THE ANCIENT KINGDOM OF PA 89 



life miserable. The place is called Hsin-chia-pa, alt. 1950 

 feet. We had covered 80 li, through a rich and interest- 

 ing country. Lady Banks's rose was particularly abundant, 

 with stems 2 feet round, festooning trees 40 to 50 feet tall. 

 Mantzu caves occur sparingly. In several places we passed 

 cultivated patches of Panicum crus-galli, vai.frumentaceum. 



We parted excellent friends with our hostess at Hsin-chia- 

 pa, a trifling present and 400 cash made her extremely happy ; 

 her thanks were both genuine and profuse. Soon after 

 starting we made a precipitous ascent of 1000 feet and crossed 

 what is probably the water-shed of the Suiting and Sanhuei 

 Rivers. A descent led to the head-waters of a small river, 

 where is situated the tiny market village of San-che-miao. 

 Market was in full swing, the one short street with its few 

 hovels being crowded with people. We passed through 

 without stopping to satisfy the curiosity of the crowd. At this 

 village several roads converge, the one we followed continuing 

 to descend the stream, and leading through a rocky jungle- 

 clad defile. The cliffs are of red and grey sandstone, steep, 

 rugged, and crowned with Pine and Cypress. As fiuviatile 

 shrubs Distylium chinense, various Privets [Ligustrum] and 

 Cornus paucinervis abound. The last-named is a low-grow- 

 ing shrub with spreading branches, and laden with small 

 flat corymbs of white flowers it formed a most attractive 

 bush by the water's edge. In the jungle-clad slopes through 

 which the road winds Tea bushes 15 feet and more tall are 

 common. They looked uncommonly like spontaneous speci- 

 mens, but were possibly planted long ago, though some of them 

 have been undoubtedly naturalized. Occasional trees of the 

 Red Bean (" Hung-tou "), Ormosia Hosiei, occur ; at one time 

 this was probably a very common tree in this region. Its tim- 

 ber is most valuable, and the tree has been ruthlessly felled. 

 There is practically no cultivation in this defile, or room for 

 any, and not a house for 20 li. 



After traversing this wild and interesting ravine for several 

 hours we made a steep ascent to the top of the cliffs, and on 

 the way up discovered spontaneous plants of the Tea Rose 

 {Rosa indica) in fruit. These were the first really wild specimens 

 I had met with. Once on top of the cliffs we found that 



