Peeps Into China Part 15

"Then follow musicians, and behind these some men walk with flags, others with red boards, on which are inscribed, in golden letters, the t.i.tles of the ancestors of the deceased."

"Then Leonard saw some gold canopies and sedan-chairs."

"Offerings made to the dead are carried under gilded canopies, and these canopies also follow the ancestral tablets. The portrait of the dead man is in one sedan-chair, and his wooden tablet in another.

"I believe somewhere about here are more musicians, then comes a man scattering pieces of paper fastened to tinfoil. This is supposed to be mock-money for hungry ghosts, the souls of those people who have died at corners of the streets, and this money is to make peace with them, so that they shall not injure the soul of the man now being buried. The eldest son carries a staff, whilst a person walks on either side to support him."

"But Leonard said he saw a white c.o.c.k, when he could not help laughing.

What could this be for?"

"The c.o.c.k is also carried to call the soul to go with the body. Behind the eldest son comes the bier, carried by men or drawn by horses.

"Many other persons follow. All the people that can, go in the procession. Women with small feet, unless carried on their slaves'

backs, can only go a short way. At the grave, grains of rice are scattered over the coffin, when the priest and all the people lift the c.o.c.k and bend their bodies forward three times. The tablet is taken out of the chair, on which the nearest relation makes a mark with a red pencil; then the sons kneel down, and a priest, if present, addresses them."

"Then a priest is not obliged to go to the funeral?"

"No; sometimes only a man skilled in geomancy is present. Geomancy is a kind of foretelling things, by means of little dots first made on the ground and then on paper. The tablet is marked, I believe, to bring good luck to the sons, and then every one knocks his head on the ground and does homage to it."

Sybil was looking very serious, though she was smiling too.

"Oh, father!" she said, "how much you, and other missionaries, will have to teach these people! What a pity it is that they cannot know that the soul is never buried, and that they can't learn to worship and pray to G.o.d, Who would send them such real happiness in answer to their prayers!"

"It is indeed, my child," was the missionary's answer.

"And is anything more done for the dead after this except worship being paid to them?"

"Yes; for many days feasts are prepared for the departed relative, hot water is carried to him to wash his face and hands, and I have also heard of another way that the Chinese have of 'conveying' spirits to the kingdoms of Buddhistic h.e.l.l. Little sedan-chairs are made of bamboo splints and paper, with four little paper bearers, and sometimes there is a fifth little paper man, holding an umbrella. These are burnt like the paper mock-money; and sometimes, after the death of another friend, a little paper trunk, full of paper clothes, is supplied for one already dead, and burnt, when the senders believe that the person who died last is conveying this trunk to the other in safety for them."

"They think that people need a great many things in the other world, then," Sybil said. "And do children often worship at their parents'

tombs?"

"Yes; at certain seasons of the year they make pilgrimages to the tops of high hills, or to other distant parts, where they prostrate themselves, this being supposed to continue the homage and reverence which they showed to them on earth; and they believe that in a great measure the happiness of the spirits depends upon the adoration and worship which they pay to them, whilst those who render it secure for themselves favour from the G.o.ds. Twice a day do children also pay adoration to their dead parents, before a shrine set up in the house to the memory of departed ancestors."

"But what is the use of preparing feasts for the dead?" Sybil asked.

"They cannot think that the dead really eat the food?"

"They seem to do so, and not only lay a place for them, but even put chop-sticks for their use."

Another procession Sybil and Leonard saw one day, and this Sybil described in the last letter that she wrote to her friend, before she left China. Some men carried an image of the Dragon King, others carried gongs, drums, and green and black and yellow and white flags, whilst boys, walking in the procession, called out loudly from time to time.

The children could not possibly imagine what this procession could be all about.

Some characters were written on the flags.

One man who, as Leonard thought, had a very happy, smiling face, had a pole slung across his shoulders, from which hung two buckets of water.

In his hand he held a green branch of a shrub which, from time to time, he dipped in the water, and then sprinkled the ground; while he also continually called out something. Other men were carrying sticks of lighted incense. Most of the people, in the procession, wore white clothes, and white caps without ta.s.sels.

[Ill.u.s.tration: SPRINKLING WATER.]

Sybil and Leonard were afterwards told that this was praying for rain, because for some time there had been none.

The Dragon King was carried, because he is supposed to be the G.o.d of rain. Besides the Dragon King there is a River Dragon, who is both feared and worshipped. His mother, Loong-Moo, is often worshipped by people engaged in river traffic.

