Page:Ling-Nam; or, Interior views of southern China, including explorations in the hitherto untraversed island of Hainan (IA cu31924023225307).pdf/224

 220 Ling-Nam.

taking a rapid review, as the swift current sweeps us along past all the fine scenes we have examined more leisurely on the upward journey, or, leaving our boats, we can go overland to the head of the North River, and thence to Canton. We choose the latter course, and, crossing the dividing ridge inte Hunan, we come, after two days’ journey, to Ping-shek, an important town and military station in the south-east corner of Hunan. It is sixty miles from Sing-tsz to this point, and the road passes through a very attractive country. For miles in succession the path leads through fine groves of camellia trees, which were covered with innumerable white flowers as we passed,

From Ping-shek onward the journey is by boat. Ten tiles below that city we enter the Canton province again, at the head of the great pass which extends for thirty miles without a break, This pass is justly celebrated for its sublime and striking scenery. The high mountains on either side are covered to their tops with a heavy growth of timber, the bark huts of the woodmen being the only buildings seen for miles at a time. The river through the pass is one succession of rapids of a startling character, swift and steep, with ugly rocks rising in their course, The shooting of these rapids is most exciting, the light, shell-like boats going down them like the wind, turning deftly aside from the great rock in the midst, the water lashing their sides, while they incline almost to an angle of forty-five degrees in some of the steeper descents, We make no attempt to deserihe the wonders of this magnificent pass, which is unsurpassed by any in the province, but invite all to whom the journey is