He had the opium habit.

He was an opium-eater rather than an opium-smoker; and he ate the ash from the opium-pipe, instead of the opium itself--the most vicious of the methods of taking opium.

He was the nearest approach I saw in China to the Exeter Hall type of opium-eater, whose "wasted limbs and palsied hands" cry out against the sin of the opium traffic.

Though a victim of the injustice of England, this man had never tasted Indian opium in his life, and, perishing as he was in body and soul, going "straight to eternal damnation," his "dying wail unheard," he yet undertook a journey that would have deterred the majority of Englishmen, and agreed to carry, at forced speed, a far heavier load than the English soldier is ever weighted with on march.
The two coolies were to be paid 4 taels each (_12s._) for the twenty stages to Singai, and had to find their own board and lodging.

But I also stipulated to give them _churo_ money (pork money) of 100 cash each at three places--Yungchang, Tengyueh, and Bhamo--100 cash each a day extra for every day that I detained them on the way, and, in addition, I was to reward them with 150 cash each a day for every day that they saved on the twenty days' journey, days that I rested not to count.
Of course none of the three men spoke a word of English.