Manchurian Books

They vary in length from
six to fifteen feet. On the approach of the steamer, several
started up, affrighted by the noise, and glided hastily into the
dirty yellow stream.
The different branches of the Sonderbunds and the Gury are often so
narrow that there is hardly room for two vessels to pass each other;
while, on the other hand, they frequently expand into lakes that are
miles across. In spite, too, of the precaution of only proceeding
by day, on account of the numerous sandbanks and shallows, accidents
are of frequent occurrence. We ourselves did not come off scot
free. In one of the narrow branches I have alluded to, while our
vessel was stopped to allow another to pass, one of the two ships
that we had in tow came with such violence against the steamer, that
the sides of a cabin were driven in: luckily, however, no one was
injured.
In another arm of the river, two native vessels were lying at
anchor. The crews were somewhat slow in perceiving us, and had not
time to raise their anchors before we came puffing up to them.


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