278 



MAGNIFICENT SCENEKY. Chap. XIII. 



young shoots in spring, are carried down to the 

 nearest navigable stream, where they are put on 

 rafts, or in small flat-bottomed boats, and conveyed 

 a few miles down until the water becomes deep 

 enough to be navigated by the common boats of 

 the country. They are then transferred into the 

 larger boats, and in them conveyed to the popu- 

 lous towns and cities in the plain, where they 

 always find a ready sale. Thus this valuable tree, 

 which is cultivated at scarcely any expense, gives 

 employment and food to the natives of these 

 mountains for nearly one-half the year. All the 

 way up the mountain passes the axe of the wood- 

 man was heard cutting down the trees. In many 

 parts the mountains were steep enough for the 

 trees to slide down to the road without any more 

 labour than that required to set them in motion. 



When I reached the top of this pass I got into 

 a long narrow valley — the valley of Poo-in-chee — 

 where the road was nearly on a level. This 

 valley must be nearly 1000 feet higher than 

 Tsan-tsing, or between two and three thousand 

 feet above the level of the plain. At the top of 

 the mountain-pass, and just before entering this 

 valley, some most glorious views were obtained. 

 Behind, before, and on my left hand, there was 

 nothing but steep and rugged mountains covered 

 with grass and brushwood, but untouched by the 

 hand of man, while far down below in a deep 

 dell, a little stream was dashing over its rocky 

 bed and hurrying onwards to swell the river in 



