Our position was at once absurd and extremely serious. To do him justice, Mr. '--' at once agreed that there could be no question of delivering up Margit: the penalty of her offence, if proved to the satisfaction of the Chinese magistrates, being--I can hardly bring myself to write it--nothing short of strangulation. He could only promise to accept for the while the risks of delay and do his utmost to bribe the magistrates into compromising the matter for a small fine. He proved as good as his word. For five weeks the _Macartney_ lay at anchor without discharging a pennyweight of her cargo; and every day brought a new threat, edict, or proclamation. At the end of the first week the security merchant was allowed to send his agents to offer a reward of 10,000 dollars to any man of our crew who would swear to having seen the Englishwoman strike the deceased. The agents conducted their parley from a boat, and only made off on being threatened with a bucket of slops. I kept the ship's guns loaded, and set on a double watch, night and day. His wife's peril threw Obed into a state of apprehension so pitiable that I began to fear for his mind. Margit, on the other hand, behaved with the coolest composure: and I had some trouble in persuading her to remain below decks and out of sight. She relied cheerfully on us and on the crew, every man of whom she had bound to her (I suppose by her remarkable beauty) in the completest loyalty. In five weeks Mr. '--' had spent at least as many thousands of pounds; and still matters were at a stand when, one day, Mr. Tomlinson reported a boat under our quarter demanding speech with us. I went to the side and saw a tall lank-haired man, in a suit of white duck, standing in the stern-sheets with the tiller-lines in his hands. "No pigtail on me, Cap!" he bawled. "I'm Oliphant Q. Wills, of the American barque _Independence_: and I want to come aboard." He pointed to his vessel, which had entered the river soon after us, and now lay, ready for sea, two cables distant from us. I saw no reason for refusing; and in less than a minute he came running up the ladder, and introduced himself again. "Business," said he; so I led him to my cabin. "Hullo!" said he, looking over the floor. "I observe you don't chew." He glanced at the stern-window. I opened it. Our talk then ran as follows: Capt. W. "I've come to trade." Self. "Then you have come, sir, to a very bad ship." Capt. W. "I allowed you would say that. I know all about it, and came in consequence. I never miss a chance." Self. "You wish to buy, of course." Capt. W. "Not at all. I'm here to sell." Self. "What, pray?" Capt. W. "A half-hogshead cask of pretty ordinary Geneva: _with_ a Dutchwoman inside." Self. "Now, where on earth could you have picked that up?"