

286 SHOOTING IN CHINA

Arguments as to the weights of different
kinds of game only too often arise, that of
snipes in particular. The largest snipe I
ever saw was shot by the late Wm. Cooper
near the Three Water during the eighties.
He brought it on board my boat, and
weighed on a little scale I happened to have
with me, 8^ ounces. It was a Swinhoe.
I have seen a few birds since which drew 8
ounces, but I do not know that a heavier
than the above mentioned bird has ever
been shot.

Woodcocks sometimes run to a great
weight. Veisch, of the Hongkong Bank
once shot a cock that weighed rather over
1 8 ounces, while I myself once accounted
for a woodcock shot on the Bubbling Well
Road, close to the Race Course which the
day after being killed weighed 16 ounces.
The presumption is that ij weighed more
than this when freshly shot.

Of the prolificness of the common river
deer there are many instances. One in-
stance I specially remember. The deer was
shot by Mr. Wm. Cooper, and on being
opened by Dr. Henderson and myself the
uterus was found to contain seven embryos.

NOTES BY AN OLD SPORTSMAN 287

Four and five young at a birth are not at
all uncommon occurrences.

A very extraordinary thing happened
when I was shooting with the late Mr.
Walter Phipps. We were working down
the banks of a creek, one on each side, not
far from Changchow on the Grand Canal.
My dog put up a hare which made for a
small stone bridge which crossed the creek.
Phipps' dog happened to be at the other
side of the bridge. Puss was so terrified
that she made a mad jump right into the
jaws of my companion's dog, a big black
retriever.

There must be a very strong and attrac-
tive scent about hedgehogs. Once when
near the Four Waters on the Soochow
Creek, a spaniel I had brought me in rapid
succession from amongst some old coffin
and decayed timber seven tightly rolled
hogs. The artistic manner in which the
dog first tackled the quills and then tenderly
carried the animal was a sight worth re-
membering.

The same dog once brought me four
leverets from the same nest, which I only
discovered by following the animal return-
ing for more, where was yet a fifth. It is

288 SHOOTING IN CHINA

needless to say that my companion, Mr.
Simpson of the Old Dock and I carefully
conveyed the helpless little ones in our
handkerchiefs back to their home.

That weasels, the little red Siberian
weasels, are very prolific all over North
China is common knowledge, but few peo-
ple are aware that export of their skins, as
can be seen in the Customs returns, amounts
to millions in the course of a year. Very
ingenious too, are their many modes of
capturing vermin, but the commonest and
most fatal is by means of the old fashioned
Springe. In 1890 at the mouth of the
Pejoo creek we were witnesses (Tripp,
McKie, Stewart and Orman) of a successful
night's work. The occupants of three
small boats were skinning, as fast as deft
fingers could do the work, the previous
night's catch of weasels. A cross slit over
the nose enabled the operators to get their
fingers inside the skin which they drew
back over the body inside out merely chop-
ping off the obstructions caused by the legs.
The carcases, valuable as food, were offered
for sale in the Pejao market, while the feet,
fry and tails were were put aside as tit-bits
to be enjoyed with their well-earned rice.

NOTES BY AN OLD SPORTSMAN 289

We estimated that we saw at least fifty
animals thus treated. The pelts were taken
into the city whence with thousands more
they were shipped down to be cured in
Shanghai. There is no doubt but that
these weasels cause sad havoc in the native
farmyard, and that these trappers make a
good livelihood.

I was shooting with my friend Simpson
of the Old Dock on the Grand Canal about
15 miles S. W. of Kashing. The morn-
ing was all that could be desired by
the ardent sport, and the country which
already looked inviting looked doubly
so when a brace of woodcocks gave us
a sample of their quality. I dropped
one as he was disappearing behind the
angle of a copse, when suddenly I heard a
cry of anguish far away to my right. On
proceeding to the spot whence came the cry
a native came towards me with his face
well smirched with blood. On examination
I found that a spent shot had cut the skin
on the bridge of his nose. After staunch-
ing the blood-flow with a bit of cotton wool
I offered him some small silver which to
my surprise he refused as the affair, so he
said, was pure accident. Considering the

29O SHOOTING IN CHINA

incident at an end I was hastening to rejoin
my companion when appeared in the scene
Madame, the countryman's wife. She
proved to be "an impossible," and after
opening the flood-gates of her wrath and
vilifying me in the choicest Billingsgate
accentuated her words with blows laid on
with no light hand. Then appeared upon
the scene, from the most impossible places,
such a crowd as only China apparently can
summon at call. And in a moment I found
myself being belaboured by old women and
children, and by arms round my neck and
legs which held me a tight prisoner. A few
words from my dog coolie, who probably
told them that I was a much bigger person-
age than they imagined or that I really
was, brought about a palaver with the
result that I was to go with some of the
elders to the Mandarin who lived some dis-
tance off, and that my coolie with my gun
were to be detained as bait until my return.
I had not proceeded far when second
thought on my escort's part prevailed, and
I was locked up in a Joss house four hours
until they had arrived at some definite
conclusion as to what should be done
with me. These four hours seemed an

