Now, as in the great revolutions of England, America, and France, so in China, anarchy brought forth its great men; but foremost among them all stood Chin-Chi-Loong--a kind of Paul Jones, a pirate in the eyes of his enemies, a patriot in those of his friends. Found starving when a boy, by the Portuguese priests at Macao, they took him under their care, taught him Christianity, and baptized him by the name of Nicholas Gaspard. While quite a youth, he took service on board a trading ship, in which humble position, the strength of his intellect and will so soon exhibited itself, that at an early age he became second in command, and his captain dying soon after, left him sole owner and commander of the vessel and its rich cargo. Then it was that his true character began to develop itself; he sought to accumulate great wealth; for this purpose he traded with Japan, Siam, and the Europeans, so assiduously, that at the outbreak of the rebellion, he had become the richest merchant in an empire of rich merchants; but what to him was of far greater importance, a powerful sea-chief--for he then commanded and owned the greatest fleet that ever sailed in the Chinese seas, and as he had taken care to arm every ship, he became the terror of the three great contending parties; namely, the Emperor, the rebels, and the Tartars, who, all in turn, at times, offered great rewards for his head, and at others, for his services. Remarkable, however, as were the fortunes of this sea-chief, they were less so than those of his distinguished son, the hero of this story. The Author will only add, that, although many of the adventures here set down may not be found in the pages of Chinese history, if, entwining information with amusement, they bring vividly before the mind's eye of his young reader, the manners, laws, legends, superstitions, history, or character of that great, though quaint people in whom more than a thousand years have failed to make any material change, his satisfaction will be the greater that he has again deserved well of those to whom his gratitude is due for the kind, thorough, and hearty reception they gave to the Adventures of "THE WOLF-BOY OF CHINA." WILLIAM DALTON. CONTENTS CHAPTER PAGE I.--The Young Sea Chief.--His Mission 11 II.--The Demon Ship.--The Boy Chow 19 III.--Adventures at Sea.--Rescue 29 IV.--The Innkeeper.--Alarming News 38 V.--Adventure in a Buddhist Monastery.--Chow's Encounter with a Bonze 48 VI.--Thrashing the Gods.--The Boys taken Prisoners 55 VII.--Treachery of the Bonzes.--Nicholas sent to Prison as a Traitor 61 VIII.--Chow sets out to discover some Thieves 69