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MISSIONARY SCENES AND ADVENTURES IN CHINA.

XXIV. TOLLING THE BELL.

TOLL! toll! toll! broke upon our slumbers one morning as we lay moored within the walls of a large city called Ka-ding.

"What is that?" I asked my brother missionary, as he also observed the solemn, regular, measured toll, like the funeral bell in our dear native country. "I know not," he replied; "but we will go and see; it is some service in the Buddhist temple."

Accordingly, having dressed and finished our morning repast, we set out, loaded with tracts and books; for of course we have no idea of spending our time in merely satisfying our curiosity, but always endeavour to render our visits to these temples subservient to the great end of our calling.

We soon found the temple, and there we saw the mystery of the tolling. There on our right hand, hung a huge bell, fully four feet long, and more than three feet in diameter at its widest part. A bamboo rod hung from the roof, a slender rope was attached to this rod, and a ragged lad-a young priest, with his head shaven and marked with the burned spots, and his skin as dirty as if water had no existence sat in the corner and pulled this rope, and struck the bell with the rod from the outside, and so produced the sound which had led to our visit.

But what is that inside the bell? We went forward and examined it, and there we found a suit of man's apparel, neatly folded, and on the top of all lay his hat, and all suspended in the bell.

"What is the meaning of this?" we asked of the priest.

"It is the clothes of a man who died the other day, and left money and orders for us to toll the great bell for him for a certain period."

"But what is the use of that?" I again asked. "It is to light the passage of his soul to the presence of Yen lo Wang, the king of death and arbiter of fate," he at once replied, thinking it a most rational explanation.

"But how does the tolling of the bell light his passage ?"

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Rightly enough. Every time the bell sounds a flash of light is emitted, and thus the soul gets comfortably through the dark labyrinth of purgatory to the august presence, where he is judged according to his deeds." And he explained to us that every soul that left this life had to pass through long dark intricate passages, and that the souls of those who did not enjoy the advantage of this ceremony had a hard and painful struggle to get through the path.

Amidst general atheism and unbelief of any future state, it is always so far satisfactory to find the idea of human responsibility and coming judgment. There is then some ground for response in the conscience to the truths set forth by missionaries in heathen lands. But, whether of native origin or introduced by popish missionaries, what a gloomy and senseless superstition is a purgatory, and how thankful should we be that we know that "absent from the body we are present with the Lord." Yet it is very generally believed in by the inhabitants of this part of China. We saw the same ceremony frequently afterwards in our itinerancies. On one occasion we found the suits of two men fixed up on two frames in the interior of the bell, as our farmers set up scare-crows in their fields-one

stick through the sleeves of the coat, and another stick up through the centre, crowned with the "hong ma tsr’ or dress hat. This time there was the figure of a dragon made of cast metal on the top of the bell; and it was supposed that this dragon gave forth the light. The tolling was to be continued day and night for forty days on this occasion, for the man had paid a large sum.

There are temples erected in honour of this king of Hades throughout the whole of China, and full of figures and groups intended to set forth the punishment of the wicked in hell; and so frighten the people into virtue. We have often examined, and may describe one which particularly struck us.

XXV. THE TEMPLE OF THE EMPEROR AND KINGS OF HELL.

We confess we feel some compunction in taking cur readers in here. We would willingly omit a description of this kind; but if we did so, we should fail to set before our readers a just conception of the workings of idolatry.

Each

This temple was built like other Buddhist temples. It consisted of three courts. Passing through the first with its images of Buddha, etc., we entered the second, and there the horrors of the other world spread themselves before our eyes. There at the further end stood the ten kings of hell with candles burning before them, and incense ascending from vases placed in front. On the right and left were the servants of the king busily engaged in torturing their victims. The kings themselves were eight or ten feet high, proportionately thick, clothed and painted to look as fiercely as human imagination could depict. king had twenty-four or twenty-six attendants, who were as large as life-dressed in all kinds of clothes and no clothes-placed in every conceivable attitude, and often more like our idea of devils than human beings. One of them actually had a man's body and a horse's head. Two of them were represented as sawing the shoulder and back off a man. The man was firmly fixed between two upright pieces of wood, his head being through one of them. One devil stood on a frame a little raised and the other below-like our sawyers at home; the saw entered at the back of the neck and proceeded downwards, and there they were represented grinning and showing their teeth most fearfully. Not far from this scene another man was represented in a caldron of fire. Another was represented as nailed to a pole, his body in various parts cut open and the blood flowing freely. Here again is another devil dragging a man by the heels over a rough way, his head bruised against the stones most unmercifully. Serpents also played their part in this fearful place, one was represented as approaching a man tied to a pole with its sting out. And the background of many of the clusters for we will describe no more was formed and painted so as to convey the idea of a place of blazing fire, and others to set forth a prison dark and terrible.

