It

I take to be cigars, which they are allowed
to smoke as often as they choose. They
all start fairly together, each with his piece
of work before him to be conscientiously
carried through. One stops to light his cigar,
and begins again exactly where he left off.
Another, who perhaps labours with the same
zeal at a wind instrument, falls still further
behind because he must stop to smoke his
tobacco as well as to light it. As they are
all fond of the weed it does not take long to
account for the very worst general results, while
each man, no doubt, feels that he is doing his
duty by his employer if not by his neighbour.
The acting itself is a mixture of pantomime,
opera bouffe, tumbling and juggling.
are no actresses, and the prima donnas are
very well disguised young men. The absence
of women from the stage may be an excuse
for the grossness of the amatory scenes.
What is concealed from the jealous lover is
often confidentially revealed to the audience.
The natal hour is indicated by practical ob-
stetrics, and the introduction of the sage-
femme upon the stage. Would the admirers
of "The Black Crook," or "Babil and
Bijou" like to see their darling spectacles
carried so far? The actors are continually

There

between these doors, is the orchestra. is a considerate and merciful arrangement to place even the actors between the music and the audience, for it somewhat softens the melody, and thus must prevent many strangers from going mad on the spot. To enumerate the instruments of auricular torture that are wielded with such appalling effect is not to be accomplished in the English or any other tongue, living or dead. They were wind, string and metal. I have no sort of doubt that there were sackbuts and tabors, psalteries and fifes, shawms, and even hautboys, among them. I had my eye on a fellow who was doing his best to sound the loud timbrel. Bones, jews'harps and fire crackers mingled with shrill pipes, sounding brass and tinkling cymbals. To swell this unearthly diapason of discords, which never ceased for more than five minutes together during the evening, the cracked and squeaking voices of the actors were often added in an attempt at operatic singing. The musical effect of this addition was like driving an alarmed flock of geese among a terrified covey of guinea hens. To account for so extraordinary an absence of even accidental or occasional harmony I formed a theory, which I submit as a fair and reason-making direct appeals or exhortations to the able solution of the difficulty. I assume pit, where John sits quietly smoking with his that each performer had thoroughly mastered hat on, cheering never, but laughing often. the programme for the evening. If there be one remarkable quality in which John excels, it is his power of repeating accurately what he has once learned; and his weakest point is a great difficulty in adapting himself to new circumstances as they arise. To illustrate this a story is told in Victoria of a lady who instructed her Chinese cook how to make a pudding. After having broken and used two eggs for the purpose, the third was rejected "on its merits." The cook learned to make many an excellent pudding, but it was one day discoverd that he still rejected every third egg that was broken, no matter how fresh or how dear they were! Well, the disturbing element in the orchestra

:

The Seven Dials, of London, and the Five Points, of New York, had struck me as good places to visit-with an escort; but they become insignificant by comparison with the Chinese thieves' quarter in San Francisco. My guide was indeed at home there. As if to assert his authority he at times incontinently grabbed some passing Chinaman, and after thrusting his arm up under the tunic of the submissive Asiatic to search for stolen goods, gave him a shake, and a blessing, and let him go. The central glory of this heathen Gomorrah is a square courtyard, with dens, where the wretches burrow, on four sides. No Black Hole of Calcutta, no Atlantic steamship

ance.

experienced by the police in the management of the Chinese. They require a strong hand and a "stiff upper lip" to keep them in order. He said that some years ago he went with another police officer to arrest a man on the stage at the theatre. When he step

comrade saw the man who fired, and shot him dead. The pit rose against them, they sounded an alarm, and held their own till the arrival of a dozen men of the force to their aid. I was told, and fully believe, that the police remained there until they had knocked down or driven out every Chinaman originally in the building. From that time forth detective W. has never received, nor has he had occasion to administer such treatment. In case of having to arrest more than one prisoner, he simply ties their pigtails together and marches them to the cells, driving them before him two deep through the most populous parts of Chinatown.