NOTES BY AN OLD SPORTSMAN 29!

intolerably long time, for they were the
four best hours of a really fine shooting day.
However, an end comes to all things as
it did to my incarceration, and I was not
sorry when a self-elected party of six hefty
countrymen said that they would accom-
pany me back to my boat. Meantime coolie
and gun remained unreleased. After a
tramp of 16 li — five miles or so— to my great
joy I discovered that my boat was anchored
quite close to a gunboat. I immediately
sent my boy armed with my card and pass-
port and an explanation of the affair. The
passport appeared to act like magic, for the
captain of the gunboat, redolent of a recent
pipe of opium, quickly donned his uniform,
and made a company of his crew row him
back to the scene of the trouble. What took
place there I shall never know, but in a
couple of hours time gun and coolie were
restored to me. The Captain explained to
me that the matter was of no importance
and that he had sealed it by the promise of
a dollar to the wounded man. I gave him
a couple of Mexicans which, doubtless, the
cripple never saw.

On my return to Shanghai I laid the
particulars of this incident before my Consul

292 SHOOTING IN CHINA

who must have brought the gunboat's
captain's claims to recognition by the local
officials, for when a year later I was in the
Kashing district, the man called upon me
in my boat and told me that he had good
promotion in consequence of the assistance
he had rendered me, at which news I was
glad indeed.

It is not often that one gets deserted by
one's coolies when up country. Only twice
have I been in this predicament. In 1897
I was away with a friend in his houseboat.
His laodah was a bad one and the crew, on
this occasion, a superlatively miserable lot.
Our trip never extended beyond the fifty
mile radius and yet we got left in the lurch.
We were in the Nakong creek. The laodah
came into the cabin to inform us that we
proceed no further as there was not sufficient
water. To prove to him that there was
water and to spare my companion and I,
with the assistance of the boy and the cook,
poled the boat some 10 /z, when we landed
for a short shoot. On our return at dusk
we were told that the crew had " levanted,"
and as we could get no assistance until we
reached Nakong village, we tracked the
boat ourselves in a blinding sleet storm. If

NOTES BY AN OLD SPORTSMAN 293

one would know what discomfort and hard
work are he should try tracking a boat on
a slippery path, in the dark, in pitiless rain.
The next morning we discovered our crew
in a tea shop in Nakong. On our paying
for their night's lodging they promised to
resume work. Joyfully we started out on
our shoot but ruefully returned when the
boy came into the country to tell us that
the crew had again decamped. Nothing
daunted we poled and tracked the boat to
the next village which we reached at 10
o'clock at night where we found every one
asleep. Our knocks at the door of one poor
hut brought out a couple of villagers who
said they would help us as far as Taitsan,
8 miles distant, which they did for a couple
of dollars, and at which pay they grumbled.
At Taitsan we solicited the assistance of a
gunboat, assistance which was granted to
us in the persons of four townsmen who
apparently had never been in a boat before.
By slow degrees we reached Shanghai,
where the matter was reported to the
police, from whom the promise was exacted
that they would "look into it."

This occurred eleven years ago, and not
having heard anything from them since I

294 SHOOTING IN CHINA

take it that they are still "looking into it."
Seriously, it is very awkward even for those
who best know the country ropes to be left
stranded.

In the " Sportsman's Diary for Shooting
Trips in North China " by Francis A.
Groom, I find some well considered hints as
to how the shooter should proceed when a
disturbance is likely to ensue, and as the
hints are as useful now as when written by
Mr. Groom many years ago they merit
reproduction as an instructive conclusion
to the above notes :

A sportsman, when up-conntry, is liable
to get into trouble in more ways than one.
The most common occasions of collision
with the natives are :

A hostile propensity on their own part.

An accidental injury to one of their
number.

Abuse or ill-usage of the people by the
sportsman's own boat's crew.

In each of these cases, a little discretion
and care will invariably avert ill conse-
quences ; whereas rashness or impatience
may bring about the most unfortunate, and
even fatal results. It is difficult to lay

NOTES BY AN OLD SPORTSMAN 295

down specific rules where circumstances
must to a great extent influence individual
action, but the following hints will perhaps
prove useful as a general guide on occasions
of the kind.

Hostility on the part of the Natives. —
Sportsmen in this or neighbouring pro-
vinces will seldom come across a town
or village in which the population itself
will be found positively hostile. But
they are liable everywhere to meet with
disbanded soldiers, braves, and unemployed
rowdies, and these men are very apt to
incite the mob to be aggressive and trouble-
some. A good general rule is to avoid
loitering about large villages altogether.
But at times even the smallest populations,
as for instance, those of the Ta-sze-jao dis-
trict, will contain an element of hostility
traceable more or less to the presence or
influence of such men.