Pictures of such scenes are also circulated widely among the people. Every sort of torture is portrayed. Sometimes the idea of the punishment is clearly defined. Often a liar is set forth surrounded by devils, who are pulling his tongue out. A drunkard is often found tied to a burning pillar with a cup of water at his lips, but unable to taste it. The whole scene is painfully revolting, but reveals the instinctive guilt of the human mind the fear of the wicked heart-and it sets forth a truth we can never forget, that "the

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XXVI. OUR OWN HIRED HOUSE.

We now purpose telling about our hired house, and what we saw and did there.

Early in summer, in company with a native assistant called Kief-foo, we set out for Sung-Kong, with the view of renting a house in that large city. We went to a friend whom Kief-foo knew, who was well acquainted with the place, and knew about the houses that were to let. Our salutations being over, we asked "if he knew of any house we could rent for a time."

Looking very wise, he said that "he knew of none; and that empty houses were very scarce."

Knowing this to be a falsehood we rose, and said that "this was all the business we had with him, and seeing he could not help us, we would bid him goodbye.'

He was rather taken aback by this decisive course on our part, and so he begged us to be seated again, and he would think over the matter and inquire. Retiring for a few minutes he returned telling us that there was a fine house to let in the southern suburbs, and that he would be happy to accompany ns there. We accepted his offer, and away we went. We were taken to a large enclosure, and introduced to the landlord and his friends. The landlord happened to be only a youth, and so his friends were the persons with whom we had to deal.

Having walked over all the ground and examined the buildings, we found they were rather larger and finer than we wished, but resolved that, if the rent was moderate, we would take the house. Having seated ourselves in the Ting or reception room, tea was brought in and business commenced.

"What rent do you wish?" we inquired of the uncle of the youth.

A consultation took place among the batch of friends, and at last he replied that "it was our duty to name the rent." They were afraid they would ask too little. They insisted nearly an hour upon this point, and at last, when we were going away, the uncle declared that forty dollars per moon was the least they could take. This was beyond all reason; and so looking him in the face, we asked "if he and his friends imagined that we had lost our senses?" This brought them to theirs; and with the greatest bowing and protestations, they affirmed that "they knew we were highly intelligent," etc., etc. But cutting them short, we asked them to consider the question again, for we could not even entertain that rent. Again they had another lengthened consultation, and coming in, the uncle said "they would take thirty-five dollars per moon."

This was only a shade less exorbitant, and consequently we rose and said that "we were afraid we could not agree, and had better not occupy any more of their valuable time." When they saw this, they again insisted to know what we would give, and at last we offered them "twelve dollars per moon," which was in reality all the place was worth.

"Oh, this would never do," was the instant and unanimous ejaculation of all. They made a terrible fuss, consulted a third time, and at length came down to twenty-five dollars.

We knew we were offering a fair rent, and we were resolved to give no more than just such a rent as they

tion would be taken as a precedent. Accordingly we asked them to think over the matter for a night, and we would call next day. We did so. They came down other five dollars, and enlarged on the risk they ran in letting their house to a foreigner. Still we were obstinate. Another day passed, and at last we got it at our price.

Then came another tough battle about the furniture; for we wished to hire some of it, as it would be very inconvenient to bring everything from Shanghai. This fight occupied a third day, and characteristic it was. Every device, and expedient, and nanoeuvre, in word, and action, and gesture, was adopted to get as much as possible. And it was most ludicrous to see the landlord's party consulting at this end of the building, and my party at that end: then one party coming forward and meeting the other, like a small regiment charging then quick words, sometimes angry words, and then retiring after a little to renew the contest. This was continued for hours, and must be endured: it is the Chinese way.

After all, a trick was played on us. A piece of furniture was lost sight of until the bargain was concluded, and then brought in and another dollar demanded. And then, when everything was settled, they affirmed that I had not taken the lodge at the gate, and that I must therefore permit the landlord and his brother to live there. Thoroughly tired and disgusted, I consented to this; and, after an inventory was carefully made out, we took possession. But we found we were anticipated. A colony had settled in the rooms, and they were so numerous and determined, that we fought for a week or ten days ere we had any comfort; and at last had to yield a large portion of the building for their accommodation. It was a colony of rats-and such rats! They carried off everything-meat, bread, fruit, etc. We tried every method to defeat their thievish propensities. We hung the food in baskets by strings from the roof; but the creatures crept along the rafters, and dropped ten or twelve feet into them, and then pitched the contents over, or leaped down with as much as they could carry off. They carried off even walnuts and eggs. This we could not believe at firstwe thought rats with hands were the real thieves-but were soon sufficiently convinced of the fact: my wife actually saw them doing it. A Chinese girl camo breathless to her and cried, "Come and see the rats carrying off the eggs;" and so slipping along the verandah, she looked-and what do my readers think she saw? Why, there was a great rat lying flat on his back, clasping an egg firmly in his four paws, and another rat pulling him across the floor to his hole by his tail. They took also the soap we had in our bedroom, even though we placed it on the top of one of the posts of the bed. The whole colony used to romp and run riot at night over our parlour and bedroom. We fortified our bed with musquito curtains, and got used to it. These curtains are closely drawn, and are impregnable to the whole fraternity of rats. My wife could sit with perfect composure within them, and look at the rats gazing at her with their pretty twinkling eyes.

