March, when it certainly merits the appellation of "Glorious Dragon
Rapid," presenting a fine spectacle, though perhaps a somewhat fearsome
one to the traveler, who is about to tackle it with his frail barque. A
hundred or more wretched-looking trackers, mostly women and children,
are tailed on to the three stout bamboo hawsers, and amid a mighty din
of rushing water, beating drums, cries of pilots and boatmen, the boat
is hauled slowly and painfully over. According to Chinese myths, the
landslip which produced the rapid was caused by the following
circumstance. The ova of a dragon being deposited in the bowels of the
earth at this particular spot, in due course became hatched out in some
mysterious manner. The baby dragon grew and grew, but remained in a
dormant state until quite full grown, when, as is the habit of the
dragon, it became active, and at the first awakening shook down the
hill-side by a mighty effort, freed himself from the bowels of the
earth, and made his way down river to the sea; hence the landslip, the
rapid, and its name.


FUH T'AN RAPID (OR TIGER RAPID)

Eight miles beyond Wan Hsien. Very savage during summer months, but does
not exist during low-water season. Beyond this point river widens
considerably. Twenty-five miles further on travelers should look out for
Shïh Pao Chai, or Precious Stone Castle, a remarkable cliff some 250 or
300 feet high. A curious eleven-storied pavilion, built up the face of
the cliff, contains the stairway to the summit, on which stands a
Buddhist temple. There is a legend attached to this remarkable rock that
savors very much of the goose with the golden eggs.

Once upon a time, from a small natural aperture near the summit, a