Page:A modern pioneer in Korea-Henry G. Appenzeller-by William Elliot Griffis.djvu/35

 Rh depth of three feet lies on the ground a fourth part of the year and river ice three feet thick is known, but the winter over the larger area of population is rather mild. South of the Han River one hardly ever thinks of sleighs or skates, though these furnish temporary fun for alien dwellers in the country. The winter, for the most part, is delightful. Then comes springtime, with its armies of flowers, its mantle of green and bloom, its billows of grasses, and the lovely haze that softens the whole landscape. In April and May the early and light rains fall. The most depressing of all seasons is that of the heavy rainfall of July and August, when the rivers rise with a rapidity that perils life and property. Then Soul, a cavity among the mountains, becomes a bath tub, with shower attachment and steam galore. Twenty inches of rain are deposited on the surface of the earth and occasionally a fall of five inches is recorded. It seems then, for the soil, a staggering task to carry off to the sea, the river of heaven that has apparently dropped from above. Everything out doors is bathed in moisture, while within the house it gathers on furniture, floors, and coverings of all sorts. Then the walls glisten and the drops run and chase each other downward as on a window pane on a rainy day. Whatever is of organic texture grows a heavy crop of mould. Sometimes, even overnight, black leather shoes look like piles of greenish snow in the morning. The autumn is beautiful and early winter lovely. In a word, for ten months, nature makes life a delight. A more uncertain