The water at Canton is of a very distinctive character, as was made apparent to me one day when painting a picturesque group of buildings, a Lekin Station, from across Defence Creek. An elderly Chinese came along and was much interested in my work, looking at it from the back and each side, and attempting to feel it with a long finger-nail. He ultimately asked me what I was painting it with ; and as I did not at once reply, he picked one of my brushes out of the water-ball, and putting it to his nose smelt it and said, " Ah ! blong all same Canton water." My first nights here were somewhat disturbed by the weird noises which came from the Native City, it being just after China New Year—the queer sound of a native pipe, the booming of a drum, or tom-tom, and the calls of the watch on our own side ; all added to the busy activity of mosquitoes buzzing round my net, and occa sionally making their way in. I felt I was in a country such as there is not elsewhere to be found.
I had a look at the little Macao Fort, which was stormed and taken by the British in past times ; it seems but a poor little place now.
I went on a launch one day with a young friend some distance up river above Canton, landing at a small village, which I thought might yield artistic tribute ; we were immediately surrounded by the villagers, who probably did not often see foreigners. After making our way through various temples, of no particular distinction, and going through a doorway in the wall, we came on a quaint little village street, quite narrow and lined with stalls and shops, and full of brilliant colour. I at once
resolved to get a sketch of it, and took my position in a corner, under a wall and slightly raised ; the crowd increased, and so did the noise, and when I was seen to open my colour-box it became in that crowd a case of " might was right." They fought and pushed and pulled to get a front place ; the noise was deafening, but I sat there solidly for two hours, with my friend by my side trying to keep them from quite overwhelming me. Then I gave in and made a move to go, but was given to under stand that they wanted to see what I had done ; so my sketch was passed round and carefully examined, and then handed back to me, many of the elders bowing graciously to signify their approval ; and we returned to our boat escorted by the whole population. My friend remarked that, if they had known in time, they would probably have arranged things better and sold the front places to the highest bidder.
On the rivers around Canton are many " duckeries." An old junk, with wood platforms projecting out and afloat on the water, forms the house of the duck-keeper and his family, and of the ducks, which are bred in large numbers ; they live on the river in this manner, and are partly fed there, but also are put ashore at suitable places for feeding, and are like a regiment of soldiers under command of an officer. The duck-keeper directs opera tions with a long slender pole. I have eaten Chinese duck, but I do not wish for any more.