Page:Ling-Nam; or, Interior views of southern China, including explorations in the hitherto untraversed island of Hainan (IA cu31924023225307).pdf/96

 92 Ling-Nam.

the hoats toiling heavily along the shore, no life on the water was to be seen, but in a few moments after the breeze arose you could see the boats in all directions pushing off from the banks aud hoisting their sails. In a short time the whole face of the stream was covered with hundreds of boats of all sizes sailing before the wind. It was a unique and picturesque sight ;—sails of all shapes and sizes, from the great butterfly wings of the passenger barges to the little squares of the fishing smacks, some new and shining, with the name of the maker in colossal letters that could be read across the river, some all tattered and torn, some with improvised sails of blankets or the movable cever of the boat turned up edgewise to catch the wind, while their crews sat peacefully enjoying the breeze or whistling to keep it up.

Beyond Sam-shui, the West River flows down in a majestie volume, between high banks in a channel several miles wide in places. In one of these broad reaches, near the town of Pui-shui, we find large flocks of wild fowl. Hundreds and thousands of them gather in the shallow water along the south side ; wild geese, ducks of various kinds, snipe, eranes, and egrets are seen. The spirit of the sportsman is aroused, but the distance is too great, and the toil of crossing the broad stream is only rewarded by seeing them rise in clouds and fly to other feeding- grounds. A group of mountains, visible for many miles, assumes more distinct outlines as we advanee; and soon the various peaks in the cluster are separated in our view, above them towering the tree-clad height of Teng-oo, These hills form one of the remarkable objects in this immediate neighbourhood—namely, the great Shiu-hing