Page:Ling-Nam; or, Interior views of southern China, including explorations in the hitherto untraversed island of Hainan (IA cu31924023225307).pdf/87

 Among the Palms. 83

was compelled to remain on the earth, and selected this mountain spring as its home. It is spoken of as the “Tuen-may Loong,” “the Bob-tailed Dragon.” At the dragon-boat festival in San-ui the boats, made in the shape of the dragon, are all * bob-tailed,” in honour of their presiding genius. To this dragon are attributed all the storms that come from the south-west. The great tornado of April 1878, which swept across the western suburbs of Canton, destroying eight thousand houses and ten thousand lives, was traced by the people to the San-ui Mountains, whence the evil wind stirred into violence by the dragon was supposed to issue. The form of the dragon, even down to its “bob-tail,” was traced in the collection of débris which the tornado gathered up as it sped onward.

Afew miles south of the city is a pagoda erected on a small hill near the water. It is called the Nai-tsz-tap, “\{ud-children” pagoda. According to local tradition, the country immediately around it was formerly sub- merged, aud the water was full of crocodiles (children of the mud ?), which would swarm over the land, and not only destroy the crops and cattle but the people also. This pagoda was built to restrain their outbursts. It proved so efficacious that their power was broken, so that after its erection they ceased to trouble the people, and soon disappeared. The people believe they are’ held in bondage under the pagoda, which is very old, having been built about a thousand years ago. A probable ex- planation of the traditions and superstitions connected with this pagoda, is that formerly there was a subterranean connection between the waters which covered this part of