The men and boys were calling out "Rain comes!" The yellow and white banners were to represent wind and water, and the green and black, clouds.

The inscription on the flags was, when translated, "Prayer is offered for rain."

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[Ill.u.s.tration]

CHAPTER XII.

THE LAST PEEP.

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SYBIL had made several friends amongst Cantonese ladies and children, and some very pleasant afternoons had she spent with them. The girls, she noticed, generally wore cotton tunics and trousers. One little girl, with whom she had spent a few hours, was in mourning, so she wore white, bound with blue. Sybil could not help thinking that this was very pretty mourning, but her brother's was still prettier, for his trousers were of pale blue silk tied round the ankles, and he wore white shoes. His cue was tied with blue. And there were such very pretty gardens belonging to the houses in which they lived, with rockeries, fish-ponds, and summer-houses almost large enough to live in.

One lady, whom Sybil visited, astonished her very much, because she had an only boy, who was very pale-looking and delicate, and she called him all sorts of names, and seemed to treat him so unkindly. When Sybil had been ill herself, her mother had always treated her with such extra love and care, and she fancied that all mothers behaved like this. Then the Chinese love their boys so much, that one would therefore have thought an only boy would be so very precious. The next time that she saw the lady she had given away her child to be adopted by some one else. Mrs.

Graham heard the explanation to this unnatural conduct, and gave it to Sybil. The woman really loved her boy most fondly, and would have given anything she had to have him well, but she fancied that the G.o.ds were malicious towards him, and that if she pretended to them that she did not care for the child they would let him get well again. All that conduct was to deceive the G.o.ds.

Mr. Graham had several times dined out at Chinese houses, and sometimes his wife had accompanied him, but as Cantonese ladies never dine with their husbands in public, where her doing so was likely to give any offence, even though she were invited, she never went; but many Chinese very well understand that there are quite different laws for Europeans than there are for them, and these seemed to be glad to admit English ladies, with their husbands, to be guests at their houses.

When Mr. and Mrs. Graham went to one of these dinners, knives and forks were borrowed for them, and the other English visitors, in place of chop-sticks. A china spoon and a two-p.r.o.nged fork were set before each person, and there were china wine-gla.s.ses. The table-napkins were of brown paper. Basins of fruit, from which all helped themselves as they liked, were in the middle of the table. There were a great many soups and other courses. Every now and then the host took something out of a basin with his chop-stick, and offered to put it into the mouths of his guests. Out of politeness they were bound to accept these gifts. There was not any beef, as no Chinaman eats beef. Music was played, and slaves fanned the people during dinner.

Once when Sybil visited some of her young Chinese friends, the tea was brought in to them in covered cups, and when they wanted more, tea-leaves were put into the cups and boiling water was poured upon them. She had learnt now to be able to drink tea without milk or sugar, but she could not like it.

A two months' stay at Canton brought the children to the end of four months and a half of their stay in China, and left but six weeks more before they were to return to England. It was the middle of March when the Grahams said "Good-bye" to their kind friends at the Yamen, and returned to Hong-Kong. Sybil could not bear to say this farewell, as it was the last but one, and she knew how very quickly six weeks would pa.s.s.

They had all enjoyed their stay in Canton very much, and often thought about the New Year's Day which had been kept, while they were there, with such grand rejoicings. At midnight, on the last day of the old year, a bell, never used except on this occasion, pealed forth, when, at the signal, people rushed into the streets in crowds to let off fireworks.

Every temple and every paG.o.da was lighted up, and people burnt incense before idols in their own homes. Some streets are lighted in Canton by lanterns, but, as a rule, the smaller streets are in darkness, with the exception of paper lanterns, which hang, every now and then, from before shops or private houses, and even these are put out by half-past nine o'clock. Paraffin lamps are now being introduced along Chinese city streets.

All New Year's night a great noise was to be heard, and in the morning friends dressed in their best to call upon, and salute, one another.

In the streets they were to be seen prostrating themselves upon the ground. Rich and poor alike had great rejoicings on New Year's Day, the rich often keeping up their holiday for ten days.

Latterly Mr. Graham had been several times backwards and forwards to Hong-Kong, where he had made his final arrangements.

The missionary, whose place he was about to fill, would, when he left the island, take with him to England, besides his own family, Sybil and Leonard Graham. Until they sailed, the Grahams would all stay with them at the Mission House, when it would be handed over to Mr. Graham.

The other missionary had three children of his own, two daughters, twelve and ten years old, and a son of nine, but as they had been absent from Hong-Kong when the Grahams had been there before, the children had not yet made one another's acquaintance.