Three weeks on the West River of Canton

This historic book may have numerous typos and missing text. Purchasers can download a free scanned copy of the original book (without typos) from the publisher. Not indexed. Not illustrated. 1866. Excerpt: ... era have seen a resemblance in it to the head of the Cairene sphinx; Dr. Palmer compared it to Prometheus vinctus. As wo rowed past, we could read on the cheek, with a glass, the characters Hwapeaou-shih (5), or "Rock of the flowery mark;" and we determined to land and ascend it on our return. A little farther on we went through the "pass of the large Rattan (ADH1)," which has the followinglegend:--Long ago, an immense rattan rose up here every night from the bed of the river, and stretched across the stream like a bridge. Robbers went on it from one side to the other till the 5th watch, and no sooner was that struck than it sank. The villagers suffered much from the thieves, but could do nothing for themselves, till a "skeely " man advised them not to beat the 5th watch (3 A.m.--5); and the consequence was that when day broke, there the rattan was, which their adviser proceeded to demolish. In this way the country was delivered from the robbers. The bridge now lies a ledge of flat rocks at the bottom of the stream; and to attest the truth of the story, at the guard-stations along the river, the 5th watch is never struck. In the afternoon, we passed, on the south bank, the market place of Too-ch'ing (ft$£), with many boats anchored near it. Not a few of them were said by the crew to be brothels, resorted to by scamps from the district town of Se-ning (jgjjjt), which is a short distance inland, in the small department of Lo-ting (H&ffl). Our party got out and had a long walk, but the secretary, who generally accompanied us, preferred to remain in the boat; and has thus recorded what he saw and felt:--"From the bow of the boat, I watched the outline of the fading hills. There were fishermen drying their nets on the bank; there were husband and wife sit...