350 



TEA DISTRICTS OF CHINA. 



Chap. XX. 



As soon as the priests saw me they gave up the 

 pursuit, and, coming up to me, received me with much 

 politeness, and asked me to visit the temples. In 

 the mean time the unfortunate angler was making the 

 best of his way over the hills in the direction of the 

 sea. Having returned the salutations of the priests, 

 I asked them to explain the cause of the extraor- 

 dinary scene which I had just witnessed. They 

 informed me that the man I had seen was a thief 

 and a pirate, who had come from some of the neigh- 

 bouring islands to fish in the sacred lake and kill 

 their fishes ! 



I now walked down to the lake accompanied by 

 the priests. No flower could be more beautiful or 

 more majestic than the Nelumbium was at this season. 

 As I stood on the little romantic bridge I looked to 

 the right and left; my eye rested on thousands of 

 these flowers, some of which were white, others red, 

 and all were rising out of the water and standing 

 above the beautiful clear green foliage. The leaves 

 themselves, as they lay upon the smooth surface of 

 the lake, or stood erect upon long footstalks, were 

 scarcely less beautiful than the flowers, and both har- 

 monized well together. Gold, silver, and other kinds 

 of fishes were seen swimming swiftly to and fro, and 

 apparently enjoying themselves under the shade of 

 the broad leaves, in happy ignorance of the encounter 

 between their protectors and their piratical enemy. 



The surrounding scenery was strikingly pictur- 

 esque. On all sides of the lake were well-wooded 

 hills, whose summits were about fifteen hundred feet 



