Mineral Point tribune. (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1869-1938, 1870-08-25

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away some memento Of the place ! asked
for cane, A sordid-lO0king old priest
brought out very handsome specimen OF
natures pranks in the shape OF gnarled,
knotted, twisted and curled stick, the head
of which had grown back upon itself like
the hilt of sword. He asked three dol
lars for it, | offered him one. After "dick-
ering" for some time he fell to two and
started on without it., telling him he ought
to give it to sick man who needed it to
climb the hill He retorted that if | was
sick I was a great man and had plenty OF
money ! left him and proceeded some
distance up the hill, when he called after
us that he would take q dollar The stick
proved OF good service the rest OF the way.
It is useless TO attempt to describe the
scenery which here met our delighted gaze.
Great trees of hundred varieties reared
their tall heads and stretched their benig-
nant arms out over us little climbing NOR
tals over and around their huge trunks
clambered and sported vines and bright
creepers; brilliant flowers waved in the
cool breeze which swept up the gorge, or
nestled costly on some ledge Of great
frowning overhanging rock; ferns and
palms and brilliant tropical underground,
here and there, made a shade almost as
deep as night Above us, and at our sides
and beneath us, as we climbed, danced and
! brawled and sparkled little stream, which
seemed to be coquetting with the chance
sunbeams as it rushed out over some rock
into the light, and then hid itself away in
a dark green pool, pouting and silent. o
it was a scene for painter And that paint
err ought to be put through the heats and
sweats of level tropical country for few
months preparatory to being let loose IN
such place Then he could paint.
After bath in the cool mountain water
we descended and babe adieu to Fee Lol
TIE Leaving the pass and coming again
into the level country we witnessed a novel
mode of collecting toll of the passing boats,
There are frequent streams which Low
from the rice-felds and creep slugglshly
into the river. At the mouth of each there
is always deposit of soft mud and sand
which would be very troublesome for men
Cracking" a boat to cross. Accordingly
the owner of the land maintains a foot
bridge, generally a single plank, and
stations here a decript old man or woman
of the bridge. Seated on a shelf in the
bank, or under mat awning, with little
earthern teapot and pan OF rice steaming
beside him, the aged toll-collector reaches
out a long bamboo with cotton pocket on
the end of it, and the boat owner drops IN
"cash"-one tenth of cent-Or IN lieu
thereof gill of rice. The revenue from
such source must be considerable one
for a Chinaman, and happy is the farmer
who happens to own the mouth OF lazy
rill
We reached this place, Pix Lok, on Sun
day night. Toe village OF Pix Lok Is a
miserable little place, more poverty-strlck-
en- and desolate than any other | have Wis
tied in China. The population Is about
three hundred, and the only branch OF IN.
dustry which the inhabitants seem to be
engaged in is quarrying limestone from the
| hill which directly oyerhangs the town,
conveying it, broken into small pieces, in
saueaking, wooden-axled wheel. barrows,
| down the hill side, and across the narrow
plain on which the houses stand, and
! placing it in little piles, row after row, each
mans product by itself, whence it is taken
up by others and loaded into boats which
carry it down the river even as far as
! Canton sometimes to be burned into lime.
Now the first question that will oc-
cur to the American is: "Why don't
these people build kiln and burn
their lime at home, thus increasing the
yalue OF their products fye-iold or more,
treblng the varieties OF labor for them to
engage in, ard benetiting themselves IN
many other ways?" | asked this question
almost as soon as | arrived, Here stepped
in the .'paternal government in the shape
Of q Mandarin. The Chinaman to whom
spoke replied that there was large lime
kiln here before the war, and that, for a
! little town, the place was rich and prosper
Gus, but the rebels destroyed the kiln and
the greater part of the town. But why
don't You build another kiln, and You
will soon be as rich as beiore| 80,
before man can build one he must
get license from the Mandarin TO
do So, for which he must pay thousand
! dollars, and no man or company of men
! here could raise that much and then build
the kiln afterwards" "Atter the license is
obtained, how much would it cost ??
about one hundred and fifty or two hun
bred dollars | viii here say con-
fdentially that the Chinese system OF gov
eminent and It's practical workings and
everything Of Chinese institutions seen
from the standpoint OF fine, hospitable,
polite M,ndarian's spacious yamun, with
! It's kind owner ever at your side, and from
the lower ground Of such observations as
those l am now making among the com
mon people are totally different things.
Yesterday morning, when we arrived at
this lovely spot, ny first impulse was to
! exclaim that we would stay here a couple
Of days and make this the end of our jour
ney. A cooe was despatched back 10 the
boa. to bring mp the cooking utensils and
some provisions, while we eXplorada little
! further the handsome valley down which
the stream came winding, The road skirt.
ed along the base OF tall mountain, and
then crossed the bright stream, diyed
through grove of bamboes and balyan
trees, coquctted with the bright water
again, then through a little farming vii
mge, and under another grove OF bamboo,
! 4