They soon remarked that I had no stool for my head. They offered me
one of theirs, and would not be satisfied until I accepted it. It
is a Chinese custom to use, instead of pillows, little stools of
bamboo or strong pasteboard. They are not stuffed, but are rounded
at the top, and are about eight inches high, and from one to three
feet long. They are far more comfortable than would at first be
imagined.
13th July. On hurrying upon deck early in the morning to view the
mouth of the Si-Kiang, or Tigris, I found that we had already passed
it, and were a long way up the river. I saw it, however,
subsequently, on my return from Canton to Hong-Kong. The Si-Kiang,
which is one of the principal rivers of China, and which, at a short
distance before entering the sea, is eight nautical miles broad, is
so contracted by hills and rocks at its mouth, that it loses one
half of its breadth. The surrounding country is fine, and a few
fortifications on the summits of some of the hills, give it rather a
romantic appearance.
Near Hoo-man, or Whampoa, the stream divides into several branches;
that which flows to Canton being called the Pearl stream.
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