Chap. III. 



STRANGE ECHO. 



65 



we had anchored during the night, we proceeded on 

 our journey on the morning of the 31st of October. 

 After going a short distance we came to a wild-look- 

 ing part of the hills where there was a most curious 

 and distinct echo, called by the Chinese Fung-shu. 

 The boatmen and passengers amused themselves by 

 yelling and uttering strange sounds at the highest 

 pitch of their voices ; these were taken up and dis- 

 tinctly repeated again and again, first by the nearest 

 hills, and then by others more distant, until they 

 gradually died away. The Chinese have strange 

 prejudices and opinions about this place. They told 

 me that the spirits of men after death often chose to 

 dwell amidst this wild and beautiful scenery; and 

 they said it was they that now repeated these sounds, 

 and echoed them from hill to hill. 



As the day wore on we came to one of those rapids 

 which were so difficult to pass, and observed a great 

 number of small boats waiting for and visiting all 

 the larger ones as they came up. These were river 

 beggars. Each of them had a very old man or 

 woman on board, whose hair in most instances was 

 whitened with age, and who was evidently in a state 

 of imbecility and second childhood. They all ex- 

 pected alms from the boatmen who arrived from the 

 rich towns of the east near the sea. The Chinese, 

 to their honour, revere and love old age. It was 

 said that a celebrated English admiral was once in 

 danger of an attack from the Canton mob, but the 

 moment he lifted his hat and showed his gray hairs 

 they drew back and allowed him to pass on unmo- 



