Page:Ling-Nam; or, Interior views of southern China, including explorations in the hitherto untraversed island of Hainan (IA cu31924023225307).pdf/107

 Teng-00 and the Marble Caves. 103

to its source we pass the city of San-hing, situated in the centre of a great rice plain. The autumnal harvest is just ripening, and in several places we see men lift spadefuls of earth, with the grain attached, from the field, and place them in the form of small altars by the roadside. They then place wax-tapers and incense sticks into these lumps of earth, then fold their hands, and bow in worship before them. The meaning of such ceremonies seems to be thanksgiving for the harvest, and prayer that it may be safely gathered. It seems a worship of the earth itself, as the great mother of life. Near tbis city, in the village of Lo-tsiin, ix found the birthplace of Luk-tso, the sixth and last patriarch of the Buddhist Church in China, TH Inck seems to attend this spot, which one would naturally expect to find a propitious one. The land about it has become barren, and the people who live there are afflicted with premature baldness ; the Jatter, however, is sugges- tive of the Buddhist habit of shaving the head.

Along the upper course of this river the country is bald and mountainous. On both sides of the stream are found the native villages of the Ho-t’ow boatmen— a numerous community. Devoting their days to life on the river, they leave most of the farm work to be done by their wives and daughters. In the mountains that line this stream the natives say many tigers find a home, Travelling much through the interior, and often jn the hilly and mountainous country, I have come into close contact with the people, and have, among other things, frequently inquired about the game and wild animals that abound in various places, and have been