steerage hold, could be more densely packed. They sprawled and smoked on shelves reaching up to the very ceiling on both sides of "seven by nine" rooms. Their cooking was going on in pots and pans over fires built on the floor of the courtyard. Here it was the old story of the restaurant over again-ped up he was fired at from the pit. His grease and nut-oil, nut-oil and grease-yet for all that the courtyard itself and the outer walls presented a comparatively clean appearThe detective took credit to himself for this, as he insisted for sanitary reasons upon having a hose, with a large nozzle, turned on every day. I had the honour of being presented to the Chinese landlord of the courtyard. He possessed the most diabolical countenance, aggravated, poor devil, by having had one cheek blown off in a gas explosion. He politely offered me permission to touch the scar, and since I was going in for tasting all the horrors, I did so. I can only remark that an extreme effort was required to prevent me from a nervous start. The sensation will be understood by those who have reflected profoundly upon what Trinculo must have felt when he crawled under Caliban's gaberdine and came in contact with that moon-calf. It is possible that the Veiled Prophet of Khorassan may have felt it necessary to conceal his countenance to preserve his influence, but I am not without a suspicion that this worthy landlord exposed his from the same motive. We read that to strike terror into their enemies the Chinese warriors wear hideous masks, and may not his tenants, the chicken thieves and forgers, have been forcibly impressed with the additional claims to his rent established by this man's fiendish face?

It is probable that every one of the Ten Commandments, except perhaps the sixth, is violated by each of these fellows once a week. Gambling, forgery, embezzlement, and stabbing may not be technically mentioned in the decalogue, yet they are also practised with equal regularity. At first, my detective told me, great difficulty was

A heathen temple in the midst of American civilization is startling. We worship Mammon and the Rising Sun all over the continent, but try to disguise our idolatry by euphemisms. John Chinaman seeks no disguise, but sets up a solid piece of carved and gilded wood, calls it his god, and worships it honestly. North America may be considered evenly balanced in its production of moral phenomena. In the east are the Free Lovers, in the centre the Mormons, and the west contains the old-time image worshippers. Of an afternoon in May I found myself climbing the stairs of a three-story brick building in Chinatown, to view the fane of a bona fide heathen god. A large room, occupying the whole of the third flat, is dedicated to this worship, and is called in English a Joss House. About the door several Chinamen were lounging in ordinary dress, and a few were loafing through the room with hats on, of course, and with no apparent feeling of awe or veneration, but examining the finery with much curiosity. An aromatic odour of burning incense filled the air, and

ing among countless millions of his fellow human creatures.

The restricted space of a magazine article does not admit of saying more about John's many peculiarities as a citizen, labourer, gardener, mechanic, cook, housemaid, maidof-all-work, miner, navvy, clerk or merchant. He tries his hand at everything, and can do everything fairly well. Although we have a couple of thousand Chinese in our Pacific Province, the "heathen Chinee" problem need not cause Canadians any uneasiness. In British Columbia John is well treated, and most useful. Like the aborigines of the continent, he detests the Americans, while he manifests all the respect of which his nature is capable for British subjects. The Chinamen call our neighbours "Melican mans," and some of them have gotten hold of the strange notion that the "Melican mans," and not the Jews, are responsible for having crucified Christ. They are delighted at this or any excuse for holding an American up to the scorn of other Christians, and, as they are profoundly ignorant of the history of all His outside barbarians, they are not staggered by the trifling anachronism which such an accusation involves.

came from some scores of little tapers, or
rather slow fuses, that were stuck into urns
and allowed to smoulder in front of the idol.
In this manner John worships on a cheap
and vicarious system. Instead of remaining
to occupy his valuable time in prayer, he
lights one of his tapers and gratifies his di-
vinity by leaving it to emit fragrant smoke
for his nostrils. He, after all, goes much upon
the same principle as the man of business
who lies and cheats for money, and balances
his heavenly account by large cheques to re-
ligious objects. To feel that he has legalized
a long swindle of half a million by building
a church with a tithe of it, must be the same
sensation as that of making a remarkably
good bargain out of Providence which no
doubt John feels when he sets fire to his
sweet-smelling slow match before his god.
This god of his is a gorgeous creature. The
face is not that of a Tartar; it is rather
Caucasian than Mongolian, and is decora-
ted with a moustache and pointed beard.
The expression of his countenance, if stupid,
is placid and benign; and he is resplendent
in a body glittering with rich gilding.
devotees have also placed before him for
his enjoyment, cups of tea kept hot by lamps.
Perhaps a legendary deluge is symbolized
by the carved and gilt ship forming a pro-
minent feature in the shrine. Can old Peor or
Baäl have looked like this when they more
than once proved too attractive to Israel?
I must confess that the contemplation of
this poor false god, in all his tinsel glory and
cheap finery, made me incline to laugh rather
than imbued me with the iconoclastic zeal
that should properly have developed itself
under the circumstances. The general effect
of the interior of the temple was red, blue
and gold.
Brilliant enough were the gaudy
screens and banners hanging from the walls
and roof to impose upon barbaric taste. No
visitor at San Francisco should fail to be di-
rected to one of these Joss Houses, for it
will give him a good illustration of the
childish and degrading superstition prevail-