The wisest course a sportsman can pursue
when he observes signs of an uneasy or
angry feeling, is to make the best of his
way out of the vicinity, even at the hazard
of a few brickbats being sent after him.
But this is not always practicable, and a
useful alternative is to distract attention

296 SHOOTING IN CHINA

for the moment by taking notice of a child,
giving it a small coin, or a handful of shot,
or by presenting a bird or two out of the
bag to an old woman, or even by firing at
any bird that may perchance be flying over
head.

If the crowd prove very aggressive, and
there is nothing for it but a fight, the best
plan is to go into a shop or farm house, the
more respectable the better, and leave the
inmates to deal with the mob whilst an
escape is attempted through the back
premises. At the same time as bold and
fearless a front as possible must be main-
tained short of acting actually on the
offensive.

Violence of any kind will be found a
mistake, for numbers must tell in the long
run, and the game is not worth the candle.
Where a mandarin's poles are anywhere in
view, it is not a bad plan to make for them
sharp, and if possible, to get hold of the
mandarin himself by pushing into his
inner rooms, for he will never show himself
otherwise.

Another common cause of annoyance is
the grabbing by the country people of
game as it falls, and running away with it

NOTES BY AN OLD SPORTSMAN 297

before the sportsman can pick it up. This
is best met by prompt action. A sharp
blow with the side of the hand on the wrist
of the thief, whilst you grasp the game with
the other, will be found very effective in
inducing a relinquishment of the stolen
property.

Accidental Wounding — This is a mis-
fortune to which the most careful and
experienced shot is at times liable, for
country people will lie perdu in the most
unlikely spots, jumping up at the very
moment the trigger is pulled, and children
also have a bad habit of following in the
wake of the guns, to pick up castaway
cartridges for the sake of the copper
capsules.

When a native is wounded the difficulty
should be boldly faced, and an immediate
endeavour made to ease the hurt, and to
make compensation by an offer of money.
Should the parties seem inclined to be
extortionate, persuade them if possible to
adjourn to the boats and talk it over — or to
repair to the nearest tepao or mandarin and
have the difficulty formally adjusted. Noise
and bluster should be met by distinct refusal

298 SHOOTING IN CHINA

to do anything ; should a row unfortunately
ensue, remain as quiet as possible, and
rather give up your arms or submit to be
taken prisoner than offer resistance. A case
happened last year where some sportsmen
who were unaccompanied by Chinese, and
could not speak a word of the language,
adopted this last course, they were carried
before a mandarin, who at once estimated
the damage done at $20. — , allowed them
their freedom, and returned their guns to
them on their promising to send the money
to him after their arrival at Shanghai.
This occurred near Ta-sze-jao, the most
troublesome district in the province.

Ill-usage of the Natives by one's own
Boatmen. — This is a fruitful occasion of
offence to the people, the boatmen being
always only too ready to rely on the
presence of foreigners to steal vegetables,
fruit, fuel, or any other articles that
come convenient, and even to rail at and
bully other boat people, whom they meet
on the canals. The remedy is simple,
and a preventative has been suggested
elsewhere. The sportsman should be
most stringent in enforcing his prohibition
against such malpractices.

NOTES BY AN OLD SPORTSMAN 299

In connection with the above hints, ifc
would seem almost superfluous to suggest
the necessity of great caution on the part
of the sportsman himself in refraining from
annoying the natives in any way ; crops
should be respected as far as possible ; traps
for game left standing, and dogs and cats
should not be molested, even when found
poaching. The people as a rule are so well
inclined, that a sportsman can very well
afford to forego his mischievous, or even
reasonable tendencies, rather than destroy
the entente cordiale which it is so much to
every one's interest to maintain intact.

VOCABULARY

CHAPTER XII.

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flE

CHINA IN LAW AND COMMERCE.
BY T. R. JERNIGAN.

PRESS OPINIONS.

CHINA IN LAW AND COMMERCE.

BY T. R. JERNIGAN.

PRESS OPINIONS.

In addition to his honorable record in the consular
service of the United States Mr. Jernigan has placed
English reading people under further obligation by
issuing what is probably the best single volume for
all who have practical relations or business with the
Chinese . . . We know of no book that enables one
to see as clearly those differences in the great Chinese
mass which have been wrought by the physical
influences operating through thousands of years.

THE NATION.

It is refreshing, after having read the many recently
published interpretations and attempted interpreta-
tions of Oriental life and character, to turn to so
practical a work as this of Mr. Jernigan .... The
inquiry is historical rather than physological, but
the result is an exposition of Far Eastern methods
of thought and conduct that is far more illuminating
to the Occidental mind than most, if not any, of the
fine array of volumes devoted to the minute dissection
of Oriental motives and mental attitudes.

