Page:Ling-Nam; or, Interior views of southern China, including explorations in the hitherto untraversed island of Hainan (IA cu31924023225307).pdf/99

 Teng-00 and the Marble Caves. 95

of Canton, with only the bare, treeless hills, so plentiful in the land, to look upon, to appreciate the delicious sense of coolness and shade, of verdure and woodland beauty that comes as we enter this valley of the Leng-oo brook. All the richness of foliage, the singing of birds, and the music of the waters comes as delightful surprise to the hungry soul which loves Nature in her pristine garb. At the foot of the winding paths that ascend to the waterfall and mouastery stands a pavilion with seats and tables set beside the crystal stream. Reclining on the mossy ground, we look up at the broad arms of the giant trees covered with graceful festoons of vines and ferns, and watch the tiny squirrels that dash up and down their trunks in search of nuts and berries, or in playful antics. Crossing the brook by a rude stone causeway, we follow the path to the right along the hillside. Below us tumbles the mountain stream, gathering in deep pools or rushing over great boulders. Above us rises the fern- clad slope, thickly overgrown. Another pavilion is soon reached, from which we catch our first glimpse of the delightful waterfall called “¥i-shui,” “Flying Water.” The water flowing down from the height ahove falls over a broad wall of rock about fifty feet into a large emerali pool. Masses of ferns, begonias, and orchids line the bordering racks. From stone to stone we step until the spray of the falling water dashes its cool drops over our faces, upturned to gaze and admire. The ledge of rock on which we stand forms the starting-point of another cascade, which pours into a deep cireular basin, an ideal swimming bath. The transparent water gives no clue to its depth, and not until an umbrella, accidentally dropped,