Soon after this a native policeman in quaint attire came by, and, pushing the crowd aside, carefully scrutinised the drawing I was doing. He marched off with an air of great importance, returned in a little while with a comrade, and both repeated the performance ; then after further conversa tion with my retainers they went away.
I went on quietly with my work, and soon found that when the crowd could see the picture growing, and that it portrayed the scene in front of them, they became highly interested. On my return, however, to the same spot next morning, I had hardly started to work when the guardians of the peace again made their appearance. Their leader this time had silver buttons, and was accompanied by his underlings, and it needed little observation to see that a crisis in my fortunes was at hand. Accordingly I put on my best expression and endeavoured to smile as sweetly as possible at them, and told my boy to do the same.
Mr. Silver-buttons approached me politely, the crowd readily making way for him. Looking at my work with a critical air, he made remarks which, of course, I could not in the least understand ; so I called my boy and asked him to take the gentleman aside so that he should not obstruct the view, and to talk to him as long as he liked. Once more I was left in peace to work on till my accustomed hour.
That night I said to my boy, " What thing in city, boy ?" He replied, " Policeman he say, you wanchee makee map in city, you wanchee one licence." A talk with my friends resulted in my return to the same spot next day, but accompanied by a gentleman with more knowledge of the Chinese than I then possessed. I had hardly begun work when a most important functionary, this time with gold buttons, arrived with Mr. Silver-buttons in attendance and many other satellites, and again the same performance was enacted.
My friend now took the field, and, drawing them to one side, a great discussion ensued. For two hours they kept up their discourse, while I worked on peacefully, smiling at my crowd, and taking care they should occasionally see what I was doing. I think it was quite a toss-up which group held the more important position. I wished the conversationalists to do so, and I think in this they succeeded. When I left the city that evening, it was with the knowledge that, if my work was to go on, I must obtain official permission from the city authorities. My doubts as to the possibility of this
were soon set at rest by a letter kindly written by an influential Chinese gentleman to the city officials, to whose bureau I made my way. I was most politely received, and conducted from seat to seat, and :from room to room, until ushered into the presence of the chief man himself. After much discussion between him and my interpreter I was informed to my great satisfaction that I could sketch where I wished, on condition I informed the police in what part of the city I wished to work, so that they might send a guard for my protection. Such attention I had not expected, and my grateful thanks are due to the authorities for looking after me so well.
Meantime I had the covering of my chair altered, replacing the white by a less-noticeable dark blue. I then had it moved to a fresh place, in the New Maloo, just outside a large china shop, the owner of which began to remonstrate with my boy when he saw the crowd gathering round, thinking no doubt that his business would be likely to suffer. At that moment my guard of police arrived on the scene, and my boy informed them of the shopkeeper's objections. The only answer vouchsafed by the police was promptly to run him into his own shop, where he was told to stay.
When painting the Old Tea House, I had to place my chair close to the water's edge so that no one could get in front ; but the crowd quite blocked the narrow street behind me. On my last day in this place, a letter was handed to me by my " boy," having the usual red band across it, and written in Chinese. When I asked him what it meant, he said, " Master, that shopman behind you, he talkee my you have spoilee his pidgin " (pigeon English for " business "). I said, " How much, boy ? " " One dollar, master," was the reply.
That shopman was wise ; he made no further bother, and got his money. But it was with a sigh of relief that I finished my work here ; the heat was very great, and the smells very bad, while amongst the crowds who daily assembled round me were often most loathsome creatures—many times I would look up from my work, to see perhaps a man with smallpox sores. Then the dirtiness of some of them ! My friends used to laugh, as they saw me, before starting for the Native City, sprinkle myself plentifully with Keating's Powder ; but it was necessary.