NEW YORK TRIBUNE.

The book is packed with concise and practical and
important information. We have rarely come across
one that could instruct better in the ways of a strange
civilization those who are willing to learn.

NEW YORK SUN.

310 PRESS OPINIONS

It is pleasant to be able to record that success has
attended Mr. Jernigan's efforts, and that from his
pages one may glean not merely knowledge of the
political and commercial life of the country, but a
better understanding of the Oriental mind.

THE OUTLOOK.

In this admirable work Mr. Jernigan, who has long
held a high position in the United States Consular
service in China, has contributed a volume which will
be indispensable to every student of the civilization of
the Far East.

INDEPENDENT.

The book shows throughout an intimate knowledge
either of the facts themselves or of authoritative
sources of information, and where it ventures on
hitherto unexplored paths seems to deserve confident
acceptance.

THE CHURCHMAN.

Mr. Jernigan gives us as much information as can
well be given in the same space ; but his book is no
mere collection of facts. The Chinaman's point of
view and the Chinaman's character are so well shown
that his customs and laws do not seem strange.
CHRISTIAN ADVOCATE.

Careful study has been given to the subject by Mr.
Jernigan and has resulted well as a valuable work.
NEW YOPK HERALD.

This book has the merit of treating within a single
pair of covers matter that has hitherto been scattered
through a dozen or more volumes .... We have
confidence in the accuracy of the work and Mr.
Jernigan has used the material from other writers as

PRESS OPINIONS

the authors themselves intended it to be used and
there is no twisting of data to suit the purposes of
the author .... We class this book as giving a
very fair idea of China and its inhabitants and as
worthy of close study.

BALTIMORE SUN.

Altogether this volume is filled with matter
interesting both to the general reader and to the
scholar, is written by a thoughtful student on the
ground and will put money into the pockets of
American manufacturers if they will heed its precepts.
SOUTHERN HISTORICAL SOCIETY.

There is a great deal that is valuable in Mr.
Jernigan's book and his statements are accurate.

ATHENEUM.

The book as a whole is highly recommended as that
of a keen and thoughtful observer, who is a com-
mercial man first, and a politician and philanthropist
after.

SCOTSMAN.

It is an unpretentious book containing a large
amount of well-selected and well-arranged informa-
tion.

SPECTATOR.

The information furnished us by Mr. Jernigan in
this book is of the solid and serious sort, and his
plain, straightforward, businesslike style, the ease
with which he handles details, his moderation, candor
and fairness inspire confidence at once. Not only to
the merchant who has business dealings with China,
to the tourist proposing to visit China, to the mission-
ary making the Middle Kingdom his home will this
book be of service ; it will answer for us all a thousand
questions suggested by current discussions of affairs in

312 PRESS OPINIONS

the Far East, and clear up as well some stubborn
occidental misapprehensions concerning a country of
which we talk so much and know so little.

STANDARD.

Mr. Jernigan is an American, who dates from
Shanghai, and he is evidently thoroxighly well in-
formed on his subjects. His book is a treasury of
valuable facts as to the laws and constitution of
China and the social conditions of the Chinese.

WESTMINSTER GAZETTE.

In view of the approaching era of commercial and
industrial development in China, and the obstacles
presented by the Chinese language to those who
desire to obtain a knowledge regarding Chinese law
and commercial practice at first hand, this book is
both exceptionally timely and valuable.

DUN'S INTERNATIONAL, REVIEW.

The thing essential in compiling a book of this
kind is sympathetic perception, and Mr. Jernigan has
evidently cultivated this faculty during his residence
in China with no little success.

LONDON TIMES.

The work1 is an excellent presentation of the
whole Chinese system in clear and plain statement
and is a work alike interesting and valuable for the
information which it affords.

ST. JOHN GLOBE.

The general reader will welcome the present
volume, seeing that it deals largely with those
facts regarding China which undergo little change,
and which are from their very nature least susceptible
to foreign influences.

LONDON AND CHINA TELEGRAPH.

PRESS OPINIONS 313

This book is well calculated to stimulate interest
in the vast, undeveloped resources of China. In all
the chapters the author takes pains to set the Chinese
point of view clearly before the western reader.
MANCHESTER GUARDIAN.

Mr. Jernigan has given us a very useful book on
many substantial subjects intimately connected with

Chinese history.

THE ECONOMIST.

A thorough study of the legal and commercial
relations of China and the Chinese people with the
rest of the world, and an analysis of the legal and
commercial aspects of life in the Celestial Empire, is
presented by Mr. T. R. Jernigan in a scholarly
volume entitled "China In Law and Commerce."
REVIEW OF REVIEWS.

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