Beyond this point river widens
considerably. Twenty-five miles further on travelers should look out for
Shih 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
supply of rice sufficient for the needs of the priests flowed daily into
a basin-shaped hole, just large enough to hold the day's supply.
The priests, however, thinking to get a larger daily supply, chiselled
out the basin-shaped hole to twice its original size, since when the
flow of rice ceased.
KWAN IN T'AN (OR GODDESS OF MERCY RAPID)
Two miles beyond the town of Feng T'ou. Like the Fuh T'an, is an
obstacle to navigation only during the summer months, when junks are
often obliged to wait for several days for a favorable opportunity to
cross the rapid.
CHAPTER IV.
_Scene at the Rapid_. _Dangers of the Yeh T'an_. _Gear taken ashore_.
_Intense cold_. _Further preparation_.
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