The myriads who have already landed in San Francisco and spread themselves over the Pacific States are but the first ripple of the wave that may pour its Asiatic hordes upon the shores of North America. Africa has already sent her quota to the Atlantic States, and in some of them her dusky sons are dividing the supreme authority with the whites. So it may some day be Asia's turn in the west, when John has overcome his present objections to take upon himself American citizenship and to leave his carcase on American soil. Europe cannot hope to call this Northern Continent her sole heritage when her sons shall have exterminated the Red Man. The outpouring of humanity from Asia, the cradle of our race, went on for thousands of years until the overflow swept across the Atlantic and

THE KING OF THE MOUNTAINS.

D

(From the French of M. Edmond About.)

CHAPTER III.

HADGI-STAVROS.

(Continued.)

IMITRI set out on his return trip to Athens; the monk went back to his bees; and our new masters drove us into a path leading to the camp of their chief. Madame Simons at first obstinately refused to advance a step, but, on the brigands threatening to carry her, she was induced to proceed. Mary Anne was more astonished than alarmed. The brigands who had captured us had given proof of a certain amount of delicacy; they had searched no one, and had kept their hands off their prisoners. Instead of despoiling us they had required us to despoil ourselves; neither had they noticed that the ladies wore ear-rings, nor even requested them to take off their gloves. We were a great way off from those old stagers in Spain and Italy, who cut off a person's finger to obtain possession of a ring, or who pull off the lobe of the ear to secure a pearl or diamond. The whole misfortune to which we were reduced was the payment of ransom, and there was even a chance of our being released gratis. How was it to be supposed possible that Hadgi-Stavros would retain us with impunity at five miles distance from the capital, from the court, the Greek army, a battalion of his Britannic Majesty's, and an English guard-ship? So reasoned Mary Anne. Involuntarily my thoughts wandered to the story of the little girls from Mistra, and a feeling of sadness came over me; I feared, too, that Madame, Simons, with her patriotic obstinacy, would expose her daughter to danger, and deter

mined, therefore, to enlighten her as soon as possible on the dangers of our situation. We were walking in single file through a narrow path, and were separated from one another by our fierce travelling companions. The way seemed endless, and I inquired many times whether we would soon reach our journey's end.

Towards eleven o'clock a fierce barking apprised us of the vicinity of the camp. Ten or twelve enormous dogs, with hair like sheep's wool, flung themselves upon us, showing all their teeth. Our protectors received them with blows, and after hostilities had continued for about a quarter of an hour peace was made. These inhospitable monsters proved the advance guard of the King of the Mountains. They scent the gendarmerie as smugglers' dogs scent custom-house officials. But this is not all; their zeal is so great that they occasionally devour an inoffensive shepherd, a traveller who has lost his way, or even one of Hadgi-Stavros' companions. The king maintains them as the old sultans kept up their janizaries, in perpetual fear of being devoured.

The king's camp was a table-land of an area of about seven or eight hundred metres. It was in vain I sought thereon the tents of our conquerors; brigands are by no means Sybarites; and on the thirtieth of April they sleep in the open air. I saw neither heaped spoils nor treasures set forth, nor, in fact, any of those things one would expect to see at the headquarters of a band of robbers. Hadgi-Stavros causes all booty to be sold ; every man receives his share in money, and can employ it according to his fancy.