But enough about rats; and we would hardly have said so much, were it not a specimen of the minor annoyances that constantly recur in missionary life. And they have their use. Such incidents serve to break the monotony of our daily duties, and relieve the oppression of spirit which our ceaseless and solemn work is apt to

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XXVII. DESCRIPTION OF THE HOUSE.

"What like was the house you rented ?" do my readers enquire. It was an ordinary Chinese gentleinan's house. A square white wall, about twenty feet high and two feet thick, closed it in. There were three sets of buildings: the first, a largo open building, where strangers were received; the second, a suite of rooms for more favoured friends; and behind all, facing the south, the inner and sleeping apartments. The family was in debt: a large portion of the buildings had been allowed to go to decay, and was uninhabitable; the garden was overgrown with weeds of every description, the pond was filled with green slime, the zig-zag bridges were partially broken, and the artificial rock-work was mouldering away. Once it had been a most beautiful place, and we resolved that, if permitted to remain, we would make it beautiful again.

The rooms were ornamented by quotations from their sacred classics, and from their proverbs, of which they have a large store. They were painted on paper, and pasted on the sides of the doorways, and in conspicuous parts all over the walls. Their design generally was to inculcate virtue; but sometimes there were beautiful comparisons and similes to please the imagination. They reminded us of the customs of other countries in the cast, and also of that command to the Jews, Deut. vi. 9 they were to write all the commandments and statutes of the Lord " upon the posts of their houses and upon their gates." "And it is at once a beautiful and a useful custom.

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There was a great number of such sentiments written on the doors and walls of the first reception room. This we fitted up for our chapel; and here day by day the crowds pressed in to see, as well as to hear us.

"And how did you proceed?" some one asks. Occupied during the morning and forenoon with our studies, we opened the front gate about two o'clock. There were always crowds of people waiting, and so we began immediately. We opened with prayer, and then our native assistant and myself spoke alternately. I spoke for about a quarter of an hour, and then he spoke for the same time; and thus we kept the place open every day till five or six o'clock at night. My brother missionary often joined us; but he preferred going out to the city, which gave us a still wider sphere. The people always behaved politely, and heard us quietly. They were invited to put questions; and so all sorts of subjects were discussed.

THE TOWER OF CONSTANCE. DURING the atrocious persecution which followed the revocation of the edict of Nantes, and which at length was only stopped by the universal horror it caused among the mass of the French, the tower of Constance always contained within its walls a considerable number of Protestant women. Huddled together in the two rooms of this tower, where air and light could scarcely penetrate, reduced to the coarsest nourishment, and deprived of the most indispensable conveniences of

All hope forsake who enter here.'

Colours are wanting to depict a scene to which we were so unaccustomed; it was a hideous but most affecting picture, the interest of which was heightened by disgust. We saw a large round chamber, deprived of air and light, where fourteen women languished in misery and tears. The governor could scarcely repress his emotion, and for the first time, doubtless, these poor creatures perceived compassion in a human countenance. I still see them, at his sudden appearance, fall together at his feet, which they drown with their tears, and, attempting to speak, only find sobs. Then, emboldened by our sympathy, they all narrated to us their joint sorrows. Alas! their whole crime was to have been brought up in the religion of Henry IV. The youngest of these martyrs was more than fifty years of age; she was only eight when she was seized, going to hear a sermon with her mother, and the punishment for it still continued." Let us pause a moment to give rein to our imagination over this most disproportionate punishment. Forty-two years' imprisonment for going to hear a sermon ! The criminal only eight years of age at the period of committing the offence! The country where she was imprisoned, and which she was forbidden again to gaze upon, one of the most beautiful in the world! The nation to which she belonged, the liveliest on the face of the earth! What must have been her feelings at eighteen ?-what at eight-andforty? I should like a portrait of her; her story touches me. To grow up within sound of the Mediterranean, but never to see it; within reach of the vines and olives of the south, but never to gather a leaf from a tree of any sort, or to feel the blessed influence of earth, and air, and sky! She must have remembered the face of nature, as women remember the face of a father lost in early childhood. It is a vague and shadowy form that affection touches and fills up with its own lines and hues; imperfect it may be and most unlike, but still bright and warm with reality; for it is an everlasting creation-not an image transmitted by memory, with the light and shade of all earthly things, but a glorious personification of all that is beautiful, and true, and holy in the relationship, safe from cloud or change by season or time. And there was this beloved, this venerated parent waiting for two-and-forty years outside the prison door of this poor Frenchwoman, and she, "fast bound in misery and iron," cannot cross the threshold. How precious in the tower of Constance must have been the passages from the Bible, which, no doubt, many of these fourteen women could repeat! That child knew some verses and some hymns, most likely. How keenly must they all have fed upon the promises in Scripture of protection to those who trust in God, "who will make all things work together for good to those that love him." But how difficult at