[Illustration: Obverse. Reverse. FAC-SIMILE OF A HONG-KONG MILLE.] [Illustration: Obverse. Reverse. FAC-SIMILE OF A HONG-KONG DIME.] [Illustration: Obverse. Reverse. FAC-SIMILE OF A HONG-KONG CENT.] There was not a great deal to be seen in the town, and so the next morning the three travellers started for Canton. There is a boat each way daily, and the journey is made in seven or eight hours; the boys found that the boat in which they went was of American construction, and had an American captain, and so they felt at home, as they had felt on the Yang-tse under similar circumstances. Soon after they left the dock, Frank observed that the gangway leading to the lower deck was covered with a grating fastened with a padlock, and that a Malay sailor stood over it with a sword in his hand and a pistol at his belt. He called Fred's attention to the arrangement, and as soon as they found the captain at leisure they asked what it meant. "It's a very simple matter," said Captain B----, "when you know about it. The fact is, that we were once very near losing our lives by Chinese pirates, and we don't propose to have another risk like it." "Why, what could pirates have to do with this boat, I wonder?" said Frank. "We didn't know at the time," was the reply, "but we found out." "How was that?" "Well, it seems that some Chinese pirates determined to capture this boat, murder all the foreigners on board, rob the Chinese passengers, and then get away on a junk that was to be ready to receive them. They made their plans, and on a certain day fifty of them took passage from Canton to Hong-kong. When about half way, they were to meet a junk with more men; and as the junk hung out her signal and came near, the fellows were to fall upon us with their knives, and capture the boat. They intended to kill us all, but their scheme failed, as there were four ships at anchor that day close by the spot where the junk was to meet them, and so the junk took the alarm and left. There was no disturbance, and we did not have a suspicion of anything wrong. Finding they had failed with us, they went the next day and captured the steamer _Spark_, which runs between Canton and Macao. They killed the captain and officers and the only European passenger who happened to be on board, plundered all the native passengers, and got away. Some of them were afterwards captured, and confessed to their part in the affair, and then the whole story came out that they had intended to rob this boat. Since then we always have the gratings down, so that the third-class passengers cannot come on deck; and we keep plenty of rifles and revolvers in the pilot-house and captain's cabin ready for use. They may never try it on us again, and we don't intend to give them a chance to do so." [Illustration: FORT IN CANTON RIVER.]