Page:Ling-Nam; or, Interior views of southern China, including explorations in the hitherto untraversed island of Hainan (IA cu31924023225307).pdf/147

 The Gorges of the Lien-Chow River. 143

with the delicate leaves, is a real solace after a hot and tiresome day,

About. two miles from the mouth of the river we find a very small stream coming in from the south, and following its course between the hills for nearly half a mile, we come to the “Three Wells Fall,” where the stream, broad and shallow above, gathers its waters into a uarrower space, and falls about fifteen feet into three circular bowls or wells which it has worn for itself in the black rock beneath, Impatient of restraint, it boils and foams, lashing the smooth sides of the narrow enclosures, until it escapes into the transparent pool a few feet below, from which, after pausing a moment to recover its strength, it starts again on its musical journey down to the river.

Another mile up the river brings us to the market town of Ha-po, which is reached by a narrow foot-bridge over a smnall stream to the east, and is walled in by a fine grove of bamboos to the north and west. For some distance beyond this the river flows between hills of red clay soil, which are streaked with the marks of nnmerons land slides, aud are covered more or less thickly with trees and shrubs. Some of them have patches of culti- vated land extending to their very tops, from which a meagre crop of maize or pea-nuts rewards the toil of the fusbandman. Numerous lime-kilns appear in the groves along the banks, and here and there small stretches of Jevel land are carefully prepared for the cultivation of rice. Passing several insignificant hamlets, we come, after five miles’ travel, to Siu-she market, which is dis- tinguished by a grove of tall pines that rise behind the